Stratigic Management - McDonalds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stratigic Management - McDonalds - Assignment Example The analysis of these factors can reveal the internal strengths and weaknesses of a company (Barnat, â€Å"Internal Organizational Analysis†). McDonald’s is one of the biggest fast food restaurants with customer base of 47 million. McDonald’s operates in almost 119 countries in the world. It has complicated distribution channel and its supplier’s network is spread throughout the world. McDonald’s marketing strategy aims to raise the sales and to maintain its brand image. McDonald’s constantly alter the strategies according to the customer’s tastes, standard of living and opinions. McDonald’s is quite approachable in countries where people are sensitive towards consuming various foods, for example, the market of India (Scribd, â€Å"Internal Analysis on Macdonald’s†). ... In the year 2006, McDonald’s had faced criticism in Japan because of including forbidden foods and dishonest coloring of apple pies. Another critic stated that McDonald’s and its other fast food competitors demoralized native cooking and developed identical international culture. Besides, McDonald’s had faced bad reputation because of unhealthy food and bad employee relation in many of their outlets. There was objection against McDonald’s for making people work for lower wages (Gibison, â€Å"McDonald’s: A Good Image with Bad Ethics†). Section 3: In-depth Internal Analysis Resource Based View of McDonald’s The marketing strategy of McDonald’s is based on the internal resources. Tangible Resources: Product: With regard to fast food products there are many choices for a customer. Thus, McDonald’s focuses on creating a menu that most of the consumers require as well as prefer. McDonald’s always examine the preferences of customers as the preferences change from time to time. To facilitate the change in preference, McDonald’s continuously develop new products and replace old products (McDonald’s Corporation, â€Å"Marketing at McDonald’s†). Intangible Resources: Brand Reputation: McDonald’s has good brand reputation. In the year 2008, it was ranked number eight among other international brands. It had ranked in first position among other fast food international brands. The brand value was calculated to be around 49,499 million USD. In the fast food markets of North America, McDonald’s brand was ranked in seventh position (Millward Brown Optimor, â€Å"Top 10 0 B rand Ranking†). In the year 2010, McDonald’s brand was ranked sixth in the year 2010, among ‘most valuable global brands’ (Social Brand Value, â€Å"Brand

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 33

Summary - Assignment Example Despite the fact that peace has been restored in Bangkok post coup, the junta does now a show sign of lifting the martial law that has been imposes in the country. Key ministry positions have been handed out to retired and currently serving personals, a move that has left those in charge wonder how to deal with such responsibilities, essentially because the Thai military has never really been involved in much decision making on the international front (Thailand After Coup: Uniform Reaction). According to analyst’s opinions, the coup will soon end followed by a civilian rule and essentially lead to fresh elections under the new constitution that is currently being drafted. It must be noted however that the junta is taking essential steps to clean up the economy including the intention to wind up the rings of prostitution, smuggling and drug dealing in the country. With all that being said, the Thai economy has been on its back foot as tourism proceeds have gone done and exports have become stagnant. The ultimate threat comes from the possibility of military courts being set up like in 1970’s. However the view will be much clear once the new constitution comes out and elections take place under

Problems Of Waste Disposal In Developing Countries Environmental Sciences Essay

Problems Of Waste Disposal In Developing Countries Environmental Sciences Essay J. Staniskis (2005), said the acceptance that waste is there, it will always be there cannot lead to waste management solution. We need to know the reasons of waste generation, the can we prevent it. This goes to mean, municipal waste is evident and something needs to be done about it if we need to save lives and protect the environment for the present and the future generation. The aim of this chapter therefore is to introduce the what is municipal waste management, it principles and concept that can be applied in order to improve or optimize waste management strategies in developing countries as well as the case study of this report. Also it will introduce the specific problems affecting efficient management of waste in developing countries. Most human activities generate waste and the manner in which these waste are handled, stored, collected and disposed of that poses risks to both the environment and human health. In fact where the concentrations of human activities are intense like in the urban areas, the needs for an appropriate solid waste management is imminent in order to foster healthy living conditions for the population. As a matter of fact, this ideology has been embraced by many governments with many municipalities trying to provide some basic services. In less developing countries, about 2/3 of most of the wastes generated are uncollected (World Resources Institute, et al., 1996, Achankeng, 2004, USAID 2009). Most of these uncollected wastes which are often mixed with animal and human excreta, are usually thrown in an indiscriminate manner in both the streets and drains which contribute to flooding, insect breeding, rodent vectors and the ultimate spread of diseases (Zerboc, 2003). Most municipal solid waste in Africa and other low-income countries when collected are dumped on land in a more or less uncontrolled way. As a result, this uncontrolled manner of dumping may cause serious adverse effects on both the environment in turn, affect human and animal health and as well as severe economic losses ( Zurbrà ¼gg 2002). Environmental degradation which come as a result of inadequate disposal of waste is expressed by, the contamination of surface and ground water via leachate, soil contamination through direct waste contact or leachate, air pollution by burning of wastes, spreading of diseases by different vector like birds, insects and rodent , or uncontrolled release of methane by anaerobi c decomposition of waste. The decomposition of organic materials produces methane which is capable of causing fire and explosion and this can contribute to serious global warming. For example in a Mexican city of Tampico in the Gulf of Mexico coast, there was fire which burned for over six months in an open dump (Medina, 2003). In some municipalities not served with waste collection facilities, the unusual way for waste reduction is applied by dumped managers and that is through a deliberate setting of periodic firs at the dumps so as to reduce the volume of the waste. This therefore creates space for the dumping of more waste and thus extends the life of the dumps areas. Africa itself produces thousands of tons of waste daily and in which case, most of the solid wastes ends up in open and wetlands which leads to ground water and surface contaminations (USAID, 2009). According to this report, solid waste generation rate for some cities in Africa estimated to be about 0.5 to 0.8 kilogram per person a day. As a matter of fact, comparing these figures with the 1-2 kg per person per day generated in developed countries according to USAID, the figure seems small comparatively but a difficult problem to manage in the context of most developing countries. This because, most cities in the developing countries are handicap or lack the resources to match the demand of services in terms of solid waste management and environmental sanitation (Medina 2002; Achankeng, 2004). In fact because of service insufficiency in cities of most developing countries, there has been an increase in the deterioration of most urban environment especially in the aspect of water and land pollution which is a source of risk to both human health and the environment. 