Feild Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feild Experience - Essay Example viduals, both students and teachers, to take responsibility for their own conflicts and for their resolution (Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution & Conflict Management, n.d.). This paper relates three scenarios depicting student/student, teacher/student, and teacher/teacher conflicts and how they were resolved. The author’s opinions are expressed in either agreement or disagreement with the manner of conflict resolution, as well as presents recommendations for conflict resolution at the end of the paper. A 6th grade student named Anne, said she had a headache and wanted to skip the last two classes of the day. As I came into the room, Anne’s teacher was already arguing with Anne. Anne said she wanted to go home and the teacher said she may not. They are at the stage of their argument where the teacher has already mentioned that if Anne continues on, the teacher would be forced to send her to the principal’s office. From what I have heard and seen since I came into the room, I was almost certain that Anne did not have a headache and was just trying to skip school. While all these were going on, the rest of the class was silent, intent on watching who would eventually win out in the argument. The teacher was deliberately trying to keep her voice down but the pitch of Anne’s voice was increasingly rising. Finally, when the teacher could not make Anne do want she wanted her to do, she told Anne to step outside so she can talk to her there. In the meantime, the teach er faced the rest of the class and gave them a seatwork which immediately elicited groans. I then stepped outside, too, to check what Anne was doing. Anne was merely standing outside the classroom. She would not be able to leave the school premises, anyway, unless she had an authorization pass from her teacher or the principal’s office. When the teacher came out, she told Anne that this would be the last time she was going to sign an authorization pass for her and told her not to come back to

Reflective Journal Essay Example for Free

Reflective Journal Essay A reflective journal is a way of thinking in a critical and analytical way about your work in progress. It shows how different aspects of your work interconnect. The journal can record: †¢ where your inspiration comes from †¢ how you make use of your ideas to develop your work †¢ your awareness of the cultural context (setting) in which you work This context includes: other artists’ work and their ideas; the ideas of critics and theorists; social, political, aesthetic and ideological contexts. The journal could include: †¢ research notes †¢ personal comments on your own work †¢ notes/images from gallery visits †¢ quotes †¢ extracts from lectures, tutorials, books, journals †¢ photos/sketches Critical and analytical writing Critical writing involves many of the same processes as when reading. So what is Critical reading? To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is written and argued. This is a highly reflective skill requiring you to ‘stand back’ from the text you are reading. You might have to read a text through once to get a basic grasp of content before you launch into an intensive critical reading. These are the keys: †¢ don’t read only for information (surface approach) †¢ do read for clues about views and opinions (deep approach) This means: †¢ comparing the same issue from different points of view †¢ identifying an argument (analysis of ideas/opinions) in the text †¢ identifying conclusions and spotting how different people arrive at different conclusions †¢ deciding what you think, based on the evidence available Then, in your own writing: †¢ look at the subject from different viewpoints †¢ show a clear line of reasoning †¢ present evidence to support your reasoning †¢ be clea r what your conclusions are Here are some ways to help you read critically: †¢ read beginning and end of text to get an overview †¢ colour code different viewpoints †¢ underline key words, phrases, or sentences †¢ write comments in the margins (use stickers if it’s not your book) †¢ bracket important sections of the text †¢ show links with lines or arrows †¢ number related points in sequence Reflective Writing What is reflective writing? Reflective writing is evidence of looking back at an event, idea, object, experience, process, etc It involves: †¢ analysing and commenting on the object, process, etc from different points of view using contemporary ideas and theories †¢ exploring and explaining the importance or relevance of the object, process, etc †¢ considering things that went wrong as well as successes †¢ saying what the object, process, etc means to you †¢ saying how your learning will influence the way you work How to structure reflective writing 1 2 Description (don’t make this too long) What is it? What happened? Why am I talking about it? Interpretation What is important, relevant, interesting, useful? How is it similar to or different from others? How can it be explored, explained using contemporary theories? Outcome What have I learned from this? How will it influence my future work?

Richard A. Wasserstroms Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues Es

Richard A. Wasserstrom's article "Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues." Criticisms of lawyers are the topic in Richard A. Wasserstrom's article "Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues." Wasserstrom broke this topic into two main areas of discussion. The first suggests that lawyers operate with essentially no regard for any negative impact of their efforts on the world at large. Analysis of the relationship that exists between the lawyer and their client was the second topic of discussion. "Here the charge is that it is the lawyer-client relationship which is morally objectionable because it is a relationship which the lawyer dominates and in which the lawyer typically, and perhaps inevitably, treats the client in both an impersonal and a paternalistic fashion." Wasserstrom considers a few options with in his discussion concerning a multitude of aspects faced by lawyers. "The lawyer's situation is different from that of other professionals. The lawyer is vulnerable to some moral criticism that does not as readily or as easily attach to any other professional." Thi...

The Role of International Strategy and Organizational Design

The current trend of world economics business model lays on the world system division of labor between the core, the marginal, and the semi-marginal countries/states. The trading is not â€Å"isolated† or â€Å"internal† but rather it participates externally or in the global market and as such, this type of market is heavily affected by the dictates of the globalization trends. The system of economics and their flow and relations between these countries are â€Å"non-static† and â€Å"non-constant† over long and short periods of time due largely to political, environmental and cultural changes vis à ¡ vis the evolving idea of ‘consumerism’ in the global community. The traditional concept of consumerism and commoditization of goods is largely challenged, hence, the business sectors/producers should construct an effective strategy and an efficient organizational design to cope up with the world economic trend and at the same, fulfill the organization/companies objectives and visionary goals. The success, therefore, of an international company, lies on competitive action central to the combination of an effective strategic and traditional management.   We do not displace the idea of traditional management (e.g. budgeting and marketing) because its’ function is recognized as the core of business planning but rather, we aim to rectify/improve the company’s/organization’s business performance by target shooting the errors and analyzing it within the context of the global market system (or the business environment) and the capabilities (e.g. assets, facilities, resources) of the company system. Critical to strategic management is the anticipation of changes in the economic system, in the demands of the consumers, new business technologies, competition, and (global) economic policy developments. Co-integration of the two—traditional and strategic—would give a sense of direction to the company in the globally competitive market. What would be an apt strategic management in the non-static global economic system? The strategic management for this is a six level schema: (1) analysis of external factors (2) scrutinizing internal factors (3) stratagem (4) execution and (5) performance assessment/evaluation. Arguably, the logic in analyzing the external factors lies in the structural level of social formation, but, we dispense this, in favor of the transnational concept—an approach that capitalizes on the importance of transnational practices in three major sectors, political, economic, cultural with focus on transnational corporation influence and consumerism— that of which had been the latest trend in global capitalism. Also, the importance of technological improvements and their incorporation into the market is intangible in the analysis of external factors. The presence of competitors and economic policies should not be undermined; the parameters set by international laws may be restrictive but nevertheless, they are designed to facilitate a â€Å"fair† trading system; competitors for a particular commodity should also be accounted since globalization is heavily mandated by the transnational corps. It is on the basis of such external factors the company will seek to adjust to and construct the stratagem. The capacity of the organization, its’ parameters, its’ resources, its’ liabilities and its’ needs must be carefully examined. Financial status, the employed technology for the commodity, the operative management and the available facilities must be ‘apt’ and can be competitive with the international companies. Leadership within the system and good working force are important elements. The organization should seek to answer the following in response to its internal structure: is the product globally competitive? After assessing the internal and external factors, devising the stratagem is the next point of economic action. Goal identification and the feasibility of the plan being constructed is high on the agenda. Crucial to this is the statistics of materialization, the impact on the company/organization, and products development over a timeframe. Critical points should be well identified as well as mitigating errors, alternative plans, and analyzing and defining jobs and responsibilities per level of organization. The stratagem developed should have the following characteristics: (1) goal-oriented; (2) creative, by-product of external and internal analysis; and (3) strength-decisive/non-vulnerable in the market; (4) feasible. The execution of strategy requires organizational design, resource allocation, and strong motivation. Organizational design involves efficient distribution of work force, recognizing their potential, and creating effective relations between the working people. Performance assessment is the last step and is achieved by assessing the plan on its’ efficiency on its’ how’s and ends. Flow monitoring of the work and assessing statistical significance of produce as well as company growth are important evaluation points. The importance of such strategy is the actual/real test of the stratagem on the economic market. The strategic management places special attention to the environmental monitoring. Such activity is inherently important during forecasting or anticipation of future economic events and other related global aspects which may otherwise affect the position of organization and its products in the global economic scheme. Present and past trends and their change over time is prevalent in predicting scenarios that may be of value to the company. In strategic planning, ‘predictions’ are important in that the decisions are made to be flexible. In recognizing the role of international strategy and organizational design in the global market, the organization/company takes an initial step in ‘equipping’ itself against the highly volatile network of economic world systems and becomes, at the most, competitive. References Sklair, L. (1999). Competing Conceptions of Globalization. Journal of World-Systems Research, 5, 143-162. Aguilar, F. (1967). Scanning the business environment. NY: Macmillan, Inc.            

