The topic can be proposed by the writer Assignment - 2

The topic can be proposed by the writer - Assignment Example This is the reason for having proficient computer skills in Microsoft office. Derrick has excellent leadership skills from his ability to handle issues step-by-step; that is, prioritizing urgent and most important issues first. This he has proven from his capacity to balance school and work while ensuring that efficiency is not compromised. His leadership skills surpass his organization skills. For this reason, he acknowledges that job delegation is part of the working environment. He appreciates that everyone should create a suitable working environment to maximize their capabilities. His ability to handle difficult situations is an indication that he can work in a team and has team leadership skills. His knowledge on how to handle difficult situation in the working environment indicates that he can work under minimum supervision while maintaining a high level of discipline and professionalism. Derrick understands how to perfectly perform tasks. He explains that he once surpassed his supervisor’s requirements by adding value to an assignment that involved contacting customers using a spreadsheet. Derrick attributes his diverse skills to his educational background. He acquired an Associate Degree of Business Administration as he was working at a full-time job: Again, an indication of his capacity to balance school and work. He agrees that combining school with work can be a hectic undertaking. However, that does not deter him from doing so. He has proven to apply effective techniques on how to handle pressure. He attests that he is slow to react and ensures that he is calm when prioritizing tasks. This ensures that important tasks are carried out first, and meet the required standards. Such a technique is an indication of his ardent leadership skills. Derrick’s attitude is built around patience, honesty, and humility. Such qualities are what

Food memoir Essay Example for Free

Food memoir Essay For all of us, there are several kinds of food in our deep memories. These foods are different from others because they are not only what we eat but also what we experience. Last week, when my teacher asked us which food existed in our deep memories, the first one came to my mind was Mung rice noodle. Each time mentioning Mung rice noodle, I will think of my wonderful childhood and sweet home. IbelongtoTujia,oneoftheChineseminorities. Mungricenoodlehasbeen produced by Tujia people, and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people are used to add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, my grandmother soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded them into slurry by the millstone. Then, she brushed little colza oil in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. That was my first time knowing how to make Mung rice noodle and I can still remember that the fresh smell of it jumped out just in one second. After it was done, my grandma put it in the hot water and added ginger, scallion, garlic, peper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: â€Å"babe, you gonna finish it! † After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. ThereisasweetstoryrelatedtoMungricenoodle. WhenIwasintheprimary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to make Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always make new flavors to surprise me. I was extremely curious that why she could make so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: â€Å" if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit†. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, especially after studying abroad, I realize that the primary reason she made different flavors is that she loves me. Up to now, in my life, my mother is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. Eating istheeasiestwaytomakeussatisfiedandfoodistheeasiestthingwewill remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, or the party dinner in a special holiday. No matter what it is, the memory for that moment will exist in our whole life. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will remember the feeling of surprise, warm, satisfied, happy and even pain till the end. 2nd draft Food memoir: Mung rice noodle Ifyoucanchooseonlyonefoodasyourlife-longfood,whatisit? Forme,itis definitely the Mung rice noodle. IbelongtoTujia,oneoftheChineseminorities. Mungricenoodlehasbeen produced by Tujia people and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people usually add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. Mostly, we buy original Mung rice noodle and add flavors as we like at home. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, she soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded all ingredients into slurry by the millstone and mixed them with the potato starch. Then, she brushed little colza oil, similar to the corn oil, in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. Imagine what! Just in one second, the fresh smell of caramelized starch jumped out. After taking a breath, I touched the beans aroma in the air. Grandma was excited: â€Å"Come on, Joey, look at the grey-green circle lines here, are they like tree’s growth rings. † Yes, it really was! That was my first time knowing how to make fresh Mung rice noodle. After it was done, grandma put it in the hot water and added sliced ginger, scallion, garlic powder, white pepper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: â€Å"girl, you gonna finish it! † After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. Frankly, I cannot describe the flavor correctly now. However, one thing I am sure about is that, when eating it, I felt nothing else matters. Similartomanyyoungsters,Iliketogotobarsandenjoyhavingfunwithmy friends in the night. However, no matter how late I sleep, I will get up the next day to eat the breakfast. This habit is related to the Mung rice noodle. When I was in the primary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to cook Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always create new flavors to surprise me. Gradually, the new flavor of the Mung rice noodle became my impetus to get up. Even more, I deem a tasty breakfast as the beginning of a great day. Once, I was extremely curious that why mom could create so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: â€Å" if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit†. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, I have realized that the real reason she made variable flavors is that she loves me. After studying abroad, the most frequent questions from my mom is: what is your breakfast. Up to now, in my life, my mom is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. For all of us, there are some foods in our deep memories. These foods are unique and unforgettable because they are not only what we ate but also what we experienced. Eating is the easiest way to make us satisfied and food is the easiest thing we will remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, and the party dinner in a special holiday. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will keep in mind the feeling of surprise, warmth, satisfaction, happiness and even pain related to these foods because they are part of our lives.

