Personnel Management and Organizational Behavior free essay sample

Strategies for Helping Managers In Organizations Personnel Management and Organizational Behavior Dr. Tassos Petrou February 20, 2007 Managerial Skills: Strategies for Helping Managers In Organizations Understanding Organizational Behavior (OB) presents countless challenges for managers in today’s changing society. Confronting these challenges accurately will assist managers in developing suitable environments for employees to execute occupational functions within their organization. Specifically, managers should possess the aptitude of solving the following questions: 1. How have the fields of psychology and sociology contributed to our understanding of OB? 2. How does globalization affect a manager’s people skills? 3. Why is it important to replace intuition with systematic study in our attempts to understand behavior with organizations? 4. What is â€Å"workforce diversity†? Comprehending and deciphering these questions should increase a manager’s competence within an organization. Contributions of Psychology and Sociology Psychology and Sociology have contributed to OB immensely. Numerous studies conducted formed analyses pertaining to employee psyche and social interactions within their perspective organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Personnel Management and Organizational Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Predominantly, the Hawthorne Studies conducted in the early 1920’s proved this statement. Testing Psychological and Social behaviors in various situations presented surprising results. The results of this study indicated a continuous rise in productivity, even under conditions that [would] produce worker fatigue and decrease output, and more positive attitudes toward work and greater social interaction among workers involved in the experiment (McQuarrie, 2005, p. 32) The inkling of modifying work structures and wages significantly affected employee Psychological and Social dispositions. How does globalization affect a manager’s people skills? Globalization shapes managerial skills in many facets. Moreover, managers will have to adapt culturally within their new environment. Although controversial, globalization can enhance an organization financially expanding into new markets. Managers must encircle the behavioral disciplines Psychology, Sociology, Social Psychology, Anthropology, and Political Science to cultivate people skills. Globalizing organizations must prepare managers to develop these skills. Ascertaining familiarity within the aforementioned behavioral disciplines will enhance the organization and affectionately breakdown cross-cultural barriers. Replacing Intuition with Systematic Study Sinclair Ashkanasy (2005) describe intuition as a non-sequential information-processing mode, which comprises both cognitive and affective elements and results in direct knowing without any use of conscious reasoning. Discordantly, systematic study bases causes and effects on scientific evidence examined through controlled conditions (Judge Robbins, 2007, p. 10). Systematic study as a primary method of understanding behavior is appropriate. Individual intuition perceived by exclusive entity is often flawed. Although distinctive impressions of â€Å"gut feelings† assist private decisions concerning behavior, using systematic study would provide foundation for understanding these behaviors. Anyone can focus on familiarity and skill; however, systematic provides analytical data, which focuses on assisting managers with understanding OB. Systematic study, merely compliments our intuition and provides tangible explanations in our endeavors comprehending behavior in organizations. Workforce Diversity Diversification among organizations is imperative. According to several scholarly journals, workforce diversity is an evolving concept. Although Judge Robbins (2007) define workforce diversity as heterogeneous organizations with respect to age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other diverse groups many organizations compose their own policies. The Hudson Institute produced a report in 1987 stating two broad approaches defining workforce diversity. The first approach encompasses a narrow view defining workforce diversity synonymously with Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action (as cited in Carrell, Mann Sigler, 2006, p. 5). The second, discusses behaviors were people are different (as cited in Carrell, Mann Sigler, 2006, p. 6). Both views can affect an organization; however, each approach welcomes an environment of workforce diversification. Undeniably, OB exhibits complicated dilemmas for managers to triumph within organizational structures. However, developing avenues for approaching multiple situations encountered builds strong managers and organizations. nderstanding principles of psychology and sociology helps managers understand why employees react differently in organizations.

