First Secondary Learners Linguistics Needs

Possible Title Since there are various linguistic needs that students require to satisfy especially at early academic lives, the envisioned research could be based on a title that focuses on analyzing linguistic need of first secondary learners in general English Syllabus. However, it is evident that such different academic personnel such as teachers, head of departments, and administrators could have diverse perspectives concerning these needs. As a result, the envisioned research could seek to investigate on mentioned needs form students’ perspective.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on First Secondary Learners’ Linguistics Needs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction Understanding linguistic needs of first secondary learners is one of the most fundamentally vital steps which are essential to developing a self-sustaining English curriculum. Whereas many authors have focused on such needs fro m teachers’ perspectives, it is essentially important to understand students’ perception towards their needs. In that regard, since the inquiry focuses on the students, it could provide a better solution than the latter bearing in mind that students are the main actors. This implies that they understand their challenges in a better manner than any other personnel who purports to identify and satisfy these needs. Background Rationale The four fundamental skills of linguistics in general English, which include speaking, learning, reading, and writing, form the basic foundation which determines the progress as well as ultimate success of a student. Additionally, acquisition of these skills at the preliminary levels of secondary school is the surest way of molding students’ proficiency in English. Otherwise, determining the needs of students who are at higher levels of the curriculum could not reflect a progressive development of linguistic proficiency. As a result, focusing on the first secondary students is a better option since the nurturing of students capabilities should start from the base. Literature Review There are various types of methods that are used in need analysis which include use of existent data, attitude survey, key informant and holding group sessions. When using existent data, researchers refer to previous reports that discuss preference of the community in order to determine what they could need. Attitude survey involves questioning selected population to identify their needs. The envisioned research will use this approach when seeking to identify the linguistic requirement of first secondary students. When using key informant, the researcher obtains information from a selected person who has interacted target population (Needs Assessment for continuing education activity 4). In group sessions, researchers hold group with the target gropus in order to identify what they require.Advertising Looking for proposal on edu cation? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Need analysis has critical importance that underpins the appropriateness of its application in English and other fields of education. In this regard, it enables academicians to identify essential English skills that students require thus enabling them to instill necessary skills only (Needs Assessment for continuing education activity 4). Failure to conduct such analyses could lead to teaching skills that students do not require. This results to wastage of resources and time since the instilled skills are not correspondent to the student requirement. Additionally, avoiding need analysis could result to lack of proficiency in skills such as reading, writing and speaking English. In regard to the Saudi Arabian context, there should be a thorough need analysis on how various skills of learning English are instilled. Bearing in mind that English is not the native language in Saudi Arabia, analyzi ng the needs of students in regard to learning that language is essentially crucial. Importantly, there is a higher reluctance to acquisition of reading skills in English. This implies that analysis of reading needs should be conducted profoundly so as to attain effectiveness in learning the language (Teale, 702). Objectives of Envisioned Research To critically review the existing literature on the acquisition various linguistic skills which include writing, reading, speaking English. To collect data from first secondary students concerning their perceptions towards acquisition of the three skills. To analyze the collected data in order to draw relevant conclusions and make recommendations about improving proficiency in English. To create suggest the possible areas for future research incorporating issues that cannot be investigated currently. Research Questions What are the students’ perceptions concerning reasons as to why they should learn English and attain proficiency ? What academic value do students attach to attaining the skills of reading, writing, learning and speaking English? Given that the four skills have some sub-skills, what are students’ opinions regarding attainment of those sub-techniques? How do students perceive various challenges and difficulties they face when learning the four skills? What are the students’ opinions about how the current text book, known as Flying High for S.A Students Book, satisfies the four needs? Methodology and Data Collection Research Method The envisioned research will adopt a descriptive survey method in light of collecting data. This method will play a crucial role in ascertaining the respondents’ perspectives by answering questions posed by the researcher (Schram, 231). It will thus help in obtaining first hand information concerning the opinions of students towards their needs in learning English. As a result, using research survey increases validity, reliability, and credibilit y of research considering that information is obtained directly from sample population. Type of Data Since the survey will collect opinions on students’ needs, the collected data will be qualitative rather than quantitative data. This implies that the entire research study will adopt a qualitative approach in other areas such as analysis and representation. Participants Essentially, the target population includes the first secondary students taking English in the curriculum. However, the entire population will not be included in the research survey owing to limited resources and time. As a result, sampling will be conducted in order to select a part of the population which will take part. During sampling, participant will be selected using a method known as random purposive technique which incorporates both the aspect of randomization and purposeful selection. Randomization ensures that the researcher does not obtain some desirable results that fit personal preferences rather than depicting the true opinions (Stein and Monika, 270). On the other hand, purposefulness ensures that sample population has the relevant information about the research topic. This further increases the reliability and credibility of results which will be obtained in this research.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on First Secondary Learners’ Linguistics Needs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Questionnaires Since this research follows a descriptive survey, questionnaires will be used to pose questions to respondents. These questionnaires will include both open and closed questions which are arranged in logical order. Open questions ensure that respondents give expansive information on an inquiry while closed ones limits respondents when researcher needs straight forward answer (Schram, 202). Additionally, these questionnaires will be flexible to allow addition of more themes that could arise during data collection or removal of irrelevant questions. Analysis Each questionnaire will be analyzed separately so as to identify perception of each individual. This will ensure that opinions of every respondent are regarded as worthy inputs that can be used to make generalized conclusions. Additionally, analysis will be conducted alongside and after data collection. Simultaneous analysis and collection ensures that researcher can identify new themes that can be included in the questionnaires. On the other hand, post-collection analysis allows harmonization of analyzed data to make conclusions. Time Schedule Time Range Activity Week: 1-3 Detailed Literature Review Week: 3-7 Sampling of Population Week: 7-13 Data Collection Week: 13-17 Data Analysis Week: 17-21 Interpretation, Documentation and Reporting Works Cited â€Å"Needs Assessment for Continuing Education Activity.† Advances in Skin Wound Care 14.1 (2008): 4. Print. Schram, Thomas. Conceptualizing and Proposin g Qualitative research. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2006. Print. Stein, Heide, and Monika Springer. â€Å"Comparison of Two Sampling Methods for Biomonitoring Using Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in the Dos Novillos River, Costa Rica.† Ecological Engineering 34.4 (2008): 267-275. Print. Teale, William. â€Å"Students Learning English and Literacy Instruction in Urban Schools.† The Reading Teacher 62.8 (2009): 699-703. Print.Advertising Looking for proposal on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This proposal on First Secondary Learners’ Linguistics Needs was written and submitted by user Terrell Huber to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Critical evaluation of impact of stress on employee performance and productivity The WritePass Journal