Monte Verde :: essays research papers

After long, often bitter debate, archeologists have finally come to a consensus that humans reached southern Chile 12,500 years ago. The date is more than 1,000 years before the previous benchmark for human habitation in the Americas, 11,200-year-old stone spear points first discovered in the 1930s near Clovis, N.M. The Chilean site, known as Monte Verde, is on the sandy banks of a creek in wooded hills near the Pacific Ocean. Even former skeptics have joined in agreeing that its antiquity is now firmly established and that the bone and stone tools and other materials found there definitely mark the presence of a hunting-and-gathering people. The new consensus regarding Monte Verde, described in interviews last week and formally announced Monday, thus represents the first major shift in more than 60 years in the confirmed chronology of human prehistory in what would much later be called, from the European perspective, the New World. For American archeologists it is a liberating experience not unlike aviation's breaking of the sound barrier; they have broken the Clovis barrier. Even moving back the date by as little as 1,300 years, archeologists said, would have profound implications on theories about when people first reached America, presumably from northeastern Asia by way of the Bering Strait, and how they migrated south more than 10,000 miles to occupy the length and breadth of two continents. It could mean that early people, ancestors of the Indians, first arrived in their new world at least 20,000 years before Columbus. Evidence for the pre-Clovis settlement at Monte Verde was amassed and carefully analyzed over the last two decades by a team of American and Chilean archeologists, led by Dr. Tom D. Dillehay of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Remaining doubts were erased by Dillehay's comprehensive research report, which has been circulated among experts and is to be published next month by the Smithsonian Institution. And last month, a group of archeologists, including some of Monte Verde's staunchest critics, inspected the artifacts and visited the site, coming away thoroughly convinced. In his report of the site visit, Dr. Alex W. Barker, chief curator of the Dallas Museum of Natural History, said: "While there were very strongly voiced disagreements about different points, it rapidly became clear that everyone was in fundamental agreement about the most important question of all. Monte Verde is real. It's old. And it's a whole new ball game.

Essays --

In my thesis, I would like to analyse the representation of football stars in two iconic British magazines. My aim is to show how two distinct magazines contribute to the ongoing narratives of football players and managers. The first is one of the most famous football magazines around the globe, the authoritative FFT and the second is the original lad’s magazine, Loaded. Naturally, the proper investigation of this complex topic requires knowledge from various fields of cultural studies. In the following, I will introduce the theories and ideas related to my study. First of all, the term ‘football star’ should be examined closely. Although stars permeate the media, the meaning of sport star is not necessarily self-evident. Everyone has a rough idea about stars and stardom, but as I concentrate strictly on football stars in my study, a precise definition cannot be omitted. The main reason for this is that sport news is not only about sport stars but also players and managers who are not part of the star system. Smart states that the foundation of becoming a sport star is a unique sporting moment which shows the player’s exceptional talent. In order to keep this status, the player has to demonstrate his special skills repeatedly under pressure, against opponents in a highly competitive field (Smart 2005, 156). In addition, he has to grab the audience’s attention through media coverage and promotion. Cultural intermediaries and the audience together elevate the player to the star level. When this happens, exceptional qualities and original characteristics are being attached to the player’s name (Smart 2005, 156-157). Smart points out that appearance strongly increases media attention. He supports this point by claiming that David Be... ...hat Europe is a collection of individual nations. Even when discussing teams and fans of other nations, national reference points are frequently used. Pan-European identity almost exclusively appears in conjunction with references to the nation. Typically, Europe is only imagined as ‘self’ when it is dominated by English culture and fits into the framework of the English nation, otherwise it is considered to be ‘other’. The author concludes that the nation is essential to the sports media industries, as football basically relies on the idea of national ‘us’ and ‘them’. Moreover, the concept of nation is at the centre of fan cultures and popular culture surrounding football. In football culture, national stereotypes are a key source of humour. While all Europeans seem to celebrate football similarly, they are divided into national collectives (Inthorn 2010, 791-798).

