GE-Two -Decade Transformation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GE-Two -Decade Transformation - Case Study Example However, the company has in the past encountered severe challenges before attaining its current global position. In the late 20th century, the company encountered challenges which threatened its operations and stability. This paper will examine GE, discussing strategies employed by the company’s management in the wake of severe challenges. Welch’s Challenge in 1981 In the year 1981, when Welch took over management of GE from Jones, the company experienced numerous of hardships that threatened its existence. In 1981, the US economy suffered serious recession, which meant that banks lent money at unbelievably high interest rates. The high interest rates were especially disadvantageous to companies such as GE that required borrowed capital to sustain its business. In addition, the US dollar was quite strong at the time making GE’s international business operations quite unprofitable and unmanageable. The tough economic times experienced in the US also meant that GE had to lay off some of its employees and reduce hourly positions (O’Boyle, 1999). This put Welch and the company in a tough position, having to balance the company’s operations among the few remaining employees. Moreover, GE faced serious competition, particularly from Japanese companies. Global competitors had significant competitive advantages over GE as their nations of domicile were free of economic crisis like the US. However, despite the immense challenges, Welch was able to take charge of the company rather effectively through the adoption of numerous strategies. Welch first adopted the number one or two, fix, sell or close strategy that required all GE’s business units to be leaders in their respective industries or face closure. This strategy was effective in eliminating unproductive units of GE and strengthening the remaining units, which became leaders in their industries. The closure and sale of unproductive units provided necessary capital for produ ctive units to strengthen their operations. Welch’s strategy was effectual as it freed capital for strategic investments, which enhanced the company’s bottom line performance (Slater, 1998). Welch’s Objectives and Initiatives When Welch became the CEO of GE in 1981, he established the new company objectives to leverage GE’s performance within the company’s diverse business portfolio. In order to do this, Welch required all company employees to become â€Å"better than the best† in their positions and responsibilities (O’Boyle, 1999). In order to ensure the company achieved Welch’s objectives, the CEO initiated a series of strategies between the late 1980s and early 1990s. These initiatives centered on the spectrum of achieving organizational change through restructuring its staffing, layering and size. Through the adoption of the initiatives and strategic change, GE was able to achieve substantial competitive advantage within i ts markets. Welch’s initiatives were able to revitalize the company’s operations, bolster its image, and achieve massive profit margins. Welch streamlined the company’s staffing, especially in the company’s planning unit to ensure GE was lean and agile. The logic behind Welch’s de-staffing initiative centered on the notion that company or unit productivity does not rely on the number of staff in the unit, but rather the value each staff adds to the unit or company. Welch sought to instill the culture of strength in value addition

Value of tuition reimbursement and extra time in adult learning Essay Example for Free

Value of tuition reimbursement and extra time in adult learning Essay Learning is life. We continue to learn as long as we live. In today’s complex world, we often find it necessary to update ourselves, to keep pace with new developments. However learning new skills, organizing knowledge, at times, does not come free. Often, acquiring such specialized knowledge is beyond an individual’s means. To sustain the process of keeping oneself updated with newer skills and knowledge, financial support is called for. As such, it is ‘Important to provide reimbursement and make time in aid of Adult Learning’. â€Å"The illiterate of the year 2000, will not be the individual, who cannot read or write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. † (Alvin Toffler). It is said that Education is an investment rather than a cost. In today’s fast changing society, when technology and communication are changing rapidly, wide spread awareness of learning is a necessity. Adult learning was traditionally never very important. Stress was more on school age learning. It is only recently that researchers have turned their attention to learning at the workplace and in everyday settings. (Essays in Rogoff and Lave, 1984; Sternberg Wagner, 1986; Sternberg, Wagner Okagaki, 1993). As learners, the adults articulate the personal goals better, develop motivational skills, and fine tune their knowledge, interests, and acquired skills. Adult learning is based on a learning culture. It involves learning of work related as well as, personal skills which help not only individuals but enterprises and nations to Benefit from. Today learning is a strategic feature of the corporate. In times of reducing profit margins and stiff foreign competition, it is important to have a workforce which is not only professionally thorough in skills, but also ahead of others in the competition. So, employers have a vested interest in making their staff secures with knowledge and skill that will help them succeed at work. â€Å"Learning is no longer a cost, but a benefit that can be quantified† (The Adult Learner at work,p. 306). The adult learner uses transference to use the learnt idea in related jobs. In today’s world where technology is changing fast, by earning a degree in a field related to the job, the employee can perform better. Such learning boosts confidence in the employees and nurtures them to realize their full potential. In an organization, it is the climate of the organization that fosters learning. The staff is encouraged to gain mastery in its field of specialization. The organization must plan out the future allowing learning at every stage. Such organizations believe in empowering the employee. It believes that obsolescence of the staff will ring death knell for the organization. The management supports learning regularly and rewards such personnel accordingly. The commitment of the management makes the employees remain as a loyal workforce. Such values create openness in the organization where individuals can develop, create and contribute ideas fearlessly. It minimizes problems by identifying them at an early stage and arresting the major setbacks. Organizations which encourage its staff in adult learning schemes, foster growth of the personnel, as well as the organization. â€Å"Increasingly, companies will only survive if they meet the needs of the individuals who serve in them; not just the question of payment, important as this may be, but people’s true inner needs† (Harvey Jones, 1987, Making it Happen, p. 249). It becomes important, therefore, that such learnings are supported by reimbursing the tuition fees or course fee of the personnel. The employee is able to convince the employer about the possible advantages of offering tuition reimbursement. The new skills will make the employee more productive. It would also foster leadership in the workplace. Such equipped individuals would enhance the company’s image when working with the client. Globalization today has changed the way, the enterprises manage and perform . The skill, innovation and quality improvement is imperative for productivity, quality, efficiency and competition. Thus training the workforce becomes a critical component of competition. The most successful companies therefore will have to balance the market pressure to adapt to changing skills. It is to cope with the pace of change that the companies or enterprises need to train their staff. The urge to innovate and outperform on the part of the individual and the enterprise tie them in a bond, where each looks after the other’s interest, apart from fulfilling their personal interests. To keep the personnel abreast with the trend, there is a need for constant innovation and training the existing personnel with newer skills. It is always preferred to upgrade the existing personnel with newer skills than bringing in new personnel to meet the need. Existing personnel, being already familiar with the culture of the organization, Can adapt better compared to new personnel, who would have to struggle to familiarize themselves with the organization’s culture. Possibly for this in U. K, ‘Employers invested GBP 10. 6 billion in training in 1993’ (The Learning Age, DFEE, 1998). Human Capital theory as revealed by Harris’s study (2000) undertakes that training is an investment and will occur only when it can justify the cost. This theory holds good only when the company considers its employees as its asset. In such a scenario, specific skills of the employees are more valuable than generic skills. Making time for the employee’s training, needs to be decisively considered before deciding on a training schedule. A number of factors like availability of in house training personnel, speed or number of training days needed, frequency of the skill to be used, difficulty of the task and it’s transference to real life situations need to be considered before an organization decides on a training project. Smaller firms will find it difficult to have in house training due to its higher costs, while bigger firms will find in-house and on-the-job training cost-effective. Large enterprises can afford to have in house training centers which pave way for self-paced and self-directed training. It also aids training before or after work, without compromising on working time. The book ‘Tuition Assistance Usage and First Term Military Retention’ by Richard Buddin, Kanika Kapur, Rand reports of a program, where Department of Defense Supported the employees (on active duty), who enrolled in a college course. It reimbursed up to 75% of their college fees, up to a maximum of $3500 for an Individual in a year. The program was started having considered the benefits of having More educated personnel, who would perform better and would exhibit potential for greater advancement. The program was successful when more than sixty percent of the employees found the recruitment beneficial because of educational opportunities. Thus relevancy and value of tuition reimbursement and making time available for adult learning is synonymous with competitive performance and has become a critical component in today’s changing scenario of globalization. So learning is Life. As we learn we grow. References Thomas. Pourchot, M. Cecil Smith (1998). Adult Learning and Development: Perspectives from Educational Psychology, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Robert Burns (2nd Edition).The Adult Learner at Work: The challenges of lifelong education in the new millennium. Richard Buddin, Kanika Kapur, Rand (2002) Tuition Assistance Usage and First –Term Military Retention . AdultLearning. Directgov-Education and learning. Retrieved on August 30, 2007, from http://www. directgov. uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/Adultlearninggrant/index. htm Arizona Department of Health Services,(Fall 1991)Principles of Adult learning by Stephen Lieb . Retrieved on August 30, 2007, from http://. hcc. hawaii. edu/intranet/committees/FacDevcom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2. htm

Seeking Pleasure And Agression Is Part Of Human Instinct :: essays research papers