Definition and Examples of Stative Verbs

Definition and Examples of Stative Verbs In English grammar, a stative verb is a  verb used primarily to describe a state of being  (I am) or situation (I have). Its how something is, feels, or appears. These verbs dont show physical action (I run) or processes (It prints). Stative verbs can describe a mental or emotional state of being (I doubt) as well as a physical state (Kilroy was here). The situations illustrated by state verbs are unchanging while they last and can continue for a long or indefinite time period. Key Takeaways: Stative Verbs Stative verbs are not action or dynamic verbs.  Stative verbs describe how something is or seems or a mental process.Revise them out of your writing to increase imagery and details in a passage. Common examples include be, have, like, seem, prefer, understand,  belong, doubt, hate,  and  know, such as in the saying, We  are  what we  believe  we  are. These types of words are also known as  being verbs (especially in the case of be, am, is, are, was, and were), or  static verbs.  Contrast them with  dynamic verbs, which show action. Types of Stative Verbs Four types of stative verbs include: senses, emotion, being, and possession. Theres no one right way to classify them, of course, and some words can fit in multiple categories, depending on the context of their usage. Geoffrey Leach and colleagues group the four types this way: (a) Perception and sensation (e.g.  see, hear, smell, hurt, taste)...(b) Cognition, emotion, attitude (e.g.  think, feel, forget, long, remember)...(c) Having and being (e.g.  be, have, have to, cost, require)...(d) Stance (e.g.  sit, stand, lie, live, face) (Geoffrey Leech, Marianne Hundt, Christian Mair, and Nicholas Smith, Change in Contemporary English: A Grammatical Study. Cambridge University Press, 2012) Sensing Verbs Senses and perception verbs include data coming into your five senses: SeeHearSmellTasteSeemSoundLookSense Emotion and Thought Verbs Emotion and thought verbs include: LoveHateAdoreLikeDespiseDoubtFeelBelieveForgetRememberLongAgree/disagreeEnjoyNeedThinkRecognizePreferUnderstandSuspectAppear Possession Verbs Possession verbs include: HaveBelongIncludeOwnWant Being/Qualities Verbs Verbs that describe states of  being include: Be/Are/IsWeighContainInvolveContainConsist Writing Advice: Revise Them Out Some writing advice will tell you never to use to be verbs, but sometimes theyre unavoidable. Of course, if you can revise a paragraph that has a bunch of lifeless verbs into one where theres more action, thats typically the way to go, as it makes your writing more dynamic and sensory for the reader.   For example, look at the sentence, His room was a mess. This description could mean a lot of things to different people, such as a neat freak vs. a clutter bug. But if you revise to include sensory imagery and more description, youll have a much fuller experience for the reader and less ambiguity. Revised description: Piles of dirty clothes rose from the floor, books and papers covered the desk, and trash overflowed the wastebasket. Grammar: To Be but Not to Being Though stative verbs can be in the present, past, or future tenses, theyre not usually in motion. That is, stative verbs usually dont occur in the progressive  form (an -ing verb form paired with a helper, such as in are trying; you wouldnt say, for example, I am having a pencil.)   Of course, our malleable English language is made up of exceptions to the rules. Susan J. Behrens, in Grammar: A Pocket Guide, notes, [T]here is some advertising that plays with stative verbs. The McDonalds slogan Im loving it uses a stative verb in the present progressive form (Routledge, 2010). These types of usages are becoming more common, denoting conditions that are temporary, such as in, Youre looking awesome tonight. Some argue that you cant use them in the imperative mood (the command form, such as in the sentence Come with me), but there are plenty of exceptions here, too, because even though the contexts where you use them in this way would be pretty narrow, they still exist. You could give someone an item and say, Have it. You could plead with someone, Love me, or make a person bristle by forcefully imploring, Understand this... Exceptions: Both Stative and Dynamic English also has plenty of gray areas, where a word isnt always only in one or the other category- sometimes words are stative and sometimes active. As with so many things in English, it depends on context. Sylvia Chalker and Tom McArthur explained, It is generally more useful to talk of stative and dynamic meaning and usage  [rather than types alone]...Some verbs belong to both categories but with distinct meanings, as with have in She has red hair  [stative] and She is having dinner [active] (The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992). Another example could be with the word feel. Someone can feel sad (a state of being), and a person can also physically feel a texture (an action). They can also  tell others to check it out as well: Feel how soft!   Or even think can be in both categories, even though it doesnt seem like a very dynamic process. Compare the usage of  I think thats really lousy with the famous scene in Back to the Future when Biff comes up to George in the cafe and commands him, Think, McFly! Think, while knocking on his head.

