Miranda v. Arizona (Self

The Homestead Steel Strike of 1892

The Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 The Homestead Strike, a work stoppage  at Carnegie Steels plant at Homestead, Pennsylvania, turned into one of the most violent episodes in the American labor struggles of the late 1800s. A planned occupation of the plant turned into a bloody battle when hundreds of men from the Pinkerton Detective Agency exchanged gunfire with workers and townspeople along the banks of the Monongahela River. In a surprising twist, strikers captured a number of Pinkertons when the strikebreakers were forced to surrender. The battle on July 6, 1892 ended with a truce, and the release of prisoners. But the state militia arrived a week later to settle things in favor of the company. And two weeks later an anarchist outraged by the behavior of Henry Clay Frick, the vehemently anti-labor manager of Carnegie Steel, tried to assassinate Frick in his office. Though shot twice, Frick survived. Other labor organizations had rallied to the defense of the union at Homestead, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. And for a time public opinion seemed to side with the workers. But the attempted assassination of Frick, and the involvement of a known anarchist, was used to discredit the labor movement. In the end, the management of Carnegie Steel won. Background of the Homestead Plant Labor Problems In 1883 Andrew Carnegie  bought the Homestead Works, a steel plant in Homestead, Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. The plant, which had been focused on producing steel rails for railroads, was changed and modernized under Carnegies ownership to produce steel plate, which could be used for production of armored ships. Carnegie,  known for uncanny business foresight, had become one of the richest men in America, surpassing the wealth of earlier millionaires such as John Jacob Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Under Carnegies direction, the Homestead plant kept expanding, and the town of Homestead, which had about 2,000 residents in 1880, when the plant first opened, grew to a population of about 12,000 in 1892. About 4,000 workers were employed at the steel plant. The union representing workers at the Homestead plant, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, had signed a contract with Carnegies company in 1889. The contract was set to expire on July 1, 1892. Carnegie, and especially his business partner Henry Clay Frick, wanted to break the union. There has always been considerable  dispute about how much Carnegie knew of the ruthless tactics Frick planned to employ. At the time of the 1892 strike, Carnegie was at a luxurious estate he owned in Scotland. But it seems, based on letters the men exchanged, that Carnegie was fully aware of Fricks tactics. The Beginning of the Homestead Strike In 1891 Carnegie began to think about reducing wages at the Homestead plant, and when his company held meetings with the Amalgamated union in the spring of 1892 the company informed the union that it would be cutting wages at the plant. Carnegie also wrote a letter, before he left for Scotland in April 1892, which indicated that he intended to make Homestead a non-union plant. In late May, Henry Clay Frick instructed the company negotiators to inform the union that wages were being reduced. The union would not accept the proposal, which the company said was non-negotiable. In late June 1892, Frick had public notices posted in  the town of Homestead informing union members that since the union had rejected the companys offer, the company would have nothing to do with the union. And to further provoke the union, Frick began construction of what was being called Fort Frick. Tall fences were constructed around the plant, topped with barbed wire. The intent of the barricades and barbed wire was obvious: Frick intended to lock out the union and bring in scabs, non-union workers. The Pinkertons Attempted to Invade Homestead On the night of July 5, 1892, approximately 300 Pinkerton agents arrived in western Pennsylvania by train and boarded two barges which had been stocked with hundreds of pistols and rifles as well as uniforms. The barges were towed on  the Monongahela River to Homestead, where Frick assumed the Pinkertons  could land undetected in the middle of the night. Lookouts saw the barges coming and alerted the workers in Homestead, who raced to the riverbank. When the Pinkertons tried to land at dawn, hundreds of townspeople, some of them armed with weapons dating back to the Civil War, were waiting. It was never determined who fired the first shot, but a gun battle broke out. Men were killed and wounded on both sides, and the Pinkertons were pinned down on the barges, with no escape possible. Throughout the day of July 6, 1892, townspeople of Homestead tried to attack the barges, even pumping oil into the river in an attempt to set fires atop the water. Finally, late in the afternoon, some of the union leaders convinced the townspeople to let the Pinkertons surrender. As the Pinkertons left the barges to walk to a local opera house, where they would be held until the local sheriff could come and arrest them, townspeople threw bricks at them. Some Pinkertons were beaten. The sheriff arrived that night and removed the Pinkertons, though none of them were arrested or indicted for murder, as the townspeople had demanded. Newspapers had been covering the crisis for weeks, but the news of the violence created a sensation when it moved quickly across the telegraph wires. Newspaper editions were rushed out with startling accounts of the confrontation. The New York Evening World published a special extra edition with the headline: AT WAR: Pinkertons and Workers Fight at Homestead. Six steelworkers had been killed in the fighting, and would be buried in the following days. As the people in Homestead held funerals, Henry Clay Frick, in a newspaper interview, announced that he would have no dealings with the union. Henry Clay Frick Was Shot A month later, Henry Clay Frick was in his office in Pittsburgh and a young man came to see him, claiming to represent an agency that could supply replacement workers. The visitor to Frick was actually a Russian anarchist, Alexander Berkman, who had been living in New York City and who had no connection to the union. Berkman forced his way into Fricks office and shot him twice, nearly killing him. Frick survived the assassination attempt, but the incident was used to discredit the union and the American labor movement in general. The incident became a milestone in U.S. labor history, along with the Haymarket Riot and the 1894 Pullman Strike. Carnegie Succeeded in Keeping the Union Out of His Plants The Pennsylvania militia (similar to todays National Guard) took over the Homestead Plant and non-union strikebreakers were brought in to work. Eventually, with the union broken, many of the original workers returned to the plant. Leaders of the union were prosecuted, but juries in western Pennsylvania failed to convict them. While the violence had been happening in western Pennsylvania, Andrew Carnegie had been off in Scotland, avoiding the press at his estate. Carnegie would later claim that he had little to do with the violence at Homestead, but his claims were met with skepticism, and his reputation as a fair employer and philanthropist was greatly tarnished. And Carnegie did succeed in keeping unions out of his plants.

