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Rhetorical Analysis of New Literacy

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Rhetorical Analysis of New Literacy

“New Literacy” by Clive Thompson talks about how computers have changed our lives in today’s age. I this article Thompson talks of how the new world of technology has revolutionized so much including helping people write essays, how use of the internet is quite similar to ancient Greece and the good teachings that come with the use of technology. Clive points out the various views that may arise when debates on technology come up such as how technology has incapacitated the children’s ability to write yet other people will argue how technology has revolutionized both writing and literacy. In passing his points, Thompson uses emotional appeal to his audience, appeal to reason as well as an ethical appeal.

In the article, Thomson evokes emotions towards the readers. He wants to resonate with them at level where they will be able to understand the message that he is passing across. Thompson states that, “be ready to hear teachers getting upset once again about how kids are unable to write and this is blamed on technology” (Thompson, par, 1 ). In this context, the author evokes an element of both pity and concern over the use of technology. He is keen to point it that as some professors may want to blame technology on the children’s inability to write, this may not be true as technology has had a huge influence on increased literacy. His diction in the entire the text can be felt by the use of words such as “killing”, “stunning”, “brevity” and “enormously. Her purpose in utilizing these carefully chosen words is to resonate with the audience on the matter that technology does the opposite of what everyone states

Thomson also uses ethos by giving credibility to his article. He includes statistics including how 38% of students who took part in writing in Stanford did it outside of classroom. Thompson is trying to point out that writing should not only be based on academics but even the twitter updates and a person’s ability to write something about themselves counts. He also points out how students reading 15000-word video game tutorial have been able to write essays that are much longer and provoking. In using these statistics, Thompson is able to give his work credibility. By building the credibility of his work, a reader may be able to understand where he is coming from and agree with his point of view.

Thompson uses logos in his writing to appeal to the logic of his audience. He gets the audience to think of the effect technology has had pointing out how important it has been improving the literacy and writing skills of the new generation. People of this generation are writing longer and more complex essay than people from the previous generation “young people today write far more than any other generation before them” (Thompson par. 4); and this could be due to the technologies. He compares how technology has improved writing with how the Greek used writing in conveying arguments and opinions. The logic that Thompson is trying to put forward is that technology has introduced a new concept of writing where students are able to effectively communicate in writing.

Thompson is able to bring out his argument on how technology has given a rise to “literacy revolution”. He successfully utilizes logos, pathos and ethos to put his points across and to be able to resonate with his audience making a compelling argument. It is for a fact that educators need to realize the impact of technology in developing writing skills so that they can employ it instead of demonizing it.

Work Cited

Thompson, Clive. Smarter than you think: How technology is changing our minds for the better. Penguin, 2013.

Common Good according to Plato

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Common Good according to Plato

The concept of common good is an important element of philosophy as is defines the condition that allows individuals to attain happiness and fulfillment at ease. To many, common good describes the principles that individuals are to follow in their social lives. As the term indicates, common good is an ideology shared by everyone, and cannot be individually divided to meet individual needs and lifestyles. Common god suggests responsibility by every member of a community meaning that all individuals are expected to play a role in the attainment of common good in their respective social settings. Communities that have accepted and participated in activities that fall under the concepts of common good are seen as the most successful communities in the society. This is because such societies focus on remaining at the service of humanity through the assurance of happiness and fulfillment for the members of their communities. Put simply, they aim at attaining good for the community as a whole. Philosophers agree that the common good involves the society as a complete entity and no one is exempt from attaining and developing it. One such philosopher is Plato, who published ideas concerning this theory in his literary works, The Compedium and The Apology. Through his student, Aristotle, plato presents his ideas on common good linking common good with human happiness and contentment. Plato agrees to the notion that common good “common” meaning that it is easily identifiable by all individuals. Identifiable in this case would mean that it is a responsibility of all the individuals who make up the “common” society. While discussing the concept of happiness and living a life of moderation, Plato explains that humanity should live their lives for the achievement of a goal or objective. This goal, however, should not be based on the individual. i.e. it should not the fashioned to meet individual needs. Instead, the goal should be to achieve what is best for humanity as a whole. He explains that this is the only way that human beings can achieve happiness and contentment in their lives. In a section of The Apology, he also gives the example of death, whereby he explains that death is a common good for all, which is why humanity has to depart this life at a point. He compares death to happiness, as human being are unable to experience bad feelings as they are at a level of content that is similar to no other. Accordingly, he also argues that the achievement of common good is the responsibility of the society as a whole especially the institutions that provide governance to these societies. He argues that such institutions should aim their activities towards fulfilling the needs and requirements of the individuals who make up the societies. This includes the attainment of peace, provision of essential services, acknowledging human rights, freedom, and the protection of the environment among other things. Conclusively, Plato compares the inability to act towards the achievement of common good to immorality. Meaning that failure to achieve common good is wrong both at the individual and societal level. For that reason, he encourages humanity to act morally by focusing their activities on the achievement of common good. To Plato, common good defines the social and community element of performing the moral good.

