Its all about life Essay

Life is beautiful but not always easy, it has problems, too, and the challenge lies in facing them with courage, letting the beauty of life act like a balm, which makes the pain bearable, during trying times, by providing hope Happiness, sorrow, victory, defeat, day-night are the two sides of the me coin. Similarly life is full of moments of joy, pleasure, success and comfort punctuated by misery, defeat, failures and problems. There is no human being on Earth, strong, powerful, wise or rich, who has not experienced, struggle, suffering or failure. No doubt, life is beautiful and every moment – a celebration of being alive, but one should be always ready to face adversity and challenges. A person who has not encountered difficulties in life can never achieve success. Difficulties test the courage, patience, perseverance and true character of a human being. Adversity and hardships make a person strong and ready to face the challenges of life with equanimity. There is no doubt that there can be no gain without pain. It is only when one toils and sweats it out that success is nourished and sustained. Thus, life is and should not be just a bed of roses; thorns are also a part of it and should be accepted by us just as we accept the beautiful side of life. The thorns remind one of how success and happiness can be evasive and thus not to feel disappointed and disheartened rather remember that the pain of thorns is short-lived, and the beauty of life would soon overcome the prick of thorns. Those, who are under the impression that life is a bed of roses are disillusioned soon and become victims of depression and frustration. One who faces difficulties with courage and accepts success without letting it go to its head is the one who experience real happiness, contentment and peace in  life. Those, who think, that good times last forever, easily succumb to pressure during difficulties. They do not put in required hard work and efforts because they break down easily. You can take the example of a student, who burns the mid night oil, makes sacrifices and resists temptations so that he can perform well. Similarly, a successful executive has to face the ups and downs of life, not forgetting that life is a mix of success and failure, joy and sorrow. If he loses hope during difficult times, he would not achieve success and would be replaced by others. Even the strongest Kings and Emperors have had their cup of woes. Life has not been a bed of roses for them. The adage ‘Uneasy lays the head that wears the crown’ has been rightly used for people, who are successful and are enjoying power and authority. To sum up, life is beautiful just as roses but it has challenges which are like thorns and have to be faced and overcome by all. Those, who accept these, challenges and succeed, are the ones, who know how to live life in its true sense. Thus, enjoy life but also be prepared to bear the pricks of pain.

Nursing as a Profession

Nursing as a Profession The Purpose of this paper is to discuss whether nursing is a profession based on Pavalko’s eight dimensions describing a profession. Firstly, we must understand the definition of a profession before one can accurately judge the validation of the nursing profession. According to Webster dictionary, the definition of a profession is â€Å"a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long academic preparation† (Webster dictionary, 2008).The nursing profession is one that needs specialized knowledge and training. It also applies to an occupation that requires formal education or qualification. The nursing field includes a set of skills that combines flexibility, creativity, knowledge and communication that are learnt in a formal setting. As we analyze Pavalko’s eight dimensions describing a profession, we will incorporate it into the nursing profession to justify or disprove if nursing is truly a profession. A profession has relevance t o social values.The nursing profession is rooted in its ability to serve all people with their acquired skills. The nursing profession has the power to make a huge difference in today’s health care system. They advocate for the individuals and focuses not only on the treatment component of an individual, but also on prevention and health promotion. They also seek for the protecting of human and legal rights and the securing of adequate care based on the notion that the patient has the right to make informed decisions about their health.According to nursing standards (2010) â€Å"people value nurses but do not understand how complex the profession has become and how key nurses are to the health care. Nurses are devoted to patient care and community involvement as a whole. The nursing profession provides various activities in the community as a whole such as volunteering for health – related activities such as screening, blood drives and educational programs. They serve as role models for health practices and healthy lifestyles. With these given attributes I believe the nursing rofession has relevance to social values. A profession has a training or educational period. There are various education preparations for the nursing practice and it various based on the location, length of time, course work, clinical component, advance educational opportunities, and competencies on graduation. The three main type of educational programs that lead to licensure as an RN includes the diploma, associate degree, and baccalaureate programs. The diploma requires a basic nursing education in a 3-year, hospital based diploma school of nursing.The Associate degree nursing (ADN), based on a research project carried out by Dr Mildred Montag in the 1950s, at the time there was a shortage of nurses, and the project was created to meet the needs of society by preparing nurses in less time than was required in diploma program (Taylor, Lillis, Lemone and Lynn, 2008). The B achelor of Science in nursing (BSN) is geared towards building on a general educational base, with concentration on nursing at the upper level. All graduates of these programs are mandated to take an NCLEX-RN examination set by the board of nursing.It is much different from nursing school exams which are knowledge based. The NCLEX-RN exams are application based which test one’s ability to be able to think critically as to make nursing judgments. The nursing profession incorporates specialized skill and application of knowledge based on theory and clinical practice components. It is also an evidence based practice based on research and not just intuition. Given these criteria, I believe the nursing field qualifies as a profession because of the training and educational period.Elements of self-motivation address the way in which the profession serves the patient or family and larger social system. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has been involved in advocating for health care reforms for many years, in order to guarantee high-quality health care for all. Today, with the increase cost of health care, under insured and uninsured individual there has been disparities in the quality and health care for individuals. The ANA saw the efforts of many registered nurses come to fruition, culminating in President Obama’s signing of H.R. 4872, â€Å"The Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010† (McNamara, 2010). This reform allows for greater protection against losing and denial of health care coverage, and it also allows for better access to primary care, wellness and prevention programs which will keep the patient healthier. This reform serves as a significant victory for the patient that the nursing profession serves. The ANA continues to be an advocate for building an affordable health care system that meets the needs of everyone (McNamara, 2010).In world where nurses are under pressure to deliver production-line care , it expresses the value of the â€Å"soft† aspect of caring that affect wellbeing (Wright, 2009). This attribute proves that the nursing profession is a profession that serves the patient and the larger social system. A profession has a code of ethics. Professional ethics and codes of ethics are the primary means for expressing the values and regulating the conduct of professionals in relation to their clients (Liaschenko, Peter, 2004). The ANA house of delegate adopted and first published the nursing code of ethics in the 1950’s.It has then been altered and revised to meet the changes in the profession and in society. The â€Å"Code† is the foundation upon which registered nurses provide care, it provides a framework for decision-making and basically guides the action of the registered nurse (Rafferty, 2010). It is a non-negotiable ethical standard that expresses the nurse’s own understanding of commitment to the society. The nursing profession qualifie s as a profession because it has a code of standard that guides its existence. A professional has a commitment to a lifelong work.The term nursing is derived from the word nurse, which means one that nourishes, foster, protect the sick, injured and restore health. The nursing profession is considered a career and not a job which involves commitment, promotes growth and increases various levels of responsibilities. The profession provides gratification for the individual’s personal accomplishment rather than entirely from a paycheck. The nursing profession has four main aims that define it. They aim to promote health, prevent illness, restore health, and facilitate coping with disability or death.The nurses can successfully achieve these aims through acquired knowledge, skills and critical thinking in order to give care in a variety of traditional and expanding nursing roles (Taylor, Lillis, Lemone and Lynn, 2008). The nursing profession is a profession that has a commitment t o a lifelong work. Members control their profession. The nursing profession is autonomous as the nursing board in each state has set up rules and guidelines that nurses are required to adhere strictly (Orem, 2008). There are numerous professional organization that set standards for the nursing practice and education.These entities are set up to help maintain the code of ethics that guides the nursing profession. The registered nurses work under professional and legislative control. The state board of each state set practice act for the registered nurse. These organizations helps to maintain the code of ethics, promote the registered nurse profession to the public, advocate for both the patient and other members of the organization and help to set a standard of practice for the profession. It also serves as a platform where one’s voice can be heard.Organizations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA), The American Association of Critical-care nurses (AACN), The National League for Nursing (NLN), The National Student Nurse’s Association (NSNA) and the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA ) are just a few of the professional organization that plays a significant role in empowering nurses in the nursing profession and also helping to facilitate network. They educate its members to incorporate client interaction, personal interaction with the public, public speaking and community activities and participation in political activities to be effective in the field of nursing.Overall, I believe the nursing profession qualifies as a profession because it has members that control the profession. A Profession has theoretical framework on which professional practice is based. The nursing field has always been evidence based. The first nursing theory was born in the 1950’s. In 1952, Dr. Hildegard Peplau published a nursing model that described the importance of the â€Å"therapeutic relationship† in health and wellness (Zerwekh and Clabo rn, 2009). Thereafter, other nursing theorist such as Martha Rogers, Dorothy Johnson, Nola Pender, Lydia hall, sister Callista Roy, Dorothea Orem, and BettyNeuman have contributed to theory based nursing. The Theory-based nursing is geared towards a common goal with the ultimate outcome resulting in improved patient care. It provides rational and knowledgeable reasons for nursing actions, based on organized written description of what nursing is and what nurses do (Taylor, Lillis, Lemone and Lynn, 2008). Members of a profession have a common identity and a distinctive subculture. In the past, nurses have been identified by the white gown, shoe, cap and pin. They were identified mostly by how they look instead of what they did.The modern-day trend emphasizes that it is not what is worn but what is done that reflects one’s role in the nursing profession (Zerwekh and Claborn, 2009). The nursing profession has a distinctive subculture that is identifiable. These include affiliati on with alumni association, student nurses association, and nursing honor societies or clubs. Involvements in such organization provides for social interaction and networking in later years. The BSN nurse plays a variety of roles in relation to patient care such as being a caregiver, teacher, advocate, manager, colleague and expert.The role of the caregiver is the primary role of a nurse which includes promoting wellness through activities that prevent illness, restore health, function as a nurturer, comforter and provider, provide direct, promote comfort of client and showing concern for client welfare and acceptance of the client as an individual. As a teacher, the BSN nurse must use his or her communication skills to implement, asses, evaluate and execute individual teaching plan to meet the learning needs of the patient and the family (Zerwekh and Claborn, 2009).The role of the nurse as an advocate involves choosing the best plan of action on behalf of the client by making sure that their needs are met and protecting their human and legal right. They also provide detailed and understandable explanation and information to support the client’s decision. The nurse as a manager helps to make decisions, plan, instruct, evaluate care, and coordinate activities and representation of the staff and health care facilities as needed. The role of a colleague is an important role in the nursing field.It deals with effective communication and conflict management amongst peers working towards a purposeful goal to provide adequate care for the client and other synergy among other health care professionals. The nurse as an expert specializes in a specific area of practice acquired through advanced formal or informal education. They include researchers, clinician, educators, theorist and leaders within the nursing profession. They share information with other nurses through mentoring, continuing-education programs, writing articles and guest-speaking.Overall, the bsn nurse must embrace the roles that provide a wealth of knowledge about the ever evolving field of nursing. In conclusion, the nursing profession is definitely a profession based on Pavalko’s eight dimensions describing a profession. It has relevance to social values, requires training or educational period, self motivating to serve the patient and their family and the larger social system, guided by a code of ethics, commitment to a lifelong work, members control their profession, has a theoretical framework and have a common identity and a distinctive subculture.It is a true profession that is considered the largest and most powerful of all the health care professionals. References Ajiboye, Peace. (2010). Profession's popular image. Nursing Standard, 24(25), 14. Liaschenko, J, ;amp; Peter, E. (2004). Nursing ethics and conceptualization of nursing: profession, practice and work. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 46(5), 488-95. McNamara, M. (2010, March 30). Ana's nurses’ e fforts pay off in historic health care bill signing. American Nurses Association, Retrieved from www. nursingworld. rg Orem, O. (2008, February 8). â€Å"What’s in a name? † Chinese Medicine Therapy, Retrieved fromhttp://www. chinesemedicinetherapy. com/nursing. Taylor, C, Lillis, C. , LeMone, P. & Lynn, P. (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art & Science of Nursing Care (6th ed. ). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Wright, Steven. (2009). The Ethics of care. Nursing standards, 24(8), 26-27. Zerwekh, J. , & Clayborn, J. (2009). Nursing today transition and trends (6th ed. ). St. Lois: Missouri. Saunders Elsevier.

