Organizations and Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizations and Management - Research Paper Example In addition to the basic four functions of management, managers strategize and control the activities within the organization. Each category of skills enables management in an organization to perform its primary function of ensuring internal activities are in alignment with the groups’ goals. The organizational goals targeted by the shareholders for the organization are the objectives management must design the work flow to accomplish. Management has the responsibility of ensuring the organizational goals are met and the directives of the executive leaders are executed. Management uses the organizational goals to design the work flow and identifies the skill sets needed to perform the tasks to accomplish the goals. Decision-making involves developing strategies that will achieve the group’s goals. Management has the responsibility of overseeing the internal systems and ensuring the processes within the various work units are in alignment with the organizational objectiv es. Planning coordinates the functions within the various departments and distributes resources effectively to produce the goods and services of the organization. As a function management organizes and coordinates the organization’s material, equipment, employees, schedules, and uses authority to ensure the activities within the internal environment are in alignment with the organizational goals. In the process of planning and organizing management recruits employees. Staffing or human resource management includes selection of workers, developing ongoing training programs, establishing, and maintaining an internal culture of cohesion in which the efforts and activity within the organization accomplish the group’s goals. Managers have the task of overseeing and controlling an operation’s processes to fulfill the organization’s strategic plans and goals. Whereas, leaders formulate or chart the direction in which an organization travels to reach specific goa ls, managers work to ensure the goals materialize using the resources available. Distinctly different, yet overlapping and dependent on the other, managers and leaders each have the responsibility of directing, guiding people, and implementing plans in efforts to accomplish strategic targets. 2. Explain the importance of history and theory to management, and highlight the pioneers of management theory: The study of the science of management is relatively young, however management has existed from ancient times The societal transition from that of an agrarian society to an industrialized one helped to create the need for knowledge of how to manage people in factory settings. Management theory evolved as a result of workers moving from farm communities into cities and working in offices and manufacturing plants. The ability to effectively coordinate workers’ efforts and efficiently use machinery was essential in keeping up with social change, progress, and consumers’ dem ands for products and services. The gradual development of systems of work has been one of the most significant factors that have prompted the need to understand the internal relationships within the organizational culture. The First Industrial Revolution (1712-1830) gave birth to the inventions of the steam engine, spinning jenny, and improvements to the machinery in general. Because of the steamboat and

Trokosi practice in Ghana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trokosi practice in Ghana - Essay Example By giving a daughter to live her life as a slave of the religious authorities of the tribes, families hoped to be spared punishment for their mistakes against the tribe in general or other specific people. The practice of trokosi is based on the superstitious foundation that every human action has a divine motivation. Effects on Society Trokosi is basically enacted to exact revenge on errant tribe members. The vestal virgins who are forced to become trokosis are their families’ sacrificial lambs. The crimes, in Ghanaian society, which traditionally called for the exacting on a trokosi stealing property and committing sexual assault (Xfm 95.1 NewsCenter, 2008). Essentially, the trokosi system of retribution merely punishes an innocent child for the crimes committed by a mature adult in her family. The trokosi system is based on intricate religious and cultural beliefs and practices that make it had, even in the modern world, to completely eradicate this practice. Slavery was re cognized in most ancient African societies, particularly in Ghana, as a normal institution of society. This practice, it is believed, was first brought in the seventeenth century into Ghana by the Ewe-speaking population that settled in the country. The trokosi system, then, was not really meant to destroy the lives of innocent children but was started to maintain law and order among the members of the tribe even as different changes in their surroundings began to weaken the leadership of the tribe. The changes called for stricter penalties to be visited upon errant members. It was essentially established to discourage people from committing crimes that would result in destabilizing the tribe. For instance, theft of cattle, which seems so trivial in modern society, might have resulted in the starvation of an entire family or clan back then. Also, in the seventeenth century, the Ewe speaking tribes would take liquor or farm animals from an errant community member. The practice of tak ing virgins to appease the anger of other community members as well as the gods would come much later. It actually came about as a result of the greed of the lustful and avaricious tribal priests who realized that cows would not bring as much pleasure as virgin girls who, along with bring physical benefits, could also provide sexual benefits. Today, this practice in which girls are forced to work as sexual slaves without any human affection or education being afforded them, is still prevalent in many Ghanaian tribes under different names. It is a remnant of the practice of slavery in a society that has embraced all other modernisms. Some Ghanaian families, particularly those that are in the lower income bracket, use this system to avoid punishment for serious problems that they cause in the society (Xfm 95.1 NewsCenter, 2008). For instant, a drunk man who decides to sexually molest the children of his neighbor can offer his daughter as compensation to the local tribal priest and thu s avoid being subjected to a court trial or imprisonment. So engrained is this practice in the psyche of Ghanaian mainstream society, that once such a pedophile offers his daughter, policemen will be reluctant to arrest him. The sacrificial daughter, once given to the service of the tribal priest, has to do anything and everything he asks of her for a number of years. The reality, however, is that after experiencing the benefits of such a relationship, most

