New Moon Book Report Free Essays

This book report is being written for Mr. Reynold Bassant, lecturer for Comparative Literature. The book which was carefully selected is New Moon, it was written by Stephanie Meyer, one of the most promising new authors of this century. We will write a custom essay sample on New Moon Book Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now The book has 563 pages and was first published in hard cover by Little Brown and Company in September 2006, in the United States of America. After mass circulation and the sale of two million copies, the book became the New York Times Number One bestseller for 2007. It was later published in soft cover by First Media Tie in September 2009. As a sequel to The Twilight Saga, New Moon is now a major motion picture which has received numerous accolades. Even though this saga comes in four parts- Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, I chose to do this review on the second saga because it best documents the sacrifices, heartaches and forgiveness one faces in the trials of true love and friendship. What makes the book even more exciting is the fact that Meyer chooses to weave this web of friendship with a mortal human, a wolf boy and a 145-year-old vampire. I find the book intriguing because Meyer has created an amazing hybrid of romance, tragedy and adventure wrapped between the covers of this exciting sequel. The main characters of the book are Bella Swan, a 17-year-old high school student, her childhood friend and werewolf Jacob Black and Edward Cullen, a mind-reading vampire. Bella moves out of her mother’s home in Phoenix and goes to live with her father Charlie, who is a Sheriff. She promptly falls in love with Edward. Meanwhile, Jacob is a proud descendant of the Quileutes Indian tribe who lives in a reservation called La Push. He and several other Quileutes are honour bound to protect the town from blood thirsty vampires. Because of this both Edward and Jacob are mortal enemies and Bella is trapped in between her star-crossed supernatural love for Edward and her genuine friendship with Jacob. The villains of the book are Victoria, a revengeful vampire, and the ancient Volturi vampire family who uphold law and order among their immortal clan. Other important characters in this book are Edwards’s family- father Carlisle, mother Esme, sisters Rosalie and Alice and his brothers, Emmett and Jasper. Like Edward they are all â€Å"vegetarian vampires† who survive on animal blood. Carlisle is a prominent doctor who saves Bella’s life on two occasions. Alice is psychic who has an uncanny ability to predict the future. Her skill weaves a hypnotic thrill of suspense as she sets the pace for the various scenes in the book. Jasper can control moods with his mind while Emmett has brute strength. Rosalie is considered the most beautiful of the group while Esme is the glue that holds the family together. Meanwhile, Bella’s mother Rene and step-father Phil lives in Florida and keeps regular contact with her through e-mail. Jacob’s father is Billy, a wheel-chair bound Quileute warrior who holds all the secrets of La Push. There are at least six wolves headed by Sam Uley and includes Leah and Seth Clearwater, Quil Atera and Embry Call who safeguard human life in Forks and La Push. New Moon is undeniably a suspense thriller. The book is mainly set in the contemporary rainy town of Forks, located in Washington DC in the United States of America. Most of the scenes take place at Forks, at the La Push Indian reservation, located a few miles away, the town of Port Angeles and finally at Italy where the Volturi clan resides. Both Bella and Edward attend the Forks High school where they spend time with other friends such as Jessica Stanley, Angela and Mike Newton. But in the second chapter when Jasper attempts to attack Bella, Edward becomes concerned and decides to leave Bella so that she could enjoy her human life with someone from her own clan. He makes the ultimate sacrifice knowing that Bella could never fit into his world. When Edward leaves, Bella spends three months as a mere shadow of her former self. She becomes introverted and it was only when Charlie decides to send her back to Jacksonville with her mother that she decides to visit Jacob. She gives him two motorbikes to repair and starts spending all her afternoons at the Reservation. Bella soon realises that whenever she does anything risky, she hears Edward’s voice in her head, cautioning her. She becomes dependant on his voice in her head. When she jumps off a cliff to skydive, Alice gets a vision and Edward believes that Bella had committed suicide. Unable to live with himself, he goes to the Volturi hoping that they can end his life. The Volturi leaders Aro, Caius and Marcus refuse as they value Edward’s mind reading gift. Edward decides to reveal himself to Italians knowing that the ultimate penalty for such exposure would be death. But Alice gets another vision of Edward’s intentions and takes Bella to Italy to save him. She manages to stop him before he commits the act. But the Volturi captures them both. They eventually release Bella and Edward after they both confess their love. They are allowed to leave only when Edward promises to change Bella into a vampire. When they return home, Jacob is broken hearted because he had fallen in love with Bella and cannot believe that she would return to Edward after he rejected her. The book shows the trials of sacrifice and the tragedy of love, especially love that is star-crossed. Although New Moon is a fascinating book filled with myths and legends of ancient tribes, it is unfortunate that Meyer chooses to associate suicide with love. The book reveals that both Edward and Bella cannot live without each other. They both sacrifice themselves for each other’s happiness. While this is commendable, I believe that the emphasis on suicide in the final scene with the Volturi, as well as Bella’s apparent desire to die by doing risky things, is not healthy for the impressionable young readers who read this exciting trilogy. I also find fascinating the plot that Meyer uses where Bella saves Edward. This is a refreshing change from the usual plots where the hero saves the damsels in distress. There is also a strong emphasis on the importance of family and friendship which I find commendable. Therefore, I will definitely recommend this book to other readers as it is impossible to stop reading this sequel once you get started. The book gives one an insight into the sacrifices that we humans would make, in our quest to protect those whom we love. How to cite New Moon Book Report, Papers

Creating a Sense of Mission free essay sample

10 Long Range Planning, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 10 to 20, 1991 Printed in Great Britain 0024-6301/91 $3. 00 + . OO Pergamon Press plc Creating Andrew Campbell a Sense of Mission and Sally Yeung Mission is still a relatively neglected area of management, and there is no clear agreement on what it encompasses. The Ashridge Strategic Management Centre conducted a 2-year research project designed to fill this gap. The research found that if mission is more clearly defined it can be managed better, and developed a model of mission that includes four elements -purpose, strategy, behaviour standards and values. The project identified companies where, in addition to strong links between these elements, employees also showedan emotional commitment to their company which Campbell has called a Sense of mission’. This commitment was deepest when there was a match between the employee’s values and the company% values. others see it as the bedrock of a company’s strength, identity and success-its personality and character. Despite the diversity of opinion about mission, it is possible to distinguish two schools of thought. Broadly speaking, one approach describes mission in terms of business strategy, while the other expresses mission in terms of philosophy and ethics. The strategy school of thought views mission primarily as a strategic tool, an intellectual discipline which defines the business’s commercial rationale and target market. Mission is something that is linked to strategy but at a higher level. In this context, it is perceived as the first step in strategic management. It exists to answer two fundamental questions: ‘what is our business and what should it be? ‘. The strategy school of mission owes its birth to an article, ‘Marketing Myopia’, which appeared in the Harvard Businesr Review in 1960. ’ The author, Ted Levitt, a Harvard marketing professor, argued that many companies have the wrong business definition. Most particularly, companies define their businesses too narrowly. Levitt reasoned that a railroad company should see its business as moving people rather than. railroading, an oil company should define its business as energy and a company making tin cans should see itself as a packaging Levitt argued, should spend business. Managers, time carefully defining their business so that they focus on customer need rather than on production technology. More recently, it has become common for companies to include a statement of what their business is in the annual report. The cover of the 1988 annual report of Redland, a roofing, aggregates and construction materials company, is an example. It reads: Spanning the Roojing World with Aggregates Many managers misunderstand the nature and importance of mission, while others fail to consider it at all. As far back as 1973, Peter Drucker’ and business observed : ‘That business purpose mission are so rarely given adequate thought is perhaps the most important cause of business frustration and failure’. Unfortunately, his comment is as true today as it was then. Understanding Mission? The reason for this neglect is due in part to the fact that mission is still a relatively uncharted arca of management. Most management thinkers have given mission only a cursory glance, and there is little research into its nature and importance. What research there is has been devoted to analysing mission statements and attempting to develop checklists of items that should be addressed in the statement. * Indeed, a major problem is that mission has become a meaningless term-no two academics or managers agree on the same definition. Some speak of mission as if it is commercial evangelism, others talk about strong corporate cultures and still others talk about business definitions. Some view mission as an esoteric and somewhat irrelevant preoccupation which haunts senior managers, while Andrew Campbell is a founding Director and Fellow of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre. He is co-author of Strategies and Styles. A Sense of Mission, and Mission and Business Philosophy. Sally Yeung is a Research Associate at Ashridge Strategic Management Centre and co-author with Andrew Campbell of Do YOU Needa Mission Statement? Construction Bricks Materials Creating The first page of the 1989 annual report of British Telecom reads: ‘British Telecom’s mission is to provide world class telecommunications and information products and services and to develop and exploit our networks at home and overseas’. Corning Glass states: ‘We are dedicated to the total success of Corning Glass Works as a worldwide competitor. We choose to compete in four broad business sectors. One is Specialty Glass and Ceramics, our historical base, where our technical skills will continue to drive the development of an everbroadening range of products for diverse applications. The other three