Critical evaluation of impact of stress on employee performance and productivity Introduction Critical evaluation of impact of stress on employee performance and productivity ), and should, be an important factor in management with managers as stress moderators  (Shanks, 2011). Stress on Employee Performance and Productivity As research shows, there is a relationship between stress and organization effectiveness.   Stress at work is a result of incompatibility or mismatch between demands at work and one’s mental moderation process, which includes the way information, is processed, planned and implemented  (Health and Safety Executive, 2006). Workplace stress is detrimental to employee health and work and is a major source of psychosocial illnesses  (Schumpeter, 2010). Stress has adverse effects on employees and stress management is necessary to minimize organizational failures. However, stress is not the only factor that causes organizational ineffectiveness; stress is an occupational Health  and  Safety issue that can be remedied with good management practices (Dowell, 2001; Health Safety and Environment , 2013). Stress is not the real cause of organization ineffectiveness, but rather a result of loop holes in the management process.   Instead of isolating stress as a single independe nt factor in organizational ineffectiveness, ineffective management skills need to bear the brunt share of responsibility.    Learning and Knowledge Management Organizational effectiveness is a key factor in strategic management, and this is the main point of focus for every business stakeholder. However, this tends to make businesses look at projects in the short term in lieu of looking beyond the traditional neglected and non-integrated methods of learning and knowledge management. The culture predicated on learning and knowledge management approach is beneficial to businesses in tackling the stress issue and refocusing their efforts on organizational effectiveness  (Gold et al., 2001). The impact of stress on employee performance and productivity is a notion that is misplaced as stress is a symptom of challenges in management and not the real cause of low performance or productivity  (Vajda, 2012). In today’s business world, managers seem to fall in the pit of conflicting priorities with differing objectives each with a unique way of performing work  (Beer Eisenstats, 2000). This is detrimental to sharing of knowledge, whic h is important to the successful management of any business. Lack of quality direction contributes significantly to disunity in organizations and gives rise to situations of conflict  (Beer Eisenstats, 2000, p.32). Crucial to the success of any organization is learning and knowledge management. Information as a source of knowledge is vital in any economy and knowledge can give businesses the much sort after competitive advantage. Effective knowledge management, as Gold et al. (2001) explain, is the implementation of infrastructure that consist of technology, structure and culture in combination with the knowledge process design of the collection, transformation, application and protection. Effective and efficient knowledge management is more likely to aid most companies in enhancing organizational performance than research on stress as a limiting factor. As a component of knowledge management, knowledge sharing is a conduit through which effective integration between employees ca n be achieved. This integration is critical in reducing conflict and an important a stress mediator. Effective knowledge sharing can be analyzed through the employees and transfer of knowledge as well as mechanisms in place. Ingirige and Betts (2003), assert that most businesses fail to grasp the importance of sharing information between employees a fact that has been reiterated by Darroch (2005), who points at the fact that knowledge management is commonly taken for granted, but is an important antecedent of businesses performance or innovation. It is important for businesses to focus on the implementation of knowledge management, to improve on their effectiveness. Knowledge management antecedents critical to the effectiveness of business are organizational culture and organizational learning  (Darroch, 2005). With the implementation of these measures, it is less likely that stress will any longer feature in any aspect of organizational effectiveness. Knowledge management and org anizational learning are effective stress managers that are the foundations of ideal management processes  (Sommerville et al., 2004). Organizational culture determines an employee’s expectations be it formal or informal.   It is what describes the kind of individuals most likely to fit a company, and what influences employees way of communication both in and out of the organization. Organization culture is significant in shaping the way employees work within an organization. It is imperative for an organization to create a culture of honesty, faith, independents, and satisfaction  (McGuire et al., 2009).   Organizational culture is the conduit through which employees enhance their knowledge and satisfaction that breeds businesses effectiveness. Rai (2011), presents a significant connection between organizational culture and knowledge management. In addition, organization culture facilitates organizational learning, an important component in employee motivation. Organizational learning is an important business process through which knowledge is built and existing knowledge is rebuilt. An organization wi th a culture inclined to learning, provides an enabling environment of knowledge creation and sharing making them more competitive in a dynamic environment  (Fong, 2003). Organizations are more likely to benefit in organizational effectiveness when focused on learning behaviors.   Organizational culture can positively impact the execution of a knowledge sharing strategy, organizations that uphold trust and co-operation, are potential beneficiaries of a tacit sharing environment. The design of organizational learning should connect knowledge sharing to the benefits of the concern parties and this is best achieved by taking advantage of the organization culture. Fong (2003) is of the opinion that a common culture in Japan has made its industries innovative as a result of the high level of socialization such as sharing tacit knowledge. With a favourable organizational culture that supports effective managerial skills  (Sommerville et al., 2004), stress is unlikely to prevail, an indication that stress moderators are in built in good managerial process. It is clear that stress should not be the culprit in organizational effectiveness; it should be as mentioned above, an indicator of loopholes in the management process. In some jurisdictions, it is the management’s responsibility to adequately address employee stress at work failure to which legal action could be taken under the Health and Safety in Employment Act     (New Zealand Government, 2009 ; Health Safety and Environment , 2013).   It is misleading to focus on stress as a factor in organizational effectiveness rather than as a health and safety issue. Stress is increasingly becoming a challenge in management because of the failure to fully perceive it as common issue in todays world and organizations need to develop strategies on how to deal with employee stress. As a matter of fact, it is imperative that organizations are run effectively to avoid the increased occurrence of work stress.   Knowledge management is a Stress Mediator making it a valuable managemen t tool in this regard. As Fong (2003) alludes, knowledge management through sharing promotes team building an important aspect of innovation. Stress in any business environment has the potential for claims that is detrimental to the individual, the organization, and ultimately the reputation of the industry. With a suitable and appropriate design, knowledge within the organization can be collected and shared in a manner most likely to mitigate stress inducers. Sommerville et al. (2004) explains that knowledge management is a broad term, to realize its potential; there is a need for a detailed analysis of its different facets. Among them, knowledge sharing is revealed as a potential cause of competitive advantage as well as a stress mediator. It is important to demystify the notion that stress is an independent factor in the production equation. Instead, focus need to be shifted to the treatment of people within the organization in regard to focusing on how the individuals within the organization are treated in terms of knowledge generation and sharing will aid the organization in its efforts to reduce workplace stress. Organizational Performance and Development through People Human resource is a major aspect of organizational performance and development, and this must be a focal point for every organization. It is no wonder that most organizations continually invest in people, in the today’s soft economy, so that they could have a competitive edge; have a loyal customer base, as well as a motivated work force (Cascio Boudreau, 2010 ). Business strategies involving the implementation of organizational development approaches are most likely to enhance performance of an organization, and most important tackle work related stress among employees. As noted in the above paragraphs, stress has been focused on as a major cause of low performance. This fallacy has been the cause of unnecessary attention on symptoms of the real issue. In the current world, investment in people has often helped most organizations achieve better performance, because investing in people often develops and retains highly skilled employees while holding them accountable to ensur e business success (IBM Business Consulting Services, 2005). There are organizations in this century that are still filled with individuals who are in the wrong jobs or those whose talents are not fully tapped in their current jobs(Wheeler et al., 2007).   