Effective leadership in SKC Ogbonnia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effective leadership in SKC Ogbonnia - Essay Example My team simply put everything on hold. I see that if no one step up and push the project along and come up with alternative plan, we will drop the ball and lose the client. I called up my team for a meeting to come up with plan for actions to complete the project. We had a long discussion and come up with a plan of action. I delegated each specialists their tasks and regroup everyone to follow up the progress. I asked each specialist to cross check each other’s work and the work’s integration into the presentation as a whole. I asked everyone to think in my director’s shoes, keeping the client’s goals in mind. As a result, we completed the presentation by the deadline and send them to our marketing team. This aspect of teamwork can translate all bounds of transformational leadership in that each person worked together in order to achieve a common goal that not only enhanced their productivity, but also their ability to work together as a team even with con flicting personalities.Moreover, I set up a new brief meeting between my team and the marketing team regarding this case. I set up the meeting between my team and the marketing team for the first time to brief on the case. During the meeting, we prepped the marketing team on what was to be expected and how to manage the client’s expectations according to our plan. The marketers were able to ask the specialist questions and understand the plan in depth. This sense of teamwork in the transactional leadership setting was beneficial.... We had a long discussion and come up with a plan of action. I delegated each specialists their tasks and regroup everyone to follow up the progress. I asked each specialist to cross check each other’s work and the work’s integration into the presentation as a whole. I asked everyone to think in my director’s shoes, keeping the client’s goals in mind. As a result, we completed the presentation by the deadline and send them to our marketing team. This aspect of teamwork can translate all bounds of transformational leadership in that each person worked together in order to achieve a common goal that not only enhanced their productivity, but also their ability to work together as a team even with conflicting personalities. Moreover, I set up a new brief meeting between my team and the marketing team regarding this case. I set up the meeting between my team and the marketing team for the first time to brief on the case. During the meeting, we prepped the market ing team on what was to be expected and how to manage the client’s expectations according to our plan. The marketers were able to ask the specialist questions and understand the plan in depth. This sense of teamwork in the transactional leadership setting was beneficial to the creation of a solution to the problem. In the end, both of the teams were able to meet their mutual to goal in order to seal the deal before the director returned. This clearly exemplifies the ideals and processes associated with adaptive leadership. The director was impressed how I proactively move the case along during his trip. He was able to see that I understand how different departments as well as the in’s and out’s in regards to how the company works. This not only shows how I act as a

Music Therapy and Intellectual Development Essay

Music Therapy and Intellectual Development - Essay Example According to the Canadian Association For Music Therapy (1994), music therapy is the use of music and musical instruments to encourage, uphold and restore mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Key object of this text is to demonstrate effectiveness of music therapy in encouraging cognitive, perceptual, social, learning, and emotional development among children in order to facilitate intellectual development. Appeals to Ethos It is important to start by noting that music therapy is an established health profession which utilizes clinical and evidenced based music intervention to accomplish personalised objectives within a therapeutic intervention. Music therapy can be taken from any place considering that there is no distinctive environment for the therapeutic environment (Green, 1994). It is advisable that before highlighting the needed treatment the qualified music therapist must first assess the strengths and needs of the client in question. Key among the treatment pro vided by the music therapists include but not limited listening to music, creating, singing, and/or moving to music. It is noteworthy that music therapy has no age restriction (Teppo, 2010). ... Additionally music plays a significant role in promoting a positive state of mind which is important in suppressing psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Above all music is important for improving learning abilities especially among children with speech, concentration, social and cognitive challenges. By allowing young children to engage in music therapy which in most cases will involve re-creating and listening to music these children may end up improving the intellectual prowess in varied ways particularly those relating to speech, language and cognitive development. Appeals to Pathos It is unfortunate that several students at tender age get to school with various cognitive language, emotional and language problems. Such challenges have always curtailed effective performance of such students in