Discouse the way in which recent work in the area related to Essay

Discouse the way in which recent work in the area related to organisational theory have challenged or contributed to conventional understandings of the subject - Essay Example Similarly, Donaldson (1995) supported the general connotation that organizations are established and preserves in order to achieve specific intentions. This goal-oriented or active perspective regarding organization indicates that organizations are meeting places of individual efforts that are more or less synchronized to accomplish objectives that could not be otherwise achieved through solitary action. Nevertheless, aligning the notion of organization with the framework of goal pursuit is to some extent problematic, and there is a large collection of literature that deals with the model of an organizational goal and whether or not the construct carries great weight. For instance, several organizations have within them members or employees who either is not aware with the organization’s mission statement or if they have substantial knowledge of it, they do not essentially support it. An actual example is the goal of most publicly managed corporations in several developed nations which is profit maximization or the capitalization of shareholder value; this corporate objective is in stark contrast with the concerns of the many employees who are more focused on their job security and their comparative influence or prestige than they are about revenues. One instance is a contract manufacturer or employee who is not familiar with the components of corporate accounting and consume s more labour hours because of the common belief that the more hours of work the more income they will earn. However, the target of maximizing overtime was not an organizationally endorsed or even acknowledged goal. Furthermore, the objective of maximizing shareholder value does not produce much dedication or motivation among most organizational contributors (Pfeffer, 1997). On the other hand, Pfeffer and Salancik emphasized that â€Å"organizations are... a process of organizing support

Phenomenon Of Grandparent Becoming Parent Essay Example for Free

Phenomenon Of Grandparent Becoming Parent Essay FIGURE FOR GRANDCHILDREN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since 1980, there have been dramatic increases in children living with and being cared for by their grandparents. In 1980, 2.3 million children were living in with their grandparents. By 1997, there were 3.9 million children living in that situation. The 2000 U. S. Census has reported 4.5 million children living in grandparent-headed homes. The 2000 Census also counted, for the first time, 2.4 million grandparents who are responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren who are living with them. REASONS WHY GRANDPARENTS ARE RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Given the statistics above, it can be assumed that more and more grandparents have to play parenting roles for their grandchildren. There are a number of reasons why the statistics continue to rise: The American Association of Retired Persons’ (AARP) Grandparent Information Center states that the most common reason is substance abuse. Drug and alcohol problems are causing parents to be unable to raise their children. Teenage pregnancy is also one reason why grandparents come to raise their grandchildren. Parents who marry and give child at a very young age are often not yet emotionally prepared to take care of their children Illnesses – parents have mental illness or have contacted some other diseases like HIV/Aids. Incarceration-parents are imprisoned or are under detention Child abuse or neglect-the child have been physically abused or are totally neglected by their parents Domestic violence-the parents are often hurling verbal or physical abuse against each other and the child suffers from trauma Death of one or both parents Military deployment- grandparents are called to step in when one or both parents are deployed in military service and are unable to care for their kids Poverty or joblessness   Ã‚  Ã‚   EMOTIONAL BENEFITS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A majority of grandparents who raise their grandchildren report experiencing a great purpose for living. Providing care for grandchildren helped them to feel young and inactive. Other rewards include A chance to raise a child differently A chance to nurture family relationships. Family ties and values are preserved. They are able to receive love, affection, and companionship from their grandchildren. Children raised by grandparents tend to be less rebellious and are more understanding and appreciative. To many of the grandparents raising their grandchildren, their sacrifices are more than worth it. It is clear that despite the problems, most grandparents derive satisfaction from acting as parents to their grandchildren. Caring for their grandchildren can be positive and rewarding. Grandparent bring the benefit of experiences and perspective. They can also provide important stability, predictability.   And they can be a healthy role model for their grandchildren. OTHER PROBABLE BENEFITS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Grandparents can ask for legal arrangements so that they can have full custody, temporary custody, or they can obtain the status of being a foster parent. When custody is established by the law, they will have a measure of legal security and can gain rights and benefits for them and their grandchildren. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Each state has a CHIP which pays for doctor visits, hospital stays, shots, and medicine. Financial Aids A child may be legible to get money from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program. These families may qualify for food stamps. The child may qualify for Child Tax Credit and the grandparent may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Both programs can give them extra cash at tax time. Grandparents can ask the school guidance about applying for free hot meals for their grandchildren. REFERENCES Bryson, K. Casper, L.M. (1998). â€Å"Co-resident \Grandparents and their Grandchildren. Census Bureau Current Population Reports.† P23-198.   http://www.census.gov Accessed 6 February 2008 Doucette-Pudman, D. Lacerre, J.R. (1996). Raising Our Children’s Children. Minneapolis, MN.: Fairview Press. Mullen, F. (1995). A tangled web: Public benefits, grandparents and grandchildren. Washington D.C.: American Association of Retired Persons.

