Central bank for GCC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Central bank for GCC - Essay Example say that the central bank enhances oil price stability and economic efficiency in the region while those who argue against it argue that it may be influenced by political pressure and the independence of national central banks will be affected. The report also suggests that the main objective of the GCB is to achieve price stability, economic stability and economic efficiency while its function is to implement monetary policies. GCC is an economic integration of six countries that have come together for easy exchange and trade among each other. The six country members of the GCC include: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The members of the integration have benefited a lot from the integration through reduced barriers of trade and good diplomatic and economic relationships with other members of the union. GCC Monetary union has been one of the key objectives of the GCC members since 1980s (Lycett et al, 1984). Towards the goal of monetary union, the members have encouraged regional integration and intraregional movement of goods, services, technology and capital. As a way of encouraging the development of the monetary union, some member countries have suggested the introduction of a common currency that can be used as a common means of exchange among all countries just like the Euro used in the European Union. The need for one currency then called for a common monetary policy implementation in the gulf region. Because monetary policy is the work of a central bank, the Gulf Cooperation Council suggested the formation of a central bank of the union. The central bank would implement the monetary policy of the union and issue a common currency for all member countries to use for exchange amongst each other. This project report highlights the structure of this proposed central bank of the GCC and explains some of the similarities and differences between it and the Central Bank of the EU. The report will then highlight the arguments

A critical analysis of marketing strategy in the UK financial services Essay

A critical analysis of marketing strategy in the UK financial services sector. An empirical study - Essay Example According to Lazer (1971:209), â€Å"Given good intelligence, executives should eventually be able to scan markets, call for additional information through consoles, assess marketing alternatives more adequately, and adjust to dynamic market condition more readily†. It then requires that marketing strategies are structured to come abreast with the vicissitude of the time, for it to be successful and effective. THE United Kingdom financial services sector have in recent times adopted marketing strategies that are aligned with the information technology driven age. The conducting of business are embarked through e-marketing and to a great extent the UK financial institutions have adopted strategic alliance as an option of jointly pulling of their resources with organizations that share the same business orientation and prospects with them. â€Å"Markets face daunting challenges in an increasingly complex markets place. Market research information technologies have provided new tools to guide marketing resource allocation, but these technologies have added complexity to the marketer’s worldview. Compounding the challenge is the range of stakeholders that must be addressed: prospects, customers, shareholders, channels partners, market alliance partners, and vendors† (Cook & Talluri, 2005:244). In recent years the spate of strategic alliance in UK financial institutions are on the increase. According to Gup & Marino (2003), the United Kingdom financial institution recorded 401 alliances in Europe. Almost half of these strategies alliances occurred in 1998 and 1999. As a substitute to outright merger financial institution have prefer strategic alliance. In the same view, Proctor (2000), argues that the 21st century is seeing the development of strategic alliances and networks where firms work together towards shared goals and collaborate in their operations. The financial services sector plays a significant

