Why does the Chinese Government publicly denounce Falun Gong Research Paper

Why does the Chinese Government publicly denounce Falun Gong - Research Paper Example This paper will examine the movement, how the government is cracking down on it, and why the government is cracking down on it. Explanation of the Falun Gong According to Zhao (2003), the Falun Gong movement is an outgrowth of the Chinese practice of qi, which harmonizes physical and spiritual health. What this means is that the adherents to the movement attempt to align their qi, through stretching and meditation, and this balances the energy in the body. These exercises, which balance the energy in the body are accompanied in the Falun Gong religion with moral and spiritual commitments. This is contrast to the Western vision, which keeps religion and physical exercise separate. The religious aspect of Falun Gong encompasses Taoist and Buddhist beliefs. This was the basis for the movement, but it was developed by Li Hongzhi in the late 1980s, and it went public in 1992 (Penny, 2003). This is all not unusual, in that the ancient Chinese have always believed in balancing energies and in Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. However, the Falun Gong goes a step further, according to Zhao (2003), in that this religion also has supernatural beliefs. For instance, they believe that there are supernatural ways of curing diseases, that people can levitate, and that people can be clairvoyant through their â€Å"third eye.† ... Moreover, as the society becomes increasingly isolated, Falun Gong has been helpful in that it has brought people together, as through the physical exercises performed by Falun Gong members. The physical exercise itself is also good for the Falun Gong followers, as the state-run healthcare has been collapsing since the early 1990s, which means that health care has become increasingly unaffordable to the masses. Keeping healthy is therefore a priority, and Falun Gong, with its emphasis on physical exercise and qi balancing meets this need. The movement became very popular, with millions practicing it, and Chan (2004), gives some reasons why this is. Chan (2004) regards the Falun Gong as coming under the rubric of a New Religious Movement (NRM), which is marked by obedience to a central figure who claims to have all the spiritual answers desired by the followers. The central figure is seen by the followers as being privy to sacred power. Chan (2004) thus begins his analysis with other NRMs, which have sprung up, all over the world, partially as a response to modernity’s spiritual vacuums and moral disturbances. The political and economic institutions have failed to solve the people’s problems, states Chan (2004), so the people turn to religious salvation for help. Chan (2004) then extrapolates this scenario to China. Specifically, Chan (2004) states that China was experiencing, at the time that the Falun Gong attained popularity, impressive economic growth that also led to unresolved social problems. This was because, although the country was becoming wealthier, the people were not. Unemployment was high, and the state industries were collapsing, which was causing more people to fall below the poverty line. Income inequality became more pronounced

Managing The Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Managing The Human Resources Essay INTRODUCTION: This assignment is based on a case study titled Hot Work at the Aluminium Smelter in Lynmouth, and it examines the current HRM principles being used within the organisation. The HR values that are being investigated are HRM or people management values, team effectiveness and the effect of motivation, communication and the culture in the organisation, and leadership qualities. The overall aim of this assignment is to provide appropriate business solutions that help in improving the effectiveness of the organisation, from the perspective of a HR consultant. HRM PEOPLE MANAGEMENT VALUES: Armstrong (2000) argues that personnel practioners are often confused when asked about the difference between HRM and personnel management. According to Storey (1995) HRM is said to be fundamentally unitarist. This makes the management at Lynmouth more HR than personnel, as although the unions membership levels were low and their influence was weak, they were recognised by management in respect of white-collar staff. Also teamworking was introduced with the cooperation of the plants trade union, and they were asked to recommend the number of posts required for the new line that was to open in 2000. This shows that the management did consider the unions before reaching a decision. The climate of employee relations could be characterized as suspicious and mistrustful, indicating to a model of personnel management (Sisson 1994). In HRM, rules, procedures and contracts are an obstruction to effective performances and there is an emphasis on strategy and devolved responsibility to line management (Storey 1996). At Lynemouth, there were rules and guidelines set for the team leaders and employees worked according to shifts, and pay was not performance related. Read more:  Personnel vs Human Resources Although these values point towards personnel management (Sisson 1994), Lynemouth also inculcates HRM values. Despite each plant having specialist staff that kept the plant within its operating limits, team leaders worked as line managers (Storey 1996) and were responsible for the coordination and scheduling of work. Also there are few job categories and teamwork is preferred to division of labour (Storey 1995). There is a great deal of task flexibility (Sisson 1994) in the teams, and in 2000 they were given greater autonomy. Boxall Purcell (2003) states that HRM can be interpreted as having a soft developmental humanist approach or a hard situational contingent approach. The soft version emphasizes a people-centred approach to HRM, whereas the hard version emphasizes a resource-based approach (Thornhill Saunders 1998). Although the organisation appears to be soft with the implementation of teams, they can be viewed as being hard economically, as the organisation aims were resource focused, there appeared to be low trust between employees, and there was also functional flexibility within the teams (Kane et al. 1999). Responsibility for hiring new staff, and for assessing applications for internal transfers, were devolved to shop-floor workers, thus making them more flexible. A hard approach is often seen as an essential part of cost-minimization strategy (Kane et al. 1999), which appears to