Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Essay on Asian American History - 914 Words

Nowadays, United States is often associated with the term â€Å"melting pot†, which refers to the assimilation of immigrants who were initially heterogeneous with their own distinct backgrounds. Corresponding to that fact, racial discrimination has been significantly reduced within â€Å"melting pot†, in which people gradually understand the differences between them without aversion. However, back in the past, many Americans conceived of Asians as strangers. They were not willing to understand and embrace the biological and cultural differences that set Asian immigrants apart from Europeans and early Americans. Coolie trade, which brought numerous Asian immigrants to the United States as indentured laborers, resulted in numerous stereotypes of†¦show more content†¦Asian immigrants were willing to work although the only given tasks were menial that Caucasians did not consider preferable. Asian immigrants’ way of life was laborious, diligent, and humble; t hey did not complain about their given environments and quit their jobs like Europeans. Asian immigrants had their own American dream to achieve citizenships and prosperity, and in order to accomplish their goals, they kept on working despite harsh and unfair working conditions. However, one distinction that can be made between Asian immigrants and American laborers was there was no justice for Asians. They were purposely denied the resources to defend themselves and influence legislation by Americans like Samuel Gompers who deviously published lies that suggested that Asian immigrants were willing to accept the poor working conditions and low wages in order to dominate over their competitors. Eventually, Asian immigrants began to dominate the American job market; as a result, American and European laborers started to view them as threats and lobbied for discriminatory laws which resulted in immigration quotas. In order to hinder the success and progress of Asian immigrants, many Am ericans like Samuel Gompers viewed them as strangers and prevented them from gaining equal protection under the law which further isolated from the major society. In 1879, when the ChineseShow MoreRelatedAsian American Culture And History1707 Words   |  7 Pagesis racism. The prejudice and racism against Asian Americans seems to never end. Either it’s a nasty side remark about one’s looks or a judgment about one’s personality and abilities. In high school, one of my best friends was Vietnamese and I remember her going through quite a bit of problems. She was most definitely stereotyped and was supposed to be good at math and science, when in truth, she was horrible at both subjects. Instead, she loved history, cooking, and art. Offensive and wrong situationsRead MoreJerry Trinidad . Professor Tuyay . Asian-American History .1659 Words   |  7 PagesJerry Trinidad   Professor Tuyay   Asian-American History   April 1, 2017      Angel Island and Ellis Island        The United States was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, but during an immigration boom in the late 1890s and early 1900s, Asians and Europeans faced discrimination and violence because of their difference in language, appearance, and religion. People came to America from all over the world to experience the wealth and prosperity that was associated with this great countryRead MoreAsian American History735 Words   |  3 Pages Slavery was not just a paternalistic system described in the history textbooks. Instead, it was also a brutal form of domination over the bodies and minds of people who were kidnapped, beaten and raped. Generations of human beings as slaves against their own will without pay or legal rights as a person. In addition, there was racism subjected toward Asian Americans. 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These Asians come from Japan, China, Korea, Laos, Thailand, and many other diverse countries in the Eastern hemisphere. These people wantedRead MoreThe Film Production Of The Movie Production Industry1141 Words   |  5 Pagesviews of society. Stereotypes have been commonly present in society for as long as our history dates back to. Among these stereotypes, I will be focusing primarily on Asian stereotypes- the primary reason being that I am an Asian American myself. The portrayal of these common stereotypes however, does not imply or mean that Americans view it in a positive light. Some of the most renowned and racist films in history are Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sixteen Candles. In addition to these films, I will beRead MoreWhat Historical And Governmental Policies Influenced Asian Americans1171 Words   |  5 PagesAsians have been referred to as the â€Å"Model Minority† for decades, but is it an accurate representation of Asian America culture today? This notion derives from the stereotype that Asian families are stable and Asian culture produces success in regards to grades and professions. My questions are as follows: what historical and governmental policies influenced the term, how did it affect Asian-Americans, what should Asian Americans do to be treated equally to improve the rights of their people, andRead MoreMiss Saigon Musical1214 Words   |  5 PagesThe heat is on in Saigon. With larger than life visual spectacle, that dazzles audiences, Miss Saigon does not fall short of its difficult subject matter. Centering around tragic love tale, in which an American GI soldier falls hopelessly in love with a Vietnamese girl, the story quickly unravels and begins to test the true idea of love at first sight. As one of the most successful musicals in the worl d, Miss Saigon addresses the ideas surrounding war and imperialism while exposing the egregiousRead MoreWhat Does Model Minority Bring?911 Words   |  4 Pagesand support them to achieve a their higher economic success. Such a minority group in certain countries is called a model minority. Objectively, model minority brings positive and negative things to people, especially Asian Americans. According to Dhingra and Rodriguez, â€Å"Asian Americans are upheld as ‘out-whiting whites’ with their high scholastic achievements, low incarceration rate, residential integration, entrepreneurship, and emphasis on family unity.† Many groups of people are brilliant modelRead MoreThe Second Generation Asian Americans1034 Words   |  5 Pages1920s with the emergence of second generation Asian Americans. Although some Asian Americans were born in their homeland, coming to the U.S. at the age of six still classified them as Asian Americans as they were raised within assimilation of America. Second Generation Asian Americans experienced America more than their parents ever did and that caused a lot of concerns and tension between them and their parents. The Second Generation Asian Americans experienced tension between their parents with

Monday, December 23, 2019

Annotated Bibliography On Mobile Business Intelligence

COMP1715 SCHOLARLY AND ACADEMIC PRACTICE INTERIM SUBMISSION ANNOTATED BIBLOGRAPHY: Mobile Business Intelligence; Who Benefits? PRINCESS DAVID OKORO 000857230 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 INTRODUCTION 3 3 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 3 4 CONCLUSION 6 5 REFERENCES 6 2 INTRODUCTION The perception of mobile computing has been widespread in recent time, thus, generating a platform for the increase of Mobile Business Intelligence .This trend has been moderately encouraged by a drift from traditional computers to a wireless world with the improvement of smartphones which has led to a new age of mobile computing, particularly in the field of Business Intelligence. Kolb (2012), defined Business intelligence as a business†¦show more content†¦(2010). The mobile Business Intelligence Challenge. Economy Informatics. 1 (1), 8. This article examines the challenges faced with the application of mobile business Intelligence within an organisation. Over the years, the demand of data management and usage has increased within an organisation. As a result of the increase in data creation as well as availability, most organisation has sought out various medium to make their data mobile in which they are available for use at any time, thus sustaining competitive advantage by integrating all data channels to offer a broader analytical perspective on a business for competitors. Furthermore, the author stated some of the reasons of the use of Mobile Business Intelligence, which includes the possibilities for real time decision support, it’s accessible as mobile phones are part of our day to day life, etc. However, with the range of large data to process and use simultaneously, this may likely generate into problems such as security risk, difference in GUI of a phone and a Computer, Low storage space in most mob ile devices. In particular, there a few limitation faced when running BI application on a mobile interface such as, the limited amount of sent data, poor resolution of a mobile device, low memory. Despite of all the positive and negative arguments concerning the Mobile Business Intelligence field the author explained that the reality is somehow different because there are still barriers to overcome andShow MoreRelatedTop Three Trends in your profession and associated industry Annotated Bibliography1499 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Briana Berry Week 4 February 16,2015 Top Three Trends in your profession and associated industry-Annotated Bibliography The top three trends in the Cyber Security field are salary, career advancement, and the need for predictions of the future in how information is exchanged. Cyber-crimes are becoming more popular and because of the many attacks that are happening much more frequently it has caused for a higher demand in cyber security professionals. Companies spend millions of dollars to correctRead MoreA New Event Planner Entrepreneur, And New Computer Technology Essay1231 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction In a previous project, I identified three top trends in my profession and delivered the information in an annotated bibliography. As a new event planner entrepreneur, I conducted research on what’s trending in the event planning industry and my top trends were creativity, event-driven marketing (EDM), and new computer technology. An extension of the project required an archive-based qualitative approach to one of the trends. I chose to conduct research on EDM based on theRead MoreEssay Elemica7043 Words   |  29 PagesCommunity | | Prepared by: Raphael Hassler Raphael.hassler@hnc.ch Title | : Elemica e-Business Initiative | Prepared for | : Dr. xxx, CEO of Elemica Inc. | Prepared by | : Raphael Hassler, CTO of Elemica Inc. | Date | : 5 June 2011 | | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is an in-depth study of Elemica’s existing B2B online business and the report contains the findings and its business potential of achieving a larger market share of the online supply chain management in the world. SeveralRead MoreManaging and Organizing for Innovation in Service Firms a Literature Review with Annotated Bibliography30787 Words   |  124 Pagesv i n n o va r e p o r t vr 2009:06 managing and organizing for innovation in service firms A literature review with annotated bibliography annika schilling andreas Werr stockholm school of economics Title: Managing and Organizing for Innovation in Service Firms. A literature review with annotated bibliography Author: Annika Schilling Andreas Werr - Stockholm School of Economics Series: VINNOVA Report VR 2009:06 ISBN: 978-91-85959-47-1 ISSN: 1650-3104 Published: Februari 2009 Publisher:Read MoreThe Project Management Methodologies4677 Words   |  19 Pagesheadquarters, requested that the Business Intelligence department of its Information Systems division streamline and interconnect client, contractor, vendor, and internal enterprise data through a software information management system (IMS). This request entails IMS accessibility by Constructives corporate divisions: Construction, Operations Management, Design Engineering, [Procurement, Logistics, Purchasing], [Quality Assurance: Material Science, Structural Integrity], Business Development Sales, MarketingRead MoreGung Ho Movie Analysis9681 Words   |  39 Pagesculture ................................................. .............................................. 20   Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 21   Bibliography:.......................................................................................................................... 23   Appendix ...........................................................................................................Read MoreHbr When Your Core Business Is Dying74686 Words   |  299 PagesTOP-TEAM POLITICS†¦page 90 WHEN YOUR CORE BUSINESS IS DYING†¦page 66 Y GE SE PA IN DS CK R M WA A 53 www.hbr.org April 2007 58 What Your Leader Expects of You Larry Bossidy 66 Finding Your Next Core Business Chris Zook 78 Promise-Based Management: The Essence of Execution Donald N. Sull and Charles Spinosa 90 The Leadership Team: Complementary Strengths or Conï ¬â€šicting Agendas? Stephen A. Miles and Michael D. Watkins 100 Avoiding Integrity Land Mines BenRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesquiet way. In the area of costing, Michael has undoubtedly deepened our understandings of both conceptual and practical issues, in recent years providing a voice of reason amidst all the consultancy excitement of seemingly new ways of costing the business world. He has played a similar role in the area of accounting standard setting, both taking forward the British tradition of the economic analysis of financial accounting and, of possibly greater significance, providing some very original analyses