Transfer Pricing at Southern :: Business and Management Studies

Transfer Pricing at Southern Alternatives 1. Cost Based Transfer Price Maintain the status quo within the company. All cost methods require that standard costs be used; therefore each division is encouraged to meet standard cost levels, instead of working around actual costs. This will increase goal congruence. Currently, the price Southern is charging is based on the market but they are running under capacity and had excess inventory. Therefore, Thompson is charging market price even though he is running under capacity. If Southern’s VC = 60% then the 40% represents OH and profit. To prevent conflicts in the future it must be clear that variable costs of one division are not actually fixed costs for the whole company. Thompson’s VC = $400 some of that could be FC for the whole company. (Align this alternative with Rob’s Analysis). Advantages: increases goal congruence, requires that the vice president perform a routine cost analysis, therefore requires little resources. Southern mostly supplies Northern therefore, a market based system would be difficult due to the intermediate nature of the materials being transferred, adding attractiveness to a cost based system. Disadvantages: will be very difficult to determine what profit markup will be. Northern supplies mostly to outside companies and therefore will require additional resources in his division to price internal sales. The resources needed to work through the complexity of this system might not be justified by such a low volume. Two Step Pricing The standard VC is charged per unit sold then a periodic charge is made equal to the fixed costs associated with the facilities reserved for the buying unit. Since Thompson rarely sells to other divisions this might work because the facilities needed could easily be identified. Advantages: the buying unit would have proper information needed for marketing and long-term decisions Disadvantages: requires that FC be negotiated regularly, since Thompson rarely sells to Northern the resources needed for this negotiation might not be justified. 2. Negotiation Increase communication between divisions. Currently, Northern may not know that Thompson is paying a higher then expected price for the intermediate materials they need from Southern. If Northern was aware of the amount of upstream costs and profit involved internally, it might be encouraged to forgo its own profits for the sake of the company as a whole. Profit sharing could be introduced to motivate Northern to do this. A specified set of rules would be set up when each manager is negotiating a price. Such as if there is a match in price internally and externally, the business must be kept internally. Also if the managers cannot come to an agreement on price the outside market price will be used. If true negotiation occurred at Birch, each division manager would Transfer Pricing at Southern :: Business and Management Studies Transfer Pricing at Southern Alternatives 1. Cost Based Transfer Price Maintain the status quo within the company. All cost methods require that standard costs be used; therefore each division is encouraged to meet standard cost levels, instead of working around actual costs. This will increase goal congruence. Currently, the price Southern is charging is based on the market but they are running under capacity and had excess inventory. Therefore, Thompson is charging market price even though he is running under capacity. If Southern’s VC = 60% then the 40% represents OH and profit. To prevent conflicts in the future it must be clear that variable costs of one division are not actually fixed costs for the whole company. Thompson’s VC = $400 some of that could be FC for the whole company. (Align this alternative with Rob’s Analysis). Advantages: increases goal congruence, requires that the vice president perform a routine cost analysis, therefore requires little resources. Southern mostly supplies Northern therefore, a market based system would be difficult due to the intermediate nature of the materials being transferred, adding attractiveness to a cost based system. Disadvantages: will be very difficult to determine what profit markup will be. Northern supplies mostly to outside companies and therefore will require additional resources in his division to price internal sales. The resources needed to work through the complexity of this system might not be justified by such a low volume. Two Step Pricing The standard VC is charged per unit sold then a periodic charge is made equal to the fixed costs associated with the facilities reserved for the buying unit. Since Thompson rarely sells to other divisions this might work because the facilities needed could easily be identified. Advantages: the buying unit would have proper information needed for marketing and long-term decisions Disadvantages: requires that FC be negotiated regularly, since Thompson rarely sells to Northern the resources needed for this negotiation might not be justified. 2. Negotiation Increase communication between divisions. Currently, Northern may not know that Thompson is paying a higher then expected price for the intermediate materials they need from Southern. If Northern was aware of the amount of upstream costs and profit involved internally, it might be encouraged to forgo its own profits for the sake of the company as a whole. Profit sharing could be introduced to motivate Northern to do this. A specified set of rules would be set up when each manager is negotiating a price. Such as if there is a match in price internally and externally, the business must be kept internally. Also if the managers cannot come to an agreement on price the outside market price will be used. If true negotiation occurred at Birch, each division manager would

