James Fennimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans Essay

In James Fennimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans (1992), we witnessed death, integrity, pride, love, violence and revenge portrayed through the struggle over a piece of land between the French and English in a war that took place sometime in 1757. Not only that, since the novel was written in the early 1990’s, when women’s liberation and â€Å"girl power† are the predominant themes, the author also incorporated a different form of struggle between the main characters in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I will focus on the character of Alice and Cora, the two heroines in the story and will attempt to make a comparison of the two characters in light of the commonly-accepted views on what a woman should be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alice and Cora Munro, as portrayed in the novel, are sisters who embarked on a journey to visit their father. Their journey, as can be expected is doomed from the beginning and is fraught with violence, revenge, conflict and emotional drama. In the novel, Cora, the older sister was depicted as a strong-willed woman who has no qualms in making her own decisions. Alice, the younger sister, is on the other hand, took the role of a fragile, weak-hearted woman who is always in need of rescuing and assistance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is apparent from the start that this difference in personality will probably result in conflict between the two sisters. It is surprising though that there was no remarkable conflict as between the two sisters in the novel. In fact, it is their stark differences of personalities which kept these two sisters together. Cora, the ever reliable and brave older sister is always looking out for the welfare of her younger sister. Alice, depicting the traditional notion of femininity, graciously lets her sister and their escorts do their task of protecting her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is also worth stressing that the personality differences between Cora and Alice extends to their physical appearance. Cora is a brunette and has a strong feature while Alice is blond-haired thereby accentuating even more her frail physical features. It seems that Cooper had in mind the traditional, stereotypical notion of weak-blond-strong-brunette syndrome when he came up with his set of heroine characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interestingly enough, the heroines in the novel find themselves in a complex entanglement of emotions and feelings. As can be expected, the strong-willed Cora falls for reckless Uncas while Alice, the sentimental heroine, on the other hand, captures the heart of the perfect gentleman, Major Heyward.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In sum, although Alice and Cora were portrayed as having opposite personalities and physical attributes in the novel, it also cannot be denied that in more ways than one, they are also alike. Both are loving daughters whose main purpose from the onset of the journey, is to reunite with their father. Alice and Cora while seemingly in contrast in personalities also share the same attributes inherent in all women which is the ability to love and show intense feelings toward the opposite sex. The brunette-blond contrast is not really an issue here and it is not uncommon for sisters, especially half-sisters to be totally different in physical features.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I think that James Fennimore Cooper, in coming up with the character of Alice and Cora, simply wanted to impress on his readers the two types of women and how these differences can be reconciled and co-exist in a given situation. Furthermore, in a contemporary period, women are seen as possessing diverse traits and personalities akin to Cora and Alice. The stereotyping of blonds and brunettes unfortunately has not been obliterated although, with the advent of women’s liberation, it is difficult nowadays to categorize women into two limited persona such as that of Alice and Cora. Bibliography: Cooper, James Fennimore. The Last of the Mohicans. Bantam Classics, 1826. Ebert, Roger. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans.† Chicago Sun-Times 25 Sept. 25, 1992. Kempley, Rita. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans.† The Washington Post. 25 Sept. 25, 1992. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans: Summaries and Commentaries.† 8 July 2008 .

Aristotle & Socrates Essay

Philosophy comes from the Greek roots meaning â€Å"the love of wisdom. † Philosophers are persons who have a compelling need to pursue wisdom. Since the beginning of time, wise man and women have dedicated themselves to asking â€Å"Big Questions†. Depending on the questions, there are various areas of philosophy including metaphysics, epistemological, axiology, ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, social philosophy, and logic. Homework Make a â€Å"Creative† representation of someone (fictional or real) you consider a wise person. Be prepared to present it in class and explain what characteristics make a person wise. Archetypes Archetypes are basic images that represent our conception of the essence of a certain kind of person†¦. usually considered to be shared by all of humanity throughout time. Philosophical archetypes are philosophers who express an original or influential point of view in a way that significantly affects subsequent philosophers and non-philosophers. Western philosophy has been dominated by males of European ancestry. Relativism- Relativism is the belief that knowledge is determined by specific qualities of the observer. In other words, absolute (universal) knowledge of the truth is impossible; â€Å"one opinion is as good as another†. Philosophy week 2 Pre- Socratic philosophy: Asian sages and the sage The Sage The sage is an archetypal fig. Who combines religious inspiration with a love of wisdom? Found in ancient Asia, they are the oldest philosophical archetypes, identifying happiness and teaching the good life. Asian cosmology is not based on empirical (numbers, data, statistics) or scientific evidence. It contends (argues) that everything is working  harmoniously, following the Tao (Force or flow of energy in life), or the â€Å"path† or the â€Å"way† There is no separation between heaven and earth, divine and human, but is working together; all is one reality containing yin and yang. Yin represents earth, weakness, darkness, negative, and destruction. Yang represents heaven, strength, light, positive and construction. One cannot live without the other, keeping the universe in balance. Think Lao-tzu Confucius Siddhartha Gautama The Sophists (Meaning Wise in Greek) First professional educators, Charged fee to teach. Argued that the difference between a good and bad argument is custom and individual preference, nothing is bad or good in nature. They argued for relativism, both cultural and individual. Journal 3 Read pages 59-60 Reflect upon ways you have been a victim of ethnocentrism. Reflect upon ways you are ethnocentric Reflect ways America is ethnocentric. Since 911. The Person Socrates (470-399 B. C. E) was the first major western philosopher. He wrote no philosophy and what we know of him comes chiefly from his pupils Plato and Xenophon. Socrates challenged the sophists doctrines of relativism and moral realism he often taught that beauty and goodness determined by utility (If it serves a purpose) His Teachings Socrates is most famous for his style of philosophical inquiry known as the Socratic Method or dialectic. Education is supposed to draw knowledge out of you instead of riding with you like an empty vessel. Among his teachings, his most persistent command was know you. Believing an unexamined life was not worth living, he saw himself as a kind of â€Å"Physician of the soul. † He believed that the real person is not the body, but the physics-mind-soul. Journal 5 Read the trial and death of Socrates on pages 110-115 How does death and his art of dying relate to his teachings History Plato was a member of the Athenian aristocracy and Socrates’s most favorite and important student Athenian democracy was irrational mob rule. Founded famous academy to educate wise rulers In Plato’s metaphysics, the highest level of reality consists of timeless â€Å"essences† called forms. Platonic forms are independently existing, noncapital â€Å"some-things† Plato divided reality into to two world’s dualism. The highest level of reality is eternal and changeless being. The other is the evolving physical world, known as the coming According to Plato the sophists could not discover truth because they were preoccupied with the world of ever changing perceptions and customs. For Plato the chief distinction between knowledge and opinion is that knowledge is fixed, absolute and eternally true. Whereas opinion is unanchored and changeable. According to plait opinion lives in the realm of becoming truth and knowledge are found on the level of being. The Divided line 133-135. The simile of the sun 135-137 The Allegory of the cvae137-139 The divided line A+B= World of Forms (Being, Knowledgeable) C+D= Physical world (Becoming Opinion) Metaphysics | Epistemology(study of knowledge) | Higher Forms(Example: the good) | A: Understanding | Lower Forms(Example: Form human) | B: Reasoning | Sensible Objects (Example: Mother Teresa) | C. Perception | Images(Example: Mother Teresa’s Photograph) | D. Imagination | Simile of the sun Plato compared the absolute form of the good to the sun; the good makes the existence of everything else possible. The good cannot t be observed by the five senses and can be known only by pure thought or intelligence. It is the source of both the value and the existence of all other forms. Allegory of the cave In the allegory for the cave, Plato categorized three levels of awareness by referring to three distinct levels of reality: two levels of becoming and one ultimate level of being. Lowest Level: No imagination or perception Informed level: Wider range of basic understanding. Awakening Highest level: Soul has no need for perception or interpretation. The Republic (Socrates book for perfect utopia) Plato agreed that there is a reciprocal relationship between the individual and the kind of society in which he or she lives. The ideal state, for Plato, meets three basic characteristics 1) Nourishing needs, 2) Protection needs 3) Ordering needs These needs are best met by three classes: Workers, Warriors, Guardians or Philosopher – Kings. The republic contrasts two views of morality. The instrumental theory of morality asserts that right and wrong must be determined by the consequences our actions produce. The functionalist theory of morality holds that right and wrong can only be understood in terms of the way they affect our overall functioning as human beings. According to Plato, the just state functions fully; the unjust state is dysfunctional, only when all classes of people are virtuous according to their natures is the state whole, healthy, balanced and just. In order to be a just human being, balanced. Virtuous. – temperance, courage, wisdom, justice(essence and balance of the soul) Plato thought the worst kind of Gov. was a tyranny. And democracy was a tyranny. Democracy makes little tyrants out of everybody. Journal 6 According to Plato’s philosophy, please answer these questions: Carefully explain the relationship of the individual to the state in Plato’s Republic. Why is the relationship significant? What does Plato see as the most unjust type of person and state? Do you agree? Explain. Explain the origin and nature of democracy according to plan. Aristotle The person Aristotle was Plato’s most illustrious student and went on to be the personal tutor of Alexander the great. He eventually created his own school called the lyceum. In contrast to Plato, Aristotle introduced the idea of naturalistic or scientific knowledge gained from collecting facts and usual factual info to make the world a better place. Aristotle was a naturalist. Naturalism if the belief that reality consists of the natural world and that the universe is ordered. Everything follows discoverable laws of nature. His Philosophy Aristotle believed that form and matter can be intellectually separated but cannot live independently in reality. The form of something is called its essence. Matter is the common physical material stuff but it has no distinct characteristics without a form. Aristotelian form is that which is in matter and makes thing is what that is. So, individual things are â€Å"formed matter. † Aristotle argued that complete understanding of a thing required identifying its â€Å"four causes. † 1st cause: Material cause, the material thing is made of Cause: formal cause. The form the thing takes cause: Efficient cause, the triggering motion that begins the thing Cause: Final cause, the Telis, or the ultimate purpose for which the thing exists. In living things, Aristotle called the final cause, Entelechy, meaning having its purpose within. He believed every living thing had an â€Å"inner urge† or a drive to become its unique self. He believed nature was ordered and guided internally. Journal 7 Consider the quotes on page 153. Please write a few paragraphs for each one describing what they mean to you and how they relate to you. For Aristotle, psyche or soul is the form of the body. Soul is entelechy. Like every other instance of form and matter, for Aristotle the soul can’t be separated from the body and its body and it’s impossible to affect the body without also affecting the soul or to affect the soul without affecting the body. Aristotle taught that humans had a hierarchy of three kinds of souls, each higher level containing the aspects of the lower levels: 1st level: Lowest soul called vegetative or Nutritive, responsibility for absorption 2nd Level: the sentient or sensitive soul, registers all info regarding form of other things. 3rd Level: Highest Soul found in humans only, called rational soul, and includes the other two plus the capabilities for analysis, understanding relationships and decision-making. According to Aristotle the good is that which all things aim. It is their entelechy Eudemonia which often translated to happiness means being really alive rather than just existing. According to Aristotle happiness requires activity good habits and practical wisdom. Aristotelian moderation is based on the concept of wisdom hitting the mark between too much and not enough Virtue consists of hitting the mark or the mean but vice consist of being off by too much (excess) or too little (Deficiency) Journal 8 Read pages 172-176 Explain the importance of hitting the mark and character to Aristotle’s concept of happiness What is the principle of meaning? Philosophy study guide Academy- Alexander the Great An Unexamined Life Aristotelian Forms Aristotle’s Hierarchy of souls Aristotle’s Idea of a Good life Aristotle’s Teacher Entelechy Hitting the mark Lyceum Naturalism Plato’s 3 classes of people Plato’s feelings toward democracy Democracy Plato’s four cardinal virtues Plato’s teacher Platonic Forms Simile of the sun Socrates Death sentence Temperance The republic Three levels of human souls Tyranny journal 1 Wisdom | Knowledge | Theoretical Knowledge | Practical Knowledge | Belief | Mere Belief | Willed Ignorance | Definition and Examplesjournal 2 Write how each of the eight paths are relevant in today’s world journal 4 · Socrates’ â€Å"electric shock† effect on Athens resulted in death, however it gave him a place in history as a great thinker wise sage. From pages 87-95, read each quote in the margins · Please write the quote that shocks you and Reflect upon its meaning to you. Absolute truth is â€Å"Truth† with a capital T. What do we know so far? Modern Philosophy(How do you know that it’s true? ) After Christianity began to grow, most Europeans turned to god as the ultimate source of wisdom and the church as the ultimate authority. However, by the 17th century scientific ad advancements and the decline of the authority of a single church began the era of modern philosophy. It was a shift from metaphysics to epistemology. Rene Descartes(1596-1650) is the father of philosophy. He came up with rationalism. Dcccd. edu> then go to student services, then libraries. 3 ears of Western Philosophy- 1 Classical, what is truth? essentialism; Modern- How do you know it’s true? Rationalism; Rationalism is the epistemological position in which reason is said to be the primary source of all knowledge. Rationalist believe in the coherence theory of truth: that new or unclear ideas should be evaluated in terms of rational or logical consistency and in relation to already established truth. Rationalism says that abstract reasoning can produce absolutely certain truths about reality and that some truths can be discovered without observation, experiment or experience. These truths are innate ideas or a priori ideas. A priori can be known without experience or experiment but Posteriori ideas are derived from experience and experiment. However he arrived at the cogito, ergo sum, latin for â€Å"I think, therefore I am. † This, along with a satisfactory belief in god, stood as his undoubtable truth. Journal 9 Please do the philosophical queries(Green Boxes) on pgs. 252 and 253 Jeremy Bentham- resurrected hedonism, in direct response to the conservative ruling class in Britain. The result he created the â€Å"greatest happiness† principle also known as the Principle of Utility, that states we should always act to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Benthams hedonic calculus was a crude method of reducing stress to simple calculation of units of pleasure versus units of pain. Psychological hedonism- pain and pleasure determine what we shall do Ethical hedonism- pain and pleasure point to what we ought to do. Bentham extended the ethical reach of the pleasure principle beyond the human community to any creature with the capacity to suffer. He argued that insisting that animals lack moral worth was akin to racism. John stuart mill He believed that there is an empirical basis supporting his claim that refined pleasures to crude ones. Mill disagreed with Bentham that all motives are egotistic and based his more refined philosophy in the social feelings of all people for unity with each other. Mill believed in the possibility of altruism, the capacity to promote wellbeing of others, he argued that the lack of altruistic feelings and ignorance of the higher pleasures were products of poor education and harsh conditions, not quality of human nature. According to mill, the selfishness and lack of mental cultivation are the chief causes of unhappiness, and can be cured with a proper education and legislation.

