Problems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problems - Assignment Example Since the producers are producing Q3, their revenue will rise substantially since all their produce is sold off. On the other hand, consumers would only consume Q2; implying that they are in the same position as before. The loss experienced by taxpayers result from the fact that they are the one financing the purchase of the surplus cheese through payment of higher taxes (David, 2003). b) When the price floor is at $10, new market price will be 10 dollars. This is because the price floor is binding. Taking into consideration that the quantity demanded of Frisbees are only 2 million at a price floor of 10 dollars, 2 million is the quantity demanded. The imposition of tax drives a wedge of 2 dollars between the supply and demand. Consumers pay price P2 whereas producers pay P-$2. Due to increase in price, the quantity of beer sold decreases to Q2 (David, 2003). b) The demand curve for typewriters, substitute goods, will shift to the left as a result of decrease in the computer price (David, 2003). Thus increase in the supply of computers will decrease the demand of typewriters. Hence typewriters producers should be sad. Both quantity supplied and price will decrease. d) Yes, the analysis do explain why software producer Bill Gates is one of the richest men. With advancement in technology, cheaper computers are made making people want more user-friendly software and operating systems. Thus Bill Gates who produce most popular operating systems and software make a lot of money from

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) | Essay

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) | Essay Introduction The Social determinants of health (SDOH) are a group of factors that impact health and wellbeing of an individual. Child development is influenced by various aspects starting from birth, biology, genetic characteristics, gender, culture and family values. The Family provides adequate support systems by various means such as socioeconomic resources, ideal family environment and effective parenting skills. A community’s health and social development depends on healthy living and health services available to them (McMurray Clendon, 2011). The health burden of disease and causes of major health inequalities arises from the environment in which an individual is born, raised, grown and worked. Theses factors are referred to as SDOH. SDOH consist of a number of structural conditions. The model representing cascade of bubble demonstrates how SDOH are interrelated to each other. It is observed that if there are any political or environmental changes, all structural determinants are affected (Wilcox, 2007 as cited in McMurray Clendon, 2011). Primary health care (PHC) is aimed to create healthy communities. PHC approach is best described by multi-level health promotion model. Primary prevention is attained through upstream actions which are aimed to promote and maintain health. This is achieved through providing a healthy environment, health services and education for healthy living. Secondary prevention/midstream actions are providing treatment for illness and further prevention of disability. Tertiary or downstream actions are basically rehabilitation services or educating the community to cope with disability conditions (McMurray Clendon, 2011). This essay outlines the effect of housing on health of the community. Improving the housing condition is primary prevention through upstream actions. To improve health and reduce inequalities, a coordinated approach is required to address SDOH which has direct effects on structural determinants. House designs should be made by taking into account health and well being. The infrastructure planning for housing designs which should include insulation, ventilation, sewage system, public spaces as well as community’s participation in their health development project should be encouraged. The health of an individual, families and the community can be improved by well designed, insulated houses and community health services. (WHO, 2011; Chapman Bierre, 2008). The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention also emphasised on approach to promote health by improving housing and living conditions. The visits to emergency and stay in hospital with serious acute medical illness is shorter with improved living conditions as opposed to those who lives in poor housing (Thomson, Thomas Petticrew, 2009; Sadowski, Kee, VanderWeele Buchanan, 2009). The research study has indicated that people migrated to better housing has improved health outcomes and are also exposed to less substance abuse, violence and less neighbourhood problems as compared to their original living conditions. Government generated social and health policies directly affect the quality of life and living conditions of the community, and also the economical status of the family significantly influence an individual’s health. A co-ordinated action is required from the Policy makers, health service providers and leaders from various sectors to utilise their knowledge to enhance better living conditions bringing the best population health outcomes (Williams, Costa, Odunlami Mohammad, 2012). The importance of living and working conditions, indoor environment, safe neighbourhood, healthy lifestyles in general and respiratory health in particular is a major concern these days. The predominant factors increasing the risk of asthma and respiratory problems are moisture damage in the house and bacterial growth. The studies have shown a close association between mould, dampness and asthma in children. Damp houses resulting in mould and microbial growth are the predisposing factor resulting in wheezing in adults and infants. In a survey carried in NZ homes reported 35 % of moulds clearly visible in the living area or bedrooms. NZ has been reportedly having higher asthma rates in the world, which is contributed by poor living conditions. Damp and cold houses support the bacterial growth, providing favourable media for mould, bacteria and dust mites. Young children spend more time at home as compared to adults, There is a significant effect of damp houses on respiratory system, t hus the incident rate of bronchitis and wheezing illness is more common in children. It is suggested, if people will be provided with better housing and insulation, respiratory symptoms will reduce by 33% (Keall, Crane, Baker, Wickens, Chapman Cunningham, 2012). It has always been stated that population of health is largely impacted by quality of housing where they live. If people living in substandard housing or poor living conditions could be provided with better housing, insulation and ventilation, It could potentially prevent ill health. There was a cluster randomised trial for housing, insulation and health study of insulating houses of communities with low socioeconomic status. A Community based approach is effective mean of improving health rather than an individual focused e.g. Insulating houses are more effective than providing people with more clothes. Older aged, infants and children spend more time in houses, thus they have to bear the physiological stress due to their weaker immune system. This research also reports an association of cold, damp houses likely to get bacterial and mould growth, eventually causing respiratory problems. Several international report highlight poor insulation, damp, cold and mouldy houses leading to p oor health. People with insulated houses and better living conditions were less likely to be admitted to acute wards with pulmonary and obstructive airway diseases. The results interpreted in studies of the insulated housing affecting health were significant with improved outcome measures, except for the use of medical facilities. This study was conducted in uninsulated old houses with cold and dampness, where at least one member has respiratory problems, Increased warmth and decreased humidity brought improved health conditions. Population living in well designed and insulated houses reported significantly less cold and dampness however People in insulated houses also reported that their houses felt significantly less damp and mouldy, however this study does not determine essential determinants involved. Although this study greatly emphasise