Thursday, November 28, 2019

Should everyone be required to perform public service

Compulsory public service is a contentious issue. An overview of the Bill of Rights immediately shoots down the idea that the citizens of this country can be forced to serve. It is the right of every man, woman, and child to be free and to pursue happiness within the bounds of law.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Should everyone be required to perform public service? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The only reason why there is a debate regarding this issue is due to the fact that there are misguided patriots who believed that every citizen must prove their love and loyalty to this country by doing public service. The government should not be given the power to coerce its citizens to engage in one or even two years of public service; it is against the law of the land. It would be best for the government to promote the ideals of volunteerism in order to recruit and train people that are eager to serve. The Bill of Rights is very clear when it comes to the limitations of the government when it comes to intruding into the personal life of a citizen. The government’s vast powers cannot be used to force a person to serve. Slavery has been outlawed a long time ago and therefore there is no justification for the use of coercion in any shape or form in order to fill up the needed vacancies in the public service sector. The government should serve the people but the people must not be forced to serve the government. Aside from violating the constitutional rights of every citizen, the concept of compulsory public service is impractical. It can be argued that there are many people that are not interested to serve in the Armed Forces and other jobs that are under the authority of the Federal government. Imagine the kind of trouble the government would have to contend with if they are authorized to compel its citizens to serve for at least a year. It would be costly in terms of manpower and litig ation purposes. It is a terrible idea to suggest compulsive service. However, those who decide to become a public servant must be held in high esteem. The spirit of volunteerism must be stirred up and not the spirit of coercion. The government and its citizens must laud anyone who enters public service. It must be viewed as an honorable thing to do, lifting the spirits of the family members of those who chose to serve in spite of its many challenges. The government must therefore encourage people to serve. It is the job of the government to persuade people to serve in a short term or long term basis. One way to do this is to communicate clearly the positive impact to the community and the nation if one person decides to spend a few years of his or her life to serve others. A persuasive message can also be achieved by developing creative ways to reward those who are in public service. The government has limited resources and therefore cannot provide extensive monetary rewards but thi s must not stop the government form finding ways to honor and appreciate those who work as public servants.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion There are those who contend that the citizens of this country must be compelled to engage in public service. This may seem like the most patriotic thing to do but the Bill of Rights clearly stipulates that no citizen can be forced by the government to do something. This is also an unproductive exercise because coercion can lead to defiant behavior and costly litigation. It is the job of the government to persuade people to join. The spirit of volunteerism must be cultivated. The government must demonstrate that public servants are well-appreciated. As a result there would be more volunteers that are ready and able to serve. This essay on Should everyone be required to perform public service? was written and submitted by user Sabra to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Evolution of the First Tetrapods

