EKATO Organization Essay

A team is a formal work group whose members work internally with each other to achieve a common objective. A self-managed team is a small group of employees responsible for an entire work process, improve their operation or product, plan their work, resolve day-to-day problems, and manage  themselves. U. S companies including Ford Motor company, Digital Equipment and Boeing report many positive benefits from their experience with self-managed teams including higher productivity, improved quality and lower turnover. Team Development and Evolution EXATO vision it self as a services organization involve in providing solutions for mixing problems, rather than just designing and manufacturing of mixing machines. EKATO objective was to design a flexible and optimized production facility at a realistic cost, while creating an attractive environment to foster innovation. Therefore the new building was designed to support a cell-based, self-managing culture. Before the change to self managing culture, an extensive consultation and participation programme was conducted. This was based around people, process, technological and architectural strategies. A planning groups consisting of both workers and representatives of the workers’ council was formed to discuss any affect on employees due to those changes. The plan is to have 3 person groups. Wide-ranging internal information was made available to employees to support the new-managing, self-optimising approach in EKATO. With self managing teams approach brought good results; The new decentralised system amortized itself within the first 2 years operation Throughput times were reduced by 50% Inventories fell by 50% Spare parts stores reduced by one-third Machine cost fell Changes to plans reduced by 40% Obtaining information and passing it on cost reduced due to its availability and the easy communication Double time work was eliminated Due to the amount of coordination between that large no. of cells, the company reformed the cells into 8-9 persons instead of 3 allocated to three major manufacturing areas responsible for drives, shafts and impellers. Each manufacturing area has a leader who is responsible of that production group. Conclusion Teams can supply the competitive edge. Group pressures can have influence over individual’s behavior. The basic philosophy is â€Å"Entrusting employees with responsibility assures highest quality standards and low costs to the customer’s advantage†. 2. Evaluate the contribution that an effective HRM operation makes to the organization? Maximizing the effectiveness of the human assets of an enterprise is critical. HRM strategies vary from one company to another but provide similar services to the organization. – In EKATO, the HR is decentralized by making the department managers to be responsible for their staff finance and HR matters especially the appraisal and performance. – HRM includes a variety of activities, the key is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs. In EKATO hiring decision vital since staff composition  determines whether the firm has the necessary creativity skills and attitudes. EKATO maintains relationship with universities that specialised in process and involve this expertise on specific assignment. This open doors for universities students to work with the company after they finish their studies and be part of the organisation. – Attracting new employees by rotating them through different sections of the company for few months including assembly to gain the hand on experience in the entire company and be multi skilled. – Improving employees’ skills by providing extensive training programme to allow them to improve the productivity and have high quality performance. EKATO Team skills were improved through training before and after the move to the cell structure, to allow workers to be multi skilled and able to rotate roles to some extent. Coaching assisted individuals in personally adapting to working in teams on day-to day basis. Group members were trained in conflict resolution, problem solving, interpersonal relationship skills, team roles, group dynamics and decision making, as well as setting goals and priorities. – The typically objective of the HR is to provide an atmosphere in which all employees can perform their jobs to the best of their abilities and creatively contribute to the organization. EKATO retains its people by providing interesting work environment. Working there is relatively challenging because employees need to keep up development by attending seminars and read to stay current and keep up with fast technology. It is easier to make the job interesting for R&D staff than sales people. – They motivate their employee by adjusting the reward system to include an individual bonus for works contribution and the group productivity which encourage workers to work as a team to achieve individual goals. Re-training some employees who resisting the new change of the company to be self managing and group process. In addition, human resources management includes 15 methods to improve competitive advantage. 1. Working security: organization gives employees a long-term contract. 2. Carefully interview: managers should be carefully choosing excellent employee. 3. High salary: the salary is higher than another competitor at least. 4. Appropriate compensation: every month choose the excellent employee and give reward. 5. Employee ownership: provide stock of organization or share in project of profit. 6. The salary concentrating: Narrow the degree of the difference of the salary among employees. 7. Participate in management: let lower level employees join management. 8. Term work and working design 9. Symbolic equality principle: treat all employees equally. 10. Internal upgrade: through upgrade a lower level employee to higher position 11. Measurement practicing: Organization should measure employee attitude, different of the scheme and spirit of creation and ability of employee performance level. Notes: Introducing new technology such as expert system to help the company to manage and share solutions and knowledge, thereby reducing duplication. 3. Discuss the extent to which leaders at EKATO have attempted to change the organisation’s culture? Culture represents the unwritten feeling part of the organization. It refers to the set of values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, assumptions, and understandings shared by all members of the organization. It also defines the basic organizational values and communicates to the new members joining the organization the correct ways to think and act, and how things taught to be done. An understanding of organizational culture helps organizations respond and adapt to external environment by changing and solving internal problems. EKATO is a family owned enterprise. The founder Todtenhaupt was very technically oriented and has excellent relationship with his works and people in the chemical industry. The founder passed the organisation culture to his sons. But his sons changed the culture by bringing in an outsider Mr. Zeiler as CEO/President. The CEO, Mr. Zeiler believes that the leadership has to do with the personality style, values and assumptions. The CEO concentrated on the company internal matters and problems. With his sales background, he changed the company from role oriented i.e. bureaucratic to self managing culture. He focused on his workers by delegating responsibility to them and empowering skilled employees. He implemented the trust and openness culture within the organisation by allowing staff to learn from mistakes. To prevent classical labour problem, the CEO implemented communication and sharing the information culture by having open discussion on the company’s numbers, problems and goals. This is done by having two annual meetings between management and employees where the workers council and the CEO report to the staff. Beside that, top managers meet weekly and senior managers engage in cross-functional weekly problem solving meetings. Top management set the company plan and individual departments’ goals. These  goals are communicated to departments’ managers and then discussed within department staff. Senior mangers then meet quarterly to discuss the direction and review the strategy and areas of innovation. Each department manager is required to present results, costs and innovation capability. The outcome of these meetings are fed back to top management and then shared with staff. Hence, the spreading nature of culture will have an effect on organizational processes such as decision making, design of structure, group behaviour, work organization, and motivation and job satisfaction. Management interest in organizational culture to improve performance and increase competition. It is developed and manifests itself in different ways in different organizations, therefore, it is not possible to say that one culture is better than the other. Hence, there is no such thing as an ideal culture, only an appropriate culture.

Yeast Fermentation Rates

IB Biology Internal Assessment: Yeast Fermentation Rates Planning(a) Question- Growth: What is the effect on Yeast Growth/Expansion during fermentation when mixed in water of varying temperatures? Hypothesis- Temperatures above or below the recommended fermentation temperatures will contain less, or be void of growth, either due to inactivation or to yeast death. Variables- | | | | | | |Dependent Variables |Temp|Degrees F | |90 Degrees F-130 Degrees F | | | |erat| | | | | | |ure | | | | | | |of | | | | | | |wate| | | | | | |r. | | | | |Fermentation | |Hours | |Level of |Digital Timer| |time | | | |expansion | | | | | | |after other | | | | | | |variables | | |90 |75mL |75mL |75mL |N/A |N/A | |100 |105mL |75mL |N/A |N/A |N/A | |110 |85mL |75mL |75mL |N/A |N/A | |120 |125mL |75mL |N/A |N/A |N/A | |130 |75mL |75mL |N/A |N/A |N/A | Data Processing and Presentation- Overview- Yeast is a living substance. It is commonly used to rise bread, or to make alcohol, in a process known as Alcoholi c Fermentation in which it releases oxygen. Through my research, I learned that during fermentation, the temperature is a very important factor in yeast expansion, as under 100 degrees, the yeast may not activate, while high temperatures will effectively kill your yeast, rendering it useless. My Lab Experiment served to test the effect of temperature on yeast expansion during fermentation. Presentation- Temperature |Repeat | |Volume Change | |90 | |1 | |0mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |0mL | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | |100 | |1 | |30mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | |110 | |1 | |10mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | |120 | |1 | |50mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | |5 | |N/A | | |130 | |1 | |0mL | | | | |2 | |0mL | | | | |3 | |N/A | | | | |4 | |N/A | | | | |5 | |N/A | | | | | | | | | Yeast Expansion Conclusion and Evaluation- Conclusion- As is shown by my data, after the first trial at each temperature, the yeast refused to rise. This is due to temperatures effect on yeast, as a living thing. After completing the first five trials and ending my experiment for the day, I placed the jar of active dry yeast in the fridge where, due to prolonged exposure to such low temperatures, the whole jar died. After frustratingly watching the next seven trials yield no rise in the yeast, I came to the realization that the cold of the fridge killed my yeast. This was just as much a surprise (as the jar said â€Å"refrigerate after opening†), as it was an interesting basis for my lab. Because my Lab was about Temperature’s effect on yeast expansion and growth, this death provides a good conclusion, as it shows that prolonged exposure to extreme cold(around 58 Degrees F in my fridge), effectively kills the yeast, just as exposure to extreme heat does. At the 90 Degrees of trial 1, the yeast simply was not activated, but at 130 degrees, it also didn’t activate. Because temperatures below 130(save 90) activated it, I assumed that this was the temperature that kills yeast, just as 58 Degrees does. Limitations of experimental design- Many aspects of my project did not work very well and could have been improved in order to make for a better experimental design. For instance, instead of simply placing the yeast in water, I could have made dough, and placed it in the oven at different temperatures, making for a much more stable environment and temperature. Also, completing all 25 trials would have yielded better results as to what temperature truly leads to the greatest expansion by the yeast during fermentation. ———————– [pic]

