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Table of contentsOrganizational Learning and Change ManagementChange ManagementO ...

Table of contents

  1. Organizational Learning and Change Management
  2. Change ManagementOrganizational LearningEffective Implementation of Changes in BusinessesThe Need and Importance of Organizational Learning and Change Management
  3. Conclusion

Changes are inevitable in modern businesses because the success of every organization depends on the ability to create sustainable business practices that meet the needs of the market. However, in the modern world of business, managers embrace organizational learning to transfer information from different departments in the firm. In this regard, organizational learning enables effective change management because leaders identify the most suitable personnel within a company to effect necessary changes. Consequently, the leaders disseminate any impending changes to the workforce to reduce the impact of resistance. On the same note, the leaders use effective communication skills to educate the workforce on the benefits of the changes to individuals and the firm. In this way, the workers understand how to apply the new business practices to their everyday work. On the other hand, employees understand their responsibilities and roles thus reducing redundancy in the firm. Successful change leaders adopt a collaborative leadership style where they listen to the opinions of all workers regardless of their positions in the company. Exchange of information creates an environment of teamwork, which enables employees to view their colleagues as partners as opposed to rivals. Therefore, adoption of modern business practices by the workforce is quickened given that slow learners learn from their peers. The benefits of organizational learning include an efficient exchange of information for speeding up completion of duties to achieve organizational goals within the shortest time possible. On the contrary, the advantages of change management include the reduction of resistance in the workforce, which accelerates the process. Consequently, firms create a competitive advantage, which allows it to compete with other companies in the same line of business.

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Organizational Learning and Change Management

Changes in organizations are inevitable because of the variations in business practices, customers’ needs, organizational interests, and objectives. In reality, companies cannot prosper if they do not engage in continuous research and development to identify the most applicable business practices that would aid it in creating a competitive advantage. Notably, traditional firms depended on material resources for their sustainability; however, over the years, dwindling resources have pushed business leaders to adopt an employee-based approach to guarantee sustainability. Therefore, learning plays an integral part in the success of enterprises as they adopt new and modern business practices that push a firm towards its goals. On this note, company managers should develop a succinct vision and effective organizational culture that enable implementation of the desired strategy. Subsequently, the leaders should prepare their firms through the workforce to a planned change and direct the transformation. However, business leaders face numerous changes in leading transformation despite noting the need for change. Ideally, employees emulate their leaders’ behaviors, which mean that an organization cannot effect meaningful changes unless its leaders lead the way (Bontis, Crossan, and Hulland, 2002, p. 441). As a result, change begins with the management for it to be successful. Apparently, executives do not realize the need for change if their organizations are successful.

In practice, the managers resist any change when share prices are increasing, bonuses are enormous, and the firm attracts and retains the best talents in the job market. On the contrary, when companies are underperforming, administrators become desperate to effect changes that would modify the fortunes of the enterprise. Unfortunately, the probabilities of success under these circumstances are little. Some of leading reasons that lead to failure include the inability to retain top talents as employees leave for opportunities in other companies, unavailability of funds to finance the projects, and managers’ emphasis on short-term goals to reduce further deterioration of the business. In this regard, it is apparent that the chances of success in implementation of change are highest when the firm seems to be most successful (Easterby-Smith, Crossan, and Nicolini, 2000, p. 787). Even though managers tend to resist any form of change when their companies are performing optimally on all fronts, in reality, such times provide the best chances of implementing changes successfully. Therefore, this paper analyzes the traits that managers should possess to lead change implementation and ensure the support of all stakeholders particularly the employees.

Change Management

Traditionally, senior executives in huge corporations did not have much to worry about given that they operated in undeveloped or closed markets. As a result, attaining their goals was easy and straightforward. However, the comfortable scenario has changed because of real-time communication channels, global flow of capital, labor mobility, and market transparency (Hayes, 2014, p. 116). Therefore, competent business leaders have to manage changes to meet the changing needs of the marketplace. Effective change management skills are essential to implementing changes successfully. In this regard, change management refers to the ability of business leaders to identify business practices that require changes and use the available material and human resources to effect changes in the enterprise environment to meet the present market needs. In most cases, people tend to resist any form of change as they seek to remain in the status quo; therefore, business managers should create an environment that motivates stakeholders to adopt changes to their practices (Bontis, Crossan, and Hulland, 2002, p. 446). In this way, the leader reduces resistance while encouraging all stakeholders to play their part in implementing the necessary changes to succeed within the shortest time possible.

Organizational Learning

Organizational learning entails the creation, retaining, and transfer of knowledge within an organization. In the context of change management, organizational learning is the ability to educate stakeholders on the need to implement some changes and the benefits such changes would bring to the individuals as well as the firms (Easterby-Smith, Crossan, and Nicolini, 2000, p. 786). Organizations strive to have the best business practices; therefore, the leadership has to encourage all its members of the staff to adopt learning as a way of learning modern business practices by comparing their company to the most successful competitors.

Effective Implementation of Changes in Businesses

As noted earlier, the identification of the right time to effect organizational change is critical to the success of the process. Moreover, business leaders have to find ways of overcoming natural resistance to change that manifests in most of the modern organizations. Importantly, managers should utilize vision, values, and strategies that determine a firm’s roadmap to the future to develop a compelling case for the relevant change (Hayes, 2014, p. 76). Change should be seen as the norm and all stakeholders to an organization should play their parts. The most successful business leaders are conservative when implementing changes to practices in their organizations. The CEO should use strategic planning to determine the best course of action to reduce the instances of resistance and counterproductive measures that could dissuade the implementation of the process (Bierly, Kessler, and Christensen, 2014, p. 601). As such, planning should be effective to outline any failures that could arise from taking the identified route. At the same time, the leader should not recommend change without listening to opinions from other stakeholders because such moves enhance resistance to the process. In effect, the leaders should be effective communicators to ensure that they sell their ideas and philosophy to the workers and other stakeholders. In this regard, collaborative leaders are the most successful because they do not adopt a know-it-all attitude that reduces the participation of other stakeholders in change implementation. In real life, it requires time to accomplish any significant change at a firm. As such, collaboration ensures that the behaviors of all stakeholders change to streamline organizational strategies with the desired changes. However, the leader should be the first to accept the need for the change and lead the workers by example. The leaders’ actions should be aligned with the expectations that they have for the workers to ensure implementation of change.

In essence, managers should ask themselves whether the change they wish to implement the company’s strategies and vision drive it. The change should take the business to the next maturity level without skipping certain levels that would have detrimental effects on success. Further, the leaders should devise necessary organizational behaviors to sustain the process. At the same time, the managers ought to ensure that they have the necessary talent, time, and resources to be successful. The focus should be on the people regardless of the magnitude of change being implemented because the process has to be as painless as possible. As such, developing a learning organization is one of the best ways to prepare workers for an impending change. In practice, humans have underlying behaviors regarding change. Learning promotes understanding, which in turn leads to commitment (Easterby-Smith, Crossan, and Nicolini, 2000, p. 789). An enlightened workforce accepts the need for change thus reducing resistance and enhancing commitment. In such situations, the workforce recommends the areas that require urgent alteration to improve organizational performance and push the firm towards its goals. Skills in the Workforce determine the viability of a change process by articulating the capabilities that each employee possesses. Therefore, the managers should identify the skills in the workforce that are required to implement the necessary amendments and encourage the workforce to engage in continuous learning to find new ways of solving organizational problems. In reality, changes are inevitable; therefore, the workforce should develop their abilities to adapt to the ever-changing technological processes, demands, and requirements of the marketplace. Inasmuch as managers need to develop unique practices that help their businesses to stay ahead of the competition, the leaders should avoid rigidity because it leads to lack of urgency and desire to implement changes.

As noted earlier, effective communication is essential to all successful managers. The workforce should learn the changes in the marketplace to enable it to learn the best ways to meet the needs of the market segment. Further, the managers should be efficient in communicating the need to adopt a continual learning habit to guarantee commitment of the workers. In addition, the executive should commit to ongoing and active training and education programs that provide the staff with the relevant skills to address the changing demands. The programs should enable the employees to use their new skills to compete in a changing environment. The leaders should use their effective communication skills to disseminate information linked to organizational vision and establish the business areas that require improvements. Further, the communication should be realistic and describe the prevailing business environment that drives the change. Ideally, the message should be simple and clear. Successful managers rethink of any message that cannot be passed in a few words (Bierly, Kessler, and Christensen, 2014, p. 598). Executives ought to realize that message diffuses via different organizational layers, and the original message could change if it incorporates several words. In effect, as messages diffuse from the top management to subordinates, its contents change thus delivering wrong messages that could lead to controversies. Moreover, executives have to use any opportunity to convey a company’s vision to the workers. In most cases, CEOs hold meetings with the staff regularly; therefore, in the meetings; the leader should start by reading the company's vision for the participants to remind them of the roadmap to the future. Such actions help in creating an ethical environment where all workers respect the company’s visions and strategic goals.

