American Horror Story: the Affects of Sex and Violence in Media

Media Analysis: American Horror Story American Horror Story is an FX horror-drama television show, as well as an anthology series; each season of the show has a different cast and storyline. The show was created by Ryan Murphy (creator of the FOX show Glee) and Brad Falchuk (producer of Nip/Tuck), and premiered on October 5, 2011. The first season of the show follows the Harmon family as they settle into their new home in Los Angeles. They are unaware, however, that the mansion is haunted by its many former owners. The two main topics in which we covered in class that are utilized in the show are frightening and sexual content in media.The focus of the first season is on infidelity and temptation. Ben and Vivien Harmon moved to Los Angeles from Boston with their daughter Violet in an attempt to start over and save their fragile marriage, after Ben had an affair with one of his students. Although they think the move will help, it only worsens their situation. The cable series is full of as much violence and sexual content as the writers and producers can get away with. With multiple instances of violence, sex, and nudity in every episode, the show draws a very large audience.American Horror Story is FX’s most viewed series, with the pilot of the first season bringing in 3. 2 million viewers. The show gained viewers as it progressed, and the premiere of the second season had 3. 85 million viewers. In an interview by AfterElton. com contributor Brian Juergens, when asked about what he wanted to bring to the horror genre, producer Brad Falchuk said â€Å"In the case of the horror genre, your main goal is to scare people. You want people to be a little bit off balance afterwards. You want people to have their friends sleep over that night.And you want to deliver iconic images that stay with people. † The writers of American Horror Story make use of many of the subjects from chapter 13 of our textbook. There are many realistic scenarios that occur in th e series, such as a home invasion and multiple murders. This is an example of stimulus generalization. Because many of the scenes are highly realistic, the generalization stimulus is very high, which consequently increases the fearful or emotional response. American Horror Story is rated TV-MA, which means that it is intended for mature audiences, and not children (usually age 17 or older).It also has a sub rating of LSV (offensive language, strong sexual content, and violence and gore). R-rated videos and magazines contain far more profane and explicit sexual content than network television shows, but sexual remarks and suggestions are becoming ever more frequent in public media today. In American Horror Story there are elements of the four major themes of sexuality in media. Sexual scenes in the show include examples of domination (sexual control of a person), exploitation (coercion of one person by way of power or status), reciprocity (consensual sex), and autoeroticism (self-sti mulation, such as masturbation).In the pilot of the first season Ben walks in on the housekeeper, Moira, masturbating. She tries to get him to sleep with her but he goes to another room and masturbates as well. Yet another storyline consists of Ben’s former student, Hayden, in which he had an affair with, who shows up and tries to convince him to stay with her. These scenes, along with many others throughout the season, go back to the theme of infidelity and temptation. The trailer for the first season of American Horror Story gives the basic plot of the show. It also makes use of frightening music and sounds to get the attention of fans of the horror genre.The season two trailer also highlights each character’s traits and occupations briefly (Leo’s photography, Shelley’s sensuality, Lana Winters’ love for her partner, Wendy, etc. ). These short advertisements appeal to viewers by the use of catharsis. The audience of American Horror Story wants to be scared. It’s a way for them to escape, or animate, their own violent predispositions or inclinations; to purge themselves of their personal worries and apprehensions. Personally speaking, I find the sadistic and erotic nature of the show enjoyable.It allows me and other viewers to gain vicious pleasure by identifying with the immoral and shady personalities of the characters in the show. The intent of the show can be pretty well summed up by the theories of scholar and professor, Dolf Zillmann, in Fundamentals of Media Effects (Bryant and Thompson): â€Å"Zillmann (1991a, 1991b) described horror as frightening because it releases empathetic responses toward victims and makes viewers apprehensive about becoming victims themselves. In other words, viewers identify with the victims and experience their terror vicariously.Horror also frightens viewers because of their apprehensions; they fear being victims themselves. Finally, horror usually features a satisfying ending that viewers enjoy. † American Horror Story has had its share of controversy with viewers already. Erin Brown, contributor for the Culture and Media Institute at the Media Research Center, writes: â€Å"The premiere of â€Å"American Horror Story† wasn't just sexually and physically repulsive. Flashback scenes also featured a large dose of verbal and mental cruelty toward a Down syndrome girl – including her mother, played by Jessica Lange, wishing she'd aborted her.To add to the violence, sex and abuse, there were 13 versions of the word â€Å"s**t,† and such delightful terms as â€Å"p***y† and â€Å"c**ksucker. † With all this objectionable content, Entertainment Weekly still named American Horror Story one of its â€Å"Top Ten Things We Love this Week† putting it on their famous â€Å"Must List† in the October 7 issue. â€Å"This show has a potential to literally be shattering to all of the things that we consider to be normal ,† one of the actors said during production. † Many parental reviews of the show describe it as disturbing, terrifying, and even repulsive.The three main age groups discussed in the Reactions to Disturbing or Frightening Media Content chapter of Fundamentals of Media Effects, 3-8, 9-12, and 12-17, are all thought to be too young for most parents. Some critics also consider American Horror Story to be a strained and overexcited mess. Though there are many frightening elements to the show, most of them are written off as cliche. The fact that in society today we are so used to seeing violence and sexual content in media, these happenings in the show are not as disconcerting as they would have been in the decades prior to the twenty-first century.

Louise Essay

The story is entitled by a woman’s name, therefore it gives a foreshadowing that the story will be about a woman or a girl named Louise. The first sentence begins with the personal pronoun I, which means that the story is written in the first person. Thus, taking into consideration that the author is a man, even before the reading, it is possible to suppose that the story will be about a woman who has left a great impression about herself. Usually it is a good impression even if it is about a one-way love. That’s why from the very beginning the story has surprised me much, because it begins with the sentences: â€Å"I could never understand why Louise bothered with me. She disliked me and I knew that behind my back she seldom lost the opportunity of saying a disagreeable thing about me.† Such statement (she disliked me) is a challenge for a curious reader and makes him read up to the end and find the reasons. Having read the story â€Å"Louise† I can say that the main theme of it is the relationships between people. The problem which the author raises is that some people can play on their neighbours’ feelings very easily. They use any possibility to do it. In case of the main character, Louise, it is her mystic heart disease. She could convince everybody, including herself, in its existence and there have not been any attempts to argue, before the narrator has done it. He tells the story in an ironic way, but at first it is a hidden irony. He does not comment on the events, he just presents them. For example, while Louise’s first husband Tom Maitland wants the narrator to believe in her bad condition and for that oxymoron â€Å"she’s dreadfully delicate† and metaphor â€Å"her life hangs on a thread† are used, the narrator brings the proofs of an absolutely different state of things, using the antithesis in parallel constructions: â€Å"I had noticed that if a party was amusing she could dance till five in the morning, but if it was dull she felt very poorly and Tom had to take her home early.† In such way, without any remark, just using antithesis in order to show how Louise’s words contradict her actions, the author shows the irony of the situation: â€Å"Of course it will kill me,† she said – It didn’t kill her.† â€Å"Her friends asked her why she did not marry again. Oh, with her  heart it was out of the question, she answered – A year after Tom’s death, however, she allowed George Hobhouse to lead her to the altar.† The uttered represented speech shows the way of Louise’s usual behavior and produces the necessary effect on the reader. And even that fact that she always repeated to her husbands that she wouldn’t live long and the fact that she â€Å"outlived† both of them produces an ironic effect. I think, it is possible to say that all Louise’s life is one big antithesis, because she has lived more than forty years softly making other people do what she wants but constantly repeating â€Å"I hate the thought of anyone sacrificing themselves for me.† All people who surrounded her describe her with such epithets: â€Å"a frail, delicate girl with large and melancholy eyes†, â€Å"dreadfully delicate†, â€Å"the most gentle wife† and no one has ever thought that it was just a mask. Only the narrator has mentioned the possibility of its existence: â€Å"Perhaps she knew that I alone saw her face behind the mask and she hoped that sooner or later I too should take the mask for the face.† And only at the end of the story he reveals his true attitude to her. He expresses his irony about her behavior openly and says: â€Å"I think you’ve carried out a bluff for twenty-five years. I think you’re the most selfish and monstrous woman I have ever known. You ruined the lives of those two unhappy men you married and now you’re going to ruin the life of your daughter.† Again the antithesis is used. Firstly the narrator himself describes her as â€Å"a frail, delicate girl with large and melancholy eyes† and then from his own words she appears to be â€Å"a selfish and monstrous† and even â€Å"a devilish woman†. Only now it is possible to answer why â€Å"Louise bothered† with the narrator. Only he has seen her real face. The plot structure of the story â€Å"Louise† is as following: 1. There is no exposition. The development of the action begins from the first sentence: â€Å"I could never understand why Louise bothered with me†. 2. The rising action is almost the whole story 3. The climax is in the last dialogue between the narrator and Louise. 4. The falling action is a wedding of Louise’s daughter 5. The denouement is Louise’s death.  The elements of plot are ordered chronologically. The line of narration is straight. There are two main characters: Louise and the narrator himself, where Louise is an antagonist and the narrator is a protagonist. There are  also some flat characters such as Tom Maitland, the first husband of Louse; George Hobhouse, her second husband, and her daughter Iris. Making a conclusion, I want to say that this is a true to life story, which can happen anywhere (the author does not even point to a place where the actions have been developing). To my mind, he decided to write this story because Louise really had impressed him much. It seems to me that in some cases he even admires the ability of this woman to make everything in a way she wants it to be done. It produces such effect that she dies at the day of her daughter’s wedding only because she wants to show that she is really ill and has had right that her daughter’s wedding will kill her. I think it is very topical nowadays, because a lot of people wear their masks in order not to show their real faces and intentions.