Competitive Forces And Value Chain Models Information Technology Essay

Competitive Forces And Value Chain Models Information Technology Essay In order for a company to survive in its area of business it must be superior compared to its competitors and therefore strive for competitive advantage. According to Bocij et al (2006 pg 57) competitive advantage is when a organisation or business strives to be the market leader in the area they offer their business or service. Competitive advantage can be achieved by a organisation in a variety of ways such as implementing some of the following techniques; restructuring the business, processes to reduce overheads, offer extra services to existing customers as well as looking for new customers and always looking at the changes in the internal and external environment and respond to changes that may affect the businesses profitability. By implementing some of these techniques this will allow the organisation to increase its profitability and increase its market share. For a company to be achieving competitive advantage the organisation can be analysed in two ways. These two ways are Porters Five Forces and The Value Chain Model. Both of these analysis techniques look at different aspects of the business. In this case Panasonic will be analysed using both of these techniques. According to Laudon and Laudon (2005 pg 102) Michael Porter developed the five forces in 1979. Michael Porter says there are five forces that influence the competitive advantage of a firm. The five forces that that Michael Porter has come up with looks at what influence the external environment (macro environment) has a affect on the internal environment (micro environment). These are the five forces that Michael Porter came up with: Traditional competitors every business has a share in the market they specialise in. with this share of the market the organisation develops their brand and identity and devise new ways of offering extra services that other businesses in their market do not offer. This will attract new customers so and the extra cost of this will be past on to existing customers. New market entrants this is when a organisation or a individual person is able to set up and offer a service or product that will have a large customer base that is able generate profitability for offering a service or product. Substitute products these are alternative products that are available on the market that people may be inclined to use as these products are cheaper compared to others. Customers a organisations profitability is determined how it keeps hold of existing customers and how it attracts new customers. The customer holds the key power of determining how successful a organisation is as customers can easily switch to another brand if the current organisation does not match or beat the price of the product or service they are receiving. Suppliers the supplier has a big impact on how the end product is marketed as the organisation is able to offer its product to the end customer at a competitive price compared to its rivals. So if a organisation has more than one supplier the organisation can have more control over the pricing of the product, replenishment and availability. Above: shows Porters Five forces that affect the stability of a organisation and what are responsible for any actions that may be taken to keep the organisation at a competitive advantage and keep it in profitability. The five forces are Traditional rivals , Customers , Suppliers , New market entrants and Substitute products. (Essentials of Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2005 pg 103) Value Chain Model Laudon and Laudon (1995 pg 53) the Value Chain Model was developed by Michael Porter in 1985. The Value Chain Model highlights specific activities within the business where competitive strategies can be applied and where information systems are likely to have a strategic impact. The Value Chain Model identifies precise, critical leverage points where a organisation can use information technology most effectively to increase its competitive advantage within its market share. The increase in the market share will allow the organisation to become more profitable, reduce operating costs and improve communication within the organisation internally and externally. The Value Chain Models looks at a organisation as basic set of chain activities that add a margin of value to a firms products or services. These activities are categorised in to two activities. These activities are known as Primary and support activities. Primary activities Laudon and Laudon (1995 pg 54) says the primary activities of a organisation are related to the production and distribution of the final product or service that a organisation provides. Primary activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and service. Inbound logistics includes the receiving and storing of materials ready to distribute to the appropriate department for the end product to be mage. Operations create to the materials in to the final product. Once the product has been created outbound logistics distributes the made products to the correct sorting point. Once the product has been sorted and stored sales and marketing promote the organisations products and sell them when they receive orders for them. The service activity makes sure that the organisations products are repaired (when needed) and are maintained to make sure any future problems (if any) cause the minimal amount of disruption. Support activities Laudon and Laudon (1995 pg 54) to make sure that the Primary actives are delivered to the highest standard support activities are in place to make sure the infrastructure is functioning. Support activities include administration and management, human resources, technology and procurement. Administration and management is in charge of how the organisation functions on a day to day basis and is in charge of how the organisation is structured. Human resources take care of the welfare and benefits of the employees within the organisation in terms hiring, training and retaining its employees. Technology allows the organisation to improve the production of goods and procurement supports by purchasing inputs. Above: shows Porters Value Chain showing the primary and secondary activities of a organisation and which department adds value to the organisation.(Essentials of Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2005 pg 96) Porters Five forces: Panasonic analysis Traditional competitors Since Panasonic was founded in 1918 it has steadily become the largest Japanese electronics maker. Panasonic owner Konosuke Matsushita first started the company selling lamps for bicycles and then diverse to sell other electronic products. Later in 1961 after being rebranded under different names the Panasonic brand was formed in 1961 when it started the produce televisions (TVs ) for the American market. From than it has become one of the most competitive and leading companies for research and development in the electronic sector. As the competiveness in the electronic sector is so reliant on technology it is important for a organizations to innovate new ideas in to products. Panasonic is based in North America, Asia and Europe. As mentioned before Panasonic has found success on the TV industry. The global sales figures for Plasma TV s show that Panasonic ( 40.7%) is the leading supplier in terms of shipping volume around the world closely followed by Samsun g on (33.7%), LG on (23.3 %) and other brands accommodated for the (2%). (HDV TEST ,2011) New market entrants There is no threat of any other brand entering the market and become dominant. This is due to the barrier entry system of some one entering the market with a product or service. These two barriers are known as high barrier and low barrier entry products / services. High barrier service / products is for high end products or services for example if somebody wanted to open a new bank the interested party will have to go through tough regulation and be approved and regulated by a outside firm for example FSA to make sure they are operating within the guidelines set by the government. The other barrier is known as low entry barrier markets. This entry barrier is for a low entry product or service. A example of this is if somebody wanted to open a corner shop little government regulation is needed and there is little set up costs. Along with the barrier entry system the new entrant must have the technology know how that will allow them to develop their products furthe r. Substitute products The threat from substitute products is fairly low as people are more inclined to use brands that they are familiar with so if they wanted to switch brands for a alternative cheap brand the costs are low but they can be high if they wanted to switch to a much alternative brand such as Sony which is generally seen more expensive. Technology can also be a factor for example now people can watch TV on mobile phones and laptops. Another example is when Sony In 2005 Panasonic has reacted well to change and development in technology this was seen when Sony, Panasonic and Philips launched Bluray technology against the HD DVDs that were launched by Toshiba, Microsoft and Hitachi. Much of the success of the format was dependent on which retailers favoured and marketed products their products. Customers Panasonic is a international brand and is recognisable all over the world. It has posted respectable results. In 2010 Panasonic posted the following sales Japan 54% Asia 23% , North America 12 % and Europe 11% .(These figures accommodate for Panasonic products only). As technology evolves Panasonic has kept up with the pace for example 3D films produced by Hollywood such as Avatar has enabled Panasonic to develop their 3D LCD TV that enabled them to obtain (50.5%) of the market share from 230,000 units sold all around the world. Samsung came second with a 3D market share of 41.7%, followed by LG with less than 10% at the end of 2010.(HDV TEST ,2011)Panasonic has ensured that the end customer is able to understand the end product having a strong relationship with its retailing outlets that sell its products. This is very important because loyal customers that use and buy the Panasonic brand and do not switch to a alternative brand. Consumer demand for electric products is b roken in to two segments. People who will have a more disposable income will go for products with good quality such as high definition and wide screen plasma technology and people who do not have a less disposable tend to stick with less expensive products that are easier to use. Suppliers Panasonic has a intimate relationship with its suppliers. This is due to how the business structure is set up and operates. The Panasonic brand is under the brand of the parent company called Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd under this band there are another 15 subsidiary companies for example SANYO and Technics that specialise in their own department. With each company specialising in their own department Panasonic understands what they can offer to the new product that is being developed. Value Chain model: Panasonic analysis Primary activities / support activities As the Panasonic brand comes under the parent company of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd, when it became a global company it had a decentralized strategy as none of the offices outside of Japan had a centralized database that they could retrieve information from. Altogether Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd had set up 13 major labs in foreign countries -in the US, three in Asia and three in Europe. Many of these labs were established to modify and customize products for the local markets. They also took advantage of locally available technological information and skilled personnel so only catered for the country they operated in instead as a company as a whole. Components that were to be manufactured and used in Panasonic products are internally outsourced to the other brands it owns so the relationship between all of its suppliers is strong. This relationship is also important as Panasonic as a company can relay on that the components needed to make its products are of t he highest standard and there are minimal chance of defects within its products and it a defect occurs they can locate the problem quickly and solve the problem causing minimal negativity about the products. The distributors who sell Panasonic are well educated and informed by Panasonic to make sure that their product stands out when the end customer is purchasing the end product. Provide a critical analysis of how Panasonics information management problems affect its business performance and ability to execute its strategy. Panasonics information problems affected its business performance and ability to execute its strategy. Panasonic was enjoying the number of successes factors however this success did not take in to the account on what Panasonic was spending on its administration costs. A information system would have allowed Panasonic to access and centralize its information so it could be easily retrieved when needed. A information System (IS) is defined by Avison and Fitzgerald (2003 pg 20)is when a organisation collects and stores key business processes on a single database and saved on a computer network and information can be accessed and data can be manipulated to create a series of reports and queries. This usually helps a organisation when it spreads its business dealings around the globe and therefore trades on a international platform which allows the organisation to expand in new markets which in turn will increase the profitability of the company. This is known by the term of Globalisation. (Avison and Fitzgerald 2003 pg 8). This is seen when Panasonic expanded its operations throughout Europe, Asia and North America. This included 15 subsidiaries, 14 manufacturing facilities, and five research and development centres, and seven administrative offices. A Management Information System (MIS) was also needed as this would have combined different sectors of the business and will help it to make different decisions at different levels. A typical system has four processes that work on three levels and have certain characteristics an is used by the appropriate level of management. They only see the data that may affect their area of the organisation they are looking at. A Executive Support Systems (ESS) produces reports and responses to queries a Decision Support Systems (DSS) helps the organisation to make decisions on important decisions that the organisation may face these two systems are used by senior management, a Management Information Systems (MIS) allows the organisation to access past records and view current performance of the organisation this will allow the organisation to find any trends or patterns to make any decisions these decisions are made by middle management and a Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) records transac tions and events these records are seen by operational management. ( Laudon and Laudon 2004 , pg 53) As Panasonic was also experiencing problems managing its data efficiently as product and customer data was inconsistent, duplicate, or incomplete. Different segments of Panasonic used their own data management operations that were isolated or different from other locations within the company. Panasonic also had problems when it launched a new product as each product included photos, product specifications and descriptions, manuals, pricing data and point of sale marketing information. When this information was sent out to the various locations each location adapted this information for the region and country they resided in. this resulted in problems when Panasonic launched a product globally as information about the product had to be condensed to a common set of data for launching the product globally. This problem delayed the launch of new products so competitors seized upon this opportunity to seize infiltrate in to markets did not reach in its first phase of the launch. Analyse the management, organisation, and technology factors that were responsible for the problems identified in the previous question. A IS system is just more than inputting and outputting business processes to consolidate information together. From a business point of view a IS system also looks at other environmental factors within the organisation. From a business perspective a IS system is a organisational and management solution based on information technology to a challenge based on the environment it is in. to understand how a organisation operates and what obstacles it may face a manager must understand the environment it is in a organisation is much more than computers it also has to understand the broader organisation, management and information technology. Above: a diagram showing that information systems are more than just computers. Using Information Systems effectively requires and understanding of the organisation, management and technology. (Essentials of Management Information Systems, Laudon and Laudon 1995 pg 9) Organisation IS systems are a major part of a organisation structure and without this they may not able to exist at all for example a credit reporting firm without this system they will not be able to operate at all. The major elements of a organisation are its people, structure and operating procedures, politics and culture. Formal and large organisations are different as they are divided in to hierarchal structure. This structure is a pyramidal structure with management being at the top middle management in the middle and operational staff at the bottom. There are different types of employees within a organisation and work at different levels. Knowledge workers are people such as engineers and architects who innovate ideas for the organisation. These people work at the top of the organisation, data workers such as secretaries and bookkeepers who work with the middle management and at the bottom level are the production or service workers who work on providing the service or creating the final product. (Laudon and Laudon 1995 , pg 9) Management Managers are responsible for innovating new ideas so that the organisation is always developing new products or delivering new service. The three type of managers are senior management who are responsible for making long term decisions, middle management who are responsible for helping the senior management to make these decisions and operational management to take of day to day running of the organisation and tackle any short term problems. (Laudon and Laudon 1995 , pg 9) Technology IS systems are one of the tools that a organisation uses to deal with change and more importantly it holds the organisation together. This is done through a number of different technologies such as computer hardware that enables the organisation to input, out put and process information throughout the organisation. A example of computer hardware is monitors, keyboards and printers. Computer software is a sequenced programming instruction that allows the hardware to function. Storage technology allows the data to be stored and can be transferred between computers a example of storage technology is disks, tapes and pen drives. Telecommunication technology allows all of the physical hardware to connect together. This also includes out put components such as printers. This allows programs and information to be accessed anywhere within the organisation. (Laudon and Laudon 1995 , pg 9) As Panasonic was not managing its data within the organisation properly. This is shown when the different divisions of Panasonic (Europe, North America and Asia) did not share a single platform as they should have because of the size of the company and the different countries and time zones they were in for example they had inconsistent data on its products and customers. This problem in turn affected the culture of the organisation as each office in each time zone were not working towards the same goal and objective set out by Panasonic instead they were totally focused on their own region on a product launch instead. this resulted in a decrease in operational efficiency and higher costs from the company. This shows that Panasonic did not have any control over the data it possessed and therefore was useless possessing this data as it was not in any logical order to use. The management of Panasonic had changed the CEO in 2006 to a person called Fumio Otstubo. In 2006 Panasonic was operating margin was only 5% and the goal for 2010 was 10%, in the industry where consumers expect the price of new technology to decrease over time. It was impossible to expect to increase profit margin by increasing prices, instead there was a need to reduce costs and increasing sales. To achieve this target he decided on the strategy was reducing the cost and increasing sales. To solve the problem Panasonic decided to collect their data pursue a single vision of truth. This information gathered came through a variety of formats for example fax machines, mail, e-mails and phone calls. How ever using this system also had a risk of inaccuracies and inefficacies. Evaluate how the master data management address these problems and discuss the effectiveness of this solution. Panasonic decided to change the strategy of how it obtained its data from within the company. The strategy that Panasonic was using was the pull model and replace it with a push strategy. These models differ in how data is obtained and affects how a organisation is run. The push model is also known as the build to stock model. In the push model production within the organisation is based on forecast sales it has made. The forecast are guesses and demands for the actual product or service that the organisation is going to provide. (Bocij p et al 2006, pg 170) Above: a diagram showing the push model. Note that the suppliers production is based forecasts throughout the chain except from manufacturer pulls from the supplier. . This goes from the supplier, manufacturer, distributor and retailer. (Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2006 pg 366) , The pull model is also known as the demand driven model or made to order model. A actual product or service is only manufactured once a ordered. The main difference between both of the models is a organisation only makes what they sell, not what they make. (Bocij p et al 2006, pg 170) Above: a diagram showing the pull model. Note that each process is pulled from the customer through each process to the supplier. A product is only made when a customer orders the product to reduce costs in wastage.(Management Information Systems Managing The Digital Firm, Laudon and Laudon 2006 pg 367) When Panasonic implemented a push model to replace a pull model to interpret and sort data as previously when employees in marketing looked for specific information they had to look in many different locations. Using the push model allowed Panasonic to create a centralized data bank then this sends the requested information to employees in marketing and sales immediately and constantly. Retail partners such as Wal-Mart who are recipients of the data can view the data at all phases of a product rollout. Therefore, specific employees can have better visibility of their products and services. The outcome of this push model is that customers are less likely to become confused while researching Panasonic products. Panasonics Europes data management was upgraded with master-data-management (MDM) software and this was provided from IBMs Web Sphere line. The software enabled Panasonic Europe to gain better control of their data and better streamline the business process. The MDM implementation included the business process analysis, data assessment, data cleansing, and a master data service layer. The MDM allows employees with access to view the companys data and activities throughout the organization. The aim of the MDM was integrate all of the various departments and consolidate them so any information can be accessed from the master file. Within a year and a half, Panasonic Europe was getting products to market faster and spending 50 percent less time creating and maintaining product information. Time-to-market for a product was reduced from five to six months to one to two months. Critically analyse the challenges Panasonic faced when implementing this solution. During the installation stage Panasonic faced some problems when they implemented the new system. When Implementing MDM system it is a multi-step process that includes business process analysis, data assessment, data cleansing, data consolidation and reconciliation, data migration, and development of a master data service layer. The MDM bought together all of the business processes this required information from all of the departments to come together. There was the issue of levels of authenticity of accessing data at different levels. Another problem that Panasonic faced was at its North America that it had to confront a number of countries that spoke different languages and each country had its own currency. Each country would have its own culture and therefore would have contributed more problems for Panasonic. The culture within a organisation or country is defined as being shared values, in written rules an assumptions within the organisation and how the organisation works. This problem was also faced by its European arm had to do when implementing its system. (Laudon and Laudon 2004 , pg 390) Panasonic also faced another problem this was reorganising and consolidating data information for its products for Wal-Mart. Then Panasonic stated to look closer on what information was needed for Wal-Mart and looked at what was adhered by the industry standards. Panasonic decided to look in its legacy systems for this data. Panasonic then turned to IBM to help them to create an interface apparatus to collect the required data for a repository. Bob Schwartz made a strong case to the corporate office in Japan that integrating a data management strategy globally would be a major benefit to the companys infrastructure. This was going to be hard as traditionalists would have resisted change. This is due the culture of fear that is within a organisation when implementing change as employees fear that the way they are working is fine and there is no need for change as new change within the organisation will be a threat to their jobs. Bob Schwartz also realised that Panasonic needed to integrate their new system with MDM technology. Bob Schwartz increased profits by integrating shared data inventory among the vendors such as Best Buy and Circuit City. As a result of them implementing MDM, Panasonic had become more competitive and could produce new products for the global market.