Successful managers adopt the proven path to implement changes in their organizations. The established path entails successful plans, which have been tested in organizations of different sizes. The plan involves three primary phases, which are leadership, development, and ownership. In the leadership phase, the leader compares the current processes to the best applications used in successful firms in the marketplace (Lozano, Ceulemans and Scarff Seatter, 2015, p. 207). Consequently, the management conducts a quick survey to establish the gap between the current practices to the best in the business sector. At the same time, the business leaders should determine the value that closing the gaps would add to the company. The executive should identify the stages that the stakeholders would take to close the gaps concerning priorities. In essence, different business practices yield varying returns to business; as a result, the leaders should identify the best sequence of events that would enable the highest returns possible. Before embarking on the process, the managers should define the necessary resources and budget for the projects. Further, the management should identify adequate human resources to steer the process and assign respective duties to given individuals (Dervitsiotis, 1998, p. 77). The project should never start before completing all the steps mentioned above because it would lead to failure as some of the necessary requirements miss during later stages of the process.

After committing to the transformation, the executives appoint a team of in-house experts and agents to oversee the actual process. The team should comprise of the best performers in the organization. Such personnel should all the best interests of the firm because they understand the fundamental issues that require change in the company. The team should learn the best ways of closing the relevant gaps to achieve the set objectives (Lozano, Ceulemans and Scarff Seatter, 2015, p. 207). The management should pay close attention when integrating people into the project and the behaviors expected by the company. Further, the leadership should provide the necessary technology framework to aid the team to accomplish its goals within the specified period. The final phase or ownership entails implementation of the changes. As a result, the management should evaluate the benefits achieved from the changes to determine whether the process failed or succeeded. The management has to introduce an education program to enlighten the workforce on using the new business practices (Dervitsiotis, 1998, p. 77). The education program should show how the employees would use work in the novel business environment. At the same time, it should include an understanding of the company practices and their application in accomplishing tasks. In most instances, changes lead to alterations in responsibilities. As such, the leadership should clearly communicate the new roles and responsibilities of the staff to reduce the chance of employee redundancy. Employees that are unable to grasp the application of the new business process should get mentors to help in improving their performances. Importantly, the management should not adopt threats to hasten the learning process because it instills fear in the workforce thus reducing motivation and commitment to the firm. However, lack of motivation and commitment to a firm has adverse effects on individual performance, which in turn affects the organizational productivity negatively (Goetsch and Davis, 2014, p. 116). Even in situations where an organization uses outside consultants o implement change, at the end of the process, business leaders should assume the ownership of the process (Langley et al., 2013, p. 2). In this way, the management understands the areas that require continuous updates to stay ahead of the competition to ascertain sustainability.

The Need and Importance of Organizational Learning and Change Management

According to van de Kerkhof and Wieczorek (2005), a business cannot survive in the modern marketplace without change implementation. Changes give a company a chance to change their business practices and adopt the most recent ones to close gaps with their rivals. Organization competition is rife in most industry sectors; as a result, business leader utilizes change management to reduce resistance from workers and other stakeholders. In reality, human beings are resistance to any alterations that affects their schedules. Therefore, managers ought to create a learning environment that encourages all employees to play an integral role in changing an organization’s fortunes and helping it to achieve its strategies (Lozano, Ceulemans and Scarff Seatter, 2015, p. 207). In this regard, organizational learning aids employees in understanding the application of new business trends acquired after a change process. In effect, it reduces employee redundancy given that all workers understand their roles and responsibilities in the firm.

Managers should not adopt dictatorial leadership style because it reduces collaboration between different stakeholders in the firms, which in turn prevents the exchange of information. Successful managers embrace a collaborative leadership style and encourage the creation and sharing of information at any given opportunity (Crossan, Lane, and White, 1999, p. 524). Therefore, organizational learning creates a mutual understanding between leaders and the workforce thus enabling efficient implantation of change. Innately, it eases the change process because workers understand their benefits from the process and thus work towards the goals as set by the leaders. On the same note, the leaders do not have to outsource personnel because they have the support of the workers. As a result, the managers choose the best performers from within the workforce to create formidable groups to implement ant form of change in the firm. One of the best ways to implement change in an organization is to build teams in the firm. The team members should have definite roles to plays in the process to reduce interpersonal conflicts. After implementing the change, the steering committee should appoint representatives from different departments to aid in educating the other workers on how to use the new processes (Dervitsiotis, 1998, p. 76). Importantly, the steering committee to should ensure all workers understand that the new methods would be used in all business practices to reduce the chances of some retaining the old practices.

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Conclusion

Any meaningful transformation creates problems in human beings. For instance, new leaders would be required to adopt emerging roles while workers must develop new capabilities and skills. Consequently, it creates uncertainty in the workforce leading the resistance. Leaders should identify these issues and address them systematically to reduce their effects during transformation. Change management requires the formation of a formal team within the organization that spearheads all matters involved in the process. The management team should engage key stakeholders to plan the way forward in the implementation process. The team leaders ought to lead by example by adopting the need for the changes because other workers turn to them whenever uncertainties start to emerge. The managers should not shy away from asking for opinions from subordinates because it provides an array of alternatives to improve an organization’s performance through adoption of the latest business practices. In reality, workers have different ideas that could transform an organization without changing or redesigning the existing business operations and processes. Several studies establish that managers are reluctant to implement any changes to their business practices when their companies are performing exemplarily. However, the leaders fail to realize that when companies are performing poorly, the situation leads to panic hence the need for an immediate solution to arrest the downward trend. In effect, the best time to implement changes is when the firms seem to be moving in the right direction. During this period, the firm is not in a hurry to save its fortunes or reputation. Subsequently, the management has adequate time to identify areas that require transformation and plan on the best way forward. At the same time, leaders should embrace learning in the companies to guarantee effective transformation that involves the input of all stakeholders.


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The period following reconstruction was one of great regression in terms of raci ...

The period following reconstruction was one of great regression in terms of racial equality in the United States. This era of Redemption saw many pieces of legislations and court decisions that diminished the rights of the recently freedmen, with Democrats taking more control over the political arena. The court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, regarding segregation in public facilities, was key in the advancement of segregation, having a 7-1 decision, with only Justice John Marshall Harlan dissenting. In his “Dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson” document, Harlan explains the damaging precedence the decisions created, both in a socially moral manner as well as in its lawful standing. His words not only describe the political and social ideology of the time, but also present a grave foreshadowing for the future of equality in the country.

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Harlan argues at first the citizenship of races, describing how there must be no difference in citizenship rights between two races. “... such legislation [...] is inconsistent not only with that equality of rights which pertains to citizenship […] but with the personal liberty enjoyed by everyone within the United States.” (Foner 54) Supporting this argument he uses the legal basis of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments which provide the utmost right of citizenship and vote to everyone born or naturalized in the United States regardless of race.

The dissenter explains his perspective on how the decision is abhorrent for future legal equality. He attacks the idea that Court has upholding “equal rights” to everyone as he sees the issue of dividing cars for each race: “not to exclude white persons from railroad card occupied by blacks, [but] to exclude black persons from cars occupied by or assigned to white persons.” (Foner 55). By explaining the concept of “personal liberty” Harlan explains how the decision actually violates the power people have to be wherever they are restricted by due course of law. This due course of law is of course nonexistent in his eyes as he coined the significant phrase: “Our constitution is color blind and neither knows or tolerates the classes among citizens.”

Harlan’s dissent demonstrates a lot of the problems in the American society and politics of the Redemption era. As the judge accurately predicts, Plessy v. Ferguson was just the start of a long list of landmark decisions against racial equality. The case gave way to many more abuses in this time, presenting a legal precedent for further racism in laws such as the Jim Crow laws. Even more cases of service segregation continued because of the tense racial society in the United States, with cases such as the Lum v. Rice decision in which a Chinese-American was prohibited from attending her local high school, even though by law she forced to attend.

