Organizational analysis

IntroductionThis faculty had widened my position of organisations and their values. With a portfolio from operations background in a BPO sector managing more than 30 employees, I happen to understand certain facet for many of our employees feedback and what was truly dawdling behind in that organisation. I even had submitted one page papers to my Director explicating about the seniors which the organisation has to be looked into instantly. Working in this faculty along with my group had besides helped me to understand the existent clip scenario of the international office organisation which we had worked on.An Overview Of The AnalysisWhen we happen to inquire for the assignment to run into the International offices Director, we were truly excited to cognize what truly the organisation is all about, understanding the major work of the office being into international pupil enlisting which was entirely known on this organisation there were more important functions which this organisatio n was all about. Initially, our group had decided to direct out three people to run into him, but we had a back autumn when we had a notice that he was non available, and the worst which affected us was that he will be back merely after a hebdomad and this created a confusion within all of us. I took the undertaking of outlining out the inquirer which had to be passed on to the employees of the organisation ; my past experience had helped me to get the better of this degree, as I was responsible for carry oning studies from my employees about the degree of occupation satisfaction and feedbacks on the assignments they were assigned to. Sing the strength of work burden they have, I decided to set down merely 10 inquiries which would turn to most of our research about their work. I took the chief countries of occupation satisfaction, environment of the work topographic point, communicating degrees within the organisation, impact on any alterations. I besides decided to set on an unfast ened inquiry so that any inquiry or feedback on their ego ‘s can be obtained which can assist us understand the engagement on their occupation. Normally if this feedback has to be completed on a completion most of the participants would merely make full in the inquirer with the possible replies quickly and would go through it on dorsum to us. If the participants truly bask these 0858009 3 inquirers they would set down some of the remarks or some of their inquiries which can be raised on a whole for the direction to reply or to most allow them cognize of some developments go oning without the notice of the direction. I was heated up with the conversation of my group when at the last, that merely two individuals can run into the Director. Then as a group we decided that I stay back and to enter the inquiries which were being asked to him and reproduce it for us to analysis. I was despairing to see the international office, I accompanied my squad to the office, the first feeling it gave me was surprising, beside all our expatiation of a high terminal office floor, it was an unfastened office floor where everything was so seeable and we could finally number the figure of employees in the floor. There were more surprises to add on when we wanted to cognize the office of the Director ; we were directed towards a corner of a room on an unfastened tabular array, so it was my squad who took on the show so on and I returned back waiting thirstily to cognize the consequence of the meeting and the replies which were to be spoken out. The more inspiring chance was the chance to analyze in world a life-size organisation. We had a enormous answer from the Director ; he had given us the terminal to stop operation of the organisation, the first meeting had given us replies to all the inquiries which we were waiting to screen it out. This organisation was non merely involved in international pupil personal businesss but there were other countries like institutional dealingss which was involved in with other external universities and their plans, so being the international dealingss which was responsible for MOU with other educational establishments across the Earth, this section was besides active for pupil exchange plans. This had made me revise the inquirer which had to be handed out to employees as it had a broad spectrum of events to be covered. After obtaining the completed inquirer we had similar replies on all of them, we had an overview of the section but this was wholly different on how every employee had similar position.Framwork EmployedW had given 7 ‘s theoretical account on bases of our appraisal as the sections with the organisation was interlinked to each other, they were independent but was bounded like magnets with each other and the degree of motive could be felt by the responses we had go t. They were given lost of chance to go, common 0858009 4 answerability for each other and high degree of occupation satisfaction was clearly seeable. Motivation has played a really of import facet as everyone was towards a common ends, this was one of the section which had been responsible for Warwick ‘s growing. I had understood that they all had the occupation features with skill diverseness, undertaking individuality was significance and feedback was communicated decently with each other on clip. Key emotional edge prevailed with each other for their distinguishable duty and clear cognition result of the work they were into their corresponding countries. All the struggles within them were sorted out with treatments. Furthermore their squad ‘s size was kept little for effectual communicating. The chief alteration had been after their new Director taking the physical barriers between them which had efficaciously brought in the alteration ; this has besides given them the capableness to interact any issue straight with him, intern determination devising was left on everyone and this had given all the employees to move independently for faster resolution of issues. To brief of what, I had formulated on this research are every employee found his occupation disputing instead than routine as everyday he had new occupations to be to be refined off. Communication within the organisation is so intense that everyone is able to track of their work and feedback of their procedure is being maintained in high degrees. They were able to carry through their given undertakings within their office hours alternatively of working on with the excess hours and even they did n't mind to work on the excess hours to finish their occupations. Without an effectual inducement plan in topographic point everyone was keen on their work or responsibilities given to them and everyone was keen on the growing of the organisation instead than that of their personal growing, this had brought in a degree of dedication towards their organisational growing. With an unfastened office scenario every work of them had a alteration to be overlook and this besides provided an insecure e nvironment on personal attempts being put in topographic point. They besides have a occupation apprehension which can non be brought out as a insouciant work since they are being monitored openly some one or the other on the whole. They have are forced to work on certain fortunes which they can remain off from as it their unfastened work topographic point, even a smiling is forced on them, as that is what the inquirer has reflected back to us, Since all the inquirer had the same response or similar response without transporting a appropriate reply, this looks like a forced reply. Furthermore we had been provided to interview merely one employee on the entire squad of 33 members, and that interview had a twofold positive response and every organisation should or will hold a unfavorable judgment factor on their desk to do it a perfect one.DecisionTo reason with the research on this organisation a strong motive of the bounded within every employee and this act as a drive force within t hem to execute and the degree of dedication which this leading has brought in has had an influence on every employee to keep it for the group end or success of the organisation. To acquire people on a same aim to carry through widespread end is a singular attempt of the Director. The chief drawback of this is shall ensue when a image perfect portrayal is swirled on a issue which they face and when they are non able to manage it out. This section has proved to be a success narrative and every employee had resulted towards its success, and the chief factors would be motive and teamwork. Leadership manner has influenced the occupation profile of every one, which had even drafted to the degree of feedback to be on a common appraisal. This degree of bonding has been a major factor to convey in such high degree of victory towards the university on an international degree within a short clip. If this bonding continues, it shall take to the growing of different stage of the university.

Morality and Ralph Essay

1. Dominant impression: Genuine goodness is rare and can even overtake the sense of order or of savagery. Ralph, who represents order, and Jack, who represents barbarism, both try to look for Simon (representing human goodness), but he doesn’t follow either of them, only his own heart. Genre: Fiction 2. Allegory. Ralph is order, shown when he says â€Å"I’ll go on with the shelter†. Shelter, to safety, leadership, thinks about others’ as well, not just himself. Jack is savagery, shown when he says â€Å"If I could only get a pig! †. He wants to hunt, resorts to his gut instinct, selfishness, bloodlust. Also this is characterization. 3. Graphic/visual details of Simon’s physique sets Simon as a genuine, Christ-like character. â€Å"an air of purpose† Christ’s purpose is to save people. â€Å"Skinny boy, chin pointed, eyes so bright† all a sense of brilliance and deep understanding of human nature to its core. â€Å"Feet bare like Jack’s†, comparison to Jack. Like Jack, Simon relies on his gut instinct. But instead of being bad, it is good. â€Å"frowning at the little house† observant. This is also characterization of Simon as someone caring and genuine. 4. Antithesis between Ralph and Jack. â€Å"If I could only get a pig! † (Jack) vs â€Å"I’ll go on with the shelter† (Ralph) juxtaposed to show contrast between the two as being very different in morality. Jack is savagery, Ralph is order. Jack is instinct, Ralph is reason. Jack is selfish, Ralph is altruistic. 5. â€Å"They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate†. Juxtaposition â€Å"love† and â€Å"hate†. To emphasize their differences, contrast, antithesis, etc. They also both respect (? ) each other for being â€Å"leaders† but in a very different way. 6. â€Å"shouting, and splashing and laughing† repetition, establishing rhythm in the actions. Set the atmosphere of the actions as being continuous and numerous and fun. 7. â€Å"They walked along, two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate†. Referring to Jack and Ralph, this shows that they are both â€Å"continents† or leaders, and they both possess â€Å"experience and feeling†, but in very different ways. Contrasting mentalities: Ralph is reason, Jack is instinct. Atmosphere: conflicting (feelings and experiences), tense. ? which makes them unable to communicate with each other because they are so different morally. 8. Change in atmosphere when describing Simon, to something more open and mystical. â€Å"delightfully, bright, almost concealing†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Shows that Simon is different from the other two. He is more genuine, and good to his core. â€Å"Bathe† ? symbol for cleansing?

Implications of Tuition-Free College Education Essay

In considering the matter of tuition-free college education for all qualified citizens, one must ask what impact there will be on society in general, national economics and the educational system over all. In removing all economical barriers to education on the four-year level, an increased number of qualified employees will exist and the level of Master’s and Doctoral degrees would heighten. This will serve humanity better in allowing a higher level of professionalism and informed citizenry for the countries in question. In a study performed by De-Fraja in 2002, the results were divided between the bright and the unintelligent. In allowing a tax-supported educational system, the study shows that more capable individuals who were not afforded an educational opportunity would be allowed to serve better the needs of the government and the populace in general. It also insinuates that the unfortunate challenged people would become more efficient if they opted for education, whereas otherwise they may become a burden on the system in general. In affording these opportunities, a higher-trained workforce becomes available, thereby giving more opportunity for tax-supported education from the increase in tax payments per capita. De-Fraja further supposes that the option of private education will widen the gap between the privileged and the non- but at least society is improved overall (De-Fraja 2002). Feldman and Steenbergen implicate the need to provide these opportunities in terms of humanitarianism. In allowing underprivileged individuals the ability to improve themselves, we are thereby improving our own society. The study argues that, â€Å"humanitarianism is an important element of the American sociopolitical ethos, although it has received little attention in the public opinion literature,† (Feldman & Steenbergen, 2001). With the social welfare system carrying a negative reputation, they suggest that the educational system would be impacted by this, but this is the area to address rather than the positives that would come from the tuition-free programs. Dynarski looks at the issue from an economics point of view. In contending that the financial burden of providing such a system would be heavy, the resulting influx of employee base would increase the operating capital of the project, thus off-setting the cost in the end. She also poses that even a $1,000 grant for students will increase the participation levels by 4-6%. In offering free college in the public education sector, the private organization can still offer varying levels of programs, but the populace overall will contribute in a positive manner. Although she states that the obvious impact would be in satisfactory standards for these programs, with the proper system in place, the concern should be effectively addressed, thus making the decision economically viable (Dynarski, 2002). Finally, as a practical implication, we look at the evidence offered by Foondun. In looking at the effect of free-tuition in developed and developing countries, Foondun found that while developing nations do not always have the distinct plan to offer educational programs, as countries grow – the sponsorship of private schools increase. With this increase, one finds betterment in the general populace and the economic situation overall. With an increase in educated individuals, the shift begins to slide towards betterment of the country and its people, humanitarian efforts increasing on a larger scale. With this would follow the tuition-free education systems, thereby improving the overall condition of the country (Foondun 2002). In conclusion, by looking at the economic, humanitarian, and practical implications of free-tuition offered to all qualified individuals, we can see that the impact will be positive. In looking at the growth potential of countries specifically, we find that without the foundation of an educated populous, a developing nation will remain at a disadvantage. In fostering education, tax bases increase, as does the livelihood of humanity throughout. Free-tuition for secondary educational is worthwhile and recommended overall. References De-Fraja, G. (Apr 2002). â€Å"The design of optimal education policies. † The Review of Economic Studies, 69(2), 437-466. Dynarski, S. (May 2002). â€Å"The behavioral and distributional implications of aid for college. † The American Economic Review, 92(2), 279-285. Feldman, S. & Steenbergen, M. R. (Jun 2001). â€Å"The humanitarian foundation of public support for social welfare. † American Journal of Political Science, 45(3), 658-677. Foondun, A. R. (Nov 2002). â€Å"The issue of private tuition: An analysis of the practice in Mauritius and selected South-East Asian countries. † International Review of Education, 48(6), 485-515.

Alcoholism Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alcoholism - Personal Statement Example Emotional distress and parental influence was the main reason to start off with the habit. In order to handle the increasing misery which was caused due to many problems (financial and family) I resorted to the drinking of alcohol. At first it provided me a sense of relief but a point came when the distress began to mount all over again. It started as fun, took over me and began killing me slowly. In other words it can be said that Alcohol is just like a slow poison. I realized all these negative features of Alcohol after a great demise of my father's life. I have lost my father because of this slow poison. He was suffering from Cancer but we couldn't realize it until his health got so severely damaged that he could not recover. Young individuals are more responsive to the positive effects of drinking, like feeling of being comfortable in social situations. They may have a relatively large amount of alcohol than adults because their maturing brain does not accept any reality unless they experience it. Their brain does not understand the possible devastating loss but consider the positive social experiences. Alcohol consumption does not only harm an individual but the society. Alcoholism is a great threat to the youth and must be stopped for a brighter future of the youth, their family and the whole country.

Empowering Other's Actions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Empowering Other's Actions - Essay Example This is done through various ways. First, it is important for leaders to clearly define and communicate the duties of every team member. Each individual play their part and the end result is seen as a contribution of the group members (Kayser, 2010). Secondly, there should be effective communication among the team members themselves and between the leaders. Thirdly, all issues should be addressed timely and directly. Finally, team members should take part in team building activities to create a good working relationship and bonding. I have been involved in several situations where I had to strengthen my team members through self-determination and promoting competence among the team members. Last semester, we were assigned a group assignment and I was appointed as the group leader. Our topic was involving and required a lot of research therefore; there was immense pressure on us to complete the task on time. It was two days to the deadline of submission, we were not yet with analyzing the data we had collected and this meant that our group could not submit the assignment on time. However, I was determined to complete the on time and we worked tirelessly with other members of the team to complete the assignment. I did all that I could to encourage the other members to put their best foot forward. We did not sleep for the two days to submission. This was stressful and we were discouraged since other groups had successfully completed their tasks. I felt like a failure as I had failed to lead the team in the right d irection towards achieving the primary goal that was to hand in the assignment on time. We all got a penalty of five points in the final grade. There are several reasons that can be this failure. First, we failed to manage our time well and failed to take into account that we had chosen a difficult assignment. Secondly, we paid too much attention on team building activities and less on actual completion of the task.

