In Cold Blood Book Review

If one is interested in reading a disturbingly detailed and factually based novel that chronicles the course and motives of complex crime, read Truman Capote’s â€Å"In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences. † If one scares easily, is squeamish or wants to avoid imagining a remorseless, brutal killer around every corner, do not. In his 1965 nonfiction novel, Capote paints a disturbingly vivid picture of the quadruple murder of the Clutters, a highly regarded and semi-wealthy farming family from Holcomb, Kansas.In Cold Blood examines the incentives and methods used by the killers, as well as the effect these murders had on the small Kansas town. â€Å"In Cold Blood,† what many consider Capote’s masterpiece, was one of the first novels of its kind: nonfiction. This genre requires an author to possess the â€Å"just the facts† attitude of a journalist, while still maintaining the ability to tell a detailed and aesthetical ly pleasing story. To write â€Å"In Cold Blood,† as a journalist would, Capote traveled to Holcomb.He planned to interview residents about their methods of coping with the tragedy. While in Holcomb, the Clutters’ murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, were caught. After that, Capote’s novel evolved into something more complex. He spent the next six years following the trial and interviewing the murderers and Holcomb residents. â€Å"In Cold Blood† showcases Capote’s true talent for both journalistic and prose writing. If one considers all the sources used in the novel, it is clear that an abundant amount of research and effort went into this work.In the acknowledgements preceding the novel, Capote wrote, â€Å"All the material in this book not derived from my own observation is either taken from official records or is the result of interviews with persons directly concerned, more often than not numerous interviews conducted over a considerable period of time. † Not only did he spend the better part of a decade conducting interviews and reviewing documents, but Capote also did his best to re-create the thoughts and feelings of those vital characters with whom he could not speak, the Clutter family.He did so through interviews with others and his own inferences. Additionally, he did the same to fill in any other character gaps. Because â€Å"In Cold Blood† is composed mostly of interviews, a large part of the novel is dialog. The dialog not only keeps readers interested, but also offers an insight directly into the mind of the killers and the townspeople. Words straight from the mouth of Perry Smith or Susan Kidwell resonate much better with readers than a simple paraphrase from Capote ever could. Readers cannot help but cringe and reach for their jugular as they read Smith’s graphic descriptions. I didn’t realize what I’d done till I heard the sound. Like somebody drowning. Screaming under water,† said Smith. Similarly, Kidwell’s account of the event adds an even deeper emotional aspect to the story. Her words are haunting. Of finding her friend that day, Kidwell said, â€Å"I don’t remember screaming. Nancy Ewalt says I did – screamed and screamed. I only remember Nancy’s Teddy bear staring at me. And Nancy. † Throughout â€Å"In Cold Blood,† Capote illustrates several journalistic characteristics, one of which being oddity.The murder of a nice family from a small town is certainly unusual, especially when no motives or suspects fit the case. Additionally, when the killers were caught, their indifference towards the crime varied drastically from what one would expect. Dick even said, â€Å"I know it is wrong. But at the time I never give any thought to whether it is right or wrong. The same with stealing. It seems to be an impulse. † â€Å"In Cold Blood† also demonstrates proximity and human interest. Hol comb, Kansas is comparable to Any-town, USA.Because this crime and location seemed to be, at first, so randomly chosen, they peak human interest. Capote did a great job emphasizing the consequential insecurity felt by the Holcomb residents. He instilled that fear into readers, and they are sure to assume that each bump in the night is Perry Smith sneaking lightly to their bedrooms. While Capote did quite well making â€Å"In Cold Blood† newsworthy, he failed to practice one important principal of journalism. Capote did not maintain an independence from those whom he covered, so his writing showed bias.In a novel that required so much research and so many interviews, it is understandable that Capote would become friendly and sympathetic of the Holcomb citizens. However, Capote became sympathetic of the killers, especially Smith. While Perry murdered the Clutter family, Capote so obviously favored him over Dick. Throughout the novel, Smith is described as a gentle man with a co nscience, and it is indicated that he may have mental problems. Capote’s characterization of Smith was designed to make readers pity him.Dick, on the other hand, is almost always portrayed as a heartless and brutal man who is fully responsible for his actions. In the end of the novel, Capote even alludes to the radical idea that Perry should not receive the death penalty. All in all, â€Å"In Cold Blood† is a well-written and interesting novel not designed for the weak of heart. Capote’s masterpiece is sure send a shiver up readers’ spines and leave paranoia in their minds. Capote does show some bias in his writing, but given the situations, it is understandable.

