Monday, December 30, 2019

Personal Strategy Plan Personal Leadership And Ethics

Personal Strategy Plan-Personal Leadership and Ethics Unit 3 Assignment Trecia Grimes Kaplan University GB580-01: Strategic Management Dr. Carol Schubert October 29, 2017 Abstract Psychology has aims to define, explain, and predict behavior. The field of Psychology has seen the many remarkable theoretician and practitioners. Carl Jung developed the theory on personality types. Meyers Briggs expanded those theories into an assessment known as the he Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI consists of four dichotomies that include Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuitive, Thinking/Feeling, and Judgment/Perception. These dichotomies are said to provide an understanding into the emotional and intellectual†¦show more content†¦When defining leadership and personal ethics standards the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can be used to gain such insight. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) consists of four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuitive, Thinking/Feeling, and Judgment/Perception. Each person has tendencies on both ends of these dichotomies; however there is an expressed preference (as revealed by the MBTI) for one end of each of the four dichotomies. Although we all have aspects of both introversion and extraversion, each of us has a general preference for, or leaning toward, one or the other. (Till, Zdravkovic, Morrison, 2007). MBTI Type I can use MBTI evaluation to understand how I connect with my emotional and physical world. I have completed the MBTI and the assessment reveals me to be an Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving (ENFP). As and ENFP I have the following results: †¢ Have moderate preference of Extraversion over Introversion (25%). †¢ Have moderate preference of Intuition over Sensing (59%). †¢ Have moderate preference of Feeling over Thinking (22%). †¢ Have slight preference of Perceiving over Judging (%) 6. I have often considered myself to be an extroverted introvert. I saw myself as the perfect blend of both my father’s and my mother’sShow MoreRelatedThe Ethics Of A Leader1604 Words   |  7 PagesLeadership is a partnership between two or more people, so it is necessary to design a guideline that allows a leader to create an ethical organization. Even though leadership is impossible without followers, a person must first transform their own ethical theory into a process before they can teach or require ethical behavior from others. Leaders must incorporate their ethical beliefs and decision making template into everyday life. The personal ethics of a leader will cast a light on organizationsRead MoreThe Ethics Of Leadership And How Ethics Produce Effective Leadership1224 Words   |  5 Pagesexamine the importance of personal ethics in leadership and how ethics produce effective leaders in organizations today. The importance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing a plan of action for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. These key points suggest personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership. With so many definitionsRead MoreEthical Ethics And Ethical Issues1180 Words   |  5 Pagesnegative aspects. In order to be prepared for the ethical issues that will arise and to create an organizational competitive advantage, an intentional focus and effective communication of the code of ethics must be incorporated as a part of strategic planning. Sherwin (1983) indicates the that the term ethics, â€Å"refers to a set of moral norms, principles or values that guide people’s behavior† (cited in Brunk, 2012, p. 552). The importance of ethical awareness in organizations can be the difference inRead MoreThe Importance Of Ethics, Motivation, And A Role Model And Devel oping An Action Plan For An Organization1205 Words   |  5 Pagesimportance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing an action plan for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. The personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership to the organization. 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Both are extremely broad terms, however they both are very relevant in business leaders. â€Å"Values can be defined as things that are important to or valued by someone. That someone can be an individual or an organization. Values determine what is right and what is wrong, and doing what is right or wrong is what defines ethics. To behave ethically is to behaveRead MorePersonal Code Of Ethics By Meredith Keck777 Words   |  4 Pages Personal Code of Ethics Meredith Keck University of the Incarnate Word: Communications in Organizations 27 January 2017 â€Æ' Introduction Leaders are expected to act consistently with their vision and the values they advocate to their team. If a leader’s words or actions are contrary to the values they expect in others, they will be faced with cynicism and contempt. Followers expect their leader to act in their best interests, putting their welfare before their own. An ethical leader is honestRead MoreThe Qualities Of A Leader1127 Words   |  5 Pagesresult, it will improve my performance as a team and be a great leader. A leader not only born but is made. Certainly, many people are born with attitudes and skills that lead to the path of leadership. In my case, many of the tools that I use as a leader, have been learned through this year. My leadership style is Democratic. I am flexible and open-mind, I like to listen to other opinions, and I take care, my team. In accordance with all styles of communication discussed, my style of communicationRead MorePersonal Learning Plan 1249 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal Learning Plan The author has designed the personal learning plan around the diagnosis of his learning needs, statement of specific learning objectives, learning resources and strategies, evidence of accomplishment, how the evidence will be validated, and how the learning will be evaluated. I will concentrate on the five disciplines: Systems Thinking, Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Visions, and Team Learning introduced by Peter M. Senge. This will allow me to expand my leadershipRead MoreOrganizational Culture Of The Nfl1037 Words   |  5 PagesThe organizational culture of the NFL was a breeding ground for dysfunction. From the lack of strong ethics to leadership accountability to inconsistencies, the NFL has many challenges to overcome. The first remedy for the NFL’s woes would be an organizational change in values. This would mean a paradigm shift to an ethical organizational culture. It will be imperative to consider the team owners and players â€Å"Until new behavior s are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Personal Health Assessment Paper - 777 Words

