Romeo and Juliet Fate

Forced marriage – Feud (we don't know what the feud is over, its never explained. Its clearly fate because they don't know what they're arguing about) – Meeting at the party (Romeo is drugged) – Violence: Deaths of Table and Mercuric (influences) when Romeo kills Table everything starts falling apart – Forced marriage – attitude to women – If women were valued, women would not be forced into such as marriage and not treated Just as objects, we may see more love and less violence.Mercuric says if you fall in love you become less masculine – Prologue (Not only will they die, the only way for the feud to end if for them to die.This is the only way out, it is certain) from the outset the viewer knows they'll die, not only for each other but to stop violence and feud because its written in the stars – Loveliness between Montague and Caplet – Only example of love besides Romeo and Juliet, is Romeo and Mercuric but Romeo doesn't love Mercuric back, no one loves anyone, or doesn't seem too, Lady Caplet doesn't love Juliet Romeo: Romeo-reckless young man (Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to slow down, find quote) Rushes into things, very in-touch with his emotions, lets it get the best of him (top with heart, symbolic) â€Å"Oh I am fortunes fool† is he was passionate young man, he would not have made the decision to kill Table Romeo and Juliet are in no way to blame for their untimely deaths, discuss. Agree: – Fate has determined that they must die (as is written in the prologue)

Communicate in a Business Environment

1. Understand the purpose of planning communication1.1 Explain the benefits of knowing the purpose of communication The purpose of communication is to allow the exchange of information, ideas, concepts, emotions, thoughts and opinions. The benefit of knowing this is so you can use communication as a tool, it is needed to be able to learn, teach and explain things to others. We communicate in a Business Environment to maintain effective and efficient ways of working and to listen to and try to solve each others problems.1.2 Explain the reasons for knowing the audience to whom communications are presented By knowing who your audience is it is easier to adapt your communication appropriately. Your tone and format will differ depending on who is receiving the communication as will your body language, for example when talking amongst friends, you are likely to talk informally with more relaxed body language whereas when talking to a senior manager you would put more thought into what you were saying and the words you choose as well as standing up straight, smiling etc.The reasons we change the way we communicate to different audiences is to give off the right impression and to get what you want to say across appropriately, effectively and efficiently. 1.3 Explain the purpose of knowing the intended outcomes of communications Knowing the intended outcomes of communications helps inform you if the information you provided was satisfactory and up to the right standard or if they needed more from you.1.4 Describe different methods of communication and when to use them There are five different methods of communication; verbal, non verbal, informal, formal and body language.VerbalVerbal communication is the act of conveying thoughts, feelings and ideas through the use of speech. It is the most effective type of communication and should be used when an immediate response is needed, which can be sought face to face or over the phone. Verbal is also a preferred method when i nformation is confidential. Non-VerbalThis type of communication is one that does not involve speech. Examples of non-verbal communications are written, facial expressions, gestures and sign language. Written communication can be used to have a hard copy/record of an agreement or conversation. Facial expressions and gestures can be very helpful to portray your feelings and helps you determine if the person you are speaking to understands what you’re saying.InformalInformal communication can come in many forms, a face to face chat, phone call, text, e-mail, post it note or an informal meeting for a catch up. This is used day in day out amongst friends and colleagues. This is usually used when the people communicating know each other; an example of this would be starting an e-mail with â€Å"Hi ______† rather than â€Å"Dear Mr. _______†.FormalFormal communication is usually used when communicating with customers/clients depending on the relationship held with the m or when procedures and orders are being followed. This is, in most cases, the format used automatically when communicating in business with people you do not know.Body LanguageBody language is the most honest method of communication; it can be relied on by the hard of hearing or talking to help them get their point across and understand others. It helps people judge who they think is approachable and can assist when there is a language barrier.2. Understand how to communicate in writing2.1 Identify relevant sources of information that may be used when preparing written communication Sources of information can be classed as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.PrimaryWhen information is primarily sourced it is gathered by a person directly in contact with the event or incident. These are the authentic facts that haven’t undergone any changes. Examples of these include: DiariesLetters E-mails Interviews SurveysSecondary A secondary source of information is interpreted or analysed data of the primary source. Examples of these include: Books Magazine and newspaper articles Commentaries TextbooksTertiary Tertiary sources consist of information which is a combination of primary and secondary sources. Examples of these include: Manuals Directories Fact books Bibliographies2.2 Describe the communication principles for using electronic forms of written communication in a business environment. Electronic forms of data or communication are e-mails, faxes etc. When choosing electronic communications for exchange of information, you should think carefully to decide which the best and most efficient method of communication is.2.3 Explain different styles and tones of language and situations when they may be used for written communications. Colloquial, casual, and formal writing are different styles of writing that have their own expectations and outcomes. The style of writing also depends on the purpose of what is intended to say, how it is intended to say, what the doc ument will be used  for and the audience.Colloquial LanguageColloquial is an informal, conversational style of writing. Casual language is something that we use to communicate with family and close friends. It uses informal words that we use normally on a daily basis.Formal LanguageFormal language is used in business communications. It depends on the words you use, the way you use and relates to your role. You need to be personally well presented and the language has formal words with proper syntax, good vocabulary and excellent grammar which are more important.2.4 Explain the reasons for selecting and using language that suits the purpose of written communication. The purpose of written communication is to contact people in a more professional way. See 1.4 under Formal.2.5 Describe the ways of organising, structuring and presenting written information so it meets the needs of different audiences. When organising, structuring and presenting written information we have to bear in m ind the following. Prepare all the documents for presentation depending on what has to be delivered. Keep documents in the correct order, so that the communication goes in a proper flow without any confusions and errors.While presenting, be clear in what you talk stating the objectives. Give an introduction on what you are going to present, why you are writing to them, why the audience is receiving the written communication. Present it step by step clearly using proper resources where needed. In the end, close it down making clear that all objectives were covered. Inform the audience what will happen next and what actions have to be implemented.2.6 Describe ways of checking for the accuracy of content in written information. Any written communication has to be free of spelling and grammatical errors. It also has to be in the right and professional format. So the following have to be checked or considered before the document is finalised to be sent out. Check the points written down: Whatever we write has to be accurate, otherwise it will have disastrous effects and can even ruin the reputation of the organisation, and the organisation can itself get into trouble. So all details have to be double checked for example dates, names, statistics, events, discussions, actions and other facts. If you are unsure of anything, make sure you check with knowledgeable or experienced people and update the written document.2. Spell check and Grammar check:Spell-check is an option available to easily correct typo errors. Sometimes it will not be 100% accurate, because if you had typed a word instead of another, then spell check will not be able to trace it. So it is always best to check through the document twice before sending it out.3. Use a Template:Usually every organisation has a different style for documents they produce. They will all be available as templates which one can use to easily input data. In case there isn’t a template available, you should research thr ough to find the correct style for the document that you produce depending on needs, department and organisation and follow the style guide to produce the document. As an organisation, documents have to be produced in a standard and professional format.4. Have someone else check your work:Another way to ensure accuracy is to have your document read by another reader. Sometimes when we read through our own work, minor or sometimes major errors can be hard to detect. Grammatical, punctuation and style errors can be picked up if the reader is an experienced person.2.7 Explain the purpose of accurate use of grammar, punctuation and spelling.The main purpose in the correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling is ensuring the receiver of the information reads it the way it was intended. Addition to this when given a task to do, your employer expects you to do it perfectly. When a document has inaccuracies, readers tend to distrust everything, including the statistics, opinions, and fa cts. For progression in the company you need to ensure you carry out all tasks to a certain standard.2.8 Explain what is meant by plain English, and why it is used. Plain English is plain language used for communication that emphasise clarity and avoids technical language. Plain English is used so that what you try to communicate is easily understood by everyone and is appropriate to their reading skills and knowledge.2.9 Explain the purpose of proofreading and checking written work. Any work that is written has to be proofread and checked especially if it is important written work. The purpose of doing so is to avoid errors and appearing unprofessional. See 2.6 for the purpose of checking work.2.10 Explain the purpose of recognising work that is important and work that is urgent. Importance and urgency are two different things. When something is urgent, you rush to do it. When something is important, you prioritise it. Urgent tasks are not necessarily complicated, so I try to finis h off the urgent ones quickly and move on to the important ones. Important tasks should be dealt with carefully and have time put into them and be thoroughly checked on completion.2.11 Describe organisational procedures for saving and filing written communications. Every organisation has its own policies and procedures for saving and filing documents. Documents with similar information are filed together for ease of accessibility when necessary. Documents that need to be shared with other departments and other staff are always stored on shared drives. You should be very particular about the storage and destroying of confidential information. Records may be kept as paper files, or electronically in shared drives, databases, or document management systems.