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Onus of Ethical Lapses Lies on Business Schools Free Essays

Concept Paper Seminars in HRM Final Project Bushra Fatima, MBA 2k8 13 May, 2010 th Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 2 Ethical Lapses in Businesses: Onus lies on B Schools? I joined NUST Business School two years back, after I did my engineering degree. The logical premise, I gave to justify my choice to enter a Business school was not that I was passionate about studying business administration in anyway, but was the fact that the MBA is a good add-on to my degree, ensuring better and well paying career options in the long run. In my view back then, a business school was meant to churn out managers, like so many medical and engineering schools that churn out doctors and engineers. We will write a custom essay sample on Onus of Ethical Lapses Lies on Business Schools or any similar topic only for you Order Now By the end of my first semester of MBA, my perception was changed. Getting an MBA doesn’t make you a manager. Management is more of a practice, something that needs to be done outside the safe environment of Business school. According to one of my professors: â€Å"It’s like swimming; you cannot learn it by sitting cozy in an air-conditioned classroom listening to the lecture†. However, like most professions you need to understand the theory behind the practice. Hence, the case with teaching ethics in business schools and the responsibility of the institute to instill ethical values in the students is challenged. Business people act in unethical ways when they start evaluating the risk and rewards of being a moral person. Business school should teach that economic analysis is only helpful and proper when all of the options being considered are morally correct. Aristotle believed ethics was more than just learning a set of rules. Ethics was a way of living. â€Å"One becomes a lute player by playing the lute, one becomes a builder by building; likewise, one becomes courageous by doing courageous acts (a virtue for Aristotle)†¦ † Before I hold the business schools responsible for the ethical lapses that happen in the business world, let us delve into some reality check. Can ethics be taught? Studies show that MBA alters how students view businesses and their roles and responsibilities as managers. Students bring in their ethics and moral values which may be hard to transform all together but a slight change in attitudes may be infused in them during the course of study. However, even if the student learns complete theory associated with ethics, there is no guarantee that what he does outside the class would be in conformance with what he has learnt in class. Unless, the class learning is supported by a value structure of the student’s environment on campus and at home, a message of double standards is sent. That brings me to what the student really learns in the business school and what is emphasized upon during his tenure there. When a student is taught about leadership for example, the emphasis is on business leader’s gain in terms of wealth and building multibillion dollar enterprises rather than what they have contributed to the society or what change they have made for the betterment of humanity. The business schools tend to give a myopic view of success and leadership to the students equating success with monetary gain thus monetization of the concept of leadership. A profitable enterprise according to the business schools are ones which works towards increasing short term monetary gains for the shareholder instead of emphasizing on sustainable growth and benefiting all stakeholders in long term. Thus, indoctrination of money mindedness in done to the extent of poisoning the young mind to think ethics as old school philosophy which stands in the way of success. Overall business schools convey a subtle but lethal message of privilege. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 3 The business school teaching methodology that puts too much emphasis on case study system gives a false confidence to the student that he knows how to solve real life problems. He is encouraged to make use of the economic models without taking into account the variety of problems and issues that may arise as a result of those decisions. The application of the knowledge is taken as a means to a definite end without enabling him to do critical analysis. He is taught how to solve problems but he is not taught think about the side effects of his decisions. The cases highlight success stories and emphasize on numerical and financial aspects without focusing much on the nitty gritty humanistic details. Another problem is that each dimension of business is taught more or less in isolation. The marketing people emphasize on marketing aspects, the finance people emphasize on the financials and the human resource people see things through their own colored glass thus isolating the student from the intricate details of implications resulting from their skewed decisions. The ethics aspect in most case discussions is never emphasized and students are seldom told what not to do. It is important for the students to come up with smart solutions and strategies and they should be able to state their financial viability but nobody questions the ethical viability. For many students ethics equals to norms. Norms they say is how things are done usually which can mean that people can justify their actions just because it is largely acceptable. This leads us to the bandwagon and group think mentality which exists among students. As a society we function collectively. So if it is socially acceptable to bribe, people are going to do it without questioning morality of the action. Business schools, or for that matter any school of learning is responsible to bring a change in the trend of blind followership and enable critical thinking; thus, contributing to evolution of societies. We live in an ethically dysfunctional society. We don’t teach our children to be responsible citizens; instead we emphasize on competing and being the best. We teach children that it’s a jungle out there where survival is that of the fittest. When it comes to making a career choice, we impose that career is one which gives a better return on the money invested on education; thus, forcing them to take up careers not out of passion but out of economic need. This vicious cycle which starts at home makes young minds believe that being successful is equivalent to how much money somebody makes. The educational system also reiterates the same fact, when children are divided into art and science group, on the basis of the grades they get. Aptitude and intelligence is quantified by how much marks a kid gets. If somebody is in a profession such as teaching it is undervalued, because it pays less, and is often the perception that somebody who is a failure otherwise, ends up teaching. Little emphasis is placed on how one can benefit the society by adopting a certain profession; same is the case with people going to business schools. Business school students are there to benefit themselves. Through their induction systems business schools hunt for the overtly ambitious, people who are aggressive and who seek to reach the top at all costs. People who once out of the rigorous and fierce system seek quick success and try to win position of importance in top of the line firms. While business schools have excelled at producing graduates that demonstrate competence in engineering investment products based on complex mathematical models and implementing students exceptional ability at marketing and optimizing productivity, little has been done to enlighten the Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 4 student as to how to use his/her acquired intellectual virtues in a manner which promotes morality. Although students leave the university environment excelling with intellectual resources, there is no attempt being made to demonstrate how these attributes can be used to habituate excellence of character. Business schools tend to minimize their responsibility to indoctrinate students with a sense of moral obligation or a proclivity towards the pursuit of moral excellence. I am not saying that being ambitious is wrong. Somebody who is taking up MBA is supposed to be ambitious but that ambition running into raw greed is dangerous. The lust for success and narrow selfish gain is when a person is forced to resort to unethical behavior. The economic models taught at most business schools take away the humanistic element and talk about bottom line and how important is it to achieve that. It infuses a dog-eat-dog attitude among students. Altruism and social responsibility is ridiculed and called soft aspects and are often ignored. The responsibility of business schools starts from the induction process of candidates. They need to assess that people they are lining up to take up positions of power are ethically sound people and are bent on doing good for all the stakeholders instead of just making money and fame for themselves. Ethical values should be made part of the selection criteria and should have more weightage than brilliant academic credentials and qualifications. This is under the premise that you cannot transform ethical values of a person by teaching him ethics in classroom. So this is a better way to take out the bad eggs in the first place. The selection committee should see that the student is willing to work for the betterment of the society and this should reflect on his profile as part of his credentials. Also the candidate’s reference checks should be made and the information given on his profile should be verified in order to make a correct character assessment. However, even if the corrective system is in place it doesn’t ensure hundred percent that ethical lapses won’t happen. As long as there is bigger personal stake involved, unethical practices will take place. One would always question what is in it for them to act ethical, when the bigger gain and recognition goes to someone who cut corners and got away with it. The importance of teaching ethics cannot be ignored as it makes us question every action’s ethical validity. However, the responsibility of business schools is not just to preach ethics in the classroom but to infuse ethics at all levels and balancing the values taught with values practiced. The prevalent belief of innocent until proven guilty gives a chance to students to play around with the system and to get away with questionable behavior. Cheating for that matter is a tolerable action until you are caught. The competition is so tough that students tend to use all means whether fair or unfair to get good grades. For them, ethical are all those actions for which they don’t end up punished. The business schools like any other professional institution should have a â€Å"Hippocratic professional code of conduct† and anybody found to be going against it should be made to pay by dismissal from the profession altogether. In Pakistan where corruption has become a norm an element of change is needed and business schools can play their role in this regard. Top notch business schools should have the power to scrap the degree of those graduates who get involved in unethical behavior such as our ex-prime minister who was an IBA graduate and was alleged of being involved in money laundering. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 5 The curriculum in the business schools should not teach ethics as an isolated course, focusing on philosophy, which end up making the young minds more confused. Rather, ethics should be directed to instruct students to make ethically sound decisions based on rational thought measuring the implications in the real world. Students should be aware of the examples of those who did not comply with ethics and ended up losing everything including their reputation so that they know the dire consequences and think twice before engaging in questionable behavior. The strategy class for example should teach the students not just to build a strategic direction of the company in order to maximize short term profits but also to make choices which go hand in hand with company’s values that can guide their overall culture on the basis of which sustainable growth of an enterprise is achieved. The curriculum in business schools should be such that it encourages out of the box thinking instead of limiting and confining the thought to achieving profits that are investor and company centric. Courses should enable looking at the bigger picture, looking at not short term gains but long term implications on economic, human and environmental development. The purpose of business studies should not be just to prepare students to excel in the prevalent business world but also to find faults in it and try to evolve the system for the better. Business students should be able to criticize business model’s viability, they should be able to challenge the basic assumptions and redesign and re-engineer theories, which in the first place are responsible for the current economic crisis faced by today’s world. The business school curriculum should encompass courses that ignite student’s creativity and encourage him to innovate and come up with viable solutions which benefit the society. Projects with focus on solving global problems such as energy crises or greener planet should be encouraged, as they infuse a spirit of global leadership which is meant to bring a positive change. For a developing country like Pakistan such a focus is imperative as we have been a victim of the capitalist mind set in which the wealthy have become wealthier and the poor have become poorer. We are a debt ridden country and sustainable development is answer to all our problems. So, the top notch business schools are responsible to give back leaders who are focused on creating wealth not just for themselves but create an opportunity of living a better life for millions. To sum it all, the burden of responsibility of ethical lapses of business leaders lie on business schools as the system somewhat creates an unharnessed greed for personal success. This needs to be controlled through redesigning the curriculum and the existing environment, which teaches them to be responsible and creates ethically sound leaders instead of shrewd businessmen. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 6 MBA: In Spirit The MBA is meant to be a holistic degree one which infuses analytical ability, provides a sound based of practical knowledge on basis of which decisions can be made. The two year MBA program is challenging and rigorous which does not only infuses a spirit of competition in the student but teaches him to collaborate and work in teams to get greater success. The program is meant to groom a student’s leadership qualities and gives him courage and knowledge to pursue his ambitions. The MBA is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is a degree designed to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. What will you get out of an MBA? Aside from a powerful life experience, the MBA degree should supply three main value propositions: Skills, Networks, and Brand. Skills These include the â€Å"hard skills† of economics, finance, marketing, operations, management, and accounting, as well as the â€Å"soft skills† of leadership, teamwork, ethics, and communication that are so critical for effective management. MBA students acquire these skills inside and outside the classroom. Since MBA programs attract people from very diverse industries and cultures, a program should be able to leverage these differences and translate them into learning opportunities. Networks An MBA degree program offers access to a network of MBA students, alumni, faculty, and business and community leaders. This network can be very useful when beginning a job search, developing a career path, building business relationships in your current career, or pursuing expertise outside your current field. For example, entrepreneurs need access to capital, business partners, vendors, and clients. Artsrelated businesses need access to funding and strategic management in order to position themselves to be relevant in the marketplace. Global businesses need access to local business cultures as they expand their enterprises to new territories. Brand The MBA degree is a recognized brand that signifies management and leadership training. The particular school and type of MBA program you attend also have brand associations that can help open doors based on the school’s reputation. The strength of a school’s brand is based on the program’s history, its ability to provide students with technical skills and opportunities for personal growth, and the reach of its alumni and industry network. A powerful brand can give you the flexibility to make changes throughout your career. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 7 Concluding Note I believe that MBA should not have specializations in it. It should be a holistic degree in every sense covering courses critical in making organizational strategies. There should be emphasis on leadership and ethical practices. The intent of MBA should be to give the student confidence and help him in career growth. Critical Analysis of Human Resource Management It’s a cliche for organizations in today’s modern high performance corporate world to say that â€Å"people are our greatest assets†. But today the importance of it is all the more accepted. Human capital is a competitive advantage that competitors cannot imitate. So, human resource management and the practices associated with it have become accepted by managers in all forms of organizations as one of the most important strategic levers to ensure continuing success. The Origins Traditionally known as â€Å"personnel management†, was largely an outcome of increased government regulations regarding employment conditions, discrimination, employments rights, health and safety concerns etc. In many organizations today, this older notion of personnel administration still holds sway with its emphasis on rules and regulation. The modern concept of â€Å"human resource management† finds its roots in the 19th and 20th century by the end of the industrial revolution in United States. The notion of employee welfare came into light when managers started to face issues with work force control mainly due to influx of immigrants in the workforce. During this time methods of workforce control were devised and F. W. Taylor came up with the concept of scientific management. Later Henry Ford implemented this concept in his automotive factory. He also came up with the first ever employee welfare department which ensured that no part of employee’s life effected his/her productivity in the workplace. However the methods were more personnel control oriented. By the 1960s, the notion of personnel management had become well-established with a number of clear areas of responsibility attached to it including: †¢ Selection and recruitment †¢ Training and development †¢ Pay and conditions †¢ Industrial relations Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 8 Employee welfare †¢ Occupational health and safety. In the 1980s, the concept of human resource management began to gain ground. At the root of the new thinking about the management of people in organizations was the perception of the increasing competitiveness of the global economy. The success of large Japanese corporations in export markets for traditional western products such as cars and electronic goods in the 1970s and 80s took many western corporations by surprise. Studies of Japanese corporations emphasized the importance of effective people management in the competitive strategies of these organizations. The studies showed that Japanese employers performed far better than their western competitors in terms of labor productivity and in process innovation. The key to this success lay in the human resource management practices adopted by Japanese corporations such as Toyota and Matsushita. These practices became evident in western countries as Japanese corporations established manufacturing plants throughout Europe and North America. The human resource management practices which had been so successful in Japan were transplanted with great success to these overseas transplants. The practices included: †¢ Strict and rigorous selection and recruitment †¢ High level of training, especially induction training and on the job training †¢ Team working †¢ Multi-skilling †¢ Better management-worker communications †¢ Use of quality circles and an emphasis on right first time quality †¢ Encouragement of employee suggestions and innovation †¢ Single status symbols such as common canteens and corporate uniforms. The integration of these human resource management practices was to create an organizational culture that allowed workers to identify their own success with that of the corporation. Thus, organizational or corporate culture became an important element in understanding the competitive success of firms and was a major theme of management thinking in the early 1980s. These new human resource management practices and the emphasis on the creation and maintenance of corporate culture stood in sharp contrast to the regulatory view of personnel management that had emerged in the mid-20th century. In fact, many of the new practices were not seen as the exclusive province of the human resource manager but were viewed as the responsibility of line managers in organizations. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 The Criticism Although the roots of human resource management might be relatively clear historically, the term itself and the meaning of human resource management has been the subject of fierce debate amongst practitioners, academics and commentators since its emergence in the early 1990s. Some have simply substituted the term human resource management for perso nnel management and claimed that everything has remained the same. In some cases, this can be seen in the migration of job titles that took place in the last decade as the title of human resource manager has replaced that of personnel manager. Others have argued that human resource management represents a fundamentally new way of managing people at work that goes well beyond the old functional notion of personnel management and emphasizes the creation of a culture in the workplace that harnesses the commitment of individuals to the organization. Yet others, exasperated with the endless definitional debate that seems to surround human resource management, have argued that it is simply an illusion, a â€Å"hologram† behind which we may see many techniques and practices in operation but which is essentially determined by the observer. However, the notion of employee commitment is one which appears to be integral to many of the models and theories of human resource management that have appeared. This notion of harnessing the commitment of employees in organizations was first articulated strongly by Walton (1985) who described how modern organizations were moving their management styles from one based on control, to one based on commitment. Human resource management clearly encompasses the older regulatory hangovers, but goes much further in embracing the management of change, job design, socialization and appraisal as the key levers to achieve organizational success. Modern Human Resource Management The aims of human resource management today are not just integration with the business strategy of the organization, employee commitment, flexibility and quality, but takes commitment as a major integral element. â€Å"Human resource management is a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce using an array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques†. The main assumptions underlying the modern concept of human resource management shows how much the concept has progressed from the ld notion of personnel management. Firstly, human resource management is clearly not simply the province of the human resource manager. Line managers play a critical role in human resource management and, in fact, could be argued to be the main Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 10 organizational exponents of people management. Second ly, human resource management is firmly embedded in business strategy. Unlike the personnel manager, the HR manager is part of the top level strategic team in the organization and human resource management plays a key role in the achievement of business success. Thirdly, the shaping of organizational culture is one of the major levers by which effective human resource management can achieve its objectives of a committed workforce. Thus, human resource management is concerned not only with the formal processes of the management of people but also with all the ways in which the organizational culture is established, re-enforced and transmitted. Challenges faced by HR as a Profession The sense that HR is somehow ‘failing to deliver’ is a central theme in the writings of a number of influential American writers. Jeffrey Pfeiffer (1997), for example, writing about the future of Human Resource Management, suggests that it would be wrong to conclude that the growing interest in HR and Human Resource Management necessarily means that the future of the HR function (in its departmental form) is bright: â€Å"My advice is to resist the temptation to believe that HR managers and staff in organizations have a rosy future or a future at all, because there are some profound problems facing human resources as a function within organizations, as contrasted with the study of human resources as a topic area that makes its viability and continued survival problematical. What has emerged so far in this critical perspective on HR is that many of the activities that HR professionals engage in appear not to be valued by managers and employees. This is because there is either no evidence that the activities actually achieve things that matter or because it is very difficult to prove that what HR does actually r esults in improvements in behavior and performance. If the latter is the reason, then the task of HR is to look carefully at the way in which it measures and evaluates effectiveness; if the problem is more to do with what HR does and how it carries out these activities, then the challenge it faces is more fundamental. The HR function is generally criticized to be an accomplice in trends such as downsizing and contingent work arrangements that are often blamed to undo much of the progress made in managing employee relationships in the past several decades. Also HR professionals are accused of showing lack of leadership in demonstrating the business impact of managing people effectively. Writers such as David Ulrich have suggested redefining HR role not by what it does but by what it delivers: results that enrich the organization’s value to customers, investors and employees. The four key roles that HR professionals need to play to deliver the contributions are as follows: ? A partner in strategy execution: This doesn’t mean that HR should take responsibility for HR and business strategy, which is rightly the domain of the chief executive, but that the head Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 11 of the HR department should be an equal partner with other senior managers and should ‘have a seat at the top table’. An administrative expert: This is about getting the basics right and adopting a much more instrumental approach to the use of procedures. The emphasis needs to be on the efficiency of the HR department — reducing its cost base and speeding up its cycle times, without compromising on quality or effectiveness ? An employee champion: This is about HR recognizing that work intensification and an increased sense of insecurity are becoming the new reality for many people and that this is associated with weakened levels of employee commitment. This, in turn, affects the preparedness of employees to contribute more than their contracted level of effort and performance. The role of HR here is to ensure that employees remain engaged and committed, or become re-engaged, either directly through the activities of HR or by HR working with line managers to ensure that they can create a positive psychological and emotional working environment. ? A change agent: According to Ulrich (1997), this role involves HR in building the organization’s capacity to embrace and to capitalize on change. Given that change is the norm for most organizations, the ability to implement and manage the change process is seen as critical to the organization’s ability to function during the change process and to reap the benefits from the changes that have been made. Reducing resistance to change is seen as a key HR contribution. Gaps between HR Academics Practice There’s an incontestable gap between what’s happening in scholarly research and what’s happening in the world of practitioner. However, there’s consensus among academics and research-savvy HR professionals, that HR managers who follow evidence-based principles are best positioned to optimize the success of their organizations. Still, most HR professionals have little time, interest or tolerance for reading researches. Practitioners focus on solving problems and getting tasks done in time- and pressure-packed settings. Academics explore, contemplate and pursue research that can take three years or more before culminating in a journal article. HR practitioners don’t care about the theory behind the practices. They don’t care why processes, tests, or other instruments or procedures work, just that they do. If wearing plaid instead of polka dots on Tuesday’s increases retention, they’ll do it. According to a business school professor, â€Å"People want to Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 12 see cost-benefit analyses before they implement. It’s not enough to know structured interviews will give you better-quality people. Practitioners want to see how it affects the bottom line. † Research and academic findings may not always have concrete outcomes. For practitioners ambiguity doesn’t help. They want concrete solutions supported with business outcomes something translated into profits, often missing in HR research. Academics tend to be interested in different subjects than practitioners. For practitioners, those subjects may be too theoretical or too esoteric, or may not be a need-to-know priority. But for academics, whose careers rise or fall on their success at achieving tenure and promotion, the topics are influenced by what the academic reward structure requires. Fault lies with HR curriculums. HR curriculums should develop the competency in all HR professionals to know what is and is not a scientifically based finding or conclusion. We need to audit our curriculums to make sure students are being taught to appreciate the importance of evidence-based management and the role of research in advancing HR. That requires basic understanding of math and statistics. Most undergraduate business and industrial psychology curriculums feature at least one course in statistics, and some observers say that should suffice. In recent years, faculty members have been reluctant to add more quantitative requirements to HR curriculums for fear of losing students. According to my observations most people choose HR because they are math-phobic. Also there is little emphasis on doing research and supporting it quantitatively. In most MBA programs graduate students are not being asked to do research or even read it. When I asked an MBA student his point of view about research, he said; â€Å"MBA students don’t like reading research, so instead students are just discussing cases and practicing being a leader. The HR curriculum should be designed in a way that forces students to engage in consulting. Thus, forcing them to connect the taught courses with field knowledge and enabling them to do hands on research and get comfortable with statistics. This will force them to do analysis and make interpretations. Academics who moonlight as consultants are more likely to relate to the realities of the workplace. Encourage faculty and practitioners to develop and partner in research. Establish conferences or thinktank sessions that bring them together. Encourage exchanges. Cross attendance does occur, but not in enough numbers to create a shared comfort zone. Businesspeople should also cooperate with researchers to enhance body of knowledge and include practical aspects rather than unworkable theories. Another way to increase practical knowledge base is to support sponsored research. Corporations should invest in academics doing research that practitioners need. Experts agree that applied research should meet three criteria. It should be: ? ? ? Rigorous–conducted scientifically so the results can be validated and replicated. Relevant–directed at learning more about, furthering or solving some HR-related problem. Readable–accessible to practitioners who stand to benefit. Bushra Fatima, NUST Business School, 2010 13 Conclusion As a profession HR needs to defend its value by aligning itself with organization’s strategy and focus on achieving business strategy instead of just working as a support function. The HR academia suffers in terms of creating practical value because of its lack of collaboration with HR practitioners. The two can benefit each other and enhance body of knowledge which is far better applicable in real work environments. How to cite Onus of Ethical Lapses Lies on Business Schools, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Leadership - Ethical Decision Making and Regulatory Compliance