class exercises and general academic exams. Such students with learning disabilities always lag behind their peers with effective intellectual disabilities. Effect ive integration of music in the school curriculum at early childhood will undoubtedly promote a learning environment that motivate all the children irrespective of their deficiencies wants to engage in learning process. These children who require extra assistance in areas of socialization, motor development, speech and language, self expression, and cognition must be given an opportunity to engage in early childhood music therapy (Barbara & Ray, 2000). This exercise will enable such disabled children to improved their intellectual development and hence compete effectively. Appeals to Logos It is common knowledge that a child may not develop intellectually if he/she is experiencing cognitive,

All About Writing Topics Essay Example for Free

All About Writing Topics Essay An essay is a short piece of writing on a topic and presents the authors point of view on the matter. It is a pure non-fiction presentation of the writer’s outlook on the topic that is the focus of the essay.1 An essay should be structured in different sections that make it easy for the readers to read and follow the authors thoughts clearly. It is composed of the introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs and the summary paragraph. The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of an essay. It brings the main idea of the essay. It captures the interest of the reader and notifies why the topic is important. Another important part of an essay is the main body or the supporting paragraphs. In these paragraphs, the main idea is discussed. The points are cited one by one to develop the main idea of the essay. Aside from the introductory and supporting paragraphs is the summary paragraph which comes at the end of the essay. In this paragraph, all the ideas in the supporting paragraph are explained through a conclusion. By reading this part alone, the reader should be able to understand the whole idea of the essay.2 Since an essay can describe, clarify, argue or analyze, it has different types.3The four major types of essays are narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive essays. In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience. When writing this type of essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid as possible. A well-crafted essay builds towards a conclusion or making a personal statement. The second major type on the other hand which is the descriptive essay, paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place, object, or even memory of special significance. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through the description. This uses colorful words and sensory details. The third type is the expository essay. This essay is an informative piece of writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. Moreover, in this type of essay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples. Lastly is the persuasive essay. While like an expository essay in its presentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. In this type of essay, the writer should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is correct.4 Despite having many types of essays with various compositions, they have one thing in common. All essays are collection of interesting ideas which are thoroughly organized to assure that readers are able to fully understand the main ideas of the essays. 1 â€Å"What is an essay,† http://www.essaycapital.com/what_is_an_essay.htm. 2 â€Å"Parts of an Essay,† http://www.customessaypaper.com/essay-help/parts-of-an-essay.htm. 3 Grace Fleming, â€Å"What is an Essay,† http://homeworktips.about.com/od/collegeprepglossary /g/essay.htm. 4 â€Å"Types of Essays: End the Confusion,†http://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/types-of-essays/.

Investigating methods for preventing racial profiling in the field

Investigating methods for preventing racial profiling in the field Racial profiling occurs when law enforcement officers interpret race (specifically minority membership) as an indicator of increased risk of criminal behavior. Most racial profiling is conducted by officers engaged in street-level policing and this practice is generally banned by federal law, state statutes, and police manuals or guidelines (Wu, 2005). According the United States Department of Justice Fact Sheet on racial profiling: Racial profiling sends the dehumanizing message to our citizens that they are judged by the color of their skin and harms the criminal justice system by eviscerating the trust that is necessary if law enforcement is to effectively protect our communities (United States, Department of Justice, 2003). Major stakeholders with an interest towards this problem include the states Attorney General, county commissioners or city council members, agency leadership, law enforcement officers, and the public. In recognition of the problem, various corrective steps have been taken by states. These measures have included the development of statewide anti-racial profiling policies and mandatory demographic data collection to be conducted by law enforcement officers during all stops. This writer recommends the implementation of an early intervention system to compile information including the assignment history of each officer, traffic enforcement data, citizen complaints, and disciplinary actions taken against the