Questionnaire for Branded Clothing

Questionnaire for Clothes consumption NAME: CONTACT NO. OCCUPATION: e-mail: PLACE: DATE: Questions: 1) Approximately, how many times do you buy your clothes? a) Once a week b) Once every 2 weeks c) Once a month d) At the beginning of season e) During the sales period f) During the Christmas Festivities g) As the need arises h) Occasionally i) Rarely 2) From where do you usually buy clothes? a) Factory Outlets ) Retail Shops (unbranded) c) Brand’s Showrooms d) Malls e) Online Shopping 3) With whom do you usually buy your clothes? a) Friends b) Mother c) Father d) Brother/Sister e) Grandparents f) Alone 4) When buying clothes, you: a) Go directly in a particular shop. b) Go round in various shops. 5) Please indicate how much importance do you give to each of the following factors before you buy your clothes. Â   |Almost Always |Sometimes |Rarely |Never | | Fabric |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | Design |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | Colour |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | Brand |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | Comfort |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | Fashion |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | Price |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | 6) How would you rate the following statements? Â   |Strongly Agree |Agree |Disagree |Strongly | | | | | |Disagree | |I wear only well known brands |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I buy clothes depending on their colours |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I buy styles that suit me rather than what is fashionable |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I only buy the style that my riends wear |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I only buy the latest fashion as long as they suit me |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I create my own fashion rather than follow it |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I tend to stick to classic styles that won't date |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I wear only clothes that are widely available |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I hate going round for clothes and I let others buy my clothes |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |I search for sales an d low prices |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Â   | | | | | 7) How important would you rate the following factors in influencing the choice of clothes purchased? Â   |Almost Always |Sometimes |Rarely |Never | |Fashion Magazines |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Beauty Magazines |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Television |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Radio |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Newspapers |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Billboards |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Cinema |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Promotional Leaflets |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Internet |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | 8) Do you think that wearing branded clothes would reflect: Â   |Strongly Agree |Agree |Disagree |Strongly Disagree | |Confidence |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Superior Image |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Exclusivity |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |Snob Appeal |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |

Terrorism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terrorism - Research Paper Example d political fractions), motivation is based upon global jihad, its goals are based on political and religious supremacy of Islam, threat is related to the rapid spread of religious fundamentalism and terrorism, and anti-terrorism policies can save Somalia from the negative influence of this terrorist organization. First of all, the origin of the jihadist group, named as Al-Shabaab, is indebted to the military aims of political Islam in Somalia. To be specific, Al-Shabaab originated as a military subsidiary of the Islamic Courts Union or ICU. When the ICU lost influence and support during its clash with Transitional Federal Government in Somalia (TFG), Al-Shabaab gained momentum and began to exert its influence in Africa. Besides, this terrorist organization was formed in the year 2006. One can see that the origin of this terrorist group is deeply rooted in the Islamic concept of jihad. For instance, the masterminds behind the origin of this terrorist group served in Afghanistan during late 70s. Hansen (2013) states that, â€Å"A proper exploration of the history of Al-Shabaab should start with the origins of this network, which are amongst the Somalis travelling to Afghanistan in the wake of the Soviet intervention, during the Afghan war of 1979-89† (pp.19-20). To be specific, those wh o (say, Somalis) served during this time returned to Somalia and helped the ICU while fighting against the TFG. The defeat of ICU by the TFG resulted in the fragmentation of ICU into different groups. During this time, Al-Shabaab (say, one among these fragmented groups) declared its aim, i.e., the leadership of jihadists in Africa or the fight against the foes of political Islam. One can see that Al-Shabaab amalgamated the idea of political Islam to the core of religious fundamentalism. To be specific, the leaders of this jihadist group gained the confidence of the mass by proclaiming their ultimate aim, the superiority of religion beyond the government. As pointed out, Al-Shabaab

The perception of women throughout paintings Essay

The perception of women throughout paintings - Essay Example The ideal was based on offering the same rights in terms of politics, welfare and with work.   Women were known at this time to hold a secondary status to men.   This was combined with the Victorian and Romantic ideologies, which held that social status depicted the outcome of individuals in society, both in terms of monetary resources, education and the connections one had to others in society.   Women during this time were known to work as a secondary component to men, often being redirected away from education and the ability to work.   The status of the women during this time began to be questioned, with the emergence of feminism making claims that women should have equal opportunities within society (Haan et al, 2006: 1). The concept of women as having a secondary status to men in society during the early 20th century also led to different symbols and ideals which were represented in the art.   Women, in general, were noted as a commodity to men, specifically which wer e designated to remain in the home and care for children.   The interests women had as well as the way in which their natures were represented continued with making them appear as a commodity or object in the private and public spheres.   The boundaries which were drawn were not only based on the concept of the feminist object, but also continued with the depiction of the appearance of women that was often misunderstood.   The concept of the other in women during this time.... The boundaries which were drawn were not only based on the concept of the feminist object, but also continued with the depiction of the appearance of women that was often misunderstood. The social stigma was followed by the representation of women in appearance, specifically which created boundaries with women as belonging to the ‘other.’ The social stigma and the interests of women created the belief that women belonged to an outside object of culture, making them as a specimen of artwork that could be used to create links to the other and to the object (Phillips, Steiner, 1999, pg. 3). The concept of the other in women during this time, as well as the conflict with the social status of women, led many artists to creating new approaches to the representation of women in the artworks. Perception and interpretation of the status of women as the other were the main concepts, specifically which were based on the challenges of the time. The changes which occurred were based on the idea of developing a sense of deformity of the women and showing them not only as aesthetic objects, but also ones which were represented as the other and which held a place in society which was second class and outside of the boundaries of others in society. This particular approach to deformity is one which also broke against the concepts of traditional artwork and was a part of the experimentation of the time. The physical appearance not being one of beauty, but instead representing a sense of distortion and an approach to the body as being a part of the other in society became the main ideology which was a part of the paintings during this time

Hate groups in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hate groups in US - Essay Example Their primary purpose is to spread malice and enmity and create a source of fear within the society. Hate groups are known to be more prevalent in the United States of America (USA) with a constant rise in the numbers and as per the Southern Poverty Law Centre ( SPLC) , 2011 has shown over 1000 active hate groups (Roy, 2002). The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the SPLC are the two main organizations in the USA that monitor hate groups and help maintain law and order. (Roy, 2002) Various reasons and explanations have been put forward by researchers as to why such hate groups exist, the main factors being: economical crisis, antipathy towards the immigrating crowd, political turmoil, change of governments and minor groups not been given equal opportunities. Reasons can be plenty but none justify their existence and the fact that the US government is unable to eradicate such groups. SPLC maintains a list of these groups and supports the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in their f ight against these radical groups. The hate groups demonstrate their views through speeches, meetings, rallies and criminal acts of violence as well to prove their point (Roy, 2002).

Epicurus Stand on the Psychological Egoism Essay

Epicurus Stand on the Psychological Egoism - Essay Example The parents will be happy with the student but his joy is when he gets that particular. I concur as well with his ethical egoism reasoning. Think of even the altruism shown by Mother Theresa. Though I have respect for the deeds of Mother Theresa, she did what she did precisely to appease her God whom demands that she be caring and at the end of the day she will be sure of inheritance of the goodies of eternity. Everybody will want to do something that he will be recognized for and this validates the idea of civilized self-interest. The benefit attached to the conduct may vary and it’s this difference that defines different personalities. For Mother Theresa, she was divinely driven while to others they may be driven by other factors Despite all the facts outlined, egoism is hard to prove and this is the major reason why criticism is unavoidable. Amazingly, I believe that these two phenomena are evident on everybody. There are times when features of psychological egoism will be seen in somebody and this does do not shield portrayal of ethical egoism.   It is harder even to take a stand on the two.

Fractionals and Related Shared Ownership Formats Essay

Fractionals and Related Shared Ownership Formats - Essay Example Timeshares first became popular in the 1980s with people searching for very attractive and even unique vacation locations which would still be affordable for their families. The genius of the timeshare is that it allows the purchaser to own his or her vacation residence for only the part of each year during which that vacation may be taken. For To meet the important need for variety of vacation locations, many timeshare providers have exchange arrangements with other timeshares all over North America or even all over the world. Thus, by purchasing a timeshare in a particular resort location, if the unit is available for that additional period. Some offer the opportunity to use other resorts in place of the home facility as an extra-cost option. Various other upgrades and enhancements may also be offered, and sometimes even included in the base price, particularly if the prospective timeshare buyer is hesitating at making a commitment. What is virtually universal with timeshares are additional fees and charges which are required in addition to the basic investment to buy fractional ownership of a part of the facility. Maintenance fees are mandatory for the upkeep of the resort, and can be quite substantial. There may be separate charges for non-routine maintenance such as the easy. replacement of furniture or appliances. Property insurance and similar costs are often borne by the owner of the timeshare, or are pro-rated among the ownership base.. As with other forms of fractional real estate, selling the part ownership is usually not easy. Many timeshares today offer deeded ownership so that the purchaser has legal confirmation of ownership, but having a deed and selling the property are not the same thing at all. Those who buy timeshares are often induced to do so by explicit or implicit promises of likely property appreciation and enhanced worth, so that investment gain is a major motivation for some timeshare purchasers. Usually, however, those owners must sell their fractional share in the real estate market, as resorts are very reluctant to buy back a fractional share they have sold while, at the same time, continuing to sell further shares to the public. This would obviously put them in competition with themselves in trying to re-sell the repurchased timeshare to another potential owner.