It is essential to note the political background of this decision, as reflected by Harlan’s document, especially that of the Separate Car Act. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was just a response to this act which essentially mandated different railroad cars for each race. The act fought on the idea that Harlan constantly criticizes that it was inherently lawful as it gave “…equal but separate services…” (Foner 56) As the ideas of the other judges reflect, society saw this act as not establishing a superior or inferior race, but one that simply attempted to provide both races the same kind of service. Considering that the plaintiff Homer Plessy in this case was rejected from a white car despite being only 1/8th black, this piece of legislation and the sole dissent demonstrate how socially and culturally segregation was deeply entrenched.

The fears Harlan held for the future of racial equality explicit in his description of the decision and its possible effects. The judge goes to the point as to compare the Plessy v. Ferguson case as one with possibly equal consequence as the Dred Scott case of the 1850s which enabled the South to maintain their slavery on power. Harlan views the future of rights of black citizens as one bleak, especially predicting a stronger segregation in voter registration. “no citizen should be denied, on account of his race, the privilege of participating in the political control of this country…” (Foner 55) As this political power was reduced for black citizens, also did their chances to fight and obtain the civil rights they deserved.

Despite strongly explaining the damages of the court decision in which he was involved, Harlan’s dissent has a few weaknesses across it. One of the most important of these is his apparent contradicting views on equal rights. His writing “Persons belonging to it are, with few exceptions, absolutely excluded from our country. I allude to the Chinese race.” (Harlan) alludes to a certain racism towards Chinese-Americans. As history would eventually tell, he would also continue to dissent in the case United States v. Wong Kim Ark in which he asserts the dangers of Chinese immigrants immigrating to the United States.

Aside from presenting these contradicting views on race, Harlen missed to present few elements in his dissent. The document lacked a more detailed description of the society and politics of the historical period. The dissenter fails to explain the thorough position of the other members of the Supreme Court, as he never attacks directly the arguments for which they voted opposite of him in the case. In this same line of though, he fails to describe any kind of social reaction to the Separate Car Act or the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, valuable information to understand the context of his dissent. With no mention of other proponents of his ideas, or arguments presented by other politically active actors of the time, his dissent falls a bit short.

Despite this, it’s important not to forget the great value of this article, both for its social standing as well as its use historical studies. Giving a direct criticism of the jury of the time and providing a strong basis on the actual Constitution, Harlan’s arguments stand tall as a lone dissenter. As his words are read in the future, his dark hopes and predictions of the future did become true, hardships that would remain unchanged until the eventual Civil Rights movement.


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In the years before the Second World War, the Gion district in Japan was a vicio ...

In the years before the Second World War, the Gion district in Japan was a viciously competitive place where women fought desperately for men s favor and munificent gifts, a girl s virginity was auctioned off to the highest bidder, and a woman could not even dream about happiness through love. In Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, Sayuri, whose name was Chiyo before she became a geisha, tells of her struggle to survive in Gion s cruel hierarchy and her race to be one of the top geishas. Through all of it, Sayuri exhibits the emphasis she, as well as the society, puts on wealth and outer appearances.

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Even before Sayuri enters the geisha district of Gion, to her, the exterior of a person is a significant factor when judging a person. From this sort of judgment, she develops trust and respect based on the way a person dresses, talks, or how rich s/he is. In Yoroido, Mr. Tanaka Ichiro is a person she respected revered, almost. He knew things [she] would never know and had an elegance [she] would never have for his blue kimono was finer than anything [she] would ever have occasion to wear. (pg. 20) Just because Mr. Tanaka does not wear peasant clothing, but rather a quality kimono, Sayuri puts a great deal of trust in him, only to find out that he sells her to a Mrs. Nitta, owner of a geisha house. For the first few days, she even tries to convince herself that it was only a temporary placement, and Mr. Tanaka will go back to adopt her. She fails to see that Mr. Tanaka, being an affluent businessman, is purely motivated by the money he will make from selling an extraordinarily beautiful girl, such as young Sayuri, to a geisha house. In her eyes, money equals compassion. Sayuri judges herself as well, comparing herself to others who are wealthier and more polished than her. When she meets Mr. Tanaka s daughter, Kuniko, she sees that her clothing was much more refined than mine but being the village girl I was, I chased her out into the woods barefoot (pg. 27) She degrades herself, believing that she acts in an ignorant manner solely because she is just a shabby village girl. Although she comprehends the genuine friendliness in Kuniko, she does not see this as the reason for wanting to play and chase after her. Because Kuniko has a graceful outfit and she does not, Sayuri views herself crude and ill mannered. Growing up around people who wears peasant clothing and smells of fish, Sayuri cannot help but succumb to the wonders of opulent and materialistic individuals while putting herself down.

In the geisha district of Gion in Kyoto, a woman, who is most likely a geisha, is not of importance if she is not beautiful or seductive and no one notices a man if he is not wealthy. In the okiya, another term for a geisha house, a geisha has top priority if she is the most beautiful or most called for to entertain men at teahouses. When Sayuri first entered the okiya, the first geisha she saw was Hatsumomo, one of Gion s most famous geishas at that time. She d never seen a more astonishing-looking woman. Men in the street sometimes stopped and took their cigarettes from their mouths to stare at her. (pg. 48-49) Her beauty gives her the right to treat slaves, such as Sayuri, with cruelty and give orders to elders in the okiya. Today, commanding seniors would be the ultimate disrespectful gesture. Once, just to get Sayuri in trouble, Hatsumomo framed her and led the mother of the okiya, whom they call Mother into believing that she had stolen Hatsumomo s expensive comb. No matter how innocent Sayuri was, whatever Hatsumomo said was the truth. Later in the story, Mother tells Sayuri that she d earned more in the past six months than both Hatsumomo and Pumpkin combined. Which means, she said, that it s time for you to exchange rooms with them. (pg. 317) As quick as a blink of an eye, Hatsumomo is bumped down and Sayuri becomes the one who all the slaves have to make way for. It is only because she has grown into an exceptionally pretty young lady and is earning all the money for the okiya that Mother treats her completely differently and allows her special privileges. When a danna is chosen for a geisha, it is important that the man is wealthy enough to support her and lavish her with exquisite gifts. During the brink of World War II, it was Sayuri s time to choose a danna, although it was not really her choice. Mother was afraid of running low on supplies in the okiya, so she favored the thought of having General Tottori, the man who oversees all the resources of the military, to become Sayuri s danna. She disregards Sayuri s need for happiness, and chooses General Tottori over Nobu, for his position could be of great help to the okiya. (pg. 302) However, General Tottori s wealth proves to be only temporary, for he could not even provide a safe place for Sayuri to stay during the war, as Nobu later does. Since Mother s judgment of people is based on wealth and her own greed, Sayuri is cheated of her happiness. The importance of a person in Gion is fleeting, for beauty and wealth in a person never lasts forever.

Bombarded with the teachings of materialistic values, Sayuri cannot help but benefit herself through manipulating others with her own superficial qualities. As a geisha, Sayuri s exotic beauty is all she needs to obtain the lust of men who hold great power. Even a glimpse from Sayuri is enough to make a man trip and drop what he is holding. To achieve this alluring effect, she has to spend hours preparing, dressing in intricately designed silk kimonos, applying thick makeup, and choosing the right accessories, which meant they had to be showy. When she visits a teahouse just as an apprentice geisha, a man says after she leaves, I didn t get much of an impression But she s very pretty. (pg. 182) The man pays no attention to Sayuri s politeness or her cleverness in speaking, but rather takes a great liking to her stunning beauty. The right body language is captivating to a man as well. Pouring the tea just the right way keeps a man happy by letting him think he s permitted to see parts of your body no one else can see. If an apprentice geisha [pours] tea just like a maid---the poor man will lose all hope. (pg. 168) The right way, as Sayuri learns, to pour tea is to show the prettiest part of the arm the underside, for a man in Gion is only interested in one thing: the sensuality in a woman. Other than attractiveness in the presentation of the physical beauty, Sayuri must also portray a charm that attracts men, though it may not necessarily be from within. She puts on a show, doing her best to seem as weak as possible (pg. 216) so a certain doctor, a very wealthy man who visits teahouses often, would notice her. While entertaining men at teahouses, Sayuri uses subtle flattery in her conversations to gain favor from the men. She teases a Minister, complaining that you don t like me anymore! You haven t been to see me in more than a month. Is it because Nobu-san has been unkind, and hasn t brought you to Gion as often as he should have? (pg. 382) Of course Sayuri does not actually enjoy the Minister s company, for he is an irritating man who constantly grunts like a pig. For the sake of her friend, Nobu s, company, she uses words and flattery to influence the Minister s thoughts. Being a geisha, Sayuri has no choice but to arrange a fa ade to satisfy everyone else s needs but her own. Her hopes of finding a man who sees her for who she really is slowly deteriorates.

