Yoko Ono's Relationship with Popular Culture Essay

Yoko Ono's Relationship with Popular Culture - Essay Example The essay "Yoko Ono's relationship with popular culture" investigates the great talent of the famous artist and her role in the context of culture. Paper gives details from her life and activity. It is almost fifty years ago, when people started thinking of Yoko Ono as that woman. She was aged 27 years and lived in New York. Paper discover Yoko Ono's background that partly explains radical works and performances. The performances include ''Cut Piece'' that she did in 1965. It is here that she sat impassively like Bodhisattva, while the audience slowly one by one cut off her clothes. This was an amazing feminist manifesto as by then most people did not know what feminism was. It was about exhibitionism and sex. Similar to her other works she did, it rebuffed parent’s mores in a great way. But in the performance, of importance was the element of ritual violence. This was not like seppuku but a theatrical version of self-sacrifice. This was a recurrent theme around Yoko Ono's pub lic life. Yoko Ono can be considered as a muse. This does not only apply to John Lennon whose devotion and love for her resulted in the most interesting and beautiful artworks of his career. She was a pioneering artist, activist, musician, and feminist. Yoko Ono has influenced to a great extent those artists who are daring enough in pushing at and experimenting the imaginary distinctions and boundaries between media and art forms. Her talent was formidable but the prominent quality in her painting works was her spirit.

Nonprofit Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nonprofit Sector - Essay Example Secondly, comments have been directed toward nonprofit organizations in regards to their lack of market discipline as a predominant cause of their limited self-sustainability. Other factors involve rising service and administration costs, and the increased competition for limited donations amongst nonprofit organisations. By becoming a commercial enterprise nonprofits are able to leverage former sources of funding. Nonprofits are seeking additional revenue such as setting up peripheral commercial businesses as a way to add to their fee paying programs that do not generate profits. In many cases this is a strategy in which they can raise community awareness of their cause and simultaneously make money. Some nonprofits have sought to commercialize their key programs, relying less on donations and moving to fee payments by beneficiaries, or creating contracts with government organisations or corporations. Alternatively, nonprofits may charge a corporation, which in turn charges its beneficiaries for a once free service.

Policy Evaluation Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Policy Evaluation Analysis - Research Paper Example Currently, public education in the US is offered by district public schools and Charter schools according to Stuart (2002). Charter schools are not government-run, instead, they are opened and attended by choice. The policy of funding Charter schools using federal funds was authorized by President Bush in the NCLB Act in order to stimulate their development. However, this is done indirectly done by transferring the money allocated for each child enrolled in a Charter school, from their former district schools. This means that the relationship between a Charter school and the district sponsoring it could facilitate or hinder its access to federal funding (US Government Accountancy Office 1998). Some Charter schools are considered as LEAs and receive direct deferral funding. Finnigan et al (2004) and Ascher et al. (2004) state that in terms of funding, charter schools receive funding according to enrollment. In many cases, Charter schools receive lesser funds as compared to other publi c schools due to imperfections in money transfers (Reville, 2007). Stuart (2002) adds that Charter schools do not receive funding for securing facilities. This causes them to seek operation costs outside the federal funds for example through donation. However there is a recent federal legislation which allows that allocation of start-up costs to Charter schools. This paper gives an evaluation and analysis of this policy. Policy evaluation time The policy of using federal money to fund Charter schools has to be evaluated before the end of the next financial year. This is because the results from the evaluation will be useful in determining any changes that are required in terms of funding. For example, it will help in determining the effect of this funding policy on Charter schools since it started in 2002 as noted by Finnigan et al. (200). These include the performance of Charter schools, costs, quality, program, and goal attainment levels. A knowledge of the extent of the achieveme nt of its goals will therefore determine amount of funding or additional funding required. These changes will then be included in the next federal budget and will be reflected in the amount of money set aside for public education. Policy evaluation process According to Theodoulou and Koffins (2004), policy evaluation is a critical way of determining whether a policy works or not, whether it is achieving its intended functions and whether its impacts are intentional or not. In order to determine the successful implementation and outcomes of a certain policy, an all round evaluation has to be conducted. This means that an application of the four policy evaluation typologies should be done. These include process evaluation, impact evaluation, outcome evaluation and cost-benefit evaluation. Process evaluation analyses how well a certain program or policy is being implemented. It is normally done with an aim of determining necessary actions that are required to improve its implementation . In order to achieve this, the government has to determine why the policy is performing at current levels and identify any problems. This requires the use of sampling in order to determine the extent to which Charter schools have been receiving federal funds, the amounts and effectiveness in delivery of funds (Theodoulou and Koffins, 2004). The government has