ITES industry of India Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ITES industry of India - Research Proposal Example In fact, the year 2002 witnessed a total leasing volume of 1.5 million square feet4 of office space in the NCR. The bulk of the fresh demand was from the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) companies (approximately 75 percent) and followed by banking, insurance and financial services." The factors which favored the growth of the Noida, Gurgaon as for locating ITES industry were proximity to the airport, cheap rental rates, and also good infrastructure, business friendly government policies, like a tax free holiday. Since real estate is all about location, the location of Gurgaon and Noida seems most appropriate in every way. There is a good supply of manpower too from all parts of North India, which makes it most suitable to locate this industry in the NCR region. One more reason for the spurt of the ITES industry in this area is the mobility of the people of Delhi and North India. The trend over the past seven to eight years has been positive. A call center typically needs about 100,000 Sq.ft or more space, which is quite a substantial amount. The amount of space that such companies require is much more than what any other company would need. The infrastructure that the new areas offer is topnotch and much better than that available in the Delhi region. The fact that many employees of the Call / BPO companies prefer to stay close to their place of work is also one more reason why the residential properties have grown in the region. This might not be a substantial proportion of the residential properties in the region nevertheless it has contributed its part to the whole. The employees in the ITES industry in Gurgaon and Noida are from different parts of North India, including Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur etc. Most of the paying guest accomodations and rental properties are given to the thousands of employees who come from outside to work. "Infact, abou t 90 percent of the people in Sector 3 of Noida are South Indians", says Alok of India property research. The ITES is a manpower intensive industry and it is based on either language skills or Data processing abilities. Call s need to train their employees to speak in a neutral accent and also to handle specific processes in a defined way (process training). "The training business is a commodity business, and with the growth of the call centre / BPO industry the demand for training has only gone up" says Rohit Agarwal of The Learning Curve. Most of the training institutes provide training in soft skills and hence help aspirants land jobs in the call. "The ITES industry being a manpower intensive industry and this is an immense opportunity for training to come in and fill this demand," he adds. "There are two varieties of training offered- one is voice and accent and the other being soft skills training. Since most of the clients of call centers are American, an emphasis on the American accent becomes paramount. Understanding their culture, their way of speaking helps the call centre executives sell in a better way," says Akshay Datt of The Learning Curve. The team leads in a call center may undergo programmes like leadership development. The agents take programmes in stress management programmes, customer service and similar programmes to help them do well professionally. Many companies outsource their training work (which in itself is a huge industry). The number of people employed in the training industry has gone up, so have the

The Grammar Translation Method Essay Example for Free

The Grammar Translation Method Essay History The Grammar Translation Method is an old method which was originally used to teach dead languages which explains why it focuses mainly on the written form at the expense of the oral form. It was designed according to the faculty psychology approach which was very popular during the 18th and 19th century. It contended that † mental discipline was essential for strengthening the powers of the mind†. The way to do this was through learning classical literature of the Greeks and Romans. Method ï‚ §Use of mother tongue. ï‚ §Vocabulary items are taught in the form of word lists. ï‚ §Elaborate explanations of grammar. ï‚ §Focus on the morphology and syntax. ï‚ §Reading of difficult texts early in the course. ï‚ §Practice focuses on exercises translating sentences or texts from mother tongue to the target language and vice versa. It is surprising to see that the Grammar Translation Method was still in use in some classrooms during the late decades of the 20th century. May be, it’s because it bears some advantages. Advantages ï‚ §Translation is the easiest and shortest way of explaining meaning of words and phrases. ï‚ §Learners have no difficulties to understand the lesson as it is carried out in the mother tongue. ï‚ §It is a labor-saving method as the teacher carries out everything in the mother tongue. Criticism ï‚ §What the method is good at is â€Å"teaching about the language† , not â€Å"teaching the language†. ï‚ §Speaking or any kind of spontaneous creative output was missing from the curriculum. ï‚ §Students lacked an active role in the classroom. ï‚ §Very little attention is paid to communication. ï‚ §Very little attention is paid to content. ï‚ §Translation is sometimes misleading. By MAHA YAHYA AL-YAHYA

