E-Business in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

E-Business in the United States - Essay Example In Drucker's account, technology and the invention of calculating machines, in particular the computer, are central to the progress of society through the three revolutions outlined above. Traditional factors of production - land, capital and labour - have become secondary to knowledge. As long as there is specialized knowledge these factors can be obtained. In this view, company transactions become weightless. For example, the value of Coca-cola is tied not to the value of production of a fizzy drink, but the power the brand exercises in the market place. In the above mentioned context, it is reasonable to compare the building of the interstate highway system in the United States between 1956 and 1976 and the Internet as innovations. The interstate and Internet are both network innovations. The former transformed the economic geography of the United States, promoting lower transport costs, greater market access, outward mobility into the suburbs and the rise of the local shopping mall. While the Internet offers a wider selection and a greater ability to search, the delivery of goods is not immediate. Consequently, Internet marketing may not be superior to the marketing of the conventional shopping malls. The Internet remains part of the long march of creating innovations, but like all technology it is the nature of human inventiveness that makes them beneficial. The period of building the interstate system coincides with an annual average 1.6 per cent growth in real earnings on the Standard & Poor's 500 index of the financial performance of the top 500 US companies. Despite the enormous impact of the interstate on the economic geography of the United States why were these earnings not higher The answer according to Schiller was that the interstate system was just another innovation along the path of inventiveness. Similarly, evidence from McKinsey & Co., the international consultancy, shows that the impact of new technology, including the Internet, on productivity in the United States in the late 1990s was much less than was believed at the time (McKinsey 2001). The relationship between technological change, economic growth, increased productivity and profits is much more complex and indirect than the easy direct relationship suggested by some popular commentators. In the past decade the service sector has been in the forefront of investment in new technologies in the advanced economies. But executives have been deluded: the payoffs have not been fully realized: The primary reason is that technology alone does not determine corporate performance and profitability. Employee skills and capabilities play a large role, as do the structure of day-to-day operations and the company's policies and procedures. In addition, the organisation must be flexible enough to respond to an increasingly dynamic environment. And products must meet customer requirements. (Hackett 1994:21) These observations act as a health warning to the business environment for e-Commerce. This warning is not posted to suggest that Internet-based transactions will fail to deliver material benefits to producers and consumers alike. Rather, they act to signpost the difficulties associated with claims that we now live in a new business, economic and social order. This paper attempts to explain the context in which e-Commerce has developed and the difficulty faced by companies that believe the

Barriers to Citizenship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Barriers to Citizenship - Research Paper Example In Canada, the 2009-2010 citizenship tests have been used to evaluate citizens’ movement in various national settings. Such tests can be used as a tool to formulate public policy. In this context, the Canadian citizenship test has become a tool for naturalization as well as inclusion of various races into a singular national identity. In Britain, the naturalization process has been used as a tool to control immigration (Paquet 243). The American Context of Naturalization Process The road to getting American citizenship has largely got evaded from the inspection of legal experts. Scholars and policy makers have not given due attention to it on the cross-roads of two overdue issues of U.S. citizenship: that it has not been tackled efficiently, and that in no circumstance, it has been a smooth process (Spiro 1). The first task has been neglected due to the emerging proofs of a heightened difference between citizenship and alienage. Leaving aside the issue of vote and a reducing c ount of public sector jobs, for decades it has been difficult to differentiate the status of legal citizen aliens in U.S. society. Things changed with the implementation of the 1996 welfare legislation, which decided the criteria for critical federal benefits available on citizenship only. The process of naturalization got a unique revival with the severe amendments in the federal immigration law. The period of mid-1990s observed a record increase in the number of naturalization applications (Spiro 1). Thus, after decades of negligence, the issues pertaining to naturalization and citizenship came to the political limelight. Academics have taken the hint by writing on citizenship issues. The reinforced attention given to citizenship issues lacks the direction for the criteria of naturalization process. The second rough detail of citizenship has acted as a backstop to the revision of the first. Citizenship rank may now be eventful, but if citizenship is easily attained, then the proce ss of acquiring it is of little value. The traditional wisdom greatly rests with the concept that U.S. citizenship is not exclusive, and that the bridge to naturalization is not unattainable. Actually, not going with the traditional wisdom, and adhering to the premise that naturalization needs create barriers for the applicants to naturalization. Being both a historical and current issue, a large number of naturalization applications have been rejected, causing loss of benefits to be accruing from citizenship (Spiro 1). A big rush was seen in citizenship applications in the mid-1990s to verify famous reasons including, such as the outcomes on IRCA law, fear of inability to avail public benefits, and impact of citizenship outreach programs. Applicants seemed very eager to attend English language classes. With the provision of Amnesty under IRCA, it initiated quick rush for citizenship after becoming eligible but it did not materialize in proficiency in the English language or the nat uralization process. The public rush to apply for naturalization was because of not loosing benefits attached to citizenry. Applicants were more interested to apply to ensure their participation in day-to-day American life, to offer sponsorship for the immigration of relatives, and to guarantee a promising career for their children. The leading recognized barrier was total expertise of the English language. The most dependable mean to facilitate naturalization in the 1990s

Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Texas

Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Texas Ethics: Texas Homeless Network Samantha Maggiani Ethics are a critical component in any profession. This is particularly true for professions rooted in health or other human services. Professional ethics are at the core of the Social Work profession and are utilized when focused attention is needed on ethical issues that arise in practice. Ethical codes provide insight on ethical norms, provide guidance for ethically informed decisions, and contribute to the strengthening of professional identity (Warren, 2014). The literature and research on professional ethics has considerably expanded in recent years and many professional training programs address ethical issues. This awareness of ethical issues is necessary in a field like social work because of the complex ethical dimensions of practice. Social Workers often serve disenfranchised or vulnerable populations taking on a variety of roles and responsibilities. The profession focuses on the client and encourages taking a person-centered, humanistic approach to services. This approac h lends itself to ethical dilemmas as practioners are involved in very personal, sometimes life changing events with their clients. Because of this, it is important that professional ethics remain at the core of the work of social workers and other human service workers. Ethics are of extreme importance to Texas Homeless Network (THN) and are a value identified in their Guiding Principles to Service. THN works to provide exemplary standards of ethical behavior and believes it is imperative to achieving its mission (THN.org, 2015). THN does not provide direct services to clients. Rather, THN works with service providers and individuals working to end homelessness in Texas. Although they do not assist clients directly, staff at THN still encounters ethical dilemmas in practice. For example, a current ethical dilemma identified in practice is related to Source of Income Protections advocacy work. In April 2014, the city of Austin amended its housing discrimination ordinance to add â€Å"lawful sources of income† as a protected class. The ordinance classifies lawful sources of income as non-employment income such as social security benefits, child support, and tenant-based rental assistance otherwise known as housing vouchers. This amendment was approved unanimously by city council and was intended to increase housing opportunities for low income families, working poor, disabled, veterans, and the elderly. Austin City Council adopted this amendment in response to the large amount of fair housing complaints and increasing economic segregation the city was experiencing. Another piece of evidence supporting the ordinance was a 2014 Austin Tenant’s Council survey that found 91 percent of private landlords across five area counties who own units within a voucher price range refused to accept Section 8 vouchers (Austin Tenants Council, 2014). This refusal to accept vouchers concentrates voucher holders in areas of high crime, high poverty, and low performing schools, thus exacerbating the problems around economic segregation and economic mobility. Immediately after the ordinance was passed, the Austin Apartment Association (AAA) filed a lawsuit claiming the ordinance â€Å"contravenes both state and federal law† demanding it be declared invalid and unenforceable. Their argument is that private property owners have the right to use it as he/she sees fit as long as overt discrimination is not involved. The AAA says that their members are not refusing to rent to Black or Hispanic applicants because of their race and therefore no discriminatio n is taking place. On February 27, 2015 Federal District Judge Sam Sparks rejected the AAA’s request for an injunction that would have blocked the implementation of the ordinance. The court ruled that the AAA failed in its â€Å"burden of demonstrating a substantial likelihood of success on the merits† of the case noting that although some burden is placed on the landlord the ordinance was advancing â€Å"an obvious legitimate government interests of ensuring low-income, minority populations have access to affordable housing.†(Sparks, 2015) The judge also ruled that â€Å"the AAA was violating the liberty to contract or not to contract†¦except as restricted by antitrust, antidiscrimination, and other statues.†(Sparks, 2015) Judge Spark’s ruling allowed the City of Austin to continue working on implementation of the fair housing ordinance but now Texas’ lawmakers are getting involved. Legislators from around the state have introduced legislation that would reverse Austin’s Source of Income protections, as well as legislation that would not allow local municipalities to enact or implement similar ordinances that are more restrictive than state law. This attempt to turn the legislature into an appellate court is in response to Austin’s fair housing ordinance and other local more controversial ordinances, such as identifying LGBTQ as a protected class for housing. The proposed legislation would restrict local governments from enacting locally driven solutions for issues such as fair and affordable housing. The topic of housing discrimination of voucher holders has many ethical concerns. On one side is the AAA and its members who claim that the American system of laws and ethics allow them to rent to whomever they choose as long as they provide safe housing for all residents. On a different side of the ethical debate is the National Association of Social Workers that posits six ethical standards that are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers, some of which are directly related to this issue. For example, an ethical dilemma that THN has identified related to housing discrimination is (1) the responsibility to our clients to promote their well-being and (2) to respect and promote their right to self-determination (NASW, 2008). For this example, a caseworker is helping his/her client obtain and secure permanent housing with the use of a housing voucher. Ideally, the client would be given the opportunity to choose where he/she wanted to live and the case worker shoul d respect that client’s right to self-determination and autonomy and diligently help the client obtain their housing of choice. If the property owner does not accept vouchers, it is then the caseworker’s responsibility to serve as a liaison between the client and property management to educate property management and build a relationship for the client. This is where the ethical dilemma arises. As the social worker in this situation, does the client’s right to autonomy and self-determination trump the landlord’s right to the same? Do we restrict those rights to our clients and no one else? What if the landlord feels disenfranchised by the ordinance from the city taking away his property rights to choose who he wants to serve? These are all questions related to ethics that social workers must pay very close attention to in a situation like the one described. The factors impacting this dilemma on a micro level relate to the client and the landlords. If a client does not get the choice to live outside of high poverty, low opportunity areas, then the likelihood of his/her progressing toward self-sufficiency and success could decrease. For the property owners, they argue that their freedom to run their business as they see fit is unnecessarily, and illegally, compromised. On a macro level, not addressing the issue and accepting apartment owner’s ability to have a â€Å"no Section 8† policy would only intensify the already dire economic segregation and goes against the social work value to challenge social injustice. Based on analysis of the consequences of not implementing an ordinance like the one in Austin, as well as the actions and other alternative options that City Council looked at prior to enacting the ordinance, the ethically responsible response is to support the ordinance and combat social injustice. This argument is strengthened by the decision of Judge Sparks. Part of his reasoning is that the real world damage or â€Å"burden† to the AAA members of abiding by the ordinance is small given the fact that the voucher holders are still paying the rents charged by the property owners. They are not suffering an economic loss at all. So the bigger loss to society would be with the AAA’s reaction to the attempt by the City of Austin to address the realities of discrimination against voucher holders since it would further discrimination and maintain the racially segregated status quo that has existed in Austin for far too long. Other cities and some whole states have enacted ordinances similar to Austin’s with many already found constitutional in respective higher courts. Possible consequences to Austin’s plan to address housing discrimination is the effect on the relationship between AAA and local housing service providers. The service community has expressed concerns with such a public fight against the group since they often work together in partnership to house people within their programs. The AAA has identified reversing Source of Income ordinance as a priority this legislative session and there have been many heated conversations during public hearings and sessions on the chamber floor. This high-profile battle could have consequences on housing placement options for providers in the near future. But source of income protections are not enough to solve economic segregation. Texas cities are facing an unprecedented lack of affordable housing. Low wages and the underfunded, often inaccessible mainstream programs such as SNAP or TANF also contribute to the issues surrounding housing affordability for a large percentage of citizens. An effort to create a local minimum wage of fifteen dollars per hour would be needed also. To prevent similar ethical dilemmas from occurring it takes concerted, strategic efforts from all stakeholders involved. Public Housing Authorities and other city entities need to work harder to outreach to property management and apartment associations to educate them on their programs. Housing providers and human service agencies must work with their clients to advocate and share experiences with lawmakers. And agencies like THN that work with both, need to make more efforts to bridge the gap between providers and consumers. The current efforts by THN during t he 84th Legislature are exemplary of this effort to combat housing discrimination and prevent homelessness for vulnerable Texans. References Austin Apartment Association vs City of Austin. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division. 27 Feb. 2015. Print. Austin Tenants Council. (2014). Voucher Holders Need Not Apply: ATC 2014 Study Housing Discrimination National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC. NASW Press. Resources. Texas Homeless Network, Helping Communities End Homelessness. n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015 Warren. (2014, January 1). Ethics in Social Work: An Ethical Code for Social Work Professionals. Retrieved from http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/Socialt_arbete_etik_08_Engelsk_LR.pdf

