IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (CPM, ASPA, Research Paper

IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (CPM, ASPA, TCMA, IG, ETC.) - Research Paper Example Increasing productivity does not merely mean to give the output or product in the industry in a very minute time rather it is the collection of number of quantitative and qualitative determinants which ensure the productivity. The first determinant to measure the productivity is the quality of the product that is produced by the work force. If the requirements of the customers are being met in the optimal way and the satisfaction graph of the client is increasing then definitely the work force, machinery and managerial group of that organization will be called as productive (Bradford, 1997). Increasing productivity through professional organization has been an emerging phenomenon of the present time as every organization cannot sort out the way to ensure the increase of productivity within or outside the premises of the work place. There are certain factors which have to be analyzed prior to the start of the process of increasing and augmenting productivity. The Professional associat ions make sure that the productivity factors are increased according to the demand and needs of the customers and the peculiar requirement analysis is done in order to fulfill the requirements of the organization and individuals (Alchian & Demsetz, 1972). The productivity factor largely depends upon the input given at the start. The input can be in the form of hired workforce, raw materials and hardware. The professional associations make sure that the productivity is increase by taking the perspective of the ratio and proportion of the input and output terms so that the efficiency also remain the focus of the organization. For example if the firm will produce the output of a very good quality within very less time then no doubt the productivity will said to be greater in the acute terms but the fact of the matter is that the efficiency is lessened because there is not inculcation of the cost effectiveness of the company and the company will shut down within a very less time frame. The productivity has to incur the production cost and the budgeting factors of the locality. The professional associations take all the stakeholders on board in order to make sure that no party is outside the hierarchical structure so that the productivity can be increase in a very effective and nominal way. There is a diverse choice of productivity increasing options in the modern world because the professional organizations are being deployed by almost every organization of good repute. One of the most acclaimed and renowned professional associations that are known for their great performance in helping to increase productivity of organizations and individuals are American society of administrative professionals (ASAP). This association helps the individuals and organization to work on different aspect of the professional and social life to increase and improve the productivity. As far as the professional services are concerned they conduct different training programs, webinars, w orkshops and seminars in order to educate people about nurturing their skills and building interpersonal relationships so that the

Study on Is Accounting Profession under Threat

Study on Is Accounting Profession under Threat Recent events in global financial world that is dissolution of companies due to continuous losses has made people to question the efficiency and honesty of the professional accountants in discharging their duties for the interest of public and society. These events have forced global financial scholars and experts to think about the future scope of this profession. this article mainly focus on challenges to accounting profession in the context of strategic management accounting in connections with business firms expectations and the expectations of stakeholders and communities which ensure that the accountants will function for the benefits of society and public. The expectations of employers of accounting graduates is higher when we compare with the present academic system which indicates that the present academic courses should be upgraded as the business firms are expecting only real professionals who can be able to work any type of business environment and they should be flexible to the future changes in business environment. Their ultimate responsibility is to make the business firm trust worthy in the eyes of customers and other stakeholders and society. Today the demand from business firms for accounting professional with sophisticated modern accounting skills is caused revolutionary changes in the accounting and financial management gra duation courses importance of discipline knowledge. The internal and global challenges on the professions related to financial management may be involve win the confidence of public and stakeholders of the business and operating markets, improving the performance of professional accountants and auditors, understanding the increased role of external auditors, preventing the corruption the system of public audit, and making the financial statements and reports trust worthy in the eyes of concerned parties. Todays business environment is very sensitive to the changes in its components such as technology or markets the accounting professionals to work hard with efficiency and honesty to meet these challenges effectively. Introduction In todays business environment are professional accountants directly responsible to their customers, companies and to the society and also they should know possible legal obligations to the stakeholders. Accounting profession is not only limited to preparing accounting statements but also involves in wide variety of functions which provides inputs to the managerial decision making. If an accounting professional is not able to perform his duty and responsibilities in satisfied level according to the universal standards it is the major liability in the hands of an accountant. Compared to other type of professions this profession has its own code of ethics hence it is dignified and respective profession which provides practical inputs for the effective decision making. Advanced Strategic Management Accounting During the past two decades, many organizations in business and finance sectors have to face changes in their business environment. Economic reform polices by the developing countries, policies, competition from multinational companies in local markets has resulted in a typical situation, where most companies are now competing in a highly competitive global market. In addition there has been a significant reduction in product life cycle arising from rapid changes in technological innovations and the need to meet sophisticated customer demands. To compete successfully in global environment, companies have to work towards to satisfy made customer demands. They have forced to adopt new Management strategies, changed their business systems and invested in new technologies. The increasing competition has affected their profits and more attention is required to be paid to the various aspects of Management accounting aspects. These changes have had a significant influence on strategic Manag ement accounting systems. Role of professional accountant has no longer remained that of an accountant, but he has assumed a significant role in improving the competitiveness of firms. 5Strategic Management Accounting is the branch of management accounting which mainly focus the uncontrollable factors which a business firm should more concentrate, and these factors may be financially or non financially but related to the financial and business decisions of the firm. According to the Ken Simmonds, the formulation of business strategy of the firm mainly depends on the financial information of the firm and the competing firms. This information may involve details of Production costs, product price, production volume, Market size, availability of cash resources and other resources such as raw materials which should be emphasized. But Professor Bromwichn compared the past practices in management accounting which have modified with new directions including the active role of professional accountants in business decision makings. These directions may be towards the inclusive of financial information into strategy for cost analysis that is the basic for all future business decisions. Other directions towards having updated information bank related to the strategies of competitors especially their costing methods, cost structures and costing decisions. The limitation of traditional management accounting in the areas analysis of cost and cost related activities is significant which gives birth to the development of modern strategic management accounting system. Traditional management accounting system has no particular techniques to ascertain the costing methods and situation of competitors but decisions are based on only the information from financial statements. Modern