The Evolution of the First Tetrapods Its one of the iconic images of evolution: 400 or so million years ago, way back in the prehistoric mists of geologic time, a brave fish crawls laboriously out of the water and onto land, representing the first wave of a vertebrate invasion that leads to dinosaurs, mammals, and human beings. Logically speaking, of course, we dont owe any more thanks to the first tetrapod (Greek for four feet) than we do to the first bacterium or the first sponge, but something about this plucky critter still tugs at our heartstrings. As is so often the case, this romantic image doesnt quite match up with evolutionary reality. Between 350 and 400 million years ago, various prehistoric fish crawled out of the water at various times, making it nearly impossible to identify the direct ancestor of modern vertebrates. In fact, many of the most celebrated early tetrapods had seven or eight digits at the end of each limb and, because modern animals adhere strictly to the five-toed body plan, that means these tetrapods represented an evolutionary dead end from the perspective of the prehistoric amphibians that followed them. Origins The earliest tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fishes, which differed in important ways from ray-finned fishes. While ray-finned fishes are the most common type of fish in the ocean  today, the only lobe-finned fish on the planet are lungfish and coelacanths, the latter of which were thought to have gone extinct tens of millions of years ago until a live specimen turned up in 1938. The bottom fins of lobe-finned fishes are arranged in pairs and supported by internal bones- the necessary conditions for these fins to evolve into primitive legs. Lobe-finned fishes of the Devonian period were already able to breathe air, when necessary, via spiracles in their skulls. Experts differ about the environmental pressures  that prompted lobe-finned fish to evolve into walking, breathing tetrapods, but one theory is that the shallow lakes and rivers these fish lived in were subject to drought, favoring species that could survive in dry conditions. Another theory has it that the earliest tetrapods were literally chased out of the water by bigger fish- dry land harbored an abundance of insect and plant food, and a marked absence of dangerous predators. Any lobe-finned fish that blundered onto land would have found itself in a veritable paradise. In evolutionary terms, its hard to distinguish between the most advanced lobe-finned fish and the most primitive tetrapods. Three important genera nearer the fish end of the spectrum were Eusthenopteron, Panderichthys, and Osteolopis, which spent all of their time in the water yet had latent tetrapod characteristics. Until recently, these tetrapod ancestors nearly all hailed from fossil deposits in the northern Atlantic, but the discovery of Gogonasus in Australia has put the kibosh on the theory that land-dwelling animals originated in the northern hemisphere. Early Tetrapods and Fishapods Scientists once agreed that the earliest true tetrapods dated from about 385 to 380 million years ago. That has all changed with the recent discovery of tetrapod track marks in Poland that date to 397 million years ago, which would effectively dial back the evolutionary calendar by 12 million years. If confirmed, this discovery will prompt some revision in the evolutionary consensus. As you can see, tetrapod evolution is far from written in stone- tetrapods evolved numerous times, in different places. Still, there are a few early tetrapod species that are regarded as more-or-less definitive by experts. The most important of these is Tiktaalik, which is thought to have been perched midway between the tetrapod-like lobe-finned fishes and the later, true tetrapods. Tiktaalik was blessed with the primitive equivalent of wrists- which may have helped it to prop itself up on its stubby front fins along the edges of shallow lakes- as well as a true neck, providing it with much-needed flexibility and mobility during its quick jaunts onto dry land. Because of its mix of tetrapod and fish characteristics, Tiktaalik is often referred to as a fishapod, a name that is also sometimes applied to advanced lobe-finned fish like Eusthenopteron and Panderichthys. Another important fishapod was Ichthyostega, which lived about five million years after Tiktaalik and achieved similarly respectable sizes- about five feet long and 50 pounds. True Tetrapods Until the recent discovery of Tiktaalik, the most famous of all the early tetrapods was Acanthostega, which dated to about 365 million years ago. This slender creature had relatively well-developed limbs, as well as such fishy features as a lateral sensory line running along the length of its body. Other, similar tetrapods of this general time and place included Hynerpeton, Tulerpeton, and Ventastega. Paleontologists once believed that these late Devonian tetrapods spent significant amounts of their time on dry land, but they are now thought to have been primarily or even totally aquatic, only using their legs and primitive breathing apparatuses when absolutely necessary. The most significant finding about these tetrapods was the number of digits on their front and hind limbs: anywhere from 6 to 8, a strong indication that they couldnt have been the ancestors of later five-toed tetrapods and their mammalian, avian, and reptilian descendants. Romers Gap Theres a 20-million-year-long stretch of time in the early Carboniferous period that has yielded very few vertebrate fossils. Known as Romers Gap, this blank period in the fossil record has been used to support Creationist doubt in the theory of evolution, but it is easily explainable by the fact that fossils only form in very special conditions. Romers Gap particularly affects our knowledge of tetrapod evolution because, when we pick up the story 20 million years later (about 340 million years ago), there is a profusion of tetrapod species that can be grouped into different families, some coming very close to being true amphibians. Among the notable post-gap tetrapods are the tiny Casineria, which had five-toed feet; the eel-like Greererpeton, which may already have de-evolved from its more land-oriented tetrapod ancestors; and the salamander-like Eucritta melanolimnetes, otherwise known as the creature from the Black Lagoon, from Scotland. The diversity of later tetrapods is evidence that a lot must have happened, evolution-wise, during Romers Gap. Fortunately, we have been able to fill in some of the blanks of Romers Gap in recent years. The skeleton of Pederpes was discovered in 1971 and, three decades later, further investigation by tetrapod expert Jennifer Clack dated it smack to the middle of Romers Gap. Significantly, Pederpes had forward-facing feet with five toes and a narrow skull, characteristics seen in later amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. A similar species active during Romers Gap was the large-tailed Whatcheeria, which seems to have spent most of its time in the water.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Browning ordinary men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Browning ordinary men - Essay Example According to the morals of the society, execution of mass murder by soldiers is an inhumane act that erodes morals accorded to life and its significance. The reason of committing the mass murder by the help of the soldiers is Germany was to uphold Germany’s superiority against other races (Browning 16). The soldiers that carried out this particular mass murder also demonstrated lack of humanity to the innocent Jews. Thousands of the recruited police and soldiers armed with ammunition surrounded the unarmed Jews with the intention only to kill them hardheartedly (Browning 6). In addition, the armed soldiers and police officers shoot the unarmed Jews with intent to kill in ravines, ditches and forests. Hence, soldiers as the perpetrators of the mass murder depicts how one during their time would turn to be influential such that he could dictate the existence of other especially the Jews who were the victims of the day. Consequently, this power and influential status of the soldi ers prompted them to commit atrocities. One of the significant aspects that transformed soldiers to merciless killers was their respective psychological transformations dictated by circumstances, which they were in during then. Respective psychological transformations experienced by soldiers compelled them to unleash torture as well as exterminate innocent and helpless Jews (Browning 171). Transformation in this case implies abrupt change due to circumstance from being or behaving like an ordinary man to individuals who are merciless and ready to participate in committing serious historical crimes against humanity, which is by killing the defenceless through shooting as they did to Jews. The perpetrators of the German holocaust showed a sense of loyalty and obedience to their government. Each perpetrator was a subject to the ruling government under the Nazi