The Management Styles At Coca Cola Business Essay

The Management Styles At Coca Cola Business Essay Coca Cola is one of the leading manufacturer of the carbonated drinks all around the world . Over the past decades , the Coca Cola remained on the top of the industry . The company was able to withstand the World War II and even took it as the business opportunity rather than a liability . It was even able to surpass the Asian Financial Crisis and even gained better access in the markets that it was not able to fully enter . Coca Cola exhibited the efficient change management as the part of the strategic management process . Change management is the process in which it manages the change in the side of the people . Their individual change management and the organizational change management are the theories of the change management . Aside from the theories , there are also four strategies of the change management which are the Empirical rational , the normative reductive , power coercive and the environmental adaptive which the company has been successfully adopted but it is now faci ng major jolts in its business operations and the competitors are gaining the advantage out of the same . Based on the above case-let , analyse the position of the company with respect to : Coca-Cola Corporation Management Strategies with respect to its technological advancement in 21st centaury . Change in Information System due to changes in the world -wide market structures . ANSWER : Management Styles at Coca-Cola http://www.snre.umich.edu/sites/all/files/styles/blog_image/public/images/coca-cola_logo.jpg The success that the management team has in motivating its employees to meet their objectives is based on the management style they adopt . There are three main management styles democratic , autocratic and the laissez-faire style . The  democratic  leadership style  consists of the leader , sharing the  decision making  abilities with the group members by promoting the interests of the group members and by practicing  social equality . The  authoritarian  leadership style  or  autocratic  leader  keeps strict , close control over the followers by keeping close regulation of the policys and procedures given to the  followers . To keep main emphasis on the distinction of the authoritarian leader and their followers , these types of the leaders make sure to only create a distinct  professional  relationship . The  laissez-faire  leadership style  was first introduced by the Lewin , Lippitt and White in 1938 , along with the autocratic leadership and the democratic leadership styles . The laissez faire style is sometimes described as the hands off leadership style because the leader delegates the tasks to their followers , while providing little or no direction to the followers . The North London Coca Cola branch has ethos or culture than is run in the laissez-faire style meaning the hands off approach . If the workers are meeting their KBI , Key Business Indicators , then the managers and the directors of the company take this relaxed style of coordinating their business . They have a vision to refresh everyone everyday and the values to take pride in their work , to be honest , fair and determined to win and have a passion for the action . With the same spirited investment as the worlds premier marketer and beverage industry leader for more than 118 years , Coca Cola are focused on the strategic workplace programs that help assure the success of our commitment to embracing the similarities and differences of the people , cultures and ideas . Diversity Advisory Council the Companys corporate Diversity Advisory Council consists of the representative group of employees from all the levels , functions and the business units of the organization . The Council develops recommendations for all the senior management on advancing the companys efforts , towards achieving our diversity objectives . Employee Forums Coca Cola believe that the sense of community enhances their ability to attract , retain and develop diverse talent and ideas as the source of competitive business advantage . In the United States , through employee forums , the employees can connect with the colleagues who share similar interests and backgrounds . In these forums and elsewhere , the employees support each others personal and the professional growth and enhance their individual and collective ability to contribute to the company . The success at Coca Cola is due to their laissez-faire culture and the culture is important because it can affect the people and the things to do with the business . If the culture of the business is not clear, it can affect the presence and the punctuality . This means that if Coca Cola had a firm and unfriendly culture , it could result in their staff not coming to work because of the poor working atmosphere , or they might not like the work they are given , so they either come in late or take the day of work . This would result in the business losing out on the work and have less time to call in for the replacement . The culture of the Coca Cola could have an affect on the industrial relations between the managers and the workers. So if the Coca Cola didnt have a warm and genial culture , it would cause more disagreements between the staff and the managers and the staff would not be motivated to work . For example staff may have to cut down on the rest days , this could cause arguments as all the staff would be tired from working everyday and would not have time to recover or time to relax down . However if the company had an inviting culture then the managers and the staff would get very well as the staff , would have less stress to compete with and would have the friendly environment to work in and the work could be done more efficiently . Team working is the sub culture within the Coca-Cola Company . Teams are accountable for the activities like :  · Quality  · Utilisation and  · Yield Within the system , there needs to be a balance of Utilisation , the speed the factory works at and the Yield . The Yield is the amount of raw materials lost or wasted . Teams also vary in the number and are lead by the team leader . A part of the culture and the management style in the Coca Cola Company in Edmonton , is its Employee Engagement . This consists of the following five points : * Realizations , delivery of the hard stuff is simply not enough . * Openly acknowledge this to the workforce . * Do what it takes to engage every employee in the space of 16 days . * Involved everyone in the design of the management style consistent with our vision and the values . * Identified talented individuals across the operation act as the internal facilitators to train out the new behavioral standards . On the factory floor at the Coca Cola , there is an autocratic system of the management where the employees are controlled by the managers and follow their procedures . There are also the elements of the democracy by the team work and uniform . Employees of the company all wear the same uniform , even if they are a manager , a director or a team leader . This means that there is no demarcation and there is the same uniform for the each level of the hierarchy , so nobody feels intimidated . The CCE have also adopted a Quality Culture and to maintain the quality within their products , they have the TQM department . This means the Total Quality Management where they have the staff , who deals with the quality of the Coca Cola . TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT AT COCA COLA http://www.mobile-ent.biz/cimages/05dc7b5069fb141e89bda2d6ccd00217.jpg Over the past decade , the Coca Cola Company has invested around $60 million in the research and development to advance the use of the climate friendly , hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) free cooling technologies . HFC gas is the well known contributor to our planets global warming . The Company has improved their energy efficiency of the cooling equipment by around 40% , transitioned to HFC free insulation foam for the new equipment , eliminating around 75% of the direct GHG emissions and is phasing out the use of HFCs in all the new cold-drink equipment as of 2015, with more than 500,000 units of the HFC free refrigerated equipment already in use throughout the Coca Cola system . In the bottling plants , the Coca Cola has stabilized the emissions system wide and is working to return to the 2004 levels , while also achieving the 5% absolute emissions reduction below the 2004 baseline in the developed countries by 2015 , with the commitment to grow their business without growing the carbon in its manufacturing operations . Till date , the Coca Cola system has improved its energy efficiency of the global manufacturing operations by around 14% since 2004 . In 2010 the global greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing were reduced by around 2% , even as the sales volume increased by 5% . The emissions reductions can also be realized outside of the plant walls where the Coca Cola operates the largest heavy duty hybrid electric delivery fleets in North America with more than around 700 hybrid electric delivery trucks on the road . These trucks reduce fuel and the emissions by nearly 30% . There also are more than 800 light duty hybrid vehicles deployed in North America for the sales representatives . The Company also participates in the consumer facing cause campaigns related to the climate protection measures . In 2011 , with long-term conservation partner WWF the Coca Cola Company helped launch the Arctic Home , the largest cause marketing initiative ever executed by the Company or WWF . Active in the US and Canada , the campaign aimed to raise the widespread awareness and the funds to help protect the polar bear and its habitat . On related fronts , the climate change will alter the amount of available fresh water , further increasing demand for this critical natural resource . The sustainability of the Coca Cola Company products depends on the reliable access to the sources of water , as water is the main ingredient in every product the Company makes . It also is critical to the agricultural ingredients for its beverages . The Company set a global goal is to safely return to the nature and communities an amount of water equivalent to what is used in its beverages and their production by 2020 . To achieve this goal , the Coca Cola is focused on reducing its water use ratio , while increasing the product volume , recycling the water used in the manufacturing processes and returning it to the environment at the level that supports the aquatic life and replenishing or offsetting the water used in the finished beverages by participating in locally relevant community water projects . The Company is also working in innovative the ways to prevent waste over the life of its packaging . In 2009 , the Company launched PlantBottle packaging , the first ever fully recyclable PET plastic beverage bottle made partially from the plants . In 2011 , the Company introduced more than 6 billion PlantBottle packages in the 20 markets , helping save the equivalent annual emissions of around 100,000 metric tons of the carbon dioxide . By 2020 , the Companys goal is to use the Plant Bottle packaging for all of its PET plastic bottles . INNOVATION AT COCA COLA http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Coca-Cola_Products_-_soon_in_more_environemtally_friendly_bottle.jpg Coca Cola has been able to survive in the this changing market because of its ability to systematically innovate and to deliver the new products . It was apparent that the market was changing and in order to keep up with these changes , the Coca Cola had to move from the single core product to the total beverage company . The company began operating in the decentralized environment that was unfeasible in the previous years . Now the Coca Cola offers around 400 different products and is dominating the beverage industry . This is made possible by the companys ability to innovate and adapt to the changing markets . Globalization : Technology is continually changing the business and these constant changes have been making it more feasible and profitable for the businesses to expand their operations globally . Now the Coca Cola is taking the advantage of the large revenue opportunities , made possible by participating in the global market and it now offers products in nearly 200 countries around the world . TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS : Technological Analysis for the Coca-Cola : Technological change creates the opportunities for the new products and product improvements and of course the new marketing techniques . Some factors that cause companys actual results to differ materially from the expected results are as follows : The new technology of the internet and television which use special effects for the advertising through the media. They make some products look very attractive . This helps in the selling of the products . Introduction of the cans and the plastic bottles have increased sales for the Coca Cola as these are very easier to carry and one can easily bin them once they are used . Due to the introduction of these machineries , the production of the Coca Cola company has been increased vastly then it was a few years ago . The Coca Cola has started the operations of its RD facility in India , with a view of localizing its product portfolio . The major focus would be on the non carbonated drinks and the flavours . The companys RD team has already rolled out the drinks such as Maaza aam panna and also athe Maaza mango milk drink and is also exploring the options to enter some new categories in India such as the juices in the localised flavours , energy drinks , sports drinks and the flavoured water . These initiatives are taken by the company to further expand their product portfolio . With the increasing importance of the 360 degree media tools and the overall ad spend on the social media sets likely to grow by around 44% , the Coca Cola has increased its ad spend on the internet . The case in point is the recent 2009 Sprite campaign , which was first launched on the internet .

