Description Of A Quest For Quality - 851 Words

Referent: Summary of â€Å"A Quest for Quality† article With thanks to the authors: Mlachila, M., Tapsoba, R., Tapsoba, S. (2015). Date Published: June, 2015. Reference: Mlachila, M., Tapsoba, R., Tapsoba, S. (2015). A Quest for Quality. International Monetary Fund, 52(2). Retrieved March 05, 2016, from http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2015/06/mlachila.htm#author Article overview The article discussed the importance of growth accompanied by the improvement of the social conditions, as also, an explanation about of the QGI index, as well, a comparison between QGI, HDI and SPI indexes, supporting a briefly analysis, the results and opportunities to enhance living conditions. Growth has to improve social outcomes. Looking for better conditions to the society, the article stated that a high growth does not mean an improvement in social outcomes. The authors brought the information that many countries in the last decade have shown a strong economic growth, however, they could not extinguish poverty, inequality and unemployment, indicators that besides the growth still unsatisfactory. Inclusive growth concept The main pillars of a quality growth, also called as good growth, must include quality itself, which has a subjective meaning; the article compared quality and beauty, which is totally dependable of a personal point of view, making social outcomes a challenge to achieve. A good growth has to consider relevant factors to the society, such as better livingShow MoreRelatedGrapes of Wrath Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesGrapes of Wrath, many concepts appear that were noted in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. However, the three chapters of Foster’s how-to guide that most apply to Steinbeck’s novel were â€Å"It’s All About Sex†¦,† â€Å"Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),† and â€Å"It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow.† On more than one occasion these concepts are hidden within the book, and two of them actually seem somewhat linked together. After reading between the lines, The Grapes of Wrath has anRead MoreArchetypes In The Epic Of Gilgamesh926 Words   |  4 Pageswith readers through a subconscious understanding. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the main character, Gilgamesh, is an example of a superheroic archetypal hero. He took on an epic quest for everlasting life by following the archetypal steps of a hero’s journey. Through suffering due to tragedy, realizing the nature of his quest, seeking help from a mentor, experiencing failure, and returning home with a companion, Gilgamesh’s story followed the situational archetype of a hero’s journey. A hero is characterizedRead MoreGilgamesh, The Epic Of Gilgamesh1559 Words   |  7 PagesGilgamesh’s determination to find immortality is impacted by the death of his best companion, Enkidu. At the end of Gilgamesh’s quest, he learns the destined fate of mortals (which is...?). Gilgamesh’s character development is shown throughout the story; he changes from an invincible, fearless king to a king who has accept his mortality and sees his own limitations. Although the quest of Gilgamesh seems to focus on gaining immortality, it works as a bridge to help Gilgamesh accept his mortality and to understandRead MoreDiedrich Knickerbocker Essay1585 Words   |  7 Pagesdaring could succeed in their quest for fame. Writers were intrepid knights who courageously confronted all difficulties and hardships as they journeyed toward publication, a textual pilgrimage that required unwavering sacrifice and resolute determination. (Williams 1). Irving portrayed Knickerbocker a s an adventures man who traveled far lengths and met many people in his journeys to obtain stories and opinions of the people who lived the land. This is a quality that gives the author a senseRead MoreMeeting At Night By Robert Browning929 Words   |  4 Pagesimpression. The use of the moon, which is considered a heavenly body, also suggests that the narrator’s quest is righteous and divine. Being that the narrator is in love he observes that the sea is grey and that the half-moon is â€Å"large and low†. Many people might overlook the features the narrator describes but to him even the most trivial details are significant. Every characteristic on his quest to unite with his lover is amplified due to his love for her. Another interesting form of imagery theRead MoreThe Branding Campaign Of Quest A Non Alcoholic Energy Drink1433 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will analyse the branding campaign of Quest a non alcoholic energy drink. It will first justify the key el ements of the brand name and positioning statement, it will then go on to describe the consumer profile using the three following criteria Demographics, Psychographics and Behavioural. Then will determine and understand the purchasing process the customer will go through to receive the product, giving the ability to determine the target audience of the brand. The assessment will thenRead MoreEssay on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight1617 Words   |  7 Pagessociety placed high value on cloth and textile in general, an attitude that is reflected in the poem, where the author places high value on its description and uses it to convey plot and personas. Concentrating on the description of the Green Knight when he first enters King Arthurs court and the description of Sir Gawaines imminent departure on the quest to find the Green Knight, will show their distinct entities and the opposite roles they have assumed in the beheading game, essential to theRead MoreCompare And Contrast Sir Gaw ain And The Green Knight1235 Words   |  5 PagesProtagonists also known as the main character or the hero. A protagonist can make or break the story. A hero is defined as a person who goes on a quest to save, restore or heal the community. Most heroes have the same qualities; however, what the character does with the qualities is a different story. For example, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, author unknown and Oroonoko by Aphra Behn are two works where the protagonists are comparable. For example, both men are on a dangerous journey, a womanRead MoreA Treatise Of Human Nature1562 Words   |  7 Pagesintrinsic to the Fin de Sià ¨cle, and morality. Indeed, aestheticism offers no distinction between moral and immoral acts, tending explicitly to the pursuit of pleasure. This is demonstrated in Dorian’s superficial relationship with Sibyl Vane. Dorian’s description of his infatuation with Sibyl, ‘I loved you because you were marvellous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realised the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art’ indicates the frivolous nature of hisRead MoreAnalysis Of F. Scott Fitzgerald953 Words   |  4 Pagesdeeper imagery and to emphasize certain descriptions that are necessary to understand in his distinctive writing style. Fitzgerald incorporated a lot of his own personal life into his works; his struggles with alcoholism, mental disorders and marital problems are generally thrown into almost all his novels. Many of his stories can be read for their symbolic qualities. Therefore, F. Scott Fitzgerald was popular for using uncommon and intricate descriptions to help the reader better grasp what is going

Essay Adolescent Internet Addiction - 1631 Words

The use of the internet has become essential to today’s world with the availability of all types of information found at the click of a computer mouse. For adolescents the internet can help with schoolwork, but it also provides a platform for communication and entertainment with the world. Because relationships, information and gaming are readily available, it is possible for adolescents to become addicted to the internet and what it offers. The desire to be connected to the internet can inhibit an adolescent’s social, school and personal life and the causes, symptoms, research, treatment and prevention of adolescent internet addiction are essential to understanding and treating the addiction. The causes of adolescent internet†¦show more content†¦According to Psych Central, Grohol (2012) states that socialization is mainly what makes the internet addicting because it allows people to spend time exchanging support, information and general discussions with like minded people from other parts of the world that would have been otherwise harder to contact. In order to understand adolescent internet addiction it is important to recognize the symptoms that characterize the addiction and how they affect the adolescents who suffer from it. The website The Guardian (Smith, 2008) states that internet addiction has four main components which are excessive use, withdrawal, the need for better software or more hours of use, and negative repercussions. Excessive use, according to The Guardian (2008) consists of a loss of sense of time when using the internet. Withdrawal includes feelings of anger, tension or depression when a computer is inaccessible and negative repercussions include arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and fatigue (2008). Help Guide (n.d.) states that feeling a sense of euphoria while involved in internet activities is another symptom. This means that using the internet as an outlet when stressed or sad could point to addiction. Help Guide (n.d.) also states that physical symptoms of internetShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Internet Addiction On Children And Adolescents1682 Words   |  7 Pages Technology advances have been increasingly introduced in our daily lives. Internet, social networking, connectivity and mobile devices lead to an increasingly connected world, which has led to a major change in the way we interact and communicate with one another. Using the Internet and video games since childhood has made new generations increasingly better with technology. They instinctively use and also manage a broad range of technology and they also develop technological knowledge at an earlyRead MoreInternet Addiction And Its Treatment1163 Words   |  5 Pagesra lians%20digital%20livesFinal%20pdf.pdf ACMA,. (2016). Excessive internet use | ACMA. Acma.gov.au. Retrieved 12 October 2016, from http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/Internet/esecurity/Staying-safe- online/excessive-internet-use Amichai-Hamburger, Y. Ben-Artzi, E. (2003). Loneliness and Internet use. Computers In Human Behavior, 19(1), 71-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0747-5632(02)00014-6 ArÄ ±soy, Ãâ€". (2009). Internet addiction and its treatment. Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar- Current ApproachesRead MoreThe Internet And Its Effects On Society1235 Words   |  5 Pagesreigning overlord of today s society - the internet. People all around the world have become slaves to the internet, growing dependent on the many ways that it is used. This powerful tool can cover news stories as it happens, provide entertainment, as well as a form of education. It can do so much and can be found almost anywhere. The internet can also let anyone take a peek into others lives, no matter what their privacy settings are. The internet has become a physical, mental, and emotionalRead MoreSubtypes Of Internet Addiction762 Words   |  4 PagesIn the previous decade, the growth rate of internet addiction is increasing all over the world (Goel.D, et.al, 2013). In the urban India there were almost 5 million active users of internet present as per 2000 stats but now as per 2008 it has be en increased to 42 million active users of internet. Adolescents are more likely to be vulnerable to internet addiction as compared to any other sections of the society. This is because of the leisure and liberty children are exposed to these days. There areRead MoreReview of Related Literature1643 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Philippines and in abroad. It is acquired from the internet and unpublished theses. It is nearly related on the relationship of computer game addiction to interpersonal relationship to adolescents especially, K-12 students. To enrich the background on the subject of the researcher, the literatures that were found are here in presented. A. Foreign Studies Based from the study of Mark Griffiths (2007),â€Å"Does Internet and Computer Addiction Exist? It has been alleged that social pathologies areRead MoreThe Issues Of The Field Of Psychology987 Words   |  4 Pagesadvancement of civilization. More and more time is spent on the internet, which has gradually altered the method in which primary communication takes place. Previously face-to-face interaction was touted as the primary method of interfacing with one another, now communication via the internet is almost mandatory to establish and maintain healthy relationships (Greenfield and Yan, 2006). This is especially true amongst children, adolescents and teenagers. The need for psychologists have never been greaterRead MoreSocial Media And Its Impact On The Current Population1019 Words   |  5 PagesThe Internet has an indescribable power to influence, connect, and mobilize the current population. Technological advances are no longer shocking but simply expected. Todayâ€℠¢s society has different expectations for all types of relationships. Relationships are now different because the tools used to maintain peer-to-peer connections have undergone a vast alteration. The primary focus is on the Internet and, with that, the development of social media. Social media is a web-based technology that transformsRead MoreEssay on Effects of Internet Use on Adolescents Development 1181 Words   |  5 Pagesabout your Internet usage. How much time out of your daily life do you spend online? Does your use of the Internet take a toll on your diet, exercise and sleep? Think about today’s young people. They cannot remember a time when they did not have computers and cell phones. While technology and the Internet are useful tools to get information fast, the increasing use of the Internet by adolescents is taking a toll on their physical and emotional development. This increase in use of the Internet is causingRead MoreAdolescence And Addictions : Addiction An d Addiction894 Words   |  4 PagesAdolescence and Addictions Adolescence that are faced with drug addictions are considered addicts with undeniable habits of drug use and little to no concerns of long term effects on the brain. Most drug additions whether prescription, narcotic, or alcohol, causes detrimental effect on the brain that impacts ones behaviors and thought process in making precise decisions in daily activities. Brain diseases are rapid among drug users for long periods of time that in turn can destroy the ones opportunityRead MoreThe Internet : The Dangers Of The Internet924 Words   |  4 PagesNowadays, the internet is accessed by all the age groups, especially young people. The increasing number of young people who use the internet has indicate that the internet has already become an essential part of teenagers’ lives. However, the influence of the internet has both positive and negative consequences, while the negative consequences may make young people become antisocial. The term of antisocial can be explained as an i ndividual who is often avoids socialising with others. This essay

