Nineteen Eighty-four and Treasure Chest

We came up with some good things for the treasure chest this morning (our most clever Stasiland ideas), but I keep thinking of more! These are the kind of things that I would put in my treasure chest. * Anna’s interest in understanding WHY people might choose to work for the Stasi (and by default what she learns by interviewing Stasi men). She needs to gain insight and make sense of it – and thus we go on this journey with her.   The sense that everyone has a story and was impacting by this regime * The need for many of the characters to come to terms with the past (Vergangenheitsbewaltigung) and how some are still stuck with the Mauer im Kopf. Link to this the Germans not being sure of what to do with the past as well. Think about the Hitler bunker example. * The fact that the Stasi controlled through fear, but could not completely control the populace by dictating what was popular (the Lipsi, the Black Channel) * Parallels to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and the term Orwellian to describe the Stasi’s level of surveillance.   The significance of Julia who keeps coming into Anna’s apartment and removing things. Like the Communists when they took over Germany, but also symptomatic of her inability to settle. Much like Miriam who needs to live in a space which is open. * An exploration of how humanity can treat each other in inhumane ways. Questioning how this was possible after the atrocities of the Nazis. * A need to link passages to other stories in the text * â€Å"I don’t want to be German any more† * Anna’s clear disapproval of Ostalgie * Her use of various German stereotypes, possibly even her liking of theSticklebrick nature of the language.

Project Life cycle

Project management plays an important role in achieving a successful project as it manage the project according the schedule and budget. According to Schwalbe (201 1), project life cycle defined as a collection of project phases, development, implementation and close-out. There are five important steps in developing project life cycle namely defining project goal, planning project, executing project, closing project and lastly, evaluating the project (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix). Firstly, project manager define the project goal.Project goal is the first step as it set the objectives and purposes of the project. The goal focus on provide business value to the organisation. The goal should give a clear focus and drives the other phases for the project team. Moreover, in this phase, project manager identify the business problem and define a solution regarding it. According to Westland (2006), business case includes a detailed description of the problem, the availability of alternativ es solutions, analysis of business benefits, costs, risks and issues, a preferred solution and an implementation's summarized plan.Then, a feasibility study is run to assess each alternative solution option and its benefits, also reasonable forecast cost, risks nd identified issues are discussed. After approval of previous task, term of references are created and established. It define the vision, objectives, scope, and deliverables of the project and identify any risks, issues, assumptions and constraints. Then the project team is decided. This task is important as a successful project rely on the project team.Project manager plays role by creates a detailed Job description and choose project team based on their skills and knowledge. From the project goal, a project can be determined its success based on given time, money and resources invested. After defining the project goal, project manager plan the project. Project planning is crucial as the performance throughout the project i s based on it. First, a project plan is created based on work breakdown structure (WBS). In WBS, the resources are allocated, provide detailed project scheduled and sequence the activities and tasks.After the project team has been decided, the team discuss the project based on things to do, how to make the project runs smoothly, cost assumption, type of resources need and time taken to complete the project. After that, deliverables, tasks resources, and time of completion of each tasks for each hase are defined. During planning phase, project team must agree upon the list of scope, schedule and budget. The team then create a resource plan to identify the labour, equipment, materials, software and hardware use in the project.To achieve a successful project, financial plan is important as it need to be within the budget given and enables the project manager measures the forecast spend of the project. At this point, potential risks and actions need to be taken in risk plan to avoid any error and solve a problem later in the next phase. Furthermore, the project must meet user requirements to gain user acceptance. To inform the stakeholders progress of the project, team member need to decide communication in communication plan and for each of the team member to distribute information.Lastly, a contract with suppliers is a need for having a clear idea of suppliers' role and delivery expectation. The third stage in developing project is to execute the project plan. During this stage, work out the project in accord to the gran ed t task and activities in earlier stage. According to Schwalbe (201 1), the output of project such as product or services are produced and presented to the customer for sign off and the xecution phase is typically the longest phase in the project as it consumes the most effort and most resources.A good project is aimed at achieving the project aims and need, on time and within budget. Thus, aspects such as scope, schedule, budget and resources are properly handled throughout the phase. In the interim of plan execution, the project manager need to carry out a range of management processes such as identified the change management, risks management and issues management, assured the deliverable quality and measuring all the deliverable produced against the listed criteria (Westland, 2006). Subsequently, established the comparison of the product and baseline plan in earlier stage.After that, document the information and handed the report to the project manager through the regular team meetings. With these steps finished, a phase review is undertaken where the reported information are analysed carefully by the project manager. This is a checkpoint to make sure the product and services has achieved the goals and customer need before proceeds to next stage. The fourth step in developing project is to close the project. This stage includes a formally documentation and implementation of a project close report. Before the project closure, project checking is carry out as an extra insured.Westland (2006) stated that the, project close out is include ensuring all the project completion criteria have met and identified any outstanding project activities, task, risks or issues. Next, present the products to the sponsor and obtains formally acknowledge of acceptance on the delivered product or services. Finally, the project checking is completed. Based on the report, the project manager need to create the project closure report which consist of specifically document on all undertaken activities and delivered to the clients for approval Schwalbe, 2011).Once, the activities stated in the report are approved, the granted activities are execute. The project closure report is ended only when all the propose activities are fully implemented. Finally, the project closure stage ended when the project manager hand over the project documentation to the business, cancelling all suppliers' contracts, releasing staff, equipme nt and resources, and lastly inform the closure of the project to all stakeholders and interested parties.In the final stage, the project is evaluated. After the project has been close, post-mortem is conducted to evaluate the overall project. The projects are evaluated in two categories: project team evaluation and project evaluation. The project team evaluation is performed by passing a team and peer evaluation form to the team member and each of them are required to Judge the other team member. The rate are based on the overall attitude and contribution of the member in the project.The evaluation result will be used as a revised is used as a revised of payroll. On the contrary, Schwalbe (2011) stated that the project is evaluated based on how well the product or services performed against the stated objectives and conformed to the management processes outlined in the lanning phase. Lastly, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development (2005) suggested that a review of on the pr oject should be conduct to reflect the mistake and identify impact and lessons learnt for future projects.

SEX CRIMES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SEX CRIMES - Essay Example Introduction Sex crimes include incest, rape, bigamy, child pornography, child molestation, indecent exposure, sodomy and prostitution. Nowadays, sexual motives play a pivotal role in stranger murders, intimate murders, serial murders, child murders, sexual abuse murders and prostitute murders. There exist a close link between homicide and sex. Sexual homicide can be defined as homicide where there exists a sexual motive, relationship or perversion, which includes molestation, rape, intimacy, prostitution, sexual jealousy and battering. Sexual homicide means the killing of an individual in the background of sexuality, brutality and power. Sex played a dominant role in various varieties of homicides involving kids, sexual workers and serial killers. (â€Å"Flowers, 2006, p.9†). Sex offenders comprise of an assorted group of individuals. The term sex offender is associated with the individuals who have carried out felonies like rape, engaged in child pornography, sexual murders and indecent exposures. Sexual offenders can be either juveniles or adults, male or female and of any age. Majority of sexual offenders aware of their victims and are associated to them, have some relationship with them or might have some authority over the minor or acquainted with them. Further, sexual offenses differ across cultures, religions, countries and states. In sexual offenses, there is a lack of consent on the part of victim and some level of intention on the part of an offender. Since 1980, many laws have been enacted in USA to enhance the supervision and administration of sexual offenders. For instance, such policy requires registration of sexual offenders, notification to community, restriction on residence, monitoring by GPS and compulsory chemical castration for those sex offenders under parole. (â€Å"Terry, 2010, p.3†). Statistical Date of Sexual Crime in USA In USA, as per the US Department of Justice, in every 2.7 minutes, one person is raped. In their lif e’s time, every one out of six American women has been the target of an attempted or suffered rape. In their life’s time, one in every thirty-three American men have witnessed an attempted or experienced a rape. In 73% of the sexual / rape attempts, the offender was well known to the victim who may be either an acquaintance or a friend or an intimate. About 191,670 rapes / sexual assaults were experienced by the victims with an average age of 12 or older in 2005 alone. Further, kids under the age of twelve comprise of 15% of the sexual /rape victims. Further, those under the age of 18 comprise about 44% of rape or sexual assaults. About 62% of the all sexual assaults or rapes were not made a complaint to the law enforcement in the year 2005. Of all the age group, people in the age group of 16 to 19 had a higher scale of sexual victimization. About 66% of prostitutes were reported to be sexually assaulted when they were as a kid. About 12% of the rape cases were recogni sed as alleged drug-facilitated cases in an emergency ward of a hospital. About 64,080 American women were reported to be raped in the year 2004-2005 alone. The occurrence of pregnancy for every-time unprotected sexual intercourse is estimated at five percent as per the medical reports. By applying the same to the 2004-05 rape victims, one can come to a conclusion that there would be 3,204 pregnancies due to sexual assault in that period as per RAINN report. Further, those kids

The reasons for the fall of Communism and the USSR Essay

The reasons for the fall of Communism and the USSR - Essay Example However very soon, it was expelled by Joseph Stalin in the year 1927 and such rule became completed in the year 1991. The year 1991is a remarkable year for the citizens of Soviet Union as USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) also regarded as Soviet Union Collapsed. It is regarded as one of the largest countries that collapsed due to the sudden blast of a nuclear super power thereby shattering the entire world. So, it is one of the most well-known dates in the history of Soviet Russia (Lorimer, The Collapse of ‘Communism’ in the USSR â€Å"Causes and Significance†). This essay mainly highlights the reasons for the fall of the communalism and USSR of Soviet Russia along with the pros and cons of such a collapse. Other than this, it also highlights the effect of such a collapse in the entire world in both positive and negative ways. Apart from this, a small evaluation part is also presented in the essay to evaluate the positive and negative effects of such a collapse along with a conclusion as well. History of Soviet Union The Soviet Union came into existence from the revolution occurred in the month of October that overthrew the Russian Provisional government and as a result, the Soviet Party came into power. It was dominated by Bolsheviks and followed by Russian civil war. The Soviet Union is also traditionally regarded as the successor of the Russian Empire (Lorimer, The Collapse of ‘Communism’ in the USSR â€Å"Causes and Significance†). The Soviet Union was ruled by the last Russian Tsar named Nicholas II from March 1917 t o 1922. At the end of the year 1922, the predecessor to Soviet Union came into existence as the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, an independent country. Therefore, in 1922, the country of Soviet Union developed mainly due to the union of several neighboring countries such as Russia, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Transcaucasian Soviet Republic. Thus, after World War II, both Soviet Union and United States became engaged in cold war as they tried to make their individual influence in the entire world. The entire national politics at that time was dominated by the parties of the Cold War and the prime cause of this U.S.–USSR struggle was to attain planetary authority of their individual socio–economic systems as well as defeat of the hegemonic spheres of influence of the country. At that time, despite the presence of Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), a five-year planned economy comprising of a (post-New Economic Policy), and repudiation of the Molotovâ⠂¬â€œRibbentrop Pact secret protocols, remained as the main character of Soviet society till 1985 (Lorimer, The Collapse of ‘Communism’ in the USSR â€Å"Causes and Significance†). At this time, in order gain influence Soviet Union extended their maximum power over Eastern Europe and Cuba and also a considerable control was also maintained over the citizens of the country. At that time, the country was ruled by Leonid Brezhnev known as Brezhnev Era, experienced high economic growth and prosperity, but soon ended with a very weaker Soviet Union facing numerous social, political, and economic problems. Along with this, the average annual income also lowered, resulting in a quite devastating condition within the country. On the other hand, United States looked over the other parts of the world to extend their line of influence and power. Therefore, it may be depicted from the above scenario, that inspite of numerous best rulers, the social and economic condition of Soviet Union may not be

