Requirements Of Managers In Contemporary Business Practices Management Essay

Requirements Of Managers In Contemporary Business Practices Management Essay Topic: Imagine there is a proposed merger between a Chinese company and a South-African company. You are appointed to lead a team consisting of managers from both countries to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger. Applying the work of Hofstede and Trompenaars, how close would the cultural fit be; and how might you seek to improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers? Introduction In todays business environment, possessing management skills alone is no longer sufficient to be successful. Contemporary business practices require that managers have knowledge and experience regarding the differences between management and leading as well, and how both activities must be integrated for business success. With the importance of International Business environment is raising, understanding the host countrys culture can give managers a competitive advantage. The objective of this assignment is to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger between Chinese Company and a South-African Company, by using Hofstedes dimensions of National culture, and then explore solutions which can improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers. This assignment mainly has two parts; the first part will give out the cultural problems from two companys side; and the second part is going to find the solutions for the issues. Part One-Cultural Problems China -South Africa team-work As we may realize that the globalization of the world economy, on one hand, has created tremendous opportunities for global collaboration among different countries; on the other hand, however, it has also created a unique set of problems and issues relating to the effective management of partnerships with different cultures. With the increasing importance of the China market in the world economy, many businessmen rushed to enter China to explore business opportunities. Predominantly motivated by the quest for material inputs (oil and other primary commodities) required for its infrastructural investments and booming manufacturing sector, Chinese presence in Africa is rapidly growing (Song Li, 2004). The rapid growth and significance of enhanced Chinese participation in Africa has important implications while talking about cultural aspects. Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions on China and South Africa By applying Geert Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions, the culture difference between China and South-Africa has been displayed in the below charts. Five factors have been discussed on Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions (Hofstede, 1997) Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Individualism (IDV), on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups. Masculinity (MAS), versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) which deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for Truth. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) which versus short-term orientation. According to Hofstedes Value Dimensions on China (See below chart), it can be concluded that China has a comparatively high long-term orientation. This has a historical relationship with its economy. Commonly, most of Asian countries are belonging to the less developed / developing countries. Suffering bad times taught many Chinese people to think and act on a long-term basis. Prior to Chinas economic reform, the government ruled all strategies, supplies, and financial allocations. Leaders, under the contemporary definition, did not exist, because all organizations had to do was to make sure that the allocated quotas were fulfilled, and that the people assigned to them were cared for. The notion of leaders was fulfilled entirely by Confucian values, aligning allegiance to CEOs with allegiance to the government. However, in 1978, managers of state-owned companies were now responsible for corporate operations and profit-making. Example 1- China Source: Cultural Dimensions on China, 2009 Now looking at the figures of South Africa cultural dimensions, it is easy to find that the South Africa has a comparable high IDV and MAS, and its PDI and UAI are a little bit low. It means that people are tending to work individually and certain of social hierarchy exist which has much relation with its history. Example 2- South Africa Source: Cultural Dimensions on South Africa, 2009 Analysis on different cultural dimensions To clarify the differences between China and Africa, the student will focus on Hofstedes five cultural dimensions: power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance and long-term/short-term orientation also called Confucian Dynamism(Hofstede, 1997). China and Africa differ greatly with regard to their economic systems, political systems, social values, and laws, despite the substantial changes that have occurred in China during recent years(McCoy, 2005). Some differences can be found according to Hofstede studies on culture differences. Power Distance China is centralized (though it has shown some tendency toward decentralized power) while Africa is relatively decentralized. In high power distance cultures, authority is inherent in ones position within a hierarchy. There are strong dependency relationships between parents and children, bosses and subordinates and a significant social distance between superior and subordinate. In low power distance or power tolerance cultures, individuals assess authority in view of its perceived rightness. Individualism The student notices in both cases that contrary to western countries which have a strong individualism, China and Africa have a strong collectivism. Individualism-collectivism refers to the relative importance of the interests of the individual versus the interests of the group. In collectivistic societies, the interests of the group take precedence over individual interests. People see themselves as part of in-groups and the in-groups look after them in exchange for their loyalty. In individualistic cultures, the interest of the individual takes precedence over the groups interest. Masculinity Africa has higher value than China in masculinity, which indicates that Africa is medium masculinity while China is medium femininity. Masculinity-femininity or goal orientation pertains to the extent to which traditional male orientations of ambition and achievement are emphasized over traditional female orientations of nurturance and interpersonal harmony (Song Li, 2004). Cultures differ on what motivates people to achieve different goals. Cultures of the aggressive goal behaviour type (masculinity) value material possessions, money, and assertiveness whereas cultures of the passive goal behaviour type (femininity) value social relevance, quality of life and welfare of others. Uncertainty Avoidance China and Africa have higher values for uncertainty avoidance the West. This shows that in both sides, people are relatively risk-avoiding while western people are relatively risk-taking. Uncertainty avoidance captures the degree to which individuals in a culture feel threatened by ambiguous, uncertain, or new situations. Cultures are characterized as either high or low on uncertainty avoidance. Whereas low uncertainty avoidance cultures prefer positive response to change and new opportunities, high uncertainty avoidance cultures prefer structure and consistent routine. Long/Short-term Orientation Africa has a short-term orientation while China has a long-term orientation. Also called Confucian dynamism, this last dimension assesses a societys capacity for patience and delayed gratification. Long-term oriented cultures (China and Hong Kong) tend to save more money and exhibit more patience in reaping the results of their actions. Short-term oriented cultures (African countries) want to maximize the present rewards and are relatively less prone to saving or anticipating long term rewards. It has been widely accepted that cultural differences greatly affect human thinking and behaviour and thus business organizations in which people interact on the basis of shared values. Management is embedded in a wider societal setting, and is heavily influenced by local historical and cultural norms (DiMaggio and Powell, 2003). The significant differences between Africa and China seem to affect some aspects of their business management practice. Part two-Solutions Cultural Differences in business Strategies Because entrepreneurs mature within a societal context, their attitudes toward cooperation are likely to be influenced by the underlying values of their society (Weaver, 2000). As discussed above, Africa and China have a strong collectivism. People depend more on groups or institutions to determine what they should do and emphasize loyalty to the group. They are more likely to cooperate with others to avoid risks and reduce responsibilities. However due to the medium masculinity, Africans sometimes are reluctant to cooperate because their masculine culture view cooperation in general as a sign of weakness and place a high value on independence and control. In the process of cooperation, Chinese tend to pay more attention to relationships. The student has to mention the term Guanxi which in English means relation or connection is at the centre of businesses in China. In Weavers studies (2000), the student found that entrepreneurs from