The Effect of Hip-Hop on Female AAE Speakers Essay

â€Å"He dont smack that ass and pull your hair like that† is a rather vulgar and demeaning statement, yet it is freely sung in Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, a song that was in the top ten on the Billboard list of the most popular RB/Hip-Hop songs in 2013. Because hip-hop is a very large part of the African American culture, and many speakers of African American English (AAE) are portrayed through these songs, women are often highly influenced by the objectification of their bodies in hip-hop songs. Since the emergence of the hip-hop genre in popular culture in the 1960s and 70s, women’s bodies have been sexually objectified through this music. Although the impact of the sexualization of women’s bodies in hip-hop songs is still very†¦show more content†¦It is clear that hip-hop music and music videos objectify women; however, there have been feminist movements that have begun reducing this sexualization. Clearly, hip-hop music has not been particularly helpful with a feminist movement, especially because the songs that are most popular are mostly performed by men. It is also important to note that not all of these men are AAE speakers and many of them are crossing over. On the Billboard charts for 2013, of the top twenty RB/Hip-hop songs, only four were performed by women, and only one of those performed by a woman was in the top ten. The concept of â€Å"Hip-hop feminism† as described by Whitney Peoples is a movement that involves â€Å"reconciliation and reclamation† (26) by young African American women in the United States of the male hip-hop culture that they grew up with. The overall goals of hip-hop feminism are to empower black women and to create systemic change to allow for social justice, and Whitney claims that these goals are evident through history, but each group of black women finds different ways to reach these objectives. There are various ways for black women to find power and navigate the misogyny found in hip-hop music. The most influential way to do so is for African American women to create their own

Effects Single Parents Families Free Essays

Task1 Research question What is the impact of being raised in a single parent family on students of the Corinth Secondary School? Rationale I chose to research this topic because it hurts me to see my friends from single parent families fall by the way side. I believe that they fall by the way side because the absent parent is inconsiderate. He (she) never took the time to think of the many difficulties and challenges the single parent would have in raising that child, not only in disciplining, but also by not having sufficient money to feed the child and not being able to provide that child with basic school materials. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects Single Parents Families or any similar topic only for you Order Now To me, it is very disturbing to hear some of the stories from children of my age group who come from single parent families, for instance, having to miss school because his/her parent was not able to provide for hi/her because of a huge financial strain. Time after time, I see some of my friends with their uniforms unkempt and their stomach crying out for food. It does not make me feel any better when I hear and see those things happening around me in society and particularly at my school. Objectives This School Based assessment seeks to: Identify the effects on children who are raised in a single parent family. * Identify the effect of single parent families on the academics of children within those households. * Suggest solutions to help teenagers of single parent families cope with the effects of being raised in a single parent family. Task2 Method of investigation In order to collect data for my School Based Assessment, I have decided to use the printed questionnaire because: 1. The method is inexpensive 2. The data collected is easy to analyze 3. The identity of respondents remains confidential Task 3 QUESTIONNAIRE Instructions: please place a tick in the brackets ( ) next to the response you wish to select. 1. Sex Male ( ) Female ( ) 2. Age Group 12- 14 ( ) 15-18 ( ) 18-20 ( ) 3. Do you have any younger siblings? Yes ( ) No ( ) 4. If yes how many? 1 ( ) 2 ( ) 3( ) other ( ) 5. Who do you live with? Mother ( ) Father ( ) other ( ) please state†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6. How often do you see your other parent? Often ( ) Occasionally ( ) Seldom ( ) Never ( ) 7. I have a good relationship with my other parent. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) 8. How often does your other parent spend quality time with you? Always ( ) Often ( ) Sometimes ( ) Rarely ( ) 9. Does your other parent provide you with your basic needs? Always ( ) Occasionally ( ) Seldom ( ) Never ( ) 10. If you selected â€Å"occasionally†, â€Å"seldom† or â€Å"never† in the previous question, why is this so? Small income from one parent ( ) Parent just does not care ( ) 11. Does your other parent provide you with love? Always ( ) Occasional ( ) Seldom ( ) Never ( ) 12. Do you believe that you live in a stable home environment? Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) 13. How do you rate your performance at school? Excellent ( ) Very Good ( ) Good ( ) Poor ( ) 14. Do you believe that being raised in a single parent family affects your academic performance? Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) 15. Do you believe that living with one parent leads to children becoming delinquents? Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Agree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) 16. Are you able to balance your responsibilities at home with your time to do school assignments? Always ( ) Often ( ) Sometimes ( ) Never ( ) 17. Are you regularly in trouble at school? Very often ( ) Often ( ) Sometimes ( ) Never ( ) 18. Do you think that the Government should develop and implement more policies to assist single parent families? Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) How to cite Effects Single Parents Families, Essay examples