Classroom Management-Routines and Procedures Essay

The following in-class activities are in the specialized area K-8. The first in-class activity is the use of centers. In this activity student are able to pick their center that they would like to participate in. Students are given a 20-minute center time that is split into two 10-minute sessions. This allows the students to stay interested in the activity. Types of centers that the students can choose from are: Reading Center, Write the Room, Money Center, Art Center, Listening Center, Pattern Block Center, Puppet Center, Computer Center, or Poetry Center. While students are seated, the teacher reminds the students of center procedures. The children have previously been instructed how to utilize each center. The teacher will choose a stick with the child’s name on it, to determine who gets to pick first and there after. They are reminded that no more than 2-3 people can be at each center, and because of this should be thinking of another center in case the center they first c hoose is full. Students will remain in there seats until everyone has picked a center. The children will hear a bell and are asked to stop what they are doing, clean up their center, and go to their desk where the teacher will now assign them to a different center. During this activity one of my behavioral expectations will be that students are quiet during their center time. Quiet doesn’t mean that the student can’t talk, but they must whisper to their fellow center members if they need too. Center time is still learning time and I want each student to respect that. Students are told that should they break that rule, a warning will be given and then if broken again, they will have to go to their seat until it is time to switch centers. The second expected behavior is that the students stay at his/her center, until they are told to switch. The students are not permitted to roam around the room and visit with classmates at other centers. It is important to maintain a structured, well-balanced classroom environment where students carry over my behavioral expectations from activity to activity. The second in-class activity is the morning meeting board. This activity is done first thing every morning. During this activity we discuss what our schedule for the day will be, take our lunch count, practice our days of the week, months of the year, what the temperature for that day is, daily smart board activities, and many other repetitive activities we do on a daily basis. This activity requires students to be on the floor in front of the meeting board facing me. The morning meeting board requires individual student answers and a high level of engagement. Students are required to sit in an assigned seating area on the floor and remain there until meeting board is over. During this activity one of my behavioral expectation is that there is no talking. Children are not allowed to talk, as it is a distraction to the learning process. Children are told that they are not allowed to talk unless their name is called to answer a question or a group response is needed. The no talking rule, fixes the need for a child to blurt out the answer when it is not their turn. The next behavioral expectation is that students will keep their hands and feet to themselves. It is very tempting to distract your classmate while seated on the floor close to each other. By implementing this expectation, students are learning self-control and the skill of accountability. Students are expected to be able to stay in their assigned area and engage in the activity with little or no distractions. There are many opportunities to take students on the adventure of learning outside the classroom. The first activity is a school wide assembly that would require K-12 students to meet in the gymnasium. The assembly is in an environment that is energetic and fun. The students listen to music by the band, watch or participate in a fun activity with older students, and listen to administration lecture about upcoming events and other important information. This atmosphere will bring out many different behaviors from my students. It is important that I allow them to have a fun, positive experience but with expectations on how they need to behave. My first expectation is that the students will remain in their seats and not move around. With the energy that this assembly will bring, students will need to stay seated so that they are not distracting the other students or those who are putting on the assembly. Students will also be expected to not visit or talk with their classmates during the assembly, as it is a classroom rule to sit quietly while others are speaking. Setting these expectations and explaining why I have them is important for the student to understand. The next out-of-class activity is a field trip to a pumpkin patch. This field trip is a fun, hands on learning experience. The pumpkin patch has a petting zoo, zip line, corn maze, tractor rides, train rides, face painting, pedal tractor racetrack, and many engaging activities. This activity can also bring out an array of different behaviors in children, which the teacher must be mindful of. On field trips there are teacher helpers like volunteers/parents, who go along to help keep a watchful eye on the students. Students are split into small groups and are teamed up with a teacher helper. Teacher helpers are given instructions as to what I expect from my students. One of my behavioral expectations is that the students remain in their group at all times. Students are told that they will not be able to roam about the pumpkin patch without their group and their teacher helper. They are told that the teacher helper will be the one who decides when to move on to the next activity. My next behavioral expectation is that the students respect the property of the pumpkin patch and those who work there. This is already one of our classroom rules and they will be expected to follow it even though we are not in school. A teacher must try to always be one step ahead of their students when it comes to how students will behave in situations. It is extremely important that students always know what is expected of them. A teacher may continually have the child recite the rules over and over, but that doesn’t mean they understand what it means. A teacher may think that the classroom rules are clear and concise, but to a few students they many not be. The first way a teacher can evaluate what her students understand about those expectations, is through discussion. The teacher must state the rule and then explain what it means. The teacher’s explanation should provide examples and scenarios that the student can understand. Allowing the children to give examples that they can relate to, can also help evaluate their understand of the expectation. Another way to evaluate is through role-playing. Children are given scenarios on how to break the rules or follow the rules and then they act it out. The class audience can then determine what rule is broken and how it could have been prevented. The students may also act out how it looks to follow the rule. The teacher can then explain what consequence would be given if rules are not followed. This is fun for the students and allows the teacher to see who is or doesn’t understand the expectations.

LED520 Cross-Cultural Communication and Leadership Assignment - 1

LED520 Cross-Cultural Communication and Leadership - Assignment Example The dichotomy of individualism/collectivism individuals from different cultures related with one another on an individual level and within a group. The degree of individualism or collectivism is determined, by the way, an individual responds to groups (Earley & Gibson, 1998). Some cultures encourage members to prioritize the needs of the group while in some personal needs come first. Power Distance, Individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity/feminism are the four dimensions of culture advanced by Geert Hofstede (Hofstedes Intercultural Dimensions, n.d.). The Power Distance dimension refers to the level of equality/inequality in a particular society. A society with high power distances are very unequal, and it is difficult to climb the ladder. Individualism dimension refers to the level of importance attached to individual achievements. Cultural metaphors help in understanding the difference in culture. It facilitates efficient cross-cultural communication (Vernon-Wortzel & Shrivastava, 1996). The idea is to select something that the members of a given society consider important. That thing can be used to comprehend the basic features of that given society (Vernon-Wortzel & Shrivastava, 1996). The use of cultural metaphors makes it easy to understand the most important features of a society. The cultural group selected for the project is Afghanistan. During the project, I had a chance to interact with Afghanistan Army soldier who also act as interpreters. It will be my first time to be in contact with people from Afghanistan. The Afghanistan people have a very distinct culture that is very different from the Western culture. The cultural activity entails working with the group of Afghanistan arm soldiers starting from April. We spent most of the time with soldiers because we work, eat, fellowship, and sleep beside each other. The

Saudi Arabia profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Saudi Arabia profile - Essay Example As in the case of many other Middle Eastern countries, majority of the land area are deserts with some rugged mountains in the southwest. Hot and humid climatic conditions prevail in Saudi throughout a year with an exception of only few months. 78.8% literacy is reported in Saudi as per the 2010 statistics. Saudi males are more literate (84.7%) than Saudi females (70.8%). Infant mortality rate is 11.57 deaths/1,000 live births according to the 2010 statistics. Women dominate in life expectancy rates in Saudi with 78 years against 74 years of the males. More than 35% of the Saudi workforce are from foreign countries and service sector is the major revenue source in Saudi (63%) followed by industry (25%) and agriculture (12%). 2010 statistics show that GDP of Saudi is $623 billion and annual growth rate is 3.8%. Per capita of Saudi population is one among the bests in the world with an attractive figure of $24,200. Gold and oil are the major natural resources or revenue sources of Saudi. Before the discovery of oil sources in Middle East, gold mining and fishing were some of the major revenue sources of Saudi. Hydrocarbons, uranium, coal, phosphate, and tungsten are some other natural resources of Saudi Arabia. Surface water sources provide 10% of the Saudi’s drinking needs whereas 84% provides by ground water sources. Desalinated seawater not only used for the drinking needs (5%), but also for generating electric power. Even though the climatic conditions are not so good for agriculture, dates, grains and vegetables are cultivated at some parts of Saudi Arabia. As in the case of majority of the other Middle Eastern countries, export of petroleum products is the major revenue source of Saudi Arabia. Petroleum and petroleum products export of Saudi worth around $253 billion whereas its imports (manufactured goods, transportation equipment, clothing and textiles, processed

Psychology of Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Psychology of Violence - Essay Example Though the article does not state Mr Clementi suffered from bullying, humiliation and invasion of privacy as a sex offense, Mr Ravi delegitimized him by taking all levels of privacy out of his hands. It is considered a sex offense because he broke the solitude Mr Clementi was after, by having the room until midnight, the intimacy of having a sexual relationship with anonymity and the reserve to decide under what terms. These four types of privacy were established by Mr Westin.(DeCew) As the police had already established that Mr Ravi had been bullying Mr Clementi since August, he will be tried for a bias crime. Behavioral Psychology is a theory that all behaviors are gained through conditioning: classical & operant. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Classical conditioning have two elements, the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response. Operant Conditioning is the association between the behaviour and the consequence for that behaviour. From this conditioning, the learning theory was developed. Negative behaviour can be eliminated by taking away the benefit. A persons behaviour is learned by the consequences which can be external forces. His conscious is changed by the rewards he receives. Mr Ravi is an insecure young man as a new student; as psychologically needing to break his roommate; and who needs to make a place for himself in the dormitory. His name is Indian, so he has suffered prejudices for half of his life in the US. . He might also be questioning his own sexuality which could be common but not part of his own culture. Did he bully Mr Clementi because of his sexual orientation; or would he have done so to any roommate? The questions is his satisfaction in wanting to torture another individual. In putting the streaming of his encounter on the internet, was he showing his jealousy in Mr Clementis ability to perform on stage. Both acts represent the most

Living Peacefully in a World Free of Global Warming or Living with All Research Paper

Living Peacefully in a World Free of Global Warming or Living with All the Riches in a World Affected with Global Warming - Research Paper Example Contributing to the increasing levels of GHGs are various activities in which cars and power plants are recorded to be the main sources (Mohr, 2005). Indeed, human beings also have contributions to the levels of GHGs. In accordance to what is stated, developments in different countries lead to the heating up of the planet Earth. More and more buildings are set up and used as factories in order to gain wealth. Despite the campaigns that vehicles are emitting GHGs, people do not care. The present has been seen as the moment for development even though it is believed by some, as a destruction of the environment. Research Question: Which is better, living peacefully in a world free of global warming or living with all the riches in a world affected with global warming? Scope of Limitation: Findings of this research will be limited only to the responses of ten (10) environmental experts. Results from this study will only be based from their views and opinions. Significance of the Study: F indings shall educate individuals on the phenomenon of global warming. The conduct of this research will give indications on how individuals should protect their planet. Moreover, this investigation will also supplement the existing research in this field. Objectives of the Study: This research investigation aims to study how the global warming affects the entire world. Specifically, it also aims at knowing and identifying the effects of the said phenomenon through taking a special look on the life on earth as well as the atmosphere. Theoretical Framework: The theory of global warming will be the framework of this research. Global warming, as defined by James Hansen (2000), is mainly because of the occurrence of high levels of GHGs in the atmosphere in which is triggered by the activities of man. For Hansen (2000), the effect of these gases from burning of fossil fuel is climate change. Hypothesis: The increasing rate of greenhouse gases is threatening the life on earth, the negativ e effects being on the life of human beings and the atmosphere. II. Review of Related Literature Various views exist when people talk about global warming. Some are in agreement but some are opposing the other conceptualizations of the phenomenon of global warming. For Thakur (2009), emission of gases is just the contributor to the phenomenon but clearly not the origin. United Nations Environment Programme (2003) has acknowledged global warming is responsible for the climate changes. Some among the mentioned outcomes are more intense rain, severe flood and storms, more extreme heat waves, and the melting of glaciers. With the rapid changes, it is expected that all the fundamental Earth systems would also alter leading to the disturbance in all the aspects of environment. This disruption would then affect the lives of human beings because of the possible effect to food security. These changes, in effect, will inflict harm on human health. Eipsten (2000) added that with the rise of te mperature comes along the rise of many health diseases. This perspective fears the fact that it may not be possible for the human kind to have its next generation due to the effects it may cause the people. However, the contextualization of carbon causes global warming has been opposed. In Happer’s (2011) article, he claimed that the current warming that the planet currently