2.1 OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT As earlier mentioned previously, municipal solid waste management is becoming a serious problem in cities of many developing countries (MSWM). This is because, most cities do not collect the totality of the waste generated and of course of the entire waste possibly collected; only a few fractions is disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner. However the whole objective of solid waste management is an ideal concept, that is, solid waste management is aimed to reduce the quantity of solid waste that are disposed off on land by recovery of materials and energy from solid waste (Medina 2002; Zurbrugg 2003; Achankeng 2004). This objective is very well acceptable and applicable all over the world and this is commonly backed by with principles (as will be seen below). Some of the principles of municipal solid waste management involve the application of the principle of sustainable development and principle of Integrated Solid Waste Management ISWM). Integrated solid waste management here refers to the application of suitable techniques, technologies and management programs that deals with waste of all types as well as waste from all sources so as to attain the ultimate goals of sustainable waste reduction and effective waste management which will help in better management of waste produced thereafter. 2.1.1 Sustainable waste reduction Of recent, it has been realized that, in order to attain a successful sustainable waste management, industries and society have to produce more goods and services with a lesser use of the worlds resources (using less materials and energy) and less pollution and waste. In most countries today, despite increase in production of goods, product changes have been introduce and put into use, i.e. applying the techniques of internal recycling of materials and on-site energy recovering which act as a way of solid waste minimization schemes. 2.1.2 Effective Solid Waste Management In an effective management perspective, the systems of solid waste management are needed to ensure an absolute human health safety. In fact, the whole system of effective solid waste management must ensure absolute protection of waste management workers and safety of the entire public health through diseases prevention as well as it must be sustainable in both environmentally and economically manners. By this notion, it means effective solid waste management must have the capacity to reduce in a sustainable way the environmental impacts of waste management and the cost of operation must be acceptable by the entire community. Entirely, an effective waste management system should encompass some options like: waste collection and transportation, resource recovering through separation, resource recovering through waste processing etc. 2.2 CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The issue of waste management has in recent years attracted global concern especially in relation to the environment (Staniskis, 2005). This has led to the creation of many organizations both from local, national to international with the aim to seek for means to develop a more resounding ways of handling, storing and disposing of solid waste in a sustainable and friendly manner (W. Kates et al. 2005). According to W.Kates et al. (2005) it is of recent that the of the need of sound waste management was integrated in the concept of sustainable development created by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) initiated by United Nations General Assembly in 1982, and named the Brundtland Commission in 1987. Following the aim of this commission, it realized that despite the effects of human activities on the environment, humanity still has the possibility to make their developments sustainable in a way that, it should meets the needs of the present without compromising th e ability of future generation to meet their own needs (WCED 1997). This actually, opens as a new way of rethinking as this doctrine was embraced by almost all countries in the world. Following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the doctrine was endorsed and expanded as Agenda 21 which laid out the plan to tackle and overcome economic and ecological problems. Many countries embracing this doctrine have created and adopted supplementary laws to under-score the recommendations of Agenda 21 and Cameroon s not left out. To this effect, many developing countries like Cameroon his was followed by the development of a strategic framework for sustainable development that is, Cameroon created a national environmental management plan which was inculcated into chapter 1 in Article 13 in the law on the environment of 1996, as well as in Chapter 1V Article 45-53 which addresses all issues related to sustainable waste management in the country. According to UNESA (2002), sustainable development has foster and reshape ideologies environment, economy and society. However, today more emphasis on sustainability is focused on the aspect of sustainable development and environment protection, but in which case the broadness of this concept goes deeper than just environmental protection. In developing countries and Africa in particular, water scarcity, resource degradation, falling in the standard of living, species extinction, and tribal conflict which arises because of scrambling for resources are major problems related to environmental degradation. In what sense, if this situation is not handled in a responsible manner in a long while, it might cause serious environmental degradation on environment that can lead to total havoc on human life on earth (UNESA, 2002) 2.3 INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT (IWM): Municipal solid waste has become a serious issue to be worried of within developing countries. This is because most municipalities in the developing countries are handicap in financial and technologically in handling municipal waste management problems. The development of the concept of IWM came to experience as a means to address certain common issues with municipal waste especially in Low-income countries (LIC). Long time ago, the management of solid waste was practiced through collection, land disposal and incineration of household waste. Today, the situation has improved due to increasing awareness of the dangers of environmental degradation caused by human activities (Cole and Sinclair 2002). Apparently, studies have proven that, landfill and incineration solution to solid waste management are not enough to habdle the volumes of solid waste generated both communities and industries (J. Staniskis, 2005). It is imperative to comprehend that, in developed countries; the most suitab le and widely applicable approach for a sustainable environmental waste management is the Integrated Waste Management (Cole and Sinclair 2002). In this context, an integrated approach to waste management consist of hierarchy and coordinated set of action which according to Medina (2002), aim in reducing pollution, maximize recovery of reusable and recyclable materials so as to protect both the environment and human health. IWM systems follow general hierarchy of waste management, Fig, 2.1 Hierarchy of integrated waste management Source: African Development Bank (2002) In this way, it tries to conceive specific issues and needs of community and to develop some appropriate and integrated sets of solution in each context. Several solid waste management studies having bring forth the possibilities of certain approach capable to adapt in many developing countries situation. An overview of some possible solution via the concept of integrated waste management can illuminate the illustration above. 