Investments Between Qatar and South Korean Governments in Oil & Gas Essay

Investments Between Qatar and South Korean Governments in Oil & Gas Industry and Others - Essay Example The 1970s’ oil and economic boom did play a very central role in promoting the economic growth of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The enormous revenues so derived from the exportation of oil and natural gas saw these countries make immense investments in both infrastructure and development. Such investment necessitated a labor force that surpassed the countries’ local supply (Commercial Bank of Qatar 1). Although this deficiency in labor force can be attributed to the small indigenous populace in these countries, the situation was worsened by the fact that a majority of the citizens hardly qualified for the required tasks. This saw through overseas experts being called upon to remedy the situation. Moreover, with the subsequent expansion in the industry, Qatar and South Korea have become destinations for expats in search of employment. This has a result seen the two countries enter into joint infrastructural and development ventures (COP18/CMP8 1). Literature Review Qatar is a small peninsular country located in the Persian Gulf. This notwithstanding, the country has in the past emerged as a partner of not only the United States- and more especially in hosting major military facilities of the United States- but also with other countries the likes of South Korea. Statistics have indicated that Qatar is the third largest holder of natural gas reserves in the world, with an estimated reserve capacity of 896 trillion cubic feet. Besides, its small citizenry has seen the nationals enjoy the global highest per capita income. Shaykh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar has been able to manage a course of the principal economic growth (Expo 2012 1). After replacing his father, limited political liberalization has taken place under the leadership of The Emir. It is however worth noting that Shaykh has seen through several projects capitalizing on the country’s hydrocarbon resources with such benefits as improvements in the educational opp ortunities for the Qatar nationals and economic diversification being realized (SWF 1). In 1999, the state-owned oil company, Qatar Petroleum, increased its crude oil production to 824 000 barrels per day from 593000 barrels per day. By 2012, crude oil production by the company is at 730000 barrels per day. Nevertheless and owing to the fact that there are likelihoods of oil reserves becoming exhausted in the event that the current production rate remain unchanged, Qatar has rapidly moved to the exploitation of the vast natural gas reserve so as to meet the demands of its importers who include South Korea, Singapore and Japan (Williams 1). And as part and parcel of the country’s long-term development strategy, Qatar has tapped international financial markets and entered into investment with countries like South Korea. The country has also invited foreign investment in the recent past in an effort to finance the expansion of its gas extraction and liquefied natural gas product ion facilities. Apart from partnering with the South Korean government in the oil and gas industry, Qatar through Qatar Holding LLC did sign a memorandum of understanding with the Korean ministry of land,

Urbanization increases Essay Example for Free

Urbanization increases Essay Golf courses also use fertilizers and chemicals in watering and maintaining the area which also contribute to the contamination of water. According to 1FAOs estimate of changes of forest area cover in developing countries, the world’s forest area had significantly decreased during the period of 1980 to 1995 largely brought about by development and the demands of urbanization. The developing countries have contributed to the natural forests as much as 25%, an average of 12% in Latin America, 5% in Asia and 8% in Africa (FAO, 1997). It has to be stressed that the figures correspond to only 15 years span. Gornitz and colleagues also found that vegetation clearing accounts for a one percent reduction of annual stream flow and an average of 10% decrease in the annual volume of freshwater used by humans (Gornitz et. al, 1997 page 148). The most direct physical impact of urbanization to the interruption of the water cycle is the general increase in the impervious cover (IC). The increase in IC due to urbanization affects the water cycle in these ways: 1. Urbanization increases impermeable land covers such as sidewalks, roads, roofs and parking lots. These urban structures decrease the amount of water to be absorbed by the soil as infiltration process is hardly possible to occur in these areas. In highly urbanized areas, more half of the volume of rainwater flows as run-off (Center for Watershed Protection, 2003). Studies also reveal that in cases where impervious cover is less than 10%, streams to where run-off flows remain protected. On the other hand, if IC is above 10% run-off that goes to the streams will cause the ecosystem to be degraded (American Society of Civil Engineers, 1996). Center for Watershed Protection said some of the evidences of this damage are bank erosions, sedimentation and the loss of stream bank tree covers. 