Business law exam Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business law exam - Case Study Example This definition also ensures that the employer is protected against unlawful acts by employees, which might jeopardize the welfare of the organization. The Rand formula This stipulates the requirement of the Canadian employment laws, requiring that all employees should pay the trade union dues and subscriptions, notwithstanding their union membership status. The significance of The Rand formula for labor laws in Canada is to ensure that employees do not disassociate themselves with union membership through failing to pay the required dues, yet they benefit from the functions of the union. Wagnerism This is a provision of the law allowing employees in the private sector to engage in lawful labor practices, such as the establishment of labor unions, participating in lawful strikes and signing collective bargaining agreements with their employers. However, the law exempts certain employees from being considered eligible for Wagnerism, such as the domestic workers. The significance of Wa gnerism for labor law in Canada is to give employees working under private sector the rights to exercise their freedom at the workplace, though within the confines of the law. Secondary picketing This refers to lawful protesting by employees in support of their union activities, in a different location that is not their employer’s premises. Secondary picketing allows the union members to undertake protests or demonstrations in favor of their union, where the employer has blocked them from accessing the premises. The significance of secondary picketing for labor laws in Canada is to allow employees a channel through which they can express their grievances, on the event that their employer has blocked them from protesting within the employer’s premises. Part B Question 1 The role of International Labor Organization (ILO) is to set and oversee the adherence of the international standards of labor, as well as fair working conditions and terms, for employees globally. Thus, the ILO provides guidance for the acceptable labor standards, while advocating for the improvement of the working environment for the employees. The ILO also defines the relationship between employees and employers, with a focus on the rights and responsibilities of each party. The impact of ILO functions, on the Canadian Labor laws, is to streamline the laws so they match the required international standards and requirements. Question 2 The role of the arbitrator, as stipulated by the Canadian labor laws, is to intervene in the conflict between employees and their employers. Therefore, an arbitrator plays the role of resolving the conflict arising at the work place, or any other work related conflicts between the employer and employees. The functions and powers of the arbitrator were extended by a court ruling, granting an arbitrator the powers to require specific performance from an employer or an employee, depending on who is wrong. The impact of the Weber decision to the powers of the arbitrator is that it extended these powers, to allow an arbitrator change the collective agreement terms between the employer and the employee, as the arbitrator deems necessary. Question 4 The relationship between a union and its members is that of a contract. Therefore, the contract is established on the basis of the union receiving dues and subscriptions from the members, and in turn the union represents the interest

Juvenile Probation Officers Essay Example for Free

Juvenile Probation Officers Essay All Juvenile Probation Officers (JPO) are required to complete 40 working hours per week following a flexible work schedule. JPOs are entitled to paid working holidays which includes, but are not limited to, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Please note that in the occasion that the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, another day off may be substituted, upon approval of the employer. JPOs may also be granted a vacation leave after six months of continuous service has been rendered. The number of vacation leave, however, will depend on the number of years in service, with a maximum of 15 days for those having rendered at least one year of continuous service. JPOs are also entitled to family leaves in cases of giving birth or conception-related cases, adoption, care of new-born child, family illness, child’s medical appointment of parent-teacher conference Health Insurance. All employees are entered in a group health insurance under a health maintenance organization (HMO) as approved by two-thirds of the majority during the General Assembly Meeting. The group insurance will cover hospitalization, health, long-tern disability, and accident expenses. Employer contribution starting January 2007 will be $557 per month. As such, premiums required for maintenance of the insurance, in excess of the employers contribution, shall be deducted by the state treasurer on the JPO’s salary on a monthly basis and upon employee’s written order. Retirement/ savings plan. After achieving five years of continuous service, provided that the employee is 50 years of age, a JPO is entitled to a retirement benefit which will be computed based on the employee’s age of retirement, length of service, and pre-retirement earnings. Employees may opt for a normal or early retirement, the latter, however, will deduct the accrued benefits for the years prior to the normal retirement age. The employee may choose to receive payment of benefits on a straight life annuity where the retiree will be paid on a periodic basis; or lump-sum payment where the retiree will receive the full one-time payment and no further benefits will be given to the employee upon receipt of payment. Other options will be joint-and-survivor annuity where benefits are provided for married participants. The amount of survivor annuity shall be between 50-100% of the amount payable for the time the couple is alive. The amount, however, will be lower than that received from straight life annuity. In cases where an employee become totally disabled or ill prior to his eligibility in the retirement plan, but has served the company for 10 consecutive years, he will be entitled for a disability retirement benefit, which he could defer or immediately claim. Life insurance. In cases of death or dismemberment of employees, they will be entitled to a life insurance benefit which will be paid in lump sum following the multiple-of-earnings formula. Using this formula, the length of service and earnings of the employee will be incorporated in the computation and will therefore increase following an increase in employee’s salary. Provisions for the life insurance includes accidental death and dismemberment benefits to the employee or his beneficiary equivalent to the basic life insurance and a percentage of the life benefit for dismemberment; monthly income to surviving family members of the employee; retirement from work; and reduction of life insurance for employees near or above 65 years.

Edgar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers

Edgar Allan Poe Ralph Waldo Emerson called him the jingle man, Mark Twain said that his prose was unreadable, and Henry James felt that a taste for his work was the mark of a second-rate sensibility. According to T. S. Eliot, "the forms which his lively curiosity takes are those in which a preadolescent mentality delights." After notices like those, most reputations would be sunk without a trace, and yet Edgar Allan Poe shows no sign whatsoever of loosening his extraordinary hold on our imaginations. In 1959, Richard Wilbur, an elegant poet and a critic of refined taste, inaugurated the Dell Laurel Poetry Series (mass-market paperback selections from classic British and American poets) with an edition of Poe's complete poems, for which he provided a long and thoughtful introduction. In 1973, Daniel Hoffman, also a distinguished poet and critic, published a highly regarded study of Poe's writings. In 1984, two massive volumes of Poe's collected works, together comprising some three tho usand pages, were published in the Library of America. In the 1990s, Poe has been the subject of a children's book and a substantial new biography, and a Halloween episode of the Baltimore-based television series Homicide: Life on the Street made very effective use of his legend and his writings, especially the poem "Dream-Land" and the stories "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado." A century and a half after his death, he is the one American author whose name is known to virtually everyone. Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809, the second of the three children of David Poe and Elizabeth (Arnold) Poe, both of whom were professional actors and members of a touring theatrical company. Eclipsed by his more famous wife, his own promising career ruined by alcoholism, Poe's father deserted the family when Edgar was still an infant; nothing conclusive is known of his life thereafter. While appearing professionally in Richmond, Virginia, Poe's mother became ill and died on December 8, 1811, at the age of twenty-four. Her three children, who would maintain contact with one another throughout their lives, were sent to live with different foster families. Edgar became the ward of John Allan, a successful tobacco merchant in Richmond, and his wife ... ... eye as the cause of unexplainable illnesses and misfortunes of any kind. To protect oneself from the power of the eye, certain measures can be taken. In Muslim areas, the color blue is painted on the shutters of the houses, and found on beads worn by both children and animals. There is also a specific hand gesture named the "Hand of Fatima," named after the daughter of Mohammed. This name is also given to an amulet in the shape of hand that is worn around the neck for protection. In some locations, certain phrases, such as " as God will" or "God bless it" are uttered to protect the individual from harm. In extreme cases, the eye, whether voluntarily or not, must be destroyed. One Slavic folktale relates the story of the father who blinded himself for fear of harming his own children with his evil eye. Would Poe have had knowledge of this rather strange belief? It is altogether possible that he would have, which creates another interesting twist to this story. Maybe the narrator who tries to convince us that madness is not really the issue, is telling the truth. Maybe this vile act is necessary in order to destroy the power of the old man's evil eye!

Compare and Contrast Roman and Han Empires Essay

The Roman and Han empires were both very powerful, in their own rights. Although their culture and beliefs were very different, their ideology and governments were, at points, very similar. Both empires experienced a rise, plateau, and fall, which eventually changed their entire empires. One thing that was a key aspect in both societies was religion. While the Han empire brought Confucianism as a main element in daily life, the Roman’s had several different religions that each played a key role. The Han empire trained bureaucrats formally in the teachings of Confucian philosophy. The Roman emperors were sometimes, after death, referred to as demigods. At the same time this was going on in the Roman empire, Jews and Christians were being persecuted. While the Romans had polytheism, Christianity and Judaism, the Han empire had Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The Chinese did better to make their religion more an aspect of everyday life and law, while the Romans did not care as much. The fragmentation in religious beliefs in Rome lead to hostility among the people. In both empires the lack of stable economy and government caused the empire to be weak and so susceptible to attack and invasion. Rome was already faltering from within, with tax collection becoming corrupt and the economy slowing down, when the Germanic tribes came and invaded. What was left in the east became the Byzantine Empire. In China, the weak centralized government was very unpopular due to over taxation. The Huns then invaded, and the Chinese could not fend them off. Unlike the Roman empire though, the Chinese bounced back a few hundred years later, in the 600s with the Sui and Tang dynasties. In both the Han and Roman empires, the people themselves had something directly to do with the decline of their societies. If a country is not stable and happy from within, it will not stand a chance to any outside invaders. While the element of religion in the Han dynasty brought the people together, it was not strong enough to hold the people together, while religions themselves caused people in the Roman empire to be against one another.

