Management and Leadership of Organizations Essay

Management and Leadership of Organizations Unit 1 Individual Project American InterContinental University Details: The internet has created new ways to do business for organizations with much less capital planning as opposed to the high capital needs of traditional brick and mortar organizations. Based on this, how should management and leadership be addressed for each type of business? Research successful traditional and online retailers and address the following issues: Discuss the organizational structure of one traditional and one online retailer. Identify two management or leadership challenges for each type of retailer. Are the challenges basically the same or different? In what ways are they the same or how are they different? If you were advising a successful leader in a traditional retailer who was interested in making the transition to working as an online retail organization, what advice would you give? Management and Leadership This paper I will examine the roles and responsibilities of authoritative managers and leaders in advancement and creating an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. I will additionally differentiate amid administration and administration aural an aggregation as able-bodied as call the roles in which both managers and leaders comedy in creating and advancement an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. I will go on to explain how the arch action of administration supports the conception and aliment of an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. Finally, I will achieve with my recommendations that both managers and leaders can use to actualize and advance an advantageous authoritative ability in a company. The responsibilities of the managers in a company are to overlook employees’ performance, accommodate acknowledgment during advance reviews, and analyze areas of improvements and agent recognition. A company will also have leaders, which are classified as assignments or work leaders. Their duties are to aid advisers like themselves in their circadian job duties. Assignment or work leaders tend to be added accomplished advisers who managers agent this responsibility. Although the two high leaders and management seem to be similar, I can truly tell you they are very different. Someone people maybe a manger but not a true leader. The definition of a manager is to accept subordinates and leaders accept followers. (Changing Minds) There are dissimilarities with a leader and a manager at each company. They can have very different attitudes on their goals. whit a manager in a company’s authoritative goals are linked to the ability of the organization based on the four functions of administration such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, as with leaders access goals are on a more personal level. Leaders tend to advance his or her own account rather than accommodate to the â€Å"Main Objective† of the organization. Leaders accept an abundant access on others. According to the analysis I have found it states that, â€Å"Outstanding leaders connect their strategic substance and effective interpersonal processes to codify and apparatus strategies that produce a result and acceptable aggressive advantage†. Within a company, both managers and aggregation leads have a role in creating and advancement an advantageous authoritative culture. Often, a person can tend to act out of ethnocentrism, which is â€Å"the addiction to adjudicator others by the standards of one’s accumulation or culture, which are apparent as superior,† This behavior reflects badly on an organization. Managers and aggregation leads in a company are declared to reflect the personality of the support the overall goals and the organization. For example, a company, it is important that you accomplish every goal to get a customer’s to have absolutely corporation with an operational person in a proper time frame that you guarantee your customers so that they are happy. To do this involves a lot of maneuverings from several people in the organization. Both managers and leads must take on some activity to ensure this is done. An acceptable leader will help motivate the advisers to want to access and meet this goal. This entails the lead of management, which â€Å"involves the manager’s efforts to activate high achievement by each employee†. In A company, administering account achievement evaluations on advisers or employees helps each manager by pointing out employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvements to accredit that agent to grow to be more successful. This supports the conception and aliment of an advantageous organizational culture within the company. This way the advisers or employees can see where they are and what area they need to change to be affective in the organization’s goal. The leading action of administration â€Å"involves the manager’s efforts to activate high achievement by employees†. In an organization, this is handled by administering account evaluations of each advisers and having daily team meetings to communicate tasks that are being followed and completed to be sent to high management. This is additionally how administration supports the conception and aliment of an advantageous organizational culture in a company. Recommendations for managers who demand to be leaders are to appearance compassion. To be a leader a person needs to see the world as an opportunity to change. They need to accept the employees’ dilemmas. Respect the assessment of the advisers and accomplish decisions that will be acceptable not only for them but the company as well. Leaders should not be acquisitive or selfish. They need to accept the amount of sharing, and apperceive their success is the effect of the efforts of every individuals. In conclusion I have shown you the different aspects between a manager and a leader in a company. With a new concept and a diverse world of business it is very necessary to implement both the managerial skills with the leadership skills in order to create new ideas. All of the Employees need to feel that their worth everything to the company and that they know that their opinions matter in the company as well. With c company you will always have challenging assignments and implementing that will build an idea in an employee and some are will not be discontent or unhappy. References Changing Minds Retrieved from http://changingminds. org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader. htm The Art and Science of Leadership sixth edition author Afsaneh Nahavandi

Finding “Love In L.A.” Essay

Stuck in traffic on the Hollywood freeway one morning, a happy-go-lucky guy named Jake gets into an accident amidst nursing a fantastic dream about owning a better car than his beat up ’58 Buick. After surveying the damage on his car and the absence of it, Jake sees an opportunity once he meets the victim of his traffic flight of fancy. He unleashes his charms and proceeds to woo his victim, a Venezuelan immigrant named Marianna, by asking her name and number, and by trying to convince her not to let the authorities know what happened. However, all his attempts fail as Marianna keeps shifting the focus back to the problem at hand. When finally confronted with the responsibility for the damages, Jake decides to lie his way out by giving false information regarding his identity and car insurance. Despite these, he pursued Marianna by claiming to be both a musician and an actor. After the so-called solution to the problem, Marianna seems to warm up to Jake and finally relents in giving her number. As they part ways, Jake notices that Marianna jots down his license plates, making sure that he would be traced. However, Jake has the last laugh as it is revealed that his license plates were just stolen from an old junk. The story ends with the sly fox gloating on his escape and slipping back into another fantasy. Love in L. A. is a story about love, or the lack of it. Readers of the story are led to believe that it is a story of two star-crossed lovers, a carefree guy and a stable, proper girl, meeting in the most unlikely of places such as a traffic accident on Hollywood boulevard. However, the story reveals that the romantic notion of finding love in unlikely places is just a fantasy, a flight of fancy not unlike the one Jake was having when he smacked into Marianna’s car. L. A. is perfect as a setting for this story as it is a chorus of both the business world and cultural diversity. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, it is one of the largest and most diverse cities in the United Sates with a population of almost 10 million multicultural residents (State and County Quick facts). Aside from its impressive statistics, it is also home to the most famous entertainment town in the world, Hollywood. It is the perfect place for a carefree character to have a chance encounter with the prim and proper business type. And where else but to stage it in a freeway where all walks of life are made equal by suffering the same fate, being stalled in a traffic jam. Thus, L. A. can be considered a perfect setting for star-crossed â€Å"lovers† meeting in a city’s societal crucible, the freeway. The interaction between the characters when they meet mirrors courtship. The boy finally having a chance to talk to the pretty girl, tries to put his best foot forward while the girl seems impervious to the infatuation. This encounter reveals the hidden agendas, the motives behind the charms and the fallacy of first impressions. Then, the reader is once again taken for a ride as it seems that the prim and proper girl melts to the charm of the easy-go-lucky guy and relents in giving him a sliver of personal information. But this hope is dashed once again in the last part of the story as the masks of the two characters are stripped away to reveal their slyness and manipulation: one is making sure the other will not escape while the other gloats in his final sham. This final encounter supports the fact that the love in this story is nothing more than a means, to be manipulated by both characters to achieve their ends. When Jake Met Marianna The introduction of Jake paints a picture of a carefree easy-go-lucky guy who lives detached from the set rules of life. He is presented as a man whose philosophy hinges on self-freedom rather than stability. He despises being chained to routine, as shown by his arrogance towards ‘the steadily employed’ and his reference to Marianna’s hurrying to the office as ‘boring’. He can be considered a free spirit, not in a positive sense, but rather more as a bum who would rather live in fantasy than face the responsibilities of reality. Despite the age of his car, 52 years old, Jake comes off as middle-aged, around 25-30 years of age, lanky and with a scruffy chin, wearing a shirt with a rock and roll theme, faded jeans and battered Chuck Taylors. He would have been cool if he had focused on restoring his ’58 Buick rather than daydreaming about having a new car. Instead, his daydreaming almost led to the loss of his present car. The traffic accident strengthens the characterization of Jake, magnifying his tendency to live in his dreams rather than face reality. He went for swagger and charms rather than owning up fors his mistake, in the hopes of both escaping the responsibility of paying for the damage and capturing the girl. The traffic accident was also the means for the reader to be introduced to Marianna, the victim of Jake’s daydream. She is first introduced as affable, even smiling at Jake in their first verbal exchange. However, the conflict also reveals her true nature as she deflects all of Jake’s advances to ensure that justice is served. Despite her short exposure and introduction in the story, the reader can glean so much history from the way she reacted to the problem. From the small pieces of information provided in the story, one can infer that Marianna’s immigrant family have had success in their adopted homeland, evidenced by the fact that her father was able to give her a car. She is an independent woman, asserting her right even in the barrage of Jake’s swagger and charm. But, she can also be very manipulative. Realizing that Jake was untrustworthy, she pretended to be affected by her charms so as to escape his advances. Then, when they were about to separate, she jotted down the Buick’s plate number just in case the information received was false. Her efforts failed however as it is revealed that even the plate number was false. The last paragraphs defined both characters. They were an anti-thesis of each other right down to their cars. Jake drove a beat down yet very durable 1958 Buick while Marianna drove a brand new, imported but quite flimsy car. The beat down Buick is an extension of the characterization of Jake in the sense that it had the potential to be a very beautiful car if only taken care of. Its fake plate number represented the swagger of Jake, open to the public but fraudulent. Marianna’s car on the other hand also mirrored her personality. It was new, imported and up to date with the advancements of the modern age. But since it was imported, much like the immigrant Marianna, it was flimsy and not up for the abuse of American freeways. Even the effect of the accident on both owners and cars were similar. Surely, Marianna will be traumatized once she finds out that all the information she got, down to the plate number, were fake and useless, much like her car which was dented and damaged. As for the Buick and Jake, life goes on, the potential of the car continues to be unrealized much like its owner’s reality warped by his fantasies. In closing, the title of the story misleads the reader into thinking that it is indeed a romantic story. Thus, it perfectly encapsulates the underlying theme of misleading. This theme propels the story: from the lies and swagger of Jake to his penchant for living in daydreams to the manipulation of Marianna with Jake’s infatuation of her down to the fake license plates of the Buick. Even readers will shake their heads, falling victims to the same fate as Marianna and her flimsy car. Works Cited U. S. Census Bureau. â€Å"State and County Quick facts†. last revised 21 April 2010. Web. 13 July 2010.

American People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American People - Essay Example The difference in the opinion led to a crisis of authority when the opposition from the colonists turned into riots, boycotts of imported goods and burning dummies of English officials. It was not thought of as a war of independence in the beginning, it was mere a fight for their own rights. As the dispute grew more and more the American Patriots set forth to win their independence and to build a new equality based society. By the late eighteenth century, the Americans had more liberties, paid lesser taxes and considered themselves as more fortunate citizens compared to any other nation. Ivring Kristol in his article â€Å"The Most Successful Revolution† quotes: "One even gets the impression that many of us regard ourselves as too sophisticated to take the Revolution seriously." He explains that the American Revolution was really different than other revolutions of that era and that is the reason why it was so successful. (Kristol, 5) Kristol’s first point was that the Americans do not celebrate Independence Day as enthusiastically as it was during the past few years. It is because the Americans are more arrogant and insolent and view the American Revolution as an unsophisticated representation of them. The Americans of this age believe that their forefathers were immature and primeval individuals who were unaware of what they were actually doing as compared to the sophisticated generation of today. People have merely forgotten the American Revolution with the passage of time but the message that it conveys should not be forgotten in the hearts of the younger generation. Their forefathers were the hardworking generation who fought for their rights and succeeded, whereas the Americans of this age think that they are too sophisticated and refined to do things like that. Many of them do not even believe if the American Revolution should really be celebrated. Kristol also talked about the differences between a democracy and a republic by clearing the confusion in a common man’s mind. He says that Democracy is the rule of popular passion whereas in a republic, sanctions govern the people where passion is considered as an unfit. (Middlekauff, 256) Kristol states that the division in the government of democrats and republicans has split the country which is somewhat true but on the other hand it also adds up a variety in the government. The problem arises when both the democrats and the republicans refuse to compromise their personal interests for the betterment of the common man since they are always involved in defeating the other. The government created by the forefathers was made with great thought and devotion looking into every possible detail. They designed it in this way do that the people are able to develop their opinions and can elect government officials who support their opinions. Kristol’s prediction of losing reverence in the forefathers by the Americans has come true to some extent. It is needed, howev er that the Americans need to transform their point of view about the government. Americans have lost pride in them and in their country, for which it is required to stop fighting among them and concentrate on the ideology proposed by their forefathers for equality and justice and ultimately a prosperous nation. The American Revolution had and still has a great significance as it depicts that the less privileged yet hardworking people should be treated equally like the ones who are financially stable. The American Revolution expresses to the entire world that the US is the only country where all the citizens have equal rights and privileges which are granted to them right after birth. It is no doubt a symbol of liberty and independence to other nations around the globe. There were a few promises of the