Seeking Pleasure and Agression Is Part of Human Instinct Name: Mohamed Fakhry A.Wahab   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based on Freud concepts of pleasure and aggression, discuses Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of Animals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is said to be that seeking pleasure and aggression are a part of our human Instinct. We seek pleasure to shorten the time of our unhappiness. We live in a constant struggle to be always happy, and we use all the ways that take us to happiness. Aggression, on the otherhand, is a part of our human nature, which can be hidden deep down in our subconcousnes and explodes in certain situations, or it can be on the surface of our behavior and inconstant use. Sources of happiness may differ from one person to another, but the one source of our human gratification that we all agree upon, is the happiness derived from sexual pleasure. Our souls strive for sexual pleasure to be elevated from one degree of human happiness to another. Freud said that â€Å"what we call happiness in the strictest sense comes from the ... satisfaction of needs which have been dammed up to a high degree, and it is from its nature only possible as an episodic phenomenon.† (25). At the sametime, we explore those human instincts in the presence of civilization which set some rules and regulation that are surpassingly acting as guidelines for the survival of humanity. Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of animals, are two different human experiences that discover our two core human instincts, pleasure and aggression. In Hay, we will find that his journey with his own instincts is different from our own human instincts, but it is the same when it comes to the roll of civilization with dealing with them. On the otherhand, The Island of Animals tends to dig in our human aggression, and shows how humanity uses civilization as a curtain to hide behind it. Freud concept of pleasure and happiness is related to Hay in only one way. It is not in the kind of happiness itself , whether if is sexual or spiritual, but it is similar in the procedure and the definitions of happiness or pleasure. In other words, pleasure to Freud is basically in sexual terms, â€Å" Sexual gratification is the prototype of all forms of individual happiness...†. On the otherhand, Hay Ibn Yaqzan's happiness or his pleasure is found in totally different kind of human instinct, which is the substitute gratification for sexual pleasure, because religion and science are included in Freud's lists for intellectual replacements for the lost sexual happiness.

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Soft Corals :: Reproduce Nature Wildlife Essays

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Soft Corals The battle between sexual and asexual reproduction is a competition that has been ongoing for millions of years. Somewhere along the way due to its higher level of genetic variation, sexual reproduction was able to overcome the two fold advantage of asexual reproduction, and now dominates reproduction in organisms. However, some types of organisms such as worms and corals have acquired the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences in asexual and sexual reproduction both from a biological and an evolutionary standpoint and to explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Introduction: Soft corals are very widespread among the Great Barrier Reef and other Indo-Pacific coral reefs. On the Great Barrier Reef they may cover up to 37% of the reef area (Bastidas, et. al, 2001). Even though soft corals are abundant on the Great Barrier Reef they have been overshadowed by the study of hard corals. Very little research has been conducted on them, yet they are just as fascinating as their hard coral neighbors. The main purpose of this paper is to explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually. To do this I will first introduce soft corals, then explain the types of reproduction soft corals are capable of, and finally explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually, using numerous studies to support my claims. Most of the information on this topic was very species specific, but this paper will explain the reproductive evolution of soft corals in a broade r array that will pertain to the scientific order Alcyonacea, or all types of soft corals. What are soft corals? Soft corals are grouped in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, and order Alcyonacea. Their distinguishing characteristic is that their polyps always bear eight tentacles which are on both edges fringed by rows of pinnules (Fabricius and De’ath, 2002). The common name â€Å"soft coral† comes from the fact that they have no massive external skeleton as compared to the more commonly studied hard corals.

Notes on a scandle by Zoe Heller †How is the theme of obsession presented in the book? Essay

Notes on a scandal, written in the first person by Barbara Covette, a close friend and colleague of Sheba’s, is a story about Sheba Hart, a pottery teacher at St Georges school, who allows herself to become engaged in an affair with one of her fifteen year old pupils, Steven Connolly, who is one of her few pupils with an interest in her subject and not just disrupting lessons. This story is very much about obsession, and not that only of Sheba and her lover. In fact a very large proportion of the novel is devoted to showing Barbara’s loneliness and obsession with Sheba. It is done in an almost subtle way so that Barbara as the narrator is not aware how clearly she is obsessed, yet we as the audience can see it. With this the plot becomes almost as much about Barbara as it is about Sheba. From very early on in the novel we can see that Barbara has an obsession with Sheba, and that the obsession is likely to get bigger. This can be seen from the very beginning. The very fact that Barbara notes the exact clothes that Sheba is wearing and comments on them shows she has been paying a great amount of attention to Sheba from the very beginning. On the first page of chapter one Barbara says that Sheba is a fey person, she makes a point of saying this, which indicates possibly jealousy of Sheba. As we go on into chapter one Barbara’s jealousy is becoming more and more apparent, as everybody else is fussing about Sheba, Barbara chooses to stay out of the way, most likely due to her envy of Sheba. Barbara looks in on everybody fussing abut Sheba almost as a fly on the wall would, noting to herself who talks to Sheba and exactly what she does. She does not try herself in the beginning to socialise with her, but yet still seems very interested in her. This shows the beginning of obsession. When in chapter one Elaine reached out to touch Sheba’s ears, Barbara remarks in her text about not shaving her armpits, and refers to Elaine as â€Å"Reaching out like a monkey†. This shows us that Barbara is irritated by anybody else fussing over Sheba, so she instantly insults them as if to make herself feel batter and more worthy of Sheba’s attention than them. At the beginning of chapter two Barbara says that she must maintain maximum accuracy, so therefore starts to put together a time line of Sheba’s year. This itself seems obsessive. She buys gold stars to stick on at important events. It appears to us that Barbara’s life at this stage is revolving around Sheba. On page 32 Barbara writes: â€Å"Throughout the first half of the winter term, I had been building up my confidence to tackle Sheba on the matter of class discipline.† This indicates that Barbara is nervous about talking to Sheba for some reason; however we are almost certain by this stage in the novel that if it had been another one of the teachers at St George, Barbara would not have had a problem with it. Also on page 32 is the realisation on Barbara’s part that Sheba had befriended Sue Hodge. Barbara was very envious of this friendship and begins to take a lot of interest in this friendship. Barbara continuously slags off Sue Hodge and calls her, â€Å"The most awful prig.† This suggests an element of obsession is here, as if Barbara was not interested in Sheba then she would not care who she was â€Å"chumming up with.† At the beginning of chapter three, it is made very clear that Barbara was jealous of Sheba’s friendship with Sue. She writes: â€Å"The irony of my having agonized over Sheba’s friendship of fatty Hodge.† She used the word agonized which is quite a strong word, so Barbara was obviously deeply affected by this. She then goes on to say: â€Å"If Sheba had made a wiser choice of girlfriend, if she had have chosen me from the start- it is possible that she might have avoided the Connolly imbroglio.† We can see here that Barbara desperately wants Sheba as a friend, in an obsessive nature. In the beginning of chapter five, Barbara says that if it makes Sheba happy it makes her happy. This very clearly indicates that Barbara is obsessed with Sheba. On page 83, Barbara contradicts herself, she say that she does not argue with the necessity for age bars, but then goes on to defend Sheba’s actions. She seems to think that there is one rule for one person and another for Sheba. When Barbara is invited to Sheba’s house for dinner she panics very much about the way she is dressed, particularly about the heals thinking she may be too tarty. She is acting more like she is going on a date then to a friend’s house for dinner. This shows us that Barbara is very keen to impress Sheba, and doesn’t want her to think anything bad of her at all. The first sentence of chapter ten says: â€Å"By summer my connection with Sheba was well established.† The way she says this is almost like a spy trying to infiltrate the government and not as you would expect somebody to say about their friend, this seems odd and almost stalker like. In chapter thirteen Barbara decides to stay away from Sheba, and see how long Sheba can stick it. However it turns out to be Barbara who is the one who can’t stick it, she becomes rather depressed and confused. Here Barbara is acting more the way a lover would after a break up than a friend. In Barbara’s lunch date with Bangs in chapter thirteen when Barbara realises someone else is interested in Sheba, she instantly tells him about her and Connolly’s relationship. Barbara may have done this as she doesn’t want anyone to come between her and Sheba’s friendship, and she feels threatened by others in Sheba’s life. Towards the end of the book Barbara takes great joy in destroying the model of Sheba and Connolly, she begins by destroying the boy though; this shows that Barbara is trying to get rid of everything from Sheba’s life that is not centred on her. All of these things suggest that Barbara is slowly becoming more and more obsessed with Sheba throughout the novel, and that she wants to take everything that is not centred around her away. She may even have been satisfied that Sheba has lost her family and now must depend on Barbara as she is her only remaining friend.