20th Century Studio Pottery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

20th Century Studio Pottery - Essay Example Soft boiled foods could be eaten by toothless children and the elderly, which permitted caregivers to spend more time producing food. In Japan, for example, the introduction of pottery was followed by a population explosion.Ceramics had been developed mush earlier in Europe. Mostly of the archaeologists believe that pottery was developed by the Jomon in Japan around 10,500 BC. The invention of the potter's wheel in Mesopotamia was made 6,000 and 2,400 BC. This leads to the revolution of the pottery production. This was the way to the new ideas for the designs of pottery. Specialized potters were then able to meet the burgeoning needs of the world's first cities.Pottery is a type of ceramic material that contains clay when formed and shaped. Not only for making jars, pottery is also a term used in a technique where involving ceramics, where clay mixed with other minerals and form into different objects, like that of vessels generally made for utilitarian purposes (Wikipedia Encycloped ia, 2006).It is a facility of any size and form or shape that also needs to have studio for the making of the pots or the products. It also needs available raw materials and the molders. Like other manufacturing processes, potery is also a delicate proces. Its production is a process where wet clay body.The pottery products are made of wet clay which are mixed with other minerals. It is then shaped and are dried. ... The industry has embraced the new concepts in constructing new styles and designs. The artistry has flourished that there have been different idea and concepts in making new pottery (Grolier Encyclopedia, 1996). Traditionally, there are different types of clay in different world regions. These different types of clay are called bodies. Before, the potters usually dig their native clayin their own backyards. They use their own clay to produce the pots but now the potters collect different bodies or clay types to form unique pots. Pottery that is fired at temperatures in the 800 to 1200 C range, which does not vitrify in the kiln but remains slightly porous is often called earthenware or terra cotta. A Clay body formulated to be fired at higher temperatures, which is partially vitrified, is called stoneware. Fine earthenware with a white tin glaze is known as faience. Porcelain is a very refined, smooth, white body that, when fired to vitrification, can have translucent qualities. Ceramic technology is used for items such as electronic parts and Space Shuttle tiles (Universal Encyclopedia, 1993). There are two known artist for Pottery. Next to Leach is Hans Cooper. Together with Cooper is his good friend Lucy Rie. Lucy is the one who put on prints and designs on the pots produced by Copper. Their team up resulted into a very unique chemistry. In an interview conducted by Matthew Parkington on Emmanuel Cooper who is an avid fan of Hans Cooper (2001), Emmanuel Copper tried to translate the meaning of the works or products made by H. Copper. Much of the works of H. Cooper according to E. Cooper, by just looking at the works of Hans you would say that it is plain and simple but if you look at the details there's a mystery behind the craft. E. Cooper said

Bottled water Economics research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Bottled water Economics - Research Paper Example The opportunity cost, is the cost foregone as a result of choosing a given alternative, it is the actual value of the next best alternative that was forgone in the process of making a decision about the current business or investment. Opportunity cost, also referred to as economic opportunity loss is a term derived from Keynesian theory which implies a choice between different options which yield mutually exclusive results, this means that you can only choose one and forgo the other option. It explains the relationship between scarcity and choice and is applied in many areas where financial and monetary decisions are made. For example, the opportunity cost investing in a bottled water company will be the cost foregone in investing the money elsewhere (other business ventures if this was the next best alternative) or the interest lost if that money was left in the bank to accrue interest(if this was the next best alternative). Opportunity cost is evaluated in terms of money, time, mat erial and anything of value. for example someone may decide to go for holiday in Africa and forgo staying in his house and improve it, another may prefer to choose to watch one program and forgo another if the occur at the same time and the person doesn’t have the means of recording the other program.The evaluation of opportunity cost is based on several factors, first is the monetary value of the next best alternative that was foregone. ... If the opportunity cost is higher then the risk should be taken, in this case, for the bottling water company the environmental risk is damage to environment due to plastic bottles, however the opportunity cost is higher than the total damage and hence environmental consideration cannot prevent the starting of this business, furthermore, money, less than the opportunity cost can be dedicated into research on biodegradable plastics. Demand Demand can be defined as the ability or wiliness of consumers to purchase goods and services at a given price within a given time frame. The demand graph or the demand schedule is a graphical representation of the effect of price on demand of goods and services holding all other factors constant, if the price of a commodity e.g. bottled water go up, then the demand for it will reduce and vice versa, the graph below illustrates this Figure 1 showing the demand schedule The law of demand states that increase in price of commodities causes corresponding decrease in the quantity demanded. Decrease in price results to an increase in quantity demanded for a given product provided other factors remain constant. Supply These represent the quantity of goods and services that a given producer or manufacturer is willing to bring to the market at a given price. Supply of commodities is greatly influenced by price of the commodity and other factors. The law of supply states that the quantity supplied increases as the price of the product increases holding all other factors constant. This is because the suppliers are able to get a higher profit margin. Figure 2 showing the supply schedule

Nursing Gender Stereotype Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing Gender Stereotype - Essay Example Nuns and lay women have been helping to care for the sick even before the time of Florence Nightingale. It is only during her time that the first nursing school was established. Nursing thus became a profession. Coupled with Nightingales belief and fact that society has dictated women to care for the injured soldiers has cemented the nursing profession as a profession for women. This designation of the profession as "only for women" has changed over time. The three pictures of groups of nurses presented, depicts nurses over a vast period of time, will attest to this. The first is a picture of six nurses taken during Florence Nightingales time. The women are dressed all in white long gowns with what appears to be a nursing cap on their heads. The cap is quite larger than the common white nursing caps worn by nursing students of today. They look very neat with their hair fastened away from the face and tucked underneath their caps. Their white gowns cover their bodies and arms provide protection from contamination and also prevent them from coming into skin contact with their patients. Their gowns are all starched up seeing that it does not follow the contour of the body also serves to prevent dirt from sticking to it. They do not wear jewelry as this might only get in the way as they move about their business. Their faces bearing a serious and yet small smile shows that they mean business. They are ready to do their task. Not one wears a big smile probably because during their time women were supposed to be meek and reserved. The head held high a nd eyes looking straight at the camera shows confidence. They epitomize Florence Nightingales' Nurse as clean, neat, formal, confident, and competent. The picture also shows the bond that these women have. The way they are seated, with the women on the floor having their arm and elbow on the lap of the woman seated behind them and with the woman at the back sitting forward and placing her hands at the back of each nurse seated at her front shows the relation of togetherness at work and in service. The picture also shows that age is not an impediment to service. The picture shows women of varying ages. This disparity in ages is further emphasized for the youngest nurse, the one wearing a different headdress was made to sit beside the oldest nurse in the picture (2nd row extreme right of the picture). The second picture are the nurses of the late ninety's. It shows three women nurses and three doctors. The nurses are in scrub suits while two doctors are in doctors gowns and another has a stethoscope hanging around his neck. The ratio of doctors against nurses in the picture can be interpreted to show equal importance. Both are equally important in the field of caring and nursing a sick patient to good health. The nurses in the picture are easily identifiable by the scrub suits they are wearing. They are no longer encumbered with the lengthy, up to the neck and long sleeved gowns. They can move with ease and are more comfortable. Although no longer sporting the traditional white long gowns, they are as clean as ever with the help of

What counts as knowledge in the arts Discuss by comparing to one other Essay

What counts as knowledge in the arts Discuss by comparing to one other area of knowledge - Essay Example Some of the theories and principles enable thinkers to reflect on what they consider their sources of knowledge. When it comes to arts, and other disciplines, say science, people have to consider and differentiate what they know, from the facts that exist. This paper will review what counts as knowledge in the arts, and compare it to another field of knowledge. In math, for example, the use of statistical data and quantitative instruments can determine what an individual requires to make knowledgeable claims. It is a manner in which human sciences are valued in present times, and as such, relies heavily on true, relevant data. In the arts, there is a difference in how information is interpreted by the user, and how it reflects as part of acquisition of knowledge (Leavy 84). For the arts, it is simply a matter of dealing with what people envision, and how relevant it is from the time it came into being, to the present time. Art is science. This is what many people may argue. For instance, historical information requires the collection of data through science. However, one begs the question; can the information collected or acquired be termed as knowledge? What does the information help an individual achieve in the long run? Some of these questions can bring out the true nature of what in science lies hidden in the art (Leavy 86). There is the underlying fact that people who look for knowledge do so through experiences throughout their lives. They could be positive or negative, and how one chooses to interpret them makes them knowledgeable on some issues. Basic science has reduced the world to a number of theories. There are ways in which information displayed. It can influence the deduction of many aspects of life that one did not know existed. Matter, for example, is an area that has many people confused. Science is supposed to act as a tool of communication in which people can understand the basic elements of their lives. It should be,