2.3.1 Waste Prevention/Source reduction Large and wide, it has been recognized and proven that waste minimization is by far the most feasible tool for resource efficiency and sustainable development. The fact that we acknowledge that waste is exist and will continue to be there, cannot solve the problem or better still leads to waste prevention. As is often said, it is better to prevent a disease than to cure it. Also, it is after the cause of a disease is known that it can be cured. In this like, according to J. Staniskis (2005), to better prevent waste, it is imperative to first of all know the source of it generation. It is only after identifying the it source of generation that certain prevention measures listed below can be applied. Application of more efficient production technologies to reduce waste Internal recycling of production waste Substitution of hazardous substances Reuse of products or part of products for the same purposes This method requires that, before household disposed off their waste, efficient waste management decision and policies must have been implemented. Through the application of waste prevention, a great deal of waste reduction can be achieved through the introduction of ideas like changing products which help to increase the advantages of pollution reduction and resources efficientcy (J. Staniskis, 2005; Zebroc, 2003) 2.3.2 Reuse Reuse in the context of waste hierarchy refers to recovery of products and use them again. This entail the reduction in the consumption of scarce raw materials thereby saving both water and energy, prevent waste generation as well as reducing pollution. This is quite evidence in most cities in the Less develop countries. For example in Cameroon, both soft drinks like Coka cola, sprite and Pamplemousse as well as mineral water (Tangui and Super Mont) are sole in plastic bottles. After consuming these brands, the consumers keep the plastic bottles for another purpose, e.g. re-sell the bottles to the retailers, also, refill the plastic bottles with drinkable water and later store in the refrigerator. As a matter of fact, this act as a source of income to some household who go around searching and picking these bottles in order to re-sell them to the shops or retailers. 2.3.3. Recycle Recycling of materials is an important aspect of reducing the amount of waste to be disposed off. This system of waste management is being well practiced in developed countries but to a lesser extend in developing countries due to their waste composition, making recycling ineffective in most developing countries. The notion of waste separation at source (household) is a common practice worldwide especially in low-income countries- waste separation is done with a lot of attention by waste pickers and scavengers who recover valuable items from this operation and sell to itinerant buyers e.g. plastic bottles, metals, old shoes, old clothes, papers (Snow, 2003) According to Zerboc (2003), a well organize and waste practice backed by local municipality can enhance safety of on workers health as well improving the income for waste pickers and collectors. Furthermore, waste recycling can be an important economic option for some cities in the developing countries which produces waste similar to cities in developed countries, but in cases where the local municipalities are unable to provide recycling facilities due to financial problems, partnership with other private recycling companies can be another better option (Sudhir et al. 1997) 2.3.4. Composting of waste Taking into consideration the composition of waste in most cities in developing countries, waste composting seems to be a more preferable option to management their waste (African Development Bank, 2002). According to Cointreau (1982), Achankeng (2004) Gordon (2005), most waste in developing countries can be reduced through composting. This is because; most of the wastes generated have higher composition of organic materials. Following their research, about 78-85% of compostable materials were realized in waste generated in some low-income countries like SriLanka. Achankeng (2004) in his research found out that, compostable materials in waste produced in the city of Bamenda in Cameroon stood at about 85%. According to African Development Bank (200), Gordon (2005), the practice of composting can offer the following advantages It helps in the reduction of the amount of waste It has the possibility of reducing landfill gas emission and also because, since it is process is natural, the help reduces environmental degradation Offer the advantage of recovering fertilizer and natural manure that can be used agricultural purposes. 2.3.5 Incineration According to Zurbrugg (2003) and J. Staniskis (2005), incineration is another important option of managing waste. It is a process where waste is being burnt under a controlled and monitored condition. Despite the fact that incineration has the capability of reducing waste to about 90%, this option is still difficult to fit in the context of developing countries due to the cost of constructing a solid waste incineration plant (Medina 2002). Ti construction, maintenance is very costly and cannot be handled by developing countries. Another serious problem of incineration in developing countries is the fact that, most waste consist of high amount of compostable materials and contain high moisture quantity which makes the functioning of incinerators inefficient. 2.3.6. Landfills This method is commonly practice in most developing countries. Sanitary land fill is designed to for final waste disposal. As a matter of fact, it is recognized as a better option of waste management than open dumping commonly practice in cities in developing countries. According to African Development Bank (2002), what makes sanitary landfill some how complex is the way it should be planned, what kind of administration should be associated to it and the amount of experts to be involve Sanitary Landfill has some advantages like reducing the risk of both environmental and human health associated to all kinds of wastes Reduce the absorption of methane underground Production of energy i.e. electricity through the burning of methane captured from landfill gas. The allocation of landfill requires the municipal government identify a convenient location so that it should be far away from human residences. Through the creation of sanitary landfill, it can generate job opportunities for citizens, also reduces pollution and conservation of natural resources. 