the effect of living in cold and damp houses resulting in pulmonary conditions such as asthma, cough and wheezing (Chapman et al., 2007). A study conducted by Kearns, Smith and Abbott on Pacific population showed substandard living conditions as compared to Maori and European population. Pacific people are at a great risk of developing asthma, cold and flu (as cited in Butler, Williams, Tukuuitonga Peterson, 2003). Studies have reported a close relationship between cold, damp houses and respiratory diseases. Researchers also highlighted the association of poor housing with mental health and maternal health. Statistical analysis showed cold/damp houses a potential risk factor for asthma and postnatal depression. The pathophysiology of the respiratory symptoms is triggered by an allergic reaction to fungi or dust mites (Butler, Williams, Tukuuitonga Peterson, 2003). A major British cohort study has reported an evidence of poor living/housing conditions are growing over the life, of course, and can impose serious health effects on an individual and family. Thus, interventions to improve housing could measure better effects. Providing insulation for houses for the community with low economic conditions is a cost effective intervention to promote health and well being. It should be widely accepted by the community for their own health, policy makers and leaders to make strategy for healthy measures (Chapman et al., 2007). Conclusion The health of the community is greatly influenced by SDOH more than medical care. As above stated, quality of life is significantly affected by the society and the environment in which they live and work. The burden of disease and ill health can be reduced by improving the housing environment. Medical care and accessing physician is not affordable to all, however better housing conditions can effectively reduce the financial burden on the health sector. Hence, the individual and the community should be encouraged to participate in health programmes for the promotion of their health and wellness. Reference List Butler, S., Williams, M., Tukuionga, C., Paterson, J. (2003). Problems with damp housing among pacific families in New Zealand. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 116 (1177), 1-8. Retrieved from https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/4653/12861308.pdf?sequence=1 Chapman, P. H., Bierre, S. (2008). Reducing health inequalities by improving housing. In Dew, K., Matheson, A. (Eds.), Understanding health inequalities in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp. 161-173). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press. Chapman, P. H., Matheson, A., Crane, J., Viggers, H., Cunningham, M., Blakely, T.,Davie, G. (2007). Effect of insulating existing houses on health inequality: cluster randomised study in the community. BioMedical Journal. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39070.573032.80 Keall, M. D., Crane, J., Baker, M. G., Wicken, K., Chapman, P. H., Cunningham (2012). A measure for quantifying the impact of housing quality on respiratory health: a cross sectional study. Environmental Health, 11 (33), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1476-069X-11-33.pdf McMurray, A., Clendon, J. (2011). Community health and wellness: Primary health care in practice (4th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Elsevier. Sadowski, L, S., Kee, R. A., VanderWeele, T. J., Buchanan, D. (2009). Effects of a housing and case management program on emergency department visits and hospitalizations among chronically ill homeless adults: A randomized trial. Journal of American Medical Association, 301 (17), 1771-1777. doi: 10011/jama.2009.561 Thomson, H., Thomas, S., Sellstrom, E., Petticrew, M. 92009). The health impacts of housing improvement: A systematic review of intervention studies from 1887 to 2007. American Journal of Public Health, 99(3), 681-691. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.143909. Willimas, D. R., Costa, M. V., Odunlami, A. O. Mohammed, S. A. (2008). Moving upstream: How interventions that address the social determinants of health can improve health and reduce disparities. Journal Public Health Manag Pract, 14, S8-17. doi: 10.1097/01.PHH.0000338382.36695.42 World Health Organization. (2011). Closing the gap: Policy into practice on social determinants of health: discussion paper. Retrieved from https://extranet.who.int/iris/restricted/bitstream/10665/44731/1/9789241502405_eng.pdf 1

Personal Essay: Prejudice -- Personal Narrative

I. BACKGROUND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The location was a moderate to large size city near the east coast of Massachusetts. The city has a mix of all races and is diverse in its racial distribution. It is a city where most of the people are middle class working folks. While it is a moderate size city, it has few city problems such as homelessness, poverty and violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The year was 1992 and it was the summertime. It was very hot and humid at about 11:30 at night and I was in a car driving around looking for something to do. It was a boring Tuesday night so I decided to go to a big video arcade hangout called Funworld. There is a number of video games as well as young people. The establishment is a large building with a large parking lot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was with three other people in the parking lot when we were approached by a group of three other gentlemen. I myself am a caucasian male under 21 years of age. Two of the people I was with were upperclass caucasian males also under the age of 21. The last person was also under 21 and male, but he was African-American. One of the caucasians was a close friend and another was an acquaintance. The African-American was also a friend of mine. Of the three gentlemen that approached us, two were hispanic males that appeared to be over 21 and the other was a caucasian male that appeared over 21, although I couldn't be sure. Although I didn't want to make any judgements about them, they looked as if they were poorly dressed and over 21. So I deduced that they were in a gang or they were drug dealers, high school dropouts, etc.;. II.ACTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first it appeared as if both groups would just pass by each other unnoticed but the caucasian male in the other group made a racist remark about my African-American friend. He said "Look at those dumb dudes walking with that fucking spade". My African-American Dave turned around suddenly and said "What the fuck did you say?" The caucasian male retorted "None of your fucking business dick!" At this point both groups approached each other and then my friend Dave said "You wanna go", in response the other kid said "Let's go!" and shoved him in the chest. The other two of the caucasian male's friends jumped on top of Dave and then we all kind of got into a fight. We were mostly just pushing and shoving each other at first.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After about a minute of pushing... ...his fight alone was a melting pot of individuals. I think in my mind that the fat that Dan was white affected his decisions, not in a big way, but in some sort of way. I don't really know about the other three, but as for Chris and I, race affected us in terms of white and hispanic because that's who we were mad at the most. I don't know why this would be the case, but it just was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that African-American viewing this would have felt the most strongly. The event they would have sen unfolding in front of them would have hurt a lot. They would have jumped in to help not only my friend Dave but also all of us because we were all trying to fight for the same thing out there. African-American's also would have been puzzled as to why one white man would help out a black man but not two. The way events unfolded would have made them think twice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an odd way I feel another thing that would have made people jump in to help was the fact that a caucasian and an African-American were fighting for each other . As much as we hate to admit it that is not a scene we see nearly enough of in this day and age. Something has got to be done about it immediately.