Answers to Prompt Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answers to Prompt Questions - Essay Example However, the idea of Plato that knowledge is inclined more on the non-sensible Forms contradicts his own metaphysical claim that Forms would depend upon the interpretation of the philosopher’s works. According to Irwin (154), Plato’s epistemological claim states that â€Å"these Forms are inaccessible to the senses.† While Plato expressed that his metaphysical claim is â€Å"the Form of F has properties that no sensible F can have.† However, according to Silverman, epistemology is about the acquisition of knowledge and what knowledge is (Silverman). On the other hand, metaphysics is anything which can be thought and said to be. One cannot fully endorse Plato’s theory of Forms as there are difference in interpretations and opinions of the said work. Not all knowledge is being considered as knowledge by the philosopher. It is only those people who have philosophical thoughts or the non-sensible ideas which are being considered as knowledgeable. This p roposition does not apply to those who are exerting more on their physical capabilities. Acquiring skills can still be considered as knowledgeable by other people or group of thinkers, but not Plato. The idea quite discriminate skill workers which are very much part of the society especially with regards to the economic and workforce aspect. Though what the skilled are doing is sensible, their actions are still knowledge because they are thinking what to do next on a systematic manner. In this aspect, the famous line â€Å"I think, therefore I am† by Rene Descartes can come into context (Irwin, 148-55; Silverman; Russell, 516). Plato makes people seem that knowledge is unachievable which is contradicted by Descartes. According to the latter, there is no perfect knowledge. If the idea proposed by Descartes would be considered, one can be considered knowledgeable without the need to measure up to forms or criterions. Descartes may not have proven to everyone the existence of Go d; however, he had proclaimed its existence in his works. The author stated that the knowledge which a person acquires is from a supreme being, which is God. This is supported by the statement: But after I have discovered that God exists, seeing I also at the same time observed that all things depend on him, that he is no deceiver, and thence inferred that all which I clearly and distinctly perceive is of necessity true: although I no longer attend to the grounds of a judgment, no opposite reason can be alleged sufficient to lead me to doubt of its truth, provided only I remember that I once possessed a clear and distinct comprehension of it. (Descartes & Veitch, 109) There might be no concrete evidence to prove the existence of God. Nevertheless, knowing within the self that a supreme being exists is enough to convince the self and preach about its existence or truthfulness to others. Though there is neither a concrete fact nor a distinct indication of God’s existence, Desca rtes proposed his readers to meditate and reach within the self to be freed from the doubt that is covering them from recognizing the presence of a higher power. In most if not all of the writings attributed to Descartes, there is always an indication towards the existence and acknowledgement to the things created and attributed to the power and creation of God as the Supreme Being and higher power (Russell, 515-20; Descartes & Veitch, 103-10). There will always be people who would be skeptic upon the idea of God’

Getting Knowledge from Reading Essay Example for Free

Getting Knowledge from Reading Essay Reading is the best way to learn different kinds of things. Such as reading recipe books for making delicious dishes, or learning different kinds of language, or cultures. We are starting learning our children at the age of 1 or less. We always start from alphabets. So that, they can makes their habit to read books. I think which is really good for them. But nowadays mostly people don’t like to read books; they think that it’s very difficult to understand. Teenagers go to the library for fun, but they never read the books moreover, they think books are boring to read. However, for some people books are their life; wherever they go whether in the bus or somewhere else they start reading books, no matter what other people is going to think. Like in this book for these two authors reading is their life. They really think that books are gifts for them are Ricky Moody, who wrote, â€Å"The joy and enthusiasm of reading†, and â€Å"Alberto Manguel, who wrote, â€Å"Reading ourselves and the world around us†. Reading is become a passion for both of them. Moody talks about believes in the books and on the other hand MAnguel talks about the outside world. It gives the opportunity to think about differently and come up their conclusion. For Moody, reading is his believe he also mentioned when he first started his article that he believe in choosing difficult kinds of books so that he can come up with his own ideas. Moody also mentioned in his article that reading was not an option, â€Å"Mr.  Buxton, who probably had better things to do, nonetheless agreed to meet one night to go over the text line by line. â€Å"The first thing he did was point out the repetition of motifs. † (3) Moody did not give up for that he picks up the other book that intrigued him. Moody main motive is to teach other people that reading your own and come up with your conclusion that can give you freedom to think something bigger. You don’t need anybody to help you can explain you line by line. People should pick difficult books so that they can learn something new and challenge themselves. Furthermore, for Manguel, reading also teaches us to learn from your surroundings. In his article, Manguel states that, â€Å"The astronomer reading a map of stars that no longer exist; the Japanese architect reading the land on which a house is to be built so as to guard it from evil foces; the zoologist reading the spoor of animals in the forest†(6). Manguel means that sometime you don’t need the specific books to gain knowledge. However, sometime you can read the other person face. He also said that only mother can understand her child language when her child is hungry. Reading can gives an individual so much; books give a lot of knowledge and become us smarter, because some time we are too busy with our other works that we forget that books help us to think broader. But in these articles, for both author reading is their life and passion for them. They can come up with their conclusion; they are taking interest, sharing their view, and showing their passion so that other people can learn from them.

