Change in Strategies of Large Indian Organizations; Environment,workplace,customer and worker

Change in Strategies of Large Indian Organizations; Environment,workplace,customer and worker Free Online Research Papers The changes in the four areas (i.e., environment, workplace, customer, and worker) have altered the work so dramatically that old ‘dinosaur-like’ organizations are no longer able to respond to these changes, to handle these new challenges. Today, there are an increasing number of organizational people who are becoming increasingly aware that the strategies, knowledge, structures, and leadership of yesteryear are no longer effective in solving today’s problems. The more important thing today, is not only solving immediate problems related to knowledge, structures, or people, but a long-term insight of doing things for the mere survival of the organizations. It is the question of adaptation and evolution in the living organization, which determines the life span and effectiveness of the organizations in the human society. The organization, which is able to capture all of these forces and systematically synergize them, will be the one able to make quantum leaps up the evolutionary ladder to the next stage of organizational life – the Learning Organization. Definition of Learning Organization A Learning organization is an organization that continuously adapts itself to changes. It sees changes as opportunity as it can envisage future trends and equip itself to face them. To manage changes this organization learns as a whole (Senge, 1990). A Learning organization has to have five skills. Those are Systems Thinking, Personal Mastery, Team Learning, Mental Models, and Shared Vision. Definition of Mental Models The present study has attempted to explore the Mental Models of the Indian executives, particularly in large organizations. Mental Models can be defined as image or perspective of an event, situation, activity, or concept. It is a deeply ingrained assumption that influences how one understands the world and how one takes action. Mental models of what can or cannot be done in different situations vary tremendously from person to person, and are often deeply entrenched and difficult to change. Senge stresses that the discipline of working with Mental models starts with the individual and organization turning the mirror inward, of learning how to unearth internal pictures or images of the world and then to bring them to surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny (Senge, 1990). Objective of the Study The objective of the study is to explore the Mental Models of Indian executives in changing environment. Concept and Operationalization It is assumed that the Mental Models of Indian executives depends on Control, Power Conflict, Bureaucratic Structure and Events Thought in Isolation. o Control: Control is considered as one of the items of Mental Models as a Learning Organization requires a least control system (Arvedson 1993). o Power Conflict: it is seen that power, as the key motivator for the successful executives, plays a major role in the mindset of the executives (Burke, 2002). o Bureaucratic Structure: the presence of this item often hinders the growth of a Learning Organization. So it is taken as a component to see the degree of its presence in the executive Mental Models (Askensas, Ulrich, Jick, Kerr, 2002). o Events Thought in Isolation: a Learning Organization demands its executives to have the understanding of connectivity within the systems. So it is seen as the fourth item of Mental Models to see whether they have this understanding or not (Rolls, 1995). Subjects and selection techniques The population for the study: The population for the study has been taken as the top 500 companies in India. (Source: Dalal Street Investment Journal, June, 2005). A sample of 10% is drawn by using the Random Number Tables from such population. Thus the sample constitutes 50 organizations from the above list. Final data received from 10 organizations. Result of the Study The items were examined through a questionnaire and the items in the questionnaire with their significance level is given in the following table Table 1: t-value of the items Item no t-value * Item content 1 29.682 Working as a team is not always important. (Power Conflict) 2 18.336 Too much autonomy for implementing change leads to chaos and internal power conflict. (Power Conflict) 3 22.388 The nature of top management in case of application of employees’ knowledge while doing a non-routine/complex job. (Bureaucratic Structure) 4 2.968 People are not definite about their future in the organization. (Bureaucratic Structure) 5 12.719 People do not adequately understand why there is change and exactly what is changing. (Events Thought in Isolation) 6 12.389 There is a need for change of roles on a regular basis at all levels. (Control) 7 18.0952 Giving too much importance to the human factor is not possible and necessary. (Control) 8 27.073 You really think that the interests of certain groups usually affect the process of change. (Power Conflict) *Significance level at 60 degrees of freedom at 0.01 is ?2.660 Table 2: Mental Models in Organizations Mental Models and its items Mean S D 1 2.00 0.96 2 2.00 0.96 3 2.50 0.74 4 2.69 1.20 5 2.96 1.02 6 2.53 1.15 7 1.53 0.69 8 2.69 0.53 *p < 0.01; low score indicates favorable response. Maximum possible low score is 8 and maximum possible high score is 32. Table 3: Mental Models’ percentage frequency Distribution Total score Frequency Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 13.00 8 2.0 2.0 15.00 8 2.0 4.0 16.00 64 16.0 20.0 17.00 56 14.0 34.0 18.00 48 12.0 46.0 19.00 48 12.0 58.0 20.00 40 10.0 68.0 21.00 16 4.0 72.0 22.00 32 8.0 80.0 24.00 40 10.0 90.0 25.00 24 6.0 96.0 26.00 16 4.0 100.0 400 100.0 Following are the pie charts of item-wise executive responses Item 1: Working as a team is not always important. (Power Conflict) Item 2: Too much autonomy for implementing change leads to chaos and internal power conflict. (Power Conflict) Item 3: The nature of top management in case of application of employees’ knowledge while doing a non-routine/complex job (Bureaucratic Structure) Item 4: People are not definite about their future in the organization. (Bureaucratic Structure) Item 5: People do not adequately understand why there is change and exactly what is changing. (Events Thought in Isolation) Item 6: There is a need for change of roles on a regular basis at all levels. (Control) Item 7: Giving too much importance to the human factor is not possible and necessary. (Control) Item 8: You really think that the interests of certain groups usually affect the process of change. (Power Conflict) Figure 1: Graphical Representation of Percentage Frequency Distribution of scores regarding Mental Models in Sample Organizations A percentage frequency distribution chart is given to show the pattern of responses of the executives in two broad categories of organization, service and manufacturing. Findings Power Conflict Item 1 and item 2 reveal executives’ mental models regarding power conflict. Though item 1 shows team work is preferred, item 2 shows executives have a block in power sharing. Item 8 shows only 30% of the executives believe that interest of certain groups are not affected during a process of change, clearly revealing a conflict of power. Bureaucratic Structure Item 3 shows almost 77% of the sample executives believe in moderately to strictly high bureaucratic structure. Item 4 reveals only 20% believes in having a shared platform for every level of employees. Events Thought in Isolation Almost 65% of the sample executives believe that people should not interfere in a change process if it is not related with his/her job. Only 12% believes that everyone should know why there is a change irrespective of any criterion. 10% follows some definite mechanism to inform everybody about change. Control Item 6 show that executives feel an urge to share their roles irrespective of levels of the employees. Item 7 reveals that executives believe in human factor rather than strict control. The overall study shows that executives are having a mindset of loosening control but relies on bureaucratic structure, and power conflict is very much there. Events thought in isolation shows that executives are far behind holistic thinking. Research Papers on Change in Strategies of Large Indian Organizations; Environment,workplace,customer and workerIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesOpen Architechture a white paperPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesTrailblazing by Eric AndersonMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Aaron Douglas, Harlem Renaissance Painter