2. Urbanization significantly increases annual floods. As infiltration and transpiration is reduced much of the surface precipitation is diverted to the drainage system. In a pre-urban setting, precipitation is intercepted by the natural vegetation through the process of absorption. Ground cover and forest canopy naturally absorbs rainfall through their roots. The wider the ground cover and the denser the forest canopy, infiltration and transpiration of precipitation are held in its natural state as more water is stored in the water table. This way water storage deep down into the ground as reservoir. With the clearing of vegetation and deforestation, urbanization becomes directly liable for the increase in annual floods. Because of the increase in the volume of run-off water in highly urbanized areas, the construction of drainage systems have been the nearest possible solution made by the government. Such drainage systems were designed to regulate the flow of run-off directly to the watercourse. However localized flash flooding seemed aggravated the problem with the construction of such sewage systems. The problem with this development projects is that the volume that watercourse and the drainage systems can contain is limited. The speed or velocity of runoff brought about by high peak storm water. Another vital factor is time which is relatively not enough for water to be absorbed and contained by the drainage systems and so flash floods are always possible. With flash floods, water contamination is highly possible because the excess water that runs in the streets catches much of the contaminants in the land surface which will then be carried to the bodies of water as flood find its way to leave the area. Because highly urbanized areas do have little ground cover like trees to absorb storm water, run off will likely stay longer in the surface as infiltration is hardly possible. Because imperviousness is directly related to water dynamics, highly urbanized areas have the high risk of containing high peak storm discharges. In urban areas, collection in combined sewerage systems may impose increased hydraulic and pollutant loads on conventional wastewater treatment facilities (Perry and McIntyre 1986).

Does Chinas Rise Challenge Us Hegemony Politics Essay

Does Chinas Rise Challenge Us Hegemony Politics Essay Undoubtedly, the rise of China is one of the great dramas of the twenty-first century. China is the worlds second largest economic power after United States. And also it is the worlds largest fast growing economy with the average rates of 10% for the last thirty years (Ho-Fung, 2009). At present china are the largest exporter and the second largest importer in the world. For 2010, inbound foreign direct investment into China surpassed $100bn for the first time, and investment overseas by Chinese companies in non-financial sectors totalled $59 billion. At present, china has the greatest openness to trade of any largest economy. The growth of China is perhaps one of the most discussed matters in existing scholarship on global politics. In adding up, foreigners frequently concern that Chinas quick economic expansion will present a danger to the solidity of the current world order (Ho-Fung, 2009). Because of this, other countries, particularly United States more and more anxious about lo sing its superiority, are often even more outspoken than Chinese pundits in proclaiming the about to happen rise of a Chinese extremity on the global power-map. It is said that the economic rise of china is an unlikely pillar to US economic hegemony. It is big question that, will china become a threat to the economic hegemony of United States. The fear of America comes from its hegemonic status in the world politics and the ideological incompatibility of china with the Western value system. The west believes that the economic growth of china is a matter of fact until china becomes the world super power. But the ideological orientation makes china a revolutionary which is threatening to the many western countries especially US (Kiely, 2008). They fear that the economic growth of china may take away the status of the United States and the global structure. There are mainly three factors which make china threat to America. They are ideological and cultural factors, geopolitical and geo-economics factors and the collapse of china. Once, Napoleon said that when china comes out of their slumbers, it will surprise the world. By the effort of three decades, china has come up to a level of a most important position in international relationships from their powerlessness and the backwardness. It will turn out to be the second principal manufacturer of goods and services, which was anticipated just five years ago to happen only in 2020. It will help them to capture their old historic position as the worlds largest economy and will displace the United States. Americas devaluation of its own political economic prestige has helped china to become the world power and succeed the United States. As the rise of china, the hegemony of America in different fields such as politics and economy is in a great threat. Other states of the world have