Planned Change Programs May be Harmful to Organizations Essay

Planned Change Programs May be Harmful to Organizations - Essay Example It is common for every organization that is interested in maximizing its profit to have well-structured organizational plans. Nevertheless, not all planned change works for the best interest of the organization in question. In fact many planned changes are considered to be of great harm to many organizations (Marion 2011). Nevertheless, research shows that there are available alternatives to planned changes.Planned changes are essential to better position the extension organization and focus on client needs and moving forward in sustainability programs (Marion, 2011).. Reorganization provides a framework for longer-term commitment to organizations and sub units are being encouraged to put work teams in place to ensure that each sector integrates staff and services into a cohesive, focused business unit (Cheremisin and Davletshin, 2010). Consultation and participation are believed to be essential for the successful development and implementation of organizational goals and objectives. Each work team is asked to develop an effective process for discussion of major challenges and opportunities facing the organization, if possible, over the next decade. Updated strategic plans are then developed.In addition to this, these plans form a framework for focusing organizational resources on the most strategic fields by using a well laid out approach. Updated strategies are implemented by workers at all levels of management in many organizations, 90 percent of the work force is provided by the human beings.

Greenwashing Case Essay Example for Free

Greenwashing Case Essay â…  .Introduction An appreciation for environmental protection has matured steadily in recent decades. With increasing concerns over the environment comes an increasing popularity of greenwashing. Consequently, companies whose actions do not match their environmentally-friendly promotions may mislead consumers in terms of the environmental benefits of a product or service. This essay explores possible reasons of the visible boom in greenwashing and claims that Nike, a sportswear and equipment supplier, deserves the accusation of greenwashing. â… ¡.Reasons for Greenwashing Clearly, the widespread popularity of greenwashing arises in the pursuance of reputation and sales. A recent survey conducted by Advertising Age indicates that 78% of customers prefer eco-friendly corporations to companies that are reckless with the environmental issue (Berkeley Media Studies Group 2008, p.2). The result of this survey serves as an incentive for companies to greenwash. Moreover, greenwashing definitely yields fruitful results for these companies. In a survey conducted by Landor Associates, BP, a corporation being accused of greenwashing, is considered to be more environmentally friendly than its counterparts, with its voters surpassing that of Shell by 6 per cent (Solman 2008, p.24). Most importantly, greenwashing helps BP promote sales from 2004($192 billion) to 2006($266 billion) (Solman 2008, p.24). With such a prime example of greenwashing, no wonder other companies follow in BPs footsteps. â… ¢.Nike’s official claims Nike claims that it regards environmental protection and humane management as part of their corporate responsibility. Primarily, several claims are made regarding environmental content of its products. Nike claims that T-shirts it sells in the US contain 3 per cent organic cotton and 90 per cent of its shoes are free from toxic glues, cleaners and solvents (Beder 2002, p.25). On top of that, it asserts that it eliminates the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from its shoes (Beder 2002, p.27). Furthermore, it also advertises regarding good working conditions and happy workers in a Vietnamese factory (Beder 2002, p.25). â… £.Analysis of Claims It is doubtful whether Nike really produces clothes with 3 per cent organic cotton and 90 per cent of shoes are without toxic glues, cleaners and solvents. Rather than manufacturing its own products, Nike is only responsible for designing and marketing them and there is no supervision of the manufacturing process (Beder 2002, p.27). Furthermore, in order to promote credibility, Nike has the claim endorsed by United Nations. However, it turns out that United Nations do no monitoring of the claim made by Nike, either (Beder 2002, p.26). Consequently, Nike has no certification for this claim it makes. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the official claim regarding the environmental-friendly content in sportswear will be more than empty rhetoric. Due to the lack of valid evidence and certification, Nike’s claim considering the sportswear’s content commits the â€Å"sin of no proof† (TerraChoice 2007, p.8). Nike’s claim regarding PVC-free shoes may not be a true reflection of the fact. In a press conference, Soon after Nike’s repeated assurance regarding the PVC-free shoes, Greenpeace (a reliable organization against PVC) has claimed that Nike’s search for an alternative substitute for PVC have barely begun (Beder 2002, p.27). Given the fact that research has not lasted long, it is very unlikely that Nike is manufacturing shoes that are free from PVC, which makes this claim turn out to be a false claim. Nike commits the â€Å"sin of fibbing† (TerraChoice 2007, p.9) . Inconsistent with its advertisement, workers may not be so happy and contented in the Nike’s factory since Nike is definitely unkind to them. Nike is deceptive regarding comfortable working conditions. Specifically, in Vietnamese Nike plants, workers are exposed to carcinogens at 177 times safe levels and paid $10 for a 65-hour work per week (Beder 2002, p.27). Such differences between Nike’s claims and its behaviors are called bluewashing, which is categorized as one kind of greenwashing. Bluewashing refers to corporations that wrap themselves in the flag of human rights and labor rights, while their actions are quite otherwise (Corpwatch 2001, p.2). Furthermore, there is no uniform definition of happiness. Not only does the company misuse workers, it also makes a vague commitment because happiness is a feeling that varies from person to person. Such ambiguity proves that Nike commits the â€Å"sin of vagueness† (TerraChoice 2007, p.9). â… ¤.Counter-Arguments While Nike fails to realize certain official claims, it improves the environment and sustainability. Specifically, Nike claims that materials used in shoeboxes are 100% recycled and these shoeboxes weigh 10% less than those made up of non-recyclable paper (Stoner 2006, p.4). Nike helps alleviate deforestation by using recycled materials, thereby contributing to sustainable development and environmental protection. On the other hand, while Nike spends $1.13 billion on advertising and promoting the reputation of its products in 2003, it only donates $100,000 since 1998 to education programs for Nike workers. Compared with charity, it seems that much more funds are invested in advertising. The endeavor to greenwash far outweighs the effort to assume social responsibility. Hence, Nike is still greenwashing. â… ¥.Conclusion Overall, this paper reports that there are some reasons for companies to greenwash and even though Nike makes some effort to protect the environment, it has every reason to be accused of greenwashing. The reasons for most companies whose actions do not conform to their environmentally-friendly claims are simple: the pursuits of profits and goodwill. Despite Nike’s contribution towards environmental conservation and sustainability, several official claims regarding working conditions of employees and raw materials of products lack of evidence and clarity. Owing to the proliferation of greenwashing, customers should consider the environmental impact rather than advertising and packaging when shopping. â… ¦.References Beder S, 2002, ‘Putting the Boot In’, The Ecologist, April, pp. 24-28. Berkeley Media Studies Group, 2008, ‘Food Marketers Greenwash Junk Food’, Adweek, March, pp.1-3 CorpWatch, 2001, ‘Greenwash Fact Sheet’, CorpWatch, pp.1-2 Solman G, 2008, ‘Coloring Public Opinion?’, Adweek. January.14, pp22-24 Stoner C, 2006, ‘Corporate Greenings: Nike’, Peakinsight, pp. 1-13 TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. 2007, ‘The Six Sins of Greenwashing’, November, pp.1-12

