Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consensual Relationship Agreements - Case Study Example This discussion stresses that there might be emails, instant messages, phone chats etc. while two people are in a workplace relationship. These things will affect the performance of the employees. Still, these might be controlled if the boss makes it clear that these things will not be appreciated in workplace but then again, there might be rebellious behavior from them. The worst nightmare, however, can be when these people breakup and end their relationship on a bad note. This might affect their performance to great extremes. For example, if one is superior in rank than the other he/she might become biased, judgmental and the other might be discriminated against. Bad words might be exchanged and gossips about them might start which will eventually affect their work. There is also a chance that sometimes on e party might claim that he/she was pressured to be in the relationship. This can bring extreme results which will immediately affect company’s rapport and performance. From this paper it is clear that in such circumstances, the company cannot just tell the employees that there will be no workplace relationships as this will cause rebellion which might bring aggressive responses and attitudes from employees which is even worse. Moreover, more people will do it just to show their adventurous and thrilling side. Also, this can cause frustration among employees. In order to avoid all of the above, an approach might be taken which is called Consensual Relationship Agreements (CRA) which is a written contract signed by two people who are involved in a romantic relationship in an organization. In such a contract, both the parties agree to certain things that mainly cover that both of them are involved in the relationship willingly, with their full consent and are not under any pressure.

Cell Phones Essay Example for Free

Cell Phones Essay Cell phones are the way of life today. In the US, little kids are carrying around the newest iPhone versions. Closing the digital divide requires studying and learning about the country’s needs and capabilities of upgrading to the digital world. There are countries that are financially unable to afford a cell phone, but it should be the cell phone companies that should be able to work around various prices for cell phones. For example, in the U.S. the iPhone is taking over and consumers require the latest technologies. As the phones get older, companies should send those phones to less developed countries in an effort to grow the digital market and close the digital divide. As the article mentions, India leads the way with 756 million subscribers, while being a developing country. All it takes is an introduction to the country and cell phones begin to spread like wildfire. They market themselves once introduced in a country at a reasonable price. If the price is too much for a single family to afford, the family can set goals to attain a cell phone in the future. Either way, cell phones sell themselves. â€Å"To get a sense of how rapidly cell phones are penetrating the global marketplace, you need only to look at the sales figures. According to statistics from the market database Wireless Intelligence, it took about 20 years for the first billion mobile phones to sell worldwide. The second billion sold in four years, and the third billion sold in two. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives within range of a cellular network, which is double the level in 2000† (Corbett, 2008). In 2008, these statistics show that cell phone market was on a rise. Since iPhone’s introduction in 2007, the cell phone market has grown even more substantially, especially in the U.S. I can speak for the ever-increasing mobile service in India as even rickshaw drivers who make about 50 rupees (about $1.25) in two hours are carrying a cell phone. Companies such as Obopay and Moka are transforming the service provider payment plan to pay as to go in various countries. â€Å"Obopay, for instance, is enabling third-world countries including India to receive and send payments via text message, while Moka provides language translations, such as English to Chinese† . This is a way to close the divide. If a family cannot afford to pay a consistent wage every month for a cell phone, companies such as Obopay are able to provide the pay as you go plan. Families and individuals in India pay as they go, they utilize their cell phones, as they need to, according to how much they are able to afford. Through these payment plans, cell phone companies can sell their phones to a mass audience in large countries like India and China. One company that has millions of customers in third world countries is Nokia. â€Å"There are entire chunks of the planet where Nokia has a virtual monopoly because no other manufacturer even wants to compete† . With the iPhone and Android dominating the U.S. market, Nokia has found its niche in third-world countries. The countries where consumers cannot yet afford the newest iPhone are turning to Nokia. They have positioned themselves as #1 ahead of Samsung, Apple, Motorola and anyone else. This is because they saw a market opportunity and are utilizing the need for cell phones around the world. The U.S. may be looking for new technology, but to the third world countries, simple Nokia phones are new technology. References: Corbett, S. (2008, April 13). Can the Cell Phone Help End Global Poverty. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?pagewanted=all Openshaw, J. (2009, May 24). Mobile Phones: Key To Developing Nations. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/23/mobile-phones-key-to-deve_n_190809.html Raby, M. (2012, January 30). Nokia still top mobile phone maker. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from TG Daily: http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-brief/61102-nokia-still-top-mobile-phone-maker

National Crisis :: essays papers

National Crisis Our society is being forced to deal with uneducated, illiterate high school graduates. You may ask how is a high school graduate so ill prepared for the world. Have you ever been to a store where a young person, maybe a high school student is the sales associate and the register shuts down right before you receive your change? Did you notice the look of panic on their face because they were not sure how much change you were supposed to receive? It is because of the national crisis, social promotion that can be accredited to this dependency on everything except their educated brain’s. We as educated people must help find a way to save our children from wasting their academic careers due to social promotion. "Truly embracing the idea that all children can learn and making sure that all children do, requires that we all take responsibility for ending social promotion." (www.ed.gov) If we accept and aim to prove that all people are capable of learning life’s basic necessities we will start breaking down the wall of stupidity social promotion has built. Social promotion, the national crisis, is the promotion of students to the next grade level without mastery of their current curriculum.(www.ncrel.org) "More than half of teachers surveyed in a recent poll stated that they had promoted unprepared students in the last school year, often because they see no alternative." (www.ed.gov) If a teacher sees no option for a student other than failing or socially promoting them, the teacher generally promotes them, because it goes over easier with in society and authority. This is essentially depleting the educational standards of our country. Standards are lowered as students are continually cheated of the material necessary to independently survive in the "real" world. The realization that I was cheated by social promotion finally came about my senior year of high school. As far back as I can remember I have had problems with math, but I passed every year up until I met Coach Taylor. He was a nonconformist in nearly every sense of the word. He definitely did not jump on the bandwagon of socially promoting students. I learned the hard way about the true aftermath of social promotion that year. I was held accountable for things I didn't know. Therefore, I was fairly distraught to discover I wouldn't be graduating with all my friends.