started to play a major role in determining the word order and status and so a new world order may come into act with in years. In the case of china, it is a fast growing country and has the power to overpower the United States in coming years. As it grows rapidly in every field especially in the economic field, it shows the signs of joining America as one of the worlds superpowers. Experts say that the Chinese challenge to American hegemony is in fact the most significant threat to global peace in the future, and that it is in our international systems best attention for there to be continued American unipolar supremacy of the world, because the transition from one hegemony to hegemony will always end up in wars and conflicts. It will also add fire to the fuel as the US is democratic hegemony and china is the autocratic hegemony. From the middle of the 20th century, America maintains the place of the worlds controlling super power. Our international system may face something similar to what happened during the Cold War, if china to take over the hegemony of the US. There was a bipolar international system during the cold war. So, in order to preserve the peace among the nations, America should continue as the world power. Nevertheless, while it is definitely true that Chinas augment will cause geopolitical chaos; a Sino-American war is not inevitable. Whether such a clash occurs will pivot more on Washingtons tactical choices than on Beijings. From 1980s, chinas economy is growing in a rapid rate of approximately 10 percent per year. And in 2006 the china economic growth was above 11 percent. Chinas extraordinary economic growth is driving its emer ­gence as an immense power and this is a recognizable pat ­tern in worldwide politics (Harvey, 2005). The economic authority of states grows at dissimilar rates, which means that some states are constantly gaining power and some are behind power relative to others. The management in Beijing appreciates the connection between monetary power and geopolitical influence. It understands that, if China can carry on to maintain near-double digit enlargement rates in the early decades of this century, it will exceed the United States as the worlds largest economy. Because of this amazing financial growth, China is, as journalist James Kynge has put it, really shaking the world equally economically and geopolitically. Studies by the US Central Intelligence Agency and others have proà ‚ ­jected that China will be a first-rate military power and will challenge America in global power by 2020 (Harvey, 2005). Of course, throughout the past decade, China has been watchful of its chance in international deal and asset. But this does not justify the US plan of engagement. Chinas present strategy mirrors the reality that, for at the moment, Beijing distinguishes its tactical interest in protecting tranquility in East Asia. Constancy in the region, and in Sino-American rela ­tions, permits China to turn out to be wealthier and to catch up to the United States in relative power. This is the best real po ­litical strategy, buying time for its economy to raise so that the nation can explicitly balance next to the United States militar ­ily and set up its own provincial hegemony in East Asia. Beijing is pursu ­ing a diplomatic policy today in order to make stronger itself to tackle the United States tomorrow. The conviction that a self-governing or more open-minded China would be soothing and collaborative in its outside policies is likewise doubtful. This vision rests on the so called democratic peace theory which is close and valued to many US overseas policy specialists. In detail, the democratic peace theory is another one of those bits of foreign policy conven ­tional understanding that is based on fragile confirmation. The chronological evidence shows that when very important nationwide interests have been at hazard, democratic states have regularly practiced big stick diplomacy against other democracies. In other words, when the chances are highly sufficient, large powers take action like great powers still in their relations with other democracies. Therefore, even if China does experience political liberalization in the future, there is no motive to consider that its overseas policy performance would be basically exaggerated. The competitive advantage of china to become the world power is its vast supply of super-exploitable labour. And its economy is growing with a rapid speed. China has gained increasing influence and leverage as the leaders of the nation has tried their best to make china powerful and strengthen the country in all aspects. But at present, china is also under the pressure of the US imperialism. It is actually a threat to chinas growth and at the same time, chinas growth is a challenge to USs hegemony (Nolan, 2001). In this framework the rulers of china are trying to pursue their own strategies and become the world power. But it is a great challenge for them as they are still in the frame work of the US imperialism. The rise of china as an imperialist power will make many problems in the world such as crises, wars, class struggles in China and the world, and revolutions. It will make many economic, political, and