Music Business Essays - Copyright Collection Societies,

Music Business Music Business Exam Number One Question 1. The music publishing industry at a glance would seem to be those who print sheet music, method books, lead sheets, and all of the texts or notated music that musicians (and those aspiring to be musicians) use. Years ago, this was what most music publishers did, but as the industry has evolved the process that become much more complex. Music is not just ink and paper, intellectual material and property to the individual who writes it. Therefore the song does not become a song when it is written down. This is not an easy concept to grasp because the song by itself has no physical makeup. A song could exist once it is played for the first time, and songs can even exist inside the mind of a songwriter. This concept is why the publishing business can be so complex; we are dealing with intellectual property. The heart of the music publishing business lies in the rights to the original music. After the music is successful enough to financially support itself the music is printed in mass quantities in a variety of ways. This could be everything from guitar tabs to choral arrangements for a junior high choir. The publishers main source of income is through record royalties, performance royalties received from companies like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), and the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC) for performances of music copyrighted by the publisher. These royalties could be from many different types of performances but most are though radio and songs on television. The success of a songwriter lies in the greatly in the hands of his/her publisher. Normally we hear of a bands success when they are signed with a record deal, but most record companies not only produce and promote an album, they also a ct as the publisher who, when contracted, owns the rights to the music. When a publisher own the song it is put in to their catalog. Merchandise retailers have catalogs of their goods just like publishers have a catalog of songs that they own rights to. Publishing firms such as Warner/Chappell, BMG Music, MCA Music, and Sony music have catalogs of many styles of music. These companies are referred to as full-line companies. A broad repertoire allows them to market their music to many audiences. Most of these full-line companys roots can be traced back to the music of Hollywood and the show music of Broadway. Publishers today may have thousands of songwriters in its catalog including all styles of music from around the globe. Representative Warner/Chappell owns, administers, or sub-publishes more that a million copyrights here and abroad. Todays full-line publishers have many different divisions to their company. Large publishers handle virtually every aspect of a writers music, its recordings, distribution, sales, promotion, advertising, touring, and legal affairs. This figure lays out all the divisions a full-line publisher may have. The administration division is the division that handles the operations of the firm. All business affairs go through administration. When money is received from or paid to customers the firm the accounting divisions keeps all the financial records of these kinds of operations. The accounting division also would handle loans given to artist that are signed to the firm under the publishers record label. When a band records an album under a label they become a liability to the label because money has to be spent to record, produce and promote a artists music. Full-line publishers front this money and all profits from the artist come back and are split 50-50 with the publisher and the writer. If the artist maintains the rights to their songs the record contract will include a controlled composition clause that calls for a reduced mechanical royalty paid to the artist by the record label. This clause may reduce the royalty split to 75-25, the larger portion going to the record label. This clause would not be insisted to artists who place the full rights to works in the hands of the record companys publisher. The artist remains a liability to the publisher as long as the artist has not made as much money as

Rap Essays

Rap Essays Rap Essay Rap Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Rap The ingenuity and authenticity imposed by the musical genre of Rap is indeed overwhelming. Exemplified as one of the most influential arrays of musical compositions throughout the globe, rap music forms an essential factor in defining society. Ever since its inception in the 1970s among members of the African American community, much of the behavior exemplified by the American society, specifically the youth illustrated delinquency and as such, depicted hip hop as a musical movement that spawned an unapologetic and aberrant generation. On the other hand, hip hop music has gained popularity as among the most uplifting and appropriate tools for young people to express their emotions. Nevertheless, based on the arguments stated, it is evident that rap music sensitizes and uplifts the youth and the American society in general. Overview of Arguments The argument stemming on both sides regarding the influence of rap music on the society is significant. With respect to the debate, the society views music as a common influence among the youth in the society especially relating to delinquency. This is due to the influence evident within the 1980s from the sub-genres of the genre such as Gangsta Rap and West Coast Hip Hop. These sub-genres exuded the violent lifestyles of the inner-city African-American youth. With the inception of personalities such as Ice-T and groups such as Niggaz Wit Attitudes (N.W.A), and as such gained lucrative attention from the youth especially on crime, misogyny and disrespecting the police. On the other hand, the art of rap in hip hoop music alleviates inner-city African American youths into non-delinquent behavior based on the use of the genre as an expression of their innermost thoughts. Argument against Rap From the rise of artists such as Too Short, Ice-T, Ice Cube and other African American artists in the 1980s, it seemed that rap music would be the epitome of the American society. Most of the themes exalted in the songs at this time depicted political militancy, hatred for women and crime. Indeed, the expressiveness of rap plunged the society into a hateful community that saw the police as enemies and women as sexual objects. In addition, with the onset of the late 1980s and 1990s, rap music illustrated segregation and violence exemplified by the enmity between the East Coast and the West Coast. In addition, contemporary hip hop glorifies invalid values such as materialism and profanity and thus, further adds to immorality within the society. Argument for Rap Indeed, the argument for rap stems around the expression of emotions based on the use of rap as a technique within the genre. Much of the sentiments echoed in rap music revolve around the intricacies facing most youth within the society. Notably, hip hop music describes itself as a channel of anger based on the manner, in which the American society rejects the plight of youth and explores conventional thoughts such as racism and segregation. Nevertheless, hip hop music gains popular use as a technique to disseminate such boundaries and equally define the youth as a separate and distinct society that strays away from the rigid structures society barricades. Supporting rap music, it is also evident that most music genres have imposed negative connotations from the society. For instance, genres such as Rock and Roll and Jazz gained popularity as advocates for delinquency and thus, proves that the change in music always encounters difficulties and hostilities from the society with respec t to the status-quo. Conclusion The arguments regarding rap music stem around the social derivative. In summary, both arguments focus on the social impact of the genre and as such, provide conflicting opinions that describe the main facets of the genre. Nevertheless, it is evident that rap music, similar to all other genres, possesses positive and negative aspects and as such, it is up to the society to determine whether to demystify the negative features of the genre or exemplify the positive aspects of rap music.

