Monday, August 24, 2020

Media Policy Essay

1.1 Paradigms of correspondences strategy Fourie J P (2008:18) characterizes standards of interchanges strategy as accord among approach producers most definitely on which they will base their creating of an arrangement. There are three most well known standards of correspondences approach which began from the most developed social orders of North America and Western Europe. These ideal models can be embraced to clarify the approach and advancement of correspondences strategy in nations, for example, South Africa. 1.1.1 Emerging interchanges industry arrangement Interchanges arrangement during this time (pre 1940s) was overwhelmed by media communications strategy with accentuation on correspondence advances that were new around then in cutting edge social orders of the Western world. Such advancements included telecommunication, phone and remote telecom. In South Africa, developing interchanges ventures, for example, these were considered as open utilities that couldn't be left in the hands of private correspondence players. This view, along these lines guided the definition and usage of most correspondence strategies prompting state imposing business model in media transmission enterprises. Anyway there is a contention that in South Africa such imposing business model was viewed as a device of colonization as arrangement definition was guided by limiting the majority and digging in the colonisers’ belief system. The Postal Act(1958) and The Broadcasting Act are ideal instances of rising interchanges industry strategy in South Africa. 1.1.2 Public help media arrangement After the Second World War in 1945,most governments changed their correspondences strategy center from a nationalistic and monetary viewpoint to a socio-political accentuation. Autonomy, majority rule government and assorted variety were presented as correspondences approach determinants. Anyway this was not the situation in most African nations which were still heavily influenced by their colonizers. South Africa was the same. All the more so during the hour of Apartheid . Media arrangement in South Africa during this period, was formed by the political and not by social issues of the time. A model is that of the development of the SABC during the 1960s and 1970s when a great deal of radio broadcasts broadcasting in various dialects were built up. In any case, open media strategy which decided article approach of open media during this time, was viewed as transforming a similar open media into the mouth bit of the Nationalist Party (NP).Therefore, one can contend that the open media arrangement in South Africa during the time of politically-sanctioned racial segregation was not about social or law based turn of events yet was tied in with assisting the thoughts of the NP government. Erasmus F (2004) summarizes this view by saying, â€Å" another advancement in the second 50% of the 1970s was the presentation of TV in South Africa after the administration had forestalled this for various years. This medium was additionally viewed as constrained by government, accordingly advancing the NP’s political ideology.† 1.1.3 New media arrangement In this worldview, the most recent of the three, there is a quick move from the old accentuation on political and social points of view being the determinants of media strategy. The third component of monetary rivalry is presently a main consideration in media strategy detailing in the 21st century. Privatization, advancement and request have changed the perspectives on open media strategy. In South Africa, new media approach is to a great extent answerable for the progressions that have happened in the media communications and broadcasting businesses since the nation achieved freedom. Telkom’s imposing business model was finished by the adjustments in guidelines that permitted new fixed line administrators like Neotel to enter the market. The equivalent has happened to the SABC.The imposing business model that the national supporter delighted in for quite a while finished when arrangement changes opened up space for new telecasters like M-net and E-TV. New media approach is driven for the most part by request and financial improvement instead of by flexibly and imposing business models. 1.2 Freedom of the media Vote based system, the opportunity of articulation and the elements of media in the public arena are three interwoven components that can scarcely be isolated. These components need to exist together as one if society is to create just as live in harmony and congruity. The right to speak freely of discourse is a correct that is found in a great deal of countries’constitutions,South Africa being one such country.However,freedom of articulation is anything but guaranteed. It is a dubious subject that consistently causes rubbing among governments and the media. There are a ton of dangers to opportunity of articulation in South Africa and the discussions on the need or its absence typically depend on the opportunity of the media. Questions are raised regarding whether such dangers are advocated or baseless. 1.2.1 The requirement for opportunity of articulation Opportunity of articulation is a correct that is cherished in the constitution of South Africa. This opportunity goes connected at the hip with the opportunity just as the job of media in the public eye. These components can't be isolated. In vote based social orders like South Africa, the requirement for opportunity of articulation can't be over-accentuated. The media goes about as the caretaker of society and assumes an oversight job with regards to considering government authorities answerable. Opportunity of articulation is a pre-essential in any popularity based society so as to ensure that open authorities don't pull off defilement, maladministration and absence of administration conveyance through quieting or denying space to those that try to take a stand in opposition to these social ills. Precluding society opportunity from claiming articulation prompts strain that can bubble over into bedlam and social turmoil. 1.2.2 Threats to it As much as opportunity of articulation is viewed as a sacred right in numerous law based nations, including South Africa, this privilege is consistently under steady danger from various areas of society. The significant danger to opportunity of articulation exudes from the legislature, with its strategies that control the progression of data and guidelines that stop the free access to and distribution of data. Energetic media that is under the influence and impact of government is likewise another danger to opportunity of articulation. In South Africa, the SABC as a national telecaster, is relied upon to be non-fanatic and unbiased. Anyway because of the supporter being heavily influenced by the administration, there have been a great deal of inquiries posed with respect to its unbiasedness. Opportunity of articulation has been supressed in the manner by which the SABC executes its article strategy. Perspectives that are esteemed to be interestingly with the current government’s belief system have been kept from being communicated on SABC TV and radio stages. Columnists have some of the time been compelled to tore a specific line of philosophy and have been kept from carrying out their responsibilities in a goal and fair-minded way. A model is that of a writer on Metro FM, Sakina Kamwendo,who had to drop a conversation on the ANC’s Mangaung Conference on her show by her bosses at the SABC as they asserted the show needed equalization and reasonableness. Julie Reid summarizes this point in her article in the Daily Maverick by saying, â€Å"Last year the SABC prohibited the Big Debate television show, a magnificent current issues program that earned a notoriety for holding government officialsâ to account on prickly issues like debasement or non-conveyance of services†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Hlaudi Motsoeneng, notorious for his emphasis on the creation of 70% uplifting news stays at his post, proceeding