Leading Change by John P. Kotter

Introduction Leading Change is a book written by John Paul Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor and one of the leading scholars in the field of leadership and change, precisely, he talks about how best businesses can implement change. The book consists of 187 pages arranged into 15 chapters, these chapters are placed into three categories: Part I, Part II, and Part III. Each chapter handles a different stage towards implementing change. Leading Change was first published in the United States in1996 by the Harvard Business School Press.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading Change by John P. Kotter specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I chose Leading Change since the book is an international bestseller written by one of the best authors in business management. Having read one of Kotter’s books: The Heart of Change (2002), I was amazed by the depth of knowledge he possesses in how best to manage busine sses towards change. Leading Change was a way of extending my understanding of the same subject. If the book’s title is a hint into the book’s contents, I expect to find useful information in managing and implementing change in an organization. With the ever-increasing need for businesses to effect change in order to remain relevant, I expect the author to give a methodical procedure for implementing change, and, in his trademark style, to provide numerous case studies of how businesses have succeeded by implementing change. Book Summary Kotter begins by informing us of the importance of change in every aspect of life, he mentions globalization as a major force pushing firms towards implementing change (Kotter, p. 10). He takes the long-established differentiation of management against leadership. From this comparison, we learn why Kotter chose Leading Change as his title rather than something like Managing Change for it takes leadership rather than merely management t o steer firms through times of great change. Kotter puts forward 8 steps that are vital to effect change in any firm as outlined below: Establishing a sense of urgency In Chapter 3, Kotter discusses the first stage of effecting change and states that this stage requires a great deal of teamwork, a well-laid out plan, and a readiness to make sacrifices for others. The author posits that a high level of satisfaction and a low level of urgency are the two greatest barriers to effecting change. He further states that a number of firms face satisfaction despite having a highly intelligent and positive-thinking staff. Kotter provides nine strategies of overcoming satisfaction and emphasizes that an effective leader is required to turn these strategies into reality.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Creating the Guiding Coalition Chapter 4 begins with an outline of the second sta ge of effecting change. Kotter states that in order to actuate change in any firm, strong guidelines are required. These include the right team of persons, high level of trust, and common vision are vital to the success of this process. Besides, a single leader cannot implement change by himself, it is his duty to pull together a strong team to assist him during the program. Kotter presents four stages needed to create an effective team and states that the most significant features to the success of the team are trust, a shared objective, and sincerity. Develop a vision and strategy Kotter mentions that there are three ways to persuade people into altering their behavior to bring the desired change in an organization, these methods are authoritarian, micromanagement, and vision. Vision clarifies the need for change and is a core element to all great leadership. He mentions the features of a viable vision and provides a method of implementing the vision successfully. Communicate the change vision Kottler stresses the importance of communication on the road towards change. Communication is key to the success of any change strategy adopted for it creates understanding among the team members implementing the change. He writes that important information must be passed over repeatedly in different ways. Most importantly, people’s daily communication requirements have to reflect the fresh way of thinking, he quotes Mahatma Gandhi that leaders must â€Å"be the change they wish to see† (Kotter, pp. 89). Empower employees for broad-based action This appears in chapter 8 and mainly dwells on the concept of staff empowerment. Kotter mentions eliminating obstacles that will impede the change efforts. Top-level management can get rid of these barriers by ensuring that the present framework does not hinder the vision of change. By aligning the present organizational framework with vision, the change process can be more successful. Kotter also mentions the impo rtance of workforce education relating to empowerment: education empowers the employees and increases the likelihood of success of the change program. Generate short-term wins The sixth stage in the implementation of change, which appears in chapter 9, calls on the generation of immediate successes to demonstrate the importance of change to the firm and to cheer on the team implementing change.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading Change by John P. Kotter specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kotter says that these short-term wins increase the chances of completing the change process, however, they are only helpful if they are noticeable to many, the terms are straight, and the success is closely associated with the change process. A success generated to satisfy the requirements creates joy, belief, and drive. So how can this be done? Kotter states that the solution to achieving success is planning instead of dep ending on prayers, he differentiates between â€Å"gimmick wins† and tangible short-term successes (Kotter, pp. 191). Kotter states that even though short-term gimmicks can be helpful for a while, bosses must not harm the firm’s future by effecting short-term victories. In summary, short-term wins should not be given prominence to long-term change visions. Consolidate gains and produce more change In the seventh stage, Kotter outlines five phases to achieving victory in change programs. The first step is to initiate intricate and tough changes in the firm, then seek for more assistance to make sure the program succeeds. Thirdly, the senior managers must carry on providing a strong emphasis on the reason for the change program, next, decentralization of the programs is vital for it allows management to focus on the reason for the change program and increases their chances of success. The final step is to get rid of unnecessary credits or satisfaction. Anchor new approac hes in the culture The final step begins in chapter 10 and mainly deals with the dangers of failing to implement change programs, Kotter offers a formula for implementing change. Failing to adopt change programs can lead to a total failure in a company, and the key to a permanent change in an organization not only relies on changing vision or mission statements or even the instruction manuals, but in changing the company customs. Critical thinking Leading Change continues to be an accepted book on the methods of steering an organization towards change. Kotter offers numerous ideas and instructions for the leader to remember, and he presents these ideas in easy-to-understand stages. While there are no references to these ideas, much of what he presents corresponds to modern studies and theories in leadership and organizational behavior. Kotter also does an impressive job by giving us a distinction between leaders and managers, and the understanding that ICT has permanently changed so ciety by accelerating change, hence the urgent need for managers to learn how to lead their organizations towards change.