Grenz Review

TY 170 February 23, 2009 Grenz Review As time passes, different themes are presented throughout society. These themes tend to make attempts at disproving its predecessor. In Stanley J. Grenz’ book, A Primer on Postmodernism, he discusses the two most recent ideas supported by the public; modernism and postmodernism. The opposition is apparent between the eras of modernity and postmodernity. As described by Grenz, modernity focuses on the individual, using reasoning as a source of the truth. This belief causes truth to be relative.Postmodernity’s focal point is the group, rather than the individual. Truth, in the postmodern view, is created by intuition and feeling, causing it to be constructed. Grenz also discusses both the problems postmodernity pose on Christianity and the similarities between postmodernism and Christianity. Grenz’ portrait of postmodernism is accurate for what society is facing today. In order to understand the differences between modernism an d postmodernism as Grenz has defined them, first understanding of how each was created is needed.Modernity is based around meta-narratives; stories that connect everyone together. The most profound meta-narrative of modernity is the universal truth of science. One of the most important constructs of modernity is individualism, upon which all modern thinkers based their work. â€Å"Most historians suggest that the modern era was born when the Enlightenment brought new hope to war-ravaged Europe† (57). The Enlightenment had four principles; â€Å"Reason, nature, autonomy, and harmony† (68). These principles created the foundation for modern thinkers.Many modern thinkers throughout the era, regardless of their discipline, â€Å"Turned to the reasoning subject rather than divine revelation as the starting point for knowledge and reflection† (65). Through these foundations set for modernity, the modern philosophers turned to science in support for their hypotheses. à ¢â‚¬Å"Thinkers such as Descartes, Newton, and Kant provided the intellectual foundation for the modern era† (80). Rene Descartes was one of the first modern thinkers of his time, â€Å"often being referred to as the father of modern philosophy† (63). When Descartes irst set out on his journey for knowledge, he set out with doubt, in search of absolute truth that doubt could not deny (64). Like many other thinkers of that period, he â€Å"Attempted to introduce the rigor of mathematical demonstration into all fields of knowledge,† because he believed that the truths of mathematics were more concrete than knowledge based on observation (64). Descartes eventually reached the destination of his searching; the one thing that could not be doubted was one’s own existence. His new way of thinking led to a different outlook of the human person.His work defined â€Å"The human being as thinking substance and the human person as an autonomous rational subject† (64). This new definition supported Augustine’s philosophy; â€Å"Cogito ergo sum – ‘I think, therefore I am,† (64). Although Descartes’ work did not discover subjectivity, â€Å"the chief importance of his contribution lies in his emphasis on personal experience and personal knowledge, on knowledge arising from the individual’s unique point of view† (64). His role in the Enlightenment paved the path for his modern-thinking successors.Following Descartes’ work, Newton began making his own imprint on the world, emphasizing the importance of science. His work focused on trying to explain the workings of his universe that he saw as a â€Å"Grand, orderly machine,† (67). Newton’s idea of the world as a machine provided the framework for modernity. Newton believed that by viewing the world as a machine, he would be able to know its movements because it would follow a set of distinct laws (67). His design led modern thi nkers to have a mechanistic understanding of the world, as opposed to a natural view (50).Although Newton looked at the scientific explanations of the world, his intent was to explain the existence of God. Similar to Descartes, Newton used the power of reason to enhance the meaning of theology. â€Å"The modern world turned out to be Newton’s mechanistic universe populated by Descartes’ autonomous, rational substance† (67). Through Newton’s work, other philosophers had the foundation needed to make their own impressions on the world of modernity. Eventually, philosophers began questioning the Enlightenment and modernity as a whole.Through Immanuel Kant’s work, he strengthened the ties between society and modernity, which associated himself with the beginning of the Enlightenment. Kant’s most important contribution to modernity was his publication of Critique of Pure Reason (57). His critique strengthened the support of modernity and terminat ed all questioning of it. Kant sought to create a more concrete platform for metaphysics through his writing (76). He hypothesized that the mind is systematical in organizing sensations from the external world. â€Å"According to Kant, the human person is not only a creature capable of sense experience bus also a moral being† (77).Kant believed that by living morally, one lives the way he wishes all people would live. He argued that the moral aspect of human existence is essentially rational (78). This view of existence created the realm of practical reason, which encouraged other modern philosophers to concentrate on the individual self. This attentiveness came from Kant introducing the idea that the self is â€Å"not just the focus of philosophical attention but the entire subject matter of philosophy† (79). Through this notion, Kant directed his attention to the individual imposing reality.Kant’s work provided future philosophers with the concepts needed to u nderstand and eventually deconstruct modernity. Johann Gottlieb Fichte operated off of Kant’s discoveries. He accepted Kant’s work but also â€Å"Was enabled to explode it from the inside† (87). Fichte did not want to eliminate Kant’s ideas, but instead wanted â€Å"To expose the Kantian ‘fiction’ of an objective world existing in its own right beyond the self,† (87). Through his work, Kant emphasized the idea â€Å"that the self creates and determines the objects that constitute its own external world† (87). Hence, the realm that Kant claims to know through ‘pure’ reason, Fichte claims to produce through the exercise of ‘practical’ reason† (87). His work has created a freedom that â€Å"is important because it holds the potential of liberating us from a single way of understanding the world,† (88). Fichte managed to dissolve Kant’s idea of an absolute reality through â€Å"eliminat ing the noumenal realm† (88). Although he worked against Kant in many ways, Fichte managed to uphold Kant’s concept of the absolute self (87).Fichte, along with other thinkers’, beliefs led to what is now considered to be the postmodernism era by questioning the context of modernity and its constructors. Postmodernism is the mere rejection of the ideas that modernism and the Enlightenment support. The main theory that postmodernism rejects is the construct of individualism. In its denunciation of modernism, it also rejects the modern theme of meta-narratives, except for its own. The postmodern world does not believe that all knowledge is good, nor that knowledge is objective. They view life on earth as fragile and believe that the continued existence of humankind is dependent on a new attitude of cooperation rather than conquest† (7). Postmodern beliefs have a more pessimistic view on the world, as opposed to the modern idea. Postmoderns believe that the wo rld is â€Å"historical, relational, and personal† (7). The main postmodern view is that everything is different from everything (7). â€Å"Many voices have joined the postmodern chorus. But of these, three loom as both central and paradigmatic – Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Richard Rorty.They constitute a trio of postmodern prophets† (123). Michel Foucault was persistent in the rejection of the modern worldview. He argued that â€Å"reason and rational discourse are problematic.. , because they require that we squeeze the variety of reality into the artificial homogeneity that accommodates our concepts† (127). His intentions were not to present the ideas of a better society, but to understand order. This new society that Foucault presented was called â€Å"’heterotopia,’† as opposed to the modern view of â€Å"utopia† (20).Foucault focused on the connection between knowledge and power in regards to social systems, sta ting that â€Å"every interpretation of reality is an assertion of power† (6). Foucault believed that this power was â€Å"the power of violence† (59). He used genealogy to gain a better understanding of how we arrived to the beliefs supported by society (135). â€Å"According to Foucault, the practice of genealogy informs us that history is not controlled by destiny or some regulative mechanism but is the product of haphazard conflicts† (136).He reveals himself to be the model postmodern by making the assertion that â€Å"no natural order lies behind what we invent through our use of language† (137). Foucault provided a new outlet for the newly formed notion to be interpreted by future philosophers. Subsequent to Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida reinterpreted some ideas of postmodernism. Unlike Foucault, Derrida had different views on what was in correct about modernism. He focused on defying logocentrism: â€Å"The philosophical method that looks to th e word as the carrier of meaning† (141).He began, in a sense, where Kant left of by questioning â€Å"what foundation can we offer for our use of reason† (140). Derrida was critical of Western philosophers in saying that they view writing as a demonstration of speech. He spent his lifetime of work trying to deconstruct the idea that written language represents reality. Unlike Foucault, Derrida did not try to create new ideas for postmodernism on the basis of old ideas; he rather deconstructed or disproved the foundations of modernism. Derrida wanted to demolish the modern construct that â€Å"views philosophy as pure, disinterested inquiry† (148).Along with that, he also wanted to renounce the popular idea that there is a clear link between language and the external world, (148). â€Å"Derrida’s primary goal is to divest us of logocentrism by showing the impossibility of drawing a clear line between reality and our linguistic representations† (148). Overall, Derrida’s target for deconstruction was Western philosophy as a whole. The ideas represented by the philosophy were viewed as hopeless by Derrida. The notions that Derrida brought to the table allowed thinkers to move past the modern ways and seek refuge in postmodernism.After Derrida, came a philosopher with a new way of thinking, Richard Rorty. Unlike his predecessors, Rorty expressed his belief in a clear style. Rorty is considered to be â€Å"the central figure behind the renewed interest in the American pragmatist tradition† (151). His pragmatist outlook abandoned an Enlightenment idea; â€Å"The mind is the ‘mirror of nature’† (151). In pragmatism, the view of truth is that it is a result of human convention, thus it is constructed. Similar to Derrida, Rorty believes that language does not have the capability to represent the world accurately.He views language as a device used to satisfy one’s wants and needs. Working against modernism, he also states that â€Å"we give up the idea that the goal of science is to produce models that correspond perfectly with reality† (154). Rorty believes that science is just one way to view the world, but there are many other ways to perceive it. Through the work of Foucault, Derrida, and Rorty, a new way of thinking was born which opened the world up for questioning. Postmodernism and Christianity have a working relationship. That is, Christians support and also disagree with some postmodern concepts.When postmodernism was first presented as an idea, Christians did not know how to approach it. A concern that Christians have with the postmodern view is the rejection of meta-narratives. The concept of stories uniting a group as one is the foundation for Christianity. As Grenz states, â€Å"We simply do not share the despair over the loss of universality that leads to the radical skepticism of the emerging era† (165). In addition to the rejection of meta-narr atives, postmodernism focuses on the inability to discover an all-encompassing truth. Here lies the major dilemma Christianity has with postmodernity.Christians believe that God includes the truth about everything, but postmodern thinkers do not believe that an â€Å"all-encompassing truth† is possible to reach (163). The postmodern rejection of individualism worries Christians because they â€Å"must always keep in view the biblical themes of God’s concern for each person, the responsibility of every human before God, and the individual orientation that lies within the salvation message† (168). On the other hand, Christians support the rejection of the Enlightenment idea that â€Å"the rational, scientific method is the sole measure of truth† (166).Also, the postmodern denial that all knowledge is good and objective strengthens the ties between Christianity and postmodernism (168). Christians also support the postmodern finding that no person can be sepa rate from creation. As years pass, Christians are more accepting of postmodern concepts and are more rejecting of the modern ideas they once supported. Grenz’ view of the postmodern world is acceptable for what society faces today. The postmodern views have been mirrored throughout the public. Even in school, teachers focus more on group projects and group activities rather than the individuals.Children judge each other on the amount of time they spend with others, as opposed to the ability to spend time alone. Now, it is a must for children to always be with their friends. It is also represented in the working world. Bosses would prefer group presentations rather than individual. Most people do not like to be alone or even to be singled-out. Also, as the economy is closer to being in a recession, the postmodern idea that the world is not getting better every day is strengthened. People no longer believe â€Å"that humanity will be able to solve the world’s greatest r oblems or even that their economic situation will surpass that of their parents,† (7). Every day it seems as though the world is not capable to overcome what it has started, such as wars. It seems as though the world is no longer a â€Å"happy† place at most times. The postmodern pessimistic view is presented daily. It is awkward for others when people are optimistic about their life. Overall, people seem accepting to the postmodern views. Over the years, the world has seen different phases sweep through, and each one is eventually accepted. The most current themes are modernity and postmodernity.The modern views were set forth by Rene Descartes, Isaac Newton, and Immanuel Kant. Modernism is the idea of focusing on the individual in means of scientific explanations. Also, modern thinkers believe that all knowledge is inherently good. Johann Gottlieb Fichte is partially responsible for the beginning of questioning modernity. Once Fichte opened the doors, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Richard Rorty put an end to the modern way of thinking. What their idea created was postmodernity. The postmodern thinker steps away from the individual, focusing more on group relations.Also, postmodernism denies that all knowledge is essentially good. This new way of thinking has made Christians question how to respond. Christians agree, but also disagree with some of the postmodern views. As a whole, the world has come to terms with postmodernism by accepting it. What is going to happen when philosophers begin to question postmodernity? How will the world be viewed once people stop accepting postmodernism? Works Cited Grenz, Stanley J. A Primer on Postmodernism. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.

An Experience of a life time

â€Å"Get to bed, Dharam,† my mother shouted. The excitement, the adrenaline pumping in me, kept me awake all night. I was trying to imagine myself in India, wondering what it was going to be like: the people, the country, the weather, I couldn't keep the energy inside of me; I just wanted to get there and see it for myself. The following morning, I gave my love and best wishes to my family and departed from Manchester International Airport. I then found myself on air India Flight heading to my destination Delhi. It was 5:00 am when we arrived in India. The smell hit me straight in the face, the heat firing at 36'Celsius came gushing at me; the people were rushing around like ants on a summer's day! I was in the fourth dimension it was nothing like I had imagined. The hooters and revving engine of the cars that cluttered the busy streets merged in a great cacophony of sound. There were people begging for money, there were people making food on stoves on streets having lived in England it was a sight I was not familiar with. Music came from all directions not just of songs it was the engines of cars and there hooters. I was amazed how different it was compared to England; it was hot, sticky, and noisy and overpopulated. Although I was extremely tired, I was also excited because this was a different atmosphere from what I had seen before, it wasn't just another holiday; it was my first time out of the country. At that time I didn't really think about England, I was too concerned about what my dad's family were going to think about me because this was the first time I had seen them in my life. Then questions started to come into my mind like will they like me? Will I like them? What do they look like? Would I fit in with them? As I got out of the airport I heard someone shout my dads name I didn't have a clue who it was but I realized it was someone from my dad's family I didn't ask who it was because I was too concerned about what was going on, but one thing I noticed straight away was that the people and animals were walking on the roads without a care in the world. My first reaction was, â€Å"God, where have you bought me†? That was the first time I missed home but as my journey progressed I was then fascinated with the way the country was. As the week ended I had settled in and got used to the environment. In one hot week I visited most of New Delhi and all the temples in New Delhi, but as the week ended my heart started to pound just as it was when I arrived at the airport. I knew the time had come to visit my other relatives. As I sat on the train staring out of the window, the sun was hitting me straight in my face. I started to think what I going to say to them. As the train stopped at Kurukshetra, we caught a taxi to my aunt's house. I took a deep breath and went in. There were my cousins sitting down watching cricket; they got up and greeted me. I felt like I had met them before, I got a warm feeling from them. My cousins introduced me to all their friends and showed me one of the biggest zoos in India where you could a touch baby lion. At first I didn't touch it because I thought to myself that it was a lion. But my cousin finally persuaded me too. My two days in Kurukahetra went so fast but I knew that I would return. My next stop was at Patiala in the northwest in the state of Punjab, to see my dad's grandmother. This time I wasn't as nervous as I was before. As I came off the bus I felt different. I was used to the road and cars everywhere. Patiala was different from Delhi and Kurukshetra, it was cleaner and there were no animals running around there was also no pollution. I stayed in Patiala for a week because I found it clean compared to the other cities. I visited my Dad old school and saw where he had worked. As he was showing me I could see that he felt very emotional leaving his home country. After a week in Patiala, I headed back for Delhi to visit my mum's parents who were visiting from England I couldn't wait to see them because I new they could speak the same language as me. Two days later we went to Agra to see the TajMahal; I was so amazed to see how magnificent the marble brickwork was and by the stunning architecture. There were people visiting from all over the world. As we went inside the TajMahal, it was dark the guide with a torch came over and told the story behind the TajMahal. He told us that Shah Jahan made this for his beautiful wife as a memorial; Shah Jahan chopped the hands off his workers after the building was completed so that they couldn't make another building like the TajMahal. I was beginning to realize why Shah was so obsessed with the TajMahal and why he didn't want it duplicated. As I went to my hotel I then thought to myself, â€Å"Now I can understand why so many people visit the TajMahal† Before, I'd thought it was just another building. I was now my third week in India time had passed by very quickly. As I was looking out of the window I was thinking about England, thinking, â€Å"What are they doing back at home? † I was missing my bed and fish and chips also the toilets, the Indian toilets were just like a whole in the ground. In that week I didn't want to stay in India, I was home sick, I was fed up looking at people with no legs or no arms and families with children who were only five or four years old asking for money, the poverty was too great, I just wanted to go home. As the week ended my dad and I decided to go back to Kurukshetra where my cousins lived. I stayed there for two weeks and went to the golden temples in Amritsar. As we got to Amritsar it was dusty and had animals all over. As we walked in side the golden temples it was amazing and peaceful, you could not hear any of the noises from outside. I felt like I was in heaven I was amazed with the beauty I hadn't seen anything better before in my life this also made be proud to be a Sikh. My dad woke me up at five o'clock in the morning to have a Shannon (which is a bath). It is said to purify you of your sins. We stayed there for two days and went to Patiala. As we got to Patiala it was holy this was a festival of colours happens once a year on March 3. As I was new, the town people decided to get me, to show how they play hoily. One man came from behind and threw a bucket full of colours. After 12 o'clock hoily was finished so I decided to have a bath. As I went in no water came I then started too appreciate that I was from a richer country, they told me the water comes on at five o'clock. As time went on the colours started to dry and crumble, it made me feel itchy and irritable. As the week ended there were two weeks left for me to go home. I knew time was coming up to go back. One part inside of my wanted to stay and the other didn't. 48 hours! The clock was ticking. I looked at the calendar and my emotions ran I had the feeling that someone was taking pieces of my heart away. Will I ever come back? Will I ever see these people again? I felt depressed. I didn't want to go home, well not yet. I enjoyed myself so much that I didn't want to leave. I sat in the room where I slept and looked at all four walls of the room and said,† Dharam you're going home to your family. † I checked again to see if I was missing anything. I then went out and spent the rest of the day with my friends also enjoyed the Indian food. I bought some gifts for my family and got ready for my journey to Delhi airport. I said my final farewells and realized the adventure was over and I was returning back to reality, back to England. When I got into the aeroplane, my tears ran down my face as I looked out of the window all I could manage was a wave.

