Marco Polo’s Influence on Christopher Columbus Essay

Marco Polo’s Travels detailed in Europe of the fourteenth and fifteenth century another impression of the Eastern world, a world similarly as cutting edge and refined as that of the West. However, an additional two centuries were required for a noteworthy change to happen; this was Christopher Columbus’ journey. For Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo’s travelog was a significant and strong asset that contained the essential subtleties of the East. The geological portrayals in his composing produced a reason for Columbus’ logical figurings for his undertaking and the unequivocal delineations of the advantage of Cipangu and Cathay, imperfect however they were, made a solid inspiration for Columbus. In the twelfth of May 1492, Christopher Columbus, joined by the compositions of Marco Polo, heads out to change history until the end of time. Marco Polo’s travelog was the main composed record to have illuminated the European world with subtleties of the Eastern world. In the year 1254, when Marco Polo was conceived in a respectable group of Venice, the open information on the East was near nothing. Since the time the long stretches of Alexander the Great, Europe had scant data about its neighboring human advancement. Albeit fundamental exchange courses were available along the Silk Road, â€Å"no one in the West appears to have had any thought of the nation from which it had come or those through which it had passed.† Islamic nations that encompassed Europe, alongside the Atlantic Ocean made a characteristic obstruction, disengaging the Europeans from the remainder of the world. Indeed, even the lively vendors of Venice, Genoa, and Constantinople couldn't infiltrate past the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. â€Å"The religion and business of Islam were thriving all through that continent† after the principal Crusades. Because of this solid â€Å"Islamic curtain†, the Europeans were ignorant of the presence of the Mongol domain bit by bit ascending as one of the world superpowers until Marco Polo returned with intriguing stories after his administration under the Great Khan. The seventeen years of administration under Kublai Khan securely and advantageously gave Marco a wide scope of encounters in the Asian mainland. The Polo siblings, Maffeo and Nicolo Polo (father and uncle of Marco Polo) had at first met with the Khan a few years before they took Marco on their second excursion to China. Let me let you know next of the individual appearance of the Great Lord of Lords whose name is Kubilai Khan. He is a man of good height, neither short nor tall yet of moderate tallness. His appendages are all around fleshed out and displayed in due extent. His composition is reasonable and rosy like a rose, the eyes dark and attractive, the nose shapely and set solidly set up. The Khan was an insightful and daring man, and Marco being an ace four dialects and youthful and solid as he might have been, the Khan named him to a high post in the organization. Marco was given a brilliant tablet looking like a tiger’s head, â€Å"which ground Ch’ang Ch’un a free pass and the privilege of help wherever in the Mongol Realm.† With adequate access, Marco had the option to visit different places in Asia and increased a plenteous measure of involvement in its way of life. He represents the geology, atmosphere, individuals, and religions of the East inside and out, referencing the formula of Mongolian dried milk. Marco Polo’s accomplishments were just finished after his arrival home, when experiences Rustichello of Pisa, a sentiment essayist who turned into his colleague in placing his accounts into a book. Two years before the passing of Kublai Khan, the Polos were doled out their last strategic escort the Mongol princess Kokachin to wed the Persian ruler, and afterward to get back. Meticulously, they achieved their crucial showed up home in the winter of 1295. Marco starts another existence with the gems and gold gained in his excursion. At the point when a war among Venice and Genoa begins, Marco is caught and detained for a year in the Genoese jail. Here he meets Rustichello, to whom Marco recounts to the accounts of his extraordinary excursion. After his arrival home, Marco, in spite of the fact that Rustichello did the greater part of the work, distributes his travelog: Marco Polo Travels. Marco’s book stayed more for diversion purposes until the 1450s and 60s when Johann Gutenberg designs the letterpress and catalyzes its spread. From the outset, numerous individuals were distrustful about his book. His composing contained numerous notices of legends and fantasies that appeared to be very overstated. Neither did Marco incorporate any portrayals about the Great Wall. Despite theseâ controversies, his book got one of the main books to be greatly distributed through the Gutenberg’s letterpress. Ventures spreads out through Europe in a matter of moments. When all of Europe is stunned by his book, Marco approaches his passing, leaving the final words: â€Å"I have just told the half of what I saw!† Whether or not Marco’s words were dependable was not an issue now. In the years following Marco’s passing, gigantic changes happened in the psyches of Europeans including the view of world topography, legitimately influencing Columbus’ arrangements. The TO delineate speaks to the medieval comprehension of the world. (Graph joined to the back) The circle O, speaks to the world and the parts of the T, the Don and the Nile. Asia fills the upper semi hover and in the left and right of the upstanding segment of the T, which speaks to the Mediterranean, lays Africa and Europe. In the inside is Jerusalem and at the top is Earthly Paradise of Adam and Eve, accepted at an opportunity to be the wellspring of extraordinary streams, for example, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Pictures of Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel, and others of the book of scriptures can be found on the guide. As introduced, the TO delineate the crude type of the world guide before the long stretches of Marco Polo. The world guide quickly developed beginning from the distributing of Marco’s book to the hour of Columbus. The effect of Marco Polo’s works is shown in these maps. Among the various forms of various maps, â€Å"the first maps known to us†¦ unequivocally impacted by Marco’s Books which despite everything stay to †¦[is]†¦ the Catalan Atlas,† drawn up by the Majorcan Jew Abraham Cresques at around 1380. Here is presented just because, India, as a promontory and pictures and terrains of the Great Khan. The guide additionally remembers for it pictures of customary legends of the territory. Extraordinary similarity can be found among them and those of Marco’s book. Portrayals of the world became greater and more extensive until at long last, even the thought of a way westbound to Asia is raised. At the point when the effect of Marco Polo began to occur, a doctor of Florence by the name of Paolo Toscanelli, assumed the job of changing the thoughts of Marco Polo into the logical motivations for Christopher Columbus. Toscanelli was one of Marco Polo’s adherents, who bolstered Marco Polo’s gauge of the length of Asia to be right. He contended that, as per his counts, â€Å"a journey of 3000miles from Lisbon to Cipangu and 500miles from Lisbon to Quinsay† was conceivable. With this estimation, he encouraged men that an endeavor for the hunt of Japan, portrayed as the â€Å"most fruitful in gold,† ought to be sorted out. Among these men was the youthful and aspiring Christopher Columbus. The hypotheses of Toscanelli animated the scholarly enthusiasm of Columbus and soon Columbus was resolved to discover more. Columbus composed Toscanelli addressing him for increasingly thorough data. Toscanelli answered with a consolation of Columbus’ yearnings and a graph of counts, which he conveyed with him on his journey. At this point, Columbus was resolved to place his contemplations enthusiastically. In spite of the fact that Columbus’ estimations were deliberately made, its vast majority was wrong. One of his significant computations was his confusion of a degree. He thought the length of a degree was 562/3 Italian nautical miles. (â€Å"the Italian nautical mile utilized by Columbus contained 1480 meters† ) This was not his own thought, however of the overall population of his time. As indicated by Henry Vignaud, he acquired his outcomes â€Å"because he knew ahead of time what he needed to find.† Based on his degree and different components including the estimations of Toscanelli, Columbus’ end came out to be a long way from reality. It came out that Tokyo would be on the meridian that goes through Western Cuba, Chattanooga, Grand Rapids, and Western Ontario. As it were, â€Å"he disparaged the size of the world by 25 percent.† Yet, until his real flight, he did not understand at all of his slip-ups or of the American landmass. Marco Polo had furnished Columbus with significant data of the East, however Columbus had not realized that there were such huge numbers of more interesting points, for example, the presence of a different universe in the West. Fifteenth century Europe was a period of investigation and disclosure; enthusiasm of the Eastern world was expanding quickly ordinary. Exchange with the Indies, which alluded to the majority of Eastern Asia, prospered during the hour of Columbus, particularly in Portugal and Spain where gone through a large portion of his time on earth. â€Å"The record of Polo’s heads out advised how to purchase flavors from the East,† andâ other merchandise, for example, silk, gold, silver, or aromas were likewise taken via bands across Asia to Constantinople and afterward redistributed through Europe. Despite the fact that the cost was expensive because of long and difficult procedure of postage, the interest for these stocks kept on ascending as the measure of extravagance and abundance of Europe likewise expanded. In this way, it was soon clear for another and shorter course for the bringing in of these assets. Rehashed endeavors were made to get around Africa to India. Columbus, nonetheless, â€Å"deci