Impact Of Organisational Culture In The Hairdressing Sector Commerce Essay

Impact Of Organisational Culture In The Hairdressing Sector Commerce Essay Culture is quite difficult to define, when we speak of culture we know what it is and what / how it is manifested in an organisation but a clear, unambiguous definition eludes us! This is because culture has different meanings, depending on life experiences, background, religion, belief and values. Nonetheless, there are several influential writers on culture including Hofstede, Trompenaars, Hampden Turner, Schein, Ouchi, Schneider and Barsoux, Deal and Kennedy and Handy, whose work is still recognised in contemporary organisations. However, Handy, described culture in organisations as the way we do things around here. These things are accepted norms and values of an organisation, developed over time into expected behaviour patterns. They generally emanate from top management level of the Organisation; but this is not always the case (Managing in Organisation, ABE Study Manual, 2008). Even though it is reasonable to infer that culture can influence behaviour, this relationship is over-simplified by strong culture models. According to Guy S. Saffold, III, (1988), if researchers are to precisely examine the link between culture and performances, they must assess other internal processes that affect performance. Although, the literature on organisational culture and its correlation with business performance is rich and diverse, there are only a few empirical studies that profoundly explored this relationship. Furthermore, these studies simply focused on the impact on culture on medium to large organisation but few or little has focused specifically on small businesses in the hairdressing sector. For this reason, this project will seek to Assess organisational culture using several theoretical frameworks Evaluate if there is a link between organisational culture and performance in small hairdressing businesses Identify the advantages and disadvantages of having a strong culture in hairdressing business Introduction It is not the physically powerful, hasty and most ferocious who survive. It is the most flexible Charles Darwin Organisations operate in a very unpredictable environment; hence survival depends on the organisations ability to exploit resources; collaborate and adjust. There are extensive demonstrations (Kotter and Heskitt, 1992) that strong cultures support performance by creating value to stakeholders through consistency and high quality goods and services. Deshpandà © and Webster (1989) by exploring several studies in organisational behavior, sociology, and anthropology, defined organisational culture as a pattern of shared values and beliefs that aid individuals understand organisational functioning and thus provide them with the norms for behavior in the organisation (p. 4). Following these and other authors (e.g., Chatman and Jehn, 1994), organisational culture is conceptualized and quantified in terms of widely shared and strongly held values. The elements of organisational culture range from basic assumptions through values and behavioral norms to actual patterns of behavior (Rousseau, 1990). Values typically act as the defining elements of a culture, and norms, symbols, rituals, and other cultural activities revolve around them (Enz 1988). When the members of a social unit share values, an organisational culture or value system can be said to exist (Weiner 1988). According to (Denison, 1984), if an organisation possesses a strong culture by exhibiting a well-integrated and effective set of specific values, beliefs, and behaviors, then it will perform at a higher level of productivity. On the other hand (Kotter Heskitt 1992) concluded that the statement that a strong culture is the basis for outstanding performance appears to be incorrect. Burt et al (1999) agreed with Kotter and Heskitt to an extent but carried their analysis further. They suggest that the relationship between culture and performance depends upon the degree of rivalry. Their research showed that culture is important depending on the competitiveness of the market. They believed that market and culture go hand in hand. If firms have low rivalry in the market then strong culture is not an advantage. Furthermore in some markets where there is competition there is still no correlation between culture and performance. Equally, (Sorenson, 2002) believed that strong cultures often hinders flexibility which is required for survival especially during sporadic transformations, such as we face currently, organisations with strong culture are most often crippled by their own organisational DNA. Whether or not culture is an economical advantage depends upon the market situation. In the retail sector, culture may be a competitive asset. In a multifaceted market, culture appears to have no effect on economic performance (Douglas N. Ross, 2002). It all depends. However, gaining a profound understanding of culture is essential in order to find out whether there is a link between organisational culture and performance. The next chapter begins with an overview of culture. An overview of organisational culture The term organisational culture was used for the first time in the academic literature by Pettigrew in 1979 in the journal Administrative Science Quarterly. Organisational culture was used to explain the economic successes of Japanese firms over American firms by motivating workers who were committed to a common set of core values, beliefs and assumptions (Denison, 1984). One of the most important reasons that explain the interest in organisational culture is the assumption that certain organisational cultures lead to an increase in organisational financial performance. According to Peters and Waterman (1982) successful organisations possess certain cultural traits of excellence. Ouchi (1981) showed a positive relationship between organisational culture and productivity. We have seen many definitions of culture, earlier in the analysis, however, Edgar Scheins defined organisational culture more specifically as the basic assumption and beliefs that are shared by members of an organisation, that operates unconsciously and define in a basic taken-for-granted approach, the routine that build ups over time. In other words, culture is about that which is taken for granted but nonetheless contributes to how group of people respond and behave in relations to the issues they face. It therefore has important influences on the development and change of organisational strategy (Johnson and Scholes, 2008). According to Johnson and scholes (2008) , the culture of an organisation is often concevied as consisting of four layers which would be disucussed in Fig.1.below. Fig.1 The four layers as described by Johnson and Scholes (2008) are Firstly, values are easily identifiable in an organisation, and are often documented statements about an organisation mission, objectives or strategies. However, they can be vague. Secondly, beleifs are more specific but again they can typically be discerned in how people talk about issues in the organisation. Thirdly, behaviors are the day to day way in which an organistion operates and can be seen by people both inside the organisation. This includes the work routines, how the organisation is structured and controlled and softer issues around symbolic behaviors. Finally, taken for granted assumption or paradigms are the core of an organsational culture. They are the facets of an organisations life which people find difficult to identify and explain. The paradigm can underpin successful strategies by providing a basis of common understanding in an organisation, but can also be a major problem (Johnson and Scholes, 2008). Similar conceptions of culture are offered by Dandridge et al. (1980), Pettigrew (1979), as well as Trice and Beyer (1984). Schein (1990) suggests that cultures are created through the way organisations have reacted to important incidents in the past and have thus evolved certain norms, as well as through the identification of organisational members with their leaders. As such, organisational cultures are perpetuated through the process of socialization of new members into the organisation. Hofstede (1980) identified four dimensions of organisational culture: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism /collectivism and masculinity / femininity. Later, Hofstede (1998:238) defined organisational culture as a concept that has the following features: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ holistic (describing the synergy); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ historically determined (reflecting the past,); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ related to the things such a customs and symbols, (these are studied by anthropologist). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ socially constructed (moulded and preserved by the collection of individuals who collectively form the organisation); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ soft, and; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ difficult to change. This overview on culture provides useful insight in understanding culture from a theoretical standpoint which would be useful in this research analysis. Literature Review It is arguable that the academic acceptance of culture, without the usual bickering and scepticism associated with new concepts, is a major indication of the perceived importance of the concept (Alvesson, 1990). However, this is not to infer that there is consensus on the meaning and relevance of the concept. On the contrary, there is widespread disagreement on the definition and scope of the organisational culture concept (Ogbonna and Harris, 1998a). However, the link between organisational culture and high performance in an organisation has been very debateable; because there is little empirical evidence to suggest a direct link between culture and an organisational performance especially in small businesses. Of course failure to establish an empirical link does not mean that no such link exists. According to (Skà ¶ldberg, 1990), empirical study in the area is very difficult to carry out. Not only is culture difficult to capture but so is performance. While it has been suggested that culture accounts for the economic performance of various countries (Hofstede, 1980; Hofstede and Bond, 1988), the idea of corporate culture also serves to provide a basis for understanding the differences that may exist between successful companies operating in the same national culture (Schein, 1990). Peters and Waterman (1982), for example, believed that successful organisations possess certain cultural traits of excellence. Ouchi (1981) presented a similar relationship between corporate culture and increased productivity, while (Deal and Kennedy 1982) argued that the performance of an organisation is dependent on the degree to which the values of the culture are widely shared, that is, are strong Nevertheless, the claim that organisational culture is linked to performance is founded on the perceived role that culture can play in generating competitive advantage (Scholz, 1987). Reed and DeFillippi, (1990) added that sustainable competitive advantage arises from the creation of organisational competencies which are both superior and imperfectly imitable by competitors. Similarly, (Bryan Adkins, 2004) suggests that culture does matter, and a strong, effective culture will outperform a weak culture every time. In a study done by (Coogan Partners Apos, 2005) they concluded also that companies who out-perform their competitors have specific cultural differences. Early researchers who link culture to organisational performance are unequivocal in their claims. An illustration of this is derived from the works, (Deal and Kennedy, 1982; Ouchi, 1981; Pascale and Athos, 1981; Peters and Waterman, 1982) who argue that successful organisations are distinguished by their ability to promote cultural values which are consistent with their chosen strategies. Although this view met with initial popularity in the 1980s, the principal tenets of the argument have been subjected to extensive criticism from writers such as (Legge, 1994; Ogbonna, 1993; Willmott, 1993). By the 1990s, researchers assessing the links between culture and performance were more cautious. For example, Gordon and DiTomaso (1992) and Denison (1990) both propose that there is a link between certain organisational culture characteristics and performance but each add a number of conditions. In particular, they note that culture will remain linked with superior performance only if the culture is able to adapt to changes in environmental conditions. Besides, the culture must not only be strong as suggested by writers such as Deal and Kennedy 1982, Ouchi, 1981 and Peters and waterman, 1982) but it must also have unique qualities which cannot be imitated. However, more recently, it has been suggested that the relationship between culture and performance, is fragile (Ogbonna and Harris: Leadership style organisational culture and performance 769 (Hop et al., 1992; Lewis, 1994; Lim, 1995; Ray, 1986; Willmott, 1993). Sorenson, (2002) argued that continuous change; such as we encounter presently, strong cultured organisations are most often crippled by their own organisational DNA. According to (Dean Mcfarlin), when organisation with well-defined culture is operating in somewhat steady milieu, their core competences and strategies are in alignment with the business objectives. In such environments, well structured cultures enable an organisation to function like new machines, sailing down by outstanding performance. That said, if the environment becomes extremely unstable, companies must become innovative and efficiently exploit resources to stay on top. However, companies with well-built cultures may find it difficult to adapt to such extremely unpredictable situation. A well-defined culture makes it easy for employees to clutch onto the existing status quo and, simultaneously, less willing and enthusiastic about exploring new ways of performing the task. The underlying principle is that a strong organisational culture may be something of a two-fold sword. When you believe in the existing culture of the organisation, it becomes hard to replace them with new id eas even if it a source of competitive disadvantage. Some researchers believed that strong cultures may, however, impose a level of stability on organisations, and such stability has mixed implications for performance. Denison and Mishra (1995) found that stability traits such as a firms mission, consistency, and normative integration, were related to its profitability. Specifically, organisations with strong cultures had greater returns on investments, but only in the short run; after three years the relationship between cultural consistency and performance became negative (Denison, 1990). Sorensen found that strong culture organisations were more financially successful in stable environments and less successful in dynamic environments. Thus, while cultural strength and stability may enhance organisational performance in the short run and in stable environments, they may also inhibit an organisations ability to change, adapt, or innovate. Finally it is not possible to say that organisational culture in general or a specific type of culture has a clear and simple effect on performance but this does not mean that there is no connection between culture (however defined) and performance; on a general level there certainly is. Whipp et al. (1989: 582) believed that elements of culture may supply vital links between the rational aspects of policy and the subjective, less tangible features of employees behaviour exactly because of the way values pervade an enterprise. Propositions of how culture brings about distinct outcomes, however, often seem problematic. Either the causal link is speculative and uncertain or it is difficult to separate culture from outcome. Some of the authors treated in some depth above (Schein and Louis), run into problems when they claim correlations between organisational culture and what they treat as other elements. However it is difficult, even misleading, to say that the culture as a whole has been a significant cause of financial returns. Despite the claims for a link between organisational culture and performance is very rich and diverse, few studies appear to have actually examined the existence as well as the nature of this relationship. Strong cultures and its influence on performance are questionable in the current dynamic environment, besides some theorists query the universality of a culture-performance link. Research design and Methodology The subject of organisational culture and its influence on performance has attracted extensive interest from many scholars, students and researchers alike, but their interest has focused extensively on medium to large businesses but little has focused directly on the influence of organisational culture on the performance of small businesses, hence my interest in the subject matter. This research would be conducted using both primary and secondary research methods of data collection. The primary method proposed is semi-structured interview and the secondary methods would be text books and journal articles. After careful analysis of past literature on culture and performance, qualitative research design such as interview was clearly appropriate. Consequently, a sample of 30 businesses in the hairdressing industry would be selected via the utilisation of a systematic random selection procedure with appropriate units to be selected on a variety of criteria, including company turnover, date of registration, and number of employees. In order to limit potential measurement error, responses would be required from key Personnel, knowledgeable in a variety of tactical and strategic activities (Bowman and Ambrosini, 1997; Snow and Hrebiniak, 1980; Hambrick, 1981; Nayyar, 1992). Undeniably, a plethora of prescriptive articles and books such as Alan Bryan Emma Bell (2003) Business Research Methods, proposed useful suggestions on effective research design, formulation and execution which would be helpful in this research and as a result improve content validity and reliability and most importantly covers ethical issues associated with research. The efficient and effective administration and implementation of the research method (semi-structured interview) is key and the researcher is aware that this could influence the overall success of data generation and the achievement of satisfactory responses (Dillman, 1978; Churchill, 1991; Faria and Dickinson, 1992). A pilot study will be carried out to pre-test the research instrument (Baker 1994: 182-3). The study would be undertaken because it would establish whether the sampling frame and technique is correct. Semi-structured interview would be used; this would allow questioning to be guided as is required also many points that needed to be made clearer would be done much more easily than in something like a mailed questionnaire (Frey and Oishi 1995:03). However, according to (Breakwell, Hammond and Fife-Schaw 1995:238) this technique heavily relies on the respondent being willing to give accurate and complete answers. Additionally, it gives the freedom to explore general views or opinions in more detail. On the other hand this method would be very time consuming and expensive. Finally a tape recorder would also be used so that the data could be referred to at a later date and thus make the analysis more reliable. Conclusion Nowadays, organisations operate in a dynamic environment and they must learn to adapt in order to survive. According to the literature review some researchers such as (Ouchi, 1981) believed that a strong culture is linked to high performance in an organisation. Whereas, Writers such (Kotter Heskitt 1992) concluded that the statement that, well-built culture produce outstanding performance emerge to be completely incorrect. Most interestingly, the culture-performance relationship is seen as a two-fold sword (Dean Mcfarlin). On completion of this project there would be light on whether there is an organisational culture-performance link in small hairdressing businesses. References Bryan, Alan Bell Emma (2003) Business Research Methods: Oxford University Press New York. Johnson, Gerry, Scholes, Kevan Whittington, Richard (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases 8th Edition: Pearson Education Limited Association of Business Executives study manual, Managing in Organisation, 2008: ABE RRC Adkins, Bryan, Sr., and Stewart, Cindy, 2004 Shift Organisational Culture to Improve Organisational Performance, viewed on 29th January, 2010 Mcfarlin, Dean 2002, Strong culture can be double-edged sword, Dayton Business Journal, viewed on the 3rd February, 2010 http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/management-corporate- Culture/5462715-1.html viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://www.denisonconsulting.com/Libraries/Resources/Adkins-2004-Shift-Culture.sflb.ashx, viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/aeo9702.html, viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://www.culturestrategyfit.com, viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://marketing.byu.edu/htmlpages/ccrs/proceedings99/webster.htm, viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://www.jstor.org/pss/258374, viewed on 29th January, 2010 The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1988), pp. 546-558 (article consists of 13 pages), viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-17520695/examining-organizational-culture-and.html, viewed on 29th January, 2010 http://steconomice.uoradea.ro/anale/volume/2008/v4-management-marketing/057.pdf, viewed on 2nd February, 2010