Benito Mussolini’s Doctrine of Fascism

DOCTRINE OF FASCISM Benito Mussolini outlines several essential characteristics of his preferred political ideology, Fascism, in what has become known as the Doctrine of Fascism. In this paper, Mussolini outlines his vision of the ideology, and explains the major issues that Fascism will address once it becomes the leading political system in Italy. Mussolini’s major points as outlined in the Doctrine included an extreme emphasis on nationalism, organization and modernization of the state, persistent focus on religion, life as a struggle, and the notion that individuals exist only for the improvement of society as a whole.Wolfgang Schieder, after reviewing the Doctrine of Fascism, explains Mussolini’s success based on it and clarifies what exactly Adolf Hitler adopted from the Italian Fascist ideology to incorporated into his own Third Reich. One of the fundamental tenants in Mussolini Doctrine of Fascism is the strong sense of nationalism, which we wants the Italian pe ople to embrace. As a result, he calls for a unification of all Italians over his Fascist regime. Mussolini truly thought that the Italian nation was preordained for greatness, and that the only way to fulfil this destiny was through extreme social cooperation under Fascism.To that end, Mussolini advocated a mass modernization of the Italian state, centralization of government and creation of a state in â€Å"spirit, not territory. † Mussolini wanted Italy to leave its mark on history through the fascist system, so his Doctrine emphasised cultural contributions such as art and philosophy. Mussolini believed that a nation’s power was derived from its people, who had to be â€Å"numerous, hard working, and well regulated† in order to succeed. A further crucial element of Mussolini’s Doctrine was that he constantly stresses the role of the state and government in a Fascist state.As opposed to other political systems such as socialism, the state in a fascist society does not act as a mere â€Å"watchdog† or â€Å"night watchman,† simply protecting its citizens and facilitating material gains. Rather, the state according to Mussolini is the spiritual, moral and political apex of each human being. Its duties are to give a â€Å"concrete form to the political, juridical and economical organisation of the country† though a series of practical actions. Mussolini sees the state as an actual physical manifestation of all positive aspects of the human spirit, and furthermore acting as an â€Å"immanent conscience of the nation. Moreover, The Doctrine of Fascism goes on to explain that through the state, human beings are transformed from primitive tribal beings to glorious emperors, gaining level of power that would be impossible to achieve as an individual or small group. Finally, Mussolini establishes that the only way for one to immortalize themselves, and be remembered within a nation was through beneficial contribution s to the state. One particular notion within the Doctrine that seems peculiar at first glance is the importance that Mussolini places on religion, specifically the Catholic Church.For such a modern and practical-based system, it seems rather surprising that Mussolini not only tolerates religion, but respects and facilitates its progression. Mussolini’s official reasoning for this is that similar to the state, religion is effectively a â€Å"manifestation of the spirit,† and so the Catholic Church and Mussolini’s fascism share this commonality. In actuality, the real reason Mussolini was so tolerant of the church likely goes far beyond that. Wolfgang Schieder, whose ideas will be developed further on, explains that Mussolini required the Church’s support in order to gain the unwavering support of the Italian people.Mussolini was considered the first national socialist to repair the damaged link between the state and church, and was rewarded for it with ful l support of the Pope and Catholic Church. Mussolini was a man obsessed with the notion of empire, and this is reflected in his Doctrine. The concept of force and discipline was stressed not simply in military conquest, but every aspect of life for the average Italian. War is inevitable, as it is simply the manifestation of the strength and vigour of the Italian people that wishes to expand itself, never looking back.Peace was considered as merely a â€Å"mask to surrender and cowardice. † Mussolini stressed that Italians required â€Å"forces, duty, and sacrifice† in order to rise again to their former greatness, that of the Roman Empire. This is also Mussolini’s rationale for harsh and severe actions against any who would resist or try and undermine fascism. Finally, there remains perhaps the most basic and yet most profound idea present in the entire doctrine; being the notion that life is a struggle. The entire doctrine constantly discusses this concept, and in fact Mussolini uses it to justify the entire doctrine.Mussolini states that, â€Å"fascism wants a man to be active and absorbed in action with all his energies,† a desire which he considers synonymous with fascism’s own desire to be constantly progressing. Italians were not only encouraged to frequently be taking action, but it was considered their â€Å"duty to conquer out of life what was really worthy to them. † Mussolini is essentially stating that he believes that a virtuous Italian should be constantly struggling with his life, never becoming complacent and always fighting to better himself.Fascism, being an extension of the human spirit, naturally mirrored these qualities. Wolfgang Schieder, analyzes Mussolini’s political success and what he the extent to which Mussolini facilitated Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. According to Schieder it largely because of what he calls the ‘Philo-Fascist climate’which was present in Ge rmany during the early 1930’s. During this era Germany’s economy was in ruin largely die to war reparations, and the nation as a whole was not in very good shape.The German peoples experiment with democracy through the Weimar Republic was in many ways viewed as a failure, and people were looking to alternative models of governments. Fascism was being presented as a viable alternative to a ‘discredited Parliamentary system’ What is important to note is that Schieder thinks that the pro-Fascist atmosphere of Germany at the time was largely because of Mussolini himself. Mussolini was a very charismatic figure, and he was especially adept at handling the media in Germany.He often surprised them by speaking German, and by the end of any interaction with the German press Mussolini left them in awe of himself as a person and of the Fascist system, which he had implemented. In the early 1930’s according to Schieder there was no other form of dictatorship in the world that was as widely accepted as Fascism was. This created an environment is which Hitler stood to profit from pro-Fascist sentiment, the more he moulded his political strategy in that direction. According to Schieder there were two developments, which enabled Hitler’s acceptance by the German elites.Firstly, the Great Depression had opened the discussion about implementing a ‘new economic order’, and in this face of rising left-wing economics happening during this time made such a development even more necessary. Moreover, the German elites at first didn’t appreciate Hitler for what he truly was, and in many ways they underestimated him. In a time of economic chaos, the ‘Italian Experiment’ was viewed as a success, and its implementation in Germany was being justified under the context that ‘Hitler was not Mussolini’, and that if he became chancellor he would easily be manipulated by the German elites.Mussolini paved the way for Hitler because there was a tremendous amount of admiration for Mussolini within Germany, and the more Hitler aligned himself with Mussolini, the more he stood to benefit from this in a highly fragmented society. The manner in which Germany embraced Fascism can be best represented by two people at the time: Emil Ludwig and Theodore Wolff. The two men were high advocate of democracy in Germany, who shifted their support to Mussolini and his Fascist Doctrine.They did so out of the necessity to temporarily establish temporarily establish an authoritarian regime rooted in Fascism to offer Germany a political way out of their precarious situation. Although German understanding of Fascism can be characterized by ‘selective readings’, it was nonetheless the perfect political system for Germany given their historical circumstances. Given Fascism highly nationalistic nature, it was ideal for a nation like Germany that was still rebuilding from World War 1.Moreover, the G erman elites saw Fascism as a better political alternative to democracy, or even worse, socialism as was being pursued elsewhere in the world. As this paper has tried to illustrate, the correlations between fascism as it developed in Germany and Italy are not merely coincidental dictatorships, but there is much more to the story. After all, Hitler did view Mussolini has his political mentor. BIBILIOGRAPHY 1. Schieder, Wolfgang. Third Reich Between Vision and Reality. Oxford: Berg Publisher, 2003. eBook. 2. Mussolini, Benito. The Doctrine of Facism . Rome: Ardita Publishers , 1935. Print.

