Cubas Achievements in Health Care and Public Education Essay

CUBA’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE BETTER THATN THOSE OF MANY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. HOW HAS IT MANAGEDTHIS? There may be some question over Fidel Castro’s achievements in providing economic success, or democracy to Cuba in the last forty five years or so. However Cuba’s record on providing egalitarian health care and education to the masses have generally been agreed as a success story, even by Castro’s old enemy the United States. â€Å"To be educated is to be free,† (Marti in Marshall, 1987, p146) has become one of the more popular revolutionary slogans and has been greatly adhered to by Castro’s government. While health care is articulated in the 1975 Cuban constitution as being â€Å"the right†¦show more content†¦Under the Batista Regime the rich and the middle class tended to send their children to the private Catholic schools while the poor had to use the badly equipped and staffed general schools, or in more rural areas nothing at all. In 1953 the illiteracy rate was 24 per cent of the population. The difference between urban areas and r ural areas showed that most of the limited resources were going to the big cities, with illiteracy rates in town being 11 per cent to 42 per cent in the country (Marshall, 1987, p146). Within two years of coming to power Castro had nationalised all private schools and started the first major education initiative, the literacy campaign. This campaign was established not just to educate the city dwellers but to prioritise education for those that had mainly been ignored in the countryside. Over a 100,000 young students travelled into the rural areas to live with and educate the peasant population. 1961 became known as the â€Å"Year of Education,† (Perez, 1995, 358) while the slogan of the day being, â€Å"If don’t know, learn. If you know, teach† (Marshall, 1987, p147). The campaign became a great success with official government figures suggesting that by 1962 96 per cent of the population was now literate which was the highest rate in Latin America at the time. Even if the official figure may have been someShow MoreRelatedEssay on Capitalism Vs. Socialism1805 Words   |  8 Pagesbenefits of health care, education, subsidized housing and pensions). Moreover economic inequalities have grown geometrically with 1% of the top income bracket controlling 80% of private assets and more than 50% of income while poverty levels exceed 50% or even higher. In the former USSR, especially south-central Asian republics like Armenia, Georgia, and Uzbekistan, living standards have fallen by 80%, almost one fourth of the population has out-migrated or become destitute and industries, public treasuriesRead MoreFidel Castro2633 Words   |  11 PagesThere are many views that people have of Cuba’s Fidel Castro. Castro is a figure with opinions on both ends of the spectrum. While he is not worldly popular at this point in his life, he was immensely beneficial to his country. Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba for the past 50 years may not be viewed in the b est light, but he did phenomenal things for his people which makes him one of the most undervalued and overlooked political figures. Fidel Castro Ruz was born in Biran, Cuba on August 13, 1926 (BritannicaRead MoreWhat Is an Optimal Level of Health Care2279 Words   |  10 PagesOptimal Model for Health Care Stephanie Fontes ECON 402—Wednesday’s Class Due Date: November 2nd, 2011 What is an optimal model for health care? This is a highly debated issue internationally. Much of the debate centers around whether health care should be treated as a type of public—good supplied by the government and funded by taxpayers. Others believe that a better system is delivered by the private sector. Another model advocates a public/private mix. This analysis will consider

Sex Trafficking Is As Serious Crime And An Act Of...

Sex Trafficking in Minors Umar Cheema CUNY- John Jay Human trafficking the modern day slavery; is as serious crime and an act of violation of human rights. The United Nations (UN) defines human trafficking as; the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, the abuse of power or a position of vulnerability or the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person or for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation includes, at a minimum, the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or†¦show more content†¦Sex trafficking consists of the entrapment of an individual for the purpose of a commercial sex act or a sex act that occurs in exchange for anything of value (Kotrla, 2010). According to Gozdziak and MacDonnell (2007) sex trafficking is currently the most rapidly expanding form of global cri minal activity and 50% of the victims are children (Kotrla, 2010). Around the world, an estimated 100,000 children are victims of sex trafficking annually (Potocky, 2010). Sex Trafficking derives entirely from the international realm of the trafficking industry, there are no set rules or detailed processes known by which children in the world are sold for the purpose of sex trafficking. Many times in our life we have heard that necessity is the mother of invention, one of the many ways to understand why sex trafficking exists around the world is in terms of supply and demand principles. One should recognize that the process of trafficking of thousands of children for sexual exploitation would not exist if the demand for them was not present. Mark Lagon (2008), former director of the U.S. office to monitor and combat trafficking in Persons has suggested that this demand can be understood from the perspective of traffickers who are driven by greed and monetarily incentives and the consumers who are driven by sexual desires. Lagon (2008) asserted that the traffickers are motivated by money; a

