Manufacturing and Packaging Line

CASE ANALYSIS MEMO – SESSION 06 Keurig 2012. 11. 07 Entrepreneurial Management Dr. Sean M. Hackett Waseda Business School, MBA Fall, 2012 Panjapol wariratanaroj (pe)– #35112329-5 JOanna chen (joanna)– #35112318-7 li wei– #35122327-5 kemal SADULLAYEV (kemal)– #35129403-1 Gaetano d’imprima (tano)– #35129755-8 I. Identify/Define the Key Issues/Situation Analysis A. Key issues that will impact Keurig to survive, thrive and grow †¢ Strong bargaining power from a supplier: MTS, being the only supplier for the K-Cup packaging line, has a control over the machine.Having no substitution plan in place, Keurig is forced to follow MTS’s request to fulfill the K-Cup manufacturing capacity. †¢ Difficult to ‘reverse engineer’ the manufacturing technology: despite the alternatives of having new K-Cup suppliers, there is no assurance that the new suppliers could complete the project on-time and on-budget as the learning cu rve is hard to be built at an initial stage. †¢ Delays in the full roll-out of the new coffee brewing system: delays in manufacturing lines (both K-Cup’s production and brewing machines) caused a subsequent delay in distributing goods to consumers.Thus, it created risk of losing market opportunity to other competitors. B. Critical Success Factors †¢ Quality of the final product: despite marketing efforts and distribution channels, if either the final product (coffee) tastes bad or the brewer does not perform well, it can’t be sold. †¢ Consistent and sufficient funding prior to the product launch: in order to create an impact to the coffee market, the large amount of funding is required to support the operations. Ability to bring a brewer’s price down in a consumer segment while keeping the good quality product: considering the high quality coffees, people are more likely to purchase a less expensive household version especially at a supermarket or grocery, which has the highest percentage for buying locations. II. Mobilize Strategic Choices A. Choice 1 – Work with multiple packaging line manufacturers at the same time and take advantage of the brewer that would take Keurig more seriously – Pilla. 1. Significance of choice 1 †¢ The supplier in less favorable financial situations is more likely to pay attention to Keurig’s needs.In this case, Pilla also possesses the capability to support the brewer production. †¢ Keurig can prepare Pilgrim and Quantum for future production while MTS is currently manufacturing the K-Cup packaging lines. This will cover the delay time needed by Pilgrim and Quantum to deliver future productions. †¢ More risk averse, multiple suppliers will decrease Keurig’s dependency on suppliers. Delivery time and costs can be more efficiently managed. Also, Keurig can observe suppliers’ efficiencies before deciding the major supplier. †¢ Multiple packagin g lines can provide larger supply of K-cups for future expansion. . Reasons why choice 1 may not be optimal †¢ More price negotiations and work in progress varied by suppliers. Also, the working procedures may be different and buyers-suppliers relationship may be more complexed.†¢ The standard of the final products can be varied by suppliers due to a slight difference in manufacturing capability and technology. †¢ The financially unstable suppliers can be unreliable. For example, they may be in risk of facing bankruptcy, or they may lower SG&A expenses and it will affect the operations. B. Choice 2 – Continue cooperation with MTS and change brewer to Pilla . Significance of choice 2 †¢ Does not waste time on searching for alternative packaging line manufacturers. Hence, avoid the time to be consumed by ‘reverse engineering’ process. †¢ MTS already has experience in making the first packaging line. Moreover, the product quality delivered b y MTS is already known and acceptable. †¢ Good communication with MTS would ensure on-time delivery of future packaging lines. †¢ Enjoy cost-benefits from possibility of lower price from Pilla. 2. Reasons why choice 2 may not be optimal †¢ MTS still have very large bargaining power for future productions.Thus, the cost for K-Cup packaging line activities could be driven up significantly. †¢ Pilla, being financially insecure, can be a risk for the roll-out schedule in case there is a problem in the manufacturing processes as it links to the packaging line. †¢ Single packaging line supplier and brewer means lower production capacity compared with Choice 1, this would limit Keurig’s future expansion plans to go into the consumer market. C. Choice 3 Internalize brewer production and work with multiple packaging line suppliers 1. Significance of choice 3 Keurig will gain more control over the production because it’ll be easier to forecast production capacity and there’ll be more inventory control. †¢ Kuerig already have the people and the capabilities that it needs.†¢ Finally gaining the learning curve: product brewers will help Keurig to reduce its production costs and thanks to this reduction it’ll be easier to sell more brewers to distributors at less price and less defected products. †¢ Working with multiple suppliers on the packaging line side will give them less bargaining power making us more â€Å"independent†. 2. Reasons why choice 3 may not be optimal A big amount of investment required in terms of money to internalize the production †¢ Keurig need to buy new assets and it will need time to set-up the production in the new factory. †¢ Keurig will face the risks concerning the manufacturing activity. III. Recommend a Specific Strategic Choice Recommendation: . Choice 1 – Work with multiple packaging line manufacturers at the same time and take advantage of the brewe r that would take Keurig more seriously – Pilla. 1. Keurig will be much more independent and it’ll not face again another situation as those encountered with Vandelay and MTS.This choice, even if could be risky at the beginning due to possible delays in the delivery of the complete brewer system (K-cup+Brewer), will ensure Keurig not to rely too much to only one supplier with a lot of bargaining power. 2. Relying on many suppliers will give Keurig much more control over their suppliers’ prices, unleashing a competition between them to gain more and more orders. It’ll also help Keurig to draw up more precise budgets and business plans that will not be affected by suppliers’ whims. 3. Thinking on a future expansion, Keurig need to find new suppliers who can easily support the capacity it needs. Risks/Limitations: . Even if it is a good time to find new suppliers, the moment is very risky because we have a schedule that we need to respect to start bui lding the company reputation.Delays and other on-the-road problem with the new suppliers could be fatal for Keurig. 2. Some of the new suppliers suffer financial problems that, if not solved, can surely affect Keurig. A. Recapitulation of why this choice is the right recommendation We have a marketing plan that can be fulfilled only if everything on the supply side goes as it was supposed to. In order to penetrate the market K-cups will be sold to the Office Manager at a price of 0. 0$, with no charge to the coffee machine. The price of a cup of coffee is higher than our direct competitors but compared to other premium coffee (as Starbucks) the quality is very high and the people who tried our coffee â€Å"loved† it. The wholesale price to the OCS distributors and to the Food Service suppliers will be at 0. 25$ per cup and initially we will give them the machine for free if they buy a certain amount of cups. That’s the real marketing strategy, because distributors play a central role in this industry, so we need to be able to offer (actually fill them up with) machines so they’ll push hard to introduce it inside the market.The free machine plus high margin (100%) per K-Cup will help us penetrate the market. However to do so we need an efficient supply chain that could grow with us and not take advantage of us. We need to take the risk and diversify our suppliers so we will be able to give our machines for free to distributor. We also need to get ready with our capacity for when the demand will grow. We can’t manage such changes in our business plan if we are to haggle with insolent suppliers.