Onsite Bullying Vs. Cyberbullying Research Paper

Onsite Bullying Vs. Cyberbullying - Research Paper Example In this regard, process involving such violent or unethical acts that cause harm or embarrassment to other person is referred as bullying (Macfarlane & McPherson, pp.10-15). It has been an observation that gender, religion, social background, physical appearance, and culture are some of the common aspects that become the reason of bullying for strong individuals resulting in usage of verbal and non-verbal pressures by such individuals. Bullying is not a very simple phenomenon, as it exists in different types and forms that make it easier to handle and prevent. Some of the most common types and forms of bullying are physical bullying, verbal bullying, on-site bullying, and cyber-bullying. For instance, any bullying that results in a physical injury or harm is considered as physical bullying, whereas, any act of bullying that involves passing of verbal comments that cause embarrassment and/or harassment comes under verbal bullying. This form usually involves comments related to physica l appearances, color, creed, or race of a person, as well as socio-economic status of the individuals. Although bullying occurs in almost all the social settings where individuals interact with one another, however, schools are the most common places where bullying occurs in all its forms, and thus, students are the easiest preys that become the targets for bullies in the schools while other students witness the incidents as bystanders (McGraw, pp. 9-12). Particularly, this paper will include discussion on two types of bullying that are on-site bullying and cyber bullying. Discussion Analysis of studies has identified bullying as a very devastating issue that affects thousands of students every year globally. For instance, in the year 2009, bullying affected approximately six hundred thousand students in different parts of the world, and â€Å"American schools alone have approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million students, who are their victims† (Rooney, pp. 171). Acco rding to Mattern (pg. 165), 56% of students in schools admit that they have observed someone bullying an individual in their schools. Moreover, studies have indicated that bullying has become so common that in every eight minutes, a child suffers from the acts of bullying at elementary level that results in adverse effects on his/her life (Lines, pp. 19-20). Unfortunately, these statistics include only those children and/or students that report the acts of bullying to their parents, siblings, or school management, and educators believe that a large number is still missing due to non-reporting of bullying in schools (McGraw, pp. 39-43). All these statistics include all forms of bullying; however, on-site bullying dominates in these reports. Particularly, â€Å"on-site bullying usually happens in classrooms, hallways, playground, bathrooms, and school buses. The bullies start with verbal harassment such as teasing before they get physical with their target, and peer abuse is another term given to bullying when it occurs in school† (Sanders & Phye, pp. 159-161). On the other hand, the other form is cyber-bullying, which has become very common after expansion and introduction of internet at every home, and especially after involvement of children in social networking websites, such as Facebook that allows anyone

Distributive Justice (M4C) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Distributive Justice (M4C) - Essay Example However reasonable this might appear in the light of economic yardsticks, it will always remain a futile attempt in achieving medical ethics, if profit takes the center stage. Quality of healthcare may necessitate medical plans that require certain medical plans in the modern age. The sustainability of integrated health care plans designed in the modern era attracts a lot of complications that go far beyond cost issues (Frangenberg, 2011). Medical management will increasingly find it invaluable to rely on the provisions of medical ethics if the core responsibility of ensuring patients’ health is not to be compromised. Future medical systems will only veer off the controversy of inappropriate practices by conducting prior considerations of the underlying ethical issues before celebrating when it is too early. Distributive justice criteria is applied in the determination of where and how to allocate resources and is entirely guided by fairness principles (Maddox, 1998). Ach of the criteria must be thoroughly and critically dissected to determine implications on the basic ethics expected. It is therefore illogical to implement a blanket policy where the uninsured patients pay higher charges for the same procedure given to the insured. Maddox, P.J. (1998) â€Å"Administrative Ethics and the Allocation of Scarce Resources.† Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 3(3) Retrieved from:

International trade & business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International trade & business - Assignment Example onal trade and its correlation with foreign direct investments, domestic environments, latest technologies, and the impact on the current international business environment. It also describes the role of driving forces behind the firmly integrated global international trade system. A substantial preference is given to underline the implications of international trade i.e. declining barriers to the international business and its continuous contribution towards the world’s economy. It also analyzes that how the international businesses are reacting to the changing environment of global economy. The paper puts some light on the concerns highlighted by rapid growth of international trade along with its implications to some particular countries and multinational companies. The roles of these companies and government policies have been critically analyzed to figure out the benefits and gray areas of international trade. Over the past thirty years or so, a universal shift has been occurring in the world economy. There was a time when national economies were isolated from one another and relatively self contained. The rationale of isolation included barriers to cross-border trade and investment, i.e. due to distance, time zone, environment and cultures, natural differences in languages and political regulations, and the business systems. Today, the world has been observing a totally different scenario because geographical distances are reducing due to tremendous development in telecommunications and transportation technologies. Beside this, the global environment and culture have turned into almost same fashion while national economies are merging into an integrated as well as independent global economic system. All these changes and developments have decreased the barriers to cross-border trade and investments. It is widely believed that all such happenings and improvements have been occurred by the tremendous growth of international trade at global scale (Panic,

Paradoxical Nature Of Organizational Culture, As Incorporating Essay

Paradoxical Nature Of Organizational Culture, As Incorporating Elements Of Both Stability And Change - Essay Example These paradoxes, according to popular opinion are a consequence of socially constructed management discourses, whereby concepts such as change and flexibility, centralization and decentralization, flexibility and control etc., tend to co-exist, and at times, encouraged and perceived as inevitable elements for organizational success. For the purpose of this study, the predominant and widely recognized organizational paradox of change and stability, will be discussed at length. Change and flexibility, with regard to organizational environment, are perceived as two of the most inherent and crucial tools of achieving organizational growth and success. Companies, all over the world, constantly use these elements to drive their organizations towards growth and ensure long-term sustainability in the marketplace, particularly in situations whereby the external environment is characterized by strong competition or when the companies are caught in the midst of a crisis. This paper aims to disc uss the paradoxical nature of organizational culture, with regard to incorporating the widely popular albeit highly contradictory elements of change and stability. ... , managers today, encourage continuous innovation, improvement and change within organizations in order to address the challenges posed by the economic environment. The management is faced with the persistent challenge of adapting to the continuous innovations taking place in the external environment and devise and implement appropriate change management policies within their organizations, accordingly. It is on account of this very reason that various authors and researchers have concluded that change takes precedence over stability in contemporary corporate environment (Daft, 2010). It is a widely established fact that in order to survive in this highly dynamic corporate environment, the firms are required to include elements of innovation, flexibility as well as change from time to time. However, at the same time, they are also required to ensure stability and reliability (Farjoun 2010). The existence of this duality of change and stability, is one of the most widely popular and e ssential paradoxes in the field of organizational management (March & Simon, 1958; Thompson, 1967; Weick, 1979) which has received widespread attention and recognition in the field of management research, over the years (Farjoun, 2010; Gupta, Smith & Shalley, 2006; Leana & Barry, 2000; Lok, 2006; Nelson & Winter: 1982; Schultze & Stabell, 2004; Smith & Lewis, 2011). Literature review There is a high level of awareness within the field of management, regarding the existence of paradoxes ultimately leading to a rise in complexity and ambiguity (Farson, 1996; Handy, 1994; O’Connor, 1995). Most of these terms are widely popular and predominant in changing organizations wherein change is given crucial significance (Lewis, 2000). Van de Ven and Poole (1988), hence, making the concept of

International Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Negotiation - Essay Example The most successful battle for the Americans during this war happened in New Orleans - months after the Treaty of Ghent, signed in Belgium, had brought the war to a close. There was no satellite phone, no telegram that could travel from Belgium to New Orleans in time to head off the bloody battle. Another factor that kept diplomatic efforts to broker peace agreements at a minimum was the fact that technological constraints kept wars from spreading to engulf entire halves of the globe - or the whole word itself. Cannons, muskets and swords could not cause noxious clouds of gas to pass over entire civilian populations, and neighboring countries or cultures would only sparingly jump in to assist their neighbors. The Industrial Age, starting in Europe in the 1800's, and the development of significantly entangling networks of treaties of protection, wherein major powers promised to support one another in the event of attack, made the prospect of continent-wide, or even worldwide conflict, more of a possibility after the middle of the nineteenth century. When American President Theodore Roosevelt brokered a peace agreement that settled the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, he was honored the next year with the Nobel Peace Prize (Bailey and Kennedy, p. 628). The very fact that such a priz e existed showed the changing sensibilities of the world, namely that war anywhere in the world was a danger to the rest of the world. In the years In the years since Theodore Roosevelt, the world has undergone two wars that basically dragged in every major world power. The first of these conflicts introduced the world to biological warfare, in the form of the deadly mustard gas that would later be outlawed. The second of these finally ended with another military innovation: the nuclear bomb. It has been argued that a bomb of this nature is the only weapon that would have kept the Japanese population from fighting, civilian by civilian, exacting huge casualties from the Allied troops before surrendering. Even so, the arrival of the nuclear bomb signaled the end of the widespread war, because the final weapon was so awful in its power that it served as a deterrent. And so organizations like the United Nations sprang up in the second half of the twentieth century, with the goal of keeping regional conflicts from becoming continental, or even global ones. There have been situations where international, third-party at tempts at solving conflicts were successful, but there have been many more that only bogged the problem down and made it last longer. One of the most problematic regional conflicts of the twentieth century was the struggle over apartheid in South Africa. While the British had created the colonial Union of South Africa in 1910, the policy known as apartheid was not implemented until 1948. In the intervening years, the African natives had faced restrictions that were common to all indigenous peoples under colonial rule. When the Afrikaner leader D.F. Malan took power in 1948, his government passed some laws that mandated that blacks live in certain areas, have identification on them at all times, and denied several basic civil rights to blacks (Sanctions against South Africa). This change in law escaped international attention, in part because of the vast distance between South

Diversity Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity Interview - Essay Example As a function of seeking to understand diversity in a more effective manner, the following analysis will discuss and provide a narrative account and analysis of an interview which was conducted with the owner and director of a US-based financial services and planning group. In such a way, it is the hope of this author that after reading and integrating with the information that has been put forward within this analysis, the reader will be able to come to a more informed and actionable level of understanding regards to the role and overall level of importance that diversity plays status that a given business entity might experience. Further, due to the fact that it is the express goal of this particular student to ultimately directs the company of my own, the analysis will include with an introspective look at the means by which information presented help to formulate a better understanding of diversity and have over regards to my own professional development. Cheryl Holland, develope r/owner/CEO of Abacus Planning Group LLC, located in Columbia, South Carolina, began as a financial planner for Merrill Lynch. Although ultimately satisfied with her career at Merrill Lynch, like so many other entrepreneurs, Holland had a desire to start a firm of her own. Realizing that financial services could best be integrated on a personal level and were entirely and completely ineffective when integrated by at a multinational banking Corporation, Holland set out to create just such a financial planning service. Comprising only for employees at the beginning, the firm undertook and asymmetrical level of marketing which relied solely upon word-of-mouth as a means of generating new clients. However, of particular interest to this analysis is the means of overall diversity and the importance that Holland placed on this diversity even in the early stages of business development. The reason that this level of emphasis upon diversity is something of a shock is due to the fact that Ho lland, educated in upstate Pennsylvania was operating a firm in the deep South. As such, the overall level of cultural diversity that existed within the society at large, let alone the labor force, was extraordinarily limited (Simms, 2013). However, realizing that this was an impediment to achieving a degree of diversity and by extension overall success, Holland sought to maximize the diversity that her start up reflected by hiring a Mexican-American client services representative, a Ukrainian financial advisor, and a female IT professional. Ultimately, the next section of this analysis will seek to measure the importance that diversity plays and played within Abacus Planning Group as Cheryl Holland chose strategies that sought to maximize it. Firstly, when asked regarding what specific cultural background she had and how this impacted upon the level of diversity within Abacus, Holland noted that she was raised in a white middle class family that had little if any interaction with o ther racial or cultural groups. However, once she left to attend Brenmore College in upstate Pennsylvania, she came to see the overall positive impacts that cultural diversity could have. More specifically, when asked concerning her personal views with regards to diversity, Holland noted that increasing diversity is not only the ethically correct step to take, it maximizes efficiency. Due to the fact that

Managing in a Mixed Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing in a Mixed Economy - Essay Example Washington square which is a Royal institution of the Chattered Surveyors was also established in 2007 and is regarded as the best commercial project in the England region (Byers, 1998). The high quality iron ore that is phosphorus free in Cumbria south of Workington is the main source of income in the region. It is the largest steel production area and therefore attracts a lot construction companies, car assembly and many types of firms engaging in steel works. Examples of these firms are the Disington Engineering company (DEC) and the British Steel Corporation (BSC). Due to the heavy investment in the region, the government must put in some resources to create a peaceful investment field. The government investment is in line with the nature of mixed economy. Mixed economy refers to an economic system whereby the state engages itself to the economic activities in collaboration with the private sector. State functions are always reflected by planning of the economy while the private sector is characterized by market economies. This arises because the private sector works for the sole purpose of accruing profit. On the other hand, the state or public sector is not necessarily concerned by profit but by protecting her citizens by providing a platform for the operation such as infrastructure, security and other unprofitable services. The English government has hugely invested her resources to the town in order to give the investors some specific benefits so that they can continue to invest in the highly resourceful town. One major form of public investment is the establishment of a good security system popularly referred to as the Workington police station. The police station offers security not only to the iron and steel manufacturing companies but also the other subsidiary companies like banks, hotels and even the families and workers. For the police to offer efficient

Reflection paper on Echos from the Roman Ghettos by David Laskin Essay

Reflection paper on Echos from the Roman Ghettos by David Laskin - Essay Example Questions over the justification of the businesses taking advantage of tourism in the area irrespective of the history of the site also tend to feature from the article. The author of the article indicated that the renovation of the town has led to the loss of history’s sense. This is very possible because the gentrification will tend to cover some important historical sites (David, 2012). And the visitors who will visit the area will have no evidence to convince them that where a particular building is built a certain historical event took place. If the area can be set apart and reserved, this will act as an excellent historical site. The renovation and the loss of historical relevance of the ghetto have happened simply because the officials have slept in their jobs of preserving the historical significance of these sites. The officials have a responsibility of preserving all the historical relevant sites from being encroached by the public. Such sites are very essential in that people can reflect on what happened those years and learn from them to avoid the repetition of such an act in the future. The preservation of the significance of these sites can be done through setting apart these areas irrespective of the economic advantage they owe. Construction of an archive to store documents and pictures of the events that took place in the real-time is another responsibility of the officials so as to enhance the site retains the significance it deserves. The officials have a responsibility of strategizing how these sites will be protected. There is no harm in businesses taking advantage of the tourism in any given area. Besides retaining the historical relevance, historical sites are retained for the economic advantage of the citizens of the responsible nation as well as the nation itself (David, 2012). As a business person, one has to be as opportunistic as possible so as to make it in the business world. There is nothing wrong, therefore, of the