Reinforcement and Employees Essay

Q3. What tools does Walmart use to motivate employees? How might a lack of motivation affect associates and how should managers respond? Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Give me a squiggly! Give me an M! Give an A! Give me an R! Give me a T! What’s that spell? Walmart! Whose Walmart is it? It’s my Walmart ! Who’s number one? The customer! Always! The good times continue at Walmart, and so do hard work and achievement. For many employees, seeing peers rewarded for a job well done proves highly motivational. Executives at Walmart refer to the company as one big family. There are no grunts or gophers –no employee, no matter how new, is thought of as low person on the totem. According to the company’s â€Å"open door† policy, all associates are encouraged to speak freely, share concerns, and express ideas for improving daily operations. In return, they can expect managers to treat all discussions fairly with an open mind. The policy is ri ght out of Walton’s playbook. â€Å"Listen to your associates,† Walton urged. â€Å"They’re the best idea generators.† The founder’s wisdom is routinely reaffirmed through the oft-repeated quote that â€Å"nothing constructive happens in Bentonville† – a reference to Walton headquarters. In Walton’s grass – roots ethic, local employees are the ones most likely to produce fresh ideas. One significant way managers can meet higher motivational needs is to shift power down from the top of organization and share it with employees to enable them to achieve goals. Empowerment is power sharing, the delegation of power or authority to subordinates in an organization. Increasing employee motivation for task accomplishment because people improve their own effectiveness, choosing how to do a task and using their creativity. Empowerment is one way managers promote self- reinforcement and self- efficacy, as defined in the discussion of social learning. Empowering employees involves giving them four elements that enable them to act more freely accomplish their jobs: information knowledge, power, and rewards. First of all, employees receive information about company performance. In companies where employees are fully empowered, all employees have access to all financial and operational information. Secondly, employees have knowledge and skills to contribute to company goals. Companies use training programs and other development tools to help people acquire the knowledge and skills they need to contribute to organizational performance. The third motivation is employees have the power to make substantive decision. Empowered employees have the authority to directly influence work procedures and organizational performance, such as through quality circles or self- directed work teams. And last but not least, employees are rewarded based on company performance. Organizations that empower workers often reward them based on the results shown in the company’s bottom line. Organizations may also use other motivational compensation programs described in Exhibit 16.8 to tie employee efforts to company performance. Exhibit 16.8 Many of today’s organizations are implementing empowerment programs, but they are empowering workers to varying degrees. At some companies, empowerment means encouraging workers’ idea while managers retain final authority for decisions; at others it means giving employees almost complete freedom and power to make decisions and exercise initiative and imagination. Current methods of empowerment fall along a continuum, as illustrated in exhibit 16.9 . The continuum runs from situation in which front- line workers have almost no discretion, such as on a traditional assembly line, to full empowerment, where workers even participate in formulating organizational strategy. Exhibit 16.9 Perhaps the most important things managers can do to enhance organizational communication and dialogue can encourage people to communicate honestly with one another. Subordinates will feel free to transmit negative as well as positive message to managers without fear of retribution. Efforts to develop interpersonal skills among employees can also foster openness, honesty, and trust. Second, managers should develop and use formal communication channels in all direction. Scandinavian Designs uses two newsletters to reach employees. Dana Holding Corporation developed the â€Å"Here a Thought† board- called a HAT rack- to get ideas and feedback from workers. Other techniques include direct mail, bulletin boards, blogs, and employee surveys. Third, managers should encourage the use of multiple channels including both formal and informal communications. Multiple communication channels include written directives, face- to- face discussions, and the grapevine. For example, managers at GM’s Packard Electric plant use multimedia, including a monthly newspaper, frequent meeting of employees’ teams and an electronic news display in the cafeteria. Sending messages through multiple channels increases the likelihood that they will be properly received. Fourth, the structure should fit communication needs. An organization can be designed to use teams, task forces, project managers, or matrix structure as needed to facilitate the horizontal flow of information for coordination and problem solving. Structure should also reflect information need. When team or department task are difficult, a decentralized structure should be implemented to encourage discussion and participation. Empowerment is the process of distributing decision-making power throughout an organization. It is a process which enables employees to set personal work goals, make minor decisions and to solve conflicts by using their personal authority. Team Bonuses, in situations in which employees should cooperate with each other and isolating employee performance is more difficult, companies are increasingly resorting to tying employee pay to team performance. For example, in 2007, Wal-Mart gave bonuses to around 80% of their associates based on store performance. If empl oyees have a reasonable ability to influence their team’s performance level, these programs may be effective. One way Wal-Mart facilitates respect for an individual is through an open-door policy that allows employees of all levels to communicate with managers in higher levels of the company. This open-door policy is also a way of keeping unions from forming in the company. The philosophy is that when employees have avenues for expressing their complaints and problems, there will be no reason to have union representatives (Cray, 2000; Slater, 2003). However, people may question how effective this policy is, because employees still attempt to form unions. Walton also believed in the importance of having a clear flow of communication with his workers, claiming that the more information they received the harder they would work for him. â€Å"The more they know, the more they’ll understand,† he said. â€Å"The more they understand, the more they’ll care. Once they care, there’s no stopping them.