Advantages That Multinations Have Over Domestically Focused Companies

In this age of globalization, companies are seeking to expand businesses across borders and consequently there are more and more multinational companies. A multinational corporation is one that is based in one country while maintaining manufacturing facilities or operations offices in other countries and markets its products or services on an international basis. A multinational corporation is able to take advantage of special economically advantageous opportunities that exist in the countries where it operates, such as a low labor cost or favorable rate of currency exchange.They also enjoy access to a diversified workforce that gives them greater creative competitive edge. The reasons why companies seek to expand across borders are: to open new markets or to hold onto existing ones; to avoid tariffs or other trade restrictions; to tap new sources of raw materials and agricultural production; and to take advantage of cheap foreign labor. The most significant aspect of multinational c orporations is that they enjoy major tax and investment advantages. Tax Advantages: Business taxation varies from country to country.While there are high tax countries like the United States, Great Britain and the People's Republic of China (PRC), there are low tax countries like Belize, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. A multinational corporation can pick its tax jurisdiction and thus limit its tax obligations. Doing so translates instantly into greater profits. On the contrary, any domestic company will be subject to taxation on its profits in that country and there is no question of choice (Kate, 2006). Lowering Taxes:Most multinational corporations look for tax holidays when seeking a foreign base for their manufacturing plant. However the tax holiday offer is meaningless in the US and Singapore as companies in these places companies are taxed on their global income. Multinational companies enjoy the advantage of having the choice to get the best combination of location, labo r market, and government corporate benefits. Funding opportunities: Multinational corporations have regular access to funding opportunities unavailable to domestic companies.The money provided by the government in return for creating jobs reduces the multinational corporation's overhead, diminishes business risk and increases profits. It has been found that any company with an established export market outside of the manufacturing country's domestic market can recover most – almost 50-75% – of the expenditure in setting up a new plant. This is mainly because of the support of the government (Kate, 2006). Tariffs Can Be Circumvented: Multinational corporations can dodge tariffs by proper planning.If a MNC wants instant free trade access to both the EU and the USA, it will start manufacturing in Israel. If there is a low-tech product that needs free trade access to the EU, it is best to make it in Senegal, since they have a free trade agreement with France. The list of b ypasses around tariffs is long and grows as NAFTA and the EU expand (Kate, 2006). Accounting advantages: Multinational pooling arrangement is an agreement between the head office of a multinational company and an insurance network, which allows – at an accounting stage – the consolidation of the worldwide experience.This network allows: better management of the worldwide risk and improved reporting; up-front local savings due to economies of scale and potential international dividends; improved local terms & conditions due to network leverage; easier transfer of employees within the entity and reinsurance protection against individual peaks or catastrophic events (DF, 2006). Advantage of Transfer Pricing: When one part of a multinational organization in one country transfers goods, services or know-how to another part in another country, the price charged for these goods or services is called ‘transfer price'.This may be a purely arbitrary figure, meaning by this that it may be unrelated to costs incurred, may be unrelated to operations carried out or to added value. The transfer price can be set at a level which reduces or even cancels out the total tax which has to be paid by the multinational. In other words it is possible for a multinational company to minimize its liability for corporation tax by transfer pricing (Davidmann, 2006). According to the US law, multinational corporations, whether American- or foreign-owned, are supposed to pay taxes on the profits they earn in the United States.However, in reality, foreign-owned corporations doing business in the United States, typically pay far less in U. S. income taxes than domestic companies. Even U. S. -owned multinationals utilize such tax evasion loopholes. Companies try to set their â€Å"transfer prices† to shift income away from the United States and shift deductible expenses into the United States (CTJ, 2006). Asset Protection: Multinational companies often use offshore ce nters to restructure their ownership of assets. Through trusts, foundations or through an existing corporation company wealth ownership can be transferred from people to other legal entities.Many companies which are concerned about lawsuits or lenders foreclosing on outstanding debts choose to transfer a portion of their assets to an entity that holds it outside of their home country. By making these ownership transfers, these companies can escape seizure or other domestic troubles (Investopedia, 2006) . Confidentiality: Many offshore jurisdictions offer multinational companies the added advantage of secrecy legislation. These countries have enacted laws establishing strict corporate and banking confidentiality.If this confidentiality is breached, there are serious consequences for the offending party. An example of a breach of banking confidentiality is divulging customer identities; disclosing shareholders is a breach of corporate confidentiality in some jurisdictions. To a multin ational company, this secrecy of personal information can offer significant financial and legal advantage. Because nations are not required to accept the laws of a foreign government, offshore jurisdictions are, in most cases, immune to the laws that may apply where the investing company resides (Investopedia, 2006).Diversification of Businesses: Domestic companies have to follow local government regulations that restrict its international investment opportunities. Multinational companies have unlimited access to international markets and to all major exchanges. There are also many opportunities in developing nations, especially in those that are beginning to privatize sectors that were formerly under government control. Conclusion: Thus we find that multinational companies enjoy many advantages compared to local domestic companies.

Best Buy company in 2012

Best Buy company in 2012 The company best buy was facing several issues in 2012. To improve its financial position, the company launched a strategic plan it called â€Å"renew blue†. The plan called for strengthening relationships with vendors, revamping stores, increasing same-store sales, eliminating unnecessary costs, and ramping up Best Buy’s online business. The company has been able to reduce cost by closing underperforming stores, shrinking its workforce, and making supply chain efficiencies. It aims to reduce cost further by reducing product returns, replacements, and damages, and by streamlining its logistics and supply chain, as well as its procurement process. To mitigate competition, Best Buy has arranged to open stores-within-a-store with certain key suppliers. In response to competition with Amazon, Best Buy is now highly focused on growing its online business. The company has extended its online sales distribution network with its ship-from-store concept. As part of its turnaround strategy, Best Buy is also revamping its stores and trying to encourage more robust store traffic. Best Buy is closing underperforming stores, optimizing space, and improving the ease with which customers can shop in stores. One of Best Buy’s optimization goals is to avoid out-of-stock situations online, especially during holiday season. Best Buy increased inventory availability by rolling out its ship-from-store concept. This has helped boost online sales, as previously, products were shipped only from select stores. Best buy announced that it would fight show rooming by offering low-price guarantees online as well as at its retail stores. Best Buy sp ent millions of dollars on a holiday TV campaign to combat show rooming. Thus Best Buy is aggressively implementing restructuring initiatives to take back market share. Some of these initiatives include cost-reduction measures, online business expansion, and the sale of underperforming stores.Tyco was accused of corporate fraud in 2002. Its top management was accused of misusing the company’s loan system and misrepresenting the company’s financial status. The first thing the company did in its effort to transformation is the replacement of executive position. The entire corporate management team needed to be changed. They established new systems, hired new talent, and set a new strategic direction for the company. The company followed the highest standards of business practices and ethics, which made it easier to recruit high-quality talent. Many of the former board members had had strong financial, rather than operational, backgrounds. There weren’t clear delineations between finance and operations management. as a part of the restructuring process the audit function reports directly to the board’s audit committee rather than to the CFO; utilizes a more formalized risk-based planning process; and leverages rigorous audit techniques to better monitor internal controls, the integrity of the company’s financial information, and compliance with company policies and procedures. With a mix of board members who have run large public and private organizations, and who have financial and accounting expertise, today the company have a stronger orientation toward operations and toward a philosophy of controllership and accountability.

ECONOMIC FORECASTING AT Bank OF GREEN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ECONOMIC FORECASTING AT Bank OF GREEN - Essay Example The bank Federal Reserve should make sure that the interest rate is maintained at an affordable rate in order to avoid inflation (The Federal Reserve 4). As a result, the investors will not only be able to borrow and expand their investment portfolio but also they will have confidence in the value of their pensions. The increase in the level of investment will ultimately create job opportunities for the household thus raising the income as well as the consumer spending (Jodi 3). As time goes by, the economy will be back in track leading to a raise in the level of consumer confidence. On its part, the Bank of Green should ensure that it emulates appropriate changes on the products and services they are offering. For example, the bank should ensure that the products can be easily changed into liquid at a faster rate. In this way, the consumer will have adequate money at their disposal thus ensuring they easily access other products and services provided by the economy. The bank should also emulate extensive marketing of the products as a way of creating strong customer