strategic management accounting has its own techniques to ascertain cost position. It also helps business firms to how to achieve cost advantages current as well as future years. In this context the role of Accounting professional is very important for the survival of business firm compared to every angle of the present business environment. Accounting profession In the context of professional accounting, the power and responsibility of an accountant can be justified when financial statements provides expected information according to the objectives functions especially protection of public and social interest. Under flexible business environment Accountants are vested with enough power in order to perform their functions without any interruption for the healthy future of business firm.. According to the scholars the up gradation of accounting skill is a specific task as the accounting profession also one of the component of employment structure which is influenced by policies of government and economic policies. . There is a argument the accounting skills and knowledge should be revised and updated time to time because these skills and knowledge should be according to the changing expectations of the society and the stakeholders of the business firm. But as a professional an accountant should utilize these skills and knowledge in optimum level for the interest of the employer as well as interested parties. . The accounting profession has gained enough importance especially it is the sole body which has the ultimate authority on the financial related issues and matters. The one of the primary objectives is to work for the benefit of social interests that has analyzed for making the accounting progression as an appropriate occupation in modern employment world. And According to some experts.. Accountants with traditional views are no longer sustaining in the present environment. According to the research the Todays accounting and auditing methods are in modified forms compared to traditional m ethods of accounting. Changing role of Accountant Todays accountants should mostly focus on knowledge, skills and ability to manage these as a particular service. This requirement in business environment has created business and ethical issues for the accountants/ auditors and their customers. This includes problem-solving and customer advice features of the skilled professional. Changes also include the over emphasis on specific training for developing practical skills as part preparing of new graduates to the practical business world. The introduction of these practical training in academic degrees involves uncertainty and time frame because the academic institutions should ready for accepting the current changes. Companys especially multinational companies mainly concentrate on these practical skills but facing problems of assessment for right candidates with practical knowledge. Challenges to Accounting Profession Due to the influence of globalization changes in financial strategies have been affecting almost every business and services around the world. Especially Accounting and finance sector is directly affected, financial experts world wide are working for the improvements of the accounting system. Several seminars are going on in this regard; financial professionals, scholars have to share their ideas and views on the present challenges in finance and accounting today, and acquire sophisticated skills in order to face globalization effect. Today global recession and financial conflicts has developed new trend of threats and challenges. According to the experts of International Accounting Standards Board, the global financial conflict is the main which emphasized transference in financial reporting and flexible accounting standard with definite principle to face the new trend in future. The context and dynamics of modern strategic management accounting the changes in the accounting skills have forced to adopt by professional accountants who are cautious to provide value added service for their customers. Globalization process has made the business activities to cross the boundaries of nations. The global financial and business environment has put pressure on professional accountants and auditors as they are the important information providers for the business success. Every company seeks opportunities in global market for the expansion of the business. But uncertainty in market conditions and rapid innovations in technology have made themselves to face any type of business situation for the interest of all their stakeholders where their business strategies, their market share and capital adjustments also subject to changes along with the marginal profit. Internal challenges The first challenge to professional accountant is the measurement of financial performance. Revenue is a single measurable indicator of financial performance. The common feeling is that over-emphasis on revenues, unscientific ways of their analysis and interpretations financial information. But this information is the basis for long term business decisions. Secondly issues regarding historical accounting information and statements. Some times there is feeling that a balance sheet prepared imperfect way and it does not reveal accrued profits based on future changes in market condition. This is the major draw back in disclosing true financial information of the company. Thirdly financial statements do not measure the assets and liabilities on the basis of todays accounting standard. Hence investors may be misled in making investment decisions, which will put them at greater investment risk. They also need the information regarding the value goodwill and other intangibles and capital structure. Lastly the financial and accounting statements show only historical transactions and facts and they dont concentrate much on the future events and transactions. They put limited attention on the hard profits and also limited attention to the required process for maximization of wealth. Challenges of Globalization Innovations in technology are the greatest affect on the profession and present system failure to coop with this challenge may be resulted in the devaluation of the importance of the profession. The introduction of the information technology has greatly influence the system in which companies do business, structure their organization and operate their reporting systems and each of these are the considerable challenges for the accounting profession. E- Business has introduced new business risks along with the great advantages which a professional accountant should take into account. The unauthorized access company information; increased volume of business as created credit risks; and the proper allocation of income and expenses, Accounting firms and professionals should be concentrate on with these risks. The changes in Government financial police and company the annual financial statements and other communications can be communicated to the concerned parties through the electronic media or through web sites. Out of dated information will not reveal clear picture and hence share price of the company affected. Market expects the clear picture of financial and business performance and there are pressures on firms o provide such information when required. Lastly the centralization of accounting system and accounting information systems will be the top management based decision where accounting is considered as secondary issue. Branch accounting is in declining trend today information will be directly flow to the head office of the firms. Globalization can be defined as the existence of a situation where there is an easy access to any part of the world. It is in the form of information on any subject matter. A professional accountant should face several challenges with this situation; businesses expand sometimes beyond country borders in response to globalization. In market led globalization model an accounting professionals should play a dominant role. To make the Global markets to function properly, the accounting profession must adapt and modernize in response to the globalization of finance and investment. In corporate-led model of globalization the accounting profession does not merely adapt to forces of globalization. But accounting industry has played and continues to play an active role in the structuring global markets for accounting services. Due to the globalization there are some threats to accountants and the accounting profession as a whole Accountants working for foreign-owned companies, their knowledge, skills, and abilities may be restrict them to performing only low-value, compliance-oriented work. Accounting professionals can be also benefited from the effects of globalization. These are Accountants who are ready to expand their financial accounting knowledge, skills, and abilities they can become expertise in understanding of changing business requirements. Accountants with their theoretical knowledge, skills, and abilities with the performance oriented