Role of Accounting Profession in Accounting for Sustainability

Question: Write an essay on "Role of Accounting Profession in Accounting for Sustainability". Answer: Practicing business stability can help the organizations to derive long-term value. But the term sustainability serves to provide different concepts for the professionals and other stakeholders like investors, customers and employees etc. It often happens that organizations introduce sustainability efforts in order to influence particular stakeholders for a green agenda that leads to a misconception that sustainability is related with environmental activities. But there are times when these particular stakeholders create problems with the other group of stakeholders. Hence, accounting for sustainability is needed so that it can cater to various requirements and issues of all stakeholders groups together with the green agenda issues. This in turn can help the organizations to take into account the stakeholder groups while framing any strategy or decision so that long-term benefits can be achieved (Albuquerque et. al, 2013). Accounting Sustainability can be better understood when it is related with ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) and the business strategy of the organization as a part of wider accounting for sustainability. With the help of this study, accountants can become motivated to be indulged in the sustainability cycle in order to understand their role that includes how accounting profession can add value in accounting for sustainability. It is already known that the current business environment is very demanding in nature that is, it not only creates opportunities for the organizations to obtain value but also snatches away opportunities from some organizations very quickly (Albuquerque et. al, 2013). For instance, Carnival Cruise Line did not employ an accounting sustainability approach in its profession and as a result, the public relations with the company is damaged that led to the destruction of brand image of the company. Alternatively, Costco has employed this approach in its profession by managing its prime stakeholders through effective internal and external communication systems (Brown, 2011). Hence it can be observed that by linking sustainability activities together with the engagement of stakeholders to the organizational strategies, management can more efficiently manage the shareholder and stakeholders interests that can further lead to employee attraction, enhancement in the revenue, improved risk management etc. Alternatively, if this is not done, then the organization can destroy its goodwill in the market and disrupt its market competitiveness. Accountants can use their skills in order to better understand the role of accounting profession in accounting for sustainability. As such, accounting for sustainability provides for significant opportunities for the accounting professionals, both for those who practice accounting and who work within the organization. Sustainability related activities help in strategic decision making but in order to satisfy this benefit, the effectiveness of these activities must be adequately linked to the strategy and financial performance within the organization. A significant number of financial and strategic dimensions are present where these linkages can be done and they comprise of decrease in supply chain costs, increase in satisfaction of customers, enhanced recruitment, rise of market prices and decrease in other political costs that result from the strict regulations and access to the strategic alliances that align with the organizations values (Schaltegger, 1996). Both the internal and external accounting practitioners of the organization can help in providing the relevant missing measurements of accounting by recognizing the quantitative measures for sustainability activities which can be related with the financial and strategy measures (Brown, 2011). This linkage or relationship is very important fo r determining the long-term efficiency of the sustainability related activities. For instance, in the year 2010, the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association provided through their report that after the survey of several companies, only one-third out of them could relate sustainability activities to the bottom line but as the companies were becoming more developed with the linkages, this percentage rose (Slaper Hall, 2011). It is to be noted that while the expertise of accountants play a crucial role in conducting the sustainability activities efficiently, their methods must also be derived from the conventional methods of financial reporting. For instance, accounting innovations that are associated with sustainability related activities are distinct from accounting innovations in financial reporting because in the former case, accounting practitioners will need to associate themselves with experts of subject matter like scientists, engineers, operation personnel, anthropologists etc in disciplines and areas related with the sustainability activities. These experts also include internal and external experts from within the organization that functions for the interests of the company as a whole. The measurement of accountants expertise helps to associate in connecting several non-financial indicators to the future strategy and financial outcomes that can in turn improve the strategic decision making. In relation to PUMA, it is the first company to measure values and report the externalities of the environment caused by its supply chain. It issues an environmental P/L account (EP L) to obtain the impacts of GHG missions on the environment, air pollution, land and water use and wastes derived through its operations and supply chain (Lubatkin, 2009). An example like PUMA underscores the opportunities available for accountants in order to team with the experts of subject matter to make sure that the reporting details are controlled, measured and reported with well-established standards of accounting so that an independent auditor can ensure the relevance, reliability and completeness concept (Bence Nadine, 2012). The expectations