societies that are masculine and individualistic h ave a lower appreciation for cooperative strategies as compared to entrepreneurs from societies that are feminine and collectivist in nature. Cultural Differences in Conflict Management In order to solve conflicts, Chinese and Africans have different ways. For Chinese where harmony and personal relationship are very important, they dont like open conflict; therefore they use indirect ways to work out problems. Anytime there is conflict, they use the authority to end up with it or settle things in private. Negotiation and compromise are determinant for them in this case. Contrary to them, Africans managers like Europeans or Americans, will directly confront problems and bring them out in the open (Richmond and Gestrin, 2008). To resolve problems, everybody is involved in order to bring rational arguments and ideas to suggest solutions. We can notice that Chinese avoid this method because for them that will create disagreement which is very undesirable. African managers are reluctant to devote their time and efforts together in solving business conflicts. Other peoples help is needed. In contrast, according to Bond (2001), the strong collective orientation and uncerta inty avoidance values in China encourage Chinese managers to use indirect forms of influence that involve the assistance of a third party. Indirect forms are used by Chinese managers to deal with a difficult or controversial request. In this way, they avoid losing face or damaging guanxi. Cultural Differences in Decision-making Risk-taking/Risk-avoiding Chinese and African managers differ from in the attitudes toward risks when they make decisions for their different values in uncertainty avoidance. Chinese managers with a high uncertainty-avoidance have a lack adventurous spirit and the sense of risks. Immediate decisions which make them lose the opportunity to compete in a market are avoided in the case they feel the circumstance is uncertain. Most of the time, they want to be safe by taking less risky decisions. For African managers, it is almost the same. Middle and lower level supervisors are less willing to make decisions without deference to superiors. The result is that decision-making takes much longer than anticipated and requires more input from players at various social and professional levels. Uncertainty Avoidance measures for Africa indicate low risk taking and a resistance to change which can further delay projects which encounter problems mid-cycle. Levels of Participation in Decision-making The decision-making process involves making sense of ambiguity and taking risks (Jackson, 2003).The decision maker is working on the information available about what has already happened, what is assumed to have happened or is happening. The second aspect is future oriented (Brady, 2000). A risk is being taken because one is applying a perspective based on knowledge of the past, and projecting this to what might happen in the future if a certain course of action is followed. Chinese managers or African managers have different level of participation in decision- making. In China, decisions are participatory. Employees accept decisions handed down by their supervisors. Because of their unquestioning attitudes towards their supervisors, they resist participation in decision-making. In Africa, managers make individual decisions. They dont consult with others but can defer to their supervisors. They value personal equality. To summarize, the student can say that Chinese managers adopt the no participatory approach to decision-making. The decisions come from the higher superiors to the subordinates. However, since the reforms in China, things are changing. More and more, participatory decision-making is starting to be used in a certain number of companies. Cultural Differences in Work-group Characteristics The first difference about the work-group characteristics is the concept of brotherhood, network, family feeling which is at the heart of all Chinese interactions. In African business style which is quasi the western business style, managers focus on the deal, the possibilities, the risks and so on. There is less focus on the people they are doing business with. They may encourage their group members to learn from each other, to focus on task rather than on social and interpersonal relations, and to build the confidence required for superior performance. They make difference between personal relationship and work. In China, it is the opposite. Chinese managers may initially focus more effort on building social and interpersonal relations (Guanxi) before entering into business or contractual relationship. They would like to spend time developing and maintaining guanxi during the process of interaction and consider it as a prerequisite to do business. A good deal of time is spent exploring peoples characters. People want to know your background, your family situation, your likes and dislikes. A good deal of business is conducted in banqueting halls. Chinese believe a persons true character comes out during these moments. The only purpose during these meetings is to see a persons other side, the human side. If they are comfortable with you, and if they think they can trust you, that you can be invited to join the family, you and your business are made. Chinese managers are not interested in short term; they want long, life-long business relations. However, as the economy has become increasingly marketized, privatized and competitive, the value and effectiveness of the Guanxi system has greatly deteriorated. In industries that have been substantially deregulated or privatized, or where there is vigorous competition, business is business, and Guanxi has been neutralized or marginalized. Relationships or connections now resemble that which we find elsewhere. Cultural Differences in Motivation Systems In business contexts, the motivations of employees, partners, superiors, social associates, and members of a society spring from cultural values, or what people think is important. In order to understand how to do business with members of another culture, it is necessary to understand what motivates them, to know where to begin and what you need to cover all necessary bases. According to Aguinis (2002), employees can be rewarded according to their performance, equally, or based on their needs. In general, the equity principle is common in individualistic cultures while the equality principle is widely used in collectivistic cultures. Pay for performance and pay equity are the two main differences in motivation systems. From the 1950s until the 1980s, every aspect of Chinas economic activity was planned, controlled and operated by the government (Helen, D. 2008). There was no private ownership of any property or asset, and, consequently, no profit motive for individuals or enterprises. The government would allocate everyone a pre-defined slice of the big pie. If anyone wanted more than what was allocated to him/her, it meant circumventing that system and getting someone in that allocation chain to provide a special favour. People were obliged to sacrifice their individual interests for those of the society. Cooperation, interdependence, group goals that create group harmony are applied in China. The sense of belonging and devoting to the group are important for Chinese people. Focusing on the view that ones success is mainly based on group work; they believe that one cannot claim the reward just for oneself. Contrary to what some Chinese researchers argued on this part, the student can say while setting salaries Chinese managers will not pay more attention to the working experience and academic qualifications of employees. In that case, the equality principle is reflected in the motivation system. For African managers, individual achievement is important. They are expected to achieve success only by their individual efforts. Value competition, achievement and personal goals are their main motivations in order to have plans to recognize their individual contributions. Their success relies on their own efforts. Talents and work performance of the employees will be considered by their superiors for salary increases and promotion. Conclusion As a result, understanding other cultures is more important than ever. If we consider that people from the same economic, political, and cultural background have problems communicating effectively; we can appreciate the difficulties and challenges that people from diverse cultures face when trying to communicate. Misunderstandings will always be a part of cultural aspects. Companies need to think outside the proverbial box when formulating their business strategies and when collaborating and forming business partnerships. As sometimes companies move to do business in other countries, a greater sensitivity to culture will be required and an understanding of cultural realities should facilitate business transactions. Knowing another culture is a legitimate concern of businesses. More than that, it is essential. Those who make effort the effort to understand another culture gain knowledge about how to behave in that culture. Otherwise, if you know what people value and understand their attitudes, you wont unintentionally do something that offends and diminishes your chances for business success. In todays global businesses context, the winners are not those who study the markets they deal with even if its important but those who study people they deal with.