Censorship Essay -- essays research papers

Censorship Without the history of Censorship, what type of things would children be watching? Without the unique methods of Censorship, what kinds of films would be being released into the public? Throughout this essay I will be explaining the steps taken to achieve the level of Censorship, that we have now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1900-1950 every movie in the world was rated before being released. The government, of the country in which the movie was made always did this. In 1956 the rules were changed. Each movie’s script was now required to go before a Film Board, before being produced. If approved the company was allowed to go on with production. In 1968 the Film Board of the Motion Picture Association of America adopted a new classification system. Instead of the scripts being read, the movies were made, rated by the Board and then put into a category. In 1968 the motion Pictures Association, the National Association of Theater Owners, and the International Film importers all gathered for a meeting about an organization called CARA (classification and rating administration). The main objective of this organization was to educate parents on the films and television that their children watch. This rarely changed any movies or television shows it just put an age limit on the people to be able to wat ch them. Anyone over seventeen years of age was allowed to watch anything they chose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were four categories: 1. G-General 2. PG...

Personal Branding Plan Paper Essay

My professional career is composed of nearly fifteen years in the business world. During these fifteen years I have gained experience and a wealth of knowledge in the fields of sales, marketing, data entry, customer service, and training and development. I have worked in a few industries and during my tenure have learned the skills needed to successfully complete my tasks, in addition I have made observations that allow me to uniquely apply solutions that build efficiency and profitability for any organization. I started in customer service and my eagerness to learn more about the company and my role within it, let me to other positions such as sales, then finance, then corporate accounts and finally a position with Training and Development that has me currently working as an Assistant Manager. I have learned to connect with coworkers and clients in both a call center and face-to-face environment. In addition to customer care I have learned the ins and out of working in the business world to include meeting strict guidelines and producing results even when all the desired resources may not be available. I have learned negotiation tactics beneficially to all parties involved and creating ultimate value for the client whether that be a customer, your employer or a colleague. My experience has yielded positive results and satisfied clients culminating in my confidence that I would be an asset to any company and vice versa. A few of the companies I would like to work for include Southwest Airlines, the local School District, and Capital Group. At the top of my list, at this point in my life, would be Southwest Airlines. Not only are they ranked a wonderful employer but the perks of free flights for myself and loved ones would be excellent especially since all my relatives live out of town. I believe my experience would be greatly utilized at Southwest and we could mutually help on e another improve. I could bring my plethora of skills to their workforce, and in return for my hard work, they would reward me with the ability to see  family I haven’t seen in over a decade. Considering we are a family of five this saves considerable money and would be a great motivator to stay long term. Another company of great interest for me would be working for Capital Group, a leading group focused on delivering superior results to investors and financial institutions worldwide. This company not only provides great pay to their employees but benefits include generous amounts placed in a savings account for their employees by the employer. Also, although it is very important considering pension plans are a thing of the past; I would love to learn more about investing and mutual funds, and 401K. This company would allow me the privilege of learning something I have recently found interest in and I in turn could provide my expertise to assist and enhance in any way possible. Lastly, I would be greatly interested in working for the local school district mainly to get a bird’s eye view of the system especially now that my children are a part of it. Also, a great benefit to me would be having the same days off as my children when it comes to vacations and school holidays so we can be together as a family and I wouldn’t have to incur childcare fees while they are out of school. My expertise in many areas would be benefit to the School system because I can see things from a fresh perspective and offer viable alternatives to enhance the system for all involved. The best method for contacting the companies mentioned above would be submitting my resume online. In order to engage and influence the hiring decision, I must ensure my resume has areas that stand out to identify me as a good if not better fit than most. Because each company is unique I need to ensure I personalize my resume to best suit the needs of the desired company and position. Once I secure an interview I will present myself in the best light possible and showcase my talents and abilities in a manner that will display why I would be a great fit for this company and why hiring me would be mutually beneficial.