Aaron Douglas, Harlem Renaissance Painter Aaron Douglas (1899-1979) was one of the pioneers of the development of African American art. He was a significant member of the Harlem Renaissance movement of the 1920s and 1930s. Later in his life, he promoted the development of arts education in African American communities from his position as the first head of the art department at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Fast Facts: Aaron Douglas Occupation: Painter, illustrator, educatorStyle: ModernistBorn: May 26, 1899 in Topeka, KansasDied: February 2, 1979 in Nashville, TennesseeEducation: University of NebraskaSpouse: Alta SawyerSelected Works: Cover images for The Crisis (1926), Illustrations for James Weldon Johnsons Gods Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (1939), Mural series Aspects of Negro Life (1934)Notable Quote: We can go to African life and get a certain amount of form and color, understanding and using this knowledge in development of an expression that interprets our life. Early Life and Education Born in Topeka, Kansas, Aaron Douglas grew up in a politically active African American community. His father was a baker and highly valued education despite his low income. Douglas mother was an amateur artist, and her interest in drawing inspired her son, Aaron. Following high school graduation, Aaron Douglas wanted to attend college, but he couldnt afford the tuition. He traveled to Detroit, Michigan, with a friend and worked in a Cadillac plant while attending art classes in the evening at the Detroit Museum of Art. Douglas later reported being a victim of racial discrimination at the Cadillac plant. In 1918, Douglas was finally able to enroll at the University of Nebraska. While World War I raged in Europe, he attempted to join the Student Army Training Corps (SATC), but they dismissed him. Historians speculate it was due to racial segregation in the military. He transferred to the University of Minnesota where he rose to the rank of corporal in the SATC before the end of the war in 1919. Returning to Nebraska, Aaron Douglas earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1922. Invincible Music: The Spirit of Africa for The Crisis (1926). New York Public Library / Public Domain Aaron Douglas fulfilled a dream of moving to New York City in 1925. There he studied with artist Winold Reiss, who encouraged him to use his African heritage for artistic inspiration. Reiss drew on the legacy of German folk paper-cuts for his work, and that influence is seen in Douglas illustration work. Soon, Aaron Douglas found his reputation as an illustrator rising quickly. He earned commissions for the National Urban Leagues magazine The Crisis and the NAACPs magazine Opportunity. That work also led to work for nationally popular magazines Harpers and Vanity Fair. Harlem Renaissance Modernist Painter By the final years of the 1920s, writers such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and James Weldon Johnson considered Aaron Douglas part of the movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. Early in the following decade, Douglas began painting mural commissions that brought him national fame. Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting (1934). New York Public Library / Public Domain In 1934, with funding from the Public Works Administration, Aaron Douglas painted his best-known set of murals, Aspects of Negro Life, for the Countee Cullen branch of the New York Public Library. For subject matter, Douglas drew on the history of the African American experience from slavery through the Reconstruction to twentieth-century lynching and segregation. The panel The Negro in an African Setting shows Douglas at the peak of his powers. It depicts life in Africa before slavery as joyous, proud, and firmly rooted in the community. Aaron Douglas became the first president of the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935. The organization promoted young African American artists and lobbied the Works Progress Administration to provide more opportunities for them. Arts Educator In 1938, Aaron Douglas earned a fellowship from the Rosenwald Foundation, a generous provider of stipends to hundreds of African American artists and writers. The funds allowed him to travel to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Virgin Islands and create watercolor paintings of life there. Aspects of Negro Life: Song of the Towers (1934). New York Public Library / Public Domain Upon returning to the U.S., Charles S. Johnson, the first African American president of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, invited Douglas to create the universitys new art department. Aaron Douglas served as head of the art department until his retirement in 1966. President John F. Kennedy invited Aaron Douglas to the White House to participate in ceremonies honoring the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1963. Douglas continued to appear as a guest lecturer after retirement until his death in 1979. Legacy Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction (1934). New York Public Library / Public Domain Some consider Aaron Douglas to be the father of black American art. His modernist style laid a framework for the development of art in African American communities. The bold, graphical style of his work is echoed in the work of many artists. Contemporary artist Kara Walker exhibits the influence of Douglass use of silhouettes and paper cut-outs. Source Ater, Renee. Aaron Douglas: African-American Modernist. Yale University Press, 2007.

