Saudi Arabian Culture Essay Example

Saudi Arabian Culture Paper Culture can be defined by the set of value, beliefs, rules, and institutions held by a specific group of people (Wild et al, 2009, p50). It also can be simply understood by a large group of people who have a shared knowledge system. It can also be said that culture is learned, interrelated, shared by all and defines boundaries (Hall, 1977, p 16). In this case, the Saudi Arabian culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam and its laws set out by the Koran. Islam has very strict guidelines that need to be understood and followed by all in Saudi Arabia and these guidelines is what makes Saudi Arabian culture and tradition. For businesses this means being able to know what is acceptable and legal. For example companies would need to know that all pork products are banned, as well as all alcohol and all religious books and artifacts not relating to Islam (Iexplore, 2010). Saudi Arabian culture and tradition is one that is based highly on conservatism and living their lives exactly to how the Koran sets it out. This is one country that does not bow down to Westernisation and the western way of thinking and international companies would need to take this into consideration when advertising new products or opening new offices. We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Arabian Culture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Arabian Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Arabian Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Saudi Arabia has a very strict dress code for women especially. Women must wear a Hijab and a full covering dress which is ankle-length because of Islamic law. Wearing clothes that are seen to be exposing a lot of skin is offensive to their religion and culture. Not only is the dress code made because of their religion, it also plays a practical role. Since Saudi Arabia has a desert climate, wearing revealing clothing all the time would leave you open to the harsh sun and sand. By wearing long flowing outfits, it protects the skin and keeps you cool. When businesses decide to move into Saudi Arabia, this dress code is something that would need to be considered highly because foreign clothes are not tolerated especially for any female employees. Women in Saudi Arabia make up about 10% of the workforce. Women in Saudi Arabia are preferred to be homemakers by society and their husbands and it is rare that they are educated or encouraged to work. If a company was to send a female employee into Saudi Arabia, other companies would be hesitant to do business with her. It would be much more desirable for the female employee to be accompanied by a man. As this is part of their business culture, sending female employees into Saudi Arabia isnt always seen as the best option, Having an understanding of Saudi Arabian business etiquette and personal manner is essential to success. The concept of time in Saudi Arabia is different than Western cultures. The Saudi working week begins on Saturday and ends on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are the official weekend and days of rest. Office hours tend to be 9:00am-1:00pm and 4:00pm-8:00pm (Butler, 2007). When arranging meetings it is often acceptable to be a little late as arriving in a timely manner is not an issue. It is also useful to know that Saudis enjoy mixing business with pleasure. It is not uncommon for a business meeting to have a lot of small chit chat and friendly conversation rather than all business. But be careful to avoid topics such as religion, politics and women. When opening a business in Saudi Arabia it is also necessary to take into account their religious culture because this affects their day to day life. Companies must allow for prayer times which occur five times a day. They must also offer a place where Saudis can practice this.

Behavior change theory

Behavior change theory Introduction According to the article, behavioral change is very vital in the development of good health and productive outcomes. Application of behavior change theory aids in inducing change of behavior among health workers. Essentially, the application of behavior change theory depends on factors such as changing multiple behaviors and medical adherence of individuals.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Behavior change theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The implementation of evidence-based practices in changing the behavior of health workers is a complex task, as it depends on the ability of individuals to change their behaviors and the type of approach used. Application of behavior change theory is effective if an organization employs interventions that have their basis on past behavioral outcomes. Hence, the essay examines the validity of behavior change theory on healthcare centers, organizations, and society. Findings of the Study The study found out that the behavior change theory informs principles of positive behavior change and gives positive outcomes, which are not possible in practices that do not entail application of the theory in undertaking behavioral change programs among healthcare workers. In addition, the study established that application of designed interventions is effective when compared to the application of theoretical concepts. According to Cane, O’Connor, and Michie (2010), the application of behavior change practices greatly depends on the level of application and willingness of individuals to change their behavior. The study also revealed that some organizations do not apply the theory of behavior change effectively. For example, a study of 235 development implementation studies revealed that only 22.5% used the theories effectively (Cane, O’Connor, Michie, 2010). Hence, the findings refined and enhanced effectiveness of theoretical domain framewor k in assessing behaviors of healthcare workers. Importance of the Findings from the Study Despite poor application of the theories by some organizations, other research studies and organizations have successfully employed the theories and frameworks provided by the study. The study adopted theoretical domain framework and applied behavior change theory in healthcare systems.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the study applied behaviour change theory in elucidating how healthcare centers utilize theoretical domain framework in inducing positive behavior change among healthcare workers and the general population. For instance, in Denmark, UK, and Australia the research team applied the frameworks of behavior change theory to identify factors that facilitate or prevent successful implementation of behavior change programs. Additionally, in Australia, healthcare centers identified bottlenecks and facilitated application evidence-based principles in assessing causes of acute pains in the waist or lower back pains, and eventually gave informed solutions about the problems. Therefore, the findings from the study are very instrumental in the implementation of positive behavior change among individuals in both the healthcare centers and the society. Research Instruments, Design, and Participants The research instruments that the study employed are the questionnaires, both open and closed. Descriptive survey is the research design of the study as it entails administration of surveys among eligible participants. The eligible participants were individuals who are conversant with behavior change theory and are available in journal databases that are online. The selection was through email invitations using a membership invitation list. Out of the 101 invitations, 37 participants managed to complete the assigned tasks (19 open sort tasks and 18 closed sort tasks). Strengths and Weaknesses The strength of the study lies in the framework it employed, which is the theoretical domain framework. The framework uses a number of procedures that identify domains, establish the content of domains, and finalize the domain labels to achieve a refined framework of domains. These procedures are fundamental as they enhance internal validity of the results, which are helpful in the implementation of behavior change interventions in healthcare centers and other organizations. However, the study portrays a weakness as it only lays its attention on those respondents who understand the theory of behavior change. Thus, it implies that the study does not consider the views of potential respondents who do not have an understanding of the theory. Moreover, the study did not balance gender (27 women and 10 men), which compounds the outcome of the study. Hence, the method employed in the selection of participants makes the findings have low external validity.A dvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Behavior change theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference Cane, J., O’Connor, D., Michie, S. (2010). Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behavior change and implementation research. Implementation Science, 7(37), 1-17.