Communication Rhetoric and Reasoning

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Communication Rhetoric and Reasoning

This paper presents a critical analysis of the article, History Fairer to Bush by Andrew Roberts. The paper examines the use of rhetoric and modern linguistic theory in the article, as well as, the authors ability to utilize pathos for emotional engagement. Conclusively, the paper scrutinizes the article’s rhetorical reasoning, and the application of ethos and logos in the article.

History Fairer to Bush by Andrew Roberts

This article examines George W. Bush presidency in the period between 2001 and 2009 (Roberts, 1-2). Specifically, the article argues against the popular notion that Bush was the worst president in the united states of America, defending some of the decisions that he made during his term as president. More specifically, the article draws attention to Bush’s decisions after the September 11 attacks, Muammar Gaddaffi’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program, Invasion of Iraq, as well as, hurricane Katrina. Roberts’s argument here is that, unlike popular belief, history will reveal that Bush was a good American president who had the best interests of his people at heart (Roberts, 1-2). In his opening paragraph, Roberts states that Bush was a good president for America, and the media has tainted his image in the public eye. He continues to explain that if people freed themselves from what the media portrays of Bush and instead thought about the issue on their own, they would realize that Bush was a great American President.

However, he explains that very few people will have the ability to realize this now, and the future historians will be responsible for clearing his name in the public. He argues that all the measures taken by president bush during his tenure were aimed at preventing criminal activity, thus protecting the nation. In addition to the decisions he made as president, the author also draws attention to Bush’s well-known verbal fumbling episodes, which may have cost him his reputation as a good president. He argues that the media has used these as a demonstration of Bush’s poor judgment and inability to perform as a president. In his defend of bush, Roberts argues that the verbal fumbling demonstrated by president Bush was normal, and they did not signify his inability to perform. He compares Bush to Ronald Reagan, explaining that his verbal fumbling were no illustrations of his lack of intellect (Roberts, 1-2). Generally, the article argues in defense of Bush’s records during his presidency stating that Bush has a fine record, one that has not been realized by many, but will be in the future.

As mentioned earlier, rhetoric is a tool of persuasion used in linguistics to convince readers of the message being sent across. Put simply, it is the art of persuading an audience through three main persuasive appeals including pathos, logos, and ethos (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1-258). In relation to the linguistic theory, rhetoric is used as a way of discovering the truth, as opposed to telling lies and deceit. This is brought out through five main ways including invention, memory, style, arrangement, and delivery. In his article, Roberts has successfully managed to utilize the use of this throughout as a support for his ideas in the article. His argument is not only persuasive; it also urges readers to question their own thoughts regarding the issue being discussed in the paper. Roberts’s thesis is simple, appealing, and uncommon, illustrating the first use of rhetoric in the article evident. If one is to go by popular belief on the issue, it is clear that Roberts arguments in the article are rather pretentious, questioning the credibility of the information provided by the article. For example, Roberts contradict himself by saying that Bush was aware of Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction, then later goes on ahead to state that these weapons were not found (Roberts, 1-2). He talks of weapons of mass destruction, mass death, and mass graves, yet he does not provide the necessary evidence required for this.

However, the lack of supportive evidence does not stop Roberts from providing a convincing argument on the issue. His style and memory usage have proved to be advantageous, as they facilitate the development of a persuasive argument for Roberts. All the data and information provided in the paper is solely dependent on the author’s memory of the events that took place in the past, and his ability to couple these events with factual information for the development of a clear and concise thesis. Whether the information provided in the paper is true, the readers do not know, but what they would know for sure is that Roberts’ arguments about president Bush are convincing and believable.

In literature and linguistics, pathos is defined as the ability to appeal to an audience through the use of emotions. Accordingly, pathos is considered as one of the strongest motivating forces in writing if an author is interested in convincing his audience on his views regarding a particular subject matter (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1-258). Persuading an audience through pathos considers both the feelings of the persuader and the audience, using a subject matter that touches on the feelings of both. The article by Roberts clearly illustrates the use of pathos for persuasion in two main ways. At the outset, Roberts picks on a topic that is of interest to many and generates plenty of emotional response from his audience. There have been continuous debates about the Bush administration and the ways in which the United States was governed during his time. Accordingly, a considerable number of individuals have taken sides on the issue with the numbers of supporters and critics increasing with each debate. Evidently, Roberts has taken this into consideration, and has used this article to appeal to the emotions of his audience.