Emperor of China Free Essays

Emperor K’ang-hsi was one of the greatest Chinese emperors of all time. Ruling from 1662 to 1722 he was also one of the longest ruling emperors in Chinese history and for that matter the world. K’ang-hsi brought China to long-term stability and relative wealth after years of war and chaos. We will write a custom essay sample on Emperor of China or any similar topic only for you Order Now Jonathan Spence writes from the eyes of K’ang-hsi getting his information from K’ang-hsi’s own writings. Though a little biased towards himself this book still provides important insight into his mind. Emperor of China is divided into six parts; In Motion, Ruling, Thinking, Growing Old, Sons, and Valedictory. In the first episode, In Motion, Spence tells the audience about K’ang-hsi’s travels and how much of an avid hunter he is. In a letter to Ku Wen-hsing, K’ang-hsi wrote, â€Å"he had traveled over 2,000 li†¦ in each of the four cardinal directions† and later states, â€Å"River, lakes, mountains, deserts- I’ve been through them all. † K’ang-hsi travelled the countryside to hunt and to win over the Chinese citizens. He hunted for pleasure stating, â€Å"Hunting’s basically for exercise,† and to train his military in shooting, camp life, and formation riding. The second episode, Ruling, goes more into detail on how the government was set up. K’ang-hsi had is set up so he had complete control over the economical and educational structure but did not have to deal with the small tidies problems of every county. Emperor K’ang-hsi thought a lot about his purpose in life. He goes into more detail in his third episode Thinking. The Emperor was a Neo-Confucianism but refereed to it mostly as Confucian Classic. He claims he wanted to find things out for himself and not pretend to have the knowledge. He would ask his elders questions and ask about their experiences so he would learn from their mistakes and gain from their accomplishments. Realizing in the fourth episode he was growing old and was going to die. He was very adamant about not wanting to die but he knew it was inevitable. He did try to prolong his life as much as possible with his awareness for his diet and medicine. K’ang-hsi tried to stay open with the public about his health, explaining that this is the â€Å"ultimate form of honesty. † Emperor K’ang-hsi tried to live forever through his children. He had 56 children all together but only one with his first wife, who later took over the thrown. The Emperor was very protective of his sons and made sure they got everything they wanted. He would often kill someone that threatened the chance of a power overthrow. He once killed three cooks and several servant boys for suspicion of homosexual activity with his son Yin-jeng. At the end of K’ang-hsi’s life, he became very senile and distant from reality and the Chinese people. Even though Spence goes into great detail about Emperor K’ang-hsi’s life than any history book could have. He does this by emphasizing his writings and not other sources. The downfall to this is he does not go into great detail about many of the facts or important historical events. By this time China had foreign intervention and influence; Spence did not address any of the foreign policies K’ang-hsi made during his reign. Spence only wrote one paragraph about the confrontations with Russia, but the real even actually lasted over several decades. And the only thing that was mentioned was how nice the Emperor was to the Russian prisoners. Emperor of China; Self Portrait of K’ang-hsi should not be read as a textbook or as a completely true historical resource. This is because it is told by one person and by his point of view with no one else able to tell the other side of the story. Granted this is what Spence wanted to do with his book but for the point most of his sources were of K’ang-hsi’s writings; we cannot believe everything that is written. If someone would read this book they would think K’ang-hsi was the greatest leader/person in the world. We do not get the dirty side of his life, the side that describes all the thousands of people that he killed for no reason. When they were addressed in the book K’ang-hsi put a positive twist on it so it would be justified in his mind. Every storyteller is going to tell their version of the story so it sounds better than it really was. On the other hand Spence takes us into K’ang-hsi’s head and we realize what K’ang-hsi was thinking behind some of his actions. For example, his easoning for restructuring the tax system in 1711 because the population was increasing but the farm land was not increasing so his thought was every â€Å"census year the tax quotas should be redivided among the entire surviving population, so that all would pay the same, and each year the tax burden could get lighter. † But he went with another plan we know what he was thinking and what his other options were. Knowing what is going on in someone’s mind is what everyone wants to know and especially for someone as important as the Emperor of China. Through K’ang-hsi’s writings you can feel the whole heartedness from him. He was a good person and Spence really expressed that while writing this book. Most emperors would not help out war criminals let alone treat them with medicine. Also he helped out average citizens of China that were in need of help. An example of this is when a citizen became very sick and was not able to bow in front of K’ang-hsi so he let him â€Å"incline the body forward instead of performing the full prostration,† and that same citizen was not able to sit down so K’ang-hsi offered him to sit on â€Å"a couch of cushions. † At that time most heads of government would behead that citizen because he was physically handicapped. K’ang-hsi knew he could not help his condition, he was born with a handicap so if did not want to discriminate against him for something he could not prevent. Spence did a very good job at writing a book from K’ang-hsi’s perspective and was able to log his thoughts fairly well. In the six episodes of the book he was able to go through K’ang-hsi’s young life, when he ruled over China, he thoughts and beliefs and what he thought about his sons. We could really feel how he felt about certain issues and who is loved and cared for, it was like we were seeing certain scenes through he eyes rather than a third party. The only thing that would have made it better is if Spence went in more detail about political affairs and foreign policies. Though if he had gone in depth over everything the book would have been 2000 pages or more. So as a reader you have to start this book with some background information; it is only from K’ang-hsi’s perspective, Spence leaves some important governmental issues out, and finally you do not want to read a boring book describing every little detail about someone’s life that lived three hundred years ago that is why Spence left those issues out. How to cite Emperor of China, Essay examples