officer. This system would be used by supervisors to monitor officer performance and to address potential problems before they escalate to serious racial profiling events. Used regularly, the program would identify potential racial biases more effectively and would place greater accountability upon supervisors to monitor officers performance. Problem Statement The problem is the use of racial profiling in the field of law enforcement. Specifically, the problem is the disproportionate number of minorities that are targeted for investigatory stops in comparison to non-minorities. Historically, African Americans, Hispanics, and since 9/11, Arab Americans have been subjected to higher instances of traffic stops and investigatory detentions. By definition, racial profiling occurs when a law enforcement officer questions, stops, searches, arrests, or investigates and individual because the officer holds a prejudicial notion that members of that persons racial or ethnic group have a greater likelihood than the rest of the population to commit the sort of crime the officer is investigating. (Barnes, Gross, 2002) Officers who practice racial profiling are in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection clause which states, No state shallà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. (Ward, 2002 ) In addition to the violation of civil rights, racial profiling contributes to the greater social problem of public distrust towards law enforcement. Stakeholders Attorney General In most states, the states Attorney General serves as the top law enforcement officer and lawyer for the state. For state-level law enforcement agencies, particularly the highway patrol or state police, the attorney general acts as a supervisor to the agencys director and therefore holds the responsibility for appointing the agency director as well as providing guidance to the agency in regards to the proper application of the law. In the event that a lawsuit is filed against a state law enforcement agency, the attorney general acts as the states legal representative. Furthermore, in a majority of states the attorney general is an elected official and is therefore subject to lose votes if the public is dissatisfied with his job performance. He must therefore stay abreast of any updates or changes to the law and ensure that the states law enforcement officers operate in compliance with these laws. County commissioners and City council members Within counties, cities, and towns, the county commissioners, city or town council members are legislative bodies responsible for passing laws, bills, and ordinances that govern the municipality. In city or town police departments, the police chief is appointed by the council and in county Sheriffs offices, the Sheriff is sometimes appointed by county commissioners (in instances where the position is vacant outside an election year). In the event that citizens are not satisfied with local law enforcements actions, the county commissioner or city council members will hear the complaint and make a final decision on the matter. As decision makers (and citizens) they have an interest in maintaining public safety and order. As elected officials, their performance is subject to public scrutiny and failure to adequately address rights violations is unlikely to get them reelected. Agency Leadership Depending on the level of law enforcement (state or local), the agency Director, the Chief of Police, or the county Sheriff have a direct responsibility in addressing racial profiling. All law enforcement agencies operate using a top-down leadership approach, with the Director, Chief, or Sheriff at the top of the hierarchal ladder, followed by Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants, and Officers or Deputies. The agencys leader has an interest in making sure the department adheres to the laws and policy standards for law enforcement set forth by the state or local government. The federal government has enacted anti-racial profiling laws and most states have followed suit. Law enforcement agencies that are found to be non-compliant with these laws are held accountable. As the highest ranking employees within their respective agencies, these officials serve as the face of the agency and are often called upon to answer to the aforementioned commissioners or councils when allegations of officer misconduct are made by the public. Law Enforcement Officers Law enforcement officers are stakeholders because the publics perception of the police can have either a positive or negative impact on performance of their duties. Racial profiling is a contributor to the larger social problem of public distrust of the police. In Race, Cops, and Traffic Stops, Angela Davis argued that when minorities experience injustices that are tolerated by criminal justice officials, they develop distrust and disrespect for the justice system. That lack of faith translates into hopelessness, frustration, and sometimes violence (Davis, 2007). For law enforcement officers, public trust and cooperation is essential to their job function. When these two elements are diminished or absent in a community, fewer crimes are solved and officer safety is in jeopardy. Public The public relies on the police to enforce the law and maintain order. As a subgroup of the public, minority populations share these expectations that law enforcement officers will behave ethically. Inability to rely on the police to remain fair and impartial creates a barrier