military developments in the world system, including unexpected development s. However the growing strength and the complex dynamic of dependency are shaping chinas development and help to become the world number one in all field (Nolan, 2001). At present china is the second largest economy in the world after the United States. China has a growth rate of 10 percent in gross domestic product over the last two decades. In contrast to other countries, chinas gross domestic product is doubled between 1990 and 2005 ((Kiely, 2008). But still, china is a poor country with the output per person far below that of the advanced capitalist countries. Chinas remarkably far above the ground and continued rate of enlargement and industrialization over the last two decades may well be without example in the olden times of capitalism. More to the point, this constant growth is leading to an enormous build up of productive capacity in China; deeply influencing the route of global capitalist development; and causative to Chinas fast rise as a world monetary power. China has got a major role in contributing to the world economy. Now china is the centre of attraction for the world manufacturing. China is the one of the main destinations for the foreign investment and the place for foreign industrial investment in the world. Now is china is considered as the growth engine for the imperialist world economy. About 20 to 25 percentage of total supply of iron, steel, aluminium, and copper is from china. And for oil, many countries depend on china. As china is deeply involved in the world economy, it is the worlds largest non-US holder of dollars. It is occupied in spirited struggles for raw materials and energy resources in Africa and in other places with the U.S and also with other imperialist powers in the world. China is budding as a rising and ever more self-confident geo-economics force in the world. And U.S. imperialism, for its part, has been more and more aiming China as a possible long-term contestant and opponent. Foreign investment capital is the main medium of chinas rapid growth and it controls chinas leading industrial sectors. Enterprises in which foreign capital is invested account for almost 60 percent of Chinas imports and exports. China is the biggest exporter of electronic and information technology goods to the US especially the computer electronics and the other IT goods. China is the major beneficiary of direct foreign investment in the Third World. Rates of come back on U.S. industrialized investments in China are two times the level of equivalent investments in the European Union (EU) countries, and advanced than in Latin America. Today china is a growing economic power with the strategic goals. In world currency and financial markets china has become a major actor. The United States imports more goods from china than from any other country. In foreign exchange reserves china holds around $1.8 trillion (Kiely, 2007). This is the store of wealth of china which is used as a means of international payments. It comes mainly from the export earnings and the many other investment earnings. As America exporting many goods from china than from any other nation, china has become an export machine. China now has surpassed in foreign exchange reserves and will defeat America in the near future. As America has huge trade deficits, it borrows huge amounts of money to tackle the international financial imbalances. And, united states have to depend up on china to tackle their debts and other problems. China imports a huge amount of fuels and minerals and it results in 40 percent of world market growth for these goods since 1995 (Kiely, 2007). And China is seeking to secure access to raw materials to feed its industrial machine. In Latin America and Africa, China is investing in extractive industries and buying up firms. Chinas foreign direct investment increased from $1.8 billion in 2003 to $16.1 billion in 2006 (Kiely, 2007). About half of this is in natural resource industries. From the middle of 1990s, china has stated to flourish its activities in Africa. And now china is Africas third largest country to trade with them. It has turned out to be a shareholder in Algerias oil manufacturing. And it has been manufacturing its own investments into the oil divisions of Angola and Nigeria. Africa at the present supplies about 30 percent of Chinas oil import needs. Chinese mining firms in search of cobalt, uranium, copper, and other industrial minerals, held up by the Chinese state, h ave been spending in, making bigger monetary aid, and falsifying closer ties with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. There is significant role for the capital investment in the growth of china, which has made the country more productive. Chinas output has risen due to the more investment in the new machinery, better technology, and more investment in infrastructure. It turns out that it is advanced output that has carried out this latest economic wonder in Asia. Chinese efficiency increased at a yearly rate of 3.9 percent throughout 1979-94, in contrast with 1.1  percent during 1953-78. By the early 1990s, productivitys divide of productivity growth went beyond 50 percent, while