2.4 PROBLEMS OF SOLID WASTE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 2.4.1 Urban Population growth The first serious problem related to solid waste management in developing countries s that of urban population growth. Most developing countries and Africa in particular, is witnessing fast urban growth because many people a commuting from the suburbs to the cities for better livelihood. This has led to a tremendous increase in the concentration of population in towns and cities (Nath 2003). According to facts from World Bank (2006), the world population has witnessed a tremendous rise since the beginning of 1990 with developing countries recording the fastest growth. The result of this rapid population growth has led to increase in waste generation in urban centers. According to African Development Banks (2002), the rapid population expansion has led to increase in the amount of waste generated in most urban centers in African thus, leading to excess waste over limited infrastructures. Also, rapid urban growth has led to the creation of informal pattern of settlements in cities of developing countries. This has resulted in the creation of slums, with housing and living conditions which are horrible. The pressure of ever-growing population on urban infrastructure in many cities overburdens the provision of urban services. Urban municipal governments are under intense pressure to meet the demand for basic services such as water, sanitation and solid waste management (Medina 2002). Most of the slums grow in an unplanned manner, and the local municipalities are ill prepared to provide basic facilities (like garbage collection) to the ever growing population. This causes garbage to be dumped in open spaces, leading to disastrous effect on the social, economic and environmental health of the area (Kuniyal et al. 1998, Medina 2002, Zerboc 2003); consequently this has resulted in financial and institutional constraints to manage the resulting solid wastes (Chakrabarti and Sarkhel 2003). Even those enjoying decent housing dump garbage in the open space, due to 2.4.2 Lack of finances and infrastructures In a developing country framework, though solid waste management accounts for 20 to 50 per cent of the municipal budget (Schà ¼beler 1996, Bartone 2000), the service is provided to only about 50 per cent of the urban population; actual collection only accounts for around 60 to 70 per cent of the refuse (Gerlagh et al 1999, Khawas 2003). For instance, Latin American countries were generating approximately 275,000 tones of solid waste per day in urban areas, necessitating a fleet of 30,000 trucks and 350,000 m3 of land a day to properly collect and dispose the waste (Chakrabarti and Sarkhel 2003). The insufficiency of services results in the deterioration of the urban environment in the form of water, air, and land pollution; which not only poses risks to human health but to the environment as well (Medina 2002). Another impact of the increasing population is the creation of a vicious cycle of pollution. Rise in population is not met by equal increase in infrastructural facilities, wh ich leads to increase in the filth and garbage. As filth gets accumulated, less and less number of inhabitants are willing to pay for the retrieval services leading to loss of revenue to the municipality and further deterioration of the quality of services rendered (Zerboc 2003). The impact of deteriorating services are directly felt, as there is visible increase in waste being dumped right besides the human habitats, which causes tremendous risk to both environment and human health. The present situation is expected to deteriorate even more due to rapid unchecked urbanization and growth in human population (Zurbrugg 2003). 2.4.3. Environmental problems The impacts of solid waste on environment is immense, from release of harmful green house gases (GHGs) to contamination of ground water, improper solid waste can wreck havoc on the environmental health. The most serious environmental problem in terms of solid wastes is the emission of GHGs. According to Thorneloe et al (2002), the waste management sector represents 4% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions and landfills contribute the largest anthropogenic source of methane, contributing 90% to the total GHGs release from the waste sector in the United States. Methane is a primary constituent of landfill gas (LFG) and a potent greenhouse gas when released to the atmosphere. LFG is created as a natural byproduct of decomposing organic matter, such as food and paper disposed of in these landfills and it consists of about 35-50 % methane (CH4) and 35-50 % carbon dioxide (CO2), and a 26 trace amount of non-methane organic compounds. Each day millions of tons of municipal solid waste are di sposed of in sanitary landfills and dump sites around the world. According to Methane to Markets Partnership, website (2004); globally, landfills are the third largest anthropogenic (human influenced) emission source, accounting for about 13 percent of global methane emissions or over 223 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE). The status of solid waste management system thus considerably influences the problems associated with climate change and global warming. 2.4.4 Health problems Serious public health problems arise due to uncollected solid waste and waste often leading to many infectious diseases including water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Such incidence of diseases puts additional burden on the scanty health services available in resource poor developing countries. Insect and rodent vectors are attracted to the waste and one may recall that as many as 200,000 people had to flee after the outbreak of pneumonic plague in Surat in Western India (1994). The outbreak is attributed to the uncontrolled fermentation of wastes which created favorable conditions for the breeding and growth of rodents and insects that acted as vectors of diseases (Venkateshwaran 1994). A similar study by WHO (1995) observed in 1994 that 616960 cases of cholera resulting in 4389 deaths were reported in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania (UNCEA 1996) which can be linked to the fact that in Northern Africa as much as 20 to 80 per cent of urban solid wastes are dump ed in open spaces (Chakrabarti and Sarkhel 2003). Contamination of ground water by disease causing organisms from water seeping through dumps is likely to include the viruses of hepatitis, poliomyelitis and gastroenteritis (Medina 2002); thus such water contamination may have long run health effects apart from dysentery and cholera. The U.S. Public Health Service identified 22 human diseases that are linked to improper solid waste management (Hanks, 1967 in Hoornweg et al., 1993). The most immediate health threat due to solid waste in developing countries is to the waste workers, rag pickers and scavengers. Waste workers and rag pickers in developing countries are seldom protected from direct contact and injury. The co-disposal of hazardous and medical wastes with municipal wastes poses serious health threat. Exhaust fumes from waste collection vehicles, dust stemming from disposal practices, and open burning of waste also contribute to overall health problems (Hoornweg et al 1993). The magnitude of the health problems due to solid waste in case of developing countries are particularly alarming where the proper collection and disposal of solid waste is impeded by paucity of funds and technological capacity. The areas, which are not serviced, are left with clogged sewers and litters which create serious health problems for the resident population (Khawas 2003). Crowding and unsanitary conditions are important amplifiers of the transmission of infectious diseases. Many infectious diseases thrive where there is a lack of water, and inadequate drainage, sanitation and solid waste removal (Mcmichael 2002). Conclusively, it can be realized that, the issue of waste management in developing countries and Africa in particular posses a lot of challenges which are burning issues to deal with. However, there are some advantages like creating jobs for jobless nationals which is an important advantage for developing countries as a result of good waste management. In more precise way, the whole literature scenario depicts that, much needs to be done by policy makers and municipalities in order to effectively management their waste. Policies enacted should be implemented with the involvement of both private stakeholders and the entire community. Waste management planning should be done in such a manner that, all stakeholders should have a say on the issue of waste as well as training programs can be made an important part of waste management planning. This is because; it will enable the entire community to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of waste management in the milieu.

