Evolution of Knighthood Essays - Knight, Chivalry,

Evolution of Knighthood Evolution of Knighthood Knights evolved from the 10th century to the 13th century from less of a soldier class to a more wealthy or upper class. To begin, the knights in the 10th century were a vital warrior on the battlefield, while knights in the 13th century were being slowly phased out by the newer and more efficient technological advances. Next, the 10th century knights enjoyed tournaments because they gained valuable experience and had the ability to make money off the ransom of a captured knight. By the 13th century, a tournament system was developed that allowed knights to demonstrate the unique skills they had acquired throughout their training. This system established their dominance as an upper class through their ability to compete in these tournaments. Finally, the knights in the 10th century were careless and greedy because they had no form of chivalry or a code of honor. By the 13th century knights had developed a superior code of chivalry which furthered their advancement into the upper clas s. The armament and tactics of knights were surpassed by the technology like the longbow and gunpowder on the battlefield, forcing them to better their social status and merge with the noble class for their own survival. The evolution of the knight occurred when the knight lost effectiveness on the battlefield, upgraded tournament battles, and evolved into an upper class of citizens by exercising and establishing their own code of chivalry. To begin, knights in the 10th century exercised different battle tactics that proved to be of greater importance on the battlefield than that of knights in the 13th century. Knights in the 10th century were viewed as a necessity on the battlefield for their overall efficiency and effectiveness. Knights proved to be effective fighters in the 10th century through battles including the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the Battle of Hattin in 1187. The Battle of Hastings was one battle where knights proved to be the deciding factor on the battlefield. The fighting style during the 10th century was generally close hand-to-hand combat. Weapons like the battle ax, short and long sword, the knight's lance, the mace were common choices of weaponry for the time period. During the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William Malmesbury describes the fighting style of William the Conquerors during the battle: William, too, was equally ready to encourage his soldiers by his voice and by his presence, and to be the first to rush forward to attack the thickest of the foe. He was everywhere fierce and furious; he lost three choice horses, which were that day killed under him. The dauntless spirit and vigor of the intrepid general, however, still held out. Though often called back by the kind remonstrance of his bodyguard, he still persisted until approaching night crowned him with complete victory. William the Conqueror guided his men all day, attempting to overcome his enemy by breaking their line of defense with relentless charging . He would eventually overcome his enemy by using the clever tactics of having his men suddenly retreat. When the Saxon army broke ranks to pursue the Normans, William had his men turn and quickly attacked while the Saxons were unorganized . The Battle of Hastings was a battle fought and won because of the skill and training of the Norman knights, and their close combat skills. The Norman knights proved their superior fighting skills and were the deciding factor in the Battle of Hastings. Another 10th century battle that exemplified the knight's fighting tactics on the battlefield had come during the battle of Hattin. The Battle of Hattin ended as a loss for the Christian knights to the superior fighting forces of Saladin and the Saracens. Guy of Lusignan, who was recently crowned king after the death of Baldwin V, ordered an attack on the Saracen army at Tiberius . He marched his men out into the dry and unforgiving desert for an entire day, only to arrive at Tiberius parched and driven to exhaustion from their travels. The heavy armored knight proved not to be as effective in the desert environment of the Middle East. The knight's armor and tactics developed in Europe did not match