Lee Kuan Yew

GFPP 2023 Politics of South-East Asia Topic: Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew Group :B Members’ Names : Chan Xin Ying 214765 Muganthini A/P Kumaran 214956 Ranjani A/P Selvarajan 214951 Teaw Zhen Sheng 215070 Lim Chia Min 214919 Leong Siew Fui 214882 Lau Shie Yin 214853 Tan Kwee Lyn 214762 Chiew Guat Ying 214929 Mehala A/P Gopalakrishan 214972 Lecturer Name : Professor Patit Paban Mishra GFPP 2023 Politics of South-East Asia Topic: Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew Group :B Members’ Names : Chan Xin Ying 214765 Muganthini A/P Kumaran 214956 Ranjani A/P Selvarajan 214951 Teaw Zhen Sheng 215070Lim Chia Min 214919 Leong Siew Fui 214882 Lau Shie Yin 214853 Tan Kwee Lyn 214762 Chiew Guat Ying 214929 Mehala A/P Gopalakrishan 214972 Lecturer Name : Professor Patit Paban Mishra Pg 1 Pg1-5 Pg 5-7 Pg 8-10 Pg 7-8 Pg 9 Pg 9-10 Pg 10-15 Pg 10-12 Pg 12-14 Pg 14-15 Pg15 Pg 15-18 Pg 18 Pg 1 Pg1-5 Pg 5-7 Pg 8-10 Pg 7-8 Pg 9 Pg 9-10 Pg 10-15 Pg 10-12 Pg 12-14 Pg 14-15 Pg15 Pg 15-18 Pg 18 Contents 1) Introduction 2) The Economy Policy Under Lee Kuan Yew 3) Creating a Clean Government in Singapore 4) Reshuffling the society, creating a fair not welfare society i) Greening Singapore ii) Many tongues, one language ii) Rule and Law iv) Fighting on Traffic Congestion 5) Regional and International Policies and Relation under Lee Kuan Yew i) ASEAN- Malaysia ii) China iii) Japan iv) United States 6) Comparison between Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamad 7) Conclusion 8) Attachments 9) References Introduction Singapore the streets are now sparkling clean, and the city runs like clockwork. Singapore is a leading financial center, and boasts an impressive skyline that is easily recognizable. Among other things, Singapore's public transportation and education systems are consistently rated highly in international rankings.Singapore is also known as a clean and green city, and at least some of this can be attributed to Lee's tough stance against chewing gum and littering. Singapore is not o nly good in this aspects but its really good in economical wise too. Singapore’ success in economic and social development in recent decades has been due to pragmatic policies and general public acceptance of a limited government role in such areas as health, social security. Southeast Asia has developed considerably over the past half-century, but Singapore has leaped even further ahead of her much larger and well-endowed neighbors.All this credits should be directed to the prime minister of Singapore who is the great man Lee Kuan Yee. He is widely credited as the architect behind Singapore's remarkable transformation from third-world country to first in just under a generation. Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore on 16th September 1923, a third generation descendant of immigrants from China’s Guangdong province. He read law at Cambridge University, England. In 1954, he formed the People’s Action Party. Five years later, his party won the Singapore general elect ion and he became prime minister at 35.In November 1990, he assumed the post of senior minister. I) The Economy Policy under Lee Kuan Yew Anyone who predicted in 1965 when Singapore seperated from Malaysia that Singapore would become a financial centre would have been thought been thought mad. However, it had become a reality, till now, it is a normal sight to see the gleaming modern offices in the city centre with banks of computers linking Singapore with London, New York,Tokyo, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and other major financial centre in the world. Singapore is considered one of the world's great cities, comparable to New York, London and Hong Kong.Unlike Hong Kong, Singapore could neither ride on the reputation of the City of London, an established financial centre with its long history of international banking, nor depend on the backing of the Bank of England. In 1968, Singapore was still a third world country. Foreign bankers needed to be assured of stable social conditions, a good working and living environment, efficient infrastructure and a pool of skilled and adaptable professionals. In 1965, both Lee Kuan Yao and Goh Keng Swee had decided, soon after independence, that Singapore should not have a central bank which could issue currency and create money.Lee Kuan Yew had determined not to let Singapore dollar’s currency to lose its value against the strong currencies of the big nations such as the U. S. The MAS( Monetary Authority of Singapore) which is in charge of supervising the bank industry, has been given all the authority to issue currency notes and also keep pace with developments in financial services. Lee had to fight every inch of the way to establish in Singapore’s integrity, competence and judgment. Lee Kuan Yew made a modest start with an offshore Asian dollar market, the counterpart of the Eurodollar market .In the early years from 1968 to 1985, Singapore under the governance of Lee Kuan Yew, had managed to attract internationa l financial institutions by abolishing withholding tax on interest income earned by non-resident depositors. The economy in the 1980s under Lee Kuan Yew rested on five major sectors: the regional entreport trade; export-oriented manufacturing; petroleum refining and shipping; production of goods and services for the domestic economy; and the provision of focused services for the international market, such as banking and finance, telecommunications, and tourism.The outstanding growth of manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s had a major impact on the economy and the society, but tended to obscure what carried over from the economic structure of the past. Singapore's economy always depended on international trade and on the sale of services. An entrepot was essentially a provider of services such as wholesaling, warehousing, sorting and processing, credit, currency exchange, risk management, ship repair and provisioning, business information, and the adjudication of commercial disputes. In this perspective, which focused on exchange and processing, the 1980s assembly of electronic components and manufacture of precision optical instruments were evolutionary steps from the nineteenth century sorting and grading of pepper and rubber. Both processes used the skills of Singaporeans to add value to commodities that were produced elsewhere and destined for consumption outside the city-state. A former colonial trading port serving the regional economies of naval Southeast Asia, Singapore in the 1990s aspired to be a â€Å"global city† serving world markets and major multinational corporations.A quarter century after independence in 1965, the city-state had become a manufacturing center with one of the highest incomes in the region and a persistent labor shortage. As one of Asia's four â€Å"little dragons† or newly industrializing economies. Singapore along with the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Taiwan, and Hong Kong was characterized by an export-oriente d economy, relatively equitable income allocation, trade surpluses with the United States and other developed countries, and a common legacy of Chinese civilization and Confucian values.The small island had no resources other than its strategic location and the skills of its nearly 2. 7 million people. In 1988 it claimed a set of economic superlatives, including the world's busiest port, the world's highest rate of annual economic growth (11 percent), and the world's highest savings rate (42 percent of income). As Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew presided over an exponential increase in Singapore's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from US$704 million in 1960 to US$38 billion in 1990. This figure currently stands at US$222 billion, or over 300 times its level in 1960.Adjusting for cost of living differences, Singapore's GDP per capita was ranked 3rd globally by the International Monetary Fund in 2010. Few countries have grown so rapidly, and Singapore's economic success has been widely hailed by international observers. The city-state Lee inherited in 1959 was very different from the Singapore of today. Another of Lee's significant contributions is his establishment of the Government Investment Corporation (GIC) of Singapore in 1981 to manage Singapore's foreign reserves. The exact size of Singapore's reserves is not known, but it is estimated to be one of the world's top ten largest in size.These reserves have allowed Singapore to defend her currency and maintain exchange rate stability even during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-8. No bank in Singapore faltered. Lee Kuan Yew leaves behind a culture that prizes meritocracy and has no tolerance for corruption. He introduced legislation to strengthen the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), and more controversially, proposed in 1994 that the salaries of ministers and top civil servants should be linked to top professionals in the private sector to maintain a clean and honest government.Lee curr ently draws an annual salary of over US$3 million. In the 2011 Corruption Perception Index compiled by Transparency International, experts at ten independent institutions including the World Bank and Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Singapore the least corrupt country in the world. Lee Kuan Yew says a major reason for Singapore's economic achievements is its political stability. He attributes much of this to the dominant role of the People's Action Party (PAP), which he co-founded in 1954. Despite the praise lavished on Mr.Lee for his economic accomplishments, many have criticized his approach against political dissent. Singapore’s economy under Lee Kuan Yew, had been said to achieve miracle. A small country that separated from Malaysia, it had reached to be one of the larger financial centres of the world, with its foreign exchange market ranking fourth in size after London, New York and only slightly behind Tokyo. Lee Kuan Yew had lead Singapore as the high-tech leader of Southeast Asia, the commercial entrepot, the scientific centre.Singapore now plays a major role in the politics and economics of Southeast Asia and beyond. II)Creating A Clean Government in Singapore When Lee Kuan Yew’s political party took over office in 1959, the government set out to have a clean administration. Lee Kuan Yew’s government had a deep sense of mission to establish a clean and effective government. When they took the oath of office at the ceremony in the city council chamber in June 1959, Lee Kuan Yew and the rest of the parliament all wore white shirts and white slacks to symbolize purity and honesty in their personal behavior and their public life.Lee Kuan Yew’s government make sure that from the day they took office in June 1959 that every dollar in revenue would be properly accounted for and would reach the beneficiaries at the grass roots as one dollar, without being siphoned off along the way. So from the beginning, special attentions were given to the areas where discretionary powers had been exploited for personal gain and sharpened the instruments that could prevent, detect or deter such practices.The principle agency charged with this task was the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) set up by the British un 1952 in order to deal with corruption, especially at lower and middle levels of the police, hawker inspectors and land bailiffs who had to take action against the many who broke the law by occupying public roads for illegal hawking, or state land for building their squatter huts. These inspectors could either issue a summons or look the other way for an appropriate bribe. In 1960, the outdated 1937 anti-corruption law was changed and widened the definition of gratuity to include anything of value.The amendments gave wide powers to investigators, including arrest and search and investigation of bank accounts and bank books of suspected persons and their wives, children or agents. There was no need to prove that the person who received bribe was in a position to carry out the required favour. In 1960, a change was made to allow the courts to treat proof that an accused was living beyond his means or had property his income could not explain as corroborating evidence that accused had accepted or obtained a bribe.With a keen nose to the ground and the power to investigate every officer and every minister, the director of the CPIB, working from the Prime Minister’s Office, developed a justly formidable reputation for sniffing out those betraying the public trust. In 1963, it was made as compulsory for witnesses summoned by the CPIB to present themselves to give information. The maximum fine for corruption was increased from $10,000 to $100,000 in 1989. Giving false or misleading information to the CPIB became an offence subject to imprisonment and a fine up to $10,000, and the courts were empowered to confiscate the benefits derived from corruption.Corruptions used to be orga nized in large scale in certain areas. In 1971, the CPIB broke up a syndicate of over 250 mobile squad policemen who received payments ranging from S$5 to S$10 per month from lorry sides of the lorries. Those owners who refused to pay would be constantly harassed by having summonses issued against them. The Institution of Management Development’s World Competitiveness Yearbook 1997 ranked the least corrupt countries in the whole world giving 10 points as the perfect score for the country with no corruption.Singapore was ranked as the least corrupt country in Asia with a score of 9. 18 ahead of Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. Transparency International which based in Berlin, placed Singapore in seventh place worldwide in 1998 for absence of corruption. III)Reshuffling the society: Disciplining ethnics, and creating a fair, not welfare society I) Greening Singapore After independence, Lee Kuan Yew had searched for some dramatic ways to distinguished Singapore from other Third Worl d Countries and finally he opt the path for a clean and green Singapore, as an oasis in Southeast Asia.Besides improving physical infrastructure, Lee Kuan Yew also stated the importance to improve the rough and ready ways of people. He identified the reasons of littering laid on unlicensed hawkers who sell food on the pavements and streets in total disregard of traffic. He also was alerted about the problem created by â€Å"pirate taxi† which ruined the bus services. In the 1970s, Lee Kuan Yew’s government had created many jobs and enforce the law and reclaimed the streets. Food hawkers were licensed and moved towards proper hawker center with piped water, sewers and garbage disposal.By early 1980s, nearly all hawkers were resettled. Lee Kuan Yew’s attempt on transforming Singapore into a tropical garden city was successful. Millions of trees , palms and shrubs were planted and the green eventually raised the morale of the people as well as pride for their surro undings. Children were educated in schools by getting themselves to plant trees, growing it in growth garden, and the message is brought to their parents. Singapore green society was admired by leaders of other nations such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who greened Kuala Lumpur after Singapore’s visit. President Suharto who greens Jakarta and also President Marcos in Manila. Lee Kuan Yew had managed to clean up the Singapore River and Kallang Basin and bring fish back to water, which was a massive engineering job. Underground sewers were laid for the whole island and people were moved from 3000 backyard and cottage industry and resettled in industrial estates with sullages traps for oil and waste. Lee also deal with air and sound pollutions in Singapore, urging all factories to landscape their grounds and plant trees before they could commerce operations.From the 1970s, to save youngsters from nasty and dangerous addiction, Lee Kuan Yew took action to banned all advertising on cigarettes, â€Å"Smoke-Free Week† was launched every year. A ban on chewing gum brought Singapore much ridicule in America. Vandals stuck chewing gum onto sensors of the doors of MRT trains and services were disrupted. Soon the ban was executed, the nuisance was greatly reduced. II) Many tongues, one language Lee Kuan Yew realized that English had to be Singapore’s language of the workplace and the common language.He stated that as an international community, neither Malay, Chinese nor Tamil could be used. In order to achieve this, Lee Kuan Yew had introduced teaching three mother tongues, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil in English schools and to balance this English was also introduced in Chinese, Malay and Indian school. Malay and Indians welcomed the policy but Chinese had made an opposition stand and expressed their unhappiness to the press, particularly from Chinese language Nanyang Universiti and Ngee Ann College.As a result Lee Kuan Yew had merged both Nantah and Uni versity of Singapore to become National University of Singapore, and made all Chinese schools switch to English as their main language of instruction and Chinese as the second language. However, in order to preserve the discipline, self confidence and Confucian values that instilled in students, Lee Kuan Yew had preserve the best nine of the Chinese schools under special assistance plan or SAP.The SAP schools were provided with additional teachers to enable pupils to learn English and Chinese through special immersion programmes and successfully retained the formality, discipline and social courtesies of traditional Chinese schools. â€Å" Speak Mandarin† campaign was launched for a month every year to encourage Chinese to use Mandarin instead of dialect. III) Rule and Law Law and order provide the framework for stability and development. Trained in law, Lee Kuan Yew had imbibed the principle of equality of all before the law for the proper functioning of a society.Soon after becoming the prime minister in 1959, Lee Kuan Yew had abolished the jury system for all cases except murder. Lee Kuan Yew did not accept the theory that a criminal is a victim of the society. Lee Kuan Yew had found canning more effective than long prison terms and imposed it for crimes related to drugs, arms trafficking, rape, illegal entry into Singapore and vandalizing of public property. These measures had made for law and order in Singapore. Singapore was rated No. 1 by the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 1997, as a country where â€Å" organized crime does not impose significant costs on businesses†.The international Institute for Management Development in their World Competitiveness Yearbook 1997 also rated Singapore No. 1 for security, â€Å" where there is full confidence among people that their person and property is protected†. IV) Fighting on Traffic Congestion By 1975 traffic jams in Singapore is unbearable. Incomes were increas ing and the number of cars registered yearly was rising exponentially. To cope this problem, Lee Kuan Yew settled on a scheme whereby a person had to bid for a certificate of entitlement (COE) to use a new car for 10 years which proved effective in limiting the yearly vehicle increase to 3 percent.Lee also decided on underground mass rapid transmit (MRT) and introduced the electronic road pricing (ERP). Every vehicle now has a â€Å"smart card† at its windscreen, and the correct toll is automatically deducted every time it passes under gantries sited at strategic points in the city. Since the amount a person pays the government now depends upon how much he uses the roads, the optimum number of cars can be owned with the minimum of congestion. IV) Regional and International Policies and Relation under Lee Kuan Yew (I) ASEANSingapore had sought the understanding and support of its neighbours in enhancing stability and security in the region. Lee Kuan Yew had stated that ASEAN w ere banding together more for political objectives, stability and security other than ASEAN’s declared objectives on economic, social and cultural. Lee Kuan Yew had played a major role in ASEAN. When Australia tried to change its civil aviation rules in 1978, the Australians planned to excluded Singapore and other ASEAN capitals from airline intermediate stops.Lee Kuan Yew concluded that Boeing 747s flying from Australia to Europe would need to stop either in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok en route to London. Lee Kuan Yew set out to keep Malaysians and the Thais on their side. Lee Kuan Yew wrote to Thai Prime Minister General Kriangshak in January 1979 that Australia’s move was â€Å"blatantly protectionist† and successfully gave concessions to both Thailand and Malaysia airlines. In the end, ASEAN’s solidarity won the fight and Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew’s effort finally made Australia agreed to let Singapore Airlines retain its capacity and outing into Australia and allowed the other ASEAN airlines to increase their capacities. Lee Kuan Yew also played an active role in Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia, which Lee Kuan Yew, tried hard to persuade and ensure the United States to remain interest in the region, and managed to persuade U. S to give modest aid to the two non-communist resistance forces. Malaysia and Singapore Since Singapore’s independence from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Malaysia has been described as symbiotic and interdependent.There remains a high degree of economic and social inter-dependence between the two countries. However, mutual beneficial relationship has been marred by a number of problems that threaten this cooperation. 