Making Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Making Decisions - Essay Example These limitations can be in the form of limited information, complexity of the issue, uncertainty, time available, information available etc. Because of these restrictions, decisions are taken based on what is immediately appropriate rather than the best possible action. Hence, all possible alternatives are not evaluated before taking any decision and managers tend to adopt a satisficing solution to the problem. In the process, managers tend to use judgmental heuristics, which means the most commonly used ways are chosen as the solution to the problem. The model of decision-making styles identifies two categories namely, value orientation and tolerance for ambiguity. From these, four decision making styles emerge: directive, analytical, conceptual and behavioral. The five stages of creative process include preparation, concentration, incubation, illumination, and verification. Explain how participative management affects performance, and also discuss knowledge management and techniqu es used by companies to increase knowledge sharing. Participative management involves employees in key decision making processes. In this management style, employees are involved in goal setting, making decisions, solving problems, and making changes in the organization.

Leadership styles you think would be most appropriate to use with each Essay

Leadership styles you think would be most appropriate to use with each of your management team members - Essay Example She is sensible enough to see others for what they are and to extend even-handed treatment to them. That is how she succeeds in relationship building - by doing unto others as she would like others do unto her. These qualities make her a trust-worthy and reliable organ of the organization. She is, therefore, most suited to the ‘entrusting’ strategy, because only those who can be trusted can be entrusted. Empowerment and entrusting have to go hand in hand; that is what is called delegation. Either of them doesn’t make sense without the other. People like Emma Knight can be taken into confidence and be given a stake in the process of decision-making. That she is a qualified Project Management Professional makes her all the more eligible for entrusting. That Alistair had earlier been a contract programmer and was later hired full-time is very much a testimony of his competence and of being quite knowledgeable. Nevertheless, the fact remains that he is only a technical specialist but not a management expert. Then it is to be noted that he had himself explicitly expressed his lack of confidence in his own managerial abilities. It is rather obvious that his lack of enthusiasm and even occasional reluctance stem from his self-doubt. But he is interested in the benefits and promotion which is a proof that he does have a motivation inside him. This element of motivation considered alongside his technical strength is reason enough to believe that he can be of value to the organization. That value can be realized only after acknowledging that he is a manager but not a leader. The two are a lot different. It must also be taken into account that he is after all on his first full-time responsibility of this kind. It is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately and carefully on the one hand because he can be of use and on the other because his ineffectiveness has a bearing on team performance. He

Analysis of Mental Shortcuts Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Mental Shortcuts Essay Being creatures gifted with reason, people are always thinking and trying to rationalize things. For each person and situation, there are different kinds of ways of thinking or mental shortcuts. One of them is Representativeness heuristic. This refers to the way a person thinks according to his insticnts and past experiences. Unlike other modes of thinking, representativeness heuristic consumes less time. It does not involve much cognitive activity. In this mode of thinking, people tend to refer to the past for decision making and judgment of occurences or events (Akent et al, 2007). Another type of type of heuristic is the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. This type of heuristic greatly relies on an anchor or initial opinion or thought about a certain object, place, or situation. Despite having other evidence before the judgment, the judgment and the trail of thought of the person remains to be hanging on to the initial thought. Unlike representativeness heuristic, this mode of thinking is slower in that more opinions are gathere before a decision is made and the rationalization concluded (Akent et al, 2007). The third kind of heuristic is the availability heuristic. This type of heuristic make use of examples for making a decision or judging an event or occurence. In addition, availability heuristic the frequency of an event may be predicted through the said example. As compared to the first two kinds of heuristic, this may be slower as there is a need to gather enough examples as basis for decision to be made. If there are no examples at hand, another mode of thinking may be utilized(Akent et al, 2007). If carefully analyzed, these modes of thinking are all faster as compared to the normal flow of thought in a persons mind. However, if measured and checked for results, all can be accurate and fast given a specific situation. For instance, the availability heuristic is faster if there are examples at hand. However, without them the other types of heuristic will prove to be more accurate and faster. Thus, all three mental shortcust prove to be helpful in a particular situation in life but not in its entirety. References Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, and Robin M. Akert. (2007). Social psychology (6th ed. ). Prentice Hall