Is Free Trade Desirable? Essay

The first part of this essay will be aimed towards understanding the concept of globalisation. We will analyse the various advantages and disadvantages that arise as a result of globalisation. The second part of the essay will concentrate on investigating the benefits and drawbacks that arise from the free trade. In order to devise an accurate and informative response to the essay question we must first understand the concept of globalisation. Globalisation is about what is happening to economies on a world scale. Although the idea is not often clear, everyone who talks about the concept recognises that the countries of the world tend to divide into two groups: those with developed economies and those that are sometimes referred to as developing countries. The economically developed countries have modern industries and technologies (the U.S, Japan and the countries of western Europe). The developing countries (most of Asia, Latin America, and Africa) have more lower incomes and large groups of impoverished people, especially peasants. However some countries are in between and have characteristics of both kinds of economies (for example, states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe). The economic interactions of globalisation are fundamentally about big capitals of the developed countries that operate around the world. These are sometimes called multinational corporations; these dominate the economies of the developing countries along with a handful of global agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organisation and the G-7 central banks. The results affect the majority of the working population in the developed countries, as shown by issues like runaway factories, satellite-linked offices and the attack on social welfare programs in the name of the free market. The term globalisation was originally started in the 1960’s to describe  international capital flows. Today however, globalisation is not just capital flow, but a revolution to make individual nations part of a global village, under one legislation. Basically, it’s to remove the distance between countries. As a result, it’s also the restructuring of everything, from politics, to the economy, to make it part of a global economy. The defining characteristic of globalisation is a free market capitalism and trade liberalisation. The consequences of these changed however, have not been discussed and are under heated debate. While some people think of globalisation as primarily a synonym for global business, it is much more than that. The same forces that allow businesses to operate as if national borders did not exist also allow social activists, labour organizers, journalists, academics, and many others to work on a global stage. With the technological revolution, it is now a lot easier to do so. Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalisation The existence of trade has always been present between people and between countries. However since the 2nd World War trade in goods and assets has gained a larger significance everywhere. There are various advantages related to globalisation – first the foremost related to trade and investments spreading wealth and linking countries together, however simultaneously there are various negative consequences. Some of the main advantages are: Increased liquidity of capital allowing investors in developed nations to invest in developing countries. Increased free trade between nations. Corporations have greater flexibility to operate across borders. Increases in environmental protection in developed nations. There will be a reduction in the likelihood of war between developed nations. Greater independence of nation-states. Spread of democratic ideals to developed nations. There will be a reduction of cultural barrier, increases the global village effect. Faster and easier transportation of goods and people. There will be increased flow of communication allowing vital information to be shared between individuals and corporations around the world. The presence of global mass media will tie the world together. Some of the main disadvantages are: Corporations seek out for the cheapest labour, therefore there will be increased flow of skilled and non-skilled jobs from developed to developing nations. There is increased risk of economic disruptions in one nation affecting all nations. Corporate influence of nation-states far exceeds that of civil society organisations and average individuals. There will be a threat that the control of world media by a handful of corporations will limit cultural expression. Greater chance of reactions for globalisation being violent in an attempt to preserve cultural heritage. Greater risk of disease being transported unintentionally between nations. International bodies like the World Trade Organisation infringe on national and individual sovereignty. Increase in the chances of civil war within developing countries and open war between developing countries as they compete for resources. Spread of materialistic lifestyle and attitude that sees consumption as the path to prosperity. What are some of the benefits of globalisation as put forward by the pro-globalisation movement? At a global level, globalisation has many benefits. For some people, it has been seen as an alleviation of poverty. One such example is the use of labour in 3rd world countries. At world level, globalisation creates hundreds of millions of jobs, not unemployment. These are mainly in the developing countries, but they are only marginally at the expense of jobs in advanced countries. As a result, the extra income would go to food and an improved lifestyle for some of the people living in 3rd world countries. For an example, the Japanese motor industry, Honda is manufactured in Thailand, and the U.S. Nike sports wear clothing are manufactured in China and South East Asian countries. This can create more jobs in the poorer countries and it also helps the wealthier countries. Due to the lower labour costs, larger quantities can be produced at a lower price. According to the World Bank report, it has said that developing countries have experienced high income growth, longer life expectancy, better schooling, higher wages and fewer people living in poverty since becoming integrated in the global economy. Environmental protection could also be pursued at a global level. Where international impacts, international cooperation and technology innovation, each of which is enhanced by the process of globalisation, can significantly accelerate efforts to find solutions. One such example is the whaling in Japan. With the population whales in the world declining, Japan was pressured into a Whaling Ban Treaty. Through this process, the amounts of whales around the world have gradually increased. More fundamentally,  globalisation fosters economic growth, which in turn generates and distributes additional resources for environmental protection. Increased trade and investment also promote opportunities to exchange more environmentally efficient technologies, share good practices, and contribute to environmental capacity building, particularly in developing countries. Green house gasses are one example. Through the Kyoto Treaty, most of the world’s leading nations have signed a contract to reduce greenhouse emissions. Only America and Australia have not signed. What are some of the disadvantages of globalisation as put forward by the anti globalisation movement? In this utopian idea, there are still flaws and disadvantages; mainly concern the developing countries. Some countries are just not able to compete with the cheap labour costs of other nation. The reason why countries such as Russia remain not integrated with globalisation is because they would lose many jobs. They are not able to compete with the prices of foreign products and many of the local manufacturers would begin to close down. Employment, nationally, would decrease as the factories move to countries of cheaper labour costs. Also, Australia has suffered because of the lamb tariffs in the U.S. As a result of this, many Australian farms will become bankrupt. George Bush, though an avid supporter of free trade and trade liberalisation has puts tariffs on lamb to help the ailing U.S. farming industry. Such hypocrisy however, does not help promote the benefits of globalisation. Despite claims from pro-globalisation companies the globalisation helps alleviate poverty, the Oxfam Community Aid Abroad estimates the 60 countries, a third of which are African, have become poorer since 1990. But why? Before some developing countries can join the globalisation market, they have to meet a certain criteria before entering. This might include dismantling trade protection policies and privatising public assets. This would allow rich and powerful multinational companies to buy up everything at a cheap cost, which would leave developing countries without many assets. Free Trade The free trade debate has been a long and very much politicized one since its conception, with people split up into camps such as â€Å"Economic Liberalists† and â€Å"Neo-Mercantilists†. Whether or not to impose a free trade system between countries has caused much fear and confusion within the public. Will free trade be beneficial to all or will it cause unemployment in developed countries? Will it cause entire domestic industries to crumble under the pressure of cheaper foreign products or will it lead to more productive domestic markets and new jobs in booming export industries? Will it lead to a so called ‘race to the bottom’ in which countries compete for the most lax environmental standards and low wages so as to attract investment, or will it increase workers rights and wages in developing countries and encourage better environmental standards for all countries? These are just some of the issues looming the free trade debate. Economic Liberalists argue that free trade would be beneficial to all countries if each country exports goods that it has the comparative advantage in producing, and imports products that they do not specialize in producing. Thus maximizing profits in they’re own specialized exports and obtaining other goods cheaply from other countries. However, as Clive Hamilton observes (2002:61) the comparative advantage theory makes many assumptions that do not hold in reality. Assumptions such as the non-existence of unemployment, perfect competition and the overlooking of implicit cost such as pollution and damage to the natural word make this theory in applicable in the real world. Even so this theory remains the basis for pushing free trade in the global market. Hamilton also stipulates that producing just what appears to be a country’s â€Å"comparative advantage† is not always the route to the highest profits. For example, in the 1950s the percussor to the World Bank advised South Korea to produce what was in its â€Å"comparative advantage†; rice and silk. However South Korea ignored this advice and instead went on to invest in industrial markets like the automotive industry and today is generating huge profits as a result of this (2002:48). This suggests that free trade would lock countries down into producing goods that it appears to have the â€Å"comparative  advantage† in while locking them out from realizing potential in other, previously unexplored markets. Many free trade advocates also put forward the case that free trade encourages competition. Ellig argues that â€Å"By exposing domestic companies to diverse overseas competitors, free trade creates pressure to improve quality† (2000:20ff). This stipulates that the introduction of less expensive quality goods from other countries will cause domestic companies to re-think strategies and operate more efficiently to compete with the foreign product. Thus improving the domestic market for that product. Hetzel also discusses this in his article The Free Trade Debate: The Illusion of Security Versus Growth: Free trade is a major source that drives innovation. †¦the McKinsey Global Institute†¦.compared productivity for the United States, Germany and Japan in selected sectors†¦ For each country, the Institute found that sectors facing foreign competition were highly productive, while protected sectors where unproductive. For example, in Japan, food manufacturing and brewing are protected from foreign competition. In these sectors, output per man hour is only a third of that in the US. (1994:44) However there is a fear that foreign competition may not always be able to be met by domestic firms thus destroying entire domestic markets for certain products. For example countries that allow sweat shops, suppress trade unions, allow child labour and tolerate highly polluting production methods will always have an advantage over domestic markets such as textiles and clothing (Hamilton, 2002:62). This would prove to be detrimental to unskilled workers. Therefore there is a fear that free trade cannot be fair or advantageous to all countries until a set of minimum workers rights and acceptable production processes are imposed on all countries. This leads to another fear expressed in the free trade debate; the so called â€Å"race to the bottom† in which large mega-corporations would move into countries that would allow them to produce their products at a lower cost due to low wages, the acceptance of child labour and no pollution restrictions in production plants, in turn prompting other countries to  lower their minimum wages and environmental standards to keep themselves attractive to foreign investment. Hamilton argues that â€Å"by permitting environmental subsidies a country can gain an unfair advantage in the international marketplace† (2002:65). Hamilton sums up his fears when he states: We frequently hear business groups arguing that Australia cannot afford proposed restrictions on pollution such as greenhouse gas emissions or improvements in working conditions such as shorter hours because it reduces their â€Å"competitiveness† against countries that have lower standards. They often threaten to move their operations to those countries giving rise to pressures for a ‘race to the bottom’. What is needed is a system that applies pressure to achieve ‘minimum safety standards for all workers. (2002:48) This view is countered by economic liberalists who state that lower wages and pollution restrictions give countries only a small advantage in attracting investment. A common view is that the vast technological differences in developed and developing countries would make up for any advantage developing countries have by providing cheap labour and loose pollution restrictions (Hufbauer and Kotschwar quoted in Ellig 2000:22ff). Another view commonly held by pro-free traders is that increased trade with developing countries will create wealth, therefore increasing wages and working conditions in said countries (Ellig, 2000:23). The view that free trade would improve wages and working conditions in developing countries is seconded by Lukas in his paper â€Å"WTO Report Card III: Globalization and Developing Countries†. Lukas highlights that although workers in the export sector of developing countries earn far less and endure much harsher working conditions than workers in the same sectors of developed countries, the comparison being made should be what these workers earn in the export sector, in comparison to other, locally available opportunities. It then becomes evident that employees in the export sector of developing countries are making much more than is offered in local opportunities (2000:7). Another notable point, is that employees of large  developed-country affiliate corporations, while making much less then they’re developed-country counterparts, are also paid significantly more then the average wage of the country they live in (2000:7). Lukas makes a significant observation that â€Å"poor countries tend to move away from labour-intensive production as they scale the ladder of economic development†. For example, South Korea’s textiles and apparel industry constituted 40% of its exports in 1980, however, this figure dropped to 19% in 1993. Today South Korea is more focused on automotive and electronic exports than clothing, and therefore, average wages have skyrocketed (2000:7). Another crucial point raised by protectionists is the fear that free trade will lead to the exploitation of the environment, with developing countries willing to forego their natural resources in order to attract international corporations and investments in their countries. This leads to the fear that developed countries, will fall to competitive pressures and will lower they’re high environmental standards in order to remain feasible to investors, and this win turn, will lead to a massive global environmental deregulation (Lukas, 2000:9). However, this view is debunked by economic liberalists stating that environmental standards make up only a small part of the factors that businesses take into account when choosing a location to manufacture in (Lukas 2000:9). Lukas argues that: Such considerations as guaranteed property rights, a functioning legal system, a well-educated workforce, and sufficient infrastructure figure much more predominantly in the calculations of most entrepreneurs and business managers than do environmental regulations (2000:9). Another important consideration is that businesses make considerable cost savings when using standardized production techniques. Therefore companies usually operate at the highest world environmental standards rather then using different production methods in different areas (Lukas 2000:9). Ellig also states that as peoples income rises (as a result of trade), that they want a cleaner environment, and the wealthier a society becomes, the more it can afford to spend on environmental protection (2000:23). Ellig also cites  a National (US) Bureau of Economic Research study that while studying 109 cities around the world, concluded that a 1% increase in income, leads to a 1% decrease in measured sulphur dioxide concentrations. This suggests that the more a country has the ability to trade, the cleaner the environment actually becomes. Conclusion In today’s corrupt society, it is hard to see globalisation work in a beneficial way for everyone. If it were to work, many of the rich and powerful nations would have to help many of the poorer nations, and not just with â€Å"jobs (cheap labour)†, but use initiatives such as dept reduction or cancellation. Although some good has been done through globalisation more damage has also been caused. A global effort to improve and upkeep the cultural, living and economic standards of every country would be required. Also, powerful nations would have to follow the rules and guidelines set instead of bullying poorer countries to allow them not to follow it. Globalisation is advantageous for the globe, but the world has to think globally instead of nationally. This would be difficult as there are many â€Å"rogue† countries that disagree with the globalisation paradigm e.g. Iraq. The free trade debate is undoubtedly complex and difficult to conclude. The problem being that its politicised nature invokes many fears of unemployment and environmental breakdown. It is these fears that often cloud people’s judgement and forbid them from looking at the problem in a logical objective manner. Would you think objectively if you thought your job was on the line? Although historically we know what protectionism can lead to; the post World War I depressions, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, all a result of gross protectionism. To contrast this we can be benefits of increased trading in East Asia, with countries such as South Korea, and Singapore. No one can deny that increased trade makes a country wealthier and better off, so why then is free trade, the unlimited trade between all countries, so frightening? Bibliography and References: Joseph E. Stiglitz, Globalization and its Discontents , 2002 Ellig, J. 2000. â€Å"Why Free Trade is Good for Consumers†, Consumers’ Research, January: 19-23. Hamilton, C. 2002. â€Å"The Case For Fair Trade†, Journal Of Australian Political Economy, 48: 60-72. Hetzel, R.L. 1994. â€Å"The Free Trade Debate: The Illusion of Security Verses Growth†, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Economic Quarterly, 80(Spring): 39-58. Lukas, A. 2000. â€Å"WTO Report Card III: Globalization and Developing Countries†, http://www.freetrade.org/pubs/briefs/tbp-010es.html: 1-19.