1) Water Issue Malaysia provides Singapore with about half its water and wants to renegotiate two agreements which date back to the 1960s. Malaysia has argued that it has a right to review the price of raw water u nder the current agreements while the Singapore Government has argued that Malaysia missed its chance to review prices in the mid-1980s.Until now, both countries still failed to resolve this issue although many round of negotiations has been done. 2) Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca) Issue Pulau Batu Putih is small island rocky island located 8 miles off the eastern coast of Johor and 28 miles off the eastern coast of Singapore. It is an island which Singapore has occupied and exercised full sovereignty over for more than 130 years since the 1840s without any protest from Malaysia. In 1979, Malaysia for the first time published a new map which included the island of Pedra Branca in its territory.The dispute began in 1979 and was largely resolved by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2008, which finalized that Pedra Branca belonged to Singapore. Despite the differences in the approaches taken by both countries in resolving their bilateral issues, Malaysia and Singapore are sti ll mutually dependent on each other. The role of the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore are crucial in determining the future relations between the two countries. Efforts to nurture good relations must continue and personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries must continually be encouraged. II) China When Singapore separated from Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew had announced that Singapore would trade and relationship with all countries including China. But, Singapore realized that it was undesirable and impossible for Singapore to establish diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China because Singapore is situated in Southeast Asia, an area surrounded by some anti-Chinese country. Firstly, Singapore abstained from voting on the Albanian Resolution because of the tense relations between its neighbor and PRC at the years between 1966 and 1970.Secondly, to maintain trading with the PRC, Singapore allows the Bank of China as the semi-official repr esentative to continue its business in Singapore. In fact, Bank of China facilitated the trade between PRC and Singapore because the trade with PRC was quite important for Singapore. However, the relation with PRC was concerned, there are marred by the Bank of China incident in which the bank was prosecuted by Singapore by failing to obey a banking law in 1969. People’s Republic of China began to pursue an active foreign policy of befriending countries in the Third World.The PRC had grown interest in the region by halt in attacking Singapore and Malaysia. It was also illustrated by exchange visit between PRC and some ASEAN countries. The exchange visits between Singapore and the PRC, notably two visits by Lee Kuan Yew to the PRC in 1976 and 1980 and one visit by Deng Xiaoping to Singapore in 1978. With this exchange visit, no doubt will also enable the two countries to have a better understanding of each other’s foreign and domestic policies.Since the PRC had expressed its desire to have diplomatic ties with ASEAN, Singapore was holding back by making known to others that it will be the last ASEAN country to do so. Lee Kuan Yew said about the timing of Singapore’s diplomatic relations with the PRC because that 75 percent of Singapore’s population is Chinese who does not subordinate Singapore’s interest in foreign policy or domestic policies. Other than that, the Singapore still face the formidable task of building a national identity for its people may dilute Singapore’s interest in establishing an embassy in PRC.According to the last census in 1970, 14. 8 percent of Chinese population came directly from China. The numbers of these people still have family ties with their kin’s in the China. So that during Deng Xiaoping’s visit to Singapore in 1978, he reiterate to Singapore about that the Chinese in Singapore were Singaporean and not overseas Chinese. Nevertheless, Singapore was more confidence in loyalt y of the citizens and has relaxed visits to PRC for Singaporeans. This confidence was also expressed by Lee Kuan Yew when he said in 1977 that people who had gone to the PRC would come back and kiss the soil of Singapore.During Lee Kuan Yew visit to China in 1980, he suggests that PRC if not instigated and incited the people to the revolution; it will tone down the support for the strain relations with ASEAN states in the future. Singapore was postponing the establishment of diplomatic ties with PRC and waiting for Indonesia. Once Indonesia re-establishes its ties with PRC, most likely the Singapore will follow suit. However Lee Kuan Yew had stated that China has the potential to realize its goal and become one of the major players in the world.If it is not deflected from its present concentration on education and economic development, China could well be the second largest, if not the largest , trading nation in the world, with greater weight and voice in international affairs. (II I) Japan During his years as prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew encourages Japan investment in Singapore. When Prime Minister Sato visited Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew had told him that publicly that Singaporeans had no inhibitions over Japan capital, technology and expertise, that Japan was set to lead the rest of Asia to greater industrialization.Later, Singapore Economic Development Board had set an office in Tokyo and Lee Kuan Yew managed to use more than three year time to persuade Seiko to build a watch factory in Singapore. Like any other Asian countries, Lee Kuan Yew treated Japan as a role model to success. Lee Kuan Yew had asked Singapore’s Public Utilities Board officials to study how Japanese could be so successful in energy saving. Lee Kuan Yew also learnt from the Japanese the importance of increasing productivity through worker-manager cooperation, and a National Productivity Board (NPB) was formed in Singapore in the year 1972.Lee Kuan Yew had sincere on the will of lear ning from the Japanese, in 1980 he had sent officials from his ministry for trade and industry to visit their counterparts in Japan’s formidable ministry for international trade and industry (MITI) which had create the course for Japan’s post-war industrial progress. MITI’s advice to Singapore’s officials that Singapore’s geographic position and environment to prepare for a possible role as a center of knowledge and information. Lee Kuan Yew took their advice to heart and redoubled Singapore’s emphasis on the teaching of sciences, mathematics and computers in all schools.The whole government administration were computerized in order to set the pace for the private sectors. ( IV) United States During Lee Kuan Yew’s era, Singapore relations with the United States were pleasant. Trade with the United States had increased substantially especially with the latter as Singapore became a supply center for the United States in its increasing i nvolvement in Indochina. By the 1980s, the United States had become Singapore’s most important trading partner and, as such, crucial to country’s welfare. Comparison between Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir MohamadLee Kuan Yew had successfully transformed Singapore, which was once a poor, decrepit colony, into a shining, rich and modern metropolis. Dr Henry A. Kissinger had addressed Lee Kuan Yew as a seminal figure of Asia and possesses a great interest in developing his country. There’s one man who possesses similar confidence and vision in developing his own nations. Mahathir Mohammad, who had been said as the match of Lee Kuan Yew. Although both leaders’ period as Prime Minister only overlapped only for 9 years (1981-1990), both are always being compared, and known as match for each other.Over Mahathir’s 22 years as prime minister, the leader had patchy relations with Lee Kuan Yew. Both went authoritarian and want the best for their country. Despite t he achievement of Lee Kuan Yew in transforming Singapore, Mahathir Mohamad also turned the Muslim-majority Southeast Asia country, Malaysia into one of the developing world’s most successful economies. Both leaders had undeniable sucess and contributions for their very own country. Both Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohammad value and admire Japan’s success.These can be seen through Mahathir’s Look East Policy and Lee Kuan Yew’s memoir â€Å"The Singapore Stories† which praised Japan’s paradigm in catching up to the West. Both leaders tried to learn the Japanese and adopted similar measures wherever practical. However, in terms ofthe western countries especially the U. S, differences again was seen between two leaders. Lee Kuan Yew tended to gain good relations with western countries such as Australia, New Zealand, United States and Britain.Lee Kuan Yew had aligned Singapore with west since Cold War and earned friendship with Henry A. Kissinger. According to Lee, regional solidarity and international could be gained through U. S and western Europe support. Now, Singapore developed diplomatic relationship with China, but the country was still befriending the west like old days. As for Mahathir Mohamad, it was a different story. Abrasive and outspoken, Mahathir emerged as the Third World champion and Islamic spokesman by condemning the West.Mahathir's record of curbing civil liberties and his antagonism to western diplomatic interests and economic policy made his relationships with the likes of the US, Britain and Australia difficult Even though as the biggest source of the country’s foreign investment, Mahathir has always been an outspoken critic of the United States regarding many issues including the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). Mahathir encourages modernization without taking to westernize. Even after his retirement, critics on western never stop, particularly on the United States.For instance, he had urged the world's 1. 3 billion Muslims to boycott Dutch products following the release of the anti-Islam movie Fitna by the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, it was reported on 30 March 2008. Both Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamad had been the father of modernization of their country. Lee Kuan Yew had successfully turned Singapore from third world to first. Annual per capita income has grown from less than $1000 at the time of independence to nearly $30000 today. Singapore is the most successful and leading ahead among Southeast Asia countries.Although not as improve as Singapore, Malaysia under Mahathir’s hand, had experienced rapid modernization and economic growth, and his government initiated a series of bold infrastructure projects. For his efforts to promote the economic development of the country, Mahathir has been granted the soubriquet of Bapa Pemodenan (Father of Modernization). Mahathir had successfully introduced Malaysia to the world. By raising living standards a nd winning international acclaim, he contributed to a sense of national identity, pride and confidence among ethnically diverse Malaysians.Both Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamed had similar vision in improving their countries. But due to different issues faced by both leaders, point of views diverse according to situation. Lee Kuan Yew who had been educated in Britain may adopted more western ways while for Mahathir who experienced Britain â€Å"divide and rule† policy, and seen Malay to be abandon behind during that time, possesses anger towards the west and sentiments for the Malays in order to lead them to better standard of living.Lee Kuan Yew, as a firm man, although known as authoritarian from some views, had gathered around himself the most brilliant minds and gain his subordinates supports, such as Goh Keng Swee. He managed to clean Singapore’s government. Mahathir, being impatient and authoritarian, had jailed opponents, sacked rivals and undermined institutio ns as he pursued his obsession with development. Being ambitious, Mahathir built the KLIA airport, Petronas Twin Towers and also started Proton consistent with his â€Å" Malaysia Boleh†( Malaysia can) propaganda.Both leaders played an important role in their country’s development and their contribution could not be measured. Conclusion Singapore’s success always ties with Lee Kuan Yew. More than forty years ago, Lee Kuan Yew transformed what was a poor, decrepit colony into a shining, rich and modern metropolis. All time surrounded by hostile powers, with his brilliant, incisive intellect, he is one of the world’s most outspoken and respected statesman. For Lee Kuan Yew, every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but prevail by excelling.Superior intelligence, discipline and ingenuity would substitute for resources. Lee Kuan Yew summoned his compatriots to a duty they had never p reviously perceived: first to clean up their city, then to dedicate it to overcome the initial hostility of their neighbours and their own ethnic divisions by superior performance. The Singapore today is his testament. It is the high-tech leader of Southeast Asia. The contributions of Lee Kuan Yew could not be denied, this man had created what was known as impossible in the past and proved to the world, nothing would be impossible.Attachments Attachments Premier Wen Jiabao shakes hands with Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew during a meeting on Friday in Beijing at Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of China's central authorities. The two sides discussed Sino-Singaporean relations and issues of common concern. Lee arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for an eight-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese Government. Lee Kuan Yew (middle) meets with U. S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and Singapore's Ambassador to the U. S. Chan Heng Chee in 2000.Lee Kuan Yew (middle) meets with U. S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and Singapore's Ambassador to the U. S. Chan Heng Chee in 2000. Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku Abdul Rahman. Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku Abdul Rahman. Lee Kuan Yew and Yitzak Rabin Lee Kuan Yew and Yitzak Rabin Lee receives the Order of Friendship from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 15 November 2009 in Singapore. Lee receives the Order of Friendship from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 15 November 2009 in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew and President Obama Lee Kuan Yew and President ObamaSINGAPORE (AFP) – Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew has urged local Muslims to â€Å"be less strict on Islamic observances† to aid integration and the city-state’s nation-building process. SINGAPORE (AFP) – Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew has urged local Muslims to â€Å"be less strict on Islamic observances† to aid integration and the city-state’s nation-building process. Lee Kuan Yew and Maha thir Mohamad Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamad President George W. Bush welcomes Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the Oval Office Monday, Oct. 16,2006President George W. Bush welcomes Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the Oval Office Monday, Oct. 16,2006 References Lee Kuan Yew. 1998. Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew: The Singapore Story. Singapore. Times Editions Pte Ltd Lee Kuan Yew. 2000. Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew: The Singpore Story ( 1965-2000) From Third World To First. Singapore. Times Media Private Limited N. Ganesan. (1999). Bilateral Tension in Post-Cold War ASEAN. Pacific Strategic Papers. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). p. 38 Singapore Development Policies and Trends, Edited by Peter S.J. Chen, Oxford University Press 1983. Retrieved on 13th March 2012 from http://nasranrushdi9. blogspot. com/2010/09/tun-dr-mahathir-membidas-lee-kuan-yew. html Retrieved on 16th March 2012 from http://article. wn. com/view/2011/11/06/Singapores_Lee Ret rieved on 23th March 2012 from http://kickdefella. net/2011/01/ Retrieved on 25th March 2012 from http://www. singaporedemocrat. org/articlecheeWMD Retrieved on 25th March 2012 from http://english. peopledaily. com. cn/200605/13/archive. html Retrieved on 26th March 2012 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lee_Kuan_Yew