with the assistance of the Hlaudification of news† 1.2.3 If , how and why such dangers can or can't be persuaded The issue of the opportunity of articulation, particularly in the media, and dangers to its execution inside majority rule social orders is a petulant one. The conversation around it, is dynamic and endless. A few areas of society particularly people with significant influence, who are typically the ones who look to screen and control the media, accept that it is fundamental not to permit the media to have free rule where the nature and stream of data will go on with no guideline by the legislature. Then again, the media itself, particularly private media, is against the possibility of severe strategies being acquainted with control the progression of data as this is viewed as an immediate assault on the opportunity ,of the media as well as that of articulation too. Nonetheless, the media as an industry and stage whereupon the right to speak freely of discourse is showed, does comprehend and value that some type of guideline needs to occur so as to safeguard the legitimacy of the media being the â€Å"fourth estate† and forestall national security dangers just as intrusion of protection. It is in this light the issues of outer and interior guideline become possibly the most important factor. In managing contentions that disclose why the dangers to media opportunity can't be inspired, one needs to do as such inside the setting of opportunity of articulation being a sacred right.Democraticy as a framework is generally dependent on how society flourishes socially, strategically and financially. For this to occur, the right to speak freely of discourse must be takenâ as a key component that must be genuinely considered in arrangement detailing. Smothering opportunity of articulation through draconian and dictator strategies and guidelines is a formula that comes full circle in a bombed majority rules system. For majority rules system to work, opportunity of articulation and all the more in this way, opportunity of the media needs to exist.Roelofse (1996:51-53) in Fourie (2008:34) explains how opportunity of articulation upgrades improvements, for example, the ascent in vote based system, strict opportunity and monetary liberation through the press that accept a job of mass medium. It is important that out of the three hypotheses utilized in examining the job of the media in the public arena, the libertarian hypothesis demands seeing individuals as objective creatures equipped for recognizing truth and lie and among great and abhorrence (Fourie 2008 : 34).Therefore, the issue of stri

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Social Determinants of Obesity Physical Activity

Question: Talk about theSocial Determinants of Obesityfor Physical Activity. Answer: Presentation Stoutness has become a general medical problem that has made sentimental hysteria overall prompting weight emergency. The pervasiveness of corpulence has expanded to two folds among the youngsters, teenagers and grown-ups over the previous decades around the world. This condition has added to the weight of ailment in numerous nations and high social insurance costs that are inferable from the stoutness. Rather than recognizing the suitable powerful ways to deal with impede the worldwide pandemic of stoutness, it is essential to know the hidden reasons for corpulence (Witten, 2016). This features the contention that is corpulence brought about by the individual way of life decisions or because of more extensive social determinants of wellbeing. It additionally brings up issues that whether stoutness is a consequence of the science that is making corpulence a matter of cultural concern. The accompanying exposition manages the determinants of heftiness and the connection between the soc ial determinants and individual way of life decisions. It will likewise manage the hazard elements and suggestions for tending to the heftiness. The nature and size of weight is multifactorial. There is no single reason for heftiness. There are unlimited discussions about the nature and reasons for stoutness. It is characterized as an ailment where there is overabundance fat amassing that adversy affects the wellbeing. It is connected to decrease of future or related medical issues. People are viewed as hefty dependent on the weight record (BMI) that decides the fat condition when it surpasses 30kg/m2. It is determined by isolating the heaviness of an individual (in kg) by square of the tallness. It is the most helpful measure at the populace level to evaluate the degrees of stoutness in all age gatherings (Rahman Harding, 2013). The idea of corpulence is controlled by BMI that gauge the muscle to fat ratio. Heftiness is ordered into three classes. The scope of BMI depicts the hazard level of weight. BMI between the scopes of 25 to 29 shows overweight and not a heftiness condition. The class 1 is known as the generally safe h eftiness where the BMI is somewhere in the range of 30 and 34.9. Moderate-hazard stoutness is characterized as the class 2 weight where the corpulence is somewhere in the range of 35 and 39. High hazard stoutness happens when the BMI is equivalent or more noteworthy than 40. As per World Health Organization (WHO) the size of heftiness issue has indicated an expanded pattern. During the year 2014, there were 1.9 billion grown-ups and more than 600 individuals were stout (World Health Organization, 2014). The greater part of the universes populace is experiencing stoutness and is enormously adding to the weight of illness. WHO has depicted the corpulence issue as a worldwide plague and named interminable sickness. Heftiness emergency is one of the issue that soaring in nations like Australia. An examination led by the University of Sydney demonstrated that by 2025, the stoutness rate will increment to 35 percent from 28 percent among the Australian grown-ups. The idea of corpulence in Australia portrays that youngsters are putting on more weight than the middle age individuals. This shows singular way of life factors are the reason for weight among the youthful Australian individuals. There are a few reasons for corpulence. The harmony between the admission of calories and vitality consumption decides the heaviness of a person. The basic reasons for weight are absence of physical exercise and gorging. In this way, weight gain is a consequence of hereditary qualities, conduct, digestion, condition and culture. Leptin inadequacy is one of the hereditary causes that is engaged with the fat guideline. Gorging is another reason for weight gain where high eating regimen in starches and exceptionally immersed greasy utilization prompts corpulence. Recurrence of eating has a relationship with weight gain where little continuous suppers brings about stable insulin levels and huge dinners cause insulin level spikes. Inactive way of life prompts consuming of scarcely any calories and unequivocally associated to weight gain. Endocrine issue additionally cause corpulence like hypothyroidism or Cushing disorder (Malik, Willett Hu, 2013). Among the causes, chance components brings about stoutness. As indicated by WHO, unfortunate way of life propensities like absence of physical movement, undesirable eating regimen, absence of rest and stress expands the hazard for corpulence. Eating of Trans and soaked fats and high included sugars are the principle hazard factors that expansion the hazard for improvement of corpulence. Aside from the individual way of life decisions and hereditary qualities, financial factors likewise increment the odds of hazard for corpulence. An unfortunate social condition and low financial status add to the hazard factors for heftiness (Suglia et al., 2013). On a more extensive perspective, the social determinants of wellbeing are the significant reasons for creating weight. Comprehension of the determinants of corpulence assists with creating viable counteraction mediations and approaches that address the weight issue. The determinants of weight includes the sex, age, training