American Revolution vs. French Revolution

American Revolution vs. French Revolution From studying and learning about both revolutions, I guess you could say they had their similarities; they both had good intentions did they not? Both the Americans and the French people hungered for a new way of life, change is what they wanted. Change is indeed what they received. The American Revolution, to me, seemed more organized and well handled than the French Revolution. The Americans were tired of being under the British’s control, especially when the British tried forcing the American colonies to pay for the British army’s expenses in defending the colonists during the Seven Year War.The attempt to raise new taxes by the Stamp Act in 1765 led to riots and the law’s rapid appeal. The colonist disagreed with the British beliefs, that a single empire with Parliament as the supreme authority. The colonists were more comfortable with neither the king or Parliament interfering with their internal affairs and that no tax could be levied wit hout the consent of the people or their chosen representatives. The American colonists felt in 1776 that it was time to separate themselves from the Britain’s control.On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress released a declaration written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence, a page of parchment, had started the war for American Independence. The Second Continental Congress then authorized the formation of the Continental Army under George Washington’s command. Washington was the best choice for the job because he had political experience and military experience in the French and Indian War. The French were eager to gain revenge for earlier defeats from the British, so they supplied weapons and money to the American colonies at the beginning of the war.Some French officers even fought along the Americans side against the British. I think at the time, this was the best alternative for the 13 American colonies. They achieved their independence as the United States of America; put together the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It seemed to have worked out for them at the time. The main cause of the French Revolution was the differences between the three social classes that existed in France at that time. There was a severe amount of injustice in the tax system.The third estate paid the highest taxes, while the first estate was exempted from paying the French chiefs taxes (taille). The second estate was excused from paying any and all taxes. The rent for the Third Estate was raised. Consumer prices rose faster than wages, enabling peoples economic ability to pay. Although the third estate made up most of the population of France, it owned less land than the first and second estate. An immediate cause of the French revolution was the near collapse of the government finances.French governmental expenditures continued to grow due to costly wars and royal extravagances. On the verge of complete financial collapse, the government called a meeting of the Estates-General. The Estates disagreed with how the Third Estate wanted to vote, therefore, the Third Estate voted to constitute itself a national assembly and decided to draw up a constitution. The results to this was finding themselves locked out of the usual meeting place, so they made the Tennis Court Oath that they would continue to meet until they produced a French constitution.These actions by the third estate were said to be the first step into the French Revolution. The king sided with the first and second estate but the common people came together with many uprisings in the summer of 1789, one in particular was the Fall of Bastille, an attack on a royal armory, which had also been a state prison. The National Assembly voted to abolish seigniorial rights as well as the fiscal privileges of nobles, clergy, towns, and provinces.On August 26, 1789, the assembly provided the ideological foundation for its actions and an educational device for the nation by adopting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. The king refused the decrees on abolition of feudalism and the Declaration of Rights, but after some Parisian women threatened the royal family, King Lou is XVI changed his mind. By 1791, the National Assembly completed a new constitution that established a limited constitutional monarchy. There was still a monarch: king of the French, but he enjoyed few powers not subject to review by the new Legislature Assembly.The Legislature Assembly would sit for two years; consist of 745 representatives chosen by an indirect system of election. The king attempted to flee, but was captured and brought back to Paris. Surrounding countries feared that the French behavior and rebellion would spread to their land, so those leaders planned to force the reestablishment of the monarchy authority in France. This just brought on more fire to the French. The political groups in Paris rose against the king and the Legislature Assembly.They organized a mob attack on the royal palace, took the king captive, and forced the assembly to suspend the monarchy and call for a national convention to decide on the future form of government. The first step the Convention took was to abolish the monarch and establish republic. They also passed a decree condemning Louis XVI to death. A nation in arms was put together, very quickly. It was a â€Å"people’s† war, the entire nation was involved in the war. I’m not even sure where or when the French Revolution ends, its ever-lasting it seems.

Recording Analysing and using HR Information (CIPD CERTIFICATE) Essay

Recording Analysing and using HR Information (CIPD CERTIFICATE) - Essay Example legal requirements,  provide records in the event of an assertion against the organization, provide relevant information in decision making, record contractual arrangements, and keep contact details of employees (Kemsley, 2012). Within an organization, there are numerous types of data collected. These may include company data, employee records and statutory records.   Personal data such as employee name, telephone number, address, and next of keen, are collected and recorded to enable HR to contact employees (Obisi, 2011). Employee data help the organization to increase the efficiency of recruitment, promotion, development and training, monitoring equal opportunities issues. They can provide raw data to individual skills and competencies hence help the organization pinpoint precise opportunities to improve skills to match requirements (Cornell University, 2011). Payroll data allows HR to keep tabs on employee pay history as well as incorporate any changes. This consists of data pertaining basic salary and any additional benefits (Liverpool John Moores University, 2012). Accurate disciplinary action records enable HR to take an employee’s past record fully into account, especially when deciding what action to take when any breach of conduct has occurred. They also help management to apply the appropriate disciplinary rules according to the organization’s policy. There are many methods of recording and storing HR data. Records can be stored in filing cabinets, which make ease of access to data. It also helps to maintain a record of paper trail, which can be used for future reference or as evidence (Pope, 2012). Most organizations use the human resource information system (HRIS). This is an integrated system created to provide information used in HR decision-making (NMA Technologies, 2008). It merges human resource management with information technology. Here computer software, hardware, and databases simplify the task of analyzing data and help organizations

