Cultural Attitudes Toward and Presumptions Essay

When you speak or write, do you own the words that you have created? What about the thoughts that preceded those words? These questions get to the very heart of referencing and citation requirements in academic work. In the Western academic world, the presumption is that you do, in some sense, own your words and thoughts; at the very least, you have privileges pertaining to them. The main privilege is to be credited, or cited, for your effort and scholarship. These notions of authorship and ownership, however, are based in cultural expectations and are neither better nor worse than other cultural perspectives. Some non-western cultures have historically placed emphasis on communal knowledge and showing respect through imitation. In the Western world, ideas relating to intellectual property have changed over time (Bowden, 1996). With these thoughts in mind, consider your culture of origin in addressing the following topics: Describe cultural attitudes toward and presumptions about whether a person can own words and knowledge. Have modern trends such as globalization and easy access to information affected these presumptions? Consider how academic integrity is also applicable in an organisation. Do you believe the same presumptions hold true in your career as an employee of an organisation? How might this assignment be relevant in your workplace? Provide an example situation in which you were, or may be, asked to provide research and reference on specific materials for a sector of your organisation. You may wish to do additional research to support your views. Formulate and share a plan for learning or honing the citation and referencing skills you will need as you participate in this degree programme.

All I Asking for Is My Body Essay

Traditionally, â€Å"filial piety† has been greatly stressed among the Eastern culture for a long period of time. Filial piety basically means to care and support one’s elderly parents; it has been a top priority in part of the children’s upbringing. The novel All I Asking for is My Body focuses on Tosh, Kiyoshi and their parents. Based on the chosen quote above, the book highlights the tension between children owing their parents and parents owing their children. In this situation, Tosh and Kiyoshi should practice filial piety in resolving their family’s situation of facing $6,000 debt primarily because their parents brought them into this world, no one can predict natural disasters to happen, and children generally should honor their parents. We are all considered to be indebted to our parents, as they are the ones who brought us into this world. Without our parents, we would not exist at all. In the novel, Tosh’s mother states that â€Å"Every child must repay his parents† (Murayama 30). This is because the younger generation owes their elderly parents the care and attention that was once given to them. As younger generations like Tosh and Kiyoshi instill this mindset into their lives, their sense of social commitment towards their elderly parents will increase. Although Tosh and Kiyoshi came from a poor family, their parents were still able to fulfill their responsibilities of providing for their children’s basic welfare. They may not enjoy certain luxuries like other families had, but their parents did not let their children to starve or become beggars in the street. According to Murayama, â€Å"The Japanese had this special spirit called Yamato damashi, and they had more patience, perseverance, reserve, sense of duty, frugality, filial piety, and industry than any other race† (Murayama 65). Indeed, Kiyoshi’s parents were a great example of those who truly adapted this special spirit into their daily activities and had strongly stressed these values to their children. They have done their part in guiding their children towards their individual development in reaching full rationality. If Tosh continues to keep up with his despicable attitude, he might eventually end up with children of his own who act just like him and would mistreat him in the future. Therefore, Kiyoshi and Tosh should feel indebted to their parents’ sacrifice and inclined to fulfill their role as children to help resolve the family debt. The outcome of the $6,000 debt was not actually caused by their grandfather’s sinful wrongdoing but by natural disasters. In the novel, Tosh’s mother explained to her children that â€Å"In 1922, grandfather finally saved enough money to repay his debts in Japan and open his store in Tokyo. However, the next year the earthquake wiped out everything† (Murayama 16). Thus, this tragedy was beyond Grandfather’s control. If this incident did not happen, there was a higher chance that Grandfather would have the ability to pay off his debt and would not rely on his posterity to seek for solutions. As life is full of ups and downs, every family will eventually experience some form of trial during a certain point of their lives. Kiyoshi’s parents showed the opposite attitude of Tosh’s behavior by not complaining, murmuring, and pointing fingers over somebody’s wrongdoing. Kiyoshi’s mother also claimed that â€Å"Everything in the first seven years of marriage was handed over to grandfather. Years of frugal living and saving wiped out in less than a day† (Murayama 17). In this case, this problem is definitely fated for this Japanese family to deal with and there is no one to blame. Along the way, Tosh and Kiyoshi’s family also incur some debt of their own caused by the unexpected incident of â€Å"the Depression† (Murayama 89). This was due to the overfishing by fisherman at that time, which caused their family to earn nothing. However, the incoming expenses continued for the sum period of three months. After hearing his father’s story, Kiyoshi had grown to be a more understanding son, as he realized that it was not his father’s fault. Kiyoshi even stated that â€Å"I felt sorry for him. It wasn’t all of his fault, grandfather had got him into debt and once you went in the hole it was hard to get out† (Murayama 89). This shows that Kiyoshi was more able to comprehend what his parents had gone through and how hard it was to redict what kind of disaster would happen to a family. Therefore, Tosh and Kiyoshi should not cause more misery to the family and ought to be more supportive by helping the entire family to overcome the debt they currently have to pay. It is morally ethical for the children to play a role in resolving family problems. Exodus 20:12 reads, â€Å"Honor thy father and mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. † One o f the ways of honoring our parents is to give them our support, especially in times of need. In terms of honoring them, we should not follow Tosh’s actions of â€Å"throwing a left hook to father’s solar plexus, and father crumpled to the floor, holding his belly† (Murayama 44). This shows a form of disrespect which had greatly hurt parents’ feelings. We can see the despair Tosh’s father felt when his son did that to him; he commented that â€Å"There’s nothing worse than a child who puts out a hand against his father! † (Murayama 44). Therefore, it is unwise for children to behave rudely against their parents, as it will only worsen the family’s situation. Growing up in a poor Japanese American family, it is crucial for family members to stay united so that each member can share the burden. According to the traditional Japanese culture, the first son is expected to take care of the parents when they grow old. However, later generations such as Tosh (third generation) sometimes have a lower sense of obligation to support their family; this might be due to the influence of the haoles or Western culture. Although Kiyoshi was not the first son in the family, he actually contributed in trying to reduce the family’s debt. Towards the end of the novel, he managed to win $6,000 from gambling and immediately sent â€Å"Tosh a check for $6,000 and scribbled a note: ‘Won this in crap game. Pay up all the debt’† (Murayama 103). This shows how concerned he was for the welfare of his parents, as he seemed to be wiser and more respectful towards others compared to Tosh. Kiyoshi also had proven to be ethically concern over the future of the family by stating that â€Å"I got seven brothers and sisters, and my folks still pooping babies. I have been thinking if I get married, nobody around to look after my brothers and sisters† (Murayama 77). This shows that he would postpone his own marriage for the sake of keeping the family alive. Therefore, children have a role to play in helping their family during financial crisis so that they fully understand the true meaning of honoring their parents. In conclusion, filial piety is an important virtue that has been taught not only among the Japanese, but also in countries like Philippines, China, Latin America and so on. When children develop this sense of obligation towards their parents, they can better display their love for them. Therefore, children ought to repay their parents after what has been done for them over the years, as it is a great manifestation of honoring them. Moreover, we should not cry over spilt milk and should work towards a better future when trials arise.

