Global Food Prices

Why Did Global Food Prices Rise? 1. Farmers in the United States and in Europe benefit from government policies to promote the production of ethanol because they receive government subsidies to produce crops that can be turned into biofuels and it gives the farmers an incentive to plant crops such as corn and soybeans. However, this policy harms foreign producers of these foreign crops. Since U. S. nd European farmers have subsidies, they have lower costs than the foreign farmers and the foreign farmers may struggle to compete. The high tariffs on imported sugar cane in the United States and Europe benefit the American and European farmers of corn and soybeans because since the price of sugar cane is higher, sugar cane farmers cannot compete with the other farmers. These farmers who produce crops such as soybeans and corn used to create biofuel benefit because the cost of producing these crops is lower than sugar.Thus, the American and European farmers of corn and soybeans benefit, w hile farmers of sugar cane, such as Brazilian farmers, are harmed because they cannot compete in the American and European market for biofuel because their prices are higher due to the tariffs. The environment is also harmed because the biofuel made out of sugar cane burns cleaner than ethanol made of corn or soybeans. 2. With the risk of the food supply in poorer nations being dramatically reduced, leading to malnourishment and starvation, rich countries should assist in preventing this phenomenon from happening.Rich countries could help lower the food prices by not giving subsidies to farmers who produce crops that are used to produce biofuels. Since the subsidy gives farmers incentives to farm crops such as corn and soybeans, it takes away resources and land to produce other crops used primarily for consumption. If countries stop giving subsidies for crops used to produce ethanol, more energy and resources can therefore be used to farm crops used primarily for food, such as wheat .If more food crops are produced, the price will go down for these crops due to the theory of supply and demand, since there will be more food for consumption. By eliminating subsidies on crops such as soybeans and corn, wealthier nations can help increase the food supply, which will benefit poorer nations. 3. In terms of creating a healthier environment, the governments should continue to distribute subsidies to farmers of crops used to create ethanol because it will expedite the transition from gasoline to ethanol, thus creating cleaner energy sources faster.However, from a free trade standpoint, the subsidies give foreign producers of similar or substitute crops to be at a disadvantage because the subsidies favor domestic farmers through decreasing costs. I think the best policy to implement to lower CO2 emissions without further inhibiting trade would be to keep the subsidies at the level they currently are at because cleaning up the environment is a serious and important concer n, but it should not be done if it causes significant harm to free trade and market systems.

Total Rewards

The first advantage of a total rewards approach is self fulfillment so that people are recognized for what they do and encouraged to reach their potential through effective learning and development processes and given feedback on their performance. The second advantage is an organization culture where roles are clear and organizational and personal values are in alignment so that employees engage and enjoy work.Another way to consider the necessary components of rewarding people is to view them as individuals, within their team, in the organization and generally in the workplace. The fourth advantage is recognition, you must make sure that the employees are being appreciated, and not taken for granted. The last one is Organizational culture which is being able to engage and fit with the organization in terms of its values and how things are done. Describe five (5) common ways a total rewards strategy can go astray.The five common ways a total rewards strategy can go astray is simply copying another organization’s reward practices can lead to disaster, It would be harmful for either firm to adopt the reward practices of the other, Not implanting an effective award strategy, No considering the employees communication strategy, and Not following the strategy the way is was implemented. Describe the six (6) steps in designing a total rewards program. Developing a total rewards strategy specific to your institution’s needs requires some initial homework to establish a baseline of what you already offer and to develop a more strategic approach to rewards.The first step is Inventory rewards, it will conduct a full, detailed, and accurate inventory of the rewards currently offered by your institution. This inventory should include both formal programs and informal practices. Some of this information is readily available but some of it will require investigation, particularly in large, decentralized institutions. To be effective, a total rewards strategy s hould reflect your institution’s strategy and goals for attracting, retaining, and engaging qualified talent.The second step is Measure investment, this is where you calculate the current level of investment in each element to establish a baseline and to track changes. The third step is Increase information because through clear communication, it helps employees understand the full suite of rewards available to them. The fourth step is Implement improvements, this implementation and execution is essential to a fully realized total rewards strategy. Vague practices, inconsistent implementation, and unclear communication will contribute to a less-than-effective strategy.Setting priorities for developing or enhancing rewards and communicating these improvements will demonstrate an institutional commitment to employees. The fifth step is Measure impact, which is a total rewards strategy that constitutes a vibrant plan. Maintaining the plan’s relevance requires regular revi ew of your institution’s initiatives and external influences. Lastly the sixth step is Involve the community. Involve leadership, faculty, and staff in understanding the total rewards strategy and how it supports the institution’s overall strategic direction. Describe the eight (8) steps in the communication process.Communication plans can be prepared for a variety of activities – internal and external. Interestingly, though, many companies overlook the value of creating formal communication plans to outline their overall internal communication objectives – and to provide a framework for activities, with measures to help determine whether the tactics used are really making a difference. The eight steps in the communication process is Situation analysis/background, Quantifiable objectives/goals, Target audience, Key messages, Strategies and tactics to meet objectives/goals, Responsibility/accountability for completing tactics, Budget, and Measurement.The s ituation analysis or background section of your communication plan should provide a high level overview of the situation or communication need with sufficient detail that someone not directly involved would understand the issue driving the need for communication and the desired outcome. The next step in developing your communication plan is to identify objective/goal statements that indicate the â€Å"end state† you hope to achieve. It’s critical that each of your objectives/goals has a specific, targeted â€Å"end point† or outcome.This both helps you determine the amount of resources that must be allocated to achieve the goal and also provides an indicator of success. The next step is to target your audience because you will need to remember that your challenge will be finding a balance between exerting more effort than is required to communicate to various audiences and not exerting enough effort to impact the appropriate audiences. A good starting point in i dentifying target audiences is to consider the various stakeholders that the message impacts. Each identified target audience has different communication needs.The content, order and number of key messages are likely to vary by group. The fewer and more specific your key messages can be, the better. Three key messages are a good number to aim for more than that will broaden your focus and minimize the impact of your communication. Objectives/goals identify the end points you hope to achieve. You will have to go beyond these broad objectives to identify specifically how you will achieve those end points. This involves developing strategies and tactics. Strategies are broad statements of activity.Tactics are more specific statements of activity that are actionable. When identifying strategies and tactics, it’s important to be realistic. Assigning accountability for the accomplishment of that plan is critical. Unless specific areas of the organization – and individuals wi thin those areas recognize that they are being held responsible and accountable for completing specific tactics that drive your ability to achieve your strategies and objectives. You have to achieve your communication plan objectives, you may also need to address the budget resources needed.While some communication plans will require no additional budget and can be accomplished with existing staff within standard work hours, other plans will require additional staff or the development of communication materials. To be effective, communication needs to be part of a carefully considered process, focused on achieving clearly identified, measurable results. It is not difficult to communicate effectively, but it does take some thought, a clear focus on objectives, an understanding of the tools available to communicate your messages and a strong partnership between you and your internal customer.

