Macbeth Moral Decay Essay

Soliloquy, or the act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud, is the subject to which this question is being answered. In Acts 1 to 3 of Macbeth, the character Macbeth speaks of three particular soliloquy’s in which his moral and nature both move from a high ranking position into a continually falling characteristic of heroic decay. In Act 1 scene 7 Macbeth highlights, in his first soliloquy, the issues of committing the crime of murder and how it teaches others to act as criminals and to break out in violence, which then comes back to plague oneself. Macbeth is also sympathetic when he speaks of the king, saying he is a humble leader and that the king even trusts him. â€Å"First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself† (1.7.13-16). Here Macbeth is saying that he is the kings kinsmen and host and that it is his job to protect him, as well as closing the door on the murderer trying to get to the king, not to be the murderer himself. Macbeth ends this soliloquy with a statement that gives a hint to his future ever-growing cruel self. He says, â€Å"Upon the sightless couriers of the air, shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, that tears shall drown the wind† (1.7.23-24). Macbeth foreshadows his future deed and even states that the people will be overwhelmed in sorrow over Duncan’s death. In Macbeth’s second soliloquy in Act 2 scene 1, he specifically says, â€Å"Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going, and such an instrument I was to use,† meaning that the imaginary dagger of which he speaks of is motivating and leading him to commit the crime of which he was planning, but was weary, to do (2.1.42-43). In this act, Macbeth talks to an image of a dagger that is a hallucination of his mind. The dagger may be symbolic of his own self, in which he says â€Å"And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before,† concluding that Macbeth was once clean but is now becoming more and more infected by his dark and dirty deeds, much like the dagger was once clean but is now dotted with blood (2.1.46-47). Macbeth also hears a bell ring which inspires him to take off and find Duncan before his courage wears off. In Act 3 scene 1 Macbeth’s third soliloquy highlights the fear he has of Banquo because of his intelligence and nobility. One can see the dramatic change of Macbeth’s character from the first soliloquy to the third soliloquy as he now has become greedy and jealous. Macbeth believes that he has worked hard and committed a crime for nothing since the throne will be passed on to Banquo’s sons instead of to his own descendants. Macbeth states, â€Å"Put rancors in the vessels of my peace only for them,† saying that he has ruined his own peace for the benefit of Banquo and his sons (3.1.67-68). Ultimately, there is a major change in Macbeth’s moral from the first act to the third. Macbeth’s motivation at first was solely by ambition, then it was anxiety and paranoia of committing the actual crime, and finally in his last soliloquy Macbeth became greedy and unsatisfied once he had power and control of the throne. Macbeth thought he would be much more gratified with having the power of the king then he actually was in the end. He then begins to second-guess his deeds and starts to become neurotic from the paranoia of over thinking and over-analyzing the whole situation. Macbeth’s moral decay resulted from his unconscious madness that drove him to commit many murders.