Breast cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Breast cancer - Essay Example 23-39) has indicated that body often starts creating wrong cells that damage the body by building a mass of damaged tissues called a lump or a tumor. Breast cancer refers to the disease when a lump or tumor forms in the part of breast. Particularly, this paper will focus primarily on breast cancer that has become one of the most common types of cancer affecting thousands of women in Australia and worldwide. In this regard, the paper has been divided into four sections of stages and types, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment, and conclusion. (Susang Komen, 2013) STAGES & TYPES Knowing the stage and type is very imperative for successful diagnosis and treatment of the breast cancer. Some of the factors that determine stage and type of the breast cancer are size of the lump, number of damaged lymph nodes, axillary area, and the amount of damage to other parts of the body (Link, Forsthoff, & Waisman, 2003, pp. 41-48). There are four stages of breast cancer; however, if one goes into th e sub-stages, then there are seven stages of breast cancer according to abovementioned factors. First stage is also known as Stage 0 breast cancer that refers to the condition in which cancerous cells exist in lining of milk duct (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 21-24). This stage is also called ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 21-24). In types, physicians refer it as earlier cancer. When the development of cancerous cells continues, it reaches the stage two in which cells extend themselves toward adjoining lymph nodes. Physicians further divide this stage into two sub-stages that are determined by size and spread of the lump. (MedicineNet.com, 2013) When the lump spreads outside the breast area affecting neighboring muscles, it is referred as Stage 3 breast cancer, which is considered as treatable among the doctors. This stage has also been divided further into three sub-stages that are determined by the same two factors of size and spread of the tumor (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 21-24). The last stage is also known as metastatic cancer (Mansel, Fodstad, & Jiang, 2009, pp. 27-35) in which cancerous cells reach other parts and/or organs of the body. In today’s science, this stage is considered incurable; however, doctors prescribe therapies along with personal motivation that may allow patients to extend their life period to few years (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 25-32). Besides abovementioned stages, research has indicated few other types of breast cancer, such as triple negative breast cancer that refers to the type in which neugene, estrogen, and progesterone, the three cancer-attracting receptors are absent in the cancer lump. Another common type is inflammatory breast cancer (Mansel, Fodstad, & Jiang, 2009, pp. 37-55) that refers to the type where the cells affect skin and lymph vessels of the breast. RISK FACTORS Although there have been ambiguity regarding specific risk factors related to brea st cancer, however, research has shown few factors that have been linked with breast cancer. Particularly, age is one of the most imperative risk factors as studies have indicated breast cancer occurring more in older women as compared to younger women worldwide (McPhee & Tierney, 2007, pp. 37-43). However, this augmentation begins to decrease after the age of menopause. Besides, it has been an observation that women in developed countries have been

Project Management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Management - Article Example The document is composed of several sections namely the introduction part which seeks to explain the project from the onset as well as outlining the background information regarding the project and what it aims to resolve from past actions. It needs to be very captivating so as to encourage the reader to continue with the rest of the proposal even as it seek to validate the effort spent in data collection and feasibility of the project. The second part is the strategy section which aims at outlining all the procedures that are necessary to make the proposal successful after its full implementation. The short-term and long-term goals of the project are illustrated in this part and the steps to be taken in order to accomplish each step. This part enables the target group to relate the current idea or situation with the future thus making them to prepare more for the future events. The third part relates to the budget section which analyses the costs and benefits of the project in monetary terms. This section needs a lot of supporting evidence with actual facts and figures. The final part of the project is aimed at relaying the possible outcomes of the project after it

Personal Nursing Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Nursing Philosophy - Essay Example As I registered nurse, I have formulated a nursing philosophy that will guide me in my role. First, I have recognized that nursing is a profession that has its own set of rewards. To achieve this rewards I should act in a professional way, this entails a commitment to achieve excellence in patient care and ensuring that I upheld patient’s rights. I should also be ready to learn and accept corrections so that I can utilize the available resources to improve the patient’s health. As a nurse, I am committed in ensuring that the patient’s environment is conducive and will to lead to easy recovery. My philosophy also involves understanding the meta paradigm concepts of the nursing profession. These are areas of concern to the profession and these calls for proper understanding of the following concepts. First, what does nursing entail? What is my personal understanding of health? How do I maintain a good environment? And lastly how do I treat patients? As a nurse, I a m determined to integrate the required practice components in my role. Nursing also involves scientific and philosophical approach in caring for individuals who seek medical care. Nursing also involves disease prevention and management.... It is vital for patients to be consulted on various issues affecting them. Such issues include patient participation in their care, maintaining of dignity and self worth. I also believe that I have the authority to make independent decisions concerning patients care so long as it is with my scope of expertise (Daniels, 2006). This will enable me use creativity as well as knowledge to ensure that patients receive good health care. Understanding the anatomy and physiology of the human body is vital (Polifroni & Welch, 2007). Thirdly, there are two types of environments, the physical environment where health care is provided, and the internal environment, which refers to patient’s mental awareness (Fitzpatrick & Kazer, 2012). Both physical environment and mental awareness considerations are necessary for thorough patient assessment and treatment.   My philosophy as a nurse is that i should create a conducible environment to help in ensuring the patients quick recovery. I should show the patient that I care and entails connecting with the patient and forming a professional relationship. This helps in understanding the patient hence enabling me to choose things that can positively affect the patient quick recovery (Barker, 2009). As a nurse, I should be concerned about the client’s ability to handle the illness and the effect of diagnose on the client’s family (Fitzpatrick& Kazer, 2012). This will enable me to advice the patient and the immediate family on how to manage the situation. This gives the patient a good state of mind and this accelerates the patient’s recovery. Understanding the patient’s religious and cultural beliefs and their attitudes