Selecting the right tools to learn French

Selecting the right tools to learn French So you already asked I want to learn French, where do I start? and answered  fundamental questions on why you want to learn, and what your goal is - learning to pass test, learning to read French or learning to actually communicate in French. Now, you are ready to pick a learning method. There are so many French learning method available out there that it can be overwhelming. Here are my tips on selecting a French learning method which best suits YOUR needs and goals. Selecting the right method to learn French Its really worth spending some time researching and sorting through the ton of French material out there to find what is good for you. Look at the customer reviews, and also what experts recommend.Be smart and make sure you dont fall for paid advertising (like Google ads) or affiliate links (links to product which give  the referring site a percentage of the sale†¦ Many very popular  audio methods such as Rosetta Stone use this marketing technique†¦ It doesnt mean they are necessarily bad, but it means you cannot trust the rating they are getting because the person wrote the review to get the affiliate fee†¦).Doing your own research here is essential because at the end, you can only trust yourself!  Make sure you know what you are buying: a decent site should have samples, and plenty of VERIFIED customers reviews.Many methods offer a 100% money back guarantee or free trial - thats always a good thing.Ask and you shall receive - if the method you are interested in doesnt offer samples or free trial, contact them and ask them for some. If there is no customer support, in our days and age, its a ve ry bad sign... Look for the right method for your own needs I dont believe there is only one good method. But there is one best suited for each student. If you speak Spanish for example, the structure of French, the logic of the tenses is going to be quite easy for you. You need a method that will give you the facts, lists, but you wont need much grammatical explanations.   On the contrary, if you only speak English, chances are that you will say at one point French grammar is so difficult (and I am being extremely polite here†¦). So you need a method that truly explains grammar (both French and English, a method that doesnt assume you know what a direct object is, for example†¦) and then gives you plenty of practice. Learning with level appropriate tools Many people will tell you to read the newspapers, watch French movies, speak with your French friends. I personally disagree.   There are always exceptions of course, but in my experience (20 years teaching French to adults) for the majority of people, that is not how you should START to learn French. Its what you do when you are a confident French speaker, but not how you start.   Studying with something too difficult, speaking with people who cannot adapt their language to your present level may  destroy your emerging self confidence in French. You have to nurture this confidence, so that you can one day get over your - only natural - fear of actually speaking French with someone else. You must always feel you are progressing, not running into a wall.   Nurturing methods do exists, but finding them will require a little research and sorting from your part. For beginners/intermediate students of French, I personally recommend my own method - Moi Paris downloadable audiobooks. Otherwise, I really like what they did at Fluentz. In my opinion, whatever your level may be, learning French with audio is an absolute must.

No More Used Cars

No More Used Cars No More Used Cars No More Used Cars By Maeve Maddox Time was, a car that no longer belonged to its original owner was a used car. Clothing that had changed hands was second-hand clothing or, in a family, hand me downs. Not anymore. Apparently, in our consumer society, thrift is still practiced, but admitting to it is not cool. Old clothes are now sold in consignment shops, not second-hand stores. Used cars are advertised as previously owned. but now even that euphemism may be on its way out. This week I received an advertising mailer offering deals on reprocessed cars. At first I thought the printer had made a mistake for repossessed. Apparently the company sending the mailer anticipated such a reaction because a definition was thoughtfully provided: Reprocessed Vehicle (noun) A late model pre-owned vehicle that has undergone a 27-point interior and exterior mechanical and safety inspection and conditioning and has been warranted for reliability. British writer David Rowan offers several more euphemisms for the embarrassing word used : pre-enjoyed, previously cared for, and experienced. Rowan has gathered a fascinating list of very scary euphemisms from serious news stories. Many of the expressions are U.S. coinages. The Pentagon seems to be an especially prolific contributor to the class of words that fall upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details. See how close you can come to what these euphemisms are supposed to mean. fiscal underachiever HRP immediate permanent incapacitation NBC suit real-time precipitation situation sidewalk counseling toy soldier urban camping welcome station wildlife conservation park Check your answers against Rowans list (Update: link no longer online). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?The Six Spellings of "Long E"20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

GED Overview - Prep, Online Help, Courses, Practice

GED Overview - Prep, Online Help, Courses, Practice Once youve decided to get your GED, it can be difficult to figure out how to prepare. Our poll shows that most people searching for GED info are either looking for classes and study programs, or are taking practice tests and looking for a testing center. It sounds easy, but it isnt always. State Requirements In the U.S., every state has its own GED or high school equivalency requirements that can be difficult to locate on the states government pages. Adult education is sometimes handled by the Department of Education, sometimes by the Department of Labor, and often by departments with names like Public Instruction or Workforce Education. Find your states requirements in GED/High School Equivalency Programs in the United States. Finding a Class or Program Now that you know whats required by your state, how do you go about finding a class, either online or on campus, or some other kind of study program? Many of the state sites offer learning programs, sometimes called Adult Basic Education, or ABE. If your state’s classes werent obvious on the GED/High School Equivalency page, search the site for ABE or adult education. State directories of schools offering adult education are often included on these pages. If your state GED/High School Equivalency or ABE websites dont provide a directory of classes, try finding a school near you on Americas Literacy Directory. This directory provides addresses, phone numbers, contacts, hours, maps, and other useful information. Contact the school that matches your needs and ask about GED/High School Equivalency prep courses. Theyll take it from there and help you achieve your goals. Online Classes If you cant find a convenient or appropriate school near you, what next? If you do well with self-study, an online course may work for you. Some, such as GED Board and gedforfree.com, are free. These sites offer free study guides and practice tests that are very comprehensive. Check out the math and English courses at GED Board: Free Math Videos and QuizzesFree Help with English Others, such as the GED Academy and GED Online, charge tuition. Do your homework and make sure you understand what youre buying. Remember that you cannot take the GED/High School Equivalency test online. This is very important. The new 2014 tests are computer-based, but not online. There is a difference. Do not let anyone charge you for taking the test online. The diploma they offer you is not valid. You must take your test at a certified testing center. These should be listed on your states adult education website. Study Guides There are many GED/High School Equivalency study guides available at national book stores and in your local libraries, and some of these are probably available at your local independent book store as well. Ask at the counter if youre not sure where to find them. You can also order them online. Compare prices and how each book is laid out. People learn in different ways. Choose the books that make you feel comfortable using them. This is your education. Adult Learning Principles Adults learn differently than children. Your study experience is going to be different from your memory of school as a child. Understanding adult learning principles will help you make the most of this new adventure you’re beginning. Introduction to Adult Learning and Continuing Education Practice Tests When youre ready to take the GED/High School Equivalency test, there are practice tests available to help you find out how ready you really are. Some are available in book form from the same companies that publish the study guides. You may have seen them when you shopped for guides. Others are available online. Following are just a few. Search for GED/High School Equivalency practice tests and choose a site that is easy for you to navigate. Some are free, and some have a small fee. Again, be sure you know what youre buying. Test Prep ReviewGED Practice.com from Steck-VaughnPeterson’s Registering for the Real Test If you need to, refer back to your state’s adult education website to locate the testing center closest to you. Tests are usually offered on certain days at specific times, and youll need to contact the center to register in advance. Effective January 1, 2014, states have three testing choices: GED Testing Service (partner in the past)HiSET Program, developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service)Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC, developed by McGraw Hill) Info about the 2014 GED Test from GED Testing Service is below. Watch for info about the other two tests coming soon. The GED Test from GED Testing Service The new 2014 computer-based GED test from GED Testing Service has four parts: Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) (150 minutes)Mathematical Reasoning (90 minutes)Science (90 minutes)Social Studies (90 minutes) Sample questions are available on the GED Testing Service site. The test is available in English and Spanish, and you can take each part up to three times in a one-year period. Calming Test Stress No matter how hard youve studied, tests can be stressful. There are lots of ways to manage your anxiety, assuming youre prepared, of course, which is the first way to reduce test stress. Resist the urge to cram right up to test time. Your brain will function more clearly if you: Arrive early and relaxedTrust yourselfTake your timeRead the instructions carefullyAnswer the questions you know easily first, and thenGo back and work on the harder ones Remember to breathe! Breathing deeply will keep you calm and relaxed. Relieve study stress with 10 Ways to Relax. Good Luck Getting your GED/High School Equivalency certificate will be one of the most satisfying accomplishments of your life. Good luck to you. Enjoy the process, and let us know in the Continuing Education forum how youre doing.