Modern Educational System Essay

I decided to write about education system in Ukraine because I think it is very common problem and because I’m a student as well. Educational system in Ukraine at the present stage is sufficiently complex and hard-to-reach for citizens. Despite the fact that officially education is considered to be free of charges on all levels for children, in reality parents confront series of problems that are not so easy to deal with, unless they have certain savings of money. So for example, parents are obliged to reserve places in kindergartens even before the children are born. Because if you do not do this by the time your child is three years old there will be no more vacant place left. And of course we must not forget that all institutions of preschool educations under one reason or another demand financial contribution for various needs. The same range of problems is applied to school education with distinction that parents are forced to purchase different teaching material on their own in many cases. Another very important subject matter is related to the field of physical activity for children and teenagers. It is well known that for everyone, who is nearly six or seven years old, immovable pastime on the lessons for forty five minutes is nearly a torture and fifteen minutes of break are not enough for proper progress and harmony of such a young and growing organism. But even in spite of this it makes no difference to us and we continue to insist on such unnatural methods â€Å"doctrine of torment† for our children. The question is why? Against the background of this day’s schedule we are confronting the constant cases of children’s overwork and fatal outcomes. The structure of higher education in Ukraine according to its ideology and goals corresponds to the structure of education in most developed countries of the world. It is very important that in March, 2005 Ukraine has joined the Bologna system and became an active participant of development of the all-European space in the sphere of higher education. For today there are 951 higher educational institutions of different levels of accreditation in Ukraine which conduct preparation of qualified experts of more than 500 specialties. But even more difficult tasks are in prospect to be solved in the system of higher education, so as to adjust proximate planed dependence from demand and offer of experts in different spheres of activity. Nowadays in our country we experience luck of teachers, medical workers, and profile engineers in various sectors and in the same time we have overabundance of such professions as economists, lawyers and others. It’s not a secret that education is not an exception, as well as other â€Å"systems† in our country, where we confront corruption. This issue is one of the most problematic and hard-to-solve for Ukrainian population. For example, Prime Minister of Ukraine N. Azarov has signed a decree of the Cabinet of Ministers aimed at improving the quality of IT professionals, strengthening cooperation between business and education, bringing education to the needs of industry and labor market. One of the key barriers of IT industry development is lack of human resources. The level of IT graduates rarely meets the requirements of the labor market today. Lack of practical training, insufficient level of English proficiency, miss of skills working in the team – all lead to the fact that only 25% of graduates are to work in IT industry and this is very low index. Most likely that we lost true value of the word â€Å"education† – is educating, that means to create and give new image or character to people but not impose them with unlimited amount of knowledge and information that sometimes is not only interesting but unnecessary. English word â€Å"education† or Latin word â€Å"educo† in comparison with the Russian equivalent, expose more precise definition of the notion we putting in this concept by nurturing. It is the purpose of education in every country – rising new spiritual and moral generation – this is our ultimate aim. One of the most vivid examples of such a high-quality education were times of imperial Russia in the middle of XVIII century, where upbringing of high level ecclesiastical and ethical patriots was not restricted by place of birth or nationality of the person. The biggest delusion in our times is the false idea of scientific and technical progress. Under the pretence of it specialization of each tendency narrows with every day. Workers of such a limited in profile become easy-to-handle manipulators and with their help it is possible to comply almost every conception without their understanding and â€Å"thinking into the truth†. Integration to another educational system, like most of European countries, the tests structure, leads to these consequences. As specialists themselves say, one of the most serious problems of integration of the Ukrainian system of education in the Bologna process – is unawareness of officials of the current situation in the Ukrainian and European education, as well as the objectives of the Bologna process. The system of education in the former USSR was considered to be one of the best in the world. It was not declared by other countries by variety of reasons; some of the main ones were political convictions and disinclination to recognize its effectiveness in every way.

Abortion Essays (2408 words) - Sexual Revolution, Free Essays

Abortion Essays (2408 words) - Sexual Revolution, Free Essays Abortion Almost half of American women have terminated at least one pregnancy, and millions more Americans of both sexes have helped them, as partners, parents, health-care workers, counselors, friends. Collectively, it would seem, Americans have quite a bit of knowledge and experience of abortion. Yet the debate over legal abortion is curiously abstract: we might be discussing brain transplants. Farfetched analogies abound: abortion is like the Holocaust, or slavery; denial of abortion is like forcing a person to spend nine months intravenously hooked up to a medically endangered stranger who happens to be a famous violinist. It sometimes seems that the further abortion is removed from the actual lives and circumstances of real girls and women, the more interesting it becomes to talk about. Opponents often argue as if the widespread use of abortion were a modern innovation, the consequence of some aspect of contemporary life of which they disapprove (feminism, promiscuity, consumerism, Godlessness, permissiveness, individualism), and as if making it illegal would make it go away. What if none of this is true? Historical advertisements: The Granger Collection, New York. When Abortion Was a Crime, Leslie J. Reagan demonstrates that abortion has been a common procedure part of life in America since the eighteenth century, both during the slightly more than half of our history as a nation when it has been legal and during the slightly less than half when it was not. The first statutes regulating abortion, passed in the 1820s and 1830s, were actually poison-control laws: the sale of commercial abortifacients was banned, but abortion per se was not. The laws made little difference. By the 1840s the abortion business including the sale of illegal drugs, which were widely advertised in the popular press was booming. In one of the many curious twists that mark the history of abortion, the campaign to criminalize it was waged by the same professional group that, a century later, would play an important role in legalization: physicians. The American Medical Association's crusade against abortion was partly a professional move, to establish the supremacy of regular physicians over midwives and homeopaths. The physician and anti-abortion leader Horatio R. Storer asked in 1868. This is a question our women must answer; upon their loins depends the future destiny of the nation. (It should be mentioned that the nineteenth-century women's movement also opposed abortion, having pinned its hopes on voluntary motherhood the right of wives to control the frequency and timing of sex with their husbands.) Nonetheless, having achieved their legal goal, many doctors including prominent members of the AMA went right on providing abortions. women were often able to make doctors listen to their needs and even lower their fees. And because, in the era before the widespread use of hospitals, women chose the doctors who would attend their whole families through many lucrative illnesses, medical men had self-interest as well as compassion for a motive. Thus in an 1888 expos undercover reporters for the Chicago Times obtained an abortion referral from no less a personage than the head of the Chicago Medical Society. Unless a woman died, doctors were rarely arrested and even more rarely convicted. Even midwives whom doctors continued to try to drive out of business by portraying them, unfairly, as dangerous abortion quacks practiced largely unmolested. What was the point, then, of making abortion a crime? Reagan argues that its main effect was to expose and humiliate women caught in raids on abortion clinics or brought to the hospital with abortion complications, and thereby send a message to all women about the possible consequences of flouting official gender norms. Publicity the forced disclosure of sexual secrets before the authorities was itself the punishment. Reagan's discussion of dying declarations makes particularly chilling reading: because the words of the dying are legally admissible in court, women on their deathbeds were informed by police or doctors of their imminent demise and harassed until they admitted to their abortions and named the people connected with them including, if the woman was unwed, the man responsible for the pregnancy Unsurprisingly, the Depression, during which women stood to lose their jobs if they married or had a child, saw

Friendship According to Rowson and Brown †Literature Essay

Friendship According to Rowson and Brown – Literature Essay Free Online Research Papers Friendship According to Rowson and Brown Literature Essay Friendship, according to some literature of the late 1700’s, seems to serve as a reprieve to those in need of advice or comfort, and as a duty for those who are able to give either. Friendship offers a salvation to those who do not know which way to turn when it comes to love and life, as well as those with any number of faults or problems who need help in making important decisions and someone to turn to when they are facing complications in life. The importance of friendship and support among women is explicitly demonstrated by William Hill Brown in The Power of Sympathy, Susanna Rowson in Charlotte Temple, and Charles Brockden Brown in Ormond. As each of these authors demonstrate, alliances and love shared between women are essential for the survival, and for the happiness, of women at a time of such revolutionary change. Friendship in Brown’s The Power of Sympathy is exhibited as the source of advice and intelligence. In her letters to her friends Myra and Harriot, Mrs. Holmes constantly gives advice against the wiles of men and the dangers of seduction. Mrs. Holmes attempts to warn her friends against the dangers of naivetà © and to promote the power of education, telling them to keep their innocence and to recognize the importance of learning. She also attempts to warn Harriot of the dangers of her relationship with Harrington, eventually telling Harriot of her sibling connection with Harrington when her subtler endeavors fail. Mrs. Holmes takes it upon herself to tell the truth when it comes to the good and protection of her friend Harriot, revealing the truth no matter how much it pains her to do so. In this way, Brown demonstrates how friendship can serve as a resource for women, as a forum for advice and for the truth. Mrs. Holmes takes her duties as a friend to these women seriou sly and warns them against the dangers they are up against, even though the outcome is not to be desired. In this instance, as well as in others found in literature of the time, friendship is a source of protection, and will be essential when it comes to survival and pleasure in life. True friendship is emphasized as the only type of relationship women should place faith into in Rowson’s Charlotte Temple, and is illustrated as an element of one’s life which can either aid or ruin a vulnerable woman during her time of need. Friendship has the opportunity to save a broken woman or to lead her into misery, the latter of which is illustrated in Charlotte’s relationship with Mademoiselle La Rue. La Rue takes advantage of Charlotte’s trust in her friendship by using her as a ticket out of England. La Rue does not protect or advise Charlotte in a manner beneficial to her situation, but instead places Charlotte at risk, harming her and serving as an example of a woman not doing her duty as a friend. In this instance, friendship does not work the way it is supposed to, and has devastating effects for Charlotte. However, La Rue’s false friendship does not go unpunished, as she eventually ends up in misery, devastated as a result of he r scheming. Had she been a friend the way Rowson and other eighteenth-century authors believed a woman should have been, La Rue could have protected Charlotte or warned her to stay away from Montraville. Perhaps then, La Rue and Charlotte would have encountered much happier endings. Through La Rue’s actions and eventual failure and misery, Rowson bestows on her readers a lesson of the importance of friendship, showing the ill-effects that can arise when friendship is not used correctly. The good consequences of friendship are demonstrated in Charlotte Temple through Charlotte’s other real friendships, which she eventually finds in America. Charlotte’s friendship with her neighbor, Mrs. Beauchamp, serves to sustain her during her lonely days outside of New York, and brings her an ounce of happiness at a time when she has little else to live for and when everyone else seemed to have forsaken her. Mrs. Beauchamp is there to lift Charlotte’s spirits, and she is willing to help her in any way she possibly can. In fact, if Mrs. Beauchamp had been around when Charlotte is forced to leave her home, she could have undoubtedly given her the reprieve she needed and prevented the despair and fatigue which eventually kills her. Mrs. Beauchamp could have saved Charlotte’s life. Friendship could have had the power to save Charlotte’s life. The saving power of friendship is demonstrated in Charles Brockden Brown’s Ormond as well. Constantia has a healing effect on Helena when she is in most need of a friend, and she even goes so far as to appeal to Ormond to marry Helena to save her reputation and her happiness. Undoubtedly, Constantia’s friendship serves to raise Helena’s spirits, keeping her from her melancholy fate as long as possible. Although Helena eventually ends her life, it is not Constantia who causes such a dire even to happen; Constantia can not even fathom a relationship with Ormond which would come between him and her friend Helena. All Constantia desires is to help her friend, and she does so by offering her kindness, advice, and help when it is most needed. Again, friendship is a place for a woman to turn, and serves as a bright spot in an existence which in this case is full of misery. Even though her friendship could not prevent Helena’s death, Constantia is there to m ake her life better and to offer her protection and love for a short time. The success of friendship as protection and reprieve is also demonstrated in Ormond, through the friendship between Constantia and Sophia. The devotion between Constantia and Sophia is demonstrated over and over in Ormond, and Sophia’s concern for the welfare of her friend continues to be proven throughout the later section of the work. Through the relationship between the two, Brown seems to be supporting the idea that it is up to women and their concern and care for each other to serve as protectors and sources of aid and advice for each other. Not only do Constantia and Sophia derive enjoyment from being in each others’ company, but in the end of the work, Sophia comes to Constantia’s aid when she is locked in the mansion. Sophia goes to every extreme to protect Constantia from the malice of Ormond, hurrying to her side when she suspects or senses any danger and being there for her when she is in need. Sophia even travels across the ocean to find her frie nd, yearning to help her when hearing of Craig’s betrayal of Constantia’s family and her and her father’s poverty and bad luck. While Ormond offers Constantia nothing but threats and more sorrow, Sophia sacrifices her time and safety in order to help her friend. At a time when Constantia has no where to look for help, at least emotionally, she has a friend to count on, demonstrating that friendships between women are the best source of support among women. Again, friendships between women are expressed as the answer, as the haven for protection, advice, and happiness. As men in these works continued to seduce and hurt women, it is up to women to bond together to offer each other the companionship and love they may otherwise lack. The authors of these works seem to be supporting the idea that women should learn to turn to each other when in need, and that men have little to offer when it comes to comfort and safety. The works seems to serve as warning to women readers, advising them to seek the happiness essential to life not through their relationships with men, but in their friendships with women. Only by finding a friend worth trusting and by being a woman others can call a friend, can a woman find happiness in such a world of danger and unceasing change. Research Papers on Friendship According to Rowson and Brown - Literature EssayThe Fifth HorsemanMind TravelHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThree Concepts of PsychodynamicAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Personal Experience with Teen PregnancyAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaResearch Process Part One