Evolution of Folk Music

The Evolution of Folk Music Almost all of the music that we hear today can be traced back in one way or another to folk music. The evolution of folk music is rich in history and it is easy to see how the current events and the times created the changes that were to occur. Folk music got its roots from Anglo-American Folk Music and later evolved into what was known as the blues and continues to influence much of the music that is written to this day. Many artists have had major impacts on the music industry some of which are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. Their individual styles were essential in the evolution of music. By taking a closer look at Anglo-American Folk Music and each of these artists we will be able to understand the role that each of them played in their specific genres. Anglo-American Folk Music occurred during the time that the original thirteen colonies were being created. It got its start from what was cal led Psalmody which is the rendering of the 150 psalms of the Old Testament; however they were present in the form of songs. Psalmody is one of the oldest traditions of western music.Psalm tunes were carried over from the old world through the found of the colonies by the English and Dutch. They were often kept in a psalter which is a book that contained psalm tunes. Pilgrims were the first to bring psalters to Plymouth when they arrived in 1620. The religious reform in the 16th century that started in Europe had the greatest impact on the subject matter of Anglo-American Folk Music which was mainly focused on communicating religious matters. Over the course of 100 years we find that two different styles of communicating the old testaments.One of those was in the written format and the other was in what was called â€Å"the usual way† which was through oral communication. The oral tradition is where the Anglo-American Folk style evolved from. It involved what was called  "lining out† which is basically one person singing or reciting lines of psalm tunes. There were many critics of the oral tradition who said that there was not enough variation in the tunes and that there were too many changes in pace. The answer to these criticisms was found in singing school during the American Revolution here we see an increase in the musical abilities of our new nation. Of course these schools mainly resided in more highly populated areas. Out in the country you would often find what were called singing masters and composers who often were no more than just common people like craftsmen or small business owners. It was in these singing masters that we found a return to the lack of variation in tunes which was given the name â€Å"strophic form† which simple means that the music is the same for all lines. Strophic form is very common in folk music.The American folk singer Woody Guthrie lived from 1912 to 1967. Woody grew up in Oklahoma and decided to t ravel out to California during the great depression in hopes of finding better opportunities. However, all he found was more heartache. The economy in California was no better than the rest of the United States. Many of Guthrie’s songs reflect the trials and tribulations of the people he met in his life and of his own life. He is one of the few artists that was truly able to connect to the common people in ways that other artists could not.His music is about the things that happen in people’s everyday lives. He sings about people packing up and looking for better opportunities in other places. His music also varied in its tone. Some of his songs are upbeat and cheerful while others have a more sobering tone to them. In addition to singing and performing Guthrie also had a passion for writing. It is said that he made use of his G. I. bill after the war and attended a college where he took philosophy and writing along with a few other classes. However, he decided to drop out before he finished because he decided he needed to hit the road.Woody Guthrie was unique in his style and lyrics. He never felt the need to alter his style in order to fit in with the changing fads. His style is the epitome of what folk music should sound like. We often hear him make use of the strophic form in his songs. He was an inspiration to many musicians that followed him, which included the well known Bob Dylan. Guthrie enjoyed working with other musicians as well like Pete Seeger. Many folk singers including Woody Guthrie had strong political views which often came through in their lyrics.Much of folk music emerged during times when people felt that government was being unfair in the way the common people were being treated and that changes needed to be made in order to bring equality back. I think this is perhaps the one commonality that many folk singers had in common when it came to their music and what was driving their lyrics. Guthrie, Seeger and Dylan were all ve ry popular during times of war which had major affects on their careers and the choices they made. A fellow folk artist who Guthrie was known to perform with from time to time is Pete Seeger.Like Guthrie, Seeger was another folk activist who often sang songs that called for changes in political matters and more equality for the common people. The Almanac Singers was the name of the band that Seeger was a member of. Seeger formed the group in 1941 which was made up of a group of left-wing New Yorkers. Although the group made drastic efforts to try to create a band where everyone was equal they had difficulty battling the media in attempts to keep Seeger out of the spotlight. The Almanac Singers often found themselves in the company of Woody Guthrie.The group got along easily because they had the same political views and shared the same musical style. Seeger and Guthrie were also known to write songs together. One of their most well known songs is â€Å"Pittsburg† which was a c ompilation of their feelings about the war, environment and corruption in the steel industry. The subject matter of Seeger’s music gave him the title of most boycotted performer in history. There have even been accounts of attacks by people at his performances because of the lyrics his band chose to sing.Right before the Nazi’s invaded Russia the CIO had approached the Almanac Singers to go on a national tour with them. The news of the attack was released the day before they were due to leave for their tour. Since most of their song were anti war people could not make the decision to continue to support their music when it was against something that was now a necessary