What Being American Meant In 1780

In 1780, the notion of being American meant different things depending on one’s identity. To Thomas Jefferson, among the architects of the new nation, it meant deserving one’s liberty, and he believed that certain people were ill-suited for what he considered the demands of an enlightened society.In particular, he believed blacks and whites could never coexist because of slavery’s legacy, citing: â€Å"Deep-rooted prejudices entertained by whites [and] ten thousand recollections, by the blacks, of the injuries they have sustained† (Binder, 1968, p.  55-56). In addition, he considered them intellectually inferior.He considered America an improvement over other nations, and while he felt ambivalent about slavery and sympathetic toward blacks, he did not envision a multiracial America. For poet Phyllis Wheatley, an African-American who spent years in slavery and lived in poverty, being an American meant barriers and contradictions based on race. Wheatley, w hose poetry Jefferson thought â€Å"below the dignity of criticism† (Robinson, 1982, pp.42-43), was well aware of America’s racial contradictions (a nominally free nation which still embraced slavery) but nonetheless asked white America for tolerance and acceptance. In â€Å"On being Brought from Africa to America,† the narrator is optimistic about America and grateful for being part if it – â€Å"’Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land† – but also admits, â€Å"Some view our sable race with scornful eye, /’There colour is a diabolic die’† (Robinson, 1975, p. 60). However, her closing appeal is not for liberty and full equality, but simply a reminder that blacks can at least be equal as Christians, in God’s eyes.To Jefferson, part of America’s elite, being American meant freedom for those who met his standards, while Wheatley, aware of America’s racial situation, makes an appeal for at least spiritual equality. Being American meant being free – though race was used as a means of denying freedom to all. REFERENCES Binder, F. M. (1968). The Color Problem in Early National America. Paris: Mouton. Robinson, W. H. (1975). Phyllis Wheatley in the Black American Beginnings. Detroit: Broadside Press. Robinson, W. H. (1982). Critical Essays of Phyllis Wheatley. Boston: G. K. Hall and Company