Writing a Paragraph Developed With Reasons

Writing a Paragraph Developed With Reasons College writing assignments often call on students to explain why: Why did a certain event in history take place? Why does an experiment in biology produce a particular result? Why do people behave the way they do? This last question was the starting point for Why Do We Threaten Children With the Bogeyman? - a students paragraph developed with reasons. Notice that the paragraph below begins with a quotation meant to grab the readers attention: You better stop wetting your bed, or else the bogeyman is going to get you. The quotation is followed by a general observation that leads to the topic sentence of the paragraph: There are several reasons why young children are so often threatened with a visit from the mysterious and terrifying bogeyman. The rest of the paragraph supports this topic sentence with three distinct reasons. Example Paragraph Developed with Reasons As you read the students paragraph, see if you can identify the ways in which she guides the reader from one reason to the next. Why Do We Threaten Children With the Bogeyman?You better stop wetting your bed, or else the bogeyman is going to get you. Most of us probably remember a threat like this one being delivered at one time or another by a parent, babysitter, or older brother or sister. There are several reasons why young children are so often threatened with a visit from the mysterious and terrifying bogeyman. One reason is simply habit and tradition. The myth of the bogeyman is handed down from generation to generation, like the tale of the Easter Bunny or the tooth fairy. Another reason is the need to discipline. How much easier it is to frighten a child into good behavior than to explain to her just why she should be good. A more sinister reason is the perverse delight some people get out of scaring others. Older brothers and sisters, in particular, seem to thoroughly enjoy driving youngsters to tears with stories of the bogeyman in the closet or the bogeyman under the bed. In short, the bogeyman is a convenient myth that will probably be used to haunt children (and sometimes actually cause them to wet their beds) for a long time to come. The three phrases in italics are sometimes called reason and addition signals: transitional expressions that guide the reader from one point in a paragraph to the next. Notice how the writer begins with the simplest or least serious reason, moves to another reason, and finally shifts to a more sinister reason. This pattern of moving from least important to most important gives the paragraph a clear sense of purpose and direction as it builds toward a logical conclusion (which links back to the quotation in the opening sentence). Reason and Addition Signals or Transitional Expressions Here are some other reason and addition signals: alsoa more important reasonat timesbesidesin additionfor this reasonfurthermorein the first place, in the second placemore importantly, most importantlymoreovernextto begin with These signals help to ensure cohesion in paragraphs and essays, thus making our writing easier for readers to follow and understand.

Amazon analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amazon analysis - Essay Example We regard this action as a negative reinforcement that Amazon leadership apply on their employees. In the article, â€Å"Amazon Lawsuit Filed for Unpaid Integrity Staffing Overtime Wages,† Jesse Busk, who is a former employee at Amazon, exposes the odds that workers face at the warehouse. After a 12-hour shift in the warehouse, he is incapable of going home early because security checks take more than 30 minutes. Moreover, the company does not pay for the lost time. The managers expected that the security checks could prevent employees from stealing and that they would stop this checkpoint when stealing stops. Nevertheless, this concept sometimes leads to undesirable behavior. For instance, employees get angry because there is no extra wage since the waiting time is long after a busy day. Another problem with Amazon’s leadership is that Amazon employees do not receive rewards for their performance. According to the careers page on Amazon’s website, Amazon states that â€Å"At Amazon, we offer employees the chance to work with great people on exciting projects with lots of opportunity for growth. We also provide a full range of benefits for you and your eligible family members (including domestic partners).† Amazon commits to pay a salary that is 30% higher than their competitors and innovative programs to its employees. It sounds attractive, but the reality does not reflect their commitment. In fact, employees start to complain about the working conditions at Amazon soon after employment. In the article "I Do Not Know One Person Who Is Happy at Amazon", a current employee complains that no employee feels satisfied at Amazon. The employee is frustrated because he feels that Amazon uses him and does not appreciate his hard work. He mentions the high employee turnover, tough working condition and boring atmosphere at Amazon. He reports that he feels completely exhausted due to the extreme

Interpersonal Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interpersonal Intelligence - Essay Example They easily empathize with other people, sensitive to their emotions and moods and understand them well. Social gatherings are greatly enjoyed by them. This explains why they have many friends and they like engaging in team sports (Personality Max, n.d.). Cherry went on to say that because of these characteristics, people with a high interpersonal intelligence will be successful in the fields of psychology, philosophy, guidance counseling, sales or politics (n.d.). Most religious leaders, nurses, therapists, community organizers, teachers and mediators are people with interpersonal intelligence. One can learn to develop his interpersonal intelligence by participating in community organizations, taking a leadership role in group activities, taking up a team sport or informally tutoring other people. Enhancing one’s listening and communication skills are also essential to develop interpersonal intelligence. Cherry, K. (n.d.). Gardners theory of multiple intelligences. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from psychology.about.com Web site:

Academic and Professional Statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academic and Professional - Personal Statement Example The program will truly be helpful in providing me with an understanding about the academic and professional discipline of helping others in an efficient manner and assist me to gain the rewarding outcome of enhancing their quality of life. I graduated from Hagerstown Community College as a Human Service Technician in 2010. Currently I am completing my Bachelor of Social Work from Shippensburg University along with a minor in Criminal Justice. My most conspicuous and memorable experience was with the United States Army as a Staff Sergeant from 1991 to 2001. Working as a Staff Sergeant, I had the opportunity to work with my fellow soldiers, supervisors and officers of higher posts. As a Staff Sergeant I was able to help others and also gain knowledge about human rights and social justice at the same time. Dealing with my colleagues gave me excellent communication skills which are of utmost importance in the field of social services. I had to deal with programs of different varieties and areas of human resources within the different military organizations. I can very competently handle different types of communication equipment because of my training as a member of the signal corp. Hence, the time of my affiliation with the US Armed Forces helped me enhance my knowledge, experience various military organizations, build up my medication administration procedures and improve my understanding with regard to medical terminology and abbreviations. My experience with the military services helped me in improving my understanding about the area of resources and it has served to polish my written, verbal and communication skills as well. Working as a federal work study candidate with Geriatrics and Palliative Care in the Department of Veterans Affairs, I was able to pursue my career as a social worker and human right activist. My work with the VA Palliative Care Community Living Center holds great importance in my professional life. This Center

Graph theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Graph theory - Research Paper Example iss Mathematician developed a solution to an old puzzle related to the possibility of establishing a path across every one of the seven bridges that span a forked river flowing past (Biggs 140). From a conceptual perspective, a graph is formed by vertices and edges linking the vertices. From a formal perspective however, a graph refers to a pair of sets (V, E), where V is a set of vertices and E is a set of edges. Based on these fundamental concepts underpinning graph theory, this paper seeks to explain the importance and application of the theory’s theoretical concepts in various fields (Biggs 124). The concept of graph theory is important because graphs allow for a simplification of complex concepts, eliminating the irrelevant details without forfeiting much information necessary for the task. As asserted by Biggs (148), the assumptions made by the graph theory match the real world conditions and are therefore not comparable to any other model. Among the fundamental uses of the graph theory entail; giving a unified formalism for diverse looking real life problems. This has been the sufficient basis upon which algorithms have been presented in this common formalism. The theoretical concepts underpinning graph theory are widely used in the studying and modeling of various applications, in diverse fields. These include; construction of bonds in chemistry, study of molecules, and the study of atoms. Graph theory is widely used in Sociology for instance to measure the prestige of actors or in exploring the mechanisms of diffusion (Biggs 150). Besides, the conservation efforts made in biological sciences essentially apply the concepts of graph theory where a vertex represent regions where certain species exist and the edges are used to represent paths of migration or movement from one region to another (Biggs 152). Such information is important more so when examining the breeding patterns or tracking the spread of parasites, diseases and in the study of the

Tattoos and Body Piercing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tattoos and Body Piercing - Research Paper Example It might also be acquired to represent the rebellion against the status quo or those in authority for instance teenagers worldwide get tattoos and body piercings to express their disobedience to their parents who are rarely fond of these activities. The modern day tattooing is made a lot easier, thanks to scientific development and new laser technologies. One of the forms of body art, which has descended down from ancient times and successfully transited in the cultures of modern times, is henna art. Made of natural herbs, it is used to decorate hands and feet of women in eastern cultures on their weddings and other occasions marking rites of passage. However, most people, more significantly in the west, have proceeded to tattoo culture to show their rebellion to status quo and express their opinions with more freedom and aggression (Sawyer, 97). However, as easy as it is recent times to get a piercing or tattoo, the hazards it causes to health cannot be over emphasized. First, it be ing a permanent body art, removing a tattoo may be difficult and very expensive since it involves the use of high-tech instruments. Second, the tattoos are highly prone to infections and skin allergies. The red dye used in tattoos usually causes rashes, sometimes years after getting a tattoo. The infections caused by tattoos are mainly bacterial and appear as sores and pus-like forms. Often, granulomas, a bump-like structure, form around the tattoo due to the ink dye used. In addition, and most dangerously of all, tattoos makes the immune system more prone to blood borne diseases i.e. if the tools used for carving the tattoos contains smears of infected blood, then the individual is on a high risk of developing chronic illnesses like... This essay approves that people are now adapting to the new trends and employers are learning to focus on more important things than the body art of contestants such as their expertise, additional skills, and ability to contribute to the mission of organization. This drastic change in the attitudes of people towards these once-judges practices is sometimes attributed to the globalization. The whole world has come together in a form of a global village and people from diverse backgrounds have come to know each other and learn from each other. In times like these, it is difficult to judge others in comparison to ‘self’ and not accept the diversity amongst different types of people. In addition, in such a compact atmosphere it is very likely to trade expertise, inspirations, beliefs, and practices. This report makes a conclusion that the media owes a big credit in this regard. Globalization has more or less just strengthened the bond amongst people from diverse backgrounds. It is the media and its undying influence that brought people together in the first place. The rapid progress in the world of information and technology and more importantly the internet boom is highly responsible in the conditioning of people to accept and regard other people and the differences between them. Those who were too stubborn before to give respect to individuals who had gotten themselves pierced in the tongue or forehead are now beginning to accept the differences and treat them like equals rather than being intimidated or disgusted, as before.