arc Consumer Housewares, and Telecommunications. Laboratory Sciences, Here we will build on existing strengths, and the needs of the markets we serve will dictate the technologies we use and the range of products and services we provide’. In contrast, the second school of thought argues that mission is the cultural ‘glue’ which enables an organization to function as a collective unity. This cultural glue consists ofstrong norms and values that influence the way in which people behave, how they work together and how they pursue the goals of the organization. This form of mission can amount to a business philosophy which helps employees to perceive and interpret events in the same way and to speak a common language. Compared to the strategic view of mission, this interpretation sees mission as capturing some of the emotional aspects of the organization. It is concerned with generating co-operation among employees through shared values and standards of bchaviour. IBM seems to subscribe to the cultural view of mission. The company describes its mission in terms of a distinct business philosophy, which in turn produces strong cultural norms and values. In his book, A Business and its Belief, Thomas J. Watson Jr described these beliefs, many of which were established by his father, and insisted that they have been the central pillar of the company’s success. Watson asserted : ‘The only sacred cow in an organization should be its basic philosophy of doing business’. For IBM, ‘the basic philosophy, spirit and drive of the business’ lies in three concepts: respect for the individual, dedication to service and a quest for superiority in all things. The importance ofother factors which contribute to commercial success, such as technological and economic resources, is ‘transcended by how strongly the people in the organization believe in its basic precepts and how faithfully they carry them out’. † Is it possible to reconcile these two different interpretations? Are they conflicting theories or are they simply separate parts of the same picture? We believe these theories can be synthesized into a comprehensive single description of mission. We also believe that some of the confusion over mission exists because of a failure to appreciate that it is ,n Sense of Mission 11 issue which involves both the hearts (culture) and minds (strategy) of employees. It is something which straddles the world of business and the world of the individual. In the pages that follow we outline a framework that defines mission. The value of this framework is that it helps managers to think clearly about mission and, more importantly, it helps them to discuss mission with their colleagues. Previously, managers have had an intuitive understanding of mission. Intuition is not, however, enough. Mission needs to be managed and it can be managed better if it is clearly defined. Building a Definition of Mission We have developed our theory of mission both through an intellectual, top down process and through discussions with managers and employees. Through this approach, we have tried to build an understanding of mission that is firmly grounded in the day-to-day realities of corporate life (see Table I). We focused on managers in companies with a strong sense of purpose and a strong culture. We wanted to know why they were committed to their organizations, and if they had a sense of the company’s mission. They responded by telling us about the behaviour patterns and behaviour standards in their companies. They brimmed with stories about why their companies were special. In Marks and Spencer, a retailer known for its high quality and value for money, employees talked about quality and value. They described the high standards they demanded of themselves and their suppliers. One manager commented: ‘The M S standards were much higher than those I had worked with before. It appealed to me and I became hooked. Before I had set my standards to conform with the group of people with whom I associated. I was fairly lazy. I found at M S I had to work harder than I had ever worked at school, but it was attractive because the standards that were set were so high and to fall short of them would be letting myself down’. They enthused about good human relations and visible management: ‘I have had 27 years in Marks and Spencer. What was it that appealed to me when I joined? It was that the senior levels were real people and real personalities, even for me in a relatively low position. It wasn’t that I spent a lot of time with them but rather it was the apocryphal stories that were handed down to me that made me feel I had met them. The organization had a strong personality and I could identify with the policies, people and practices of the business. The Board have enough visibility so that I have a good idea of what they want from me. ’ 12 Long Range Planning Vol. 24 August 1993 morally correct. In other words, they make a connection between their own personal values and the beliefs of their companies. When these reinforce one another, people feel a deep satisfaction. But the sense of rightness these employees feel is not restricted to a personal or moral realm. When pushed even further, some also articulate a commercial rationale. They assert that their behaviour is more effective than their competitors. They argue that their way of working is not only more personally satisfying but also superior to that oftheir competitors. A consultant at Egon Zehnder explained the commercial rationale behind the Egon Zehnder philosophy: ‘The philosophy means you’re more dedicated to the client. One has a different attitude from what you might have in another search firm . . . The firm bends over backwards to encourage sharing, giving advice, helping other offices around the world . . . In the long term, the approach produces better quality search work. Another consultant from Egon Zehnder reinforced the link between the commercial rationale and moral rationale, showing how the two can become intertwined. ‘When you first come here, you get exposed to a lot of strong hype and ethics. At first it seems a bit heavy . . . Then you start to believe it, and that worries you, until you realize that you have to ha ve it because of the way we try to present ourselves and our belief in quality, in confidentiality, the process of dealing with the client-that’s all fundamental to ensure that you operate efficiently . . . I was interviewing this morning and I found myself becoming Messianic about the firm because you really believe it. I do believe it because I need it. ’ We were hearing managers talk primarily about the standards and behaviours in their companies and why these are important to them. They gave two reasons. They are committed to the standards because, to them, they are worthwhile and elevating. They are also committed to the standards because they can see the practical good sense behind them; they can set that the standards add up to a superior business strategy. We have attempted to make sense of these responses by developing a definition of mission. Our definition, which we have illustrated in Figure 1, includes four elements-purpose, strategy, behaviour standards and values. A strong mission, we believe, exists when the four elements of mission link tightly together, resonating and reinforcing each other. Purpose At British Airways, staff spoke of the new pride and professionalism among employees as the result of the effort in the 1980s to build a service culture: ‘I feel proud to work for BA’, said one individual. People outside BA recognize the achievement, especially when they travel on the airline. ’ Pride and dedication were also evident in Egon Zehnder, an executive search firm. Consultant after consultant spoke of concepts and values which the company holds dear: the primacy of the client’s interest, teamwork and the ‘one firm’ concept. Mark Wecdon, former managing director of the London offic e, explains: ‘Wc are not a group of separate profit centres. The objective is to maximize the whole. WC shy away from measuring productivity. You’re selling the firm, not the individual or the office. WC arc very different from the average search firm. It’s a sort of subjugation of self. ’ Said another consultant: ‘There are very few arguments here. Because? Because we all depend on each other. We’re not selfish in generating work . . . We recognize each other’s skills and we’ll switch assignments or work as a team. ’ An employee in a large manufacturing company spoke of emotional commitment and sense of purpose. For her, the company’s high standards of behaviour are epitomized by the chairman’s example. She commented: ‘He believes that all people are equal. He’s a bit paternalistic for my way of thinking but he insists on human decency and he is consistent . _ . The company believes in treating people like human beings. There is too little of that in my life-look at the way people push past you in the street . . . ’ To this woman, working for her company is one way of supporting ‘human decency’, a concept she values strongly. In these companies the commitment and enthusiasm among employees seem to come from a sense of personal attachment to the principles on which the company operates. To them mission has more to do with living out behaviour standards than with achieving goals. To the managers we spoke to, their mission appeared to be to follow the standards and behaviours their companies ask of them. From this flow pride and enthusiasm. Employees are not simply conforming to peer pressure or suffering from corporate indoctrination-they are giving their personal endorsement and commitment to these standards and behaviours. To understand why, we tried to push interviewees to articulate their feelings further. We asked questions such as: ‘Why are you attached to these standards? Why is the one firm concept important to you? Why is treating people well so important to you? The answers were the same-in the blunt words of a director of Bulmers, the U. K. brewery and drinks business, ‘because it’s right’. Interviewees were making strong value judgements, arguing that the values and practices of their companies are What is the company for? For whose benefit is all the effort being put in? Why should a manager or an employee do more than t he minimum required? For a company these questions are the equivalent of a person asking ‘why do I exist? ‘. The questions are Creating a Sense of Mission 13 ‘Why the Company Exists’ PURPOSE The Competitive p;i$;c;i;; Competence’ / STRATEGY lUES / ORE; Believes in’ BEHAVlOUR STANDARDS The Policies and Behaviour Patterns that Underpin the Distinctive Competence and the Value System’ Figure 1. The Ashridge mission model It has published the company’s business principles under four headings-the public and the environcustomers, employees and shareholders. ment, Under the heading of the public and the environment it has five paragraphs describing principles such as: ‘We will behave as a responsible corporate member of society and will do our best to cooperate in a responsible manner with the appropriate authorities, local and national’. For customers there are three paragraphs, employees eight paragraphs and shareholders five paragraphs. A less detailed statement of the company’s commitment to its stakeholders is given by Monsanto: ‘Monsanto’s continuing success requires customer enthusiasm for our products, employee dedication and skill, public acceptance of our social behavior, and shareowner confidence and investment. Our goal is to merit their collective