Discussion 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion 2 - Assignment Example Therefore, this means that cultural diversity increases the sales of a business, as well as its profit. If a business plans to sell in a diverse marketplace, then it must be totally able effectively to utilize its diverse workers in significant strategic ways. The aging populace is both an advantage and a disadvantage for small businesses (McCarthy, 2012). One certain thing, however, is that small organizations will have to reorient their strategies to hurdle the exceptional challenges and opportunities aging people offer (McCarthy, 2012). In the 90’s, among the biggest hurdles facing small businesses was access to government regulations, capital and taxes. Nevertheless, in the new millennium, they can add a new hurdle to the list, the persistent labor shortage. Therefore, businesses lack the required labor, which would enable them to work efficiently (McCarthy, 2012). On an optimistic note, small organizations can exploit this growing section of the population. Marketing strategy and new products will need to be created targeting the elderly

Halliburton Essay Example for Free

Halliburton Essay One of the most important functions for any organization to succeed in any particular direction is planning. Planning is an activity that enables companies and their employees to understand the company’s purpose and its strategic direction so that they can align themselves to it. This paper will discuss the importance of planning at Halliburton Company and analyze the extent to which it impacts the legal, ethical and CSR issues in the organization. Furthermore, it will discuss three factors that have an influence on the company’s strategic, tactical, operational and contingency planning. Halliburton Company was established in 1919 in Houston, Texas with a second headquarter in Dubai, UAE. Currently employing over 50,000 people, it is a huge multinational and global leader in the energy services sector operating in more than 70 countries. Using its technological edge in its operations and assistance from its world-class human resource, Halliburton has demonstrated outstanding growth and development in the energy sector over the past several decades. Its focus on innovation dates back to its early years when its founder, Erle P. Halliburton initiated his oil well cementing business by building a wooden mixing box only by hiring a wagon, a team of mules and a pump in Oklahoma. Careful planning and effective strategies have enabled Halliburton to remain as the market leader in the energy sector for almost a century now. Its planning strategies are comprehensive, focused on global changes and follow the â€Å"Think globally, act locally† theme. Halliburton management realizes the fact that for global survival it is essential to adopt different methodologies in different countries. For this purpose, it operates from 2 headquarters – Texas, the oil hub of the West and Dubai, the trading hub of Asia and Europe. â€Å"The number one priority of Halliburton is to provide competitive, safe and superior quality products and services†. Halliburton management maintains that in order to ensure business continuity they must explore the unexplored parts of the world for newer energy reserves bringing in environmental concerns. Thus, there are several instances when Corporate Social Responsibility and other issues have an impact on the planning of Halliburton and its strategy planning. There are often differences in the legal framework of different countries, for example, the British and American laws pertaining to environmental exploration have different clauses. This results in differences in the local planning of future steps to be taken by Halliburton in maintaining its market position and extending its operations. Ethics also play a key role in shaping up its policies and plans for the future. Environmental concerns, consideration for animal and plant wildlife are some of the factors the Halliburton management takes into account when planning its activities. For example, if oil exploration in the Sahara will result in extinction of the sub-Saharan tigers living in the region, the company will develop an alternative plan. Global companies as large as Halliburton have to manage their activities and operations collaboratively; sometimes the ethical and legal frameworks of adjacent countries can render certain actions legal in one nation and illegal in another nation. Thus corporate planning is a very extensive process at Halliburton which involves considerable amount of consideration given to regional subsidies of the company. Though corporate social responsibility and legal issues dominate the effect on the planning activities of Halliburton, ethical considerations also sometimes require plans to be modified. For example, Halliburton’s operations in Saudi Arabia have to be controlled differently than its operations in the US. The ethics standards and beliefs in the two countries are different and regulate different practices. For instance, daytime operations during the fasting season where the temperature is very high is not restricted by law. Even the workers may be willing to work, but ethics and moral standards suggest that Halliburton operations should be continued at night during those days. There are several factors which affect the course of action of companies. Often we see changes in the stock market leading to important strategic planning changes in companies. However, most of these are short-term plans and do not affect the vision of the company by a significant degree. Some of the most important factors which have a contribution towards the company’s strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning are as follows: Potential Energy Reserves: Halliburton