evil. One journalist said that the grouped â€Å"lacked the true politicians facility for changing overnight and the group soon found themselves in trouble† (Dunaway 91). This came to be the end of the band.Another folk artist who came to be well known because of his songs of protest is Bob Dylan. It seems fitting that one of his major influences and all time idol is Woody Guthrie. Like Guthrie, Dylan wrote songs about â€Å"general human conditions such as poverty† (Lorenzo and Kingman 76). One of his most well known songs is â€Å"Masters of War† which was originally written because of the cold war. However, after the release of the song it was found that the feelings that the song was able to create within listeners was the same during the time of the Vietnam War and even later to the War on Terror.Accounts of a concert that Dylan performed at on Veterans day in 2002 said that the crowd had the same feelings and sentiments that was felt by people during the first release at similar performances. Unlike Guthrie who kept his style consistent throughout the years, Dylan was known to change up his style, sound, type and even material of his music. These changes often caused fans to feel like they no longer could relate to the music of Dylan because they had just grown accustomed to the latest styles of his music. Others were suspicious of his constant changing and often accused him of chasing trends.However, Dylan’s compositions usually stayed true to the original style of protest songs in that they used barrow tunes from older songs with an ostinato found in the accompanying guitar while Dylan did his best to show authenticity in his voice. Regardless of how people feel about Dylan he still is seen as one of the major players in the folk music industry. Another form of music that originated from folk music is the blues. While it is said to be related to Black folk music from the south it is safe to say that Black folk music was highly influenced by American folk music.Black folk music was well known for use of antecedents in the form of hollers and cries which was still present in some forms of blues. The blues relates very closely to folk music by means of their subject matter. It was common for â€Å"some blues to speak of a nam eless depression, work or lack of it, poverty† (Lorenzo and Kingman 76). While some blues tells of hardships it also speaks often of personal lament of the relationships between men and women. One of the best known blues singers is Bessie Smith who is often referred to as the â€Å"Empress of Blues. By the end of her first recording year she was said to have sold over 2 million records and at one point in her career was responsible for saving Columbia Records from going bankrupt. Bessie Smith is most famous for her performances in which she was able to master the use of idioms and delivery her songs with such forcefulness that there are not that could surpass her in the industry. Towards the end of Smiths career she refused to adjust to the more modern tones which eventually led to her falling out of the music industry.Even though she was one of the most highly purchased recording artists she managed to spend all of her earnings without saving anything for her later life. It is said that when she died in a car accident in 1937 that she died without a penny to her name. A major reason for her lack of financial stability could be attributed to her life long battle with alcoholism. Bessie Smith was lucky to have worked with and learned from the Mother of Blues, Ma Rainey. Ma Rainey got her start as a young child in the minstrel-show business. However her music was always closest resembled rural folk blues when compared to other blues artists.Many of Ma Rainey’s song were found to empower females, which was often the opposite of the image that was portrayed by Bessie Smiths lyrics. I think it is important to make a connection between more traditional folk music and the blues that were sung by Smith and Rainey. It is important to remember that many folk singers were inspired by the changing times and unfair poverty that was being forced upon the majority of people during those times. Similarly, the blues era occurred immediately following the abolitio n of slavery.Much of the blues was focused on the expression of individual emotional needs. Considering that blacks had just been given their personal freedoms they were still imprisoned by their social and financial standings. It seems to make sense then that the music would focus on the one thing that they really did gain freedom in which was their love lives and the ability to choose who they would have relationships with. â€Å"Freely chosen sexual love became a mediator between historical disappointment and the new social realities of an evolving African American Community† (Davis n. ag). Many of the songs by Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were about the changes in what was believed to be the â€Å"place† of women in the world. They were singing for more equality and for people to realize that the sole purpose of a woman was no longer to please her husband and to care for a household but that she could be independent and earn a living and take care of herself and her family if need be. Both the blues and folk music had important messages to communicate in regards to the changes occurring in society. Another well known blues singer was Muddy Waters.He was actually born with the name McKinley Morganfield but he was given the nickname Muddy by his mother and later decided to legally change his name. Waters musical style helped blues to transform into the next style of music which would be names rock and roll. Waters was responsible for introducing amplified music to blues. He is often referred to as the father of modern Chicago Blues which would be in the urban blues category. Urban blues introduced the use of more instruments of which included the piano and drums along with many others. Waters was strongly influenced by the more traditional gospel tradition.However, his own style was not so traditional in any sense. He gained his notoriety by his mastery of a guitar style that is called bottleneck. When Waters was discovered a scout was sent to fi nd a man that worked in the same field that Waters worked in. When the man got there he found that the person he was looking for had passed away and instead he discovered Waters. Race records were common during this time and it is most likely that Waters was discovered during an expedition to record race records that would be able to turn some quick