Business Mgt Essay Example for Free

Business Mgt Essay Part I. Assume you have taken over responsibility to play the lead Information Technology (IT) management role in Magnum Enterprises. Your boss, Rachel Heigl, is Magnum’s CIO. The IT management group is comprised of six people who you will be supervising. Ms. Heigl is an enlightened manager, and she believes that if you are to carry out your responsibilities effectively, you need to work with her in defining your IT management role. As a first step, she invites you to write a short statement where you describe what you see to be your role as head of the IT management effort at Magnum. Proper IT Management requires researching and discerning information technology as a company resource guiding both operational and crucial company capabilities. Using information technology to maximize satisfaction of the customer alongside productivity and profitability will ensure that our competiveness with other business stays at a maximum. In turn IT can make business processes more effective and efficient to provide said resources to customers. The lead IT shall ensure performance of the company through managing technology while encompassing priorities of the business into the role. Striving to be a partner with great initiative this business will discover its leader will have accomplished and achieved what they desired. My first role of business would be to establish the parameters and to understand the IT knowledge areas. These are made up of development processes; management challenges information technologies, business applications and foundation concepts. Concepts of the foundation are making sure the role of information systems paired with business and technical concepts are a familiarity with the end user. Familiarity of concepts in entry level information systems bind with a competitive strategy can lead to an overwhelming strategic advantage. Educating Magnum’s team upon the significance of information technology with the three roles that the business world performs in order to combine business management, software, and hardware capabilities. At the Management level, decision making would lead to significant improvements for IT utilization. Business operations see information systems as a huge support to review and collect data from financial operations, managing manufacturing processes that are very sophisticated, tracking company inventory, and productivity. The use of metrics paired with identifying trends to assist the company in making informed decisions faster to provide information about our competitors. IT  is used quite often to provide a strategic support advantage for the company. Automated inventory and ordering systems an assist with the savings costs. With this information we would need to review our mission statement that identifies the company’s functions, provides oversight on the overall goal, a sense of direction, and guides decision making. Investigating and development towards understanding how we generate money and ensuring a customer base for our company. Envisioning the business plan, mission, with current IT structure and the ability to communicate with senior leadership will guide me with necessary tools to assist the Chief Information Officer (CIO). To ensure a strategic IT plan is created in which will be shared and implemented with my team. Planning to have Magnum’s team familiar with data resource management capabilities, hardware, networks, telecommunications, and software within the company is the second area of information systems known as information technologies. In today’s society PDA’s (personal digital assistants; IE. Blackberry’s ETC.) Personal computers and network servers are integral computer hardware and are crucial in our business environment. Being extremely knowledgeable is vital to our team troubleshooting and resolving hardware issues instead of having to call anot her company for maintenance. We have the ability to break down our company’s software into two categories, application software and system software. Both types normally off the consumer shelf as commercial software instead of having an employee on the team write the software codes for these programs. I plan to ensure my teams are extremely familiar with all software programs and have a firm foundation when troubleshooting and resolving technical issues. Additionally, if not already formed, I will institute a configuration control board and implement test scenarios to ensure future hardware and software being purchased will not have compatibility issues. Also a part of information technologies is data resource management. This is essential in sustaining and maintaining our company. We will require a database management system of good quality that is capable of data consolidating into a database in turn can be accessed my several program applications. Within the past fifteen to twenty years networks and telecommunications software have played a vital role. To ensure the expansion and growth for Magnum Enterprises, we will need out network to be consistent, reliable, monetary sufficient. I would prepare the team to  either install or review and change as needed our network management system that assists with traffic management, capacity planning, network monitoring, and security in essence that our system will grow and change with modern day business culture and practices as the company expands. In order to have the most dependable and proven with the cost of it a ring network should be put into place. The next area, development processes, deals with designing, planning, identifying ideas, and implementing information systems to meet potential business opportunities. It is critical that we ensure our business management capabilities alongside our hardware and software are integrated successfully within our company. Basis within t he development process and depending upon the circumstance, there are a couple of processes we want our team to employ as resolving problems com along with our business systems. Those processes are considered or known as the prototyping approach and he systems development life-cycle. The synopsis of prototyping involves quickly developing or constructing test modules of a desired system in which we will engage when we cannot determine or classify the end user requirements. These systems would be used to assist our personnel with the capabilities to design or create an information system that will be intuitive and easy to navigate for consumers. Prototyping involves four steps with the first being investigation and analysis step. This step, requirements grouped and defined. Second, is the analysis and design step in which a model is developed and constructed to meet consumer business requirements. Next, in the design and implementation, this finalizes the model that was tested and begins the initial installation. The last step to this four step process is implementation and maintenance, which would consist of the business system being accepted, used, and maintained. Prototyping advantages are: decrease in the development time, development costs and requires user i nvolvement. This generates higher satisfaction results. I plan to employ this type of approach to small initiatives. The next area is business application for information systems. This will consist of being familiar with commerce and business applications for our employees and which are used within the company to make strategic leadership and management decisions. A few of the most used business applications within a majority of companies are accounting, human resource management, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, customer relationship management, financial management,  and supply chain management. An Architectural picture of or IT business applications will ensure that I will have familiarity with all applications that we use. This approach will identify the current interrelationships, interfaces with customer, employees, business applications, and stake holders. We will then need to review the chart and see if there are any potential process improvements that we can make to integrate those systems cross functionally and keep operational costs to a minimum. The systems devel opment lifecycle employs the systems approach to create IT solutions. This lifecycle is often utilized for large applications and it is composed of five processes that I expect my team to know and become familiar when employing the systems development lifecycle: systems investigation, systems analysis, systems design, systems implementation and systems maintenance. The first process, systems investigation, involves project brainstorming, planning and performing a feasibility study. During the brainstorming and planning initiative, a project management implementation plan is created identifying the detailed steps that will be accomplished during the creation and development of the system. The feasibility study is critically important as this outlines all requirements for the system. It also explores four major areas, organizational, economic, technical, and operational feasibility, which determines if it’s worthwhile to invest in potential business ventures. In reviewing the organization’s feasibility, we need to determine if the system is in line with and supports our company’s strategic objectives. The economic feasibility identifies and evaluates the project’s tangible and intangible cost and benefits. Technical feasibility is assessed by confirming if the necessary hardware and software will be available or can be developed and tested before implementation. Operational feasibility is determined by the motivation, desire, willingness, and competence of the stakeholders (management, employees, customers and suppliers) to use and operate the proposed system. Systems Analysis consists of consolidating requirements and includes a detailed breakdown of the business needs and requirements of the organization. This starts with an organizational analysis from one of the business end users. This individual must be keenly aware of the organizational management structure, business requirements, and current IT systems operati ons and its proposed relationship with the newly created system. Some of the outputs generated from the systems analysis  include system flowcharts, data flow diagrams, and connectivity diagrams which aid in the development of the analysis report The next process, systems design, focuses on the design, process diagrams, business rules, and developing specifications for the hardware, software, data resources that will meet the proposed requirements for new business system. The three major outputs produced from the systems design phase are user data, interface, and process design. The fourth process of the systems development lifecycle is system implementation. This encompasses either acquiring the hardware or software or developing it from company resources and then testing the products in a test environment to see how well they operate and integrate with your existing IT architecture. If testing goes well, an implementation plan including training end users and developing system documentation will be accomplished prior to incorporating and execu ting this system within our IT architecture. The final process, systems maintenance consists of consistently monitoring and evaluating the newly implemented system. This also includes correcting errors and discrepancies not identified during the testing phase and continuously making system improvements, advancements and upgrades. The final area of information systems is management challenges. There are numerous challenges that our IT team may be faced with at Magnum Enterprises. One challenge is addressing our security concerns which involve several areas. For instance, our IT team needs be constantly vigilant and on the alert for potential competitors trying to or actually hacking into our systems to steal or damage our data. Additionally, we may also be challenged with setting up restrictions and locking down the network for personnel to only use the network and its software applications for official business. Ensuring that our software is controlled and that employees are not illegally making copies of software for personal use is another area of concern. Preventing virus attacks to our network and installing anti-virus software to diagnose and remove computer viruses is of utmost concern. Failure to maintain a secure network can potentially halt our business from being productive and resulting in thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Additional challenges the IT team may be faced with may involve expanding our infrastructure and network to address our growing business. Ensuring our network provides our employees accessibility to the data they need, wherever they require it, regardless of their location will test our innovativeness.  The company may not have a backup plan to allow it to operate effectively and efficiently in the event of a forced relocation. If that is the case, I will recommend to our management staff that we establish a continuity of operations plan enabling us to relocate with minimum impact to our business operations like a hot site for temporary functionality. In the dynamic world of IT we will always be faced with challenges, however, utilizing IT and being on the leading edge of new IT systems provides our business with many benefits and makes our organization more effective and efficient. For example, IT can be used to improve and promote new business processes such as creating an automated inventory system which will save money in additional labor costs. Another use of IT in making it more efficient and effective is that using certain software programs enables us to identify and target our top customers in terms of profitability to our business. In summary, IT enables our company to successfully plan, integrate, manage, and carry out strategies which lead to profit. Part II. Six months after you take over the lead IT management role at Magnum, the CIO, Ms. Rachel Heigl, is pleased with your work. She has just attended a meeting of Magnum’s executive committee (the committee comprised of the most senior managers of Magnum), where the CEO and Vice President of marketing have indicated that Magnum’s mediocre e-business capabilities must be strengthened. As CIO, Ms. Heigl is given primary responsibility in improving Magnum’s e-business performance. She in turn puts you in charge of a small task force comprised of representatives from the marketing, operations, finance, and legal departments. In order to advance and improve Magnum’s e-business performance operations, it’s vital I establish a cohesive team with representatives from the marketing, operations, finance, and legal departments. Their input and perspective is necessary and essential in developing a way ahead and strategic plan for the future of our e-busin ess department. Developing success with our e-business begins with marketing the company. Marketing is concerned with developing and creating an innovative plan so that the product or service can be promoted and sold. Promoting our products and services are key and critical in attracting new customers as well as maintaining our current customer base. It is important that I develop an understanding of the marketing role and how it can benefit  by using Information Technology systems. Marketing information systems support well established and e-commerce processes that sustain major elements within the marketing function and is described as a continuing and interacting structure of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute pertinent, timely and accurate information for use by marketing decision makers to improve their marketing planning, implementation, and control. The major components of marketing information systems include interactive marketing, sales force automation, customer relationship management, sales management, product management, targeted marketing, and market research. Two of the seven components I will be discussing are interactive marketing and customer relationship management. In our environment today, marketing information systems aid marketing personnel in a variety of tasks associated with branding products and customer service initiatives. For instance, interactive marketing is largely dependent on utilizing the internet, which permits the business and its customers and potential customers to become partners in developing, socializing, acquiring and advancing products and services. With the IT department enabling this type of communication, the company benefits from generating new ideas for other products and services as well as establishing strong customer loyalty. Another area within the marketing information systems is C ustomer Relationship Management (CRM). This incorporates and automates many customer service processes. It consists of utilizing an IT framework to construct, automate, and integrate marketing processes with the company’s business operations. CRM is usually comprised of a software suite that allows a business to provide efficient, effective and reliable service to its customers. Additionally, CRM permits a company to identify and target their most important customers as well as facilitate real-time customization of products and services based on the customer’s wants and desires. Understanding the marketing department’s views and concerns enables the IT department to implement and install an IT infrastructure that will be capable of supporting various information technologies. Some of the benefits that can be obtained from the marketing department are: an opportunity to increase sales and revenue, a chance to touch new market areas, 24/7 accessibility for the customer, and more flexibility and convenie nce for the customers. The production and operations function is supported by  manufacturing information systems. Manufacturing information systems are designed to be used specifically in an operations and production environment. Different types of manufacturing information systems consist of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), process control, machine control and robotics. CIM involves using computers to control the total manufacturing process, from design to distribution, to produce produces products of the highest caliber. Process control involves utilizing computers to oversee and control continuing physical processes. Machine control consists of using a computer based system to direct the actions of a machine. Robotics involves designing, constructing, and building machines that have the intelligence of a computer and human like physical capabilities. It’s key I understand how the operations representative depends on these information systems to operate effectively as well as their expec tations for these systems. Working together as a team will enable the IT and operations department to develop better ideas to increase the manufacturing and production process. Developing an understanding of all the accounting and financial based systems within our business and discussing these systems with the finance representative enables our IT and finance departments to plan effectively when troubleshooting and performing upgrades. These systems include but are not limited to order processing, inventory control, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, general ledger, cash management, investment management, capital budgeting and financial planning. The success of these systems is integrally connected with its information technology and services. For example, the order processing system â€Å"captures and processes customer orders and produces data needed for sales analysis and inventory control and the accounts payable system keeps track of data concerning purchases from and payments to suppliers. Communicating with the finance representative is essential in setting up or modifying these systems to meet the needs of our business. Any interrupti on or degradation in service can lead to severe damage to the business and financial services that Magnum Enterprises relies on to function and operate. As with any business, competitors are always looking for an advantage to get them ahead in their particular discipline or industry. Unfortunately, being extremely aggressive and ambitious can sometimes cloud your decision making capabilities to the point that you may  be committing breaking privacy laws and monitoring and copyright violations. As the IT lead manager for Magnum Enterprises, I’m charged with ensuring our network infrastructure and IT systems are operating proficiently. However, when it comes to addressing privacy issues from an IT perspective, opinions and viewpoints from a legal expert are necessary. In regards to privacy, several websites accumulate usernames and passwords and personal information such as home addresses and phone numbers without authorization from users. Applying internet monitoring technology within the workplace raises concerns about where the boundaries lie between personal use and public resource use. Copyright concerns and violations has become an issue with the development of the Internet and upgrades to technology. Discussing these concerns with a legal expert and implementing and adhering to strict guidelines will help prevent our company from committing these violations. In addition to the goals of strengthening the capabilities of the e-business, attention must be paid to some key technical challenges. Overseeing secure information throughout our business is extremely difficult to implement and maintain successfully. Key technical issues that may be encountered when re-engineering our e-business include privacy and confidentiality, authenticity, data integrity, access control, availability and infrastructure. Privacy and confidentiality involves businesses protecting and securing personal information while being stored or t ransmitted through email. This can be accomplished by utilizing encryption devices or firewalls. Authentication is used to confirm an individual’s identity and during e-business transactions, the purchaser and buyer wants assurance that proper identity is established. A secure way to assist with confirming identity to both individuals is to utilize a virtual private network. Data integrity means the data is correct and has not been altered while being stored or transmitted. The use of firewalls assists in preventing unauthorized users and safeguarding data. Another way to ensure data integrity is through the use of antivirus software which also aids in keeping your data free from viruses. Access control exists when you’re authorizing certain individual’s permission to restricted systems or data. Several measures that can help with access control include firewalls, access privileges, passwords, digital certificates and virtual private networks. Availability is an issue when customers and employers need information  without any disruptions. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems, data backups and the use of anti-virus software assist with ensuring data is always available. Our e-business infrastructure constantly needs to be monitored to ensure its meeting the needs of our business. An infrastructure that is unable to consistently support the network traffic load can potentially cost our company thousands of dollars in lost sales. If the network is continually slow, increasing the speed of the network backbone will assist in providing faster and reliable support for our customers. In addition to increasing the speed of the network backbone, implementing cross-functional enterprise systems will assist in improving critical business processes throughout Magnum enterprises. A final technical challenge is ensuring all of our systems are compatible and can operate on several different hardware platforms. By having this capabi lity, our operating costs from a technical refresh perspective will decrease. While strengthening capabilities and addressing technical issues, there are management challenges within the e-business that must be addressed. As discussed earlier, our team must be vigilant in addressing security challenges such as hacking into our systems, software theft, and protecting our software applications. In addition to security issues, there are ethical concerns that must be addressed. Privacy has always been a serious and contentious issue amongst employers and employees. For instance, computer monitoring is considered by many personnel to be an infringement on the employee’s privacy and shouldn’t be allowed. However, employers argue that since the computer is a company owned resource, they should be allowed to monitor the work of their employer. In reality, many employers are concerned as to whether or not the employee is actually working and producing or just goofing off and surfing the internet. Utilizing IT equipment at work has been mentioned to cause a variety of health issues which management must address. For example, if your job consists of being in front of a computer all day, some of the health problems you may experience damage to the neck and arm muscles, eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, job stress, poor posture and poor circulation. Resolutions to some of these health concerns can be through the science of ergonomics. The objective of ergonomics is to devise and create safe health work conditions with the goal of decreasing health issues and increasing employee morale and work productivity. If  Magnum Enterprises has customers internationally, they also may be faced with political, geo-economic and cultural challenges. From a political concern, there are countries that have restrictions regulating or denying the transfer of data across their borders which can potentially result in customers or businesses from having to pay import or export fees. Geo-economic concerns involve issues such as identifying and locating personnel with IT skills to work at remote sites and communicating with personnel across all 24 time zones. Cultural challenges â€Å"include differences in languages, cultural interests, religions, customs, social attitudes, and political philosophies†. For example, if Magnum Enterprises was conducting a business transaction via a Video Teleconference it would be disrespectful to look them in the eye when introducing yourself. Before meeting an international customer, it would prudent to review their customs and courtesies to ensure a smooth business relationship. Improving Magnum’s e-business performance faces several challenges. Consulting with key department personnel from operations, marketing, finance and legal as well as addressing technical and management obstacles will assist me in charting a plan to put our e-business on the right track towards success.