Word Choice Altar vs. Alter - Proofeds Writing Tips

Word Choice Altar vs. Alter - Proofeds Writing Tips Word Choice: Altar vs. Alter One little letter can make a very big difference sometimes, so it is important to make sure you know the difference between similarly spelled words which nevertheless have dissimilar meanings. In the case of altar and alter, for instance, the contrast couldn’t be much bigger! Whilst alter is a commonly used verb in English, altar is a noun which should only be used in a very specific context. Mixing these words up can therefore seriously impact upon the quality of your written work. So to help out we’ve thrown together this guide on how to use them. Alter (Modify) Alter is a verb which means â€Å"change† or â€Å"modify.† Thus if you are looking to describe an adjustment or change that something has undergone, use the word alter: After his sister forgave him, William decided to alter his will to include her. Altar (A Ceremonial Table) Altar, on the other hand, is a noun which refers to a table or raised surface used in religious ceremonies, including the Christian Eucharist. For example: The congregation faced the altar as they awaited Holy Communion. The word altar is also sometimes seen in the idiom â€Å"to sacrifice X on the altar of X.† This means to give up or neglect something in favor something else. Usually this is used in a negative way, such as: John sacrificed his family life on the altar of his career. The above relies upon the religious meaning of altar, metaphorically suggesting that John has failed to fulfill his family duties by sacrificing them in favor his work. Alter or Altar? It is quite easy to remember which of â€Å"alter† or â€Å"altar† to use in any given situation. Just keep the following in mind: Alter (verb) = Change Altar (noun) = A ceremonial table If you’re looking for a word meaning â€Å"change† or â€Å"modify,† it will always be a verb you need. As such, â€Å"alter† is the term you’re after. The noun â€Å"altar,† meanwhile, will usually only be applicable if you’re describing a religious ceremony of some kind. For further advice on vocabulary in your writing, you will find plenty of helpful tips in the word choice archive section of our academic blog. And to make sure that the spelling, grammar and vocabulary in your work are perfect, Proofed’s professional proofreaders provide a comprehensive range of proofreading and formatting services.

Anatomy in Primary and Secondary Schools

Anatomy in Primary and Secondary Schools Hashtag: #GreysAnatomy The Study of Human Anatomy GreysAnatomy is actually a word play on the title of a human anatomy textbook Gray’s Anatomy: Descriptive and Applied. The book was written by Henry Gray and initially published in 1858. Historically, the study of anatomy and physiology started when man started to find answers to questions regarding their own bodies. For instance, Leonardo Da Vinci allegedly dissected a human cadaver so he can accurately represent humans in art. Anatomist William Harvey studied the human circulatory system in the late 15th century and discovered for the first time that blood has a pattern in its flow. Another interesting discovery in the field of anatomy and medicine was painless surgery through the medicinal use of ether and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to control the pain during the operation. BIOLOGY RESEARCH PAPER Anatomy and physiology are branches of biology and medicine, but the former is more focused on the structure of living things (human, animal, and plant) while the latter is more concern on mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. The study of the structure of the human body in primary and secondary schools is normally aimed at providing a foundation for advanced study in fields related to health and fitness. It is also aimed at developing a sense of self-understanding, particularly to children who are curious about what’s inside the body. Moreover, since anatomy is not limited to the human body and extend to all living organisms, students often benefit from comparative anatomy or studying other species in order to learn evolution, structural similarities and common ancestry among human and animals. The biology curriculum in secondary schools, for instance, is not the only concern in developing students’ knowledge of the natural world in relation to everyday life, the power of reasoning and observation but familiarity with the structure and function of the human body. Specifically, students learn the change in living things through evolution, diversity of type and unity of patterns, genetic continuity of life, growth, and development, preservation of life, and others. Biology and Basic Anatomy Curriculum Primary school students are normally introduced to the basic human  skeleton or study of the skeletal system. After learning the structure, composition, and functions of the skeletal framework, students then learn the muscles and other body organs attached to it. Some of the introductory tasks include making a (normally life size) skeleton using colored paper or card and paper fasteners. By drawing the bones, schoolchildren become more aware of the significant features of each bone, identify bones’ proper location and construct appropriate joint structures for them. Moreover, anatomy in this level includes simple experiments in order to explain some of the functions of the human body and compare and recognize the similarities and differences between human and animals. However, anatomy in secondary schools is quite more complex as it involves microscopic anatomy such as the study of the structure and function of cells and tissues, senses, blood, heart, the major organs of the digestive system, and others. Some are focusing on the primary functions of the human brain, structures that enable biological systems to interact, energy and materials required to sustain life. Overall, all key stages of anatomy-related science curriculum are aimed at providing knowledge about human and animal body structure and understanding of life processes. For instance, knowledge of human and animal anatomy helps students understand the fact that humans and animals need food and water to stay alive, need to exercise, eat the right type and amount of food in order to stay healthy and strong, the beneficial and harmful effects of drugs, ability to produce offspring and senses that makes humans and animals aware of the world around them.

Conjugate the French Verb Améliorer (to Improve)

Conjugate the French Verb Amà ©liorer (to Improve) If you really want to improve your French, then you need to learn the verb  amà ©liorer, which means to improve. Its a regular verb and that makes it easy to conjugate. Follow this French lesson and youll be conjugating  amà ©liorer  like a pro. Conjugating the French Verb  Amà ©liorer The French verb  amà ©liorer  is a tricky one to pronounce. With practice, youll get it. It sounds like  [a may lyuh ray]. While the pronunciation is a bit of a challenge, conjugating it is not. That is because  amà ©liorer  is a  regular -er verb,  so it follows the pattern used for verbs like  aider  (to help) and  accepter  (to accept). You will simply change the ending according to the rules used for all regular -er  verbs. To conjugate  amà ©liorer, you need to change the ending to match the subject pronoun the j, tu, il, nous, etc. and the tense of the sentence. For example, to say I improve, you will say jamà ©liore.   This chart will help you study the conjugations for the various forms of  amà ©liorer. It includes the present, future, imperfect past, and present participle tenses. You should focus on the present and future as well as the passà © composà © below. Subject Present Future Imperfect j amliore amliorerai amliorais tu amliores amlioreras amliorais il amliore amliorera amliorait nous amliorons amliorerons amliorions vous amliorez amliorerez amlioriez ils amliorent amlioreront amlioraient The Present Participle of  Amà ©liorer   As with other French verbs,  amà ©liorer  has a  present participle, which is amà ©lioant. Beyond usage as a verb, it can also become an adjective, gerund, or even a noun. Essentially, it transforms the word from to improve into improving. Another Past Tense of  Amà ©liorer   Passà © composà ©Ã‚  is the most common form of past tense used in the French language. This makes your conjugations of  amà ©liorer  easier. Instead of memorizing all the imperfect forms, you can concentrate on this one. In order to form the phrase properly, you will need the  auxiliary verb, which is avoir  in this case. You also need to know the  past participle  of amà ©liorer, which is  amà ©liorà ©. With those elements, you can then say I improved. In French, this is jai  amà ©liore.  Likewise, to say we improved, you will say nous avons  amà ©liore.  The ai and avons in the examples are the conjugates of the verb avoir. More Conjugations of  Amà ©liorer Those are the easy conjugations and the ones you will use most often. There are other forms of the verb that you should at least be aware of. Consider adding the subjunctive and conditional forms to your French studies as they both express mood and are in frequent use. The subjunctive verb mood expresses that the verb has a certain degree of uncertainty. The conditional verb mood implies that the action will only happen under certain circumstances. The passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive forms of  amà ©liorer  are less important. These are used primarily in formal writing. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j amliore amliorerais amliorai amliorasse tu amliores amliorerais amlioras amliorasses il amliore amliorerait amliora amliort nous amliorions amliorerions amliormes amliorassions vous amlioriez amlioreriez amliortes amliorassiez ils amliorent amlioreraient amliorrent amliorassent You will need to know one more conjugation for  amà ©liorer  and that is the imperative form. This is used in short sentences that demand or request something. The difference here is that youre not required to use the subject pronoun. Instead of nous  amà ©liorons, you can simply say amà ©liorons. Imperative (tu) amliore (nous) amliorons (vous) amliorez Amà ©liorer  Put to Use Lets use  amà ©liorer  in context with a couple of sample sentences. I want to improve my French before I leave. Je veux amà ©liorer mon franà §ais avant de partir.Were going to do some improvements at our house.  Nous allons amà ©liorer notre maison. You might also be interested in words that are similar to  amà ©liorer  as these will be useful in expanding your French vocabulary. amà ©liorable (adj) - improvableune amà ©lioration - improvement, bettermentamà ©liorant (adj) - soil-improving

Pre - School Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pre - School Environment - Essay Example This essay stresses that staff should be trained in detecting and reporting Child Abuse. A senior staff member should be designated to ensure the protection of children. They should be able to guide them through the procedures of Child Abuse when the need arises. There should be a child protection policy which includes procedures to be followed in case a teacher or any other staff members are accused of either harming or abusing a child. Lessons covering PSHE – Personal, Social, Health and Education can be taught or spoken about. This paper makes a conclusion that a teacher who is enthusiastic to develop her own practice should equip her classroom with good amenities like display boards, notice boards, colorful charts and pictures and to make it stimulating and interesting she should change them from time to time. She could also make use of Sure Start – Supplementary Resources- It consists of various play activities for kids that could be utilized by child care professionals as well as parents which would help to kindle his curiosity and help the child to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Such tools used by the teacher helps to develop a child’s curiosity and imagination. The Pre – School is a sort of Haven for infants where they are nurtured, taught and groomed to face situations in their environment. They are given an all round development keeping in mind the uniqueness and individuality of each child. They are loved and cared for so well that they come to think of i t as a â€Å"home away from home†.