Free Essays on How Information Technology Has Affected The Buisness World

How Information Technology Has Affected the Business World? Data innovation has been ceaselessly reforming the manner in which we live; data is currently accessible momentarily and in mind boggling sums. The central issue that remaining parts is the way these developing innovations are influencing the individual, social, instructive, and political parts of the business world and of our lives. Likely the one part of Information Technology that has the biggest effect on the business world is the World Wide Web [2]. The Web has fundamentally disposed of any cutoff points on correspondence around the globe and has to a great extent improved the effectiveness of practically all parts of the business. We see the effect of data innovation on the library as the center establishment of colleges around the nation and even the World. The World Wide Web will affect extraordinarily upon the library whether the library needs it to or not, and this effect will in enormous part be directed to the library by powers both mechanically and socially based, and along these lines past the library’s generally speaking control. The Web is changing the harmony between the library as supplier of data and showing personnel as suppliers of instruction [2]. One piece of the World Wide Web that has given the business and the remainder of the World with the most comforts is E-mail. This has completely reshaped the showcasing plan for some organizations over the globe. â€Å"E-mail advertising efforts are quicker, less expensive and more compelling than regular postal mail battles and will eventually supplant them, as indicated by an examination from statistical surveying organization Gartner Inc†[3]. Numerous organizations despite everything utilize the postal assistance as their essential crusades device, yet email advertising efforts can be assembled in seven to ten business days, contrasted with four with about a month and a half to finish a regular postal mail battles. Answers show up in three days contrasted with a normal of three to about a month and a half for a postal mail campaig... Free Essays on How Information Technology Has Affected The Buisness World Free Essays on How Information Technology Has Affected The Buisness World How Information Technology Has Affected the Business World? Data innovation has been persistently altering the manner in which we live; data is presently accessible momentarily and in amazing sums. The central issue that remaining parts is the way these developing innovations are influencing the individual, social, instructive, and political parts of the business world and of our lives. Most likely the one part of Information Technology that has the biggest effect on the business world is the World Wide Web [2]. The Web has essentially killed any cutoff points on correspondence around the globe and has to a great extent improved the productivity of practically all parts of the business. We see the effect of data innovation on the library as the center foundation of colleges around the nation and even the World. The World Wide Web will affect enormously upon the library whether the library needs it to or not, and this effect will in huge part be directed to the library by powers both innovatively and socially based, and consequently past the library’s generally speaking control. The Web is changing the harmony between the library as supplier of data and showing personnel as suppliers of training [2]. One piece of the World Wide Web that has given the business and the remainder of the World with the most comforts is E-mail. This has completely reshaped the advertising plan for some organizations over the globe. â€Å"E-mail showcasing efforts are quicker, less expensive and more successful than post office based mail crusades and will eventually override them, as per an investigation from statistical surveying organization Gartner Inc†[3]. Numerous organizations despite everything utilize the postal help as their essential battles device, yet email advertising efforts can be assembled in seven to ten business days, contrasted with four with about a month and a half to finish a standard mail crusades. Answers show up in three days contrasted with a normal of three to about a month and a half for a postal mail campaig...

7 Common Myths About Panic Attacks

7 Common Myths About Panic Attacks More in Panic Disorder Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Coping Related Conditions Panic attacks are typically begin with a sense of dread and anxiety. During a panic attack, the person can experience 4 or more of the following symptoms: Accelerated heart rate or heart palpitations Choking or suffocating sensations Chest pain Trembling or shaking Shortness of breath Depersonalization and derealization Nausea or abdominal pain Fear of losing control Excessive sweating Feelings of nervousness Fear of dying Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about panic attacks. It can be frustrating for panic attack sufferers to explain their condition to others, especially when there are so many misunderstandings and false assumptions about these attacks. Read ahead to learn about common myths about panic attacks. Each myth is followed up with the facts about panic attacks. Myth: Panic attacks are an overreaction to stress and anxiety. You may have heard someone say something along the lines of “Oh I was so worried, I just about had a panic attack,” “You scared me so much, I started to have a panic attack,” or “I had a panic attack because I was so nervous.” These types of statements undermine what it means to truly have a panic attack. Expected anxiety or nervousness over life stressors or situation are not the same as having a panic attack. Additionally, people who have panic attacks are not overreacting to anything in their environment. That would imply that the person somehow has control over their symptoms. People with panic disorder have attacks that occur out-of-the blue, without warning or any cue in the environment. Panic sufferers may learn to manage these attacks, but they do not have control over the fact that they experience them. Myth: Panic attacks are only a symptom of panic disorder. Although panic attacks are the main symptom of panic attacks, these attacks can occur with other mental health or medical conditions. Panic attacks have also been associated with mental health disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), agoraphobia, eating disorders, social anxiety disorder (SAD), depression, and bipolar disorder. These attacks may also be linked to certain medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). other digestive disorders, and sleep disorders. Myth: Panic attacks can only occur when the person is awake. Panic attacks more commonly occur while a person is awake, however, they can also happen while the person is sound asleep. Known as nocturnal panic attacks, these symptoms can wake a person out of their sleep. It is not unusual for a person to feel frightened when this occurs. Nocturnal panic attacks are frequently met with feelings of fear and a sense disconnection from oneself and one’s surroundings. The person may believe they are having a nightmare and can find it very difficult to fall back asleep once the panic attack subsides. Myth: Panic attacks can make you go insane. When panic strikes, the person may become afraid that they are going to completely lose control. There is often a sense of embarrassment. Additionally, many fear that they are going to completely lose their minds and go insane. The truth is that although panic attacks are most likely caused by an underlying mental health condition, they are no indication that a person is about to “go crazy.” In fact, panic attacks generally reach a peak within 10 minutes before gradually subsiding.  Once the attack eases up, the person can expect to still feel on edge for quite some time but has no reason to worry about going insane. Myth: You can die from a panic attack. Many first-time panic attack sufferers end up in the emergency room out of concern that they are experiencing a medical emergency. Symptoms such as accelerated heart rate, chest pain, excessive sweating, and shortness of breath can all be perceived of as a frightening ordeal that necessitates immediate help. Panic attacks may have symptoms that imitate other medical conditions, but they are not considered life threatening. If in doubt, you should always seek medical attention. Myth: Panic attacks can be avoided. Many people hold the belief that you can prevent panic attacks by avoiding the stimuli that trigger them. For example, a person may have come to the conclusion that if fear of flying leads to panic attacks, then the person should simply not fly. However, this is false for several reasons. First, panic disorder sufferers have panic attacks that occur unexpectedly, without environmental cause. There isn’t anything they can avoid, as the attacks can occur at any time. Second, a person with a phobia as described above may have panic attacks when faced with a particular fear, such as flying. However, avoiding the objects or situations will only increase a person’s anxiety and fear. One of the most effective ways to get past anxiety triggers is to face them while trying to maintain a relaxed state. Myth: There’s little you can do to lessen your panic attacks. Facing your fears and learning to manage your panic attacks can best be accomplished through professional help.  You will first need to schedule with your doctor so that you can be evaluated to determine the mental health or medical condition that is causing your attacks. Once your diagnosis has been made, your doctor can assist you in deciding on a course of treatment. Common treatment options include medications and psychotherapy. Through continued treatment, you may be able to control these attacks and return back to your previous levels of functioning.

How Should Bullying Be Stopped, And What Laws Are There...

How to Stop Bullying Bethany Holeman Political Science Core: Mandatory Writing Assignment Section 142.010 Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Government Fall 2014 Abstract How should bullying be stopped, and what laws are there against bullying? What is the impact of bullying? Bullying has been around for centuries. There are states with anti-bullying laws, but most do not implement the laws correctly. This major issue needs to be taken more seriously, and handled in the correct ways. Texas has a number of laws, or codes, to attend to the pandemic of bullying. There are many steps to take to insure the decline of bullying rates. Bullying has a negative impact on the lives of the victims. Introduction Feuds among individuals have been around forever. However, the term bully has been in existence since 1693. The term bully means â€Å"to affect by means of force or coercion† (Background on Bullying n.d.). Out of all the countries, the United States has the worst problem because bullying is legal in most states. Bullying was not viewed as a major issue until the early 1970’s. Although some states have anti-bullying laws, most do not address the major issues regarding the problem or any solutions as to how to stop bullying. â€Å"One in four students are bullied every month† (Background on Bullying n.d.), therefore forcing schools to have anti-bullying policies to make the students and parents feel safer overall. There are numerous differentShow MoreRelatedBullying Is The Main Reason People Bully Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesBullying is one of the worst things you can go through. It is where someone who is insecure, jealous, or going through some thing or whatever is happening and call people names or hit them or just be rude and cruel to them because they think it’s funny but it’s not. 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The Bhopal Disaster of 1984 - 6444 Words