Trade Unions in Singapore

Trade Unions in Singapore Critical Issues in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management Singapore has a very unique partnership in the country. It has three forms, such as Government, Union, and Management. The following paragraphs below are the main historical of the Singapore from 1950 up to now. 50-60s In 1959, Singapore became a self-governing state and the People’s Action Party (PAP) was elected as the first local government. Then, it governed in the Second Industrial Revolution. Hence, it facilitates to lead Singapore in three headings, such as steps to educate and train workers, steps to promote productivity, and institutional changes to influence the attitude of labor and management. (Anantaraman, 1990) In the following years, Singapore has separated into two parties. The pro-communist faction formed the Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU), and the non-communist group set up the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). It was set up in 1961. The main objectives of NTUC are, to improve the employment conditions of workers, to promote good labor management relations, to upgrade the skills of workers, to take part in international decision making process, to organize educational, cultural and other activities, to work with union around the world. (Huat, 1995) In order to reduce uneducated problem, the Singapore government promote student to study overseas, like China and Indonesia. The Committee to Promote Enterprise Overseas recommended several measures to enhance more people to work overseas. In 1965, Singapore became independent nation. Then, in 1968, Singapore faced a major crisis. The British government decided to withdraw its military bases from Singapore. This meant the loss of jobs for about 20,000 Singapore civilians. Therefore, the government introduced and amended The Employment Act and The Industrial Relations Act, respectively. The purposes of Industrial Relations Act are, to give more managerial power to employer. For example, power for promotion, transferring, retirement, retrenchment, dismissal, and many others. (Huat, 1995) Moreover, the purposes of Employment Act are, providing better protection for more workers, increasing flexibility for employers, and enhancing enforcement of and compliance with employment standards. Therefore, there are existed standardization of working conditions, elimination of restrictive practices by unions, and outcome of the two Acts. The industrial relations scene became relatively peaceful and investor confidence was restored, where more than 35 percent of Singapores workers were employed in the twenty-year ahead, which was in 1988. (Huat, 1995) 70s In 1972, the Ministry of Labor announced that National Wage Council (NWC) has established and it is a tripartite body with three representatives each from labor, management, and government. The council is essentially a national guideline on wages, bonus, and benefits. There are some reasons to accept the guidelines, such as perception of the guidelines as neutral, government’s willingness to use the legislative process and amend labor laws to help implement the council’s recommendations, and The Ministry of Labor used the guidelines to sell disputes on wages through conciliation. (Anantaraman, 1990) Hence, the rationale for wage restraint was to pursue the anti-inflitionary wage policy to ensure that the wage increase as well as productivity. For example, Singaporeans as a result benefited from annual wage increases of 8% to 10% from 1972 through 1984. (Beng Chew, 1996) By the late 1970s, the government changed its strategic focustoskill and technology-intensive, high value-added industries and away from labor-intensive manufacturing. Trade Unions Act was amended to reflect the new role of trade unions. The main objectives are, such as following, Collective bargaining The union representatives are negotiated with the employers. The union seeks the better terms and conditions for the employments. Safeguarding jobs A union protects the jobs of its members so that they are not dismissed arbitrarily. Cooperating with the employers Relationship between employers and workers is necessary for the sake of both of them. For example, they tend to resolve disputes in a mutually acceptable manner. Political activities Many political parties seek support from the union leaders even though their members are free to vote for any candidates. That is because the unions exerted pressure on the government for laws or reforms which will benefit the workers. Social activities The unions provide financial supports for their member, such as sickness, unemployment, retirement, and death. Then, the unions also use their resources to provide recreational facilities. (Huat, 1995) The impacts of trade union act are, such as following, Trade union movement was started after Labor Modernization Seminar. The union leaders had decided to do more than collective bargaining, like the wider perspective thought about workers who also the co-owner of society as consumers, tenants, and others. There is lack of time and multiple responsibilities of women as workers, wives, and mothers, and also lack of confidence to vie in term of leadership position. Hence, in 1976, the NTUC form a Women’s Programme Secretariat in order to enable more women to work and there exist Social Welfare Department to take over the management of ten childcare centres. (Huat, 1995) 80-90s In 1981, The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) was formed in order to help members maintain good labor management relations and to encourage productivity for the benefit of members, employees, the economy of Singapore, and implementing NWC guidelines. (Beng Chew, 1995) This included wide range of services, such as consultancy services, training and development, information service, and job evaluation service. In the 1982 amendment to the Trade Union Act, the role of trade unions was defined as promoting good industrial relations between workers and employers; improving working conditions; and improving productivity for the mutual benefit of workers, employers, and the country. Moreover, this act impact on promoting the welfare of its members as well as providing well-being of workers and their families. (Tan, 2007) In December 1986, sub-comittee’s was recommended the guidelines within the NWC for a flexible wage-system. Then, the guidelines were approved by the Government, Trade Union, and employers. For example, a Basic Wage with a modest service increment of about 2 percent a year. Annual wage can increase if workers have already obliged under the provisions of a contract of service or a collective agreement to pay an annual wage and bonus. (Hian Teck, 1985) In 1994, the leaders and members of trade unions are forming May Day in order to improving the quality of life of workers of Singapore because our workers must be fairly paid and be justly treated to enable them work with dignity and pride. Moreover, this May Day might be strengthened the labor movement through ongoing recruitment drives, improved productivity, upgraded the level of skills of our workers, strengthened the framework of our tripartite partnership with government and employers, so that can continue the industrial peace, social harmony, and economic growth. (Huat, 1995) In 1995, the government reduced the tax rate for computing non-resident reliefs. Hence, many foreigners are attracted to come to Singapore, such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines. Then, Singapore has developed in term of industries and others due to foreigners because about three-quarters of Singapores manufacturing output was produced by wholly- or partly- owned foreign firms (Mauzy Milne, 2002) Therefore, due to the good industrial relation with foreigners, Singapore has obtained the basis of higher production with minimum cost and higher profits. (Morris, et al, 2002) 21st century In recent years, the Trade Unions Act defines a trade union as any association or combination of workmen or employers, whether temporary or permanent. The purposes are, to promote good industrial relation between workmen and employers, to improve working conditions of both of their economic and social status, and to achieve the raising productivity and the economics of Singapore for the benefit of them. (Government of Singapore, 2012) There are still some aspects of Singapore legal culture which remain largely unchanged. For example, the traditional Confucian respect for law and authority. The legal culture helps to account for the general law-abiding character of Singapore society and the general tolerance of a strong, paternalistic government. (Chan, 1986) Hence, the Act that has established in the past will aslo slowly to change and even has improved every several years. For example, Trade Union Act, Employment Act, Industrial Relations Act, and People Action’s Party. Hence, the government has built low-cost housing units so that housing would be within the means of the poorer classes of the public. (Leong, 1990) The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has effort in three areas, such as creating better jobs and incomes for Singaporeans, achieving inclusive growth and retirement adequacy, and making workplace better and safer. (Government of Singapore, 2014) In 2006, the (TAFEP) was following the recommendation of the three committees on Employability of Older Workers. It promotes employment practices that are fair and equitable to all workers. In 2007, TAFEP opened its doors on 20 November 2007 to promote greater awareness of fair employment practices among employers and the general public. TAFEP also receives feedback from the public on their discrimination experiences and provides advice and assistance to those who have experienced discrimination at the workplace. In conclusion, all the Acts that the three committees have established have different purposes, yet have same big line which is maintain and protect the workers and citizen in Singapore. Hence, it would be very useful when people are sustained the Acts by doing the regulations. In addition, all the Acts are moving to be better in every period. References Anantaraman, V. (1990): Singapore Industrial Relations System, Singapore: Singapore Institute of Management. Beng, C.S. and Chew, R. (1995): Employment-Driven Industrial Relations Regimes, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Beng, C.S. and Chew, R. (1996): Industrial Relations in Singapore Industry, Singapore: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.. Chan, H.H.M. (1986): ‘An Introduction to the Singapore Legal System’, Malayan Law Journal, 6: 133-34. Government of Singapore. 2012. Trade Unions. [Online] Available at: http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/tradeunions/Pages/default.aspx [5 June 2014]. Government of Singapore. 2014. Committee of Supply Highlights 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.mom.gov.sg/aboutus/Pages/cos-2014.aspx [5 June 2014]. Hian, C.C. and Teck, F.C. (1985): ‘A Casebook on Industrial Relations and Employment Practices in Singapore’, Employment, 48(12): 35-6. Huat, T.C. (1995): Labour Management Relations in Singapore, Singapore: Prentice Hall. Leong, A.P.B. (1990): ‘The Development of Singapore Law Historical and Socio-legal Perspectives’. Malayan Law Journal, 5(1): 331. Mauzy, D.K. and Milne, R.S. (2002): Singapore Politics Under the Peoples Action Party, New York: Routledge. Morris, H., Willey, B. and Sachdev, S. (2002): Managing in A Business Context-An HR Approach, Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited. Tan, C.H. (2007): Employment Relations in Singapore, Singapore: Prentice Hall.

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay International business ethics is a particularly complex issue as ethical standards are different depending on where you are. Corporate governance, bribery, corruption, working conditions and targeted marketing are all issues that require organisations to establish an ethical standpoint from which they can work on. There is an increasing emphasis on the corporate responsibility of large organisations from developed nations and the way they operate in third world countries. Many nations now impose their ethical standards on developing countries even though they themselves have been guilty of arguably unethical practices in the past. For example, the poor working conditions suffered in the third world were commonplace during the industrialisation of many western economies. Some of the most common international ethical issues surround the environment, child labour, working standards and conditions, targeting marketing to vulnerable individuals and corruption. Unethical practices include not paying workers a fair wage, employing children under the legal working age and unsafe or unsanitary working conditions. Any practices that are not in compliance with fair labor standards and federal working guidelines fall into this category. 2.2Some of the Types of Unethical Practises Relating To Wages and Working Conditions 2.2.1Child labor   Even today, millions of children in developing countries such as India, Indonesia, and Pakistan are doing hard labor for miniscule payment. Nike and Reebok, as well as other major businesses, have been accused of buying goods from subcontractors which we are produced by child labor. Alongside of this, there have been strong allegations that China is using the free of price labors of prisoners to produce exportable materials. It seems that businesses are sacrificing human rights in order to cut costs. 2.2.2Exploitation of workers (by paying them low wages) Paying extremely low amounts an hour is not far from  slave labor, even if workers are happy with their pay. People should be paid a fair wage based on the benefit you gain from them, not what the fair wage is based on the standards in their economy. If people work for you at pennies on the dollar, and you reap massive profits because of that in other words, they do the work and you keep the money its simply  not fair. Why should one group do most of the work for enough money to survive, while another group becomes stinking rich? Reason behind International Businesses Acting Ethically or Unethically Advantages and disadvantages for a business to act ethically The advantages of ethical behaviour include: Higher revenues demand from positive consumer support Improved brand and business awareness and recognition Better employee motivation and recruitment New sources of finance e.g. from ethical investors The disadvantages claimed for ethical business include: Higher costs e.g. sourcing from Fair-trade suppliers rather than lowest price Higher overheads e.g. training communication of ethical policy A danger of building up false expectations 2.4Recommendations for Businesses to Act Ethically There are ways to curb unethical practices these include having pressure groups, aiming to motivate people to choose morality over greed. 2.4.1 Pressure Groups Businesses and industries increasingly find themselves facing  external pressure  to improve their ethical track record.   An interesting feature of the rise of consumer activism online has been increased scrutiny of business activities. Pressure groups are a good example of this. Pressure groups are external stakeholders they Tend to focus on activities ethical practice of multinationals or industries with ethical issues Combine direct and indirect action can damage the target business or industry Some examples of business-related pressure groups can be found from the following links: Direct consumer action  is another way in which business ethics can be challenged. Consumers may take action against: Businesses they consider to be unethical in some ways (e.g. animal furs) Business acting irresponsibly Businesses that use business practices they find unacceptable Consumer action can also be positive supporting businesses with a strong ethical stance record.   A good example of  this is Fair trade. 2.4.2 Choosing Morality versus Greed Even though $300 USD a month may not seem like much to someone living in a developed country, in Thailand, or Romania, the Philippines, or India, its above the average monthly wage. Sometimes as much as three times the average wage in that country, meaning this person is actually very well off when  compared to others in their country. That money affords the worker a quality lifestyle in their homeland. It may even provide enough money for them to support their family, which no one is going to argue, is a bad thing. Throw in a few bonuses, some extra incentives for good work, and you have a situation where you feel like you are empowering someone and saving them from a situation where they might otherwise be earning half that money doing something like washing dishes. Solution to many international ethic practices lies in the development of international agreements and code of ethics. 2.4.3 Standardized and Strict Laws against Unethical Behavior. Basic laws should be made to protect human rights. Although laws, traditions and beliefs may differ in different countries a basic set of laws should be followed in order to safeguard human rights. 3. Introdution to Apple Organization of Apple was established in 1976 as a computer company. However, in the last decade, Apple has expanded into a complex company that specializes in much more than just computers. In 2001, Apple broke the barrier with the iPod, eventually becoming the dominant market leader in music players. In following, Apple joined the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone, which has also been widely successful. Apple is known as a consumer goods company; therefore evaluating its value requires understanding its products and consumers. This would be very challenging where Apple competes with many different companies throughout the different industries it takes part in. 4. Unethical Practices by Apple. Apple outsources the production of its goods to countries where labour is cheap. One of apples biggest plants is Foxconn which is located in Schengen, China. Thats why the prices of iPhones and iPads in America and Europe are so cheap. Despite the products being cheap Apple makes super-high profits. This is only possible because iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States. And its also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only dont have iPhones and iPads (because they cant afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them. 4.1 Illegal and Poor working conditions Foxconn is a plant in Shenzhen China where apple products are made. Foxconn doesnt really check ages. There are on-site inspections, from time to time, but Foxconn always knows when theyre happening. And before the inspectors arrive, Foxconn just replaces the young-looking workers with older ones. Most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: Theres no machinery, and theres no talking allowed. When labour costs so little, theres no reason to build anything other than by hand. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when theres a hot new gadget to build. The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, Daisey counts 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized Americans would not fit in them. Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison. One group talked about using hexane, an  iPhone  screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably. Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers hands no longer work, obviously, theyre canned. One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the mans hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him.   4.2Reasons why Apple has plants in Shenzhen China According to some of the Apple executives, Shenzhens factories, as hellish as they are, have been a boon to the people of China. They say the grimness of the factories, is actually better than the grimness of the rice paddies. So, looked at that way, Apple is helping funnel money from rich American and European consumers to poor workers in China. Without Foxconn and other assembly plants, Chinese workers might still be working in rice paddies, making $50 a month instead of $250 a month   With this money, theyre doing considerably better than they once were. Especially, women had few other alternatives. If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads for Americans using American labor rules, two things would likely happen: The prices of iPhones and iPads would go up Apples profit margins would go down Almost all of the major electronics manufacturers make their stuff in China and other countries that have labour practices that would be illegal here. One difference with Apple, though, is the magnitude of the companys profit margin and profits. Apple could afford to pay its manufacturers more or hold them to higher standards and still be extremely competitive and profitable. Therefore Apple can afford to pay their workers more or even improve the working conditions. 5. Recommendations for further improvements. Apple should started unprecedented probes into its factories all around the world; these probes will put pressure on the plants that make iPhones and iPads. Apple should increase the amount it pays its employees and therefore give them a larger share of profits. They should reduce the working hours of the employees and pay overtime. They should try to follow the labour laws of their country of origin (USA) and not the lax laws of China where workers are allowed to be overworked. They could increase loans offered to these workers at lower rates, improve the working conditions of these workers by investing in their factories rather than investing so much money in marketing and advertising. They could pressure its branch, converse to improve the working conditions in their factories. 6. Conclusion A small sacrifice in terms of profits from a big company like Apple can go a long way for poor workers in underdeveloped countries. But companies like Apple face the dilemma of voluntarily dropping their profits in order to help these workers or exploiting these workers for large profits. The motivation for a company like Apple to help these workers comes from the fear of bad publicity and the reward of goodwill for being an ethical company. It is therefore important to keep close checks on unethical companies and boycott goods from companies that are unethical towards their workers. The hard truth is that several companies need to be motivated or threatened so that they do not indulge in unethical practices, therefore the responsibility of pressuring these companies falls on the consumer. By buying products from these unethical companies we are indirectly supporting them in their activities.