thrives on its energy reserves and constant exploration of newer energy sites. Its strategic and international planning is based upon the potential energy reserves of a region. A region where there are high energy reserves would naturally be an area for long-term planning for Halliburton management while a exit strategy may be prepared for a dried up site in Japan. Its strategy is the key to business continuity and profits and thus takes into account the future business that can be generated from a particular region. Taxation and Corporate Laws: The reason why Nevada is the registered as the corporate head office of thousands of companies is because of its tax-friendly laws. Halliburton’s expansion and acquisition strategies are dependent on the corporate taxation and regulations that are enforceable in a particular state or country. These laws influence to a great degree the company’s operational and contingency panning as well. Avoiding over-taxation requires careful hindsight in operational and acquisition activities. Companies like Halliburton need to have effective planning strategies in order to save huge amounts in taxation and legal fees. Culture: The culture of Texas may be very oil-friendly however, that may not be the case in Brazil. The differences in culture, customs and therefore the code of ethics is important for Halliburton to realize and respect. Companies not caring about these factors often face problems in the long-term. Nike could not stop the sweatshop crisis news from coming into the media which caused hundreds of thousands of dollars loss to the company and several protests were lodged against the company till it finally winded up its operations. Halliburton’s planning should take into account the resident cultural practices and base its plan according to them – violation of local culture is often taken very strongly by the people and is revoked at some point or the other.

Communication In Job Role Essay Example for Free

Communication In Job Role Essay Review the range of groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed in own job role. Resident communication needs In my job role as a Deputy Manager I must ensure that I consider the different levels of communication when supporting our residents: We use the following within my work place: Picture schedule This is a form of pictures on a long strip of Velcro, which highlights what is expected of the resident thought the day. This is important to the resident because it enables the individual to see what activities they have thought out the day, it provides a structured day for the resident to identify what activities they have first then after. This provides stable communication between staff member and the residents in aid of reducing anxiety. Barriers and challenges. Barriers that and challenges may arise are: Individuals whom are using the pictures may become too complacent there for require the same product such as dairy milk chocolate bar that is presented on the picture. This can become a challenge as if diary milk factory was to shut and the products where to be no longer produced then the resident whom has the picture of the diary milk and has constantly used this picture to resemble chocolate for the last ten years may become anxious due to not having the chocolate bar resembling the correct photo. Staff members may not be consistent with using the picture schedule, when using picture schedule it is paramount that staffs are consistent when prompting picture schedule. This can become an barrier and a challenge when some staff are using the schedule and some are not. This can confuse the residents and increase anxiety when not used; this can also take the skill away from that resident as well as hinder their communication development. Staffs whom are not adequate trained in using the picture schedule could provide a potential barrier to our residents as it creates a disturbance in the routine of their daily activities in not knowing what they are going to do for the day. Social story A social story is used to simplify a form of information. This is done by having words as well as pictures to explain the information that is needed to be presented to the person. For example: This form of communication is used within our service it ensures that the individual feels included in any decisions that are made, and that they are aware of what is expected off them when they are going on an activity, any planned activities set for the future. They can also be used to explain the step by step guide of what they are to do on a daily bases. This form of communication also reduces anxiety by giving the resident a preferred communication between staff and the individual; it also gives them a clear understanding of what staff members are asking them to do. Individuals whom are creating the social stories may provide information that is too difficult for the resident to understand. They could also presume that the information given has been taken in by the resident; the challenge that may arise is that the resident will not take in the information and may become anxious due to confusion over what is being asked. Another barrier may be too much information, depending on whom you are presenting the social story to, some require bug writing and big pictures where as others may require average size font and pictures but with short and sweet information. A challenge may arise when we presume that an individual whom is using picture schedule may understand social stories, this can in effect create a barrier as it provides the resident with no information other than words and pictures. When presenting the social story, we may not be presenting the social story in the correct manner in accordance to the individual, When reading we may need to be mindful of how fast we go through the information and how many times we go read the social story to the person. Because by going over to many times may cause an issue as well as how fast we read through as some individual may