How Graphic Design Affects Culture Cultural Studies Essay

How Graphic Design Affects Culture Cultural Studies Essay The culture of the world is highly dynamic. The rapid change that is experienced has been attributed to many factors. In order to fully understand the extent to which graphic design influences the culture, it is important to understand what the term culture means. Culture can be taken to loosely mean the way of life for a particular group of people. However, there have been more detailed definitions of the term. This study seeks to provide an insight into how culture inter- relates with graphic design while mainly inclining on the impact of graphic design on culture. The paper addresses the topic by first understanding the two variables; culture and graphic design, and then reviewing the various instances when the culture has been influenced by graphic design. The study also touches briefly on the dependency of graphic design on the culture of the people. There exist numerous studies that has been conducted on the issue of the inter-relationship between culture and graphic design. In the studies, various definitions befitting graphic design are prominent. A study by Phill Meggs concentrates on tracing the history of graphic design. In this work, graphic design is traced back to the cave men where there were drawings of the animals they hunted for food. The study also brings out the development of the alphabet as having descended from symbols (Meggs 1998a). A paper by Helfand (2001) reviews the work of Richard Hollis who shows that graphic design dates back to the industrial revolution of North America. Further, he claims that the first individual to have used the term graphic design was William A. Dwiggins in a 1922 article titled New Kind of Printing calls for New [Type of] Design (Soar 2003, page 20). This implies that graphic design has been in existence or rather in practice for a long time and has evidently shaped the human way of life over time. Graphic design can be attributed to various forms of art. In a study by Helfand (2001), the words of a prominent designer, Milton Glaser stands out. In the definition, graphic design has been interpolated in the particular cultural setting and has been seen as to comprise various disciplines. It places such disciplines as typography, images and other forms of media with the aim of conveying a particular message. The purpose of graphic design is to pass a message with the aim of giving instructions, persuading the targeted group to either perform some activities. . As emissaries of communication, they visualize solutions for the presentation of abstract data, turning ideas into things: They create books and magazines, posters and packaging, exhibitions and Web sites, logos and film titles (Helfand 2001, p. 6). We can therefore conclude that graphic design is a communication form that utilizes the visual aspect of communication to transmit certain ideals or to stimulate particular feelings and emotions from its audience. This message has mainly been put across by a two-dimensional setting that is articulately aimed to convey a specific type of information. A study of Lorenzo London underground attributes graphic design with the attainment of aesthetic attributes of presentations or in construction. In order to point out how culture has been influenced by the practice of graphic design, we need to generate its definition. In a study by Sun Kang (2007), culture is shown to mean the pattern of human daily activities mainly reflected in their music, art, fashion and food. The study gives culture some different aspects on which we can be able to deduce how graphic design impacts on it. The three aspects of culture are derived from what is referred to as the core of culture. It is constituted of the values which are defined as the cultural meanings [that] are conveyed through practices which relate to the various communication forms [and] may include human behaviors, actions, and all other visible performances that people create and act in everyday life (Sun 2007, page 08). In concluding the Hofstedes theory, Sun (2007) points out that culture cannot be separated from the aspect of conveying the various cultural meanings. He posits that the core of culture; values, is transmitted through symbols and systems of symbols by different communication behaviors (page 8). In a different paper by David Carlson in the David Report (2011) culture has been attributed to the more complex ways of living [that incorporates] value systems, traditions, beliefs and habits; including knowledge, morals, law and customs, acquired by those within that Society (Page 8). David (2001) further claims that these attributes are the symbols of the integration of the beliefs of different individuals in a society that shares a common culture. They are therefore used as the cultural values or the cultural objects with which the standard way of living for the society is mirrored upon. We can therefore take the culture to refer to the ordered way of life of a particular society based on their established and accepted values. In this paper, I will tackle the topic of how graphic design influences culture based on various aspects of the culture. These aspects stand out prominently as defining the culture of a society. They are communication. Consumption patterns as well as the ways in which people present the literary works. In settling for these three aspects, the study aims to capture almost all spheres of human relations as well as their lives. It is important to note that these aspects have been taken as umbrella factors which cover a wide range of other aspects of the human life. It is true that graphic design has been in existence for a long time in the history of mankind. It has undergone many changes which have been attributed to many factors, the cultures of the society standing out prominently. Many studies have been conducted on the influence of culture on graphic design. The facts that have been presented are able to show that indeed there is a correlation between graphic design and the culture. However, the direction of the causation may not necessarily be in the direction they have dutifully established. It is for this reason that this study is appropriate. The paper does not, however, aims to dispute the established causation theories but rather seeks to indicate the existence of causation in the different direction. A study by Forty (1979), points out the impact of graphic design on culture through its influence on visual communication. When designers convey messages through visual media like specialized packaging, business logos and posters they are able to convey information not just to about the product but also about what it means to be associated with the brand. It is therefore common to find people who associate with a particular brand. Political views have also been greatly influenced by graphic designs. The evolution of graphic design has seen many changes in how designers presented their ideas. The Avant-garde movement was however, considered to be the inception of the contemporary work. Jan Tschichold was one of the designers of the time who is reputed to have used typography and images to stimulate changes in political polarization and instability (Owen 2008). This implies that not only has graphic design shifted the world on how we communicate but also on how we relate with each other which constitutes the politics of a society. Through the use of asymmetrical design as well as sans serif typefaces, he was able to capture the peoples emotions thereby influencing how they lived with each other. In another study, Lavin (2001), as quoted in Helfand (2001) shows how todays designers have failed to bring out the realities but rather wraps the mess in a clean envelop (page 31). Further, the study points the historical and contemporary track record of graphics in making powerful political statements, in functioning as intriguing personal creations, and in consciously influencing cultural norms (Page 31). There is also the factor that Lavin further blames the designers for failing to use the potential that they have to shift the political attitudes. Additionally, the study also points out the need for graphic designers to critically influence the culture. It is clear that the designers are perceived to have veered away from the course of positively influencing the societys culture. Perhaps it is time that the designers stopped concentrating on the corporate product designs to creation of art that invokes emotions in the society. As quoted by Helfand (2001), the failure of todays designers to positively influence the societys culture can be attributed to the inherited preoccupations of history and criticism (analyzing design products, compiling designer biographies, and developing a historical narrative of style influences (page 31). Further, as put across by Mills (1963), as quoted by Helfand (2001), between the human consciousness and material existence stand communications and designs, patterns and values which influence decisively such consciousness as they have. The mass arts, the public arts, the design arts are major vehicles of this consciousness (page 32). With the use of expressions, a designer is able to shift the conscious of their audience through employing various styles of graphics, colors, and material. The combination of graphic design and advertisement has been seen as the sure way of influencing the culture of the people. In this light, Soar (2002) has looked upon the use of artists and the elite group of the society largely seen as mass consumers with comfortable jobs. When the advertisements are aimed at this group, they employ the use of well known personalities who have been known to have a substantial following. In this way, the artists used are seen as having taken serious mass cultural products and converted them to popular cultures among the people. The end result is that the people adopt behaviors that are in close relation to their favorite celebrated personalities. Consequently, this influences the individuals way of life and therefore, their culture. There is a pedagogic function, then, in advertising and design, in which private codes are disseminated to a broader cultural mass via the [creations]. Indeed, their own cultural readings are highly attuned, being perfect consumers operating in a particularly rarefied social milieu (Soar page 14). As shown by Barchas (2003) there has not been an instance that graphic designing has not inter-related with the culture. He points out the case of Mr. Fary who is able to discredit the purchase Bohee tea especially on account that it was overpriced. By using poetry, he was able to influence the way the foreign Bohee tea was perceived thereafter. Indeed, Barchas points out that the Bohee tea became the new symbol of decay in the eighteenth century. The use of graphic design in advertising such products as the Bohee tea and displaying them as superior will surely influence peoples lifestyles. It was seen to be perpetrating materialism in the society. The retailer took advantage of the great influence that the advertisement had on the society to overprice them as well as to sell them substandard products. The culture is seen to be influenced given that such work influenced not just how people think, but also how they act afterwards (page 4). When we view the mode of presentation of the various works of art, they also have had an impact on the worlds perceptions of literary work. Barchas shows how the various changes in the print culture affected not just how the text was disseminated but also how it was interpreted. In his review of Eisenstein work, he shows how the changes in the print culture to include the presentation of literary work in book form influenced verification and legitimization of the work (Barchas 2003, page 8). This work has been viewed as the artifact that not only has value in its content, but also in the way it had portrayed history and culture. It had influenced how today the scholars present their work as well as the recognition of not just the material used in the presentation but also the layout as well as the design. Graphic design has been influenced by cultures across the world over time. People from different regions, cultures and ages are mesmerized by the nature of art displayed by designers. Art on the other hand is influenced by different cultures. The artist generates an item based on the environment that they have been exposed to. It is then possible to link different cultures through art. When a graphic designer makes a logo that reflects their culture for an event or for a corporate, then their audience becomes bigger. Such a logo may influence the lifestyles of people from different societies with different cultures.