† To Walton, the free flow of information between him and his worke rs demonstrated the trust and respect he had for them. Without that trust, Walton felt he could not succeed. â€Å"Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitor,† he said. For Walton, the bottom line was to appreciate his workers and to make them feel valued. He knew that a paycheck and stock options alone would not guarantee loyalty or hard work. Instead, he realized the importance of making sure his workers knew they were appreciated. â€Å"Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise,† he said. â€Å"They’re absolutely free – and worth a fortune.† By having motivated and loyal employees, Walton could then use them as his secret weapon. â€Å"The folks on the front lines – the ones who actually talk to the customer – are the only ones who really know what’s going on out there,† he said. By listening to his workers and their ideas, Walton could stay on top of his game; â€Å"This really is what total quality is about.† Listen to everyone in your practice/team. Obviously your team is a lot smaller than Wal-Mart, but Sam’s tactic of figu ring out ways to get â€Å"front line† people talking holds true for advisors. You can gain a lot of insight into your clients, and it will help strengthen relationships with support personnel. And yes, listen to your clients too. continuous communication is the most important thing to remember. Change usually causes fear about different things. Communication must be very open, honest and encouraging. It also has to cover all the parties involved in the change. Happy employees mean happy customers. Walton admitted that initially he was so stingy and did not give good pay to his employees. But eventually he realized that he should give a larger payment to his employees because they are considered as â€Å"business partners†. According to Walton, who treated the way management is the same business partner in a way that applied to the consumer. If the business partner treats their customers well then the consumer will come again and again therein lies the advantage and business success. Walton also often visited his shop and asked for their opinions, especially employees who are on the front lines, those who actually faced and talking with customers, as people who know the real situation on the ground. Management’s number one goal with their employees is to make working at Wal-Mart fun and rewarding. They even have their own cheer to boost associates morale and organizational spirit (Wal-Mart, 2008). â€Å"Who’s Wal-Mart? It is my Wal-Mart† (Wal-Mart, 2008). This is the type of leadership styles that all organizations need to use. This style makes employees want to come to work everyday and they feel secure knowing that they are working for a great organization. Wal-Mart is like one big family and like to make their associates feel like they are an important part of keeping the doors open for everyone. If Walmart this organization are lack of motivation it’ll affects associates also called employees. Lack of motivation equates to less work being accomplished. Productivity does not disappear; it is usually transferred to aspects not related to the organization’s work. Things like personal conversations, Internet surfing or taking longer lunches cost the organization time and money. Reduced productivity can be detrimental to an organization’s performance and future success. Low employee motivation could be due to decreased success of the organization, negative effects from the economy or drastic changes or uncertainty within the organization. No matter what the cause, having the reputation of having an unpleasant work environment due to low employee motivation will ultimately impact how existing and potential clients or partners view working with an organization. A reputation can precede an organization and dictate its future in the industry. The reinforcement approach employee motivation sidesteps the issue of employee needs and thinking processes described in the content and process theories. Reinforcement theory simply looks at the relationship between behavior and its consequences. It focuses on changing or modifying employees’ on –the-job behavior through the appropriate use of immediate rewards and punishments. Behavior modification is the name given to the set of techniques by which reinforcement theory is used to modify human behavior. The basic assumption underlying behavior modification is the law of effect, which states that behavior that is positively reinforced tends to be repeated, and behavior that is not reinforced tends not to be repeated. Reinforcement is defined as anything that causes a certain behavior to be repeated or inhibited. The four reinforcement tools are positive reinforcement, avoidance learning, punishment, and extinction, as summarized in exhibit16.6 Positive reinforcement is the administration of a pleasant and rewarding consequence following a desired behavior, such as praise for an employee who arrives on time or does a little extra work. Research shows that positive reinforcement does help to improve performance. Moreover, nonfinancial reinforcement such as positive feedback, social recognition, and attention are just as effective as financial incentives. One study of employees at fast- food drive- thru windows, for example, found that performance feedback and supervisor recognition had a significant effect on increasing the incidence of â€Å"up- selling† or asking customers to increase their order. Montage Hotels &resorts, known for its culture of gracious yet humble service, uses a variety of employee recognition programs to positively reinforce employees for providing exceptional service. CEO Alan J. Fuerstman says â€Å"it’s simple psychology. People commit more acts of kindness when they are appreciated f or them.