A Scholar-Painter’s Diary: Response on the Contents of the Diary of Guo Bi

The necessity of ensuring that the upper-class men of ancient China were both trained in the various forms of the arts [i. e. poetry, painting, and calligraphy] as well as the duties involved in official service may be seen as a result of Chinese philosophy’s ethical realism. Ethical realism is the belief that there is a dynamic and relational association between man and the world and as such man’s duty is to follow the rational and ethical principle which will bring him into harmony with society and the universe (Mei, 1967, p. 150). This harmony however may only be achieved through the individual’s mastery of the arts since the arts are the manifestation of the spirit of conduct. The development of the virtue of conduct, along with the other virtues of righteousness, propriety, and wisdom necessitate the individual’s attention to continuous self-cultivation. Since self-cultivation entails the development of the virtue of conduct, it is thereby necessary for the individual to continually develop as well as manifest his virtue of conduct through the contemplation of art and nature as well the creation of his own art works. The manner in which an upper-class man develops his virtues through the arts is evident in the diary of Guo Bi. Providing a brief description of the events that occurred during his stay at Xinghua from the 12th day of the sixth month, 1309 to the 27th day of the same month in the same year, one notices that the main occupation of Guo Bi, along with his companions, involves the production and contemplation of artworks and the contemplation of nature while drinking wine. During this period, Guo Bi was able to produce ‘twenty wine poems’, ‘a picture of an impressive stone’, ‘a calligraphy scroll’, ‘a picture of orchids’, ‘calligraphy and bamboo drawings’ as well as a calligraphy inspired poem (Ebrey, 1993, p. 199). In the course of his stay in the region, one notices that the various art works mentioned above were used as a means of showing gratitude towards the individual visited by Guo Bi. Artworks, in this sense, may be seen as the material manifestation of conduct towards other individuals in Chinese society during that period.