Chinese Cinderella :: essays research papers

i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Title Chinese Cinderella ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Author Adeline Yen Mah – Yen Jun-ling iii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Characters Yen Jun-ling/Adeline/Wu Mei (Fifth Daughter) – the main character. She was an unwanted child because she was considered bad luck because she was told to be the cause of her mother’s death Aunt Baba – Jun-ling’s loving aunt. She’s one of the few ones who takes Jun-ling’s side in the family, is also Jun-ling’s mother’s best friend. Ye Ye – Jun-ling’s grandfather; her father’s father. He is always siding the first children. Nai Nai – Jun-ling’s grandmother; her father’s mother. She is the authority in the house. Niang (Mother) – Jun-ling’s stepmother, is a French woman; married Jun-ling’s father one year after his wife died. She takes over after Nai Nai died. Father – Jun-ling’s father; married Niang one year after his wife died; Ye Ye and Nai Nai’s only son. Big Sister/Lydia – the eldest daughter; takes Niang’s side as the story continues. Married at the age of 17. Big Brother/Gregory – the eldest son, next to Big Sister. Goes to England with Second brother for college. Second Brother/Edgar – born after Big Brother. Goes to England with Big Brother for college. Third Brother/James – born after second brother and before Jun-ling. Is the only sibling Jun-ling is close to. Fourth Younger Brother/Franklin – Jun-ling’s younger stepbrother and is Niang’s little darling. He is treated especially by their father and he loves to see Ye Ye really†¦ really†¦ pissed off and angry. Little Sister/Susan – the youngest daughter Aunt Reine – Niang’s sister; rescued Jun-ling from the St. Joseph’s Uncle Jean – Aunt Reine’s husband Claudine and Victor – Uncle Jean and Aunt Reine’s children, Jun-ling’s best friends Lin Tao-tao and Wu Chun Mei – Jun-ling’s best friends at Shanghai Mary, Elanor and Monica – Jun-ling’s schoolmates at Sacred Heart Mother/Mama – Jun-ling’s real mother iv.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Setting This story, Chinese Cinderella starts at Tianjin. Then, their family moves to Shanghai. After an ordinary life at Shanghai, their parents decided to return Jun-ling to Tianjin and left her there in a boarding house. Aunt Jeane decides to take Jun-ling to Hong Kong because her family, except Aunt Baba, Big Brother, Second Brother and Third Brother, had already moved there. She studies secondary school at Shanghai, and later on is given privilege, by her father, to study college at England. v.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summary A Chinese proverb says, â€Å"Falling leaves return to their roots.† In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to paints an authentic portrait of twentieth-century China as well as to tell the story of her courage and ultimate triumph over despair. Chinese Cinderella :: essays research papers i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Title Chinese Cinderella ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Author Adeline Yen Mah – Yen Jun-ling iii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Characters Yen Jun-ling/Adeline/Wu Mei (Fifth Daughter) – the main character. She was an unwanted child because she was considered bad luck because she was told to be the cause of her mother’s death Aunt Baba – Jun-ling’s loving aunt. She’s one of the few ones who takes Jun-ling’s side in the family, is also Jun-ling’s mother’s best friend. Ye Ye – Jun-ling’s grandfather; her father’s father. He is always siding the first children. Nai Nai – Jun-ling’s grandmother; her father’s mother. She is the authority in the house. Niang (Mother) – Jun-ling’s stepmother, is a French woman; married Jun-ling’s father one year after his wife died. She takes over after Nai Nai died. Father – Jun-ling’s father; married Niang one year after his wife died; Ye Ye and Nai Nai’s only son. Big Sister/Lydia – the eldest daughter; takes Niang’s side as the story continues. Married at the age of 17. Big Brother/Gregory – the eldest son, next to Big Sister. Goes to England with Second brother for college. Second Brother/Edgar – born after Big Brother. Goes to England with Big Brother for college. Third Brother/James – born after second brother and before Jun-ling. Is the only sibling Jun-ling is close to. Fourth Younger Brother/Franklin – Jun-ling’s younger stepbrother and is Niang’s little darling. He is treated especially by their father and he loves to see Ye Ye really†¦ really†¦ pissed off and angry. Little Sister/Susan – the youngest daughter Aunt Reine – Niang’s sister; rescued Jun-ling from the St. Joseph’s Uncle Jean – Aunt Reine’s husband Claudine and Victor – Uncle Jean and Aunt Reine’s children, Jun-ling’s best friends Lin Tao-tao and Wu Chun Mei – Jun-ling’s best friends at Shanghai Mary, Elanor and Monica – Jun-ling’s schoolmates at Sacred Heart Mother/Mama – Jun-ling’s real mother iv.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Setting This story, Chinese Cinderella starts at Tianjin. Then, their family moves to Shanghai. After an ordinary life at Shanghai, their parents decided to return Jun-ling to Tianjin and left her there in a boarding house. Aunt Jeane decides to take Jun-ling to Hong Kong because her family, except Aunt Baba, Big Brother, Second Brother and Third Brother, had already moved there. She studies secondary school at Shanghai, and later on is given privilege, by her father, to study college at England. v.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summary A Chinese proverb says, â€Å"Falling leaves return to their roots.† In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to paints an authentic portrait of twentieth-century China as well as to tell the story of her courage and ultimate triumph over despair.