be the situation at Lynemouth. TEAM EFFECTIVENSS THE EFFECT OF MOTIVATION: A team is a work group or a unit with a common purpose through which members develop mutual relationships for the achievement of goals/tasks (Harris Harris 1996). Vyakarnam et al (1999) states that a number of studies have confirmed that successful ventures are often established by teams rather than a single person, and the core competence of a successful team is to build and manage relationships around a common vision. The management team at Lynemouth havent clearly described the team goals or each individuals specific task. It is essential that the first step in creating a team is to define the goal or goals that create the direction for the new group (Twomey Kleiner 1996; Arroba 1996). Harris Harris (1996) explain that teams are successful and effective when they overcome difficulties, achieved through interdependence. Teams also promote a sense of confidence and direction among the team members and helps becoming more flexible in nature (Arroba 1996). Among shop-floor workers at Lynemouth with regard to satisfaction and commitment, there was a greater sense of autonomy and participation. With regard to work organisation, there was an increase in multi-skilling, and there were clear examples of improved flexibility. For example, team members would work a crane as required, rather than waiting for a dedicated crane driver. The major difference between successful teamwork and unsuccessful teamwork is largely based upon team members sharing common goals and working together to achieve them (Tarricone Luca 2002). They also state that ineffective communication, lack of resources and lack of trust are the key attributes that hinder the effectiveness of a team. At Lynemouth, the workers were clear that the divide between manager and worker was as sharp as ever and that the enforcement of discipline was not part of the teams duties. There appeared to be low trust between them, and also communication with regard to specific tasks seems to be lacking. It is also advisable to establish a sense of urgency so that the teams dont get complacent (Twomey Kleiner 1996). Ritchie Martin (2001) states that money and tangible rewards, the physical conditions and the structure are the three key factors motivating people in a working environment. Although teamwork was favourable from a shop-floor point of view, middle managers and technical staff had reservations about teamwork, feeling undervalued and lacking determination. Macaulay Cook (2001) states that rewards and recognition processes help to focus attention on priorities, thus motivating individuals. Group leaders felt that the work they were being given was not sufficiently demanding, and technical staff felt that that their job territory was under threat. There seems to be a need for rules and guidelines in the work place, for direction and certainty (Ritchie Martin 2001). Thompson (2004) concludes that people could be motivated further and made more effective if they were given appropriate encouragement and attention. COMMUNICATION CULTURE: According to Connolly (1996) communication is a critical issue and everyone wants better communication within their team, between teams and across their organization. Employee communication should play a strategic role in an organization to work effectively (Barrett 2002). In the early 1990s there was a wide perception at Lynemouth that communication was poor, and the climate of employee relations could be characterized as suspicious and mistrustful. Barrett (2002) also emphasizes that without effective employee communication, change is impossible, and in 1997 with Lynemoths future in doubt, the management realized the importance of communication and set about to win employee consent by reforming the communication system. With regard to this, teamwork was introduced with the cooperation of the plants trade unions, which encouraged further development in employee relations. However, with the success of teamwork, white-collar staff felt undervalued. Peng Litteljohn (2001) asserts that structural arrangements may facilitate communication on the one hand, and create barriers for communication on the other. Group leaders felt that their status and authority were being eroded, and technical staff felt that their job territory was under threat, and changes were made without consulting the people involved, and there was a feeling that the appraisal system was not adequate, as the management did not seem to listen. Connolly (1996) states that to enhance communication, both the employer and the employee should realize the importance of effective communication. The author concludes by saying that perhaps the most effective ways of improving communication are also the simplest taking the time to really notice the employees, listening to how they speak and more importantly to what they say. The management could create a system where employees are rewarded for their good work, as Storey (1995) states that the way in which employees are rewarded is central to the regulation of employment relationship. Handy (1986) states that every organization is different, and each organization has a different culture sets of values and norms and beliefs. In 1990, many workers had been with the plant since it opened, and labour turnover was low. Majority of the workers were male, with few women being employed in clerical posts. There is a close and sometimes unclear relationship between organisational culture and its climate (Wallace, J et al. 1999). Although the climate of employee relations could be characterised as suspicious and mistrustful at Lynemouth, work organisation was considered to be fairly conventional. Handy (1986) argues that if organizations are to survive and meaningful jobs are to be created for all those who want to work, then both organizations and individuals will have to change the way they perceive jobs and careers. He also states that fewer, better-motivated people could create much more added value than large groups of unthinking, demotivated individuals. Lynemouth, with the introduction of teamworking could be seen as incorporating these values. However, the management at Lynemouth should create meaningful jobs for all employees. The structure of Lynemouths employees could be characterized under senior managers, middle managers and workers. Handy (1986) argues that organizations are not owned by anyone, but are a community of people who could be called citizens of the community rather than employees. Ogbor (2001) asserts that organisational culture should discourage dysfunctional work behaviours, and commit members of the organization to do things for and with one another that are in the best interests of the organization. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: The American general, Dwight Eisenhower, once said that the essence of leadership is to make people do what you want them to with as much will, determination and enthusiasm as if they had decided for themselves (Popper Zakkai 1994). Cacioppe (1997) suggests that recent reviews of the research and theories on leadership have consolidated the key areas of leadership into personality, transactional and transformational forms of leadership. He also states that honesty, inspiration, competent, fair-mindedness and supportiveness are the characteristics that people most admire in leaders, where as Tait (1996) suggests that vision, interpersonal skills, character and drive are the four attributes considered to be necessary personality traits for business leadership. Transactional leadership is based on the interplay between the leaders guidance or direction and socio-emotional support, and the readiness or developmental level that followers exhibit on a particular task, function, or objective (Avery and Ryan 2002). The third major approach is the Transformational leadership which communicates a vision that inspires and motivates people to achieve something extraordinary (Cacioppe 1997). Transactional leadership remains highly popular among practitioners and it could be applied at Lynemouth. It appeals to managers because of its intuitive simplicity, ease of use, and perceived relevance to managerial roles (Avery and Ryan 2002). In 2000, with the end of direct supervision, management appointed team leaders from existing team members, following a formal application procedure. Team leaders were made responsible for team briefing and the coordination and scheduling of work, and they did receive an additional weekly allowance of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100. The management at Lynemouth could also try to incorporate the transformational leadership values by providing every individual and team with a vision and also motivating them, thus improving leadership effectiveness at the team levels (Cacioppe 1996). Silverthorne (2000) believes that the readiness and willingness of subordinates to perform tasks are the important aspects that contribute to a leaders effectiveness. CONCLUSION: This assignment investigated the current HRM principles being used within the organisation. A few key points in improving the effectiveness of an organisation are effective teams, effective communication between the teams and good leadership skills. Lynemouth could improve the effectiveness of their organisation by motivating each individual, improving the communication between the employers and the management, and also by providing individual, team and organisational goals for the leaders to follow. REFERENCE: Armstrong, M 2000, The name has changed but has the game remained the same?, Journal of Employee Relations, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 576-593. Arroba, T 1996, Why are common objectives so uncommon in top management teams?, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 17-21. Avery, G.C Ryan, J 2002, Applying situational leadership in Australia, The Journal of Management Development, vol. 21, no. 4, pp 242-262. Barrett, D.J 2002, Change communication: using strategic employee communication to facilitate major change, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 7, no. 4, pp 219-234. Boxall, P Purcell, J 2003, Strategy and Human Resource Management, Palgrave, New York. Cacioppe, R 1997, Leadership moment by moment!, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 18, no. 7, pp 335-345. Connolly, C 1996, Communication: getting to the heart of the matter, Journal of Management Development Review, vol. 9, no. 7, pp 37-40. Handy, C.B 1976, Understanding Organisations, Penguin Group, London. Harris, P.R Harris, K.G 1996, Managing effectively through teams, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 2, no. 3, pp 23-36. Kane, B et al. 1999, Barriers to effective HRM, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 20, no. 8, pp 494-516. Macaulay, S Cook, S 2001, Rewarding Service Success, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 5, no. 1, pp 4-8. Ogbor, J.O 2001, Critical theory and the hegemony of corporate culture, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 14, no. 6, pp 590-638. Peng, W Litteljohn, D 2001, Organisational communication and strategy implementation a primary inquiry, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 13, no. 7, pp 360-363. Popper, M Zakkai, E 1994, Transactional, Charismatic and Transformational Leadership: Conditions Conducive to their Predominance, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 15, no. 6, pp 3-7. Silverthorne, C 2000, Situational leadership theory in Taiwan: a different culture perspective, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 21, no. 2, pp 68-74. Sisson, K 1994, Personnel Management A comprehensive guide to Theory and Practice in Britain, 2nd edn, Blackwell, Oxford. Storey, J 1995, Human Resource Management A critical text, Thomson, London. Storey, J 1995, Is HRM catching on?, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 16, no. 4, pp 3-10. Storey, J 1996, Blackwell cases in Human Resource and Change Management, Blackwell, Oxford. Tait, R 1996, The attributes of leadership, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol 17, no. 1, pp27-31. Tarricone, P Luca, J 2002, Employees, teamwork and social interdependence a formula for successful business?, Journal of Team Performance Management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp 54-59. Thompson, J. L 2004, Innovation through people, Journal of Management Decision, vol. 42, no. 9, pp 1082-1094. Thornhill, A Saunders, M.N.K 1998, What if line managers dont realize theyre responsible for HR?, Personnel Review Journal, vol. 12, no. 6, pp 460-476. Twomey, K Kleiner, B.H 1996, Teamwork: The essence of the successful organisation, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 6-8. Vyakarnam, S et al. 1999, Exploring the formation of entrepreneurial teams: the key to rapid growth business?, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 6, no. 2, pp 153-165. Wallace, J 1999, The relationship between organisational culture, organisational climate and managerial values, International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 12, no. 7, pp 548-564.