Wants vs. Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wants vs. Needs - Essay Example The notion of wants and needs will be accorded in this instance in the context of desert survival with the semi-nomadic Ju/'hoansi Bushmen in the Kalahari desert. Contrary to the common views that desert survival is relatively easy, being stuck or to live in a desert for an indefinite period of time needs a lot of careful planning and effective strategy. Before deciding which things I need to bring with me, it is important to describe the prospective conditions. Half of the Kalahari Desert does not qualify as a desert because it â€Å"receives much more rainfall† (Encyclopaedia Britannica, â€Å"Kalahari Desert†), than the other half of the desert. While rains occur at a significantly large volume annually with â€Å"a mean precipitation of more than 20 [Student’s Last Name] 2 inches† (Encyclopaedia Britannica, â€Å"Kalahari Desert†), still the area is extremely dry and there are no surface water. By and large, the sand is red and hot. Edible veget ation and fruit-bearing trees are present in some parts of the desert but occur on a single season within a year. Semi-nomadic tribes like the Bushmen live in Kalahari Desert. Majority of the Bushmen, also known as â€Å"Shan†, have shelters of their own. Water is their main concern. In dry seasons, they use sip-well to extract water from the ground. While they are hunter-gatherers and plant eaters, they also consume a considerable amount of insects especially during hot seasons (Morris 57). They also have common household necessities like knives, cloaks, blankets, etc. Given these conditions, I have come up with a list of things, either a need or a want, which I will be bringing with me in a stay with the Bushmen for an indefinite period of time: (1) distilled water; (2) medical kit; (3) communication tools; (4) wool jacket; (5) alcohol. Living in a stern environment in so far as water is concerned is both difficult and life threatening. Thus, water is a dire need for someon e who will have to spend an indefinite period of time in the desert. To prevent diarrhoea or other related diseases, it is absolutely helpful to bring large volumes of distilled drinking water. Similarly, dangers are very common in the desert. Poisonous creatures like scorpions and snakes are lurking everywhere. It is especially important to anticipate the possibility of encountering these dangers, or even worse, getting bitten by these deadly creatures in order to carefully plan the travel. Hence, a medical kit should not be discounted as it helps preclude the possibility of injury or even death. Similarly, deserts like Kalahari have very erratic weather conditions. Temperatures are normally high during the day but go too low during the night. If the body is not used to recurrent weather changes, one may [Student’s Last Name] 3 not be able to survive; therefore, a wool jacket should be brought together with the traveller. This somehow neutralizes the body temperature, which may help in regulating the blood flow. As aforementioned, water is the prime concern in Kalahari; water is scarce in the area. Thus, it is rather inappropriate to employ the same hygienic practices in the desert; in other words, taking a bath is relatively not a possibility. Nevertheless, this should not serve as a

Reflect and evaluate Apple's marketing principles & practices Essay

Reflect and evaluate Apple's marketing principles & practices - Essay Example The other marketing strategies and tactics – use of a brand name, consumer research, product innovation, advertising and promotion, service support – these are all helpful, but not in and of themselves. Ultimately, they only count in advancing corporate performance in so far as they deliver quality to meet the customers’ needs. More recently, marketing thrusts have tended towards what I would call the splashy and spectacular, or what others would call high-profile marketing. These can be found particularly in the advertising for sports events or concerts where a large amount of sales have to be transacted within a short period of time. There is a lot to be said, however, about word-of-mouth advertising, which is essentially low-key but very effective in the social media environment. The strongest testimony would indeed come from family, friends and close acquaintances whom we know and trust, particularly if we see them patronising the same products and services. Apple’s marketing principles When we researched on Apple’s marketing, the emphasis of most researches was focused on Apple’s innovation, its market savvy, and the vision of its former CEO, the late Steve Jobs. There is a problem with this, however, because the vision, market savvy, and ideas for innovation appear to be incidentals – things we get right only with a wing and a prayer, even in the best circumstances. Moreover, ever since the death of Steve Jobs, the constancy of these three back-bone factors has become uncertain for Apple because Jobs was the main wellspring from which they emanated. Unfortunately, Apple operated largely in a manner that was too closely identi-fied with Jobs personally. ... Unfortunately, Apple operated largely in a manner that was too closely identified with Jobs personally. In the course of my own readings, however, I am convinced that Apple has an element pervasive in its organisational culture that has developed into the winning market principle for its industry. This is simplicity, minimalism, and the quality of being understated (Vertygo, 2013). While also originally a Jobs attribute, this quality of being low-key and essentialist has, I believe, established a persistent trend in the way the company operates in a manner that defines it and its products. It is the concept upon which Apple’s brand image has been inextricably linked; its powerful digital and mobile devices such as the iPad, the iPod, the Mac, and the iPhone, which have been Apple’s greatest marketing successes, attracted the interest and commitment of the public because they were easy to operate (e.g., the absence of keys, knobs or switches) but delivered the desired qu ality of service in a manner compatible with our contemporary lifestyles (Van Dijk & Schipper, 2007). As for existing rivalry, Apple has redefined the market and reaped first option advantages with its revolutionary operating systems and its touch system technology. Through innovative products and technology, customers’ bargaining power is reduced for lack of competing alternatives or substitutes. How I assess Apple has done Taking a comprehensive look at Apple’s operations and it stated vision and principles, I believe that Apple has done more than apply them in the conventional way: the company has redefined what quality, innovation, and user friendliness means in the arena of digital communication devices. For all its

Safety management Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Safety management - Lab Report Example This study’s core focus encompasses thermal stress, which is exchange of heat with an ambient environment from a radiating body. However, this phenomenon may differ significantly based on varied factors besides location, which are climatic conditions, work demand and clothing. Hence, influencing workers’ conduct especially if they are working in a closed or poorly ventilated place to the extent some may exhibit irritability, working slowly or taking persistent breaks to go out where conditions are favorable. Therefore, the knowledge of this phenomenon is essential to engineers and other related experts in structural engineering when designing appropriate buildings in quest of installing proper ventilations. In this experiment, interval for elevation of temperature was at least 10 minutes in order to allow even distribution of heat and for the used equipments to stabilize for better results. Obtaining of the required results entailed measuring of both WBGTin and WBGTout coupled with tabulating them in a table for later comparisons when giving deductions. Hence, compare them though in ascertaining the premise of this experiment divergence will not show big margins. This experiment seeks to compare the two equipments’ accuracies based on their results. After having obtained the required materials and equipments required for this experiment, the second step was to set up the entire structure as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. This is to ensure after the commencement of the experiment observations are easy and devoid of errors in case of any incorrect setting of respective equipments or apparatus. Once the setting was complete, out of fifteen students they were to observed resulting data but in groups. These were to read varied temperatures quantities and recording them correctly after they have come to a consensus that they had taken respective readings accurately. The insistence of correctness in this experiment was to ensure its results do not minimum

Media Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Media Analysis - Essay Example The discussion will also connect cultural norms pertaining to sexually explicit materials and the public utilization of it. The infringement of human dignity will also be explicate, and lastly, the conclusion. Numerous commercials today are penetrating the world of television, especially in the United States. Representations are often instilled with amatory fantasies and desires (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1989, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). Nevertheless, such representations are consistently facing manifold accusations of contesting the ethics and morality of humanity in which most of them come from the Americans (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1989, Foucault 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). This concern in advertising has been dubbed by Boddewyn (1991) as a â€Å"soft tissue,† which has the foundation of being subjective and community generated roots and values (as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). Furthermore, there are many forms of sexual appeals that may be perceived differently from other perspectives. The publicity of lewd materials should consider the potential feedback of the populace. Sexual appeals present in commercials are of manifold classifications and may comprise various factors. This can be made through the utilization of gorgeous models that would portray different levels of bareness and implications (Severn, Belch, & Belch, 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). These visual attractions are sometimes incorporated with verbal factors (Severn et al., 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73) and other factors, such as sounds and scents. Deliberation should be done in order to stipulate on terms specifying the TV commercial if it may depict unethical or ethical concerns in the perspectives of the public (Richins, 1991, as cited in Gould, 1994, pp. 73-74). Also, such measures should be implemented because the commercial should receive positive recognition from the p ublic (Gould, 1994, pp. 73-74). However, even if there

PEST(LE) Analysis about ford Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PEST(LE) Analysis about ford - Lab Report Example Presently, the company operates worldwide in more than 80 countries and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company owns a minor stake in companies Mazda and Aston Martin. Ford is regarded as the second largest automaker in the world based on the net sales of the year 2010. It is the eight ranked company American company in the list of Fortune 500, based on the global revenue earned in the year 2009 and 2010. This study will lay an emphasis on the background of the Ford Company and its worldwide operations. The study will also give an insight into the present scenario of the vehicle industry of UK and its impact on the Ford Company. The study will conduct a macro environmental analysis of the UK domestic and industrial vehicle industry. The study will highlight the present financial and strategic position of the company and the factors affecting the growth of the company. Finally, the study will conclude with a forecast of the company and suggestions that can improve its cu rrent financial and strategic position of the company. Background Presently, the company operates worldwide with an employee base of 166000 which helps in delivering vehicles that are of high quality and exceptional value to the customers across the globe (Ford, 2013h). The first car designed and manufactured by Henry Ford was Cadillac in the year 1901 and the company was known as Cadillac Motor Company. In the year 1908 the company introduced a car known as Model A, the first car with safety glass and a windshield. The company gained popularity and kept on manufacturing cars with innovative structure. By the end of 2005 the company was claimed as one of the world’s largest automaker in USA because of its introduction of a series of unique cars based on innovative technologies. The company had introduced cars based on hybrid electric powertrain technologies and plug in hybrid technologies which has increased its customer base of industrial and individual clients. The company had created a transportation revolution by manufacturing vehicles which were classy, sturdy and uniquely designed. Reasons & Methods of Growth of Ford The cars manufactured by Ford are known for their sturdiness, elegant design and high vehicle standards. The company is highly committed in the design and production of vehicles that have the ability to deliver superior performance, offer innovative safety and offer innovative safety and driver assist technologies (Ford, 2013c). This has earned the company several awards in its field like â€Å"Top Safety Pick Awards† from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and has also received good ratings from the same. The automotive supply chain of Ford is one of the biggest strength and the company relies on thousands of its suppliers for the timely supply of car raw materials, parts and other necessary services for successful automotive making (Ford, 2013j).The suppliers have acted as catalyst for the company in achieving lower costs, improvement of quality of car making and improving the sustainable development situation (Ford, 2013i). The management of Ford ensures that a pleasant relationship is maintained with the suppliers and there is enough support for the human rights in the supply chain (Ford, 2013b). The company believes in performing business activities by ensuring proper sustainable development practices like reduction of water usage by 8.5 percent, energy reduction and by customer engagement