Personality Biases of Accounting Students: Some Implications for Learning Style Preferences

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/1362-0436. htm CDI 13,4 Factors in? uencing career choice of management students in India Tanuja Agarwala Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to explore the in? uence of a range of factors on the career choice of management students in India. The importance of different individuals in the family and at work in making career choices among these students is also to be explored.In addition, the study seeks to address the relationship of the cultural values of individualism-collectivism and the protean/conventional career orientations of MBA students from India, with factors as well as people in? uencing the choice of a career. Design/methodology/approach – Participants consisted of 93 students from India entering management, who were starting their ? rst year of the two-year full time MBA program. Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data on factors and types of relationships in? encing career choice, individualism/collectivism, and protean/conventional career orientation. Findings – â€Å"Skills, competencies, and abilities† was the most important factor and â€Å"father† was the most signi? cant individual in? uencing the career choice of Indian management students. The predominant cultural value was collectivism, although the students demonstrated individualist tendencies in some contexts. A protean orientation guided the career orientation of these students. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected only from one management institute in India.Originality/value – Empirical research on factors and types of relationships in? uencing career choice, and their correlates, has not been conducted among Indian students. The paper addresses this issue and the study has implications for career counseling. Keywords Careers, Career g uidance, National cultures, Students, India Paper type Research paper 362 Career Development International Vol. 13 No. 4, 2008 pp. 362-376 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1362-0436 DOI 10. 1108/13620430810880844Introduction Globalization has brought about a radical transformation in what organizations need to do to maintain their competitiveness. As managerial skills become crucial for organizations to achieve success in a competitive and turbulent business environment, there has been a sharp rise in the demand for managerial professionals worldwide. Sturges et al. (2003) proposed that the MBA degree imparts certain key competencies to students. These competencies may be of key signi? cance in the career success of students as â€Å"management† has gained in importance over other forms of professions.Industry demand for new managerial resources in India far exceeds supply. According to one estimate, the total number of entry-level managers needed by corporate India every y ear stands at 2,735[1]. But the best business schools in India produce about 1,740 managers in any given year. This demand-supply gap, amounting to almost 36 percent, has resulted in competition for scarce managerial talent, high levels of attrition, and an increase in the compensation levels of managerial professionals.For a large number of students in India, a managerial career has become the most preferred career choice. The emergence of management as a formal education is fairly recent, yet the MBA degree has emerged as one of the most sought after higher educational quali? cations. There was a 55 percent increase in the number of institutes imparting management education in India between 1999/2000 and 2005/2006. More than 100,000 students are studying towards an MBA degree in approximately 1,200 institutions offering MBA degrees in India.Business factors coupled with several sociocultural changes have led to changing career preferences among young people in India. An individual ’s choice of career is likely to be in? uenced by several factors, including personal and cultural values, family background, career expectations, etc. Studies have been conducted in different cultural contexts to determine the range of ? factors that in? uenced students in making career choices (Ozbilgin et al. , 2005; Kyriacou et al. , 2002; Ozkale et al. , 2004). However, a literature review suggests that no empirical study has been onducted among management students in India in order to understand their subjective view about why they choose to pursue a career in management. The main purpose of the present study was to identify important factors that in? uenced the choice of career of students pursuing an MBA degree in India, and the role that various people and relationships played in their career choice. The study also attempted to explore the dominant cultural values of the students along Hofstede’s individualism-collectivism dimension, as well as the strength of their protean career orientation.An attempt was also made to examine whether there was a relationship between individualism versus collectivism as a cultural value and protean versus conventional career orientation of management students in India with the types of factors, people and relationships that are likely to play an important role in their career choice. Gender differences among the Indian MBA students were also explored. Career choice of management students 363 Theoretical background â€Å"Choice† means â€Å"selecting or separating from two or more things that which is preferred† (Webster’s Dictionary, 1998). Career choice† involves choosing one occupation over another. Hence, in order for â€Å"career choice† to take place, two conditions are necessary: (1) availability of alternative career options; and ? (2) an individual/personal preference between these career options (Ozbilgin et al. , 2005). The numbers of career options/alternativ es available to an individual at any given point in time are in? uenced by external factors (labor market, state of the economy, etc. ), as well as individual factors (education, family background, attitudes, etc. . Career choice, therefore, is not unbridled. Rather, career choices are often constrained by sociocultural factors (Swanson and Gore, 2000), individual factors, personal and cultural values, signi? cant relationships, and structural factors such as barriers faced by women in certain careers such as management. Most career choice research has focused on predicting career choice behaviors based on personality or demographic ? variables (Ozbilgin et al. , 2005). Studies attempting to identify career choice in? encing factors have focused largely on individuals’ aptitudes, interests, opportunities, etc. CDI 13,4 364 Factors in? uencing career choice Few studies have examined the factors that in? uence career choice. Previous studies have identi? ed a number of varied f actors that in? uence students’ career choice (Ginzberg, 1951; Super, 1957; O’Connor and Kinnane, 1961; Paolillo and Estes, 1982; Felton et al. , 1994). The most widely used classi? cation in career choice studies is the three-dimensional framework by Carpenter and Foster (1977) and Beyon et al. (1998).The