Case H Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

H - Case Study Example Before the venture the salaries of the partners were between $55,000 and $90,000. This means that everyone on the team was going to be receiving a raise. There was no reason to fight over which person deserved more money among the partners since everyone was going to be richer in terms of salary. The decision to spit the equity equally was also the simplest way to arrange the partnership. My opinion is that the founding partners of NanoGene Technologies created a division of wealth fairly. On many instances when people are starting a business they fight too much over who deserves what even before the business venture starts to make money. The founding partners of NanoGene Technologies are all very satisfied with the arrangement. All partners where able to increase their total compensation in terms of salary and ownership in comparison with their prior jobs. The new venture will improve their quality of life because of the higher compensation and the control and self satisfaction of w orking in a company that you founded. B. Some people might perceived that NanoGene Technologies created a company introducing too many founding partners due to the fact the maximum amount of founding partners is typically three. This assumption is incorrect because if a larger group is satisfied splitting the money among more people it does not matter if there are more than three founding partners. The founding fathers of NanoGene Technologies are: Tompkins, Mark Masterson, Ravi Rhoota, and Gary Garfield. The founding team is composed of four scientists. This was a noble idea, but it would have been much better to have a more diversified group of professionals in the founding team. The current dilemma associated with the hiring of Paige Miller would not exist if one of the members of the founding team had an MBA. There is a huge difference between the founding members of a company and the early employees. The founding members of a company are the pioneers that had an idea which they develop into a product or service. The founders are the persons that made the original investment to start the business. Founders are also the ones that put in the original R&D time to develop a product. On many occasions the founding teams invest hundreds or even thousands of hours without receiving a penny of compensation prior to starting the business. The early employees are the people that are hired to work for a company once the operation starts. In the NanoGene case study Paige Miller if hired would be one of the early employees. Other needs such as engineers or accountants could have been met by having a more diversified group of founding partners. C. Paige Miller is an experienced professional with an expertise in the biotech industry. She is a proven winner and a person that can lead a business towards the path of success. She would be serving the role of VP of operations. Her salary demands are $175,000 and 3% of the equity. The first issue with her salary demands is tha t she would be making more money that the four founders of the company. Her salary would be superior to the salary of the CEO. Also her equity demands would equal the equity currently held by the founding fathers. Despite the high salary demands that Paige is asking the reality of the marketplace is that VP of operations are making upwards of $175,000 a year. Mrs. Miller is an excellent candidate and a good fit for the company. Due to the

Absolutism and Limited Monarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Absolutism and Limited Monarchy - Essay Example riod in England where parliament of England was known to have strong political interests in the country and this threatened the monarch (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2006). France and central Europe had strong Catholic roots and hence the Protestants who were known to interfere with monarchy system had no voice. These countries also had strong traditional sources of revenue that they used to run their monarch and this made even the nobility and other political interests in their countries to be at their mercy. This too place in around 1850s and it tossed aside the option of having a limited monarch (Perry, Chase, Jacob, Jacob and Von Laue, 2008). Compare the classical absolutism of Louis XIV in France with one other ruler, Kangxi of China who ruled from 1661 to 1722, Peter the Great of Russia who ruled from 1689 - 1725, or Aurangzeb, Mughal emperor who ruled India from 1658-1707. Both Louis XIV of France and Kangxi of China ruled using â€Å"iron hands.† They were the two longest serving absolutist rulers in their respective countries and this way possible due to their ruling style and dictatorship manner. They both had wealth from the revenues they collected from their countries and from the countries they went to war with and they both had their religious issues and even political issues in check and hence avoiding any disruption of their ruling (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2010). All absolutist leaders including Louis XIV had monetary stability to rule. The funds enabled them command even the military to fight enemies, conquer areas and put wealthy people at their service. They also had almost similar goals and tough rules that made them strong and relentless in their ruling. The difference however came in their personal life and how they had been raised up. Some had tough childhoods like Kangxi but others like Louis XIV and XV had it smooth and hence this affected how they imposed their ruling (McNeese,

