Political Effectiveness Essay

7. 1 How far is the elected government able to influence or control those matters that are important to the lives of its people, and how well is it informed, organised and resourced to do so? Rating M The elected government in the Philippines has a long way to go to fully fulfill and succeed in turning the philippines around. Although, it does show promises. With organizations like the league of provinces where it aims to â€Å"ventilate, articulate, and crystallize issues affecting provincial and metropolitan government administrations. It likewise serves to secure, through proper and legal means, solutions to problems confronting the locales†(â€Å"league of provinces†, n. d. ). Some of its programs include expand revenue base which is an activiy that taps funds that may be used as grants to calamity affected provinces. (â€Å"league of provinces†, n. d.). Another government project that is trying to improve the quality of life in the philippines include the Diversified Farm Income and Market Development Project (DFIMDP) with aims to ensure the availability of financial resouces to help the department of agricultue develop market to promote competition for agriculture and fisheries(â€Å"Philippine LGU Assistane Portal† n. d. ). 7. 2 How much public confidence is there in the effectiveness of government and its political leadership? Rating L. The funny thing about the philippines is that even though the public protests a lot the there is really little that they can do(excluding the edsa 1 and 2 incident) but nonetheless the philippine citizens are unhappy about the government elect. Various scandals like the ZTE scandal have tainted philippines politics. Protests are happening left and right protests like the one last april 2008 marking the 61st birthday of PGMA(â€Å"the earth times†, 2008. ). A clear sign that the people have lost faith in her as a leader. 7. 3 How effective and open to scrutiny is the control exercised by elected leaders and their ministers over their administrative staff and other executive agencies? Rating L For several years now the philippines has been experiencing extrajudicial/political killings clear sign that the government and people in power are not open for criticism and objection. The year 2006 was a bad year in the philippines in terms of political killings and disappearances. Researched conducted by the human rights watch confirms that countless victims were killed in 2006 and that the military had a hand in most of the killings(â€Å"the human rights watch†, 2007.). 7. 4 How extensive and effective are the powers of the legislature to initiate, scrutinise and amend legislation? Rating L I rated this low because during the 13th sentor angara criticized that the 13th congress has passed the lowest number of laws in the last 20 years in an article by Ron Pelovello the senate in the last two years has passed only nine bills that were signed into law and only a couple of public works-related bills from the house of representatives it is also said that it has been the worst congress in 20 years(Pelovello, 2006. ). 7. 5 How extensive and effective are the powers of the legislature to scrutinise the executive and hold it to account? Rating VL This was clearly seen when the legislature failed to bring down gma after her alleged cheating in the 2004 elections (Del Pilar and Alpha Company, n. d. ). Also legislature failed again after the ZTE scandal (Einhorn, September 26). We can only hope that after 2010 we will have a better and more powerful legislature. 7. 6 How rigorous are the procedures for approval and supervision of taxation and public expenditure? Rating L 7. 7How comprehensive and effective is legislation giving citizens the right of access to government information? Rating VH Information today is very accessible with the internet and the effectiveness of the press and media nothing stays hidden and this is true with the very public case of the ZTE scandal where PGMA cancelled a controversial $330 million deal (Einhorn, September 26). This was a very open scandal and a very public trial. 8. 0Civilian control of the military and police 8. 1How effective is civilian control over the armed forces, and how free is political life from military involvement? Rating L I think the politics in the Philippines will never be free from military involvement several coup d’etat have struck the Philippines over the years the most recent would be that of trillianes. This would be his second coup attempt the first was in 2003. A clear example that the military is not as controlled as we would want them to be, the civilian control has to be improved. 8. 2 How publicly accountable are the police and security services for their activities? Rating L An article Romero and the AFP stated that the police is viewed by Filipino respondents as the most affected by corruption. Also globally the police are viewed as the most affected with petty bribery (Romero, 2007. ). 8. 3 How far does the composition of the army, police and security services reflect the social composition of society at large? Rating H 8. 4 How free is the country from the operation of paramilitary units, private armies, warlordism and criminal mafias? Rating VL The country has a long way to go before being completely free from private armies and paramilitary units. Events like the Oakwood mutiny that occurred 5 years ago (Remollino, 2006.) remind us that we are still a very unstable country in terms of paramilitary units. As for private armies the manila times published last year an article stating that the PNP admitted that there are 93 private armies nationwide (Manila Times, 2007), an alarming number that has to be brought down in order for our country to reach its full potential and take its place as a developed country. 8. 5 What measures, if any, are being taken to remedy publicly identified problems in this field, and what degree of political priority and public support do they have? Rating VL.

Why There Is a Lack of Women in Leadership Roles

Leading and Managing People | Dr Andrew Rowe | Manchester Metropolitan University Business School | Elizabeth Ann Marku- 10996807| In recent years, women have increasingly moved into leadership positions within public and private sector organistions. It is notable, however, that their presence is less apparent in the higher echelons of professional and organisational structures where the greatest influence and power in the decision making process resides. Despite the plethora of research examining this issue, there is still conflicting opinions as to why this is the case.This assignment asks you to review the key contributions to this debate and examine the implications for effective leadership in the 21st century. | | Leading and Managing People | Dr Andrew Rowe | Manchester Metropolitan University Business School | Elizabeth Ann Marku- 10996807| In recent years, women have increasingly moved into leadership positions within public and private sector organistions. It is notable, how ever, that their presence is less apparent in the higher echelons of professional and organisational structures where the greatest influence and power in the decision making process resides.Despite the plethora of research examining this issue, there is still conflicting opinions as to why this is the case. This assignment asks you to review the key contributions to this debate and examine the implications for effective leadership in the 21st century. | | â€Å"When millions of women rise around the world, we won’t need an International Women’s Day. When millions of women rise around the world we’ll be able to harness all the days, years and resources we need to deal with climate change, poverty, violence and war†. (Womens History Month March 8 2012) Women in Leadership PositionsBreaking through the glass ceiling †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Purpose of Report In 2011 an article in the Guardian Business Newspaper stated â€Å"The Equality and Human Rights Commi ssion claims that there are 5,400 women â€Å"missing† from top jobs in the UK and the narrowing of the gender gap across business, politics and the media is â€Å"tortuously slow†. This report will review the current and historical research as to why women are not more prominent in leadership roles. Introduction Why is it important for women to be in leadership positions? Historically leadership positions have been male dominated.This is no surprise given that it was not until the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 that women over 21 were able to vote and finally achieve the same voting rights as men. The Equalities Act 2010 has created a unified public sector duty, which is intended to promote equality in public policy and decision-making. The Glass Ceiling â€Å"The glass ceiling† refers to a women's lack of advancement into leadership positions despite no visible barriers â€Å"You tend not to use your womanhood. You try to neutralize it. For example, you wear a s uit instead of a dress. † (Morrison, White, Velsor, and The Center For Creative Leadership 4)The Human Rights Commission’s research report titled ‘Sex and Power 2011’ looked at twenty seven occupational categories both in the private and public sectors and measured how many women held positions of power and influence. The research revealed that the position of women in high profile positions had changed little since a previous report in 2008 and that in 100 FTSE companies it would take some seventy years for women directors to equal men. This was also mirrored in relation to women MP’s in parliament. (Human Rights Commission, 2011) (Guardian Buisness Newspaper, Tuesday 13 September 2011 )Linder, K. 2012. , The Women of Berkshire Hathaway : Lessons from Warren Buffett's Female CEOs and Directors. [online]. Wiley. Available from: 25 November 2012 Zenger J and Folkman Jack Zenger They are co-authors of the October 2011 HBR article â€Å"Making Yourself Indispensable,† and the book How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths (McGraw-Hill, 2012). Publication information: Book title: Breaking the Glass Ceiling:Can Women Reach the Top of America's Largest Corporations?. Edition: Updated. Contributors: Ann M.Morrison – Author, Randall P. White – Author, Ellen Van Velsor – Author, The Center For Creative Leadership – OrganizationName. Publisher: Perseus Publishing. Place of publication: Cambridge, MA. Publication year: 1994. Page number: Not availableQuestia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www. questia. com Publication information: Book title: Human Resources, Care Giving, Career Progression, and Gender: A Gender Neutral Glass Ceiling. Contributors: Beulah S. Coyne – Author, Edward J. Coyne – Author, Monica Lee – Author. Publisher: Routledge. Place of publication: New York. Publication year: 2004. Page number: xiii

Husky Injection Molding Systems

Question: What is Husky's strategy? Why has the company been so successful in the period prior to the recent problems? Husky follows a differentiation strategy by trying to offer a higher perceived value than its competitors in order to convince customers to pay a premium price for the company’s products – across its product line, Husky charges a 10% to 20% premium. Husky’s success, prior to the recent problems, can be explained by the following value drivers: Husky’s product featuresThe company is known in the industry for its high quality products. Husky’s systems are speedier than the ones of the competition (for PET products, Husky’s cycle time is 10% to 15% shorter) and they are believed to be more rugged. Furthermore, Husky’s systems are able to produce thinner walls than competitors’ machines, and their resin utilization and durability are higher. Unlike rivals, the company offers a fully integrated system of thinwall mol d, machine, and product-handling equipment. Husky’s customer serviceThe company established technical centers in key locations to provide technical support to its customers. Husky’s internal service force is known to be the strongest in the industry, and in addition, its sales force does an extraordinary job. Husky’s complements In addition to Husky’s systems, the company offers value-added services to provide greater perceived value for its customers: Husky’s experts plan injection molding facilities for customers, train customers, integrate production systems, and produce turnkey factories.In addition to these internal developments, Husky was also able to take advantage of the fact that soft drink makers shifted rapidly to plastic bottles: The company could establish itself in the PET preform market by bringing a quick series of product innovations on the market; by 1995, 60% of the world’s preforms were manufactured on Husky systems. All factors mentioned above contributed to Husky’s good brand equity that, in turn, allows the company to charge a premium price for its products, thus creating a competitive advantage.

