Wednesday, November 27, 2019

unit 4 IP Essay

unit 4 IP Essay unit 4 IP Essay You graduated from AIU only five years ago and you have accomplished a lot professionally, in just five years. You are now the Chief Investigator for the Public Defender’s Service (PDS) office for your county in which you live. You had originally thought that you would be required to have been a police officer prior to being eligible for the investigator’s position with the county public defender’s office.You learned that you were not required to have any law enforcement experience to be an investigator for the PDS from conducting research into the position.So here you are now, the Chief Investigator for the PDS office, and you are also a well-respected expert within the PDS office on police procedures from a defense investigator’s perspective.The County Public Defender respects your expertise on this topic so much that he wants you to write a 2-4 page paper on the following topics: SUGGESTION: One of the ways of making sure you address each part of a multiple topic question is to make each topic area a header for one of your paragraphs.An example of this process is:â€Å"1.Due Process: †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Write everything about due process here), then for the next paragraph â€Å"2. 5th Amendment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ then the next paragraph â€Å"3.6th Amendment:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ and then the next paragraph â€Å"4.14th Amendment:†¦)and then the next paragraph â€Å"Pretrial Process:†¦ â€Å"and so forth and so forth.But if you will put these headings in your paper before you start writing then you should cover each topic area of the question. Complete the following for this assignment: Discuss due process

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Max Weber Analysis Essay Sample