status, ethnicity, work status, financial components and social elements like absence of activity, liquor utilization, smoking, low level salary level. Among all the determinants of heftiness, social determinants have a potential; connection to weight. The people having a place with low financial status (SES) are inclined to weight and related hazard. The low degree of training among the low SES bunches is bound to get corpulent alongside poor lodging are large (Bhurosy Jeewon, 2014). Notwithstanding, in high-pay nations, individuals with high SES receive solid living with normal exercise and good dieting. Also, despite what might be expected, the issues of ailing health are supplanted by the overconsumption and this extraordinarily influences the SES level among the high and low salary nations. Individuals having a place with high SES take part in exercises like staring at the TV, shopping and unfortunate eating like low quality nourishments that add to high BMI and inactive way of life (Popkin Slining, 2013). High utilization of quick nourishments, huge part measures, absence of physical exercise and high refreshment utilization among the high SES bunches impact the weight and vitality use. This shows heftiness is brought about by singular way of life decisions. Individuals remaining in near closeness to the drive-through joints have a high pace of corpulence. Additionally, contemplates have indicated that heftiness has bit by bit become a characteristic expansion of the propelling economy. The simple open nourishments accessible requiring little to no effort are causing individuals to eat all the more quick food sources and less exercise as a result of the work sparing gadgets are settling on weight a direction for living because of reception of stationary way of life. Smoking, liquor utilization and high use on the quick nourishments additionally make them inclined to overweight and weight. Less vitality use and high food utilization are the way of life and conduct factors that influenc e weight (Egger Dixon, 2014). Natural elements like the network attributes where access to unfortunate food things like in provincial or urban regions likewise adds to weight of heftiness. Singular variables are likewise the determinants of corpulence like individual qualities of sadness. The individuals having a place with low SES bunches have low or middle of the road levels of training are progressively presented to obesogenic feeling. Training is the key determinant of heftiness that should be tended to. Age is additionally a deciding variable for heftiness where it is more pervasive among the ladies than men. During scenes of melancholy, an individual is dependent on pigging out where they expend nourishments in a wild way (Roberto et al., 2015). These determinants incorporating the social, monetary, social and individual variables including the conduct factors have genuine ramifications (De Garine, 2013). It is essential to address these determinants that would help in the turn of events and execution of wellbeing advancement, stoutness anticipation and decrease among the people and at the cultural level. These determinants are identified with one another that add to corpulence all in all. The individual and cultural components impact the way of life or conduct of a person that add to high BMI or corpulent condition. The ecological factors likewise impact the conduct of a person towards high food utilization and less vitality use that additionally prompts overweight and heftiness. The individual determinants likewise impact the obesogenic condition legitimately like hereditary components, financial variables and individual elements like discouragement. The above connection between the various determinants of corpulence repre sents that they all add to heftiness where the way of life or social variables are the key determinants of stoutness (Newman et al., 2015). This shows stoutness is an individual direction for living on a huge degree when contrasted with the more extensive determinants of wellbeing. As the individual way of life factors impact the overweight or fat conditions, as it were, it is the duty to address the stoutness on an individual level. The ramifications of the undesirable way of life decisions detrimentally affect their personal satisfaction and helplessness to related hazard components of heftiness. It is essential to address the unfortunate way of life decisions so as to check the weight of stoutness and significant expense of human services. In spite of the fact that it isn't unequivocally expressed, it is apparent that it is the obligation at the individual and cultural level to address the unfortunate conduct factors. Conduct alteration and usage of severe strategies is the duty of the people and the general public to address the weight issue (Teixeira et al., 2015). Conduct change through the ramifications of dietary administration is critical to address the heftiness as an individual direction for living. Because of the large state, people experience the i ll effects of mental issues like sadness, tension and poor-confidence. Conduct alteration programs for

Monday, July 20, 2020

How to Push Your Team to Take Risks and Experiment 

How  to  Push Your Team  to  Take Risks  and  Experiment   Most managers, entrepreneurs and business leaders know the importance of having curious and experimental employees who have no problem with taking risks and taking initiative to come up with innovative solutions to problems.This is particularly evident when you look at the  hiring process.Hiring managers try as much as possible to hire candidates whose  resumes  demonstrate  creativity, experimentation and a knack for risk taking.Having such employees can be the difference between success and failure in the world of business.Ironically, after going to such great lengths to hire employees who have a knack for experimentation and risk taking,  many managers then go ahead and stifle these employees’ ability to experiment and take risks.They do this by micromanaging the employees, asking them to follow safe, predictable processes, not giving them responsibility, and blowing off their top when these employees fail at something.If you want to get the most out of your employees and have a constant supply of new, fresh ideas and opportunities, you need to create a  company  culture  that encourages employees to be innovative and to take risks.Below are some reasons why this is good for your company. Improved Ability  to  Solve ProblemsMany companies often encourage their employees to follow tried and tested processes that are sure to work every time.While this works, it is inevitable that at some point, your business will come across new problems and challenges that your employees have never seen before.Your  tried and tested processes will not work in such a situation.In such situations, solutions can only be found through trial and error.If your employees are used to playing it safe, you can bet that they will be stuck when this happens.Employees who are used to experimentation, on the other hand, will find it easier solving such problems because they are used to trying out new, unconventional things and processes.Improved Employee Engagement  and  SatisfactionAcco rding to a  recent survey by The Conference Board, only 51% of employees are satisfied with their job. This means that almost half of employees feel somewhat unfulfilled in their jobs.When you consider  how expensive it is to replace employees, it is clear that managers and business leaders should be doing more to help their employees become more engaged at work.Fortunately, you can improve employee engagement and job satisfaction and decrease  employee churn  by encouraging experimentation amongst your employees.By encouraging  employees to take risks, try new ideas and work their own ways, you make them feel like they are people who actually matter rather than non-autonomous subjects who only follow orders.Increased ProfitabilityThink about most of the biggest companies in the world.I’m talking about companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and so on. How many of these companies got where they are by following a well beaten path?  