Any management has an opportunity, through investing in people,to focus on improving their employees talents and tap them in ways that are beneficial to everyone in the organization.In the same line, investing in people encourage them to be creative, innovative, and support their efforts. The same logic is applicable to other resources: most organizations can discover its hidden resources, as well as those that are underutilized. On the contrary, lack of quality investments contributes significantly to disunity in organizations and gives rise to situations of conflict (Wheeler et al., 2007). Organizations that do not employ or implement appropriate investment in its human resource suffer great losses(Kreisman, 2002). Crucial to the success of any organization is a positive interaction between enterprise strategy and employee rewards. For most organizations, people performance management entails the redirection of resources to focus on the important aspects of the business such as motivating employees to enhance performance and organizational development. In these organizations, organizational performance and development is undertaken in more ways than one to improve organizational effectiveness. Organizational development antecedents vital to the effectiveness of business are good leadership, training, rewards, alignment and communication, which are anti dotes to stress. Good leadership and ability to motivate employees is a determinant in an effective human resource management in an organization. Good leadership is the determining factor in regard to people’s expectations whether formal or non-formal. Sanhueza(2011), posit that organizations that have leadership programs and incorporate them in their strategic plan are most likely to avoid leadership challenges that the organizations are likely to face in the future. There is not only a positive correlation between good leadership and organizational performance, but also with reduced workplace stress(Lopez et al., 2011). Leadership ensures the retention and selection of persons suitable for the company, and influence customers and other stakeholders. An organization can create leadership development programs in response to significant challenges, such as stress, other than leaving it to chance. It is imperative for an organization to create a culture of good leadership to foster honesty, sati sfaction and performance. Good leadership and motivation encourages organizational performance, an important aspect in any organization. According to Wirtenberg, et al. (2007), leadership is the passion and management the system that drives an organization to achieve the required performance (Wirtenberg, et al., 2007). Quality leadership entails developing a smart vision for the company, listening to customers, employees and other stakeholders, providing beneficial feedbacks, rewarding employees for their achievements and prioritizing customers’ needs. In addition, business leaders are supposed to nurture their employees, inspire and lead by examples. In this way, the company’s employees can adapt their habits to increase their individual performance. The major aspect of leadership that requires improvement is the need for leaders to understand the benefits of people to the development of their organization, and know that like any manager they should motivate and encou rage all stakeholders in the organization in order to enhance organizational effectiveness. Employee training as a component of organizational development is an important business process through which knowledge is built, and existing knowledge is rebuilt. An organization with a culture of training provides an enabling environment of knowledge creation and sharing making it more competitive in a dynamic market environment  (Fong, 2003). Training is necessary for supporting the organization’s alignment process, as well as, equipping employees with knowledge required when dealing with customers. The training includes customer service management aspects, improving services, and streamlining operations to reduce business costs (Bradford Burke, 2005). Necessary adjustments in training programs for organizations should include training of customers. This entails guiding them to be good clients by raising awareness of the products and providing them with useful information about the organization. Organizations are likely to benefit from training since training influences the execution of most business processes and co-operation to encourage business success as well as limiting workplace stress. Rewards and recognition are significant in shaping the way employees work within an organization. These are the conduit through which employees enhance their knowledge and satisfaction that breeds businesses performance and development. Besides, recognition and rewards facilitate organizational performance and development, which are vital aspects of improving organizational values and full utilization of resources. Recognition of employees and incentives encourage loyalty, commitment and foster participation in communication. Organizations with reward systems for their top-performing employees encourage productivity and development of business activities. Recognition of employees entails giving feedback on their performance, rewarding their achievements either formally or informally (Wirtenberg, et al., 2007). Rewards may be a trip to a company event, merchandise price of cash bonus; these reinforce positive behavior and eradicates workplace stress since workers tend to repeat behavi ors they are rewarded for. Improvements essential to rewards include structured customer promotions which thank customers thus building their loyalty over time via continual recognition. Organizational alignment and communication encourages the flow of business processes, which fosters organizational performance and development. In any organizational setting, communication begins with the establishment of vertical alignment, which entails moving the organization’s strategy through the company while turning objectives into actual work. Business alignment relies on continual communication within the organization which entails face-to-face contacts with all employees, regular meetings and internet. A clear understanding of the organizations’ workflow helps employees perform effectively since they are aware how their performance affects company success and consumer satisfaction (Rausch, et al., 2013). Communication helps employees understand their performances and understand the course of their actions to ensure that their work remains organized and jointly reinforcing completely eradication workplace stress. Success and Failure of Organizational Activities Organizations increasingly struggle to achieve competitive advantage and the success or failure of such achievement is dependent on business implementation. Center for Creative Leadership and Vangent(2007), explain that human capital is the most important component of business implementation. This is also evident in the fact that most researchers relate employees mental well being to organizational effectiveness.  Ã‚   It is critical for organizations take full advantage of their human capital investments by incorporating it in their strategic plan for effective management of employee talent base. Success and failure of organizational activities can be as a result of radical shifts in the business’ external as well as internal environment(Scott, 1992). Consistent with this paper’s argument is the fact that failure in organizational activities connected to the effectiveness of the management team.   There are several challenges in management that can lead to either s uccess or failure of organizational activities.   It is possible for the management to be composed of people who are homogeneous or heterogeneous in ideas and style of leadership. In situations requiring decision-making during turbulent times, heterogeneous groups are efficient than homogenous groups. Fink (1986) outlines that, in situations requiring fast decision-making in a catastrophic event, homogenous groups are effective. Besides, long serving and homogenous teams are unable to diagnose the causes of failure in escalating situations effectively (Fink, 1986).   For example, a homogenous management team may cut costs by increasing employee work load as a measure to increase production. Such wrong decisions can amplify the existing problem leading to complete failure of the business; these are some known cause of stress in the workplace (Schumpeter, 2010; Health and Safety Executive, 2006). Long-tenured managers often perceive business failures to come from external and temp orary issues while ignoring internal factors responsible for the failure, such as employee working conditions. Long serving managers are rigid to change, slow at decision-making and entrenchment, and spend more time identifying threats facing the organization (Geroski, 2001). Managerial succession improves organizational performance and survival rates. For example managerial succession in most organizations reduces conflict, increase business financial returns, and growth rates in situations whereby the successor is an outsider. Nonetheless, Miller (1990) asserts that success often results in over-confidence and arrogance among most organizations. Arrogance prevents firms from making small changes in their operations which leads to failure (Miller, 1990). In addition, successful organizations in reaction to external competitive pressures result to conservatism or even arrogant attitude. This is consistent with the common phrase in the business circles â€Å"success breeds failure a nd failure brings further failure in a spiral of business decay†(Ranft ONeill, 2001, p. 126). Besides, most businesses have the tendency to develop successful routines which grows into habits and routines ultimately become traditions thus preserving the company’s way of conducting business. As a result of redundancy in business processes, companies that were previously successful become unable to prevent their own downfall in the future. This is partly due to their inability to adopt a new and better method of business operations, such as implementation of knowledge management; this mitigates all other factors that could impede performance such as workplace stress. Moreover, success of organizational activities