Max Weber Analysis Essay Sample Critique of Max Weber Analysis Essay Sample Critique of Max Weber Analysis Essay Sample Max Weber was born Maximilian Karl Emil Weber in April 21, 1864. He was a German sociologist, a philosopher and a political economist who left a significant mark in the discipline of sociology and social theory. While his mother was a staunch Calvinist with an inclination towards ascetism, Max was not exactly religious individually, but his views were greatly influenced by Calvinist doctrines and these were the basis of most of his works. Max got his doctorate in law from the University of Berlin in 1889 and soon after he joined the Universitys faculty as a lecturer and government consultant all as a result of his growing influence in the study of sociology. Max had an estranged relationship with his dad, obviously due to the fact that there were constant domestic issues in which he took his mothers side. In 1897, Max Weber Senior passed on leaving his son to suffer from insomnia, depression as well as nervousness. However, this was only the beginning of his battle with mental illnes s and it led him to quit teaching and devote himself to social sciences as an associate editor in a journal. In his time, as a Reserve Officer during the First World War, Max totally changed his opinion on the German expansionism and started advocating for constitutional reforms, democracy as well as universal suffrage. It is during this period that he actively got into politics and at one time he even tried unsuccessfully to clinch a parliamentary seat. Max Webers thoughts were majorly influenced by German idealism and Neo-Kantianism. Among his greatest inspirations one would notice Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Georg Simmel. This paper critically analyses Max Webers thoughts and opinions presented in his book The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism, in addition, the paper relates Webers ideologies to current thoughts and occurrences and seeks to establish whether the great philosopher has managed to remain relevant in the current society. History of Max Weber Max Weber was born in a cultured family with a long line of accomplished scholars and politicians, with his parents representing diverse lifestyles in that his father was a worldly statesman with an affinity for the pleasures of life while his mother was an ascetic scholar drawn to the doctrines of her Calvinist religion. This fact greatly shaped Maxs life since he was constantly polarized between religion and politics, and he ended up contributing significantly to both fields and even presenting the world with the possibility of connecting the two aspects of life through economy. He grew up learning both religion and politics, with special inclination towards religious ethics due to his close relationship with his beloved mother. However, he did not follow her ascetic interests and even asserted himself as an irreligious individual as a grown up. After studying law in the University of Heidelberg, Weber joined the University of Berlin. While studying at the university, Max got into sociology carrying out researches and writing papers that eventually earned him significant recognition to the point of being admitted to the faculty as a lecturer and government consultant. It is during this time that he started his infamous campaigns against the influx of laborers from Poland into Eastern Germany. He noticed during a study that while many Germans were leaving their homes in the east to work in industrialized towns; Polish laborers were moving in to replace them as farm workers in such large numbers. This worried him for one reason or another and set him on a path that earned him as many enemies as admirers (Weber 2001). In 1893 he married his distant cousin Marianne, an accomplished scholar and feminine activist herself. Thus, this move gave him a platform to financial freedom from his parents and moving to Freiburg a year later. He became a professor of economics at the University of Heidelberg in 1896 and it is here he became the center of the Weber circle which constituted mainly of great intellects of that particular time. Within this circle, he was the center of every discussion and shared about sociology and his thoughts on political economy as well as religion. In 1897, his father died after a great argument with him, an incident that greatly affected the renowned sociologist rendering him incapable as a teacher. This left him with a nervous breakdown, insomnia and depression thus culminating into a mental illness of some sort. The condition, however, did not affect his work in sociology since he became an associate editor and even went ahead to publish some famous works including The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Weber 2001). During his incapacitation, it was rumored that he had chronicled his days of torment since he dealt with the mental illness, but his wife destroyed the accounts out of fear that it could have put his reputation and the reception of his subsequent works at stake. This rumor is yet to be proven and may be as unfounded as its source. In 1912, Max showed great interest in politics and even tried to combine the social democrats and the liberals. This attempt was unsuccessful as the liberals were not entirely comfortable with the ideals of the social democrats. While it was a noble idea to have a left wing political outfit, the attempt failed because it wasn’t such a good time to be courageous in Germany. The political situation was more about aligning oneself with strategic partners and not risking conspicuousness especially with such revolutionary ideals as those of the social democrats. During the First World War, he voluntarily got conscripted into the army as a Reserve Officer given that he was around 50 years of age. It is from this experience that he got a new view on the expansionism policies of Germany (Weber 2001). At first, Max thought the war as necessary for Germany to establish itself as a significant state in the world. After experiencing the war, however, he started campaigning for constitutional reforms, a democratized system of government and universal suffrage. He became actively involved in politics and after the war he tried his hand at becoming a parliamentarian through a Party he had co-founded, the German Democratic Party. After his failure to clinch the parliamentary seat, and his day to day frustrations in German politics based on the way people were not willing to do the right thing for fear of making unwanted enemies and loosing influence, he decided to go back to his teaching career. With his exposure in politics and sociology, he was a more renown scholar with great reputation albeit subtle influence given just how vocal a critic he had been for the Kraiser government. While teaching, he compiled some great works and even gave his world famous lectures on Politics as a Vocation and Science as a Vocation. His death in 1920 came as a shock to many, and a disappointment to the intellectuals at the time. He died of pneumonia after having battled with the Spanish flu. He was 56 years and most of his works were yet to be published at the time. His wife Marianne, however, played a significant role in ensuring that the great scholars works got published even after his death, giving him just about the recognition that he deserved. As a scholar and philosopher, Max Weber was a great mind and he continues to shape the social sciences as well as the political sciences of the world even today. His great thoughts include his definition of capitalism, Calvinism and the Protestant work ethic. Capitalism Capitalism has been used to mean different things in different contexts and by different individuals. To Max Weber, capitalism meant having capital assets owned privately by individuals and offering goods and services for profit. Moreover, he stated that for capitalism to thrive there must be some form of market exchange, voluntary supply of labor and a planned system of labor division. To Max, capitalism was about rationalizing the need to acquire economic wealth for the purpose of reinvestment and eventual multiplication of assets. He believed in individual effort as a building block to the prosperity of the economy in the society as a whole (Weber 2001). Max Weber believed that capitalism could only be successful if it is entrenched in peoples way of life through culture or religion. To prove this point, he examined the ease with which the citizens of Protestant countries like the Netherlands had embraced capitalism and successfully due to the doctrines of their religion that justified the pursuit of economic success through hard work (Weber 2001). Protestantism at that time merged vocation, profession and calling into one, creating satisfaction in even the most subtle of the careers provided there was some form of economic gain being received. In this religion, it is that he founded the idea of the capitalist spirit which aims at rationalizing daily life activities that are in pursuit of economic growth of the individual and thence the society as a whole. Through his rationalization idea, he justified the exploitation of laborers by the rich entrepreneurs provided they were willing to work for their pay. He also justified the way wo rkers allowed themselves to be exploited in that they were working with the belief that their work was a calling from God while the wages were the economic gain that they sought, the ultimate reward would be God’s blessings and salvation as a result of their obedience in responding so willingly to His calling. Calvinism Calvinism basically refers to the Reformed faith that deviated from the Roman Catholic Church. Calvinists were Protestants who were drawn to an ascetic lifestyle by virtue of their teachings on salvation. To these Protestants, economic prosperity was one of the ways acquiring self-confidence, and a lack of this confidence was a sign of insufficient faith. Thus, one of the ways through which one could be assured of salvation was by accumulating wealth to become self-confident and exude sufficient faith. Material wealth was thus a symbol of approval and blessings from God. Unlike other religions that assured believers of salvation based on their devotion and commitment to the religious activities, the Calvinist theology did not provide any assurance and thus the believers were forced to seek it from material manifestations. The religious teachings of the Calvinists further encouraged the believers to seek economic gain by considering the secular vocations to be of equal importance to a religious calling (Durkheim 2008). The Protestant Work Ethic In his book â€Å"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism†, Max Weber wrote that the capitalism that swept across Northern Europe was as a result of the influence of the Calvinist doctrines or ethic which encouraged believers to embrace secular vocations just as they would religious callings. The Calvinist teachings likened secular work to a calling from God and thus encouraged people’s devotion to their work provided they ended up getting some form of income. The protestant work ethic, also known as the Puritan work ethic is founded on the concept of hard diligent work for the sake of economic success and self-confidence. Unlike in the catholic tradition where salvation is assured and faith displayed through acts of attendance, confession and other sacraments, Protestants were not assured of salvation and thus sought out economic prosperity as a way of manifesting God’s approval and sufficiency of their faith. In this way, they grew to learn to associate economic success with hard diligent work and God’s blessings. According to Weber (2001: 246) the protestant work ethic encouraged individuals to pursue economic advancement by terming their secular vocations as a calling from God; moreover, the Protestant theology encouraged even the most humble of professionals to dedicate themselves to enhancing their financial status in order to increase their self-confidence and appear to have enough faith in God. Max supported this concept by noting just how the protestant countries at that time were advancing in terms of capitalism or individual wealth accumulation. With a great example of the Scandinavian countries, Protestantism was encouraging hard work and commitment in order to better the lives of the individuals. People were held responsible for their faith in God, their confidence in themselves and their contribution to the economy. In this sense, more and more people were encouraged to develop personal enterprises and generate wealth while creating employment opportunities for the less fortunate. These ‘less fortunate’ people were also encouraged to earn their wages since their work was a ‘calling’ predestined for them by God in His wisdom. The Critique Max Weber was as an individual, quite torn between two polar personalities. First he was his mother’s son, a scholar with an interest in religion. He also was his father’s son, a politician with parliamentary aspirations. At some point, he even suffered a mental illness that was never really brought out since his wife destroyed every documentation of it, fearing what it could do to his reputation as a renowned scholar and sociologist after his death. However, this did not stop him from making his mark in sociology as well as political and economic history. His works are in one way or another still relevant to this day. Max Weber and the Protestant Work Ethic In his analysis, Weber (2001: 24) believes that the current economic organization is heavily founded on the protestant view of work. Weber (2001:26) states â€Å"the concept of the Protestant work ethic, which stipulated that the spirit of capitalism has to be rooted in the people’s culture or religion if it is to thrive and be successful†, Weber’s views remain relevant to this day. Protestantism may not have necessarily reduced in the world today, but the Protestants are not as devoted to the teachings of their faith. The protestant countries, and particularly the Scandinavian countries as a specific example, have witnessed some level of decline in capitalism and thence accumulation of individual wealth and dedication to hard diligent work. All these values were embedded in the protestant theology and largely contributed to the success of the economies of all these countries way back in history. The boom of industrialization in the Scandinavian countries was gre atly attributed to the existence of the spirit of capitalism which originated from the Calvinist theology. People were encouraged to work hard and create economic enterprises to maximize on the potential of their assets and create opportunities for others. The religion also encouraged the migration of individuals to the industrial centers to seek employment as a way of earning their living. Employment in this case was seen as a calling, and thus is greatly elevated regardless of its stature. More and more people opted to work in the most humble of occupations for as little as the entrepreneurs were willing to pay them, rather than stay in abject poverty and be seen to lack sufficient faith. Economic wellbeing was associated with the amount of faith that one possessed and this drove believers to strive for success in one way or another. Furthermore, this may have created some class divisions in that the rich were considered as more religious and more righteous in the eyes of God and thus they could exploit their unfortunate counterparts by paying them less for work done. Putting this ideology into perspective, the concept of a secular profession being regarded as a calling did serve as a motivation for capitalism in the protestant countries. Using current statistics, as a reference point, religion is of a great influence in inculcating the spirit of capitalism into the masses. The devotion to religion has been on a steep decline since more and more people become too busy to engage in religious activities and learn the necessary doctrines. According to Soto (2002: 43), â€Å"countries that were previously largely protestant or catholic have now become mixed up in that there are just as many irreligious persons as there are the religious ones. The religious ones are also not entirely religious, as they are more engaged in other worldly activities thus they lack the time to really learn their faith.† What this implies is that the formerly protestant or catholic countries can no longer be identified by their dominant religion because there has bee n a great mixture in recent years due to migration, exposure and liberalization in terms of freedom of worship. As a result of the changing dynamics with regards to religious composition of countries, the spirit of capitalism has seemingly eroded in the previously protestant countries while seeming to increase in the catholic countries. The economies of states like the Netherlands and Germany may have led the world in capitalism back in the day, but they are currently at the same level, if not lower than Italy and Spain at present. Devotion to religion is no longer as strong as it was back then, and thus a country cannot be considered as a Protestant or Catholic state. This has eroded the spirit of capitalism and thus greatly affected the economy of the state. This simply proves that Max Weber was right about the connection between religion and capitalism. With the death of the spirit of capitalism, laborers are no longer proud of their work and are not content with their wages. This has been seen in the way workers continue to strike and fight for better wages and better working conditions. Also, there have been more establishing enterprises other than just economic empowerment and creating opportunities for the less fortunate. While sticking to the basics of multiplying wealth and accumulating capital assets, people are no longer bent on creating opportunities for others since the wealthy end up employing only their families and other well connected members of society to work in the top positions of their businesses (Durkheim 2008). Historically, states that had a majority of Protestants and more specifically Calvinists were able to embrace and pursue capitalism aided by the spirit of capitalism that is embedded in the Calvinist theology. This is the major reason, according to Weber, that led to the exponential growth in the economies of these protestant countries. With the decline in religious devotion, it follows that the spirit of capitalism is eroded and thus a decline in capitalism in these states. The seeming increase of capitalism in the Non-protestant states is simply because their spirit of capitalism was borrowed from their Protestant counterparts and thus is not affected by their devotion to religion, or a lack of it. The growth is actually steady, and only appears significant due to the steep decline witnessed by the Protestant states. In this way, Max established the connection between religion and economy despite his not being religious himself. The connection continues to hold water, and this has been proven by the way devotion to labor has gone down with devotion to religion. Currently, there have been recurring reports of industrial mass action where workers down their tools to protest against low wages or unfavorable working conditions. In this way, more and more workers are deviating from the ideal situation in which they would be content with their wages and view their work as a calling from God thus disregarding the inferior quantity of the compensation received. While the purpose of working in the Protestant ethic is to acquire some economic gain, the job is considered more important than the compensation as the laborer is considered to be responding to a calling from God and thus expects eventual salvation as an obedient son or daughter of the Father. Workers in the present day do not persevere in unfavo rable conditions as can be seen in the formation of unions and holding of protests as well as class actions against employers. This however does not disqualify Max Weber’s ideals. It is clear that people are no longer devoted to the doctrines of the religions. Religious teachings are now considered as opinions, and individuals have given themselves the liberty to decide whether to follow a theology or not. In this regard, the fact that not many people pay any attention to religious teachings may have played a greater role in creating this breed of laborers who value their wages more than the work that they are actually being paid to do. Max Weber and Calvinism Max was exposed to Calvinist theology at a tender age given that his mother was a devout Calvinist drawn to an ascetic lifestyle. Although he did not embrace the religion himself, he had quite a great understanding of the concepts and this shaped the ideologies in most of his social works. In his book, Weber (2001:80) wrote â€Å"terming a secular profession as a calling was a great way to motivate the entrepreneur and justify their scramble for economic success.