knowledge, skills, and abilities of management accounting can be achieve high level of experience in this context. Today businesses become increasingly globalize, 10there is clearly more pressure on accountants to increase the knowledge, skill, and abilities beyond their present limit of functioning in order to fit well into the globalization of the 21st century. In this context the accounting profession has an important role in assisting firms to face competitive finance and business environment Implications of Academicians The role of the accountant in past was just recording the facts and figures but the role of the professional accountant has been criticized by many scholars and analysts over the decades, especially the accounting skills developed by students of accounting management schools This demand primarily developed in Academic level, the. The need for this change is based on a number of draw backs identified in the skills taught in graduation schools that students when bring to the practical world. Another criticism is these 1skills cannot be efficiently being taught in schools where the employment is dominated by specialized technical skills. Requisite skills required by future professional accountants and auditors will include easy learnable professional skills along with ethics. These specific skills are necessary for modern business environment because it helps business entities to 1solve the diversity of business challenges. This is the main challenge for the academic institutions to balance between accounting graduate skills which are theoretical in nature and skills sought by modern business entities. There is gap between the actual school syllabus and the knowledge expected by companies. The academic institutions should try to train accounting graduates to suit the interest and expectations o the employers. The accounting1graduates with sophisticated skills are in an environment that requires accountants to show high level of technical performance to meet the demands of financial and business entities. Number of comments and opinions from global academicians and practitioners has forced the Government authorities and International Regulatory Bodies related to accounting issues to make revolutionary changes in the accounting standards, methods and techni ques which are relevant to future years. Majority Charted accountants and Accounting professionals feels present accounting system is not according to the requirements of modern business and it is less flexible to the changing environment. These academicians and practitioners agree that if accounting is to serve a useful role in the changing environment, academic education in accounting and scope of research should become broader, dynamic and not limited by a single approach. Despite these matters, the academicians and practitioners feel that present academic programmes in Accounting and finance area should be reviewed according to the demand from job market. Professional Ethics The corporate financial conflicts has given good inputs to finance professionals and for the monitoring of accounting system. Continuous effort from academicians and financial experts in developed countries there are strategic changes in academic education and training programmes, professional accountants should be able to develop the specific skills they need to successfully compete in the employment market for new types of information and financial services. This vision is used by many of the professions leaders. As per the study in U.S.A there are considerable increase in the number of professional accountants and AICPA membership during the period from 1970 to 1994.  This indicates that in developed courtiers are ready to face the challenges. Study in U.S.A (Courtesy: Annual report AICPA) Table 1 Total Accounting Employment Year Numbers in Thousands 1970 646 1980 1013 1990 1446 1994 1483 Table 2 Membership in AICPA Year Numbers in Thousands 1970 74 1980 161 1990 296 1994 319 Impact of Challenges on Strategic Management Accounting During the past two decades, many organizations in business and finance sectors have to face changes in their business environment. Economic reform polices by the developing countries, business policies and competition from multinational companies in local markets has resulted in a typical situation, where most companies have to face severe competition from rival business firms in a highly competitive situation. In addition there has been a change observed in business life cycle due to rapid changes in technological innovations and the need to meet sophisticated customer demands because production of each product is considered as a independent business. To compete successfully in global environment, companies have to work towards to satisfy made customer demands. They have forced to adopt new Management and financial strategies, changed their accounting systems and investment in new technologies. The increasing competition has affected their profits and more attention is required to be paid to the various aspects of strategic Management accounting aspects. These global challenges have had a significant influence on strategic Management accounting systems. Role of professional accountant has no longer remained that of an accountant, but he has assumed a significant role in improving the competitiveness of firms. Professional Ethics The financial crisis has given good inputs to finance professionals and for the monitoring of accounting system. Today accounting professionals in the business sector should not only concentrate on earning of revenue, but also take into account the public and external parties related to the business. The present accounting system should be able to create ethical environment for the benefit of society in generally and stakeholders particularly. Directions for Ethical Performance The directions towards performing the duty in ethical way Global Charted Accountants Associations encourage accountants and Auditors to conduct them effectively and to do quality internal and external auditing in appropriate manner and other accounting functions. Professional Institutes should develop high level auditing standards and ethics their applications in practical world. There are so many ethical obligations which make auditors in right path of accounting standards and legal obligations. Figure 1. Ethical codes Geographical study requirements Quality control Legal registration Professional programs, training and examinations Continuing education requirements Legal liability Accounting standards Conduct of professional Accounting firm personnel Future of the Accounting Profession: Introduction of specific knowledge and the increased expectations from global business world today accounting profession is a specialized profession, which is resulted in great the movement toward up gradation of accounting graduate or professional education. Advanced programmes in computer technology and its role in updating the information for concerned parties of the business, financial experts are expecting t the new trend in information technology and communications which will reshape the accounting employment structure. Computers are today important part of the accounting information system. Introduction of new computer software programmes has given considerable contribution for the modification of business and accounting from the last decade and will continue to the future also. These days we can observe that the new accounting softwares decrease the work load of accounting firms which is resulted in the decrease of employing fresh candidates for accounting work. But developments in accounting profession have shown steady growth from last 20 years despite the increased use of computer information systems to perform routine accounting tasks. Suggestions and Recommendations accounting profession have an significant role in assisting the management for business decisions to not only contribute for strengthening the financial position but also should be modified to analyze management risk factors as the parallel profession to management graduation, for firms operational and strategic decisions . These personnel should also be able to anticipate and manage risks factors arising from bulk volume of financial transactions which made the firms vulnerable to uncertainty and unexpected price variations. As the scope for this profession increased, it will find itself facing increasingly conflicting pressures arising from convergence. It should be designed to establish proper balance manage internal financial conflicts and external conflicts related to firms financial matter and should be able to these commercial interests to introduce the ability to act as a trusted and independent professional business consultant and advisor. The accounting profession should extend its role and responsibility for promoting good corporate business environment. It should also be concerned for sustaining of good corporate governance is not only fulfilling legal obligations but also should be based on values and ethics.