Mass spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mass spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy - Essay Example (Ahuja and Alsante, 2003; p.16) Organic chemists define this science as the study of the "quantised interaction of electromagnetic radiations with matter" (Yadav, 2005; p.1). According to Yadav (2005), these electromagnetic emissions are created by the fluctuations of electric charges and the magnetic field existing in the atom. He further said that the various forms of electromagnetic radiation include ultraviolet, infrared, x-rays, microwaves, radio waves, and so on (Yadav, 2005; p.1). There are four methods or measurement techniques used in spectroscopy. These are: mass spectroscopy, or MS; ultraviolet spectroscopy, or UV; infrared spectroscopy, or IR; and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or NMR. The common types of spectroscopy include: astronomical spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform spectroscopy, gamma-ray spectroscopy, and laser spectroscopy. (Flowers and Silver, 2004; p.953) A new technique, Raman spectroscopy, is now considered the fifth spectroscopic measurement technique (Smith and Dent, 2005; p.1) The three main types of spectroscopy/spectrometry include: absorption spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy, and scattering ... termines the sample's physical properties through the amount of light that the substance scatters at specific wavelengths, incident and polarization angles. The difference between scattering spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy lies in the fact that the scattering process is faster than the absorption or emission process (Flowers and Silver, 2004; p.953; Ahuja and Alsante, 2003; p.16). Mass spectroscopy as a technique offers outstanding structural information of different substances. It can also be a useful tool in separating molecules with little differences in their molecular weight. However, if mass spectroscopy is used as a quantitative measurement technique, its uses can be limited (Ahuja and Alsante, 2003; p.16). In ultraviolet spectroscopy, a sample substance is continuously irradiated with ultraviolet radiation of differing wavelengths. The power or energy which is related with the section of the electromagnetic spectrum matches the difference in power levels among various molecular orbitals. Ultraviolet radiation is created when a sample substance is exposed to a wavelength that equals the variation in energy between an occupied molecular orbital and an unoccupied molecular orbital. (Flowers and Silver, 2004; p.953) Ultraviolet spectroscopy, at a single wavelength, provides little selectivity of analysis (Ahuja and Alsante, 2003; p.16). Infrared spectroscopy, according to Stuart (2004), is definitely one of the most significant analytical measurement techniques that are available to scientists nowadays. (Stuart, 2004; p.1) This method offers precise information for some functional substance groups that present selectivity and allow quantification. (Ahuja and Alsante, 2003; p.16) This technique is based on the atoms' vibrations within a molecule; where an

How Gambling, Chemical Dependency, and Racial Discrimination Affect Essay

How Gambling, Chemical Dependency, and Racial Discrimination Affect our Urban Community - Essay Example Associated to the gambling menace have been the overindulgence in alcohol and other chemical substance whose effects are wholesomely detrimental not only to the individuals in addiction but also to the state at large (ONDCP, n.d., 1-4). Dependence on chemical influence has been in the rise with efforts to curb the menace in the city raising costs of living. Addiction to chemical and substance abuse in Cleveland have been pointed to raise levels of unemployment and in effect poor standards of living. The resources committed to management of these vices by the authorities have detrimental effects to the economy and the outcome is retarded growth to the economy and failure to offer basic services to the citizens. On the other hand, racial prejudice in Cleveland, Ohio has long history with adverse effects recorded. For instance, the issue of racial discrimination fueled the Cleveland Hough uprising of 1966. In like manner to the vices of gambling as well as the overindulgence in chemical substance, the racial discrimination has been associated with great adverse effects to the healthy living of the urban dwellers in Cleveland and the entire Ohio. Discussion In view of the existence of addiction into gambling, chemical substance use as well as the prejudice in racial orientation within Cleveland, this paper seeks to evaluate the effects resultant to the communities living in the urban areas. In particular, this paper will analyze the social, economic as well as cultural impacts that the three vices have on the communities living within the urban areas in Ohio especially in Cleveland. A significant population of the adults in Ohio suffers gambling addiction and the estimate is projected to keep rising every year with increase in Casinos. The gambling disorders are projected to keep rising in years to come with the probability of many adults developing these disorders at one point in their lives. The social economic effects of the conditions developed in gambling diso rders include high levels of debts among others. These are seen to increase the likelihood of these persons to file bankruptcy protection through research support to link gambling and the personal bankruptcy is yet to be revealed. Study have shown that persons with chronic gambling problems suffer high unemployment rates with research revealing that the addiction counts for 8% of the total unemployment problems for these persons. In matters of crime and incarceration within the urban community, the people with the gambling complications have higher likelihood to have been victims at least once in their lives. People with the gambling disorders have higher chances of exhibiting physical ailments, high divorce rates, high suicidal rates, familial abuse as well as higher divorce rates as compared to the rest of the urban dwellers. However, this has not had any empirical evidence as per se. besides, the gambling problem cost the society highly in matters of caring for the economically u nproductive (dependent) working populations as addicts to gambling. Many resources are also directed towards treatment and counseling such persons which in essence affects development, which would otherwise be realized through such resources. Koo and friends in a report show that Ohio in general has not committed enough resources to the management of the gambling prob

Caring for Hickman line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Caring for Hickman line - Essay Example This case study shall assess the organization and assess the professional & service users' needs. This theme of caring for the Hickman Line was arrived at by the growing statistics of the exposure of the Lines to germs. As a result, of careless storage of Hickman lines with no proper care, a lot of infections have recorded an escalating trend. A greater percentage of patients have been seen to visit health centers for replacement of the Hickman lines; others require removal of the same. According to Souhami and Moxham proper insertion of the Hickman Line is a concern of the learners in the clinical setting. Nurses, the learners in this context, are no exception to the needs analysis on the placement of the Hickman line. Billet argues that, in the clinical setting, nurses must be actively involved in learning in the clinical setting. All health practitioners must ensure that they are conversant with all the procedures that are required of them in the clinical setting. Conducting succe ssful insertion of the Hickman line is an indication of a well trained physician. Alternatively, provision of appropriate procedure to the patient is a requirement of the nurse in clinical practice. The nurse must be very alert while conducting the procedure of inserting the Hickman line. Direct observation is not the only vital action that needs to be taken by nurses. He continues to argue in the clinical setting, the nurse must have self-possessed assessment skills that are extremely important in this case study. Despite the fact that, acquisition of these skills may pose a major challenge in the clinical setting, patient care must be jeopardized by the fact that nurses need time to adjust to the new practice (Gopee, 2010). In relation to this case study, nurses must ensure that they are conversant with the Hickman line insertion procedure, that commences with neck X-rays. Nurses must also be keen on administering pain killers before insertion of the Line. Needs analysis, in this context, is responsible for ensuring that nurses conduct their roles as expected, so as, the patients have an uncomplicated and calm operation. Caley (2006) argues that, health improvement must be the sole purpose for the provision of health care to individuals. Teaching plan objectives In relation to part 1, the teaching plan will be based on Nursing as the Subject area. The theme of the teaching plan will be successful completion of the Hickman Line placement. In regard to the teaching plan goals, the tutor must ensure that the learners’ -nurses-scope of ability to grasp key elements of placement of the Hickman line. The tutors must also emphasize on the need to assemble all the skills learnt throughout the course are applied in the clinical setting. Teaching plan must also ensure that the health practitioners are in a position to convert all the theoretical skills to practical during insertion of

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 76

Marketing - Essay Example Market research also enables firms that are new to gain a competitive edge over the more established firms. For instance, when Sprite was launched in Ireland, it struggled to get a market share of the beverage company however, after proper research they discovered that if they branded it more as a cool drink that they would be more popular. With proper rebranding, sprite was able to sell double the expected number of bottles and even launch the 2-litre bottle ahead of time. (Parasuraman, Dhruv & Ramayya, 2007) A primary research study is a study that has not been done before involving the first set of data to be recorded relating to the study. Using clothes selection as my choice to conduct research in, to select a sample frame I would take into consideration the target group of my product. The consumers would have to be divided according to age, gender marital status and number of children. The volume and nature of data required would be taken in to consideration whether it is quantitative or qualitative (Wild and Diggines, 2009). With qualitative data only a small niche of the market is targeted as compared with quantitative data, however, quantitative data requires less expertise and would be preferable for primary data to get data over the entire market. In selecting the sample, data collection method cost must be considered as well as the main purpose of the research and the period for conducting the research to be done (Wild and Diggines, 2009). The survey method of data collection is the least credible since high number of surveys are not returned when sent via the postal method and there is always the risk that the respondents who did reply are of a particular demography that relates to the survey meaning that their responses will be overrepresented in the data collection. This is because there is no interaction between the respondent and surveyor, this method is not suitable for qualitative study (Gupta, 2003). However, the main advantage of the

PR campaign Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

PR campaign - Assignment Example The institution’s mission statement has played an important role in guiding it towards excellence performance through the fifty years that it has existed since its inception. The institution believes that it’s upon this mission statement that it will transcend greater heights into becoming one of the universities with a global influence on various issues that affect the normal lives of people. The institution has done a lot to ensure that it lives to its vision; it has combined the efforts of all its stakeholders to ensure that staying on course on this vision remains a matter of top priority. The vision statement that the institution has found a lot of self-esteem in it reads as follows; In order to live and achieve its vision, the institution intends to rely on the majority youthful population that characterizes the student population, the excellent and strategic location that keeps it within reach to many students. At the same time, the excellent association between the student body and the faculty proves to another vital ingredient in achieving the vision, thus establishing itself as one of the forerunner institutions in the United States of America The university enjoys a corporate culture that is characterised by active and free interaction among students and the faculty representatives. The institution has committed to admitting different student from all walks of life in a bid to encourage cultural interaction and diversity. The university has derived a lot of strength from the fact that it is providing an environment that values different races and knowledge sharing. This is something that seems to add impetus in the efforts being done towards innovations and inventions in the different areas the university address. The institution enjoys state of the art technology that is used in instructional

Accounting for Leaders- Kitchen Utensils Limited Essay

Accounting for Leaders- Kitchen Utensils Limited - Essay Example Kitchen Utensils LTD faces a number of problems. First, the company is unable to recruit and maintain educated and quality employees. The business has also failed to develop a desirable working environment to develop right skill set (Catanach & Feldmann, 54). This is so because the sales staff that the company has in hand lacks basic accounting skills. Secondly, there is a lack of proper training programs for the employees (Harvard Business School, 98). The management only trains their employees when the need arise. From the case, it is evident that the management is reactive rather than being proactive. The seminar has only been organized as a result of declining sales volume. Thirdly, there is a lack of proper communication of objective (Brocke & Rosemann, 129). The management has failed to formulate a common goal for the different departments. The three-day conference is only organized when Paul discovered that the sales personnel cannot translate sales into profit. They are, therefore, not able to determine accounting profit. Another problem that the company faces is a lack of agreement. Instead of coming to a common conclusion, the lecture only caused consternation among the sales personnel. The sales personnel, in fact, felt frustrated after the lecture. The following strategies should be adopted by the company to address the above challenges. The company needs to provide their employees with a workplace where they feel supported and valued in order to attract decent candidates (Vandenbosch, 48). The management should develop an effective employee selection method in order to be able to find talented individuals with the necessary set of skills for the business. This will not only increase the performance of the company but will also reduce the training costs. Employee selection tools such as structured interviews, General Mental Ability and Situational Judgment Tests have been