between the police and the minority communities they serve. When this occurs, the public is less likely to report crime and/or provide assistance to the police during criminal investigations. Eventually, some law enforcement officers develop an Us against Them approach towards minorities while minority groups adopt a Them against Us mentality. As a result, fewer crimes are solved and criminals remain on the street. Thus, racial profiling contributes to the perpetual cycle of police ineffectiveness caused by the disconnect between the police and the public. Background of Problem In Analysis of Racial Profiling as Policy Analysis, Samuel Myers, Jr. presents a 1999 report by Knowles, Persico, and Todd that in a stretch of Interstate 95 in Maryland from 1995 to 1999, 63% of all motorists searched were African American. However, only 18% of the motorists on the road were African American. Similar studies have shown patterns of disproportionality in traffic stops conducted by other law enforcement agencies. Allegations of racial profiling have resulted in a number of class action lawsuits and law enforcement agencies response to the problem varies. Some states or police departments have banned racial profiling while others have focused on collecting racial data on stops and searches in order to monitor the ratio of minorities to non-minorities being subjected to these activities. Many have also instituted training and education programs designed to specifically address racial profiling. In 2002, the Minnesota state legislature recommended a voluntary initiative for police departments to address this problem. The preamble to this legislation read in part, Law enforcement policies and training programs must emphasize the need to respect the balance between the rights of all persons to be free from unreasonable governmental intrusions and law enforcements need to enforce the law. Key components of the legislation included: The development of a statewide anti-racial profiling policy that obligated police to provide their name or badge number during routine traffic stops. Providing training to law enforcement officers to adhere to the model policy and dismiss from service any officer who did not complete the training. Collection of data for a 2-year period among participating agencies (Myers, 2002). In its response to racial profiling, the General Assembly of North Carolina enacted a law in 2009 that mandated both state and local law enforcement officers to compile information for each traffic stop to include the race, ethnicity, and sex of the driver along with the alleged traffic violation that led to the stop. The results of these studies and measures taken by state legislatures indicates recognition that the racial profiling does exist and that appropriate measures need to be taken to ban this practice. Alternative Policies In considering alternative ways to address the problem of racial profiling, one could consider a revision to departmental policy to include specific disciplinary action, adjusting training and policy standards to incorporate cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness training, or implementing an early intervention program to monitor officer performance and provide guidance. Alternative Policy #1 Disciplinary Action In an effort to deter officers from racial profiling, one alternative would be to revise departmental policy to include disciplinary guidelines that prescribe specific punishment according to the number and severity of substantiated offenses. For example, the guideline would prescribe counseling for a 1st offense, a written warning to be added to the officers personnel file and possible suspension for a 2nd offense, and termination for a 3rd offense. This method would provide officers with strict guidelines to govern their behavior and would leave no room for misinterpretation. Issuing a punishment-based policy would also give the public the perception that the agency takes the problem seriously and will respond to complaints with appropriate corrective action. The implementation of a zero tolerance policy, in theory, could improve police relations with minority communities and increase public confidence in law enforcement. This alternative could also lead to a decrease in officer morale, higher turnover, and fear of punishment (amongst officers) for doing their jobs. Officers who feel that stops involving minorities will be scrutinized may make an effort to avoid these investigatory stops, meaning that some guilty people will go undetected. This method does not take into account that some officers, by nature of their assignment or job function, will simply have more contacts with minorities and will likewise conduct more stops involving these groups. For example, an officer patrolling an inner city area is more likely to have interaction with minorities than an officer assigned to a rural area because metropolitan areas tend to be more racially and ethnically diverse. This should not serve as a definitive indicator that the officer with a higher percentage of stops involving minorities is guilty of racial profiling. This policy also does not allow for alternative measures such as reassignment, addition al training, or psychological assessment that would give the officer an opportunity to redeem himself. Lastly, punishment-based alternatives are generally ineffective in treating the root cause of the problem. Instead of determining why an officer has more stops involving minorities, this