Is Machiavelli justified in thinking that it can be right for a leader Essay

Is Machiavelli justified in thinking that it can be right for a leader to lie or break promises - Essay Example Men should not be heavily bound to keep promises, at times promises ought to be broken (Machiavelli 2004). Machiavelli describes the nature of man as being eager for personal gain, avoids danger and is dishonest at times. He also observes that all political leaders tell lies, break promises, extinguish family ruling and use religious beliefs as political tools. Lying has become part of politics and leadership systems in the society today. Lying goes hand in hand with breaking of promises (Kain 1995). A lie can be defined as untrue or false information meant to deceive another person to be as the ultimate truth. According to one of the scholars of deception, Lying is normal and it is not exceptional as human minds and bodies produce deceit. All people lie including lawyers, teachers, religious leaders and business people and it happens mostly in negotiations that are commercial oriented. Political leaders are no exceptional either; they are also involved in lying. Most leaders lie due to their desire to win over a certain agenda or issue related to political gains (Femia 2004). There are many instances that our leaders are involved in lying; current or future long term values about a good or a service, their goals, interests and priorities, when making a reservation point, if lying is the only alternative option left in a deal they are interested in, authority and ability to reduce terns of a certain contract or deal, promises, other offers; tenders, or bidders on a certain good or service, in case of a trial and finally their strength on the position they hold in leadership. Although at times some lies can usually be proved by evidences like documents signed, many forms of lies are not easily detected. Machiavelli argues that a clever leader should not keep his promises if they are not to his advantage. As far it is good to look trustworthy, religious,

Managing Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing Human Resources - Essay Example As a work motivational approach, Cummings and Worley (2009, p. 434) explained that rewards can either be intrinsic or extrinsic by nature. In line with this, intrinsic rewards include the use of sincere acknowledgement for a good performance whereas extrinsic rewards can be in a form of increased salary, stock options, work promotion, or bonus given to employees (Cummings and Worley, 2009, p. 434). As compared to the use of extrinsic rewards, it is easier to implement intrinsic rewards because HR managers can easily make it a habit to acknowledge the effort of each employee in making the organizational goal attainable rather than requesting the business owners and board of directors to increase the available fund which can be use to reward employees for any improvements in their work performance (Shamir et al., 1993). According to Pfeffer (1998, p. 110), HR managers often ask the question â€Å"how much to pay employees† or â€Å"how much compensation package should be includ ed in the company’s reward system† in order to increase the work performance of each employee. Pertaining to the importance of developing and implementing effective pay and reward system, this report will focus on discussing how internal factors (i.e. organizational vision and mission, organizational structure, organizational culture, business objectives and business strategies) and external factors (i.e. competitors’ pay and reward system that is heavily influenced by economic pressures, the current labour market condition, government implemented labour policies, legal issues concerning the basic labour requirements, and the global labour environment) could shape the organizational approaches when designing a business organization’s pay and reward system (Heneman, Fisher and Dixon, 2001; Zingheim, Ledford and Schuster, 1996). Based on the research findings, the researcher will analyze how each factor is link with the other identified factors when designin g pay and reward systems. Internal Factors that Shapes the Organizational Approaches when Designing Pay and Reward Systems Several research studies revealed that internal factors that could significantly affect the shaping of organizational approaches when designing pay and reward systems includes the organizational vision and mission, organizational structure, organizational culture, business objectives and business strategies (Heneman, Fisher and Dixon, 2001; Zingheim, Ledford and Schuster, 1996). Depending on organizational vision and mission, organizational structure, business objectives and business strategies, a business organization can develop a culture with regards to its accepted and widely practiced pay and rewards system. Communicating the organizational vision to the rest of the employees serves as a guide in the development and implementation of strategic planning. In line with this, a shared vision can be use as a guide in developing the kind of reward system which co uld effectively motivate each employee to improve their work performance (Worldatwork, 2007, p. 39). Upon analyzing the significance of organizational vision and mission in the designing of pay and rewards systems, it is necessary for HR managers to be familiar with the organizational