Ethnographic Film Essay Example For Students

Ethnographic Film Essay In making Ethnographic Film Essay ethnographers will inevitably be confronted with conflicting values and will be forced to choose to uphold some while neglecting others. The situation is complicated further when the films are intended for television screening and the audience is the general public; the ethnographic filmmaker then faces the task of producing something that is simultaneously ethnographically competent, entertaining, accessible to general audiences and ethical. Here I will examine two ethnographic made-for-TV programs: Masai Women and Kayapo Out of the Forest. In each of these programs the filmmakers were confronted with ethical decisions requiring them to uphold one value while excluding another. It is my intent to show that in ethnographic film making there can be no set formula for which filmmakers can prioritize ethnographic values and human ethics; each decision to uphold one value over another must be made in regard to the specific social and political context in which it is being made. Masai Womens filmmakers were confronted with two conflicting values when treating several aspects of Masai culture. On one hand the film was meant to be an ethnographic documentary and as such had its own set of ethnographic goals. These include portraying whole people and being as objective as possible. On the other hand, the filmmakers had to be cognizant of their audience, the general (British) public. Knowing that their audience was the general public had both advantages and disadvantages: while it gave them a unique opportunity to reach a wide range of people it also created a certain responsibility, since the film wasnt being shown in the context of any anthropological discourse on the subject. This isnt to say the filmmakers were limited because their audience were the ignorant masses but rather that they were dealing with a diverse audience. The film, to be successful, could assume neither that the viewers were educated nor uneducated; a successful television program appeals to many sensibilities. While depicting Masai culture these values came into conflict in treating several subjects. First and most striking was the subject of female circumcision: the topic was completely glazed over. In narrating the topic Melissa Llewelyn-Davies describes female circumcision as a joyous occasion, a rite of passage for Masai women, the equivalent to a white wedding in British society. The filmmakers reasoning behind this decision to not dwell on the subject was essentially a decision to adhere to one of the values described above, to be responsible and respectful in portraying a culture to open audiences; ethnographic filmmakers certainly do not want to create disdain for a culture based on practices that may seem adverse to western society. In adhering to one value however they were forced to abandon another, ethnographic completeness. In a film about Masai women, a female-centered film about the lives of women, the issue of female circumcision seems to me to be very pertinent and an important topic to explore. For instance, the girls screams are edited out, clearly in violation of ethnographic principle. Lleweyn-Davies also says that the practice is the female equivalent to male circumcision. It most certainly is not. If practiced on men female circumcision would amount to one-half to three quarters removal of the penis. Here, the point is that the issue is glazed over and made benign for the purpose of not offending the average western viewer. One topic more difficult to avoid in a discussion of Masai womens experience is the practice of polygyny. Here, the same conflicting values were confronted as are discussed above: on one hand the filmmaker wants to produce a film that is ethnographically whole in its description of cultural institutions, yet on the other hand the filmmaker must keep in mind the composition of the audience. In this instance Melissa Llewelyn-Davies chose to explore the topic at length in favor of the former value. She does however explore the topic with great sensitivity, choosing to ask the subjects how they feel about the practice themselves, rather than narrating . .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed , .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .postImageUrl , .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed , .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:hover , .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:visited , .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:active { border:0!important; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:active , .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udfca0687371aa0e129afed498b5c5aed:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Dissabiliteis Essay In making Kayapo: Out of the Forest, Terrence Turner faced a somewhat different dilemma, yet it was a dilemma of conflicting values nevertheless. The Kayapo project arose out of a relationship between the Kayapo and various anthropologists. .

Truss Bridge Report free essay sample

Objective The objective of the project is to build a truss that would be able to take a specific amount of downward force remarkably with respect to the weight of the truss itself, i. e. to construct a truss that would hold a relatively high efficiency score. And construct the bridge in such a way to as to keep the deflection of the structure at minimal. Introduction First of all, what is a truss? In an engineering view, a truss is a structure that is made up of series of triangular unit made of straight members that are connected at junctions known as nodes. External forces created by bodies known as loads, are often placed on areas of the structures which then creates internal forces in the members in form of either a Tensile Force or a Compressive Force. The practical analysis was carried out to help better our understanding on the theories behind the behaviour of a truss under different circumstances. We will write a custom essay sample on Truss Bridge Report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Analysis A Pratt truss illustrating the arrangement of the bars By calculation The length of the horizontal member is 99. 4m The height of the bridge is 20m. And the diagonal members are all 23. m The distance between the two sides (floor Beam) was 16m. Materials Today, bridges can be of the span, arch, or suspension type. Materials used throughout history include wood, masonry, cast iron, wrought iron, concrete, steel, reinforced concrete, alloy and silicon steel, pre-stressed concrete, carbon fibre, and aluminium. But since the experiment was to be performed in a small scale, Popsicle sticks where chosen to do the job. Then a non-toxic adhesive was chosen to be used to join the members at the node. A clamp of some sort is a good idea when constructing. Clamps are important because most of the popsicle stick arent flat, so if you dont clamp them when you glue them together your bridge probably wont hold together very well. Procedure The bridge truss was constructed using about 140 sticks, give or take a few. We began the construction by creating the smaller pieces that would be easier to glue together, clamped the pieces together, and then left them dry for over a period of 7 days, which made them strong enough to be used. We started with each side of the bridge, in order to keep them symmetrical, then flipped each side and added more members to strengthen the sides. We then erected the constructed sides and added angled supports across the horizontal member at the bottom, and then added some centre support to hold the structure firmly and give it its shape. We then added some horizontal members to connect the sides together and minimize the deflection of the structure. And we levelled the structure with a horizontal surface after gluing any major part to give it a stable composition. Then after the assembly process was complete. We then gave the bridge structure as a whole, time do dry so the glue would dry and give the joined members and nodes time to dry. Then it was on to the testing Testing For the testing procedure, the bridge was placed between two horizontal surfaces at a height that was enough to place weights to the lower horizontal members. And then weights were added simultaneously to the center of the lower horizontal members on both sides so as to balance the weight distribution across the bridge and keep it at equilibrium throughout the test. Then weights in newton were added continuously to the members until the structure began to show signs of major deformation that could destroy the bridge structur. Then the maximum weight it could take was noted down by the supervisor in charge of the testing procedure so that the grades would be allotted accordingly. Discussion As mentioned earlier a truss is a structure that is made up of one or more triangles connected at joints referred to as nodes. For the experiment we chose to use a type of truss known as a Pratt Truss. We chose this type of truss because of its history. It has been in use since the practice of using of wood for the construction of bridges was brought into play, and still when wood gave way to iron, and remained when iron gave way to steel. The vertical members in this type of truss are under compression, while the horizontal members respond to tension. It is unique because the long diagonal bars are only in tension for gravity load effect, which allows the members to be used more efficiently, so that slenderness effects related to buckling due to compression loads will not control the design. The prat truss which was patented in 1844 was patented by Caleb Pratt and his son Thomas Willis Pratt. Conclusion To sum it all up, according to the analysis of the truss, the theory was confirmed that the Pratt truss is one of the best trusses for withstanding vertical loadings, because of the geometry of the members.

Edward Hopper essays

Edward Hopper essays Edward Hopper was a painter, who depicted life in America in the 1920's, and the influence of the events of those times on people. Hopper inspired other artists, after his time, to paint in his style. The paintings he did showed the reaction of americans to events happening in the 1920s. By looking at his work, one can feel the emotions that people felt during these years, and the atmosphere in America all together. Hopper was a ground breaking artist of his time, and created new aspects in art, while influencing others. Edward Hopper was able to depict the scenes of the times, because he had an extreme good background in painting and drawing. He got involved with art as a child, and then attended the New York School of Art, from the years 1900 to 1906, while being trained by Robert Henri, one of the fathers of American Realism - a man whom he later described as 'the most influential teacher I had' (qtd.in Lucie-Smith 67) . From the years 1913 to the year 1923 he worked as a commercial illustrator to support himself, but it was not his real interest (Craven 435). Between the years 1906 and 1910 he made three trips to Europe, but these seemed to have very little influence on his style (ibiblio.org). After these years, Hopper started to concentrate more on the art that made him gain widespread recognition as an "American Scene painter". These are the works that are most known, and used to represent life in the US. Though his works were always interpreted in this way, the artist himself claims " I don't think I ever tried to paint the American scene; I'm just trying to paint myself" (qtd.in ibiblio.org). And technically this is exactly what the painter did. All the models used for his paintings were images of himself and his wife Jo (Beckett 136). He believed that people in the 1920s acted as if clones, and therefore the same image, of himself as the typical american, were used in the paintings. The perfectly proportionate...

