Separate Pasts Essay

Separate Pasts takes place during the 1950’s in Melton A. McLaurin’s small hometown, Wade, North Carolina. It is a detailed story of his boyhood in the rural South, which was a time when racism was a daily norm. McLaurin argues that racism existed unchallenged in the rural South. I found that this argument is valid due to the personal experiences that he had to face while growing up in the rural South, which he describes in great detail. McLaurin grew up with the knowledge that whites were treated very differently than blacks and not thinking anything of it. Although blacks and whites were demanded to work together in the village, he noticed that everyone played a different role based off their race. Some of the roles being, blacks always entered through the back doors of homes, hold the door open for the whites, did the laundry for the whites and were responsible for all the labor work for the whites. M cLaurin was not aware of how severe racism was at that time until he experienced it first hand with Bobo. Bobo, who was his first black friend, was not an important part of his life although they grew up together and had known him his whole life. It all started one fall Saturday afternoon when McLaurin, BoBo and six other people, white and black, started playing a pickup game. Pickup games were basketball games played between two integrated teams, regardless of race, based solely upon the skills of the individuals. As the game commenced, the basketball that was being used was known to leak air and had to be re-inflated every thirty minutes. McLaurin, Bobo, and their friend Howard went to the store, the store he worked at, to inflate the ball once they noticed it was no longer able to bounce and interfered with the game. There was a normal procedure that needed to be followed in order to inflate the ball. First, there was a needle that needed to be lubricated by being stuck it into so meone’s mouth or having someone spit on it. Next, the needle would be inserted into the small round valve where the basketball was inflated. By following those two steps it would lead to the third and last step, inflating the basketball. However, this particular time in McLaurin, Bobo and Howard’s case, they ran into a dilemma. The needle could not be inserted into the valve, no matter how many times they tried. The needle was handed over to Bobo for him to apply saliva using his mouth to try and lubricate the needle for it to be pushed into the valve. Still with no luck, McLaurin decided to take the matter into his own hands and put the needle into his mouth, convinced that his spit would get  the needle into the valve allowing them to return to the playing court. After placing the needle into his mouth, a moment of realization hit him. â€Å"A split second after placing the needle in my mouth, I was jolted by one of the most shattering emotional experiences of my young life.† (Page 37) He came to the realization that the same needle he had just placed in his mouth, was in Bobo’s mouth seconds before. â€Å"The needle in my mouth, however, had been purposely drenched with Negro spit, and that substance threatened to defile my entire being†¦It threatened me with germs which, everyone said, were common along with blacks†¦these black germs would ravish my body with unspeakable diseases, diseases from the tropics, Congo illnesses that would rot my limbs, contort my body with pain.† (Page 37) McLaurin felt that Bobo’s saliva, Negros saliva, threatened the concept of what being white meant. The more he thought about the situation, the more he became angry, upset and disgusted with himself. Its extremity caused McLaurin to feel the need to spit and gag in order to throw up any of the black saliva that might still have remained in his body. He felt as if Bobo’s black essence degraded him and made him like Bobo, black, less than human. McLaurin grew up in a village in which race and sex were so interwoven into the facts and fantasies of life, that residents instinctively understood their interrelated roles within the society. â€Å"†¦.Sexual contact between blacks and whites had been an integral part of life in the South from the time the first slaves were introduced into the region.† (Page 65) White women had to be cautious of their dress in the presence of black males because whites people feared black men would be aroused if they were to see a whi te woman in a pair of shorts. White women were also warned to â€Å"watch out for so and so†, or warned to not go places without being accompanied by elders. If a black male was to be attracted to a white woman, whites in spite of conveying the appropriate message automatically said derogatory and racist remarks. McLaurin caught interest in a girl named Charlotte Humphries who had been a schoolmate of his since the first grade. Blue eyes, blonde hair, having the complexion of a white girl, he was impressed and did not think pursuing wanting to date her would be a problem. However, regardless of his feelings, his mother disagreed and insisted that Charlotte would not be a good idea for him. McLaurin’s grandmother began to explain to him that he â€Å"just shouldn’t† pursue her, mentioning that the story behind it all goes  back a long time ago. She explained that Charlotte’s great-grandmother was someone who was a â€Å"mulatto nigra†. Some mulattos pass as white, even t hough they are not, if they are light enough and that is what happened with Charlotte’s great-grandmother. Even though Charlotte was blue eyed blond hair, McLaurin could not pursue her simply because black ancestry was in her blood. He was left â€Å"to ponder who Charlotte should date if she were white, but not white enough.† (Page 75) One summer night, McLaurin along with a gathering of boys under sixteen met in a small vacant lot behind a house where they played a modified version of softball which they played until the batters could no longer see the ball in the red twilight cast by the sun already hidden beneath the horizon. After the game ended, most players went home but McLaurin and some of the other boys decided to go to Noah Bullock’s Store, which was located across the village near the highway. At this store is where McLaurin remembered a â€Å"mean race-baiting incident† (Page 102) a murder he had witnessed a few months earlier. The shooting had occurred one late afternoon between dusk and the evening meal. A couple, Mary Lou Adams and her husband Martin, approached the store. Martin was a withdrawn man who was one of the few blacks whom the white residents feared. Mary Lou shortly realized she was in immediate danger after entering the store and slamming the screen door shut behind her with her husband pursuing her carrying a shotgun. Martin shot and stuck Mary Lou in the chest causing her to collapse on the floor creating dark splotches everyone would be able to gaze at months later. Many of Wade’s citizens saw the crime as â€Å"simply another nigger shooting, exciting but of no real consequence†. The next day, McLaurin and the other boys approached the store and sat on a nearby bench and rehashed the murder, hoping that one of the store’s customers would entertain them with another shooting. When finding out that a customer named Sam was inside the store, their fears rekindled because they had heard stories about Sam killing someone with his bare hands. The boys decided to taunt with Sam by yelling a chant inside the store saying â€Å"Nigger, nigger black as tar, stuck his head in a molasses jar, jar broke, cut his th roat, wet to hell on a Billy goat†, hoping that they could enrage Sam into causing a scene. Once they chanted, they ran for their lives thinking Sam would run after them and hurt them. Sam never chased them, in fact he never even left the stores, leaving the boys with realization that Sam was just a collective  figure of their imagination because he was black. McLaurin felt guilt for â€Å"violating the basic human dignity that my family acknowledged blacks possessed†. But more so because he had hurt Sam with the fact of his race knowing that Sam did not do anything to deserve the racist actions. (Page 109) In 1997, McLaurin lived in Wilmington, North Carolina when he decided to take a trip back to Wade, which eventually turned into an annual event. During his trip he learns that racism is still there even after all these years, just below the surface, in just about everything. â€Å"It’s in you, and it’s in me, and that’s the truth, down there inside us. That’s just the way it is.† (Page 176) Overall, I was highly convinced by Mc Laurin’s personal story where racism is shown to have been and still is a huge problem in the South. Racism began in the early years; people became accustomed to it and has unfortunately continued for many more years. Racism was a very significant theme to the narrative that he was discussing because not only did he experience it first hand, he witnessed his family and friends go through the same thing his entire childhood and adulthood. McLaurin’s argument of racism was presented very effectively with several clear examples throughout the book such as Bobo, Charlotte, and Sam. The historical value of this book is getting a first hand, inside look of how life was in the rural South from a conflicted young white’s point of view showing the segregation and racism of the time and how his implanted views on racism were changed by his positive personal experiences with blacks.

Ot Regarding Entering Canadian Market Succesfully

OPPORTUNTIES AND THREATS Regarding entering the Canadian market successfully with Douwe Egbert’s new product: Grannie Annie’s hot chocolate milk. A SWOT-analysis (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) is an analysis based on strength and weaknesses on one side, and opportunities and threats on the other side, choices are made. A SWOT-analysis can be used either internal or external. Both analyses together can be put together as a situational analysis. The outcome of this analysis can be the input of the SWOT-analysis. STRENGHTS Since there is a cold climate in Canada, the popularity of hot beverages is high compared to every other drink, leading to a high demand. – Canada’s stable economy – The good financial state of Douwe Egberts could be an advantage over the competitors. – The effective distribution strategies. – High quality product. – Good customer relationship management. – Canada-European Free Trade Associ ation Free Trade Agreement, this agreement is aimed at eliminating all tariffs on goods. WEAKNESSES – Profitability may suffer as a result of strong competition in the Canadian market. Long distribution channels (especially to Canada) OPPORTUNITIES – Outplay other coffee brands by introducing special products like Grannie Annie’s. – Extend product line with other products for non-coffee drinkers – Build new coffee houses on strategic points – Create brand loyalty by making sure customers get the experience needed from drinking Grannie Annie’s – Keep developing new products for customers – Pick clear target group. (Starbucks aims for couples age 25-54 with children, who tend to spend more on non-alcoholic beverages outdoors) –Douwe Egberts should not copy the strategy of competitor’s but create something unique. THREATS – Competition of businesses who are on the Canadian Market (Starbucks, Dunkin Donu ts, Krispy Kreme, McDonalds, Burger King). – Lack of advertisement – Changing prices in Coffee market – By only entering the market with Grannie Annie’s you probably wont get very far. – Wrong target group Developments A development of the surroundings of the costumer will eventually turn into a need that customers will most likely get to have ease and more user-friendly coffee machines, packaging and more.Next to this, sustainability is getting more and more important to customers. DE is known for their sustainability and fairness regarding coffee bean farmers. This can be used for Grannie Annie’s too, regarding Cacao farmers. Also, the sustainability of transport is important and has to be done as carefully as possible. DE Looks forward to train their own coffee and cacao farmers so that the quality can be guaranteed. Also, sustainability can be higher when DE trains own farmers.