Personal health assessment paper SCI100 University of Phoenix Ms. S. Bratton 12/06/2010 Shayla Simpson Simpson 1 Keeping yourself healthy emotionally, physically, and spiritually will help you build; develop a happy, productive life. Studies were done and it was found that people who volunteer, go to church, or belong to a club are more likely to have better health than people who dont engage in social activities on a routine basis. This information that I read I found to be very interesting only because I guess I†¦show more content†¦The third one is spiritual, when someone goes through tough times such as job loss, death, or anything that can cause a set back in your health it can cause you to tend not to care about yourself and you can do more harm to yourself like that by not taking care of yourself. When you allow yourself to be spiritual and focus on good things and blessings that are being bestowed you, you have no choice but to do right and not allow for negative things cause you to mess with our health. A dimension I feel I need to improve on would be Physical Wellness, I sa y this because I am the type who set out goals for myself, however I do not stick through with them and then when I feel myself starting to take steps back, such as eating things I know I have no business eating or not taking my blood pressure medicine, I can not get upset with anyone but myself. Physical wellness should be important to everyone, some people however do not take their lives seriously and then when it time to become Simpson 3 It can sometimes be too late. I have learned over some years by watching those that mean a lot to me let their lives become of nothing because they do not worry about their physical appearance or the foods that they eat, and even though you can give them all the advice to try and persuade them they are determined to do what they feel and what they want to do. I would love to work on not eating so much spicy food; I have been eating spicy things since I was aShow MoreRelatedEssay on Personal Heritage Assessment1520 Words   |  7 PagesRunning head: PERSONAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND ITS USEFULNESS Personal heritage assessment and its usefulness April 15, 2012 Personal heritage assessment and its usefulness INTRODUCTION: In this paper, the writer will focus on the usefulness of applying a heritage assessment in evaluating the needs of person as a whole, three different family’s opinions on health maintenance, health protection and health restoration. Also this paper will identify health traditions as regards to culturalRead MoreHeritage Assessment Essay1391 Words   |  6 PagesOther Topics Heritage Assessment In: Other Topics Heritage Assessment Heritage Assessment Latasha Rice, WCC- RN Grand Canyon University: NRS 429v Date: 8/31/2012 What is a heritage assessment? A heritage assessment is a subpart to the overall nursing assessment. Assessing a patient’s heritage allows the nurse to obtain more information about a patient’s culture, including beliefs about health and values, this is importantRead MoreInvestment Decisions. Answer: -1524 Words   |  7 PagesPersonal Heritage Assessment Question: What are the Personal heritage assessment and its usefulness? In this paper, the writer will focus on the usefulness of applying a heritage assessment in evaluating the needs of person as a whole, three different family’s opinions on health maintenance, health protection and health restoration. Also this paper will identify health traditions as regards to cultural heritage of the writer, then how the three families interviewed in this paper follow theirRead MoreThe Adolescent Depression Scale, The Geriatric Pain Assessment Tool1377 Words   |  6 PagesUtilization of assessment tools is helpful in depicting underlying hindrances. This paper will address the geriatric depression scale, the geriatric pain assessment tool, an assessment of the environment, advanced directives, and teaching topics, along with interventions for an older adult. Assessment Tools Assessment tools serve the purpose of evaluating risk factors that may be overlooked during a brief assessment. It is a method of attaining information as part of the overall assessment of a patientRead MoreOrganizational Model Of Healthcare Performance1587 Words   |  7 PagesPerformance, Quality Assessment and Management High performing healthcare organizations provide quality patient care that is cost efficient. Metro Health has an effective organizational model for its quality assessment and management of healthcare performance. The purpose of this paper is to describe Metro Health’s quality program, management structure, goals, and objectives. Next, this paper will discuss the selection, methodology, and management of quality programs at Metro Health. In addition, thisRead MoreHeritage Assessment Essay1346 Words   |  6 PagesHeritage Assessment Cheri Montoro Grand Canyon University NRS-429V Linda Gobin August 06, 2013 Heritage Assessment This paper will assess and discuss the usefulness of applying the Heritage Assessment tool to evaluate three different families each one from different cultural backgrounds consisting of Greek, Italian, and Hispanic ethnicities. This paper will also compare similarities and differences related to health maintenance, health protection and health restoration and the culturalRead MorePersonal Information On Health Care Organizations Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pages 5) Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention: Personal information can be collected or disclosed for the purpose, it was taken. For other purposes, consent is required. Personal information should be kept as long as necessary. 6) Accuracy: Health care organization must make effort to reduce the risk when incorrect personal information is used or disclosed. 7) Safeguards: Health care organizations must protect personal information from loss or theft. They must create safeguards to prevent unauthorizedRead More Health Concerns for Children in Maricopa, Arizona1224 Words   |  5 PagesHealth Concerns for Children in Maricopa Arizona We all grew up in communities with grandmothers who cooked two, three vegetables that you had to eat. There was no ifs, ands or buts about it. But thats because many of our grandparents, they had community gardens; there was the vegetable man that came around. There were many other resources that allowed them to have access. So its not that people dont know or dont want to do the right thing; they just have to have access to the foods that theyRead MoreGood Personal Hygiene875 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿IC01 Credits Value 3 Level 2/ 3 The principles of infection Prevention and Control To cover assessment criteria, learning outcome and knowledge LO 1.1, 1.2 1) Explain employees’ roles and responsibilities in relation to the prevention and Control of infection. To control and prevent the spread of infections in the work place and have good personal hygiene at all times making sure you use the right p.p.e and discarding all materials in the correct and safe way. Read MoreThe Rising Gerontological Population Across The World Essay842 Words   |  4 Pagespopulation across the world demands attention from health care professionals to optimize health and quality of life. Over the years, various screening tools have been developed to screen for multifactorial facets of health. These tools will aid an older adult to augment health concerns. To view perspectives through the lens of an older adult, health care professionals must delve into a personal level in the world of old age. The purpose of this paper is to provide information based upon an interview

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The wonderful food Free Essays