Kuwait Education System Essay Example for Free

Kuwait Education System Essay This is a study with Kuwait in focus. Its going to analyze Kuwaiti education with regards to the following important factors, efficiency and degree of development of the education system, important changes, effects of these changes, most important weaknesses in the availability of human capital measures to overcome these weaknesses, how good the education service is available and how students from Kuwait perform in internationally comparable test scores. The paper generally to tackle the issue stated. Kuwait is a nation in Middle East. It borders Persian Gulf, which is between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It has an area of 17,280 square kilometers and a relatively small population of about 2,596,779 as per estimates of July 2008. Most of its population is male and almost half of this total population figure constitutes foreigners. Kuwaitis constitute about 80% of the total labor force as per 2004 estimates. Almost 10% of world’s oil reserves are in Kuwait and it’s a relatively rich country. Kuwait spends about 3. 8% of it’s GDP on education. Also literacy levels stand at very high percentages for instance 93. 3%. Male literacy is higher at 94. 4%compared to female’s 91% as per 2005 estimates. (The World Fact Book, 2008) Before tackling various issues concerning education it’s good to have a historical background of the same. Kuwaiti educational system development is largely attributed to the richness of the nation courtesy of oil exportation. In the early 1990s educational facilities were quite few in Kuwait. The schools that were there were Quranic schools called al-katabibs. The Quranic schools taught arithmetic, reading and writing. Public education was non existent in the earlier part pf the 20th century and thus, funds to education came from wealthier nationals. The government took over the educational system in the year 1939and by 1945 it had begun 17 schools. After the WWII when oil production started to pick up, the government also raised the stake of its revenue that went to education. In 1960s Kuwait had 45000 students in its educational system which 18000 were female. Major development in education also happened in the 1960s and in 1965 schooling was made compulsory in Kuwait (Kuwait Cultural Office, 2008) The efficiency of the Kuwaiti educational system is explained as follows: today in Kuwait there are about 500,000 students in school, which is about 30% of its total population. There are three levels of education in Kuwait and each one of them takes duration of four years to complete. These levels include elementary, intermediate and secondary. Attending school is compulsory for children in the age bracket of six to fourteen years. All these stages of Kuwaiti educational system are free. From second grade in school, children in Kuwait start studying English language. Kuwaiti parents send most of their children to foreign private schools established in Kuwait. These private schools are usually very prestigious. For example American school of Kuwait. Also this private education, though not fully funded by the state is highly subsidized besides allotment of land for construction of schools and issuance of textbooks. Public schools in Kuwait are a bit different compared to private schools since from first grade, there’s segregation of children by sex. Kuwait also ensures equity of education offered to women with that of men. For example the 1989 education initiative, where there was introduction of daytime literacy clinics to benefit women. Kuwaiti government also makes sure that every new school has a library with an expansive book collection. The government also established an â€Å"education Net† which was a project to link each and every government school and library to a telecommunications data network (Kuwait cultural office, 2008) To explain the various important changes and their effects, an overview on the education system of Kuwait will cover from 1900s. In the early of the 20th century education was aimed at gaining basic literacy and this was in context of religion. The existing schools then were quran schools. Wealthier people sent their children abroad for higher education in around 1912 merchants who were interested in their children’s (especially sons) education started private schools. For instance, mubara kiyya school, which was the first modern institution of education. Later on in 1921, another notable private school was established by the name ahmadiyya school and which was the first to offer English as a subject. Shortly after 1921 the first girl’s school was established and it taught home economics, Islamic studies and Arabic. Education was later put under state control in 1939. Teachers from Palestine started a mission for education which had students being sent abroad for education and also started new schools. As a result, four elementary schools started. An overall national department of education to govern government schools and teachers from Palestine, Syria, Iraq Lebanon and Egypt started a program to ensure secondary education in Kuwait. In around 1945 there were 17 schools in Kuwait. Later in the 1950s rapid changes occurred. for example, the founding of the first kindergarten schools and a first technical college in the academic year 1954-55. 