The Link Between Drugs And Crime Criminology Essay

The Link Between Drugs And Crime Criminology Essay It is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse (such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, amphetamines, alcohol and many more). Drugs are also related to crime through the effects they have on the users behavior and by generating violence and other illegal activity in connection with drugs trafficking. This research paper will discuss some main causes and effects of using drugs, also look at the statistical data and theoretical model of drug use. Drug addiction can be found in many forms. Drug addiction causes people to use drugs more and more. It also changes the passageways inside of the brain and causes physical damages to the nerve cells. There are also other factors that can lead to drug addiction. One of the factors is genetic. If parents in any family are addicted to drugs then the possibility for children to be addicted to drugs are more because it passes from one generation to next, also children look at their parents and can adapt their habit of using drugs. This is the reason that addiction problem can be found in certain families than the others. One other factor is personality that makes people to rely on drugs. Sometimes, curiosity makes people to try a drug, or if someone is diagnosed with depression, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, stress, anxiety or aggression, this can also lead to drug addiction. Children with low confidence and healthy self-esteem have a possible chance of using drugs to overcom e their problems. (Wicker, 2010). One other factor is peer pressure. Kids especially from high school are the most popular group who are more into drug problem because they think that if they will use drugs that will make them very cool and brave person in the eye of other kids and by taking drugs, they can be accepted as a part of the group. Most of the time, People who have a drug addiction problem try to sell drugs to kids because kids can be easily adaptive to drugs. Nowadays, it is very easy to get an access to drugs. Drugs can be found anywhere. For example, neighborhood, schools, shopping malls, offices, factories, etc. Drugs can also be used as a substitution to pain because it numbs the pain for a limited period of time and can give people a relax feeling physically and emotionally. Life is getting tougher day by day. It includes lots of struggle and too much depression especially past life experiences that are very hard to cope with. Most of the time people think that by taking drugs they can be able to for get all their past life experiences and can have a better sense of emotion coping with life problems. Over all, people who use drugs more often become dependent of drugs by the time. (Wicker, 2010). The effects of drug addiction are huge. It not only changes the persons brain chemistry but also behavior over a period of time. It shows very harmful effects on persons health physically and mentally which can lead to criminal activity. Other effect of drug addiction is on family. People with an addiction problem usually involve in lots of different illegal activities that family members and society might not accept it and those activities create problem for the members of family to be accepted in a respectable society. So, family can either assure safety, provide support for their drug addict member that can help that person to stay away from drugs or they can involve in his activities and be a part of it. Drug addiction problem has a vast effect on the law too. Every day, news channels present different types of stories related to drug addiction crimes. For example, murder, car theft, property theft, burglary, selling illegal drugs, shooting, etc. (Wicker, 2010). The National Library of Medicine estimated 20% of all people in the United States have used prescription medication for non-medical purposes (Wicker, 2010). The misuse of prescription and illegal drugs can change the persons behavior by which a person can be easily dragged toward more criminal activities. The major effect of drug addiction is on American economy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse spent almost $67 billion per year for drug addiction programs which includes the total cost of law enforcement, imprisonment, treatments, and other programs. The impact of drug addiction on crime rate is huge and is increasing day by day. (Wicker, 2010). In 1994, Office of National Drug Control Policy examined that in the United States drug use and criminal activities are somehow correlated to each other, and continuous use of drugs and sale not only destroying the members of society but it is also giving rise to more violent criminal activities. In 2000, a survey was sponsored by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was conducted on the 8, 10, and 12 graders of high schools and they reported that 54% of senior graders use drugs once in their lives. (Carpino, 2000). According to Carpino: In examining the State and Federal prison inmates who reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of their offense, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (1997) reports the following. 24.5% of Federal and 29% of State prison inmates reported being under the influence of drugs when committing violent offenses. 10.8% of Federal and 36.6% of State inmates reported being under the drugs while committing property offenses. 25% of Federal and 41.9% of inmates reported being under the influence of drugs when committing drug offenses. 24.4% of Federal and 22.4% of State prison inmates reported being under the influence of drugs when committing weapon offenses. In 2009, there were 13,687,241 total arrests in the United States. In which, drug arrests was 1,663,582, total marijuana arrests, 858,408, total marijuana sale arrests was 99,815, total marijuana possession arrests was 758,593, total violent crime arrests was 581,765 and total property arrests was 1,728,285. (Borden, 2008). There are three theoretical models proposed by Goldstein that helps in determining drug related crime in the United States, and they also describes the relationship between drugs and crime. The first model he proposed was psychopharmacological model which suggests that people usually involve in criminal activity when they are intoxicated by drugs. Drugs has an impact on nervous system by which people lose their self-control, their ability of thinking right or wrong which lead them to commit crimes. Every drug has its impact on nervous system but some drugs have strong impact, and associated with violent types of crime. Those drugs are PCP (phencyclidine), cocaine, methamphetamines, barbiturates, and alcohol. In 1998, 218 homicides were committed in New York, and 14% of all killings were associated with psychopharmacological factor which means drugs were involved