Bulletin of Science, Technology Society http://bst.sagepub.com/ The Bhopal Disaster of 1984 Roli Varma and Daya R. Varma Bulletin of Science Technology Society 2005 25: 37 DOI: 10.1177/0270467604273822 The online version of this article can be found at: http://bst.sagepub.com/content/25/1/37 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of: National Association for Science, Technology Society Additional services and information for Bulletin of Science, Technology Society can be found at: Email Alerts: http://bst.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://bst.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav†¦show more content†¦R. Varma, 1986; D. R. Varma Guest, 1993). In 2002, a play â€Å"Bhopal† was staged in Canada as well as in India. The Nature of Things of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation screened the documentary â€Å"Bhopal: The Search for Justice,† directed by Peter Raymont and Lindalee Tracey, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster. The Bhopal issue has been taken up by numerous organizations. Sambhavana Foundation, which came into being as a response to the disaster, operates a free clinic for the victims, does epidemiological and envi- I Bulletin of Science, Technology Society, Vol. 25, No. 1, February 2005, 37-45 DOI: 10.1177/0270467604273822 Copyright ï›™ 2005 Sage Publications Downloaded from bst.sagepub.com at University of Wollongong on March 3, 2012 38 BULLETIN OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE / February 2005 Figure 1. Map of Bhopal showing the location of the UCIL plant and the areas most severely affected (shaded). Inset: Location of Bhopal in India. ronmental research, and is building a hospital. 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How to Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich Free Essays

Tiayna Bradford BRADFORD 1 Mary Jo M. Keiter English 051 Oct 18, 2012 How to make a grilled cheese sandwich on an electric stove. First you need to make sure that you have all the things needed for this process. We will write a custom essay sample on How to Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1. Frying pan 2. Bread 3. Butter or Margarine 4. Butter knife 5. Cheese 6. Plate First you take out two pieces of bread and lay them on your plate. Then you open up the butter, get the butter knife; put some butter on the knife, then spread it on one side of the bread. Make sure that the side you put the butter on is the side down. The other side of the bread that is faces up; put two slices of cheese on it. After you put the cheese on it; put piece bread on it, then spread butter on that side too. When that part is done, turn the stove on number four; so that it is not up to high; or to low. Place the frying pan on the eye that you turned on. Once it gets hot put the sandwich in the pan. You can put a lid on it to make it cook faster or just leave it open. Let it cook for like two minutes and then turn it to the other side and repeat the same thing. Once you see that the bread is brown a little, you can take it out using a spactula. It is then ready to eat. How to cite How to Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Essay examples

World Population in Past 50 Years free essay sample

For the last 50 years, world population multiplied more rapidly than ever before, and more rapidly than it is projected to grow in the future. In 1950, the world had 2. 5 billion people; and in 2005, the world had 6. 5 billion people. By 2050, this number could rise to more than 9 billion (see chart World Population Growth, 1950-2050). Anthropologists believe the human species dates back at least 3 million years. For most of our history, these distant ancestors lived a precarious existence as hunters and gatherers. This way of life kept their total numbers small, probably less than 10 million. However, as agriculture was introduced, communities evolved that could support more people. World population expanded to about 300 million by A. D. 1 and continued to grow at a moderate rate. But after the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, living standards rose and widespread famines and epidemics diminished in some regions. Population growth accelerated. The population climbed to about 760 million in 1750 and reached 1 billion around 1800. We will write a custom essay sample on World Population in Past 50 Years or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page World Population Distribution by Region, 1800–2050 Source: United Nations Population Division, Briefing Packet, 1998 Revision of World Population Prospects; and World Population Prospects, The 2006 Revision. In 1800, the vast majority of the worlds population (85 percent) resided in Asia and Europe, with 65 percent in Asia alone (see chart, World Population Distribution by Region, 1800–2050). By 1900, Europes share of world population had risen to 25 percent, fueled by the population increase that accompanied the Industrial Revolution. Some of this growth spilled over to the Americas, increasing their share of the world total. World population growth accelerated after World War II, when the population of less developed countries began to increase dramatically. After millions of years of extremely slow growth, the human population indeed grew explosively, doubling again and again; a billion people were added between 1960 and 1975; another billion were added between 1975 and 1987. Throughout the 20th century each additional billion has been achieved in a shorter period of time. Human population entered the 20th century with 1. 6 billion people and left the century with 6. 1 billion. The growth of the last 200 years appears explosive on the historical timeline. The overall effects of this growth on living standards, resource use, and the environment will continue to change the world landscape long after. Exponential Growth As long ago as 1789, Thomas Malthus studied the nature of population growth in Europe. He claimed that population was increasing faster than food production, and he feared eventual global starvation. Of course he could not foresee how modern technology would expand food production, but his observations about how populations increase were important. Population grows geometrically (1, 2, 4, 8 †¦), rather than arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4 †¦), which is why the numbers can increase so quickly. A story said to have originated in Persia offers a classic example of exponential growth. It tells of a clever courtier who presented a beautiful chess set to his king and in return asked only that the king give him one grain of rice for the first square, two grains, or double the amount, for the second square, four grains (or double again) for the third, and so forth. The king, not being mathematically inclined, agreed and ordered the rice to be brought from storage. The eighth square required 128 grains, the 12th took more than one pound. Long before reaching the 64th square, every grain of rice in the kingdom had been used. Even today, the total world rice production would not be enough to meet the amount required for the final square of the chessboard. The secret to understanding the arithmetic is that the rate of growth (doubling for each square) applies to an ever-expanding amount of rice, so the number of grains added with each doubling goes up, even though the rate of growth is constant. Similarly, if a countrys population begins with 1 million and grows at a steady 3 percent annually, it will add 30,000 persons the first year, almost 31,000 the second year, and 40,000 by the 10th year. At a 3 percent growth rate, its doubling time — or the number of years to double in size — is 23 years. (The doubling time for a population can be roughly determined by dividing the current growth rate into the number 69. Therefore, 69/3=23 years. Of course, if a populations growth rate does not remain at this rate, the projected doubling time would need to be recalculated. ) The growth rate of 1. 2 percent between 2000 and 2005, when applied to the worlds 6. 5 billion population in 2005, yields an annual increase of about 78 million people. Because of the large and increasing population size, the number of people added to the global population will riain high for several decades, even as growth rates continue to decline. Between 2005 and 2030, most of this annual growth will occur in the less developed countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America whose population growth rates are much higher than those in more developed countries. The populations in the less developed regions will most likely continue to command a larger proportion of the world total. While Asias share of world population may continue to hover around 60 percent through 2050, Europes portion has declined sharply and is likely to drop even more during the 21st century. Africa would gain part of Europes portion, and the population in Latin America and the Caribbean would remain relatively constant around 8 percent (see chart, World Population Distribution by Region, 1800–2050, above). The more developed countries in Europe and North America, as well as Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, are growing by less than 1 percent annually. Population growth rates are negative in many European countries, including Russia (-0. %), Estonia (-0. 4%), Hungary (-0. 3%), and Ukraine (-0. 8%). If the growth rates in these countries continue to fall below zero, population size would slowly decline. As the chart World Population Growth, 1950–2050 shows, population increase in more developed countries is already low and is expected to stabilize. Terms Birth rate (or crude birth rate): The annual number of births per 1,000 total population. Doubling time: The number of years required for the population of an area to double its present size, given the current rate of population growth. Population doubling time is useful to demonstrate the long-term effect of a growth rate, but should not be used to project population size. Many more-developed countries have very low growth rates. But these countries are not expected to ever double again. Most, in fact, likely have population declines in their future. Many less-developed countries have high growth rates that are associated with short doubling times, but are expected to grow more slowly as birth rates are expected to continue to decline. Growth rate: The number of persons added to (or subtracted from) a population in a year due to natural increase and net migration; expressed as a percentage of the population at the beginning of the time period. Less developed countries: Less developed countries include all countries in Africa, Asia (excluding Japan), and Latin America and the Caribbean, and the regions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. More developed countries: More developed countries include all countries in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