The utilization of pathos in the article is seen at almost every section of the paper. Roberts tries to appeal to the audience’s sympathies and emotions by providing his audience with his own personal views on the topic, and giving his audience room to generate their own opinions on the issue. He presents his arguments in a two-sided manner, where he acknowledges both the failures and accomplishments of Bush during his term as president. By doing this, Roberts’s audience are compelled to respond emotionally to his views, which illustrates his ability to persuade his audience through pathos. In addition to this, Roberts also applies rhetorical reasoning when writing the article. Rhetorical reasoning is defined as reasoning through the use of arguments, as opposed to reasoning by using logistics and other logical materials (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1-258). Rhetorical reasoning was developed as a response to logical reasoning, and it is founded on the need for nullifying the arguments of other communicators. In his article, Roberts constantly, utilizes rhetorical reasoning to presents his views to his audience. For example, he begins by stating his viewpoint, which is that Bush was a great president for the United states, and then goes ahead to state that those who argue against this have been blinded by the media. By putting forth such a claim, Roberts invalidates all opposing arguments, on the basis that they are not properly founded and are instead relied on information from the media, which he does not consider a credible source. Evidently, Roberts considers his views as truths that are novel and free from any traditional and conventional ties like his opponents. Arguably, his arguments are plausible and convincing, and they are reliant on his own imagination. This, in turn, illustrates the authors ability to use rhetorical reasoning to communicate his ideas to his audience.

Also referred to as ethical appeal, ethos refers to the provision of a convincing argument through the character of the author (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1-258). Put simply, it is the ability of authors and other communicators to present themselves as respectable characters who are worth listening to by the audience. In his article, Robertson uses ethos to appeal to his audience in two main ways. The first is evident in the introductory paragraph of the article where he starts off by explaining an interview he had been called for to speak about his views. This gives readers the impression that the author is a well respected and sought-after commentator thus his importance in writing about the issue. Secondly, Roberts also provides his academic and professional credentials at the end of the article, as a way of giving his audience the idea that he is a respected writer in the field. Evidently, this is a good way of presenting himself as a credited author on the issue, hence the author’s ability to use ethos in persuading his audience.

Roberts also applies logos in his argument. Logos is a form of persuasion, which is reliant on the use of reasoning, both inductive and deductive, as a way of substantiating an argument (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1-258). It is whereby the author appeals to individual reasoning and logic when communicating his argument to the audience. Throughout his article, Andrew has applied logos, whereby he presents ideas, and allows his audience to make individual judgments concerning these ideas. Though he explains his views on the matter, Roberts does not impose these views on the audience, and instead provides them with other ideas that they can use to make their own conclusions.

Work Cited

Cockcroft R. & Cockcroft, S. 2005, Persuading People: An Introduction to Rhetoric, Palgrave

Macmillan, London.

Fromkin, V, 2000, Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory, Wiley-Blackwell, New

York.

Gleeson, J. & Higgins R. 2008, Rediscovering Rhetoric: Law, Language, and the Practice of

Persuasion, Federation Press, Sydney.

McCroskey, J. 2001, An introduction to Rhetorical Communication, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

Richards, J. 2008, Rhetoric, Taylor & Francis, United Kingdom.

Roberts, A. 2009, ‘History Fairer to Bush’. The Australian, 20 January, p. 10.

Compare the attitude toward the Indians of three of these four authors William Bradford, Mary Rowlandson, John Smith, andor C

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American Literature

The authors Cotton Mather, John Smith, and Mary Rowlandson had various opinions regarding the Indians. Cotton Mather was known to be a puritan, historian, as well as a preacher. He had an extremely close relationship with the Native Indians to the point whereby, he even mastered their language. He seemed to believe that the Indians were people who had noble intentions. Furthermore, he often criticized the Quakers as they had a negative attitude towards the Indians (Fagan, 2005.34). Also, Captain John Smith had a positive attitude towards the Indians from Powhatan. The paramount chief of the Powhatan Indians formed an alliance with Smith. It was for the purpose of ensuring that English colonies flourished. Unfortunately, Indians became hostile towards other English settlers after Smith left. Smith was quite open minded and often referred to the Indians as being civil. In fact, Smith treated the Indians and English as being equals (Fagan, 2005.48).On the other hand, Mary Rowlandson has a negative attitude towards the Indians. She believes that they were evil as they committed many heinous deeds. For example, the Indians burned people’s houses and murdered innocent children (Fagan, 2005.56).

In my opinion, the author who gave the best description of the Indians was John Smith. He claimed that the native Indians were people who had been misunderstood. They were often treated unfairly by the Europeans, who were only interested in taking their resources. Moreover, the Indians from Powhatan had proven that they could be civil if they were treated well. This means that if the Indians were approached in a negative manner, they would also retaliate by being bad. The true description of Indians is thus provided by John Smith who let them be known in a positive way.

Work Cited

Fagan, Brian. Ancient North America: The Archaeology of a Continent 4th Ed. New York. Thames & Hudson Inc, 2005.Print.

Comparison of GDP and PPP of Several States

Comparison of GDP and PPP for Several Countries

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Comparison of GDP and PPP of Several States

GDP is defined as the aggregate measure of the production of a state when equated to the gross value of residents living in a particular country. The GDP combines the taxes and subsidies in the value of the outputs of a state. PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) is a constituent of economic theories (Reid, 2013). PPP is a technique used to govern the comparative value of varied currencies. GDP is often used to estimate the economic value and performance of any state. GDP can also be used to estimate the relative industrial contribution to the state economy.