Ethics within the British armaments industry Essay

Ethics within the British armaments industry - Essay Example One industry facing this ethical dilemma is armaments. On one hand, the development, production and sale of armaments are an extremely profitable business, serving national strategic, economic, and defensive purposes (Havemann 1998, pp.241-242). On the other hand, it carries unintended consequences - promoting war and violence - whose effects cannot be easily avoided short of halting business activity altogether (Havemann 1998, pp.242-243; Gowri 2004, p.33). Thus, while it is sufficient for most enterprises to act ethically by ensuring that their actions comply with the minimum standards of avoiding harmful practices and exercising good conduct, such criteria seems inadequate in evaluating the ethical responsibility of businesses involved in armaments production, which produces foreseeable, but unintended harm regardless of good business practices (Mahoney 1990, p.545; Gowri 2004, p.33). For the UK, these issues are magnified in scope and intensity because apart from having one of th e largest armaments industries in the world, with its leading company BAE Systems, the growing interconnectedness of economies, cultures, and governments worldwide implies a global societal impact. Given the benefits and harm associated with armaments production, can its development, construction and sale be a fully justified business activity As this essay will argue, these activities, although not inherently good acts are morally indifferent business practices. Hence, using the principle of double effect and Gowri's (2004, pp.40-41) concept of moral externalities, the development, production and sale of armaments can be considered a fully justified business activity. Nonetheless, it is the responsibility of businesses to ensure that they manufacture armaments only within legitimately accepted circumstances. The Business of Armaments AND Britain Occupying a sizeable share of the British manufacturing sector, the armaments industry's importance for the country is undeniable. As Havemann (1998, p.242) notes, for a medium-sized economy that is highly dependent on trade such as the United Kingdom, armaments constitutes a significant part of the economy, with major players like BAE Systems, ranking 4th globally in the world in 2004 (Dunne and Surry 2006, p. 421) and UK arms production amounting to $19.2 billion in total sales in 2000, alone (Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute [SIPRI] 2003). Economically speaking, these statistics translate to several macroeconomic and microeconomic benefits to the United Kingdom (Havemann 1998, p. 242). First, given its large share within manufacturing, the armaments industry has been reported to provide a significant amount of jobs, with 155,000 workers directly employed in arms producing activities and 150,000 indirectly working within the arms production supply chain (SIPRI 2003). Armaments production also helps boost the country's export performance, with companies like BAE Systems exporting 80% of its total sales, British arms exports generated $6.7 in 2000 (SIPRI 2003), significantly contributing to the UK's annual trade balance. Furthermore, with supply chain links in related industries such as information technology, systems integration, aerospace, and metallurgy, as well as the oil and gas sectors, it is clear that arms producing ac

Interpersonal communication and the internet Research Paper

Interpersonal communication and the internet - Research Paper Example People relying solely on social media for interpersonal communication may judge their relationship partners on the basis of limited information. There is a probability of electronic transmission of threats making college life complicated for some students. Facebook is the cause of distraction and often plays the role of a life savior for otherwise socially awkward students. Internet, sometimes, promotes racism and hatred making interpersonal communication among the people of different beliefs almost improbable. Schools, colleges and universities should allocate some time and resources to equip students with the basic ethics of online communication. Interpersonal Communication and the Internet The most significant characteristic of a man is his ability to communicate with his fellow human beings to achieve the desired outcomes. Man has always struggled to develop and expand the means of communication available to him. In recent years, internet and online social networks including Face book, Twitter, MySpace, and Tumblr have revolutionized the field of communication. People have become so reliant on technology that those who tend to disconnect themselves from it seem odd to the rest of the people. Internet provides a medium to vent frustration and social anxiety and is an easier way to communicate. But the controlling influence of social media, increasing reliance on internet leading to a decline in interpersonal communications, probability of electronic transmission of threats and promotion of racism and hatred often outweigh its advantages. The internet has no doubt transformed the world into a global village. However, at the same time, the yawning gaps between people in their interpersonal relationship seem to get bigger day by day. Women, in earlier times, used to gather at the river to wash their clothes. This provided them with an opportunity to mingle with the people living in the same locality. With the introduction of new technologies and easier ways to w ash, a decrease in interpersonal communication is apparent as the people in general and women in particular no longer gather at the river. The same explanation can be presented to explain the decline in interpersonal relationships due to the creation of innovative and technologically advanced communication tools including the internet and the social media. People have become less interdependent and more self-governing. Even the advertising campaigns seem to promote it. As far as the impact of internet is concerned, millions of emails are sent by people to their friends, relatives and colleagues every day making it tremendously unproblematic to communicate. Internet, on one hand, has a number of advantages. Conversely, on the other hand, it has dramatically reduced the exchange of information among the masses. Those who use these forms of communication may evaluate their relationship partners on the basis of inadequate information. Internet, indeed, encourages the growth in interpers onal communication. However, those who entirely rely on online means encounter difficulties in face to face communications (Riqdon). Studies suggest that students use internet mainly for finding people, seeking, distraction, coping and E-mail. The availability of internet on the college campuses, provision of free email addresses to the students and high speed broadband connection-equipped

Negotiating Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negotiating - Movie Review Example The Secretary of Defense then arrives with a risky plan- a blockade on Cuba to prevent further weapons from entering the nation. When the Russians do not mind the blockade and make efforts to overturn it, circumstances immediately turn from good to hopeless. Based on structure, the movie can be distinguished into two specific components: the initial component of the movie introduces the main protagonists Russia and the US, as well as the innate attitudes and traits of their leaders, and just as significantly, the emerging signs of the potential clash between the two superpowers. The second part portrays America's efforts to combat their worsening fear of invasion by the Russians with the help of peaceful negotiations as they get stranded over the peace talks, and eventually their agreement with Russia to stop the loading of the nuclear weapons. Bridging the two parts are situations where neither the people watching the movie nor the two main countries knows what will happen next, truly a suspenseful masterpiece. Majority of the movie's symbolic imagery is focused on America's diplomatic efforts towards Russia and its mischievous plans. The symbolism of the negotiations in this movie allows the audience to comprehend what happens within two nations stranded in a tug of war fighting for supremacy, when suffering from a terrible dilemma, and most significantly when stepping up to the challenge and making tough decisions that will decide the fate of their countrymen. The negotiations are the primary foundations or the framework of the movie, including their positive and negative results. Much of the negotiations that happened during the movie were between US President John F. Kennedy and Russian President Nikita Kruschev. While President Kennedy was convinced that the photos of nuclear missile build-up captured by their spy planes were indeed authentic and therefore a direct threat to Americans, Kruschev was adamant in mentioning that these weapons were not intended for harmful utilization. Nonetheless, the US government maintained their peaceful ways of managing the crisis at hand, until they learned that the Russian and Cuban government under Fidel Castro had already agreed on various policies as to the utilization of the nuclear weapons. While it was clear that the peaceful efforts of the US to negotiate the crisis failed at first, in the end all the nations involved came into an agreement to remove all their weapons and threats to each other. While the world seemed close to witnessing another brutal war, the insistent diplomatic efforts of the American government led by President Kennedy paved the way for a peaceful ending for this crisis.

Personal world views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal world views - Essay Example In so doing, followers obligate themselves to follow specific tenets as dictated by the religion. Following these tenets requires dedication and sacrifice. Spiritual people are loyal to the religious beliefs and follow them without questions about their reality. Spirituality is related to other terms such as pluralism, scientism, and postmodernism. Pluralism is a concept that denotes that there is no absolute truth in one line of thought. Essentially, pluralism implies that no worldview is enough to describe solely all the views of the people. In this regard, pluralism requires that every view be taken into consideration. Pluralism is common in government and religion. In religion, pluralism has it that no religion is taken as perfect or the sole source of truth. It should be understood that other beliefs may also contain some truths that may not be accurate in other beliefs. Thus, individual spirituality defines what is true or not. Scientism is a belief that human beings can find answers to all life questions through scientific research. Scientism asserts that there is no supreme being that can offer real solutions that can be proven. This worldview eliminates the religious or spiritual beliefs since they are not concrete or backed by evidence. It is upon research that points can be proven or disqualified. Scientism is more related to the concept of postmodernism as discussed below. Postmodernism is a concept that critiques the existing culture, believe and evidence systems. Postmodernism viewpoints are that human beings are not capable of making assertions regarding their origin or fate (Fukuyama et. al, 2014). The postmodern worldview disregards spirituality. In addition, the worldview stipulates that humans have locked themselves in a cage of beliefs and culture that may not be true or beneficial. The spirituality concept defines how people perceive the world around them and how they solve the day to

Should New Orleans be deploying a WiFi hookup citywide, or should this Essay

Should New Orleans be deploying a WiFi hookup citywide, or should this be left to the private sector - Essay Example In the aftermath of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina, the infrastructure of New Orleans was completely wiped out. This meant that traditional wireline phone service and cellular networks stopped functioning. The only communication network that was still intact was the wireless mesh network mounted on electric poles that was used to support the city's crime surveillance cameras prior to the storm. (Greene, 2006). Once power was restored to the storm ravaged city, one of the first steps undertaken by the Chief Intelligence Officer of New Orleans (CIO), Greg Meffert, was to expand the Tropos-based mesh network, link it to the Internet and open access to citizens to make IP calls through VoIP, (Voice over Internet Protocol) software from companies like Skype and Vonage (Greene, 2006). And thus the idea of a WiFi network for the city took shape, and on November 29, 2005 (just 3 months after the disaster) City Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced the deployment of the country's first free municipa lly owned wireless internet system in the downtown area. (Krim, 2005). The public Wi-Fi service, was set up with $1.2 million worth of equipment donated by Tropos and Intel (Hamblen, 2006). The case of New Orleans brings to light the increasing trend of municipalities across America and the world to launch their own free or low cost wireless internet service over entire city areas. As in the case with New Orleans, the arguments for deploying a municipally owned wireless internet are 1) To reduce the digital divide; a term which refers to those (individuals and businesses) who are disadvantaged by the inability to access high-speed internet because of their failure to pay for high speed DSL/broadband or their geographic location (rural America, where low population density ) which makes it infeasible to lay down the infrastructure needed for traditional wireline internet services. 2) Low cost of deployment: A WiFi network makes use of existing infrastructure like electricity poles, lamp posts, municipal buildings etc. to transmit signals over a sufficiently large area. The proposed cost of the WiFi network for 1.5 m people of Philadelphia was projected at $10.5 million; conversely it cost $ 8.5 million to build the traditional broadband cable and internet network, in Lebanon (Ohio), which is a small town of only 17,000 people. Thus the cost per person would be much lower as compared to a wired network and the time taken for deployment is also comparatively faster (New Millennium Research, 2005). 3) Municipally owned wireless network will bring forth efficiency and increased productivity in the working of the city councils and law enforcement agencies. This was seen in the efficient working of the building inspectors in New Orleans who were able swiftly process paperwork for reconstruction permits without wasting time in travel from city office to site. WiFi networks can also in the future

Explore How Black People Are Differently Treated by the Criminal Justice System Essay Example for Free