Theories of Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theories of Motivation - Essay Example The fifth level is of self actualization. Self actualization consists of fulfillment of goals and creativity. Need for fulfillment of goals is because one has this, he or she gains the desire to fully realize his or herself and become the best he or she is capable of becoming. the creativity part is needed for one to be creative about something then through this he or she gets dedicated and faces challenges which he or she enjoy and after accomplishing the results, he or she feels very enthusiastic about the deed and this motivates them1. Next is level four of needs which is on self esteem. Under self esteem, there is self respect and acceptance and brain power. Self respect and acceptance is all about prestige, reputation and recognition from others. This contains the desire of wanting to feel important, strong and significant and once one accepts him or herself the way they are, they tend to proud to stand with other people proudly. Brainpower is all about one displaying his or her talents and skills. With this, one gets attention from others which he or she appreciates as well as gaining self confidence2. Level three is on Love and Relationships which is inclusive of communication and response as well as validation. Communication and response is about having the desire to be loved and to love as well as have a sense of affection and belonging. Through this, one is able to communicate his or her inner feelings on love and affection to the party concerned. Validation is about joining various clubs and groups, being able to talk to others, contributing to society, marrying and having a family. With this, one is able to live life fully with family and friends and have a very satisfying life. Level two is family and work. Under this lies a social safety and security and survival skill. Social safety and security is all about the need to be safe from physical and psychological harm in ones daily life. When one is assured of his or her present safety, they will alw ays have trust in a safe future3. Survival skills are about working , saving for the future, improving skills and talents and wanting to be organized world. When one thinks about his or her future he or she gains the motivation to work very hard in life. Level one is all about one’s body. Under the body there is physical safety and survival skills again4. Physical safety and security is all about the need and enthusiasm one has of staying alive. This includes ensuring one has enough food, air and water to survive. About the survival skills it is all about eating, sleeping, taking care of bodily needs and being free from pain. The basis and value of this theory in understanding human motivation is the fact that human beings have lower needs as well that need to be satisfied in order to be whole as humans. â€Å"In this manner, Maslow's model indicates that fundamental, lower-order needs like safety and physiological requirements have to be satisfied in order to pursue higher- level motivators along the lines of self-fulfillment. As depicted in the following hierarchical diagram, sometimes called 'Maslow's Needs Pyramid' or 'Maslow's Needs Triangle', after a need is satisfied it stops acting as a motivator and the next need one rank higher starts to motivate†

Any artist from United Arab Emirats Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Any artist from United Arab Emirats - Essay Example Hussain El Jassmi’s music career began early in his childhood having had the chance to perform UAE television when he was just seven years old. His music style and voice, which was full of warmth compassion, and tenderness, even at such an age, drew attracted attention from everyone who has a chance to listen to him. The pure inborn talent that attracted one of the biggest production companies, the Rotana Cooperation, to sign him culminating in his first album in 2002 which consisted of singles like Al Kibr Lil, Azibtny, Bawadak, El Tarf, Kan Zial, Min Gabrkm, Qasd, Safr and Ya Elmhbin. Hussein Al Jassmi and the Rotana Cooperation has since 2013, terminated their contract after the production company and the singer had a disagreement over a number of singles that the singer sold to some radio stations without consent from the production company. Hussain El Jassmi’s love for music does not end with music production; he has also taken part in production of soundtracks for TV series in addition to performing in a number of festivals such as Dubai Festival, Salalah Festival in Oman, and Hala Febrayer Festival in Kuwait. Lovers of his music are attracted to his songs due to Hussain El Jassmi’s choice of words, music rhythm, and the general composition of his songs that introduced him as unique and new in the Middle East world of singing and art. When the popular TV series, X-factor came to the Arab world Hussain Al Jassmi was selected as one of the judges in the show. As one of the most popular musicians from the United Arab Emirates, Hussain Al Jassmi rose to fame in the local and regional music industry after the release of his first single Bawada'ak, which became an instant hit, played in radio and television. After the success of Bawada'ak, Hussain Al Jassmi went on to release a new single called Wallah Mayiswa, which further propelled him into the Middle East music charts as one of the most talented artists in addition to selling thousands of copies of the song. Hussain Al Jassmi’s rise in the Middle East music industry was capped with a best Arabic male singer award during the 2008 Murex d'Or award ceremony. After the first album, Husain Al Jassmi released another album in 2004 that included songs such as, Aaly Al Mostawa, Al Ray Wa Al Theeb, Al Shaky, Baasy, Bekaitek, and Betshabeh Aalayya. His 2006 album included songs like Akkidili, Al Habeeb, Al Khiyana, Balligh Habeebak, Saber, Wesk Hal, and Ya Khafeef Al Roh. These songs plus other singles has continued to be popular in the Middle East as seen from the millions of copies that the singer has sold. Since the release of his first album Qasid in 2002, Hussain Al Jassmi has taken part in other major events both in the Middle East and throughout the world. Al Jassmi has engaged in charity work especially as the IIMSAM`s Goodwill Ambassador for third world countries to tackle malnutrition in developing countries. In his work as the goodwill ambassador for IIMSA M, Al Jassmi joined a number of other high-profile individuals who have been recognized for their contributions toward the needy in the international community including US President Barrack Obama, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and Argentinean soccer legend Diego Maradona. On May 2012, took part in an advocacy campaign for the needy in the North African Region and GCC on behalf of IIMSAM. All the proceeds generated from his concerts

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Ethics - Essay Example In Michael Pollan’s essay, he protested against the ill treatment of animals when they are slaughtered for us to eat. He protested against suffering albeit it is not about human suffering but of animal suffering. Nevertheless, both protested against something, Martin Luther King, a legendary civil rights leader that helped end the discrimination against the Negro while Michael Pollan is a reputable animal rights activist known for his advocacy for animal rights and against artificial method of growing agriculture. In protesting against animal cruelty and suffering, Pollan used the rhetorical technique of personification and analogy to be able to reason in behalf of animals whose suffering he intends to mitigate if not end. Personification is a rhetorical technique of giving objects or animals human-like attribute and qualities. He also used analogy, which is a rhetorical technique used to compare and reason similar instances. These devices of using personification and analogy are necessary for Pollan to use for him to elevate his subject (which are animals) to the province of human beings so that he can effectively argue for them. Martin Luther King on the other hand used a different rhetorical technique due to the nature of his letter which was an open letter by nature (it was addressed to clergymen, plural) to be read by anyone of his constituents and not expecting for a formal reply because he was coming from jail and was addressed to a lot of people. Thu Martin Luther King used rhetorical question/remarks in his letter whereby he posed a lot of questions in his call to action for the Negro to continue to assert through non-violent means to end segregation, discrimination and injustice. Thus his letter was peppered with rhetorical questions and remarks which numbered more than 28. Some of these rhetorical questions read as such; "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic s eparation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? One many think that these rhetorical technique is inflammatory that borders to anger. But it has to be noted to put the letter in proper perspective that such letter is Martin Luther King’s call to action. In a way his way to vent his frustration over the inaction of the church and the Negroes but was not said in anger as he clarifies in the letter â€Å"In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. There can be no deep disappointment where there in not deep love†. It is difficult to compare to the same level Pollan’s advocacy for animals with King’s civil rights movement. King was virtually upholding human dignity for the Negro to be treated as human beings while Pollan’s argument almost called for animals to be treated with relative dignity as he asserted for ending their suffering and

The history and development of television Essay

The history and development of television - Essay Example The word television was coined by a Russian scientist Constantin Perskyi in a paper he presented at the International Electricity Congress at the International World Fair in Paris on August 25, 1900. Even before that, Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, a German student, had patented the first television in 1884. It was a electromechanical device based on the photoconductivity of the element Selenium and Nipkow’s spinning disk with a series of holes of equal diameter drilled into it at equal distances. In the camera unit, as the disk spun in front of the object, each hole produced a scan line which was captured by a light detecting device behind it. The scan line was transmitted by radio wave to the reproducer or receiving unit. This basic television and other refinements that came after it were however restricted to transmission of still images and silhouettes. It was only on October 2, 1925 that the Scottish scientist John Logie Baird, who took the lead in development of the electromechan ical television, achieved live transmission of moving half-tone images in his laboratory. Baird’s endeavour took the electromechanical television through a continuous phase of technical development ranging from the first transatlantic transmission between London and New York by his company in 1928, the first transmission between shore to ship, demonstratin of the first electromechanical colour, infrared and stereoscopic television to the first live transmission, of the Epson Derby in 1931 and demonstration of the ultra short-wave television in 1932.