Broken Education, Broken Future

The Broken Windows Theory, first introduced in 1982, asserts that disorder and crime are connected and that disorder can negatively impact society, leading to a high incidence rate of crimes, both misdemeanors and felonies. Through order-maintenance policing, disorder can be controlled, creating a safe and orderly atmosphere, instilling trust between law enforcement and civilians, and the crime rate can be maintained at a low rate. While there is evidence that correlation between Broken Windows policing†¦ Is Britain a broken society? Is Britain broken? Well it is a matter of opinion. I for one believe that in some aspects it is but in others it could not be better. For example, Amelia Gentleman of The Economist website recently conducted an interview with an undertaker in her town. â€Å"Since the beginning of the year, Cuthbertson (the undertaker) has presided over 20 funerals at his church in Easterhouse, in the east end of Glasgow: five of them drug-related deaths, the others triggered by lung cancers†¦ The Broken System Suffering and being neglected on a daily basis is not something someone has to ever encounter. The foster care system is failing because of all of the flaws that exist which results in the harm of bringing down innocent children. The state of Florida has been the first state to ever make all foster care privatized. While the foster care system in Florida is able to get many children adopted, many several of them also suffer from permanent health issues because of the broken system†¦ Death Penalty – Broken System Jorge Lozano Jr. ITT Tech CJ2799 - Criminology and Forensic Technology Capstone Project CJ2799 March 10, 2015 Mr. Gonzales Death Penalty – Broken System The U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court deemed that capital punishment is acceptable when the severity of the sentence was appropriate to the crime. Thirty Seven states still allow the death penalty to be carried out. The systems process is not consistent throughout the states. The states need to become†¦ do about it? When parents split up, there can be many emotions that a youth may have to deal with. These feelings, internalized or expressed, will result in certain behavior that will possibly affect to the youth’s outlook in life. Being a broken hurts! It is the collapse of a God intended design. Children can get robbed of a special experience and protection called "Family". They move on in their lives as individuals without the understanding of what familial security and bond is. They look†¦ CPS: A Broken System Jack was a happy and healthy nine-month old baby boy. He had white-blond peach fuzz growing on his round little head and bright, blue, inquisitive eyes. He was the first grandchild in his family and was adored by his parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles alike. His father, Thomas, was an extremely busy young man. He was a college student who worked full-time and an Army Reservist. When Baby Jack’s mother, Misty, went on a trip, his daddy asked her brother and his wife†¦ The class was tuning their instruments, each string one by one. While the teacher was in the midst of fixing a broken string, which seemingly never did get fully repaired, the phone rang. First once, then twice. The class got silent, as if it was a matter of life or death. Instantly, I knew it was for me. i closed my eyes, in fear that I would start to cry. The ringing stops abruptly, I can hear the mumble of the teacher 's words while on the phone upfront. Its as if my hearing became muffled, almost†¦ forces a child to grow up in a broken home, it can change the way a child feels towards one parent, they may have problems maintaining healthy relationships with people, and it may just change the way they view marriage as a whole. Personally my parents were never married but the effects of their separation on me where the same as if they were divorced. Growing up in a broken home is not a healthy way for a child to grow up. What exactly is a broken home? A broken home is a household where both†¦ questions these abnormal traits as if they are temporary, however, they are innate and therefore, cannot be changed. Cathy Davidson’s, Project Classroom Makeover, talks about how hierarchies have created a broken education system whose educational standards do not provide customized education to every student. On the other hand, Son by Andrew Solomon is about the false dichotomy of using illness to obscure identity and vice versa. Solomon’s axis of identity can be used to understand Davidson’s hierarchies†¦ take a stand against the lack of teaching going on in his class (Broderick). Across America, young people are being short changed due to a broken education system. Bliss is just one example of the shared frustration felt by students. In an interview, Jeff said one of his key points is the fact that it's not just about his education, it's about our education. "If we embrace this, I feel as if we can make a serious change and a positive change. But if we just want to ignore and push this to the side†¦

Analysis of the Theme for English B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis of the Theme for English B - Essay Example In similar situation where blacks were discriminated to a great extent, Hughes kept his spirit high for studying in good academic institutes, and moving on, and presently is studying in a college where all his fellows are white, and he is the only black in his class. The poet describes a day where the instructor asked the class to write a page on what the inner feel of the students is, as stated in the stanza as below: This is a clear depiction of how open ended the question was from the instructor, trying to understand what the students felt, and thought and to see their insight on things. The writer always had strong feelings about the issues related to racism, and therefore, had no option but to write on the same topic; the discriminatory feeling and the thoughts, all came out on that single paper, where by the writer illustrated the ideas associated with discrimination, feelings, experience, grudges, and finally, realizing the fact of equality. In clear terms, the writer stated that America is about equality to all, and no matter how much is disliked by black and/or the white, they are a part of each other since they are part of America. Towards the end, in a sorrow tone, the writer states that yesno matter how harsh it is but the fact remains that whites do have an edge over the blacks as he states: I guess you learn from me--- although you're older---and white--- and somewhat more free. 3. Research Question The underlying research questions for this analysis are as follows: i. What tone has been used in the poem and how is it justified ii. What role does the persona's sense of his race play in what he has to say about his paper iii. How does this persona seem to feel about education in general 4. Methodology The methodology adapted for this research includes primary and secondary research. Primary research constitutes reading the original poem and coming up with analysis of what I feel the writer is stating. Secondary research, on the contrary, implies that the existing research about the subject matter is studied, like books and articles. 5. Analysis & Discussion This section presents in-depth analysis and discussion about the poem. 5.1 A Generic Analysis of the Poem In Hughes' poem under consideration for this research, i.e. Theme for English B. there is heavy weight-age assigned to elements of literature such as the characters, the plot, the tone, symbolic representations, themes, view points, and the scenario set-up. The plot seems highly structured as it provides in depth background details, and is seamlessly associated to the scenario described as stated by the poet: "I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem." This is a clear indication of the time period and the growing mode as the time moves on. The scenario setting initiates similar to the scenario whereby a student is direct to go

Locally Produced Goods Versus Imported Goods Essay

Locally Produced Goods Versus Imported Goods - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that modern days have seen the transportation and use of goods irrespective of their geographical locations. This trend is most of the time attributed to the freedom of mobility as a result of globalization and technological advancements. Thus, sometimes, goods which are imported become cheaper and of better quality than the locally produced ones. Along with this trend, there arises the controversy whether it is right to give priority to imported goods over the locally produced ones on the basis of price and quality. Though the trend seems harmless at the first sight, history proves that this practice will have a number of negative effects. Studies show that locally produced goods are better than imported goods due to many reasons. Firstly, the imported goods do not offer cheap rates over long time. So, if there is more reliance on imported products, the local production will disappear. This will allow foreign companies and nations to have to tal monopoly over the product. They may utilize this situation to exploit the consumers through increased price or reduced quality. This will have a serious impact on the security of any nation. Secondly, when there is higher reliance on imported goods, the local producers will have to stop production. This will affect the local economy at both macro and micro level. Thus, profit on one side is loss on the other. Also, it becomes evident that the plants and animals of a particular place are best suited to the local environment. So, for the inhabitants of that place, consuming the locally available things is the best way for survival in that area. Moreover, it becomes evident that this practice has a devastating effect on culture. A culture is called a culture for various reasons ranging from food habits, specific rites and ritual, a specific dress code, art, and language. So, deviating from any of these for financial gains will lead to a dilution in the culture as has seen around th e world. In addition, there are humanitarian issues too. As noticed, most of the mass produced cheap products are the result of considerable levels of exploitation. In nations like China, which are known for cheap production, workers are deprived of even basic salaries and proper sleep. Furthermore, there are both health issues and environmental issues to be explored. Mass production like industrial farming requires heavy use of pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers. In addition, the mass-produced products require preservation and transportation. The workers who work in such farms will have to face serious health problems. Also, preservation and transportation involve use of preservatives, and waste of energy. Also, when there is mass production, there is large-scale pollution, exploitation of natural resources, and contaminate of natural resources. When this happens, many locally available varieties are ignored. Thus, over time, there will be the loss of many important varietie s due to this craze for profit. This will, in turn affect the ecology as a whole. Modern days have seen an increasing exchange of goods irrespective of geographic proximity as a result of improvements in communication and transportation. Thus, people use local and import products in their everyday lives even without being aware about the same. This change came along with a controversy regarding the effects of this change. As multinational retailer giants launched their units in countries like China, people witnessed a rising conflict between regional sentiments and globalization. Thus, presently, there is the question whether one should go for locally produced goods or imported goods.