† He also stated that the concept of the calling served as an encouragement to the hard working laborers to view their devotion as a mean of achieving salvation for their faith. While recognizing that the entrepreneurs were using this doctrine to exploit their workers, he looked at this from a greater perspective which was the benefits that this arrangement gave to the society as a whole. He looked at the positive impact of capitalism to the economy regardless of the undertones of exploitation experienced by the labore rs (Weber 2001:92). Max showed just how Calvinism was encouraging the pursuit of economic gains by endowing secular activities with a moral significance. At that time, religion was known to shy away from worldly pursuits in favor of salvation, but Max brought out the side of Protestantism that did not assure salvation to those who attended the religious activities, took to the confession regulations and participated in the required sacraments. He brought out the side of religion that required for one go above the usual religious obligations and uphold hard diligent work, sufficient faith and self-confidence in order for one to claim salvation. Comparing this to Catholicism, Max was quite right. The Catholics were assured of salvation based on how they attended to their religious obligations, confessions and other sacraments. They shied away from the pursuit of economic gains, and limited their participation in secular activities. In this way, the Catholics who were born poor remained comfortably while the rich lived off their inheritance. This limited their economic growth and even led to the large gap between the Protestant countries and the Catholic countries. Overman (2011) concurs with Weber to a certain extend in regard to the present day, Catholic doctrines still limit indulgence in secular activities. For example, while protestant clergy can be involved in entrepreneurship the Catholics are still confined to the convents and seminaries or parish houses where they fully devote themselves to the work of the church. The leaders of the Catholic Church are still expected to live within the means of the church and even observe celibacy as a way of setting themselves apart from the world. In emphasizing on how the Protestant theology permitted involvement in pursuit of economic gains, Weber justified the economic gaps between the religiously defined countries. In the present day, this ideology justifies the difference between the lifestyles of the devout members of these two religions. By looking at Protestantism as a religion that rationalizes the way secular activities are perceived, as a way of earning economic gains and boosting self-con fidence, as a calling with both a moral and spiritual value and not just an unnecessary worldly indulgence, Weber (2001: 46) justifies the gap between the two religions in terms of glamour and affluence especially since most protestant church leaders continue being world famous for their glamorous lifestyle and accumulated wealth unlike the Catholics who by far remain relatively unknown with regards to their worldly possessions. While Protestant states can no longer boast of being more capitalistic than Catholic states that individuals who still follow the teachings of their religion still hold a remarkable difference with regards to how they perceive work and spirituality. The Catholics still seek to separate themselves from the pursuit of economic gains at the expense of their religious obligations while the Protestants willingly merge their spiritual lives with their economic lives maneuvering in between the two with so much ease. This is evident in the number of prominent tycoons who are actually church leaders in the Protestant churches, against the number of Catholic Church leaders who have made a mark in the business world. Max Weber and Capitalism As a social scientist, Max Weber viewed capitalism based on its advantages to the people and society as a whole. Weber (2001:155) described capitalism to be a â€Å"situation in which individuals are allowed to own capital assets, where there is a market exchange of goods and services, and where the supply of labor is on a voluntary basis.† By setting all these conditions in his definition of capitalism, Weber sought to have a society in which every individual is free to pursue economic gains and wealth accumulation on a voluntary basis. Weber (2001:26) reiterated â€Å"the current definition of capitalism is not complete because it does not include the organization skills.† In a social standing, a capitalist would thus be anyone who owned capital assets, participated voluntarily in the labor market, or actively engaged in the exchange of goods and services. Translating this into a state, a capitalist state would be one which allows for all the above conditions meaning that the ruling class is more of the entrepreneur’s club than the politicians. Taking the example of the United States, state capitalism basically implies that the state operates like a large corporation. While the means of production is privately owned at a large scale, the government controls it through regulatory bodies that are supposedly independent and with lots of mandate. However, the state is seen to operate like a protector to the interests of the private corporate who dominate the market in partnership with the government. In such a system, most if not all corporations are jointly owned with the government and this puts the owners in good positions. Contrary to Weber, Soto (2003) emphasizes that a capitalist state basically operates as an economic system. It is for a reason that all the decisions are made based on the interests of the economic powerhouses of the country. The political class that consists mainly of elected representatives thus remains as a bunch of ‘croaking frogs’ that have no effect on the elephant that empties their po nd. They are there to entertain the country with colorful arguments and debates, but the main decisions are made in the boardrooms of corporations and pushed on them by the corporate executives, their lawyers and sometimes even professional lobbyists. The political powers are thus usurped by the already very powerful economic system. The United States may not have initially been a largely protestant country, but its culture and education system were greatly influenced by the Puritans who immigrated into the country during its colonization. These Protestants inculcated in the Americans the unmistakable spirit of capitalism such that all people of power were expected to have come from poor backgrounds and work their way up through diligence and commitment. The doctrine of working hard to better the economic status of individuals eventually led to formation of classes and the economic class ended up with more powers than the political class despite the politicians being democratically elected. In this sense, the adoption of capitalistic tendencies at the state level undermined democracy. This is where Weber failed even himself seeing as he was an enthusiast of democracy himself. State capitalism has numerous discrepancies unlike the ideals that were propagated by Weber’s ideology. First of all, the major decisions affecting the people are made by those who are not directly affected by it. The economic class is given the mandate to deliberate on issues that do not affect them in any way. This means that they only look out for themselves and the working class or common citizens are left to struggle for their survival (Soto 2003). This system tends to widen the gap between the poor and the rich, in a bid to prevent the acquisition of wealth that may threaten the status quo. The close ties between corporate and the government in the business sector provides opportunities for corruption and illegitimate deals due to the lack of transparency witnessed since the government seek to serve the interests of its business allies. This system centralizes the corridors of power and grants it to the private corporate owners, leaving the government as just but a symbol of state authority. In this case, the legislature lacks authority, the executive is under the control and manipulation of the economic class, and the judiciary has a price tag. Such is state capitalism, even in the United States. The United States is a capitalist state in that the country has a political framework that implies democracy but the electorate is constantly shortchanged by the corporate firms that influence major decisions to protect their interests. People of the United States have been against so many policies that were adapted anyway, simply because some corporate somewhere sat in a boardroom and agreed to lobby for that policy as it served their interests whether directly or indirectly. This is a system of colonization whereby the powerful members of society are first class citizens and have much more weight in the running of state affairs. The US government has been a capitalist state, with a militarized outfit for quite a while. The elected representatives have been puppets of the giant corporations rather than representatives of the will of people. The political class has shown little initiative towards becoming a true democracy like a libertarian socialist society. While people are lobbying for democracy, their elected and non-elected ‘rulers’ are getting comfortable knowing that a social revolution would not only hurt the entire nation but the entire human civilization seeing as the US is among the most influential economies of the world (Soto 2003). The country is thoroughly militarized with a really high military budget in the pretext of defense from powerful possible enemies like Korea and a rebellion would prove suicidal. However, all throughout history, men risked their security, their wealth and their lives for the sake of gaining or retrieving their freedom. Thus, the possibility of such a recur rence is there and it could happen on such a large scale that the results will not be negotiable in any forum. This, however, will require the commitment and dedication of all societal factions so as to ensure uniformity in the demands and thus results. With all these in mind, it is important to note that while Weber was right about the roots of capitalism, the fruits are quite a different story. His encouragement and inclination was founded on the benefit of giving people the freedom to engage in income generating ventures for their benefit and that of the society. This, however, resulted in far too many disadvantages including the rich holding the rest of the country at ransom by commanding the reins of power without having to be elected. They only watch out for themselves thus leaving the voiceless poor to fend for themselves under such oppressive conditions. The roots of capitalism were indeed in the religion of the Puritans or rather Calvinists whose doctrines allowed and encouraged their participation in secular vocations as callings from God to attain economic empowerment and thence self-confidence and stronger faith in God. All these were considered as blessings and a sign of favor in the eyes of the Lord. Weber noted this quite well, and they continue to manifest in the decline of the spirit of capitalism along with the decline in devotion to religion across the world. He, however, did not envision the way capitalist states would end up ruining the economic freedom that he was advocating for when he hailed capitalism in the first place (Weber 2001). Having established that Max Webers thoughts were majorly influenced by German idealism and Neo-Kantianism it follows that most of his opinions have managed to remain relevant even in todays society. Historically, states that had a majority of Protestants and more specifically Calvinists were able to embrace and pursue capitalism aided by the spirit of capitalism that is embedded in the Calvinist theology. This is the major reason, according to Weber, that led to the exponential growth in the economies of these protestant countries. With the decline in religious devotion, it follows that the spirit of capitalism is eroded and thus a decline in capitalism in these states. The seeming increase of capitalism in the Non-protestant States is simply because their spirit of capitalism was borrowed from their Protestant counterparts and thus is not affected by their devotion to religion, or a lack of it. The growth is actually steady, and only appears significant due to the steep decline witn essed by the Protestant states. In this way, Max established the connection between religion and economy despite his not being religious himself. The connection continues to hold water, and this has been proven by the way devotion to labor has gone down with devotion to religion. With regards to Weber’s thoughts on capitalism, the roots of the spirit of capitalism were indeed in the religion of the Puritans or rather Calvinists whose doctrines allowed and encouraged their participation in secular vocations as callings from God to attain economic empowerment and thence self-confidence and stronger faith in God. All these were considered as blessings and a sign of favor in the eyes of the Lord. Weber noted this quite well, and they continue to manifest in the decline of the spirit of capitalism along with the decline in devotion to religion across the world. He, however, did not envision the way capitalist states would end up ruining the economic freedom that he was advocating for when he hailed capitalism in the first place. As for Calvinism, he wrote that terming a secular profession as a calling was a great way to motivate the entrepreneur and justify their scramble for economic success. He also stated that the concept of the calling served as an enco uragement to the hard working laborers to view their devotion as a means of achieving salvation for their faith. While recognizing that the entrepreneurs were using this doctrine to exploit their workers, he looked at this from a greater perspective which was the benefits that this arrangement gave to the society as a whole. He looked at the positive impact of capitalism to the economy regardless of the undertones of exploitation experienced by the laborers. Max showed just how Calvinism was encouraging the pursuit of economic gains by endowing secular activities with a moral significance. At that time, religion was known to shy away from worldly pursuits in favor of salvation, but Max brought out the side of Protestantism that did not assure salvation to those who attended the religious activities, took to the confession regulations and participated in the required sacraments. He brought out the side of religion that required for one go above the usual religious obligations and uphold hard diligent work, sufficient faith and self-confidence in order for one to claim salvation. Comparing this to Catholicism, Max was quite right. The Catholics were assured of salvation based on how they attended to their religious obligations, confessions and other sacraments. They shied away from the pursuit of economic gains, and limited their participation in secular activities. In this way, the Catholics who were born poor remained comfortably while the rich lived off their inheritance. This limited their economic growth and even led to the large gap between the Protestant countries and the Catholic countries. As a sociologist, and a political and religious economist, Max Weber continues to live on in his great works that continue to shape the ideologies of scholars around the world. His old works form the basis of most new studies on politics, sociology as well as religion, thus he continue to remain relevant regardless of the changes witnessed by mankind after all these years.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Communication Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication - Term Paper Example The English literary critic I.A. Richards has defined communication as a vital aspect of human kind, â€Å"Communication takes place when one mind so acts upon its environment that another mind is influenced, and in that other mind an experience occurs which is like the experience in the first mind, and is caused in part by that experience† (Ramaraju, 2012, p.70). This means when two people are in communication, then what one person thinks or feels is to a large extent influenced by what the other person is thinking and feeling. Similarly, a person’s individuality or personality is also defined by the perception of others, â€Å"an individual’s personality is a product of their perceptions of others and others’ perceptions of the individual as manifested in the interactive and interdependent exchange of behaviors between them† (Palmer & Barnett, 1998, p.x). Therefore, mutual interaction is a necessary element for the formation of both relationships between people and individuality of a person. Communication defines a person and his or her relationship with the other person. For instance, a formal communication between two people implies that they have a professional relationship while informal communication which includes any random topic indicates that they have a close personal relationship. In most types of communication, people do not give a second thought and there is always a feeling of content by the way people communicate with one another. A national poll conducted by the National Communication Association reported that almost 66 percent of the American people feel at ease when communicating with others. It has also been observed that people belonging to older age group like 55 and above are more inclined to make any kind of communication than any other age group. Also, women rather than men are more skilled