Concept testing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Concept testing - Assignment Example Owl by giving kids the ability to play with creative and educational toys which do not require technological knowledge. The buying unit for this product are parents and gift providers for children ages 4 and up. When compared to school kits and creativity sets, the recommended age range for our toy is ages 4-15. The primary market are adults, even though the children are essential in giving return customers, parents must feel comfortable purchasing our product for their kids The need for better confidence of a person can be addressed with Dr. Owl by promoting educational behavior. Even low forms of instruction can increase a person’s confidence. Dr. Owl helps instruct children to be organized with different compartments of the toy. This will allow a child to want to interact with organization more than with other toys. Dr. Owl will also encourage children to be more studious as all the features of the form are stationary-based, encouraging a child to sit down and write, draw, study and do things that will develop their creative and educational skills. This small push to sit and study with the toy will also provide children with more confidence about their school work. Specific toys such as blocks and construction tool playsets have proven to help children improve their study and organization skills in their home environment. Our toy is a stationary that is owl-shaped in order to represent wisdom. The toy uses aesthetically pleasing colors to attract children and parents (primary market). The attachments and body have a round shape which allow the toy to be safe. The body also acts as a protective covering for the attachments, allowing it to be safely handled by smaller children. All of the pieces of Dr. Owl come together like a Lego piece, they click on to the body. This click in place will occur with a stem and hole much like a Bratzâ„ ¢ doll foot. There is not a current identifiable form of toy like ours. There are

Environmental Scanning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Environmental Scanning - Essay Example Of all efforts, which are aimed at improving processes in an organisation, it is the alignment of the organisation with its environment that is the single most important to an organisation's success. Therefore, in an effort to align an organisation with its environment, it is very important that an organisation carries out environmental scanning and scenario planning. According to (Saxby, Parker, Nitse, & Dishman, 2002) environmental scanning is quite an involving process, which requires strategic planning, and the involvement of heavy resources to execute. Environmental scanning for any given business involves acquiring and using information surrounding key organizational events, market trends and other important trends as well as external relationships between an organisation and its partners, shareholders, as well as the customers (Aguillar, 1967). Environmental scanning is important in that the knowledge an organisation acquires from carrying out the process enables the organisation to carry out strategic planning especially in regard to how the organisation should respond to future challenges, respond to competitor activity as well as respond to the market environment. This is very important to any organisation considering that for an organisation long term planning is as important as the short term planning. Therefore failing to carry out a thorough environmental scanning is likely to result into loss of business for the company or in some cases losing out on market shares. Environmental scanning is important in that it positions the organisation to foresee future threats; an environmental scanning helps the organisation to identify future opportunities occasioned by political, economical as well as social factors. Unless the organisation is able to identify what the future holds for the company, it is very unlikely that such an organisation would continue satisfying its customers. Lack of proper environmental scanning results into loss of market share something, which can adversely affect organizational expansion and extension plans. Therefore environmental scanning should be carried in such a way so as to enable an organisation to face the future with certainty as well as plan the possible scenarios and course of action incase things do not work according to plan. Environmental scanning involves several steps, which include undirected viewing, conditioned viewing, enacting as well as searching (Kohn, 2005). Environment requires the correct analysis of the industry, which the organisation belongs to. Therefore viewing involves actual observation of the organisation activities, noting any difficult or challenging situations, which seem detrimental to the organizational success. Viewing enables an organisation to take note of environmental factors or issues, which require be looking at and resolved. Viewing is the right step, which results, into identification of environmental issues, which are a threat to the organisation, or on the other hand, viewing generates information or insight into opportunities in the market which if further analysed can present the organisation with greater avenues for growth. Undirected viewing according to (Aguillar, 1967) involves a situation whereby an organisation fails to invest the necessary

Just Between You, Me, and My 622 BFFs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Just Between You, Me, and My 622 BFFs - Essay Example The social media impacts a lot of the children’s development. The author of the essay illustrates this very vividly. At the beginning of her article, Orenstein addresses the case of a fourteen-year-old teen by the name Erin. The teen confesses that she began engaging herself in online activities since she was in third grade. This brings out the fact of how early the children get exposed to the internet and the social media. The early exposure to the Internet makes them adopt new behaviors and lifestyles that may be unhealthy. For instance, Orenstein comments on how Erin and three of her friends shunned a healthy meal prepared by her mother, for a bucket of shamrock-shaped, green frosted sugar cookies bought at the grocery store. By so doing, the author tries to bring to the audience the effect of continued exposure to the internet on the children. What their mother thinks is important for them may not match their knowledge gained from the internet. It is unfortunate that they may prefer taking what the internet advertises. In this case, the sugar cookies sounded so popular to them since they were bought during the celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day. This can be attributed to the fact that the four teens had been online from as early as age seven or eight. The author uses the three teens to illustrate how the children in the present era are so much attached to the mobile devices, ensuring they have internet everywhere and at all times. She notes that Erin and her three friends each owned an iPod touch, used computers daily.