† Avoidance learning is the removal of an unpleasant consequence once a behavior is improved, theory encouraging and strengthening the desired behavior. Avoidance learning is sometimes called negative reinforcement. The idea is that people will change a specific behavior to avoid the undesired result that behavior provokes. As a simple example, a supervisor who constantly reminds or nags an employee who is goofing off on the factory floor and stops the nagging when the employee stops goofing off is applying avoidance learning. Punishment is the imposition of unpleasant outcomes on an employee. Punishment typically occurs following undesirable behavior. For example, a supervisor may berate an employee for performing a task incorrectly. The supervisor expects that the negative outcome will serve as a punishment and reduce the likelihood of the behavior recurring. The use of punishment in organization is controversial and often criticized because it fails to indicate the correct behavior. However, almost all managers report that they find it necessary to occasionally impose forms of punishment ranging from verbal reprimands to employee suspensions or firings. Extinction is the withholding of a positive reward. Whereas with punishment, the supervisor imposes an unpleasant outcome such as a reprimand, extinction involves withholding praise or other positive outcomes. With extinction, undesirable behavior is essentially ignored. The idea is that behavior that is not positively reinforced will gradually disappear A New York Times reporter wrote a humorous article about how she learned to stop nagging and instead use reinforcement theory to shape her husband’s behavior after studying how professionals train animals. When her husband did something she liked such as throw a dirty shirt in the hamper, she would use positive reinforcement, thanking him or giving him a hug and a kiss. Undesirable behaviors, such as throwing dirty clothes on the floor, on the other hand, were simply ignored, applying the principle of extinction. Reward and punishment motivational practices based on the reinforcement theory dominate organizations. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 84 percent of all companies in the United States offer some type of monetary or non- monetary reward system, and 69 percent offer incentive pay, such as bonuses, bases on an employee’s performance. However, in other studies, more than 80 percent of employers with incentive programs have reported that their programs are only somewhat successful or working at all. Despite the testimonies of organizations that enjoy successful incentive programs, criticism of these â€Å"carrot- and- stick† methods is growing, as discussed in the Manager’s Shoptalk. If rewards and motivation are failed to fulfill the employees the manager of Walmart should apply some positive reinforcement in order to safe the situation. Positive reinforcement is the practice of rewarding desirable employee behavior in order to strengthen that behavior. For example, when you praise an employee for doing a good job, you increase the likelihood of him/her doing that job very well again. Positive reinforcement both shapes behavior and enhances an employee’s self-image. Recognizing and rewarding desirable employee behavior is the essential key to motivating employees to work more productively. This method will reap many benefits, first it clearly defines and communicates expected behaviors and strengthens the connection between high performance and rewards. It reinforces an employee’s behavior immediately after learning a new technique and promotes quick, thorough learning. It motivates effective workers to continue to do good work. Lack of reinforcement leads to job dissatisfaction. It increases productivity by rewarding workers who conserve time and materials. Employees who are rewarded after they successfully perform feel self-confident and become eager to learn new techniques, take advanced training, and accept more re sponsibility. Rewarding employees who suggest improved work procedures will produce more innovation – if you create a relaxed work environment, reward new ideas and tolerate innovative failures. Employees who receive recognition for their achievements are more enthusiastic about their work, more cooperative, and more open to change. Besides that, when you show appreciation and reward employees for good work, you’ll be able to increase their job commitment and organizational loyalty. In conclusion, giving positive reinforcement does not mean that what is done incorrectly by an employee is to be ignored. Instead, it means to recognize what portion of the work was done correctly first, then follow-up with what can be done better the next time and why the performance or work result was not quite what was expected. If this means the manager must take some of the blame for not giving detailed instructions for the desired behavior or result, they should do so in an apologetic manner and then proceed to explain how the manager personally will try to do better. This is an excellent time for the manager to let the employee know they still have faith in them but need their help and cooperation by their asking questions if the manager’s instructions are not clear. This allows both the employee and manager to get better at communication, which results in improved task completion. Remember mangers need to give positive results first, then follow-up with what improvements are needed, apologize if necessary, and then reinforce what was done right again. When working the improvement or follow-up statement do not use the word â€Å"but† as this word often negates anything said before it and the employee may stop listening as they know a negative is coming next.