The behavior of a nonverbal student with autism Essay

The behavior of a nonverbal student with autism - Essay Example According to 2013 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the Lamar Elementary School met 14 of 17 AYP criteria. In 2013, the school also earned API of 940, and the 2012-13 API Growth was -9. Sam is enrolled in an instructed classroom in which routine and visual structure are provided. A new program called SUCCESS is applied in the classroom, and the classroom is divided into four areas: 1:1, I.W.S., Group Area, and Small Group. In 1:1 area, an Intensive Behavior Interventionists (IBI) works with the students on their individual behavior goals. The students at the Independent Work Station (I.W.S.) are assigned tasks that they already know how to do. Moreover, the goal is for the student to come to the station, sit down, go through the tasks, and do so all independently and without needing reminders to stay on task. At Group Area, the teacher does whole group activity at the table where the purpose is mostly acquiring social skills, such as learning to sit in a group, waiting for their turn, and staying attended to the task. The teacher works with his students to cover Early Literacy Skills Building, Math curriculum, Handwriting without Tears, and the students’ IEP academic goals. Eight students are grouped for instructions based on behaviors and how the adults can best manage the students as well as their station. The overall classroom management has been more so based on behaviors of the individual students. In addition to their behavior support plans, the teacher uses token boards to reinforce desired/correct behaviors.

Examples of Key Literary Terms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Examples of Key Literary Terms - Essay Example In fact, this assumption is one that most people would make, given that the doctor's prognosis is that she died â€Å"of joy that kills† (Chopin, 25). The dramatic irony inherent in this judgment emphasizes the theme of propriety over actual emotion. Josephine felt not joy but grave disappointment at the moment of her heart attack (pun intended). Lines 114 to 128 in Tristan Bernard's 1915 French play, I'm Going!, also makes heavy use of satire to highlight the various chasms between Henri's expectations of Jeanne, Jeanne's behaviour, and the reality of a happy and trusting relationship. Jeanne appears to be acting normally, acquiescing to her husband's simple request to â€Å"show [him] the telegram† (Bernard, 125) she is sending to her friend. However, Henri insists that she is â€Å"not usually so obedient† (Bernard, 127), alerting the audience to the fact that such behaviour is not, apparently, normal for her. It is difficult to discern which character the aud ience is meant to support in this short exchange, because we cannot tell whether it is Jeanne deviating suspiciously from her norm, or Henri deviating from ours.

Inhalants(toluene) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inhalants(toluene) - Research Paper Example Toluene can be difficult to identify especially without any chemical tests since it smells like most other hydrocarbons and most people might pass it for any ordinary hydrocarbon. Like other hydrocarbons, toluene is soluble in organic solvents and does not dissolve in any polar solvent such as water. Therefore, to test its presence using chromatography, t has to be dissolved in an inorganic solvent. This way, it can be able to be separated by chromatography. This allows it to be tested from other substances including blood to check if someone has inhaled it. This is a physical separation technique for separating volatile mixtures. It is practiced in areas such as pharmaceuticals, environmental conservation and cosmetics. Due to their volatility, human breath, secretions, and other body fluids can be analyzed using this technique. It can also analyze air samples for various compounds. This is one of the analytical methods that are used to test toluene. This technique came up in early 60s. Among the various forms of GC, gas-liquid chromatography is the most popular method. Combined with techniques such as mass spectrometry, it becomes invaluable to separation and identification of molecules. This technique has been applied in the separation of toluene from other compounds for a very long time. Various kinds of detectors can be used to separate toluene and the other components in the substance. They include flame ionization detector, thermal conductivity detector and electron capture detector. Factors influencing the separation process include the stationary phase’s polarity. The polar compounds have strong interactions during this phase. This causes polar compounds to have a longer retention times than their non-polar counterparts. The temperature also affects the process by reducing the retention time. Chromatographic detectors react differently to each compound. To

Post-Assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Post-Assessment - Coursework Example Particularly, I will discuss the quantitative mechanisms that have enhanced establishment of my strengths and weaknesses. My week 12 project is therefore an evaluation research that is reexamining the initial thoughts and impressions I had as compared to the current knowledge and literacy that I hold. Social change as indicated in my older research is the gradual alteration in the social order, or the mechanisms within a social structure. It entails marked changes in the cultural signs, behavioral trends, and the value mechanisms of any given society (O’Leary, 2005). These changes have social consequences in the long run. Some marked long-term effects in the social changes are the industrial revolution, abolition slavery, and the feminist movement. According to my research, social change involves making constant changes in the systemic level and inevitable fight with those who hold positions of power. Democracy is the key factor in the undertaking of social changes. Democracy at its best eliminates racial and ethnic bounds and orientates on persons irrespective of gender, age, or ethnic backgrounds. In such a situation, creative solutions emerge to solve the social problems hence a social change. The advice I can and I have previously set for the researchers is that they s hould never hung up trying to understand all concepts in any outset. Projects are often monumental hence seemingly overwhelming. Therefore, the researchers should cope with it challenges by only mastering the essential skills. The researchers should not block any action and progress waiting to get the complete knowledge as this is a failure. Exposure to research gives the researcher the skills to tackle tasks that are even more challenging. Research skill development is extremely essential to any individual in the field (Catherine, 2004). Progress reports are vital

Core Elements of Islamic Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Core Elements of Islamic Finance - Essay Example This aims to ensure that the target and purpose of the Islamic finance industry benefit the society by balancing spiritual needs with material pursuits, as well as social and individual needs. This paper will discuss ways in which Islamic finance can be seen as an innovative way that could substantively redefine finance and also why it is substantively different from conventional finance. Core Elements of Islamic Finance Islamic finance is different from conventional banking and the core notion behind it is that God (Allah) owns all the wealth in the world, over which man is only a trustee. Humans, therefore, have an obligation to manage the wealth in accordance with the commands of Allah that prohibit activities which do not promote justice (Rammal & Zurbruegg 69). One major reason for imposing Islamic ethics and law on finance is to promote and uphold social justice, since Islam is deemed to be inseparable from social justice. Islamic finance is based on the core perspective that p rohibits the practice of usury, which means lending money to earn interest, also known as riba. Sharia law defines it as an excess compensation that has no due consideration. Effectively, this underlying factor redefines finance from the Islam point of view. However, it does not expressly preclude an agreed-upon return on investment by the transacting parties, where any reference to interest only sets standards for the return on investment for transparency purposes. The implication is that interest is not used in the transaction, although capital is not just provided to investors without a return. This concept stems from the fact that Sharia law does not recognize money as having intrinsic value, but rather, only as a measure of value whose use should not be paid for. This makes Islamic finance an asset based industry, in contrast to the currency based conventional finance system, and investments are structured on the ownership or exchange of assets, with money only acting as a paym ent medium to effect transactions (Rammal & Zurbruegg 73). Innovations of Islamic Finance Islamic financial institutions have taken advantage of some of the misgivings of conventional finance and launched innovative initiatives that have supported their steady progress. Deficiencies have led people to seek alternatives and move away from the conventional system. The strong ethical orientation, on which Islamic finance is based, as well as the connection of the movement of Islamic finance with the modern resurgence of Islamic civilization, is appealing even to non-Muslims. Islamic finance has the potential to establish a closer link between financial and real segments of the economy. Innovative products like Musharakha and Mudaraba, which mean equity participation and partnership financing respectively, ensure profit sharing that is based upon partnership principles (Timur 791). Another Islamic view of finance is that it emphasizes on risk and profit sharing, rather than the notion o f risk transfer as seen in conventional finance and banking. For example, the Murabaha product (which refers to a cost-plus sale) and other trade-based finance modes undertake trade with a mark-up and facilitate financing on short-term basis in a similar fashion to purchase finance in conventional finance. However, the difference is that a bank may buy an asset from a seller and agree on the

The benefits of employees embracing and understanding the employers Research Paper