Article The Paradox of Samsung's Rise Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Paradox of Samsung's Rise - Article Example Samsung as well as most of the other Japanese companies have a habit of looking at outsiders with a lot of suspicion. There is a concept of life-long association with the company and a sort of emotional bond forms within the employees. This national as well as Samsung culture provided a lot of difficulties when Samsung tried to hire S-level executives from outside. The company managers closed ranks to the outsiders and even withheld information from them; making it very difficult for them to continue working at Samsung. Koreans and Japanese are very proud of their culture. They used to see the outsiders reluctance to follow their culture and language as an insult-executives like Choi-Chi-Hun who were outsiders but made special efforts to incorporate themselves in the Korean culture were more easily assimilated into the organisation than those who preferred to separate work life from their social life. The Japanese culture recognises promotion only on the basis of seniority and the number of years that have been dedicated by a particular employee to the organisation. Thus it was very difficult for them to accept younger people being recruited to senior positions-this provided lot of difficulties to the top management. Japanese and Koreans in general have high uncertainty avoidance. (Hofstede, 1991) They are threatened by ambiguity and change. They rely on rules and require a stable and predictable workplace. Variable compensation was a concept which striked at the heart of this core value. It was due to the hindrance provided by this national culture which resulted in piecemeal implementation of the variable pay structure. If the uncertainty due to a new policy increases too much –it was immediately dropped by the management before it caused major unrest. The Korean society is a high power distance society unlike the west. These types of societies are very hierarchal. (Roehl & Bird, 2004) The authority is usually

Social structures in different cultures Essay Example for Free

Social structures in different cultures Essay The best way to study social classes and the diversity of such in a culture would be to begin by defining what social class is. In order to make a more accurate study, it was part of my method to interview someone with actual exposure to this type of social strata. I believe that on interviewing him, a real true-to-life and accurate first-hand observation may be given. As, he was an Armenian, I place this culture as my basis and standard. Now, to begin would be to define what social class is. His best definition would be a separation of people based on the amount of money a family holds. This would then dictate their classification and status in society. The amount of money they would have as a clan would serve as a basis for their status and how they are placed by the general public. Basically, the greater amount of wealth possessed by a family garnered from their business and labor, the higher their status in society and in the social strata. The only exception to this would be those involved in the mafia or similar shady dealing, whereas the source of money is questionably from jobs of ill-repute. These would then have the family classified as being part of corrupt politics, and may give the family a bad name despite the amount of wealth. In the culture under study, I saw the classification was basically between the poor and rich. There was a wide separation between these two, as middle class was small in quantity. It is a widespread phenomenon and a social stratum that is of general knowledge throughout the country. Families that are part of the rich may be those that own homes and have adequate sources of water and facility. They would be the ones who would wear more clothes, be seen to carry themselves with more â€Å"class†, and in fact those who would be the ones who hire people from the lower classes as their servants or employees. Those who are not, namely the poor, would be those in the more congested areas and towns, where luxuries such as heated water are not within access. They would be the general masses and rabble who live day to day just trying to make a living and get by. Because of the wide separation between rich and poor, there is few middle class. The distinction between the strata is evident. Either one is among the select who are born into comfort and of that more comfortable environment, or one is born into the rough real world where the grind of everyday life involves effort, blood, sweat and tears. The difficulty with the social class system is that it is an evident source of injustice and inequality amongst the people. For example, when you get in trouble with the police, rich people always get off after they pay the police through bribery/ On the other hand, poor people go to jail.  The fact that the rich have more wealth, most especially due to their separation from the poor by a wide margin, gives them the power to roam freely with more privilege and leniency to bend rules set by the government. They have the power to live above the law and move things to their advantage because of the money that they possess. It is also within their reach to be treated with a double standard, where the poor may be treated as usually guilty and less trusted, while the rich get off the hook.   The rich are the ones more likely to be driving cars however they will not be fined for overspeeding and the like. The poor however may not be committing the crime but will be under greater suspect, because of the fact that they are poor. There are also other disadvantages to this system. The poor stay poor and get poorer. The rich stay amongst themselves and stay rich. There is a vast separation and no room for getting better. The lack of education stays the same and there is no room for growth. As the wealth stays within the rich, it is very hard for the poor to elevate themselves to a higher standard, and by virtue of their birth into the poor, they stay poor. It is only the rich who have benefits and stay within them. This was again reiterated during my interview. The interviewee being of the richer strata stated that because he was from a wealthier community, he and all those with him knew that they would remain wealthy. Also, by living in a wealthy area, they had a clean and beautiful location, which was patrolled by police for top security, among a multitude of other benefits. The division spreads all over the place as another example of its effect is its extent to the workplace. The rich people have better jobs in business regardless of their level of education because it’s who they know not what they know and the poor work in factories or do not work at all. In terms of schooling, everyone is allowed equal opportunity to schooling. However, again because of the amount of resources, only the rich kids can continue to learn in college so poor kids are stuck with high school level educations. The rich are college educated and the poor are high school educated, that is, if they stay in school in the first place. Because however they are on the streets, the poor have better skills rather than knowledge.  Now recently, a change is staring to happen with more scholarships given out to poorer children. However, this can only do so much. As there is a widespread division between the rich and poor, the amount of uneducated folk is widespread and the access that the poor have to a chance of uplifting their standard is small. The educational system although provided for all still is one that is founded on financial capability, hence still catering mostly to keep the higher standard of the rich, and keeping inaccessible to the poor. In terms of politics, it is the same. It’s not what you know it’s who you know in Armenian politics. Even though a democratic voting system is in place, there still is too much corruption where the lower classes voice is not heard. The rich have money and money defines the power that they have, Due to the fact that they have money, they can steer the economy in a way that their opinions are more listened to and theirs are followed more. Plus, due to the fact that it is they who are more educated, they are able to use this to their advantage. The point here is not only that they have more control. It is also the fact that due to their control, they can put hindrance to the country’s growth, as instead of allocating wealth and decision to the growth of the poor, the enlargement of the middle class, the lessening of the poor, their effort are maintained on keeping the rich with the rich. The economy is on a standstill and there is no progress. The only exception to all these divisions would be that of religion. As believed, all men are equal in God’s eyes, and here there are no biases. Under the eyes of their God, all men, rich or poor, are alike and are his children.

Effects of Weight Stigma | Article Analysis

Effects of Weight Stigma | Article Analysis In their 51st volume, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology published an article named â€Å"The Ironic Effects of Weight Stigma† in which researchers explore the realistic effects that weight stigmas and weight-related identity threats can have on an individual’s dietary habits and self-efficacy regarding self-control. All subjects in the experiments were female, as it was previously concluded that women are more susceptible to weight-related stigmas as well as weight-related identity threats. The scientists decided to test the effects of these stigmas and identity threats by designing an experiment in which participants first read either an article that presents a weight-related identity threat (experimental group), or an article that is unrelated to weight and obesity (control group), and then were asked to give a brief speech explaining the article, its validity, as well as the implications of the ideas discussed in the articles. After giving their speeches, the participants were placed in an unobserved room for ten minutes with pre-weighed bowls of MMs, Skittles, and Goldfish snacks and told to help themselves to a snack. The observed variables in this experiment included calories consumed after having given their speeches, the participants’ self-efficacy for dietary control (as evaluated by a questionnaire that scales self efficacy for dietary control), the subject’s concern regarding being the subject of weight stigma, as well as the individual’s speech and nonverbal behavior. Although women in the experimental and control groups did not differ in perceived weight, and neither did white vs. non-white participants, it was shown that non-white participants had higher BMIs than their white counterparts. The results of the experiment were certainly ironic, but not to be unexpected. Women who were subjected to weight related identity threat inevitably had a positive correlation between perceived weight and calories consumed, whereas women in the control group had little to no correlation between perceived weight and calories consumed. Essentially, only those who were self-described as overweight would consume more calories after being subjected to a weight related stigmatization, and those who elf-described as overweight would only reflect an increase in calorie consumption after having been exposed to a stigma regarding weight. Furthermore, among women that were exposed to the threat condition, perceived weight was significantly negatively coordinated with self-efficacy regarding dietary control whereas perceived weight had no correlation with self-efficacy for dietary control for women in the control group. Also, self-described overweight women reflected lower self-efficacy for cont rolling their diet when subjected to the identity threat while women who did not describe themselves as overweight reflected higher self-efficacy for dietary control when presented with the weight-related identity threat. The study essentially found that stigmatizations regarding weight often have an effect opposite of what is desired. Being confronted with a stigma regarding weight is likely to cause a person who perceives themselves as being overweight to eat more and have lower self-efficacy regarding their ability to control their own dietary habits, in other words it in no way encourages them to eat healthy or feel empowered regarding their dietary decisions.