Existentialism :: essays research papers

Existentialism is perhaps one of the world’s oldest philosophies. It has been dated back to nineteenth-century Danish and Greek philosophers. It is a simple idea, yet it has so many different ideals within it that it is almost impossible to define. There are many parts that make up one whole, basic idea. The many parts have been defined by famous existentialist artists and writers such as, Nietzsche, Chamfort, Sartre, and Kafka. These works have all proven many points about existentialism; however, even the pros cannot decide on one basic idea. That is why there are so many different interpretations of this famous ideal. If there were a single definition it would have something to do with having your own ideas and being free to choose any path.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you were a believer in existentialistic ideals chances are you would not participate in society and/or your own life very much. Albert Camus believed that to be a true existentialist you had to remove yourself from society as much as possible since a belief in the foundation of government was to conform. Conforming to society norms is considered bad, it doesn’t allow the individual to progress and reach his own decisions Camus realized, however, that restricting himself from all social conformity was impossible. In his award-winning book, The Stranger, Camus depicts a man with very little emotion. Once in a while he shows a bit of heart, but for the most part, he is gives a robotic appearance. This character is based on existentialistic views, he tries to stay out of society as much as he can. He does the same thing from day to day. The character expresses no feeling about anything except that light is a sign of evil or annoyance, while the dark becomes a place of calm and seriousness. In society, the common idea is that light is good and evil grows in the darkest of places, but in Albert Camus’ novel, evil is good and the light is bad. They’re many other parts of existentialism. Camus influenced many of the writings on this subject although he did not stand unchallenged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many existentialists believed that man had no reason for life. In other words, there was no God and no reason to live life with rules of any kind because there is nothing in the end anyway. This thought did not gain the existentialist popularity with many religions.

Nell :: essays research papers

Nell 1) The loss of Nell's twin sister had a dramatic effect on her. Nell and May were raised in a secluded environment with no outside contact. As a result, May and Nell became very close emotionally and were an integral part in each others lives. When May died, Nell lost part of her life as well which resulted in vivid memory replay. A good example of this is when Nell was turning around in circles by herself but, in her mind, she was turning around in circles with her missing half. At the end of the movie, the evidence of the importance of May in Nell's life was still evident as Nell played will Jerry's daughter on the rocks that May and her once played on. The movie did portray what is generally believed about twins. The loss of one had a dramatic effect on the other. They had their own twin speech and their own games. At the end of 20 plus years, Nell still felt the loss of her twin sister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2) The expert psychologist in the movie believed that Nell was mentally retarded and had made a small amount of intellectual development as a result of being raised in seclusion. Fortunately, they were wrong. The speech that Nell gave in the courtroom proved that she had developed intellectually. While the language that she used was different, Nell still gave a good list of very abstract ideas that someone who is mentally retarded could not possibly comprehend. Nell understood why she was different saying that she was raised in a small world and knew small things unlike the large things found in the city of Charlotte, N.C. This proved that Nell was very capable of living by herself and taking care of herself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3) The experts, in the beginning of the movie, said that Nell was not capable of making the correct judgments to make in the world by herself. They did not believe that Nell had the wisdom to make the correct choices in life situations. It seemed evident to me that Nell already possessed more than enough wisdom to make it on her own. After all, she basically took care of her crippled mother all by herself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4) Nell is not mentally retarded. Nell was raised in seclusion with her twin sister and a crippled mother. The things that Nell learned were obtained socially from a woman that had loss the use of part of her body. The body language that Nell had learned were obviously learned from observing her mother. For an outside viewer Nell must have looked like she was mentally

Affirmative Action: Executive Order 11246

The Webster†s New World Dictionary defines affirmative action as â€Å"a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups. † President Lyndon Johnson issued executive Order 11246. This required federal contractors to take â€Å"affirmative action† to increase the number of minorities that they employed. President Johnson†s order he put in place has since been twisted and turned around to what it is today. Such twists and turns include the hiring of unqualified workers, the causing of problems for groups it originally set out to help, and the reverse discrimination that results in unfair standards into higher education and the work force. Affirmative action creates an equal opportunity for people in the work force and for students seeking higher education. However, while affirmative action creates equal opportunity to for some individuals, it discriminates against others, primarily white males. Take for example some police forces. If a member of a minority group is hired over a more qualified person and they are forced to be in a situation they cannot handle then that is a major problem of affirmative action. Therefore, affirmative action uses reverse discrimination to solve the problem of discrimination. In â€Å"Assessing Affirmative Action†, an article by Harry Holtzer and David Neumark , says that â€Å"many firms where more likely to hire women and minorities with lesser qualifications, but also to give them remedial training, thus erasing the differences†(Holtzer1). In many cases you see that affirmative action helps most minorities and women but has its obvious drawbacks. In another article by George Gurin, â€Å"Sizing Up Affirmative Action†, he say†s that â€Å"To many colleges and businesses are being almost to open on who they let in and who they don†t only because they are trying too hard†(Gurin3). In my opinion I think that affirmative action is a great thing to have in today†s society, our nations development is credited to many different cultures coming together to form one great one. We will forever have the fight of discrimination, but there is not in my opinion one-way to satisfy everyone. As mentioned earlier affirmative action does hurt some of the people it set out to help. Consider an employer who hires a member of a certain minority group on the basis of skills alone. Many of the employees may automatically assume that the individuals appointment to that job is resulted from affirmative action. Therefore, an employee who does benefit from affirmative action may bear the brand of â€Å"not being the best pick, but the best pick of a limited group(Pasour). † Another part of affirmative action that is commonly brought up is women in the government. In earlier times people wouldn†t even consider having a woman in positions where they would be making decisions for men. In this day they were almost treated like the slaves that they owned. One of the only jobs that women did was to work in factories and low income jobs. Today women hold the top positions in some jobs. Companies are hiring and promoting women the same is they do men. Is this a result of affirmative action? When women were given their rights it was. Today it is easy to see that women are just as qualified as men at what they do. The question of having a woman president is still up for grabs. I think that it will still be a long time before society feels comfortable with a woman controlling their nation. That in it†s self would be another consideration. Would other countries take us seriously and treat us with the same respect they do now. In time affirmative action may be the winner in that a woman president is closer than everyone may think. Another heated issue with affirmative action is the issue of African Americans. America has been a racist country from the start. But as time has passed and people have accepted other races as their own. This was not until recently when people thought like this. In the case of the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), a special admission program setting aside 16 places in the medical school class for disadvantaged students, chiefly racial minorities, violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and title VI of the civil rights act of 1964(Regents2). All in all today†s society is growing towards the acceptance of different races and minorities. And one stepping-stone to that acceptance is the issue of affirmative action.