Explore How Black People Are Differently Treated by the Criminal Justice System Essay Racial prejudice is not unique to modern day society, it has been with us for a long time, this has been coupled with the belief that certain racial groups are less intelligent, or backward compared to white European stock, nowhere is this more true than in the criminal justice system. In 1869 Francis Galton published a book called Hereditary Genius this contained a chapter called The Comparative Worth of Different Races which considered that black Americans were genetically inferior to white Americans. Galton stated that blacks scored on average 15 IQ points below whites. (Coleman 1987) We can see that within the field of criminal justice, and with Galtons work considered that black people were bound to be treated differently due to a belief born out of misunderstanding of the nature of culture and individual personality differences, the hereditary argument has never been scientifically proved or disproved. The 1991 census showed that 5. 5% of the population were from an ethnic origin, with 1. 6% of these being black from an Afro-Caribbean background. It was reported that a higher amount of the ethnic minorities was of younger people than in the general population, and it can be seen that this alone could be a reason for the proportionately higher level of blacks in the criminal justice system , going on the grounds that in the indigenous population it is the younger generation, those aged 14-25 years that commit the vast majority of crime. Crime by ethnic minorities, and in particular young black males can also be seen to be a social situation, and may be a product of sheer logistics. Many new immigrant families move into what is perceived as a high crime area, particularly inner city areas, where housing may be cheaper and unemployment is higher than at a national level. These areas may receive more police attention than richer areas and therefore the new immigrant families come to the attention of the police more than those in more rural areas. xenophobia may also cause the police to over react when dealing with black families. A study by Goreman Coleman (1982) looking at personality and attitudes within the British police force, showed that the average police constable was indeed racist. They asked in the study for police officers to write a short essay, some of the comments were vigorously racist, comments such as, Certain members of the coloured population that l have met are OK but the majority of youths of the West Indian community are savage ignorant vicious thieving bastards , . most of them are just dirty , over 50% of trouble is caused by niggers , smelly backward people who will never change (Coleman 1987). In the last 10 years most public agencies, including the police force, have formed equal opportunities policies, these apply not only to recruitment but also to the way people are treated, and is especially needed in the criminal justice system where there are disproportionately more blacks than whites in the prison system in comparison to the size of the black population in society as a whole. It was reported in 1982 that black people made up 18% of the prison population, but only accounted for 5% of the general population. The figures are worse for Afro-Caribbean males, 1% of the population, but 11% of the prison population. (Home Office 1982). During the 1980s it became apparent that blacks were more likely to be stopped by the police. The British Crime Survey in 1988 found that 14% of Asians, 15% of whites, but 20% of Afro-Caribbeans reported being stopped by the police in the preceding year (Skogan 1990) The British Crime Survey also reported that there was some evidence that crimes detected by the police and those reported by the public seemed to have a racial bias. Blacks and Asians also complained more than whites about the way they were treated once arrested by the police (Skogan 1990). On the subject of arrest it seems also that blacks are treated differently in this process. A survey by the PSI (Policy Studies Institute) in 1983 found that blacks were disproportionately arrested, they found that 5% of the population of London were black, but 17% of those arrested in London were black. Further studies by Walker (1988) (1989) support these findings. Landau Nathan (1983) reported that there is evidence to suggest that blacks will be cautioned less than whites, a white youngster is four times more likely to receive a caution than a black juvenile. Also black juveniles are more likely to be remanded in custody than whit or Asian teenagers. Walker (1988) also showed that black juveniles are twice as likely to appear at crown court than whites. A Home Office Statistical Bulletin (1986) showed that blacks in prison were more likely to have less previous convictions than white men in similar circumstances, the figure for whites was 62%, Afro-Caribbeans 48% and for Asians 20%. The main finding from these and many other statistics is that black people are dealt with, whether as suspects, offenders or defendants, in a highly disproportionate way, it can also be seen that they are treated more harshly than their white counterparts at virtually every stage of the criminal justice process. It is therefore not surprising that black people have less faith in the police and criminal justice system than white British people. David Smith (1994) argues that the main group in society has a degree of power, seen to be unique and special in relation to religious, social and cultural traditions of the particular society, thus creating an unequal legal system that is biased against ethnic minorities. This can be seen to be the stem from which racial disparities may emerge in the British legal system and criminal process, and may explain why black people are treated differently by the criminal justice system. He (Smith) further argues that the law is a national institution and part of a national identity that is born out of centuries of tradition, and therefore unless changed does not take account of relatively recent immigration of ethnic minorities to this country. It can be argued that there are two main reasons for blacks being disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system, firstly that they commit more crime, and secondly that they are treated in a different and possibly harsher way, so as to be over represented in the criminal justice system. Research in the USA has shown that crime is in fact higher amongst blacks (Wilbanks 1987). This view has been criticised, for example by Reiner (1993) stating that to exclude external variables that effect such findings is almost impossible. Reiner (1989 1993) concluded that it is the way in which black people are treated differently from white people in our criminal justice system that created the disproportionate levels of minorities in the process, although he concedes that this is far from conclusive. Smith (1994) criticises Reiner for this view, believing that Reiner is contradicting himself, with little evidence, suggesting that it is treatment that cause high black representation in the criminal justice system, but stating that this may not be believed by some, and is in fact inconclusive. It is true that blacks are over represented in the criminal justice process, what is not clear is, why. Whether we like to think it or not there is still a great deal of racial prejudice in this country, and this alone feeds societies morals and thus its policing and criminal law, this prejudice and discrimination therefore makes it difficult for minorities to gain employment, especially in times of high unemployment and recession. This can lead to feelings of rejection, lack of self-esteem, poverty, lack of self-respect and insecurity. Blacks, as mentioned above, often live in the poorest areas of the cities and therefore come to the attention of the police far more than white youths, parents may also find it difficult to exercise control over their children in areas where social control is at its lowest. Whatever the reason for higher black crime, whether a statistical wrong, or innate criminality, for which there is little support, it is clear we will never get at the real reason that blacks are treated differently by the criminal justice system, too many people would have too much to lose by finding an answer. 1,407 words. REFERENCES. Coleman, A. (1987) Facts, Fallacies and Frauds in Psychology. London: Unwin Hyman. Galton, F. (1869) Hereditary Genius, an enquiry into its laws and consequences (2 ed. 1978) London: Friedmann. Coleman, A. Goreman, L.. (1982) Conservatism, Dogmatism, and authoritarianism in British police officers. Sociology, 16, 1-11. Landau, s. Nathan, g. (1983) Selecting Delinquents for Cautioning in the London Metropolitan Area. British Journal of Criminology. 23, (2): 128-48. Reiner, R. (1989) Chief Constables. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Reiner, R. (1993) Race, Crime Justice, Models of Interpretation. IN L, Gelsthorpe, W, McWilliam (Eds) Minority Ethnic Groups and the Criminal Justice System. Cambridge: Cambridge Institute of Criminology. Skogan, W. (1990) The Police and Public in England and Wales, A British Crime Survey Report. Home Office Research Study no: 117. London: HMSO. Smith, D. (1994) Race, Crime and Criminal Justice. IN Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Maguire, M. ; Morgan, R. Reiner, R. (Eds) Oxford: Claenden Press. Walker, M. (1988) The Court Disposal of Young Males by Race in London 1983. British Journal of Criminology: 28, (4) 441-59. Walker, M. (1989) The Court Disposal and remands of White, Afro-Caribbean and Asian Men(London 1983). British Journal of Criminology. 29. (4), 353-67. Wilbanks, W. (1987) The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System. USA: Brooks/Cole.

Elephantiasis Disorder Essay Example for Free

Elephantiasis Disorder Essay Elephantiasis is usually caused by obstructions in the lymphatic system. It causes a swelling in the skin and tissues, generally in the lower trunk and the legs. It is most likely seen in the legs and genitals, causing baggy, thick and ulcerated skin, accompanied by fever and chills. Limbs can swell so much that they will resemble an elephants front leg in size, texture and even color. Elephantiasis has two main forms. Lymphatic filariasis is the most common form, caused by a parasitic disease just from a bite from a little infected mosquito. This form of Elephantiasis is caused by a parasite, most commonly called roundworms. The parasite blocks the lymphatic vessels, inhibiting their ability to drain the affected area. This disease can be very painful and will most likely impact the individual’s ability to lead a normal life. A severe case can block blood vessels, which will limit the blood flow to the skin causing inflammation and possible gangrenous. Elephantiasis is recognized as the second leading cause of disability worldwide because of its physical and psychological impact to the affected individual. An economic burden is also a huge issue, although treatments are available, those who are affected are usually from the poor community so they cannot afford the drugs to help cure them. The physical impact is very obvious to the infected because of the edema. It makes it very difficult for them to move around to do their daily activities. Most will have thickening skin and a very strong body odor. Because of these symptoms they usually are unemployed making life a struggle for money. Elephantiasis is known to be a disease of poverty because it is endemic to poor tropical countries. It is a public health and socio-economic problem worldwide. It affects 120 million people in over 80 countries. The disease is prevalent in urban and rural areas affecting people of all ages and sexes.

Buddhism In East Asian Culture History Essay

Buddhism In East Asian Culture History Essay Buddhism is a mixture between a religion and a philosophy compromised of various beliefs, practices, and traditions. Although Buddhism had originally derived from India, it has come to be more associated with East Asian cultures, mainly China and Korea. Nevertheless, these two countries do not completely share the same doctrines; they are not identical. Each region received and accepted Buddhism in a different manner, as they already had their own religion deeply rooted. For instance, the Chinese had embraced the principles of Confucianism and Daoism, and the Koreans believed in Shamanism, the indigenous religion that emphasized spiritual rites and nature. Therefore, it was inevitable that the introduction of Buddhism to these three East Asian countries were not accepted at once. Nevertheless, China and Korea gradually coalesced and adopted Buddhism with their native religious faiths and ethical beliefs. The contributions of Buddhism resulted in overall advancements in both China and Korea. In spite of the conflict that was encountered by the introduction of Buddhism into the already dynamic religions, the principles of Buddhism ultimately conglomerated with the preexisting religions to produce enhancements in China and Korea in various aspects such as _____. Buddhism was born in India. It first spread to China, and then to Korea. It is said that it is uncertain when or how the Chinese first came into contact with Buddhism, but according to the official tradition, Buddhism seems to have reached China by 100 C.E. (de Bary,415 420). Therefore, it can be surmised that the religion was first introduced when Buddhist worshipers came into China from India. Then, Buddhism made its way across China and to the Three Kingdoms of Korea. And because Koguruo is closes to China and is actually bordered by China, it was naturally the first kingdom introduced to Buddhism in 372 C.E. For the same reason of geographical locations, Paekche received Buddhism second in 384 C.E., and finally Silla, much later in 527 C.E. (Lee, 34). Both China and Korea were influenced by the receiving of Buddhism from India; yet because the time period in which they received it, and the order they received it differs, In China, Buddhism was not easily accepted for it met opposition with firm believers of Confucianism and Daoism. It was ultimately acknowledged after having found a mutual premise, and was considered one of the Three Religions among Confucianism and Daoism. However, it was not easy for Buddhism to wrestle against the prevailing religions. For instance, for the conservative and orthodox Chinese, they could not understand why they had to shave their heads and conform to these foreign ways. The Confucians held that the body is the gift of ones parents and that to harm it is to be disrespectful toward them. (de Bary 423). It was one of the requirements for all members of the Buddhist clergy to shave their heads; however, it was met with aversion from the Chinese for they believed that they should not injure any parts of their body. Certain ideas of Buddhism such as the practice of shaving heads were seen as too different for the Chinese to adhere to. Nevertheless, as mentioned previously, Buddhism was eventually adopted by the Chinese. The turning points of these oppositions were the works of Mouzi, a Chinese author who believed that it was possible to be a good Chinese and a good Buddhist at the same time, that there is no fundamental conflict between the two ways of life, and that the great truths preached by Buddhism are preached, if in somewhat different language, by Confucianism and Daoism as well. (de Bary 422). He claimed that people should not have to decide on one religion, but that certain aspects of both sides can be drawn and implemented together. Mouzi also stated that the Chinese should not reject Buddhism for its differences, but rather embrace the ideas that do not conflict with their own. (de Bary 425). Additionally, he discovered that there are similarities between the Three Religions regarding their practices and beliefs. For instance, when asked about the concept of Immortality and how to achieve it, Mouzi exp lained: Talk to immortality is superstitious and unfounded; it is not the word of the sages. Laozi said, Even Heaven and Earth cannot last forever. How much less can human beings!Confucius said, The wise man leaves the world, but humaneness and filial piety last forever.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Yao died; Shun had his [place of burial at] Mount Cangwu; Yu has his tomb on Kuaijià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦To speak of immortality, is this not a great error? (de Bary 426). Mouzi gave examples of the teachings of each religious leader, and proved how immortality in all aspects of religions does not exist. He had replied that neither Buddhism nor Daoism nor any other great leader can provide the route to immortality. With his philosophies, Mouzi was able to slowly connect the Buddhist doctrine to the indigenous, traditional ways of Confucianism and Daoism. The people of China ultimately accepted Buddhism after all of the obstacles and resistance. In Korea, Buddhism was introduced by a Chinese monk to each of the three Kingdoms: first to Koguryu, then to Paekche, then finally to Silla. The Buddhist religion was not received easily by the Koreans, but was met with less hostility than the Chinese. The kingdom of Silla was the most isolated region of the three, and was not yet prepared to accept Buddhist doctrine. The people of Silla held strongly onto their original values and ways of life. (Lee 42). For instance, the twenty-third king of Silla was a monk named Popkong who wanted to spread Buddhism throughout his kingdom. However, his suggestion was greeted by dispute and discrepancy by his ministers. His ministers were against the idea of erecting a building for a monastery when the kingdom of Silla was undergoing hardships due to the lack of crop production and the ongoing battles with neighboring states. (Lee 42). Eventually King Popkong got his wish, Buddhist dieties were spread, and the first monastery was established durin g King Popkongs reign. However, this obstacle was overcome with great sacrifice by the Grand Secretary, who put his life at risk to try to prove to the ministers of Buddhism as the eternal religion. (Lee 42). After the Grand Secretary sacrificed himself, strange things began to happen in the heavens. The sun darkened, wonderful flowers rained from heaven, and the earth trembled violentlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Lee, 43). And with these signs, the king and his officials decided to take an oath to worship the Buddha. Buddhism eventually spread to the three Kingdoms and coalesced with Shamanism, which was Koreas deeply rooted religion, in order to construct a novel belief system that connected the Buddhist idols and the Shamanisms Holy Mother. (Lee, 51). For instance, trees in the Forest of the Heavenly Mirror felled in order to build a monastery. (Lee, 43). The quote above perfectly exemplifies how room was finally made for this new religion called Buddhism in Korean culture in which the tree s represent Shamanism, and the monastery represents Buddhism. Overall, the integration of Buddhism into Korean religion happened more abruptly than in China for the leaders of Korea had legally established Buddhism as its state religion. After struggles, Buddhism finally won the hearts of _____.After Buddhist beliefs have been accepted by the Chinese, Buddhism seemed to have impacted the Chinese in various ways. The coming of Buddhism to China was an event of far-reaching importance in the development of Chinese thought and culture and of Buddhism itself (de Bary 415). First of all, Buddhism brought forth to China a new way of thinking, and opened the minds of its people as it gave the Chinese different perspectives. Also, the influence of Buddhism was great during the unification of northern and southern China Buddhism played an important role in influencing the Chinese people, and had affected their ways and beliefs in areas such as aesthetics, literature, medicine, and philosophy. Buddhism had a great impact on China through its acceptance in Korea, for China The message of Chinese Buddhism to Korea was______________. Buddhism played an important role in influencing the Korean people, and had affected their ways and beliefs in areas such as aesthetics, literature, medicine, and philosophy. Although Silla was the latest recipient, Silla prospered the most from Buddhist doctrine It is important to understand the What contributions did Buddhism make to East Asian culture? What obstacles did it have to overcome, and how did the native culture respond?

John Stuart Mills Essay On Liberty -- John Stuart Mill On Liberty

John Stuart Mill's Essay On Liberty The main theme of on liberty was the individual. Everything else, society, education,government and so forth had their basis in the individuals rights to his own liberty. No one, no member of society, government, even God, if he appeared before an individual, could inforce his will upon him. That is not to say that you couldnt change someones mind through discussions, but instead, that no one had a right to force his views upon another. Your happiness is yours(individual) to enjoy without any infringements. Conversations between individuals or groups of individuals is essential in developing the notion of liberty. Mill claims that you should feel free to convey your views openly without forcing them onto others. After all, a man who learns from no one but himself has a fool for a teacher. There is however an exception to this rule. That is, if an individual in any way harms or comes onto anothers rights to liberty, or causes a social threat, hence he or she is subjected to forced inclinations by other members of society. For example, walking around nude on the streets of Cairo might be your cup of tea, alas, in Cairo they prefer coffee. In other words, if you offend other individuals, you are in fact infringing on their rights as free citizens who poses a sovereign mind. However if you choose to remain nude while in the comfort of your hotel room in Cairo, then there is no reason why you shouldn't....