support and, in so doing, share with them the rewards that a truly great worldwide company can generate’. In practice it can be argued that the multiplcstakeholder view of purpose is more a matter of pragmatism than arbitrary choice. In a competitive labour market, a company which totally ignored its employees’ needs would soon find its labour costs soaring as it fought to stem the tide of rising employee turnover. But what is important is the psychology of statements of purpose. Lord Hanson is saying that he is expecting his managers to put the allegiance of employees after the interests of shareholders in their list of priorities. Other companies say they have equal priority. For employees this makes them very different companies. Managers in the third type of company are dissatisfied by a purpose solely aimed at satisfying stakeholder needs. They have sought to identify a purpose that is greater than the combined needs of deeply philosophical and can lead boards of directors into heated debate. Indeed, many companies do not even attempt to reach a conclusion about the nature of their overall purpose. However, where there does appear to be an overall idea ofpurpose, companies fall into three categories. First there is the company that claims to exist for the benefit of the shareholders. For these companies the purpose is to maximize wealth for the shareholders. All decisions are assessed against a yardstick of shareholder value. Hanson, a conglomerate focused on Britain and the U. S. A. , is one example. Lord Hanson repeatedly states, ‘The shareholder is king’. Unlike many companies whose chairmen claim to be working primarily for the shareholders, Lord Hanson believes what he says and manages the business to that end. Hence Martin Taylor, a director, feels quite free to say : ‘All of our businesses are for sale all of the time. If anyone is prepared to pay us more than we think they are worth we will sell. We have no attachment to any individual business. ’ Most managers, however, are not as single minded as Lord Hanson. They do not believe that the company’s only purpose is to create wealth for shareholders. They acknowledge the claims of other stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers and the community. Faced with the question: ‘Is your company in business to make money for shareholders, make products for customers or provide rewarding jobs for employees? , they will answer yes to all three. The second type of company, therefore, is one that exists to satisfy all its stakeholders. In order to articulate this broader idea of purpose many of these companies have written down their responsibility to each stakeholder group. Ciba-Geigy is an example. 14 Long Range Planning Vol. 24 August 1991 Egon Zehnder provides a good example of a strategy which explains how the firm will achi eve its purpose. Egon Zehnder wants to be the most professional, although not necessarily the biggest, international executive search firm. Its competitive advantage comes, it believes, from the methods and systems it uses to carry out search assignments and from the ‘one-firm’, co-operative culture it has so carefully nurtured. Marks and Spencer’s strategy in textiles is a second example. In its clothes retailing business, Marks and Spencer seeks to offer the best value for money in the high street by providing a broad range of classic quality clothes. The company’s competitive advantage comes from its dedication to quality through managing suppliers, its high levels of service, and the low overheads generated by high sales per square foot. Behaviour Standards the stakeholders, something to which all the stakeholders can feel proud of contributing. In short, they aim towards a higher ideal. The planning director in one company, operating in a depressed region of Britain, explained: ‘I don’t get excited about making money for shareholders. I like to help businesses succeed. That’s something I can get excited about. I believe our future depends on it-1 don’t just mean this company, it’s about the future of the nation, even the international community -it’s about world peace and that sort of thing. At Marks and Spencer one manager described the company’s purpose as ‘raising standards for the working man’. This rings true for many others in the company who felt, particularly in the early days of Marks and Spencer and after the war, that they were improving the standard of clothing available to the average person because they were able to retail high quality goods at affordable prices. At The Body Shop, a retailer ofcosmetics, managers talk about ‘products that don’t hurt animals or the environment’. At Egon Zehnder the purpose is to be the worldwide leader in executive search. Whether these companies have an almost moral crusade, like Marks and Spencer or The Body Shop, or whether they just aspire to be the best, like Egon Zehnder, they have all reached beyond the stakeholder definition of purpose. Each stakeholder, whether shareholder, employee or supplier, can feel that doing business with the company supports some higher level goal. We believe that leaders will find it easier to create employees with commitment and enthusiasm if they choose a purpose aimed at a higher ideal. We have met individuals committed to shareholders or to the broader definition of stakeholders, but we believe that it is harder for this commitment to grow. Purposes expressed in terms of stakeholders tend to emphasize their different selfish interests. Purposes aimed at higher ideals seek to deny these selfish interests or at least dampen their legitimacy. This makes it easier to bind the organization together. Strategy Purpose and strategy are empty intellectual thoughts unless they can be converted into action, into the policy and behaviour guidelines that help people to decide what to do on a day-to-day basis. British Airways provides a good example of how the company’s purpose and strategy have been successfully converted into tangible standards and actions. It promotes itself as the ‘world’s favourite airline’ and declares as its aim ‘To be the best and most successful company in the airline industry’. The strategy to achieve this is based on providing good value for money, service that overall is superior to its competitors and friendly, professional managers who are in tune with its staff. These strategic objectives are translated into policies and behaviour guidelines such as the need for in-flight services to be at least as good as those of competing airlines on the same route, and the requirement that managers and employees should be helpful and friendly at all times. By translating purpose and strategy into actionable policies and standards senior managers at British Airways have dramatically changed the performance of the airline. Central to this effort was the training and behaviour change connected with the slogan ‘Putting People First’. The Body Shop, an international retailer of cosmetics, has a purpose of developing cosmetics that do not harm animals or the environment. Its strategy is to be more environmentally conscious than its competitors, hence attracting the ‘green’ consumer and the ‘green’ employee. Within the company, environmental consciousness has been translated into policies and behaviour standards, one of which was almost unique when first introduced. All employees have two waste paper baskets: one for recyclable products and one for ordinary garbage. Employees receive training in what can be recycled and what cannot. In the last year or two a To achieve a purpose in competition with other organizations, there needs to be a strategy. Strategy provides the commercial logic for the company. If the purpose is to be the best, there must be a strategy explaining the principles around which the company will become the best. If the purpose is to create wealth, there must be a strategy explaining how the company will create wealth in competition with other companies. Strategy will define the business that the company is going to compete in, the position that the company plans to hold in that business and the distinctive competence or ompetitive advantage that the company has or plans to create. Creating a Sense of Mission 15 PURPOSE Rational and Commercial / Left Brain Logic /Right Emotional and Moral Brain Logic BEHAWOUR STANDARDS Figure number policies. 2. Two reasons for action have introduced similar Human beings are emotional, however, and are often driven more by right-brain motives than leftbrain logic. To capture the emotional energy of an organization the mission needs to provide some philosophical or moral rationale for behaviour to run alongside the commercial rationale. This brings us to the next element of our definition of mission. of other companies Egon Zehnder provides another example of the link between strategy and policies. Egon Zehnder’s strategy is to be more professional than other executive search consultants. Connected with this it has a set of policies about how consultants should carry out assignments, called the ‘systematic conOne of the policies is that sulting approach’. consultants should not take on a search assignment unless they believe it will benefit the client. Another policy is that there should be a back-up consultant for every assignment in order to ensure a quality service to the client. Supporting this systematic approach are behaviour standards about co-operation. These are ingrained into the culture rather than written on tablets of stone. An Egon Zehnder consultant willingly helps another consultant within his or her office or from other offices around the world. Philip Vivian, a consultant, explained this behaviour standard: ‘Collaboration and co-operation are very important and it is unusual in this industry. It is essential that we recognize each other’s skills and switch assignments or work as a team. It is also critical for international work. We have one Japanese assignment that is being coordinated from Tokyo, Milan, Paris, London and Frankfurt. So we have to work as a team. It does not always work out perfectly because of the inevitable problems of communication. But the â€Å"one firm† concept helps. We all know we are working for the same firm-no office is going to lose out if it helps another’. The logic for the co-operation as described by Vivian is a commercial logic. The firm wants to be the best. This means being better at co-operation than its competitors. As a result it needs a behaviour standard that makes sure consultants help each other. This commercial logic is the left-brain logic of the firm. Values Values are the beliefs and moral principles that lie behind the company’s culture. Values give meaning to the norms and behaviour standards in the company and act as the ‘right brain’ of the organization. In Figure 2, we show how strategy and values constitute the left and right brain of companies with a mission. In many organizations corporate values are not explicit and can only be understood by perceiving the philosophical rationale that lies behind management behaviour. For example, consultants in Egon Zehnder believe in co-operative behaviour because they are committed to the firm’s strategy. But they also believe in co-operative behaviour because they feel that it is ‘right’. Egon Zehnder people are naturally co-operative. They have been selected for that quality. They believe that people ought to be co-operative. ‘It makes a nicer place to work and it suits my style’, explained one consultant. And it’s a better way to work’, he added with the faintest