Computer Graphics Effect On Animation

Computer Graphics Effect On Animation The history of computer animation can be traced back many decades to such films as Peter Foldes 1971 film Metadata, or even a 1968 attempt by Soviets to animate a cat. It was in the 1980s, however, that the techniques became more widely used and the industry truly began to experience big changes in how things were done. The advent of this new technology meant that machines could do more of the work, much like with the use of robots in manufacturing. While this machinery is a godsend for productivity, it brings with it concern for peoples jobs and the survival of the traditional way of doing things. One animator by the name of Bill Kroyer brought these concerns to the forefront in 1988 with his own animated interpretation of the ongoing development of this threat. Bill Kroyers Technological Threat serves as an excellent metaphor for the advent of computer animation and how it affected the animation industry and validity of the fears it brought forth. From its infancy up until recent decades, traditional animation techniques were the only methods of animation available before the advent of more powerful computers. Much of it requires each frame to be hand-drawn or, in the case of stop motion, each character or object has to be sculpted and moved little by little for each frame that is captured. It is tedious work. These traditional techniques take a lot of time and patience to do successfully. Throughout the decades there have been attempts to minimize the work involved with animation, such as the introduction of cel animation which put characters and objects on clear celluloid which would then be animated on top of a background image. This meant that a background would only have to be made once, whereas beforehand it had to be redrawn completely with each passing frame. Another time-saving innovation came in the form of Walt Disneys multiplane camera system, which took cel animation even further by making the creation of depth mu ch easier by separating and moving each individual part of the scenery independently and at varying distances from the camera. Even with these advancements, however, the same traditional techniques were required to actually animate anything. Computers brought forth a drastic change in the playing field, essentially turning the art into a science. Soon one of the first instances of computer animation would come in 1960 when John Whitney developed his analog computer to make title sequences for movies and television, using surplus anti-air guidance hardware from World War II. While computers became widely used in animation during the 1980s, there were still quite a few instances of it in the preceding decades, starting with the aforementioned machine developed by Whitney. The computer technology of the time was rather limited and therefore usually only used for experiments. For instance, Peter Foldes used the first implementation of key frame software to create Metadata in 1971. While it entailed the use of a data tablet, which was surprisingly modern for the era, it was limited to two-dimensional animation and could only show simple line drawings of objects in a couple of colors. This film was merely experimental, however, and was followed 3 years later by Hunger in 1974, which was intentionally done in black and white line dr awings. Computers would quickly become powerful enough to render much more realistic imagery, as was exemplified by Loren Carpenters Vol Libre which he presented at SIGGRAPH in 1980, a computer graphics conference held annually. It used fractals to generate breathtaking mountainous scenery and instantly landed him a job at Lucasfilm. Of the animators that worked during the era that computer animation became more widespread, one particularly interesting perspective is that of Bill Kroyer. Bill got his start in animation in the mid-1970s, just before the computer revolution of the 1980s. He originally was denied a job at Disney, but would later be hired by them in 1977, during a time when Disney Animation, and the animation industry as a whole, was in the midst of a slump. He did not stay with Disney long, as he soon left to work with Steve Lisberger on Animalympics. The major milestone in Bills career, however, came in 1982 when they developed Tron which they teamed up with Disney to work on. As Kroyer himself put it, Tron was the beginning. It was the moment when computer graphics made its first contact with the animation industry-like the sperm and the egg. It was neat, because nobody had ever done it before. There were no experts around (Kroyer). It was the first time computer animation would be used so extensi vely on a feature film, and it became almost a prophecy of what would develop in the coming years. Jobs that used to take hundreds of people to do, such as painting backgrounds, can now be accomplished cheaply and quickly by using computers. While Kroyer enjoyed working with computers to animate, he longed for the illusion of hand-drawn cartoons and decided to start Kroyer Films with his wife in 1986 with the intention of combining traditional and computer animation. He became a pioneer in combining the two techniques. While Kroyer was skilled at animating, he was also knowledgeable about writing computer programs, and developed one with his wife that could use a plotter to draw out the computer animations on paper. Such use of computers for animating made many animators begin to fear it taking over and forcing them out of their careers. In response to these fears, Kroyer made Technological Threat in 1988. In it, a group of hand-drawn cartoon dogs are employees at a company and are threatened by their seemingly inevitable replacement by highly efficient robots, which are computer animated. This paranoia culminates into a struggle for survival that ultimately ends in the last remaining dog employee taking down his now-robotic boss with the