Media Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Media Analysis - Essay Example The discussion will also connect cultural norms pertaining to sexually explicit materials and the public utilization of it. The infringement of human dignity will also be explicate, and lastly, the conclusion. Numerous commercials today are penetrating the world of television, especially in the United States. Representations are often instilled with amatory fantasies and desires (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1989, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). Nevertheless, such representations are consistently facing manifold accusations of contesting the ethics and morality of humanity in which most of them come from the Americans (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1989, Foucault 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). This concern in advertising has been dubbed by Boddewyn (1991) as a â€Å"soft tissue,† which has the foundation of being subjective and community generated roots and values (as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). Furthermore, there are many forms of sexual appeals that may be perceived differently from other perspectives. The publicity of lewd materials should consider the potential feedback of the populace. Sexual appeals present in commercials are of manifold classifications and may comprise various factors. This can be made through the utilization of gorgeous models that would portray different levels of bareness and implications (Severn, Belch, & Belch, 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). These visual attractions are sometimes incorporated with verbal factors (Severn et al., 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73) and other factors, such as sounds and scents. Deliberation should be done in order to stipulate on terms specifying the TV commercial if it may depict unethical or ethical concerns in the perspectives of the public (Richins, 1991, as cited in Gould, 1994, pp. 73-74). Also, such measures should be implemented because the commercial should receive positive recognition from the p ublic (Gould, 1994, pp. 73-74). However, even if there

Unit 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 6 - Assignment Example For the sake of customer safety and service, a similar language needs to be in place. The employees need to maintain excellent public relation patterns with the target customers. In doing so, customers feel welcomed and valued. It also promotes the business sales. In another way, a few employees without English knowledge may feel left out and alienated from others who are quick in expressing themselves in English. They may think they are being gossiped in the workplace. Differences in workplace subsides managers institute such changes. The disciplinary action needs to be clear to everyone. The disciplinary policy in workplace ensures that every member sticks to the directives. The employees are hence aware of the repercussions that accompany breaking of the law. Knowledge of the effects of law breaking will deter them from poor acts in the workplace. Therefore, in personal view, measures enforcing English speaking only at the workplace are good if implemented well. They result to good customer care and an improvement in public relation patterns (Ekkens and Winke 270). Ekkens, Kristin, and Paula Winke. â€Å"Evaluating Workplace English Language Programs.† Language Assessment Quarterly 2009 : 265–287. Retrieved from

French Revolution Essay Example for Free

French Revolution Essay To fully explain the root cause of Modern Nationalism, one must look into what has transpired in the French Revolution. In 1789, the French revolution was born. There were transitions of power acquisition in the vital parts of Europe. On the 14th of July 1789, Bastille was under siege and on October the King Louis XVI and Royal Family was dethroned from Versailles and ended up to Paris. King Louis XVI was the ruler back then so his downfall can be equated to a total loss of order and authority. There were several attempts to escape the ouster of King Louis XVI but unfortunately it failed. With no clear power over the vast land, an assembly was formed to have a well-rounded and organized republic comprised of Austria, Holland, Prussia and Sardinia. When the republic was formed, King Louis was executed for his tyranny which have entailed for the sprouting of the Revolutionary Tribunal. France did not participate with this ideology because of the resistance of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon Bonaparte acquired control of the Consulate to proliferate a uniform law, equality, property rights and eradication of feudalism. Geographically, France is situated between the two large clusters of the liberal advocates. Basically, the French Revolution was the clash between the liberals and the radicals. Liberalists are those people who adhere to a just society through the divine law that is hereditary through culture while radicals are those who adhere to line of thinking that change and variation from the old system must manifest for a better society. From the clashes of the two opposing ideologies of the French Revolution, a new ideology was formed which is the Modern Nationalism. Nationalism is an ideology which focuses on the unity of the members of the nation to have a single national identity given basis to ethnicity, origin and the cultural background of these nations (Miscevic, 2005). The essence of adhering to the Nationalist Ideology is to establish a state. A state is political entity that is assumed to have a high degree of sovereignty (Miscevic, 2005). The state has a high sovereignty because it is assumed that the power is centralized with this entity. All of the members of the nation must abide to the imposed terms and conditions made by the state. The state can be polymorphous in way that it can be democratic and also can be totalitarian. The two opposing kingdoms of Italy and Germany were united. Despite of their contrasting beliefs, they found a way to remedy the situation and push through for the development of the nation. In 1871, they were united but the times went sour when the nation needed a sole leader of the two states. It is assumed and predicted that there will be conflict between Italy and Germany because of their adherence to Liberalism and Nationalism, respectively. Guissepe Mazzini was a radical revolutionary thinker that viewed the Italy as a state under an umbrella of control by a foreign authority. He wanted to free Italy from nationalistic ideology that it has adhered to since he was a liberalist. With his propaganda mission, he was put into bars in Italy. His revolutionary act were extremely refuted by the nationalist view hence he did not stop pursuing his effort of shifting Italy to a liberal state. Nationalism is a good ideology but it has some loopholes like any other ideologies. Some of them are: it is too predictive and presumptuous, why, because it always aims to unite people that are completely different from one another. Cultural relativism can be an issue for nationalism. Second, the selection of state that will be the center of authority, this is very important hence no one could tell what possible qualities should a good state possess and it all boils down to who has the greater means of production. Lastly, it assumes that the world possesses a harmonious relation, but in reality, we are driven by conflict. References Cody, D. (2007). French Revolution. The Victorian Website. Hartwick College. Retrieved on November 6, 2007 from http://www. victorianweb. org/history/hist7. html Spitzer, A. (2005). Tocqueville’s Modern Nationalism. Oxford Journals. University of Iowa. Retrieved on November 6, 2007 from http://fh. oxfordjournals. org/cgi/content/abstract/19/1/48 Chastain, J. (2004). Guissepe Mazzini. Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions. Retrieved on November 6, 2007 from http://www. ohiou. edu/~chastain/index. htm Chew, R. (1995). Napoleon I: Emperor of French. Lucidcafe Website. Retrieved on November 6, 2007 from http://www. lucidcafe. com/lucidcafe. html Miscevic, N. (2005). Nationalism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved on November 6, 2007 from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/nationalism/#1. 2