Germany and the Germans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Germany and the Germans - Essay Example This sense of commonality of the people fit the objectives for Hitler and the Third Reich. In speeches, they appealed to the betterment and welfare of the people seeking to bring back Volkish culture. Germans wanted a clearly defined distinction between Germans and the other peoples of Europe. This discussion analyzes the influence of nationalist thought in the shaping of Nazi policies beginning with a historical definition of the term ‘Volk’ and the reasons for its integration into German society of the 1800’s. It will also address how the Nazi party utilized these precepts as an idealistic tool, why they established these concepts and how effective this tactic was in congregating the people. The ideas intended to unify a nation advanced by nationalist philosophies evolved for over a century into a national impression of superiority. The Third Reich did not expose the German people to beliefs to which they were not originally pre-disposed. The regime had to be su pported by the German people for it to have experienced the heights of popularity that it achieved during the 1930’s and this support came from a nationalistic narcissism. Nazi ideology was not an overnight event. It had evolved for over a century with a beginning in Volkish beliefs. ... This draw to unify inspired a considerable interest in the German people’s common culture, myths, legends and folksongs. â€Å"This idea found many adherents, reacting to both the Napoleonic conquest of Germany from 1806 to 1811 and the rationalism and scientific advances of the English and the French later in the century† (Iggers 1988). Though still not politically united, Germans were learning to take pride in their cultural accomplishments. There was, unfortunately, a dark aspect to unification. The tendency for cultural nationalism produced cultural superiority and intolerance, which, when combined with racism, was a powerful political force of nineteenth-century Europe. Volkish writers, in-step with the people of the mid to late 1800’s Germany were becoming increasingly intolerant of cultures other than their own. In the mid-1800’s, the term ‘semitic’ became widely adopted by as a result of German philologist Wilhelm Marr’s foundat ion of the Anti-Semitic League. In 1879, he determined the Hebrew language was ‘semitic’ and not Indo-European (Wegner 2002 p. 2) â€Å"The mysticalized, Volkish linguistic foundation for the Aryan myth was a popular concept in the mid-1800s that both Friedrich and August Wilhelm Schlegel, among others, had argued vociferously for, to overflowing university classrooms and in their voluminous writings† (Wegner 2002 pp. 8-9). This linguistic difference provided a means for those of nationalist thought to further identify themselves as different from and superior to anyone of Jewish descent well before the Nazis came to power. It was widely held that the true German spirit was rooted in nature. The people perceived the rural culture

Molecular basis of circadian rhythms Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Molecular basis of circadian rhythms - Article Example In a fast growing world where travelling is essential to many individuals, jet lag is a common denominator among those individuals. Scientifically speaking, this was mainly because of the disruption of the circadian clock. According to the study of Glossop, Lyons & Hardin, the circadian clock worked in an interlocked feedback loops that is further divided into two: a per-tim loop which is activated by dCLK-CYC and repressed by PER-TIM and a dClk loop which is repressed by dCLK-CYC and depressed by PER-TIM (766). Through these loops, it has been identified that there are five genes necessary for effective circadian rhythm, among of which include the period (per), timeless (tim), Drosophilia Clock (dClk), Cycle (Cyc), and double-time (dbt) (Glossop, Lyons & Hardin, 766). However, nothing can be observed without going through the gene level and oscillating the anatomical structures for sleep and wakefulness. Clock-controlled genes consist of input pathways, oscillator or pacemaker, and output pathways (Cermakian & Corsi, 59). As stated earlier, initiating circadian rhythm requires oscillation and this can be done only through a pacemaker or oscillator. Oscillation occurs automatically as this is a temporal program. A well-oscillated circadian clock has self-sustained rhythm during its long period, compensated with respect to the abrupt changes in the environment, predominantly exposed to cycles of light, temperature, food availability and predator, and has various difference in the assembly of cellular clocks (Merrow, Spoelstra & Till, 931). Without this pathways and oscillation, the rhythm of the circadian clock will definitely be disrupted. The study of circadian clock will not only help humans in adaptation but the agriculture and animal industry as well. Experts would be able to condition the organism to environmental changes. Farmers can manipulate the pthosynthetic activity of the plants to match the appropriate

Women Trafficking and the Industry of Prostitution Research Paper

Women Trafficking and the Industry of Prostitution - Research Paper Example It is now a fiercely debated topic within the academic, legal, and social communities. This paper discusses and analyzes the debate over the legalization of prostitution. The argument of the paper is not to legalize prostitution. The points of the debate that the paper focuses on are the issue of ‘professionalizing’ prostitution, protecting the sexual wellbeing of prostituted women, and making a rational decision to engage in the industry of prostitution. But according to a large number of empirical findings, legalization of prostitution brings more harm than benefit to sex workers. A discussion of studies conducted in countries where prostitution is legalized is carried out in order to determine the actual nature and consequences of legalization of prostitution. Further research is needed on this subject in order to conclusively determine the merits and disadvantages of the legalization of prostitution. More country-specific studies are needed in order to decisively det ermine the universality of the harm prostitution brings to its victims. Introduction Prostitution is the ‘world’s oldest profession’. For centuries, women and children are dragged into a world that does not respect individual dignity and morality. Today, millions of women are trafficked into prostitution all over the world. Women trafficking and prostitution have been a challenging and complex issue for policymakers, the academic community, feminists, and social activists at the international, regional, and national levels. The problems posed by women trafficking and prostitution concern not just the abuse of women’s body by profiteers, but also the commodification and denigration of female dignity. The discourse on women trafficking and prostitution has spurred a rigorous debate on the legalization of prostitution as a solution to the growing problem of women trafficking. Prostitution should not be legalized. Prostitution will always be a form of ‘v ictimization’ because it is damaging to those who are involved in it. Legalization of prostitution will only further encourage women trafficking and prostitution. And prostitution could never be an unforced or voluntary form of labor because victims are not able to make a rational decision to take part in prostitution. The choices of these women are limited to economic survival only, which prevent them from making rationally based decisions. Prostitution is always involuntary and coerced because it is rooted in universal supremacy of men over women and is naturally and essentially a contemporary kind of sex slavery that is abusive, demoralizing, and damaging. The Debate Prostitution is widely described as a ‘crime without a victim’, particularly by those who argue that it should be legalized. But the truth is prostitution is a form of ‘victimization’: it is damaging to those who are involved in it, and it is usually coerced on an individual by severa l factors, mostly by poverty. Legalizing prostitution does not raise the status of the women; it merely professionalizes the industry of prostitution (Kara, 2010). Ditmore (2011) explains that the supporters of legalization of prostitution generally do not understand that legalization implies decriminalization of the entire industry of prostitution, not only the women trapped in it. But supporters of legalization respond to this by arguing that if the sex industry is legalized, it â€Å"would be subject to standard labor and occupation safety regulations, and it would be easier for women to fight the abuses and crimes that accompany their work† (Flowers, 2011, p. 49). Majority of prostituted women view legalization of the

A Presentation by Raj Rupani - International Tax Manager Essay

A Presentation by Raj Rupani - International Tax Manager - Essay Example In addition, Raj seemed to be quite conversant with the social media; he made us understand the best ways of using the social media both as individuals and in the corporate. There was so much to learn from Raj’s career and training. He mentioned to us about his journey, on how he came to develop a strong passion for accounting. This prompted him to join an accounting school where he successfully finished before joining the work environment. Raj is an accomplished professional who challenged me to have a passion and pursue it fully. What made his presentation even more interesting was the versatility applied. He gave us many experiences from several of his friends and people he had read about, he was quite knowledgeable. At Deloitte, Raj mentions that the career has turned him into a global trotter; he has visited several countries in the world and the chances of touring many more still remain ripe. I really admired his career. Technology is the driver of life in the 21st Century; this was his message concerning the use of technology. He started by dispelling the notion among young people that Facebook and other social media platforms are only used for communicating with friends. His dimension of thought challenged me, he told us how they have capitalized on the social media at Deloitte and have completely transformed the customer experience. Social media makes it easy and convenient to communicate to clients and it is possible to customize the communication to a particular client or a group of clients. Since accounting information in an organization is kept confidential, he mentioned the various ways in which we can be able to have secure social media communication. He took time to motivate us to become our best in whatever we do. Raj’s works still keep on lingering in my mind; he said that we should be able to understand what we are good at and start exercising. Citing his own example, he said an individual who endeavours to pursue accounting should have a passion and a positive attitude towards mathematics and other affiliate courses.  