The Origins and Early Form of the Arms Race Research Paper

The Origins and Early Form of the Arms Race - Research Paper Example These technological developments, however, only occurred because of vast systems of ideology and doctrine that convinced both sides they needed to adopt and aggressive postures towards each other. To truly understand the arms race, it is essential to understand the doctrines and philosophies that led to the perception of its necessity. The United States and the Soviet Union were allies during the Second World War, but even before the close of the that conflict significant cracks began to emerge – Truman and Stalin were already spoiling for a conflict as of the Potsdam Conference prior to the close of the war. His journal entries at that point contain subtle threats. In one time, Stalin and Truman had a frank discussion, in which Truman refers to Stalin’s questions as â€Å"dynamite,† before referring to the fact that Truman had â€Å"some dynamite too, which I’m not exploding now.†3 This clearly speaks to veiled threats – Stalin making some, before Truman refers to the fact that he has a secret weapon more powerful than the Soviet Union. So even as of World War II, both the Soviets and Americans were convinced they would be in conflict with each other – they were certain that their ideologies were too divergent, their interests too opposed to each other, and the world simply too small to accommodate the both of them. This represents the earliest beginning of the Cold War and the arms race. The arms race became further reinforced by the differing doctrines of both countries The first doctrine that the United States adopted towards the Soviet Union after the close of the Second World War was the Truman Doctrine, a doctrine essentially of containment of Soviet Union, which the United States believed was highly imperialist.4 The Soviet Union, for its own part, believed that a spreading proletariat revolution was a necessity, and heavily encouraged communist revolutions in a variety of countries, including successful revolutions in North Korea, Vietnam, China, as well as the de facto annexation of much of eastern and central Europe through the conflict of the Second World War. This further reinforced the idea in each country that they would eventually come into conflict with each other. It seemed almost certain. But this conflict would be different from any that came before it, because it would involve nuclear weapons, something against which there was no effective defense. Previous systems of weaponry could be battled – to destroy a city through bombing would take massive waves of bombers, which could be destroyed, thus limiting damage. With the advent of atomic weapons, however, this all changed. If a single airplane flew through a defense, it could obliterate a city. There was no way to defend against this new kind of weapon, which meant the only way to stop it from being used was through deterrence. Each side had to be absolutely certain that if it used atomic weapons, they would have atomic weapons used against them. This brought about a troubling strategy

Protections and issues surronding the 4th amendement Essay

Protections and issues surronding the 4th amendement - Essay Example These questions will be answered and explained in detail. The Fourth Amendment states, â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.† (Anonymous 1) Since the ratification of the Fourth Amendment we have had many court rulings directly applying to the use of the Fourth Amendment and its limits and allowances. The amendment itself states emphatically that people must be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. It also clearly states that their security is in their homes, persons and especially their papers and effects. The use of the word effects is based on 18th century English the definition of which at the time meant specifically, movable property. A primary modern legal precedent can be found in Mapp versus Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961). This case specifically decided that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment cannot be used in a criminal prosecution in state or federal courts. (Mapp v. Ohio 1) An interesting aspect of this case came in the dissenting opinion from Justice Harlan who believed that the wrong questions had been asked and that proper information had not been given. The exclusionary rule had also been brought up with this decision as before this decision there had never been a widely applied enforcement of the exclusionary rule. The exclusionary rule is the legal approach that holds that evidence wrongly acquired should be dismissed and is a support for the Fourth Amendment. The exclusionary rule does not however, apply in civil cases, grand jury proceedings or a parole revocation hearing. Some believe that the exclusionary rule causes more negative than positive. Socially this may be the case in that as a result of the exclusionary rule and by default the Fourth Amendment guilty individuals may go free, there is the greater need for justice to be fair and the exclusionary rule ensures that this can happen. The exclusionary rule is the only agreed upon solution for the Supreme Court to assure the effectiveness of the Fourth Amendment. Another case that set legal precedent was Katz versus United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967). This case set the precedent for technology and privacy, specifically; one has an expected privacy when making a call from a telephone booth. The decision made it clear that a person could make a private call in a public area. The dissenting opinion from Justice Black said that the Fourth Amendment was meant to protect items from physical search and seizure. (Katz v. United States 1) There have been new approaches to this issue due to the use of the internet and cellular phones which do not necessarily call for a phone booth; however, it has been upheld as case law. Among the modern issues pre sented by adherence to the protections of the Fourth Amendment come as a result of recent terrorist activity within the United States. The Patriot Act or public law 107-56 has been the center of much controversy with its wide reaching allowances especially regarding the protections of the Fourth Amendment. The Patriot Act allows federal and state law enforcement agents to commit searches if a suspect is understood to be a threat to national security. Specifically Title II

Bank of America Acquisition of Merrill Lynch Essay

Bank of America Acquisition of Merrill Lynch - Essay Example The investing and securities industry in the United States is quite successful with its level of growth before the recession being astronomic over the past couple of years. The country maintained a distinct difference between commercial and investment banks before 1999. This in effect means that the industry enjoyed massive benefits as the banks concentrated only on certain banking activities without competing much with the players in the investment banking industry. On the other hand, the industry includes approximately 3000 companies which have total revenue of close to 200 billion dollars (Hoovers par 1). The investment banking industry is much concentrated with the first 50 major players accounting for close to 90% of the industry’s earnings according to Hoovers (par 1). The investment banks commonly target those who have property which include land, buildings and other fixed assets the main customers being the middle class (Perkins 14). Some of the main competitors of Bank of America in its acquisition of Merrill Lynch include Wells Fargo and Company, The Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated and JP Morgan Chase and Corporation, and Citigroup. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is considered the world’s largest brokerage having at least 15000 brokers and a client asset base of about 2.2 billion dollars. In this regard, it fairs competitively compared to its main competitors both in the investment and brokerage ventures. Bank of America in itself has remained for long the second most capitalized bank in the United States. The bank serves more than 150 countries and has relationships with many Fortune 500 companies (Matthew, Carrick and Dan 14). In terms of total revenue, the Bank of America is 5th largest in the USA. There are several small brokerage firms that are far less capitalized in the US which little threaten the establishment of the Acquisition. The main competitors in the market including Wells Fargo

Hamlets Character is contradictory&quot Essay Example for Free

Hamlets Character is contradictoryquot Essay Shakespeare gives Hamlet a very indecisive character in this play. This in turn leads to Hamlet becoming contradictive, more and more so throughout the play. His main problem is that he is more of a thinker than a doer. This causes him many problems throughout the whole play. The first example we get of this comes in Hamlets first soliloquy. Here we find out what Hamlet truly feels about the situation he finds himself in after his fathers death. After initially seeming to be willing to go along with Claudiuss and his mothers marriage here we find out how he truly feels. He expresses his disgust at the hastiness from which his Mother has married to Claudius so soon after his fathers death. He also expresses how devastated he is at the death of his father and Claudius taking the crown, which Hamlet believes should rightfully be his. Hamlet once again shows this when he goes with his Fathers ghost. He comes back from this encounter determined to take revenge on Claudius but then passes up many chances to do so in order to make sure that the ghost is telling the truth. Hamlet continues this throughout the play and ironically this leads to him doing exactly the opposite of what the ghost wants by hurting his Mother and not taking revenge on Claudius when he has many chances to. Another appearance of Hamlets contradiction appears in his first soliloquy when he is very damning towards women: Frailty, thy name is woman! This contradicts with his apparent infatuation with his mother, and especially with her sexual behaviour. Hamlets contradictory character is also reflected in the many mood swings he has during the play. He constantly changes his mood one minute appearing relatively happy, the next he is at his sadistic worse cruelly teasing others with his wordplay. The worst of this comes when he is talking to Ophelia in Act 3 Scene 1, where nearly everything he says to her has a sexual double meaning. Here Hamlet has realised that he is being spied on and intend to have some fun at Ophelias expense as he feels that she has been used as a spy whereas in reality she knows nothing of the situation. Hamlets character however can not just be described as contradictory, it id far too complex for that. Hamlet could also be described as erudite, ingenious and quick-minded for the way he took advantage of the players arriving and setting up the play Murder of Gonzago in order to test the Kings guilty conscience and find out if he really did kills Old Hamlet. Hamlet is also regarded as pessimistic, over dramatic, angry, desperate and frustrated for his outlook on life and human nature and the way he feels about being denied the chance to become king after his fathers death. Many people also feel that Hamlet is obsessive; this is shown with his fixation with his mothers sexuality and is once again brought into light by Ophelia revealing all of the love letters that Hamlet has sent to her in the past. All in all I believe that whilst contradiction is one of Hamlets main characteristics, his character is too broad for it to be described as any one thing.