Concept Of Civil Military Relations

Concept Of Civil Military Relations The emergence of military interventions in the political life of a country is not a feature of this century. From ancient Greece to the end of the 20th Century, the threat has chosen by displacement or relocation of a government by overt military action, a recurring theme in the scientific literature. However, although previous analysts rather for the military as a strange, demonic fraction not with other social groups interact, but in a position to seek to act against them, it was not until after the end of World War II political scientists began to derive another perspective. Therefore, while Machiavelli would say, a man of the military can be a good person Voltaire would streamline manifestation of brute force as and Samuel Adams would say that a standing army, however necessary, is always dangerous to the liberties of the people. Of course, the change in the attitude of the science was in the military institution not accidental inspiration. From World War II to an end the traditional role of the military as an instrument of territorial expansion of a state, its utility has been greatly improved as domestic violence. As one of the few large institutions westernized, the military as the only effective pressure group, able to play a positive role was seen in a country trying to reach a higher level in the scale of social and political progress. Since the introduction of liberal institutions, Western economic policy in the peripheral countries, the stability of the latter was upset traditional sociopolitical structure appeared the military is the only group that the enforcement and protection of political stability and order. Therefore, as the duties of the officers had to undergo such a major change, and the whole institution was asked to play a domestic role multidimensional Western academia has been forced to reconsider their former views on the civil-military relations. Since the role of the military institution can extend the daily political life of the state of minimal impact to direct rule, began in early postwar writers noted the benefits could provide a modernized an officer corps assets political life of a peripheral country. His zeal was such that some even to support the establishment of pro-Western military dictatorships and overestimate the ability of the military ended. For example, with respect to Pauker Southeast Asian countries, argues that a cure for all one social economic problems faced by them in the future: It is more likely to be found in the officer corps and politicians. Since strong leadership support of the organizational structure and moral authority was seen as a necessary component of good management planning and the future of these countries, the only group that was able to show those qualities were the military, suggested. Others, like Pye moderate perspective in favor of the pro-Western direct military participation in the political life of the peripheral states, did not neglect to mention that the objective of the type of role assigned to the officer corps was to create stable democratic political institutions an practices. Others such as Janowitz, however, began to suggest that one should not confuse discipline and organizational capacity. While officers have been trained to work efficiently when allocated to specific tasks, and their impact on economic development in any country wide, at best, be minimal because of the inherent limitations in the profession [infrared]. Overall, it was very difficult for some Western academics to justify the military intervention and public rule since then, according to the political and economic model that they Anglo American promotion, it is democracy rather than dictatorship, the political system that complements the economic development of capitalism. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the liberalization of the former communist countries of totalitarian regimes, it seems democracy as the best alternative political mechanism can provide the West to these people. Although the process of democratization can not be done overnight and achieve an outcome, however, it gives the impression that it is the only viable solution for the implementation of peace and security in the world. As President Clinton noted in his speech at Georgetown University in 1991, countries with democratic governments are more likely to be reliable partners in trade and diplomacy and less likely threat to peace than those with other forms of government. Although the collapse of the authoritarian regime / totalitarianism is the first step toward the democratization process of any country, however, it should not make us believe that such an event would automatically lead to the establishment and strengthening of democratic institutions and practices. While in the transitional period can create a relatively stable configuration of democratic political institutions characteristics, can not be such a system can be considered a democratic system. Until there is complete agreement of the people and the political and military leaders to the demands inherent in all democracies, for example, support large positions for behavioral attitude with democratic institutions and the rules of the game that the latter establishment, then democracy can be a distant dream. As Sergei Kovalyov, a Russian human rights activist, has put it, the quality of democracy depends heavily on the quality of the democratswithout this, everything will be like now, always in fits and start. Due to the growing interest from the academic world to understand the different types and levels of civil-military relations in each country as well as in the interpretation, we have a number of writers with certain patterns, in which a number of factors associated with both the changing environments of international and local have been used. Despite some weaknesses arising from the attempt by political scientists to create a global theory regarding the role of the army in all countries, and these patterns tend to complement each other in the supply and the end of the reader a better understanding of civil military relations in general. TYPOLOGIES OF CIVIL MILITARY RELATION Focus on the way that the military can achieve its corporate objectives, accurately distinguishes four types of civil-military relations. In the first category, and he puts all cases while the officers to exercise their influence on the constitutional legitimacy and the civilian government, like any pressure group again, to achieve the objectives, such as increasing the military budget, and in the second, when officers used the threat of penalties or blackmail to reach similar objectives; in the third, when the system replace civil with one another because I did not perform its duties towards them adequately, and in the fourth category, and officers decide sweep civilian system and seize the government itself. And there is a problem with his rating is its heavy dependence on the degree of military intervention. This makes it difficult to distinguish between behavioral similarities and structural to the military establishment and regulations in different countries, while intervention has been paid to different levels, but the role of the military in society and politics is similar. Huntington, on the other hand, the rules of classification of its civil-military relations on the political objectives of the actions taken by the officers. He classified into three categories. In the first category, he distinguishes those cases that are similar to a palace coup, and in the second, those similar coup reform, and in the third, similar to those 1 revolutionary. And there is a problem with the classification of him is that his interest is not only personal but also elusive. He failed to consider that military intervention could begin as early as may have one type of a military coup, but to undergo radical changes certain. In an attempt to overcome the constraints imposed on the model of Huntington, Janowitz makes an important step by differentiating between civilians and military personnel in Western countries relations from those in the terminal. He classified as civil-military relations in the Western countries into three categories: the aristocracy, democracy and totalitarianism. With regard to peripheral States, he classified as civil-military relations in five categories: personal authoritarian, authoritative and comprehensive democratic competition, between civilians and the military alliance, the military and the oligarchy. And there is a problem with his rating is that it does not take into account the degree of autonomy that can be civilian leaders of the military. Not clarify this, he makes it very difficult to distinguish the role of officers in democratic and authoritarian regime. Learning from the mistakes of the previous writers, Lucham tries to offer a more complete model. He bases his typology of civil-military relations around three factors: the strength or weakness of civilian institutions; the strength or weakness of the military institution and the coercive, political and organizational resources at its disposal; and the nature of the boundaries between the military establishment and its sociopolitical environment. By examining these three variables, Luchams typology classifies civil-military relations based on the roles which the military institution plays in a countrys political life. He divides them into categories in which the military exercises objective, constabulary, apparatus and subjective control as well as in cases of a nation-in-arms from cases in which a praetorian, a garrison or a guardian state has been established o there is political vacuum. And there is a problem with classification Lucham is that he neglects the role of the international environment (political, economic, and military) on the relations between civilians and the military in the state. In the same direction as Lucham, but the definition of Huntington accept imperial societies, Nordlinger, Clapham and Phili attempt to formulate a complementary patterns of civil-military relations. After careful consideration of the three models of civilian control and traditional, and liberal models and penetration, Nordlinger says that there is no single model of civilian control that can be widely applied effectively. And therefore, used as a criterion to the extent that exercise governmental author ity officers and ambitious objectives. He distinguishes three types of Imperial officers: supervisors and guardians and rulers. First tend to exercise the right of veto on a variety of government decisions without having to take over political power itself. Second, after the overthrow of a civilian government take ten to the same political authority for a limited period of time. It aims to prevent the destruction of the status quo and return to civilian political power. Last, do not only want to control the government, but also being designed to convert a very ambitious community. Clapham and Philip H. ARG are not interested in how officers can gain political power, but in the methods they use. As a result, they come for the classification of four types of military regimes: the veto, Chair, factional and penetration. As selectors to be classified as they use the units military command structure, and the level of differentiation between the army of civil society, and the level of threat of civil society as well as on the level of political organization independent. Interestingly, it is also interested in the results of the military regimes. They are divided into six categories. The back of the hand, and the renewal of civil, nepotism and factional authoritarian, military state of the party and the state to a standstill. It is possible that other writers might have come up with new patterns. Based on these known, however, we should not see it as a strict set of categories. These patterns are not used Out of the study directly from civilian and military circumstances in each country, but instead of extrapolating from historical records that rely heavily on social structural factors. Even when factors are included cultural and ideological, it is widely be discussed. Since the elements that characterize civil-military relations in each country comes out of the unique circumstances of this country and its institutions, and countries that are not and should not be treated as mere examples of the ideal type. Instead, one has to pay special attention to the properties at the same time to maintain these patterns in the views. For a better understanding of the type of relationship between the civilian and military that dominates the political life of the country, as well as the level of democracy, and there is a need to create a multi-factorial model. This model should be a composite one and to take into account the following factors: First, the military itself. Can A careful monitoring of the size of the military, and social background and level of professional qualification of its members, their ideology political, and the level of cohesion and unity, as well as their desire to protect the interest their corporate (s), he says Janowitz, give us a better chance for understanding [ing] all of the officers, [and] internal capacity to its tendency to intervene in domestic politics. Second, we must take into account the form of the social impact of the local environment and the economic and political lives in the shadow of the military and jobs. Particular attention must be paid to be paid to the political factor that will determine this much whether the democratization process has established roots strong in any country. Third, the role of the international factor and more specifically the impact of major powers exerted on the establishment of foreign military alike and internal forces of the country. Last but not least, we must examine the role of the past and present of the military institution in the development of civil-military relations in each country. It should add a small rider here with regard to the latter factor. We are very concerned most studies of civil-military relations with the military factor only after the intervention happens. Role of the institution in the same domestic policy-making process in cases in which no ruling military are often neglected or underestimated. Although the authors emphasize the immediate factors that led to the military intervention, they forget that the military organization as a system of meaningful activity continuously from a specific type functions within the community long before the stage pre intervention. also suggests Johnson, the direct control of the government by senior officers or military juntas are only reference crude of the role that the armed forces can play at a certain moment, the men in uniform have a variety of ways to make their will felt. Nor should a result, patronage relations not only within the military, but also among its members and the civilian government dress ignored. In addition, planned and smooth, or violence, the transition from military rule to another form of government (democracy in the first place), in the peripheral countries, and its impact on the development of civilian rule in them, and deserves attention. Since the role of the military in the decision-making processes are often beyond the immediate scope of professional reference, it must examine its changing role in society transformation. 