Great Aspects of Kentucky :: essays research papers

Great Aspects of Kentucky Kentucky could just be the best place between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to live. From "Happy Birthday" to Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky has made a great contribution to history. Being the 15th state to join the Union in 1792, Kentucky has brought forth a number of important people and aspects to the United States. A look back over Kentucky's history will find items that American citizens use in every day life and may not know or even wonder how or where their existence came about. The only National Holiday honoring American mothers was bought on by a teacher in Henderson, Kentucky, Mary S. Wilson. In 1914 president Woodrow Wilson inducted the second Sunday of May as Mother?s Day. A song sung daily across the U.S. was written in 1893 by sisters, Mildred and Patricia Hill, who were teachers in Louisville, Kentucky. The songs first intended use was to be a classroom greeting entitled ?Good Morning to All.? After a court battle, in 1934, the copyright was proved to belong to the Hill sisters and the song ?Happy Birthday? was published and copy written in 1935. Aside from inventions, Kentucky holds claim to a number of great American citizens. Two of the most important men during the American Civil War came from Kentucky. On February 12, 1809 Abraham Lincoln was born to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, one of three children. He won the Republican Party vote and became president in 1860. He held his presidency through the American Civil War and reigned victory over Jefferson Davis, also a Kentucky native, to eventually abolish slavery. Even with his move from Kentucky to Indiana at the age of seven, many Kentucky residents are proud to hold claim to such an upstanding American citizen. Jefferson Finis Davis was born between 1807 and 1808, his elders were unsure of the exact date, to Samuel Emory Davis and Jane Cook, being the youngest of ten siblings who lived in Todd County, Kentucky. Davis was the Confederate president during the American Civil War, 1861 to 1865. In 1846 he resigned his House seat to fight in the Mexican-American Wa r with the Mississippi Rifles, a regiment he established, and served as the colonel. He went on to serve in several other political positions and finished writing A Short History of the Confederate States of America two months before his death in 1889. Great Aspects of Kentucky :: essays research papers Great Aspects of Kentucky Kentucky could just be the best place between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to live. From "Happy Birthday" to Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky has made a great contribution to history. Being the 15th state to join the Union in 1792, Kentucky has brought forth a number of important people and aspects to the United States. A look back over Kentucky's history will find items that American citizens use in every day life and may not know or even wonder how or where their existence came about. The only National Holiday honoring American mothers was bought on by a teacher in Henderson, Kentucky, Mary S. Wilson. In 1914 president Woodrow Wilson inducted the second Sunday of May as Mother?s Day. A song sung daily across the U.S. was written in 1893 by sisters, Mildred and Patricia Hill, who were teachers in Louisville, Kentucky. The songs first intended use was to be a classroom greeting entitled ?Good Morning to All.? After a court battle, in 1934, the copyright was proved to belong to the Hill sisters and the song ?Happy Birthday? was published and copy written in 1935. Aside from inventions, Kentucky holds claim to a number of great American citizens. Two of the most important men during the American Civil War came from Kentucky. On February 12, 1809 Abraham Lincoln was born to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, one of three children. He won the Republican Party vote and became president in 1860. He held his presidency through the American Civil War and reigned victory over Jefferson Davis, also a Kentucky native, to eventually abolish slavery. Even with his move from Kentucky to Indiana at the age of seven, many Kentucky residents are proud to hold claim to such an upstanding American citizen. Jefferson Finis Davis was born between 1807 and 1808, his elders were unsure of the exact date, to Samuel Emory Davis and Jane Cook, being the youngest of ten siblings who lived in Todd County, Kentucky. Davis was the Confederate president during the American Civil War, 1861 to 1865. In 1846 he resigned his House seat to fight in the Mexican-American Wa r with the Mississippi Rifles, a regiment he established, and served as the colonel. He went on to serve in several other political positions and finished writing A Short History of the Confederate States of America two months before his death in 1889.

A Civil Action Movie Notes Essay

Dead child worth least of all Schlichtmann received a call from Anne Anderson because her son died 12 deaths from leukemia >> 8 are children Water from two city wells are contaminated by TCE Case was kicked from firm to firm It’s a hard case because it is most likely unproven Apology from â€Å"who?† >> the defendant is sure to have some professionals >> case might not be winnable Beatrice and WR Grace are the perpetrators Lawsuits begin with the complaint Will Cheeseman: lawyer for WR Grace Jerome Facher: lawyer for Beatrice Charges in the complaint: negligence, conscious pain and suffering, wrongful death Rule 11: civil law suits Facher: knock a guy down, knock him in a way that he can’t get up again â€Å"it’s about this†¦-showing pictures of little kids- Walter J. Skinner: judge MOTION: cheesman (motion to dismiss): schmn. Had no evidence >> no real investigation >> no research RULE 11 is a nonissue because it’s so old Team of geologist and engineers are needed to show if the wells are actually contaminated 6 barrels were found in the back, in a pit Solvent†¦in barrels They get dumped out back, in the ground (witness) Immune system of kids: tore down to nothing He was doing well, and he looked fine†¦it was abrupt Facher: â€Å"these people can never testify† Silicon and TCE are used to waterproof leather Silicon is poured on†¦so some of the spill will fall off of the ground 50 more barrels that city inspector didn’t find â€Å"dump it out there in the gulley† Or dump it in a ditch Pour it into a pit Dump it into the swimming pool Lawsuit: compel the others to settle Schmann wants 25 mil cash†¦and another 25 mil to establish a research foundation to establish link between chemicals and illness†¦1.5 mil annually for families for 30 years Facher claims that Schmnn wants money Geological evidence has to come first; there needs to be proof that the chemicals reach the wells first before the parents of victims can testify The questions were confusing Facher offer a 20 mil settlement for Beatrice WR Grace: Yes on Q1 Beatrice: No on all questions >> case has ended for them Grace offer 8 million >> Schmnn said that he owed the families more than that 375 K per family The companies aren’t going to clean up the place Anne was not interested in money >> she still wanted the apology >> she said that he said that they apologized with their checkbooks >> Schmnn said sorry, but Anne said it was not meaningful The families even lost more that the lawyers Dump trucks full of scraps >> kids playing with fire†¦the water went up in flames Riley told the worker to keep his mouth shut with Celtic tickets APPEAL Judge Skinner found that John Riley deliberately concealed evidence at the trial. His tanner was torn down in 1990. WR Grace was indicted by the Grand Jury for making false statements to the EPA regarding its use of TCE, acetone, and toluene. The company pleaded no contest to the acetone charge. Its Woburn plant was closed in 1990 Two companies paid 69.4 mil to clean up

Cultural Issues of Human Resource Management