Over all Impacts of Hobby Lobby Case Essay Example for Free

Over all Impacts of Hobby Lobby Case Essay As the Supreme Court has ruled against the ObamaCare mandate recently, commonly referred as the The Affordable Care Act (ACA), many of the religious communities are overwhelmed about the decision and take it as a victory whereas others are outraged about this situation as women community will be greatly affected by the rulings of the court. It is a setback for the women society that in the name of religious liberty they will be deprived of their medical concerned issues. The companies that consist of religious ideology will be able to legitimize something that may harm others. Certainly these events will have constant series of effects on the society and as well as some changes may also occur in the legislation relating to ObamaCare. Obamacare covers twenty types of birth control, upon four of them; the court has objected (Tom Cohen, 2014). Hobby lobby states that it is showing efforts to provide religious freedom but majority of the public don’t agree with this statement. Instead people are outraged that it is interfering in their personal lives. It will not let them exercise there constitutional rights. Moreover they would be forced to obey or practice something that they don’t agree upon. People will not tolerate that there liberty and freedom will be in risk. Soon the similar types of entities like Hobby Lobby will be legitimizing discrimination against gays and lesbians by businesses (Salon.com, 2014). Defintly it would be unethical of doing so because what kind of an individual is having relationships is their personal right. In the name of faith and religion they will be creating barriers in there jobs and at work places. On the stance of ethical issues, the question arises about the religious liberty. Will it really make us a good Christian or minimizing our choices and freedom? It will be unacceptable by the public that the Supreme Court has legalized something that creates discrimination and deprives women from their medical rights. Indeed it is a biased decision made by the Supreme Court. In the light of the decisions made, employees of any company will be obliged to practice the religious beliefs practiced by their owners. Common people have a religious perspective that, every individual is responsible for his or her own deeds and will be answerable to God. But the decision that has been taken in this case by the court will certainly snatch the liberty from the company’s employees. Upper management will be able to force their religious beliefs and customs down the throats  of their employees. On the other hand, the decision will have negative effects on the women employees as majority of them may have a chance of suffering from medical problems for example in case of ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts, they won’t be able to get enough or no treatment because of the objection of contraceptives. Thousands of women employees of these companies would have to pay double or be out of their birth control plan (Tom Cohen, 2014). It would be unethical for the companies for interfering in their employee’s private personal medical matters. References Tom Cohen, C. (2014). Hobby Lobby ruling much more than abortion. CNN. Retrieved 4 October 2014, from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/02/politics/scotus-hobby-lobby-impacts/ Salon.com,. (2014). Hobby Lobbyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s secret agenda: How ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s quietly funding a vast right-wing movement. Retrieved 4 October 2014, from http://www.salon.com/2014/03/27/hobby_lobbys_secret_agenda_how_its_secretly_funding_a_vast_right_wing_movement/

Changed My View Of Being A Christian Theology Religion Essay

Changed My View Of Being A Christian Theology Religion Essay There are multiple principles that have been taught in this course that have changed my view of being a Christian but here I would like to focus on temptation and the Crown of Life. These two topics shed new light in my understanding of resisting temptation and the reward for doing so. Not all Christians know how to deal with temptation nor that their efforts go unnoticed in the grand scheme of things. Resisting temptation can prove to be very difficult at times and one of the biggest temptations can be to avoid persecution for being a Christian. But not only does resisting temptation help one stay on the way to Heaven, God will single out those who resist temptation and are willing to die for their faith, and reward them justly. Temptation can be theologically defined as a trial; a being put to the test (Easton, 2007). In basic terms, it is the enticement to sin. The devil brought temptation into the world. Thankfully, Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to save us from sin and overpower Satan. It is up to each person to make a concerted effort to resist temptation, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. In the Old Testament, the word for temptation is the Hebrew word maccah, which translates to temptation or trial. In the New Testament, the word in Greek is peirasmos, which means temptation(s) or to try. According to the Blue Letter Bible website, the word temptation appears in the King James Version sixteen times in fifteen verses. One of the foundations for the doctrine comes from Matthew 26:41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (KJV). The first recording in scripture of Satan tempting humanity is when he tempted Eves loyalty through her lust of the flesh to God, which led her to eating the forbidden fruit. He also appealed to her lust of the eyes whereby the appearance of the fruit caused her to desire what she did not already have as well as feeding on her basic feeling of self-worth and self-preservation. Temptation is even mentioned in The Lords Prayer: And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil (Luke 11:4, KJV). There are several practical applications regarding the issue of temptation. One of the best ways to protect oneself is to stay alert at all times and remember that the flesh is weak. Be sure to test everything that comes across your path and question whether it is from God or not. People should make every attempt to avoid conditions that might lead them to temptation. It is always important to focus on the truth and if we follow Christ, He will show us the truth, and it will set us free. When a person feels tempted, if they turn to prayer, God will always provide another way. You just have to be vigilant in looking for His way. Crown of Life The Crown of Life is one of the rewards for believers that will be given by Jesus from his seat of judgment. Theologically defined, the Crown of Life is not something that is received as soon as someone becomes a Christian but something the Christian will receive from God after proving firmness in faith. It is also sometimes referred to as the martyrs crown. This crown has a guarantee and is a promise to those that suffer deprivation now and to those specifically who love God and honor Christ. Simply put, the Crown of Life is Gods reward to humanity for his perseverance in faith and his honoring of Jesus Christ. There is a lot more biblical foundation for this doctrine than I thought I would find when I began my research. Revelation 2:10 stands out the most to me: Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life (KJV). Jesus specifically tells us that we will be tempted throughout out lives and we will more than likely receive persecution for our faith in Him. It is our duty to keep Satan beneath our feet and proclaim the truth in Jesus in order to receive this honor. James 1:12 is also another great reference for this doctrine: Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him (KJV). Dr. Towns pointed out that the author could have been referring to temptations of Christians to compromise their witness inste ad of dealing with the discrimination of being one of the faithful at the cost of their lives (Towns, 1983). The applications of this doctrine are more than practical but one must be very cautious because this is not a reward to be making bets for when you choose to live a life in faith. You do not live in faith just to receive this reward, quite the contrary. You receive this award for living in faith without regard to being rewarded for it. Making it through the temptation and persecution is of way more value than the gaining of the crown itself. If a Christian loses everything they have, Christ is still worthy of honor and the Crown of Life is still worth the steadfastness. Do not get wrapped up in things of this world such as money being the source of self-worth, security, and/or power. These things can only be appropriately received through faith in God and if a person lives by biblical principles with a true heart and without regard to their own humanly wants and temptations, they will receive their just reward the Crown of Life. If a Christian loses everything they have, Christ is s till worthy of honor and the Crown of Life is still worth the steadfastness. Conclusion Everybody gets tempted in life. Pleasing God is all in how you deal with those temptations. The world today is so far gone from what God seeks from His people now that temptation is rampant. So many sinful behaviors are seen as normal everyday things that are okay for people to do. This denial of Gods truth will keep His people from grace and all of His rewards, including the Crown of Life, which is eternal and assured for all of those who live righteously. People should not resist temptation just to receive the crown reward but rather should earn it by living everyday in light of Gods desires. Resisting temptation is a huge part in earning the Crown of Life. It is not going to be easy if one does it alone, but if they look to God, he will help make it a little more bearable.

Hip Hop And Rap :: essays research papers

The most widely accepted definition of rap music is spoken words with a rhythm of bass, drums, and keyboard sounds. The words are spoken over the music and the accents and emphasis on words is important. Hip Hop is defined as the accompanying background music but is often used as a synonym to rap music. In this paper I will show how rap got its start and evolved into the culture we know today as hip hop. Influences on rap music started as early as the 1940’s when Rhythm & Blues and Jazz included many of the elements that make up rap music. Rap music became its own genre of music in the 1970’s when DJ’s from New York, such as DJ Lovebug, DJ Cool Herc and DJ Hollywood, began manipulating, and scratching, records to make rhythms, beats, and other sounds. As this took place the rapper would speak over the music using rhymes. The rapper would use emphasis and accents with their lyrics. In 1979 the Sugar Hill Gang marketed the first rap single with their hit â€Å"Rapper’s Delight†. This forced the world to acknowledge that rap was a force in the music industry. In 1982, with the release of the single â€Å"The Message† by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, rap music took on a new purpose. The song stated the hardships of living in the â€Å"ghetto† of New York as is shown in the chorus of the song. â€Å"Don’t push me, cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to loose my head, It’s like a jungle sometimes, It makes me wonder, How I keep from going under.† In 1986 sampling was developed. Rap artists would use beats, rhythms, background music, and sometimes exact lyrics from previously recorded songs and incorporate them into their recordings. They often used a machine, known as a sampler, to replicate the existing sounds and tracks. Sampling led to problems, however. Musicians whose music was used in other songs saw no profit from the sampling. This led to many lawsuits. Also, fans felt betrayed that the rappers didn’t come up with their own music as they had in the earlier days of rap. Considered the â€Å"Fathers of Hip Hop†, Run DMC pioneered rap music in the 1980’s. The group consisted of three men. Joseph Simmons (Run), Darrly McDaniels (DMC), and Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) made up the most influential rap group of all time.