Human Resources Project 1&2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resources Project 1 - Assignment Example This information can be used to understand the career opportunities in the company. A deeper analysis reveals that the HR policies are guided by the main HR policy statement of Nestec Ltd (2002). This is the Nestle Human Resources Policy, implemental to all subsidiaries of the company including those in USA. 2. The company is Nestle Waters North America, and its HR policies appear to be based on the Nestle Human Resources Policy document. I think some updating is needed for this set of HR policies. 3. In order to update the set of HR policies of Nestle Waters North America to optimize its North American operations flexibly with respect to the main policy framework of Nestec Ltd, it is mandatory to embark on a qualitative research followed by a number of activities for drafting and proposing some viable HR policy updates. The activities are described below: I. Interview of the current employees II. Interview of and discussion with the HR managers III. Analysis of current policies with regard to existing academic and business literature IV. Preparation and presentation of the new and/or updated policies in a proposal format V. Briefing the top HR managers 4. In this section, a proposal that describes the types of policies that are to be prepared and/or changed will be discussed. A close examination of Nestle Waters NA’s (2006) HR policies reveals that they are highly dependent on the HR policy manual of Nestec Ltd. First of all, one of the biggest drawbacks of these policies is that they put certain restrictions on the role of the HR managers. According to Nestec Ltd (2002, p. 4), â€Å"HR managers and their staff are there to provide professional support in handling people matters but should not substitute themselves to the responsible manager.† This sort of approach is rather traditionalistic. The second point is that Nestle Waters NA (2006) maintains strict control over its all hiring and training operations. However, relatively recent experience of certain companies shows that outsourcing the HR responsibilities can bring about more concentration on the vertical specialties of the company (Tornbohm and Da Rold 2005). So these two HR approaches need to be changed. A tentative timeline of the proposed HR policy updating and implementation task is provided in Table – 1. Table – 1 A Tentative Timeline of HR Policy Update and Implementation Program Task Time Task – 1: Interview of current employees (at least 20 to 30 employees randomly selected) 7 days Task – 2: Interview of and discussion with the company’s current HR managers. This will involve one to one interaction 7 days Task – 3: Existing policies are to be analyzed. This will involve correlating the existing practices with external case studies as available in different business journals, magazines, etc. 4 days Task – 4: Preparation and presentation of new policies (final draft) 3 days Task – 5: Briefing the HR mana gers before the plan is rolled out. 2 days Total time taken +2 reserve days to compensate loss of time (if any) in the course of the project Total 3 weeks and 4 days (approx) Project Part 2 Updating the existing HR policies First, HR managers must not be constrained in their HR specific roles only with such a strict regulatory approach. At the first place this makes the hierarchic system of the corporation too strong. The HR managers must be given some of the company’s specialties based training. For example, HR managers can be given some basic training on mineral water processing and manufacturing at

Agrument against lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States Essay

Agrument against lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States - Essay Example A behavioral argument in favor of lowering the drinking age cited the Prohibition experience and Engs (1998), for instance, has this to say: As a nation we have tried prohibition legislation twice in the past for controlling irresponsible drinking problems†¦ These laws were finally repealed because they were unenforceable and because the backlash towards them caused other social problems. Today we are repeating history and making the same mistakes. Intentions behind the above arguments vary and some maybe legitimate as well but the issues raised by those in favor of restricting the age limit for alcohol access to 21 has so far succeeded in presenting a stronger case. The reason for this is simple: the empirical evidences and the statistics point to the fact that lowering the drinking age would have adverse effects on individuals and the society in general. In the United States, the current legal use for alcohol consumption is 21. The statutes covering this prohibition can be considered as those intended to influence individuals in regards to health-related behavior. A short review of its history will reveal that the minimum drinking age was implemented immediately after the Prohibition when all of the US states adopted a stringent policy against youth alcohol consumption. When the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution was introduced, lowering the voting age to 18, a number of states have also lowered the drinking age. But by 1984, the federal government implemented a drive to standardize the minimum drinking age to 21 through a congressional initiative. This has been supported by numerous governmental agencies, organizations and individuals such as the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Council on Alcoholism, the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving and the American Medical Association. Specifically, according to Wallander and Siegel