Employee Attitudes Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Employee Attitudes Introduction A happy worker makes for a good worker you say? Well, United Airlines had somewhat of an â€Å"all for one† employee attitude in July 1994. They announced the purchase of their own company for which they work for $5 billion through ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). So now, in the case of United Airlines, there obviously is a soar in employee productivity and spirits. Stocks have risen 120% due to this buyout (almost three times higher than the airline industry average gain). Every company or small business owner desires a positive employee attitude within his or her organization for high productivity and quality. United Airlines achieved this because the employees themselves took action, but for the majority, it is the management’s first move. Taking the Apple from the tree The Idiot’s Guide for Changing Employee Attitudes would say to pay the employee what O.J. paid his defense team. Take away the money part of a job then no one except an old volunteer worker for a Save the World Foundation or a simple dork is going to show favorable attitudes towards the job. Now let’s get real†¦but I thought that we were! Money can hypnotize some employees to become a more productive worker, but not all employees. (And even the ones that are motivated at the first glimpse of dead presidents will soon want†¦. you guessed it, more money in order to drag their lazy ass up the next step). What about Bill Gate’s techno wizards at Microsoft? What sum of money short of Bill’s own bank account is going to motivate these 30-year-old Gulfstream owners to change their snobbish attitudes? On a more practical basis, what about those employees who value intrinsic rewards over the monetary type? Not all employees will be weaned with the flash of cash. So we all must consider the fact that human beings will be consistent towards the general sense of satisfaction, but what sort of things lead to this satisfaction? What kind of satisfaction are we looking for? More so, what is going to satisfy an employee? Most of the research in the study of OB (Organizational Behavior) are concerned with job satisfaction, job involvement and organizational commitment. (Robbins, 1997) The second two attitudes, job involvement and organizational commitment, are more or less the results of job satisfaction. An employee who has a high level of job ... ...e to work for me. This was exactly the case. I hated that girl for professional and personal reasons, but couldn’t really fire her for two reasons. First, if she leaves, then he leaves. Second, she really liked the type of work she was doing for my business, and it is this second reason that I changed. Of course, if an employee likes the work that they are doing then it is an advantage to the organization, but I felt that I had to make her believe that she really didn’t like working at my store so that she leaves on her own terms. This way, I get rid of her without loosing the husband employee. To make a long story short, I don’t believe a small business should hire a married couple due to problems which can arise from personal feelings (If just one of the two employees find a disagreeable situation, then the other will be enticed to follow. Now, there is double the problem.), but in the beginning, I had no choice since she wanted to tag along. Her h usband was the prime choice for my store due to his extensive knowledge and experience in this field, and for the amount of pay that he was willing to take, I wasn’t willing to give up that opportunity. So lesson well learned.

Movie Analysis of Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda, released in December of 2004, is based on the true story on the life of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager of Hotel des Mille Collines, who saved the lives of 1,268 people in the face of genocide. This movie is based on the true events of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 that occurred in Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda in Africa. It touches upon when the Hutu extremists of Rwanda initiated an act of genocide on thousands of the minority group, Tutsis. This movie was directed/written by Terry George and Keir Pearson.Major cast include Don Cheadle (Paul Rusesabagina), Sophie Okonedo (Tatiana), Joaquin Phoenix (Jack), and Nick Nolte (Colonel Oliver of the UN). Other cast members include Fana Mokoena (General Bizimungu of Kigali Police), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Georges Rutaganda, leader of Interhamwe militia), and Jean Reno (Mr. Tillens, President of Sabena Airlines in Belgium). The movie’s main location of filming was done in Kigali, Rwanda, and Johannesburg, S outh Africa. Tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi groups are what lead to the war, and eventual genocide, in Rwanda.Paul and his family witness killings in the neighborhood. Although his wife is Tutsi, and himself Hutu, Paul carries protection with people of influence, bribing them with money and alcohol, seeking to maintain sufficient influence to keep his family safe. When the war erupts and a Rwandan Army officer threatens Paul and his neighbors, Paul barely negotiates their safety, and is forced to the decision of bringing everyone to the hotel. More refugees come to the hotel from the overburdened United Nations camp, the Red Cross, and orphanages from all over the country.Paul must divert the Hutu soldiers, care for the refugees, be a source of strength to his family, and maintain the appearance of a functioning luxury hotel as the situation becomes more dangerous. The UN Peacekeeping forces, led by Canadian Colonel Oliver (Nolte), are unable to take assertive action against th e Interahamwe since they are forbidden to intervene in the genocide. The foreign nationals are evacuated, but the Rwandans are left behind. When the UN forces attempt to evacuate a group of refugees, including Paul's family, they are ambushed and must turn back.In a last-ditch effort to save the refugees, Paul pleads with the Rwandan Army General, Augustin Bizimungu (Mokoena) for assistance. However, when Paul's bribes no longer work, he blackmails the General with threats of being tried as a war criminal. Soon after, the family and the hotel refugees are finally able to leave the besieged hotel in a UN convoy. They travel through retreating masses of refugees and militia to reach safety behind Tutsi rebel lines. From the beginning, it is clearly displayed that there are more than two sides of the story, with various groups representing each side.The Tutsis are the ones accused in the killing of the Kigali president after his offer of an agreement of peace, and just want peace betwe en both parties. The Hutu are attempting to kill off any person that is Tutsis. They believe that the Tutsis killed the president because they want to keep the power that was left in their hands when the Belgium left Kigali. There is also the UN peacekeepers and other foreign armies (French, Italian etc†¦), referred in the movie