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Clearly, this book is meant for senior managers trying to effect change in large organizations, however, I also found some information that can be applied in smaller firms. Leading Change is a must-read for business executives, especially in the 21st century where every aspect of the corporate world is continually undergoing change. The book has its downside too. It lacks detail, supporting data and research studies to compliment the ideas presented. Kotter talks about large tectonic changes in the marketplace, but does not include supporting evidence. Some of the recommendations that he presents are difficult to understand too, for example, he mentions that allowing a financial loss will help validate the urgency for change, this idea might herald the downfall of a stable business or organization. He also mentions that non-managerial employees have been trained to not be accountable, a statement many will dismiss as fallacy. The book appears to be a compilation of essays on managin g change in organizations rather that a complete book on leading change. Kotter discusses numerous examples of change programs that failed with less mention of practical strategies and positive examples. My concern while reading the book was that due to the lack of details and supporting evidence, it may be used by a mean or unethical manager to defend oppressive demands that may eventually damage an organization. Recommendation I would recommend the book to any manager trying to lead the firm through change as it gives a simplified procedure of going about this process. The author presents the change program in simple packets of ideas with stages, steps and error lists that are easy to remember. The eight stages of change put forward offer timely and valuable information by a man who has a 25-year experience working with corporations to create long-term changes. Conclusion I learnt a couple of ideas that could change my life immensely, especially in the corporate world. I saw the n eed to distinguish between management and leadership, and that management alone cannot run an organization effectively, rather, leadership is the most important trait a manager should possess. I also learnt of the importance of adopting change programs not only in the corporate world, but also in non-business environments. The world around us is undergoing constant change, and unless we adopt ourselves to it, we may find ourselves out of place, similar to a business that fails to implement change programs and finds itself unable to compete effectively with other firms on a number of platforms. Finally, I learnt the importance of sacrifice in the road to achieving a common goal. Works Cited Kotter, John Paul. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. This report on Leading Change by John P. Kotter was written and submitted by user Carmelo Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Why The North Won The Civil War Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Why The North Won The Civil War Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Why The North Won The Civil War The Confederate South, which is known for its deep military history, proved to be no competition for an industrially sound and hastily growing north in this Civil War. The North that was industrially strong and armed to the teeth found much of their victories quite easily obtainable. Strategy, moral, leadership, and economy are just a few factors that contributed to the Union?s dominance over the confederate succeeded states. The Union won the civil war by economic fortitude and industrial dominance not just by the power of their military. The Civil War was over before it began. "There was probably never any chance of the South winning without European recognition and military aid" (Zebrowski 222). The union showed its advantages from the beginning. In population the North had an advantage of almost five to two. This advantage appears even greater if the slaves (which were more than one-third of the Southern people) are counted as somewhat less than the same number of freemen (Current 21). Raw materials were mostly congregated in the North. Much of the railroads were traced across the northern habitants: twice as much track and a better system of integrated lines (Brinkley 383). The South fell short with these advantages and just could not keep up. The strategies of these two feuding regions widely varied. Grand strategy was involved in the southern approach to the war. This was the fact that the confederacy didn?t have to win in order to win; it was enough if she held the field long enough to weary the North with the war. The North in order to win, had to conquer the South (Commager 15). The North completed the with help from Lincoln?s Union policy. Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union and he would let nothing get in his way of doing this. Acts of force and violence to support secession were insurrectionary, he said, and the government would "hold, occupy, and possess" federal property in the seceded states (Brinkley 382). Over 2 million men served in the Union military forces during the Civil War. In 1861 at the beginning of the war the union army consisted of 16,000 troops. Lincoln called for the increase in 23,000 soldiers in the regular army, but the bulk of the fighting, he knew, would have to be done by th! e state militias (Brinkley 385). The South had a whole different approach to the War. It did not follow the North?s offensive motion, the South took more of a defensive approach. Edwin C. Bearss feels, "If the South were to win, it had to win a short war by striking swiftly-in modern parlance, by an offensive blitzkrieg strategy (Zebrowski 225). Behind the Confederate President Davis? command the Confederacy sat in a defensive stance, waiting for a northern attack. The main goal of the Confederacy was to protect its homeland. President Davis made one crucial mistake, he failed to create an effective central command system. After General Robert E. Lee left Davis?s side to command forces on the battle field; President Davis for the next two years planned war strategy alone (Brinkley 397). The leadership of these two different regions was very diverse. Lincoln who had almost no military experience except one brief service in a state militia , was on a whole a very successful military commander. He realized that numbers and resources were on his side, also he knew how to exploit the North?s military advantages (Brinkley 396). In 1864, Lincoln made Ulysses S. Grant general in chief of all the Union armies. Grant was not a strategic or tactical general; he simply believed in using the North?s great advantage in troops and material resources to overwhelm the South. He was not afraid to absorb massive casualties as long as he was inflicting similar or greater casualties on his opponents. Confederacy?s President Davis, who unlike Lincoln was a trained professional solider. Davis was not as impressive of a leader as Lincoln. He could not overcome the substantial disadvantages that faced the South and lead his Confederate states to victory. Psychological feelings differed greatly through the United States at this time. Many southerners knew it was certain death if