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Technology and Cultural Connections Assignment Essay

Technology and Cultural Connections Assignment - Essay Example Technology, expansive mass media and accelerated communication has virtually removed space barrier. All these have culminated in new developments in individual and social culture. For instance, western culture is oriented towards individual autonomy, independence and differentiation hence, it is more egocentric. On the other hand, much of eastern culture attaches so much value to society i.e. family, community and land (Triandis, 2005). Thus, western culture is individualistic while eastern culture is collective in nature. Combination of these two provides hybrid cultures and new cultures altogether. Globalization has mainly been facilitated by technological advancements. Simpler form of globalization took place in Mediterranean hundreds of years ago. Technological developments in transport and navigation in this region enhanced commercial activities across borders. Globalization was further facilitated by the invention of Script in communication technology. Further developments in communication and transportation gave man greater control over space and thus globalization was spread across globe by empires such as Byzantine Empire. Guttenberg gave a big boost to globalization when he invented the printer. This was followed by invention of newspapers, telegraph by Samuel Morse, telephone by Graham Bell in 1861. Other outstanding historical developments in communication technology included the invention of radio by Hertz and his colleagues. All these contributed to conquest of new lands and introduction of uniform modes of trade and standard modes of communication such as English in non English speaking territories. Other advances in transport and communication technology that gave a boost to globalization included invention of high speed ships and airplanes, television, satellites, fiber optic cable, SWIFT and VSAT (Triandis, 2005). Electromechanical technology refers to things such as radio and television. Computer and internet