Using PrepScholar to Boost Academic Motivation

Using PrepScholar to Boost Academic Motivation SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many parents have experienced the frustration of high schoolers who seem academically unmotivated. We think we’re a great answer to that problemread on to find out why. Teaching and learning are very complex processes that very few people understand. We at PrepScholar are at the cutting edge of modern educational tools, and that is partly due to our intimate knowledge of teaching and learning. In this post we break down some of the most important factors in motivating your student. Supervision Matters. Studies show that students are inherently motivated by the attention of parents and teachers to their progress. Online SAT and ACT prep might at first seem like a far cry from the intimacy of a 1-on-1 teacher-student relationship, but PrepScholar actually offers more personalized content and feedback than our classroom competitors. Most importantly, all of the information is sent to both students and parents, so you are notified immediately if your student isn’t putting the hours in. We also keep track of your student’s schedule and the time being spent on test prep. With PrepScholar, every week your student enters his or her planned study schedule, aiming ideally to complete ten weekly lessons (or about 5 hours). The study schedule the student enters is sent to the student, parents and PrepScholar so everyone is on the same page. We at PrepScholar believe that one thing affects SAT and ACT score increases the most: the number of hours a student spends preparing. To this end, we send weekly progress reports to students and parents that summarize the number of hours spent studying and the lessons that have been completed that week. Tutoring gives even more detailed feedback. With PrepScholar tutoring, an experienced tutor helps your student navigate through the hardest parts of his or her lessons, paying special attention to skills that appear more often on the test or to the sections that are more important to the schools the student hopes to attend. The tutor also sends session followup emails to parents and students after every tutoring session, discussing the topics covered and any special circumstances parents might like to know about. College Matters. Too many test prep companies focus on the test as an end in itself; we never forget that SAT and ACT prep is a means to an end: the best possible college education for your student. Our prep has a definite and specific goal that motivates students by connecting to real life rewards. We are college admissions experts, and so we never lose sight of the ultimate goal. Going a step further, our strategy lessons help students target the right schools for them and the right scores to get in. We also offer college counseling as part of our tutoring package. Difficulty Matters. Our extensive teaching experience, not to mention contemporary educational theory, shows that students are very easily demotivated by discouragement. We want to avoid the â€Å"I just can’t do it† attitude, so the lessons each student receives are based on his or her scores on our diagnostic testif your student’s skills in Geometry are weak, he or she will receive the most basic Geometry information first. If your student doesn’t master the skill in a given lesson, depending on his or her score on the lesson’s Practice Quiz, the skill will reappear periodically for the student to try againunlike classroom prep, we don’t move on until your student does. Encouragement Matters. With PrepScholar, students get positive reinforcement for progress and hours studying. The weekly emails and interactive feedback are 100% encouraging, designed to cheer students on to the next level of achievement. When students don’t complete their weekly 5 hours, we remind them of the relationship between hours studying and score improvement, encouraging them to try again next week. Encouragement is also one of the main reasons we offer tutoring at PrepScholarfor some students, there’s no substitute for an educator’s friendly face and positive feedback after successes. Our weekly Skype tutoring sessions provide an intimate space for students to ask about their problems and get recognition for their achievements. Fun Matters. Our current program gives students visual information about their progress, tracking all the lessons they did and when so they can view the history of their test prep accomplishments. The site is easy to use, and we will soon be adding more fun features that make the prep experience more like a game to be won than a chore to be completed. Because, really, getting into college is a sort of game, and SAT and ACT prep is one of the most important strategies to win. If you found this article useful, please consider joining our email list at right. Your information will never be shared or sold.

History of Business Ethics and Ethical Theory Essay

History of Business Ethics and Ethical Theory - Essay Example The current business environment is highly competitive, organisations are encouraged to practice fair trade and avoid foul play so as to have a competitive edge over its rivals. Corporate social responsibility is a major ethical consideration in a company since it shows that the entity is mindful of the peoples’ welfare. Other important ethical principles in an entity include truth, honesty and justice. These principles have to be in line with the business environment in which the firm operates in to ensure long term success. It is important to understand the company’s ethical value so as to manage it appropriately. Firstly, there should be an assessment of the efficiency of ethical value in the organisation. Secondly, the leadership and senior management have to show commitment towards the program (Maignan and Ferrel, 2004:34). Thirdly, there should be formalisation of the code of ethics through proper training and communication (Maignan and Ferrel, 2005:34). Fourthly, there should be codification of the ethics and proper communication within the entity (Maignan and Ferrell, 2005:45). Finally, the code of ethics should be integrated into the organisation’s culture. In order to achieve this, the leadership should be on the forefront in ensuring the company’s ethics are maintained. Various stakeholders have the power to influence the attainment of ethical values and norms in a given entity. They are encouraged to do vigilantly so as to keep the company’s ethics in check. There are various challenges affecting ethics in an entity including, defiance by some employees and failure to keep up with the stated code of ethics (Maignan and Ferrell, 2005:45). This results to the practice of... It is important to understand the company’s ethical value so as to manage it appropriately. Firstly, there should be an assessment of the efficiency of ethical value in the organization. Secondly, the leadership and senior management have to show commitment towards the program. Thirdly, there should be a formalization of the code of ethics through proper training and communication (Maignan and Ferrel, 2005:34). Fourthly, there should be a codification of the ethics and proper communication within the entity (Maignan and Ferrell, 2005:45). Finally, the code of ethics should be integrated into the organization’s culture. In order to achieve this, the leadership should be on the forefront in ensuring the company’s ethics are maintained.Various stakeholders have the power to influence the attainment of ethical values and norms in a given entity. They are encouraged to do vigilantly so as to keep the company’s ethics in check. There are various challenges affec ting ethics in an entity including, defiance by some employees and failure to keep up with the stated code of ethics. This results in the practice of unethical behavior in businesses including foul play among the employees, unfair trade practices, poor time management and poor customer service. These are some of the unethical issues common to businesses in the contemporary world. In a nutshell, ethics are important in the daily activities of a business since they determine the relationships within the entity and with interested parties.

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP PROJECT OF YEMEN Research Paper

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP PROJECT OF YEMEN - Research Paper Example The Joshua Project uses two percent of an indigenous population as the minimum percentage of a population that can impact an entire nation (Hoskins, 2005). Yemen unreached status stems from their topography which varies from hot coastal plains to cool mountains, and scorching deserts. This climatically challenges missionaries willing to spread the gospel there (Joshua, 2009). Secondly, their social and tribal structure has prevented penetration by Christians since all persons and goods passing through their towns are strictly controlled. They have various tribes which are ruled by Arab Chiefs who often fight each other. The belief system is the third reason for their unreached status. Despite being predominately influenced by Islam religion, the different Islamist sects complicate evangelism even further. Zaydis which is the largest sect is obsessive and warrior-like. They view all wars as a crusade against all non-Muslim believers to the extent that any Muslim converting and professing faith in Jesus Christ can be killed (McCarthy, 2004). This belief system and antagonism towards the Gospel creates major challenges to any evangelizati on efforts to this unreached group of people. The Great Commission forms the basis of missions in the Christian faith. Christ Himself commanded his followers in the Great Commission to go out and spread the gospel to the ends of the world. In a bid to obey this commandment, Christian missionaries travel to the furthest corners of the world so as to reach the unreached groups with the gospel message (The Yemeni Arabs, 2012). They have devised creative ways of reaching such groups for example extending hospitality, sinking boreholes, providing health care amongst other ways. Despite all this well intended cause, the missionaries experience unspeakable challenges as they try to reach out. They face rejection, persecution, battle with doubt and even death. On the

Recommendation Letter Essay Example for Free

Recommendation Letter Essay In my opinion, I have never before written a recommendation letter where the candidate and the opportunity were such a perfect fit. I have known Janet Lerner for two years now, since she took my introductory course in dinosaurs during her sophomore year. In my long teaching career, I have never met an undergraduate student with such a genuine and focused interest in paleontology, and such a clear aptitude for it. I will demonstrate this by speaking to Janet’s ability as a communicator, her specific interest in dinosaur paleontology, and her maturity and integrity. Janet informs me that you are seeking a skilled communicator to give tours of your animatronic displays. Even during her sophomore year, Janet was a skilled communicator on the subject of dinosaur paleontology. In my class, for which she received an A, Janet wrote two compositions: one on the roots of the discovery and the characteristics of Deinonychus; one evaluating the defensive capabilities of Euoplocephalus. Janet proved herself not only exceptionally articulate and schooled on the subject at hand, but she also showed herself capable of wielding an argument—moving from premise to conclusion based on relevant evidence. Janet also did all this with style and flair. I cite excerpts from her papers: â€Å"Previously seen as cold-blooded, pea-brained lizards . . .† and â€Å"The toe muscles acted as a spring mechanism to flick the claw around towards the back of the foot.† For me, such articulations underscore both Janet’s authentic fascination with dinosaurs and her ability to communicate that excitement and knowledge to others. As an academic advisor to the dormitory where Janet lives, I frequently witness her interactions with others and know first-hand of her community service. Last year, Janet was the elected vice-president in the dormitory, and in this role she was responsible for numerous functions, including faculty/student lunches and a recruiting phoneathon. Janet is well-respected in the dormitory—a popular figure known for her honesty, calm, and kindness. I have seen her handle delicate situations with discretion, and she handles herself in all situations with poise. Finally, Janet has strong convictions tempered by good judgment and reason; she has firm spiritual roots and an active, diverse, social life; she is loyal, committed, and clear-sighted. It is a rare treat to encounter a student as impressive as Janet Lerner, and if you give her the opportunity I am sure you will find her equally impressive. Please do give her your most thoughtful consideration.

Norse Mythology :: essays research papers fc

The book entitled "Norse Mythology" by Karl Mortensen, is the book I chose to read for my first book report for this semester. The book was translated from the Danish by A. Clinton Crowell. Karl Mortensen was a doctor of philosophy whom attended the University of Copenhagen. The first part of the book is the general introduction. Here, you find the author's meaning of "Norse mythology" and where he got his information. He says, By "Norse mythology" we mean the information we have concerning the religious conceptions and usages of our heathen forefathers, their faith and manner of worshipping the gods, and also their legends and songs about the gods and heroes. The importation of Christianity drove out the old heathen faith, but remnants or memories of it long endured in the superstitious ideas of the common people, and can even be traced in our own day. In the general introduction, the author tells us why we teach Norse mythology. He tells us that for us, Norse mythology has in any case the advantage of being the religion of our own forefathers, and through it we learn to know that religion. This is necessary if we wish to understand the history and poetry of our antiquity and to comprehend what good characteristics and what faults Christianity encountered when it was proclaimed in the North. Finally, it is necessary to know the most important points of the heathen faith of our fathers in order to appreciate and enjoy many of the words of our best poets. "Norse Mythology" is comprised of four main sections. The first section contains the creation myth, which is extremely confusing because it talks about brother's aunt's cousin's children from second marriages and what importance they were in those golden times. It's quite hard to understand, and I had to read it over twice to make sure I understood. The second part of the first section discusses the creation of the gods and the stories of their lives. And the last part is entitled Ragnorak, which stands for the enemies of the gods. All of this was quite interesting to read. The second section of the book talks about common popular belief. It says that our forefathers, like other heathen people, found one of the plainest proofs of the soul's independence of the body and its ability to take a hand in the affairs of living men in the nightmare and dream, as they lacked all other means of explaining those things. They therefore took it for granted that they were spirits, usually in the form of animals or men.