Army Essay

Accountability is defined as, â€Å"Obligation of an individual, firm, or institution to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner. † The importance of accountability, are being on time and in the right uniform. The main reason we have formations and that we are trying to keep account of personnel to know where everybody is at, at all times. You need to know where your soldiers are at all times night and day because in the military things can happen at any time and if you didn’t know where they was you wouldn’t know of their wellbeing or even how to find out if they was alive or dead . The sad thing is people commit suicide all the time and if that happened to one of your soldiers you wouldn’t know, if they was always late you would probably think that they just over slept or just decided they didn’t feel like coming in that morning and it would be a day or two before anybody found out . I have learned in the past years that I have been in that being on time is the most important thing that you need to do. For one the accountability of personnel is major, it plays a big role in the deployment and the readiness of soldiers. I would have to say that I was wrong for not showing up at my appointed place of duty. But in all things that have been done I have seen that accountability is the most important asset here for work. In doing so it makes sure that everybody is on the same page at the same time in order to do that you have to follow orders that were given to you. I may have made mistakes but the army also teaches us that we are a family and if anything stick together and help the other person out if you see that there is something wrong or them not getting up for formations. Well it has been a hard time her e but in all aspect of things I have learned that the account of people is very high because if one person is gone it could mess up and crew or any team that plays a big role into this deployment. I never understood what the role was till my first deployment but you have to always be prepared for the worst in everything that you do. I have to realize that it’s not just me that’s here it’s a whole brigade that makes moves and make things happen. Like I know that I should have been on time and that I should have showed up. So yes I take the fault for that but I still see that in the long run we all have to stick together in order for things to happen in the right way. For me being late I will make sure for now on that I am not late to any place I need to be I will be up way before time. The Army is an institution that is very much like a human body, and the soldiers are the veins in that body. In order for the body to operate at maximum efficiency it needs all its veins to be pumping at full capacity. Accountability is also important for other reasons. Every soldier in the unit, after they complete their day’s work goes to do their personal activities. Some live off- post, some in the barracks, others elsewhere on post. Regardless of where the soldier lives, they are always at risk. These risks could be anything: they could be robbed at a gas station, beat up at a club, their house could catch fire, or they could get into a car accident. The dangers are endless, but that does not change the fact that each soldier is the responsibility of the First Sergeant and Commander in the unit and they are representatives of the Army. This is the reason behind accountability formations in the morning. Every soldier must report that they are safe and ready to continue working without any issues to prevent them from doing their duties. There are other reasons accountability is important such as if a soldier was to receive a red cross message you need to notify the soldier immediately and if you didn’t know where the soldier was this would be an impossible task and the message might never reach the soldier, or if there was a terrorist threat on fort Huachuca and every one needed to be on guard the soldier wouldn’t know and wouldn’t be there and would have major consequences to face when he finally showed up, if he ever shoes up. There are many reasons why accountability is important not only in the military but as a civilian too, for instance in the coal mines everyone has two tags with a number on it and before you go into the mine you hang one of the tags on a bored and keep one with you and when you come out you pick your tag up, they do this so if something would happen such as the mine would collapse they would know how many people are down there and who they are so they can conduct a search and rescue and notify the families of those workers. Not only the coal mines use accountability, every job uses it in one way or another like when you punch in on your time card, most people think this is just to accurately record the time you are working but if you think about it this is a form of accountability, being on time is a very important part of accountability because if you’re not on time you can be considered AWOL or your supervisor could think something bad has happened such as death or you suffered a erious injury. So therefore being accounted for is of utmost importance so that your supervisor doesn’t assume the worst and to let everyone know ha you present and able to perform the days duties.