Organizational change is inevitable but how change is implemented Essay

Organizational change is inevitable but how change is implemented depends upon the organizational culture - Essay Example This suggests that barriers to change could occur from different sources. Managers are the change agents that shape the conditions for change (Saka, 2003). However, they too have to deal with the external environment which includes the organizational culture, the employees, and the top management. In addition, their skill and knowledge to cope with the change process is also critical for the success of the change management process. Despite the importance given to managing change, the change management process at most organizations is a difficult task. Thus, this paper evaluates the change dilemmas and decisions during mergers and the factors that influence change. It also evaluates the role of motivation in implementing change. Change has always been associated with resistance. Resistance can occur when the purpose of change has not been communicated in an appropriate manner. Lack of effective communication can lead to resistance because it disturbs the equilibrium of the workforce that is used to set patterns (Hoang, 2007). Additionally, the change agent may lack the skills, competencies and the ability to manage the change process. They may also fail to recognize that adjustment to a new environment takes time (Kee & Newcomer, 2008). This would make them push the employees toward change which can lead to frustration. Apart from resistance, employees may demonstrate a demoralized attitude and indifference to work. Gollan (2006) clarifies that management of people is more important than the combined effect of strategy, product quality, service, technology or even investments in research and development. If the staff is not taken into confidence they feel demoralized and they could give vent to their emotions of distrust, shock and anger. According to Schramm (2007) the change management program should be initiated much before the change process so that the transition and change is smooth. AT&T appears to have adopted the right change management strategy as the y linked their HR strategy to the strategic goals of the organization. AT&T merged two its business units in 1992 and the outcome was the new Global Business Communications Systems (GBCS). When AT&T merged two business units they faced dilemmas as they encountered several problems in the change process. Human resource effort is necessary to recast policies and programs into tools for linking the new business principles to daily life. The organization recognized that reorganization of the HR function was essential to support the strategic linkage. The change manager at AT&T was asked to examine every aspect of people dimension which emphasized the need to engage the workforce and create an environment that would support their people as the only sustainable, competitive advantage (Plevel, Lane, Nellis & Schuler, 1993). This conforms to Alimo-Metcalfe and Alban-Metcalfe (2005) who contend that transformational leaders must be able to articulate a strong vision and purpose to the follow ers. Transformational leaders must take on teaching role whenever necessary and this is precisely what the leadership at AT&T organized. The supervisors were asked to work as partners of the employees. The change management process was initiated much in advance. The employees were taken into confidence and the purpose of change was adequately communicated. To counter the apprehensions of the employees, AT&T initiated extensive communication at the beginning of their change process (Christen, 2005). An

The Criticism against New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Criticism against New York City - Essay Example These include hygiene and health issues, overcrowding, crime, poverty, ethnic conflict, and abysmal housing conditions, particularly in the tenements. A study of the criticisms about the city and the grounds on which it is based is very illuminating. The problem of cleanliness has plagued New York City throughout its history and its association with filth remains to this day. Steinbeck said "New York is an ugly city, a dirty city".1 At one time, it was so dirty, pigs made the city their home and roamed the streets freely. Charles Dickens in his American Notes (1842), 2 gives a humorous account of the "gentlemen hogs" as the city's self - appointed scavengers and contributors of filth and disease. In addition to the disgraceful lack of cleanliness, the city did not have an adequate garbage disposal or sewer system. Therefore the city was susceptible to the attack of infectious diseases. New York has found itself in the grip of epidemic disease more often than it would care to remember. In the words of Lankevich, "Yellow fever visited the city five times between 1795 and 1822, and in 1832, a new strain of cholera swept into New York. Cholera reappeared in 1834, 1849, and 1855, typhoid fever ravaged the immigrants in 1837, and typhus erupted in 1842".3 Frances Trollope in her Domestic Manners of the Americans remarked on the queer practice New Yorkers had of fleeing the city in particular seasons in order to escape the dreaded plague. Over the years as the situation became increasingly serious and disease continued to ravage the city and its populace, public officials and the citizens themselves did everything they could to improve living conditions. Consequently there was considerable improvement in cleanliness levels and killer diseases were kept at bay. It is the general opinion that New York has failed to resolve its hygiene issues to this very day. Most critics insist that the city has not risen to the challenge of sanitation. They point to the slums which remain cesspools of dirt and disease, as evidence to support their claim. Moreover the city continues to wrestle with health issues, particularly the problem of communicable diseases. While diseases like cholera and typhoid have been effectively controlled thanks to the intervention of modern medical science, more threatening diseases like Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have emerged to plague the populace. At one time it was considered to be hardly a cause for alarm as it was believed to be restricted exclusively to the homosexual community. Statistics however tell a different story of the rapid spread of AIDS in epidemic proportions. Greenfield and Reid state, "New York City ranks number one in the country when it comes to its rate of AIDS cases per population - and has more cases than the four runner - up cities combined".4 Truly a shocking state of affairs! From hordes of swine to deadly viruses the city continues to struggle with hygiene and disease. In the face of things, hygiene and disease seem miniscule issues when compared to the problems that have stemmed from the city's rapidly increasing population. New York City has thrown open its gates to immigrants of various ethnic backgrounds. Russians, Germans, Irish, Jews and Asians have thronged to its shores