Did Germany Cause The World War I

When Wilhelm II became a Kaiser, paths for ever-growing German industry were already set and Germany was becoming a world’s super power. New Kaiser, who according to many historians was disturbed mentally, wanted for Germany to become greatest of all countries in Europe through growing military power ( potentially war ) and through obtaining overseas colonies, what will later on bring Germany in conflicts with other European major countries. Kaiser’s offensive foreign policy and Schliffen Plan are the facts which eliminate every suspicion about Germany being innocent in question of who caused the World War I. German foreign policy dramatically changed when Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign in 1890. After Bismarck’s resignation, Kaiser set a new course for Germany. Wilhelm II made an emphasis on militaristic and expansionist policy while he tried to â€Å"defend† Germany’s â€Å"place in the sun†. This new offensive, provocative and irrational foreign political path ruined Germany’s relations with major European countries. German militarism, which is the crime of the last fifty years, had been working for this for twenty-five years. 1] First proof of Kaiser’s bad methodology came in 1893 when he failed to renew alliance with Russia. Now, the doors for Franco-Russian alliance were opened and the Bismarck’s worst fear about encirclement of Germany in case of war, was becoming a reality. In 1894, Franco-Russian alliance was ratified. In order to prevent fighting on two fronts, German Army Chief of Staff – Alfred von Schlieffen came up with a plan. This plan was worked out in the 1890’s and completed and changed a little bit by Von Molkte in 1906. The fact that Germany worked out the plan of attack and all the other countries had just plans how to defend themselves, is the reason why Germany was sole accused for causing the war. Schlieffen planned the attack and win over France to be faster than Russian mobilization. So, Germany would attack France through Belgium with 90% of its military forces and 10% would just stay on eastern border to defend Germany against eventual Russian attack. Schlieffen underestimated French forces and that is why Germany in the end faced war on two fronts. The Schlieffen Plan must rank as one of the supreme idiocies of modern times†¦ It estricted the actions of the German government disastrously. In July 1914 they had just two choices; either to abandon the only plan they had to win the next war, or to go to war immediately. [2] Except this expansion in Europe, Kaiser desired to gain overseas colonies. To conquer countries on other continents and to later protect them, Germany needed powerful fleet. By this policy, which Bismarck avoided during his period as a chancellor, Great Britain felt offended because its navy status as the most powerful one was at stake and overseas colonies could be threatened. To justify his decisions, Kaiser said that they needed bigger and more powerful fleet to protect their growing trade. With accusations from one and bad defending arguments from another side, naval rivalry began and both countries spent millions on building their new ships. Kaiser Wilhelm II did not think about efficiency of his foreign policy; he just cared about arms build-up and improvement in navy. With this act, he insulted Great Britain and eliminated every chance for friendly relations. There is no comparison between the importance of the German navy to Germany, and the importance of our navy to us. Our navy is to us what their army is to them. To have a strong navy would increase Germany’s prestige and influence, but it is not a matter of life and death to them as it to us. [3] All these irrational moves made by Germany and Kaiser, led to making of a new alliance system Entente Cordiale ( friendly ‘getting together’ ) in 1904 between Great Britain and France. Russia joined this alliance in 1907. Not even this did make Germany to change its foreign policy. In stead of getting rational, Germany kept provoking other European powers by interfering in their or theirs colonial governments and intern issues. There was possibility of French to takeover Morocco. Germany said that they will pledge they allegiance and support Moroccan fight for independence. This conflict was solved on the conference at Algeciras in Spain where Germany sustained grave diplomatic defeat. Russia, Britain, Spain and even Italy supported the French demand to control Moroccan bank and police. In 1908, Austria-Hungary formally annexed ( took over ) Bosnia. When Russia protested against this decision – because they supported Serbia in ‘fight’ for Bosnia- , Germany supported Austria-Hungary. Since France did not want to get involved in the Balkans conflicts, they simply drew back. Britain just protested to Austria-Hungary. So, as Russia was alone with out any allies in this â€Å"battle† and did not want to engage another war after losing to a Japan – they recognized the annexation of Bosnia by Austria-Hungary. This was great win for the Austro-German alliance. In the Bosnia crisis, Germany showed for the second time that they were ready to start the war. They proved it once more, in the Agadir crisis where they needed just a little spark. When French troops occupied the capital city of Morocco in order to put down rebellion against the Sultan, it looked like the France was ready to annex Morocco. To avert this to happen, Germans sent the warship called the Panther in port of Agadir. British Prime Minister Lloyd George said that Britain is not going to just stand by and he gave warning against further German expansion. After these warnings, Panther was ‘removed’ from port of Agadir and Germany recognized French protectorate of Morocco in return for two strips of territory in French Congo. In these crises, Germans showed how prepared they were and how hard they wanted something to happen just to start the war. Germany played a more active role in the outbreak of war in that the Sarajevo assassinations served only as an excuse to re-ignite the militaristic Prussian tradition that looked towards war as a method of solving any problems, domestic or international. [4] The greatest war of modern times, and perhaps in the whole history of the human race, was begun by Germany using the crime of a schoolboy as an excuse†¦[5] The important political role Kaiser Wilhelm II played was crucial to the outbreak of war in 1914. Through a nationalistic, militaristic and expansionistic foreign policy, Germany did everything to make a mess in a diplomatic world. Germany actually created situation in which the slightest spark would explode in Europe-wide conflict. In the bottom line, Germany first invaded Belgium to get to the France in order to complete Schlieffen plan. They were rightly accused for causing all the damage and the loss to which other European countries and their people have been subjected.

Working for a Manager or a Leader

If I had to make a choice between working for a Manager and working for a Leader, I would, first of all, consider working environment. If business is stable and the company needs mostly organizational administration, then a Manager can be preferable type of the superior. Managers are perfect in organizing people to achieve the goals. They are directing the work of their subordinates according to the plans, which are already established by someone else. Managers are great in performing routine activities, as well as supervising and controlling. Managers are usually the bosses, who appreciate strict order and discipline at work, and I suppose, this is very important for successful performance. But frequently business is dynamic and rapidly developing environment, which requires making a lot of risky decisions and looking for new directions all the time. In such situation, I think, it would be preferable to work for a Leader. Unlike the Managers, the Leaders know how to set up goals, motivate the employees for achieving these goals and initiate changes. Leaders can inspire their subordinates for personal improvement, support them, help them to find own place in the sun and to break a deadlock. Finally, the subordinates became the followers, who trust and understand their Leader and are ready to do the right thing. Therefore, working for a Leader brings more job satisfaction, favors personal development and can be a good challenge for ambitious employees. Bibliography:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vikesland, G. (n.d.). Are You a Manager or a Leader? Employer-Employee. Online Information Portal. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from .

The Arrhenius Equation and Activation Energy Essays

The Arrhenius Equation and Activation Energy Essays The Arrhenius Equation and Activation Energy Paper The Arrhenius Equation and Activation Energy Paper In this lab, our task is to determine how different degrees of temperature affect reaction rates.  A Swedish chemist, named Svante Arrhenius discovered the relationship between temperature and reaction rate. In finding this relationship a new equation was formed called the Arrhenius Equation:  Reaction rate constant k = A e -Ea/RT  The factor A represents the frequency of collisions between two molecules in the proper orientation for reactions to occur. The value of A is determined by experiment and will be different for every reaction. The value of the exponential term e -Ea/RT describes the fraction of molecules with the minimum energy required to react, R is the gas constant, 8.314 J/mol-K, T is the temperature in Kelvin and Ea is the activation energy. Activation energy of a reaction is the minimum amount of energy needed to start the reactions. In order to understand and make use of this equation, we must include the Collision Theory. Collision Theory states that in order for a reaction to occur, two molecules must collide in the proper orientation and posses a minimum amount of energy to react. The Arrhenius equation accounts for all of the requirements of Collision Theory.  The Arrhenius equation can be rearranged and combined to determine the activation energy for a reaction based on how the rate constant changes with temperature: In this lab, we will be calculating the rate constants for each of the four temperatures. The four temperatures include: 23, 40, 50, and 60 degrees Celsius. After the rate constant is found for these temperatures, we will use the Arrhenius Equation to solve for Ea and A by an analytical approach. Additionally we will use a graphically approach to solve for these values. The value found for Ea analytically is 9.20 X 104 J/Mol and the value for Ea found graphically is 8.51 X 10 4 J/Mol. The difference between the two is 6873 J/Mol. The value of 9.20 X 104 J/Mol was found experimentally, while the value of 8.51 X 10 4 J/Mol was found by using experimental data to find the best-fit equation for the line. Because this was a best-fit equation done by a computer working with the experimental data a difference is expected. It should be noted that the difference of the two figures is relatively small. Conclusion: In this lab, we experimentally tested how reaction rates change with varying degrees of temperature. We tested this by measuring out specific volumes of reactants, when the final reactant was placed in the flask we started the stopwatch. We were able to time the reaction visually by the change in color, once the reactant color turned clear the reaction was over and the stopwatch was stopped. We did this four times with the variable being the temperature of the water baths that the flasks were in. The first run was done with no water bath, thus at room temperature of 23à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C and the other three runs at 40, 50 and 60à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ C. When we solved for Ea1 the value was 8.94 X102 KJ/Mol this represents the two lowest temperature and the value of Ea2 was 9.45 X 101 KJ/Mol for the two highest temperatures. Our data supports the idea that as temperature increases the rate increased, this was the true for all four runs. As with any experiment there is always a margin of error, in this case we were not working in a closed environment, and the fact that we took the flask out of the water baths before reading the final temperature occur twice which could possible provide an error. Prior to doing this lab, I have been told as well as have read that it is a clear understanding in the scientific world that a change of 10à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C will double the rate of a reaction. We tested this in this lab, and once again this understanding has been substantiated. This experiment emphasized that the Arrhenius equation is a proving powerful tool for predicting reaction rates over a wide range of temperatures. After a final analysis of our data, I feel confident that our experiment was a success. My understanding of this concept is more firmly in place than prior to this experiment. References: Moore, John W., et al. The Chemical World Concepts and Applications. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Company 1994. Silberberg, Martin S., 2000. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change. Third Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher, 2000.