Imperialism in India Essay

Politics The effects of imperialism are both positive and negative. The positive effects are banning inhumane traditional practices such as sati and the dowry system, promoting widow remarriage and prohibiting child marriage. The negative effects are that Britain caused the traditional industries to crash. Also, poverty increased. British officials were paid out of the India treasury. Imperialism drained India’s wealth. It destroyed India economically and politically. India became dependent due to imperialism. It destroyed India’s handicraft and small scale industries. The imperialistic powers treated India as a place to extend their power. Imperialism gradually destroyed India. While destroying India economically and politically, imperialism also had some good effects on India. With the spread of imperialism and colonialism , foreign powers took an interest in India and thus introduced new means of transport and communication. Modern technology and education were also introduced. negative effects: Racism grew (british to the indains) economic hardship, british were upset by the indain desire for self rule and nationlism, loss of self sufficiency, reduced food production which led to famines. Positive effects: railroads were built, communication grew due to the building of telephones, and the telegraph, desire for unity, modern economy, public health improved, english language more commonly used and learned British Imperialism in India â€Å"All the leadership had spent their early years in England. They were influenced by British thought, British ideas, that is why our leaders were always telling the British â€Å"How can you do these things? They’re against your own basic values.†. We had no hatred, in fact it was the other way round – it was their values that made us revolt.† -Aruna Asaf Ali, a leader of the Indian National Congress. (Masani, quoted in Wood, 32, 1989) There is no doubt that British imperialism had a large impact on India. India, having previously been an group of independent and semi-independent princedoms and territories, underwent great change under British administration. Originally intended to consolidate their hold on India by establishing a population that spoke the same language as their rulers, the British decision in the 1830s to educate Indians in a Western fashion, with English as the language of instruction, was the beginning of a chain of events, including a rise in Indian nationalism, that led to Indian resentment of British imperialism and ultimately to the loss of British control over India. One of the most important factors in the British loss of control over India was the establishment of English as a unifying language. Prior to British colonisation, India was fragmented and multi-lingual, with 15 major languages and around 720 dialects. English served as a common ground for Indians, and allowed separate cultural and ethnic groups to identify with each other, something which had rarely if ever occurred before on a grand scale. Although it was mainly educated Indians of a privileged caste who spoke English, these were the most influential people in terms of acting as facilitators for nationalist ideas to be communicated throughout the populace. The publication of magazines and journals in English was also a great influence on the rise of Indian nationalism. Although most Indians received nationalist ideas orally, these journals allowed Indians who were literate in English to come into contact with the ideas of social and political reformers. Political and social reform in India was achieved as a result of the European political principles brought to India by the British. Indians were Anglicised, and the British ideal for an Indian was to be â€Å"Indians in blood and colour, but English in tastes, opinions and intellect†, as put by one British legislator (Rich, 214, 1979). This Western education inevitably led to well-read Indians encountering European principles such as human rights, freedoms of speech, travel and association, and liberalism. This was in direct contrast to the imperialism practised by the British in India and to the Indian experience – one third of the subcontinent was ruled by Indian princes under British supervision, and the rest was directly controlled by the Viceroy and administered by about one thousand members of the civil service, all of them English (Rich, 215, 1979). This knowledge of principles such as autonomy and freedom naturally led to many Indians desiring this for their own nation, understandable since it appeared that the world’s greatest and most powerful nations were self-governing democracies, and this system was obviously successful. Part of the newfound desire for freedom experienced by many Indians was the desire for native religion and customs to be respected. It is widely accepted that the Indian mutiny of 1857 was at least partly generated by Indian resentment of British interference in Hindu customs. Indian soldiers in the army were required to bite the ends off gun cartridges that contained pig fat and cow fat, which offended both Muslims and Hindus. When troops refused to use the cartridges, â€Å"eighty sepoys were thrown into gaol for disobedience, an act which finally triggered the uprising.† (Richards, 301, 1994). This showed a great lack of cultural and religious sensitivity on the part of British officers. Although the mutiny was put down quickly, it shook British confidence in their power, and resulted in tighter control of their hold on India. This in turn led to further resentment of British imperialism, and claims that military regulations were an attempt by the British to destroy the traditional caste system. (Richards, 301, 1994). In believing so vehemently that the British system was superior to the far inferior Hindu traditions, the British officers were essentially contravening the ideals of freedom that were an important element of the Western European political principles that they so wanted to instill in the Indian peoples. Following the Mutiny of 1857, Indian nationalism gained much more momentum than had previously existed in the first part of the century. This movement consisted mostly of British-educated intellectuals, and ironically was made possible by the British encouragement of higher education, originally intended to create a middle management that could carry out simple administration jobs. Most of the Indian nationalists – most notably Ghandi – were educated in Western Europe and were well-read in Western notions of freedoms, civil liberties and autonomy. The Indian National Congress was the largest and most obvious nationalist group, formed so that â€Å"educated Indians†¦could express dissatisfaction with the British colonial administration and suggest reforms.† (Cowie, 36, 1994) This Congress, however, had no power in terms of action and it can be seen as an attempt by the British to appease Indian nationalists who wanted progress. The seeming uselessness of the Indian National Congress in terms of enforcing changes and reforms can be seen as a great cause of Indian resentment of British nationalism. Even so, a nationalist organisation such as this would not have been possible had it not been for the fact that the British acquainted a group of Indians with European political principles (Cowie 27, 1994). As well as the moderate nationalism that grew within the Indian National Congress, extreme nationalism was also becoming prevalent. Aside from more violent protesters such as Tilak, nonviolent opposition to British imperialism emerged in protesters such as Ghandi. In response to the Rowlatt Acts, which enabled a protester or suspected terrorist to be imprisoned without trial, and the Amritsar massacre, in which 379 unarmed anti-British demonstrators were killed, Ghandi advocated a return to traditional Indian simplicity as opposed to Western materialism (Cowie 41, 1994). This dislike of materialism was owed in part to his experiences in England studying law, where â€Å"he discovered his Indian heritage through the work of 19th century British scholars who had re-created ancient Indian history and revived interest in ancient Indian literature and language† (Cowie 164, 1982). Ghandi also gained insight into his culture through â€Å"discussion with English friends on religion, both Christianity and Hinduism, which he now began to discover on a philosophical level† (Masselos, 121, 1972). Ghandi’s Western education allowed him to develop his radical technique of ‘satyagraha’ or ‘truth force’, whereby laws were opposed with the force of truth and moral consciousness instead of violence. This approach, though mostly a Hindu philosophy, in part derived its inspiration from Christianity, and the idea of turning the other cheek (Masselos, 122, 1972), and â€Å"drew upon humanist and radical strands in Western thought† (Masselos, 122, 1972). Studying Western history and ideas would have made Ghandi see that many Western approaches and ideas were extremely effective – and British forces may have reacted more positively to a method of protest that came partly from their own culture. Exposure to Western culture also aided Ghandi in seeing that satyagraha would be a powerful means of protest in an economic context – Ghandi claimed that the application of satyagraha against the British administration â€Å"could so paralyse the economy that the country would become ungovernable† (Cowie, 43, 1994). Ghandi used an approach that he had developed partly from his exposure to Western education to cause trouble in a facet of society that he knew was essential to the British consolidation of power in India. At this time, and while the world was in the throes of World War One, the British were committing more acts to instigate resentment amongst Indians. India had a large part in World War One, with more than a million pounds sterling voted from Indian revenues towards the cost of the war (Cowie, 39, 1994). With this in mind, the Montagu Declaration was issued in 1917, promising ‘gradual’ and ‘progressive’ self-government for India. There was, however, much suspicion that this declaration meant nothing and that Britain had no intention of relinquishing control beyond simple aspects such as health services, agriculture and public works (Cowie, 39, 1994). This of course caused much resentment – autonomy was essentially being denied, and in a condescending manner after India’s sacrifice for the Empire in World War One. During the 1920s and 1930s the Indian nationalist movement continued with strength. Ghandi’s campaign for independence went on, with his encouragement of peaceful protest and criticism of British administration and taxes. In 1921, Ghandi called for all Indians to boycott paying taxes on farming tools to the British, a strategy to have a negative effect on the economy. His non-cooperation campaign, despite its nonviolent aims, periodically became violent, and Ghandi was imprisoned in 1922 for instigating the movement. He was released two years later. The movement, however, was quite successful in terms of uniting the country in a movement under one leader (Masselos, 138, 1972), joined by their resentment of British rule. While earlier in the century, the English language and European political principles gave rise to the Indian nationalist movement, these were the tools used to strengthen the movement and to create unity among the Indian people. Many individual events associated with Ghandi’s satyahara approach, such as the Salt March in 1930 which demonstrated defiance of the British monopoly on salt manufacturing, and Ghandi’s â€Å"Quit India† campaign that lasted throughout the 1920s and 1930s, led to the eventual independence of India in 1947. The one movement that underpinned singular acts of patriotism was the nationalist movement, led by ‘Mahatma’ Ghandi. Ghandi was â€Å"†¦shrewd enough to utilise the nature of British rule in India to win independence without too much bloodshed† (Masani, quoted in Wood, 32, 1989). This movement was made possible by the establishment of English as a unifying language and by acquainting Indians with European political principles, which led to Indian resentment of British nationalism and ultimately to the British loss of control over India. The effects of imperialism are both positive and negative. The positive effects are banning inhumane traditional practices such as sati and the dowry system, promoting widow remarriage and prohibiting child marriage. The negative effects are that Britain caused the traditional industries to crash. Also, poverty increased. British officials were paid out of the India treasury. THE GREAT IMPACT OF IMPERIALISM Fundamentally, the imperialism idea comes from the early modernization concept that began with the 16th century. Afterwards renaissance, catholic reformation and reconnaissance actions follow this concept in order. Then geographical explorations take place in history and in this sense a lightening period exists by the help of these agendas. This lightening period consists of many different ideologies. We see these ideologies’ changing and shaping time to time and one of these specific action-oriented ideas is seen as imperialism with its impact on some African and Asian part, in particular, the response of conquered areas to the â€Å"west† in late 19th century and early 20th century. In order to express what the imperialism is, it can be said that imperialism is an ideology to make good society by being rooted in a particular economic system, capitalism, and benefits a particular class, which Marxists call the bourgeoisie or ruling class. (Butterfield, 2002) In this sense, we see the colonization action of the â€Å"west† under the name of imperialism against the African and Asian part of the world in late 19th and early 20th century. In some countries we see the entire-colonization and in some of them there was semi-colonization according to some reasons that are related with their understanding of modernity and the way that they show their reactions. In general sense it can be implied that the reaction of Sub-Saharan Africa against the impact of â€Å"west imperialism† was more strict than the one in Central Asia; in terms of economic reasons, nationalism and religion. To begin with the economic perspective of imperialism, imperialist countries’ need of row material and market and the change in the meaning of imperialism seem to be the crucial point. Up to 17th century, imperialism was not related with capitalism because in these times land power was important. However in later period of time, especially in the late19th century the spread of industrialization in the world had achieved the point where international competition for markets was becoming profoundly. After the third threshold of industrial revolution, the new imperialist political ideologies became the state politics of European countries. In this sense colonization action of â€Å"west† powers takes place. As a provision, we see the strict; but at the same time invalid reaction of Africans. In Asian side, we don’t see such kind of strict reaction as it is seen in Africa. This is because of their preparations against the probable imperialistic action of â€Å"west†, that can be regarded as the extension of rapid modernization of â€Å"west†. Especially European countries could not entirely colonized South Central Asian countries such as Iran and India. For example England could not fight with India; because India was not so weak in terms of economy and because of its economical interdependence, India’s military modernization had been taken place in order to fight with any power. However the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa was not so pleasing. They were still living as tribal societies and they were ready to be treated as slave. First of all, by the investigations of the European missionaries, â€Å"west† were aware of the row material sources that were not used, such as cool and diamond. By the power in their hand, â€Å"west† took the region under control and made the people work for their benefit. They also made African pay taxes. Actually that led revolt against foreign occupation. Africans tried to kill the tax collectors as time goes by. For example in 1902 a tax collection exercise in Bailundo, in the center of what is now Angola, went badly wrong when local people rebelled violently, attacking tax collectors and traders (both European and African). This was the first time that Africans had rebelled against the Portuguese in Angola. (BBC WORLD SERVICE, no date) That shows how deeply they were affected from the power of â€Å"west†. Also we understand that the gloom of Africans did not result from leaving their sources to â€Å"west† power. The main point that made them revolt was being made pay taxes. Secondly in terms of nationalism, liberation struggles of colonized countries come next. Fundamentally, the idea of these struggles relies on the French Revolution and the nationalism idea that comes next. In this sense there are structured similarities between Asian and African independence struggles. However the only point that they differ from each other is the process of their struggles. It is because the Asian nations were more ready in terms of military concept by the qualified commanders that came from â€Å"west† in the colonization process. Thus their armies were trained professionally by the Europeans and they were ready to fight with the â€Å"west† by the technology that came from â€Å"west†. Actually, it can be regarded as a contradiction in terms of training the nation and then loss of the colonized land because of the liberation action of that nation. In African side the situation was same; but their liberation process was too long. At that point the lack of modernization agendas can be shown as a reason. One other point about liberation is the modern education concept in Africa and Asia that was supplied by Europeans. Thus we are faced with the same contradiction again. â€Å"West† was supplying the modern education as one of the prerequisite of imperialism and many scientists and thinkers were brought up. As time goes by these thinkers were affected by the ideologies such as nationalism. For example Indian national leader Gandhi was one of them and played a big role on gaining the independence of India after the 2nd World War. (Cody, 1990) In this example we see the specific show of the contradiction that is mentioned above. Lastly to mention about the perspective of religion, the eurocenteric aim of spreading the Christianity all over the world under the idea of imperialism should be discussed. At that point, we see the similarity between South Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa again as we saw in liberation concept. In 19th century most of the Asian and African nations were Muslim and this was a big obstacle for the â€Å"west† to achieve their aim. â€Å"West† tried to assimilate the Asia and Africa; but they both showed their reaction similarly against the â€Å"west†. (Pappas, no date) If it is needed to combine religion with nationalism there is something to think about. If the African and Asian nations had been Christian; may be the nationalism idea would loose its validity and its impact on gaining the independence. Moreover, may be the colonized countries would be still colonized under the power of â€Å"west†. So it is obvious that the religion diversity made colonized nations fight for their independent conceit. To sum up the agendas of the impact of imperialist â€Å"west†, the insufficiency in the process of modernization and because of this, being under the control of â€Å"west† can be expressed as a summary. In the above examples we see that the impact of â€Å"west† and the probable reaction of South Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are based on some economical, ideological concepts and religion in the light of many specific processes. Also it was obvious that there were both similarities and diversities between Africa and Asia in the period of â€Å"west† imperialism and economical perspective was the most distinct one in terms of diversities. On the other hand in nationalism, liberation struggle, the hope of independence and independent conceit were the common points; although there was a little bit diversity in the sense of the process of these concepts. Positive: Ending Poor Traditions †¢During the process of colonialism, the controlling nation has the power to revise or abolish certain social traditions