Strategies for Reaching global markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategies for Reaching global markets - Essay Example According to Kanter (1995) such an action will not constitute an adequate response. This is so because success is based on an organisation’s ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks (Kanter 1995:71). Within the context of today’s global competition, businesses and firms no longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). Against this background, this paper examines the various strategies used by companies to reach the global market. The first part of the paper, examines forms of foreign direct investment, the second part appreciates each of the methods while the last part of the paper presents the summary, conclusion and recommendation. In the years that follow after the Second World War, trade and investment have become increasingly intertwined. Within the first few decades after the war, most countries from Asia and Africa viewed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with suspicion, and wariness and the flow of FDI towards these areas has been relatively slower (Buckley 2004, Sumelong et al., 2003). To most of these countries, the presence of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) was seen as an impeachment to their national sovereignty. The situation was further aggravated with previous colonial experience and the fact that to some, FDI was a modern form of economic colonialism (Sumulong, Fan & Brooks 2003). According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the flow of FDI has substantially changed the

Tattoos and Body Piercing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tattoos and Body Piercing - Research Paper Example It might also be acquired to represent the rebellion against the status quo or those in authority for instance teenagers worldwide get tattoos and body piercings to express their disobedience to their parents who are rarely fond of these activities. The modern day tattooing is made a lot easier, thanks to scientific development and new laser technologies. One of the forms of body art, which has descended down from ancient times and successfully transited in the cultures of modern times, is henna art. Made of natural herbs, it is used to decorate hands and feet of women in eastern cultures on their weddings and other occasions marking rites of passage. However, most people, more significantly in the west, have proceeded to tattoo culture to show their rebellion to status quo and express their opinions with more freedom and aggression (Sawyer, 97). However, as easy as it is recent times to get a piercing or tattoo, the hazards it causes to health cannot be over emphasized. First, it be ing a permanent body art, removing a tattoo may be difficult and very expensive since it involves the use of high-tech instruments. Second, the tattoos are highly prone to infections and skin allergies. The red dye used in tattoos usually causes rashes, sometimes years after getting a tattoo. The infections caused by tattoos are mainly bacterial and appear as sores and pus-like forms. Often, granulomas, a bump-like structure, form around the tattoo due to the ink dye used. In addition, and most dangerously of all, tattoos makes the immune system more prone to blood borne diseases i.e. if the tools used for carving the tattoos contains smears of infected blood, then the individual is on a high risk of developing chronic illnesses like... This essay approves that people are now adapting to the new trends and employers are learning to focus on more important things than the body art of contestants such as their expertise, additional skills, and ability to contribute to the mission of organization. This drastic change in the attitudes of people towards these once-judges practices is sometimes attributed to the globalization. The whole world has come together in a form of a global village and people from diverse backgrounds have come to know each other and learn from each other. In times like these, it is difficult to judge others in comparison to ‘self’ and not accept the diversity amongst different types of people. In addition, in such a compact atmosphere it is very likely to trade expertise, inspirations, beliefs, and practices. This report makes a conclusion that the media owes a big credit in this regard. Globalization has more or less just strengthened the bond amongst people from diverse backgrounds. It is the media and its undying influence that brought people together in the first place. The rapid progress in the world of information and technology and more importantly the internet boom is highly responsible in the conditioning of people to accept and regard other people and the differences between them. Those who were too stubborn before to give respect to individuals who had gotten themselves pierced in the tongue or forehead are now beginning to accept the differences and treat them like equals rather than being intimidated or disgusted, as before.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Movie Review

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Movie Review Example The film had mostly viewed in a subconscious mind of Joel as he is struggling to resist in erasing his memories of Clementine. This took place when he was undergoing the procedure of the Lacunar amnesia. Upon reliving in his mind the memories of him and the estranged wife, he suddenly realized that he wanted to keep the memories of her instead. As the doctors and technician of Lacuna were busy on the procedures to him through mind-mapping, he was resisting the unexplainable changes that were happening in his subconscious mind. Human Identity and Memory. The film does set a debate of the ground whether identity and memory are connected to one another. It provided open ended analysis for the viewers of the theoretical issue of identity being embedded in human memory. It appears so in distinctive results of the Lacunar amnesia to the main characters, Joel and Clementine. Clementine had her memories of Joel erased, thus her attitude changed toward her new friendship with Joel, much different from the time she still has a memory of him. It can be assumed in the given case that if a person lost his memory, his identity about the established personality within that memory will eventually lost as well. However, it will be a chance for the person who lost the memory to recreate new personality as his identity as a person. New identity in personality could alter the forgotten one if the memory got totally lost as well - a complete amnesia. However, it is different in the case of Clementine, as she only had a portion in her memory erased. Thus, her identity about herself has not totally altered or forgotten. Joel almost falls similarly with Clementine's case, but his procedure deviated as he opted to retain his memories about her. Although they went to such procedure, their identity is not completely at lost as it's only a part of their memories being erased. They retained the memories of their own self previously before they met each other, at least with Clementine's case. In recent study, it was discerned that human identity is synonymous to personality. Personality is described by neurobiologists and psychologists as "a collection of behaviors, emotions, and thoughts that are not controlled by the I-function" (Trinh 2005). Personality has relevance or significant connection with human memory. It was discovered that memory is being "controlled and regulated by the I-function of the neocortex" (Trinh 2005). In Psychological study, the collection of thoughts and behaviors that make a person distinct from others, which is called personality, is actually restored in a memory. The maturity or development of thought, and self-concept is being reinstated in the memory (Trinh 2005). A man's personality or identity was established and developed through the help of memory, or rather within the memory. In direct sense, without a memory, man has no idea of his established identity, or previous personality. The significance of the memory towards human identity is also affirmed by neuroscientists of University College London. They stated that: "The brain stores all

Feudal Systems Essay Example for Free

Feudal Systems Essay The Japanese and European feudal systems were very much alike yet different in their own ways. Japan’s feudal system was composed of peasants, samurais, daimyos, shoguns and emperors. Then there was the European feudal system. It was composed of serfs, knights, church officials, nobles, kings and queens. In Japan, there was an emperor. The emperor did not do much, he was more like a figure head and he did not make any laws. He was just there to represent the country. The shogun was the person who not only make and pass laws, but controlled finances and the daimyos. The daimyos were lords that controlled samurai, which were warrior protectors for wealthy land owners. Samurai followed a code of behavior called the Bushido, or the â€Å"way of the warrior†. The Bushido stated that samurai were to be brave, loyal and honorable. The wouldn’t complain when they received physical hardship, they did not fear death. If a samurai was defeated or disobeyed their masters, they were to form a ceremonial suicide called Seppuku. It was a way to dishonor with defeat. Last but not least, there were the peasants. They were mostly farmers and traders. Unlike Japan’s feudal system, in the European feudal system, the king and queen controlled nobles, the church and peasants. Nobles or lords owned land and they would grant part of their land to peasants. The grant was called a fief. These peasants would use about two thirds of the land for farming and they would give some of the crops to the lord. Nobles and lords also controlled the knights. Knights were just like samurai in Japan, also they follow something similar to the Bushido. It is called the chivalry and is a system of rules that told of how knights should behave towards others. Both feudal systems were from different countries but they were very much alike.

Social Work :: essays research papers

Service Learning Research Paper Dictionary.com defines homelessness as the state or condition of having no home (especially the state of living in the streets), people without homes considered as a group, having no home or haven. The homeless are the most noticeable of America’s social tribulations. You can see homeless individuals everywhere in cities, town, suburbs, and rural areas. Believe it or not everyone has a reason to why they are homeless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well if that is the case, why do many individuals choose to be homeless is the question? Who are the homeless? Are they comfortable with their living situation? Do they have any family? What are wrong with shelters? Who actually goes to shelters? These are many questions you ask yourself. As an issue homelessness first really hit the public consciousness in the early 1980s. By 1987, the federal government had decided to help, passing the McKinney Act, which directed federal money to support homeless shelters. Yet 15 years later, the cycle continues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It has been suggested that newly homeless people are more likely to bypass the shelters and use their homeless assistance money to stay in a motel. Because the government assistance is not sufficient to help the most needy† (Seltser & Miller, pg 48). Again you ask yourself what is the meaning of being homeless? Just think about people who sleep on a park bench thinking warm thoughts, while you’re sleeping in a bed as comfortable as a cloud. Talley, Eitzen, & Timmer stated that, public welfare fails to supply adequate levels of wages and housing support that would avoid them from becoming homeless. People might lose their homes due to loss of employment, overwhelming medical expenses and debt, or domestic violence. Homelessness can affect people of any age or gender, but the majority of homeless people are elderly men, single women with young children, and teens who have run away from home. You can categorize homelessness as a social class. Race also plays an important role, since people of color are among the extremely poor. There are people with many different problems that force then to become homeless. They do however all have one thing in common they have nowhere to live. Some factors that contribute to homelessness in America that make it unpreventable are the lack of education, economic factors and mental illness. Lack of education is something that is looked down upon in today’s society.

Essay --

Demeter Bibliography: Demeter is a goddess of agriculture and harvest. She is also associated with controlling the seasons (meaning she can control which seasons the crops will grow). Demeter’s parents are the Titan gods Kronos and Rhea. In fact Demeter is the sister of the gods and goddesses Hades, Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, and Hestia. What Demeter is mostly well known for is for her control over all agriculture throughout the seasons and her love for her daughter. She is the mother of Persephone, Despoina, Arion, Plutus, Philomelus, Eubolus, and Amphitheus. Relationship With Other Gods: Demeter is known to have a bad relationship with the god Hades. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone who Hades loved. Due to Persephone’s beauty Hades captured her and partially by force married her. Since Persephone ate while being at hostage to the god Hades, Demeter is only allowed to be with Persephone for nearly half a year. Demeter has a bad relationship to the god Zeus due to the fact that Zeus allowed Hades to marry Demeter’s daughter Persephone without telling her. Demeter also had a shor...