Comic Art: The Seduction of the Innocent Essay -- Comics Art Artistic

Comic Art: The Seduction of the Innocent In 1991, at the 13th Annual World Fantasy Convention, an issue of the comic book series The Sandman was selected by a panel of experts in the field as the Year's Best Short Story. This was not the first time that a comic book has been nominated for a prestigious literary prize (the first and only previous one being Art Spiegelman's retelling of the Holocaust in animal fable form Maus for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1987), but it was the first to have won. The ensuing uproar at the awards ceremony and the umbrage that many took at a mere comic book winning instead of a standard-print story resulted in the rules of the awards being changed. Henceforth, no comic book could be nominated, much less win. Like the people at the World Fantasy Awards in 1991, most of us would not think that a comic book could reside on the same level of artistic creativity as a paintings, epic novels, poems or concertos. Were the eminencies at the awards right then, in rejecting the notion of The Sandman as literature? For the comic to have been selected, by a panel of blue-ribboned experts, no less, surely there has to be something in The Sandman to render it worthy of the honour of receiving the award. For us to understand what it was about The Sandman that caused such a reaction, indeed, such fear, we have to know what, in the first place, a comic is. When we speak of "comics" we generally mean either the funnies -- comic strips in the newspapers - or of superheroes, spandex optional, who fight crime and save the world on a regular basis. The comics can be loosely defined as "a narrative in the form of a sequence of pictures - usually, but not always, with text" (Sabin, 5). A graphic ... ...eil et al. The Sandman #29: Distant Mirrors - Thermidor. Canada, Vertigo/ DC Comics, 1991. Gaiman, Neil et al. The Sandman #63: The Kindly Ones - Part 7. Canada, Vertigo/DC Comics, 1995. Inge, M. Thomas. Comics as Culture. University Press of Mississippi, 1990. Lent, John A. Pulp Demons: International Dimensions of the Post-war Anti-Comics Campaign. London: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1999 McKean, Dave. Dustcovers: The Collected Sandman Covers 1989-1997. Canada, Watson-Guptill Publications, 1997. Plato. Republic X, The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Including the Letters. Ed. Edith Hamilton and Huntington Cairns. Trans. Paul Shorey. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1961. Romemesko, James. The Mike Diana Saga. http://php.indiana.edu/~mfragass/diana_obsure.html. 1994. Sabin, Roger. Adult Comics: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 1993.