Overcomming Cultural Challanges Tyco Case Study

CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION Student : Odirile MachaDate : 15 October 2012 | 1. Tyco Employees’ Frustration turnaround3 2. Tyco’s Strategy to Overcome Cultural Change barriers5 3. Tyco’s CEO: Rebuild corporate reputation: Message package to Employees8 4. Issues emerging in communicating change externally: Tyco Case10 5. Bibliography12 * Tyco Employees’ Frustration turnaround (Gerard & Teurfs 1995; Palmer et al. 009) urges that practice dialogue is commonly used combat issue of culture in an organization or community, the practice consist of four components defined: a) First rule, the participants must suspend the attachment to their own position and judgements regarding each other. This allows participants to be more accepting to others perspective. b) Second rule, participant must identify their underlying assumptions on the matter at hand. ) Third rule, participant must listen actively to each other; remain actively present during the sessions. d) Final rul e, participants must reflect in order to uncover deeper issues and create a profound level of understanding. Transformation of culture can be measured or realised, as urged by Gerard & Teurfs (1995), byatransformed participant behavior, by the morale or feeling with the organization and by the attitude of collaborations instead of individualism.The purpose of response to question seeks to establish: the similarities in between the approach taken by the Turnaround team and the practice of dialogue; and also evaluate the outcome inline with the perceived results of a transformed culture. These similaries between the Turnaround team’s approach and practice dialogue, categorized into three stages of using dialogue in problem solving , a view supported by Gerard & Teurfs (1995). Stage 1. Problem Identification (Gerard & Teurfs 1995; Palmer et al. 009) urges that the first stage seeks to identify problems early and assist the team in setting their priorities. a) The general assumpt ion made is that Breen was part of the Turnaround team, and the fact that he never commented about Kozlowski’s past behaviour, is in line with the first step of practice in dialogue, where the participant suspend the attachment to their own position and judgements regarding each other. b) The turnaround team (Breen), communicated in a letter to the employees and shareholders, Tyco’s commitment to reinvent its credibility and integrity.This message was all inclusive not directed to any particular individuals, and that qualifies to the second rule about assumptions about each other’s commitment. The problem was identified to be lack of credibility and integrity leading to frustration of employees at Tyco, which were centred on the ethical behaviour that existed during the last CEO’s tenure, which brought uncertainty to the future of the company. Stage 2. Problem Solving (Gerard & Teurfs, 1995; Palmer et al. 2009) urges that the second stage seeks to underst and the problem, generate solutions, and make decisions. a) The approach to communication, by the turnaround team, in defining Guide to ethical conduct of employees. Instead of defining just Code of ethics rules. The team built guides with illustrative which were meant to make the code easier to read and understand, this is in line with the third rule in dialogue, where the participant should remain active during the sessions, and absorb the messages consistently. ) The message was package in local languages across different cultures and delivered through meeting (â€Å"if you want to change the hearts people about their ethical behaviour, you must bring live to this document†), instead of sending the documents to all operations around the globe, the Turnaround team choose to deliver the message in meeting (face to face), to gain active participation and also get feedback on the assumptions the team made in line with the first and second rule. The turnaround team did make dec ision to changing the executive team and infrastructure related changes.The team also made a decision on the implementation approach. Stage 3. Implementation (Gerard & Teurfs, 1995; Palmer et al. , 2009) urges that the final stage seeks confirm that the group behind the change will support the final decision and be committed to it. a) The implementation was done in meetings, with the message packed in videos and corporate management making visits to Tyco sites, which is in line with the third rule for developing a profound understanding is achieved. b) Management site visits also build a profound understanding of issues in line with rule three.The fact that corporate manager visit site and dialogue issues with management brings a degree of trust, releasing a lot of frustration that the employees had. c) The implementation involved further training of 20,000 personnel, localising trainers who went further provide input further refinement of the massage blue print for targeted destina tion, these refinement were published, this is in line with rule two and three, on understanding problem and getting commitment. d) The organisation gained an improved Governance metrics of international rating from 1. in 2002 to 9. 0 in 2005, and was consider being the most dramatically improved. This improvement is in line with the third rulewhere the result demonstrates the team fully understood the problem and prescribed a fit solution. The Turnaround team were fully committed to the change and the results were observed to have a positive impact on the organisation as a whole. The outcome can be measured though positive energy on the employee as the managed to produce positive result in profits and improved ratings. Tyco’s Strategy to Overcome Cultural Change barriersGhemawat (2001) urges that distance from an area of comfort of doing business (base country) always has in impact on the overall strategy, and that the impact of distance on industry and product is based on t he country specific characteristic defined: a) Culture (C) covers different ethnicities, lack of connective ethnic or social networks; different religions and different social norms. b) Administrative (A) covers aabsence of colonial ties; absence of shared monetary or political association; Political hostility; government policies; institutional weakness. ) Geography (G) covers physical remoteness; lack of a common border; lack of sea or river access; size of country; weak transportation or communication links, differences in climates d) Economic (E) covers differences in consumer incomes differences in costs and quality of: natural resources, financial resources, human resources, infrastructure, intermediate inputs, and information or knowledge. Tyco’s global strategy will have to address these international issues, if they are compete internationally because challenges differ from one country to the next, a view shared by (Grant, 2010).The other part to this question, is to develop a strategy that will assist in overcoming cultural barrier that faced Tyco, Hill & Hernadez-Requejo (2011) urge the best way for a Tyco to deal with cultural bariers is to develop a Cross culture litetracy, use country specific input and use local content. Cross Culture literacy Hill & Hernadez-Requejo (2011) urges that for international company to succeed in doing what they do, they must adapt to conform with the value system and norm of that culture.The adaptation must cover the following: ways of dealing with negotiation, incentive pay system, organisation structure, products naming, labor and management relations and product promotion concepts to avoid cultural conflicts associated with cultural differences (Hill & Hernadez-Requejo 2011). International companies in other countries, must learn more about the countries and cultural values (Hofstede, 1980; House et al. , 2004), and how these will affect their business.Tyco’s strategy to overcome culture barriers hin ges on understanding the cultural values and differences that exist in each country, and (discovered that these values are deeply embedded in people who work in these organisation. (Hofstede, 1980) confirms that values are held the moral behaviour of people and how they ultimately perform in their organisations. The strategy seeks understand the values identified by (Hofstede, 1980): Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance; Masculinity vs. Femininity; Individualism vs. Collectivism; Long vs.Short Term Orientation; and then identify the mis-alignments and adapt to the new cultural values without compromising the organization value system, a view by Hill & Hernadez-Requejo (2011). a) Power Distance Local Manager should be equipped to with the relevant skills to handle prevent, guard against and deal with issues influence by socioecomic status and power that may exist in the community within which Tyco operates, a view supported by Hill & Hernadez-Requejo (2011), to ensure that organisat ion key objectives are met. b) Masculinity vs. FemininityLocal manager should be empowered to align that the organization observes community or individual values governing the gender based differentiation in masculine based country and the contrary, a view confirmed by Hill & Hernadez-Requejo (2011), to ensure that organisation key objectives are not compromised. c) Individualism vs. Collectivism Local Manager should be empower to align that the organization observes community or individual values governing collectiveness society where family ties are strong to an extent where employee cannot be separated with their families and conform where possible and the contrary should be observed. ) Uncertainty Avoidance Local Manager should be empower to align that the organization observes community or individual values associated how they view uncertainty and ensure proactive communication to avoid instance of uncertainty that may affect corporate objectives. e) Long vs. Short Term Orienta tion Local Manager should be empower to align that the organization observes community or individual values to stay in the same job for short or long term, and make sure the build contingencies that are cost efficient for the organization.The strategies must be broken down into initiatives that can be easily followed and delivered, with proper measures and timeline, a view by Palmer et al. (2009). Tyco’s CEO: Rebuild corporate reputation: Message package to Employees Corporate reputation defines, how the organisations perceived by all its internal and external stakeholders and it is always linked with trust and credibility, a view shared by Grates (2005), who further confirms that a loss in the company (Tyco) trust and credibility destroys its reputation and is difficult to restore.The current situation at Tyco, with the former CEO on trial, has lowered the reputation of company. According to (Collin 2001; Hughes et al 2012), it take a long time for a company to build its rep utation, through delivery of sustainable proof before the stake holders can endorse it as a positive reputation. The crisis situation that Tyco is in, have been identified and there reputational issues that needs to be managed to avoid further damage.There is an immediate need to communicate with, internal and external stakeholder, and the message content should contain the following as guided by [Reputation-Risk of risks: Economist Intelligent Unit]: * Concerns – As the CEO,I have to communicate and acknowledge the challenges that Tyco is faced with; own up to what has gone wrong; and express regret and concern, a view supported by Palmer et al (2009). * Commitment – As the CEO, I have to communicate a plan to fix this problem and share in detail an action plan with clear timelines, a view supported by Palmer et al (2009). Control – As the CEO, I must demonstrate that we are in control of the situation and that we are liaising with the relevant authorities invo lved to bring the situation under control a view supported by Palmer et al (2009). It is imperative, as the CEO, to break news earlier to employees and keys stakeholder [Reputation-Risk of risks: Economist Intelligent Unit], before the other sources share information that is ambiguous and could shake up the stakeholder and affect the companies operation.It is however important to also acknowledge indeed some business operation and resource will be affected and also provide a medium that could be used by also sources to provide feedback. Any questions that are asked must be responded to consistently with the message shared by the CEO. As the CEO, it is important to step back and reflect on my personal reputation and professional conduct, are tightly tied to the reputation of the company. The decision made should be consistent, as confirmed by [Reputation-Risk of risks: Economist Intelligent Unit], with the messages that are being put across as the turnaround strategy.There should be transparency on actions taken, as confirmed by [Reputation-Risk of risks: Economist Intelligent Unit] that affect people, and information about plans should be share promptly. Palmer et al (2009) urge that it is within and through communication that changes occurs and as the CEO, it is ideal to explore the change methodologies that are effective for internal communication with staff. There are four types of change approaches, which can be used draw up the speech acts as defined by Palmer et al. (2009): Initiative conversation – this focuses on the need for change depending on the situation, in the event that something has happened already or before it occurs. In the case of Tyco, the initiative would be based on what the organisation seeks to undertake to address the problems that have been identified. The message will contain assertions (what need to be in aligned with governance issues), request (to establish reforms to achieve objective) and declaration message (about new targets) going forward: * Conversation for understanding – meant to provide employees with greater appreciation of change issues and problem areas.The conversation would seek to establish on clarity solution proposed to target the challenges and beyond. * Conversation for performance – focuses on producing the actual change required, at Tyco, this would be the time to implement all the promises Tyco committed to deliver on aligned to the plan shared with stake holders. * Conversation for closure- is an indication of the completion of the actual change, this is where acknowledgements are made to deserving participants, and rewards are disclosed ad celebration ensued.The CEO cannot carry out all these activities on his own but requires to have people with the right skills in the right jobs, people with the attitude to lead the change and these people have to be carefully selected a view by (Collin 2001; Hughes et al 2012). The CEO still remain accountable but provide gui dance in direction to ensure that what is delivered is consistent with the commitments made. Issues emerging in communicating change externally: Tyco Case Palmer et al. 2009) urges that external oriented communication can be categorised into two parts: communication with external stakeholder that relates to internal organisation changes; and where there is need to handle a crisis situation. In Tyco case is more associated with the crisis situation and the communication was done with a letter to internal and external stakeholders, and the message promoted credibility; integrity; and promoted a culture of accountability, the question seek to find out how effective communication was to external stakeholders.Palmer et al. (2009) urge external communication is different from internal communication is a number of respects, it address issues relating to: justification decision made; assurance over an allegation made; downplaying statements made (concealment) ,or reassurance that matter are under control. Issue emerging from the case: a) Hiring a new CEO, is a also consider a major event in rebuilding the reputation of Tyco, that required external communication. [The road to reputation recovery: Burson-Marsteller] ) The Tyco letter Breen spoke to reassurance and commitment to change. The message was carefully crafted because at the time there was not much to give out, as the trial was still on-going. The message seek to reassure the employees and shareholders that; Breen and his team were committed to addressing issues relating to credibility of the corporation internal and external stakeholder but is does not layout the intervention and the time it will take to restore the integrity.There was no apology from the CEO about recent bad publicity; it is as if nothing major has happened at least resentment would have been enough. [The road to reputation recovery: Burson-Marsteller] c) The changes done at board and executive level were fitting of external communication esp ecially the appointments new executive members and board, because reputation issues affecting Tyco, were more to deal with the CEO’s leadership and board and between the two they are both responsible for the wellbeing of the organisations reputation. The road to reputation recovery: Burson-Marsteller] d) Guideline developed for internal employees relating to interaction with suppliers and partners would have been something that worth external communication, this was a good initiative as it commits Tyco to a good corporate principle. [The road to reputation recovery: Burson-Marsteller] e) The fact that Tyco, consider best practice models Sigma, was the right move as it demonstrated Tyco’s desire to improve the corporate performance, this move was worth sharing externally if it does not compromise their competitiveness. ) The fact that Tyco, consider engage in an audit and the performance rating was improved dramatically, it was worth going public on the results, this su rely is some reputation builder according to [The road to reputation recovery: Burson-Marsteller], and this was worth acknowledging and celebrating. g) The fact that the turnaround of Tyco, was well completed within five years and that the corporation managed to payout dividends worth 2. 09 billion, was not communicated externally well enough, but it some positive development for the shareholder.The corporate media for public communication and information sharing were not well explored [The road to reputation recovery: Burson-Marsteller] Bibliography Busson-Marsteller (2009). The road to reputation recovery. [Online] Available from :< http://www. CEOgo. com/documents/RR_01_10_05. pdf >[Accessed 13 October 2012]. Economist Intelligent Unit, the (2005). Reputation: Risk of risks [Online] Available from :< http://www. eiu. com/report_dl. asp? mode=fi&fi=1552294140. PDF&rf=0>[Accessed 13 October 2012]. Gerard G. & Teurfs L. (1995). Dialogue and Organizational transformations†, in community spirit: Renewing Spirit and Learning in Business, Kazimerz Gozdz. San Francisco: New Leader Press. pp. 143-53. Ghemawat, P. (2001) Distance Still Matters: The Hard reality of Global Expansions. Harvard Business Review, 79 (8), pp. 137 -147. Grant R. M. (2010). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. 7 ed. United Kingdom. Wiley and Sons. Grates F. G. (2005). Hold on tight:  The Reputational Pull of the Automotive Industry. [Online]. Available from: < www. instituteforpr. org/downloads/330> [Accessed 13 October 2012].Hill, C. W. L & Hernadez-Requejo, W. (2011). Global Business Today. New York, McGraw Hill/Irwin. Hofstede, G. (1980), Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-related Values, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Hughes , L. R. , Ginnett, C. R. , Curphy, J. G. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of Experience. 7th Ed. Singapore, McGraw-Hill companies. Palmer I, Dunford R & Akin G. (2009) Managing Organization Change: A multiple perspective approach. 2nd ED Boston, McGraw Hill International. Elsevier LTD.

Hybrid Car Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hybrid Car - Essay Example Another obvious advantage of a hybrid car is that it saves on gas. Using Hybrid cars, helps one save out on gas money as he doesn’t have to travel for long and can go for several miles by consuming relatively less fuel.Another Incentive of Owning a Hybrid car is that it helps reduce tax. In   January 2006, in accordance with the new Energy Policy Act, the federal government began awarding unprecedented tax credits to consumers who bought hybrid cars. Although they are gaining popularity slowly and steadily, they are still not completely successful. This is because the hybrid cars, like the Toyota Prius have received mixed reaction. The hybrid-electric car uses a battery and electric engine to increase gas mileage, to bring down emissions and fuel consumption. On the outskirts of it, it seems like these cars are better for the environment. However, if the cost of manufacturing is considered, The car is not a new invention. The history behind the car shows, how the entire idea of hybrid car was introduced. It was then scrapped due to efficiency constraints and Petroleum powered counterparts. The hybrid car came into being centuries ago. The first of the Hybid Vehicles was an Electricity powered Carriage created by Robert Anderson of Scotland. However, USA had already started taking interest in the these vehicles in the 1880s when the Electric Tricycle was created. By 1897, USA introduced its first Fleet of Electrically driven taxis, and by 1900, its was enjoying it’s the prosperity and popularity of the vehicles. The vehicles has all the attributes that diesel powered vehicles did not.   The electric vehicle was the preferred choice of many because it did not require a lot of manual effort to start, There were also no problems with a gear shifter. The Vehicles did not pollute the environment as they did not use diesel. They did not have a bad odor or the tendency to vibrate violently. And although the steam