African American and Black Women Essay

The article â€Å"Hip-Hop Betrayal of Black Women† was written by Jennifer McLune and appeared in Z magazine Online in the July 2006 issue. McLune argues that sexism in hip-hop’s culture is a big part and has helped make the industry what it is today. This article can be divided into 5 different sections. In the first section, she talks about Kevin Powell and how he writes how men talk about women in hip-hop. McLune goes on to say that even wealthy white boys talked about African American women in their songs, yet its okay with society. The second section she gives examples of entertainers that talk down on women and some that do not. Common, The Roots, and Talib Kweli are the artist are the artist she names that don’t talk bad about women, but they don’t stop other artist from doing so. Also they back up the artist that does degrade women so in reality they aren’t doing enough. Even black female artist are right along with the men talking about other females (McLune, 297). In the following section, McLune talks about the protest that women have done with little help to the situation. The misogyny is an attack on a woman’s character and it makes the black community looks bad as a whole (McLune, 298). The fourth section is about the acceptance of the hip-hop culture towards black women. Everyone makes excuses and tries to justify what’s going on in hip-hop, but few have actual answers to help. At a point black women writers were called traitors for writing articles and complaining about what was going on (McLune, 299). The author concludes that hip-hop thrives around the fact they bash black women and if they didn’t do this then black women would be more respected in today’s society. After careful examination of McLune’s use of rhetorical appeals, evidence of pathos, logos, and ethos were used throughout the article. McLune wrote about the discrimination of black women throughout hip-hop. The dominate rhetorical appeal used by McLune is pathos, which â€Å"is an emotional appeal that involves using language that will stair the feelings of the audience† (Hooper, etal 86). She complains about being a black woman and hearing the excuses for men when they talk about women in hip-hop and how it is just okay with society. McLune is also irate about the fact that Eve, who is a female rapper raps about women in a bad way and doesn’t seem to think that, that is not right. Another type of appeal McLune uses is logos â€Å"which demonstrates an effective use of reason and judicious use of evidence† (Hooper, etal 86). Back in the 60s it was wrong and considered unfair to demonize colored men, but yet the men in today’s society are disrespecting colored women. The author explains how record labels exploit this and benefit off of the disrespect artist show black women. The least used appeal by McLune is ethos â€Å"which establishes the speaker’s or writer’s credibility† (Hooper, etal 86). Hip-hop owes its success to woman hating. Few artist dare to be different and not speak badly about women and the ones that do, they don’t make it clear that they feel it’s disrespectful for rappers to demoralize women which is not good in itself. McLune uses evidence to support her claim, one type of evidence she uses is examples she brings up Jay-Z rap lyrics and how he talks about women in his songs, â€Å"I pimp hard on a trick, look Fuck if your leg broke bitch, hop up on your good leg. † Also talks about good rappers such as Talib Kweli and how he has been praised for his song â€Å"Black Girl Pain†, but at the same time McLune feels he isn’t fully aware of the pain a black girl goes through. Another type is when McLune uses expert opinions such as Kevin Powell, she quotes him in â€Å"Notes of a Hip Hop Head† he writes that you’d think men didn’t like women as much as they talked about them and how they refer to them as baby mommas, chickenheads, or b*****s (McLune, 297). McLune believes that hip-hop has benefitted from the woman bashing and Powell believes that it has spawned on its own terms of making something out of nothing. A third type is comparisons between other women writers that have spoke about this topic whose articles have been pushed away and they have been called traitors for refusing to be silent about the disrespect the rap community has given black women. Finally, several types of rhetorical fallacies are apparent in this article. One type is ad hominem â€Å"which refers to a personal attack on an opponent that draws attention away from the issues under consideration† (Hooper, etal 93). McLune talks about Jay-Z and his rap lyrics how they are degrading women and explains that he is one of the worst ones in the industry. Another type of fallacy is bandwagon â€Å"which is an argument saying, in effect, everyone’s doing or saying or thinking this, so you should, too† (Hooper, etal 93). For example, she says that same rappers don’t talk about women in their raps, but they don’t say anything to the rappers that do. In reality they know if they were to say something to those rappers that they probably would have a hard time getting somewhere in the rap industry. A final type of rhetorical fallacy is red herring â€Å"that means dodging the real issue by drawing attention to an irrelevant one† (Hooper, etal 95). Kevin Powell blames the negatives in hip-hop on everything but the hip-hop culture itself, he thinks it is another reason for that. McLune also talks about rap lyrics that are bad, but doesn’t bring up the good rap lyrics about women. As a result of man’s betrayal of black women in hip-hop the black women is not respected in today’s society which has been talked about in several articles. Another author who addresses this issue is Johnnetta B. Cole in â€Å"What Hip-Hop has done to Black Women† Cole explains that it has been a growing war between Black men and women since the 60s and hip-hop is a significant and influential site of contemporary gender battles (Cole 90). Both authors state that hip-hop has generated a lot of profit from the way that rap artist talk down on black women. We can follow McLune’s proposal to boycott rap music and maybe just maybe they will realize what they are saying in their songs actually have an impact on the black community and that to make things better artist have to respect woman. Music is a big part in everyday life and it would be hard to get everybody on the same page as to boycott it, but something must happen because black women do need to be treated much better by black men. If society can manage to boycott rap music then artist would be forced to listen to the peoples concern and change their music for the better (McLune, 300). Works Cited Cole, Johnnetta B. â€Å"What hip-hop has done to Black women. † Ebony Mar. 2007: 90. Print. Hooper, M. Clay, Teta Banks, D. Marzette, Beth Arnette Wade. Eds. Analytical Writing: A Guide to College Composition I. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. 2011. Print. McLune, Jennifer. â€Å"Hip-Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women. † Analytical Writing: A Guide to College Composition I. Ed. M. Clay Hooper, Teta Banks, D. Marzette, Beth Arnette Wade. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2011. 296-300. Print.

Finding Forrester Essay

Finding Forrester was directed by Gus Van Sant and released in 2000. The film was interesting. It showed you that anything is possible; you just need to put in hard work and effort. Gus Van Sant shows us that it does not matter where you are from, anything is possible. Jamal Wallace is an African-American boy from the Bronx who is secretly highly intelligent but he does not want anybody knowing because it will ruin his reputation at school, an example of this is when Jamal’s teacher asks him to recite a famous poem that he knows, Jamal lies and says he does not know it. William Forrester is an old, Caucasian man who is an alcoholic and has written a famous book. Forrester spends his days in his apartment because he is scared of the public and society. The film focuses on the theme of stereotyping. A stereotype is â€Å"a widely held but fixed and over simplified image or idea of a particular type of person/thing. † –Oxford Dictionary. Stereotyping is shown throughout the film, some examples of stereotyping in the film are when Jamal is at his new school and writes an amazing paper. His teacher, Crawford, does not believe Jamal wrote the paper because he is a black boy from the Bronx who is a fantastic basketball player. There is a stereotype about African Americans being good at sports (especially basketball), but here the black character is also very smart and interested in things besides sports. In fact, Jamal throws a basketball game so no one thinks he is just another black boy only good for basketball. Another example of stereotyping in Finding Forrester is Claire. Claire is Jamal’s first friend at his new school and we see right away that she does not discriminate but is a victim of stereotyping herself. Claire’s father is the man responsible for making the school for boys and girls so students see her as spoiled and think the only reason she got accepted to school is because of her father but she is actually a very bright girl. Basketball is an important symbol in the film, which symbolizes that even though Jamal is a great basketball player, it does not mean he is not smart. This is shown in the film when Jamal gets a chance to play basketball at his new school. Basketball represents the real world; it’s struggles, relationships, and competition. There are also some more very important symbols in Finding Forrester. The books in William Forrester’s apartment represent escapism, insulation from the real world, and the world of intellect. And the window which William Forrester watches Jamal and his friends play basketball is literally a window into the real world. Forrester watches the world pass by him though that window. The characters Jamal Wallace (Robert Brown) and William Forester (Sean Connery) form a friendship through their mutual interest in writing. This all started when Jamal and his friends notice an old man, William Forrester, watching them play basketball through his window. They notice that this old man has never left his house and actually gets grocery, mail, and clothes delivered to him. One day Jamal’s friends dared him to go into Forrester’s apartment and to take something from the apartment to prove he was actually in there. While in the apartment, Jamal gets frightened by Forrester and runs out but little did Jamal know that as he was leaving he left his backpack full of all his secret journals. After Jamal talks to his friends about his experience they go out to play basketball and Forrester drops Jamal’s backpack out the window. When Jamal opens it up he finds that Forrester has gone through and corrected and critiqued every page of every journal. Furious, Jamal takes his journals back to Forrester to ask why he would do this. After days of trying to talk to Forrester, Jamal and Forrester come to an agreement that Forrester will help Jamal with his writing. They teach each other about life. Jamal helps Forrester get back into society without being scared. Forrester teaches Jamal that is does not matter where you come from, if you are intelligent, take advantage of that and embrace your great talent. The movie Finding Forrester was a good, quality movie with a great theme and moral. In this movie Jamal, an African American basketball player and student proves that it does not matter where you come from, or what color your skin is, if you are intelligent to need to let that talent shine. And William Forrester, an old, washed up writer gets a new look on life because a brilliant boy has faith in him. Together, William and Jamal fight through racism and stereotyping. â€Å"Dear Jamal, Someone I once knew wrote that we walk away from our dreams afraid that we may fail or worse yet, afraid we may succeed. You need to know that while I knew so very early that you would realize your dreams, I never imagined I would once again realize my own. Seasons change young man, and while I may have waited until the winter of my life, to see the things I’ve seen this past year, there is no doubt I would have waited too long, had it not been for you. † –William Forrester; Forrester’s letter to Jamal.