Customer Portfolio Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Customer Portfolio Management - Essay Example Customer preferences and customers’ attributes helps businesses to decide upon what products and services should be offered to the customer segment and how it should be marketed and priced so that it matches customers’ requirements and desires. This research paper would look into marketing concepts and theories, which helps businesses to build and maintain a customer portfolio. For this purpose, the researcher has gone through and understood various theories and research works to elaborate on the concept of customer portfolio management. Content of the Customer Portfolio The content of the customer portfolio enables managers to understand the business-to-business marketing strategies that can be utilized for assessing supplier-customer relationships. With this assessment, managers identify scarce resources of the organization and allocate them accordingly so that maximum profitability can be achieved (Sinha et al., 2002). The content of customer portfolios makes it easi er for managers to optimally compose customer relationships in order to determine, whether the company amongst members of the target market because of its customer relationship tactics or the competitive position of the organization (Ravenscraft, 1983). This is the reason, that customer portfolio management is considered as an integral part of an organization’s marketing functions. ... managing the line of products and brands, by aligning financial and budgetary resources with the resource allocation strategy and creating coordination between organizational teams to ensure implication of business, product and marketing strategy. The product portfolio management consists of taking care of a number of activities such as conducting market research to understand consumer dynamics, aligning key suppliers who will prove to be beneficial, determining marketing and distribution tactics and etc. On the other hand, customer portfolios makes it easier for managers to optimally compose customer relationships in order to determine, whether the company amongst members of the target market because of its customer relationship tactics or the competitive position of the organization. This is the reason, that customer portfolio management is considered as an integral part of an organization’s marketing functions (Sanchez, 2005). Strategic Accounting Management Strategic accou nting management is different from managing financial accounts of a business. Instead, these strategies are related with developing marketing systems that ensures that long-term relationships are maintained with strategic customers of the organization. These strategic customers might include organization’s suppliers of raw material and other vendors. Strategic accounting management is beneficial in a sense, that it helps the business to improve the quality of raw material used by maintaining healthy relationships with the suppliers and also reduces the cost of acquiring new strategic partners in the given marketplace. On the other hand, strategic accounting management also enables the organization to determine the specific needs of strategic customers and tailoring the products according to

Final Curriculum Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Final Curriculum Design - Essay Example This course is organised in such a way as to make it simple for students being introduced to the technical application of English in business context. There will be lessons on accessing relevant resources, assessment items and key events during the course which will be uploaded on the online university blackboard. The classrooms will hold between 10 and 20 students. This part seeks to guide the organisation of the syllabus as indicated by White (1988). The course seeks to consolidate previously gained English knowledge by the students and raise it to levels applicable in business context. It aims at improving skills in English listening, speaking and writing so as to enhance business communication. Consequently, the students will be expected to: iii. Further confidence when using English to execute business functions such as placing orders, speaking on the telephone, making reservations and handling irate customers, employee complaints and unreliable suppliers. This course employs context defined by Graves (2000) as the nature of the course, time, teaching resources, classroom set-up and the people. The lessons will be conducted on Saturdays and Tuesdays from 10.00 am, since in Saudi Arabia, the week begins on Saturday, each session taking two hours for 12 weeks summing up to 48 hours of teaching. The venue will be Najran College of Technology, Saudi Arabia being a country where English is not the first language, fitting within the example of Target Language – Removed Context cited by Graves (2008). The setting will adopt the European schooling approach described by Ahmad (2009) and Nunan (1999) as involving a teacher-fronted set-up with students seated in rows facing the teacher. Each classroom will have between 10 and 20 students having previous exposure to English since the instruction will presume Intermediate learning level. A triangulation approach will be applied for needs analysis supported by

Relevance Of Symbolic Play In Child Development Education Essay

Relevance Of Symbolic Play In Child Development Education Essay This essay looks at the issue of symbolic play being therapeutic play for children. The essay looks at the theory of symbolic play, the use of symbolic play with children, the therapeutic value of symbolic play, using research to support the discussions. The essay discusses what is understood by symbolic play, then moves on to discuss the importance of symbolic play in childrens development, looking at the various theories that have been put forward to explain the importance of play in childrens development. The essay then moves on to look at various instances where therapeutic play has been used, and is considered useful, such as in children who are experiencing a chronic illness, who are hospitalized, who are awaiting surgery or who have experienced some form of trauma. What is symbolic play? Symbolic play is, according to Piaget (1962) one of the main ways in which children learn to think in a representational manner, where representation is understood as a process through which children store information according to the perceptual analysis of their ingoing experiences (Leslie, 1987; Lyytinen et al., 1997). Play essentially allows children to understand the things they experience and to put these things in to perspective. As such, play is fundamentally important for childrens development (Piaget, 1962). Play is one of the ways in which children understand the world, their interactions with others and the rules and regulations that govern their passage through the world. Play is, thus, a fundamental activity for children that allows them to form their personalities and to understand their place in the world, in relation to others. Relevant of symbolic play in child development Symbolic play, which arises around the age of 18 months, basically involves children substituting one item for another, and can constitute incorporating others in to their play, pretend play or sequencing. This can mean that children pretend to be mother (or father) or that they use household items to reproduce day-to-day activities they have seen their parents doing, amongst other common symbolic play activities. This symbolic allows children to experiment with different roles and different forms of being, which, as has been discussed, allows children to understand, and to contextualise, their experiences. As Piaget (1962) argues, such symbolic play allows children to understand the role of self and others, the use of objects and the sequences of actions and activities whilst playing. This allows children to understand objects, to learn about the properties of objects and to learn about consequences and causality (Piaget, 1962). Play thus allows children, amongst other things, to re alize where their boundaries are, to understand why things work in the ways they do and to understand how to interact with others. Symbolic play is thus, as has been discussed, a fundamental developmental tool for children. Watson and Zlotlow (1999) talk about symbolic play as, an important characteristic of childrens early play, through the enactment of activities that are very familiar to the child in contexts that are not typical for those activities. Enacting activities out of context allows the child to explore, and to understand, the role of agents in their lives, allowing them to understand how the world works and what their role is in this world. Symbolic play, therefore, has been argued to have three main features: the use of objects; the use of actions during the play; and individuals enacting the play (i.e., agents) (Watson and Zlotlow, 1999). The use of objects can be undertaken in many forms, either through substitution, in which the object is used to represent something else, through scenario-building, with the object being used to perform some task or in combination, with the object being used in various ways (Watson, 2008). The use of actions in play and the development of the agent in p lay follow certain patterns depending on the age of the child, as does the theme of childrens symbolic play (Watson, 2008). The one thing that all symbolic play has in common, at whatever age or developmental stage the child is at, is that the child uses some representation of self in their play. At age four, for example, children will have progressed to fantasy play, but these fantasies will usually involve themselves in becoming their fantasy a fireman or a prince, for example (Garvey, 1990). This allows them to explore different roles and responsibilities. Symbolic play is, therefore, a natural phenomena, that children follow naturally, as part of their development through childhood. As Reed (2007) argues, symbolic play links all four areas of a childs development, namely cognitive, language, social/emotional and physical, and, as such, is a fundamental part of the development of children. Symbolic play allows the child to acquire knowledge and to express and represent their ideas, thoughts and feelings: as Vygotsky argues, in his sociocultural cognitive theory, symbolic play allows children to develop and to self-regulate and to work out any problems they might face (Reed, 2007). It is in this aspect, then, that the therapeutic value of symbolic play becomes clear. As children constantly experiment with their environment, their peers and the other agents they meet, and as the results of these experiments are constantly being fed back to lead to reinforce certain behaviours or to elicit different patterns of behaviours, the value of pl ay as therapy is clear. Children who are passing through a difficult moment and who need help to understand this, to contextualise these difficulties in the framework of their existing knowledge, can, through engaging in therapeutic play, manage this. Therapeutic play allows them to experiment with the various outcomes and to contextualise the problems they face, allowing them an opportunity to work through these problems/problematic situations, through this working out their difficulties and coming to understand how to deal with them. The use of symbolic play as therapy In terms of the use of symbolic play as therapy with children, as Bettelheim states, Play permits the child to resolve in symbolic form unresolved problems of the past and to cope directly or symbolically with present concerns. It is also his most significant tool for preparing himself for the future and its tasks (Schaefer, 1995). Using play as a tool to help children through a difficult stage in their lives is, therefore, grounded in theory and makes sense in light of the fact that children learn through play. The research shows, for example, that therapeutic play can be helpful in aiding children through hospital stays (William, 2007) or through surgery, with this therapeutic play being shown to reduce anxiety and increase overall well-being (Bowmer, 2002). As Moore and Russ (2006) discuss, pretend play can act as a resource for children, relating, as it does, to many areas of adaptive functioning including creativity, coping and emotional regulation. As Moore and Russ (2006) show , pretend play in hospital settings can reduce anxiety and, through this, can reduce the likelihood of complications following surgery and can allow children to adapt better to the complications of chronic illness. The therapeutic value of symbolic play In terms of the therapeutic value of symbolic play, as Axline (1964) discusses, therapeutic play can be delivered through one of two major approaches, namely via non-directive play therapy and via directive play therapy (Oaklander, 1988). According to Axline (1964), play therapy should be governed by eight principles, namely that the therapist and child must be comfortable with each other; that the therapist accepts the child as he/she is; that the child can freely express their feelings; that the therapist is alert to the feelings the child expresses; that the therapist respects the child and their ability to resolve their own problems; that the therapist does not attempt to influence the child; that the therapy is carried out in its own time; and that the only limitations placed on the play therapy are those that anchor the therapy in the real world (Axline, 1964). If the therapeutic play is provided within this framework, the benefits of the therapeutic play can be many and varied , as discussed above, with the troubled child benefitting greatly from this intervention. As Li and Lopez (2008) argue, therapeutic play can be valuable not only in helping children through a difficult stage in their lives but can be useful in helping to in prepare children for a stressful, or difficult, period that they might face. For example, children who are facing surgery or a chronic illness can be helped to come to terms with this through the use of therapeutic play. As Li and Lopez (2008) report, by reinforcing to nursing and medical staff that play is a very important part of the lives of young children, and be employing therapeutic play techniques, this can markedly improve the anxiety that these children experience and can allow these children to have a more positive outlook regarding their situation and the difficult things they will face, meaning that they are better equipped to face these situations. As Li and Lopez (2008) argue, therapeutic play can help to improve the resilience of children who face difficulties and, as such, it is an important tool to use in those children who need help to become more resilient. Children who have faced some form of trauma, for example, can be aided through the fallout of this trauma through engaging in therapeutic play. By allowing the child the space to act out what they saw, or what they have experienced, for example, the child can come to terms with this traumatic experience. This therapeutic play could take the form of using puppets, or drawing, or role playing: anything that allows the child to re-enact the event(s) and, through this, come to terms with what happened. The use of therapeutic play in explaining the loss of someone close to them is known to be particularly valuable, for example, as this can allow them to imagine the person is still here and to resolve any outstanding issues they had with them, or to slowly come to terms with the fact that they are no longer alive and no longer able to be physically present with the child. The simple act of playing can, therefore, allow the child to come to terms with many difficult emotions, allowing the c hild to slowly become more able to cope with the negative emotions that a traumatic event (such as witnessing a violent act or the unexpected death of a close family member), allowing them to deal with these negative emotions (Schaefer and OConnor, 1994). As Schaefer and OConnor (1994) argue, role playing in particular can help children to face the negative post-trauma reactions that children might face, with role-play allowing children to relive the trauma and to find various solutions to their negative experiences and emotions. Conclusion In summary, then, this essay has looked at the issue of symbolic play being therapeutic play for children. The essay has looked, in particular, at the theory of symbolic play, the use of symbolic play with children and the therapeutic value of symbolic play. In regards to the theory of symbolic play, it has been seen that various theories have been proposed to explain the importance of symbolic play in childrens development, with all of these theories agreeing that play is a fundamental part of childrens development and that this play allows them to contextualise their experiences and to understand how these experiences dictate how they should act and should behave in different situations. It is this attribute of symbolic play that lends itself to being useful in helping children come to terms with difficult events in their lives: as has been discussed, play allows children to explore different scenarios (even difficult scenarios), with this play enabling them to overcome any negative emotions or feelings they might have had towards these scenarios. A child who is facing a difficult surgery, for example, might be scared, might be worried for themselves and for their families, but engaging in role play with this child (for example) allows them the opportunity to explore different possibilities and to release some of their anxieties and concerns. This has been shown, as discussed, to reduce the anxiety these children feel and to enable the childs health and well-being to be maintained, even under difficult circumstances. Similarly, a child who has experienced trauma can be helped through their post-traumatic period by engaging in some form of therapeutic play. This would normally consist of helping the child to act out their fears and their experiences, allowing the child to get rid of all of their negative emotions and feelings with regards to the even, allowing the child to expel these from their psyche and then to carry on without carrying this burden along with them. In conclusion, then, the essay has shown that play is fundamental for children and that, given its experimental nature and its ability to contextualise events and interactions for children, play is, at its very essence, therapeutic. Using play with children who need therapeutic interventions, then, makes perfect sense to allow children to understand the negative events/emotions and to overcome their fears and anxieties regarding these negative events and emotions. Therapeutic play has been shown to be a useful intervention in many cases, including in hospitalized children and in children living with chronic illnesses, who can be helped through this difficult period by engaging in therapeutic play, which has been shown to reduce their anxiety levels. In conclusion, then, therapeutic play is an extension of the symbolic play that children engage in as a normal developmental process and can be useful in helping children through difficult periods in their life.