Making a Drop Down List in a DBGrid

Making a Drop Down List in a DBGrid Want to make the best data editing grid ever? Below are instructions for building a user interface for editing lookup fields Inside a DBGrid. Specifically, well be looking at how to place a DBLookupComboBox into a cell of a DBGrid. What this will do is call upon information from a data source that will be used to populate a drop-down box. To show a DBLookupComboBox inside a cell of a DBGrid, you first need to make one available at run time... Create a Lookup With a DBLookupComboBox Select the Data controls page on the Component Palette and pick a DBLookupComboBox. Drop one anywhere on the form and leave the default name of DBLookupComboBox1. It doesnt matter where you put it since most of the time, it will be invisible or floating over the grid. Add one more DataSource and DataSet component to fill the combo box with values. Drop a TDataSource (with the name DataSource2) and TAdoQuery (name it AdoQuery1) anywhere on the form. For a DBLookupComboBox to work properly, several more properties must be set; theyre the key to the lookup connection: DataSource and DataField determine the main connection. The DataField is a field into which we insert the looked-up values.ListSource is the source of the lookup dataset.KeyField identifies the field in the ListSource that must match the value of the DataField field.ListFields is the field(s) of the lookup dataset that are actually displayed in the combo. ListField can show more than one field but multiples should be separated by semicolons.You have to set large enough value for the DropDownWidth (of a ComboBox) to really see multiple columns of data.Heres how to set all the important properties from code (in the forms OnCreate event handler): procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);beginwith DBLookupComboBox1 dobegin DataSource : DataSource1; // - AdoTable1 - DBGrid1 ListSource : DataSource2; DataField : AuthorEmail; // from AdoTable1 - displayed in the DBGrid KeyField : Email; ListFields : Name; Email; Visible : False; end; DataSource2.DataSet : AdoQuery1; AdoQuery1.Connection : AdoConnection1; AdoQuery1.SQL.Text : SELECT Name, Email FROM Authors; AdoQuery1.Open;end; Note: When you want to display more than one field in a DBLookupComboBox, like in the above example, you have to make sure that all columns are visible. This is done by setting the DropDownWidth property. However, youll see that initially, you have to set this to a very large value which results in dropped list being too wide (in most cases). One workaround is to set the DisplayWidth of a particular Field shown in a drop-down list. This code, placed inside the OnCreate event for the form, ensures that both the author name and its email are displayed inside the drop-down list: AdoQuery1.FieldByName(Email).DisplayWidth:10;AdoQuery1.FieldByName(Name).DisplayWidth:10;AdoQuery1.DropDownWidth:150; Whats left for us to do, is to actually make a combo box hover over a cell (when in edit mode), displaying the AuthorEmail field. First, we need to make sure the DBLookupComboBox1 is moved and sized over the cell in which the AuthorEmail field is displayed. procedure TForm1.DBGrid1DrawColumnCell (Sender: TObject; const Rect: TRect; DataCol: Integer; Column: TColumn; State: TGridDrawState);beginif (gdFocused in State) thenbeginif (Column.Field.FieldName DBLookupComboBox1.DataField) thenwith DBLookupComboBox1 do begin Left : Rect.Left DBGrid1.Left 2; Top : Rect.Top DBGrid1.Top 2; Width : Rect.Right - Rect.Left; Width : Rect.Right - Rect.Left; Height : Rect.Bottom - Rect.Top; Visible : True; end; endend; Next, when we leave the cell, we have to hide the combo box: procedure TForm1.DBGrid1ColExit(Sender: TObject);beginif DBGrid1.SelectedField.FieldName DBLookupComboBox1.DataField then DBLookupComboBox1.Visible : Falseend; Note that when in editing mode, all keystrokes are going to the DBGrids cell but we have to make sure they are sent to the DBLookupComboBox. In the case of a DBLookupComboBox, we are primarily interested in the [Tab] key; it should move the input focus to the next cell. procedure TForm1.DBGrid1KeyPress(Sender: TObject; var Key: Char);beginif (key Chr(9)) then Exit; if (DBGrid1.SelectedField.FieldName DBLookupComboBox1.DataField) thenbegin DBLookupComboBox1.SetFocus; SendMessage(DBLookupComboBox1.Handle, WM_Char, word(Key), 0); endend; When you pick an item (row) from a DBLookupComboBox, the value or the corresponding KeyField field is stored as the value of the DataField field.

The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present

The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present Introduction Korean fine art entails different forms of art that originate from Korea such as pottery, calligraphy, literature, painting, music among other genres, which are characteristically identified by their bold colors, surface decorations, and natural forms. The history of Korean art spans back to the Stone Age period with the introduction of votive sculptures and petro glyphs, which can be dated back to the Neolithic art, Bronze Age art, and the Iron Age art eras (Cavendish 961; Armstrong 92).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Subsequently, different styles of art were introduced during the reign of different kingdoms and dynasties (Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaya, Unified Silla, Goryeo Dynasty, and the Joseon Dynasty) whereby the Chinese culture is credited for influencing the development of different styles of art that displayed elegance and spontaneity (Mayo, Rimer, and Kerkham 134). However, contemporary art scholars note that the Korean culture, both traditional and modern, consists of a unique style of art that transmits the Chinese culture while assimilating its own unique art culture. Therefore, it is apparent that Korea particularly South Korea offers vibrant art scenes characterized by creativity and innovation in different art genres (Cavendish 961). This paper explores the development of different genres of fine art such as traditional and contemporary dance, music, paintings, sculpture, and drama in Korea from 1950 to present. The History of Fine Arts in Korea Visual Arts The fall of different Korean kingdoms and dynasties coincided with the development of Korean art from the ancient Chinese-influenced forms of art to more distinctive and unique styles of Korean art. During the 20th century, Korean calligraphy, painting, animation, comics, wood-blocks, and printing we re influenced by the transition from Korean Shamanist art through Buddhist art, and finally, to Confucian art. During this period, brush-strokes were used to communicate the artist’s personality through calligraphy, which also enriched the subject matter of the painted works. Moreover, fabric arts as captured through Choe Eun-sun’s work involved embroidery in screen-work, wall decorations, weaving, and designing costumes. Fabric art was also represented through the works of carpet and rug weavers who produced different saddle blankets, imperial dragon carpets, saddle covers, and tiger rugs for different occasions and personalities.Advertising Looking for research paper on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, paper artistry included the use of hand-made paper-works in designing window screens, floor covers, paper fans, paper figures, and for printing. In fact, the use of paper derived from m ulberry roots dates back to thousands of years according to studies conducted in 1960, which revealed that the paper could last about 1000 years (Cavendish 961-963; Connor 265). Painting is another form of visual art, which has been used to celebrate nature and religious themes over the years. However, beginning the 18th century to the present, many artists use painting to depict daily life and different landscapes. For example, the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) is credited for the introduction of western oil-painting, which has since influenced the contemporary South Korean paintings most of which are housed in the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Mayo, Rimer, and Kerkham 135). Through these 20th century art paintings, it is evident that the South Korean artists have continued to employ the western oil-painting styles with a redefined mixture of classical Korean themes, which demonstrate their originality. Moreover, the contemporary painting styles used in Korea demand that t he artist understands the Korean ceramics, pottery, and textures considering that brush-strokes weigh more in judging the Korean artist’s work. Notable Korean artists who combine the contemporary western and distinctive Korean painting styles include Suh Yongsun, Tschoon Su Kim, and Junggeun Oh among others (Cavendish 963). As opposed to South Korea, which still embraces the socialistic art styles, North Korean artists have introduced completely different forms of visual arts exemplified through the production of patriotic films that have dominated the North Korean culture from 1949-1994. These patriotic films have revived the use of architecture, neo-traditional painting, and fabric art to communicate political statements and represent various dramatic landscapes. This revolution has seen the emergence of politically-charged revolutionary posters, documentary films, visual crafts, realistic paintings, and exportable needlework by renowned North Korean painters such as the Fw hang sisters whose painting style is a mixture of western and Far East techniques (Armstrong 92; Cavendish 900). Ceramics, Sculpture and Metal Crafts The production of different forms of ceramics spans six centuries since the introduction of the celadon vases (blue-green in color) production techniques by the Chinese. Since then, the Korean people have owned the techniques with a few changes such as the introduction of the inlaid designs, which represent different natural motifs.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Currently, pottery that combines the traditional and modern techniques is the most famous activity taking place in Inchon whereby artisans are involved in producing quality ceramics. On the other hand, the introduction of sculpture dates back to the Buddhism era whereby stone, bronze, and wood were the main raw materials used to carve images of Buddha and pagodas as exemplified by the Buddhist sculpture at the Sokkuram Gotto Shrine (Kyongju). Despite the decline of Buddhist sculpture with the emergence of Confucianism, modern sculpture has been widely practiced since the 1960s in different places including plazas, streets, and parks across South Korea (Cavendish 961-969). Metal craft is another form of ancient art exemplified by the ancient decorated bronze structures that can be found all over South Korea. Furthermore, history has it that the ancient Shilla artisans are well known for the use of gold and jade in cramming tombs and producing bronze bells such as the Divine Bell of King Songdok. Many other ancient handicrafts such as gilt crowns, ornaments, and pots have been excavated and are now available at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. Currently, handicrafts are uniquely designed for specific purposes as opposed to their aesthetic value. Furthermore, there has been a sporadic change from the traditional techniques of using metal, fabric, and wood to the modern techniques employing glass, paper, and leather (Cavendish 970). Korean architecture and interior design has a long history, which can be seen through the traditional Korean gardens and palaces. In these gardens and palaces, ancient ideographs can be seen. The ideographs display various geometric, animal, plant, and nature patterns (motifs), which offer an aesthetic value to different architectural structures. Some of the most famous geometric designs and patterns, which have stood the test of time, include squares, triangles, concentric circles, and diamonds among others. Conversely, some rock carvings were designed to represent animal patterns, and in most cases they coincided with the food-gathering seasons. However, the current use of different architectural and interior design patterns involves the decoration of doors, temples, shrines, spoons, furniture, and other objects to add an aesthetic value (Cavendish 965-970; Connor 265). Performing Arts Performing arts in Korea encompass the art of story-telling/comedy, tea ceremonies, musical arts and theatre, dance, literature, and poetry. The tea ceremony is usually held in a specific house characterized by its own unique architecture within the garden. In the tea house, ritualized conversations, pottery, traditional costumes, and poetry are important aspects of art that offer an artistic and cultural experience for the attendees.Advertising Looking for research paper on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, musical arts and theatre have had a long history in South Korea with a few changes, which have led to the emergence of different categories of music in Korea including traditional, western, and a mixture of Western and Eastern styles. Traditionally, music was categorized into folk music and p’ansori (a musical narrative involving folktales and novels). These categories of traditional music have been preserved and classically developed into new music since the establishment of the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Center in 1951 (Cavendish 961-980). Contemporary music in Korea has the same test of audiences as other forms of western music despite that most Korean artists perform using various stringed instruments while some are well known for their prowess as symphony directors. World music has also influenced Korean music despite efforts made to differentiate it from other Western and Eastern forms, and currently, the Korean musicals is a representative of various innovations and revivals of Korean music in the 21st century. Conversely, post 1945, the Korean masks have found extensive use in folk-art dramas and as tourist artifacts (Cavendish 976-981). Dance and Theatre are other important forms of performing arts, which have been rediscovered in South Korea as early as the 1980s with the declaration by the government that the few remaining dances should be preserved and protected by the Intellectual Property protection laws. Furthermore, the establishment of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation has also accelerated the development of performing arts and the preservation of traditional dramas. Currently, contemporary dance and ballet thrives in the presence of many companies and ballet troops housed in the National Theatre in Seoul, which is basically dedicated to promoting traditional music, drama, and dance. Moreover, the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul is also dedicated to the development of orchestras, choirs, and dance. Despit e narrative storytelling based on dramatic songs or physical comedians thriving over the years, it is still dominated by male performers (Connor 265-270; Cavendish 990). Moreover, South Korea and Korea in general has not seen the emergence of Stand-up Comedy due to the underlying cultural considerations, and thus, more needs to be done to promote performing arts from this perspective. Armstrong, Charles, A. The North Korean revolution, 1945-1950. New York: Cornell University Press, 2004. Print. Cavendish, Marshall. World and its Peoples: eastern and Southern Asia. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Print. Connor, Mary, E. The Koreas. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Publishers, 2009. Print. Mayo, Marlene J., Rimer, Thomas J., and Kerkham, Eleanor, H. War, occupation, and creativity: Japan and East Asia, 1920-1960. United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. Print.