The benefits of employees embracing and understanding the employers CORE values - Research Paper Example When employees understand the company core values, they prove aligned with the company’s objectives. Values are long-term drive for mission and goal achievement. When these values are well formulated, stated, and understood, they make a business prosper. Concisely, values have played inevitable roles in a company such as, guiding business processes, articulation what the company stands for, governing and controlling employees relationships and guiding the organization on how to reward employees and the society as a whole (Rossenfield, 2009). They also offer guidelines on how to teach and train employees and decision-making. Values are thus key aspects for every organization focused towards organizational goals and objects as they contribute significantly to these. Benefits of core value It is arguable that, a company with well-set and understood cores value performs excellently. This is for the reason that, the working atmosphere is restricted by those principles; processes ar e conceded out within the standards. This makes sure that employees remain focused on the mission of the company. As a result, assets are well utilized, and high profits are acknowledged. When employees understand and work within the company value, they feel that their working environment is favorable. As such, the employee will show their increased interest to work for the organization for a long time (Blanchard, 2009). In return, there is talent retention and prospective employees with new talents and technology would be very willing to join such an organization. When a company has high employees’ retention, it cuts down on costs associated with recruiting and retraining new employees. Furthermore, core values persuade best people into a company by attracting, advancing, and maintaining the excellent personnel. Values test employees and consequently subject them to a constructive approach towards tribulations and decision-making processes. When employees identify with and h old on to the core values, customers are happy and willing to be linked with the company. As a result, customers have a propensity to purchase more, purchase time after time, and even share the experience amongst friends who come to purchase to have a feel of the company. This tightens the connection between the customer and the business hence a long-term bond between the company and the customers. This guarantees client value formation by remaining receptive and focused to customer needs and value delivery (Rossenfield, 2009). Core values ensure that there is one global network and a standard product. For example, if a company has several branches or outlets, these core values are applicable to all its outlets, therefore, maintaining a standard product quality and services (Blanchard, 2009). This creates a condition whereby customers experience exceptional service. In addition, core values govern employees’ personal relationships as they lay the platform on how interactions are to be done. The explanation of this is that the set code of conduct in the company helps create a healthy relationship. When employees behave as expected, chances of conflicts are minimal, eventually helping each of them to present their expected results towards the company’s growth. The management have smooth running because theirs is a clear cut on how employees should respond to their supervisors therefore, it enhances obedience and respect in a company.

Internal and External Factors Essay Example for Free

Internal and External Factors Essay In this paper, I will be discussing the internal as well as the external factors such as Globalization, technology, innovation, diversity and ethics affect the four functions of management in the restaurant plan. I will be using examples from each factor as well as using peer reviews from my team discussion. The globalization in the restaurant industry is crucial this measures the healthy financial side of the company by growing and interacting with different cultures. People travel on vacation all the time we go to different countries and we enjoy the different cuisine. Investors are always among this people and are looking for growth opportunity for their business concept. One very good example that we have is â€Å"GE which became a massive and profitable corporation by selling appliances, lightbulbs, and machinery to US customers, recently announced that it expected its foreign sales to equal the sales within the United States.† ( ) globalization also gives employers to choose from an array of indefinite talent and employees as well they benefit from all this by experiencing cultural change making them grow and be more valuable for their employer. Another item to add to this great way of growing is the internet it is such a valuable tool for companies now days they can advertise their goods and services to the consumer directly and targeting the right markets making it more cultural and diverse. â€Å"Successful CEOs know the local to the global market place is gaining momentum and it is irreversible.† ( ) globalization also makes possible for many employees to work from the comfort of their own home and in turn making it possible for companies to save in office space, for example someone can supervise employees from other countries this can also cause for your day to start very early and end very late. Technology just as globalization it is what makes companies to be successful by reaching in markets companies never thought possible.  Technology brings challenges as well as opportunities for business to grow at a rapid pace but if you blink you are out of your chance competition for new markets is very tuff and every one is just waiting for a chance to market their goods and services in a fast, easy and affordable way. The profit margin is bigger and companies thrive even in the worst economy. Some of the most successful companies are the web base companies that give consumers the choices of millions and millions of products at their fingertips. Technology also gives you the information you are looking for in the language you desire that is the beauty of technology we have all the information we need 24/7. Companies can compare their goods and services against other companies and get the cutting edge on how to gain more profit from any opportunity since at the end of the day the goals for any business is to make profit. The down side of technology is that there so much competition in the ecommerce industry that companies also lost much profit by investing their capital and was not able to get their investment back. Many people also made a bad career move thinking this was the right way to go many drop school and managers left their careers to pursue the ecommerce innovation path. One lesson we can all learn is that technology is just part of the business not the whole business in itself and most successful companies integrate both the traditional business concept as well as the ecommerce business. In the restaurant, industry technology brings a new set of challenges especially for people that are not comfortable with technology or are simple the older crowd and are not willing to change their way. Technology for someone like me is the best thing a restaurant can have it makes it creates simpler steps and I can see where my restaurant stands compare to others according to the metrics that we have in place. Innovation is inevitable for any company in the restaurant industry, we must adapt to the customers demand for new products and with this comes challenges in training and execution if your product is not up to consumer’s standards they will choose one of your competitors which means lost sales for the company and lower more hours for the employees. Innovation is also a great tool for the restaurant industry because now we can advertise our products and services in any social media and people are more aware of what is out there for them. In order to be successful, the restaurant industry must give its consumers what is advertised. In the restaurant industry  innovation comes from globalization and gives us a chance to reach out far more customers, as before we only had limited resources. Innovation is the key to keep the restaurant growing in different markets and being more profitable. Innovation is connected to quality, if we don’t execute.