Forensic Analysis of Soil Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Forensic Analysis of Soil - Assignment Example Soils develop on these accumulated sediments because of physical and chemical weathering. The characteristic of the uniqueness of the soil such as horizon that has unique physical and chemical properties, color, structure, and texture are the common features that and in forensic analysis. Techniques currently used to characterize soil samples rely on either physical descriptors such as color, density gradient, particle size determination, and microscopy or chemical analysis chemical analysis such as elemental composition. However, these characterization techniques are not adequately capable of investigating organic compounds present in the soil. On the other hand, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technique involves collecting a range of soil sample that has already undergone oxidative pyrolysis hence all organic have been degraded. This spectrum is spectrum is subtracted from the spectrum of the same sample that contains the organic prior to pyrolysis. The result IR spectrum represents the organic portion of the sample. Samples of soil collected from within the agriculture site where the murder scene is committed to the victim. After soil samples are collected from the surface to 3.4 below, the sample from the scene is compared with various color layers of different places several miles from the ‘agricultural site’ of the scene. Each sample is compared to every color in the Munsell Color Chart and is assigned a Munsell value. A second examiner later confirms each color assignment. The assigned values help to indicate the soil color both before and after pyrolysis is similar within the ‘agricultural site’. Color is a useful tool to distinguish soils that do not share a common color to show that they do not have a common source. Lastly, those soil samples that cannot be distinguished using color are submitted to a more rigorous analysis to eliminate common provenance.

History of Vitamins Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Vitamins - Term Paper Example form cities and spared the nomadic lifestyle in which they served as hunter gatherers, they started to grow crops and increase their knowledge of agriculture. The ancient Sumeria scribes soon noticed that one’s health is greatly affected by the food one consumes. The shaman priests of the preceding tribes were primarily aware of this fact already when the scribes of Sumeria began to unravel the nutritious secrets of food. However, the nutritious value of food was not studied in quite detail until the city states of Babylon and Mesopotamia took their turn. These states studied food and recorded the nutritious value of individual food components upon tablets made of clay. It is quite unfortunate that most of these early clay tablets have either not managed to survive over the course of centuries or else, have been covered up by tons of sands in the desert areas. People of the ancient Egypt new some foods that could be consumed with the intention of improving one’s vision in the night. Thus, it can be said that the history of vitamins had born long ago, but the original insights could not be maintained or improved over the centuries. Practical advances in the field of medicine and nutrition were made by the ancient Romans, Greeks as well as Arabs, but their knowledge to prevent the diseases from occurring was limited. They had placed their main emphasis upon the curing process only after the illness’s symptoms would begin to show up. The work of early herbalists was often looked at with immense suspicion and the preventive potions suggested by them were largely refuted by the public in general. Ancient people would think of the early herbalists as witches and wizards. People of Europe adopted an even more outrageous approach towards the herbalists because of the fact that the Church was in general not supportive of the discussion of science and would primarily think of it as extremely precarious blasphemy. Therefore, millions of people in need of vitamins of

Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies Personal Statement - 1

Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies - Personal Statement Example I worked as teaching assistant from the middle of 2008 until King Saud University awarded me scholarship to pursue higher education through my master degree in the U.S. with a bachelor degree in Business Administrative in Quantitative Methods as a theoretical background. As I was reviewing the University of South Florida’s (USF) program for the Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies (MS EAT), I was impressed with the profile of consolidating â€Å"Entrepreneurship education and training into a single interdisciplinary program† (MS EAT, par. 2). My academic background has provided the impetus for a strong drive to learn entrepreneurial and leadership skills that would be enhanced through your course modules focusing on new venture formation, product development and the design and application of strategies to global organizations. I am keen on honing my analytical, decision-making, interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, among others. The multidisciplinary approach offered by USF would provide the essential theoretical orientation to entrepreneurship, as well as relevant applications required in contemporary global organizations. It has been my profound desire to apply what I would learn in Saudi Arabia as an instrumental promoter of new enterprises and a proactive collaborator of entrepreneurial skills that would spur economic development and professionalism in this field of endeavor. It has always been a passion to delve into personal and professional growth, not only for one’s benefit, but more so to the organization and community where I would be an instrumental part of, and to the country that I envision to give honor as honor is

Cultural Challenges in International Project Management Illustrated by Research Paper

Cultural Challenges in International Project Management Illustrated by Comparing Germany and the United States of America - Research Paper Example The first step in any cultural study is to attempt to define what exactly is culture. Due to the varied and basic intangible nature and the existing dissimilarities in the world’s cultures, it is a very difficult task to correctly define culture.There are over 300 widely accepted definitions of culture, with prominent researchers like Taylor, Down, Hofstede providing their own versions. All of these definitions contain some similar elements which h can be grouped together to form an encompassing idea of what a culture is. Sennara and Hartman describe culture assets of shared beliefs, attitudes, values and ideas which make up the core essence of a culture and are accepted by the majority of the population. These shared values then further become a part of the accepted behavior concerning family, social culture, law and other noticeable areas. There are three determinants of any culture - Human Nature which his universal and refers to biological and physiological needs, Cultural traits which are distinct for every nation and formed through traditions and history and personality which differs for every individual and may not be in direct complement to the cultural traits.The culture is also the major influence in determining the ‘work culture’ and ethics of the nation and the reason why organizations place so much importance on understanding the culture as a whole. From the management perspective, Mario Eberlein divides known culture into the three levels of National, Organizational, professional level.

Database Design Process Project (Preparation) Essay

Database Design Process Project (Preparation) - Essay Example Moreover, it offers specific built-in templates that facilitate the users to choose well suited ERD template according to the needs and requirements of the projects. Once a template has been selected by the user, the shapes (entities, relationships, category, etc.) can be drawn by just pick and drop method. The entity represents a table of a database and the relationship shape represents the relation between two tables which can be one to one, one to many, etc. After dragging an entity to the drawing board, the user can add an entity / table name, diverse columns and their names according to the requirements of the table, the data types of the created columns, selection of primary key, check / tick if a particular column must have a value and the column referred to as the foreign key (if any). In this way, the user can add several entities / tables as per the requirements of the database design under development. After adding all the entities to the drawing board, the user can add re lationships between the entities by relating the primary key with foreign key and this can be done by dragging the particular shapes. Moreover, the MS Visio provides the functionalities to add triggers, indexes and notes on entities and their relationships. When the users are done with creating the entity relationship diagram, the file can be saved in .vsd format in the hard drive of the PC / laptop; moreover, the saved file can be edited or updated when required. The MS Visio offers the functionality of viewing the complete diagram, page setup and printing the diagram (Sethi, 2006). It is required for the Riordan Manufacturing Virtual Organization to develop policies, guidelines, standards and practices to put in place for the use of the MS Visio. I would suggest the organization to use the conventional standards of ERD elements to represent an entity there should be a rectangular shape along with one row having the entity name and one rectangular shape should only represent one en tity. The primary key of the entity should be represented by a key symbol, the relationships between the entities should be represented with dotted lines and the color of the foreign key attribute should be red. Furthermore, the overall ER diagram should be easy to understand and precise to conceive by everyone, therefore, it is recommended that the users should add proper notes that would assist and aid the users to understand the diagram completely. It is pertinent to mention here that the MS Visio offers the same template to develop ER diagrams. The practices and guidelines for naming convention of the tables and attributes should be clarified to the employees and users of the MS Visio in the virtual organization. I would suggest to the management of the organization that the table / entity name should always start with ‘tbl’ characters, for example the entity name ‘tblCustomer’ i-e the entity or table having the information of the customer. The pre-char acters of the attribute name should be understandable having first character of the table name and capital characters like the attribute name ‘cFName’ can be read as the first name of the customer. The employees of the virtual organization should be given proper training on the guidelines, standards and practices for using the MS Visio to develop the ER diagrams. The employees should be guided on saving the file names and should have