political ideology in the media Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout many generations and years gone bye the media and presentation of issues by news sources have influenced society’s opinions on moral and governmental issues. Dating back to the writing of the constitution the general public was influenced by what was said in the media presentation. The framers of the American Constitution banned newspaper reporters from hearing any information regarding the constitutional meetings due to the fact that our founding fathers did not want to be influenced by the way the news was reported. In today’s technological society this influential concept may be even more prevalent with the advancement of the internet and the easy accessible news. In order to be informed you no longer have to pay a bill to subscribe to your local newspaper, but you can simply click on a story on a website and read the same text that appears in local papers. Two sources which are both easily accessible and well respected are the New York Times and the Wash ington Times. Both newspapers report on both national and local news pertaining to all areas that deemed being covered. Upon evaluating the ideology, bias, reporting style, and ease of learning new information, I found these two well respected and well known newspapers to be vastly different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon attempting to navigate around the two websites I found that locating stories and specific writings on the NY Times website was tougher than on the Washington Times website. The NY Times ...

Implement person centred approaches in a health social care setting Essay

1.1 define person centred values.  Person centred values are there to ensure that the person using the service has all decisions about care ect. Made around them and their needs. 1.2 explain why it is important to work in a way that embeds person centred approaches to establish the needs and wishes of the individual and make sure these are met. This also means that the individual will feel empowered and have some sense of control over their lives. 1.3 explain why risk taking can be part of a person centred approach. Because taking risks involves risk assessments which the individual can be made a part of. Also it empowers individuals to make choices and take risks in their lives. see more:identify possible barriers to active participation 1.4 explain how using a persons care plan contributes to working in a person centred way. Because no two care plans are the same as they are about an individual using the care plan means we are working to suit the individual taking into account their likes and dislikes. 3.1 explain the importance of establishing consent when providing care or support. This is important as it then includes the individual in decision making, and to ensure they don’t feel ignored or under valued. 3.3 explain what steps to take if consent cannot be readily established. I would discuss the problem with my manager and possibly a doctor or advocate for the individual. Also I would make a record of this and sign and date it. 4.1 describe how participation benefits an individual  this benefits individuals as it makes them feel important and that things are done for their benefit and with their consent. This benefits the individual as it makes them an active part of making choices about their lives and how they live . 4.2 identify possible barriers to active participation emotions disabilities attitudes strict routines lack of training