Arguments on W.C. Smith

Wilfred Cantell Smith a much respected Canadian religion academic died in 2000 but as other great thinkers like him his works continue to live after his passing.Smith has dealt extensively with the matter of â€Å"faith† and how we as people interpret or understand it on a daily basis. Faith according to Smith is the essence of humanity and it is for this reason that much of his work has delved largely on this matter.Before we go any further it is important to appreciate that Smith is a world class scholar who spent sometime teaching a Christian mission college in the Indian subcontinent before and after it was divided to create Pakistan.While there he developed an appreciation for the Muslim faith and on his return to Canada he helped set up the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. He later on moved to Harvard where he became the Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions.Never one to be held down by conventions, his biggest aim was to move away fro m the Christian theology he had long dealt with, as a student and teacher, to a much broader way in which a better understanding of religion can be attained. Smith once described his work as: â€Å"the search for conceptual clarification of man's relation to transcendence.† (Jagger, 2004).Religion obviously has two terms that go hand in hand, â€Å"belief† and â€Å"faith†, as far as many people are concerned. Smith felt that faith is not only feature that defines religious life (Smith, 1998) but more what fully defines the human life.Faith according to Smith is different from belief. Not the matter that in Christianity the two terms represent the same quality and have therefore been used interchangeably as was used in the New Testament to in the translation of the word â€Å"pistis† (Smith, 1997).Smith’s beef, if you will, with â€Å"belief† today is that â€Å"belief† seemed to have acquired different meanings in English over time a nd it has brought about much confusion.In Believing: An Historical Perspective, Smith asserts that â€Å"faith† is concerned with persons and on the other hand â€Å"belief† refers to propositions (Smith,1997). This led to his observation that â€Å"belief† has come to simply mean a lack of certainty, i.e. believing in something that may not have factual truths.â€Å"Belief† is an opinion or conviction (Random House Dictionary, 1996). This definition is one that made Smith discount belief as something that can influence religion.   Smith has dealt further with this matter in another one of his works, â€Å"Faith and Belief†.  He felt that the changes that have occurred the terms â€Å"faith† and â€Å"belief† are his reasons for the position he holds that religion is not about belief. About religion itself, Smith argues that the terms â€Å"faith† and â€Å"cumulative tradition† are more apt terms for it.Smith points out that faith, though also very diverse, does not attract manifold interpretations as the term belief does. He also sees faith as cutting across all the religions of the world and it is what compels people to act in accordance to what their religion teaches.This point is what has won me over to Smith’s idea that religion is not about belief. I am in total agreement with Smith’s view of things here.In fact many people have followed Smith’s point of thinking and today the term â€Å"transcendence† is gaining ground around the religious circles. And whenever the term transcendence is invoked what comes to mind is Buddhism, so its clear why Smith’s observation takes all the religions under its his wing, so to speak.