Change, Follow, or Get Out of the Way Essay

Change in an organization can be and usually is difficult for various reasons. Much of the difficulty is in the approach used to initiate change and the willingness to stay engaged and stamina to sustain change through to the end. Organizations can choose to lead by recognizing and implementing change, follow in the shadow of organizations leading the market, or get out of the way by standing still and eventually going under. With this said; if change was easily done and successful for every organization there would be no need for change management specialists and years and years of study to establish approaches and models for implementing change. Change would be a natural evolutionary process such as a caterpillar evolves into a butterfly, but it is not that simple. Seemingly simple changes to processes or procedures can cause an unbalance with leaders and employees alike. First the need for change needs to be identified; followed by the proper model or approach used to implement this change. During this paper, I will discuss implementing the Advanced Skills Management (ASM) software change in an organization by using Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach. First it is important to give some background on how organizations are structured specifically aviation squadrons with respect to the Marine Corps. The military branches are large separate decentralized organizations that are controlled ultimately by the President of the United States. Since it is impossible for the President to efficiently manage all branches and all the separate divisions within them, each branch has a leader or CEO. Aviation squadrons are made up of different Military Occupational Specialties that pertain to the type model series aircraft assigned. Each specialty has different responsibilities in the care and maintenance of the aircraft; therefore, requires separate and different training and is broken down into separate departments. It has all the typical levels of management expected; executive managers, middle managers, and frontline managers as well as managerial types such as staff managers and line managers. The Commanding Officer would be considered the CEO with the Executive Officer, Sergeant Major, Maintenance Officer, and Maintenance Training Chief falling into the general manager level. The Officer in Charge of each division would fall into the mid-level and the Senior Marine in each department being the front-line managers. Each has similar reporting criteria, responsibilities, and decision making power as would a civilian organization structured this way. As one might imagine with a military unit it has a mechanistic structure with a high use of rules and procedures, with formal relationships between workers. In regards to the degree of delegation of decision making authority and power the organization is primarily centralized; however, some decentralization does exist to allow latitude in day to day business. The organization I have chosen is an organization I was previously attached. Diagnosing this change falls under the Action Research Model, primary because an outside agency comes in to perform audits looking at our processes and procedures to ensure proper adherence to applicable rules and regulations are being followed and to train or advice on changes required. Through their process they discovered our organization’s documentation was incomplete or not correctly annotated. This probably does not seem like a very difficult change to make considering it is just documentation; however, it does go deeper than simply changing how maintenance training is documented. The Chief of Naval Operations has established goals of seventy three percent MC (mission capable and fifty six percent FMC (full mission capable) as the overall material readiness goal (Aircraft Material Condition Readiness, 2012). When qualifications and training are not properly documented the ability and efficiency of the squadron is impaired causing the organization to struggle to me larger goals such as those of the Chief of Naval Operations, not to mention not being able to execute our Marine Corps mission. This change is difficult to determine if it should be referred to as first or second order changes, because it will and has affected the organization as a whole and for most members this will be a radical change. Within aviation squadrons each member is required to complete training syllabi for each of their different Military Occupational Specialty, ground support equipment, and advanced qualifications. Other training requirements such as safety training, NAVOSH (Navy equivalent to OSHA), Military Occupational Specialty classroom training, and on records of on-the-job training are maintained. All of this information is recorded on paper and kept in each members training jackets requiring large amounts of time to keep current. The first of Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach is establish a sense of urgency to have a pressing importance of action towards addressing issues and without this sense of urgency employees will not be motivated to examine markets and competitive realities needed to identify and discuss crises, potential crises, or opportunities the organization may be faced with (Weiss, 2012). In this instance the sense of urgency or the pressing importance of this change intervention on saving time on administrative actions, providing an efficient process for accurately recording training information for auditing purposes, and using that time on aircraft maintenance to enable the organization to better meet the Chief of Naval Operations goals for aircraft readiness. Also, confronting the brutal facts that training, because of the time consuming process now is not being documented accurately or in a timely manner, sometimes not at all. The goal here would be to help others recognize the need for change and generate a need to act immediately at all levels. To help all levels of leadership see the urgency, showing them the advantages to implementing the software would be my immediate action. First demonstrating the reduction of man hours spent maintaining and updating records. The work performed in military aviation is not measured in by a monetary bottom line as is the case in most civilian organizations. Success is measured by maintenance hours versus flight hours and mission readiness of the aircraft we maintain, so the more man hours saved the more can be spent towards the mission. Second advantage is the ability to standardize training and syllabi not only as an aviation community, but for each platform or type aircraft. This will allow easier transfer of personnel and qualifications from one squadron to another again easing the administrative burdens as well as better audit results. Third advantage is the software will link with the maintenance management system used to record all maintenance on the aircraft. This link will transfer on-the-job training for each member from the maintenance document to the on-the-job training section in ASM again saving administrative time of having to physically write each job performed in the training jacket. Second step of Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach is forming a powerful guiding coalition; done by assembling a team of top-level officers or other key influential members from the various levels with enough power and credibility to lead the changes and encourage these members to work as a team (Weiss, 2012). In the military, changes are often implemented simply through adherence to orders given by superiors. Members roger up and get the job done whether they agree or not, but the reason for change should be deeper than this. Sustaining the change under this type of implementation is very difficult and often does not hold. To be able to form a powerful coalition and convince leaders this proactive change is good and get buy-in both the implementation and the sustaining will be easier. In the case of ASM, it seems being able to demonstrate and show leaders at all levels of the management the advantages to implementing the software would be the first step in getting buy-in from them and to begin the coalition. These leaders will not entirely be those with legitimate power, but include those members whose expertise will also lend credibility to the need for this change. An example of this would be those who are responsible for ensuring training is properly conducted and recorded. Furthermore, to demonstrate how the software will save them administrative time, how it will enable better record keeping, show them the data warehousing to enable easier and more accurate reporting of core competencies, and eventually allow them to focus more man hour time on the mission. Third step in Kotter’s approach is developing a vision; meaning to create a vision as a guide to direct the changes along with the strategies that will be needed for achieving the vision (Weiss, 2012). Vision, or common goal, is something for the organization to strive for. This is not likely to be immediately achievable, but gives employees something to believe in and a direction for the company to focus their efforts (Weiss, 2011). The Marine Corps vision states â€Å"The Marine Corps of 2025 will fight and win our Nation’s battles with multicapable MAGTFs, either from the sea or in sustained operations ashore. Our unique role as the Nation’s force in readiness, along with our values, enduring ethos, and core competencies, will ensure we remain highly responsive to the needs of combatant commanders in an uncertain environment and against irregular threats. Our future Corps will be increasingly reliant on naval deployment, preventative in approach, leaner in equipment, versatile in capabilities, and innovative in mindset. In an evolving and complex world, we will excel as the Nation’s expeditionary â€Å"force of choice† (Marine Corps Vision & Strategy 2025, n. . , pg. 6). The Marine Corps vision mentioned, among other things, being â€Å"innovative in mindset†. Part of being innovative is finding ways to be more engaged in the mission and making sure assets are ready whenever and for whatever called upon. Innovation and change normally bring about efficiency and hopefully savings in either money or in this case man hours. The vision for implementing ASM is to create efficiency through innovation; simplifying indirect mission essential tasks allowing more focus on the direct mission goals. Strategy for implementation would be fairly simple and would require to first receive classroom training to learn basic functions of the system. Next phase would include implementing the system at the organization, which would include loading and entering all required qualifications and training from the paper versions of the training jacket. This would include further over the shoulder training from the company who developed the software to help speed the implementation process. This would serve two purposes; first it would allow members to get further training and confidence in the system by learning where information is stored and second they would have experts available to answer questions and issues during the implementation process to help further personal mastery. Fourth step is for the coalition or team formed in step two must communicate the vision by any means possible ensuring employees understand the vision requiring these team members to model the behaviors needed for the vision and strategies to be successful (Weiss, 2012). The vision will be communicated at every opportunity through emails, meetings, flyers, screen savers, texting, and memorandums throughout the squadron to ensure people are aware. Part of communicating the vision would include leaders receiving the training first to help during the implementation process and to show or be visible to the other members by setting the example using the new software with the intent that they will begin to communicate further to members below them. â€Å"A vision is not a vision if people don’t know about it. Repeat the vision, keep it simple, use metaphors and analogies, spread it in many forums and forms. Above all, lead by example. If integrating EH&S into every decision and business process is the vision, make sure you do it, no matter how trivial the decision. This sends a powerful message to everyone you encounter† (Lawrence & Ruth, 1998, para. 7). Step five involves empowering others to act on the vision. At this stage it is important that members become involved in the change and begin to take ownership in determining the success. Members will have received their training and will be operating the system on a day to day basis. This is where those members that have not bought into the change will begin to manifest themselves. They will begin to create barriers and want to revert back to the status quo, because they are comfortable with the old way of conducting business and where short-term wins will be important in showing them how the system is or will benefit them. â€Å"With the urgency established, the vision created, the guiding coalition and communication vehicles established, give employees the chance to take ownership. Eliminate obstacles that impede progress, such as lack of skills, or people who poison the water against change. Facilitate the use of cross-functional teams and allow employees to push the envelope with fresh ideas and renewed energy† (Lawrence & Ruth, 1998, para. 8). Step six is generating short-term wins to solidify the benefits of the change. Short-term wins with the ASM system would include saved time for the administrators maintaining the system and training records. By now there should be noticeable or measurable results available showing the amount of saved man hours or more than likely a measurable increase in man hours spent on the aircraft maintenance mission. As a result, the aircraft readiness should also be increasing allowing the squadron to reach or exceed the CNO goals. Another short-term win will include improved results on audits related to training management with more timely input of information and better accuracy. This in turn should increase the urgency and begin to create or solidify the new culture of using this system. â€Å"To ensure success, short term wins must be both visible and unambiguous. The wins must also be clearly related to the change effort. Such wins provide evidence that the sacrifices that people are making are paying off. This increases the sense of urgency and the optimism of those who are making the effort to change. These wins also serve to reward the change agents by providing positive feedback that boosts morale and motivation. The wines also serve the practical purpose of helping to fine tune the vision and the strategies† (Kotter International, 2012, step 6, para. 3). Step seven requires consolidation of gains and the production of more change. This is done by using increased credibility to change systems, structures and policies and hiring, promoting, and developing members to further implement and reinvigorate the change (Weiss, 2012). Policies such as time limits on completion of syllabi, testing procedures, and access permissions for example would be generated to better control and further enhance the efficiency of the system. Also those members who were causing the barriers for progress of the system would need to be dealt with in order for the change initiative to continue. Unlike many civilian organizations, hiring and firing employees to better position the organization is not an option. Leaders in the upper levels can be relieved, but at lower levels positions are filled by external agencies and you have what you get and make the magic happen with the talent that exists. This often times is very difficult to juggle putting the right people in the right positions to conduct day to day business, much less initiate change and sustain it; so much time is spent trying to develop Marines. During this paper, I discussed implementing the Advanced Skills Management (ASM) software change in an organization by using Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach. It can be a difficult task to implement change, especially when dealing with the various different personalities involved. Having a plan to be able to create urgency for the change, creating coalitions with leaders, and empowering employees with knowledge can make the change process easier by ensuring employees are a part of and take responsibility for the success. In civilian organizations removing those who do not want to be part of the change is an option; however, in the military setting this is not a likely solution making the idea of getting buy-in from members even more important.