International business Policy

International business Policy INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS POLICY Question: Porters note that â€Å"firms, not individual nation , compete in international market†. How does this statement help to explain some of the major challenges facing MNEs? How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Answer: International business is a exchanging goods and services , conducted between individuals and businesses in multiple countries. Historically, international business activity first took the form of exporting and importing. Exporting is the selling of product ,goods or services supplied from ones own country for use in other countries . Importing is the buying of products ,goods or services made in other countries for use in ones own country. Exporting and importing activities are often divided into two groups. first, trade in goods ,that is, tangible product such as clothing, computers , and raw materials. Second, Trade in services, that is ,intangible products such as banking , travel and accounting activities http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/international-business.html International business activity can also take others forms . * Licensing * Franchising * Management contract * International business Licensing is a contractual arrangement In which a firm in one country licenses the use of its intellectual property for e.g. patents, trademark, brand name , copyrights or trade secrets to a firm in a second country in return for a royalty payment Franchising , a specialized form of licensing ,occurs when a firm in one country authorized a firm in a second country to utilize its operating system s as well as its brand name ,trademarks , and logos in return for a royalty payment. For example , McDonalds corporation franchise its fast food restaurant world wide . A Management contract is an arrangement wherein a firm is one country agrees to operate facilities or provide other management services to a firm in another countries for agreed upon fees. For example hotel industries. International business as any organization that engages in a cross-border commercial transaction with individuals ,private firms or public sector organization A firm is a commercial partnership of two or more person , especially, when unincorporated. Also the name or designation under which a company transacts business. Any business , sole proprietorship, partnership or a corporation The term multinational entrepreneurs is used to identify firms that have extensive involvement in international business. An another definition of multinational corporation is a firm that â€Å"engaged in foreign direct investment an owns and controls value-adding activities in more than one country† MNEs generally coordinate their activities from a central headquarters but may also allow their affiliates or subsidiaries in foreign markets considerable latitude in adjusting their operation to local circumstances. Some MNEs , such as accounting partnership and Lloyds of London, are not true corporation, Some writers distinguish between multinational corporations and multinational enterprises . Further , not for profit organization ,such as the IOC and the International red cross , are not true enterprises ,so the term multinational organization can be used when one wants to refer to both for not for profit-seeking organization. Because of the common use of multinational corpora tion in the business press, however , Multinational enterprises facing a major challenges , Some of them are as under: †¢ Economics and Currency conversion †¢ Legal systems or Types of system †¢ Culture †¢ Availability of resources †¢ Market withdrawal Government policy †¢ Political legal environment and Government Power In a domestic business strategy, a single country at a specified level of Economic development in a focus of the firms entrepreneurial efforts. The entire country is almost always organized as a single economic system and has the same currency. Creating a business for a multicounty are means dealing with differences in level of economic development, currency valuation government regulation and banking, venture capital and marketing system. One of the biggest problems entrepreneurs have is raising capital. The amount of private equity capital investment varies greatly by the area of the world, and the amount available is significantly less elsewhere than the united state. In addition, the countries may use different currencies, forcing at least one party to convert its currency for another. So MNEs face currency exchange problem. The legal systems may vary or even be in compatible. In different countries used there own system of business. Like many such barter system or third party ar rangement have been used to increase the amount of business activity of the former U.S.S.R. and Eastern and central European countries, as well as other countries in various stages of development and transition .The cultures may differ and the resources may vary. Culture is encompasses a wide variety of elements ,including a language, social situation, religions ,political philosophy, economic philosophy education, and manners and customs. The availability of resources ,For example, one country may be rich in natural resources, but poor in skilled labor. Also e.g. U K, U S A , AND CANADA are well developed in technologically than developing countries like Africa , India, Pakistan Still, the basic skills and knowledge needed to be successful are generally similar whether one is doing business domestically or internationally. Tax competition countries and sometimes sub national regions must compete against each other for the establishment of MNEs facilitates, and the subsequent Tax revenue- a tax is a financial charge upon an individual or legal entity by a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law, employment ,and economic activity. To compete, countries and regional political districts sometimes offer Incentives is a any financial or non-financial factor that motivate a particular course of work to MNEs such as tax breaks, pledges of government assistance or glowed infrastructure and labor standards enforcement. Foreign direct Investment Foreign direct investment made for the purpose of actively controlling property ,assets or companies located in host countries, such as factories, building, machinery, land and mines, grow up of foreign direct investment can be used as one of improvement of economic globalization. Map below show net inflow of foreign direct investment as a percentage of gros s domestic product. The big flows of foreign direct investment occurs between the industrialized countries like, western Europe and Japan, North America. But flow to non-industrialized countries are grows up sharply. Market withdrawal-government policy- Multinational enterprises having a significant impact on government policy because of its size, basically through the threat of market withdrawal, for example , in order to reduce healthcare costs, some countries have tried to force pharmaceutical companies to license their patented drugs to local competitors for a very low fee, so automatically lowering the price ,when faced with the threats multinational pharmaceutical firm have simply withdrawn from the market. Political-legal environment- the multiplicity of political and legal environments in the international market creates vastly different business problem, opening some market opportunities for entrepreneurs and eliminating others. for example , U S environmental standards have eliminated the possibility of entrepreneur establishing ventures to imports several models of Europeans cars. It also involves the price fluctuations and significant increases in oil and other energy products in the last few years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_corporation Determinants of nation competitive advantages Michael Porter tried to explain why a nation achieves international success in a particular industry and identified four attributes that promote or impede the creation of competitive advantage: Factor endowments Demand conditions Relating and supporting industries Firm strategy, structure, and rivalry Factor endowments refer to a nations position in factors of production necessary to compete in a given industry. A nations position in factors of production can lead to competitive advantage. These factors can be either basic (natural resources, climate, location) or advanced .(skilled labor, infrastructure, technological know-how) Demand conditions refer to the nature of home demand for the industrys product or service. The nature of home demand for the industrys product or service influences the development of capabilities. Sophisticated and demanding customers pressure firms to be competitive. Relating and supporting industries refer to the presence or absence of supplier industries and related industries that are internationally competitive. The presence supplier industries and related industries that are internationally competitive can spill over and contribute to other industries. Successful industries tend to be grouped in clusters in countries having world class manufacturers of semi-conductor processing equipment can lead to (and be a result of having) a competitive semi-conductor industry Firm strategy, structure, and rivalry refers to the conditions governing how companies are created, organized, and managed, and the nature of domestic rivalry The conditions in the nation governing how companies are created, organized, and managed, and the nature of domestic rivalry impacts firm competitiveness. Different management ideologies affect the development of national competitive advantage Vigorous domestic rivalry creates pressures to innovate, to improve quality, to reduce costs, and to invest in upgrading advanced features Government policy can: affect demand through product standards influence rivalry through regulation and antitrust laws impact the availability of highly educated workers and advanced transportation infrastructure. The four attributes, government policy, and chance work as a reinforcing system, complementing each other and in combination creating the conditions appropriate for competitive advantage