Question: Discuss and explain various concepts of leadership and managerial roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities and the impact to the organization. The assignment is all about the leadership and ethical decision making? Answer: Leadership: Leadership is a motivation process of the members of a group. A group is made by different members. Among the members of the group, of a person motivates the members and organizes the activities in the group, then it is known as leadership and the person is known as leader. The rest of the members follow the instructions given by the leader. The work of leader is to lead the members of the team. If a team is working on a particular project, then it is the responsibility of the leader to collect all the data and information regarding the project and to arrange all the activities of the project. Management: The work of manager is to manage all the team members. All the team members work under the manager. The responsibility of the manager is handle all the team members and to make plans for the better outcomes of the project. The work of the manager is to arrange all the required things for the team members. A manager decides task for the every member of the team. The strategy for the project is made only by manager. Manager collects all the data required for the project and delivers the tasks to each and every member of the team. It is his responsibility to study the project before starting the work on it. Manager manages the accountability of the project. Manager is the only responsible person for the accountability of the project. Approaches to be applied in leadership and management: There are two types of thinking Proactive and Reactive. A proactive leader is more focused on achieving the results of the business. They think to get the better outcomes of the project. They arrange all the data required for the project properly and make proper plans. They do all the arrangement and collect all the required points. A reactive leader is focused on the problems done by him and to sort out the problems. Reactive leader doesnt think about the better outcomes of the project. He just focuses about the previous problems and the solutions of the project. A manager should have proactive thinking. He should be focused on the better outcomes of the business. He should be a quick problem solver. He should be critical problem solver, innovative and creative. At the time of crisis, he should solve all the critical problems of the project. Various questions with their answers are given below: What do you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of each managers approach to management? The strength of the manager is proactive thinking. A proactive leader is more focused on achieving the results of the business. They think to get the better outcomes of the project. They arrange all the data required for the project properly and make proper plans. They do all the arrangement and collect all the required points. Sharon has been working as HR manager for 17 years with UWEAR. As per the discussion with Sharon, plan should be made quickly. To get real feel for people and situations, there should be an intuitive management style. To complete the work with better outcomes, there should be a proper plan for the project. Huge project plans should not be prepared, because long implementation timelines are made for that. Short term planning should be done for the current project. Long term planning leads to delay in the accomplishment of the project. It leads to wasting of time and losing of momentum. These are some weaknesses of the managers approach to management.. How will you tailor your approach to each manager based on your knowledge of each of them? My approach will be of proactive thinker. A proactive leader is more focused on achieving the results of the business. They think to get the better outcomes of the project. They arrange all the data required for the project properly and make proper plans. They do all the arrangement and collect all the required points. There should be long term planning because it takes time for implementation and time is wasted by it. Short term planning should be done for the current project. Short term planning would be very effective and efficient and it will lead to better outcomes for the project. What do you feel will be the challenges faced by each manager in formulating and implementing a policy within a relatively short time line? In a short time line, it is difficult for a manager to formulate and implement a policy. There will be planning problem for the manager because time line is short. If a strategy has been prepared by the manager, then there will be problems in the implementation. The strategy should be able to understand easily. The theoretical study of the project is easy but when it is implemented, then it leads to major difficulties. Marcia has been working as HR manager at PALEDENIM for 3 years. According to Marcia, sometimes it is necessary to request additional resources to meet time lines if plans dont go off as scheduled. The problems occur in additional resources. The goal of Marcia is to bring projects in on time and at or below budget. Due to short time line, it is very difficult to bring projects in on time. It is very difficult to bring projects at below budget in short time line.. How do you need to advise each manager to ensure that they formulate and implement the policy? To ensure the formulation and implementation of the policy, various tasks should be done before. A meeting should be conducted with the leadership and human resource teams. Important roles will be played by them in merging. The changes will be driven by the leadership team. Some significant change issues occur in it. These issues should be addressed. As per the requirements, two companies are to be merged. There are 100 employees in UWEAR and PALEDENIM is private company. It has only 15 employees. Same type of service is provided by them. In the terns of business, they are completely different. The philosophies and expectations are totally different for each employee of the organization. So, for the merging, proper synchronization is needed between two companies. When these problems will be sorted out, then manager can be advised for the formulation and implementation of the policies. References: Carlyle Thomas(1841).On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic History. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. Fiedler Fred E.(1967).A theory of leadership effectiveness. McGraw-Hill: Harper and Row Publishers Inc. Heifetz Ronald(1994).Leadership without Easy Answers. Cambridge : Harvard University Press. Tittemore James A. (2003).Leadership at all Levels. Canada: Boskwa Publishing. Vroom, Victor, H. Jago, Arthur, G. (1988).The New Leadership: Managing Participation in Organizations. Kleiman, Lawrence S. (2010).Management and Executive Development. Kotter, John P. Dan S. Cohen. (2002).The Heart of Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Arvey, R. D.; Rotundo, M.; Johnson, W.; Zhang, Z.; McGue, M. (2006). The determinants of leadership role occupancy: Genetic and personality factors. Howell, Jon P. (2012).Snapshots of Great Leadership. London, GBR: Taylor and Francis. Bono, J. E.; Ilies, R. (2006). Charisma, positive emotions and mood contagion.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Workplace Stress Leading to Burnout an Example by