The Legal Regulatory Environment within the U.S. Power Tool Industry

The Legal Regulatory Environment within the U.S. Power Tool Industry Free Online Research Papers The U.S. power tool industry covers the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of power tools to professional tradesmen, hardware stores and the home user. Power tools are defined as those that are driven by Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC) supplies (electricity), pneumatic (air), and gasoline or some other type of fuel power. Some examples of these tools include: gas saws, rotary hammers, corded and cordless drills, routers, sanders, grinders, etc. Over the past ten years the industry as well as the two market leaders, Black Decker, Inc. and Danaher Corporation grossing close to $15 billion worldwide in 2005, has experienced a cyclical change in the demand of these products. This is largely due to the fact that these products are directly tied to all types of building construction, renovations and â€Å"Do It Yourself† (DIY) projects, which in turn are driven by wider market forces and the overall economy. However, new innovation technology like battery power and a lift in the housing portion of the market have helped companies in the power tool industry to demonstrate strong financial performance even in the wake of a stable or shrinking economy.1 With regards to the legal and regulatory environment in the power tool industry, there are a few key players. First being OSHA (Occupational Safety Health Administration), which is the main federal agency charged with the enforcement of safety and health legislation. Others include the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and finally the Specialty Tools Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA), all which help monitor are regulate other specific laws and regulations with in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to explore the legal and regulatory environment in the power tool industry. Section I will present an overview of the regulatory environment. Section II will continue to outline and discuss into two legal issues with specific examples from cases involving Black Decker, Inc. The first (Section IIa) will discuss product liability and a specific issue with a consumer who bought a pneumatic nail gun which malfunctioned, causing him to lose the sight in one eye. The second (Section IIb) discusses a specific a case in which Black Decker, Inc. was suing one of its largest competitors Bosch Tool Corporation for patent infringements in regarding their job site battery charger/radio product. I chose these two issues as they were high profile and widely publicized. The paper concludes that there are numerous legal guardrails within the power tool industry. These laws and regulations are in place to protect industry employees and consumers and ensure that companies involved in the manufacture, sale and distribution of power tools are performing such activities with the safety of employees and consumers and environmental considerations at the top of the agenda. Mature compliance initiatives and top-level management focus on legal and regulatory issues not only helps companies stay within the bounds of the law and avoid penalties but also assists them in gaining competitive advantage through market and consumer confidence and well managed, efficient internal processes. Legal and regulatory requirements are here to stay and those currently impacting the power tools industry are no exception. The power tools industry can continue to expect a similar level of regulation in the future, given the nature and use of the products produced by its comp anies and their recent adherence to requirements. Section I: Legal Regulatory Environments There are few major industry associations that help set most of the rules and regulations within the industry. The first one is OSHA (Occupational Safety Health Administration), which sets the industry standards, agency policies, rules, and regulations by which all companies that employ workers that use power tools and manufactures must follow. The portion of the standards and regulations that pertain to power tools industry and their manufactures is found in Part 1926.302, titled â€Å"Power-operated Hand Tools†, within the Safety and Health Regulations for Construction. In this section, there are many regulations surrounding tools either powered by electricity, air, or fuel, how they are manufactured and then operated in the work place. For example, Electric power operated tools need to be of the approved double-insulated type or grounded in accordance with UL regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations can result financial and other penalties. Another contributor to the many laws and regulations within this industry is the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA works to develop and enforce regulations that implement environmental laws enacted by Congress and is responsible for researching and setting national standards as well as monitoring and enforcing compliance. Compliance with EPA regulations is particularly relevant for the power tool industry in the context of the disposal and manufacture of a variety of cordless fuel cells. Where national standards are not met, the EPA can issue sanctions and take other steps to assist the states reaching the desired levels of environmental quality. The third significant regulatory body is the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. One of the CPSC’s main objectives is to protect the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products, including power tools. It is responsible for working with manufacturers to ensure sufficiently detailed and timely information is released to the public regarding product recalls and or making arrangements for their repair. The CPSC is also primarily responsible for conducting research on potential product hazards and informing and educating consumers through the various types of media. The last major association is the Specialty Tools Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA). STAFDA is a not-for-profit educational trade association comprised of distributors, manufacturers, and representative agents of construction, industrial, and related products. While STAFDA is not a regulation setting organization, one of its major purposes is to advise its members of legislation, regulations and lobbying efforts which affect the overall power tool industry and therefore it has an impact on overall compliance to legal and regulatory requirements within the industry. Section IIa: Exploration into a Product Liability Case As outlined in Section I, OSHA and CPSC regulate the manufacture and safe use of power tools. The first legal example to be discussed in this paper issue was a product liability case between a customer and a power tool manufacturer, Black Decker, Inc. In this case the local state, Product Liability Act which was help drafted from the CPSC, defended the manufacturer. The case was originally held in a Louisiana district court and was subsequently appealed and went to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The outcome was a significant product liability victory for Black Decker, Inc. The case involved the plaintiff, Kenneth B. White, who while using a pneumatic brad nailer, was blinded in one eye after a nail ricocheted off of the work surface. The district court granted â€Å"Black Deckers summary judgment motion on the ground that the plaintiff did not satisfy his burden of proving the risk/utility element of a defective design claim under the Louisiana Product Liability Act†, which states that, â€Å"A manufacturer can be held liable to a claimant for damage proximately caused by an unreasonably dangerous characteristic of a product when such damage arose from a reasonably anticipated use of the product†. The plaintiff, an experienced carpenter, was injured while using a DEWALT Heavy Duty, 18 gauge Brad Nailer. He was not wearing his safety glasses at the time of the accident. The nail gun came equipped with two types of trigger, a bump fire trigger and a sequential fire trigger, and was sold with the bump fire trigger pre-installed. Switching trigger mechanisms was, however, simple to do, and the alternative sequential trigger was attached to the product in a plastic bag with clear instructions on how to switch the trigger mechanism. The plaintiff claimed that the nail gun double fired, causing the second-fired nail to ricochet and strike him in the eye. The plaintiff argued at the district court that pneumatic nail guns with bump fire triggers are unreasonably dangerous because of the potential for double fires and that the accident would not have occurred if a sequential trigger had been used. The plaintiff filed suit against Black Decker under the Louisiana Products Liability Act, and claimed that the nail gun was â€Å"unreasonably dangerous† in design. Black Decker â€Å"moved for summary judgment† on three different grounds. First, the plaintiffs use of the nail gun without wearing safety glasses provided with the product was not a reasonably anticipated use since the plaintiff was an experienced carpenter who testified he was aware of the risk of eye injury when using nail guns. Secondly, the proposed alternative design or sequential trigger that was preferred by the plaintiff was, in fact, provided with the product even though it was not pre-installed. Lastly, the plaintiff could not come forward with competent evidence to satisfy the risk/utility standard of a defective design claim.5 The district court granted Black Deckers judgment because it found that the plaintiff did not present sufficient evidence to support a jury finding that the â€Å"lik elihood† the products design would cause the plaintiffs injury and the seriousness of that injury outweighed the adverse effect from the design of the product. The court also found that the risk of injury with this particular product was lower than it was with other types of nail guns because it was designed to fire brad, very small finishing nails and, thus had a much lower recoil force and was less likely to double fire than larger framing nail guns. The court concluded that the risk of injury could also have been avoided because the product manual and labels warned about the dangers of double fire, warned about the risk of ricochet, and provided safety glasses with the product and that the plaintiff did not present adequate evidence to make an obvious showing that the proposed â€Å"alternative design† would not excessively impact the function of the nail gun. On appeal, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals essentially agreed with all of the district courts findings and conclusions and dismissed the case. Section IIb: Exploration into a Patent Case The second legal issue is one regarding patent law. A patent is issued for the protection of an invention, product, process, or machine and is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The inventor also may have to comply with other laws and regulations with in the industry to make use of the claimed invention.7 The term or length of a patent is 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed. Once a patent is issued it excludes others from â€Å"making, using, offering for sale, or selling† the invention in or brining it into the United States. United States patent grants are effective only within the United States, its territories, and its possessions. If a patent is issued and is then used without permission from the inventor, the holder of the patent may bring an infringement suit to the federal courts. A successful action may result in an injunction prohibiting further use of the paten ted item by the infringer and the inventor can also be awarded damages. Patents provide incentives for economically efficient research and development. Many large modern corporations have annual RD budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars. Without patent protection, RD spending would be significantly less or eliminated altogether, limiting the possibility of technological advances. Corporations would be much more conservative about the RD investments they made, as third parties would be free to exploit any developments. Additionally, in many industries, especially those with high fixed costs and either low marginal costs or low reverse engineering costs, for example the power tool industry, once an invention exists, the cost of commercialization, testing, tooling up a factory, developing a market, etc., is far more than the initial conception cost. A case heard by the United States District Court in Illinois, including two companies from the power tools industry. Black Decker, Inc., the plaintiff, filed multiple claims against the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation for infringing on a various patents involving Bosch’s Power Box. On September 22nd, 2006, a verdict by the jury and the court found that all claims by Black Decker, Inc relating to patent infringement by the defendant were valid. The ruling concluded that the defendant, Bosch, must stop selling, making, using, offering, and importing the Power Box in the United States, effective immediately. The trial ran from September, 13th through September 26th. The patents that Black Decker stated that were infringed were claims 1, 2, 6, 7, and 10 of the United States Patent No. 6,308,059, and claim 1 of the United States Patent No. 6,788,925, both titled â€Å"Ruggedized Tradesworkers Radio†. These patents included specifics of a radio charger having an AC powered DC power supply design, an AC powered-DC charger design, a removable DC power supply design and or a power conversion circuit design and shown with specific electrical schematics. After hearing the case the jury found that Bosch had infringed on the two patents stated above, and that Black Decker will suffer irreparable harm if an injection is not entered. Additionally they found that no adequate remedy at law exists and that a balance of the relevant hardships is in Black Decker’s favor. Therefore Robert Bosch Tool Corporation, its officers, agents, servants, employees, affiliates, successors, and assign s were then restrained from making, using, selling, offering, or importing the Bosch Power Box, model number PB-10 and or PB-10-CD. There was an additional note that the updated version of the Power Box, PB-10 Advanced, was excluded from this case; however it was part of another lawsuit that was to be heard in the same court. Conclusion In conclusion, there are numerous legal guardrails that impact companies in the power tool industry, not just specific industry regulation but also wider laws and regulations at a state and federal level. The power tool industry is heavily consumer driven, the reputation damage and loss of consumer confidence associated with a successful law suit or infringement of laws or regulations is a risk that many companies in the industry cannot afford to take. Organizations and regulatory bodies such as the OSHA and CPSC provide the legal and regulatory framework within which the power tool industry must operate, while STAFDA provide guidance and assistance for the companies in the industry to help them understand and address the various requirements. There is no doubt that increased legal and regulatory requirements force companies to change the way in which they operate to ensure achieved compliance. Often these internal compliance initiatives result in more arduous internal processes and controls and increased costs but, if implemented properly, these can help a company streamline its operations through process re-engineering and gain competitive advantage whilst also avoiding the finan cial and reputation penalties of non-compliance. Given the nature and use of power tools and the industry’s recent history of adherence to requirements, the industry can continue to expect a similar level of regulation in the future. Endnotes 1 Handtools. Encyclopedia of American Industries. Online Edition. Thomson Gale, 2006. Reproduced in Business and Company Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.:Gale Group. 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezp.lndlibrary.org/servlet/BCRC (retrieved November 22, 2006) 2 â€Å"Standards† United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety Health Administration website. 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210 osha.gov (retrieved December 17, 2006) 3 United States Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460. epa.gov/ (retrieved December 18, 2006) 4 United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. cpsc.gov/ (retrieved December 18, 2006) 5 Kenneth B. White vs. Black Decker, Inc., US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, (Case no. 04-30710) Filed March 11, 2005. ca5.uscourts.gov:8081/isysquery/irl140e/2/doc (retrieved December 18, 2006) 6 â€Å"Louisiana Products Liability Act†, Louisiana Products Liability Law. http://radio.weblogs.com/0119806/stories/2003/02/13/louisianaProductsLiabilityLaw.html (retrieved December 18, 2006) Endnotes continued 7 â€Å"Patents† United States Patent and Trademark Office website. Office of Public Affairs U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P. O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 uspto.gov/index.html (retrieved December 19, 2006) 8 â€Å"Patent†, Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2006, February 13). FL: Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent (retrieved December 20, 2006) 9 Black Decker, Inc. vs. Robert Bosch Tool Corporation, US District Court, (Case No. 1:04-cv-07955) (Filed November 11, 2006. retrieved via email December 19, 2006) Research Papers on The Legal Twilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperGenetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