African Americans in American Society 1920s Essay

Many blacks contributed to the success of our country in every war that we as a people have ever fought. In order to properly thank them for their heroic effort, I as a Hispanic Caucasian must give credit where credit is due. In order to properly do so, I must begin with the contributions of â€Å"Black America† beginning with the American Revolution and continue up until the World War II. Make no mistake blacks made contributions well past World War II, but in the interest of time and accuracy I must stay within the confines of our earlier history. One main aspect that should be analyzed is the fact that no matter how hard the struggle, blacks have always overcome adversity no matter what the cost. Of course, contributions made by blacks are not limited to war alone, but include a wide spectrum of achievements that have advanced civilization as a whole. My personal respect and thanks go to all people who have served and continue to serve this country at any capacity. But we must never forget the contributions made by our black brothers and sisters who gave their lives fighting for a cause that so greatly affected their lives as well as our well being. Charles Dickens said it best in his book A Tale of Two Cities, â€Å"It was the best of times it was the worst of times†. The American Revolution was a time of great struggle for people of all races. But, Blacks in particular understood the literal meaning of patriot rhetoric, eagerly took up the cause of American freedom, fighting bravely in the early confrontations with the British. Though the revolution freed some blacks and set the country on a course toward the abolition of slavery, political accommodation to plantation owners forestalled emancipation for many blacks in the south for 90 more years. A black man was one of the first martyrs of the patriot cause. Crispus Attucks, apparently a slave who had run away from his owner 20 years before, died in the Boston Massacre in 1770. Though facts were disputed at trials then as now, witnesses said Attucks hit a British officer with a large piece of firewood, grabbed a bayonet and urged the crowd to attack just before the British fired. Attucks and two others were killed while eight were wounded, two mortally. Blacks served at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Peter Salem, a freed slave, stood on the green at Lexington facing the British when the first battle broke out with the shot that was heard around the world. One of the last men wounded in the battle as the British escaped to Boston was Prince Estabrook, a black man from West Lexington. At least 20 blacks, including Peter Salem, were in the ranks two months later when the British attacked an American position outside Boston in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem has been honored for firing the shot that killed Major John Pitcairn, the British officer who led the Redcoats when they had attacked his small unit at Lexington. Unable to venture outside Boston and then threatened with cannon surrounding the city, the British left Boston for New York. As the war changed from a Massachusetts endeavor to a broader conflict throughout the colonies, the politics of race changed dramatically. Blacks had been welcomed in the New England militia, but Congress initially decided against having them in the Continental army. Congress needed support from the South if all the colonies were to win their independence from England. Since southern plantation owners wanted to keep their slaves, they were afraid to give guns to blacks. Congress ordered all blacks removed from the army, but black veterans appealed directly to George Washington, who took up their cause with John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress. Blacks serving in the army were allowed to stay, but new enlistments were forbidden. Though the Declaration of Independence declared that â€Å"all men were created equal,† many blacks soon saw more opportunity on the British side. The British governor of Virginia promised immediate freedom and wages to any slave who would join the Kings army. Hundreds flocked to the standard of the governor, Lord Dunmore, but he was denied a base on the land by the American forces and many of the blacks who joined him died of smallpox on overcrowded ships. The loyalty of blacks was a serious issue for the American leaders because blacks made up one-fifth of the two million people in the colonies. With the British soldiers already outnumbering the American troops, and recruitment difficult for the patriots, the northern colonies soon again began to enlist blacks. Rhode Island made up a regiment almost entirely of blacks. As the war continued, colonies as far south as Maryland and Virginia were recruiting free blacks for the American cause. As the war spread into the South, Congress found it needed to recruit slaves. It offered to pay South Carolina slave owners $1,000 for able-bodied male slaves. The slaves would receive no pay, but would be given $50 and their freedom at the end of the war if they served â€Å"well and faithfully. † The South Carolina Assembly threatened to leave the war, dooming the plan in the southernmost colonies. Recruitment of blacks to the American cause continued further north, but the patriots had less success than the British. The offer of immediate freedom extended by Virginia’s unfortunate loyalist governor was eventually made by the British throughout the colonies. Slaves joined the British by the tens of thousands. The fate of the loyalist blacks varied considerably. Some were captured by Americans and either returned to their masters or treated as war loot and sold back into slavery. Approximately 20,000 were with the British at the end of the war, taken to Canada or the Caribbean. Some became the founders of the British colony of Sierra Leone in West Africa. Even though the British offered slaves a better deal, many blacks served on the American side. They made up a sizeable share of the men in the Continental navy, state navies and the large force of American privateers. Blacks had long been in the labor force on ships and at seaports. On the water, then as now, skill counted for more than politics. The precise role of blacks in the revolution is difficult to quantify. Blacks in those days generally did not write. The people who did write early histories of the revolution were whites and concentrated on the efforts of white men. Also, many participants in the revolution were not specifically identified by race in the documents of the time and historians now have no way of knowing whether they were black. When blacks were allowed to serve in the American military, they often did work as laborers, sometimes in addition to regular soldier duties. Usually they were privates, though a few rose to command small groups of men. The words of the Declaration of Independence were taken literally by blacks and some whites. In, 1780, Pennsylvania became the first colony to pass a law phasing out slavery. Children born to slaves after that date were granted their freedom when they reached 28. Other northern states followed. The Superior Court of Massachusetts held in 1783 that slavery violated the state constitution, and New Hampshire also ended slavery by a court ruling. Vermont outlawed slavery and Connecticut and Rhode Island passed gradual emancipation laws. New York outlawed slavery in 1799 and New Jersey followed in 1804. The international slave trade was outlawed in 1808. Progress then came to a stop. A boom in cotton production spread the slave economy into the lower Mississippi Valley. Slave states were careful to control at least half the political power in the federal government, blocking any national movement against slavery until the Civil War. The 54th Massachusetts Regiment On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the rebelling territories of the confederacy and authorizing Black enlistment in the Union Army. Since the beginning of the Civil War, free Black people in general, and Black Bostonians in particular, were ready to gather arms on behalf of the Union, yet they were prevented from doing so. Popular racial stereotypes and institutional discrimination against Blacks in the military contributed to the prevailing myth that Black men lacked the intelligence and bravery necessary to serve their country. By the fall of 1862, however, the lack of White Union enlistment and confederate victories at Antietem forced the U. S. government to reconsider its racist policy. As Congress met in October to address the issue of Black enlistment, various troops of Black volunteers had already been organized, including the First South Carolina and the Kansas Colored Troops. It wasn’t until January 26, 1863; however, that secretary of war Edwin Stanton authorized the enlistment of Black troops. As a result, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer infantry was founded, becoming the first all-Black Union regiment raised in the north. Training began for Black volunteers at Camp Meigs in Reedville, MA on February 21, 1863. Although some members of the community voiced opposition to the prevention of Black men from achieving the rank of colonel or officer, most community activists urged Black men to seize the opportunity to serve in the Union forces. The fear many Black volunteers had about the potential racism of White officers and colonels was calmed when Massachusetts Governor John Andrew assured Bostonians that White officers assigned to the 54th Regiment would be â€Å"young men of military experience, of firm anti-slavery principles, ambitious, superior to a vulgar contempt for color, and having faith in the capacity of colored men for military service. † Andrew held to his word, appointing 25-year-old Robert Gould Shaw as colonel and George P. Hallowell as Lieutenant. The son of wealthy abolitionists, Shaw had been educated in Europe and at Harvard before joining the seventh New York National Guard in 1861. In 1862, when Governor Andrew contacted Shaw’s father about the prospect of commissioning his son as colonel of the soon-to-be organized fifty-fourth, Shaw was an officer in the Second Massachusetts Infantry. Although reluctant to accept the commission, Shaw eventually became colonel. By the time training began at Camp Meigs, Shaw and his officers began work with the soldiers whose bravery would forever change public perception of Black military skill and valor. Black community leaders across the country such as Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown served as recruiting agents for the Union army. As a result, over 1000 volunteers enlisted in the 54th Regiment, a response so overwhelming that Massachusetts organized a second Black regiment, the fifty-fifth. Men of the fifty-fourth represented twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, the West Indies, and Africa. Approximately 25% of them had been slaves, over 50% were literate, and, although as civilians they had worked in forty-six different occupations, the overwhelming majorities (55%) were common laborers. Regardless of origin, occupation, or social class, the men of the 54th Regiment both inspired Boston’s Black community and provided a symbol of pride for abolitionists across the country. Activists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass visited Camp Meigs to show their support. Although the organization of the 54th Regiment resolved the conflict over Black enlistment in the Union army, the struggle of Black soldiers to gain respect in the military was just beginning. Upon arrival in the south, the Black soldiers were often treated as common laborers and the potential for their valor on the battlefield was disregarded. Upon arriving in Georgia on June 11, they were ordered by Col. James Montgomery of the Department of the South to raid the town of Darien. Reports of Black soldiers burning buildings and ravaging the homes of townspeople confirmed stereotypes of Black soldiers as un-trainable brutes. Col. Shaw found the raid on Darien barbarous and distasteful, and sent a letter to Brigadier General George C. Strong, requesting that the men be used in the planned attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. On July 16, the 54th Regiment fought alongside White soldiers of the 10th Connecticut Infantry in a skirmish on James Island, SC. This battle redeemed the Black soldiers’ fighting ability in the eyes of White skeptics, including General Strong, who commanded the 54th Regiment to lead the assault on Fort Wagner, scheduled for July 18. Strategically, a successful attack on Fort Wagner would allow Union forces to seize control of Charleston Harbor. Located on Morris Island, Fort Wagner protected Battery Gregg overlooking Fort Sumter. Thus, seizure of Fort Wagner was valuable because it enabled the Union to shell Sumter and close the harbor to confederate blockade runners, thereby paving the way for further Union attack on Charleston. Fort Wagner was located at the northern tip of Morris Island, and was controlled by 1700 troops and 17 artillery guns. Depleted to just over 600 men by the skirmish two days previous, the men of the 54th Regiment were ordered to lead the assault on Fort Wagner with the backing of regiments from New York, Connecticut, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Before the charge commenced, Colonel Shaw ordered the regiment to â€Å"prove yourselves as men. † Within 200 feet of the Fort, the confederates began to attack as the brave men of the 54th Regiment struggled through darkness, four-foot deep water, and marshland. Colonel Shaw, accompanied by dwindling numbers of dying men, managed to reach the top of the parapet where a bitter hand-to-hand combat ensued, the Black Union soldiers with bayonets against the White Confederate soldiers with handspikes and gun rammers. Colonel Shaw was mortally wounded with a pierce through the heart, along with a dozen of his men. Meanwhile, members of the 54th Regiment – some wounded, some dying – began to retreat; those who refused to back down were taken prisoner. As the smoke cleared, evidence of Confederate victory was immediately apparent, with 174 Rebel casualties and 1515 Union soldiers dead or wounded. Of the eleven regiments who participated in the Union assault, the fifty-forth Regiment accrued the most casualties, with 256 of their 600 men dead or wounded. Despite the heavy losses, the assault on Fort Wagner proved to the nation and the world the valor of Black soldiers in general and the men of the 54th Regiment in particular. From the ranks of the fifty-forth came stories of unfailing patriotism and undying glory. The men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, their White officers, colonel, and allies, not only struck a blow for American freedom and unity, they also proved to the nation and the world the valor, bravery, and devotion of African American soldiers. In the sacrifice made by Col. Shaw and his soldiers, Americans witnessed, for the first time, the supremacy of equality over racism, discrimination, and ignorance. Upon his death at Fort Wagner, the body of Col. Shaw was placed in a mass grave on Morris Island along with the bodies of his soldiers. The lack of proper military burial for a man who had distinguished himself as a soldier and as a leader was intended to insult the honor of Shaw and his family, who were deemed as race traitors by Confederates and White unionists alike. However, upon learning that his son had been buried with his black soldiers, Francis Shaw stated, with dignity, that â€Å"We hold that a soldier’s most appropriate burial place is on the field where he has fallen. † This statement and the honor displayed by the Shaw family and veterans of the fifty-fourth helped immortalize Shaw and his men as symbols of the Civil War battle for unity and equality. As a result of the 54th Regiment, over 180,000 Black men enlisted under the Union flag between 1863 and 1865. AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY SERVICE from WWI through WWII. During the global conflicts of the first half of the 20th century, U. S. servicemen fought in Europe for the first time in the nation’s history. African Americans were among the troops committed to combat in World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII), even though they and other black Americans were denied the full blessings of the freedom for which the United States had pledged to fight. Traditional racist views about the use of black troops in combat initially excluded African Americans from the early recruiting efforts and much of the actual combat in both wars. Nonetheless, large numbers of African Americans still volunteered to fight for their country in 1917-18 and 1940-45. Once again, many black servicemen hoped their military contribution and sacrifice would prove to their white countrymen that African Americans desired and deserved a fully participatory role in U. S. society. Unfortunately, the deeply entrenched negative racial attitudes prevalent among much of the white American population, including many of the nation’s top military and civilian leaders, made it very difficult for blacks to serve in the military establishment of this period. African-American servicemen suffered numerous indignities and received little respect from white troops and civilians alike. The historic contributions by blacks to the defense of the United States were usually ignored or downplayed, while combat failures similar to those of whites and violent racial incidents often provoked by whites were exaggerated into a condemnation of all African Americans. In the â€Å"Jim Crow† world of pre-1945 America, black servicemen confronted not only the hostility of enemies abroad but that of enemies at home. African-American soldiers and sailors had two formidable obstacles to deal with: discrimination and segregation. Yet, black servicemen in both world wars repeatedly demonstrated their bravery, loyalty, and ability in combat or in support of frontline troops. Oftentimes, they accomplished these tasks without proper training or adequate equipment. Poor communications and a lack of rapport with their white officers were two additional burdens hampering the effectiveness and efficiency of African Americans in the military. Too frequently, there was little or no recognition or gratitude for their accomplishments. One of the worst slights of both wars was the willingness of the white establishment to allow racism to influence the award of the prestigious Medal of Honor. Although several exceptionally heroic African Americans performed deeds worthy of this honor, not one received at the time the award that their bravery and self-sacrifice deserved. It took over 70 years for the United States to rectify this error for WWI and over 50 years for WWII. Despite the hardships and second-class status, their participation in both wars helped to transform many African-American veterans as well as helped to eventually change the United States. Though still limited by discrimination and segregation at home, their sojourn in Europe during WWI and WWII made many black servicemen aware that the racial attitudes so common among white Americans did not prevail everywhere else. The knowledge that skin color did not preclude dignity and respect made many black veterans unwilling to submit quietly to continuing racial discrimination once they returned to the United States. In addition, the growing importance of black votes beginning in the 1930s and 1940s forced the nation’s political and military leaders to pay more attention to African Americans’ demands, particularly in regard to the military. Although it was a tedious and frustrating process, one too often marked by cosmetic changes rather than real reform, by the end of WWII, the U. S. military establishment slowly began to make some headway against racial discrimination and segregation within its ranks. The stage was set for President Harry S Truman’s landmark executive order of 26 July 1948. Another main contribution of note would be the trails and tribulations of the Tuskegee Airmen. In the 1940’s, it was still believed that Blacks were incapable of flying aircraft. This myth was dispelled with the help of the U. S. Congress. On June 27, 1939 – THE CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING ACT was passed. This solitary ACT helped to create a reserve of civilian pilots to be called in case of War. Young black pilots were given the opportunity to train with U. S. approved programs located at TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE. The SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT OF 1940 also increased the opportunity for a broader participation of Blacks in the military when it banned discrimination in the selection and training of all American citizens because of race and color. The success of the CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING ACT helped put the 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON OF TUSKEGEE on the map. It was said that â€Å"the success of Negro youth in the Army Air Force would be predicated upon the success of the ‘Tuskegee Experiment. ‘† HBO’s docudrama, THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, is a good depiction of this era of Black Americans seeking acceptance as military pilots. Because of the opportunity provided by the Civilian Pilot Training Act, the number of Blacks in the ARMY AIR FORCE jumped from 2,250 in 1941 to over 145,000 by 1944. The two major groups to see combat as AAF men were the 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON and the 332ND FIGHTER GROUP. Out of the 332nd Group came the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Squadrons under the command of Lieutenant Colonel BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, SR. , who became America’s FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN GENERAL on October 25, 1940. By 1944, the 99th was added to the 332nd and participated in campaigns in Sicily, Rome, and Romania. The 99th and 332nd earned many DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATIONS. These historical examples are but a small sample of the many great contributions and sacrifices made by black people in order to secure freedom and prosperity for this great nation. We owe them a debt than can never be fully repaid. If anything these great contributions should curtail any negative or racial thoughts toward such a magnanimous people. You would think that with all that has transpired throughout history, that we as a people could live and coexist together with peace and harmony. My only hope is that with time people will come to realize that we are all not that different from one another and that we can thrive together for a better future for all of us.