sales.Because Waters was a man with such great talent the scout came back looking for him again and eventually Waters moved to Chicago and make music his life. Waters did not find it easy for him to make a name for himself in the music industry. It was not until after he had toured in England that he was able to return to the U. S. and was finally being seen for what he really was by the American people. Waters has been a major influence on many of today’s artists. Another blues artist who helped to pioneer the change from blues to rock and roll is B. B.King. King experienced the loss of his mother at the age of four years old and has been said to have had the blues running through his veins ever since that day. Like many artists King was able to use the pain and hardships in his life as inspiration for his music. However, his music also covers issues of the Civil Rights Movement and even the complicated politics that surrounded the music industry. His greatest success would have to be the part he played in pushing the limits and finding huge success in changing over from blues to rock and roll.It is often a difficult task to get people to change from their old ways and try something knew but King was able to win over fans and help give birth to one of the greatest musical eras to this day. After looking back at the history of where folk music originated and then taking a closer look at some of the artists of various eras of music it is easy to see how even the songs we hear on the radio today can be traced back to folk music roots. The one thing that music seems to keep in common in all eras is that there w ill often be songs that relate to the current events of the time.Especially when there is an unusually hardship or major event that has shaped society. After the war on terror began there were many artists from all genres that began to sing songs about our soldiers and their families and the heartache and pain that people were experiencing from the loss of loved ones of loneness of being apart. I think that music will continue with this oral tradition of communicating events and problems for the rest of time. Works Cited Candelaria, Lorenzo, and Daniel Kingman. American Music: A Panorama. 4th ed. Schirmer:Cengage Learning, 2004, 2007, 2012.Print Cray, Ed. Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie. New York: Norton andcompany, 2004. Print. Danchin, Sebastian. Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B. B. King. Mississippi: University Pressof Mississippi, 1998. Print. Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. New York: Vintage Books, 1998. Print Davis, Francis. The H istory of the Blues: The Roots, the Music, the People. Cambridge: Da CapoPress, 2003. Print. Dunaway, David King. How Can I Keep From Singing? The Ballad of Pete Seeger. New York:Villard Books, 2008. Print.

Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essays

Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essays Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essay Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essay Management is a vital component to be recognized in every organization. Without an effective  and  an efficient management, an organization will not run successfully. Throughout the years development of management theories have been characterized by different beliefs from various people about what  and  how managers need to fulfil their specific tasks in their own dynamic business environment. These management theories have been applied on humans daily activities and  decision making. Two of the most prominent theorists who have attempted to define management are Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg, both of which have similar and contrasting views of management. When discussing these two theories, one of the most commonly asked questions is: â€Å"Is the work of managers’ best described by the objectives of management or the roles one undertakes as a manager? This is a question posed since 1971, when Henry Mintzberg established his contemporary theory on Management roles, which evidently differed to Henri Fayol’s 1949 classical theory on Management Functions. Henri Fayol is the  founding father of the administration school, and  first to describe management as a top-down process based on planning and the organization of people while Henry Mintzberg articulated  his  fundamental belief that management is about applying human skills to systems, not apply ing systems to people. Fayol theory about management and administration was built on personal observation and experience of what worked well in terms of organization. His aspiration for an administrative science sought a consistent set of principles that all organizations must apply in order to run properly. Fayol argued that principles existed which all organizations must follow in order to operate and be administered efficiently. This type of assertion typifies a one best way approach to management thinking. Fayol identifies five functions of management all of which he believed were necessary to facilitate the management process; they are planning, organising, co-ordinating, commanding and controlling Mintzberg on the other hand considers management activities as roles and classify them within three broad groups, they are:-interpersonal, informational and decisional which encompass his ten management roles of figurehead, leader, liaison, spokesperson, disseminator, monitor, resource allocator, entrepreneur, disturbance handler and negotiator. Although due to their differences, these theories can be treated as competing views, both can also be perceived as reinforcing the other as many parallels and similarities intrinsically exist. Consequentially the term ‘managerial style’ combines the two theories. Mintzberg obtained his theory as a result of research based on observation of actual managers operation instead of the organization. Hence, his roles directly depict what managers do. He argues that Fayol’s functions ‘do not describe the actual work of managers at all; they describe certain vague objectives of managerial work’ (Mintzberg 1971). As he observed the managers in his research, he found that all activities captured at lease one of his ten roles in practice whereas they could not be simplified to be known singularly as one of Fayol’s functions. For example, a manager sending a memo out to subordinates informing them of the outcome of the mornings meeting is directly taking on the informational role of disseminator- providing internal personnel with information