of various stakeholders tend to rise day by day and it not only hampers the business objectives of an organization but also creates various opportunities for creation of values. The expertise of accountants can be used in their profession to counter these types of problems in organization by effective implementation of accounting metrics and proper controls. For instance, in relation to BP, the accounting profession is performing with both the plaintiff attorneys and BP itself as the processing of claims regarding the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill is done. Even a business week article stated how the formula was developed by BP on the basis of accounting information in order to process claims for companies that affected the event (Greenbaum, 2010). It must be noted that for sustainability activities to perform better in the long-run, it must be developed in such a way so that the organizations are aimed to manage their short-term goals and challenges effectively without sacrificing their attention to the long-term goals and challenges (Wurbs, 2005). This perfect balance can be maintained by the organizations if they recognize that their stakeholders or a small set of shareholders are expecting that the organization is focused on its performance goals and will strive to attain such without compromising their values (Greenbaum, 2010). These stakeholders with long-term performance goals and horizons include but are not limited to customers, NGOs, suppliers, employees etc. When an organization observes sustainability activities for the satisfaction of shareholders, as opposed to the emphasizing of operational or strategic advantages from such activities, can lead to various unexpected and harmful outcomes that also includes the reaction of stakeholders towards the sustainability reports of the organization. Instead of pursuing a sustainability activity that is driven by value and also does not satisfy some particular stakeholders, the organization must possess and focus on those sustainability activities that are viewed as a public relation process to meet the expectations of stakeholder groups, commonly known as green washing (Bence Nadine, 2012). The value-driven approach does not meet the requirements of specific set of stakeholders but when it comes to implementing and reporting on sustainability activities, the value-driven approach is the only approach that must be focused upon because it helps in portraying and emphasizing the significant long- term values of the organization. If an organization fails to adopt this approach in its sustainability activities, the value of the underlying aims for the initiatives are disrupted and the credibility of the information that is the reliability, relevance, completeness etc gets reduced for users use. In order to overcome this barrier, accountants must recognize the importance of accounting sustainability within the organizations and they must realize the complete value potential prevalent in their sustainability efforts (Sustainability reporting, 2012). The green washing approach can also be developed and recognized by the internal and external accountants within the organizations and it can be unknowingly developed by the organizations as one of the prime flaw of this approach is that the sustainability reports framed by this approach portrays too much hopefulness for the stakeholders that it makes them discard the approach. As a result, firms use public relations exclusively in or der to develop the sustainability reports even without the involvement of public accounting firms to develop the credibility and independence of the assertion of the reports. Alternatively, accountants of the organizations would give due importance to the transparency, objectivity and completeness than the public firms of accounting that will hence decrease the trust and perceptions of the stakeholders on this green washing concept (Sustainability reporting, 2012). For instance, the issue of green-guides by the Federal Trade Commission was made so that the misleading claims associated with the environment could be prevented in the sustainability reports. Hence, a value-driven approach must be employed by the organization for developing the sustainability reports inspite of the fact that it does not cater to the needs of few stakeholders because organizations will and probably must invest significant amount of resources on those activities that has a role in attaining the strategic o bjectives consistent with the prime values in order to enhance the value of firms. In the year 2009, there were several surveys conducted regarding the strategic objectives of the organizations together with the sustainability initiatives. The survey stated that around 82% of the 175 corporate respondents decided to invest much of their amount on sustainability activities and the results were positively associated with the respondents who stated that the main motive of this investment was to link the initiatives of sustainability with the strategy of the corporate. It was found that when the sustainability initiatives of the companies were linked with the strategic objectives, then most of the companies were interested to invest particularly in those sustainability initiatives. In simple words, companies are more likely to invest in those sustainability initiatives that were closely linked with the strategic objectives of the company. When investments are made in these sustainability initiatives that are driven by value approach, it diminishes the economic conditio ns in the organization. For instance, in the year 2008 to 2011, when the US economy was suffering, more importance was given to the short-term issues instead of focusing on the long-term sustainability objectives of the economy. However, when the economy was in a state of improvement or instead when it improved, the concentration might as well be implanted back on the long-term sustainability objectives of the economy from the short-term issues. Therefore, sustainability activities that are implanted into the strategy of the organization are more likely to obtain the required attention