Prediction of Stall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Prediction of Stall - Essay Example The phenomenon of stall is shown in the figure below:- Stall occur due to a number of reasons and can thus be divided into a number of types1 like power off stalls (also called approach-to-landing stalls, practiced by pilots to simulate normal approach-to-landing conditions and configuration), Power-on stalls (also known as departure stalls, practiced by pilots to simulate takeoff and climb-out conditions) and Accelerated stalls (experienced at higher-than normal airspeeds due to applying abrupt or excessive controls to aircraft and may occur in steep turns, pullups or other abrupt changes in your flight path.). Many aircraft in Flight Sim use a stall indicator to alert you when the airflow over the wing(s) approaches a point that lift cannot be sustained. The stall indicator is part of aircraft for a reason so no one should ignore it. Setup a numerical optimization procedure that can be useful to the aerodynamicist in the rapid design and development of high-lift system configurations and that can also provide derivative information regarding the influence of various design parameters (gap, overlap, slat and flap deflection angles, etc.) on the performance of the system. The variables that describe the relative elem... His aircraft experiences buffeting, uncontrollable pitching or vibrations that begin just before the stall occurs. Many aircraft in Flight Sim use a stall indicator to alert you when the airflow over the wing(s) approaches a point that lift cannot be sustained. The stall indicator is part of aircraft for a reason so no one should ignore it. Design Procedure The design calculation is an important procedure that solves two purposes as under:- Improve the take-off and landing performance of existing high-lift systems using an adjoint formulation. Setup a numerical optimization procedure that can be useful to the aerodynamicist in the rapid design and development of high-lift system configurations and that can also provide derivative information regarding the influence of various design parameters (gap, overlap, slat and flap deflection angles, etc.) on the performance of the system. Flow diagram of the above procedure is depicted as under:- Figure 3: Flow diagram of the design calculation procedure The variables that describe the relative element positioning can be used as design variables. These variables include flap and slat deflection angles, gaps, overlap, shapes of each of the elements and many more depending on method used2. Like in Continuous Adjoint Method, variables are flow-field variables and the physical location of the boundary. Then the governing equation which expresses the dependence of these variables can be written in flow field domain in form of partial differential equations. After introducing a Lagrange Multiplier and solving adjoint equations and applying boundary conditions we get gradient equation3. An active transparent stall control system utilizing sensors, actuators, and a closed-loop controller was designed and tested on a NACA 0020

The Need to Establish a Film Industry in Sierra Leone Term Paper

The Need to Establish a Film Industry in Sierra Leone - Term Paper Example Further, schools and colleges were encouraged to join the industry through events such as National Art Festivals. However, all these were dropped at some point. The film has been dragging along without proper regulation and no empowerment at all. Consequently, local Sierra Leoneans can now only produce poor quality films which cannot make it to the international platforms. No wonder, only foreign films shot in Sierra Leone make it to the international level. However, it is worth noting that the spirit to revive the industry is alive. What needs to be done is to set up necessary mechanism such as film schools to empower the industry into producing quality products. Rationale For many in the West, Sierra Leone remains the land of blood diamonds and drugged-up child soldiers, even though the country has been at peace for almost a decade. The film â€Å"Blood Diamond† was the one that installed the image for many overseas. At a time when Sierra Leone was desperately looking to reb rand itself, the film scared off tourists and drove away investors. Now, we will aim to erase that image with the establishment of the new film school. The President of Sierra Leone stressed that the film industry will tell a new story of peace, democracy, humanity, and determined to progress in many areas of human endeavors. Sierra Leone’s first ever film and acting school, IDF Film School, will be established by the Director of Institut de Francais, Ahmed K. Mansaray who also doubles as a movie executive producer and director.

Educational Implications of Socioeconomic Status Matrix Essay

Educational Implications of Socioeconomic Status Matrix - Essay Example If someone with unemployed or working class parents enters the school system at an academic level behind those of other students (through no fault of their own or their parents), they will find it difficult to move up a track in the current system. This is not only because teachers will have lower expectations of this individual due to their socioeconomic class, but because the curriculum currently focuses predominantly on those in the upper echelons of society without providing insight into movement between classes or the importance of the working class throughout history. All of these factors combined will ensure that most students in the lower classes will remain unmotivated and unenthused by the education system and find it difficult to engage their intellectual capacity (Gollnick & Chinn, 2005, p71). Conversely, the upper-middle and upper classes flourish under the current education system. Not only does their economic status allow students from these backgrounds to attend expen sive private schools which generally have better equipment (and better paid staff who may be more enthusiastic due to this benefit), but their social status encourages these students to attain the best academic achievements. High teacher (and parental) expectations will push students into the higher academic tracks, allowing them to attain results that will push them towards the jobs held by their parents – teachers, lawyers, doctors, academics and high-powered businessmen (Gollnick & Chinn, 2005, p64). This seems unfair when compared with the fate of the lower classes as discussed above, who may have the same intellectual capacity and perhaps even outperform some of their upper-middle or upper class schoolmates, but suffer from an educational inequality. Race also plays a part in educational equality (Gollnick & Chinn, 2005, p67) Those who are members of oppressed groups are found in higher numbers in the unemployed, homeless or working class groups. Combined with the factor s mentioned above, these groups are often underrepresented in class materials, again meaning that these groups will engage less with the curriculum. White able-bodied males, who occupy a higher proportion of the upper-middle and upper classes, are overrepresented in class materials and thus may feel encouraged to perform. There has not been much discussion of gender in the text, but it can be assumed that often classroom materials focus on the history and experiences of the male gender and this is an inequality that also needs to be addressed. References Gollnick, D. M., & Chinn, P. C. (2005). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society & Exploring Diversity Package (7th ed.). Prentice