help of one of the robots, which he proceeds to double-cross to eliminate the threat altogether, leaving him the only remaining employee, the top dog as it were. The film was essentially about traditional animators ultimately working in harmony with this new techn ology and ultimately being highly successful in their careers, perhaps more so than they would have previously. The dog protagonist, symbolic of traditional animators fearing the loss of their job, defies the odds and in the end triumphs, rising in rank to become the new boss. The robots represent the computers used to do computer animation, appearing innocent and diligently going about their work, but ultimately are no less susceptible to losing their jobs than the dogs are. Kroyers approach to animating goes against traditional animators fears by combining both methods and using them to their fullest potential. According to the theories of Paul Wells, this film would be considered developmental animation, as it maintains many traditional aspects of orthodox animated films but mixes two different styles of animation in a more modern approach. According to him, Developmental Animation operates as a mode of expression combining or selecting elements of both approaches, representing t he aesthetic and philosophical tension between the two apparent extremes (Wells, 35). There was no doubt a tension between the two approaches during the time this film came out. Kroyer goes on to explain that, despite this new and highly capable tool, the artistic vision of the animator is still crucial to a films success. Computers are merely another tool in the animators arsenal. Throughout the 1980s, computers went into widespread use, from businesses to residential homes. These machines revolutionized everybodys lives and had far reaching effects on many peoples jobs, not just those of animators. While computers have increased productivity almost everywhere, they have threatened to eliminate many jobs and force many to either learn to use the new technology or remain unemployed. It is truly a situation where we are made to keep up with changes in the workplace or else risk being left behind in a dust cloud of our own stubbornness. This was an especially trying time for many animators as computers had finally reached the point where they would be practical to use in animation. But unlike many jobs that were completely taken over by computers, animation allows for the coexistence of computers with traditional techniques. Understandably, one would think traditional animation to be doomed through the development of this amazing new technology. This could not be farther from the truth, however, as traditional animation remained strong through the 1980s and continues to grow. In fact, it has seen a sort of revival in recent years. In 2009, Disney released The Princess and the Frog, their first traditionally animated feature since they made Home on the Range in 2004. During the 1990s, the Disney Renaissance brought us multiple wildly successful films using traditional techniques, including such films as The Lion King and Mulan. Even with the massive success of Toy Story in 1995, Disney continued to make traditionally animated films on a yearly basis even after the end of the renaissance in 1999. While the renaissance did die out and Disney seemingly put traditional animation on the backburner after Home on the Range, they have shown us that it really is not dead after all with Princess and the Frog and ha s promised to release a traditionally animated film every 2 years from now on. Similarly, Hayao Miyazaki, a highly acclaimed animator from Japan, has built his career off of creating fantastical feature films primarily using traditional animation, and has won various prestigious awards for his creations. Since creating Princess Mononoke, he has begun to implement computer animation in some sequences of his films. Despite this, he retains traditional 2D cel animation as his primary medium of choice. Through all of this it is also important to note that traditional animation still continues to garner critical acclaim insofar as receiving awards and nominations for awards. The medium, while requiring a greater amount of labor and time, still produces many high quality films worthy of critical praise. For instance, Disneys recently released Princess and the Frog was nominated for a Golden Globe, and Miyazaki has been nominated for or won awards for a lot of his films. Bill Kroyer was also nominated for an Acedemy Award for Technological Threat. This just goes to show that the look of traditional animation is not seen as obsolete and can be beautifully done, as has been shown for countless decades. Another important aspect of these two techniques to consider is the overall cost of production for films that use either technique. There has been a growing misconception that computer animation is far more cost-effective overall than traditional animation. While this is true in some instances, in actuality it is subjective to the films being compared. One good comparison to make that disproves this fallacy is between two feature films released by Disney: Bolt and Mulan. Bolt was Disneys CGI major feature released a couple of years ago in 2008, while Mulan was their traditionally animated feature of 1998, which happened to come out towards the end of the Disney Renaissance. Both films have about an hour and a half of runtime. There is a staggering difference in production budgets, however. While Mulan carried a production budget of 90 million dollars, Bolt had an astonishingly large budget of 150 million, 60 million more than Mulan! This clearly shows that the cost of production is s ubjective to the film being worked on and can change in favor of either computers or traditional techniques. Despite the hype for computer animated features following the massive success of Toy Story in 1995, there have been CGI films that have been less than