How Far Do Sociologists Agree That Education Benefits the Ruling Class Essay

The debate outlined above suggests that some sociologists believe that education benefits the ruling class, however other sociologists may argue that education benefits everyone or just men. To address this issue I will be looking at both sides of the argument and I will assess to what extent sociologists agree that education benefits the ruling class. Some sociologists; such as Marxist agree with the statement above that education benefits the ruling class. One reason for this is that they believe that education brings about social class reproduction, to benefit them. This means that rich can afford to go to big successful private schools, and then go onto having successful jobs, whereas the poor will continue being poor, as they cannot afford to go to private schools and therefore will not achieve the same grades as the ruling class and will not get as well paid jobs. They believe that the working class do not achieve in education because of their material deprivation and cultural deprivation meaning that the working class will not achieve as much as the ruling class, as they cannot afford to buy books, tutors or equipment like the ruling class can. Another reason Marxists agree with this statement is because they believe that through education the wealthy learn to rule, and the working class learn to be ruled. They believe that there is a hidden curriculum where the working class learn respect, authority, punctuality and hard work. This will then prepare them to be obedient workers for the ruling class, who will then exploit them to make a profit. Furthermore, Marxists believe that education transmits ideology; this means it puts the working class in a false consciousness this means that the working class cannot see that education therefore they do not start to revolve, and do anything about it. According to Marxists meritocracy is just a myth, and education is not fair as it favours the wealthy. On the other hand, other sociologists such as functionalists disagree that education benefits the ruling class. According to the functionalism education benefits the whole of society. They believe that the main purpose of education is secondary socialisation; this is where pupils learn important norms and values e.g. respect, manners, punctuality, and hard work. They learn this through social control and sanctions; these sanctions could be punishments, rewards, formal or informal. Functionalists believe that education helps maintain order in society, and without order there would be chaos (anomie). They also believe that education provides a sense of national identity, like being a British citizen. Another reason that functionalists disagree with the statement is because they believe that education performs occupational role allocation, this is where pupils will get a job according to their talents or skills therefore the most talented or most skilled will get the highest paid jobs. Functionalists believe that education provides the institution of work with skilled workers; this is the idea of organic analogy, where each institution is society work together to benefit one another. Functionalists claim that education is a meritocracy and that education is fair and based on equality of opportunity. They also believe that education provides an opportunity of social mobility, where the working class can move up the social class system if they work hard enough. Another function of education is that it provides child minding, therefore when the child is at school it allows both parents to work and earn money. Another view this is the feminists view, they disagree that education benefits the ruling class, however they believe that education benefits men. They claim that the role of education is to benefit males, to maintain a patriarchal society, where men dominate society. They do this by socialising students into traditional gender roles, where the females learn to be a housewife and the males learn to be the breadwinner. This is achieved through subject choice, and career advice, these are often based on stereotypes. For example, males will learn engineering at school, whereas females will not more domestic subjects such as cooking and sewing. However, this view may not be as relevant today as since the 1980s girls have been achieving better at all levels, which suggests that society is now less patriarchal and girls now have more opportunities. After assessing both sides of the argument, it is evident that education does benefit both the ruling class, and the working class. I think this because although education doesn’t benefit the working class as much, it does teach them important morals such as not to steal etc., I also believe that the education does benefit the ruling class, as it teaches them skills for the future, however I feel as though education is no long patriarchal as girls are achieving better then boys. Overall, I have come to the conclusion that education benefits everyone, some maybe not so much, but I believe everyone gains from education whether it is skills to work, or morals.