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Environmental Trends in Supermarket Sector Assignment

Environmental Trends in Supermarket Sector - Assignment Example There are costs associated for the supermarket sector with the environmental trends. For the right way of producing food in a sustainable manner and to consume the food as well in sustainable ways, environmental impacts should be factored into the cost of products on supermarket shelves (Russell 2007) because the supermarket sector has to incur high costs as compared to any other sector when it comes to environmental trends. This is because it is one of the largest sectors in UK. This paper will firstly discuss the environmental trends and how important they are to the businesses and then move on to their impact on the supermarket sector. The positive and negative impacts are considered and finally a conclusion is presented. The environmental trends are becoming an integral part of the economy and are thus affecting almost all the businesses. The environmental issues have now become a part of the business decision making due to their significant impact on the businesses. The importance of the environmental trends is so immense that it has been said by the former South African minister that (Black 2008) the "companies should have directors with environmental experience". Valli Moosa, the president of International Union for the Conservation of Nature says that like in all the other businesses we have marketing executives, accountancy executives and accountancy executives, there should also be environmental executives as well (Black 2008) who have a working knowledge of the environmental issues and can link the business and the environmental trends and can capitalize on their resources through mitigating the negative impacts from the business and in turn contributing to the environment as well. Environmental issues are basically defined as those problems which are created by environment. There are different environmental issues which are affecting the supermarket sector as a whole (Ellen, 2008). The environmental trends include a host of issues from reducing waste, recycling, reducing flood risk to efficiently utilizing energy sources, reducing carbon footprint and global warming. The climatic changes have impacted the biodiversity to a great extent, global warming is a huge issue due to the climatic changes and also as a result the depletion of ozone layer. The solutions to these as predicted so far include reforestation i.e. planting more trees and to use carbon sinks to absorb carbon dioxide. These all environmental trends have been impacting the businesses to a great extent as the businesses have to take into effect the negative impacts associated with these environmental trends. The business sector which is the most impacted by the environmental trends is the supermarket sector. The environmental trends specific to the supermarket sector are the carbon dioxide emissions, genetically modified (G.M.) food and the impact of climatic changes which has lead the supermarket sector to go greener and take measures which assist in mitigating the negative impact these environmental changes have been causing. The next section discusses the impact of the environmental trends on the supermarket sector in detail. Effects of the Environmental Trends on the Supermarket Sector The supermarket sec

Monday, November 18, 2019

Human resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human resources - Essay Example The assessment procedures require standardisation in order to present a fair platform for all interested participants. As such, test design and validation is required when creating a standardised assessment process. Test design and validation are key principles in the assessment process during selection of personnel that ensure relevance of tests been administered. In essence, test validation highlights the process of establishing relations between the test administered and the job in question. The validity of a test is critical when selecting a test as it refers to the characteristic being measured and how well the test produces the best results. Validity indicates how reliable the results yielded are in line with the purpose of the test as well as ensuring relevance of the assessment process. What are the key performance dimensions of the instructor who is teaching this course? In your opinion, what should they be? There are three main methods of ensuring validation in assessments procedures and they include criterion-related validity, content-related validity, and construct-related validity. Criterion-related validity provides data indicating statistical relationship between test performance and key job factors, which provides predictive information on work behaviour. In this case, an individual who performs well in such tests is bound to perform better in the job than someone who yielded low scores. Content-related validity produces evidence that illustrates the composition of the test demonstrates crucial behaviour in relation to the job. The test dwells on requirements and qualifications of an individual for the desired position. For instance, fire fighters must demonstrate their physical ability in stressful situations and reflect minimum strength required to perform safety procedures associated with their line of work. Finally, construct-related validity refers to the assessment of individual traits such as personality and core values that are critical in delivery on the job. For instance, aspiring candidates for the position of customer care personnel should exercise tolerance by default in order to provide efficiently required information to irate customers. Why are clear job specifications important? What are the costs of imprecise specifications? Provide an example The importance of indicating clear job specification in any organisation cannot be overemphasised as it is of critical value to all. Compiling of job descriptions lies squarely within the human resource manager, who is charged with the role of hiring personnel based on tasks to be carried out in the organisation. A clear-cut description highlights what the organisation expects from each employee as it entails the details of personnel roles and duties. This saves time and resources that could have been otherwise lost in the confusion created by mixed roles and disorganisation within the company. As such, effective job descriptions provide efficient communication chan nels within an organisation since every employee is aware of their role. Similarly, the employees become aware of the company’s mission and vision, as well as explaining how each of them fits into the organisation’s future. Moreover, clear job specifications help in weeding out unqualified applicants while ensuring the recruitment of qualified personnel. This acts to save the organisation a significant amount of money and thus boosts productivity. From a legal point of