Narrative Essay on the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay

In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Frederick Douglass recounts his life of slavery and his eventual flight to freedom. When he was a youngster he was placed in a household in which the naive mistress started to teach him to read. Her efforts were halted by her husband and young Douglass recalled his lecture on the reasons slaves should not be educated. However the brief lessons placed within Douglass the desire to continue to learn, by whatever means possible, to read and to write. He had discovered that education and literacy was to be his â€Å"pathway from slavery to freedom. † Douglass illustrates that literacy is the most important asset a man can ac-quire if he is to achieve life-changing goals. Douglass’ new ambition to become literate had both positive and negative effects. His new desire filled him â€Å"high hope and a fixed purpose† and his life was fundamentally changed from that early time in life. His quest for literacy was fueled with confidence that his future life would be radically different and better once he had mastered reading and writing. However it was not without negative effects as well. The more he learned of slavery the more he hated his own condition and the slave-owners that created it. As his masters became aware of his ability he was constantly watched as they tried to prevent him from reaching his goal. For a slave the path to literacy was very difficult. However the path to literacy led Douglass to consequences he could not have im-agined. An entirely new world was opened for him, and with literacy came knowledge of a life that slaves had been denied. With literacy eventually came knowledge of religion and the great Abolition movement. The greatest consequence of literacy was freedom of the mind and freedom of thought, and literacy became for Douglass the tool with which he would become his own â€Å"master†. Literacy was for Douglass and other slaves a power which they had been denied. Ignorance and illiteracy were tools more powerful than the whip and chains, and were used effectively by the slave-owners to keep slaves in submission. The slave owners un-derstood this and feared literate and educated slaves who would now know there is no truth in the slave-owner’s belief that they â€Å"should know nothing but to obey his master. † Slave owners knew the desire for literacy would spread among the slaves and would be the essential method for their eventual freedom. It was a power the slave owners were not willing to give to their slaves. Douglass defines literacy not only by describing the obvious ability to read and write, but shows true literacy as the ability to understand and communicate thoughts, de-sires, and emotions. Douglass shows literacy as being the true bond between free men and the method to unite against slavery and oppression. Literacy unites man while ignorance and illiteracy keeps man isolated from the rest of the world. Although Narrative was written over one hundred and sixty years ago it still serves as a valid reminder of the power of literacy, which remains the most important as-set a man can acquire. With literacy all things are possible, and without it the illiterate become slaves to ignorance.

Social Change Impact Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Change Impact - Assignment Example These individuals protested in order to attain their rights and to gain acceptability within the society. For example: the civil rights movement started as the society viewed black Americans as inferior and was not accepting them as equal part of the society and similar events were witnessed in LGBT rights and women rights movement. The women’s right movement ended up in gaining success because they broke their ultimate goal of attaining their rights into manageable goals and they did not try to bring out a change immediately (Loeb, 2010, p.64). Secondly no one was quite aware about the various advantages that will take place as a result of this change and in order to experience the unforeseen advantages, this change was accepted. The main contributing factor for the sustainability of women right movement was that those involved in this movement did not back down and continued to fight for their rights even when there were huge

Developing a conceptual framework is an impossible possibility Essay - 5

Developing a conceptual framework is an impossible possibility - Essay Example Further, it forms the basis for establishing which events should be accounted for and how the same should be released to the accountants (Macve 1987 p. 11). Despite the pertinence of the conceptual framework, there are challenges which are involved. This is so because it should and it is a concept that is developed to guide study and what is transpired or has transpired over a given period of time on certain things. Tentative theory explains a conceptual framework as a phenomenon which is subject of investigation. This theory enlighten the rest of your design, it helps in evaluating and also refining your targets, initiate realistic and important research issues. Further, it helps in selecting proper methods and recognizes probable validity perils to your conclusion. This theory also helps in proving your research. Conceptual framework can be described as the research problem. It therefore involves formulating research problem for purposes of initiation and designing of your study. The ideology behind this argument is that conceptual framework identifies something that is happening in the globe which is hard to analyse. As such therefore, the conceptual framework which you develop and deduce for consumption by the rest of the people should be justifiable so that people can be able to appreciate your work. This requires that the conceptual framework k should be backed with factual examples touching on the daily happenings in different institutions (Bhimani, 2005 p. 23). What we have discussed in the above statement does not mean that there exists clear and express report of the research problem. However, it is important that research structure should demonstrate impliedly or expressly some issue which are hypothetical in nature and also reveal which other information so required. To avoid misleading ideas on the issue of the conceptual framework, one

To what extent can management control organizational culture Essay - 1

To what extent can management control organizational culture - Essay Example As such, the management in an organisation needs to provide direction regarding the beliefs, values and behaviours adopted by workers in an organisation. Further, the organisation structure as part of the organisational culture denotes the type of structure that organisations prefer to use in order to achieve their desired goals. A structure in an organisation helps to define authority and can either be vertical or horizontal structure. In a vertical structure, power emanates from the top downwards while, in a horizontal structure, responsibility is divided among teams in an organisation and power is less defined compared to the vertical structure. Consequently, the type of structure adopted by an organisation depends on what they want to achieve in both the short term and long-term basis. However, in any form of organisational culture, the management has a critical role in ensuring the beliefs, values, behaviours and organisation structure is in line with the organisation’s v ision and mission. In this sense, the extent which the management can control organisational culture depends on the cooperation that exist between the management and other employees at the workplace (Alavi et al. 2006). In most organisations, controlling the organisational culture is not an easy task because of the diversified culture in at workplace for instance (Ackroyd & Crowdy, 1990). As such, in order for the management to provide direction in terms of adopting an effective organisational culture, it is important that they understand the needs of their employees. Developing a culture that resonates with all employees in an organisation is a challenging task for the management and thus it is important that the management learn and understand the needs of their employees (Ackroyd & Crowdy, 1990). Further, despite the type of organisation structure used, employees’ cooperation is still necessary to achieve success with various plans in an organisation. Whether an organisation

Present Artmagazine Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Present Artmagazine Company - Research Paper Example The art magazine is basically the online shop where people can buy the art pieces and also they can criticize those pieces of art. Basically the artmagazine.cc can be classified into two broad prospective one is the painting and other one is the sculpture making. However, nowadays acting and theater are also taken as the act of art. The art magazine is one of the primary factors in the field of art and business. Art magazines are the important factor which provides all the information about the art. It contains much important information which is very much important for the art lover and the art dealer. Art is a unique talent and the attraction towards art is not seen in everyone’s mind. There are very selective people who love art and some people who love to deal with art as the art material has a tremendous resale value. There are many people who take these paintings and sculpture as an investment. However, we can say that the artmagazine.cc is the online magazine which covers all the aspects of the contemporary art factors. Magazines are basically a medium by which the information about the specific subjects can be conveyed towards the respected audience or towards the specific target group. Magazines are basically an entertainment factor in the human life, the proper design and the specific designs make it a unique representation of information. Artmagazine is the internet based magazine conveys the news about the art to the people who love art. There are several art magazines available in the market nowadays and each one of them has its unique characteristics. There are many art magazines are there which are only for contemporary paintings. These magazines cover most of the new age paintings as well the history of the paintings. Art is a subject which is very unique in nature and the target group (TG) for these art is also very limited and for that it is not commercialized as it is not for everyone. As the

Macroeconomic Performance of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Macroeconomic Performance of China - Essay Example The country's economic progress is visible in terms of all these factors - the huge jump in per capita incomes, the increased scope of activities for non - state sector enterprises, and its closer integration with the global economy. The Chinese economy grew at a healthy rate of 8% in the year 2000. The growth was stimulated by supportive macroeconomic policies, and a favorable external environment. PESTLE Analysis - an Introduction: PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding the "big picture" of the environment, in which you are operating, and the opportunities and threats that lie within it. By understanding the environment in which you operate (external to your company or department), you can take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the threats (RAPIDBI). Specifically the PEST or PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding risks associated with market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business or organization. Political Environment: Political forces influence the legislations and government rules and regulations under which the firm operates. Every company faces political constraints in the form of antitrust laws, fair trade decisions, and tax programs, minimum usage legislations, pollution and pricing policies, administrative activities and many other actions, aimed at protecting the consumers and the local environment. These laws, rules and regulations affect a company's profits. However, there are other political actions such as patent laws, government subsidies and product research grants that support business activities. Thus, political forces influence the organization both positively and negatively. Political activity also influences three additional functions, viz. the supplier function, the customer function and the competitor function. The customer function is influenced by the political activity when government demand for products and services can create, sustain, enhance or eliminate many market opportunities. Economic Environment: Economic factors clearly indicate the nature and direction of the economy in which a firm operates. Every market is unique and consumption patterns change along with the wealth of the consumers in various market segments. For strategic planning all the economic trends at national and international levels have to be considered. Prime interest rates, inflation rates and trends in the growth of the Gross National Product (GNP), general availability of credit, the level of disposable income and the propensity of people to spend are the economic trends that have to be analyzed. The potential economic impact of international forces appeared to be severely restricted and was largely discounted until recently. The focus of economic environmental forecasting was changed by the new international power brokers. The European Economic Community (EEC), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and coalitions of lesser-developed countries (LDC) are three well known examples of influential international power brokers. Social Environment: The social environment is an important factor as changes in the values, beliefs, attitudes, opinions and lifestyles in society create potential opportunities for an organization. For a company to grow, it is necessary to take advantage of societal

Some Factors That Lead to Success in College Essay Example for Free

Some Factors That Lead to Success in College Essay What should we do to make a good impression at a job interview? Last year, my cousin, Jake, went to a bank to apply for a job. As you know, when you apply for a job, you must be ready to answer a lot of question. Some of the questions that an interviewer may ask you include: educational background, previous jobs, and salaries you earned. The problem with Jake was that he was not prepared for the questions. The interviewer asked Jake a lot of things that he could not answer. Because Jake was not prepared for the interview, he did not get the job. If you do not want to be in that situation, you may want to follow these steps. As you can see, it is necessary to be well prepared for the job interview. Having the answer ready, being properly dressed, and being on time can all help to make a good impression on the interviewer. If you follow these steps, you will soon find yourself sitting behind the desk at that coveted job. Topic:Career you choose after leaving school October 21st, 2010Leave a comment Go to comments Career you choose after leaving school What career would you like to choose after leaving school? (Teacher) Today, it is not easy to choose a career. Hundreds of students pass various examinations every year and compete with one another for positions in the various professions which are not so many as there are applicants. I would, however, like to choose teaching as my career. There are several reasons to consider teacher an interesting job. Being a teacher, we have to learn more. If we teach History or Geography, it is important to read many books to make our teaching lessons more interesting to our students. We therefore gain more knowledge of the subjects that we teach than what we can get from the text books. A large amount of text books for the subjects we teach are not likely enough to help us to become an exciting teacher. In other words, a good teacher often reads many other books which are not related to the subjects he or she is supposed to teach. The large extent of knowledge on different fields make students admire the teacher and love the subject of which he or she is in charge. A teacher has to speak well and clearly so  that students can be able to understand instructions and lectures. This would be a motivation to improve our powers of expression. Even our pronunciation of words will be much better. Moreover, a teacher has more free time to read, learn and take some examinations to acquire more qualifications. Finally, as a teacher we are respected as educated persons. Others will show their respect to teachers and have their great regard for them and opinions that teachers give. For the reasons mentioned above, being a teacher can help me to live a happy meaningful life.