Vintage International Essay Example for Free

Vintage International Essay I gazed at my reflection one more time. It was still serious-and what was surprising about that, since at that moment I was too? But at the same time, and for the first time in months, I distinctly heard the sound of my own voice. I recognized it as the same one that had been ringing in my ears for many long days, and I realized that all that time I had been talking to myself. 6 Before then, Meursault took everything as fate had predestinated for him. However, the moment he began talking to himself, he changed. He became active of his own life. In the isolated prison cell, he became aware of the power of his own mind, which was demonstrated by his rejection of the priest. For Gregor, he ate less and less, and began to drive more and more attention to his family. It was somehow giving him a pleasant feeling, despite of his starvation. For instance, when he listened to his sisters violin performance, it said, He felt as if the way were opening before him to the unknown nourishment he craved. 7 This scenario, which described Gregor getting nourishment from a feeling for his family rather than food, marked that he no longer sought happiness by satisfying physical needs. Being isolated from the society, he began to realize his feelings for his family. Summing up the three protagonists process of realization, their isolation had somehow granted them an opportunity to realize the power of their minds. It was only then that they began to see an alternative way in obtaining happiness. On their isolated islands, the protagonists gave up to achieve their happiness through physical body, but freed themselves from it instead. All three of them came to a realization that they could achieve true happiness through mind. As Ivan reviewed his day before he went to sleep, he accounted the satisfaction he had gained from the action decided by his own mind. Despite of the lack of food and physical discomfort in the morning, these feelings of physical discontent as the mental satisfaction became greater and greater as he gained essence of himself through living it. As he fell into sleep, he was very happy8. Ivans happiness was not from his physical state, but his mental state. It was his own decisions that brought him the satisfaction. His physical isolation had indeed deprived him many luxuries, yet it was the absence of these luxuries that led him to discover a happiness that could be achieved simply through mind. In the case of Meursault, he realized why he did not cry on his mother funeral. Isolated in his prison cell, he meditated and came to a conclusion that life was never predestined. The world was just there as it was. If he could put down the mind forgd manacles, forget the rules of the society; he was indeed a free person. Summing up his thoughts, he claimed, I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. 9 Like Ivan, although the physical isolation prevented Meursault from many pleasure possible by body, he found happiness by freeing himself from the values of the society. Such isolation had indeed provided him an opportunity to reflect his thoughts about life, leading to a mental happiness. As Gregor died, he discovered his love for his family, as hinted in the following passage. He thought of his family with tenderness and love. The decision that he must disappear was one that he held to even more strongly than his sister, if that were possible. In this state of vacant and peaceful meditation he remained until the tower clock struck three in the morning. 10 Despite of his familys hatred towards him, he still loved them and wished his death would bring them happiness. In isolation, he dwelled in a meditation with peace. Peace implied a freedom from violence. For Gregor it would be the violence in life to satisfy his physical needs. It was at the last moment when he freed himself from his body and achieved happiness through mind. All the protagonists in the end realized that they were all free individuals on their islands. They freed themselves from the rules of the world. Those were the very moments when they achieved happiness. Concluding the three protagonists expeditions to true happiness, in isolation, they all discovered a satisfaction in the mind instead of body. While sensual stimuli were reduced to the least, they saw something beyond. One may argue that they were resigning to life in their inevitable isolation, but they had indeed grasped an alternative happiness in such isolation. Like a walk with many people holding one long stick, no man is an island. The stick connects us all. As we proceed to the front, no matter what speed we are at, we move as a whole. Yet, we take the steps by ourselves. Happiness may be realized when we see our strength in taking that step, like the Ivan, Meursault and Gregor in the three novels. Word Count: A phrase from Meditation 17 by John Donne in 1624 2 Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Bantam Books, 1990. (Hereafter ODITLOID) 3 Albert Camus, The Stranger, Vintage International, March 1989. (Hereafter TS) 4 Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis, W W Norton and Sons. (Hereafter M)

The Two Towns of Jasper :: essays research papers

Race in America: Is it really such a problem now as it was so many years ago? I think my generation of young adults is reaping the 1st benefits of a â€Å"racist free† society, and I put racist free society in quotations because our society may never truly be without some form of racism because I believe that hate for another race or culture is seeded in our youth at a very early age, and that our kids our taught, in a sense, to hate by their parents words, actions, sayings, jokes, beliefs, etc and are made to think that that kind of offensiveness is ok, and thus grow up with that racism growing into racial hatred.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The clan markings and tattoos these men had tells me that they belong to a â€Å"gang† or group dedicated to racial hatred. I guarantee you that these men as children had no idea what racism was until someone taught it to them, from there it branched off into their individual view of who is superior and who is not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I personally have a lot of friends of different races, but I don’t see them like that. I see them for who they are and what their personality is like, not by color. And I think that society is gradually leaning in that direction as well. Maybe it was because I wasn’t raised to see color like other people do, maybe it has to do with the fact that my family moved around a lot and I made friends with whoever I could, racial issues not being a factor. These are just my view points and others may have a completely different perspective on color and race. But it is very difficult for me to write about some thing such as racism, when to me the term has no meaning except what has been taught to me about what other people say and do.