Learning Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning Organizations - Research Paper Example The paper will describe two United States based organizations i.e. IBM and Motorola, which are considered as learning organizations, with proper evidence. The objective of the paper is to understand the aspects of learning organization. IBM is considered as a prudent example of a learning organization. The company incorporates the modern developments in strategic variation, administrative leadership, constant enhancement of business and learning along with development of employees. The major evidence for claiming IBM as a learning organization is its training and learning strategies. IBM is dedicated towards developing the knowledge of the employees and it considers that learning is critical for the success of its business. Through learning, IBM ensures that the members constantly enhance their skills for adjusting with new business environments or new working conditions. In the year 2004, IBM had invested almost US$64 million for training and development of its workers which is considered to be a part of the learning activity of IBM. IBM provides training to the personnel by numerous ways such as on-the job training and classroom exercises. As a learning organization, IBM provides the facility of e-learning which offers employees the prospect to learn by using a new technology equipped with internet (American Jewish University, 2012). The other significant example of a learning organization is Motorola. The reason for considering Motorola as a learning organization is that it also provides training to the employees and develops itself in order to construct productive principles in the organization. In order to become a learning organization, Motorola has established Motorola University in the year 1981, which provides learning in order to generate a good corporate value. Motorola seems to be dynamic in bringing in innovation in terms of new products and incorporating

Social Learning Theory Essay Example for Free

Social Learning Theory Essay Moral development is successfully achieved when it starts at the youngest learning stage. Vision, character and competence are the three prime elements that a young person needs to develop to achieve moral standards. Moral development of character is an organic process. The integration of an individual’s physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological well-being must be prioritized so that the young human being may be able to achieve moral standards set by his society. It is in this context where social learning theory is able to explain moral development. Learning can occur when a person integrates and relates to his wider social context. People learn from people by observing, imitating and modeling. The principles of social learning theory posit that; People learn while observing other people; Learning through observing social interactions may not necessarily create change in behavior; Social learning is highly cognitive. Observing the effects of behavior of people brings to the individual increased level of awareness on the consequences that behavior might lead to; Social learning has transitory abilities to bridge behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories. Behavior is reinforced by the modeling process as a person adjusts his behavior according to the like and dislikes of the group he wants to be accepted into. By imitating the persons or group of people in the way they speak or the way they dress up, the individual will be successful in getting accepted to be part of the group. In this way, social learning helps the individual attain his desires to be one with the group of his choice. â€Å"Many behaviors can be learned, at least partly, through modeling. Examples that can be cited are, students can watch parents read, students can watch the demonstrations of mathematics problems, or seen someone acting bravely and a fearful situation. Aggression can be learned through models. Much research indicates that children become more aggressive when they observed aggressive or violent models. Moral thinking and moral behavior are influenced by observation and modeling. This includes moral judgments regarding right and wrong that can in part, develop through modeling.† (Ormrod, 1999) Social learning hastens moral development. As an individual observers the environment from which he learns from, his character may be able to imbibe behaviors that help develop moral ways such as engaging in morally relevant conduct or words, or refraining from certain conduct or words (Wynne Walberg, 1984). The individual can also acquire a complex set of relatively persistent qualities of the individual person, and generally, a positive connotation when used in discussions of moral education (Pritchard, 1988). Learning experiences can influence moral behavior development by direct tuition and by observational learning. Direct intuition uses reward and punishment in negating or reaffirming the behavior of an individual. Observational learning is more indirect in nature because the reward and punishment is observed by the individual rather than experienced first hand. When an individual sees his elders being punished for doing bad things such as stealing or murder, it will be engrained in his moral standards that stealing and murder is not morally accepted. Campbell and Bond (1982) propose the following as major factors in the moral development and behavior of youth in contemporary America: heredity, early childhood experience, modeling by important adults and older youth, peer influence, the general physical and social environment, the communications media, what is taught in the schools and other institutions, specific situations and roles that elicit corresponding behavior. And much of these elements are found in the social context therefore social learning theory is a very effective means of how an individual can acquire his or her moral standards just by observing, imitating and modeling his environment. To successfully model moral behavior, a person goes through four learning processes under social learning theory. Attention is the first important process that one has to render. Without the ability of a person to pay attention to himself, and his surroundings learning will be hard. Retention is the next process after attention is achieved. Remembering the observations is essential so that the learning can be further processed. A person who cannot remember his observations will render his social milieu unimportant. Reproducing the remembered observation is crucial in the learning process. Replicating the observed behavior will determine if the individual has truly learned and has truly understood and acquired the moral concept of the situation observed. And finally, there is need for motivation if an individual is bent on succeeding modeling the observed behavior. Motivation will be the key ingredient for the individual to project the learning he has achieved, successfully sharing his perception so that other may be able to observe his actions. With other people observing his actions, the learning process is replicated over and over again. With this replication through the social learning theory, moral development is achieved by the individual and by the whole group. Knowing how social learning can affect moral development, it is important therefore that young people are able to grow up in a moral environment from where they will use their observation skills and imitate or model the actions they see, hear and feel. Moral development starts at an early stage in a child and therefore, society must not be mindless of the moral and immoral actions found in and around the child’s environment. References: Campbell, V., Bond, R. (1982). Evaluation of a character education curriculum. In D. McClelland (ed.), Education for values. New York: Irvington Publishers. Huitt, W. (2004). Moral and character development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [November 17, 2006], from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/morchr/morchr.html Moshman, David. 2004.   Adolescent Psychological Development: Rationality, Morality, and Identity. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2nd edition Ormrod, J.E. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Pritchard, I. (1988). Character education: Research prospects and problems. American Journal of Education, 96(4), 469-495. Rotter, J. B. (1993). Expectancies. In C. E. Walker (Ed.), The history of clinical psychology in autobiography (vol. II) (pp. 273-284). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Wynne, E., Walberg, H. (Eds.). (1984). Developing character: Transmitting knowledge. Posen, IL: ARL.