Role of Institutions in Policy Making

Role of Institutions in Policy Making INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of institutions in influencing policy outcomes. First part of the paper provides a brief introduction to the study of institutions in political science. This is followed by description of factors influencing policy outcomes. Final part of the paper looks at the limitations of institutions, which pose additional constraints on policy outcomes. INSTITUTIONS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE The study of institutions is central to the subject matter of political science and, to an even greater extent, public administration. According to Lowndes (1996:181), â€Å"focus upon institutional arrangements for the delivery of public services is generally held to be defining of the sub-discipline of public administration†. March and Olsen (1984) argue that social, political, and economic institutions have recently become larger, more complex and resourceful, and therefore more important to collective life. According to them, attention to political institutions has increased in the literature on legislatures, budgets, public policymaking, local government and political elites. According to Scharpf (1989), much of comparative political science research may be characterised as an attempt to explain and predict the influence of political institutions on the choice of public policy. INFLUENCING POLICY OUTCOMES SETTING NORMS IN DECISION MAKING March and Olsen (1984,1989) see institutions as providing order in political life. Institutions increase capability by reducing comprehensiveness. Institutions express norms of decision-making and behaviour, providing a logic of appropriateness. Rules produce variation and deviation as well as conformity and standardisation. Institutions generally change in an incremental way through responding to environmental signals. AFFECTING POLICY OUTCOMES Institutions are often seen as â€Å"set of factors affecting the interactions between policy actors and hence the greater or lesser capacity of policy-making systems to adopt and implement effective responses to policy problems (Scharpf 2000:764)†. According to Gorges (2001), the European Commission and other EC institutions played a significant role in social policy-making. The European Commission sought to increase both its policy domain and its legitimacy, continually insisting that it would not abdicate its power to initiate policy. Although it is actors that are the proximate causes of policy responses, institutional conditions, to the extent that they are able to influence actor choices, are seen as remote causes. Actors are strongly influenced by the institutional rules to which they owe their existence and by institutional and cultural norms that define the criteria of their success or failure (Scharpf 2000). According to Scharpf (2000:770), â€Å"in sociological ins titutionalism, institutions are defined very broadly so as to include not only externally imposed and sanctioned rules but also unquestioned routines and standard operating procedures and, more important, socially constructed and culturally taken-for-granted worldviews and shared normative notions of appropriateness. In that view, therefore, institutions will define not only what actors can do but also their perceptions and preferences—and thus what they will want to do. Institutions constrain, but do not completely determine, policy choices (Scharpf 1989). Certain policy options are unlikely to be chosen under certain institutional conditions. According to Scharpf (1989), policy choices are simultaneously influenced by at least four sets of factors, institutional, situational, preferential and perceptional. Institutional rules will affect policy by restricting options, constituting actor constellations, regulating their modes of interaction and by structuring the incentives of the participating actors (Scharpf 2000). Institutions are imposing substantive prohibitions to policy outcomes. Countries differ in the range of institutionally permissible policy options and there is an increasing tightness of international legal constraints. For example, the power of governments to determine wages and working time was routinely exercised by most countries but is ruled out in Germany. Moreover, the tight control of capital transfers and the highly discriminatory regulation of credit markets that facilitated the success of macroeconomic full-employment strategies in Sweden until the mid-1980s would now be ruled out by EU directives liberalising capital markets and financial services. The rules of negative integration, in particular European competition law, have become a major constraint on all ec onomic policy options that could be construed as inhibiting or distorting free competition in the markets of EU member states. Institutional rules also define the constellations of actors that may participate in the adoption and implementation of policy responses and their permissible modes of interaction, which could be classified as mutual adjustment, negotiated agreement, voting, or hierarchical direction. Although most policy choices result from multi-actor interactions, some countries whose political institutions approximate the ideal Westminster model have the option of treating any major policy problem in a single- actor constellation. Here, all relevant policy choices are potentially determined by the preferences and perceptions prevailing in a unified action center. Hierarchical direction becomes an institutionally available mode of interaction, as exemplified in Britain, New Zealand, and possibly France. In rational-choice institutionalism, incentives are defined by refere nce to the self-interest of the corporate and collective actors involved in the policy process, for example, governments, political parties, central banks, labor unions, their subunits, or the individuals acting for them. In single-actor systems, the incentives that have the most direct effect on policy choices are constituted by the mechanisms of political accountability. In multi-actor systems, accountability is weakened and policy outcomes are more affected by incentives favoring cooperation or conflict between the veto actors. CRITICAL JUNCTURES AND DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS Ikenberry (1994) characterises political development as involving critical junctures and developmental pathways. According to the first principle, different founding moments of institutional formation send countries along broadly different developmental paths. The second principle suggests that institutions continue to evolve in response to changing environmental conditions and ongoing political maneuvering but in ways that are constrained by past trajectories. According to Thelen (1999), where state-builders faced geopolitical competition early, they were forced into greater concessions to the financiers, merchants, and administrators who financed and staffed the bureaucracy, resulting in patrimonial systems. Where rulers confronted geopolitical pressures later, they found themselves in a quite different world, where developments in education and finance made these side payments unnecessary, resulting in greater bureaucratic autonomy. Over time, some avenues of policy become increas ingly blocked, if not entirely cut off, as decisions at one point in time can restrict future possibilities by sending policy off onto particular tracks (Thelen 1999). DIFFERENT THEORETICAL APPROACHES Although it is generally accepted that challenges to which policy actors may have to respond are influenced by the institutional setting, the dominant strands of current institutionalist theorising, rational-choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism, differ in their conceptualisation of these influences (Scharpf 2000). LIMITATIONS Institutions have limitations which have a significant effect on policy outcomes. These limitations are focus on structures and efficiency, focus on stability, political manipulation and policy networking. FOCUS ON STRUCTURES AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY It has been argued that compliance with structures and practices often becomes more important than its actual efficacy (Lowndes 1996). According to DiMaggio and Powell (1991), it is the demand for similarity of structure and functioning, rather than for increased efficiency, that drives organisational change. According to Thelen (1999), the institutional approach begins with the observation that markets, embedded in political and social institutions, are the creation of governments and politics. The main purpose and effect of institutions are often seen as economising on fraction costs. Lowndes (1996:186) describes institutions as â€Å"efficient organisational frameworks, which arise to solve problems of complex economic exchange†. The critics of the new institutional economics, however, object to the proposal that a universal economic logic determines the choice of institutional systems, regardless of culture and circumstance or power and politics (Lowndes 1996). FOCUS ON STABILITY North (1990) stresses stability rather than efficiency as the economic rationale for institutions, arguing that technically inefficient institutions persist because they contribute to stability and harmony in interaction and because they are deeply embedded in culture and tradition. According to historical institutionalism, institutions do more than channel policy and structure political conflict. Thelen (1999) claims that institutions are socially constructed in the sense that they embody shared cultural understandings of the way the world works. This means that even when policy makers set out to redesign institutions, they are constrained in what they can conceive of by these embedded, cultural constraints. For example, the evolution of Japanese security policy shows how collectively held norms define appropriate conduct, shape actor identities, and influence actor interests, and in doing so, inform how political actors define what they want to accomplish (Thelen 1999). Pearson (20 00) claims that path dependence can be used to explain the analysis of European party systems, labor incorporation in Latin America, the outcome of state-building processes in Europe, and the comparative development of health care systems. According to Thelen (1999), the problem with this approach is that dominant cultural norms emerge out of concrete