Writing assignment of auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing assignment of auditing - Essay Example In my opinion, I think it is appropriate that the cash balances are confirmed under the U.S. Auditing standards. This is mainly because cash amounts are the most liquid part of the business and can easily be stolen from the firm or misrepresented (Kieso 77). Moreover, it could be termed as a control measure to ensure that no cash is lost between the time of recoding and auditing. It may also be trick especially because businesses are in operations whereby the cash balance is expected to vary with business activities. The procedure for cash balances auditing may be a bit different as compared to other forms of audits yet so closely related. The first step is to identify the main purpose of the cash audit; which in this case is to ensure that the balances indicated in the cashbook correspond to the cash balances. This is to ensure than no cash is lost between the time of recording on the balance sheet and the time of auditing the records. The second step is taking into consideration the relevant developments for the cash account. Such developments could be as a result of sales or expenditure among other things. Finally the audit process is conducted to ensure that the balance is consistent. Finally, bank reconciliation may or may not be made. The cash account is one that is under constant risks. To start with, being the most liquid asset, cash can easily be stolen from the company by either the workers or the management. Moreover, it is more likely to be misrepresented due to the fact that it is constantly changing. When controlling cash related risks, caution is taken to avoid confusion with the bank account. More often than not, some transactions are conducted using both accounts and often recorded as one. Additionally, proper planning must be taken into consideration to avoid any risks that might occur in the process (Kieso 77). These risks can be classified into the fraud triangle which has