Achievements of the gupta empire

The Gupta Empire, which covered most parts of Northern India and parts of Pakistan, was ruled by members of the Gupta dynasty from around 280 to 550 C.E. The capital was called Paliputra which is presently known as Patna in the Indian state of Bihar.   The level of peace and prosperity that was created within the leadership of Guptas enabled scientific and artistic endeavors.According to Beye, Charles Rowan (1975), Greek culture had deep influence on the Empire of Rome. Civilization of the ancient Greeks has been greatly influential on politics, education systems, languages, philosophy, arts and science.Civilization, according to Mark Whitaker (1997), refers to contradictory relation between a ruling class and a class of producers. Egyptian civilization was brought about by different aspects. River Nile was one major contributor of the Egyptian civilization. There are various similarities in terms of achievements of the Gupta Empire to those of the Classical Greek or Egyptian civil izations.Gupta Empire and the Egyptian Empire made great achievement in artistry. Sculpture is one of the greatest artistic achievements in the Gupta Empire. The sculptors worked with wood, stone bronze and clay called terra cotta.Gupta sculptors were mainly concerned with indicating the human form gracefully and simply. Egyptians too achieved a fit in artistry in that they used the skills to construct pyramids and monuments for the pharaoh. The pyramids portrayed their true identity and rich cultural heritage.Education is one other aspect of achievement that characterized the achievement of both the Gupta Empire and the ancient Egypt. Literature of Gupta Empire is usually considered to be among the greatest achievements. Gupta writers created plays, fables, and poetry, as well as important legal and religious texts. One India classic poems called Mahabharata, reached the final form during the Gupta era MathematicsThe mathematicians of Gupta era made useful discoveries that have gre atly influenced human civilization because mathematics has become a fundamental in our day to day lifeOn the other hand, the Egyptians were very much practical in their approach to mathematics their trade required that they deal in fractions. Trade also required division and multiplication to be possible so they improvised remarkable methods to cub the situation in the number systems to help them work efficiently.Childhood education was also important in Ancient Egypt   Children would more and frequently be required to work elders in handling less onerous tasks and slowly acquiring practical skills and knowledge from their parents and guardians. By example, parents would teach them various educational principles, morals and views about life.The ancient Greeks too have made quite a number of influential contributions to western civilization. These contributions, which can also be referred as achievements of ancient Greece, include areas of philosophy, art, Agriculture, Mathematics and science. These great achievements, compared to other regions such as the Gupta Empire and the Ancient Egypt, these great achievements were being made while fighting two wars, that is, Peloponnesian and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Persian wars.One other area where the Gupta Empire made an achievement is in the area of astronomy. Gupta astronomers came up with many discoveries about the moon, the sun, the earth and other planets. Although they relied more on Greek astronomers, Gupta astronomers too made many discoveries on their own and in many cases arrived at conclusions that were more accurate and reliable than those of the Greeks.ReferencesBeye, Charles Rowan (1975), â€Å"Ancient Greek Literature and Society†, Garden City, World History Achieve (1997), â€Å"A dialog from the Philosophy of History and theoretical history list†. Retrieved November 1, 2008 from< http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/10/029.html>Mark Whitaker (1997), â€Å"Definition of State in Civilizationâ € . Retrieved November 1, 2008 fromMr. Mitchell (1990), â€Å"Writing a Journal to Commemorate Gupta Achievements. Retrieved November 1, 2008 from< http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory>Michael G. (2007), Ancient Greek Achievements. Retrieved November 1, 2008 from

The Government Policy and the Fast Food Stores Research Paper

The Government Policy and the Fast Food Stores - Research Paper Example Food served in a fast food restaurant usually cater to what may be regarded as â€Å"meat-sweet-diet† that is often from a limited menu. Almost all foodstuffs offered in fast food restaurants are cooked in advance and kept. Some of such foods are packed in readiness for order and are usually made ready for take away although, seats may be provided for customers who intend to take or eat their food within the premise. The fast food restaurants are part of chain of restaurants or franchise operation that supply standardized ingredients or partially prepared or made foodstuffs and supply to other restaurants through managed and controlled supply chain. The United States citizens have raised concern on the increasing health problems have a result of fast food and junk food offered by the fast food restaurants. The government should not regard fast food and junk foods as the leading cause of some health problems in America especially when dealing with obesity but rather the governm ent should enlighten citizens that such health problems may be due to their own contribution, as well as due to the combination of environmental factors and genetics. Despite the increasing media concern and coverage on obesity and overweight and the health problems that are associated with these two health problems, the citizens are not yet working the real cause. The obesity in the United States is a recent phenomenon, and yet the fast food restaurant started operating as long as 1912 (Christopher 111). However, the public are still forming their opinions of what might be the cause of such ill health problems. Some of The Americans are proposing that taxes should be increased on sugary of snacks with high fat content in order to reduce the escalating cases of obesity. However, this will not be the cure of obesity (Jay 270). American should wake up to the reality that junk and fast foods are just like any other foodstuffs that when consumed irresponsibly, they may lead to ill healt h or health problems like obesity. The current environment that Americans and their children are growing in is already a threat to their health. The lifestyles among the Americans have become boisterous, and nobody wants to be responsible for his or her own health. Instead of the government getting concern with the fast food and junk food, it should introduce and support exercises that are highly opposed by the current generation and their offspring (Teresa 511). Relating to the opinion of many Americans, the attitude towards fast and junk foods determines how belief and attitude affect policy changes that are in support of junk and fast foods. Most the Americans believe that junk food and fast food are the major cause of obesity. However, this may or may not be true. According to one side of argument, the concept of moral failure may be the major cause of obesity in that being obese may be a personal choice (Glanz et al. 31). Despite the fact that obesity affects an individual†™s self-reliance, it may be a true reflection of laziness, lack of self-control, and indiscipline. Therefore, obesity is due to personal irresponsibility that may be justified by discrimination within self as opposed to consumption of fast food (Nicole et al 25). The Understanding that obesity results from individual or personal contribution or lack of individual motivation may render the government policy aimed at regulating fast food

Higher ratings and wider range of the audience Research Paper - 1

Higher ratings and wider range of the audience - Research Paper Example The new late night show program has been aired for three months now but still suffers from low ratings. At first, we had high ratings because our program is officially the first late night show that directed and produced similarly to an American late-night show but then ratings went down from 16% to 7% during last three months. From the survey we conducted, the style of the production is unfamiliar to the viewers because they have not seen this style of the production before. To increase viewer ratings, the program needs more promotions and system that makes the audience engages in the program. For the above reasons, Taeho Kim assigned me to find ways to increase ratings and promote the program. Mr Kim gave me a set of criteria for the new system. First, the total budget allowed for the project is $15,000. Second, the new system must give the evidence that we have higher ratings and wider range of the audience. Third, the new system needs to be more cost-effective and has a long-term effect. Through the research I have conducted, three appropriate options were realized for the improvement of the program. Social networks, hiring of celebrities as co-host, and changing and improving the script are among the options that this paper will be dealing with. Locally, it is relevant to say that all these networks have the capacity to promote shows especially the late night shows and thus, could give people the idea and the knowledge of the advantages the viewers could get by watching the show.

Nursing Informatics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing Informatics - Term Paper Example Understanding and identifying such challenges is the first requirement in order to find solutions to the problems faced by the nursing informatics today. RECENT TRENDS IN NURSING INFORMATICS INTRODUCTION A very interesting fact about health informatics is its smooth and rapid integration in the health care systems of the world. Now, advanced health care facilities cannot even bear to think running their services without computerized equipment at their disposal (Caraway, 2008). They have valid reasons, for computers and informatics systems have made processing and handling patients much quicker and efficient. Nurses in many ways can be considered as the pioneers in adopting such technologies within their services. This is the sole reason why nursing informatics is an important feature of the nursing curriculum (Caraway, 2008). Informatics is defined as the science of â€Å"representation, processing and communication of information in natural and artificial systems† (Fourman, 2 003), where as in health care it would be defined as â€Å"a discipline focused on the acquisition, storage and use of information in a specific setting or domain† (Hersh, 2009). So how are nurses using these technologies in their daily healthcare provision? Firstly they are using informatics as an analyzing tool, and with that they are better able to choose, implement and evaluate the information gathered and create better care systems. Such systems are also now widely being used to provide information and education to the staff (Caraway, 2008). This trend has given a boost to the already implemented evidence based health care provision, by keeping nurses up to date about the most recent researches and clinical studies. It is therefore, easier for nurses to advance themselves as they move forward in their career (Caraway, 2008). WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW? The current trends are very much the continuation of the efforts of the past. With the understanding of the potential impact of informatics in medicine and health care delivery, there is emphasis to explore new areas and integrate this new technology deeper (Kampov-Polivoi, 2010, Jensen, Meyer and Sternberger, 2009). this reflects itself in the number of programs that have evolved related to informatics not only in nursing but in other medical areas as well. the technical advancement of these programs is reflected in the high number of such programs delivered online for studying (Kampov-Polivoi, 2010). Nursing informatics is based on three principles, which include data, information and knowledge. Utilizing these three principles has been able to provide one of the best methods applicable in evidence based nursing and medicine (Kaminski, 2010). This is why the evolution of the current nursing informatics programs has been made from bachelor levels to master levels. These developments in the academic areas indicate that informatics in all of its forms are becoming an essential subject to be learnt for futu re health care systems (Kampov-Polevoi, 2010). The integration of this system may be able to help reduce the work load that is presented to the current nurses. Currently, there is a gradual shortage of nursing staff across the globe due to the most demanding and time consuming work nurses do (Kaminski, 2010). The introduction of information technology in nursing may be able to reduce the burden of such long hours, and may even entice fresh graduates into taking up nursing as a profession (Kaminski, 2010). Currently there are three