The Fight for Womens Rights in the Past and Present

The Fight for Women's Rights in the Past and Present The meaning of womens rights has varied through time and across cultures. Today, there is still a lack of consensus about what constitutes womens rights. Some would argue a womans ability to control family size is a fundamental womens right. Others would argue womens rights fall under workplace equality or the chance to serve in the military in the same ways that men do. Many would argue that all of the above should be deemed womens rights. The term typically refers to whether women are treated as mens equals, but sometimes it specifically refers to special circumstances that affect women, such as job protection when they take time off for maternity leave, though men in the U.S. are increasingly taking paternity leave. While men and women may both be victims of social ills and violence related to human trafficking and rape, protection against these crimes is often described as beneficial to womens rights. The implementation of various laws and policies over the years paints a historical picture of the benefits that were considered to be womens rights at one time. Societies in the ancient, classical, and medieval worlds show how womens rights, even if not referred to by that term, differed from culture to culture. United Nations Convention on Rights of Women The 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, signed by many United Nations member states, asserts that womens rights belong to the political, economic, social, cultural, civil realms. According to the convention text,  which became an international treaty in 1981: Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. The declaration specifically addresses eliminating prejudice in public education, giving women full political rights to vote and run for public office, as well as marriage and divorce rights that equal mens. The document also called for the elimination of child marriage and sex trafficking while also mentioning equality for women in the criminal justice system and in the workplace. The NOW Statement of Purpose In 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) formed and wrote a statement of purpose that summarizes key womens rights issues of that time. The rights outlined were based on the idea of equality as an opportunity for women to develop their fullest human potentials and to put women into the mainstream of American political, economic and social life. The womens rights issues identified included those in these areas of employment and economics, education, family, political participation, and racial justice. The 1855 Marriage Protest In their 1855 marriage ceremony, womens rights advocates Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell refused to honor laws that interfered with the rights of married women in particular. They advocated for wives to be able to legally exist outside of a husbands control, to inherit and own real estate, and have the right to their own wages. Stone and Blackwell also campaigned for wives to be able to choose their own names and place of residence and to sign contracts. They demanded that married mothers be granted custody of their children and be able to sue in court as well. Seneca Falls Womens Rights Convention In 1848, the first known womens rights convention in the world took place in Seneca Falls, New York. There, organizers of the convention declared that men and women are created equal. As such, the feminists gathered demanded that women immediately be given the rights and privileges due to them as U.S. citizens. In their Declaration of Sentiments, the Seneca Falls participants insisted that women should be able to vote, have property rights, including the right to the income they earned, and to pursue higher education and a variety of professions, such as theology, medicine, and law. Womens Rights in the 1700s In the 1700s, influential women also spoke out about womens rights from time to time. Abigail Adams, the wife of U.S. founding father and second President John Adams, asked her husband to remember the ladies in a letter in which she discussed disparities in womens and mens education. Hannah Moore, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Judith Sargent Murray focused especially on womens right to an adequate education. They used their writing to advocate for women having influence over social, religious, moral, and political decisions. In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1791–1792), Wollstonecraft called for women to be educated, have equality in marriage, and have control over family size. In 1791 during the French Revolution, Olympe de Gouges wrote and published the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen. In this document, she called for women to have free speech, including the right to name the father of their children and equality for out-of-wedlock children, a demand that suggested that women had the same right as men to have sexual relationships outside of marriage. Treatment of Women in the Ancient World In the ancient, classical, and medieval world, womens rights differed somewhat from culture to culture. In some cases, women were essentially regarded as slaves or children under the authority of their husbands or fathers. Women were largely confined to the home and lacked the right to come and go as they pleased. They also had been deprived of the right to choose or refuse marriage partners or end a marriage. Whether women could dress as they liked was an issue during this time as well. A number of these concerns and others continued to be problems for women in the centuries that followed. They included a lack of custodial rights over children, especially after a divorce; the inability of women to own property, run businesses, and control their own wages, income, and wealth. Women in the ancient, classical, and medieval world also faced employment discrimination, barriers to education, a lack of voting rights, and the inability to represent themselves in lawsuits and court actions. In the centuries since, women have advocated for these rights and more, but the struggle for equality hasnt ended. Women still face employment discrimination and barriers to healthcare, while single mothers are at great risk of falling into poverty.