Quitting Cigarettes Essay Example for Free

Quitting Cigarettes Essay Are you a smoker? Do you know anyone who smokes and struggles with quitting smoking? I am credible to explain the process of quitting the bad habit of smoking because I myself was a smoker for five years and quit â€Å"cold turkey.† The first thing you must acknowledge when deciding to quit smoking is to quit for your own good and not for your girlfriend or your parents. The second step would be to rethink the advantages and disadvantages of smoking. At last, the final step to quitting smoking is to stay strong and consistent to your decision. The basic step of quitting smoking is recognizing the fact that you want to quit. You should never force yourself to do something you don’t want to or not ready for. If the reason you you’re trying to quit is because your girlfriend is asking you too, then it will not last very long until she gets you ticked off and you’ll start smoking again. Same concept with anyone else such as your parents or even your friends, the moment someone gets on your bad side you’ll be doing the same thing you were. I know, because I have experienced trying to quit for the satisfaction of my ex-girlfriend and it didn’t work, the moment we broke up I began smoking again. So it is extremely important that you quit for your own self and not one else’s. The next important step is to think about the advantages of smoking. You get to relax for a few minutes, take a few drags, get a slight head change for a moment and take some stress off your mind. Now think of the disadvantages of smoking cigarettes. Your body health is endangered with chances of different kinds of cancers and diseases. Your immune system is lowered and you risk of getting sick more often. You spend a huge amount of money on packs of cigarettes a month, which you could use to pay some bills or get something nice to eat. The money you will later be spending in life on health bills, for doctor visits for your bad health conditions cigarettes put you through. You’re always easily tempered because of lack of nicotine in your body, causing stress on your mind and body. If you think about comparing the advantages and disadvantages of smoking it will be easier for you to quit. The final step of quitting smoking isn’t so easy if you have been smoking for a long period of time. Remember last time you tried quitting smoking what made you to start again? Was it the alcohol you consumed that made you crave a cigarette so much or did someone get you upset? The fact is you must learn to control your actions and to be able to say â€Å"no† to the things you know you shouldn’t do. If you stay consistent with telling yourself you don’t want or need the harmful cancer stick, eventually will get easier. The more days you stay strong to resist the craving, the easier it gets further into the future. Also replacing your bad habits with better ones is also a great way to stay away from the harmful ones. Quitting smoking seams like an easy process to those whom never have been hooked on smoking. When I was younger I didn’t understand what addiction of smoking was until I tried quitting many times. It took me many tries until I figured out the process to quit smoking. The first step is to quit for you and not for anyone else. The second step is to compare the advantages to the disadvantages of smoking and keep in mind that there are so many more disadvantages to  smoking then the advantages. The last step is to stay consistent with your good choice decision and stay away from the bad habit. Good luck to you!

Ulysses S. Grant Essay Example for Free

Ulysses S. Grant Essay Ulysses S. Grant, an army General and the 18th president of the United States of America is considered one of the greatest war strategists and generals in American history. His rise to fame was brought about by his successful exploits and exceptional military leadership serving as a Union General in the Civil War. Most notable of which are the decisive wins in the battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and the siege of Petersburg which eventually led to the Confederacys surrender. But while his contemporaries hold him to the highest regard as a military leader, the same could not be said about his presidency. Political leadership proved to be unsuitable for him, and while his dignity was said to be unquestionable, his presidency is severely criticized and condemned due to rampant corruption and perceived inadequacy. Grant was baptized Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio on April 27, 1822, the eldest in a brood of six. He came from a family which Grant (2002) proudly asserts as all-American: â€Å"My family is American, and has been for generations, in all its branches, direct and collateral† (p. 12). His parents were Jesse Root Grant, a tannery and farmland owner, and Hannah Simpson Grant, a frontier woman (McFeely, 1981). Grants family relocated to Georgetown in 1823, where he started his formal education—this place was to be his home until his seventeenth year, before he goes off to West Point. He attended the school of Richardson and Rand in Maysville, Kentucky, then the Presbyterian Academy, a private school in Ripley, Ohio. (Grant, 2002) Grant (2002) found his childhood â€Å"uneventful† (p. 17) and professed no inclination towards his studies. He did show exceptional equestrian skills and was noted for his diligence. With his skills, he was put in charge of doing any work that required proficiency with horses—tilling land, hauling wood, plowing and furrowing the land, etc. His lack of business skills (an issue which would later on figure significantly in his life) was evinced in one situation when the eight year-old Grant was given some money by his father to buy a colt, with the instruction of bargaining with the owner. Grant said to him: â€Å"Papa says I may offer you twenty dollars for the colt, but if you won’t take that, I am to offer twenty-two and a half, and if you won’t take that, to give you twenty-five† (Grant, 2002, p. 20). Needless to say, the owner got the colt full price. At age seventeen, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a registration mistake made by the appointing congressman omitted Hiram from his name and added Simpson, his mothers maiden name. Grant, however, did not correct the mistake, and he has been known by that name ever since. Grant was an average student, graduating 21st in a class of 39 (McFeely, 1981). He did not care to have a career in the military (he wanted instead to teach) and saw his West Point appointment as just another opportunity to travel, he said: â€Å"A military life had no charms for me, and I had not the faintest idea of staying in the army even if I should be graduated, which I did not expect† (Grant, 2002, p. 26). After graduation he was stationed in St. Louis, Missouri where he met and and pursued Julia Dent. They later married in 1848 (McFeely, 1981). During the outbreak of the Mexican War, grant fought his first battles under Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, where he took part in important offensive missions. After the war, he went back to St. Louis, Missouri to tend to his family and establish several business and farming ventures (Grant, 2002). However, even with the help from relatives and friends, his business endeavors failed (due in part to his less than adequate business skills) and he faced great financial difficulties (McFeely, 1981). Grant then moved back to work in Galena, Illinois when his father offered his a clerical position at his store (Grant, 2002). When the south broke away from the Union, signaling the start of the Civil War, Grant decided to fight under the Union banner. He gathered volunteers to Springfield and enlisted his services to the government. As a colonel, he successfully took control of an unruly volunteer regiment and was promoted to brigadier general. He proved to be a great military leader and went on to lead many successful campaigns. His skill as a military strategist and tactician earned him the respect of his contemporaries and made him a household name. (McFeely, 1981) He fought on to lead the Union in a series of decisive victories—battles in Belmont, Fort Donelson, Fort Henry—and became the commander of the Union army. When asked about his terms of accepting surrender, his reply was â€Å"no terms, except an unconditional and immediate surrender† (McFeely, 1981, 135). This, as well as the unconditional surrender of more than 14,000 confederacy soldiers at Donelson earned him the nickname â€Å"Unconditional Surrender Grant† (McFeely, 1981, 135). He also launched an exhaustive and grueling campaign to wear out and capture the Confederate forces. This culminated in the siege of Petersburg which forced General Robert E. Lee to flee and eventually surrender his army at Appomattox Court House (McFeely, 1981). After the war, he was nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidential elections and won, although he was reluctant to accept the post. After learning of his victory, he told his wife: I am afraid I am elected (Goode, 1999, p. 18). He entered the White House at age 46, the youngest president in American history. He took part in many notable policies, especially those that aim to reduce national debt and re-establish public credit (Hesseltine, 1935). The reconstruction of southern states were also facilitated under his reign. However, corruption was so widespread in the administration that it overshadowed everything—it even came to be called as â€Å"Grantism† (Goode, 1999), which was regarded by many â€Å"unfair† considering Grant himself didnt take part in the corruption (Skidmore, 2005). Grant was also criticized for his passivity and for his haphazard appointment of officials. Many, if not most of the people under him, even those he appointed were involved in numerous scandals and for exploiting the governments coffers (Hesseltine, 1935 and Goode, 1999). After his presidency, Grant was only relieved to leave the politicians life—â€Å"I certainly never had any taste for political life (Goode, 1999, p. 18) he confessed. He retired and lived a comfortable life with his wife in New York, until he was diagnosed with throat cancer. He has completed written his Memoirs a few days after his death and it remains one of the most popular presidential autobiographies in history. When grant died in 1885, fire bells rang throughout the country, however, â€Å"it was for Grant the soldier that they rang, not for Grant the president† (Goode, 1999, p. 19). References Grant, U. S. (2002). Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation. Goode, S. (1999, July). Ulysses S. Grant: The Unheroic Hero. World and I, 14, 16-19. Hesseltine, W. B. (1935). Ulysses S. Grant: Politician. New York: Dodd, Mead Company. McFeely, W. S. (1981). Grant: A Biography. New York : Norton. Skidmore, M. J. (2005). The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant: A Reconsideration. White House Studies, 5, 255-265.