three factors are: (1) intrinsic (interest in the job, personally satisfying work); (2) extrinsic (availability of jobs, well paying occupations); and (3) interpersonal (in? uence of parents and signi? cant others). Some research evidence exists to show that sociocultural, economic, and political changes affect the career choices of young people. Bai (1998) found that the market economy changed the values of university students who put self-interest before societal interests, and rated money and power as the primary motivators in ? nding a job. The relative in? ence of various factors on the career choice of students has been found to ? vary across cultures (Ozbilgin et al. , 2005). Most research on career choice has been conducted on occupational groups such as accountants and healthcare professionals (Carpenter and Strawser, 1970; Paolillo and Estes, 1982; Gul et al. , 1989; Bundy and Norris, 1992; Auyeung and Sands, 1997; Morrison, 2004). Barring a few studies ? (Simmering and Wilcox, 1995; Moy and Lee, 2002; Sturges et al. , 2003; Ozbilgin et al. , 2005; Pines and Baruch, 2007), the career â€Å"choice† of MBA students and the factors in? encing this choice have rarely been addressed. The subject matter is worth exploring since the MBA degree has raised management to professional status, offering management graduates a gate to a fast-track managerial career. There is no data about the factors that in? uence career choice of students in India. The in? uence of relationships on career choice Relationships constitute an important dimension of human functioning, yet the interest in understanding how relationships and careers are intertwi ned has increased only in recent years (Blustein et al. , 2004; Schultheiss, 2003; Phillips et al. 2001; Schultheiss et al. , 2001). Most research efforts in the area have focused on how relationships and networks are conducive to career mobility and advancement. The role of relationships in making career choices has been overlooked. There exists a need to direct research efforts to exploring the types of relationships that matter, and why they are signi? cant in making career choices. The present study speci? cally aims to explore the relative importance and in? uence of different relationships (mother, father, relatives, colleagues, etc. ) in making career choices among Indian MBA students.Individualism-collectivism, and factors and relationships in? uencing career choice Culture is an important determinant of how people think and behave, while â€Å"values† are â€Å"broad tendencies to prefer certain state of affairs over others† (Hofstede, 1980). Cultural values a re likely to have an impact on the factors and relationships that in? uence career related choices of students. Studies have focused on the cultural dimension of individualism-collectivism (I/C) as an important determinant that in? uences career â€Å"choice† of students from countries that vary along the I/C dimension.These studies have examined cultural variations in factors in? uencing career choice ? (Auyeung and Sands, 1997; Ozbilgin et al. , 2005). The I/C dimension, ? rst measured empirically by Hofstede (1980), describes how individuals relate to others and to society, and represents the extent to which they are emotionally and cognitively attached to a particular network of individuals. According to Hofstede’s empirical index for the dimension, Western countries (the USA, the UK, Australia) cluster toward the individualist end while Asian nations (such as Japan, Taiwan and India) cluster toward the collectivist end. Individualism† refers to the tendency of people to consider their own interests only, to view themselves as â€Å"independent† of organizations, and to place a higher value on self-reliance and individual action. â€Å"Collectivism† refers to the inclination of people to view themselves as â€Å"interdependent† and as part of a larger group, and to protect the interests of group members. Therefore, preferences for social in? uences in making career choices may also differ in individualistic versus collectivistic cultures. Research examining the differential role of peers, colleagues, mentors, managers, etc. in career decision-making is limited. Related research suggests that there is a positive relationship between collectivism and family relatedness, and individualism and peer relatedness ? n, (Benet-Martinez and Karakitapoglu-Aygu 2003; Kwan et al. , 1997). Some studies have treated I/C as an individual difference variable (Ramamoorthy and Carroll, 1998; Ramamoorthy and Flood, 2002), suggesting th at even within a country considerable variability may exist in cultural values at the individual level. These differences may have an effect on individual’s attitudes and behavior.It may be inferred, therefore, that variability in I/C is likely to exist in the sample of Indian management students, and this variability may have an effect on what factors and relationships are likely to in? uence these students in their choice of career. Career orientation and career success â€Å"Career success orientation† may be described as â€Å"the way people de? ne their success at work and that individual perceptions of career success re? ect individual values, attitudes and motivation with respect to both work and life in a broader sense† (Derr, 1986).This orientation provides a guide to action, and hence is similar to an attitude (McGuire, 1985), which has a cognitive component (a set of beliefs about the career), an evaluative component (a sense of what would be a  "good career† or a â€Å"bad career† for oneself), and a behavioral component (an action tendency or a predisposition to behave in certain ways). There are two types of career orientations: (1) protean (new career orientation); and (2) conventional (traditional organizational orientation). Hall ? rst described the protean career in 1976.According to Hall (2004), a â€Å"protean† career is one that is managed proactively by individuals (self-directed) according to their own personal values (values driven), rather than by organizational rewards. Core protean values are freedom and growth (Hall, 1976, 2002), and the main criteria of success are subjective (intrinsic/psychological success) and not objective (extrinsic/material). A protean career orientation re? ects the extent to which an individual adopts such a perspective to their career (Briscoe and Hall, 2006). Career choice of management students 365 CDI 13,4 66 A conventional career orientation de? ned career success in terms of measurable objective factors such as salary, recognition, or number of promotions (Gattiker and Larwood, 1988). The core value of conventional career orientation is â€Å"advancement†. Even though career success has been researched extensively since the 1950s, the study of subjective and objective career success did not start until 1988 (Gattiker and Larwood, 1988), and until 2002, none of these studies involved collecting the participants’ own (subjective) view of their measures of career success.The current study aims to explore Indian management students’ subjective view of career success and also attempts to understand the relationship of their career success orientation with the factors and relationships in? uencing career choice. Method Sample characteristics and data collection The sample[2] consisted of 93 management students at the University of Delhi, India, who were starting their ? rst year of a two-year full time MBA degree progr am. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 99 students, of which 93 were Indian citizens. The other six students were foreign students from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Canada.For the purpose of the present paper, only the responses of the Indian citizens were analyzed. Hence, the total sample size was 93, of whom 50. 5 percent (n ? 47) were male, and 49. 5 percent (n ? 46) were female. Their age ranged from 20 to 27 years, with an average age of 22 years and two months. The majority of the students (31. 2 percent) were 21 years of age and Hindu (88. 2 percent) by religion. All the students were unmarried. The majority of students (n ? 65; 69. 9 percent) belonged to families in which the father was serving as an employee in either a technical or a professional capacity.Only 18 students (19. 4 percent) had a business background, with their father being self-employed or an entrepreneur. Of a total of 93 students, 42 students (45. 2 percent) had non-working mothers and 43 had working mothe rs, of which 37. 6 percent (n ? 35) were in the employment of others, 6. 5 percent (n ? 6) were self-employed, and 2. 2 percent (n ? 2) were working part-time. A total of 43 students came from families where both parents were working, either in the employment of others or owning their own business. Each student was asked to complete a questionnaire within the ? rst 20 days of joining the full-time, wo-year MBA degree program. The data for the present article was collected in July 2006. Measures ? Factors in? uencing career choice. The 14-item scale developed by Ozbilgin et al. (2004) was used to obtain data on the degree to which various factors in? uenced the career choice of the students sampled. Each item on the scale corresponded to a career choice factor. The reliability of the scale, as evidenced by Cronbach’s a, was 0. 66. Relationships in? uencing career choice. The in? uence of certain individuals (relationships) such as father, mother, friends, colleagues, etc. on s tudents’ career choice was assessed through a nine-item questionnaire (a ? 0:65). Individualism-collectivism. Cultural values on Hofstede’s individualism-collectivism dimension were measured using a 16-item questionnaire developed by Triandis and Gelfand (1998). Cronbach’s a for eight individualism items was 0. 59, and for eight collectivism items it was 0. 62. Career orientation. A 13-item scale developed by Baruch (2006) was used to measure career orientation, with nine items measuring a protean view of a career and four items measuring a traditional view of a career. Cronbach’s a for protean items was 0. 5, and for traditional items a was 0. 81. Responses on all the questionnaires were obtained on a seven-point Likert scale where 1 ? strongly disagree/not at all important, and 7 ? strongly agree/very important. Results Factors in? uencing career choice The means and standard deviations of the 14 factors that in? uenced the career choice of MBA students in India are presented in Table I, for the total sample and by gender. As is evident from Table I, MBA students from India rated their â€Å"skills, competencies, and abilities† as the most important career choice in? uencing factor, followed by â€Å"education and training† and â€Å"? ancial rewards in this career†. Separate analyses by gender showed that male and female Indian MBA students differed in the factors they rated as the most important in in? uencing their career choice (see Table I). Male students rated â€Å"? nancial rewards in this career† as the most important factor in their career choice decision followed by â€Å"Quality of life associated with this career† and â€Å"skills, competencies, and abilities†. For female students, â€Å"skills, competencies, and abilities† and â€Å"education and training† were the most important factors. T-tests revealed two factors – â€Å"Quality of life associated wi th this career† (t ? :98; p , 0:05) and â€Å"Financial rewards in this career† (t ? 2:37; p , 0:05) – that were signi? cantly more important determinants of career choice for male as compared to female MBA students in India. No other career choice factors revealed signi? cant gender differences. For both male and female Indian management students, as well as for the total sample, â€Å"lack of access to other career options† was the lowest rated factor in their Total sample (n ? 93) Mean SD 6. 04 5. 90 5. 82 5. 77 5. 70 5. 58 5. 46 5. 39 5. 13 4. 59 4. 31 3. 71 2. 94 2. 48 1. 07 6. 04 1. 31 1. 30 1. 40 1. 53 1. 52 1. 57 1. 52 1. 47 1. 93 1. 89 1. 66 1. 60Career choice of management students 367 No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Factors in? uencing career choice My skills and abilities My education and training Financial rewards in this career I have a free choice in making my career decisions Quality of life associated Promotion opportunities Training and education My love of this career Success stories of friends, family My knowledge of the labor market My ? nancial/economic condition Ease of access to this career Chance, luck or circumstances Lack of access to other career options Males (n ? 47) Mean SD 5. 96 5. 77 6. 13 5. 72 5. 98 5. 83 5. 17 5. 30 5. 04 4. 36 4. 23 3. 66 3. 09 2. 1. 02 1. 29 0. 82 1. 26 0. 99 1. 15 1. 48 1. 60 1. 44 1. 54 1. 95 1. 82 1. 47 1. 55 Females (n ? 46) Mean SD 6. 13 6. 04 5. 50 5. 83 5. 41 5. 33 5. 76 5. 48 5. 22 4. 83 4. 39 3. 76 2. 78 2. 35 1. 13 1. 43 1. 62 1. 34 1. 68 1. 81 1. 52 1. 55 1. 60 1. 37 1. 94 1. 96 1. 84 1. 65 Table I. Means and SDs: factors in? uencing career choice of Indian MBA students CDI 13,4 career choice. â€Å"Chance, luck or circumstances†, â€Å"ease of access to this career†, â€Å"? nancial and economic condition†, and â€Å"knowledge of labor and/or career market† were also not perceived as having an important in? uence on their career choice . Role of relationships in in? encing career choice Table II presents the means and standard deviations with respect to the in? uence of individuals and relationships on career choice of Indian MBA students for the total sample and by gender. It is evident from the results that â€Å"father† exerted the greatest in? uence on the career choice of students in India, for both male and female students. For female students, the second most important in? uence was that of the â€Å"mother†. However, for male students, â€Å"friends†, that is, the peer group, played a more important role than the â€Å"mother†, and was second only to the â€Å"father† in their career choice decision. Managers† and â€Å"relatives† were the least important in in? uencing the career choice of all Indian management students. t-Tests revealed no signi? cant differences between male and female students in the in? uence of relationship types (father, mother, work c olleague, etc. ) on career choice. Cultural values and career success orientation Table III presents the descriptive results for individualism/collectivism (I/C) and for protean/conventional career orientation. The mean scores on Hofstede’s I/C dimension suggest that Indian MBA students were moderately high on both individualism (mean ? 