Observation of a Track and Field Coach Essay -- Papers

Observation of a Track and Field Coach I chose to observe the practices at State College for Track and Field. I primarily focused on the distance team with John as the coach. When I arrived at the first practice I observed Coach John talking to the team at the beginning of their practice. He was going over what they should focus on during their first track meet, which was coming up. His positive attitude stood out the most. He put his emphasize on having fun. He stressed the importance that they work as hard as they can to achieve their best performance but his final words were, "Have fun!" I started to realize what he stressed most for his team and that was to achieve the goals they set for themselves. For both practices I attended the athletes started out with a warm-up run. They then met as a group and had the team captain lead in their stretches. I noticed strong team cohesion as they stretched talking about their activities from the previous weekend and the work out that they were going to have. After the stretching Coach gathered them together to explain the workout (both days a speed workout). As he explained he made sure each of the team members understood the exact instructions for the speed drills. One of the athletes had a question and he patiently answered it and encouraged more questions to make sure the team knew the exact workout. He had the lone male distance runner do 2 sets of 4x200 meter sprints on the track. He had the women's distance team go out to the pond's to run a 20-minute fartlek in which they ran a minute hard and a minute easy. I observed the male distance runner and when he finished his second set of 200's, Coach suggested he run one more set of 200's. Chris was tired and was he... ...en a coach and a friend and he recognizes that there needs to be a level of respect from the athletes. Reflecting on my interview with Coach comparing and contrasting his stated philosophy on coaching and what I have observed from practices and meets I saw that his goals as a coach are being met at practices and his interactions with his team. He knows what he wants to get out of his coaching experience and he achieves that by working hard at demanding respect and hard work from his team while still ensuring that they have fun. From what I have observed from Coach it seems as if he has taken this class. He knows so much about performance strategies as well as athlete motivation techniques and coach and athlete issues such as respect, safety, and personal relationships. Overall I was very impressed with Coachs coaching strategy, and his team performance.

Ways to make learning a fun experience in school

East is east and west is west. Never the twain shall meet' said Rudyard Kipling. ‘Learning is learning and fun is fun. Never the twain shall meet' said a student. It is time to make that possible now. It is time to end the era in which children hated school. It is time to get rid of the old teaching techniques and keep in pace with modern day technology. It is time to stop using the chalk on the board and make a change in the lives of the generations to come. We are making progress. India in the 1 lth century had schooling in gurukuls.Young boys were taught archery and sword fighting skills. Children used to sit under trees with their slates and chalks and practice sums. Today, we belong to a digital generation that demands innovative methods of absorbing information. Scope in this field is tremendous. Over the years, schools have moved from black boards to smart boards, from typewriters to computers and from a rigid education system to a spontaneous fun experience of school. T he oxford dictionary defines fun as ‘light amusement' but every individual has his own definition of fun.We always find it funny when a child remembers the xact dialogues of the latest film but finds it difficult to answer the questions from their history text book. So to create and exciting atmosphere, the interest of a child is crucial. Audio-video and movies with children's favorite stars help in absorbing the required knowledge. Recorded food preparation television shows and scenes from famous plays can be shown. Colorful pictorials and animations speak louder than a thousand words. Learning in groups with friends also reinforces many facts. Occasional challenges like quizzes and spelling bees help in building an attitude f or many students.Practicals are very beneficial. It would be great to have a multi touch technology where a science student could perform a surgery or an electronics student could assemble and disassemble a computer or a car on the I-pad. User friendly applications would help art students practice their paintings on the smart board before actually starting on a canvas. Online interaction is fun where social studies are concerned. E-program software can be used to exchange knowledge of cultures over the globe. Software should be made in the form of stories with songs as it reinforces important points in the minds of children.Students spend countless hours on social networking sites. These sites can be used for group discussions if the students are too shy to open up in class. Teachers should be provided suitable platforms to host classroom online communities. Project ideas can be shared and there is a teacher and student collaboration. The classroom should be extended beyond the four walls. Projects give need for individual research which pushes students and gives them reason to learn more about their subject. A lot of new ideas and creative inventions are needed for transforming the traditional classroom with ophisticated teaching tools.Visiting destinations of projects is very realistic and enriching. Project tours can be conducted if required, thus increasing the examples and applications of these technologies are growing exponentially. These are the solutions to meet the needs of the 21st century learning environment. Such an exciting environment is a must for an enhanced schooling experience. We do not know for sure where these technologies are taking us but indeed students are finding good strong results. Through everyday explorations like these in the classroom, we are building steps towards the future..