80 students were enrolled in this college in the first year. In 1956 the institute for the blind was established. Later on in 1958 an adult education program was started for men. On to 1960s in i1963 an adult education program was started for women. By the year 1970 there were 738,662students in Kuwaiti schools where less than half were Kuwaiti nationals. In 1973 there were 1,644 special needs students and 11 institutes of the special education. Since it’s initiation in 1956. Jumping to 1982, the number of teachers was a bit high at 24,367 of whom 6,748 only were Kuwaiti. By the academic year 1997-98 the number of teachers was 27,359 of which 17,357 were Kuwaiti. This changed from 1: 3. 76 in 1982 to 1. 7:1 in 1997-98 academic years. Today the government provides a kitty for each of the education levels in Kuwait namely, elementary, intermediate and secondary school. Another important change is that at university level, a university was established and which was called Kuwait University with the majority of the student body being made up of Kuwaiti. (State University. com, 2008) Kuwait is highly reliable on foreign countries for human capital and thus the problem of human capital in Kuwait. Human capital is a country’s stock of knowledge and skills and it constitutes the skilled labor in the economy. Kuwaiti labor force is dominated by non-nationals. There was especially an influx of foreign laborers in Kuwait in the 1970’s. Kuwaitis relied at high levels on the labor of expatriates who had high morale from their countries. Kuwaitis have thus become minorities in their own home due to high dependence on foreign skilled labor for both private and public sectors. Unemployed nationals of Kuwait as well as nominally employed ones over-rely on the state for easy jobs and welfare. Foreigners are also seen to influence the traditions and cultures of Kuwait. Real employment may also be desired but hardly attainable due to the set social system where nationals lack the skills to fit in the labor market. To remove the dilemma set by this predicament Kuwaitis thus have to think in the lines of the following solutions: practical education to be offered to nation and that befits the national requirements of the labor market, reduction in the number of work visas issued to foreigners and leveling the wage differences between citizens and non-citizens. Some international assessments have been carried out on Kuwait education system. The factors in consideration are schools self-evaluation, and evaluation of teachers. There was a particular study carried out due to low secondary school student participation rates where completion rates were low, repetition was high besides the high drop-out rates. Also students’ achievements even after high school education are considered as those which are disappointing. This was considered true especially because Kuwait students performed dismally in international assessments of student achievement. To conclude on the study, even though, the government of Kuwait has done a giant leap toward development of its education, a lot remains undone. In focus should be the global applicability of Kuwaitis education and also at national levels. Since today’s labor force constitutes about 80% non-nationals, practicability and fitness of the Kuwaiti education should also be among the major issues that require speedy resolution. Generally to ensure this are there from the findings in this study. So the government’s ministry of education needs to invest a lot on issues to do with Research and Development as regards issues of practical educational development. Incentives to nationals should also be created to take courses at the university level that are similar to those of the non-nationals’ expatriate staff by even making it more interesting and exciting. More students should also get involved on exchange programs with other students in economies which are performing highly and through their human capital. References Hladczuk, J and Eller, W. 1992. International Handbook of Reading Education Greenwood Publishing Group Kellaghan, T. 2008. Developing Assessment Ca pacityIn The Kuwait Education System. Retrieved on October 25, 2008 from http://www. moe. edu. kw/pages/misc/wathaeg%20feb%202008/wathaeg%20almoa shr%20alwa6ani%2017-19feb%202008/Kalaghan_Report1. doc. pdf Kuwait Cultural Office. 2008. History. Retrieved on October 25, 2008 from http://www. kuwaitculture. com/About%20Us/History. htm State University. Com, 2008. Education In Kuwait- An Overview. . Retrieved on October 25, 2008 from http://education. stateuniversity. com/pages/784/Kuwait- EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW. html The world fact book, 2008. Kuwait. Retrieved on October 25, 2008 from https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ku. html