of the region. This provides a means to eliminate damaging social trends and older ideals. For instance, after India was colonized, the long-standing practice of Sati was finally abolished. Sati was the practice where the first wife of a deceased husband would throw herself, or be thrown, onto the funeral fire with her husband as a show of mourning. It was not until the colonization of India that the rest of the world learned about the practice and moved to outlaw it. Positive: Modernization †¢Colonialism brought modernization to regions that were technologically underdeveloped. Modernization projects included building railroads for open trade, needed medical advancements and schools providing a modern education. These advances helped underdeveloped nations improve their global status as centers for trade. The improvements to education provided an opportunity for colonized students to compete with foreign students in fields including literature, art, math and science. Read more: Positive & Negative Effects of Colonialism | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8505011_positive-negative-effects-colonialism.html#ixzz2MmpHwOQ6 Negative: Segregated Benefits †¢Many of the benefits of colonialism, such as education, were restricted to specific classes of individuals, usually based on skin color or ethnic origin. This segregation lead to a natural segregation throughout colonized countries and established the foundation for a racially segregated future. As an example, the extreme racial segregation in South Africa, known as the apartheid, is a partial result of African colonialism. The education segregation left an economic disparity in South Africa that resulted in continued segregation after the colonial period and a legacy of poor civil rights and human atrocity. Negative: Resource Drain †¢One of the primary goals of colonialism was the establishment of a resource-generating system through which natural resources from colonized regions were gathered and traded by the colonizing nation. This process reduced the availability of natural resources in the colonized nations, leading to times of hunger, poverty and need. Some colonies were heavily farmed, with food stores shipped to feed populations elsewhere while locals survived on less. Further, this created a system where a colonized country could be farmed for its natural wealth, but receive no monetary benefits. Read more: Positive & Negative Effects of Colonialism | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8505011_positive-negative-effects-colonialism.html#ixzz2MmpLOLoP Imperialism in India: Bad or Good? Imperialism has been both positive and negative in the eyes of the Indians. It has helped them, but has also left them with no responsibility in their government. The British called the empire the British Raj. The European colonizers provided many things and helped solve old problems. They brought parts of civilization that most Indians were not able to create by themselves. They built roads and other means of transportation as well as telegraphs. They have helped India become more modernized and built a government that is strong and efficient. â€Å"To sum up the whole, the British rule has been- morally, a great blessing; politically, peace and order..† (Dadabhai Naoroji). Imperialism has brought new standards of humanity, like when they stopped infanticide and the slave trade in India. It has also brought industrialization and improved sanitation. Imperialism has also affected the colonizers in a positive way. They get cheap raw materials and make a profit off of what they provide for the Indians. All of this they got from a system of mercantilism. There were, however, a few negative effects of Imperialism. â€Å"All they do is live off of Indian while they are here. When they go, they carry all they have gained.† (Naoroji). Naoroji also adds that the natives call the system â€Å"the knife of sugar.† Another problem that arose was how the Europeans occupy all of the higher places in the government. â€Å"For a hundred years you have done everything for us. You have given us no responsibility in our own government.† (Mohandas Gandhi). Many of the old Indian industries were broken up, causing unemployment and poverty. Some also feel that they are treated as being inferior to the colonizers In 1990, Stephen Covey published The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. A business-oriented self-help book, the volume was a huge bestseller and is still in print today. During the same decade-and-a-half, the American economy grew hugely. A coincidence? Perhaps not. Let’s face it: our crusade to extend the benefits of Americanism to the rest of the world, especially the Middle East, has not been Effective. Now clearly it’s time to work Covey’s magic on Uncle Sam’s faltering imperial effort. Here’s what think-tank tigers need to know, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Imperialists: 1. Be serious about your imperialism —the Great Game is not for dilettantes. Thrilling to accounts of the Battle of Plassey, savoring the Sykes-Picot agreement, taking in seminars at AEI—that’s not good enough. Here’s how the Los Angeles Times recently described Doug Feith, undersecretary of defense and leading neo-imperialist, in his home: â€Å"sitting in his library surrounded by stacks of Commentary magazines and books on the British empire and the Middle East.† In other words, an armchair warrior—literally. Is it any wonder Feith has been Ineffective? By contrast, the Highly Effective Imperialist gets off his fanny and â€Å"goes native.† We might consider, for example, Richard Francis Burton—now he was Effective. In the days before jets or mints on your hotel room pillow, Burton made his way across five continents. He helped discover the source of the Nile; he was one of the first Westerners to visit Mecca, disguised as an Afghan Muslim. Yet in addition to all his journeys, in addition to writing a half-dozen books and innumerable monographs on people and places, he also learned the local languages; he translated works from Arabic and Hindi, notably the Kama Sutra and The Arabian Nights. Not surprisingly, Burton saw little of England during his adult life—he died in Trieste in 1890—which is to say, Burton lived out the self-sacrificing injunction of Rudyard Kipling: â€Å"Take up the White Man’s burden/Send forth the best ye breed/Go bind your sons to exile/ To serve your captives’ need.† If Americans are serious about imperialism, they will make a massive commitment to teaching little Justin and Jennifer the tongues of their new realms: Arabic, Pashtu, Dari, Farsi, Urdu, etc. And then, even more important, they will steel their children for lifetimes of overseas service. Of course, Effective Imperialists must combine ethnic and linguistic â€Å"ground truth† with high Machiavellianism. To keep control of India, for example, the British cultivated the Sikhs as a ruling elite. Why? Because the Sikhs were a tiny minority. Once they were installed in the upper reaches of the Raj, the Sikhs were anxious for the Brits to stay, so as to preserve their top-dog status. That approach proved Effective for a century. By contrast, today, is there any American clever enough to see the wisdom of dividing Iraq into three parts, so as to make all three mini-states—Sunni, Shia, Kurd—dependent on the U.S. for border protection? Evidently not. And in any case, we’re still fighting two out of three of these groups 18 months after liberating them. Feith & Co. navigated by â€Å"moral clarity,† not by historical or political landmarks. According to an August report in Rolling Stone, one U.S. Army colonel, a veteran of Middle East work, fluent in Arabic, was interviewed by Feith for a possible job. During the session, Feith looked down at his rà ©sumà ©, â€Å"I see you speak Arabic,† Feith said. When the colonel nodded, Feith snapped, â€Å"too bad† and dismissed him. To make matters worse, the Feithians appointed their unskilled friends and relatives—Michael Fleischer (brother of Ari) and Simone Ledeen (daughter of Michael)—to prominent positions in the Coalition Provisional Authority. After a few months of sightseeing and war profiteering, such folks have mostly come home—not Effective. 2. Get the locals to like you. This is hard, I know. It’s counterintuitive to expect that the people you’re killing will give you their hearts and minds. In the words of Voltaire, â€Å"It would be easier to subjugate the entire universe through force of arms than the minds of a single village.† It took the British two difficult decades to subdue the Sudanese Muslims in the late 19th century, but by the mid-20th century, Sudan had gained its independence—and also great hostility to the West. Other British colonial non-success stories include Zimbabwe, which is one of the few countries where London is hated more than Washington. We might also recall that the British â€Å"liberated† Iraq twice in the last century, in 1917 and in 1941. And what do they have to show for the gravestones they left behind in Mesopotamia? Today, it’s the Americans’ turn to score low as colonizers. One poll taken this spring showed that 92 percent of Iraqis saw Americans as occupiers; just two percent saw them as liberators. As George W. Bush himself conceded on April 13, â€Å"I wouldn’t be happy if I were occupied either.† During the Athens Olympics, the Bush-Cheney campaign sought to make re-election hay out of the Iraq soccer team’s success; yet an Iraqi player cut the Rovers off at midfield, telling the Americans: â€Å"We want to live. Stop killing civilians. Help rebuild Iraq instead of destroying it.† We might call this Mission Not Accomplished. So what to do? Once again, the Effective Imperialist looks to what’s worked in the past. England and Scotland had fought each other for eons—â€Å"Braveheart† and all that—but they merged in 1603 when James VI of Scotland inherited the English crown and became James I of England. Four centuries later, the relationship still works. So today, if some rising young buck in the Bush dynasty went to Iraq, married a girl named Sistani, embraced Shia Islam, and brought the new Mrs. Bush home to social and political prominence, that would be the beginning of a beautiful transnational friendship. A future American president with a Shari’a-worthy beard might not please American neocons, but he would be Effective at earning Iraqi allegiance. 3. Be ruthless. If Habit #2 doesn’t work, then try Habit #3. We might consider, for example, the Effectiveness Lesson in the Book of Samuel. God said to Saul: â€Å"Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.† But while Saul mostly followed the Lord’s commandment, he spared a few folks and critters. God was outraged at this insufficient ruthlessness. As future-king Samuel explained to soon-to-be-ex-king Saul, â€Å"Thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.† So Samuel had to mop up, completing the earth-scorching. Now that’s Effectiveness. Similarly, when the Romans wanted to be rid of troublesome Carthage once and for all, they flattened the city and plowed the leveled ground with salt. Carthago was truly delenda, and it hasn’t been heard from since. More recently, when white Americans and Australians wanted to Manifest their Destiny over their respective continents, they mostly massacred the aboriginal peoples, occasionally deigning to miscegenate with them. The Chinese are using equally Effective tactics in Tibet today. In geopolitics, possession-by-domination is nine-tenths of the law; demography is political destiny. In the meantime, after 213 years of attempted subjugation, the Russians are still Ineffective in Chechnya. Vladimir Putin might be asking himself, â€Å"WWSD† —What Would Stalin Do? And the answer to that question might well be: total wipeout, by any WMD necessary. Note to other countries dealing with uppity populations: it’s genocide, but it’s been proven Effective. 4. Got allies? You’ll need some. The Venetian Republic lasted for a thousand years because the doges were wily enough to use mercenaries and surrogates in their endless wars with their fellow Italians, then Byzantines, then Ottoman Turks. For their part, the British didn’t succeed in taking down Louis XIV, Napoleon, the Kaiser, and Hitler all by themselves. For centuries, London built balance-of-power coalitions that enabled Albion to preserve its sea power, while not getting bogged down in losing ground wars. Similarly, when the U.S. has had allies—from World War I to Gulf War I to Kosovo to Afghanistan—the fighting has generally been Effective. But America’s more unilateral wars, such as Vietnam and Gulf War II, have been Ineffective. Having allies helps in other ways, too—especially if you have an ogre for an ally. The American occupation of Germany and Japan was eased by the menacing specter of the Soviets, just across the Elbe and the East Sea. The message was clear: if the surrendered Germans and Japanese ever became too troublesome, the Americans would exit and the Red Army would enter. No wonder we were so Effective. In the case of occupied Iraq today, suppose Turkey or Iran had invaded the country at the same time as American forces. By now the American sector might well seem like paradise compared to the Turkish or Iranian sector. Plus those occupiers would be no-nonsense in their â€Å"pacification†Ã¢â‚¬â€see Habit #3, above. 5. Be realistic. Politics is the art of the possible, said Bismarck. In the same vein, the Effective Imperialist doesn’t over-promise. In 2003, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace did a study of the 16 major â€Å"nation-building† efforts conducted by the U.S. and found that just four—Germany, Japan, Grenada in 1983, Panama in 1989—had been Effective. The other 12, stretched from Haiti to Nicaragua to South Vietnam, were Ineffective. The basic lesson is that culture matters most. The Germans, for example, proved capable of utter barbarism under Nazi rule, but after having lost eight million in the war—see Habit #3 again—they were ready, post-1945, to change their ways and resume being a â€Å"normal† European country again. So Germany proved peaceful and prosperous, just like its neighbors; the death of Hitler helped restore the nation to the generally upward trend line of its neighborhood. It was good news that the Germans blended back into their environment, but it was also not surprising—Europe is a civilization. Arab Islam is a civilization, too. And it’s not surprising that Iraq seems to be reverting to its neighborhood trend line, which, of course, is not auspicious for American dreams of a â€Å"democratic transformation† of Iraq. To put it another way, Islam is a tough nut to crack. Nowhere in the world, except maybe Attica prison, does a white minority rule successfully over a Muslim majority, which leads us to the Sixth Habit of Effective Imperialists. 6. Leave quickly—and set up a puppet government. In July 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower ordered 14,000 U.S. Marines to go ashore in Lebanon to prop up the U.S.-backed government. Three months later, having accomplished that mission, they all pulled out; exactly one American was killed by hostile fire. By contrast, when President Ronald Reagan ordered the Marines back into Lebanon in August 1982, he kept them there for 18 months—and 254 Leathernecks lost their lives amidst growing resistance. Today, we have been in Afghanistan for almost three years, and in Iraq for 18 months. It’s safe to say that we aren’t growing more popular in either place. Instead, the Effective Imperialist uses surrogates for long-term country-control. The Shah, for example, gave us 26 good years of sway in Iran, although admittedly the 25 years since his fall in 1979 have been disappointing. But the search for new tools—human tools—continues. And so on to Baghdad. In October 2002, the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported that Rep. Tom Lantos, ranking Democrat on the House International Affairs Committee, had soothed a visiting Israeli politician with these assurances about the future of Iraq: â€Å"My dear Collette, don’t worry. You won’t have any problem with Saddam. We’ll be rid of the bastard soon enough. And in his place we’ll install a pro-Western dictator, who will be good for you and good for us.† Enter Ahmad Chalabi. Exit Ahmad Chalabi. And while Chalabi did not meet expectations, Iyad Allawi is showing he’s tough—tough on press freedom at least. And while it might not be prudent to write a life-insurance policy for the new Iraqi strongman, it’s possible that he will survive and thrive. But whether or not Allawi makes it, Americans on the home front should develop a taste for hummus and biryani. Just as curry and couscous are national dishes of Britain and France today, thanks to the recasting of their populations as a byproduct of conquest, Americans, too, should prepare for demographic and culinary transition. Today, the difference between the colonizer and the colonized isn’t just firepower—it’s birthrates. One way or another, lots of Iraqis are going to end up in the U.S.; Allawi himself may live and die in his homeland, but lots of his friends and relatives will find new homes—next door to the late Shah’s kin and cronies, maybe in Beverly Hills. Of course, not every Iraqi coming to the American â€Å"mother country† will be carrying a suitcase stuffed with cash. Some will be carrying other things in their bags, which brings us to the seventh and last point in our Effectiveness tutorial. 7. Brace yourself for tragedy. It’s coming. At the height of Roman Imperial Effectiveness, the poet Juvenal wrote plangently, â€Å"The country weeps for its victories.† A study by the Cato Institute counted 98 wars and military campaigns waged by the British from 1800 to 1906. Kipling, the bard of imperialism, poeticized the fate of many of his countrymen: â€Å"When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains/And the women come out to cut up what remains/Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains/An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier.† Sometimes, the tragedy comes later to the Imperial Country. After the fall of the Bastille in 1789, the young minds of Europe were aflame with thoughts of revolutionary restructuring. Nowhere was enthusiasm for the Aufklà ¤rung greater than among German intellectuals. As the historian Isaiah Berlin observed, â€Å"Almost without exception, they began by welcoming the French Revolution rapturously, planting trees of liberty and denouncing as obsolete and brutally oppressive the rule of the three hundred German princes.† But then the dialectical wheel turned, as the French overplayed their hand. â€Å"Horrified by the Terror and wounded by the national humiliation of Germany by the armies of Revolutionary France and, still more, those of Napoleon,† those same Germans, Berlin continued, â€Å"turned into patriots, reactionaries and romantic irrationalists.† One such was Beethoven. Living at the time in Vienna, the young composer intended to dedicate his Third Symphony to Napoleon, but after the French leader crowned himself emperor in 1804, he tore up the â€Å"Eroica† dedication. Less than a decade later, Beethoven composed a celebratory piece entitled â€Å"Wellington’s Victory.† And so the fervent Francophiles of not-yet-Germany were transformed into even more fervent Francophobes. Most likely, Napoleon went to his grave in 1821 without thinking much about the deep geysers of sentiment he had helped uncork. But the unifying Germans thought deeply about their humiliation and insult; for half a century they brooded and plotted. And then in 1870, 1914, and 1940, they crossed the Rhine, each time wreaking horrible vengeance and violence. In contemporary Iraq, our brave troops might be holding up well, but they aren’t just filling up future pages of glorious American military history. They are also unintentionally collaborating in the composition of future sagas of Sunni and Shia martyrdom. Today, the fighting in Iraq is asymmetrical: our F-16s, their AK-47s. But tomorrow, the asymmetrical action could shift to America: their WMD, our cities. That’s called â€Å"blowback,† and it’s a darn nuisance. To date, Americans have been Effective at spending money in Iraq, and little else. But it’s not too late to learn the Seven Habits of Imperial Effectiveness. If Americans are prepared to live—indeed, to die—by those Habits, we can look forward, at least, to pacifying Fallujah.