implication of a moral judgement. Egon Zehnder people can also be moral about certain aspects of the systematic approach. The policy of not taking on an assignment unless the consultant believes it is good for the client highlights a moral as much as a commercial rationale. Other executive se arch companies will take on any assignment, they argue. But Egon Zehnder puts the interests of the client first and will advise the client against an assignment even if it means lost revenues. It is a professional code of behaviour. As professionals they feel a moral duty to advise the client 16 Long Range Planning Vol. 24 August 1991 arena. The emotional, moral and ethical rationale or right-brain reasoning is about values and what sort ofbehaviour is ethical: the right way to treat people, the right way to behave in our society. Our definition of mission includes both these rationales linked together by a common purpose. to do what is best for the client rather than what is best for Egon Zehnder. There is a commercial rationale for this behaviour, but the moral rationale is stronger. The same is true in British Airways. There is a good commercial reason for ‘Putting People First’, but there is also a moral reason : we are all people and life would be better for all of us if we took a little more care with each other. This moral rationale was put high on the agenda when 35,000 British Airways staff went on the Putting People First training programmes. The new behaviours described by the trainers were presented as a philosophy of life as much as a way of improving British Airways. Participants were asked to consider how they greeted their families when arriving home as well as how they handled customers. A third example of the way in which values can provide an additional logic for behaviour comes from Hewlett-Packard. The HP Way describes a behaviour standard made famous by Tom Peters in In Search of Excellence: managing by wandering around (MBWA). Hewlett-Packard’s strategy has been to succeed in high value niches of the electronics industry by being better at innovation and product development. To implement this strategy HP needs to attract and retain the best engineers and product managers. These high quality individuals do not like to be closely controlled or hierarchically managed. HP, therefore, developed the MBWA policy as a management approach suitable for these kinds of high achievers. The MBWA behaviour standard is based on good commercial logic. But MBWA has also become a crusade of its own. Managers believe it is the right way to manage not only high achievers but all personnel. MBWA is not good behaviour only because it is good strategy but also because it is something everyone should be doing. It acknowledges the innate creativity of individuals and underlines the manager’s respect for people. It has been imbued with values. The objective observer can easily identify situations, such as captaining a ship, where MBWA would be totally the wrong style of management. Yet for managers committed to the HP Way it is almost sacrosanct. Like the systematic approach at Egon Zehnder, or putting people first at British Airways, MBWA in Hewlett-Packard is not only good strategy but ‘the right way to behave’. These three examples show how values can provide a rationale for behaviour that is just as strong as strategy. It is for this reason that the framework in Figure 1 has a diamond shape. There are two rationales that link purpose with behaviour. The commercial rationale or left-brain reasoning is about strategy and what sort of behaviour will help the company outperform competitors in its chosen Creating a Strong Mission A strong mission exists when the four elements of mission reinforce each other. This is most easily perceived by looking at the links between the strategy and the value system and whether both can be acted out through the same behaviour standards. Are the important behaviour standards central to both the strategy and the value system? In Egon Zehnder, British Airways and HewlettPackard they are. We looked at only one or two behaviour standards for each company, but we would find much the same reinforcement of both strategy and values if we examined other behaviour standards. Hewlett-Packard’s commercial strategy depends on attracting and keeping high quality committed employees. This means it has to demonstrate a set of values which desirable employees will find attractive. So, for example, it has an ‘open door’ policy that encourages dissatisfied employees to approach senior managers; a policy of high integrity and open, communications with stakeholders; a belief in informality and in decentralization; a policy of promoting from within; and a commitment to teamwork. Each of these policies and behaviour standards has a rationale both in the company’s strategy and in its value system. They work cumulatively to create a strong mission. Marks and Spencer is another company where the most important behaviour standards are essential pillars of both the strategy and the value system. One of the platforms of Marks and Spencer’s philosophy is good human relations. As one manager explained : ‘Marcus Sieff gave many presentations both in the company and outside. But he only ever gave one speech, about good human relations’. Part of Marks and Spencer’s strategy is to have employees who take more care, particularly in relation to customer service. By caring for employees, Sieff would argue, the company will create employees who will care for the company and its customers. As a result Marks and Spencer is famous for its services and support for employees, from the quality of the toilets to things like dental care. The policy of good human relations is a standard of management behaviour referred to by Almost one manager as ‘visible management’. identical to Hewlett-Packard’s standard of MBWA, visible management requires that managers, even at the highest level, spend time visiting stores and talking to staff and customers. As one board member explained: ‘In a normal week, the 12 board Creating members will probably between them visit about 25 stores. These are not red letter days. We will just go in and talk with some of the management, supervisors and staff. It’s about getting out and listening to he organization’. like Egon Zehnder, Marks and In companies Spencer and Hewlett-Packard, the management philosophy and value system dovetail with the strategy so that the company’s policies and behaviour standards reinforce both the strategy and the philosophy. The whole has integrity. These companies have strong missions. Strong missions come, therefore , from a clear fit between the four elements in the framework. a Sense of Mission 17 individual and the organization. The greater the link between company policies and individual values, the greater the scope for the individual’s sense of mission. We see the values match (illustrated in Figure 3) as the most important part of a sense of mission because it is through values that individuals feel emotional about their organizations. Commitment to a company’s strategy does not, on its own, constitute a sense of mission. It is not unusual for groups of managers to discuss their company’s purpose and strategy and reach an intellectual agreement. However this intellectual agreement does not necessarily translate into an emotional commitment and hence the strategic plan does not get implemented. The emotional commitment comes when the individual personally identifies with the values and behaviours lying behind the plan, turning the strategy into a mission and the intellectual agreement into a sense of mission. The source of the emotional commitment created by a values match is subtle. People are searching for meaning and for an opportunity to transcend the ordinariness of day-to-day existence. Values give meaning. Living up to one’s values or joining a group of people successfully following these values helps an individual feel a sense of transcendence. In these circumstances, work becomes more fulfilling because it is filled with greater purpose. Work helps the individual achieve something that is personally important and which, therefore, gives him or her intrinsic satisfaction. Consider a fastidious individual who has a personal bias towards tidiness and perfection and who works as a proof reader. If the organization believes fervently in accuracy and error free work, the individual will, in all likelihood, find satisfaction in fastidiously rooting out the minutest blemish or error. He or she will also feel valued. If the A Sense of Mission: The Emotional Bond A sense of mission is an emotional commitment felt by people towards the company’s mission. But even in companies with very strong missions there are many people who do not feel an emotional commitment. We were told, for example, that even at the height of Hewlett-Packard’s success an employee survey revealed a large minority of employees who did not have a strong belief in the capabilities of the senior management team, implying that they lacked a sense of mission. A sense of mission occurs, we believe, when there is a match between the values of an organization and those of an individual. Because organization values are rarely explicit, the individual senses them through the company’s behaviour standards. For example, if the behaviour standard is about cooperative working, the individual will be able to sense that helpfulness is valued above individual competition. If the individual has a personal value about the importance of being helpful and cooperative, then there is a values match between the I / STRATEGY PURPOSE VALUES e Employees’ Personal Values / BEHAVlhJR STANDARDS Figure 3. Meaning comes mainly from values 18 Long Range Planning Vol. 24 August 1991 more self-interested and their attitudes are likely to be more cynical. These individuals may give good service to the company but there are benefits to a company that only come through having individuals with a sense of mission. We have defined the terms mission and sense of mission at some length and been at pains to draw a distinction between these two concepts because we believe managers are frequently confused by them. Mission is an intellectual concept that can be analysed and discussed unemotionally. Like strategy, mission is a set of propositions that can be used to guide the policies and behaviours of a company. However, mission is a larger concept than strategy. It covers strategy and culture. The strategy element of mission legislates what is important to the commercial future of the company. The values element of mission legislates what is important to the culture of the company. When the two are in tune, reinforcing each other and bound by a common purpose, the mission is strong. When there are contradictions and inconsistencies, the mission is weak. Sense of mission is not an intellectual concept: it is an emotional and deeply personal feeling. The individual with a sense of mission has an emotional attachment and commitment to the company, what it stands for and what it is trying to do. A company with a clear mission does not necessarily have employees with a sense of mission. Some individuals may have a sense of mission with varying degrees of intensity. Many will not. Over time the number of employees with a sense of mission will increase as the policies of the mission become implemented and embedded in the company culture. But even a company like HewlettPackard, that has had a clear mission for 30 or more years, will not have more than 50 per