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS - Essay Example It made more than 60 acquisitions to become the second biggest long distance company in the U.S. LDDS later became a public company in 1989 after its purchase of advantage companies. WorldCom’s plan was to bring in economies of scale that were desperately needed to become successful in the flourishing telecom market at the time (Monks and Nell 577) (Fernando 218). LDDS then changed its name in May 1995, to WorldCom Inc. Nearly every one of WorldCom’s possessions were paid for by its stock. At first WorldCom was in the voice telephony business, however, novel technology as well as growing competition decreased revenues in addition to profits of the business. WorldCom consequently sought to broaden its horizons in mid-1990 by buying companies that facilitated it venture into data, satellite communications as well as webhosting market among others. Nevertheless, these businesses experienced their own slow down then making it difficult for WorldCom to meet its earnings fore cast as well as its own revenue (Monks and Nell 577) (Fernando 218). Besides being seventy percent better than Enron in terms of assets, WorldCom Inc. was also the second biggest telecommunications company in the United States. ... In June 25, 2002; WorldCom announced that it had deliberately furthermore inappropriately inflated its cash flow by $ 3.8 billion (Brooks and Paul 122) (Fernando 218). The declaration followed the resignation of WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers in the midst of questions of his personal loans from WorldCom as we as the launch of SEC’s investigations into WorldCom’s accounting. WorldCom later filed for liquidation protection in July, 2002. A year after rising from bankruptcy protection WorldCom amended its name from MCI to Verizon (Monks and Nell 576). The major personalities embroiled in accounting manipulations at WorldCom include: Bernard J. Ebbers (CEO), Scott D. Sullivan (CFO), Burford Yates (Director general accounting), David F. Myers (Controller), Betty, L. Vinson (Director of management reporting) and Troy M. Normand (Director of legal entity accounting) (Brooks and Paul 122). WorldCom’s financial meltdown took place at the center of the uproar emanating from e vents at the time that can be enumerated as follows: (a) the looming depression of stock markets at the time. (b) Enron’s liquidation in December 2, 2001 as well as the linked senate and congress hearings; plus the fifth amendment by Enron executives. (c) Petitions by president Bush as well as business leaders for reinstatement of trust in addition to reliability to financial markets, reporting as well as corporate governance. (d) Receptive introduction of governance guide lines by Stock and Exchange Commission (SEC). (e) Deliberations by U.S senate as well as congress of separate bills to enhance accountability in corporate governance. (f) Condemnation of Arthur Andersen, auditor of both