Drinking a Love Story by Caroline Knapp Essay

Drinking a love story by Caroline describes a life of an alcoholic daughter of rich parents. Excessive wealth, love and carelessness from her parents caused her to adopt life threatening habits. She later on started consuming alcohol. She indulged in alcoholism so much that her life was completely devastated. Caroline describes in details the bad outcomes of excessive consumption of alcohol. One third of alcoholics are women. Every day she consumed more and more alcohol and that was causing more damage to her life. Caroline Knapp, a psychotherapist, narrates a trajectory life of an alcoholic daughter. During Dream world stage, since her adolescence she had problems with drinking. She starts consuming alchol in her early teens and became a regular drinker by the age of sixteen. Her father was a psychoanalyst and a drinker himself who had affairs with several women. Her mother wasn’t able to give attention to her daughter as she was already sufferring from breast cancer. She was born in a prosperous family and her twin sister became a physician. However, Knapp became extremely addictive to alcohol. In disillusionment stage, all the symtptoms of alcoholism started appearing her as she approached her 20s. She also started on unrealistic sex relationship with several men. This added to her unhealthy conditon. During misery stage her thoughts and imaginations were immersed in a bottle of alcohol. A daughter of well-to-do family had a love affair with alcohol that ruined her entire life. The story narrates a true life image of an alcoholic and a warning for those who had started out habit of drinking. During her enlightment stage she sometimes realized that this habit has completely ruined her life. She struggles to find out contact with those who are even more alcoholic than her, in order to comfort her that she’s not the alone. Her parents were also alcoholics. However, she tries to come-up with this problem by improving her self-image and recovery from this state. â€Å"At the same time Meg’s story – her shyness and shame and confusion -is achingly familiar. Bad, semi-consensual drunken sex: so many women I know did this. So many still do. At least one quarter of the 17,592 students surveyed in a 1995 Harvard School of Public Health study on campus drinking said they had suffered an unwanted sexual advance as a result of drinking; that same year, a Columbia University study reported that alcohol plays a role in ninety percent of rapes on college campuses. † (Knapp) In her mid 20s she seeked help with psychotherapist to solve her problems with eating. Because of her excessive consumption of alcohol she lost her apetite, a condition called anorexia. However, duirng her treatment she kept on drinking. Regular consumption of alcohol made her very distressed and she gradually started realizing the cause of her unhappiness. During mutual respect stage, her both parents died of cancer. Loss of her parents, her father’s several comments and her carelessness while holding a child of her friend moved her to undergo an alcoholic anonymous rehabilitation program. Though she was successful as a journalist, she was unable to control her behavior, her unhealthy condition and developed distorting unwanted sex relationship with several men. She found her love affair with an alcohol as a synonymous to an unfaithful and unresponsive man, who had destroyed her life completely. Her recovery would be to end this relationship from its roots and to take a divorce from this love. Those who consume alcohol usually indulge in this habit in order to avoid facing difficulties in life. Caroline brings to their awareness that drinking is not the solution as it makes the problem worse. By drinking one cannot avoid those difficulties and problems but in fact have other severe health problems incurred. This can make their lives miserable. The story is a very good advice for drinkers about this life threatening habit. She sketches a true picture of an alcoholic daughter and its miserable outcomes on women of all age who have this habit. References Knapp, Caroline. Drinking A Love Story.

Copyright Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Copyright - Essay Example Moreover, Nike would need to show that there would be a likelihood of consumer confusion of the fair-use of the trademark. It would also be to Nike’s advantage if it formally sends a letter to that party informing the latter that there was an infringement of Nike’s trademark particularly taking into discussion the possible remedies that Nike can resort to if the latter does not cease and desist in its acts of infringement. If the other party refuses to stop and contest Nike’s action, such refusal may constitute proof of willful infringement (Irwin, Sutton & McCarthy 2008 p. 286; Hansen 2006 p. 111). In Polaroid Corp v Polarad Electronics Corp 287 F. 2d 492 (2nd Circ. 1961), the Court established the 8-factor Polaroid Test to determine whether the use of another of a trademark similar to that of a party will result in the likelihood of confusion. These factors are: the strength of the mark of the plaintiff; the degree of similarity between the two marks; identical products and distribution channels; effect of market expansion; proof of actual confusion; product quality; bad faith exhibited by the defendant; sophistication of prospective consumers.

Recognition of a Human Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment Essay

Recognition of a Human Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment - Essay Example Conversely, Article 11 of the San Salvador Protocol asserts that everyone has a right to live in a healthy environment and to have ready access to basic public services, and that in this effect; states are to promote preservation, protection and improvement of the environment. The relegating of the human right to a clean and healthy environment to states’ prerogatives means that environmental law is neither serious nor powerful in international law, and thereby sparking the need for international recognition as shall be seen in the essay, forthwith. According to Cassuto, the notion that the recognition of human right to clean and healthy environment as the only means by which environmental law are to become serious and powerful in international law is validated by the assigning of this right, a less important status. The historical underpinning of this development is that in the 1960s and 1970s, rights were assigned different categories . In light of the above, civil and political rights were considered first category rights while the second category rights comprised socio-economic rights. Solidarity rights in this case made up the third category. This development has made the inclusion of healthy and safe environment as rarity in the human rights framework since such efforts are seen as being relatable to the third category right. This failure to assign the right to a clean and healthy environment its own category of rights has always made concerns for environmental safety be taken as subservient. Again, the rationale that the consideration of human right to clean and healthy environment as the only way by which environmental law are to become binding and powerful in international law is underpinned by its ability to integrate and galvanize different concerns and methodologies within the human rights frameworks. According to Kurup2, the recognition and legislation of the human right to clean and healthy environment i n turn will help in the codification of a separate rights chapter, section or article. It is also at this juncture that the new right can be made either procedural or substantive. By the right to clean and healthy environment being made substantive, emphasis will have been placed on concerns of definitions, in light of the human right to a clean environment. Conversely, making the matter of human rights more procedural in nature means that more emphasis will centre on the human right to procedural information. It is only through the legislation of this right that the approach (whether procedural or substantive) to tackling environmental crises can be determined, at both international and domestic levels. Currently, there are no international standards and norms that can be used to brook a consensus on the two options. Conversely, Hannan3 advances the idea that the need to legislate the human right to environmental protection is necessitated by the fact that environmental protection is derived from existing rights and freedoms- with these rights being expendable towards environmental ends. This does not necessitate the need to create new substantive human right to a clean environment but implies that environmental safety is derived from existing human freedoms and liberties. In a different wavelength, the need to legally recognize human right to cl

The cylindrospermopsin alkaloids Literature review

The cylindrospermopsin alkaloids - Literature review Example CYN is a natural toxin which is usually produced by certain cyanobacteria species majorly Cylindrospermopsin raciborskii and Umezakia natans among others (Masten 2000). The presence of CYN in drinking or recreational water poses a serious environmental and health risk. CYN was initially isolated in 1992 following a suspected outbreak in Palm Island; Australia. Since its isolation and classification, various techniques have been used to isolate, detect, analyze and purify Cylindrospermopsin (Moore, Ohtani and Runnegar 1992). Some of the common techniques include; High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Photodiode Array Detector (HPLC-PDA), Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA), NMR/Mass Spectrometry (MS), filtration and adsorption techniques among others Masten 2000). This paper shall describe how to grow CYN using bioreactor, analysis using ELISA and HPLC, purification of CYN and analysis using NMR/MS. Detection of Cylindrospermopsin in surface water is important sin ce it acts as the major source of drinking and recreational water for a large percentage of people throughout the world. The Cylindrospermopsins should be constantly removed from water to prevent contamination from toxins which are known to cause hepatotoxicity among other toxic effects (Fastner et al. 2003).Cylindrospermopsin is produced by various cyanobacteria species commonly known as blue-green-algae which are mostly found in fresh water. Some variants of Cylindrospermopsin raciborskii commonly found in U.S., Australia and Hungary, Umezakia natans isolated in Japan and Aphanizomenon ovalisporum found in Israel and Australia produce Cylindrospermopsin (Fastner et al. 2003). Human poisoning which occurs through ingestion of water or food contaminated with Cylindrospermopsin producing strains is the most common problem associated with the toxins. It has been suggested that toxicity by Cylindrospermopsins is majorly mediated through inhibition of protein synthesis which causes loss of liver functioning leading to death of cells. Use of a bioreactor in growing CYN Bioreactors can be used in the growth and isolation of CYN due to their ability to allow controlled growth of the organism under specific conditions. A bioreactor can be used to characterize CYN in terms of its relative biological and chemical components while allowing reproducible generation of the target compound. Bioreactors enable the proliferation of the CYN cells by controlling the environment under which the cells are cultured. Typically, a bioreactor for CYN should alloy control of certain environmental conditions that favor the growth of the organism. Using a bioreactor, conditions like oxygen concentration, temperature, stress and PH as well as sterility are maintained during the procedure (McMahon et al. 2008). The proliferation of CYN cells is also facilitated by the availability of essential nutrients alongside the removal of harmful toxins that can inhibit the growth of the cells. Biore actors enable different operations to be undertaken including fed-batch, batch and continuous cultivation (Choo et al. 2007). Continuous perfusion allows the growth of CYN cells under stable and controlled environmental situations. Isolation of CYN using charcoal filtration method Studies have demonstrated that CYN can be isolated successfully through adsorption techniques utilizing various sediments. Powdered Activated Charcoal (PAC) has been found effective in removing CYN from

Generation Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Generation Gap - Essay Example One can easily identify that the theme of socio-cultural alienation faced by elderly citizens is still a burning issue in the mainstream society. Thesis statement: In the short story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the narrator’s point of view, symbolism and irony reveal/ support/ emphasize the theme of alienation in the mainstream society. In this essay, the literary elements like the narrator’s point of view, symbolism and irony are made use to prove that the same reveal/ support/ emphasize the short story’s theme. The narrator’s point of view In the short story, the narrator’s point of view is linked with the new generation’s attitude towards Emily Grierson. From a different angle of view, the writer makes use of the narrator as a medium to expose the attitude of the new generation towards elderly citizens, especially the womenfolk. One can see that the narrator does not hesitate to attend Emily’s funeral and this proves the n arrator’s empathetic attitude towards the marginalized individuals in the society. At the same time, the narrator does not try to reveal his sympathetic attitude towards Emily Grierson. Instead, the narrator leads the readers towards the circumstances which forced Emily to lead a secluded life. The writer makes use of a fictional county to unmask the tragic story. Within this context, narrator’s point of view is important because the same can be extended to a wider context. For instance, the problem of socio-cultural exclusion faced by Emily is applicable to the wider context of elderly citizens in the society. As pointed out, the narrator’s role in the story is not to produce sympathy towards Emily. Instead, the narrator’s point of view is symbolic of the wide gap between the old and the new generation. In the short story, the narrator symbolizes the new generation in the society, and the writer makes use of the narrator to expose the difference in attit ude towards change. In short, the narrator’s point of view mirrors the writer’s point of view, i.e. empathy towards the marginalized individuals in the society. Symbolism The problems faced by Emily Grierson and her father Mr. Grierson, are symbolic of problems faced by the elderly citizens who are not ready to change. Shmoop stated that, â€Å"This Faulkner classic shows us the process by which human beings become isolated by their families, by their community, by tradition, by law, by the past, and by their own actions and choices† (7). For instance, Mr. Grierson considered that the youngsters in the society are not suitable for his daughter. This negative attitude eventually led his daughter to face alienation and socio-cultural exclusion in the society. Besides, Emily was deeply influenced by her father’s character and she refused to marry. Later, those who lived in Jefferson began to consider that Emily will find out a suitable youngster. But she did not try to do so because she was so proud about her ancestral lineage. In the end, Emily was forced to face social and cultural exclusion because she was not ready to change. Besides, Emily’s housekeeper/servant was her one and only link with the society. One can see that Emily’s pathetic life and her tragic end are symbolic of the aftereffect of her negative attitude towards change. From a different angle of view, Emily’s father did not allow her to marry and this accelerated her socio-cultural exclusion. On the other side, Emily did not try to be within the mainstream society and was forced to face the consequences. She did not try to develop cordial relationship with her neighbors. Instead, she depended upon her servant and this attitude forced her to shrink herself into her private circle. When she became older, no one other than her servant was there to help her.