Biography of Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of China

Biography of Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang (around 259 BCE–September 10, 210  BCE) was the First Emperor of a unified China and founder of the Qin dynasty, who ruled from 246 BCE to 210 BCE. In his 35-year reign, he caused both rapid cultural and intellectual advancement  and much destruction and oppression within China. He is famed for creating magnificent and enormous construction projects, including the beginnings of the Great Wall of China. Fast Facts: Qin Shi Huang ï » ¿Known For:  First Emperor of unified China, founder of Qin dynastyï » ¿Also Known As:  Ying Zheng; Zheng, the King of Qin; Shi HuangdiBorn:  Exact date of birth unknown; most likely around 259 BCE in HananParents: King Zhuangxiang of Qin and Lady ZhaoDied:  September 10, 210  BCE in eastern ChinaGreat Works:  Beginning construction of the Great Wall of China, the terracotta armySpouse: No empress, many concubinesChildren: Around 50 children, including Fusu, Gao, Jianglà ¼, HuhaiNotable Quote: I have collected all the writings of the Empire and burnt those which were of no use. Early Life Qin Shi Huangs birth and parentage are shrouded in mystery. According to legend, a rich merchant named Lu Buwei befriended a prince of the Qin State during the latter years of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770–256 BCE).  The merchants lovely wife Zhao Ji had just gotten pregnant, so he arranged for the prince to meet and fall in love with her. She became the princes concubine  and then gave birth to the merchant Lu Buweis child in 259 BCE. The baby, born in Hanan, was named Ying Zheng. The prince believed the baby was his own.  Ying Zheng became king of the Qin state in 246 BCE, upon the death of his supposed father. He ruled as Qin Shi Huang  and unified China for the first time. Early Reign The young king was only 13 years old when he took the throne, so his prime minister (and likely real father) Lu Buwei acted as regent for the first eight years.  This was a difficult time for any ruler in China, with seven warring states vying for control of the land. The leaders of the Qi, Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Chu, and Qin states were former dukes under the Zhou Dynasty  but had each proclaimed themselves king as the Zhou reign fell apart. In this unstable environment, warfare flourished, as did books like Sun Tzus The Art of War.  Lu Buwei had another problem as well; he feared that the king would discover his true identity. Lao Ais Revolt According to Sima Qian in the Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, Lu Buwei hatched a scheme to depose Qin Shi Huang in 240 BCE. He introduced the kings mother Zhao Ji to Lao Ai, a man famed for his large penis. The queen dowager and Lao Ai had two sons and Lao and Lu Buwei decided to launch a coup in 238 BCE. Lao raised an army, aided by the king of nearby Wei, and tried to seize control while Qin Shi Huang was traveling. The young king, however, cracked down hard on the rebellion and prevailed. Lao was executed by having his arms, legs, and neck tied to horses, which were then spurred to run in different directions. His whole family was also killed, including the kings two half-brothers and all other relatives to the third degree (uncles, aunts, cousins).  The queen dowager was spared  but spent the rest of her days under house arrest. Consolidation of Power Lu Buwei was banished after the Lao Ai incident  but did not lose all of his influence in Qin. However, he lived in constant fear of execution by the mercurial young king.  In 235 BCE, Lu committed suicide by drinking poison. With his death, the 24-year-old king assumed full command over the kingdom of Qin. Qin Shi Huang grew increasingly suspicious of those around him and banished all foreign scholars from his court as spies. The kings fears were well-founded. In 227, the Yan state sent two assassins to his court, but the king fought them off with his sword. A musician also tried to kill him by bludgeoning him with a lead-weighted lute. Battles With Neighboring States The assassination attempts arose in part because of desperation in neighboring kingdoms. The Qin king had the most powerful army and neighboring rulers feared a Qin invasion. The Han kingdom fell to Qin Shi Huang in 230 BCE. In 229, a devastating earthquake rocked another powerful state, Zhao, leaving it weakened. Qin Shi Huang took advantage of the disaster  and invaded the region.  Wei fell in 225, followed by the powerful Chu in 223. The Qin army conquered Yan and Zhao in 222 (despite another assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang by a Yan agent).  