This paper will examine a selected number of five countries and evaluate their GDP as a derivative from PPP calculations. According to the world bank estimates, the United States has a GDP of $ 16800 billion (PPP of $ 16.47 trillion) in 2013, China has an estimated $ 16158 billion($ 13.39 trillion) for the same period, India $ 6774 billion (PPP of $ 4.99 trillion), Japan $ 4624 billion ($ 4.73 trillion PPP) and Germany $ 3493 billion (PPP of $ 3.23 billion) (Chamberlin, 2014).

The American society has almost the PPP and GDP of 2013 almost equal (Reid, 2013). Often, it is almost impossible to find that a state can strike a balance between PPP and GDP. For this reason, it is vital to understand that the Americans embrace their domestically produced products. Most Americans embrace their domestically produced products hence they boost their economy through embracing their own products hence achieving an equilibrium between the GDP and PPP.

The uneven economic status of China and socialist setup of the Republic of China makes it easy for the GDP to surpass the PPP (Chamberlin, 2014). This therefore means that because not all the people in China are affluent, they would rather prefer buying their domestically products that are much cheaper than importing foreign products that may be expensive. Japan has a relatively higher PPP than the GDP for several reasons (Reid, 2013). The first major reason is the affluent level of the Japanese citizens surpasses those of many other countries who have a higher GDP than herself. For this reason, the Japanese citizens have extra cash to import products they demand from other states.

The Chinese problem also affects India. This is because of an almost unequal financial capacity of Indian citizens. There is a great gap between the rich and the poor in India (Xu, 2013). The extremely rich persons are fewer in number while the poor form a large proportion of the Indian society. The concept of the US having more GDP and PPP is the presence of available land for expansion and resources to meet the needs of the citizens (Chamberlin, 2014). This therefore makes it easy to determine the needs of the people thus making them unable to seek for goods or services elsewhere. Germany has a balanced PPP and GDP because of its stable economy and the capacity of its citizens to purchase their own good. This therefore makes it hard for them to import an excess of foreign products thus strengthen the American Dollar or Euro.

To achieve economic prosperity, it is essential for every state to extensively invest in provision of the needs of the citizens and ensuring that the citizens do not seek for economic services elsewhere. The relative value of states is essential in estimation of the purchasing power of a country.

References

Chamberlin, G. (2014). Gross domestic product, real income and economic welfare. Economic & Labor Market Review, 5-25.

Reid, D. (2013). Combining Three Estimates of Gross Domestic Product. Economical, 431-431.

Xu, X. (2013). China’s gross domestic product estimation. China Economic Review, 302-322.

Comparison of starting up a non-franchise Ice Cream store or franchise company Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen

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Franchise holder rebellion issues facing Dairy Queen

There are many problems, which are affecting Dairy Queen, and this has created a rebellion towards it by its franchise holders. Dairy Queen is coming up with new regulations, which are making those, who have its franchise to suffer greatly. They are being forced to increase their table service and even the number of existing restaurants. If they do not comply with these new rules, they risk losing their franchise (Cohen, 2007). The result is that more than ten members of the Dairy Queen franchise are going to court to sue the company. This is an example of an organizational problem, which needs to be dealt with, as soon as possible if not, the repercussions will be expensive.

Some of the states that have complaints against Dairy Queen are Maryland, Missouri, Arizona, Kentucky, among others. They hope to stop the plans of Dairy Queen from pushing through. The law suit is causing a lot of problems to Dairy Queen, as well as to Berkshire Hathaway. The latter is owned by Warren Buffet an American billionaire. According to Chuck Mooty, the Chief Executive at Dairy Queen, the move is not meant to hurt any franchise holder. Dairy Queen has to find a way of ensuring that the rebellion does not exist (Mooty, 2011).

This problem is a concern for the management, because it will affect the companies’ outcome. The management should come up with ways to ensure that they solve the situation before it escalates further. Dairy Queen should ensure that it deals with its franchise holders on a personal basis, so that the situation is monitored (Macmillan, 2007). The management should come up with an effective marketing strategy to make sure that problems of a rebellious nature do not occur ever again. The problem exists because the franchise holders are being told to pay more than $275000 to improve their stores. This means that the franchise holders will incur more expenses, such as increasing the number of staff. Mooty believes that more advantages will come about due to the new rules, which are going to be implemented (Charleston, 2008). The management at Dairy Queen cannot understand why there is rebellion as the companies are not being forced into something new. This is because the franchise holders have to sign a contract. The contract specifies that they will have to add additional costs, which will expand their business (Schawnz, 2011).