obtained either external or internal of the organisation. Expanding on Fayol’s five functions which describe management as firstly to forecast and plan: This includes a plan of action the result envisaged, the line of action to be followed, the stages to go through, and the methods to use is at once the chief manifestation and most effective tool of planning (Fayol 1949:43). It is in taking the initiative for the plan of action that managers carry out the managerial function. He also sees planning as a process requiring important personal and interpersonal competencies, including those related to managing the organizations internal stakeholders The second function is to organize: Fayol describes organizing as to provide the undertaking with everything useful to its functioning: raw materials, tools, capital, personnel (Fayol 1949:53). Fayol (1949:53-54) divides organization into material and human organization and focuses on the latter. He then lists the managerial duties associated with organizing as ensuring the plan is judiciously prepared and strictly carried out; matching the resources to the plan; leadership (a single, competent energetic guiding authority, unity of command, control, supervision); harmonising and coordinating activities; decision making; job analysis and design; staffing selection; empowerment (encouraging a liking for initiative and responsibility); performance management fair and appropriate remuneration; maintenance of discipline and sanctions against faults and errors; subordination of ndividual interests to the general interest; and fighting against excess regulations, red tape and paper control. To command refers to setting the organization going (Fayol 1949:97). The object of command is to get the optimum return from all employees, while the art of command rests on certain personal qualities and knowledge of general principles of management (Fayol 1949:97). To the extent that managers aim at making unity, energy, initiative and loyalty prevail among the personnel (Fayol 1949:98) modem writers would more properly describe this managerial function as concerned with motivation, leadership and empowerment. In co-ordination, it is found that Fayol is committed to the principles of balance and contingent action. For Fayol , to co-ordinate is to harmonize all the activities of a concern so as to facilitate its working and its success; to accord things and actions their rightful proportions, and to adapt means to ends. Coordination is achieved, inter alia, by the precious instrument of team meetings (weekly conferences of departmental heads). It is effected generally by combined action on the part of general management which supervises the whole, plus local managements whose efforts are directed towards the successful working of each particular part To control means seeing that everything occurs in conformity with established rule and expressed command. Fayol’s theory of the functions of management also includes a synthesis of 14 principles for organizational design and effective administration, they are, Specialization/division of labour, Authority with corresponding responsibility,  discipline,  unity of command,  unity of direction,  subordination of individual interest to the general interest,  remuneration of staff,  centralization,  scalar chain/line of authority,  order,  equity, stability of tenure,  initiative and esprit de corps. The principle of work allocation and specialization is in order to concentrate activities to enable specialization of skills and understandings, more work focus and efficiency. If responsibilities are allocated then the post holder needs the requisite authority to carry these out including the right to require others in the area of responsibility to undertake duties. Authority stems from that ascribed from the delegation process; the job holder is assigned and given authority to act as necessary to carry out the task delegated. The job holder is authorized to use the necessary resources needed, such as budgets, assets and staff members to carry out the responsibilities. The person should have the requisite expertise to carry out the responsibilities and the personal qualities to win the support and confidence of others. A manager should never be given authority without responsibility and also should never be given responsibility without the associated authority to get the work done. It is viewed by Fayol that discipline is essential for the smooth running of a business and without it the standards, consistency of actions and adherence to rules and values would be absent and such the organization could not prosper. It is said â€Å"in an essence obedience, application, energy, behaviour and outward marks of respect observed in accordance with standing agreements between firms and its employees 1916, is necessary for good results in the firm. Unity of command is based on the idea that an employee should receive instructions from one superior only. This generalisation still holds even where we are involved with team and matrix structures which involve reporting to more than one boss or being accountable to several clients. The basic concern is that tensions and dilemmas arise where we report to two or more bosses. One boss may want X, the other Y and the subordinate is caught between a rock and a hard place. The unity of command idea of having one head (chief executive, cabinet consensus) with agreed purposes and objectives and one plan for a group of activities is clear. Fayols beleif was that one employees or one group’s interests should not prevail over the organisation as a whole. There should be clear outlined directives as to the mission, goals and guidelins of the organization and all employees must be guided by that. Ethical dilemmas and matters of corporate risk and the behaviour of individual chancers would be mitigated by this. Fayols work assumes a shared set of values by people in the organization, a unitarism where the reasons for organisational activities and decisions are in some way neutral and reasonable. The general principle is that levels of compensation should be fair and as far as possible afford satisfaction both to the staff and the firm (in terms of its cost structures and desire for profitability/surplus). Centralisation is essential to the organisation and a natural result of organising. It is important that information and resources are centralized and are easily accessed by all levels of employees. The modes of control over the actions and results of devolved organisations are still matters requiring