take longer to cognitively understand the information, therefore we must ensure we work at the speed of the individual whom we are working with. Verbal communication Some of our residents require verbal communication, however not all residents who are verbal are able to understand all language used. Therefore they require to be communicated with simple form of vocabulary rather than jargon. This is important to be assessed and mindful because you do not want to give them information that is too difficult to understand, you want them to have simple words that they can take in and understand to avoid any confusion or anxiety. A barrier that may arise when verbally communicating to a resident is how fast and what form of words we use. Not all residents whom are vocal are able to understand long fast sentences there for we must speak to the resident in a manner that they can understand. For example if the resident understands one single word then staff will use the single word rather than a sentences, this is because by using the sentences it could potentially create a challenge as it can cause the resident to become anxious by having too much demands placed on them. I also need to be mindful of whom I am speaking to when I am communicating to individuals, for instance if I speak to a GP then I would not speak the same to the residents as my choice of words will differ massively. Therefore I must always be mindful of the way that I communicate to each individual to ensure that they understand the information that is presented as well as I understands the needs of each person. Makaton We do not have a resident who uses Makaton however if the staff did not know how to use Makaton then we would need Makaton training to enable use to communicate effectively with the resident. We would also need to ensure that we have a basic communication with that resident to ensure we meet the needs of the resident threw understanding what the residents wants and any issues the resident may have on a daily bases. Pecks Book A pecks book is used with one of our residents to identify what he wants, the  peck books provides the resident with a choice of what to eat and what activities he would like to do on a daily bases. This is helpful as it provides the team with a preferred communication style in enabling the staff to identify what activities and want he requires. We can support this by ensuring that we be consistent when using the pecks book with the residents to enable the resident to maintain the communication skill. If we do not use this form of communication then the resident will potentially forget how to use the communication book as well has not be able to communicate his needs to the staff effectively. Team communication needs Team meeting As a team a form of communication that we use are team meetings, team meetings allow staff and management to formally communicate any issues or good relating practices that are present. It is important when conducting a team meeting that all relevant information communicated is understood by all of our staff team, if there is any person who requires help then supervision may help. Other ways of helping would be to complete an information leaflet of what has been said in the meeting as well as the action plans and outcomes. Supervisions Not all staff members are able to share their opinions when in a team meeting another form of preferred communication for some is via supervisions. This enables the individual to discuss their feeling and thoughts without feeling judged by others, it also gives the employee an opportunity to discuss their opinions through their own preferred communication. It also provides managers with an effective approach on how each staff member should receive their supervision. It is paramount that when giving supervision, managers should cater their discussion around the individual. They should also ensure they be mindful of whom they are speaking to and how they approach negative and constructive feedback depending on the individual whom is undergoing the supervision. You can also support effective communication threw supervisions by getting the individual involved in completing the supervision form; you can also provide them with an outcome of the supervision enabling them to  read over and sign in their own time. Barriers and challenges Communication book Communication book can be used to log important information that is needed to be handed over, it can also be used to pass on massages to staff members whom are not on shift. We are able to provide effective communication through this book by ensuring staff read and sign what is put into the book; this can ensure that when they have signed the information then they understand what has been passed on within the book. However the only issue with the communication book is that staff may not always read the book or they may not read the information. This can be reduced by providing the communication book on hand over, shift leader to ensure all staff read and sign also you could have an extended sheet of the a4 paper highlighting the important information that staff should read and sign. We also need to be mindful how we provide the information; Information that is put into the book should be clear, understandable, literature that all staff can understand to avoid any confusion. Face to Face contact whilst on shift. Even though it can be easier to put information into a communication it is not always the best form of communication to all, why because we are all individuals. Some individuals require management to discuss any issues via face to face contact as some individuals tend to understand more when they are listening and picking up body language when talking. We can support individual threw face to face contact by asking them do they understand and if there is any other way they would like the information, you can also effective communication by ensuring the person is focused on you rather than the things going on in the environment.