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Corrections Accreditation Essay Example for Free

Corrections Accreditation Essay Corrections Accreditation this is a system of verification that correctional agencies and facilities comply with national standards promulgated by the American Association. Accreditation Correction, which developed the national stand to be used in granting organization accredited status, accreditations officially began in 1978. In essence it measures the organizations compliance with nationally accepted standard in the field, as maintained by the accreditation program. (Ch. 8 p179) I feel that corrections accreditation affect the professional development of the correction officers in a good way, this helps the officer to develop skills on a higher level, special training as well as high qualities of head and heart makes a good prison or reformatory officer. While accreditation seek comparable status for their employing organization, accreditation help set the standard for training both operational and management level positions. (Ch. 8 p178) Privatization is a private operated prison that houses prisoners for a profit; it’s closely related to other important issues in corrections over the last past two decades, the role of the private corporation in correction or more specifically, the private operation of secure prisons and jails. In 1980, no secure privately operated jails or prisons existed in America. By 2001, about 150-100 prisons and jails were open for business hold about 120,000 prisoner, or 6 percent of the jail and prison population. (Ch8 p 192) There is not much of a different when comparing privatized prisons to state and federal prisons, a lot of the private operate the same way and sometime mimic the state and federal prisons, they appear to perform at the same level of efficiency as the public facilities, although they tend to house a higher proportion of minimum-custody inmates in relatively new facilities, private prisons tend to have the staffing patterns, provide the same level of work, educatio n and counseling program, so I would have to say that the private prison meet the criteria well. (ch 8 p189) The private prisons have an effect on both the state and federal prisons, with funding  and financial problems a lot of businesses feel the economic bite, but not the private prison systems. These institutions are run for the purpose of turning of a profit, state and federal prisons are contracted out to private companies who are paid a fixed amount to house each prisoner per day, their profits result from spending the minimum amount of state or federal fund on each inmate, only to pocket the remaining capital, the more inmate the more money.(Global Research.com) Some of the way that the industry leader plan to better correctional officers professionalization and accreditation is to educate, training, and better training programs, all of this are key parts in professionalization. I feel that if they take some of the money that make and put back into the training programs this would be helpful for the institution in the outcome of furture of young officer, corrections accreditation help set the sandards for the professionalism and operation of prisons.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Love, affair, disowning! One may think that this is a soap opera, but one is fairly mistaken. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter written by, Nathaniel Hawthorne, love, lies, mistrust are a few of the many situations that confront his characters. In Boston Hester Prynne commits a sin of adultery landing her the punishment of wearing the scarlet letter â€Å"A† for the rest of her life. The man whom with she has an affair with is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Roger Chillingworth is Hester’s husband, and he will do anything in his power to make Dimmesdale repay for what he has done. The physical and metal guiltiness that Dimmesdale undergoes for not confessing the truth of being Pearls father leads him to death. The theme of the novel is sin, isolation, and reunion. Through out the novel Nathaniel Hawthorne uses setting, plot, and the characters to develop these themes. Hawthorne uses the setting to develop the theme of sin, isolation and reunion. In the market place one of the guards opens the jail cell and announces to all the spectators and to Hester shouting, â€Å"Open a passage; and I promise ye Mistress Prynne shall be set where man, woman, and child may have a fair sight of her†¦ Come along! Madam Hester and show your scarlet letter in the marker place† (Hawthorne 52). Hester is being displayed on the scaffold, which Hawthorne uses to show sin. While Hester is walking out of the jail a woman murmurs to one of the other women, â€Å" This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die!† (Hawthorne 49) This scene clearly shows isolation between Hester and the community. The setting of the scaffold scene also illustrates the reunion between Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl. When Dimmesdale admits on being the father of Pearl to all the townspeople, this scene reunites Pearl with herself by making her normal. The forest is as well as a major setting that instigates sin. Isolation in the forest occurs when Hester meets Dimmesdale to achieve some reunion, but instead drives them selves further into isolation. The use of the settings greatly structures how the theme of sin, isolation and reunion came about. The plot is utilized to support the three themes. There are five basic parts to the plot: conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. On top of the scaffold Dimmesdale interrogates Hester’s in revealing the identity of Pearl’s father.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Principles of Communication in Adult Social Care Settings