Sayuri lived most of her life, needing to impress everyone. She astonishes many with her beauty, but that is all. She is so busy contending with others the physical beauty that she does not take the time to look into the character of others as well as herself. In the ending paragraph of the book, she states, Now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean. (pg. 428) At that point in life, Sayuri realizes that the traits she at first regarded highly in a person is ephemeral. Only the kindness and compassion in a person will last a lifetime, leaving a deep impression of his/her true inner qualities as a human being.


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Is defined as 12 domains that are covering the organization and the structure te ...

Is defined as 12 domains that are covering the organization and the structure temporarily describing as primary and as its secondary individuality culture, in which it determines the disparities values, beliefs, and practices of a person's cultural heritage. Each of the rims of a different significance on an individual, community and family representing global society. First of the rims is global society representing as whole. Rim two signifies the community and as to rim three it perceives the family it’s representing. The inner surface of the rim stands for the individual. Each of the domains are identified with one another not one domain is stood along throughout the model. The center of the model is empty and represents the unknown significant aspects of a cultural group.

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The model sets force the primary and the secondary contained with collective data. The structure is being used through the workplace as promote the staff of acceptance in multicultural and multinational populations, It has it set forth to help an individual interversation and also used for long-term care facility that have cultural diversity. It’s used in addition for case management and managed care programs. Its emphasis is social structured with historical antecedents, cultural traditions and the output is managed by policy and procedures, critical thinking.

Each of the 12 domains focuses all aspects individuals’ culture and its structures. Overview reviews the heritage of its culture origin; it’s residents the economic, policies and education status and the occupations. Communication signifies, the different dialects language a good example of this was from our last week’s guest speaker he used white and green language that is used in the mount language.

Listening to the tone, and how a person raises its voice in the mist of have a interaction of a verbal communication with an individual or group in expressing their feelings or thoughts. Opposed to nonverbal communication body language is way of expressing those who you first encounter a conversation with an individual. Folding your arms in a frown can set the bar to be angry or upset unwilling to make the person approachable. Family roles and organization develops logically the gender roles in the household among the family. Workplace flow has its various assumption of concepts many that relate to gender roles, ethnic communication and individuality within the country of origin. Bicultural ecology allows the ethnic and racial origins interface to physical or ones skin color. Overall it’s body stature, the genetics and it’s hereditary. Topographic diseases and the reflection of drugs within the body. High-risk behaviors using tobacco alcohol and recreational drugs and workplace safety messages. Sexual preferences as well. Are behaviors that work place has a no tolerance policy enforced for individuals to oblige by or consequences of punishment are enforced? Nutritional values determine the food selections the portion size and what good and bad qualities in asperity of health wellness. Pregnancy and childbearing indicates the methods of fertility, birth control the good and bad practices of beliefs that reflect during the pregnancy birth and the after birth of a child. Death rituals how a person sees the culture death and how to react and prepare for an individual death and after facts of it bereavement behaviors filter the domain.

The spirituality faces the religious beliefs of the individual usage of prayer and behaviors towards life and encouragement. Health care focuses beliefs as an acute or a preventive measures in traditional and biomedical. People are accountable for medicating themselves and see mental health chronicity as an organ donor. The health care practitioner is reflected on the status and the perceptions of the tradition and the allopathic biomedical health providers.

Overall each of these methods coincided with mutual understanding of respectfully understanding a culture differences as employee, employer as a coworker that us as health advisor share this with all aspects of understanding of beginning of life to the end of life. Language barriers that we interact with each person not to judge him or her bay appearance or body language. How one person sees a person expression with body language isn’t always how it’s perceived to be. Beliefs in culture pregnancy indifference those from some of the traditional ways of other cultures respect them and try to understand them instead of contradicting them. Accept gender identity doesn’t pass judgment with it or because someone’s skiing color is a different origin of your own. They’re culture difference that plays a role within it may it be different marriages and divorces. Be aware of substance’s alcohol and taboo use among sexual encounters are all that most employers oblige with a no tolerance policy and also log term facilities general do not allow these issues to take place with in. Cultures the food choices are made and some maybe used during the time of illness. Spiritually the religious beliefs endure with prayer and rituals that can prepare for the death after life of death. Health care practice enforcing prevented methods of treatments and the biomedical responding to pain management and sick roles. Beliefs viewing in mental illness and the decision of an organ donor. These measures are all ways of development of planned strategies and future of testing the descriptions and using personal experiences to share with others giving them the understanding of culture.


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While many people pride Mulan as being a movie in which gender stereotypes are b ...

While many people pride Mulan as being a movie in which gender stereotypes are broken, all this focus ends up doing is distracting people from many of the other stereotypes within the movie. In Mulan the character, designers, and writers make many of the characters fit different stereotypes' within the movie. I will talk about the movie Mulan and compare characters within the movie to common stereotypes talked about within the text “Teaching (Popular) Visual Culture: Deconstructing Disney in the Elementary Art Classroom”, written by Kevin Tavin and David Anderson. This article discusses many different types of stereotypes, and uses examples from many different Disney films. Along with the common stereotypes, there are some other more subtle ones that are often not thought of when watching a Disney movie.

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Racial stereotypes are often the first noticed in movies mainly due to the fact that they are the most prominent and controversial in today's society. They are also the most difficult for films to put in without immediately being criticized as a racist movie, however this never stopped Disney from putting their prejudices in the movies, “Disney's discourse around race and ethnicity are part of a cluster of unconscious messages about power and social memories about history” (Tavin. P. 24). Tavin is saying that racial stereotypes are often shown to be from the normal way people acted in their culture's past. In the beginning of the movie Mulan is shown getting prepped and dressed for the matchmaker to pick her and find a husband. In the song sung during this scene, one of the major line has the singer saying “Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient. Who work fast-paced. With good breeding and a tiny waist, you'll bring honor to us all” (Mulan). This clearly shows a stereotype of not only some of the things considered attractive at this time in China but also how important bringing honor to your family was at this time. Tavin also speaks about the stereotyping of the protagonists versus the antagonists of a movie:

Repeatedly non-white human characters appear as stereotypical representations of 'the other,' who are often inferior, grotesque, violent, or unscrupulous […] in Aladdin, the hero is light skinned with Anglo features and speaks standard American English, while other 'Arabs' […] have dark skin with exaggerated facial features and speak with thick accents. All of this falls in line with […] white Western culture represent[ing] orderliness, rationality, and self-control [and Non-Western and Non-Whiteness] indicates chaos, irrationality, violence, and the breakdown of self-regulation. (Tavin, P. 24)

There is an extremely similar parallel in the movie Mulan in which all the main characters speak perfect english while the enemies, in this case the Huns, are darker skinned very barbaric, almost animal like with sharp yellowed teeth, claw like fingernails, and speak in a thick accent thus identifying them as the enemy. While many would say this is simply Disney going for accuracy in that the Huns would not even be speaking English then this does not explain why the protagonists, who are all Chinese, speak with no accent whatsoever. In this movie characters aren’t even always stereotyped based by the look of their character. “Animals and non-human representations in Disney films are not immune to this racial stereotyping. The characters often use language in the form of racially coded accents and inflections” (Tavin, P. 24). The last major racial stereotype comes from a very prominent character which is a dragon named Mushu and voiced by Eddie Murphy. The most interesting thing about this however is not just his voice, but the lines given by the writers even sound like a stereotypical black. One example of this is when Mushu was trying to defend himself and convince people he was up for the task at hand. “Oh, y’all don’t think I can do it? [...] Don’t make me have to singe nobody to prove no point” (Mulan). It is easy to see that this was not just the way somebody decided to write the line. The phrasing of this line is very stereotypical sounding and the writers clearly made it this way for a purpose not just as a coincidence, as this line did not aid the story whatsoever. However racial stereotypes are not the only ones presented in this movie.