alternative is reactive in nature and only seeks to penalize the officer after this behavior is detected. Alternative #2 Adjust Training and Policy Standards The majority of law enforcement agencies across the nation require officers to complete yearly training to provide legal updates, refresher courses in officer safety, and to renew firearms qualification. In addition to these classes, departments should incorporate mandatory cultural sensitivity/diversity awareness training into the annual in-service training curriculum to specifically address racial profiling. In addition, agency policy could be adjusted to restrict officers to random interdiction and indiscriminate investigatory detentions. Training in cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness would help dispel stereotypes and overcome communication barriers that exist between the police and minority communities. In the District of Columbia for example, the Diversity Awareness and Sensitivity Training Program was developed by the Institute for Public Safety Justice to explore how issues of bias, prejudice, and stereotyping negatively impact effective law enforcement and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Representatives from cultural and community groups are invited to incorporate culture-specific information into the program (Institute for Public Safety and Justice). While on patrol, police officers often use apparent violations of traffic laws as a pretext to stop and question drivers whom they suspect of involvement in illegal drug or firearm offenses. In actuality, the driver was stopped because of race. (Joh, 2007) With this alternative, agency policy would be adjusted to require officers to use discretionless policing and to prohibit pretextual traffic stops. Police officers would be required to take universal prescribed enforcement measures regardless of the circumstances of the stop. For instance, all drivers stopped for speeding, broken taillights, or seat belt violations would be asked the same questions and issued citations. In addition, officers conducting highway interdiction or running radar would be required to point their patrol vehicles away from traffic in order to eliminate racial identification as a factor in the decision to conduct a traffic stop. Critics of cultural sensitivity training for law enforcement view these efforts as an attempt at political correctness that is discriminatory and demeaning to non-minority officers. Training coordinators could also find it difficult to deciding which cultures should be highlighted in the training program. Some would view the inclusion of only African American and Hispanic cultures as singling out these races (or ethnicities) as having negative interactions with the police. As a result of this training, law enforcement officers may consciously or subconsciously treat these minority groups with kid gloves. Police discretion is an integral part of effective policing. Forbidding the police from considering racial characteristics may reduce this effectiveness. Oftentimes, those who engage in certain criminal activities tend to share certain characteristics relating to specific socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. For instance, because of its low cost, the sale of crack cocaine is more common in poor, predominately African American communities. However, the sale of methamphetamine is more common amongst whites. Forcing the police to disregard such characteristics may lead to less effective policing and to increased crime. (Persico, 2002) Alternative #3 Early Intervention Program Law enforcement agencies could implement an early intervention system that would be used to identify officers who appear to have a tendency towards racial profiling. This system would be a centralized database within the agency that compiles information to include: each officers assignment area (or zone), traffic enforcement data (of all individuals stopped or detained), citizen complaints, and a record of all tentative or final formal disciplinary actions taken against the officer in the past. Early intervention is not to be confused with a formal discipline, which carries a negative connotation. Whereas discipline involves official documented actions toward officers in response to substantiated misconduct allegations, early intervention actions are informal and confidential. Officers flagged by the early intervention system should be addressed in confidential counseling sessions and a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) should be agreed upon between the supervisor and the officer. Recommended Policy An early intervention program represents a proactive approach eliminating racial profiling that tailors corrective measures to fit the individual officer. Early intervention systems are useful in identifying potential problems before they escalate into more serious issues requiring formal disciplinary action. Using this method also places greater accountability upon supervisors to closely monitor the performance of their subordinates. In contrast to traditional performance reviews that involve subjective assessments, this policy is objective in nature, identifying specific areas of performance, such as citizens complaints, and developing an appropriate response to these problems. Implementation and Monitoring An early intervention program should include four basic components: performance indicators, an identification and selection process, intervention, and post-intervention