Traffic Jam in Dhaka City

EXAMINATION OF PROFITABILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH BANKING INDUSTRY Nadim Jahangir', Shubhankar Shill2 and Md. Amlan Jahid Haque3 Abstract Loans are the riskiest asset of a bank, but these loans play a pivotal role in banks' profitability. Banks ‘profitability depends on the results of some parameters and among them Bank b Return on Equity, Market Size, Market Concentration Index, and Bank RiskMeasure are widely used and the same are investigated in the Bangladesh Banking Industry in this study for a period of the last six years. The data comes from the annual reports of individual banks listed in Dhaka StockExchange (DSE) and from the Bangladesh bankb published statistics book (Scheduled Banks Statistics). Correlation matrix and stepwise regression have been used for the purpose of data analysis. The analysisfinds that market concentration and bank b risk do little to explain bank b return on equity, whereas bankb market size is the only variable providing an explanatio n for banks return on equity in the context of Bangladesh. Introduction The tmhtional measure ofprofitabilitythrough stockholder's equity is quite different in banking industry ffom any other sector ofbusiness, where loan-to-deposit ratio works as a very good ndicator ofbanks' profitabiJity as it depicts the status of asset-liabilitymanagement ofbanks. But banks' risk is not only associated with this asset- liability management but also related to growth opportunity. Smooth growth insures higher future returns to holders and there lies the profitability which means not only current profits but future returns as well. So, market size and market concentration index along with return to equity and loan-to-deposit ratio seize the attention of analyzing the banks' profitability. The banking industry of Bangladesh is a mixed one comprising nationalized, private and foreign ommercial banks. Many efforts have been made to explain the performance of these banks. Understanding the performance ofbanks requires knowledge about the profitability and the relationshps between variables like market size, bank's risk and bank's market size with profitability. Indeed, the performance evaluation of commercial banks is especially important today because of the fierce competition. The banking (1) Dr. Nadim Jahangir (Associate Professor) holds a Ph. D. in Management from Australian Catholic University and now is teachmg in the Independent University of Bangladesh. (2) Shubhankar Shill (Lecturer) holds Master degree in Finance from Dhaka University (Bangladesh) and now is teaching in the School of Business, Independent University of Bangladesh. (3) Md. Arnlan Jahid Haque (Lecturer) holds a Master degree in Management from Rajshahi University (Bangladesh) and now is teaching in the School of Business, Independent University of Bangladesh. 36 ABAC Journal Vol. 27, No. 2 (May – August, 2007, pp. 36 – 46) Examination of PI .ofitability in the Context ofBangladesh Banking I ndusqr industry is experiencing major transition for the last two decades. It is becoming imperative for banks to endure the pressure arising from oth internal and external factors and prove to be profitable. Until early 1985, Bangladesh had a highlyrepressed financial sector (Chowhdury, 2002). Banks and other financial institutions were fully owned by the government. In the early part of 1980, Bangladesh entered into the IMF and World Bank adjustment programs and the process of privatization and liberalization gained momentum under the influence ofthe World Bank and the IMF. Since then the banking industry of Bangladesh has become an attractive ground for both domestic and foreign investors to take part in the game. It is of utmost importance that these layers prove themselves profitable. Andrews (1975) noted that it is essential to understand the strategies to achieve greater profitability. In line with this, the current study makes an effort to unearth those pillars which are maj or constituents of strategies and goals. This paper intends to analyze the importance of internal and external factors for banks return on equity. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to closely examine the relationships of bank's market concentration, market size, and bank's risk with return on equity. The intention is to decide which amongst the potential determinants appear to be mportant. Hassan, Khan, and Haque, (1 995) previously examined banks' profitability considering monetary affect and concentration in context of Bangladesh. However Fraser, Philips, and Rose (1974) stated that performance of commercial banks should not be measured by a single proxy but by a set of variables which are jointly determined by market structure, demand, and other factors. Therefore, the current study aims to propose and examine a framework incorporating bank's market concentration, bank's market size, bank's risk, and identify the relationships of these variables with bank's return on equi ty in context f Bangladesh. Literature Review Market Size Cravens (2000) elaborated that, market size is usually measured by currency, sales andlor unit sales for any product market and also in specified time period other size measurement include the number of buyers' average purchase quantity, frequency of purchase for any product oriented market. As a result the key measures of market size are market potential, sales forecast, and market share. In another study on banking reformation Thorsten and Ross (2002) measured the market size ofbanks against the GDP and to measure bank size, Thorsten and Ross (2002) used bank credit to he private sector as a share of GDP. Demirguc-Kunt and Maksimovic (2002) suggested that the extent to whichvarious financial, legal, and other factors (e. g. corruption) affect bank profitability is closely linked to size. In addition, as Short (1 979) argued, size is closely related to the capital adequacy of a bank since relatively banks tend to raise less expensive capital and, hence, appear more profitable. Luthria and Dhar (2005) defined market size as the scale of economic activity over which agents can contact. They tried to measure market size or space by national borders. Large space creates the potential or reaping economies of scale and the scope for specialization as well. It requires specific investments in physical and human capital, as well as marketing channels, constrained by slow- moving economic activity. Market Concentration The concentration aspect is particularly important for the transition economies and it has been very commonly used as the measurement of Nadim Jrrhangir. Shubhankar ShiN and 1Mn. Amlan Jahid Haque profitability ofbanlung industry. Atbanasoglou, Brissims, and Delis (2005) argue that banking systems are highly concentrated, with little separation between central and commercial banking ctivities in order to facilitate the banks' role in the planning process. Ahighly concentrated banking sector resul ts in market power for the banks. As opposed to perfect competition, banks having monopoly power would lead to an equilibrium characterized by higher loan costs and a smaller quantity of loanable hnds (Cetorelli & Gambera, 2001). According to Alzaidanin (2003) when a large share of the business of a given industry is controlled by few large firms or concentrated in a few pockets the situation is usually termed as a slate ofconcentration. However, Deidda and Fattouh (2002) showed theoretically as well as mpirically that the relationship between banking concentration and return on equity depended on the level of economic development. More specifically, banking concentration had an adverse impact on return on equity only in low income countries. For high income countries, there was no significant effect between the two variables. Additionally, Beck, Maksimovic, and Vojislav (2003) found that this effect is especially strong if a state has a weak legal system, high level ofcorruption an d a low level ofeconomic and financial development. Since these factors are true for at least some of the economies under consideration, ne would expect low banking concentration to foster return on equity. Bank Risk According to Allen (1 997), banks tend to focus on areas where they believe they have a comparative advantage to maximize efficiency in making loans. This approach makes banks give attention to geographic, industry specific demographics, and other market characteristics to operate. Calomiris and Karceski (1 998) noted that diversification and different levels ofriskyness is the result ofdifferences across banks in the scale oftheir operations. As economic conditions vary across different regions and industrial sectors, therefore ank riskyness and return on equity also vary across different regions. Gerlach, Peng, and Shu (2004) took a different approach in defining Banks' risk. Poor management qualities in inefficient institutions have a tendency to cany higher risk (cr edit risk, operating risk, & liquidity). The credit risk on any individual loan can be broken down into two components, the probability that the borrower will default, and the losses incurred in the event ofdefault. In an earlier study on asset quality of commercial banks Stafon (2000) found that bank return on equity driven mainly by changes in Net Interest Margins NIMs) and loan provision which in turn were determined by asset quality. However, Greusning and Bratanovic (2003) revealed that return on equity is a revealing indicator of a bank's competitive position in banking markets and of the quality of its management. The authors further elaborated that the income statement ofa bank is a key source of information on a bank's return on equity, reveals the sources ofa bank's earning and their quantity and quality as well as the quality of the bank's loan portfolio and the focus of its expenditures. Relationship between market concentration and banks ‘return on ecjuitv The mpi rical findings on the relationship between market concentration and return on equity are as diverse as the theoretical underpinnings. Parsley and Wei (1 985) found that young firrns in concentrated markets receive more credits than in competitive markets, with no difference for older firms, which results in a positive effect on return on equity. In contrast, Examination of Profitability in the Context of Bangladesh Banking Indust, Cetorelli and Gambera (2001) concluded that banking concentration leads to an overall depressing effect on return on equity. The authors suggest that increased competition (thus less oncentration) causes a rise in entrepreneurship and thus a higher rate of new firm creation. Very convincing is the recent work of Deidda and Fattouh (2002) showing theoretically as well as empirically that the relationship between banking concentration and return on equity depends on the level of economic development. More specifically, banking concentration has an adverse im pact on ROE only in low income countries. For hlgh income countries, there is no significant effect between the two variables. Therefore, the following hypothesis can be proposed: Hypotheis1 : There is a