The Pestel Framework Categorizes Environmental Influences Commerce Essay

The Pestel Framework Categorizes Environmental Influences Commerce Essay The PESTEL framework categorizes environmental influences into six main forms: political, economic, social technological environmental and legal. Where by the politics highlight the role of government; economic refers to macroeconomic factor such as exchange rates, and discrepancy economic growth rates around the world; social influences include changing culture and demographics; technological such as internet; environmental issues such as pollution and waste; and finally legal embraces legislative constraints. The Western European brewing industry is highly penetrated; The PESTEL framework can be used to help identify the key forces that are driving the change in the market. Political Factors might be the dynamic operation of European government against drunken driving, binge drinking, and consequently long term health and fitness problems. These campaigns have the potential to push for law changes surrounding what alcohol can be bought in restaurants, pubs, bars and retail outlets. Decrease in the consumption of beer in Europe as many traditional key markets have increased awareness of the social problems associated with alcohol drinking. Economic Economic recession in 2009 has also lead to an effect on beer sales mainly in the United Kingdom where an estimate of 50 pubs closed per week due to downturn. Beer consumption per capita varies broadly among countries, for example being four times higher in Germany than in Italy. Example in table 1 comparing year 1980 to 2000 the consumption of beer has increased from 3534000 hectoliters to 6453000 hectoliters which is approximately 82.60%. Social Lifestyle in emerging market has changed due to the increase in the availability of disposable income, leading to an increase in beer consumption. The new trends like wines, non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers and fruit flavored beers will adversely affect the consumption of beers. Education and health; there is an increasing awareness of the effect of alcohol on health and fitness. Particularly in the United Kingdom there is increasing hostility to so called binge drinking excessive alcohol consumption in pubs and clubs. Technological Rate of technological change; as seen in the Anheuser Busch InBev (Belgium) company that efficient advantages will come from more central management of purchasing, together with media and IT from the optimization of its hereditary network of breweries and from the distribution of finest practices across sites internationally. Innovation of new products; the case witnesses that the introduction of higher priced premium products such as non alcoholic beers, extra cold lagers or fruit flavored beers has led to increase in sales. Environmental Pollution; population are getting more and more alert of the environment and it is essential that the companies do everything to avoid environmental pollution. It is important that the environmental load through the brewing development is as low as possible. Waste and recycling; reusability and recycling is significant, the brewing industry for instance treats their effluents so that they can use it again for irrigation. Through this they save power and lessen sludge disposal. Legal International law; when comparing Europe with the United States we have witnessed that in America it is prohibited to drink in public places comparing to Europe where one can drink alcohol wherever they want. This could lead to new laws that restrict drinking in the public places. Acquisition, licensing and strategic alliance have all take place as an important brewers conflict to control the market. For example in 2004, Belgian brewery Interbrew merged with Am Bev, the Brazilian brewer group to create the largest brewer in the world. A five forces analysis The five forces study was originally developed by Michael Porter in 1990, as a way of assessing the attractiveness of different industries or sectors in terms of competitive forces. The five forces constitute an industrys structure, although initially developed with businesses in mind the industry structure analysis with the five forces framework is of value to most of the organizations. As well as assessing the attractiveness of the brewing industry the five forces can assist set an agenda for action on the range of areas that they identify. The five forces are: Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Competitive rivalry POTENTIAL ENTRANTS COMPETITIVE RIVALRY Threat of entry Threat of substitutes Bargaining power Bargaining power SUPPLIERS BUYERS SUBSTITUTES FIG 1 THE FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK Threat of substitutes The threat of substitute is high because there is an availability of wine, fruit flavored beer and also extra cold lagers. From table 1 and 2 in the case study we can witness the negative effect of the substitute on beer; taking an example of Denmark table 1 shows a decline in the beer consumption and in table 2 shows increase in the importation of exotic beers from overseas. Threat of new entrants Threat of entry depends on the degree and height of barriers to entry; barriers of entry are factors that need to be defeated by new entrants if they are to battle effectively. According to the case the threat of new entrants is very low because the industry is highly penetrated and mergers taking place, also there are global pressures for consolidation which sustain their competitive position in the industry. There are very few big brewery companies which makes them dominate the market, so for a new entrant would be hard to have that financial effort. Bargaining power of buyers Customers of course are necessary for the survival of any business, but sometimes consumers can have such high bargaining power that their suppliers barely make any profits. The bargaining authority is high due to the supervision campaign strongly against drunken driving, and binge drinking which has led to an increase in off trade (retail) than on trade (beer consumption in pubs or restaurant). The off trade is increasingly more conquered by big supermarket chains such as Tesco and Carrefour which gives them the bargaining power. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are those who supply the organization with what it needs to produce the product or service. The main purchasing costs are wrapping, raw material such as barley and power. The case shows that the bargaining power of supplier in packaging is high due to the availability of only three can makers and shifting cost from one can maker to the other could be high either in terms of money or even technology. Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry is are businesses with same products and services aimed at the same customer group. The competitive rivalry in the brewing industry is very high because almost all companies have the same product/ product differentiation is low, high rate of acquisitions, alliances and strategic alliance and also consolidation due to over capacity within the industry. Conclusion With regard to the PESTEL analysis and the Porters five forces analysis I conclude that in order to sustain the competitive position and market share in the brewing industry, one should acquire, license or strategic alliance with an existing company could be small, medium or already a large company. Question 2 Anheuser-Busch InBev [Belgium] A-B InBev is the largest brewer in the world; it achieved this position when InBev acquired the leading American brewer Anheuser Busch for 52bn. The company now has nearly 300 brands and approximate 50% share of the US market and owns 50% of Mexicos leading brewers. The company is frank about the approach to renovate itself from the biggest brewing company to the best. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Largest brewer in the world Inherited network of breweries Strong financial power The merger of Belgian Interbrew and Brazilian Am Bev in 2004 The companys strategy to transform itself from the biggest to the best by: Building strong global brands Increase competence through more central management of purchasing including median and IT. Greene King [United Kingdom] Greene King is now the largest domestic British brewer, which was established in 1799. It has expanded through a series of acquisition including Ruddles [1995], Morland [1999] and Hardys and Hansons [2006]. STRENGTH WEAKNESS Brew high quality beer from an efficient single site. Medium size brewing company Focused brand portfolio which is minimizing the complexity and cost of a multi brand strategy. Less financial power 2000 pubs across the UK with a particular dominant position in its home region of East Anglia. Expansion through acquisition, which led to critics calling the company greedy king. Tsingtao [China] Tsingtao brewery was found in 1903 by German settlers in China, after state ownership under communism Tsingtao was privatized in the early 1990s and listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 1993. Tsingtao has 13% market share of its home country, the company has described its ambition thus; to promote the continuous growth of the sales volume and income to step forward the target of becoming an international great company. STRENGTH WEAKNESS It is the Chinese brand leader in United States Small brewing company Its now sold in more than 62 countries. Less financial power Almost 50% of exports Home market share is very low {13%} A bottle of Tsingtao appeared in the 1982 science fiction film blade Ronner. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBILIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 2) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 45) REFERENCE www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/74880013?width=360 www.studymode.com www.writemypapers.org Question1 Strategic capabilities refer to the adequacy and suitability of the resources and competences of an organization for it to survive and prosper. The framework used to analyze the strategic capabilities is the VRIO framework; the acronym stands for four questions that need answering to determine the competitive potential of an organizations resources or capabilities: the question of Value, Rarity, Inimitability [easy/difficult to imitate] and Organization [ability to exploit the resources]. Dysons has value because of being distinctive from the customer; the distinctive factor is built upon the innovative products like bag less vacuum cleaners to energy efficient and time efficient hand dryers for public places to desk fan with no blades. Dysons believes in patent to protect its differentiated but that doesnt mean competitors dont try to imitate, within Dysons vacuums there is patented Ball technology for improved maneuverability. Dysons products are rare because even after the competitors trying to imitate the vacuum cleaners they arent able to make an exact copy of it. Example the Dysons vacuum and Hoover USA; Dysons colors are usually bright and it does launch exclusive editions based on novel colors while Hoover USA wind tunnel vacuums are available in fresh colors. The inimitability in Dysons is very difficult because it believes that the combination of design engineering and manufacturing is crucial in developing the most inimitable competences which could be protected through patents. The business is organized to fully exploit its competitive advantage; like in their UK headquarter access to the building and then subsequent area is via thumb print and even then some areas are out of bounds. They have even developed their own sound absorbing panels to ensure that conversations can be kept serious. Question 2 Competitors, especially in this area could imitate several capabilities of the Dysons company are: Technology and design [color, durability, and packaging]: Dysons follow a superior design result; in order to provide legitimate competition for Dyson, the competitors will have to hire superior engineer designers and also focus much on innovation. Cost efficiency: its possible for competitors to copy the relocation strategy; by moving the manufacturing plant to a cheap labor country like china rather than producing in home country with high cost. By adopting the cost efficient strategy the completion would increase because competitors like Miele and Excel Dryer Corporation will be having a competitive price as Dyson. Product features: Competitors are already trying to imitate these products with the USA wind tunnel vacuums and Mjele swivel head vacuums; however, the patent Dysons has placed on their products prevents other companies from outright stealing their ideas. Question 3 Threshold capabilities are capabilities needed for businesses to meet the basic necessities to compete in a given market. These could be threshold resources required to meet minimum requirements of its customers and threshold competences required to deploy resources so as to meet customers requirements and support particular strategies. The distinctive capabilities which may overtime become a threshold capability are: Engineering design is like an identity of Dysons products and which makes them distinctive in the market. With time engineering design which is currently a distinctive capability could become one of the most necessary capabilities in order to survive in the market. The existence of Dyson in the market is due to the strength of innovative high quality design and engineering of their products which is due to having highly specialized engineers and the updated technology. It is a product engineering that takes centre stage on the company website and generally in all company communication. Low cost manufacturing; currently it gives James Dyson a distinctive capability and a high profit margin but with time as the competition is increasing low manufacturing cost will become a threshold capability in order to survive in the market. Innovation; the company is obvious in its desires to promote the idea that a Dyson product means new, different, and a radical change; a Dyson product whether vacuum or washing machine is an innovation that the bright colors help these clever product stand out from the crowd. It is witnessed in the case that Dyson has been the starting point of the product and then follows the competitors; due to the quality and differentiated factor the consumers are ready to buy Dysons products at a high price. One main factor which is maintaining Dysons primary conceit is the improvement of a design which will clearly be threshold capability overtime. Question 4 With regard to answers to question 1 and 2, Sir James Dyson seems to be very serious with the companys future. The strategic capabilities are maintained strongly and those capabilities which a competitor could imitate are not easily given a chance, the competitor has to really put in effort to try imitating Sir James Dysons products. The effect of completely leaving or selling the company will be much more on the negative side because mainly the customers who value his innovation wont get the innovative products anymore and even if they it do it wont be Sir James Dysons standard. It is witnessed in the case that Though by 2010 the company was run by CEO Martin McCourt, James Dysons own image and personal brand remained central to the firms promotion. Due to that may be the there could be a decline in the customer base which could directly or indirectly affect all parts of the company; finance, sales, marketing and also production. And the decline in production could affect the china market also because it is said that contracts like Dysons help pull china up the manufacturing value chain too towards ever more complex products of the highest quality. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 3) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 6) REFERNCE www.antiessays.com/free-essays/128170.html www.antiessays.com/free-essays/172844.html www.writemypapers.org www.studymode.com Question 1 John Howie has pursued changes in many parts of Faslane, some of the changes are: Change in management structure; as it is witnessed in the case study that there was a management structure which wasnt right to deliver change. There were seven layers in it and now [2006] its down to a maximum of four layers. In the process of change in the management structure there was also reappointment of jobs. Changing in mindset; it is believed that a big opportunity might come from changing the mindset, to see their job as to deliver with the possible minimum spend. They believing in changing the mindset because the public sector manager whos got wide ranging responsibilities and a fairly large budget has no incentives to reduce cost and dont share any benefits and were brought up in a system where if the budget hadnt spent this year, it would be cut next year. Another change pursued by Faslane was the change in management system from infrastructure focus to naval focus. The commodore in charge saw partnering as an opportunity to better manage the people, but in the management team there were a mix of people who believed and were willing to give partnering or people who were likely to be personally disadvantaged by partnering and were less supportive. Also cost reduction is one the change pursued by Faslane, as it is witnessed in the case that by 2000 the MOD had decided to significantly reduce the cost and improve operational effectiveness of their naval bases. And in 2002 they signed a contract of cost affecting without affecting the service provided to the navy. Question 2 Change can be managed using different styles; clear direction may be vital to motivate a desire or create readiness to change; participation or intervention can help in gaining wider commitment across the organization and develop capabilities to identify blockages to change. The managing styles used in the case of Managing change at Faslane are as follows: Direction or coercion managing style; by definition direction managing style means making use of private managerial authority to establish a clear future strategy and how will the change occur. As it is witnessed in the case that we asked other companies which had been through large scale changes, what we should learn from what you did? And the answer was implementing the management structural changes. The change in the management structure was influenced from other companies which gave Faslane an advantage and  £14 million in the first year against the target of  £3 million. Participation or collaborative managing style; is mainly concerned with the contribution of those who will be affected by the change agenda. As seen in the case where it says that there was a process that required any change to be documented and passed through a series of review points. At each stage of the process people were given 14 days to review it but everybody looked at it on the thirteenth day so a total of 56 days process. By removing those stages people are free from the bureaucratic burden and instead of 56 days they are only given 14 days to review it. Performance scorecard; it is another change brought in by Craig Lockhart it was intended to measure the outputs and let the business system transparent. Everyone down to team leaders had become acutely aware that business performance is not something to be hidden, however it mainly didnt aim at measurement but also the business plan had been top-down. Question 3 Levers for managing change need to be considered in terms of the type of change and context of change. Such levers include changing operational processes and routines, the importance of political processes and other change tactics. The levers of changes used and others which could be used are: Changing operational process and routines; strategies are always delivered through day to day processes and routines of the operations of the organization. There is therefore a need for planning operational change: the identification of key changes in the routines of the organization. In effect strategic change needs to be considered in terms of the re-engineering of organizational process. This lever of change is used in the case and witnessed where it explains an example of the process that required any change to be documented; now that 56 days process is 6 days, a simple example of process of re engineering. Power and political processes; there is a need to consider the management of strategic change within this political context and also the stakeholder relationships in and around the organization. As seen in the case firstly it is important to understand who you need to have as allies such as the naval base commander. Above that the wider stakeholders like the commanding officers of the ships and submarines, security and also the local community are to be looked at. Question 4 The change brought in by Craig Lockhart and John Howie has been very much effective in terms of savings, service. Their target was achieved over 20% reduction in annual running costs, by the end of year 10 they are expecting a saving of  £280 million which is 38.2%. The navys view was that the service they received was better; the attitude, communication and responsiveness towards the navy were also better. So by making a few changes they brought about cost reduction and service improvement. The changes made in the management structure [from seven layers to four layers] have made them reappoint all the jobs, and the implementation has positively affected the cost by a saving of  £4milion in the first year against a target of  £3 million. Faslanes change in the measuring of outputs through performance scorecard has made the business system transparent. Everyone down to team leaders has become acutely aware that business performance is not something to be hidden. The changes led Craig to announce that in April 2010 Faslane would become the home base, not just for nuclear submarines but for the whole UK submarine fleet. This change is expected to create more jobs and the expansion of Faslane which will fulfill the need of the unemployed; the ways used to work together and bring about effective change within Faslane worked luminously. REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 10) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 12) REFERNCE www.writemypapers.org REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRABY BIBLIOGRAPHY Fundamentals of strategy (CH 2,3 10) By: Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes and Richard Whittington Lecture slides (LE 4,5,6 12)