Another common type of stereotype presented in Mulan is based around the ages of the characters at hand. This is most prominently old age however this is not always the case. To start very simply the first age related stereotype we see is a very simple one. They portray Mulan's father as a very old man and the way he looks and acts correctly portrays this. He is an old and thin man with white hair and walks with a limp and a cane. However despite his handicaps he is shown to be extremely wise and respected by the members of his family to the point where it is never acceptable to question his decisions. However this article goes into much more specific details when it comes to certain stereotypes, one of which is the old woman stereotype:

As opposed to young or middle-aged women, older women in disney films are frequently represented as non-sexualized magical beings such as wise grandmothers and fairy godmothers. These characters often comfort the traumatized love-stricken young heroines and sacrifice themselves to ensure hetero-sexual normalization. (Tavin, P. 24)

Mulan's grandmothers is the perfect example of this stereotype. She is a tiny old woman with white hair who tries to help her granddaughter in any way she can during the matchmaking ceremony, including walking through busy traffic with her eyes closed to ensure that the cricket she picked out for her is actually lucky. In this article they also talk about the middle aged woman as having a very unique stereotype in Disney movies. “Middle-aged women in Disney animated films are often portrayed as hyper-authoritarian adversaries in the form of evil step-mothers, depraved ogres, wicked queens, and sinful witches” (Tavin, P. 24). While Mulan is being “prepared” for finding a husband we run into the middle aged woman who is supposed to help her look beautiful for the matchmaking ceremony. While in this case the woman is not necessarily a bad character she is shown as incredibly bossy, ugly, and not to mention strict when it comes to how Mulan is allowed to dress and look. She quickly becomes a character you are not supposed to like or relate to. While it is not necessarily the acts that she is performing that make her fit this stereotype, since they are for the betterment of Mulan in the towns eyes, it is the way she goes about it and her attitude during it that make her fit the part.

Mulan uses many stereotypes that are common throughout movies and literature, however are pointed out much less often due to the fact that the major plot device is the character breaking the social norms of their society. The text “Teaching (Popular) Visual Culture: Deconstructing Disney in the Elementary Art Classroom” shows many stereotypes that many people simply overlook and don't think about within the movies they see day to day. While some stereotypes, such as the enemies having darker skin and accents, are definitely negative, and others, such as an old man being wise and walking with a cane, are simply common observation they are all classified as generalizations that we commonly call stereotypes.


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Randomness and ManipulationTo define information as a probability function[...]i ...

Randomness and Manipulation

To define information as a probability function[...]implies that randomness always already interpenetrates pattern, for probability as a concept posits a situation in which there is no a priori way to distinguish between effects extrapolated from known causes and those generated by chance conjunctions. Like information and noise, pattern and randomness are not opposites bifurcated into a dichotomy but interpenetrating terms joined in a dialectic[...]the concept of information is generated from the interplay between pattern and randomness. (Hayles 190-191)

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This quote by Hayles reminds me of how the artificial intelligences in William Gibson's novel Neuromancer, were unable sometimes to persuade or manipulate certain people due the random acts and out of character emotional decisions humans can make. If information is just pattern that has no meaning and only a probability function according to Hayles, then Wintermute is a decoder of those patterns.

However the power of Wintermute has limitations since he does not see the randomness “interpenetrated” with information. As Riviera from the novel states “[Wintermute] can't really understand us, you know. He has his profiles but those are only statistics. You may be a statistical animal, darling, and Case is nothing but, but I possess a quality unquantifiable by its very nature”(Gibson 219).

This scene supports Hayles belief that information can never be separate from the medium or body that imagines it in the first place. True power and information manipulation over people requires not just their profiles, mathematical statistical predictions of how they will act, but the knowledge of the “randomness”, the emotional and imaginative nature of human beings.

Wintermute fails several times to accurately predict human patterns consequently almost ruining his plans and makes one realize the limits of his power. For example when Molly disregards Wintermute's instructions to go in a specific direction and almost gets killed by Ashpool, Wintermute in the form of the Finn, says “You guys,[...]you're a pain. The Flatline here, if you were all like him, it would be real simple. He's a construct, just a buncha ROM, so he always does what I expect him to. My projections said there wasn't much chance of Molly wandering on Ashpool's big exit”(Gibson 205).

Here Wintermute seems to admit his limitations at reading people, and disdain that people are not just information as patterns. Wintermute has no sure way of predicting the future from patterns of information because he lacks the emotional, irrational, and spontaneous feature of humans. Wintermute is pure logic and math but has no creativity and that lack of that half of humanity, results in loss of power and control over what happens.

In comparison, the opposite of Wintermute, is the other artificial intelligence Neuromancer, who attempts to manipulate reality in more subtle ways, appealing to human emotions such as love and hate. The patterns of information he sees inhibit the more human emotional side. When Case asks Neuromancer if he killed Linda his girlfriend, he responds “No. I saw her death coming. In patterns you sometimes imagined you could detect in the dance of the street. Those patterns are real. I am complex enough, in my narrow ways to read those dances. Far better than Wintermute can”(259).

Here Case realizes it was Neuromancer who has been sending him images and subtle messages that made him emotional and think certain things. However no matter how good Neuromancer reads human personalities, craziness, feelings, etc., he does not have the mathematical function or control over most of the computer technology like Wintermute, who can control robots and make himself appear in almost any form of communication technology. Neuromancer's ability by itself has its limits since he can not do things such as blackmail people. This means that as long as emotional patterns and pure probability patterns remain separate, total control and influence over humanity remains impossible.

Case is a good example of the power of human emotion in combination with technology. At the end of the novel, he plunges deep in order to get through the information security systems. His technological and logical skills alone do not drive him to his full potential but rather his hate. Case feels the “his hate flowed into his hands. In the instant before he drove Kuang's sting through the base of the first tower, he attained a level of proficiency exceeding anything he's known or imagined. Beyond ego, beyond personality, beyond awareness, he moved[...]grace of the mind-body interface granted him[...]by the clarity and singleness of his wish to die”(Gibson 262).

Here Case realizes a greater potential in his abilities as a hacker. And that potential does not come from logic along, but from his emotions, his hatefulness, and his acceptance of death. This seems to support the idea that information, information about humanity, relies more than just mathematical probabilities because there appears to be something in the human mind that allows us to change, shift, and evolve out of their conventional character profile.

Conclusion

Human beings do crazy things in Gibson's Neuromancer such as drugs, sex, and murders, but that craziness allows them resist be categorized, predictable, uncontrollable by minds like Wintermute who only look at the logical statistical data of how certain human will act. According to Hayles the essence of information consists of the randomness that interconnects with patterns. Those who recognize that and don't try to separate them, will achieve greater understanding and power. Eventually Wintermute and Neuromancer who each represent mathematical probability and fluctuating human emotions, combine and become a being that seems like a god.


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Quality stands out as a very crucial organizational element that helps organizat ...

Quality stands out as a very crucial organizational element that helps organizations to strike a competitive front against its competitors in the industry. This is because it guarantees the best durability and quality of products and/or services, thus ensuring that customers are always satisfied and loyal to the brand. There are some widely renowned quality models that are used by multinationals in the world over. They include the Six Sigma, Toyota’s Lean system, the Total Quality Management model, and others. Such is the effectiveness of these models that business marketers are always assured of success when they place more emphasis on quality as opposed to quantity. This relies on the fact that the production of quality products and/or services help to protect an organization against the intense competitive pressure from rivals. Consequently, the tools that are associated with quality management are used to introduce changes in the processes and systems, which go a long way in establishing a set of superior services and products.

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This analysis chooses to explore the quality initiative systems that are used at the Coca Cola Company to ensure that the brand sustains its image in the market of being the number one soft drinks producing company. The company was established in 1886 by a pharmacist known as Dr. Pemberton John in Georgia (Keller, Parameswaran, & Jacob, 2011). Since then, it has consistently grown and developed to become the largest producer, marketer and seller of non-alcoholic drinks globally (Mitroff & Silvers, 2010). This analysis will evaluate Coca Cola’ current management system and how it has been effective in meeting the overwhelming consumer needs and product demands. The report is based on the belief that since the company is an international dealer with numerous subsidiaries and presence in many countries, it is bound to experience quality management constraints, a factor that could place its hard-earned gains at the mercy of its competitors, such as Pepsi. The central question at this point is how Coca Cola manages to pursue the policy of quality in the wake of expectations to produce a quantity that is able to meet the demands of consumers in the world over.

As mentioned earlier, Coca Cola is headquartered in Georgia, with a very strong and reliable product portfolio, including brands such as Fanta, Coke, Oasis, Sprite, Abbey Water and Powerade (Zhang & Suslick, 2007). More importantly, each drink is of high quality that meets the expectations and satisfaction of consumers (Zhang & Suslick, 2007). Since it has a strong international presence, it becomes essential to meet these requirements (Zhang & Suslick, 2007). The production team has established a system of inspection throughout the production process, more so in the stage of testing the coke samples to ensure that they adhere to the standards (Zhang & Suslick, 2007).