I Owe It All to You

Winds flew in every direction. With a tremendous wrath, with a sounding of voices creeping through my window as they embraced me in my sleep. Giving me the shivers to run through my spine. Waking me up! From such a sweet, sweet! Dream. It was a cold and terrifying day as I dressed myself with that old blue jacket of mine, frightened in panic and stress. For my first day of school for the cold and windy fall. I drove off to school with a big question mark on my face. Whether I would make it on time to pick my automotive class or would I sit there in dislike with a sour face on my soul, on the dislike of my classes. On my way to school I approached a fragment of the road where it looked like a horrifying most traumatic accident had happen leaving swirls of tire marks! Pieces of glass! And plastic on the floor, stained with the blood of a poor soul. As I slowly drove by the scene I could not of helped but to notice that my car was acting up. I had gotten a flat from the broken glass on the road. Like if the odds were against me, in a desperate cry for help. I cried for compassion and strength, but most importantly for my automotive class. Pulling over to fix the flat on my car, the cold and windy day fought against me making me take longer than I expect it. Causing my chances of an on time arrival at school to vanish into thin air. I got to school and entered the big red doors to the office asking for my automotive class. To my luck I was left with a sour face on my soul. It had been taken!. Left with no option but to choose the last class remaining. The seventh choice on my list Art 101. As I entered the colorful room of art I was in for the surprise of my life. Where my world would turn in an unparallel universe filled of positive influence, encouragement, persuasiveness and the most awesome job on the face of the planet. It began with a special teacher name Mr. Salas the top influential person in my career. He influenced my life in such a way that never did I had to look any were else. My first day I stepped into his colorful full of life classroom. He noticed my big sour face sitting in the far back corner of the class with a pencil and blank piece of paper. He then walked up to me and said â€Å"If you only knew what worlds await you with that pencil and paper in your hand† he left me with a question in my mind as to what he had meant by that and what was so great in his world that I did not know. Curious to know I asked him what was so intriguing that it had him hooked. With a smile on his face he gently but most kindly and confident he answered, â€Å"Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known†. If you can understand this then you will be free. As the day ended it hit me in the head like a rock thrown by a baseball pitcher. B-O-O-M† I finally understood what it meant. From that moment forth I was a changed man, I considered myself to be the luckiest man to have fallen in that class by chance. My perspective towards life changed in the blink of an eye and I knew what had to be done. I then went to him and said to him, â€Å"I’m free now†. He slowly turned and looked at me wi th a spark in his eye and yield â€Å"G-R-E-A-T†, â€Å"Now we can proceed† he said. From that day on I knew I was in debt with him. Thinking of how some stranger managed to influence my life, my thoughts. Molding me into a new man filled with an encouragement to fulfill my new dreams. As the months passed by Mr. Salas became the second person to my mother who I greatly loved, to encourage my life. He was always there with something positive to say and a hand full of answers to all my artistic problems. As our professional most friendly relationship grew. So did my progress in the art profession. He would show me the strategies and methods to an artist mind. Sculpting me! Piece by piece like if he himself was the great Michelangelo. As the days continued so did the routine and that same man walking through that door with a Hawaiian shirt he loved so much. He would walk up to me every morning and look at my work and no matter how big I had messed up his words were always the same. Filled with encouragement and excitement towards new progress. He would start being persuasive as he seen that my progress was incompatibly high. He realized that my skills were rapidly getting better by the day. Not wasting a moment of the day he would persuade me to do better. He had finally brought out on me the true potential that once was hidden deep inside me. He would make me each day practice more and more, he would call it liberation of the soul. To all I knew It felt like persuasion to do more, but that was just my opinion. He always new how to better me, pushing me to think bigger and deeper to create work of art like no other before. Till one day he entered that room.. With a bigger smile than ever before. In his hand he held a sheet of paper, he walked straight to me and said, â€Å"Guess what? †, â€Å"WHAT!? † I said. â€Å"You have been signed up to compete in an art contest! †. I did not know what to say as I felt plain as a sheet of paper and hot like the beating sun. Not knowing what to answer I smiled and said â€Å"WOW REALLY? . I had finally gotten a grip of my self and was most exited but nervous and pressured at the same time. I then entered the contest and to my biggest surprise I had won first prize. As the years passed by his persuasion was finally over, as he had finish his masterpiece. Thanking him for all the time and work he had dedicated to me. Turning me into the greatest artist i n the country ready to go out and began my solo career. As I searched for my new life as an artist. I began to create some art work to send to the biggest firms of art in the world. I felt sluggish and scared as my great art teacher was not by my side on this one. I called him over an evening night for dinner as we discussed some ideas for the projects I would send to the art firms. He then drastically described what had been the most radical stupendous idea of all time. His idea was filled of crazy ideas and lots of colors I then later that week began to work on this idea he had given me, I started to shape it and color it and twisted as I worked on it more and more I couldn’t help but to not look at it. It was perfect, I sent it in to my first choice firm and within the next day I was called upon to report myself for work. As my body felt like gravity had just came upon it, I rapidly stood up and screamed with excitement at my four walls in my small little house. I was finally a big time artist like Mr. Salas wanted me to be. He was always there for me through the good and the bad never gave up on me. Always pushing me to do better encouraging me when I most needed. If it wasn’t for that first day of school when he said to me that phrase that influenced my life, I would not be the great artist I am today. On my fist day on the job I told everybody at work how I had gotten there. Everybody was amazed at the story giving me six words and only six to say to this great man. The next day I woke up early in the morning it was a bright and warm day. The birds outside sang like never before like the angels themselves were singing. As I drove down the beautiful road full of life blowing through. I arrived at Mr. Salas house. That old yellow house In the one I spent many of my free time practicing my technique. I walked to the door and knocked on it three times. A minute ater the foot steps of someone walking towards me were heard, my heart rushed with excitement and adrenaline at the same time. When the door was finally open their stood the man that never one instant doubt it me. Holding his favorite coffee mug in one hand and in the other his all time favorite newspaper, looking at me with a smile on his face. I stood their blank as I could not of helped but to run the story in my mind of the first day I met this man. When I finally came back to reality all that came out of my mouth were them six magical words, â€Å"I OWE IT ALL TO YOU! †.

Nandos Successes and Failures Essay Example

Nandos Successes and Failures Essay Example Nandos Successes and Failures Paper Nandos Successes and Failures Paper Nodes * Its success Is due to Its commitment to encouraging and developing the skills of Its workforce. Of management used to be cashiers or grilles. Communication and implementation of its core value systems is important. * one part chicken; one part people * Combining the right people with a winning product has got Nodes to where it is Nodes Vision: To keep exploring new territory. Nodes justified its vision by keeping an underachieving store open. They franchised the store, and with the right people in charge, the underachieving store made a complete turnaround. Advantage or Disadvantage: 30% company owned 65% franchisee owned * 5% Joint venture operations Franchisees can become complacent and not treat the brand with the same dedication as the owners. Advantage: * Risky decisions are commonplace In Nodes culture. * Opportunities arise and Unhands makes decisions to capitalize on them. Is an ethos that forms the entrepreneurial lifeblood of the company. Disadvantage: This * The risky decisions tend to make franchisees nervous, as some franchisees might not be risk takers by nature. This can be turned Into an advantage, as Unhands promotes open communication and transparency between the owners and raunchiness. General * Everything at Nodes is designed to support its people. Evidence that Ands is more than Just a business for profit. * Franchisers transfer their beliefs and excitement about the brand to Its franchisees. * Unhands management lead by example a good entrepreneur knows that this Is essential. * Monads wants to attract people who share their core values, pride, passion, courage and integrity. They attract vibrant, adventurous people and strive to keep them. Ands in AS is looking at moving into the fast-casual market in order to differentiate themselves. True entrepreneurs always strive to stay ahead of their competition, by moving into new markets, or changing their product offerings. * Ands strives to show customers true excellence Ana GAO value rate in AS. Overseas markets Nanas NAS a Trances success * Nodes aims to have 25 restaurants in the USA b y 2015 successful in Australia, I-J, Singapore, Malaysia The Entrepreneurs: Borzoi and Treated * Franchises are highly Borzoi had no experience in the food industry he saw an opportunity and capitalized on it. Treated was born in Portugal, and introduced Borzoi to a Portuguese stature in Johannesburg. They took the risk of buying it, despite being warned that the fast food industry was unprofitable, flooded by too many role players. Nodes Advertising * Entrepreneur Borzoi identified the importance of marketing as a key factor in Nodes strategy. * Nodes developed a unique and irreverent style of external communications. * This allowed them to stand out from their conservative competitors and to achieve greater effects at a lower cost. * Their advertising is rooted in their in-depth understanding of the local markets psyche. Nodes definitely has a good sense of humor! This sets them apart from other fast food giants as their style is unique and it would be difficult for competitors to copy their style. * Nodes approach: Marketing efforts focus on establishing our distinctiveness. * As part of its strategy, Nodes identified adventurous brand building as a core component. * Their advertising is always provocative, topical, interesting, generating public comment and debate. * Managers believe strongly in the brand, focusing their energies on building brand equity. Their marketing is extended to community level, each store is encouraged to be involved in local remissions that support communities and simultaneously promoting the Nodes image. Problems experienced going abroad * In the mid asss entrepreneurs from Asia became interested in Nodes concept. * Borzoi was informed that Nodes did not have the infrastructure to handle a global expansion successfully. * The south African operations had grown and the st ructure was becoming more difficult to manage. * Borzoi realized that a change in approach was needed (entrepreneurs need to be strategic in their thinking. In this case, Borzoi showed this by realizing that the change was needed in order to be successful). * Nodes international was formed in 1995 to leverage international business. Mike Denton-Stevens was appointed as the group development strategist. * Denton-Stevens was directly responsible to Borzoi for the formulation and monitoring of global strategies and the development of systems, models and manuals. * He spent more than 2 years building models, writing manuals. Very thorough planning indeed! Generalness Take wilt International expansion * Nodes struggled with the idea of how to retain their culture and values while expanding abroad. It was challenging to build critical mass in overseas markets. In most countries people were not familiar with Portuguese food. Nodes thought it would be a simple matter of using their advertising style in AS in the overseas markets. They realized that their advertising would have to be more educational in nature. Humor is a cultural thing and Nodes assumed that humor and irreverence were good positioning strategies worldwide. * Marketing manuals for the overseas markets were written as do it yourself manuals. Countries had to market at store level, in order to gain a feel for their market.