Foundations of the Development and Functions of Police Assignment

Foundations of the Development and Functions of Police - Assignment Example Job security was not guaranteed for anyone as anyone could be at will and a replacement found immediately. Policing was termed as ineffective since communication and transport services were not up to code. Most of the officers engaged in corruption and misconduct and bribes were offered to the public for them not to apply the law. During the political era, location of people complained of difficulty in contacting the police for help. There were constant complaints of police harassment, and they did not enjoy support from the resident. Due to high turnover in the force police had become unpopular in the country (Walker 1977). The reform era of policing was brought about by government reforms and growth of the progressive political establishment which sought to improve the livelihoods of the citizens. The changes made involved removal of police from political control to a more standardized bureaucratic system. The police supervision improved, and no misconduct could pass through the system unnoticed. There was an emphasis on statistics and police effectives was measured on the number of arrests made, number of a tickets issued and other police based activities. Emphasis on quality community relationships was discarded as police had to deal with more pressing matters of narcotic control, increased crime and arrest of criminals. Conversely, special police forces were formed to deal with specialised problems such as SWAT, vice and narcotics. Reforms from the political era helped to eliminate corruption from the police force. The primary reason the police existed was to prevent crime and their efficiency was measured by the absence of criminal activity. The reform era also saw the establishment of police academies where police were trained, and only qualified candidates were recruited to the force (Palmiotto, 1999). The law enforcement academies serve as training grounds for recruits into the police force. They include various background

HLT362V exercise 27 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HLT362V exercise 27 - Assignment Example As the hours of postnatal increase, the Systolic Blood Pressure also increases, which is a positive relationship. Postnatal age hours (x) which is the independent variable is positively related to the Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) i.e. as the postnatal age hour increases so is SBP. This can be observed also from the graph, the graph for Figure 2 B has a positive slope since the line extends from the lower left corner to the upper right corner and shows a positive relationship. This line shows that the increase in x (independent variable) is also associated with an increase in y (dependent variable). Thus, the independent variable postnatal age is used to predict the dependent variable of Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP). As the hours of postnatal increase, the Systolic Blood Pressure also increases, which is a positive relationship. Postnatal age hours (x) which is the independent variable is positively related to the Mean Blood Pressure (MBP) i.e. as the postnatal age hour increases so is MBP. This can be observed also from the graph; the graph for Figure 2 C has a positive slope since the line extends from the lower left corner to the upper right corner and shows a positive relationship. This line shows that the increase in x (independent variable) is also associated with an increase in y (dependent variable). Thus, the independent variable postnatal age is used to predict the dependent variable of Mean Blood Pressure (MBP). As the hours of postnatal increase, the Systolic Blood Pressure also increases, which is a positive relationship. Postnatal age hours (x) which is the independent variable is positively related to the Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) i.e. as the postnatal age hour increases so is SBP. This can be observed also from the graph; the graph for Figure 3A has a positive slope since the line extends from the lower left corner to the upper right corner and shows a positive relationship. This line

Discussion on Plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion on Plagiarism - Essay Example Written works are property over which the original writer has every right of exercising his dominion. That being said, there are times when it is difficult to tell which words are proprietary to an author and which are not. There are many idioms, sayings, and common utterances that, because they are used often and in casual manner, it becomes nearly impossible to tell where the phrase or statement began. Sometimes a witty catchphrase just takes off so fast that its origins are obscured before they could be acknowledged. Sometimes, without intending to, we echo others’ thoughts because they had struck a chord with our own. In the case of Ben Domenech, however, there can be no appeal. Although he argued by way of excuse that he was only 17 at the time he admittedly appropriated another’s work, there can be no doubt that even at that age the idea of â€Å"copying† as â€Å"cheating† would have been well ingrained into his mind and conscience. After all, children in their first grade know that it is wrong to cheat, and that copying a classmate’s homework or answers in a test and passing it on as one’s own is cheating. Children 7 years of age know this is wrong, which is why they go to great lengths to conceal it; what more youths of 17? Domenech cannot hide behind his age, just one year short of adulthood; this is not, after all, a deep moral dilemma. It’s simply cheating. Concerning Rebecca’s comment, she is spot on in underscoring Domenech’s past as a writer for the school paper. As a school journalist, it is almost certain that he had been given some form of formal instruction before he was accepted into the writing staff. After all, the school would have been aware that writings in the official school organ reflected upon its reputation and integrity, and its writers therefore would be put in the precarious position of being the school’s mouthpiece. Domenech could therefore

Foreign Exchange Markets and Transactions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foreign Exchange Markets and Transactions - Essay Example A person who undertakes call option gets right to buy a specific currency but at the same time the person does not come under the obligation to buy it. One needs to pay some premium to buy call option. Paying small premium to get unlimited profit is the most lucrative aspect of working in the derivative options. If the rates are not favorable, the person can let the opportunity go away without exercising his or her right. The person loses only the amount that they paid toward call option. Same is applicable with put option wherein the person has right to sell the currency but again not obliged to sell. Not only this, but the person can choose from the available range of strike rates that are associated with varied premium rates. After all, it is one’s judgmental ability that decides about the most appropriate strike rate to enter into a contract. It is important to note here that the contract of options can be bought in a specified standard volume. In order to get profit from the call option, the price has to move above the strike price plus the premium paid to buy the call. Similarly, in the put option, the price has to move below the strike price plus the premium paid to buy the put option. It is noteworthy that the currency exchange offers opportunity both the ways whether they appreciate or depreciate. When an MMC from the US is interested in doing business in Japan, it is obvious that the MNC will receive all its payments in Japanese Yen. In the long run, the objective of the MNC would be to repatriate surplus funds back to its headquarter on the prevailing exchange rate. The current rates between yen and dollar are: Further, it is likely that the MNC does not remit profit now but only after a few months when Japanese yen would have depreciated against the US dollar. That means every Japanese yen will have now fewer dollars. Contrary to this, if the US

Literature Review (Topic may be decided by writer) Research Paper - 1

Literature Review (Topic may be decided by writer) - Research Paper Example This paper tends to identify factors that limit the competency of workforce in an organization and suggests ways in which the competency of workers can be enhanced. The needs of workers, if fully met, can play a fundamental role in improving their competency at work. Competency is a very broad term and has been interpreted by philosophers in different ways. Some people have categorized competency into different types; â€Å"The competences required of an occupation include both conceptual (cognitive, knowledge and understanding) and operational (functional, psycho-motor and applied skill) competences† (Deist and Winterton, 2005). Others have resorted to defining the competency itself without any reference to its types. There is little to no consensus upon a unique definition of competency, and people generally vary in their interpretation of competency. Nonetheless, for the scope of this literature review, one definition of competency needs to be chosen from among a vast major ity of sources. In their book, Stern and Kemp (2004) have referred to competency as a product of three traits, which are an individual’s skill or knowledge, motivation and qualities in the personality. For the scope of this research, this definition will be taken forward and factors affecting workers’ competency will be analyzed with respect to their skill, motivation and personality traits. Workers develop their skill as a result of their years of schooling and training that they receive upon a specific field of their choice, that later becomes their profession. Different students get educated in the same educational setup but vary in their knowledge of the subject. This essentially tells that there are one or more than one factors in addition to the years of schooling and training that play a decisive role in the development of skill in an individual. Such factors include but are not limited to a student’s interest in the studies, conflict between the environm ent of school and that of the home, willingness of the parents to get their child educated, affordability of parents, the extent of time a student can dedicate to studies given the responsibilities towards family, and the psychology of the student. All of these factors and many more mutually shape a student’s level of association with studies. In order to make sure that a company benefits from the services of a highly knowledgeable and skilled workforce, the first step management can take is to be very critical in the selection of employees. This requires great contribution of the human resource department in the organization. The selection procedure needs to be very well developed so that a highly skilled workforce is made part of the organization at the outset. Once the workers have been hired, managers can improve their skill by providing them with on-job education and training. This practice has become common in a vast majority of world class enterprises. Development of t he employees’ skill is considered vital in order to gain competitive advantage over contemporaries in the market. A lot of companies make their employees undergo regular training session on the job. Although it does incur the owners some cost in the start, yet the loss is made up in the long run as workers’ competency in work is enhanced and they are able to perform in a better way. Motivation, like competency is also a very broad term. It can be

Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilisation Essay Example for Free

Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilisation Essay In this essay, we shall attempt to examine the earliest examples of human civilisation, using examples from early Mesopotamian civilisations up to c2600BC. The earliest examples of civilisation are generally acknowledged to be found in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, Chinas Yellow River valley, and quite separately Peru. While some cultural trade and exchange can be expected from the initial 4 candidates, the Peruvian example implies that civilisation can and will occur separately and without influence; not an export, but simply a natural development. All of the earliest civilisations share certain characteristics. Claude Kluckhohn defined civilisation as any societal group which shared 2 of the following 3 characteristics: towns of greater than 5,000 people, a written language, and monumental ceremonial structures. While this works well as a rule of thumb, it fails to address certain important points; namely, how an area can accommodate high population densities, how written language is able to develop, and why monumental structures were built at all. Firstly, we shall tackle population density. For an early civilisation to achieve a population density in excess of 5,000 people to a single city or town, the first problem it must deal with is the most basic: that of food. Hunter-gatherer societies obviously cannot support this level of habitation mankind must be regarded in this matter as a top predator, and typical predator-prey ratios would imply that a hunting group of humans in excess of 5000 people would need a territory of around 75,000 kmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. The only possible answer to the question of how to concentrate this many people into a grouping is through the use of agriculture, and the development of farming techniques which allow large quantities of food to be produced using a relatively small area of land. Through the manipulation of the local environment to create food as needed, early civilisation was able to lower its dependency on natural conditions and begin the slow march of progress. However, there are other factors which must also be observed in the concentration of so many people into such a small area. The maintenance of social order is, by its very nature, an exponential equation; for every new member added to the group, he must form a social relationship with every existing member. Hence, high levels of social hierarchy and stratification become necessary very quickly its much more difficult to run a grouping of 100 people than it is to run one of 50, unless you have the correct social tools available to maintain control. Thankfully, increasing agricultural production allows for specialisation or at very least, taxation, which by its nature is a facilitator for specialisation. The surplus food supply means that actor X no longer needs to farm for himself, allowing for him to become a soldier, a lawyer, a priest, or even a god-king. The emergence of social specialisation almost certainly precedes concepts of state and law Hammurabi, author of the Code of Laws, was not the first priest-king to rule in Mesopotamia. In early Egypt, at very least, lestate cest moi certainly applies; it is very likely so in the other cradles of civilisation, with justice being doled out by personal decision of the king or his adjutants, on a case-by-case basis. The Code of Laws of Hammurabi leads us neatly to another of the foundations of early civilisation, that of writing. Possibly developed as a simple form of keeping tax records in Sumer, writing grants the author an external record of thoughts, one that can be read across time. It separates the writer from the concerns of time his words are no longer merely a short-term monodimensional event, but can be held and transcribed indefinitely, and literacy allows for information to be distributed far more effectively. While no mans voice can reach 5.5 million people directly, the Daily Mail is read by that many people every day though it is beyond the scope of this essay as to whether that paper can be regarded as information. Perhaps the most important aspect of writing, however, is that it creates an external bank of knowledge; a repository which may be added to continuously and with much more longevity than the lifetime of a single man. Hence, the sum total of human knowledge can be expanded indefinitely, rather than relying on the frailties of human memory. The eventual result of these major innovations is the rise of the city. Cities are the very essence of civilisation; the engines of progress which drive the advancement of technology and philosophy. Fed by the agricultural surplus, controlled by the new governments, and protected by the newly specialised military elites, the city allowed people to learn new trades and develop new concepts. Pottery can emerge in newer, more impressive forms; masonry can be developed and refined, and ideas such as mathematics, geometry, natural philosophy and any other conceptual discipline can be followed. It is no surprise, then, given the primary importance of the food supply, that the first civilisations emerge without fail on flood plains. Until irrigation and other farming technology is developed, the dark alluvial soil of the Mesopotamian flood plains, or the Nile river valley, is the only medium which can be exploited for the kind of mass-production of food needed for human population to reach the critical mass required for civilisation. Water is, of course, one of the main requirements of life; it would appear that it is also the catalyst for civilisation, not merely in the direct provision of drinking water, but also in the action of laying down fresh soil each year. Mesopotamia is often regarded as the initial starting point of civilisation as a whole, considered to pre-date the other centres, with the early Ubaid period beginning in c6000BC. This was still pre-history, with writing not appearing for another 2500 years or so; however, excavations at Ubaid by C.L. Woolley in the 1920s uncovered evidence of irrigation channels, canal systems, and temples connected to the period, as well as clay and terracotta ware, and, importantly, stone tools. Stone is not native to Iraq, implying a trade network; its also worthy of note that the wheel is considered to have been invented by the people of Ubaid. The Ubaid civilisations northern sites suffered some form of catastrophe in the mid-4th century BC, at around the time of the rise of what is known as the Uruk period; whether this was an outside invasion replacing the people of Ubaid, or a natural progression of the society itself is open to debate. The Uruk period (c4000BC-c3100BC) is notable for the beginnings of monumental architecture the first proto-ziggurats as well as the rise of the first large-scale cities, reaching up to 50,000 inhabitants. It is also, contentiously, where writing first appears to develop, in around 3500BC; though the primitive pictographic tablets of the period are effectively just pictures and incapable of describing concepts beyond the purely visual. There is also a great deal of evidence to imply a definite government structure, and therefore also social stratification, and also mass-production of pottery. It is the period immediately following Uruk, known as Jemdet Nasr or the proto-literate period, where writing really begins to take hold, and that history can definitely be said to have begun. Cuneiform symbols developed, possibly for the purpose of tax records, and while some pictographic elements remained within the written language, their numbers began to drop significantly and their meanings move from strictly descriptive to multi-purpose. The development of the pictographs into cuneiforms may have been spurred by the adoption of the wedge-shaped cuneus as the standard writing implement, which made the pictograph itself more difficult to achieve; however, the concept of syllabic writing was still undeveloped, and given the Sumerian tendency to monosyllabic speech forms it would take a while to appear. Jemdet Nasr is also known as Uruk III, and it shares a majority of the typical cultural markers of the previous period, in more highly-developed forms. Most notable of the periods legacies is the sexagesimal number system, still used in time measurement today. Following the proto-literate phase, history can begin properly, and the Sumerian civilisation truly begins. However, the term civilisation implies a unity which was certainly not present in ancient Mesopotamia at the time; the Sumerians were divided amongst themselves into a series of small, competing city-states, in a manner akin to the classical Greeks. This competition took the form of both war and trade, with the area trading its substantial food surpluses for metals and wood from neighbouring areas. In each city, a Priest-King would rule in the name of the citys God, and each city had a different patron deity. Every so often, one city or another would gain primacy in the area, leading to its king claiming the title king of Kish, possibly due to Kish being the first such state to gain hegemony. The city states themselves became increasingly fortified, and warfare between the various kings became near-constant. In spite of the healthy food surpluses, and the vast storehouses kept for grain, farmland and water were a constant prize for these wars, possibly due to food being the primary trade good. While these wars were often violent and repetitive, the king of Kish would occasionally be brought in for arbitration between feuding states; this king could also seemingly try to call on the military aid of other kings should he need it, although not always successfully. This principal of first amongst equals appears to have been shaky at best, with the other states never far enough behind the leader to be safely considered vassals. In conclusion, the origin of civilisation is firmly connected to the supply of food. It is the surpluses which allow it to arise, it is the fertility of the flood plains which marks the site of early civilisation, and it is even the food wealth of Mesopotamia which created the technological hotbed of organised warfare. The intensive competition for limited agricultural land, with little other natural resources, naturally encouraged startling innovations, such as writing and the wheel, just as in Greece they led to the growth of philosophy and mathematics, and in Europe to the rise of the jet fighter and the ballistic missile.