Success in Social Commerce Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Success in Social Commerce - Research Paper Example As the result, Google Analytics and Facebook Connect (Tonkin, Whitmore, & Cutroni, 2011) have now come up with tools and strategies that are showing positive ROI to marketers. In addition, a number of market research companies have carried out researches to understand the relationship of social media experience with consumers’ purchasing decisions. The results indicated that ‘like’ button acts as a significant factor that influences users to purchase a product/service from a specific retailer. In this regard, marketers are now looking at different ways of transforming experiences into measurable returns that will allow a rapid evolution of social commerce (Blanchard, 2011).While the paper is focusing primarily on ‘return on investment’, it is imperative to understand that ‘return on investment’ is usually considered as metrics that is not the case. ROI itself requires metrics for measurement of its business value, and business experts hav e come up with the following equation to calculate return on investment of something:ROI = Benefits - Costs x 100 = Percentage Return on the InvestmentThe equation of ROI is self-explanatory; however, the paper will now include an example that will clarify the applicability of ROI in social commerce largely. Sea World San Antonio is a venture of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (2013). The company created different content based on interests and attitudes of these roller coaster fans.... This paper is an attempt to understand different aspects of social commerce that will allow a comprehensive understanding of complexities that revolve around success of the notion. Discussion While social commerce presents an interactive shopping platform to consumers, it is imperative to see the potential of social commerce from businesses’ perspective. From retailers’ point of view, it has been an understanding that the social commerce has been successful in providing opportunities to retailers to engage people in exploration of their products by creating viral experiences (Ickler, Schulke, Wilfling, & Baumol, 2009). In addition, social commerce enables retailers to bring their products to a place where people interact with each other that is contrary to traditional shopping trend where people have to reach to the place to buy something. Another distinction from traditional commerce is that social commerce focuses on socially enriched relationships rather than one-to- one relationships that usually exist in traditional commerce settings. Rather, social commerce promotes dependence on interaction and experience of users with users; in other words, consumer-to-consumer communication that results in buying or selling of any product or service. The reason this paper is including detailed discussion on distinction of social commerce from other traditional types of commerce is the need for realizing the complexity that exist in social commerce, which will only enable its critical understanding that is essential for understanding different aspects of its success. For instance, as discussed earlier, ‘return on investment’ (Marsden, 2010) is the metric that business organizations usually use in traditional commerce setting, and

In our own Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

In our own Interest - Essay Example During the case of Somalia, 19 Americans died while attempting to restore peace (Thompson et al 4). Following the Mogadishu case, President Clinton’s intervention was restricted by the administration, despite the fact that the recommendations offered went against their humanistic conscience. The recommendation entailed the evacuation of all the American people at Rwanda, but not rescuing any Rwandan’s despite the fact that they perfectly understood the crisis at Rwanda. This paper reviews the response of President Clinton and his staff during the Rwanda Genocide, towards demonstrating the evils that emanate from obedience and the influence of authority on human behavior. Discussion Following the orders from the American administration, during and after the start of the Rwandan crisis, the administration’s advisors and the planning teams of the US – through president Clinton and his staffs communicated a number of excuses – for failing to act in resp onse to the genocide (Thompson, et al. 2; Carroll). The reasons given by President Clinton and his staffs included that the true magnitude and the scale of the killings taking place at Rwanda was not known. They also claimed that the rate of killings did not warrant the response of the US government (Thompson, et al. 3). However, considering that the massacre continued for a period of three months, it was clear that the inaction of President Clinton and his administration was not caused by the lack of proper information. Further, it became clear that the US was aware that the plans of the attack were known, because it was reported to the US, but nothing was done about the situation. The inaction of the US was also, not because it did not have enough resources, using which to respond to the situation. The reasons behind the failure of the inaction were primarily policy issues (DIA). The President and his staffs’ inaction are evident from the fact that they were well aware of t he case, eve before it happened. This was evident from the fact that, on 11th of January 1994 General Dellaire informed the UN of planned assassinations of Tutsi officials (Carroll). His subsequent appeals for reinforcement were not served. Further, after the start of the killings, memoranda about killings were sent to the Secretary of Defense’s office, and leading news papers like the Washington post and the New York Times reported the killings taking place (DIA). The policy recommendations that went against the conscience of President Clinton and his staffs included those from the administration that military force was not to be employed, following the experience that the US government had gained from the 3rd of October 1993 raid at Mogadishu, which ended with the killing of 19 Americans (Samantha 378). Other policy recommendations advanced by the US administration included that the interests of the US had to be protected, the administration did not have any allocation to a ddress the situation and that it lacked allied and public support (Samantha 378). These administrative policy recommendations tied the president and his staff’s ability to decide in favor of the crisis at Rwanda. This case shows the effects of their obedience; because the case culminated in the killing of more than 500,000 people (O'Toole; Stanley). The president and h