samy sosa :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The person I am writing about is Sammy Sosa. As you may know, Sammy Sosa was one of the contenders in the home run race against Mark McGwire. McGwire won with 70 home runs while Sammy Sosa lost with 66 home runs. Even though Sammy Sosa lost he is still a very skilled player. In my report, I will describe Sammy’s life and career. I hope you enjoy it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Samuel Peralta Montero (Sammy’s birth name) was born in the county side of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Nov. 12 1968. You may be wondering why Sammy’s last name was Montero. Sammy’s father died when Sammy was only 6. The family had a lot of money when his father around. Unfortunately, one day his father got really sick, and started having bad migraines. They took him to the doctor, and the doctor said, â€Å"take him to the hospital in Santo Domingo†, but Sammy’s father refused to go. A few days later he had a another attack, and one of his fellow workers took him to the hospital. He was doing better after his family took him to the hospital, but the doctor told them that he would die in a couple of days. His family took him home so he could die in his own home. After he died Sammy†s last name was changed to Sosa. That was his mother’s maiden name. Sammy’s family changed drastically after his Father’s death. They didn’t have any money to buy food or clothes. So Sammy and his older brothers started to shine shoes, wash cars and beg for money. They didn’t get much business so the moved to Santo Domingo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a couple of years Sammy’s mother remarried to a man named Carlos Maria Peralta.Even after his mother got married they still continued to be poor. Sammy’s mother thought that Santo Domingo was to busy and had to many bad influences for the kids, so they moved to a town called San Pedro de Macoris. San Pedro wasn’t as busy as Santo Domingo, but it was busier than the county. It was Kind of in the middle of San Pedro and Santo Domingo. Sammy and his older brothers started to shine shoes again. There was one man that kept coming back again and again. His name was Bill Chase. Bill owned a show company in San Pedro. Bill saw how smart and persistent Sammy and his brothers

Political Activism in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece :: Essays on Politics

Political Activism in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece Welcome to yet another speech, through the past four reports or 137 I have studied student political participation and activism and I hope through my speeches you have learned at least a little on the topic. As well as the role it plays in culture as we defined it way back in Turkey. In Turkey we defined culture as a dynamic social construct both exhibited and defined by beliefs, traditions, values, history and language. Now, as I go through my speech I'll cover a little bit about my learning plan and what that outlined in this study, compare and contrast my observations and assessments of Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece, analyze the cultural impact of the student movement through out these countries and conclude with what I have taken from this study especially in regards to the 5 th country represented in our travels, that being the US. I'll begin with my learning plan. In reviewing my learning plan I am surprised by how accurately it explained and represented what I came to study in the past few months. Especially given it was conceived August 8 th the night before our picnic with Pat, with absolutely very little background for understanding the topic. In looking at my plan, it outlined studying student political participation and activism and students relation to political institutions in each country. All the while, allowing for a redefinition of political participation according to the culture being studied. This added an objectivity which I really tried to maintain throughout. The main components that I have studied throughout all of the countries are to analyze the different views placed on ideals such as freedom of speech, movement and association, study the history of student political participation in each country and the form that participation has taken, define the inflammatory issues in each country and lastly, gage the level of political participation. As I was rereading my speeches the other night I was pleased to see all of my speeches remained focused on these questions. So hopefully today's speech is going just as well. Now I am going to compare and contrast my observations and analysis of each of the four countries. To do this I decided that I wanted to have a bit more of a quantitative method. Therefore I went online to Freedom House and look up a little extra information.

Final Reflection Essay

During week one, my initial definition of learning was listening to an instruction, studying and then rehearsing that information in my mind, or categorizing it in a way so I could remember most of what was taught in the course. The class has opened a new dimension for me in the learning process; from understanding how I process information to deciphering which learning processes I use in intentional learning or metacognition. Understanding my learning patterns form dynamic learning relationship is a key element to my view of how and why I process the learning experience, even relating it to every day life. Since discovering my learning patterns by administering the Learning Connections Inventory or LCI assessment, I have discovered my aptitude for using Sequence (20), Precision (23), Technical Reasoning (35) and Confluence (29) learning patterns. My â€Å"use first† patterns of Technical Reasoning and Confluence are now self-evident and shed light on why my career took the path it did, leading me to this point in life. Confronting each task as a Dynamic Learner, I subconsciously used my Technical Reasoning and Confluence learning patterns first and as needed used my Precision and Sequential learning patterns. Throughout my career in the Navy, Technical Reasoning was pronounced which led me to choosing a mechanical trade; then in the construction industry, using my hands as a carpenter to renew or erect buildings. Sequential and Precision patterns were used on an as needed basis when specific tasks required a structured approach like developing designs or repairing equipment. Throughout this course, different quizzes took Sequential learning to complete. I found it difficult to only use this pattern and my strong Technical Reasoning pattern was evident by my moving from question to question if I did not immediately know the answer; then going back to answer the questions I skipped using Precision learning pattern. Reading assignments were a struggle as well; I was accustomed to using Technical Reasoning, briefly reading through the chapter to pick out phrases I knew were important. The critical reading process drew me back to basics by redirecting my use of Sequence and Precision learning patterns to become the predominant patterns used. Sequence learning pattern was needed in the  completion of discussions; I needed to focus, not only on discussions but completing all my work and submitting it on time. Having high technical reasoning and confluence learning patterns are what shaped decisions and tendencies in this class; procrastinating and being late with assignments started early in the course. Learning how to â€Å"FIT† my patterns together is a new concept which was difficult to introduce not only in my college course but in my daily life as well. Forging, Intensifying or Tethering my learning patterns are a continual activity and now that I have begun to understand how to decode a task, it will enable me to recognize the learning patterns to use, strengthen and reduce. This course was extremely interesting to me; discovering the four different learning patterns, how they influence college coursework and my career path. I appreciated looking at the inter-working of how I learn and what I can do to enhance my learning capabilities. As the weeks went by, the on-line experience with Ashford University became easier to schedule; I used sequential and precision learning patterns to regulate my time, turning in assignments when they were due. In the past, on-line learning was tedious and difficult to manage. Ashford’s approach with an introductory course in personal learning is eye opening; understanding how and why I learn will carry over into future courses. The overall online college experience will be what I make of it. Interacting with instructors and peers is an aspect in my control. Challenging classes will be met with a different attitude and perspective, knowing the how’s and why’s of my learning patterns is key to being successful.