considerable attention. The scalar chain of command of reporting relationships from top executive to the ordinary shop operative or driver needs to be sensible, clear and understood. There should be equal amount of respect regardless of the level of command. Orderliness implies steady evolutionary movement rather than wild, anxiety provoking, unpredictable movement. Essentially an organisation should provide an orderly place for each employee along with their assigned activity. The ultimate product of the organization should be as a result of coordinated activities involving orderly steps from one employee to the other, with each contribution critical to the next. Employees should see how their roles fit into the organisation and be confident and able to predict the organisations behaviour towards them. Thus policies, rules, instructions and actions should be clear and understood. Equity, fairness and a sense of justice shouldpervade the organisation in principle and practice. Time is needed for the employee to adapt to his/her work and perform it effectively. It is important that the employee feels some form of security in their current position in the organization, which is usually achieved through permanent appointment to the organization. Stability of tenure will motivate employee and can result in loyalty to the organisation, its purposes and values. Here Fayol emphasises the need for building and maintaining of harmony among the work force, team work and sound interpersonal relationships at all levels of the organisational structure, zeal, enthusiasm and energy are enabled by people having the scope for personal initiative. Henry Mintzberg is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management with over 140 articles and thirteen books written. He came up with the roles of management, which he believes cover most of the hings a manager will encounter in their job. These roles are split into 3 interpersonal roles, 3 informational roles and 4 decision making roles. Mintzbergs (1973) key contribution to notions of management is given in The Nature of Managerial Work, where he poses the question What do managers do? and then answers the question in terms of what he describes as the ten working rol es of managers. As he does so, he quotes approvingly from Barnard (1938/1968) that Executive work is not that of the organisation, but the specialised work of maintaining the organization in operation. Mintzberg (1973) defines managers as those persons formally in charge of organizations or their subunits. This excludes many of those in middle management'. He identifies the following basic reasons why organizations need managers, they are to: * ensure the organization serves its purpose the efficient production of goods/services. * design and maintain the stability of the organizations operations * take charge of the organizations strategy-making system, and therein adapt the organization in a controlled way to its changing environment. ensure the organization serves the ends of those persons who control it * serve as the key informational link between the organization and its environment. * operate the organizations status system. Mintzberg three groups of managerial activities as previously mentioned are concerned primarily with interpersonal relationships (interpersonal roles), the transfer of information (informational roles), and decision-making (decisional roles). The 3 interpersonal roles are; the figurehead which helps reinforce what the company stands for and reinforces the organisational culture, the leader who provide their employees with a sense of mission and the liaison who mixes with others outside the business to represent the needs of their group. The 3 informational roles are; the monitor who collects information form within the group and finds out what is going on in the business, the disseminator who shares the information with others who would not find out the information and the spokesperson who represents the views of the group in the wider environment. The 4 decision making roles are; the entrepreneur who make decisions to improve the contribution of their subordinates to the performance of the business, the disturbance handler who deals with any problems that might occur within the group, the resource allocator    who allocates resources throughout their subordinates and the negotiator who negotiates to secure contracts, budgets etc. These activities are derived from the formal authority of the manager office. From formal authority, and the attendant status in the organisation, comes the interpersonal roles, which place the manager in a unique position to get information. This access to information, combined with the authority and status, place managers at the centre of organisational decision- making. Mintzberg states that each role is observable such that, one can witness a manager handling a disturbance or acting as a figurehead. At the same time, although the roles are described individually, they cannot be isolated. Rather, Mintzberg argues, they form a gestalt, where the manager is an input (information) output (information and decisions) system. Given Mintzbergs contention that the basic content of all managers work can be described in terms of these ten roles, it is necessary then to account for the differences as well as the similarities in managers work. Mintzberg states that the size of the industry or sector within which the organization operates; the managers level in the organization; the units function (production, marketing, etc); the managers personality and style; and changes in the job over time all contribute to differences in the managers work. It is important to note however, that, in discussing the differences in managers work, Mintzberg is concerned with the emphasis of different roles rather than the differences in operationalizing the behaviours attendant on each role. He goes on to outline eight managerial job types that emphasise different roles, for example, the Team Manager whose key role is Leader versus the Expert Manager whose key roles are Monitor and Spokesman. Mintzberg (1973:10) argues that these categories are not useful because they cannot be linked to specific activities: Which of these activities may be called planning, and which may be called organizing, coordinating or controlling? Indeed, what relationship exists between these four words and managers activities? These four words do not, in fact, describe the actual work of managers at all. They describe certain vague objectives of managerial work.