CONTRACT LAW - Consideration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CONTRACT LAW - Consideration - Essay Example In accordance, with the principle of promissory estoppel, Peter cannot go back on his promise to Rapid Builders and thereby causing a loss to the latter1. The realisation of a practical benefit to the promisor can be treated as consideration for the extra bonus or incentive offered by him. In CTN Cash and Carry Ltd v. Gallaher Ltd, the Court held that the promisor had received the practical benefit from the promise. The Court further opined that this practical benefit constituted the consideration for the additional payment promised by the promisor2. The reasoning of the Court in Williams v. Roffey suggested that if one party to a contract had promised to perform the existing contractual duty, and if there had been no detriments to the other party, and if the promisor had benefitted, then it could be said that there had been good consideration3. Promissory estoppel can be used as an instrument of defence and not as a cause of action. It was first employed in Central London Property Trust Ltd v High Trees Ltd4 and the ruling in Coombe v Coombe5 relied upon it. Due to financial setbacks and the Yuletide season not proving to be as lucrative as Peter had hoped that it would; he was unable to pay Keg Ltd the agreed upon amount of  £8,000 for the supply of champagne. As per the extant case law, a part payment of a debt cannot be considered as full settlement of the outstanding debt. Hence, Peter has to pay Keg Ltd the remaining  £2,000. The relevant case law has been discussed in the sequel. In D & C Builders v. Rees, the plaintiff sustained substantial financial loss. The defendant agreed to pay just  £300 towards the complete repayment of her debt. The plaintiff accepted this lesser amount due to financial duress. Later on, the plaintiff company sued the defendant, in order to recover the remainder of the amount due from her. The Court held that the plaintiff was

The Arabian Peninsula Country and Sovereignty Essay

The Arabian Peninsula Country and Sovereignty - Essay Example Israel remains the only separate country on the Peninsula. The new APC has over 25% of the world’s known oil reserves in its territory. The new country is flexing its muscle and claiming its sovereign rights over the water and in the exclusive zone that overlap into other nation’s areas in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea into the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The APC has restricted the use of the airspace it is claiming to all western nations and threatens to shoot down any aircraft whether military or commercial that flies into its airspace. Further, fearing western satellites spying on its territory from space, the APC claimed territorial sovereignty above its country into space and threatens to shoot down any satellites that fly over its territory. It is unclear if the APC has the technology to fulfill this threat but there are missile exports from Russia and China that may be able to knock out a satellite in orbit. The APC has announced plan s to increase its standing army to over 50,000 troops and is beginning construction of a deepwater naval fleet to project its influence in the region. 2.0. Statement of the Problem Some of the fundamental issues pertaining to the situation are as follows. First, can the APC claim sovereignty after Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria sought to consolidate themselves into a single nation to be known as the APC? Second, what will be scope and limits of the claim on sovereignty if this is the case? Third, up to what extent can the APC claim sovereignty over its airspace and into space? Finally or fourth, what are the threats posed by the APC on the United States of America? 3.0. Proposed USA Position: Sovereignty and History/Scope in International Law Jean Bodin first systematically analyzed the doctrine of sovereignty in 1576 in the work, Six Livres de la Republique (Shaw, 21). In the Bodin notion of sovereignty, sovereig nty is only â€Å"subject to the law of God and of nature† as the â€Å"state was regarded as above the law† (Shaw, 21). In the age of enlightenment and as the early theories were influenced by the ideas of Thomas Aquinas who maintained that â€Å"Natural Law formed part of the law of God, and was the participation by rational creatures in Eternal Law,† the notion of state sovereignty may have been subject to reason or what were considered â€Å"reasonable† (Shaw, 22). Later that time, â€Å"elements of both positivism and naturalism† appeared in the work of Vattel (1714-67), a Swiss lawyer, who â€Å"introduced the doctrine of the equality of states into international law, declaring that a small republic was no less sovereign than the most powerful kingdom† (Shaw, 26). At the same time, the idea of natural laws gave way to the concept of natural rights (Shaw, 26). Shaw asserted that international law is based on the concept of the state tha t in turn â€Å"lies upon the foundation of sovereignty, which expresses internally the supremacy of government institutions and externally the supremacy of the state as the legal person† (487). Sovereignty â€Å"is founded upon the fact of territory† (Shaw, 487). Thus, according to Shaw, â€Å"without territory a legal person cannot be a state† (487). Shaw emphasized, â€Å"A state is deemed to exercise exclusive power over its territory† (Shaw, 487). The principle of territorial integrity is the foundation of