in all those crimes. (Casavant Collin, 2001). The second model that Goldstein proposed was economic-compulsive model which proposes that people usually involve in criminal activity in order to get money to buy drugs. People who cannot live without drugs often commit crimes to get money because drugs these days are very expensive and not everyone can afford them. The crimes that are related to economic compulsive model are theft, prostitution, fraud, drug trafficking etc. The third model proposed by Goldstein was systemic model. This model suggests that criminal activity among drug dealers rise from drug market. According to systemic model, the main reason of violence between drug dealers, merchant, or different types of organizations is the power to control over territories, neighborhood, streets, and school. In this model, crime is as organizational management strategy. In 1980s, 74% of homicides in New York were related to systemic model. (Casavant Collin, 2001). In United States, crime rate is increasing day by day. Government is spending millions of dollars to control over drugs and its related crime by increasing police man power, establishing organizations that are teaching the side effects of taking drugs and what type of crime a person can commit. Drug addiction causes and its effects are very obvious. The three theoretical models presented by Goldstein supports that there is a connection between drugs and crime. Statistics from different government organizations also supports the crime rate due to drugs. Not all the crimes are related to drugs but by looking at all these facts conclusion can be made that there is a link between drugs and crime.

Adolescence in the Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye Essay -- Bell Jar, C

Adolescence in the Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye Adolescence is the period between puberty and adulthood. Every teenager experience this moment in life differently some sail through happily to carry on with a peaceful life where as others are less fortunate and find that this moment is much more harder and stressful then they thought. Esther Greenwood and Holden Caulfield are one of the less fortunate and have bad experiences through their adolescent. Salinger and Plath present this in their novels Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar. Both novelists use first person narrative giving us as readers a more personal description about their story, involving us more into their lives and letting us travel with them on their pathway through adolescent. The tone, dictation and the use of grammar are consistently those of an adolescent person and express distinctive commentary on how they feel and what they observe everyday. Salinger and Plath present the different elements of adolescence that teenagers experience such as depression, grief, pressure, sexuality etc through their characters Holden and Esther. Throughout adolescence teenagers experience a variety of pressures from their family, friends and even the society. Holden and Esther both come from adequate families who brought them up well although this can also mean living up to their expectations. Esther lives up to different expectations than Holden. Esther’s background was less promising than others, her mother could not provide her with a good education it was down the Esther to work really hard at studying to gain scholarships she places huge pressure on herself to achieve these goals that she doesn’t know anything else â€Å" I had been inadequate a... ...and doesn’t bother to help him. This mirrors with Esther’s feeling, that people are not responding to her properly even her own mother who doesn’t believe that the depression is a true illness but just a passing perversity or rebellion. Even her own Doctor fails to help her by showing that he wasn’t really listening to what Esther had to say about her illness by repeating a question to Esther. Throughout the novel Esther is very direct about her depression â€Å"I haven’t slept for 14 days† yet no one chooses to listen to hear but when she tells them â€Å" I feel better, I don’t want to go to the doctors† her mum suddenly listens replying â€Å" I knew my baby wasn’t like that† Plath shows that people don’t want to hear anything depressing or morbid unless it directly involves them but if it doesn’t they don’t want to know they only listen to what they want to hear.

Why Modern Monsters Have Become Alien to Us :: Papers

Why Modern Monsters Have Become Alien to Us Late autumn has arrived and with it comes the dark magic of Halloween--and, of course, the murky thrill of monsters. Yet our appetite for a good monster knows no season. Ever since ancient times we have been fascinated with all sorts of tales about monsters and intrigued by myths and legends about those wild half-human beasts who haunt the edges of our forests and lurk in the recesses of our oceans. The sphinxes, minotaurs, and sirens of early mythology gave way to Beowulf's Grendel and Saint George's dragon, then to the mermaids, trolls, and one-eyed giants of our fairy and folk tales, and finally to those 19th-century Gothic classics. Nor are these stories on the wane, for the monster tales that made Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi stars of the silver screen continue to draw megacrowds six and seven decades later. In 1994 Kenneth Branagh and Robert DeNiro brought us the latest reincarnation of Shelley's story of Frankenstein's tortured creature, and Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt starred in "Interview with a Vampire," the first installment of Ann Rice's homage to Stoker'sDracula. Meanwhile, Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical production of Gaston Leroux's "Phantom of the Opera" continues to pack in audiences from London to L.A. Much of the initial appeal of monster stories comes from the fact that they, like their twisted siblings, "creature features" and "slashers," both terrify and fascinate us with their ghoulish brand of horror. It's the rattling-the-tiger's-cage kind of thrill that Scout and Jim Finch got from sneaking onto Boo Radley's porch under a pale moon. Reading or watching great monster stories, we get to accompany the frightened heroes or heroines as they descend into the dragon's lair; crane our necks over the tops of books or movie seats and peek into the dank recesses of the giant cyclops' cave; stretch out our trembling hands and actually touch the monster's reptilian scales, hairy paws, or cloven hoofs; and then run screaming like a banshee the instant it wakes from its slumber. What a rush! As frightening as these creatures are, in monster stories it is always the beast that ends up taking the fall, which means that this is a place where we not only get to tangle with evil's most daunting and dangerous minions but to vanquish them with regularity. Pretty heady stuff.