Legal skills 2 . Explain the differences between the regulation of Essay

Legal skills 2 . Explain the differences between the regulation of abortion in the United Kingdom and the United States of America; and speculate how any reform - Essay Example The Abortion Act of 1967 was modified by the Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990.1 The modifications2 were widely hailed as a gain for the pro-choice movement3 because they established an upper time limit to terminate pregnancy at twenty-four weeks and extended the circumstances in which abortions could be performed to include terminations up until birth in the case of fetal handicap. The effect of the 1990 debates in Parliament over the Acts modification was to entrench in the public and parliamentary consciousness that abortion is permissible prior to viability of the fetus. Today, an abortion is lawful in the United Kingdom if covered by one of four grounds listed in the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990.4 The provisions of the Act allow for an abortion up to twenty-four weeks if approved by two doctors when "the social or environmental or living conditions of either the mother or her existing children are likely to be worsened by the continuation of the pregnancy."5 Furthermore, it tolerates abortion without time restriction on eugenic grounds if "there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped." Abortions for the most part are financed by the National Health Service under the National Health Service Act of 1977. The Act does place some restrictions on the availability of an abortion. Abortions are only permissible if the pregnancy has not exceeded twenty-four weeks. Beyond the twenty-fourth week, the risk of a grave mental or physical injury must exist before an abortion can be legally performed. The Act also provides physicians with broad authority over a womans ability to terminate. T o be consistent with the Act, an abortion can only be legally performed if two medical practitioners believe in good faith that one of the four grounds set forth in Section 1(1) of the Act has been met. The United

Super Sad True Love Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Super Sad True Love Story - Essay Example Despite their poverty, Lenny’s parents could afford to laugh at the poor people and could pick up some lessons from the about what failure could mean in America. This view clearly demonstrates that the success of a person in this society is measured by their wealth. Shteyngart (17) brings out another instance to show how the characters in the novel are materialist. He notes that the sculptor planned to impress the un-impressible Eunice Park by bragging of the material things he owns. He tells her that Eunice to stay in his beach house in Pulgia. He further quotes that he is wanted to head a commission in Shanghai where he will get fifty million dollars. The characters in the novel belief that they are not going to die but will live forever when they have material wealth (Shteyngart, 312). In (73) Lenny explains that he had to pay an extra ten dollars each at F train stop to them into the business-class carriage. This shows that characters in the novel are placed in classes acc ording to ones material wealth. These excerpts demonstrate that the characters in the novel are materialistic. The belief that a certain family can be worshipped because it is rich is flawed. Material wealth should not be a measure of the person’s status in the society but what the positive impact they make in the society should count. Material wealth has been used to look down upon other less fortunate people in the society but I do not concur with this belief. Moreover, due to materialistic view of the character one can use wealth to seduce someone who does not love him. I believe that material wealth should not be used as a measure of the person’s status and one should love freely without having to look at what their partner owns. The characters believe that money means everything. In contrast to my normative view, characters in the novel believe that it is fine to engage in sexual relationship with multiple partners. Lenny writes that it is a capital insult not to make love to a naked woman, even when she is related (Shteyngart, 216). This is a clear indication of the way the characters in the novel are obsessed with sex. Moreover, Shteyngart (13) writes that during the last night in Roman, Lenny spent the night with Fabrizia; another woman he had relations with. Lenny believes that Fabrizia likes him because of his because of the way he speaks and since she has not been to bed with a local man. This clearly shows that their sexual relation is not based on love (Shteyngart, 14). In addition, Lenny explains that during a party, Fabrizia and a British filmmaker took time to kiss him in turns. Fabrizia exposes to Lenny her pants and Mediterranean pubic hair (Shteyngart, 17).Lenny (17) confides that he had made love to Fabrizia. Shteyngart (18) writes that during the burial of the sculptor, Lenny was eying Eunice Park and wanted to reach out to her and touch her nipples. In the novel we learn that the American sculptor had during the last party m anaged to have sex with a cousin of Fabrizia who was only nineteen years as noted by (Shteyngart, 17). . Lenny explains had this happened in Roman; this would have become breaking news. Shteyngart (216) writes that Tomas had sex with many attractive ladies from Czech and after sometimes, Tomas’

In what ways are the basic rules of media economics changed by the Essay

In what ways are the basic rules of media economics changed by the 'digital revolution' and in what ways do they remain the same - Essay Example Digital revolution has effected cost reduction by replacing analog into binary representation of ones and zeroes, felicitating multiple generations of copies similar to the original. Digital revolution goes far beyond multimedia applications of storing all information in a binary digital format. The horizon of digital revolution has expanded to the extent of putting an end to privacy, to quote the example of Walmart labeling all its products with RFID tags, causing worry to the privacy groups. Hoskins, McFadyen and Finn of University of Alberta have very appropriately and forcefully analysed links between media and communication in their book â€Å"Media Economics: Applying Economics to New and Traditional Media. They have reasoned with arguments on questions like the Internet affecting the information-rooted entertainment and cultural products; how is broadcasting generally regulated and often supported, segregating newspaper publishing from it. Media economics rules have taken different moulds as multi-faceted aspects of digital revolution unfold. On the basis of microeconomic principles and concepts, it peeps into media industries to discuss and analyse topics in the resulting media environment. In media industries, demand and supply of products is affected by their variables. When packet switching to circuit networks is employed for the Internet, the economies of scale work to give competitive advantage to US in comparison to other countries and on top of that the mergers of entertainment industry such as Disney’s acquisitions of Miramax and ABC, AT&T’s acquisition of the cable company TCI happen. Digital revolution through the medium of the Internet affects the supply of media goods and services. The time has come when possessing a commercial television-broadcasting license is â€Å"like having a license to print your own money† ï â€ºBraddon, 1965, p. 240ï   Here comes the all-important role of digital technology in affecting the demand of media

Ideological conflicts in medical research Essay

Ideological conflicts in medical research - Essay Example This paper begins with the purpose of medical researches that is to invent new medicines for addressing ailments. If such medicines are tested in animals, we may fail to accurately predict the exact repercussions of such medicines on human beings. It is not sure that all medicines that work on animals should work on human beings. Moreover, a positive dimension of this is that it reduces the unethical treatment of animals in the name of medical research. For, human beings and other animals have equal importance in this world. Therefore, an experiment for the betterment of his race must be done on himself. One may say that all experimentations carried on in medical field intend the common good of the mankind and hence there is no problem in taking a few as the means to reach the end. However, humanitarians are always against treating man as means. The exponents who argue that man must only be treated as an end may put forward the following arguments. If a person participates in a new d rug application trial, his primary reason can be that he gets an opportunity to get extra money. He believes that the doctor will do his/her part well and no harm will be caused to him. In fact, if that person meets with any serious disaster during the trial, no one will be responsible since the individual has taken the decision at his own discretion. Therefore, it is not ethical to deploy human beings for such dangerous experiments. The reason lies with the fact that a physician always tries to save one’s life by all means whereas, a researcher tries to generate knowledge experimenting with the patients. (Boomgaarden & Louhiala, 2003, p. 101). Evidently, the subject’s life is put in danger. At this juncture, the ethical perception of a researcher is set in dispute. For, the researcher will not act as a physician but only a researcher; and nobody will be found responsible for a damage caused to the human life underwent experimentation (ibid). In addition, since man is superior to all, his security and wellbeing must be given prime consideration. If samples of trial medicines are first tested on animals there is a privilege of identifying the likely bad effects on man. Hence, potential risks against the subjects can be eliminated that way. In the same way, it is highly unethical to use captivated person, mentally retarded persons and persons who are regarded as less worthy as subjects without their consent. For example, the Nazi experiments conducted in Concentration Camps during Second World War (Standler, 2000). It must be noted that, as an individual, the doctor cannot take any measure or try any course of action without the assent of the person captivated or compelled to undergo experimentation. Moreover, due to the application of the untested medicines the survivor is likely to give in for other kinds of ailments though he is not directly affected by the experiment shortly (ibid). On the other hand, it is not always possible to use man as end due to a number of constraints. Therefore, according to this opinion, man must be used as means as well. Such trials are usually conducted on relatively small number of healthy volunteers.

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Gladwell, Malcolm Essay - 1

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Gladwell, Malcolm - Essay Example Gladwell talks about the â€Å"storytelling problem† which is essentially a concept that tells how humans develop wrong accounts of their choices and attitudes. Humans create stories unconsciously which support their decisions and actions. I do believe that the state of mind an individual is has a great impact on his/her decision-making skills, and the state of mind is controlled to a large extent by the environment. The author’s process as a writer was generally quite fair. I agree with most of the author’s points, though I slightly disagree occasionally. What I like about it is that the author has attempted to make the audiences realize the impact of the environment on their decisions that they conventionally consider coming entirely from them. This suggests that selection of the right place and the right time are pre-requisites of making a right decision. I find the storytelling problem a little confusing because I personally don’t quite agree that humans tend to develop wrong accounts of their own  behaviors.  

Personal Investment, Finance and Portfolio Management Essay

Personal Investment, Finance and Portfolio Management - Essay Example of the propository issue might be regarded as a complex study, I would like to initially address the motive of individual investors regarding investment in the UK. We, as individuals always decipher a motive for earning huge finance within a short period of time. Even as we refer to the cultural analysis of the UK, it can be evidently observed that the societal structure is more inclined towards short-term orientation (The Hofstede Centre, n.d.). Therefore, it can be stated that UK individuals decide upon their investments with focus on yielding greater returns in the short term period which often possesses high risk factors. Undoubtedly, this particular tendency of the UK investors influences the personal investment market to be significantly volatile with limited scope of anticipation in relation to the returns obtainable from the investments made owing to the prevalence of high risks thus making it a matter of ‘good fortune’ (King, 2013). Equities, funds, bonds, preferential shares and similar other high return investment options have been thus listed among few of the mostly preferred investment tools in the UK (Evans, 2010). A ccordingly, it shall be quite pious to state that individual investors in the UK personal investment market always tend to be inclined towards either assumptions or scientific judgements regarding their investment patterns. It is in this context that the investment patters observed within the UK personal investment market tends to be strongly influenced by two prominent factors. One of these factors can be identified in terms of the investors behavioural traits or their risk taking attitude while the other influencing element signifies the role of economic conditions which ultimately determines the returns to be expected from the personal investments made (Collard, 2009; Kohler & Drury, 2011). In my further arguments, I would like to focus on understanding these factors in the UK market scenario so as to determine if we can attribute