and other resources so that the strategic initiative goals of the organization can be efficiently met (Kruger, 2015). The above provides an insight to the key challenges that are faced by the accounting profession while implementing embedding the concept of sustainability. It is vital to know that features of impediments to change are problematic in nature because there are many factors that need to be considered. Moreover, various questions crops up like whether the issue is related to explaining the relevance of sustainability within the framework of accounting skills. There are various drivers for change that can be traced like national, as well as state policies that promotes the industry of sustainability, the drivers for CSR, back up for change form related associations, etc. Accounting profession is faced with severe challenge when it comes to sustainability because to implement it, it needs proper structure of the management. In some cases, it has been observed that the organization are keen enough in implementing the concept of sustainability and hence, in such cases the accountants face tr emendous risks and unable to cope with the pressure (Kruger, 2015). This is due to the fact that the accountants get little back up from the management. Moreover, there are very less public courses available for accountant considering the area of sustainability is less, therefore there is much problem. There is also a bigger problem that is related to guidance and therefore, the soft skills needed for sustainability is absent. Further, there is even a bigger problem when it comes to the concept of assessment (Ballot et. al, 2006). The assessment is rudimentary in nature and hence, leads to difficulties. There is a big concern when it comes to project the financial value like the triple bottom line (TBL), as well as CSR (Sustainability reporting, 2012). The problem that happens in ascertainment of long-term value and the interest bulks thee factor of risk and the demand for a unique carbon market. However despite the challenges; there are ample opportunities that can be gained by the accountants in this regard. The accountant can build up a strong area of sustainability process and helps the business to prosper considering this matter. Moreover, with the passage of time, there has been a strong reliance on courses that offers teaching in departments such as social, environmental and ethical issue (Cairns, 2000). The structure of an MBA degree is designed in a manner that helps in strengthening the skills and provides adequate focus on sustainability. Therefore, there has been a constant improvement in the studies and specialization so that the future accountants are in a better position to tackle with the problem of issues that happen in sustainability. Business is going through a rapid change and transformation is essential (Trevour Geoffrey, 2001). There is a strong urge for sustainable organization and in this regard, the concept of accountancy will play a major role. Accountant core skills are mainly in the area of financial reporting like definition, reco gnition, as well as assurance. It has been noted that there is very little demand or urge by the students to shift their focus from financial to sustainable reporting. New approaches needs to be undertaken so that it inculcates a strong feeling in them that helps to bring rapid development (Choi Meek, 2011). This is the main challenge that is faced in the profession. The professional association is of the major concern that sustainability will help in driving the models of the future and hence professional development must be continued. It is important that the universities must collaborate and establish strong measures that will aid in creating a better environment. However, the major problem is that sustainability is always seen as a trivial issue and is left to operate on its own. It is therefore essential that the concept of sustainability be kept at the prior levels. This must be kept at the priority level when it comes to the accounting profession as it will lead to strong re sults. The change cannot be bought overnight (Slaper Hall, 2011). A strong effort is needed by the authorities to change the outlook that will aid in providing strong results. It is to be noted that the accounting profession is exposed to global, as well as national pressure and hence, it is expected to perform keeping into consideration various problems. References Albuquerque, R., Durnev, A., Koskinen, Y. (2013) Corporate social responsibility and firm risk: theory and empirical evidence. Boston University. Ballot, B., Heitger, D. L. Landes, C. E. (2006). The future of corporate sustainability reporting: A rapidly growing assurance opportunity, Journal of Accountancy, 20, 65-74 Bence, D Nadine, F. (2012). The International Accounting Standards Boards Search for a General Purpose Accounting Model, viewed 22 May 2016, Brown, L. (2011). Earth Policy Institute Preface Cairns, R. D. (2000). Sustainability accounting and green accounting. Environment and Development Economics, 5(1), 49-54. Choi, R.D. and Meek, G.K 2011, International accounting, Pearson. Greenbaum, A (2010). Environmental Law and Policy in the Canadian Context. Concord, Ontario: Captus Press. Kruger, P. (2015). Corporate goodness and shareholder wealth. Journal of Financial economics, pp. 304-329 Lubatkin, M.H. (2009). One more time: What is a realistic theory of corporate governance?. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 28, 59-67 Schaltegger S. (1996). Corporate Environmental Reporting. Wiley: Chichester. Slaper, T. F., Hall, T. J. (2011). The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work? Indiana Business Review, 86(1), 6-10. Sustainability reporting 2012, Using sustainability to drive business innovation and growth 2012, viewed 25 May 2016, Trevor D. W and Geoffrey R. F. (2001). The role of accounting and the accountant in the environmental management system, Business Accounting, 10, 135-178 Wurbs, R. A. (2005). Texas Water Availability Modeling System. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, American Society of Civil Engineers, pp.