0:52) and collectivism (mean ? 42:82), with a slightly higher score on 368 No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Individuals/relationship types Father Mother Friend/s Fellow students Teacher/mentor Work colleagues Signi? cant other/partner Another relative Manager Total sample (n ? 93) Mean SD 4. 76 4. 23 4. 13 4. 03 3. 60 2. 94 2. 68 2. 63 2. 63 1. 94 1. 90 1. 89 1. 83 2. 03 1. 90 2. 22 1. 83 1. 94 Males (n ? 47) Mean SD 4. 57 4. 19 4. 32 4. 00 3. 83 3. 20 2. 61 2. 37 2. 63 2. 03 1. 87 1. 83 1. 68 1. 98 1. 85 2. 22 1. 72 1. 98 Females (n ? 46) Mean SD 4. 96 4. 26 3. 93 4. 07 3. 37 2. 68 2. 75 2. 9 2. 63 1. 85 1. 94 1. 95 1. 98 2. 08 1. 94 2. 24 1. 92 1. 92 T able II. Means and SDs: relationships in? uencing career choice of Indian MBA students Table III. Means and SDs: cultural values and career orientation of Indian MBA students Indian MBA students Total (n ? 93) Males (n ? 47) Females (n ? 46) Cultural values Individualism Collectivism Mean SD Mean SD 40. 52 40. 98 40. 04 5. 77 5. 69 5. 87 42. 82 42. 63 43. 00 5. 77 5. 37 6. 20 Career orientation Protean Conventional Mean SD Mean SD 48. 85 49. 38 48. 30 6. 33 5. 78 6. 87 19. 80 20. 26 19. 33 4. 86 3. 85 5. 72 collectivism.A paired t-test was conducted to determine whether there was a signi? cant difference on these two cultural values among the Indian MBA students. The paired t-test revealed that the mean score of collectivism was signi? cantly higher than the mean score of individualism (paired samples t ? 22:82; p , 0:01). The mean scores of male and female students on the I/C dimension (Table III) suggest that both male and female MBA students in India had stronger collectivistic v alues (mean scores for males ? 42:63; for females ? 43:00) compared to individualistic values (mean scores for males ? 40:98; for females ? 0:04). Mean scores for the two types of career success orientation, protean and conventional, suggest that Indian management students were moderately high on both (protean mean ? 48:85, nine items; conventional mean ? 19:80, four items). Thus, freedom and growth, as well as position and salary, were important criteria of career success for these students. A paired t-test conducted between the two subscales (protean subscale and conventional subscale) revealed the protean career orientation to be signi? cantly higher among the Indian MBA students (paired samples t ? 43:56; p , 0:01).T-tests for group differences revealed no gender differences with respect to cultural values as well as career success orientation, among Indian MBA students. Relationship of factors in? uencing career choice and relationship types with individualism/collectivism Apar t from an attempt to explore the relative strength of I/C cultural values among Indian MBA students, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between individualistic and collectivistic value orientations at the individual level and the in? uence of various factors and relationships in making career choices among Indian management students.Pearson correlations were calculated in order to understand which career choice factors will be more in? uential for students with a more collectivistic or individualistic orientation. Individualism was found to be signi? cantly positively correlated with the â€Å"quality of life† (r ? 0:36; p , 0:01), â€Å"promotion opportunities† (r ? 0:22; p , 0:05), and â€Å"? nancial rewards† (r ? 0:35; p , 0:001) available in a management career. High collectivism was signi? cantly positively correlated with â€Å"love of a career in management† (r ? 0:26; p , 0:05), and â€Å"belief that one had a free choice in mak ing the career decision† (r ? :33; p , 0:001). Pearson correlations were also calculated between cultural values and types of relationships that in? uenced career choice of Indian MBA students to see whether students who differed in their levels of collectivism/ individualism also differed in the extent to which they were in? uenced by different types of relationships (father, mother, friends, etc. ) when making career choice. The results showed no signi? cant correlation between individualistic values and in? uence of relationship types on the career choice of Indian MBA students. However, a high level of collectivism was found to be signi? antly positively correlated with the in? uence of â€Å"father† on their career choice (r ? 0:24; p , 0:05). No other relationship type was found to have a signi? cant correlation with collectivism. The ? ndings of the present study are supported by studies conducted in other collectivistic societies such as Turkey. Career choice of management students 369 CDI 13,4 370 Relationship of factors in? uencing career choice and relationship types with career orientation Pearson correlations calculated between career orientation and factors in? uencing career choice and relationship types suggested that protean career orientation was signi? antly positively correlated with â€Å"skills, competencies, and abilities† (r ? 0:30; p , 0:005), â€Å"knowledge of labour/career market† (r ? 0:25; p , 0:05), â€Å"training and education opportunities† (r ? 0:36; p , 0:01), â€Å"quality of life† (r ? 0:23; p , 0:05), â€Å"love of this career† (r ? 0:27; p , 0:01), and â€Å"free choice† (r ? 0:23; p , 0:05). Conventional career orientation was found to be signi? cantly positively correlated with â€Å"quality of life† (r ? 0:50; p , 0:01), â€Å"promotion opportunities† (r ? 0:30; p , 0:005), â€Å"? nancial rewards† (r ? 0:55; p , 0:01), â€Å"training and educ ation opportunities† (r ? :22; p , 0:05), â€Å"ease of access to this career† (r ? 0:21; p , 0:05), and â€Å"success stories† (r ? 0:33; p , 0:001). With respect to relationship types, high protean career orientation was signi? cantly negatively correlated with the in? uence of â€Å"relatives† (r ? 20:27; p , 0:05) and positively correlated with the in? uence of â€Å"manager† (r ? 0:28; p , 0:05). Conventional orientation, on the other hand, was signi? cantly positively correlated with the in? uence of â€Å"mother† (r ? 0:26; p , 0:05), â€Å"father† (r ? 0:23; p , 0:05), and â€Å"manager† (r ? 