“How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” by Manuel E. Arguilla Essay

Baldo and his older brother Leon were both waiting for their visitor riding a carratela. When Baldo sa his older brother’s wife, who is Maria, he was amazed by her beauty as he narrates their journey to their home in Nagrebcan. Maria was felt a bit anxious because of meeting Leon and Baldo’s parents for the first time, but along their way home, she discovered the differences of the life of the people lived there and the life in the city where she met and fell in love with Leon. Characters Leon/Noel – Maria’s husband, older brother of BaldoMaria – Leon’s wife Baldo – Leon’s younger brother, also the narrator of this story Mother and Father of Leon and BaldoAurelia – Leon and Baldo’s younger sister Labang – the carabaoSetting Nagrebcan, Bauang La Union Plot Leon and Baldo waited for the arrival of Maria at the barrio. Maria was afraid that she will not be accepted by Leon’s father because she may not able to adapt their way of living in the province. Baldo was ignoring to his older brother’s question about why did they have to go to Waig instead of Camino Real. (The reason is that their father wanted to test Maria if she is worthy to be Leon’s wife.) Baldo discussed their travel to his father. Leon’s entire family talked to Maria. 1. Who among the characters in the story you appreciate most? Why? What trait/quality/characteristics you want to this character? Why? For my opinion, I think I appreciate Maria most. Because she accepted and respected Leon for what he really is. She didn’t care what Leon’s life back in Nagrebcan. She was a supportive and a loving wife to Leon. She was so endearing and kind-hearted lady. She was very keen to meet Leon’s family. The fact that the rural is different from the city can be somewhat discouraging but the closer hey get to the house, Maria still manages to overcome any trials.