as ‘the West’. One is trying to help the Rwandans stay alive, while the other is stay out of the issue.In the movie, Hutu extremist views’ are specified through the character of George Rutaganda. They reference the Tutsis as ‘cockroaches’, and how the Hutu must rise up and get rid of any Tutsis, along with any of the next generation. As said in the movie by Rutaganda, â€Å"Hutu, we must get rid of these cockroaches that are infecting our country†. Most of this encouragement comes from Georges Rutaganda, the leader of the Interhamwe militia, who speaks to the Hutu extremists through the radio, which is the only wa y you see the Hutu people communicate with one another throughout the whole film.Although communication is solely this, the mission of the Hutu is successfully showed. In contrast, while the mission is known, as mentioned before, all communication is through the radio, with no actual physical meetings. This was weird to me, sending the message that decisions were not made by the group as a whole, but rather militia taking orders from one leader (Rutaganda). Also it gave off the feeling of spontaneity, although the movie showed that many Hutu were angry since power was given to the Tutsis, and not only when the Kigali president was killed.On the other end, the Tutsis are constantly running searching for protection from the Hutu, trying not to be killed. Those on their side are Rusesabagina, Colonel Oliver, and Mr. Tillens, through their own actions, respectively. Multiple times throughout the film, it shows how the Tutsis cannot even stay in their own homes and once they cannot show identity cards stating their status as Hutu, they are beaten, homes burnt to the ground, and most roads to leave are blocked off. Rusesabagina obviously uses the hotel as a refugee camp, and Colonel Oliver fights through the whole movie to get the influence of the West to stop the enocide, for he cannot himself. Mr. Tillens does what he can to keep off the Hutu extremists away from the hotel by keeping contact with the French, who supply the Hutu armies. Before watching, the reviews portrayed Rusesabagina as ‘a clear hero for the Rwandans’. This was evident while seeing the movie. Obviously, Paul shelters thousands of Tutsi people in the hotel, doing everything he can to keep the Hutu away. In the first few scenes of the movie, this same determination is not seen. Paul makes it clear that he does everything only to protect his family.As he tells his wife when she tells him to call his people to help the neighbors being attacked, â€Å"I give the powerful guests of the hotel everything, so that in return, they will protect my family when troubling times come. They are our neighbors, not family. † As the attacks get worse, this mindset changes as a threat to kill a group of Tutsis in front of him is presented. Toward the beginning of the movie, after the attacks begin in Paul’s neighborhood, a large group of other Tutsis neighbors are hiding in the Rusesabagina home. Hutu armies come to kill all the ‘cockroaches’ in his home, including his wife and kids.At first, Paul offers bribes of money and alcohol to save only his family, but later offers almost triple the amount of money for the whole group, including expensive jewels. This is only one of the first scenes that Paul bribes armies to avoid the killing of those he is protecting. With the character of Rusesabagina, the filmmaker portrayed him as a humble man, with no inconstancies in any of his actions. This goes along with the purpose of the film, which was to show the actions of a hero, who saved thousands from genocide. The main antagonists of the film would be the Hutu.They could be considered villains not only for their hate for Tutsis, but for the ruthless killing of close to a million. The directors, did just enough in every scene to remind the ones watching that this group of people did not want anything to do with the Tutsis. Another antagonist in the film, in my opinion, was the foreign armies (Belgium, French and Italian). In the first attempt to remove the Tutsis from Kigali, it was believed that all these armies were coming to the aid of the people. When they actually arrived, it was then explained by Colonel Oliver, that they would only be helping evacuate the Americans and those from ‘the West’.This scene gives them the portrayal of a villain, because as Colonel Oliver says in a following scene to Paul, â€Å"You are considered dirt to them Paul, you are not even Black, you are an African†. This line was very comp elling for me because it showed a type of ranking between other races, as compared with the Africans, with all of them showing superiority over them. The same scene also showed how people who may see what was going on in Kigali would not take action, like the conversation between Paul and Jack. Jack has just filmed footage of a group of people being beaten and even chopped up with machetes.Paul says to him, â€Å"How could they not intervene, after seeing such brutality? † Jack doesn’t have the same faith, replying, â€Å"When people see this, they will say â€Å"Oh, how horrible† and go on eating dinner. † It was after these scenes that Paul realizes that believing he was one of them, and everything he has done (adapting to their ways, conforming to every need and want), was for nothing. After this scene, it is said many times, especially by Rusesabagina, that they were on their own, and everyone had abandoned them.If this were true, then they would not even have the UN peacekeepers, who were consistent allies. This was the only contradiction I found with the antagonists. If someone only watched the first few scenes of the movie, it could be misinterpreted that Paul had many influences aiding him through the end of the genocide (or in this case, the movie). His main allies in the movie were Colonel Oliver, Mr. Tillens in Belgium, and General Bizumungu. Of these allies, it was perceived that the General was only helping because he was constantly being bribed, and not out of kindness.With Colonel Oliver, he always came back to Paul once he knew of any opportunities to get the people out of Kigali. At first, I assumed that the UN was against the people of Kigali, because they were given orders to not attempt to stop the genocide, or in the words of Oliver, â€Å"We are peacekeepers, not peacemakers†. This is where the audience can think that everyone has abandoned them. This assumption was put away once the UN peacekeepers go t hrough multiple attempts, and are eventually successful; at getting everyone pass Tutsi rebel lines, even after the Hutu showed that they killed some of Oliver’s men.Mr. Tillens, the president of Sabena Airlines, was only present in a few parts, but his was visibly one of Paul’s most powerful influences and had a big impact on their survival. In another scene where the hotel is under attack by Hutu extremists, Paul is given ten minutes to come downstairs and provide a list of all the ‘cockroaches’ staying in the hotel. In this time, he sneaks away to call Tillens. As they are talking, this is when a vulnerable side of Rusesabagina is seen.When