Advantages and disadvantages of an Online Course

Advantages and disadvantages of an Online Course Education and training play a great role in the life of people. A big quantity of new and necessary information appears every minute. Highly qualified specialists need to be always aware of all new products, services, inventions, but they are all busy to devote all their time to studding. Online education helps to solve the problem of time. In addition, distance learning is cheaper and for some people is the best way of perception the new information. Making a search in Internet, there can be found a lot of websites with offers to study online. So what are advantages and disadvantages of distance education and is it worth of spending time and money on it? Online (distance) education is increasingly used as supplementary education. It is perfect for those who want to get a second degree, pass retraining or improve their skills. It is not difficult to study online if a person already has accumulated knowledge base, which he received as usual student, and has the basics of the profession. But it can be difficult for those who choose totally new for him specialty. The duration of training can be different, according to the course the person takes. Online education is convenient because it allows: To study in accordance with a personal pace, personal qualities and educational needs. To use modern technologies while studding; at the same time to develop skills that could be later used at work. To plan personal time, schedule, duration of training and a list of subjects. To study in the most pleasant and productive environment; creating a comfortable atmosphere for student. Also online education gives the opportunity for everyone regardless of his nationality and place of residence to obtain a diploma of any university anywhere in the world. Student and teacher are able to communicate at a distance, at any time convenient for them.ÂÂ  So,ÂÂ  on-lineÂÂ  education gives equal opportunities for education regardless of place of living, health and material status. Online courses have not only advantages, but several drawbacks. That is why among the disadvantages of online studding it is possible to distinguish: Lack of personal contact between teacher and student (there is less efficient, impersonal knowledge transfer). Also there is a lack of communication with fellow students to share experiences. Lack of a student’s strong personal motivation and the ability to learn independently; without the constant support and prodding by a teacher. Student should have a number of individual psychological qualities, such as rigid self-discipline; learning result depends on the persistence and conscientiousness of a student. Lack of a possibility of immediate practical application of knowledge, followed by discussion of emerging issues with the teacher and explanation the situation with the specific examples. Online education usually is only in writing. For some people the lack of opportunity to express their knowledge in words can make negative impact on knowledge assimilation. Knowledge and education are important in the life of every person, but there are different ways of obtaining them. As it was said above online course is a good way to get knowledge, but it is not convenient for everybody. People should choose the way of acquiring knowledge according to their personal skills and time they are ready to devote to studding.

bias or not? :: essays research papers fc

Bias or Not? The most political news story that is being reported on these past few weeks has been the nomination and debate over President Bush’s nomination of John R. Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations. One of the most watched and influential news channels, CNN has been following this routine story closely. The President nominated Bolton in March of 2005 but the Senate has been delaying the vote of the nominee for several weeks. The story on CNN was headlined Vote to end debate on Bolton fails. Though the story did discuss that it was mostly the Democrats that were causing the delay in the vote the channel also stated that their were some republicans that did not agree with the nomination. The channel tried to stand by the facts but the story did seem to state that it was the Democrats that voted against closing the debate. The story did seem slanted when discussing the issue over the Democrats wanting to obtain access to information about Bolton and Syria. The channel st ated that the was good and bipartisanship until the Democrats resorted back to a partisan approach. This seemed slante because throughout the debate both the Republicans and Democrats have been resorting to a partisan approach. Despite the slight slant ness in some of the story the primary contents of the story did stick to the facts and remained bias. Democrats Mull Politicizing Iraq War Intelligence this article found on the Fox News Channel in November of 2003 is an insider story. The following story discusses a informal memo was found concerning the planning and timing of a possible investigation into pre- war Iraq Intelligence. The memo suggested that Democrats "prepare to launch an investigation when it becomes clear we have exhausted the opportunity to usefully collaborate with the [Senate] majority.† Then the story goes on further to discuss how upset the Senates Republicans were by the leak but especially by the memo itself. A republican Senator went as far as saying that the â€Å"Democrats intended to politicize what should have been bipartisan†. Such comments seemed to elude that the Democrats were at fault for thinking of conducting investigation but that was not the matter at hand. The matter was the leak of a memo was a draft that had not even been approved. Lawmaker Hopes to Open Churches to P olitical Speech this headline on Fox News refers to a bill that Representative Walter Jones of North Carolina has introduced the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act of 2005