The Leadership Style Of Yvon Chouinard

The Leadership Style Of Yvon Chouinard At the centre stage of Patagonia Company stands its most valuable pillar and founder, Yvon Chouinard. Yvon saves is a man believed to be saving the world, one fleece jacket at a go. Being a climber, surfer, am entrepreneur, an environmentalists and a known philanthropist, he certainly stands out as one of the few business men who attained success based on his own terms of doing business. Based on his tender age experience as a climber, Yvon realized that he was capable of making more environmentally safe, cheap and effective climbing equipment than what was available in the market. Patagonia, the company that he formed makes exceptional gear as a market leader in the same with worldwide sales soaring above 240 million US dollars annually! Chouinard leadership at Patagonia has basically been a fearless one which has enabled the company to uphold innovation in its corporate practice as well as embracing new changes like when it switched to the use of organically grown cotton as well as other forms of recycled materials alone in its production process. His fearless qualities have also ensured that the company can manage to give away a small percentage of its annual gross sales to the other small scale works that are not profit oriented and maintain the profitability of the company. In Let my people go surfing, Yvon shows how by keeping the determined spirit of an explorer, one can blend work, play and social duty and remain successful. Through his easy leadership, Yvon has managed to curve a reputation of unsurpassed quality, long term environmental strategies and a maverick innovation plan in the company. Even the face of the challenging business world, Yvon is still into surfing and generally adventure but surprisingly maintains record success in his business. One of Yvons philosophies is that You have to be true to yourself; you have to know your strengths and limitations and live within your means (Chouinard, 2005). Yvon says that though he tried to look at herself just like a climber, surfer and blacksmith, he had to accept that he was also a businessman and was going to remain one for a long time probably. He however decided that if he was to stay in business, he was going to operate not by the normal rules of business but by his own terms, be serious but make his work enjoyable on a daily basis. He also realized that the terms under which he was going to operate were suppose to allow him and his employees climb one stair of their progress one at a time, allow enough freedom for their employees to dress the way they want, even bare foot if it would make them happy! And create some spare time for him to surf the waves, sky the powder or take care of issues at home. In other words he cultivated a culture in Patagonia where there was dist inction between the family, the work someone did and play. Even though the company profits grew from 20 million dollars to 100 million dollars between the 1980s and 1990, he and his wife Melinda kept all the money in the business (Chouinard, 2005). The growth in the company just excited everybody and they never failed to do what they could to maintain that level of growth. Upward vertical mobility was very real since even new employees in lower paying jobs like in the warehouse or retail stores had the opportunity and indeed rose to better paying positions in the company. Yvon established a fast-growing organization which in turn helped with outsourcing of the skilled labor that they needed. Despite the growth, Patagonia staff members still managed to keep their own cultural practices. People surfed at lunch hour; they played volleyball on the sand behind the building. When it came to the realization of Yvon, that Patagonia was likely to make a billion dollars in profits if the market mix remained as it was for some time, he decided that 10 percent of their pre-tax profit or 1 percent of their profits would go towards environmental rehabilitation and rejuvenation projects annually. His passion for environmental safety and sanity made him to decide that the Patagonia was going to start using recycled papers, an action which saved the company 6 million gallons of water, 3.5 million kilowatt of electricity and also helped keep off 52, 000 pounds of pollutants from the air. This measure which took place in 1990 also helped the company to help save about 14,500 trees from being used as fuel (Chouinard, 2005). Under his leadership, Patagonia worked together with other entities like Wellman and Malden mills to come up with recycled polyester which the company used to come up with its PCR Synchella fleece. Later, the world financial recession came and hit hard at the company to an extent that they had to cut down on their spending to stay afloat. This is the time; Yvon realized that the company had exceeded its resources as well as its limitations. He realized that the company was dependent on a growth that it could not sustain. Re-thinking the company priorities and instituting new practices became a priority. The recession called on the company to break its rules and make use of the very resources it had deemed unsafe for the environment, a scenario that forced Yvon to organize several employee seminars in different places where they could observe the environment, ask themselves capital questions why they were in business, what they needed to do as a company to reduce environmental degradation and global warming, the culture that everybody at Patagonia was brought up in and the values they both shared as individuals. While the company managers were concerned about the interventions t hat would take care of the cash-flow crisis, Yvon brought to their attention slowly and bit by bit, the businesss environmental ethics and even values. With this he taught his entire staff the values he had leant as a surfer and climber that You have to be true to yourself, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses while trying to live within their means because if the company tries to be what they are no, there was likely to be a mentality of Having it all which could be the final nail on the coffin and the business is dead! Yvon Chouinard was in all aspects a very inspirational leader because he had followers! All his employees followed his lead without complaints. By allocating some time for play and adventure even for him, he showed one aspect of his weakness He cannot work without playing/having fun! This made him approachable. He used his intuition to appropriately gauge the right time to instill in his employees the values he had leant as a climber, when the financial crunch was threatening the companys existence. He tried to capitalize on what made them unique as a company, him as the manager, owner and leader of the rest of the employees. They all had been brought up in a culture of environmental ethics. He influenced them into surfing every lunch time. Finally, his inspirational leadership skills come in because he showed tough empathy to his employees in the sense that he cared passionately about the work they did but had to be realistic with them that without operating within their limits and exploiting their strengths and weaknesses, they were headed for a hard day in office as a business. He cultivated excellence as well as innovation by adopting the environmentally safe modes of production, was a source of optimism and enthusiasm in his free style method of management. Finally he encouraged his employees to have high inspirations by putting in place structures that allowed even junior clerical workers to rise to higher ranks with more pay. He was therefore very inspirational in all means. Yvon was a leader who was driven by ethics hence an ethical leader at the same time. He encouraged his employees to involve themselves in environmental restoration programs and even take responsibility by committing a percentage of the companys profits to the same. Striving for a balance between work, the family and play was also at the center stage of his influence as a leader. He was therefore very ethical and inspirational in his approach to issues. His leadership also has an elem ent of contextual init because he managed to build a team identity at Patagonia. Their production method, the games they played and the central values to which all the employees subscribed to made them an outstanding lining in a fabric of similar companies in the US. When the company faced an adoptive challenge due to the financial crisis which was calling on it to ignore its values and embrace the use of environmentally unfriendly resources, he mobilized his employees in different teams let them pick out the values that put them together and to identify the adaptive changes in that case. Through his guidance, they realized it was necessary to live within their means. He Got on the balcony and studied the pattern of change which was imminent, Identified the adaptive change by looking at the risks which the current pattern of doing business posed if they were to persist with it and he regulated the distress that came with the new change by taking the employees to far off places sometimes even next to mountains or under trees to reduce stress and help them absorb the realities of the new change before making informed decisions. His contextual leadership skills pushed him to seek a bigger picture of the implications of the financial crunch on Patago nia and he maintained a disciplined attention seeking the suggestions and discussions of his team and through this, gave the work back to the people so that they can own it and protected the voice of the people from below by creating a forum where people could exchange and discuss freely without suppression of any kind. There was no blame game and he believed that because they had succeeded together, no fingers were supposed to be pointed at anyone but all needed to build a consensus and realize that operating within their means was the most convincing way out. Sustainable Development in Businesses Organizations the world over are faced with a challenging issue of creating a balance between the need to make a profit and the need to preserve the very same resources from which they get their profits. However it has become paramount and critical for organizations to have policy approach geared towards the use of resources without compromising their future availability. Sustainable development is that policy approach and it broadly touches on three things: a broad view of social, environmental and economic outcomes, a long term perspective concerned with the rights of future generations and an inclusive call to action that requires everyone to take charge of their actions. Some organization CEOs have been reluctant to embrace this. This paper is an argument in favor of sustainable development and the need for organization CEOs to make it a part of their policy needs. Human Resources An organization is structured basically from its human resource. An active and productive human resource in an organization is also the desire of every CEO. Sustainable development requires people in an organization to be competitive in order to drive success and create innovation. This gives an edge to the company even in the market share and general welfare of the company including profitability. When employees think of the future and ways to improve and optimally give back to the environment, they come up with highly innovative ways to tackle challenges within the organizations (Casper, 2009). A company that has innovative human resources is always likely to drive success according to Casper and this can be noted when a effort is put into encouraging people within the organization to embrace environmental challenges of the day. A progressive CEO also considers the health and wellbeing of his employees. There is no better way to do that than to embrace sustainable development as it broadly tackles the needs of a workers health and wellbeing. It is very important to have a clean environment in the workplace for everyone in the organization and can only be effectively tackled when there is a sense of optimal resource usage in a business. Therefore, once a company takes that issue to their most valued human resource, the benefits are great because a certain culture is instilled inside the company. Energy Conservation Energy is a highly scarce commodity. Every company strives to get energy very cheaply so as to reduce overhead and drive profits. This may compromise the importance of an organization to put into consideration the need to conserve the sources of that energy. Even though it is a critical commodity it does not warrant the CEOS to use unorthodox and harmful ways to get it. This positions the organization as greedy and may be harmful to the image it portrays to the general public and to its customers (Malone Pasternack, 2002). This brings the importance of sustainable development to the minds of CEOs and the policy developers in an organization. Energy projects are very capital intensive and have a long gestation period. They therefore have a direct bearing on the environment and ecology at large. A lack of sufficient energy impacts badly on the economy and on the lives of people. Hence it is of paramount importance that the sources of energy are used in a wise and sustainable manner to fairly impact the people and to drive the economy of a country. Pollution of energy sources, especially the non-renewable ones, is a threat even to the national security of a country. The sectors that offer jobs that are energy affiliated are significantly affected and an employment situation may present itself and this is a threat to the security and national wellbeing of a country. It is imperative therefore that those ceos sustainably use the energy resources if they are patriotic nationalists. The economic growth realized will only serve as a plus to the organization as this means more business and hence profits and the overhead costs are greatly reduced. Architecture Organizations expand and have growth targets for the future that should impact the lives of future generations. A future-oriented ceo is the one who has the capacity to embrace sustainable architecture. This is a bit costly when considering the capital required. But when viewed from an angle of the need to conserve the environment and the futures positive impact on the lives of future generations, it is worth putting in maximum effort. The design for architecture should put into consideration energy consumption, employees health and well being, plus maximum utilization of available resources. For example, instead of using electricity for lighting