The final independent kingdom, Qi, fell to the Qin in 221 BCE. China Unified With the defeat of the other six warring states, Qin Shi Huang had unified northern China. His army would continue to expand the Qin Empires southern boundaries throughout his lifetime, driving as far south as what is now Vietnam.  The King of Qin was now the Emperor of Qin China. As Emperor, Qin Shi Huang reorganized the bureaucracy, abolishing the existing nobility and replacing them with his appointed officials. He also built a network of roads, with the capital of Xianyang at the hub. In addition, the Emperor simplified the written Chinese script, standardized weights and measures, and minted new copper coins. Steve Peterson Photography /  Getty Images The Great Wall and Ling Canal Despite its military might, the newly unified Qin Empire faced a recurring threat from the north: raids by the nomadic Xiongnu (the ancestors of Attilas Huns). In order to fend off the Xiongnu, Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of an enormous defensive wall. The work was carried out by hundreds of thousands of slaves and criminals between 220 and 206 BCE; untold thousands of them died at the task. This northern fortification formed the first section of what would become the Great Wall of China. In 214, the Emperor also ordered the construction of a canal, the Lingqu, which linked the Yangtze and Pearl River systems. The Confucian Purge The Warring States Period was dangerous, but the lack of central authority allowed intellectuals to flourish. Confucianism and a number of other philosophies blossomed prior to Chinas unification. However, Qin Shi Huang viewed these schools of thought as threats to his authority, so he ordered all books not related to his reign burned in 213 BCE. The Emperor also had approximately 460 scholars buried alive in 212 for daring to disagree with him, and 700 more stoned to death. From then on, the only approved school of thought was legalism: Follow the Emperors laws, or face the consequences. Qin Shi Huangs Quest for Immortality As he entered middle age, the First Emperor grew more and more afraid of death. He became obsessed with finding the elixir of life, which would allow him to live forever.  The court doctors and alchemists concocted a number of potions, many of them containing quicksilver (mercury), which probably had the ironic effect of hastening the Emperors death rather than preventing it. Just in case the elixirs did not work, in 215 BCE the Emperor also ordered the construction of a gargantuan tomb for himself. Plans for the tomb included flowing rivers of mercury, cross-bow booby traps to thwart would-be plunderers, and replicas of the Emperors earthly palaces. Tim Graham / Getty Images The Terracotta Army To guard Qin Shi Huang in the afterworld, and perhaps allow him to conquer heaven as he had the earth, the Emperor had a terracotta army of at least 8,000 clay soldiers placed in the tomb. The army also included terracotta horses, along with real chariots and weapons. Each soldier was an individual, with unique facial features (although the bodies and limbs were mass-produced from molds). Death A large meteor fell in Dongjun in 211 BCE- an ominous sign for the Emperor. To make matters worse, someone etched the words The First Emperor will die and his land will be divided onto the stone.  Some saw this as a sign that the Emperor had lost the Mandate of Heaven. Since nobody would confess to the crime, the Emperor had everyone in the vicinity executed. The meteor itself was burned and then pounded into powder. Nevertheless, the Emperor died less than a year later, while touring eastern China in 210 BCE. The cause of death most likely was mercury poisoning, due to his immortality treatments. Legacy Qin Shi Huangs Empire did not outlast him long. His second son and Prime Minister tricked the heir, Fusu, into committing suicide. The second son, Huhai, seized power. However, widespread unrest (led by the remnants of the warring states nobility) threw the empire into disarray. In 207 BCE, the Qin army was defeated by Chu-lead rebels at the Battle of Julu. This defeat signaled the end of the Qin Dynasty. Whether Qin Shi Huang should be remembered more for his monumental creations and cultural advances or his brutal tyranny is a matter of dispute. All scholars agree, however, that Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty and a unified China, was one of the most important rulers in Chinese history. Sources Lewis, Mark Edward. The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han. Harvard University Press, 2007.Lu Buwei. The Annals of Lu Buwei. Translated by John Knoblock and Jeffrey Riegel, Stanford University Press, 2000.Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian. Translated by Burton Watson, Columbia University Press, 1993.