The Labyrinth of Solitude Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Labyrinth of Solitude - Essay Example Paz turns spiritual to explain the desperate search for identity by the Mexicans thus: He urges the Mexican people to wake up from their dream state, know the ground realities, and act on in the world outside with the practical approach, without the feeling of self-pity of self-condemnation. In that state of inner concentration, he states that Mexicans will realize that they are a cosmic race freed from all sorts of negativities and confusion. That will be the beginning of real progress for the Mexicans. Octavio Paz tries to provide the national dimension to solitude, essentially a personal trait. Wit intelligent arguments the author proves his point that solitude can be a national characteristic, the trait of an entire culture or nation. He argues that solitude is intrinsic to the historical character of Mexico and as such it is the key to understand its history in its proper perspective. Though not a negative trait, solitude is linked to melancholy and for Mexico it originates in a psychological complex of defeat, according to the author. The reasons can be found in the political history of Mexico, its own authoritarian rulers to begin with. People live under oppression and suppression under such rulers and will not have the opportunities for the free and full growth of their individual personalities. Subdued individual personalities make a subdued and dispirited society and nation. The process began with the rule of its own authoritarian rulers followed by the authoritarian Spani sh conquerors that were cruel and ruthless and they were then replaced by the authoritarian oligarchies during the era of independence. Another factor by which the people of Mexico were overawed was the intimidator posture of United States. People were not exposed to peaceful disposition under all these conditions and their inner resentment was brewing often resulting in violent expressions. But the same cannot be categorized as inferiority complex. Paz explains this