Ten Facts About Cells and Cell Function

Ten Facts About Cells and Cell Function Cells are the fundamental units of life. Whether they be unicellular or multicellular life forms, all living organisms are composed of and depend on cells to function normally. Scientists estimate that our bodies contain anywhere from 75 to 100 trillion cells. In addition, there are hundreds of different types of cells in the body. Cells do everything from providing structure and stability to providing energy and a means of reproduction for an organism. The following 10 facts about cells will provide you with well known and perhaps little known tidbits of information about cells. Cells are too Small to be Seen Without Magnification Cells range in size from 1 to 100 micrometers. The study of cells, also called cell biology, would not have been possible without the invention of the microscope. With the advance microscopes of today, such as the Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscope, cell biologists are able to obtain detailed images of the smallest of cell structures. Primary Types of Cells Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are the two main types of cells. Eukaryotic cells are called so because they have a true nucleus that is enclosed within a membrane. Animals, plants, fungi, and protists are examples of organisms that contain eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic organisms include bacteria and archaeans. The prokaryotic cell nucleus is not enclosed within a membrane. Prokaryotic Single-Celled Organisms were the Earliest and Most Primitive Forms of Life on Earth Prokaryotes can live in environments that would be deadly to most other organisms. These extremophiles are able to live and thrive in various extreme habitats. Archaeans for example, live in areas such as hydrothermal vents, hot springs, swamps, wetlands, and even animal intestines. There are More Bacterial Cells in the Body than Human Cells Scientists have estimated that about 95% of all the cells in the body are bacteria. The vast majority of these microbes can be found within the digetive tract. Billions of bacteria also live on the skin. Cells Contain Genetic Material Cells contain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), the genetic information necessary for directing cellular activities. DNA and RNA are molecules known as nucleic acids. In prokaryotic cells, the single bacterial DNA molecule is not separated from the rest of the cell but coiled up in a region of the cytoplasm called the nucleoid region. In eukaryotic cells, DNA molecules are located within the cells nucleus. DNA and proteins are the major components of chromosomes. Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes (for a total of 46). There are 22 pairs of autosomes (non-sex chromosomes) and one pair of sex chromosomes. The X and Y sex chromosomes determine sex. Organelles Which Carry Out Specific Functions Organelles have a wide range of responsibilities within a cell that include everything from providing energy to producing hormones and enzymes. Eukaryotic cells contain several types of organelles, while prokaryotic cells contain a few organelles (ribosomes) and none that are bound by a membrane. There are also differences between the kinds of organelles found within different eukaryotic cell types. Plant cells for example, contain structures such as a cell wall and chloroplasts that are not found in animal cells. Other examples of organelles include: Nucleus - controls cell growth and reproduction.Mitochondria - provide energy for the cell.Endoplasmic Reticulum - synthesizes carbohydrates and lipids.Golgi Complex - manufactures, stores, and ships certain cellular products.Ribosomes - involved in protein synthesis.Lysosomes - digest cellular macromolecules. Reproduce Through Different Methods Most prokaryotic cells replicate by a process called binary fission. This is a type of cloning process in which two identical cells are derived from a single cell. Eukaryotic organisms are also capable of reproducing asexually through mitosis. In addition, some eukaryotes are capable of sexual reproduction. This involves the fusion of sex cells or gametes. Gametes are produced by a process called meiosis. Groups of Similar Cells Form Tissues Tissues are groups of cells with both a shared structure and function. Cells that make up animal tissues are sometimes woven together with extracellular fibers and are occasionally held together by a sticky substance that coats the cells. Different types of tissues can also be arranged together to form organs. Groups of organs can in turn form organ systems. Varying Life Spans Cells within the human body have different life spans based on the type and function of the cell. They can live anywhere from a few days to a year. Certain cells of the digestive tract live for only a few days, while some immune system cells can live for up to six weeks. Pancreatic cells can live for as long as a year. Cells Commit Suicide When a cell becomes damaged or undergoes some type of infection, it will self destruct by a process called apoptosis. Apoptosis works to ensure proper development and to keep the bodys natural process of mitosis in check. A cells inability to undergo apoptosis can result in the development of cancer.