Workplace Stress Leading to Burnout Stress in the workplace has been a concern on the minds of human resource employees in many large corporations. By neglecting causes of workplace stress, employers may be nullifying their investment in employee-focused health-promotion programs. The evidence linking certain workplace characteristics to employee stress and health is as strong as the evidence linking smoking to lung cancer (Santa-Barbara pg 2). This essay will illustrate the connection between workplace stress and employee burnout. Need essay sample on "Workplace Stress Leading to Burnout" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed There are professionals all across the spectrum of the corporate world feeling as if they are not making any contribution to society at all, and have relegated their employee/employer relationship down to a nuisance. It is more difficult to get up in the morning and go to the office. It seems pressure is coming from every angle scrutinizing every move made. Santa-Barbara notes that stress form any source causes the brain chemistry to change lowering the bodys immune system making the employee more susceptible to illnesses (pg 2). Our Customers Very Often Tell EssayLab professionals:I'm not in the mood to write my essay. Because I want to spend time with my friendsSpecialists propose: Choose The Qualified Help In Writing PapersBuy College Papers Write My Essay Online Cheap Do My Assignment Pay Someone To Write My Paper Cheap "Anybody can suffer from stress and job burnout," Kleven noted. "These are equal-opportunity challenges." In a dynamic society where change is the only constant, people find it particularly challenging to manage work overload -- and as families split up, reconfigure or move around the country, individuals are less and less likely to have an adequate support system to help them combat stress (Overwhelmed and Overworked, n.d.). Burnout can be defined as a general lack of caring or concern with noticeable less motivation. Many who cannot discover the source of the stress causing burnout can go into depression further complicating their lives. However, according to Ceridian Connection, stress can be overcome, but not without recognizing its source (Overwhelmed and Overworked, n.d.). Once the source is recognized help can come from many directions including managers who can take measures to keep employees involved and engaged. Stress in the workplace is definitely causing employee burnout, but with the right help, and by noticing the symptoms early enough it can be thwarted. Works Cited When Workplace Stress Stifles Productivity. (n.d.) Retrieved 9 December 2006, from http://www.drakeintl.com/dbr/pdf/work_place_stress.pdf Overwhelmed and Overworked: Stress and Burnout on the Job. (n.d.)

Monday, November 25, 2019

Friendship paper Essay Example

Friendship paper Essay Example Friendship paper Essay Friendship paper Essay I wasn’t overly impressed when I first met him in an Arabic restaurant in Itaewon, Korea. I didn’t notice his casual good looks. I didn’t pause to gaze down upon his broad shoulders nor his perfectly shaped body. I hardly notice the hazel colour of his eyes. What I saw was a sincere smile. A very captivating smile I remember thinking. Who could have known that smile was what made me start paying attention. His mother and mine instantly became friends after a short conversation they had over the lunch.Throughout the trip, the four of us were always together. Qawiem and I would go to the coffee house at night after sending off our mothers to hotel. We talked and shared stories about our life and ourselves. We even played snow fight outside. Those were the memories I shall never forget. Coming back to Malaysia, our distance didn’t grow us apart. Instead, our friendship became stronger. Talking, mostly on random and unnecessary stuff, every night through Skype became a routine.There were times when both or one of us were too busy juggling with studies but no matter how busy we were, we talked. For me, it felt like as if the talking was an escape from all the mess. : Once in a month he would drive all the way from Ipoh, where he’s studying at that time, to Kuala Lumpur where I lived so that we can meet up and spend time together. Distance is nothing when you know what you’re going after is worth the time and the energy spent.He was always there for my ups and downs, ensuring me to move forward, and mutually, I was there for him. During my downs, I cried almost every night when skyping with him. He stares, listens but never judge me. He would just sat there listening to me babbling about my problems. He never fail to bring me back up after that by telling me jokes and at times, Mama Ros will join our conversation and lighten up the mood in her own way.It’s wonderful how I felt as if a big burden was taken off my shoulders every time we talked. Although now he’s in Denmark, far away from me. Our routine is still on. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grows fonder. I’ve ventured out, trying to describe the wonderful friendship we have. With hope, you can see this man as I do with the power of my words. Seeing, as only I can, the special individuality that captures my heart whenever he’s around. Not only is Qawiem is my best friend, but he is the love of my life.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The effects plastic surgery has on todays youth Essay

The effects plastic surgery has on todays youth - Essay Example Sweeney has used various styles/techniques and rhetoric strategies to achieve her goal. These include appeals, cause and effect analysis, comparison and contrast, narration, description, statistics and argumentation. Evidently, she chose these strategies in order to make her point as rational and as convincing as possible to her audience, many of whom have opted for cosmetic surgery out of unhealthy motivations. She begins her essay with a narration, giving an account of Kristen who underwent cosmetic surgery at 15 to make her breasts bigger and how it has given her much confidence (Sweetney E3). By using this technique, Sweeney immediately establishes the entire essay as informal piece. This is a powerful way of capturing the attention of readers. By mentioning that this was done with the help of parents, she lightens up the mood of teenagers. Sweeney also used this technique as important background information on two important points. First, she explains that many teenagers below 18 are opting for cosmetic surgery out of unjustifiable motivations. Through this narration, she reveals that these youngsters are simply using cosmetic surgery to rush biological processes before their time is due such as having big breasts to feel like a woman when in fact they are young and have not reached puberty. She also uses this to explain that some youngsters are driven by obsession with the celebrity culture and similar actions of closer relatives. Secondly, Sweeney uses this technique to communicate the major reason driving teenagers to seek cosmetic surgery, that is, self-esteem. The youth do it to feel â€Å"normal† or to â€Å"fit in.† To convince the audience that the rise in the number of youths going for surgeries is rising crazily, Sweeney goes ahead to give statistics of the numbers of youths going for cosmetic surgery over a ten year period,

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

FINANCE COURSE ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FINANCE COURSE ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Initiating utilizable financial information is even more complicated in comparison to companies performing at the national level. The MNE s face contrasting practices of accounting between various states and they end up with difficulties in making comparisons. More so, the comparison issue is made hard since they make profits in currencies that are different. Therefore, MNE company groups need to report the accounting operations in consolidated accounts for their global gains and losses. Most recently, the financial aspects have been made more complex by the increasing requirement to do a segmental reporting. (Muchlinski, 1999) First, before the issue of external sources of finance for public MNEs is looked at it is important to note that the internal sources of capital are mostly preferred in the US. The reason for this is that internal financing is considered less costly compared to the external sources. Furthermore, companies may not wish to disclose their information regarding operations to external parties. Lastly, the scenario of asymmetric information places hurdles to a firm’s ability to seek financing externally. (Rugman, 2004) External sources of capital are essential just like internal sources of capital. These may include sources such as Eurodollars, or bank loans. Generally, the sources of funding for MNEs differ due to maturity, geographical sourcing, currency used in the denomination as well as institutional sourcing. External capital sources may either be national or else international. National sources of capital may cater for both short-term and long-term financing. Short-term financing may refer to bridge loans, overdrafts or medium term loans that are discountable. Long-term financing may relate to bonds, long-term loans and equity. International sources may range from international bonds, international equity or even Eurobonds. This study is going to narrow down and discuss

Monday, November 18, 2019

The American Pageant by Kennedy Cohen-Bailey Essay

The American Pageant by Kennedy Cohen-Bailey - Essay Example Most of it was brought about by the need to expand the trade borders of the American people. America was linked in many ways to Cuba than just at the time of the war. Cuba was one of the major producers of sugar and major suppliers to the USA. The Wilson-Gorman tariff imposed on Cuba by America to protect the sugar growers in America invariably raised the price of sugar and the Cuban economy suffered as a result. The misrule by the Spanish of its colony in Cuba created a lot of unrest. The Cubans fought the 10year battle of independence from 1868 to 1878 and tried to drive the Spanish away by destruction of property including cane fields and blowing up of passenger trains. The situation peaked when Spain sent tyrant General Wyeley in 1895 to Cuba. Wesley took it upon himself to crush the rebellion and opened up re-concentration camps, imprisoned and isolated the Cuban revolutionaries from the Filipino revolutionaries in their war of independence. Many perished and â€Å"died like do gs† (Bailey, 629). from unsanitary conditions in the camps. The American people rose against this atrocities to the Cubans and wanted war but the then president Grover Cleveland was against it and even motioned to strike against congress if they were to declare war against Spain and send troops to Cuba. This resolve, however, did not last very long as there were many other factors at stake than America was unwilling to admit to at that time. US also had a stake in the war because it was not really comfortable with having a European colony that close to its own borders. The unrest in Cuba was straining US trade relations in the region and threatening US investments in Cuba. There was also fear that its access to Panama would affect future sea trade routes.  