Transformational leadership style of influence

Transformational leadership style of influence ABSTRACT This piece of work will critically evaluate the approaches of transformational leadership, which enhance employee well being. It will delve into the meaning of transformational leadership and the necessary leadership approach or style that can influence employee well- being positively at work, and areas of employee well- being the leadership approach will improve. Also the overall implication that employee well-being has on performance and why it should be a core value in any organisation will be analyzed. INTRODUCTION One of the current approaches to leadership that has been the focus of much research is the transformational approach. Transformational leadership is part of the new leadership paradigm, which gives more attention to the charismatic and effective elements of leadership. The transformational leadership involves an exceptional style of influence that makes employees to perform beyond expectation. And its approach usually incorporates the charismatic and visionary leadership.(Mullins 2007). The leadership approach is the best suitable for campaigning a strategic vision of change or a new work routines. It facilitates feedbacks learning because the leadership is an effective communicator, who can inspire commitment in the employees towards realisation of the firms vision. The employees under this leadership feels secured, a sense of trust is established and feels valued, respected and important hence they are ready to be committed to the organisations goal. The leadership motivates employees to overcome resistance to change since they trust the leadership; all fears of uncertainty are easily eroded. It is obvious that the leadership of where an employee served will go along a way to give value, emotionally to the employee or the reverse maybe the case. The leadership on focus here is one which will affect employee emotions positively and build trust within the relationship because, It is a leadership that value the employee and is mostly concerned in ensuring that the employee succeed in the task or organisation goal set. All businesses seek to be in a good state of well-being, since employee in a perfect emotional, psychological, intellectual and mental state of well-being will successfully perform at a high level and the company will remain efficient and profitable. We will consider some factors or approaches of the transformational leadership that gave it achievement in improving employee well-being. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP In recent years increasing business competitiveness and the need for the most effective use of human resources has resulted in writers on management focusing attention on how leaders revitalise or transform organisations (Laurie Mullins 2007). The transformational leadership uses strategic influences and techniques that empower employees and enhance their self-efficacy and change their values, norms and attitudes, consistent with the vision developed by the leadership which will positively enhance psychological well-being. On the other hand transactional leadership influences employees with the use of power, sanctions, rewards and formal authority to induce followers compliance behaviour (Bass 1985; CongerKanungo 1998) According to (Burns 1978) transformational leadership was defined as a process where leadership (employers) and followers (employees)engage in a mutual process of raising one another to higher levels of morality and motivation. Burns M. J was the first to bring about the concept of transformational leadership to prominence in his extensive research into leadership theories. Effective transformational leaders are those who inspires and According to Whitehead (Mullins,L. 2007) â€Å"the big word now associated with leadership is vision. The ability to see the bigger picture, to take the long-term view. What the ultimate objectives of the organisation are and how people can work together to achieve them..perhaps the most important attribute is that a good leadership inspires people by creating a climate where it is OK for people to make mistakes and learn from them, rather than what happened in the past which was to blame and punish them. Leading from this position, they gain higher level of commitment from their people than mere compliance†. As its name implies transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms individuals. It is concerned with trust, emotions, values, standards and long term goals and includes assessing followers motives, satisfying their needs and treating them as full human beings. EMPLOYEE WELLBEING There has been many definitions of employee well-being by scholars and related professional bodies. The Chartered Institute of personnel development has defined well-being at work to be â€Å"creating an environment to promote a state of contentment which allows an employee to flourish and achieve at their full potential for the benefit of themselves and their organisation†. (CIPD 2006). The well-being in focus is more than that of physical health of avoiding falling ill or sick. This is as to do with achievement of personal well being that revolves round a number of positive decisions regarding life style, which is different from stress avoidance and not being able to cope. It represents a wider bio-pyscho-social spectrum that includes physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being. It is an initiative to help employee be more proactive at work in order to attain their full potentials-intellectually, mentally and psychologically. Well-being requires the organisation to actively enhance employees to maximise their psychological , intellectual and emotional state of health. The necessary leadership approaches are also of advantage to people at all level both inside and outside the working environment. It modifies the working environment to be highly productive, attractive and corporately responsible place to work. One being an employee will enthusiastically long to always be at work since its an environment that improves one state of mind for productivity, instead of the strictly transactional approach. Every employee prefers that leadership that cares and is ready to help develop you than the type that publicly criticise your flaws. According to Felce and Perry (1995), well-being;â€Å"comprises objective descriptors and subjective evaluations of physical, material, social and emotional well-being together with the extent of personal development and purposeful activity, all weighted by a personal set of values.† This is important because the definition extends the meaning of well-being to a range of different dimensions beyond the conventional health issues which can be stretched further to workplace. Employee wellbeing is an important factor in determining an organisations long term profitability. Many studies show a direct relation between productivity levels and the employee well-being. A happy and healthy employee will be of benefits to the employer since performance will be good, reduction in absenteeism and organisation can achieve the set goals or target. However employer does not necessarily have to focus only on the physical health conditions but more on the mental, psychological and emotional health conditions of employees.(CIPD 2006). To be organisationally effective, employee well-being needs to be part of a regular business dialogue and to be deeply embedded into an organisational leadership culture. And the leadership that has embedded employee well-being in its culture, style and approach is the transformational leadership. Organisational wellbeing involves many things but the most important of it is employees having meaningful and challenging work and having the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in effective working relationships (CIPD 2006). TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP APPROACH ENHANCING EMPLOYEE WELLBEING. Researchers have critically measured the approaches of transformational leadership through different ways, by interviews, questionnaires with employees in various organisations and it has been observed from the findings that the leadership has employ the following instruments in enhancing employee well-being at work. According to (Bass1998),the transformational leadership motivates employees/followers to do more than is originally expected and the extent of this transformation is measured by the effectiveness on employees performance. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE The ability to perceive, observe, and manage employee emotions will enhance a foundation for social, emotional, and intellectual competencies of well-being, which is necessary for high performance on the job. It is ability that transformational leadership can use to improve productivity and psychological well-being in employees. This could be described as a type of social intelligence that involves a sensitive approach of monitoring and observing employees feelings and emotions, in order to use the observation to assist the employees thinking (mental) and action; that is working pattern for good job performance (Salovey Meyer 1990). According to (Fleishman Harris 1962) leadership with the ability to establish mutual trust, respect and good relationship among employees will achieve great productivity. TRUST Every relationship requires trust to survive, if the employees can trust the leadership under which they work, employees will turn out to be proactive on the job and winning the hearts of employees to any new change, lies in the ability of the leadership to influence which will be easier when there exist trust between the two parties. This is an approach a transformational leadership possessed that allays all fears and any form of suspicion from the employees towards their leadership. Building a good relationship like that of a transformational leadership is what makes it easy for trust to and loyalty to grow and employees embrace any new policy set by management and work without any form of threats or unknown anticipated fear. This invariably gives an employee a stable emotional state of mind to perform better. CHARISMATIC APPROACH Transformational leadership behave in ways that allowed them to serve as role models for employees. (Bass,1985) . The leadership is admired, respected, and trusted. Employees are proud to identify with the leadership and desire to imitate them. The leadership is viewed to be possessing extraordinary abilities, persistence and determination. This style is often a natural behaviour of transformational leadership, whose idealised influence emphasizes on having a collective vision by reassuring employees of the fact that , obstacles can be overcame. This leadership can be trusted to do the right thing and to demonstrate high standards of ethical and moral conduct. Invariably employees have confidence in their leadership. INSPIRATIONAL/ MOTIVATIONAL Transformational leadership behaves in a manner that motivate, inspire and encourage the people working with them by providing meaning and challenge to the employees work. This leadership gets work going by being enthusiastic and optimistic and get employees involved in envisioning attractive future states, by creating clearly communicated expectations that employee needs to meet and also show commitment to goals and shared visions.(Bass. B and Riggio E. 2006). According to (Mullins 2007) its been observed by researchers that, for the past30 years there has been increasing amounts of data to suggest that leadership has a lot more to do with inspiration and visions than with straight forward technical competence. INDIVIDUALISED CONSIDERATION This is a leadership approach that listens, and value an employee, in order to give them a sense of belonging in that the employee feels like an integral part of the organisation (Boorstin 2004) from Bernard Bass . Transformational leadership is leadership felt throughout the organisation. It is obvious that employees perform better when they are respected and valued by the leadership. Obviously this leadership style or approach goes a long way to enhance the psychological well being of employees positively and result to greater excellent performance. Every individual loves to be given consideration, which gives them sense of value, and when given a fair hearing puts the employee in a good shape of mind psychologically and emotionally to obtain an excellent performance on the job. A two- way communication is encouraged where management is near to the employee, (the leadership remembers previous discussions, is aware of individual concerns and sees the individual as a whole person rather than just an employee), Bass Riggio. This type of leadership listens effectively and gives special concern to the emotional developmental needs of their employees. INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION Transformational leadership work on the intellectual strength of the employees by encouraging them to be creative and innovative. Soliciting new approaches for the performance of work and attending to task creatively are encouraged by the leadership. The leadership stimulate employees to view problems as challenge and not as obstacle. This leadership does not openly criticise or embarrass individual employees errors or shortfalls. Employees are encouraged to proactively come up with new ideas to solving problems and are not castigated in anyway, simply because their own ideas may differ from the management ideas. Undoubtedly speaking this approach goes along a way in positively stimulating, energising and productively improving the intellectual wellbeing of any employee. When the mind is at its peak or highest level of productivity, the performance will be unspeakably incredibly excellent and organisations image and reputation is improved, services also will be good and more patronage from customers, leading to more profit. However for the employee an environment where one can be productive enhances intellectual growth and a stable and balance mental well being is achieved. This approach mentally empowers an employee to be self dependent, self reliable, accountable and general self development to becoming an expertise is obtained. COACHING This is an essential style of transformational leadership, one leadership beyond the traditional supervisor or manager that tells someone what to do instead showing them how to do it. Coaching by extension is mentoring someone, influencing people by providing new knowledge and skills required for the task. Work activities dont put smile on peoples face, what brings the smile is leadership that mentored, taught and coached employees to be better persons. Transformational leadership pays special attention to each individual employees needs for achievement and self development by acting as a coach or mentor. Employee individual differences in terms of needs and desires are recognised and are therefore developed to successively higher levels of potential. This approach is more realisable in a supportive environment with new learning opportunities. Bass describes this approach further as a type where the leadership behaviour demonstrates good understanding of individual differences for in stance in a situation where the leadership give some employees more encouragement, some are more empowered, some more firm standards, and others possible more task structure. The leadership coach by task delegation and proper monitoring of it to develop the employee and give direction and assistance where necessary and assess the progress without employee feeling being overly controlled rather appreciate the leadership style of taking time to coach and mentor. EFFECTS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING TO HIGH PERFORMANCE. Transformational leadership in its leadership style has effectively built trust between employees and management and this usually lead to a smooth and pleasant working relationship that does not give room to suspicion in case of any change in policy or organisational change. Employees trust the leadership and they in turn are committed and loyal to the organisation. The employee is in a perfect emotional state of mind, since there is no fear of unknown or any need to panic. However, the trust sometimes could lead to exploitation since leadership knows that employees so rely on every of their judgement this but its been argued that the integrity of the transformational is to ensure the individual development of the employees. This leadership cares and is concerned about the employees and also inputs the companys value in the minds of employee and constantly reminds them of the vision and goal to the realisation of a high performance. The leadership that gives attention to individual consideration is able to identify each individual strength and weakness and of course will be able to train and develop them without compares but handle them based on each persons capacity (the leadership give some employees more encouragement, some are more empowered, some more firm standards, and others possible more task structure according to their capability and needs). This leadership style improves the employee well-being psychologically since the employee is treated uniquely and not measured by the others standard or ability, it gives an employee sense of acceptance and is uniquely assessed and assisted where necessary. Employee is psychologically, emotionally and intellectually motivated to perform without fear of others is better, here employees are treated as ends and not just means.(Bass and Steidlmeier 1999). The more capable that leadership is able to recognise the personal interests and concerns of individual employee, the very likely leadership will be able to create a team where employee well-being is an integral part of getting the job done.(CIPD 2006 Journal). In a scenario where an employee under performs an emotional intelligent leadership like the transformational leadership is quick to observe that something could be wrong instead of criticising ,that leadership initiate a good relationship by communicating with the employee to know what the problem is. By so doing the employee is mentally, socially and psychologically restored, and of course performance will improve, resulting to organisational profitability. Thus, it is of necessity to reiterate that the well-being of employee goes a great way in affecting performance and in turn the organisations as a whole. The effect of intellectual stimulation on employee well-being cannot be overly emphasized. Employee is allowed to think independently, given room to be creative and allowed to do things in their own unique way which improves employee mental state of well-being. Generally speaking when there are strong relationships like that of a transformational leadership, between employees and line managers to the top managers and management as a whole, levels of well-being are enhanced. The level of performance will also be immeasurably excellent and the organisational goal is realised. One major effect of transformational leadership style is that it perfectly erodes power distance via the leadership style of delegation which gives employee a measure of autonomy to take decisions on the task delegated to be implemented. The leadership style encourages low power distance and create room for accountability and in over all gives opportunity for employees to be self efficient and of course an avenue to learn. Employees are to an extent empowered under this leadership and of course will feel valued and important, this feeling improve employees intellectual and psychological state, a feeling of empowerment and importance is essential for a positive psychological well-being. The leadership foster team work allowing every employee to participate and enhancing good relationship to the realisation of self efficacy and high performance. CONCLUSION The leadership approach has a great effect on employee well-being, because how one is been treated goes a long way in affecting the individual thinking and hence the behaviour. In order words, it is argued that transformational leadership should be a core value for organisations that will embed employee well-being in its culture and style of leadership.(Bass 1998). RECOMMENDATION I strongly recommend the transformational leadership style to be a core value to organisations in the embedding of employee well-being, based on my findings that it is the type of leadership that motivate, inspire, stimulate, and mentor employee to a mental, emotional balance and good psychological state of well-being, which will ultimately lead to a high excellent performance of employee productivity and to the organisations profitability advantage. I perfectly support the transformational leadership style in the embedding of employee well-being and recommend it to the Nigerian banking industry as particularly. However, my judgement is also based on my personal experience with my manager who has no single traits of transformational leadership in her approach, my manager was the type that does not have any relationship with the team, i was in the marketing team in the bank at that time, she does not listen to individual needs or concern, she announces and criticise the team errors, even individual weak point and it was always a sad moment at work because of her attitude, she was seen has a bully. When I changed job and joined stanbic bank, it was a different ball game altogether because the stanbic leadership style was very different, since the transformational leadership approach was a core value being an international bank. The transformational leadership style positively affected my intellectual, psychological, and emotional well-being, to the fact that i performed better and even got promoted. I will at anytime vote and argue in support of this leadership style because have been through it has an employee and i know how a good leadership can enhance employee well-being.