The Concept of Strategic Planning and Its Relevance

Abstract The purpose of this essay is to analyse the concept of strategic planning and its relevance to the activities of an organization. Strategic planning has been viewed as an important cornerstone in the decision making activities of an organization. It enables an organization to achieve its goals and objectives through the development of plans. These plans can either be long term, medium or short term depending on the type of business and the context that strategic planning will be used in.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Concept of Strategic Planning and Its Relevance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction Strategic practitioners recognised the importance of strategies in the processes and operations of an organization which saw a lot of emphasis being placed on strategy which later saw the development of strategic planning as an organizational concept. Strategic planning slowly replaced corpora te planning which mostly involved developing formal plans that lacked any strategic focus. This change was largely due to the emphasis placed on the planning activities of an organization. The relationships that were meant to result from this change sometimes could not be achieved. Researchers found that only few organizations were able to succeed in achieving their goals and objectives through the use of strategies. Practitioners of strategic planning have founded their research efforts on the assumption that the creative task of formulating and implementing strategies can be designed into a series of actions referred to as planning that will lead to results that can be repeated in the future. Definition of Strategic Planning Strategic planning is a technique that is used to organize the present activities of an organization to reflect the desired future projections of what the organization wants to achieve over a certain period of time. A strategic plan is a map or guide that will be used to lead the organization from where it is now to where it would like to be. Strategic planning mostly focuses on the external environment of an organization. Since every organization has different activities and operations that set it apart from other companies, the strategic plans of every organization will therefore be different from that of the other organization; therefore Strategic planning systems will be designed to deal with the unique characteristics of organizations (Samson and Daft 2009). Strategic planning is derived from strategy which is the layout of a plan or set of actions that will be used by the organization to achieve their objectives. Strategic planning is the systematic and formalised effort made by an organization to develop detailed plans that would be used to implement the objectives, goals, strategies, and policies of an organization (Wittman and Reuter, 2008). Planning deals with looking at the future results of current decisions that are made by decision makers. This means that strategic planning provides managers and people in positions of decision making with the cause and effect of consequences that would occur over time if that particular decision was made. If the decision maker does not like the results of the decision, he can easily change it to one that would yield positive results. Strategic planning looks at the alternative courses of action that are available in the future and what options are chosen from these alternatives, they are used as a basis for making present day decisionsAdvertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Grunic and Kuhn (2008) viewed strategic planning as a process that began with the identification of objectives and goals which later led to the development of organizational strategies, plans and policies that would be used to achieve these goals. Strategic planning was seen to be a process of mak ing decisions in advance that would determine what kind of planning activities would be undertaken and how these activities would be done. The process was also systematic as the various activities were organized in a sequence. Strategic planning process was geared towards companies that had their operations and activities in one particular industry within the market. The basic format of a strategic planning process that is used by most organizations is to first develop the company’s mission, objectives and goals as a first step. Once this is done the organization’s internal and external environment is assessed to determine the strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats. The next step will involve selecting strategies that will be used to deal with the identified strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats. The organization should ensure that the identified strategies are in line with its mission ad goals. After the appropria te strategies are identified and developed, they are finally implemented. Hills and Jones (2009) note that organizations go through a new process of strategic planning every year as a result of changing business environments and the global economy. This however does not mean that new strategies have to be identified and implemented every year. What usually happens in most organizations is that the strategies are modified or reaffirmed since the strategic plan is usually designed for a period of more than five years. Strategic Planning for Small businesses and Improved Performance Given all the evidence on the benefits of strategic planning, most small businesses still do not practice planning. Most of the concepts and research on strategic planning have been geared towards helping larger organizations. Managers of small businesses mostly focus on the short term rather than on the long term strategies. Their decision making technique is characterised to be reactive instead of proacti ve and deliberate. For those managers who do practice strategic planning, the process is mostly characterised by ad hoc instead of formal activities (Wang et al. 