I must confess that there is much of Japan that I do not know about.   What I do know of Japan comes from my childhood and from my brief stay in Japan in the past.   As a child I was always fascinated by the magic of Japanese television; shows such as Godzilla (Gojira) and Space Giants (Ambassador Magma) would fill up my afternoon television slots. We will write a custom essay sample on The wonderful food or any similar topic only for you Order Now In class, I would often share the beauty of Japan with my class by creating posters on Japan in the hope that others could enjoy the magic and beauty that Japan possesses.   Needless to say, the time I spent in Okinawa not only altered my preconceived notions of what Japan really is but the experience also exposed me to a beauty unlike any that I have ever seen in my life. My Okinawa experience is an experience that I will never forget.   There is something for all the senses:   The wonderful food (the sushi, the sashimi, the colorful and scrumptious bento meals); the warmth and friendliness of the people around; the colorful sights from billboards and store signs; the chorus that one hears from the people on the street yakking on their cellular phones and of course the overwhelming love that felt for Japan. There is no other place in the world that seamlessly and effortlessly incorporates such high tech innovations and gadgetry with the quiet yet powerful beauty of ancient Japan all in one place. While all of the sights, sounds and delicacies were indeed quite an experience, it was not until I came to a brief understanding of the history of Okinawa that I was able to truly enjoy the experience that I had there. Okinawa is historically a separate nation, possessing a distinct culture and language unlike that on the mainland.   Okinawa has a different language from that of Japan, using what is called Ryukyuan, though its use has been slowly declining over the years. Aside from the difference in language, the difference in culture can be seen in the different architecture that one encounters while exploring Okinawa.   There are a number of Gusuku’s or castles that still abound in the area.   The houses are also different because quite a number of them feature a shisa on the roof which closely resembles a dragon.   This is due to the Chinese influence which has also found its way into the local culture. Okinawa is not known to be a tourist haven for foreigners and has been primarily developed to cater to the local tourists. As such, one is expected to know a little of the local language and dialects in order to travel around. Once one is able to overcome the language barrier there are virtually no limits to the number of tourist sights that one can come across.   As mentioned earlier, the unique architecture in the area can be seen in the Shureimon Gate, which built in the 16th century, is a traditional symbol of Okinawa.   The Shurijo castle is also a sight to behold as its imposing faà §ade greets the visitors who drop by. The local tour guide gives a wonderful tale of how this used to be the center of all Okinawan culture.   Aside from the castles, there is also the Tama Udun Royal Mausoleum, which was built in 1501 to house the remains of King Sho En. On the whole, my Okinawa experience was quite a revelation.   I never expected to see much of other cultures infused into the local culture given the history of Japan.   It was refreshing to see bits and pieces of Chinese and Thai culture in not only the sights but in most of the foods and music as well. The magnificent buildings and the general cleanliness of the city of Naha is also amazing given the tourist traffic that it serves every year.   Despite the influx of a number of tourists, Okinawa has still managed to maintain its own unique culture and combined with the beautiful scenery that abounds around every corner it is truly a wonderful experience for anyone, local or foreign. How to cite The wonderful food, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Larry Page free essay sample