A Look At Principal Beliefs And Ethical Teachings Religion Essay

A Look At Principal Beliefs And Ethical Teachings Religion Essay Principal beliefs and ethical teachings are essential ideas and inspirations depicted and conveyed in a particular religion. Principal beliefs and ethical teachings define and alter the one’s decision making and way of life. Completely understanding, accepting and following the beliefs and teachings of a particular religion would enable an adherent to reach the optimal and ideal stage of obedience and faithfulness to one’s religion. Buddhism and Judaism are examples of some of the world’s most known and followed religions. They both have their own Principal Beliefs and Ethical Teachings which in some cases may be conflicting. Both religions have a large population of followers and adherents and their teachings impact greatly on their day to day choices. Judaism The principal beliefs and ethical teachings of Judaism play an immense role in the lives of their adherents; they contribute fundamentally to the way of life of these individuals and alter their decision making skills and lifestyles. Abiding by all the ethical teachings and beliefs of a particular religion will inevitably result in a substantial impact and influence on every aspect of one’s life. Jews believe in the oneness of God and that everything revolves around God as he is all knowing and all powerful. He is the Lord the creator who formed the whole universe and all things in it; he is the one and only God and all other Gods are false gods which means that no other Gods are to be worshiped. As an adherent it is an obligation and a duty to pursue with this teaching as it is a source of aid for individuals who are seeking a connection with the one true God and aiming to gain insight on the Judaist way of life. The God of Judaism demands, that his adherents do good acts in order to achieve happiness in the afterlife and those who are unsuccessful in doing so will be punished. This teaching therefore greatly impacts on the decision making of the followers. It encourages the m to contribute to good deeds and to change their negative way of life. In doing good deeds individuals are lead to an eternal life of peace with the one true God as a reward for their humbleness. To rebel against God, means refusing his goodness and love. When God first formed nature including human kind, he made everything essentially good. By sinning and violating his good nature, adherents and followers are rejecting God and his teachings. Suffering and pain are the main consequence of sin which is the disobedience of God. According to the Jewish faith, the Sabbath day is the most important day, as God ordained it a holy day. It is a tradition that this day is devoted for rest and spiritual refreshment. This belief and tradition greatly influences adherents and followers, in relation to the engagement in any kind of work on that day. This belief impacts immensely on one’s schedule, financial well-being however it enables them to set their priorities and consider what is m ore important in life.