0:26; p , 0:05).Discussion The study aimed to identify the factors and relationship types that in? uenced career choice of MBA students in India. The relationship of individualism/collectivism and protean/conventional career orientation with factors and types of relationships that in? uenced the career choice of these students was a lso explored. Indian MBA students considered their own â€Å"skills, competencies, and abilities† and â€Å"education and training† (intrinsic career choice factors) as playing the most signi? cant role in their choice of a management career. With respect to relationships, â€Å"father† exerted the greatest in? ence on their career choice. The results replicate the ? ndings of the study by Pines and Baruch (2007), and Pines et al. (2002) across ? ve countries (i. e. Israel, the UK, Turkey, Cyprus, and Hungary). Students opting for a managerial career may be similar in certain respects, irrespective of nationality. The important in? uence of â€Å"father† in career decision of Indian students may be understood in the context of a largely patriarchal society. The fact that the majority of the students had a professional background, their father being an executive/ professional, may also have in? uenced their career choice.Numerous studies have shown similar ities between parents’ occupations and their children’s career aspirations (Barling, 1990; Trice and Knapp, 1992). Findings on I/C suggest that even though Indian MBA students had a mix of both cultural values, they showed a de? nite preference for collectivism, thus supporting Hofstede’s (1980) ? ndings. Several other studies suggest that the Indian culture is collectivist (Sinha and Verma, 1987; Verma, 1999; Verma and Triandis, 1998). Evidence also suggests that Indian students exhibit a mix of both individualistic and collectivistic behaviors when I/C is seen as an individual level variable.Hence, I/C are not a bipolar dimension (Triandis, 1994). In a dynamic society characterized by economic liberalization and a Western pattern of education, students may be exposed ? n to both I&C value preferences, emphasizing both (Karakitapoglu-Aygu and Sayim, 2007; Ramamoorthy et al. , 2005). It is likely that Indians value both I&C, which coexist and jointly in? uence t he way they de? ne themselves, relate to others, and decide priorities in conforming to social norms (Sinha et al. , 2001). The relative salience of the situation will determine which of the two – collectivism or individualism – will be evoked (Tripathi, 1988).It is likely that Indian students who demonstrated high collectivistic orientation may make individualistic choices in situations that related to the individual’s career (Sinha and Tripathi, 1994). Similarly, students who showed higher individualism may make collectivist choices in a non-career context. The ? ndings about the relationship of factors and people in? uencing the career choice of Indian MBA students to cultural values may be explained within this context. In individualistic cultures, individuals are looking for individual advantage, career progression, autonomy and individual ? ancial security (Price, 1997); they believe they are responsible for their own future and are concerned with material possessions and social status (Di Cesare and Golnaz, 2003; Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). A higher level of individualism among Indian students was found to be signi? cantly correlated with extrinsic factors (money, status, etc. ), suggesting that these students placed a greater value on material bene? ts, such as money, social prestige, and career advancement. Those students who had a collectivistic orientation emphasized â€Å"free choice† and â€Å"love of career† as important in? uences on their career choice.Collectivists tend to subordinate personal goals to group goals, and emphasize values of harmony, cooperation, and low levels of competition. Hence, high levels of collectivism may be associated with a desire to demonstrate that one had chosen the career out of free will, and not out of competition or pressure to conform, thus emphasizing harmony. Indian management students who were high on individualistic values were not in? uenced by their family or signi? c ant social networks in their choice of career. However, students who were high on collectivism were in? uenced by their father in ? their career choice decision.Similar ? ndings were reported by Karakitapoglu-Aygun and Sayim (2007) in a study of Turkish MBA students. Since the I/C dimension emphasizes separateness versus embeddedness in social relationships, it is expected that a collectivistic person may value support from others, especially from family members, in his/her career decision-making process, thus suggesting a positive relationship between collectivism and family relatedness (Kwan et al. , 1997). On the other hand, an individualistic person might not value the involvement of others, especially family members, in an important decision such as career choice.Indian management students demonstrated both protean and conventional career orientation, but were predominantly protean. According to Reitman and Schneer (2003), MBA graduates enjoy both self-managed and promised (con ventional) career trajectories. Except for one career choice factor – i. e. â€Å"quality of life† (extrinsic) – all other factors (â€Å"love of the career†; â€Å"skills and competencies†) that were positively correlated with protean career orientation in the present study were individual-centric.Studies have shown a protean career orientation to be positively related to subjective career success (in terms of career satisfaction) while the ? ndings with regard to objective career success (in terms of salary and promotion rate) have been inconsistent (Briscoe, 2004). Since the protean career orientation re? ects self-directedness, people/relationships may not in? uence career choice of protean individuals. The in? uence of manager on a protean individual’s career choice in the present study may suggest the protean individual’s desire for growth, and the perception of manager as a symbol of success.Career choice of management students 371 CDI 13,4 372 Individuals with higher conventional orientation, unlike those with protean orientation are not likely to be self-directed or in charge of their career. Therefore, factors like ease of access and success stories of others may play an in? uential role in their choice of career, as among Indian students. These individuals are also likely to be in? uenced by others, such as father and mother, in their career choice. These ? ndings may be viewed in conjunction with the predominantly collectivistic orientation of Indian students.Gender differences In terms of the â€Å"intrinsic† and â€Å"extrinsic† classi? cation of career choice factors, it appears that intrinsic factors (such as skills and competencies) were more important for female students in their choice of management career, while extrinsic factors were more important for male students. The results may be explained with reference to the traditional view of â€Å"managerial career† as being a â€Å"male† profession. Women face barriers to career success not faced by males (Simpson, 2000) and are assessed under stricter criteria than men (Morrison et al. , 1987).To progress women must prove that they have the competence to succeed. Hence, the inputs of education and training are more objective merits that help women to enhance their credibility and credentials (Melamed, 1996). The study revealed no gender differences on any other variable. Hall (2004) proposed that a person’s career orientation was unrelated to gender. Regarding the study of sex differences, Baumeister (1988) proposes that this is no longer necessary, while Eagly (1987) and Lefkowitz (1994) advocate the investigation of sex differences in organizational behavior.If obtained consistently across studies, even null ? ndings are important (Lefkowitz, 1994) since these would help establish that women and men are similar in many respects. Implications The ? ndings of the study may have an implic ation for vocational guidance and counseling among Indian students aspiring for a career in management. By gaining an insight into how students make their career choices, an effort can be made to guide students towards more realistic career choices. However, the ? ndings of the study have limited generalizability. Notes 1. See www. india-today. om/btoday/07051998/cover5. html/12/28/2007 2. 