Hiring Employees Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hiring Employees - Research Paper Example r evaluation of the existing vacancies that needs to be filled in the new office, as well as the accurate determination of the needs and requirements of the new position is essential for recruiting the right candidate (Farmer, 2004). Therefore, a job analysis is necessary for all the vacancies in the new office, since it makes it possible to tailor the job position to the competencies required, and thus allows for proper classification of each job vacancy. The evaluation of the needs of all the positions to be filled in the new office requires the understanding of the strategic goals of the organization, as well as that of each department in the new office. Considering the fact that the new office to be open is part of an already existing organization, it is essential to establish the core competencies of the staff serving in the different departments of the existing office, which can then be formulated as the qualification requirements for the staffs to be recruited for the new offi ce. While evaluating the core competencies of the new office staff, there is the need to establish the existing gaps in the core competencies, which will in turn help to determine whether the recruitment of the staff for the new office should be done internally within the organization or otherwise (Drinan, 1998). Where there exists a skills gap in the existing employees of the organization, then external recruitment is necessary. The full determination of all the vacancies that exists in the new office and the core competencies that are required in the staffs that will fill these vacancies paves way for the second step in the recruitment process. The formulation of the right description for each job vacancy forms an essential key success factor for recruiting staff (Shermont & Murphy, 2006). This is because; more than anything else, a well formulated and written job description acts as the documented evidence to prevent or defend the legal claims that might arise in the recruitment

Domestic Violence Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Domestic Violence Abuse - Essay Example This has been the legacy of the Tennessee laws regarding domestic violence. However, recent decades have witnessed a shift in public awareness accompanied by a greater sense of responsibility within the law to protect the women, men, and children who become the victims of abuse and a greater willingness of the courts to prosecute the offenders. One of the key areas that Tennessee law has changed in recent years is the ability of the state to intervene in prosecution of domestic violence with or without the cooperation of the victim. According to the Knoxville Tennessee Bar Association, "unlike in the past when victims were required to swear out warrants, officers now are being trained to swear out all warrants involving domestic violence themselves" (How to Use the Law). If the offender is arrested, the level of the crime will depend upon the egregiousness of the act. In Tennessee most prosecutions for domestic violence are prosecuted as Class A misdemeanors that carry a sentence of not more than 1 year (How to Use the Law). In addition to the criminal sentence most offenders are also required to attend a domestic violence intervention program. The victim is also entitled to obtain a Civil Order of Protection that provides an additional layer of legal protection against domestic violence and threats. The recent changes in Tennessee law that have broadened t... While the change was necessary to prevent losing federal grants, defense lawyer Clay Whittaker "believes the fallout from the law change is that the people with orders of protection against them could end up bearing the burden of court costs in all instances, even if the plaintiffs' complaints eventually are found to have no merit" (Mercer). This is especially relevant due to other recent changes in Tennessee law that define "adults or minors who are dating or who have dated or who have or had sexual relationship" as eligible for domestic protection orders, which could open the doors for abuse of the existing laws in the form of revenge or overreaction (Bohn). These definitions are vague and can include many people who can be subjected to prosecution without any warning or committing any offensive activity. One of the most significant, and widely praised, changes in Tennessee law has been in the provisions and penalties for spousal rape. US law has traditionally defined rape as "sexual intercourse with a female not his wife without her consent" (Spousal Rape Bill Back). In the last 30 years, states have moved to amend the law to repeal the spousal exclusion from the rape laws. In 1998, the Tennessee spousal exemption was changed to read that a spouse could be charged only if there was a weapon involved, there was serious bodily injury, or the couple was separated or divorced (Echegaray). In 2005, Tennessee amended its law again to eliminate the spousal exemption and "made the rape of a spouse as serious as the rape of a stranger" (Echegaray). This was a significant step in recognizing that domestic violence is a serious offense and a grave threat to public safety. In

Role of the nurse Essay Example for Free

Role of the nurse Essay According to the American Nurses Association the role of the professional nurse is held to a high standard. Nurses have a guideline of professionalism that is upheld to match the level of care given to each and every patient and held accountable for their actions towards clients and peers (Perry/Potter, 7). Nurses are expected to critical think as a way to solve any problem or ailment presented to them by patients. Nurses are to implement the nursing process which delegates a step by step process to think critically in solving patients problems. The steps are assessment, diagnosis, outcomes identification and planning, implementation and evaluation (Perry/Pottery, 7). 2. I see nurses fulfilling these roles and many more. The nurse is a caregiver when attending to patients needs and going the extra mile in providing care that is not asked for, such as when providing a bath and massaging the legs to provide stimulation in circulation in the legs. Nurses are the patient’s advocate we speak on the patients behalf to the doctors as well as administration. Educating the patient on prevention of illness and health practices on current ailments. We communicate to the patients on a daily bases nurses are on the forefront dealing with the patients at the bedside we communicate all needs and care for the patient to the doctors. Nurses are in charge of managing the care of our patients how the patient is responding to treatment, their fluid intake and output, tracking of nutritional status. Nurses practice autonomy and accountability on a daily basis. We encourage ambulation to a patient after giving birth to stimulate circulation and urinary functions. 3. When I think of a nurse I think of a caregiver. Someone who will help a patient on their road to recovery. Someone who will listen to a patients concerns and reassure the patient that they are receiving the best care possible. Someone who will care. In my opinion some people think that nurses are assists to doctors. I have heard this many times. Yes we do assist doctors but today nurses are so much more and are responsible for much more in the medical field. Mostly the media presents nurses in a positive light showcasing the diverse and important role of the nurse in the hospital. But sadly there are still some that negatively show nurses as a sex symbol with no real input in patient care.