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Performance Related Pay And Employee Rewards Management Essay

Performance Related Pay And Employee Rewards Management Essay Performance Related Pay (PRP) has been defined by several scholars including Armstrong (2002:261) and CIPD (2009). They suggested that PRP is a method of remuneration that provides individuals with financial rewards in the form of increases to basic pay or cash bonuses which are linked to an assessment of performance, usually in relation to agreed objectives. This definition captures what performance related pay is all about. In order to understand how PRP works in practice in relation to theories, it is been analysed with the help of the current practices which are prevalent in the organisations of repute. The organisation mentioned here is Mc Donalds which is also referred to as McD, which is a private sector fast food chain with 31,000 centres in 118 countries around the globe, McD uses performance related pay in order to motivate their staff, and also has different pay structures. The main aspects of performances related pay schemes have been identified as the nature of performan ce measures, assessment of the performance against fixed standards and how this is related to pay schemes (Kessler Purcell, 1992; cited in Thorpe Homan, 2000). PRP started becoming popular by the early 1980s and have been a major factor in the pay and reward scenes for many organisations. PRPs effect is more than just motivation alone; it is a significant phenomenon in the change management philosophy of the modern organisations. Now they have much more expectations thrust upon them like improving quality and skills, changing the work culture and promoting co-operation apart from the normal roles like recruit, reward and retain employees (Cannel Wood, 1992). In recent years people have been the key source to competitive advantage and it is not surprising on how employers try buying employee commitment. However the question of if the methods adopted are successful is still debated. Motivational theories can be traced back to the time of Taylorism and the theories have evolved from scientific management to Hawthorne, Maslow amongst others. However the report will focus on Vrooms 1964 expectancy theory on which PRP is based. According to CIPD (2009) there are three main objectives of PRP systems. Firstly it motivates employees to give their best performance by linking performance to the pay scales. Secondly PRP encourages the organisation to build up a strong high performance based organisational culture. Thirdly the fact of fair-trade policy. The better performed employee in the organisation gets the best monetary reward. The Expectancy Theory points out that management needs to communicate and disseminate information to employees that efforts will be recognised and rewarded also it is managements responsibility to establish schemes to reward the behaviour they want. Furthermore, the theory also implies that money is a significant motivator for most, and will usually alter our behaviour either by increasing or directing effort in specific directions to secure a higher salary or bonus payment. Also, it suggest that money is important not simply for its own sake, but because it is a means to achieve other ends (Taylor 2000:19). The theory has three central concepts. The first is Performance Outcome Expectancy which implies employee working in a particular way will yield foreseeable consequences while the Concept of Valence is the second. It examines the value derived from the outcome of behaviour and the final concept is Effort Performance Expectancy which examines employees perception of the likelihood of achieving a desired objective (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005). However PRP can not be discussed without looking at the old pay and new pay. The old pay was more compatible with traditional organisations structures and employment relationship in the 1970s and 1980s. The concept was characterised to be bureaucratic, based on incremental progression, lacks horizontal integration with other HR activities and it detached pay from the strategic objectives of the organisation (Philbeam and Corbridge 2006:231). The system faced lot of challenges because; pay had become a form of entitlement to employees, was not motivating and does not drive change. In contrast to the above, the main concerns of the old pay were fairness, consistency, equity and transparency but; was criticised for inhibiting organisational development in the twenty first century (Philbeam and Corbridge 2006:231). Lawler (1971) developed the new pay system which was in response to the issues raised in the old pay. It was the opposite of the old system which sets out to achieve challenges faced by the old system. The new pay was supposed to replace the old pay, he however stated that the new pay doesnt necessarily mean implementing new reward policies or abandon the traditional ones; it means identifying new pay practices that enhance the organisations strategic effectiveness (Lawler 1995:1). It was also suggested that the new pay helps link the financial success of the employee and the organisation, shows a connection between employee pay and performance and suggests that employee are rewarded when they exhibit a desirable behaviour (Tropman and McAdams 2001, Philbeam and Corbridge 2006). However, the new pay has since evolved giving birth to various forms of pay such as team based pay, competency pay, skills based pay et cetera. Performance related pay varies between sectors and the 1998 IPD research shows that PRP is used by 72% of employers in the financial services and 41% in the public sector (Armstrong 2002:266). Furthermore, the idea of linking a portion of pay directly to performance appraisal and to the achievement of specific performance objectives has proved particularly attractive to employers and such approaches are becoming popular in both the private and public sector (Taylor 2000:19). Moreover, PRP has a beneficial effect on employee performance and the achievement of organisation objectives and goals (Lawson 2000: 311). A typical example is when the bank introduced PRP in 2008. Here, monthly targets were given to employees and those who met their targets at the end of the month were rewarded in cash to encourage them, this is also applicable in the trust but the competition is between doctors. This worked for sometime but led to mistrust between employees. Employees began working on customer relationships that were not assigned to them and blacklisting of fellow colleagues with customers and senior management became the norm. This is supported by Marc Thompson (1992) who stated that new forms of pay can have a damaging impact on trust and working relations (Armstrong 2002:268). Similarly, PRP motivates and de-motivates employees at the same time. This is supported by Marchington and Wilkinson (2005) who identified from their research that 83.4% of the sample believes that PRP de-motivates while the others believe otherwise. Employees who meet their target are motivated to put in more effort some who have not met their targets will try keeping up with the drive however in a situation where a staff has met 99% of its target and their effort is not rewarded will lead to de-motivation and this will have a ripple effect for other staff will take up the attitude of why put in more effort when the organisation will not reward a colleague who met 99% of their target and this is applicable in both organisations. This also leads to lower job satisfaction on the part of the de-motivated employee and vice versa (Price 2007:484). However, the employer prefers PRP because it enables them pay few people more money rather than promoting the hardworking staff who has not me t their targets thereby saving cost. Again it depends on how effectively it works as a motivating tool to reflect organisational performance, employee development, loyalty, responsibility and the sense of achieving the organisational goals (LGE, 2008). . However employers use PRP to attract and retain people to their organisations by offering them competitive financial rewards. The basic assumption of employment is that services are exchanged for benefits which could come inform of money. Moreover, in an industry such as the financial services where PRP is a norm and the pay is competitive, staff retention is substantially important because; it may lead to the loss of business when the employee is recruited by a competitor and is offered higher pay. At the present situation of credit crunch most of the organisations are looking to reduce the number of employees as well as attract and retain only the employees who are high performing and multi skilled employees. Again high performing employees eight out of nine times is most likely to agree with the system of pay for performance and the organisations needs to put this scheme in order to attract and retain high performing employees (Thompson, 1992). In simple, establishing a standard f or measuring and rewarding for high performance can assist in retaining the most industrious employees. On the other hand it causes unfairness to the other employees because they get to share the target of the staff that leaves the organisation. This leads to the employer requiring the employee to put in more effort to achieve the new target under the same scheme. The doctors in the trust are not faced with this pressure because their targets are not financial and it lies more towards overtime hours and on call visits. One of the key concerns of the old pay was to promote fairness in the workplace. However PRP could lead to unfairness. PRP in both organisations is based on performance appraisal where the manager will recommend a staff for reward at the end of an appraisal period. In a situation where the manager recommends an average performer for PRP and does not recommend a top performer because the manager believes the employee has not done enough while it is evident to other managers and team members that it was the recommendation was a case of favouritism. This highlights a key issue affecting PRP which has been argued of not having a consistent method of judgement (CIPD 2009). The difference with the process in the bank is the entitlement of the employee to fill in their comment at the end of the appraisal and decide if the appraisal was fair or not based on listed reasons. This also cements the fact that PRP leading to conflict and in this case a rocky relationship between the appraiser and the appraise. Furthermore, CIPD (2009) suggest that linking of pay awards to performance review process may inhibit an open and honest discussion of an individuals training and development needs. This statement could be interpreted as PRP identifying developmental needs of the employee during appraisal process. Using the trust as an example the PRP scheme requires employees with the exception of doctors to present their continuous development plan (CPD) during appraisal period to show how they have developed, their future plans and the manager helps identify where the employee is lacking and how they can develop those areas. When compared to the process in the bank, there is no CPD presented during appraisal but the manager and employee identifies the areas where there is need for development to improve performance and make recommendations to management. However, both organisations only review the staff development at the next appraisal. It is assumed that team working yields better results. UNISON suggests that efficient and effective service depends on cooperation from staff Labour Research Development (1994:5). However PRP undermines team working because it does not put into consideration group efforts but it rather promotes individual working. The practice in both organisations promote team working but staff are only rewarded individually, which leads to uncooperativeness from team members, poor service delivery, de-motivation and it generally promotes poor performance. Marchington and Wilkinson (2005:341-342) states that with emphasis PRP places on individual performance-leads to a short-termist approach whereby individuals look for quick returns from small scale projects rather than addressing more fundamental problems. This shows PRP motivates better in short term compared to long term. The McDonald company lives up to the philosophy of Pay for Performance when it comes to rewarding their employees. While examining the situation in McD, it was noted that the organisation keep broadband pay data both internally and externally of the employees base salary after screening their performance which actually helps the employees to review their performance. McD offers TIP or Target Incentive Plan which is an incentive pay plan offered at corporate and regional employees helping them to link their pay to the performance in the sector they work. Kohn (1993) states that by and large, rewards succeed at securing one thing only: temporary compliance. When it comes to producing lasting changes in attitudes and behaviour, however, rewards, like punishment are strikingly ineffective.. there is no firm basis that paying people more will encourage people to better work or even in the long run, more work (Armstrong 2002:272). PRP is introduced to organisations to improve performance and maybe promote staff development during the process. However, it has been noted that with the existence of PRP in an organisation, there is a lesser drive for self development. People want to develop themselves initially to get be able to earn more money while a lesser percentage wants to improve their knowledge. PRP ensures people get the money, but de-motivates the staff on the long run while not accomplishing the initial goal which is to improve performance. Kohn (1993,1998) suggests that extrinsic rewards can erode intrinsic interest and that there is no firm basis for the assumption that paying people more will encourage people to better work or even in the long run more work (Armstrong 2002:272). Critique of the Performance Related Pay System Having examined performance related pay as a motivational instrument, it was noted that it is a widely used instrument in private and public sector organisations both nationally and internationally. It has proved overtime as a valid instrument for motivation but it has been criticised by various authors CIPD (2009) inclusive which states it has proved in some circumstances a rather crude instrument and the 1990s witnessed a number of challenges to the theory. It was also criticised of not been the only or even an effective motivator. According to Brown Heywood (2002) PRP increases the stress factor among the employees. most of the line managers having the view that staffs tends to put more pressure on themselves as they get motivated by the rewards and incentives which are put forwarded for individual performances and achieving set targets. The employees feel pressurised by the fact that their promotions and appraisals are heavily linked by the performance based approach. Because of this the workers tend to feel more stressed and can even lead to the breakdown of a staff member. Beer (1984) corroborates this while suggesting that when pay is tied to performance, it reduces the intrinsic motivation which comes when individuals are spontaneously involved in work because they are given freedom to manage and control their jobs also, it signals that it is management that is in control which reduces the individuals feeling of competence and self determination (Armstrong 2002:272). Several academics have criticised PRP as an instrument which promotes jealousness among staff which can lead to organisational conflict. However, Oswald (2002) disagrees with this and suggested that if salaries were confidential, then there s no way it can lead to conflict also he suggested that people should be paid on merit and effort (Wright 2004:122).PRP is measured using performance appraisal systems but the decisions of line managers makes reduces the viability of the process. PRP undermines team working and works more as a de-motivator rather than a motivator this is supported by Thompson (1993), Marsden and French (1998). While Pfeffer (1998) states that it is time consuming, undermines team working and it undermines the performance of both the organisation and individual in reality (Wright 2004:118). Conclusion The search for a positive relationship between PRP and performance as been described as looking for the holy grail (Fletcher and Williams 1992, Price 2007) while CIPD (2009) said it was the holy grail of the 1990s. Having examined PRP has a motivator, on reflection it shows it is a motivating instrument which is more applicable and effective in some industries compared to the others. Also, even though it has been criticised by several authors for its weaknesses, it shows that every theory has a weakness and its weakness has given birth to other forms of performance related pay thereby giving hope to more research on how performance can be improved in an organisation. The Labour Research Department (1999:2) quoting a personnel manager who stated money is really a de-motivator and a company that states the constant measuring of people against each other fed into staffs sense of job insecurity by generating evidence of failure to meet jobs. However, with its negative effect on performa nce, motivation, team working and the fact that the process could be subjective and expensive organisations are still applying it and trying to modify appraisal methods in order to get it right. Likewise the manager employee relationship is considered the main important factor in determining the success of PRP in an organisation (Thompson, 1992). However, Armstrong (2002:287) states that PRP has a limited power to provide incentive through financial means alone should be recognised, but that does not mean it should be rejected out of hand. It does work as a reward process in some circumstances and it does satisfy the basic principle that it is equitable to reward people who do well more than those who do badly.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Multicultural Education in America :: Educate Education Essays