USS Wasp CV-18 World War II Aircraft Carrier US Navy

USS Wasp CV-18 World War II Aircraft Carrier US Navy USS Wasp (CV-18) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier built for the US Navy. It saw extensive service in the Pacific during World War II and continued to be of service after the war until it was decommissioned in 1972. Design Construction Designed in the 1920s and early 1930s, the US Navys Lexington- and Yorktown-class aircraft carriers were intended to conform to the limitations set forth by the Washington Naval Treaty. This agreement placed restrictions on the tonnage of various types of warships as well as capped each signatorys total tonnage. These types of limitations were reaffirmed in the 1930 London Naval Treaty. As worldwide tensions increased, Japan and Italy left the treaty structure in 1936. With the collapse of the agreement, the US Navy commenced designing a new, larger type of aircraft carrier and one which drew from the lessons learned from the Yorktown-class. The resulting class was longer and wider as well as included a deck-edge elevator. This had been used earlier on USS  Wasp (CV-7). In addition to carrying a larger number of aircraft, the new design mounted a greatly enhanced anti-aircraft armament. Dubbed the Essex-class, the lead ship, USS  Essex (CV-9), was laid down in April 1941. This was followed by USS Oriskany (CV-18) which was laid down on March 18, 1942, at Bethlehem Steels Fore River Ship Yard in Quincy, MA. Over the next year and a half, the carriers hull rose on the ways. In the fall of 1942, Oriskanys name was changed to Wasp to recognize the carrier of the same name which had been torpedoed by I-19 in the Southwest Pacific. Launched on August 17, 1943, Wasp entered the water with Julia M. Walsh, daughter of Massachusetts Senator David I. Walsh, serving as sponsor. With World War II raging, workers pushed to finish the carrier and it entered commission on November 24, 1943, with Captain Clifton A. F. Sprague in command. USS Wasp (CV-18) Overview Nation: United StatesType: Aircraft CarrierShipyard: Bethlehem Steel - Fore River ShipyardLaid Down: March 18, 1942Launched: August 17, 1943Commissioned: November 24, 1943Fate: Scrapped 1973 Specifications Displacement: 27,100 tonsLength: 872 ft.Beam: 93 ft.Draft: 34 ft., 2 in.Propulsion: 8 Ãâ€" boilers, 4 Ãâ€" Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed: 33 knotsComplement: 2,600 men Armament 4 Ãâ€" twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns4 Ãâ€" single 5 inch 38 caliber guns8 Ãâ€" quadruple 40 mm 56 caliber guns46 Ãâ€" single 20 mm 78 caliber guns90-100 aircraft Entering Combat Following a shakedown cruise and alterations in the yard, Wasp conducted training in the Caribbean before departing for the Pacific in March 1944. Arriving at Pearl Harbor in early April, the carrier continued training then sailed for Majuro where it joined Vice Admiral Marc Mitschers Fast Carrier Task Force. Mounting raids against Marcus and Wake Islands to test tactics in late May, Wasp commenced operations against the Marianas the following month as its planes struck Tinian and Saipan. On June 15, aircraft from the carrier supported Allied forces as they landed in the opening actions of the Battle of Saipan. Four days later, Wasp saw action during the stunning American victory at the Battle of the Philippine Sea. On June 21, the carrier and USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) were detached to mop up fleeing Japanese forces. Though searching, they were not able to locate the departing enemy. War in the Pacific Moving north in July, Wasp attacked Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima before returning to the Marianas to launch strikes against Guam and Rota. That September, the carrier began operations against the Philippines before shifting to support the Allied landings on Peleliu. Replenishing at Manus after this campaign, Wasp and Mitschers carriers swept through the Ryukyus before raiding Formosa in early October. This done, the carriers began raids against Luzon to prepare for General Douglas MacArthurs landings on Leyte. On October 22, two days after the landings commenced, Wasp departed the area to replenish at Ulithi. Three days later, with the Battle of Leyte Gulf raging, Admiral William Bull Halsey directed the carrier to return to the area to provide assistance. Racing west, Wasp took part in the later actions of the battle before again departing for Ulithi on October 28. The remainder of the fall was spent operating against the Philippines and in mid-December, the carrier weathered a severe t yphoon. Resuming operations, Wasp supported landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon in January 1945, before taking part in a raid through the South China Sea. Steaming north in February, the carrier attacked Tokyo before turning to cover the invasion of Iwo Jima. Remaining in the area for several days, Wasps pilot provided ground support for the Marines ashore. After replenishing, the carrier returned to Japanese waters in mid-March and began raids against the home islands. Coming under frequent air attack, Wasp sustained a severe bomb hit on March 19. Conducting temporary repairs, the crew kept the ship operational for several days before it was withdrawn. Arriving at Puget Sound Navy Yard on April 13, Wasp remained inactive until mid-July. Fully repaired, Wasp steamed west July 12 and attacked Wake Island. Rejoining the Fast Carrier Task Force, it again began raids against Japan. These continued until the suspension of hostilities on August 15. Ten days later, Wasp endured a second typhoon though it sustained damage to its bow. With the end of the war, the carrier sailed for Boston where it was fitted with extra accommodations for 5,900 men. Placed in service as part of Operation Magic Carpet, Wasp sailed for Europe to aid in returning American soldiers home. With the end of this duty, it entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in February 1947. This inactivity proved brief as it moved to the New York Navy Yard the following year for an SCB-27 conversion to allow it to handle the US Navys new jet aircraft. Postwar Years Joining the Atlantic Fleet in November 1951, Wasp collided with USS Hobson five months later and sustained severe damage to its bow. Quickly repaired, the carrier spent the year in the Mediterranean and conducting training exercises in the Atlantic. Moved to the Pacific in late 1953, Wasp operated in the Far East for much of the next two years. In early 1955, it covered the evacuation of the Tachen Islands by Nationalist Chinese forces before departing for San Francisco. Entering the yard, Wasp underwent an SCB-125 conversion which saw the addition of an angled flight deck and a hurricane bow. This work was finished late that fall and the carrier resumed operations in December. Returning to the Far East in 1956, Wasp was redesignated as an antisubmarine warfare carrier on November 1. Transferring to the Atlantic, Wasp spent the rest of the decade conducting routine operations and exercises. These included forays into the Mediterranean and working with other NATO forces. After aiding a United Nations airlift in Congo during 1960, the carrier returned to normal duties. In the fall of 1963, Wasp entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization overhaul. Completed in early 1964, it conducted a European cruise later that year. Returning to the East Coast it recovered Gemini IV on June 7, 1965, at the completion of its spaceflight. Reprising this role, it recovered Geminis VI and VII that December. After delivering the spacecraft to port, Wasp departed Boston in January 1966 for exercises off Puerto Rico. Encountering severe seas, the carrier suffered structural damage and following an examination at its destination soon returned north for repairs. After these were completed, Wasp resumed normal activities before recovering Gemini IX in June 1966. In November, the carrier again fulfilled a role for NASA when it brought on board Gemini XII. Overhauled in 1967, Wasp remained in the yard until early 1968. Over the next two years, the carrier operated in the Atlantic while making some voyages to Europe and participating in NATO exercises. These types of activities continued into the early 1970s when it was decided to remove the Wasp from service. In port at Quonset Point, RI for the final months of 1971, the carrier was formally decommissioned on July 1, 1972. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, Wasp was sold for scrap on May 21, 1973. Sources DANFS: USS Wasp (CV-18)NavSource: USS Wasp (CV-18)USS Wasp Association

Learning Organizations & Effectiveness Research Paper

Learning Organizations & Effectiveness - Research Paper Example However, this does not come easily as there are important aspects that come with learning and which organizations must conform to in order to effectively adapt the learning. In this regard, it is paramount for organizations to clearly define their visions and mission statements which act as guiding principles. With statements clearly stipulated, strategic plan with a clear learning strategy should lay a foundation for effectiveness of organizational learning. Characteristics of an ideal learning organization and their observable behaviors Learning strategy: It is argued that for any organization to thrive, learning is necessary. However, learning has to be strategized in order to achieve desired objectives. Therefore, learning strategy constitutes characteristics of an ideal learning organization. Organizations are expected to endorse both learning innovation as specific goals, and learning strategy (Denton, 2002). One of the strategies is the ability for the organization to learn fa ster than other competing organizations. This is the surest way to maintain competitive advantage. To achieve this, organizations need to put learning at the top of the list of priorities (Buckler, 1996). Once learning strategy has been adopted by an organization, it is apparent that this becomes a habit, which becomes an everyday occurrence. Flexible structure: After setting learning strategies, it is vital for ideal organizations to streamline a structure that would foster learning within the organization. To affect this, organizations need to create teamwork by the formation of small, core workforce (Yang, Watkins, and Marsick, 2004). Actually, a flexible structure should dispose of traditional operations like rigid job descriptions. In fact, it is believed that flexible structure encourages cross-functional cooperation which enables organizations improve the organization’s operations. Organizations that use flexibility structure tend to reduce bureaucracy and restrictive job descriptions. Blame-free culture: It is believed that learning organization should provide an ideal climate, through which learning is prioritized and valued (Denton, 2002). When mistakes are identified, they need to be viewed as a chance to learn and perk up. In fact, it is argued that learning organizations that uphold blame-free characteristic encourage employees to experiment, and in the process, they learn from the experience and become innovative. For organizations that practice blame-free culture, learning becomes automatic. Vision: The concept of a learning organization goes hand in hand with shared vision. A shared vision is needed to overcome authoritative forces that hold up the preservation of the status quo (Denton, 2002). Besides, learning cannot occur without stipulating specific objectives of the learning. Shared vision gives an overview of organization’s commitment to achieving its objectives. An organization with a clear vision would tend to establish ov erarching goals, which forms the basis of encouraging the workforce to speak in one voice. Knowledge creation and transfer: It is apparent that in a learning organization, the concept of creation of new knowledge forms the foundation of development. Knowledge may come from several directions ranging from within the organization and outside the organization (Yang, Watkins, a

Self-Evaluation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self-Evaluation Paper - Essay Example Having learned all the above, I can confidently say that I have attained my educational goals for this course. My goals in this course were not as deep and wide as what we have already covered in this course. The course being about Academic Reading and Study Skills, I never anticipated that we would go as deep as to studying topics such as analyzing an annotation and Academic vocabularies. One of my prime goals was to formulate a plan on how I can understand written materials in a shorter time period than I was before the course. I have achieved this goal. The skills acquired in ESL 23 come in handy in academics writing and in professional work. I expect to use note-taking skills in writing core information dictated by lectures in classes. Reading skills are also vital in understanding day to day material that we read such as newspapers and comprehensively understanding questions asked during examinations. Skills acquired in this course can be effectively applied in professional work such as research writing, journalism and report writing. Here, one needs to know how to write good summaries by separation the main and minor points in writings. There were lots of things to enjoy in this course. This is directly as a result of the professionalism and friendly learning environment created by the lecturer. Students also made the lessons interactive capturing my attention during the entire class period. The efficient course system was quite good since it ensured that vital knowledge in the course content was excellently passed to students throughout the semester. The least impressive situation regarding this course was the unanticipated urgency of the time line near the end of the semester. Having learned and increased my knowledge regarding vast skills in reading and writing, there are some strategies that I need to acquit myself to more. One of these is the SQ3R strategy. This is because it needs a lot of practice