Find a job when you’re over 50

Find a job when you’re over 50 Today’s job market is increasingly competitive- even for the brightest and most go-getting candidates in the field. If you’re over 50 and looking for a new gig amongst fields of millennials, the current state of job hunting can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re looking to score a job or change your career, don’t panic if you’re a little past the fresh-out-of-undergrad age. It might take you a bit longer to find a good fit and get hired, but it’s possible. Here are some good strategies for finding a fulfilling job- no matter what your age.Dust yourself off.Figure out new trends in your desired field and make sure you’re up on them. Improve your skills as necessary, and update your resume. Emphasize the skills you’ve honed over years in the working world and the unique bundle of expertise and experience you bring to the table. Answer this question: How is your age an asset rather than a liability?Look good.This sounds shallow, but the better groomed and healthier you look, the more vital you will seem. Stay relatively fit. Get a good haircut. Shell out for a well-tailored outfit. People do judge books by their cover, so present yourself in your most ideal package.Reach out to your network.The benefit of your age and experience is the huge number of people that you have gathered into your circle over the years. Make use of the people you know- don’t be shy. Keep your contacts current and make sure to utilize them rather than applying only through online job search boards. It’s still very much a â€Å"who you know† world out there, and you know more than the average job seeker!Don’t fear the interview.A face-to-face meeting is perhaps your best chance to present yourself as seasoned enough to be reliable, but current enough to be an exciting choice to hire. It’s also a great opportunity to show that you wouldn’t be a culture clash- even at your age. Show that youâ€⠄¢re a team player- and humble enough to take your marching orders from a 22-year-old boss.Know your tech inside and out.Don’t just get tech savvy. Show off your knowledge. Let potential hirers know that you own and wield the right devices and that you have a social media presence and are actually adept at working with the various platforms.Don’t forget to negotiate.Your age, position, and experience are actually an asset- don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Once you get to the hiring stage and are discussing compensation, remember that you might be due a higher salary point and even a â€Å"compensation package† rather than the entry-level of your bright-eyed peers. Ask for what the position and your experience deserve without apology. You’ve earned this!Stay positive and persist.Above all, keep a good attitude and don’t get discouraged if things don’t come quickly. It might not happen overnight and you might have to look to a f ew explicitly age-friendly companies or employers to land yourself in the right spot, but you will find something that speaks to you. Put in the work to update yourself for a new economy, and you will land at a place that appreciates you for your age- not in spite of it.

Team DISC Assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team DISC Assessment - Coursework Example Team building often involves the bringing together of new teams and giving them a new sense of direction, a period of getting to know their colleagues, as well as recognizing abilities and skills. Team working on the other hand involves the sharing of ideas, supporting one another and being open. It is also important to note that good leadership is essential to any business; it is an important factor for making an organization successful. Leaders are a key human resource in each and every organization (Hersen, 2004). In fact, the importance of leadership in management can never be overemphasized. In order for things to get done by people in the organization, the management must supply leadership in the organization. Team work is especially essential in order for one to realize the organizational goals, and it is the work of the managers to influence the team to work and accomplish through leadership. Further, it is imperative to understand that leadership often aids authority and it must go hand in hand with team work. Pursia’s DISC assessment was an impresser. This was her strongest quality. Being an impresser in the organization is extremely useful (Sugerman, 2011). This is because it helps one charm to the business partners as well as breaks the ice when it comes to meetings within the organization. Further, being an impresser is also important as it helps employees to take greater responsibility when it comes to decision making and also helps team members to take control of the work processes (Avery, 2001). The impresser often helps in improving morale as the employee can be able to effectively gain more authority as well as ownership over the projects that one is working on. With the help of the impresser, she can help with the extra responsibility which can effectively lead to a more rewarding work environment as well as lower turnover. Further, with the impresser working on a team it gives the employees a greater sense of belonging and

Divorce and the Coase Theorem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Divorce and the Coase Theorem - Essay Example I would not advocate for a change in the current law. This is for the rationale that alternative arrangement divorce would be time consuming and would even cause or start hateful issues to develop during the arrangements and can ruin friendships. It is also confident for spouses to formulate one of the reasons for divorce essential in ruling. No-fault divorce, on the other hand, accepted that a marriage collapse might not be the cause of one spouses misbehavior. They cut down the divorce procedure and made it more reliable countrywide, hence obviating the necessitaty for distressed couples to cross position lines in look for of simpler break up laws. Ronald Coase is for no fault divorce and he said that, if the amount of a couple’s mesh gains from matrimony, as seen by the couple, is negative, then no conformity on distributing the gains from the marriage can keep them as one. Despite of its merits it is not the best way to divorce because it can cover up serious matrimonial misbehavior and I don’t advocate for

Religious belief system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religious belief system - Essay Example Perceptive on theism, philosophy, spirituality, and other beliefs are similar and dissimilar from what one considers of ‘religion’, can assist a lot in understanding the religion. Few points out where the outer borders of religion exist, whereas some assist to identify with what religion essentially comprises. The Baptists are one of the major denominations of protestant and form 35 million members globally. They differentiate themselves from Protestants mainly on their firmness on: baptism of adult believers only; they are concerned of the freedom of speech and conscience and freedom from interferences; they give dominance to Scripture in matters of faith, doctrine, and morals; and the authority they give to congregation in church affairs. The precursors of present day Baptists were the Anabaptists - members of a radical movement of the 16th-century reformation which believed in the dominance of the Bible, in baptism as an external witness of the believers personal covenant of inner faith, and in separation of church from state and of believers from nonbelievers - of the reformation period. Few Anabaptist worshippers were settled in Holland in the early 17th century when large number of Puritan Independents, escaped from England to Holland. These Puritans were influenced by the Anabaptists, and were persuaded that Christian baptism was correct only for adults with a personal faith and commitment. After going back to England, this group formed the first Baptist worshippers in 1611. According to Baptists beliefs the Christian lives are as one of individual faith and of solemn commitment to live in accordance with the highest Christian principles. Hence each individual must be reborn, renewed into a new life, and get together into the church community. As a matter of fact for Baptists, the church is in essence the result of change and of refinement, a society of dedicated advocates. In fact the church is holy only when the belief

Leadership Capability Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Capability - Research Paper Example These are the main areas that I need to improve on as a leader. As a leader with such weaknesses, I will ensure that the subordinates are aware of the fact that their inefficiency will not be tolerated in any way. Ways of improving this include having talks with the subordinates to explain their decisions on various issues. I will also engage the subordinates in friendly activities. However, when it comes to awarding punishments I will not be friendly or take sides. In any organization, for subordinates to follow the laid down procedures, the leader needs to be straight to the point and articulate. As the leader, I will occasionally seek assistance from other employees in areas where more assistance is required. All subordinates need to feel that their employer is friendly, but this is only to a certain extent. Therefore, I will ensure that employees are more cooperative and self-initiative (Adair, 2011). Chapter 3 shows that as a leader I am involved in working moderately with what the subordinates are doing. My strengths include being able to coordinate with the subordinates and engaging in what they are doing. As a leader, I am able to make things work and make valid decisions with the consideration of how it affects others. My weaknesses, as highlighted in the score, include not being fascinated by technical work and not being able to work with abstract ideas. These are the two main reasons why I had a low score. One of the steps that I need to take as a leader so as to improve is to adapt to technical issues. To adapt I will ensure that the issues which I do not understand are explained to me in ways that are interesting. I will also ensure that there is a competent subordinate who will be in a position to deal with such issues. In all organizations, most subordinates prefer a leader who is an all-around person. Hence, as the leader, I will ensure that they view me as a competent individual in all aspects concerning the firm. An all-around leader, in a suc cessful organization, is perceived by the subordinates as a person who can solve their problems. These are not just any problems but only those that are related to the organization. Addressing weaknesses such as these, will involve all my time and ensuring that I get all the information required when dealing with employees’ new ideas. This approach, in my opinion, is likely to solve my weakness because having all the information will assist me to have more confidence in the ideas presented by the employees. In a successful organization, when a leader makes a point of doing the research individually, his or her actions increase the level of confidence among subordinates (Godwyn and Gittell, 2011). The fact that the leader is involved in what subordinates are doing, shows that he/she is a suitable leader. Hence, to strengthen my strong characteristics, I will ensure that my subordinates view me as a leader who is concerned with their problems at work. Chapter 4 shows that as a leader I have the ability to effectively deal with group work. This is a crucial character trait of a leader in organizations where most work is done in groups. In this chapter, this is one of my key strengths. I scored highly, but there are some areas that need to be improved. One of the areas that need to be improved is my social aspect of being a leader. It is clear from the test scores that I am not in a position to solve

Economics for Managers Japan Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Economics for Managers Japan Case - Essay Example For almost a decade, the Japanese have started to adopt a risk-averse mindset after the fall of the dotcoms. Due to the circumstances, zero-return in cash has become the mindset of the people. While prices continue to drop, people further delay their consumption for the hope of lower prices. This hoarding of cash or investing in zero-return or non-interest-bearing savings leads to stagnation and later, worsening deflation in the economy. Thus the country wishes for some inflation to happen by increasing aggregate demand either through an increase in consumer spending, or channeling of money to some real investments in order to stimulate growth in the economy. Because of inflation, the relatively low or zero-return of investments most Japanese consumers have produces a negative interest rate. The Japanese Central Bank now hopes that consumers will then shift their investments to interest-bearing or higher-yielding investments to offset the effect of inflation, such as shares and real estate in order to give a boost to the economy. The cost-push inflation in the economy thus requires the Japanese Central Bank to use some monetary policy to curb it. However, Japanese Central Bank cannot just increase the interest rate in the meantime. While the global economy seems to pose a threat, increasing the interest rate will hurt the economy and worsen the impact of this threat if it happens. Thus, the Japanese Central Bank will keep the interest rates low in order to lessen the impact of the economic crisis abroad to the Japanese economy. The aggregate prices or the overall inflation within an economy is set by the interaction of the aggregate demand and aggregate supply. On one hand, aggregate demand is determined by the total amount  of consumption, investment, government spending and net exports in an economy.