political conflicts, in which different groups fight over which norms will prevail. Dominant policy paradigms can and do shift at times and organisational fields are often imposed by powerful actors. According to Stinchcombe (1997), it is legitimacy and not automaticity that explains why people follow scripts in the first place. Furthermore, the entrenchments of certain institutional arrangements obstruct an easy reversal of the initial choice (Pearson 2000). The conception of path dependence, in which preceding steps in a particular direction induce further movement in the same direction, is well captured by the idea of increasing returns. In an increasing returns process, the probability of further steps along the same path increases with each move down that path because of the costs associated with exit or change. According to North (1990), institutions induce self-rei nforcing processes that make reversals of course increasingly unattractive over time. This, according to Arthur (1994) leads to unpredictability, inflexibility, nonergodicity and potential path inefficiency. POLITICAL MANIPULATION In politics, institutional constraints are ubiquitous (Pierson 2000). Politics involves struggles over the authority to establish, enforce and change the rules governing social action in a particular territory. According to Gorges (2001), the institutional change could be influenced by material and ideal incentives the policy entrepreneurs provide. Furthermore, change is most likely when there is an increase in the effectiveness of individuals seeking change and a decrease in the blocking power of individuals whose interests are served by the current institutional arrangements. Institutions are not neutral coordinating mechanisms but in fact reflect, and also reproduce and magnify, particular patterns of power distribution in politics (Thelen 1999). Thus, political arrangements and policy feedbacks actively facilitate the organisation and empowerment of certain groups while actively disarticulating and marginalising others. â€Å"Manipulated by utility-maximising politicians and bur eaucrats, institutions degenerate over time. They come to serve the individual, private interests of officials and any conception of the public interest is lost (Lowndes 1996:188)†. Public officials seek to augment their status and material through increases to budgets under their control, and utility-seeking politicians attempt to maximise votes by promising benefits and service enhancements, which results in waste and over-supply of government goods and services (Niskanen 1973). An alternative to the budget-maximising thesis is provided by bureau-shaping theory which accepts that bureaucrats are self-serving, but denies that they pursue a single course of utility-maximising action (Lowndes 1996). In rational-choice institutionalism, institutional rules are understood as external constraints and incentives structuring the purposeful choices of self-interested rational actors (Scharpf 2000). Thus, when certain actors are in a position to impose rules on others, the employment of power may be self-reinforcing (Pierson 2000). Actors may use political authority to generate changes in both formal institutions and various public policies designed to enhance their power. Skocpol (1992) argues that institutional arrangements affect the capabilities of various groups to achieve self-consciousness, organise, and make alliances. For example, the fragmentation of the state, as well as the organisation of party competition along patronage lines, actively mediated against the development of a unified working class that could then spearhead the movement for comprehensive social policies in the United States. Scharpf (2000) does not agree with this notion, arguing that actor preferences have at least two dimensions individual and organisational self-interest on one hand and normative obligations and aspirations on the other. INSTITUTIONS AND THE â€Å"POLICY NETWORKING† The policy network approach is concerned with the institutionalisation of relations between governmental and non-governmental actors (Lowndes 1996). The concern is with actual institutional practices rather than with formal organisational arrangements. Jordan (1990) refers to an institution as an extra-constitutional policy-making arrangement between industries and clientelistic groups. Lowndes (1996) points to the traditionally fragmented structure of British government and the influential role played by interest groups in policy-making. In such environment, â€Å"policy is made not by a unified government machine but by an assortment of actors, governmental and nongovernmental, linked together in more or less formal and coherent networks (Lowndes 1996:190)†. Furthermore, institutions are embedded in networks of other institutions, and it is difficult to change one institution in a matrix because of this embeddedness. According to Lowndes (1996), policy networks routinise rel ationships, promoting continuity and stability. One example is the EU, where the European Commission has often granted access to, and attempted to institutionalise the participation of interest groups as a way of securing legitimacy for its proposals before presenting them to the Council of Ministers (Gorges 2001). The Commission has attempted to sustain and expand the Community political system by providing information to the social partners, forcing them to re-evaluate their interests and priorities, and supporting the development of a Community/Union system of interest intermediation by providing a forum for conflict resolution. The capacity for effective policy responses is affected not only by the quantity and quality but also by the diversity of policy-relevant information and analysis provided by an institutionalised information infrastructure (Scharpf 2000). Policy coordination in Austria, for example, was greatly facilitated by the fact that the government, the political parties, and the social partners relied on the analyses provided by a single economic research institute. In Germany, by contrast, unions and employers maintain separate research institutes, the federal government supports altogether six such institutes, the federal labor administration and the Bundesbank maintain large in-house research capacities, the independent Council of Economic Advisors relies on its own research staff, and the big commercial banks have their own macroeconomic research departments. The downside of the monopoly model is the risks of groupthink, or the failure to pay attention to observations, interpretations, and recommendations that do not conform to the dominant worldview (Scharpf 2000). This was arguably the case in Britain in the early 1970s, when policy makers in the treasury continued to rely on the Keynesian recommendations derived from the single macroeconomic simulation model, even when the economy had ceased to respond as predicted (Scharpf 2000). However, when the analyses of institutionalised information monopolists do fit the problem, they will facilitate effective problem solving in single-actor systems and effective coordination in multiactor systems. The pluralistic model, by contrast, will provide protection against the institutionalisation of error. CONCLUSION The paper has explored the role of institutions in influencing policy outcomes. Institutional conditions, to the extent that they are able to influence actor choices, are seen as remote causes. Institutions influence policy outcomes by setting norms in decision making. Furthermore, institutional rules affect policy by restricting options, constituting actor constellations, regulating their modes of interaction and by structuring the incentives of the participating actors. Although it is generally accepted that challenges to which policy actors may have to respond are influenced by the institutional setting, the dominant strands of current institutionalist theorising, rational-choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism, differ in their conceptualisation of these influences. Limitations of institutions, such as the focus on structures and economic efficiency, the focus on stability, political manipulation and policy networking, further influence policy outcomes. BIBLIOGRAPHY Arthur W.B. (1989). â€Å"Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and lock-in by Historical Events†. Economy Journal, Vol. 99. Ashford, D. E. (1977). â€Å"Political Science and Policy Studies: towards a structural solution†. Policy Studies Journal, Iss.5, pp.570-583. DiMaggio, P and Powell, W. (1991). â€Å"Introduction†, in W. Powell and P DiMaggio The new institutionalism in organizational analysis (eds). University of Chicago Press. Gorges, M.J. (2001). â€Å"The New Institutionalism and the Study of the European Union: The case of the social dialogue†. Western European Politics, Vol.24, Iss.4, pp.152. Ikenberry G.J. (1994). â€Å"History’s Heavy Hand: institutions and the politics of the state†. Conference on The New Institutionalism, University of Maryland. Jordan, G. (1990). â€Å"Policy Community Realism versus New Institutionalist Ambiguit†. Political Studies, Vol.38, pp.470-84. Lowndes, V. (1996). â€Å"Varieties of New Institutionalism: A critical appraisal†. Public Administration, Vol.74, pp.181-197. March, J. and Olsen, J. (1984). â€Å"The New Institutionalism: Organizational factors in political life†. The American Political Science Review, Vol.78, No.3, pp.734-749. March, J. and Olsen, J. (1989). â€Å"Rediscovering Institutions: the organizational basis of politics†. Free Press, New York. Niskanen, W. (1973). â€Å"Bureaucracy: Servant or Master?† Institute for Economic Affairs, London. North, D. (1990). â€Å"Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance†. Cambridge University Press. Pierson, P. (2000). â€Å"Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics†. The American Political Science Review, Vol.94, No.2, pp.251-267. Scharpf, F.W. (1989). ‘Decision Rules, Decision Styles and Policy Choices’, Journal of Theoretical Politics,Vol.1, Iss.2, pp.149-176. Scharpf, F.W. (2000). â€Å"Institutions in Comparative Policy Research†. Comparative Political Studies,Vol.33, pp.762-790. Skocpol T. (1979). â€Å"States and Social Revolutions.† Cambridge University Press. Stinchcombe A.L. (1997). â€Å"On the Virtues of the old Institutionalism†. Annu. Rev. Soc. Vol.23 Thelen, K. (1999). â€Å"Historical Institutionalism in Comparative Politics†. Annual Review of Political Science, Vol.2, pp369-404.