Biography of Robert Hanssen, Spy Who Betrayed the FBI

Biography of Robert Hanssen, Spy Who Betrayed the FBI Robert Hanssen is a former FBI agent who sold highly classified material to Russian intelligence agents for decades before he was finally arrested in 2001. His case is considered one of Americas greatest intelligence failures, as Hanssen operated as a mole within the bureaus counterintelligence division, the highly sensitive part of the FBI tasked with tracking foreign spies. Unlike Cold War spies of an earlier era, Hanssen claimed to have no political motivation for selling out his country. At work, he often spoke of his religious faith and conservative values, traits which helped him avoid any suspicion during the years that he was in secret communication with Russian spies. Fast Facts: Robert Hanssen Full Name: Robert Phillip HanssenKnown For: Worked as a mole for Russian spy agencies while serving as an FBI counterintelligence agent. He was arrested in 2001 and sentenced to life without parole in federal prison in 2002Born: April 14, 1944 in Chicago, IllinoisEducation: Knox College and Northwestern University, where he received an MBASpouse: Bernadette Wauck Early Life and Career Robert Phillip Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 18, 1944. His father served on the police force in Chicago and was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II when Hanssen was born. As Hanssen grew up, his father was reportedly verbally abusive to him, often ranting that he would never succeed in life. After graduating from a public high school, Hanssen attended Knox College in Illinois, studying chemistry and Russian. For a time he planned to become a dentist, but eventually wound up obtaining an MBA and becoming an accountant. He married Bernadette Wauck in 1968 and, influenced by his devout Catholic wife, he converted to Catholicism. After a few years working as an accountant, he decided to enter law enforcement. He worked as a policeman in Chicago for three years and was placed on an elite unit that investigated corruption. He then applied and was accepted into the FBI. He became an agent in 1976, and spent two years working in the Indianapolis, Indiana, field office. Initial Betrayal In 1978, Hanssen was transferred to the FBI office in New York City and was assigned to a counterintelligence post. His job was to help assemble a database of foreign officials posted in New York who, while posing as diplomats, were actually intelligence officers spying on the United States. Many of them were agents of the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, or its military counterpart, the GRU. At some point in 1979, Hanssen made a decision to sell American secrets to the Soviets. He visited an office of the Russian governments trading company and offered to spy. Hanssen would later claim that his goal was simply to make some extra money, as living in New York City was putting a financial squeeze on his growing family. He began providing the Soviets with highly valuable material. Hanssen gave them the name of a Russian general, Dimitri Polyakov, who had been providing information to the Americans. Polyakov was carefully watched by the Russians from that point on, and was eventually arrested as a spy and executed in 1988. Robert Hanssens business cards, chalk and thumb tacks, which he used to communicate with his Russian contacts, according to the FBI. FBI.gov In 1980, after his first interactions with the Soviets, Hanssen told his wife what he had done, and she suggested they meet with a Catholic priest. The priest told Hanssen to stop his illegal activities and donate the money he had gotten from the Russians to charity. Hanssen made the donation to a charity affiliated with Mother Teresa, and cut off contact with the Soviets for the next few years. Return to Spying In the early 1980s, Hanssen was transferred to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. To his colleagues in the bureau he seemed to be a model agent. He often steered conversations to talk of religion and his very conservative values, which were aligned with the very conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Hanssen appeared to be a devoted anti-communist. After working in the FBI division that developed secret listening devices, Hanssen was again placed in a position to track Russian agents operating in the United States. In 1985 he approached the Soviets again and offered valuable secrets. During his second round of dealing with Russian agents, Hanssen was much more cautious. He wrote to them anonymously. While not identifying himself, he was able to gain their trust by initially providing information which the Soviets found both credible and valuable. The Soviets, suspicious of being lured into a trap, demanded to meet him. Hanssen refused. In his communications with the Russians (some of which were eventually made public after his arrest) he insisted on setting the terms of how he would communicate, pass information, and pick up money. His Russian contacts and Hanssen were highly trained in espionage techniques and were able to work together without ever meeting. At one point Hanssen spoke to a Russian agent over a pay phone, but they generally relied on placing signals in public places. For instance, a piece of adhesive tape placed on a sign in a park in Virginia would indicate that a package had been placed in a dead drop location, which was usually under a small footbridge in the park. Undated file photo released by the FBI February 20, 2001 shows a package recovered at the Lewis drop site containing $50,000 cash allegedly left by Russians for FBI Agent Robert Philip Hanssen. FBI / Getty Images A Third Stint of Betrayal When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Hanssen became much more wary. During the early 1990s, KGB veterans began to approach western intelligence agencies and provide information. Hanssen became alarmed that a Russian with knowledge of his activities would tip off the Americans that a highly placed mole was operating within the FBI and the resultant investigation would lead to him. For years, Hanssen stopped contacting the Russians. But in 1999, while assigned as an FBI liaison with the State Department, he once again began selling American secrets. Hanssen was finally discovered when a former KGB agent contacted American intelligence agents. The Russian had obtained Hanssens KGB file. Realizing the importance of the material, the United States paid $7 million for it. Although his name was not specifically mentioned, evidence in the file pointed to Hanssen, who was put under close surveillance. On February 18, 2001, Hanssen was arrested at a park in northern Virginia after he had placed a package at a dead drop location. The evidence against him was overwhelming, and to avoid the death penalty, Hanssen confessed and agreed to be debriefed by American intelligence officials. During his sessions with investigators, Hanssen claimed his motivation had always been financial. Yet some investigators believed anger about how his father treated him as a child triggered a need to rebel against authority. Friends of Hanssen later came forward and told journalists that Hanssen had exhibited eccentric behavior, which included an obsession with pornography. In May 2002, Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison. News reports at the time of his sentencing said American intelligence agencies were not entirely satisfied with the extent of his cooperation and believed he was holding back information. But the government could not prove he had lied, and wishing to avoid a public trial, the government chose not to void his plea agreement. He was sentenced to life in prison. Robert Hanssen moments after being arrested. Getty Images   Impact of Hanssen Case The Hanssen case was regarded as a low point for the FBI, especially as Hanssen had been so trusted and had committed such betrayals for so many years. In court proceedings the government stated that Hanssen had been paid more than $1.4 million during his spying career, most of which he never actually received, as it was held for him in a Russian bank. The damage Hanssen did was considerable. At least three Russian agents he identified had been executed, and it was suspected that he compromised dozens of intelligence operations. One notable example was the information that the Americans had dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy in Washington to install sophisticated listening devices. Hanssen was incarcerated in a supermax federal prison in Colorado which also houses other notorious inmates, including the Unabomber, one of the Boston Marathon bombers, and a number of organized crime figures. Sources: Hanssen, Robert. Encyclopedia of World Biography, edited by James Craddock, 2nd ed., vol. 36, Gale, 2016, pp. 204-206. Gale Virtual Reference Library,A Search for Answers: Excerpts From the FBI Affidavit in the Case Against Robert Hanssen. New York Times, 22 February 2001, p. A14.Risen, James. Former FBI Agent Gets Life in Prison For Years as a Spy. New York Times, 11 May 2002, p. A1.