Leadership Capability Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Capability - Research Paper Example These are the main areas that I need to improve on as a leader. As a leader with such weaknesses, I will ensure that the subordinates are aware of the fact that their inefficiency will not be tolerated in any way. Ways of improving this include having talks with the subordinates to explain their decisions on various issues. I will also engage the subordinates in friendly activities. However, when it comes to awarding punishments I will not be friendly or take sides. In any organization, for subordinates to follow the laid down procedures, the leader needs to be straight to the point and articulate. As the leader, I will occasionally seek assistance from other employees in areas where more assistance is required. All subordinates need to feel that their employer is friendly, but this is only to a certain extent. Therefore, I will ensure that employees are more cooperative and self-initiative (Adair, 2011). Chapter 3 shows that as a leader I am involved in working moderately with what the subordinates are doing. My strengths include being able to coordinate with the subordinates and engaging in what they are doing. As a leader, I am able to make things work and make valid decisions with the consideration of how it affects others. My weaknesses, as highlighted in the score, include not being fascinated by technical work and not being able to work with abstract ideas. These are the two main reasons why I had a low score. One of the steps that I need to take as a leader so as to improve is to adapt to technical issues. To adapt I will ensure that the issues which I do not understand are explained to me in ways that are interesting. I will also ensure that there is a competent subordinate who will be in a position to deal with such issues. In all organizations, most subordinates prefer a leader who is an all-around person. Hence, as the leader, I will ensure that they view me as a competent individual in all aspects concerning the firm. An all-around leader, in a suc cessful organization, is perceived by the subordinates as a person who can solve their problems. These are not just any problems but only those that are related to the organization. Addressing weaknesses such as these, will involve all my time and ensuring that I get all the information required when dealing with employees’ new ideas. This approach, in my opinion, is likely to solve my weakness because having all the information will assist me to have more confidence in the ideas presented by the employees. In a successful organization, when a leader makes a point of doing the research individually, his or her actions increase the level of confidence among subordinates (Godwyn and Gittell, 2011). The fact that the leader is involved in what subordinates are doing, shows that he/she is a suitable leader. Hence, to strengthen my strong characteristics, I will ensure that my subordinates view me as a leader who is concerned with their problems at work. Chapter 4 shows that as a leader I have the ability to effectively deal with group work. This is a crucial character trait of a leader in organizations where most work is done in groups. In this chapter, this is one of my key strengths. I scored highly, but there are some areas that need to be improved. One of the areas that need to be improved is my social aspect of being a leader. It is clear from the test scores that I am not in a position to solve

Resume a article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Resume a article - Essay Example 83) â€Å"Good Enough† products offer decent quality goods for a rapidly expanding group of value-seeking consumers with mid-level incomes. Any market producer that wishes to enter the Chinese market place must consider the evolving middle class demographic as the battle ground for the future of emerging markets not only in China but across the globe. According to the authors, the Chineses market is divided into three different segments: the premium segment, the low-end segment, and the exponentially expanding middle market or â€Å"Good-Enough† segment. The Chinese middle market has a thirst for gadgets and utility products such as LCD Televisions, DVD Players and MP3 players.(Gadiesh et.al. 2007, p. 83) The Chinese consumer is seeking product function without all the features that can be purchased for a rock bottom price. The key point for start-up companies in the Chinese market is an understanding that the Consumer in these markets is not driven by the products esthetics. Market producers do not need to deliver perfect products to engage the market; they need to deliver good products at a reasonable price. For international companies to establish, sustain or expand their presence in Chineses market, they must focus all efforts on their products’ value. There are three approaches to entering the â€Å"Good –Enough† market which are: attacking from above, burrowing up from below and mergers and acquisitions into the â€Å"Good-Enough† space.(Gadiesh et.al. 2007, p. 83) Burrowing-up is most often over-looked by multi-national corporations. The method is most commonly employed by local market producers who over the course of decades upscale their products from low-end regional products to â€Å"Good-Enough† national brands. Attacking from above is a not so inviting multinational tactic that can sometimes backfire and result in their premium product and market share being cannibalized by their marketing push into the â€Å"Good Enough†