In addition, the system (production system) is attached to Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC). While the latter focuses on the main production line with the obligation of addressing production challenges within the shortest time possible, the latter is a computerized check that digitally monitors the production process. According to past scenario, QA and QC have been instrumental in preventing the processing of defective products reaching customers (Zhang & Suslick, 2007). This is because the two collaborate to detect problems at an early stage and resolving the issue before it gets out of hand. For instance, bottles that are found to have defects are placed in the waiting area so that they could be inspected further (Keller, Parameswaran, & Jacob, 2011).

Reflection

Coca Cola’s quality management system is one of the most practical and effective quality models when it comes to providing satisfaction and meeting the expectations of loyal customers. What is more, it is very much detailed and is characterized by an inspection system at main points of the production process. The QA and QC systems are a very strategic approach and their purposes help to explain why the company has been able to produce differentiated drinks that no other company has ever managed to emulate. The two systems are quite similar to the Total Quality Management system because of their capability of instilling a sense of inspecting quality at every system of the production process. It means that there is an extreme level of emphasis on quality since the stakeholders realize that it (quality) forms the backdrop of the company’s competitive strength.

Conclusion

Consequently, the tools that are associated with quality management are used to introduce changes in the processes and systems, which go a long way in establishing a set of superior services and products. The paper has explored the quality organization of Coca Cola Company. It is a large organization with many customer demands and expectations. This makes it very vulnerable to compromise on quality while pursuing quantity and making extra revenue. The company’s quality system comprises the QA and QC, aside from inspection systems that are attached to the major parts in the production process. The QA and QC systems are a very strategic approach and their purposes help to explain why the company has been able to produce differentiated drinks that no other company has ever managed to emulate.


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Table of contentsIntroductionBusiness SegmentsRisk ManagementRegulationIntroduct ...

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Business Segments
  3. Risk Management
  4. Regulation

Introduction

As one of the oldest and largest financial institutions in the world, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) serves millions of consumers around the world. Headquartered in New York City and operating primarily in the United States, JPMorgan Chase also services some of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional, and government clients. Throughout its history, JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors have been serial acquirers, merging with peers and competitive firms to reach the global scale of what is now the largest bank in the United States, and the world's sixth largest bank by total assets. JPMorgan Chase was established as the result of the combination of several large U.S. banking companies in 1996 and prior, including Chase Manhattan Bank, J.P. Morgan & Co., Bank One, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. The company and name JPMorgan Chase was formalized in 2000 (JPMorgan Chase). JPMorgan Chase has integrated these acquisitions into their model as an integrated universal bank, the result of which has been a full-service portfolio of banking products and services available to a variety of clients. As we look at JPMorgan Chase, we see four main business segments of the firm that operate and offer a wide variety of financial services to a comprehensive range of clients around the globe. As a large multinational bank, JPMorgan Chase is faced with different types of risks. We look at not only how these risks are measured, but also how JPMorgan Chase typically protects itself from them. Given the history of fraudulent cases and illegal acts by similar firms, we will also be looking at a number of institutions, both foreign and domestic, that oversee and regulate JPMorgan Chase and its subsidiary firms (JPMorgan Chase).

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Business Segments

On a broad scale, JPMorgan Chase has four operating segments—consumer and community banking, corporate and investment banking, commercial banking, and asset management. The largest of the four, contributing 46% to the company's total revenues, is consumer and community banking, with corporate and investment banking coming in second with 34% in revenues. Asset management and commercial banking contribute 12% and 7% respectively (King, 2015). In 2012 JPMorgan Chase chase took a substantial step forward by combining Chase’s three key retail businesses: consumer and business banking, mortgage banking, and Card, merchant services and auto finance into one franchise—consumer and community banking. This branch serves consumers and businesses through personal service such as ATMs, online, mobile, and telephone banking. Consumer and Business Banking provides deposit and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses are offered lending, deposit, and cash management. Within credit card services, credit cards are issued to consumers and small businesses to provide payment services to the corporate and public sector. This subsection also offers clients auto and student loan services. Lastly, mortgage banking includes mortgage orientation and portfolios made up of residential mortgages and home equity loans (Annual Report 2014).

Another key segment of JPMorgan Chase is its corporate and investment banking sector. Here the firm strives to deliver strategic advice and solutions including raising capital, risk management and underwriting. This segment is broken up into two main components: banking services and markets and investor services. The first offers a full range of investment banking products including raising capital in equity and debt markets as well as loan origination. This service also includes treasury services, which is composed of transaction services dealing with cash management and liquidity solutions. On the other hand, the markets and investors services segment is a global market maker offering myriad risk management solutions, and also includes the securities services business which oversees the lending products that are sold to investment funds and insurance companies (Annual Report 2014).

When it comes to commercial banking the company aims to deliver extensive industry knowledge, local expertise, and dedicated service to both U.S and international clients. Overall, the firm provides comprehensive financial solutions that deal with lending, investment banking, and asset management (Annual Report 2014). This segment is further divided into four primary client segments: middle market banking (covering corporate, municipal, and nonprofit clients, with annual revenue generally ranging from between $20 million and $500 million), corporate client banking (covering clients with annual revenue generally ranging from between $500 million to $2 billion and focuses on clients that have broader investment banking needs), commercial term lending (providing term financing to real estate investors), and real estate banking (providing full-service banking to investors and developers). This segment seeks to further differentiate the company’s service and capabilities to continue to improve in the future by increasing the client base and building deeper client relationships (Annual Report 2014).

The asset management division offers investment management across all major asset classes, including equities, fixed income securities, multi-asset solutions, and alternative investments (See Appendix Graphic 1). While there are a variety of clients, the majority of asset management client assets are in actively managed portfolios (Annual Report 2014). There are two distinct lines of service within asset management—global investment management, which provides investment services on a global scale like active risk-budgeting strategies. The second is global wealth management that focuses on investment advice and investment management as well as specialty wealth advisory services. JP Morgan Chase prides themselves on the unique combination of the two (See Appendix Graphic 2). Furthermore, the client segments within asset management can be broken down into private banking, including high and ultra-high net worth individuals, institutional, including corporate and public institutions, and finally retail clients which are composed of financial intermediaries and individual investors.

These business segments have a global footprint comparable in scale to JPMorgan Chase’s largest institutional clients and the geographic diversity of their smallest retail clients. The firm operates in more than 60 countries with a primary focus in North American. However, given JPMorgan Chase’s size, the scale of operations in each smaller foreign market remains large. In 2014, JPMorgan Chase recorded more than $34 billion in revenue, 50% of which was acquired from consumers and clients outside of the United States. Of this $17 billion in international revenue, 66% was derived from the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), representing a market where JPMorgan Chase’s business is mature and well-known. 27% was generated from the Asian region and the last 7% came from the Latin American region, a place where management perceives their ability to grow and develop the JPMorgan Chase brand may be the greatest (Annual Report 2014). Most revenues from international markets are being generated through the corporate and investment banking and asset management business segments of JPMorgan Chase.

Risk Management

JP Morgan’s total assets and total liabilities both increased from December 31, 2013 by 157.4 billion and 136.6 billion, respectively. The assets for the period ending December, 2014 totaled $2,573,126 (See Appendix Graphic 4). These assets included cash and fees from banks and deposits with banks, federal funds sold, and securities purchased under resale agreements. Cash items on a bank’s balance sheet generally are composed of reserves, cash items in process of collection, and deposits at other banks (Mishkin 402). Assets also included are trading assets, which were driven by client market making activities in corporate and investment banking. Additionally, securities made up a big chunk at $348,004, and these are generally made up of debt instruments because banks are not allowed to hold stock (Mishkin 402). Other assets that played a role in JPMorgan Chase’s bank statements were loans and allowance for loan losses. These are a reflection of probable credit losses that arise in the consumer and wholesale loan portfolios. These losses are estimated using statistical analyses. Moreover, accrued interest in accounts receivables was a direct result of market making activities and security sales. Additionally, there are other assets listed that can be the result of physical capital as well as private equity investments due to sales (Annual Report 2014).

The liabilities can also be broken down further (See Appendix Graphic 3). Deposits made up the majority of liabilities at $1,363,427, and are comprised of consumer and wholesale deposits driven by client activity and growth. Another large liability on JPMorgan’s balance sheet is federal funds purchased and securities loaned or sold under repurchase agreements. This liability is attributable to higher financing of the firm’s trading of debt and equity instruments. Commercial paper is also a liability for the institution. The increase in the issuance of commercial paper can be attributed to short-term funding plans which consist primarily of securities loaned or sold under repurchase agreements. Another liability, accounts payable, can increase due to both client short positions as well as security purchases that did not settle, and the final component was long-term debt. This debt is a result of long term funding, the majority of which is issued by the parent holding company to provide flexibility and additional liquidity for the firm. Long term funding objectives include maximizing market access and optimizing funding costs (Annual Report 2014).