Share Repurchase and Taxation among UK Companies

Share Repurchase and Taxation among UK Companies The aim of the research project is to examine the relationship between share repurchase and taxation in the UK companies. Project Objectives To examine the motivations of share repurchase in the United Kingdom. To analyze the recent trend in share repurchases over last 20 decades among UK companies. To explore the relationship between shares repurchase with taxation in the UK companies. To explore the impacts of taxation on share repurchase activity for UK companies Context For decades, most of the corporations are preferred to pay out cash in the form of dividends rather than share repurchases, despite the relative tax advantage of capital gains over ordinary income. In some countries, such as U.S. and UK, companies can buy back their own shares in the stock market, also known as a share repurchase. In the last 20 decades, share buybacks become extremely popular in the United States. According to aggregate data from Compustat, companies announced share repurchases increased from 4.8 percent in 1980 to 41.8 percent in 2000, while dividends only grew at an average annual rate of 6.8 percent (Grullon Ikenberry, 2002). Researchers also found that during 1985 to 1999, corporations in the U.S. announced intentions to repurchase about $750 billion of stock (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Moreover, studies show that from 1999 to 2000, industrial firms spent more money on share repurchases than on dividend pay out, and that is the first in history, share repurchases p rograms have become more popular than dividends (Grullon Ikenberry, 2002). What are the reasons for the companies buy back their own shares. Jensen (1986) pointed that firms repurchase stock to distribute excess cash flow. A share repurchase distributes cash to existing shareholders in exchange for a fraction of the firms outstanding equity. This hypothesis has been supported by Stephens and Weisbachs (1998) study. They found share buy backs have a positive relationship with the level of corporation cash flow. Moreover, they also found a negative relationship between share repurchase and prior stock returns, which means, firm repurchase when their share prices are undervalued in stock market. This theory has been supported by Vermaelens (1981) study. He found that firms repurchase stock when they are undervalued and have the excess cash to distribution. In later studies, researchers pointed that firms may repurchase stock to increase their leverage ratio (Opler and Titman, 1996). For the tax perspectives, researchers pointed that tax changes have a major impact on share repurchase. In the UK, companies are sensitive to tax environmental changes. For example, studies shows that in 1994, there were significant increase in the number of open-market stock repurchase programs. This cause by the introduction of tax favored agency share repurchases programs (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). But in 1996, when the tax credit given to tax exempt pension funds in agency buybacks was abolished, the number of the companies announced share repurchase fell significantly. However, in 1997, when all tax credits were abolished, share repurchase became popular again. As some evidence showing above, share repurchase become more popular than any time in the history. Researchers stated that the majority of companies start to use cash payouts to shareholders through share buybacks rather than cash dividend (Grullon Michaely, 2002). Therefore, it is important to better understand the motivation behind the recent surge in share repurchase activity. Although, share buy backs growing popularity, most of the established studies focus on the U.S. firms. Whether the share buybacks in UK as popular as in the U.S., because the different of tax and regulation systems between this two countries. The aim of the research will not only enhance our understanding of corporation pay out policy but also examine the share repurchases programs under UK taxation system and how this impacts effect on UK companies payout strategies. Moreover, the reason for me to focus on the UK companies rather than other EU companies because there have lacks of share repurchase activities in Europe countries. According to the Securities Data Corporation (SDC) reports shows that during 1980 to 1998, there were only 489 stock buybacks announcements made by European companies. And nearly 60% of those announcements were made by the UK companies. There have various reasons for the lack of share buy back activities in EU companies. Firstly, share repurchase is still illegal in some European countries, such as France and Germany. Secondly, some countries proposed specific tax provisions to discourage share buy backs. For example, in Netherland have the high taxes on dividends and low taxes on capital gains. Thirdly, the share repurchase do not fit European company culture. Traditionally, most European companies focus on maximizing stakeholders value rather than shareholders value (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Moreover, in European countrie s the stakeholders (such as managers, banks) prefer to maximize the size of the companies rather than focus on stock prices. They are not interested in share repurchase. Finally, there are little relative studies examine the relationship between share repurchase and taxation with UK companies. Literature Review 4.1 Introduction This search focuses on share repurchase and taxation among UK companies. Bibliographic database used were Business Source Premier (EBSCO), Econo Lit with Full Text (EBSCO), JSTOR Business, Psyc ARTICLES (CSA), Science Direct and Swets Wise. The details of these and full text database were searched in Table 1. The total numbers of retrieved articles were 30. Keywords used were dividend, share repurchase, buybacks, payout policy, dividend policy, taxation and regulation with limited to academic journals and non-academic articles on the last 20 years. 4.2 Motivations of share buy backs There are number of reasons a firm repurchase stock. First, Share repurchase could improve the retained profits. Because when companies purchase their own shares, the remaining number of shares left in the public will lower. The reduction of shares in the public means the earning per share will increase even the profits remain the same. So when companys share price undervalued, repurchasing shares may still result in a strong return on investment. Secondly, firms may use share repurchase announcements to signal the market that their shares are undervalued and the positive stock price reaction at the announcement of share repurchase should correct the misevaluations (Dann, 1981; Vermaelen, 1981). However, Ikenberry, Lakonishok, and Vermaelen (1995) argued that this increase may not be sufficient to correct the misevaluations, particularly in the open market share repurchase- programs. According to Stephens and Weisbachs (1998) study, they investigated on 450 open-market share repurchase programs in the U.S. between 1981 and 1990. They found that between 74% and 82% of the shares targeted at the time of announcement are later repurchased and this actual share buybacks are negatively related to stock price performance after the stock repurchase. Thirdly, share repurchase may increase the leverage ratio. The leverage ratio will increase when a firm distributes its capital. Therefore, assuming that an optimal leverage ratio exists, a firm may more likely to buy back their own shares when their leverage ration is below the target ratios (Bagwell Shoven, 1988). Fourthly, companies where there are few opportunities for growth, share repurchase may the possible way to improve the earning per share in order to meet executives or managers targets. Thus, companies structures may affect their decisions to buy back own shares. Finally, share repurchase make a takeover more expensive. Because share buybacks avoid the accumulated amount of cash in the firm, when a firm with a strong cash position but needs limited spending on capital will accumulate cash on balance sheet, therefore, it make the firm more attractive for takeover. However, recent studies shown share repurchases are only benefit shareholders wealth in the short term, but do not add any long term value to the company (Guay and Harford, 2000). Eberhart and Siddique (2003) did a survey based on 7,079 share repurchase programs between 1981 and 1995. The results showed that after the share buybacks, there were a slightly increase in the number of share outstanding. Often the share purchases in the share buybacks programs are used for employee stock options and stock grants. As one article suggested, share repurchases in general are just à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“backdoor compensationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? for company employees (Henry, 2006:74). 4.3 Taxation with share repurchases Tax changes have a major impact on share repurchase. Study shows that in 1994, there were significant increases in the number of open-market stock repurchasing programs cause by the introduction of tax-favored agency share repurchase programs (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Grullon and Michaely (2000) also find that the differential tax between capital gains and dividends is a significant determinant of the market reaction to share repurchase announcement. Grullon and Michaely (2002) pointed that in the U.S., corporations start to substitute share repurchases for dividends because capital gains are taxed at more favorable rates than ordinary income. They found that even in 1986, the Tax Reform Act greatly reduced the relative tax advantage of capital gains, but there was still a significant positive difference between the marginal rate on ordinary income and the marginal rate on capital gains. Raghavendra and Vermaelen (2002) studied on the relationship between taxation and share buybacks among the UK companies. In their studies, the result showed that buyback activity increased significantly when the agency buybacks introduced during 1990 to 1998 in the UK. This consistent with the hypothesis that taxation has a significant effect on share buybacks. Moreover, they also pointed that the ability of pension fund to recover dividend credits has a major impact on the buyback activity in the UK (Raghavendra and Vermaelen, 2002). However, some researchers have argued that taxes alone do not explain the extent of repurchases activity in the U.S. Brav at al (2005) stated that managers view tax considerations as of second important factor in the choice if disbursement mechanism. Ikenberry et al (2004) suggested that since the tax changed in 2003 in the U.S., the dividend had increased significantly. He also pointed that although dividends in the U.S. remain slightly tax disadvantages, that due to the delay of the capital gains by the investors. However, based on the results from research conducted in the U.S., the extent to whether the taxation dominant the managers decisions announce share repurchase rather than dividends is still an unresolved issue. 