Data management in cloud environments Thesis Proposal

Data management in cloud environments - Thesis Proposal Example There has been research conducted in this particular field which forms the framework for future research study. However the major reason behind selecting such research topic is that it would help to gain sufficient knowledge regarding multiple ways to store data in cloud environment. This study would even outline the challenges which are witnessed by the data stores and the appropriate ways through which most of such challenges are eliminated from the system. It can be stated that this research study deals with the intricacies which are associated with such data management system. The study would even be supported by some practical examples in order that audience gain insights in terms of internal functioning of cloud computing. In the past few years the increasing trend of computational power has also overwhelmed the data flow. It can be stated that recent advances that are associated with web technology has enabled users to store content of various sizes which is considered to be data management in cloud environment. There has been a paradigm shift in mechanism of large scale data processing and computing infrastructure. Cloud computing sets forth the provision for such computing infrastructure. This research study would aim at clearly distinguishing the various data management techniques in cloud environment. The main aim of the study can be further subdivided into identifying different data storage engines both SQL as well as noSQL. This study would not only focus on determining different data engines but would even encompass their respective pros and cons, performance issues and scalability between such data management engines. The research problem statement would be – â€Å"Identification of d ifferent data storage engines in cloud environment and outlining performance and scalability between these data management types.† This problem statement or research question would be addressed throughout the analysis. The major objective of the

Assistance at National Investment and Insurance Essay

Assistance at National Investment and Insurance - Essay Example As the discussion declares an evolution of the concept of motivation is briefly outlined along with the major theories to enhance the perspective regarding the present context as well as justify the identification of the lack of motivation as the fundamental problematic for the ITS of NII. Based on the theories of motivation, two features of the part-time employment policy – no dependence of pay on performance and the lack of information regarding intrinsic benefits of working part-time in terms of future full time employment possibility, are identified as the fundamental problems that create an environment that does not provide any incentives to perform better. The report suggests redesigning the employment scheme and making a part of the pay dependent upon performance, i.e., introducing financial rewards as incentives to perform better as the first step. Secondly, it is suggested to introduce the intrinsic reward of higher possibility of being offered full-time employment gi ven higher performance. The subject of the given case study entitled â€Å"Assistance at National Investment and insurance† is the sub-optimality of the service provided by the employees of the IT support (ITS) section identified to be Assistance Officers (AOs) and the resulting performance of the department in totality. The study reports that from a survey conducted on National Investment and insurance (NII) employees who utilized services of the IT support section regarding the performance of the AOs emerged to be less than satisfactory. Apart from delayed responses and resolutions, unfriendly or mechanical attitudes were reported though surprisingly, the considerable majority of the problems addressed were