The American Corrections System Criminology Essay

The American Corrections System Criminology Essay In the organizational structure of the American Correctional System, the Department of justice has the overall mandate of overseeing the operations of the whole system. The next in rank is the governor who supervises the correctional facilitys activities. Four directors supervise legislative affairs, quality assurance, public communications, information, and the medical docket. From the directors is the support administration that oversees matters regarding community development, field operations, correctional facilities administration and operations support administration. Under these administrators, there are officers who deal with parole, operations, research and the planning of human resources. These officers also deal with issues regarding money, security, health care and the general welfare of inmates. Correctional management has a wide range of issues and implementations in Americas criminal justice system. The initial and principal part of correctional management involves issues concerning the safety and security of offenders and its staff. In General, the management within these institutions has to declare what it deems to be safe versus what is not. Formulation of rules and policies occurs every other time an ugly incident occurs, immediately changing existing policies. Correctional administration may put into operation policies that may make the survival of inmates to be almost unbearable. Another element of correctional administration is health care, which at times can be very controversial and pose many compilations. Within a prison setting, officers have the responsibility of ensuring that all offenders receive proper medical attention. Some prisons around the country have their own medical facilities as others get charged fees to take their prisoners to a hospital. One of the most important concerns of correctional administration is rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is a broad subject that faces rehabilitating habitual offenders, drug users as well as other offenders with mental issues. Correctional institutions in collaboration operate these rehabilitation programs with the professional assistance of doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and other additional medical staff. Everyday, different issues arise within the correctional system, but it is how and where the correctional administration either implements new programs, makes changes to correct controversial issue s or plans to do that matters. Correctional units operate independently with their own administration, budget, committees, assets and support staff. Education and work programs are the two most widely used prison-based forms of correctional programs in American prisons for both adult and juvenile offenders (Ira J. Silverman, 1996). These programs include academic education, vocational counseling, vocational training, substance abuse counseling, organized recreation, mental health counseling, positive peer culture and sex offender treatment. Undoubtedly, the dominance of these treatment programs reveal the steadfast belief that work and educational skills-and the good behavior learned in attaining these skills-are essential to get employment opportunities and also being an industrious citizen. These programs do have a reserved impact in the reduction of post release recidivism according to research carried out Inmates also have access to other forms of education like life-skills training. Prisons maintain these educational programs in the belief that upon release to society, many offenders may not have the sort of basic understanding that is essential to functioning in the American society. Thus, these courses teach diverse skills on how to manage ones finances and property, how to apply and interview for a job, good parenting, securing a drivers license and how to live healthy lives. As a final move in preparing inmates for employment after release from correctional facilities, several prisons offer vocational education. Besides these educational programs that attempt to equip inmates with the necessary skills to live productively in society, other correctional facilities institute counseling/psychological programs aimed at changing the underlying problems that led to the offenders criminality. The most common interventions under this system are drug abuse programs, since according to the records, as many as half of all incarcerated criminals enter prison having at least done drugs a few months prior to their arrest. About half of the prison inmates in both state and federal prisons confess to being on drugs at the time of their crime, for which they were consequently jailed (Maguire, Pastore, Greenfield, 2005). Other institutions have some programs called therapeutic communities-in which they house drug-addicted inmates in separate housing units-referred to as Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, which provides drug treatment to such inmates in the separate units. While in other facilities, inmat es participate in individual or group counseling sessions, but happen to live in the general offender population. Correctional facilities normally provide individual and group counseling, aimed at luring inmates into forfeiting their criminal lifestyle. Cognitive-behavioral treatment modality, a technique of growing appeal is widely used due to its growing support for its successes (David Lester, 2009). Despite coming in different forms, these treatment plans target the criminal attitudes and unlawful ways of thinking which encourage unlawful behavior. This intervention involves counselors acting as role models in an effort to reinforce inmates who portray such conduct. Juveniles get privileges for conforming to set standards. Counselors mainly focus on the aspect of offenders thinking and reasoning by challenging rationalizations encouraging criminal conduct, offenders antisocial behavior, failure to face the mistakes they have committed and trying to externalize blame (D.A. Andrews, 2007). Other groups of inmates who get special services in prison are sex and mentally ill offenders. Commonly, sex offenders receive counseling services at both the individual and group levels. Other special services for sex offenders are diagnostic centers and use of therapeutic communities. While for the mentally ill offenders most receive therapy and counseling while in prison, some are on a prescribed medication, whereas others receive treatment in mental institutions. Another form of correctional programs in these prisons is religious volunteer groups and prison chaplains whose main role is providing counseling to inmates. This type of counseling often goes beyond religious matters and to other issues in the offenders lives. There are various types of faith-based programs found within almost every correctional institution. These support and religious programs involve prayer and meditation sessions, Bible study, worship services and peer mentors (Cullen, 2001). As a common practice, management of inmates is through unit management and direct supervision. These methods create a more secure and safer environment for the staff and inmates, by offering proactive monitoring and built-in surveillance. Unit management divides a correctional facility into smaller and easily manageable housing units. Responsibility and authority is decentralized, which provides the staff with an opportunity to solve directly problems. Correctional officers follow the Corrections Corporation of America philosophy of walking and talking, which involves the officers spending time with and among the inmates, rather than distantly monitoring them or occasionally watching their housing units listening to their needs and making a follow up on inmates concerns so as to quell incidents and disputes before they arise. Through unit management, the facilitys staff becomes aware of collective and individual inmate behavior owing to the direct contact and interaction with the in mates. The officers get to identify behavioral changes among the inmates long before they negatively affect the facilitys security. Use of unit management enables officers to get first-hand insight on inmate activities, ensuring effective monitoring of inmates. Alongside unit management, correctional facilities also use direct supervision to manage inmates with correctional officers housed within the inmate housing units. This enables them to become familiar with a units inmates and their daily operations, communication styles they use and other relevant issues regarding inmates housed there. These officers set and reinforce expectations for inmate behavior and instantly address arising issues at the forefront level. This direct interaction between inmates and officers promotes communication, reduces tension and suppresses possible conflicts between the two groups. Direct supervision Fosters staff collaboration, as unit managers, correctional officers, correctional counselors and case managers handle everyday matters concerning safety and security, inmate cases and sanitation, which helps in streamlining operations in the facilities. When used together, direct supervision and unit management offer important opportunities to create a safer, more secure inmate environment, enhancing facility operations and in providing employees with expanded operational tasks. Inmates and staff interact on a more dependable basis, which enhances effective communication between the two groups. The modern private prison business emerged when the Corrections Corporation of America got a contract to take over a facility in Tennessee. This was the first time that any government had outsourced the complete operation of a prison to a private operator. As of today, private companies in the United States run 264 correctional centres, housing almost 100,000 adult criminals. Prison privatization has several advantages, which have led to the immense growth of private prisons. Private prisons as compared to state prisons are more responsible and accountable due to fear of fines. According to a research conducted on the cost/benefit analysis, results indicated that states could save a considerable amount of cash if they used a shared system of both publicly and privately managed prisons. By using the private sector to manage or build prisons, many states believe they can reduce operational costs. Cost comparisons between government and private operation of prisons shows notable cost savings under private administration. While the average cost to hold a prisoner in a state prison is about $40 a day per inmate, many private prisons charge the government considerably lower fees for the same. By contracting out prison labor and paying the prisoners competitive wages, many private firms are reducing prison costs for the state by withholding income earned for taxes, victims compensation and family support. Such employment also provides prisoners with skills and work experience that prepares them for the job market when released from incarceration (Tewksbury, 2006). Various states consider private construction of prisons as a promising solution to the overcrowding crisis in state prisons. Normally, states finance construction of prisons by issuing general obligation bonds or through cash appropriations. The former creates problems, as it requires voters ratification and control by debt limits, while the latter completely lays the financial load of constructing on the states annual budget. The only alternative is private financing through lease agreements or lease purchasing contracts. This option does not require voter approval neither does it place the costs involved on the annual budget. Under a lease/purchase contract, private firms agree to build a prison only if the state signs a long-term lease for the prison. Prompt payments of rent by the government assist the private companies to fund the construction. When the state fully settles the payment, the debt and finance charges, it takes over control of the facility. The private firms benefit from tax waivers and cash inflow from the lease payments. The state benefits from the quick construction, as debt limit limitations do not apply and voter support is not a requirement (Tewksbury, 2006). Privatization of prisons ensures that only those service providers who offer quality products at a competitive market price will survive the operations of a free market. This aspect of privatization argues that a free market introduces efficiency and discipline through the mechanisms of demand and supply. As more criticisms towards prison privatization become evident, it is obvious that rehabilitation of prisoners is not a concern of the influential, since prisoners in private prisons act as cheap labour. The individuals who own private prisons not only make huge returns from the funds provided by the government to run these prisons, but also make great profits from selling the labour provided by their prisoners. Under the disguise of saving taxpayers money, the trend of privatising prisons has gained momentum, whereas the drawbacks of private prisons are hushed-up. Privatization of prisons is one of the countless ways in which the rich exploit people without their utter knowledge, for their own hidden motives by the public. Private prisons have brought about a huge political and sociological change that most people ignore. Living conditions in the prisons have deteriorated and it is evident that abuse of human rights is becoming rather rampant in these prisons as rising abortion rates, rape, use of psychotropic drugs and failing health care systems become known. It is obviously certain that it is in the interests of private prisons to operate for stricter legislation, so that prisoners stay incarcerated for as long as possible. In addition, it is in their interest that the number of prisoners continues to increase significantly, since the more prisoners there are within these prisons, the more profits they earn. Conversely, health care personnel are losing jobs in privately owned prisons, as the number of health care workers engaged by private prisons is considerably low. The influential individuals take advantage of the over populated state operated prisons to make profits from the privately run prisons. The health care facilities in private prisons are extremely bad, a situation which has led to a dramatic increase in the death rate of prisoners. In a number of private prisons, only basic first aid facilities and over the counter drugs are available to prisoners. Owing to the lack of proper medical attention, countless prisoners have resulted to committing suicide. It is the duty of the state to make sure that there is adequate health care offered to prisoners. In fact, the state pays private prisons for basic healthcare cost to cater for every prisoner. However, this money used by the private prisons owners for their own interests. Actually, the disadvantages of prison privatization outwe igh the advantages by far.