is often attributed to skills and training of managers, internal work environment, and psychological traits of employees. This part of the study focuses on managerial skills, training, and external environmental situations that encourage business success. As indicated in the below paragraphs, these two issues are essential because they are often influenced by policymakers in the organization(Henry Evans, 2008).According to a study by Levin-Epstein (2002), the most essential factor contributing success is good managerial skills coupled with financing, and personal traits. In this study, a manager with poor managerial skills is callous to the employees and makes the workplace environment unsuitable for most workers. This stresses some employees to the extent that their workplace productivity reduces. However, well-behaved and welcoming managers increase the employees’ morale thus increasing productivity which translates to business success. Besides, understanding the needs of the employees and customers increases the workers’ job satisfaction which increases productivity and ultimate success (Wheeler et al., 2007). Hard work is also an essential factor contributing to business success though the recommended eight hours may lead to improved satisfaction among employees. Such situations increase employees’ productivity and performance resulting in business activities success. Internal work environment and psychological traits of employees are the other factors that determine business success or failure. Most psychological studies indicate that high-esteem among employees regarding their roles in the organization reduces stress thus making them committed to the company (Dowell, 2001). In such scenarios, their productivity and performance increases contributing to business success, and failure in the contrary. Besides, self-competence and commitment increases business success; self-concept are ideas a person has about themselves based on their interactions with others. Based on this, if a person has a positive self-concept, they will act in a positive manner to increase their productivity and success of organizational activities. Employees who have high self-concept often believe in their abilities to accomplish any duty which makes them successful in most business errands; this increases performance, as well as, business success and most important creates a zero stress environment. Conclusion Stress is a symptom of a much complicated management challenges; it is not the problem as many researchers claim. Despite the fact that stress has a negative impact on employee performance and productivity, it is more important that organizations incorporate learning, knowledge management, and effective people management in strategic planning that support organizational effectiveness, as well as understanding the causes of success and failure in organizational activities. This would help demystify the common fallacy that stress is king in organizational effectiveness. Nonetheless, as indicated in the preceding paragraphs, stress has adverse effects on employees and stress management is necessary to minimize organizational failures. However, it is not the only factor that causes reduced workplace productivity and performance. Individuals in an organization must be able to share important knowledge through a well guided and effective organizational culture. This is a great motivator as well as a stress moderator. In addition, an organization must have in place good managerial structures that positively impact individuals in the organization. Human capital has been seen as vital in business implementation, a factor that has led many to focus on stress and its effects on organizational performance instead of management as a moderator of such a condition. Moreover, failure and success depends on factors such as the composition of the management, environmental changes, skills and training of managers, internal work environment among others. To alleviate organizational problems, methods such as social support, better workplace conditions, and self-perception among others are necessary to mitigate workplace failures. Additionally, engaging in interesting and complex tasks combined with flexible work procedures reduce failure rates which increases their productivity, but intra-department competition and poor interactions may alleviate the problems. Despite the numerous consequences associated with workplace issues, most organizations are reluctant to deal with the problems. It is critical for organizations to focus on internal management factors as key to alleviating issues such as stress instead of struggling to gain a competitive edge while shifting the blame to employees’ mental abilities in the name of stress.   Bibliography Beer, M. Eisenstats, R.A., 2000. The Silent Killers of Strategy implementation and learning. Sloan Management Review. Bradford, D.L. Burke, W.W., 2005. Reinventing Organization Development. San Francisco: Pfeiffer Publishers. Cascio, W. Boudreau, J.W., 2010. Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives. Upper Saddle River: FT Press. Center for Creative Leadership and Vangent, 2007. Executing Organizational Strategy: Achieving Success through Talent Management. [Online] Available at: ccl.org/leadership/pdf/community/VangentCCLExecutingOrganizationalStrategy.pdf [Accessed 16 December 2013]. Darroch, J., 2005. Knowledge Management, Innovation, and Firm Performance. Journal of Knowledge Management, 9(3), pp.101-15. Dowell, A., 2001. A Survey of Job Satisfaction, Sources of Stress and Psychological Symptoms Among New Zealand Health Professionals. New Zealand Medical Journal, 114, pp.540-44. Fink, S., 1986. Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable. AMACOM. Fong, P.S., 2003. Knowledge creation in multidisciplinary project teams: an empirical study of the processes and their dynamic interrelationships. International Journal of Project Management, 21, pp.479-86. Geroski, P.A., 2001. Exploring the Niche Overlaps Between Organizational Ecology and Industrial Economics. Industrial and Corporate Change, 10, pp.507-40. Gold, A.H., Malhortra, A. Segars, A.H., 2001. Knowledge Management: An Organizational Capabilities Perspective. Journal of ManagementInformation Systems, 18, pp.185-214. Hammer, M. Hershman, L., 2010. Faster Cheaper Better: The 9 Levers for Transforming How Work Gets Done. Crown Business. Haynes, B.P., 2008. An Evaluation of the Impact of the Office Environment on Productivity. Journal of Facilities, 26(5), pp.178-90. Health and Safety Executive, 2006. A business case for the Management Standards for Stress. Sandbury: HSE Books. Health Safety and Environment , 2013. Legal requirement. [Online] Available at: hse.gov.uk/stress/furtheradvice/legalresponsibility.htm [Accessed 15 December 2013]. Henry, O. Evans, A.J., 2008. Occupational Stress in Organisations. Journal of Management Research, 8(3), pp.123-35. IBM Business Consulting Services, 2005. The Capability Within: The Global Human Capital Study. IBM Human Capital Management. Ingirige, S.B. Betts, M., 2003. Knowledge sharing in Construction Alliances:demonstrating the utility of the Cognitive mapping technique in case study analysis. In 3rd International Postgraduate research conference in the Built and Human Environment. Lisbon, 2003. Kreisman, B.J., 2002. Insights Into Employee Motivation, Commitment and Retention. Insights Denver . Lopez, D., Green, M.T., Carmody-Buhh, M. Garza-Ortiz, D., 2011. Reducing Employee Stress – Practice Consideration-Oriented Leadership and Let Them Text. Leadership Review, 11, pp.144-56. McGuire, J.B., Palus, C.J., Pasmore, W. Rhodes, G.B., 2009. Transforming Your Organization. Center for Creative Leadership. Miller, D., 1990. The Icarus Paradox: How Exceptional Companies Bring About Their Own Downfall: New Lessons in the Dynamics of Corporate Success, Decline, and Renewal. New York: Harper Business. Nelson, R.R., 1995. Recent Evolutionary Theorizing and Economic Change. Journal of Economic Literature, 33, pp.48-49. New Zealand Government, 2009. Workplace Stress. [Online] Available at: dol.govt.nz/er/services/law/case/themes/2009-12-workplace-stress.asp#fn1 [Accessed 15 December 2013]. Rai, R.K., 2011. Knowledge management and organizational culture: a theoretical integrative framework. Journal of Knowledge Management, 15 (5), pp.779 801. Ranft, L.A. ONeill, M.H., 2001. Board Composition and High-flying Founders: Hints of trouble to come? The Academy of Management Executive, 15, pp.126-38. Rausch, P., Sheta, A. Ayesh, A., 2013. Business Intelligence and Performance Management: Theory, Systems, and Industrial Applications. United Kingdom: Springer Verlag. Sanhueza, J.A., 2011. Leadership development and its effects on organizational performance. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Schumpeter, 2010. Overstretched. The Economist, 20 May. Scott, W.R., 1992. Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Shanks, N.H., 2011. Management and Motivation. Burlington, London: Jones and Bartlet. Sommerville, J., Craig, N. McCarney, M., 2004. Knowledge Management as a Stress Mediator. In 20th Annual ARCOM Conference. Heriot, 2004. Vajda, P.G., 2012. Reflecting on stress and work. [Online] Available at: truenorthpartnering.com/sites/default/files/Refelecting%20on%20stress%20and%20work.pdf [Accessed 13 December 2013]. Wheeler, A.R., Gallagher, V.C., Brouer, R.L. Sablynski, C., 2007. When person-organization (mis)fit and (dis)satisfaction lead to turnover: The moderating role of perceived job mobility. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(2), pp.203 219. Wirtenberg, J., Harmon, J., Fairfield, K. Russell, W., 2007. HR’s Role in Building a Sustainable Enterprise: Insights From Some of the Worlds Best Companies. Human Resource Planning, 30(1), pp.10-20. Wirtenberg, et al., 2007. The Future of Organization Development: Enabling Sustainable Business Performance Through People. Organization Development Journal, 25(2), pp.7-22.