U05a1 Project Annotated Outline and Bibliography Essay - 1

U05a1 Project Annotated Outline and Bibliography - Essay Example 2. As explained by Beta – Research School for Operations Managements and logistics, â€Å"In the healthcare domain, explicit process specifications are often missing or not followed in practice. Research in process mining shows how specifications can be constructed from historic logs and conformance of practice to specifications can be analyzed. Process patterns play a role as abstract building blocks for processes, including the role of human performance aspects in process execution† (BETA). The above link is to the blog that relates to the several worker compensation articles and the article in this blog provides a clear insight into the issues that Tufts Medical Centre had been faced with for the lack of health and safety of the employees within the organization. This will form the base of the study and will bring out the basic reasons for the issue within the organization. This is an excellent article that has been provided and is one which provides excellent information and techniques for the operations management of the health care. This article also provides a clear insight into the long period of unnecessary treatment that a few patients need to go through and how the patients feel the issues due to the operational management lack in the organizations. This book provides excellent operation management and strategic implementation of the various tools and techniques that deal with the improvement of quality. The book is very effective and efficient as it provides an insight into the operations and also provides information relating to the improvement of the health care industry and the organizations. This website provides details of the organization in question and provides a clear insight into the world of Tuft Medical Center. The information from this website has been used to provide a clear understanding of the organization in focus. This forms a base for the paper and is an essential element of the

Teen Pregnancy Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teen Pregnancy - Research Proposal Example This group has a prevalence rate of 8 % compared to 2.2% of 15-17 year old teenage girls. Ten to fourteen years old girls have the lowest rate of pregnancy in the United States of about 0.7 births per 1000 girls. Kelly (2000, p 27) Sociologists and health researchers attribute various factors to the high rate of teenage pregnancies. From the sociologists’ point of view, peer pressure, poverty, the environment in which children are brought up in addition to family structure as some of the major factors that have contributed to increase in the rate of teenage pregnancies (East & Felice 1996). Farber (2003, p 69) noted that teenagers are most vulnerable group to succumb to influence from the media and fellow colleagues to engage in risky sexual behavior that often results to teenage pregnancies. Moreover, children brought up in poor and insecure environments are usually vulnerable to sexual abuse or lack of information about safe sex (Farber, 2003). Lack of adequate information a bout use contraceptives is another major factor that contributes to high rate of teenage pregnancy in developed countries. A study conducted by East and Felice (1996 pp79-86) established that over 50% of pregnant teenage girls used some form of contraceptives.