Ardiff - Regeneration of cardiff, what it offers to business Essay

Ardiff - Regeneration of cardiff, what it offers to business - Essay Example The paper will discuss how culture and heritage is developed for purpose of tourism activities. Another important area analysed is role of culture and diversity for an organization like Motorpoint arena Cardiff. The report will shed light on ethical considerations while conducting tourism activities at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff and how it affects all stakeholders. Since every business does lack challenges, the report will also examine management challenges in operating business in leisure industry. An appropriate conclusion and recommendations are also provided. Cardiff and Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Cardiff remains to be one of the most vibrant cosmopolitan European capitals that are regenerating at a fast rate in economic, social and in infrastructural development. Its location provides it the best opportunity of being accessible within a few hours from London. It is connected by train to London. Reflecting on the growth of Cardiff as capital city of Wales it has an enthralling past a nd an exciting future. It has conserved its history in the great museum and various attraction sites like Roman fortress. It is a country filled with the history of Romans, Normans and Victorians who were a great help in shaping Cardiff city. Cardiff castle and Cardiff bay which is considered as meeting place and where the city comes to rest. The city hosts several international games including inshore race and harbour festivals (Kim & Robert, 2002, pp.45-49). Motorpoint Arena Cardiff is located at the centre of Cardiff. It was usually known as Cardiff International Arena before it was bought by Motorpoint. It provides the largest exhibition space in Cardiff and has a capacity of over 7,500. Its ability to hold international events, comedy performances, sports and concerts gives it the attraction that motivates tourists into visiting it. Its location is one of its advantages in that it is located within commerce centre of Newport and a shot walking distance from the Millennium Stadi um. It is located at entrance of Wales giving it a chance to be accessed by M4 motorway. It provides all catering services including 24 hour lounge menu for hotel residents. Regeneration of Cardiff and what it offers to business Economically Cardiff city provides almost 20% of GDP of the country. Regeneration of Cardiff was due to increased demand in coal which was a necessary raw material in production of steel and iron. It has attracted foreign direct investment and hence stabilizing its economic standards. Since it is a country that conserves its history it attracts tourists into the city who come to study their culture and way of existence. They have made it possible for construction of accommodation facilities hence increasing standard of economy in the country (WTTC, 2002, np). Infrastructure development is one sector that Cardiff has invested in. This ranges from transport sector, sports and communication development. It is one of the best transport links indicating its good location for business. Location of the city close to M4 motorway and the junction improved its

Psychological Well-being and Job Performance Relationship

Psychological Well-being and Job Performance Relationship Introduction Psychological conceptions and treatments of well-being are a prominent feature of psychological literature particularly in relation to mental health from a social-psychological point of view. The fundamental questions asked in this area are arguably concerned with the way and means of understanding the psychological reactions of individuals to the stresses and challenges of modern day life activities, (Bradburn, 1969). With work being one of the major activities of life it is reasonable to surmise work will have a significant impact on mental health and that vice versa mental health will have a significant impact on a person’s performance and experience of work. With the diversity of criteria which can be used to judge mental health the psychological aspects to mental health have become increasingly important associated in human resource management literature as well organisational behaviour research because of the suggested strong relationship between an individual’s p sychological condition and job performance. Researchers such as David and Smeeding (1985) and more recently Wright and Cropanzano (2004) argue that psychological well-being in terms of happiness contributes to maximising both personal health as well as job performance in terms of organisational productivity. It is reasonable to believe that such a consideration of mental health has valuable implications in managing human resources. With links to employee motivation and job performance management and from an organisational perspective the theoretical framework offered by mental health provides a useful tool in understanding an organisation’s behaviour through reference to the psychological well-being of individuals within the organisational context. In one way then considering for example staff retention which is a key element of organisational strategies since human resources have been viewed recently as one of the most important resources for any organisation, (Torrington, Hall and Taylor (2002). Furthermore happy employees tend to be more productive and contribute more in creation and innovation activities which are crucial activities for organisations given the competitive realities of the modern business world, (Wright and Cropanzano, 2004). However currently there is no gener al agreement about the best way to measure, assess and/or evaluate people’s psychological states. Terms such as self-esteem, self adjustment in dealing with work stress have critical influences on the level of well-being. Social support at work related to psychological well-being may be said to affect productivity of employees which itself is argued to have positive effects on job control, lower job depression and generate higher productivity. Nevertheless the extent to which social support contributes to better performance remains unclear due to the complexities of psychological reactions and the processes comprising them. Discussion An important perspective on well-being originates from the social-psychological perspective which focuses on viewing well-being in both an individual and social sense. One means of conceptualising well-being is in an individual psychological manner where the subject is linked with economic models in that individuals make rational responses in changing their behaviour due to changing prices and incomes. Another traditional aspect of the subjective activity of well-being focuses on the measurement of well-being for social policy purposes which historically has been concerned with tax return, pensions, use of health care resources and work environment affairs, (David Smeeding, 1985). From this point of view there are vital implications in the sense of the psychological subject in human resource management and studies dealing with organisational behaviour since people as the essential elements performing tasks in these contexts. For example the recent broaden-and-build model has been de signed to provide relevant evidence towards explaining the possible interactive role of physiological well-being (PWB) associated with job satisfaction and job performance which demonstrates significant relationships to employee performance, (Wright and Cropanzano, 2004). This is to say illustrating the strength of the correlation between the happier an employee feeling with the more productive they are in their everyday job performance. Based on this viewpoint then human resource management approaches have aimed at building management models which draw from and benefit from PWB in order to improve an organisation’s performance in terms of quality and quantity. A principal point of consideration in this then is the environment in which people are working in as detrimental work environments pose potential health risks to individuals. Health risks can be seen in terms of the physical harm done to people’s bodies but also as having negative influences in a psychological manner including depression and stress which results in poor job performance and lowered productivity. Thus PWB suggests that a better and healthier working environment will be able to make employee feels more comfortable and happier through health gains in harm avoidance in the work place. In HRM literature environment not only includes physical environments such as machinery, organisational structure but also intangible contexts like orga nisational culture and leadership styles and these are equally as important in terms of employee well-being. Therefore Beardwell, Holden and Claydon (2004) argue that appropriate organisational structures in terms of physical power distance as well as intangible distance such as leadership style are important in contributing to employees job performance. Research suggests that long power distances result in staff at lower levels within an organisation feeling powerless and vulnerable with the consequences being they suffer stress at work since there is a lack of opportunity in expressing themselves within the decision making processes affecting them, (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 2001). Additionally the corporate environment in terms of employment contracts themselves a process of socio-economic exchange often in national contexts is particularly crucial as it defines formalised arrangements between employee and the organisation employing, (Clark, 2004). Contracts between employee and employer determine the terms and conditions of employment like security and health issues related to the job and contractual employment rights. Clark (2004) points out that the relationship between employees and management teams not only impacts on corporate performance but also influences how successful and organisation is at retaining its workforce. While Wright and Cropanzano (2004) concentrate on the psychological meaning of well-being in contributing to better job performance David and Smeeding (1985) propose that significant attention be paid to well-being from an economic perspective. Economic elements such as changing prices compared to incomes then are proposed as affecting people’s behaviours and psychological reactions. For instance research has demonstrated that higher income individuals are more likely than lower income individuals to report themselves as enjoying higher levels of happiness, (David and Smeeding, 1985). It hence is unsurprising to note that traditional human resource management approaches view performance management as enhancing individual performance by assessing past performance and rewarding improvements in terms of tangible economic benefits, (Walker, 1992). Jacques (1962) claims that every employee displays strong feeling towards to the level of payment in that such payments correspond to t he perceived values attached to the performance of tasks associated with the job. This economic model closely reflects psychological conceptions in that when employees feel they are underpaid job performance will suffer in terms of productivity and efficiency. Wright and Cropanzano’s model suggests that fair payment contributes to the happiness level of staff however it is vital to mention that the expectation of employee namely the subjectivity of well-being largely indicates different attitudes towards fairness. This is to say the employee who is paid comparably higher than others due to higher levels of education and vocational skill might feel unhappy because the pay level is still lower than the expected level. This is similar with subjective accounts of poverty of the unemployed being more a negative experience than poverty as a student dependent on their ability to adjust the reality of situations with their expectations. This corresponds with David and Smeeding’s (1985) framework on the subjectivity of well-being as a personalised experience. Recent research carried out by Gregg and Wadsworth (1999) illustrated that a good number of employee departures was due to either poorly managed expectations or ineffective induc tions into positions. This is an important point in considering psychological well-being and individual productivity as well as organisational performance illustrating that tangible economic benefits or objective conditions attached to jobs may be perceived in many different ways as a result of individual subjectivity. Wright and Hobfoll’s (2004) work linked with Wright and Cropanzano’s (2004) research in demonstrating that psychological well-being has both positive and negative influences on job performance. One such concept is that of employee burnout which refers to emotional and/or physical exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment amongst sufferers. Employees tend to feel dissatisfied due to poor task completion and personal achievement in turn. Past experiences of failure in dealing with customers for example is suggested as being one prime means of reducing motivational attitudes towards work. With people being considered as the most important resource in contributing to organisational performance then human resource management has itself been put in a critical position in strategic decision making processes. Aspects of managing human resources have become involved in a wide range of issues such as recruitment and retention related to development, reward and relationship m anagement of employees are arguably the basic HRM functions. The process of retention of workforces lays the foundation for obtaining suitably qualified employees in order to contribute in the most effective manner to achieving corporate goals in a cost-effective manner, (Foot Hook, 1999). The relationship to these HR principles of the thesis of psychological well-being in one ways shows clearly that motivation in the employee retention process as well as better performance is a principal factor determining organisational success in these areas. Also from an individual’s perspective burnout as suggested by research tends to result in ineffectiveness and failure in job performance due to a lack of energy levels in an emotional and physical sense. This leads to stress which in turn can cause ill-health both physical and mental. Similarly from the organisation’s perspective innovation levels tends to decrease which as has been argued is important in maintaining competiti ve position for companies operating in intensively competitive industries, (Maslach Jackson, 1986; Lee Ashforth, 1996). Based on this analysis and discussion of psychological well being it would appear that a useful measure is to examine the various approaches used to improve job performance and productivity at personal and organisational levels. People are motivated by different things dependent on different individual value systems and expectations. As such in order to increase well being levels among employees organisations attempt to create better working environments relying on supportive corporate cultures, effective leadership styles and the provision of accessible communication channels. An awareness that motivation does not necessarily flow from positive salary arrangements alone is necessary as often such is considered as the most effective tool in rewarding and motivating employees. Instead potential career development opportunities for employees, employee friendly working environments and supportive management methods exert strong influences on feelings of well-being among employees. For example positive rewards in a tangible way and intangible confirmations related to good performance should encourage employees to repeat the same activities since the rewarding of successful behaviour contributes to employee’s levels of self esteem. In many ways then it is fair to say that psychological processes and subjective feelings and experiences remain complex phenomena and would seem to be influenced by a range of factors such as national cultures and the effects of reference groups like families and peer groups in for example expected income levels and job status, (Mullins, 2005). The measurement of psychological well-being contributing to better performance is conditionally true yet it must be acknowledged that the methods used in research such as by Wright and Cropanzano’s (2004) exhibit and are limited by the potential problems related to subjective reactions and perceptions of job performance by employees. Conclusion Models and theories of psychological well-being are established topics in Psychology which is held as being closely linked with conceptualisations of mental health and the mental well being of individuals. The variety of psychological reactions of individuals to stress and daily life can all result in feeling of happiness, mental health or illness depending on situational factors which has effects on people’s performance at work. As a result then psychological conceptions of well-being are widely used in considering the relationship between well-being and job performance in an organisational context. Studies have demonstrated the positive effects of employee well-being on their job performance in terms of better productivity yet due to the complex psychological processes which are involved in the condition of well-being there is still a lack of definitive evidence in demonstrating to what extent psychological well-being contributes to better job performance. Such evidence is d ifficult to produce for example bearing in mind complicated human behavioural patterns and experiences in relation to work. Linked to this definitions of happiness remain unclear and is an area which requires further research along with further explorations of the reasons feeling of satisfaction and happiness with work increases productivity. However it is fair to say that better health levels in terms of psychological well being influences people in terms of motivation and attitudes toward work as well as their capacity and ability to work. The reduction of employee sickness whether major or minor due to poor working conditions and the impact this has on organisational performance is one aspect any organisation should seek to reduce and minimise as a strategic goal. References Beardwell, I., Holden, L. Claydon, T. (2004) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach 4th edition, FT Prentice Hall, London UK. Bradburn, N.M. (1969) The Structure of Psychological Well-Being, Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago. David, M. Smeeding T. (1985) Introduction, in David, M. Smeeding, T. (eds) Horizontal Equity, Uncertainty, and Economic Well-Being, National Bureau of Economic Research, Studies in Income and Wealth, Vol. 50. Foot, M. Hook, C. (1999) Introducing Human Resource Management 2nd edition, Pearson Education Limited, UK. Gregg, P. Wadsworth, J. (1999) Job Tenure 1995-98 in Gregg, P. Wadsworth (eds) The State of Working Britain, Manchester University Press, UK. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H. Johnson, D. (2001) Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources, Prentice Hall, USA. Jacques, C. (1962) Objective Measures for Pay Differentials, Harvard Business Review, January-February. Lee, R.T. Ashforth, B.E. (1996) A Meta-analytic Examination of the Correlates of the Three Dimensions of Job Burnout, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 81. Maslach, C. Jackson, S.E. (1986) Maslach Burnout Inventory 2nd edition, Consulting Psychologists Press, USA. Mullins, L.J. (2005) Management and Organisational Behaviour 7th edition, FT Prentice Hall, Harlow UK. Park, K., Wilson, M.G. Lee, M.S. (2004) Effects of Social Support at Work on Depression and Organisational Productivity, American Journal of Health Behaviour, Vol. 28 Issue 5. Torrington, D., Hall, L. Taylor, S. (2002) Human Resource Management, FT Prentice Hall, Harlow UK Walker, K.W. (1992) Human Resource Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York USA. Wright, T.A. Cropanzano, R. (2004) The Role of Psychological Well-Being in Job Performance: a Fresh Look at an Age-Old Quest, Organizational Dynamics, Vol.33 Issue 4. Wright, T.A. Hobfoll, S.E. (2004) Commitment, Psychological Well-Being, and Job Performance: An Examination of Conservation of Resources Theory and Job Burnout, Journal of Business and Management, Winter Vol.9 Issue 4.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston :: Book Report The Hot Zone