The Protestant Reformation And Martin Luther Religion Essay

The Protestant Reformation And Martin Luther Religion Essay The time of the Protestant Reformation was a time of great change in western society. The Roman Catholic Church would see its authority challenged in a way that was unprecedented and the world would bear witness to the beginning of many religious feuds and rivalries, some of which live on to this day. The roots of the movement lie in several different ideas that started to spread among the common people of Europe, starting in about 1500. People began to believe that they could access the grace of God through a personal relationship with him, without the need of the Church and its authorities as an intermediary. Many no longer saw the Pope as Gods right hand man, but instead as a religious profiteer who cared much more about making money than about tending to the spiritual needs of his followers. A feeling of anticlericalism was quickly spreading throughout the land. In response to the new found spiritual awakening experienced by many, Europe began to see new religious teachers and groups spring up all over. The Christian Humanists, Sir Thomas More, Erasmus, and many others helped to spread the new movement with their teachings, however out of all the great scholars of the Reformation, there are two who stand out more than any other. The teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin resonate even today and they are still held up as heroes of Christianity by many. Martin Luther was undoubtedly the most persistent and most successful of all the reformers of his time. He challenged the Church loudly and directly and refused to back down over what he saw as both great errors in doctrine and great failures in spirituality. Luthers most important teaching originated from his own personal experiences before he began his fight against the Roman Church. He had always struggled with his own perceived sinfulness and could never understand how he could attain anything but the wrath from a just God. However, the textbook tells us that in an event known as the experience in the tower Luther came to understand that Gods mercy would grant him salvation. From then on, Luther taught that the removal of sin and bestowing of righteousness could only be obtained by faith in God, or justification by faith. In 1517 Luthers teachings began to take aim at the Church. It started when a friar began selling indulgences to the townspeople of Wittenberg, where Luther was living at the time. Luther witnessed the people of his town be scammed out of their money by the people who were supposed to be helping, by their religious leaders. This event filled Luther with a passionate anger and on October 31, 1517 he issued his most famous work, his ninety-five theses. This work displayed another of Luthers most important teachings, that the Pope only had authority to issue a pardon on the punishments that he had inflicted. For the next twenty years Luther would continue to publish more of his writings, helping him to expand and refine his teachings. He would teach for the rest of his life his most important message, that it was not through good works, the seven sacraments, or an indulgence that one achieved salvation, but through faith alone. Luther also insisted that the Bible was the one and only word of God and that it was the last word on Christianity. He would back up his opinion on this by tirelessly working for years translating the bible into German and trying to make it accessible to all people so that they could read and interpret it for themselves. Finally, Luther incorporated into his new Church only two of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, baptism and the Lords Supper, however he disputed the Churchs claim that the Priest performed a miracle and transubstantiation occurred. John Calvin was also a great teacher of the Reformation. While Luther had already gotten the ball rolling, by the 1530s, Calvin was also making great contributions to the new belief system. Unlike Luther, Calvin was also a great organizer and worked not only at teaching the people his ideas but also at creating a new Church. Calvins teachings paralleled Luthers very much, and, like Luther, he also had a life changing experience he referred to has sudden conversion that set him on the course of religious work for the rest of his life. Like Luther, Calvin strongly believed that it was by faith alone that one could win salvation. He also incorporated only the baptism and Lords Supper into his teachings, tossing aside the other five sacraments of the Catholic Church. However, Calvin also had his own ideas about some aspects of Christianity. For instance, Calvin believed in the idea of predestination. According to the text, unlike Luther, who believed that people could be predestined for salvation, but not for damnation, Calvin made no distinction. Calvin believed that people were predestined by God for both salvation and damnation, and that nothing could be done in ones life to change that fate, but that they should be thankful for Gods just decision regardless. Calvin was also, as said earlier, a great organizer. He spent the last twenty years of his life working day and night to put together his Church. This is another area where Calvin and Luther differed. Where Luther only required that churches accept his teachings of justification by faith and the Bible as the word of God, and allowed them to keep any other traditional Church practices, Calvin was much stricter. Calvin did away with the luxuries of the traditional mass, getting rid of ornaments, singing, and other things he viewed as trivial, in favor more plain and minimal sermon. Calvin also held his followers to a stern code of morals. The textbook tells us that Calvin banned frivolous activities like dancing in favor of constant self-examination. Finally, thanks to his Institutes of the Christian Religion, his written work that he continued refining for the last thirty years of his life, his followers had a place to turn for any questions they might have had relating to religious p ractice and faith. Though the Protestant Reformation saw many great teachers contribute to one of the most significant events in western history, it is clear that Martin Luther and John Calvin left the greatest legacy of any. Today, nearly five hundred years later, we still talk about these men and their involvement in both society and religion. Even though they are no longer here, their work lives on and their ideas continue to find new adherents every day.