asked if there is anything that can be done, it is the first time that Paul mentions any doubt in surviving the genocide, but stating, â€Å"I do not know what you can do, because I am positive that it is too late, they have already arrived, and I am sure we are going to die. † When Tillens says to buy him tim e, that he will get in contact with the French, who supply the Hutu, Paul is doubtful of his words. As Paul is outside negotiating with the armies, who are threatening to kill everyone, they are given orders (in French, but are obvious) to back off and leave the hotel, along with everyone in it.With the General, he is always talking with Paul in the first part of the movie of just how much the Kigali police have got him protected, but this is while Paul is still able to send him off with the best cigars from Cuba and Africa’s finest scotch. In a scene when Paul asks the General for help, but has no bribe, he is quick to say, â€Å"No more police, no more protection†. Paul begs for his help, insisting that these are troubling times, and they all need to stick together. The General answers Paul with a stern, â€Å"How are you going to help me Paul? The General briefly helps once Paul threatened him with the idea that everyone believed he was a war criminal involved in t he massacres. This is why it was necessary to show all sides, because if they were not, it would be perceived in the movie that no one tried to help the Tutsis survive the genocide, and that they were truly on their own. Many reviews said that the movie did not properly exhibit the actual events of the Rwandan Genocide, but after watching the film, I have to disagree. While watching certain scenes, it really made the tears fall in remembering that the movie is not fictional.It made you feel as if you were there, and put your emotions into each scene, while hitting you with the harsh realization that the event actually occurred. There was an equal stability between showing tidbits of the genocide, but also of how a single man became a hero by saving thousands. Overall, it left the message of how this should have never happened and gave moments as to how it could have been avoided. As one reviewer says, â€Å"The Rwandan Genocide is one of the most horrific events of this time, and u nfortunately, the most unknown†, but this movie gives audience a respectable summary that shall leave us knowledgeable.

Management and Weber Essay

Drawing on Weber’s ideal type, critically consider the relevance of bureaucratic administration to the management of twenty-first century organizations. Max Weber was a German sociologist in the twentieth century; he was famous for his classical management theory. Weber classified three different types of authority, traditional, charismatic and legitimate authority. Traditional authority is based on traditions and customs that the leader has the legitimate right to use authority. Charismatic authority is the belief that the leader whose mission and visions will inspire others. Legitimate authority is based on formal, system of rules. In the 1930s, Weber introduced that the bureaucratic form as being the ideal way of organizing government agencies. This soon became popular in both the private and public sectors. Weber believes that the development of rational forms to be the most important characteristics in the development of Western society and capitalism. He considered the traditional and charismatic forms as irrational. Rationality is based on reasoning, calculation and logic. One of the many types of rationality includes the formal rationality. The notion of formal rationality is important to the emergence of industrial capitalism as capitalism values reason, calculation and precision, science and logic. Formal rationality is a form of rationality that characterizes bureaucratic organizations. Bureaucracy refers to the execution of tasks that are governed by official administrative and formal rules of an organization. Weber’s bureaucratic management theory focuses on dividing organizations into hierarchies with authorities and control. The ideal type is extreme, empirically based and yardstick for comparison. Weber has 6 major principles for his ideal type of management style. Firstly, the organization has a formal hierarchical structure, which refers to the ranking system within in the management. A hierarchical structure management style also suggests a centralized decision making process, where the vast majority of decisions are made by a small number of people, usually the senior management teams. Secondly, the organization follows a management by rules system; the organization is controlled by rules, which allows decisions to be made at high level then executed by the lower levels. Thirdly, the organization is organized by functional specialty, which means that there is specialization within the organization; employees are divided into separate departments based on their abilities and skills. Specialization allows the employee to be efficient and more skilled at a specific task, which increases productivity. Furthermore, all decisions and rules are recorded in writing to ensure continuity over time. In addition, in an ideal system, there is equality between all employees, applying to both managerial and non-managerial workers. Lastly, employment is wholly based on technical qualifications, which means employees are hired on a basis of their abilities and competence. Weber’s bureaucratic management focuses on the authorities in the top level of the hierarchy and causes an â€Å"iron cage† to restrict the lower lever workers which leads to demotivation and a feeling of insignificance. Many researchers argue that weber emphasizes on the positive consequences of bureaucracy and ignores the dysfunctions of it. These researchers include Gouldner, Merton and Thompson. In Gouldner opinions, he does not believe the bureaucracy authority is neither acceptable nor efficient. He proposed three types of bureaucracy, mock bureaucracy, punishment centered bureaucracy and representative bureaucracy. In mock bureaucracy, the rules are ignored because they come from an outside agency; employees feel that there is too much ‘red tape’. In punishment-centered bureaucracy, the rules are imposed on the workers from inside the organization. This type of authority discourages the workers from full commitment; workers would only perform a adequate amount of work. In representative bureaucracy, the rules are developed and supported by managers and the employees. As for Merton, he believes that rational rules and the close control leads to inflexibility. He introduced the idea of ‘goal displacement’; this is when organizational goals are replaced by personal goals. Bureaucracies’ rules become more important than what they were designed to serve, which results in inefficiencies. In bureaucratic systems, specialization consists of different departments with different goals. These goals could cause conflict and these goals may become more important than the organization’s original objectives. Victor Thompson also criticized Weber’s ‘ideal type’, he