Transformational Leadership: The Best Leadership for Healthcare

Transformational Leadership: The Best Leadership for Healthcare This paper is an examination of the methods and practices of transformational leadership. The theory behind transformational leadership is discussed. An explanation of how transformational leadership is practiced is also included. Finally, a discussion of the current state of the health care industry is initiated, with a look at how transformational leadership is the best leadership style to transform this industry for the better. This persuasive paper focuses on change leadership in the healthcare industry. The purpose of this paper is to persuade the reader that transformational leadership is the best type of change leadership for the healthcare industry. Transformational Leadership: The Best Leadership for the Healthcare Industry Change leadership is just what its name implies-a type of leadership that is devoted to guiding an organization through positive changes, and it dynamic in making those changes happen. This is a popular leadership style nowadays. Moving into the 21st century has forced many businesses and organizations to realize that they must change to keep up with the times, that technology and new ways of relating to others and doing business mean that business as usual in no longer acceptable. In order to be competitive in this new century, businesses must change their practices to be cohesive with the new business environment. For a business to be successful in making this adjustment, a strong, specific style of leadership is required to guide the organization through the change (Change Leadership, 2003). This is the purpose of change leadership. Within the area of change leadership, there are several sub-areas of change leadership specialization. One of these sub-areas of change leadership is transformational change. Transformational change is defined as patterns of actions contained within an organizations culture (Transformational Leadership, 1998). These actions include such behaviors as clarifying goals, communicating, taking consistent action, caring, and creating opportunities for development (Transformational Leadership, 1998). By carefully cultivating transformational leadership in the chosen leaders of a company or organization, leaders will be produced who can adapt and deal with organizational members, define, prioritize, and communicate a strategic mission, coordinate and design work systems to promote cooperation, and utilize multiple supporting mechanisms (Transformational Leadership, 1998). In laymans terms, transformational leadership is the process of perceiving when change is needed and influencing the organization by such non-coercive means as persuasion and being an example to the organization in the efforts of goal-setting and goal-achievement (Wonacott, 2001). In transformational leadership theory, four factors motivate employees to perform beyond expectations. These factors are promoted and put into effect by transformational leaders who develop, intellectually inspire, and inspire them to work toward a collective purpose, vision, or mission (Wonacott, 2001). The first of these four factors is charismatic leaders who earn respect, trust, and confidence and who transmit a strong sense of vision and mission (Wonacott, 2001). The second factor is leaders who intellectually stimulate their employees and encourage them to question the status quo and to critically examine their own assumptions and beliefs and those of their leaders (Wonacott, 2001). The third factor i s leaders who show individual consideration in personalized attention to every employees needs so that each employee feels valued (Wonacott, 2001). The fourth factor is leaders who give inspirational motivation that communicates a vision as well as the confident, optimistic belief that the vision is obtainable (Wonacott, 2001). It can be seen then that the common factor in all four of the motivating factors of employees is their leader. Because of this, transformational leadership has the potential to be a dynamic force in an organization. Transformational leaders have the ability to change their employees from self-serving individuals in the organization, only looking out for their own good, into community-minded individuals who are working toward the common good of the whole organization. Transformational leaders have a clear collective vision and are able to communicate it effectively to all employees (What Is?, n.d.). They act as role models for employees, stimulate employees to be more innovative, and are not afraid to take risks or to use unconventional methods to attain their collective vision (What Is?, n.d.). In this way, transformational leaders leave room for their employees and the organization as a whole to breathe and grow (What Is?, n.d.). Transformational leadership is very different from the other main sub-area of change leadership. This other sub-area is known as transactional leadership. In this form of leadership, managers have a very hands off approach to employees (Full Range, 2000). They do not take stands on issues, do not emphasize results, do not take action when issues arise, and are generally unaware of employee performance (Full Range, 2001). These sorts of managers only take corrective actions. They set standards but wait until problems arise before doing anything about them, they stress only what people are doing wrong, and they make it a point to enforce rules, disliking any change in the status quo (Full Range, 2001). On the other hand, these types of managers do have a clear system for handing out rewards. In transactional leadership, there are often clearly stated expectations for employees, and clearly stated rewards for meeting these expectations. However, this is the only positive thing this type of leadership has going for it. In general, transactional leadership causes fear and mistrust of management among employees, and fosters a stressful us vs. them environment. This type of environment is not conducive to positive change. In contrast to transactional leadership, there are many positive elements that transformational leadership can bring to an organization. Numerous studies have shown that transformational leadership does such wonderful things as:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase organizational performance and customer satisfaction.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase employee commitment to the organization.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase employee trust in management.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enhance employee satisfaction with their jobs and their leader.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reduce employee stress and increase well-being. (What Is?, n.d.) Transformational leadership is of particular importance to the health care industry. In todays world of a health care industry with a reputation as being cold and uncaring toward patients, a new model of leadership is greatly needed. People today are not only frustrated with the impersonal and often harsh treatment they get from people in the health care industry; they feel like just a number to health care professionals rather than a person. This is not just problem in patient perception. A larger number of medical mistakes are being made today than ever before, and health care professionals are working longer hours and reporting more stress. These long hours and stressful working conditions are having an obvious effect on the quality of care patients receive, and patients are noticing it. A new model of leadership for the health care industry is required. Transformational leadership is just what the health care industry needs. In the health care industry, physicians are normally looked to as the leaders in any health care facility. Physicians are, after all, the ones with the most education and training in the industry, and the ones who make diagnoses and perform the most intricate work. Therefore, it falls to the physicians to take a look at their leadership styles and learn to make the necessary adjustments in order to improve the morale of their subordinates and thereby increase the quality of patient care. Since physicians are very busy people who dont have much time to study leadership styles, the health care industry has continued to be operated by an outmoded hierarchical system (Schwartz, 2002). This outmoded system has caused the health care industry to stagnate while other industries that have updated their management styles and changed with the times have flourished (Schwartz, 2002). Since transformational leadership is most effective in energizing and mobilizing individuals within organizations , the physicians of the health care industry would do well to take a moment or two, or even take a week and go on a retreat, to learn about the styles and benefits of transformational leadership. There are three stages that a medical office or institution must go through in order to instigate a change to transformational leadership. The first stage is to wake up the office, letting the others who work there know that they must improve or perish (Smith, 2003). Most businesses are slow to recognize the need for this important first step, and are hurt in the marketplace before they see the need to wake up; the same is true of medical practices, as patients can always go to the doctors office or the hospital around the corner where transformational leadership is practiced. Resistance to change needs to be guarded against; this is especially true in medical offices that are already successful and so see no reason to change (Smith, 2003). Stage two is to create a vision of the preferred practice paradigm for the office (Smith, 2003). The type and size of these paradigms need to be very specific. If a physician is able to give his or her patients clear picture of what is going to happen and why, those people will be more likely to go along with it. This stage is very important as without a clear picture, no one will understand what is being done (Smith, 2003). The clearer the picture the physician is able to paint, the better response he or she will have (Smith, 2003). Stage three is the actual re-working of the office (Smith, 2003). The stage involves re-training workers and developing