United States Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

United States Declaration of Independence Essay In contemplating the relation of freedom and identity, the Latin maxim libertas non datur sine veritate aptly reminds us that there can be no freedom without truth. While certain aspects of who we are, such as nationality or ethnic ancestry, may be cul? turally or serendipitously determined, there is a truth to hu? man nature which, if not observed, corrupts or destroys life and any exercise of freedom dependent upon it. Human nature and the natural law it reflects are inescapable, and, insofar as the Constitution of the United States was consciously fashioned with an outline of human nature in mind, natural law is an in? dispensable aid to proper constitutional interpretation. This essay explores the founding conception of liberty and its interrelationship with human nature. It then addresses how the Constitution reflects these aspects of human nature. Finally, it contains some concluding perspectives on aspects of human nature understated in the constitutional design and what ought to be done when there are disputing conceptions of human na? ture. I. LIBERTY The founding view of liberty was taken up directly by Ham? ilton. In Federalist 15, Hamilton asks â€Å"why,† if man1 is naturally * Caruso Family Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law, Pepperdine Uni? versity; Dean and St. Thomas More Professor, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, 2001–2003; Professor and Director of the Center on Law Government at the University of Notre Dame, 1980–1999; Assistant Attorney General and Head of the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice, 1985– 1989. 1. The use of the masculine in this essay is intended to include the feminine; the masculine usage is continued in the essay so as not to raise in the mind of the reader any inference that the thoughts expressed are somehow at odds with the quoted material from the founding period, which reflected a different custom in 34 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 free,2 â€Å"has government been instituted at all? †3 Hamilton’s an? swer is blunt and rests squarely on a claim about human na? ture. Government is instituted, Hamilton asserts, â€Å"[b]ecause the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint. †4 Liberty without restraint will not lead to private or public good. How does Hamilton know this? Well, he says, just look around; and further, if the evidence of our own eyes does not convince us and we seek something beyond this empirical claim, he urges us to draw yet another inference about human nature: It is to be expected that men in a collective or group will act badly because the â€Å"[r]egard to reputation has a less ac? tive influence. †5 Think about it, Hamilton admonishes: Liberty will be badly used if joining together obscures accountability. Moreover, â€Å"a spirit of faction† will aggravate these intrinsic human aspects, thereby magnifying the resulting harms. 6 In a group, we will ally with others of like mind in a shameless way to disadvantage or harm others. We will be inclined to use our liberty to pursue â€Å"improprieties and excesses, for which [we] would blush in a private capacity. †7 The desire for liberty to be well used, once â€Å"we the people† were united in political society, greatly motivated the Foun? ders. It will be argued below that this founding conception of liberty informed by human nature accounts for much of the constitutional structure and the express limitations upon gov? ernment power within and appended to it. The justification for the new Constitution is forthrightly anchored in the mainte? nance of human nature as the â€Å"great principle of self? preservation. †8 As such, the precondition for liberty to be used well is honoring the core principle of preserving the truth of oneself—a proposition traceable, as Federalist 43 expressly af? using the masculine pronoun alone, but which this author believes is applicable to all persons without gender distinction. 2. Note that any other presupposition is counterfactual, except to extreme be? haviorists. See, e. g. , Thomas Szasz, Against Behaviorism: A Review of B. F. Skinner’s About Behaviorism, 5 PSYCHOL. NOTES (1991), available at http://www.libertarian. co. uk/lapubs/psycn/psycn005. pdf. 3. THE FEDERALIST NO. 15, at 110 (Alexander Hamilton) (Clinton Rossiter ed. , 1961). 4. Id. 5. Id. at 111. 6. Id. 7. Id. 8. THE FEDERALIST NO. 43 (James Madison), supra note 3, at 279. No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 35 firms, to â€Å"the transcendent law of Nature and of Nature’s God† upon which the nation is founded and all human action de? pends. 9 The question whether identity is a limitation or starting point for freedom may be a puzzler for twenty?first century man, but it is an easier question when tossed the way of Pub? lius. The authors of The Federalist Papers knew human nature or identity to be the starting point for human freedom or liberty. II. HUMAN NATURE What is the law of nature? An early twentieth century lec? turer put matters nicely: Every living creature is the embodiment of some form of natural law. Its duration of life depends upon its obedience to the law of its nature, as embodied in its organism. It lives by being itself, by persisting in being itself, and when it vio?lates the law of the kind of being it is, it renounces life and perishes . . . . All animated beings are subject to the laws of cause and effect, as Nature has prescribed them for each species . . . . [I]n any complex organization, like human soci? ety, something must be freely granted to the individual. This is what we mean politically by â€Å"liberty. † On the other hand, something must be insisted upon for the benefit of the group. This is what we mean by â€Å"law,† in its social sense . . .. Without liberty, there is no initiative, and hence no progress. Without law, there is no survival of the group. 10 It is within the will of man to have positive law either ad? vance human nature or undermine it. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that the constructed, positive law of soci? ety can disregard the law of nature without consequence. We can construct governments and other social structures beyond our individual natures, but these perform well only if nature’s truths are observed. â€Å"What we must never forget is that Nature never ceases to govern; and that, if men wish to govern, they must govern under Nature’s Laws, or they will be doomed to failure. †11 9. Id. 10. DAVID JAYNE HILL, HUMAN NATURE IN THE CONSTITUTION 24–25 (1926). 11. Id. at 29. 36 A. Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 Human Liberty or â€Å"Right† Derived from Assumed Duty The founding generation was studied in the dismal history of societies that sought the false freedom of governing against human nature. If one begins the history of human government with the patriarchal clan, one sees force, but little acknowl? edgment of human liberty or freedom. 12 As the clan gave way to various forms of warrior chiefs and kingships, there was a natural mindfulness of the well? being of one’s group. Several thousand years before Christ, Hammurabi’s famous legal code would describe the clan leader as a shepherd chosen â€Å"to care for the people [and cause them] to dwell in peace and security, that the great should not oppress the weak. †13 The Greeks would give a name to these assumed natural duties of care, and these in turn would later become encapsulated into the notion of rights or liberties. Rights, therefore, arose as correlatives from the reasoned objection of man’s intellect when leaders defaulted on their expected duty of care and irrationally de? prived man of the necessary goods or sustenance to survive. Stoic philosophers like Cicero would bring this conception of human right or liberty derived from duty to Rome, but, with Rome’s fall, barbarian kings once again obscured the concept of natural rights. It would not re? emerge until the American Founders decided to build a government upon human nature and its associated rights. B. Affirmation of Creation as Source of Natural Right or Liberty â€Å"When . . . the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, [and] a decent respect to the opinions of mankind re? quires . . . .†:14 With these words, the Founders gave explana? tion not only for the formation of a new sovereignty, but also the human liberty the newly established United States sought to advance. It was an explanation premised upon the pro? claimed truth that man is not self? creation, but created. That the handiwork of the Creator came with a conscious endow? ment of unalienable rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—led to the conclusion that any governmental form 12. This is not to say that force within the clan was always contrary to human nature. 13. HILL, supra note 10, at 37 (quoting Hammurabi’s legal code from approximately 2250 B. C. ). 14. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE para. 1 (U. S. 1776). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 37 that followed would need to have one overriding end: to secure human nature and the rights associated with it. There is much speculation as to why America in the late Eighteenth Century was the locus of natural law rediscovery. Possibly, it was the wide sweep of land, and nature, itself, that the colonists daily inhabited and sought to harness. Perhaps it was the extraordinary discoveries of the era in natural science. Or it may simply have been that no people so distant from their country of origin could rationally continue to think of them? selves as â€Å"subjects. † American colonists were persons enjoying natural liberty. However it was, â€Å"[t]he American colonists came upon this idea in their own way . . . . It was the result of their own experience in self? government, coupled with their faith that their human nature had a Divine origin and involved a moral responsibility of which freedom was a necessary corre? late. †15 If freedom, and the new government that aspired to it, were to be guided by human nature, then that nature would need to be understood. At a very basic level, giving proper attribution to a Creator put human nature off? limits to human redefini? tion16 and secured unalienable rights against the government,17 but a workable government would require some greater identi? 15. HILL, supra note 10, at 51–52. 16. Such attempted human redefinition of truth, unfortunately, is all too common. For instance, disputes abound over what legal protection to extend to an unborn child ever since Roe v. Wade, 410 U. S. 113 (1973), but the legal dispute has absolutely no effect on the truth of the child’s humanity. So too, any association of persons can be legally called a marriage, but such domination has no effect on the truth of what marriage is in terms of conjugal unity and procreative potential. Moreover, because legal assertions have no discernible power to redefine the natural essence of these matters, man ought not to seek to have positive law and nature work toward different ends. Justice James Wilson, who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, sagely counseled that â€Å"law can never attain either the extent or the elevation of a science, unless it be raised upon the science of man. † JAMES WILSON, Man as an Individual—Abstractly Treated, in 1 THE WORKS OF JAMES WILSON 206, 207 (James DeWitt Andrews ed. , 1896). It was obvious in the 1850s that black men and women were human. Nonetheless, the law pointedly chose to treat them inhumanly. The bloody consequences of the law’s impertinence in ignoring human nature are etched in history. 17. See Thomas L. Pangle, The Philosophic Understandings of Human Nature Informing the Constitution, in CONFRONTING THE CONSTITUTION 9, 74 (Allan Bloom ed. , 1990) (â€Å"This means . . . while the majority retains supreme political power, it does not retain and never had unlimited power. The supreme (irresistible) power governing every rational person’s behavior is the desire for self? preservation and every individual retains the inalienable right to resist perceived threats to his property and existence, no matter what the source of those threats. †). 38 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 fication of the particulars of human nature. A few of these par? ticulars are explored below. III. MAN IS FREE, BUT NOT APART FROM OR ABOVE, SOCIETY In the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, it was under? stood that man was not intended to live alone, but in society. Of course, part of this sociability was a product of pure neces? sity. â€Å"From his beginning [man] was born into [society], and without it he could never have been. Helpless in his isolation, he could be exterminated even by swarms of insects. †18 But the yearning for community was more than a utilitarian means of defense against predatory animals or other threats to physical existence. The Founders read Aristotle and accepted his propo? sition that â€Å"man is by nature a political animal . . . . There is . . . a natural impulse in all men towards an association [with others]. †19 This natural desire, according to Aristotle, arose from two sources: reasoned reflection on right and wrong (which is only a comprehensible exercise in relation to others) and our love of others. 20 A. Jefferson: Man Has a Moral Sense Developed Out of Service to Others Thomas Jefferson most notably made reference to man’s so? cial side, observing in correspondence to John Adams that man is â€Å"an animal destined to live in society. †21 For this reason, Jef? ferson would deliberately criticize the anti? social, atomistic conceptions of Hobbes as a â€Å"humiliation to human nature. †22 Thomas Pangle records that Jefferson had derived from the Enlightenment philosopher Helvetius that we experience pleasure â€Å"when we aid or even when we seem to sacrifice for others. †23 Jefferson was not fully satisfied that Helvetius had explained the origin of the pleasure derived from the service to 18. HILL, supra note 10, at 17. 19. ARISTOTLE, THE POLITICS 10–11 (Ernest Barker trans. , 1995). 20. Id. at 106. 21. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams (Oct. 14, 1816), in 2 THE ADAMS? JEFFERSON LETTERS 492 (Lester J. Cappon ed. , 1959). 22. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Frances Gilmer (June 7, 1816), in THE WRITINGS OF THOMAS JEFFERSON 24 (Albert Ellery Bergh ed., 1905). 23. THOMAS L. PANGLE, THE SPIRIT OF MODERN REPUBLICANISM: THE MORAL VISION OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDERS AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF LOCKE 120 (1988). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 39 others and was unprepared to ascribe the origin of man’s moral sense solely to God since that would leave unaccounted for the moral sense or like sensation in a disbeliever. Therefore, on a philosophical level, Jefferson would conclude that, like other aspects of the moral sense in man, nature simply reveals the pleasure of service. 24 As he grew older, Jefferson would come to value tranquility over continued public service,25 but he would continue to lean upon the theorem that the pursuit of happi? ness was dependent upon the virtue of knowing oneself and being useful to others. The â€Å"moral instinct† that inclines us to do good out of a love of others is, Jefferson would conclude, â€Å"the brightest gem with which the human character is studded, and the want of it as more degrading than the most hideous of bodily deformities. †26 B. Wilson: Man Has Moral Sense Because He Has an Innate Conscience James Wilson would question Jefferson’s reliance upon the pleasure or utility of serving others as a sufficiently reliable ba? sis for the development of a moral sense. Unlike Jefferson, Wil? son would insist that human nature intrinsically includes not only a desire to be social and socially useful, but also a con? science. 27 Relying upon Thomas Aquinas by way of Richard Hooker, Wilson would insist that it is conscience that guides reason. 28 The first principles of virtue are self? evident to man, and, were it otherwise, most men would find the pursuit of vir? tue to be impossible and beyond their capacity. Wilson’s attachment to innate conscience contrasts with John Locke, who, in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, opines that not even the Golden Rule is innately known. Locke is often quoted in a way that makes his writing seem highly relativistic, and certainly the statement, â€Å"[c]onscience . . . is noth? ing else, but our own Opinion,† seems to be just that. 29 Locke was obviously a stronger influence on Jefferson than on Wil? 24. See id. 25. Pangle quotes Jefferson as advising a young James Monroe that â€Å"public service and private misery [are] inseparably linked together. † Id. at 121. 26. Id. at 120. 27. Id. at 121–22. 28. JAMES WILSON, Of the General Principles of Law and Obligation, in SELECTED POLITICAL ESSAYS OF JAMES WILSON 215, 222–24 (Randolph G. Adams ed. , 1930). 29. JOHN LOCKE, AN ESSAY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING 70 (Peter H. Nidditch ed., 1975) (1689). 40 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 son, as Locke’s denial of conscience as innate fits nicely with Jefferson’s proposition that men always inquire further to seek an underlying reason for a moral rule. 30 For Jefferson again, it was the utility of service that brought happiness, not following an inner voice guided by an objective, knowable virtue. Locke would similarly write that â€Å"[p]ower and riches, nay Vertue [sic] it self, are valued only as Conducing to our Happiness. †31 C. Man’s Created Nature Bridges Jefferson and Wilson But Jefferson (and Locke) may not be as far from Wilson as it first would seem. What unifies them is reference to the tran? scendent. All three concede that acknowledgment of a Creator influences man’s moral sense. Locke makes repeated reference to man’s creation, and Jefferson’s â€Å"endowed by their Creator† reference in the Declaration is well known. Nevertheless, Jef? ferson is sometimes described as a â€Å"materialist,† a term he bor?rowed from Locke, or often as a â€Å"deist. † These terms obscure more than they clarify because it was Jefferson’s concession of a Creator God that had real consequence for filling out his con? ception of human nature. As Father John Hardon, S. J. , wrote in apprising the so? called Jefferson Bible, the Life and Morals of Je? sus of Nazareth: That Jefferson believed in God is evident first from his ready acceptance of the teachings of Christ on the subject, the Lord’s Prayer, the Eight Beatitudes, the Parables of the Un?just Steward and the Ten Talents, the Sermon on the Mount—all of which presuppose a belief in the existence of God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Correlative with this goes the belief in prayer and some kind of Providence, and to that extent, at least, an acceptance of some kind of grace, requested for example in the petition, â€Å"Deliver us from evil,† in the Pater Noster. Also the Morals of Jesus allows us to conclude that Jeffer? son believed in some sort of future life, where the good are rewarded and the wicked punished. Besides the Parables of Lazarus and Dives, of the Pharisee and Publican, and the Wedding Feast, Jefferson accepted and extracted the whole discourse of Christ about the Day of Judgment, in the twenty? fifth chapter of Matthew, not excluding the classic 30. See id. at 65. 31. John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, in THE EDUCATIONAL WRITINGS OF JOHN LOCKE 109, 249 (James Axtell ed. , 1968). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 41 verse 46, in which Christ foretells: â€Å"These will go into ever?lasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life. †32 What, then, of Jefferson’s self? description as a materialist in the Lockean sense? Hardon writes that it was not a denial of the spirituality of the human soul, but merely the humble con? fession that there is no human proof anchored solely in reason of the soul’s spiritual nature. 33 Hardon’s explanation is persua? sive. Even though Locke (and by extension Jefferson) was un? able to prove the imprint of a moral sense in man and questioned whether reason is naturally inclined toward seek?ing the good, as Aquinas taught, Locke nevertheless insisted on the existence of natural law, knowable only by means of the Divine creator and legislator. 34 By this, Locke meant that hu? man beings are the creation or â€Å"workmanship† of God; there? fore, they belong to God and are His property. From this declared status as created beings, a set of prescrip? tions under the natural law can be deduced. For example, the presupposition of creation allows man to deduce moral pre? cepts in support of â€Å"unalienable rights† derived out of his rela? tionship with a Creator? Owner and other created human beings. These moral precepts themselves then encourage habits of virtue, especially including Jefferson’s insight of service to others. Habits of virtue yield happiness. Disregard the presup? position of man as a created being, however, and think of man as his own self? creation living outside or above society, and the process would work in reverse: unhappiness resulting from practices of vice and self? interest unchecked by any moral sense derived from human nature. Without the public ac?knowledgment of man’s created nature, the derivation of moral sense would be impossible, because there would then be no 32. Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. , The Jefferson Bible, AM. ECCLESIASTICAL REV. , June 1954, available at http://www. catholicculture. org/docs/doc_view. cfm? recnum? 6040. 33. See id. John Locke writes, â€Å"we do not owe our origin to ourselves . . . .† JOHN LOCKE, QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE LAW OF NATURE 161 (Robert Horowitz et al. trans. , Cornell Univ. Press 1990) (1664). Locke was sure that this is not a religious doctrine, even as such doctrines may confirm â€Å"the truth of our argument that man can, by making use of sense and reason together, arrive at knowledge of some su? preme power . . . .† Id. at 165. Locke admitted that reason may prompt some to doubt God’s existence, but he said â€Å"there exists nowhere a race so barbarous, so far removed from all humanity† that is not suited to â€Å"infer from sensible things that there exists some powerful and wise being who has jurisdiction and power over men themselves. † Id. at 165, 167. 34. See Michael P. Zuckert, Do Natural Rights Derive from Natural Law? , 20 HARV. J. L. PUB. POL’Y 695, 721 (1997). 42 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 stable conception of human nature. Human nature would, of course, be factually constant, but insofar as it would be subject to legal redefinition by those in the possession of force, it would not yield moral clarity for public or private decision. Of course, man is not assured of happiness merely by public acknowledgment of his created nature. When man enacts laws or undertakes personal action in defiance of that created na?ture, he is acting in a way that is contrary to a state of happi? ness. For this reason, if a government of law is to be successful, it must be formed to meet the reality of man’s nature: a reality which recognizes both man’s created nobility and rebelling imperfection. Hence, Wilson insightfully comments: [G]overnment is the scaffolding of society: and if society could be built and kept entire without government, the scaf? folding might be thrown down, without the least inconven? ience or cause of regret. Government is, indeed, highly necessary .. . to a fallen state. Had man continued innocent, society, without the aids of government, would have shed its benign influence even over the bowers of Paradise. 35 he Founders believed man had not â€Å"continued innocent† T and so shaped American government to meet his shortcom? ings. IV. MAN’S IMPERFECT NOBILITY The seventeenth? to? eighteenth? century period out of which the Constitution emerged was, as Arthur O. Lovejoy records, a period of transition between the denigration of man and the celebration of his potential. 36 Theologians and religious writers reminded the Founders of man’s creation in the image and like? ness of God and man’s supernatural destiny, but one satire writer after another demonstrated that man, in action, failed regularly to live up to this nobility. These satires of the Seven? teenth Century were but the flowering of earlier writing. Father James Gillis writes: Shakespeare—the myriad? minded Shakespeare—probably knew man better than any other poet or dramatist or phi? losopher. Certainly he made a life study of man; he tracked 35. JAMES WILSON, Of the Study of Law in the United States, in SELECTED POLITICAL ESSAYS OF JAMES WILSON, supra note 28, at 210. 36. See ARTHUR O. LOVEJOY, REFLECTIONS ON HUMAN NATURE 20 (1961). No. 1] The Human Nature of Freedom and Identity 43 every emotion and mood and thought and passion of man to its secret lair in the human heart, dragged it out, incarnated it in man or woman, king, peasant, soldier, student, lover, clown, clothed it in ermine or fustian or in mourner’s weeds, and made it â€Å"strut and fret its hour upon the stage. † If ever a man revealed ourselves to ourselves, it was that all? But? omniscient Shakespeare. But even he was compelled in the end to confess that he couldn’t solve the riddle of man. Wit? ness the famous monologue, â€Å"[w]hat a piece of work is man! † continuing â€Å"how like an angel! † but concluding, â€Å"this quintessence of dust! †37 A. Man Rationalizes Himself as an Exception: The Self? Interest Problem Thirty years before the Declaration, the French writer Mar? quis de Vauvenargues noted how much we enjoy pointing out human defect, thinking we can somehow exempt ourselves from the same criticism. Vauvenargues lamented, â€Å"We are so presumptuous that we imagine we can separate our personal interest from that of humanity in general, and malign the hu? man race without implicating ourselves. †38 n response to this criticism, man would assert as a defense I his commitment to reason. However, one would have to cau? tiously wonder if â€Å"reason† was itself rationalization and self? deception. Man reaches a conclusion favoring passion over rea? son, then finds reasons to justify the passion and deceives him? self into thinking the reasons discovered were the cause for the initial decision. Again, satirists of the Seventeenth Century regularly pointed out that â€Å"[t]he passions always seek to justify themselves and persuade us insensibly that we have reason for following them. The gratification and pleasure to which they give rise in the mind which should be judging them, corrupt its judgment in their favor. †39 hese insights were best represented in the founding genera? T tion by John Adams. He observed that men tend to act first and think after. Men have a tendency to flatter themselves, and Ad? ams thought this self? deception was responsible for many ca? 37. JAMES M. GILLIS, THIS MYSTERIOUS HUMAN NATURE 5 (1956) (quoting WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, HAMLET act 2, sc. 2). 38. LOVEJOY, supra note 36, at 20 (citation omitted). 39. Id. at 26. 44 Harvard Journal of Law Public Policy [Vol. 29 lamities. 40 Caught up in the various political controversies of his day, Adams wondered why those against him sought to â€Å"blacken and discredit† his motives, rather than address under? lying issues. 41 This trait of human nature has not changed. 42 B. A Government to Bring Perfection from Imperfect Human Nature Richard Hooker had faithfully recorded the noble, but imper? fect, aspects of human nature: Laws politic, ordained for external order . . . are never framed as they should be, unless presuming the will of man to be inwardly obstinate, rebellious, and averse from all obedience unto the sacred laws of nature; in a word, unless presuming man to be in regard of his depraved mind little better than a wild beast, they do accordingly provide not? Withstanding so to frame his outward actions, that they be no hindrance unto the common good for which societies are instituted: unless they do this, they are not perfect. 43 et all was not lost. God had created a universe by counter? Y balancing the forces of physical science, as Newton explained, and man could likewise construct a successful polity by follow? ing His model. So the Constitution came to be, following this instruction of counterpoise or balance, reflected in the planets as well as literature. The Founders, already having declared their fidelity to â€Å"the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God,† pro? 40. See generally JOHN ADAMS, ON SELF? DELUSION, in 3 THE WORKS OF JOHN ADAMS, SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 432, 433–36 (Charles C. Little James Brown eds. 1851). 41. Id. at 436. 42. Why, for instance, did environmental groups seek to demonize then? Judge John Roberts as anti? environment because of his dissent in Rancho Viejo v. Norton, 334 F. 3d 1158 (D. C. Cir. 2003), rather than take up the jurisprudential difficulty that animated the Supreme Court decisions upon which preced.