the share added by wealth arrangement cut down below 33 percent. Such unstable expansion in output is remarkable, the U.S. efficiency augmentation speed averaged 0.4 percent for the duration of 1960-89 and enviable, since productivity guided development is more probable to be continued. Examination of the pre and post 1978 phases points out that the market oriented improvements assumed by China were significant in making this output explosion (Nolan, 2002). The changes raised financial competence by introducing income inducements to countryside communal ventures, family farms, little private industries, and overseas shareholders and dealers. They also not tied up many enterprises from steady interference by state establishments. As a consequence, between 1978 and 1992, the production of state owned enterprises turned down from 56 percent of national productivity to 40  percent, while the share of group enterprises increased from 42 to 50  percent and that of confidential businesses and combined ventures rose from 2 to 10 percent. The revenue incentives come into view to have had an additional optimistic result in the personal asset market, as industrial unit owners and minute producers enthusiastic to boost profits dedicated more and more of their firms own revenues to getting better business presentation. So in all means, the economic growth of china is a challenge to United States. Though china is only a growing country only, approximately by 2020, china will surpass United States in all fields and United States will depending up on china for their economic needs and existence (Breslin, 2005). China will be completely dominated over United States by 2020. Sin china is a great challenge to the power of America as they are dominating in all fields today. China is the only power in the world that can compete with US today. So the united states have a little fear with them although they are not expressing them. The present US president Barrack Obama admits that china has the power to become the world power. They admit it but at the same time they might have been praying not to happen it because America will use their power, if china becomes the super power in the world. So they have to obey the policies of china in the future. In that way they may not like the leader ship of china. It is true that china will take some more time to become the world power, but no doubt about that. It becomes very evident from their increasing gross domestic product per year. Their gross domestic product is increasing in every year. It helps china to become the worlds super power economically. And by 2020, china will lead the world like America is doing now. Now America has got many debts and they are borrowing it from other countries to sustain their economic stability. Even they are borrowing from china for their economic stability which shows that they are slowly coming under the power of china. China has got a major role in contributing to the world economy. Now china is the centre of attraction for the world manufacturing. China is the one of the main destinations for the foreign investment and the place for foreign industrial investment in the world. Now is china is considered as the growth engine for the imperialist world economy. About 20 to 25 percentage of total supply o f iron, steel, aluminium, and copper is from china. And for oil, many countries depend on china. But in all these fields America is going down at their early stage. So the economic power of America is going down by every year and the power of china is increasing per year. Conclusion Undoubtedly, we can say that china will become the world super power by 2020 and will dominate United States in all means. China is having trade relation with almost all the major countries in the world and many countries upon them for their existence. The present super power America also exports and exports different goods china. It shows the economic growth and the resourcefulness of china. They have got much potential with them which will enable them to be the world super power in the near future. China is the worlds second largest economic power after United States. At present, china has the greatest openness to trade of any largest economy. The growth of China is perhaps one of the most discussed matters in existing scholarship on global politics. It is said that the economic rise of china is an unlikely pillar to US economic hegemony. United States fear that the economic growth of china may take away the status of the United States and the global structure. There are mainly thr ee factors which make china threat to America. They are ideological and cultural factors, geopolitical and geo-economics factors and the collapse of china. The competitive advantage of china to become the world power is its vast supply of super-exploitable labour. And its economy is growing with a rapid speed. China has gained increasing influence and leverage as the leaders of the nation has tried their best to make china powerful and strengthen the country in all aspects. So it is true that the chinas rise is a challenge to the United States hegemony, but when china overcomes the US, it may result in the wars and may affect the world peace.