Benefits of Continuous Workplace Training

Benefits of Continuous Workplace Training Abstract Training is widely used as a learning process whereby employees acquire new skills, knowledge and competence. In this fast changing world, training can be both an anchor and a lifeline. An anchor if it has a clear, focused objective, and a lifeline if it enables employees to keep up with the pace of change and allows companies to survive or even succeed. However, investment in training appears to be under-utilized. Many companies do not evaluate the impact of training programs. Many Human Resources Department (HRD) believe that they have fulfilled their duty of care after organizing training courses for employees. After an extensive literature search, it was found that many companies do not have a system of evaluation or follow-ups to ensure that trainees put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired during training programs. Human Resource (HR) managers believe that it is the responsibility of the trainer and the Head of department to ensure that employees put the learning into practice. But both of them deny this responsibility and hold the HRD accountable. It is in this context that the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of training at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd (HSBC). This study uses exploratory as well as descriptive research designs. Survey research was conducted by way of a questionnaire among a sample number of employees who followed training courses and a face-to-face interview with the Recruitment and Development manager. The interview was audio taped, and the data obtained from the questionnaire was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The study reveals that while the employees including the Recruitment and Development manager acknowledge the importance of training, unfortunately there is not a specific evaluation system and follow-ups ensuring that the learning is transferred back into the workplace. It is also discovered that while HSBC is planning to use more e-learning as a method of training, most employees prefer classroom-based, raising serious concerns over training effectiveness at HSBC. Focusing only on this study, it can be concluded that training at HSBC is not completely effective. However more in-depth research could be conducted to compare the effectiveness of different training methods available at HSBC 1.0 Introduction A hundred years ago, change was slow, like the steady flow of an untroubled river. The world is now a much different place to what it was even ten years ago. Most of the time the changes are unpredictable. The current global financial crisis is a vivid proof that the world does not stand still. With approximately eighteen banks currently operating in Mauritius, the banking sector is exposed to increasing levels of international and domestic competition. To innovate and become competitive, its human resources have to innovate in everything they do, be it their minds, their thinking, their skills and competence. While in the manufacturing sector, employee performance failures end up in the reject pile, in the service sector such as the banking sector; employee performance failures are external failures. Those mistakes are visible to the customer and thus every failure has a direct impact on customer satisfaction. Therefore, investing in people through training is a prerequisite. Employees who have the necessary skills can create powerful business advantages that can be very difficult for competitors to duplicate. Countries like Japan are trying to substitute human beings with robots. Indeed, human beings are non substitutable because they possess intelligence and potential that can never be equaled and their inventions proved it. The Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, the Great Wall and now the computer are all the creation and invention of humans. In Mauritius, government wants to make the Knowledge Hub another pillar of the economy. However, Mauritius is currently suffering from a massive brain drain. Many who are emigrating are highly skilled, such as Doctors, Accountants and IT Developers. School leavers who go abroad for further education rarely come back. As such, the best and brightest are lost to their home country, resulting to a lack of young and skilled people to drive the expanding market place. Therefore, the Human Resources Development Council is offering training grants where employers can recover up to 75% of training costs to encourage companies to provide training to a maximum number of employees. However, it is still debatable whether the training grant is being used effectively since measuring training effectiveness has often been neglected. But simply having all employees attend a training event does not necessarily translate into an improved workplace. The main challenge for any training program is to ensure that the learning is transferred back into the workplace. 1.1 Structure of Dissertation This study is structured as follows: Chapter 1 provides a small overview of HSBC. Chapter 2 offers a theoretical and critical background of the literature review. Chapter 3 summarizes the research approach to conduct the study. Chapter 4 provides a thorough analysis of the data obtained from the survey. Chapter 5 consists of recommendations and provides concluding comments. 1.2 Benefits of the Research The findings of this study are of major importance to HSBC as well as other companies as they assist them in adding value to their company by improving their position as an employer of choice through the delivery of effective training. The findings may also prove useful to lecturers, university students and anyone else with an interest in effectiveness of training programs. 2.0 Company Background 2.1 The HSBC Group HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers from around 9,500 offices in the main regions of the world such as Europe, Asia-Pacific, America, Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,527 billion at 31 December 2008, HSBC is one of the worlds largest banking and financial services organizations. In 2002, HSBC launched a campaign to differentiate its brand from those of its competitors, with that pithy phrase: â€Å" The worlds local bank†. In July 2009, HSBC was named â€Å"Best Global Bank† by Euromoney magazine. In addition, HSBC was awarded the â€Å"Best Global Debt House† and the â€Å"Best Global Transaction Banking House†. 2.2 HSBC in Mauritius In Mauritius, HSBC operates 11 full-service branches and an offshore unit, which for many years has played a leading role in facilitating cross-border investment activity. It offers a wide range of products and services to diverse domestic and cross border customer base, from accounts services to credit cards, savings, investments, loans and custodian services. Through its locally incorporated subsidiary, the HSBC Bank (Mauritius) Ltd (HBMU), the bank is able to offer many of its global customers more sophisticated financial products and structures that benefit from the extensive range of international double taxation avoidance treaties that Mauritius has negotiated. In addition, HSBC Mauritius is a leading provider of financial services to local companies across the whole spectrum from SMEs to local Top 100 companies as well as locally listed conglomerates. For three consecutive years, 2005-2007, HSBC has been bank of the year. It is also the second largest credit card issuer in Mauritius. As HSBC Mauritius continues to expand, it has decided to bring together all its non-retail operations under one site in the fast growing Ebene Cybercity in 2008. In May 2009, HSBC Mauritius has launched two Islamic banking products. It becomes the first bank in Mauritius to offer Syariah-compliant banking services. HSBC vision: To be a key value creator by identifying, developing, designing and delivering learning and employee development solutions for business success. HSBC mission: Partnering with our business lines to create value for our shareholders and our external customers. Maintaining a learning culture that energizes and motivates employees to maximize their full potential. Aligning training and employee development support with HSBC strategic imperatives. Core business principles: Outstanding customer service Effective and efficient operations Strong capital and liquidity Prudent lending policy Strict expense discipline HSBC Values: Perceptive Progressive Responsive Respectful Fair 3.0 Literature Review 3.1 Definition of training Training has been defined many times over the years. The Manpower Services Commission (1981 cited by Armstrong 1999) defined training as a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skills to achieve effective performance. Similarly, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defined training as â€Å"an instructor-led and content-based intervention leading to desired changes in behaviour.† For Armstrong (2003, p.549), training is â€Å" the use of systematic and planned instruction and development activities to promote learning.† Moore (2005) found the importance of retaining staff through training by defining training as not only a way to achieve a specified standard of staff competence, but also about investing in employees to retain them. Similarly, Cartwright (2003) viewed training as an investment in people. 3.2 Definition of effectiveness Being effective implies producing powerful effects. According to Bartol et al. (1997), effectiveness is the ability to choose appropriate goals and to achieve them. Similarly, Fraser (1994) defined effectiveness as a measure of the match between stated goals and their achievement. Often, there is confusion between â€Å"effectiveness† and â€Å"efficiency† because there is a degree of inter-relationship. This relationship can best be understood by considering effectiveness as doing the right thing and efficiency as doing things the right way. According to Hunter (2005), efficiency and effectiveness are often mutually exclusive. The latter viewed efficiency as a measure of speed and cost and effectiveness as a measure of quality. For Hearn Wendy, effectiveness comes from taking the time to stop and evaluate, rather than running faster and faster. According to her, people should work smarter not harder. Similarly Ferriss (2007) believed that what people do is more important than how they do things. He also saw efficiency as useless if it is not applied to the right things. 3.3 Objectives of training Business Environment Changes and Challenges Learning Implementation Business Excellence The main aim of training is to bring about suitable changes in employees to equip them with the skills required to do their work properly. According to Armstrong (2003) the main objective of training is to achieve companies human resource development strategies by ensuring that the employees have the skills, knowledge and competence to meet present and future needs. 3.4 Importance of training Training is crucial to a companys success. It plays a large part in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of the establishment (Sharma 1997). The latter agreed that training is a must and that management has no choice between training and no training. According to him, the only choice is to select a suitable training method. Similarly, Truelove (1997) believed that workplace skills have to be refreshed from time to time just as professional soldiers and top sports people train regularly to maintain their skills. Bird (1993) also saw training as important to give employees the necessary knowledge to bring about quality improvement across the company. Batten (1992 cited by Vermeulen and Crous 2000, p.61) described the importance of training by the following words: â€Å" Train, Train, Train!† If people are to do things better, they must have the skills and knowledge to do so. If employees cannot do their jobs because they have not been trained, that will reflect in the departments performance. This is supported by Miller et al. (1998 cited by Moore 2005, p.200): When good training is lacking there is likely to be an atmosphere of tension, crisis and conflict all the time, because nobody is quite sure how the various jobs are supposed to be done and who is responsible for what. Similarly, Smith et al. (2003) viewed training as an essential ingredient for the success and longevity of teams. Eder (1990) wrote about the successful opening of the Mirage mega-casino in Las Vegas due to the training imparted to employees months before the opening of the casino. Clegg (2000) believed that developing staff to their full potential is important and is doubly required during hard times. According to an article published in the journal of â€Å" Development and Learning in Organizations† in 2004, it is exactly when times are tough and businesses are sailing through rough seas that companies need to update employees skills since to do otherwise is like throwing the lifeboats overboard to save on weight. Yet, despite a higher profile for training, there is still little evidence showing that a large number of employers accept the importance of training to organisational success. According to Clegg (2000, p.2), employees are unlikely to mention training as the most important department of the company. The author observed that: Many training departments have a bad image. Many companies will say that training is among their top priorities but almost always they change their mind when money is short. Too much training that is currently undertaken has very little impact on what the trainees do when they return to the workplace at the end of the course. Too much training is uninspiring. As rightly said by Hallier and Butts (2000, p.397), in many companies â€Å" Training is perceived to be a less varied sphere of activity and not necessarily essential to the running of the organization.† Indeed, in any economic environment, it makes no sense to throw money at training because training is still regarded as an unnecessary function. 3.5 Benefits of training Even though training costs money, in most cases the benefits outweigh the costs. Sloman (2005) believed that investing in staff through training bring long-term benefits. Sharma (1997) inferred that training provides the following benefits: Increase in productivity Improve individual and business performance thus obtaining a competitive edge. Improve morale of employees. Reduce supervision Reduce dissatisfactions, complaints, absenteeism and turnover Less accidents and wastage Enable employees to obtain job satisfaction and to progress within the organisation, thus helping the organisation to retain its workforce. Increase in organisational stability and flexibility. Avoid human obsolescence 3.6 Training: an investment or a cost? Sutherland (1999) stipulated that the most important of all capital is that invested in human beings. Law (1998), Vermeulen and Crous (2000) and Sloman (2005) took a position very similar to Sutherland (1999) by stating that people are indeed the most valuable asset of any enterprise. Sharma (1997, p.244) rightly stated: â€Å"There is no greater organizational asset than the trained motivated personnel.† Buzan and Keene (1996) in their book â€Å" The Age Heresy† argued that humans could appreciate in value whilst machinery depreciate in value fast and become redundant. Simarly, Law (1998) commented that human capital is more valuable than property or fixed assets. In contrast to many authors opinion about employees being the most important asset, many companies still consider the development of people as a discretionary cost rather than a necessary investment. For many economists, the worth of something is not determined by its purpose but to its price. Prahalad (1972, p.169) rightly stated: â€Å" To most line-managers, training has been by far an optional extra, to be indulged in when profits are good and to be dispensed with during lean periods.† He further added that traditional accounting practices considers all intangibles such as â€Å" organizational capability and worth of human resources as expenses† but all tangibles such as investment in plant and equipment as investment. Cunningham (2002, p.90) commented that for many organisations training is â€Å" nice to have†, but not an essential. The training budget is the easier option when a company has to reduce costs. As such, companies tend to cut corners which render the training ineffective (Clements and Josiam, 1995). This is an oxymoron. On the one hand, we have companies stating that employees are the most important assets but on the other hand, the same companies contradict themselves by viewing training as a cost rather than a worthwhile investment. All companies talk a lot about people development. But the moment things get tough; companies reduce training budgets, which may be a very short-sighted policy. If companies really believed about employees development, this is the one thing they would ring fence (Clegg 2000). Managers often complain about giving them a better class of workers and their problems will go away. Brown (1992) argued that employers are already equipped with a pretty good class of workers since after all they chose them. Indeed it is managers responsibility to help employees improve. The contributions of employees are often taken for granted though employees contribute a lot. Managers tend to believe in things that are visible to them but those whose contributions they cannot see tend to be neglected by them. Cartwright (2003,p.6) rightly stipulated: Consider what Mickey Mouse is worth to Disney or what a gifted program writer is worth to Microsoft. The value may be impossible to calculate in absolute terms, but it is likely to be many times the conventional worth of either asset. Barrows and Power (1999 cited by Moore 2005, p.200) believed that the alternative to training, that is not to train may even be more expensive because this lead to poor customer service. A lost customer may never return. As such, the lost revenue from poor service exceeds the costs of training a worker properly. 