Dillon v. Champion Jogbra Case Study

Dillon v. Champion Jogbra Case Study What are the legal issues in this case study Employment terms and conditions and wrongful termination are the most clear legal issues that are pointed out in this case study. The nature of employment offered by Jogbra is described as at-will employment. This ought to have been expressly communicated.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Dillon v. Champion Jogbra specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Taylor and Emir (2012), argues that such an employment status should be revealed during three critical junctures which are: when applying for the job, when giving the letter of offer and finally in the employee handbook. The company failed to do this and even their employee handbook did not clearly relay this information. When a person is being offered a job it is prudent that the management clearly states the nature of employment, from the case study it is evident that the management at Jogbra failed to avail this information during the hiring process. At the time of the interview, the sales vice president gave the impression it was a long term position and was of the opinion that it would take close to six months to be comfortable with the position, only to reverse this stand and say that within the first ten days the company had taken a new position, her employment would not work out. Janice (2013) notes that by not allowing a worker to perform or continue to perform their duties the worker can be considered victimized by the principal. The attitude of the management can be seen as victimization as they had not given her the time they has estimated it would take for her to get acquainted with the tasks. Dillon was a salaried employee and there are certain procedures that the company had to follow before firing her. The employee handbook described instances when an employee could be fired (Bales, Hirsch and Secunda, 2013). She had not breached any of the company policies and thus the grounds for losing her job were not in accordance with company policies leading to a wrongful termination.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Explain what the implied contract was in this case The nature of employment was not expressly communicated by management. Comments made during the interview seemed to imply that the position was long term. The promise for extensive training hinted that the company was ready to develop her skills for its benefit. Employee training and development is costly and companies do not make such investments for the sake of it, rather it is seen as a long term strategic move to create a competitive advantage. When a company takes such deliberate measures to the extent of recalling a predecessor to offer training, it is justified if employees read this as a sign of long term commitment to the company (Taylor and Emir, 2012). Even though the Jogbra offer s no employment contract and reserves the right to terminate employment at any time this does not mean that it does not offer long term employment opportunities to job seekers. The fact that between 1996 and 1997 the company developed a corrective action procedure as an addition to its employment manual implies that it was working on improving the job security of its employees. The corrective action procedure described an elaborate discipline system that was to be applied in a fair and consistent manner. The human resource manager clearly said that the company could not just fire a person; statements such as these give the impression that employees enjoy a certain degree of job security. It was not wrong for Dillon to expect a certain level of job security after assurances by company management as well as guidelines contained in the employee manual. The company failed to express is employment terms in a clear and unambiguous manner.Advertising We will write a custom case stu dy sample on Dillon v. Champion Jogbra specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Explain how the employer breached the implied contract From the case study it is evident that Jogbra does not have a definite position when it comes to the security of tenure of its employees. The position it takes is characterized by convenience and self interests. According to Janice (2013), there are general reasons for termination of employment despite the nature of employment. It can be based on the employee’s capabilities and qualifications with regard to the kind of work they are performing, if there are certain restrictions, employee redundancy or their conduct. Dillon’s termination of employment was not based on these general or those specified in the corrective action procedure leading to a breach of contract. At-will agreements provide no restrictions to contracting parties to modify or specify new terms of their agreement (Walsh, 2010). Dillonâ €™s terms of employment could have been easily modified once the management realized that things were not working out. The company’s decision to fire her in December was a breach of implied long term employment tenure. The employment manual cannot be relied on to provide guidance to either the employer or the employee on the status on their employment. Its ambiguity is prone to misinterpretation to suit the needs of the company at the expense of the employees. The management breached its agreement with Dillon when it failed to follow the guidelines as pertains termination of employment. Explain why the disclaimer in the employee manual does not have the effect desired by the employer The disclaimer contained in the employee manual states that policies and procedures stated therein are not part of an employment contract nor are they a sign of commitment to employees regarding how their terms of employment should be handled. To begin with, this disclaimer does not change th e fact that at-will agreement are subject to change by either parties (Walsh, 2010). The disclaimer is thus inconsequential should a party to the agreement decide to request a review of terms and conditions.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The disclaimer may not always serve the interests of the employers because many courts in the past have ruled that employee handbook only forms part of an at-will agreements, its contents however are not independent or necessary create contractual obligation or rights. The employee manual thus is a legal document but its contents do not force an employee to fulfill contractual obligations (Bales, Hirsch and Secunda, 2013). The laws of the land rule are more important than company regulations (Janice, 2013). If the disclaimer contravenes the laws of employment or infringes on the rights of employees then it fails to achieve its purpose. Disclaimers given in the employee manual does not affect national employee laws this is why Dillon was able to challenge her dismissal. It should be noted that the contents of employee manual do not prevent an aggrieved party form seeking the court’s intervention. References Bales, A., Hirsch, M., Secunda, M. (2013). Understanding Employment L aw. Ohio: LexisNexis. Janice, N. (2013). Employment law statues 2011-2012. California: Routledge. Taylor, S., Emir, A. (2012). Employment law: an introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Walsh, D. J. (2010). Employment law for human resource practice: 2010 custom edition. Mason, OH: South- Western Cengage Learning.