Managerial Skills Essay

In order for managers to be effective, they must have a clear understanding of whether different skills are important in their managerial role. In addition, managers must have a mutual understanding of the skills and responsibilities necessary for other managers across similar and different organizational levels and functions ([10] Kraut et al. , 1989). If these skills and responsibilities are not clearly understood, managers will neither be able to coordinate work effectively, communicate expectations, deliver feedback, nor be prepared for job transitions or other training and career development activities ([10] Kraut et al. , 1989). In short, understanding whether certain managerial skills are important to a manager’s job is essential. A number of researchers have investigated the roles, tasks, or activities of managers (e.g. [18] Mintzberg, 1973; [13] Luthans, 1988; [10] Kraut et al. , 1989). However, these studies are over a decade old, some more than two or three decades, and have not specifically examined skills. The world of work has changed since these studies, most notably due to organizational downsizing, technology, and the globalization of the workplace. Skills important to managers in the late 1980s and early 1990s may not be as important today. As times change, researchers should update important findings to determine if those findings are still applicable ([4] Cronbach, 1975), especially when considering that the skills and roles of managers need to be clearly defined and understood to effectively teach, select, develop, and promote these individuals in the workplace. Based on results of a study of more than 14,000 managers over two distinct time periods, this paper will highlight whether the importance of certain managerial skills changed over a 15-year time period, and determine which skills are needed at different organizational levels and across organizational functions from the opinions of managers themselves. Our main research question is, to what extent has the importance of certain managerial skills changed, or remained constant, over time, and whether certain skills are important based on organizational level and function. Studies of managers [18] Mintzberg (1973) provided one of the most influential works on managerial roles. Prior to his research, the roles of managers were understood to be embedded in a rigid functional approach of planning jobs, organizing staff, and leading personnel ([20] Pearson and Chatterjee, 2003). However, Mintzberg observed that managers worked at a much faster pace during which they were required to address a range of issues. The job of the manager required an ability to handle more complex roles than those described by classical management theory. Using a descriptive diary method to observe managers at work, Mintzberg identified ten roles of managerial work, which were divided into three categories: interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Expanding on [18] Mintzberg’s (1973) work, [10] Kraut et al. (1989) investigated the differences between managerial levels in the perception of role importance. They identified seven major factors of management tasks including: managing individual performance; instructing subordinates; planning and allocating resources; coordinating interdependent groups; managing group performance; monitoring the business environment; and representing one’s staff. Their findings also revealed distinct differences in role importance based on the level of the manager. For instance, first-level managers reported that managing individual performance and instructing subordinates were the most important set of activities in their job. However, as managers moved up the management hierarchy to the level of middle manager, the importance of these activities dropped and more focus was placed on tasks related to linking groups. The act of linking groups included planning and resource allocation, managing group performance, and coordinating interdependent groups. Executive managers took an even broader view of their job as evidenced by their high importance ratings related to monitoring the environment including business, economic, and social trends. The only commonality among the different managerial levels was the importance they placed on representing their staff; over 50 per cent of managers at each level rated representing staff of â€Å"utmost† or â€Å"considerable importance.† [13] Luthans’ (1988) research also examined differences between top and middle managers. However the focus was more on the distinction between the activities of an effective manager versus a successful manager. Effective managers were identified by a high level of performance in the unit they are responsible for, whereas successful managers were recognized by their rapid promotions within an organization. The activities that characterize effective managers included spending time on communication and human resource management, which can lead to long-term results. In contrast, successful managers spent more time on networking and aimed for short-term results. In addition to differences between levels, [10] Kraut et al. (1989) also compared managerial activities across the different organizational functions of marketing, manufacturing, and administration. For example, a greater percentage of marketing managers rated monitoring the outside environment more important when compared to other managers. Alternately, fewer marketing managers rated instructing subordinates as important when compared to managers in manufacturing and administration. Managers from all three organizational functions indicated that activities involving coordinating interdependent groups were important. The present study will attempt to expand on similar research such as those previously mentioned. First, this research examines managerial skills, which are much different than managerial roles, activities, or tasks. While past research has determined what roles or activities are important for managers and what tasks managers tend to spend much of their time on, this research attempts to determine what skills are important for managerial jobs. Second, this research will use opinions from practicing managers totaling more than 14,000 from two distinct time periods (1988-1992, and 2004-2006) to capture what skills have been important in the past, and determine whether those skills have changed in importance over time. In addition, this research will examine whether managerial skills are important across different organizational levels and organizational functions in the context of today’s work environment. The changing world of work The aforementioned research regarding the importance of managerial tasks, roles, and activities was conducted in the 1970s and 1980s. There is reason to believe that skills once deemed important for managers may have adjusted in relative importance since much has changed in the world of work since these studies. One can assume that the changes in the world of work may coincide with possible changes in the importance of different managerial skills. Organizations have become flatter and less hierarchical with fewer levels and more responsibilities ([2] Allen et al. , 2001; [16] McKinley et al. , 2000; [17] Miller, 1990). Also, organizational downsizing is commonplace due to the increasing need to reduce costs, to eliminate unnecessary levels of management, and to streamline operations ([5] DeMeuse et al. , 2004). As organizations become less hierarchical, there is reason to believe that the skills managers thought were important in the past may have changed in scope. Organizations also exist in a different environmental context than 15 years ago. Due to improved technology such as e-mail and the internet, changes have occurred in the way managers and co-workers interact. We have seen the emergence of the Internet as a major form of communication and e-commerce as a new source of business. Flexible work patterns and the ability to work in geographically dispersed teams is now a common reality in the workplace ([27] Wallace, 2004). These changes have cultivated the need for better communication, coordination, improved performance, team monitoring, and more interdependence and trust ([22], [21] Salas et al. , 2004, 2005; [28] Zaccaro et al. , 2004). Teams and organizations are increasingly becoming more global or virtual in nature. As a result, an awareness of different cultures and attention to multiculturalism and globalization is vital for the success of many managers. As organizations become more fast-paced and global, there is also speculation that the importance of different skills managers need may have shifted in scope. [7] Kanter (1989) argued that these rapid changes, spurred by technology and competitive pressures, have made traditional forms of organizing work obsolete. Managers may believe certain skills are important in order to be a partner with and empower employees to address business problems on their own and to work in cross-functional teams, which could be different than the skills believed to be important 15 years ago. Managers must fully understand their roles and responsibilities and become adept at a variety of skills to perform their job effectively ([1] Ahearn et al. , 2004; [6] Halbesleben et al. , 2003; [25] Stockdale and Crosby, 2004; [27] Wallace, 2004; [28] Zaccaro et al. , 2004). As previously mentioned, understanding the skills of managers is essential to coordinate work effectively, communicate expectations, deliver feedback, and for training and career development ([10] Kraut et al. , 1989). It is unknown whether the changes over the past 15 years that have occurred in an organizational and global context have also coincided with possible changes in importance of managerial skills over time. A recent case study reexamined [18] Mintzberg’s (1973) work 30 years after the original research by studying the pattern of behavior among four executives in Sweden ([26] Tengblad, 2006). The findings revealed that modern executives are more oriented towards working with subordinates in group-settings and focus more time on giving information rather than performing administrative duties. However, Tengblad noted significant similarities with Mintzberg’s original study, indicating that claims of the emergence of radically different managerial work may be exaggerated. However, due to the small sample size and lack of empirical data in that study, it is important that further work specifically examine the modern skills of managers with a wide range of managers and ample sample size. In other words, are the skills thought to be important to managers 15 years ago still important to managers in today’s work context? The present research will attempt to answer this question and provide relevant present-day information for managers and those who work with, train and develop them, by re-examining the importance of managerial skills across two distinct time periods and across both organizational level and function in the context of today’s work environment. Method Participants This research used data from two waves of managers engaged in a leadership development program from a leadership development provider in order to compare differences in managerial skills over time. The first wave consisted of 7,389 managers from the USA involved in a leadership development process between 1988 and 1992. The second wave consisted of 7,410 managers from the USA who were involved in a leadership development process between 2004 and 2006. Because of data housing and management issues, demographic data could not be given for the