St. Gregory Of Tours :: essays research papers

Saint Gregory of Tours was born around the year 538 at Arverni, which is now Clermont-Ferrand. He belonged to the Gallo-Roman family, which was a very prestigious family. He was also related to the houses of Gaul. Gregory’s original name was Georgius Florentius. He took the name Gregory to honor his late grandfather who was named Gregory. His Grandfather was the Bishop of Langres. When Gregory was young, his father died and he went to live with his Uncle. His uncle, Gallus, was the Bishop of Clermont. Gallus educated him until his death in 554. Gregory’s mother left to live with friends in Burgandy and left her son to Avitus who became Bishop of Clermont after Gallus. Avitus taught Gregory all about the Scriptures. Gregory was not too impressed with the scriptures. Gregory got seriously ill and wasn’t supposed to recover. He did recover though and this made him more mindful of God and the scriptures. Gregory then became a friend with the Bishop of Tours whose nam e was Euphronius. Euphronius died in 573 and Gregory succeeded him as Bishop of Tours.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During this time in Tours, there was great political and social chaos. The relationships with the Bishops and the Kings and Masters was not good. The Kings abused their powers and this caused civil wars. Gregory wrote that these conflicts were more hurtful to the church than the persecution from Diocletian. Eventually the unrest and Tours stopped and peace was at hand. The Masters of Tours were constantly changing until Guntram who was the King of Burgandy took over the rule of Tours. Guntram and Gregory were friends and the role of bishop was given more authority and respect. Guntram signed the Treaty of Andelot in the year 587. This treaty gave the rule of Tours to Childebert II. Childebert honored Gregory and let him go on many missions. During this time, Gregory played an important role in the building of new churches and restoring the cathedral in Tours.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gregory was also known for being a great historian. He wrote about the miracles of St. Martin (St. Martin’s tomb is in Tours) and the history of the Frankish Empire. The history of the Frank was entitled Historia Francorum, It had ten books and started with creation and ended in the year 591.

Gender Quota Policies Essay -- Law, Women Behavior in Hearing Debate

In general, every country has two choices when it comes to getting women involved in politics; they can either encourage women’s participation in politics or implement policies that require parties and parliament to have a certain proportion of women holding elected offices (Stokes, 2005: 78). The second option requires that the party adopts the gender quota system which is a number of seats reserved for women (Stokes, 2005:77). Ever since quotas have been adopted and diffused across nations, the proportion of women in national legislature has increased from the period of 1975 to 1995 (Caul; 2001:1214). This goes to show that the adoption of quota policies have facilitated women’s entrance into politics. However, the road to adoption of the quotas policies has been influenced by several factors: political and societal (Caul; 2001), as well as parties’ culture and characteristics (Stokes 2005, Chapter 1). The rationale behind using quota policies is that the more women are present in legislative politics, the more chances women will have the chance to influence policy (Lyn: 1994: 560). Lyn Kathlene examines women’s presence and behaviours in a Colorado state in legislature hearing committees to test for their input in policy making and debates. The question that this paper seeks to answer if whether or not women get to influence policy making once in office, like advocates hoped for? We will see that to a certain extent it is possible to observe women’s impact in the decision making process. Although other pressures such cultural, negative conversational dynamics between men and women are present it does not decrease the rate of women’s participation in political decision making process. Instead it exposes the negative response ... ... on issues that directly affect them such as family issues. Their presence in national legislature means that they were elected by the population, they not only acting on behalf of all women but also standing in these hearing committees as their duty as a delegate of those who have elected her. The grounds for their interventions are based on their ability to position themselves as women but also as an elected official. Being present at hearing debates, shows that their presence is aligned with their ability to influence policy, regardless of the times they get interrupted. Male’s behaviours towards women expose a reality that is more related to their characters and behaviours. The findings that we have looked do not show any connection male’s behaviours towards women in hearing debate that discourage them from participating and voicing their opinions in debates.