Greed :: essays research papers

For more than fifteen years psychologist Julian Edney has visited college campuses across the nation to study the effects of greed in a society where over $100 billion in new wealth accumulates each year. On each of his stays, he would play a game with randomly selected students where 10 metal nuts in a bowl represented ‘extra credit’. The students would then take the nuts for a single extra credit point. In this, he promised to double the amount of nuts left in the bowl every 10 seconds. Hypothetically, the game could last forever yielding limitless rewards as the students took turns taking a nut from the bowl. However Dr. Edney determined that 65 percent of the groups couldn’t get pass the first 10 second round, and the others could only make it a few more cycles until modest students turned into rambunctious maniacs scrounging for that last nut. Edney’s conclusion: Greed trumps trust. (U.S. News Magazine, 6/17/96 Special) â€Å"Small towns and neighborhoods in America used to be cohesive,† political scientist Bruce Frohnen pronounced in the May 1999 issue of Family Policy. â€Å"They did not seek openness to all ways of life. Nor did they seek economic betterment as the sole proper goal,† he added. â€Å"Faith and tradition were ruling forces in the lives of Americans, bidding them care for their families and neighbors and their souls, as much as their pocketbooks.† But as the material girls and boys grew, so did the need for greed. In a recent study by Roper Starch Worldwide, the values of teenagers moving into the new millennium have drastically changed from their parent’s visions. The percentage who said they wanted to earn â€Å"a lot of money† grew 25 points from the 38 percent in 1975. Those who said they needed a microwave oven as a necessity rose 19 points, and the percentage that believed life without an answering machine was incomprehensible grew more than 18 points. At the same time, teenagers who believed â€Å"developing a meaningful philosophy of life† dropped by 42 percent. However the rise of money’s power in student-age adults coincided with a reward system for the newly transpired talents. Repetitive tasks are being replaced by super technology while responsibilities requiring intelligence and skill are more emphasized. It is a â€Å"winner take all† society though, where the lopsided share of benefits go to very few players. The ostentation is not all coming from the upcoming generation though.

Althusser - A Critique :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites With the exception of Nietzsche, no other madman has contributed so much to human sanity as has Louis Althusser. He is mentioned twice in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as someone's teacher. There could be no greater lapse: for two important decades (the 60s and the 70s), Althusser was at the eye of all the important cultural storms. He fathered quite a few of them. This newly-found obscurity forces me to summarize his work before suggesting a few (minor) modifications to it. (1) Society consists of practices: economic, political and ideological. Althusser defines a practice as: "Any process of transformation of a determinate product, affected by a determinate human labour, using determinate means (of production)" The economic practice (the historically specific mode of production) transforms raw materials to finished products using human labour and other means of production, all organized within defined webs of inter-relations. The political practice does the same with social relations as the raw materials. Finally, ideology is the transformation of the way that a subject relates to his real life conditions of existence. This is a rejection of the mechanistic worldview (replete with bases and superstructures). It is a rejection of the Marxist theorization of ideology. It is a rejection of the Hegelian fascist "social totality". It is a dynamic, revealing, modern day model. In it, the very existence and reproduction of the social base (not merely its expression) is dependent upon the social superstructure. The superstructure is "relatively autonomous" and ideology has a central part in it - see entry about Marx and Engels and entry concerning Hegel. The economic structure is determinant but another structure could be dominant, depending on the historical conjuncture. Determination (now called over-determination - see Note) specifies the form of economic production upon which the dominant practice depends. Put otherwise: the economic is determinant not because the practices of the social formation (political and ideological) are the social formation's expressive epiphenomena - but because it determines WHICH of them is dominant. (2) People relate to the conditions of existence through the practice of ideology. Contradictions are smoothed over and (real) problems are offered false (though seemingly true) solutions. Thus, ideology has a realistic dimension - and a dimension of representations (myths, concepts, ideas, images). There is (harsh, conflicting) reality - and the way that we represent it both to ourselves and to others.