Brand Identity Planning of Starbucks Coffee Chain Essay examples -- Bu

Brand Identity Planning of Starbucks Coffee Chain The starbucks brand has been credited with changing the way Americans drink coffee, the way they perceive it & how much they are willing to pay for it. It has been a dream run for starbucks coffee once its brand identity became well known, understood & liked. But the process of building a successful brand is slow, tedious, resource consuming & risky. I have in the following report outlined the starbucks branding strategy on the basis of the brand identity model. Phase I : Phase one entails a complete brand analysis. Analyzing a brand means that it must be assessed in terms of its strengths, weakness the possible opportunities & associated risks. A Brand cannot form an identity without knowing if the resources will support it or if the competitor can easily replicate it or if the customer doesn't feel emotionally connected to it. Thus the three parts or perspectives within which brand must be analyzed are a) The self-analysis - This indicates understanding the internal strengths & weaknesses of the product, the company. Only after carefully assessing the resources available can the brand strategy be planned. Also the product features must justify the core identity that is being considered for the product. Nike could position itself as the worlds best shoe for athletes because its engineering & design boasted of that kind of excellence. Branding & advertising will work well only if the product itself support the image. Starbucks Internal analysis - The Starbucks coffee corporation is a Seattle, Washington based coffee company. It roasts & sells whole bean coffees & coffee drinks through an international chain of retail outlets/ restaurants. The concept... ... revolutionize coffee drinking form a mundane experience to one that is similar to wine tasting and drinking. For this the position of coffee in the minds of the consumer had to be elevated to a higher level. This was sone through education of the consumers about various coffee blends & their properties and the art of roasting and even the art of drinking the coffee. The coffee stores became social destination where people could meet and relax, since they were sleek yet comfortable. The brand was positioned as a premium brand meant for a rich consumer ready to pay upwards of $2 for a cup of coffee. Coffee bars also provided a "politically correct" alternative to traditional bars & baby boomers were joining the "black turtleneck" crowd in the numerous cafes sprouting up allover America. Starbucks is now recognized as one of the best coffee houses in the world