first wave of participants. However, aggregate biographical data from the leadership development provider from the time period of 1988 to 1992 revealed that leadership development participants in general were similar in terms of age, gender, race, education, and job status to those of 2004 to 2006. Demographic data in aggregate could be given for the 7,410 participants of the second wave. The average age of the managers in the second wave was 41.73 years old, 59 per cent were male, 86 per cent were white, 69 per cent worked in the private sector and 77 per cent had a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Managers came from over 60 organizational types (e.g. aerospace and defense, finance, communications, government, education) and over 1,300 companies. In addition, 999 managers (13.5 per cent) were first-level managers (forepersons, crew chiefs, section supervisors), 3,136 (42.3 per cent) were middle-level managers (office managers, professional staff, mid-level administrators), 2,197 (29.6 per cent) were upper-middle managers (department executives, plant managers, senior professional staff), and 1,078 (14.6 per cent) were top or executive level managers (chief executives or operating officers, presidents, vice presidents, directors). Measure Managerial skills . Data determining the importance of managerial skills was collected from SKILLSCOPE ®[1] a 360-degree instrument that assesses job related strengths and weaknesses. The instrument has 98 items that are organized into 15 skill clusters. These clusters represent 15 skills and roles managers need in order to be effective in their job which are part of Mintzberg’s three categories (interpersonal, informational, and decisional) and two other categories (personal resources and effective use of self). The conceptual basis for SKILLSCOPE ® is research which focused on managerial skills, roles and tasks (e.g. [3] Beggs and Doolittle, 1988; [8] Kaplan, 1987; [9] Kotter, 1982; [14] McCall and Kaplan, 1984; [15] McCall et al. , 1979; [18], [19] Mintzberg, 1973, 1990; [23] Sayles, 1979; [24] Stewart, 1976). As part of their leadership development process, managers chose which five of the 15 skill clusters were the most important for their current job. Table I [Figure omitted. See Article Image.] describes each skill cluster. Results A frequency count of the data revealed the skills that are most important for managers in their current job. Result show that both â€Å"Communicating information, ideas† (60.1 per cent of the managers in 1988-1992 and 63 per cent of the managers in 2004-2006) and â€Å"Taking actions, making decisions, following through† (59.7 per cent of the managers in 1988-1992 and 62.9 per cent of the managers in 2004-2006) were the most important skills across all managers. On the other hand, â€Å"Self-management, self-insight, self-development† and â€Å"Openness to influence; flexibility† were the least important for managers in 1988 through 1992 (8.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent respectively as one of the most important skills needed) and managers in 2004 through 2006 (10.9 per cent and 7.2 per cent selected respectively as one of the most important skills needed). Table II [Figure omitted. See Article Image.] shows a comparison between managers from 1988-1992 and managers from 2004-2006. Many of the skills were similar in importance for both waves of managers. However, there were three skill clusters with differences of more than 10 percentage points that should be noted. First, 39.9 per cent of 2004-2006 managers rated â€Å"Relationships† as one of five important skill clusters which was an increase from 29.4 per cent of managers in 1988-1992. Second, 33 per cent of 2004-2006 managers rated â€Å"Administrative/organizational ability† as one of five important skill clusters, a decrease from the 45 per cent of managers was from 1988-1992. Finally, 31.7 per cent of managers from 2004-2006 rated â€Å"Time management† as one of five important skill clusters which was an increase from the 19.7 per cent of managers in 1988-1992. The next set of analyses focused only on the 2004-2006 managers. Examining the results as a whole may mask important findings based on managerial levels. Consequently, we analyzed the importance of managerial skills across the four managerial levels for the present study, similar to [10] Kraut et al. (1989). Figure 1 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.] displays the importance rankings for each skill sorted by managerial level. â€Å"Communicating information, ideas† and â€Å"Taking action, making decisions, following through† were the two most important skills for all managerial levels with the exception of first-level managers. While â€Å"Taking action, making decisions, following through† ranked as the most important for first-level managers, â€Å"Knowledge of job, business† ranked as second-most important, followed by â€Å"Communicating information, ideas†. On the other hand, â€Å"Openness to influence, flexibility† was the least important to managers at each level, again with the exception of first-level managers who believed â€Å"Risk-taking, innovation† was the least important, followed by â€Å"Openness to influence, flexibility†. In general, the importance rankings were similar across managerial levels, though there are some notable exceptions. First, â€Å"Getting information, making sense of it; problem identification† was less important for top/executive-level managers (48 per cent) than for other managerial levels (each over 55 per cent). Second, as managerial level increased, so did the importance of â€Å"Influencing, leadership, and power†, (from 21 per cent of first-level managers to 45 per cent of top/executive level managers), and of â€Å"Risk-taking, innovation† (from 7 per cent of first-level managers to 22 per cent of top/executive level managers). Last, as managerial level increased, the importance of two managerial skills decreased, namely â€Å"Knowledge of job, business† (from 63 per cent of first-level managers to 45 per cent of top/executive-level managers) and â€Å"Time management† (from 42 per cent of first-level managers to 19 per cent of top/executive-level managers). In addition, viewing the results from all managers in aggregate may also conceal important findings based specifically on job function, as managers in different functions may have different managerial challenges ([10] Kraut et al. , 1989). In order to account for this, the present study mirrored the data analysis of the [10] Kraut et al. (1989) study in that the levels of management were equally weighted in each function so that no one managerial level would have statistical influence over the other managerial levels, and managers from marketing (n =282), manufacturing (n =253), and administration (n =489) would be selected. Due to the functional diversity of the sample of the second wave, managers from engineering (n =413), human resources/training (n =345), operations (n =916) and sales (n =518) were also examined. Figure 2 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.] provides the rankings for the skills of managers across job function. It is interesting to note that the pattern of skill importance is similar across functions. For instance, â€Å"Communicating information, ideas† was most important for marketing, human resource, and sales managers, while â€Å"Taking action, making decisions, following through† was the most important managerial skill for manufacturing, administration, engineering, and operations. In fact, across the seven managerial functions studied, these two managerial skills were among the top three in importance for each managerial function. On the other hand, â€Å"Openness to influence; flexibility† was the least important to managers across all functions except for managers in human resources, who believed â€Å"Energy, drive, and ambition† was the least important. Some managerial skills were rated similarly in importance across managerial functions. For instance, between 22 per cent and 27 per cent of managers across different functions believed â€Å"Coping with pressure, adversity; integrity† was important. Also, between 8 per cent and 13 per cent of managers thought â€Å"Self-management, self-insight, self-development† was an important skill to have. There was variability among the importance of some skills across managerial function. For example, â€Å"Administrative/organizational ability† was important for less than 25 per cent of managers in marketing, manufacturing, and sales, but was important for 58 per cent of managers in administration. â€Å"Getting information, making sense of it; problem identification† was less important for sales managers (39 per cent) than it was for engineering managers (65 per cent). Regarding â€Å"Managing conflict; negotiation† it is interesting to note that most managers rated it the same in importance (between 27 per cent and 31 per cent) except managers from marketing, where only 17 per cent of managers thought it was important. Managers in manufacturing (25 per cent) and engineering (26 per cent) ranked â€Å"Relationships† less important than human resources (51 per cent) and sales (52 per cent) managers. â€Å"Selecting, developing, accepting people† was important to some managers in manufacturing and sales (both 35 per cent), but was not as important to marketing managers (12 per cent). Discussion In total, 30 years after [18] Mintzberg’s (1973) original study, [26] Tengblad (2006) found that while some things have changed, managerial work has remained the same, despite changes in the world of work. In a similar fashion, the present research attempted to determine whether the importance of skills managers need in their job have shifted over a 15-year time period. Though many have commented on how the world of work has changed over the past 15 years (e.g. [2] Allen et al. , 2001; [5] DeMeuse et al. , 2004; [7] Kanter, 1989; [16] McKinley et al. , 2000; [17] Miller, 1990; [22], [21] Salas et al. , 2004, 2005; [27] Wallace, 2004; [28] Zaccaro et al. , 2004), the data of the present research suggests that despite the changes in the work environment, the importance of certain managerial skills is somewhat similar. For instance, what was believed to be important in 1988-1992 (i.e. â€Å"Communicating information, ideas† and â€Å"Taking action, making decisions, following through†) is still considered important for managers today. In addition, skills that were not thought of as important in 1988-1992 (i.e. â€Å"Self-management, self-insight, self-development† and â€Å"Openness to influence; flexibility†) are still not thought of as important for managers in today’s work context. Despite these apparent similarities, there are some noteworthy differences between what managers thought was important 15 years ago and what managers think is important today. First, â€Å"Relationships† seem to be more important now than for managers 15 years ago. [26] Tengblad (2006) hinted at this with the finding that executives are concentrating more today (than 30 years ago) on working with others in a group setting. The increased importance of this skill cluster coincided with the changes in the organizational context that managers today must face. The use of communication technology, such as e-mail, and the existence of geographically dispersed teams require managers to be more deliberate in the effort they devote towards forming and maintaining relationships. The nonverbal cues that aid in face-to-face communication cannot be relied on in virtual relationships. By acknowledging and facing the challenges presented by these new forms of