4.4 Regulation framework in the UK In order to better understanding the effect between taxation and share repurchase among the UK. It is important to develop our knowledge in the legal and tax frameworks governing U.K. share buybacks, moreover, to recognize the difference between these frameworks and those in the U.S. In The UK, share buybacks allow the company to manipulate its stock price. In order to avoid the share repurchase reduce creditors benefits, the Companies Act states that only distributable profits or the proceeds of fresh issue of share can be used to finance the purchase. Moreover, the companies are not allowed to announce share repurchase programs during the period when directors are not allowed to trade in their companys shares. This means that in the UK, share repurchases are not allowed in the 2 month period preceding the publication of annual earnings. Finally, compare with the U.S., in the UK, share repurchase are much less flexible tool for capital management. All the firms buy-backed shares may ask to cancelled, because the UK regulators more concerned about the preemption rights of shareholders (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Not like in the U.S., the regulators more concern about the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“treasury stockà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, such as repurchased shares can be re-issued without s hareholder approval (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Conclusion There are various reasons for firms to announced share repurchase, although share buyback activity become extremely popular in the U.S., but the UK repurchase scene is different from the U.S. scene in many respects. Although the UK is the European country where buybacks are most popular, but it is still relatively small numbers of share repurchase programs announced compare with the U.S., where about 100 U.S. firms announce open-market share buybacks each month. However, the UK taxation system may make share repurchase less attractive than they are in the United Stated. What the impact of taxation system on share repurchase announcement among UK companies? How these impacts affect UK companies in last 20 years? Which industry is more likely to announce share repurchase program? The proposed research will review the potential relationship between taxation and share repurchase among UK companies. 5 Research Method 5.1 Desk Based Research The desk based research used to my study. Because desk based research is very useful to get a broad understanding of the topics and is relatively easy to use (Bryman and Bell, 2003). The data usually used in desk based research is referred to as secondary and includes collecting information from third party sources such as company website, magazine articles, books, journals, published statistics and marketing research reports (Collis Hussey, 2003). There are many advantages to using secondary research. This includes the relative ease of access to many sources of secondary data with little or no cost to acquire. The use of secondary research may help researcher to clarify the research question and help align the focus of large scale primary research. However, there are also some disadvantages of using secondary research. Sometimes, secondary data may not presented in a form that exactly meets the researchers need and the research may not get the full details of the research to gain t he full value of the study. Moreover, with companies competing in fast moving industries, the secondary research may out of date have little or no relevance to the current market situation. 5.2 Reasons of using Desk Based Research There are several reasons for me use desk based research. First, there is a tremendous amount of literature available, but limited studies focus on the taxation and share repurchase among UK companies. Therefore, the desk based research may help me to limit the articles to focus on my research topics. Second, the desk based research may possible to obtain companies annual report and account from companies websites. Because the UK Companies Act (2006) requires all quoted companies to publish their annual reports available on their website. (CA S430). Finally, in order to explore the relationship between taxation and share repurchase among UK over 20 years. The specific data need to be obtained, such as market-to-book ratio, return in capital employed, equity to debt ratio, market value. All of that information could obtain through on-line data base, such as Data Stream, which can be used in Aston Universitys library. However, some of the information may out of date or the results may not be directly related to UK companies situation. And the amounts of information available may be very limited. Also, due to the lack of study on relationship between taxation and share buybacks under UK taxation system, it is difficult to find sufficient sources from limited useful information. 5.3 Sample Section and Analysis Method The company shares repurchase announcement information been collected between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2009. The information obtained from various ways, including London Stock Exchange (LSE) online service, UK-wire Company Announcement service, news articles from the Financial Times. The independent variables of stock returns and data have been provided by DataStream. Moreover, the data and sample had to satisfy the following criteria: The repurchase must exclusively be ordinary shares The firms is listed in the UK Repurchases announced during the last quarter of 2001 are excluded to dampen the volatility effects of 11 September 2001. Only the first announcement of share repurchase programme is included. The sample includes all open market share repurchases, private repurchases Descriptive statistics of the repurchases and independent variables used in this study to summarize and organize the companies repurchase data. Then, the main tax regimes divided into four equal periods during the sample period. The repurchases announcement data will be analyzed into the four tax periods. The correlation matrix on the variables will be needed to analyze whether there is the correlation between companys stock returns and share repurchase. Finally, the result will be interpreted and presented. Ethical issues The following ethical issues will be conducted with this research: Recode the data and results accurately Follow the Aston University rules on plagiarism Describe and discuss the research result objectively Task List Task Problems Solutions Obtain journals and literatures about firms dividend policies, share repurchase and taxation Tremendous amount of literature need to reviewed Limit search to articles that study on share repurchase within UK companies Obtain the information about the firms announced share repurchase programs within the UK for last 20 years Relatively small data need collect from numerous information Limit the research to companies announced share buybacks listed by data stream between 1989 and 2009 in the UK Create a list of relative UK companies Which company should include The company announced share repurchase over million Obtain the information about taxation and regulation changes over last 20 years in the UK A lot literatures need to reviewed Limit search to articles about taxation and regulation changes in last 20 years Find the impact of taxation change for share repurchases activity A limit studies/result on this area, especially for UK companies. Analyze the data on my own, use the statistical methods to explore the relationship between taxation and firms payout policies. Write up report Easy to exceed 15000 word limit Work with supervisor to only include the most relevant information Review the dissertation before the submit it Easy to make some grammar, spelling mistakes. Ask my friend read it, see whether the dissertation make sense for them. Help me to find the grammar mistake.

Schizophrenia :: essays research papers

Lesson on Schizophrenia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As an overview, schizophrenia is a disease to the brain. It is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. It has been misunderstood for a long time. It has a biological basis, so it is like other diseases. It is a very common disease; one percent to one and a half percent of the U.S. has been diagnosed within some point in their life. There is no cure for this disease, although there is treatable medicine. Schizophrenia is not a multiple personality disorder. People who take medicine for it are able to lead normal fulfilling lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two ways that schizophrenia begins. One way is called Acute Onset. This happens very fast, about a couple of weeks. It is easier to recover from this. You are able to get help faster because people notice it sooner. The other way is called Process Onset. This takes a longer period of time to show. It is gradual, sometimes up to years. You may say or do strange things every now and then. It could be a long time before you go to the doctor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three main types of delusions a person can have. Delusion of Persecution is when the person thinks that people are out to get him or her. For example the government. Grandeur is when the person thinks he or she is very important, rich, famous, ect. Reference is when the person thinks that the TV is talking directly to him or her. They also think some outside source is talking to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schizophrenia has three main subtypes. Paranoid schizophrenia is when the person believes someone is out to get them. Disorganized schizophrenia is people who do silly strange behaviors, inappropriate emotions, and have messed up speech patterns. They do a thing called a word salad, when they talk with bunches of words randomly thrown together. Catatonic schizophrenia is when the person gets in a position and stays in that exact position for a long time (like hours). This is very and the medication for it is good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No one knows for sure what causes schizophrenia. The biological explanations are linked to genetic predisposition.

Budgeting And The American Bur :: essays research papers

A Budget is a management tool that is an expression of planned expenditures and revenues. "Budgets serve many important functions in government. In one sense, budgets are contracts annually agreed on by the executive and legislative branches that allow executive agencies and departments to raise and spend public funds in specified ways for the coming fiscal year, as stated by Stillman in "The American Bureaucracy" He also says that budgets impose a mutual set of legal obligations between the elected and appointed officers of public organizations with regard to taxation and expenditure policies, therefore, is a legal contract that provides a vehicle for fiscal controls over subordinate units of government by the politically elected representatives of the people. Budgetary decisions are made, according to Rubin in her book The Politics of Public Budgeting, by envisioning governments as "not merely technical managerial documents" but rather "they are also intrinsically and irreducibly political." Her ideas are similar to that of general budget concepts over balancing expenditures and revenues, but differ in fundamental ways according to Stillman. "The open environments within which budgets are developed, the variety of actors involved, the constraints imposed as well as the emphasis on public accountability, give budgets special and distinctive features in the public sector." The differences between microbudgeting and macrobudgeting are just what their prefaces imply. "On the one hand there are a number budget actors, who have all individual motivations, who strategize to get what they want from the budget. The focus on the actors and their strategies is called microbudgeting." They do not bargain with one another over the budget. They are assigned budget roles by the budget process, the issues they examine are often framed by the budget process, and the timing and coordination of their decisions are often regulated by the budget process, according to Rubin. She goes on to say that actors are not free to come to budget agreements alone. They are bound by the environmental constraints. There are decisions that they are not permitted to make because they are either against the law, the courts disagree, or previous decision makers have bound their hands. "Budgetary decision making has to account not just for budgetary actors but also for budge t process and the environment. This more top-down and systematic perspective on budgeting is called macrobudgeting." Budget strategies are affected by environment, budget process, and individual strategies, all of which influence the outcomes.