cent of employees with what we would recognize as a sense of mission. organization applies these principles to other areas of the business, the person may begin to feel a warmth for the organization that gives further personal satisfaction. The employee will see the organization as a ‘good’ company. If, on the other hand, the organization is driven by deadlines and allows too little time for proof reading, causing books to be published with errors, the proof reader will feel frustrated, unappreciated and angry. Working with a ‘good’ organization does not guarantee that cmployces will have a sense of mission. Consider the person who is responsible for cleaning the car park of the Boy Scouts headquarters. The organization has an elevating purpose. It has a clear strategy. It has strong values and well grooved policies and behaviour standards. It is also with more than 17 million highly successful, members worldwide. In other words the Boy Scout movement has a strong mission. Yet the car park cleaner may or may not feel a sense of mission. It will depend on his or her personal values and the values and bchaviour standards by which he or she is managed. Each individual is making a judgement: ‘Does this organization care about the sort of things I care about? ‘. If it does, then there is the potential for developing an emotional commitment. If not, then support from the individual is grudging, based on a contract of so much work for so much pay. It is important to recognize the individual nature of a sense of mission. It is a personal, emotional feeling created by the individual relationship that the person has with the organization. If the car park cleaner is gregarious and bclicvcs more in making people happy than in dirt-free cleanliness, he is more likely to feel a sense of mission about the Boy Scouts if the office workers stop to have a joke with him in the car park and involve him in the office events. If his boss is a tidiness fanatic, he is going to feel uncomfortable and will bc unlikely to develop an energetic commitment to the organization. Recognizing the personal nature of a sense of mission is important because it has two implications. First, no organization can hope to have 100 per cent of its employees with a sense of mission, unless it is very small. People arc too varied and have too many individual values for it to be possible for a large organization to achieve a values match for all its employees. Second, careful rccruitmcnt is essential. People’s values do not change when they change companies. By recruiting people with compatible values, companies are much more likely to foster a sense of mission. We have pointed out that even in companies with a strong mission, many people lack a sense of mission. This may be because they have few strong values and, therefore, feel very little for the company. It may also be because their values conflict with those of the company. These individuals may not be poor performers or disruptive but their motivation is Implications of the Mission Model Mission thinking has implications at all levels in business as well as for those connected to business. Our greatest hope is that our research will stimulate management teams to give the subject some executive time. We are confident that our mission model is a powerful analytical tool and we want managers to use it. It may be appropriate, therefore, to summarize why we think the model is so powerful. First, the model states that organization values need to be compatible with employee values. This compatibility or lack of it can be analysed and measured, bringing objectivity to the discussion of Creating a Sense of Mission culture and human resource issues. Will the members of the executive team have a values conflict with the proposed mission? Will the marketing department have a values conflict? While we recognize that the analysis of cultures and values has, in the past, proved difficult and of limited managerial benefit, we believe that values differences of the kind exposed by mission thinking can be analysed and have important management implications. Techniques for interviewing, group discussions and questionnaires will quickly expose these value differences and confront managers with the need to change the values in the mission, change the people or win the people to the new values. Moreover, since values must be embedded in behaviour standards, values conflicts become exposed when managers or employees react to behaviour instructions. It may be hard to analyse whether the managers of the chemical laboratory believe in ‘supportive management’. It is much easier to decide whether these managers are likely to implement a standard of managing by wandering around. The model’s strength, therefore, is that it defines the relationship managers need to create between organization values and employee values. Second, the model demands that strategy and values resonate and reinforce each other. It is possible to identify many values that are compatible with a particular strategy, but it is hard to analyse whether these are the right values, whether they resonate with strategy sufficiently strongly. The mission model’s emphasis on behaviour standards helps to bridge this analytical gap. By insisting that strategy and values are converted into a few behaviour standards acting as beacons of the mission, the degree of resonance between strategy and values is exposed. If it is possible to condense the mission into a few symbolically important behaviour standards, such as ‘putting people first’ or ‘management by wandering around’ then we can be confident that the strategy and the values resonate strongly. If not, if no powerful behaviour standards can be identified, then the fault almost certainly lies in a lack of resonance between strategy and values. Further mission planning, further experimentation and further insight are needed. We can illustrate this with an example drawn from our own organization, Ashridge, whose largest activity is a management college outside London. Table 1. The research approach A research team from the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre approached 42 companies that expressed an interest in the project. These companies are listed below. initially we asked them how they had developed and used their mission statements. However, we soon discovered that a number of the companies in our sample had a strong sense of purpose, or a strong culture, or both. We therefore identified from the original group of companies four businesses that seemed to have a strong sense of purpose supported by a strong sense of culture. These companies were Bulmers, manufacturers of cider and soft drinks; Egon Zehnder, the Swiss-based international executive search consultancy; Marks and Spencer, the international retailing business; and Royal U. S. , the American arm of a British insurance company. Finally, we examined four cases where senior managers had set about developing a new mission and philosophy. One of these cases, Shell (U. K. ) Refining, has been well documented by a variety of different researchers and we relied on their evidence. We also relied on published data for Borg-Warner, a diverse multinational corporation, since the company’s efforts to create a mission have been developed into a Harvard Business School case. The Burton Breweries story has been described in a book, By GABB andby GIBB. published and edited by former managing director David Cox, and we tested its evidence through a number of interviews. In the other company, British Airways, we interviewed many managers and employees at different locations. Detailed Interviews Carried Out Full Case Studies Bulmers Egon Zehnder Marks Spencer Royal U. S. Personal Experiences Discussed Borg-Warner British Airways Ind Coope Burton Brewery Shell U. K. Refining Akzo Ashridge Management College BBA BOC The Body Shop British Petroleum BUPA Burmah Castro1 Burson Marsteller Courtaulds First Chicago Bank Ford Gencor Grand Metropolitan Hanson ICI LIG Lloyds Bank Richard Lochridge Associates Mars McKinsey Co. Metropolitan Police Northern Ireland Electricity Portsmouth Sunderland Newspapers Price Waterhouse Prudential Rank Xerox Royal U. K. Shell International W. H. Smith Tarmac TI Group Trusthouse Forte Valmet Wellcome 20 Long Range Planning Vol. 24 August 1991 have a mission, the need to create a relationship between strategy and values and the need to articulate behaviour standards, managers can avoid a superficial attitude to mission and continue the analysis, thinking and experimentation for long enough to develop the mission that will build a great company. Ashridge has identified four important planks of its future strategy: two of these are ‘self-directed learning’ and ‘internationalization’. With the ambition of becoming Europe’s best management school, Ashridge recognizes the need to become more international and to eliminate elements of its culture and product offering that have historically been focused on the British and Commonwealth market. It also feels that the best way of achieving European pre-eminence is to become more learnercentred: to focus on the needs of managers. Since different managers have different needs a learnercentred focus demands that Ashridge should develop ways of helping managers learn what they want to learn rather than what the lecturer wants to teach them. Both of these thrusts are proving difficult to implement; not because the strategy is unclear or because there is widespread disagreement about the values, but because the policies and behaviour standards that need to underpin the new mission are hard to identify. What behaviour is required of a lecturer or a programme administrator or a member of the hotel staff to ensure that they are contributing to the themes of internationalization or participantcentrcd learning? We do not yet know. It will take more months, possibly even more years, to identify the appropriate behaviours and get to the point where the behaviour standards can be articulated. We have not yet found a resonance between the desired strategy and the organization’s current values. Managing mission is, therefore, a continuous, ongoing process. Few companies will be able to articulate the behaviour standards that drive their mission without working at the problem over a number of years. By being clear about the need to Acknowledgement-This article is drawn from A Sense‘ of Mission, Andrew Campbell, Marion Devine and David Young, Economist Publications/Hutchinson (1990). References (1) Peter Drucker, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, Harper Row, New York (1973). (2) The main academic work on the contents of mission statements has been done by Fred David and Jack Pearce (J. A. Pearce II and F. R. David, Corporate mission statements: the bottom line, Academy of Management Executive, 1 (1987) ; D. Cochran and F. Ft. David, The communication effectiveness of organizational mission statements, JournalofApplied Communication Research (1987); Fred R. David, How companies define their mission, Long Range Planning, 22 (1 ), (1989). 3) T. Levitt, Marketing pp. 45-56, July/August myopia, (1960). Harvard Business Review, (4) Thomas J. Watson Jr, A Business and Its Beliefs, New York (1963). McGraw-Hill, Further Reading Andrew Campbell and Kiran Tawadey, Mission and Business Philosophy: Winning Employee Commitment, Heinemann, Oxford (1990). Andrew Campbell and Sally Yeung, Do You Need a Mission Statement? Special Report No. 1208, The Economist Publications Management Guides, London (1990).