None of them.These companies became the b iggest in the world because they are staffed by employees who are free and willing to try new, untested things.More importantly, the leaders of these companies actively encouraged their employees to take risks and experiment.Each of the above companies has  programs that encourage employees to come up with new ideas.For instance, Google has a division known as  Google X, which encourages employees to come up with their craziest ideas for products (known as moonshots) and try to build them.Amazon, on the other hand, has a virtual idea box where employees can submit their ideas.Amazon’s highly successful Prime program is a direct result of the idea box.These two are great examples of how these companies encourage a culture of experimentation and risk taking and turn it into profits.These are just some of the reasons why you should push your team to take risks and experiment.The question is, how exactly do you do that?  Below are some tips on how to  achieve  that.ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOXThis may sound cliché, but  the first step to having a team that experiments and takes risks is to encourage them to think outside of the box and challenge the status quo.When faced with a problem, the typical thing to do is to pick the first answer that pops up. In many cases, the first answer is not always the best.To encouraging your team to think outside the box, you need to make them understand that there are always multiple answers to any problem and train them how to find these multiple answers.If there is a problem, ask you team to come up with 10 different ways of looking at or defining the problem.Ask them to then come up with ten different solutions based on the ten different approaches.If you have a project, ask them to think of different ways of doing the project. If they come to you with a suggestion, ask them for several more suggestions.Doing  this  trains your team to constantly explore many different options and ideas before settling on th e best one.MODEL RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOROne of greatest mistake I have seen managers and other business leaders make is to try to encourage risk taking behavior when they are not risk takers themselves.It does not matter how much you encourage risk taking and how supportive of failure you are; if you are not a risk taker yourself, your staff are unlikely to take any risks.People learn best by example, so you need to start exhibiting the same behavior you are promoting. Take a lot of risks and be transparent about them to your team.Tell them when you take risks and explain why you are taking the risk and the steps you are taking to minimize the possibility  of failure.If you fail, instead of keeping it to yourself, share what you have learnt from the failure.By showing them your approach to risk  taking, you are offering them a great  opportunity to develop their ability to take risks.A good example of a company that does this is NBC Universal. Senior leaders at the company are taken th rough a six-month DRIVE program at the company’s Talent Lab, where they are challenged to rethink the company’s business model.They are also taken to an incubation hub in Silicon Valley and further trained on how to come up with new, unconventional strategies and mindsets.The reason behind all this is that NBC Universal understands that when senior leaders embrace experimentation and lead by example,  the behavior will trickle down to lower levels of the company.NORMALIZE FAILUREThe biggest challenge when it comes to taking risks is the fear of failure.When you are trying something new and untested, there is always the possibility of failure.That is what makes it a risk. If you  were sure  you are going to succeed, it would not really be a risk.The problem is that people who are afraid of failing will avoid experimentation and risk taking as much as they can and instead opt for tried and tested methods that are sure to work every single time.If you want your team to embrace expe rimentation and risk taking, you need to show them that failing is normal when attempting something new.Think about the most successful companies and individuals in the world. All of them experienced failure at some point before finding success.The launch of Google Glass was a huge failure for Google.  In 1980, Apple’s launch of the Apple III resulted in 100% failure and almost destroyed the company. Every unit that was sold had to be recalled.Steve Jobs himself, one of the biggest innovators to date, experienced great failure when  he was expelled from Apple, the company he started in his parents’ garage.Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball of all time, said that in the course of his career, he missed over 9000 shots and missed the game winning shot 26 times.All these examples show that failing is part of the journey to success.  Regardless of how much you plan, things seldom go according as expected once the plan is in action.So, how do you normalize failure within your org anization or team?  One way of doing this is to promote a concept known as failing forward fast.If your team members find themselves in a position where they need to take a risk, they should not let their fear of failure stop them from pressing forward.Instead, after taking all the necessary factors into consideration, they should pick the best possible option and take the plunge. If things work out as expected, well and good.If they don’t go as expected, don’t go hard on the team. Instead, encourage them  to  pick themselves up  and forge ahead.This shows your team that what matters is moving ahead rather than avoiding failure.Another way of normalizing failure is to flip your company’s language from ‘avoiding failure’ to ‘celebrating success.’When your team members fail, instead of focusing on the failure and what it has cost you, focus instead on what the team can learn from the failure.Instead of punishing your staff for failing, ask them to explain what went right and wrong, what they would do better if they had to do it again, and what they have learnt from the entire experience.Doing this not only shows that failure is normal, is also helps your entire team to learn and become better at taking risks.Proctor Gamble and Tata are great examples of companies that do this well. Proctor Gamble has an annual Heroic Failure award where the team or individuals whose failure led to the greatest learning for the company are awarded.Tata, on the other hand, has an annual  Dare  To  Try  award which honors managers who took the most novel and daring risk.American conglomerate 3M also provides another example of how to normalize failure.The company has a tradition where stories of the company’s famous failures that were later turned into successes are passed on to new employees. A good example is the infamous  story behind the post-it note.Spencer Silver, an engineer at the company, was trying to come up with an adhesive for use in plane manufacturi ng. Unfortunately, the glue he came up with was too weak, and it was classified as a failure.However, a colleague who was constantly losing bookmarks for his hymn  book thought Spencer’s glue was a great solution for him, and that is how the post-it note came to be.The simple product that started as a failure would go on to become one of the company’s bestselling products.RESIST THE URGE TO SAY NOVery often, employees come up with new, innovative ideas that could potentially change their organizations, but they opt  to keep the ideas to themselves because they feel the ideas will be rejected by the management.According to a  survey by Leadership IQ, only 24% of employees feel that their leaders encourage suggestions and ideas for improvement from employees.This means there is a large portion of the workforce that opts to keep their ideas to themselves because they feel they will be ignored.Of