An Islamic Micro Finance Bank To Help Enterprises

An Islamic Micro Finance Bank To Help Enterprises The Conventional Micro-Finance programs have shown little interest in religious and cultural sensitivities ,also excludes the poorest of the poor and are inadequate to full-fill the needs of 37.4 % poor Muslims of the world. A recent report by CGAP suggests that a large proportion of poor muslims rejects all forms of loans, including Grameen style Microloans on religious grounds, even many Government initiatives have failed because of this reason. Islamic Finance industry is an industry with rapid growth but has shown little interest in Micro-Finance and poverty alleviation aiming for shariah compliance inform and not in spirit. There are many Islamic MF programs currently operational in different parts of the world, but they are regional and country based programs, this research paper will focus on the development of an International Micro-Finance Bank (not Program) with deepest local penetration. Interest based loans may lead prospective entrepreneurs to refrain from pursuing activ ities as cost of failure is too high. Islamic Economics goals of equality, fairness, social solidarity through risk sharing, property rights, and sanctity of contracts; entrepreneurship, partnership, income generation through productive activity for poverty alleviation are completely in sync with basic principles of any Micro-Finance program. Aim and objectives: The purpose of my research is developing a sustainable and universal business model of an ideal full-fledged Islamic Micro-Finance Bank? by examining working technique and mode of operation of Islamic Banks(and of Banks working on No Interest principle) and of Micro-Finance programs ( both Islamic and Non-Islamic) and merging the working principles of both to come with a business model of a Universal World-Wide Micro-Finance Bank strictly following and working on principles of Islamic Finance. An Islamic Micro-Finance Bank will provide thousands of entrepreneurial poors access to Micro-Finance- especially those who fear breaching their religious beliefs. Islamic Micro-Finance Bank will seek to finance business activities which will lead to the economic empowerment of the poor, rather than merely lending to the poor for consumption. Literature review: Islamic Finance : Islamic Finance refers to a system of Banking that is Consistent with Islamic law(sharia) principles. This system reflects Islams teachings on wealth distribution, social and economic justice. The basic principles and practices of Islamic Finance date back to the early part of the seventh century. (Islamic Finance : A Euromoney Publication, 1997). Prohibition of Riba(interest). Risk Sharing. Social Mission. Prohibition of Speculative Behaviour. Sanctity of Contracts. Shariah- approved activities. Islamic Financing Techniques: Islamic financial institutions have developed several financing techniques that are applicable according to the nature of the commodity or business and finance period of the project. The principal financing techniques, murabaha, mudaraba, musharaka, and ijarah, are described briefly below: The first technique, murabaha, is the most popular and widely used Islamic financing instrument. Murabaha involves the resale of a commodity after the lender adds a specific profit margin (often referred to as the ËÅ"mark-up), which is paid by the borrower who agrees to buy that commodity. Usually, repayment is made in instalments to the financier, who pays the price to the original supplier of the commodity. This type of finance is commonly used for financing assets or working capital inputs, such as raw materials, machinery or equipment. For murabaha to be Shariah-compliant the financier must own (or procure) the commodity first and then resell it, the commodity should be a tangible one, and the buyer must know and then agree to the purchase and resale prices. Under mudaraba, a second type of contract, two parties are involved â€Å" the financier, who provides all the money, and the entrepreneur who uses his or her skill to invest the money in an attractive business venture. The profit from the mudaraba contract is shared by the financier and the entrepreneur according to a pre-determined ratio. Importantly, profit-sharing rates are a percentage of the profit and not a lump sum payment. In the case of a loss, providing it has incurred in the normal process of business and not due to neglect or misconduct by the entrepreneur, the financier loses all his or her money, while the entrepreneur merely loses his or her time and effort. Musharaka, a third financing instrument, means partnership in Arabic and can be understood as an equity participation contract. Both parties provide capital and are involved in the management of the funded venture. Profits are shared between each partner according to the ratio of his or her investment. If the venture suffers a loss, each partner loses according to this same ratio. Neither mudaraba nor musharaka are popular mechanisms in the context of microfinance as the thorough reporting and transparency requirements surrounding the just distribution of any profit or loss can result in substantial operating burdens and costs on small businesses which are generally unaccustomed to formal accounting and reporting. Ijarah, a fourth primary finance instrument, is similar to leasing. Under this arrangement, an entrepreneur short of funds approaches a financier to fund the purchase of a productive asset. The financier may buy the productive asset and rent it out to the entrepreneur. The financier retains ownership of the asset and is responsible for its maintenance. Importantly, and like any other contract, an ijarah contract must fulfil all of the conditions of a valid contract stipulated by the Shariah. Thus, the contract should be clear, should be by mutual agreement, the responsibilities and benefits of both parties should be clearly detailed and the agreement should be for a known period and price. Islamic Micro-Finance Bank is something very very new and in fact there is only one Islamic Micro-Finance bank currently in the world(Nigeria) and that too was launched recently on 15th of April 2010,recently State Bank of Pakistan has laid down guidelines for the establishment of any Islamic Micro-Finance Bank. My research problem is somewhat related with poverty as a whole and poor muslims around the world will be the main focus of the solution, because solution that is applicable for muslims is certainly available to every individual in the world. First, I will talk about why there is a need of Islamic Micro-Finance and then about the need of a Full-Fledged Islamic Micro-Finance Bank. About 65% of the SMEs (muslim owned) who had never applied for bank loans were uncomfortable with the interest based loan products being extended by banks. While this may not be a conclusive evidence for the extensive demand for Islamic finance products as it is not clear that whether these responden ts need the loans etc, however generally the respondents do highlight the interest (Riba) based banking products as one of the reasons for their reluctance to access bank loans. About 75% of the farmers in Muslim dominated countries who did not take bank loans and 55% of all the farmers expressed their dislike of interest based products and said that they donÃ… ¸t want to take the interest bearing bank loans. Although this finding signifies the need for introduction of Islamic Agrifinance Products, however the finding may be somewhat biased as a large number of these farmers also considered lack of collaterals/defects in title deeds and non-cooperation by revenue department as the key hurdles in obtaining banks loans. Nevertheless there is substantial demand for Sharia compliant agri-finance products and if offered most of the farmers would be willing to avail the facility. Conventional microfinance had also been questioned on its overall desired impact since the poors are subjected to very high interest rate of up to 30%. Some even argued that disbursing credit to the poor to make financial gains out of the same cannot be the aim of the microfinance institutions. Interest charged is rather oppressive for their poor receivers, thus fails to achieve the noble objective of microfinance. According to various studies, a notable number of the recipients were also found to be well above the poor category. Islamic Micro-Finance , on the hand, utilizes Islamic financial Instruments which are based on PLS schemes rather than loan. Conventional microfinance institution focused mainly on women as their client. On the hand, Islamic Micro Finance Institution should not only be focusing on women but must also be extended to the family as a whole. Moreover, Conventional Micro-Finance used group lending as a way to mitigate risk in their operation. Islamic Micro-Finance may also use similar technique, but they can also develop Islamic ethical principles to ensure their clients pay the payment regularly. Now, talking about why there is a need of an Islamic Micro-Finance Bank, well there are many Islamic Micro-Finance operational in different parts of the world run and managed by different organisations like Sanadiq at Jabal-al-Hoss; Muassasat Bayt Al-Mal in Lebanon; Hodeidah program in Yemen. IBBL, SIBL in Bangladesh; Akhuwat in Pakistan; Sahulat , Manara in India. Amana Ikhtiar in Malaysia; BPRS , BMTs in Indonesia. FINCA in Afghanistan. Azaovad Finance in Northern Mali. But my question is that why we cannot have a Global Islamic Micro-Finance Program when is there is such a huge of this, microfinance programs are designed keeping in mind the needs of local people and how to serve them better, but if this is done with an International approach then experiences gained in one region will be very beneficial in addressing the problem of other regions, it will be very helpful in the diversification of risk and also SMEs will be share to share expertise and experiences of one another and can work to build and ecosystem of mutual co-operation and empowerment. Also the increasing demand for alternative micro credit products by the less privileged members of the society against the conventional banking practices, now requires a whole financial system rather than a program or a bank as individual entities, marriage of two is much required need of the time and a new approach designed on the strict guidelines laid down by Quran for Islamic Finance is recommended, adapting Classical Islamic Contracts to modern Islamic Micro-Finance is easier than for mainstream Islamic Finance. I want to develop a Islamic Micro-finance Bank with muslims as prime focus but only for muslims because What we are commissioning today represents our contribution towards providing an alternative banking for Muslims and non-muslims alike. Poor person is a poor person and this has nothing to do with her/her religion, and poverty can only be alleviated if we consider all poors of the world as one and work global make No poverty? a reality. The number of Islamic Micro-Finance initiatives remains limited, less than 1% of the total global microfinance outreach, there is for a number of reasons increasing in interest in developing microfinance programmes based on Islamic Financing principles. Since, Islamic Microfinance is a new area, because little research has been conducted on its impact, outreach of such programmes has so far been limited. So, research with the aim of developing a new approach to Islamic microfinance is completely justified. Research Methodology and Method(s): My research methodology will be based on a lot research and study of Islamic Finance laws approved by Quran, their practical application in the real world scenario, how they are applied by different Islamic Banks and Micro-finance programs in their working, how differently they are applied in practice, analysis of shortcoming of different Islamic Banks and Micro-Finance programs. Study of how Islamic banks weathered current GFC, what were their advantages and disadvantages. How an Islamic Bank is started( rules and regulations in different countries) and how an Islamic Micro-Finance program works( relative to different regions), establishing a common ground for Islamic Micro-Finance bank, framing rules and policies for an ideal Islamic Micro-Finance Bank. Research and study of banking system in Japan( interest rates are negligible) and of JAK Bank Sweden(work on NO interest principal), how they operate , from where and how they fund themselves, how their modus operandi will sustain in an Islamic Finance environment. Data will be collected basically from internet because much of the work has not been done in the area of Islamic Micro-Finance Bank, interviews and discussion with the experts in field of Islamic Law and Islamic Finance, thorough study of Quran( Islamic laws and Financial laws).Study of books on this topic, discussion and advice from experts on Risk Management and Diversification and how i can apply them in Islamic Finance. Extensive of all available sources of information Islamic Finance and Micro-Finance. Structure and plan: Chapters in the Dissertation will be as Follows(Final Structure Can Change): CONTEXTUALISING ISLAMIC FINANCE Error: Reference source not found (Number of days taken to complete the chapter) Modern revival of Islamic financeError: Reference source not found Islamic economic foundationsError: Reference source not found Ethical dimensions of Islamic economic systemsError: Reference source not found Benefits of Islamic bankingError: Reference source not found Islamic economic principles do they promote or stifle growth? 9 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF ISLAMIC FINANCEError: Reference source not found Principles of Islamic financial systemsError: Reference source not found Prohibition on speculation or risk (gharar)Error: Reference source not found Prohibition on usury (riba) and hoardingError: Reference source not found Prohibition on usury (riba) and interestError: Reference source not found Profits as distinct from usury (riba)Error: Reference source not found APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC BANKING TO MICROFINANCEError: Reference source not found Interface of Islamic Banking Principles and MicrofinanceError: Reference source not found Islam and microfinanceError: Reference source not found Social and development roles of Islamic banksError: Reference source not found Informal Banking and Debt transfer (hawala)Error: Reference source not found Is Islamic microfinance truly Islamic?Error: Reference source not found ISLAMIC FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES AND PRODUCTSError: Reference source not found Financial productsError: Reference source not found Islamic MortgagesError: Reference source not found Conventional Banking through the ËÅ"back door?Error: Reference source not found Need for regulationError: Reference source not found ISLAMIC MICROFINANCE IN PRACTICEError: Reference source not found Expansion of microfinance in the Arab worldError: Reference source not found Islamic microfinance in the Arab worldError: Reference source not found Experiences in YemenError: Reference source not found Experiences in BangladeshError: Reference source not found Resistance to the Grameen BankError: Reference source not found MicroFinance and Islamic Values 13 Japanese Banking System and JAK Bank Sweden13 Framing Regulations and Strategies For an Ideal Islamic Micro-Finance Bank 14

Charles Darwin, Social Darwinism, and Imperialism Essay -- Social Darwi

England went through dramatic changes in the 19th century. English culture, socio-economic structure and politics where largely influenced by the principles of science. Many social expressions occurred due to these changes. Transformations which categorized this time period could be observed in social institutions; for instance: the switch from popular Evangelicalism to atheism, emergence of feminism and the creation of new political ideologies (Liberalism, Conservatism and Radicalism). These are just a few of the changes that took place. All of this social alteration can be attributed to the importance of science. The English people began to trust more in empiricism and logical thought than in faith and glory of the empire . One who contributed greatly to this transformation was Charles Darwin. In his two most famous works, The Origin of Species and The Decent of Man, Darwin introduces the concept of "the survival of the fittest" and "natural selection". The Darwinian ideas introduced into English society justified a great number of political policies and social movements. England at the turn of the century was still a largest power in the international system. The English perceived, through the justification of Darwinism, they were fit to be the imperial hegemon in the world. The issue this essay will deal with is Imperialism and how Darwinism justified its practice. Darwin argued in his work, The Decent of Man, "When civilised...

The Extent To kill a Mockingbird critiques the cultural values of Mayco

‘To kill a Mockingbird’ is a strong reflection of Harper Lee, the author’s, upbringing. Having been raised in the small town of Alabama in the 1920’s she was frequently exposed to prejudice and this inspired her to write a book, her only to date, loosely based on her early days. Tom Robinson’s trial, set in Maycomb County, is a parallel to the Scottsboro Trial, which was an infamous case during Lee’s childhood, where a ‘negro’ was accused of rape. However the emphasis is based more on the lawyer, Atticus Finch, who defends him, as the book is written from the perspective of his daughter, Jean Louise, known as ‘Scout’. Throughout, an importance is placed on the fact that ‘it's a sin to kill a mockingbird’ as they only ‘sing their hearts out for us’ and ‘don't eat up people's gardens’. This is a comment on the fact that Maycomb society victimises Tom Robinson, despite the fact that he is harmless and only does good, just like the mockingbird. This symbolic meaning resulted in the title ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ rather than the initial name ‘Atticus’ as the publishers felt the book was not solely based on Atticus as a person. On the contrary, they felt the values of Maycomb society such as social division and status, racial prejudice, double standards, integrity and courage were the focuses of the book. It is important to appreciate the advantages a child narrator brings to a novel of this kind, due to Scout’s innocence and youth she does not understand certain social infrastructures which complicate the adult world, thus exposing Maycomb in a way that an adult narrator could not. This allows Harper Lee to critique the values of Maycomb society in a more subtle manner, for example Scout does not judge people, but instead explains... ...ociety to a vast extent. It comments on the foundations of Maycomb as an isolated and inward looking society which allows racial prejudice to grow. The social division, stereotyping and prejudice are also emphasized as each family has a ‘streak’ and Tom Robinson’s case is as simple as ‘black and white’ Harper Lee also exposes the double standards and hypocrisy of the citizens of Maycomb, by using irony and giving the reader a perspective that the charters cannot see. At the forefront of all of the happenings in this book is Atticus Finch, who is represented as an honest man with strong values, he is a contrast to most people in Maycomb, and he shows us what it is to be a gentleman. Although Harper Lee does allow the reader to see some hope for Maycomb society and the changing racial attitudes within it, she generally criticizes their values to a much deeper extent.