Roles and Governance Models Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roles and Governance Models - Research Paper Example The roles are disintegrated for each professional and have to execute it diligently to ensure that the project becomes a success. The basic role of a software engineer is to build and develop software according to the specifications that will serve the purpose as documented in paper work. When a project is proposed, it is always in a paper work, it then calls for a software engineer to interpret the information by programming (Dickens, 2006). Through programming language, the software engineer is able to come up with a system that does exactly what is proposed in the paper work. The engineer must be good in data structures and algorithms for this stage of the project to successfully be realized. The software is varied and only conforms to the purpose to which it is planned; a software engineer must therefore be good in programming to produce quality work. A system architect plays more or less the same role as software engineer; he is responsible for the development of the design of the software given that he understands best the customer’s specifications. Software must be designed first before actually it is developed, the analogy here is the plan of the hours, the architect has to draw the plan of the house before engineer can come in, the same principles applies in the development of the software. System analyst is a guru in the development of software and that is why they are able to work out architectural design of very complex systems for the developers to execute the remaining development. In this regard, it explains how close the team operates in the achievement of the purpose (Dickens, 2006). Business analyst is responsible for the dealing with the customers to identify the taste of the customers so that he can provide specification of the software project. Business analyst is responsible for knowing what the customers want so that he is able to provide the same

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

International business - Essay Example In this context, the country that consists of one developed city is the new trend in global business and politics. Thus, it is interesting and important to investigate the way Singapore manages to be so prosperous. For this aim, the presented essay overviews Singapore’s open cross-border transaction conditions and explains in detail both the effect of multinational corporations and domestic government on the development of this economy. In the essence of Singapore global business strategy, dependence on trade relations creates the core of its national economy. It is common to deal with this global city as the country that has a strong tradition of protected by government imports in combination with free market economy (Lin and Ewing-Chow, 2014, p. 6). In its essence, Singaporean economy concentrates on â€Å"port, oil processing, multinational corporation manufacturing, some science-based high-tech, a service sector and a growing financial sector† (Preston, 2007, p. 15). In general, Singapore has one of the highest trade to GDP ratio in the world and relies heavily on importing goods like food, energy, and industrial raw materials (Selvam, 2003, p. 69). According to the recent statistics, Singapore is in top-15 of largest merchandise exporter in the world and has a trade to GDP ratio of 404.9 (â€Å"Starting a Trading Company,† 2015). Thus, global business scenario depends on the ability of this count ry to involve foreign investments effectively. In this context, it is evident that Singapore imports all the basic goods. As for the resource base of Singapore, it is similar to Japan in the inability to rely on natural resources. As Dunning (1997) noticed, since nineteenth century, when natural resources were the foundation of development, passed, the key to economic prosperity in the twenty-first century is in ability to create the new knowledge (p. 54). And