communication, managers can successfully execute their job requirements. In addition, the flattening of organizational hierarchies has forced a higher level of coordination and collaboration between peers. As more and more people work in an environment structured around the work team, the more likely a focus on building relationships will be encouraged. For instance, more time is devoted to interdependence and trust in a team setting ([22], [21] Salas et al. , 2004, 2005; [28] Zaccaro et al. , 2004), where ultimately, building relationships is necessary. [26] Tengblad (2006) found that executives are indeed focusing less time on administrative duties, and [7] Kanter (1989) also revealed that organizing work was becoming obsolete with changes in the environment. In a similar fashion, the present study found that â€Å"Administrative/organizational ability† seems to be less important today than it was 15 years ago. One of the reasons could correspond with the recent trend of the flattening of organizations. Organizations have become more streamlined, and responsibility has become more spread out in the organization. In effect, managers do not have a hierarchical structure to manage. The administrative tasks that were needed in more hierarchical structures 15 years ago are not needed as much in the present work context. The advent of technology has also facilitated many organizational processes that were once paper-based. More and more companies have converted to computer-based processes (i.e. online recruiting and staffing) that have minimized the necessity to focus one’s skill on administrative or organizational duties. â€Å"Time management† appears more important now than it was 15 years ago. The reasons why could coincide with changes in the work context. Technology now enables people from around the world to work in real-time, to contact people instantly, and work more quickly. E-mail has replaced mail and fax. The use of cell phones and electronic devices such as â€Å"blackberries† has also increased. At the same time, employees are focusing on creating balance between their professional lives and their personal lives, attempting to get work out of the way faster. Employees and their managers therefore must focus on time management now more than ever. The differences in importance rankings of managerial skills we observed between managers at different organizational levels confirm previous findings in the literature. [10] Kraut et al. (1989) found that some managerial roles are considered important at each level, but the degree of importance may be contingent on a particular level. In the present study, â€Å"Influencing, leadership, and power† and â€Å"Risk-taking and innovation† showed an increase in importance ranking as managerial level increased. Both of these skills are indicative of senior levels of leadership. As a manager takes on more responsibility, it is critical to the manager’s success that the manager’s focus shifts to meet the new demands of the job. Also important to note, some managerial skills differ in importance depending on managerial function and relevance. For instance, â€Å"Administrative/organizational ability† is more important to managers in administration than it is for any of the other functions because administrative ability is inherent in the administrative function. â€Å"Getting information, making sense of it; problem identification† is more important for engineering managers than it is for any of the other functions because working with information and problem identification is particularly relevant for engineers. â€Å"Communicating information and ideas† and â€Å"Risk-taking, innovation† are more important for managers in marketing than any of the other functions because those with a marketing background must be able to communicate and be innovative. Finally, â€Å"Relationships† is more important for managers in sales and HR than any of the other functions because sales and HR functions are dependent on forming and building good relationships. In effect, some skills are important to different managerial functions because of relevance of the specific organizational function. Practical applications Determining what is important for managers at each level and each function is crucial to coordinating work effectively, communicating expectations, and facilitating training and career development activities ([10] Kraut et al. , 1989). Relying on past (or outdated) information about the importance of certain managerial skills, roles, tasks, or activities could hinder effective work coordination, communication, and effective training and career development. Hence, â€Å"updating† this type of information may help managers in their work and development, even if it is to simply validate or reinforce previous findings. Imagine the challenges managers face if relevant information about the importance of certain skills in their jobs were not correct or outdated. If information from previous research from the 1970s or 1980s is still used for coordinating work activities and it has not been updated, managers may be concentrating on different or unnecessary skills that are no longer relevant. This could greatly impede their work, their advancement, and ultimately, their success. Moreover, managers may not be taught the appropriate skills for the present-day work environment that is needed to succeed if training and development relies on outdated information. For instance, [11] Lipshitz and Nevo (1992) detailed research of the competencies of effective and ineffective managers whose activities and practices aided the design of training and development programs. Knowing which managerial skills are important for different managerial levels and functions would definitely bring knowledge to improve training and development programs. Because of their rated importance, the data suggests that managerial training and development in today’s world of work may need to keep focus on communication and decision-making, decrease focus on administration and organization ability, and increase focus on enhancing relationships and the concept of time management. In addition, these findings may help those in selection and in succession planning; knowing that certain skills are important at different levels and functions can help determine what type of manager is needed at each level or each function. For instance, time management may be a skill set that is necessary particularly for first-level managers and not top-level executives, and hence, first level managers should have that appropriate skill for the job. Administrative/organizational ability may be important for managers in the administration function, and those in succession planning or selection for managers in that particular function should keep in mind that information, along with relevant information from any job analysis or competency model. Limitations and future directions There are some limitations to this study. First, asking managers to choose five of 15 skill clusters that are important to their current job does not provide the level of detail that could be obtained by evaluating the importance of each cluster using other methodologies. In the present study, a skill cluster is either among a manager’s top five most important or it is not. Therefore, the data does not permit an assessment of how much more important the top five skill clusters were than the ten skill clusters not selected. In addition, the data did not allow us to assess any relative ranking among the top five skills. As a result, it would be useful to assess the importance of clusters, competencies, roles, skills, or abilities using a Likert-type scale in the future. In this manner, researchers could examine to what extent each cluster is important to managers. Also, examining what managers believe are the most important skills for their job may not yield the same findings as asking what their direct reports or supervisors consider important. Future research should investigate what direct reports and supervisors of managers think are important skills for managers to acquire a more global perspective of managerial competencies, similar to those acquired through competency modeling (e.g. [12] Lucia and Lepsinger, 1999). Also, asking similar questions to managers outside the United States would bring more information about the importance of managerial skills across cultures. Combining the quantitative approach of evaluating to what extent a variety of skills are important for managers along with more qualitative methodologies of on-the-job observation and interviewing to assess competencies should create a more comprehensive picture of â€Å"today’s manager†. Finally, any future research should capture the demographic data for the sample across successive waves. Without knowing more about the sample composition for the first wave of data, it is not possible to ascertain whether changes over time are due to differences in organizational structure or function, differences in individual jobs represented by the sample, or differences in workforce composition. Therefore, explanations of changes cited in our findings may be due to structure changes and changes in technology or they may be due to changes in workforce demographics (i.e. aging baby-boomers). The best this research can conclude is that shifts in the importance of certain managerial skills have coincided with changes in the context of the world of work. However, with the present research data set, having a large sample of more than 7,000 managers with similar aggregate demographic data for each time period may tend to lead to more generalizable results than would a sample of a lesser number of participants. The world of work has changed over the past 15 years. Results of this study revealed that managers today feel the need to concentrate more on building relationships and time management skills and focus less on administrative and organizational ability. However, many of the skills managers thought were important to their job in the late 1980s and early 1990s are somewhat similar in importance from the opinions of managers in the first decade of the 2000s, particularly skills concerning communication and decision making. To answer the original research question, much like [26] Tengblad (2006) found, despite noticeable changes in the world of work, while some managerial skills shifted in importance, some managerial skills remain as important today as 15 years ago. The importance of these managerial skills not only coincided with the changes in the work environment, but also are context dependent based on managerial level and function. For instance, though time management has increased in importance over the years, managers at lower levels (i.e. first-level managers) seem to believe time management is more important to their job than those at higher levels (i.e. top- or executive-level managers). In essence, one should take note not only of how the importance of certain skills change over time, but also, that certain skills believed to be important for managers at one particular level or function may be more or less important for managers at other levels or other functions. 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(2004), The Internet in the Workplace: How New Technology Is Transforming Work, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. 28. Zaccaro, S.J., Ardison, S.D. and Orvis, K.A. (2004), â€Å"Leadership in virtual teams†, in Day, D.V. and Zaccaro, S.J. (Eds), Leader Development for Transforming Organizations: Growing Leaders for Tomorrow, Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, pp. 267-92.