Contents Biography2 Decoding Larry Page Leadership Style4 How Larry Page’s Leadership Styles relate to my mine9 Conclusion10 Works Cited11 Biography Lawrence â€Å"Larry: page was born march 26, 1993 in East Lancing, Michigan. He was born into a family of computer experts. His father was a pioneer in artificial intelligence and computer science and is mother a computer programing teacher. He grew up in a house where technology was the norm, computers parts and Popular Mechanics magazines where everywhere. His older brother taught him from early on how to disarm artifacts in order to find out how they worked, this fueled his knowledge and motivation greatly to begin inventing, he once built a working inkjet printer out of LEGOS, at age twelve Page already knew he was going to have a company eventually. Page was first attended the University of Michigan for a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and then decided to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at the Stanford University, here is where he met Sergey Brin and started the project that would change his life forever. We will write a custom essay sample on Larry Page or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The idea began while searching a dissertation theme about exploring the mathematical properties of the World Wide Web. According to John Battelle, founder of â€Å"Wired† magazine page assumed that web links where just citations so his project named â€Å"Backrub† was about classifying and counting all the backlinks of the World Wide Web and according to Page it would make it a more valuable place. At the beginning of â€Å"Backrub† the World Wide Web could be sought as a giant book without an index, so the goal of the project was to gather data and index it using what is called a web crawler, a bot programmed to perform this specific task. Then Page and Brin created their first product called â€Å"Pagerank† which was an algorithm that assigned numerical weighting to the hyperlinks already indexed by the web crawler and measure its importance, from here he created a search engine that was far more effective than the ones that already existed. This new Google search engine made its first debut at the Stanford University webpage in 1996. Together with is partner Brin in 1998 he founded Google Inc. at the time he hired Eric Schmidt as a CEO. The company’s mission was â€Å"To organize the World’s Information and to make it universally useful and accessible. † In 2006 the company was already made public and had its main quarter in Mountain view, California. Google Inc. grew very quickly and began to add more products and services such as email, advertising services, location services, productivity software and photo editing software and much more other breakthrough and innovative services and products just as the Android mobile operating system and Google Chrome Browser. Today Google. om is listed as the internet most visited website in the U. S according to Alexa Traffic Rank. And many of its famous brands are in the top hundred most visited sites such as YouTube and Blogger. According to an article by the social media online magazine Mashable, Google reported earnings of 50 billion dollars in January 2013 and is still expanding. Decoding Larry Page Leadership Style Because of his decision of hiring Eric Schmidt as CEO back in 2001 Larry Page was often cataloged as an introvert leader and when he took back the title of CEO in 2011 he didn’t hold any big meetings, interviews. What matters the most to Page is innovating this can be appreciated by the fact that he spends $1 billion on patents to help the company grow, this was sought to emulate Steve Job’s leadership but the truth is that this is most likely shaped by his engineering background. According to an article by CNN Money he still remains an enigma and his leadership style can be appreciated during commencement speeches and talks to coworkers and Google executives. During these talks he focuses about the future, as stated before Page is all about innovations and he firmly believes that by tackling audacious ideas that can eventually change the world would attract incredibly smart people that can achieve something worthwhile as he expressed at the Google Faculty Summit in 2009. Page’s supportive leadership style can be proved by his proficiency at building networks and expertise building and leading teams. He insisted on being very closely involved in the hiring process at Google always looking for university graduates to join the company. It is widely known that he dislikes the traditional bureaucracy and management styles and is always cutting or reassigning middle management positions. This can be seen by the company’s reorganization tendencies. While studying the company’s website it can be seen that all the description and pertinent information is compressed to no more than one paragraph, this is because Page encourages faster and concise decision making. According to wall Street Journal he would ask managers to e-mail him updates of their projects in 60 words or less. Also he encouraged them to have a session in the afternoon where top executives had to work on a public area of the building in order to make them more accessible to employees and facilitate communication among each other. This shows very strong supportive and participative leadership styles. Because the company is not organized with the typical management styles and is more focused on projects a team environment is the rule here which encourages involvement of followers in every aspect of decision making processes. Although he involves the team when it comes to decision making within a project he displays directive leadership traits when it comes to organizing the company. According to Google board member Mr. Ram Shriram he has a very clear idea of how the company should be organize therefore he personally picked the people that could run large areas of the company and set their objectives. Page would set very clear-short term and long-term goals for his managers. After further research it is very clear that Larry Page’s strongest leadership styles are participative and supportive. According to an interview by The Fortune magazine the wellbeing and lifestyle of the company’s employees is top priority to him as he says â€Å"My job as a leader is to make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, and that they feel theyre having a meaningful impact and are contributing to the good of society. † Google is known for its innovative work space that are far from looking like a typical office, he feels that the company is like a family and therefore he treats them like one. This has boosted employee satisfaction, productivity and even improved their health to the point that their healthcare costs grow less compared to other companies. As stated before Page is regarded as an introvert, which might contradict the traditional believe that a leader should be outgoing and charismatic in order to be successful but the fact that he is an introvert supplies him with other set of traits and skills that make him successful and ultimately explain his supportive and participative tendencies. Traits that characterize introverts are that they are very good at listening; therefore they are not going to dominate a social situation which will allow them to hear about other people’s innovative ideas. This will also explain Page’s tendency to want to attract people qualified as intelligent. A person that has an engineering and technologic mindset would rather hear from a smart person than a charismatic one. In addition Page has a strong directive approach when it comes to setting the company’s main goals but he is willing to let his followers choose their path to reach those goals. Nevertheless Larry Page has been a CEO for a relatively short amount of time so there is still a lot to see from this leader. During his short time as a CEO he has definitely demonstrated strong organizational skills and has brought back cohesion and focus as well as decisiveness to a company that was becoming scattered within is many diverse projects. Larry Page’s Leadership Style Applied to Hospitality Industry Google’s innovative approach can bring great success for someone working in the hospitality industry. The hospitality environment is all about communication and team work, this is a people’s business therefore it is imperative to have a supportive approach when leading followers. There are many levels or work in this industry that range from skilled labor to management and business work. Page’s supportive approach can be very beneficial for hotel managers because they are leading people that come from all sorts of backgrounds, by providing an environment where the employees feel comforted and supported by their company it will increase employee’s satisfaction and productivity at their workplace. For example a manager can display this kind of behavior if a front desk employee becomes frustrated with a hard situation involving a difficult guest or is having some kind of hardship in their personal life a manager can encourage communication with the employee and provide an understanding attitude as well as build a better relationship with the employee that will allow that employee to feel comfortable within his workplace augmenting their feelings of empowerment and therefore excelling at their duties. The hospitality industry environment requires critical thinking skills, our industries workspaces are the same but a day and a situation is never the same, a hospitality employee have knew experiences and new interactions everyday with customers. Participative behavior from managers is extremely important; a manager cannot be in every place at the same time. Every employee has different experience at the workplace due to the nature of the Hospitality industry, for example a front desk agent that does the A. M. shift has a completely different experience and needs than the one doing the P. M. shift. Therefore is necessary that the manager gathers input from his employees in order to improve the processes and procedures necessary to solve a particular problem or to improve the workplace experience. Delegatory leadership is also needed in the hospitality industry because it often involves critical decisions to be made from the followers that directly affect the customers. For example when at the front desk an employer needs to be empowered to make decisions and resolve certain type of problems that might rise like room changes or extra amenities to compensate for ant dissatisfactory experience a customer might have. How Larry Page’s Leadership Styles relate to my mine After analyzing Page’s leadership traits I found myself very related to his style. As a leader I see myself revolutionizing the workplace, giving a lot of importance to the way an employee is treated and feels after analyzing Page’s leadership traits I found myself very related to his style. As a leader I see myself revolutionizing the workplace, giving a lot of importance to the way an employee is treated and feels while doing his work. The challenges that might be found applying his style to the type of career I am doing would be overcoming an industry that is already established and has a bureaucratic management style, it would be a groundbreaking task to apply a more relaxed and creative work environment and involve the employees in the decisions of the company. I strongly believe that innovation and technology can be brought to this industry and can be encompassed with customer experience and this can be achieved if the bureaucratic lines in the current management styles can be blurred somewhat and projects that come from employees ideas instead of only owners of stake holders of a company would take place. Page’s management does not think about money being spent, this is the same vision I have for the hospitality industry. In order to revolutionize the industry and the customer’s experience whether it is by creating new amenities at the already existing facilities or creating new futuristic lodging concepts can only be achieved if the mindset of making business for money can be put as a second priority. Conclusion My research about Larry Page’s leadership style has been very moving and eye opening. I strongly believe that this should be the management style of the future because he was able to prove that the old bureaucratic style is not necessary in order to make company thrive. The world is constantly changing and therefore the structure of our companies need to change as well and become more proficient and team based in order to reach our full potential as well as innovating and creating new concepts that can be easily achieved by participative leadership and groundbreaking projects. Works Cited Larry Page Ties Employee Pay to Googles Social Performance, Leslie Horn, PC Magazine Online, April 8, 2011Is Googles Larry Page already turning out to be a truly great CEO? Google focus on its core business)(Google shutdown of Google Labs, Aardvark, Slide, Fast Flip ), Dumenco, Simon, :  Advertising Age, Sept 26, 2011, Vol. 82(34), p. 0020New Stage, New Skills. (Business/Financial Desk)(Google Inc. s Larry Page), Miller, Claire Cain, The New York Times, Jan 22, 2011, p. B1(L) Media Entrepreneurs of the Decade: Larry Page amp; Serge Brin, Google. (BEST OF THE DECADE), Shields, Mike, Brandweek, Dec 14, 2009, Vol. 50(44), p. 20(1)Larry Page CEO OF the Year. Greg Ste rling. Search Engine Land. Jan 2, 2012Larry Page and Google: Individual Empowerment Requires Forceful Leadership, Tweak your Biz, Article. June 12, 2012At Google, Page Aims to Clear Red Tape, The Wall Street Journal, Amir Efrati. March 26 2011Introverted Leaders: Three Reasons Larry Page Will Succeed as Google CEO, The power of Introverts, Susan Cain. Blog. Jan 24, 2011. Chief seeks more agile Google; as CEO, Larry Page must pierce bureaucracy, compete with nimble upstarts. (Company overview), Efrati, Amir ; Morrison, Scott, The Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition, Jan 22, 2011, Vol. 0(0), p. B1(1)| | | | For Google CEO Larry Page, a difficult premiere role. (Company overview), Efrati Amir, The Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition, August 30, 2011, Vol. 0(0), p. B1(1)|