New World Meets the Old World-Spanish Settlement in Texas Essay

New World Meets the Old World-Spanish Settlement in Texas - Essay Example The various changes forced the two cultures to adapt due to changes brought by conflicting cultures but the Native American culture was the most affected. This, the paper focuses on the impacts that arose from the conquest of Texas by the Spaniards and the degree to which the locals suffered from cultural deterioration and imposing of new culture (Bolton, 2011). The Mayans, Aztecs, and the Toltecs occupied the western hemisphere, which formed major societies in Texas before invasion of the Spaniards. The Native Americans were initially hunters and fruit gatherers. With the invasion of the Spaniards, it brought three different worlds of Africa, Europe, and America into contact. In 1492, there were tribal extermination and individuals due to clashes in culture between the Native Americans and the Spaniards. This caused many deaths due to deadly diseases, which were brought in by the European newcomers. If disease and deaths moved haphazardly, from one Spaniard to another, Christianity was not an exception as it went through the same direction. In America, early encounters involved early missionaries, which included both the Protestants and Catholics who worked towards converting the natives to the new Christian faith. Reverend John Elliot who worked as the bible translator in 1663 translated the bible into Massachusetts’s language. ... One native by the name Pueblo made efforts to fight back by forming revolts in 1680. The Indian rebels made efforts to expel the Spanish colonizers. During the revolt, Pueblo attacked many missionaries, punished the Christians converts, and burned numerous churches. While these effects affected the Spaniards, education and trade were moving in two directions. Europeans were highly educated in the society. In America, the Spaniard elites were in a position to read and write. Thus, they started to spread their culture this through schools. In this regard, the Harvard College was built up in the 17th century. This was followed by the Dartmouth College, which was built in the 18th century. This college was meant to serve just a few individuals in society. The Indians who taught the natives on geography, climate, and food facilitated education. This enabled the natives to plan on planting and harvesting crops and other economic activities for their sustenance. Trading became an economic a ctivity but it was carried in two different ways. At first, the Europeans were using American land to cultivate it and ship the harvest back home while making huge profits. Though precious metals were the most profitable, there was no sign of any in Texas. The Europeans found fur, which was in plenty as the raw materials they could ship home. In South East, they found the soft hides from the whitetail deer which could be scraped, packed and later shipped back to Europe to make gloves and aprons. According to Kessell (2003), it was common for the natives to hunt animals, process their pelts and later ship to Europe. The barter trade had numerous anomalies as the Native Americans were unfamiliar to the products that came from Europe but European countries

Lack of Empowerment in Government Organization Essay

Lack of Empowerment in Government Organization - Essay Example In an organization, empowerment is a broad perspective of dealing with its culture, leadership, practices and employees. In this paper, lack of empowerment effects on employees and stakeholders of organization ABC is looked at critically. This will entail organizational structure stability, employees’ satisfaction and job security and performance evaluation and reward structure. The report will conclude by trying to recommend solutions and courses of action to treat or work around this problem. Objective and research question Objective of the paper is to analyze â€Å"lack of empowerment’s† effects to Government Organization (ABC). Research question: What are the effects Organization ABC faces for lack of empowerment implementation? This is the guiding principle for this paper ensuring that the paper analyzes the effects of â€Å"lack of empowerment† to the organization. Definition of the Problem The problem of â€Å"lack of empowerment† within government organization (ABC) was identified through a survey conducted by the Human Resources Department to assess the levels of employees’ satisfaction.The survey showed that many employees felt they were unsupported by their managers, and that they were not given the chance to make decisions, even at very low levels. The results of the survey were analyzed and most of the negative responses were established to be correlated to lack of empowerment.... The report will conclude by trying to recommend solutions and courses of action to treat or work around this problem.   Objective and research question Objective of the paper is to analyze â€Å"lack of empowerment’s† effects to Government Organization (ABC). Research question: What are the effects Organization ABC faces for lack of empowerment implementation? This is the guiding principle for this paper ensuring that the paper analyzes the effects of â€Å"lack of empowerment† to the organization. Definition of the Problem The problem of â€Å"lack of empowerment† within government organization (ABC) was identified through a survey conducted by the Human Resources Department to assess the levels of employees’ satisfaction. The survey showed that many employees felt they were unsupported by their managers, and that they were not given the chance to make decisions, even at very low levels. The results of the survey were analyzed and most of the neg ative responses were established to be correlated to lack of empowerment. This was Employee Opinion Survey (EOS) thus the results are valid and credible since reflect employees responses. The problem was linked mainly to the organizational structures adopted by the public sector organizations, which can be characterized as centralized, hierarchical through the divisional and departmental structures, bureaucratic, with vertical communication lines. This in turn was reflected in many different forms like wasted time and effort required going through the proper communication channels, as well as friction between organizational departments. The problem of â€Å"lack of empowerment† also had drastic impacts on