Number of hours worked out and number of calories burned Speech or Presentation

Number of hours worked out and number of calories burned - Speech or Presentation Example The data came from a random survey of 100 participants who actively exercised daily. They were asked to list the main form of exercise they partake. Their weight as well as the average hours of work out per day were recorded and the calories burnt computed based on the averages reported on literature. In particular its expected that a person weighing 70kg would burn 560,490, 245 and 420 calories by running, jogging, walking and cycling for one hour respectively. Statistica analysis was performed using simple tools such as graphs, table of summaries, correlation analysis and regression analysis. To begin with, the distribution of respondents with regard to their main form of exercise is summarized by the pie chart below. In this case, there were equal numbers of respondents per form of exercise (Kutner, et al., 2005). A summary of the various parameters of interested is presented in the following table. It is clear that the average weight of respondents was about 80Kg in all the categories. Moreover people worked out an average of 3.5 hours per day burning 1000 and 2600 calories. A look at the trend in the calories burn out for various forms of exercise was done by plotting line graphs. To begin with, a line graph of calories burnt against the hours worked our is presented hereunder. On average, the more hours of cyclingp, the more calories are

The Impact of Information Technology on the Role of Human Resources Term Paper

The Impact of Information Technology on the Role of Human Resources - Term Paper Example The paper discusses the crucial interaction between HR and information technology in an organization. In its initial years of adoption, IT was performed more routine functions, such as those of the personnel department, as opposed to the more sophisticated roles of the HR However, the current information technology (which includes ERP, employee databases and management systems, SAP as well as the more holistic HR information systems (HRIS) the role of IT has transformed from performing tactical, routine tasks to those involving more strategic contributions towards the organization. The fact that both HR and IT have undergone strategic transformations over the years has increased the researcher’s interests in exploring the linkage between the two. On the contrary, however, the little empirical examination has been done in this area. A model proposed by Leavitt indicated a linkage between people, structure, tasks, and technology. According to him, technological change is driven by organizational change. The concept is elaborated by Dewett and Jones who claim that IT contributes towards information efficiency as well as information synergies by achieving the former through enhanced output and quality of information and ensuring the latter by enhanced coordination amongst various groups within the organization. One increasingly interesting aspect of organizational change has been that of the changing nature and role of the HR. HR experts have assumed the prominent roles of partners and change agents. The role of HR as a business partner allows the HR professionals to contribute to the accomplishment of organizational goals, develop strategic outcomes for the business, as well as help the business accomplish the ‘strategy should follow structure’ rule. The role as a change agent involves HR professionals facilitating the process of change in organizations, ensuring that the HR setup facilitates change rather than hampering it, and enhancing and r ewarding competitive behaviors within the organization. At the same time, however, the change has been slow which is mainly due to HR involvement in mundane tasks such as paperwork and manual processing of CVs. It is believed that IT has facilitated the HR transition from performing administration and tactical tasks to more strategic ones by shifting the burden of tactical work from HR to IT. It has been observed that by delegating the bulk of administrative tasks to IT, small businesses are in a better position to deal with strategic planning and success models. Furthermore, research has suggested that the relationship between organizational performance and IT is vague. In fact, as claimed by some, it is a dual-edged sword. The relationship presents what is known as a â€Å"productivity paradox†. This term accurately depicts the situation of organizations that have made significant investments in IT but have not yet reaped its benefits. At the other end, however, are the pot ential benefits of IT on HR due to outsourcing, collaboration, and computerization of service delivery platforms. Eastman Chemical is an organization that is on the verge towards outsourcing the administrative aspect of its HR.