Hamlet on Film: An Alternative Medium Essay

Hardliners and literary purists of Shakespeare’s works might find it hard to engage in the entertaining yet profound modern adaptation of Hamlet. Michael Almereyda’s re-interpretation of Hamlet set in modern times has met mix criticisms one of disdain and the other filled with delight. There have been many attempts to make Shakespeare’s Hamlet relevant to today’s fast-paced and commercially driven society. Still the rest falter while a rare few have managed to shine to perfection even if the snotty will most likely pick on the apparent anachronism and lack of literary value. Yet Almereyda’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to film is able to transcend the fixation for the original and provide something that young audiences and readers alike can enjoy. Shakespeare’s Hamlet has attained universal familiarity. It follows a plot that even the uninitiated can relate to. It is a story about a person who, after finding out that his mother has married another (who turns out later to be the murderer of the father) just after the wake of the of his father, suffers an episode of mad rampage and revenge. The madness that Hamlet suffers is a tale that is almost impossible to portray without the aid of poetic words and lyrics. This is probably why any attempt at projecting the complicated character and his vices in the big screen would most likely fail. His madness is simply beyond the reach of any cinematic magic. What is required is a clever play of words and the appropriate use of imagery and not a series of images that fails to deliver what is hidden and subtle. Notwithstanding this major obstacle, Almereyda’s manner of telling the story in the same archaic English language but with liberal changes in setting, actors and overall plot has overcome the hurdle of making Shakespearean plays relevant. The fact that the plot was revamped to include radical technological advancements such as the advent of wireless telecommunications and the dominant presence of corporations is something that borders on incredible insensitivity to the original Hamlet to pure genius. At first glance, it is difficult to connect the past with the future. Other adaptations strive to stay true to the script as well as the contextual background in translating the words of Shakespeare to moving images. However, Almereyda’s version, if it can be called as such, revolutionizes the way Shakespeare and his works are interpreted on the silver screen. For instance, kings were replaced by corporate big-heads and CEO’s and Hamlet—a medieval figure has been transformed to a person who embodies with utmost accuracy late-teenage angst with certain qualities that not only keeps in line with how Hamlet was then but also takes on other unique attributes such being pensive and reserved. Ambitious as it is difficult, the modern version of Hamlet is in many ways a success than a failure. Ethan Hawke’s portrayal of Hamlet maybe a little too wide of the mark in certain scenes where it is obvious that the recitation of Shakespeare’s famous lines appear forced and contrived. But where it matters the most, especially the famous Hamlet soliloquy where he ponders on the several layers of life and living comes out as both contemporary and faithful to the original. For instance, the scene in the video store is telling of how much the film has integrated old English to modern life. Ethan Hawke, who plays Hamlet, utters the famous monologue with consistency and resolve. At first, the words come out too slow and too artificial as if Shakespeare’s words suddenly turned violent and meaningless with Ethan Hawke’s voice. But after several moments of dramatic pauses and carefully timed emphasis on certain words, the teenage-angst driven speech becomes a beautiful and deliberate as if the character is both alike and different to Hamlet. Perhaps this is because the lines are inherently profound and no matter who says it and in whatever manner the lines will never be less good than it is. Yet it is clear, that the portrayal is more than sufficient to pass the standards that Shakespeare, if alive today, would likely approve. In other words, the scene where Ethan Hawke performs the famous lines is a gamble by the director, which gamble has paid off. For one, despite the initial problems with connecting the old times with the new inasmuch as the film is merely a rehash of an old play, the monologue has turned from ancient to modern. Thanks to the controlled way in which Ethan Hawke has delivered the lines, it becomes easy for the modern audience to appreciate the lines as if they were reading the original. Another notable feature of the scene is the fact that it is set in video rental store. This is significant because it is generally assumed that when Hamlet said these words he was alone and in a dark place. In the scene however, the place was well lighted and the actor although technically alone was surrounded by shelves of consumer-friendly products i. e. movies and blockbusters, which if interpreted in the modern sense would probably paint a picture of a world overwhelmed by the omnipresence of consumers and products. In other words, the scene was shown in a way that touches base with the reality of the corporate world as juxtaposed to the dark and brooding environment when Hamlet felt the need to question life and his desire to live. The changes in some of the lines are also a contentious issue when watching the film after having read the original. While it is admirable that the screenwriter has decided to edit a few words out in order to make some of the lines easy to the ears of the moviegoer, the fact that some of the words were taken out and replaced with a â€Å"re-interpretation† if not an abbreviation of complex thoughts puts a huge crevice from the original work from the adaptation. One such instance is the scene where Hamlet slowly dies as he utters his final words. The original version has a measured cadence to the words but the film turns this rhythm into short phrases that notwithstanding the close similarity to the original fails to capture the original scene when Hamlet dies. These departures from the original are probably a necessary evil in order to produce and make a film of such scale and ambition. It would not be surprising that to transform a Shakespearean ballad into a modern version would require some tweaking in order to present the story to the audience that does not only overwhelm them with details and the subtlety of the original but manages to thresh out the beauty of the play without being too cerebral. In the same vein, the film is successful as a modern adaptation of Hamlet precisely because the world wherein the story is set is almost similar. While the Prince of Denmark had his grand stature and his privileged position as a respected intellectual in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, so did the Hamlet in Almereyda’s film. The rest of the characters also jive with, or at least stay parallel to, the original. They appear and play the roles in the film almost exactly as how one would imagine the characters while reading the play. Indeed, the visual advantages of film are play a major role in making the film a success as compared to the flat and limited stage acting. It is a fact that the plays of Shakespeare were performed on stage with real actors very much like films of today are dominated by actors and actresses. However, it is entirely different when the medium involves the big screen, closed-up images, camera angles and the freedom to shoot scenes in whatever form and location. The limitations of staging Hamlet on a closed-in theatrical platform are overcome by the power of the film to zoom in and out of key locations. In addition, not only are the locations more versatile and limitless, comparatively, but the facial expressions and the movements of the actors and actresses become magnified for the audience to hear and see with incomparable precision and detail. Ultimately, these main visual and auditory advantage help make the modern adaptation a faithful re-production of Hamlet and an exquisitely wrought and clever modern portrayal of timeless and iconic characters playing out a famous story of revenge, betrayal and redemption. Works Cited Hamlet. Dir. Michael Almereyda. Perf. Ethan Hawke, Julia Stiles, Bill Murray, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Venora, and Sam Shepard. Miramax, 2000. Film.