Assignment 301 – Principles of communication in adult social care settings. Ai) Identify four different reasons why people communicate. .Create and maintain relationships .To teach and to learn .To share opinions .Feelings and emotions Aii) Describe two ways how effective communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carers, colleagues and other Practitioners. Effective communication is essential in building a meaningful relationship between the resident and the carer as it can help build trust and respect.Effective communication is fundamental in regards to the resident’s needs and preferences and to ensure they are met. As a carer i would discuss the options available to the resident to allow them to make an informed choice in regards to their care. Aiii) Using the table below, identify three ways of finding out the communication and language needs of an individual. For each method, describe how eff ective it is at establishing the needs of the individual. METHOD| HOW EFFECTIVE IS THIS METHOD? | Asking/Observing theIndividual. Asking/Observing is probably the best way of establishing the individual’s communication and language needs as this would immediately allow me to establish their usual language, if they are visually or hearing impaired etc. | Check the Care plan for the individuals communication needs. | The Care plan can be a good source of information on the needs of the resident, but if documented incorrectly due to human error this method becomes ineffective. | If the first two don’t provide you with the needed information you could ask resident’s family, friends, doctor or other professionals who have worked with the individual. This is another effective method, only to be used if the first two fail. | Aiv) Describe three factors to consider when promoting effective communication. .Does he/she have any equipment to aid them in communicating e. g. glasses, are they clean and are they the correct proscription? Hearing aids are they switched on, does it need new batteries and is it fitted correctly. .People suffering from dysphasia might get frustrated when trying to communicate. They might have difficulties finding the correct word so patience is required. .Is the area free from noise and distractions, and can the individual clearly see and hear you?Av) Describe three verbal and three non verbal communication methods and styles that a social worker may use in the adult care settings. VERBAL| NON VERBAL| Expression of emotions (nonspoken)e. g. grunts of exasperation, screams of pain or delight, cries of sorrow, whimpers or utterances of joy| Facial Expressionfacial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger and fear are similar throughout the world and are a huge proportion of nonverbal communication| Written CommunicationWriting is considered a form of verbal communication because words are involved. GesturesCommon gestures in clude waving, pointing, and using fingers to indicate numeric amounts. | Oral CommunicationWhen people speak face-to-face, via the phone or by webcam, it's considered verbal communication| Involuntary nonverbal communication Movements and attitudes that show how people feel. | Avi) Explain why it is important to respond to an individual’s reactions during communication. Shows you have respect for the individual and that you are truly interested and listening to what He/she is saying. Avii) Explain how an individual’s background can influence the way they communicate? Read also: â€Å"Advice About Communication†Individual’s backgrounds, customs and beliefs differ and may make communication a challenge, in some cultures for example, children are not allowed to speak to certain adults. Other cultures don’t allow women to talk to men they do not know. Life events can also influence the way people communicate. A person who has suffered a stroke might find it challenging to communicate verbally. A person who has previously been abused might be withdrawn and have difficulties communicating what they want. Aviii) Identify three examples of barriers to communication and explain how you could overcome each barrier?BARRIER| HOW IT CAN BE OVERCOME| Physical barriers| Physical barriers such as noise and temperature are easily overcome, try turning off the television or radio or setting the room to a more comfortable temperature. | Physiological barriers| Ensure any aids the individual needs to communicate are made available and are workin g correctly. | Psychological barriers| An individual suffering from dementia may sometimes struggle to communicate their wishes, in this situation I would reassure the individual Simplifying my words and speaking clearly and slowly giving them time to ask me questions and respond. Aix) Describe two strategies that you could use to clarify misunderstandings. .Ask the individual to repeat what you have told them to confirm their understanding. .Ask the individual questions to determine their understanding. .One way of preventing the misunderstanding in the first place is to refer to the individuals care plan to determine his/her preferred mean of communication Ax) A social care worker wants to enable more effective communication with Individuals using the service. Explain how they could access extra support or services that may be helpful.If a service user is demonstrating hearing difficulties, they could be referred to a general practitioner for a hearing test to determine whether or not the individual needs a hearing aid. Also if a service user is demonstrating visual difficulties could be referred to the opticians. Service users that have previously suffered a stroke may have difficulty producing and using speech, they may need a referral to Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists www. rcslt. org. uk Task B Case StudyYou are a social care worker and a service user, Hannah, tells you that she is unhappy taking her new medication. She thinks she does not need it and so she is throwing it away. You know from her care plan that Hannah does need to take the medication regularly and gets confused. Hannah begs you to keep this confidential and not tell anyone especially her daughter, who she sees regularly, as her daughter will be very angry. Bi) How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality’ to Hannah? I would first establish Hanna’s capacity and try to explain it in a way she would understand.I would try to explain to Hannah that I wo uld respect her right to privacy and would uphold my confidentiality as long as it was in her best interests as I have a duty of care towards Hanna. Bii) Describe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others of Hannah’s decision and keeping this information totally confidential. In telling others of Hanna’s decision to discontinue taking her medication it could leave Hannah feeling betrayed and could cause Hanna to stop trusting me. It would be wrong not to inform my Manager/GP as I have a duty of care to Hannah.Bii) Describe ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication. To maintain confidentiality I would ensure all handovers of service users information was done in private and in an unused room as not to be heard by others. Also by ensuring daily progress notes and care plans were secured in a locked cupboard. Biv) Explain when and how a social care worker should get advice about confidentiality. If a service user asked me to keep certa in information confidential and I was unsure of what to do, I would read the policies and procedures or speak to my manager to find the correct course of action.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Jack Greenberg, Inc.