Water pollution in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water pollution in India - Essay Example India is the 2nd most populous country in the world and the 7th largest by size, India's economy has been galloping along at 9.43% per annum for the last couple of years, agriculture accounts for 43% of the geographical area of India and the rest is allocated to industries and domestic living. The market for drinking water is potentially a gold mine waiting to be dug because this is one of the most populous countries in the world and is right there at the top in terms of geographical size. The water pollution has been on the rise ever since India started opening up its economy because then by default the demand for each and every product increased because of increasing globalization and hence it can be said that the standard of living has risen and this has caused even more pollution because this sets off the industrial process even more rigorously because demand even increases locally and hence more has to be produced and because of that more income is generated. Agriculture though has been on the decline in India but still 60% of the labor force is involved in agriculture and hence fertilizers and other synthetic materials are being used which increase the dangers of polluting the ground water. Another concern is the alarming rate at which India's population has been increasing, this is a cause of concern because the domestic waste produced is another major cause of polluting the water resources and also a growing population means that more people need access to drinking water but it also means that there would be much more pollution and hence lesser drinking water available for every one in the country. The government has been trying to do all it can to stop the industrial pollution by giving certain advantages to factories who install systems through which water pollution is lessened but to date it has failed to implement it on a large scale. Costs and benefits: There is a debate in the Indian sub continent that should water be commercialized or not because it is just a lucky few that have the means of buying water that has been commercialized and the others have to make do with the same unhygienic, unclean water which is hazardous for health. But the flip side of the argument is that the government has failed to deliver on this front and hence private companies have taken over and off course they would do so only if there is a profit, but what if these companies stop providing the clean water that they are currently providing Then each and every one would have to resort to the same unclean water and as a result the percentage of people falling ill from water borne diseases would increase and hence as a result the cost for the government would go up, so there is plenty of potential in the commercialized water sector and the time is now. Plan: The firm in question can do one of two things, first, it can set up its own distillation plant and take the initiative to bottle the water it self and hence it will have to inadvertently advertise to compete with the products that are already available on the market and hence this might create problems because a brand image of the previous companies would have been formed where as the new firm would have to advertise on a big scale to take its share of the market that would mean that the costs are high right from the start and the competitors might even engage in drastic cuts in prices and the firm in question will not be able to compete with the established firms on the basis of costs because the established firms will be experiencing economies of scale because of their greater experience in this certain kind of a market. The other option available to this firm is to operate its distillation plant and supply this water to another firm that has already been established in this particular industry. This would make things a lot simpler because due to this the firm can

Obesity ( Science) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obesity ( Science) - Essay Example Obesity can simply be described as the over accumulation of fats in our body. It poses a serious threat as it may lead to several heart diseases and even diabetes. The main reasons for obesity are overeating, irregular eating patterns and habits as well as lack of daily physical activity. Some of the common problems caused by obesity are increased sweating, difficulty in breathing, difficulty in doing physical activities and so on. As mentioned earlier, the only remedy for this health problem is to lose weight through a systematic and organized diet system, which incorporates both elements: food and exercise. Our body needs a certain amount of calories each day. The excess calories that we obtain through overeating is stored as fat. This stored up fat can be burned out only by exercising. â€Å"Patients with obesity often have multiple nutrition-related medical problems (e.g. Hypertension and diabetes) that make a needs assessment necessary to prioritize the treatment approachesâ₠¬  (Gumbiner, B., 2001, P.170) This paper deals with an investigation and comparison of Atkins diet and the Cabbage Soup Diet, the two popular diet plans that may help people to reduce weight and set them free from obesity. Atkins diet was created keeping in mind people who eat too much. These people take in large amounts of carbohydrates daily. The body is designed in a unique way to obtain energy from the food eaten. This is done by burning the carbohydrates and fats stored in the body. Atkins diet tries to reduce the use of carbohydrates, which will lead to the use of excess fat in the body that will help in loosing weight. â€Å"By restricting carbohydrates drastically to a mere fraction of that found in the typical American diet, the body goes into a state of ketosis which means it burns its own fat for fuel† (The Atkins Diet, 2011). When a person is in this state, his or her body burns the excess fat instead of the carbohydrates, which reduces the feeling of hunger and this ultimately results in weight loss. On the other hand, the Cabbage Soup Diet is just a restrictive diet. It has a well planned, systematic list of the things that one has to eat each day of the week. Kathleen M. Zelman says that these meals have to be eaten at home as they are not available in any restaurants. â€Å"The Cabbage Soup Diet plan promises a 10- pound weight loss in one week† (Zelman, 2011). It is said that Cabbage Soup Diet helps to reduce weight if one sticks to the list of allowed food on alternate days along with fat free cabbage soup. â€Å"The new cabbage soup diet (Margaret Danbront) allows dieters to eat as much cabbage soup as they like, plus other food as directed† (IDEA Health & Fitness. 2002, P. 79). A person following this diet should drink plenty of water and should avoid alcohols at any cost. On the first day, along with the cabbage soup, the individual following this diet system should eat fruits and drink unsweetened tea, coffee or wat er. On the second day, again the cabbage soup as well as vegetables that contain low calories and baked potatoes with butter must be taken. On the third day, the individual is supposed to have both fruits and vegetables as taken on the first and second day along with cabbage soup. On the fourth day the plan is to consume up to eight bananas with skimmed milk, but without omitting the soup. Next day marks the beginning to eat beef, chicken

Human Services Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Services Questions - Coursework Example with the reskilling of professionals of traditional servings, to have a larger gratitude of the individual as an entire person and to be responsible to the societies they work for. In the ancient time, service delivery was brutal where individuals were not treated well. In addition, the services were incomprehensive and not easily accessible (Packard, 2009). In present time delivery is humane, integrated, accessible and comprehensive. Human service professions have also developed to be more responsible unlike in the past where irresponsibility was common among them. In the present time, laws regulating how human services are delivered have been put in place, unlike in the historical era when there were no laws governing it. According to OLooney, (1996), in his article tries to capture the spirit of service integration movements and explain why it is such an enduring challenge and problem to the public organization. In addition, Weaver, (1997), discusses issues that workers delivering human services should be aware of so as to deliver services to the people effectively. Also, Monette et al., (2014), also talks how different researches done on human services and how it is a tool for enhancing service delivery. In the New York Times, The Guardian and The British Broadcasting Co-operation discuss on human services pertaining to health are d iscussed and how they vary from one hospital to another. This articles Scholarly articles have been reviewed well and make sense than the non-scholarly ones are just ones individual opinion and cannot be relied on since they have not be reviewed. Some stressors that I have experienced in life do not have enough time to complete tasks and getting more than I can manage. The emergence of this stressors was due to some psychological effects that triggered me to do impress others by subjecting myself to more work and tasks that I could not handle. In managing the lack of time, I rank my priorities and did tasks according to their