new procedures to fit the new paradigm the physician has created. For most physicians, this is a fun stage, as it is very hands-on, challenging, and exciting. This is the stage where the physician gets to see his or her plan in action and can see how it is working; most often, a physician will notice a tremendous change for the better coming over the practice, and patients will report a greater degree of satisfaction with the service received there. After this, the only thing left for the physician to do is to continue to practice transformational leadership and to engage in ongoing development of the practice (Smith, 2003). With this type of leadership, physicians are better able to get people from where they are to where they need to be (Smith, 2003). Leadership is about the future (Bujak, 2001). In order to be effective and competitive, all businesses must embrace the changes that the future will bring. Micromanagement is an all-too-common management practice in the health care industry, and it belongs in the past (Bujak, 2001). Physicians have typically been some of the biggest practitioners of micromanagement, wanting to be involved in every aspect of running their practices, right down to the billing procedures. This causes stress not only for their employees, but for the physicians themselves. This is not effective leadership. However, imagine what could happen in the health care industry if physicians (and hospital administrators, as well) embraced a model of transformational leadership. A transformational leader in the health care industry would celebrate the workforce at his or her office or institution, and would revel in the diversity there; this diversity would not only be in race or gender, but also in style of working, personalities, and methods of learning. A transformational leader would embrace all of these things as each contributing something unique and important to the practice. By maintaining this attitude, the transformational leader would naturally reach out to and encourage all employees in their individual endeavors at the practice, thereby motivating them to do better and to achieve greater things than they could have achieved before. A transformational leader in the health care industry would also endeavor to remove any perceived barriers between employees and himself or herself. This would mean tearing down old hierarchical structures that made the physician leader unapproachable or intimidating to employees, By removing this barrier, the physician leader will succeed in making the practice a more open and hospitable place for employees, one in which they can feel comfortable expressing themselves, asking questions, clarifying objectives, and asking for help if they need it. A practice without institutional barriers between the physician leader and the employees is a relaxed, yet happier and more effective organization. A transformational leader in the health care industry trusts his or her employees and gives them the room they need to do their jobs in their own way. This is very important. Every person has a unique and different way of doing things, and what may work wonderfully for the physician leader may not work so well for a nurse or a receptionist. Under older ways of doing things, the physician leader would force those who worked in his or her office to conform to their method of doing everything, from organization to time management to how to greet a patient. For those employees who were not comfortable with this method of operation and who had different ways of doing things that they knew were just as effective, this sort of management created a stressful, almost hostile environment. By allowing employees the freedom to get things done in the way that suits them best, the physician leader is encouraging greater efficiency, fewer mistakes, and greater employee loyalty. A transformational leader also encourages innovation and allows his or her employees to take risks. Given the right circumstances and having the liberty to try, ordinary people will accomplish extraordinary things (Bujak, 2001). The transformational leader creates these circumstances. Without being given the freedom to take risks, employees will continue to perform in the same old ways, and this can be detrimental to the health care industry, especially now, when it is in such a great need of change. When given freedom to experiment with innovations, employees in the health care industry will often come up with wonderful solutions to long-standing problems. Even when a new innovation from an employee is not working out in the parameters of the practice, the transformational leader will offer encouragement to the employee who instigated it and guide him or her in a direction that may be better suited to the practice, allowing that employee to come up with the details on his or her own , and giving that employee the freedom to try. Environments such as these create the best sort of changes, and the ones that do the most good to the industry as a whole. A transformational leader will stop trying to manage other peoples problems. My being a sorter and not a savior and by making time for the important before the non-urgent, the transformational leader focuses on what is truly important in the organization and encourages a sense of responsibility in managing their own issues among employees. A transformational leader establishes the minimum standards that they will accept, and allows employees the freedom to determine how they will meet those standards; often, when left to their own devices, employees will exceed those standards many times over. Finally, a transformational leader prioritizes the values of the practice. In other words, a transformational leader establishes priorities for the practice and allocates resources to these priorities based on their importance. By making these priorities clear to employees and by backing that up with the allocation of resources, the transformational leader makes employees aware of what the objectives are for the practice and what the most important objectives are. By knowing this information, employees are better able to organize their time and focus their efforts. Prioritizing the values of the practice makes for a better, more tightly run practice all around and created happier employees and patients. In conclusion, transformational leadership is a leadership style that is dynamic and energetic, compassionate and trusting. Transformational leadership is the kind of leadership that makes organizations grow and thrive because the employees of those organizations are in a supportive environment that encourages them to take initiative and express their individuality, while at the same time providing them with clear objectives to aim for. A business that is operated with a transformational leadership style is one that is embracing the 21st century; such a business is giving itself every chance of not only succeeding but thriving. Transformational leaders use compassion and trust to build a sense of community in their workplaces. This sense of community motivates employees to be their best and to work toward the common good of the organization. With a transformational leader, no longer will employees be self-serving and only putting their most minimal effort out that it will take them to get by. When inspired by a transformational leader, employees come to have a sense of pride and purpose in the organization which employs them, and this breeds loyalty in employees. Loyal employees look out for the best interests of the organization because they feel connected to the organization. This kind of loyalty is one of the best investments a business can make in itself. Transformational leadership is especially needed in the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is suffering from a lot of bad press at the moment, and a lot of patient dissatisfaction with the quality of care they receive. The people who work in the healthcare industry are suffering from stress and burnout. A lot of these problems are due to the stagnation of the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is still mired in an old-fashioned system of hierarchy and protocol and proper channels to follow. Its system of operation is still very rigid, as far as its work environment goes. This rigid system is putting a lot of stress and strain on employees, and as a result, the quality of patient care is suffering. Transformational leadership has the possibility to change all of that for the health care industry. Transformational leadership would allow physicians, who are the usual leaders in a healthcare environment, to get closer to their employees on a professional level, which would bring about more openness in the workplace. This openness would lead to dialogues between physicians and employees as to what everyone involved envisions the practice to be and what each person sees their role in the practice to be. This meaningful dialogue would lead to a more relaxed atmosphere in the workplace, and this is only a start. In addition to fostering a more open working environment, transformational leadership in the healthcare industry would lead to a breaking down of the traditional hierarchical system that has kept physicians so removed from their employees. When physicians begin showing their employees individual compassion and concern, and begin celebrating the differences among them, employee satisfaction will rise. This will result in greater loyalty from employees, which will in turn lead to physicians being able to give employees greater trust and more freedom in taking initiative and risks in the workplace. This initiative and risk being taken will naturally lead to many improvements in the overall operation of the practice. In addition, physicians using a transformational leadership approach will be able to communicate a clear picture of the objectives of the practice, which employees will be happy to follow, as they will be given the room they need to be individuals in the operating of the pra ctice. This will lead to not only greater employee satisfaction, but to greater patient satisfaction as well. This, of course, is the main need of the healthcare industry currently. Transformational leadership, when used in its true form, has the power to transform the healthcare industry for the better.