Hitler book Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hitler book - Term Paper Example According to Hitler, the Russian movement had direct links to anarchy. Hitler refers to the Russian movement as one that does not warrant references as a high society. The Aryans are industrious while Russians do not embrace handwork. The Russians cannot return to nature since they view it as a return to primitive form of life. Addressing the concern on coal and petroleum, Hitler maintains that petroleum is available in many parts while people tend to deplete the reserves on coal. He highlights that petroleum is renewable but exploitation of coal is a destruction of the soil. According to Hitler, man is the most dangerous being. Man is the cause of every single problem in the world. The imagination of Hitler about the new Europe is that of a frontier society. He views St. Petersburg as one of the beautiful cities. Hitler talks of the natural devoutness of man citing that the piety man is one who thinks extensively about the world. Hitler refers to the progress of technology as reason that betrayed liberalism. On the nature of God, Hitler maintains that religion is a source of refuge for humankind. He notes that there is no God in Russia and still the people face death. He also maintains that National Socialism is incompatible when it occurs together with belief in religion. The coming of Christianity was the greatest blow to humanity. There should be no Islam without Christianity. Hitler maintained beliefs that the end of the war would be a beginning of good relations between Germany and England. He believed in the competence of the German army. On the relationship with Rumania, Hitler maintained that it would supply Germany with food while Germany supplies it with weapons and technology. He condemned monarchy and opted for the existence of a republic. On unemployment, Hitler says that Germany is the only country with full employment (Cameron and Stevens 42). Hitler expressed worries only a small portion, nearly a quarter, of the surface of the earth is availab le for humanity while the wealth in the world is inexhaustible (Cameron and Stevens 53). Hitler worries on how to solve the challenge of unemployment. Hitler maintains that optimism is among the greatest characters that humanity should nature. A pessimist’s mind can cause a soldier to lose a battle. Hitler maintains that Britain must drive for peace of the world. He condemns Winston Churchill for betraying the curiosity of his empire. According to Hitler, Churchill took advantage of the Great Britain’s interest by allegedly channeling for diversion. Churchill misused the patriotism that the English people granted upon him. He also misused the trust that the people placed upon him. Hitler declares that he does not subscribe to idealism. In his view, subjects should not bear responsibility for the mistakes of their rulers. In Hitler’s opinion, Churchill failed to convince the people that they could win the war. This was being pessimistic about the state of the war . The English should blame Churchill for their failure to win the war. Hitler expressed his opinion on the government in Europe and that in the U.S. The U.S had its origin as a republic and that forms its foundation. European countries, however, had their origin from monarchial powers. The apparent republic, therefore, took from monarchial regimes. Germany, according to Hitler, was the only European country that resembled the U.S because of its good governance as a republic. Hitler praises himself for saving Germany from adopting a

Family Systems Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Family Systems - Term Paper Example After being married, Mahmood came to the United States, settled in Central Florida, and opened one and eventually three local convenience stores. After the long process required, Mahmood became a naturalized citizen of the United States, and eventually returned to Pakistan to pursue Nighat’s immigration process. Nighat bore a son Sheryar after immigrating to Deland and her, the bay and Mahmood lived with relatives for a year after which the family moved over to their own house. The family lives in a predominantly South East Asian and African American neighborhood while Mahmood’s parents live very close by. Nighat bore a daughter who had congenital muscular dystrophy at birth in 2006. The child was able to live for around 3.5 years before she died. The couple had another son Muhammad Usman in 2010 who has congenital muscular dystrophy. The child is undergoing treatment now but there are little chances for survival. Appendix ‘A’ shows the family’s geno gram for reference. Roles Mahmood and Nighat share the primary roles in the family because the children are too small to share any responsibilities yet. Mahmood is responsible for providing for the family, as the family setup is somewhat patriarchal in nature. The South East Asian culture promotes a strongly patriarchal family and this family reflects it strongly with Mahmood being the father figure. Although Nighat is educated but her role is restricted more to caring for the household than anything else and provides the mother figure role around the house. However, this does not mean that Nighat is restricted to the house alone but instead she can leave the house for shopping or visiting the doctor etc. This is in contrast to most South East Asian families, as women cannot leave the house without an accompanying male member. Nighat is also responsible for maintaining the house, shopping, attending the children’s school and for taking the children to the doctor. Nighatâ€⠄¢s son Sheryar (who is the eldest) is responsible for shopping with his mother at times. Moreover, Sheryar buys small things such as calling cards when his mother needs them. In addition, Sheryar helps Nighat to look after the smaller sibling by playing with him while Nighat prepares baby food or changes a nappy. Hence, Sheryar is in the typical role of a child in the family under discussion. Assignment of family roles occurs based on a patriarchal family structure where the male is responsible for providing for the family while the female’s role is restricted to caring for children and the household. Another factor is assigning the roles is Mahmood’s work schedule. Mahmood goes to work in the middle of the day and returns late at night so it is hard for him to deal with various functions such as shopping. Therefore, Nighat assumes these roles instead of Mahmood. Sheryar has some small roles by assigned his mother indicating a strong and coherent family structure. Mah mood finds little time to interact with the children because of his working hours. Some Sundays are on as well so Mahmood has some time off during the weekdays. Generally, Mahmood picks up Sheryar from school just before he leaves for work. Family members interact with each other cordially using established family rules. When Nighat initially immigrated to the United States, there was some violence

Myths of hair loss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Myths of hair loss - Essay Example These commotion myths add to the anxiety of individuals, if not to the hair loss itself. Most people think that their hair loss may be as a result of wearing hats, caps, or helmets. This group mostly refers to athletes and construction workers. They trust that wearing hats, caps and helmets triggers a straining effect on the hair follicles; thus causing the hair to fall out. But then again this is not true as no harm is caused by the hair follicles, unless the hat, cap, or helmet is very tight putting additional tension on the hair. However, filthy hats, caps, or helmets can bring about scalp infection, which may lead to hair loss. Secondly, other people claim that their hair loss is a result of a rubbing act that their mothers or guardians performed on their heads with black tar soap. This is nothing but a mere misconception and not true at all. Another myth is that hair loss is inherited from the mother’s section of the family. This myth is not true at all. This is uttered b y individuals as the primary baldness gene is found on the X chromosome, which individuals get from their mothers. In addition, from biology lessons, we learn that an offspring inherits the genes from both parents. Obviously, there is a dominant and recessive gene, but the case does not mean that the gene from the mother is always dominant. Although the mothers’ side is more dominant, baldness is not always the case in most individuals as other factors also contribute to balding.

International Law, the Vienna convention on the law of treaties 1969 Essay

International Law, the Vienna convention on the law of treaties 1969 - Essay Example recognized as such by the British expert Lord McNair, who recalled the MOU as "an informal but nevertheless legal agreement" between two or more parties. The State Sovereignty has the attributes of entering into agreements and treaties with foreign powers. No state can protect itself from the rest of the countries of the world on matters of foreign affairs or relations, international trade, environmental issues, communications or finance. This was strongly implemented after World War II. The great advances made in the field of communications and information technology and the arrival of globalization has made independent States inter-dependent on each other. Treaties can have a significant impact upon the economy and social and political situation of the country and to its people. Nowadays every State has either entered or in the course of entering into treaties be it multilateral or bilateral. Treaties need to have a proper set of laws after a comprehensive study of a particular matter and its perverse effects it can have on food security, indigenous knowledge, health care, the security and the life and livelihood of the citizens – whether beneficial or prejudicial. The treaty-making power is highly potent and can also have some serious harmful effects if not revised carefully. The parliament of a country’s government is competent to make a law and so treaty-making power is not within the exclusive competence of the Executive. it is obvious that the Parliament is competent to make a law with respect to the several matters mentioned in the above entries. In other words, treaty-making is not within the exclusive competence of the Executive. In theory, it is always open to the Parliament to condemn a treaty entered into by the Executive where the treaty will have to affect whatever. Moreover, if any treaty or agreement violates any of the provisions of the Cons titution, it would be totally incompetent and ineffective and even the Vienna Convention would not