Censorship in Literature and Music Essay -- Censoring Laws Essays

Censorship in Literature and Music What is censorship? An encyclopedia defines censorship as "the control of what people may say or hear, write or read, or see or do1." There are many reasons why people censor entertainment such as literature and music. Many governments or groups try to preserve their standards of morality by preventing people from learning about or following other standards2, commonly found in the two previously mentioned mediums. There are different ways to censor things. It can be on a local level, such as libraries refusing to carry a controversial book. It can also be on an entirely larger scale. In the 1770’s, French author Beaumarchais had two of his plays, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, banned by King Louis XVI.2 Back then, these plays were considered outrageous and sometimes blasphemous. To fully understand how our system of censorship works today, we have to look into history to see how censorship got started. Johann Gutenberg invented the moveable type printing press and published his first bible sometime around 1450. By 1500, an estimated 20 million books were circulating throughout Europe. The Church's monopoly over the written word was destroyed. Responding to this new technology of freedom, the Church developed a number of control mechanisms. The most obvious, and perhaps famous of these was the Index librorum prohibitum (Index of Prohibited Books). The Index listed hundreds of banned authors and books.3 Less famous than the Index but absolutely central to the rise of censorship, was Church and government use of exclusive printing privileges, which granted favored printers a monopoly right to publish books so long as they were approved by official censors4. In Italy, censorship was primarily a response to the spread of printed Protestant propaganda.5 On October 31, 1517, the Day of all Saints, Martin Luther posted his 95 statements, of theses, to the doors of a church. This was revolutionary, because nobody ever successfully questioned the Church’s authority. Soon after that, others began to follow his example. Eventually, the Church lost power over people’s daily lives. Their local and national government took its place as the authority leader. As the government’s grew, it eventually started monitoring what the public could be exposed to. This included music and books. Eventually, in the 20th c... ... Bibliography Webpage Hunter, Christopher D.. "Copyright and Culture" 03 Dec. 2002 "An Interview with Alex Domokos" Dowse 03 Dec. 2002 http://www.dowse.com/interview-alex-domokos.html Nuzum, Eric. "A Brief History of Banned Music in the United States" 03 Dec. 2002 http://ericnuzum.com/banned/ "Controversial Music: The Beat Goes On" 03 Dec. 2002 http://teenmusic.about.com/library/weekly/aa022301a.htm "The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000" American Library Association. 03 Dec. 2002 http://www.ala.org/bbooks/top100bannedbooks.html Blume, Judy. "Judy Blume Talks about Censorship" 09 Dec. 2002 http://www.judyblume.com/censors.html "Censorship in the Renaissance" 13 Dec. 2002 http://130.238.50.3/ilmh/Ren/bokt-censor.htm "Constitutional Amendments 1-10: The Bill of Rights " 02 Jan. 2003 http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/bill_of_rights/amendments_1-10.html Anne, Rapin. "Beaumarchais" 31 Jan. 2003 Books Marsh, Dave. 50 Ways to Fight Censorship & Important Facts to Know About the Censors. New York, NY: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1991. Encyclopedia "Censorship." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1989 ed.