Reflection on Alternative Assessments Essays -- Education Assessment E

Reflection on Alternative Assessments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional and alternative assessments share some key elements, yet differ as well. All assessments, whether given as a test after a unit or alternative, should be measurable and be reliable and valid by having clear criteria to measure the learning targets. Traditional and alternative assessments generally differ in timing, feedback, student's involvement, and how the teacher uses the information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The time in which traditional assessments such as after the unit tests are designed to provide feedback is at the end of a unit only. There is also generally a time limit to complete this type of assessment as well. These are not true of alternative assessments. A KWL or pre-test can provide feedback before a lesson or unit. Nearly all alternative assessments can also provide ongoing feedback during the lesson or unit as well as after it is completed. Also, many alternative assessments do not have a time constraint to demonstrate understanding of content.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The feedback given from a traditional assessment is a letter or percentage grade, which does not tell the content that the student knows, only a measure of quantity of knowledge from a scale of nothing to everything. This feedback is used to tell the teacher and/or school whether or not to promote the student and how they fall in comparison to the other students. With alternative assessments the feedback can be used by all parties (teacher, student, parent, and sch...

Krokodil: Signing Your Own Death Essay

Krokodil is a drug that is mostly sold in Russia. According to unofficial estimates, Russia is the country with the highest amount of heroin addicts; approximately two million. However, not everyone can afford this drug. Krokodil is a drug more powerful and more destructive than heroin and it is also a lot cheaper. Whereas heroin may cost $150 US and up per use, Krokodil can be obtained for $6-$8 US per injection. So what is Krokodil? It is home made and pretty much anyone can cook it. This drug is pretty much codeine turned into desomorphine by a relatively easy process of cooking. Codeine is narcotic found at any pharmacy. The problem with the desomorphine is that it has to be made by professionals in a special facility or laboratory to be perfectly pure. So these random citizens trying to perform this at home are going to use home products to turn the codeine into desomorphine, which is the cause of why the results after consuming this drug is so destructive. People use gasoline as a solvent, red phosphorus; which we find on average matches, iodine and hydrochloric acid, which is a highly corrosive substance, found naturally in gastric acid, it also balances the pH level of acidity which is why it is used in swimming pool treatment solutions, making it easy to purchase at specialized supermarkets. What does this drug do to you? The corrosive acids will eventually turn the skin greenish with a rough texture, which is why this drug is called Krokodil. The skin around the injection site is the first to gain this appearance and becomes an easy target for gangrene. The skin literally becomes rotten and, in time, it ends up sloughing off, exposing the bone. Victor Ivanov, the head of Russia’s Drug Control Agency, estimates that five percent of drug users in Russia are consuming Krokodil and other equally dangerous home made drugs. Heroin alone kills around 300 thousand people in Russia every year, but Krokodil brings a much faster death. Some of its consumers only inject it when they have no money to buy heroin; however, as soon as they manage to get the money they will stop using the Krokodil. In poorer regions of Russia, though, people are becoming 24/7 Krokodil addicts, which gives them no longer than a year to live, from the moment they first inject this drug. What’s bad about this is that there are actually websites showing how to cook this drug and it’s a growing hidden epidemic. After seeing pictures of what people look like after some doses of Krokodil, I wonder how someone would ever do this to themselves. Having said this, why do people still get themselves into this? What could be so terrible about their lives that they pick the path to self destruction in such a sordid, painful way? krokodil is 3 times more powerful and 10 times cheaper than heroin, and has become an epidemic in Russia. Krokodil has almost the same effects as heroin except heroin does not eat up your skin like krokodil does heroin is not that harmful as krokodil. Kokodril is consumed mainly injecting yourself the substance in your blood stream that’s the cause why it reacts destructively with your body. Many people call kokodril the drug that eats junkies. Many scientists say that this drug is one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. One good thing is that this drug is mainly used only in Russia but not in the united states. Overall if you take krokodil you basically sign your own death.