5.2 Problems Faced/Challenges on the implementation of the concept of CMR. Should the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹a close link between the traditional thinking SSR and CMR analysis is not in itself controversial. Obsessed control, and especially the civilian control, and theorizing much SSR, can be traced directly to the literature of fear and suspicion of the army are reviewed below for a brief period. Control, after all is only necessary if there are potential dangers in a lack of control. If modern thinking SSR does not explicitly mention usually the risk of military coups or military influence unwarranted, and intellectual heritage and clear with it. It can be attributed in particular to work known by Samuel Huntington, supplemented in some cases by others. In turn, of course, Huntington was not writing in a vacuum: a few original ideas in his book, and most have a long history. They are fully in line with a long history of writing (and often anti-military) anti-state, which is, in fact, the prevailing thinking in the world for several c enturies political. John Lockes two treatises of government (1690) is the most famous example in early. Of the complex and varied body of this theory, can distinguish between the main sticking strings in the past. First, the rise of the middle classes in Britain, and in colonial America, were identified with military aristocracy, and with the power of the king. As a result, the fear of a strong standing army seems to be plagued thinkers, British and American alike, who were influential in the establishment and development of the United States, and fear that still exist also in Britain after American independence. Remarkably that while for the United States (and indeed for most democracies) central problem in civil-military relations were not one basic to prevent a military takeover in the country, the book British and the Americans and identified these issues, however, exactly what the main problem. For the middle classes of the eighteenth century, and seek to transform their economic weight in the political power, in the state controlled by the Crown Prince and the aristocracy, the priority was to control of the state and the army, and the reduction of their power to the maximum extent possible. The middle classes of little interest in becoming officers themselves, and in the absence of military service, they had no experience rarely directly to how the military works. They knew little about military affairs care, and the army was a dangerous beast needs to be chained up. Proper role was not as a border guard or of the supreme national interest, but like the rest of the state, an employee with very limited roles. It was kind of trader, that chapter if the quality of the work is not satisfactory. Second, was directly linked to this lack of interest in military issues to liberal concepts of war and peace in this same middle classes. Dismissed the war as a bad trade, soldiers and stupid and bloodthirsty, and the war as a rational human beings are going to do everything to avoid. They considered that the reason often by armies of the war, which was very large and impressive, or through the arms race between the two countries. Embraced the new economic theories of Adam Smith, who argued that the trade, rather than war, is enriched Nations, and that cooperation was better than the competition. While not the middle classes were rarely peaceful, they have strongly the idea that the war was a stupid often and usually generals were stupid. For the British, the experience of the blunders of the First World War, and the folk-memory of Generals sending a generation of intellectuals to be slaughtered, was to be influential for many decades afterwards.  [1]   Yet if these ideas in various forms throughout the centuries, why there was a series of books and articles on civil-military relations between the 1950s and 1970s? There seems to be two reasons. And it was a lot of this American writing, and they are produced in a time when the United States has reached an agreement with a significant increase military equipment, and a network of bases and defense agreements in all parts of the world. Was also a time of fears of a military-industrial complex as expressed by (ex) Eisenhower. Lacks all these fears any basis in fact, of course, and he was not there a moment where the U.S. military looked as if they might seek for a political role or start a war. The second, more general, and why conscious of systems military that appear on what looks around the world, while political scientists, especially in the United States, began to take an interest in the military as an institution. These systems existed before the war in Europe in Hungary and Poland, for example but by the 1950s military intervention in Latin American politics has become almost a clichà ©, and military regimes apparently everywhere in that continent. No wonder that transformed relations between the worlds political, military, and one of the main themes of the study, although it is difficult to achieve experimentally. As a result, it was a lot of work to be done by inference, through careful reading of the legislation and government statements, and through the application of theoretical models. These models have been derived often from laymans understanding of the work of the American political system. Thus, it is inaccurate and incomplete in general, but with so wer e they based it strictly on theories about how and was supposed system of the United States to work. Apparently when the newly independent states in Africa began to fall under military control, as well as, to the extent that there is a trend all over the world for the Army to get energy. This impression was reinforced rise of military governments in various places such as South Korea and Pakistan. Encouraged, therefore, non-specialists began to wonder whether there was, in fact, things to apply what can be said about the army, and a series of books from the 1950s to the 1970s already mentioned implicitly said that there. Although it is important not to minimize the real change in approach between these books, they share some common features. Portrayed armies significantly resemble those of Britain and the United States, as well as those written by specialists on CMR Latin America. They are large, powerful, well trained and well disciplined and so it is a mystery not that this force rebels against its civilian masters, but why it ever obeys them.  [2]  Likewise, it was argued tha t the officers of these armies were always pessimistic, collectivist, historically inclined, power-oriented, nationalistic, militaristic, pacifist and instrumentalist in [their] view of the military profession.  [3]   This type of analysis was very simple. It assumed only two actors (the military, often in practice the Army, and civilian politicians), in an adversarial relationship involving a constant battle by civilians to control the military. This in turn meant that the two played a zero-sum game, in which the essential premise for any system of civilian control is the minimization of military power.  [4]  It was further argued that this power varies with the proportion of the national product devoted to military purposes and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the number of individuals serving with the armed services. As often with Huntington, this is a little obscure but presumably refers to the percentage of Gross National (or more probably Domestic) Product taken by the defence budget, together with the absolute size of the armed forces, possibly including reserves, or possibly not. These are two of the ways of measuring a nations defence effort, although not necessarily the most illuminating ones. Logica lly, therefore, civilian control is enhanced by reducing defence budgets and manpower levels, and indeed SSR theorists have generally drawn this conclusion, and acted upon it.  [5]   There is room for a good comparative study of military interventions in politics all over the world on civil-military relations. First, there is the question of why theorizing about military intervention today do not know the problem correctly. Then there is the question of theory constructed correctly and testable risk of military intervention will actually look like. Seemed relatively small position in the 1950s and 1960s, and produced an appropriate model of simplistic military intervention, as recounted above. But at the end of the Cold War, military regimes began to disappear rapidly, not only in Latin America, but also in Africa, and there were a few coups to replace them. So what happened? The confirmed civilian control victorious everywhere? The army had undergone an evolution the collective political mysterious? It soon became clear that the military regimes in the post came in all shapes and sizes and there are a few features in common with each other. In many cases, brutally cut budgets and manpower, but scientists have found that there is a relationship between military and civilian regimes new unsuspected complexity, and that control was understood more slippery than it looks in the past. The old model of motor power and influence clearly do not apply any more, if ever. Even in a relatively homogeneous area of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â €š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Latin America, it was not clear whether he had been strengthened civilian control or reduced, or even if it means the concept so much. As J Samuel Fitch noted, all this uncertainty was troubling in a field that aspires to be treated as a serious social science. The lack of even minimal consensus on seemingly basic questions undermines our authority as scholars to speak on policy issues that are crucial.  [6]   Must be much larger than the size of expertise and comparative analysis available now enables us to build a theory of military intervention that is more subtle and useful than those previously described. But before plunging in to this task, and we may pause and reflect, if any, the general theory of military intervention is indeed necessary. Current thesis, slightly beaten by experience, but still surprisingly strong, holds that military institutions appetite for power is that this civil-military relations in any country consists mostly of minimizing and controlling the power of the military. But this holds true, but in all cases of military intervention similar. If this is not true, the problem does not exist in reality. The proposal is that the evidence or rather the lack of it specifically shows that it does not exist. In a sense, this is the obvious conclusion is terribly useful. It is not possible to say whether some of the texts of the book known CMR actually believed that their theories were global or not, but in any case such claims would be impossible to prove or to clarify the truth even interesting. What might be called the theory of strong CMR all armies everywhere seeking power in the same way to be left to one side as intellectual curiosity. It is similar to Aristotles theories in physics, which were intellectually dominant for a very long time but is not in fact true. It is still possible to admire Aristotles writing, but if we tried to build an aircraft based on its principles, it will not leave the runway. In practice, most writers on CMR and SSR (including, very likely, and some authors cited only) and it seems that the belief is what can be described as theory of weak CMR. This has been anywhere placed correctly, but involves the belief that military intervention in the politics of one kind or another, though not universally Although the affected properties of historical and cultural, is common enough to be a problem. (In fact, if you are not seen as a problem, and will control of the army not be such a common feature of the various writings). This is at least a coherent position, and moreover it is one that can be tested. One of the logical consequences is that communities need to protect against the possibility of a kind of institutional intervention by the army to seize power a body corporate. Although the theory of this kind more temporary it is not easy to refute, we can look to see if the examples of the power of institutional Search common in modern history. The easiest way is to look at some well-known cases of military intervention in politics to see if they can find examples to support this version even double the risk theory. What is indisputable that there are many examples of seizures of power by the army, or at least individual officers, as well as cases where the army clashed with the civilian politicians (elected or not) or where she tried to undue influence. Question, again, is whether any importance to give mass to these events, and whether there are any general conclusions that can be drawn, and now that there are decades of experience in the analysis. How similar, in fact, are in these episodes, which is supposed to military to take power? Lets start with two events in 1958 that was most enthusiastic in the world, and access to power in France and Pakistan of General de Gaulle and Ayub Khan respectively. The first to look at, it is useful to consider the historical background, which is very rarely done. This history which extends back to the establishment of the Third Republic in 1870 is of interest precisely because it is not compatible with the concept of kinetic measurement influence military, but suggests instead that power relations are more subtle and many of the side, and this is something similar to energy analysis discussed above is actually more convenient. . On the face of it, the Third Republic wonderful example of the theory CMR in practice. Ive had a strong parliamentary system, where he was weak executive, and president (although the commander of the armed forces) is political entity. Was to take all the important decisions in parliament. Moreover, he was the Minister of Defense civilians for the entire period, and the Ministry for the operation headed by a civilian Secretary-General. Financial controls on civilians and making important political decisions. Not career military officers even allowed to vote in the elections. After 1940, this political system disintegrated within a few days, to be replaced by authoritarian state headed by retired Marshal. Fourth Republic, succeeding overthrown in a military coup in 1958. So it was what went wrong? And civilian control was less comprehensive than it looks? Army conducted the accompanying political attack? Interpretation, of course, is more complicated than that, and involves the structural weaknesses in the French political system itself. First, because the system was one parliamentary hyper, and was often referred Cabinet that the Executive Committee in parliament, could stop any institution did not like the initiative. Means the difficulty of building sectarian governments at a time can be brought down at any moment, and often for reasons of short-term political gain. Ministers therefore had little time to master their memoirs a year in office was a good start. However, hating to take controversial decisions of Parliament, and often voted full powers to the government to make those decisions is Sarah herself. In turn, governments often rather than resign. And any form of long-term planning or strategic analysis impossible. The system could not cope with the crisis, or the need to manage complex issues, such as relations with Germany in the 1930s. Not have been possible a coherent policy when governments changed frequently, and Parliament became essentially negative force, and to prevent any serious decisions. (It never officially declared war on Germany in 1939, for example). As a result, the system collapsed hopeless in the eyes of voters. Was widespread in politics, i