The Celtic Religion Essay Example for Free

The Celtic Religion Essay The Celts were an ancient group of people who populated a substantial area of Europe from the British Isles to Galatia. The Celts are thought to have existed from about 1000BC to the 1st century when they were conquered by the Romans. The Celtic religion was extremely complex and is difficult for modern day man to understand. This essay will discuss the nature and role of religion in the ancient Celtic society. The Celts were polytheistic sharing some beliefs that spanned across all the tribes; however, each tribe had their own beliefs and rituals. The Celts worshiped many gods and goddesses and a lot of the Celtic religion revolved around the worship of natural phenomena including water, sky, mountains, trees and earth. The worship of water deities was common among all Celtic tribes due to their medicinal and healing properties. There have been a number offerings which the Celts made for their gods that have been discovered in rivers, springs and wells. An example of a famous Celtic-healing site linked with water is Bath found in England. Other places where Celts made offerings to their gods were in sacred groves and forest clearings. Animals were revered by the Celts for their special qualities of speed, strength, ferocity and cunning and the gods that were represented were mostly in animal form. Some of the animals important to the Celts included boars, stags, bears, hares, birds and horses. Due to the Celts close connection with nature shrines and altars were built in the forest. These were generally made of wood, evidence for this is found in classical literature. For example, Lucan, a Roman poet, describes an altar in a forest near Marseilles, â€Å"altars were erected on little hillocks and all the trees were purifies with human blood.† This is also evidence of sacrifice, which formed a part of the nature of the Celtic religion. Both humans and animals were sacrificed in honour of their gods. Julius Caesar mentions such sacrifice in The Conquest of Gaul, â€Å"†¦after a victory they sacrifice the captured the animals and collect the rest of the spoil in one spot†. The Druids were Celtic priests who played a major role in the ancient Celtic society and were of a high status among the Celts. Their role was that of priest, scholar and judge. They were in charge of religious activities; they performed rituals and also played the role of a judge. No significant political decision was made without the Druids as there attendance was seen as necessary to obtain the gods favor. When disputes arouse the Druids played the role of a judge whether the issue was between tribes or individuals; whatever the crime being committed was, it was the responsibility of the Druids to arbitrate the problem and decide on the compensation to be paid and received by the parties involved. The Druids also gave rulings on all religious questions and groups of numerous men would go to them for instruction and advice. According to the historian, Diogenes Laà «rtius, it is apparent that the Druids held three truths; the need to honour the gods, to abstain from evil and to show bravery. The Druids spent many years learning the sacred texts and passing them onto their followers. An example of the way in which they taught their followers were at feast and festivals through the bardic tradition of singing and reciting stories of gods and heroes. As can be seen, the Druids played an important role in the lives of the Celtic people. It is evident from looking at the writings of classical authors that Celtic festivals, when held, were grand. They included great feasts, processions, the making of offerings and human and animal sacrifices to their gods. The four main festivals that were held by the Celts were the Samhain, Imbloc, Belteine or Beltane and Lughnasadh. Samhain was believed to be the most important festival and occurred on the first of November, some believe this was the beginning of the Celtic year. This was not only a significant religious festival that included proper ceremonies and sacrifices, but was also a day holding important political and administrative functions. Barry Cunliffe writes in his book The Celtic World, â€Å"During Samhain†¦ the whole tribe presumably assembled for feasting and to ensure, through sacrifice, the continued fertility of the crops and herds.† The Imbloc festival was celebrated on the first of February and meant ‘ewe’s milk’, this name was given for this festival as it marked the birth of the first lambs and commemorates the return of fresh milk. This festival celebrates the return of the cycle of new life to the earth and marks the rebirth of nature and fertility. It is the celebration of bringing nature back to life. The Belteine or Beltane festival took place on the first of May and is the feast of light and marks the season of sunny weather. On this day the Druids light the beacon fires to bring good news of the coming season to the people. The Lughnasadh was a harvest festival that occurred on the first of August and marked the end of summer growth and the beginning of autumn harvest. These four festivals marked the seasons of the year and were major events for the Celtic society. The practice of human sacrifice in honour of their gods was a normal occurrence in Celtic society. Strabo, a Greek geographer, talks about the Celts and human sacrifice in his book Geography, â€Å"They used to strike a human being, whom they have devoted to death, in the back with a sword, and then divine from his death struggle.† The Celts held the belief â€Å"an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth† and also â€Å"a life for a life†. For example when a person was sick, the relatives may make a human sacrifice in order that their kin would be spared. Other reasons the Celts made human sacrifices were to ensure survival of warrior before battle, the prisoners were usually the ones that were sacrificed in this circumstance and in times of need such as famine or plague. Celtic society was heavily influenced by their religious beliefs and practices, this is shown through the connection they felt with nature, the Druids status and power in the society and the festivals that marked their calendar year. Religious matters were never expressed in writing; however, the strong oral tradition of the Celts enabled the passing down of their religious practices. This along with classical literature has provided the future generations with an insight into both the nature and role that religion played in Celtic society.