course, this stifles the spirit of risk taking and experimentation.To avoid this, busin ess leaders should encourage their teams to share their ideas and try as much as they can to resist the urge to reject employees’ ideas.If possible, come up with policies or initiatives that discourage managers from rejecting employee ideas. Amazon offers a  great  example of how to do this.If an employee at Amazon presents a great idea to his or her manager, the manager is expected to accept the idea by default.In case  the manager decides to reject the idea, he or she has to write  a two page thesis to explain why they rejected the idea.With this policy, Amazon makes it hard for managers to reject employees’ ideas, which results in more ideas being tested and implemented.HIGHLIGHT AND CELEBRATE SUCCESSESAnother great way of encouraging employees to take risks and experiment is to  recognize and highlight any team members who achieve success after taking huge risks.Doing this provides employees with an incentive for taking risks and also makes them feel fulfilled when they see the company recognizing their efforts.Of course, for this to work, you should simultaneously avoid coming down hard on employees who fail. In the course of taking risks, it is inevitable that some will experience failure, and reprimanding them will only prevent them from trying.One of the most common ways of celebrating such successes is to give bonuses and other forms of financial reward.If you don’t have the budget for that, you can still celebrate your successful risk takers through other pocket friendly forms of validation, such as giving awards the Tata way or simply commending the employee’s efforts in the presence of the entire company.Westin hotels and Haier are perfect examples of companies that have mastered the art of celebrating employee successes.Every quarter, Westin hotels identify the top five innovators and send them on exotic holidays with all expenses paid.By doing this every quarter, they encourage employees to come up with great ideas all year round.Chinese consumer electronics and home appliances company Haier, on the other hand, gives innovative employees the ultimate recognition by naming products after the employee that came up with the idea for the product.Who wouldn’t want a product that’s going to sell worldwide named after them?GIVE EMPLOYEES CREATIVE TIMEThe most successful companies know that for employees to experiment and come up with new ideas, they need the time to actually do that.If an employee is constantly engaged in their day to day work every single minute, they have no time for experimenting with new ideas.To avoid this, some of the top companies create time for employees to work on something that is not related to what they do on a daily basis.For instance, Facebook holds regular  hackathons  where engineers get to work on new projects that are not part of their day jobs. Many of  Facebook’s features were birthed in these  hackathons.Google also has an initiative where employees are allowed to spend 20% of t heir time working on side projects that are not related to what they are employed to do.This is how products like Gmail and Google Glass were born.3M also has a similar policy where employees are given 15% of their time at work experimenting with projects unrelated to their day work.I know your company is  not Google, and allowing employees to spend 20% of their paid time (one full work day per week) experimenting and working on side products might be too much of a stretch.However, you can still give employees some little time (such as Friday afternoons) to doodle, experiment and come up with ideas that might help the company.Of course, any ideas they come up with should be given a chance if they have some potential.START SMALLWhile cultivating a culture of risk taking and experimentation within your team has several benefits for your organization, risks and experiments can sometimes lead to disastrous results that might even threaten the wellbeing of the entire company.To avoid thi s, you should encourage your employees to start taking risks and experimenting with small projects and processes that do not have a very huge impact on the entire organization.As they experience successes with these smaller projects, you can then allow them to experiment with even larger projects and processes.This not only prevents any disastrous results, it also makes employees comfortable with taking risks. Taking small risks and succeeding gives them the confidence to take even bigger, well calculated risks.A good example of a company that does this is Japanese automaker Toyota, which introduces employees to risk taking and experimentation by asking them to make small changes and tweaks to make processes a little bit more efficient.In order for this to work well, you need to publicly define areas where risks are encouraged and where they are not.Define a ‘safe zone’ of projects and processes where employees can take risks, and make it clear where they should not attempt taki ng a risk or experimenting without first consulting a superior.DON’T USE EXPERIMENTS TO CREATE BEST PRACTICESWhen most organizations run experiments, the results and insights from the experiment are usually used to come up with best practices.Initially, this might seem like a great idea. It’s not! Best practices are essentially tried and tested methods that have been proven to work.By creating best practices, you are encouraging your team members to follow the safe and predictable route instead of taking risks and experimenting.In addition, best practices are static. They are optimized for what worked yesterday, last month or last year, even when it might not be the best suited for achieving success today.To avoid remaining static and discouraging your team members from taking risks, you should avoid using the results of experiments to come up with best practices.Instead, you should encourage your team members to use insights from past experiments to come up with more exciting e xperiments.This keeps the spirit of experimentation and risk taking alive and often results in new ideas and innovative solutions that you would not have stumbled upon by following best practices.MAKE EMPLOYEES RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN EXPERIMENTSVery often, when an employee comes up with an experiment that has some potential, they are commended for the idea, and then the idea is passed on to another team for testing and implementation.This separation between the originator of the idea and the person who tests the idea has two problems.First, since they do not  get to see the results of their idea first hand, which limits their ability to fine tune their ideas.Second, it can also discourage employees from sharing their ideas. Imagine coming up with an idea for a cool product, only for you to go back to your desk while another team builds and takes credit for your idea.To avoid this, you should make everyone responsible for their experiments. If someone comes up with an idea, give t hem the resources and support they need to test and implement the idea. If the idea fails, they will have learnt important lessons that will help them come up with better ideas next time.If it works, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and it will encourage them, as well as other employees, to take more risks next time.WRAPPING UPA culture of experimentation and risk taking is great for any organization. It keeps fresh ideas and opportunities flowing through the organization, helping the organization to optimize operations and maintain their competitive edge.With the tips shared above,  you will be able to effectively push your team to take risks and create a culture where experimentation is the norm rather than the exception.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Benefits of Immigrants in the United States - 580 Words