International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 45 Carrying Cultural Baggage: the contribution of socio-cultural anthropology to cross-cultural coaching Barbara St Claire-Ostwald, CINCRA International Coaching & Training Consultancy, UK Email Contact: [email  protected] com Abstract This study examines the cultural awareness of professionals working in organisations.Given the multicultural nature of today’s workforce, it is becoming increasingly important for companies and coaches alike to take into account how cross-cultural differences may affect daily working practices. The study draws on a review of current research into cultural dimensions and looks at the complex relationship between personality and culture – our ‘cultural baggage’. In order to explore the opinions and cultural awareness of participants, a questionnaire was developed.The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify themes and orientatio ns to cross-cultural issues in terms not only of communality but also of paradoxes. The results highlighted a high level of recognition of cultural dilemmas and a perceived need and willingness to address and reconcile them. However, the diversity of opinions about the potential benefits of specific methods of addressing cultural dilemmas suggested considerable uncertainly about dealing with cross cultural issues.Key Words: Cross-cultural, cultural baggage, cultural dimensions, coaching, mentoring, socio-cultural anthropology Introduction The aim of this paper is to report on the results of a study designed to explore the emerging discipline of cross-cultural coaching (Rosinski 2003) and to establish the levels of awareness about, and attitudes to cross-cultural issues; the patterns and/or relationships between awareness, attitudes and cultural dimensions among businesses and business consultants, coaches, mentors and coaching/mentoring organisations.I began this study from the pers pective that while there has been some research into mentoring and coaching, there appeared to be little that focussed specifically on cross-cultural influences. In my review of the available literature, it became increasingly clear that the integration of a cultural perspective into coaching was very much at the ‘pioneering’ stage. The main aims of this study were to try and establish levels of awareness bout, and attitudes to cross-cultural issues; and to study the patterns and/or relationships between awareness, attitudes and the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and HampdenTurner among businesses and business consultants, and coaching organisations. Cross-cultural coaching addresses the way in which cultural differences affect the daily lives of people, and raises awareness of cultural differences and the effect they can have on the process of managing others and doing business in general.In today’s global economy organisations underst and that to sustain successful and resilient businesses and to keep their competitive edge, they must develop employees who understand their global business, and employ people with global skills. Rosinski (2003) and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997) have developed pioneering work in cross-cultural competencies and coaching methods. At a fundamental level, their International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 46 work has been based on the works of socio-cultural anthropologists Hofstede (1980) and Schwartz (1994).Their contribution in overcoming cultural miscommunication, tension and conflict, including the perils of stereotyping and ‘mono-culturalism’, has helped to formulate and explore the hypothesis of this study. Cultural baggage: a by-product of cultural systems Socio-anthropological thinking is based on the premise that all humans are born with the same basic physical characteristics, but depending on where they g row up, each individual is exposed to different climates, foods, languages, religious beliefs etc.Therefore, ‘are we really self-made or did our parents, teachers, families and friends have a hand in it? ’ (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1997, p. 54). Thus, one could argue that the socioanthropological perspective on culture takes a holistic view, describing culture as a pattern of learned and shared behaviours of people and/or groups consisting of belief systems and languages; and of social relationships be they personal, organisational, or institutional. (Hall, 1963; Hall and Hall, 1987; Hofstede, 1980; Kondo, 1990; Levi-Strauss, 1966; Schwartz, 1994).Therefore, at a fundamental level, it could be argued that culture is a representation of a complete way of life of a people who share the same attitudes, values and practices. Csikszentmihalyi (1997, p. 7) makes the distinction of ‘identity’ by using snowflakes as a metaphor: â€Å"They look identical as they fall, but taking a closer look, we soon discover that they are not identical†. Hence, he argues, rather than seeing identity as a single unitary self, perhaps cultural identity should be viewed as being multi-faceted, i. e. cknowledging that people have a number of selves or identities depending on context and setting. For example, the biggest barrier individuals and/or employees encounter is not necessarily that they come from different parts of the world, or that they speak a different language or even occupy a different physical space, it is the baggage they carry in their own cultural suitcases which needs to be explored. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner maintain that what people expect depends on where they come from, and the meanings they give to what they have or are experiencing.They argue that â€Å"expectations occur on many different levels, from concrete, explicit level to implicit and subconscious ones† (1997, p. 21). Furthermore, they describe culture a s consisting of various layers: †¦The outer layers are the products and artefacts that symbolise the deeper, more basic values and assumptions about life. The different layers are not independent from one another, but are complementary [†¦]. The shared meanings that are the core of the culture are man-made; are incorporated into people within a culture yet transcend the people in culture. (1997, p. 7) Cross-cultural dilemmas Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner argue that â€Å"Every culture distinguishes itself from others by the specific solutions it chooses to certain problems which reveal themselves as dilemmas† (p. 8); to this end, they have incorporated best management theories into their own analysis of the task of managing across cultures. These theories were realized by using a participant questionnaire profiler, which was based on their Seven Dimensions of Culture model and by incorporating Trompenaars and Woolliams framework for managing change across cultures. Similarly, Rosinski points out the dangers of our assumptions and beliefs systems when working with coachees from varying origins and backgrounds. He argues that by providing a framework for integrating coaching and cultural perspectives, i. e. examining numerous International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 47 cultural orientations, styles and approaches to coaching, the development of a cross-cultural mindset will be facilitated.For example, he writes: Our identity could be viewed as this personal and dynamic synthesis of multiple cultures. Our behaviour will typically vary depending on the group we happen to be associated with [. †¦]. The fact that our behaviours depend in part on the particular cultural context further justifies the need for coaches to integrate the cultural perspective into their practice. In some cases the obstacle to someone’s progress may be cultural rather than psychological, thus calling for a di fferent coaching dialogue. p. 1) Furthermore, he maintains that cultural awareness is more than just realizing another culture is different from our own; it is also about learning to value that other culture. He argues that culture is behind our behaviour, and often without our realization. It can influence how close we stand, how loud we speak, how we deal with conflict and as a result, by failing