Americaa Role in Iraq Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

America'a Role in Iraq As Afghan opposition groups and U.S. armed forces continue their successes in the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda, the American debate has quickly turned to the question of where the fight against terrorism should go next. In numerous public statements, President Bush has talked about a wide-ranging campaign against global terrorism. He has not committed to military operations against any other countries or terrorist organizations, but he has made it clear that the broader struggle against terrorism will be a long-lasting effort that could include the use of military force in regions beyond Afghanistan. A strong case can be made that Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, is so threatening to his people, his neighbors, and U.S. interests that the United States should use military force, unilaterally if necessary, to overthrow him. Proponents of such an approach, however, often underestimate the costs and risks involved. Instead of mounting a U.S. attack on Iraq as part of the current campaign, the Bush administration should take advantage of its success in Afghanistan to pressure allies and regional players to isolate Saddam's regime and to reinforce deterrence in an unambiguous way. A new "Bush Doctrine" should announce that Baghdad's support for terrorist networks, transfer of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups or individuals who target the United States, or the harboring of such terrorists will be considered an act of war and lead immediately to an American military intervention to overthrow the regime. Targeting Iraq There are many potential targets for a possible post-Afghanistan phase of the war—Abu Sayyaf guerrilla bases in the Philippines, for example, as well as terrorist headquarters and training camps in Somalia, Syria, and Lebanon. But none is more consequential or more prominent in the current policy debate than Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Numerous outside analysts and (more privately) some senior Bush administration officials are already making the case that the next phase in the war on terrorism should be an effort to overthrow the Iraqi regime—if necessary, with U.S. military force. On November 26, President Bush himself appeared to raise the ante on the Iraq debate, stating that Saddam would "find out" what was in store for him if he failed to heed international demands to allow inspector... ...ime that would crack down on Iraqi smuggling, focus sanctions more specifically on the Baghdad leadership and weapons of mass destruction capabilities, and make civilian goods available for easier import into Iraq. Meaningful searches for Iraq's WMD capabilities would also be desirable, but only if they would be more effective than those of the late 1990s. America's allies and the regional powers need to understand that if Iraq cannot be contained with sanctions and stronger nonproliferation efforts, Washington may ultimately have to use force to achieve that goal. The U.S. administration should make it clear to the rest of the world that it cares a lot more about the well-being and future of the Iraqi population than does Saddam Hussein, and it should hold out a vision of American support for a future Iraq under a different regime. Reinforced deterrence, more vigilant nonproliferation efforts, and smarter sanctions will not make the Persian Gulf region risk-free or immediately free the Iraqi people from a brutal dictatorship. But they will serve the core goal of helping to prevent future terrorist actions like those of September 11 at a reasonable military and strategic cost.

Conducting Scholarly Research Essay

Conducting Scholarly Research The following tutorials and information are mandatory, though no assignment is required to be submitted. The skills developed in these tutorials will be used throughout the nursing program. Evaluating the resources you use One of the major challenges today, with the sheer amount of information available at your fingertips via the Web, is determining the reliability of the information presented. It can be quite difficult to determine the quality, authenticity, and authority of the information you encounter. However, there are a number of tools and skills at your disposal that help to determine if the information you find is trustworthy and of academic quality. Watch the Evaluating Websites tutorial to learn more about how to determine the quality of information found on the Web. Review the tutorial: â€Å"Evaluating Websites,† located at http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/evaluatingWebTutorial/vp02.swf What makes a resource scholarly? Throughout your courses at GCU you will be encouraged to use scholarly resources to support your assignments and discussion questions. But what is a scholarly source? Simply put, a scholarly source is a resource or research created, published, and or written by scholars and professionals in a specific discipline. In addition, a scholarly source should have undergone rigorous fact checking and peer review to ensure the research and information presented is of strong academic quality. The bulk of scholarly resources can be found in books and academic and/or professional journals. A large majority of these are research based. A scholar or professional may publish articles in other resources, such as in magazines, newspapers, and even Web sites and blogs. However, these sources do not go through the rigorous fact checking that is expected from scholarly journals. This rigorous fact checking is called peer review. When a scholar or professional submits their article to be published the journal will send the article to another expert in the field to review the work. The reviewer will look to see that the quality is high, the research sound, and the  conclusions in line with the work presented. If it is approved, it will then be published in the journal. This process gives students like you the added confidence in the resource being used. How to find Scholarly Research The Web is filled with information and resources. It is possible to find scholarly articles and research on the Web. However, most will ask that you pay a fee to read the article. The GCU library has subscribed to a number of the journals so that you do not need to pay to read the research. These journals and articles are contained in collections called Databases. Some are multidisciplinary, but most are specific to a subject area. For instance, in nursing, the strongest databases include CINAHL, OVID, and the ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. These can be found on the Nursing subject page in the GCU library. Watch the â€Å"GCU Library Walk Through Tutorial† to learn how to access the library and its vast resources. The â€Å"GCU Library Walk Through Tutorial† is located at http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/libraryWalkThrough/vp02.swf Watch the CINAHL Tutorial to learn more about how to specifically use this nursing specific database. Pay special attention to the section discussing subject headings. Learning to use tools like these will help you design effective search strategies and significantly reduce the time and frustration that comes with research. The CINAHL Tutorial is located at http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/CINAHLTutorial/vp02.swf The GCU library has a number of Librarians and staffed trained specifically to assist you with your research. Please contact them if you have questions or concerns with finding information. They can help walk you through the technical aspects of using a database and assist in developing search strategies that will enable you to find the information you need. Call them at 800.800.9776 ext. 6396641 or email them at using the form at http://library.gcu.edu/AskALibrarian Scholarly Writing Writing will be a large part of the work expected in this program. Scholarly writing can often be intimidating, but there are a number of resources GCU has provided to ease this strain and help you learn to write good scholarly papers. A key to scholarly writing is using evidence to support your arguments. The skills you learn as a researcher will aid you in your writing. The purpose of education is to build your knowledge and the purpose of academia is to contribute to and build the knowledge of the culture as a whole. By taking the research and writings of others and evaluating and adding it as essential pieces of your own research, you then move the knowledge of both yourself and the community to the next step. To enable this process, it is essential to cite where the information is found that is used in your papers. This is why scholars use citation styles, such as APA, to standardize how this is done and allow others to easily follow from where the information has come. This is, of course, in addition to the ethical reasons that argue that one should be acknowledged for the work that is done. Watch the tutorials below to learn more about scholarly writing and what resources are available to you. The Writing Center, located in the Student Success Center Writing in APA Tutorial http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/mediaElement/apa-6th-edition-tutorial/apa-6th-edition-tutorial-v1.1.html Plagiarism Tutorial http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/plagiarismVideo/vp02.swf LoudCloud Tutorial http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/studentWTCTutorial/vp02.swf The Writing Process Tutorial http://tutorials.gcumedia.com/writingProcessTutorial/vp02.swf The Center for Learning Advancement has a number of staff and tutors available to assist you in your academic writing. In addition they have a number of resources available at the click of a button. Find out more at