Identifying Individual Preferences in the Airline Industry

Transportation services are becoming more common and broadly used in recent decade, in line with the advancement of technology. Generally, transportation services can be divided into three groups: water transportation, land transportation and air transportation (Gee, Choy, & Makens, 1984). Airline industry, which this essay focusing on, is one of the discoveries of newest innovations in the travel services sector. It has been developed so much in recent year to operate more effectively. Not only guarantee a safe journey to the destination place, the airline companies are now trying to create a competition in the market by providing the best services to the travellers and offering competitive prices (Hensher & Louviere, 1983). Those strategies are aimed to attract more consumers to travel by their airline companies. This essay will discuss the theories of consumer economics and their applications in the real consumer issues in airline industry, mainly on the factors that changing the consumer demand of airplane ticket, as well as the underlying reasons of why consumers prefer some particular airlines to the others. Furthermore, the behaviour of different types of consumers toward the choice of different airlines will also be discussed here. In observing those issues, this paper will focus on two airline companies: Singapore Airlines and Jetstar. The price data were obtained from a single route from Melbourne to Singapore. The core idea in analysing consumer behaviour in making choices in the economic activity, mainly in the airline industry, is because of their limited incomes and unlimited wants. Those then lead to trade-offs and opportunity costs. Consumers in the airline industry could be divided into two groups, which are business and pleasure travellers. Elasticity is the percentage change in one variable resulting from a 1-percent increase in another (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009). When the price elasticity is greater than 1 in magnitude, we say that demand is price elastic because the percentage decline in quantity demanded is greater than the percentage increase in price. If the price is less than 1 in magnitude, the demand is said to be price inelastic. Graph 1. Elastic and inelastic demand (Inelastic demand) (Elastic demand) In this case, elastic demand of airline industry is exceptionally unstable because it depends on the market conditions such as inflation, terrorists attack and price oil. In airline industry, price elasticity demand is considered both elastic and inelastic (Yahoo Voices, 2008). An elastic demand is in relation travel for pleasure. Pleasure travellers are extremely sensitive to the price of the travel. An inelastic demand is in relation for business travel. Business travels have little effect for increase in price of the travel. Income elasticity of demand measures the degree of responsiveness of demand of a good to a change in consumers’ income. It has equation of : EI=[ΔQ/Q]/[ ΔI/I]=[I/Q]*[ ΔQ/ ΔI]. Airplane ticket is normal good as it has a positive income elasticity, which means when consumers’ income increase the consumption of ticket will increase as well. Cross elasticity of demand measures the degree of responsiveness of demand of one good to a change in the price of another good. It is shown in the equation: EQ1P2 = [ΔQ1/Q1] / [ΔP2/P2] = [P2/Q2]*[ΔQ1/ ΔP2]. If airplane ticket and other consumption (i.e. food and cloths) are considered as a group, there will be a positive cross-price elasticity, which tells us that if the price of one good (other consumption or ticket) goes up, the demand for the other good goes up as well. Consumer behaviour analysis attempts to understand the consumers’ allocation of incomes among different goods and services to maximize their well-being. It consist of three distinct aspects: consumer preferences, describing the reasons why people might prefer one good to another; budget constraints, reflecting consumers’ limited incomes that restrict the quantities of goods they can buy; and consumer choices, which are the combination of the consumer preferences and budgets constraints (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009). There are some basic assumptions made in observing consumer preferences in the airline industry. First, preferences are assumed to be complete. Complete means that consumers are able to compare and rank all possible market baskets. However, this assumption ignores costs. Second, preferences are transitive or consistent. And third, â€Å"more is better than less† since goods are assumed to be desirable. Indifference curve represents all combinations of market baskets which provide consumer with same level of satisfaction (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009). Indifference curve and utility functions (set of indifference curves) are used to analyse the consumer behaviour and preferences in choosing market baskets, in which relate to consumer demand (Gould, 1973). Higher indifference curve is more preferable to the lower one because it represents higher welfare (Telhado, 2007). Moreover, indifference curves cannot intersect and the slope of each point in the indifference curve represents marginal rate of substitution (MRS), which is the maximum amount of a good that consumer is willing to give up to obtain one additional unit of another good. Indifference curves of consumers in the airline industry are assumed to be downward sloping and bowed-inward, reflecting diminishing MRS, since the demand of airplane tickets and comparable goods are both desirable. The shape of the indifference curves is different among group of consumers. Indifference curves of the first group of consumer, business travellers, are steeper than pleasure travellers. Graph 1 below shows that the business travellers’ group is willing to trade more of other consumption (a) to exchange it with an airplane ticket (b), since they need to directly travel to other place establishing business transactions. Graph 2. Indifference map for business travellers While in the graph 2, pleasure travellers is unwillingly trade more of the other consumptions in order to purchase a unit of airplane ticket (a < b). It is because they travel to seek pleasure, not urgently need to be done directly. Thus, they are more flexible in the decision making process of which airline company they want to travel with and the time of travel. Graph 3. Indifference map for pleasure travellers Along with indifference curve, there is budget constraints which restraint consumer’s consumptions due to limited incomes (Mary, 2007). Assume that the budget lines for business and pleasure travellers are equal which can be seen from graph 3 and 4 below; the steeper indifference curves for business travellers show their optimal choices between purchasing airplane tickets and other goods. Business travellers seem to purchase more airplane tickets rather than other consumptions because they want to give up more of other consumptions to obtain an additional airplane ticket. Graph 4. Indifference map and budget constraints for business travellers In contrast, for pleasure travellers, the flatter indifference curves will lead them to purchase other consumptions rather than allocating a large portion of income in purchasing airplane tickets. The tangent between indifference curve and budget constraint will be the point of maximum well-being which can be achieved. Area below the optimal point shows that the consumers are not maximising their consumption. Whilst the area above that point means the consumers do not have enough income (budget) to achieve that consumption level. Graph 5. Indifference curve for pleasure travellers In general, when there is a change in consumer’s income, there will be a parallel shift in the budget line, either downward or upward. As shown in graph below, initially, the utility-maximizing consumption choice is at A, at which point he buys X1 units of airplane ticket and Y1 units of other kinds of good. If his income increases, his budget line will shift outward, allowing him to attain the higher utility level associated with indifference curve U2 and then U3. His optimal consumption choice is at B (and then D) now. At this time, the consumer can purchase larger units of tickets (from X1 to X2 to X3). It can be seen in the income-consumption curve that the slope is upward, because as income increase, the consumption of both airplane ticket and other consumption increase. Graph 6. The effect of a change in income level On the other hand, when there is a change in product’s price and income level held constant, there will be an intercept rotation on the budget line. Recent condition in the airline industry is many companies try to attract more consumers to purchase the airline tickets from them by cutting the airfares. This strategy increases the competition level among the airline industry. The reduction in price of the air fares will result in outward rotation in the budget line on the ‘x’ axis, which represents airplane ticket. People can now purchase more airplane tickets due to lower price, representing the increase in consumers’ welfare or utility level. It is associated by the movement of indifference curve from U1 to U3 by selecting point D. At this time, consumption of ticket will increase from X1 to X3. Moreover, the slope of the second budget constraint is now decreasing, represents lower opportunity cost of obtaining a unit of airplane ticket. Graph 7. The effect of the decrease in price level In most cases, consumers would like to buy more airplane tickets as their income increases, but in some cases, the quantity demanded falls as income increases, the income elasticity of demand is negative. As shown in graph below, for relatively low levels of income (between point A and B), both Singapore Airlines and Jetstar flights are normal goods. However, as income rises, some consumers tend to buy less Jetstar tickets and more Singapore Airlines tickets as Singapore airlines has better service, food supply and in-flight entertainment system. At this time Jetstar has become an inferior good, the income-consumption curve bends backward from point B to C, which means its consumption has fallen when income has increased. Graph 8. Jetstar becomes an inferior good as income increases Even though Jetstar has been said as inferior good in some cases, in general, airline ticket is assumed as normal good. Refer to that, a decrease in the price of airline tickets due to the market competition has both income and substitution effect. As shown in the graph below, the consumer is initially at A, on budget line RS. When the price of ticket falls, consumption increases by A1A2 as the consumer move to B. Keeping real income constant, the substitution effect A1E can be got when the price of ticket falls, associated with a move from A to D. If keeping relative price constant but increasing purchasing power, the income effect EA2 can be got, associated with a move from D to B. As airplane ticket is normal good, the income effect EA2 is positive. Therefore, the total effect of a change in ticket price is equal to the sum of the substitution effect and income effect. Graph 9. Total effect of a change in price After discussing the demand curve for individual consumer, market demand curve for airplane ticket will be shown now. It can be derived as the sum of the individual demand curve of all consumers in the market, as stated previously. As shown in graph below, the market demand curve is also slope downward as all the individual demand curves slope downward. However, the market demand curve is not a straight line. When more people choose to travel by airplane, the market demand curve will shift to the right. In addition, if most consumers in the market earn more income, as a result, their increasing demand for airplane ticket will also shift the market curve to the right. If the economic crisis breaks out as what happened several years ago, many people lose their job and the income decreased. Thus, the market demand curve for airplane ticket will shift to the left. Graph 10. The market demand curve for airplane ticket From the actual rates, Singapore Airlines has the higher average price than Jetstar. In the same time, there is a survey about the level of satisfactions of international airlines shown by the graph below. From the graph, it illustrates that Singapore Airlines has the highest satisfaction level figure. From the risk and uncertainty point of view, Singapore Airlines provides superior service and it maintains an eye on rivals’ prices and ensures it stays competitive among other airline companies. The airline cancellations and delays usually provided with explanations and apologies. This airline is also providing advantage on frequent flyer consumers such as â€Å"priority passengers’ service†. This service is suitable for business travellers as it will give them advantage in booking urgently needed flights for important meetings. This airline is also suitable for those high-income pleasure travellers as it offers great entertainment and amusement, such as popular movies with multiple language options, games and dozens of audio channels. In addition, Singapore Airlines catering supply is trying to provide varieties of meals menu which match the likely passengers’ needs. For example, there will be Indian and western food provided for subcontinent flights. Moreover, Singapore Airlines has a modern fleet and the aircrafts have been maintained with the highest standards. Thus, the cost of flights is higher which result in the higher airfares, however, safely of this airline is guaranteed. Comparing to Singapore Airlines, Jetstar offers lower price to the consumers. Their food, beverages and entertainment standard are much lower than Singapore Airlines’. Jetstar is known for having many complaints from its passengers in term of its services, such as frequent delays and cancellations of flight. Those seem to be serious problems for business travellers, as time efficiency is the main factor. However, Jetstar’s network is constantly expanding by opening flights to some new locations in Asia. Thus, Jetstar is more suitable for pleasure travellers which have shorter travel distance and not much concern about the services provided on board. As the theory of equal marginal principle states that â€Å"the utility is maximized when the consumer has equalized the marginal utility per dollar of expenditure across all goods† (Gordon, 2007), the business travellers who are not price prioritize will choose to travel with Singapore Airlines since they prefer in optimal satisfaction. However, for the pleasure travellers that prioritize the price factor will choose to travel with Jetstar which provide low price for consumers rather than best satisfaction. Graph 11. Satisfactions with International Airlines 2009-2010 Even with a high level of satisfaction, Singapore Airline has experienced a decline in market share over the last five years, as shown in Graph 13. Low-cost airlines such as Jetstar have contributed to the lack of growth for more premium airlines. Additionally, Peter von Moltke stated that â€Å"the low cost sector is a major influence in sustaining a steady growth trajectory for the global aviation industry.† (PR Newswire, 2011). Graph 12. Market share of Top 10 Airlines in Australia (Department of Infrastructure and Transport, 2012) So far, it has assumed that people’s demands for airplane ticket are individualized. That enables us to obtain the market demand curve simply by summing individuals’ demands (Kris, 2007). In real-life, however, one person’s demand always depends on other people’s demand. That is a network externality, which can be positive or negative. It is a good chance for airline companies to attract more passengers by using bandwagon effect of a positive externality. As shown in the graph below, when consumers believe more people have purchased the product, the demand curve shifts further to the right (D1 to D5). The market demand curve is found by joining the points on the individual demand curves, which can be seen that it is relatively more elastic. Suppose the ticket price falls from P1 to P2. Without bandwagon effect, the quantity demanded will increase from Q2 to Q2’. However, as more passengers choose to fly with Jetstar or Singapore Airlines and think it is worth to be the first-flying choice as it is trustworthy, the bandwagon effect increases quantity demanded further to D4. Therefore, airline companies use bandwagon effect to increase the response of demand in relevance with price change. To obtain this effect, the airline companies could target its potential segment and use advertisement to build up their brand image and reputation among the market. For example, Singapore Airlines could use ‘comfortable, quick and always on-time’ image to attract its business travellers. And for Jetstar, the image of cheap and flexible could help the company to obtain its bandwagon effect in pleasure travellers’ market. Graph 13. Bandwagon effect To conclude, the consumers’ demand of airplane ticket is affected by their income, ticket price, and the demand elasticity. Business travellers prefer to travel with Singapore Airlines, even with a higher airfare. They concern more on punctuality and the service provided and their price elasticity of demand is low. In contrast, pleasure travellers are less concerned with the quality of service provided, focusing on reaching their destination with the lowest cost. Their price elasticity of demand is high, thus, Jetstar is preferred in this case. In the intense market competition, Singapore airlines and Jetstar could use the bandwagon effect to attract more passengers by building up their own brand image.