3.7 Effective Training Porter and Parker (1993,p.19) identified four features for successful training: Training must be viewed as a continuous process. Training must be focused so that people receive appropriate courses at the appropriate level of their needs. Training must be planned for the future to include the development of total quality skills and techniques. Training materials must be made customized to suit the particular organization. Organizations tend to believe that training â€Å" delivered en masse will mean that they have fulfilled their duty of care† (Shuttleworth 2004,p.62). The symptoms of ineffective and poor training are many. The most self- evident are dissatisfied customers, haphazard work, performance and quality standards not met, untidy work, low productivity, high production costs, excessive waste, employee dissatisfaction, poor discipline and high labour turnover. In fact, the most effective way to develop people is quite different to conventional skills training, which let us face it most employees regard as a pain in the neck. Clegg (2000) argued that it is no longer good to rely on the way things have always been done and the only way to make training more effective is to be creative. Sloman (2005) suggested that if an effective training program is in place, it could help employees realize their potential and thus benefit both the employees and the organization. According to Vermeulen and Crous (2000), for training to be effective, it must not only be planned in a systematic and objective manner but it must also be continuous to meet changes in technology, changes involving the environment in which an organisation operates, its structure and most important of all, the employees who work there. However, Harris (1995) concluded that managers tend to select training programmes according to budgets and time available, but not according to the needs of employees. Conversely, Cunnigham (2002) argued that if training remains focused on the needs of employees, important changes in developing the performance of the organization might be missed out. As such, it can be inferred that creating effective training programs require balancing the needs of the learner and the needs of the organization. In addition, Sloman (2005, p.349) commented: Training is not about constructing courses based on identified training needs. It is about making a whole series of interventions that encourage a climate in which committed learners are willing and able to acquire relevant knowledge and skills. If employees take part in training half-heartedly, it may prove costly for the organization. Even the best-planned training sessions may prove ineffective if employees are unwilling to participate. Similarly, Barrett and OConnell (2001) observed that a company can provide training to its employees, but the extent to which the training courses are then applied at work depends on the extent to which employees devote effort to learning and apply the new skills. The values projects model of learning also emphasized the importance of motivation, where the employees are willing to implement their learning. I do (Action) I will (Motivation) I Can (Skills) I Know (Knowledge) 3.8 Training Cycle For training to be effective, companies must complete the full training cycle. But as Beardwell and Claydon (2007) rightly said, the popularity of the training cycle is more evident in the rhetoric of the literature than in organizational reality. Stage 1 Identification of Training need Stage 4 Evaluation of training Stage 2 Plan of training required Stage 3 Implementation of training 3.8.1 Identification of training needs Arthur et al. (2003, p.236) stated that it is important to carry a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) before providing training because â€Å"it provides a mechanism whereby the questions central to successful training programs can be answered.† Prior to training, companies must have a clear idea of what it wants to achieve (Shuttleworth 2004) and whether the organisations needs, objectives and problems can be addressed by training (Arthur et al. 2003). Matens (HRfocus 2005b, p.11) suggested that companies should ask these key questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? How can we get commitment from key individuals? McGehee Thayer (1961) recommended a three-tier approach to determine training needs. Arthur et al. (2003) three-step process for assessing training needs is similar to McGehee Thayer (1961). They are as follows: Organisational analysis: Where training should be emphasized within the organization and which organizational goals and problems can be achieved and solved through training. Operational analysis or Task analysis: The skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for employees to perform their jobs at the desired level. Man analysis: How well the employees are performing their tasks, who needs to be trained and for what. In the process of TNA, managers have to identify relevant training needs through the use of annual performance appraisal procedure to examine the individuals aspirations, how their jobs may change and what training is required (Hallier and Butts 2000). According to HRfocus (2005b), companies should get input about what employees want to be trained in. Although TNA is time-consuming and expensive, it provides greater financial, organizational and individual benefits. Also, training must be top-down, starting with the top team and cascading down the organization to show management commitment and to create an effective, healthy and versatile workforce. While in some organisations, training is considered to be for managers only, in other organisations managers think training is only relevant to workers, but not for them. Indeed, both these attitudes are wrong because training is for everybody (Reynolds, 1994). Similarly, Matens (HRfocus, 2005b) agreed that commitment and support from top management is vital. According to him, management has to show up for classes too. 3.8.1.1 The skills gap It is important for managers to identify skills gap, which is the difference between the skills needed to perform the required task and the skills employees already possess. The Skills Gap Skills needed Skills already acquired 3.8.2 Plan of training required Using a variety of training methods, the skills gap can be filled. In fact, Barrett OConnell (2001) observed that different training methods could encourage or discourage employees to participate in training programs. Similarly, The Learning and Skills Council (2004 cited by Beardwell Claydon 2007, p.317) commented that companies tend to choose inappropriate training methods which are â€Å" costly, time consuming, have a deleterious effect on employees perceptions of the value of training† and ultimately do not lead to increase skills levels in organizations. 3.8.2.1 Matching skills or tasks and training delivery methods Skills and tasks can be classified into three broad categories (Farina and Wheaton 1973; Fleishman and Quaintance 1984; Gold-stein and Ford 2002; cited by Arthur et al. 2003, p.236): Cognitive This relates to the thinking, idea generation, understanding, problem solving, or the knowledge requirements of the job. Interpersonal This relates to interacting with others in a workgroup or with clients and customers, which entails a variety of skills including leadership, communication, conflict management and team-building. Psychomotor This relates to physical or manual activities involving a range of movement from very fine to gross motor coordination. For a specific skill or task, a given training method may be more effective than others. This relationship has been backed by studies from Wexley and Latham (2002) who emphasized on the need to consider skills and task characteristics required to determine the most effective training method. 3.8.2.2 Training techniques On-the-job It is the most popular training method because it is job-specific, relevant, immediate and flexible. A 2006 study by CIPD conveyed that 56% of learning and development professionals agree that on-the-job training is the most effective way for people to learn in organizations (Beardwell and Claydon 2007,p.308). Conversely, Smith et al. (2003) commented that training delivered internally by employees who carry other duties apart from their responsibilities of training might lead to ineffective training because they have not received much training in how to train. On-the-job training includes the following: Demonstration It involves telling or showing trainees how to do a job and then allowing them to get on with it. It is the most commonly used training method (Armstrong 2003) because it is immediate and accessible to most employees. This method is effective if the person giving the demonstration clearly defines what results have been achieved and how they can be improved. However this method can result in the passing of bad or even dangerous working practices. Also, it does not provide a structured learning system where trainees understand the sequence of the training they are following. Job rotation The aim is to increase employees experience by moving them from job to job or department to department. It can be an inefficient and frustrating method of acquiring additional knowledge and skills if it is not carefully planned and controlled (Armstrong 2003). For this method to be effective, a program has to be designed stating what trainees are expected to learn in each department or job. Also, there must be a suitable person to assess whether the trainees are given the right experience and the opportunity to learn. Coaching It is a person-to-person technique to develop individual skills, knowledge and attitudes (Armstrong 2003). It can be very effective if it takes place informally as part of the normal process of management. Coaching consists of providing guidance on how to carry out specific tasks to help individuals learn rather than force-feeding them with instructions on what to do and how to do it. Mentoring It is the process of using specially selected and trained individuals to provide guidance and advice to develop the careers of the employees (Armstrong 2003). The aim is to complement learning on the job. The mentor provides personal support and should not be an immediate superior to enable the employees to talk openly about problems and discuss any concerns frankly. Secondment or attachment It involves the employees widening their skills or learning other skills by visiting other departments. It can also be used to increase awareness and understanding of other departments roles and concerns. Off the job It usually takes place in training areas or centres, away from the employees immediate work positions. It includes lectures, case study, seminars and role-playing amongst others. This method is mainly theoretical. As rightly criticised by Beardwell and Claydon (2007, p.322) this method is frequently pigeon-holed as the old way of doing things and typified as teacher centred, classroom based, process-focused and providing learning that is difficult to Benefits of Continuous Workplace Training Benefits of Continuous Workplace Training Abstract Training is widely used as a learning process whereby employees acquire new skills, knowledge and competence. In this fast changing world, training can be both an anchor and a lifeline. An anchor if it has a clear, focused objective, and a lifeline if it enables employees to keep up with the pace of change and allows companies to survive or even succeed. However, investment in training appears to be under-utilized. Many companies do not evaluate the impact of training programs. Many Human Resources Department (HRD) believe that they have fulfilled their duty of care after organizing training courses for employees. After an extensive literature search, it was found that many companies do not have a system of evaluation or follow-ups to ensure that trainees put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired during training programs. Human Resource (HR) managers believe that it is the responsibility of the trainer and the Head of department to ensure that employees put the learning into practice. But both of them deny this responsibility and hold the HRD accountable. It is in this context that the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of training at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd (HSBC). This study uses exploratory as well as descriptive research designs. Survey research was conducted by way of a questionnaire among a sample number of employees who followed training courses and a face-to-face interview with the Recruitment and Development manager. The interview was audio taped, and the data obtained from the questionnaire was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The study reveals that while the employees including the Recruitment and Development manager acknowledge the importance of training, unfortunately there is not a specific evaluation system and follow-ups ensuring that the learning is transferred back into the workplace. It is also discovered that while HSBC is planning to use more e-learning as a method of training, most employees prefer classroom-based, raising serious concerns over training effectiveness at HSBC. Focusing only on this study, it can be concluded that training at HSBC is not completely effective. However more in-depth research could be conducted to compare the effectiveness of different training methods available at HSBC 1.0 Introduction A hundred years ago, change was slow, like the steady flow of an untroubled river. The world is now a much different place to what it was even ten years ago. Most of the time the changes are unpredictable. The current global financial crisis is a vivid proof that the world does not stand still. With approximately eighteen banks currently operating in Mauritius, the banking sector is exposed to increasing levels of international and domestic competition. To innovate and become competitive, its human resources have to innovate in everything they do, be it their minds, their thinking, their skills and competence. While in the manufacturing sector, employee performance failures end up in the reject pile, in the service sector such as the banking sector; employee performance failures are external failures. Those mistakes are visible to the customer and thus every failure has a direct impact on customer satisfaction. Therefore, investing in people through training is a prerequisite. Employees who have the necessary skills can create powerful business advantages that can be very difficult for competitors to duplicate. Countries like Japan are trying to substitute human beings with robots. Indeed, human beings are non substitutable because they possess intelligence and potential that can never be equaled and their inventions proved it. The Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, the Great Wall and now the computer are all the creation and invention of humans. In Mauritius, government wants to make the Knowledge Hub another pillar of the economy. However, Mauritius is currently suffering from a massive brain drain. Many who are emigrating are highly skilled, such as Doctors, Accountants and IT Developers. School leavers who go abroad for further education rarely come back. As such, the best and brightest are lost to their home country, resulting to a lack of young and skilled people to drive the expanding market place. Therefore, the Human Resources Development Council is offering training grants where employers can recover up to 75% of training costs to encourage companies to provide training to a maximum number of employees. However, it is still debatable whether the training grant is being used effectively since measuring training effectiveness has often been neglected. But simply having all employees attend a training event does not necessarily translate into an improved workplace. The main challenge for any training program is to ensure that the learning is transferred back into the workplace. 1.1 Structure of Dissertation This study is structured as follows: Chapter 1 provides a small overview of HSBC. Chapter 2 offers a theoretical and critical background of the literature review. Chapter 3 summarizes the research approach to conduct the study. Chapter 4 provides a thorough analysis of the data obtained from the survey. Chapter 5 consists of recommendations and provides concluding comments. 1.2 Benefits of the Research The findings of this study are of major importance to HSBC as well as other companies as they assist them in adding value to their company by improving their position as an employer of choice through the delivery of effective training. The findings may also prove useful to lecturers, university students and anyone else with an interest in effectiveness of training programs. 2.0 Company Background 2.1 The HSBC Group HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers from around 9,500 offices in the main regions of the world such as Europe, Asia-Pacific, America, Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,527 billion at 31 December 2008, HSBC is one of the worlds largest banking and financial services organizations. In 2002, HSBC launched a campaign to differentiate its brand from those of its competitors, with that pithy phrase: â€Å" The worlds local bank†. In July 2009, HSBC was named â€Å"Best Global Bank† by Euromoney magazine. In addition, HSBC was awarded the â€Å"Best Global Debt House† and the â€Å"Best Global Transaction Banking House†. 2.2 HSBC in Mauritius In Mauritius, HSBC operates 11 full-service branches and an offshore unit, which for many years has played a leading role in facilitating cross-border investment activity. It offers a wide range of products and services to diverse domestic and cross border customer base, from accounts services to credit cards, savings, investments, loans and custodian services. Through its locally incorporated subsidiary, the HSBC Bank (Mauritius) Ltd (HBMU), the bank is able to offer many of its global customers more sophisticated financial products and structures that benefit from the extensive range of international double taxation avoidance treaties that Mauritius has negotiated. In addition, HSBC Mauritius is a leading provider of financial services to local companies across the whole spectrum from SMEs to local Top 100 companies as well as locally listed conglomerates. For three consecutive years, 2005-2007, HSBC has been bank of the year. It is also the second largest credit card issuer in Mauritius. As HSBC Mauritius continues to expand, it has decided to bring together all its non-retail operations under one site in the fast growing Ebene Cybercity in 2008. In May 2009, HSBC Mauritius has launched two Islamic banking products. It becomes the first bank in Mauritius to offer Syariah-compliant banking services. HSBC vision: To be a key value creator by identifying, developing, designing and delivering learning and employee development solutions for business success. HSBC mission: Partnering with our business lines to create value for our shareholders and our external customers. Maintaining a learning culture that energizes and motivates employees to maximize their full potential. Aligning training and employee development support with HSBC strategic imperatives. Core business principles: Outstanding customer service Effective and efficient operations Strong capital and liquidity Prudent lending policy Strict expense discipline HSBC Values: Perceptive Progressive Responsive Respectful Fair 3.0 Literature Review 3.1 Definition of training Training has been defined many times over the years. The Manpower Services Commission (1981 cited by Armstrong 1999) defined training as a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skills to achieve effective performance. Similarly, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defined training as â€Å"an instructor-led and content-based intervention leading to desired changes in behaviour.† For Armstrong (2003, p.549), training is â€Å" the use of systematic and planned instruction and development activities to promote learning.† Moore (2005) found the importance of retaining staff through training by defining training as not only a way to achieve a specified standard of staff competence, but also about investing in employees to retain them. Similarly, Cartwright (2003) viewed training as an investment in people. 