The Recent Global Food Crisis and Obesity Epidemic Essay -- Health, A

It is evident that populations around the world are starkly staring at a food crisis that has picked momentum especially since 2008. This recent global food crisis has placed staple grains, the main sustenance for populations around the world, out of reach of the hundreds of millions of people in need of them. This has seen its effects being felt in both developed and developing countries (Magdoff, 2006: 1-7). This study will focus its attention on the explanation about this recent food crisis, how it reflects previous agri-food system tendencies and its relationship to diabetes, another food system problem. The thesis of this study is that the explanations behind the recent food crisis revolve around commercial (corporate-dependent) model of the global food system which makes food items vulnerable to market dynamics and hence out of reach for many individuals. This is relevant to the issue of food crisis since it attaches an economics perspective to the crisis which is especially s ignificant given the recent global economic meltdown. Theoretical Perspective A closer and detailed look at the recent food crisis reveals a number of patterns and insights that can be supported by theoretical perspectives to show that it is a consequence of the established food policy. First of all, the food crisis does not necessarily stem from low production since the advent of chemical and biological technology in food production makes the processes more optimized. Instead, it is due to shifting economic and political power throughout the stages of food production and distribution. Emphasis is being placed on food production and distribution in terms of where maximum profitability will be achieved. This can be seen in situations where bumper harv... ...cal perspectives given to the effect that a corporate-dependent system in the agri-food sector precipitated the global food crisis which is the thesis of this study. This demonstrated through empirical evidence indicating that production of grain is actually sufficient, but then gets diverted to other uses such as biofuel production and feeding animals to meet the rising consumption of meat. This places the blame squarely on the retailers who happen to be strong corporate entities resulting from capitalistic inclination. A strange phenomenon is observed where southern states in the USA are experiencing higher rates of obesity, which is still linked to corporatization of the food system. The limitations of this research center on the fact that it did not seek information from the corporate world which could perhaps give perspectives from the other side of the coin.

My Belief System

A belief system is the combination of thoughts, opinions, or convictions on the most profound questions of life. What is a human being? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What is righteous behavior and what is sinful? Why is so much suffering caused and does it have any purpose? How can a greater and lasting happiness be found in life? What happens at death? What happens thereafter? Is there anything such as judgment? Will the righteous be rewarded? Such are the questions that weigh heavily upon any person seeking a deeper meaning of life, and possibly the way to salvation.They are no easy self-evident answers to these questions. One cannot come to any clear-cut conclusions to these questions using thinking and analysis, although philosophers do try to do so. The ultimate questions of life belong to the dimension of metaphysics, and have to be largely accepted as a matter of belief or faith. The articles of a believer's religious faith are not conclusions derived by ratiocinati ve, discriminating mind. Mind has little to do with them, they are more related to the heart and the soul of a person.For example, the existence of soul itself is not something one can infer from rational analysis or physical dissection. Yet the existence of soul is central to nearly every religious belief system on the earth. Logical thinking cannot make anything of such a belief. Similarly, the presence of God is something beyond the reach of human mind to comprehend. Yet, a belief in God is again the core of nearly every religious belief system. I myself follow a deeply Christian belief system that is founded upon the Glory of God and the mystery of His creation.When we enter the domain of a religious system, we have to leave the mind behind and follow the voice of the heart. I believe that we should follow a belief system not because our parents followed it or the people around us follow it, but simply because there is a resonance between the elements of that particular religiou s thinking and oneself. Of course, usually one finds this special affinity to the religious tradition one is born into, and that is the case with me too.I am a Protestant Christian and I find that the Protestants have a direct and intimate approach to religion. I am at home among Protestant Christians and particularly in my church and denomination, the Baptist Christians. Though I myself belong to the Baptist church, and have certain strong convictions concerning theological/metaphysical matters in accordance to my particular belief system, I try to regard other denominations and even faiths with an open mind. I believe that deep down, the religious impulse of men and women all over the world is the same.Further, the courage or abstractness of thought needed to allow the heart to believe in completely unseen things is also more or less the same, although I acknowledge the fact that in a majority of cases, religious belief are just a matter of custom which do not have serious implica tions in a person’s life. But when religion is taken seriously, the essential nature of divergent belief systems can be the same though the contents differ, sometimes radically as between Eastern pantheistic religions and the strictly monotheistic Judeo-Christian religion.I believe that God’s mystery is so great that it can perhaps equally validate widely differing religious belief systems. Let me offer a relevant example here from the world of physics: an electron can be a particle and also a wave at the same time. Common sense tells us that something cannot be a particle and a wave at the same time, surely that is impossible in the very nature of things — and yet in reality it can happen and in fact this is how things are. Similarly, God’s mystery can be so vast that it can accommodate two or more apparently conflicting metaphysical viewpoints.Thus, almost paradoxically, although I am strong believer in the tenets of my own faith, I do not fanatically o r arrogantly claim or even think that my denomination, my sect, my religion, is exclusively correct and all others wrong. I believe that ultimately, the mystery of God cannot be contained by any particular belief system. I also believe that more than the specific doctrines of a belief system, what is more important is the passionate intensity of the believer in God, whatever may be the name of the God. I believe in the efficacy of prayer and the total need to feel personally connected to the divinity of God.To me, that divinity is represented in the image of Jesus Christ. As everyone knows, Baptists insist that one has to fully accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as a personal conscious choice, not as just a matter of course. The event of Baptism marks this choice or decision. Although all Christians follow the ceremony of Baptism, and I respect that, I personally think (and not simply because I myself am a Baptist) that such a most sacred event in one’s life which confirm s one’s personal relationship to God cannot be simply imposed on children who are not mature enough to make decisions for themselves.Making Baptism into a matter of tradition and custom, instead of being a reflection of the most deeply heart-felt conviction is trivializing it. And I am proud that I am born into a particular system of faith that recognizes this and places so much importance on the act of being â€Å"born again. † For me, being born again is not just a matter of belief of doctrine, but a tremendous inspiration at every step of my life. I also personally believe that being â€Å"born again† is not a one-time event associated with Baptism and does not end with it, in fact it only begins with it.One has to be born again and again in spirit. One’s faith in God has to be renewed, rejuvenated and reaffirmed every day, only then the stream of faith can be kept flowing instead of becoming frozen. The belief in God, after all, is not simply a matter of belief — anyone can believe anything, and it does not make much difference; what makes the difference is the living energy and intensity that goes into prayer which forms a personal connection between the soul and God. There are numerous distinctive tenets in the Baptist faith that are the result of a well-grounded biblical, theological reasoning.However, as I mentioned already, ultimately belief goes beyond reasoning, in its intensity and authenticity it even transcends the particular forms and structures it outwardly conforms to. Let me reiterate the fact that religion is a personal heart-to-heart affair between the soul and God. It is more like a love relationship than a particular type of world-view. The religious quest begins with questions such as what is the meaning of life, what happens after death and so on. A belief system provides or is supposed to provide answers for them. But how do I know that they are true, and absolutely true?In this context, people usuall y say that that is the meaning of â€Å"belief† – one accepts a certain element of belief as a matter of faith rather than a demonstrable fact of knowledge. I agree to that entirely. But I would like to go a little further. To me, my particular belief system does not provide all the answers to all the questions, such as why innocent children have often to suffer so cruelly, or why millions of people are dying in Africa from hunger and disease. In a world governed by a compassionate and infinitely wise God, how can such and so many other atrocious things happen constantly and everywhere?There are no easy answers. My belief-system does not provide satisfactory answers to these questions, but my personal faith in the wisdom and power of God allays my questioning mind. There are no clear and distinct answers, but the questions themselves become amorphous and disappear in the burning intensity of one’s faith. To have faith in God means to have faith that whatever is happening, is happening for certain reason, though it may not be easy for us to comprehend God’s ways. To a praying heart, ultimately, the one answer it needs is found in the joy and upliftment to be found in the act of prayer.