Teaching Language In The United States Essay Paper Example For Students

Teaching Language In The United States Essay Paper Word Count: 693America is a nation filled with all different types of people. People of different color, languages, traditions, and dreams. Because we are a nation of immigrants, we do not share the characteristics of race, religion, ethnicity, or native language {that} form the common bonds of society in other countries (Exploring Language 252). However, by agreeing to learn and use just one single language we have been able to unite many different people and create an incredibly diverse population. Yet, why is it that United States, though filled with thousands of people who do not speak English as their first language, must have one official language, English? In California, the majority of the schools are required to teach ESL (English as a second language) to Hispanic children. These programs were created to teach Mexican immigrants English and the way the United States works. We will write a custom essay on Teaching Language In The United States Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now All through California, you will see not just see and hear English but Spanish also. Being from California I am very familiar with this system of two different languages. I used to have a history book that had a dictionary in the back that translated the English vocabulary words into Spanish, so that those Hispanics that did not know English well could still learn. I am not sure if it is like this in Florida, where there is a large population of Philippinoes, but should there be? Should a country where their goal is to have only one language, be catering to those immigrants who come here to be free and yet are not willing to speak the native language? Many argue that the knowledge of English is not part of the formula for responsible citizenship in this country (Exploring Language 252). Others argue that anymore than one language in a country will only lead to a chaotic mess which {will lead} to countless problems in the governments efforts to manage the nations business (Exploring Language 253). Therefore, should the United States be catering to the needs of the minorities and not teach them English, or should American schools continue with their ESL programs? Under the most common method of bilingual education used throughout this country, non-English-speaking students are taught all academic subjects such as math, science, and history exclusively in their native language. English is taught as a separate subject (Exploring Language 254). The problem resulting from this is that it is unable to tell if a minority child has learned enough English to be placed in entirely English speaking classes, therefore some minority children are kept in native language classes for six years (Exploring Language 254). So, is bilingual teaching effective? In the most part it is. In southern California I met a friend freshmen year of high school who knew very little English, but by the time we had graduated she could carry on a conversation with no problem. She was placed in classrooms where everything was spoken in Spanish, her native language, yet she was also taking two English classes. Maybe its not helpful for some because they are unwilling to learn our language, but for those who do come here and want to be a part of our society, they appreciate the bilingual classes and take full advantage of them. English is already the official language of the United States, so why is it that many are still arguing that we should not have bilingual classrooms in schools? And why is it that many believe that an immigrant to the U.S should know the language before they decide to come here and become a citizen? America is a land of the free, and everyone, whether born here or another country should be given a fair chance. The United States is the most prominent country in the world and has not had any drastic problems with language. Teaching bilingual education in schools is a good idea in that it gives minorities the chance to learn English and become part of a free society, something everyone loves, or dreams to have. .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 , .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .postImageUrl , .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 , .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7:hover , .uf44ad4ddd637 33336582117f8da4c7e7:visited , .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7:active { border:0!important; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7:active , .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 6 00; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left: 18px; top: 0; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7 .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf44ad4ddd63733336582117f8da4c7e7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Satan and Jesus in John Milton's Paradise Lost Par Essay

Psyllium Hydophilic Mucilloid Decreases Risk of CVD

Psyllium Hydophilic Mucilloid Decreases Risk of CVD Free Online Research Papers Despite recent progress in reducing mortality associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), it is still the number one cause of the death in the United States. The major risk factors for CHD are well known and have been studied extensively.1 One way of studying these risk factors is to follow large groups of individuals over a long period of time, keeping track of their health behaviors and other relevant indictors, and seeing who ultimately develops CHD and who does not.2It is well proved that fats in our body are the major risk factors for the development of CHD.3Cholesterol is responsible to synthesize many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs.4,10,12 If human body have too much cholesterol in bloodstream, the excess is deposited in arteries, including the coronary arteries, where it contributes to the narrowing and blockages that cause the signs and symptoms of heart disease.5 Psyllium or Plantago ovata Forsk is an annual plant grown primarily in India, southern Europe and the United States. Psyllium is cultivated primarily for its use as a laxative or as a dietary fiber ingredient in foods, such as ready-to-eat cereals. It is also known as blond psyllium, Indian psyllium and plantain. Although the seed alone contains the bioactive mucilage polysaccharide, the refined psyllium seed husk, known as the Ispaghula husk, is the psyllium component principally used as the soluble fiber source for laxatives, ready-to-eat cereals and nutritional supplements.6,9 In specific doses, it lowers serum total cholesterol and LDL- Cholesterol remarkably.7 Psyllium husk fiber is a viscous, mostly water-soluble fiber prepared by mechanical removal of the husk from blonde psyllium seed (Plantago ovata). Early or uncontrolled studies suggested that psyllium improved glycemic and lipid control in individuals with type 2 diabetes.8,14 The mechanism of psylliums possible hypocholesterolemic activity is not fully understood. The bioactive agent of psyllium is a soluble, viscous xylan fiber. It is thought that this polysaccharide stimulates the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids and that it stimulates fecal excretion of bile acids. Psyllium may also decrease the intestinal absorption of cholesterol.9 PATIENTSMETHOD Study was conducted in the department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from January to July 2006.Forty patients of primary hyperlipidemia were enrolled in the study, selected from ward and OPD of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi. Previously diagnosed and untreated primary hyperlipidemic patients of either sex, age range from 21 to 60 years were randomly selected. Patients with peptic ulcer, hepatic disease, alcoholism, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, and renal disease were excluded from the study as these pathological conditions can mask hyperlipidemic abnormality of the patient.10 After explaining the limitations, written consent was obtained from all participants. The study period consisted of 90 days with fortnightly follow up visits. Name, age, sex, occupation, address, previous medication, date of follow up visit and laboratory investigations, etc of each patient was recorded on a Pe rforma, especially designed for the study. All the base line assessments were taken on the day of inclusion (Day-0) in the study and a similar assessment was taken on Day-90 of research design. After fulfilling the inclusion criteria patients were divided in two groups, i.e.Drug-1 (3 gram of Psyllium husk) and Drug-2 (placebo capsules, containing equal amounts of partly grinded wheat) groups. Twenty hyperlipidemic patients of group-1 were provided packets containing 3 gram of Psyllium husk and were advised to take one packet thrice daily along with diet control and exercise for 40-60 minutes (brisk walk). This regimen was followed for 12 weeks. Twenty hyperlipidemic patients of drug-2 group having borderline ‘high’ lipid profile were included in this group taken as control, and were advised to continue on isocaloric weight maintaing diet, i.e. step-1 diet and brisk walk for next three months. Patients of this group were provided capsules containing equal amount of partly grinded wheat and orange flavor, taken one capsule thrice daily after meal for three months. Patients were advised to come in OPD, every two weeks for follow up to check blood pressure, weight, pulse rate and general appearance of the individual. Drug compliance to the regimen was monitored by interview and counseling at each clinical visits. Serum total cholesterol was estimated by the enzymatic calorimetric method (Rivelles et al 1994) using kit cat. # 303113050 by Eli Tech Diagnostic, France.10 Triglycerides were also estimated by enzymatic calorimetric method, using kit Cat. # 304710050 by Eli Tech Diagnostic. France. HDL- C was determined by using kit Cat. # 303210040 by Eli Tech Diagnostic, France. Serum LDL-cholesterol was calculated by Friedwald formula described by Davidson et al11 (LDL-Cholesterol = Total Cholesterol-(Triglycerides/5 +HDL-Cholesterol) also quoted by Delong et al (1986)12 and Beamount et al (1970).13 Data were expressed as the mean  ± SD and â€Å"t† test was applied to determine statistical significance as the difference. A probability value of 0.05). DISCUSSION There are various groups of drugs which are used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. HMG-Co reductase inhibitors (Statins), fibric acids, Niacin and psyllium hydrophilic mucilloids are important lipid lowering drugs.14 Among these lipid lowering drugs, Psyllium has its own remarkable role to decrease serum total cholesterol and LDL- cholesterol.15 In our study, serum total cholesterol decreased 12.72 % in 90 days of treatment with Psyllium husk in hyperlipidemic patients. Our study matches with the study of Anderson et al16 who observed almost same changes in serum total cholesterol and LDL- Cholesterol of 26 male patients, treated with 3.4 grams of Psyllium thrice daily for eight weeks. Our study also matches with the study of Maciejko et al17 who observed 12.00 % decrease in serum total cholesterol and 16.12 % decrease in LDL-Cholesterol in 40 hyperlipidemic patients treated with 4 grams Psyllium husk for the period of 16 weeks. He also included other parameters in his study, li ke body weight and systolic/diastolic blood pressure which were also significantly reduced. Our results regarding decrease in serum total cholesterol level contrasts with the results of research study conducted by Haskell et al18who observed only 6.11 % decrease in total cholesterol levels in 40 hyperlipidemic patients, when they used 2 gram Psyllium husk in 18 female patients for the period of eight weeks. This remarkable change in results may be due to changes in gender of patients, and duration of drug used. He has mentioned the mechanism of action of Psyllium husk that these Psyllium fibers stimulate bile acid synthesis in liver (7 ?