Challenges and Solutions to Organizational Knowledge Management in Essay

Challenges and Solutions to Organizational Knowledge Management in KBMS - Essay Example Basically, a knowledge base is a special kind of database for knowledge management. According to Bellinger, Castro, & Mill, knowledge is defined as the application of data and information; answers "how" questions. It deals with collection of information such that its intent is to be useful. In an organization, knowledge is used on the day to day basis in the running of the affairs of the company. Andriopoulos & Dawson (20) suggest that managing change, creativity & innovation is the most crucial aspect for organisations to survive as we move into a knowledge economy. Knowledge is used in the operations of the organization so that it can achieve its desired goals. The main challenge of managing knowledge is that it is not static given that it changes depending on the changes taking place in the environment in which the organization operates. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that organisations operate in a dynamic environment which changes on a daily basis. In order to keep pace with these changes, the organization ought to develop and manage knowledge that can be used in the operations of the company. Since knowledge is not static, it can be seen that what was previously regarded as useful knowledge to the organization may not be relevant in the future operations of the organization. Therefore, this is a challenge to the organization since it ought to upgrade its knowledge system periodically so as to be able to keep pace with the changes and developments that can take place in the environment in which it operates. This may not be an easy task since it may be difficult to predict what is seen as important in managing knowledge in the company. In order to deal with the above mentioned challenge, particular attention should be paid to continued learning in the organization which can help it to gain a competitive edge over other rival competitors operating in the same environment. According to Schultz (164), learning in an organization is

Networking Strategy and professional development Module 1 Questions Essay

Networking Strategy and professional development Module 1 Questions - Essay Example An understanding of the client’s background is essential as it helps the mentor to grow professionally. The other benefit of mentoring in the networking process is that it helps the mentor to gain professional satisfaction through the expertise that he or she shares with the clients (Crawford, 2007). Mentoring can also be regarded as essential as it helps the mentor to add value to his or her career. This is because the mentor gets an opportunity to utilize his or her skills and gain insights from the professional relationships with the mentees. Mentoring in the networking process can also be regarded to be of immense benefits to the mentee. The mentee benefits through gaining expertise from the mentor. Thus, the mentee can sharpen his or her skills. The mentee also gets an opportunity to learn some skills, which may be of immense help in the mentees personal development. In addition, the mentee benefits since he or she gets to know more about the organization, its policies, rules, as well as the culture of the organization (Whittaker & Cartwright, 2000). Networking can be regarded as one of the essential elements when it comes to the building of successful careers. Therefore, any person wishing to succeed in his or her career should consider networking with other professionals in his own field. Networking helps in building successful careers since most jobs may not be advertised. As such, networking is essential as it helps the job seeker to gain awareness and knowledge about a certain job that may be advertised. Networking is also essential in building a successful career as it helps the job seeker to be well prepared for interviews. This is because networking can help job seekers have full knowledge about the requirements of an interview. As a result, they will have an easy time during the interview and they will mostly likely get the job (Dirks, 2009). The most effective networking strategy for job search is becoming members of professional

The Effects of Guerrilla warfare on Counter Insurgency Operation Essay

The Effects of Guerrilla warfare on Counter Insurgency Operation - Essay Example As these groups of people will be in minimum numbers when compared to the forces of the State, they might use key strategies to attack and overwhelm their opponents, and one among them is the guerilla warfare. Guerilla warfare is a quick and surprise form of attack carried out by a small group of insurgents against a much larger group of armed forces, causing immediate as well as minimum or maximum causalities and then withdrawing quickly. This form of warfare has been carried out by many groups against established armies achieving both successes and failures. Counter measures To counter this guerilla warfare by the insurgents, government or the official armed forces will indulge in Counter-Insurgency (COIN) operations. Nations try to reach the top echelons on the back of its strong armed forces. Nations’ with its army, navy and air force will protect its territorial integrity as well as gain superiority. On those lines, counter-insurgent forces are formed to carry out various military or armed strategies and actions against those insurgent groups, in order to eliminate their challenge against the state and also for the common good of the population including the local populace. Apart from indulging in armed actions, these COIN forces will further isolate and pressurize the insurgent groups and prevent them from guerilla warfare, by striking a good rapport with the local population. Thus, this report will first discuss how guerilla warfare gets formed and evolved, and how it is being used by the insurgent groups to fulfill their various needs. Then in the second part, the report will discuss how these guerilla warfare techniques and actions has made the COIN forces even more aware of any impending attack, thereby helping them to come up with a optimal strategies to counter them, using real-world examples. Guerilla Warfare As pointed out above Guerrilla warfare is surprise-filled irregular form of warfare carried out by a small group of combatants against a much larger regular armed forces in a terrain, which favors them. Apart from attacking the larger army’s convoys or forces, guerrilla army would also target their opponent’s resources including their arms and ammunitions depot, food supplies, etc, which can have a key impact on the way counter-insurgency is carried out. This way, they will try to cut the supply lines of their opponents, thereby weakening them to launch more attacks and finally make them withdraw. That is, as the small groups cannot directly confront the larger, equipped and dominant groups in a single battle, then knock them down and emerge victorious, they indulge in guerilla warfare to weaken them step-by-step. â€Å"†¦they seek through a constant campaign of sneak attacks to inflict continuous casualties upon their superior enemy forces and thereby over time demoralize the occupying forces and erode political support for the occupation in the homeland of the occupying forces.† (Singla ). This can be seen in many successful guerilla warfare based attacks, where there is a greater disparity in abilities and resources. So, it can be seen as a â€Å"simple strategy of repeated pin-pricks and bleedings that, though small in proportion to the total force strength, sap the will of the occupier to continue the fight.† (Singla). Another aspect of guerilla warfare is that,

Moral Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Moral Philosophy - Essay Example In history, one can view applied ethics through the decisions of governments as they were influenced due to the religious mores of their time. On a more general level, which deals with history—the Ottoman Empire, which used to span the globe—effected the territories it owned with its prevailing religion. Constantinople, at the end of his life, professed the Christian faith. However, the name of the city Constantinople was later changed to Istanbul after the geopolitically-defined, mainly Muslim, country of Turkey came into prominence. Applied ethics can be seen all over the world, not to mention a lack of application of ethics in world history. For example, when Hernan Cortes and his men came to Mexico, the land of the Aztecs—to hoard gold and other valuables—the Aztecs thought this was fulfilling a prophecy that their great leader would come from far away. Instead of admitting that Cortes was not the leader he was who they thought, Cortes took advantage o f the fact that the Aztecs thought he was a holy figure, and consequentially took the wealth of the Aztecs, his men raping their women and killing a lot of people, including roasting the Aztec leader Cuauhtemoc over a fire pit and pouring boiling oil over his feet. The point is, types of domination like this went on all over the world. Christopher Columbus never indeed â€Å"found† the New World, but he found plenty of island natives in the Caribbean whose peaceful lives he ruined by the ruthless plundering of himself and his men. There is evidence of all of these types of cruel inhumanity present in all of history—and it is not just limited to the Europeans, although they were a major cause for discontent the world over. If one thinks about it, in world history—the British Empire once spanned a majority of the globe. The French and the Dutch also had colonialized several countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Due to these white peoples taking over indigen ous nations’ peoples and forcing their values, religion, language, and culture upon them—they were forced to either change or die. So, these people adapted. More about evolution and ethics will also be discussed in the last section of this piece. III. MoralityMorality became politically-correct (or ‘PC') after the civil rights movement in the ‘60s in the United States, because it meant that any kind of oppressed people (not just Blacks) could basically rise up and say that they weren't going to take being discriminated against anymore. Of course, this has led to postmodernist thinking, that everyone is equal and everyone's perspective has to be right because no one is wrong; we all worship the same God even though some of us may not call God God, nor does everyone

CAT5e cable to a connector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CAT5e cable to a connector - Essay Example The four wire pairs in the cable are color coded with 4 colors; namely, green, blue, orange and brown. Four wires in the cable have solid coloration, while the other four are a combination of these colors, painted in stripes onto a white background. These four pairs are twisted together and housed in a single jacket. The specific ordering of the colors differs, in accordance with the scheme employed. There are two color code standards; namely, the EIA/TIA 568A and EIA/TIA 568B, which are used to terminate the cable at the RJ45 ends (Nikkel). Between similar devices, such as a PC to PC connection, a crossover cable would be required. Hence in this case, one end would employ the 568B standard, whereas the other end must utilize the 568A standard. When unlike devices are required to be connected, like a PC card to a hub, a straight through cable is used. In this case, both the RJ45 connectors comply with the same color code standard, either 568A or 568B (Nikkel). First, the covering sheath of the cat 5 cable at the end is to be removed. Then, the pairs are to be untwisted and the colored wires are to be arranged, as per the required 568A or 568B standard. This is shown in the image appended below: After this the individual wires are to be trimmed and inserted into the RJ45 connector, ensuring that all the wires are properly placed inside the connector. Thereafter, a crimping tool has to be employed, in order to fasten the cable to the connector. The length of the wire is to be minimized to the extent possible, as longer wires tend to decrease the transfer speeds. A similar procedure is to be followed at the other end of the cable, in order to obtain an Ethernet cable. The CAT 5e Ethernet cable offers a fast and reliable way of transferring information between network cables. However without the use of an amplification device they can only be used up to a length of

Moral Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Moral Philosophy - Essay Example In history, one can view applied ethics through the decisions of governments as they were influenced due to the religious mores of their time. On a more general level, which deals with history—the Ottoman Empire, which used to span the globe—effected the territories it owned with its prevailing religion. Constantinople, at the end of his life, professed the Christian faith. However, the name of the city Constantinople was later changed to Istanbul after the geopolitically-defined, mainly Muslim, country of Turkey came into prominence. Applied ethics can be seen all over the world, not to mention a lack of application of ethics in world history. For example, when Hernan Cortes and his men came to Mexico, the land of the Aztecs—to hoard gold and other valuables—the Aztecs thought this was fulfilling a prophecy that their great leader would come from far away. Instead of admitting that Cortes was not the leader he was who they thought, Cortes took advantage o f the fact that the Aztecs thought he was a holy figure, and consequentially took the wealth of the Aztecs, his men raping their women and killing a lot of people, including roasting the Aztec leader Cuauhtemoc over a fire pit and pouring boiling oil over his feet. The point is, types of domination like this went on all over the world. Christopher Columbus never indeed â€Å"found† the New World, but he found plenty of island natives in the Caribbean whose peaceful lives he ruined by the ruthless plundering of himself and his men. There is evidence of all of these types of cruel inhumanity present in all of history—and it is not just limited to the Europeans, although they were a major cause for discontent the world over. If one thinks about it, in world history—the British Empire once spanned a majority of the globe. The French and the Dutch also had colonialized several countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Due to these white peoples taking over indigen ous nations’ peoples and forcing their values, religion, language, and culture upon them—they were forced to either change or die. So, these people adapted. More about evolution and ethics will also be discussed in the last section of this piece. III. MoralityMorality became politically-correct (or ‘PC') after the civil rights movement in the ‘60s in the United States, because it meant that any kind of oppressed people (not just Blacks) could basically rise up and say that they weren't going to take being discriminated against anymore. Of course, this has led to postmodernist thinking, that everyone is equal and everyone's perspective has to be right because no one is wrong; we all worship the same God even though some of us may not call God God, nor does everyone

Academic Degree and Financial Aid Essay Example for Free

Academic Degree and Financial Aid Essay Thank you in advance for taking the time to review my letter of appeal for financial aid reinstatement. First, let me say, I wholeheartedly appreciate your granting me this award in order to make my educational dreams a blissful reality. It would be a great honor for me to continue on the path which I started before I suffered this temporary setback. I take full responsibility for why my grades slipped and because unsatisfactory. There is no one else to blame but myself for not being able to control my emotional state during a time of terrible crisis to the point where I could maintain an acceptable G. P. A. For that I am sincerely sorry because I feel that I have let many people down, including myself. I put a lot of effort to pass most of my classes, yet I still failed my English course due to some negligence on my part as concerns my work which was to determine my grade in the course; I did everything possible to do great in the course despite my mistakes but I guess it was not good enough during the semester Fall 2013. I promise not to make such mistakes anymore, and be more responsible. I am asking this committee to give me a second chance to prove that I am worthy of this award so I can continue in my studies this Fall 2014 Semester. I do realize that I neglected my studies and I would like another chance to do better in them. I have compiled a list of steps I need to take in order to be successful in school and my studies. 1. I would obtain a tutor for my most difficult classes by becoming familiar with the tutoring center on campus 2. I would manage my time wisely so that I can balance my life and studies together. 3. Meet with each of my instructors and talk with them, about what they believe will make me be a better student in their class. 4. Go to the scheduled office hours of each of my instructors, when facing any difficulties. 5. Talk with my advisor who is assisting me with my Academic Degree plan. She advises me on the classes and hours that would be suitable for me. 6. Go to class on time as scheduled to take advantage of what they have to offer. My goal is to earn a degree in business so I can make a difference in the lives of people and young students. This is very important to me because I’ve always been interested on being a business lady in the future during my days as a kid. I can only be able to achieve my goal if my financial aid is being appealed, because as an individual my family face a lot of financial difficulties and I’m not able to pay my tuition or even get my books. I am a hard working student and very determined, and I would like the chance to prove to you that this 2014 Fall Semester would not be a disappointment. I would try hard to be a good role model to my family, friends and other students. My education is of paramount importance to me. Thank you for your time Yours Sincerely, Ruth Taku.