Examination of Puritan Philosophy in Bradfords On Plymouth Plantation :: essays research papers

Examination of Puritan Philosophy in Bradford's "On Plymouth Plantation"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Puritan people first came to the New World to escape the religious persecution that hounded Non-Anglicans in England. They established the Plymouth Colony in 1620, in what is now Massachusetts. The colony was a reflection of the Puritans' beliefs. These beliefs, along with the experience of establishing a colony in "the middle of nowhere", affected the writings of all who were involved with the colony. In this writing, the Puritan philosophy behind William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" will be revealed. Some factors that will be considered include: how Puritan beliefs affect William Bradford's interpretation of events, the representation of Puritan theology in the above mentioned text, and how Puritanism forms the basis for Bradford's motivation in writing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Bradford's text, there are numerous instances in which his beliefs affect his interpretation of what happens. In Chapter IX (nine) of "Of Plymouth Plantation", entitled "Of Their Voyage†¦" , he tells of a sailor "..of a lusty, able body.." who "would always be condemning the poor people in their sickness and cursing them daily†¦.he didn't let to tell them that he hoped to help cast half of them overboard before they came to their journey's end". But, "it pleased God before they came half-seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard". Bradford believes that the sailor died because God was punishing him. According to Bradford, the sailor's cursing, and mistreatment of the other passengers displeased God, so God punished him accordingly. In the same chapter, Bradford tells of another ship passenger named John Howland. At one point in the trip, the Mayflower came upon a violent storm. The winds of the storm were so fierce, and the seas were so high, that all the sailors and passengers had to "hull for divers days together". During this storm, a young man named John Howland was thrown into the sea, and as Bradford tells us, "it pleased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards which hung overboard and ran out at length". Howland caught hold of a rope, and "though he was sundry fathoms under water", he held on until he was hauled up. Bradford reasons that the man was saved because he was blessed by God. He goes on to say that he "became a profitable member in both church and state, implying that John Howland was one of the so called "Puritan Saints". To the Puritans, Saints were people whom God was to save, so these people received God's blessings, and

Generic Organization Essay

A group is a well structured organization with different individuals that has different characteristics and diversity these groups can be formal or informal. In my research I have found that retail stores such as Wal-Mart and Kmart has organizational structure. Group task satisfaction describes the group-level counterpart to individual job satisfaction and represents the group’s shared attitude toward its task and work environment. Places such as Wal-Mart demonstrate these skills to make their organization. The prevalence of groups and teams in the workplace (Beyerlein, Johnson, & Beyerlein, 1995; Devine, Clayton, Philips, Dunford, & Melner, 1999) makes it important to understand their effects on group members. In this paper I will identify an industry and organization type, explain four problems that could impact groups productivity, develop and describes logical and appropriate recommendations for each of the four problems provided and its recommendation, wide training, and the conclusion. Organizational structure may be defined as the system of relations that subsist among a variety of positions and position holders. Formal structure is a blueprint of relations that has been knowingly deliberated and put into action by the organization. It includes a formal chain of command of power as well as policies and procedures and other premeditated attempts to control conduct. Wal-Mart organizational structure consists of a divisional structure. A divisional structure has three different categories in which are product structure, market structure, and geographic structure. Wal-Mart falls under market structure. This is where groups function by types of customers so that each division contains the functions it needs to service a specific segment of the market. For example Wal-Mart offers vision, pharmacy, haircuts, grocery, crafts, clothes, electronics, house wares and etc†¦ This means each department will conduct its own group within Wal-Mart this will separate each structured group such as managers, supervisors, customer service, stockers, CEO, and so forth. With so many different employees within the company each individual has their own task but it takes group structure to make sure that the task is complete. Every task that is met within the group mostly deals how Wal-Mart revenues. If the each group orks together with their task then the job can be complete and helps Wal-Mart makes money. If the groups fail then Wal-Mart fails, this leads to behavior within the group. According to Losh, S (2010), â€Å"as group members, we frequently behave in ways that we do not as individuals. And our