monitoring (Walker, 2005, 108). Performance indicators Include data such as assignment area, racial demographic data of individuals detained (whether citation were issued or not), citizen complaints, and history of disciplinary actions. Identification and Selection Should be treated as two separate stages. This would result in some officers who are initially identified based on compiled data that would not be selected for intervention. Instead, the nature and context of these criteria should be further evaluated before selection is made. An officer working in a high-crime area is likely to receive more complaints than an officer working in a low-crime area. Therefore, officers identified in the system as having relatively high numbers of complaints would be subject to further screening that may reveal a legitimate explanation. Intervention Consists of confidential counseling between the selected officer and supervisor and may include the recommendation for remedial training specific to the officers needs. The counseling session should include a discussion of the performance problems identified by the system and an agreement on the steps that will be taken to correct these issues. Post-intervention monitoring Following the intervention, the supervisor would be required to monitor the selected officers performance for a specified time period. Once the time period has passed without a significant number of additional problem indicators, monitoring frequency may be decreased or discontinued. Funding Funding could be accomplished by reallocating law enforcement grant funds to include a fund that designed to target racial profiling. These funds would be provided to departments as an incentive to voluntarily implement an early intervention strategy. Grants would be used towards assisting in startup, supervisor training, and maintenance of the system along with remedial training materials for officers. Evaluative Criteria Equity Supervisors should analyze officer reports and field interview cards while continuing to monitor the early intervention system to access citizen contacts and the purpose for stops and/or arrests. Using this method of evaluation will ensure that officers are enforcing the law fairly across minority and non-minority populations. Liberty/Freedom Periodic monitoring of the early intervention system would highlight the frequency and type of citizen complaints against an officer and would initiate further inquiry into the officers performance. From there, the department could determine if any civil rights violations have been committed by the officer and take immediate action.

UKs Economy in Europe Essay -- Economics Economy England United Essay

UK's Economy in Europe When one talks about a strong economy, a few key economic indicators will get mentioned; inflation, unemployment and economic growth. These are considered the three main macroeconomic indicators of any economy. To define a strong economy in the simplest form you must have a low rate of inflation, low unemployment and steady economic growth. During this essay there will be comparisons between other European countries (e.g. France, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium, Spain, Italy) and these economic indictors mentioned as well as others. We will start to look at inflation rates. "The British economy has slowed over the past 12 months, but remains among the strongest in the developed world, a report has said" (BBC News Online). Last month the Underlying rate of inflation in the UK remained unchanged at 2.3%, which is below the governments target rate of 2.5%, this is good for the economy. The headline rate of inflation, which includes mortgage interest payments, fell last month by 0.4% to 1.7%. These figures show the rate at which prices are increasing. When we compare the UK's annual inflation figure of 1.2% to that of Germany and France (-0.6% in October), which is around the 2% mark, it seems that our rate is quite low and therefore good for our economy. The Eurozone inflation is expected to be 2.1%; this is measured by the Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices (MUICP). By looking at this we can see that this figure is very close to the UK's inflation rate. On the whole inflation in the UK is at a lower rate than that of its European neighbours, which is an indicator of a strong economy. When we look at unemployment in the UK we can see that it is around 900,000 or 2.3%. This is the lowest it has been since the 1970's and is at a lower percentage rate than Japan and the USA. Germany who has recently announced that they have just entered a recession has a very high rate of unemployment at around 8.0% and France, Finland and Spain even higher. The UK, Netherlands and Luxemburg are amongst the lowest unemployment rates in Europe. "Unemployment is up again in France and Germany, in a sign that the eurozone's two biggest economies are still in the grip of a downturn" (BBC News Online). France and Germany have the largest economies in Europe and recent figures show that unemployment increased by 15,000 a... ...ong performance is reflected by such indicators as solid growth and forecasts for next year predicting an annual growth of 2.75% - 3.75%. Inflation currently at 2.3% is lower than forecasted which is a strong indicator for a strong economy. Our unemployment is at the lowest it has been since the 1970's and lower than that of the two biggest economies in the world at present at 2.3% or around 900,000. Interest rates are remaining unchanged at 4%, which is low, and the reason for the British economy having a firm housing market. The UK's main economic problem is the manufacturing output. It could be argued that this sector of the economy is in recession after figures of negative growth in the last two quarters. As a result of this the UK is suffering from an all time high trade deficit, which is also due to the high value of the pound. But overall the UK economy is in a good state taking into advantage the global economic slowdown which is going on around it. References: www.bbc.co.uk Sources:  · www.bbc.co.uk  · www.bized.ac.uk  · www.europa.eu.int  · www.ukonline.gov.uk  · The Daily Mail Newspaper  · The Business Environment - Brooks/Weatherston

