Geographical Effects of Hurricane Katrina Thesis

Geographical Effects of Hurricane Katrina - Thesis Example A catastrophe of this level provides an opportunity to examine how long-range recovery is evident within an impacted area to determine the motivators of recovery as they change spatially and temporally, and in this case, geographically. The objective of this essay is to examine and discuss several geographical risks and opportunities of the devastated New Orleans. After the disastrous hurricane Katrina, it barely needs too much thinking to suggest that New Orleans is destined to have a ‘new’ geographical makeup. Even though it is quite premature to envision with any level of confidence the content, form, and dimension of this makeup, several geographical issues are mainly worth taking into account. Even though the devastation of New Orleans seemed large-scale in news coverage, the geography of destruction in the city was indeed fairly inconsistent. Besides eastern and central New Orleans, Jefferson Parish’s low-lying parts were flooded (Colten 2005). ... A lot of their houses were partly inundated. In several instances the water reached houses’ roofs, compelling distressed individuals who had moved to their home’s upper floor to hack openings in roofs to get out (Ward 2008). All over the storm-devastated region, the Coast Guard ‘rescued 12,533 people by air and 11,584 by boat, as one-third of the Coast Guard’s air fleet was deployed to the Gulf Coast’ (Johnson 2006, 139). The University of New Orleans, the New Orleans Convention Center, and the Louisiana Superdome became emergency shelters (Johnson 2006). From these and other sites, the population was finally relocated to refuges in Louisiana and other areas. Possibly 10,000 of the 455,000 dwellers of New Orleans stayed in the metropolitan area after mass departure (p. 139), together with several people who stubbornly declined to abandon their homes. By September New Orleans was a completed vacated, the same as St. Bernard Parish and portions of neig hboring Slidell and Metairie (Rydin 2006). Much of the city’s infrastructure, especially telecommunications, shut down not including text messaging, which became a salvation for a large number of people. Numerous businesses closed, discharging thousands of employees. Regular transportation was closed down. Police consent was needed for access into most of the metropolitan area (Eckstein 2006). More disastrously, a significant portion of New Orleans’s population died. By September several inhabitants of flooded neighborhoods were permitted to go back to their homes (Curtis, Mills, Kennedy, Fotheringham & McCarthy 2007). The levee breaches had been remedied and the ‘dewatering’ of the area was in progress (p. 210). The view that

Electronic Monitoring and Employee Productivity Assignment

Electronic Monitoring and Employee Productivity - Assignment Example Most employees are subjected to monitoring that includes office and cubicle searches, video surveillance, electronic mail monitoring and health and psychological screening (Schumacher, 2011, pp 138-144). The current trends in electronic monitoring especially in the 21st century have increased at an alarming rate. The latest monitoring trends include the use of video cameras, email monitoring and telephone recordings among others. The monitoring has moved to network forensic monitoring software that is currently in use to mine emails for keywords and security breaches (Schumacher, 2011, pp 138-144). Most managers say that without monitoring employee activities it is difficult to achieve productivity especially in this era of social networking. The rise of the internet compounded by the development of the smart phones have made it difficult for employees to stick to work and therefore contributing to decreased productivity. This may not be true considering some of the theories that hav e been propagated about employees and productivity (Schumacher, 2011, pp 138-144). McGregor’s theory X and Y help us understand the positive and the negative aspects of employing electronic monitoring at the workplace.... Tailor says that employees should do what managers tell them to do and the managers tell the employees what to do in order to be paid accordingly. This theory has been used to support electronic monitoring so as to achieve productivity and pay employees what they are entitled to depending on what they have done (Bolden, Gosling, A, & Dennison, 2003, pp 6-50). Therefore employee monitoring can be seen as both positive and negative in many aspects. Implementing the electronic surveillance will mean that employees are under tight control from the management and therefore they may end up being less productivity as McGregor puts it. On the other hand the productivity might increase because when they are monitored, the time they are not productive is subtracted from the total time. This means that by the end of the day their wages will be reduced. The reduction will make them leave the activities that make them less productive so as to increase their wages (Schumacher, 2011, pp 138-144). E mployee monitoring has been criticized by a number of people because it infringes on the rights of both the customer and the employee. It is not the best form of management as it increases stress, decreases job satisfaction, cultivates a culture of mistrust and negative work relationships and therefore it is not. To some level there are key ethical considerations that encourage employee electronic monitoring and these include security as concerns a company’s information such as trade secrets or restricted places, productivity as in employees have to be at the right place at the right time and doing the right things at the right time, reputation as employers do not want company information such as logos to be found at the wrong place that may cause them