No End in Sight to Nursing Shortage: Bottleneck at Nursing Schools

The present nursing shortage is a serious issue which poses a real threat to the future of the healthcare system especially on patients.   Research published last year by ANA predicts that the US will have a shortage of 1 million nurses by 2020 (http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/behindrnprojections/4.htm), a bottleneck at US nursing schools caused more than 42 000 qualified applicants to be turned away in 2006-2007 (p.1623).Nursing experts attributed this shortage to five influencing factors.   First, it is mainly due to the simultaneous graying of the nurse workforce or the age or retirement of older nurses. Second, many are leaving the profession due to overworked and some even migrated to other countries in search for high paying ones.Third, the number (especially the younger generations) entering the nursing profession continues to decline as they see the lack of stability and thus tend to choose other careers (American Nurses Association, 2003).   Fourth, US nur sing schools face a growing faculty shortage, schools lack the physical facilities, too few clinical training placements, and limited fund; all of these have not been able to keep pace with the demand. Fifth, while it is easy to blame the government for this shortage due to lack of funding for nursing programs, however, equally important is career burn out.   It can’t be denied that nursing is one among the many jobs that has a stressful work environment.   So, the job itself is responsible for this shortage.Further, CareerJournal.com has surveyed several students who mentioned that the best careers do not include nursing.   Some of the respondents mentioned that the lack of funding and facilities to train new nurses, poor working conditions in hospitals and poor salary scale make the nursing profession not a compensatory career.What makes this issue even worse is that research studies have found the shortage is already having a proven, adverse effect on the ability to deliver quality healthcare in the US.   One important negative effect on patient healthcare is the increased risk of patient deaths as simply there are not enough nurses to safely care for patients.   Another is the increased medical errors arising from many complications because of this shortage.   All of this equates to the inadequacy to meet the future health care needs of Americans.Because of all these, patient’s safety is threatened and health care quality is deteriorating.   This is because nurses are greatly responsible for the majority of patient care, as they perform the vital functions in a patient’s confinement in the hospital and thus providing more face to face services than doctors. But we need to ensure that there are enough registered nurses to meet future demands.What makes this issue even worse is that research studies have found the shortage is already having a proven, adverse effect on the ability to deliver quality healthcare in the US.   One important negative effect on patient healthcare is the increased risk of patient deaths as simply there are not enough nurses to safely care for patients.   Another is the increased medical errors arising from many complications because of this shortage.   All of this equates to the inadequacy to meet the future health care needs of Americans.To address this shortage, solutions must be developed in several areas, such as in education, healthcare deliver systems, policy and regulations, and image. This shortage is not solely nursings` issue and requires a collaborative effort among nursing leaders in practice and education, health care executives, government, and the media. Thus, the American government, nursing agencies, and other concerned groups have taken some steps to alleviate the nursing shortage such as to increase the number of admissions to the American nursing education and improving working environment to retain nurses.On the other hand, they are pushing for budg et changes which they hope to address the lack of funding issue of the nursing program.   Research has shown that quality of workplace environment and job satisfaction is correlated, which impacts on quality of care and patient outcomes.   ANA (2003) urge governments to act swiftly to develop a national health human resource strategy.But there are many barriers to the resolutions as addressing the shortage is really a difficult task.   For one, the government itself lack a substantive commitment to the health of Americans and that these barriers has increased due to the different views between policy making and health human resource planning.   But if this issue has to be resolved, all concerned groups; nurses, hospitals, clinics, and the government should work hand in hand.   Many concerned groups believed that an integrated health human resource strategy that includes the expeditious licensure and acceptance of those who wish to immigrate or who already reside in the dif ferent states of the US is needed to resolve the nursing shortage.Nurses are vital in the health care system, thus the government, nursing associations, employers, educators, and others have collaborated to address the nursing shortage issue. Nursing has been burdened with societal expectations of selflessness and devotion.   Thus, a high ethical and legal standard should be met by all American nurses.The nursing shortage carries with it a lot of implications.   Foremost, this has affected the quality and safety of the entire American health care system as nothing is more critical to the health and well being of Americans than safe, sound, and available health care.   Thus, the governments, professional associations, educators, administrators and employers have accelerated their efforts to reduce the potential threat of this shortage and thus minimize the potential public risk.   Hence, nursing education would flourish and nursing graduates would increase in number. With thi s, nursing graduates will have a positive job outlook as their demand is high. With these efforts, the nursing shortage would come to an end and nurses could provide the Americans with a safe and high quality health care.ReferencesAmerican Medical Association (2007).   No End in Sight to Nursing Shortage:   Bottleneck atNursing Schools a Key Factor.   Vol 298, No. 14. Available:American Nurses Association. (2003). Planning for the Future: Nursing Human ResourceProjections.   Available:   http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic14/tpc14_4.htmNevidjon, B., Erickson, J. (January 31, 2001) The Nursing Shortage: Solutions for the Shortand Long Term Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. #6, No. #1, Manuscript 4.Available: http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic14/tpc14_4.htm