A Rewiew of a Rose

Tiffany Gattis Tavel ENG 151 05 Oct 2012 A Review of a Rose â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, by William Faulkner is a riveting tale of the perils of love lost. Though the story offers up an elaborate plot, the conclusion did not fully provide closure as would be the natural expectation. Instead, the conclusion was heavily shrouded in mystery and secrecy. â€Å"Miss Emily after Dark†, by Thomas Robert Argiro, which was published in The Mississippi Quarterly, discusses the many obscurities within the story and the effects of them remaining so right up to the conclusion with relation to the reader.Laura J. Getty’s critical essay,† Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily† touches on the manner in which these obscurities evoke sensationalism among readers by leaving room for the imagination to run wild with approximation. This is what great stories are built on; allowing each reader perceptive resolution. According to Dictionary. com, the word conclusion is defined as the last main division of discourse, usually containing a summary of the main points and a statement of opinion or decisions reached. There is, by definition, a sense of finality in the word.Despite the suggested intent, not all stories provide this presumed closure. Among the many tales ending in such a manner is Faulkner’s masterfully crafted â€Å"A Rose for Emily†; a story set in a small, post World War II southern town struggling with post-war socio-economic transformations. The conclusion of this ominous tale allows the readers imagination the freedom to supplement omitted details with personally palatable concepts. Among the central yet under-developed themes were Emily’s relationships with her father, the surrounding community, and her assumed lover, Homer Barron.The relationship between Emily and her father, as described by Faulkner, leaves the reader pondering what, and exactly how much was left unsaid, and the possible implications as they relate to t he proverbial white space of the story. â€Å"The townspeople are extremely sensitive to Emily’s psychological state. â€Å"When Emily tries to keep her father’s corpse, they believed that she had to do that. We remember all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would cling to that which had robbed her, as people will†(Getty 2).Though it is not unusual for fathers to be protective of their daughters, the rapport described begins to border on what most would consider discomfited and deviant. The relationship was so constrictive that it mired her progression through crucial developmental milestones; likely contributing to the progressive emotional unrest witnessed in the years following his death. â€Å"The specter of incest opens the story up to consideration of the psychic damage that Emily may have suffered† (Argiro 2).With her only permissible companion now laid to rest, Emily seems unable, or even unwilling to master the art of normal human interaction. Her self-imposed isolation did nothing to alleviate strained relations with a town already grappling with the adaptations of a new era; the death of the south, as it had been know to its inhabitants, was underway. Though the reader is given the impression that Emily did not recognize the progressive deterioration of her already severely dilapidated living quarters, this seems highly unlikely.More plausible is the possibility that she did in fact recognize the decline, and as a result renounced the inquiries of the masses in an attempt to protect her residual stateliness. â€Å"Emily’s myth does not enliven Jefferson; instead it discloses an impoverished fantasy of a lost noblesse oblige† (Argiro 3). Throughout childhood, Emily had been psychologically inundated with the notion that she was superior to southern-born counterparts; a queen amongst paupers. The effects of this are apparent in the nonchalant manner in which she dismisses the legitimate concerns of the townspeople. I have no taxes in Jefferson†, was her sole response when asked about payment that was undoubtedly long overdue; a response that should have resulted in eviction in the absence of the unanimously sympathetic sentiments of the townspeople she clearly did not hold in high regard. â€Å"She appears visible enough to the townspeople bent on scrutinizing her every move, yet she remains well beyond their comprehension† (Argiro 1). Emily lived by her own scruples in both her business and personal matters, and gave little or no thought as to social consequences.Her love life was not exempt from these sentiments. â€Å"The indignant community is scandalized that she would ever think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer† (Argiro 1). Homer Barron did not at all fit the profile of what the surrounding community considered a suitable husband. Among the many concerns voiced was his assumed sexual preference. He could b e seen by all gallivanting about the town with various young men drinking and causing a great ruckus; behavior not at all like that which was expected of a southern gentleman, and certainly not becoming of a suitor of a revered southern belle.Speculation as to his true motives with regard to his public courting of Emily spread riotously throughout the community. The scene evoked mixed emotions because though the relationship did serve to increase Emily’s socialization, to the public eye, they appeared hopelessly mismatched. â€Å"Emily’s liaison with Homer is in many respects remarkable: she makes a leap out of her seclusion and into a new intimate social reality† (Argiro 2). Though Homer’s motives will forever remain a mystery, it is abundantly clear that whatever his rationale could have been, it ultimately cost him his life.Though little clarity was provided as to the circumstance surrounding Homer’s death, it can be deduced that the overwhelmin g fear of loneliness and lost love were among Emily’s motivators. â€Å"No one knows the intimacies of Emily and Homer with any certainty, but select details may expose various reasons for Homer’s corpse winding up on gruesome display in Emily’s upstairs bedroom†(Argiro 3). It seems unfathomable that a man of Homer’s experience would not have recognized her social immaturity and vulnerability. Homer seemed to take full advantage; accepting gifts which pointed to the prospects of a dignified future with Emily in holy matrimony.Still, he appeared in no hurry to solidify a commitment. In a time when a woman’s virtue was considered transposable with her character, such mismanagement could have triggered the emotional instability that resulted in his untimely demise. Despite Faulkner’s choice to input such ambiguity into the story line; what emerged was a masterpiece that will likely evoke great debate for centuries to come. It is this imp recision that makes this story such a powerful read; reigniting within its readers a burning, child-like curiosity that sets the imagination afire with conjecture. The main secrets in Jefferson take place inside that building, and the most important secret is revealed only after the flowers have been placed on Emily’s grave† (Getty 2). Like stories of the haunted, abandoned house just at the end of lane, this story will endure through generations of fresh perspectives and renewed deliberation. Work Cited Argiro, Thomas Robert. â€Å"Miss Emily after dark. † The Mississippi Quarterly 64. 3-4 (2011): 445+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Sep. 2012. Getty, Laura J. â€Å"Faulkner's A Rose for Emily. † The Explicator 63. 4 (2005): 230+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Sep. 2012.

The kind of family a person should have

INTRODUCTIONEvery person longs to have the kind of family that is ideal for him. When we talk of an ideal family, it means that it is the family that a person views to be perfect. Even in a person’s early years in life, admiration to different families starts and thus making one dream of having a family someday that is picture perfect for him. Although there are different forms of family that are being accepted and acknowledged, the choice still depends upon ones perspective. What kind of family then a person should have?THE IDEAL FAMILYThere are three main characteristics that I deem to be essential in having an ideal family. First, it must have a traditional structure. Second, must have only two to three children. Third, must be God centered.A traditional family is a functional family in structure. Every member has its own appropriated function. The father is delegated to find means for the whole family’s subsistence. He works and is known to be the bread winner of th e family. He will provide the physiologic needs of family and fill the house with love, happiness, security and discipline.   He is also the one who can be called the head in reference to problem solving and decision making.On the other hand, the mother has an extraordinary task in the family and that is to take care of the entire household, this means that she will attend to the different needs of the family; she will be the one who will wake up early and sleep late at night and a role model in the house. She also has the responsibility of inculcating the best values in their children and giving them the best of care. The children have to take their education and help the mother in cleaning the house and other house tasks. Traditional type of family is considered as an ideal type of family. The children, who are the center of care, love and attention must equip with good values because they are the pillar of the family. In this type of family, each has to function well and must d o their part to make it an ideal one.The number of choice of children varies on parents, other desire to have one child only to focus their care and attention and to securely provide all that he needs. However, two or three children are perceived to be the ideal one. This is based on practical and economical reasons. Having lesser number of children would have greater opportunity for education and experience luxury in life. Giving a child an education now costs big and giving him a luxurious life costs even bigger. Having many children could deprive them on their rights on physical, emotional and mental needs due to economic crises. Lesser children in the family open opportunities.An ideal family is a God centered family because. It is the foundation of a strong family and a wonderful home. It comprises a responsible father, a loving mother and the obedient children.   This means that having God at home is a perfect home for a family of which joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, pati ence and love overflows. As Rev. Sun Myung Moon would say, â€Å"The ideal family is the place of the eternal love of parents, the eternal love of husband and wife, and the eternal love of children centering upon God. Rev. Sun Myung Moon indeed captured the essence of an ideal family which is beneficial to all because having God means good work. God preaches people to be good and not mandated by evil.Society will greatly benefit if all people will have this kind of family. In a structured family, even if the father is working, the mother can take care of the children and has the time to guide and teach them with values. Having only two to three children would entail a great chance in having all the people in a society to have proper education and a comfortable life. Lastly, in a family that is God centered, people will surely do away from misconduct and evil deeds because the primary teaching of God is to do good to others.CONCLUSIONTherefore, a family that a person should have is a traditional family having two to three children and making God as the center of their lives. By virtue of this kind of a family, our society will have peace and harmony.BIBLIOGRAPHYDiem, G. N.. The Definition of â€Å"Family† in a Free Society. Retrieved July 29, 2007 from The reading is about different definitions from different point of views of society regarding a family. It helps readers to know different types of a family.Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Blessing and Ideal Family. Retrieved July 30, 2007 fromhttp://www.unification.net/bif/bif-7-2a.htmlThe author makes people understand what a God centered family is all about. It also let people understand the importance of a family.CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAMILYhttp://www.studyjesus.com/more/the_family/characteristicsofthechristianfam.htmThe reading is all about the characteristics of a Christian family. It also discusses what kind of life a Christian family has and must have.