Natural Disasters and Their Effect on the Macro Economy Essay Example for Free

Natural Disasters and Their Effect on the Macro Economy Essay Natural Disasters can have both a positive and negative impact on the local, national and the global economy. However it is rare, but not out of the question, to see the positive impact it may have on an economy. For instance, when disaster struck in Haiti from the 7. 3 magnitude earthquake in 2010, between 200,000-250,000 people were killed. That is 2 percent of the total Haitian population of only 10 million. Comparatively New York City alone totals nearly as much as the entire population of Haiti with about 8. 2 million people (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010). The Inter-American Development Bank estimated that it cost 8.5 billion dollars in damage to Haitis economy. The earthquake caused the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) to contract 5. 1 percent that year. Considering that Haiti’s economy only produced 12 billion dollars in 2008, 8. 5 billion dollars is a huge deficit to the overall production and functionality of their economic and social growth. That is less than a tenth of a percent of U. S. GDP of 14 trillion dollars, but Haiti’s GDP per capita is only 1,300 dollars compared to over 40,000 dollars per person in the U. S. (CIA. gov). With all of this said, Haiti brought in nearly fifteen billion dollars through donations. So although there was catastrophic and disastrous losses to both the social and economic stimulus, on donations alone, Haiti was able to receive three billion dollars more than even their best year in 2008 with only twelve billion dollars. Proposing a theoretical situation, if an earthquake destroyed capital stock but left the labor force intact, the real rental price of capital would increase. The real rental price equals the marginal product of capital and having less capital stock available raises the marginal product of capital and therefore, raises its real rental price. This situation would also make the labor force larger in relation to available capital. Since this would lead to a declining marginal product of labor as workers have less equipment to use, the real wage would decrease as well. Due to rising world population, climate change, and environmental degradation, natural disasters are increasing in frequency. They are also becoming costlier and deadlier, according to Swiss Re, a reinsurance company; the U. S. suffered a cost of 145 billion dollars in 2004, which was up from 65 billion dollars in 2003. In 2009, natural disasters cost insurers about 110 billion dollars. In 2010, the cost was double that, at 218 billion dollars. So as you can see, in the past 10 years there have been jumps nearly doubling the cost that a country suffers to natural disasters from year to year. According to the World Bank, there are several factors that affect a country’s vulnerability to natural disasters: its geographic size, the type of disaster, the strength and structure of its economy, and prevailing socioeconomic conditions. In a globalized economy, all these factors, as well as others, also play into how the world’s finances will be affected. A common belief is that short-term economic hits after a disaster, even those as large as this year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan or Hurricane Katrina in the U. S. in 2005 are more than offset by the reconstruction boom that follows. However this is only in countries that are large and rich enough to have short-term stabilization to the immediate economic hit. The nature of the disaster and the size of the victim count in an economy are key when determining whether or not natural disasters have a negative impact on macroeconomic growth. So in a country such as Haiti and their disastrous earthquake, although a lot of money was pumped into the economy in order to help in the rebuilding, that does not do much when they are still in need of the proper man power that can produce new development or ideas for rebuilding the structures that were destroyed. Incidences of natural disasters have increased by 30 percent since the 1960s, and risk-modeling companies have raised the likelihood of a Katrina-like event happening once every 20 years, rather than once every 40 years (SKOUFIAS, 2003). Because of the possibility of large natural disasters happening more often as well as more frequent smaller natural disasters occurring, how will the economy be affected? Especially if before the reconstruction both socially and economically is finished from the original disaster, another strikes in the same area. Another problem that is faced with economic downfalls due to natural disasters is how other countries may view the stability of that country. For example, 75 percent of Haiti’s national income came through the export of retail apparel to the United States. If Haiti were to have any kind of smaller disasters before they can properly rebuild their economic and working communities, then other countries will only see them as a reoccurring high-risk investment and will no longer look to invest in Haiti, only deepening their turmoil from an economic stand point. Droughts cannot be forgotten either. 2010 set records as the hottest year in one of the hottest decades in history. Climate change, exacerbated by the effects of El Nino, sparked off a series of global heat waves. In Pakistan, temperatures rose to 128. 3 degrees Fahrenheit on May 26, the highest temperature seen in Asia. Russia was plagued by a series of wildfires, destroying crops and woodland, and blanketing cities in smog. People across Europe had to be hospitalized for heat strokes and dehydration as air-conditioning failed to bring relief. Asia had one of the most severe droughts across the globe. The drought caused an estimated 3. 5 million dollars in immediate damage, both to agriculture and to the country’s hydroelectric sector. There are also other uncounted losses, but still very real costs from the drought: a drought can lower the overall productivity of land due to erosion and topsoil loss. It can reduce the numbers in livestock herds, which most of Asia relies on for everyday living needs as well as economic income. Before the end of the summer, the death toll would rise into the thousands. 15 million people were evacuated, and over a million homes destroyed. Nearly 34 million acres of crops were affected by floodwaters, with at least two million completely destroyed. By August, direct damage from the floods was estimated at $41 billion. This is something that affected the worldwide agricultural need and demand (PreventionWeb, 2010). Proving the destructive power of natural disasters, even in highly developed nations, Hurricane Katrina crushed the gulf coast. Just east of the Bahamas on August 24, 2005 a small, unlikely tropical depression intensified into a tropical storm which was given the name Katrina. This storm slowly made its way to Florida’s southern coast on the 25th where most experts believed the storm would dissipate. Unfortunately, Katrina’s path took it over the everglades allowing it to maintain its category 1 standing that it had acquired before it first made landfall, then entered the Gulf of Mexico. The warm waters of the Gulf fostered the rapid development of Katrina (Kempler 2010). The above image shows Hurricane Katrina at the height of her power. Estimates had Katrina making landfall as a category 4, but thankfully it weakened a bit and before it rolled in as a strong category 3. Katrina became been responsible for an estimated 1,800 deaths, as well as 100 billion dollars total in damages, of which about 60percent were uninsured losses. Some economists would put the total economic loss at around 250 Billion dollars (Amadeo 2011). That made Katrina the most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the United States. With all of Katrina’s destruction, the short term effects on the economy were very evident. Only one year after the disaster the United States, the economy was back to normal. In the first three quarters of 2006 the United States had GDP growth of 5. 6 percent, some of the most rapid growth in recent years (Herman 2006). Even though the nation as a whole made a quick economic recovery after Katrina, locations that were struck directly, like New Orleans, did not make the turnaround quite as rapidly as hoped. The first few months after Katrina the United States economy went into a downward trend. The GDP growth rate dropped from the 4. 2 percent that it had experienced in the first three quarters to 1. 8 percent in the last quarter of 2005. The reason for this impact goes beyond the destruction of property and the primary economic concern; the loss of goods and production capabilities (Herman 2006). Perhaps the most important resource that the gulf region produces is oil. The gulf makes up about 30 percent of America’s oil production and distribution. The effects of Katrina resulted in the destruction of 113 offshore platforms, and nearly 500 oil and gas pipelines (Amadeo 2011). The loss of this production led to a drastic increase in gas prices soaring to over 4 dollars per gallon. This drastic rise in prices created a panic, and people rushed to the gas stations to fill up before prices rose again, creating massive lines and much talk about the gloomy forecast of economic woes come. The only positive result from the increasing gas prices was when the Federal government opened the strategic petrollium reserves. This increase in gasoline prices surprisingly did not have as much of an impact as speculators feared, other than people’s outlook on the situation. There were some effects.mthough mostly food price centered. The three main goods that saw a notable impact were the prices of bananas, rice and sugar (Leibtag 2006). The primary reason for the increase in the rice and sugar prices is because the Louisiana Mississippi area is responsible for 85 percent of the sugar cane production, and 14 percent of the rice production in the United States (Leibtag 2006). The drastic loss in production from that area was softened by short-run increases in the other producers of those crops. This ability to increase short-run production is a factor that contributes to the resiliancy of free-market economies. Though the nationwide effects were not all that staggering, the effects in New Orleans the months following Katrina were devastating. With 80 percent of the city flooded, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee the city of New Orleans, many never to return again (Blackburn 2010). This drastic loss in population coupled with the destruction of approximately 200,000 homes and businesses led New Orleans and the surrounding areas into a dire economic situation. In the first few months after Katrina, Louisiana lost 12 percent of the state’s 214,000 jobs (Herman 2006). One result of the loss of jobs was a drastic raise in mortgage delinquancy rates (Herman 2006). This inability to pay is more than likely a contributing factor to the very low rate of return from people who were forced to evacuate their homes by Katrina. Those that did find the resolve to return to stay were in a desperate situation. New Orleans, whose primary industry is tourism, suffered great losses after the storm. They desperately needed to be able to find a way to bring back the American and foreign tourist in order to fuel the creation for more jobs. The drop in tourism is best reflected by the attendance rates in New Orleans famous Mardi-Gras and Jazz Festivals. Both events had roughly a 30 percent drop in attendance from previous years (A year after Katrina, New Orleans desperately seeking tourists 2006). Part of the reason for the delay in the return of the tourism industry is the mass clean-up that had to take place first. Before anyone could return and maintain normal operations, there was still 118 million cubic yards of debris to be cleaned up.(Amadeo 2011) Thanks to efforts by FEMA, the Red Cross and many church ministries across the country, there was much help to be found. However, despite the efforts of all these groups, New Orleans a year after the incident was still working its way very slowly towards full recovery. With the aid that had come into the city, organizations were able to rebuild infrastructure and make great improvements to both education and government. In fact, post Katrina New Orleans has experienced steady growth in almost every way, including education levels, over the last 6 years as shown by the chart below Though it took about a year for it the effects to show and recovery to really make a strong step forward, the relief money that came into New Orleans and the other areas affected by Hurricane Katrina did what the nation was hoping it would; help restore one of Americas cultural and industrial centers. The economic turnaround in New Orleans shows how an initial investment in the form of government aid, insurance claims, and private donations can improve the economy of an area affected by a natural disaster. If this idea can hold to be true with the most costly natural disaster in American history, it should work with other costly natural disasters as well. Though maybe part of New Orleans success lay in the restructuring of their government and school systems in addition to the monetary support. Though the economy of the areas affected improve without bringing down the rest of the nation’s economy, suffering this type of event might not prove to be true in countries with weaker economies. Also, if a disaster like this was to hit a city like Los Angelas or New York, like Irene almost did, it is still speculator to say if there would be similar results. One thing can be said for certain, America’s ability to maintain long term economic growth despite short term impacts, like Katrina shows the resiliency of America as an economic super-power. Other economic super powers, like Japan, are trying to find this same formula for economic recovery. In the case of Japan’s 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, the loss of clean water, electricity, infrastructure, production lines, financial institutions, and more than 15,000 lives caused what the Prime Minister of Japan called the â€Å"The most difficult crisis for Japan† since World War II. However difficult it has been, people have been recovering from the loss of loved ones, injury, and the general trauma of the disaster. Perhaps the greatest and most uncertain long term effects brewing are the econ omic impacts on the world market. Many large industries and economic functions have been hurt, causing price inflation in those industries throughout the world. Since March 11, 2011, nations around the world have had to adjust their consumption in accordance with the loss of production in Japan. Several car companies, such as Toyota and Honda, had their production of car parts slowed, and electronics producers experienced the same effects (Syed, 2011). This has been felt worldwide. For example, Toshiba, who produces roughly 30 percent of the world’s computer chips that store data in smart phones, cameras, and laptops, closed down several factories due to economic losses and physical damages. Events like this are what caused the average price of a chip with eight gigabytes of memory to rise from 7. 30 dollars to around 10 dollars just three days after the earthquake and tsunami struck (Helft, 2011). Obviously, the price of computer chips is not the only price that has risen. Because computer chips are more expensive, new phones, laptops, televisions, cars, cameras, electronic billboards, and complex machinery will have a rise in price to cover the cost of parts and production. This effect will be felt for months, and maybe even years in an already instable world economy. Many of these products are produced in Japan; the world export market has been greatly affected because of that. Japan’s exports have decreased, causing increased economic uncertainty. The macroeconomic result of this is that investors tend to pull away from the increasing risk of pumping money into Japan and look for safer and smarter industries and nations to try to grow their profits (Kihara, 2011). One of the most fascinating things about today’s economy is that everything is so globally connected. Because of this and the slow in Japanese exports, the United States level of consumption of Japanese goods dove 3.4 percent following the earthquake (Guardian. uk, 2011). If this trend continued throughout the year, then the Japanese economy would have lost 4. 2 billion dollars from 2010 levels of United States consumption alone (State. gov, 2011). The disaster and surrounding effects not only caused a decrease of funds going into Japan, but the economic instability caused by the earthquake was devastating in its timing. Japanese and other Asian stock markets plunged as the news of the disaster spread, and this is coming on the heels of the U. S.stock market falling nearly 2 percent the date before. Not only that, but the earthquake caused struggling European stocks to fall to three month lows (CBSnews. com 2011). This goes to show that natural disasters can cause a myriad of negative factors in an economy, and that a spike in uncertainty can be one of the most demoralizing. That uncertainty does not just surface in the stock markets, but also in global financing. The Japanese currency, the Yen, had a significant surge the day after the massive earthq uake struck (Bloomberg. com, 2011). This is said to be credited to the immediate cleanup, repair, and reconstruction needs that Japan incurred following the damages. The long-term effects of the boost in the value of the Yen are still unknown, but it has made the Yen rise in demand in recent months, despite fluctuations since the initial rise in trading worth (Bernard, 2011). The Yen is currently becoming stable once again, eight months after its spike in March then fall in April. Japan has done well in its recovery considering that the Yen hit recent year record lows in April. This graph shows the trading value of the Yen in the past year (Forexblog.org, 2011). The value of the Yen is not the only financial issue at stake. Japan is one of the major foreign holders of U. S. government and corporation debt. With Japan’s Debt-to-GDP ratio at 200 percent, and massive amounts of government spending looming in the rebuilding of the thousands of buildings and roadways lost, Japan is in great need of more money (CIA. g ov, 2010). Because of this, the current interest rates that U. S. corporations are paying on their international loans could increase in an effort to generate more revenue in Japan (Nanto, 2011). In turn, corporations would not be able to borrow as much money for new capital investment, thus hurting the consumption and job creation in the United States at a time when jobs are greatly needed with unemployment rates near nine percent (BLS. gov, 2011). Jobs are a big issue in Japan too. With many of the more than 15,000 killed and nearly 6,000 injured people being a part of the Japanese work force, and tons of cleanup and construction to be done, companies and the government have had to hire thousands of new workers to satisfy the demand for work (Japanese National Police Agency, 2011). After a brief climb in unemployment because of the direct aftermath of the earthquake, numbers dropped to a recent history record low of 4. 1 percent (Tradingeconomics. com, 2011). Once organization was restored, Japan began to utilize its workforce to combat the challenge of rebuilding cities. It is perhaps a gruesome yet effective means of increasing job demand in a nation when its economy was unsettlingly devastated. Since the record drop in unemployment, Japan has had what could be considered a â€Å"Recovery boom. On November 14, 2011, a news article stated: Gross domestic product grew at an annualized 6 percent in the three months ending Sept. 30, the fastest pace in 1 1/2- years, the Cabinet Office said today in Tokyo. At 543 trillion yen ($7 trillion), economic output was back to levels seen before the March 11 earthquake, the report showed. Japan’s return to growth after three quarters of contraction was driven by companies including Toyota Motor Corp. making up for lost output from the disaster. A sustained rebound will depend on how much reconstruction demand can offset a slowdown in global growth as Europe’s debt crisis damps global confidence and an appreciating yen erodes profits (Sharp, 2011). The fact the Japan is now back to its pre-earthquake GDP level is remarkable. It initiates again the idea of what is known to economists as â€Å"The Broken Window Fallacy. † The theory is that an economy can create jobs and achieve higher employment levels though the destruction of the current goods that exist. However, the destruction comes at a cost of replacement that, in the end, is not going to create a net gain, but will instead create a loss or â€Å"quick-fix† break even because businesses will be stimulated, but run less efficiently in the long run. Only time will tell if Japan’s growth over the last few months is simply a rebound or if the disaster caused a rethinking of how things should be done and built, therefore creating a more efficient, productive Japanese economy. Economists will be watching closely to spot trends. Another disaster that could have the same categories of effects on a much smaller scale is Hurricane Irene. The northeastern U. S. experienced the worst flooding since the existence of many towns and buildings of the region. Since only three months have passed since Irene made landfall on the New England area on August 28, 2011, the long term impact of the estimated 45 billion dollars in losses are still speculative (Morici, 2011). Given the current status of the American economy, any damages of the storm are probably being felt most nationwide right now, if compared to the time table of Japan’s economic fall and rise with respect to the earthquake in March. The U. S. may see a slight drop in unemployment and a rise in capital investment as part of the restoration of Irene’s damages, but most likely, no real growth will come out of it. However, the increase in consumption in order to rebuild the damaged parts of the northeast may spark a rise in consumer confidence, and that is what America desperately needs. A natural disaster in a third world country might bring in more money in aid than that country’s economy could have ever produced on its own, making a very positive economic impact. But, as far as the number go, in a developed nation like the United States or Japan, natural disasters cause little more than a large scale broken window fallacy case study. A hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster can bring forth events that build intangible benefits such as consumer confidence, improved organization of infrastructure, or more efficient ideas, but most real development and confidence comes from ingenuity, not devastation. However, it is hard to argue against the fact that necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case, restructured success. Works Cited