Contributions Of Community Pharmacies Health And Social Care Essay

In the United Kingdom, the parts of community pharmaceuticss to public wellness have non been clearly defined. As a effect they are non routinely integrated into the work of the wider public wellness household. Whilst it is ill-defined why this should be, it has been acknowledged that they have the potency of playing a important function in protecting and bettering population wellness, placing forms of disease and supplying wellness and societal surveillance information to public wellness organic structures ( Department of Health 2005a ; RPSGB 2003 ) . The function of the community pharmaceutics in public wellness remains to be to the full exploited, even though they have been progressively involved in wellness betterment activities such as services aimed at smoking surcease, sexual wellness and substance abuse services, etc, as laid out in the contractual model for community pharmaceuticss ( DOH 2005b ) . An of import country of public wellness where community pharmaceuticss have been least involved is in wellness protection, and they have the potencies of complementing present attempts in surveillance of infective diseases and supplying support to affected population during an eruption. In Wales, wellness protection is one of the cardinal duties of the Public Health Wales ( PHW ) Health Protection unit and the Catching Disease Surveillance Centre ( CDSC ) is the arm responsible for surveillance of infective diseases, support for outbreak probes and proviso of wellness intelligence and applied research ( NPHS Wales, 2007 ) . Soon, there are no enterprises or policies to officially prosecute the wellness protection unit of the Public Health Wales and community pharmaceuticss to work together on wellness protection whereby everyday intelligence and surveillance information are exchanged ( NPHS Wales, 2007 ) . These surveillances information could be in signifier of supervising tendencies of nonprescription ( OTC ) gross revenues informations ( e.g anti-diarrhoeal, anti-fungal, cold and cough redresss, etc. ) to observe eruptions, and routinely supplying community pharmaceuticss with eruptions and surveillance studies to enable them supply support to affected population. Policy Framework Analysis: In order to accomplish a successful policy alteration, a prospective policy analysis of the issue at manus ( Analysis for policy ) , which is iterative and dynamic will be undertaken ( Buse. 2005 ) . The diagram below high spots the different facets of the policy analysis and is explained in inside informations under the policy headings – content, context, histrions and procedure.Need for alteration ( Policy Content ) :There is a demand to germinate the functions of the wellness protection units and CDSC of PHW to include everyday communicating with community pharmaceuticss in order to better their effectivity in surveillance and sensing of infective diseases eruptions and protection of population wellness in Wales. This formal battle of community pharmaceuticss with the PHW Health Protection unit is of import as a consequence of increasing cognition and consciousness of its possible benefits. During the eruption of E. Coli O157 in South Wales in September 2005 which affected about 150 people ( with 1 decease recorded ) , the pharmaceutics squad of the so NPHS Wales noted anecdotal studies that community druggists had been consulted with respects to the sale of anti-diarrhoeal readyings ( Walker 2009 ) . Besides during the eruption of viral pinkeye in South Wales in August 2006, GPs and community pharmaceuticss were advised against the usage of ophthalmic Chloromycetin and there was grounds of public wellness protection by those pharmaceuticss that acted on the advice ( Hinchliffe and Walker 2008 ) . These are arrows to the fact that community pharmaceuticss can play a important function in public wellness protection.Policy Context ;Public or authorities policy has been described as a determination that a authorities decides or decides non to do ( Dye 2001 ) . In the current political context in Wales since degeneration in 1999, the WAG has adopted the â€Å" citizens â⠂¬Ëœ theoretical account † of wellness service bringing where the populace have rights and duties in both having wellness services, and guaranting handiness of the services to everyone ( Welsh Assembly Government 2004 ; Beecham Report 2006 ) . Therefore, the current policy environment in Wales can be said to be pluralist and the major contextual factors asking a demand for alteration at this point in clip are structural and endogenous in nature. These include the acknowledgment by the UK Department of Health ( 2005a ) that community pharmaceuticss are untapped resources in protecting public wellness and the committednesss of the Welsh Assembly Government in its One Wales a progressive docket for the authorities of Wales, which aims to protect the wellness of the population with one of its wellness precedences of beef uping public wellness services ( Welsh Assembly Government 2007 ) . Furthermore, improved electronic connectivity in community pharmaceuticss ( RPSGB, 2008 ) will let for easy and speedy transmittal and reception of informations and information for surveillance activities. Last, addition in the cognition that early sensing and control of infective diseases outbreaks in the population through an efficient surveillance system significantly reduces its load on the wellness of the population and saves costs of intervention and infirmary admittance, therefore bettering public assurance in the authorities.Policy Stakeholders ( Actors ) :This measure involves placing the policy histrions and understanding their place and involvements with regard to the issue of affecting community pharmaceuticss in PHW ‘s wellness protection ( Buse, 2005 ) . This is of import in order to accomplish alteration and guarantee its successful execution and sustainability. Welsh Assembly Government: Is a cardinal stakeholder in doing and implementing the policy by presenting the policy instrument in the signifier of an official statement and/or ordinance. The undermentioned histrions in the WAG include: The Department of Health and Social Services: oversees all wellness related maps in Wales including â€Å" reding the Welsh Assembly Government in puting policies and schemes for wellness and societal attention in Wales † ( Welsh Assembly Government, 2010a ) and is cardinal in decision-making with respects to O.K.ing the policy and presenting the policy instrument on behalf of the authorities. The Department of Public Health and Health Professions ( DPHHP ) : headed by the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, reports to the Department of Health and Social Services and has the aim of protecting the wellness of the peoples and being prepared for wellness exigencies ( WAG 2010b ) . Chief Health Professionals: including the main medical officer, main pharmaceutical advisor and others who provide expert cognition in public wellness and related specializer countries to the WAG and other external organic structures to protect and better public wellness. Public Health Wales ( PHW ) : In October 2009, the new NHS trust established by the WAG became operational, integrating the maps and services provided by the NPHS Wales, Wales Centre for Health ( WCfH ) , WCISU and the Screening Services Wales. PHW is to supply resources, advice and information to the WAG, and all Wales NHS Trusts, Local Health boards, etc, enabling them to transport out their statutory public Health maps ( Public Health Wales 2009 ) . Its Health protection unit has as one of its strategic ends to cut down the impact of infective diseases and exigencies in the population and delivers this through its Health Protection Teams and the Centre for Communicable Diseases Surveillance ( CCDS ) among others ( NPHS Wales, 2007 ) . The PHW is a cardinal histrion in accomplishing successful policy alterations since they will be straight involved in the execution of the policy. Public Health Consultants in Wales: including Advisers in Catching Diseases and Control would be portion of the policy alteration procedure in obtaining experts inputs in their assorted specialised Fieldss, and most particularly pharmaceutical public wellness advisers would be chief advocators and innovators of the policy alteration. Community Pharmacy Wales ( CPW ) : is the local pattern forum for Wales and is possibly the most important stakeholder as community pharmaceuticss are at the other terminal of the spectrum for execution and the policy alteration affects them straight and the manner they operate. CPW represents the involvements of the over 700 community pharmaceuticss in Wales and are recognized by the WAG as the negociating organic structure on behalf of pharmaceutics contractors, taking the function from the PSNC ‘s Welsh commission following degeneration ( CPW, [ no day of the month ] ) . Nation-wide Chain Pharmacy Stores: These are peculiarly of import stakeholders since their operations span across the different UK states and are likely to hold an integrated IT system for staff and information direction. Their positions are of import since they represent a big ball of community pharmaceuticss, for illustration in Wales of the 714 community pharmaceuticss, 91 are owned by Boots ( Walker 2009 ) . Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain ( RPSGB ) : is the regulative and professional organic structure for druggists and pharmaceutics technicians in the Britain with primary aims â€Å" to take, modulate, develop and stand for the profession of pharmaceutics † ( RPSGB, 2010a ) . Since more than half of the over 2300 druggists in Wales work in the community ( RPSGB, 2010b ) , the RPSGB is an of import histrion in stand foring their involvements and in guaranting that the policy is successfully made and implemented. The Welsh Centre for Pharmacy Professional Education ( WCPPE ) : is an operational unit of the Welsh School of pharmaceutics, Cardiff University and provides go oning professional development chances ( CPD ) for the pharmaceutics squad in Wales ( WCPPE, 2010 ) . The WCPPE is of import as a policy histrion in fashioning and supplying a CPD programme for community druggists in Wales as a portion of the policy execution procedure in guaranting its success and continuity/sustainability. Faculty of Public Health ( FPH ) : in the UK is the organic structure that sets criterions for public wellness specializers and purposes to advance promotions in public wellness cognition and keep the highest degree of professional criterions ( FPH, 2010 ) . The FPH is a major advocator for public wellness in the UK and hammering an effectual partnership with it in pursing this policy alteration is important for puting the policy on the docket and guaranting that it remains there up till its execution and rating. National Pharmacy Association ( NPA ) : is the trade association for community pharmaceuticss in the UK and aims to stand for, support and protect their involvements ( NPA, 2010 ) . The