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Concept of Strategic Planning and Its Relevance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to May (2010), small business owners today are realising more than ever that they need strategic planning to make decisions. This has emerged out of their uneasiness about what the future holds for their businesses or the fact that they have attained the present level of small business success without any strategic planning and they don’t feel like proceeding with ventures that they are unsure will yield any profits. Such uncertainties lead them to secure stable and predictable styles of management that mostly involve strategic planning. The main difference of strategic planning for both the large and small busines ses is that the larger organization can financially afford to conduct extensive strategic planning activities which at times might be very expensive while the small business has a limited amount of financial resources. The strategic activities of the smaller organization might be limited or constrained due to finances; the smaller business will also mostly rely on its internal resources do the planning (May, 2010). Wang et al (2006) conducted investigations on why some small businesses failed in their activities and operations. They noted that the major reason was attributed to the lack of strategic planning and poor business motivation. Previous studies by scholars such as Mintzberg, Crawford and Lefebvre also suggested that formal strategic planning systems in small organizations were absent. The authors noted that small business strategic planning was mostly characterized by informal planning systems that were unstructured and sporadic. Other characteristics were that the process was viewed to be incomprehensive, incremental and reactive. Wang et al (2006) note that the motivation for a small business owner to be in business was mostly interwoven with their personal lives. Most small businesses are family owned which shows that the personal motivation in starting the business lies in trying to provide a better life for the business owners and their families. Some of these owner usually lack a business background or the technical known how of running the business. This means that they lack basic strategic planning information. Such a situation enables the businesses owners and entrepreneurs to get away with developing short term strategic plans for their businesses .Because of the size of the firm and constant uncertainty in the global business environment, small business have a limited ability to control events. That is why their focus is on short term and medium planning instead of long term. The strategic model should be designed in a simple and inexpensi ve way Pitfalls of Strategic Planning The main problems experienced by small businesses when trying to initiate the planning process have been identified as the lack of time and lack of proper strategic planning knowledge. But when managers discover ways to overcome these constraints, strategic planning can lead to the improved performance of the business.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Small business managers need to gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of small businesses which will set a strong foundation for strategic planning activities. The size and simple structure of small firms allows them to increase their responsiveness to external changes. In discussing the failure of the concept, various studies have been referred to further explain why strategic planning sometimes fails in organizations. One pitfall is that no one study has been found that has assessed the outcomes of deviating from the long range plans. All studies that have been conducted on the subject do not show whether there has been any negative consequences of not following the long range strategic plan. Another pitfall came from an earlier study that highlighted that while particular companies engaged in systematically planned activities, other organizations that did not engage in strategic planning were able to surpass these companies performance wise; this showed that t he best planners did not always perform the best (Dimitrou and Thompson, 2007). Studies done in the 1970s by scholars such as Malik and Karger found favourable results when strategic planning was used while other studies such as those done by Sheehan, Grinyer and Norburn did not see any benefits of practicing strategic planning. Henry Mintzberg after a review of these studies came up with a conclusion that planning was not the only best way. He noted that in some circumstances it did not pay and that when planning was at its best, it might have had some suitability to particular and not all organizational contexts. Another pitfall of strategic planning is that most companies find the solutions derived from the formal process of strategic planning to not be what they had actually expected. They usually had a basic idea of the kind of results to expect once the process was done. Strategic planning makes a majority of the firms today to engage in less risky forms of long range planning in their decision making activities which often at times do not yield the best results. Major criticisms have been drawn to the fact that strategic planning does not in any way contribute to the strategic thinking of major decision makers in organizations. Many of