Universal Design

Question 1 i) The current state and extent of universal design in the interior design practice. The 20th century had brought major social changes with respect to civil and human rights. Medical advances during this period meant that the surviving an injury or illness was far greater. Many people were living longer and the average life expectancy of people with severe impairments was increasing too. Therefore many governments in developed country responded with the introduction of equal rights and anti discrimination legislation to support this group of people especially in built environment (centre for excellent in UD, 2008).In line with that Malaysia’s government is also moving towards the same goal where the first action taken required a 1993 amendment in the Uniform building by-laws (UBBL) stated that new developments have need to incorporate universal design into the building plan. Similar action taken by the department of standards Malaysia, through SIRIM Bhd, on revising two of the existing Malaysian standards (MS) to enhance accessibility for all. They are ms 1184: 2002: code of practice for access of disabled persons to public buildings (first revision) and MS 1331: 2002: code of practice for access of disabled persons outside buildings (first revision).After all, both had been merged into a new document called universal design and accessibility in the built environment: code of practice (second revision). Those amendments and revision is applicable to new and existing buildings. Under the amended UBBL, new developers had to comply with existing standards in order to improve universal access. As far as researcher concern, as stated by leader of revising Malaysian standard Asiah (2006), the revised standards is more toward guidelines on features, from traffic islands and footpaths to door handles and taps, referenced from international universal design standards in developed countries.Which she acknowledged that it has been difficult to incorporat e the desired features within existing buildings in Malaysia, but government stressed that the buildings should at least provide basic amenities, such as ramps and toilets for the disabled, and lifts with braille buttons for the blind, as well as voice activation (Asiah, 2006). On the other hand, from researcher observation those amendments and revising law and act are mean for public spaces and institution building which directly focusing on special group of users such as disable and older people.For that reason, therefore none or less interior designer sensitive or try to utilize the established regulation in their practice due to no enforcement from government. This was happen because the regulation and standard are mean or have been set up for special group of people only such as for disable people and more widely need to be implement in the public buildings only. With this indication it showed that most designers and users are not ready to accept that accessible and usable feat ures are for everybody and they tend to see those regulation and standard are something that will add the cost of the project.With this misconception, the interior design practice is hardly to be change because designers cannot relate about design and the nature of human being. Contrary with universal design (UD) approach that have been coin by Ron Mace that in designing for users, we should assumes the wide range of human ability is ordinary, not special (Ostroff, 2001). This is because, despite of disable and older people, users especially those used the interior space are not homogenous group which consist various physical abilities (Story and Mueller, 2002).This can be view from the world statistic that population today is much more broaden from the past, where many people survived from serious illness and accident. Furthermore the declining fertility and mortality rates are higher and it contributes to the increases of the world population. Therefore this shift of demographic c hange has a multifaceted impact on the society particularly in relation of use of the interior design. On the overview of Malaysia’s statistic in year 2005, Malaysia has been classified as an ageing nation (department of statistic, Malaysia 2006). The number of elderly citizen rise to 1. 7 million (7. percent of the population) and by year 2020, Malaysia will be a mature society with 9. 5 percent of the population aged 60 and above (department of statistic, Malaysia 2000). This statistic means that 1. 4 million older people today will be more than double in their numbers in 16 years time. Those people are the â€Å"real users† and they are active person that used the interior space and demand the space to be support their daily activities through their life course. The phenomenon of changing physical abilities related to age and disabilities are something that everybody will experience during life course (Etchell and Yelding, 2004).Therefore considering diverse users i s significant in providing a better living space for all rather than segregated them. However, in interior design practice today, frequently designers are inclined to design for a stereotype of users that know as an â€Å"average people†. Which result the built environments means for users with specific ability range only that engage in specific lifestyles that prevent or limit the activities of others outside of the targeted group of inhabitants (Kreinbrook, 2007).Nevertheless until today, through researcher observation the implementation of new regulation and standard specifically in interior design is still moving slow where many interior designers does not aware about the pertinent of utilizing and incorporate UD in design practice specifically during design process in accommodating diverse users. Through researcher observation and experience all this happen because of two major reasons; firstly because there is less sensitive responsiveness related to global issue such a s on demographic change among interior designers.And the second factor is on the old school of thought in their design practice that have been pass from generation to the next generation which become a central root in designing. To be elaborate more on the first reason, researcher believed that demographic pattern is very essential for interior designer in order to understand the market demand in design. This is because from there on, the indicator of the â€Å"real users† can be established. From the â€Å"real users† indicator the solution and action during design process in creating a better living environment to all will be more sufficient and efficient in supporting their daily activities.The second reason that causes low interest on new design paradigm specifically UD is because of old school of thought among interior designer. Conventionally, designers are still generalizes users into two different groups, such as â€Å"average† and â€Å"disable† people. With this point of view, design has been divided to standard practice and special design requirement practice where the UBBL and Malaysian standard is referred. Contrary meaning of UD which strives to be a broad-spectrum solution that helps everyone, not just people with disabilities.Moreover, UD recognizes a wide range of consumers and they try to include everyone in design. The practice of UD as stated by kose (2009) have a holistic view that when considered disable or elderly person in design, it will benefit to others group of people too. Therefore by consider diverse users in design process, the usable and accessible living environment will be increases and no one is been excluded or segregate from the system. Furthermore, as stated by Imrie (2006) none of human being can be described as an average throughout life course.This is because people are growing older everyday, they become temporary disable because of sickness, accident, broken limb, serious illness and experi ence pregnancy (Imrie, 2006). Those changing physical criteria and abilities are describing a nature of human being no one has control on that. Beside the issue discuss above, if we look at the pattern of one living space in Malaysia it probably been occupied with minimum of or at least one family member. Where the family members are consists of adult, children, and sometime been visit by their older parent or disable friend.Those indicators of various types of users are describing all of us that used the living environment. Parallel with commercial spaces too, which users and visitors are come in various size and physical abilities too. Those unexpected visitors will use the same living space and amenities with others. In view of that, researcher understood it is inflexible to consider only specific group of users during design process where the world today is heading to universal solution in design for all people.Therefore an old school of thought specifically on the categories of users is insignificant anymore in today practice. Therefore, interior design field demands a revolutionize in designing and thinking to incorporate new design paradigm such UD as part of the practice in order to have an alternative way to switch over from old school of thought to new shift of thinking that respect diverse users. A consequence of looking holistically to â€Å"diverse users† in creating interior design is very significant in challenging the interior design practice today. Therefore this research is heading to.Yet through researcher experience, many of interior designers especially in Malaysia are still unaware about the impact of demographic change to the design industry especially in interior design. sadly, as reported by Harrison and Parker (2003), this is happen because there are deeply rooted problems in the minds of those responsible for the design of the built environment, where the inclusion of people-friendly features is visualize as a necessary but no t serious attempt or late to be tacked-on in the design process that create an obstacles to utilize the living environment.In addition, base on researcher observation, there are none or few of interior designers practice in Malaysia had considered diverse users (human diversity) during design process due to lack of knowledge and support. All this happen, because of there is no enforcement and less awareness among interior designers to see the relationship of nature changing on human being related to living environment that had highly impact on user’s daily activities performance.For that reason, a new shift of design thinking and practice in interior design need to appraisal in order to support a new trend of world population that approached a crossroad where the population of older peoples and disables are increased and this scenario included Malaysia too. As a result, with this stipulation, researcher believed the definition of users in design should be extended and include s a vast and diverse range of people that need to cope with or without extreme, unusual or unique daily challenges to use the living environment.So, therefore this study tries to integrate UD in interior design process beyond the current database of anthropometric and ergonomic to comply with Malaysian law and act in built environment. The integration of UD in interior design process is more toward creating usable interior space, products, and systems that  can be used by as many people as possible at their own choice or option of the operational in interior spaces.This is because UD is a user-centered process that evolves designers and users at broaden understanding, perspectives and experience by working with the range of users in a variety of environments. For that reason by emphasizing on careful selection and placement of the design features and product guided by UD principles will encourage more â€Å"choice† and â€Å"option† to user to use the space and produ ct at their own level of physical abilities. This integration process may result as flexibility operational, and multiple alternative way or means to use the interior space that can support diverse users need.However, as stated by Guimaraes (2008) there is a challenger to include diverse users in design process because, both consumers and design professionals are not yet prepared to work continuously for development of new and more socially responsive structures. Which many active adults in the work force are still reluctant to acknowledge the impact of such issues on their lives, and they are unwilling to assign personal attention and private resources to the development of usable environments where they live, work and spend their time with their families and friends (Guimaraes, 2008).Hence, the development of usable environments per say may not be a priority for many designers too, simply because they do not perceive disability as a problem for themselves (guimaraes, 2008). For th at reason, researcher endeavor to incorporate diverse users as a main factor for UD integrated in interior design process. With that proposal it shows the significant transformation in design practice which indicates an interior design is about long term care of users rather than a short attempt at the prime time of life only.For the wrapping up, researcher concluded that the real end user can not be described either one of the group portray as an average or disable but it is the combination of population and more. As a fact of truth people are changing their physical and abilities every day due to growing older, yet their living environment are not changing toward their nature. Therefore researcher has highly motivated to pursue this research by focusing on diverse users at the early stage of designing which may result a usable living environment for all people rather than segregated them.Hence, this complex issue had motivated researcher to investigate an alternative way in design process to maximize usable of the space for diverse users that may beneficial not only to targeted group but also to others that unintended to use the same living environment. For conclusion, by include as many people as possible in design process, it will make a practical and economic sense to all regardless their age and abilities. So that the final result of living environment can be use and access by all people at the same amenities with equal comfort regardless age and abilities.Furthermore by given a variety of choice or option of use and access the design features and product in interior design everybody have equal right to use and none have been excluded accept if the physical abilities is extremely low such paralyzed. Those indication discuss above would be appropriate to be consider in design as early part as possible rather than to duplicate and separate circulation paths, vertical access, toilets and other facilities which required high cost in the projects.The bottom l ine of this research is to have all living environments that considered capable of being utilized by everyone, and necessity to provide for their differing needs simultaneously. ii) Literature evidence on the important UD theory that can improve the quality of everyday life of users. Over the last few years, the concept of universal design (UD) has become quite accepted. As a new way of thinking in design that driven from demographic trends.UD is a relatively new design paradigm that emerged from â€Å"barrier-free† or â€Å"accessible design† and â€Å"assistive technology†( Welch and Palames, 1995). The special about UD, it is differs from accessibility requirements that are usually prescriptive whereas UD is performance based (Story and Muller, 2000). Furthermore, UD does not have standards or requirements but addresses usability issues for wide range of users as possible (Horton, 2005). Rather than focus on adapting new device or support for individuals at t he later time (Horton, 2005).Therefore when designers apply UD principles in their design, the interior space and products and services meet the needs of potential users with a wide variety of characteristics (the center for universal design). Disability is just one of many characteristics that an individual might possess (Burgstahler, 2012). In addition, barrier free design and assistive technology provide a level of accessibility for people with disabilities but they also often result in separate and stigmatizing solutions for others unintended users, for example, a ramp that leads to a different entry to a building than a main stairway (Parette and Scherer, 2004).Therefore, the movement of UD strives to be a broad-spectrum solution that supports everyone, not just people with disabilities (Stainfield, 2005). Furthermore UD is assuming a growing importance new design paradigm that represents a holistic and integrated approach to design ranging in scale, for example, from product d esign to architecture and urban design, and from simple systems such as those that control the ambient environment to complex information technologies (Ostroff, 2001).As a result, UD become an approach to the design of all products and environments to be usable by everyone, to the greatest extent possible, regardless of age, ability, or situation (Ostroff, 2001 ). The ultimate goal of UD is to serves people who are young or old, with excellent or limited abilities, in ideal or difficult circumstances (Ostroff, 2001). Therefore UD become a very significant theory that can benefit everyone by accommodating limitations of the users.As the world’s population ages, so does the demand for senior to have an appropriate living environment, facilities, outdoor environments, and products. Therefore UD has been established by many professional which have a potential to address the needs of older clients yet benefit others too (Kemp, 2002). Contrary to the negative assumption that attent ion to the needs of diverse users limits good design, the experience of imaginative designers around the world reveals the range of applications that delight the senses and lift the human spirit when UD is integral to the overall concept (Imrie, 2006).For that reason UD is assuming a growing importance design paradigm which aims at a holistic and integrated approach to design, ranging in scale from product design to architecture, and urban design on one hand, and systems controlling the ambient environment and information technology, on the other (Imrie, 2006). Even though the terminology differs from one country to another; but there are significant cultural differences in how the movement has evolved in each country, but the similarities are more apparent than the differences as they transcend national laws, policies, and practices (Kelleher.J, levesque. K, Coro. L, 2007). As stated by Steinfeld (2005) there is a confluence of factors generating the need for more universally desig ned products, environments and amenities, which includes the competitive, global nature of business today, the flourishing communications technology industry, the international disability movement, and the rapidly growing aging and disabled populations all over the world. Everyone is likely at some time to experience the misfit between themselves and their environment (Steinfeld, 2005 ).Ambient conditions or stress may create problems with using products or buildings. Togetherness on increases of aging people which become a potential for vulnerability in the environment (Demirkan, Halime, 2007). People worldwide are living longer, the aging population will double in the next 20 years (Mc neil, 1997), and a child born today has a 50% chance of living to be 100 years old. This segment of the population assumes greater societal importance due to their increasing numbers as well as the resources they consume (Baltes & Smith, 2001).Until recently, gerontological science, social policy an d health policy have focused on extending life and supporting older age in terms of a society's available resources (Baltes ; Smith, 2001). Maintaining such a focus on the older segment of the population obviously leaves a smaller percentage of resources for the remaining population (Baltes ; Smith, 2001 ). Moreover, the earlier phases of life may ultimately be the most important in terms of supporting health throughout the lifespan thereby conserving resources in later years (Baltes ; Smith, 2001).From the above literature it shows that UD is very relevant in understanding the needs of today’s users. The good point about UD is to increases usability, safety and health through the design and operation of environments, products and systems in response to the diversity of people and abilities. It is a way of thinking that can be applied in any design activity, business practice, program or service involving interaction of people with the physical, social or virtual worlds.To ac hieve UD goals, as stated by many researcher (Connell 1999, Jones 2003, Mace 1987, Mueller 2005, Mullick 2002, Ostroff 2001, Sanford, Steinfeld 2001, Story 2001, and Vanderheiden 2004) these are some attention that need to be include in design process to increase the quality of users life in prime time and the future too: Attention on users:- i. body fit – accommodating a wide a range of body sizes and abilities ii. comfort – keeping demands within desirable limits of strength and stamina iii. wareness – insuring that critical information for use is easily perceived iv. understanding – making methods of operation and use intuitive, clear and unambiguous v. social integration – treating all groups with dignity and respect vi. personalization – incorporating opportunities for choice and the expression of individual preferences vii. cultural appropriateness – respecting and reinforcing positive cultural values need some in put. The pract ice of UD is contextual.There are no absolute levels of performance since each project context determines what can be achieved. It is a continuous improvement process. The practice of UD can take place regardless of constraints or the level of technology available. Thus, the success of each application has to be evaluated by comparison to prevailing norms rather than against an absolute standard. iii) Literature gaps that lead to enhance the UD application for the future of the interior design practice.In the last decades, there was a growth in the number of the elderly population and disabled people. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the world total will be more than one billion aged 60 or over by the year 2025 (Marshall et al 2004). Furthermore, the needs and demand of the diverse population, who are children, pregnant, adult and disable vary considerably. Yet, as per today the growing awareness among the designers to satisfy the needs of the diversified users are sti ll lack in demand (Marshall et al 2004).This is because as stated by Guimaraes, (2008) many active adults around the world are still reluctant to acknowledge the impact of physical built environment issues related to their daily lives. As stated by medical doctor Marill,(2010) natural changes in cells of human being may slow down or alter people capacity which most people will experience it when they reach their peak functioning at around age 30. As a result users at this prime age and above are at the top of their stamina of their physical body where they are generally can used all the design features in the interior space with less barrier.Although some operational of existing design features required high physical effort and crucial concentration with more energy requested, no one dare to report it as a problem because they force themselves to performance as their abilities at the peak function. Those users rather take their chance to used the existing design features with fair o bstacles rather express their personal attention because they do not want to be label as â€Å"older people† or â€Å"disable† in their surrounding where they live, work and spend their time with their families and friends Guimaraes, (2008).With that, therefore researcher believed a new technique to comprehend users needs is to understand the human diversity by include diverse users during design process in order to support them in built environment. For that reason it is a need to find an alternative approach in design in supporting a new trend of the population in line to sustain them in their chosen environment as their lifespan. From there on, this study will try to fill in the gap by integrate Universal Design (UD) at the early stage of designing, articularly during design process, which may turn design to be inclusive rather than exclusive for all. UD have ultimate input in this study because the idea behind UD is to create products and services that can be usabl e for people of all ages and various physical abilities (story, 2001). The attractiveness of UD as stated by Guimaraes (2008) is beyond the normal product it has been recognized as consumer products, where everything that is designed to be used by people are part of the UD.The unique of UD comes with seven principles that easily to be translated into the design practice (Story, 2001). These Seven Principles guide the designers and users by emphasizing the characteristic of more usable product and environment while providing a framework for the systematic evaluation of new or existing designs (Story, 2001). Furthermore, as stated by Iwarsson (2003) application of UD principles is more emphasizes on integration of accessibility and usability features from the onset, removing any stigma and resulting in social inclusion of the broadest diversity of users (Story, 2001).Therefore researcher strongly comprehend that UD is significant to be part of design process because it is truly a cohe rent theory that focuses on the ease of use of design features in the living environment for all. Even though there is an argument that UD cannot fulfill all people needs one hundred percent, but as stated by Congvinton (2000) UD can help to reduce physical barrier of built environment by given option and flexible on use and access for those who have physical abilities.In today life the society can no longer relegate the wheelchair user crippled, legless, mute or deaf people, because they are part of the society and we are also part of them. Therefore as stated by Iwarsson (2003) by designing for diverse users as possible, a design is no longer special and no longer identifies the users as different and all of us apart from each other and can share all the facilities provided in built environment without segregation.To achieve the goal, according to Guimaraes (2008) the content of legislation need to progress worldwide towards a broader definition of the population who could benefit from the development of ‘user-friendly’ environments, i. e. , environments that are responsive to users’ varied abilities. As per today the notions of accessibility and usability of built environments have expanded the definition of disability beyond the medical view regarding lack of personal capacity for the undertaking of certain activities in built environment (Guimaraes, 2008).However, in design practices today, the main focuses of usable living environment are still remained on the needs of people with permanent disabilities only. Contrary on the increased of the proportion of able body people who experience temporary disabilities due to age and life accident that have been not counted to be part of users that need usable living environment. Therefore Guimaraes (2008) has stated that there is a strong correlation between age and disability, where the older people are the more likely to become disabled as they aged.With the literature discussed, it showed t hat as the average age of number of people increases, most widely the number of people will benefit from UD will boost up (Guimaraes, 2008). Guimaraes (2008) also stated that as people get older they still want to remain active and well adjusted in their own house, local communities, while accessing public buildings and outdoor spaces. This has driven demand for better usable features in built environments. Moreover, recognizing disability as part of everyone’s issues with the design of built environments requires a fundamental transformation in the way societies have dealt with (Guimaraes, 2008).For that reason creating opportunities for each individual, despite disabilities, to live and participate to their full potential is one of the pertinent in this study. As a result, creating UD from the early stage of design is more cost effective than adaptation at a later stage, meaning that there are also strong economic arguments for building more inclusive environments (Steinfel d, 2005), Therefore, this study is heading to, since many literatures showed that UD had proven it successful applied in developed country to minimize physical barrier of built environment.However in Malaysia, the awareness of the benefit of UD from professionals just started to nurture. Therefore the implementations are still slow due to no enforcement from government and lack of the knowledge to incorporate in design. For that reason, this study attempt to look into the design practice on how UD can be integrates during design process at the fundamental level to increase the usable of the space and to assist ID for better understanding on diverse users iv) Research questions and Research objectives. Research questionsRQ: How can Universal Design Principles be integrate in interior design process in accommodating diverse users in Malaysia? Research objectives R. O: To integrate Universal Design principles in interior design process to accommodate diverse users in Malaysia. Referenc es: Asiah, 2006. Keperluan pengguna dan rekabentuk bangunan untuk warga tua di Malyasia. Pusat Penyelidikan, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, edisi pertama 2006. Burgstahler, S. 2012. Equal access: Universal design of instruction. Seattle: DO-IT University of Washington. www. uw. edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/equal_access_udi. tml Baltes, P. B. , ; Smith, J. (2001). Multilevel and systemic analyses of old age: Theoretical and empirical evidence for a fourth age. In V. L. Bengtson ; K. W. Schaie (Eds. ), Handbook of theories of aging (pp. 153-173). New York: Springer. Center for Excellent Universal design, 2008. Building for Everyone: A Universal Design Approach. http://www. universaldesign. ie/ Department of Statistic, Malaysia. (2006) External Trade Statistics. Demirkan, Halime. (2007) Housing For The Ageing Population. European Review of Ageing Physical Activity Journal. Volume4. (4:33-38) Etchell .L and Yelding. D, 2004. Inclusive design: products for all consumers Consumer Policy R eview. volume 14 †¢ number 6 Guimaraes M. P. 2008, a holistic approach in Universal Design practice. In Avancos e Desafios na Construcao de uma Sociedade Inclusiva. R. Correa (edt). Belo Horizonte: PUC-MG,. Pp 88-104 Horton S, 2005. The Universal Usability site houses an unabridged, online version of Access by Design: A Guide to Universal Usability for Web Designers, by published in 2005 Harrison, J. D. ; Parker, K. J. 1998. Getting it right: Housing design for an ageing society in a changing world.Housing Science, 32(4), 273-283. Imrie, R. , 2006. Independent Lives and the Relevance of Lifetime Homes. Disability and Society,. 21, No. 4(June 2006): p. 15. Iwarsson, S. (2003). Accessibility, usability, and universal design – Positioning and definition of concepts describing person-environment relationships. Disability and Rehabilitation, 25, 57-66. Kreinbrook . A T (2007). A Barrier-free Paradigm for Interdependent Living. M. Arch. , University of Maryland, College Park, 2007, 148 pages; AAT 1450195 Kose, Satoshi. (2009). How can the exploding senior population be accommodated?Japanese struggle towards inclusive design. Journal of Engineering Design, Nov. 2009 Kelleher. Jennifer, Kassie levesque, Linda Coro. (2007). Universal Accessibility: study of the marketplace. Center for Community Inclusive and Disability Studies. The University of Maine. Kemp, J 2002. , â€Å"Foreword,† in Building a World Fit for People: Designers with Disabilities at Work, E. Ostroff, M. Limont, and D. Hunter (eds. ), Boston: Adaptive Environments, 2002. Mace R. 1985, Universal Design, Barrier-free Environments for Everyone. Los Angeles , CA: Designers West. McNeil, J. M. 1997.Americans with disabilities: 1994-95. US Bureau of the Census Current Population Reports, P70-61. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office Marshall, A. L. , Chetwynd, A. , Morris, J. , et al. 2004. Type 1 diabetes mellitus in childhood: a matched case control study in Lancashire and Cumbri a, UK. Diabet Med,. 21: 1035-1040. Marill. M. C, 2010. Is This Normal Aging or Not? Pain or sudden changes need a closer look. WebMD Feature. Ostroff, E. (2001). Universal design: The new paradigm. In Universal design handbook, edited by W. F. E. Preiser and E. Ostroff, 1. 3-2. 1.New York: Mc Graw-Hill. Parette. P, Scherer. M, Technology Use and Stigma. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 2004, 39(3), 217–226 Division on Developmenta Disabilities. Story, M. F. and Mueller, J. , (2002) Universal Design Performance Measures for Products: A Tool for Assessing Universal Usability, in Emerging and Accessible Telecommunications, Information and Healthcare Technologies (pp. 19-28, RESNA Press, Arlington). Story, MF, Mueller, JL, Montoya-Weiss, M, ; Ringholz D (2000). Progress in the development of universal design performance measures.Technology for the new millennium: Proceedings of the RESNA '00 annual conference, pp. 132 134. Steinfeld, E. , et. al. (2005). The Anthropometrics of Disability. Buffalo: Center for Inclusive Design & Environmental Access State University of New York at Buffalo. Story, M. F. (2001). Principles Of Universal Design. In W. F. E. Preiser & E. Welch, P. and Palames, C. 1995. A brief history of disability rights legislation in the United States. In Welch, P. (Ed. ),  Strategies for teaching universal design. Boston, MA: Adaptive Environments Center. Question 2 i. The theory/theories that guide the study.Derived from literature review, theoretical basis of this research come from a broad view of Human-centered design theory. The principles underlying human-centered design range across discipline, from community design, to architectural design, to interior design, industrial design, and design of communication venues. In this research, Human-Centered Design is focuses on the physical abilities and needs of the human user to enable them to be function at the highest level possible in their living space. It includes pr oducts and aspects of the physical environment that meet the needs and abilities of the users in interior design.For this study, utilizing research findings and data on physical abilities and limitations of users related to social needs will provide a new concept of living-environment solutions that enable all users to function at their highest capacity regardless of age and ability. According to the Institute for Human Centered Design (HCD), Universal Design (UD) has a parallel design movement with HCD that offers a similar framework for design problem-solving based on the core value of environmental responsibility. Therefore this study, attempt to adopt UD as main design theory in finding a new solution in interior design to accommodates diverse ser in Malaysia. UD is a term that was first used in the United States by Ron Mace (1985). UD is not a trend but an enduring design approach that assumes the range of human ability is ordinary, not special (Ostroff, 2001). According to Mac e`s definition of UD is â€Å"means simply designing all products, buildings and exterior spaces to be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible† (Mace, 1988). For that reason, Convington (1997) stated that UD is intended to be inclusive not exclusive. Therefore, researcher agreed with many researchers that everyone should have an equal access and use the built environment at any level of their life.Even though some users may or are facing limitation or difficult during life course, but it is not impossible task for them to live in the same living environment if UD had been included from the beginning of designing (Ostroff, 2001). For the purpose of this study, UD can be describe as a design theory that increases usability, through the design and operation of environments, products and systems in response to the diversity of people and abilities. The adopted of UD in this research is because of the holistic of definition that focusing on human interaction with buil t environment at the fundamental level.This can be portrayed in seven principles of UD that have been developed by professional and scholar with logic and realistic guideline in design (Sandhu, 2001). The UD principles are the theory base that leads to the practice. Below are the seven principles of UD that have been established definition criteria by Center for UD North Carolina (1997) and will be a baseline for research framework in this study. Principle| Definition | 1| Equitable use| A feature is designed to be useful to and accessible by people with diverse abilities. Provide the same means of use for all people; identical whenever possible, equivalent when not. 2| Flexibility in use| A feature is designed to accommodate a wide range of individual abilities. Provide choice in methods of use. | 3| Simple and intuitive| A feature is designed in a straightforward and predictable manner, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level . Eliminate unnecessary complexity. | 4| Perceptible information| A feature is designed so that necessary information is communicated effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's abilities. 5| Tolerance for error| A feature minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. | 6| Low physical effort| A feature is designed to minimize nonessential physical effort in order to allow maximum attention and can be used efficiently with minimum of fatigue. | 7| Size and space for approach and use| A feature is designed with consideration for appropriate size and space for approach, reach, manipulations, and use regardless of a user's body size, posture, mobility, and communication needs. |From the Table above, researcher plan to synthesize and adopt all the seven principles of UD to be integrate in interior design process. This is because through researcher critical reading and analysis of all the established criteria of seven prin ciples they are significant recitation of theory of usability which mean, in order to develop usable living space those seven criteria is vital to be consider in design process. Apart from that, researcher plan to expand these seven principles as operational variables that focusing on selecting and placement of the design features in living environment related to user’s daily activities.The extension of the UD principles can be overview as a parameter to set up the minimum usable and accessible design features that tolerate an option and choice to use the design features and product in living environment. As a result, researcher forecast to utilize UD principles at the fundamental level in design process. To do so, this research will only focusing on the basic design features and product in interior design that directly use by users to start their daily activities without needs any high technology involve.From there on, researcher anticipate that a synthesis on established cr itical area and product in interior design from others scholar that most reported by users who facing difficulties or barrier through their life course will be a baseline of the study. Therefore, researcher assumed with understanding the integration of UD principles in interior design process, the living environment will result no or less advance technology or device added and the most vital is without compromises the aesthetical value f the living environment. To achieve the goal of the study, researcher foresee that a sensitivity and awareness on knowledge of selecting and placement of design features and product guided by theory of UD related to usable space for diverse users among interior designers are significant for future development of usable living environment for all. ii. The theoretical development of UD framework that your study will use for application in the interior design field.The roots of universal design (UD) can be traced to pioneering by architect name Ron Mace (1941-1998), who first envisioned a design concept guaranteeing the greatest access and usability to all, regardless of age or ability, while maintaining aesthetic appeal (Center for UD, 1997). This theory is based on the premise that design of products and environments must be usable by all people, in the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design (Center for UD, 1997).In 1980s Mace was