Essay --

John Donne’s poetry is rife with analogous themes, which allows the reader’s mind to wrap itself around the poems in the most superlative way possible. Donne’s poems are alive with collective themes of paradoxes and fidelity. Fidelity, in Donne’s vision of humanity, also weaves aspects of love: be it physical or spiritual. His theology and religious dogmas are abundant in his poems as well as his conception of cosmic forces beyond our control. â€Å"The Flea† portrays a young girl, fearful of losing her chastity, who is being sought by a cavalier young man. His efforts to beguile her are shattered when she destroys their â€Å"conjectural marriage† while he is in the throes of his seduction. She deters him by killing a flea, drunk on their intermingled blood after it has bitten both the fellow and the lady. The supposition of marriage is called off by the woman, suggesting a paradox in Donne’s time; women did not have the right to end a marriage, unlike a man who always had the prerogative to end a marriage. â€Å"Donne's manner of blurring boundaries between male and female has typically been regarded as a way of entrenching conventional gender roles and of suppressing the assertiveness of female sexuality† (Mintz, B Susannah. "Forget the Hee and Shee": Gender and Play in John Donne); this creates the paradoxical image of a cloud between male and female gender roles which can be seen in the fo llowing. There is no marriage of course. He is trying to convince her to have sex with him, â€Å"a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead: † (line 6) based solely on the fact that their blood is already commingled in the flea so they might as well share other bodily fluids. This is in common with â€Å"The Triple Fool† in which Donne demoralizes himself for havi... ...cept often that divine love is perfect love and serves as the only genuine model for all others. In another of Donne’s poems â€Å"The Canonization,† the poet writes, â€Å"Countries, towns, courts beg from above/A pattern of your love† (lines 44-45). This indicates that two lovers have such a perfect love that it serves as a paragon for the rest of the world. John Donne and his poetry exemplify the type of verse that connects the themes of derisive cosmic forces out of our control, to love, to religion, to paradoxes within the poems, and the theme of fidelity. These themes are evident in â€Å"The Flea†, in which the woman kills the flea and the supposed marriage between the man and the woman, â€Å"The Hymn to God My God in My Sickness† in which Donne feels he is on the verge of dying, and â€Å"The Triple Fool† in which Donne feels depressed after rejecting his love in a sexual manner. Essay -- John Donne’s poetry is rife with analogous themes, which allows the reader’s mind to wrap itself around the poems in the most superlative way possible. Donne’s poems are alive with collective themes of paradoxes and fidelity. Fidelity, in Donne’s vision of humanity, also weaves aspects of love: be it physical or spiritual. His theology and religious dogmas are abundant in his poems as well as his conception of cosmic forces beyond our control. â€Å"The Flea† portrays a young girl, fearful of losing her chastity, who is being sought by a cavalier young man. His efforts to beguile her are shattered when she destroys their â€Å"conjectural marriage† while he is in the throes of his seduction. She deters him by killing a flea, drunk on their intermingled blood after it has bitten both the fellow and the lady. The supposition of marriage is called off by the woman, suggesting a paradox in Donne’s time; women did not have the right to end a marriage, unlike a man who always had the prerogative to end a marriage. â€Å"Donne's manner of blurring boundaries between male and female has typically been regarded as a way of entrenching conventional gender roles and of suppressing the assertiveness of female sexuality† (Mintz, B Susannah. "Forget the Hee and Shee": Gender and Play in John Donne); this creates the paradoxical image of a cloud between male and female gender roles which can be seen in the fo llowing. There is no marriage of course. He is trying to convince her to have sex with him, â€Å"a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead: † (line 6) based solely on the fact that their blood is already commingled in the flea so they might as well share other bodily fluids. This is in common with â€Å"The Triple Fool† in which Donne demoralizes himself for havi... ...cept often that divine love is perfect love and serves as the only genuine model for all others. In another of Donne’s poems â€Å"The Canonization,† the poet writes, â€Å"Countries, towns, courts beg from above/A pattern of your love† (lines 44-45). This indicates that two lovers have such a perfect love that it serves as a paragon for the rest of the world. John Donne and his poetry exemplify the type of verse that connects the themes of derisive cosmic forces out of our control, to love, to religion, to paradoxes within the poems, and the theme of fidelity. These themes are evident in â€Å"The Flea†, in which the woman kills the flea and the supposed marriage between the man and the woman, â€Å"The Hymn to God My God in My Sickness† in which Donne feels he is on the verge of dying, and â€Å"The Triple Fool† in which Donne feels depressed after rejecting his love in a sexual manner.

Homework Is Bad

Homework is harmful to my health? When I first read the topic, a big question mark appeared in my mind. I haven’t thought that homework is harmful to my health because I have been taught that doing homework is students’ duty. However, in my opinion, too much homework is really harmful to my health according to the following reasons. First of all, too much homework exhausts brains and bodies, so I can’t have a good rest.I stay in school almost ten hours from 7 a. m. to 5 p. m. on weekdays. When getting home, I am extremely tired, but I still have to cheer up to finish daily homework. As a result, I don’t have any time to take a rest. Second, too much homework leads to insufficient sleep. I have different homework from different subjects. Take me for example, as a second grader in senior high school, on average I usually spend 2 or 3 hours on homework every day.When having lots of homework to do, I will stay up late to complete homework. Unfortunately, I sti ll have to get up early next morning, so I can’t get enough sleep. Third, too much homework causes stress, especially so-called difficult homework. When I can’t solve difficult problems by myself, such as problems in math, chemistry, and physics, I am absolutely obsessed with these difficult problems and then they become my heavy burdens and pressure.Fourth, doing too much homework makes eyes extremely tired and eventually it may cause near-sighted. I wear glasses because I ignore the importance of right gestures and bright light while doing homework. According to these above reasons, I firmly believe that too much homework is harmful to my health. Although too much homework may be harmful to my health, adequate homework is beneficial to my studies. After all, doing homework is one of my duties.