The performance of Coca Cola

The performance of Coca Cola The Coca Cola Company is considered to be one of the topmost beverage companies of the industry. It has its business all around the world. It engages in production, distribution, and marketing of non-alcoholic beverages in 200 countries worldwide. It produces almost 3300 beverages ranging from caffeinated beverages, fruit juices, water, milk-based beverages and energizers and has managed to capture the hearts of millions of people worldwide. Brand building, technological know-how as well as aggressive marketing skills are the core competencies of Coca Cola which help the company in gaining competitive advantage over other companies. Coca Colas brand is respectable and dependable and it took many years for the company to build this image. Not only is it a favourite among many individuals, but also has acquired a household name. Their brand and logo can never be mistaken, which is why consumers feel a sense of ease when the purchase the companys products. Coca-Cola is a cash cow in the soft drink industry. Due to its strong brand name, Coca Cola will remain profitable in the soft drink industry in the future too. The management of the company harmonizes the venture of human resources and organizes technology along with other core resources such as physical assets, marketing skills, financial resources, and skills and knowledge of employees in order to set up an effective and efficient internal organizational structure of business. The function of the organization focuses on division, coordination, and control of activities and tasks along with flow of information within the institution. Also, the managers allocate responsibility and authority to all people within the organization. The Coca Company focuses on acquiring and retaining highly skilled knowledgeable employees in its company in order to maintain the companys superior most position in the market. Coca Cola treats its resources as an asset. It provides such an environment for employment to its employees t hat the employees develop a sense of unity with the company and carry out their duties willingly and in the most effective and efficient manner. The company entertains it employees by providing a security of employment so that they are not carried away by uncertainties of their future. These objectives, strategies, and programs are already specified drawn in advance by the company which serves as a guideline to the management and unions when taking decisions. Also they concur with the organizations mission, objectives, strategies, policies and its internal and external environments. Since the organization concentrates mainly on marketing, human resource is an essential asset to the company. Without its knowledgeable employees along with their abilities and skills, The Coca Cola Company can never be successful. The ability to adjust and researching and finding out new markets have been of great help to Coca-Cola in becoming a symbol of the American culture. Since the companys affilia tion in 1892, a strong focus on growth and marketing has existed. There were also traditional advertisements in the local newspaper but apart from this, the companys founder Asa Candler distributed thousands of coupons for free glasses of Coca Cola so that many people would be forced to taste it. many tokens that showed the trademark of the company. This type of aggressive marketing is the foundation of The Coca-Cola Companys strategy and its culture. In the Coca-Cola Company, the divisional managers are responsible to run the operations in the general region. The functions of each vice president are divided into functions such as human resources, innovation/research/development, marketing, public affairs and communication. Marketing, innovation, research, and development are the functions which are of utmost importance to the company in gaining competitive advantages. Its mainly because the company is interested in keeping its brand name capitalized and so marketing plays a major r ole. It is the responsibility of the innovation, research, and development department that they come up with something new as demanded by marketing functions. Majority of the top level managers of the company have been exposed to different regions and different areas of the company. Many of them have worked for the bottling companies that partner with The Coca-Cola Company. Owing to the fact that these topmost members have well rounded backgrounds, they have an eye to look at problems from different angles. The current objective of the organization is to use its assets, which is namely its brand, financial strength, its unbeatable distribution system, research and a strong commitment by its management and employees worldwide in order to achieve a long-term sustainable growth. The core competences that helps the company in gaining its competitive advantage is its strong brand name and its widespread network with bottlers and distributors. Its marketing capabilities and broad portfoli o of products is unbeatable and very difficult to imitate. The strong brand name gives the company a strong bargaining power and leverage. The company also influences consumers tastes and trends. When the company launched Diet Coke, the company performed a blind taste test with consumers. The results was that the consumers preferred a glass labelled Diet Coke over a glass labelled Ta by 12 percent, even though the liquids in each glass was same (Plasketes, 2004). This is nothing but its strong brand name. In spite of all these core competences and its outstanding performance in the market, the company withstands a number of challenges, many of which arise from the fact that the company operates on such a large level. Different markets have different trends and styles. Consumes in some markets are found to be health conscious. In order to adapt to this trend, the company has created many diet and low-calorie drinks. The company always tries on bringing new ideas and innovations to ad just to the changing market trends. Due to the anti-carbohydrate trends introduced by the Atkins diet, Coca-Cola C2 was introduced. It is supposed to have the same taste as Coca-Cola but it contains half the carbohydrates. Also, The Coca-Cola Company faces a problem due to social and political differences of each market. Its mainly because different countries have different laws and so Coca Cola has to follows laws of each and every country where it operates but in spite of this, it faces strong criticism. The structure of the company has characteristics of both mechanistic and organic modes. It is more leaned towards centralized structure but now slowly and gradually it is moving towards decentralization. The stakeholders of the company are mainly shareowners who are its bottling partners, government, suppliers, retail customers, and local communities. Since each group of stakeholders have their individual goals, this gives rise to conflicts. The shareholders are interested only in profits, the local communities have concerns about environment issues and labour standards, the suppliers want to charge as much as they can in order to generate more revenue whereas the company wants to keep the lowest price to decrease its cost of production. The managers aim at keeping labour costs down whereas the employees aim at wage increase and increased benefits. There are at least 5 hierarchical levels at the corporate level. Due to its very big organizational structure, it experiences communication problems. One of the problems discovered was that the employees and the company did not have clear goals. This huge hierarchy structure has caused motivation problems and that is why the company is attempting to get employees more engaged. The increased use of companys intranet greatly resolves the communication gap and increases communication at every level of employees and allows the management at the topmost level to communicate more effectively to the front line employees. The company is moving towards decentralization which has resulted in a strategic structural change and has affected the company positively. Sales increased and the employees were much more satisfied. The company is trying to develop a more innovative culture by following the path of decentralization. The Coca-Cola Company is trying to compete to get the best employees. The production of beverages does not demand skilled employees but on the contrary, it has had problems finding the proper personnel in order to run the organization. In the year 2004, The Coca-Cola Companys top choices for the open CEO position decided not to join the company because they disliked the gestures of the board of directors. Due to the companys high creditability in the market, the company has the capability to raise funds at lower cost. This gives the company an opportunity to finance operations such as expansion. This is of much more importance to the company when the company wants to expand or if it de cides to enter into new markets or to purchase new brands. The company operates in a very charismatic environment and this type of environment is difficult to predict and control due to the global nature of the operations. The company faces a danger of reduced production or interruption in its distribution if any problem occurs in the market. There is also a possibility of workers going on strike or stoppage of work or distribution falls during bad economic times. Also the raw materials it uses are dependent on specific climates. Climate changes have a drastic affect on price of raw materials they require and so indirectly affects the production cost. The company has received plenty of criticism for its operations in India due to the fact that their bottling plants caused a great deal of pollution and have damaged local water supplies. The company believes in using different techniques in order to maintain good relationships with stakeholders, and strategic alliance is one of them. Nearly 100 percents of its revenue comes from strategic alliance. In 1999, the company signed a 10-year contract with Burger King as it was among the list of restaurants with being the only supplier of beverages. PepsiCo offered Wendys a much a better deal but still the restaurant signed a 10-year deal with The Coca-Cola Company. This really depicts the strong brand name of the Coca-Cola. The company has done a fabulous job by managing some aspects of the environment but done extremely poorly while managing other parts of the environment. The negative publicity it received in India has led to the boycotts of the Coca-Cola products at some places. This seems to be very bad for the company but the average customer is completely ignorant of these allegations. The company is doing a fair job of damage control but while the company has not had any problem with the suppliers, its future cannot be predicted. It does not seem like the company is not making sincere efforts in trying to secur e supplies and for this reason, vertical integration is most suitable. The company has a very strong bond with its distributors. The relationships between these two create collaborative interdependencies and so the victory of both creates a direct impact on each other. Differentiation is one of the business strategies of The Coca-Cola Company. This is clearly evident from the above example where the consumes preferred a drink with Coke as the brand name attached. The company succeeded in its strategy of differentiation because of its aggressive marketing skills. The company has been always known for its innovative marketing and its brand names and so it stands above its competitors. The Coca-Cola Company needs to improve its portfolio of brand names. To be very specific, the organization needs to start introducing new types of beverages as it enters the markets late. The company was late to enter the market of sports and energy drinks as well as coffee drink (Morris, 2006). Even if creates a new type of beverage, its always alone in the market and it can hardly force its competitors to react. The structure of the organization is hybrid in nature and it best suits its differentiation strategy. Its marketing and innovation functions have always remained centralized which allows the company to keep control over development, marketing, and production. It performs extensive researching and tries to find new ways to serve a new group of customers. The culture of The Coca-Cola organization is mission oriented and focuses on refreshing the mind and making a difference. The company means a lot to its customers and its employees. It provides a sense of pride to them and inspires new employees to act more positively which in turn have a positive impact on the world. The company tries to change its culture by giving liberty to its employees to shape and reform the goals of the company. The company provides a strong base to encourage its employees by becoming model citizen s and not just employees of the company. The output processes are the greatest source of uncertainty for the company. The company does not produce the final product. The distributors and bottlers mingle other ingredients and then sell the final product. Who bottles it does not matter and only the end product is important with Coca Cola as its brand name. So the company should make efforts by maintaining good relations with bottlers and distributors and try to pressurize them to maintain high quality final product, otherwise, it could have negative effect on the company and its brand. There appears to be very limited information about the production of companys syrup. At The World of Coca-Cola, a museum for the company, there is no mention as to how the syrup is produced. Based on some information available, the company has a moderately high level of complexity in relation to the fact that it uses mass production. Task variability in production is also low because it is extremely mec hanized and routine. As a result, task analyzability is high. When a problem occurs, it is not hard to find solutions. So, this shows that the typical structure of a manufacturing company that uses mass production is a mechanistic structure, in which efficient production is the desired end. The company has a mechanistic structure, in which efficient production is the desired end. The companys structure is that of organic type due to its focus being mainly on marketing and local appeal. If the structure mismatches, then the production may not be efficient but however, the benefits of the companys structure outweighs the consequences. The Coca-Cola Company has a high level of uncertainty when it comes to the raw materials it uses. For a few of the ingredients, the company only has one or two viable suppliers. This could create a problem for the company. The Coca-Cola Company has less bargaining power if there is little substitutability in suppliers. Another problem could arise if a su pplier experiences an event that economically smashes them. If a supplier experiences bankruptcy or some type of natural calamity then the company could suffer as well. The Coca-Cola Company can improve and secure relationships with suppliers using a few tactics such as minority ownership or strategic alliances. The most suitable solution would to be use backward vertical integration and purchase a supplier. As a result of this, the company can grab the profits that were earlier earned by the supplier, save the costs, and have a trustworthy source of supplies. The company knows that it needs to meet the ever changing requirements of its customers. The company so moved toward decentralization in the 90s. The company allows decision making at local level and so it can promptly respond to the changing market demands. Also, the higher-level management then direct their attention more on long-term planning. Some divisions of the company like finance, innovation, human resources, marketing, and strategy and planning are located centrally within the corporate division of the company. Some of the decisions are made at the lower levels in each regions of the company while majority of the decisions are taken at top hierarchy. The companys structure is of hybrid type which consists of both mechanistic as well as organic features. The focal point of the company is on responsiveness. The complex integrating mechanisms are the special features of the organic structure. The surveys and interviews used by the company allow information to flow from the bot tom-up, and the intranet allows for information to be exchanged laterally. The surveys have also forced The Coca-Cola Company to adapt simplification and standardization. Centralization and high standardization are associated with mechanistic structure. The mixture of both types of structures seems to be ideal for the organization. Flexibility is essential when trying to address such a big number of independent markets but high standardization is also necessary to remain efficient in production. The use of complex integrating mechanisms allows for easier coordination for the global company. Centralization keeps organizational choices in line with organizational goals. Since the information in the company is flowing in each and every direction, upper management will have access to information more quickly which adds to the organizations flexibility and responsiveness. This recent shift towards a more decentralized and organic structure corresponds with the uncertainty of the organiza tions environment. Every individual should acknowledge lifelong learning, and every successful organization in the same way like Coca Cola should become a permanently learning organization. Many successful organizations like Coca-Cola feel a sense of pride in describing themselves as a learning organization while other successful organizations have one of their strategic goals to become such an organization. The company appoints vice presidents for knowledge, learning and intellectual capital whose work is to develop knowledge management systems that enable them to quickly adapt development tendencies, influencing in that way the customers, competitors, distributors and suppliers like. For internal collaboration, The Coca-Cola Company has established its Innovation Framework. It is a system which combines project management and business intelligence capabilities to give operating units in 50 countries the chance to search for and reapply concepts which are utilized in developing and marketing over 2500 beverages produced by Coke. The company uses it to develop new soft drinks, design equipment such as vending machines and fountain dispensers that it leases or sells, and creates packaging concepts for new and its already existing products. The Innovation Frameworks helps Coke recognize duplicate product ideas and prioritize the best allocation of resources. For example, Coke Zeros expansion is the result of Innovation Framework. It was introduced in USA in 2005 and now it is sold in almost 100 countries. This is the outcome of knowledge flow between financial, legal, sales, marketing, and RD teams in different countries. This type of platform helps conquer the produ ct development insights, team members join their hands together in some regions and share them with teams in other countries. The formula, brand, and packaging already developed for one market can then be introduced to other markets. Learning is directly linked with business. Learning is a capability which requires skills and processes. It also requires leaders who can value it. Learning is a primary focus in The Coca Cola Company. The companys decision strategic planning process does not comply with its structure, mission, vision, and values. Its decision making process is centralized in nature and when it is compared with other things with the company, it totally mismatches. Coca Cola has an organic structure and the vision and values of the company focuses more on creativity and employee contribution. The company can improve their decision making process and work out on their organic structure by executing a strategy for organizational learning. They can bring amendments in a few things by alternating managers of different departments on a periodical basis. This will force the managers to think outside the box when making decisions. This will help in achieving organizational learning and set the organic structure into everyones mind frame. On doing this, the company will have the ability to solve many big problems promptly and become a stronger organization as a result. Also, the company should allow its emp loyees to interact with their managers and make suggestions if necessary. This will allow the managers to become aware of the problem at the very initial stage and help them to solve the problems when they are smaller ones before they become big problems in the future. So for this employee involvement is very necessary and an open door policy should be implemented become large ones. By changing their decision making process, the managers can become more used to their most recently approved vision, mission, and values. In this way, they can cultivate a sense of optimism in all stakeholders by making decisions in a timely manner. This will make the stakeholders pretty confident that the company has a better picture for the future because the problems will be less likely a hurdle for them in the future. The company by having more number of employees at lower level in their decision making process can promote leadership, inspire collaboration, and innovation.