Aphra Behn essays

Aphra Behn essays [...] a Devil on't the Woman damns the Poet. Aphra Behn, Preface to The Lucky Chance Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was not the first woman writer; neither was she the only woman writer of her day. But Aphra Behn holds the singular distinction of being the first professional woman writer in the English language. That's right, ladies Aphra Behn was the first woman writer who did it for money. It was a natural choice for this young woman, a recent spy for the crown and a widow at the age of 26, to turn to selling herself (in a manner of speaking) in order to survive.Many other women of the period did so; but instead of novels and plays, they sold something much more fundamental and far more common. Single women, whether spinsters or widows, often allowed themselves to be kept by rich men of the commons and nobility alike. Mrs. Behn chose not to sell herself but her wits and words, and was branded a whore for her efforts. Not much is known of her origins. Most biographers seem to agree she was born Aphra Johnson in or around 1640, and that she acquired her education and her connections at court through a noble childhood friend for whom her mother acted as a wet-nurse. She very likely traveled with her family to Surinam in her early 20s; at the age of 26, after having been briefly married to a Mr. Behn (of which nothing is known), she went to Antwerp as a spy for the crown. The mission was singularly unsuccessful, and she returned to England a debtor (very likely serving a short term in prison). When she got out, she began to write, at first "for bread," but soon she made it clear that she was writing not only for money but for fame and also to fulfill what she called "my masculine part, the poet in me" clearly asserting her rights as an artist despite her gender. She ...

The 15 Most Popular Jobs in the US And How Much They Pay

The 15 Most Popular Jobs in the US And How Much They Pay ever wonder what the career landscape of the country looks like? here are the most popular jobs in the us, according to a survey citing employment data from over 1 million businesses as of may 2015–and their average annual salaries. 1. office supervisorthis title covers  first-line supervision of office and admin employees. nearly 1.5 million people have this job in the u.s, and the average pay is $56k per year.2. bookkeeping, accounting, auditingclerks in this field, numbering over 1.5 million, make an average of just under $39k per year.3. truck driverdriving heavy or tractor-trailer trucks is more popular than you might expect, with nearly 1.7 million truckers out there, making an average of $42.5k per year.4. order filler/stock clerknearly 2 million people pay their bills this way. the average pay for this position is $26k per year.5. gm or operations managerjust over 2 million people do this for a living and take home an average of almost $120k per year.6. janitor or in dustrial cleanerprofessional cleaners who don’t work in domestic situations (over 2 million!) make an average of $26k per year.7. secretary or administrative assistantnot including legal, medical, or executive assistants, there are nearly $2.3 million americans doing this, making an average of $35k per year.8. laborer/freight, stock, or material movernearly 2.5 million people in the u.s. are doing this heavy labor and taking home an average of just under $28k per year.9. waitstaff2.5 million people serve in restaurants in our country. the average annual pay is about $23k.10. customer service repthis country employs nearly 2.6 million customer service reps, making an average of $34.5k per year.11. registered nursethere are more than 2.7 million registered nurses in the u.s. making an average salary of $71k per year.12. office clerkover 2.9 million people work as office clerks, making just under $32k per year on average.13. food prep and service workersincluding fast food jobs, we’re talking over 3.2 million workers, making less than $20k per year.14. cashierwith an average annual salary of just under $21k per year, there are almost 3.5 million cashiers out there.15. retail salespersonretail sales is by far the most popular job in the u.s. these days, with over 4.6 million workers. the average annual pay is just over $26k.

Psychoanalytical perspective Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay

Psychoanalytical perspective Trifles by Susan Glaspell - Essay Example This is because a deeper understanding of human nature can reveal the motivation behind their actions. In this play, the playwright has employed trifles or everyday conversation or incidents to uncover the murder mystery of John Wright. Ironically, what seem trifles to the men folk, such as the quilt and how it was being quilted, was actually the key to solve the mystery. It was of significant importance how it was being quilted because the women could see nervousness and anxiety in the last few stitches by Minnie Wright, which was altogether ignored by men as they were looking for physical evidences only. The dreary and queer ambience of the house arouses sympathy of the two women for Minnie Wright. The incomplete state of the household chores conveys an altogether different meaning than what the men believe that she did not have home-keeping skills. This is because the women associate with each other through their common interests in their womanly and homemaking activities, referred to as ‘trifles’ in the play. Through their simple conservation, the playwright makes sure that the audience gets a hint that the three women are bonded together and understand each other’s psychologies through common experiences and feelings. There is an also an element of isolation and alienation from the mainstream life in the play. The Wrights used to live an isolated life- they were childless and did not have frequent visitors. According to Mrs. Hale, who didn’t think that â€Å"... a place’d be any cheerfuller for John Wright’s being in it.†(Glaspell, 1916) The two women instinctually trace the underlying causes of alienation and its adverse affects on the life and psyche of Minnie Wright. Glaspell symbolically represents Minnie Wright as the ‘caged singing bird’. Mrs. Hale says, â€Å"I wonder how it would seem never to have had any children around. No, Wright wouldn’t like

Pathophysiology of Acute gastritis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pathophysiology of Acute gastritis - Essay Example Protective factors in the stomach lining include, bicarbonate production, mucous production by goblet cells than line stomach bed preventing direct action from acids, whereas erosive factors include hydrochloric acid production and enzyme production (Croft, 2014). Based on the CT scan findings of the abdomen, the presence of hiatal hernia, that implies that the stomach has protruded through a weakening at the hiatus. A protruded stomach is subjected to excess acidity leading to gastritis (Croft, 2014). The form of gastritis which one gets is always severe explaining the nauseas and vomiting which the patient was getting leading the patient not to swallow solid foods since they induce mucosal acidity the most. The patient is more likely suffering from severe Los Angeles Class D erosive esophagitis secondary to acute gastritis caused by hiatal hernia. Acute gastritis induced vomiting episodes for the patient that led to erosion of the distal portion of the esophagus explaining the irregular shaped mucosa (Croft,

H.W Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

H.W - Essay Example This car was carrying around 125,000 litres of propane gas that had begun to escape through the leaks. The intention of the railroad employees was to convey the contents of the tank car to the storage tanks of the Williams Energy Company. In order to correct the leaks in the valves, one of the employees struck at the valve with a wrench. This proved to be the beginning of the catastrophe as the sparks that flew as a result of the friction between the two ignited a flame. Since propane is highly inflammable, the resultant flame quickly grew into a large fire. The forked fire grew to heights as large as seventy to eighty feet. By this time, the leaks had expanded to both vertical as well as horizontal directions. This led to further difficulties in the confinement of the perimeter of the fire. With an expansion in the amount of pressure that had been building up in the railroad car, there was an explosion that was felt by everyone who was within a radius of a little over eight kilometr es. The immediate impact was felt by the firefighters who were stationed near the site of the explosion. Including those who died later of burns, eleven deaths of firefighters have been recorded till date (â€Å"The Disaster Story,† 2011). Before a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) incident occurs, the fire grows to dangerous heights. The real hazard however, lies in the explosion that is caused by a sharp rise in pressure in whatever contains the fuel. During a BLEVE incident, the firefighters are faced with the twin-problem of quelling the fire and not allowing pressure to build up within the container. Needless to say, the damages that are caused to life and property in such a situation also arise from the above-mentioned twin sources. The part of the incident that could have been avoided, however, was the casualties that were caused by the large number of spectators. Many people gathered to watch the fire,