Ploicy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ploicy - Research Paper Example icial system and based on constitution that is intended for public good while a policy is set up by policy markers that must be in accordance with the law and intended for all organizations. The increasing use of IT in any organizations had widespread the free access of private information to the unauthorized. To assess the company’s unauthorized computer network is sometimes valid and sometimes not as authorities do not deal with it as such; however, assessing another personnel file is another story because these are usually dealt as private company records. Almost every state in the United States and all parts of the world viewed this unauthorized use as a criminal act, but in California â€Å"an employee might use an employer’s computer service for his or her own purpose without permission if no damage is caused and if the value of supplies and computer services does not exceed $100† (Oz 429). However, such exception is considered morally incorrect if the company itself expressly imposed a policy against such activity. To provide employees with clear guidelines, employers have developed a privacy policy posted in any conspicuous locations for emp loyee notifications and they are requested to sign as a proof that they are being informed. The policy states that â€Å"access or use of any equipment or data unless such access is work-related and required to fulfill that employees’ duties, or alter, damage, or destroy any company data or documentation† is forbidden, and anyone who violated this policy is considered to be criminally liable (Oz 429). This policy is a reminder that the company / customers / employees have their right to reckon their private files to be left confidential. Every company wanted to provide their customers a high work standard and keep their workplace safe, comfortable, and productive that is why it does not tolerate abusive used of alcohol and drugs among its employees. They are true anymore with the risk and liabilities brought by

Reformers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reformers - Essay Example ed as this groups perception of government leadership as corrupt and without a reasonable desire to build a system of justice that best served the American people. Those reformers who took active stands against corrupt leadership were largely from the middle class, though there were others of higher economic influence who also believed that 19th Century America deserved a better system of leadership at the capital. Most noticeable in the reformer movement was the acknowledgement that women should be considered as sentient, godly people and should thus be given the right to vote and extended certain freedoms. This movement was later referred to as the womens suffrage movement (LaPlante, 1999). The suffrage movement involved standing up for the rights of women and extending many of the same opportunities that the men of that age experienced. Along with the womens issues, the abolition of slavery was also a hotly debated topic at this time, especially with pressures from the southern states being imposed to expand and maintain slave presence in this region of the country. Citing religious doctrines, many of the social reformers who were wholly against slavery began to speak out about its atrocities from the eyes of the Christian god (LaPlante). Combining both of these strong reformer belief systems was Sojourner Truth, who had been born into slavery during the first half of the 19th Century, and through perseverance, became one of the foremost women leaders both in relation to womens suffrage and the abolition of slavery. During her long voyage toward improving the rights of women and slaves, Truth managed to bring about social awareness of the issues facing women of that time, while also raising money to help black soldiers who were fighting in the Civil War (Daintycrew.com, 2001). Sojourner Truth maintained some rather obtuse religious beliefs as well, befriending a religious sect similar to that of the Quakers, where communication with living spirits was a

TUI ( tuarism industry ) case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

TUI ( tuarism industry ) - Case Study Example Most of the countries in the European Continent have a pleasant weather throughout the year with rainfalls is summers and snowfalls and brisk winds in the winters. These countries therefore have a excellent features for attracting tourists. Many businesses in the tourism industry of UK and the rest of Europe depend upon tourism. These businesses are museums, cinemas, hotels, night clubs, restaurants, leisure parks, spas, resorts etc (Aston, 2009). The UK tourism industry is worth  £ 114 billion. The tourism industry of Europe is backed by the European Travel Commission (ETC), which is a non-profit making organization and has its main office in Brussels. This organization has 39 member organizations (European Travel Commission, 2009). The role of these organizations is to promote tourism internationally to European countries. These European countries have now started to focus on â€Å"Ecotourism† as mentioned in the European Travel Commission website. The focus on ecotourism and sustainable tourism was initiated when the tourism industries of Asian countries were booming and the Europe tourism industry was stagnated. The tourist destinations in Europe are not a booming business but they are very stable when compared to other tourist destinations of the world. The industry creates a lot of opportunities for the locals as they get more job creation and business opportunities. The single European market has been able to attract more tourists since the European Union (EU) came into existence (Pompl, 1993). The rich culture of the continent and the diversity makes it the most viable option for tourism whether it is for business reasons of for vacations. The general population in the world is tilting more towards family oriented fun and travel (FCCA, 2005). Individuals with families want to spend more time with their families on vacations and leisure time. The increase in youth activities together with their ability to

Having Our Say Essay Example for Free

Having Our Say Essay Sarah and Bessie Delany were extraordinary women. They were very intelligent, kind, yet feisty women. Sarah and Bessie Delany were very close sisters and lived to be one hundred and four and one hundred and nine years of age. The Delany sisters were able to live long because of the way they lived their life. Over all these two women lived a good life and had two loving, caring, and wise parents to help who they have become in our American history, but life for The Delany sisters was not always easy they faced many hardships to have the respect they do today. In the book Having Our Say The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years The Delany sisters faced many challenges because they were sheltered, educated and black African American females. The Delany sisters grew up at Saint Augustine’s school in Raleigh, NC. The Delany family was a very religious family and tried to follow all the rules to living a good sinful life (56, 57). Being in their early twenties the Delany sisters world only consist of Saint Aug’s college and downtown Raleigh. They only have visited two places Yak, Virginia and Fernandina, Florida (115). Henry Delany; the sisters’ father was the first elected African American bishop of the Episcopal churches (3). Therefore the Delany children were look highly upon and the Delany sisters were very sheltered growing up. Bessie talked about how sheltered and clueless she and Sadie were when she made the statement, Our childhood years were so protected, we didn’t have but the vaguest notion of what sex. We had a neighbor who said to us once, â€Å"You girls are so green, it’s no wonder those cows don’t mistake you for grass and gobble you up. † (84). The Delany sisters didn’t live like normal kids. They help raise their seven younger brother and sisters, and wasn’t aloud to go anywhere off Saint Aug’s campus without supervision. Living in the city of Raleigh when the Delany sisters became young women in their mid twenties they eventually moved to New York after visiting a few time. The two sisters were afraid and didn’t know how to talk to men without feeling uncomfortable they were very educated and disciplined, but when it came to having streets smarts they lack a lot of that (111). Sadie had one guy friend name frank who took liking to her and her father was not very fond of him and forbidden Sadie from seeing him again. Bessie said â€Å"I suppose Lemuel and Papa thought they were doing the right thing by Sadie, forbidding her to see frank anymore, but I don’t think was right. She was a grown woman. She should have had a say† (121). The Delany sisters turned out fine, but if they weren’t so sheltered life could have gone a little smoother for them. In the early 1900’s it was very rare for any African Americans to have any education beyond high school. All the Delany children went to college and got the education. Sadie Delany graduated from Saint Aug in 1910 and in the same year got her first teaching job working for Wake County public schools in North Carolina (112,113). A few years later Bessie graduated from Saint Aug’s and got a job just like her sister in Boardman, NC. In 1913 Bessie went to Brunswick, GA to teach at an Episcopal school for African American children (130). In 1915 the Delany sisters took their first trip to New York City and fell in love with the big city (139). The Delany sisters moved there in to further there education. Sadie faced problems when she started school in New York. Sadie said I had a difficult time at first, because I really had to scramble in courses like chemistry. That was a problem for a lot of colored students. Often, our early training was not as good as the white students’ because colored schools had no money. (149) Many whites labeled blacks as â€Å"dumb†. Sadie didn’t get a grade that she deserved in her chemistry class, and the teacher was discriminating against her. The Delany sisters had to prove that they were capable of learning and succeeding just as much as white people were, and it was already hard for them because they were black, but being a black female made it almost impossible to be taken seriously. Being a black person in America was hard living and worse being black and living in the south than anywhere else especially after the Jim Crow laws were passed. The Delany sisters took trips often to the drug store Bessie said â€Å"I was not a crying child, except when it came to being treated badly because of my race, like when they wouldn’t serve us at the drug store counter† (105). Being a black female back in that time they received worse disrespects than just being a black male. But if there were blacks that were lighter skinned they were treated somewhat better because they were close to looking white. Bessie said â€Å"To be lighter-skinned was more desirable If you were very dark skinned you were looked down upon. We saw in our own family that people treated the lighter-skinned children better†. (106) Throughout the Delany sisters life they have had to go through the constant disrespect of race and discrimination. Having gone what the Delany sister went through they became wonderful, courageous, educated women. All the struggle they went through made them stronger and how they lived their life helped them live for as long as they did to tell their life obstacles and achievements.