and heating, the organization may employ the use of solar energy for the same utilities. In addition, the material for construction that is recycled, such as reclaimed lumber, and low volatile organic compounds, may play a big role in the reduction of harmful emissions in the environment. An organization can also incorporate waste management that is progressive and places into consideration the issue of environment. The current trends show that governments the world over are going to enact legislation barring people from using certain materials for the construction of buildings and this may be a step ahead of the rest. Obviously this will be profitable then since the price of materials required will have shot up due to inflation and demand as the others try to grapple with the government requirement. It is therefore prudent for a ceo to use environmentally sustainable construction since it is likely to drive profits in the future (Casper, 2009). Health Human health and sustainable development are inexplicably linked and go hand in hand. It is the desire of every organization to have healthy and able employees. This reduces medical bills due to insurance, reduces interruptions during work and positions the company for future growth and development. However the threat to the health of people is very real when viewed from the angle of the manner in which big companies and corporations are either inadvertently or knowingly engaging in activities that are harmful (Malone Pasternack, 2002). Productive CEOs must come up with ways of stemming this and there is no better way than to embrace sustainability of the sectors that massively affect health. There is a notable change in demographics, consumption and behavior in people. Most of them are moving towards towns where companies are situated and this poses a threat to their health if the issue of waste management and harmful gaseous emissions by companies is not properly checked. As a companys broader task to embrace corporate social responsibility, a progressive and future oriented ceo should press for policies geared towards ensuring that the heath of people is a priority. This positions the organization to have a good image when viewed by people and it enhances its customer base through that (Casper, 2009). Legal Aspect The governments of today and the international community at large, in its last gasp to enhance sustainable development, are coming up with laws to govern the use of resources. This has made it necessary for companies to try and make policies fit into the legalities or face strict penalties. In a country where these laws exist, there is more pressure from human rights organizations to make them stricter than they are. Some have gone to the extent of inserting in the constitution the basic right of a clean healthy environment so as to stress the importance (International Law Commission, 2003). Due to this pressure across the board, it is imperative that an organization embraces the need for sustainable development. This will reduce friction with the law and greatly reduce any legal costs that the organization may have. This is also beneficial to a countrys development because it enables compliance with environmental treaties that it has signed and also ratifications of the United Nations (International Law Commission, 2003). Social Aspect In most countries where use of resources is not closely watched, the less privileged in society are most affected. This includes the youth and the women and children. This group forms the foundation for a countrys growth and if not consistently checked can be a disadvantage to the economy of the country (Malone Pasternack, 2002). This group of people is paramount to the security situation in every country. The youth are known to create chaos in a country where unemployment levels are huge. This is a future problem being propagated today and it threatens the future of organizations. In light of this problem, organizations should therefore embrace sustainable development to position themselves for future markets. The available resources should be used carefully to realize this goal. The organization stands to benefit security-wise and the country is likely to realize economic growth hence benefitting the organization further. Also people once faced by such problems resort to mass action and this is dangerous to organizations reputations especially if it deals in sensitive products such as food (Malone Pasternack, 2002). To sum up, sustainable development is an aspect of current time and any ceo who seeks to position his organization for future growth and development should embrace the task of environmental conservation. The many aspects of the business are invariably touched in one way or the other by the issue and any business leader who ignores these risks could well be considered retrogressive or insensitive in his quest to grow business wise. Also through sustainable development, three important issues are affected positively: the environment, finances and social welfare. These three issues are interrelated and form the pillar of growth in any organization. Therefore business leaders should welcome sustainability (IANS, 2008). Ethics and Business In this post Enron era, managers are still struggling to find a fit between ethical codes of behavior in the workplace. They also are identifying practices that are not only ethical but consistent with organizational productivity and sustainability, both in the short run and the long run. Ethics, a word derived from the Greek word, ethos, meaning a way of living, can be termed as an accepted code of behavior in the workplace. Ethics are mainly informed by society values whereas a business operates in terms of their economic, social, cultural and political diversity. Despite the lack of generally accepted workplace ethics worldwide, managers should develop strategic plans in their organizations that would promote basic human rights, while at the same time, improve organizational teamwork and productivity. Strategic planning refers to the systematic identification of an organizations short, medium and long term goals, followed by the development of action blueprints on how to achieve them (Gray, Larson, 2006). The first approach that I would take on ethics in the workplace is to ensure the observance of basic human rights of all stakeholders involved in the business. This is based on the premise that managers of organizations would interact with stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, debtors, creditors, financiers, customers, government and society in general. Impact of ethics on various stakeholders of the business It is universal knowledge in psychology that human beings tend to build relationships and develop confidence in people who treat them fairly. Paying suppliers at the right time after delivery of goods or services creates supplier confidence regarding the organization. To maintain and safeguard this relationship, a supplier will strive to honor his delivery contracts to the corporation. This will ensure a continuous production of goods in the organization. This has the capacity to reduce any loss that can emanate from unsatisfied demand due to internal inefficiencies. A manager, who is ethical in terms of the way he or she sources for finances for the organization, is likely to develop a good credit rating. This ensures that the company can access finances when the need arises on short notice as a result of the managers reputation for having excellent collateral. Communicating to a customer in the right way, offering the right service at the right price and being open to a client about a product is likely to develop the confidence of such a customer towards the company and its brands. It is a well known fact in the field of marketing and psychology that a satisfied customer acts as a voluntary promoter of the company and its products to other people. Such a customer recommends the product to family and friends. This action increases the organizations client base leading to growth of sales and profitability. To achieve this, managers must come up with a clear customer focused strategy on how employees are supposed to talk to customers and how they are supposed to serve them (Sison, 2008). The public forms the market base on which a business thrives and managers should ensure that the organization is not engaged in unethical practices that may negatively affect society. It should carry out activities that promote growth and the development of society. This is a long term investment by the company since a well developed society provides the organization with a wider customer base for its goods while at the same time ensuring sustainability of the organization in the long run. This understanding has in the recent past culminated to a move by a number of organizations to achieve brand positioning on corporate social responsibility. The shareholders of the organization are affected by both ethical and unethical actions of any of the stakeholders of the business. The managers are only custodians employed by the shareholders to take care of their investment. Consequently, when they engage in unethical practices within the organization, such as embezzlement of funds, managers lose the shareholders confidence in them since such unethical behavior can lead to the collapse of an organization. Finally, when many people refer to ethics in the workplace, they have employees behavior in mind. Observance of basic human rights in organizations ensures that employees feel secure in carrying out their duties. This peace of mind influences them to be more productive. Once managers treat their employees fairly, such employees are likely to remain motivated. It would also ensure that employees have negligible, if any, work related stress. Many people can attest to the fact that when working in an organization where a person feels valued and respected, an employee executes his duties in an enhanced manner leading to higher productivity and profitability. To achieve this, managers should come up with ways and means of creating a good work environment where there is no abuse of employees by the employer and where basic human rights are respected and observed. How to promote ethics in the workplace Implementing strategic plans on ethics requires accommodation of diverse behaviors from individuals. Some organizations thrive in utilizing employees diversity to generate unique products and services instead of trying to standardize their behavior. In the post Enron era, organizations are paying more attention to the issue of ethics in the work place when developing their strategic plans. To do this, they start by collecting views among their employees and other stakeholders. This helps in understanding the social and cultural diversity of an organizations stakeholders. For instance, bowing slightly before shaking hands with senior individuals is treated as a sign of respect in some cultures. In other cultures, it is seen as a symbol of slavery and abuse. Consequently, it is only after understanding individuals cultural orientation that managers can develop a fit in workplace ethics which is not only inclusive but also consistent with the organizations strategic mission. Ethics in the workplace can be promoted by strategically developing an organizations culture that supports ethical behavior. This is based on the principle of the need for association by human beings. This helps employees in developing a sense of belonging to the company and to its culture. To fit in the work environment where they spend many of their waking hours, employees are likely to take up the code of behavior portrayed by senior managers. As a result of this, if the top managers are corrupt, disrespectful or posses any other vice, employees are likely to follow suit. A healthy corporate culture such as one that promotes quality in their employees ways of delivering services and interaction with all business stakeholders is likely to increase profitability in the long run. A good and ethical corporate culture ensures that senior members of the company act as role models for junior employees who will most likely strive to maintain ethics in such a workplace. Workplace ethics can be promoted by ensuring that an organization has satisfied employees. The satisfaction may be as a result of proper remuneration. Consequently, managers should not only view an employees salary as a cost, but they should also view it as an investment in ensuring that the organization retains highly skilled employees in the long term. Hard working employees who contribute a lot to the company feel cheated when the salary they receive is too small. This makes them feel justified in their corrupt activities (Swartz, Watkins, 2003). The organization should also have a good work environment. Another factor that managers should consider is proper orientation of employees. This may demand the use of a professional alongside reliable managers in the orientation process of new employees. Such a set up ensures that the right ethics code is clearly communicated. When carrying out their duties, new employees compare their actions with what they were taught on the first day rather than what their colleagues are doing (Wiggins, 2006). This ensures that unethical individuals in the organization do not pass the vice to new employees. What is ethical is interpreted differently by different people. Managers should come up with a set of ethical behaviors in the workplace in collaboration with employees. Efforts should be directed at sensitizing employees on what is termed unethical in such organizations. The organization should develop benchmarks on progress of the employees in terms of ethical behavior in the workplace. This is because, like any other strategy, a strategic plan in promotion of ethical behavior should be monitored and controlled after implementation. Those who follow the ethics code should be consistently recognized and rewarded in order to motivate them to maintain ethical behavior in and outside the organization. In conclusion, it is worth noting that ethical behavior as indicated above affects the productivity of the organization. It affects the interest of all the stakeholders of the business. Despite the lack of specific attributes to good ethics, it is worth noting that good ethics should promote the achievement of an organizations goals and objectives. They should be entrenched in the organization by the management in collaboration with their employees. Continuous control and the monitoring of strategic plan implementation progress are both vital as they help in keeping employees and other stakeholders on course.