Acoustic Design in Architecture

Acoustic Design in Architecture Introduction The purpose of this report is to produce a design scheme for the conversion of a large room to a multi use theatre. The report will present the necessary things that need to be considered to ensure a satisfactory acoustic environment by measuring the problems encountered with acoustic design and how to tackle them. The report will look at the problems related to this space and present possible solutions and recommendations based on the information available. Initial plan As in every case, this room presents its own unique set of problems, which involve very common factors such as the shape and size of the room, the intended use of the space, the budget and the basic laws of acoustics. The stage will be best positioned at the centre of the east wall, as shown in Fig.1 The audience depth will be shallow and wide so that the best can be appreciated from a presentation or performance both visually and acoustically. More importantly, the sound reaching the audience will be evenly distributed.   With the stage positioned on the east wall, the obvious step is to place the mixing desks and equipment storage in the boxed area opposite the stage. The walls are made of plasterboard. The room measures 15.176m wide and 12.176 long with an extra pocket on the side measuring 5m by 3.396m. The seating capacity will be approximately 80-100. Problems Although this is the logical way to position the stage and seating, there is a big problem with the design that needs to be ironed out; the roof is high and airy on one side of the room yet low and dense on the other. As symmetry is critical in acoustic design, this is a big problem. However, difficulties would also arise if the stage were positioned at one of the narrower sides of the room because the audience would still not get even sound distribution. The windows pose another big problem for the proposal of the design. If they were a desired feature a sound-reducing window could be fitted, but these are expensive and usually favoured in recording studios or places where visual presentation is not involved. For the purposes of this project, which must accommodate controlled lighting and projectors, daylight and the changes in daylight would be unacceptable. The need for windows in this case is redundant. The project funding cannot warrant electrical devices to control reverberation but sufficient commitment needs to be made towards sound reinforcement. For the purpose of renting the space to organisations outside of the university, it needs to be classed as a music venue, which brings with it its own set of requirements in terms of equipment and maintenance as well as in the acoustic design. Tests with sound inside the space need to be conducted before the speaker arrangement can be determined. Solutions and recommendations Walls The wall opposite the stage will need diffusers to distribute or absorb the sound and regulate reverberation time. Curtains along the back of the stage area will give more options once the venue is up and running and could also be extended to the north and south walls, in addition to the absorbers and diffusers. Rigid Rocksil walling is excellent, but expensive. There are many fiberboard solutions on the market, which would be a cheaper alternative. These can be screwed to the existing wall. Floor A cheap and effective option for the floor is heavy felt carpet underlay with a compressed carpet on the top. An attractive, but more expensive alternative would be to lay wooden flooring over the top of the thick underlay; the hard surface of the wood could enhance the sound quality; too much soft furnishing may deaden the sound. Ceiling The best solution to the problem with the ceiling is to find a balance between the sound generated under the high ceiling, with that being generated under the low side. As the area on one side of the room will have a different sound quality to the other side, absorbers need to be fitted to the high ceiling to counteract echo and a set of diffusers to the low ceiling to maximise the quality of the sound, (see figure 2). An aesthetic feature can be made of the high section of the ceiling using the reflectors and absorbers. Windows doors The solid fire doors will not leak much sound. Vibration leaked through the doorframe can be greatly decreased using doorframe sound gaskets. The windows would be best removed or blocked with absorbers. An air conditioning system will need to be installed, even if the windows remain, air conditioning is still absolutely necessary with so much insulation. Free standing absorbers Another ideal way to add flexibility to the working design of the studio is to include freestanding sound absorbers, deflectors and diffusers. These can be moved around to fit with the nature of performance or presentation and the size of the audience. They can also be custom made without too much expense. Conclusion The initial problem facing this project faces is the multi purpose use for which it has been designated and the flexibility that is required from the finished design. Live music and speech require different methods of application in acoustic design. Speech and drama performances depend largely on design made with good intelligibility in mind, where as acoustic design for music venues needs to take other factors into consideration that may not work out best for speech and vice versa. In addition to this, The University has limited funds for the project. The important factor here is that the design must be finished to a competitive standard and the venue must be able to operate smoothly if The University is to make the theatre a commercial success. More research needs to be carried out inside the room to determine how, exactly, the issue with the ceiling can be properly resolved. The acoustics of the space will need to be tested before work is carried out, using a small sound system that can establish the extent of change in sound from one side of the room to the other. Bibliography Makrinenko, L., Ed, Bradley, J.S.,1986. Acoustics of Auditoriums in Public Buildings, New York: Acoustical Society of America. Elsea P, 1996. ACOUSTIC TREATMENT FOR HOME STUDIOS, California: University of California Santa Cruz. Ed. Wallace Clement Sabine, 1921. Collected Papers on Acoustics, New York:v Acoustical Society of America Acoustic Absorbers and Diffusers: Theory, Design, and Application  by Trevor J. Cox, Peter D’Antonio, Spon Press (April 1, 2004)