Multicultural Education in America America has long been called "The Melting Pot" because it is made up of a varied mix of races, cultures, and ethnicities. As more and more immigrants come to America searching for a better life, the population naturally becomes more diverse. This has, in turn, spun a great debate over multiculturalism. Some of the issues under fire are who is benefiting from the education, and how to present the material in a way so as to offend the least amount of people. There are many variations on these themes as will be discussed later in this paper. In John Spayde’s article, â€Å"Learning in the Key of Life,† he talks about how Education is important, but life experiences are important to learn from as well. He says that the rich have such an advantage when it comes to education because they have more opportunities for higher education than the poor do. Also, school teaches them more than just terminology and formulas; it teaches one humanities which could not be learned out in the streets. For example, learning about other cultures and their traditions could be learned from one’s peers, but would be accurately more defined in a classroom. â€Å"There are as many ways to become an educated American as there are Americans.† (Spayde 63). Education provides such insight and knowledge about our society and cultures. Crime would be much higher, racism would be much stronger and our economy would be so low if it wasn’t for education. It’s important for our country to be able to provide opportunities for everyone to get an education. In the 1930's several educators called for programs of cultural diversity that encouraged ethnic and minority students to study their respective heritages. This is not a simple feat for any culture. Most people, from educators to philosophers, agree that an important first step in successfully joining multiple cultures is to develop an understanding of each other’s background. However, the similarities stop there. One problem is in defining the term "multiculturalism". When it is looked at simply as meaning the existence of a culturally integrated society, many people have no problems. However, when one goes beyond that and tries to suggest a different way of arriving at that culturally integrated society, everyone seems to have a different opinion on what will work.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Brazilian Racial Politics Essay

The reading provided, extracted from Orpheus and Power by Michael George Hanchard, critiques the Race vs. Class Paradigm that is widespread in the Brazilian society. By weaving together some works of the more renowned analysts and sociologists of the topic, he highlights two main things: firstly, the salient points of their claims and secondly, the faults in their arguments. By comparing and contrasting two schools of thought on the issue, Class-based and Structuralist, he points out certain weaknesses and the glaring irreconcilability of such thought when applied to the trends in Brazilian economic society. The subject of Race and Class and their contributions into creating a society wherein oppression has been structured into policy has fueled many debates, much of them still ongoing. While there has not been any theoretical consensus reached, a characteristic that is always attendant in the field of academia, there is however, a fortunate by-product in that it has broadened the body of current knowledge to embrace other topics into the discussion such as modes of production and social inequality. It is also interesting to note that the post-World War II era, as represented by the works of Oliver Cox and Stanley Greenberg, show the minimum agreement between scholars that race, at the very least, plays cuts an integral figure in structuring the oppressive social inequality. This makes for a broader, richer and more interesting scholarly debate. Hanchard begins the comparison with a discussion on Economic Determinism and the study of the Negro population in Brazilian society through the written work of one Florestan Fernandes, Democracia Racial. Fernandes describes the relationship between the â€Å"White elites† and the â€Å"Negroes† in Brazilian society as a situation where the former â€Å"limit themselves to treating the Negro with tolerance, maintaining the old ceremonial politeness in inter-racial relationships and excluding from this tolerance any true egalitarian feeling or content. † (Hanchard 32) By articulating the â€Å"hegemonic position† of the White population over the Black one, he more than hinted at the absence of racial democracy in Brazilian society. Fernandes’ analyzed the racial interaction of the society a pivotal time in economic Brazilian history. The importance of his written work may largely be attributed the perfect timing of it. His deconstructions and analysis of Brazilian society then, through interviews and the gathering of empirical data, did much to further the study of Brazilian racial relations. Moreover, his role and significant importance to the field is further underscored by the fact that he was the first to analyze the linkage between race and class in the context of Brazilian socio-economic development. He claimed that the Brazilian Blacks were â€Å"exploited both during and after slavery by uncaring whites†. However, in a turn-about, he concludes that the Afro-Brazilian is â€Å"dysfunctional, suffering from anomie, hopelessness and immorality† and lacked a sense of discipline and responsibility that made them pale in comparison to Italian immigrants for competition in the labour markets. Hanchard, however, took issue with this particular conclusion and rebutted by emphasing the failure of Fernandes’ missed or misappreciated the important fact that the intervention of big landowners and government officials played a crucial role in creating a marketplace that preferred Southern European immigrants. In essence, Fernandes’ approach fails is that his discussion of the Negro social movement was confined to issues of racial inequality where race itself was autonomous and not an economic variable nor indicator. George Reid Andrews, by using an approach offered by Greenberg, refutes Fernandes’ claims and forwards his own. Andrews’ approach fares better than the previously discussed one of Fernandes’ to the extent that he explored the â€Å"collusion between the state government and landowners to foster economic development† by subsidizing European immigration creating a rocky playing field where the Blacks were the destined losers. He then claims that although slavery played the role of a detrimental catalyst in Brazilian socio-economic development, it is but one of many factors to the displacement of Afro-Brazilian workers. He considered state intervention more critical in that policy itself structured the economic oppression by the doling out of development funds in a very preferential treatment to European immigrant workers. Thus, he introduced a very important aspect into the debates; that of the material dimension of race and how it structures state policies. At this junction, the theoretical wars began to include a different perspective: Structuralist. As the third generation of race relations, this school of thought rebuts and debunks the racial democracy myth proposed by their predecessors. Carlos Hasenblag and Nelson Do Valle Silva are two of the most prominent figures in this approach that does not treat race and class as being on opposing ends of the same spectrum but rather they situated racial inequality at the very heart of socio-economic relations and the development and trends of the labour market. Harchand, however, critically points out that although there was a discussion of racial inequality, there was virtually no explanation offered how such inequality id politically constructed or even contested. â€Å"Despite the conceptual differences between the Reductionists and Structuralists, the tendencies seemed to concur about one crucial dimension of Brazilian race relations; a dimension that seemed to distinguish Afro-Brazilians from their US counterparts: a lack of collective awareness of themselves as a subordinated racial group. † (Hanchard 41) By analyzing the theories at hand, one thing is clear: the need for a better-tailored conceptual framework to be used as a guide for racially equal policy making. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. In an effort to stop the mentality of finger-pointing to the dominant white, what has the different Afro-Brazilian social movements done, or at least attempted to bring about, in order to correct the racial inequality with regard to economic policy and labour markets? 2. What are some concrete state policies, like the Black Economic Empowerment Movement of South Africa, that can correct this historical injustice?