successful, such as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in 2001. This film, despite having ultra-realistic CGI and a budget of 137 million dollars, was a total flop, with revenues not even covering the production costs for the film. A films financial viability can depend on many factors, like the quality of what is being animated, and of course how it is marketed, but that is another issue entirely. In short, CGI-animated films can be cheaper than those made with traditional animation in some cases, but often can cost just as much if not more. The costs of each are comparable to each other, the only major difference is traditional techniques tend to take longer. Much like in any other industry, computers drastically changed the way animation can be done and people feared losing their jobs because of the changes brought forth by them. But, as is exemplified by Kroyers film Technological Threat, there is little need to fear the future. Today, traditional animation and computer animation coexist and are often even used in combination on some films. Traditional animation remains a prominent form of animation to this day, and continues to grow with new animators joining the ranks. Computer graphics is not meant as a replacement for the old fashioned hand-drawn and stop motion styles, but rather another tool in their box of tricks. Just because one owns a drill does not make a screwdriver obsolete. They each have important purposes as well as advantages and disadvantages. After all, a tool is only as good as the person trained to use it.

State Cross Country Meet Essays -- Descriptive Essay, Personal Narrativ

I can still remember the day I ran at the state Cross Country Meet. It was one of the most exciting days of my life. It took place in Round Rock, Texas during my sophomore year in high school. I never forget that day; it is a great experience for anyone to get to go through. It was 11:45 a.m. as I was standing outside getting ready for the big race. It was cold, wet, and gloomy outside and sleeting out really hard. Getting closer to the race, I decided that it was time for me to begin warming up. I began to take my sweats off , and realized how cold it really was. I started running while doing my exercises and they blew the whistle that signalized it was time to start the race. I set up in my position and waited for instructions. The official told us that when he sho...

Problems in Setting Up and Running a Business Unit Essay

A business unit, sometimes called a strategic business unit or SBU, is a segmented group or department within a company that focuses on reaching a specific market or client. It may also focus on achieving a specific goal for the organization. While some businesses find success with this strategy, there are concerns and potential problems to consider before trying it at your company. Finances In business, money is usually a problem. It can be good to make money, but when you are just getting started with a business, it can be easy to lose money quickly. Before you start your business, develop a comprehensive list of the things you will need to finance and how much money you will need to make it happen. Discuss your business with others who have experience to try to cover as many costs as you can. When you have developed your startup budget, add 20 percent to it to cover the costs that you have not yet accounted for. When it comes to financing a startup, it is better to plan for more than you will need than to find yourself deep in debt right away. Employees Your employees can be your greatest asset and your greatest expense. It costs money to hire, train and retain employees. Your company needs to provide some sort of benefits package that includes health insurance, paid vacation days and paid sick days to attract and retain employees, and even then, you will have competition from other companies that may be able to offer better. As you delegate responsibilities to your employees, you begin to rely on them for your company’s success. A key employee leaving your company can have an effect similar to losing a major account. Space It is common for a new business owner to try to keep his office and warehousing costs down. When your company first starts out, a small and affordable space may be adequate. As your company grows, you will need more space, and you may realize that the facility you signed the one-year lease for is no longer sufficient. Have a backup plan available for warehousing just in case you outgrow your current warehouse. Offer sales employees the option of telecommuting to reduce the amount of office space you need. Become creative with your space, or you may find yourself spending money to remedy a space problem to which you are contractually bound for years. Problems Meshing Ideas When you segment your company in this way, you may find it becomes more difficult to get units to combine and work together. Though the separate units have different purposes, there may come a time when they need to convene in order to accomplish a goal for the organization. If your employees become too familiar with working in segmented groups, they may have problems working on joint projects with other units. Expensive Establishing business units can also be expensive. For one, you may have to create separate physical departments within the company. You may also need to create separate websites, mailing addresses and, in some cases, entirely new sub-organizations to properly establish these units. Finding a balance between efficiency and cost when maintaining these units can be challenging. Time-Consuming Setting up and running business units is also time-consuming. When you establish one, you must create a separate mission statement, budget, marketing plan and general business proposal. You must also set up technology and tools to support the department. You must then evaluate the functionality of the department before repeating the process with another business unit. If you decide to start all of your units at the same time and then determine that the formula isn’t working, you’ll also spend a significant amount of time dismantling or updating all of them. Social Responsibility Small businesses can encounter several problems related to Corporate social responsibility due to characteristics inherent in their construction. Owners of small businesses often participate heavily in the day-to-day operations of their companies. This results in a lack of time for the owner to coordinate socially responsible efforts.