No Prayer in Public Schools Essay -- Religion in Public Schools

No Prayer in Public Schools Chapter three of Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints inspired me to research today’s issues of school prayer. To understand how we got to where we are today, I first delved into our countries history of court cases pertaining to rulings on prayer in schools. Lastly, to update my audience on how our lives are being affected today, I directed my efforts toward finding current situations. By analyzing these situations, I gained knowledge for a better understanding of why society needs to be aware of these controversies. I don’t think there should be any form of organized prayer in today’s public schools. Praying in school was first addressed in the Supreme Court in 1962 in the Engle v. Vitale case. The Establishment Clause emerged and stated Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The court ruled the Union Free School District in Hyde Park, NY had violated the First Amendment by directing the principals to cause the following prayer to be said aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of each school day: â€Å"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country† (Longley, "Public"). I agree with the courts ruling because not all students in a classroom share the same beliefs. To cause everyone to say this prayer surely violates their rights. Two other court cases were influential in addressing prayer. In the 1971 Lemon v. Kurtzman case the Supreme Court composed a list of guidelines, known as the Lemon Test, to prove a practice unconstitutional. It states the court will rule a practice unconstitutional if: 1. It lacks any secular purpose. 2. The practice either promote... ...endment on School Prayer or Moment of Silence."   Library n.d.   28 Oct. 2001 . * * Lesk, Emily. â€Å"My Turn: My 60-Second Protest From the Hallway.† Newsweek 11 June 2001: 12-13. * * Longley, Robert.   "Chruch and State: How the Court Decides."   U.S. Gov Info/Resources n.d.   12 Nov. 2001 . * * Longley, Robert.   "Public Schools Don't Have a Prayer."   U.S. Gov Info/Resources n.d.   15 Nov. 2001 . * * McCuen, Gary E.   Religion and Politics: Issues in Religious Liberty.   Hudson: G.E. McCuen Publications, 1989. * * Roleff, Tamara L.   Civil Liberties Opposing Viewpoints.   San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. * * Swomley, John M.   Religion, The State and The Schools.   New York: Pegasus, 1968. *