Strategic Management in FedEx in response to Competition

Strategic Management in FedEx in response to Competition History of air carriers as given by Coyle et al attributes the use of airplanes for mail transport as the starting point of the airline industry (Coyle et al, 2006:158). From mail transport air transportation moved to passenger, transport where the industry has all through established its dominance especially when it comes to transporting passengers over long distances in very short periods of time. The services offered by for-hire carriers can be classified into all-cargo, air taxi, commuter, charter and international services (Coyle et al, 2006:159). All-cargo carriers such as FedEx and UPS airlines are primarily concerned with the transportation of cargo. Federal Express Corporation, which is a cargo airline, is based at Memphis in the United States of America. Federal Express Corporation also known as FedEx is the largest airline globally with regard to freight tons but in terms of fleet size, it is the worlds second largest airline (Zhang, 2006:98). The corporation provides direction and financial reporting for a number of companies, which collectively compete under the Federal Express name globally. The companies include FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, FedEx Office, FedEx Freight, FedEx Services, FedEx Trade Networks and FedEx Custom Critical (FedEx.com, 2010:110). Before the Federal Express became Federal Express Corporation it was known as FedEx but it adopted the current name under which it currently operate in 1998 when it acquired Caliber System Inc. Federal Express Corporation built on its strength of express delivery service and formed more diversified company which incorporated different but related businesses (Denton, 1992:86). Federal Express Corporation is the leading firm in the transportation industry globally. The company has managed to attain its current position by incorporating what it takes to be a major player in the global market (Gp-Training, n.d.). FedEx Corporation has built superior virtual, physical and people network to shape network economy in the global scale. The following discussion will seek to conduct a strategic management analysis of FedEx based on two models; Porters five forces model and the SWOT analysis. The two models have been selected based on the reason that they provide a step-by-step analysis of an organization. They are objective and can enable a planner or strategic manager to make accurate predictions of a business or project. Further, they greatly assist in prior determinations before capital investments are made, for instance, they greatly assist in determining whether the goals and objectives of a particular business are attainable. SWOT Analysis and five forces model of Federal Express Corporation Introduction SWOT analysis refers to an evaluation technique deployed in determining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and techniques in a business venture. On the other hand, Michael Porter established a structure that models a business as being influenced by five main forces. This model is very important and can be used by industries to understand their operations better. According to Overbeck (2009:126) porters five forces, which is a model for industry analysis, include rivalry, threats of substitutes, Buyer power, Supplier power and Barriers to entry or threat of entry (McGrew Wilson, 1982:75). In addition, FedEx SWOT analysis presents various opportunities as well as strengths of the company, which have made it become one of the market leaders globally. However, the company also has a number of threats and weakness that should be addressed to be able to become even more prosperous in future. Source: Hill, C. and Jones G. (2009:67). Strategic management theory. New York: Cengage Learning. Porters Five Forces model Rivalry According to Hill and Jones (2009:42), competition between rival firms according to traditional economic model drives profit to ultimately zero. However, competition is not perfect and businesses are not basic passive price takers but they strive for competitive advantage over rival firms. Application of rivalry, which is Michael porters first force to the Federal express, is evident. For instance, the corporation was faced with threatening rivalry challenge before it occupied the current position in the industry. For instance, the entry of competitors in their market. UPS in particular, posed a major threat. The company was ready to spend enormous sums of money in market penetration. For example, it invested in a thirty million dollar ad for purposes of competing with FedEx. Another challenge facing FedEx is the progressive developments in technology which act as substitutes to transnight mail delivery, for example, fax and emails. The entry of UPS into the market posed a severe thr eat to FedEx, serious enough to cause Pauline and Farhoomand (2000:88), to report that the transportation volume of FedEx was going down. FedEx Corporation responded to the threat of rivalry that threatened its progress and in January 2000, it resorted to reorganize the company into groups operation by doing business with the whole FedEx family. According to Hill and Jones (2009:42) it is important to reconsider strategy in order to compete effectively in the market. The theory of Porters five forces model state that such action should only be taken after understanding the structures of the industry (Goodwin, 2001:178). The resolution was that the five subsidiary companies and FedEx corporation was to compete collectively but to function independently, a strategy that boosted their pursuit for an advantage in the industry. This is in accordance with the strategic management theory and the model of Porters five forces, which further advocates the scrutiny of competitive forces in the market before identifying threats and opportunities as well as coming with a suitable strategy (Hill Jones, 2009:201). Another strategy that FedEx Corporation used was improving product differentiation by embracing innovation and offering high quality products and services to customers. According to (Goodwin, 2000:67), FedEx Corporation pooled its marketing, sales and customer service function that enable customers to access services of the group at a single point. The reorganization cost FedEx Corporation 100 million USD in a span of three years, but the end justified the means. These measures retained FedEx in the market, but did not frustrate UPS which in a number of years has managed to scoop its fair share of the market. Today, FedEx has grown into a multi- billion corporation owning various companies namely the FedEx corporation, FedEx Ground, FedEx Express , FedEx Freight, FedEx custom critical, FedEx Trade Networks and FedEx Kinkos . On the other hand, UPS has grown to the largest package delivery company on the globe owning companies like; UPS Mail Innovations, UPS Air Cargo, UPS Capital Corporation, UPS Consulting, UPS Aviation Technologies, UPS Mail Boxes Among Others. Threat of Substitutes A substitute product in Porters model is a product in other industries which could be deployed as an alternative to another product from a different industry. The threat of substitutes according to the five forces theory therefore exists when the demand of a product is affected by change in price of a substitute product (Overbeck, 2009:56). The same way the price elasticity of a product is affected by same substitute products hence when more substitutes become available, it influence demand, which becomes more elastic because customers have more alternatives. Competition can be endangered by threat of substitutes when they come from outside industry. Strategic management theory and five forces theory according to Hill and Jones (2009:53) assert that existence of very close substitutes poses a strong threat in the market and leads to reduced profitability. To deal with such a challenge the two theories support the idea of diversifying a companys products and service as FedEx did (Hill Jones, 2009:53-54). FedEx embraced technology and innovation, which enhanced reliability and speed of deliveries in the firm. The company adopted next day delivery services, which completely revolutionized the industry. This made it preferable to many customers because it became reliable and convenient. Perishable commodities could reach their intended destination with appropriate time, which consequently reduced competition among its rivals. According to Overbeck (2009:45), FedEx Corporation Company under the leadership of Smith pioneered a number of technological breakthrough that propelled the firm above all others. For instance, over 100000 PCs loaded with Federal Express software made to log and link customers into tracking and ordering systems were introduced in FedEx. Federal Express also, became the first to issue their drivers with handle scanners, a device that alerted customers when packages were either delivered or picked up. According to Pauline and Farhoomand (2000:113), Federal Express Co rporation was the first to launch a website with tracking and tracing capabilities. Such strategies helped the company to grow without feeling the pinch of the threat of substitutes. Buyer Power This is the impact that customers (buyers) have on a producing industry. According to Overbeck (2009:89), there are factors that determine the buyer power. Federal Express Corporation has been shaped by the buyer power especially corporate buyers who have enormous bargaining power resulting from the large amounts of purchases they make. Buyer power is also influenced by the switching costs. It is a fact that buyers power greatly influences FedEx. For example, it gained a huge share of the catalogue business because it was able to offer buyers lower prices as compared to UPS. The company has always tried to expand with the demand of its customers (Overbeck, 2009:89). FedEx Company has used information technology that has been quite significant in the globalization of trade, effective and efficient sharing of information within and outside the company, improved customer service and reduced costs of services offered by the company. As a result, the buyer power is skewed towards Federal Express Corporation because it provides the services that the buyer demands. According to five forces theory and strategic management theory, buyer power is a very significant consideration in designing business strategy (Hill Jones, 2009:50-52). On the other hand, buyer power also constrains FedEx in some ways. The delivery has nominal switching costs such that when a customer is not satisfied, they can easily switch to the competitors services. For instance, when UPS made its entry into the market, offering its services at half the price offered by FedEx, many of its customers disregarded the switching costs and moved to UPS. Supplier Power Supplier power illustrates the ease with which suppliers can determine prices. Supplier power id determined by the number of suppliers available in an industry, the distinctiveness of their services or products their influence over a company. The more supplier options open to a company, the less the likelihood of high supplier power. According to Hill and Jones (2009:52), a powerful supply has the ability to influence the producing industry. According to five forces theory and strategic management theory, suppliers can easily determine the future and progress of a firm and so can the third parties (Hill Jones, 2009:53). While other rival companies in the industry were sub-contracting their shipment to third parties and buying space on commercial airlines, Federal Express Corporation tried to acquire its own transportation fleet and in the tenth year, it became the first company in the United States to achieve 1 billion USD revenue mark in ten years without corporate mergers and acquisitions. According to Farhoomand and Pauline (2000), Federal Express Corporation does not have external factors that influence its internal decision and operation and has been able to advance greatly in the industry this is because Federal Express Corporation has limited influence of buyer power. Barriers to Entry/ Threat of Entry Hill and Jones (2009:43) argue that industries possess some characteristics, which protect the lofty levels of profit of firms in the market, which prevent additional firms from entering the market. It is this inhibition of additional rivals in the market, which is termed as barriers to entry. According to Strategic management and five forces theories, barriers to entry reduce rate of entry of new businesses, which therefore maintains the high level of profit for those firms that are already in the industry (Hill Jones, 2009:87). The sources of such barriers include government created barriers, Asset specificity, patents and proprietary knowledge and organizational economies of scale. Federal Express is already in the industry and dominating the industry already (Farhoomand Pauline, 2000:79). Therefore, it is not faced with any barrier to entry into the industry. FedEx and the other delivery companies already in the market like UPS are the cause of the barriers. They have large brand name as well as established relations with foreign countries. Smaller companies will have an almost impossible task of penetrating the market because of the large capital requirements. With little capital, it will be impossible to offer competitive prices. Further, reaching the standards set by the market giants is an uphill task. Federal Express SWOT Analysis FedEx SWOT analysis presents how the company has been able to use information technology in defining its strategies (Quality-Assurance-Solution, n.d.). Information technology apart from improving the performance has made it possible for the company reaches new associates or groups of people. SWOT analysis of FedEx Company involves analyzing strength, weaknesses, opportunities as well as the threats of the company in accordance with the SWOT analysis theory (Burger, 2008:12) Strengths of FedEx SWOT analysis theory according to Burger (2008:13) is very instrumental in helping companies identify internal and external attributes and factor, which affect the companies resource capability. According to the theory, internal attributes are strengths and weaknesses while external attributes are opportunities and threats (Burger, 2008:13). FedEx strengths in the transport industry include ; Efficient service delivery to customers. The company gives the needs of customers first priority. This has instilled customers with confidence in the company, thereby making it quite preferable among many people in the global market. In addition, Grignard (1994) argues that the strength of the company is the ability to offer express mail services, which ensures that mails are delivered overnight. This has made the company to outdo many major players in the industry such as United States Postal Service in terms of service delivery as well as customer service. According SWOT analysis theory such strength is very crucial in making FedEx realize its objectives (Burger, 2008:13). FedEx Company also has a very strong brand name, which gives it its place in the global market. FedEx is known for its innovativeness. It has proved time and over that it is capable of initiating great ideas that totally change the market. For example, the purchase of their own airplanes and ships instead of hiring. This boosts a customers confidence in the company as they are guaranteed that third parties are not a party to the delivery of their parcels. Further, FedEx is known as a market leader. Its known for its use of advanced technology and effective communications systems in all its operations. Its a recognized worldwide transportation company and its also known for its ability to take in smaller companies to expand its needs. Above all, its greatest strength is its brand name and the goodwill or reputation attached to it. Weaknesses SWOT theory according to Burger (2008:12) states that weaknesses are some of the internal conditions, which prevent companies from achieving their objectives. For instance, the dispute between the company and its pilots is an internal crack which could damage its reputation