Philosophical outlooks and polemics between herbert marcuse

INTRODUCTIONThe middle of XX century marked new era in the western philosophy: shaping of modern mass culture, aftersounds of the second World War, growing opposition between socialistic and capitalistic regimes caused emergence of a so-called â€Å"second crisis† in a western social philosophy. The brightest representatives of that time philosophical paradigm were German American philosopher Herbert Marcuse, an offspring of a well-known â€Å"Frankfurt school† and native American philosopher Norman Oliver Brown.They represented two different approaches in social philosophy. Being a witness of German people’s struggles during Nazi regime Marcuse formed his outlook as a leftist philosopher and sociologist becoming a partisan of a â€Å"Freudian-Marxist† philosophy. Pessimistic perspectives of Norman Brown on the contrary determined his â€Å"apocalyptical mystical† outlooks. These philosophical approaches of two brightest scientists of the last centu ry need to be compared and contrasted.MAIN DISCUSSIONDuring the 1960s the philosophical debates between H. Marcuse and N. Brown concerning interpretation of Freudian ideas made a serious impact on the development of social philosophy. As J. Chytry (Chytry, 1989) believes, Norman Brown's and Herbert Marcuse's interpretations of Freud â€Å"seemed to point to meaningful, and opposed, orientations for the New Left [a new paradigm in social sciences during middle XX century]. During this period of time Freud, as many scientists believe, appeared as the successor to a ‘superannuated’, but not yet surpassed, Marxist project (Zaretsky, 2002). This discussion of Freudian ideas also influenced interpretations of aesthetics, culture and politics.In the middle of XX century both Marcuse and Brown developed own vision of Freudian ideas in a general philosophical and cultural context Two books of two philosophers written in the 1950's are captivating explorations of Freud's outlook s and the implications of psychoanalytical ideas of sexuality on human freedom. Herbert Marcuse’s â€Å"Eros and Civilization†, published first focused on the role of sexuality in forming of modern civilization and humans.The second is â€Å"Life Against Death† by Norman O. Brown who developed Freudian idea of suppression and applied it to the general civilization’s context. Generalizing the main ideas of two examinations it’s necessary to mention that both authors focused on remedial therapeutic strategies able to cure diseased society of XX century infected by revolutionary ideas, aggression, intolerance etc. Orthodox psychoanalysis as both Brown and Marcuse believed suggests society a principle of reality and ethics of survival. The logics of this survival they, however, see in different manners. In a word, they stood on different psychological positions according to which society exists.The polemics between Marcuse and Brown wasn’t liter ally a virtual one. Being close friends they often criticized philosophical outlooks of one another afterwards. Nevertheless that both philosophers were troubled with the same idea to help pinched society the visions of such help were different. Marcuse believed in the primacy of progress and technique that is to replace out of time relationships between people. Brown on the contrary believed in palliative imaginative escape from the problems. With this one should define the main doctrines of two philosophers: Marcuse stood on the ideas of rationality while Brown, in his turn, looked for imaginative escape from the reality.Norman Brown believed that repressed sexuality of people appears the primary reason for their aggression. To avoid aggressiveness of people Brown suggests his idea of â€Å"polymorphous perversity† believing that each person and every part of the body are to be used in all-round sexual play (Myers, 2004). Brown fully supports Freud’s idea of unconsci ousness and develops it quite logically. He believed that psychoanalytical mechanism of suppression serves negative function for people provoking their intolerance and aggression. Instead, Brown voted for transformation of subliminal ideas to rational ones.As far as Eros is the primary subliminal drive of people Brown suggests to â€Å"construct an erotic sense of reality† that means to realize people’s implicit sexual desires. A primary goal of society, observing Brown is to establish chaos or anarchy where all people are free from anger and realize their sexual ambitions. Marcuse, however, believed that freedom could be achieved through transformation of technology writing that: â€Å"Freedom indeed depends largely on technical progress, on the advancement of science†.To achieve this freedom Marcuse votes for the necessity of technological changes in accordance with the new sensible demands of the life instincts. â€Å"Then, according to Marcuse, one could sp eak of a technology of liberation, product of a scientific imagination free to project and design the forms of a human universe without exploitation and toil† (Marcuse, 1966, p. 19).The Freudian Marxist Herbert Marcuse also inspired by Freudian symbolism believed in its crucial role in social and political contexts. He believed that revolutions, anger, freedom etc. are nothing more than symbolic ideas, objectives and events that have their roots in repressed people’s sexual energy. Nevertheless, on the contrast to Brown Marcuse saw final goal of the society in establishing of Marxist society where all people will finally be socially equal.These ideas are closely interrelated with further Marcuse’s ideas of â€Å"One-dimensional men†. Marcuse, along with Marxists blames free market and private property for all man's economic and social ills. He believes that these ills can be cured only by the abolition of private property. Brown in his turn believed that h armony means love and devotedness being, hence, more close in his ideas to Christian and Buddhist theologies.While Brown called for establishment of a new chaotic society Marcuse developed own vision of changes. He called for the alteration of the very fundamentals of society that would be modified by the elimination of class society.Suggesting himself more rational approach to Freudian interpretation Marcuse believed that Brown’s ideas completely contrast with practice: he   recognized Brown's mad monism to be powerless to bring about political and social improvement. Marcuse did not believe it possible to replace technology with some sort of mystical unity of man and nature. He, besides, considered that Freudian ideas fail in helping of people’s adjustment to society. With this Marcuse was closer to Freud himself who was also pessimistic about achieving long-term benefits for society in general through psychoanalysis.Brown, in his turn, was looking for different ps ychoanalytically based solutions for people’s harmony. He believed that to reduce man to â€Å"nothingness† (a chaos) is to find a best â€Å"solution† to society’s and people’s deepest problem, i.e. social existence. Brown believed that to achieve long-lasting social harmony people are to forget of their superiority over other creature that, according to Freud, leads to serious mental neuroses. According to Brown, when the idea of power and domination first emerged it appeared a reason for all problems. Marcuse, in his turn also supported this idea of people’s drive to the power as a strong reason for social problems and aggressions between people and nations.Marcuse, voting for rationality in society’s development strongly objected Brown’s belief in schizophrenia as a normal state of a person. He considered the idea that schizophrenia should be in any sense a model for normal human behavior to be ludicrous. Contrasting Brownà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ideas of social escapism Marcuse believed that people could achieve social progress and harmony through reality and clear definition of existing problems. Escape from the reality, observing Marcuse, is not a solution at all; instead, it will lead to furthermore social and political problems.Critically speaking, Brown’s ideas don’t look so Utopian. Voting for living without repressions Brown shows society a possible solution to achieve harmonic development. This solution lies in self-denial and abnegation of people necessary to make them more tolerable and loyal to the others. Marcuse instead believed that self-denial is not a solution at all.The only working remedy that could cure ill society and make it indeed multi-dimensional (where all people will finally achieve their individuality and will not identify themselves with the state) is revolution. The only force that could make this revolution is lumpen proletarians. Illustrating these philosophic ideas in a more free manner one could say that Brown anticipated Hippy’s movement with their motto â€Å"All you need is love† while Marcuse on the contrary was a partisan of â€Å"International† and â€Å"Marseillaise†.Marcuse criticized Brown’s ideas of self-expression saying that there’s no sense to to try to turn the assembly line into a scene of self-expression, or to broadcast propaganda for culture and free thought. To achieve final self-expression of people it’s necessary, observing Marcuse, to change technological rationality itself, make it more â€Å"people-centered† and friendly.Critically observing Freudian ideas of â€Å"Id†, â€Å"Ego† and â€Å"Superego† Marcuse came to the conclusion that the only way to conciliate people and nations is to conciliate people’s rationality and irrationality. When rationality contrasts Eros, Marcuse believed, people establish the culture that is adverse to human nature and represses people permanently. A perfect illustrations of the struggle between rationality and repressed Eros, according to Marcuse are World Wars that were the results of people’s aggression.Being a partisan of technological progress Marcuse at the same time appealed to the aesthetic experience as a new locus of technological values. With this, he believed, people could finally become close with the nature and achieve peace, freedom, and fulfillment into the construction of technological rationality.CONCLUSIONSIn the middle of XX century philosophy focused on reinterpretation of Freudian psychoanalytical ideas. Herbert Marcuse and Norman Brown each developed personal vision of the issue. Reconsidering Freud’s ideas of unconsciousness and focusing in the problem of repression they, nevertheless, pointed out different solutions necessary to make society more harmonic and free. While Marcuse concentrated on technological breakthrough in accordance with peopleâ €™s deep demands, Brown believed in complete abolishment of technology and called for anarchy in people’s relationships.REFERENCES Brown, Norman O. (1985) Life Against Death. Middleton. CN: Weslayan University Press. Second Edition. 1985.Chytry, Josef (1989). The Aesthetic State: A Quest in Modern German Thought Berkeley: University of California Press.Marcuse, Herbert. (1966). Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud. Beacon Press.Myers, Ellen (2004). Forerunner of New Age Madness: A Critique of Norman O. Brown On-line article retrieved July, 23 from http://www.creationism.org/csshs/v13n1p07.htmZaretsky, Eli. (2003) â€Å"Norman O. Brown, 1913-2003† Radical Philosophy, Issue 118.