Dbq Although New England and the Chesapeake

Wa’Nyah Tucker 11A September 24, 2012 DBQ ESSAY Question: Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by of English origin, by 1700 the region had evolved into two different societies. Why did this difference in development occur? Thesis Statement: When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure.Thought New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled with a majority of English origin. By 1700 the region had evolved into two completely different societies. When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure. All these differences helped sculpt the colonies into their own significant and distinct ways of living.The geography of the New England Colonies was not the best. The soil was very rocky. This made agriculture for the New England colonist nearly impossible to achieve. Eventually the English brought pigs, horses, sheep, and cattle to the settlements. This required pastureland so the colonists were constantly clearing forests. The New England colonists were fed up with all of the rocky land, not being able to farm and plant, they moved towards the coast. The dense forests allowed a bounty of timber which was used for building ships that could be used for various.Also, there was an abundance of fish off the coast of Newfoundland, which made the New Englanders very wealthy. The Chesapeake region however, had very fertile soil. The Atlant ic Ocean created was able to create many rivers and wetlands. This provided the Chesapeake with land that was moist where they were able to establish agriculture. The main crop being produced in this area was tobacco. There was such high demand for tobacco, it eventually cause the soil to become try old and tired. By the soil drying out it increased the need for new land.In Document B on the list of emigrant bound for New England, it is mostly family oriented. Families were coming and units. These people were mostly the Puritans who were coming to New England for religious purposes. The New England colonies were founded as examples of pure religion. The New Englanders would come to prosper through their hard work, thrift, and the quality of their commitment to God and each other. The Christian values of charity towards another man resulted in tight knit communities that embraced the idea to care for every member.John Winthrop wrote, A Model of Christian Charity, while he was aboard the Arbella on the Atlantic Ocean in 1630. In this writing he states that no matter what social class you fall under everyone must say close together and work in unison as one man. Not as many men working but coming together. Showing the affection one would give to their brother. One must make their fellow colonist conditions their own, whether it is good or bad. Laugh together, cry together, rejoice together, mourn together, work together and even suffer together. They are as â€Å"a city upon a hill†.Meaning that other colonies will see what they do. They will notice everything they do so they have to set an example of how to be. The colonial theocratic governments also sought to further the welfare of the populace by enforcing God's Biblical laws, thus strengthening the people's support for the government (respect of authority is required by the Bible, and respect for a government that can hang you is required by common sense). Finally, the rugged land of New England did n ot stop the growth of crops. This allowed the Chesapeake colonies to prosper on agriculture alone.Unlike the New England colonies, the Chesapeake colony of Virginia never made any gesture of being a religious settlement, except for the apparent support for the Church of England. Most of the original settlers were men Document C who had left their families behind in order to attend to the territory that was to successfully produce gold for the King and the country. Most importantly produce for the shareholders. Some of the investors in the Virginia Company quickly seized upon the idea of farming as a substitute for gold-mining. This paid for the passage of many indentured ervants and later, slaves to the New World. There were many diseases that swept through Chesapeake colonies. Life in the Chesapeake colonies was very harsh. There were diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and typhoid fever. Half of the people born in Virginia and Maryland died before the age of twenty. While the oth er died by the age of forty (women) or fifty (men). There were a lot of men that couldn’t find single women to mate with in order to repopulate. There were many families being destroyed my death. The children were dying very young. The Chesapeake colonies struggled.Then native born inhabitants gained immunity to all of the diseases that were infecting the original immigrants. The New England colonies had colonial assemblies and town meetings where the colonists discussed important matters of local government. These assemblies and town meetings also had the power to tax their citizens to fund the church. Above the local government were governors. These governors were supposed to enforce all of the King's policies and answered directly to the king. Above the governors were the houses of Parliament in England.There wasn’t really a government structure when it came down to the Chesapeake colonies. They were all about the gold and making a profit. They had slaves working in the fields when they discovered tobacco and other things. They were more about quantity and money and goods and trade. In conclusion, many things that contributed into establishing these colonies led to many more events. Since there were many slaves being worked now, there were many that didn’t agree with the way they were being treated. Therefore leading to many rebellions.One of which known as Bacon’s Rebellion which was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony in North America, led by a 29-year-old planter, Nathaniel Bacon. There were about a thousand Virginians rose (including former indentured servants, poor whites and poor blacks) because they resented Virginia Governor William Berkeley's friendly policies towards the Native Americans when Berkeley refused to retaliate for a series of Indian attacks on frontier settlements, others took matters into their own hands, attacking Native Americans, chasing Berkeley from Jamestown, Virginia, and torching the capital. There was many more. Like the New York Revolt in 1712 which killed nine whites and as a result of the actions taken by the slaves, twenty-one blacks were executed and some burned at the stake over a slow fire. Or even the South Carolina Revolt. People say it was like a failed attempt of Bacon’s Rebellion. This revolt happened in 1736. Fifty blacks tried to march along the Stono River to Spanish florida but failed and was stopped by local militia.

Analysis of the article from Foucault’s perspective Essay

In â€Å"Discipline and Punishment†, Foucault focuses on the major social control institution, which is penitentiary system, or system of punishment and prevention of delinquent and deviant behavior. Andrew Jacobs in his article entitled â€Å"Whistle-Blowers in Chinese City Sent to Mental Hospital† discusses the government’s struggle against undesirable, yet legal, actions of citizens like petitioning and seeking justice. The present paper is intended to analyze the article through the lens of Foucault’s framework of punishment.   First of all, it needs to be noted that neither Foucault nor Jacobs write about the justice as the conceptual and moral foundation of the so-called law enforcement authorities. In Foucault’s opinion, what actually underlies the entire punishment system is striving for power as the end in itself: in the Middle Ages, for instance, public executions were administered in cases of those criminals who obviously undermined the ruler’s power and political influence. The article by Jacobs in fact is additional evidence of this thesis: whereas the citizens do actually nothing unlawful by   preparing petitions, they are nevertheless placed in mental health institutions, due to the fact that they to certain degree interfere with the execution of absolute power. This also proves the fact that the modern authorities and power/ governance institutions nowadays have become so complicated and autonomous system that they begin to function for their own sake, â€Å"forgetting† about their initial purpose, which consisted in serving the interests of the multitude. Foucault admits that the present-day punishment is free of tortures in order to evoke in potential criminals the fear of the penalty itself, rather than the pain and physical suffering. The scholar also adds that science in technology increasingly more often serve the purposes of this system so that a number of professionals including lawyers, police officers, engineers and psychiatrists are involved into the examination and investigation.   In this sense, the case of Shandong Province clearly shows that relatively painless measures are used to prevent citizens from excessive petitioning ; moreover, a successful tandem of police authorities and mental health specialists increase the reliability of this practice: â€Å"During a 20-day stay, he said, he was lashed to a bed, forced to take pills and given injections that made him numb and woozy. According to the paper, when he told the doctor he was a petitioner, not mentally ill, the doctor said: â€Å"I don’t care if you’re sick or not. As long as you are sent by the township government, I’ll treat you as a mental patient† (Jacobs, par.5). Thus, even health care as a social institution in general is actually an institution of social control, fully supporting and following the ambitions and interests of the existing authorities. Due to the fact that justice-seekers, as it has been noted above, act legally, they are not eligible to become prison inmates, so law enforcement agencies send them to mental hospitals. This means, the punishment and corrections system has become so vast and multifaceted that it can now achieve a number of different goals, including the goal of imposing a penalty on the individual, whose actions are not fully beneficial for the institutions of power.   Thus, such institutions, which serve their own needs, find strategies of curbing unfavorable behavior and select a path of minimal resistance: instead of officially declaring active petitioners as criminals (which will result in the need for reviewing and revising the entire legislation), these officials make an open statement that truth-seekers are simply mad and need special medical treatment. Thus, they even show this situation as the act of saving the society from one more mentally imbalanced citizen and preserving or improving this   person’s health. Thus, the philosophy ostensibly underlying this practice   seems noble, but it needs to be remembered that the institutions of power and social control work moistly for their own sake and attempt to expand and strengthen their influence. Foucault also dedicates a part of his work to describing the concept of discipline. In particular, the scholar asserts that discipline is one of behavioral compliance-gaining techniques, which consists in managing the distribution of individuals in space, controlling their time and clearly defining their relations with the institutions of social control. In this sense, the Chinese authorities obviously seek to introduce a new discipline and eliminate the habit of creating petitions and lawsuit against the governmental institutions, i.e. the practice of   hospital confinement is intended to deter individuals from interfering with the government’s course. This is actually the heart of discipline – the recognition of power, obedience and absolute acceptance of the programs and campaigns of the ruling institutions. Moreover, this out of common type of discipline allows finding supporters, who would be the social engines of the promotion and progress of the government’s activities. Finally, it is important to focus on the pure concept of punishment as explained by Foucault and addressed by Jacobs. Obviously, hospital incarceration includes all the components of punitive measure including control over the inmate’s body (i.e. the person depends on the institution in terms of the satisfaction of their basic needs); management of the prisoner’s time and activities and, thirdly, modulating the penalty. In the context of the article by Jacobs, the last component means administering additional therapies, which make the person half-unconscious for days or suggesting the release from the institution in exchange for signing a refusal of the petition. Importantly, the inmate is surveilled, but cannot see all of their â€Å"watchers†. As one can conclude, although the incarceration in mental hospitals is not a traditional form of punishment, it is actually similar to the regular imprisonment, because of the similar concepts like panopticism, discipline, painless punishment and the execution of the government’s authority. Bibliography Rainbow, P. The Foucault Reader. New York: Random House, 1984. Jacobs, A. â€Å"Whistle-Blowers in Chinese City Sent to Mental Hospital†

Applied Research Technologies, Inc. Essay

The business case you have describes a situation in a company called Applied Research Technologies. As a team, you are expected to understand the situation and present your answers to the questions below: 1. As Peter Vyas, how would you handle the expenditure request for the re-launch of the mini water oxidation system? 2. As Cynthia Jackson, would you approve the expenditure request if Vyas sent it up to you? 3. How effective has Vyas been as a front-line manager at ART? How effective has Jackson been as an ART division vice president? All the information you need is contained within the business case you have. However, if you want to use additional information you are welcome to do so. You are expected to hand in a team report that answers the questions above. You are also expected to present your results to the class. Your grade will be assessed as follows: Grade Based on Percent of Total Grade Understanding of the case Team 30% Ability to answer the questions Individual 30% Clarity of the presentation Team 20% Neatness of work Team 20% You will be assessed based on the following: Clarity of answering the questions. Cohesiveness of answers and reports. Accuracy of details and conclusions.