Unemployment During The Recession Economics Essay

Unemployment During The Recession Economics Essay The unemployment rate is one of the key variables that policy makers are interested in. There are different causes of unemployment and it is very difficult for governments to determine which causes are most important and how to deal with them. The two main types of causes of unemployment can be split as demand-sided and supply-sided. The unemployment has both economic and noneconomic costs (McConnell and Brue, 2005). The economic costs of unemployment are; (i) decrease in income and output which is measured in terms of the GNP gap and, (ii) burden of unemployment is not distributed equally among employees especially during recession periods (Petroff, 2002). On the other hand, loss of self-confidence, social and political conflicts can be counted as some of the noneconomic costs of unemployment (McConnell and Brue, 2005). Thus, it is important to analyse causes and outcomes of unemployment especially during recession period. Unemployment during Recession Since Industrial Revolution, the entire world economy has gained a momentum. This momentum has led to economic expansion an increase in quality of life. However, this momentum hasnt shown continuity. Countries have experienced many ups and downs in their economic activities since they industrialized. These up and down movements in economic activities or in production level are known as business or economic cycle (Parkin, 2012; Abel et al., 2008). There are two main periods of the business cycle (Parkin, 2012); expansion and recession. An expansion is a period which represents an increase in the economic activities and production level of an economy/country (Burda and Wyplosz, 2001). Contrary, recession is an extended time period when the economic activities and gross domestic product (GDP) of a nation are slowing or falling down (Abel et al, 2008; Harris, 2002). These activities are including level of employment, investments, household income, business profits and inflation rate. In a business or economic cycle, recession occurs between peak and trough points. It is also known as a business cycle contraction. This is represented in the Figure 1. -Causes of Recession: Negative Demand and Supply Shocks According to Abel et al. (2008), two main causes of economic recession are negative aggregate demand shock (ADS) and negative aggregate supply shock (ASS). A negative ADS is a sudden event that decreases the aggregate demand in an economy (Burda and Wyplosz, 2001). There are several reasons for this type of negative shock. It generally occurs because of tight fiscal and monetary policies (Abel et al., 2008). Government sets high taxes and reduces government expenditures to decrease the inflationary pressures. On the other hand, these policies can causes a fall in the aggregate demand and as a result economic recession takes place. The recession that United Kingdom (UK) experienced during 1980-81 was caused by tight fiscal and monetary policies (Pettinger, 2012). There were high tax rates, low government expenditure, and high interest rates for reducing spending, consumption and investment. The UK government was applied these tight policies for reducing the inflationary pressures whic h was formed in the late of 1980s. Inflation had fallen but the cost of these policies was the economic recession. Classical economists suggest that the negative ADS do not cause continued fluctuations in output level (Burda and Wyplosz, 2001). However, they view that a negative ASS is a major reason behind the critical changes in output and employment level (Burda and Wyplosz, 2001). A negative supply shock or a negative production shock is an unexpected event that decreases the aggregate supply in an economy/country (Abel et al., 2008). A negative ASS causes an inward shift in the long run aggregate supply (LRAS) curve of an economy (Abel et al., 2008). In figure 2, there is an inward shift in the LRAS curve because of a negative supply shock. It is reducing full-employment output from Q1 to Q2 and increase the price level from P1 to P2. This change in the price level represents that a negative supply shock causes prices to rise during the recession. Some of the real world examples of negative supply shocks are; changes in weather, such as an unexpected cold weather; changes in the structure of industries, such as merging of two or more dominant companies (Abel et al., 2008). Sometimes, the dominant suppliers join together for increasing their market power. By this way, they can restrict supply and set higher prices for making more profit. The real world reflection of this happened in 1970s by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) where members were imposed an oil embargo and then increased oil prices. When the oil prices rise, firms began to produce less since the cost of production was increase independently fro m aggregate demand. During oil price shock, labour demand, employment and real wage rate had fallen (Carlstrom and Fuerst, 2006). A negative supply shock reduces the quantity of labour demanded at any given real wage rate and causes an inward shift in the labour demand curve (Abel et al., 2008). In figure 3, the negative supply shock causes a fall in the labour market equilibrium from point A to B. At the new equilibrium both real wage and employment level falls. This graph also reflects the effects of oil price