JPMorgan Chase, like most major banks and financial institutions, faces eight main types of risk. These risks are credit risk, market risk, operational risk, liquidity risk, reputational risk, business risk, systemic risk, and moral hazard risk. The first three risks are the major ones, with the following three also being important. The last two are generally unrelated to JPMorgan Chase’s everyday operations, but nevertheless warrant consideration, as they can still affect their bottom line. According to the website Market Realist “The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or BCBS) defines credit risk as the potential that a bank borrower, or counterparty, will fail to meet its payment obligations regarding the terms agreed with the bank.” (Market Realist, 2014) This type of risk is measured by credit scoring, credit analysis, stress testing (Annual Report 2014), and through the use of credit ratings through rating services companies such as Standard and Poor’s via letter grades from AAA to D. For market risk, the website Market Realist states “The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision defines market risk as the risk of losses in on- or off-balance sheet positions that arise from movement in market prices.” Because JPMorgan Chase is heavily involved in investment banking, this is of particular concern to them. There are many ways to measure market risk, including gap analysis, duration analysis, scenario analysis, portfolio theory, and derivatives risk measures such as delta, gamma, vomma, zomma, et cetera.

Operational risk includes any risk of loss due to some failure of internal processes, which may include legal risk. Managerial, information technology and process-related risks are also all forms of operational risk. In measuring operational risks, JPMorgan Chase uses statistical measurements, scenario-based approaches, and scorecard approaches, in addition to “value at risk” (VaR). Any institution’s liquidity risk refers to the risk of not having enough cash on hand to meet its day-to-day obligations and expenses. This kind of risk can sometimes lead to a bank run. Measuring liquidity risk (particularly funding liquidity risk) involves normalizing bank bids and constructing an aggregate proxy of funding liquidity risk by summing across the adjusted bids of all banks. Reputational risk is any risk arising from the image of the bank in the eyes of consumers resulting from any action taken by the bank. This can lead to a loss of confidence in the bank from the public. JPMorgan’s reputational risk can be measured by examining a bank’s stock price reaction or sales of its products and services when the bank takes some action that negatively impacts the public’s perception of it, as well as through market surveys. A bank’s business risk relates to risks incurred from the bank’s long-term strategies, or the tradeoffs it makes to remain competitive. This pertains mainly to a bank choosing a faulty strategy. The measurements a bank can use to measure business risk include the contribution margin ratio, the operation leverage effect, the financial leverage effect, and the total leverage effect. A bank’s systemic risk refers to the probability that the entire financial industry could be disrupted negatively. It is the risk the entire industry and market faces. Some of the measures used to measure systemic risk include illiquidity and correlation, principal components analysis, regime-switching models, and granger causality tests. Referring again to the website Market Realist, a moral hazard risk “…refers to a situation where a person, a group (or persons), or an organization is likely to have a tendency or a willingness to take a high-level risk, even if it’s economically unsound. The reasoning is that the person, group, or organization knows that the costs of such risk-taking, if it materializes, won’t be borne by the person, group, or organization taking the risk.” Price elasticities of demand can be used (as an economic measure) to provide quantitative information regarding moral hazards risk.

The main ways in which a bank can protect itself from each of these risk factors is listed below in respective order:

  1. Credit Risk—Creating provisions at the time of disbursing the loan, and making an acquisition of a business they immediately raise capital in common equity to protect capital position (Annual Report 2014).
  2. Market Risk—Asset allocation or diversification. In the case of JPMorgan Chase, limits are set according to market risk and are regularly updated and approved by business segments and senior management (Annual Report 2014).
  3. Operational Risk—Putting system and managerial controls in place and tracking key risk indicators (KRIs). JPMorgan Chase has its Firmwide Control Committee (FCC) that reviews and discusses firmwide operational risk and risk metrics (Annual Report 2014).
  4. Liquidity Risk- JPMorgan has a Liquidity Risk Oversight Group which provides independent assessments, measurements, and control of liquidity risk. They can also borrow from the Central Bank
  5. Reputational Risk—Bank advertisements, branding, and regulatory compliance and transparency.
  6. Business Risk—Avoiding fast-growth strategies, maintaining managerial competence, hiring consultants. Specifically JPMorgan has a number of business risk committees that deal with this (Annual Report 2014).
  7. Systemic Risk—Maintaining capital and liquidity, instituting more resilient market structures, and maintaining supervisory practices. They are also performing ongoing analyses regarding this type of risk.
  8. Moral Hazard Risk—Offering incentives, implementing policies to prevent immoral behavior, and regular monitoring.

Regulation

JPMorgan Chase is a financial holding company. As such, there are other companies operating under JPMorgan Chase. The main banking subsidiaries of JPMorgan Chase are JPMorgan Chase Bank (N.A. - National Association) and Chase Bank USA (N.A.). The principle non-banking subsidiary is JP Morgan Securities LLC, which is the investment bank of the firm in the U.S. The firm also has an asset management unit. (see Graphic 5 in the Appendix for the organizational framework) Because each subsidy conducts a different operation, there are different regulations concerning the subsidiaries of JPMorgan Chase. The firm is regulated for its commercial banking activities, investment banking activities, and investment management activities. For the commercial banking activities there are three major regulators supervising the firm’s activities. These regulators are the Federal Reserve Bank, the Office of the Comptroller of The Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Federal Reserve Bank is an umbrella regulator, which means that it has authority over the entire company. This right was given to The Federal Reserve System by the Dodd-Frank Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2010, to increase the regulation on the financial sector after the f?nancial crisis. The Office of the Comptroller of The Currency (OCC) is responsible for the soundness of the banking system. It also ensures equal access to financial services to all Americans. (OCC) Moreover, the Office of the Comptroller of The Currency is responsible for the protection of the banking system from money laundering and other finance-related crime. The Office of the Comptroller of The Currency is controlled by the Treasury of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which is also a government agency, and is another regulator that provides insurance for bank accounts in member banks. Each depositor is protected for up to $250,000 for each account ownership categories of checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. However, providing this insurance brings some extra regulation to JPMorgan Chase. The firm needs to report to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regularly as well as fulfill some requirements to maintain transparency. The investment bank is under the regulation for its operations as a broker/dealer. The Securities and Exchange Commission regulates investment banking operations. The Securities and Exchange Commission regulates the investment banking subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase in regards to licensing, accounting, compensation, reporting, filing, advertising, product offerings, and fiduciary responsibilities (Securities and Exchange).

Additionally, certain futures- and swap-related activities are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission - CFTC. The asset management activities of JPMorgan Chase are regulated through the Volcker Rule that is under the Dodd-Frank Act. According to the Volcker Rule, a firm cannot engage in proprietary trading activities except for underwriting, market making and risk mitigation. The firm is also regulated for its derivatives trading under the Dodd-Frank Act. The banking activities of the firm are regulated according to Basel III Regulations. These regulations cover capital requirements and assets and liabilities management (Hummel 2015). The capital requirements consist of Tier 1, Tier 2. Tier 1 refers to the bank’s own equity (common stock and retained earnings) and, according to Basel III, the Tier 1 capital ratio (Tier 1 capital relative to the total risk-weighted assets) should be at least 6% (Bank of International). Tier 2 consists of the supplementary capital of the bank including revaluation reserves, undisclosed reserves, hybrid instruments, and subordinated term debt Tier 2) The capital adequacy ratio (Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital relative to the total risk-weighted assets) must be at least 8% (Bank For International). The capital conservation buffer (the additional capital the bank should hold relative to its risk-weighted assets) will go into effect in 2016 and it increases gradually each year until 2019 when the minimum capital conservation buffer must be at least 2.5% (Bank For International). Beginning in 2019 the capital adequacy ratio along with the capital conservation ratio must be at least 10.5%.

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Additional capital ratios can be found in the appendix. The assets and liabilities management includes the liquidity coverage ratio and the net stable funding ratio. Banks must hold highly liquid assets, such as treasury bonds, that cover their net cash outflows for at least 30 days to comply with the liquidity coverage ratio (Basel 3 for Dummies). The net stable funding ratio states that a bank’s long-term (longer than 1 year) assets must exceed the longer term commitments. These commitments include the risks assigned to the assets and the off-balance sheet liquidity exposures. This ratio aims to promote medium-term and long-term funding for the banks.