Calleeta Corporation Essays

Calleeta Corporation Essays Calleeta Corporation Essay Calleeta Corporation Essay The Calleeta Corporation May 15, 2011 HRM 520 Identify three key business issues facing Jan, Calletta’s CEO. As Calletta’s CEO, Jan is facing a number of problems such as: lack of support from board members/investors, increasing employee costs, and protests against Calletta’s offshore facilities due to the growing concern of working conditions. Jan key issue on hand is the lack of support from board members and investors. Board Members and investors right now are not supporting Jan or her proposal due to a poor return on investments. Board Members are concerned about the rapid increase of employee cost the company is incurring. Calletta is incurring a 12% cost increase annually compared to an industry average rate of just 4% in the U. S. It seems that until Jan is able to reduce employee cost along with increasing the company’s revenue and return on investments she will continue to lack the support needed for her future plans for Calleeta. Another key business issue Jan is facing at Calletta is the rapid increase in employee cost. Board Members are furious that Calletta is paying a well higher annual rate of 12% versus the industry average 4% that their competitors are paying. Board Members are demanding that Jan seek ways to decrease employee cost before approving any future plans. As a result Jan is forced to choose between HR Vice-President John Nosmas practices or the board who affects her maneuvering power for future plans. John Nosmas defends his practice of paying higher wages along with providing expensive benefit programs because he believe in hiring the best employees and believes that his practice also keep employees along with products innovated. This key business issue kind of puts Jan in a hard place because both parties play a vital role in her success as CEO. Finally, as CEO Jan is faced with the growing concerns over working conditions in their foreign facilities which are being targeted by activists on behalf of humane working conditions. This issue not only affects Calletta from a publicity stand point but from a production standpoint also. If this concern is not contained Calleta can be labeled as an inhumane place to work and may lose investors resulting in a loss of business and profit. Another concern this issue presents is eventually it could affect production due to the protesting by activists. If activists intervene in the daily operation of Calleta such as blocking supplies from coming in, it could affect production and in return revenue causing an uproar with investors in which Calleta don’t need. Therefore, it is critical that Jan resolves this issue before it before it becomes detrimental to the organization. Discuss the ways that Calleta’s HR operations are contributing to the company’s success. Calleta’s HR department is the backbone of the company’s success. Due to HR Vice-President John Nosmas and Jan’s human capital talent acquisition and retention plan Calleta was able obtained the most highly skilled individuals in their industry giving the organization a competitive advantage. John and Jan’s plan focused on matching the company’s core competences to recruits that possess the skills within Calleta’s strategy. John and Jan believed that their strong recruiting and retaining plan would give the organization a competitive edge along with innovating the company’s products. Without a strong recruiting and retention plan a company will constantly incur a high turnover rate along with inconsistency with the quality of their products. â€Å"A company that implements an effective recruitment process is likely to gain competitive advantage in the marketplace, improve returns, and achieve economies of scale. This is possible only through the recruitment of quality candidates in to the organizational workforce (Sangeetha, K, 2010)†. Therefore, Calleta’s HR operations are key to the company’s success because it thrive to find the right people to fuel the company’s products. Identify three changes that can be made at Calleta to meet the Board of Directors demands. After reading the case study it seems that the Board of Directors main demands and concerns are with the rapid increase in employee cost. Therefore to meet the Board of Directors demands Calleta would have to focus on cutting employee costs in the area of employee benefits. The first area Calleta can cut cost is in employee’s personal benefits. Calleta can cut employee cost by only paying a percentage of employee’s healthcare, dental, and life insurance versus providing these benefits at no cost to the mployee. This approach along should reduce Calleta’s cost tremendously considering the increasing cost of healthcare. This method would not hurt Calleta recruiting shceme because it’s a method most U. S. companies are adopting. According the Los Angeles Times, â€Å"in 2010 nearly a third of employers reported that they either reduced the scope of benefits they are of fering this year or increased the amount that workers must pay out of pocket for their medical care†. This approach will share the liability of cost with employees instead of Calleta taking on the full incurred cost. By sharing the cost for healthcare and insurance benefits Calleta will be able to cut employee cost drastically. Another change that Calleta can make to meet the Board of Directors demand is reducing the 401k match from 10% to 5%. Calleta currently offers a very generous 401k plan that exceeds most competitors’ plans within the industry. With the current 401k plan Calleta is losing a massive amount of money in matching employee’s contributions. Calleta is basically giving money away on top of all the other great benefits they offer. Even with reducing Calleta’s contribution amount this still leaves Calleata in a competitive position in terms of recruiting due to their other generous benefits. By reducing their 401K plan matching scheme from 10% to 5% this will reduce the amount of money Calleta was previously spending on 401K matching by half making the Board of Directors incredibly happy. Another change Calleta can make to meet the Board of Directors demands is by reducing some of their paid programs such as pet boarding. If Calleta eliminates this program as a whole they can save on paid wages, benefits, and vacation earned by employees. Programs such as pet boarding are offered outside the workplace and are considered luxury services. This type of service should not be at the cost of Calleta unless they have the revenue to support it. However, in Calleta’s case they do not have revenue to support this luxury service to employees. By eliminating this program is it helps provides some relief to the drastic increase in employee cost. Discuss how a balanced scorecard can help the CEO explain the value of her HR talent management approach. A balanced scorecard can help the CEO explain the value of her HR talent management approach by measuring the visions and goals of her approach against the various categories of the balanced scorecard to show how they performed. For instance, since Jan’s talent management approach focuses on innovation she could measure the performance of her approach against the learning and growth component to show how her approach faired against the metrics in place. In the learning and growth component metrics are generally setup to guide managers in ensuring employees receive training/mentoring to promote employee development and growth. Jan can use the results of a balanced scorecard to persuade Board Members into embracing her approach. Jan can use a balanced scorecard to show how the additional training given to employees has increased motivation and productivity to reduce product time-to-market. By illustrating how her talent management approach has increased production and morale Jan is able to defend her approach and show the value of her approach to Board Members. As a result of being able to demonstrate how her approach has benefited the company Board Members will more than likely embrace Jan’s approach because of the positive results. Identify three sample measurements in each of the four balanced scorecard categories that would support the CEO’s presentation to the Board of Directors. Three sample measurements in the learning and growth category that would support the CEO’s presentation to the Board of Directors would be: competency development expense per employee (cost control), number of employees with development plans (cost control), and number of special projects for employee development (value creation). Three sample measurements in the financial category that would support the CEO’s presentation to the Board of Directors would be: HR recruitment expense/ RD hires (cost control), HR training expense/ $ of sales revenue (value creation), and HR departmental expense/$ of sales revenue (cost control). Finally, for the customer category three sample measurements in the learning and growth category that would support the CEO’s presentation to the Board of Directors would be: number of delivers on-time, numbers of customers satisfied, and rating of quality of service. References Sangeetha, K. K. (2010). Effective Recruitment: Strategy, 7 (1/2), 93-107. Retrieve from EBSCC on May 9, 2011. Leavy, N. N. (2010). U. S. employers push increase in cost of healthcare onto workers. Retrieved from http://articles. latimes. com/2010/sep/02/business/la-fi-healthcare-costs-20100903

Factors that Cause International Migration Flows

Factors that Cause International Migration Flows Migration is the movement of people from one region to another in search of better social and economic services. It involves the crossing of administrative or political boundaries. Migration mainly results from social and economic developments in a certain region. International migration involves the crossing of international frontiers separating different states. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Factors that Cause International Migration Flows specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In other words, international migration occurs at the international level. People move from their original home countries or states to other states for various social, political, economic, and economic reasons. The objective of the essay is to explore the major factors that cause international migration flows. Different factors such as economic pressures, social networks and connections between migrant sending and receiving countries, immigran t admissions and immigration control policies, and cultural perceptions held by people in developing countries on immigration and First World immigrant receiving countries have been explored. In addition, the most important factors affecting international migration flows are also explained and justified. One of the major causes of international migration flows is economic pressures. Poor economic growth, coupled with low unemployment rate has historically compelled people to migrate from their countries to other countries with well established market economies. For instance, the fall of former USSR led to the migration of its nationals to neighboring countries which had well established markets. Furthermore, countries in the economic transition period experience high rates of international migrations because of the anticipated economic benefits. Countries with closer social networks and connections have always encouraged international migrations as it strengthens international econ omic ties. For example, some developed countries have closer ties and agreements with the less developed countries to encourage migration to foster international relationships. Other countries have also established immigrant admissions and immigration control policies to encourage international migration flows. Most Commonwealth countries have already put in place immigrant admission and immigration control polices. For example, Australia encourages migration of skilled employees from Commonwealth countries to be part of the demanding labour market.Advertising Looking for essay on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Majority of the people in developing countries and First World immigrant receiving countries have various cultural perceptions as regards the migration. Most people in developing countries perceive that it is their right to migrate to their immediate colonies for better economic and social welfare. In addition, people have the cultural perception that First World immigrant receiving countries are indebted to them. As a result, people in developing nations are willing to move to the developed and First World receiving nations with the perception that they will be get better offers. This perception has encouraged human trafficking and illegal immigrants in the developed nations. Based on the analysis, the most important factor is economic pressures followed by the presence of immigrant admissions and immigration control policies. This is because economic pressures encourage international migration flows in the sense that people move with the hope of getting better economic welfare. In addition, economic pressures have always encouraged people to move to developed states with economic stability. Hundred thousands of people are moving from their home countries in search for better economic conditions like employment. Also, the presence of immigrant admissions and immigr ation control policies has always encouraged international migration flows between the countries under migration treaties or conventions. Consequently, migrants get job opportunities while the receiving nations are able to provide their services to their citizens.