Family owned business is a business that is owned by one family, most of the shareholders are from the same family. One of the major problems in this type of business is a conflict in interests among the family’s member. The auditor should be careful and observe the type of the relationship among the family’s member. There should be a written agreement to specify rights, duties, and obligations for each member, the auditor should read those documents for further information.One issue that faced the auditor is to understand the attitude of each member, the risk of manipulating facts can be existed due to the close relationship. In the case of Jack Greenberg, the son has manipulated the numbers in the record for his father’s sake and no one would be able to prevent him since he is one of the owners. The possibility of hiding facts is high in this kind of business because of the close relationship among the family’s member.I believe the family owned business demands more effort from the auditor to check and discover misstatements. 2. For the prepaid inventory I would recommend that the auditor should focus on the following objectives; existing, occurrence, valuation and allocation, completeness, and right and obligation. Prepaid items represent a complete listing of the company’s costs that are allocable to future periods and that can reasonably be expected to be realized through future operations.As for the merchandise, the auditor should physically observe the inventory to verify the amount recorded, the most important part of the observation of inventory is to determine whether the physical count is being taken in accordance with the client’s instructions. The audit objective related to merchandise are; * Existence: Inventory as recorded on tags exists. * Completeness: Existing inventory is counted and tagged. * Accuracy: Inventory is counted accurately. * Realizable value: Obsolete and unusable inventory items are excl uded or noted. Rights: The client has rights to inventory recorded on tags. * Classification: Inventory is classified correctly on the tags. * Cutoff: Transactions are recorded in the proper period. 3. Internal evidence is created, used, and retained within the client’s organization and without the help of outside parties for example; sales invoices duplicate copy, employees’ time reports, inventory reports, and purchase requisitions. On the other hand, external evidence originates outside the client’s organization for example; bank statement.This type of documents generally prepared in the ordinary course of business activities and form part of its records whether of accounting or non-accounting nature. Sometimes obtained directly from source such as bank, debtors, and creditors confirmations. External evidence and the internally generated evidence circulated externally are more reliable than the internal evidence. 4. Walkthrough is simply the act of tracing a transaction through organizational records and procedures, a commonsense approach to learning how a process works.The purpose of walkthrough procedure is to evaluate the reliability of the client's accounting system. The auditor looks at the supporting documentation for a transaction from its starting point and then proceeds to examine the accounting system steps thereafter until ultimate disposition of the item. The walk-through examination is one of the tests that is important for the auditor to obtain an understanding of the client’s business. The U. S.Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has drawn attention to a fundamental audit procedures, one that is so common that auditors may take it for granted is the walkthrough procedure. Most auditors traditionally have viewed walkthroughs as the procedure of choice when attempting to develop an understanding of key processes and internal controls of a client. Now, walkthroughs are required when certifying financial reporting controls under Section 404 of the U. S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. As it relates to Audit Standard No. from the PCAOB, the standard includes a requirement that the auditor must perform a walkthrough for each of the company’s significant processes. 5. I would highly recommend that the auditor should extend the scope of substantive test and increase the sample size in order to discover other misstatements that existed. The auditor also could trace documents to testify whether the inventory has been listed accurately. Analytical procedure and test of detail as part of substantive test to find the relationship between the inventory account and other accounts in the financial statements.Cut off test with physical observation to the inventory would help to discover fraud and any misstatement in the inventory account. In addition, the auditor may use confirmation to confirm amount listed in the record with third parties. 6. I think the audit firm responsibility is to info rm the client that there are weaknesses in their current internal control however the audit firm does not have the right to force the client to do some action regarding those deficiencies. The auditor should try to persuade the client and reveal the risks of having such a weak internal control system.In case the client did not cooperate with the auditor, the auditor should resign from performing audit services to the client; he or she should disclose that decision. The general Accepted Auditing Standards -AU 150 paragraph 2- require the auditor to maintain independence as a general rule, the auditor must also exercise due professional care in the performance of the audit and the preparation of the report therefore, in order to maintain the auditor independence, the auditor should have his or her own voice and not just follow the client’s rule.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Free Essays on Heron Of Alexandria

Heron of Alexandria By: Mark Carson Another worker in applied mathematics belonging to the period under consideration was Heron of Alexandria. His much disputed date, with possibilities ranging from 150 BC to 250 AD, has recently been plausibly placed in the second half of the first century AD. His works on mathematical and physical subjects are so numerous and varied that it is customary to describe him as an encyclopedic writer in these fields. There are reasons to suppose he was an Egyptian with Greek training. At any rate his writings, which so often aim at practical utility rather than theoretical completeness, show a curious blend of the Greek and the Oriental. He did much to furnish a scientific foundation for engineering and land surveying. Fourteen or so treatises by Heron, some evidently considerably edited, have come down to us, and there are references to additional last works. Heron’s works may be divided into two classes, the geometrical and the mechanical. The geometrical works deal largely with p roblems on mensuration and the mechanical ones with descriptions of ingenious mechanical devices. The most important of Heron’s geometrical works in his Metrica, written in three books and discovered in Constantinople by R. Schà ¶ne as recently as 1896. Book 1 deals with the area mensuration of squares, rectangles, triangles, triangles, trapezoids, various other specialized quadrilaterals, the regular polygons from the equilateral triangle to the regular dodecagon, circles and their segments, ellipses, parabolic segments, and the surfaces of cylinders, cones, spheres, and spherical zones. (Eves, 146.) He is best remembered for having discovered how to find the area of a triangle in terms of the lengths of its sides and for having invented an early steam-powered machine. In fact he created many interesting mechanical devices besides the steam engine and wrote a treatise on surveying (Dioptrica). In his Mechanica, part ... Free Essays on Heron Of Alexandria Free Essays on Heron Of Alexandria Heron of Alexandria By: Mark Carson Another worker in applied mathematics belonging to the period under consideration was Heron of Alexandria. His much disputed date, with possibilities ranging from 150 BC to 250 AD, has recently been plausibly placed in the second half of the first century AD. His works on mathematical and physical subjects are so numerous and varied that it is customary to describe him as an encyclopedic writer in these fields. There are reasons to suppose he was an Egyptian with Greek training. At any rate his writings, which so often aim at practical utility rather than theoretical completeness, show a curious blend of the Greek and the Oriental. He did much to furnish a scientific foundation for engineering and land surveying. Fourteen or so treatises by Heron, some evidently considerably edited, have come down to us, and there are references to additional last works. Heron’s works may be divided into two classes, the geometrical and the mechanical. The geometrical works deal largely with p roblems on mensuration and the mechanical ones with descriptions of ingenious mechanical devices. The most important of Heron’s geometrical works in his Metrica, written in three books and discovered in Constantinople by R. Schà ¶ne as recently as 1896. Book 1 deals with the area mensuration of squares, rectangles, triangles, triangles, trapezoids, various other specialized quadrilaterals, the regular polygons from the equilateral triangle to the regular dodecagon, circles and their segments, ellipses, parabolic segments, and the surfaces of cylinders, cones, spheres, and spherical zones. (Eves, 146.) He is best remembered for having discovered how to find the area of a triangle in terms of the lengths of its sides and for having invented an early steam-powered machine. In fact he created many interesting mechanical devices besides the steam engine and wrote a treatise on surveying (Dioptrica). In his Mechanica, part ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Putting grammar in its place - Emphasis