Designing a Successful Multi-Generational Workplace

Designing a Successful Multi-Generational Workplace Introduction Significant characteristics including values, internal and external motivators, and communication styles vary greatly among employees. This diversity is a result of the variety of genders, ethnicities, economic situations, educations levels and ages represented in the workplace. We chose to review how age, or generational diversity, impacts the workplace today. Specifically, we wanted to look at how similarities or differences regarding the generational personalities of employees may affect the work environment and employee satisfaction. A generation is defined as a group that shares specific birth years and a common set of historical and social events. Each generation is defined by common tastes, attitudes, and experiences; a generational cohort is a product of its times and tastes (Zemke, Raines, Filipczak, 2000, p. 16). Most studies focus on the following groupings: the Matures or Traditionalists those born before 1946, the Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, Generation X born between 1965 and 1980, and the Millennials or Generation Y born after 1980. Today, members of each of these generations are often represented in the workplace, especially as the Matures and Baby Boomers delay retirement due to economic circumstances. The Baby Boomers and Generation X are the most prevalent groups; however, the number of Millennials is continuing to increase. This poses a unique challenge to managers as they attempt to balance the unique perspectives and needs of the four generations, while creating a unified corporate culture. While this generational diversity, much like any other type of diversity, can cause conflict and breed stereotypes, we will outline recommendations for managers to adapt to the differences and leverage the similarities in order to use them as a source of creative strength and a source of opportunity (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 17). Historical Social Context Each of the aforementioned generations has a distinctive set of historical and social events that has shaped their development. Globalization of business has increased the breadth of nationalities that may be represented in an organization; however, for our study we will focus on the unique context of employees born in the United States. The Traditionalists or Matures were influenced by World War II and the Great Depression. They felt a strong sense of commitment to their families and country. They endured financial challenges and thus had to learn to work hard and sacrifice (Ballone, 2007, p. 10). These individuals also held onto the notion of a nuclear family with traditional roles. Ultimately, their commitment, foresight and hard work created the United States we know today from the infrastructure, to the space program and scientific advancements, to social programs such as Social Security (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 31). The Baby Boomers are the children of the Matures and were raised in the prosperity and expansion of post-World War II America. Their parents had sacrificed throughout the Great Depression and the war and wanted their childrens lives to be better. They were afforded opportunities to pursue their passions often without boundaries, causing them to be more optimistic and idealistic than the generation before. Since they were the largest generation of Americans, these individuals had to learn to work together from school-age on, while also maintaining a competitive attitude. Based on their upbringing and formative events, they often felt that the purpose of world they lived in was to actively serve their needs, wants, and whims (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 67). At the same time, societys status quo changed, affected by the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement, which made individuals wary of authority and feel a need to gain power by challenging it. Generation X grew up in the shadow of the Baby Boomers. They are often characterized by a survivor mentality, as they grew up in the wake of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and massive layoffs by U.S. corporations (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 95). Not only that, but the U.S. divorce rate nearly tripled during their birth years, so they became distrustful of the permanence of institutional and personal relationships (Lancaster Stillman, 2002, p. 25). The instability in economic structure, political affairs, and even home life created a strong desire to become self-reliant and learn to thrive in the midst of constant change. The final group in our study, the Millennials or Generation Y, was raised in the era of soccer moms who were extremely involved in the numerous activities of their children. Family life was usually centered on them and they were often involved in the decision making. They are the first generation to have access to technology since birth. Considerable exposure to various cultures, races, and religions through the internet and even their own classrooms, has given this group the opportunity to accept diversity as a norm in daily life, which is unique to that of the views of previous generations. Major events of conflict, including the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have also influenced this generations perspective, while their upbringing has caused them to feel empowered to take positive action when things go wrong (Lancaster Stillman, 2002, p. 29). Work Values Attitudes Work values shape employees perceptions of preferences in the workplace, exerting direct influence on employee attitudes and behaviors (Twenge, Campbell, Hoffman, Lance, 2010, p. 1121). The historical and social context in which generations were raised and entered the workforce may have an impact on values, attitudes and behaviors. It is essential for organizations to be aware of both common and differentiating traits between generations and also individual preferences, in order to adapt their management techniques for the combination of employees represented. The Matures tend to be very loyal to their employers and it is not uncommon for them to have a long tenure with one company. They believe in the idea of sweat equity and that hard work earns one leadership positions. This is most often the result of a soldiers mentality created through their experience with the military and its tiered system of rank and authority and is often reflected in the management hierarchy that exists in many corporations today where its best to have the brains at the top, in executive ranks, and the brawn on the bottom, on the front lines (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 41). This mentality is also evident in their discipline and unwillingness to buck the system or disagree with authority. Each person does his or her own part to achieve a goal, as determined by an identifiable leadership figure. Ambiguity and change are difficult for them and if forced to adapt, logic and facts are the elements that will make them the most comfortable. Ultimately, they want to leave a meaningful legacy and in the workplace this often means that they enjoy mentoring younger employees and sharing their extensive knowledge (Crumpacker Crumpacker, 2007, p. 353). The sheer size of the Baby Boomer generation created an understanding that competition was tough and that they would ultimately be responsible for their relative success (Hill, 2002, p. 62). Despite this competition, they understand that teamwork is important and often prefer a consensual leadership style (Ballone, 2007, p. 11). At the same time, the historical events which occurred during their formative years also lead them question authority and not always accept the status quo. They are comfortable with change and optimistic about what the future holds. However, since they are accustomed to being successful and pursuing their passions, they can be overly sensitive to criticism and feedback. Generation X-ers are extremely self-reliant and often seek autonomy and self-direction in their jobs. They witnessed their parents be downsized by large businesses and are distrustful of corporations and the validity of the established hierarchies. These individuals are also much more skeptical than the generations before, choosing to put faith in themselves and their abilities rather than putting it in others, being careful with their loyalty and commitments, for fear of getting burned (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 101). They are more casual in their approach to authority, appreciate a more informal atmosphere in the workplace, and are impatient with needless bureaucracy and slow decision making. Millennials value autonomy and the opportunity to learn, yet enjoy engaging with leaders and coworkers. These individuals are used to multi-tasking and being involved in numerous activities, so challenge and change is nothing new. They want feedback on performance, but sometimes have difficulty accepting criticism (Welsh Brazina, 2010, p. 3). Since they were heavily involved in decision making in their families from childhood on, the lines of authority are blurry and they prefer flat organizational structures. However, they do respect those in leadership positions and enjoy mentorship relationships. At the same time, they have high expectations and desire to start at the top. Millennials want to be invested in the vision of the company and make substantial contributions to that mission. They want to make suggestions right away and expect to be promoted quicklyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and expect fulfillment and meaning in their work (Twenge Campbell, 2008, p. 865). If these expectations are n ot met, they do not shy away from seeking out other opportunities as their loyalty is to their work and coworkers, rather than the organization itself (Welsh Brazina, 2010, p. 3). Twenge, Campbell, Hoffman and Lance emphasize that these generational differences in work values can affect the perceived fit of employees within an organization. The vision and ideals of the companys founders, which today is often the Baby Boomers, can be reflected in todays organizational structure and culture. If new employees from any generation hold values that are different from those of the leaders of the company, they may experience person-organization misfit which could yield more negative attitudes toward work, decreased performance, and greater likelihood of turnover (2010, p. 1137). Work-Life Balance Work Ethic Ones work ethic and requirement for a work-life balance can be influenced by numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors, yet ones generation has an impact as it relates to the aforementioned work values. The Matures work ethic was molded in an era of economic difficulty, so hard work and sacrifice are the rule rather than the exception. They also learned to not take a job for granted and are often thankful for the position they have earned. In their view, work is noble and ennobling; it is something to be revered (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 47). Their attitude is that its essential to get the job done and to do it well. The Baby Boomers have been characterized as workaholics who are accustomed to 80-hour work weeks. They often validate their worth through their careers, feeling strongly that work should be one of the most import parts of a persons life (Smola Sutton, 2002, p. 376). However, as some approach retirement, they are seeking more balance between their personal and professional lives. They have put in the hard work thus far in their careers; consequently they now feel entitled to more time to pursue lifelong ambitions and recreational activities. They may also have family obligations such as caring for their aging parents that make this balance a necessity. Generation X-ers are often described as slackers. This is not because they dont get the work done, but rather because they have a non-traditional view of how it gets done compared to the previous two generations. Flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting, appeal to them. They desire a work-life balance, as they saw how much time, energy, and self-worth their parents invested in their jobs. These individuals value flexibility in their work and many would refuse a promotion if they feel the quality of their home life will be compromised (Ballone, 2007, p. 11). The Millennials grew up shuffling between numerous extra-curricular activities, so multi-tasking and multiple deadlines are not foreign concepts. They are also used to having information constantly at their fingertips and expect to have the tools necessary to perform their jobs efficiently. These individuals are willing to put in the extra effort, as they are optimistic and resilient in reaching for their goals and aspirations and know that the job is a means to an end (Ballone, 2007, p. 11). They expect to work more than forty hours a week to achieve the lifestyle they want (Zemke, et. al, 2000, p. 144). At the same time, they want the flexibility to work when and where they want so they can pursue their outside interests. The differences in work ethic and work-life balance expectations often cause the most disagreement between generations. Assumptions can be made about ones productivity and loyalty to the company based on these two factors, so managers must develop policies that offer options for the differing needs of employees. They could do so by implementing options such as telecommuting, job sharing, varying starting and ending times, or condensed work weeks. However, managers must recognize that the current culture and norms might not support such a shift, so communication of expectations and training are essential. Crumpacker and Crumpacker suggest training managers on a performance management focus that measures not whether the employee is present at work each day, but whether project deadlines are being met and/or whether work products are being delivered in a timely manner (2007, p. 359). Motivation The uniqueness of each generation may cause individuals to react to different sets of motivators and rewards, while seeking to obtain varying experiences and benefits from their job (McDonald, 2008, p. 62). Thus it is essential for managers to understand those potential motivators in order to design jobs and empower employees for maximum motivation. The Matures, Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers, and Millenials motivators may vary with respect McClellands acquired needs theory. McClelland maintains that the need for achievement, affiliation, and power are acquired as a result of ones life experiences. Those who have a high need for achievement desire to be successful, while the high need for affiliation drives individuals to be liked by others and those who have a high need for power want to influence others (Bauer Erdogan, 2010, p. 103). The Matures tend to be motivated when their experience is recognized and utilized by the organization. This is an example of their need for achievement, as they have worked hard throughout their career to be successful and want their actions and knowledge be connected to the overall good of the organization. Contrary to many stereotypes, these individuals rated recognition as the most important value in their work life an attribute most often associated to Millennial workers (Laff, 2009, p. 20). In addition, their status and the loyalty they have had over the years to the organization may translate into their need for power. As stated previously, they have a very traditional view of management hierarchies and how age and gender fit into them. They may be uncomfortable, which in turn could affect their motivation, when that structure is compromised with the implementation of a flatter, more egalitarian, environment. The Baby Boomers are motivated when organizations value their competencies, reward productivity rather than longevity, and create a sense of community (Kupperschmidt, 2000, p. 70). These motivators reflect these individuals need for achievement, power and affiliation. The