Organising a Discursive Essay about Car Use Essay

An argumentative essay opens with a boldly expressed point of view and then the rest of the essay presents arguments (examples, proof or logic) to support that point of view. Normally, it refers to opposing arguments but demonstrates that these are weak or even false. (Look at this essay about zoos for an example.) A discursive essay presents both sides of the issue in a more balanced way. In the end, however, it normally reaches a conclusion; in other words, the writer states what s/he thinks. The following is an example of how a discursive essay on handguns might be structured: Introduction : The issue of handgun ownership A. Some people believe individuals should not own handguns B. Others believe ownership is an important personal right Disadvantages of handgun ownership – Both adults and children can have accidents – People can use guns for crimes Advantages of handgun ownership + People can protect themselves from intruders + People can use guns for recreational purposes (e.g. target practice at gun clubs) Conclusion (a summary & evaluation of arguments above) = Problems of accidents and crime make gun ownership difficult to accept = Gun ownership should not be allowed in the interest of a better society Your task in this assignment is to write a discursive essay about the advantages and disadvantages of car use. You will be given the various arguments both in favour of, and against, car use. Your first task will be to organise these arguments. TASK 1 Read the following notes. Identify all the points in favour of car use and mark them with the symbol à ¼ . Identify all the points against car use and mark them with the symbol à » . Not restricted by schedules as you are with public transport Comfortable (spacious, cool, radio/CD etc.) They cause air pollution (e.g. exhaust emissions contribute to global warming) Roads deface the natural landscape and destroy/disturb wildlife habitats Fast, less time-consuming than public transport Car parks take up valuable space in city centres (could be used for public gardens instead?) Fairly cheap to run? Car accidents result in many deaths and injuries Modern fuels are lead-free and getting â€Å"cleaner† Traffic jams lead to stress and â€Å"road rage† (angry drivers attacking others) Car use contributes to a faster, less natural pace of life that often results in high blood pressure and heart disease TASK 2 Now that you have sorted your points into two groups, you will be able to divide the body of your essay into two sections: advantages and disadvantages (or possibly the other way round). However, each of these two sections still needs to be divided further – into topics. Each topic will then become a paragraph in the essay. Take the advantages above and arrange them under the topic headings of â€Å"Convenient† and â€Å"Efficient†. Take the disadvantages and arrange them under the topic headings of â€Å"Bad for the environment†, â€Å"Dangerous† and â€Å"Stressful†. TASK 3 A well-made paragraph usually starts with a topic sentence. This contains the main idea or argument of the paragraph. It is followed by a few illustrations or examples that support it. In the case of your essay on car use, the topic sentences in the body of the essay will cover the points in TASK 2 (above). Write topic sentences based on each of the headings in Task 2 (i.e. â€Å"Convenient†, â€Å"Efficient† etc.). Here is an example: Cars are extremely popular because they are so convenient. Do not be satisfied with the first thing you write. Rewrite it; share it with a classmate or your teacher; aim for a more effective sentence. TASK 4 The structure of your essay is going to be as follows: Paragraph 1 (INTRODUCTION) Paragraph 2 (Convenient †¦) à ¼ Paragraph 3 (Efficient †¦) à ¼ Paragraph 4 (Bad for the environment †¦) à » Paragraph 5 (Dangerous †¦) à » Paragraph 6 (Stressful †¦) à » Paragraph 7 (CONCLUSION) Unless, of course, you decide to deal with the disadvantages first †¦ You still need to plan an introduction. Basically, this will state that there are both advantages and disadvantages to car use. However, it will sound rather weak if you simply write: â€Å"There are both advantages and disadvantages to car use†. It will make a stronger impact if you start with a bold or surprising statement, or perhaps a striking statistic. For example: We have become extremely dependent on cars: there were 580 million worldwide in 1990 and it is estimated that this figure will grow to 816 million by 2010. You can follow this with a summary of the main arguments contained in the body of the essay. You should present these in the order they will appear later. Continue this opening paragraph by adding sentences from the jumbled list below. Present them in the same order as the plan above. We have become extremely dependent on cars: there were 580 million worldwide in 1990 and it  is estimated that this figure will grow to 816 million by 2010. Thirdly, some people argue that they contribute to the frantic, unhealthy pace of modern life. On the other hand, there are powerful arguments against car use. Firstly, they damage the environment. Clearly cars are so popular because they are both convenient and efficient. Secondly, they kill and maim large numbers of people. TASK 5 Let us save the conclusion for later. (Basically, it will sum up the main arguments again and evaluate them – in other words, you will say whether you think car use should be limited or even banned.) First, you will try to write the body paragraphs – paragraphs 2-6 in the plan above. Each paragraph already has a topic sentence. The challenge now is to support it with illustrations or examples. For example (paragraph 2): Cars are extremely popular because they are so convenient. They allow us far more freedom than public transport which is often unreliable, slow or even unavailable. Given a choice between walking in the rain to join a bus queue or stepping straight into a car and driving directly to one’s destination, who would prefer the latter? Furthermore, cars are more comfortable than buses or trains since they are less cramped and have luxuries such as an air-conditioner and a sound system. Now use the points below to complete paragraphs 3-6. (Start each sentence with your topic sentence from TASK 3.) Fast, less time-consuming than public transport  Fairly cheap to run, especially if you use a small model  Modern fuels are lead-free and do not cause a lot of pollution They cause air pollution (exhaust emissions contribute to global warming and health problems such as asthma) Roads spoil the natural landscape and disturb wildlife habitats Car parks take up valuable space in cities that could otherwise be used for recreation Car accidents result in many deaths and injuries (e.g. approx. 125,000 people were killed in road crashes in the  OECD’s 29 member countries in 1999, enough to fill 300 jumbo jets) Traffic jams lead to stress and â€Å"road rage† (angry drivers attacking others) Car use contributes to a faster, less natural pace of life that often results in high blood pressure and heart disease You do not need to change the language much. However, you certainly will need to use some linking words/phrases, such as the following: For example, †¦ For instance, †¦ †¦ also †¦ In addition, †¦ Furthermore, †¦ What is more, †¦ Another argument against car use is that †¦ Another disadvantage of car use is that †¦ Similarly, †¦ TASK 6 Finally, you need a conclusion. Avoid a weak â€Å"sitting on the fence† conclusion such as this: â€Å"There are some strong points both for and against car use and it all depends on what your opinion is.† Instead you should sum up the arguments you have already covered and state whether, on balance, you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice-versa. It may be effective to present the arguments in reverse order this time. For example: In conclusion, car ownership has several negative effects, including stress, road accidents and destruction of the natural environment. Nevertheless, we have become very dependent on cars because of the comfort and freedom they offer. A total ban seems out of the question, but for the sake of our own health and the health of the planet, we must aim to reduce car use – for example, by improving public transport systems and introducing car pooling schemes. TASK 7 Now try a discursive essay on a different topic. You could try the one about handguns (see notes above). Other possible topics include: Computer use by children Television viewing School uniforms You may have a better idea yourself, but please check it first with your teacher. Whichever topic you choose, you will need to do some research first and then draw up an essay plan. Without a plan, you will almost certainly produce a disorganised, ineffective essay!