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(Eds), Latest Contributions to Cross-cultural Psychology, Swets & Zetlinger, Lisse, pp. 228-41. Career choice of management students 375 CDI 13,4 Verma, J. and Triandis, H. C. (1998), â€Å"The measurement of collectivism in India†, paper presented at the Meeting of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Bellingham, WA, August. Webster’s Dictionary (1998), Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, MICRA, Plain? ld, NJ. Further reading Agarwal, P. (2006), â€Å"Towards excellence – higher education in India7†, Working Paper No. 179, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Kumar, R. and Usunier, J. -C. (2001), â€Å"Management education in a globalizing world: lessons from the French ex perience†, Management Learning, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 363-91. Corresponding author Tanuja Agarwala can be contacted at: [email  protected] com 376 To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protected] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints

Immorality and Inhumanity in the Pictures from Abu Ghraib

One of the most serious blows to American society and reputation was the highly publicized scandal of maltreatment and abuse of prisoners in Iraq. These incidents, which were uncovered in 2004, happened in the Abu Ghraib prison complex and perpetrated by American personnel under the 372nd Military Police Company.The abuses came to public notice from the media, which was able to acquire extremely graphic images of the tortures taken by the soldiers involved in the incidents themselves. (Hersh, 2004) Following the incident, the United States Military charged those responsible for the crimes and demoted the officer in-charge of the U.S. prison system in Iraq.Until now, however, the American public and the world are still reeling from disappointment over the irrationality and immorality of such systematic acts of violence against the Iraqui prisoners which included various forms of physical, psychological, and sexual abuses. More disconcerting than the acts of the abuses, however, is the fact that the soldiers even took photographs of their crimes.The photographs show the prisoners in shameful conditions, either naked or forced to assume positions suggesting sexual acts with fellow prisoners. Undoubtedly, the photographs show not only violations of basic human rights according to the International Humanitarian Law but also disrespect to the Muslim culture and Islamic beliefs by the American soldiers involved.Among the most disturbing aspects of the photographs taken in the Abu Ghraib prison is the presence of a woman, Private Lynndie England, posing with her thumbs up while the prisoners are being subjected to inhuman treatment.In one photo she is shown posing with a fellow soldier while naked prisoners are made to form a human pyramid at the foreground. In another, she poses with the ubiquitous thumbs up sign while at the same time pointing to the genitals of hooded male prisoners lined up. Indeed, the gloating and happy image of Private England is a stark contras t to the cruelty and torment seen from the prisoners who are reduced to the state of animals.Thus, the pictures should provoke not only outrage from the public but should also lead to a reexamination of the kind of morality and basic sense of decency of military personnel such as England who could derive enjoyment from the clear suffering of her fellow human beings. It is an unfortunate incident that a woman, whom the public expects to be more sensitive to the feelings and emotions of her fellow human being, would be part of the ritual of dehumanization of the prisoners from the physical, emotional, and the psychological aspects of the torture.It is a disappointing fact that Private England, despite her gender, was able to tolerate highly sexualized abuses that were usually committed by men to show their dominance upon women: rape, brutality, and sodomy.Aside from being devoid of any sense of morality, the pictures violate public sensitivity and ethics. The purpose of the pictures a nd the intent of the people who took them therefore become questionable. These images where clearly not meant for an audience, but then, why take them in the first place? Did Private England and her cohorts need a remembrance of how they were once part of the violation and abuse of the Iraqui prisoners?Upon analysis, the pictures are not only proof of the lack of ethics and sensitivity of the soldiers but also signify a deeper perversion. The abuse of the prisoners, supposedly meant to prime them for interrogation by intelligence personnel, show the ugly characteristic of power play wherein the abusers took freedom upon their prisoners because of their perceived dominant position.Their main intent is to degrade the prisoners, to strip away their dignity as human beings, and to show them that they are powerless beneath the abusers’ hands. The pictures, then, are part of the ritual of abuse. By exposing the private parts of the prisoner and capturing the moment forever on film or on video, the perpetrators are breaking the person’s will, reducing him or her into an object.Unfortunately, the acts of the American soldiers reflect the corruption of the entire U.S. military. Hersh (2004) observes that the Abu Ghraib incidents occurred not only because of poor leadership from the direct commanding officer but because of the lack of accountability in the military’s chain of command.Moreover, the incidents are an indication not only of the failure of the United States Army but also of American ideals and society to instill respect for human rights and human dignity among its members. It is a great shame and a devastating blow for the world’s superpower and the supposed protector of Democracy, to be associated with blatant acts of human rights violations.It is in this aspect that the world will continue to be haunted by the images of prisoners from Abu Ghraib. For the people will always remember how Private England smiled and gave a thumbs up sign for the camera while other human beings were being treated as animals in the foreground. Indeed, the torture and abuse of Iraqui prisoners are symptoms of the breakdown of humanity; the images of the grinning the soldiers will therefore serve as a haunting reminder of the capacity of humans for boundless inhumanity.Works Cited:Hersh, Simon R. Torture at Abu Ghraib. 10 May 2004. The New Yorker. 31 March 2008. http:// www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/10/040510fa_fact