Furthermore, the franchise holders are being influenced by associations of franchises. This is because they compete with Dairy Queen for supplying the franchise holder’s .The outcome is that Dairy Queen benefits more, thus the cause for their problems. The theory of marketing stipulates that businesses have to find a way of making sure that they are able to control different forces in the market (Kennon, 2010). Daisy Queen should make the franchise holders know that the additional costs will profit them in the long run. There is no need of taking the matter to court as it will only bring more problems. The lawsuit is expensive and Dairy Queen is sure to emerge the winner in this case. The contract at Dairy Queen for Franchise holders must be reviewed to ensure that they specify everything in detail (Niemela, 2009). This way, everything will be clear to those who intend to get into a contract with Dairy Queen. The Franchise situation at Dairy Queen will be solved through effective strategy implementation by management.

References

Charleston, W. (2008). Dairy Queen faces franchisee revolt. Food Inc. msnbc.com. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23376156/ns/business-consumer_news/t/dairy-queen-faces-franchisee-revolt/” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23376156/ns/business-consumer_news/t/dairy-queen-faces-franchisee-revolt/

Cohen, David. (2007). Doritos Queen – a dairy queen disaster. Idfive.com. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.attentionscan.com/2007/03/doritos-queen-dairy-queen-disaster.html” http://www.attentionscan.com/2007/03/doritos-queen-dairy-queen-disaster.html

Kennon, Joshua. (2010). The Dairy Queen Franchisee Revolt. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.joshuakennon.com/the-dairy-queen-franchisee-revolt/” http://www.joshuakennon.com/the-dairy-queen-franchisee-revolt/

Macmillan, Douglas. (2007). Franchise owners go to court. Bloomberg Business Week. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2007/sb20070129_887153_page_2.htm” http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2007/sb20070129_887153_page_2.htm

Mooty. Chuck. Personal communication, August 16, 2011.

Niemela, Jennifer. (2009). DQ’s Q1 same-store sales up 5%”. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/04/13/daily18.html” http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/04/13/daily18.html

Schawnz. Chris. personal communication, August 16, 2011

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Complete the map template ( I completed).

Leadership Studies

Student’s Name

Institution

To qualify for an A: Complete the map template ( I completed). Additionally, describe one goal for each of the five levels and prioritize these, beginning with the most important ones first For each goal listed

Team Goals

I will volunteer for committees in the local organizations in Saudi Arabia and find out how I can get on the social list of influential persons in my community.

I intend to create a Vision and mission statement for my team by 2014

I will outline the actions necessary to accomplish team results and attain them in spite of external circumstances by 2015

I intend to be creative by assuming a more proactive and active part in the team by 2016

I also intend to evaluate our team portfolio in order to know exactly what I know and what I do not know by 2017

Augment on the quality of work as I work in San Antonio’s VA hospital by 2018

Community Goals

I will deliberately build a network of individuals that I know at a personal level. I will also be predisposed to this network through checking out with every individual at least once in a month.

Engage in the organization of USA Mosque religious plans and events by the year 2014

Ensure that people back home including by parents can have an improved access to preventive and fundamental health care by the year 2015

Ensure that education programs in health and wellness preventive services are improved by the year 2016

Ensure that individuals and families in a disaster are stabilized while ensuring that their capacity to attain self sufficiency is improved by the year 2017

Ensure that the youth in Saudi Arabia are supported both in their academics and their social lives to enable them to not only learn life skills, but also graduate from school and become marketable in the job market by 2018

Family Goals

I will avoid doing tasks that tend to be too structured and that are likely to suppress my quest for variety. If given a number of tasks I will indulge my quest for flexibility by being creative to make the tasks extra fun in a number of ways.

Ensure that I have quality time with my nuclear family through doubling the time we have for recreation in order to be more close and in touch with them by the year 2014

Get one more kid and spend two hours of quality time with my children on a daily basis by the year 2015

Assist my parents attain their objectives and dreams by 2016

Ensure that my family has a will and an estate plan by 2017

Take my wife to Paris for our tenth anniversary celebrations by 2018

Professional Goals

I will look to people who are more strategic and have a strong focus for planning so that they may help me attain my long term professional goals.

Graduate from both San Antonio’s VA hospital and St. Mary University by 2014

Get a Job that is in tandem with my knowledge and interests as well as my strengths in Saudi Arabia by 2015; If I get a Job that is in tandem with my knowledge and interests as well as my strengths in Saudi Arabia in 2015 I will be able to buy a house and a car and invest in my own business. I will meet this goal through networking with family and friends. I will have to stop wasting time on the television and start making job applications in order to meet this goal. I will know I have attained this goal once am employed by one of the dream companies in which I intend to make applications.

Gain experience in various fields and augment my income by 20% through consulting on a part time basis particularly in the evenings by 2016

Start making business investments by 2017

Enroll in one of South Arabian University’s PhD programs by 2018

Personal Goals

Driven by my talents I believe that life will turn out to be good if I take my time to think about how I will react to situations in the future. This is because forethought assists in adjusting to unexpected challenges.