Grandparents House Essay -- Descriptive Writing Examples

Grandparents' House The car ride to my grandparents' house seemed to take half a day even though it was only a twenty-minute drive to Cedaredge. Although the back road over Redlands Mesa was a twisty tourney road, it drug on like a boring documentary. When the car finally pulled into the driveway of the long, white house with a neatly kept green lawn, I knew it was going to be a great day of fun, relaxation, and great food. As I walked around to the back door, my eyes took in the beauty of the grass swaying in the wind and the weathered barn off to the left of the pasture. Inside the barn I could see all sorts of different odds and ends hanging from the walls. When I opened the door to my grandparent's old house, a sweet, sensational smell of cooking food filled my nostrils and made my empty stomach growl. The aroma in the air was always a tease to my stomach and made me think my stomach was starting to eat away at itself. The normal activity of everyday life sends my family in a hundred different directions. My mom and dad both go to work, and my sisters and I go to school. After school, there are practices that all of us kids attend, and when we get home, we eat, do homework and go to bed. There is no time to sit down and play a game as a family or to just hang out together and talk about how the day went. Weekends and holidays are a time that we get to go to my grandparents' house as a family and have a day of fun visiting with family that I don't get to see very often. Their old house was to the west of the small town of Cedaredge, so there was not that many houses around it. When we went to my grandparents' house, we would ride our bikes around the neighborhood. My sisters and I would race on our bikes to see who ... ...d watch. Usually we were still playing on the Nintendo when it was time to leave, so it was a struggle to get everybody to stop right away. After my whole family was piled into the car, which as my sisters and I got bigger was a harder and harder task, we would wave goodbye to my grandparents and any other relatives that had come for the day. As we would pull out of the driveway, I would think back on the day and realize that I had to go back to the hustle and bustle of my everyday life. The trip home was not as long as the way over, but I could never wait until the next time we could go back to my grandparents' house in Cedaredge, for a relaxing day of spending time with my family and forgetting about our hectic life for at least a little while. Now, with both my sisters in college, the day when we go to my grandparents' house does not seem to come often enough.

Through the careful reading of American Colonies Essay -- Literary Ana

Through the careful reading of American Colonies, written by Alan Taylor, it is clear that there are vast differences as well as a number of similarities between the European competitors as they began to colonize the Americas but diversity can also be found within the colonies they would create. American Colonies shows a close relationship between climate, the state of the economy, and the development of slavery. The varying climate within the Americas proved to have an enormous impact on the source of revenue a colony would rely on to support its economy and this choice of trade would then quickly affect the need for slaves or lack thereof. It is helpful to have an understanding of the variation of the climate within the colonies since it greatly influenced the development of the economy and, eventually, slavery. The climate of the homeland of each of the European competitors is also important to the way in which they settled the colonies as well as what they would appreciate when they began in their production or trade. The Chesapeake was fortunate to have rich soil that was ready to be farmed as well as a long growing season. However, they also suffered from hot and humid temperatures that often triggered diseases such as malaria. The colonists of New England found a much colder and less plentiful environment but it did create a much healthier setting for colonial life. The land of New England was similar to England, full of hills and dense forests, stony soil, and a short growing season (159). New France had harsh, long winters and a short growing season. They continued to be an expense to France since they were unab le to produce many demanded goods for their homeland. New Netherland’s climate â€Å"was more fertile and temperat... ...ome treating them better then others, and some having more or less slaves than others, they still accepted the belief that they were in fact superior, as a result of their common European origins. The climate of the colonies clearly affected the production and trade of goods, while the climate of their homeland affected the colonists’ knowledge and survival rate. What the colonists’ were able to produce created their economy, affected the economy of their mother country, and impacted their development of slavery as well. As we have seen differences can be found not only between the European competitors and the colonies they would create but also between the British American colonies as well. When taking a closer look at American Colonies, their differences are able to stand out and help one further understand their development and their effect on their progress.

Grandpa Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Grandpa My grandpa was one of the most caring and understanding men that I have ever known. He always found a way to make us happy, whether he was dressing- up as Santa Claus, on Christmas Eve, or building us tree houses. His death greatly affected both my grandma and I. The shock of my grandpa’s death totally devastated me. I found out that my grandpa died one night after my mom picked my brother and I up from day care. We went over to our grandma’s house on a weeknight, which was unusual, because we always spent time with our grandparents on the weekends. When we got to our grandma’s house we saw that our dad and our aunt were sitting in the living room with our grandma. This was very unusual, because our dad lives in Prescott, and our aunt works on the other side of Phoenix from where my grandma lives. All three of them looked very somber. I was still pretty young, so I did not realize what was happening, and I asked where our grandpa was. The second I finished my question, dad started sobbing, and said â€Å"Son, grandpa is dead.† He said my grandpa died of a massive heart-attack at about three o’clock that morning. He said there was nothing that the paramedics could have done. I could see there was a spot of bl ood on the floor right where my grandpa died and the paramedics had tried to revive him to no avail. The truth hit me like a freight train, and I began to cry. I did not stop crying until I fell asleep at about two o’ clock the next morning. I did not know what ...

Junior High School Essay

It was during my 7th grade year that I decided upon my answer to the age-old question: â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up? † Being that it was my first year at a junior high school, I was a little intimidated. I wasn’t fond of making new friends, so I stuck with the people I already knew from the year before. Jonathan, one of my closer friends, was as introverted as I was. He wasn’t looking for a whole lot of attention, but he did want to involve himself in school. Jonathan asked me to join the school’s drama club with him, so he wouldn’t have to do it alone. I decided to humor him and attend the first meeting one day before school. When I walked in the doors, I saw kids laughing and joking around. It was such a comfortable atmosphere; I barely even felt as if I was still at school. Drama club wasn’t just some club, it was a place for me to be comfortable with myself. It was an escape from the humdrum school days which seemed to get longer as time passed. The drama club was filled with people who weren’t afraid to make fools of themselves and wouldn’t judge me when I did the same. I could let myself be silly and not feel ashamed. I played games like ‘Understudy’ where a skit is started with a few students, the leader interrupts, and the students are replaced with new ones. The new actors then carry on the same general plot of the skit. It was the most fun I had experienced in such a long time. I caught myself going every Tuesday and Friday morning before school. We even planned to do a play one day after lunch. For once I was hoping to get some attention. I wanted to be seen. I had never wanted something like that before. I always laid low and kept to myself, but now I was on stage reading lines. The funny thing about all of this was that I wanted to do it. It was my decision, and I was happy with it. I enjoyed myself so much that I wanted to experience it more often, but with no theater in town, it was easier for me to watch movies. I watched more and more, and before I knew it, I started paying more attention to the actors instead of the storyline. I would watch a couple of movies that all featured one actor to see how his or her style would change. One in particular changed my amateur views of acting altogether, Primal Fear featuring Edward Norton who portrayed an older teen with multi personality disorder. His ability to make 180 ° turns in a single scene fascinated me. I could compare this to Sally Field’s role in the movie Sybil. I tried to find more movies with Edward that were as mind-blowing as the last. I watched Fight Club and noted that he again played a character with a split personality. Leaves of Grass was next on the list. Edward acted as his own twin brother, one who was a college professor while the other was a drug dealer. It seemed to me that his strategy was to unveil the pencil-thin line dividing good and evil or moral/immoral. It was amazing to me that I could learn so much about one person by watching him or her portray others. I fell in love with this theory, so I decided to try my hand at them by joining the Teche Theater of Performing Arts. I auditioned for a play named Gypsy based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee. The role I was given was not very substantial, but it was a role nonetheless. Rehearsals lasted all summer, and I dedicated myself. I showed up early, and I stayed late. I sang and danced after I told myself I would never do that on stage. I realized my motivation was in the applause. I was looking for a thrill, and I found it in the crowd. I found it in making people laugh. I found it in making friends. Now THAT was different. Now, I was different. I was happy. I used this motivation to better myself. I did more shows at the theater, and I met new people. One of which was Mrs. Diane Wiltz, the main director at the Teche Theater. She would tell me how impressed she was by my versatility on stage, but she wasn’t ever afraid to point out when I was doing something wrong. She taught me to improvise when appropriate, push my character onto the audience, be loud, and overact. â€Å"Don’t hold back,† she would say, â€Å"when you think it’s too much, it is just right. † She also taught me to act comfortable in situations that might not be comfortable. Her advice was not bound to theater. I found that I could incorporate the lessons she taught me into everyday life. I took heed to the advice that she gave me. I did a few experiments to see how I could use these lessons offstage. I started pushing myself to be more extroverted at school by talking to more people, even the teachers. I became comfortable joking with complete strangers. I noticed that my overall attitude towards life changed somewhere along the way. I wanted to make people feel good. It felt good hearing laughter or applause, so I looked for it everywhere I went. I further involved myself in school and the theater. I took on roles in several more productions at Teche, becoming a regular there. The Teche Theater was like a second home to me by then, and I wanted so badly to do this for the rest of my life. I then decided to make plans to act professionally. I looked into finding a school that would help me get a foot into an acting career. I stumbled upon a film organization associated with the University of New Orleans. How could I make my way into an organization that I knew nothing about? It would be way over my head considering I knew little to nothing about film, and I wasn’t a student of UNO. I needed to get a little experience at another college before jumping into being a full-time student in New Orleans, so I decided to enroll at Nicholls State University. As of now, I plan on finishing my freshman year at Nicholls before transferring to the University of New Orleans. When I enroll at UNO, I will major in film arts and production. I will work with fellow students on projects as well as doing a few projects of my own. I will also work to serve as an intern on any major motion picture sets that is offered. Students at the University of New Orleans have helped work on the set of movies like Ray, Runaway Jury, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. These opportunities will hopefully open more doors for me, helping me start a career in this field. I look forward to seeing how I fare in a career that is so difficult to jumpstart, and I can’t help but to think of the people that inspired me and pushed me to be on the path that I am on today.