5000 word essay following research into Emergency planning and

5000 word following research into Emergency planning and Business Continuity Management and how they may be integrated with Security Risk Management - Essay Example Organisations have no choice but to manage the risk and ensure the stability of all stakeholders with the use and application of corporate governance and other standards. The integration among business continuity management, emergency planning and security risk management proves to be the only reliable way to attain and retain the corporate objectives. The global business environment doesn’t remain the same! Much has changed and much has become complex too. In this environmental complexity, a huge role is being played by globalisation. The developed world undoubtedly observes the saturation of markets. Consequently, the corporations need to search out new investment and business avenues to ensure their corporate existence in the corporate world. The markets of America; and most of European countries have less chances of facilitating the needs of large and big organisations in terms of goods and services; organisations have no other choice left except for taking on more risky investment destinations; such as Asia, Latin America and Africa. As a result, various security risks and challenges would be faced while doing business in these risky investment destinations. Additionally, as the security risk becomes wider and deeper practically and psychologically as well, different measures are pursued, and introduced; among these me asures; corporate social responsibility and corporate governance are more heard and are more demanded by security and regulatory authorities. As the issue of security is becoming a more and more challenging in each passing day, organisations need different and applicable ways to handle and minimise the risks that directly or indirectly threaten the existence of their businesses. Some standards, such as Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) are mostly used by the organisations. With the adoption and implementation of the BCMS, an organisation becomes in a

McDonaldisation of Disney Theme Parks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

McDonaldisation of Disney Theme Parks - Essay Example Literature shows that McDonaldisation has come to represent the vast commodification and standardization of numerous products and services in different industries and sectors (O’Toole 2009; Thompson 2006). Learning, for instance, has been McDonaldised with the rise of standardized approaches to tutorials and pre-school services, such as Kumon and kindergarten services that have the same learning strategies and materials. This paper reviews the McDonaldisation of Disney theme parks. The author already visited several Disney parks particularly in California and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. It begins with providing an overview of the theory of McDonaldisation and then it applies the features of McDonaldisation on these theme parks. This paper argues that Disney theme parks have been McDonaldised, because they promote efficiency, calculability, predictability, better control, and the substitution of human by non-human technology. Theory of McDonaldisation McDonaldisation â€Å"is the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world† (Ritzer 1993, p.1 cited in Keel 2010). The theory has been developed by George Ritzer who has taken important elements of Max Weber’s framework and broadened and made them more relevant to present society (Keel 2010). The vital theme of Weber's examination of modern society was the process of Rationalisation, which is a process where conventional modes of thinking were replaced by ends/means analysis that pursued efficiency and formalized social control (Keel 2010). For Weber, the demonstration of this process was Bureaucracy, a large and formal organization that possessed a hierarchical authority structure, clear division of labor, written rules and regulations, impersonality and technical competence (Keel 2010). Bureaucratic organizations stand for the process of rationalization and the structure they in flict on human interaction and thinking intensifies the process, leading to a more and more rationalized world (Keel 2010). Ritzer critically analyses the impacts of social structural transformations on human interaction and identity (Keel 2010). He stresses that in the later part of the 20th century, the social structures of the fast-food restaurant has become the â€Å"organizational force† that broadened the process of rationalization further to the dimensions of interaction and individual identity (Keel 2010). Ritzer stresses that the five themes within this McDonaldisation process are Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability, Increased Control, and the Replacement of Human by Non-human Technology, as well as the â€Å"irrationality of rationality† (Keel 2010). Efficiency pertains to choosing the means of production that was rapidly and uses the least cost or effort (Keel 2010). Calculability concentrates on factors that have to be calculated, counted, and measure d (Keel 2010). Quantification tends to stress quantity over quantity, hence leading to mass production (Keel 2010). Quality becomes equal to quantity, such as quota (Ritzer 1994, p.142 cited in Keel 2010). Predictability means decreasing potential differences in the delivery of services or goods (Keel 2010). â€Å"A Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac† wherever it is served (Keel 2010). Increased control and the substitution of human by non-human technology are deeply connected (Keel 2010). Ritzer combines the two McDonaldisation process: â€Å"...these two elements are closely linked.