Thursday, November 28, 2019

art Essays (618 words) - Discrimination, Hatred, Racism, Kurds

One of the deputies of the Republican People's Party (CHP), which happens to be Turkey's main opposition, made an interesting remark during her speech in Parliament. She said that Kurds cannot be equal to Turks. This remark came at a time when there is an important effort to make the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) lay down its weapons and integrate its sympathizers into Turkey's social and political life. The deputy probably had the intention of putting the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) into a difficult position, because she knows that there are many nationalists who vote for this party. Maybe she also had the intention to say to the religious and conservative voters that the party they support is now cooperating with those who murder our policemen and soldiers. This was pure provocation and nothing less than racism. Discrimination and racism are qualified as crimes in the Turkish Penal Code. However, I sincerely don't remember anybody being condemned for these crimes. Even when a murder is committed with racist motives, judges have the habit of viewing the case as simple murder. One of the most illustrious examples on this matter is the Hrant Dink assassination. Several weeks ago, an 85-year-old woman was murdered in Istanbul's Samatya district in her apartment where she was living alone. In the following weeks, three other elderly women were attacked in the same neighborhood. The police have announced that these attacks were carried out by ordinary burglars. However, these four women had something in common: They were all Armenian. When many other women are killed or beaten by their husbands, we generally are never informed about their ethnic origin. However, when the victims are Armenian, their ethnic origins are emphasized by the press. This is a proof that we all have internalized discrimination or that we all expect religious minorities to be attacked for political purposes. Discriminatory or racist rhetoric is so frequent in our political and social language that people don't even notice that the words or expressions they use are racist. Several social groups suffer from it and face discriminatory and humiliating language or behavior on a daily basis, such as ethnic and religious minorities, women or LGBT people. Moreover, when a violent act is committed for racist or discriminatory purposes, there appears an effort to justify these crimes. For example, when there is an attack against the Kurds, some people promptly say that this is normal because Kurds are involved in terrorism. When Armenians are attacked or insulted, some people start to explain how relations between Turks and Armenians have been bad for almost a century. We have to keep in mind that racist and discriminatory attacks are not directed against individual persons but against an entire group. Several months ago, nine Turks were killed in Germany, not because the victims had personal problems with their murderers, but simply because they were Turks living in Germany, and in that country there are people who don't want to cohabitate with the Turks. What the CHP deputy has declared is nothing more than expressing what is internalized by most people. We already know that there are many people among that party who think the same way. We have also seen in the past some members of this party explicitly defending racist crimes, maybe because they didn't think these were crimes. Or maybe the CHP hopes that adopting racist rhetoric will bring in more votes. It is of course wrong to suggest that the CHP is the only political party responsible for discrimination. All parties and too many of our politicians are affected by this phenomenon. Let's hope that this latest scandal will make people think thoroughly about it.

Monday, November 25, 2019

the remains of the day essays

the remains of the day essays The Remains of the Day" is a book that reveals the fact that Lord Darlington was an unintentional sympathizer of the Nazis. He believed that their intentions for Germany were honorable, yet he was quite mistaken. He called a meeting at his home between German and British heads of state in an attempt to bring peace to Europe on a whole not realizing that Nazi Germany was bent on destroying the lives of millions of innocent people. One factor that was significant to the development of the novel was the relationship between Stevens, and Lord Darlington. For three decades, Stevens worked for Lord Darlington as a head butler in Darlington Hall until the day Lord Darlington died he held Stevens on a pedestal and treated him more as a friend than simply a butler. Stevens and Lord Darlington both shared the self-evaluation of making remorseful decisions in their lives. By Stevens's psychological depression for years of not expressing to anyone his feeling and putting full trust into Lord Darlington, he learns his choice of path in life. Even though for a majority of the book Stevens was proud to serve this noble and old fashion gentlemen, in the end he reveals his passion of not expressing the ideology of his viewpoints and experiences. Another identified contribution of the mystery was his culpability of not being able to express his feelings for Miss Kenton. Working together for years and arguing about household affairs, Miss Kenton displays the personality that Stevens failed to expose .In addition, the continuing feud of nagging by Stevens and the declination of not letting his shared sensation of her lead to the undiscovered love he had. She is a character who is equally intelligent to Stevens but does not mend on Lord Darlington's values showing greater personal integrity and dignity. Through his brief meeting with Miss Kenton, he accepts his true emotional bond with her and is able to move on with his life. ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Carbon Capture Technology Not Ready to Limit Carbon Emissions Essay