Self Exploration

Many of us go through life skimming the surface of our identities. That is, we don’t truly dig deeply into our thoughts, feelings, desires and dreams. Part of the problem is that we’re always on the go. When to-do lists keep swelling, self-exploration takes a backseat. How can it not, when we barely find time for self-care? Specifically, self-exploration involves â€Å"taking a look at your own thoughts, feelings, behaviors and motivations and asking why. It’s looking for the roots of who we are — answers to all the questions we have about [ourselves],† according to Ryan Howes, Ph. D, psychologist, writer and professor in Pasadena, California. Having a deeper understanding of ourselves has many benefits. It â€Å"helps people understand and accept who they are and why they do what they do, which improves self-esteem, communication and relationships,† he said. ————————————————- Here, Howes discusses how he helps clients explore their own identities, the potential challenges that can hamper self-exploration and the strategies readers can try at home. The process of exploring yourself is a meticulous one and takes determination and focus to accomplish. It means becoming aware of what’s important to you and understanding yourself, i. e. your values, interests, aptitudes, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. It is also a way to gain knowledge of what is a good fit or match for your personality type. Before you can explore the world of work or a career, you must first understand yourself. Start by asking yourself questions: â€Å"What do I want to do? † â€Å" What are my goals, dreams and ambitions? † Self-exploration is looking inside yourself and concentrating and focusing on you, your needs, and your future†¦not mom’s, dad’s, or your friends. This is not to say that what others have to say isn’t important. On the contrary, hear them out, but ultimately this important decision is yours. After all, you know you better than anyone else, even mom. This process of self-exploration may seem a little lame, but this is the foundation that makes good decisions great! Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can make all the difference! If you take the time to know yourself, or at least evaluate yourself, you will have a truer sense of what’s good for you, or should I say, better for you. Many people never take into consideration whether the career/job they’ve chosen is something that they are going to enjoy doing, whether it’s going to meet their needs professionally and/or personally. Many are just glad to have a job that pays decent wages. Yes, finances are important, but ultimately it’s more important to be happy. If you are not satisfied in your job it will eventually affect your work, your level of commitment to the job, those you work for and even your personal life. If you enjoy what you are doing, believe in it and you know why you chose to do it, you will tend to be more committed to it, better at it, and you’ll work harder to do it well. This commitment, this strong work ethic is what aims us towards achieving greatness. If we are happy, we look towards the future with determination, ambition, and goals. If we are just getting by in our job, could care less about whether we get the job done or even whether we come to work at all, we tend to wallow in our misery. We do more looking back at what could have been or should have been, and can only see the future as more of the same dissatisfaction. Success requires taking an active role in the growth and development of our personal and professional life. One way to get started figuring out who you are and what you want in life is to begin by evaluating your academic exposure. Look at the courses you’ve taken: both the ones' you liked and disliked. Of the classes you liked, what did you enjoy most about the subject? What made you dislike some of the courses? Why didn’t that class appeal to you? Does the class provide you with something that you can develop into a career? Next, consider what’s really important to you; things you value, interests you may have, skills and abilities you possess. Take some time and think about what you might need in order to be happy and ultimately successful in your job/career. For example, a few things to consider might be salary, geographic location, job autonomy, work hours, and professional growth opportunities, to name a few. Which ones of these, and/or others, are most significant; things that would make an obvious difference in whether we would enjoy our job/career? If you don’t take the time to consider who you are and what you want, you won’t know what you are looking for. You need to be aware that no job/career is going to be perfect and meet all of your expectations. But if you at least think about which things are more vital to your happiness and aim for those, you can come pretty close to what you want. Think about the skills and abilities you may have that you would like to utilize in your chosen profession (i. e. leadership, helping others, mathematical ability, creativity, communication, etc. Which careers give you more of an opportunity to express yourself and be yourself? Many people make the mistake of assuming that they can and will do just about anything for the right amount of money. Well let me assure you that this is only partially true. In the beginning, the money may seem like enough to sustain your job satisfaction and happiness, but soon everyone realizes that money alone is only a temporary fix. If you donâ₠¬â„¢t really like what you are doing, or like where you work, you won’t be happy and the money won’t ever be enough. Another way to assess your interests might be to consider careers that you may have already been exposed to through friends, family members or previous part-time and summer jobs, and even volunteer opportunities or internships. Talk to any persons you can find who may be doing something you think that you want to do, or have thought about doing. Really pick their brains about why they chose that profession, what do they like or dislike about their jobs, what’s a typical day like on the job for them? This is called informational interviewing. Also, draw from your own experiences about what it may be like to work full-time. What kind of supervisor would you prefer; do you prefer flexible or set work hours; do you like being in a leadership role, etc.? The best way to answer some of these questions is through an internship or co-op. If you have not considered an internship or co-op before, please do. Cooperative education and internships add meaning to the academic experience. Both offer the student the opportunity to gain practical experience. At the same time students can identify career interests and goals and relate them to academic endeavors. Most people believe that you don’t need to be concerned about figuring out who you are and what you want to do until you’re just about ready to graduate. Yes, this is one way to do it, but why wait until the last minute. You may realize that what you thought you wanted to do really doesn’t appeal to you at all. Self-exploration should be done early and often, as early as your junior year in high school, and at least once a year thereafter. The sooner you start to think about your future, the better prepared you’ll be for it. If you didn’t go this route, it’s still not too late to catch up. Find a career counselor on your campus and get started. There is often a certain amount of fear that goes along with making decisions about one's future. D. J. Parson, an Appalachian State University sophomore, stated, â€Å"When I first arrived, I didn’t have any idea how to get started choosing a major, not to mention what I was going to do with that major when I finished school. After I met with a career counselor and discovered a few things about myself, for example, what motivates me, things started to click and I was able to move forward. D. J. is not alone in his dilemma. As a career counselor, I encounter numerous students who are confused about how to go about making effective career decisions. Many are paralyzed by the mere thought they have to make decisions themselves for the first time. Their parents or someone else has always performed this role and now it’s their turn. Students are generally all over the map when it comes to decision-making. Some student s want to do it all, while others aren’t sure they want to do anything. They haven’t found their passion. I once had a student tell me, â€Å" If I can’t figure out exactly what to do, I’ll just stay in school longer; there is always graduate school. † One thing to realize is that figuring out who you are and what you want takes time and a lot of effort on your part. Through examining what you’ve enjoyed doing, what things come easily or naturally to you, what gives you motivation, what peaks your interests etc. , you will begin to put the puzzle pieces together. Bit by bit you will see a pattern developing. Next, realize that you can do just about anything you want and you can do more than one thing; you just can’t do it all at once. If you like lots of things and can’t seem to eliminate any of them, then your task is to select which thing you would like to do first and move on to the next at a later time until you have accomplished all that you want. The most important thing to remember is that nothing is 100 percent guaranteed. Life is about change and career planning and self-exploration are lifelong processes. You don’t just make a decision today and expect that you’ll be completely satisfied with that choice for the rest of your life. You will grow, experience things and meet different people. As society grows and technology develops, so will your interests change, grow and redevelop. Expect it; that’s life! However, this doesn’t mean that the choices you make today are worthless. They too will play an important role in your future. You will be able to draw on these experiences to help you assess yourself later when you want to consider new options, goals, and dreams. Sometimes, the task of putting all the pieces together can be a bit overwhelming and you may need to seek assistance from more experienced and knowledgeable resources. Three sources I recommend are your career counselor, your academic advisor and the Internet. Your career counselor is the most experienced of the three sources. A career counselor will be able to offer you not only his/her expertise through one-on-one counseling and advising, but also many more tools to uncover your true self. Counselors can provide career-specific library resources such as books and videos about certain college majors, careers within those majors, and companies that seek to hire graduates of those majors. In addition, career counselors provide career interest testing such as the Strong Interest Inventory, the Campbell Interest and Skills Survey, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the Self Directed Search, and the Kuder Occupational Orientation. There are also computerized career guidance programs such as SIGIPLUS, DISCOVER, and Career Key. All of these indicators help gauge your personality and interests, and compare them with others who are already in the field. A career counselor will then sit down with you and interpret the test results. Looking at the similarities of interests in different fields and types of careers, your career counselor will be able to show you many different options beyond the obvious ones you may have never considered, or even thought existed. Your academic advisor is another important source to consult about college majors and courses, as well as jobs related to the field. An academic advisor can help guide you through your four years of undergraduate study and help you stay focused on the courses needed to fulfill the requirements of your selected major. Lastly, another wonderful resource is the Internet. It can be a bit overwhelming with the amount of information readily available at your fingertips. You can query an occupation on the Internet and end up with hundreds of pages of information to help you better understand that occupation and many others. You can research job openings, internships, co-ops, and even scholarships, grants and loans for college financial assistance, etc. Here are some helpful tips to remember: * Remember to begin your exploration by taking a good look at you. Accept the challenge to understand yourself and to like who you’ve become, or the person you aspire to be. * ————————————————- Ask yourself questions and take the time to find the real answers. Self discovery was a process I thought I had already been through. But when faced with the question, â€Å"Who am I? † it proved to be a lot harder to put into words than one would think. I believe that I have a good sense of who I am, but translating it into words was a struggle for me. I consider myself to be a very concrete thinker. So, the translation of who I am into words tended to come out as cold and rigid. Words like brash, concrete, smart, and loyal seemed like a big â€Å"thud† on paper. At first I thought, am I really that boring and cold? Which then brings to question, is this really who I am? The following is my best attempt to put myself into words. I’m going to attempt to lighten up those rigid words I came up with to describe me and try to explain why I chose these words. Hopefully these explanations will bring life to them. The first word is brash and is defined as â€Å"offensively bold. †    You can either like me or not. I am strong-willed individual who does not take disrespect from anyone. I can defend myself in most situations. I can most often times convince others that I am right. I know how to think critically and make sound decisions when others fail to. I believe the second and third words go together in explanation for me. The second word is concrete and when used as an adjective, is defined as, â€Å"capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary.    The third word is smart and, also, when used as an adjective, is defined as, â€Å"characterized by quickness and ease in learning. †    I have the ability to sort through the â€Å"fluff† and get to the facts so I can make a good decision or form a strong opinion. I can make others question their own opinions or beliefs by flooding them with facts and evidence. In this way I am very persuasive a nd convincing. The final word is loyal. It is used to describe people of â€Å"unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause. † When it comes to those I love, I†¦