Strategize on how to achieve all the above goals as early as 2014

Visit the US during holidays while making efforts to improve my spoken English in 2015

Move back to Saudi Arabia and ensure am in the right social ladder in 2016

Ensure I enroll with a health insurance company in Saudi Arabia by 2017

Buy a house and two cars in Saudi Arabia by 2018

Strategies for Meeting the Above Goals

I will capitalize on the fact that I am a fun magnet to reach out to friends, new and former classmates, family friends, coworkers and team mates. This is because am capable of making circumstances enjoyable for individuals through bubbling with enthusiasm and energy. I will thus at any given point welcome opportunities to be happy. The fact that I have a nark for making new friends will befit me in achieving these goals. Many are the times I find myself asking questions that are certain to motivate discussions with people I get acquainted with for the first time. I will capitalize on this to ensure it assists me achieve the above goals.

How to Measure and Monitor My Progress for Each Goal

Through participating in animated give and take sessions I would be able to gauge whether I have attained each of these goals or not by making comparisons of my status and those of my peers. Given that I participate in classes, conferences and seminars where ideas are exchanged on how things can be made better, I will be in a position to judge myself against these standards and find out what I have done so far, what still needs to be done and what needs to be improved in order to ensure that all my goals are attained within the given time frame.

Community and Professional Networks

To further develop and enhance my self confidence, as well as interpersonal and professional skills I will need a number of community and professional networks that would provide me with support and feedback. These would include: friends of my family, former and current class mates, team mates and coworkers.

References

Rath Tom, (2012). Now Discover Your Strength: Strengths Finder. Gall Up Inc: New York

Component of the Pre-departure Training

Human Resource Management

Affiliation

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Component of the Pre-departure Training

The pre-departure training should have the following components for it to be helpful to the employees in their foreign work environments;

The training should compose inter-cultural aspects that will help the employees adjust to the new foreign environment where they are to be posted. The foreign environments have different cultural environments from the one that the employees are currently working. Employees need to be trained on how they should quickly adapt to the new environment and act in accordance to the new cultural environment with little difficult (Johnson, 2009).

The pre-departure training should be composed of the basics of the language that is spoken in the foreign environment where the employee is to be posted. Language is key since it is the backbone of all communication in any given work environment. The pre-departure training should incorporate the language skills that will ensure that employees will not have any difficulties in handling and delegating their assignments in their new work environment (Tung, 1981).

The pre-departure training should incorporate psychological aspects that will be tailored to help the employees to easily and quickly adapt to the foreign work environment. The employees will certainly be away from their families and friends and they will be in a completely new environment. They need to be advised on how they will psychologically adjust to the new environment away from their friends and families without their adjusting affect their working and daily operations.

The pre-departure training should incorporate environmental aspects and characteristics of the foreign environments where the employees are to be posted. This way, employees will be aware of what they expect in the new environments and how they should prepare themselves about the new environment. Environmental aspects could be a barrier to adjustment to the new environment and it would make it hard for employees to be comfortable in the new environment especially if the environment conflicts with the general well being of an individual (Tung, 1981).

The pre-departure training should incorporate aspects of the roles and responsibilities that are likely to change in the new work environment and be alerted in advance whether their roles and responsibilities are to change through increment or reduction. This prepares their psychology and lets them know what is required of them. This is of great importance since it helps the employee adjust easily and quickly to fill in the gap that is in the firm in the foreign environment. Notification of the roles and responsibilities assignees are required to play helps employee know why they are to be sent to delegate their roles and responsibilities at the international level (Tung, 1981).

Criteria for Employee Assessment

Employees in the foreign countries have to have their distinct assessment criteria. The assessment is different because the work environments vary from one country or region to another. The management would apply the following assessment criteria for their employees in foreign countries;

The assessment of employees working in foreign work places should be highly based on the quality of work that the employee delivers compared to what the employee is expected to deliver in a given time period. The quality of work can be measured through different ways and it can be done by assessing the amount of work that an employee has done that requires to be done again could be due to errors and mistakes. It could also be done on the basis of the amount of work by an employee that is not accepted or is rejected. This way, it would be easy to assess whether the employee is delivering high, poor and average quality work. The better the quality of work is done, the greater the level of efficiency and, the better the levels of customer satisfaction and subsequent total performance and output by the organization.

The manner in which employees working in foreign work stations are able to complete tasks assigned to them in terms of timeliness could be used as a criteria for assessment. Employees are assigned different tasks and usually, there are timelines when a task should have been handled. The employees could be assessed whether they are able to delegate and have done their roles and responsibilities in the expected time frames. An employee should be assessed whether they are capable of having things done when they are supposed to be done. Timeliness in handling tasks and assignments ensures that much amount work is covered and there are few carry forwards in terms of work and assignments (Ulrich, 1997).

The degree which an employee is able to follow the set rules and regulations and adhere to the set policies in foreign workplaces is an important criterion for assessment for employees working in foreign workplaces. In the new environment, the rules and policies are definitely far much different compared to those in the previous workplace. Determination of how well they are able to comply with the set principles would help determine whether they are adapting well to the new work environment. The adaptability to policies set determines the output, cooperativeness, performance and productivity of employees. Compliance with the policies enhances the performance and productivity of employees.