[9] Additionally, a small business owner’s expertise often falls outside the realm of socially responsible practices contributing to a lack of participation. Small businesses also face a form of peer pressure from larger forces in their respective industries making it difficult to oppose and work against industry expectations.[9] Furthermore, small businesses undergo stress from shareholder expectations. Because small businesses have more personal relationships with their patrons and local shareholders they must also be prepared to withstand closer scrutiny if they want to share in the benefits of committing to socially responsible practices or no t.[9] Job Quality While small businesses employ over half the workforce [10] and have been established as a main driving force behind job creation [11] the quality of the jobs these businesses create has been called into question. Small businesses generally employ individuals from the Secondary labor market. As a result, in the U.S. wages are 49% higher for employees of large firms.[11] Additionally, many small businesses struggle or are unable to provide employees with benefits they would be given at larger firms. Research from the U.S. Small Business Administration indicates that employees of large firms are 17% more likely to receive benefits including salary, paid leave, paid holidays, bonuses, insurance, and retirement plans.[12] Both lower wages and fewer benefits combine to create a job turnover rate among U.S. small businesses that is 3 times higher than large firms.[11] Employees of small businesses also must adapt to the higher failure rate of small firms. In the U.S. 69% last at least 2 yea rs, but this percentage drops to 51% for firms reaching 5 years in operation.[10] he U.S. Small Business Administration counts companies with as much as $35.5 million in sales and 1,500 employees, depending on the industry. Outside government, companies with less than $7 million in sales and fewer than 500 employees are widely considered small businesses.

Interview with content editor Harrison Demchick Reedsy

Interview with content editor Harrison Demchick Reedsy â€Å"It’s about creating the very best version of your story†: An interview with Harrison Demchick It’s good to see indies and traditional authors brought together on what really unites them: the story, the craft, and offering great content to readers. And editors have a big part in that, one that is often untold. This is why we like to give them a spot on the Reedsy blog.Today, we interview one of these authors’ unsung heroes: a developmental editor. With 10 years experience both in-house and freelance, Harrison Demchick is one of the great editors we have brought to Reedsy, and one of our very first users. Plus, he has a great story to tell! For the lovers of the written word, I’ve transcribed most of it below.  But for those who want to take part in the discussion, you can directly join us on the hangout!Hi Harrison, good to have you here. You’re â€Å"the world’s most thorough content editor†, according to your Reedsy profile. Did you start out as a content editor or more as a copy editor or proofreader?At the time I started, I didnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t know the distinctions yet. When I was in high school and college I was doing copy-editing for several magazines or newspapers but when I started working in publishing, the publisher just gave me a manuscript and told me to â€Å"edit it†, and for me that inherently involved both the copy and the content.From the very first Summer I began in publishing (2005), I’ve been doing content (developmental) editing. It just took some time before I knew the formal term that was ascribed to it.Do you accept to work with authors who come to you with an unfinished draft? Or is there a particular at which you prefer authors to contact you (first draft, third draft, etc.)?Generally I do prefer working with a finished draft, that makes it much easier to provide overall feedback, especially when it comes to story or character arch, climax, etc. But as far as as polished that draft needs to be, I feel I can be very useful anytime from the first draft on. I personally like going through the whole developmental edit process and provide feedback relatively early, if not right after the first draft, so that the author is able to know what they need to do and have a plan of attack for the next draft.If you start working with an author on the first draft, generally how long does it take for you and the author to reach the final manuscript stage?Well that depends a lot on the context and how long I’m staying with a project. When in traditional publishing I was with a project from start to finish and that could be a process that could last anywhere from 6 months to two years, to make sure that the books that we put out were as strong as they possibly could be.On the freelance side it depends a lot on the author and their direction. I love to stick to projects when I can: I start with a developmental edit and do a smaller consultation afterwards. And if I look at when books happen to be published rather than when I’m finished working on them, it stil l often ends up being more than a year after we start.Obviously it really comes down in the end to how quickly and effectively the author works, and what they want from me afterwards.As you have worked both