Motivation of Self-determination Theory

Motivation of Self-determination Theory Summary of Findings This study explore the different type of motivations of Self Determination Theory, and its three key needs (competence, relatedness, autonomy) towards the social networking game. Therefore, the research question â€Å"What motivates college students to play social networking game?† is explained according to the results of the study. It was found that although more people play the game to spend their leisure time, but the major needs for them is the competence as we can see from the data collected, competence has the highest overall mean value. According to Ryan and Deci (2002) humans thrive to experience mastery and to get a sense of confidence. It is also the search for optimal challenge that motivates people to maintain their performance and to improve their skills so that they could reach another higher level. The need for competence is satisfied if an individual feels masterful, efficient, and confident towards the thing that they are doing for example in playing the game. So from this study, we found that competence needs is the major reason that they engaged in the social networking game. In this study, we found that both needs competence and autonomy are partially related with each other as need of competence is satisfied if an individual feel masterful, efficient, and confident towards the thing that they are doing and when he/she successfully reached the goal after overcoming many obstacles, the sense of competence will formed (Takatalo, 2010). This is similar to the characteristic of the needs of autonomy as it is also mean that having a feeling of control over a particular performance and the way they are performed. In Section A which is aimed to test the competence level of the players, we found that most respondent think that they are only have least motivation if their rank in the game has been dropped. Which mean the rank in the game will not affect much of the engagement of the players in game. Not only that, we can see that rank is not a very important element that why players engage in the game as they not necessary will continue to play the game even if they successfully maintain in the high ranking in the leader board. However, most of the players are still feeling quite happy when they successfully achieve their favourite position on the leader board in social networking game. As according to Sweetser and Wyeth (2005), positive feeling towards the game and sense of competence could be form when the players are feeling in control in the game, and thus, players are feeling happy when they completed the task and reach their favourable rank. We can also see that most of the players are ver y enjoy in playing those social networking game. Social networking successfully provides the happiness for the players to engage in them. Although many college students will not be motivated to play the game when their ranking is dropped, but if once they reach their rank and successfully in high rank, they will feel more motivated to play. In Autonomy, from the study we can also see that most of the players seldom search for information before they play social networking game. They are also seldom spend the time to search for all the information or guideline such as blog, cheats and many others in order to win the games. This shows that they are barely play the game for their own sake without searching for the information. Peers play an important in influencing the people to play a particular social networking game. This can be proved by the results as more respondent are influenced by the friends to engage in the game. However, people do not spend much of their time to play social networking game in a day as they do not like to engage in the game for very long hour. Not only that, they also seldom send the help request to friends to overcome the difficult task. They might think that they are able to challenge the tasks by themselves in order to get the feeling of control over a particular game and this, they will feel autonomous. As mentioned by Ryan and Deci (2002), Autonomy is also means that having a feeling of control over a particular performance and the way they are performed. In order for an individual to feel autonomous, an individual need to feel satisfied or accepted with the actions that they select to engage in. We can also see that from the statistic they are prefer the game that are more challenging in order to get the sense of autonomous. They do not like to play the game which is easy as it may lead to boredom. The need for relatedness is the need to feel meaningfully connected to important others (Ryan Deci, 2002). In our results, we can see that people are seldom interacting with their friends or gaming partner in social networking game. According to Rigby and Ryan (2011), an individual’s sense of relatedness will be diminished if he or she is feeling isolated or having the indifference by the others. In this case, the need of relatedness will be reduced as they do not often engaging with the other players. Besides, they also seldom play the game that related to their daily life as they think that it is not important element to decide whether they should play a particular game or not. Most of the respondents also do not learn certain life skill by playing those social networking game as they are only play the game for their own sake. By the way, they do feel that by playing the games, their friendship among each other will become closer. It means the social networking game provide a good platform for the people to stay closely to their relationship. Lastly, they will feel sense of accomplishment when their friend ask them do help in the game which able to make them happy. Implications of Findings Implications of findings on this Self-Determination Theory and practice are discussed in this section. Implication of theory This study aimed to test the validity of the construct in the Self-Determination Theory especially with the three key needs on social networking gaming. This theory might be functional for researcher to develop the motivational theory based on the results that have done in this study. The three elements in Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness) provide different results to study different needs of college student on social networking gaming and thus, this theory provided a guideline for the researcher to further investigate. The three constructs in this theory might give the inspiration for the scholars to develop their new theory based on the constructs. Implication of practice Our results can provide a guideline for the social networking gaming developer to create the game that can really motivate or engage those college students to play in. Based on the statistics with the result of three different needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) of Self Determination Theory, social networking developers are able to evaluate it and develop the game according to these so that they will produce an interesting game to the people. From this study, major need is competence as most of the people are motivated to play the game which is challenging so that they can challenge themselves to overcome the difficult tasks. So, future game developers are able to refer this direction to create the games which are good enough to motivate the people to engage in it. Limitations of Study In of progress of this research, a few limitations were found. The research method that we used is non-probability sampling method. Samples selected to participate in the research but the result of the research could not represent what other population’s thought. Snowball sample is one type of non-probability sampling method, we used snowball sample in this research as we distributed our questionnaire to our peers who are engaging with the social networking game and ask them to send the survey to their peers who are gamers too. In this case, the first person we distribute is important as he or she might influence others answer and influence the final result. This is because the first person has the strong impact on the sample. In the other words, snowball sampling might lead to bias in result and thus, it affects the overall statistics. Thus, this result could not be generalized. Suggestion for future research Our study is based on the sample of college student collected in our country. In order to generalize the results, a future research should be carry out and adjust the model with different samples such as segmented by age or geography. This is to see whether the different age groups like children or adult have the similar motivations in social networking game or not. Motivation of college students on social networking game is an interesting topic to study as it is very broad for researchers to discuss. But this aspect of research was seldom done by the researchers because more of the researches are focusing on the impact that social networking game bring to the teenagers or college students. So, more future studies are needed to examine the relationship between the motivation and teenager’s behaviour in order to figure out more significant and specific results. Local researchers needed to put more effort in studying this aspect, this is because there are a few number of researches have done the study about this kind of topic in other countries, but as the cultural background are different among the cultures, it is important to do a cross-culture student of social networking games so that we can determine the difference among cultures. Besides that, there are a lot more theories that are suitable to use to study the motivation of people in engaging the game. Researchers are able to use different theories to study about the topic so that we will see different result which might be fresh in this industry. Self-Determination Theory is a broad theory which contains a lot of sub theories. These sub theories are also very useful in determining the motivations of the people towards the game. Perhaps a future research study can be done by using all these theories to get a new result and see whether the relationship of the theories that used in the study are functional or interesting or not. The examples of the mini theories under Self Determination Theory are Cognitive Evaluation Theory, Organismic Integration Theory, Causality Orientations Theory, Basic Psychological Needs Theory and many others.

Emersons definition of experience :: essays research papers

The true meaning of life based on experiences†¦ What is it? This is a question which many people dedicate their lives into answering. Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the few who has succeeded in answering this question. He weaved his answer into a long and tedious essay, which is called â€Å"Experience†. The only downfall from this work is that it’s solely from his perspective, and doesn’t include other people’s ideas as well as his. Emerson believes that people don’t possess the individualistic quality. Everyone is too focused on the actions and opinions of everyone else, and should take a more personal stance for once. We mimic people too much because we believe that we will benefit if we’re the same as the majority. We are all individuals and have our own opinions, and we should embrace them! Emerson also believes that people are multiform, and therefore have trouble uniting as one society. However, he explains how deep down everyone has a background of unity, and really want to unite as one. This is another reason why some people try to copy others. We figure that if we are all the same, we will be united. However, this is not the case, because our opinions and beliefs get in the way. We have a universal desire to believe, and because of this strong impulse, we yearn to move forward. We crave to be able to waltz up the stairs, and get closer and closer to our dreams. People gain intelligence and knowledge through what they experience. They gain valuable life skills by actually witnessing events first hand. If society were only to learn out of a textbook, everyone would be boring and completely one-sided. Our experiences help to shape our ‘clay of identity’. Instead of hiding from horrible experiences, we should try to learn from them, and incorporate the morals into our daily lives. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writing style is very deep and profound, and answered the question of what the

Mickey Mantle Essay -- essays research papers

Mickey Mantle was a stupendous ball player. He was great at playing baseball because he practiced a lot. His whole baseball career, is the career that I dream of having. He played in 12 of his 18 career years in the World Serieswith the Yankee's. When Mickey Mantle was growing up, he was small, and spindly. His nickname was "little Mick" when he was a child. Mantle went to Commerce grade school. When Mickey was little, he always thought about baseball (Falkner 21). His parents bought baseball gloves for him, but his mom made his uniforms. When he started playing he always was a good hitter from the right side. He was a little bit scared of the ball. Whenever the ball curved, he dropped so it would not hit him. His Dad was one that taught him how to switchhit. His dad and grandpa always got some games going after school with some of Mickey's friends (Falkner 22).The people who taught him how to play the game were his father and grandfather. He practiced with them for at least 2 hours a day (Falkner 23). Mickey played sports and games whenever he could. He just could not stay away from the game of baseball. The one sport that Mickey did not want anything to do with was swimming. The reason why was because swimming almost cost him hislifeOnce him and his friends were swimming in a river,and they were not supposed to, and a lady came and seen them, and his friends left him on a raft and he could not swim, and he fell off and almost drowned.Mickey did not like sch...

Management is an art and a science

Management can be defined as the effective and efficient coordination of resources in order to achieve desired objectives. It is the process of planning, organizing, coordinating, directing and controlling resources such as human beings, material, time and money to accomplish organizational mission. All organizations have objectives that are the desired targets that the manager hopes to achieve. The primary purpose of management is to convert resources into results.A resource by itself is nothing, it remains sterile until it is managed to provide the results. A result is the consequence of purposeful activity, which is management. A manager must therefore, plan, organize, direct and coordinate activities to convert the sterile and inert resources into product resources (the desired objectives). Management is therefore, the action of getting things done through people. It means optimizing the use of human and material resources for the attainment of desired objectives. In its effort t o fulfill its functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling, the field of management has borrowed extensively from different disciplines namely psychology, sociology, mathematics and decision sciences.Management as an art Art refers to the way of doing specific things. It is the skill in conducting any human activity. Art indicate how an object can be achieved. According to George R.Terry 1980 Art is bringing about of a desired through the application of skill. Art is therefore, a skilful application of knowledge which entirely depends on the inherent capacity of a person and is learned from practice and experience. Art is concerned with the understanding of how a particular work can be accomplished. In this sense, management is certainly an art as manager uses his skill, knowledge and experience in solving various problems that arise in the working of his enterprise successful. Earnest Dale ().Management is considered as an art rather than science mainly because manage rial is personal profession and intuitive. Therefore, management is an art, simple because managing requires certain skills which are a personal possession of the managers. In additional, management is an art of getting things done through others in dynamic and mostly non-repetitive situations. The resources of men, machine and money  have to be coordinated against several constraints to achieve given objectives in the most efficient manner. This requires skill.Management as a science Science can be described as a systematical body of knowledge based on proper findings and exact principles and is capable of verification. It is a reservoir of fundamental truths and its findings apply in all the situations. Science is knowledge as of facts and principles; knowledge gained by systematic study or observation and experimentation. The methods used in scientific inquiries are systematic and empirical. Moreover, information can be ordered and analyzed and the result or findings of scienti fic studies are cumulative. Based on this, management is a science because it has developed some systematized knowledge.Like other sciences management has also developed certain principles, laws and generalization which are universal in nature and applicable wherever the efforts of the people are to be coordinated. Managers often use a specific body of knowledge consisting of principles, generalization, approaches and concepts to apply in certain situations. These principles of management have been developed an formulated on the basis of observation, research, analysis and experimentation and also based on the relationship of cause and effect like other sciences. Furthermore, management deals with people and it is very difficult to predict their behavior accurately.Management empirical studies the man and the factors affecting him to understand human behavior in the work place. It is therefore a behavioral science. Managers when faced with managerial problems usually expect that the re is a rational an objective way to determine the correct course of action. Lastly, early management researchers subscribed to the vision of managers as scientists. The scientific management movement was the primary drive of this perspective.The scientific management emphasis on both reducing the inefficiencies and on understanding the psychology of workers, changed managers and employee attitudes towards the practice of management. This is evident with the development of early scientific theories of management such as the classical and scientific management theory by Fredrick Taylor, neo – classical approach, Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy, behavioural approach and others which emphasized the scientific approach to management.Conclusion In conclusion, management is an art as well as a science. It involves both the elements of art and science. It is considered an art because managing requires application of certain skills and a science because it has an organized body of knowledge which contains certain universal truths. The science provides the knowledge and the art deals with the application of knowledge and skills. According to the American society of mechanical Engineers, management is the art and science of preparing, organizing and directing human efforts to control the forces and utilize the material of nature for the benefit of men. Thus, it has now been accepted that management is both an art and a science.