Baby Boomers need for power is most evident in their desire to have freedom from supervision and control over their own destiny. These individuals have a high need for achievement, apparent in their workaholic tendencies and the value they place on extrinsic rewards such promotions, titles, corner offices, and reserved parking spaces (Kupperschmidt, 2000, p. 68). At the same time, they have a need for affiliation, as they value team-based environments and building consensus in decision-making. According to a study by Jurkiewicz and Brown, the Matures and Baby Boomers did not differ significantly on any of the fifteen work-related motivational factors measured, including learning, leadership, advancement and salary ( 1998, p. 27). Individuals from Generation X differ more significantly from the previous generations in terms of motivation. They are motivated by the opportunity to learn new things, leadership responsibilities, and making a contribution using their unique skills. These individuals want to be challenged and have a chance to try a variety of tasks, demonstrating their need for achievement. According to a study by Harris Interactive, 52% of Generation X employees want pathways to personal growth, compared with 41% for Boomers and 29% for Mature workers (Huff, 2006, p. 28). Generation Xs need for power is illustrated in their need to control their environment, as they do not want to conform to organizational norms, but would rather have the flexibility to decide how and where to get their work done (Jurkiewicz Brown, 1998, p. 26). Generation X-ers are more extraverted, but place less importance on social approval than Boomers did (Twenge, et. al, 2010, p. 1125), thus their need for affiliation is no t as high as the previous generations. Millennials are confident, assertive, and achievement-oriented (Ballone, 2007, p. 11). They are looking for a flexible work environment where they can learn, while also having fun. However, their need for affiliation is not high, as they do not want to conform or seek social approval (Welsh Brazina, 2010, p. 3). These individuals expect that the organizations should provide for their needs and offer freedom to succeed, and in turn they will produce results. According to Ronald Paul Hill, Millenials are more likely to be motivated by individual development plans and evaluation criteria that allow them to personally measure and judge their successesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Motivation has increasingly turned inward, and work is more about personal fulfillment and less about external rewards (2002, p. 63). Millenials are ultimately motivated by seeing a connection between their personal growth and the growth of the organization. Team formation, rewards, and types of feedback are also influenced by the generational differences in motivators. For instance, Matures prefer long-term teams with long-term goals, while Generation X enjoys short term teams with short term goals. Managers should also understand the generations expectations regarding feedback and adapt ones approach accordingly so miscommunication and misunderstanding do not occur. Boomers require little feedback to do their jobs well, whereas Millennials like and expect constant feedbackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦likely a result of heavy parental direction and involvement in their formative years (Glass, 2007, p. 101). In regards to rewards, there are also varying expectations. Matures seek personal recognition, while Baby Boomers want not just public recognition, but also tangible rewards such as raises and promotions. Generation X appreciates being rewarded with additional flexibility and Millenials want more opportunities to learn. We have seen this in our workplaces, as Baby Boomers often desire individual, public recognition for an accomplishment, while Millennials would rather be rewarded with a more challenging assignment. Understanding these generational differences in motivation is beneficial for managers as they seek to align policies and incentives with individuals values. Companies such as Deloitte, Sodexho, and Cisco have recognized this need and specifically trained their managers on developing and managing a diverse and multi-generational workforce. For example, Deloitte provides a series of internal executive briefings that aim to help leaders understand, and capitalize on, the generational diversity of its U.S. workers. These briefings include an overview of common motivators and rewards for the generations, including learning and development opportunities, role models and work/life balance for Millennials, skill development, real-time performance feedback, immediate, tangible recognition rewards, flexible work arrangements, and positive work environments for Generation X, and retirement planning assistance, flexible retirement options, training, and time off, including sabbaticals for the Ba by Boomers (Deloitte, 2010). Technology Communication channels have changed extensively over the decades and continue to evolve rapidly. As new technologies emerge, workplaces face a challenge in accommodating the comfort level and styles of the various generations. The Matures lived through the Great Depression and the production of the television while the Millennials have lived and breathed the Internet since they were born. Generation X-ers typically fall just short of the Millennials knowledge of technology and Baby Boomers often have a hard time embracing new technologies. In business, it is important to understand the different views that generations have on technology. Moreover, it is important to understand that technology affects everything from how generations communicate to how they learn. Understanding the diversity of technological capabilities and views of different generations can create a positive work environment, can attract the best and brightest of the younger generations and can create a team culture. Edward Cone explains in Bridging the Generational Gap that managers must recognize generational differences to head off potential conflicts and leverage the benefits (2007, p. 5). He further explains that best managers need to think about ways that involve everyone doing their best work, recognizing that one group cant be successful without the other (2007, p. 4). The Matures, now 64 years old or older, had very little exposure to the technologies that are used today. To put this in perspective, the first regularly scheduled television service in the United States began at which time the early part of the Mature generation was born. While most of these individuals are currently or will be retired within the next few years, technology has come a long way during their careers. A common misconception about employees from this generation is that they cant learn technology and refuse to give up the reins (Lancaster Cox, 2004, p. 3). However, many people from this generation are open to new technology, they just may not have the experience that some of the younger generations have. The Baby Boomers grew up in a time when technology was evolving and more advanced than the previous generation. Although these individuals are less likely to accept new technology compared to Millennials, the youngest generation (Waxer, 2009, p. 18), they are typically more tech savvy than the Matures. The Baby Boomer generations biggest downfall relating to technology is its inability to rapidly accept and embrace technology. In Leveraging Generational Work Styles to Meet Business Objectives Neil Simons writes, Boomers tend to have a limited view of technologys role in optimizing workplace efficiency; they tend to look at business systems as discrete integrated solutions designed to meet a specific need. Simons further explains, As technology systems continue to evolve, this generation must be open-minded about exploring the latest technology solutions (2010, p. 32). In such cases, it may be beneficial to team Baby Boomers up with Millennials to try to overcome the technology gap. Generation X tends to use technology more frequently than the Baby Boomers. Generation X-ers grew up during the rise of video games, the inception of the home computer and saw the Internet become used as a tool for social and commercial purposes (Simons, 2010, p. 32). This generation is typically more advanced than the Baby Boomers; however, they may still lag behind the Millenials in proficiency and acceptance of new technology. Generation Y, or the Millennials, is the youngest of generations in the workforce today and is the most savvy and knowledgeable as it relates to technology. During technological advancements during previous generations, images had simply transferred from the TV to the computer screen. A major shift did not occur until the widespread advent of the Internet in the mid to late 90s (Proserpio, 2007, p. 70). The learning style of the generation essentially changed from verbal to virtual. This is an important aspect of the Millennials as their learning styles differ from the previous generations. Managers that understand this trait of Millennials can more effectively teach them by understanding that, for example, the old training videos or manuals may no longer be sufficient. In Blending Technology and Tradition, Amato-McCoy suggests delivering training through MP3 downloads (2008, p. 50). Having grown up in a time with constant exposure to the internet, Generation Y workers also have a hi gh expectation of instant access to information and records. Unlike a time when communication was done via the US Postal Service, Millennials grew up communicating with instantaneous feedback and results. Text messages, social networks and emails all contribute to this expectation of transparency and immediate access to information and may cause these individuals to be impatient with generations who do not keep up. It is important for managers to understand the technological viewpoints and capabilities of different generations in order to share information more effectively and efficiently. An example of overcoming these differences is seen in the Suwannee River Managements record keeping system. Dianne Bell, records coordinator for the Suwannee River Management District, explains that, Engineers like paper, especially the older ones (Boomers). They want something they can hold in their hands when they go out into the field. But once some of the younger ones find out they can access documents from their PCs, they fall in love with our automated record management system and use it every opportunity they can get (Simons, 2010, p. 32). Another example of implementing new practices for younger generations, but allowing older generations to keep their same practices is how Virgin Entertainments employees communicate. Virgins employees communicate via text messages with younger generations, but via em ails and phone calls with the older generations (Amato-McCoy, 2008, p. 50). These types of practices are important because it allows the company to be at ease knowing their employees received important information in a manner that is the most comfortable to them. If, for example, the younger generation is more comfortable receiving text messages, they will check their cell phones more often. On the other hand, if the older generation is more comfortable receiving emails, chances are that they will be checking their email more often. Either way, organizations are getting information out to employees and customers in a timely manner, increasing productivity. One thing is certain; technology is not going away. In order for organizations to attract and retain young talent, they will need to continue to implement new technologies into their businesses. On the other hand, they also need to provide training tools and a culture of learning in order to increase previous generations comfort with technology. For example, Urban Outfitters uses instant messaging instead of emailing (Amato-McCoy, 2008, p. 50). Not only is this form of communication quicker, but it cut down on storage needs, allowing record archives to decrease. Zappos uses Twitter to run new ideas by its fan base as well as alerts to internal issues like outages (Amato-McCoy, 2008, p. 50). Conclusion: Designing a Successful Multi-Generational Workplace It is imperative for organizations to evaluate their current culture and policies in order to ensure they meet the needs and values of their multi-generational employees. If necessary, the generational differences in work values, desire for work-life balance, motivators, and use of technology which we have identified create opportunities for organizations to design various human resources policies and adapt their management styles to increase workplace satisfaction. These polices can encompass numerous areas including communication mechanisms, training and learning opportunities, rewards, and other benefits. To ease the implementation of such workplace modifications, it would be beneficial for organizations to train both managers and employees on the background and work attitudes of their diverse and multi-generational workforce. Betty Kupperschmidt encourages aggressive communication by managers: They must foster open discussions of what different cohorts are looking for in a job, what makes work rewarding, and what organizational factors attract and retain multigeneration employees (2000, p. 71). Since each individual sees their work values and experiences through their own framework, educating the workforce on the generational similarities and differences will aid in the recognition of these characteristics and development of a united corporate culture, rather than promotion of negative attitudes and stereotypes. As indicated previously, each generations use of and comfort with technology varies, so organizations should consider communicating important messages through multiple channels to ensure it reaches all workers. For example, an organization may use blogs, social networks, or instant messages to communicate to Millenials, whereas face-to-face meetings or memos may work better for Baby Boomers or Matures. We have seen this in our own companies with the communication of health insurance information via online tutorials, in-person classes, and distribution of hard copies. An organization should consider adapting training methods for each generation, as their learning styles also differ. Mangers should personally delivering information and education, possibly in lecture format, for the Matures, while Baby Boomers prefer team and consensus-derived information and technology is the best avenue for teaching Generation X and Millennials (Kupperschmidt, 2000, p. 72). Our companies accommodate these differences by providing both in-person and online training, so that individuals have the flexibility to choose. Most Baby Boomers and Matures take advantage of in-person training, while Gen X-ers and Millennials prefer the online training. Employees within each generation also have different preferences for the type and amount of guidance and feedback they receive; therefore managers may need to adjust their leadership and communication styles when interacting with and evaluating the performance of different generations. For instance, performance feedback at an annual review is often sufficient for both the Matures and the Baby Boomers, while more continuous feedback is appreciated by Millennials. In terms of leadership and guidance, the Matures prefer consistent, respectful and direct leadership, while Baby Boomers prefer a more democratic approach. Generation X wants more informal, yet results-oriented leaders, and Millennials seek collaborative, achievement-oriented and coaching type leadership. An example of tailoring ones style to such differences is given in our textbook, where a regional manager at Novo Nordisk Inc. would start each performance feedback e-mail with recognition of team performance, which was late r followed by feedback on individual performance (Bauer Erdogan, 2010, p. 35). A culture of learning could also be fostered by offering job sharing opportunities or possibilities for lateral movement. This would give employees from any generation an opp