Recruiting and Selection Strategy

In offering international assignments, the following recruiting strategies should be followed by the management;

The technical ability of an individual is one of the strategies and criterion that the firm should consider in selecting employees for international assignments. In the international work stations, there are specific assignments that selected employees are required to fulfill. The individuals selected for international assignments should be those who are able and possess the required skills to delegate their international assignments. The technical ability of an individual determines whether an individual can be relied on to conduct themselves without supervision and guidance (Tung, 1981).

In recruiting and selecting individuals for international assignments, the management should consider the ability of an employee to easily understand and subsequently apply the local language in communication and in dispensing duties and roles effectively. The personnel to be selected should be those who are easily compatible with the locally spoken language. This way, the employees will be able to adjust quickly and easily to the new environment and be able to relate with customers in the new environment easily and much quickly (Bruce, 2003).

The management would consider applying the strategy of issuing selection tests among employees. Through these tests, the management can be able to assess the personality and characteristics of an individual. The most desirable personality traits are then identified and matched with those of individual employees. The employee with the most suitable personality traits and characteristics is then selected for the international assignment (Tung, 1981).

Staffing alternatives

The two staffing alternatives are part time members of the staff who operate on part time throughout in place of permanent employees but provide similar services to those that other members of the permanent staff would provide. The other is members of staffs who are there or exist to provide assistance to certain members of staff before they full adjust and get to fully know the work activities and environment (Johnson, 2009).

The best fit staffing alternative for foreign operations at the firm is the staffing alternative that helps new members of staff to fully acquaint themselves with different work activities. This staffing alternative reduces on costs of hiring a part time employee who could even charge higher than other members of staff. Once the permanent or full time member of staff fully gets to know what is required of them, they are likely to easily become better and more efficient to part time members of staff whose reliance and availability at the work place is dependent on their availability and convenience (Ulrich, 1997).

Mentoring System

The provision of a high quality mentoring system is of great importance for international assignees. The mentoring system would play an integral part in ensuring that employees are made to easily and quickly catch up and adjust to the new working environment as they get to delegate their assigned international assignments. The mentoring system acts as guidance on what should be done in what way and at what time. Guiding the employees would be of great importance especially because they might feel out of place in new work environments and end up doing the wrong thing despite knowing or being aware of what should and requires to be done (Bruce, 2003).

A quality mentoring system would be of great importance in ensuring that employees do not make many mistakes or errors as they delegate their roles and duties in the international assignments. In a new work environment, the assignees are very likely to make mistakes and errors in delegating their assignments. The mentoring system should act as guidance to the employees to ensure that they guide them and through guidance, the probability that one could make an error in delegating their roles and assignments is relatively low.

Measuring Returns on Investment (ROI)

Measuring Returns on Investment for international assignments is of great importance because it indicates whether the presence of new employees and their subsequent assignment of their different roles and responsibilities has added value in the work produced and the impact it has had on the welfare of the firm. In measuring the Return on Investment for international assignments, the following would be done;

To begin with, the measurement of the Returns on investment must be done within a defined and a given time frame or a given time period. The measurement would consider the improvements and enhancement in efficiency, productivity and performance. International assignees should have added value to the firm where they are sent for assignments in terms of enhancing efficiency and increasing productivity and subsequent performance of tasks. If there is a positive change and improvement impacted by sending the international assignees, then there is a positive return on Investment on these assignees. If there is zero change and improvement in terms of efficiency, performance and productivity of the firm, then there is zero impact and Return on Investment of the employees assigned the different roles and responsibilities at the international scene (Bruce, 2003).

References

Bruce, J. (2003). Investment Performance Measurement. New York: Wiley & Sons.

Conaty, B. (2010). The talent masters : why smart leaders put people before numbers. New York: Crown Business.

Johnson, P. (2009). HRM in changing organizational contexts. London: Routledge.

Riley, J. (1980). Management and ideology : the legacy of the international management movement. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Tung, R. (1981). ‘Selection and Training of Personnel for Overseas Assignments’,. Columbia Journal of World Business , 68–78.

Ulrich, D. (1997). Human resource champions : the next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Components of a Copyright document

Components of a Copyright document

Name

Institution

A copyright document grants the exclusive right of publishing and selling musical or literary work by any individual in a given country. Copyrights differ in lengths with respect to the existing jurisdictions. The difference in lengths of copyrights is affected by factors such as work type and the publication status (published/published). It could also be affected by whether published by a given individual or perhaps a corporation. Copyrights periods can be adjusted by legislation if such legislations allow such provision (Henley, 2001). In other cases, copyright terms curtailing from their current lengths is evident. This has been done without any appeal to the probably increased enthusiasm in engaging the movements of creating new works by the authors or creator whose copyright would run out.