Battle of Short Hills in the American Revolution

Battle of Short Hills in the American Revolution Battle of Short Hills - Conflict Date: The Battle of Short Hills was fought June 26, 1777, during the American Revolution (1775-1783).   Ã‚   Armies Commanders: Americans General George WashingtonMajor General William Alexander, Lord Stirlingapprox. 2,500 men British General Sir William HoweLieutenant General Lord Charles CornwallisMajor General John Vaughanapprox. 11,000 men Battle of Short Hills - Background: Having been expelled from Boston in March 1776, General Sir William Howe descended on New York City that summer.   Defeating General George Washingtons forces at Long Island in late August, he then landed on Manhattan where he suffered a setback at Harlem Heights in September.   Recovering, Howe succeeded in driving American forces from the area after winning victories at White Plains and Fort Washington.   Retreating across New Jersey, Washingtons beaten army crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania before halting to regroup.   Recovering late in the year, the Americans struck back on December 26 with a triumph at Trenton before achieving a second victory a short time later at Princeton. With winter setting in, Washington moved his army to Morristown, NJ and entered winter quarters.   Howe did the same and the British established themselves around New Brunswick.   As the winter months progressed, Howe commenced planning for a campaign against the American capital at Philadelphia while American and British troops routinely skirmished in the territory between the encampments.   In late March, Washington ordered Major General Benjamin Lincoln to take 500 men south to Bound Brook with the goal of collecting intelligence and protecting farmers in the area.   On April 13, Lincoln was attacked by Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis and forced to retreat.   In an effort to better assess British intentions, Washington moved his army to a new encampment at Middlebrook. Battle of Short Hills - Howes Plan: A strong position, the encampment was situated on the south slopes of the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains.   From the heights, the Washington could observe British movements on the plains below which stretched back to Staten Island.   Unwilling to assault the Americans while they held the high ground, Howe sought to lure them down to the plains below.   On June 14, he marched his army Somerset Courthouse (Millstone) on the Millstone River.   Only eight miles from Middlebrook he hoped to entice Washington to attack.   As the Americans showed no inclination to strike, Howe withdrew after five days and moved back to New Brunswick.   Once there, he elected to evacuate the town and shifted his command to Perth Amboy. Believing the British to be abandoning New Jersey in preparation for moving against Philadelphia by sea, Washington ordered Major General William Alexander, Lord Stirling to march towards Perth Amboy with 2,500 men while the rest of the army descended the heights to a new position near Samptown (South Plainfield) and Quibbletown (Piscataway).   Washington hoped that Stirling could harass the British rear while also covering the armys left flank.   Advancing, Stirlings command assumed a line in the vicinity of Short Hills and Ash Swamp (Plainfield and Scotch Plains).   Alerted to these movements by an American deserter, Howe reversed his march late on June 25.   Moving quickly with around 11,000 men, he sought to crush Stirling and prevent Washington from regaining a position in the mountains. Battle of Short Hills - Howe Strikes: For the attack, Howe directed two columns, one led by Cornwallis and the other by Major General John Vaughan, to move through Woodbridge and Bonhampton respectively.   Cornwallis right wing was detected around 6:00 AM on June 26 and clashed with a detachment of 150 riflemen from Colonel Daniel Morgans Provisional Rifle Corps.   Fighting ensued near Strawberry Hill where Captain Patrick Fergusons men, armed with new breech-loading rifles, were able to force the Americans to withdraw up Oak Tree Road.   Alerted to the threat, Stirling ordered reinforcements led by  Brigadier General Thomas Conway forward.   Hearing the firing from these first encounters, Washington ordered the bulk of the army to move back to Middlebrook while relying on Stirlings men to slow the British advance. Battle of Short Hills - Fighting for Time: Around 8:30 AM, Conways men engaged the enemy near the intersection of Oak Tree and Plainfield Roads.   Though offering tenacious resistance that included hand-to-hand fighting, Conways troops were driven back.   As the Americans retreated approximately a mile toward the Short Hills, Cornwallis pushed on and united with Vaughan and Howe at Oak Tree Junction.   To the north, Stirling formed a defensive line near Ash Swamp.   Backed by artillery, his 1,798 men resisted the British advance for around two hours allowing Washington time to regain the heights.   Fighting swirled around the American guns and three were lost to the enemy.   As the battle raged, Stirlings horse was killed and his men were driven back to a line in Ash Swamp. Badly outnumbered, the Americans were ultimately forced to retreat towards Westfield.   Moving quickly to avoid the British pursuit, Stirling led his troops back to the mountains to rejoin Washington.   Halting in Westfield due to the heat of the day, the British looted the town and desecrated the Westfield Meeting House.   Later in the day Howe reconnoitered Washingtons lines and concluded that they were too strong to attack.   After spending the night in Westfield, he moved his army back to Perth Amboy and by June 30 had fully departed New Jersey. Battle of Short Hills - Aftermath: In the fighting at the Battle of Short Hills the British admitted to 5 killed and 30 wounded.   American losses are not known with accuracy but British claims numbered 100 killed and wounded as well as around 70 captured.   Though a tactical defeat for the Continental Army, the Battle of Short Hills proved a successful delaying action in that Stirlings resistance allowed Washington to shift his forces back to the protection of Middlebrook.   As such, it prevented Howe from executing his plan to cut the Americans off from the mountains and defeat them in open ground.   Departing New Jersey, Howe opened his campaign against Philadelphia late that summer.   The two armies would clash at Brandywine on September 11 with Howe winning the day and capturing Philadelphia a short time later.   A subsequent American attack at Germantown failed and Washington moved his army into winter quarters at Valley Forge on December 19. Selected Sources The Battle of the Short HillsRevolutionary War New Jersey - Short HillsBattle of Short Hills Historic Trail