African American Culture Essay Example for Free

African American Culture Essay Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana. African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of African Americans desire to practice their own traditions, as well as the persistence of racial segregation in America. Consequently African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct culture apart from it. History From the earliest days of slavery, slave owners sought to exercise control over their slaves by attempting to strip them of their African culture. The physical isolation and societal marginalization of African slaves and, later, of their free progeny, however, actually facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans in the New World generally, and in the U. S. in particular. Slave owners deliberately tried to repress political organization in order to deal with the many slave rebellions that took place in the southern United States, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dutch Guyanas. African cultures,slavery,slave rebellions,and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. Oral tradition Slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African Americans because they believed it might lead to revolts or escape plans. Hence, African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, morals, and other cultural information among the people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many African and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African American folktales include trickster tales of Brer Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry. The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate the complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Characteristics of the African American oral tradition present themselves in a number of forms. African American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of the subject is carried through the speakers tone, volume, and movement, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. Often song, dance, verse and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Techniques such as call-and-response are used to bring the audience into the presentation. In direct contrast to recent tradition in other American and Western cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. Spoken word is another example of how the African American oral tradition influences modern American popular culture. Spoken word artists employ the same techniques as African American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980s and beyond has been seen as an extension of oral culture. Harlem Renaissance [pic] Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Main article: Harlem Renaissance The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the United Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Nation of Islam, a notable Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. African American cultural movement The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement. The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African American or Black Arts Movement. The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (Young, Gifted and Black) and The Impressions (Keep On Pushin), as well as the poetry, fine arts and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later became known as Haki Madhubuti; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka; and Sonia Sanchez. Other influential writers were Ed Bullins, Dudley Randall, Mari Evans, June Jordan, Larry Neal and Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Another major aspect of the African American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic, a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Negritude among the artistic and literary circles in the U. S. , Caribbean and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that black is beautiful. During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in, and an embrace of, elements of African culture within African American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles, such as the afro, and African clothing, such as the dashiki, gained popularity. More importantly, the African American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music [pic] Men playing the djembe, a traditional West African drum adopted into African American and American culture. The bags and the clothing of the man on the right are printed with traditional kente cloth patterns. African American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in the Western, Sahelean, and Sub-Saharan regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African American music is evident in some common elements: call and response, syncopation, percussion, improvisation, swung notes, blue notes, the use of falsetto, melisma, and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals. Many African Americans sing Lift Evry Voice and Sing in addition to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the Negro National Anthem by the NAACP in 1919. African American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. Lift Evry Voice and Sing traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, The Star-Spangled Banner at events hosted by African American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 1800s, as the result of the blackface minstrel show, African American music entered mainstream American society. By the early twentieth century, several musical forms with origins in the African American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime, jazz, blues, and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African American Broadway shows, films such as King Vidors Hallelujah! and operas such as George Gershwins Porgy and Bess. Rock and roll, doo wop, soul, and R;B developed in the mid 20th century. These genres became very popular in white audiences and were influences for other genres such as surf. The dozens, an urban African American tradition of using rhyming slang to put down your enemies (or friends) developed through the smart-ass street jive of the early Seventies into a new form of music. In the South Bronx, the half speaking, half singing rhythmic street talk of rapping grew into the hugely successful cultural force known as Hip Hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement. However, it is still important to many African Americans. The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing and go go. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups. Dance [pic] The Cakewalk was the first African American dance to gain widespread popularity in the United States. [pic] African American dance, like other aspects of African American culture, finds its earliest roots in the dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up African slaves in the Americas as well as influences from European sources in the United States. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both every day life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down, ring shouts, and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In the 1800s, African American dance began to appear in minstrel shows. These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African American dance to become popular with White dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and the Jitterbug. During the Harlem Renaissance, all African American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African American dancers. African American dance forms such as tap, a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading White choreographers who often hired African American dancers. Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre. Art [pic] Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859-1937 From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the twentieth century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 1800s, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee’s Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African American quilts with a geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art. After the American Civil War, museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice. To increase the visibility of their work, many African American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that more whites began to pay attention to African American art in America. [pic] Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. During the 1920s, artists such as Raymond Barthe, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and photographer James Van Der Zee became well known for their work. During the Great Depression, new opportunities arose for these and other African American artists under the WPA. In later years, other programs and institutions, such as the New York City-based Harmon Foundation, helped to foster African American artistic talent. Augusta Savage, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and others exhibited in museums and juried art shows, and built reputations and followings for themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few widely accepted African American artists. Despite this, The Highwaymen, a loose association of 27 African American artists from Ft. Pierce, Florida, created idyllic, quickly realized images of the Florida landscape and peddled some 50,000 of them from the trunks of their cars. They sold their art directly to the public rather than through galleries and art agents, thus receiving the name The Highwaymen. Rediscovered in the mid-1990s, today they are recognized as an important part of American folk history. Their artwork is widely collected by enthusiasts and original pieces can easily fetch thousands of dollars in auctions and sales. The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was another period of resurgent interest in African American art. During this period, several African-American artists gained national prominence, among them Lou Stovall, Ed Love, Charles White, and Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson and a group of African-American artists formed the Afrocentric collective AFRICOBRA, which remains in existence today. The sculptor Martin Puryear, whose work has been acclaimed for years, is being honored with a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting November 2007. Notable contemporary African American artists include David Hammons, Eugene J. Martin, Charles Tolliver, and Kara Walker. Literature [pic] Langston Hughes, a notable African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature has its roots in the oral traditions of African slaves in America. The slaves used stories and fables in much the same way as they used music. These stories influenced the earliest African American writers and poets in the 18thcentury such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. These authors reached early high points by telling slave narratives. During the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance, numerous authors and poets, such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington, grappled with how to respond to discrimination in America. Authors during the Civil Rights era, such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation, oppression and other aspects of African American life. This tradition continues today with authors who have been accepted as an integral part of American literature, with works such as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Beloved by Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, and series by Octavia Butler and Walter Mosley that have achieved both best-selling and/or award-winning status. Museums The African American Museum Movement emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to preserve the heritage of the African American experience and to ensure its proper interpretation in American history. Museums devoted to African American history are found in many African American neighborhoods. Institutions such as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland were created by African Americans to teach and investigate cultural history that, until recent decades was primarily preserved trough oral traditions. Language Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti,and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language closely associated with the speech of but not exclusive to African Americans. While AAVE is academically considered a legitimate dialect because of its logical structure, some of both Caucasians and African Americans consider it slang or the result of a poor command of Standard American English. Inner city African American children who are isolated by speaking only AAVE have more difficulty with standardized testing and, after school, moving to the mainstream world for work. It is common for many speakers of AAVE to code switch between AAVE and Standard American English depending on the setting. Fashion and aesthetics [pic] A man weaving kente cloth in Ghana. Attire The cultural explosion of the 1960s saw the incorporation of surviving cultural dress with elements from modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. Kente cloth is the best known African textile. These festive woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and cademic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Another common aspect of fashion in African American culture involves the appropriate dress for worship in the Black church. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African Americ an women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, very woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head , has led to the tradition of wearing elaborate Sunday hats, sometimes known as crowns. Hair Hair styling in African American culture is greatly varied. African American hair is typically composed of tightly coiled curls. The predominant styles for women involve the straightening of the hair through the application of heat or chemical processes. These treatments form the base for the most commonly socially acceptable hairstyles in the United States. Alternatively, the predominant and most socially acceptable practice for men is to leave ones hair natural. Often, as men age and begin to lose their hair, the hair is either closely cropped, or the head is shaved completely free of hair. However, since the 1960s, natural hairstyles, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks, have been growing in popularity. Although the association with radical political movements and their vast difference from mainstream Western hairstyles, the styles have not yet attained widespread social acceptance. Maintaining facial hair is more prevalent among African American men than in other male populations in the U. S. In fact, the soul patch is so named because African American men, particularly jazz musicians, popularized the style. The preference for facial hair among African American men is due partly to personal taste, but because they are more prone than other ethnic groups to develop a condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly referred to as razor bumps, many prefer not to shave. Body image The European aesthetic and attendant mainstream concepts of beauty are often at odds with the African body form. Because of this, African American women often find themselves under pressure to conform to European standards of beauty. Still, there are individuals and groups who are working towards raising the standing of the African aesthetic among African Americans and internationally as well. This includes efforts toward promoting as models those with clearly defined African features; the mainstreaming of natural hairstyles; and, in women, fuller, more voluptuous body types. Religion While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. Christianity [pic] A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred tocollectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church. African American churches taught that all people were equal in Gods eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to ones master taught in white churches as hypocritical. Instead the African American church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized African American denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. An African American church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly African American churches exist as members of predominantly white denominations. African American churches have served to provide African American people with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society. Because of this, African American pastors became the bridge between the African American and European American communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Like many Christians, African American Christians sometimes participate in or attend a Christmas play. Black Nativity by Langston Hughes is a re-telling of the classic Nativity story with gospel music. Productions can be found a African American theaters and churches all over the country. Islam [pic] A member of the Nation of Islam selling merchandise on a city street corner. Despite the popular assumption that the Nation represents all or most African American Muslims, less than 2% are members. Generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa due to its peaceful introduction via the lucrative trans-Saharan trade between prominent tribes in the southern Sahara and the Berbers to the North. In his attesting to this fact the West African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop explained: The primary reason for the success of Islam in Black Africa onsequently stems from the fact that it was propagated peacefully at first by solitary Arabo-Berber travelers to certain Black kings and notables, who then spread it about them to those under their jurisdiction Many first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. Slaves were either forcibly converted to Christianity as was the case in the Catholic lands or were besieged with gross inconviences to their religious practice su ch as in the case of the Protestant American mainland. In the decades after slavery and particularly during the depression era, Islam reemerged in the form of highly visible and sometimes controversial heterodox movements in the African American community. The first of these of note was the Moorish Science Temple of America, founded by Noble Drew Ali. Ali had a profound influence on Wallace Fard, who later founded the Black nationalist Nation of Islam in 1930. Elijah Muhammad became head of the organization in 1934. Much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1964, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows that 30% of Sunni Mosque attendees are African Americans. African American orthodox Muslims are often the victims of stereotypes, most notably the assumption that an African American Muslim is a member of the Nation of Islam. They are often viewed by the uneducated African-American community in general as less authentic than Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia while credibility is less of an issue with immigrant Muslims and Muslim world in general. Other religions Aside from Christianity and Islam, there are also African Americans who follow Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of other religions. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a collection of African American Jewish religious organizations. Among their varied teachings, they often include that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Hebrews (sometimes with the paradoxical claim that the Jewish people are not). There is a small but growing number of African Americans who participate in African traditional religions, such as Vodou and Santeria or Ifa and diasporic traditions like Rastafarianism. Many of them are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean and South America, where these are practiced. Because of religious practices, such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer common among American religions and are often legally prohibited, these groups may be viewed negatively and are sometimes the victims of harassment. Life events For most African Americans, the observance of life events follows the pattern of mainstream American culture. There are some traditions which are unique to African Americans. Some African Americans have created new rites of passage that are linked to African traditions. Pre-teen and teenage boys and girls take classes to prepare them for adulthood. They are typically taught spirituality, responsibility, and leadership. Most of these programs are modeled after traditional African ceremonies, with the focus largely on embracing African ideologies rather than specific rituals. To this day, some African American couples choose to jump the broom as a part of their wedding ceremony. Although the practice, which can be traced back to Ghana, fell out of favor in the African American community after the end of slavery, it has experienced a slight resurgence in recent years as some couples seek to reaffirm their African heritage. Funeral traditions tend to vary based on a number of factors, including religion and location, but there are a number of commonalities. Probably the most important part of death and dying in the African American culture is the gathering of family and friends. Either in the last days before death or shortly after death, typically any friends and family members that can be reached are notified. This gathering helps to provide spiritual and emotional support, as well as assistance in making decisions and accomplishing everyday tasks. The spirituality of death is very important in African American culture. A member of the clergy or members of the religious community, or both, are typically present with the family through the entire process. Death is often viewed as transitory rather than final. Many services are called homegoings, instead of funerals, based on the belief that the person is going home to the afterlife. The entire end of life process is generally treated as a celebration of life rather than a mourning of loss. This is most notably demonstrated in the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition where upbeat music, dancing, and food encourage those gathered to be happy and celebrate the homegoing of a beloved friend. Cuisine [pic] A traditional soul food dinner consisting of fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African influences. African American foods reflect creative esponses to racial and economic oppression and poverty. Under slavery, African Americans were not allowed to eat better cuts of meat, and after emancipation many often were too poor to afford them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South (but also common to African Americans nationwide), makes creative use of inexpensive products procured through farming and subsistence hunting and fishing. Pig intestines are boiled and sometimes battered and fried to make chitterlings, also known as chitlins. Ham hocks and neck bones provide seasoning to soups, beans and boiled greens (turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens). Other common foods, such as fried chicken and fish, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and hoppin john (black-eyed peas and rice) are prepared simply. When the African American population was considerably more rural than it generally is today, rabbit, possum, squirrel, and waterfowl were important additions to the diet. Many of these food traditions are especially predominant in many parts of the rural South. Traditionally prepared soul food is often high in fat, sodium and starch. Highly suited to the physically demanding lives of laborers, farmhands and rural lifestyles generally, it is now a contributing factor to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in a population that has become increasingly more urban and sedentary. As a result, more health-conscious African-Americans are using alternative methods of preparation, eschewing trans fats in favor of natural vegetable oils and substituting smoked turkey for fatback and other, cured pork products; limiting the amount of refined sugar in desserts; and emphasizing the consumption of more fruits and vegetables than animal protein. There is some resistance to such changes, however, as they involve deviating from long culinary tradition. Holidays and observances [pic] A woman wearing traditional West African clothing lighting the candles on a kinara for a Kwanzaa celebration. As with other American racial and ethnic groups, African Americans observe ethnic holidays alongside traditional American holidays. Holidays observed in African American culture are not only observed by African Americans. The birthday of noted American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr has been observed nationally since 1983. It is one of three federal holidays named for an individual. Black History Month is another example of another African American observance that has been adopted nationally. Black History Month is an attempt to focus attention on previously neglected aspects of the African American experience. It is observed during the month of February to coincide with the founding of the NAACP and the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, a prominent African American abolitionist, and Abraham Lincoln, the United States president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Less widely observed outside of the African American community is Emancipation Day. The nature and timing of the celebration vary regionally. It is most widely observed as Juneteenth, in recognition of the official reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Texas. Another holiday not widely observed outside of the African American community is the birthday of Malcolm X. The day is observed on May 19 in American cities with a significant African American population, including Washington, D. C.. One of the most noted African American holidays is Kwanzaa. Like Emancipation Day, it is not widely observed outside of the African American community, although it is growing in popularity within the community. African American scholar and activist Maulana Ron Karenga invented the festival of Kwanzaa in 1966, as an alternative to the increasing commercialization of Christmas. Derived from the harvest rituals of Africans, Kwanzaa is observed each year from December 26 through January 1. Participants in Kwanzaa celebrations affirm their African heritage and the importance of family and community by drinking from a unity cup; lighting red, black, and green candles; exchanging heritage symbols, such as African art; and recounting the lives of people who struggled for African and African American freedom. Names African American names are often drawn from the same language groups as other popular names found in the United States. The practice of adopting neo-African or Islamic names did not gain popularity until the late Civil Rights era. Efforts to recover African heritage inspired selection of names with deeper cultural significance. Prior to this, using African names was not practical for two reasons. First, many African Americans were several generations removed from the last ancestor to have an African name since slaves were often given European names. Second, a traditional American name helps an individual fit into American society. Another African American naming practice that predates the use of African names is the use of made-up names. In an attempt to create their own identity, growing numbers of African American parents, starting in the post-World War II era, began creating new names based on sounds they found pleasing such as Marquon, DaShawn, LaTasha, or Shandra. Family When slavery was practiced in the United States, it was common for families to be separated through sale. Even during slavery, however, African American families managed to maintain strong familial bonds. Free, African men and women, who managed to buy their own freedom by being hired out, who were emancipated, or who had escaped their masters, often worked long and hard to buy the members of their families who remained in bondage and send for them. Others, separated from blood kin, formed close bonds comprised of fictive kin; play relations, play aunts, cousins and the like. This practice, perhaps a holdover from African tradition, survived Emancipation, with non-blood family friends commonly accorded the status and titles of blood relations. This broader, more African concept of what constitutes family and community, and the deeply rooted respect for elders that is part of African traditional societies may be the genesis of the common use of the terms like aunt, uncle, brother, sister, Mother and Mama when addressing other African American people, some of whom may be complete strangers. Or, it could have arisen in the Christian church as a way of greeting fellow congregants and believers. Immediately after slavery, African American families struggled to reunite and rebuild what had been taken. As late as 1960, 78% of African American families were headed by married couples. This number steadily declined over the latter half of the 20th century. A number of factors, including attitudes towards education, gender roles, and poverty have created a situation where, for the first time since slavery, a majority of African American children live in a household with only one parent, typically the mother. These figures appear to indicate a weak African American nuclear family structure, especially within a large patriarchal society. This apparent weakness is balanced by mutual aid systems established by extended family members to provide emotional and economic support. Older family members pass on social and cultural traditions such as religion and manners to younger family members. In turn, the older family members are cared for by younger family members when they are unable to care for themselves. These relationships exist at all economic levels in the African American community, providing strength and support both to the African American family and the community. Politics and social issues Since the passing of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans are voting and being elected to public office in increasing numbers. As of January 2001 there were 9,101 African American elected officials in America. African Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic. Only 11% of African Americans voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential Election. Social issues such as racial profiling, the racial disparity in sentencing, higher rates of poverty, institutional racism, and lower access to health care are important to the African American community. While the divide on racial and fiscal issues has remained consistently wide for decades, seemingly indicating a wide social divide, African Americans tend to hold the same optimism and concern for America as Whites. In the case of many moral issues such as religion, and family values, African Americans tend to be more conservative than Whites. Another area where African Americans outstrip Whites in their conservatism is on the issue of homosexuality. Prominent leaders in the Black church have demonstrated against gay rights issues such as gay marriage. There are those within the community who take a more inclusive position most notably, the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Al Sharpton, who, when asked in 2003 whether he supported gay marriage, replied that he might as well have been asked if he supported black marriage or white marriage. Neighborhoods African American neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. The formation of African American neighborhoods is closely linked to the history of segregation in the United States, either through formal laws, or as a product of social norms. Despite this, African American neighborhoods have played an important role in the development of nearly all aspects of both African American culture and broader American culture. Due to segregated conditions and widespread poverty some African American neighborhoods in the United States have been called ghettos. The use of this term is controversial and, depending on the context, potentially offensive. Despite mainstream America’s use of the term ghetto to signify a poor urban area populated by ethnic minorities, those living in the area often used it to signify something positive. The African American ghettos did not always contain dilapidated houses and deteriorating projects, nor were all of its residents poverty-stricken. For many African Americans, the ghetto was home a place representing authentic blackness and a feeling, passion, or emotion derived from the rising above the struggle and suffering of being of African descent in America. Langston Hughes relays in the Negro Ghetto (1931) and The Heart of Harlem (1945): The buildings in Harlem are brick and stone/And the streets are long and wide,/But Harlem’s much more than these alone,/Harlem is what’s inside. Playwright August Wilson used the term ghetto in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984) and Fences (1987), both of which draw upon the author’s experience growing up in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, an African American ghetto. Although African American neighborhoods may suffer from civic disinvestment, with lower quality schools, less effective policing and fire protection. Th ere are institutions such as churches and museums and political organizations that help to improve the physical and social capital of African American neighborhoods. In African American neighborhoods the churches may be important sources of social cohesion. For some African Americans the kind spirituality learned through these churches works as a protective factor against the corrosive forces of racism. Museums devoted to African American history are also found in many African American neighborhoods. Many African American neighborhoods are located in inner cities, These are the mostly residential neighborhoods located closest to the central business district. The built environment is often row houses or brownstones, mixed with older single family homes that may be converted to multi family homes. In some areas there are larger apartment buildings. Shotgun houses are an important part of the built environment of some southern African American neighborhoods. The houses consist of three to five rooms in a row with no hallways. This African American house design is found in both rural and urban southern areas, mainly in African-American communities and neighborhoods.