Mission Command Essay

It is the Army’s primary mission to organize, train, and equip forces to conduct prompt and sustained land combat operations (ADRP 6-0, 1-1). To accomplish its mission, the Army utilizes its concept of unified land operations. Unified Land Operations, applicable to all Army operations is the seizing, retaining, and exploiting the initiative to gain and maintain a position of relative advantage. Such advantage provides a structure to prevent or deter conflict, prevail in war, and create the conditions for a favorable conflict resolution (ADP 3-0, p. 9). Critical thinking becomes a vital role when decisive actions need to be executed where it is guided by mission command. Mission Command is the structure that enables commanders to exercise authority and direction. This structure is built on the commander’s intent, mission type orders and decentralized/centralized execution. Agile and adaptive leaders understanding the commander’s intent and context of the mission executed their objective. Commanders and Leaders at all levels apply critical and creative thinking to their understanding and decision making. The development of critical thinking skills has been imperative and a success for the Unites States Army. As the military entered into a new era of war fighting, critical thinking has become essential to help Army forces function effectively and accomplish missions within a mission command structure. Commanders and Leaders at all levels have adopted different decision-making practices. This research paper will present the role of critical thinking and how it facilitates understanding and support the different decision-making approaches in a mission command structure. Critical thinking and creative thinking is applied when commanders and leaders need to understand the mission and are drawn to make effective  decisions. â€Å"Critical thinking examines a problem in depth from multiple points of view (ADRP 6-0, 2-7).† Here, critical thinkers need to determine if there sufficient justification to accept the conclusion as true based on a given inference or argument. Critical thinkers need to be well informed in order to make judgments and decisions. â€Å"Critical thinkers are purposeful and reflective thinkers who apply judgment about what to believe or what to do in response to known facts, observations, experience, oral or written information sources, or arguments (ADRP 6-0, 2-7).† As mentioned creative thinking is also a key to the understanding and for an effective decision-making approach for commanders and leaders. â€Å"Creative thinking involves thinking in new, innovative ways while capitalizing on imagination, insight and n ovel ideas.† Whether we are faced with similar problems we encountered in the past, or faced with new ones; new and creative solutions can be applied. If we utilize the same solutions, an enemy will acknowledge, adapt and overcome the unchallenged solution. Creative thinking will lead to new insights, novel approaches, fresh perspectives, and new ways of understanding and conceiving things. Implementing critical thinking and creative thinking, commanders and leaders are able to better understand and support their decision-making approach. These Decisions are how commanders and leaders put their outcome into action. In order to reach a decision, the proper decision-making approach must be applied for the situation. Commanders or leaders will apply a systematic analytic decision-making or an intuitive decision-making approach. Different situations will dictate what approach will be suitable. Analytic Decisionmaking Analytic decisionmaking allows commanders and leaders to gather information from various sources that are provided to them as well as their own experiences if necessary. Once information has been obtained, several alternative solutions are then generated. These solutions, referred as options, will then be compared and evaluated until the best course of action has been decided. â€Å"It aims to produce the optimal solution by comparing options (ADRP 6-0, 2-8).† According to mission command, analytic decisionmaking is: Methodical and allows the breakdown of tasks into recognizable elements. Ensures commanders and leaders consider, analyze, and  evaluate relevant factors, employing techniques such as war-gaming. Provides a systematic approach when the decision involves processing large amounts of information. Helps resolve conflicts among courses of action. Gives inexperienced personnel a logically structured approach. Depending on the situation commanders and leaders are faced with, analytic decisionmaking can be applied. But, because there are often large amounts of information gathered that needs to be clearly evaluated before a decision can be made, it is time consuming. If the conditions of the mission change, such information will require a complete reevaluation, which can delay decisions. Where there are rapidly changing situations that require quick effective decisions, analytic decisionmaking will not apply. (ADRP 6-0, 2-9). Intuitive Decisionmaking Decisions made by using intuitive decisionmaking are determined based on knowledge, judgment, experience, education, intelligence, boldness, perception, and character. (ADRP 6-0, 2-47) Because it is based on these elements, unlike analytical decisionmaking, intuitive is a more rapid approach to making a quicker decision. Intuitive decisionmaking is often done at the lowest levels of command. According to mission command this approach: Focuses on assessment of the situation more than on comparing multiple options. Is effective when time is short. Relies on a commander’s experience and ability to recognize the key elements and implications of a particular problem or situation. Tends to focus on the larger picture more than the individual components. When there are rapid changing situations and decisions need to be made right away, commanders and leaders will apply intuitive decisionmaking approach. Commanders and leaders mix theses two approaches â€Å"to help them remain objective and make timely and effective decisions† (ADRP 6-0, 2-49). In a mission command structure, commanders and leaders avoid making decisions solely by intuition; they incorporate some analysis into their decisions. Decisions should not be rushed or over-thought. A wrong decision can be fatal if critical thinking and creative thinking skills are not used when  commanders and leaders need to make a decision thru an analytical or intuitive approach. In a mission command structure, commanders and leaders decisions are based on the mixture of analytic and intuitive decisionmaking. To facilitate in the decisionmaking, commanders and leaders need to apply his/her critical and creative thinking skills. These skills are imperative to help make well round decisions for any type of mission. If wrong decisions are formulated it can be fatal, becoming an advantage to the enemy. These decisions not only affect the outcome, but it affects the service members who carry out the mission. Our service members’ decisions on the field are influenced by the decisions made by the commanders and leaders. The development of these skills is instrumental for commanders and leaders at all levels. The development of critical thinking skills has become a paramount to the military. One of the key characteristics in the job description of a military leader is, decision-making. But with no such skills, full effective decisions will not exist. Critical thinking as well as creative thinking is imperative to the success of the United States Army and it has been incorporated into the Professional Military Education for leaders at all levels. â€Å"Critical thinking means the ability to construct and defend as argument using reason, applying intellectual standards and epistemic responsibility, and recognizing and countering logical fallacies as we see them in others and ourselves (Colonel Thomas M. Williams).† References Benson, Colonel Bill. (2012). The Evolution of Army Doctrine for Success in the 21st Century. Military Review: March/April2012. Vol 92 Issue 2, p2. Retrieved From http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_201206 30MC_art010.pdf Conley, Kathleen. (2013). Operationalizing Mission Command. Leveraging Theory to Achieve Capability. JFQ: Joint Force Quarterly 2013 1st Quarter. Issue 68, p32. Retrieved from http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/pdf/jfq-68/JFQ-68_32- 35_Conley.pdf Department of the Army Headquarters. (2011). Unified Land Operations. Army Doctrine Publication 3-0. Retrieved from http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/adp3_0.pdf Department of the Army Headquarters. (2012). Mission Command. Army Doctrine Release Publication 6-0. Retrieved from https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/index.html Sharpe Jr., James D.; Creviston, Thomas E. (2013). Understanding Mission Command. Army Sustainment; July-September 2013. Vol. 45 Issue 4, p10. Retrieved from http://www.army.mil/article/106872 William, Colonel Thomas M. U.S. Army Reserve. (2013). Education for Critical Thinking. Military Review. Retrieved from http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20130228_art011.pdf Appendix Annotated Bibliography Benson, Colonel Bill. (2012). The Evolution of Army Doctrine for Success in the 21st Century. Military Review; March/April2012, Vol.92 Issue 2, p2. Retrieved From http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_201206 30MC_art010.pdf This article discusses the U.S. Army doctrine from the early 21st century. It provides the history and the evolution of the Army doctrine. It describes the publication â€Å"AirLand Battle† that was published in 1982, the transition of the doctrine in the 1990’s, through the publication of â€Å"Unified Land Operations† in 2011. It describes unified land operations the â€Å"seizing, retaining, and exploiting the initiative to gain and maintain a position of advantage provides a battlefield framework and logic that nests unified land operations within the joint operational construct of unified action and provides a structure that allows commanders to effectively and accurately describe their intent in time, space, purpose, and priority, which are guided by Mission Command. Conley, Kathleen. (2013). Operationalizing Mission Command. Leveraging Theory to Achieve Capability. JFQ: Joint Force Quarterly; 2013 1st Quarter, Issue 68, p32. Retrieved from http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/pdf/jfq-68/JFQ-68_32- 35_Conley.pdf This article is the result of the Mission Command White Paper published by General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. It illustrates communication at all levels within military groups for better understanding and effective completion of missions. Mission Command will take on a more dynamic approach, developing ever greater adaptability, critical thinking and independent rapid decision-making. The principles of Mission Command are being currently being utilized in combat and other activities by many leaders and organizations. HeadQuarters, Department of the Army. (2011). Unified Land Operations. Army Doctrine Publication 3-0. Retrieved from http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/adp3_0.pdf This is an Army Doctrine Publication the presents the Army on guidance and direction for conducting operations on land, and provides the foundation for developing other principles, tactics, and techniques. The introduction included is a brief description of what the Army calls Unified Land Operations; applicable to all Army operations is the seizing, retaining, and exploiting the initiative to gain and maintain a position of relative advantage. Such advantage provides a structure to prevent or deter conflict, prevail in war, and create the conditions for a favorable conflict resolution (ADP 3-0, p. 9). In order to create favorable conflict resolution there needs to be a decision making and understanding of the mission. With Unified Land Operations, critical thinking becomes a vital role when decisive actions need to be executed where it is guided by mission command. HeadQuarters, Department of the Army. (2012). Mission Command. Army Doctrine Release Publication 6-0. Retrieved from https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/index.html This is an Army Doctrine publication that establishes guidance on command, control, and the mission command war- fighting function. This army doctrine guides the Army forces to function effectively and accomplish missions. Mission Command is broken down into three categories. For this research paper, the focus will be on the understanding and decision-making for commanders and staff through critical thinking. The development of critical thinking skills has been imperative and a success for the Unites States Army. As the military entered into a new era of war fighting, critical thinking has become essential to help Army forces function effectively and accomplish missions within a mission command structure. Commanders and Leaders at all levels have adopted different decision-making practices. Sharpe Jr., James D.; Creviston, Thomas E. (2013). Understanding Mission Command. Army Sustainment; July-September 2013, Vol. 45 Issue 4, p10. Retrieved from http://www.army.mil/article/106872 This article focuses on the background of mission command of the U.S. Army. It states the mission command is a warfighting function and the philosophy of the Army’s command described within the revision of Army Doctrine Publication 6-0, Mission Command. It discusses mission command history; trust in the doctrine of mission command, and decentralized execution.