Industrial Relation System In Japan Management Essay

Industrial Relation System In Japan Management Essay Industrial Relations usually refer to relationships between labour and capital that grow out of employment. There are two parties in the employment relationship-labour and management. Both parties need to work in a spirit of cooperation, adjustment, and accommodation. In their own mutual interest certain rules for co-existence are framed and adhered to. Opinions about IR in Japan are extremely diversified. The main concern regarding IR appears to be whether Japan can maintain the vitality and flexibility to cope with the changes in the industrial structure and technology in a stagnant world economy. The lack of opposition and dispute between labour and management may be the most important feature for summarizing labour-management relations in modern Japan when making international comparisons. The study highlights IR in Japan and pointing out lesson that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka can take. The research is based on desk study. Moreover, the recommendation would be helpful to the practi tioners, researchers, planners, policy makers and academicians, who are involved in the concerned area. Keywords: Industrial Relations (IR); Employment; Capital and Labour JEL Classification: M1, M1, M54 Introduction The relationship between employer and employee or trade unions is called Industrial Relation (IR). Harmonious relationship is necessary for both employers and employees to safeguard the interests of the both the parties of the production. In order to maintain good relationship with the employees, the main functions of every organization should avoid any dispute with them or settle it as early as possible so as to ensure industrial peace and higher productivity. Human Resources Management (HRM) is mainly concerned with the human relation in industry because the main theme of HRM is to get the work done by the human power and it fails in its objectives if good industrial relation is maintained. In other words good Industrial Relation means industrial peace which is necessary for better and higher productions. IR may be understood in both inter and intra terms-that is between employers and employees, between employees and employees and also between employers and employers. Such diverse relations are the outcome of modern industrial production, entailing an enormous body of collective work and involving the corporate labour of a huge number of people in an enterprise. Of all these relations, however the one between employers and employees is of paramount importance under the system of capitalist relations of production. Some authors define the term industrial relations also as either the full range of rule governing the work place (Dunlop, 1958), or a study of the institutions for job regulations (Allen,1975) or even the maintenance of stability and regularity in industry(Richard,1981) IR is also concerned with determination of wages and conditions of employment. IR and human relations are distinctly two indispensable factors in industry, one depending on the other we can have good industrial relations in an industry, but bad human relations in the same establishment and vice versa. Good industrial relations provide the necessary background for human relations. In any undertaking, good relations between the management and workers depend upon the degree of mutual confidence, which can be established. This, in turn, depends upon the recognition by the employees of the goodwill and integrity of the management in the day-to-day handling of questions, which are of mutual concern. The first requisite for the development of good industrial relations is a good labour policy. The aim of such a policy should be to secure the best possible co-operation of the employees. Every employee should have the opportunity to contribute not only his services, but also his suggestions and ideas towards the common effort. The basic needs of an industrial worker are freedom from fear, security of employment and freedom from want. Adequate food, better health, clothing and housing are human requirements. The human heart harbors secret pride and invariably responds to courtesy and kindness just as it revolts to tyranny and fear. An environment, where he is contented with his job, assured of a bright future, and provided with his basic needs in life means an atmosphere of good IR. IR has several roles in the industrial development in any country; two fold objectives of good industrial relations are to preserve industrial peace and to secure industrial-operations. If we have to establish industrial peace, the workers must be assured of fair wages, good conditions of work, responsible working, holidays and minimum facilities of life. The objectives of good industrial relations should be development and progress of industry, through democratic methods, stability, total well-being and happiness of the workers, and industrial peace. Hence, industrial peace is the fruit of good industrial relations. The following objectives have been considered. To understand the philosophy and concept of IR; To focus on present scenario of IR policy in Japan,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; To suggest some possible solutions for developing and improving the IR to Bangladesh, Sri Lankan from Japanese perspectives. Material and Methods Given the nature of the present study, it was required to collect data from the secondary sources. The authors were always careful of the objectives of the study and collected data accordingly to achieve those objectives. Secondary data were collected from research studies, books, journals, newspapers and ongoing academic working papers. The collected data may be processed and analysed in order to make the present study useful to the practitioners, researchers, planners, policy makers and academicians of the concern area. Analyses and Findings The analyses of findings have been discussed under the following sub-heads. Industrial Relations IR plays a critical role in establishing and maintaining industrial democracy (Monappa, 1995). IR indicates the status of the relationship between the employers and employees in general. Better relationship is always designed which, however, rarely remains in a satisfactory stage and in a static position because of various internal and external factors. The concept of IR has a wide meaning. The expression IR by itself means relationship that emerges out of day-to-day working and association of labour and management. But when taken in its wider sense it includes the relationship between an employee and employer in the course of running of an industry and may project itself to spheres which may transgress to the areas of quality control, marketing, price fixation and disposition of profits among others (Johri,1969). IR, thus, when taken in its wider meaning, is a set of financial interdependence including historical, economic, social, psychological, demographic, technological, occupati onal and legal variables (Singh, 1968). Industrial Relations in Bangladesh Democracy in the larger society is a prime and essential condition for the development of industrial relations. In Bangladesh, the extent of democracy is very poor. It is surprising to note that after independence, the frequent changes in government and emergence of military rule during 1975-1979 and 1982-1990 hampered the democratic environment for industrial relations in general and trade unionism in particular. Since independence, every government has been found to participate in the trade union activities directly through the formation of labour front. Due to government interventions, the industrial peace and productivity were affected a number of times. For example Awami League government maintained close contact with the workers through Jatiya Sramik League (JSL) the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) government did so through Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal (BJSD), and Ershad government did the same through Jatiya Sramik Party (JSP). The level of industrialization in Bangladesh is very poor. The level of employment is very poor too. Here the supply of labour is always much higher than that of the demand for labour. So the labour cost is low. Out of a total civilian labour force of 70 million about 2 millions are unemployed. Here the industrial workers are not at all class conscious. Due to very poor literacy level, workers of Bangladesh are completely in the dark about their rights and obligations. The labour force participation rate in trade unionism is only 12%. Due to improper physical fitness and lack of sufficient skill the productivity of our workers is very low. As a result, they cannot contribute towards the higher level of profitability to the employers, thereby causing their level of wages to remain low. Till now the Government of Bangladesh could not ensure a satisfactory level of minimum wage for the workers (Khan Taher, 2009). Multiplicity of trade unions is one of the great weaknesses of labour politics in Bangladesh. As a result of weak strength, trade unions in Bangladesh is facing a number of problems like increasing political influence, inter and intra-union rivalries, unhealthy competition in collective bargaining agent (CBA) election, employers, tendency to avoid CBA process and develop opportunities among the trade union leaders etc. The opportunistic nature of trade union leadership has been responsible for poor labour movements. Most of the time, the trade union leaders acted as agents of employers and of the political governments. Industrial Relations in Sri Lanka IR in Sri Lanka has arrived at the cross roads which makes an interesting study for the Human Researches Specialist. The Sri Lankas shifting from a centrally planned economy to a market economy in 1977. Since 1977, the socio-economic changes were greatly influenced by the radical changes in the external environment, globalization, information technology (IT) revolution and changing consumer needs. These changes in the socio-economic system of the country have resulted in contradictions and conflicts in the sphere of IR. With the emergence of the market economy and resultant competition, the achieving of the desired economic growth was the challenge for the government.   At micro level, business corporations fought for their survival in a competitive environment. This situation has provided a new challenge to partners involved in IR. Historically, the state has played a key role in managing IR in Sri Lanka. The state intervention has more in the nature of labour legislation and in the area of dispute settlement. Since early 20th century, these laws have been enacted to protect the less privileged partner i.e. Labour/Employee. Hence the labour laws in Sri Lanka have a bias towards the employee and this rigidity has adversely affected the progress of business. For example, the Termination of Employment Act 1971 prohibits the termination of employment except in case of disciplinary matters without the permission of the Commissioner General of Labour. Even though plethora of labour laws protects the employees, it has been a hindrance to the business activity. The business community has made several appeals to the Government to effect appropriate such changes in labour laws to meet the current environment. Such changes in the form of entrepreneurial labour laws are urgently required not only to meet the needs of the S ri Lankan economy, but also to facilitate the working population. Being a developing country, it is natural that the state needs to protect certain less privileged class of the society from the economic transformation. In addition, in a democratic country, the working class is a source of strength to political parties. In this context, the present Peoples Alliance Government formulated the Workers Charter to safeguard the rights and privileges of the working people. The salient features of the Charter: (a) The commitment to the principles of the Declaration of Philadelphia and the labour standards adopted by the International Labour Organizations (ILO); (b) Recognition of trade Unions; (c) Encouragement of Collective bargaining; (d) Strengthening of existing laws to protect employees interest; (e) Defining casual, temporary and others forms of non permanent employment and; (f) Bringing forth a code of industrial harmony. Employers strongly felt that their views have not been duly considered and it was not the opportune item to bring forward this piece of legislation. The employers argued that the requirement was not for a workers Charter, but for an Employment Charter. Even though six years have lapsed, the government has still to bring in legislation for this purpose except an amendment to the Industrial Disputes Act providing recognition to trade unions and prevention unfair labour practices. The reluctance on the part of the government to provide legal enforcement to the workers Charter indicates that the government despite, an election pledge, has realized that such labour laws should not be allowed to restrain the development of a free market economy. De Silva stated that Labour law always presents the perennial problem of balancing the interests of capital and labour and at the same time protecting public interest. Again, more than any other branch of the law, labour laws reflects governments o r societys moral tone and attitude towards social issues. The Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) was established in 1930 as a counter measure to deal with trade unions under this manner employer to be united and disciplined to managing labour issues; and more importantly, the need for building up a mutual understanding between employers and workers. EFC has taken 50 years or more to reach the 200 mark in membership. However, since 1980, during the period of 20 years, the membership grew to over 500. The reasons for this growth besides the free market policies introduced in 1977, was the direct result of the need for industrial relations service. The lack of expertise within the workplaces to handle industrial relations prompted the employers to seek support and assistance of EFC. It is also significant to note that since 1980, the EFC has made a fundamental change in their approach. It shifted from their emphasis of providing legal services to assist the employers in adopting better Human Resources Management (HRM) practices in managing p eople at their workplaces. At the micro level, the relationship between the employees and the trade unions has been adversarial. The history of numerous conflicts between the employers and employees during the colonial rule and the post-independence era has greatly contributed to the development of this situation. Amongst other reasons: (a) Being unaware of the significance of trade unions in national and organizational context; (b) Lack of understanding in modern management techniques, (c) negative approach of Trade Unions; (d) Lack of professional management in HR; (e) Concealed hostility of the employers based on bounded rationality. Nevertheless, the experience have made employers realize that such antagonistic approach would lead to unsatisfactory relationship, loss of work hours resulting in from industrial disputes thus affecting the productivity. With the emergence of market economy, this would adversely affect the ability of the enterprise to be competitive. In this context, many employers have begun to adopt an approach of understanding towards trade unions and also making concerted efforts