in-house for a publisher and freelance, do you see any big differences in how you work with authors in both cases? The differences, in my opinion, are not necessarily that vast. Well, the big difference for me as far as what I get to do for a living, is that I now get to focus entirely on the editing, and that’s one of the reasons I chose to go freelance. But as far as the authors, I work with both with authors who plan to self-publish and with authors who plan to start contacting publishers after they’re done working with me.And in either the case the goal is the same: it’s to identify what’s working, what’s not working, and how we can make it better and create the very best version of the author’s manuscript.One could make the case that when working with someone pursuing traditional publishing the focus could be more on how to best market it for publishers. And while I’m happy to give feedback on that, for me it doesn’t matter as far as the story itself is as good as it can be. For me it’s all about creating the best possible version, and that’s the same whether it’s for traditional or self-publishing.I definitely like your point there, it should always be about getting the quality of the writing as high as possible. I also think that some books, according to the genre, are actually more suited for self-publishing (because the target market is smaller, maybe). Do you try to advise authors on which publishing route they should take? Or do you adapt the adapt their writing and their story to the route they’ve chosen?I definitely advise, but I don’t recommend, necessarily. Every author has their own approach and my job is to help them achieve their goals. Of course if I see an issue with those goals or something that could make it easier I will let them know that.Self-publishing and traditional publishing both have their pros and cons, and I don’t see genre as one of them, necessarily, one of the distinguishing characteristics. Generally authors who have decided to self-publish or traditionally publish have done so for specific reasons and as long as those are valid I will do my best to advise them and work in that way. Fortunately, my experience is such that I can advise effectively no matter which direction they choose.Do you think a good editor can work with any author out there, or is there one perfect editor for every author?I certainly wouldn’t go that far. I think there are certainly cases where a particular editor’s personality or approach would work better for a particular author, that is no doubt true. But there are also a lot of disparities in quality among editors out there. A lot of the time it’s not so mu ch searching for the one that fits, than going through a lot of people who are not really fantastic at it before finding somebody who actually is.Fundamentally it comes down to being as effective as you can possibly be. I think that’s   more important than having a particular chemistry with the author you’re working with.I definitely agree with your point on the disparity of quality in editors out there, and that is part of the reason why we created Reedsy.Exactly, and one reason for that is that a lot of people assume that they can edit, because they love to read and they’d love to be helpful to authors. Also, because they don’t know fully what goes into it. And some start with that belief and actually become amazing, which is exciting to see.All this makes it very hard for the authors to know whether the person they’re talking with is someone genuinely skilled or just someone very enthusiastic who wants to believe they are going to be able to h elp the author. That’s why I, too, love what Reedsy is going for because it helps authors navigate that.You are yourself a published author with one book out there: The Listeners, and were also a screenwriter before that. What pushed you to publish? Did editing a lot of books make you want to put your own work out there?Actually, it’s just the opposite. The Listeners started out as a series of short stories I wrote in my last semester of college, around the same time I started my career in editing in a publishing company.This particular series developed in a screenplay, and the publisher I worked for expressed an interest in a novel version, which I wrote. But for a while, my experience in publishing actually made me not want to put the book out there, because I knew the marketing challenges. I knew I would be out there, front and center trying to build a readership, doing book signings, interviews, etc. These are all things that I know how to do, and that I recommend to authors, but things I don’t have a particular knack for myself. I’m not a great marketer or self-promoter, it’s not my nature.Fortunately, I had enough people around me telling me I was an idiot and that I should pursue publishing, so I did, and I’m very grateful for the opportunities I have had since thanks to that.I’d like to finish with an easy question: if you had one recommendation for indie authors out there, whether they’re traditionally published, self-published, or hybrid, what would it be?I suppose it would be to hire me, haha! But more broadly and less egocentrically than that, the thing that divides a writer from an author in my mind is the revision process: pushing forward, doing everything that’s in your power to create the very best version of your story. There is nothing more spectacular than taking an idea not only from concept to first draft but from first draft to final draft. So my advice would be: follow that r oad to the end, do not stop part way through.I agree, and I certainly second that advice. Thanks a lot for your time, Harrison!You can find Harrison Demchick, Ricardo and Reedsy on Twitter: @HDemchick, @RicardoFayet  and @reedsyhqDo you work with a developmental editor? If yes, tell us what he/she brings to your writing in the comments below! And if you have any question for Harrison, do use the same commenting space 🙂