suggests the bureaupathic behavior, and this is when employees are more interested in the rules than the purposes and goals of the organization. Thompson also argued that in bureaucratic systems, the authorities generate a sense of insecurity that uses rules to protect them from making errors. There are many more dysfunctional consequences of bureaucracy. Firstly, bureaucracy is a rigid management system, it is designed for a stable and predictable business environment, hence it cannot adapt to rapid and unexpected changes. Also, in a bureaucratic system, there is a concentration of power in the higher levels of management, which would create distance between the employees at the lower levels of the hierarchy and leading to a sense of demotivation. There was not only Weber’s theories about management style, there were also Taylorism by Fredrick Winslow Taylor, Fordism by Henry Ford, and McDonaldism by George Ritzer. Taylor was regarded as the father of scientific management. Taylorism was aimed to a) minimize production time, b) achieve divison of labour, c) reduce the amount of work by following a machinelike routine d) separate work equally among the workers and the managers, e) gain control by supervision of work with managers planning, and workers performing the tasks. His ultimate goal was to succeed in gaining efficiency by increasing output from his workers. Taylor also introduced the Time and Motion Study, this was to establish productivity. He first separated the tasks into small steps, then performance was monitored to eliminate wasteful motion, with the exact time recorded, then the production and delivery time and prices can be calculated. However, this is only suitable for repetitive tasks. The idea of taylorism is usually argued that it exploits human beings, it also ignores personal creativity and there is a loss of autonomy to the employees. Fordism was the system of mass production that was introduced by Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company. His aim was to achieve higher productivity by standardizing the output by his company. He was also the first to introduce the use of assembly lines. In Taylorism, it focused on machine and worker efficiency, however, in Fordism, ford replaced labour with machinery and he minimizes costs instead of maximizing profits. Critics argued that Fordism destroys craftsmanship and de-skilled jobs as it focuses on machinery to perform the tasks, and with the small number of workers of the workplace, the repetitiveness of the job is believed to lead to stress and alienation of the workers. After Fordism, George Ritzer introduced the idea of McDonaldism, the term was to refer to the process of fast food restaurants dominating the world. This new structure of Ritzer’s replaced Weber’s bureaucratic structure. He proposed four principles of McDonaldization. 1) Efficiency: In McDonaldized structures, the ideal way for completing a task was the whole of the organization aims to minimize time of production. 2) Calculability: McDonaldism suggests that a large amount of product delivered in a short period of time is equivalent to a quality product. 3) Predictability: In McDonaldism, products and services are standardized, despite the location or time. 4) Control: According to McDonaldism, employees perform specific tasks with non-human technologies to replace them when needed. Bureaucracy belongs to the twentieth century when the business environment is stable and predictable, however, in the twenty-first century; the business environment is forever changing and is in need for a flexible structure. There are five key organizational trends in the twenty-first century. Firstly, globalization is the increase integration of national economies into global markets rather than national markets. Over the past years, there is an increased globalized labour market. The increased globalized markets are mainly due to improvements in transportation and communication such as the Internet. Secondly, the workforce is becoming more diversified due to changing demographics and the globalization of the labour market. Thirdly, in the twenty-first century, organizations are becoming more flexible; there are fewer detailed rules and procedures within the workplace. Employees are receiving greater autonomy with a more flexible organizational structure. Furthermore, businesses prefer to adapt to a flat organizational structure with less management levels, bringing the top management closer to the lower levels of employees hence improving the flow of information and speeding up communication within the organization. Lastly, organizations are mostly networked; there is direct communication between different departments, ignoring the chains of command. Business decision-making is decentralized in networked organizations, which improves the speed of decision-making, encourages input from the workforce and improves accountability of the employees. In conclusion, Weber’s theory of the ideal type of organization is inappropriate for the management of the twenty-first century organizations; the business environment in the current days is rapidly changing. Bureaucracy is a rigid system that does not allow easy changes which is required in the modern world. Hence, bureaucratic system is only suitable in the twentieth century where the business environment is static. Bibliography: Max Weber – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2011. Max Weber – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber. [Accessed 17 October 2011] Bureaucracy — Max Weber’s six characteristics of the bureaucratic form. 2011. Bureaucracy — Max Weber’s six characteristics of the bureaucratic form. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bustingbureaucracy.com/excerpts/weber.htm. [Accessed 17 October 2011]. WEBER ON BUREAUCRACY. 2011. WEBER ON BUREAUCRACY. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/Ockham/y64l09.html. [Accessed 19 October 2011]. Bureaucratic Management. 2011. Bureaucratic Management. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vectorstudy.com/management_schools/bureaucratic_management.htm. [Accessed 19 October 2011]. What is Wrong with Weberian Bureaucracy?. 2011. What is Wrong with Weberian Bureaucracy?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.change.freeuk.com/learning/business/ratlegal.html. [Accessed 24 October 2011]. Bureaucracy (Advantages and Dis-Advantages)  « Michael Wiriadinata. 2011. Bureaucracy (Advantages and Dis-Advantages)  « Michael Wiriadinata. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mamikikeyu.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/bureaucracy-advantages-and-dis-advantages/. [Accessed 24 October 2011]. Scientific Management (Taylorism). 2011. Scientific Management (Taylorism). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.12manage.com/methods_taylor_scientific_management.html. [Accessed 24 October 2011]. McDonaldization – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2011. McDonaldization – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonaldization. [Accessed 27 October 2011].