The impact of the boxer rebellion Research Paper

The impact of the boxer rebellion - Research Paper Example Their main intention was to end the honors given to foreigners by the Ch’ing Dynasty and was later joined by Empress Dowager and other local municipalities. It was unfortunate that the people whom the Boxers’ fought treated the Chinese citizens like the second class citizens in their own land. The Boxers opted to destroy the properties of the foreigners since apart from being the richest people in the town were given lots of freedom by the dynasty. The uprising became very prevalent and spread all over China and it prompted them to start confronting Christians and non-Chinese at around 1900. Anyone who tried to take relief to that country particularly the international reliefs was attacked by the Boxers in the pretense that foreigners wanted a return of the emperor (Thompson 2-6). This writing analyses some of the impacts of Boxer rebellion. Although the Boxer rebellion did not succeed in their mission, it should be noted that they did a lot to stir up China’s na tionwide pride. The Boxers could not fight all the foreign powers because they angered almost all the foreign powers that were more superior to the boxers such as the Allied Expedition. The boxers defeat was also contributed by the fact that they were disorganized and therefore could not fight for their country and defend it properly. The Boxers only believed in rituals and martial arts which could not help them fight against the superior weapons. Boxers also did not have popular backing from within China and this too made them fail at long last (Thompson 2-6). The Boxers had very serious impacts politically on China especially as far as violation of the national right is concerned. The internal administration and security as well as the national defense were greatly weakened and stunned particularly the demands and the actions of the Boxers. The rebellion which was ended by signing of treaty made most of the Chinese people to have problem with their government (Joseph 43-47). The Q ing Empire continued to rule China since the dynasty was not very much affected by the rebels and even the foreign troops. Even the internal administration did not have power to control the Boxers and therefore they used that as justification to return to power. It was also not possible to fight against the foreigners do to the existing Qing court and this prompted the need to have institutional reforms. The government found it very necessary to come up with reforms that could help it in fighting foreign countries and this led to the begging of reform institutions after a long time of promise by the empire. The government generally had very little control over the provinces and her people at large and this made it very much unlikely to come up with reforms (Joseph 43-47). Socially and economically, China was very much affected such as the evolution of anti-Machu feelings. There was public outcry from everywhere in China when the administration levied more taxes on her people as a wa y of paying for hefty security. There was also a lot of corruption within the governments amid high taxes and this made the public to think that China could only be salvaged via revolution but not reforms (Bickers 115-120). Public were also irritated by the fact that the government could not defend their land from the foreign forces and these series of blames led to the fall of Qing reign. The fall of the regime was stirred

The monopoly of the United States postal service Research Paper

The monopoly of the United States postal service - Research Paper Example In the course of this assignment I will provide a brief history of the Postal Service, determine what kind of monopoly it is, and examine whether it has engaged in abusive conduct. The Postal Service is a government-granted monopoly established by Congress under the Constitution (Adie, 25). Politicians believed it was important for every citizen to be able to send and receive mail at the same price. The Postal Service has exclusive rights to deliver to mailboxes. It was originally established in the 18th century in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin. Since then it has grown in size and powers. It is one of the largest non-military employers in the United States (Postal Facts). However, times have changed for the Postal Service. It runs a large deficit and is increasing financial trouble. This is in part because it must provide equal access to postal service for all Americans, even those in Hawaii and Alaska and rural areas. It has several niche competitors such as Fed-ex that are much more economically successful. These competitors are only permitted to deliver urgent letters and not to mailboxes marked U.S. Mail. The impact the Postal Service has on the marketplace is substantial. It is responsible for a majority of all the mail. Indeed, it chooses who to permit to compete with it. It sees itself as a natural monopoly, but its competitors do not.