-hydroxylase activity). Second mechanism, he mentioned is diversion of hepatic cholesterol for bile acid synthesis. Effect of Psyllium husk on absorption of cholesterol and fat appeared minimal but may make a small contribution to cholesterol lowering. Additional mechanisms such as inhibition of hepatic cholesterol synthesis by propionate and seconda ry effects of slowing glucose absorption may also play a role.19 In our study placebo group shows 3.35 % reduction in serum total cholesterol and 1.29 % reduction in LDL-Cholesterol. These results matches with the study of Spence et al20 who observed same effects of placebo given to 44 male and female hyperlipidemic patients having moderately high lipid profile. Their study shows 2.89 % reduction in serum total cholesterol and 2.21 % reduction in LDL-Cholesterol. Results of research study conducted at Lipid Research Centre held by Levy et al21 do not match with our results of research. They observed 5.98 % and 9.97 % reduced levels of serum total cholesterol and LDL-Cholesterol, respectively, in 109 hyperlipidemic patients treated by Psyllium husk 3 gram daily for the period of 24 weeks. Their study was double blind placebo controlled. These changes in results may be due to double blind research design, large sample size and environmental factors like in that study all hyperlipidem ic patients were admitted at Lipid Research Centre, so were closely observed and advised for brisk walk and to take controlled step-1 diet.22 Drug compliance between our and their study was same, i.e. in our study patients discontinued taking Psyllium due to its metallic taste. In their study 11 patients discontinued to take Psyllium fibers, mostly due to same reasons of its metallic taste. Another study conducted by Kane et al23 also contradicts with our study as they observed only 12.22 % reduction in LDL- Cholesterol when 3 gram Psyllium husk was administered in 14 female hyperlipidemic patients above the age of 40 years. Our study proved 18.88 % reduction in LDL-Cholesterol levels which is much higher than 12.22 %. Change in these results may be due only female gender and age which was specifically above 4o years. Our study comprised of both male and female hyperlipidemic patients with age range between 21-60 years. REFERENCES 1. Plaisance EP, Grandjean PW, Mahurin AJ (2009). Independent and combined effects of aerobic exercise and pharmacological strategies on serum triglyceride concentrations: a qualitative review.Phys Sportsmed. Apr; 37(1):11-9. 2. Knopp RH, Retzlaff BM, Fish B, Dowdy A, Twaddell B, Nguyen T, Paramsothy P ( 2009).The SLIM Study: Slo-Niacin(R) and Atorvastatin Treatment of Lipoproteins and Inflammatory Markers in Combined Hyperlipidemia. J Clin Lipidol; 3(3):167-178. 3. Parhofer KG (2009). Review of extended-release niacin/laropiprant fixed combination in the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia and primary hypercholesterolemia. Vasc Health Risk Manag; 5:901-8. 4. Charland SL, Malone DC (2010). Prediction of cardiovascular event risk reduction from lipid changes associated with high potency dyslipidemia therapy. Curr Med Res Opin. Feb; 26(2):365-75. 5. Kruger PS (2009).Forget glucose: what about lipids in critical illness?. Crit Care Resusc. Dec; 11(4):305-9. 6. Ganji V, Betts N (1995). Fat, cholesterol, fiber and sodium intakes of US population: evaluation of diets reported in 1987–88 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. Eur J Clin Nutr; 49: 915-920 7. Moreyra AE, Wilson AC, Koraym A (2005). Effect of combining psyllium fiber with simvastatin in lowering cholesterol. Arch Intern Med; 165: 1161-66 8. Vega-Lopez S, Conde-Knape K, Vidal-Quintanar RL, Shachter NS, Fernandez ML. (2002). Sex and hormonal status influence the effects of psyllium on lipoprotein remodeling and composition. Metabolism.; 51: 500-507. 9. Erkkila AT, Herrington DM, Mozaffarian D, Lichtenstein AH (2005). Cereal fiber and whole grain intake are associated with reduced progression of coronary-artery atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease. Am Heart J. 150: 94-101. 10. Rivellese AA, Auletta P, Marotta G, et al (1994). Long term metabolic effects of two dietry methods of treating hyperlipidemia. BMJ; 5: 10-14. 11. Davidson MH, Rosenson RS (2009). Novel targets that affect high-density lipoprotein metabolism: the next frontier. Am J Cardiol. Nov 16; 104(10 Suppl):52E-57E. 12. Delong DM, Delong ER, Wood PD, Lippel K, Rifkind BM (1986). A comparison of methods for the estimation of plasma lowand very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. JAMA; 256:2372-2377. 13. Beamount JL, Carlson LA, Cooper GR (1970). Classification of hyperlipidemias and hyperlipoproteinaemias. Bull. WHO; 43: 891-908. 14. Olson BH, Anderson SM, Becker MP, Anderson JW, Hunninghake DB, Jenkins DJ, LaRosa JC, Rippe JM, Roberts DC, Stoy DB, Summerball CD, Truswell AS, Wolever TM, Morris DH, Fulgoni VL., 3rd (995). Psyllium-enriched cereals lower blood total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, but not HDL cholesterol, in hypercholesterolemic adults: results of a meta-analysis. J. Nutr; 127: 1973-80. 15. Moreyra AE, Wilson AC, Koraym A. (2005). Effect of combining psyllium fiber with simvastatin in lowering cholesterol. Arch Intern Med; 165: 1161-6 16. Anderson JW, Davidson MH, Blonde L, et al (2000). Long term cholesterol lowering effects of Psyllium as an adjunct to diet therapy in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Am. J. Clin. Nutr; 71:1433-8. 17. Maciejko JJ, Brazg R, Shah A, Rubenfire M. (1994). Psyllium for the reduction of cholestyramine associated gastrointestinal symptoms in the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia. Arch. Fam. Med; 3: 955-60 18. Haskell WL, Spiller GA, Jansen CD, Ellis BK, Gates JE (1992). Role of water soluble dietry fibre in the management of elevated plasma cholesterol in healthy and hyperlipidemic patients. Am. J. Cardiol; 69: 433-39 19. Davidson MR, Maki KC, Kong IC, Dugan LD, Tprro SA, Hall HA, Drennan KB, Anderson SM, Fulgoni VL, Saldanha LG, Olson BH. (1998). Long-term effects of consuming foods containing psyllium seed husk on serum lipids in subjects with hypercholesterolemia. Am J Clin; 67: 367-76. 20. Spence JD, Huff MW, Heidenheim P, et al (1995). Combination therapy with colestipol and psyllium mucilloid in patients with hyperlipidemia. Ann. Intern. Med; 123: 493-99 21. Levy RI, Fredrickson DS, Shulman R, (1972). Dietry and drug treatment of primary hyperlipoproteinemias. Ann. Int. Med; 77: 267-94. 22. Joan Sabatà ©, Ella Haddad, Jay S Tanzman, Pera Jambazian and Sujatha Rajaram. (2003). Serum lipid response to the graduated enrichment of a Step I diet with almonds: a randomized feeding trial. Am. J. Clin. Nutr; 77 (6): 1379-84. 23. Kane JP, Malloy MJ, Tun P et al (1981). Normalization of low density lipoprotein levels in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia with a combined drug regimen. N. Engl. J. Med; 304: 251-258. Research Papers on Psyllium Hydophilic Mucilloid Decreases Risk of CVDArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)The Fifth HorsemanThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseGenetic EngineeringInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductPETSTEL analysis of India

Peer's comment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer's comment - Assignment Example Besides, he could have cited the Cliff palace as an ancient architectural structure. It was created by the ancient Pueblo people who inhabited the Taos Pueblo continuously for over 1000 years from CE 700 - 1250 in the current Colorado state, and related structures in Mesa Verde National Park from the 12th through to the 16th century. I also agree with him that the colonial architecture construction unlike the Native Indians was dependent on resources like brick and wood and had common elements of English buildings of New England such as the Wren Building of the College of William (1695-1702). It is true that the Native American architectural structures differed greatly from those of the early Colonial Americans’. For instance, according to Hayley, the long house and the colonial residential house were distinctly different as shown in the figures below. However, Hayley fails to not that the tepees were built by and the poles were actually covered with buffalo’s skins. On the other hand, I also agree with Hayley’s answer that when the Europeans settlers arrived in America, they brought with them their own construction techniques and architectural traditions. The settlers’ buildings were made of timber frames that were filled inside with wickerwork covered with clay. The outside walls were covered with wooden boards for weather protection. The roof top was steep and covered with grass that was dried (Corner, 134). However, both of them cite the wigwam and tepees as examples of Native American structures and provide images of the structures. Besides, they all argue that the colonialists’ architectural designs were dependent on resources like brick and

Sustainability and Strategy - HILTON HOTEL Essay

Sustainability and Strategy - HILTON HOTEL - Essay Example Hilton hotels across the globe are owned by or managed by individual operators and who are supervised by Hilton Worldwide. As of 1943, the Hilton hotels business chain became the United States’ first coast to coast hotel chain. Currently, there are more than 530 Hilton branded hotels operating worldwide in 78 countries, serving the interests of millions of people. As the company engages in large scale operations, it evidently produces huge volume of waste materials. The company’s waste dumping activities raise potential challenges to the environmental sustainability policies of the United Kingdom. This paper will conduct a PEST analysis on the waste issue of Hilton hotels; and it will critically evaluate how each PEST element relates to the successful management of the company. Pest analysis on the waste issue of Hilton Hotels Political factors The waste issue of Hilton Hotels in UK involves many political aspects. Evidently, the entire European Union maintains strict r egulations on waste disposal with intent to confront with the challenging environmental crises such as global warming and green house effect (United Nations Environment Programme, 2002, p.25). Recently, the UK government in particular has framed an array of environment sustainability policies so as to preserve the ecological balance. ... Hence, the government is less likely to adopt a liberal approach towards Hilton Hotels even though they evidently contribute to the GDP of the country. Since environmental sustainability constitutes the nation’s major vision for the next several decades, it may take some stringent actions against Hilton Hotels if they continue with the illegal practice. Economical factors While analysing the economic spectrum of UK, it is clear that the nation is ranked at sixth in terms of nominal GDP and seventh in terms of purchasing power parity. The UK provides high business freedom (94.6) and trade freedom (87.6) in order to foster mercantile activities in the country (The Heritage Foundation, 2011). Hence, the country neither intervenes in the business operations of a firm nor imposes much restriction on its operational privacy. To some extent, this favourable situation assists the Hilton Hotels to skip the current environmental policies of the country. Since effective waste management could significantly benefit the economic growth of the country, the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has formulated a number of waste reduction policies. During the last year, the Defra conducted a detailed Review of Waste Policies in the country so as to ensure that existing policies and regulations are adequate enough to meet the environmental sustainability needs of the country (DEFRA, 2011). As Wintour, Elliott and Mulholland (2008) point out, the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s press releases reflect that the country still has a lot to achieve in ensuring effective waste disposal. Admittedly, the UK government does not foster business activities which may hurt the long term sustainability of the country. Hence obviously, the current economic policies of the

Should Jobs Be Reserved For Women?