Management and leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management and leadership - Research Paper Example People, religion and languages Mixture of indigenous South Pacific tribes, Asian (Chinese primarily), African, French, Spanish, and number of Americans, all are found on the land. Indigenous 50% and rest can be divided into Christian, Buddhist, and Islamist in terms of religion on the land. Indigenous languages as well as English, Spanish, and French, all are used. Threats There are a number of natural and unnatural threats associated with establishment of a business in Kava such as tidal waves/tsunami, typhoons/Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, HIV/AIDS, petroleum spill, high risk for avian flu and terrorism, from within and outside the country. Strengths There are various strengthening points while considering a business expansion program at Kava. Governmental service such as local, state and national level including the military are available. The organization will be community-based organization. Faith based groups are also available. Economy enriched with Petroleum, coffee, cocoa, spices, bananas, sugar, tourism, fishing, and natural gas all are present. In addition to all, cheap quality laborers can also be found. Strong government support and indirect support of a bunch of organizations is also at hand. Problem Analysis and Proposed Solutions to the Decisions Made Kava has recently been affected by a string of natural disasters. This state of affairs left the people in the lurch and the country’s economy is in a state of shamble. The feasibility study conducted for a greater presence at Kava identified issues associated with the country and how aforesaid company, its key stakeholders and the country of Kava would be benefited. The report suggested decision-making business techniques and tools available on the Chevron Project Development and Execution Process web site for the promotion of their business. The tools and methods used potential business analysis based on SWOT. The report includes extreme structural, environmental, and economic damages by so many natural calamities. Further, there is a great potential for repeated natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunami. There are multiple ethnic groups, religious groups, different languages, ineffective communication and lack of cooperation by the citizens, providing potential threats for terrorist attacks in and outside the country. Last but not the least, since half of the population of Kava comprised of teenagers, hence, Chevron may face shortage of skilled and unskilled laborers and lack of available engineers and scientists on the island minimize the chances of business to grow until and unless mentioned issues are addressed. The thorough study based on the SWOT analysis techniques indicates that an idea of establishing and flourishing business in an island where environment for the business is not conducive firstly due to array of disasters that comes to surface the other day is not likeable. Second and foremos t thing to carry out business in the above-mentioned island is the law and order situation of that country. In that, particular country threats of inside and outside attacks are likeable. Problem formulation comes with a number of tools and techniques that can be employed for finding solutions (Flood & Jackson, 1991). In terms of problem formulation, the key steps that will be taken for finding appropriate solution is through the usage of flowcharts,

Juvenile Detention Facility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Detention Facility - Essay Example The detainees are predominantly criminal offenders, but children requiring supervision and traffic violators occasionally serve time at James River. As it is with most detention centers, the focus at James River is on providing detainees with the programs and services to ease the transition back in to their communities and to foster a crime free future. In order to ensure the best possible results, there is close supervision from all three counties and they have implemented educational, religious and recreational programs as well as psychological screening. The cornerstone of the rehabilitation effort at the James River Detention Center is the educational program. The program is composed of individual and group learning classes, personally tailored to address the individual needs of the detainee. Individual Education Programs (IEP), are used to simulate the curriculum of the respective detainee's home school. This is important because an efficient transition back into the school system aids in the overall rehabilitation process. While it is difficult to properly gauge the effectiveness of this center's success, they certainly appear to have the right idea with regards to their educational programs. Conversely, it seems that James River Regional Juvenile Detention Center has some proverbial "red flags." For instance, three counties currently have administrative voices in the operations, which presents a potential problem. As previ

BUS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BUS - Essay Example d direct communication between different ranks within the restaurant hierarchy, the staff was aware of restaurant’s vision, and everyone saw all the achievements and failures of colleagues. Nevertheless, the main weakness of this construct in the reality was that the personality of manager did not fit this role. In my case, these meetings turned to suffering. Every day, we were bored listening how the most experienced waiters discussed their achievements with manager, while the others we blamed for their mistakes. In addition, the vision of restaurant melted in the details our manager noticed. Thus, it is crucial to maintain fragile balance within the quality management not to destroy its effectiveness. This situation showed that quality management is not only about boring daily meetings. On the contrary, it is about the way the leader understands his mission in providing the highest quality services to customers. If he is incapable to comprehend it, quality management does not work

Juvenile Detention Facility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Detention Facility - Essay Example The detainees are predominantly criminal offenders, but children requiring supervision and traffic violators occasionally serve time at James River. As it is with most detention centers, the focus at James River is on providing detainees with the programs and services to ease the transition back in to their communities and to foster a crime free future. In order to ensure the best possible results, there is close supervision from all three counties and they have implemented educational, religious and recreational programs as well as psychological screening. The cornerstone of the rehabilitation effort at the James River Detention Center is the educational program. The program is composed of individual and group learning classes, personally tailored to address the individual needs of the detainee. Individual Education Programs (IEP), are used to simulate the curriculum of the respective detainee's home school. This is important because an efficient transition back into the school system aids in the overall rehabilitation process. While it is difficult to properly gauge the effectiveness of this center's success, they certainly appear to have the right idea with regards to their educational programs. Conversely, it seems that James River Regional Juvenile Detention Center has some proverbial "red flags." For instance, three counties currently have administrative voices in the operations, which presents a potential problem. As previ

Unity of Virtues Essay Example for Free

Unity of Virtues Essay Virtue in its broad meaning is replicating God which is a perfect being but for a moral being it means the habit of being righteous. This also means that virtue is a collection of traits for a being to be morally good. When we consider all the virtues, we can consider how each virtue is related to other virtues. For example, being honest also have an impact on being truthful, trustworthy and other virtues. In this point of view, we can see that virtues are dependent of each other. . Circular unity of virtues is the relation of each virtue to one another and the union of a group of virtue for a human being to be considered good. If one virtue is done, another virtue is also affected. However, this is not applicable to all virtues. It is true that one virtue affects other virtues but not totally all because not all virtues have the same essence and limitations. A good example is that you may be honest but you can also lack generosity at the same time. There are other examples showing that virtues are grouped according to their essence, but cannot be grouped as a whole based on their essence. Circularity of virtues according to Aristotle is having virtues through our own experiences but all normal men tends to the basics of being good. He also stated that being good is dependent on the opinion of each person. Therefore the action of man also states his virtues. This just means that there is no true unity of virtues. We can have a particular virtue but for sure but we cannot have it all because we are just humans and humans are not perfect. We are enclosed to different reasons that unconsciously causes us not to do other virtues. These variables are culture, principle, and experiences. If the standard of being good is having all the virtues then no man is good because we are bounded by our different cultures, principles and experiences which is sometimes a hindrance to other virtues. It is true that there is no unity of virtues but having virtues connected to one another is already a standard to being good. Virtues tends to rely to one another. This just means that being helpful also connects to goodness, generosity and friendliness. You can easily see the relation of each virtue to one another because if you do one virtue it also part of the limitation of the other virtues. Circularity tells us that the virtues we have because of actions we do must not be judged because we all do with our own principles, instinct and knowledge. Virtues we acquire are just part of what we do. In that case to avoid circularity one must only judge in a way that it is meaningful. This also rises the need for moral responsibility which will give rise to molding of your character. Bibliography â€Å"The Ends of Thought. , 2009: Journeys to Philosophys Third Kingdom. † http://endsofthought. blogspot. com/2009/02/aristotle-on-virtue-question-about. html Blackwell Refrence Online. â€Å"The Unity of the Virtues, 2006. † http://www. blackwellreference. com/public/tocnode? id=g9781405115216_chunk_g978140511521625