behavior as group members may fluctuate from group to group. † Companies such as Wal-Mart want to be successful and a key component of many businesses is the creation and development of new ideas. Efficient processes or products and services, many times, come from the ideas of more than one individual and generally involve teams or groups. Although teams and groups often are mistaken as identical units because they involve multiple individuals however differ in leadership, decision-making, and accountability. Another aspect to consider with groups and teams is workplace diversity and its effects on these units and especially the dynamics of a team. According to Robbins and Judge (2009), â€Å"a work group’s main purpose is to share information and make decisions that help other members of the group. † Work groups focus is on individual goals, holding themselves individually accountable. It also provides a platform for knowledge and information sharing that would not otherwise be available to us. Group even provides an identity to its members. Still cooperative group is something that comes with lot of effort. For example a cashier’s at Wal-Mart goal is too quickly and accurately process customer’s orders. If asked, he or she will share information regarding a price or item, but his or her main concern is a balanced cash drawer at the end of the shift. The cashier is not concerned about another cashier’s cash drawer even though each cashier is a member of a work group . A team is a small group of individuals with knowledge and skills that complement the knowledge and skills of other team members. The work is interdependent. Team members actively interact together toward a common goal while holding the team aggregate accountable. Work teams create synergy. Synergy happens when a team’s result is greater than the total of the individual results of the members. Group behaviors impact group productivity, by determining the outcome of the productivity. Negative group behaviors will produce negative productivity and vice versa with positive group behaviors. There are four problems that can impact group productivity; culture, conflict, group diversity, group cohesive, and characteristics. Culture in a work group can impact a work group it can be either positive or negative. According to Sergeant J, & Laws Chapman, C. (2012), â€Å"teams that operate in stressful environments are less collaborative and more likely to make mistakes (Business in the Community 2009). Building emotional resilience, therefore, can create healthier workplace cultures, reduce absenteeism, improve teamwork and raise morale. In some ways culture can be like personality. A person personality is made of values and beliefs, interests, underlying assumptions, upbringing and habits. Culture I am sure is influenced by leadership at Wal-Mart such as a manager or executive. With Wal-Mart being a big company and having so many employees you can maybe even look at the manager’s desk and tell his culture and background. Culture may become so dominant that employees and employers alike may dismiss good ideas that seem counter to the organizational culture. Companies that do not have an open and flexible culture can find themselves losing a competitive edge because they do not adapt to the changes within in the market making it bad for the workplace. Another problem that can harm a group organization is conflict if you have an individual that disagrees with others idea then this causes conflicts. The differentiator of a successful group is that the group members share sense of trust among themselves as well as feeling of shared responsibilities however the one that is different from the rest of the group may not and this can create problems in the group. Say for instance if you have a employer at Wal-Mart that thinks that organizing food cans and meat in a different order but you have more than one employee that is okay with what is being done this brings negative impact because then others going to feel that maybe she is right then this may not be good for the employer. Diversity can take many forms namely age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, mental and physical capabilities and ethnicity and culture are the main areas of diversity and have a continuous impact throughout our lives. Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective people management, which can improve workplace productivity but sometimes it can create a problem. According to Diversity Takes Center Stage at Wal-Mart (2013) â€Å"Reports on the effort of Wal-Mart Stores to enforce work diversity in its stores in the U. S. Remarks from Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, on the reduction of bonuses if Wal-Mart does not promote women and minorities in the workplace; Allegations against Wal-Mart for gender bias and unfair treatment of workers; Information on the pay structure implemented by the company. If employees feel that because of their culture race or religion are affecting them then nice times out of ten it would create chaos in workplace such as Wal-Mart. Diversity can aid in bringing awareness of different cultures, races and age difference into a mix, but can have negative effects if people are not well prepared in how to work in that environment. According to MacDonald, Lynne (2010), â€Å"Companies put a great deal of time and effort in to encouraging employees