Police Recruitment and Screening of Job Applicants Essay

Police Recruitment and Screening of Job Applicants - Essay Example As touching citizenship, the candidate can be considered legible by birth, naturalization, permanent residency or asylum status. The case law Foley v. Connelie (1977) shows that rational reason for requirement of citizenship may suffice. The age of the applicant is expected to range from 21 to 36. The candidate is also required to have 20/20 vision and have body weight that falls between 148 and 204 pounds. As touching education, the department or field the candidate has applied for will stipulate the educational standards expected of the candidate (Sanders, 129-30). It is obvious that the Multiple Hurdle Approach brings with it, several legal issues. At a casual glance, the Multiple Hurdle Approach appears to flout the values enshrined in the Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOA, also known as Executive Order 11246): the latter hinders specific federal subcontractors and contractors from exercising discrimination in employment on the basis of color, race, sex, religion or nationality, while the former premises legibility for jobs on meeting specific hurdles. However, the Multiple Hurdle Approach does not breach the EEO Act if it is used in enforcing desired standards and not discriminating against candidates. One of the ways the Multiple Hurdle Approach is carried out without the contravention of the EEO Act is to use and observe the minimum standards that are related to the job requirements. The import of this is that failing to use the minimum standards will be tantamount to subjecting candidates for tests that are more difficult or complex than the job itself (Sanders, 144-7). As the chief of a department with limited resources allowing for the use of only one recruitment test to select officers, I would use aptitude test. This is because, aptitude test factors intelligence and cognitive skills. Since aptitude test is

Future of Physical Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Future of Physical Geography - Essay Example There are, also, other meteorological factors that make up the climate for a certain region and causes variations over a period of time. There are several different theories used to determine and study climate changes over short and long periods of time. The Thornthwaite system uses the study of temperature and precipitation as well as studying animal species, their diversity and how it impacts climate changes. The Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic system focuses mainly on the origin or air masses that make up the climate of a certain region. Paleoclimatology is the study of ancient climates. Since education and study of climates was not prevalent until the 19th century, this type of climate study uses non-biotic evidence such as sediments found in lakebeds, ice cores, tree rings and coral. Historical time spans show that there are a number of variables that determine climate which include, latitude, altitude, percent proportion of land to water, and the location to oceans and mountains. Another factor that plays a role and is more regional, are warming of the oceans and how the heat is distributed between land and water Also, density of vegetation and how it affects solar heat absorption, retention of water, and rainfall regionally. Alterations in atmospheric greenhouse gases determine the amount of solar energy retained by our planet. This, in turn, leads to global warming or cooling. There are many variables that determine our weather, and they all interact with each other in various regions to produce differing climates. In the next few paragraphs I will break down the different climates and show their characteristics. Differing climate range from the moist dampness of the rain forests to the dry air of the deserts, and others in between. The rain forests are typically characterized by high rainfall. This area averages between 69 inches and 79 inches of rain per year. The temperatures in this climate average also around 64 degrees during all the months of the y ear. A Monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind, which can last for months at the time. It usually is the onset of a regions’ rainy season. The areas known for this climate are North America, South America, the lower Saharan Africa, Australia and Eastern Asia. A Tropical Savanna is a grassland biome located in a semi-humid area of subtropical and tropical latitudes. The average temperatures in these areas are 64 degrees year round. The rainfall in this type of area averages 30 to 50 inches in a year. This type of climate is also found in India, Malaysia, Australia and some northern parts of South America. The Humid Subtropical climate zone is associated with large storms of winter snowfall and rainfall. However, most rainfall during the summer months consists of thunderstorms and a few tropical cyclones. These climatic areas are located roughly between latitudes 20 degrees and 40 degrees away from the equator and on the east side continents. A Humid Continental climate is charac terized by variable weather patterns and large variance in seasonal temperatures. These areas usually see temperatures averaging 50 degrees in the warm months and 26.6 degrees in the cooler months. An Oceanic Climate is most often found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of the entire world’s continents. This type of climate can be found also in Australia and characterized by heavy rainfall year round. Hot, dry summers and cool