Basic Techniques of Managing Deviance :: essays research papers

There are 5 basic techniques of managing deviance. There is secrecy, manipulating the physical setting, rationalizations, change to non-d`eviance, and joining deviant subcultures. The act of secrecy is easily defined as the word itself. The deviant keeps secrets from those around them. The thought behind it being that if nobody ever knows about their deviant behavior there is no one who can place negative sanctions upon the deviant. Next, manipulating the physical setting, the deviant chooses to avoid negative sanctions by appearing to be legitimate in their reasons for taking part in the act or situation. For example a prostitute may work under the guise of being an escort or masseuse. Another technique of managing deviance is rationalizations. An example of a rationalization would be a shoplifter who justifies their actions by saying that the store has insurance and can afford to suffer the loss. A fourth technique of managing deviance would be to make a change to non-deviance. Fo r example, criminals will refer to the technique as â€Å"going straight.† The fifth and final technique of managing deviance is to join a deviant subculture. Joining the subculture makes the deviant feel like they are less deviant because they are surrounded by their deviance. Using the example of a married man who cross-dresses at the bars after he gets off work, there are several techniques that he might employ to manage his deviance. One technique that he might use would be secrecy; he would attempt to keep his â€Å"normal† life and his â€Å"cross-dressing† life separate. His wife may not even know about his alter-ego of sorts. Another technique he might employ would be joining a deviant subculture. By assimilating with fellow cross-dressers at a bar he may feel that the act is less deviant, or even â€Å"normal.† The third technique I would imagine the man would use would be manipulating the physical setting. By only cross-dressing when he is at the bar, away from his co-workers and family he aids in the secrecy of his deviance. He may say that the cross-dressing is just a gimmick or comical act and not admit to doing it for his pleasure.

Syllabus Psy310

Copyright  ©2012, 2010, 2006 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with the various methods of inquiry, terminologies, and theoretical systems that comprise the history of psychology. A broader view is used to introduce the modern era of psychology and its use. These include: structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and phenomenological/existential approaches.Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. †¢ Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. I f you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A history of modern psychology (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.All electronic materials are available on the student website. |Week One: Psychology in Historical Perspective: Early Developments | |The Mind/Body Relationships of Psychology | | |Details |Due |Points | |Objectives |Examine the roots in early philosophy that lead to modern psychology. | | | |Identify major philosophers in the western tradition that were primary contributors to the | | | | |formation of psychology as a discipline. | | | | |Explore the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century. | | | | |Examine the historical elements of the study of the physical body and brain in antiquity. | | | |Describe major developments in medicine and biological studies that contributed to the early | | | | |field of psychology. | | | | |Identify major historical steps toward the mapping of brain structures that are associated | | | | |with behavioral processes. | | | |Reading |Read Ch. of A History of Modern Psychology. |Finish by Wed. |0 | |Reading |Read Ch. 2 of A History of Modern Psychology. |Finish by |0 | | | |Fri. | | |Reading |Read Ch. 3 of A History of Modern Psychology. |Finish by |0 | | | |Sun. | | |Reading |Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Finish by |0 | | | |Mon. | | |Participation |Participate in class discussion. |Submit 2 posts |2 | | | |on 4 of 7 days | | | |Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week (for | | | | |clarification see Course and Instructor Policies).Please review the What I Expect materials | | | | |in the Course Materials Forum. You may also want to review the How You Will Be Evaluated | | | | |materials to see how your participation posts will be graded. Individual posts to the Main | | | | |Forum will count towards your class participation score. | | | |Discussi on Questions |Respond to weekly discussion questions. Wed. , Fri. , & |2 | | | |Sun. | | | |DQs will be posted in the Main Forum. Please review the What I Expect materials in the Course| | | | |Materials Forum. You may also want to review the How You Will Be Evaluated materials to see | | | | |how your discussion questions will be graded. | | |Individual |Check into the class. Prepare for the course by reading all of the posts in the Course |Tues. , 10/30/12|0 | |Check Into Class |Materials Forum, the Main Forum, and the Chat Forum. Download the syllabus, instructor | | | | |policies and course assignment calendar. Post a reply to the Check-in thread in the Main | | | | |Forum, under the thread Getting Organized.Please indicate that you have read the following:| | | | | | | | | |You have read the syllabus and instructor policies documents and understand what is required | | | | |in this course. | | | |You have read all the materials I posted in the Course Materials Forum, the Main F orum, and | | | | |the Chat Forum. | | | | |You understand and agree to the participation requirements. | | | |Individual |Post your personal bio to the Chat Forum. Please ensure you state what your expectations are |Wed. , 10/31/12 |0 | |Post Bio in Chat Forum |for this class.