A Raisin in the Sun and Brown versus Board of Education :: Race Racial Segregation Lorraine Hansberry

The American Dream Langston Hughes wrote a poem, in 1951, called â€Å"Harlem†. It sums up the play A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry: â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore- and the run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?† Lorraine Hansberry uses this poem to open A Raisin in the Sun. This dialogue suggests what happens to the African American’s dream during the Brown v. Board of Education trials. While critiquing this play I was a little disappointed that Brown v. Board of Education was not discussed directly. However, I did find the plot of the play, and the people who were attending it to be very interesting. The plot of A Raisin in the Sun does not directly talk about the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Actually, very little of the play, until the end, deals with any kind of racial segregation. The play revolves around four main characters; Walter, a defiant husband who desperately wants to become rich; Ruth, Walter’s devoted wife; Beneatha, Walters intellectual younger sister, who is much better educated than the others and wants to become a doctor; and Mama, the head of the household, and also Walter and Beneatha’s mother. Mama inherits some money from her dead husbands insurance. With this money she buys a house in an all white community, and gives the rest to Walter. He is instructed to put some money away for Beneatha’s medical school, and the rest into a checking account for himself. Walter, however, desperate to become rich foolishly gives the money to his friend to invest in a liquor store. His so called friend runs off with all of the money Walter gave him. In order to get some money back for Beneatha to go to school, Walter wants to sell the house back to the white community. The community offered the Younger family a lot of money for the house, because they did not want Negroes living next to them. In the end however, Walter, realizes that it is this house that unifies the family and is what truly will make them happy, instead of being rich.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Woman in White :: Compare Contrast Lee Woman White Essays

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (post 1914) and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (pre 1914) I chose the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" as I had read it a while ago and had enjoyed it a great deal, I was also interested in the themes and subjects covered in it, such as: Prejudice, innocence, how a mind set affects peoples opinions etc My only problem was I had no idea what to compare it to as I am not a huge fan of classical literature, and do not know many books of this style. My teacher suggested I try either "Jane Eyre" or "The Woman in White", as they both covered the themes and subjects of "To Kill a Mockingbird". First I tried "Jane Eyre", after a few chapters I decided to try "The Woman in White", as I found "Jane Eyre" quite monotonous and dull. The first few chapters in "The Woman in White" were also quite dull but at about chapter 8/9 it starts getting really interesting soon after I couldn't put it down. It is now one of my favourite books The "Woman in White" is a story about the horrific acts a man of high status could commit in the 1800's and get away with (Sir Percival Glyde). The story begins by introducing us to Walter Hartright, who is the primary narrator, through him we have our first encounter with the woman in white (Anne Catherick), who hints that she had been terribly wronged by an evil baronet (who we soon discover to be Sir Percival Glyde). Sir Percival is engaged to Laura Fairlie, the beautiful art student of Mr Hartright. But Laura and Mr Hartright are in love, the triangle ends with Laura and Sir Percival marrying and Mr Hartright going to Central America to try to forget Laura. It turns out that Sir Percival has a terrible secret, which Mrs Catherick (Anne's mother) knows it is that he is not really a baronet he becomes paranoid of Anne discovering it so he sends her to an asylum. In addition, he is in great debt, which is why he marries Laura as she is set to inherit a great fortune. This is the base of which a terrible conspiracy takes place, which robs Laura of her identity and money then locks her up in an asylum. The rest of the story concerns her revenge, and how it was possible for such a thing to take place. "To Kill a Mocking Bird" is also based around how an innocent who is wronged simply to suit a person's personal needs.

Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” Essay

The elders who are used to reminiscing and looking back at the times of their younger years would usually counsel young people of today to treasure, cherish, and make the most of their youth while it is still there. They would often say that, just when a person thinks everything about youth is so wonderful, one’s youthfulness will eventually slip away and that person can never get it back. More often than not, the adventurous activities, fantasies, dreams, and endeavors are the most precious memories the elders reminisce about their youth. This could be why it is often told that a young person’s story is the most precious, the richest, and the best to remember. Many people are often grateful that once in their lives they were able to play, explore, fall in love, and discover great things. However, there are some who would just sit with regret as they look back and see nothing about their younger days but their naivety. But how would it feel like if a person had everything in his or her younger days but nothing beyond that because his or her life ends at the peak of his or her adolescence? One of the shortest yet most colorful stories ever told is that of a boy named Oscar Wao in a moving and entertaining tale by Junot Diaz called, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This is the story of a boy who had all the play time, adventures, and challenges a child can ever experience in his childhood, but it also tells the story of a boy who wished to become a full-grown man but never became one. What the Story is About A Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao tells the tale of Oscar, a young boy with the most colorful and adventurous childhood. The story is set in a humble village living an ordinary way of life in the United States. Oscar is described in the story as an overweight ghetto nerd who is always scolded and advised by his sister, Lola, to work harder on having a better physique in order to attract girls (Scott). The story opens with a retelling of the difficulties experienced by his mother, Beli, during the regime of an abusive and feared dictator, Rafael Trujillo in 1930 and 1961. Trujillo is tagged by Oscar himself as the â€Å"dictatingest dictator who ever dictated† who then became his most hated person because of how he brought sadness and bad luck to his family’s life (Diaz 80). This is where the concept of fuku appears. Fuku, as how Oscar puts it, is the mother of all bad lucks that can affect a person and his or her family not only for one generation but also for the rest of their lineage’s existence. Because his mother once dared to go in the way of Trujillo, Oscar believes that fuku has affected their family ever since, so he thinks of fuku as the reason why his family never really had a completely happy life. Aside from being a normal teenager who daydreams of the typical teenage fantasies, Oscar also dreams of becoming an accomplished sci-fi writer and a successful lover boy as well. As an adolescent, Oscar goes through the usual dilemmas and adventures of young boys such as being busted, having absurd sexual fantasies, and falling in love with a person he knew he could never have. Oscar’s story is filled with exciting adventures of a boy who tries to discover his place in a foreign land. It is also loaded with exhilarating escapades of a young boy with friends and women. Although the story has two different narrators—which makes it a little bit confusing in some parts—the language is nonetheless creatively utilized to make the text more dynamic and at the same time captivating (Flanagan). Analyzing the Themes Depicted in the Story Love and Obsession Although love is considered an eternal theme that has grazed the pages of innumerable literary works, Junot Diaz successfully captures the interest of a lot of readers in this work because of how complex, difficult, and impossible it is presented in this story. Unlike other works of fiction, Diaz chose to present the concept of love under the light of a certain reality. Diaz depicts the reality of love in this story as something which other people can only dream about; thus, he portrays the reality that the joy and bliss love brings cannot be for all, and that there are just some people who may have really been struck by fuku and can never enjoy the goodness of true love. Beli is presented as the first victim of this miserable reality of love. Her story involves that of a girl who simply fell in love with the wrong person, in the wrong time, and under the wrong circumstances. Beli was a typical kind of a mistress. She fell for a man who was married to not just any other woman, but to the sister of the feared dictator of Dominican Republic during that time, Rafael Trujillo. Her love was that strong that she was ready to face the harsh consequences that may come her way. She was ready to accept the fact that she can never be the first lady in her man’s heart no matter how painful it becomes. However, danger came really close when Trujillo and his sister finally found out about Beli. Although Beli did not want to leave her country, she was forced to do so due to her fear of losing her future and at the advice of her concerned foster mother. That was when Beli had to flee to the United States where she was to start a new life. Indeed, love can really be very bitter and unjust to some people. While other people are throwing away all the goodness love can bring, there are those who yearn for the freedom of loving someone, yet they can never do either because they were struck by fuku, or they are just simply not meant to be. Aside from Beli’s sad experience on love, Diaz’s notion about love is also illustrated in Oscar’s experience: â€Å"Love was a rare thing, easily confused with million other things, and if anybody knew this to be true, it was him† (Diaz 321). As Lola and her boyfriend Yunior narrate Oscar’s story side-by-side, it becomes apparent that Oscar was able to meet several girls in his short-lived life. Even at the young age of seven, Lola describes him to be someone who developed a great fondness for girls who wore lipstick. All the other boys his age avoided the girls like they were a bad case of Captain Trips. Not Oscar †¦ The girls – his sister Lola’s friends, his mother’s friends, even their neighbor, Mari Colon, a thirty-something postal employee who wore red on her lips and walked like she had a bell for an ass – all purportedly fell for him. † (Diaz 12) Thus, Oscar apparently had such an easy time attracting women even at a very juvenile age. However, although this was the case when he was younger, his love life meets a great turnaround during his adolescent years when he encounters a prostitute by the name of Yvon. Yvon is a prostitute whom everybody knows as the â€Å"property† of a corrupt police captain. Although this was clearly understood by Oscar, he seems to be unable to do anything about his growing feelings for Yvon—a feeling different from what he felt for all the other girls he met in the past. At first, love may seem as an exaggerated term as a label to what Oscar feels for Yvon. It may be natural for the readers to think that what he feels is an ordinary case of sexual attraction brought by his own sexual frustrations as an overweight adolescent, and also conclude that Yvon is the kind of girl who can be considered a master in seducing men. However, it becomes clear that Oscar has indeed developed a special kind of affection towards Yvon when he became so possessive and insistent on being with her despite the possible dangers it imposes upon him, knowing he is actually trying to steal the captain’s lady. Oscar even comes to a more serious point of asking Yvon to get married, but Yvon hesitates and always turns him down due to fear of what may happen to both of them if they choose to give in to their feelings. At this point, Diaz’s intention to portray love as an impossible and a difficult thing appears very clear. Based on how much Oscar fought for his love for Yvon, it is evident that he and his mother share the same unlucky fate when it comes to love. Hence, it can be inferred that they both fell for the wrong person (who belonged to the â€Å"wrong† people) at the wrong time and under wrong and unlucky circumstances as well. Considering this, the readers may not help but think that Diaz is trying to say that fuku may indeed exist as it appears to have set upon Oscar’s family. However, love, as many would say, often comes with another miserable reality called obsession, and this theme can also be observed in the entirety of Diaz’s work. Considering the love felt by both Oscar and Beli for their lovers, it can be safe to say that it was obsession, aside from love, which kept them holding on to their feelings. Indeed, both can be seen to have specific obsessions. In Beli’s case, her only obsession was her love for the man who can never give back the same amount of love to her. She knew it was not right to love a man who is already married, yet her obsession for that person and for his affection made her feel that the world is but an unjust place, unable to distribute the freedom to love evenly among all its inhabitants. On the other hand, Oscar also appears to be obsessed with love as much as how was obsessed with women in the past. While other kids his age considered women as a vice which needs to be avoided, he looked at them with so much delight that he considered them as the next sweetest thing to candies that can as well vary in size, shapes, and colors. He became so used to women calling him hombre because he was seen as a lover boy who knew all about women’s weaknesses and soft spots. He became so addicted to this kind of relationship that he never knew getting together with a girl like Yvon would be such a difficult thing to handle. As it appears, love has indeed become Oscar’s greatest obsession. He became blind to Yvon’s natural beauty and appeal which prevented him from seeing the reality that they can never be together since she is already a property of someone else—someone else who is much more powerful than him. Thus, the circumstances of Beli and Oscar suggest that oftentimes, love and obsession go hand-in-hand. Sex Oscar’s character is introduced to the concept of sex during the early years of his adolescence, just like what typically happens to average teenagers. This theme reverberates throughout the story—from Oscar’s own retelling to Lola and Yunior’s. Like average teenagers, Oscar is described to have such a glorious impression about sex as something that reflects manliness and strength. However, although he knew this, it is mentioned repeatedly in the story that Oscar thought he might possibly die a virgin. Throughout the entire story, Oscar talks and fantasizes about nothing but the image of him making love with a woman he loves. Yet, there are also times when he becomes so desperate that he just wanted to do the act with anybody just to prove he would not die a virgin. This seems to be the biggest frustration of Oscar. He leaves their home for college as a virgin and he comes back a virgin still. Thus, it can be inferred that Diaz attempts to imply that in this modern age where sex is being popularized by the mass media, it may seem hard for a typical teenager to go on without experiencing it when all the boys are considering it as a trophy and a great achievement. Aside from this, considering that Oscar is overweight, Diaz presents how hard it can be for an adolescent who is not physically attractive to dream of something like sex when everybody else in the neighborhood seems to be doing it as a normal activity. Only in the last lines of the novel would reveal that Oscar indeed has done it with the love of his life, Yvon, and he chose to describe it this way: â€Å"So this is what everybody’s always talking about! Diablo! If only I’d known. The beauty! The beauty! † (Diaz 339). Reading â€Å"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao† is like looking deep into the frustrations and fantasies of every teenager. Oscar’s characterization as a desperate overweight adolescent who enters and leaves college as a virgin, his natural tendency to wear his â€Å"nerdiness† the way a master swordsman wears his sword, as well as his occasional suicidal tendencies can be seen as honest and true-to-life representations of the challenges adolescents face (Kakutani). Moreover, Oscar’s views of love, obsession, and sex also reflect the popular notions and impressions of teenagers regarding such topics. Hence, this work of Diaz may serve as a mirror to all the young people who cannot identify with their environment either because of their color, nationality, weight, and/or personality. Oscar Wao’s fantasies, challenges, failures, and frustrations definitely show the readers that an adolescent’s life is not always plainly about play, adventure, and leading a happy-go-lucky life. All of his heartaches, mishaps, and adventures shaped his desire to be accepted by his generation, since being accepted in his age may mean having several girlfriends, being physically fit, and especially not dying a virgin. In this short-lived yet dynamic life of Oscar Wao, the reality of youth being the most colorful and upbeat period of a person’s life is once again justified. Thus, considering how Oscar’s life ended, it can be inferred that childhood is the happiest time of life, and although Oscar’s life ended there, his life tells that childhood is also the period of life that one should enjoy to the fullest. Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. London: Riverhead Books, 2007. Dickens, Charles. â€Å"A boy’s story is the best that is ever told. † Quote Junkie (British Edition). Ed. Hagopian Institute. California: Create Space, 2008. 16 Flanagan, Mark. â€Å"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. † About. com. Sept. 2007. 29 July 2009. . Kakutani, Michiko. â€Å"Travails of an Outcast. † The New York Times. 4 Sept. 2007. 29 July 2009. . Scott, A. C. â€Å"Dreaming in Spanglish. † The New York Times. 30 Sept. 2007. 29 July 2009. .