Carrion Comfort by Gerard Manley Hopkins Essay -- Carrion Comfort Hopk

Carrion Comfort by Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins was a talented poet, and he was also extremely devoted to his faith. He used his poetry as an avenue in which to express his love and praise to his Creator, and many of his poems are beautiful hymns of adoration. â€Å"Carrion Comfort,† however, is one of his â€Å"terrible sonnets.† Hopkins not only wrote about the beautiful part of faith, but also the questioning and suffering that inevitably comes during a person’s spiritual journey. The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet was one of Hopkins’s favorite forms of poetry and one that he employed frequently in his writing. Hopkins enjoyed the fusion of form and content, and the structure of an Italian sonnet perfectly lends itself to such a synthesis. An Italian sonnet is divided into two parts, the octave and the sestet. The first eight lines have an ABBAABBA rhyme scheme and the sestet concludes with CDCDCD. The content of an Italian sonnet is very specifically and thematically organized as is the content of Hopkins’s â€Å"Carrion Comfort.† The octave is divided into two quatrains, which present and then develop, respectively, a problem or situation on which the poem focuses. The sestet relates the answer or solution to the problem. The transition between the two sections of the poem can be easily identified through dramatic punctuation, or a distinct change in tone. The octave in â€Å"Carrion Comfort† powerfully illustrates intense s uffering and despair experienced by the speaker. Hopkins masterfully depicts the transformation from the utter despair caused by this suffering to hope and reconciliation with God as he makes a transition into the sestet. Throughout the poem, Hopkins uses various poetic elements, such as th... ...feast on thee; Not untwist--slack they may be--these last strands of man In me or, most weary, cry I can no more. I can; Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be. But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? Scan With darksome devouring eyes my bruised bones? and fan, O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee? Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear. Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod, Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, cheer. Cheer whom though? The hero whose heaven-handling flung me, foot trod Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.

Research Paper on Organizational Structure

I would like to start by saying that any corporate organizational structure depends on the product line and the industry in which the company operates. The companies belong to the continuum of either the functional or project organizations. Functional companies are organized around different technological processes. The top management of such organizations is responsible for the resource allocation, with the responsibility for the final output is not being tied to one single person. The use of rules and procedures, instructions, details and organizational traditions among the company’s management and workers is vital for the company’s functioning. The products belong to the high level of specialized knowledge which is created in this organizational structure (Matteson, 53). Light weight matrix organizations are functional and specialized. The product manager is usually added to this structure to coordinate the product creation and to serve as a liaison for the management-workers-customers. This new key person is used for collecting information, conflict resolution, and project objectives achievement. Product managers have less status and influence than functional managers, namely because they do not directly contact workers (Hersey, 88). Heavy weight matrix organizations possess dominant project structure and minor functional departments. The company’s product manager than possesses greater reasonability while the manufacturing, and marketing concepts are present in this organization (Berger, 144). Project organizations are located on the other end of the spectrum and have the following features: teams and projects. The project workers share the same location and concentrate on the same projects. The professional workers, on the other hand are supposed to have broader tasks and associated skills and responsibilities. In the project organizations the functional managers are responsible for the human resource development and technological implementation in the functional groups. The companies can also be classified according to the nature of their business and project undertaken. The projects can be characterized by the number of employees involved to perform numerous tasks, the workload on each employee. One can also classify the organizations in the following 4 categories: I. The company’s product is not complex and comprehensible for a single person, thus one person is likely to have enough knowledge to produce it. The companies that develop these kinds of products (shoes, clothes industry) usually have small development department. If this company has more than one individual department, then it usually structured as a functional organization as noted earlier in the essay – research paper (Matteson, 57). II. The company’s product is of low complexity, yet the total work is high. Such products, therefore, can be developed most efficiently within one functional department. A research department is usually the very department where this type of product is created. AS the company starts to have more departments, it would usually use the light weight matrix organizational structure to enjoy efficiency. The employees involved in this product creation are expected to work full time, and many tasks are expected to be performed simultaneously which contribute to the overall sequence design to be called Design Structure matrix (Hersey, 92). III. The company’s product is of high complexity of intangible, tangible, or mechanical nature. This kind of product is still in the engineering phase, making it rather clear what needs to be done to get the product into mass production and distribution. One should use numerous skills and disciplines to create this product, and these tasks do not have high workload. It is almost impossible to cause the employees to work fulltime on the very one product, thus creating the ‘job shop’ logistics situation (Schermerhorn 120). One should not forget that manufacturing and product development is not accepted by all product managers, it still usually yield decent result. The Product development process is constantly learnt and improved to remove bottlenecks and reduce the product variation. One should focus on the process rather than on the list of tasks and duties. This type of organizational structure has to follow the following three laws (Berger, 147): a. Taking smaller steps at one time usually boosts quality and effectiveness. b. Elimination of bottlenecks drastically improves productivity and efficiency. c. Elimination of variation will remove delays and distractions and thus will free some of the corporate resources. It is of importance to note that cross functional simultaneously run engineering squads is the common practice for the product development in such organizations. It would be a mistake to assign the same person to 5-6 different projects because it would result in congestion. One should not forget that by working at 100% of the product development capacity will increase the product development lead. Thus, one should deploy about 80% of the product development capacity and focus on the bottlenecks. IV. The company’s product is very complex while the total work is high. These kinds of organizations require their workers to work full time and the project organizational structure would be ideal for this very situation (Matteson, 59). Speaking about the company’s strategies that are vital for the corporate survival in the long run, one should remember that they would also depend on the corporate structure and thus would be broken down into three main categories of strategies that promote corporate values, corporate culture, corporate goals, and corporate missions (Hersey, 94): Corporate level strategy encompasses all strategies and sets the company’s mission and general guidelines. Functional strategies comprise Marketing strategies, financing strategies, and the strategies of each department participating in the given product development depending on the organizational structure. The focus in on mid and short term. One should remember that many companies would find it useful to use strategic business units rather than functional structure of organization to derive competitive advantage and thus govern the semi-autonomous units of organization that have their own budgeting, product development, hiring etc. Operational strategy is located on the lowest level of each organization simply because it is very narrow in focus and has daily scheduling criteria. This strategy obeys the higher level strategies present within the organization and adhere to the Management by Objectives principles (Berger, 150). Management by objectives (MBO), one should note, is the systematic scientific approach that allows the existing companies to focus on the attainable goals to reduce the costs and with the improved efficiency survive the competition. The MBO focuses on results, rather than on the process. The MBO would delegate tasks by dictating the proper final result without the detailed roadmap of how to achieve that. MBO strives to assure that everyone in the company has clear goals and objectives that coincide with the company’s goals and then by empowering others will have the goals achieved. One should still remember that MBO can fit only the knowledge-based companies.

Big Trouble in Little China

Big Trouble in Little China (BTLC) addresses stereotypes and aids assimilation by portraying Asian Americans as true Americans; condemning stereotypical actions; undermining untrue stereotypes; and reinforcing certain stereotypes as countertypes. BTLC encourages assimilation of Asian Americans into American society by portraying them as true Americans – they speak proper English, and Wang showed loyalty to America, as he gave a toast to â€Å"America’s colors†¦ that never run dry †.This contrasts with films which portray Asian Americans as different and unable to adapt to American society. For example, Mr Yunioshi, who speaks accented English in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Hence, BTLC aids acceptance and assimilation of Asian Americans by showing how they have changed their behavior and lifestyles so they are like true Americans. The film also reflects assimilation by showing that Asian Americans are being treated like true Americans.This is seen f rom the strong friendship between Burton and Wang. Burton is willing to risk his life to help Wang rescue his fiance. Burton also said that despite their racial differences, he and Wang were just old friends and Californians. Burton does not see Wang as an Asian, but as a fellow American and a good friend. Another example is the interracial romance between Eddie and Margo. Due to the stereotype that Asians are of lower position than Caucasians, interracial romances usually do not have a good ending in films.For example, in The Forbidden City (1918), the Asian female lead was killed after the Emperor knew she had a child with a Caucasian, to warn people that interracial romances are strictly condemned . But nobody found the interracial relationship between Eddie and Margo surprising or strange. They were seen as a normal male and female, not an Asian male and Caucasian female. The interracial friendship and romance convey to viewers that racial differences can be erased and Asian Ame ricans are really true Americans.