Two Model Of Shrm Ulrich Model

Two Model Of Shrm Ulrich Model Strategic Human resource management is generally use to make sure that the organisational has well motivated, perfect in their work and committed staff to achieve their goals and objectives of the company. According to Boxall (1996) to improve the strategic human resource management SHRM for the senior managers you need to hire the more experienced qualified and developing their talent in the organisation through improve their basic skills by training and other courses, There are two model of SHRM Ulrich model and Best Practice model. Ulrich Model: Deve Ulrich is the real hero of the Ulrich model in 1997. Ulrich model of the business partnering is very popular in USA and UK and it has influential impact on these countries. Ulrich model is more aspiration for the upcoming HR professionals. He was the master of the human resource management and by using his model the most benefit was more responsible and flexible organisation in HR and it gives the opportunity to HR professional to become a real impressive business partner. (John Storey 2007) Strategic partner: Strategic partner is about of HR practices, activities and initiatives of the global business management and it is the task of HR management and the HR business partners. Strategic partners give the support to the organisation to expand their self in the world. There is example of Tesco who has their strategic partners in their company. Tesco is the biggest company in the UK and they expand their business and they had open their stores in the different countries in Thailand, China, Indonesia e.g. Simons Groups is the strategic partner for Tesco. Simon group is the construction company and they have  £200M a turnover company. Simons group work as a strategic partner in Tesco and they work with the supermarket chain to plan and deliver a number of products in the next few year including the new big stores and extension in distribution. Simon works in Tesco as a accounts director. Ben Brewerton said it is fantastic to work with the biggest retailer in UK and they ar e looking to our offer line with in the Tesco (Construction of Tesco2009). Change Agent: Change agent plays very important role in the organisation and the Ulrich model. Change agent means that making some changes and transaction of the business of the HR capital. The human resource management is the support for the changing activities in daily routine. Human resource management has to make sure that where the changes need to be done. According L. Bhat (2008) Apple become a change in the market in his all his business areas through his different kinds of invention like i-Pods, i-Phone, i-Macs, i-Pad and many more. They are change agent through his insight thinking and decision power of Steve Jobs who was the CEO of apple 1997 to 2009 Employ Champion: In the HR department the employs champion plays the vital role in the organisation. Employ champion means the leader of the all workers in the organisation. The employ champion needs to make sure that all the employees of the company are happy with their job; they feel secure in the company. The employ champion needs to take care of the employees interest and to protect them from the changes which are going in the organisation. Administration Expert:- Best Practice model: Best practice approach performed very well in each condition and by using the best practice approach it can lift the company in his performance and this model can lead the company as superior (Michel Armstrong 11th edition p.34). In best practice models there are some basic elements which will help the organisation to improve the organisational performance and these are. Employs security. Sophisticated selection. Team working and decentralization. High wages linked to organisational performance. Extensive training. Communications and involvement (Pferrer 1988 p.33). There are seven which HR strategies which are formal training system, performance based compensation, internal career ladder, formal training system, employs job security, employee rights and clear structure of jobs these cane help to increase the organisational performance and the best practice model (Delery and Doty 1996 p.34). Comparison: For the senior managers to ensure that they will choose the right models for the effective human resource management. As compare the two models Ulrich model and best practice model for senior managers the Ulrich model plays very important role in the effective human resource managers strategies. There are some drawbacks in the best practice model although this model can help the managers to increase its organisational performance. This model can cause the breakdown of momentum of teamwork, discipline, this model the best practice model create diversity between the employs and the management. In the best practice models they dont have the unity in their HR strategy management. In this model they just ignore the employs need and they just look after the economic performance (Dr. Ernesto Dimaculangan 2006). So as my point of view the Ulrich model is the best choice for the senior manager for the effective human resource management. In the start the Ulrich model is also calle d four-role model. Basically many of the author said that the four-role model and the three step model is same. The main difference in these to model is three legged model is easy to understand and four-role model is difficult to understand. Ulrich had made his mind to change the model in the simplest form that people and organisation can understand and it is easy to understand (Transact HR 2009. Ken article 2011). Most of the scholar like the Ulrich and model and appreciate this model it is simpler to understand and it is very effective and result oriented but some of the scholar have objection on Ulrich model. Reason for the importance of HRM in organisation: Human resource management plays very important role in the organisation. Organisation cant run without the human resource management. Human resource management help the organisation to set the goals in organisation and tell the procedure to the company how to achieve that on time. According to Ruth Mayhew she describes in his article that there are 10 specific areas for the human resource management and those are (Ruth Mayhew on demand media). Selection: Selection means choose the right person in the right place and the right time to the certain job accomplish. In the Vodafone Company the director of HR department using always the new approaches to managing the employees. The HR department give some responsibilities to their managers that they can select the some good employees for the achievement of the goals. HR Development: HR development means give training, conference, academies, meeting to the employee company for the achievement of the goals. The Vodafone Company focuses more on the training to satisfy the customer need. Vodafone delivers a variety of training through e-tools and e-module on cr. Vodafone is setting a new indicator to identify the number of employees and they have also classroom for the training. They had given the training in all department of the company for the achievement of the goals. Recruitment: It involves attracting the right standard of applicant to apply vacancies. Tesco advertise their vacancies in the different ways. Tesco always look at internal talent plan to fill the vacancies. In the internal talent plan they first look at the current employees within the company. If they didnt get any suitable people talent plan or developing on internal management programme. For the external vacancies they had advertise their vacancies through their own website and through their own store notice board. All the applications are made online for the managerial position. The chosen application has been interviewed followed by the attendance at on assessment centre for the final stage of the selection process. Sometime for the harder department they work hard to find the good applicant such as baker, pharmacist. Tesco advertise extremely through these things. Through their own website. Through offline media. Through television. Through radio Through different magazine Placing advertisement on Google. Employees Satisfaction: HR department has made the god relation with the employees which will make them more effective and improve the performance of the employees to achieve their objectives. Strategy: HR department help to improve the strategy of the organisation by using the different tool like strategic planning. HR improves the strategy for the growth of the business and for achieving the organisation goals. Compensation: HR department has to compensate their employees by different methods like if the company is running out with the short of staff and HR need to give some overtime to their staff and compensate them with the extra wages and pick and drop services. Benefits: HR department can give the benefits to the employees and by giving these benefits they can reduce their cost. HR can give the benefits in shape of increment, bounces and pension. If the HR will not give the benefits to the employees then the employees will de-motivate from this company and look for best offer which is offered from other company. Then the HR has to do recruitment again and it will increase in their expenses. Safety: HR department have to make sure that all the safety measures should be active and maintain in all the time. For the staff the HR department must sure that the employees work in the safe condition and they have a good environment in the working place of the workers. Liability: HR department has a liability to make sure that their employees are working in safe environment. HR department has made sure that their employees are not harassed and no discrimination in the working places. If these thing happen in then the employees will be de-motivate and then it is difficult to achieve their goals. Compliance: HR department has to make sure that all the employees have right documentation of their work. HR department has to compliance with the international employment laws of the country. Explanation and analyses of HRM: The Human Resource Cycle: Rewards Selection Performance Appraisal Training Source: Fombrun Tichy et al (1984) This framework helps the SHRM department to the weak point of the companies. By using this framework they have set their objectives in the companies. This framework has a cycle for HR department which they have to follow in the companies (Michel Armstrong 2003 9th edition P. 22) . Selection: Selection means choose the right person in the right place and the right time to the certain job accomplish. In the Vodafone Company the director of HR department using always the new approaches to managing the employees. The HR department give some responsibilities to their managers that they can select the some good employees for the achievement of the goals. HR Development: HR development means give training, conference, academies, meeting to the employee company for the achievement of the goals. The Vodafone Company focuses more on the training to satisfy the customer need. Vodafone delivers a variety of training through e-tools and e-module on cr. Vodafone is setting a new indicator to identify the number of employees and they have also classroom for the training. They had given the training in all department of the company for the achievement of the goals. Appraisal: Appraisal means how well employees doing job. Vodafone employees are working very hard for the achievement of goals due to training, meeting with the employees, improve the skills of the employees and make them more productivity. Managers also deliver the presentation thats why company built relationship between employees and manager. Reward: Vodafone is using reward system in the company. They have the different bonuses in the company for the different category of workers. By using this reward system the company can go for success employs are more productive and they are more motivated toward their goals. Performance: Performance means if the people work hard and the HR department, appraisal and reward going well the performance of company or people definitely affect all these factors, all of these factors are inter-related if any one effect all other factors will be effective. Explanation of HRM process and how strategies are developed: The human resource process play very important role in the organisation and human resource management help to build a strategy. The human resource process has different method to use in the organisation to make the organisation successful and those are job analyses, job design, recruitment, selection, training, development, performance management, compensation and employ relation. These are the processes which will help the organisation to achieve his mission goals and objectives (Lee Ross and Pryce 2010). 