particularly responding to the lacks of adequate barrier-free architecture to meet the needs of the physically handicapped. Yet, even then, Mace (1988) had a much broader application in mind, that all spaces, features and aspects of all things should be designed to be usable by all people of all ages and abilities. As a result, the intent of the UD is more toward simplify life for everyone by making more usable and accessible design features that give an option or choice to users to use and access their environment at their own preferable way (Center for UD (199 7).UD also has been developed because of significant on the achievement in the past century of enhanced health and subsequent longevity. A new dimension of the cycle of provision has presented a heightened challenge for people of all ages. According to Sandhu (2001), there are many trends in society and global markets that clearly justify the need for actions regarding disable and older people. Below are the previous concepts that accommodate people in relation to their special needs referring to UD handbook (2001): * Ergonomics: originated at the end of World War II.Upon analyzing military objectives, their successes and failures, scientists finally realized human beings needed to be taken into account in the design process of machinery and equipment, to increase their effectiveness. Ergonomics has since developed into a science concerning itself with human beings and how people function in conjunction with a variety of equipment, products, methods and circumstances. Professional e rgonomists consider a wide range of factors when offering guidance to ensure products or services is safe, easy to use, and efficient.Physical attributes such as size, weight, height, strength, skill, speed, and sensory abilities, along with thermal comfort, motion, vibration, posture and workload are analyzed, in an effort to increase performance, prolong endurance and to reduce accidents. As a summarize, ergonomics encompasses all human activity and relies on research and data of a wide variety of disciplines including Anthropometry, Engineering, Biomechanics, Environmental Physics, Body Systems, Physiology, Applied Psychology and Social Psychology.Ergonomists work to improve the quality of users’ lives, increase users safety and enhance performance by providing solutions for workstations, tools, equipment, protective wear, cleanliness and worker well-being. As a result, ergonomic concept only focuses on how to help management to identify hazardous conditions, provide train ing, analyze data, establish prevention control measures and evaluate progress as a whole rather than utilize it in daily life activities for diverse users. Barrier-free design: Was developed during the Civil Rights and Disability Rights Movements by those trying to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. Physical barriers were recognized as a hindrance to a person’s freedom. Barrier-free designs today are influence in policies, design practices and law through the standardization of codes for access to the built environment. Although barrier-free design is part of the practice and law but the record of workplace injuries is still continue to increase.This result showed that the effectiveness of the barrier free design is still doubtful. All this happen because of it predominantly a disability-focused movement only that removing architectural barriers through the building codes and regulations. As a result barrier free design is about removing physical barrie r follow the Code and Regulation stated in federal legislation nevertheless UD is extended version of barrier free design that looking more detail on providing usable environment to largest population. Assistive Technology: Is technology that focused on designing or creating personal use devices or tools, utilized by individuals and help or compensates one with disability to function. Assistive technology essentially follows the medical model of disability where products or spaces are designed primarily to provide for people with special needs or with disabilities. Assistive technology is a personal preferable device and more on implies the development of high cost and design mainly for use within institutionalized setting, such as hospital or public housing or care center (Newell, 2003).Therefore it is less favorable to be included in personal space because of the institutional look and sometime become barrier to unintended users. As reported by Mace, Hardie and Place (1991) the di sable community are sometimes frustrated with assistive technology device because of the lack of commercially available products, misconceptions of disability, and attitudinal barriers often fostered by specialized and stigmatizing design solution.This is because of there is no prime practice that focus to create usable environment for all that included everybody rather than segregated design. Therefore the revolution and UD movement take part and started to be developed. For that reason, UD concept is referred to â€Å"lifespan† design that understands on spectrum of human abilities (Center for UD 1997) which contrary to the accessible and barrier free design that has a tendency to separate facilities in relation to different users needs (Steinfeld 1994).Even though UD is a new movement in design theory, but UD is actually an extension of accessible design, barrier free design and inclusive design which the goal of UD is to extend usable and accessible environment to the lar gest population possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design (Steinfeld 1994). According to Johnson (2008), UD is making its way into the collective consciousness, spurred on by the needs of ageing population. The concept of UD in built environment is originated from United Stated of America and other countries such as United Kingdom, Australia and Japan (Roennfeldt, 2003).UD is also known by different phrase covers a range of interpretation in different country, which is often used interchangeably, and overlapping but the objective or the goal of UD originally meant the same, to encompass all users, including elderly and disable people in the overall general population (Hasono, 2004). The accepted phrases that have been used internationally are design-for-all, trangenerational design, design for the broader average or design for the â€Å"non-average†.Others similar concept and share same objective of UD that have been used worldwide, for instance ‘L ife Span Dwelling’ in Norway, ‘Adaptable Housing and Flexible Housing’ in the United Kingdom, ‘Life Time Home and Easy Adaptable House’ in Sweden, and ‘Elderly Dwelling’ in Denmark (Kose 2009). Even though most residential designed with the UD concept are called differently in various countries but the objective or the goal of UD originally meant the same. According to Hasono (2004), UD phrase is still an alternative and preferable way of expressions to describe design for all included older people and the disable.Therefore the phrase of UD is ultimately use in this research, which described one solution that fit all people in built environment as they grow older. One of the most obvious UD succeed was reported by Steinfield (2005) is because of expression on usable features is invisible on the product or environment; its aesthetic qualities remains, yet its usefulness is maintained. In addition, UD goes beyond minimum access codes and s tandards, to design environments that are comfortably usable and accessible by people from childhood into their oldest years (Nasar, J.L. ; Evans-Cowley, J, 2007). It is contrary to the negative assumption that attention to the needs of diverse user limits good design (Ostroff, 2001). Although UD may well be true to support diverse users with good design, it is important to see the successful of UD in western countries beyond the life style and culture too. This would appear to be supported by Kato (2007), in Japan, where UD has been effectively utilized by Japanese in their daily life activities without compromising their culture, way of living and climate.Kato (2007) added that successful implementation of UD in Japan was due to the characteristics and features of UD that are visible in the product. The way designers from Japan incorporating the idea of UD through carefully selected and placed differently of the UD features at the house components and products was the main rationa le of success in applying UD in Japan (Kato, 2007). Moreover, Imrie (2006) had stated UD concept in housing grew out of the recognition to simplify daily activity by considering basic needs of users; on how user access or use or operate the product or space.Imrie (2006) described daily activities such as people walk in and out the house, transfer around the house, use and reach some fixtures and products in house are main activities for people before they start other daily activities such as bathing, cooking, eating and sleeping. As a result, the daily activities described are very important and common activities for all people in all over the world regardless their culture, language and knowledge.Therefore researcher had concluded the most common activities that every single people will performance in pursuing their daily activities are summarized as below: * Able to get in and out the house easily * Able to get through the doorway * Able to move around the space * And able to reac h and use all the equipment Furthermore, those common activities described above will be a main parameter in this research. Many research findings reveal that the highest environmental problems such as falls among older people occur in the toilet, bathroom and kitchens.Even though the research finding says so, through researcher observation and confirm with previous study done by Mansor (2008), indicated that barrier and obstacles in the area mention above are in fact started with the used of unplanned and unusable design features of building components and products. The verification of above statement possibly can be interpreted as an evidence that by looking critically on how users transfer themselves into the toilet (using door features: door handle, door frame, floor finishes at door frame and etc) are seldom recorded.If the door features are usable and accessible such as no threshold or no changing level at the floor of the toilet, it will give less or no barrier to user to pas s through and to continue their daily activities such as bathing and others (Mansor, 2008). The indication of this part of the analysis led to the conclusion that design features in interior design components and products through detail selection and proper placement may minimize the barrier and obstacles in living environment.In the scenario described above, it can be attributed to shows that if the door does not permit users to access it easily, it also hinders users to continue others daily activities. Therefore with this reviewed, researcher has set the limitation of the study in the direction to micro understanding of design features rather than focus to macro view of area or spaces in order to create accessible and usable space to all. With that statement, researcher has full confidence that UD can be successfully applied in Malaysia too, without the need to compromise the look of the physical living environment or even the culture.This is because, as stated by Johnson (2008) UD concept is not a new science, style, or unique in anyway but it requires only an awareness of needs and it is a realistic approach to making everything that is designed and produced are usable and accessible by everyone to the greatest extent. Johnson (2008) added, the application of UD involves minor changes on the placement and selection of the design features in living environment for example on size, choice of operation, or the way in which the user must interact with the design.With that, It is significant to shows that UD is not an added features or device in interior design but it is more toward on improvement or upgrading the existing features to be more easy to use and access by all regardless of culture, language and knowledge. From the conceptual of UD described above, researcher anticipated that integrating UD principles in interior design process will be a significant result in accommodating diverse users in Malaysia. iii. Theoretical framework to explain the potenti al of integrating UD during the interior design process.To illustrate the development of theoretical framework in this study, researcher will segregate the key operational variables into three divisions as follow: a) Universal Design i) Universal design Principles ii) Usable design features b) Interior Design i) Design process ii) Regulation and Standard c) Integrated UD process i) Selection and placement of Design features ii) Interior Design Intervention iii) Usable and Visitable interior space Flow chart for theoretical framework The development theoretical framework to show the potential of integrating UD can be clarified as follow:The main body knowledge of the study become as showed above is Interior design and Universal Design. From the construct of each body knowledge, researcher attempt to focus only on design process and UD principles. From the center focus determine above researcher will explore the components or features that most pertinent in each part such the most com ponents requirement during design process is regulation and standard apply in the process together with human database that guided designer to provide an appropriate measurement in design. For the UD principles, expert and cholar from center for UD North Carolina has established seven principles related to usable and accessible design features theory that have been accepted worldwide. From the above components and features researcher will scrutinize both to comprehend the integration. From the integration process researcher will identify the appropriate method how to put it into the practice. As a result, through literature review and researcher experience the best modus operandi to integrate both body-knowledge is through considerate on selection and placement of usable design features in interior design process.To perform the modus operandi described above, researcher has identified four interior interventions that most reported generate some obstacles to the users in their daily activities. Those interventions related to daily activities can be illustrated as follow: Entrance features An entrance is made up of several components: * Actual door * Interior and exterior floor/ ground area in the immediate proximity of the door * Threshold * Door hardware (door handle) The entrance features in this research is about the main access or passageway for the purpose of get in and out the building.An entrance features includes door and size of the opening, floor features, threshold, and the hardware of the entry door such as the door handle. Those features are important to determine whether users can use and access easily or with fairly obstacles or with major barrier that permit them from getting in and out the house at their preferred abilities, to start perform others daily activities. Internal Door features * Door width * Floor features between the door * Threshold * Door hardware (door handle)Internal door can be described as a main opening component on the wall that provides access to interior spaces. The features to be analyzed are the characteristics of the door component such as door handle, door width, opening operation of the door (in or out swing) and floor features between the door and the threshold. Those listed features are directly contact in user’s daily activities such as to relocating themselves from one space to another space to perform daily activities. Vertical circulation: StaircaseIncluded all components at the staircase: * Design of the staircase * Railing size and design * Handrail size and design Vertical circulation is more on studying the staircase features that consist of handrails, railing features and staircase design. This is because staircase is the main building component that connects two different levels of the spaces in the building (please disregard on technology such as lift and escalator because this study only focused on fundamental design features in interior design).Therefore by understanding s taircase components features described above related to nature of use by human will be significant to support them in reposition from different level of the interior spaces. Electrical power point Contents with several electrical devices: * Electrical switches (location and proportion) * Electrical socket (location and proportion) The components of electrical power point in this research are limited to electrical switches and socket terminals specifically focused on location or position and proportion of height in interior design.These design features of electrical power points are important because in today life, human activities depends a lots on electrical devices to support their needs and activities. Those electrical power points are components that are used daily in a interior design space to pursue daily activities such as switching on and off the lights, computers and television for entertainment and also for cooking purposes and etc. 1. Main body-knowledge: Universal Design Principles Universal Design in this research goes far beyond removal barrier issues.UD in this study is more toward physical access and use of the interior space where interior design is not simply an obstacle to be negotiated. UD is more related to user’s interaction with many different features in the living environment and product use that often user rely on it when in the interior space. Therefore researcher concludes that UD principles is pertinent in interior design to give an idea and as guidance for creating usable and accessible living environment in supporting diverse users in Malaysia 2. Main body-knowledge: Interior designInterior design field known as one of architecture division that addresses large and complex issues related to interior space planning and the end users. Research has stated that 90 percent of human activities take place in the interior space (ASID 2007). With that finding it showed that interior design become a very important part in human live to move forward in daily activities. As refer to America Society of Interior Design (ASID) interior designer is a profession that required a holistically understands about the end users in creating a living environments that support their daily activities.For that reason, researcher foresees the end users should be a central focus of the creation in interior design. This is because; users have direct connected with the built environment where they should feel trouble-free to use and access the interior space. A fundamental goal of interior design is generally to make a space that is both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, often catered specifically to the needs of users. Interior Design is the imaginative blend of art and science in the design of environments or people that involve the adaptation of natural and human-made environments. In general Interior design engages both in public and private buildings or spaces. Historically, interior design was reserved primarily for roy alty and the aristocracy. Now, in the modern world, Interior Design is known as a line of work that give a total creative solution for interior spaces through conceptual planning, aesthetic value and technical solutions related to human needs.But through researcher experience and observation many interior practices in Malaysia, are enthusiastic in showing their design creativity through style, fashion, furnishing and advance technology which the practicality of the living space related to end users was attend after the whole conceptual phase completed and normally was assign to the technical person such as assistant designer or draughtsman to complete the job. As a result, the interior space that supposes to be as a conducive living space to support users in daily activities becomes a space of appreciation only, because it is good to be used.Therefore a new shift of thinking to bring interior design beyond of the definition as an added value in architecture need to put away. Althoug h the ultimate design goal of interior design is to enhancement the space, renovation