Operational Plan

Operational Planning What is it? The organisation has an operational plan that clearly states the actions to implement goals and strategies identified in the strategic plan. Your organisation has completed the strategic planning process. An operational plan details the actions required to implement each strategy, assigning responsibilities, setting timeframes, identifying resources required and indicating what difference the specific actions will make.When developing your operational plan, ensure it is clear and able to be understood by all members of your organisationDeveloping the Operational Plan ·You will need to have at least one workshop to develop your operational plan with someone who will drive the process. This person is called a facilitator.  ·A facilitator is a person who has experience or training in running work groups. He or she guides the operational planning process, ensuring the actions and timeframes are pitched at the appropriate level. Your facilitator could be: (1) an outside specialist facilitator (2) a prominent member from your community who has experience facilitating developing plans in the past, or (3) a member of the Management Committee or staff member to facilitate the process.  ·It is very important the facilitator is trusted by the group. Each participant must feel comfortable to express their opinions. The most successful plans are those where all participants feel they have fully participated in the planning sessions and own the actions.Picking a good facilitator is the first step in successful planning.  ·The organisational plan is primarily the responsibility of staff, representatives from the Management Committee and community will help ensure it reflects the intent of the Strategic Plan. Goals and strategies from Strategic Plan to action  ·Goals and strategies that were identified in the strategic planning process will now be used for the operational or action planning process. Who is going to do what? When will they do it?What resources will they need and how will you know when the action has been completed successfully?  ·The strategic plan provides a framework for the operational planning process, but how do you turn your goals and strategies into actions and then into results to achieve these goals?  ·Make sure the actions are realistic. Does the organisation have the resources (personnel, physical facilities, training, equipment, funding, etc. ) required to do this activity? If not, how will we obtain them and if additional resources can’t be obtained, how o we adjust the activity in line with the resources available.  ·For each of the actions you need to identify the way to measure its success or otherwise. What differences will you see as a result of these activities? These are sometimes called outcomes or performance measures. These outcomes need to be measurable, preferably by numbers or timelines.  ·Finally, you need to have someone to be responsible to ensure the a ctivity occurs and the outcome is achieved. Who will do it?  ·A table can be one good way of recording this process.An example follows:Goal: Healthier people in our communityStrategy|Action/Activity|Who|When|Resources| Community awareness activities relating to health promotion|Open Day held on a quarterly basis to promote health issues|Indigenous Health Project Officer|June 2007|$ advertisingPromotional materials| Children are informed of health issues |Information sessions on health promotion at the local school on a monthly basis|Indigenous Health Worker|July 2007|Resources|  ·What has been described is the operational planning process.The results are made into either a booklet or a poster which is called the operational or action plan. This can then be used by the members of the organisation to follow the goals, strategies and proposed actions outlined in the operational plan.  ·It provides the organisation with a guide that can be monitored, reviewed and evaluated at regu lar intervals to ensure the organisation is implementing its strategic plan. Related Documents Strategic Planning Topic Guide [->0]Strategic Plan Template [->1]Operational Plan Template ->2] References Business Plans for Dummies – Paul Tiffany & Steven Peterson IDG Books World Wide Inc 1997 Developing Your Organisation For Queensland Incorporated Associations Queensland University of Technology, 2005 Monitoring Performance Improvement – M Tovey Prentice Hall 2001 Strategic Planning the Murri Way Kit – HACC Resource Unit 1997 Websites used for examples of Mission Statements and Goals Ernabella Arts from Powerhouse Museum web site http://www. phm. gov. au/hsc/paperbark/contemporary. htmWal-Meta The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Public Sector Employment Development Unit http://www. wal-meta. qld. gov. au/aboutus/mission_statement. htm Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Tertiary Education http://www. batchelor. edu. au/public/documents. html [->0] – h ttp://www. qld. gov. au/ngo/documents/VOICE/gov_accountability/topicguide/StrategicPlanning. rtf [->1] – http://www. qld. gov. au/ngo/documents/VOICE/gov_accountability/templates_samples/StrategicPlan. rtf [->2] – http://www. qld. gov. au/ngo/documents/VOICE/gov_accountability/templates_samples/OperationalPlan. rtf

Miranda V. Arizona

Court Brief Miranda v. Arizona Citation: Miranda? v. State of Arizona; Westover v. United States; Vignera v. State of New York; State of California v. Stewart, Supreme Court of the United States, 1966. Issue: Whether the government is required to notify the arrested defendants of their Fifth Amendment constitutional rights against self-incrimination before they interrogate the defendants. Relief Sought: Miranda was violated the 5th Amendments right to remain silent and his 6th Amendment right to legal counsel.Arizona ignored both the Escobedo rule that states all evidence obtained from an illegally obtained confession is inadmissible in court and the? Gideon? rule that states that all felony defendants have the right to an attorney while prosecuting Miranda. His confession was illegally obtained and should be thrown out. His conviction was false, and he deserved a new trial. Facts: In March 1963 Ernesto Miranda, 23, was arrested in his home, taken to the police station for being accu sed in a sexual assult case.Once identified by the victim he was taken into an interrogation room where he was to give his confession but Miranda was not told of his rights to counsel prior to questioning. He did though, sign a typed disclaimer that stated he had â€Å"full knowledge of my legal rights, understanding any statement I make may be used against me,† and that he had knowingly waived those rights. Two weeks later at a preliminary hearing, Miranda again was denied counsel. At his trial he did have a lawyer, whose objections to the use of Miranda's signed confession as evidence were overruled.Finding (Holding) of the Court: ? This case held that government authorities need to inform individuals of their Fifth Amendment constitutional rights prior to an interrogation following an arrest. Reasoning: The Court held that prosecutors could not use statements from secure interrogation of defendants unless they demonstrated the use of routine defenses. The Court noted that â€Å"the modern practice of in-custody interrogation is psychologically rather than physically oriented† and that â€Å"the blood of the accused is not the only hallmark of an unconstitutional inquisition. The Court specifically outlined the importance of police warnings to suspects, including warnings of the right to remain silent and the right to have an attorney present during interrogations. Dissenting Opinions: Justice Tom Clark argued that the Due Process Clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution would apply to interrogations. There is not enough evidence to demonstrate a need to apply a new rule as the majority finds here. The second dissent written by Justice John Harlan also argues that the Due Process Clauses should apply. J.Harlan further argues that the Fifth Amendment rule against self-incrimination was never intended to forbid any and all pressures against self-incrimination. Justice Byron White argued that there is no historical suppo rt for broadening the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to include the rights that the majority extends in their decision. The majority is making new law with their holding. Legal Terms: self- incrimination-the? act? of? incriminating? oneself? or? exposing? oneself? to? prosecution, especially? by? giving? evidence? or? testimony Interrogation- to? ask? questions? of? (a? erson),? sometimes? to? seek? answersor? information? that? the? person? questioned? considers? personalor? secret. Implications: Miranda v. Arizona established the importance of informing defendants of their legal rights before they are arrested in order to ensure due process.? The? Miranda vs. Arizona? case was significant because it established that many Americans did/do not know their rights granted to them by the Bill of Rights, especially those pertaining to police investigation and trial, and that when arrested people have the right to be informed of these very significant rights.?The Court decided a conf ession is? involuntary? unless the person is clearly informed of his or her right to remain silent, to have an attorney present during questioning, and have an attorney provided free if he can’t afford one. Miranda didn't have a lawyer present when questioned and wasn't aware this was an option; therefore, his confession was excluded from evidence and the conviction was overturned.?