buy custom Wal-Mart as a Company essay

buy custom Wal-Mart as a Company essay Wal-Mart as a company is successful. They have been able to meet the needs of the consumer and at the same time get high returns for their business. Their big secret for this is making use of the latest technology and low prices for the consumer. Debates and interviews have been made on whether the company is good for America or not. Many people see the benefits of Wal-Mart as a firm and attribute it to the economic transformation that America has experienced. Wal-Mart as a firm has brought a great transformation in the American economy. The consumers have always demanded goods that they could afford in the consumer market. Unfortunately, they have been subject to exorbitant prices from the retailers, who have had no option due to high prices passed on to them by the manufacturer. Wal-Mart has therefore come in as a great relief for both the retailer and the consumer. As we speak, the retailer has the greatest say, with the manufacturer having to adjust the costs. This is a big step into better business, with better products and great bargains for goods and services. The consumer also has more choices. They can buy goods that come from the global market unlike earlier on when they would have to make a lot of effort to receive such goods. Other nations have been able to succeed forming the move. For example the suppliers such as China and Asian countries have doubled up their returns, making it more attractive for many other nations to move towards the same direction. It has also made it easy for the balance of payments to reduce due to the heavy transactions carried out everyday. The deficits that once existed and looked impossible to do away with them have truly been reduced. Therefore many nations may want to get business deals with such companies. The market in China for example has become busy, their ports full of activity and more of this is expected in the future. However some other people argue that the Americans want better standards of living than they want low priced goods. They want to be kept in a formal employment with a decent salary at the end of the day, something that Wal-Mart has done away with. They feel that the profit the company makes is nothing comparable to the many needs of the American citiz en. Wal-Mart has brought in a great economic benefit to the Americans. The critics of the same may have genuine concerns but the company cannot be done away with. The benefits are away above what has been the expectation of the majority. However, the disadvantages must be checked to ensure that Americans are able to embrace the companys ideas and efforts wholeheartedly. Buy custom Wal-Mart as a Company essay

Pricing Strategy and Special Topics

Pricing Strategy and Special Topics Pricing strategy refers to the series of maneuvers that businessmen employ to arrive at the final price of a new product at the market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Pricing Strategy and Special Topics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In general, a business man should follow the following steps before settling down on the price of a commodity: come up with a marketing strategy, decide on the marketing mix, determine the demand versus price relationship, calculate the cost incurred, consider environmental factors, outline the pricing objectives and finally settle down on the cost of the commodity (Anon 2). Putting into consideration a few examples, Tata, an Indian car company introduces the cheapest car in the market which after selling for a while undergoes a price hike. The company would have failed to maintain the cheap price due to various reasons. For instance, despite the car’s cheap price, it did not r ealize market share maximization which was one of its targets since it sold just 45,000 in a country of over a billion people. The company had considered some ethical issues before settling down on the price like excluding features that may raise the cost of production and setting the plant near the source of raw materials. However, low prices are usually prone to price wars and may be considered internationally as dumping. Again, the Indian government initiative to develop the cheapest PC attracts so much debate from manufacturers. This goes hand in hand with the introduction of $35 tablet PC which appears to be impossible to many. Such initiatives may be successful since the government may subsidize the manufacturing cost in its efforts to make each of its citizens own a PC. The government considers legal issues like subsidizing the cost for the benefit of their consumers, though it may raise questions from other manufactures. However, price standardization has not been accepted i n many countries. Automobile Sales Examining the conversation between the three car dealers and the report thereafter, it is very clear to everyone that automobile prices have drastically gone down by a very high percentage compared to the previous years. Many programs have been put in place to have the prices cut by almost 40% that have seen all kinds of vehicles going at a lower price.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apart from prices falling, car sales are not very good probably due to gas prices. However, quite a good number of people are targeting the collapse of the general motors’ hoping that this would cause the prices to fall even further. Manufacturers have been employing various pricing strategies to ensure that despite the low prices and low sales, they still remain in the market and do not undergo losses. There are five pricing strategies that a re evident in the automobiles industry which include price skimming, penetration pricing, experience curve pricing, complementary product pricing and break even pricing (Rao 15). Price skimming involves setting initial prices very high to target those customers who are less sensitive and then gradually reducing the prices to have them fall even further. The referred articles show that automobile prices were higher in the previous years, have shoppers like Ousman who rarely bargains and also most people are waiting for General Motors to collapse hoping for even lower prices. In penetration pricing, the dealers set lower prices to accelerate product adoption as we can see dealers hoping that customers will flock in the showrooms. â€Å"Experience curve pricing† targets higher volumes of sales and lower costs through accumulated experience. Complementary product pricing is seen where one dealer says that most profits are not realized from new cars but after sale services like sp are parts. Finally, no dealer talks of incurring losses meaning that they have employed the break even pricing (Langfitt 2). Product Marketing Versus Service Marketing There is a major difference between marketing of product when compared with marketing of services. Many business men market their tangible products very easily but find it very tricky to market services. Several features significantly differentiate these two kinds of products some of which are discussed below. Marketing of a service involves marketing of relationship and value as compared to the visible tangible product. Relationship and value needs consumer conviction rather that a tangible product that he/she can confirm of the same. The physical presence of a commodity has more appeal to the consumer rather than something that can only be confirmed after it has taken place.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Pricing Strategy and Special Topics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, it is possible to look at the value of a packet of maize flour by looking at the ingredients whereas it’s not possible to know the value of counselor’s services. Whereas the reputation of a tangible product can be determined by the various products on display, the reputation of a service is time based and depends on how a particular individual can deliver that service. For instance, it is not easy to determine the reputation of a lawyer unless you confirm the way he will defend you whereas by walking through a showroom, it is easy to outline the reputation of various car models. Again, it is easier to test the quality of a tangible product, like checking the features of a computer that you may be looking for but it is very difficult to test the quality of a service before receiving it. For instance, you can only confirm the quality of the work of an architect by the products of his structural planning. Also, a consumer can return a tangible product to the seller but a service cannot be returned (DK 6). Anon. Pricing Strategy. NetMBA Business Knowledge Centre, 2010. Web. DK. Product Marketing vs. Service Marketing What You Need to Know. Business Knowledge Source, 2010. Web. Langfitt, Frank. Cash or Credit, Car Deals Abound. NPR, 2009. Web. Rao, Vithala. Handbook of Pricing Research in Marketing. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Discuss the Role of Multinationals in the Globalisation of Innovation Essay