Brain Development Essay Example for Free

Brain Development Essay At birth there are about 100 billion brain cells produced and they are beginning to connect with each other. At the first week of age, brain development starts with conception. It is important to reach the age of an infant and practice the ten principals. In the early years, young brains produce almost twice as many synapses as they will need. By age two, the number of synapses a toddler has is similar to that of an adult. By three the child has twice as many synapses as an adult. The infant brain develops through the interaction with the world around, especially the interaction with adults. At the first few months, an infant cannot response to praise or punishment. Emerging research on brain development indicates that the degree for responsive care giving that children receive as infants and toddlers positively affects the connections between neurons in the brain (Brain Cells), and the architecture of the brain itself. The first three years of life are the period of growth in all areas of a baby’s development. Consistent, responsive relationships enable infants and toddlers to develop secure attachments. Infants and Toddlers develop knowing and understanding by perceiving experiences directly with the senses. For infants to acquire the ability to comprehend this sensory information they must b able to distinguish between the familiar and the unknown; later they will begin to consider, to formulate, and to form mental images in this process of experiencing and clarifying the environment. Infants begin by exploring the world with their bodies. They internalize what they take in through their senses and display it in their physical movements. Infants gather vital information through such simple acts as mouthing, grasping, and reaching. The knowing process also involves language abilities. As young children use their senses to experience the world, they need labels to categorize and remember these experiences. By creating these labels, children increase their ability to communicate and begin to control their own behavior. These expanded abilities give young children additional opportunities to understand the world (Infant, Toddlers, and Caregiver Ninth Edition). Recent brain research supports the goal of building a total person instead of concentrating on cognitive development alone. Providing a rich environment with interesting things to do is desirable and stimulates cognitive development. But that does not work without working on physical, social, and emotional development at the same time. What make differences are the day-to-day living, the relationships, the experiences, the diapering, the feedings, the toilet training, and the free play and exploration that contribute to intellectual development. Early experiences matter, and shape brain architecture. Advances in brain research have provided great insight into how young children’s experiences have profound impact on genetic predispositions and thereby share the processes that determine whether their brains will have adaptations or maladaptations for later learning, memory, reasoning, executive functioning, expressing a full range of positive and negative emotions, socialization, behavior control and lifelong health. The thrust of this element is to close the gap between what we have learned and what we do with infants and toddlers. Experiences that prepare the developing brain to function optimally include having warm, nurturing, attentive social interactions and conscientiously buffering young children from the adverse impact of toxic stress. Lack of these kinds of experiences can have devastating, long-term effects on brain development including cognitive functioning and social-emotional competencies. For example, unpredictable or chaotic routines or lack of consistent caregivers may jeopardize children’s foundation for identity development or self regulation, or few language experiences, toys, and opportunities to explore impede the development of neural connections and pathways that facilitate learning (Essential elements of Quality-Infant-toddler Program). To deliver high quality care giving, adults need to understand and recognize key developmental processes that help them understand and support infants and toddlers. Since this essential element explicitly identifies knowledge about key developmental processes threats to them as a factor in quality infant-toddler program, three terms are defined as important pieces of a wider knowledge base about brain development that informs practice: serve and return, executive functioning and toxic stress. Serve and return is the interaction between young children and their parents and caregiver is a key to healthy brain development. It helps to create neural connections that build later cognitive and emotional skills. Executive functioning represents the cognitive skills that enable a child to focus on, hold, and think about information, filter distractions; and divert their attention to something new. The foundation for executive functioning is laid in infancy and is facilitated through early experiences. Acquiring the early building blocks of (executive functioning) skills is one of the most important and challenging tasks of the early childhood years. Toxic stress is defined as strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity without adequate adult support. Toxic stress disrupts brain development. While some experience with manageable stress is important for healthy development, prolonged, uninterrupted, overwhelming stress; toxic stress without the buffering relationships a child needs, can result in damaged, weakened systems and brain architecture that can have negative long-term effect (Essential Elements of Quality-Infant-Toddler Program). Environments make a difference in brain development. Environments that provide proper nutrition and regularly scheduled periods of sleep and physical activity consistently promote warm, nurturing, attentive social interaction; and conscientiously buffer young children from the adverse impacts of toxic stress. Lack of adequate nutrition, physical activity, appropriate sensory stimulation or social-emotional developmental experiences disrupt brain architecture and can have a decisively negative Impact on future development (Essential Elements of Quality-Infant-Toddler Program). Finding about the impact of early experiences on brain development highlight the importance of intervening early with highly stressed infants and toddlers and their families. Infants and children who are rarely spoken to, who are exposed to few toys, and who have little opportunity to explore and experiment with their environment may fail to fully develop the neural connections and path ways that facilitate later learning. Despite their normal genetic endowment, these children are at a significant intellectual disadvantage and are likely to require costly special education or other remedial services when they enter school. Fortunately, intervention programs that start working with children and their families at birth or even prenatally can help prevent this tragic loss of potential. While high-quality infant and toddler programs are not necessarily intervention programs. When caregiver and parenting practices are grounded in knowledge of early brain development, caregivers and parents are much more effective in providing experiences that facilitate optimal development including strong brain architecture (Essential element of Quality-Infant-Toddler Program).