Should Jobs Be Reserved For Women? Most of the high level jobs are done by man, should government encourage a certain percentage of these jobs to be reserved for women ? Most of the high level jobs are done by men, I am not totally agree with this idea, because many high level jobs are done by women. There   is no discrimination between man and woman before   the eye of law. I deeply believe high level jobs are done by qualified person. So government should not encourage a certain percentage of high level jobs to be reserved for women. As a human being all are equal so those who have qualification to do high level jobs, they must will do. If government encourage or enact a law or reserve certain percentage that will be unfair and injustice and discrimination for man. High level jobs should be given on the basis of merit and qualification not consider as a man and woman.we do not agree, to make any reservation on the basis of race, age, sex and minority ,but high level job must be done   by only  Ã‚   qualified person. Man and Woman are equal so there should not have any special attention for women. This concept seriously violates human rights. There should not have any discrimination between man and woman. The discrimination never bring peace and stability in a state, so government must not make any special rules for women. As a democratic state, every state has rule of law and human rights, so high level jobs are only done by man, this is not fair and justice. If women have merit and qualification, they must hold high level jobs. To my mind, there is no restriction in law of a state for woman high level jobs. Human right is most important to live in the world with dignity and honour as a best creation of God. So knowledge and knowledge must be standard for high level jobs not on the basis of sex. So only justice and fair can bring the peace and security in a state, man and woman should not be competitor but dependable. Being a best creation of God, we must have sense of responsibility and duty to one another to make a better and peaceful world for the future generation. As a man   I deeply believe and trust, there should not have any unfair between man and woman. only the basis of merit must get high level post not consider anything else. To hold a sensitive post, need only knowledge and management capacity but disqualification must always discourage and deprive from high level post for betterment of nation and showing honour and justice for qualified and knowledgeable persons. Proper management is the most important to hold a high level job, so   one who will be seated in this post must be qualified and knowledgeable. If any person is woman but she is not qualified for the post but given the high level post she absolutely will be fail to hold the post. Motivation is very important requirement to hold a high prestigious job, one who has no this capacity she/he   cannot hold a high level post. So I hope and believe government should not to make any special attention to women for high level post because if they are qualified, no need to make any rule or law in parliament. Leadership is the best qualification to hold the high level jobs. To be a best leader, so easily can deal any critical situation. Those who will hold better post, musth have leadership skilled to perform   properly his/her responsibilities and   duties.This is the age of globalization,so one who want to be leader one,s has to have leadership skilled otherwisewill be   seriously fail to make any decision. Challenging career, there are many job very challenging so women are not able to perform their responsibilities but if any woman get like that post as a leader she will totally fail to lead the team or group. For example a woman is not fit for post of chief of Army, Navy,and Air force,because they are not able to perform their duty properly with care and strictly.So body fitness is very   important to hold like that high level job.So if government impose like that post, it will be harmful for a nation. Professional services are opened for all men and women,because there is no any condition or restriction for women.women can be professor,lawyer,pilot officer,doctor if they have qualification.So for this reason,no need to care more women for high level job.There are many women in the world who are justice,lawyer, minister,parliamentarian .They perform their responsibilities and duties with dignity and skilled.This is because, they are hardworkers and qualified for this   posts Corruption is the great disease for state , it is worse than cancer . so make a proper well fear state . it is responsibilities for man and women to remove this  Ã‚   corruption   from the grass root level of state , corruption free state and protect and guarantee human rights such kind of well fare state no conflict man between women incase of high level jobs. Misuse is the worst weak point to protect human rights and establish rule of law it is absolutely possible misuse of power in government wish to protect the human rights .disqualified person never get high level jobs .this is possible on the basis of rule of law but we have to keep in mind knowledge and qualification only should be standard for higher level job but not consider sex. Political instability never bring any peace and security, safety and dignity for a nation .for the cause of corruption and missuse of power always coming political instability in a state. For these reason many qualified man and women totally deprive from the higher level jobs.such kind of political environment never consider knowledge and qualification and care fare and justice . There are many states where women hold high level post such as Bangladesh is a highest ranking   for the leadership of women   because there is a prime minister and opposition leader, home minister,foreign minister and agriculture minister all are women. they are not   elected as a women but for theire leadership qualification.so there is no way to say government should have extra care for women .if they become knowledgeable, they will reach their goals. In Pakistan also had an ex-prime minister banzir butto who was a woman and she was elected for her political wisdom but her nation did not make her prime minister just consider as woman .there are many women perform their responsibilities and duties with due care and dignity . there is a president   in india is woman .there were former prime ministers Indira Gandi and Sonia gandi also were women. In usa ,hilari Clinton is secretary   of state of America so it is only possible for her qualification. In UK and Austrilia are handled supreme post by women,we do not like to make different between man and woman.As a human being all are equal,in case of dignity and rights and duties. Criticism of women ;most of the women across the world , to remind themselves busy in the kitchen .their mind do not want to work high abious job.They think , women responsibilities to produce baby and to take care and managing housing work.They do not know what are   their rights and duties.So   for this reason,they are tortured, oppressed,nepressd by men.Their voices are not strong for their rights.They do not know how to establish their civil and political rights.Even now women are not prepared to take leadership of high level jobs.They think leadership and management are only for men. Reservation of negative effect,If government reserve certain percentage for high level jobs,it will make a serious negative effect in a state.Now a days all of the countries have   recognised equal status of men and women.The certain percentage reservation will break the check and balance of a state.Day by day men will be unemployment which is not green signal for democratic states.So we do not agree on the statement of reservation of high level jobs for women.If government want to reserve must be for backward section people.There will be no any discrimination between men and women. It is high for women to raise their voices against injustice and unfair.Government can take effective step to make educated women.Women   have to be conscious for their fundamental rights.If government make them properly educated then they will get high level jobs.No need make any reservation for women,from every part of the world, women should be conscious about their rights and duties, They must   make pressure their own government to provide complete women rights. When they will be able to understand what are their rights and duties and will be qualified then they   will get high level jobs. In brief ,I would like to say dignity and honour should not be   given on the basis of sex.for the causes of sincerity ,honesty,sense of responsibility, punctuality and duty.So any man or woman   will hold high level job if he or she has qualification. No need to make speacil law for woman for high level jobs.Only knowledge and knowledge should be most priority and standard to hold high level job.