Christian Family Center School Essay

Domingo St. Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City is composed of Elementary and high school. Christian Family Center School Foundation uses manual way in operating their library. Library is regarded as the brain of any institute; many institutes understand the importance of the library to the growth of the institute and their esteem users (students). Library system that offers many flexible and convenient features, that allows librarians and library users to maximize time and efficiency. Library System gives the all detailed information about students, staff and books. It will track on the how many books available in library and books issued to the students. It shows popular book among the students. It will provide book lost in library. Library is derived from the old French â€Å"libraries† which means â€Å"a collection of book†. Reading materials in a school are stored in libraries. The Library is a place in which books and related materials are kept for use but not for sale. It is also organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution or a private individual. In addition, it is a place in which we get information in different formats and from many sources. The library must be neat so that it is conducive for learning. It is the place where students and researchers go to in order to find all the questions to their queries and ultimately find answers. It is therefore the role of a librarian to keep the place as clean and as orderly as possible. It is also his duty to keep safe all information related to library transactions like the ins and outs of books. Statement of the Problem Based on the conducted interview and observations, the group had come up with the following problems being encountered by the project. The study seeks to answer the following problems: 1. They spend more time in recording the inventory of the books and also in recording the transactions of borrowing. 2. Possible of losing the records. 3. The authorized person exerts more effort in this manual ways. 4. The records are unorganized. Objectives of the Study The following are the objectives aimed by the researchers to create a useful Library Management System to the proponents, Christian Family Center School Foundation. 1. To be able to develop a system that helps the school library to secure the information/data inputted. Only the authorized person can access the system. 2. To be able to minimize the time and effort of the person who is in charge in searching books. 3. To be able to minimize the possibility of losing the data. 4. To be able to have an organized data in library. Scope and Limitations The scope of the program is you can easily record the books being barrowed by the students. It also has a very user-friendly interface. Thus the users will feel very easy to work on it. The software provides accuracy along with a pleasant interface. Make the present manual system more interactive, speedy and user friendly. The transaction reports of the system can be retried as and when required. Thus, there is no delay in the availability of any information, whatever needed, can be captured very quickly and easily. Although this proposed system benefits the users, it also has its limitations. First the system is connected into a network. Only one can computer at a time can access the system. Second, the person that can access the system is limited (Librarian/Staff). Significance of the Study This IT project intends to provide an accurate and effective Library Management System which will benefit the following: Librarian/Staff, the librarian handles the monitoring of information in the library. It will lessen the time, enhance the level of work, help its processes more reliable and efficient, and provide accuracy and security of data information. Students, students can borrow and return books in the library. It will make the process of borrowing and returning books easier. CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDY This chapter presents the related literature and studies, local and foreign, that gives bearing to the present study. Local Literature According to Malnig (1991), online research began more than 25 years ago with convoluted and cumbersome searches through Dialog. Operational long before the common place use of the internet, the EarMest Dialog system was completed in 1996. It was world’s first online information retrieval system to be used globally with materially significant databases and for the use in libraries. However, it was said that it has a more technical interface than the newer versions on online libraries, and the manual library system. Biggs and Biggs (1987) conducted a survey of the heads of academic library reference services to examine the collection development for the study titled â€Å"Reference Collection Development in Academic Libraries: Report of a Survey†. It was found that selection and weeding were not guided by any written policy and studies of use of collection were missing. Authors concluded that online sources were important factors in selection. Harloe and Budd (1994) in â€Å"Collection Development and Scholary Communication in the Era of Electronic Access† examined the relationship between collection development and system of scholarly communication in academic library. They discussed on ownership verses access to information and presented strategies for collection development in electronic networked system. Sridhar (1995) wrote an article named â€Å"Problems of Collection Development in Special Libraries†. He explored the various factors affecting collection development in special libraries and highlighted the significance of collection development policy manual. Author pointed out the various problems related to document selection and procurement. Andrade and Vergueiro (1996) also wrote an article under title â€Å"Collection Development in Academic Libraries: A Brazilian Library’s Experience†. The article is based on the collection development practices of a Brazilian academic library. Authors outlined the different models of collection development given by professionals. Haider (1996) in his paper â€Å"Acquisition and Collection Development in Pakistan† analyzed the constraints faced by Pakistani libraries in the procurement of books from abroad. Lack of proper management, absence of competent personnel, non-existence of acquisition policy statements, non-existence of selection aids, ever shrinking library budgets, fluctuating rate of the rupee, inflation, import policy, trade embargoes against some countries, fiscal policy etc. were the major hurdles found. Foreign Literature According to Britannica Online (2010), the word library derives from Latin â€Å"Liber†, which means â€Å"The Book†. The origin of libraries dates back around 3rd century B. C in Babylonia, where keep written records which has been part of their history. The first libraries as a collection of books were evidenced in Greek temples and those established in conjunction with Greek schools and philosophy in 4th century B. C modern libraries usually contain periodicals, microfilms, tapes, videos, compact discs, and other materials in addition to books. Dewey (1992), as cited by Pasilan (2000) defines in integrated library system as the one that bring together numerous library task into one system. It allows the library to have a direct on its automation with a great efficiency. It also allows the user to use the library data for the acquisition, cataloging and circulation of library collections. Hoffer, Prescott and McFadden (2002) defines a database as an organized collection of related data. They also defined data as known facts that are recorded and stored on a computer system are structured to be easily stored, manipulated, queried and retrieved by