Discussion 9 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion 9 - Coursework Example Indeed most federal and state laws prohibit convicted felons from legally owning firearms. Although such individuals may have rehabilitated and changed, they may be a potential threat to the public. There are many. Some of the advantages of releasing sex offender registries to the public include making the public aware of potential threats and therefore be prepared. It also gives a sense of responsibility to the sex offenders since they know that they are under public scrutiny. Although this might provide some safety measures, it is unjust to properly rehabilitated persons since they have become just like the rest of the public. Additionally, the sex offenders might face discrimination from their past behavior although they might be good persons. Laws requiring sexual offenders register with local law enforcement department are important since they ensure proper follow up of the offenders by the local law enforcement departments to ensure society is safe. On the other hand, the laws have a limitation since they still hold the offenders as suspects although they were properly evaluated and found to be safe to the public (Robinson & Crow,

Identity Formation and the Bordelandsof Self Essay

Identity Formation and the Bordelandsof Self - Essay Example g thought-provoking complicated autobiographical work that has significantly led to the construction of Chicana and â€Å"mestiza† collective identity. The author narrates her experience of spiritual awakening and growth as well as her introduction to self knowledge. This experience is not for her consumption alone. The author also delineates the social implications of spirituality as a source of power for all Chicanas. Anzaldua’s concept of spirituality is central to â€Å"la mestiza’s† cultural experience defined by the borderlands. Let us now asses the relevance of the concept of â€Å"borderland†. Literally, the term refers to the borders between Mexico and the United States. The term â€Å"border† brings to mind the war between these tow countries which culminated in the annexation of Texas to the US in the 19the century. This annexation, ironically, has resulted in the Chicanos becoming second-class citizens in their own country. Gringos in the US Southwest consider the inhabitants of the borderlands – transgressors, aliens, whether they possess documents or not, whether they are Chicanos, Indians or Blacks. Do not enter; trespassers will be raped, maimed, strangled, gassed, shot. The only â€Å"legitimate† inhabitants are those in power, the whites and those who align themselves with whites. Consider the plight of Pedro, a Chicano in the following extract from Anzaldua’s text: â€Å"In the confusion, Pedro ran, terrified of being caught. He couldn’t speak English, couldn’t tell them he was fifth-generation American. Sin papeles – he did not carry his birth certificate to work in the fields La Migra took him away while we watched. Se lo llevaron. He tried to smile when he looked back at us, to raise his fist. But I saw the shame pushing his head down. I saw the terrible weight of shame hunch his shoulders.† The term â€Å"borderland† in Anzaldua’s work points to the strict boundaries that Western thought has laid down in the

Issue of Illegal Drugs in Music Lyrics

Issue of Illegal Drugs in Music Lyrics Julia Dugger Music is and always has been an integral part of society. It is, according to Glowacka Pitet, 2004, one of the longest celebrated traditions of humankind that enables the exchange of feelings and experiences that cannot be articulated by the use of common language. Moreover, its strength is based on the fact that it can provide us with meaning, without saying anything at all (Hormigos-Ruiz, 2010). Daily life does not exist without music and since every age group within a society is exposed to it, it comes to no surprise that each age group evaluate its importance differently. For example, studies conducted by various researchers (e.g. Arnett, 1996; North Hargreaves, 2008; Schwartz Fouts, 2003) uncovered that American adolescents did not just listen to music approximately two and a half hours per day, rather than also how they vigorously employ music to satisfy social, emotional and developmental requirements. However, according to Walker Kennedy (2010), the impact of popular music has sparked many debates. Particularly over the past decade, numerous news stories have claimed that bands like Marilyn Manson or Slipknot have negatively influenced the shooters at Columbine (US)/Erfurt (Germany) or that suicidal connotations in rock/metal music has led to an increase in adolescence taking/trying to take their lives (Walker Kennedy, 2010). It therefore comes to no surprise that North and Hargreaves (2006) have argued that music genres like heavy metal/hard rock, hip hop/ rap, and alternative/punk should be described as â€Å"problem music.† But labeling particular genres as â€Å"problem music† and denoting that adolescent listening to it are automatically negatively influenced, seems like generalization of a very complex issue. According to Walker Kennedy (2010), much research has been conducted on why adolescents listen to music and in short two main reasons can be noted: to explore identity issues including self-identity and peer relationships as well as regulation of emotional impulses. And although various themes of different music genres heavy metal lyrics often deal with hostility or vengeance and may contain sex, drug use, suicide, and alienation references (Arnett, 1996); rap lyrics are full of offensive language combined with subjects like sex, drug use, misogyny, violence (Epstein, Pratto, Sk ipper, 1990); pop music lyrics deal with a multitude of themes and typically reach a larger audience; and country music often tells a story that either deals with love; sadness; rebellious behavior, promiscuity, or betrayal (Ballard, Bazzini, Dodson, 1999) – can, according to Ter Bogt (2012), encourage listeners to interpreted these themes, particularly the negative ones, as cool, socially acceptable, satisfying, and not particularly destructive, it should be recognized that lyrics are merely one aspect of a song’s overall message. Unfortunately many studies limit themselves by only looking at one characteristics of a specific song, rather than also addressing that others, like the â€Å"sound† of the music or the associated broader cultural factors, can have obvious and powerful effects on how one interprets its meaning (Ter Bogt et al., 2012). For example, listeners preferring a particular genre often do not just listen to the music itself, rather than also have an understanding for the reputation of those genres and show familiarity regarding the lifestyles of musicians within them. As Ter Bogt et al. (2012) noted, given that an individual’s development is shaped by the observation of others, relevant behaviors portrayed by high-status people such as rock stars, may encourage adolescents to mimic it. However, due to the fact that numerous musicians have had encounters with the law over their drug/alcohol use and many even have died because of it, claiming that specific music genres only glamori ze or encourage drug us/abuse seems like a biased representation. How true this is can be seen when taking a closer look at the history of music lyrics, particular those of rock/hard rock/metal/heavy metal bands. According to Dodge (2004), rock songs of the 80s were party anthems with a positive attitude towards the motto sex, drugs, and rock n roll. However, during the 90s rock music lyrics became more critical. Exaggeratedly spoken, most of the music sounded whinny/moaning and the lyrics contained messages about how bad everything was (Dodge, 2004). Today, according to Dodge (2004), the dark elements still exist, but a new wave of album oriented/melodic rock and heavy metal bands has emerged. On the other hand, heavy metal emerged during the late 60s, yet, according to Hjelm, Kahn-Harris, and LeVine (2012), did not establish itself as a separate genre until the late 70s/early 80s when bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden set forth basic metal characteristics (distorted guitars, aggressive vocals, dark clothing, etc.) that are present to this day. Throughout