Ethical Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example As a result of such actions, I am forced to deal with the outcomes of someone else’s decision leading to a threat of a damaged reputation of a plant or even a criminal responsibility. Having found myself in such a situation, I would definitely inform management regarding the issue. I would do this for two reasons. First of all, because making a decision to bury the information once again would mean supporting a tendency of lying at a workplace. Second of all, because not revealing the truth might negatively affect my own career and put in danger employees working under inappropriate conditions, which might negatively affect their health. Thus, I would inform the management team about my finding, and negotiate with them the best possible way out of the situation. Thus, I would inform the remaining employees about the problem and then set an obligatory rule to wear hearing protection at work. Apart from it, I will gather all six workers and Frank and ask them to write an officia l explanation of the situation. As a result, the gap in an operating charter will be filled in order to avoid similar situations in the future. Although such a decision might negativly affect the reputation of Frank, the truth needs to be revealed for a sake of employee's well-being and enterprise's security not even mentioning that such a decision is the only possible one I can make if I want to be honest and dedicated to my work. Frank has made a mistake that affected other people as well, and it is fair to call him to account.

Telecommunications Services in the UK

Telecommunications Services in the UK Introduction Telecommunication can be specifically defined as â€Å"The science and technology of communication at a distance by electronic transmission of impulses, as by telegraph, cable, telephone, radio, or television† (Thefreedoctionary.com 2009). This brief introduction Traces back the telecommunications services in the United Kingdom, and sketches the evolution of BT from a monopoly in the UK to a global organization. BT is the worlds oldest telecommunications company. The company dates back to the first telecommunications company that was set up in the United Kingdom. As the various smaller companies amalgamated and were taken over by the big ones or collapsed, the companies that survived came to being under the state control, i.e. under the Post office. The British Telecommunications Act, which was passed in the year 1981 transferred the responsibility for telecommunications services from the Post Office, as a result two corporations were created. BT later on transferred into a privatized organization and came to be known as ‘British Telecommunications ‘. In the year 1982, the Government formally announced its intention to privatize British Telecom, with the idea of selling 51 percent of its shares to the public and investors. This intention was put into action by the government passing, the Telecommunications Act, 1984, In November of the year 1984, more than 50 per cent of British Telecom shares were sold to the public and interested investors and the process of privatization was complete. It was no more a state owned organization. It is the worlds oldest communications company. Fast forward to today and technology is the heart to BTs business. Innovation as put forward by BT is the combination or putting together of the technical know-how with commercial acumen, which as a result becomes even more crucial in todays, competitive world. 1.0-Mission Statement A ‘Mission statement is a very important and key factor of the organization as it clarifies the organizations purpose, its goals and its achievements in which the company sets their future objectives. Big companies generally avoid making the mission statement too narrow or either too broad. Organizations believe that the mission statements should be specific and market orientated. Mission statements should also be realistic and motivating. They should also be specifically precise in identifying the main domain in which the organization intends to operate. BTs ‘mission, their central purpose of existence, is to be the leader in delivering converged networked services, provide world-class telecommunications and information products and services, and to develop and exploit our networks, at home and overseas, so that we can: meet the requirements of our customers by being dedicated to helping customers thrive in a changing world. sustain growth in the earnings of the group on behalf of our shareholders, and make a fitting contribution to the community in which we conduct our business. Evidence to support the last point in the mission statement of BT is as follows, this is what the