Comparing responsible leadership with transactional leadership

Comparing responsible leadership with transactional leadership The main purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the dimensions of responsible leadership with transactional leadership. Therefore, this paper will start off with giving the definition on both of the leadership styles. Then, it will be followed by analysing the six dimensions of responsible leadership which will be use to compare and contrast with transactional leadership. The dimensions comprise of the roles the leader fulfils, the relationship between the leader and follower, the values that derived from the relationships, the ethical perspective, the responsibilities while making decisions and finally, the sustainability. DEFINITION OF RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP AND TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP Responsible leadership has been defined as the art of building and sustaining morally sound relationship with all relevant stakeholders of an organisation (Maak Pless 2006, p.5). Transactional leadership is described as leaders and followers being in an exchange relationship (Dubrin, Dalglish Miller 2006, p. 105). COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE TWO LEADERSHIP STYLES The first dimension to be compare and contrast is the role of responsible leadership. According to Maak and Pless (2006), the roles of responsible leadership are being a servant, steward, citizen, visionary, story-teller and meaning enabler, coach, architect and change agent. All these eight roles are supposed to act interdependently with each other as a whole. Moreover, according to Dachler (cited in Maak and Pless 2006, p. 107), all these roles are relational, that is, they concern specific responsibilities or activities vis-a-vis relational processes in the construction of organisational realities. A responsible leader fulfils being accountable for everyone within their surroundings to have a positive social interaction between both inside and outside the organisation. On the other hand, a transactional leader role is just to help the subordinates by clarifying them the role and task requirements to attain designated outcome and what they will receive in return. Another dimension is the relationship between a leader and the followers. In the context of responsible leadership, followers mean the stakeholders, whereas transactional leadership means just the subordinates. Responsible leadership is more suited with the twenty first century, this is due to todays ways of business interaction; the networking structures. Leaders and the stakeholders are of equal status where the stakeholders do not need to depend on the leader fully and have ultimate power or authority to achieve stated vision. Maak and Pless (2006, p. 104) wrote that leadership legitimacy does not come with position, status, reward or power. As for transactional leadership, it is more into hierarchical order, where the leader is seen as on the top and in charge of everything. And as for the subordinates, they need to follow what the leader says. Status and power plays its role. As stated in Hood (2003, p. 267) transactional leadership is based on bureaucratic authority and legitim ate power in the organisation. Relationships lead to another dimension for being a responsible leader that is in terms of its values. Some of the values are made up of honesty, empowerment and friendliness. Responsible leaders need to communicate effectively with their stakeholders as to respect and create positive friendly environment with each other. The leader needs to ensure that everyone are treated fairly and equal where their needs and interests are taken into account. Being an honest leader build the culture of trust that proves to motivate and inspire others by Caldwell and Dixon (2009), and as by doing so may create a long lasting intimate relationship (loyalty) which is relatively important for making future deals (ingredients of integrity). Pless (2007, p. 450) state that responsible leadership manifest itself in defining moments, in which leaders have to make fundamental decisions with long-term effect on people, environment and/or the future of the organization. As for delegating responsibilities, it is connected in the form of empowerment as it yields high trust, productive communication between individuals and teams (Remmel 2004). As for the values of transactional leadership, the relationship of friendliness build is only for short-term period as when the goal is achieve successfully then the transaction is complete, which neglects the importance of people in creating long-term wealth. Cameron (2003) and Senge (2006) cited in Caldwell and Dixon (2010, p. 97). Therefore, the trust given by the leader to the subordinates are only in the duration of the task is suppose to be completed, where in term of empowerment, it is lacking but do exist. The leader must make sure the followers are aware and being clarified of their tasks to be carried out efficiently with awards attached to it which can be said as the driven motivator. As proven by Houghton and Yoho (1005, p. 76) theorists have suggested that the directive and transactional styles will result in low levels of empowerment among followers. The fourth dimension of responsible leadership is ethics. Ethics can be defined as code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviours of a person or group with respect to right or wrong (Samson Daft 2009, p. 174). By looking at the definition, it can be said that morality is considered to be a significant quality to have as a leader. Moreover, there are two out of four values based founded by Rokeachs (1973) cited in Hood (2003) that are significantly related to ethical practises, that are social and morality-based values. Social values include such items as freedom and equality, and morality-based values include politeness, helpfulness, affection, and forgiveness. Responsible leaders, their ethics lies on both since as stated before, socially, the stakeholders do not need to depend on the leader, they are free and of equal status as the leader. In term of morality, making an ethical judgement considering the situation and condition of the stakeholders is regarded as a norm for a responsible leader because it is their ethical desires to serve others. As Pless (2007, p. 438) states, responsible leadership research examines the leadership dynamics in the context of stakeholder society and includes the ethical perspective. They are responsible to heed for the stakeholders needs and interest (Pless 2007). As for transactional leaders, their ethics basically just lie on the morality-based values. This is because, the subordinates have no freedom and dedicated to what the leader wishes, and also basically they do their job respectively in order to attain stated goal with the help of the leader. The fifth dimension of responsible leadership is responsibilities. A responsibility here means the ethics of what the leader does (Maak Pless 2006, p. 35). This part relates to the previous dimension where it can be said that ethics played a major part in being a responsible leader; the heart. Leader is responsible for decision-making. The case of making a tough decision is a common thing that a leader would have gone through. The responsibility is related to ones ethics of making the right or wrong decision. One has to take a look at different scopes before deriving a verdict. Hence, the issue of trust should also be bear in mind while making decision. As the relationship of trust is build between leader and followers, then as a leader, one is responsible to behave and make decision ethically. This applies to both types of leadership and they need to act morally and be responsibly. The main difference is only to who does the leader is held responsible while making an ethical decisi on. As a responsible leader, they have a bigger scope whom to deal with that is the stakeholders. As for transactional leaders, the followers only consist of the subordinates in the organisation. The final dimension of responsible leadership is sustainability. The sustainability issue can be in the form of having sustainable relationships and also the future. As stated in Maak (2007, p. 329) it takes responsible leadership and responsible leaders to build and sustain a business that is of benefit to multiple stakeholders. To have sustainable relationships, as a responsible leader, it requires them to include the stakeholders before claiming conclusions to ensure ethically sound decision making. Maak (2007, p. 331) states key to responsible leadership is thus the ability to enable and broker sustainable, mutual beneficial relationships with stakeholders, to create stakeholder goodwill and trust and ultimately a trusted business in society. As to reach sustainable future, responsible leaders should have a shared business vision to be reached together with the stakeholders. Maak (2007, p. 334) writes in a stakeholder society an agreeable vision would need to include the aspirati on to be (come) and inclusive, responsible, and active business in society. In contrast, sustainable relationships cannot be reached in transactional leadership since to reach beneficial relationships it involves number of stakeholders. Furthermore, the vision that is practiced in transactional leadership style is only to reach the stated goal which is clearly not sustainable as it is not forward looking to the future. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the six dimensions of responsible leadership that is being used to compare with transactional leadership are the roles, relationships, values, ethics, responsibilities and sustianability. As for the roles, there are eight interdependent roles of responsible leaders, and for transactional leaders, they only need to clarify the tasks to their subordinates with rewards attached to it. Secondly, relationships between leader and followers are being considered. The followers in responsible leadership are the stakeholders which consist of both inside and outside the organisation. Whereas for the transactional style, the followers are only within the organisation that is the subordinates. Thirdly, the values of honesty, empowerment and friendliness have been touched. Honesty between the leader and the follower build a culture of trust, however the period of trustiness between those two leadership styles differ. That is, responsible leadership will last longer than the transact ional leadership style because responsible leaders are thinking ahead of time for making future deals. And as for empowerment, responsible leadership results higher than transactional leadership style. Fourthly are the ethical perspective in terms of social and morality-values. Responsible leaders ethics is derived from both but transactional only from the morality-values. Fifthly, it is the responsibilities of decision making where the responsible leaders have to take into account of a wider range of people rather than the transactional leaders while making any judgement. And finally, the sustainable issue of having a sustainable relationships and future which turns out only achievable in a responsible leadership style and not transactional leadership.