The Old British Imperial System essays

The Old British Imperial System essays The British Imperial system was fundamentally based on the policy, mercantilism. Where each colonial possession should provide wealth to the mother country, in these circumstances, the American colonies provided wealth to the British. Colonies were not supposed to compete with the mother countrys home industries. The British Empire was a closed system, designed to keep competition out. The mercantile policy turned Britain into the preeminent center of trade in the world. Through out the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the basic purpose of the colonies was to support the mother country. The colonies acted as tenants for the British. The colonies had to produce raw materials, such as, tobacco, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, timber, indigo and beans. Britain produced a surplus amount of goods, and the colonies were forced to buy the surplus, there for the colonies can also be viewed as an outlet for surplus manufacturers. The colonies were also and outlet for surplus population. For example, some religious groups, such as the Quakers, were persecuted through out Britain; consequently they were forced to move to the new world. In order to instigate the mercantilist policy, on the colonies, the British composed a series of enactments. The most important act passed, was the navigation acts, implemented to regulate trade and commerce. The acts limited the colonies to trading exclusively with the British. The vessels had to be assembled by shipbuilders of the British Empire, and three quarters of the crew, had to be English. To expand the mercantilist policy, the British implemented restrictions on colonial manufacturing and trade. The Wool Act of 1699 stated that none of the colonies could sell or produce wool, the Hat Act of 1732, made the British the primary manufacturers and sellers of hats. The Iron Act of 1750, declared that Iron was to be sold and produced, only by the British. The Mol ...

Social policy as an academic subject is both descriptive and analytical Essays

Social policy as an academic subject is both descriptive and analytical Essays Social policy as an academic subject is both descriptive and analytical Essay Social policy as an academic subject is both descriptive and analytical Essay Payne, Sarah. , Sullivan, Michael. ( 2004 ) Introducing Social Policy, England: Pearson Education Limited Alcock. Pete. ( 2008 ) The Subject of Social Policy , p. 3 in Alcock, Pete. , May, Margaret and Rowlingson, Karen ( explosive detection systems ) , The Students Companion to Social Policy, 3rd erectile dysfunction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Baldock, John. , ( 2007 ) Welfare, Ideology, and Social Theory in Baldock, John. , Manning, Nick. , Vickerstaff, Sarah. , ( explosive detection systems ) Social Policy 3rd erectile dysfunction, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Becker Saul. ( 2008 ) Methods and Approaches in Social Policy Research in Alcock, Peter, May. Margaret and Rowlingson, Karen. , ( explosive detection systems ) The Students Companion to Social Policy 3rd erectile dysfunction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Blakemore, Kenneth ( 2003 ) Social Policy an Introduction 2nd erectile dysfunction, Berkshire: Open University Press Bochel, Hugh ( 2005 ) Introducing Social Policy in Bochel, Hugh. , Bochel, Catherine. , Page, Robert and Sykes, Rob. , Social Policy: Issues and Developments, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Carlson, Judith ( 2004 ) Theoretical Principles and Concepts in Alcock, Cliff. , Payne, Sarah. , Sullivan, Michael. , Introducing Social Policy, Essex: Pearson Education Limited Considine, Mair A ; eacute ; ad. , Dukelow, Fiona. , ( 2009 ) Irish Social Policy, A Critical Introduction Dublin: Gill A ; Macmillan Ltd Fitzpatrick, Tony ( 2001 ) Welfare Theory: An Introduction, Campling, Jo ( adviser editor ) London: Palgrave George, Vic. , Wilding, Paul. , ( 1994 ) Welfare and Ideology Essex: Prentice Hall Europe Hartnoll, Richard ( 2004 ) Drugs and drug dependance: linking research, policy and pattern, background paper for Pompidou Group s Strategic Conference on linking research, policy and pattern, Strasbourg. Germany: Koelblin-Fortuna-Druck Lavalette, Michael. , Pratt, Alan. , ( explosive detection systems ) ( 1998 ) Social Policy A Conceptual and Theoretical Introduction, London: Sage Publications Inc Spicker, Paul ( 2008 ) Social Policy Themes and Approaches 2nd erectile dysfunction, Bristol: The Policy Press Titmuss, Richard. ( 1974 ) The International Perspective , in Abel-Smith, Brian and Titmuss, Kay ( explosive detection systems ) , Social Policy an Introduction, London: Unwin Hyman Ltd