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In October of l989, Macaque monkeys, housed at the Reston Primate Quarantine Unit in Reston, Virginia, began dying from a mysterious disease at an alarming rate. The monkeys, imported from the Philippines, were to be sold as laboratory animals. Twenty-nine of a shipment of one hundred died within a month. Dan Dalgard, the veterinarian who cared for the monkeys, feared they were dying from Simian Hemorrhagic Fever, a disease lethal to monkeys but harmless to humans. Dr. Dalgard decided to enlist the aid of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) to help diagnose the case. On November 28th, Dr. Peter Jahlring of the Institute was in his lab testing a virus culture from the monkeys. Much to his horror, the blood tested positive for the deadly Ebola Zaire virus. Ebola Zaire is the most lethal of all strains of Ebola. It is so lethal that nine out of ten of its victims die. Later, the geniuses at USAMRIID found out that it wasn't Zaire, ! but a new strain of Ebola, which they named Ebola Reston. This was added to the list of strains: Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, and now, Reston. These are all level-four hot viruses. That means there are no vaccines and there are no cures for these killers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1976 Ebola climbed out of its primordial hiding place in the jungles of Africa, and in two outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan wiped out six hundred people. But the virus had never been seen outside of Africa and the consequences of having the virus in a busy suburb of Washington DC is too terrifying to contemplate. Theoretically, an airborne strain of Ebola could emerge and circle the world in about six weeks. Ebola virus victims usually "crash and bleed," a military term which literally means the virus attacks every organ of the body and transforms every part of the body into a digested slime of virus particles. A big point that Preston wanted to get across was the fact that the public thinks that the HIV virus is quite possibly the most horrible virus on Earth, when no one takes into mind the effects and death of the victims of Ebola. Preston shows how Ebola and Marburg (a close relative of Ebola) is one hundred times more contagious, one hundred times as lethal, and one hundr! ed times as fast as HIV. "Ebola does in ten days what it takes HIV ten years to accomplish," wrote Richard Preston. The virus, though, has a hard time spreading, because the

Introducing New Coke

In this case of Coca-Cola changing their well established Coke formula and introducing an new one in 1985 for the purpose of gaining more market share; the reason why such decision was made by Coke’s executives was mainly because of a series of marketing campaign conducted by their major arrival – Pepsi. During mid 1970s, Pepsi has ran a the famous â€Å"Pepsi Challenge† of blind taste tests on all the commercials to show that the majority preferred Pepsi than Coke based on its teste. By 1977, Pepsi had exceeded Coke’s market share in major restaurant chains and food stores.Under the threat of being taken over by Pepsi and losing the industrial leader position, Coke released their new formulated coke on April 23th, 1985. While the Coke’s new formula was preferred in the blind taste tests, consumers especially loyal consumers across the country had a strong and negative reaction to the fact that Coke was going to replace the original formula with thi s new. In the end, Coke had to reintroduce the original Coke under the name Coke Classic, and the new coke quickly faded away. And the once leading Pepsi during Coke’s transactional period, fell back to the second market place again.In my opinion what Coca-Cola got it wrong was that they focused too much on the taste of the Coke and neglected the emotional attachment that consumers had to the original flavour. Coca-Cola could have simply changed the direction of its campaigns by giving Coke a brand new image to attract the â€Å"new generation† if they felt they were losing market share to Pepsi in that specific consumer group because image is probably more important than taste in selling soft drink based on Pepsi’s success of their â€Å"New Generation† campaign . But if Coke was determined to change the recipe, it could probably have done it without letting anyone know.Alternatively, the new Coke could have been introduced without knocking out the origi nal Coke off the shelves. Simply adding an new flavour to the Coke family and giving consumers one more option to choose from could have resulted a better outcome, for example, Coca-Cola’s launch of Vanilla Coke. But the company considered, and rejected, planed to keep the old-formula drink in circulation under the name â€Å"original† Coke. The taste question was crucial to Coke. But what Coca-Cola executives failed to realize was that there is more to marketing soft drinks than winning taste tests.More than any other product consumers had an emotional attachment to their soft drink brand. I believe from Americans’ point of view, Coke discovered fiddling with the formula of the 99-year-old beverage was probably an assault to their patriotic pride. Here I can quote a saying from Coca-Cola’s President Donald R. Keough to summarize what Coca-Cola has learned: â€Å"We did not understand the deep emotions of so many of our customers for Coca-Cola. † I think any marketer who plans a noticeable revision of a product must consider the loyalty of its consumers and the possibility that the change will be rejected.To prevent this possibility, marketers should realize that balking at change is a customer characteristic of specific product preferences. Also, in this case, a more sophisticated qualitative and quantitative research could have been conducted and prevented Coke from this mistake. Consumers resist changes for many reasons – brand choice results from a complex set of beliefs, buyers associate products with themselves, buyers do not fit into clear segments. I think the key to all the marketers is to realize the involvement of what a product actually does for the user, and what emotional attachment that links the user to the brand.