data users. Thornton (2000) â€Å"Impact of Electronic Resources on Collection Development, the Roles of Librarians, and Library Consortia†. Study was conducted to find the impact of electronic resources and the Internet on collection development and discuss the changing role of librarians, library co-operation and collection development. It had been concluded that consortia will become more important sources in electronic information world. Pandita (2004) in her paper â€Å"Collection Development in the Digital Era† examined the impact of electronic format on the collection development. She pointed out that the policy of content development needs to be worked out and re-designed. Mandal and Panda (2005) in their research paper titled â€Å"Collection Development in the Internet Age and the Need for a Consortium in the Engineering College Libraries in West Bengal: A Study† discussed the different dimensions of collection development. The existing state of library collection and infrastructural facilities of 17 engineering college libraries in West Bengal were examined. Author suggested the staff training, provision of adequate staff and funds, appropriate infrastructure in IT and a need based collection. Mulla and Chandrashekara (2006) â€Å"E-Resources and Services in Engineering College Libraries – A Case Study†. Study was conducted to examine the efforts made by the engineering college libraries in Karnataka to build electronic resources. Results of the study revealed that collection and service infrastructure of the libraries in sampled regions were not up to the mark and libraries were struggling to build digital collection and in disseminating digital information due to lack of ICT infrastructure, IT trained manpower and paucity of finances, etc. Adekanmbi and Boadi (2008) in study titled, â€Å"Problems of Developing Library Collections: A Study of Colleges of Education Libraries in Botswana† ascertained the availability and use of collection development policies in the college of education libraries, in Botswana. In addition to using questionnaires, interviews were conducted to gather information from senior librarians, deputy principals of colleges and board of the affiliated institutions of the University of Botswana. Study brought to notice that majority of the libraries did not have collection development policies. Lack of constant training for librarians, inadequate staff, lack of support from administration and unavailability of collection development policies were some of the major problems found. It was further found that majority of the libraries did not involve their users in formulation of policies and did not implement these for collection development. Study revealed the need to train librarians on collection development. Mary and Sankar (2008) â€Å"Collection Evaluation of PSN College of Engineering and Technology Library and PET Engineering College Library in Tirunelveli District†. Authors described the various techniques of evaluating the document collection in academic libraries and evaluated the collection development practices of two engineering colleges. Sharma et al. (2008) evaluated the collection development in libraries of 38 engineering colleges of Orissa under title â€Å"Collection Management of Engineering College Libraries of Orissa: An Evaluative Study†. Information was collected from libraries using questionnaires. Study concluded that  growing dissatisfaction of the users arising from non-availability of needed documents and lack of provision of services could be boiled down to some extent, by rendering at least CAS or current contents or information about latest addition to users. Mallaiah and Gowda (2009) in paper â€Å"Collection Development in Mangalore University Library: A User Study† discussed the usefulness of collection development in a university library and attempted to find whether the UGC-INFONET E-journals were meeting the users information needs. Local Study The developments in information environments implies that new collection development policies need to be revised from time to time to ensure access to a wider range of e-documents and e-databases. These policies should give more emphasis on licensing agreements, copyrights, intellectual access, the mode of payment, subscription costs and archiving. A number of attempts have been made by the university libraries and academic institutions to develop collection development policies. Suzanne D Gyesley (2001) reported that the escalating price and rapid growth in electronic journal databases along with traditional print subscriptions and monographs forced library administrators and collection development librarians to make decisions between printed products or electronic formats in the new millennium. A separate study was conducted at A&M University libraries, Texas, USA in the disciplines of political science and economics to compare the annual subscription prices and percentage increase of 203 core printed journals with their electronic counterparts during 1998-2000 academic years. The electronic use statistics were examined for the expensive serials based on the number of hits by the users. Based on this study he reported that libraries were forced to pay for dual subscriptions both for paper and in electronic form. It also revealed that faculty and students were satisfied with the use of e-journals. It also indicated a trend that libraries would switch to electronic format if the price of electronic journals dropped. Considering the question of what the present collection of libraries mean to the user in the current information environment. Collection analysis techniques educate and support the new library staff about collection and provide better data to determine collection development priorities for budget planning. It helps librarians to assist their patron’s search for information. The collection was evaluated using online analysis tools. Topics covered are about the importance of e-book collections, faculty participation in the selection for more balanced and comprehensive collection management plan. Their article lists out the benefits of conducting collection analysis. It revealed that collection analysis has a positive impact on collection development and management. Findings inferred from this study suggest that access to the collection were improved and some problems encountered with a particular collection were identified. Foreign Study Mukherjee (1965) carried out a study titled, â€Å"Library Facilities in Training Colleges of India† to assess the prevalent position of 50 teacher training college libraries. Questionnaire was used as data collection tool. Study revealed that majority of libraries did not have sufficient space for proper functioning. Some of teacher training colleges did not have their own libraries. Staff and students depended on the university libraries to which education section was attached. Naidu (1981) in his research paper, â€Å"College Libraries in Andhra Pradesh: With Special Reference to Andhra University† attempted to find the causes leading to unhappy situation of libraries. Author disclosed the gloomy picture of college libraries and suggested to lay down some norms and standards for college libraries by inspection commission of each university. He further suggested that at least 6% of the college budget should be spent on library. Author emphasized the need to give initiation to users in the beginning of each academic year. In an article titled â€Å"A Survey of College Libraries in West Godavari District† Raju (1984) explored the prevailing position of libraries of 18 colleges affiliated to Andhra University, Waltair. Various facets of libraries i. e. library staff, building, collection, book banks, budget and technical services, etc have been examined. Financial sources were