shock on the labour market. -Supply Side Factors During recession both businesses and individuals tend to retrench their economic belts and this causes negative effects on the level of production and consequently demands for labour decrease. Thus, during recession unemployment turns out to be one of the major problems on both government and society. Some of the unemployment during recession base on supply-side factors like personal transferable skills, job-seeker research channel, occupational mobility (job skills), and geographical mobility (Adams et al., 2000). For example; in UK, economic structure is turning to service based from manufacturing based economy (Parkin, 2012). The main reason of this structural change is globalisation and international trade agreements. According to Parkin (2012), UK has completely lost its cost advantages in manufacturing goods since the cost of production is much cheaper in Eastern Europe countries. Structural changes lead primary and secondary sector workers lose their jobs and many of them cann ot find new jobs since they dont have necessary skills for working in service sectors such as financial service institutions and information technology. However, even when economy is operating at full capacity, there is some unemployment that causes by the supply side factors. This is generally known as the natural rate of unemployment or equilibrium unemployment (Blink and Dorton, 2007). The natural rate of unemployment exists when the labour market is in equilibrium (Abel et al., 2008). In figure 4, the total labour force (TLF) in an economy and aggregate supply of labour (ASL), which stands for the number of people who are willing to work at every given wage rate, are presented. The difference between points a and b is natural rate of unemployment. The natural rate of unemployment is the combination of frictional and structural unemployment (Abel et al., 2008). Frictional unemployment occurs when employees leave their jobs for finding more suitable job opportunities in order to satisfy their career and income expectations (Parkin, 2012). While employees are searching for new jobs, there is always some frictional unemployment in th e economy. The poor job information may lead this searching process to take longer than what the employees expected and consequently employees may lose their motivations for finding new jobs. Unemployment benefits are also a factor that affect the incentive to not to work. Also, structural unemployment occurs when the structure or production methods of an industry are changed in order to keep pace with changes in consumers tastes and new production techniques (Sloman, 2004). Structural unemployment is generally known as the long-term unemployment since workers must retrain or they may have to relocate for staying at their current jobs or finding new jobs (Parkin, 2012). On the other hand, the financial and mental costs of retraining and relocation lead structural unemployment that contains geographical and occupational immobility. Housing prices are one of the most important financial problems that cause geographical immobility. For example; in London, the active capital city life creates more job opportunities than in the North of England, but housing prices and rents are much more expensive than in the North of England. So, some workers may prefer to take unemployment benefits and staying at their neighbourhoods rather than paying high rents or buyin g expensive houses in London. This causes geographical immobility. An increase in unemployment rate also increases the burden of the government. High unemployment means an increase in the total amount of unemployment benefits that governments have to pay. As a result of an increase in unemployment rate, governments revenues fall. So, it causes budget deficits. In order to decrease the rate of unemployment, government may use both supply-side and demand-side policies. The main aim of the supply-side polices is to make labour force more responsive and flexible against the changes in job opportunities (Sloman, 2004). However, if there is lack of aggregate demand, supply-side policies can be ineffective. Thus, for achieving more effective results government can support supply-side policies by using demand-side policies as well as fiscal and monetary policies. Conclusion In recent years, recession become one of the major problems that the entire world economies encountered. It is inevitable for governments to take certain measures to determine the causes of economic downturn. It can be caused by demand side or supply side shocks. During the recession, unemployment becomes one of the serious problems because of low levels of consumption, demand and investment (Pettinger, 2011). However, unemployment exists even when economy is operating at full capacity. Unemployment never becomes zero because of supply-side factors, like; personal transferable skills, job-seeker research channel, occupational mobility (job skills), and geographical mobility (Adams et al., 2000). Structural and frictional unemployment are unemployment types that cause by supply side factors. There are massive research efforts to find out causes of unemployment and how to deal with it. The long lasting effects of unemployment make it an important problem for all economies and governmen ts that encourage governments to try to find solutions for it since it has economic, social and political consequences.