The Thing in the Forest

Containing all the well-known signs of a fairy tale from the beginning, The Thing in the Forest is expected to include the fantasy aspect of a fairy tale. Unlike most fairy tales however, The Think in the Forest quickly turns into a very real occurrence that happened to children all over that particular region during that particular time period. Once the girls come within earshot, and then sight of â€Å"The Thing†, it takes on many figurative meanings. These meanings include everything from the war and all it entitled, to the girls leaving their innocence and becoming affected by the war.The story includes two little girls as the main characters, yet Primrose, the one who later in life becomes a story teller, is assumed to be the narrator throughout the story. Primrose is â€Å"Plump and blond and curly†¦ [She] had bitten nails, a velvet collar on her dressy green coat. † (353). Interestingly, the narrator (Primrose), who is made slightly greedy from her experienc es during the war, goes into grave detail of her clothing. The â€Å"dressy† clothing holds no real value, and is only added into the story because it holds some sort of personal value to the narrator.Also, describing Primrose as â€Å"plump† is about the nicest way to describe and overweight child. It becomes evident from the first description of Primrose that she is favored by the narrator. Penny is different than Primrose in almost every way. â€Å"Penny was thin and dark and taller, possibly older than Primrose†¦Penny had a bloodless transparent paleness, a touch of blue in her fine lips. †(353). Even though Penny becomes a much more established person compared to Primrose later in life, how Penny is described isn’t nearly as positive as the description of Primrose.With the well detailed description of what Primrose was wearing, it would be expected that what Penny was wearing would be told. These details are never brought to light. This missing information proves that the narrator has a much stronger attachment to Primrose than Penny. The two girls are completely different in terms of personality traits, still they do have some things in common. They both lost their fathers. â€Å" Penny’s farther, †¦died in a sheet of flame in the East Indian Docks†¦Primrose’s farther†¦was killed, very late in the war, on a crowded troop carrier sunk in the Far East† (358).While both their fathers were killed, the ways in which they were killed are just another example of how different Penny and Primrose are. With one being killed by fire and one being killed by water, the natural forces could not be any more dissimilar. â€Å"The Thing† is also something that they both have in common. They both hear it. They both smell it. They both see it. â€Å"A sound and a smell fabricated of many disparate sounds and smells. A crunching, a crackling, a crushing, a heavy thumping† (356).The sounds hea rd by the little girls is the very essence of war. The sound of troops and machinery crushing everything in their way. These sounds are the very sounds that they were sent away from. â€Å"Its face†¦appeared like a rubbery or fleshy mask over a shapeless sprouting bulb of a head. Its expression was neither wrath nor greed but pure misery. †(357). This is the face of war. The rubbery gas masks worn by troops. For almost all, war is pure misery. Not just for the military’s fighting, but for everyone. The girls were sent away to preserve their innocence.Once they ran into the woods, they ran from their innocence and became aware of the war around them. After seeing â€Å"The Thing†, the girls become separated and live very different lives. Just as they started out as completely different people, they continue to live as completely different people. The war did impact them both in similar ways, â€Å"They both never married. † (358). Both Penny and Primr ose choose careers that were influence by the war, but both the careers fit their personalities. Even without the war, they would have probably both chosen careers along the same guidelines.The fact they neither of them married is something that the war probably changed. War has the power to give people something in common who would otherwise have nothing in common. â€Å"The Thing† is everything evil about the war from the understanding of two little girls. They didn’t know exactly what this evilness was, but they did know that it was evil. The story also completes a circle. Starting with a story and ending with the story starting again. How the war influence these girls continues to be passed on through Primrose, the story teller. The Thing in the Forest Containing all the well-known signs of a fairy tale from the beginning, The Thing in the Forest is expected to include the fantasy aspect of a fairy tale. Unlike most fairy tales however, The Think in the Forest quickly turns into a very real occurrence that happened to children all over that particular region during that particular time period. Once the girls come within earshot, and then sight of â€Å"The Thing†, it takes on many figurative meanings. These meanings include everything from the war and all it entitled, to the girls leaving their innocence and becoming affected by the war.The story includes two little girls as the main characters, yet Primrose, the one who later in life becomes a story teller, is assumed to be the narrator throughout the story. Primrose is â€Å"Plump and blond and curly†¦ [She] had bitten nails, a velvet collar on her dressy green coat. † (353). Interestingly, the narrator (Primrose), who is made slightly greedy from her experienc es during the war, goes into grave detail of her clothing. The â€Å"dressy† clothing holds no real value, and is only added into the story because it holds some sort of personal value to the narrator.Also, describing Primrose as â€Å"plump† is about the nicest way to describe and overweight child. It becomes evident from the first description of Primrose that she is favored by the narrator. Penny is different than Primrose in almost every way. â€Å"Penny was thin and dark and taller, possibly older than Primrose†¦Penny had a bloodless transparent paleness, a touch of blue in her fine lips. †(353). Even though Penny becomes a much more established person compared to Primrose later in life, how Penny is described isn’t nearly as positive as the description of Primrose.With the well detailed description of what Primrose was wearing, it would be expected that what Penny was wearing would be told. These details are never brought to light. This missing information proves that the narrator has a much stronger attachment to Primrose than Penny. The two girls are completely different in terms of personality traits, still they do have some things in common. They both lost their fathers. â€Å" Penny’s farther, †¦died in a sheet of flame in the East Indian Docks†¦Primrose’s farther†¦was killed, very late in the war, on a crowded troop carrier sunk in the Far East† (358).While both their fathers were killed, the ways in which they were killed are just another example of how different Penny and Primrose are. With one being killed by fire and one being killed by water, the natural forces could not be any more dissimilar. â€Å"The Thing† is also something that they both have in common. They both hear it. They both smell it. They both see it. â€Å"A sound and a smell fabricated of many disparate sounds and smells. A crunching, a crackling, a crushing, a heavy thumping† (356).The sounds hea rd by the little girls is the very essence of war. The sound of troops and machinery crushing everything in their way. These sounds are the very sounds that they were sent away from. â€Å"Its face†¦appeared like a rubbery or fleshy mask over a shapeless sprouting bulb of a head. Its expression was neither wrath nor greed but pure misery. †(357). This is the face of war. The rubbery gas masks worn by troops. For almost all, war is pure misery. Not just for the military’s fighting, but for everyone. The girls were sent away to preserve their innocence.Once they ran into the woods, they ran from their innocence and became aware of the war around them. After seeing â€Å"The Thing†, the girls become separated and live very different lives. Just as they started out as completely different people, they continue to live as completely different people. The war did impact them both in similar ways, â€Å"They both never married. † (358). Both Penny and Primr ose choose careers that were influence by the war, but both the careers fit their personalities. Even without the war, they would have probably both chosen careers along the same guidelines.The fact they neither of them married is something that the war probably changed. War has the power to give people something in common who would otherwise have nothing in common. â€Å"The Thing† is everything evil about the war from the understanding of two little girls. They didn’t know exactly what this evilness was, but they did know that it was evil. The story also completes a circle. Starting with a story and ending with the story starting again. How the war influence these girls continues to be passed on through Primrose, the story teller.