Carbon Capture Technology Not Ready to Limit Carbon Emissions - Essay Example ective system is needed for the proper and flawless storage of Carbon Dioxide if this technology is to be used globally on large scale (Al-Fattah & Duncan, 2011). Storage Issues The storage of CO2, along with the capture, on the other hand, is a relatively a new concept and hence not very effective as yet. This makes CCS inefficient because there is no point of capture if there is no storage mechanism available for the technology. More recently, Carbon capture tanks have been developed and they are employed for storage but they are very expensive and not easy to develop, use and maintain (Hester et al, 2010). Energy consumption Issues Another reason for CCS’s not being ready for usage yet is the energy that it requires to run. The capture and compression of CO2 requires a lot of energy, and this result in raising the running costs of CCS-equipped power plants. The process results in the increase energy needs of a plant by about 10-40%. This extra consumption of energy has rais ed many eyebrows in industrial world because with this new technology, instead of improvement in their produce, they have to invest even more in this extra consumption of fuel. This is a very important obstacle that has kept industrialists from employing this technology in their systems (Hester et al, 2010). Cost related issues of the technology CCS is a very expensive technology and this is also a reason why it is not ready for usage on large scale. As this technology is in its experimental stages, it is not very economical. The equipment and plants made for CCS are very expensive both in building and in later usage. With the passage of time, this obstacle may be removed by employing cheaper techniques and materials for building and running CCS equipments but so far it is not possible and this... In a nutshell, CCS is a very novel technology and as yet it is not flawless. There are many flaws in the system and operation of CCS and that is why it is not ready for use on large scale. With high fuel and energy consumption it becomes a very expensive technology. This makes it inefficient for large scale usage. Concerns regarding its role in promoting pollution have contributed towards making this development a controversial issue. For this reason, more effective and cost-friendly equipment should be developed aimed at reducing pollution in the environment. When effective technology is available, legislation to enforce application of this technology at industrial level may increase its demand on international level, so much so that the cost of equipment may get reduced. This will allow greater acceptability of the technology by industrial sector; thus contributing towards a healthier and green environment globally. It should be kept in mind that any technology in its nascent stage s is far from perfect; as human knowledge evolves, the technology becomes a masterpiece.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Mutual Funds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mutual Funds - Essay Example Mutual funds are securities that are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Broadly speaking, they are composed of stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and other securities that function as a means of hedging against possible declines in a security or investment sector. The main understanding is that this diversified approach will provide the investor an option that protects them against market fluctuations, as when one security drops in value, another will increase. A manager or board of directors oversees these funds. The board hires a fund manager and works to ensure that the mutual fund is managed in the intended interest of the shareholders. This essay examines the advantages, disadvantages, and different types of mutual funds. Advantages There are a great variety of advantages to investing in mutual funds. One of the most prominent such aspects is the increased amount of diversification. In terms of portfolio theory, diversification constit utes perhaps the most overarching concept. Essentially diversification is the gathering together of diverse investment securities as a means of guarding against the failure of one specific sector. While it is possible for investors to diversify their portfolio through a widespread purchase of stocks, such a process is both extensive and also contains liquidity issues. In terms of liquidity, most brokerage firms attach a fee to individual trades, such that an individual attempting to withdraw money from a portfolio of diversified stocks would be required to pay a series of fees; mutual funds offer liquidity in terms of one direct and easily accomplished sale (Pozen, Hamacher, 2011). Another prominent advantage of mutual funds is that they operate in terms of economies of scale. Essentially the equivalent of economies of scale is volume discounts in department stores. In the context of mutual funds, a wide variety of investment funds are collated allowing the fund manager to gain grea ter value per purchase (Pozen, Hamacher, 2011). Divisibility is another prominent advantage to investing in mutual funds. Divisibility can be understood in terms of the purchase of a wide variety of stocks. It’s noted that, â€Å"Smaller denominations of mutual funds provide mutual fund investors the ability to make periodic investments through monthly purchase plans while taking advantage of dollar-cost averaging† ("Advantages of mutual," 2009). Essentially this indicates that through a mutual fund, an individual with modest means is able to invest in a great amount more stocks than they would if they only purchased the securities on their own. This allows for considerably greater amounts of diversification. Another prominent benefit of investing in mutual funds is that they are under professional management. The obvious implications of this are that an experienced and knowledgeable professional will be overseeing the securities and investment strategy. Ultimately, th e cumulative advantage of these benefits makes mutual funds an attractive option for conservative or inexperienced investors. Disadvantages While there are a great variety of advantages to investing in mutual funds, there are also a number of prominent disadvantages. Even as mutual funds offer a generally conservative investment option as compared to stocks, precious metals, or derivatives, there is nonetheless a degree of risk associated. The main understanding in these regards is that even with extensive levels of diversification, macroeconomic elements oftentimes contribute to a large-scale market decline. In these regards, individuals that do not have the financial wealth or patience to out-wait market downturns might find mutual funds an unattractive option

Monday, November 18, 2019

Value added Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Value added - Coursework Example Although some view this exporting of raw materials to be beneficial, it is in order to say that the value-added industries succumbs losses in terms of employment to the public. Value-added for processing the raw materials allows for growth in the economy since it is considered efficient in comparison to export of the latter. If a company exports raw materials, as opposed to processing it themselves, the cost of the input is high due to the travelling costs, processing amounts and other expenditures at hand. In this case the value-added becomes low thus less efficient. Also, value-added for processing raw materials helps in the company’s operations strategies compared to value-added for exporting the raw materials. This is seen in the amount of money that is saved within the company. Obviously, with the right equipment to process the raw materials to the final product, valuable costs are saved and so the value-added industry prevails. It is cost effective and reliable in terms of value-added for processing raw materials compared to value-added for exporting the raw materials. Time spent to effectively process the raw materials to a finished product is favourable to consider in adding value to the item. Putting this into consideration then we have that value-added for exported raw materials is low compared to that of value-added for processing the same raw materials since there is less time involved in production of the raw materials within a firm than to export them for

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Devolving Responsibility Of Human Resource To Managers Management Essay