found inadequate. DDC and AACR-I were popular among libraries. Survey revealed the immediate need to improve the services to meet information needs of students, teachers and research scholars. Kumbar (1986) took up a study named â€Å"College Libraries under ulbarga University Area: A Survey. † He assessed the existing situation and status of 54 colleges libraries. Besides using questionnaires, interviews were also conducted to collect data. Only one librarian possessed master’s degree in Library Science. Survey represented a disappointing picture of libraries as only 12 libraries had their own buildings. Libraries were spending more funds on books and comparatively less on periodicals. Library services were not found satisfactory. It was found that more than 50% libraries brought out annual reports. Jasmer Singh (1990) carried out research for doctorate degree on the topic â€Å"College Libraries in Punjab: A Statistical Analysis of the Problems† He conducted a survey to find the problems being faced by college libraries of Punjab and Chandigarh and also attempted to study the use of libraries. He covered 210 colleges under study, including five colleges of education also. Questionnaire-I was used to know about the prevalent position of libraries and problems being faced by librarians in managing these. Two separate questionnaires were used to know the opinions of students and teachers about their respective libraries. Bajpai (1995) in research paper â€Å"Evaluation of College Library Services in Delhi† assessed the services of college libraries in Delhi and identified their problems. He brought forward that librarians often found it difficult to deal with teaching and non-teaching staff members regarding return of books. For this, library rules existed only on paper and were not being implemented properly. Chopra (1995) revealed the problems being faced by college libraries of Punjab in his article titled â€Å"College Libraries in Punjab: Some Problems Re-Considered†. Article is based on the personal observations of the author. He grouped these problems into three parts i. e. problems related to the management of colleges, problems concerned with principals of colleges and finally those related to library staff. Shortage of staff, inadequate funds, physical facilities, circulation of books, stock verifications and library hours etc. were the facets discussed in paper. Martin (1976) in his article â€Å"User Studies and Library Planning† discussed the user studies and appraised their role in library planning. Author provided various guidelines for conducting user studies and concluded that user data strengthens the planning and decision-making processes at several levels, so the responses of users should be an integral part of the ongoing practice of librarians, providing constant feedback. Coker (1993) has written a useful article titled â€Å"Libraries Verses Users? How and How Not to Deter Library Users†. Author examined the various factors influencing the  attitude of users towards libraries and also took into consideration the socioeconomic, technological, physical/technical and psychological/ emotional conditions shaping up the perceptions of non users, inhibit users and potential users. Wildemuth (2003) in article titled â€Å"Why Conduct User Studies? The Role of Empirical Evidence in Improving the Practice of Librarianship† emphasized that by gathering evidences about library users, their interactions with library services and materials and context in which those materials and services are used, librarians can make sound decisions for the future. Author discussed on the methodology for conducting user studies and utilization of results as basis for decision making. Carr (2006) â€Å"What Users Want: An Academic ‘Hybrid’ Library Perspective†. Author described the development of user centered approach in academic libraries over the recent decades. He wrote that largely unquestioned ‘user get what we give them’ attitude was being transformed into ‘what do users want? ’ approach. The failure to take what users want into account would leave academic library high and dry in the desert of lost opportunities. Definition of Terms Used in the Case Study. 1. Library – is derived from the old French â€Å"libraries† which means â€Å"a collection of book†. 2. Librarian – the person who is in charged in the library. 3. Computer – is composed of the hardware, software and people. 4. Book – reading material. 5. Staff – the assistant of the librarian. CHAPTER 3 THE EXISTING SYSTEM The diagrams below represent the flow of the existing system of Christian Family Center School Foundation Library System. It shows also the Equipments and Software used. Context Level Data Flow Diagram of Christian Family Center School Foundation Library System. Diagram 0 – Next Level of Christian Family Center School Foundation Library System Level 1Diagram Showing the Decomposition of Process 2. 0 from the Level 0 Diagram Status AvailableBook Book Information Details of Books Student Receipt Equipment Currently Used, Specifications, and Cost The table below shows the Equipment and Currently Used, Specifications, and Cost of the Existing System. OFFICE SUPPLIES QUANTITY UNIT PRICE TOTAL Ball pen / pencil 15 10. 00 150. 00 Log Book 2 54. 75 109. 50 Paper Pack 5 75. 00 375. 00 Envelope 26 4. 25 110. 50 Stapler 1 85. 25 85. 25 Total: 830. 25 FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT. COST VALUE TOTAL Computer Package 26,975. 00 1 26,975. 00 Filling Cabinet 1,568. 00 1 1,568. 00 Electric Fan 800. 00 4 3200. 00 Chairs 280. 00 48 13,440. 00 Tables 850. 00 8 6,500. 00 Total: 51,683. 00 Software Currently Used and Cost The table below shows the Software Currently Used and Cost. SOFTWARE COST TOTAL Windows 7 1000. 00 1000. 00 Microsoft Office 2000. 00 2000. 00 Total: 3000. 00 CHAPTER 4 THE PROPOSED SYSTEM Methods of Research Used The proponents used RAD method by planning the requirements for the system and meet to assign the own task of the members of the proponents. The proponents give a date for deadline where the proponents will meet for the easier and fast way, the proponents talk through internet to compile their assigned task and finished the system. Data Gathering Instruments Interview is defined as a meeting to people face to face to cinfer about something or an act of a questioning to receive a desired answer that is necessary in solving a specific problem. Interview benefits the researches in the sense that this will be used in gathering facts. The interviews will be conducted on the July 12, 2014 and to that respondent who uses the system directly. The diagrams below represent the flow of the proposed system of Christian Family Center School Foundation Library System. Level 1 Context Level Data Flow Diagram of Christian Family Center School Foundation Library System Level 1 Diagram 0 – Next Level of Christian Family Center School Foundation Library System Level 1 Diagram Showing Decomposition of Process 1. 0 from the Level 1 Diagram 0 Program Flowchart Equipment Currently Used, Specifications, and Cost The table below shows the Equipment and Currently Used, Specifications, and Cost of the Existing System. OFFICE SUPPLIES QUANTITY UNIT PRICE TOTAL Ball pen / pencil 15 10. 00 150. 00 Log Book 2 54. 75 109. 50 Paper Pack 5 75. 00 375. 00 Envelope 26 4. 25 110. 50 Stapler 1 85. 25 85. 25 Total: 830. 25 FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT COST VALUE TOTAL Computer Package 26,975. 00 1 26,975. 00 Filling Cabinet 1,568. 00 1 1,568. 00 Total: 28,543. 00 Software Currently Used and Cost The table below shows the Software Currently Used and Cost. SOFTWARE COST TOTAL Windows 7 1000. 00 1000. 00 Microsoft Office 2000. 00 2000. 00 Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 Express 1000. 00 1000. 00 Total: 4000. 00.