Expatriate Turnover And Retention Management Essay

Expatriate Turnover And Retention Management Essay This chapter discusses the relationship between the research questions and previous peer reviewed literature by demonstrating knowledge of contemporary research findings. It sets out the tangibles to be achieved through the dissertation in the broader context by discussing the need for collaborative approach in addressing expatriate turnover in KSA. Expatriate turnover and retention: Global Perspective As business establishments expand they are faced with the problem of an ever shrinking of the available skilled workforce. The demand for workers with the right combinations of qualifications, skills, experience and personal qualities is expected to increase. The ability to select the right candidate and retain them in the business establishment is crucial to a businesss sustainability and success in the coming decades. The global worker selection is a concept that is facilitated by globalization. A globalized economy and exponential technological progress have facilitated global mobility and flexibility in the workplace and workforce. The result is that experienced and skilled individuals seek international career opportunities. Due to skilled and experienced workforce shortage in many countries and the increasing demand for inter-culturally flexible workers with more differentiated skill sets, expatriates are strategically valuable resources for business establishments (Cao, et al., In press). While the number of expatriates has and is expected to steadily increase, business establishments have had to face fierce international business competition as well as challenges linked to the economic crisis. They consequently have had to adapt their strategies in order to reduce and control their costs. This has led them to downsize, restructure, merge or, relocate to remain competitive and to modify their approach to the way of compensating expatriates. Expatriate workers compensation is often considered extremely costly and time consuming for the business establishments involved. This perception pressures companies to either decrease their investment in international experience and knowledge, look for alternate international worker populations, such as self-initiated expatriates or decrease the coverage and amount of their expatriate compensation packages (Milkovich Newman, 2002) However, compensation practices and strategy are one of the most powerful and salient means by which the business establishment can send clear messages concerning about expected attitudes and behaviours. There is a danger that the pressures that business establishments feel to reduce compensation costs may lead to changes in expatriates perceptions as concerns their compensation package and the whole employment relationship thereby prompting them to change their attitude toward their employer (Conway Briner, 2005). Research has already noted that employees have lost their job security and therefore severed their socio-emotional attachment to their employers due to compensation friction. There has been a shift in the psychological contract between employees and employers such that the exchange relationship has become much more transactional and calculative nowadays. This means that those involved in the employer-employee relationship are directed by multiple motives that include a mix of selfish and social interests. The parties pursue their interests and strive to keep their commitment. The standard today for what expatriate workers consider acceptable in their exchange relationship, between employers and employees, may have shifted such that getting more than they deserve is more satisfying than what they actually deserve (Briscoe, et al., 2009). A consequence of this spiral of changes is that business establishments increasingly face tremendous challenges in attracting, motivating and retaining these valuable expatriate workers for sustaining their strategic development. They have to overcome the challenge of designing compensation programs that not only span the globe and support the business establishments strategic goals and objectives, but also guarantee consistency, equity and transferability throughout the entire working life of the workforce. Key challenges for business establishments are whether they have means of modifying the content of expatriate compensation packages to increase their costly and valuable employees affective commitment that are antecedent to job satisfaction and turnover attitudes so as to retain them without inferring incremental costs. Prior to this understanding, business establishments need to learn how their expatriates perceive and react to their compensation practices signalled by their pac kage, what types of rewards the workers value most and how these affect their decisions regarding their turnover or retention. In other words business establishments look for information about how to commit their costly expatriate workers to the business establishment. Understanding what kind of compensation elements and rewards motivate expatriates most might provide this information (Armstrong Stephens, 2005). Getting the right person in the right place for the right length of time to execute a job is not a simple matter, more when expatriate workers are involved. It involves an array of considerations, such as the type of assignment and its remuneration; investment in staffing and places to work; and numerous professional, cultural and family pressures that can overwhelm the hardiest executives (Economist Intelligence Unit , 2010,). Multinational companies are increasingly recognizing the need to adhere to sound business practices to remain competitive in an increasingly flat business world. Moreover, they realize the critical and increasingly important role that expatriate employees play in managing and maintaining their global operations. This role is further complicated by the contracting global economy and labour pool (Shelton, 2009, p. 51). Expatriate employees and their role have received a considerable attention from researchers over the past three decades (e.g., Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996;Carpenter et al, 2001;Yamazaki Kayes, 2004; Takeuchi et al, 2005).Carpenter et al, (2001) argued that expatriate executives are likely to be a valuable and unique resource for multi-national corporations. However, although the management literature frequently stresses the significance of expatriate employees in the development and effective functioning organizations, there is substantial evidence indicates that expatriates often fail in their international assignments and thus returned home or dismissed early (Baruch Altman, 2002; Lee Beaumont, 2001) But what is the meaning of expatriate turnover? And what is the difference between expatriate and local employees turnover? Expatriate turnover is a broad term that has many definitions in the current literature. It has been defined as return prematurely to home or failure in an overseas assignment before the assignment contract expires (Naumann, 1992; Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996; Forster Johnson, 1996). Many significant reasons for expatriate turnover are flaws in the expatriate workers selection procedures, the mismanagement of the relocation process and inability to adjust in to a foreign country culture (Gregersen Black , 1992) Business establishments regularly bring in overseas skilled workers to overcome skills shortage. While they ideally wish to retain the expatriate workers, this is not always the case. In 75 per cent of the cases the workers spouses are unable to adapt to the new environment. Given that 85 per cent of all expatriate workers are accompanied by their spouses the case of spouses inability to adapt is a strong one. It is recommended that to ensure expatriate workers retention practical and psychological support must be provided to their families (Wells, 2008). Many spouses accompanying leave their careers behind them and often discover that neither their professional qualifications nor experiences correlate to job opportunities in the countries they settle in. They also lose their support networks, which include their family and established childcare arrangements, and quickly feel isolated, unhappy and anxious in the country they settle in. Expatriate turnover in the context of this research refers not just to the spectacular failure of an assignment in the overseas location but to a range of negative outcomes that affect the worker, the organization, co-workers and other stakeholders in the host country, the workers family and fellow expatriates. The ramifications of expatriate retention are wide: the loss of the resources they have put into a particular assignment; the potential damage done to the business establishments reputation and goodwill; the negative impact on a worker of having failed to measure up to expectations in the overseas assignment, and possible ramifications for familial relationships; and the loss of a valued workers expertise and experience. Both the scholarly literature and empirical evidence suggest that numerous factors impact on expatriate turnover including such issues as provision of appropriate cross-cultural training, in-country support, spousal adjustment, cultural distance and relationships with host nationals (Bennett, et al., 2000; Gudykunst, 2005; Kim, 2003; Samovar Porter, 2003; Zakaria, 2000). In an increasingly globalized world, business establishments find themselves in competition for a highly specialised workforce of skilled workers who can perform effectively across cultures and in a variety of environments. In recent years there has been a decrease in the number of suitable candidates willing to accept an expatriate posting. Shimoni et al, (2005) discuss this phenomenon and postulate a number of reasons for it occurring. They emphasize that one of the most significant reasons is that people have become aware of the difficulties associated with relocation and are reluctant to put themselves or their families through a disruptive process (Shimoni et al, 2005). A significant percentage of expatriate workers leave their company within one to two years of starting work where such was not the original intention of either the employer or the employee. This has significant negative consequences for both the business establishment and the expatriate. It is most commonly related to a lack of retention strategies in the relocation of expatriate workers and their dependants (MacDonald Arthur, 2003) Companies often place unrealistic expectations about handovers and mentoring of incoming expatriate employees once they have signed on. This can have negative implications for the incoming workers. In many business establishments, selection of an expatriate for a job offer is an indication that a particular employee is thought of highly. An expatriate worker, couple or family usually require assistance in a variety of forms and to differing degrees of intensity. There will be the practical issues around finances and time such as allowances for removals, resettling their children in school, the readjustment issues to the workplace, family and friends and acquainting themselves with the host culture. Depending on the difficulties of adjustment or if the move is particularly difficult or traumatic, there may be psychological issues, as well as social, financial and professional ones, that require specialist professional support. Business establishments have long recognized that benefits and compensation are key determinants of expatriates satisfaction and, as a result, retention. The Mercer survey bears this point out, as 86 per cent of the business establishments surveyed consider benefits provisions for expatriate workers a high business priority. Surprisingly, however, only 26 per cent of the surveyed businesses admitted to not having a policy for providing expatriate workers benefits. Moreover, 64 per cent of the surveyed business establishments have no specific procedures in place to measure the success of their expatriate benefits programs. Findings from the Mercer survey indicate that business establishments face two-pronged challenge in as far as expatriate workers retention is concerned. First, they must track the elements of their expatriate workers programs to ensure consistent administration and quantify a solid return on investment. Second, they need to address the global economic situation by communicating clearly with expatriate workers and providing transparency with regard to their benefits and compensation that in turn promotes their retention (Shelton, 2009, p. 52). In managing expatriate workers the business establishment must ask questions that include: Questions on culture Do the expatriate workers identify with the business establishment and the success of the business establishment as being of direct benefit to themselves? Do the expatriate workers see themselves as having common interests with their work colleagues and group? Is there a strong team spirit? Is work allocated on the basis of individual expertise rather than position in the business establishment? Are there sufficient skills/power bases in the business establishment? Are there appropriate leadership skills within the business establishment? Are expatriate workers encouraged to say what they think about the business establishment? Does your business establishment encourage innovation and creativity amongst expatriate workers? Do expatriate workers feel a sense of personal responsibility for their work? Is quality emphasized in all aspects of the business establishment? Questions on the business establishment Does the structure of your business establishment encourage effective performance? Is the organization structure flexible in the face of changing demands? Is the structure too complex? If so in what areas? Do the expatriate workers have clear roles and responsibilities? Does the organizational structure tend to push problems up rather than resolve them at the point where they occur? Do procedures and management in the business establishment practices facilitate the accomplishment of tasks? Questions on the expatriate workers Do expatriate workers in the business establishment have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their jobs in the most effective manner? Do expatriate workers understand their jobs and how they contribute to overall business performance i.e. have clear goals and objectives? Do expatriate workers have a customer service orientation? Are personnel with potential spotted and developed for the future? Are expatriate workers encouraged to perform well through the giving of recognition and feedback? Do expatriate workers know what their expected performance standards are? Questions on the business management system Do organizations systems, which include employee selection and recruitment, promotion, planning, management, information and control, encourage effective performance among expatriate workers? Are these systems consistent across the business establishment? Are there clear rewards for effective performance within the work group? Does the organization review its systems frequently and ensure they mutually support each other? In a study to analyse global expatriate workers trends, the Economist Intelligence Unit (2010, p. 3) identified a number of key issues that include: Cultural and family pressures present the greatest difficulties in facilitating expatriate workers retention. An inability to understand local culture and cultural conflicts is one of the greatest difficulties for expatriate workers. Cultural sensitivity is thus regarded by some margin as the most important attribute for an individual seeking to work in a foreign country, and business establishments admit that it is not easy to find the right type of person in their ranks. More than half of expatriate workers do not relish the prospect of learning another language, suggesting a possible lack of commitment to their role. The spouses needs have become more important than ever in expatriates workers acclimatisation. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the success of an expatriate placement lies with the expatriates spouse and/or children, who may resent the sudden separation from their own career, social life, schooling and routine. The resulting strain on family relationships can often bring about a premature end to the work. Expatriate turnover and retention: KSA Perspective The KSA is an emerging global business hub that represents approximately thirty billion dollars worth of annual export potential. This has acted as an incentive for business establishments that require an array of diverse workforce to base their operations in the country. Consequently, the country has become an international business focal point resulting in the country experiencing exponential increased interest from the global workforce (Bhuian, 1995). The countrys need for more of the global workforce is increased by the inexperience, less knowledge and inadequate of the indigenous workforce. (Baker Abou-Ismail, 1993) reported that as of 1992 approximately 7 million expatriate workers were engaged by business establishments within KSA. These expatriates are mostly employed on a contract bases and usually undergo cultural shock on getting into the country. While contractual employment is preferred by a majority of the expatriates, there major concern lies with extrinsic rewards, pay, fringe benefits, stability and security that come with their job. While the expatriates attempt to adjust to the local culture, there efforts are no free of problems as they are made aware that their adjustment directly affects their effective performance (Baker Abou-Ismail, 1993). Expatriate workers turnover is a concern for business establishments based in the KSA. This problem is further compounded by shortage of available, skilled and qualified indigenous Saudi citizen workers. This has resulted in a scramble for available, skilled and qualified expatriate work force. While the expatriate workers are engaged with the intention of employing them for a definite period of time, this is not always the case as a some leave before their time elapses due to ineffective work performance and dissatisfaction resulting in significant direct and indirect costs incurred by the business establishment (Yavas et al, 1990). Past researches on the subject of expatriate turnover have identified three categories of expatriate workers turnover tendencies (Tyagi Wotruba, 1993). These tendencies include: Work-related attitudes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) Personal characteristics (age, education, and experience) External environmental factors (organizational climate, management practices and supervisory behaviours) It is generally accepted that while the three identified categories have a bearing on expatriate workers turnover and retention, the management of the business establishment can only control the work-related variables. The personal characteristics can, to some extent, be controlled by the expatriate employees selection process and can be enhanced by effective training programs. The external environment is usually difficult to change in the short run though this can be done in the long run (Tyagi Wotruba, 1993). Literature suggests that employee turnover tendency and job satisfaction may differ with respect to the types of employee (expatriate or domestic), the nature of the job (permanent or contractual), and the types of organizational culture (traditional-bureaucratic or supportive culture) (Banai Reisel, 1993; Gregersen Black , 1992). Saudi Arabia, one of the most important international markets in the developing world, provides an ideal setting for a study on expatriate employee turnover tendencies because of the attendant presence of a large expatriate community in the country. Over the last five years, HICAP has suffered from a dramatically increase in expatriate turnover. The average annual expatriate turnover rate was 3.2, 4.5 8.2, and 13 per cent respectively (Dabbas Elvin, 2012). This is a potentially expensive problem for business establishment as replacing departed employees cause significant direct and indirect costs (Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996, p. 393). To give an example, HICAP paid around 4 million dollars as a penalty for delaying the delivery of one of the projects because of the unexpected resignation of six key members of the implementation team (Dabbas Elvin, 2012). Due to the relatively increasing rate of expatriate turnover, academics and scholars have expended considerable resources to study its causes. In the study of predictor variables of expatriate turnover, Naumann, (1992) identified three categories of predictor variables that precede expatriate turnover. These categories are: (1) job/task characteristics, which involves the degree of expatriate satisfaction in the job assignment; (2) Organization characteristics which includes Behavioural, structural, and demographic characteristics of organizations (p.509); (3) worker characteristics, which includes the employee demographic characteristics such as age, gender, material status .etc. Similarly, (Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996; Tyagi Wotruba, 1993) proposed three categories of what they called expatriates turnover antecedents: (1) personnel characteristics which can be controlled through different processes such as employee selection and training processes; (2) work related characteristics that can be controlled by organizations; (3) external environmental factors which they argue that it is unchangeable and does not have a great impact on expatriates turnover. Limited studies investigated expatriate turnover in the KSA. But why is the KSA important and why has it been selected for such research? The KSA can be considered as an ideal environment for conducting such a study. It is one of the most important exporting markets in the world. In 2006 the KSA was considered among the top 23 global exporting countries with approximately 175 billion dollars worth of exports (Anon., 2008). However, according to the latest study conducted by the ministry of labour in KSA, two thirds of the employees, working in the private sector are expatriates (Anon., 2010). These expatriates and especially their families cannot adjust easily with the Saudi culture and consequently not performing effectively (Bhuian Al-Jabri, 1996). Consequently, vast amount of losses were incurred by local organisations (Yavas et al, 1990: Dabbas Elvin, 2012). However many gaps and limitations were noted in previous researches which will be tackled in this research: First the above studies neglect the effect of external organizational factors on expatriate turnover. (BhuianAl-Jabri, 1996) argued that external environmental factors are usually unchangeable in the short run thus they have excluded their effect on expatriate turnover. While (Naumann, 1992) did not consider external environmental factors as an antecedents for expatriate turnover. Second, it has been argued that workers characteristics did not show any significant impact on expatriate turnover. Not only this, all of the previous studies concluded that there is no or little correlation between expatriate demographic characteristics and turnover. Research hypotheses Research hypotheses act as a guide in designing and conducting the research. There are two types of hypotheses in any research process; testable research hypothesis (H1) and null hypothesis (H0). The H1 is that; demographic characteristics, external and internal environments have an influence on expatriate turnover. The H0 acts as a fall back in the case that the H1 is disapproved (Johnson, 1975). The H0 is that; demographic characteristics, external and internal environments have no influence on expatriate turnover. This research study empirically analyses the expatriate demographic, organizational internal and country external variables that may lead to expatriate turnover in HICAP in order to develop a functional match for between the antecedents for expatriates turnover the KSA. In establishing this functional match, the dissertation looks into factors affecting expatriate turnover. The outcome can be used by both scholars and business executives in offering insights into the best way for KSA business establishments to retain expatriates as well as build a framework for future analysis.