Crooks and Curley’s wife experience loneliness and isolation Essay

In this essay I intend to write about why Crooks and Curley’s wife experience loneliness and isolation and in what way they try to deal with these difficulties. Crooks is a nergro stable buck with a crooked spine. His eyes are described as the most noticeable feature on his face, brimming with knowledge of the injustice in life. ‘ His eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity.’ He is also slim with a lean face, en-lined with wrinkles. His lips are also described vividly as very thin and pain-tightened. He covers up his intense eyes with large gold rimmed spectacles. Curley’s wife is, of course a complete contrast, and is extremely pretty, thought sometimes try too hard. ‘She had full, rouged lips and wide-spade eyes, heavily made up.’ She has done her nails carefully which doesn’t seem very suitable for life on a ranch. Her voice is another thing that is commented on, as have a nasal, brittle quality. Crook’s personality is somewhat of a mystery. His real personality is hidden by the racism of the time. He is hurt and shocked by people’s opinions towards him and so he feels the only way to get through life is to push back the same disgust to the other mean on the ranch. ‘This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here by me†¦I ain’t wanted in the bunk-house, and you ain’t wanted in my room. Crooks doesn’t see that all his is really doing is stopping to their level thought, he just continues to treat others in the way he has been treated, and if he has a choice he just stays away from them. His personality would have developed differently if he had been born white, because his true colours are stunted by the racism against him. He teases Lennie, and takes pleasure in it, as though at last he is being able to do to someone else what has been done to him for his whole life, ‘ Crooks face lights with pleasure in his torture.’ The basic word to describe the personality of Curley’s wife is a flirt, although as we get to know more and more about her we discover that this is not completely true. In this essay I will try to explain why she behaves like this, and whether in fact she behaves like this just for attention and is concealing something. The personality of these characters is perhaps one of the keys to the book. However different these character are they are linked through their loneliness and the fact they conceal their true personality. The are both considered quite low on the ‘social scale’ but deal with this in very different ways as I will explain. As I have said, Crooks is bitter about being made to live along above the stable. He expresses this bitterness, and tires to explain to Lennie how loneliness is so disturbed that it drives you mad † I’ll tell you a get guys too lonely and he gets sick†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you.† It must be a relief for Crooks to be able to share some of his problems with someone, and he must find it especially east with Lennie who probably will not understand, and will forget what he hears quickly. He is the only one who understands Lennie, besides George, and befriends him. He looks past Lennie’s mental handicap and Lennie looks past Crooks’ physical handicap. Curley’s wife also finds it easy to talk to Curley. She is so overwhelmed by her loneliness, she seeks friendship from other men. She seeks out the friendship of Lennie for all of the others fear Curley and will have nothing to do with her. â€Å"Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?† It is when she talks to Lennie that we discover a great deal about her past. She tells Lennie that she still dreams of what might have been, seeing herself as a potential film-star. However, in my opinion she has no acting talent, men (one from a travelling show, one who claimed to be in the movies) make her offers as a chat-up line. Her naivetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ shows in her belief that her mother has stolen a letter (from her â€Å"contact† in Hollywood) which was obviously never written; her immaturity appears in her instant reaction of marrying the loathsome Curley. It was a hasty marriage to Curley is just a failed attempt to escape from her own s piral of loneliness. When she chose to marry Curley it was all because of the wrong reasons and only to get away from her mother, one person who genuinely cared for her, † Well I wasn’t going to stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere.† Now she find herself very line and she has no-one to talk to, † I don’ like Curley.’ Desperate for companionship she does not find at home, she tries to find solace with the other men. They are uneasy about this, as they think her to be seriously promiscuous, and are fearful of Curley’s reaction. Her inappropriate dress on the ranch and her manner brand her as a â€Å"tart†. She can not escape from this image and so she uses it so that she is noticed and can talk to people. Although in my opinion instead of being the mature and flirtatious female that the men see, she is in fact like a little girl yearning for her home. She even talks to people who she considers to be ‘out of her league,’ but in a way this makes her a more tragic character, because unlike the others, even Lennie, she seems not to understand her limitations – or she refuses to admit them. She treats those below her in an unnecessarily disdainful way. There is one point in the book when Curley’s wife goes into Crook’s room. Crook, as I have said, pretends that he wishes no one to come into his room seeing as he isn’t allowed in the bunk house. However, when Lennie and then Candy come in we can tell that he was actually very pleased, â€Å"It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger.† Candy and Crooks reacts to Curley’s wife primarily disgusted. On their faces they scowl at her and appear to wish that she wasn’t there. However as Curley’s wife points out it is doubtful whether they really feel this, for they would not doubt have acted very different if they were alone, â€Å"If I catch one man alone, I get along fine with him. But just le two guys get together and you just wont talk†¦you’re all scared of each other. Curley’s wife is very rude to Crooks and says, † I’m standing here talking to a nigger.† I think her reaction is like this because she feels very powerful to be talking to someone as sad and lonely as herself, but who is looked down upon by others. She likes to use this rare power and so when Crooks finally cracks and stands up to her she does everything with her capable possibility to make him feel small and unnecessary. â€Å"Listen, Nigger,’ she said. ‘ You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?’ This immediately makes Crooks turn into a no one. Every trace of a personality disappears, and he just answers in a monotonous voice. After she leave Candy says,’ That bitch didn’t ought to of said that to you.’ And Crooks replies by saying ,’ It wasn’t nothing, you guys coming in an’ setting made me forget.’ Crooks obviously was so happy by having the company of some men that he forgets his place (in those times) and stood up to her. He then realised what he had done and remembered how he should have behaved. For that one small part of the story we saw the real Crooks, the one who is not concerned with racism, because for that very small amount of time he believe himself to be normal. Curley’s wife though doesn’t have a very suprising reaction to Candy (the old-swamper) and Crooks. I believe that she is angry because she just realised how messy her life is. She tries to stay calm and talk to them as thought they are beneath her, but all the time she realises that she is just as sad and lonely as them. She sees that they are the only people she can have a proper conversation with are, as she describes them ‘ a nigger, an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep.† At one point in the conversation she says, † Whatt ya think I am, a kid?† and then she continues to talk about how she was nearly in the pictures. Of course, she is just a kid, who doesn’t understand herself. He also wants to be part of George and Lennie’s dream. He said that he would work for free. He gives up on the farm dream when he realizes it isn’t going to work out. Talk about this. Also say that crooks was nasty to lennie then nice. I would describe Curley’s wife as a sympathetic figure. There is a very strong description towards the end of the book, just as she has been killed by Lennie, † And the meanness and the planning and the discontented and the ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Curley’s wife has had a very unfortunate life. She made some wrong decisions and has been punished for them, by dying unhappy at such as young age. To all the other people on the ranch she is only important because she is the wife of Curley, and that explains why she is given no other name. They are scared of getting involved with her because of what Curley might do to them. No-one is ever actually interesting in her. I feel sorry for her that someone who has the potential to be so sweet and calm has lives such as sad life and has died before anyone knows her true colours. Crook, like Curley’s wife has had a sad life for the later part of his life at least. Nothing will ever get better for him, because of his colour. The war Steinbeck talks about him is very controversial nowadays and would not be accepted. At the time that this book was written this language would have been more in use and so perhaps it would have been more acceptable, meaning that Steinbeck was not ware of its full impact. The fact that he portrays crooks as a unhappy and meaningful character must indicate that the author believes racism to be unfair, or else he would have been portrayed as evil, someone deserving what he got. Many upon reading this book may believe that the key issue is George and Lennie, but in fact this novel raises many questions about discrimination and loneliness.