In the article by Hansen it looks at how it is not right for the U.S. to try to keep all of these people out and that they could help fill the jobs that no one wants but there are groups out there that will try to keep them out. The article looks at how there is a more humane option for the government to look at that would allow guest workers to remain in the country temporarily. This could eventually allow them a way to get citizenship if they want to stay in the country. This view provides at little recognition for those people who believe that it could mess up America’s culture. This is a more humane route and it is morally right. It also represents an effort for a good solution to the externalities of the open borders that people believe in, as opposed to the people who believes in a closed border type of plan. In the article titled â€Å"An Exchange: The Morality of Immigration† argues that it is wrong to constrain immigrants but at the same time they try to under stand the constraints that justice imposes on immigration policy. There is also that factor that not a lot of people look at the fact that earth does not belong to one person but it belongs to everyone. One of the authors goes on to look at the population density statistics that could provide evidence that the United States is not using up all of their resources and that everything is under control. This should make people believe that there is nothing wrong with illegal immigration. It is the right thing toShow MoreRelatedThe Benefits of Immigrants in the United States Essay1027 Words   |  5 PagesRecently the United States has experienced a large number of immigrants coming over to the country within the 2000s. In recent studies, there are about 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The undocumented immigrant population has grown 27% between 2000 to 2009. Immigrants from Mexico make up 59% of the undocumented immigrants in the United States. These undocumen ted immigrants can help the economy and country grow. These undocumented immigrants do have some downside to themRead MoreThe Benefits Of Immigrants During The United States946 Words   |  4 PagesThe Benefits of Immigrants Ever since 2001, when the tragedy of September 11th happened, many citizens in the U.S. have a fear of allowing immigrants into the United States. Some citizens judge that immigration is an impending threat to national security, and that the U.S. should close the borders up for good. The U.S. should not consider that because everything negative that occurs in the U.S. is not due to immigrants. The government can stop illegal immigration right now, but would it not affectRead MoreIllegal Immigrants And The United States : Benefit Or Cost Essay1189 Words   |  5 Pages Illegal Immigrants in the United States: Benefit or Cost Migration to the United States is regularly the subject of huge open and political level headed discussion, with inquiries regarding the measure of inflows, migrants in the work business sector, authorization and helpful affirmation arrangements, and advantages and expenses. Nevertheless, it is vital for the general population to have entry to precise, fair-minded present and chronicled data about movement. Migration has moldedRead MoreImmigration Policy Should Be Reformed1585 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States has people coming in and out of the country every day. Most of these people are welcomed at airports and borders, and most do not intend to stay in the United States. Some of these immigrants are tourists, business visitors, students, and foreign workers. Other arrivals are refugees because they are escaping to better their future or from their countries violence and some are unauthorized or illegal foreigners. Several immigrants enter legally as tourists and then s tay in the UnitedRead MoreImmigration : How It s Changed And Stayed The Same1727 Words   |  7 Pageshistory, not only in laws about immigration, but about places where immigrants came from, and the different races that immigrated. These factors have changed throughout history by shaping the social and economic aspects of the United States. Immigration has changed for the better and for the worse. It has gone to as far as making camps for Japanese Americans and deporting them and taking their belongings, to as low as giving immigrants papers and letting them stay. The laws of immigration have changedRead MoreImmigration : An Influential Aspect Of American History1172 Words   |  5 Pagesand cultures, made the great journey to the United States to pursue greater economic and social opportunities. Immigration has been an influential aspect of American history. These immigrants have enhanced and contributed greatly to the fabric and the story of America. They have brought with them diversity and aspects of their cultures that made America the great melting pot that it is today (Connelly 174). They have also brought with them economic benefits to the country. Immigration is a crucial andRead MoreImmigration: H-1B Visa1737 Words   |  7 Pages(H-1B) and who receives them, and whether the United States should increase or decrease the amount. Currently, the H-1B visa system is structure to administer 65,000 H-1B visas (Services, H-1B Fiscal Years (FY) 2014 Cap Season). According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration, 124,000 petit ions were received during the 2013 fiscal year. (Services, H-1B Fiscal Years (FY) 2014 Cap Season). Some are suggesting that we need more skilled immigrant labor within our country for innovative andRead MoreImmigrants Of The United States1489 Words   |  6 PagesImmigrants in the United States Are immigrants a burden to the United States? Or do they benefit society? Many people might say that immigrants don’t help the country and that they should be deported back to their respective countries. Keeping the status of undocumented immigrants as aliens costs the government a lot of money and the broken solution of deporting immigrants costs even more. Immigrants stimulate the growth of the economy and immigrants give the country so much and no one gives themRead MoreUndocumented Immigrants Should Be Legal949 Words   |  4 Pagesundocumented immigrants should be able to get full amnesty is still a controversy. Even though illegal immigrants did make an illicit action, many see the United States as an opportunity for a better future. In addition, undocumented immigrants should be granted citizenship because it will benefit the United States. Creating an amnesty for the students will help the United States by improving the economy, create more jobs and decrease deportat ion. Granting citizenship to illegal immigrants will benefit theRead MoreThe United States Immigration System845 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States immigration system is faulty. The United States does not possess an immigration program that stipulates immigrants who do not already have family in the country or a job to become United States citizens unless they stay for many years with a green card. Consequently, immigrants are entering our country illegally and poverty forces some to commit crimes in order to provide for themselves and their families. There should be a program that will aid immigrants and existing United States

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Renewable Energy Rural Areas Of China - 1520 Words