Early American Labor Unions essays

Early American Labor Unions essays Subsequent to the Civil War, the Second Industrial Revolution occurred, bringing in swarms of immigrants who consented to procure factory jobs with minimal pay. Radical ideas concerning labor were formed in Europe over time, and the immigrants assimilated those ideas into the American Labor System. Organized labor from 1875 to the end of the century was relatively successful, given that it is viewed as a beginning to a new form of workers influence. Such success though was not achieving without sacrifice and drudgery; for there were innumerous challenges and difficulties faced during the fight for employees rights. A large factor in the outcome of this so-called revolution was the opinion of the American people. As stated in the New York Times, the people were pro-strikers when on the Baltimore and Ohio Road. Some though were suspicious of the true meaning of these unions. Nasts cartoon inversely depicts the strikers as communists, trying to undermine capitalism thus challenging the accepted thought of the times. The Gospel of Wealth theory at this junction was also popular. It assumed that those willing to work could make it big, and the poor were in such state due to their lack of effort. In even greater lengths to spoil the plight of labor unions, the latter was associated with socialism as well as anarchy in a cartoon depicted by Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper. Despite the fact most unions collapsed (Knights, NLU, and ARU) during rough times, their demise was not in vain. After the Railroad strike of 1877 employers were made to think thoroughly and carefully before negatively tampering with wages. A pre-Civil War demand or a 10 hour work day was almost achieved. The AFL survived the depressions of the 1890s and by 1901 encompassed 1/3 of workers. Pension plans were provided by a number of large corporate companies such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads. The Second Industria...

The Gold Rushes

The Gold Rushes What could be more American than the gold rush? Well, here are four of them. Californias was not the first nor the last. Earlier Gold Rushes While the 1849 Gold Rush is the one we capitalize, it was not the first gold rush. That one happened in North Carolina starting in 1803.  Not even coin collectors may know about that one, because unlike later gold rushes no federal mint was established there at the time. Nevertheless, all of Americas gold coinage from 1804 to 1828 was Carolina gold, shipped to Philadelphia for minting. The next gold rush happened in the hills of Georgia in 1828, in Cherokee country near the town of Dahlonega. A mint was duly established there, and the original D mint mark is found on coins from 1838 to 1861. A gold museum is there today, and historical markers around Lumpkin County point out mine after extinct mine. Another mint opened in Charlotte at this time to serve the mature gold mines of the Carolinas. The California Gold Rush Were all taught that early in 1848, on the 24th of January, James Marshall found gold nuggets in the flume of the water-driven mill he was building in Coloma, California Territory. The news took a while to build steam, but once it did California was swiftly transformed, and the Forty-Niner entered the worlds folklore. The Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park site has a good summary of the events of that day. There were parallels between Georgia and California. Hordes of outsiders poured in, stripped the land of the easy gold, and pushed out the original inhabitants. Soon the romantic- and destructive- prospectors and panners gave way to organized mining firms, which won the bulk of the wealth. A federal mint was established in both states to turn the gold dust into legal tender- Dahlonegas turned out gold coinage with the D mint mark until the Civil War began, and San Franciscos still makes specimen coins today with the S mark. (The original San Francisco mint is a cherished landmark building that survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, safeguarding its supply of money and helping fund the recovery.) Later Gold Rushes Lesser gold rushes over the next half-century left their traces elsewhere in the American West, in Nevada, Oregon, Colorado and Utah. The Colorado gold rush began in 1859, and many former Forty-Niners, themselves former twenty-eighters, set up diggings there. More natives were displaced, and another mint arose in Denver (again with the D mark) that still operates today. Some old coins bear a CC from the short-lived mint in Carson City, Nevada, which was not just a gold rush but a silver rush. But the classic gold rush ended with the turn of the century, starting in 1898 in the Klondike district of the Canadian Yukon and neighboring Alaska. This is the one that Charlie Chaplin reenacted in the movie The Gold Rush. Modern mining companies moved in quicker than ever, and the days of amateur gold hunters striking it rich ended. (North Ontarios major gold rush in 1910, for instance, was a fast-moving corporate affair.) By Chaplins time, just a generation later, history had become farce. Instead, gold-rush history has become a kind of pay dirt, and sites all over the Web serve up choice nuggets about the Klondikes glory days. Today the real money in gold belongs to serious miners, guided by serious geologists. Thus geology, the most practical science, creates the worlds wealth, and that is why the seal of the U.S. Geological Survey features mining tools. Some companies still work the old gold-rush grounds, but most of the diggings are anonymous waste lands today. PS: Many gold rush localities are fondly maintained today as attractive destinations for visitors and tourists. Try these: Columbia, CaliforniaCoos Canyon, MaineKlondike, AlaskaOld Sacramento, CaliforniaSkagway, AlaskaWickenburg, Arizona