Investigating the Factors influencing employee engagement

Investigating the Factors influencing employee engagement In today economic downturn situation, organization started to look into its people asset internal employee so that they can utilize the human asset to sustain the competitiveness in the industry. Employees who are engaged in their work and committed to their organizations give companies crucial competitive advantages including higher productivity and lower employee turnover (Robert, 2006). In addition, engaged employees may be more likely to commit to staying with their current organization (Ramsay Finney, 2006). Software giant Intuit, for example, found that highly engaged employees are 1.3 times more likely to be high performers than less engaged employees. They are also five times less likely to voluntarily leave the company (Ramsay Finney, 2006). Thus, it is not surprising that organizations of all sizes and types have invested substantially in policies and practices that foster engagement and commitment in their workforces (Robert, 2006). Indeed, in identifying the three best measures of a companys health, business consultant and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch recently cited employee engagement first, with customer satisfaction and free cash flow coming in second and third, respectively (Welch Welch, 2006) According to (Schaufeli et al. (2002)), work engagement is defined as a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Rather than a momentary and specific state, engagement refers to a more persistent and pervasive affective-cognitive state that is not focused on any particular object, event, individual, or behavior. Vigor is characterized by high levels of energy and mental resilience while working, the willingness to invest effort in ones work, and persistence even in the face of difficulties. Dedication refers to being strongly involved in ones work and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge. Absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated and happily engrossed in ones work, whereby time passes quickly and one has difficulties with detaching oneself from work. Employee engagement has been identified as a critical business driver that has the capability to impact an organizations overall success. Furthermore, engagement when understood and assessed gives organizations tremendous power to positively impact numerous areas of the company. Engagement has the potential to significantly affect employee retention, productivity and loyalty (Corporate Executive Board, 2004). 1.2 Study Background This study focuses on the factors affecting employees engagement in the Saudi National Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). Saudi Aramco is the largest oil producing company in the Middle East and invests hundreds of millions of US dollars to maintain its assets in order to ensure the well being of a reliable energy source for the whole world. Saudi Aramco is a leading player in safety and reliability metrics within oil industry sector, which is firmly rooted as the major venue of wealth in Saudi Arabia and recognized as the sustainable support to the national economy. Saudi Aramco is currently pursuing recent and rapid expansions to meet international energy demands. There are different factors that contribute to the employee engagement and can result in a better engagement and organizational commitment. What are the general factors (quote reference), then state that this study focuses on three factors i.e. PSS, POS Reward. Explain why these three has been chosen. The first factor is perceived organizational support (POS) which is defined as the degree to which employees believe that their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being (Eisenberger, 1986). POS is generally thought to be the organizations contribution to a positive reciprocity dynamic with employees, as employees tend to perform better to pay back POS. Reference A sufficient consideration has been given as to why PSS and POS have both been found to be related to employee engagement. According to organizational support theory, PSS should increase employee engagement by increasing POS. The POS resulting from PSS would strengthen employees felt obligation to help the organization reach its goals and increase affective organizational commitment, with a resultant reduction in turnover and increase in engagement. Reference The second factor is perceived supervisor support (PSS). Just as employees form global perceptions concerning their valuation by the organization, they develop general views concerning the degree to which supervisors value their contributions and care about their well-being (Kottke Sharafinski, 1988). PSS should increase obligations to the supervisor and to the organization. PSS increased extra-role performance beneficial to supervisors, and PSS increased POS, which, in turn, led to greater extra-role performance beneficial to the organization. Concerning employee engagement, when PSS is low, employees would believe that they could deal with the unpleasant situation by switching to a new supervisor or minimizing engagement with the supervisor while continuing to carry out usual job responsibilities. POS would entirely mediate a negative PSS employee engagement relationship. Reference The third factor is rewards and recognition. Having a rewards and recognition program in place lets valued employees know that their contributions are important and their efforts are appreciated. Not only will the employees appreciate it, but customers may appreciate it as well. When employees are happy and satisfied with their work, their attitude will be reflected in the service they provide. When employers go the extra mile to keep employees happy and treat team members well, staff members will often go the extra mile to ensure customers are happy. Treating people well is very often infectious. Reference Kahn (1990) reported that people vary in their engagement as a function of their perceptions of the benefits they receive from a role. Therefore, one might expect that employees will be more likely to engage themselves at work to the extent that they perceive a greater amount of rewards and recognition for their role performances. In another words, while a lack of rewards and recognition can lead to burnout, appropriate recognition and reward is important for engagement. In terms of Social Exchange Theory, when employees receive rewards and recognition from their organization, they will feel obliged to respond with higher levels of engagement (Chapter 2). 1.3 Problem Statement Dramatic changes in the global economy over the past 25 years have had significant implications for commitment and reciprocity between employers and employees and thus for employee engagement. For example, increasing global competition, scarce and costly resources, high labor costs, consumer demands for ever-higher quality and investor pressures for greater returns on equity have prompted organizations to restructure themselves. At some companies, restructuring has meant reductions in staff and in layers of management. A study by YouGovSirajs (2007), the first Gulf People Index, a major employee engagement benchmarking study, designed to help companies improve productivity among staff showed that a fewer than half of Gulf employees think their organization manages to attract the best talent or engage them to perform once they are inside the corporation. Even fewer (just over one third of employees) think their companies are good at holding on to the best talent (YouGovSiraj, 2007). The region also has a weak spot when it comes to companies ability to retain and attract talent. This compounds and confirms the problems surrounding the lack of long-term employee engagement in the Gulf. Only 39% of respondent feel their company manages to keep the best staff. Less than half (47%) believe their organization manages to attract the best talent and manages to engage employees so they perform well (YouGovSiraj, 2007). According to the manager of HR communication department in Saudi Aramco, Mr. Brokaw in 2009, employee engagement is built in Saudi Aramco by giving the employees an opportunity to participate in key decisions, make it easy for all employees to give feedback (good and bad), show how employees feedback is being used, build a feeling of community and involvement, provide up to date information and tools, communicate and reinforce Saudia Aramcos mission and goals, promote employee development programs, communicate and measure employee values and attitudes to promote high performance across Aramco and Recognize good performers. (Halogen software, 2010) reported that Saudi Aramco win employee engagement through a well structured and timed employee orientation and rollout schedule. The above statements requires reference. In the Saudi Aramco, eventhough employee engagement has been recognized for its importance in fostering employee participation, till now there is no any study that examines the employee engagement and the antecedents factors influencing the employee engagement like perceived organizational and supervisor support in this organization. From this point of view, this study aims to examine a three of many factors influencing the employee engagement in one of the largest Saudi organizations which is Sauid Aramco. 1.3 Research Objectives This research will evaluate the current employee engagement and examine which among the variables contributes to employee engagement in Saudi Aramco. Specifically; the objectives of this study are: 1. To examine the extent of employee engagement in Saudi Aramco. 2. To examine the relationship between perceived organization support and employee engagement in Saudi Aramco. 3. To examine the relationship between perceived supervisor support and employee engagement in Saudi Aramco. 4. To examine the relationship between rewards and recognition and employee engagement in Saudi Aramco. 5. To identify which among the three independent variables (perceived organization support, perceived supervisor support, rewards and recognition) is the most important driver relates to employee engagement. 1.4 Research Questions This research will be conducted to find the relationship of the independent variables, which are perceived organization support, perceived supervisor support, rewards and recognition with the dependent variable, which is the employee engagement in Saudi Aramco. The Research questions that this research will try to answer are: 1) What is the level of employee engagement in Saudia Aramco? 2) Does perceived organization support influence the extent of employee engagement in Saudi Aramco? 3) Does perceived supervisor support influence the extent of employee engagement in Saudi Aramco? 4) Do rewards and recognition influence the extent of employee engagement in Saudi Aramco? 5) Which among the three independent variables is the most important driver relates to employee engagement and what are the relationship consequences? Research Significance Theoretical practical significance. The following are practical significance. What is your theortical significance (contribution on the body of knowledge about EE)? The significance of this study can contribute many advantages to many parties such as corporate strategy, business unit level in forming their business strategy and the analytical and empirical researches. This study can provide the management an understanding on which factors that could affect the employee engagement in the context of Saudi Aramco in which ultimately attempting to enhance organization performance and make organization a profitable entity. This research can support different organizational units in correlating employee engagement and performance factors to prove the importance of employee engagement strategy. Researcher hopes that this study will give an idea to the top management of Saudi Aramco on the awareness of employee engagement and also can be useful for them to understand the approaches to be taken in order to enhance the level of its employee engagement. This knowledge is hopefully would be useful as a source of information for the future research regarding this subject. Assumptions This research assumes that Saudi Aramco uses the industry unanimous definition of employee engagement as a standard definition. 1.7 Limitations of the research write in paragraphs This research is limited to one operational unit in Saudi Aramco and will not include any other units and thus results and findings cannot be generalized to the whole organization. This study is limited to three factors which are perceived organization support, perceived supervisor support, rewards and recognition (independent variables) that influence the employee engagement (dependent variable). 1.8 Terms Definitions Is this your operational or conceptual definition. Operational definition (are these your operational definitions?) Employee Engagement: employee engagement here is defined according to the International Survey Research (2003) as a process by which an organization increases commitment and contribution of its employees to achieve superior business results. The International Survey Research resolves that employee engagement is a combination of an employees cognitive, affective and behavioral commitment in the organization. Perceived organization support: is the degree to which employees believe that their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being (Eisenberger, 1986). Perceived supervisor support: The degree to which employees believe that their supervisors, values their contributions and cares about their well-being. Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. Many types of rewards and recognition have direct costs associated with them, such as cash bonuses and stock awards. Other types of rewards and recognition may be non-monetary rewards like formal and informal acknowledgement, assignment of more enjoyable job duties, opportunities for training, and an increased role in decision-making. These are neither yoru operational or conceptual definition 1.9 Research Organization This is the first chapter out of the five chapters of the project paper which has presented the background of the study as an introduction, describes the problem statements, objectives and research questions in addition to the research significance limitations. Chapter 2 will review the employee engagement research findings done by other researchers and also the drivers of employee engagement. Chapter 3 will present the method for the study, which is the research design and procedure. The chapter mentions the selection of the respondents, sample types and size, the development of the questionnaire for the research and data collection procedure. Chapter 4 discusses the interpretation of the research findings and the results presentation. Chapter 5 concludes the whole research with discussion and some suggestions for future research directions.