Balance Scorecard for Air India

Balance Scorecard for Air India Introduction Air India is the prime and oldest Airline of India. It is the State carrier which currently connects to rest of the world such as the Americas, Asia, Europe, etc. It is headquartered at Nariman Point, Mumbai in the Air India Building. It is the 16th largest Airline in Asia serves out of two major Domestic hubs in India at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi CST Terminal, Mumbai. The airline started its journey with the Maiden flight from Karachi Airport to Mumbai Airport via Ahmedabad in July 1932. It was founded by JRD Tata and later on acquired by the State. Air India has two subsidiaries and two affiliated carries. Together Air India, Air India Cargo, Air India Express, Indian and Air India Regional form the National Aviation Company of India Limited. It currently serves 11 countries across the globe apart from the various domestic destinations. Air India Cargo It serves as the cargo operator for the airline serving in conjunction with on ground truck-transportation systems and achieving synergies to increase returns. The carrier also is allowed to carry dangerous (hazardous cargo) animals under IATA rules. Air India Regional The airline previously known as alliance air serves the interior small airports domestically to serve the needs of such regions with smaller aircrafts. The hub for this is at the IGI airport in Delhi. Indian It focuses on the domestic touch points for the airline. It serves various destinations in the country with two major hubs at Delhi Mumbai. Air India Express The airline subsidiary was formed in 2005 to serve the low cost space in the South east Asia and the Gulf region. This is a no frills airline which focuses on the low cost travel mind space for its consumers. Tangible Assets Fleet and Material Resources Air India has continuously being trying to improve its Aircraft fleets. It has recently added 17 new aircrafts which include B777s- Long range aircrafts and it has also procured some 15 new airbus aircrafts to serve its domestic destinations. Currently the Air India fleet stands at a strong 136 aircrafts. Air India serves various international destinations such as in the USA which includes Newark, JFK Chicago with its non-stop Boeing Long range aircrafts. The detailed aircraft distribution is as given in the table below: Network Air India operates from various cities across India like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Jaipur, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Gaya and Thiruvananthapuram in totality 16 cities for its international location flights. The need of boarding flights from metros for international locations has thus ceased thus providing better opportunities to other cities to develop economically and aid in the countrys growth story. The various requirements in terms of customs, etc. are directly done in these cities. Air India also has code sharing agreements with various airlines across the world providing better accessibility to other locations. International Hub: Air India has established its international hub at Frankfurt for better transfers and code shares across the world. It has forged partnerships with Lufthansa and is currently vying for being a part of the Star Alliance. These alliances has strengthened AIs network in the US and Europe to a large extent. Indian Hub: Air India has its domestic hubs in Delhi IGI Airport and Mumbai CST Airport. The firm services 64 Indian cities domestically from these locations. Out of these locations seventeen service to International flights too thereby providing seamless connectivity. The domestic locations are service by Airbus A321 aircrafts with all world class services. Star Alliance Air India is currently in the process for vying to become a part of the International Alliance which will connect it to 916 cities in the world and have code share agreements with 17000 daily routes across the world. Air India club members can enjoy the benefits of International lounges, code shares, loyalty programmes, etc across all the 21 top airlines across the world increasing the service levels to a new height. The alliance is pending at March, 2011. Human Resources Air India has a large base of human resources which makes it one of the poorest in terms of the Human resources quality and performance. The airline pays around 17 per cent of its expenditures as salaries which is much higher than the global average of around 10 per cent. There are around 31000 employees which are serviced by around 14 unions in Air India which creates a huge scope of non-improvement of its current strength of employees. Post the merger the unions have introduced their intent of cooperating with NACIL towards achieving a better way ahead for the airline however issues pertaining to retrenchment and privatization are still serious concerns which the unions take very seriously and are averse to compromise on. The SBU structure which has been brought about in the organization further increases the woes of the Airline as well as the management. The organization has been split into smaller units which are responsible for better management of resources. However the reporting structure is a big catch. A Mumbai Airport Manager is reviewed by the ED of west zone but reports to his SBU head which is in no way related to his performance appraisals. The award of International postings is carried out by a third party who in no way is related to the current chain of reporting and is a commercial director who sits in the HO at Mumbai. Such an organizational structure calls for low performance and lack of accountability from the employees which will lead to non-performance from the organization in the long term. IT Technology resources IT is one of the most critical resources for the success of organizations in the modern times. The merger synergies would have IT as a critical input. One of the major exercises is to have a common airline code which would also help in the eligibility to the Star Alliance. As a measure the airline has contracted the IT serviceability to SITA (Society International Telecommunications Aeronautics) which has had more than 50 years of experience with the airline systems in Air India. The deal worth 845 crores is for a period of 10 years and is aimed at establishing network connectivity at all domestic and international locations for Air India, fare management, baggage tracing and reconciliation system, online booking engines, automated boarding control systems, check-in, air to ground communications, etc. SITA will also provide its horizontal passenger service system. Currently SITA provides its facilities to 140 airlines all over the world serving over 120 million passengers across the world to provide seamless connectivity to Air India to International routes and carriers. It would help to strengthen strategic partnerships for AI across the globe. Air India has also been invited to participate in the SITAs horizon board in India which is a partnership between SITA and airlines to develop the next generation passenger service systems across the globe. All these developments would help AI to establish itself as a brand in the PSS system delivery across the globe. SITA in India works with its strategic partners Mindtree NIIT to implement its technological systems and has a workforce of more than one lac employees. Low Cost Resources Livery The new livery which was launched after the merger has characteristics of both the descendants namely AI and IA both. The livery consists of the flying swan and the Konark chakra placed inside it. The Air India brand is mentioned on the tail of the Aircraft in hindi proudly depicting Indias national language. The aircraft colour is ivory with streaks of red retaining Air Indias colour. Also the red and orange streaks presence on doors signifies the merger of the two giants into one single entity. Maharajah Maharaja is the most reminiscent figure which is associated with the airline. It was designed by the duo of Bobby Kooka, AIs Commercial Director and Umesh Rao, J.Walter Thompson Ltd. Way back in 1946 primarily as a memo symbol; however it has translated into much more than that over the years. The maharajah has won various awards around the globe for its uniqueness and antics. The first word customers associate with AI is the puns and antics of the Maharajah. The maharajah is a unique brand proposition created by the Airline which has served it as a brand ambassador across the world. In- Flight Entertainment Air India has a variety of channels which cater to both the audio and video entertainment of its passengers. The customers have a variety of Indian channels such as popular music, ghazals, bhajans, etc. There is also a variety of English music channels having various genres like rock, pop, jazz, alternative rock , classical , etc. There are also a variety of regional channels available in Indian regional languages such as Malayalam, Tamil, etc. and also movies in similar languages are available for flights connecting the South Indian regions to the Gulf and South East Asia. On Ground Facilities Air India has its own exclusive lounges at Delhi, London, Hong Kong and New York in addition to the one in Mumbai. At other international airports, Air India has tie-ups with other international airlines or local Airports Authorities for lounge facility. There is a lounge for unaccompanied minors as well. Online Booking The quick, easy and convenient way to book AI tickets online through the Air India website. An e ticket will be generated and the details with the e ticket link will be emailed to the passenger. Air India has extensive facilities for Web check in and Tele check in for its passengers to provide ease of facilities. Dining Air India has a variety of menus to cater to a variety of tastes for its passengers. There is a choice of Indian, Continental, Western and Asian cuisines. There are certain special cuisines available on some routes like Japanese cuisine on the Tokyo route, etc. The special requirements of certain passengers also met with a variety of more than twenty six dishes available. There is a large assortment of wines and drinks to choose from giving the passenger a world class dining experience. Balance Scorecard at Air India The balanced scorecard is a holistic design of looking at an organization. It helps align the activities of the business to the vision, mission and the strategy of the organization. It helps improve communication, both internally and externally as well as measure the performance against said goals using proper metrics. Balanced Scorecard concept was started by Dr. Kaplan and David Norton as a means of measuring performances of organization. It was a measurement framework, which for the first time added non-financial metrics along with the traditional metrics that gave managers a better view of the performance of the organization. Over the years, balanced scorecards were refined to become a complete planning and management system for strategy. It helps operationalize vision and mission documents; progress on which can be monitored daily. The airline industry is cyclical in nature. Demand fluctuates seasonally; while planning for capacity and investments have to be done long term. This means that airlines usually go through sessions when they are operating in the red financially. Hence, it makes perfect sense to use a Balanced Scorecard to evaluate the performance of the organization. It gives a better indication of the health of the organization as well as helps create proper milestones for evaluating the progress towards strategic goals. Air India has been facing turbulent times recently. A lot of reorganization, restructuring with regards to the organization, finances and fleet have taken place. The company is deep in the red and there have been calls to divest this white elephant. As Air India struggles through this mess, using a balanced scorecard will give clarity to their goals and help them focus their efforts in achieving the said goals. Balanced scorecard has been implemented in several airlines, the most documented one being the Balanced scorecard implementation at Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airline is a USA based low-cost airline company and is also the worlds largest no-frills airline. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Southwest has among the largest fleet of passenger aircraft among all of the worlds commercial airlines, operating more than 3200 flights daily. Southwest is also a very profitable airline, having posted profits for 37 consecutive years. The balanced scorecard implementation at Southwest airlines has gone through a series of iterations and they are currently in their 3rd generation. We suggest a similar balanced scorecard for Air India. For the balanced scorecard we must have: Vision Mission Core Goal Activities and Outcomes Vision statement is the picture of your company in the future. It forms the lynchpin around which strategy formation takes place. Mission statement is the fundamental purpose of the existence of the company. It clarifies Why do we exist? Core Goal is the goal that is to be achieved by the balanced scorecard. Activities refer to processes that take place inside the organization, that lead to desired outcomes. Activities consists of Internal Processes Learning and Development Outcomes consists of Financial Performance Customer Satisfaction Activities are internal to the organization, while the outcomes in terms of financial outcomes and customer outcomes are visible outside the organization. Also internal processes, Learning and Development are long-term goals while financial and customer outcomes are more short-term goals. However they act as leading indicators of the changes happening in internal processes and Learning and Development. These show that the activities that were internal to the organization has reached a point of maturity that they have started impacting the customer and financial outcomes. As shown in the balanced scorecard given below, activities and outcomes interact with other activities and outcomes and hence no item can be looked at in isolation. The interactions between the strategic goals in each of these four divisions (2 activities and 2 outcomes) have been identified and dwelled upon in the balanced scorecard. The internal processes which must be measured for the scorecard that we identified were: Faster Turnaround of flights Increased Utilization of fleet Adherence to Schedule These will help rationalize workforce, fleets and bring in incremental improvements in operational efficiencies, bringing down costs and making Air India more competitive vis-Ã  -vis low cost carriers. Adherence to Schedule will help Air India rebuild customer confidence in the ability of the Airline to perform. The Learning and Development initiatives