Supply Network Design

Supply Network Design The Supply Network Perspective: A supply network perspective means setting an operation in the context of all the operations with which it interacts, some of which are its suppliers and its customers. Materials, parts, other information, ideas and sometimes people all flow through the network of customer-supplier relationships formed by all these operations. On its supply side an operation has its suppliers of parts, or information, or services. These suppliers themselves : have their own suppliers who in turn could also have suppliers, and so on.On the demand side the operation has customers. These customers might not be the final consumers of the operation's products or services; they might have their own set of customers. †¢On the supply side is a group of operations that directly supply the operation; these are often called first-tier suppliers. They are supplied by second-tier suppliers. However, some second-tier suppliers may also supply an operation directly, thus missing out a link in the network. Similarly, on the demand side of the network, ‘first-tier' customers are the main customer group for the operation.These in turn supply ‘second-tier' customers, although again the operation may at times supply second-tier customers directly. The suppliers and customers who have direct contact with an operation are called its immediate supply network, whereas all the operations which form the network of suppliers' suppliers and customers‘ customers, etc. , are called the total supply network. Homeware manufacturer supplies some of its basic products to wholesalers which supply retail outlets. However, it also supplies some retailers directly with ‘made-to-order' products.Along with the flow of goods in the network from suppliers to customers, each link in the network will feed back orders and information to its suppliers. When stocks run low, the retailers will place orders with the wholesaler or directly with the manufacturer. The wholesaler will likewise place orders with the manufacturer, which will in turn place orders with its suppliers, which will replenish their own stocks from their suppliers. It is a two-way process with goods flowing one way and information flowing the other. It is not only manufacturers that are part of a supply network.The second (service) operation, an operation which manages an enclosed shopping mall, also has suppliers and customers that themselves have their own suppliers and customers. Figure 6. 2 shows the supply network for an operation which manages an enclosed shopping mall. Why consider the whole supply network? †¢There are three important reasons for taking a supply network perspective: †¢It helps an understanding of competitiveness. Immediate customers and immediate suppliers, quite understandably, are the main concern to competitively minded companies.Yet sometimes they need to look beyond these immediate contacts to understand why custo mers and suppliers act as they do. Any operation has only two options if it wants to understand its ultimate customers' needs at the end of the network. It can rely on all the intermediate customers and customers' customers, etc. , which form the links in the network between the company and its end-customers. Alternatively, it can look beyond its immediate customer and suppliers. Relying on one's immediate network is seen as putting too much faith in someone else's judgment of things which are central to an organization's own competitive health. It helps identify significant links in the network. The key to understanding supply networks lies in identifying the parts of the network which contribute to those performance objectives valued by end-customers. Any analysis of networks must start, therefore, by understanding the downstream end of the network. After this, the upstream parts of the network which contribute most to end-customer service will need to be identified. But they will not be equally significant. For example, the important end-customers for domestic plumbing parts and appliances are the installers and service companies that deal directly with domestic consumers.They are supplied by ‘stock holders' which must have all parts in stock and deliver them fast. Suppliers of parts to the stock holders can best contribute to their end-customers' competitiveness partly by offering a short delivery lead time but mainly through dependable delivery. The key players in this example are the stock holders. The best way of winning end-customer business in this case is to give the stock holder prompt delivery which helps keep costs down while providing high availability of parts. †¢It helps focus on long-term issues. There are times when circumstances render parts of a supply network weaker than its adjacent links.A major machine breakdown, for example, or a labour dispute might disrupt a whole network. Should its immediate customers and suppliers explo it the weakness to enhance their own competitive position, or should they tolerate the problems, and hope the customer or supplier will eventually recover? A long-term supply-network view would be to weigh the relative advantages to be gained from assisting or replacing the weak link. Design decisions in supply networks †¢The supply-network view is useful because it prompts three particularly important design decisions.These are the most strategic of all the design decisions treated in this part of the book. It is necessary to understand them at this point, however, because, as well as having a particularly significant impact on the strategy of the organization, they set the context in which all other process design decisions are made. The three decisions are: †¢1- How should the network be configured? This means, first, how can an operation influence the shape which the network might take? Second, how much of the network should the operation own? This may be called the ou tsourcing, vertical integration or do-or-buy decision. 2- Where should each part of the network be located? If the home ware company builds a new factory, should it be close to its suppliers or close to its customers, or somewhere in between? This decision is called the operations location decision. †¢3-What physical capacity should each part of the network have? How large should the home war factory be? Should it expand in large-capacity steps or small ones? These types of decisions are called long-term capacity management decisions. †¢Note that all three of these decisions rely on assumptions regarding the level of future demand. The supplement to this chapter explores forecasting in more detailDeciding whether to outsource †¢Although the effect of outsourcing on the operation's performance objective is important, there are other factors that companies take into account when deciding if outsourcing an activity is a sensible option. For example, if an activity has lo ng-term strategic importance to a company, it is unlikely to outsource it. For example, a retailer might choose to keep the design and development of its web site in-house even though specialists could perform the activity at less cost because it plans to move into web-based retailing at some point in the future.Nor would a company usually outsource an activity where it had specialized skills or knowledge. For example, a company making laser printers may have built up specialized knowledge in the production of sophisticated laser drives. †¢This capability may allow it to introduce product or process innovations in the future. It would be foolish to ‘give away' such capability. After these two more strategic factors have been considered the company's operations performance can be taken into account.Obviously if its operations performance is already too superior to any potential supplier, it would be unlikely to outsource the activity. But also even if its performance was c urrently below that of potential suppliers, it may not outsource the activity if it feels that it could significantly improve its performance. Figure 6. 3 illustrates this decision logic. Outsourcing and offshoring †¢Two supply network strategies that are often confused are those of outsourcing and off-shoring Outsourcing means deciding to buy-in products or services rather than perform the activities in-house.Off-shoring means obtaining products and services from operations that are based outside one's own country. Of course, one may both outsource and offshore as illustrated in Figure 6. 4. Offshoring is very closely related to outsourcing and the motives for each may be similar. Offshoring to a lower-cost region of the world is usually done to reduce an operation’s overall costs as is outsourcing to a supplier that has greater expertise or scale or both. Critical commentary †¢In many Instances there has been fierce opposition to companies outsourcing some off the ir processes.Trade unions often point out that the only reason that outsourcing companies can do the job at lower cost is that they either reduce salaries or reduce working conditions, or both. Furthermore, they say, flexibility is only achieved by reducing job security. Employees who were once part of a large and secure corporation could find themselves as far less secure employees of a less benevolent employer with a philosophy of permanent cost-cutting. Even some proponents of outsourcing are quick to point out the problems.There can be significant obstacles, including understandable resistance from staff who find themselves ‘outsourced'. Some companies have also been guilty of ‘outsourcing a Problem' . In other words, having failed to manage a process well themselves, they ship it out rather than face up to why the process was problematic in the first place. There is also evidence that, although long-term costs can be brought down when a process is outsourced, there may be an initial period when costs rise as both sides learn how to manage the new arrangement. The Location of capacity It was reputedly Lord Sieff, one-time boss of Marks and Spencer, the UK-based retail organization, who said, ‘There are three important things in retailing – location, location and location', and any retailing operation knows exactly what he meant. Get the location wrong and it can have a significant impact on profits, or service. For example, misallocating a fire service station can slow down the average journey time of the fire crews in getting to the fires; †¢locating a factory where there is difficulty attracting labour with appropriate skills will affect the effectiveness of the factory's operations.Location decisions will usually have an effect on an operation's costs as well as its ability to serve its customers (and therefore its revenues). Also, location decisions, once taken, are difficult to undo. The costs of moving an operation can b e hugely expensive and the risks of inconveniencing customers very high. No operation wants to move very often. †¢Reasons for location decisions Not all operations can logically justify their location. Some are where they are for historical reasons. Yet even the operations that are ‘there because they're there' are implicitly making a decision not to move.Presumably their assumption is that the cost and disruption involved in changing location would outweigh any potential benefits of a new location. Two stimuli often cause organizations to change locations: changes in demand for their goods and services, and changes in supply of their inputs. Changes in demand A change in location may be prompted by customer demand shifting. For example, as garment manufacture moved to Asia, suppliers of zips, threads, etc. started to follow them. Changes in the volume of demand can also prompt relocation.To meet higher demand, an operation could expand its existing site, or choose a larg er site in another location, or keep its existing location and find a second location for an additional operation; the last two options will involve a location decision. High-visibility operations may not have the choice of expanding on the same site to meet rising demand. A dry cleaning service may attract only marginally more business by expanding an existing site because it offers a local, and therefore convenient, service. Finding a new location for an additional operation is probably its only option for expansion.Changes in supply. The other stimulus for relocation is changes in the cost, or availability, of the supply of inputs to the operation. For example, a mining or oil company will need to relocate as the minerals it is extracting become depleted. A manufacturing company might choose to relocate its operations to a part of the world where labour costs are low, because the equivalent resources (people) in its original location have become relatively expensive. Sometimes a business might choose to relocate to release funds if the value of the land it occupies is worth more than an alternative, equally good, location.The objectives of the location decision †¢The aim of the location decision is to achieve an appropriate balance between three related objectives: †¢The Spatially variable costs the operation (spatially variable means that something changes with geographical location); †¢the service the operation is able to provide to its customers; †¢the revenue potential of the operation. †¢In for-profit organizations the last two objectives are related. The assumption is that the better the service the operation can provide to its customers, the better will be its potential to attract custom and therefore generate revenue.In not-for-profit organizations, revenue potential might not be a relevant objective and so cost and customer service are often taken as the twin objectives of location. In making decisions about where to locate an operation, operations managers are concerned with minimizing spatially variable costs and maximizing revenue and customer service. Location affects both of these but not equally for all types of operation. For example, with most products, customers may not care very much where they were made. Location is unlikely to affect the operation's revenues significantly.However the costs of the operation will probably be very greatly affected by location. Services, on the other hand, often have both costs and revenues affected by location. The location decision for any operation is determined by the relative strength of supply-side and demand-side factors (see Fig. 6. 5). Location techniques Although operations managers must exercise considerable judgement in the choice of alterative locations, there are some systematic and quantitative techniques which can help the decision process.We describe two here – the weighted-score method and the centre-of-gravity method. †¢Weighted- score method The procedure involves, first of dl, identifying the criteria which will be used to evaluate the various locations. Second, it involves establishing the relative importance of each criterion and giving weighting factors to them. Third, it means raring each location according to each criterion. The scale of the score is arbitrary. In our example we shall use 0 to 100, where 0 represents the worst possible score and 100 the best. Worked example An Irish company which prints and makes specialist packaging materials for the pharmaceutical industry has decided to build a new factory somewhere in the Benelux countries so as to provide a speedy service for its customers in continental Europe. In order to choose a site it has decided to evaluate all options against a number of criteria, as follows: †¢the cost of the site; †¢the rate of local property taxation; †¢the availability of suitable skills in the local labour force; †¢the site's access to the motorwa y network; †¢the site's access to the airport; the potential of the site for future expansion. After consultation with its property agents the company identifies three sites which seem to be broadly acceptable. These are known as sites A, B and C. The company also investigates each site and draws up the weighted-score table shown in Table 6. 2. It is important to remember that the scores shown in Table 6. 2 are those which the manager has given as an indication of how each site meets the company's needs specifically. Nothing is necessarily being implied regarding any intrinsic worth of the locations. Likewise, the weightings are an indication of how important the company finds each criterion in the circumstances it finds itself. The ‘value' of a site for each criterion is then calculated by multiplying. its score by the weightings for each criterion. †¢ †¢For location A, its score for the ‘cost-of-site' criterion is 80 and the weighting of this criterion i s 4, so its value is †¢80 X 4 = 320. All these values are then summed for each site to obtain its total weighted score. †¢ †¢Table 6. 2 indicates that location C has the highest total weighted score and therefore would be the preferred choice.It is interesting to note, however, that location C has the lowest score on what is, by the company's own choice, the most important criterion – cost of the site. The high total weighted score which location C achieves in other criteria, however, outweighs this deficiency. If, on examination of this table, a company cannot accept what appears to be an inconsistency, then either the weights which have been given to each criterion, or the scores that have been allocated, do not truly 1 reflect the company's preference. ?