Ukrainian Immigrant Experience in Canada Essay Example for Free

Ukrainian Immigrant Experience in Canada Essay Soviet Union was suffering dissolution after an abortive coup in Moscow when Ukraine, formerly a European Soviet, emerged as an independent nation on August 24, 1991. Right after coming into existence, the new born nation undertook a strenuous and all-embracing economic, constitutional and political reform. Canada was the first western country to acknowledge Ukraine’s independent status on December 2, 1991. (Luciuk and Bohdan p. 12) Thenceforward Canada has constantly been helping out Ukraine sustain as an independent sovereign nation giving an impetus to close and healthy relations between the two countries. However this close association finds its origins in the past hundred years of Ukranian migration to Canada. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Ukrainian immigration to Canada started about a century ago, when on September 7, 1891, two peasants Ivan Pylypiw and Vasyl Eleniak, arrived at the Canadian metropolis Montreal from their home village Nebyliw in Eastern Galicia. The peasants’ landing was a precursor to an influx of Ukrainian immigrants to Canadian mainland marking the beginning of a step to progress. (Gerus and Rea p. 46) Several crucial factors impelled the Ukrainians to migrate to Canada, the major ones being the national inequalities and social prejudices, malnutrition, and illiteracy. The financial plight of the Ukrainian citizens promised them nothing but a dismal and bleak future. While on the other hand, 19th century Canada, a land of bright horizons offered large scale immigration opportunities. The much needed manpower to build railways in the country, to boost its urban and industrial infrastructure and manage its mines and forests, opened up the panels for Ukrainian peasants. (Luciuk and Bohdan pp. 121-129) The untapped potential of the Canadian land was enough to lure the dismayed and impoverished immigrants. In the hope of better future prospects for their poverty-stricken families, they left behind their home soil and the loved ones to take up precarious load abroad. Most of the peasants brought along few tools and material for them including money in order to start their rehabilitation themselves. However most importantly, they brought along persistent determination to achieve their aims, a sheer devotion to their traditional and cultural values, which thrive even to date. The initial Ukrainian immigrations were largely agrarian because the majority of the Ukrainians were farmers. They established their communities in different Prairie Provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Since the early Ukrainians were from Galicia and Bukovyna, which were wooded areas located in the Carpathian Mountains as compared to the Canadian Prairie Provinces, they settled in the wooded aspen parklands of Alberta. (Luciuk p. 1) THE IMMIGRANT MOVEMENTS: The arrival of the Ukrainian immigrants to Canada can be generally dissevered into three waves each different from the other in several ways depending on the reasons of migration and conditions which prevailed. The earliest group of immigrants belonged to Halychyna or Galicia. They found the northern Parkland area favorable for their settlement, as it ensured three indispensable natural resources. (a) Wood which would serve as a construction material as well as a source of fuel. (b) Water, to provide for animal and human consumption, (c) Arable land for agriculture. The dawn of World War I marked the end of this earliest wave of settlement in which around 125000 Ukrainians established their livelihood in Canada. (Gerus and Rea pp. 52-64) After World War II, the second wave of immigrants arrived between the years 1924 and 1929. This lot of immigrants differed from the previous one in a way that it constituted mostly farm laborers, political expatriates and Ukrainian soldiers who had fought against Poland and Russian communists. This wave comprised almost 225000 Ukrainians. (Lupul p. 75) During 1947 to 1952, arrived the third badge of Ukrainian immigrants including most of those who had been forcefully subjected to slavery in Germany. They had no desire to return to now Soviet-powered Ukraine after the end of war. This group of immigrants was the most skilled of all as it comprised of professionals, musicians and scientists who came probably from the more privileged section of the society. These skilled professionals tended to adjust quickly as they had a better chance of availing the educational and extensive training opportunities as compared to the previous deprived immigrants. (Gerus and Rea p. 69) Finally the most recent surge of Ukrainians to Canada occurred after its declaration of independence in 1991. Relatively smaller in size, this group of immigrants principally chose to populate the urban centres, which sets them apart from their predecessors who tended to inhabit both urban and rural areas. WORLD WAR I: The outbreak of World War I left the Ukrainian immigrants and Bishop Budka (first Ukrainian Bishop in Canada) aghast. As the world-wide international matters took a sharp turn, the Ukrainians also like the other Eastern Europeans confronted great upheavals in the form of increased discrimination. (Kaye p. 83) Not only the immigration suffered a hitch but it also imposed restrictions on the already living Ukrainians in Canada. Since Ukrainian immigrants to Canada mostly came from Galicia, which fell partly under the control of Austrian Empire, they