The Views On Womens Roles History Essay

An mean adult female in the fifth and 6th centuries of the Byzantine Empire did non hold a large function in public society.[ 1 ]In fact, it was common for her to non be seen in public at all. It was standard for Byzantine adult females to acquire married around 12 to thirteen old ages old due to an ordered matrimony chosen by her parents. Once married she spent most of her clip at place. Occasionally a adult female was allowed to go forth her place to go to to church, festivals, matrimonies, births, visit dealingss, or travel to public baths. These were the lone activities in society acceptable where a adult female could to go forth her house.[ 2 ]However, if a adult female must venture outside, she must hold her face covered by a head covering at all times and be accompanied by a adult male. Though head coverings were seldom shown in Byzantine graphics, this was a societal criterion for adult females. The erosion of head coverings frequently represented the difference between an ho norable adult females and a cocotte.[ 3 ] Even in her ain place, a Byzantine adult female had to digest gender inequalities. During repasts she was non allowed to dine with work forces foreign of her dealingss. More frequently than non, she would be eating entirely separate from work forces.[ 4 ]For her instruction, she was taught accomplishments merely utile for a house married woman. If a adult female was in in-between to upper category, she was normally taught to read, compose, and sing.[ 5 ]Womans of royalty nevertheless, were given the chance to analyze medical specialty and natural scientific disciplines with bookmans in their tribunals.[ 6 ]However instruction was normally 2nd quality compared to the instruction given to work forces. Womans could easy be described as â€Å" cloistered as captives, † though her prison walls were merely the unseeable judgements and regulations cast by society.[ 7 ] Most adult females could non take part in political relations. A adult female could non even attest in tribunal for fright that her testimony would be easy influenced by her hubby or brother. It is merely in rare instances where a adult male was non involved that a adult female could attest.[ 8 ]Despite what small influence and regard adult females had in public society, through place life a adult female could still easy act upon her ain hubby, boies, brothers, and other male dealingss in her place life.[ 9 ]This influence could be subtle in a little Byzantine household or highly considerable if she was the married woman of the emperor. Unlike work forces who could lift up to a political place through military, or the church, for a adult females to derive political power she had either be born or marry into nobility. Born in 399 A.D, Empress Pulcheria was the eldest girl of Emperor Arcadius.[ 10 ]She was a devoted Christian that paved her manner into power through her influence over her younger brother Theodosios II. She finally received the rubric of Augusta ( Empress ) which was the highest place a adult female of relation to the Emperor could draw a bead on to.[ 11 ]Pulcheria was merely two old ages older than Theodosios II but had a great influence over him all his life. Though Pulcheria was the eldest Born into royalty, she did non hold much power as she would if she had been born male. Even with this gender disadvantage, she was highly intelligent. At the age of 16, she swore a vow of celibacy and besides influenced her younger sisters to make the same.[ 12 ]This was a manner to prolong power that would be lost if she was forced into matrimony every bit good as halt the competition to her brother ‘s throne.[ 13 ]The concluding she gave for her actions was due to her Christian destiny, comparing the Virgin Mary as her celestial opposite number.[ 14 ]Figure 1 depicts an ivory alleviation known as The Translation of Relics Ivory dating around the twelvemonth 420 A.D.[ 15 ]and was acquired by the Trier Cathedral in 1844.[ 16 ]The carving step 13.1 ten 26.1 ten 2.3 centimeter and has been cut to a deepness of 2 centimeter[ 17 ]. The Byzantines loved tusk and normally imported it from India and Africa. The tusk of this specific piece has been speculated to hold been imported from Africa do to its larger size.[ 18 ]The Translation of Relics Ivory depicts a emanation of people in the streets followed by two priests siting a chariot pulled by mules. Leading this emanation is an Emperor keeping a taper and ready to have the relics is an Empress keeping a cross in forepart of church doors. In the background are looker-ons heartening beckoning incense and a church which is still under building, still being complete for the relics to be topographic point into. For many old a ges, the supporters in this alleviation have been unidentifiable. Historians have compared the lives of Justin II, Maurice, and Phocas and their married womans but found no historical grounds which relates them to this scene.[ 19 ]In the late seventies, The Translation of Relics Ivory has been identified by historiographers, Kenneth G. Holum and Gary Vikan that the characters in this alleviation are likely Empress Pulcheria, her brother Emperor Theodosios II and the relics given are the castanetss of Saint Stephen. The historiographers deducted this from written grounds of a chronicler of the 9th century named Theophanes Confessor. In his narration he wrote: Under the influence of the blest Pulcheria, the pious Theodosius sent a rich contribution to the archbishop of Jerusalem for distribution to the needy, and besides a aureate cross studded with cherished rocks to be erected on Golgotha. In exchange for these gifts, the archbishop dispatched relics of the right arm of Stephen Protomaryr, in the attention of St. Passarion†¦ [ Pulcheria ] arose taking her brother with her and went to recognize the sanctum relics. Receiving them into the castle, she founded a glorious chapel for the sanctum Protomartr, and in it she deposited the sanctum relics.[ 20 ] The narrative matched absolutely with the description of The Translation of Relics Ivory every bit good as another found narration which proved that the castanetss of Saint Stephen had in fact appeared outside Jerusalem that clip in December 416 and subsequently went under control of the bishop.[ 21 ]The church under building is believed to be a church of St. Stephen.[ 22 ]An interesting item to The Translation of Relics Ivory is the composing of the piece. The full focal point of the image is on Pulcheria instead than the Emperor Theodosios II, her brother. Even Theodosios ‘ alleviation is still a spot further back than hers, as he is standing right following to her. This is a immense representation of Pulcheria ‘s power as she is the centre of attending opposed to the Emperor himself. In her life-time, Pulcheria had commissioned several new churches, most dedicated to her frequenter saint the Virgin Mary. It was good known that Virgin Mary profoundly impacted her life to remaining openly celibate for God. However during the 5th century the Virgin Mary was non a major figure in Constantinople.