Rebellion in China around 1900 :: essays research papers

Around 1900, after many years of succumbing to the superior military of the West, the Chinese stood up for their country. China was a weak, backwards, country, exploited by the West. They felt that they could counter the foreign domination, but reforms were useless because they needed the West to help with the reforms. But something sparked their confidence, and they believed themselves to be able to conquer any foreign power. This spark was the Society of Harmonious Fists, commonly known as "Boxers." Combined with unhappy people, and new weapons technology, the Chinese rebelled against the foreign powers. The first reason of this confidence was the Boxer Society, which formed in North China after the Sino-Japanese war, but wasn't well known until 1898 in Shantung. This organization was actually a cult, following strange and absurd practices of defense. It had no central leaders, and the practices varied in different locations. Their goal was to rid China of the foreign menace. The boxers were different from most other rebels of their time. They would conduct public physical exercises that were supposed to make a magical shield to protect one against foreign bullets and shells. These looked similar to a boxers training exercises so the westerners nicknamed the members of the Society of Harmonious Fists "Boxers." Rather then using foreign weapons, they relied on magical spirits and swords, knives, staves, and polearms to drive the foreign devils from their precious home country. The membership of this group consisted of mostly the criminals, poor, and illiterate of China who wore a simple uniform consisting of a red armband, sash, or waistcloth. These people truly believed that magic would protect them, and help remove the foreigners from China. That gave them enough confidence to try to destroy the foreigners. Missionaries were killed, railroads were destroyed, and churches were burned all in the name of independence from foreign rule. Another key aspect in the rebellions against the west was a series of natural disasters that swept China during the last decade of the nineteenth century. Famine struck, droughts prevented the planting of crops, and to top it all, the Yellow river flooded, causing the destruction of 1,500 villages and 2,500 square miles of countryside. These disaster lead to unhappiness of the people. In order to keep them from turning on the government, the Dowager Empress, Tsu Hsi, encouraged the peasants to rebel against the foreigners. Some of these angry people joined the Boxers, and others rebelled alone, but they had the Empress behind them, giving them encouragement, and making them feel ready to take on the demons from the West. The third reason that the Chinese felt ready to face the West, was a

A cost-effective company

Companies must remain effective and efficient in order to compete in today’s business word. Organizations, even non-profit organizations, must remain cost effective and efficient to remain viable. In order to be cost-effective, a company sets a budget and goals and uses the company’s assets to meet those goals. As long as they remain within the budget, they can focus their attention on meeting the goals of the company.A cost-effective company meets its goals with the funding provided; a company that is not cost-effective either fails to complete the goal altogether or requires additional funds in order to do so. This company must also be cost efficient, meaning that they cannot spend four dollars when two dollars is sufficient. In addition, they must put the company’s finances ahead of all else, including job stability. A cost effective and efficient company stays within a budget while still meeting its goals.It is more important for any organization to be cost e ffective than cost efficient. In the overall picture, an organization must seek to meet its goals above all else. They must focus on using their resources to meet the goals, rather than setting the goal at saving money. Shareholders expect a return on their investment, which absolutely cannot happen if the company does not focus its attention on getting the best value for its dollars.For example, Volvo strives to make the safest cars in the world; for the most part, it has succeeded in this goal. The company uses its resources to maintain an image of safety while remaining profitable. For this reason, consumers view Volvo as the â€Å"safe† car brand; this is why the company is cost-effective rather than cost-efficient. In order to be cost-efficient, Volvo would have to put the product second and the cost of producing the product first. Safety would give way to economy, and this would completely undermine the branding strategy.