Alexander the great Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alexander the great - Research Paper Example Alexander built himself a name and features as one of the greatest conquerors of his time. His ascent to the throne simply happened because of his father’s tragic assassination in the old capital of Macedon. Seeing this as an opportunity to expand his territory so that he could stop any rebellion from taking place since his father’s death, he swiftly re-strategized so that he could crush any revolting group within from causing havoc to his throne. He ensured, for instance, that he got rid of his internal enemies by assuring that they never moved anywhere further from prison. This was quite important for him in his conquest since it would give him ample time to wage war against the external enemies like Persia. Although he is believed to be one of the organizers of his father’s death, the truth is not quite known since no evidence proves so. If it may be true that Alexander the Great might have had a hand on the death of King Philip, then it would have been so und er mischief and sheer quest for power. Alexander can be said to be a military genius as judged by the kind of calculating move made before hitting at his opponent. It can be said to be one of the reasons why probably he succeeded in commanding a large army that helped him conquer and invade other states at a young age. His 13 years as an emperor were marked by the successive defeats of battles against his opponents. He toured places with an aim of expanding his territory. The first tactic he used was trying as much as possible to learn the weaknesses of his opponent. This is actually what he did to Persia. He first toured Persia, trying to know and understand its military strengths and weaknesses before finally making an attained (Abbott 67). Other than the fact that he was generally gifted in matters of politics, a number of factors made Alexander the Great very successful in his career as a ruler of the great nation, while at the same time he encountered several challenges, for ex ample, the persistent attacks from sections which had been captured initially earlier (like Greece); he was fighting for self rule just immediately after the death of his father, his spontaneous counter attacks made him victorious, driving the enemies away in a bid to scatter them so that they could become weak. This is what made him survive the many terrors of war that was awash in Macedon. His military domination did not just come by chance as most historians would argue; Alexander himself was a planner who had well trained army, equipped with all manner of ammunitions. It therefore was easy for him to fight without retreating. He ensured that he invested well in his army to avoid any form of dissatisfaction. They, therefore, went to war with a spirited motive of winning the battle, disregarding the size and the nature of their enemy and the challenges at hand. He strongly believed that he could capture Europe and the whole of Asia. Another factor that made him successful in battl e was the kind of high standards of discipline he set for himself and the entire army. For the entire period of his rule of the whole of Macedon, only once did he face the

International Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Finance - Assignment Example For cash payments, it can sell the 90-days forward contract to buy US$ at 1.6930. At the expiry, the company will have to sell C$6,237,448 to buy the US$10,560,000. Furthermore, for the receipts the company will have to buy C$ at 1.6960 where it will be selling US$1,560,000 to buy C$919,811. Keeping in view the costs of transactions, the company can sell the 90-days forward contract to hedge the net cash flows of US$9,000,000 at bid rate of C$/US$ 1.6930. The amount payable will be C$5,316,007. ii. Money market hedge on payables will involve taking money market position to cover the future payment. Kennedy Plc can either use its own funds for the hedge or it can borrow the funds in home currency (C$) and make a short-term investment for 90 days in foreign currency. C$ borrowing rate = 3.5625% US$ deposit rate = 2.25% It needs US$10,560,000 in 90 days, therefore, the amount needed to be deposited in US$ is US$10,560,000 / (1 + (0.0225 * (90/360))) = US$10,500,932 Deposit amount in C$ = US$10,500,932/ 1.6875 = C$6,222,774 This amount can be borrowed at an annual interest rate of 3.5625%. C$ amount of loan repayment after 3 months = C$6,222,774* (1+ (0.035625 *(90/360))) = C$6,278,196 Therefore, the company would borrow C$6,222,774 at 3.5625% p.a. for 90 days. Convert the amount into US$ at spot rate of 1.6875, which will amount to US$10,500,932. Deposit this amount at US$ money market deposit rate 2.25% p.a. for 90 days. This will give the amount to be paid i.e. US$10,560,000. At the end of 90 days, Kennedy will make the loan repayment of C$6,278,196. This hedge will allow the company to fix the amount to be paid after three months. To hedge the receivables: Amount expected to be received = US$1,560,000... There are mainly three types of foreign exchange risks or exposures.This is also known as accounting risk, which a firm faces when it has subsidiary operations in other countries. When the foreign exchange movements adversely affect the translated values of assets and liabilities of the subsidiaries, it becomes an unwanted exposure for the parent company’s consolidated financial statements. This risk can be hedged by using currency futures, currency swaps etc.Transaction Exposure: This exposure is related to the future payments and receipts in foreign currency. Companies many a times limit this type of exposure by requiring the cash flows to be received and made in the home currency rather than foreign currency. Another way to minimize this risk is netting out the exposure by a lot of different currencies or only in one currency (Jacque, 1997, p.177). This is done by large corporations with significant amounts of international operations. Other techniques for alleviating short -term currency risks are currency forwards, currency futures, money market hedge, option hedge and cross hedge (Kelley, 2001, pp.32-34).Economic Exposure: This exposure is faced by corporations with large international presence and relates more with the net present value of future cash flows of a firm. The management of economic exposure involves the use of complex instruments and strategies besides the foreign exchange management (Ajami and Goddard, 2006, pp.110-111)