Devolving Responsibility Of Human Resource To Managers Management Essay By devolving responsibility of Human Resource to managers, organizations are expecting to create a closer relationship between managers and employees which will be achieved by quick decision making and effective problem solving at workplace. Some organizations however have both the HR specialists and the managers who work together by bringing in expertise from their own areas. This report identifies the context, enablers and inhibitors of the involvement of management in HR function. In conclusion, the report identifies that adequate training and expert knowledge support must be provided to managers if they are expected to integrate HR responsibilities within their managerial function. Human Resource Management (HRM) refers to a collection of policies used to organise work in the employment relationship and centres on the management of work and the management of people who undertake this work (Claydon 2010). (Storey, 2007) states that HRM plays a pivotal role in strategically deploying highly capable and committed workforce by using human resources expertise to achieve competitive advantage. A strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices. (Gold 2007) Human Resource Management ensures the productive use of people in an organisation to achieve the organisations strategic business objectives. Human resource management also involves maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship and the satisfaction of the individual employer needs (Stone 2007) Human resource policies and the business policies have been integrated together with the management function rather than a separate entity to achieve the organisations objectives more efficiently. Discussion of the context (Wilkinson M. M., 2002), states that many criticisms concerning the lack of contribution by HR specialists to organisational performance have come from line managers. The four main criticisms are first, personnel practitioners are regarded as out of touch of commercial realities and unable to comprehend much about the nature of the business, its customers, or its corporate goals. The allegation is that HR professionals base their decisions upon a set of principles and ideas, such as welfare and employee rights which have little relevance for competitive prospects. Second, HR is often thought to constrain the autonomy of managers to make decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the business. These are mainly the legal constraints of equal opportunities or individual rights and the involvement of union representatives. The third criticism is that HR managers are slow to act, always wanting to check the options thoroughly (Cunningham and Hayman, (1999). Finally HR practition ers are criticised for promulgating policies that may be fine in theory but hard to put in effect or unsuitable to their particular requirements. Legge (1995) argues that HRM is caught in a vicious circle because senior management do not involve them in the business decision making and planning as people issues are not considered at this stage of decision making. But in due course problems arise due to non involvement of HR such as poor recruits, inadequate training of staff or work disruption. When such problems are brought to HRs attention they have insufficient time to resolve the issue which in effect results in short term solutions with detrimental long term effects. HR function gets the blame for inefficient problem handling and continues to be excluded from decision making, thus completing the vicious circle. As line managers work closely with the people they manage, the problem solving can be immediate and relevant rather than having to wait for the HR department to get back to them. The solutions provided by these managers are also likely to be in congruence with the organisations goals and business requirements. Ulrich (1998) hence recommended that HR should be reconfigured so as to highlight what it delivers rather than what it does. The four recommendations for HR are, to become a partner with business and line managers for strategy formulation, to become an expert in the way work is organised and executed to reduce cost and to increase efficiency, to become a champion for employees by acting as a medium between the employees and the senior management to increase employee contribution and finally to become an agent of continuous transformation by shaping processes for successful implementation of change. The CIPD research on employee well-being and the psychological contract (Guest and Conway, 2005) established that too many managers are failing to motivate and improve the performance of people they manage. Due to the devolution of HR function to managers, their responsibilities have increased and their role in the organization has become more important. HR initiates policies and practices but it is the management which is responsible for implementing them. HR proposes but the line disposes (Armstrong 2006). It is hence important that the policies are well communicated to the manager who will implement it if it is perceived to be in the interest of the business. If managers are unaware of any laws requiring the implementation of those policies then it is up to the HR to educate the managers about this. (J.Purcell 2003) noted that well conceived HR policies and practices didnt automatically result in organisational performance improvement but the difference was made by the way in which those polices were implemented by the managers. If they used discretion in implementing HR policies then some policies will just be a set of useless ideas (Armstrong 2006) (H.H.Larsen 2003), pointed out the five main reasons why organisations want to integrate these functions; Pressure on firm costs to integrate HR function in line management role To provide a more comprehensive HRM which is achieved through this integration of line management and HR functions The growing influence of service industries where line managers are responsible for customer management HR specialists may take too long to resolve HR issues Devolution may be considered as an alternative to outsourcing the entire HR function resulting from changes in philosophy and organisational structure. Enablers for integrating management and HR functions Managers play an important role in implementing the HR policies (Gold 2007). Research has revealed that line manager behaviour has a significant impact on employee commitment, which in turn has an impact on customer commitment, which has an impact on business performance (Lazenby quoted in Purcell 2003). The enrichment of line manager roles within the organisations and their greater involvement in HR decision-making has arisen due to the increase in customer service demands and the resulting time pressure in decision making. Increasing performance requirements, transparency, flexibility and accountability has increased the importance of this dual role. Involving line mangers in HR functions can be seen as a strategic approach to managing people. (Renwick 2003), has listed the main benefits that organisations can derive from such integration; HR problems are solved at source saving vital organisation resources Better change management is achieved through manager participation in policy implementation Closely working managers can make decisions at increased speed Greater scope for HR managers to focus on strategic importance of HRM HR issues get a business focus before they are implemented hence those policies will no more be created in isolation from organisational goals Since managers are aware of HR issues they cant ignore them hence leading to a better employee manager relationship Managers are more likely to be committed to their own HR decisions rather than having to implement due to compulsion from HR department Promotes local management accountability and responsibility for HR issues Reduces costs due to integration of functions Promotes the case that HRM cant always be transferred to specialists Line managers occupy an important position in the organizational hierarchy and they can directly affect the level of service delivered. Entrusting line managers with HR responsibilities will add to their existing pressures, increase workload and the need to deliver on short-term priorities. Formal administrative approaches within the departments would require line managers to display a high level of HR competence. This signifies the need for high-quality training programs for line managers to ensure that they feel confident in discharging their new HR responsibilities. Money invested in training management personnel can result in saving company from expensive litigation and in maintaining a god corporate reputation. Providing line managers with such training is very important as they are not naturally trained to deliver HR duties, which are quite different to making business decisions. Inhibitors for integrating management and HR functions (Renwick 2003), has given the following inhibitors to HR and management integration; Increased pressure to train and/or re-skill managers in HRM A need for strict HR auditing Problems and maintaining consistency in decision making Risk of falling standards or abuse of position through discrimination Problems in maintaining balance of power between management and HR specialists Potential for the HR/ER management role to be marginalised Low line capability/commitment when doing HR work Little time for managers to perform HR duties well due to operational demands on them Risks of job overload/stress as manager workloads are increased Harrison (2009) supports the argument in favour of management staff by saying that, line management is mostly faced with situations pressurising them to achieve objectives resulting in the increase in profitability or in the reduction of costs resulting in less dedication to support human resource development apart from the basic tasks. If line managers are faced with a decision to prioritize between making a key business decision or to formulate policies and procedures to improve the working conditions of employees, the priority would normally be the business decision as that would be considered as their primary responsibility and also more business focussed. Brewster and Soderstrom (1994) say that before delegating tasks or entrusting people with more responsibility in different areas, it must consider the level of knowledge possessed by the individual and the willingness of such individual to train to learn new competences, since they could already be overburdened with their current tasks making it uncomfortable for them to absorb more responsibilities. In order for the line managers to deliver their HR tasks they need to maintain a good relationship with HR specialists which could be complex at times. According to (Thomas N Garavan 2006) while the line manager is a key stakeholder in the training and development process, their relationship with the function and/or the specialist can often be negative. This could result in issues arising from lack of good communication and understanding between the departments. According to Grace and Straub (1991) training specialists often exclude line managers from training the reason for which is mainly the threat of being substituted. Some such instances as noticed by them are; Excluding line managers from the needs assessment process/program; Unwillingness to consider line managers as subject matter experts; Unwillingness to utilize line managers as instructors for training duties. This could also be due to the resistance on part of the line mangers to take initiative to train as this could entail more responsibilities for them. As (Thomas N Garavan 2006) continues the argument by saying that the issue is due to the lack of trust between the line managers and the training and development specialists. Line managers refuse to co-operate with the training specialists who makes an attempt to offer advice to improve work operations because they consider training specialists as staff as providing a service in accordance with line manager requirements and expectations. Efforts to change this role are often perceived by the line managers as an attempt to thwart line authority with the generation of better ideas. Sometimes HR professionals were even seen as policing line managers. This perception leads to inflexibility and negative responses aimed at demolishing the strengths and foundations of the training specialist. Also Storey (1992) points out that lack of training and education of line managers hinder the smooth delivery of new HR practices. Those line managers simply underestimate the need for investment in the training of their subordinates. Developing and implementing HR initiatives can become a difficult task for the managers to incorporate in their regular management function. Suggestions to improve managers as people managers (J.Purcell 2003), have suggested that managers can improve their people management skills, to deliver their HR responsibilities, in following ways; Senior management must understand the prioritisation issues that managers may face when both management and HR issues arise at the same time. Pressurising from the top will not help in such circumstances Managers must be selected considering the behavioural requirements and competencies expected from them as they would be doing HR function as well Managers need to have a clear understanding of the organisational values, goals and culture for efficient people management. A good working relationship needs to exist between staff and their manager Managers must be provided with the necessary training to enable them to deliver their HR functions such as performance management, grievance and complaints handling Although line managers can be trained to an extent to carry out the HR function, there are several key competencies possessed by HR professionals that might be difficult to incorporate in a line manager function as per (Armstrong 2006). There has been a significant change to the way in which organisations manage their business in the recent years and hence there has been changes in the way different departments operates within it. Changes to work demands have made it difficult for the HR department to find people with required talents for the organisation. HR department is required to keep up to date with the HR requirement of the departments and ensures the human resource is able to meet new challenges and demands (Wright, 2003) A human resource manager must consider the nature of external and internal influences before selecting a particular course of action. Internal environmental influences involve the factors that are found within the organisation such as the organisational strategies, organisational culture, organisational structure and organisational systems. Several external factors influence the formulation and requirements of HRM policies. Some of the external factors facing organisations are changing nature work force, technological changes, globalisation and labour force demographics. (Stone 2007) CIPD has presented a list of core functions delivered by HR professionals as below; Business and cultural awareness: understand the business environment and the competitive pressures in the market facing the organisation, the key business activities, culture and the impact of HR policies on the business performance Strategic capability: seeks involvement in business strategy function, develops coherent HR strategies which are aligned with business strategy, understand the importance of human capital measurement to ensure efficient utilisation Organisational effectiveness: contributes to the analysis of people issues and proposes practical solutions, develops resource capability by ensuring that the organisation has the workforce with required skills, process redesigning for better utilisation of staff, contributes in the development of knowledge management processes Internal consultancy: proposes practical solutions by providing expert advice and coaches management on dealing with their department specific problems Service delivery: delivers appropriate services promptly and efficiently to requests for HR services and advice and provides guidance in HR decisions as required Continuous professional development: continuous development of skills and knowledge, to deliver the HR duties to high standards by updating the new HR concepts, practices and techniques As discussed above HR function is far more specialised in its core activities and many of its functions need specialist expert knowledge which is difficult for management to keep up to date with. HR Outsourcing has become more common in the recent years as the companies are relying on them for HR related matters. A good human resource outsourcing deal is to ensure that nearly all your transactional and basic advisory services are outsourced and that the jobs of the HR teams are redesigned so that they no longer focus on the operational level decisions but the focus would be on more complex business challenges and strategic needs. (Hunter 2007). But many organisations may choose to rather incorporate the HR function within their management functions rather than outsourcing. Conclusion HR can be seen as an integral part of a managerial post, as a manager is responsible for the performance and job satisfaction of his staff. There have been several factors over a period of time that has had an impact on the role of HR managers and practitioners. If an employee in a management positions accepts to deliver HR duties it is possible to achieve a higher level of efficiency. However, the success of any change process involving line manager HR participation will ultimately depend on striking a balance between factors favouring devolvement and those inhibiting HR involvement. While making line managers more responsible for HR may bring about a speedier resolution to workplace conflicts, clear structures need to be implemented to allow line managers seek guidance and advice, but also allow employees to repeal decisions made. In this regard, HR specialists need to proactively engage with line managers and bring about partnership HR approaches to managing employees. There are however certain boundaries to such a devolution. All of them lie either in line managers lack of specific knowledge and expertise or in their conflict with HR specialists. As devolution of HR responsibilities are taken for granted it is suggested that it is HR specialists who need to re-consider their role within organisations, while line managers are to be given an appropriate training.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