Wetlands - Why We Need Them essays

Wetlands - Why We Need Them essays "Wetlands", according to a description found at North Carolina State Universitys website, is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas. Wetlands are found in flat vegetated areas, in depressions on the landscape, and between water and dry land along the edges of streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines. Wetland areas can be found in nearly every county and climatic zone in the United States. Inland wetlands receive water from precipitation, ground water and/or surface water. Coastal and estuarine wetlands receive water from precipitation, surface water, tides, and/or ground water. Surface water sources include runoff and stormwater. Since the 1600s, more than half of the original wetlands in the lower 48 states have been destroyed. Wetlands have been drained and converted to farmland, filled for housing developments and industrial facilities, and used as receptacles for waste. Human activities continue to adversely affect wetland ecosystems. (NCSU) More recently, society has begun to understand the functions of wetlands and the values humans obtain from them. Wetlands help regulate water levels within watersheds; improve water quality; reduce flood and storm damages; provide a habitat for fish and wildlife; and support recreational activities, such as hunting, fishing and others. Wetlands are important features in watershed management. (NCSU) OFFICIAL DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS Although federal agencies, states, and text book authors vary in the way in which they define wetlands, in general terms, wetlands are lands on which water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil or within the root zone, all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. The recurrent or prolonged presence of water (hydrology) at or near the soil surface is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and an...

Different types of output devices Essays

Different types of output devices Essays Different types of output devices Paper Different types of output devices Paper Monitors The monitor, screen or visual display unit (VDU) is the most common computer output device. Popular screen sizes are 15 inches (38 cm) and 17 inches (43 cm). Larger monitors make working at a computer easier on the yes and are essential for use in desktop publishing and design work. Cathode ray tubes Traditional computer monitors are similar to televisions. They use cathode ray tubes (CRTs) which are large and heavy, but can produce high-quality displays. Flat panel displays The screen on notebook computers and flat panel monitors use LCD or TFT displays: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) These use tiny crystals which block the light from passing through them. Colors are obtained by using a combination of special filters. TFT (Thin film Transistor). This is more advanced type of display, giving full color and a high- quality output. It provides a higher resolution and more contrast than an LCD screen. Printers After the monitor, the second most common computer output device is the printer. Printers can be connected to an individual computer or to a network and shared by a number of computers. Printing out work from the computer is referred to as obtaining a hard copy. Laser printers Laser printers work in a similar way to photocopiers. They are very popular, particularly where large quantities of mono (black) printing are required. They are quite, fast and economical to run. A 12- page -per-minute printer can be purchased for about i 150. Color laser printers are becoming more popular as their prices fall, but ink-jet printers are also a popular choice for color work. Ink-jet printers. Ink-jet and bubble-jet printers are relatively inexpensive and produce high-quality black and color printing. This makes them a popular choice for home and school use. The printing speed is slower than a laser printer so, for many businesses where large volumes of printing are required, the laser printer is more suitable. Color printing For printing in color, ink from three ink tanks, which contain the colors cyan, magenta and yellow, is mixed together to obtain the wide range of colors found in full- color images. Plotters The most common type of plotter is the flat-bed plotter. A mechanical arm moves across a sheet of paper and a pen holder slides up and down the arm. Plotters are often used in science and engineering applications for drawing building plans, printed circuit boards, machines and machine parts. They are accurate to hundredths of a millimeter and can be the size of a small classroom. Sound/voice Computers can be output both music and speech to speakers. Synthesized speech output, generated from a computer program, can be particularly useful for blind users, where passages of text or figures from a spreadsheet are spoken. One common example of speech synthesis is used by BT for their directory enquiry service. When you dial 192, the operator searches a computer database and locates the number. A computer then reads this number out to you by saying, the number you requires Control applications Computers are also able to output data to devices that control machines and processes. Actuators Mechanical devices that generate movement are called actuators. Computer-controlled actuators can automate the operation of machines and are based on three types of mechanism.

Strategic Marketing Report (Businesses chosen British Petroleum and Assignment

Strategic Marketing Report (Businesses chosen British Petroleum and General Motors) - Assignment Example It has seen many ups and downs over the years including issues of environment, government dealing, exploration sites, oil prices and such, but has remained strong, with a great market presence and brand equity. The second is General Motors. One of the heavyweights in the 20th Century automotive scene, GM saw bankruptcy in 2009 after many of its products and policies failed. With government holding and new management in place, GM is on the way to recovery. This paper analysis the strategies of these two companies, along with some suggestions that they could utilize in the near future. This paper will study the current marketing strategies of British Petroleum and General Motor. These companies are amongst the biggest players in their respective industries. However, the recent macro-economic environment has had an impact on the policies adapted by both. This paper will examine the specific marketing strategies and will give my own insight into them. General Motors Company is one of the largest automakers in the world, headquartered at Detroit, USA. GM employs around 235,000 people globally and has presence in 140 countries in various regions around the world (gm.com, 2009), with a complete brand portfolio of Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. According to company website, GM main business territory and market is the United States, then China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM has been through many peaks and troughs over the years but the recent taste of bankruptcy was a devastating low for the company. Having changed from General Motor Corporation to General Motor Company, GM has fortunately turned out fairly well from being in the decline phase. Whether this turnaround is successful for the company remains to be seen. There is still a need for GM to establish a culture with a more distinct and reachable vision and get the entire organization on board. The com pany still has

Societal Implications of the USA Patriot Act and How It Limits Daily Essay

Societal Implications of the USA Patriot Act and How It Limits Daily Life - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that one of the main ways the patriotic act limited people’s daily lives is by making them accept the unreasonable casual violation of their basic rights. For instance, the act made Americans accept without question that security agencies can subject them to unreasonable searches and seizures when they are traveling. The patriotic act limits the rights of Americans by increasing the capabilities of government to carry out surveillance in four areas. The act gives the government the power to conduct record searches. It does this by expanding the ability of the government to examine records indicating a person’s activity that are in third-party possession. The Patriotic act also authorizes secret searches that enable the government to search private property without issuing a notice. The Patriotic act also authorizes the government to conduct intelligence searches by extending an exception to the fourth amendment that was made to enable the government to gather foreign intelligence. The act also allows the government to engage in trap and trace searches by enabling the government to track the source and targets of communications and the content. The provisions of the patriotic act limit daily life by violating individual privacy. The act gives the government unchecked power to examine a person’s internet usage, medical history, library usage, and any other activity that leaves a record of some kind. This not only violates individual right to privacy protected in the fourth amend but may make people refrain from certain activities for fear of being watched by the government.