3.2 Definition of effectiveness Being effective implies producing powerful effects. According to Bartol et al. (1997), effectiveness is the ability to choose appropriate goals and to achieve them. Similarly, Fraser (1994) defined effectiveness as a measure of the match between stated goals and their achievement. Often, there is confusion between â€Å"effectiveness† and â€Å"efficiency† because there is a degree of inter-relationship. This relationship can best be understood by considering effectiveness as doing the right thing and efficiency as doing things the right way. According to Hunter (2005), efficiency and effectiveness are often mutually exclusive. The latter viewed efficiency as a measure of speed and cost and effectiveness as a measure of quality. For Hearn Wendy, effectiveness comes from taking the time to stop and evaluate, rather than running faster and faster. According to her, people should work smarter not harder. Similarly Ferriss (2007) believed that what people do is more important than how they do things. He also saw efficiency as useless if it is not applied to the right things. 3.3 Objectives of training Business Environment Changes and Challenges Learning Implementation Business Excellence The main aim of training is to bring about suitable changes in employees to equip them with the skills required to do their work properly. According to Armstrong (2003) the main objective of training is to achieve companies human resource development strategies by ensuring that the employees have the skills, knowledge and competence to meet present and future needs. 3.4 Importance of training Training is crucial to a companys success. It plays a large part in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of the establishment (Sharma 1997). The latter agreed that training is a must and that management has no choice between training and no training. According to him, the only choice is to select a suitable training method. Similarly, Truelove (1997) believed that workplace skills have to be refreshed from time to time just as professional soldiers and top sports people train regularly to maintain their skills. Bird (1993) also saw training as important to give employees the necessary knowledge to bring about quality improvement across the company. Batten (1992 cited by Vermeulen and Crous 2000, p.61) described the importance of training by the following words: â€Å" Train, Train, Train!† If people are to do things better, they must have the skills and knowledge to do so. If employees cannot do their jobs because they have not been trained, that will reflect in the departments performance. This is supported by Miller et al. (1998 cited by Moore 2005, p.200): When good training is lacking there is likely to be an atmosphere of tension, crisis and conflict all the time, because nobody is quite sure how the various jobs are supposed to be done and who is responsible for what. Similarly, Smith et al. (2003) viewed training as an essential ingredient for the success and longevity of teams. Eder (1990) wrote about the successful opening of the Mirage mega-casino in Las Vegas due to the training imparted to employees months before the opening of the casino. Clegg (2000) believed that developing staff to their full potential is important and is doubly required during hard times. According to an article published in the journal of â€Å" Development and Learning in Organizations† in 2004, it is exactly when times are tough and businesses are sailing through rough seas that companies need to update employees skills since to do otherwise is like throwing the lifeboats overboard to save on weight. Yet, despite a higher profile for training, there is still little evidence showing that a large number of employers accept the importance of training to organisational success. According to Clegg (2000, p.2), employees are unlikely to mention training as the most important department of the company. The author observed that: Many training departments have a bad image. Many companies will say that training is among their top priorities but almost always they change their mind when money is short. Too much training that is currently undertaken has very little impact on what the trainees do when they return to the workplace at the end of the course. Too much training is uninspiring. As rightly said by Hallier and Butts (2000, p.397), in many companies â€Å" Training is perceived to be a less varied sphere of activity and not necessarily essential to the running of the organization.† Indeed, in any economic environment, it makes no sense to throw money at training because training is still regarded as an unnecessary function. 3.5 Benefits of training Even though training costs money, in most cases the benefits outweigh the costs. Sloman (2005) believed that investing in staff through training bring long-term benefits. Sharma (1997) inferred that training provides the following benefits: Increase in productivity Improve individual and business performance thus obtaining a competitive edge. Improve morale of employees. Reduce supervision Reduce dissatisfactions, complaints, absenteeism and turnover Less accidents and wastage Enable employees to obtain job satisfaction and to progress within the organisation, thus helping the organisation to retain its workforce. Increase in organisational stability and flexibility. Avoid human obsolescence 3.6 Training: an investment or a cost? Sutherland (1999) stipulated that the most important of all capital is that invested in human beings. Law (1998), Vermeulen and Crous (2000) and Sloman (2005) took a position very similar to Sutherland (1999) by stating that people are indeed the most valuable asset of any enterprise. Sharma (1997, p.244) rightly stated: â€Å"There is no greater organizational asset than the trained motivated personnel.† Buzan and Keene (1996) in their book â€Å" The Age Heresy† argued that humans could appreciate in value whilst machinery depreciate in value fast and become redundant. Simarly, Law (1998) commented that human capital is more valuable than property or fixed assets. In contrast to many authors opinion about employees being the most important asset, many companies still consider the development of people as a discretionary cost rather than a necessary investment. For many economists, the worth of something is not determined by its purpose but to its price. Prahalad (1972, p.169) rightly stated: â€Å" To most line-managers, training has been by far an optional extra, to be indulged in when profits are good and to be dispensed with during lean periods.† He further added that traditional accounting practices considers all intangibles such as â€Å" organizational capability and worth of human resources as expenses† but all tangibles such as investment in plant and equipment as investment. Cunningham (2002, p.90) commented that for many organisations training is â€Å" nice to have†, but not an essential. The training budget is the easier option when a company has to reduce costs. As such, companies tend to cut corners which render the training ineffective (Clements and Josiam, 1995). This is an oxymoron. On the one hand, we have companies stating that employees are the most important assets but on the other hand, the same companies contradict themselves by viewing training as a cost rather than a worthwhile investment. All companies talk a lot about people development. But the moment things get tough; companies reduce training budgets, which may be a very short-sighted policy. If companies really believed about employees development, this is the one thing they would ring fence (Clegg 2000). Managers often complain about giving them a better class of workers and their problems will go away. Brown (1992) argued that employers are already equipped with a pretty good class of workers since after all they chose them. Indeed it is managers responsibility to help employees improve. The contributions of employees are often taken for granted though employees contribute a lot. Managers tend to believe in things that are visible to them but those whose contributions they cannot see tend to be neglected by them. Cartwright (2003,p.6) rightly stipulated: Consider what Mickey Mouse is worth to Disney or what a gifted program writer is worth to Microsoft. The value may be impossible to calculate in absolute terms, but it is likely to be many times the conventional worth of either asset. Barrows and Power (1999 cited by Moore 2005, p.200) believed that the alternative to training, that is not to train may even be more expensive because this lead to poor customer service. A lost customer may never return. As such, the lost revenue from poor service exceeds the costs of training a worker properly. 3.7 Effective Training Porter and Parker (1993,p.19) identified four features for successful training: Training must be viewed as a continuous process. Training must be focused so that people receive appropriate courses at the appropriate level of their needs. Training must be planned for the future to include the development of total quality skills and techniques. Training materials must be made customized to suit the particular organization. Organizations tend to believe that training â€Å" delivered en masse will mean that they have fulfilled their duty of care† (Shuttleworth 2004,p.62). The symptoms of ineffective and poor training are many. The most self- evident are dissatisfied customers, haphazard work, performance and quality standards not met, untidy work, low productivity, high production costs, excessive waste, employee dissatisfaction, poor discipline and high labour turnover. In fact, the most effective way to develop people is quite different to conventional skills training, which let us face it most employees regard as a pain in the neck. Clegg (2000) argued that it is no longer good to rely on the way things have always been done and the only way to make training more effective is to be creative. Sloman (2005) suggested that if an effective training program is in place, it could help employees realize their potential and thus benefit both the employees and the organization. According to Vermeulen and Crous (2000), for training to be effective, it must not only be planned in a systematic and objective manner but it must also be continuous to meet changes in technology, changes involving the environment in which an organisation operates, its structure and most important of all, the employees who work there. However, Harris (1995) concluded that managers tend to select training programmes according to budgets and time available, but not according to the needs of employees. Conversely, Cunnigham (2002) argued that if training remains focused on the needs of employees, important changes in developing the performance of the organization might be missed out. As such, it can be inferred that creating effective training programs require balancing the needs of the learner and the needs of the organization. In addition, Sloman (2005, p.349) commented: Training is not about constructing courses based on identified training needs. It is about making a whole series of interventions that encourage a climate in which committed learners are willing and able to acquire relevant knowledge and skills. If employees take part in training half-heartedly, it may prove costly for the organization. Even the best-planned training sessions may prove ineffective if employees are unwilling to participate. Similarly, Barrett and OConnell (2001) observed that a company can provide training to its employees, but the extent to which the training courses are then applied at work depends on the extent to which employees devote effort to learning and apply the new skills. The values projects model of learning also emphasized the importance of motivation, where the employees are willing to implement their learning. I do (Action) I will (Motivation) I Can (Skills) I Know (Knowledge) 3.8 Training Cycle For training to be effective, companies must complete the full training cycle. But as Beardwell and Claydon (2007) rightly said, the popularity of the training cycle is more evident in the rhetoric of the literature than in organizational reality. Stage 1 Identification of Training need Stage 4 Evaluation of training Stage 2 Plan of training required Stage 3 Implementation of training 3.8.1 Identification of training needs Arthur et al. (2003, p.236) stated that it is important to carry a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) before providing training because â€Å"it provides a mechanism whereby the questions central to successful training programs can be answered.† Prior to training, companies must have a clear idea of what it wants to achieve (Shuttleworth 2004) and whether the organisations needs, objectives and problems can be addressed by training (Arthur et al. 2003). Matens (HRfocus 2005b, p.11) suggested that companies should ask these key questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? How can we get commitment from key individuals? McGehee Thayer (1961) recommended a three-tier approach to determine training needs. Arthur et al. (2003) three-step process for assessing training needs is similar to McGehee Thayer (1961). They are as follows: Organisational analysis: Where training should be emphasized within the organization and which organizational goals and problems can be achieved and solved through training. Operational analysis or Task analysis: The skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for employees to perform their jobs at the desired level. Man analysis: How well the employees are performing their tasks, who needs to be trained and for what. In the process of TNA, managers have to identify relevant training needs through the use of annual performance appraisal procedure to examine the individuals aspirations, how their jobs may change and what training is required (Hallier and Butts 2000). According to HRfocus (2005b), companies should get input about what employees want to be trained in. Although TNA is time-consuming and expensive, it provides greater financial, organizational and individual benefits. Also, training must be top-down, starting with the top team and cascading down the organization to show management commitment and to create an effective, healthy and versatile workforce. While in some organisations, training is considered to be for managers only, in other organisations managers think training is only relevant to workers, but not for them. Indeed, both these attitudes are wrong because training is for everybody (Reynolds, 1994). Similarly, Matens (HRfocus, 2005b) agreed that commitment and support from top management is vital. According to him, management has to show up for classes too. 3.8.1.1 The skills gap It is important for managers to identify skills gap, which is the difference between the skills needed to perform the required task and the skills employees already possess. The Skills Gap Skills needed Skills already acquired 3.8.2 Plan of training required Using a variety of training methods, the skills gap can be filled. In fact, Barrett OConnell (2001) observed that different training methods could encourage or discourage employees to participate in training programs. Similarly, The Learning and Skills Council (2004 cited by Beardwell Claydon 2007, p.317) commented that companies tend to choose inappropriate training methods which are â€Å" costly, time consuming, have a deleterious effect on employees perceptions of the value of training† and ultimately do not lead to increase skills levels in organizations. 3.8.2.1 Matching skills or tasks and training delivery methods Skills and tasks can be classified into three broad categories (Farina and Wheaton 1973; Fleishman and Quaintance 1984; Gold-stein and Ford 2002; cited by Arthur et al. 2003, p.236): Cognitive This relates to the thinking, idea generation, understanding, problem solving, or the knowledge requirements of the job. Interpersonal This relates to interacting with others in a workgroup or with clients and customers, which entails a variety of skills including leadership, communication, conflict management and team-building. Psychomotor This relates to physical or manual activities involving a range of movement from very fine to gross motor coordination. For a specific skill or task, a given training method may be more effective than others. This relationship has been backed by studies from Wexley and Latham (2002) who emphasized on the need to consider skills and task characteristics required to determine the most effective training method. 3.8.2.2 Training techniques On-the-job It is the most popular training method because it is job-specific, relevant, immediate and flexible. A 2006 study by CIPD conveyed that 56% of learning and development professionals agree that on-the-job training is the most effective way for people to learn in organizations (Beardwell and Claydon 2007,p.308). Conversely, Smith et al. (2003) commented that training delivered internally by employees who carry other duties apart from their responsibilities of training might lead to ineffective training because they have not received much training in how to train. On-the-job training includes the following: Demonstration It involves telling or showing trainees how to do a job and then allowing them to get on with it. It is the most commonly used training method (Armstrong 2003) because it is immediate and accessible to most employees. This method is effective if the person giving the demonstration clearly defines what results have been achieved and how they can be improved. However this method can result in the passing of bad or even dangerous working practices. Also, it does not provide a structured learning system where trainees understand the sequence of the training they are following. Job rotation The aim is to increase employees experience by moving them from job to job or department to department. It can be an inefficient and frustrating method of acquiring additional knowledge and skills if it is not carefully planned and controlled (Armstrong 2003). For this method to be effective, a program has to be designed stating what trainees are expected to learn in each department or job. Also, there must be a suitable person to assess whether the trainees are given the right experience and the opportunity to learn. Coaching It is a person-to-person technique to develop individual skills, knowledge and attitudes (Armstrong 2003). It can be very effective if it takes place informally as part of the normal process of management. Coaching consists of providing guidance on how to carry out specific tasks to help individuals learn rather than force-feeding them with instructions on what to do and how to do it. Mentoring It is the process of using specially selected and trained individuals to provide guidance and advice to develop the careers of the employees (Armstrong 2003). The aim is to complement learning on the job. The mentor provides personal support and should not be an immediate superior to enable the employees to talk openly about problems and discuss any concerns frankly. Secondment or attachment It involves the employees widening their skills or learning other skills by visiting other departments. It can also be used to increase awareness and understanding of other departments roles and concerns. Off the job It usually takes place in training areas or centres, away from the employees immediate work positions. It includes lectures, case study, seminars and role-playing amongst others. This method is mainly theoretical. As rightly criticised by Beardwell and Claydon (2007, p.322) this method is frequently pigeon-holed as the old way of doing things and typified as teacher centred, classroom based, process-focused and providing learning that is difficult to