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Coca Cola and Pepsi Essay

Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola has been in the cola wars for centuries now. They had strategies to stay in the business competitively; both companies did their best to stay up by making contracts with celebrities, making banners and posters, TV commercials. Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola has the same core benefit for their products, which is to quench the thirst of their consumers as well as selling a non-alcoholic soft drink. Core benefit is the fundamental need or want that consumers satisfy by consuming the product or service. The Coca Cola products are constantly produced in a red background with Coca Cola writing. Conversely, Pepsi products are packaged with their blue writing. Brand knowledge is important for the health of the company. The Coca Cola brand was worth $79 billion in the year 2013 in comparison to Pepsi Cola brand, which was only $17 million worth. A consumer from a different country can identify a Coca Cola product, even though it’s in a foreign language and they may s till recognize the product immediately. Coca Cola is much more widely available than Pepsi. Coca Cola creates a sort of convenience for consumers for being widely available thus getting the loyalty of the consumers. There is a higher demand for Coca Cola than Pepsi thus restaurants are more favorable towards Coca Cola. For example, McDonalds is providing Coca Cola, but KFC and Hardees provide Pepsi. Pepsi has always had the younger generation in mind. Their advertising and marketing strategies are fixed to target teens aged 14 or even younger with a fun and most often interlaced with music. This is evident over the years as Pepsi had musical celebrities like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and now Beyonce. Coca Cola also targets diversifying their audience and taking geographical aspects in high consideration as they target the world filled with different cultures. The ingredients of these products also can be differentiated as Pepsi has slightly more sugar, caffeine and calories while Coca Cola has slightly more sodium. Coca Cola is a much fizzier drink due to its high percentage of carbonation in comparison to Pepsi. In Kazakhstani market Coca Cola is preferred more than Pepsi. As it was already mentioned, everyone can find Coca Cola everywhere, even far from populated cities. Also, Coca Cola is open to present the process of its creation.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay Example

For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay Example For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay There is comedy present throughout Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, but what has been a typical romantic comedy until the pivotal Act III Scene 1 then rapidly descends into a tragedy. The humour is still there, but turns more to black comedy.The obvious humour is provided by the deliberately comic characters such as Mercutio and Nurse. Peter and the musicians have smaller parts but are brought in specifically for comedy. Mercutio can be described as witty or even fantastical, whereas Nurses personality gives us the crude and earthy comedy.The play opens with a type of comedy but underlying it is a sense of danger and violence. Sampson and Gregory are bickering over how working is difficult and express their hatred for the Montagues through some very crude jokes about rape and thrust his maids to the wall; yet it is all delivered in a comic manner. The famous line Do you bite your thumb at us sir? is the beginning of a comic but violent sequence of events.We can see examples of Mercuti os comic part in such scenes as Act II Scene 1 and Act III Scene 1. In Act II Scene 1 we have Mercutio trying to draw Romeo out to him by provoking him using elements of comedy. He tries to irritate Romeo after his fantastical Queen Mab speech by making rude gestures about Rosaline: By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, And the demesnes, that there adjacent lie,. Benvolio comments on Mercutios unorthodox methods to drawing Romeo out, but Mercutio insists he is doing the right thing.In Act II Scene 4 Nurse had been sent to seek out Romeo by Juliet and inquire about the wedding plans. When Nurse arrives she is met by Mercutio and Romeos rude comments, A sail, A sail and A shirt and a smock and throughout the scene, the nurse is mocked by Mercutio fiercely. When he lifts up her skirt (a very indecent thing to do) which makes the scene very comic yet Nurse, who is meant to have a comic part, is a victim of Mercutios cunning wit and crude humour. Mercutio vulgarly puns An old hare hoar, and an old hare hoar, Is very good meat in lent.Mercutios constant puns and imaginative humour can also bring out the comedy in other characters who we would not necessarily have thought would have a comic side. For example, during Act III Scene 1 we can see that Mercutio and Tybalt are play fighting. Whilst Mercutio provokes Tybalt using witty comments and strange humour, he surprisingly brings out the comic side of Tybalt! Throughout his part in the play he also brings out the comic side of Romeo too, even though he mocks him: in fact he makes it clear Romeo is designed to be a comic hero. After they have had a comic battle of wits, Mercutio is delighted to say Now art thou Romeo.Nurses crude and earthy personality can be seen throughout the scenes in which she is with Juliet or Lady Capulet. For example, in Act I Scene 3; comments such as A bump as big as a cocks stone, I would say thou hadst suckd wisdom from thy teat and Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days a re actually said in front of Lady Capulet.The nurses crude comments are ever present throughout the first half of Romeo and Juliet and include such unsubtle phrases as: No less, nay bigger women grow by men. and Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days in Act I Scene 3.This scene involved Juliet and Lady Capulet having a serious conversation about her pending marriage but all seriousness is taken away by random inappropriate comments by Nurse in between sentences. Lady Capulet is very embarrassed by Nurse yet tries to hide the fact that she is even talking which adds to the comedy. Nurse actually brings out the comic personalities in Juliet and Lady Capulet here and in other scenes.Another example is Act II Scene 5, when Nurse arrives back to Juliet after her meeting with Romeo and Mercutio. Nurses constant delaying of her answer to Juliets questions is highly amusing to the audience (if frustrating to Juliet) At one point she even replies with, and a kind, and a handsome, and I war rant a virtuous, where is your mother?; this is a very off-the-wall comment which confuses the audience but is very funny. The audience notice that Juliet rarely uses comedy she is mainly a serious character focusing on the main aspect of the play, thus Romeo and Juliet. Nurse ends the scene with an anticlimax which destroys the meaning of this scene- she tells Juliet to go and ask Friar Laurence about the terms to the marriage while she searches out a rope ladder! This destroys all of the romantic tension that had built up in the scene but replaces it with yet more humour from Nurse.The audience also laughs at certain tragic characters such as Romeo because of how Shakespeare portrays him at the beginning of the play: his pathetic, hyperbolic speeches over Rosaline. Yet it is this immaturity of character which makes us laugh that is also what makes the unconscious sonnet (Romeo and Juliet build together when they first meet in Act I Scene 5) so poignant.After the death of Mercuti o and Tybalt in Act III Scene 1, the comedy is shown to be present in a different form even in a time of mourning. In Act IV Scene 1 We see Lady Capulet is talking is about Paris, whereas Juliet talking about Romeo thus, two conversations were happening at the same time, developing a sense of ironic humour. This is comic, and is a contrast form the original Juliet, who was not at all rebellious but her love for Romeo has given her a comic side which she did not have before This is ironic, considering the stage of the play. We notice the humour is now uncomfortable it is solely based on audience awareness of the two conversations and double meanings; this is where we see a transition between the types of comedy in the play.The second kind of comedy in the latter half of the play is the black humour. Most of the black comedy is meant to make the audience feel uncomfortable and anxious, as we see in Act IV Scene 4 when the preparations for the wedding are underway. Everyone is happy and busy Come, stir, stir, stir, the second cock hath crowd, yet they do not know that upstairs, Juliet is in fact dead. While there is fun and laughter downstairs, there is tragedy and sadness upstairs, and it succeeds in making the audience uncomfortable, yet there is a small element of humour because Juliet is not in fact dead. The ironic black comedy is ever present in this scene, especially when Capulet orders Nurse to wake Juliet Go waken Juliet, go and trim her up.In the scene directly after that, Nurse is sent to wake Juliet, but she does not know she is dead. For twenty lines Nurse waffles on; Sleep for a week, for the next night I warrant The County Paris hath set up his rest Nurse is making crude jokes to Juliet (which are indeed amusing). But then suddenly she realises Juliet is dead, Alas, alas, help, help, my Ladys dead and the comedy is at an end with Nurse genuine grief. This uncomfortable irony (Juliet previously mentioned she would rather kill herself than marry Paris) ends the Nurses humour and in fact, ends her part in the play. This black comedy is used for contrast and as an effect against tragedy itself.It is noticeable that comedy is in fact present through most of Romeo and Juliet, both where we would expect times of great joy and celebration (crude and earthy humour; Mercutios fantastical humour and the double entendres which are ever present in the first half of the play), and in times of sorrow and pain, which turns to black, ironic humour to make the audience feel uncomfortable, and throughout the play humour is used as a foil to contrast with the violent and later tragic undertones which threaten the peace.