A world of intoxification essays

A world of intoxification essays Screams pierced the midnight air and students ran wildly about the campus. Police cars whizzed by with their sirens blaring in the night. Glass was being broken and girls were being defiled. Confusion was all around and no one could stop it. This is an average night at any given university in America. The similarities between a horror story and a story about a college party are too many. At an average college party where alcohol is being served there is the possibility of fights, rape, death, destruction, and jail time. The common opinion in America is that all of these things are bad. So why do college students continue to engage in these activities? There are three reasons. First, if students have not been exposed to alcohol or drugs previously, when they get into that kind of environment, they will experiment. Secondly, if everyone else who is important, i.e. fraternities and sororities, does it, then to be important, you must drink. Finally, without parent instilling morals and good judgment into their children, the students do not think that it is wrong to participate in these activities. All in all, the biggest problem on college campuses is the consumption of alcohol and drugs. If a person was never exposed to the heat of a flame their whole life, and then was thrown into a family barbeque, where they asked this person to cook, how well would they do? They would probably put too much lighter fluid in the grill. Or, they would light the grill while looking at it to see what it did. Or, they would light the grill and then put their hand on it to see what it felt like. All of these things would cause extreme pain to the person who did this. But, would it be their fault? Would it be their fault that they didnt know how combustible lighter fluid was? It wouldnt be their fault if they put t ...

Life in Dadaab 2 Essay

Life in Dadaab 2 Essay Life in Dadaab 2 Essay Running Head: LIFE IN DADAAB Life in Dadaab: A comparison of the ways different media outlets treat the world’s largest refugee camp Life in Dadaab: A comparison of the ways different media outlets treat the world’s largest refugee camp Introduction: Through the conscious use of journalistic techniques, global media coverage presents a range of distinct – and often conflicting – perspectives on global issues. This is clearly evidenced through media coverage of the Dadaab refugee camp; in particular through contrasting perspectives surrounding: 1. The conditions faced within the camp 2. The responsibility of the Kenyan government to host Somli refugees 3. The perceived permanence of Dadaab In addressing these contentious issues, national, regional and global media take very different stances. This is revealed through a close analysis of five media articles: the British Broadcasting Corporation (Gitani, 2011); Reuters (Ali, 2012); United Nations News Centre (UN, 2012); allAfrica (Smith, 2012); Kenya Broadcasting Centre – KBC – (KNA, 2012).1 The facts of Dadaab in these five depictions remain constant; rather it is the choice of facts to include, and the techniques employed by journalists which lead to five very different narratives concerning the world’s largest refugee camp. Issue 1: The conditions faced within the camp Whilst the BBC (Gitani, 2011) and UN (UN, 2012) articles emphasize the positive physical conditions of life in the refugee camp, the Reuters (Ali, 2012) opinion piece tells a very different story through its depiction of the â€Å"pitiful conditions† of Dadaab. The BBC’s (Gitani, 2011) choice to interview a â€Å"bride-to-be,† an â€Å"aspiring journalist† and a â€Å"tireless doctor† immediately sets the scene for the success story that the BBC article aspires to convey. A string of positive emotive words such as – â€Å"happier†, â€Å"hope†, â€Å"peace†, â€Å"tranquilly†, and â€Å"positive† – create an optimistic tone which permeates the entire article. The story of the camp’s forthcoming marriage creates a particularly positive impression of Dadaab life which is enforced by the articles visual element: a colourful photograph of the bride smiling widely with her nice. The BBC also note the improvement of educational facilities, as a school is upgraded from classes held â€Å"under trees† to a â€Å"huge tent to shelter children.† The UN article (Un, 2012) closely follows this approach, with an account that enphasizes sucessful decisions of the UN as part of a broad strategy to â€Å"improve the camp’s conditions.† The web layout of the UN News Center plays an important role in increasing relaiability, as the official seal of the UN and absence of advertisements gives credence to the legitimacy of the site. In stark contrast to the optimistic treatment of Dadaab by the BBC and UN, Reuters (Ali, 2012) emphasises what they describe as the â€Å"pitiful conditions† of the camp. The article is carefully structured, with an opening sentence intended to shock the audience into an emotional response: â€Å"Nadifo Farah is traumatised by the death of her baby as she fled Somalia, but she has no time to grieve as she battles to keep her five other children alive in the world’s biggest refugee complex† Notably, the BBC and Reuters rely on similar techniques in the creation of seemingly polar opposite worlds. While each article relies on the personal testimony of refugees, - in the case of the BBC (Gitani, 2011) this personalisation is deepened through an audio link to the actual interviews – the individuals they chose to interview proves crucial to how these sources seek to frame the conditions of the camp. Issue 2: The responsibility of the Kenyan government to host Somali refugees While global media outlets, such as Reuters (Ali, 2012), emphasise Kenya’s international responsibility to protect vulnerable refugees, regional and national news sources such as allAfrica News (Smith, 2012) and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) (KNA, 2012)

Nike case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Tesla in Turkey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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