Advantages and Disadvantages of CCTV Cameras Essay

CCTV Monitoring CCTV for Surveillance CCTV camera system is being widely employed as a security system for surveillance in offices as well as homes. It is used for monitoring purposes to keep a close vigil. Not only in closed or private places; CCTV camera system extends as a security system in public and crowded places like traffic intersections, malls, shops, etc. As with the case of any technology or security system device, a CCTV camera system has its own pros and cons. Advantages of CCTV Camera System 1. Deters Crime The presence of CCTV camera system for surveillance will reduce petty thefts and vandalism in shops, malls and other public places. Since the activities are being monitored, fewer nuisances are likely to be created. It also reduces the losses due to shoplifting. 2. Helps Maintain Records The images and videos captured by a CCTV camera system are often recorded and stored into a database. These are helpful in maintaining records so that they can be easily retrieved later, when needed. 3. Protects Employees This is particularly helpful in customer service centers. The employees providing customer service may sometimes be subjected to verbal abuse or physical attacks. CCTV camera system helps to identify such instances and act immediately. It is also helpful to keep a tab on the activities of the employees. 4. For Evidence in Lawsuits In legal cases of thefts and other forms of crime, videos and images provided by the CCTV camera system can serve as a valid proof and evidence against the defaulter. This assists in making legal claims as well. Disadvantages of CCTV Camera System 1. Do Not Work Always CCTV camera system cannot monitor every area of your office or home at all times. Hence it cannot be considered as a foolproof method for crime prevention. 2. Privacy Concerns Invasion of privacy is the major issue when it comes to any security system device like the CCTV camera system. It lowers the employee morale and hampers productivity at times. Constant monitoring of every activity might put the workers ill at ease. 3. Initial Costs The initial costs incurred per camera are high. The installation may also increase the initial expenditure. It depends upon the complexity of the CCTV camera system as well.

The Odyssey

The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus does not deserve his reputation as a brave and clever leader because he is very arrogant, conceited, and he only cares about his glories which causes him the life of all his loyal companions. Odysseus makes the mistake of bragging out to the Cyclops about how he conquered stabbing his eye and escaping his cave â€Å"Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca! (Book 9, lines 416-420). Odysseus does not think about the consequences he will have now after yelling out his real name, his father’s name, and his home land. His journey home will be much more difficult due to a non-clever decision. The Cyclops tries to trick Odysseus into going back and possibly eat or kill him ‘’Come back Odysseus, and ill treat you well, praying the god of earthquake to befriend you, his son I am †¦ if he will, he may heal me of this black wound †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Book 9, lines 431-435).Odysseus does not return which does show some cleverness but then again he yells out to the Cyclops â€Å"if I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there! †(Book 9, 437-440). This aggravates the Cyclops and he puts a curse on Odysseus â€Å"†¦grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home †¦let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home†(Book 9. Lines 445-452). Due to all of his actions, bragging about his glories, Odysseus will face many difficult challenges and may not return home. The Odyssey In the tenth book of the Odyssey Odysseus and his companions find themselves trapped in the cave if the Cyclops Polyphemos. After their monstrous host has munched his way through several of his guests, the remainder take action. Odysseus makes a sharp, wooden stake, cutting it from the massive cudgel discovered in the cave; then together with four of his men he plunges the stake into the eye of the drunken, sleeping Polyphemos. Snodgrass, however, would dissent. His whole book is devoted to proving that not only did early Greek art rarely illustrate Homer, it was rarely even inspired by it. This theory is not a new one. Many other scholar have thought and pondered the same ideas. Snodgrass meticulously studies examples of scene often thought to be illustrations of Homer. Geometric art, he argues, offers nothing that can be identified as Homeric; indeed, there is only one Trojan war scene and that is Ajax's rescue of the body of Achilles, a scene which occurs in neither the Odyssey nor the Iliad. One of the more bizarre apparitions of geometric art takes the form of a pair of Siamese twins, warriors with two heads, four legs, four arms and one torso and the subject of some fascinating pages in Snodgrass's book. They were especially popular in early Greek art, but there is no clear Homeric influence here. Twice does the Iliad does refer to the twins, yet significantly he does not mention their rather striking deformity. It is preferable to understand both the artist and Homer as drawing on the same body of legendary material. By the mid seventh century figures on vases are beginning to be identified by captions. This at least makes it easier to determine whether the scene is from the Trojan war. Instead of two warriors fighting over a body we can be sure that we are looking at Menealos and Hektor fighting over the body of Euphorbos, as found on a famous Rhodian plate of the late seventh century, a picture that makes an impressive and appropriate cover for the book. This could very well be an illustration of the Iliad book where Menealos abandons his attempt to strip the corpse. Evidence for this tradition can be found in the shield of Euphorbos by Menealos himself. This is certainly plausible and helps to show that common subject matter is insufficient to prove influence. On the other hand, where a minor character is names, such as ‘Odios' in the embassy to Achilles, then we can be more confident that the artist had Homer in mind. This is a book of enormous leaning and subtlety, and it conclusion is surely right, yet at the same time it seems something of a missed opportunity. It is devoted to a negative and tightly-argued thesis, that Homer's epic poems had only minimal influence on early Greek at. Snodgrass is re-thinking early Greek art as he goes, but he is re-thinking it within the restrictions imposed by the very narrow focus of the book as a whole. Thus, the positive, for instance the illuminating chapter on synoptic narrative and on composition, can be rather swapped in the relentless negative arguments. Other will now need to work through the implications of his thesis, for example the role that must be assigned to oral tradition and all its local variations. Perhaps it is no conscience that his book should appear at a time when the literary culture of the recent past is being eroded by an increasing emphasis on the visual. The Odyssey The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus does not deserve his reputation as a brave and clever leader because he is very arrogant, conceited, and he only cares about his glories which causes him the life of all his loyal companions. Odysseus makes the mistake of bragging out to the Cyclops about how he conquered stabbing his eye and escaping his cave â€Å"Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca! (Book 9, lines 416-420). Odysseus does not think about the consequences he will have now after yelling out his real name, his father’s name, and his home land. His journey home will be much more difficult due to a non-clever decision. The Cyclops tries to trick Odysseus into going back and possibly eat or kill him ‘’Come back Odysseus, and ill treat you well, praying the god of earthquake to befriend you, his son I am †¦ if he will, he may heal me of this black wound †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Book 9, lines 431-435).Odysseus does not return which does show some cleverness but then again he yells out to the Cyclops â€Å"if I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there! †(Book 9, 437-440). This aggravates the Cyclops and he puts a curse on Odysseus â€Å"†¦grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home †¦let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home†(Book 9. Lines 445-452). Due to all of his actions, bragging about his glories, Odysseus will face many difficult challenges and may not return home.

Privacy and Social Networks Essay

â€Å"Privacy seems to encompass everything, and therefore it appears to be nothing in itself† (Solove, 2008, p. 7). It is an oversimplification to define privacy as all what an individual owns. With the evolution of new technologies nowadays, it is very hard to define privacy because it varies from one person to another and from one culture to another (Solove, 2008). With the rise of social networks during the last decade, new views about privacy started to emerge due to its special mechanism in sharing information. Social networks enable users to instantly share information, thoughts, photos, products and videos with the many users in the network at once. Unlike other means of communication, the information in social networks can spread to hundreds of users in seconds. Then, the users who received the information may share it among their network, and then further to other networks, which will end up in spreading the information to millions of people in no time, just like a chain reaction. This new mechanism of sharing, which is becoming faster every day, raised new concerns about privacy among individuals and organizations. In spite of all these concerns about the personal privacy on the social networks, social networks websites are the most visited websites in the internet. For example, Facebook has reached 901 million monthly active users in April, 2012 (Hachman, 2012). Although social networks enables an easy sharing of private information about individuals or low profile information about organizations, individuals and organization should not be afraid of using social networks due to privacy concerns, and instead they should be more public and utilize the social network. Being public and open to the world is better than being private and closed because it enables people to learn from others personal experience. Naturally, any individual or organization benefits from communicating with others. Nevertheless, communication with others, regardless of the mean of communication, usually involves giving away some private information to the other. However, social networks empowered the world a new mean of communication that benefits all the users in the network by sharing private information. For example, an individual can share some previous experiences such as overcoming an illness, eating habit, or making a project. Being afraid of sharing experience, because of privacy, would only deprive others from benefit of these experiences. According to Tapscott (2012): Fully 20 percent of all patients with the fatal disease ALS share intimate information about their treatment and condition on the network PatientsLikeMe. com. And tens of thousands of others with rare diseases who use that website report that sharing has helped them better manage their illness. Because the social network enabled them to share information about their medical conditions, which is very private information, they supported each others with valuable information about their disease and inspired each others with their experience. Social networks enhanced collaboration, which in return brings benefits to all individuals, at the cost of personal information. Some may argue that because of posting private information on social networks, some employee may suffer from being fired from or being denied for a job. In other words, social networks negatively affect employment because they allow the employers or managers to access an employee’s or a job applicant’s private data. For example, Andrews (2012) states in her book that a high school teacher, called Ashly Payne, was asked to resign because she uploaded a photo of her on Facebook drinking an alcoholic drink even though it is legal to drink in her country. She also claims that employers â€Å"will not hire someone whose Facebook page includes photo of that person drinking or in provocative dress† (p. 122). However, the information on social networks could not be used against an employee or a job applicant because it is considered unethical and illegal. First, it is unethical to judge a worker from the personal aspects rather than working skills. Besides, Jarvis (2011) defines privacy as â€Å"the ethics of knowing† and publicness as â€Å"the ethics of sharing† (p. 110). Therefore, it depends how the individual interpret others information. On the other hand, employers can also look into a job applicant’s profile in a social network to see his/her previous experience in work. Second, it is illegal to make ecision on an employee or a job applicant based on social networks personal information. Furthermore, this act is considered discrimination and the company can be sued for this action (Waring & Buchanan, 2010). Therefore, employees and job applicants should not be afraid of posting information in social networks. Social network is a safe place to share private information with others. The main issue is that private data on the social network is accessible anytime and anywhere. Without a doubt, the privacy of individual’s profile data in the social network should be protected to make the network a safer place for sharing. Therefore, many social networks provide powerful tools to control the access on private information. First, social networks do not grant access to other users profile data anonymously. In order to access any data even if it is public, the individual needs gain the social networks trust by registering an account in the social network. This enables the social network administration control over the social network. Second, the user can choose who is able to view his/her profile private information and what information others can see. For instance, the user can block accounts, specify groups and set privileges. Third, social networks also provide a help center to report abuse of the services such as spamming, bullying or hateful speeches. The social network administration can stop any account permanently or even take legal action if an individual is reported abusing others privacy. Finally, most social networks provide a parental control to help parents control how their children use the social network. Since social networks rely on the trust between the users, these tools does not only make a social network a safer place, but also trustworthy. Richters and Peixoto (2011) performed a research to show the transitivity of trust in social networks. They found out that people decide who to trust based on other peers who trust. To emphasize this to the topic, users trust only specific users over their private information and thus they trust the social network. Conversely, trusting the social network increases the trust among the users. In addition, trustworthiness implies a social network safety, which in return means users being more comfortable sharing their information using the social network. For example, one of the reasons that made Facebook the most successful social network is the trustworthy of the users. According to Jesdanun (2006, as cited in Fogel & Nehmad, 2009), because Facebook was only restricted for students, the users felt safer to share data through the social network. Nowadays, Facebook is open to the public, but they are very strict in term of network safety. In fact, Fogel’s and Nehmad’s (2009) research statistics showed that â€Å"those who had social networking profiles had significantly greater mean scores†¦ indicating that they believed Facebook is a more trustworthy social network† (p. 175). For any social network to be successful, the social network has to maintain the trust of their users through the safety of the social network. Therefore, social networks are trustworthy over the users’ private in the social network. Despite of these control tools, some may argue that social networks still a potential threat to the users’ privacy. For instance, many believe that social networks made a fertile ground for identity theft and stalking. People usually fear the technology; because social networks are also considered one of them, every possible problem falls under the umbrella of privacy concerns on social networks. Privacy, however, is not only controlling the data access, but also controlling how it is used or interpreted (Boyd, 2010). Let us discuss these problems one by one. First, identity theft occurs when someone steals someone’s secret information and pretending to be that person. According to Jarvis, â€Å"[the identity theft issue] is less an issue of privacy than larceny† (2011, p. 96). Assuming it is an issue of privacy, suppose someone hacked someone else’s account or page on a social network, thus accessing or using the victim’s information. Should this be considered the social network fault? The user, the victim, probably did not take security precautions to protect what he/she considered a private data. Additionally, the social network provides tools to retrieve, to report or to suspend a stolen account. Second, stalking is obsessively observing an individual’s behavior or information. Unfortunately, stalking can mostly be from those who have access to the profile information such as friends and coworkers. However, it still depends on how they interpret the information. For example, if someone knew that his friend is getting divorced, he decides whether to support him, help him, or stand against him. Social networks’ databases do not only contain data about their users, but also how the users interactions with the social networks and other users. Therefore, the data in social networks are very valuable as some refers to it as â€Å"the new oil†. Social networks use these data, through data mining, to improve its services and to gain revenue. Most social networks gain revenue from targeted advertising. For example, if a user often reads about cars, or writes posts related cars, the data mining system is going to assume this user is interested in cars. Therefore, the social network shows that user advertisements related to cars within the user’s living area. Social networks created a new marketing option that helps the companies to expand their production and services (Andresen, 2011). On the other hand, data mining and targeted advertisement raises new privacy concern in social networks. For example, some users may feel uncomfortable when these advertisements are based on some information that were marked as private, a personal chat with a friend for instance. However, data mining and targeted advertising does not violate privacy laws or ethics. According to Seltzer research in data mining ethics (2005) â€Å"like most statistical methodologies data mining by itself is ethically neutral† (p. 1441). This is mainly because the data mining process is carried on by computer programs, which will not interact with these data the way a human would. They will not develop any judgment or feelings about the user no matter how sensitive the data is. Moreover, social networks provide advertisers with anonymous statistical data. In other word, advertisers do not know the identities of users in the statistics provided by the social network. In conclusion, social networks are new powerful tool for communication with the others. The data on the social networks are can easily be accessed anywhere and anytime, and therefore this created a controversial debate between privacy and the social networks. However, being afraid of using social networks would have only deprived the benefits of using these tools. Besides, employees and job applicants should not be afraid of using social networks because their information in social networks could not be used against them as it is considered illegal and unethical to be used against them. Nevertheless, social networks provide powerful tools to control over the user’s private information, thus implying that the social networks are trustworthy over private information. In sprit of all privileges control tools, many people believe that the social networks can cause problems such as identity theft and stalking. However, these problems are not necessarily due to social networks, but instead it is due to how people interpret the information in the social networks. As a result the, the user should be more careful when posting a sensitive data and think before sharing any information. Finally, because social networks databases contains tremendous amount of data, social networks created a new form of business using these data while protecting the identity of the data. Therefore, individuals and organization should not concern privacy when using social networks and utilize its benefits.