Cultural Differences Between Countries

Cultural Differences Between Countries Abstract Objectives To explore to what extend the cultural differences between countries affect the education of emigrant children and also address the issues related to it. Background The importance of cultural differences is getting more and more in the present age. There exist a number of multi-cultural societies and a lot of people have to work or collaborate across geographical or cultural borders. This phenomenon is also affecting the educational system of countries around the world. The children from a different cultural background have to face a number of issues while studying in a foreign school. Nevertheless, emigrant children have equal rights to study in a school. Education is a fundamental right for children regardless of their cultural background. Methods Literature search was done on Pub Med, Google books, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Questia.com and ZETOC. The key words that were used for searching were emigrant, education, cultural differences, and cultural issues. Selection Criteria Several studies were selected for critical appraisal which has different methodological approaches. The study made use of qualitative, quantitative as well as mixed approaches. A scale was used in the quantitative research study which displayed the critical analysis done by the author. Introduction The world has now turned into a global village. The advances in information technology have made it easier to travel across geographical borders and communicate across time and space. But unfortunately the technological revolution hasnt done anything to facilitate better communication inter-culturally. In order to have an effective collaboration between cultures, efforts must be made to develop common shared meanings. For that purpose, we have to understand the cultural differences among us and share cultural information. Background Globalization has lessened the importance of boundaries between countries. People now travel across borders for job, education, trade, and leisure. The past decade has witnessed an immense increase in the number of emigrants in almost all developed countries. Countries like USA and UK are flooded with emigrants. Majority of them reach here for job assignments and business purposes. The new environment may not be quite welcoming to these people. They may find a number of factors there that hurt their cultural values and beliefs. For this purpose, most of the companies provide cross-cultural training for their expatriate employees. But the effect of these cultural differences on their family members is often neglected. The most affected group among the emigrant population is the children. They often have to face a variety of issues while studying in a new educational system. And they are the most affected by these cultural differences. Adler (1997) proposed that culture, values, attitude and behaviors are interconnected and influence each other in a society. Values are aspects that have a direct or indirect impact on our decisions. Values can be both conscious and unconscious. Values of an individual are affected by his culture. It is through attitudes that a person expresses his values and makes us react in a particular manner. Thus a persons attitude is being revealed indirectly through his actions. Any form of human action can be considered as behavior. Thus the overall culture of a society is affected by the behavior of its people. Hence culture cannot exist without peoples behavior. The education system of each country is different and is influenced by the native culture and norms. Hence the emigrant children will be encountered with certain issues that could happen due to these cultural disparities. The situation of emigrant children into schools and other educational institutions will be depend upon the type of school, duration of attending, evidences for achievement etc. In some countries like Germany, migrant children enroll at a late age and at a lower rate compared to their peers. Another aspect that invites criticism regarding enrolment is the placement of emigrant children in lower than their age-appropriate schools. This situation cannot be avoided in schools where they are no transitory classes. But with this the emigrant kids remain in this situation due to lack of motivation and support for catching up with native kids of same age. Hence these kids end up as low performers with less academic qualifications. They are considered as secondary citizens. Even when this is an issue that needs immediate concern, there is a dearth of research being done in this area. Critical Appraisal There has been many studies done on the cultural issues of emigrants but research on the specific cultural problems affecting the education of emigrant children is limited. Culture itself is very sensitive area. Huijser (2006) defined culture as a groups set of shared norms and values, expressed in the behavior of its group members. According to Schein (1991), culture is the shared norms, values and modes of behavior that characterize a group of individuals. His model views culture at three levels-the visible artifact level, values, and basic underlying assumptions. The first level focuses on the visible aspects of culture like food and clothing. The second level is mainly concerned with the beliefs about what is right and wrong. The third level reflects on the basic beliefs about human nature and its relationship with others. The emigrant life as well as that of expatriates can be related more to the artifact or value levels. A number of writers have applied the culture concept to national cultures and have developed dimensions on which national cultures differ (Trompenaars, 1993) There are six dimensions on the basis of which cultural differences can be analyzed (Adler 1997). These dimensions are: Understanding the nature of people The persons relationship to the external environment The persons relationship to other people The primary mode of activity. Peoples orientation to space The persons temporal orientation. Apart from the above, language and communication skills can also be considered as dimensions to cultural differences (Gudykunst, 1986; Tannen, 1990). An emigrant can be defined as a national who is living in a foreign land on a temporary basis for work reasons (Sayad 2004). The extent to which the cultural beliefs are different from one country to another is known as cultural distance (Kogut Singh, 1988). Thus cultures vary from country to country based upon the dimensions (Brouthers Brouthers 2001). The cultural distance can be challenging for emigrants since they have to adapt to a new different culture (Black Mendenhall, 1992). The work performance, ability to accomplish tasks as well as socialization is being affected by this cultural distance (Stahl Caliguri, 2005). It is always useful to identify and understand the personal characteristics of individuals who could reduce the distance between the emigrant and the natives since the emigrants would get into close ties with these people (Harrison, Shaffer Bhaskar-Shrinivas, 2004). If there is high cultural distance, that means there exists customs and values which are unfamiliar to the emigrant. Gaining experience in different cultural context would help the emigrant to develop a global mindset and can cause an overall transformation of identity (Kohonen 2005; Sanchez, Spector Cooper, 2000). Adapting to a different environment demands the emigrant for self-examining ones own behavior and as the disparity between home and host culture increases, greater the need for self-examination. A sense making process is considered to be behind this event and there also exists a sense of coherence which integrates the personal characteristics with ones own previous experiences (Glanz, William Hoeksema, 2001; Stahl, Miller Tung, 2002). Those individuals who are capable of adapting effectively are considered to be social brokers who could integrate the opinions and suggestions obtained from people with local interpretation schemes or cultural expectations. Those who have migrated to a destination country at a younger age and completed primary and high school are mostly economically powerful as they know the language and are culturally inclined (Chiswick and Miller, 1996). In US studies related to the immigrant children have shown that blacks and Latinos have lesser grades than natives, while a child of second generation born to a native mother also has a higher chance of attaining graduation (Bankston and Zhou, 2002). Educational and societal systems in a country affect the immigrant children in a wide variety of ways (Dronkers and de Heus, (2010)). Educational systems in different countries are organized in different ways. The performance and achievement of emigrant children with respect to education is measured based on standardization, differentiation and the availability of resources in the destination and origin countries (Shavit and Mà ¼ller, 1998; Wà ¶ssmann, 2003; Buchmann and Hannum, 2001). If a countrys educational system is more differentiated taking into account the social characteristics, it is seen that the native students outperform immigrant students in the country (OECD 2007). A study by Ammermà ¼ller (2005) showed that those students who have options to choose different school types have a better chance of performing well. In order to study the effect of characteristics of both origin and destination countries and the educational system in these countries, Levels et al. (2008) took into consideration the political, cultural and economic macro-characteristics. Educational performance of immigrant children is affected by the countries educational system only if the child has received a part of the education in origin country. According to Rumbaut (2004) there is difference in the academic performance of immigrant children who migrated at an early age to the destination country and those who have migrated at a later age. The choice of schools and educational institutions and their differentiation is largely influenced by the choices of parents in case of younger children (Pfeffer 2008). Thus the knowledge of parents in this respect is an important resource. It is also observed that those immigrants who have are of a lower class in the society in terms of education, economy and knowledge of educational ins titutions etc. will choose a lower stream of educational institution for their children. The lack knowledge of the language and culture acts as a base for this to happen. (van de Werfhorst and van Tubergen, 2007). Dronkers, (2010), revealed that the individual cultural and family background of the students influenced the way they performed in the academically. In case of education system migrant students are always at a disadvantage. The scientific performance of students in politically unstable countries is poor. The scientific literacy of immigrants are influenced or in one way affected by the cultural, social and economic characteristics of the origin and destination countries. There exist a large difference in the culture of one country and other, these results in less understanding among the different groups in the country and the immigrant population (Owen, Eisner and McFaul, 1981). Conclusion There are various issues the affect the emigrant children, one of the most important issue concerning them is their education. Numerous studies and researches have been conducted in this regard. Cultural variations in a country affect the educational performance of emigrant children. Religion an important aspect of culture in a origin and destination country also effect the emigrant education (Dronkers Fleishmann (2010). Researches done in Europe to a large extend cover the countries both in Europe as well as outside Europe. Important countries where researches were done are Canada, England, France and the USA. Various scientific studies have been carried out in this aspect based on these countries in Europe. One of the main drawbacks in this kind of a study is that not many countries are included in the study and not all groups of emigrants are taken into consideration. APPENDIX Policy Framework There are many frameworks of policies in the western countries including UK regarding protecting the rights of immigrant population. Discrimination of immigrant people especially children are addressed through various laws formulated in the country. Government has certain policies and rules that help the immigrant population to blend with the culture of the host country; this is to prevent the immigrant children from feeling the discrimination that can affect their educational performance (Portes and Zhou, 1993). Migrant Integration Policy Index(MIPEX), this helps the national governing bodies measure the access the migrants have in politics, labour market and other spheres (Niessen, Huddleston and Citron, 2007). Thus it is noted that the immigrant children perform well academically in a country where the immigrant policies are well established. British Race Relation Act and European Union Council Directives help provide equal treatment for all in the country.

Robert Frost :: essays research papers

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874. He moved to New England at the age of eleven and became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was enrolled at Dartmouth College in 1892, and later at Harvard, but never earned a formal degree. Frost drifted through a string of occupations after leaving school, working as a teacher, cobbler, and editor of the Lawrence Sentinel. His first professional poem, "The Butterfly," was published on November 8, 1894, in the New York newspaper The Independent.In 1895, Frost married Elinor Miriam White, who became a major inspiration in his poetry until her death in 1938. The couple moved to England in 1912, after their New Hampshire farm failed, and it was abroad that Frost met and was influenced by such contemporary British poets as Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, and Robert Graves.There are probably three things that account for Robert Frost's poetry. In his poems, he uses familiar subjects, like nature, people doing everyday things and simple language to express his thought. His poems may be easy to read, but not necessarily easy to understand. Almost all of Frost's poems are hiding a secret message. He easily can say two things at the same time. For example, in "The Road Not Taken", Frost talks about being a traveler, but the hidden message is about decisions in life. In lines 19 and 20, he expresses that he did the right thing, by choosing to go down the path that made the difference. Also, "in Birches", lines 48-59, it shows that the poem is about being carefree. Frost wishes he could be like the boy swinging from the birch trees. The poem sets the picture of a boy swinging from the tree branches, but he really is talking about being carefree. He says that earth is the right place for love. He says that he doesn't know where he would like to go better, but he would like to go swinging from the birches.Another example of symbolic description comes from the poem "Desert Places" he talks about how he will not be scared of the desert places, but of the loneliness. He is scared of his own loneliness, his own desert places.Most of Frost's poems are about nature. All three of the mentioned poems are about nature. In "The Road Not Taken" he talks of the woods and paths to follow (line1).