significant relationship between Bank's arket concentration and Bank's return on equity of commercial banks in Bangladesh. Relationship between market size and banks' return on equity Shepherd (1972) mentioned a positive relation between the market size and return on equity. Such a nature ofrelationship continues to receive a great deal of attention. Seedier and Gee (1 96 1) suggested that the variability ofthe growth rate ofbank assets declines with the market size. Demerguq- Kunt and Huizinga (2001) noted that growth ofmarket size, in contrast, is positively and significantly related to profit growth. Again by following the same path of Smirlock (1 985),Alzaidanin (2003) mentioned a positive and significant relationship between banks' size and banks' return on equity based on prod uct differentiations. Therefore, the following hypothesis can be proposed: Hypothesis 2: There is a significant relationship between Bank's market size and Bank's retum on equity of commercial banks in Bangladesh. Relationship between banks' risk and banks' return on equity Gizycki (2001) stated that even though return on equity is influenced by bank's credit risk, the relationship between the two is not straightforward. Movements in the retum on assets will reflect not just credit risk, ut the full range of risks, including bank's exposures to movements in interest rates and exchange rates, liquidity risk and operational risks. Moreover, banks return on equity reflects not just risk-taking, but also other factors such as the mix ofon and offbalance sheet business, operating efficiency, the level of competition within the banking market, and regulatory constraints. Banks earn higher returns by taking on riskier business, this will boost the return on equity. However, if a bank exper iences losses beyond what it had provisioned for, such losses will reduce return on equity. Bourke (1 989) reports hat the effect of credit risk on retum on equity appears clearlynegative. This result may be explained by taking into account the fact that the more financial institutions are exposed to high- risk loans, the higher is the accumulation ofunpaid loans, implying that these loan losses have produced lower returns to many commercial banks. Therefore, the following hypothesis can be proposed: Hypothesis 3: There is a significant relationship between Bank's risk and Bank's return on equity of commercial banks in Bangladesh. Conceptual framework It is proposed that bank's market concentration, bank's market size, and ank's risk are important in the context oftheir relationships with bank's return on equity. Based on the preceding literature review, the following framework was proposed. Nadim Jahangir, Shubhankar Shill and Md. Amlan Jahid Haque The conceptual Mework (figure 1) depicts sample size is trimmed down to 15 because of the measured variables and their relationships in inaccessibility of data. To run the analysis data the present study. fiom the year 2000 to 2005 data were used. Measures Methodology Research setting To calculate profitability of selected banks, the following ratios were used: Only the listed banks n the Dhaka Stock . Bank's return on equity (ROE) = Exchange were selected for this study. The Net Income / Total Equity researchers collected secondary data from the annual reports of these banks. Market size= Individual bank's deposit / Total banks' deposit Srrr~lpliilg nlethod Market Concentration index = Market size Currently the Dhaka Stock Exchange has 23 listed banks. Therefore, the researchers have . Bank Risk Measure = selected 23 banks in Bangladesh. However, the Bank's total loan / total deposit Bd's Market Concentration Bank's Market Size. B'd's Risk Bank's Return on Equity Figre1 : Conceptr~lFramework of proposed variables and their relationshps. Examination of Profitability in the Context of Bangladesh Banking Industry The relevant reasons and credentials behind the above measures ofprofitability ofbanks are as follows: According to Al-Shamrnari M. and Salirni A. (1 998) profitability ratio especially ROE signals the earning capability of the organization. They also suggest that higher return on equity (ROE) ratio is appreciable as it is the primary indicator ofbank's profitability and functional efficiency. Besides that the authors pointed out that higher liquidityratio pulls strength of peration up. Thus, fiom their view it can be stated that bank risk can be offset through lower loan-to-deposit ratio. For bank, the capital sufficiency is important to fiu-ther growth as well as profitability. Conversely, more loans derive higher credit risk, higher rate of nonperforming loans, and lower return on asset as well as equity. They provided a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to explore the financial position ofcommercial banks in Jordan. Therefore, ROE is used here to measure the profitabilitywhich is the most sought after measure among all. Philippatos andYildlrim (2007) recommended that the arket attractiveness and profitability has a positive relationship in the context of monopolistic banking business. Force of lending can pull up through increase efficiency of own capital and competency. However, earlier in 1977, Heggestad explained that if the individual bank has higher market share it is sure to enjoy monopoly which helps the bank to extend market concentration and reduce risk. The ultimate result is the increase ofreturn on equity (ROE). He also said that risk is a fimdamental factor in pulling up profit. But, market size diverts risk hm business and confirms smooth growth and secured ROE.

Behaviors of Domestic Cats

Cats have been kept as domestic pets since ancient times. They are known as loyal, finicky and independent creatures. Their behaviors can tell us whether they have a physical ailment, are upset or worried or are happy and contented. (Catsinfo. com) When a cat rubs up against someone, they are showing ownership of that person and marking them as such. Cats can be quite finicky as to who they like and can even choose to ignore someone if they decide they do not like them. (Budiansky, 2002) A cat is naturally inclined to claw things such as furniture, drapes or rugs.Many people have their cats declawed to prevent damage to these objects. While this was commonplace for many years, it is now becoming something of a controversy. Animal rights activists and many cat owners are comparing the procedure to amputation and vehemently oppose the practice. With time and effort, cats can be trained to use a scratching post. One problem for cat owners is the hazard that most house plants present to the cats. In the wild, cats eat grass to help with fur in their stomach. Many common house plants can be poisonous to cats if ingested.Hanging plants are not always safe since cats will climb furniture to reach them. Some owners have found that growning a small patch of grass in a container will keep the cats happy enough to leave the other plants alone. Many indoor cats use a litter box instead of the outdoors. In the wild, cats bury their feces to keep predators from scenting them. This behavior continues indoors as well. Cats are naturally clean animals and like the litter box to be clean as well. One of the main issues for cat owners is urination in an area other than the litter box.There can be many causes for this behavior and it is trial and error until the problem is resolved. Finding the right litter box and type of litter can also be trial and error as some cats prefer one thing, some another. One reason for a cat to refuse to use the litter box is that it is not clean. If the litter box is clean, it may be a physical ailment such as a bladder infection or urinary tract infection. Any ailments should be treated by a veterinarian. A cat may show it is upset by urination outside the litter box as well.Cats can be upset by any number of things such as changes in habitat, additions of new pets to the family or other changes. Watching a cat’s tail can be a good indication of the cat’s mood. A tail that is erect and held high indicates a friendly mood. A tail that is laying down and twitching usually indicates the cat is pensive or irritable. A tail held high and fluffed out is a good indicator that the cat will attack if provoked. (xmission, 2007) Cats show affection in several ways. Purring is the most commonly recognized behavior of a friendly, content cat.A cat will purr when happy, many times while being petted. Cats will also rub against a person to show friendliness and also to mark the person as their. Cats have scent glands all over their bodies that enable them to mark their territory. property This is another behavior taken from the wild where they mark their territory against other animals invading it. Butting their heads against a person is another way of showing affection. Urinary spray is also a way for them to mark their territory but having them spayed or neutered at around six months of age will stop this behavior.Cats are natural hunters and will stalk birds, small animals and toys. It is their instinct to hunt that causes them to pounce on toys and bat them around. Cats are good hunters and quite fast at times. Many farms keep cats as mousers in the barn and home. Cats will chase small toys or laser lights. This is the hunting instinct in them causing this behavior as cats are attracted by movement. Cats have a tendency to show attention to people who do not care for cats when they visit. This is due to a behavior in the wild that indicates submissivness.Cats will look directly at another cat and sho w aggression if protecting territory or young. A cat who refuses to look directly at another cat or seems to ignore it is showing submission to the other cat. It is the same behavior in people who do not care for cats, they tend to look away or try to ignore the cat. This is an invitation to the cat to show dominance. A cat that is injured or in pain will tend to hide itself in a dark area. This is a behavior that often saves their lives in the wild. Injured or weak animals often become food for predators so hiding is a natural instinct.Cats will often do the same thing indoors when hurt. It is important to remember that any injured or pained animal will strike out if frightened and extra care should be taken when attempting to extricate the cat from its hiding place. (xmission, 2007) Cats make wonderful pets and are relatively low maintantence due to their independent nature. They do not require constant attention or reassurance. They can be trained to overcome inappropriate behavi or and are extremely affectionate when it suits them. Whether the cat is an indoor cat or an outdoor cat, the behaviors tend to be the same.Instinct plays a large part in cat behavior and knowing these behaviors can lead to a satisfactory cat and owner relationship. Works Cited Budiansky, Stephen. â€Å"The Character of Cats: The Mystery Is Not Why They're So Antisocial but Why They're Social at All. † The Atlantic Monthly June 2002: 75+. Questia. 26 Sept. 2007 . http://www. catsinfo. com Moore, Glenda. â€Å"Catstuff† Retrieved September 24, 2007 from http://www. xmission. com/emailbox/whycat. htm