tended to hold Austrian citizenship. For that matter the Ukrainian immigrants were suspected by the Canadian authorities. It was a sheer misfortune that when the heir to the Austrian throne was killed by a Bosnian Serb on June 28, 1914, Bishop Budka issued a letter just a day back exhorting all Ukrainians to abide by the Austrian cause. The following day, Austria raged war on Russia as Serbia was her ally. When Great Britain raged war against Germany, Bishop Budka had to retract his stand and therefore he issued another letter, this time siding for the British stance. But the damage could not be recompensed. The Canadian government translated its suspicions into official policy and declared on August 15, that all foreign enemies residing in Canada were liable to imprisonment, disenfranchisement and deportation. (Kaye p. 186) INTERNMENT CAMPS: The World War 1 changed the local attitudes towards Ukrainian immigrants to a great extent. They had to endure a long struggle through harsh policies of the government and atrocities of the war. The implementation of the War Measures Act (1914) further aggravated the situation, disenfranchising all those settlers who entered Canada after 1902. Those who failed to follow the new orders were sent to internment camps. (Lupul p. 121) Already, the immigrants from Eastern Europe had not been able to immediately blend with the Anglo-Canadian community; much fuel to the fire was added by the World War 1. The anti-foreign sentiment borne out by the war drove an English-speaking delegation to petition the officials for the detainment and exile of all Ukrainians from the province. Consequently a large number of Ukrainians lost their jobs in Canada and were placed in internment camps behind fences. Those Ukrainians who tried to serve in the Canadian forces were regarded as untrustworthy and thus rejected. The Ukrainian internees were subsequently used by the Canadian government to help develop their infrastructure. Through forceful means they were subjected to back-breaking labor for the growth of mining, logging, transportation and agriculture in the country. Grand projects like Banff National Park, logging industry in Northern Ontario and Quebec, steel mills in Central Canada, the mines in Western Canada, Ontario and Nova Scotia were only a few fruitions of the Ukrainian drudgery. Canadian officials found these poor corvees to such an extent that the internment prolonged to two years even after the end of World War I. The horrid situation of the despondent Ukrainian Canadians was finally noticed by the Prime Minister Paul Martin in August, 2005, who referred to internment as a â€Å"dark chapter† in the history of Canada. A pledge of $2. 5 million was declared to recompense for the immigrants. However, to much dismay of the hapless citizenry, neither the promised funds, nor a legal settlement came true by June 2007. (Luciuk and Kordan p. 52) EDUCATIONAL REFORM: After a bleak period of war and subjectivity, the enlightened Ukrainians paved the way to enormous educational activity. There was an upswing of journalistic trend among the contemporary Ukrainians. An Increasing number of teachers and University students took up journalism as the only medium, to inform, direct and guide the befuddled fellow masses. They realized that education was their only weapon to bring about a change and they propagated this notion widely. Manitoba was the first Canadian province to witness a transition. Educational institutes opened in Ukrainian settlements. However the Ukrainian people apprehended that the aims of these academies could be to drive Ukrainian children away from their culture and traditions. They desired their children to be taught by the Ukrainian-speaking teachers rather than English-speaking instructors because of the widely-accepted belief that the English teacher did not always have much reverence for other cultures. Predictably enough, all other languages except English were banned in public schools in Manitoba. Since 1916 to date, ardent Ukrainian Bilingual teachers of Happy Thought School have managed to keep their cultural heritage alive. The more promising growth could be witnessed on the University level at Canadian universities. The fervent efforts of the two non-Ukrainian professors George Simpson of the University of Saskatchewan and Watson Kirkconnell of Acadia University introduced Ukrainian scholarships in the academic convention. (Kaye pp. 92-101) The Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta, the Centre for Ukrainian Canadians Studies ( St. Andrews College) at the University of Manitoba and the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto are the most highlighted educational centers. This long-deprived citizenry of immigrants not only recognized the power of education, but also evolved print media as a major source of cultural dissemination. The Ukrainian Canadians produced prolific publications offering a thorough range of genres including popular literature as well as critically acclaimed academic journals in their native language. RACIAL HOSTILITIES: Apart from the social inequalities, the Ukrainian immigrants also had to suffer at the hands of racial discrimination by the Anglo-Canadian denizens. The distinct nature of Ukrainian ways of dressing up, their habits and traditions, language and religion provoked much resentment among the Canadian citizenry. They ridiculed the immigrants largely because they had their own ways prominently different from the British ways and practices.