Putting grammar in its place Putting grammar in its place For a writing-training company, we run surprisingly few grammar and punctuation courses. To be more precise, we run few courses that focus solely on grammar and punctuation even though more people come to us asking for training in just this area than in any other. And why? Are we phasing the subjects out? Do we not think them important? Has everyone, including us, given up caring? Goodness, no. The fact that our clients often dont end up taking a grammar and punctuation course is not because were keeping it all for ourselves. Rather, its that when they describe their needs in more detail, it often turns out that theyre looking for something broader than just grammar and punctuation. Grammar can be a red herring Most people have a clear idea of what punctuation is, but grammars a little tougher to define. Putting it broadly, grammar is the structure of language: things such as different word classes (verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc) and how words relate to each other or change to show different inflections (such as number, tense and case). However, thanks to the promulgation of so-called rules such as dont start a sentence with a conjunction or dont split infinitives, grammar can seem like a narrow set of procedures that you have to master in order to write well. Peevish articles that get passed around online only add to the misapprehensions (many have cited this one, to which writer and editor Stan Carey has written this comprehensive reply). Such articles tend to further muddy already murky waters by confusing personal preferences or long-standing superstitions (which are usually just extremely old personal preferences) with genuine guidance on rules that will give your writing real clarity. For example, contrast the rule about misplaced modifiers, where the writer inadvertently modifies the wrong part of the sentence, with the superstition that its wrong to put prepositions at the end of a sentence. It does make sense to avoid misplaced modifiers, such as: Showing strong growth, the chief executive presented an impressive set of results. These can bewilder your reader or undermine your writing (not to mention anger chief executives who dont care to have attention drawn to their waistlines). Ending on a preposition, however, is no barrier to clarity. When people approach us with grammar and punctuation on their minds, it may be that theyve noticed errant apostrophes in their teams work, that the writing isnt following a logical structure, or simply that theyre not getting the results they want. Improving writing skills can make a great difference, but theres more to it than blindly following prescriptive mandates. The bigger picture On her academic writing blog, Explorations of style, English language lecturer Rachael Cayley points out that fretting about grammar in isolation, as if it were some loose screw that needed tightening, misses the point and can actually be counterproductive. Improving your writing isnt just fiddling with technicalities and arcane rules, she says. It is a matter of thinking deeply about your ideas and your communicative intent. Theres plenty more to think about when it comes to good writing: planning; structuring (yes, sentences, but also your entire document); drawing the reader in and keeping them hooked; building your argument; picking the best word for the job; and always (always!) considering the needs of the reader. So were not saying grammar isnt important. Of course it is. Its just not the whole story. If you want to have a chat about where grammar fits into your companys story, or how you can get the results youre looking for, call us on +44 (0)1273 732 888. Or take a look online at the courses we offer.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Small Business Government Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Small Business Government Contracts - Essay Example According to the U.S government, a small business is considered independent in its operations. In most cases, either the income generated or number of employees employed within the company determines the size of companies depending on the type of business the company is in; for instance, a service or production business respectively (Knerly, 2007). Small businesses tend to have privileged access to government contracts. A number of government bodies have been established to help the small businesses to manage contracts and enhance their networking. For example, the National Contract Management Association, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, as well as the National Center for Small Business Information. To access government contracts, a small business is usually required to meet a number of conditions. There should be popular possession by people disadvantaged communally as well as economically (Knerly, 2007). The federal contracts target people with difficulties in relation to their race, ethnicity, as well as cultural bigotry, groups such as; Hispanic Americans, black Americans, and the Americans with Asian-Pacific descendent are some of the groups that can easily access government contracts. Prior to contracting with the government, establishing a small business requires registration with the federal government. ... Subsequently, the registered business now seeks financial opportunities that will enable it to operate effectively. The federal government provides a number of opportunities for this. For instance, there are opportunities for sub-contracting, federal grants, as well as partnering with other businesses (Knerly, 2007). Differences between the Cost Estimating Relationship (CER) method and the Engineered Cost Estimate Method Knerly (2007) acknowledges that contract pricing is a vital area for small businesses. In most cases, the government first verifies the overall cost of the business before issuing the contracts. This process usually tends to take a long time and thus, it is vital for the business to ensure that it can manage its daily operations. Small businesses can use various techniques to determine the cost of a contract. Among them is Cost Estimating Relationship (CER) technique and the Engineered Cost Estimate technique. The CER method denotes the use of set up relationships be tween independent variables to approximate a cost or price; for instance, using CER to identify the overall cost of production. The technique of approximating the rapport between independent variables and contract cost follows varied processes. First, the business or individual should clearly distinguish the dependent and independent variables they seek to determine. Second is seeking expert advice on the type of business one seeks to start. In this case, assessing the way other businesses have utilized robots in their production. By doing so using CER, a business is able to generate relevant information. Next is to establish the potency between the variables. In estimating the cost of production using CER, the connection linking the dependent to independent

Friday, November 1, 2019

Human Resource Management of Utiliscan Limited Essay

Human Resource Management of Utiliscan Limited - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Utiliscan Limited, a number one division in the United Kingdom that provides site investigations, safe digging solutions, and specialized drilling services. Notably, the majority of the company’s employees are programmers and engineers who are responsible for designing and installing proprietary software that regulate and track electricity and gas pipelines. Additionally, Utiliscan limited only employs devilish best, highly experienced surveyors to work in their fields and to utilize their current and state of the art equipment. The company is wholly owned by subsidiary adp Group Limited. However, it is management separately and provides services of drilling and vacuum excavation. The umbrella company under which Utiliscan was founded, adp Group Ltd, has lasted for twenty-seven years; historically in partnership and not as a limited company. The adp Group Ltd had been operating in numerous ventures including agric ulture and civil engineering before it ventured or diversified it service provision to site investment, surveying trade, and Vacuum Excavation that led to the birth of Utiliscan. The Utiliscan has its base in the south west of England, and its regional office is found in Southern France. The adp is committed in providing and fulfilling the society’s various needs in Topographical, Utility and Land Surveying, Diamond Coring, Environment and Borehole Drilling, Hydro and Pneumatic Vacuum Excavation requirements. However, with the current expansion of the company, the company has indulged into some new and demanding ventures; thus, it has been experiencing new demands of the services delivery. This has led to a rising needs of hiring new experts into the firm. For instance, the company has currently ventured in the sales of equipment, particularly within the entre western east of Europe and United Kingdom. Some of the equipment being sold by Utiliscan includes its sales of Vector Vacuums in the Western Europe and Air Spade in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it has specialized in sales, hire, and safe service delivery in all digging equipment. The company has achieved it objectives and goals because of its qualified workforce in its different fields. The company has qualified surveyors, drillers, operators, mechanics, engineers, managers, and directors from varied backgrounds. These experts have boosted the company to its vast knowledge, especially within its service sector. Therefore, the company is actually capable of providing standardized work and services in an effective, smoother, cleaner, quicker, effectively, and in a safer manner. Therefore, it can effectively help other constructors in achieving the same goals in the same zero strike record it has ever enjoyed. Notably, according to the research that was carried by the company’s former Director of Hr., Paul, it is apparent that the company had many problems that needed immediate attention. The analysis of the research indicated that not all of the employees were satisfied by the services offered by the organization. However, the size of the company may make it a little bit difficult for the management to find an amicable solution for the identified problems. Nonetheless, it would be particularly vital for the Utiliscan management to correct the already identified problems soonest to improve the rational, morale, and the performance of the employees. The initial step that was to be taken by the management has already by Paul. That is, he has already identified the existing problem in the company that may affect the performance of the company. The serious problems that are affecting the employees include fear of safety, dead end job, lack of incentives, lack of continued education, and profits that the employees deemed below average. Since the problems that are affecting the employees have been identified, it is; therefore, vital for the managemen