the benefits that accrue from strategic planning cannot be measured and it is difficult to prove the planning process in absolute terms. This is due to the fact when the planning process is initiated; it becomes hard to compare what has happened with what could have happened. This leads to a lot of speculations and formation of assumptions that are in most cases usually wrong. There is also another pitfall in the form of identifying the amount of costs that have been used in the planning process (Hill and Jones, 2009). These costs can only be seen if additional profit made by the organization exceeds the additional costs used in planning. Logical expectations of most organizations are that strategic planning will lead the company to be successful in the future; this is a big misconception. Most managers view strategic plans to be the key that will lead the organization to market success which explains why they become devastated when the strategic plans fail (Hill and Jones, 2009). Conclusion Planning activities are important to an organization to ensure that everything moves in a systematic and orderly manner. Without planning the members of an organization would lack a guide or plan that would direct them to achieve the organizational mission, vision, goals and objectives. Planning is therefore to be the most important activity that an organization should undertake to ensure that it runs smoothly and effectively. Strategic planning should also be given the same level of importance as general organizational planning. While strategic planning for organizations has been going on for a very long time, the smaller businesses are yet to catch on, yet planning is very important for an organization to achi eve optimum success through the proper utilization of resources. Strategic planning might have some pitfalls but when used in the proper way and in the right organizational context, it can improve the performance of both large and small businesses. Managers should therefore exercise this concept to ensure the decisions they make now will reflect what the organization wants to achieve in the future. References Dimitrou, H.T., and Thompson, R. (2007) Strategic planning for regional development in  the UK. Oxford, UK: Routledge Grunic, R. and Kuhn, R. (2008) Process based strategic planning. 5th Edition. Berlin: Springer- Verlag Hill, C., and Jones, G. (2009) Strategic management theory: an integrated approach.  Ohio, US: South Western Cengage Learning May, M.G. (2010) Strategic planning. New York: Business Expert Press Samson, D., and Daft, R.L. (2009) Management Third Asia Pacific Edition. Australia: Cengage Learning Wang, C., Walker, E.A., and Redmond, J. (2006) Ownership motiva tion and strategic planning in small businesses. Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and  Sustainability. Vol II, No.4 Wittman, R. and Reuter, M.P. (2008) Strategic planning: how to deliver maximum value  through effective business. 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Meaning and History of the Surname Clement

Meaning and History of the Surname Clement From the Late Latin given name Clemens, the Clement surname means merciful and gentle. CLEMENT is the English version and CLÉMENT is French. CLEMENTE is a common  Italian and Spanish version of the surname, also originating from the given name Clemens. Surname Origin: French,  English, Dutch Alternate Surname Spellings: CLEMENS, CLEMENTS, CLEMENTE, CLEMMONS, CLEMONS, CLEMMENT Fun Fact  about the Surname Clement Clement was the name of fourteen different popes, including Saint Clement I, the fourth  pope and first of the Apostolic Fathers. Famous People with the Surname CLEMENT Gustave Adolphe Clà ©ment-Bayard -  19th-century French entrepreneur and industrialistJean-Pierre Clà ©ment - French economist and historianMartin W. Clement - 11th president of the Pennsylvania railroadNicolas Clà ©ment - French chemist- MLB baseball player and humanitarian Where is the CLEMENT Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from  Forebears, the Clement surname is found most prevalently in Nigeria, but in the greatest numbers in France, where it ranks as the 75th most common surname in the country. Clement is also a fairly common last name in Luxembourg (195th most common surname), Wales (339th), Canada (428th) and Switzerland (485th). Genealogy Resources for the Surname CLEMENT French Surname Meanings and OriginsDoes your last name have origins in France? Learn about the various origins of French surnames and explore the meanings of some of the most common French last names. How to Research-French AncestryLearn about the various types of genealogical records available for researching ancestors in France and how to access them. Clement Clements Clemmons Y DNA ProjectJoin with other genealogists interested in combining Y-DNA testing with traditional genealogy research in order to identify common Clement ancestors worldwide. Surnames included in the project include Clement, Clements, Clemmons, Clemons and Clemens. Clement Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Clement  family crest or coat of arms for the Clement surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. CLEMENT Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Clement  surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Clement query. DistantCousin.com - CLEMENT  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Clement. GeneaNet - Clement  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Clement  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Clement  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Clement  surname from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Postal Abbreviations for Provinces in Canada