Discuss the differences between a leader and a manger essay

Discuss the differences between a leader and a manger - Essay Example â€Å"While a manager receives their authority based on their role, a leader's authority is innate in their approach† (Coach4Growth, 2010). Managers adopt approaches like autocratic, democratic etc in their management styles in order to manage their duties successfully. On the other hand, leaders bank on their personal qualities and charisma to attract the followers. For example, Mahatma Gandhi influenced the followers because of his personal qualities and charisma rather than giving any stubborn instructions. It is difficult for the managers to influence the subordinates as Mahatma Gandhi did. Managers always interact with the subordinates with the help of instructions. â€Å"The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust† (Leadership Vs. Management, 2000). The mission of leadership is all about making changes whereas the manager’s mission is all about bringing stability. The leaders will always look for long term goals whereas the managers are more fo cused on the short term goals (Leadership vs. Management, 2010). In other words, the leaders develop the ideas and strategies and the managers implement it. Managers do not want to think much about the long term aspects of a policy they are implementing. These policies are formulated by the leaders for achieving long term goals after careful evaluations. To conclude, both the management and leadership functions are extremely different.

Communications at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communications at work - Essay Example The managers are responsible for the performance of the entire staff of workers. It is essential for a manager to have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Corporations that achieve good internal and external communication are more likely to succeed in the business environment of the 21st century. The arrival of the broadband age changed the speed information travels around the world. Information travels in real time through the internet. The use of broadband internet has helped corporations maintain communication with employees and other stakeholders. The internet can be used to transmit real time video phone conversations. It can be used to replace traditional telephone lines with the use of VoIP technology. The employees of companies communicate with customer through the use of email communication. ... It is important for co-workers to maintain friendly relationship and to communicate with each other during work hours. A lack of communication hurts the synergy of a business enterprise. Synergy is achieved when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn). A work atmosphere where the employees maintain open communication constantly is a place where worker feel comfort and trust. When employees are unable to talk about their work related problems small issues can turn into catastrophic events. When the lines of communication become locked, the workers may make wrong assumption which leads to mistakes in the workplace. A lack of communication hurts the corporate culture of an enterprise. Companies that are dynamic and adaptive have good communications in place at their companies. When there are communication problems in place the problem must be solved from top to the bottom. The executive management team has to implement measures to improve communicat ions. There are different ways that communication can be improved in the workplace. A solution to a communication problem among the workers is to implement an intranet network that allows the employees to communicate with each other via the computer. If the company does not have the resources to design and implement an intranet the employees can open up a free yahoo mail account that allows the users to chat with each other. The Yahoo chat messenger can serve as a way to allow the employees to contact each other. Five clues that communication problems are occurring in the workplace are: 1. Teams aren’t achieving goals 2. Employees won’t readily cooperate 3. There are morale problems 4. Messages are not return promptly 5.

Global Perspectives In Business B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Perspectives In Business B - Essay Example In the working environment, the motivation of the employees will be determined by whether they are respected despite their cultural differences or not. Different cultures are vital in a business since they create synergy in an organization. This creativity comes about owing to the fact that such employees have different experiences. Any manager who wants to ensure success in his/her own organization should have a high cultural quotient. They should have the ability to recognize the cultural differences in their workforce, and treat it as an opportunity to take the organization to the next level. However, establishing an organization cultural assists in blending of the different cultures for creating a harmonious environment to work. Cultural quotient and communication Communication is one of the most important tools in any given organization (Herskovitz 1999, p.87). It determines the success and achievement of the organization’s goals. The managers have the responsibility of e nsuring that the vertical and horizontal communication takes place effectively (Johnson 2006, p.525). The former refers to the communication between the management and the employees. Horizontal on the other hand refers to the communication between employees. ... This difference should not be perceived as a source of conflict but as a way of achieving the goals of any organization. Communication is one of the main factors that may be destroyed when the manager fails to appreciate the cultural diversity (Hall 1999, p.202). The manager has different tasks that will enable him to fight ethnicity and racial prejudice in his/her organization. Firstly, there is need to focus on the main goals and mission of the organization. What is important is not where the individual is coming from but what they are able to offer once they are given the opportunity to work. Secondly, how the employees treat each other will largely be determined by the attitude of the management towards other cultural groups. For instance, if a manager has an impression that the whites are smarter than the blacks are, then this will be a source of problem that may cause the communication breakdown. This is because the attitude of the white towards the blacks in an organization wi ll not promote the cohesion needed to work as a team. To foster communication, fairness will be of paramount importance. Promotion for instance should be done on merit and not according to the cultural background of any given individual. Racial and ethnic prejudice should not appear when such rewards are being conducted by the organization. This will assist in eliminating the impression that certain cultures are stronger than others are. It is the actions that are carried out by the management that determine how the rest of the employees treat each other. It is vital to establish a strong working culture within the working environment. This is also a culture that ensures that all the cultural