Renewable Energy in Rural areas of China Introduction Currently , the development of renewable energy resources , reduce consumption of fossil energy , environmental protection and mitigation of global warming has become a common sense of every country in the world. Despite China as a developing country and its historically low emissions, China faces international pressure to control its carbon emissions, which China is already the world s largest carbon emitter, sharing 29% of global carbon emission in 2013 (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 2014). Moreover, the demand and consumption is relatively high in the next decades (BP, 2015). China is a large agricultural country, around half of the population live in rural areas.†¦show more content†¦Energy reduction and energy efficiency policy has become a national priority for the Chinese government. Renewable energy development in rural areas plays a significant role in promoting this national policy. Renewable energy development in rural places is not only the urgent needs of the majority of farmers , but also to target the national strategic objectives, to achieve sustainable development. 1. The current situation of energy demand /consumption in rural places The energy supply and demand in rural places has been basically improved, but from the well-off level of energy demand is still a wide gap. In the proceeding decades, the annul increasing rate of energy demand in rural places is 11%, compared to 5% in urban area. However, About 50% of Chinese rural households still depend heavily on traditional firewood for heating and cooking, the overall energy efficiency less than 25% which means huge potential to improve. (Ministry of Agriculture of China). According to the China`s energy policy, The energy demand of rural areas will be greatly enhanced in next decades. 2. It is necessary to increase the clean , high-quality energy supply in rural places whether it is from a structural shortage of energy resources, or from sustainable economic development, the construction of energy system in rural places can not continue past development model. Renewable energy, such as photovoltaic and solar water heating, can significantly improve the livelihood

New Orleans After the Storm Free Essays

On the 29th of August, 2005, a Category 3 Hurricane swept across the state of Louisiana and dealt major damages to the City of New Orleans, a tragedy never to be forgotten by the American Nation. Though the hurricane never hit the city itself, through its huge rainfall content, it has caused levee breaches which had dealt the most damage as flood devastated the city, and was thus dubbed as the worst engineering disaster in the history of the United States (Kilpatrick Dermisi, 2007). Lost of lives and property were dealt during the incident, as the crime rates hiked up due to the disorder caused by the hurricane, and images of criminals engaging grand theft auto were seen live on television, as buildings were burning or being wrecked by the flood. We will write a custom essay sample on New Orleans: After the Storm or any similar topic only for you Order Now Critics continue to blame various groups, individuals and factors for the terrible incident which has scarred the people’s hearts and minds, and has terrorized and affected both individuals and their pets who were residents of the city, still learning who to blame, and being tight in releasing funds for insurance claims, and learning whether the state should pay for the damages or not. Yet, whether damages were paid or remain unpaid, and whether individuals who should be blamed were blamed or left unquestioned, it must be realized that beyond restoring the finances of the people and giving due justice, healing the wounds of each and every resident of New Orleans who currently suffer from the emotional, and psychological baggage which burden each and every one of them must be realized and given due priority. Faulty Urban Planning. The development of cities and industries has caused the increase of population in areas near industrial zones in consideration to the convenience brought about by being near to the jobs present in the area. The continuing increase in the population and demand for cheap homes have been the critical factors in pursuing the building of homes in marshlands, swamps, reclamation areas, and other low ground areas by the Government led United States Army Corps of Engineers, in the City of New Orleans. After the construction of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal in 1940, the state closed the commercial waterways which were used before for waterborne commerce, leading to the drastic lowering of the city’s water table. The US Army Corps of Volunteers then built a levee system around the area covering much of the city’s marshlands and swamps, without consideration to the possible subsidence brought about by the compression of underlying soils. These brought about land subsidence of up to 8 feet or 2 meters in some areas which were reclaimed by the US government. A recent study of the Tulane University notes that 49% of New Orleans is below sea level, with the majority of the population on the higher ground. However, the mean elevation of the city has become between 1 and 2 feet below the sea level, with some parts as high as 16 feet and some parts as deep as 10 feet. The city is also bordered by the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, and is marbled with canals and bayous (Galle, 2007) which maybe considered geologically hazardous. Moving on. Two years after the incident, the residents of New Orleans are still trying to cope up with the emotions, and the losses which they have incurred during Hurricane Katrina. For some individuals, moving on might be a very easy thing to do, especially if they have some other place to move on to. Yet for some, the typhoon was just the beginning, especially if they’re homes have been washed out or burned by some thug or all their assets and even their pets are gone. A year after the typhoon businesses in the high ground started to bloom again, as most of the restaurants are open, the Convention Center began to have bookings, and almost all of the premium office space in the business district is occupied, and the Port of New Orleans is nearly back to normal. Tourists have also started to come back, and almost half of New Orleans’ pre-Katrina population is back mostly crowded into the high ground along the river (Ydstie, 2006). For some individuals, the damage dealt by Hurricane Katrina was something that has made them further down, as insurance companies refused to pay some victims due to some loopholes within the insurance policies such as the wind vis-à  -vis flood, and the flood vis-à  -vis hurricane policies. Some insurance companies claim that individuals could not be compensated for their wrecked homes if their insurance policy says that their houses are insured for hurricane since it was the flooding that has caused the house to be destroyed, a heartless argument that gives no consideration to the logic that there would be no flood if there was no hurricane at all. Worse are the insurance companies who argue that wind was the cause for the houses’ roofs to come off and the flooding did not cause it, thus they would only pay partially for the damages. These defenses and loopholes of insurance companies made things worst for Katrina Victims, and should be condemned. While most of the individuals suffer from more stressful damages brought about by such insurance companies, what should be stressed for them is the fact that, the first rule of insurance policy construction is that ambiguous policy language is interpreted against the drafter (â€Å"contra proferentem†) which in most cases are the insurance companies, and also that, insurance agents, must also then be sued for their negligence towards their jobs of making such loophole-full policies (Abraham, 2007). Also individuals who lost their houses are troubled by some policies such as the high ground policy which forces them to make their houses higher, individuals who have problems with stairs such as those suffering from arthritis are troubled by this. Pets after Katrina. During the Hurricane, the residents of New Orleans initially saving their lives left their pets behind. Cats and dogs of different breeds and species were lost, and were forced to roam a world which was unknown to them, while being thirsty and unfed, and while some residents were trying to find back their pets some individuals were arrogant about them such as the cop who threw out a dog named snowball out of a bus (â€Å"Snowball! Snowball!