to work effectively with their colleagues. † If a company finds that workers have bonded in to a cohesive group, it should be a positive discovery. However, this is not always the case and it can turn sour. While cohesive groups offer advantages in terms of social support for group members, they also present disadvantages for the employer. Low performance norms can be very detrimental to group productivity meaning they will not make much effort to meet group deadline. Characteristics can also be a problem in workplace bad characteristics from an employee can make a workplace unpleasant reducing employees moral and productivity. Some employees can’t find anything positive to say. They criticize their supervisor, the corporate office, other employees and even customers. If you have a stock person working at Wal-Mart the normally stock at night but really hate the night schedule and all the do is complain, complain this lacks enthusiasm from other co-workers around them. This can also make the group to become dishonery towards upper management in the facility. Even having an am employee that gossips can cause conflict in the group because they are the ones who are always twisting the story and only thing at this point is to put them on disciplinary action. There are many ways a workplace can address the negative impacts in a workplace by developing action plan to address the negative Sometimes enterprise-wide systems and compensation schemes need to be revamp, but more often business performance and results are affected. Using customized survey this means getting employees thoughts and idea and surveying patterns and correlations that are effecting the company. Use open minded questions asking employees if there is anything they would like to address putting everything on the table but in a professional manner. Even the company should sacrifice companywide training. Country wide training should be conducted not only for the employees but also for management such as managers CEO, human resource department, and also crew members. Despite the importance of training, a trainer can encounter resistance from both employees and managers. Both groups may claim that training is taking them away from their work. However, a trainer can combat this by demonstrating that training is actually a crucial part of employees’ and managers’ work, completing task and working well with others. These also open doors for employees to get to know other employees culture and background. Conclusion Group work is important because it helps solve problem and accomplish task in a workplace. Working in a group allows members to share responsibilities, rather than the brunt of the work falling in the hands of one person. Instead, group members can delegate tasks to individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to accomplish the task successfully. Because we are human beings we have our own characteristics, style, culture and diversity which sometimes can be a hindrance to a group but doing things such as companywide training can help every employee to conquer the power of being in a group in a workplace. Working in a group can help individuals build long-lasting relationships based on trust and loyalty. As group members, people learn about the common things they share and differences, which lead them to seek group members they can build relationships with even outside of the group.

Ivanhoe essays

Ivanhoe essays In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Ivanhoe devotes his life to keeping to the codes of chivalry. The general setting is in England, where the way of life is medieval. Respect and loyalty are two of the character traits that Ivanhoe has. These are two very important traits because without them, what kind of person would he be? For example, in the beginning of the book Ivanhoe is known as the Disinherited Knight because his father, Cedric of Saxon, disinherits him; however, even though he is abandoned, he still respects his father and is loyal to him. His respect is shown in the book when the castle burns and his father is very disrespectful toward his son. But Ivanhoe does not get upset. Ivanhoe is not only loyal to his real father but to King Richard the Lion Heart as well. When his father disowns Ivanhoe, King Richard steps in and adopts him. Ivanhoe attaches himself to the King and follows him into battle for the Crusades. When the King is captured, Ivanhoe has loyalty and sets his eye on freeing him. Glory is also something that Ivanhoe uses to lead him on. Austrians imprisoned his stepfather, King Richard the Lion Heart, on his way back from the crusades. Ivanhoe put his effort towards freeing him and glorifying his country of England. He courageously goes to battle to fight for England in the Crusades. Because of his bravery England is saved. Besides glory, bravery is used throughout the novel also. An example of this is when Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert dies for Rebecca. Ivanhoe demonstrates bravery when he fights Brian to repay Rebecca for her care when he is hurt. He is also very brave when he fights for his Saxon image. Glory and Bravery are not the only things Ivanhoe is demonstrating by fighting for England. He is also showing a fear of disgrace. If his home country of England were to lose the battles, he and his country would be disgraced. His fear of disgrace helps lead him on...