NPA is a potentially of import histrion in the policy procedure since their place can do or impair the execution of the policy. The Media: Is an first-class agencies of acquiring the issue on the docket and in puting the ball turn overing for treatments among different histrions ( Buse et al 2005 ) . The advocates of the policy alteration may use a sponsored intelligence docudrama particularly foregrounding past effects of eruptions ( including human deaths ) and ways in which the community pharmaceuticss could hold provided of import surveillance information to the PHW and the populace and intervened to supply support to affected population.Other Stakeholders will include:Welsh Medicines Resource Centre ( WeMeReC ) Local Health Boards in Wales Board of Community Health Council in Wales The Media The Welsh Office of Research and Development for Heath and Social Care ( WORD ) As a portion of the policy analysis model, after placing the political histrions, measuring their political powers and measuring their involvements, places and committednesss ( Buse et al, 2005 ) , an abridged stakeholder analysis and sum-up of their power distribution is shown in Table 1 below.Table 1: Stakeholder Analysis ( Varvasovszky and Brugha, ( 2000 ) :SupportAgainst ( Opposition )ImpersonalWelsh Assembly Government ( WAG ) Community Pharmacy Wales ( CPW ) Welsh Centre for Pharmacy Professional Education ( WCPPE ) Public Health Wales ( PHW ) National Pharmacy Association ( NPA ) Media Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain ( RPSGB ) RPSGB WeMeReC Faculty of Public Health ( FPH ) Nation-wide Pharmacy Stores, e.g. Boots Pharmacy Board of Community Health Council in Wales Advisers of Public Health in Wales Local Health Boards in Wales MediaPolicy ProcedureDespite the pluralist nature of the political system in Wales, Luke ‘s first dimension of power may non capture the full scope of relationships that exists, while his 2nd dimension of power may be utile in explicating the docket puting procedure ( Buse et al. 2005 ) since different policy histrions all have changing powers to protect their involvements. Policy alteration here would use the incrementalist attack which would affect â€Å" puddling through † the policy position quo which will include a new function for the Public Health Wales ( i.e. everyday communicating of surveillance information with community pharmaceuticss ) and community pharmaceuticss ( i.e. supplying OTC gross revenues informations to PHW ) . The four-staged ( additive ) policy procedure – docket scene, policy preparation, policy execution and policy rating, provides a utile heuristic device ( Stages Heuristics ) which is utile in explicating the policy procedure, even though it is a cyclical procedure in world ( Hogwood and Gunn 1984 ) . Agenda Setting: Introducing this policy alteration onto the WAG docket may non be achieved following the â€Å" politics-as-usual † attack where the WAG comes to find and acknowledge that there is a major issue to be addressed ( Buse et al. 2005 ) . The Hall ‘s theoretical account ( 1975 ) cited in Buse et Al ( 2005 ) will be of import in conveying the issue to the attending of the WAG since its legitimacy, feasibleness and support can be deemed as high and pursued by the histrions: Legitimacy ; Expanding the function of community pharmaceuticss to complement current attempts at public wellness protection and affecting them to supply support to affected population after an eruption is a legitimate end in footings of presenting the WAG aim of wellness protection. It is besides underpinned by several studies ( DOH 2005a, RPSGB 2003 ) recommending more engagement of community pharmaceuticss in wellness protection. Feasibility ; Achieving the policy alteration will supply a platform at maximising available resources for wellness protection as the policy alteration will non necessitate any major extra fiscal and human resources in footings of chance costs. It involves spread outing the duties of the PHW wellness protection squads to routinely pass oning with community pharmaceuticss in their local governments and analyzing informations obtained from them as portion of surveillance. It is extremely executable, maximizes finite human and fiscal resources of authorities. Support ; A possible challenge in the policy procedure is acquiring equal support particularly from community pharmaceuticss and their different organic structures. Since its non portion of the contractual model of community pharmaceuticss and no commercial wagess, community pharmaceuticss may look non concerted. However, this challenge can be addressed by equal protagonism and lobbying with the pharmaceutics groups ( CPW, NPA, RPSGB ) and guaranting that support is obtained. From the authorities position, support from the public wellness advisers and civil retainers ( curate, managers, etc. ) would be sought after by the pharmaceutical public wellness advisers and spouses recommending for the alteration. Public Health Consultants in Wales, in peculiar pharmaceutical public wellness advisers would be the title-holder of the policy alteration by first accepting the demand for alteration and propagating the message particularly through the media. Health Protection Unit of the PHW who are a portion of the policy implementers would be involved in this early phase to guarantee their support, while other parts of the PHW including the Public Health Strategic Management Group would be carried along. Community pharmaceuticss on the other manus may turn out hard ab initio, but strong protagonism and usage of political resources available particularly through the RPSGB would guarantee cooperation. Advocacy by druggists and advisers working within PHW to the RPSGB, CPW and NPA and the usage of informal meetings and formal unit of ammunition table treatments between these stakeholders will guarantee support. The support of the FPH would be required since it plays a important function in protagonism for public wellness policy alteration ( FPH, 2010 ) .Policy FormulationOnce the issue gets on the authorities docket, a series of complex activities takes topographic point within the policy web ( procedure and histrions ) , with the histrions exerting their political powers and resources to prosecute their involvements in the policy. The usage of public audience is a tool often used by the WAG ( Strategic Policy Unit ) in policy devising procedures, which would convey the policy web together to consider and supply proficient information on the policy. At this phase and based on dialogues, the concluding inside informations and accommodations of the policy alteration would be made before it is formulated. Policy preparation takes topographic point by passage of the policy through an appropriate policy instrument which in this instance may be done through the issue of an official policy statement/circular by the Minister of Health and Social Services. This policy so flows down the hierarchy of the civil service and NHS to the PHW which so implements it. Community pharmacies either through the CPW, RPSGB and/or NPA will besides publish policy statements to all its members to move as appropriate with the PHW. Further reappraisals and treatments at a ulterior clip during and after ratings have been carried out may so take to farther dialogue and determination on whether or non to include the policy in the community pharmaceutics contractual model.Policy ExecutionExecution is the most of import facet of the policy procedure since it is where alteration is expected to happen. Using the â€Å" Bottom-Up † attack would affect the implementers ; in this instance the PHW Health Protection Unit and community pharmaceuticss ( CPW ) , to interact in the political procedure of execution ( Buse, 2005 ) . Conflicts are bound to originate during execution but it is of import in placing challenges and supplying feedbacks for rating and for alteration of attack. The â€Å" Top-down † attack to policy execution would be used to sketch the administrative and managerial facets including sketching ends and schemes, and delegating quantitative marks to guarantee that the policy bringing can be monitored and evaluated to place countries for betterment. Execution of the policy may merely bring forth a fringy incremental alteration which is easy to supervise and requires really small human and fiscal resources. Successful execution is an iterative procedure which and requires regular inputs and active engagement of the members of the policy web. This can be achieved through a regular stakeholders ‘ forum for treatments, suggestions and ratings. One other of import facet of the execution is to include wellness protection as a Continuing Professional Development ( CPD ) programme for community pharmaceuticss. This facet would affect the RPSGB and WCPPE, guaranting sustainability of the alteration and can be achieved through active protagonism.Policy EvaluationEvaluation in a policy procedure is iterative and may be done at any phase of the policy procedure in order to measure the degrees of advancement that has been made. Formative rating of the policy will be carried out during the policy docket scene, preparation and execution phases to modify and develop the concluding policy in order to suit the positions of differing powerful histrions. Summational ratings on the other manus would be focussed to mensurate the degree of impacts of early sensing of infective diseases outbreak achieved by the policy alteration over a period of clip ( Buse et al, 2005 ) . Evaluation of the policy may include the usage of epidemiological surveies such as ecological and instance control surveies to measure the effectivity of observing eruptions of infective diseases as a consequence of affecting community pharmaceuticss in surveillance in comparing with other countries of the UK. It involves the aggregation and usage of qualitative and quantitative informations to measure the effectivity of the policy alteration. The usage of the Donabedian ‘s Structure-Process-Outcome Model to gestate the policy rating is described in table 2 below.Donabedian Framework for Policy EvaluationStructure/Input:Administrative/Managerial ComponentsNumber of PHW Health Protection Teams and Community Pharmacies involvedUse of IT resourcesResultEarly sensing of eruptions by community pharmaceuticss taking to reduced load of infective diseases Reduced burden/morbidity of infective diseases in the populationProcess/Activities:Routine ( Weekly or Monthly ) communicating and exchange of wellness protection studies and infection diseases surveillance informations Actions taken by community pharmaceuticss to back up affected population Whether or non Continuing Professional Development ( CPD ) on wellness protection has been introduced to community pharmaceuticssEnd productSum of eruptions detected through usage of community pharmaceuticss surveillance informations Sum of outbreak instances handled by community pharmaceuticss ( referrals and actions taken ) Number of community pharmaceuticss taking the CPD on wellness protectionDrumhead