Nyorican Dream

NyThe Nuyorican Dream is a documentary about the construction of identity and how family, race, class, and sexuality can collapse on top of you. It follows the daily struggles of a migrant lower-class Puerto Rican family living in New York. The Nuyorican Dream is an ambitious and often heartbreaking case. Nuyorican are of second generation who are born and live in New York City. The difference between Nuyorican and Puerto Ricans is the country they are born in and that Nuyorican barely speak Spanish.This film follows three generations of mother Marta Torres’s, forty-six, family. In the year 1940’s – 60s Puerto Ricans suffered of a lot of poverty. You could barely find jobs and if you did the payments could not provide enough money to support your family. Millions migrated to New York City in search for a better life, mainly economically. Marta Torre’s decides to come to Brooklyn, New York around the 1960’s with her family. She comes to aim for a bet ter life,but it doesn’t result how she wished it could of.She is a mother of five kids who only her eldest son Roberto graduated from college and has job as a teacher and administrator in a public school. Her other kids can be considered to be less successful. Eldest sister Tati is addicted to heroin and crack but tries to quit and leave it back so she moves to Florida with her husband but still remains hooked to this addiction. Didn’t finish her education and now is hard for her to find jobs. Has a daughter who is five years old.She struggles through for money and ends up losing her apartment so she moves back to Brooklyn. After years of trying she becomes drug free. Then we have Betty who is 26 years old and is also addicted to heroin and crack. She didn’t finish her education either and got pregnant of 3 kids whom she lost custody for. Marta gets the custody of these three innocent kids. You probably asking yourself why she kept having children after the firs t one if she couldn’t afford to and wasn’t responsible. Well Betty says,† It just happens and I don’t believe in abortion†.Millie the young of the Torres family, thirteen years old, attends school and hopes to get out of the life she is in. Danny, twenty-three younger brother, spend most of his time behind bars due to robbery and drugs. When he thinks he is finish with a life of crime he find himself back in jail till he is thirty. This family was from all corners facing problems and was not what Marta had expected for her kids. Marta brought her kids here mostly to give them a better education and opportunities because Puerto Rico in her time was phasing poverty and political issues.The status of Puerto Ricans based on this film wasn’t as good as what you would imagine. All these migrants came for the American Dreams but in order to have success in it they have to go through many obstacles. Puerto Ricans use both Spanish and English put toget her for is known to us Spanglish. Puerto Ricans are not the only group of Latinos which phase these problems. We have for example Mexicans, Dominicans and Colombians who come to New York City in search of a better life for their kids but they have struggles as well.Many kids don’t take advantage of the opportunities and get peer pressure or hang out with the wrong crew and get to drugs and cutting school. This film taught me that we should always take advantage of the opportunities we get in life and in having a good education. In order to be successful in the United States you will always need education. We should be satisfied and grateful with what we have, because there are others who don’t have half of what we have. We should always be proud of our background because although it has poverty it has beautiful natural resources.

Ways to Discipline

There are many simple ways that parents can help encourage their child’s development from an early age. Learning how to effectively discipline your child is an important skill that all parents need to learn. â€Å"To get what we want in life, we have to do what we have never done.† (Derrick 25). Whether the parent is traditional, a stay home parent, or a fulltime worker, the most precious thing a parent can give his or her kids is their time. Here are some ways to discipline, educate, and spend quality time with your children. It is very important to educate your child to succeed. First of all, build up their confidence and ensure that they are happy children. Fuel their imagination by reading bedtime stories. Roy Derrick’s research found that children who are regularly told stories have a better vocabulary, have more idea of sentence structure, and sense of stories (126). Also, nurture their creative skills through play. Some activities can help; like building with plastic bricks, painting, or simply creating items can help a child to build up their confidence. Here are some ways to discipline your children. Avoid physical punishment; it can make your child more aggressive and angry. Also, remember to always give rewards and praise them for good behavior, that way they will know you are happy when they behave well. â€Å"Because of their size, children may be difficult to discipline properly† (Rourke 38). Most importantly, provide your child with a safe environment in which they feel secure and loved. Discipline means to teach and train children family values, right from wrong, to respect the rights of others, and how they are to behave or not behave. Discipline is a positive parenting skill that emphasizes nurturing, guidance, teaching and training that builds a child’s self-confidence and teaches self-control and behavior management. The better you are with discipline, the less you will have to punish (Lin 45) Try to spend some quality time with your kids. Most parents work all day and do not give their child the time they deserve. There are many easy ways to be there with them, like helping them with homework. Make it fun and interesting for them. Plan a picnic, kids love to be outdoor where there is food, games, and they enjoy spending time with family and friends. â€Å"Your children need your presence more than anything else†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Jackson 42). Growing a garden with your child is also interesting and different from other activities, but they will enjoy getting their hands dirty and being accompanied by you. In conclusion, spending quality time with your kids helps both the parent and child to be more open with one another. Also, educating your child to succeed from the early age, will be an advantage for them in the future. Last of all, to discipline your children with the correct manners, it is important for them and yourself as a parent. Remember to always be there for them when they need you, and you will be a great parent.