Israeli politics and the position of Palestinians in the conflict Essay

The U S and Israel are engaged in extensive strategic Like political and military American aids to Israel specially in project allocations and loans intelligence sharing As according to Lt. Col Abo-sak said that U. S relation with middle east specially focus on America’s involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli crisis . There are few reasons that Israel always stand by American side. The first is that American military ensure security of nation and trade and access to maintain all the facilities of the Israel. American and Israel signed memorandum of understanding which say’s that there would be close security co-operation and co-ordination between the Governments of these two countries. These two nations mutually agree to stand together against terrorism and co-operate in information sharing, investigation, research, and development of policy making. In December 2005 both the state signed agreement to joint against the smuggling of nuclear and radioactive material this agreement is the part of the non- proliferation program of the U. S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security 2. In 1993 Israel and Palestine signed the declaration of principles to create peace between the two countries. After a radical Israeli opposed to the peace process assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Labor party lost the Israeli election of 1996, giving away to the Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Karen (1991) the new government did not commit itself to the peace accords signed by the previous Israeli government, and the peace process was slowed to a standstill giving way to war. A) What happened during Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon’s Administrations? During his tenure Barak really work lot on the Israel economic sector and he solve the case of the recession and make boom in economic with 5. 9% annual growth and there was zero inflation, and his Government basically focuses on the peace making process and he led to effort to negotiate on peace making agreement 1stly he went to Syria and later to Palestinian authority with the help of the American ex- president bill Clinton and his administration some how these negotiation didn’t work out. Mr. Barak also said that the whole government is for the national interest and for the looming security challenges and the economic crisis as he also mentioned that labor can play major role for the counterforce inside the government and labor party ‘s dominant role in shaping the Israeli state . After the Barak ,Ariel Sharon became the new prime minster of the Israel and he also negotiate with the Palestinian leader for the peace making process and said that Israel is also full of Jewish population and there should be complete co-operation among two countries and it should be united and indivisible for eternity . The new Israeli government violated the terms of the peace accord by, among other things, building new Israeli settlements in occupied lands, also in contravention of the international law. b) What role have the Palestinians played in this? And what has Hamas done? Palestinians was completely agree to establish peace within and with other countries so far its known that earlier Palestine was completely under the control of Israel and many people of Palestine was homeless and moved to the other countries as refugees and that the conflict had been fight to bring refugees back to Palestine and therefore this was the ultimate reason for the peace process from the Palestine ,such group like Hamas which work for the peace in Palestine and Hamas is also know as terrorist group. Hamas is the largest and most influential Palestinian militant. In January 2006, the group won the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) general legislative elections, and defeated Fatah; the party of the PA’s president, Mahmud Abbas, since coming in power, Hamas has continued refuses to recognize the state of Israel. Historically, Hamas has sponsored an extensive social service network. This group also operated a terrorist wing, carrying out suicide bombings and attacks using mortars and short-range rockets. Hamas is not a terrorist group it is an addition of military wing The basic goal of the Hamas is combined with Palestinian nationalism with Islamic fundamentalism it was to replace PA of Israel with an Islamism state on the west bank and Gaza and to rise the banner of the Allah in whole Palestine . 3. Applying peaceful facts in accordance with the principles of the US constitution would prevent the USA from making bias decisions that are constantly being made by the administrators against Arabs. a) Explain and give examples of these peaceful facts that can be used. The united state Institute of peace (USIP) seeks to here a fair move toward to its work connecting to Arab-Israeli relations by supporting investigate, program and grants that get better sympathetic, expand ability and study the issues in ways that can be helpful to all parties who are looking for peace. Arab-Israeli relationships have deteriorated to their lowly point in an age band, with increasing and widening cruelty. However, the harshness of the evils may force the parties to think again long-stagnant issue and make opportunity for new efforts to decide the disagreement. In order to grab on the forecast for renewing discussions, USIP is conducting both policy-relevant investigation and pioneering training in hold of local initiatives to put up sustain for peace. 4. In the past, the United States officials were on the side of the Israelis and gave bias opinion on the Arabs creating a condition of animosity and terror between the two countries. a) Give examples of this. American strategy in the Middle East has had few successes to speak of—smaller amount still when bearing in mind the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. One reason: With few exceptions (President Carter certainly, President Clinton occasionally), Arabs in general and Palestinians in exacting have not trusted American negotiators, who have always taken sides—Israel’s. The last time American mediation achieved an absolute success was from side to side the Camp David agreement of 1979, when Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty and Israel ceded back the Sinai to Egypt. Last 60 years the United States has claimed a dominant role in Middle East issues. But its evidence is poor. Concerning the Palestinians, it’s almost negligible. Americans have little trust in Palestinian eyes. There’s a reason why. As Aaron David Miller explain in The Much Too Promised Land , each American presidential management live a mediating position in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict takes it for decided that it’s on Israel’s side first and foremost. This is not only the matter of ideology. Miller describes how each text, every peace plan, and every accord that the Americans presented in Palestinian-Israeli talks over the years were vetted first through Israeli negotiators. Ronald Reagan once, in September 1982, announces a peace plan without first informing the Israelis. United States is not only violating the Camp David accords but also the U. S. promise to ask with Israel before responsibility such a plan. As Begin fluctuate between anger, tired acceptance, and a hurt resentment, it became clear that what set him off most was the American choice to organize the proposal in go onward with both the Jordanians and the Saudis. 5. President Obama must now ensure that the historical mistakes that were made by the past regime that lead to massive killings and displacement are not repeated during his reign as the president of the US. To ensure that his legacy remains in the book of records; US human rights groups, non-governmental organizations and research centers hat has been continuously supported by the United Nations to give a conflicting information that has increased insecurity and fear between the two nations. a) How can president Obama do this? â€Å"President Barack Obama said on Wednesday Israeli plans to build more homes near East Jerusalem were not helpful for the Middle East peace process, but he said the issue had not led to a crisis with one of the United States’ closest allies†. In an interview with FORX news channel’s president Obama said that ‘Israel is one of the closed allies of the America and American and Israeli people have special relationship and bond and that not going away. ’ He also mentioned that there is dissimilarity in terms of peace making process. Whatever action has been taken by Prime Minister (Netanyahu) of Israel didn’t work out so he said that what America need now is both side to recognize and to realize that this move of peace is for their nation interest. 6. Discuss USA’s views towards the conflict in the cold war and during the peace process. Due to cold war the United States became intensely occupied in the Middle East after 1945. U. S. officials required constancy in the Middle East on behalf of their objectives in the area and about the world. Stability in the area, these leaders unspecified, would help them safeguard their essential wellbeing and succeed in the Cold War. The Arab-Israeli conflict directly threatened Middle East stability in the late 1940s and 1950s. Israel refused to send home Arab Palestinian refugees, who became a political reason for the leaders of Arab states. Limitations on trade and shipping and disagreement about territorial restrictions and waterways bitter all of the protagonists. Despite the significance of Arab-Israeli peace to regional constancy, however, U. S. officials subsume their peacemaking to other Cold War interests. Government of USA tempered its devotion to conflict resolution with a determination to deny the Soviets any chance to gain political power in the Middle East. In the end, the United States unsuccessful to resolve the overall Arab-Israeli conflict or any of its exact dispute. The United States became fixed in the middle of the Arab-Israeli conflict. U. S. officials felt bound by their global repression policy to intercede in the Arab-Israeli conflict and to protect sound relations with all sides of the argument. U. S. has strategic approach in the direction of the Arab-Israeli argument during the first two presidential administrations after World War II. . Reference: Abo-Sak, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed F. (1999) US Involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Solution or Complication? Retrieved on 1 May 2010 from http://www. alhewar. com/LtCol. htm Abo-Sak, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed F. [â€Å"Gaza: New Dynamics of Civic Disintegration† Journal of Palestinian Studies, Summer 1993] Special REPORT with Bret Baier Barack Obama (17th march 2010) available at topics. nytimes. com Hahn, P L (2004) Caught in the Middle East U. S. Policy toward the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1945-1961 Abstract available and Retrieved on 1 May 2010 from http://uncpress. unc. edu/browse/page/393 Tristam P, (n. d. ) America’s Pro-Israel Bias: Why the United States Takes Israel’s Side A Long-Standing Commitment to Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Retrieved on 1 May 2010 from http://middleeast. about. com/od/arabisraeliconflict/a/me080707. htm Israel and Saudi Arabia Retrieved on 1 May 2010 from http://www. usip. org/countries-continents