Analysis of semco and pixar animated studio as an example of innovative organizations

Companies like Semco, Gore and Associate, 3M and Pixar have made a reputation for themselves due to their emphasis on creativity. Innovation is a product of collaborative learning, idea generation, sharing and idea realization practices of workers in an organization (Dovey, 2009, p.311). For innovation to occur an organisation must foster an environment and culture that give room for creativity which is what Semco and Pixar have achieved. To this end, this report will analyse Semco and Pixar as an exemplar of innovative companies and the relationship that exist between them using some key theories of innovation and the defining features and managerial actions that set them apart as innovative organisations. SEMCO Semco is a loose organisation that encourages innovation and self organisation leading to trust, collaboration and cooperation. Semco was a small family engineering company originally called Semler and Company established in 1952 in Sao Paulo, Brazil by Antonio Curt Semler and renamed Semco after Ricardo Semler, the 24 year old son of the owner resumed office as the new chief executive officer in 1984, firing more than half of the top managers on his first day of resuming office as chief executive officer and eliminated all secretarial positions (CNN, 2004). The company prior to Ricardo taking over was characterised with autocratic style of management with control and rules being the order of the day and operating at the edge of collapse. Ricardo Semler favours a participating style of management, profit sharing and free flow of information. The company product range includes dishwashers, pumps, mixers, cooling units for air condition, biscuits factories among others (Semler 1999, p. 1). It is one of the most innovative companies in the world and has become the subject of study for most business schools all around the world due to its peculiar management style. There is no organisation structure that feeds managers ego, subordinates choose their own bosses, employees set their salaries, production targets and achieve them at their own time, and are encouraged to participate, share ideas and also share in the profit (Semler 1999, pp.1-7, 130 131). PIXAR Pixar animated studio was established in 1986 after Steve Jobs purchased the computer graphics division of Lucas films for $10 million with Ed Catmull being named co-founder and Chief technical officer, Smith as vice president alongside Steve Jobs (Price, 2008, p.74 85-197). In 2001, Ed Catmull was named Pixar’s president. The company originally manufactures and sell hardware and software that enable computer graphics to develop animations. In 1987, the company began the making of short films with its first computer generated movie, Toy Story being released in 1995. The company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walt Disney acquired 2006 at $7.4 billion and located in Emeryville, California (Paik, 2007). The acquisition will help Pixar gain economies of scale and access to new technologies. Pixar has a range of films under its belt that has surpassed box office expectations from Rango, Hop, Toy Story 3, finding Nemo, the incredible and many others (Emerald Group Review, 2 011). Its target audience cuts across all ages and nationalities and include families and children and its product range include short films in DVDs, soundtrack CDs, animated films among others (Price, 2008, pp.3-7). It fosters an environment that gives room for mistakes and encourages collaborations among teams and departments and devoid of micro management by executives to ensure creativity and innovation (YouTube-imperial college, 2009). THEORIES OF INNOVATION USING EVIDENCE FROM SEMCO AND PIXAR What makes Ricardo Semler and Ed Catmull exceptional in the way they run their companiesCould it be that they were born to innovation, an act of God, divine intervention, grace, or years of experience and acquisition of knowledge and educationAnalysts and business tycoons have called these men genius. Some critics of Semler and Pixar would have called the transformation at these companies as a gift from the gods. However, it is worthy of note that Semco was a company already in operation prior to Ricardo taking over and Pixar had several failed attempts before its major breakthrough in 1995 with Toy Story. Emerald group, 2011 quoted Ed Catmull in Harvard Business Review ‘I don’t think our success is largely luck. Rather, I believe our adherence to a set of principles and practices for managing creative talent and risk is responsible.’ Was grace far from the transformation in these companiesRicardo was one of the youngest graduates at Harvard Business School who wo uld have learnt some of the traditional management theories in school but choose to manage in a uniquely different way that suite his life and believes suite those of his employees. Moreover, having had an encounter with a doctor who told him to change his work style, he decided to change his way of management, a factor that has led to the key changes at Semco today. Thus innovation at Semco may be a combination of association having graduated from Harvard, accident-a chance meeting with the doctor, personality-considering that while at high school he raised some money for the school vacation program which he reinvested to yield a return before the vacation, feature of life and a bit of cognitive considering the fact that innovation at Semco had evolved over time. It is far from being grace or act of gods. Several forms of innovation can be said to have taken placed at these organisations. They are: Organisational innovation: An organisational innovation is one that entails the implementation of a new organisational method in the firm’s business practices, workplace or external relations (Stoneman, 2010, p.17; OECD, 2006). It is often intended to increase a company’s performance through improvement in workplace satisfaction and labour productivity and access to knowledge. It entails an adoption of an organisational method such as flatter organisation structures, employees’ participation among others that have not being used before in an organisation and often results from strategic decisions taken by management (Stoneman, 2010, p.18). Semco and Pixar posses a great deal of organisational innovation. Semco had implemented theories that have never being tried before such as the satellites programs that allow ex-employees to open their own companies with financial help and resources and become partners with Semco and employees cutting their wages by 30% to Semc o at difficult times to get a higher returns when trading conditions get better. What drive such innovation are the organisational culture, structure and learning. Social innovation: This is the innovation that supports and it is beneficial to the society. Pixar is an example of such innovation whose films though animated have a lot of influence on the society both young and small. Its latest film, hop for instance gives social lessons about the role of adult and children in society. Semco has also contributed to the Brazilian society through employment and a reduction in job cuts. Traditional innovation: This is technological innovation and is measured in different ways such as through patents, expenditure and development among others. Semco and Pixar have shown a lot of innovation and creativity in technology with Pixar having a lot of patents. All these types of innovation create social capital which will be discussed later in this report. FEATURES OF INNOVATIVE ORGANISATIONS OR MANAGEMENT ACTIONS SEMCO and Pixar’s success is built on a lattice or flatter organisational structure devoid of control culture that has gone through series of transformation through the years which has enhanced their innovative ability. An organisational culture devoid of control fosters innovation as individuals are giving the freedom to self organise and make their own decisions just like Semco where employees set their salaries and take decisions on production targets and the time they meet such targets (Semler, 1999, p.1). These companies have been able to manage innovation in the following ways: Structure and culture: Organisational design is crucial to the continuous innovation of an enterprise. As the business environment becomes complex and uncertain, so is the organisational design changing to meet up with customers’ demands for value maximising products. Traditional management scientists like Max Weber emphasised formal structure which is a top-down approach characterised with command, control, rules, position power and neglect social and psychological influences on behaviours of employees and teams (Burnes 2000, p.45). Employees are likely to respond to a good leader who they trust and respect than being managed in a bureaucratic way as argued by Adair 1986:54. Semco operates a lattice structure and considers all workers as equal and has reduced bureaucracy from twelve layers of management to three (Semler 1999, p.7). Reduced hierarchies and high involvement will lead to faster decision making and idea generation and information sharing, leading to innovation. F ormal organisational structure stifles individual creativity. In the words of Semler, authoritarianism diminishes productivity and as such no privileges or rules that discourages flexibility (Semler, 1999, p. 4). At Semco, People are made to enjoy their job and feel good about themselves, not just to survive. Business strategy in the company is determined without interference from the top. Similarly, Pixar is free from the thick layers of formal management and executives are not involved in the day to day running of the organisation. All employees are equally important and all work together for the success of a story. Both companies are devoid of micro-management which ensures creativity and innovation. To have these kind of organisations require a conducive organisational culture that is devoid of control. In the words of Ed Catmull, ‘Management really doesn’t tell people what to do.’ Thus both companies give employees freedom to take risk and there is reflecti on, learning and feedback. However , not everyone can work in an environment with such a structure as some people like being told what to do, also, people wants to know what their responsibilities are and who they are report to while others do not like responsibility. It means that such environment will attract liked minded individuals. Trust and Freedom: Due to the flexible organisational structure and lack of formal reporting structures, employees can be trusted to carry out their roles. However, there is a tendency for employees to abuse the system giving the few reporting structures. Semco has absolute trust in her employees and encourages them to be self managing and governing and have made partners with them. There is so much trust that Semco made entrepreneurs out of its workers through assistance with setting up their own company through its satellite programs, buy from them and encourage them to sell to its competitors. One will assume trust will not be a possibility giving the large number of employees of over 3000. Semco has defiled business school expectations and has gone as far as allowing workers to participate in managerial decision making from deciding how much they get paid, to unlimited access to financial information and freedom to work whenever and wherever they choose and meet targets at their own set time and set their salaries which has resulted in impressive growth, long term loyalty and increase and better productivity. To Semler, his interest is in the final result not where, how and hours worked (Easen, 2004). Freedom drives performance and encourages innovation. Staff can work better if given more independence (Handy, 2004). Semco adopts a participating or democratic management style that create an atmosphere where both bosses and subordinates ( partners and associate) interact regardless of jobs and position and all are involved in decision making (Semler, 1999.pp.6 81). In the words of Semler (1999, p. 6), ‘We don’t have as many bosses as we used to. As workers began to exercise more control over their jobs and assume more voices in our policies, the need for supervisors diminished.’ Having trust in individual will give them a sense of belonging and being wanted and encourage new ideas and sharing of ideas among one another. Semco and Pixar re alised that the most powerful resources at their disposal are the people who make things happen in their organisations and have learnt to trust, believe in them and give them the freedom to express their innovative capabilities and drive production forward. Trust is seen as an outcome of social capital and shared values (Cote and Healy, 2001). However, the problem with freedom is that not everyone like being free. Some people want to be controlled and directed to get their job done. Some see control as a motivator. Moreover, some top managers may resist the need for reduced hierarchies for fear of losing control and power. Social capital and Collaboration: At Semco and Pixar, there is collaboration and teamwork as people work together for common and shared values and not get in each others’ way but are committed to the achievement of the common goal of the company. At Semco, employees participate in managerial decision not just relating to their jobs but the business as a whole. They are included in decisions that pertain to choosing who their boss becomes (Easen, 2004). Before people are hired or promoted to leadership positions, they are interviewed and approved by all who will be working for them, and every six months managers are evaluated by their subordinates. Semco has autonomous business units established by ex- employees who open their own business with help from Semco and have become partners, associate and collaborators and has made Semco a leaner and agile organisation (Semler, 1999 P.7). Also different departments and business units and teams work collectively to drive innovation f orward at Semco and Pixar. Easen, 2004 reported Semler as saying that ‘Growth and profit are a product of how people work together.’ There is a balanced collaboration at Pixar as artist and technologists are paired together. Every offer or idea is accepted and then people get the chance to plus it (Nelsen, 2008). A term Nelsen called ‘plussing’- taking an idea or a piece of work and find a way to add or improve upon it without judging it. At Pixar, collaboration means amplification whereby employees who are listening and interested in each other are joined together to work and bring separate depth to the problems and breadth that gives them interest in the solution as well as allow teams to communicate at different levels. The brain trust at Pixar is a framework or forum that gives an opportunity for some of the best brains to use their expertise and experience to share their understanding and knowledge with others and to get feedback. The Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, OECD defines social capital as ‘networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or among groups’ (ONS, 2001; Cote and Healy, 2001:41). It is the glue that holds organisations together and enables employees to join forces more effectively and pursue shared objectives. In a culture of continual change and uncertainty, sustainable communities are those who are collaborative and always growing with and towards each other in the formation, sharing and adaptation to new knowledge (Smith and Paquette, 2010). Some of the outcomes of social capital are social relations, trust, collaboration, mutually enforceable agreement, general reciprocity and innovation (ONS, 2001). In Semco there is mutually enforceable agreement resulting from profit sharing. In the past, Pixar had used stock to motivate employees and encourage them to stay. Also, the need to produce quality output at Pixar could be a form of mutually enforceable agreement (Price 2008, p. 114). Pay recognition: Motivation such as adequate pay, interpersonal relations and work and group dynamics are some factors that increase productivity and workers satisfaction (Mullins, 2007, p.53). Employees will be committed to work if they are being paid fairly and feel that their contribution is appreciated in the organisation. Semco’s employees set their salaries and share in the profits. As Semler (1999, P. 4) says, ‘Profit-sharing is democratic. We negotiate with our workers over the basic percentage to be distributed- about a quarter of our corporate profit.’ This has worked so well at Semco as there is very low labour turnover and when the need arises, those laid off are assisted to form their own company. Reward systems and benefits retain people and lead to workers’ satisfaction, commitment and loyalty (Chiu et al, 2002). There were times when workers salary proposal were rejected in instances of over- statement. Contrary to this is the argument that financial rewards are not enough to motivate people and that group pressure has more influence on employees than financial rewards (Mullins, 2007, p.301). In addition, people also have intrinsic motivation derives from within the individual which propels them towards the need for self actualisation and fulfilment. Learning and feedback/ Gives room for mistakes/Risk taking: Learning within projects teams depends heavily on the inflow and transfer of knowledgeable among them. Semco and Pixar are learning organisations. Such organisations give room for failure and learning from mistakes and encourage risk taking and have a wide tolerance for new ideas and do not punish mistakes. A learning organisation was defined by Johnson et al (2008) as, ‘One capable of continual regeneration from the variety of knowledge, experience and skills of individuals that encourage mutual questioning and challenge around a shared purpose or vision.’ Semler pointed out that mistake is welcome and a sign that the employee is taking enough risk. Without mistakes, there will not be learning and consequently, innovation will be stifled. Likewise at Pixar, continuous innovation requires that executives resist the natural tendencies to minimise risks and accept uncertainty to ensure originality and ability to r ecover from failures resulting from taking risks. It encourages creativity by allowing people to experiment with new ideas and mistakes genuinely made are treated as part of the learning process Emerald Group review, 2011). Mistake are not punished at Pixar but seen as building block for new ideas and innovation just like 3M. Pixar endorses and encourages a creative by rejecting hierarchical and controlled system, instead the taking of risks and recognizes the importance of serendipity in the creative process (Smith and Paquette, 2010) It has been argued that employees’ collective knowledge exceeds those of the organisation and its capabilities and managers should aim at encouraging processes that unlock employees’ knowledge and encourage information, knowledge and idea sharing which is the sort of environment both companies have created for their employees. As a narrator said, each movies produced by Pixar contains a combination of tens of thousands of ideas arising from risk taking, failure and learning. Ed Catmull said that ‘Innovative people are failure recovered not failure avoider.’ Both companies give room for reflection, learning and feedback. The benefits of learning cannot be over emphasis. Learning increases employees’ commitment, improve quality as mistakes are identified. Senge 1999 reiterated that organisational learning leads to organisational performance. Commitment: At Semco, everyone is committed to the achievement of the organisation’s objectives as they all feel a sense of belonging and part ownership of the company arising partly from the profit sharing. Employees are seen as being importance and valued. A worker in an interview said if an employee is idle, another worker will often ask why he or she is not working, reminding him or her that failure to work will reduce their profits and subsequently reduction in money for their pockets. So there is peer pressure. If employees feel that they are being trusted to take decision on their own and self manage, they will be committed. Semco operates an egalitarian company where there is no preferential treatment. Parking lots are for first come basis and all employees eat on the same canteen. Meetings are held based on the first two employees to be present. This makes employees feel as being a part of the team and big family and give them a sense of being wanted by the company. B y removing privileges of ranks, employees will see themselves as a wider community, thus feel comfortable voicing their opinion, leading to generation of new ideas. Dynamism: Semco is a highly flexible company with no boundaries to the type of business and products, making it difficult to say exactly what kind of business the company is in. There is no fixed business and it is open to any form of business that comes their way. It is also characterised with the absence of business plans and company strategy. In the words of Semler (2003, p.4), ‘ Once you say what business you are in, you create boundaries for you employees, you restrict their thinking and give them a reason to ignore new opportunities as they will say we are not in that business.’ Semco is so dynamic in its operations and processes that employees must not use one desk two days in a row. This is to make them difficult to track and are free to move and work anywhere that appeals to them be it home office. There is time flexibility as they are not concerned about when the employees arrive at work. However, contracts are negotiated on the basis of what to be achieved at a set period and what it stands to gain for paid value and what the employees get in return. It is a mutually enforceable agreement as both parties- employees and Semco benefit. Pixar, though in a core line of business of animated films, it is not to say it is not a dynamic company as different forms of films that benefits both adult and children have being produced over the years. There is effective communication at both companies due to the organisational culture and flatter structure devoid of control. There is information, idea and knowledge sharing. At Pixar, technologists communicate with the artists. SUMARY AND CONCLUSION Semco and Pixar are said to be innovative even though the companies are different in what they do and how they approach innovation. Nevertheless, some common factors in both companies is the delegation of a large amount of control to their employees and absolute freedom to take risk and give room for mistakes and failure, giving them freedom to generate new ideas and thus take a more active role and commitment. Both companies have decentralised the management structures to get employees more involved in decision making and give them a sense of belonging. They have created a culture that gives room for mistakes, failures, sharing of information, and ideas. There is also collaboration between employees, teams, departments, business units and partners, trust, social capital, communication, lack of micro-management and similar organisational culture and structure which encourages innovation. However, both companies differ in a number of ways such as absence of profit sharing at Pixar, la nguages, products, country of location and time scales. Having carried out a detailed analysis of Semco and Pixar, it is possible that what works at these companies can be applicable to other companies. However, some disadvantages will be accrued if these features are applied in another company characterised with hierarchical control culture and structure such as resistance from top management who are control freaks and unwilling to relinquish power. Moreover, not everyone will be able to self manage as some people like being controlled and told what to do. In addition, that trust and freedom work well in these organisations does not mean it can be implemented in other organisations as differences in culture and environment will play a role in determining its effectiveness in another company with different organisational culture and business environment. Having said this, nothing is worth not trying, so these managerial actions that have worked so well in these organisations can be applied to other organisations. The reward may not be see n immediately, but in the long run, it will pay off. REFERENCE ADAIR, J. 1986. Effective Team Building: How to make a Winning Team. London: Gower Publishing Co Ltd.BURNES, B. 2000. Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics. 3rd edn. England: Pearson Education Ltd. CHIU, R. K, LUK, W.V AND TANG, T.L (2002) Retaining and motivating employees: Compensation preferences in Hong Kong and China. Personnel Review [Online journal], 31 (4), pp.402-431. Available from Emerald at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/search.htm?st1=Retaining+and+motivating+employees%3A+Compensation+preferences+in+Hong+Kong+and+Chinact=allec=1bf=1 . (April 19 2011). COTE, S AND HEALY, T. (2001) The Well-being of Nations. The role of human and social capital. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris. CNN. 2004. Ricardo Semler, Semco SA. [WWW] http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/06/29/semler.profile/index.html?iref=allsearch(27 April 2011). DOVEY, K. 2009. The role of trust in innovation. The Learning Organization [online journal] 16(4). Pp.311-325. Available from Emerald at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/search.htm?st1=role+of+trust+in+innovationct=allec=1bf=1 . (March23/3/2011). EASEN, N. 2004. Interview with Ricardo Semler. [WWW] http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/05/19/go.semlar.transcript/index.html (15 April 2011). EASEN, N. 2004. Democracy in the Workplace. [WWW] http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/05/19/go.democratic.workplace/index.html?iref=allsearch (15 April 2011). EMERALD GROUP, 2011. How Pixar animates its talent team: not knowing the answers can be the way ahead. Development and Learning in Organizations [Online journal], 25 (1), pp. 30-32. Available from Emerald at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/search.htm?st1=pixarct=allec=1bf=1. (April 8 2011). HANDY C, 2004. Giving your Staff More Freedom. [WWW] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/ hi/ business /4058519.stm (1 April 2011). JOHNSON, G, SCHOLES, K AND WHITTINGTON, R. 2008. Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 8th edn. England: Pearson Education Limited. MULLINS, L. J, 2007. Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edn. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. NELSEN, R. 2008. Pixar’s Randy Nelsen on the Collaborative Age. [WWW] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhXJe8ANws8 (1 April 2011). OFFICE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS. 2001. Social Capital: A review of the literature. [WWW] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/socialcapital/downloads/soccaplitreview.pdf (26 April 2011). PAIK, K. 2007. To Infinity and Beyond: The story of Pixar Animation Studio. London: Virgin Books Ltd. PIXAR GROUP 24. 2009. Innovation Management: Imperial College. [WWW] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTB5S2mc3wA (20 March 2011). PRICE, D. A.2008. The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company. USA: Alfred A. Knopf. SEMLER, R. 2003. The Seven-Day Weekend. London: Century. SEMLER, R. Semco – Ricardo Semler – MIT SF 11 – Leading organizations. [WWW] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1qJ2W9cVDM (14 April 2011). SEMLER, R. (1999) Maverick! The Success Story Behind the World’s most Unusual Workplace. London: Random House Business Books. SEMLER, R. 2007. Interview with Ricardo Semler. [WWW] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJkOPxJCN1wfeature=related (13 March 2011). SENGE, P.M. (1999). It’s the learning: the real lesson of quality movement. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 22 (6)Pp.34-40. STONEMAN, P. 2010. Soft Innovation: Economics, Product Aesthetics and Creative Industries. New York: Oxford University Press.SMITH, S. AND PAQUETTE, S. (2010). Creativity, chaos and knowledge management. Business Information Review, 27 (2), pp. 118-23. BIBLIOGRAPHY BESSANT, J. 2003. High Involvement innovation: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage Through Continuous Change. England: John Wiley Sons. CHRISTENSEN, C.M, AND ERIK, A.R. 2004. Seeing What is Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change. USA: Harvard Business school Press. BURDETH, O.J. 1994. The Magic of Alignment. Management Decision [online journal], 32 (2), pp. 59-63. Available from Emerald at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/search.htm?st1=alignmentct=allec=1bf=1go=Go. (March 3 2011). Analysis of semco and pixar animated studio as an example of innovative organizations Companies like Semco, Gore and Associate, 3M and Pixar have made a reputation for themselves due to their emphasis on creativity. Innovation is a product of collaborative learning, idea generation, sharing and idea realization practices of workers in an organization (Dovey, 2009, p.311). For innovation to occur an organisation must foster an environment and culture that give room for creativity which is what Semco and Pixar have achieved. To this end, this report will analyse Semco and Pixar as an exemplar of innovative companies and the relationship that exist between them using some key theories of innovation and the defining features and managerial actions that set them apart as innovative organisations. SEMCO Semco is a loose organisation that encourages innovation and self organisation leading to trust, collaboration and cooperation. Semco was a small family engineering company originally called Semler and Company established in 1952 in Sao Paulo, Brazil by Antonio Curt Semler and renamed Semco after Ricardo Semler, the 24 year old son of the owner resumed office as the new chief executive officer in 1984, firing more than half of the top managers on his first day of resuming office as chief executive officer and eliminated all secretarial positions (CNN, 2004). The company prior to Ricardo taking over was characterised with autocratic style of management with control and rules being the order of the day and operating at the edge of collapse. Ricardo Semler favours a participating style of management, profit sharing and free flow of information. The company product range includes dishwashers, pumps, mixers, cooling units for air condition, biscuits factories among others (Semler 1999, p. 1). It is one of the most innovative companies in the world and has become the subject of study for most business schools all around the world due to its peculiar management style. There is no organisation structure that feeds managers ego, subordinates choose their own bosses, employees set their salaries, production targets and achieve them at their own time, and are encouraged to participate, share ideas and also share in the profit (Semler 1999, pp.1-7, 130 131). PIXAR Pixar animated studio was established in 1986 after Steve Jobs purchased the computer graphics division of Lucas films for $10 million with Ed Catmull being named co-founder and Chief technical officer, Smith as vice president alongside Steve Jobs (Price, 2008, p.74 85-197). In 2001, Ed Catmull was named Pixar’s president. The company originally manufactures and sell hardware and software that enable computer graphics to develop animations. In 1987, the company began the making of short films with its first computer generated movie, Toy Story being released in 1995. The company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walt Disney acquired 2006 at $7.4 billion and located in Emeryville, California (Paik, 2007). The acquisition will help Pixar gain economies of scale and access to new technologies. Pixar has a range of films under its belt that has surpassed box office expectations from Rango, Hop, Toy Story 3, finding Nemo, the incredible and many others (Emerald Group Review, 2 011). Its target audience cuts across all ages and nationalities and include families and children and its product range include short films in DVDs, soundtrack CDs, animated films among others (Price, 2008, pp.3-7). It fosters an environment that gives room for mistakes and encourages collaborations among teams and departments and devoid of micro management by executives to ensure creativity and innovation (YouTube-imperial college, 2009). THEORIES OF INNOVATION USING EVIDENCE FROM SEMCO AND PIXAR What makes Ricardo Semler and Ed Catmull exceptional in the way they run their companiesCould it be that they were born to innovation, an act of God, divine intervention, grace, or years of experience and acquisition of knowledge and educationAnalysts and business tycoons have called these men genius. Some critics of Semler and Pixar would have called the transformation at these companies as a gift from the gods. However, it is worthy of note that Semco was a company already in operation prior to Ricardo taking over and Pixar had several failed attempts before its major breakthrough in 1995 with Toy Story. Emerald group, 2011 quoted Ed Catmull in Harvard Business Review ‘I don’t think our success is largely luck. Rather, I believe our adherence to a set of principles and practices for managing creative talent and risk is responsible.’ Was grace far from the transformation in these companiesRicardo was one of the youngest graduates at Harvard Business School who wo uld have learnt some of the traditional management theories in school but choose to manage in a uniquely different way that suite his life and believes suite those of his employees. Moreover, having had an encounter with a doctor who told him to change his work style, he decided to change his way of management, a factor that has led to the key changes at Semco today. Thus innovation at Semco may be a combination of association having graduated from Harvard, accident-a chance meeting with the doctor, personality-considering that while at high school he raised some money for the school vacation program which he reinvested to yield a return before the vacation, feature of life and a bit of cognitive considering the fact that innovation at Semco had evolved over time. It is far from being grace or act of gods. Several forms of innovation can be said to have taken placed at these organisations. They are: Organisational innovation: An organisational innovation is one that entails the implementation of a new organisational method in the firm’s business practices, workplace or external relations (Stoneman, 2010, p.17; OECD, 2006). It is often intended to increase a company’s performance through improvement in workplace satisfaction and labour productivity and access to knowledge. It entails an adoption of an organisational method such as flatter organisation structures, employees’ participation among others that have not being used before in an organisation and often results from strategic decisions taken by management (Stoneman, 2010, p.18). Semco and Pixar posses a great deal of organisational innovation. Semco had implemented theories that have never being tried before such as the satellites programs that allow ex-employees to open their own companies with financial help and resources and become partners with Semco and employees cutting their wages by 30% to Semc o at difficult times to get a higher returns when trading conditions get better. What drive such innovation are the organisational culture, structure and learning. Social innovation: This is the innovation that supports and it is beneficial to the society. Pixar is an example of such innovation whose films though animated have a lot of influence on the society both young and small. Its latest film, hop for instance gives social lessons about the role of adult and children in society. Semco has also contributed to the Brazilian society through employment and a reduction in job cuts. Traditional innovation: This is technological innovation and is measured in different ways such as through patents, expenditure and development among others. Semco and Pixar have shown a lot of innovation and creativity in technology with Pixar having a lot of patents. All these types of innovation create social capital which will be discussed later in this report. FEATURES OF INNOVATIVE ORGANISATIONS OR MANAGEMENT ACTIONS SEMCO and Pixar’s success is built on a lattice or flatter organisational structure devoid of control culture that has gone through series of transformation through the years which has enhanced their innovative ability. An organisational culture devoid of control fosters innovation as individuals are giving the freedom to self organise and make their own decisions just like Semco where employees set their salaries and take decisions on production targets and the time they meet such targets (Semler, 1999, p.1). These companies have been able to manage innovation in the following ways: Structure and culture: Organisational design is crucial to the continuous innovation of an enterprise. As the business environment becomes complex and uncertain, so is the organisational design changing to meet up with customers’ demands for value maximising products. Traditional management scientists like Max Weber emphasised formal structure which is a top-down approach characterised with command, control, rules, position power and neglect social and psychological influences on behaviours of employees and teams (Burnes 2000, p.45). Employees are likely to respond to a good leader who they trust and respect than being managed in a bureaucratic way as argued by Adair 1986:54. Semco operates a lattice structure and considers all workers as equal and has reduced bureaucracy from twelve layers of management to three (Semler 1999, p.7). Reduced hierarchies and high involvement will lead to faster decision making and idea generation and information sharing, leading to innovation. F ormal organisational structure stifles individual creativity. In the words of Semler, authoritarianism diminishes productivity and as such no privileges or rules that discourages flexibility (Semler, 1999, p. 4). At Semco, People are made to enjoy their job and feel good about themselves, not just to survive. Business strategy in the company is determined without interference from the top. Similarly, Pixar is free from the thick layers of formal management and executives are not involved in the day to day running of the organisation. All employees are equally important and all work together for the success of a story. Both companies are devoid of micro-management which ensures creativity and innovation. To have these kind of organisations require a conducive organisational culture that is devoid of control. In the words of Ed Catmull, ‘Management really doesn’t tell people what to do.’ Thus both companies give employees freedom to take risk and there is reflecti on, learning and feedback. However , not everyone can work in an environment with such a structure as some people like being told what to do, also, people wants to know what their responsibilities are and who they are report to while others do not like responsibility. It means that such environment will attract liked minded individuals. Trust and Freedom: Due to the flexible organisational structure and lack of formal reporting structures, employees can be trusted to carry out their roles. However, there is a tendency for employees to abuse the system giving the few reporting structures. Semco has absolute trust in her employees and encourages them to be self managing and governing and have made partners with them. There is so much trust that Semco made entrepreneurs out of its workers through assistance with setting up their own company through its satellite programs, buy from them and encourage them to sell to its competitors. One will assume trust will not be a possibility giving the large number of employees of over 3000. Semco has defiled business school expectations and has gone as far as allowing workers to participate in managerial decision making from deciding how much they get paid, to unlimited access to financial information and freedom to work whenever and wherever they choose and meet targets at their own set time and set their salaries which has resulted in impressive growth, long term loyalty and increase and better productivity. To Semler, his interest is in the final result not where, how and hours worked (Easen, 2004). Freedom drives performance and encourages innovation. Staff can work better if given more independence (Handy, 2004). Semco adopts a participating or democratic management style that create an atmosphere where both bosses and subordinates ( partners and associate) interact regardless of jobs and position and all are involved in decision making (Semler, 1999.pp.6 81). In the words of Semler (1999, p. 6), ‘We don’t have as many bosses as we used to. As workers began to exercise more control over their jobs and assume more voices in our policies, the need for supervisors diminished.’ Having trust in individual will give them a sense of belonging and being wanted and encourage new ideas and sharing of ideas among one another. Semco and Pixar re alised that the most powerful resources at their disposal are the people who make things happen in their organisations and have learnt to trust, believe in them and give them the freedom to express their innovative capabilities and drive production forward. Trust is seen as an outcome of social capital and shared values (Cote and Healy, 2001). However, the problem with freedom is that not everyone like being free. Some people want to be controlled and directed to get their job done. Some see control as a motivator. Moreover, some top managers may resist the need for reduced hierarchies for fear of losing control and power. Social capital and Collaboration: At Semco and Pixar, there is collaboration and teamwork as people work together for common and shared values and not get in each others’ way but are committed to the achievement of the common goal of the company. At Semco, employees participate in managerial decision not just relating to their jobs but the business as a whole. They are included in decisions that pertain to choosing who their boss becomes (Easen, 2004). Before people are hired or promoted to leadership positions, they are interviewed and approved by all who will be working for them, and every six months managers are evaluated by their subordinates. Semco has autonomous business units established by ex- employees who open their own business with help from Semco and have become partners, associate and collaborators and has made Semco a leaner and agile organisation (Semler, 1999 P.7). Also different departments and business units and teams work collectively to drive innovation f orward at Semco and Pixar. Easen, 2004 reported Semler as saying that ‘Growth and profit are a product of how people work together.’ There is a balanced collaboration at Pixar as artist and technologists are paired together. Every offer or idea is accepted and then people get the chance to plus it (Nelsen, 2008). A term Nelsen called ‘plussing’- taking an idea or a piece of work and find a way to add or improve upon it without judging it. At Pixar, collaboration means amplification whereby employees who are listening and interested in each other are joined together to work and bring separate depth to the problems and breadth that gives them interest in the solution as well as allow teams to communicate at different levels. The brain trust at Pixar is a framework or forum that gives an opportunity for some of the best brains to use their expertise and experience to share their understanding and knowledge with others and to get feedback. The Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, OECD defines social capital as ‘networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or among groups’ (ONS, 2001; Cote and Healy, 2001:41). It is the glue that holds organisations together and enables employees to join forces more effectively and pursue shared objectives. In a culture of continual change and uncertainty, sustainable communities are those who are collaborative and always growing with and towards each other in the formation, sharing and adaptation to new knowledge (Smith and Paquette, 2010). Some of the outcomes of social capital are social relations, trust, collaboration, mutually enforceable agreement, general reciprocity and innovation (ONS, 2001). In Semco there is mutually enforceable agreement resulting from profit sharing. In the past, Pixar had used stock to motivate employees and encourage them to stay. Also, the need to produce quality output at Pixar could be a form of mutually enforceable agreement (Price 2008, p. 114). Pay recognition: Motivation such as adequate pay, interpersonal relations and work and group dynamics are some factors that increase productivity and workers satisfaction (Mullins, 2007, p.53). Employees will be committed to work if they are being paid fairly and feel that their contribution is appreciated in the organisation. Semco’s employees set their salaries and share in the profits. As Semler (1999, P. 4) says, ‘Profit-sharing is democratic. We negotiate with our workers over the basic percentage to be distributed- about a quarter of our corporate profit.’ This has worked so well at Semco as there is very low labour turnover and when the need arises, those laid off are assisted to form their own company. Reward systems and benefits retain people and lead to workers’ satisfaction, commitment and loyalty (Chiu et al, 2002). There were times when workers salary proposal were rejected in instances of over- statement. Contrary to this is the argument that financial rewards are not enough to motivate people and that group pressure has more influence on employees than financial rewards (Mullins, 2007, p.301). In addition, people also have intrinsic motivation derives from within the individual which propels them towards the need for self actualisation and fulfilment. Learning and feedback/ Gives room for mistakes/Risk taking: Learning within projects teams depends heavily on the inflow and transfer of knowledgeable among them. Semco and Pixar are learning organisations. Such organisations give room for failure and learning from mistakes and encourage risk taking and have a wide tolerance for new ideas and do not punish mistakes. A learning organisation was defined by Johnson et al (2008) as, ‘One capable of continual regeneration from the variety of knowledge, experience and skills of individuals that encourage mutual questioning and challenge around a shared purpose or vision.’ Semler pointed out that mistake is welcome and a sign that the employee is taking enough risk. Without mistakes, there will not be learning and consequently, innovation will be stifled. Likewise at Pixar, continuous innovation requires that executives resist the natural tendencies to minimise risks and accept uncertainty to ensure originality and ability to r ecover from failures resulting from taking risks. It encourages creativity by allowing people to experiment with new ideas and mistakes genuinely made are treated as part of the learning process Emerald Group review, 2011). Mistake are not punished at Pixar but seen as building block for new ideas and innovation just like 3M. Pixar endorses and encourages a creative by rejecting hierarchical and controlled system, instead the taking of risks and recognizes the importance of serendipity in the creative process (Smith and Paquette, 2010) It has been argued that employees’ collective knowledge exceeds those of the organisation and its capabilities and managers should aim at encouraging processes that unlock employees’ knowledge and encourage information, knowledge and idea sharing which is the sort of environment both companies have created for their employees. As a narrator said, each movies produced by Pixar contains a combination of tens of thousands of ideas arising from risk taking, failure and learning. Ed Catmull said that ‘Innovative people are failure recovered not failure avoider.’ Both companies give room for reflection, learning and feedback. The benefits of learning cannot be over emphasis. Learning increases employees’ commitment, improve quality as mistakes are identified. Senge 1999 reiterated that organisational learning leads to organisational performance. Commitment: At Semco, everyone is committed to the achievement of the organisation’s objectives as they all feel a sense of belonging and part ownership of the company arising partly from the profit sharing. Employees are seen as being importance and valued. A worker in an interview said if an employee is idle, another worker will often ask why he or she is not working, reminding him or her that failure to work will reduce their profits and subsequently reduction in money for their pockets. So there is peer pressure. If employees feel that they are being trusted to take decision on their own and self manage, they will be committed. Semco operates an egalitarian company where there is no preferential treatment. Parking lots are for first come basis and all employees eat on the same canteen. Meetings are held based on the first two employees to be present. This makes employees feel as being a part of the team and big family and give them a sense of being wanted by the company. B y removing privileges of ranks, employees will see themselves as a wider community, thus feel comfortable voicing their opinion, leading to generation of new ideas. Dynamism: Semco is a highly flexible company with no boundaries to the type of business and products, making it difficult to say exactly what kind of business the company is in. There is no fixed business and it is open to any form of business that comes their way. It is also characterised with the absence of business plans and company strategy. In the words of Semler (2003, p.4), ‘ Once you say what business you are in, you create boundaries for you employees, you restrict their thinking and give them a reason to ignore new opportunities as they will say we are not in that business.’ Semco is so dynamic in its operations and processes that employees must not use one desk two days in a row. This is to make them difficult to track and are free to move and work anywhere that appeals to them be it home office. There is time flexibility as they are not concerned about when the employees arrive at work. However, contracts are negotiated on the basis of what to be achieved at a set period and what it stands to gain for paid value and what the employees get in return. It is a mutually enforceable agreement as both parties- employees and Semco benefit. Pixar, though in a core line of business of animated films, it is not to say it is not a dynamic company as different forms of films that benefits both adult and children have being produced over the years. There is effective communication at both companies due to the organisational culture and flatter structure devoid of control. There is information, idea and knowledge sharing. At Pixar, technologists communicate with the artists. SUMARY AND CONCLUSION Semco and Pixar are said to be innovative even though the companies are different in what they do and how they approach innovation. Nevertheless, some common factors in both companies is the delegation of a large amount of control to their employees and absolute freedom to take risk and give room for mistakes and failure, giving them freedom to generate new ideas and thus take a more active role and commitment. Both companies have decentralised the management structures to get employees more involved in decision making and give them a sense of belonging. They have created a culture that gives room for mistakes, failures, sharing of information, and ideas. There is also collaboration between employees, teams, departments, business units and partners, trust, social capital, communication, lack of micro-management and similar organisational culture and structure which encourages innovation. However, both companies differ in a number of ways such as absence of profit sharing at Pixar, la nguages, products, country of location and time scales. Having carried out a detailed analysis of Semco and Pixar, it is possible that what works at these companies can be applicable to other companies. However, some disadvantages will be accrued if these features are applied in another company characterised with hierarchical control culture and structure such as resistance from top management who are control freaks and unwilling to relinquish power. Moreover, not everyone will be able to self manage as some people like being controlled and told what to do. In addition, that trust and freedom work well in these organisations does not mean it can be implemented in other organisations as differences in culture and environment will play a role in determining its effectiveness in another company with different organisational culture and business environment. Having said this, nothing is worth not trying, so these managerial actions that have worked so well in these organisations can be applied to other organisations. The reward may not be see n immediately, but in the long run, it will pay off. REFERENCE ADAIR, J. 1986. Effective Team Building: How to make a Winning Team. London: Gower Publishing Co Ltd.BURNES, B. 2000. Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics. 3rd edn. England: Pearson Education Ltd. CHIU, R. K, LUK, W.V AND TANG, T.L (2002) Retaining and motivating employees: Compensation preferences in Hong Kong and China. Personnel Review [Online journal], 31 (4), pp.402-431. Available from Emerald at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/search.htm?st1=Retaining+and+motivating+employees%3A+Compensation+preferences+in+Hong+Kong+and+Chinact=allec=1bf=1 . (April 19 2011). COTE, S AND HEALY, T. (2001) The Well-being of Nations. The role of human and social capital. 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