Final Exam Guide Essay

Question 1: How would you define successful leadership? What standard do you apply when evaluating leadership success? Is it possible to predict success based on organizational cultures or other factors? Provide examples to support your answer. Solution: Successful leadership is the ability to channel and coordinate the energy of the group to attain the desired goals of the business. It is the capacity to motivate and inspire followers to go beyond the distance of their perceived limitations, to rise to the challenges of the task at hand, and to seek out innovative and novel solutions. In a word, success leadership is empowering. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, â€Å"A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.† A successful leadership can be evaluated by the following standards: a) Example – A successful leader leads by example, which is the key to authentic leadership. This is demonstrated by working hard, making difficult decisions, taking risks, and personal sacrifices. b) Integrity – There are no shortcuts to success. A successful leader is honest, dependable and uncompromising on his or her work and business ethics. c) Solid goals – A successful leader has solid goals and direction, which are communicated to the team. The leader makes the team identify and take ownership of the business’s goals in order to motivate them to achieve these goals. d) Knowledge – A leader is equipped with knowledge and skills necessary for the enterprise. The leader leverages the team’s best chance of success by knowing and understanding the obstacles, competition and risks present in an endeavor. e) Autonomous – A successful leader provides for autonomy by empowering the members to think, innovate and own the solution to a problem. f) High Expectations – A successful leader expects a high level of excellence from the team. Expectations create results; people want to proud of their work. However, high expectation does not mean perfection. Rather, it is learning through experience and errors, and being accountable for one’s mistakes. g) Humility – A successful leader knows the value of  teamwork and gives credit where it is due. Leadership is not about personalities; it is about directing the group’s efforts toward the completion of an endeavor. h) Execution – A successful leader has the discipline to get things done. He or she can bridge the gap between theory and actual execution of a plan. Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy is an Indian businessman and co-founder of Infosys, which was founded in 1981. Mr. Murthy served as CEO of Infosys from 1982 to 2002, and as chairman from 2002 to 2011. He stepped down from the board in 2011, and became Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Murthy embodies the ideals of a successful leadership. He is a top leader, an institution builder, and an IT legend. He empowered his executives, management team and workers. He encouraged and nurtured leadership qualities in the organization through mentoring and training. He institutionalized ethical values of honesty and integrity throughout the organization. Question 2: What methods exist to develop leaders in an organization? What methods does your organization use? Why? Have any methods been counterproductive? In what ways? Solution: There are various approaches to leadership development in an organization that will be briefly describes as follows: 1) Formal Development Programs – In its basic format, a formal program consists of a classroom seminar covering basic theories and principles of leadership. It can be in the form of a tailored development program fitted to serve the needs of the specific organization. It can also be open-enrollment programs offered by private and academic institutions. 2) 3600 Feedback – This is also known as a multi-source feedback, and a multi-rater feedback. This method involves systematically collecting assessments of a person’s performance from different sources, which typically consists of supervisors, peers, subordinates, customers, and other stakeholders. 3) Executive Coaching – This method is defined as a practical, goal-oriented form of personal and one-on-one learning. Coaching is usually used to improve individual performance, enhance a career, o r work through organizational issues. 4) Job Assignments – This method works under the assumption that experience is the best teacher. This method trains would-be leaders in an organization by giving them a variety of job assignments that will expose them to different work environments; hence, it allows them to adapt, and become better  strategic thinkers. 5) Mentoring – Mentoring programs typically pair a senior and a junior manager, but pairing can also occur between peers. Mentoring involves advising and passing on lessons learned from the senior to the junior partner. 6) Networking – Some organizations include development activities designed to foster broader individual networks for better connection with partners in a global community. Leaders are expected to know not only the in and out of the organization, but also know who in terms of problem-solving resources. 7) Reflection – Introspection and reflection can foster self-understanding and understanding from lessons learned from exper ience. In leadership development, reflection can be used to uncover a person’s hidden goals, talents, and values, as well as their impact on a person’s work. 8) Action Learning – This is a project-based learning method characterized by a continuous process of learning and reflection, aided by colleagues, and with an emphasis on getting things done. This method connects individual development to the process of helping organizations respond to major business problems. 9) Outdoor Challenges – This is a team-building experience in an outdoor or wilderness setting, designed to overcome risk-taking fears, and to promote teamwork and leadership skills. Our organization uses formal programs to develop leaders. Recognizing that a classroom-based learning, while easy and flexible, is limited in the actual transfer of competencies, the formal program serves as a shell under which various development methods are incorporated. Hence, the formal program is structured by combining theoretical learning and problem-based learning. Then, a 360-degree feedback is given to each participant, which serves as a basis for an in-depth reflection. For most people, the 360-degree feedback is difficult to handle for several reasons. The primary reason is an inherent resistance to change. Another reason is the overwhelming amount of data, which can be complex, inconsistent, and difficult to interpret and translate into an action or behavior that can correct a given problem. Mere knowledge and acceptance of one’s developmental needs are not enough to bring about change. There is a need for follow-up guidance and support. That is why participants are also given short-term coaching to identify specific areas of concern and how to resolve these concerns. Question 3: In The Art and Science of Leadership, Nahavandi writes about the dark side of power. Provide an example. What organizational factors contributed to the leader’s behavior? What were consequences of the behavior? Solution: Nahavandi cites corruption as the dark side of power. An example of a scandal that shocked the corporate world was the case of the German engineering giant Siemens in 2006. A regulatory investigation revealed that hundreds of employees, spearheaded by Siemens’ top executives, had been siphoning millions of Euros into bogus deals to pay massive bribes to government officials and business contacts to win contracts in Russia and Nigeria. A trial judge described the scandal as a blatant disregard of business ethics and a systematic practice of organized irresponsibility that was implicitly condoned by management. The scandal resulted to the departure of Siemens top executives, including then CEO Klaus Kleinfield, who was later convicted of corruption, placed on probation for 2 years, and fined 160,000 Euro for his complicity. Hans-Werner Hartmann, who was the accounting head in the company’s telecommunications arm, was also placed on probation for 18 months and fined 40,000 Euro. The scandal cost Siemens around 2.5 billion Euro to pay for fines, reparations and damages. The firm was also barred from dealings with certain clients. The cost to Siemens’ employees, who had to endure intense public scrutiny and shame, is difficult to quantify. Organizational factors that contributed to a culture of bribery within Siemens were identified as follows: an aggressive growth strategy that compelled managers to resort to bribes in order to meet performance targets; a complex and matrix-like organizational structure that allowed divisions to operate independently, with no established checks and balances; poor accounting processes; a corporate culture openly tolerant of bribes. It should be noted that bribes were tax-deductible, and were the norms, not the exceptions, in German business practice at that time. Question 4: What obstacles exist for leaders involved in participatory management? What methods may a leader employ to overcome these obstacles? Solution: Participative management, also known as employee involvement and empowerment, encourages the participation of all the organization’s stakeholders in the analysis of problems, development of strategies, and implementation of solutions. While participative management seems like a utopian ideal, leaders face many obstacles in its effective implementation. One obstacle is encouraging the participation of employees in the managerial process of planning and making decisions. Employees may not fully participate due to lack of competencies, lack of confidence, and fear of rejection. Another reason is the employee’s lack of trust that his or her contributions will be valued. The presence of tension and rivalry among employees are also barriers to effective communication, and ability to work together. Leaders can address these issues by being sincere in their desire to implement participative management. Leaders should strengthen communication within the workplace, and initiate team-building activities to strengthen bonds between peers, and between employees and management. Training programs should also be initiated to develop employees’ competencies, leadership skills and self-confidence. Once employees are fully committed to engage in participative management, other obstacles arise, which includes the amplification of the complexity of the organization’s activities and the growing volume of information that managerial decisions are based on. These can lead to difficulty in getting things done, and slow response time to issues that need fast reactions and actions. Leaders cannot solve these obstacles alone; these require the concerted effort of the entire organization. However, leaders can take the lead in delegating responsibilities to reduce the hierarchic levels in the organization, and to decentralized authority so that the organization can respond to issues quickly and efficiently. Leaders can also establish quality circles, which are composed of around 8 to 10 employees along with the supervisor who share areas of responsibility among themselves. These circles can meet regularly to discuss problems in their respective areas and  brainstorm for solutions, which they can later present to the entire organization as a fully developed action plan. In this way, the complexity of participative management is simplified. Another obstacle to participative management concerns security issues. It is harder to ensure confidential information stays within the organization when more people are involved in managerial decisions. This confidential information can include patents, and product research and development. Leaders can address this obstacle by motivating employees to be accountable for their actions and to stay committed to the company by valuing their contributions. Question 5: What are some reasons employees and managers resist change? As a leader, what methods would you use to help employees and managers adapt to change? Solution: Adaptability to change is a prerequisite to become successful in the modern world characterized by increasing global awareness and fast turnover of technology. Organizations must respond to change and be willing to change to retain their competitive edge and relevance. However, implementing organizational changes are daunting for leaders, not least because most employees and managers resist change. The common reasons why employees resist change are the following: change promotes fear, insecurity and uncertainty, difference in perception and lack of understanding, reaction against the way change is presented, cynicism and lack of trust, and threats to vested interest. In order to overcome resistance to change, leaders can involve workers in the change process by openly communicating about the need for change, providing consultation to alleviate employees’ fears, and being sensitive to employees’ concerns. In order to implement change, leaders must decide on the method they will use to overcome resistance to change, and modify behavior. The three-step approach is an example of such a method; it is characterized by three basic stages: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. 1) Unfreezing: Most people prefer to maintain the status quo, which is  associated with stability, rather than confronting the need for change. The starting stage, therefore, of a change process must involve unfreezing old behaviors, processes, and structures. This stage develops an awareness of the need for change, and the forces that supports and resists change. Awareness is facilitated with one-on-one discussions, presentations to groups, memos, reports, company newsletter, seminars, and demonstrations. These activities are designed to educate employees about the deficiencies of the current set-up and the benefits of the replacement. 2) Changing: This stage focuses on learning new behaviors, and implementing the change. Change is facilitated when employees become uncomfortable with the identified deficiencies of the old system, and are presented with new behaviors, role models, and support structures. 3) Refreezing: This stage focuses on reinforcing new behaviors, usually done by positive results, public recognition, and rewards.

Kite Runner Essay Essay

Do you know that Afghanis play a game where they fight with kites? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini describes kite fights between local Afghani kids, regardless of their social status. The main characters in this story that come from a higher socioeconomic level are Baba, a lawyer from the Pashtun tribe, and his son Amir. The main characters in this story that come from the lower socioeconomic level are Ali, a servant from the Hazara tribe, and his son Hassan who are servants to Baba and his family. The Kite Runner explores how different classes of people worked together to run things in Afghanistan. In the Kite Runner discrimination in Afghanistan is demonstrated by the relationship between the Pashutns and Hazaras. The Hazaras were often demeaned and persecuted (www. Sparknotes. com). Baba, however, taught his family to be kind to the Hazaras. Baba learned this from his father, who was a highly regarded judge in Kabul (Hosseini 24). The story describes a day when the grandfather sentenced two young Pashtun men into the military for killing almost an entire Hazaran family. The grandfather was very dismayed that the five year old boy who survived the incident would be left an orphan. Amir remembered â€Å"As for the orphan, my grandfather adopted him into his own household, and told the other servants to tutor him, but to be kind to him† (Hosseini 24-25). The young survivor was named Ali. Quite a few years later, Baba took in Ali’s son Hassan to be a servant for his son Amir. While Baba’s house was a fair and kind place to live there was still a social barrier (www. Sparknotes. com). For example even though Baba called Ali his â€Å"family†, Ali still lived in a hut and slept on the floor (www. shmoop. com). Although Hassan was believed to be Ali’s son he was actually Baba’s out of wedlock son (Hosseini 224-225). Baba and Ali never told Amir or Hassan that they were brothers because it was shameful that Baba had a relationship with Hassan’s mother, who was in a lower socioeconomic level. Baba would never be respected again if that ever got out. Later on in Hassan’s life, he had difficulty with becoming anything but a servant. Hassan had a very strong identity as a servant, and because of this he had no sense of entitlement when he grew up. Hassan took care of Baba’s house, even after Baba left (Hosseini 218). In a scene in the book Hassan tries to protect Baba’s old house from Taliban invasion, and gets killed (Hosseini 219). Through his dying day Hassan never felt a sense of entitlement and continued to serve Baba as his owner rather than as his father. At the time of Hassan’s death he was no longer Baba’s servant. The Taliban, warriors taking over tribesman under the guise of uniting their country, made Afghanistan a very dangerous place. The Taliban were very discriminating and typically tortured, beat, and executed people of a lower socioeconomic level. During childhood, Assef bullied Hassan and Amir. Assef came from a higher socioeconomic class than Hassan. Assef is now presented in the book as a Taliban militant. The Taliban banned music in Afghanistan (Hosseini 280). Hassan’s son, Sohrab, was forced to dance to music by Assef. The Taliban continued to flex its muscles to get other people to conform to their rules. Amir thought â€Å"I guessed music wasn’t sinful as long as it played to Taliban ears’† (Hosseini 280). Amir was very critical about the Taliban and stupidly admitted to Assef â€Å"I had read about the Hazara massacre in Mazar-i-Sharif in the papers† (Hosseini 277). Amir’s point was that the Taliban killed the Hazaras anywhere they could find them even though they didn’t do anything wrong. Clearly the Taliban did not value the lives of the Hazaras (www. Sparknotes. com). Assef was one of the cruelest of all the Taliban. He told Amir this â€Å"Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage† (Hosseini 284). Taliban influence in Afghanistan heightened discrimination and did not unite the country. The Kite Runner clearly demonstrated how different classes of people who are able to live peacefully together although keeping within the bound of their social class. The Taliban did not tolerate people from the lower socioeconomic classes and without conscious killed and destroyed their lives. Hassan and Amir, technically brother, grew up together but were never treated as equals (Hosseini 25). However they were able to coexist without hating each other (Hosseini 25). Amir never truly considered himself as a friend to Hassan (Hosseini 25). Hassan always considered himself a servant to Baba even at his death, in chapter 16. In my opinion the Afghan culture before the Taliban was one of working together and living peacefully but after the Taliban invaded the culture changed by forcing discrimination among the socioeconomic classes. Works Cited Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print. â€Å"The Kite Runner Chapter 4 Summary. † Shmoop. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"The Kite Runner. † SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n. d. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. .