Postal Abbreviations for Provinces in Canada Accurate addresses do not just help lower costs by eliminating redelivery and extra handling;  being accurate also reduces the carbon footprint of mail delivery and gets mail where it needs to go faster. It helps to know the correct two-letter province and territory abbreviations if sending mail in Canada. Accepted Postal Abbreviations The two-letter abbreviations for Canadian provinces and territories that are recognized by Canada Post for mail in Canada are based on the English spellings of the names, though the two letters also appear in the French spellings. Northwest Territories, for instance, uses the initials NT, which is the first letters of each word in English, but the first and last letters of the French Nord-Ouest. The country is divided into administrative divisions known as provinces  and territories. The 10 provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The three territories are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. Province/Territory Abbreviation Alberta AB British Columbia BC Manitoba MB New Brunswick NB Newfoundland and Labrador NL Northwest Territories NT Nova Scotia NS Nunavut NU Ontario ON Prince Edward Island PE Quebec QC Saskatchewan SK Yukon YT Canada Post has specific postal code rules. Postal codes are an alphanumeric number, similar to a ZIP code in the United States. They are used for mailing, sorting and delivering the mail in Canada and are handy for other information about your area. Similar to Canada, the U.S. Postal Service uses two-letter postal abbreviations for each state and territory in the United States. The Canadian and the United States postal services have an agreement to avoid overlapping of postal abbreviations to avoid confusion when mail is sent between the neighboring countries. Mail Format and Stamps Any letter sent within Canada has the destination address of the center of its envelope with a stamp or meter label on the top right corner of the envelope. A return address, although not required, can be put on the top left corner or the back of the envelope. The address should be printed clearly or in an easy-to-read typeface. First Line: Name of recipientSecond Line: Civic address (street address)Last Line: Municipality name, a single space, the two-letter province abbreviation, two full spaces, and then the postal code. Any additional information should appear between the second and last lines. Some rural mail does not include a civic or street address and requires such additional information. If you are sending mail within Canada, a country designation is not necessary. If you are sending mail to Canada from another country, follow all of the same instructions as listed above, but add the word Canada on a separate line at the very bottom.   First-class mail to Canada from the United States is set at international rates, and thus costs more than a letter mailed within the United States. Check with your local post office to be sure you have the correct postage (which varies based on weight.) More About the Canada Post Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post (or Postes Canada), is the crown corporation that functions as the countrys primary postal operator. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada, founded in 1867, it was rebranded as Canada Post in the 1960s. On October 16, 1981, the Canada Post Corporation Act officially came into effect. This abolished the Post Office Department and created the present-day crown corporation. The act aimed to set a new direction for the postal service by  ensuring the postal services financial security and independence.

Ageing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ageing - Essay Example The impact of physiotherapy on healthy ageing is both short and long-term, and, as a result, requires both short and long-term solutions. Contrary to common perspectives, successful ageing is more than just about the absence of disease. There are many disease-free people who do not age successfully, and research shows that the absence of disease is just of a myriad of aspects that need the utmost attention to enable successful ageing. As a matter of fact, successful ageing involves personal, social and economic issues that have a significant impact on one’s lifespan and manner of ageing (Timonen, 2008:31). Physical health, financial security, independence, productivity and employment, good adjustment and a positive outlook, and maintaining participation in activities and with individuals who cultivate support and meaning are all important components of life that contribute towards successful ageing. Physiotherapy has a huge role to play in successful ageing because it involves most of these issues. Physiotherapy promotes physical and mental health and is influential in cultivating a positive outlook of life in individuals. Since health professionals and policymakers have a vital and active role to play in the formulation of health policies (that also affect physiotherapy), they impact successful ageing in many ways (Newman, 1995:46). Just like all aspects of health care, creation of good physiotherapy policies has a positive influence on individuals’ mental and physical health. Government agencies and private organisations have a clear and defined role to play in the promotion of successful ageing. Health professionals (e.g., physiotherapists) can collaborate with government agencies and private healthcare entities in numerous ways to enable the development and promotion of effective, successful ageing policies (Timonen, 2008:33). Collaboration can take many forms depending on the goals and objectives of a specific initiative. For