Discuss the Role of Multinationals in the Globalisation of Innovation - Essay Example Another example is Nintendo Co., Limited that was ranked number five in product improvement in 2009 by Bloomberg (2010). The improved products spread from Japan to Canada, Australia, United States and Gro?ostheim. Top forty most innovative multinationals in the world that has helped spread innovation globally is listed in table 1 (refer to appendices). In recent years, multinationals companies have been spreading to developing nations of Asia to tap into its large and expanding markets. For example, America’s Agilent Technologies began experiencing growth of its scientific and test equipment in Asia than other continents. Therefore, they had to shift base to Asia where they developed a full division of fully fledged research and development infrastructure to make it highly competitive and produce products that best suit the Asian market. Innovation centers are set in foreign countries to enable multinationals understand the foreign markets well to facilitate their entry. How m ultinational globalise innovations There are a number of ways in which multinationals spread innovations to other parts of the world from their country of origin. Practically, innovation spreads across countries or continents inform of foreign direct investments where international companies invest in setting up production facilities in foreign countries, merge or acquire foreign companies, move their expertise to work in international branches, corporate social responsibility or sell technology to other countries or companies. In addition, the mere distribution of improved products or services constitutes transfer of innovations from one place to another. Spread of innovations from one place to another is dictated by economic... This essay approves that there are a number of ways in which multinationals spread innovations to other parts of the world from their country of origin. Practically, innovation spreads across countries or continents inform of foreign direct investments where international companies invest in setting up production facilities in foreign countries, merge or acquire foreign companies, move their expertise to work in international branches, corporate social responsibility or sell technology to other countries or companies. In addition, the mere distribution of improved products or services constitutes transfer of innovations from one place to another. Spread of innovations from one place to another is dictated by economic policies of one or both countries, availability of adequate finances, economic conditions, quality and capability of skilled employees as well as company’s policy on spread of innovation among others. This report makes a conclusion that Microsoft has developed research and development in Beijing. Knowledge-intensive companies are increasing the number of their employees in developing countries. India is hosting about a quarter of Accenture employees. According to Wooldridge, large multinational companies develop innovation markets in the developing economies because developing economies have huge market potential and high economic growth rate. In addition, they are few costly legacy systems in developing countries and resources are relatively abundant and cheaper. For example, about five million and three million people graduate in China and India annually respectively, consequently most multinational have shifted their companies to Asian countries.

Let Me Say It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Let Me Say It - Essay Example Moreover, the family and the society is always engaging to bring out the best among family members (Kragen). It has been observed that the continuous communication maintain cohesion among nation and where there is breakdown of interpersonal communication there are tension that lead to conflict. Moreover, the process of communication is influenced by what one says (Interpersonal Communication and Personality). The respondent analyses the message he receives and respond to it appropriately (Kragen). ‘Interpersonal communication is irreversible’ (Kragen). Once people act or communicate to other people it is not possible to erase or reverse the process. For example when a person send out an email it is not possible to withdraw what has been sent. Moreover, it is impossible to forget peoples behaviors learned through communication exchanges. Furthermore, it is impossible to undo an act or unsee things already seen. The communication process in interpersonal communication cannot be restarted and presenting a new version of a story does not erase a previous good or bad episode. Therefore, what people communicate become a behavioral sequence of interpersonal communication