the following decades (90s until today), metal has followed increasingly diverse musical pathways and has created numerous influential bands. And although the central concept for producing rock/hard rock/metal/heavy metal songs remains the same, a shift of song themes and in which kind of way they are communicated to the listener can be seen. According to Dodge (2009), drug reference in rock/metal songs have always been numerous and recurrent. However, according to Markert (2001), this does not mean that such songs praise or encourage the exploitation of drugs. Most drug representations, particularly those of more r ecent rock/metal tracks, are rather negative and these songs often do not instruct, lecture or admonish the listener, according to Dodge (2009), rather than they inform about possible results, rely on personal responsibility, and leave it up to the individual to make their own decisions. Moreover, since songs about drug use/abuse are again and again associated with a particular time frame and/or social group, they do not just reflect the principles of that group rather than also operate as a socializing instrument by suggesting how listeners should interpret their social surroundings (Markert, 2001). The truthfulness of this view can be seen when either rock/hard rock/metal/heavy metal songs of different decades are compared with each or when the lyrics/themes of the more recent ones are compared with other genres. Many themes of the older rock/metal songs (l960s – 1990s), with all sub- and hybrid genres considered, concentrated on the usage and the effects of drugs, while notions of caution or resulting negative consequences were rarely mentioned. For example, during the 60s songs like â€Å"Heroin† by The Velvet Underground (1967) or â€Å"Mothers little Helper† by The Rolling Stones (1966), told the listener how drugs alter emotional states and claimed that the end result – with an overall positive notion was to either be able to not care about anything anymore: â€Å"Cause it makes me feel like Im a man/when I put a spike into my vein†¦Cause when the smack begins to flow/And I really dont care anymore/Ah, when that heroin is in my blood/And that blood is in my head/Then thank God that Im as good as dead/And thank your God that Im not aware/And thank God that I just dont care†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or manage everyday’s tasks: â€Å"Mother needs something today to calm her down/And though shes not really ill/Theres a little yellow pill/She goes running for the shelter of a mothers little helper/And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day.† In the 70s, a similar trend could be seen, where songs about drugs yet again mainly describe the addictive properties of drugs or even glorify them. In his song â€Å"For Your Life† Led Zeppelin (1976), for example, illustrates how a drug user surrenders to his/her addiction: â€Å"You said I was the only†¦/Exhibition is your habit, Emotion second hand/Had to pull away to save me, Maybe next time around/And she said, dont you want it?/Dont you want coca-coca-cocaine?/Hadnt planned to, could not stand to try it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and in their song â€Å"Snowblind† the Band Black Sabbath goes even further in glorifying the use of cocaine: â€Å"Feeling happy in my vein/Icicles within my brain (cocaine)/†¦Makes me happy, makes me cold†¦Dont you think I know what Im doing/Dont tell me that its doing me wrong/Youre the one whos really a loser/This is where I feel I belong.† In the 80s, however, some bands began to question In the past decade, most singer/songwriters in the rock/hard rock/metal/heavy metal genre have shifted their attention to not just on expressing how bad the usage of harmful/illegal substances is, rather than also their negative consequences. For example, in their song â€Å"Adios,† the band Rammstein (2009) did not just describe how a person injects a substance in their veins (â€Å"He lays the needle in the vein, asks the music to come inside†) and how this person feels while the substance travels through his entire body (â€Å"a battle rages in his blood, an army marches through his bowel†), rather than also address their often fatal attributes by closing the song with the words: â€Å"He takes the needle from the vein, the melody travels out of the skin, violins burn with shrieking, harps cut the flesh, he has opened his eyes, but he did not wake up.† A similar, yet less obvious approach to remind the listener about the highly destructive attributes of illegal substances, has been taken by the band Slipknot, who in their 2014 released song â€Å"Killpop† describe how a women injects something into her skin (â€Å"she is sticking needles in her skin†)  recently the song Habits (Stay High) has topped the charts, where the singer Tove Lo (2012) argues that dealing with emotional pain can only be achieved via a continuing high to not be missing a lost love (→ â€Å"Spend my days locked in a haze, trying to forget you babe†¦Got to stay high all my life, to forget Im missing you†). Other examples include: â€Å"We can’t stop† by Miley Cyrus (2013), where she sings → â€Å"we like to party, dancing with Molly (which is a reference to the drug MDMA), doing whatever we want;† â€Å"Rehab† by Amy Winehouse (2007), in which she states that → â€Å"they tried to mak e me go to rehab but I said: no, no, no, yes, Ive been black but when I come back youll know, know, know,†¦, hes tried to make me go to rehab but I wont go, go, go;† or â€Å"Diamonds† by Rihanna (2012), where she clearly downplays the destructive properties of alcohol (moonshine) and drugs (molly, which is a street name for MDMA and ecstasy) when she sings â€Å"we’ll never die† → â€Å"you’re a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Palms rise to the universe, as we moonshine and molly, feel the warmth, we’ll never die, we’re like diamonds in the sky.† References Dodge, A. I. (2004). Sex, drugs, and rock roll: A Libertarian view [Pamphlet]. London, United Kingdom: Libertarian Alliance. Hormigos-Ruiz, J. (2010). Music distribution in the consumer society: The creation of cultural identities through sound. Comunicar, 17(34), 91-98. doi:10.3916/C34-2010-02-09 Markert, J. (2001). Sing a song of drug use-abuse: Four decades of drug lyrics in popular music—from the sixties through the nineties. Sociological Inquiry, 71(2), 194-220. Arnett, J. J. (1996). Metal heads, heavy metal music and adolescent alienation. New York, NY: Westview Press, Inc. North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. (2008). The social and applied psychology of music. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Schwartz, K. D., Fouts, G. T. (2003). Music preferences, personality style, and developmental issues of adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 205-211. North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. (2006). Problem music and self-harming. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 36(5), 582-590. DOI: 10.1521/suli.2006.36.5.582 Hjelm, T., Kahn-Harris, K., LeVine, M. (2011). Heavy metal as controversy and counterculture. Popular Music History, 6(1-2), 5-18. doi:10.1558/pomh.v6i1/2.5 Ahmadi, F. (2009). Hard and heavy music: Can it make a difference in the young cancer patients life?. Voices: A World Forum For Music Therapy, 9(2). doi:10.15845/voices.v9i2.345. Retrieved from: https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/345/269 Epstein, J. S., Pratto, D. J., Skipper Jr., J. R. (1990). Teenagers, behavioral problems, and preferences for heavy metal and rap music: A case study of a southern middle school. Deviant Behavior, 11, 381-394. Ballard, M. E., Dodson, A. R., Bazzini, D. G. (1999). Genre of music and lyrical content: Expectation effects. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 160(4), 476-487. Primack, B. A., Dalton, M. A., Carroll, M. V., Agarwal, A. A., Fine, M. J. (2008). Content analysis of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in popular music. Archives of Pediatrics Adolescent Medicine, 162(2), 169–175. Ter Bogt, T.F.M., Nic Gabhainn, S., Simons-Morton, B.G.,Ferreira, M., Hublet, A., Godeau, E., Kuntsche, E. Richter, M. (2012). Dance is the new metal: adolescent music preferences and substance use across Europe. Substance Use and Misuse, 47(2), 130-142.

ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBALIZATION ON TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY Essay

SUMMARY While discussing the topics of trade, development and political economy, globalization is often discussed. In general, globalization means a process in which world economies become highly integrated, leading to a global economy and highly global economic policymaking, through international agencies such as the World Trade Organization (Todaro & Smith, 2006). Since late 1980s, the increasing globalization in the manufacturing sector and service sector has also globalized the telecommunication industry. A large number of telecom companies are expanding rapidly from their home countries to other countries in order to increase their customer base and their sales, off course. Globalization has with it many challenges and economic benefits too. For many economists, globalization can cause serious troubles in the whole world, such as inequality is accentuated, environmental degradation, and dominance of rich countries etc. But at the same time proponents of globalization are of the view tha t globalization leads to the rapid growth of knowledge and innovation and improved living standards. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF GLOBALIZATION How globalization occurred or which forces gave birth to this phenomenon? The three chief economic and financial indicators that led to globalization are:  The international trade of goods and services, the widening and freeing of trade has led to globalization to increase at a rapid pace. The greater flow of capital because of growth of global capital markets. Globalization of financial sector is the most influential aspect of economic globalization. The greater movement of people around the globe has also contributed to rapidly growing globalization, breaking down cultural barriers. Globalization means integration of different markets in the global economy. Globalization may occur in different markets such as financial markets, commodity markets and even in the service sector (Scholte, 2000). Producers and consumers and national economies as a whole benefit from the process of globalization. For example, economies may benefit from specializing themselves in particular products in which they have comparative advantage. Firms may become cost competitive through globalization by accessing to cheap raw materials from other countries. Similarly, benefit of economies of scale is achieved through access to large markets and higher demand for products, thus reducing average production cost of the firm. Large multinationals are the main carriers of economic globalization. They are globally aligning their production and resources according to the principle of profit maximization. GLOBALIZATION OF TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY- CASE OF VODAFONE Initially telecommunication industry was owned and controlled by state-owned national telecommunication companies. But with the passage of time, innovation in technology and globalization has transformed the nature of telecommunication industry. Globalization has opened up markets and brought competition in this sector. National telecommunication companies were being privatized and the industry deregulated to make it competitive. All over the world, the multinational companies have become the main vehicle for accelerating globalization. Vodafone, a British multinational telecommunication company, is the world’s leading telecommunication having significant existence in Europe, United States, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. It is one of the most rapidly flourishing global companies, which started as a holder of one of the first two mobile communications licenses in the UK and now it’s a dominant global brand. (Ibbott, 2007) provides a view that Vodafone created a social network that was involved in mergers and acquisitions and  deployment of a global network of mobile technology that serves a proportionate mobile customer base of 198.6 million in 2006. Ibbott (2007) explained what really globalization means as â€Å"A global company is one that permits its local operations to act in the image of the market locally and yet can act in a truly homogeneous way with respect to the supply and provision of its core products and services† Vodafone is a global company as its sourcing and supply chain activities are transferred to be entirely global for the major part of its investment, while services remain local (Ibbott, 2007). Globalization does not mean to open operations and branches in other countries but to make its operations global, not directed by the head office located in the parent country. CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBALIZATION ON TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY- CASE OF VODAFONE Globalization has become a vital aspect of the global economy and strongly influences the comparative advantage of economies. (Salvatore, 2004) examined the effect of globalization on the comparative advantage of Europe for several goods and concluded that Europe has a comparative disadvantage in telecommunication with respect to Japan, United States and Dynamic Asian countries. The degree of globalization is a significant element in examining the international competitiveness of economies. Large multinational corporations are enjoying the benefits of globalization, the most. Almost 50 percent of total profits of Vodafone came from foreign sales, i.e. Asia Pacific and Middle East region. The CEO of UK-based Vodafone Group talking about global leadership said (Yunker, 2008), â€Å"Less than 5 percent of our profits comes from UK. We have had to fundamentally redesign this company as a global company. We are a highly consumer-centric company. In Germany, we feel German. In Italy, we feel Italian. In Spain, we feel Spanish. In India, we feel Indians.† Vodafone has experienced fall-out in Japan in 2005. It released â€Å"Converged-Handset† mobile phones in December 2005 in 13 countries concurrently, including Japan. Being, one of the world’s largest global companies, it did so without taking into account the domestic environment of each country. In this way they incurred great loss in both, number of  subscribers and profits. The company lost 200,000 subscribers in the first few months of the year and profits declined by 15.4 percent (Fackler & Belson, 2005). Customers also got many troubles like; lack of functions, the expensive bills and bad signals. Thus it failed to introduce same technologies in different countries. In order to regain its position in the market, they offered such services which are being provided by their competitors such as; low prices, flat monthly bills for calls and emails. Hence market competition forced Vodafone to survive in the market by competing with the same products at same rates as its competitors are offering. Due to globalization, consumer became more aware of their decisions. They take their decisions by taking into account their ethical and environmental concerns. This new dimension poses pressure on industries to improve their business through new public initiatives and laws. Likewise, increased global competition put serious pressure on Vodafone to evaluate its CSR policy and ethical stance. When globalization reached its pace and mergers and acquisitions among firms take place, multinational companies get authority to hire and fire their workers (Carlson, 2002). This was happened in Motorola, when they fired their 3000 workers on 2000 by shutting down their plant in Scotland. Similarly, in 2009, Vodafone restructured its business model, in order to save costs and to accommodate more customers-facing roles. Around 400 workers were made jobless from its headquarters or being deployed to some other places. Hence, it is being proven over the years that in large multinational organizations, large number of workers have been made jobless, thus, creating a sense of insecurity among workers. Taking into account the fact that globalization may also have adverse impact on workers; The European Globalization Adjustment Fund (EGF) has been established. The EGF aimed to support redundant workers, mainly in the areas where globalization has adversely affected the workers. The Europea n Globalization Adjustment Fund has been established under Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006. It has an annual budget of EUR 500 million to assist worker for their employment. EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION The growing integration of the economies has been a heated debate all around the world over the last two decades. The consequences of globalization and its various dimensions have been widely debated and examined by academics, politicians, policymakers, and even the private sector. According to the United Nations Development Program, Human Development Report, 1999 â€Å"Globalization is shaping a new era of interaction among economies and people. It is increasing the interaction between people across national boundaries, in economy, technology, in culture and in governance. But it is also splitting production processes, labor markets, political entities and societies. So, while globalization has positive and dynamic aspects, it has also negative, disruptive, marginalizing aspects.† Critics of globalization argue that globalization is detrimental to economic growth, such as it increases income inequality among nations, economic instability may arise, workers are being exploited and governments become unable to raise taxes, on the other hand, the advocates of globalization are of the view that it brings higher rate of sustainable economic growth and improved living standards . In a study from the Centre of Economic Policy Research by European Policy Advisors, while analyzing the economic impact of globalization, it was found that the true benefits of globalization overweigh the costs associated with it. Similarly globalization has been affecting the telecommunication sector too. Due to increasing globalization, the telecommunication policy all around the world has widened their cross-border implications as compared to the past. According to the analysis of (Siochru, 2004), media and telecommunication sectors are the leading sectors in facilitating globalization. The globalization of financial transactions and manufacturing products is due to globalization of media and telecommunication sectors. REFERENCES 1.Carlson, B. A., 2002. Job Losses, Multinational and Globalization: The Anatomy of Disempowerment. Santiago: United Nations Publications. 2.Fackler, M. & Belson, K., 2005. A Major Backfire in Japan Deflates Vodafone’s One-Size-Fits-All Strategy. [Online] Available at:

The Major Issues and Conflicts on Bilingual Education

Bilingual education was first initiated in 1968. It was a new means to educate the children who spoke a minority language. thirty-one years later the same problems exist for those children who speak a language other then English. The experiment of Bilingual education has been a failure and now it†s time to move on. The first English only initiatives were brought forth in 1981 by newly elected president Reagan. Since then the conflict over Bilingual education has drove on. Currently twenty-three states have â€Å"English Only† laws with 4 states having laws that are pending. The issue of bilingual education and the conflict that surrounds it is primarily focused between whites and Hispanics, although since the mid 70†³s it†s also been involved with the Chinese and Mung cultures. Bilingual education has failed however, currently the movement is towards and English only educational system. The simple fact of the matter is that people who speak a language in this country will never get ahead. We†ve tested the ignorant notion that you could get by without speaking English; or speaking English very minimally, but that†s promoting and even more ignorant idea which is that you don†t need speak English fluently to succeed in America. In 1968 we didn†t know that Bilingual Education wouldn†t work, however, it†s time to move on and do the right thing and switch to English Only. Lyndon Johnson was president, we had the futile dream of world peace, at the same time we were â€Å"Bombing the North Vietnamese into the stone-age†. In the final year of LBJ†s presidency sever new education initives were taken as part of the last step in his â€Å"Great Society† programs. One of these new initives was Bilingual education. At the time it was supported by the Liberal whites in this country, for the most part the conservative Hispanic sect was opposed to such measures. The idea at the time was, kids would learn in their native language and simply pick up English gradually. Those ideas were radicalized in the 1970†³s however, the premise moved away from gradual learning of English; to English wasn†t really necessary. In 1981 Bilingual education came under assault from newly elected president Reagan proposed moving to the English Only system. The idea wasn†t viewed as Anti-Hispanic at the time, or as some kind of racist proposal. Reagan was adored by a majority of the Hispanic community, drawing unprecedented support among Latino voters. The issue of bigotry wasn†t brought forth until the Democrats were sent packing in Gingerich revolution of 1994. In 1999 the debate rages on another 4-5 states are preparing for an â€Å"English Only† law to go on the 2000 Election ballots. The assault on Bilingual Education will continue on. There have been several attempts to put an â€Å"English Only† amendment in to the constitution, all have failed. However, as public support for English only hits record highs an amendment maybe inevitable. The latest of the states to abolish Bilingual education was the state of California; not exactly a conservative state by any means. The controversial Prop 227 was passed by a significantly wide margin 61% to 39%. Prop. 227 was headed by Millionaire computer executive Ron Unz himself the son of immigrant parents. During the battle to pass Prop 227 Unz was called everything from a sell out to a White supremacist. The surrounding Bilingual education is now fueled by a Hispanic minority that refuse to adapt to American culture. They refuse to see the facts, Americans who do not speak English fluently have a poverty rate nearly 25% higher then Americans who speak fluent English. Their arguments are unsubstanciated, English only laws are not racist in nature. They†re attempting to create better equality a theory that you simply cannot call racist. By making children of parents who speak a minority language speak English, the people who are really benefiting are the children. By allowing children to think it†s perfectly ok to use their native languages in our society is promoting ignorance and poverty. American is run in English, twenty-four states publish all their information in nothing but English. To say that speaking another language and knowing very little English will get you anywhere in this country is stupid. Diversity is wonderful, however, it belongs in homes and not in our schools. American culture is speaking English and only English. America was formed on certain principals lad out with certain fundamental underlying assumptions, it always wasn†t possible for everyone to speak English, but the concept was that this is America and we speak English here. There are basically five arguments coming from opponents of English only education. They say it ignores our countries civil rights tradition; it fails to promote the integration of minority citizens into the American mainstream; it neglects the need for American merchants to be able to communicate with foreign markets; it restricts the ability of the Government to be able to reach all its citizens; as well as it raises constitutional concerns. The main supporters economically of Bilingual Education are the educators. The NEA and various other education groups spent nearly twice as much money trying to defeat Prop 227 in California then the groups supporting the initive spent. Why would they do this? It†s simple, MONEY, Bilingual education creates jobs for teachers and valued funding, no matter how right something is, teachers simply don†t turn against teachers. The thousands of positions bilingual education has created are now being eliminated. The only way they can preserve these jobs is by claiming that English only legislation is racially motivated and instills hostility towards minority groups who use another language other then English. I†m firmly in favor of English only. First, Bilingual education does not ignore our countries civil rights tradition. It†s simply stating that if you want to be ignorant, live in poverty, collect welfare and detract from society, that†s fine but you will do it on our terms. To say America also has a civil rights tradition is also questionable. Is this not the country where slavery was permitted for 300 years, where women couldn†t vote, and where abortions are readily available. People†s civil rights are being infringed on all the time, from a black slave to an unborn baby, there is no tradition of great civil rights in America. The second argument, it fails to provide integration of minority citizens into the mainstream is ridiculous. What†s more mainstream American a new Chinese immigrant speaking Chinese or one speaking English? The notion that allowing someone to speak a native language, is bringing them in to the mainstream is insane. Third, it doesn†t neglect the American Government from reaching it†s citizens. This is AMERICA we†re associated with English, we speak English, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in English, our laws are passed in English. Maybe if you can†t speak our language you don†t belong in our country. It†s also not the Government†s duty to reach out to the citizens, people are suppose to be self reliant, we don†t want the Government to reach into our lives. That†s why we had that little revolution against King George. If you really need the Government†s assistance you should reach out to them, something that would be pretty hard if you don†t speak English. Fourth, it does not neglect the ability of merchants to interact with foreign markets. We were dealing with foreigners a long time before Bilingual education and we will be doing so a long time after it†s elimination. Translators! Now that†s a noble idea, more practical then allowing 300 languages to exist. It†s also cheaper. Finally, our Constitution is written in English and since 1908 printed exclusively in English by the United States Government. Teddy Roosevelt said in 1908 that â€Å"To print the American Constitution in any other language but English, would be like spitting in the face of our forefathers†. The Untied States Supreme Court has also ruled numerous times that English only laws do not violate the 1st amendment of our Constitution. I personally believe that in our nation there needs to be a main language, not 3 or 4 or 1200. George Washington wasn†t giving orders at Valley Forge in Russian he was speaking English. Abe Lincoln didn†t give the Gettysburgh Address in Portuguese. It†s not to much to ask for every American citizen to be able to speak English fluently. No one is forced to live here, and if you refuse to adapt you probably shouldn†t be living here. If you want to speak German by all means go ahead and do so, but do it back in Germany. While you†re in America however, we speak English, and if you don†t know it you†re in trouble. The conflict is over rated. It†s not a matter of racism or of any other kind of hatred. It†s a simple matter of principle. American†s speak English it†s not to much to ask.