that need to be taken up and measured are: Alignment of employees with company goals Cross Functional Training Team work Cross functional Training and teams will increase the efficiency of the organization allowing it to make decisions faster and hence respond more quickly to changes. This is very important for Air-India as the general perception is that the company is slow to change and lethargic in decision making. The financial outcomes from these activities are: Profitability Lower Costs Increased Revenue Fewer Planes The customer outcomes are: Lower Prices On-Time flights Frequent flights Friendly Service Given below is the pictorial depiction of the balanced scorecard for Air India. Resource Based Turnaround Strategy for Air India This part of the report deals with understanding the reasons for the near collapse of Air India and proposing a turnaround strategy for the airline. Since its establishment by the Tata Group and the subsequent takeover by the Indian Government, Air India has seen a lot of issues emerging and changes in the competitive environment in which it operates. These issues and changes have been intensified by uncertain economic conditions, various crises and subsequent recoveries in the European and Asian economies, and a general lack of confidence in professional fields. This has led to a general reduction in the average time available to the organization which seeks to affect a successful turnaround. Also, the rising competition in the field it operates has compounded the problems by making Air India fight for limited resources with players which quite often have people with greater conviction at the top and therefore can allocate a greater part of important resources to the firms operation s. This challenge is primarily faced by organizations which operate in industries that have high technology orientation and companies which typically have high gestation periods where an investment made in any particular area or domain impacts the companys bottom line for a long period. Airlines business being one that is fairly high technology is characterized by factors that include product and/or process sophistication, research and development (RD) intensity, and a large population of technical employees. High-tech firms often encounter rapid changes in technology, demand, and a competition which is overlaid by sharp and unpredictable change. Thus, the AI management must be equipped for change management in line with the changes in the airlines industry environment. Unless this happens it will continue to struggle to remain profitable. This is precisely what has been encountered in the case of Air India. Within this high-velocity context, any turnaround strategy is faced with unique challenges. These have been depicted in the figure below. Business Decline The framework that the group uses in analysing the reasons for Air Indias failure and proposing the turnaround takes a new view of turnarounds by integrating constructs drawn from existing turnaround literature with others from the resource-based view of the firm. It proposes that efficient business operations are based on a combination of factors like key resource availability, germane strategy, and appropriate implementation of that strategy through adequate resource leveraging. In this case the financial and human resource would be the resources AI must look to leverage. Important resources within an enterprise can also act as the base for a turnaround strategy which would foster sustainable competitive advantage. Such resources are often the products of historical strategy and environmental action and are invariably capable to withstand rigorous tests of quality. A list of the key attributes of these resources is provided below: (Refer High-Velocity Environment Trims Time to Act Creating a Framework for High-Tech Turnarounds by Rolph N.S. Balgobin, Naresh Pandit; Nov 1, 2002) Turnaround Strategy Turnaround attempts are often the result of existence-threatening decline, there exists a lot of uncertainty with the origin of the points of change intervention and the role of the new top management. Frequently, a turnaround attempt is initiated after pressure from a significant stakeholder, such as a parent company or strong shareholder group. Air India has witnessed this quite a few times as with the ascent of every new government at the center of Power in New Delhi, the attitude towards the airline has changed. Hence pressure often came from the private players whose bids to take over the airline provided the fillip to the management of the airline to change the scheme of things at Air India. In most cases, the need for the change happens internally, usually started by the management who sees the signals of an impending decline. Also in new age high-technology firms, turnaround need not always be a management driven effort. However, the attitude of managers is just as necessary as having new leadership in getting the turnaround efforts going. The success of turnaround recovery plans are different from the unsuccessful ones in many ways (refer to the points mentioned below). In the cases of turnarounds that are successful, analysis-led understanding of the dynamics of the business is done using a diagnostic review. This provides a clear indication of the turnaround opportunities that are available. These opportunities have to be pursued with the goal of creating a sustainable competitive position in the market. Successful turnaround Plan characteristics Result from a diagnostic review (inductive rather than prescriptive) Profitability is explicitly set as an objective A single turnaround plan rather than competing initiatives or no plan at all Communication with stakeholders to ensure alignment A turnaround team develops and implements the plan Causes of decline are appropriately addressed The Process of Turnaround The frameworks used to portray turnaround are often depicted as a sequential process, which starts with the management initiating the attempt, then retrenchment, consolidating and then returning to a growth stage. But in high tech turnaround process there are four distinct stages crisis development, management change, transformation and stabilization, and return to growth. In the case of Air India, the Crisis Development phase started in the year 2008-2009 when the airline reported financial losses of 5000 crores. Due to this, the airline couldnt pay the salaries of its employees leading to a massive announced by the employees in the summer of 2009. This was one of the biggest human resource crises in the history of Indian business with nearly 30000 Air India employees going on strike. Immediately following this, the disastrous incident of the crash of Air India Express Flight 812 leading to the death of 158 people, happened. The change phase, unlike in the more traditional sectors, change happens not at the top as turnaround starts happening. There is often a change of problematic management, mostly purporting the point of view that a CEOs knowledge and relationships are crucial to a successful recovery. The same happened in the case of Air India. The entire top management of Air India was recast in a period of 30 days by the then aviation minister Mr. Praful Patel. As part of the shakeup, several old time directors were asked to leave and a Professional Chief Operating Officer was appointed under the CMD, Mr. Arvind Jadhav. In the third phase, a lot of actions happen simultaneously; these include cost rationalization, asset rationalization, revenue creation and product and market reorganization. In turnarounds that are successful, organizations should be careful not to lose resources that may be useful to recovery. This happens when they concentrate on surviving rather than on competitive leadership. Reflex cutbacks should not result in loss of key resources in firms successful in turning around their organizations. Instead, the focus should be on reducing costs. Also Air India disinvested some of the less efficient parts of its operations, while retaining the more important and useful ones. After an early emphasis on cost reduction, the focus of Air India then shifted to Structural alterations, joint-venture participation, investment, and the introduction of new products. There is a significant deviation in the experience of firms operations in more stable industries, which suggests that it is the high-competitive environment that demand that the changes occur simultaneously rather than sequentially. But as the transformation takes place, the turnaround of the firm goes through an inflection point that causes a shift in focus from cost and asset reduction to growth of the firm. In the case of Air India this has been characterized by the commitment of the top management to the growth of top line and sales and a conscious effort on the part of the airline to drive up volumes and occupancies of the airlines. The airline plans to reduce its price up to 23% by the end of this year. Industry experts see this as a clear sign of conscious effort on the part of the airline to drive up its volumes and occupancy rates. The last phase of the turnaround is punctuated by the assumption that for survival the focus has to be on growth and acquisition. In high competitive industries, this phase does not usually require that the CEO change or that the management change. Our group expects the same to happen by the end of the nest fiscal year when the economy would have recovered and new opportunities would arrive at the horizon for the troubled airline. Influencing Factors Literature study says that significant differences exist between successful and not so successful cases when they are compared in terms of their contextual and situational factors of turnaround attempts. Factors related to macroeconomic improvement and market growth appear to be assisting turnaround attempts. Though, it also has been seen that these environmental changes are not deterministic. With each organization being a unique collection of resources, external events do not seem to be having a uniform impact. Thus, a rising tide seems to lift only the seaworthy boats. External influencing factors include: Macroeconomic Improvement Market Growth Stakeholders attitude. Interaction of an organization with stakeholders such buyers, employees, suppliers, unions, bankers, the government and the community play a major role in determining the success of the turnaround efforts. When important stakeholders hold an active interest in the business viability of the firm, the chances of success appear to be greater. Internal Influencing factors include: Mission institutionalization Availability of financial resources Power concentration, and Perception of the permanence and controllability of decline. Mission institutionalization, primarily driven by the internal and external expectations of the businesses the firm should be in, can be a major abettor or inhibitor of positive change demanded by an intended turnaround. In cases where the changes required put the firm in a new strategic domain (say that of the low cost carriers), mission institutionalization can often hinder efforts of a swift shift in strategy if a firms constituents instinctively negate or refute out courses of action that are seen to be inconsistent with the vision and mission of the firm or its founders. This in Air Indias case can be explained by the reluctance of the airlines part to move into low cost carriers strategic domain. While this remains a possible strategic domain for the future, the airline showed remarkable reluctance in adopting this as a possible strategy. Maybe the Maharaja cant fly cheap after all. Available financial resources are one of the important requirements for a turnaround attempt, especially if the firm has considerable cash demands. Even then, availability of funds has still not been found to be one of the deciding factors in the outcome of a full-fledged turnaround effort. This is a significant finding as it often is suggested that firms in stress require only a steady input of cash until their products or services regain market acceptance. Also in the case of Air India with the airline being heavily government funded, the opportunity to save money and possible publicize it makes a great political success story and a PR opportunity. Of greater impact on the success of a turnaround attempt is the concentration of power within the organization. Firms with higher levels of power concentration are a lot freer to strategize, develop and also implement successful turnaround plans, while the cases that fail are often constrained or reined in by parent companies, powerful stakeholders like political parties, or internal politics. In non-turnaround cases, the management appears to have far less power relative to that owned by the stakeholders. In the case of Air India, with the creation of a new position of power of CEO, can potentially dilute the power vested in the top management. Yet considerations of operational efficiencies far outweigh the concern for power dilution. Similarly, with the entire airline industry showing signs of recovery with the economy firmly on the path of recovery, the perception of the permanence and controllability of decline is that of impermanent and one that can be managed by suitable strategy implementation. Strategy Implementation Successful firms reduce their resource base in those areas which are no longer core activities. Failed firms are more far likely to dispose or sell off on otherwise lose valuable resources than those that might support a recovery attempt. In the successful cases, the remaining resources are often realigned and augmented with the resources which are borrowed through joint ventures, development agreements, or outright acquisitions. This is depicted in the diagram as shown below. Resource Leveraging diagram As a rule, the successful turnaround cases concentrate a majority of their critical resources on a single and consistent turnaround plan, emphasize on a few improvement areas at a time, and focus on a few critical performance levers. They have a strong feedback mechanism to instill new learning deep into the organization. In the case of Air India it would be taking the voice of customers very seriously and trying to create a culture which cares for the people the firm serves. Firms which go through very successful turnarounds are also in a position to blend and balance resources to bring in products and services into the market, while unsuccessful firms often have seem to have an imbalance of skills, which neutralizes capabilities that exist elsewhere in the organization. Finally, parsimonious and frugal resource use and the useful ability to implement turnaround plans quickly also form one of the chief characteristics of successful recoveries. Thus, this is the comprehensive resource based turnaround strategy that we propose for Air India.