Cooling fan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cooling fan - Research Paper Example This research is being carried out to evaluate and present a process of creating new products to be sold by an enterprise or business to its customers. The process of product design aims at effective and efficient generation of ideas through processes, which lead to new products. The process of product design evaluates and conceptualizes ideas, making them tangible via a systematic approach. The process entails a combination of science, technology, and art to create three dimensional goods. In the recent past, the evolvement of digital tools, facilitate communication between designer, analysis of ideas, and their visualization, thus empowering the dynamism of the process. Educationalist should not confuse product design with industrial design. Industrial design entails the artistic process, whose usability and form associates with craft design in mass production. In the recent past, it is evident that the products are getting complex, as the data turns to be expansive. This is also a challenge facing the engineering industry as a result of the overall growth. Designs suggested by top products designers and engineers have come to lose market share. All in all, teams of engineers are implementing other strategies to cope with the prevailing situations, such as teaming up to make a product design project. The ideas are taking effect, and ides are getting to admirable levels by teams from different environment merging up to design a new product. As designers and engineers claim that they leap cost benefits from globalization of product design, the process will get more complex that before as designers are adopting new design strategies. Among other significant external factors affecting the process of product design are competition, business environment, and technological dynamisms. All in all, some of these factors enhance creativity and innovations as individuals’ engineers will aim at giving the best of their capability. An external factor such as technol ogy is challenging design processes as it requires the designers to keep track with its changes. This aspect calls for keenness and caution in identifying the prevailing demands in the global market (Takashi, 2009). A fan is a crucial simple machine used in different spheres of life, which include homes, vehicles, and machines among others. The general design of a fan entails blades of vanes which act on a fluid. In most cases, he fluid is air; it is at times designed in a housing case or the air. The dictation of such as aspects depends on the functionalities of the fan. The design of the case aims at directing the flow of air to prevent damages. An electric motor powers ordinary fans; for complex fans, solar energy, hydraulic motors, and internal combustion engines suit the purpose. The general design of a fan has never changed since 1890. However, slight changes occur when designing fans to serve various needs (Takashi, 2009). The need of integrated product raised in the beginnin g of the last two decades. This keeps designers awake so as to be up-to-date with the demands of the customers; however, the extent of the dynamism of a product depends on the functionalities of the individual product. Items such as machinery, clothing, and electronics are dynamic because the users want to identify themselves with monopoly and uniqueness. However, the production industry of fans is different as it the structure of the fun is easy, unlike that of other components. From different market research, we can conclude that the market needs of for the fan constricts to its functionalities other

Room acoustics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Room acoustics - Essay Example What many people do not know is that the room in which the sound has been set up determines to a certain and large extent the final sound that one hears from the sound system. Room acoustics looks at how the room as a component of sound can be structured in order to improve the dispersion of sound in a room (Rossing, p.303). Sound in any room is transmitted or reaches the listener in two distinct ways. The first way in which sound is transmitted is directly from the speakers. This is referred to as direct sound. The second way in which sound reaches the listener is through reflection of sound. The reflected sound is referred to as indirect sound. In a studio setup, the indirect sound is as a result of the direct sound being reflected by various surfaces in the studio or in the room. For example, sound can be reflected by walls, floors and the ceiling. From this description, it can be derived that the sound one hears in any room is a combination of direct sound, directly from the spea ker(s); and indirect sound - the sound from the speakers that is reflected. Indirect or reflected sound can be or is both good and bad. It is good because it amplifies sound to sound much fuller and louder. A simple experiment which can be used to prove this phenomenon is by placing speakers in an open field where there are no walls or barriers that can reflect the sound. In this experiment, the speakers will sound less powerful simply because the sound is directional. The bass of the speakers seems to be dull. However, when the very same speakers are placed in a room, the reflection adds some spaciousness to the sound that is projected from them. Reflected sound on the other hand is bad because it can lead to sound distortion. If the room is structured poorly, then there is a possibility that it will amplify certain sound notes which will mute others. Assuming that there is video footage that is accompanying the sound, the sound may be distorted and there may be a discord between t he image and the sound reaching the ear because the sounds reach the ear at different times. Room Acoustics are more important when building a recording studio as compared to the basic stereo or home theatre setup. The main reason why it is important is because any reflected sound that is distorted can compromise the quality of the sound, or music that is being recorded. It is therefore imperative for producers to have an understanding of how they can perfect the recording studios and structure them in a such a way that sound is propagated in the right amount. In other words, the surfaces of the studio should be built in a way that diffuses sound as opposed to completely reflecting it or absorbing it. The surfaces should therefore be made of a material(s) that is both reflective and absorptive, the result of which is a diffusive surface. Reverberation Time Reverberation can be described as the collection of reflected sound in an enclosed room, or auditorium. It can also be described as the persistence or sustaining of sound in a room after the sound has been produced. Reverberation time (RT60 or T60) on the other hand refers to the time taken for the intensity of produced sound to reduce by 60 dB from its original level. Reverberation time is a very important parameter in describing the acoustics or acoustic behavior of a room (Goldstein, 2007, p. 305) and it is affected or dependent on two factors. One of the