[ 23 ]Her pick for the Virgin Mary as her frequenter was non to progress adult females but merely acquire rid of the stigma that adult females were the â€Å" expletive of Eve † , a expletive which claimed that adult females where responsible for original wickedness.[ 24 ]It was besides due to Pulcheria ‘s influence that the Virgin Mary would be once more be known non merely as the â€Å" Mother of Christ † ( christotokos ) but the â€Å" Mother of God † ( theotokos ) when the statement was overturned.[ 25 ]Pulcheria ‘s most well-know church to the Virgin Mary is the Church of Saint Mary of Blacherne, which has besides been depicted in literatu re with names such as the Panagia of Blachernae and the Blachernae Monastery. The church started building in 450 A.D. and was finished by her hubby Marcian after Pulcheria ‘s decease in 453 A.D.[ 26 ]The church was built around a preexistent sacred spring called the Ayazma of Blacherne.[ 27 ]It is besides said that Christians of Jerusalem had contributed a robe that belonged to the Virgin Mary as a relic for the church,[ 28 ]though other beginnings province that the robe was stolen.[ 29 ]Figure 2 shows the church before its 2nd fire, and Figure 3 shows the current modern church after being rebuilt. The church focused around images of the Virgin Mary, which led to much devastation of its icons during the reign of Constantine V.[ 30 ]The church foremost burnt down in 1070 from a fire but was rebuilt once more utilizing its old floor programs.[ 31 ]The church was wholly burned down yet once more in 1434, this clip from a careless fire caused by kids trailing pigeons on its roofs. [ 32 ]By the clip Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae no longer existed and the people of Constantinople had to turn to different mediums for the protection Virgin Mary ‘s icons.[ 33 ] Figure 3 shows Icon of the Virgin Blachernitissa. In 626 A.D. , the Blachernitissa was credited for the protecting the metropolis from an Avar onslaught every bit good as an Arab besieging in 717. Thus this relic ‘s repute grew to be known as a powerful Byzantine amulet of protection and was kept in the Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae.[ 34 ]Though the figure caput of this icon was a adult female, it had immense fear. The term Blachernitissa was a type of representation of the Virgin Mary named after the Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae.[ 35 ]The icon shows Mary within it and was held in the Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae. The piece was besides within the church during its 1434 fire and was thought to be destroyed. It was a amulet that represented the protection of the metropolis ‘s walls.[ 36 ]Its absence was believed to be the ground why the Ottoman Turks succeeded their invasion merely 19 old ages subsequently. The twelvemonth 730 was the start of the first iconoclastic period lasing until 787.[ 37 ]It started with Emperor Leo III, who reigned from 717-740. The Iconoclasts believed that icons where immorality and led to the misunderstanding of the Catholic faith. As the Iconoclasts resorted back into symbols and Bible, they tore down icons, believing them as unorthodoxy to their faith. When Leo III died in 740, his boy Constantine V continued the prohibition of during his reign in 741-775.[ 38 ]It was during Constantine V ‘s reign, that the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae was attacked by image breakers. Constantine V ordered the devastation of the interior mosaics that represented a New Testament rhythm and replaced them with vegetational decorations and images of birds.[ 39 ]It was fortunate nevertheless that the Icon of the Virgin Blachernitissa was hidden from devastation at this clip. This first Iconoclastic period was stopped by Empress Irene. Irene acted in the name of her boy Constatine VI, who was excessively immature to govern at the clip. She created and ordered the Second Council of Nicea, which supported Iconophiles.[ 40 ]As Iconophiles, they believed that images were besides stand foring their faith and they were non incorrect in utilizing them. The Council condemned the resistance to icons as unorthodoxy. It is through Irene ‘s actions of the resurgence of icons that she earned the rubric of Saint in the Grecian Orthodox Church. The 2nd iconoclastic period lasted 814-842. This clip it was Emperor Leo V ( reigning from 813-820 ) who instated this new moving ridge of iconoclasm. It was speculated that it was to bring around the recent military failure. Emperors Michael II and Theophilus who succeeded him were besides image breakers. However after Theophilus died, he was succeeded by his boy Michael III. Michael at the clip was excessively immature to reign so his female parent Theodora acted as a trustee for him. Similar to Irene, Theodora was an iconodule and was able to proclaim the Restoration of icons. Now of all time since the resurgence of icons, the first Sunday of Lent is celebrated as the â€Å" Triumph of Orthodoxy. † Figure 4 shows the Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, a picture that was painted on a wooden panel covered with gesso and linen. Its medium was egg poster paint and gold foliage.[ 41 ]The centre of the picture is a portrayal of the Virgin Mary, said to be painted by St. Luke. Empr ess Theodora and her boy, Emperor Michael III, appear on the left of the portrayal. On the right are three monastics with the Patriarch Methodios. This picture was painted more than 500 old ages after the terminal of iconoclasm during the clip when the Byzantine Empire was under menace of invasion by the Ottoman Turks.[ 42 ]Again as it is non normally common for a adult female to be in the picture, Empress Theodora is shown following to her boy in royal robes. Though she is non following to them, Theodora is shown at the same degree as the bishops. In the centre of the picture is the Blachernitissa, the Virgin Mary and kid. The Virgin Mary was a famed icon of her adult female position. It is non surprising that Irene and Theodora were iconophiles. Since the mean Byzantine adult female was housebound for the bulk of their lives, most had a particular dedication to spiritual patterns affecting icons.[ 43 ]It might be due to their life manner that adult females where the most affected when their cherished icons where taken off. The influence adult females had and their dealingss to art during the Byzantine Empire shown to be really of import. It is through the influence of the empresses Pulcheria, Irene and Theodora that impacted graphics despite a judgmental and men-driven environment that shadowed their lives. It is as intriguing and influential as the plant themselves that these adult females were able to act upon the Byzantine populace and the graphics.