Physical and emotional health

Crucial to the changing lifestyle of any person, particularly a young adult such as myself, is that of being both physically and emotionally healthy in order to succeed in this forever changing world. When undergoing stress, whether it be physical or emotional, the brain changes in ways that will affect its overall function. When a person undergoes a high amount of stress for a long period of time without any treatment, it can lead to more serious problems such as strokes and heart diseases.Physically, an overload of stress constantly can lead to long term, negative effects. Some effects can include heart problems, musculoskeletal conditions, migraines, and headaches. Other effects that could arise Include Internal problems having to do with digestion and diet. Emotionally, an excess amount of stress can lead to problems mentally such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, etc. Difficulty focusing and Irritability can result from this as well. (1) As for a physical therapist, the hea lthcare Industry Is constantly changing, Just Like the outside world.These physical therapists face many different situations in which stress is a prevalent factor, and it is essential n this field to be able to handle stress incredibly well in order to do their job to their utmost potential. Everyone has some sort of tolerance or outside forces including stress, however, tolerance levels vary from person to person. Not only can too much physical stress over a period of time affect the body on the outside through fatigue and laziness, but it does internal damage as well. Long term stress can disrupt the body's digestive process in a negative way.By affecting nutrients that can be absorbed by a person's intestines, stress can cause nausea, constipation, vomiting, and other irregularities. 1) To maintain proper physical health, it is important to exercise regularly and attempting to reduce stress in any way possible. A physical self-assessment I did on myself allowed me to conclude th at my physical health is excellent. My resting heart rate was 57 BPML, and my resting blood pressure was 125/70, and after slight exercise, both my heart rate and blood pressure increased at a healthy rate in accordance to the amount of exercise I did.These are average for a healthy person of my age range. My waist to hip ratio was excellent as well being that my score was . 835. After calculating my body mass index, I landed in the healthy range scoring a 21. 401. In terms of flexibility, I scored in the normal range of the 90/90 floor stretch, and I was able to touch my fingers when reaching behind my back which result In having good shoulder flexibility. When doing modified pushup, I was able to score excellent in the upper body strength category by doing over 20, and I also did over 20 chair tough squats which landed me In the excellent category for lower body strength.I have a small frame size, but I am very active and athletic. My body type Is In between extempore and mesosphe re, but I am closer to mesosphere. (2) By playing soccer for Marseille has allowed me to relieve much of my stress through dally exercise. Also, we have â€Å"chalk talks† in which I can direct my attention away from other stresses in my life and focus on our team's system and what I can do to contribute to it. My physical activity routine will continue for the next four and a half years because soccer is a year round sport. In the postseason we will be doing well to ensure my health and continues physical fitness.I have good bone health and am at less of a risk of getting any bone diseases because I am Caucasian and regularly take protein supplements and sometimes take other vitamin supplements. (2) Although my large amount of exercise plays a huge role in my physical health, it also plays a key part in my emotional fitness. Poor emotional fitness is linked to a lack of focus and bad decision making. Psychological effects can include irritability, anxiety, depression, phobia s, relationship conflicts, and others. (1) Any kind of stress relieving activity will help with gaining motional fitness.Exercise, meditation, or having fun can release stress, calm the mind, and fill it with healthier thoughts. It is so crucial to have a positive attitude as well. A person can think of others and themselves in a less Judgmental way and in a more compassionate way. I filled out a few questionnaires about happiness. For example, a questionnaire called the PERM (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment), and it stated that I scored higher than 99% of people my age and higher than 98% of my gender by scoring a 9. 67/10. (3)Another questionnaire I took called the Rare Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SIRS) showed that I have had more stress than normal in the last 6 months. (4) This is most likely because I started college classes and college soccer. My life has changed a lot in the past 6 months, but I am coping with everything in a pro fessional manner. The stress has not been affecting me in a negative way. In fact, all of this stress has been motivating me to do my best. It is a good idea to try to channel the bad things in your life into things that will push and motivate you to do your best.I can improve my physical health by directing my focus to the most important things in my life. I can also focus on form by letting my mind wander less and focusing on the mechanics of my efforts. In terms of working out and staying with a routine, Just getting myself to the gym is half the battle because until I get there, there are a million other distractions getting in the way. (5) In order to achieve my goals, I must be more dedicated than I previously was by having self-esteem, a positive attitude, and the will to succeed and become the best version of myself I can be.The improvement of my emotional fitness can be improved in a way that is parallel to improving my physical health because they correlate with each other . If I improve one, then that will improve the other. To specifically work on keeping my current emotional fitness or even improving it, I must work on setting reasonable goals for myself and get creative when tracking my progress. For example, if I plan to run 3 miles a day for three times a week, then I should get a map of your Missouri, draw a line across it, and trace a specific number of miles along the line for each eek I meet my goal. 5) Being able to visualize my goals in my head and how I am going to reach them will automatically give me a positive mindset. As long as I continue to do this, or do it more often, I will improve my emotional fitness. As a physical therapist, it is important to have optimal physical health and emotional fitness. A APT will be more effective if he or she is a model for what the patients want to become. They will be able to handle many situations in the forever-changing healthcare industry if they are emotionally stable as well.If I continue to s tay hectically fit when I eventually get a Job in physical therapy, then I will be more physical self-assessment that I filled out said that overall I had excellent physical health in all areas. Along with that, the two emotional fitness questionnaires gave me results indicating that although I have been somewhat stressed, I still remain positive and have excellent emotional fitness. As long as I continue to work towards becoming the best I can be in every way possible while maintaining a positive attitude, I will have no problem becoming a physical therapist that others look up to.

HUME Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HUME - Essay Example According to Hume in the article, â€Å"we may divide all the perceptions of the mind into two classes or species †¦ The less forcible and lively are commonly denominated THOUGHTS or IDEAS †¦ The other species †¦ impression, then, I mean all our more lively perceptions, when we hear, or see, or feel, or love, or hate, or desire, or will.† On the basis of this statement, the ideas and impressions comprising the mental faculty of a man, though possessing significant relation to each other, are distinct among themselves and this working difference is where human belief is conceived. Impressions pertain to sense-perceptions that enable disposition of an individual with emotions or immediate passion whereas ideas constitute ‘faint copies or images’ of impressions within thoughts. Characterized by vividness, impressions are claimed to be more active in the living consciousness compared to ideas. While impressions logically precede ideas, the latter being derived from the former, Hume considers the probability that certain ideas may generate impressions either as reflections or sensations which themselves develop the capacity of formulating ideas in return. Since these constituents of the mind may be held in flexible connections as in random order with or separate from each other, such associations vary with respect to mental operations involved. By cause and effect relation, contiguity, or resemblance, a mental behavior manages to create joints between ideas out of which spring human beliefs which serve as a consequence once the manner of associating impressions and ideas is employed with repetition. Beliefs are further classified into two of which one refers to ‘relations of ideas’ and the other, ‘matters of fact.’ Through the section â€Å"Of the Origin of Ideas†, Hume illustrates stating â€Å"Every one will readily allow, that there is a considerable difference

The role of leadership strategies, which help an organization to Essay

The role of leadership strategies, which help an organization to maintain its performance - Essay Example According to the research findings leaders are considered more effective even than the managers of the company, it is because leaders do not only manage the problems and system, but they lead their team in a professional manner. Leaders possess outstanding abilities to enhance the performances of all team members. They encourage them to view organizational situations from a leader`s eye and take initiatives in more improved manner, to increase productivity of the company. A leader also possesses persuasive attributes to motivate organizational members in order, to bring positive change in their organizational behavior and performance. Additionally, a leader does not solely focus on the performance of the employees; they keep an eye on the quality performance of the workers, because compromising on quality can create perplexing situations for the company. A leader brings new ideas for the success of the organization and makes plan to implement realistic strategies. Moreover, when all staff members ethically follow rules and regulations to understand the importance of result oriented concepts of the leaders, then a successful change takes place in the company. Kouzes and Posner, a leadership model suggested by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, has facilitated leaders to broaden their vision and form a stronger base for the organizational purposes with the co-operation of all team members. Additionally, this model has suggested another strategy to bring successful shift in the company such as, all workers including, leaders should maintain their worksheet, as it will help all participants to stay updated about their performance quality and scale. (Kouzes & Posner, 2003). Moreover, this model further suggests that all actions and strategies should be plan to secure future position of the company, means that future standard of the company should be the foremost priority of the company`s plans and leadership tools. Leadership Competency of Edge: The leadership competency of edge is an essential attribute of leadership that allows a leader to take risk at the hour of need. A risk of trust that he/she understands in a deeper sense than others and views a risky situation, as the best solution in the conditional situation of the company (Zingheim & Ledford, 1996). However, a leader has to be accountable for all outcomes, but he possesses qualities to take and manage the risk efficiently. Not only this, a leader should have potential to encourage all other employees to understand the importance of a risky situation, needed to bring organizational shift that would be most beneficial for the company (Zingheim & Ledford, 1996). Leadership competency of edge contributes to gather attention of all employees and motivate leaders to utilize workers, as the atoms that are useful to increase productivity of the organization through a result oriented shift. Motivating employers to maintain the performance based pay is another aspect of leadership competency that d irectly motivates employees to maintain their performances through the whole procedure of organizational shift. Organizational shift and improvement in the performances of the employees is only possible, when a leader makes his/her team realized that understanding an organizational mission

Surviving a JCAHO Audit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Surviving a JCAHO Audit - Essay Example One of the most important of those regulatory bodies is the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). JCAHO is a not-for-profit organization operating with the preliminary purpose of providing voluntary accreditation to healthcare organizations. Over the course of eighty-eight (88) years, it has evolved from its humble beginnings when the first hospital inspections were performed by a single body, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in 1918. The ACS utilized a very rudimentary system for inspecting hospitals whereby minimal standards were utilized as a means of setting the standards for accreditation. The ACS served as a solitary regulatory board from 1918 until 1951 when the ACS joined forces with the American College of Physicians, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and the Canadian Medical Association to establish what was known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH). The JCAH soon replaced the ACS as the organization responsible for setting the standards for the delivery of safe and appropriate care for patients within t hose organizations. This commission was responsible for the publication of the first Standards for Hospital Accreditation (AORN Journal, 2002). In 1965, under the leadership of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Medicare Act of 1965 was passed. This meant a drastic shift in the role of JCAH. For the first time, JCAH became closely aligned with the federal government and facilitated an inalienable relationship with governmental funding and JCAH accreditation. For the first time, the law made provisions for hospitals which were accredited by JCAH wherein those hospitals were automatically viewed as being in compliance with most of the provisions of the Medicare program and were eligible to participate in the Medicare program. As such, the accredited hospitals were able to reap the monetary rewards of being active Medicare participation (AORN Journal, 2002). In 1975, JCAH expanded its scope by becoming the main accrediting body for ambulatory health care facilities. This expansion was facilitated by an involvement with Accreditation Council for Ambulatory Health Care. Over the next decade, JACH established a series of committees which were known as the Professional and Technical Advisory Committees (PTAC) for each program it was responsible for accrediting. Finally, in 1987, JCAH changed its name to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations as a means of reiterating its large range of accreditation activities. To date, JCAHO has established a large board of commissioners which includes a nursing representative who provides input with regards to nursing policy (AORN Journal, 2002). Functions of JCAHO JCAHO is responsible for evaluating and accrediting over 15,000 healthcare institutions and individual programs throughout the U.S. In so doing it provides services to the following general class of organizations: Hospitals [including general medical, psychiatric and pediatric hospitals as well as rehabilitation hospitals]. Nursing homes Hospices Home care organizations Addiction services Laboratories Rehabilitation centers Ambulatory care providers Independent laboratories Group practices In addition to accrediting the aforementioned organizations, JACHO also awards certification to health plans, hospitals and other institutions which provide disease management services as well as