organization had to say towards the disabled community â€Å"Our mission is to drive consideration of disability issues deep into the operations of BT so that we enable equality of access to BTs portfolio and to communicate that effectively to our target audiences, so as to improve the quality of life of disabled people, and enhance shareholder value (Wiki.answers.com 2009 Accessed at 10-12-2009) 2.0-Key Objectives As a consultant, on the basis of detailed research carried out the key objectives of British telecommunications are as follows- Enhancing Customer satisfaction- BTs new CEO, Ben Verwaayen, places a major emphasis on enhancing consumer and customer satisfaction. He believes that corporate social responsibility is an integral step in enhancing consumer satisfaction. If the organization is responsible towards the society it helps creates a large consumer base. .British Telecommunications transformation programme specifically highlights three key objectives, namely being: To enhance the customer experience To accelerate product to market times To reduce BTs cost base- This can be done by aiming for ‘economies of scale. BT further needs a future-proof, flexible and intelligent network so as to enable them to deliver communications services that will meet the customers requirements and satisfy them which will in turn help BT achieving their goals. A few other objectives of British Telecommunication that the research highlights are as follows: Pursuing profitability- BT want to migrate existing customers to the new wave of products and services that they introduce, such as network IT services, broadband, mobility and managedservices. Maximizing the potential of the organizations traditional businesses. Retaining the market share- At present BT has more than 20 million business and residential customers with more 29 million telephone lines.

Evolution: Science vs. Religion :: essays research papers fc

"What is the most profound question that human beings can ask about themselves? It has to be: Where do we come from? That leads, of course, to: Where does all life come from?" These questions have interested humanity for years. Many different views on the origin of humankind have been debated and remain in question today. ( Edey, pg.1 ) One view is known as "creation-science". It is commonly understood to refer to a movement of Christian fundamentalists based upon an extremely literal interpretation of the Bible. Creation-scientist's do not merely insist that life was suddenly created; they insist that the job was completed in six days no more than ten thousand years ago, and that all evolution since that time has involved trivial modifications rather then basic changes. The existence of fossils, according to a Creation-scientist, is attributed to Noah's flood. ( Johnson, pg.4 ) "Creationism", another view on man's origin, means belief in creation in a more general sense. A Creationist may believe that the earth is billions of years old, and that simple forms of life evolved gradually to form more complex forms including humans. In addition to that belief, however, is the belief that a supernatural Creator initiated the life process and continues to control it. ( Johnson, pg.4 ) The most reasonable view on the origin of mankind is known as naturalistic evolution. It means a gradual process by which one kind of living creature changes into something different; evolution that is not directed by any purposeful intelligence. Another part of the idea is that more complex forms have arisen from simpler forms. Tracing back to the simplest living thing, a bacterium, scientists may find the origin of mankind by finding something even simpler, something out of which bacteria themselves came. Recent work has revealed the existence of a group of bacteria that are as different from other bacteria as the latter are from plants and animals. This discovery compels the reorganization of all life forms into a family tree unlike the traditional ones. Out of this reorganization comes a strong suggestion that there is a single ancestor to all modern forms of life. ( Edey, pg.297 ) The abundance of evidence that there was life much earlier then ten thousand years ago makes it easy to disprove the view of the Creation-scientists. It is hard to disprove the Creationist's view because it is similar to the view of naturalistic evolution. The only difference is simply that a Creationist believes in a divine Creator as opposed to life beginning naturally. An argument against Creationism can be found, however, in the imperfections of nature. "Perfection could be imposed by a wise Creator or by natural selection. Perfection covers the tracks of past history. And past history -- the evidence of descent -- is the mark of