†, 2005). A year after the incident, organizations such as the North Shore Animal League of America, helped retrieved pets of New Orleans’ residents. Initiatives to house some of the pets which no one claimed, however there has been a lack of credible population to adopt such pets. Lessons learned. Some individuals say that the impact Hurricane Katrina has dealt is comparable to the impact of the Oakland Firestorm which hit Oakland California in 1991, which then, was a large urban fire which occurred in the northern Oakland, California, and which has killed 25 people and injured 150 others. While some issues of Hurricane Katrina are comparable, such as the amount of damage dealt, and the fact that most of the victims of the Oakland Firestorm were somewhat unaware of their insurance policies just like the victims of Katrina, the issues of complacency and uncompetitive planning are the factors which make the circumstances of the two incidents different. While the damages dealt by Hurricane Katrina were due to the lack of mitigation, and the lack of competitive advantage in terms of planning, the damages brought about by the fire in Oakland California were mainly due to the complacency of the residents and the local municipality in terms of controlling the fire. Reflections. While it holds true that acts of God could never be controlled by man, it must always be taken into consideration, that God has given us our brains for us to analyze and think about what we can do just in case. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, the damage could have been avoided if there were only enough mitigation done, such as holding studies about the geography and the soil composition of the area, and taking a close monitor over the movements of the soil and the water levels, and making detailed and well thought off engineering measures to prevent such incident from happening again. It must also be taken into account that there have been not enough measures to provide emotional support for the victims of the typhoon, and such emotional stress and tension must be given consideration and priority by the government and other support groups. References Abraham, K.S. 2007. In Brief : The Hurricane Katrina Insurance Claims. Virginia Law Review, 93, 157-164. Bach, A., Miller, C., 2003. Lessons Shared from Oakland-Berkely Hills. Retrieved September 14, 2007, from http://www.hillsemergencyforum.org/docs/Media-LessonShared.pdf Galle, J. 2007. Special Reports : Vulnerable Cities. Retrieved September 15, 2007 from http://www.weather.com/newscenter/specialreports/hurricanes/vulnerablecities/neworlea ns.html Kilpatrick, J.A., Dermisi, S. 2007. The Aftermath of Katrina: Recommendations for Real Estate Research. Journal of Real Estate Literature. Snowball! Snowball! The Little Dog Who Broke A Nation’s Heart! Hurricane Katrina’s Littlest Victim. 2005. Muttshack Animal Rescue Foundation, posted Sept. 6 2005. Retrieved, September 14, 2007 from, http://www.muttshack.org/2005/09/snowball-snowball-little-dog-who-broke.html Ydstie, J. 2006. Katrina Victims Still Struggle to Find Way Home. Retrieved September 14, 2007 from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5720114 How to cite New Orleans: After the Storm, Essay examples

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Time Management Action Plan Essay Example For Students

Time Management Action Plan Essay For me it seems like there is too many tasks to complete and seldom enough time. Effective and efficient time management is something that I have room for improvement on and have great use of. I started by taking a time management survey. #1 Accept Problem My results from this diagnostic survey on time management assured me that my time management skills are low. The survey revealed that I am on the bottom of the scale of time management. There were two sections of the survey. One section measured your time management skills in an office setting and the other section measured your time management skill in your personal life. By having two sections you can compare your time management skills for the two different settings. The total score measures your overall time management skills and it also puts the score in a category. My scores of 27 points for personal life and 31 points for office settings combines to a 58 point total score. My combined score falls in to the lowest category that suggests that training is necessary and will considerably enhance my effectiveness. We will write a custom essay on Time Management Action Plan specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The first step of solving a problem is identifying it. After taking this survey I have proof that my time management skills are low. Time management has been a long time problem for me. I have always found excuses for not doing things on time or running late. My main excuse is being involved in so many things as a college student. All of this is true, but it shouldnt be an excuse. I currently work as a lifeguard between classes, tutor nights and weekends, work at a bar weekends, I hold a vice president position in American Marketing Association, I am a member of Society for Human Resource Management, team captain for Cleveland States division I swim team, and I am co-president for Student Athletic Advisory Board. Good time management is needed for all these extras. If I could improve my time management skills I think I would get better in most things that I do. I would be able to enhance my grades in school and be better in the workforce. I would be more relaxed and have a feel of control. #2, Goals and Priorities The first step in effectively managing time is to develop a statement of long-range goals. This statement of goals will allow you to set short range goals and to prioritize specific activities according to how much they contribute to your goals. Setting these long-range goals may be difficult. The process can force you to confront decisions that you have been putting off, or value issues that you dont want to handle. My long-term goals, intermediate, and short-term goals could look something like this: Long-Term Career Goal: Career as a Small Business Manager/Owner (6 to 8 years). Intermediate Career Goals: Enter a MBA program in Business Management (3 to 5 years). Graduate Assistantship at the Bachelors level (2 to 4 years). Short-Term Personal Goals: (Present): Major in business. Courses in management, economics, and accounting. At least a 3.5 average for my bachelors degree. Improve my career best swim times. #3, Daily, Weekly, and Semester Scheduling To be effective in time management, weekly time organization is necessary. A semester-long calendar to lay out all of your major obligations is a good tool as well. Without having clearly defined goals, scheduling will be difficult for two reasons. First, there will not be any guidelines to use for prioritizing your activities; and second, there will be trouble finding motivation to complete the tasks in the schedule. I might, for example, be tempted to go to a movie instead of studying accounting. Two general approaches to weekly scheduling can work well. The first is fairly simple and involves a daily list of things should be accomplish that day. .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 , .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .postImageUrl , .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 , .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:hover , .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:visited , .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:active { border:0!important; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:active , .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914 .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4995cd75c65edfaeb1f6bbefcd8cf914:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Mccarthyism And The Crucible Essay In order to use this method, goals are essential. What activities and obligations are essential for the next several weeks? This will allow you to make a daily list and modify and prioritize with a clear understanding of your short-term and daily goals. This kind of approach appeals to me because I dont like to be locked into an hour-by-hour schedule. Following is an example of a two-day period using the daily .