Luxury Brands Essay

ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS Bernard Dubois, Groupe H. E. C. Gilles Laurent, Groupe H. E. C. Even though recent years have not been extremely favorable for the luxury industry (the ComitT Colbert which includes many prestigious French names – Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, etc†¦ – reports a 1. 5% increase in real terms for 1993), its growth rate, considered over a longer period, remains impressive. Colbert companies have more than doubled their sales over the last eight years (ComitT Colbert, 1991, 1993). In 1993, they achieved a global turnover of about USD 5. 5 billion. The Pacific Rim countries represented 28% of that amount (21. 6% in 1988), equally divided between Japan and the other Asian countries. Interestingly enough, however, such growth in demand has not been matched by an equivalent progress in consumer research and what was estimated by McKinsey (in 1990) to be a USD 60 billion market largely remains unexplored territory (McKinsey, 1991). Some studies obviously have been conducted and published in the past but they tended to focus on relatively narrow aspects. For example, the consumption habits of the affluent have been investigated regularly since Veblen’s seminal work (Veblen, 1899) and, today, anecdotal reports (Stanley, 1988, 1991) as well as in-depth monographies of specific segments such as upper class wasps (Hirschman, 1988) or nouveaux-riches (LaBarbera, 1988) are available. Limiting the investigation of the luxury market to the analysis of privileged consumers however would fail to recognize that, under the influence of diffusion strategies adopted by many luxury goods companies (for brands such as Dior or Yves Saint-Laurent, accessories may represent up to two thirds of their sales), today’s demand for luxury goods primarily consists of â€Å"ordinary† consumers who, from time to time, transform their desire to acquire a luxury item into reality. Similary, a few studies have been published on luxury brands, for instance on issues such as their relative positions in people’s mind (Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ; Weber and Dubois, forthcoming) or their adopters’ characteristics (Andrus, Silver and Johnson, 1986) but many luxury goods (houses, diamonds, furniture, etc†¦ ) belong to product categories where branding is not a salient dimension, while, at the same time, a few brands (such as FabergT) which were in the past considered as luxury names seem to have lost their affiliation to the luxury world, usually because they have overdiffused their products. Finally, some research has also been published on the determinants of the acquisition of luxury products, emphasizing economic (Leibenstein, 1950 ; Mason, 1981) socio-demographic (Dubois and Laurent, 1993) or cultural aspects (Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ; Mason 1993) but no overall conceptual scheme, model or theory has been developed yet. Paradoxically, one of the untapped research areas concerns the very nature of perceptions and attitudes attached to the word â€Å"luxury† itself. This is somewhat surprising because even casual conversations reveal that the word â€Å"luxury† evokes rather strong connotations among people. Some attach to it very positive feelings while others are quick to express their disdain, but few are left indifferent. The absence of research on the word â€Å"luxury† also is unfortunate because, in several product categories, the luxury adjective is used routinely to segment markets and to position products. In the car industry for example, both manufacturers and consumers clearly identify luxury models (Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, etc†¦ ) usually advertised as such. The same holds true for such services as hotels or restaurants. The objective of this paper is to report on an exploratory analysis of the perceptions and attitudes attached to the word (and underlying concept of) â€Å"luxury†. It is hoped that the results presented below will stimulate further research in the area and eventually contribute to the development of a theory of luxury acquisition and consumption behavior. METHOD In order to explore the meanings attached to the word â€Å"luxury†, a two-step survey methodology was adopted. Other approaches such as semiotics could also have been used but were left less appropriate to explore, and to some extent, quantify consumers’ attitudes towards the luxury concept (Wargnier, 1985). First, in-depth interviews were conducted by a professional psychologist with sixteen consumers selected for their widely different (and complementary) profiles. Both males and females were equally represented in the panel and age varied from 17 to 70 years. Occupations were also strongly contrasted, ranging from sales rep to student and from opera singer to mechanic. All interviews were conducted at home, on a face-to-face basis, and taped. On the basis of results obtained from such qualitative research, a battery of attitudinal items was developed and administered to a sample of 440 French consumers. Although not randomly drawn, the sample was chosen according to quotas set in terms of sex, age and geographical location. Given the nature of the topic under investigation, it was decided to overrepresent female respondents and to underrepresent lower income categories. All interviews were conducted by professional interviewers on a face to face basis. Although the questionnaire included many questions about specific product categories such as perfumes, jewelry, etc†¦ only the results connected with qualitative research and the general attitudinal statements are reported in this paper. RESULTS www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539 1/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent From the results obtained through qualitative research, several important themes emerge in relation to the concept of luxury. First, the world â€Å"luxury† itself is spontaneously associated with other terms such as (in decreasing order of frequency) : â€Å"upscale†, â€Å"quality†, â€Å"good taste†, â€Å"class†, but also â€Å"flashiness† and â€Å"bad taste†. All of these terms overlap in meaning to a certain extent but also have distinct connotations. For example, the key perceived difference between upscale and luxury products is that the former imply a relative position on an evaluative scale while the latter correspond to a self-contained entity. Upscale products also are naturally connected with material goods while the concept of luxury encapsulates symbolic and cultural values. During interviews, many respondents referred to abstracts concepts such as space, time, or freedom to convey their perceptions of luxury. The fact that both good taste and bad taste are associated with luxury, sometimes by the same people, clearly reveal the ambivalent nature of respondents’ feelings, a theme which has been recently investigated in the context of gift giving behavior (Sherry, McGrawth and Levy, 1993). Typical contrasts emerge on dimensions such as : essential/superfluous, decent/indecent, quality/gadget†¦ Given this ambivalence, it is not surprising to find that luxury items often provoke avoidance/attraction reactions. For many respondents, luxury products are desirable when contemplated at a distance, at a day-dreaming level : when a specific purchase is considered (sometimes â€Å"ruminated†), guilt feelings arise however and the buying act is experienced by many as a transgression, a not totally excusable attempt to break off daily routine and run away, at least temporarily. TABLE 1 (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) ATTITUDINAL STATEMENTS ABOUT LUXURY (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) At the same time, the luxury transgression can also be a regression, a trip back to one’s idealized childhood, when everything was warm and smooth. This would explain why the concept of luxury was felt by many to be relative and idiosyncratic. During interviews, a number of respondents spontaneously started to describe â€Å"their† luxury, as if they were talking about a secret garden, only known to them. The dual nature of luxury-a world in itself and a world for me-certainly accounts for a large proportion of the ambivalence of feelings. Without oversimplyfing too much, one could say that many negative feelings are attached to â€Å"others’ luxury†, while the positive ones are kept for â€Å"my† luxury. On the basis of such themes, a battery of 34 attitudinal items was developed, pretested and administered. The attitudinal statements as well as the overall frequencies are presented in Table 1 and discussed in the following sections. Overall results tend to confirm conclusions obtained from qualitative research about the ambivalent nature of respondents’ feelings. As far as the concept itself is concerned for example, a majority of respondents considers that luxury is synonymous with â€Å"good taste†, is â€Å"pleasant†, â€Å"not old-fashioned† and â€Å"useful† but also â€Å"flashy† and â€Å"too expensive for what it is. † When commenting on their personal rapport to luxury, most respondents express a positive attitude (â€Å"I like luxury,† â€Å"I’m interested in luxury,† â€Å"Luxury makes me dream,† â€Å"Luxury products make life more beautiful†) but also confess their relative lack of expertise (â€Å"I don’t know much about it,† â€Å"I could not talk about it for hours†) and infrequent purchase activity (â€Å"I almost never buy luxury products†). When asked (in a projective mode) to comment on others’ behavior, a vast majority subscribes to the hedonic motive (â€Å"One buys luxury goods primarily for one’s pleasure†) and refutes the snobbish argument, but more than 50% of those who express an opinion consider that â€Å"people who buy luxury products seek to imitate the rich† and, on issues like â€Å"people who buy luxury goods try to differentiate themselves from others† or â€Å"people who buy luxury products are refined people† the sample is totally divided. Similarly, one out of two respondents does not support the idea of a heavier tax but one out of three welcomes such a proposal! In order to improve our understanding of the underlying attitudinal structure, correlation and principal component analyses were performed. Rather than displaying the full 34 x 34 correlation matrix, not easy to read (1156 coefficients), we decided to attempt to graphically represent the underlying structure, even though we recognize that it is not always possible to completely eliminate arbitrariness in positioning the items on the resulting map. Figure 1 depicts the map obtained when only intercorrelations higher than 0. 4 are considered. To make it easier to read and to interpret, all items which imply a favorable predisposition towards luxury are positioned on the left side of the figure while â€Å"negative† statements appear on the right side. Coefficients between 0. 40 and 0. 50 are indicated by dotted lines while solid lines correspond to correlations above 0. 50. Obviously, all coefficients are statistically significant. It appears that the backbone of perceptions and attitudes evolves around the attraction-avoidance dimension mentioned previously. The two attitudinal statements â€Å"I like luxury† and â€Å"I’m not interested in luxury† exhibit a strong (negative) correlation, with an absolute value which is the highest one in the whole matrix. From such a map, a number of conclusions can be drawn : 1. – There are two basic reasons underlying the lack of interest in luxury. The first one is a negative perception of the luxury world, considered in an absolute, general and abstract sense. Those who adopt this perspective tend to describe luxury goods as useless, old-fashioned, too expensive and flashy. Since they fail to see much value in luxury items, they do not develop an appetite for them. 2. – The second reason is more linked to a perceived lack of fit between the individual and luxury. Those who feel this absence of connivence tend to explain it in terms of their own inexpertise, their uneasiness with luxury environments and an impression of artificiality when they wear their luxury items (in case they own some). All those factors logically result in a minimal involvement in both interest for luxury goods and acquisition behavior. 3. – Although not reported on the map, the correlations between, on the one hand, those two sets of items and, on the other hand, the group of three statements related to the perceived reasons why others buy luxury goods (located at the extreme right of the figure) are statistically significant, typically in the 0. 20 – 0. 40 range. Those who don’t feel at ease with luxury goods and admit their incompetence also tend to believe that â€Å"others† buy luxury items to imitate the rich or to differentiate themselves from the rest of the population. www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx? Id=11539 2/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent Those who believe that luxury goods are too expensive and flashy have a similar perception of the behavior of â€Å"others. † But the factors underlying such perceptions are not the same for both groups. While the former find one more reason to deepen the gap which separates them from the world of luxury, it looks as if the latter have one more justification in support of their disdain of an environment perceived as sterile and futile. 4. – The two mechanisms underlying disinterest have their counterparts on the positive (left hand) side. Although not shown on the map, the correlation between â€Å"I like luxury† and â€Å"I could talk about it for hours† is highly significant (0. 32). People who like luxury also are people who feel knowledgeable about it, both in terms of expertise and familiarity (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987). The luxury world is â€Å"their† world and they move in it like a fish in water, as revealed by their strong opposition to the statement â€Å"I almost never buy luxury goods†. 5. – But the appetite for luxury goods can be also developed on a more abstract and symbolic dimension (upper left corner). Those who adopt this viewpoint see the luxury word as a source of fascination and enlightment. Luxury products make them dream and contribute, in their opinion, to a more beautiful life. This ethereal perception of luxury is also the most hedonic of all in nature, as revealed by the strong correlations obtained with the items related to pleasure. Luxury becomes a permanent source of inspiration and happiness, almost a goal for life, far beyond transient fads and fashions. All these facets of luxury are easily confirmed by the rotated factor structure. Applying the varimax procedure to the table of intercorrelations yields the matrix reproduced in Table 2. Ten factors were extracted explaining about 60% of the variance. While the last six correspond to specific items (or pairs of items) not directly linked with the core attitudinal structure but useful to illustrate such topics as price perceptions and their consequences (Factor 5), or the scarcity issue (Factor 6), the first four correspond rather closely to the structure discussed previously. Factor 1 expresses the lack of interest due to limited expertise and familiarity, while Factor 2 corresponds to the positive evaluation of luxury goods fostered by hedonistic motives. Factor 3 summarizes the negative perceptions attached to the behavior of others and Factor 4 corresponds to the mythical and symbolic values attached to the luxury â€Å"fairy tale†. Taken together, these four factors contribute to a better understanding of the underlying structure and can be helpful for someone interested in developing a short scale intended to measure attitudes toward the concept of luxury. As an illustration, the factorial structure of a subset of twelve items appears on Table 3 and is rather straightforward in its interpretation : While the first factor corresponds to perceptions related to the concept of â€Å"Luxury in general†, factor 2 expresses a more personal rapport to luxury, and the remaining two factors describe attitudes towards those who consume luxury items. CONCLUSIONS Despite the importance and growth of the luxury sector, the determinants of luxury acquisition and consumption have received very little attention in the consumer research literature. There is a distinct lack of systematic studies to model and test the processes whereby individuals develop an appetite for the world of luxury (or fail to do so). FIGURE 1 (/volumes/ap01/01276f01. gif) TABLE 2 (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) FACTOR STRUCTURE (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) Given its exploratory nature, the present research only represents a first step in the development of a model of luxury acquisition and consumption. Only the attitudes towards the concept in general have been investigated here. The dual nature of those attitudes has emerged as a major conclusion of both qualitative and quantitative data: The structure of people’s predispositions towards luxury, as a concept, are affected both by their perception of the luxury world in general and their perceived personal fit with such a world. Future studies could investigate: 1) the socio-demographic and psychographic elements associated with such predispositions; 2) the role of specific product categories in the development of attitudes towards luxury and 3) the evolution of these predispositions over time. A program of research on each of these topics is being conducted by the authors and its results will be reported in future contributions. TABLE 3 (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) A TWELVE ITEM ATTITUDINAL SCALE ON THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) REFERENCES Alba, Joseph, W. and J. Wesley Hutchinson (1987), â€Å"Dimension of Consumer Expertise†, Journal of Consumer Research, 13, March, pp. 411-454. Andrus, David M. , Edward Silver and Dallas E. Johnson (1986), â€Å"Status Brand Management and Gift Purchase: A Discriminant Analysis†, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 3, Winter, pp. 5-13. ComitT Colbert (1993), Rapport 1992 – Perspective 1993, Paris : ComitT Colbert, and (1991), Rapport 1990 – Perspective 1991 – Paris : ComitT Colbert. Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), â€Å"Polarization Maps: A New Approach to Identifying and Assessing Competitive Position: The Case of Luxury Brands, Marketing and Research Today, vol. 21, n ¦ 2 (May), pp. 115-123 Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), â€Å"The Market For Luxury Goods: Income vs Culture†, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 23, n ¦1, pp. 35-44. www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539 3/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent Dubois, Bernard and Gilles Laurent (1993), â€Å"Is There a Euro-Consummer For Luxury Goods? â€Å", in Fred Van Raaij and Gary Bamossy (Eds), European Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 1, Provo, UT, Association For Consumer Research, pp. 58-69. Hirschman Elizabeth (1988), â€Å"Upper Class Wasps as Consumers: A Humanistic Inquiry†, in Elizabeth Hirschmann (Ed), Research in Marketing, vol.3, pp. 115-147, JAI Press Inc. LaBarbera, Priscilla A. (1988), â€Å"The Nouveaux Riches: Conspicuous Consumption and the Issue of Self Fulfillment†, in Elizabeth Hirschman (Ed), Research in Marketing, vol. 3, pp. 179-210, JAI Press Inc. Leibenstein, H. (1950), â€Å"Bandwagon, Snob and Veblen Effects in the Theory of Consumers’ Demand†, Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 64, n ¦2, pp. 183-207 McKinsey Corp. (1990), The Luxury Industry: An Asset for France, Paris: McKinsey Mason,Roger (1981), Conspicuous Consumption, New-York, N. Y. : St Martin’s Press Mason, Roger (1993), â€Å"Cross Cultural Influences on the Demand for Status Goods† in Fred Van Raaij and Gary Bamossy (Eds), European Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 1, Provo, U. T. , Association for Consumer Research, pp. 46-51 Sherry, John, Jr. , Mary-Ann McGrath and Sidney Levy (1993), â€Å"The Dark Side of the Gift†, Journal of Business Research Stanley, Thomas J. (1988), Marketing to the Affluent, Homewood, Ill. :Irwin Stanley Thomas J. (1989), Selling to the Affluent, Homewood, Ill. : Irwin Veblen, Thorstein (1899), The Theory of the Leisure Class, New-York: McMillan Wargnier, StTphane (1985), â€Å"Analyse STmiologique des Produits de Luxe†, MTmoire de DEA en STmiotique – Paris : E. H. E. S. S.. Weber, Daniel and Bernard Dubois (forthcoming), â€Å"The Edge of Dream: Managing the Brand Equity in the European Luxury Market† in Lynn Kahle and M. Chiagouris (Eds), Values, Lifestyles and Psychographics, Hillsdale, N. J. : Lawrence Elbaum Associates.. —————————————- www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539.