Bank of the Philippine Islands

BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is that country's second-largest bank, trailing only Metropolitan Bank ; Trust. It is also the Philippines' oldest bank and one of the oldest of all Asian banks. BPI offers a full range of commercial and retail financial services, including corporate finance services, asset management, and brokerage and other financial consulting services.BPI's retail network includes more than 700 branches throughout the Philippines, as well as branches in New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The bank also operates a network of more than 1,200 automated teller machines and more than 8,500 retailer-based point-of-sale machines. In 1999, BPI pioneered online banking in the Philippines with the launch of online bank BPI Direct in 1999.In addition to its banking products and services, BPI has also developed a strong non-life insurance operation, chiefly under subsidiary BPI/MS Insurance Corporation. Listed on the Philippines Stock Exchange, BPI has long been majority controlled by Philippines conglomerate Ayala Corporation. * leader in electronic banking, having introduced most of the firsts in the industry, such as: * automated teller machines (ATMs), * a point-of-sale debit system * kiosk banking * phone banking internet banking * mobile banking * owned by the Ayala Corporation Business Evolution * post World War II era, BPI evolved from a purely commercial bank to a fully diversified universal bank * accomplished mainly through mergers and acquisitions in the eighties when it absorbed an investment house, a stockbrokerage company, a leasing company, a savings bank, and a retail finance company * Since the late 1990s – consummated three bank mergers * 1996 – merged with City Trust Banking Corporation 2000 * consummated the biggest merger then in the banking industry when it merged with the former Far East Bank ; Trust Company (FEBTC) * formalized its acquisition of three major insurance companies in the life, non-life and reinsurance fields * 2005 – acquired and merged with Prudential Bank MERGERS April 2007 – Bank of the Philippine Islands (Europe) Plc * October 2008 – BPI, Ayala Corporation and Globe Telecom signed a Memorandum of Agreement to form the country’s first mobile microfinance bank * 2009 – entered into a strategic bancassurance partnership with The Philippine American Life Insurance Company (Philamlife) to form BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corp Principal Subsidiaries * BPI Family Savings Bank, Inc. * BPI Capital Corporation * BPI Leasing Corporation * BPI Direct Savings Bank * BPI International Finance Limited, Hong Kong BPI Express Remittance Corporation * Bank of the Philippine Island (Europe) Plc, * Ayala Plans, Inc. * BPI/MS1 Insurance Corporation Reasons Of merger * Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, BPI’s Chairman, said the purchase would further â€Å"enhance† the operations of BPI with increased or widened network. * N ew incentive package by BSP with respect to mergers and acquisitions * BPI has been on the lookout for some good acquisitions in order to bolster its position as a rising regional financial powerhouse. The merger is seen to offer a good strategic fit to BPI in penetrating the attractive customer segment of Prudential composed mostly of middle market entrepreneurs. * With the merger, BPI will solidify its position as the country’s second largest bank with combined assets totaling P456. 09 billion. * BPI expects to gain at least 200,000 new accounts with the acquisition. BPI and FAR EAST BANK TRUST COMPANY MERGER The majority stockholders of the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) and Far East Bank and Trust Co. FEBTC) approved the merger of the two banks, making the combined entity the 10th largest financial institution in the region with over $3. 5 billion in capital. The merger catapulted BPI/FEBTC as the country's largest bank, accounting for 14 percent of the entire banking i ndustry's total resources with combined  assets of P372. 4 billion. The merged institution will also have the largest branch network of 680. BPI president Xavier Loinaz, in an interview, said they expect the integration of the two banks to be firmed up by the end of March this year. We think that by end of March this year, they (merger process) would be falling into place,† Loinaz said, when asked about the merger timetable. FEBTC president Octavio Espiritu assured FEBTC employees that they will work out ways to thresh out remaining issues regarding the merger particularly the possible massive displacement of FEBTC personnel. While they are finalizing the integration, both Loinaz and Espiritu said the performance of their respective banks in 1999 was relatively â€Å"flat†. â€Å"We haven't seen any growth for the year, pretty much the same level as last year.Loans are flat for 1999,† Loinaz said, adding that BPI's bottomline was also â€Å"flat†. The sa me thing with FEBTC, Espiritu said the bank's income was down due to loans provisioning amounting to about P2 billion for the year. This year, Loinaz said they are still waiting for the economy to turn around. â€Å"Last year was quite disappointing. We showed a slight drop in (bottomline) the previous year,† he added. Loinaz said they do not expect â€Å"too much† from the first year of merger of BPI and FEBTC.But, he informed the stockholder that for 2000, the pro-forma projected earnings per share for the merged bank would be 5. 37 percent, 6. 31 percent in 2001 and 6. 79 percent in 2001. Based on BPI's closing price on Oct. 20, 1999, the day that the merger agreement was signed and announced, the exchange ratio represented an implied value of P82. 50 per FEBTC share or an implied premium of 18 percent to FEBTC's closing price on that day. According to Loinaz, they look forward to working with DBS Bank which now owns about 20 percent of the merged bank. DBS Bank is the second largest bank in the region.