to understand how culture impacts our needs and preferences, culture can often lead us to misinterpret behaviour.Methodology As the research was exploratory, I focussed the design on two main aspects: the initial review of literature which drew on a broad array of coaching and socio-anthropological theories and studies, and the less extensive, but nevertheless in-depth cross-cultural coaching work of Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997), and Rosinski (2003). In turn, this provided the basis for the primary research, which took the form of a questionnaire which was sent to a small expert survey sample to identify cross-cultural themes and patterns.To ensure that survey participants had some recognizable expertise on the subject under investigation, I adopted the model in (Fig. 1) below. On the one hand, I was attempting to quantify levels of awareness of cross-cultural issues, as well as to explore the accompanying opinions, beliefs and assumptions, and how they relate to the dimensions of culture. I was also trying to make sure that the survey respondents would have an interest in this particular area of study. Fig. Survey Sample and Questionnaire Model Corporate/Business Consultants Awareness Opinions Coaching Organisations The survey sample was not only limited in size, but also in terms of the geographical make-up of the participants, who were mostly from the U. K. with the rest from continental Europe. By International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 48 extension it would be difficult to generalise from the resul ts, however, this was not the intention of the study.While gender could also be a factor which might influence attitudes and responses, the exploratory nature of the study precluded it from being a controlled variable at this point, although this issue could form the basis for further research. The purpose of the initial questionnaire was to elicit the opinions of the survey participants in order to identify themes and orientations to cross-cultural issues, in terms of communality as well as potential paradoxes.It was also intended to see how these opinions and orientations fitted with responses to questions about the various cultural dimensions identified and developed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner. The questionnaire was therefore divided into two parts. The first section addressed the opinions about attitudes, values and behaviours pertaining to culture in general, cultural dilemmas and, to crosscultural coaching and training specifically.I also decided to use a n umber of similar questions to check for inconsistencies in responses, which might indicate either a paradox in terms of opinions, possibly a conflict between a ‘norm’ and a given individual’s personal view, or could reflect a lack of appreciation for, or indeed indifference to, a given issue. The second section of the questionnaire was constructed on the basis of Hofstede’s and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s cultural dimensions, and sought to elicit culture-specific values, beliefs and assumptions which could influence cross-cultural interaction within a professional environment.Results, discussions and recommendations In analyzing the responses to the questionnaire, it was evident that there was a high level of recognition of the importance of cross-cultural issues, and the need to address and reconcile them. However it was very difficult to define or quantify levels of cultural awareness, which was to some extent unsurprising given the complexit y of the issues involved. But as I outlined in the methodology, a major objective was also to explore the quality of awareness and understanding of cultural dilemmas and dimensions.In this respect, the first section of the questionnaire (on attitudes to culture and potential cross-cultural training solutions) was very instructive in terms of perceptions about the relationship between culture and personality. In my opinion, the most notable contrast was that there was considerably greater agreement that culture shapes the personality and a lot more uncertainty about how the individual shapes culture. This impression was further reinforced by the general agreement that managers from different cultures do not necessarily find it easy to adapt their behaviour to fit the different needs of another culture.From a coaching perspective, it suggests some attention needs to be paid to how an individual perceives and relates to his/her culture. For example, there is a clear difference between seeing culture as providing a framework for social interaction, which is constantly evolving, and on the other hand perceiving culture as providing a set of social constraints. In either case, there may be some elements of our culture, which at an individual level are considered to be important in our everyday lives, while there are others which may be difficult to accept, which could be sources of tension with other members of our culture.Given that such perceptions may be operating partly at a subconscious level, this may not be easy to establish. But they appear to me to be a significant element in the process of gaining a better understanding of our cultural baggage, i. e. in how we synthesize the myriad of cultural groupings to which we are exposed on a daily basis. There was greater diversity of opinion about the benefits of specific cross-cultural training solutions, and when, where and how they might be applied.The initial conclusion that can be drawn is this shows that the process of integrating the cross-cultural domain into both business and coaching practice is still at an early stage of development. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 49 As far as improving the general awareness and understanding of the benefits of cross-cultural training, three sets of responses in the first section seem to me to define some of the issues that need to be addressed.Firstly the fact that half of the respondents believed that cultural issues within organisations are dealt with only if they relate to behavioural issues is indicative of a certain level of resistance to dealing with these issues, which may be due to an appreciation of the complexity of such issues. On the other hand, if cultural issues in some organisations are only addressed when there is a behavioural conflict, then this will tend to cast them in a negative light.Hence it does lead to the conclusion that some organisations are not sufficientl y aware that ignoring and playing down cultural differences, as well as evaluating them negatively, is a major contributor to miscommunication, misunderstanding and conflict. Secondly, while coaches largely agreed that business managers recognise that diversity training should now include cross-cultural training for employees sent on global assignments, the business organisation responses were much divided.This leads me to conclude that some businesses are either unaware, or possibly not persuaded of the benefits of this specific approach. Nevertheless this set of responses, and the fact that none of the respondents disagreed that incorporating the dilemmas deriving from the differences in cultural dimensions help organisations to integrate their cultural orientations suggests that the key area of uncertainty among businesses and coaches is the method and/or models of integrating cultural dilemmas.The point that this suggests to me is, that before any attempt is made to develop the skills necessary to negotiate the differences between cultures, a greater awareness of how we negotiate difference in our own culture is required. This is to say we need to be more consciously and self-critically aware of the assumptions that underlie our habitual responses and modes of interaction, in other words our cultural baggage. In principal this is already the main focus of traditional coaching and mentoring.But I believe considerably more research needs to be conducted into how these methods and skills can be developed to take account of and integrate cross-cultural issues and dilemmas. From national