Diversity And Employee Job Satisfaction In Local Government Education Essay

IntroductionThe theory of representative bureaucratism suggests that organisations perform better if their work forces reflect the features of their constitutional populations ( Andrews, Boyne, Meier, O'Toole, and Walker, 2005 ) . Harmonizing to the U.S. Bureau of the Census Community Survey 2006-2008[ 1 ], U.S. population is going more diverse in Race and Ethnicity, Education, Origins and linguistic communication, etc. It indicates that the constituents of organisational work forces should hold been progressively heterogenous as the development of diverse tendency in entire population. In world, the demographic alterations in the American work force affected by civil rights statute law and affirmatory action plans have so led to unprecedentedly high diverseness or heterogeneousness within organisations ( Choi, 2008 ) . The increasing work force diverseness poses some of the most ambitious inquiries for the direction of public service ( Riccucci, 2002 ) . For illustration, diverse constituents of population and work force bring employees into contact with people who may hold really different racial, instruction, linguistic communication, preparation, accomplishments, functional background, civilizations, and even values. As organisations progressively operate in a transnational and multicultural context, understanding how diverseness in the composing of organisational groups affects results such as satisfaction, creativeness, and turnover will be of increasing importance ( Milliken and Martins, 1996 ) . Although inconsistent on the extent to which increased occupation satisfaction leads to improved public presentation ( Brayfield and Crockett, 1955 ; Petty, McGee, and Cavender, 1984 ; Iaffaldano and Muchinsky, 1985 ) , Petty, McGee, and Cavender ( 1984 ) revealed a strong relationship between occupation satisfaction and public presentation. Furthermore, old surveies besides demonstrated that satisfied employees are more likely to hold lower absenteeism and turnover than those unsated one ( Locke, 1976 ; and Carsten and Spector, 1987 ) . Therefore, to analyze employees ‘ occupation satisfaction is of great important significances. However, the researches on occupation satisfaction either focal point on its impacts on job/organization public presentation, absenteeism and turnover, etc. ( Brayfield and Crockett, 1955 ; Petty, McGee, and Cavender, 1984 ; Iaffaldano and Muchinsky, 1985 ; Locke, 1976 ; and Carsten and Spector, 1987 ) , or other determiners of occupation satisfaction, such as authorization, participative direction, quality of work life, the function of directors, single features, work environment, etc. ( Bruce and Blackburn, 1992 ; Rainey, 1997 ; Kim, 2002 ) . A comparatively little literature appears to hold examined the possible effects of diverseness on employees ‘ occupation satisfaction. Furthermore, among a few surveies seeking to the impacts of diverseness on occupation satisfaction, most concentrate on employees on federal degree ( Choi, 2008 ) , instead than in province or local authorities. Furthermore, old researches step employee occupation satisfaction as a whole, but did n't analyze the impacts of diverseness on employees on different aspects of occupation satisfaction, such as the different impacts on friendliness and aid received in work and on work itself. Besides, the dimensions most surveies used for demographic diverseness include race/ethnicity, instruction, age and sex, and disablement ( Wise, 2000 ; Andrews et Al, 2005 ; Pitts, 2005 ; Choi, 2008 ; Pitts, 2009 ) , but few of them use beginnings and linguistic communication as a step of demographic diverseness. However, with the development of globalisation, more and more first coevals immigrants, whose first linguistic communication is non English and is non born in the US. , are going U.S. citizens and attend public sector. A Harmonizing to U.S. Census Bureau Data[ 2 ]released on February 22nd, 2005, the state ‘s nonnative population numbered 34.2 million in 2004, accounting for 12 per centum of the entire U.S. population. This figure is 2.3 per centum higher than it was in 2003. Therefore, a survey on the effects of demographic diverseness of beginnings and linguistic communication on occupation satisfaction is really of import. In add-on, most surveies used inactive informations at one clip point. It could n't reflect the development tendency of demographic features of public employees. This paper aims at researching the development tendency of public employee diverseness and the impacts of demographic diverseness of local authorities on affectional results, occupation satisfaction ( Figure 1 ) , through a ten-year period. How different dimensions of demographic diverseness, such as race/ethnicity, instruction, gender, beginnings, linguistic communication, and instruction, affect employees ‘ occupation satisfaction? What ‘s the disagreement of the impacts of demographic diverseness on different facets of occupation satisfaction? First, I review the old literature on diverseness concentrating on five of import demographic dimensions of diversity-race/ethnicity, beginnings, first linguistic communication, gender, instruction, and occupation satisfaction. In the following subdivision, I explore the theoretical model and present hypotheses of diverseness and its impact on different aspects of occupation satisfaction. In the last subdivision, I discuss resear ch design/methodology.Figure 1 Diversity and Job Satisfaction in Local GovernmentDevelopment and AchievementDemographic DiversityRace/EthnicityBeginningsFirst LanguageGenderEducationEducationJob SatisfactionFriendliness and Assistance received RrRaceLiterature ReviewDiversenessThe term diverseness frequently provokes intense emotional reactions from people who, possibly, have come to tie in the word with thoughts such as â€Å" affirmatory action † and â€Å" hiring quotas † ; yet it is a word that merely means â€Å" assortment † or a â€Å" point or regard in which things differ † ( Milliken and Martins, 1996 ) . Actually, demographic diverseness refers to â€Å" the grade to which a unit ( e.g. , a work group or organisation ) is heterogenous with regard to demographic properties, † such as race/ethnicity, sex, age, organisational term of office, and societal position ( Choi, 2008 ) . This survey limits its treatment to four demographic dimensions-race/ethnicity, beginnings, linguistic communication, and gender. Some bookmans have developed several attacks to categorise assorted dimensions of diverseness ( e.g. , Cummings, Zhou, and Oldham 1993 ; Jackson 1992 ; Jackson, May, and Whitney 1995 ; Maznevski 1994 ; Milliken and Martins 1996 ; Tsui, Egan, and O'Reilly 1992 ) . One common differentiation is between diverseness on discernible or readily noticeable properties such as race or ethnicity, age, or gender, and diverseness with regard to less seeable or underlying properties such as instruction, proficient abilities, functional background, term of office in the organisation, or socioeconomic background, personality features, or values ( Cummings et al. , 1993 ; Jackson et al. , 1995 ; Tsui et al. , 1992 ) . Harmonizing the above classification, race/ethnicity, beginnings, gender, and first linguistic communication should be included into discernible properties ; instruction should be considered as implicit in properties.Job SatisfactionEmployees ‘ satisfaction with their occupations is an of import standard for rating organisational effectivity ( Choi, 2008 ) . Harmonizing to Hoppock ( 1935: 47 ) , occupation satisfaction is any combination of physiological, psychological, and environmental fortunes that causes a individual truthfully to state, â€Å" I am satisfied with my occupation † . Most common definitions are those that assume being of demands ( in changing signifiers ) and by and large view occupation satisfaction as ensuing from the tantrum between these single demands and the occupation and its environment ( Hopkins, 1983 ) . However, Lock ( 1969 ) rejected the construct of demands and defined occupation satisfaction as the enjoyable emotional province ensuing from satisfaction or satisfaction about one ‘s occupation. The interaction of one ‘s values and one ‘s perceptual experiences of the occupation and its environment are two chief causes of occupation satisfaction. In this survey, I chiefly rely on a modified need-satisfac tion theoretical account, which combines single demands and work environment. There are two basic ways of mensurating occupation satisfaction, facet-free and facet-specific steps. It is easy to administrate and understand ( Kalleberg, 1974 ) , and it correlates extremely with more complex measurings of occupation satisfaction to utilize facet-free attack ( Robinson, Athanasious, and Head, 1969 ) . In the procedure of reacting to facet-free inquiries, employees tend to supply their ain agencies of summarize a assortment of different facets of their occupation into a individual reply ( Johns, 1980 ) . However, this attack has been badly criticized for a figure of grounds ( Hopkins, 1983 ) . Most significantly, occupation satisfaction is one-dimensional and multidimensional instead than a individual dimension ( Kalleberg, 1974 ) . One general inquiry could n't mensurate all facets of a occupation. However, facet-specific occupation satisfaction steps ask the respondent to measure his/her satisfaction with a series of occupation aspects. And faceted measuring is advantageous in that it coincides with the multidimensional character of occupation satisfaction, provides comparison across the respondents, and permits a grade of control and way by the research worker ( Hopkins, 1983 ) . In old researches, there are 23 aspects studied ( Hopkins, 1983 ) . In this survey, 21 aspects will be used except salary aspect and I categorize the 21 aspects into three facets: friendliness and aid received in work ; development and accomplishment ; and work itself. Friendliness and aid received in work, and development and achievement aspect of occupation satisfaction will be used to prove the research inquiry.Theoretical Framework and HypothesesPrevious literature has demonstrated that different dimensions of diverseness may take to different effects ( Jackson, Joshi, and Erhardt, 2003 ; Jehn, N orthcraft, and Neale, 1999 ; Milliken and Martins, 1996 ) . Less seeable or implicit in properties may supply a wide scope of thoughts, accomplishments, and penetrations, and finally consequences in organisational public presentation betterment by increasing organisation ‘s creativeness and problem-solving capablenesss ( Cox, 1993 ) . To increase organisation ‘s creativeness and problem-solving capablenesss, and contribute to organisation public presentation betterment is a important foundation and step to single development and accomplishment. Therefore, underlying properties is assumed to be positively related to development and achievement aspect of employees ‘ occupation satisfaction. H1: Education diverse is positively related to development and achievement aspect of employee occupation satisfaction. However, discernible properties, such as demographic backgrounds, may take to high degrees of emotional struggles between persons in organisations. Heterogeneous groups may besides see a deficiency of communicating or miscommunication, disenabling struggle, and the load of the high costs of coordination and declaration of struggles ( Jehn, Northcraft, and Neale, 1999 ) . Harmonizing to Byrne ‘s ( 1971 ) similarity-attraction theory, people prefer interacting with similar others and happen interactions with them easier, positively reenforcing, and more desirable compared with interactions with others who are different. Persons in diverse groups tend to experience less safe and to swear each other less. Lower trust is more likely to take to higher struggles within groups ( Choi, 2008 ) . Furthermore, for employees, who were non born as U.S. citizens and whose first linguistic communication is non English, may hold communicating obstructions with his/her co-worker. This communicating job may impact their development and publicity within the organisation we well, which finally leads to reduced occupation satisfaction. Therefore, discernible properties are supposed to be negatively related to friendliness and assistance received aspect of occupation satisfaction: H2: Race/Ethnicity diverse is negatively related to friendliness and assistance received aspect of employee occupation satisfaction. H3: Origin diverse is negatively related to friendliness and assistance received aspect of employee occupation satisfaction. H4: Gender diverse is negatively related to friendliness and assistance received aspect of employee occupation satisfaction. H5: Language diverse is negatively related to friendliness and assistance received aspect of employee occupation satisfaction.Research DesignMeasureDependent Variable: public employees ‘ occupation satisfaction is measured by two dimensions, friendliness and aid received from work and development and accomplishment. It is measured on single degree based on responses to relevant study and interview inquiries. Friendliness and aid received could be measured by the undermentioned inquiries: Opportunity to do friends Friendliness and helpfulness of colleagues Enough aid and equipment to acquire the occupation done Development and accomplishment could be measured by the undermentioned inquiries: Opportunity for publicities Opportunity to develop particular abilities Independent Variable: discernible and implicit in properties of diverseness of public employees in local authorities in NJ. In recent old ages, three sorts of diverseness steps have been used most often: the coefficient of fluctuation, the Blau ‘s index of heterogeneousness, and the entropy index of diverseness ( Choi, 2008 ) . In this survey, the degrees of each bureau ‘s demographic diversity-race/ethnicity, beginnings, gender, first linguistic communication, and education-are calculated through the Blau ‘s index of heterogeneousness or Entropy index of diverseness, which are appropriate for categorical variables, instead than the coefficient of fluctuation, which is proper for uninterrupted variables. The concluding choice between the Blau ‘s index of heterogeneousness and Entropy index of diverseness depends on the information collected and informations analysis consequences. Race/Ethnicity is classified into five groups: White ; Black or African American ; Asian ; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander ; and Others, based on the U.S. Bureau of Census ‘s classification. Beginning is classified into two groups: born naturalized as a U.S. citizen and foreign born non U.S. citizen, based on the U.S. Bureau of Census ‘s classification. Gender of public employee in local authoritiess includes both male and female. First Language is categorized into five groups: English ; Spanish or Spanish Creole ; Other Indo-germanic Languages ; Asian and Pacific Island Languages ; and Other Languages, based on the U.S. Bureau of Census ‘s classification. Education is measured by two indexs. The first index is to mensurate the diverseness in instruction degree. The diverseness in instruction degree is categorized into six groups: less than high school alumnus ; high school alumnus ; some college or associate ‘s grade ; unmarried man ‘s grade ; maestro ‘s grade ; Ph.D. grade. The 2nd index is to mensurate the diverseness in major. It is categorized into nine groups: societal scientific discipline and humanistic disciplines ; public personal businesss ; library and information ; concern ; instruction ; jurisprudence ; technology ; medical scientific discipline ; and others. Control Variable: there are some other variables are supposed to hold important impacts on public employees ‘ occupation satisfaction, harmonizing to old research. Those factors include employee place term of office, age, organisation population, city/township population, etc.DatasA assorted research method will be used to analyze the research inquiry and hypotheses. I plan to roll up ten-year period ( 2000-2009 ) information in employee race, gender, instruction, beginnings, first linguistic communication, and occupation satisfaction from each local authorities in New Jersey, utilizing unnoticeable resources, study, and single interview. The ground for roll uping informations in ten-year period is foremost to track the tendency of the employee demographic constituents in local authorities in NJ during the past 10 old ages, and to mensurate whether diverseness is a apparent character of local public employee in NJ. Second, I want to prove the alteration of demographic factors à ¢â‚¬Ëœ impacts on occupation satisfaction, instead than a inactive consequence at one clip point, because it is supposed that the demographic characters of local public employees are changed to be more diverse. Unobtrusive resources: Archive and Official Documentation to roll up public employees ‘ demographic constituents, including race, instruction, gender, beginnings, and first linguistic communication, in each city/township authorities in NJ during the past 10 old ages. Based on this information, descriptive statistics could be used to depict the development tendency of employee demographic factors. Survey and Sample: I will carry on a mail study to roll up occupation satisfaction informations. 10 % employees from each city/township authorities will be indiscriminately selected and the questionnaire will be sent to them. In order to guarantee a good respondent rate, I will carry on a three-round study. The follow-up study may be conducted by phone or electronic mail. Semi-Structured Individual Interview: in-depth informations is needed to unearth some deep information. The chief content of single interview is to look into employees ‘ occupation satisfaction and how diverse on the job environment affect their occupation satisfaction. What are the most of import factors that impact their occupation satisfaction? What are the employees ‘ perceptual experiences or suggestion sing to diversity direction?Datas AnalysisAbove all, content analysis will be used to analyze written paperss. Contented analysis is â€Å" any technique for doing illations by consistently and objectively placing particular features of messages † ( Holsti, 1968 ) . First, is to make up one's mind the degrees and units of paperss analysis. Sampling may happen at any or all of the undermentioned degrees: words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, subdivisions, chapters, and books. Second, is to unite content analytic elements, and coding. Coding frames are used to f orm the informations and place findings after unfastened cryptography has been completed. The whole procedure is to split gathered archive and certification informations and make full them into five independent variables. For some quantitative informations, occupation satisfaction study informations are Likert Scale informations, 5 graduated tables. Recode each factor to do certain every inquiry and information is in the same way from 1 ( strongly dissatisfaction ) to 5 ( strongly satisfaction ) . Mean score higher than 3 is considered satisfaction, and lower than 2 is considered dissatisfaction. Furthermore, descriptive statistics is used to cipher mean, media, standard divergence, standard mistake of collected informations, including certification, study, and interview informations. For The documentation/archive information is a pooled information in 10 old ages. To compare informations in different twelvemonth, we can reason whether the constituent of employee in local authorities is more and more diverse. What ‘s the development tendency, to rush up or decelerate down? If it is necessary, Cronbach ‘s Alpha can be used to prove measuring dependability before making index variables. Multiple arrested development could be used to prove the significance degree and coefficient of correlativity between demographic diverseness and employees ‘ occupation satisfaction. Meanwhile, Variance rising prices factor ( VIF ) can be used to prove whether there is multicollinearity job and Breusch-Pagan trial is used to analyze whether the theoretical account has heteroskedasticity job or non. Some package plans may be utile to analyse informations, for illustration SPSS, Office Excel, and Stata. The analysing package should including the undermentioned maps: word processors, text retrievers, textbase directors, code-and-retrieve plans, code-based theory builders, and conceptual network-builders.