Changing Workplace And Workforce Expectations Business Essay

Changing Workplace And Workforce Expectations Business Essay The key objective of this literature review is to provide a general survey of relevant theories, academic approaches, available studies and analysis on forecasted shifts in science, technology, communications, geopolitics, and economics between today and 2030 and the impact these factors will have on corporate workforce, employment models and the role of a leader in organization and leadership competencies. The horizon line for strategic planning and forecasts in most cases typically ranges from three months to five years. Trying to imagine what the world of business will be like 20 years from now is a challenging and noble goal but a researcher is exposed to several risks. One of them is to be too futuristic and end up with a science fiction which would have a little correspondence to the objective reality. The importance of the literature search is to avoid this trap and ground the dissertation on realistic, reliable and reasonable facts and evidences. It will also support the designing of research methodology and developing relevant questionnaire for conducting interviews with IBM and non IBM top management and executives. The scope of literature research The business is entering a new era in history undergoing serious changes caused by globalization, economic rise of new regions, dramatic shifts in demographics, science, technology, communications and geopolitics. The research community and leading multinational companies have already embarked on a series of forward-looking discussions to consider the macro trends driving business change in the decades to come, and the implications that will result for business and leaders who will drive the future success. The forecasts and researches done in this area cover such topics as: changing world changing workplace and workforce expectations new employment models and employee engagement instruments that would help business navigate in the future potential leadership styles needed in an organization with new and emerging employment relationships roles and accountabilities a leader of the future will have and potential challenges the leader need to be prepared for The Changing World There are many factors in the environment that affect the organizations and the decisions of the leaders of each organization. Huczynski and Buchanan (2007) argue that the world out there influences the world in there (Figure 1). Internal organization structures, processes and behaviors Lead to External environment factor, trends and developments change in Figure 1 The external environment external environment organization link There are different environmental scanning techniques to analyze the changing external environment. To build the vision of the future and understand the big picture of the macro-environmental influences PESTLE analysis concept (Figure 2) will be used. A PESTLE analysis is often used as a generic orientation tool, finding out where an organization or product is in the context of what is happening outside that will at some point affect what is happening inside an organization (CIPD, 2010). Figure 1. PESTLE Analysis Political factors Most of the researchers agree that by 2025 there will be a global multi-polar system with rise of China, India and some others. Power will be more dispersed with the newer players bringing new rules of the game while risks will increase that the traditional Western alliances will weaken (Global Trends 2025: Transformed World, 2008). USA will remain the provider of global security (FreeWorldAcademy, 2005) but will have to share the power with other new players. Researches expect China becomes a democratic country in 2030 and gain more political power. Some experts also expect greater Asian regionalism by 2025, which may lead to establishment of new quasi-blocks: North America, Europe and East Asia and new wave of political and economical competition (Global Trends 2025: Transformed World, 2008). The potential for conflict and instability is expected to increase in Middle East and North Africa. At the same time McKinsey Global Institute predicts the acceleration of Africas growth where government actions will manage to end political conflicts and improve business climate (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010). Its also expected that global negotiations between regional blocks and national governments on major issues for the planet, such as biodiversity, natural resources, energy policy and trade regulation will increase and possible result in establishment of new alliances and communities. Driven by higher world population, competition for natural resources, pollution levels Green will become fundamental geo-political and business imperative for the planet. Economic factors GLOBALISATION By 2030 the world will become flatter with an expanded base of financial power where barriers to the flow of goods, capital or knowledge will be almost removed (A View of the World in 2030, ACCA, 2010) which will more regulation on a global level. Its also expected that the global power will shift to emerging markets. This statement confirms Goldman Sachs Group Inc. that the market value of emerging-market stocks may grow more to $80 trillion in two decades, overtaking developed nations, as China becomes the worlds largest stock market (Bloomberg, 2010). Multiple centers of economic power will be distributed around the globe and organizations/countries will need to be culturally adaptable to compete in global markets Figure 2. demonstrates forecasted transition of GDP by 2030. Figure 2. Transition of GDP 2030 (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) The transfer of global wealth and economic power roughly from West to East, is the most discussable topic in most of the reports and forecasts. This shift can be explained by several reasons : increases in oil and commodity prices generated big profits for the Gulf states and Russia lower costs combined with government policies have shifted the focus of manufacturing and some service industries to Asia power will shift to the places with political and economic stability (Global Trends 2025, 2008) The world GNI will also undergo the evolution and regional repartition. As indicated on Figure 3. it is expected to reach 94,290 $Billion in 2030 comparing to 39,305 $Billion in 2004. 2004 2030 World GNI 39,305 94,290 Population 6,480 8,200 World income per capita 6,065 11,500 Figure 3. World GNI 2004 2030 (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) This economic trend implies an average growth rate of 3.4% over 26 years. Compared to the population growth rate 1%, it means that the world income per capita will increase by 2.4% per year over the period Asia becomes a strong visible player in the regional GNI repartition (Figure 4). Figure 4. Evolution of the main economic zone in % of the world GNI (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) Asias emerging consumers are likely to assume the traditional role of the US and European middle classes as global consumers, and to play a key role in rebalancing the worlds economy. Estimated $4.3 trillion in annual expenditures in 2008 becomes $32 trillion in 2030 and comprise about 43% of worldwide consumption (2030 GDP Forecast, Future growth of Asian Countries, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) Several researches and reports expect the rising BRIC powers which might collectively generate the original G-7s share of global GDP by 2040-2050 (Global Trends 2025, 2008). Meanwhile other sources suggest that new business opportunities will significantly rise in so-called BIICS-Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa-shaping up to be business hot spots for many years to come (Working Beyond Borders: Insights from the Global Chief Human Resources Officer Study, IBM, 2010). But the truly new business frontier is named Africa where a group of countries already demonstrated ability to improve macroeconomic conditions, privatised state-owned enterprises, increased openness of trade and lowered corporate taxes, strengthened regulatory and legal systems, provided critical physical and social infrastructure(McKinsey Global Institute, 2010). The rate of return on foreign investment is currently higher than in any other developing region. These factors make this region very attractive for further business development and investments. According to Paul Nunes, Executive Research Fellow at the Accenture Institute for High Performance: Businesses not planning and acting now [to get into Africa] will miss the boat as many did when it came to China. Researchers forecast the standards of living will have risen by 2030. Number of high income people will increase by 8%, number of low income will decrease by 14% but inequalities will remain (Global Trends 2025, 2008). In essence, the economic world will look different than the world today. There will be multiple centers of economic powers, new players will mount the economic and political scene creating new business opportunities, overall, globalized and multi-polar world which will require organizations to re-think their strategies and re-shape their businesses to take full advantage of new opportunities and prosper. Social factors The next 20 years will be characterized by serious and inevitable demographic changes and shifts and their economic, political and social impacts will be enormous. Researchers highlight key demographics marked trends of years to come. World population will increase to 8.2 billion by 2030 with the largest increase projected in Asia and Africa and less than 3% will occur in Europe, USA, Canada, Japan (Global Trends 2025, 2008) Figure.. Population shifts will continue Africa will have the worlds largest working-age population. In 2008 the continent had more than 500 million working-age people and by 2040 its forecasted to exceed 1.1 bln (Figure, 6). Its an open question whether Africa will be able to educate its workforce to make it serious engine for business world. Figure 6. Working-age population 1950-2040 (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010) Longevity will increase significantly almost everywhere and the number of people aged 80 years or over will grow (Figure). Coming decades will be defined by the largest demographic group ever seen. By 2030 at least 3 generations having different mindset, background, expectations and attitudes will meet together in one society and work together for the same employers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division people will be more individualistic and will forge lifestyles based on their own needs rather than social expectations norm will be to work much of the time from home or in small community hubs to avoid carbon costs and charge of lenghthy commutes more people will work as freelancers and neo-nomads expecting more autonomy and freedom power will shift where there is political and economic stability Technological factors Most of researchers emphasize the role of technology in fostering the innovation and bringing about change. Technology will be all-prevasive and universal serving as a key driver for economic and social shifts. L. Gratton (2011) suggests that technology will influence workforce and workplace in many ways the way people communicate with each other, their expectations and even their views on morality and human nature The internet Cloud will deliver low-cost computing services and enable the shift from working as an isolated individual to working collaboratively in a joined world regardless country and time zone of staying (McKinsey and Company, 2010). People across the world will be able to access enormous information including digitalized knowledge. Increased capacity to combine and connect know-how, share knowledge, information and best practices spending significantly less time to send and receive information will lead to people being more interconnected, united by new communities and networks (IBM, 2010). More than 5 bln people will be connected to mobile services (The Economist, 2011) and overall speed of live will rise. The other change which is expected to influence the workforce is massive crowd of computers replacing people in a number of jobs. Forcing the economic growth and social transformation technology will continue to reshape consumer needs, requirements, access to information, choice and interactivity models and demand companies to tap the power of technology to improve their competitive advantage (McKinsey and Company, 2010). Legislative factors The expected changes to happen in the world will place a pressure on labor regulation to force their activities in accommodating a networked, open and competitive world. The worldwide focus on growth will require companies to fundamentally rethink how they manage human resources and overcome barriers. Based on IBM 2010 Global CHRO Study, emerging ways of attracting talent like outsourcing, crowdsourcing, use of freelancers, bringing back retired workers which will assume ever greater importance and necessity to mange new forms of employments will require governments not only to develop new labor regulations but also modern information security norms and standards. The highest standards of corporate citizenship will be required by talent, by governments, by the media. There may not be world law in the foreseeable future, but the worlds legal systems will be networked. The Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a database of local and national laws for more than 50 participating countries, will grow to include more than 100 counties by 2010. The database will lay the groundwork for a more universal understanding of the diversity of laws between nations and will create new opportunities for peace and international partnership. -Joseph N. Pelton, Toward a Global Rule of Law: A Practical Step Toward World Peace, Nov-Dec 2007, p. 25 Environmental There is a significant pressure to expect by 2030 driven by significant growth in world economy and population and rising aspirations for better standards living. As describe by OECD (Environmental Outlook to 2030, 2008) there are several key environmental challenges the humanity will have to deal with: climate change, biodiversity and renewable natural resources, water, air quality, waste management. To respond to these challenges governments will have to take the responsibility and proactively start developing a serious of actions to protect the environment. Business and consumers will play a key role to help prevent future environment problems. Its obvious that Green will become fundamental geo-political and business imperative for the planet. Changing workplace and workforce expectations Emery and Trist (1965) developed a typology describing four types of environment in which organizations operate and identified the appropriate organizational response. Environmental analysis with PESTLE demonstrates that the organizations 2030 will deal with high dynamism and high complexity pressures from outside. The organizational responses recommended by Emery and Trist (1965) for such environment types are developing fluid organization structures, flexible managers and staff at other levels. Duncan (1979) argues that what really matters is only the management perception. If management does not perceive the environment as turbulent the organizational response will not be as described. Anyway the reality out there has to be observed, studied, analyzed and reacted in an appropriate manner to stay successful (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2007). Being under pressure of future challenges which come from globalization, new era of technologies, social and demographic changes organizations will have to adapt their internal structures, processes, strategies and leader behaviors to enable them to deal effectively with external changes. Many factors that define the workplace 2030 have already become evident alerting the organizations that the time has come to start preparing today for the challenges of tomorrow. PriceWaterHouseCoopers (2010) forecasts three worlds and business models for the future (Figure) This picture of life in tomorrow combines the events and trends which will shape the future and PwC suggests all 3 worlds can co-exist in some form distinct by geographic principle or industry sector. Researchers expect the following key trends to shape the workplace and workforce 2030: Talent will be worldwide. Social networks and future technology will increase the capability for talent to network and for companies to access talent globally and 24/7. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networking sites will become ordinary recruiting sources. As social recruiting spreads from few trendsetters to all the rest companies worldwide it be essential for both employees and employers to develop new set of skills to be successful in this way (The 2020 workplace, J. Meister, K. Willyerd, 2010). But its also expected the War for Smart Talent (www.globalfuturist.com) to be continued and probably even become sharper. There is a serious mismatch between the types of individuals available for work and specific skills employers are looking for (Manpower Talent Shortage Survey 2009). Experienced candidates who possess the required skills will be heavily demanded by the organizations worldwide. Given the increasing collaboration and growing importance of teamwork companies will consider entire teams hiring as a competitive solution to the business problem (IBM CHRO Study 2010). Skills will be specialized. Cost reductions will be an essential part of business imperatives 2020 2030 leading to the dominance of knowledge -intensive work which will require an increasingly complex set of skills. Less generalist, more in-depth mastery of specialist skills will be required. PwC in the Future of work 2020 (2010) predicts that specialization will be highly prized in each of the 3 worlds (Figure ) and employees will do their best to develop the most sought after professional skills. An increased attention by the companies will be paid to soft skills as well like problem-solving, project management and collaboration (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010). Source: McKinsey Global Survey results Five forces reshaping the global economy (Based on online survey, in the field in March 2010) Another challenge the companies are expected to face in the future is multigenerational and increasingly diverse workforce. By 2030 3 or even 4 generations will have to collaborate together in one business environment having different mindset, background, expectations and live values. Most of the Baby Boomers cohort representatives who are now holding many CxO positions will have retired, taking with them lots of knowledge, experience and valuable expertise. It will force the companies to elaborate on ways how to retain the knowledge within the organizations developing new employment structures for soon-to-be retiring people (L. Gratton 2011). Or what we call retirement now will no longer have a traditional meaning? In terms of their characteristics, lifestyles, and attitudes, Boomers were the most populous and influential generation of all. They have defined themselves by their careers and many are workaholics. Their work is seen as a form of self-fulfillment, status, and proving th emselves, i.e., job titles matter. They have crowded into cultural careers such as teaching, religion, journalism, marketing, and the arts. Team orientation is valued. They are anticipated to work longer and harder (Eisner, 2005; Koco, 2006). They are very concerned about health and energy, looking for the sources to stay young, strong and active. Generation X will be in their mid-60s by 2030. They grew up in the time of economic uncertainty under the pressure of political and economic instability. Many wage and job opportunities for young workers were limited until the economic boom of mid-1990s. (Eisner, 2005; Lager, 2006). Success has been less certain for this generation. They do not believe in positive future time, energy, and relationships for advancement like the Boomers did. They have an economic and psychological survivor mentality and consider hard work as necessity. They had to compete in a weak global economy. Diversity and thinking globally are core values of Gen Xers ( Cranston, 2008; Francese, 2004; Ritson, 2007). The core driving business force by 2025 2030 will be generation Y aged 35 45. They witnessed the fast technological evolution with the Internet, Google, eBay, cell phones, PDAs, GPS becoming an admirable part of their lives. Integral parts of their lives is globalization, global citizens, working beyond fiscal boundaries (Hawkins, et al., 2010; Cranston, 2008; Eisner, 2005; Dietz, 2003; Gerritsen, 2008). Most of Gen Y has a strong sense of autonomy and independence, quite adaptable and comfortable in different situations. With blogging, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter anyone can become a reporter, producer, or social advisor. Social networking is a key distinction for this generation (Dickey and Sullivan, 2007; Donnelly, 2008). Gen Y demonstrates an entrepreneurial outlook and is more work/life balance oriented and less committed to an employer than previous generations but demonstrates high commitment when dedicated to a capt uring idea. It has been observed the this generations vales life styles, career development and overseas travel and may be the most adaptable yet in terms of technological skills and values intrinsic aspects of work such as mentoring and training in order to remain marketable (Cennamo Gardner, 2008) They expect flexibility in work hours, dress code, relaxed work environment, recognition for smallest effort and constant feedback and value opportunity to downshift to reach a holistic self-understanding and satisfying meaning in life (IBM, 2011). Generation Z also called the connected generation, digital natives, the net generation (Future of work, 2012) is the newest generation and its hard to say now how they will develop as a generational cohort. By 2030 Gen Z will be taking an increasing role in society and business life. But what is known that they will grow up influenced by the factors described above in PESTLE. That is supposed to be a global and diverse generation. The technol ogical progress and next generation of social networking sites makes it possible to build online communities that are more like someones closest group of friends. (Labi, 2008b; Soltan, 2004). PwC research (2011) revealed that Gen Z will be similar to Gen Y in their expectations. But some features will be even more vivid manifested like desire for work/life balance, rapid career progression, less concern about working hours, high interest in new projects and less commitment to one employer. According to D. Tapscott (2008) Net Geners: Want freedom in everything they do Love to customize and personalize their experience Want to find entertainment in their work Are focused on collaboration and relationship building Have a need for speed They will be living in the world where equality and diversity become a societal norm. Finally, theyre going to be smart smarter even than previous generations. Their ability to process massive amounts of information quickly is actually preparing them to perform more mentally demanding jobs. In effect, an entire generation is training itself to handle more complicated tasks (IBM, 2011). Influenced by expected demographical changes described above organizations in Europe, North America, Canada will face the decline of Caucasian workers and increase of non-Caucasian. It is projected to double from 18% to 17% (The 2020 Workplace, J. Meister, K. Willyerd, 2010) While people managers are trained to deal with many forms of diversity, they will have to be prepared to manage workforce with greater diversity in age, gender and ethnicity. Social networks and virtual workspace. The rapid expansion of the digital universe and advancement in communication technologies will lead to the new meaning of being at work and create new ways on how people communicate with each other. Today for a number of jobs it is no longer needed for people to be physically located in the office to successfully perform job responsibilities and by 2030 it is forecasted most of the employers where the business allows will completely relieve their employees from working 9 to 5 office hours (Hewitt Associates, 2008). People will be free to decide where and how to organize their workplace. But Hewitt also emphasize that this capability can bring some employees new level of work/life balance satisfaction and for others its fostering workaholic tendency leading to lousy employees: tired, depressed, mistake prone, resentful, and eventually burned out (C. Salter, Solving the Real Productivity Crisis, Fast Company, January 2004). Virtual coworking will shape the future workplace. Workers from around the globe of different nations, professions, jobs, social status will be united together by many discussion forums, news groups, and virtual communities making many barriers of the past obsolete. Rapidly developing Cloud technology will make services, applications and resources accessible from any device, anywhere, any time, and if charged pay only for what they use during the time they are using it Through unprecedented access to virtual space the world of knowledge will be digitalized and enriched significantly by user-generated content (L.Gratton, 2010). Approximately 500Â  000 new users are creating every day online profiles and maintaining them on a social network (IBM 2011) and researchers forecast this number to grow over the next decades. The future workplace will look like a place where people collaborate extensively, exchange ideas, and share knowledge. The value of an employee will be determined not only by results achieved but also by how much you contribute your expertise and knowledge back to the organization (J. Meister, K. Willyerd, The 2020 workplace, 2010). The expected growth in virtual-based content will impact many organizational parts from changing corporate culture and standards of how people share knowledge and communicate with each other to the ways, policies and norms of how companys management deals with security and privacy of this explosion of the d igital content. The current workforce lifecycle has outlived its meaning. In the organizations of future individual careers are not based on relative or hierarchical moves but rather on reputational progress. Rather, people will choose the pace and direction of this progression according to their reputation and their own personal goals. Alternative careers will enable individuals to work and contribute throughout their entire lives and well beyond the traditional retirement age. In fact, the notions of retirement and retiree will be removed from our vocabulary since careers are based on the choices that each individual makes and not on the concept of seniority C. Benko and A. Molly introduced the concept of corporate lattice. In the new business world with heterogeneity of backgrounds, personal circumstances, expectations and aspirations it recognizes that career and life are no longer separate spheres but are now interdependent. This concept is expected to be a robust response to multiple changes organizations will face allowing to connect both high performance and career-life fit. Figure below describes how lattice thinking differs from ladder thinking. (C. Benko and A. Molly, The corporate lattice, ). The lattice structures an employees career path as multidirectional with opportunity to move across and down and up ensuring engagement of a diverse workforce driven mainly by desire to work for to be working with the best company, on the best projects, for the best clients, and with the best talent and team members. Source: Deloitte Development LLC, The Corporate Lattice (2010). IBM analysts (2010) elaborated and continued this concept by the next level of organizational development which can be expected by 2030 (Figure). Self-directed global-citizens will be managing their careers in a cube without limiting it to the frames of one organization. To succeed in the lattice-based organizations reputation will gain new meaning. This is the sum total of personal brand, expertise, number of successfully completed projects, ratings given by employers, breadth and depth of social networks, etc (J. Meister, K. Willyerd, The 2020 workplace, 2010). Individuals with a poor or low profile or reputation would ultimately diminish their personal brand and consequently have more difficulty securing opportunities and maintaining their labor rate against others. new employment models and employee engagement instruments that would help business navigate in the future Employee engagement is defined differently by different organizations and researchers. Here are just some of them: Corporate Leadership Council define Engagement as The extent to which employees commit to something or someone in their organization, how hard they work and how long they stay as a result of that commitment. The Gallup Organization argues that employee engagement is the involvement with and enthusiasm for work. When Hewitt Associates thinks engagement is the state of emotional and intellectual commitment to an organization or group producing behavior that will help fulfill an organizations promises to customers and improve business results. But all these definitions have a common base which is employee satisfaction with their work and ability and desire to go the extra mile and demonstrate outstanding on the job performance. Many things will be changing around and inside the organizations of the future but for the sake of sustainability employers will have to create a workplace where employees can build a personal and emotional relationship to the employer brand (J. Meister, K. Will yerd, The 2020 workplace, 2010). Basic human nature has not changed Basic human nature has not changed in 1000s of years and will remain in the future (R.J. Vance, SHRM Foundation, 2006): We want to be better: There is a competitive drive to be more competent and more capable We are social people: We are hard-wired to be part of a group We are meaning-seeking people: We want to make a difference Several sociologists who deal with generations and demographics researches suggest future generations particularly generations Y and Z will place greater importance on feedback, collaboration, self-fulfillment, meaningful contributions, skills advancement, respect, mentoring. The future workplace engagement model (J. Meister, K. Willyerd, 2010) covers the key principles that the future workplace must embody. The essential component is values which would be aligned across the generations and strong brand that employees identify with. . Meister, K. Willyerd (2010) argue there are different areas that contribute to the engagement but the model demonstrates the most important once: recruiting, employee connection, learning and leadership. These practice areas would be realized by organizations based on key principles: Collaboration: in the future external collaboration will grow exponentially Authenticity: key component is transparency through social media