Management Challenges in the 21st Century Essay

Introduction The traditional management education and training relies heavily on left-brain thinking, deductive reasoning and analytical thinking. The managers of the future require a different set of skills based on the functioning of the right-brain like holistic or systems thinking, intuitive problem-solving and value-driven decision-making. While state parastatals could benefit from a number of these corporate lessons, readers should be clear about the many ways in which government agencies differ from corporate entities. In the corporate world, a single metric – profits – surpasses all others in importance. By contrast, a government organization must achieve success across a wide spectrum of activities. There is no equivalent to the simplifying discipline of a corporate balance sheet. Corporations must adapt or risk bankruptcy, and publicly held companies are accountable to shareholders who scrutinize their performance and profitability each quarter. These factors present strong incentives for corporations to invest in and drive change. The government organisations, in contrast, adapts only because of the will of its leaders and staff. If it dawdles, it does not come under threat of bankruptcy or risk the ire of shareholders. However, the consequences of strategic failure at the parastatals can be far greater than that of a corporation. The Evolutionary Context The best minds in management were thoughtful and precise in identifying the management challenges of the 21st century. However there is nothing entirely new in the list of challenges. Most of them are part of the new and emerging paradigm in management, discussed and debated in the growing management literature on this subject. However what is lacking in the discussion is a clear and precise understanding of the change or evolutionary transition which humanity as a whole is going through. In other words, first we have to understand and identify clearly the evolutionary challenges facing future humanity as a whole and based on this understanding, we have to figure out what will be its implications for business and management. As the intuitive and evolutionary thinkers like Sri Aurobindo and Teil-hard-de-Chardin have pointed out, the main evolutionary challenge facing humanity is the growth of consciousness from the rational, divisive and analytical consciousness of the mind towards th e unitive, holistic and intuitive consciousness of the Sprit. The ultimate goal of this evolution is towards the creation or establishment of a Global Consciousness, wherein humanity discovers its inner spiritual unity. Sri Aurobindo called this higher consciousness as the â€Å"Gnostic† or â€Å"supramental† consciousness and Teil-hard-de-Chardin named it as the â€Å"Omega Point† beyond the rational mind. This is the deeper and inner significance of the present trends towards globalisation, which is moving towards, not exactly a global society or a global government, but a global consciousness. The path to this global consciousness is through a system of values, education and culture which leads to a moral, psychological and spiritual development of the individual and collectivity. When this global consciousness expresses itself in the outer life it will lead to a global civilization, governed and united by the principle of a free, rich, harmonious and mutually complementing diversity. This is the inner imperative of the future evolution of mankind. In the external world, the main thrust of the evolutionary drive of Nature seems to be towards greater distributive justice which means greater diffusion of knowledge, power, wealth and culture into the masses, especially those who are suppressed or exploited in the previous cycles of evolution. This evolutionary thrust is expressing itself in the emerging society through the following movements: 1. Increasing empowerment and participation of woman, with more and more woman entering into the professional world and raising to leadership position. 2. Greater empowerment and participation of those workers in the lower levels of the corporate hierarchy. 3. Thrust towards inclusive growth, economic upliftment of the poorer section of the society, people participation in development, and a greater focus on minorities. The Integral View These are the inner and outer evolutionary imperatives of the future. Those individuals or groups organisations, communities or nations who are able to successfully achieve or implement this evolutionary transition will gain evolutionary advantage over others and will be the leaders of the future. What are the implications of this future evolutionary imperative for business and management? First, in the domain of vision, mission and values organizations have to discover a higher purpose which can inspire and trigger this higher evolution within the organisation. Second, in the domain of Human Resources Development, there must be a greater attention to the development of the moral, aesthetic, intuitive and spiritual faculties and potentialities of employees which will lead to their higher evolution. Third, in the domain of Organisational Development, creating a corporate environment and culture which felicitates this higher evolution among employees and also helps them to express this inner and higher growth in the outer life. In this task, building consciously an organizational community governed by the values of French revolution: liberty, equality and fraternity, will be a great help. This means reinventing the values of democracy at the organizational level. In this task, the corporate world can perhaps do a better job than the political world because of two reasons: first, in our modern age the world of business is much more dynamic, efficient and innovative, with a much greater capacity for organisation and execution than the world of politics; second it is easier to implement or organise the triple values in the smaller space of an organization than on the larger scale in a nation. However, the key to a practical synthesis of the triple value lies in the third, Fraternity or more specifically an inner fraternity in the mind, heart and soul of people or in other words, unity of consciousness. Fourth, in the domain of corporate social responsibility, there must be a greater integration of the corporation with the community, which means a more creative deployment of the expertise and resources of the corporation for the development of the surrounding community as a whole. Fifth, in the domain of sustainability a more integral attunement of the corporate life with the laws and way of Nature in the physical as well as psychological and spiritual dimensions Challenges of Management in the 21st Century Corporate executives emphasize the need for a clear, shared vision; a strong organizational culture; ways of doing business that leverage the size and reach of the company; and an institutionalized process that ensures the alignment of the corporation’s vision and its widely dispersed activities. Hierarchical, highly centralized, command-and control models no longer work for most global organizations. Such models reduce speed and agility, hinder innovation and prevent valuable collaboration. Yet, many companies take advantage of their large size, scope and reach. i) Enterprise Mobility Since the inception of Apple’s App Store in 2008, the concept of enterprise mobility has evolved from a nice-to-have novelty into an essential part of doing business. Increasingly, organizations in a broad cross section of markets – financial services, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, consumer products, education, automotive, and manufacturing among them – are seeing the value of mobilizing enterprise information and making it available to customers, employees, and partners. These organizations are making smart phones and tablet devices an important part of their sales, marketing, operations, and human resource strategies by developing customer – facing mobile applications that drive revenue growth, build customer loyalty, and strengthen brand awareness. They’re also creating internally focused applications that aim to improve employee and partner efficiency, communication, and productivity. These initiatives have taken many different forms and met with varying degrees of success, but they illustrate that organizations are taking enterprise mobility seriously. With application downloads expected to top 44 billion by 20161, they’re wise to do so. Enterprises are also leveraging mobility to improve internal operations, strengthen partner ties, and boost employee productivity. Driven by explosive growth in smart phone and tablet sales, enterprise mobility has become an essential part of business. Organizations across industries are developing internal- and external-facing mobile applications that drive revenue, build brand loyalty, strengthen communication with partners, and enhance employee productivity. Companies that have aggressively embraced enterprise mobility are seeing an impressive return on their investment. The rapid and ongoing rollout of new smart phone and tablet devices is driving new customers into the market, but also forces developers to build mobil e applications for multiple platforms and device types. Keeping pace in this market requires an agile, flexible, and iterative approach to application development. In-house development is a complex, expensive, and time consuming process that requires coding in multiple languages, extensive testing on different platforms, and dedicated resources for ongoing updates and maintenance. Mobile web isn’t a viable option for addressing these challenges: security is weak, user interface suboptimal, and functionality limited. ii) Individual and Leadership Challenges Globalisation, the war for talent, digital communications, societal changes, the changing shape of organisations, and the aspirations of the next generation are all challenging 21st Century leaders in new ways. The quest for more sustainable and ethical organisations prompted by the business scandals of the nineties and the growing realisation that we cannot continue to raid our world’s natural resources without considering its future sustainability are also putting extraordinary pressures on today’s leaders to perform against a range of criteria which go far beyond those of successful business performance. Measuring leadership success must increasingly now include questions of the longer term common good: socially, ethically and globally, at the same time as responding to the pace of change in a world where today’s ideas might already be doomed to obsolescence. It is no longer enough to stimulate followers through heroic gestures and charisma alone. 21st Century visionary leaders focus on growing deep organisational engagement amongst their followers, and on generating a shared and common understanding of a dynamic and evolving vision for the future. Visioning today is no longer the static or solitary activity it once was. No longer is it the sole prerogative of the top team. Looking beyond the organisation’s immediate environment into the world to help people to imagine the future, and then converting this image into an exciting destination means developing a climate in which ideas are shared and co-created. It means using all available antennae and tapping into all available networks to continually create new knowledge inside the organisation. This knowledge includes understanding trends and shifts in society, technology, markets and people, looking for tipping points and spotting them early, assessing the speed and destination of these changes, and then of course interpreting these to determine how they will affect the organisation and its purpose over time. Visioning alone though, is not enough. Authenticity is another concept long debated by philosophers and psychologists amongst others, but one that is relatively new to the mainstream study of leadership, although interest in it is growing fast. To be truly authentic, however, also requires a deep understanding how our identity has been shaped by the societal norms around us, a rejection of the pressures to behave as others want us to, and a refusal to display feelings we do not really feel. Fortunately our appetite for filling our workplaces with cultish rituals to be followed blindly and evangelistically is now virtually. Achieving authenticity in a world where our identities are created for us by a mass market media and the immediacy of the internet is not easy. It requires courage, self knowledge, compassion and strong personal conviction. Those who work towards this goal, however, confirm that they find themselves happier in their working relationships, more successful as leaders, and more able to engage and inspire their followers. For the 21st Century leader this is felt to be one of the most challenging but also one of the most important qualities a leader can aspire to. Perhaps one of the most marked shifts in thinking about leadership for the 21st Century is the renewed emphasis we are now placing on mentoring and team development, as well as on growing the next generation of leaders. Many 21st Century leaders aim to try to spend more time with their teams to understand their aspirations and to identify the areas in which they need intervention, mentoring and direction. Others see their leadership roles as being about unlocking the potential of their followers, and helping them deliver without micromanaging. iii) Change Management Organizational change normally involves some threat, real or perceived, of personal loss for those involved. This threat may vary from job security to simply the disruption of an established routine. Furthermore, there may be tradeoffs between the long and short run. As an individual, I may clearly perceive that a particular proposed change is, in the long run, in my own best interests, and I may be very interested in seeing it happen, yet I may have short-run concerns that lead me to oppose particular aspects of the change or even the entire change project. The rate of change is escalating in virtually all organizations. The pressure is intense on anybody connected with the business world to focus time and attention on understanding the forces driving the changing environment and develop or implement the information systems needed to support the altered environment. One of the most difficult problems organizations face is dealing with change. In today’s rapidly changing, high ly competitive environment, the ability to change rapidly, efficiently, and almost continually will distinguish the winners from the losers. Many organizations will disappear because they find themselves unable to adapt. Furthermore, many of the pressures for change in organizations are independent of technologic change. This means that informaticians working for change are doing so in organizations which are already highly stressed by other pressures. Major organizational changes typically involve many different types and levels of personal loss for the people in the organization. For example, change always requires the effort to learn the new, which is a loss in terms of time and energy that could have been used elsewhere. Although some may welcome the learning opportunity, many of us don’t want to invest that time and energy unless we are dissatisfied with the current arrangements or see powerful advantages to the proposed change. Upgrading to new software is a common example, in which the future benefits may not be seen as sufficient to outweigh the short-term investment required to learn the new programs. Second, people want to feel good about themselves. Ideally, people are able to take pride in their work, feel responsible for a job well done, feel they are part of a high-quality enterprise, and feel that their time has some significance. In many work situations, the work itself and the organizational culture make it difficult for people to feel good about themselves. In these poorer situations, people usually invent strategies to help them feel better about themselves, and these strategies involve getting some sense of control, belongingness, and significance out of their work. Sometimes this involves opposition to management, on the assumption that management is always up to no good. More commonly, the worker-management relationships are not completely alienated. Still, the workers’ strategies for achieving â€Å"good† feelings are unknown to or quite misunderstood by management. Therefore, change initiatives, unknowingly and unintentionally, threaten to cause the workers serious personal loss. Not surprisingly, the workers resist and do all they can to sabotage such change initiatives. Third, change initiatives often require large losses for middle managers. Generally, people perceive that information systems increase the ability of top executives to know more about what is going on and to exert more direct control. This means a serious loss of personal and organizational significance for the middle manager. Sometimes middle managers fight this loss. Any significant organizational change involves changing habits, which is, changing the way we actually do our work. This usually involves changes in the way we interact, both with people and our tools. New systems require us to learn a new set of behaviours. Resistance to change is an ongoing problem. At both the individual and the organizational levels, resistance to change impairs concerted efforts to improve performance. Many corporate change efforts have been initiated at tremendous cost only to be halted by resistance among the organization’s employees. Organizations as a whole also manifest behaviour similar to that of individuals when faced with the need to change. The relationship between individual and organizational resistance to change is important. An organization is a complex system of relationships between people, leaders, technologies, and work processes. From this interaction emerge organizational behaviour, culture, and performance. These emergent properties and behaviours are tightly linked in two directions to the lower-level interactions. Organizational resistance to change is an emergent property, and individual resistance to change can give rise to organizational resistance. A self-reinforcing loop of increasing resistance can develop as individuals create a environment in which resistance to change is the norm. That environment in turn encourages increased resistance to change among individual employees. The self-reinforcing nature of this loop can be tremendously powerful, defeating repeated attempts to break out of it. iv) Manpower Management Parallel with the changes in the global arena, the qualifications of the workforce has been changed. The changes of the workforce required a shift from traditional personnel management to human resource management. With the evolution of HRM, this field has gained a more strategic perspective in practice. Human resources have started to be seen as an inimitable and most valuable factor for organizations to gain competitive advantage. With this perspective, HRM departments has gained more importance and become strategic players in the organization. Today, the new HRM requires being strategic partner in the organization by aligning all the HR functions with the mission, vision and strategies of the organization. Considering this, it is possible to say that high quality workforce can create this advantage. The change that has most impacted organizations in the past decade has been the increasing realization that human resources of an organization are the primary source of competitive advantage. It is now accepted that high qualified employees in the organization and the way how they are managed is very important to gain competitive advantage. HRM must change as the business environment and the world in which it operates changes. Parallel to these changes in technology, globalization and dynamics of labour market, the way to manage human resources has changed. HRM managers have moved from handling simple personnel issues to making a strategic contribution to the future directions and development of the organization. With the evolution of HRM function from traditional to strategic, its roles and importance has gained more attention. The HR function and its process now have become more strategic and HR managers have been a part of the top management team. This strategic approach to HRM has led this function to be involved in strategic planning and decision making processes by coordinating all human functions for employees. Aligning the strategies of the organization with the HR functions has become the essential part of gaining competitive advantage. The role of the HR for the 21st century is named as strategically reactive in business strategy implementation through supporting the long term strategies with the necessary employee qualifications and developing the cultural and technical capabilities required for the strategies of the organization. The need for managing the employees strategically in the 21st century also requires the management and the organization structure to be more flexible. The work system has started to change with autonomous work groups with high qualified workforces, outsourcing some of the operational HR functions, downsizing, delayering, employee participation to the decision systems, high wages for the high qualified human resources, virtual and network organizations. 21st century HR requires factors like; increased centrality of people to organizational success, focus on whole systems and integrated solutions, strategic alignment and impact, capacity for change. These factors are described below briefly: * Increased Centrality of People to Organizational Success: Undoubtedly the most powerful force affecting the evolution of HRM is the increased centrality of people to organizational success. The emergence of resource based views of organizations has placed increasing importance on intellectual and social capital. * Focus on Whole Systems and Integrated Solutions: It is clear that HRM has become increasingly systematic during their evolutions. With the strategic proactive role of HRM, the challenge for HRM is to continue to develop innovative systems by focusing on the integrated functions and systems of organization. * Strategic Alignment and Impact: 21st century HR has become more integrated by its measurement efforts and it is expected that the importance of these efforts will increase in the coming years. This is all being driven by increased pressure to work on issues that are most important to the business and to provide organizational leaders with understandable information that helps them to make better and more strategic decisions about the workforce. Ultimately, it is essential to work together to enhance HR’s capacity to contribute to organizational and financial performance. * Capacity for Change: Today’s organizations must thrive in complex and unpredictable environments and must be extremely agile. This demands the development and implementation of structures and processes that facilitate incremental change. The new human resources management for the 21st century should play a strategic role by contributing the strategy formulation process and being a strategic partner during the implementation of these strategies. The HR practices should be designed consistent with the strategies of the organization taking into consideration the essential HR needs. In parallel with these, organizations can be able to be more flexible, flat and agile in rder to struggle with the changes in the competitive environment by gaining competitive advantage with their HR assets. HR professionals need to lead flatter organizations by encouraging individuals to exercise more initiative, autonomy and accountability by providing tools and techniques that improve their effectiveness and by enabling the acquisition of critical competencies through continuous learning opportunities (Schoonover, 2010).