What Is The Definition Of Marr :: essays research papers

What is the definition of marriage? What is marriage? In Webster’s Dictionary marriage is defined as the institution whereby men and women are joined in special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. The definition states â€Å"a man and a woman not a man and a man†. Some people believe same gender marriages should be allowed. But right now the law doesn’t allow same gender marriages. I guess only time will tell if that law will ever change. Marriage has always been an evolving institution, bent and shaped by the historical moment and the needs and demands of its participants (Johnson 266). The Romans recognized the phenomenon we call â€Å"falling in love,† but they considered it a hindrance to the establishment of stable households (266). Marriages certified by the state had their foundations not in religion or romance but in pragmatics-e.g., the joining of socially prominent households (266). At the beg inning of the thirteenth century, facing schisms and heresies, and seeking to consolidate its power, the Catholic Church institutionalized marriage, confirming it as a sacrament and requring that a priest officiate-a crucial step in the intrusion of organized religion into what had previously been a private transaction (266). So instead of just having any person marry a couple you now have to have a priests officiate the couple. This is another issue that makes a marriage more difficult besides the gender issue. To be an official marriage a couple must have a license and the right person to perform the wedding, like a justice of the peace or a priests. Throughout the U.S. same-gender marriages are illegal. The state of Hawaii tried recently to allow these marriages. However, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Defense of Marriage Act. This act undercut Hawaii’s effort and made it practically useless. The Defense of Marriage Act permitted states not to recognize same-gender mar riages performed in other states. There is a separation between church and state in this country (Sullivan 260). Andrew Sullivan states â€Å"we are asking only that when the government gives out civil marriage licenses, those of us who are gay should be treated like anybody else† (260). Many people just don’t believe marriage should be between two people of the same sex. Throughout history marriage has always been between a man and a woman and that’s the way many want to keep it.