1. Job analyses: According to Susan M. Heathfield job analyses is used to collect the information from the other resources about its responsibilities, necessary skills and outcomes. It evaluate that what are the requirement of the job and what is its description (Susan M. Heathfield about.com). In HR process job analyses tells the company what kind of job is needed in the company and what are the requirements 2. Job design: In HR process the job design is the next step after the job analyses. In this job design it indicates individual person responsibilities and the contents how he achieve the objective of the company in his job. 3. Recruitment: It involves attracting the right standard of applicant to apply vacancies. In HR process the recruitment department has to recruit that person who has a ability to achieve the company goals and Selection Training Development Performance management Compensation Employ relation HR strategies: HR strategies plays very important role in organisation and HR strategies tell the organisation what to do with the organisation HR policies and procedures. According to Deer and Reeves says that Internally consistent bundles of human resource practices Richardson and Thompson (1999) says that HR strategies has two main key elements which are they must have their own strategic objectives and they have their action plans of the organisation (Michel Armstrong 10th edition 2006). HR strategies help to implement the program in the organisation and it help in the human resource department to make the decision to achieve the objective of the organisation. Human resource department use the HR strategies to set the objectives of the company and human resource strategies ideas how to achieve their objectives. As Grattan (2000) said the in this world there are no great strategies in this world there are only the great execution plans (Michel Armstrong 10th edition 2006). There are two main HR strategies and these are overarching strategies and specific strategies. Overarching HR Strategy: Overarching HR strategies are mostly use in the business and it is very successful hr strategy. Every company want to be at no 1 position by using this stra tegy. Overarching strategy tells the company what step the company has to taken for the organisation can attract and fulfil the need of the people and the company has to make sure that the employees are motivated committed and engaged for the achievement of their goals. According to Boxall and Purcell (2003) said that if the organisation choose the best employees with the best recruitment process then those employees will give the high performance work system and they will create a well disciplined and friendly environment for work which will help to increase their efficiency. Specific HR Strategy: Specific strategies are used in some places of the organisation which are talent management and continuous management. Talent management: Specific HR strategies use in the talent management and the talent management is looking for the great talent which will help them in make the improvement in required department where they need it. Continuous management: It is usually used in many places of the organisation where the management think that some continuous improvement must be done in these areas. This continuous management help the organisation to improve its performance and make their to be at no. 1 position in the market. Role of SHRM for senior managers: The HR managers have keen role in the effective planning and implementation of the policies and decisions that in tune with the business changes. They should act as strategic partners and be proactive in their role than mere reactive, passive spectators. The HT managers should understand how far their decisions contribute to business surplus incorporating human competency and performance to the organisation. Strategic HR managers need a change in their outlook from seeing themselves as relationship managers to strategic resource managers. Kossek (1987, 1989) argues that major HRM innovations occur when senior management takes the lead and adoption of innovative SHRM practices is dependent on the nature of relationship of the HR Department with the CEO and the line managers. Legge (1978) commenting on the actions of the personnel practitioner in the innovation process suggests that adoption of an innovation by an organization depends largely on HR practitioners credibility with inform ation and resource providers. HR Department and HR managers in these innovative organizations play a strategic role (Ulrich, 1997) linking the HR strategy with the business strategy of the organization. A crucial aspect concerning SHRM is the concepts of fit and flexibility. The degree of fit determines the human resource systems integration with organization strategy. It is the role of HR Managers to ensure this fit in between Human Resource System with the Organization Strategy. Conclusion: In writing an article the success of your business is through the effective use of human resource management. There are Ulrich models best practice model, framework and the process of SHRM and the roles by using these tools the senior manager can use the effective human resource management. Task 2 Case study BA has a big problem from last few years with their staff relation problem especially in cabin crew dispute and they have done the strikes. According to Steve Turner unite national aviation officer said Day by day the cabin crew and the deck staff relationship is going worst. BA hired the 1000 volunteer flights attended although they had already strong staff. Willie Walsh is the chief executive of the BA he hired the volunteer air craft, rival airlines, flight attend and volunteer crew member who help the passengers to drop them on their destination. While the strikes are going on they didnt reach to any decision and they had stop talking about this problem (Dan Milmo transport correspondent). Task 2 A: After dispute in the British airways staff and the crew member there are four HR strategies which will help to finish the dispute in cabin crew member. Employees Engagement Employees Retention Employees Development Employees Empowerment Task 2: British Airways merged with Iberia in 2011. Analyse the impact of the merger on strategic HRM at British Airways. There are some of the impacts of merger which are as under: Reduction of Cost: With the merger of these two companies both are enjoying the reduction in cost of operations. It is quite obvious when there is no merger; both of them are incurring some of the fix and variable cost to achieve their objectives but after merger there is no need of duplication of costs. They both can share the resources of each others. Better portfolio: With the help of merger the company has bigger and better portfolio with increase in the number of aeroplanes. Increase in aeroplanes ultimately means that more flights throughout the world. The coverage of flights has also become bigger as they now cover more than 200 destination worldwide and carry over 60 million passenger a year. Improved customer service: In the event of merger the level of customer service increases as these both companies have altogether different cultural values. As a matter of fact the reason behind merger is to grow bigger and this is not possible with the improvement in customer care, therefore to get more business and attracting more customers is only possible with the improved customer service. Combined head abilities/skills: Before the merger both of them have got limited skills and expertise but after merger this goes bigger and they both can enjoy the expertise of each other. For example if the administrative services are better with British Airways than Spanish Airlines, than they can just rely on BA for administrative services. While on the other hand if the Spanish Airlines are better than BA in cabin crew members and technical team, then they will leave these sorts of services for SA and enjoy the specialised services. There are some of the cultural differences which have the impact on the strategic HRM as under: The organisations in UK have the flat hierarchical structure where the gap between managers and workers or employees is very small. Managers directly involve themselves to help out the employees or give direct coaching or supervision. On the other side Spanish companies have a hierarchical structure where the manger plays a parental role. Communication plays very important role in any organisation and communication styles differ from country to country which is very confusing for the other country. Such as British people use indirect language where the Spanish use direct language and express what exactly they are trying to say. It is well known in any trade that those who avail risk enjoy the success and in this merger both the nations have different views about taking risk. British are risk takers and the Spanish are risk aversive. It is very big cultural difference which some time creates big problems in making decisions. It is the precious element in any organisation. This is anot her cultural difference between the both nations. British respect the deadlines and stick to agendas whilst the counterparts reschedule their deadlines. From the studies of both the cultures it is concluded that it is very important to know the demographic characteristics of both the countries before undertaking the mergers and acquisitions. More than 60% of the mergers and acquisitions become unsuccessful because of the lack of studies in cultural differences. Awareness about these characteristic is even more important than PESTEL analysis. To overcome this problem or to reduce the chances of failure cross-cultural training courses could be arranged before the merger to make it more successful. Biblography: Armstrong 2009 11th edition http://monizaharie.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/armstrong_hrmpractice.pdf CIPD Book Strategic HRM July 2012 (sited on 23/10/2012) http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/strategic-human-resource-management.aspx John Storey 2007 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TmsExMtSWB8Cpg=PA30dq=ulrich+model+of+Hrmhl=ensa=Xei=_cqHUMWfLamr0AXXmIHYDAved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=ulrich%20model%20of%20Hrmf=false HR Advice Website Sited on (23/10/12) http://hrmadvice.com/hrmadvice/hr-role/ulrichs-hr-roles-model.html Construction news for Tesco 2009 (sited on 23/10/2012) http://constructionnew.blogspot.com/2009/02/simons-groups-named-partner-for-tesco.html L. Bhat on his smoking apple article on 2008 (sited on 23/10/12) http://smokingapples.com/opinion/apple-change-agent/ Transact HR 2009. Ken article 2011 http://www.articlesbase.com/book-reviews-articles/four-role-model-and-the-subsequent-three-legged-stool-version-4821456.html Ruth Mayhew on demand media (sited on 28/10/2012) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/10-reasons-hr-important-organization-22424.html Michel Armstrong Human Resource Management Practice 2003 9th edition P. 22 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2AGbuhlTXV0Cpg=PA22lpg=PA22dq=fombrun+tichy+and+devanna+model+of+hrmsource=blots=ZlPp0HsRH5sig=a6hVwjt0Rdph1IKpypRLdgtPl10hl=ensa=Xei=Ov6OUJ6LHKTD0QX0qIHICQved=0CE8Q6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=fombrun%20tichy%20and%20devanna%20model%20of%20hrmf=false Lee Ross and Pryce book Human resource and Tourism 2010 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Tkq4q9JXr8MCpg=PA65dq=explain+hrm+processhl=ensa=Xei=_c6NUNKwGOKu0QXW3IGIBgsqi=2ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=explain%20hrm%20processf=false Susan M. Heathfield about.com (sited on 30/10/2012) http://humanresources.about.com/od/jobdescriptions/g/job_analysis.htm Michel Armstrong A handbook of human resource management practice 10th edition 2006 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=D78K7QIdR3UCpg=PA124lpg=PA124dq=hr+strategies+in+michalsource=blots=ehMQNLQ8dUsig=fOSTPIOek9lBHcTuBGmo2DS9tQ8hl=ensa=Xei=rUeQULTVL6er0AW9l4Ewsqi=2ved=0CCIQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=hr%20strategies%20in%20michalf=false task 2 Dan Milmo transport correspondent publish on the Guardian march 2010 (sited on 10/11/2012) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/30/ba-strike-staff-relations-dispute task 2 b Communiciad Blog Sited on (15/11/2012) http://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/cross-cultural-training/british-airways-gains-a-new-wingman-by-merging-with-iberia-%E2%80%93-a-look-at-the-cultural-challenges-of-this-international-merger-and-acquisition/