to cross-cultural perspectives Cross-cultural research has largely focused on national differences because it is much easier to establish a person’s nationality, than to identify him/her as belonging to another type of cultural grouping, be that regional, professional, political, economic or social.The most frequently cited reason is that a given individual will be a mem ber of numerous forms of socalled sub-cultures or higher level cultures (e. g. European), which in effect rules them out as unique independent variables. But I believe that without exercising some control for the effect of these ‘other’ cultural variables, it is difficult to be sure that attributing a given behaviour, belief, value or attitude expressed by an individual to national cultural influences is theoretically or empirically valid.For example, even at a national level, there has to be particular care to acknowledge the difference between ethnically diverse nations such as Canada or Malaysia; ethnically and/or religiously divided nations such as Belgium or the former Yugoslavia, or relatively homogeneous nations such as Japan or Korea, let alone very complex national cultures such as China or India. In essence, this does nothing more than acknowledge that socio-cultural anthropology is the study of the dilemmas and problems of differences and similarities not onl y between, but also within societies.In the specific context of this study, one of the most interesting aspects of the responses to the second section of the questionnaire on cultural dimensions was the differences in opinions both within and between coaches and business organisations. My original intention in including a section on cultural dimensions was to explore the relationship between these responses and those on the first section of the questionnaire. But the differences of opinions between the two sets of respondents on ‘universalism vs. particularism’ and ‘individualism vs. ommunitarianism’ (Fig. 6) suggested to me that I had to consider whether these opinions in some way reflected values that were influenced by the differing needs and requirements of the corporate and coaching environments. I cannot conclude whether this was the key influence International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 50 on thes e responses. However I do think this emphasizes that it is tenuous to assume that the responses to such value dimensions questionnaires can be ascribed largely to national culture.I also believe that the way that corporate and professional culture influences our habits and values requires a great deal more in-depth research. For example, it might be interesting to establish whether there are differences in the responses to a cultural dimensions questionnaire between professional groups, e. g. doctors, police officers, computer programmers, sports professionals, etc. , and how these compare to national differences. However, it also has to be acknowledged that the difficulty of drawing any definite conclusions about key influences is clearly a limitation to the use of questionnaires in general.This does suggest it would have been preferable to be able to expand and explore the data that was generated by the questionnaires via follow-up interviews. But, as discussed in the methodology, this would have required a lot more time and resources than were available to me in this study. Nevertheless analyzing the results in relation to the problem of ignoring and playing down the importance of cultural differences also suggested that the questionnaire design needed refinement.Specifically, I was unable to deduce or make any assumptions about what level of importance each respondent attached to each of the dimensions. A system of ranking the various value dimensions is not a new concept or methodology, in that it is very similar to the two ‘basic bipolar’ dimensions of ‘openness to change vs. conservation’ and ‘selfenhancement vs. self transcendence’ that are incorporated as higher dimensions in the Schwartz Value Inventory (Fig. 4).But more importantly I think that more research into developing a system of ranking the value dimensions would not only help to identify those value dimensions, which may be ignored, downplayed or even n egatively evaluated, but also provide a potentially very useful tool for integrating the cross-cultural dimension into traditional coaching and mentoring practices. Conclusion From this specific perspective, a focus on quantifying how national cultures differ along the various value dimensions that have been identified does run some risk of contributing to the formation of cultural stereotypes, which have little or no predictive value.This is why greater emphasis needs to be placed on understanding our own ‘cultural baggage’ from a coaching perspective, particularly on the dynamic processes of the way in which our own culture has, and is evolving. The building blocks of improving cultural awareness and developing cross-cultural skills therefore have much in common with the key skills associated with building rapport as a coach or mentor. For the coach or business organisation, it is therefore about understanding the processes involved with the different ways in which we negotiate social interaction, and the elements of the various models of culture.These range from the apparently simple distinction between the visible and invisible level of values (Fig. 1) to the complexity of Schwartz’s ‘Theoretical model of relations among motivational value types and two basic bipolar value dimensions’ (Fig. 4). It is about raising our awareness of what is subconscious and invisible up to a conscious and visible level; and from there we can develop the skills necessary to negotiate ways of interacting with others whose values, attitudes and habits, or indeed in contexts are unfamiliar to us.I believe that if this is to be achieved, coaching and cross-cultural research needs to transcend the limitations of a focus on national culture. It needs to acknowledge that cultural identity should be viewed as being multi-faceted, and that people have a number of selves or identities depending on context and setting. The work of Schwartz, Hofstede and Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner has provided very valuable insight into the cultural dimensions, which help to identify the way in which values differ between national cultures.However, they would also be the first to acknowledge that International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 51 national cultures are in a constant state of change, and this in turn dictates the need to evolve their questionnaires, re-analyze the accompanying databases of results, and amend and redefine their models accordingly. But perhaps the key aspect for further research is to develop methods that place a greater emphasis on the processes though which culture changes.In other words how human actions and practices change, and new meanings evolve in response to changes to social contexts. By this I mean for example: the impact of increased migration (whether voluntary, or in response to political or economic factors), or the proliferation of new forms of communicati on like the internet, not only on working environments, but on the myriad ways in which we organize our social lives. The point being that this should help to move research and practice from a focus on more abstract concepts such as values, to the ways in which culture is produced and negotiated.Consequently, as Rosinski (2003, p. xviii) said, ‘intercultural professionals will be better equipped to fulfil their commitment to extend people’s worldviews, bridge cultural gaps, and enable successful work across cultures’. References Clutterbuck, D. 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She is also a member of the British Psychological Society, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, British Sociological Association and the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR). She is tri-lingual (Polish, English, French) and she is able to converse in Dutch, German, Czech and Slovak.