Gandhi The Legendary Leader History Essay

Gandhi The Legendary Leader History Essay The topic of leadership has generated excitement and interest from ancient times. Leadership has gained the attention of researchers worldwide. When people think of leadership, images come to mind of powerful dynamic personalities, who command victorious armies, shape the nations events, preach religions or direct corporate empires. How did a leader build such great armies, countries, religion and companies? How did Gandhi become such influential leader? Gandhi was a private man without wealth, without property official title. He was neither commander of army nor the ruler of vast land, even though he became the spokesman for country and all mankind. Gandhi, man who made humanity and truth, more powerful than empires (Albert Einstein).There is no universal definition for leadership because leadership is complex and is studied in different ways that requires different definitions. In the very beginning of movie it has reflected that how situation can influence a person to become a great leader. Movie shows how a person learns and sharps his ability as a leader with the time. It also shows the leaders ability to find best solution to the problem. Gandhis tools were non violence and peaceful protest for the legitimate right of equality and independence. Movie reflected Gandhis ability as a charismatic leader to mobilize people from all religion, cast and sex for freedom struggle. Gandhi visited to rural villages for his followers and indentified the problems and tried to solve it. He started spinning and wearing indigenous cloths. His innovative ways of protest and fight for independence like non cooperation, salt march etc against the strongest empire in the world makes him a transformational and motivational leader. His activities were without any consideration for economic benefits or self-gratification (need for power, achievement, and esteem) and his work f or different communities especially for untouchables establish him as a spiritual leader. Gandhi had kept fast twice protesting against violence and riots which reflects the character of ethical leadership. Till his death he kept thinking about the welfare of mankind. Gandhi reinvented the rule of the game to deal with a situation where all the existing methods had failed. He broke the tradition as he understood that it is not possible to fight for freedom with force. He decided to change the game in a fundamentally different way unleashing the power of ordinary people, inspired men and women of the country to fight for a unifying goal. He used non violence and peaceful protest to fight the battle for the country. Resource constraints did not bother him. His agenda was full independence that inspired him. His leadership style was follower centric and one that took into account existing conditions before determining the strategy. Gandhi leadership style was dependent on circumstances. By applying and understanding following theory we can explain his character and leadership style as well as the influence of environment on his leadership aspect. The word charisma is derived from the Greek word charismata meaning gift of grace (Conger, 1989; Weber, 1947). The neo charismatic emphasis on the characteristic of the leader ignores the nature and severity of the particular threat, the content of the radical vision and how it deals with that threat, and the magnitude and persistence of particular changes that are accomplished through charisma (Beyer 1999). Beyer attempted to precisely delineate Webers approach into four necessary and distinct steps for evolution of charismatic leadership is depicted in Table 1. Gandhi was a charismatic leader as he didnt impose himself on the people to follow him, but he succeeded to lead by his ways of life, like by using indigenous clothes, living simple life, non violence, love for total mankind etc. Without having any tools or weapons or governmental power he was the person who had the biggest power in the country and because of his charisma people followed him. One instance when he told masses not to buy British clothes, people stopped buying and they burnt British clothes. Whenever he started any movement people participated in it like non cooperation or civil disobedience. This characteristic of his proved him as a source of power where people submit their faith to extraordinary. He also succeeded in making a regime in the heart of people by encouraging then that they must struggle without violence to gain independence of their country. He said clearly for no cause he will support violence. He always kept his promise. He even stopped Non cooperation movement when mob killed policemen. By spinning for himself he displayed the example of self reliance and self employment to his countrymen. Needless to say, Gandhi has been a charismatic leader for which people followed him without thinking of consequences. Mahatma Gandhi is an excellent example of transformational leadership because he looked after the aspirations of his followers and instead of riding those needs to power, he remained sensitive to a higher purpose. During non cooperation movement against British rule, violence had broken out and being a proponent of non violence he was deeply troubled. He always said that for any cause he will not support violence because he believed violence triggers more violence. He started his first fast to stop the non cooperation movement as he believed people were not ready to get independence. As a result of his fast, non cooperation movement was stopped. In early part of movie he went to a small rural village on request of one of his follower where he chose to wear clothes made of indigenous materials. He inspired Indian people to boycott British clothes as a part of independence movement and this led to burning of foreign clothes as a public demonstration of Indian solidarity. He initiated s alt making campaign as a part of civil disobedience movement. After air and water, salt was considered to be most important for millions of poor people in India and the government was having monopoly over it. This movement was an act of defiant of British laws which shows the courage vision of Gandhi. This movement got a vast support from people of India and it acted as a serious blow to British Empire. Gandhi was arrested soon after the salt movement. But his followers kept breaking law and continued making salt. People from different religions worked together even in his absence and no violence broke out even when many were beaten by British soldiers. Gandhis followers had courage to do this because they were strong enough to do this on their own and the courage was built in them from the strong beliefs of Gandhi. 3.3 Spiritual Leadership The definition of spirituality includes two essential elements in a persons life (Fry, 2003, 2005) as shown and described in Table 3. Transcendence of self Manifest in a sense of calling or destiny and the belief that ones activities including work have meaning and value beyond being instrumental for obtaining economic benefits or self-gratification Fellowship Manifest in the need for meaningful relationships and being connected to others in a way that provides feeling of joy and wholeness Table 3: Elements of Spiritual Leadership Both elements involve altruistic love and faith. By doing things to help satisfy the two essential needs for transcendence and fellowship in the workplace, spiritual leaders increase their intrinsic motivation, confidence and organizational commitment. Gandhi was able to bring spiritualities into his leadership style. He promoted love and peace at time when other leaders were calling for an eye for an eye. He did not hate any one. Rather he believed in offering the other cheek if someone hits on first. He strongly believed that this attitude of his will reduce the anger of enemy and increase respect. He served the society and worked for the welfare of untouchables. As shown in the movie Gandhi always worked for his followers. While working in South Africa as well as in India he worked a lot for the weaker section of society and empowerment of women which motivated them and eventually, they participated in the freedom struggle. 