Free Essays on The War Of 1812

Katie Brammer The War of 1812 The war of 1812 was thought by many to be a war that shouldn’t have happened. It accomplished nothing but unnecessary death. There was many debates on the issue between the Federalist and the Republicans, who’s views were very different. The coming of the war started around 1801 when Thomas Jefferson was the President of the United States. All of the new leaders have a more democratic view. They were coming up with new policies, carried out by a man named James Maddison, which is what initially leads up to the war. The Federalists were against these new policies. They believed that in order to preserve peace you must prepare for war, so they wanted to strengthen their defenses by expanding and putting more money into the army and navy. Instead, the Republicans cut back. In the Jay Treaty of 1794 Americans began to prosper as the economy went up. The British started taking over American ship at sea and capturing seamen and making them work on their ships until their citizenship was proven. Between the years of 1807-1812 , England, France, and their allies seized over 1,000 American ships at sea. America started complaining and trying to do something about it, so the British offered a treaty called the Monroe-Pinkney Treaty. It would have benefited America a whole lot but since it didn’t mention impressments President Jefferson refused to even submit it to the Senate for approval. This was a turning point in British relations. The British quit taking American exports which made the American economy drop by about 75%. In November of 1811 President Maddison began to prepare for war by expanding the army and allowing the use of militia. Before America could realize the British wanted to keep the peace, war had already been declared and the campaigning had begun. America was unprepared for war, they had inexperienced soldiers and no funds to pay the soldiers or the feed them. Part of the campaign ... Free Essays on The War Of 1812 Free Essays on The War Of 1812 Katie Brammer The War of 1812 The war of 1812 was thought by many to be a war that shouldn’t have happened. It accomplished nothing but unnecessary death. There was many debates on the issue between the Federalist and the Republicans, who’s views were very different. The coming of the war started around 1801 when Thomas Jefferson was the President of the United States. All of the new leaders have a more democratic view. They were coming up with new policies, carried out by a man named James Maddison, which is what initially leads up to the war. The Federalists were against these new policies. They believed that in order to preserve peace you must prepare for war, so they wanted to strengthen their defenses by expanding and putting more money into the army and navy. Instead, the Republicans cut back. In the Jay Treaty of 1794 Americans began to prosper as the economy went up. The British started taking over American ship at sea and capturing seamen and making them work on their ships until their citizenship was proven. Between the years of 1807-1812 , England, France, and their allies seized over 1,000 American ships at sea. America started complaining and trying to do something about it, so the British offered a treaty called the Monroe-Pinkney Treaty. It would have benefited America a whole lot but since it didn’t mention impressments President Jefferson refused to even submit it to the Senate for approval. This was a turning point in British relations. The British quit taking American exports which made the American economy drop by about 75%. In November of 1811 President Maddison began to prepare for war by expanding the army and allowing the use of militia. Before America could realize the British wanted to keep the peace, war had already been declared and the campaigning had begun. America was unprepared for war, they had inexperienced soldiers and no funds to pay the soldiers or the feed them. Part of the campaign ...

Beelzebufo Devil Frog Facts and Figures

Beelzebufo Devil Frog Facts and Figures Name: Beelzebufo (Greek for devil frog); pronounced bee-ELL-zeh-BOO-foe Habitat: Woodlands of Madagascar Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago) Size and Weight: About a foot and a half long and 10 pounds Diet: Insects and small animals Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; unusually capacious mouth About Beelzebufo (Devil Frog) Slightly outweighing its contemporary descendant, the seven-pound Goliath Frog of Equatorial Guinea, Beelzebufo was the largest frog that ever lived, weighing about 10 pounds and measuring nearly a foot and a half from head to tail. Unlike contemporary frogs, which are mostly content to snack on insects, Beelzebufo (at least by the evidence of its unusually wide and capacious mouth) must have chowed down on the smaller animals of the late Cretaceous period, perhaps including baby dinosaurs and full-grown dino-birds in its diet. Reprising a common theme, this prehistoric amphibian evolved to its giant size on the relatively isolated Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, where it didnt have to deal with the large, predatory, theropod dinosaurs that ruled the earth elsewhere. Recently, researchers investigating a second fossil specimen of Beelzebufo made an amazing discovery: as big as it was, this frog may also have sported sharp spikes and a semi-hard, turtle-like shell along its head and back (presumably, these adaptations evolved to keep the Devil Frog from being swallowed whole by predators, though they may also have been sexually selected characteristics, the more heavily armored males being more attractive to females during Devil Frog mating season). This same team also determined that Beelzebufo was similar in appearance to, and perhaps related to, horned frogs, genus name Ceratophrys, which today live in South America - which may hint at the exact time of the breakup of the Gondwanan supercontinent toward the end of the Mesozoic Era.

Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations - Essay Example Junginger ascertains that his company adopts majority of the best D&I practices in the industry, as identified by the U.S Department of Commerce benchmarking study. More than internal practices, however, the challenge to the firm’s D&I efforts are posed by external elements, principally the discriminatory attitudes of customers who stay at the company’s hotels. The firm’s hotels located in other countries are also constrained by the social prejudice (by Western standards) that may have been built into the culture of the place. The company must train its personnel not only to observe D&I practices within the company, but also how to deal with people and situations that are discriminatory against them. An Interview with Phillip Junginger*, D&I strategic officer, Human Resources Department Phillip Junginger* is the strategic officer for a four-star international hotel chain based in the U.S. ... This insight provides him with a greater motivation and sensitivity not only towards those of different cultures, but also of different races, ethnicities, religions, and other personal circumstances. Question 1: How does your firm integrate D&I in your corporate planning? PJ: In our hotel, we deal with people of different backgrounds, both as customers and as internal stakeholders. The hotel industry is all about people, and all about dealing with them in the most intimate way because we provide a home for the customers, so moreso for the employees. Therefore, our D&I is part of our core organizational values. It is not just one separate plan in itself, but it is integrated in all managerial planning, from strategizing at the executive level, to the tactical and the operational levels (especially in dining, housekeeping, and hotel amenities), where we try to meet customers’ preferences and employees circumstances. --------------- * Names have been modified upon the request of the interviewee. Question 2: In your personal role, how do you perceive your goals and responsibilities? PJ: When I look at my role as the main officer in charge of D&I strategy, I am overwhelmed by the tremendous responsibility of that position. Diversity and inclusion is a double-sided blade; the strategies we design should make people of all backgrounds feel accepted the way they are, and usually these pertain to the minority groups, but then it must be done in a way that does not alienate members of the majority group. Doing so would continue to drive a wedge among the groups, which is exactly what we try to eliminate. The difficulty here is that