Personality Traits Promote And Inhibit My Potential Change Leader

Question: Discuss about the My Personality Traits That Promote And Inhibit My Potential As A Change Leader. Answer: Introduction Leaders are tasked with the role of giving inspiration to their team members to facilitate the attainment of the teams established targets (Yukl, 2010). To achieve this, leaders utilize different leadership styles and behaviour such as transactional, democracy, and transformational styles of leadership. The process of leadership is associated with instances of change, particularly in the current work environment that is impacted by globalization, technology, and changes in the taste and preferences of consumers. Managing change has become an integral part of leadership, and hence, leaders are required to possess appropriate qualities to be agents of change. As an aspiring organizational leader and manager, I am privy to the fact that I will play a significant role in managing change. To successfully execute the process of change, a leader should be aware of his strengths and weaknesses as an agent of change (Zaccaro, 2007). In line with these aspects, this paper is going to discuss t hree aspects of my personality and behavior that exhibit change leadership characteristics and three characteristics of my leadership that inhibits my potential as a change leader. Personality that exhibits change leadership characteristics: Communication The possession of effective communication skills is one of my personality traits that exhibit effective change leadership characteristic. As a change agent, the possession of effective communication skills enables me to institute a mutual understanding regarding the purpose of change and its effects on the team that I lead (Riaz Haider, 2010). As a leader, I can develop a message and convey it effectively to the target audience in a persuasive manner to drive the process of change. Resistance to change is a common scenario in organizations, and therefore, it is important that the leader should convince and persuade the followers to accept change. To ensure that the subordinates understand the need for change, it is important that the leader should create a clear picture of the change process and its objectives. I have the ability to develop a clear vision and articulate it in a clear and a detailed manner to my subordinates. The ability to communicate my vision clearly as a leader e nables me to win the trust and loyalty of my subordinates, and this is instrumental in getting the desired support from my followers while effecting change within my team. This is consistent with the transformation al leadership theory where a leader works together with the subordinates to identify the need for change, and then the leader develops a clear vision that will lead towards the achievement of the identified needs. Flexibility and adaptability As a leader, I very flexible and can adapt easily to new changes in my surrounding. These characteristics will enhance my effectiveness as a change agent in my leadership position. In the modern leadership environment, the occurrence of unexpected events requires that leaders should take appropriate measures to ensure smooth operations. This is in line with the contingency theory of leadership which argues that during the occurrence of unexpected events, leaders are required to adopt contingency measures to curb the negative impacts of the unexpected scenario (Roger, 2003). The success of a leader is dependent on the leader's ability match the existing characteristics regardless of whether the leader is relations-oriented or task-oriented (Winkler, 2010). A relations-oriented leader is one who utilizes the supportive leadership style while a task-oriented leader is one who uses directive leadership style. As a flexible and adaptable leader, I am able to make appropriate deviations to my styles of leadership to one that is suited to the situation at hand, and hence, I am an effective change agent (Peretomode, 2012). Equally, the attitudes influence the commitment of the subordinates towards new changes within the organization. When a leader has poor relationships with the subordinates, they are likely to resist changes. On the other hand, when the subordinates have a positive attitude towards the leader, they will readily accept the process of change. This can be explained using the personality trait theory which states that an individual personality influences the way he or responds to new things within his or her environment (Buchanan, 2008). This can also be understood through the leader-member exchange theory which examines the relationship between a leader and a follower within an organizational setting (Truss, Shantz, Soane, Alfes, Delbridge, 2013). The quality of the relationship that the one in the leadership position builds with individual team members has a significant effect on their behavior and attitudes towards organizational activities. Teamwork and collaboration The ability to elicit and promote participation of my followers in the decision-making process and collaboration during the completion of tasks is another leadership behavior that helps me to effect change. According to Fernandez and Hal (2006), an effective change leader should promote subordinate participation and engagement in organizational activities. As a leader who embraces collaboration and teamwork, the implementation of this practice will enable to overcome any potential resistance to change which has been a major barrier towards change in the recent decades. The practice of giving the subordinates the opportunity to have an influence on the direction and form that the organization takes creates a change that is participant-oriented and this allows my subordinates to own the process of change (Bazerman Chugh, 2006). Owning the process of change ensures trust among the participants, and this makes it easy to solve the problems that are affecting the team, and hence, enhanci ng the chances of achieving the goals and objectives of the change process. Personality traits that