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Instead of being interested in the lighting and phenomenon of color, post impres ...

Instead of being interested in the lighting and phenomenon of color, post impressionists move towards bright colors and sharp edges. The artists of the post impressionistic period chose not to work together because there work focused on what they each individually felt including theories, goals, and views of the world. I chose Paul Cezanne's painting entitled ``Still Life With a Curtain'', an oil on canvas that some consider one of his best and most influential still lives. When you look at this painting, I first notice the preservation and display of the bright colors, specifically the oranges and the flower pot. Even the off white table cloth which appears to be filthy contrasts with the other colors to make them seem even brighter.

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Paul Cezanne was a french artist and post impressionist painter who helped transition to a new world of art in the 20th century. His brushstrokes are highly recognizable in the art world as was moving to explore new methods. Many artists take Cezanne's final twenty years of his life being spent in the south of France as an inspiration, as if he gave everything up in the name of art. Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gaugine and vuillard are some of my personal favorite Post Impressionistic painters. I have chosen to write about Cezanne because I like the way he analyzes nature. Cezanne was never into the way impressionists tried to mimic the specific look and feel of nature, instead he was interested in still life's. You can see is his later watercolors and landscapes the pattern of his brushstrokes always overlapping. This was a precursor to cubism. He insisted on personal expression through his art, which was a major part of the post impressionistic movement. He believed that there was a hidden order in nature and it could be displayed in a non traditional way, such as with a simple painting of fruit and a flower pot on a slanted table. Although his paintings remained to be abstract, you can still easily recognize the objects in them.

Although Cezanne's piece ``Still Life With A Curtain'' and Van Gogh's ``Starry Night'' seem to be very different from each other, they are from the same post impressionist period. Both pieces of art contain sharp edges, the use of bright colors, and a personal touch from the artist. Below, I have placed a picture of Van Gogh's ``Starry Night'' alongside Cezanne's painting. Both Cezanne and Van Gogh worked with unique styles to show there own interests through their artwork. For example, you can sense Van Gogh's love of religion and nature through his painting of Starry Night by the emotional swirls in the sky and by the size of the stars. When we see stars at night they are not that large, but Van Gogh evokes his emotions and love for the stars through the sheer size he paints them. We see them as tiny spots in the sky, but he views them as massive beautiful swirls of light. Invoking personal interests is an important part of post impressionism. Cezanne wanted to re-create the world in the way he sees it through his art, and he did this through his use of bright colors to give his the fruit in his painting a more round shape. Both artists took an interest in the Provencal countryside.

In both these paintings, I believe Cezanne and Van Gogh are attempting to show what they believe to be the hidden order of nature. They abandon the illusionist views of background and foreground and instead create there own idea of pictorial space. Although the paintings are seen as abstract, you can still clearly pick out the objects in the scenes. For example, you can clearly see that those are stars and a church in Van Gogh's ``Starry Night'', and at the same time you can see that Cezanne is painting fruit on the table.

He is the father of modern art and lead the way for artists like Picasso to come along and flatten the picture plane out, which is what modernism is for many people, the move toward abstraction and flatness in a picture plane. He was interested in sacrificing illusionist flatness for a psychological depth. The paintings show a clear picture of C?zanne's intense study of his subjects because of the great detail he goes into, but also his inner struggle with complicated field of human visual perception. Both artists are great examples of post impressionism and its move towards Cubism.


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Taylor Swift has been on top of the music charts since she started her career. H ...

Taylor Swift has been on top of the music charts since she started her career. Her most recent album, 1989, has broken many records and has given the public numerous songs that will be stuck in the heads of Americans forever. One of these is “Blank Space”, a song about a psychotic serial girlfriend who goes through the familiar process of falling in and out of love with a boy every couple of months. Some of the lines in this song include phrases such as, “Find out what you want/Be that girl for a month,” and “Boys only want love if it’s torture”. Overall, the song shows how women are supposed to be perfectly poised and sophisticated; yet, when they are not they are seen as crazy and manipulative. It also shows that men are pigs who only love for selfish reasons. This song stands out as a commentary on gender as it addresses issues that pertain to both genders. It is seen how this song affects members of the different genders psychologically through the concepts of essentialism, overt aggression, the Id, and benevolent sexism.

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Essentialism describes the behavioral differences between genders as a product of qualities resident in that gender. So, for example, under essentialism, a woman is crazy and manipulative because it is naturally part of her genetics as a woman. An example of this in the song is, “Stolen kisses, pretty lies/You're the king baby I'm your Queen”. This line gives the idea that because she is his queen, “pretty lies” is an expected side effect. The adjective ‘pretty’ with the word lies is also an example of benevolent sexism, where a member of a certain gender is treated especially well because they are that particular gender. With ‘pretty lies’ it gives the connotation that the lies are acceptable, because they are beautiful like a women, when really anyone should be scolded for lying. Essentialism is also seen in the idea supported by the song that men use women in relationships; it is just a trait that comes with the Y chromosome. An example of this in the song is, “'Cause you know I love the players/And you love the game”. By making players plural, it implies that the next line about players applies to all men who are identified as players. The entire line implies that all men, who are players, love the pain they cause when they ‘play’ women. Overall, the song blank space uses the idea of essentialism to commentate on how some qualities of men and women are seen as innate and are therefore excusable.

Another concept illustrated in the song is overt aggression, which is a physical threat or action that purposely harms another person. This concept in the song is best seen in the music video, where Taylor Swift is a rich bachelorette who brings men to her mansion whenever she is single. By the end of the music video she has thrown a vase at the man, stabbed his portrait, destroyed his car, and either knocked him out or killed him, it is not entirely clear. The overt aggression goes along with the idea that women are manipulative and crazy. Overt aggression is also found in the song with lines such as, “You can tell me when it's over/If the high was worth the pain”, and “It'll leave you breathless/Or with a nasty scar”. It becomes clear that the end of this relationship always had the intention in ending in pain.

During the whole song of blank space, both in the lyrics and in the music video, the characters are led purely by their Id. In psychoanalytic theory, the Id is the part of the subconscious that drives the desire for sex and aggression, and other things that are seen as socially unacceptable in society. An example of this in the song is, “Rose gardens filled with thorns/Keep you second guessing like/"Oh my God, who is she?"/I get drunk on jealousy/But you'll come back each time you leave/'Cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream”. There are multiple examples of the Id in this line. First, the line that states “Rose gardens filled with thorns” does a great job at explaining the idea of the Id. The Id gets someone to do what looks pleasurable and fun, just as a rose looks desirable, but there are most always negative consequences for following this desire, hence the thorns on the rose. Another way the Id is seen at this point is when she states, “I get drunk on jealousy”. Getting drunk connotes an unrealistic bliss and possibly an obsession with the substance that causes the drunkness. The fact that she gets drunk on something seen as bad, jealousy, is another way the Id is used in this song. The Id is entirely based on finding joy in things that are seen as bad, such as getting drunk on jealousy. Finally, “a nightmare dressed like a daydream” is exactly how the Id presents itself, something that will lead down a dark road, but sounds so enticing that it is followed. Overall, the entire song is based off of characters following their Id and letting it guide their lives.

Overall, it is not clear whether Taylor Swift was trying to commentate on gender or if she was oblivious of the messages she was portraying with the lyrics and the music video of one of her hit songs. It is most likely that she was aware of this as she is often described as a crazy ex-lover who dates too much in the media, so this could be her way of responding to those accusations in a sarcastic tone. Her song exemplifies how men and women are expected to fit certain roles and negative consequences such as overt aggression and side effects of the Id are seen if these are not always kept.

I did not like this essay. It was helpful for understanding how the terms are seen in real life, but I had a hard time finding something to write about that I cared about and I felt like I had to stretch to find things to talk about when I finally did find that topic. Also I had a hard time reaching the word count for this paper. The entire time I felt like I was stretching to find discriminations against gender in the song, and I feel like we should not be trying to find things to be offended about, because that is where discontent comes into play. More than anything, this taught me that you can find gender discriminations in anything and be offended by anything if you choose to be. I was honestly quite discontent that my assignment was to find problems in our culture when we have already have got enough to deal with, so why go out and find more to add to our list of things to fix? So, overall, I think the essay did what you wanted it to do in that I had to study the terms in order to use them correctly, but I did not enjoy the assignment and it did not make me feel empathetic towards gender discriminations, it made me more indifferent.


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