to establish cordial relationship with the workforce by adopting sound HR practices. From the inception of the trade union movement in 1930s, trade unions have adopted an antagonistic approach towards management. This may be due to Sri Lankan trade unions becoming appendages of Marxist/Leninist political parties espousing a class struggle and having a history of agitation against colonialism/establishment. Despite the rapid disappearance of Marxism/Leninism globally, some trade unions continue this class struggle approach without understanding the changes in socio-economic environment. Trade unions have been comfortable in adopting this adversarial attitude and make every endeavour to keep their membership away from the management. Another significant characteristic of the trade union movement is the politicization in which major trade unions are linked to major political parties. The political parties continue to treat unions as source of power. It has been observed that on certain occasions, the behaviour of trade unions has been motivated by political objectives r ather than the interest of the working class. This along with multiplicity of trade unions have had an adverse impact on the unity and strength of trade unions. However, since 1977, this situation has been subjected to gradual change. (1) The competition in the marketplace has prompted the trade unions to review their approach. The antagonistic approach would affect the business, which could result in loss in employment. (2) New generation of workers are more concerned about their welfare and personal interest rather than espousing political ideologies. This is amply demonstrated from the fact that the number of trade Unions have decreased from 1636 in 1977 to 1428 in 1996 and the membership has been static at 1.6 million of 7 million of working population. The ratification of ILO Convention 144 on Tripartite Consolation by the Sri Lankan Government signifies the acceptance of the need to consult the employer and employer organizations by the government in regard to matters of mutual interest. The significance of this event is that the acceptance of the principle that the government should consult the other two social partners at national level make sit morally obligatory for the employers to consult the trade unions at organizational level. The structures of tripartism have existed in diverse forms, but there has been little effort to co-ordinate and harmonize the interest and work of the social partners or to provide them with the role of active participation at national level such as: (a) Minimum wages fixed for 40 trades by Wages Boards set up by the Labour Ministry under the Wages Boards Ordinance, are tripartite in character. These boards permit a consultative approach to the fixing of terms and conditions; (b) A National Advisory Council was set up in 1989, with the objective of having a permanent consultative mechanism within the Ministry of Labour. The objectives of the council were broadly to consult worker and employer interests on policy matters and implementation of proposed changes in Labour law; (c) Employees councils were made obligatory by the Employees Council Act No. 32 of 1979, in public corporations and government owned undertakings, to encourage participation of employees in the affairs of these org anizations; (c) In the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) administrated by the Board of Investment (BOI), companies are expected to set up Joint Employees Councils as a condition of licensing. Tripartism cannot be strengthened or placed on a stronger base by passing legislation. If the desired results are to be achieved, the implementation of the laws must be monitored and enforced to some extent. Persuasion and educating the workers as well as employers on advantages of consultation and dialogue at all levels are considered desirable than enforcement of laws. It is imperative that the attitude of officials should change. They should be facilitators rather than regulators in promoting good industrial relations. It has been observed that at national level, there seem to be a tendency for some unions to affiliate and also employers interested in working together to deal with problems on a common front. It also appears that more and more bipartism is exhibited at work place which is a good sign of collaboration by social partners. EFC in 1989 suggested to ILO a strategy to build up a tripartite consultative process to be the joint responsibility of the EFC and the Trade Union s. The first phase was a join body on Safety and Health. This industrial Safety and Health Association (ISHA) brought the parties together in a spirit of co operation on Safety and Health. This led to a seething up of another mechanism called Labour Management Consultative Committee (LMCC). The collective bargaining/agreement is a mechanism under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act to resolve disputes and to maintain industrial peace. The government has ratified ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and 97 on Collective Bargaining. One of the key reasons for the employees to organize themselves was for the purpose of collective bargaining, and the EFC has been instrumental in encouraging this process in the private sector and responsible for the many collective agreements signed to date. Even though this is a mechanism that could be used to the benefit of both parties, due to numerous reasons the use of this process in a greater extent has been restricted. Firstly, the employers have found that apart from industrial peace, Unions in general do not wish to offer in return, other benefits such as productivity, rationalization of work arrangements. Industrial Relations in Japan The central features of the Japanese industrial relations system include workplace focused enterprises unions, lifetime employment systems, broad based training and seniority based wages. Another outcome of the Japanese institutions such as the Keiretsu system and the system of production organization (subcontracting and quality-focused, team based work) is the simultaneous achievement of stability in labour market terms and considerable functional flexibility in work place level industrial relations through the development of internal labour markets. The Japanese follow permanent employment system, consensus decision making and patriotic leadership. The Japanese respect the senior and senior behaves just like a guardian not like a boss. Management treats all as team members whether executives or workers. They emphasize on continuous customer focus improvement in quality and total involvement. There is disagreement on the date of institution of the Japanese industrial relations system. Taira (1970 as cited in Khan Taher, 2009) suggested that the lifetime employment practice developed in the late 1800s in the silk industry where employers, forced to compete for scarce labour, instituted lifetime employment to create stable employment conditions. The key practices were encouraged by the government, which institutionalized several of them during the inter-war period in its Factories Act of 1938. Enterprise unionism emerged post war based on the structure of the firms (the large employers who accounted for a significant share of employment). Jacopy (1993) and Gordon (1985) (as cited in Khan Taher, 2009) also suggested that precursors to the current system could be seen in the company unions of the 1920s, with institutional occurring during the interwar period. Cusumano(1985) argues that it was the early labour-management crises in the post-war period, coupled with the revolution in production management that account for the creation of the more advanced aspects of the internal labour market in Japanese industry. Okayama (1986) also credited the industrial strife of the 1950s as the most important variable in the development of the Japanese Industrial Relations system, a view also held by Kenney and Florida (1994) and Takahashi (1997) who argued, The main stimulus (for lifetime employment) was the experience of large-scale conflict between labour and capital in the early post-war years, partly in response to many workers being made redundant as the war industries shut down. Employers sought a way to end or reduce this conflict, not a social or political norm impervious to pressures of economic change. (as cited in Khan Taher,2009). There were several changes in the Japanese system over the 1970s and 1980s. Notably, there was erosion in the seniority based wages concept, as wages began to be tied increasingly to skills acquisition and productivity, while employers had started the practice of mid career hires in white collar and technical occupations. The practice of Shukko- transferring employees to other parts of the Keirestu during downturns-had gained in prominence over the last two decades. Recent Changes in Industrial Relations of Japan In the 1990s, there has been acceleration in the change already underway, as well as changes in other practices that constitute the core of the Japanese (IR) system. This has been due in large part to the effect of the recession of the 1990s, as Berggeren, argues, which has been the deepest one since the 2nd World war. Thus, in the 1990s, there has been a significant questioning of the lifetime employment concept, with severe declines in job security on an unprecedented scale, changes in hiring practices from schools and universities, a dramatic increase in outsourcing strategies, the introduction of limited term employment contracts for some occupations, increased wage flexibility, and some degree of union restructuring, along with evidence of breaking up of some Keiretsus. By themselves, any one of these changes might suggest a gradual adaption to new economic circumstances, but all of these happenings together in the 1990s suggest the critical importance of the 1990s recession in forcing employers to question the existing practices and act to change them. These changes came as a movement towards transformation of the industrial relations system given that the evidence suggests changes in most aspects of employment relations in Japan, such as job security, hiring, corporate governance, wages and wage flexibility and the role of seniority, as well as union structure, and would seemingly consist of a significant eroding of the three pillars and a move towards and a move towards a more individual based system such as in the United States (Brown, Nakata, Reich and Ulman,1997). There is also some evidence that the Keiretsu system is breaking down after the crisis, possibly as a result of firms capital requirements, and thus one major source of the stickness seems to be weakening ( as cited in Khan Taher,2009). Lessons for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from Japanese Perspectives Proper industrial relations imply harmonious and peaceful relations between labour and management. In such a situation both labour and management realise their mutual obligations toward each other and resort to actions that promote harmony and understanding. For making a fruitful comparison in the characteristics of industrial relations in between Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, we need to make a systematic analysis. The main lessons for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka may be summarized as follows: The level of organizational commitment among the workers and employees should be increased; Human Resources should be treated as organizations assets rather than a money making machine; Management of conflict and employee grievances should be handled effectively which ultimately would lead to innovation and productivity improvement of a concerned organization; During selection and promotion of candidates (employees) a human resource manager should follow a standard method and all candidates can get equal treatment without bias; The activities of industrial relations in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka should be free from the influence of party politics; Organizational polices and strategies should be formulated and also implement through general consensus between the workers/employees and the employers. Policy Implications Although the present study was confined to IR in Japan: Lessons for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, it may be appropriate to state briefly the policy implications for the study. In this context, the following policy actions may be considered worthwhile. Proper Demographic Environment It is essential that in order to ensure effective IR, a proper democratic environment in the greater society is essential. In the absence of democratic environment the employers may try to exploit the workers and even the workers may try to adopt unfair means, thereby disturbing industrial harmony. Efficient management Efficient management, capable of performing its duties professionally and thereby satisfying both the parties- the employers and the employees-is indispensable. Sprit of Collective Bargaining The relationship between an employee and the employer will be congenial only when the differences between them are settled through mutual negotiation and consultation rather than through the intervention of any third party. Existence of Strong and well organized trade unions Industrial relations will be sound only when the bargaining power of the workers unions is equal to that of management. A strong trade union can protect the workers interest relating to wages, benefits, job security, etc. Existence of sound and organised employers unions These associations are helpful for the promotion and maintenance of uniform Human Resource (HR) policies among various organizations and to protect the interests of weak employers Concluding Remarks In fine, it can be said as to industrial relations in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that despite a much smaller number of work stoppages in recent years the industrial relations have been far from being sound. There were attitudinal problems of mistrust, multiplicity of unions, political affiliation of unions on deep ideological grounds, employers reluctance to part with information, their undermining the importance of unions and by passing laws, unions not representing the interest of the workers but of the political parties and overwhelming emphasis on third party settlement which has not proved too effective. The recommendation would be helpful to the practitioners, researchers, planners, policy makers and academicians, who are involved in the concerned area Text and References Allen, F., Industrial Relations: What is wrong with the System, London: Faber, 1975, p.10 Cole, G.D.H.,.An Introduction to Trade Unionism, London: George Allen and unwin Ltd,1955 Cunnison, J., Labour Organization, London: Pitman and Sons, 1930, p.13. Dunlop,J.T.,Industrial Relation System, New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1958, p.5. Johri, C.K.., Normative Aspects of IR: Issues Indian Labour Policy (Ed.), New Delhi: Shri Ram Centre of India, 1969 Khan A.A Taher, M.A., Human Resources Management and Industrial Relations, (3rd ed), 2009, pp.18-45. Monappa, A., Industrial Relations, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, 1955, p.9. Richard, H.(1981). Industrial Relations: A Marxist Introduction, London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1981, p.11. Singh, V.B., Climate for Industrial Relations, A Study of Kanpur Cotton Mills, Bombay: Allied Publishers, 1968, p.1. Webb, S Beatice., A History of Trade Unionism Longman: London, 1910,p.13.