inhibits change leadership characteristics: Lack of patience One of the behaviors that inhibit my potential of becoming an effective change leader is the lack of patience. An effective leader should possess the virtue of patience particularly during the change process (Udo-Imeh, Awara, Essien, 2015). As a leader, my lack of patience exhibits itself in the manner through which I want tasks to be completed fast and in the shortest time possible. While time is of the essence in the completion of projects due to its association with reduced financial costs, this element is not vital in the process of effecting change within an organizational setting. Change does not take place overnight, and therefore, an individual in the leadership position should approach change as a process and not as an event that should take place instantly. This is a major inhibitor towards my potential as a change leader because I have failed to guide my subordinates effectively through every step of change. Low level of confidence One of the most important traits of effective leadership is confidence; however, as a leader, I often experience a lack of confidence while faced with new tasks. For a leader to win the trust and loyalty of his followers, he or she must demonstrate self-confidence in the things that he says and what he does (Turner Mller, 2010). The ability to demonstrate self-confidence is a major motivational factor to the followers. During a change process, a leader should be able to motivate his followers by giving them confidence in the possibility of a positive outcome. This is consistent with the expectancy theory which states that people are motivated to work when they expect something positive at the end. Besides, it is also in line with the three-dimensional theory of attribution which states that the outcomes of an event motivate or demotivates people. As a leader, I lack confidence especially when taking new steps because of the fear of uncertainty, and this has inhibited my potential as a change agent. Lack of emotional Stability Another behavior that inhibits my potential of becoming a change leader is the occasional emotional instability that I experience during my leadership process. A leader as an agent of change should have emotional stability to bring about change (Fossum, 1989,). This is because, during the change process, there emerge conflicts due to the emergence of diverse opinions regarding the process of change. As a leader, the lack of emotional stability prevents me from realizing that change is a process that entails the disengagement of people from a status quo, and hence, require a transition through a period that is normally considered to be very unstable. Conclusion In summary, besides inspiring the subordinates to achieve the set goals and objective, organizational and team leaders play a vital role in the successful execution of the process of change. As a leader, it is expected of me to lead the process of change within my team. A self-evaluation reveals that I possess characteristics and behavior that boost my potential of becoming an effective change leader. One of these effective traits is the possession of effective communication skills. As a leader, I able to develop and communicate clearly with my followers during the change process. Another trait that helps me to effect change is my adaptability and flexibility. These traits my potential of serving as a change leaders due to my ability to adapt to the emerging situations using the appropriate leadership style. Besides, my teamwork and collaborative behavior allow my followers to participate in the change process, and this enables me to overcome resistance to change. Despite this, I pos sess traits that inhibit my ability as a potential change leader. For example, as a leader, I suffer from the lack the required emotional stability, patience, and low level of confidence that emergence when I am faced with a new task. Bibliography Bazerman, M. H. Chugh, D., 2006, Decisions without blinders, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 88-97. Buchanan, D. A., 2008, You stab my back and Ill stab yours:Management experience and perceptions of organizational political behaviour, British Journal of Management, Vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 49-64 Fernandez, S. Hal, G. R, 2006, Managing successful organizational change in the public sector, Public Administration Review, Vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 168-176. Fossum, L., 1989, Understanding Organizational Change: Converting Theory to Practice, Menlo Park, CA: Crisp." Stages of Change" (pp. 42 47) Peretomode, O., 2012, Situational and Contingency Theories of Leadership: Are They the Same?, IOSR Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 13-17. Riaz, A. Haider, M. H., 2010, Role of transformational and transactional leadership on job satisfaction and career satisfaction, Business and Economic Horizons, Vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 29-38. Roger, G., 2003,Change management -or change leadership?, Journal of Change Management; Vol. 3, no. 4, pp. pg. 307 Truss, C., Shantz, A., Soane, E., Alfes, K. Delbridge, R., 2013, Employee engagement, organisational performance and individual well-being: exploring the evidence, developing the theory, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 24, no. 14, pp. 2657-2669. Turner, J. Mller, R., 2010,Project-Oriented Leadership.Gower Publishing, Ltd: Farnham, Surrey, UK Burlington, VT. Udo-Imeh, P. T., Awara, N. F., Essien, E. E., 2015, Personality and Consumer Behaviour: A Review, European Journal of Business and Management, Vol.7, no.18, pp. 98-106. Winkler, I., 2010,Contemporary Leadership Theories: Enhancing the Understanding of the Complexity, Subjectivity and Dynamic of Leadership, Physica-Verlag: Heidelberg. Yukl, G., 2010, Leadership in organizations. (7th Ed.). Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ. Zaccaro, S., 2007, Trait-Based Perspectives of Leadership, American Psychologist, Vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 6-16.