3.4 Servant Leadership The service to follower is the primary responsibility of leaders and is the essence of ethical leadership. Services include nurturing, defending and empowering followers. Servant leader must listen to followers, learn about their needs aspirations and be willing to share comfort in their pain and frustration. Leader must stand for what is good and right. Social injustice and inequality should always be opposed. Even weak and marginal members of society must be treated with respect and appreciation. Leader must empower follower instead of using power to dominate them. Trust is establish by being completely honest and open, keeping actions consistent with values, and showing trust in followers. Gandhi worked for the empowerment of woman as well as for the lower castes. He spent whole of his life fighting against injustice social evils. He always maintained trust of his followers by striking to his principal of non violence. Larry Spears (1998), CEO of the Greenleaf Centre, concluded that Robert Greenleafs writings incorporated ten major attributes of servant leadership. The Table 4 lists those ten attributes. Listening Empathy Healing Awareness Persuasion Conceptualization Foresight Stewardship Building Community Commitment to growth Table 4: Attributes of Servant Leadership The below Diagram 2 depicts the structure of Servant Leadership and its interrelationships Diagram 2: Structure of Servant Leadership 4 Power and Influence tactics of Gandhi The Power and Influence tactics of Gandhi has been described in two separate sub headings as follows 4.1 Analysis of Power The term power is usually used to describe the absolute capacity of an individual agent to influence the behaviour or attitudes of one or more designated target person at a given point of time (French Raven, 1959). Different kinds of power described by French and Raven are depicted in Table 5 as below Reward Power The target person complies in order to obtain reward controlled by the agent Coercive Power The target person complies in order to avoid punishment controlled by the agent Legitimate Power The target person complies because he/she believes the agent has the right to make the request and the target person has the obligation to comply Expert Power The target person complies because he/she believes that the agent has special knowledge about the best way to do something Referent Power The target person complies because he/she admire or identifies with the agent and want to gain the agents approval. Table 5: Different kinds of Power Gandhi did not have any military or economic power. Gandhi was a small man who despite repeated imprisonment refused to submit to British authority and defeated the most powerful empire of that time with the help support of his followers. Charismatic leader like Gandhi are usually perceived to possess referent power. His principal of non violence, satyagrah, civil disobedience was referred as soft power. He was a man of character and integrity who refused to surrender against injustice. His integrity is reflected by his truthfulness and by set of values that he had. Even British recognised his power when they set him free from prison to stop the violence. He never supported violence for any reasons. He called back non cooperation movement due to violence outbreak. Because of his strong referent power he influenced so many people without any explicit effort. 4.2 Analysis of Influence Tactics Influence is the primary ingredient in effective leadership (Covey, 1990; Malphurs, 1996; Maxwell, 1998; Yukl, 1998). The true measure of leadership is influence nothing more nothing less (Maxwell, 1998 p11). The type of behaviour used intentionally to influence the attitude and behaviour of another person is usually called as influence tactics. The broad categories of Influence tactics are depicted in Table 6. Impression Management Tactics Influence people to like the agent or to have a favourable evaluation of the agent. These tactics can be used by leader to influence followers or by followers to leader Political Tactics Influence organizational decision or otherwise gain benefits for an individual or group. Political tactics are also used to defend against the opponents and silent crisis. Some political tactics include manipulation abuse of power Proactive Influence Tactics Immediate task objective involves change in procedure used for current task, provide assistance or support proposed changes, task compliance by using a simple request based on legitimate power Reactive Tactics It resists an unwanted influence attempt to modify the agents request or proposal to be more acceptable to the target person. Table 6: Types of Influence Tactics Gandhi was the most influential Indian leader. His not only influenced Indian politics but also the world. He influenced his followers to mobilize and fight for their legitimate rights and against discrimination inequality in India as well in South Africa. His influencing tactics were proactive in nature. He used logical argument and factual evidence to influence and motivate his followers. For example his idea about non cooperation and civil disobedience movement were very logical. His inspirational appeal influenced people tremendously. In South Africa he fought against injustice for which British beat him and imprisoned him but could not take his obedience. He also used pressure tactics with his followers when violence broke out he opted to fasting to stop it. The movie reflected the power and influence tactics by Gandhi very well. 5 Leader Follower relationship Leader- member exchange (LMX) theory describes the role making processes between a leader and each individual subordinate and the exchange relationship that develops over time (Dansereau, Graen, Haga, 1975; Graen cashman, 1975). The basic premise of the theory is that leaders develop a separate exchange relationship with each subordinate when the two parties mutually define the subordinates role. A leader is likely to establish a high exchange relationship or a low exchange relationship with each subordinate. The development of high exchange relationships occurs gradually over a period of time through reciprocal reinforcement of behaviour when the exchange cycle is repeated over and over again. The relationship begins with an initial testing phase in which the leader and subordinate evaluate each others motives, attitude and potential resources to be exchanged and mutual role expectations are established. If the relationship proceeds to second stage, the exchange arrangement is refi ned and mutual trust, loyalty and respect gets developed. At third stage wherein exchange was based on self interest is transformed into mutual commitment to the mission and objective of the work unit. According to Graen and Uhi-Bien (1991) the third stage corresponds to transformational leadership. In the movie there are many incidents which show how to develop relationships with the followers. Gandhi biggest follower was his own wife. She always followed him in every walk of his life. She actively participated in all the movements started by Gandhi. She even participated in community development program for the welfare of human kind. She went to jail number of times together with Gandhi and she even died in jail. Meera Ben is another person in the movie who became a big follower of Gandhi. Even though she was a British and daughter of an English admiral, she came to India because she had deep faith respect for Gandhis principals and causes. Nehru was another follower who first evaluated the motive attitude of Gandhi then exchanged his loyalty towards him then worked together on mutual commitment to the mission. 6 Evolution Development of Gandhi as a leader While going to South Africa, Gandhi was travelling in first class and he was forcefully thrown out of first class just because he was an Indian even though he had the right tickets. That was the beginning of transformation of an ordinary man into a great leader. Injustice done to him made him aware about discrimination in the British Empire and he started raising his voice against it. He started mobilizing people and made them aware of their rights. He started working for community development especially for untouchables and women empowerment as he knew without unification of society revolution was not possible. He always believed that fighting with an evil is duty. He advocated non violence as a weapon to fight against British Empire. His principal of non violence served two purposes firstly, he protected his followers from strongest army in the world secondly, this principal made his demands more acceptable to rest of the world. This shows his vision power. When he came back to India, he started wearing Indian made clothes because he wanted to get associated with common Indian man. Before taking any responsibility, he visited different parts of India and came across various problems and their possible solutions. He said without the involvement of common men in the freedom movement, independence is not possible. He kept on working for community development woman empowerment in India contributed magnificently to bring unity among people from different religions. Gradually, he emerged as a leader because of his character, principals and values he believed and was unanimously accepted by the whole nation. He went to Motihari, a rural place on request of follower and started spinning clothes and encouraged to boycott British goods as part of freedom movement. He himself started spinning to lead the country with an example. His movement like non cooperation and salt march united the whole country dented British image to rule India. He even kept fast till death to stop communal riots during Indias partition after independence. 7 Conclusion Movie Gandhi shows the transformation of a common man into a legendary leader. It shows how situation can inspire a person to fight against injustice and inequality. Gandhis leadership style proves that to achieve a good end, means should be equally good. Gandhi had a vision which was accepted by his followers. His charisma led to Indian independence. His contribution towards the weaker section of society is unforgettable and unmatchable. His teaching of non violence is very much relevant even in todays world. For the contribution and sacrifices he made for the Indias independence, upliftment of weaker sections, woman empowerment and unity among different religions, he has been given the title of Mahatma by his nation and is called as Bapu that is Father of the nation.