Some creative works and publication have lengthy copyright terms with the default copyright time of an author being set as the author’s lifespan with an additional period of fifty to seventy years. This is the case in most parts of the world. In countries such as the US and the UK, a copyright term for any existing works is fixed after publication. It is then bound to expire after a set period, usually at the end of the fixed calendar year. While jurisdictions have been strict on copyright terms, some authors/creators have been demanding for the extension of their copyright terms in order to create more works. This has been difficult since curtailing for such terms exists in most countries. This could even start with the public like a case of Mark Helprin (Lang, 2009).

The law covering copyrights is seen as unjust by some individuals (Lessig, 2009). Lessig (2009) says that there has to be something that is fundamentally unjust as far as the copyright law is concerned. The law is said to protect individuals’ ordinary properties for an unlimited period. This is however not provided for whenever it comes to copyright protection terms (Lessig, 2009). It is after the expiry time of such works that the public can manipulate it in their own way with limited control by the author or creator. The root to this is a major demoralizing factor to many authors and aspiring artists. If at all their work could be protected by the law just like any other ordinary property, things could be better for them.

While most author want their publications to remain under their control forever, their dreams seem to be infeasible. The infeasibility in achieving such unlimited protection however seems to be unfair in the real world especially after considering all difficulties an author or artist has to go through before creating substance in their piece of work. Unlike any other property such as houses, cars and businesses, author’s work may not be covered for protect for an equal period despite hardships like paying of taxes and creativity (Helprin, 2007). It is argued in the same that copyright terms should be protected like any other property or businesses in the real world circumstances. Copyrights according to Helprin (2007) should not be subjected to confiscation but forever be protected by the government and the law. Like any person’s wealth and possession, copyrights need allowance of flowing from a given generation to the proceeding generations.

In some cases, some work creators feel unprotected at all. The US law provides no copyright protection for useful work. This is evident in the fashion industry whereby it protects logos, brand name, fashion houses and fabric print but fail to protect the fashion itself (Eguchi, 2012). This case could appear consoling sentiment to the people advocating for an unlimited time for their copyright terms. The mystery to many creators is where the great profits from their piece of creations goes to.

It is even unclear to the original authors who benefit much from their work even during the copyright protected period (Henley, 2001). According to Henley, many authors know they created great works but no one knows where the profits have gone. The best is the case of classical music performances (Henley, 2001). He also provides an example of house decorated by Maurice Ravel who had inherited it. He later used to perform most of his classical music from 1928. His creations have been unprotected no more as evident in its use by Torvill and Dean in their gold medal performance for the Winter olimpics in 1984. Other people have used his work such as Moore and Derek (Henley, 2001). This looks unfair for such creative thinker. This is not all since most of the greatest classical music fielms were performed in the same artistic house.

There is a major problem with the extention of copyright terms.The law has not provided for this. People on the other hand would at any time be waiting for an oportunity to invest on other people’s ideas and creativity. This is seen in what happened when Mark Helprin tried to call for extension of his copyright term. The idea of curtailing his extension request was countered with angry comments from internet users. Most of the commenting individuals banded in unison with an aim of abolishing copyrights (Lang, 2009). This would give them the right to distribute software and music with no cost, an absolute loss and harm to the creator whose copyright term has not elapsed. It follows that the public would always receive the extension of such rights with grievances.

References

Eguchi, A. (2012, September 12 ). Curtailing Copycat Couture: The Merits of the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act and a Licensing Scheme for the Fashion Industry . Retrieved on October 15, 2012, from The Legal Workshop: HYPERLINK “http://legalworkshop.org/2012/09/12/curtailing-copycat-couture-the-merits-of-the-” http://legalworkshop.org/2012/09/12/curtailing-copycat-couture-the-merits-of-the-innovative-design-protection-and-piracy-prevention-act-and-a-licensing-scheme-for-the-fashion-industry

Helprin, M. (2007, May 20). A Great Idea Lives Forever. Shouldn’t Its Copyright? Retrieved on October 15, 2012, from Opinion: HYPERLINK “http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/opinion/20helprin.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/opinion/20helprin.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Henley, J. (2001, April 25 ). Poor Ravel. Retrieved on October 15, 2012, from The Guardian: HYPERLINK “http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2001/apr/25/arts.highereducation” http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2001/apr/25/arts.highereducation

Lang, J. S. (2009, October 17). Fine Writing, Wise Analysis . Retrieved on October 15, 2012, from Digital Barbarism: HYPERLINK “http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061733113?ie=UTF8&tag=vglnkc7244-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0061733113” http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061733113?ie=UTF8&tag=vglnkc7244-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0061733113

Lessig, L. (2009, May 20). The Solipsist and the Internet (a Review of Helprin’s Digital Barbarism). Retrieved on October 15, 2012, from media: HYPERLINK “http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/the-solipsist-and-the-int_b_206021.html” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/the-solipsist-and-the-int_b_206021.html