Friday, November 15, 2019

Strategic analysis and proposal for IKEA

Strategic analysis and proposal for IKEA The name IKEA comes from the initials of Ingvar Kamprad, I and K, plus the first letters of Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, which are the names of the farm and village where he grew up. Ingvar kamprad came with a unique idea to offer home furnishing products with good design and lower prices than other competitors. But he didnt want to compromise with the quality. So he used simple cut costing solutions. He tried to find every opportunity to reduce costs. Thats how IKEA concept began. IKEA is a home furnishing company with a fully integrated supply chain, including its own industrial groups Swedwood and Swedspan. The IKEA Group, directly or indirectly, also owns retail centres, always with an IKEA store as unique anchor tenant. The IKEA Group works in four basic areas: range strategy product development, production, supply and retail. The parent company of the IKEA Group of Companies, INGKA Holding B.V., is owned by Stichting INGKA Foundation in the Netherlands. The Stichting INGKA Foundation was established in 1982 by the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, to create an ownership structure and organization that stand for independence and taking a longterm approach. It has two purposes to reinvest in the IKEA Group and to fund charity through the Stichting IKEA Foundation. The business idea is focused on the concept of help create a better life everyday life for many people. IKEA is a renowned global home furniture and household products retailer which is privately owned. IKEA was started by Ingvar Kamarad by 1943. Now the company owns more than 300 stores in 35 countries with more than 130,000 workers around the world. The company selling now a day more than 10000 products and the 190 million copies of catalogues distributed around all over the world. We can see how IKEA expanded by having more stores each year. Figure 1: IKEA stores expanding. To offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. That is the business idea of IKEA. This concept of the IKEA is the base of their business operations which includes product designing, manufacturing, transportation, retailing and assembling. When IKEA develop their products, their starting point is the idea that, even with a thin wallet, people can create a beautiful home with well designed, functional, safe and healthy products. To understand the different living situations and needs of people all over the world is the key to success of IKEA. IKEA website had 712 million visitors and 676 million store visitors in 2010. And 197 million copies of catalogue were printed in 29 languages. Total sales in last year 2010 were 23.1 billion Euros as stated in graph and IKEA food services turnover is 1.1 billion Euros. Figure 2: Annual sales in billion Euros. (FY2010) Every single company tries to use unique, distinctive and effective business strategy which will help them to stay in very competitive market and especially in the global market. We will use different tools to provide a strategic analysis of IKEA. The analysis will be use SWOT analysis, Porters five forces model. SWOT analysis: SWOT analysis is strategic planning tool which helps business to focus on key issues. This tool helps to identify and evaluate of the strengths and weakness of a firm internally, threats and opportunities of external environment. Strengths and weakness is such internal aspects of the company which can be controlled. Usually these refer to marketing, finance, and manufacturing. In same way threats and opportunities are external aspects which cant be controlled. These refer to environment, local issue, government policy and others. Strengths Weakness Opportunities Threats Internal External Figure: SWOT analysis. Strengths: IKEA is one the leading strong global brand in household furnitures in its global operation which attracts consumer group and ensure the same quality and range with almost 10000 products in their all 300 worldwide stores. IKEAs interest in how peoples lives at home is the source of all their business. The key to the success of IKEAs business, understanding of peoples different living situation and needs of all people around the world. Their starting point of developing a product is how people can decorate their house with a thin wallet without compromising the quality. IKEA offers a wide range of functional household furniture in a low price that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. IKEA is completely committed to their vision to create a better everyday life for the many people. This commitment even extends to their suppliers. IWAY is the way of purchasing IKEA products. Buying bulk and large volume for long time keeps the price down from suppliers. And suppliers feel secured also. Most of IKEA products come from supplier direct to store. That means low cost and less carbon footprint. Increasing use of renewable and smarter use of raw materials helps them to keep the price low. Customers contribute in keeping low price by collecting, taking home and assemble product by themselves. Initialization of flat packing and easy assembling made it possible. Now a day people can design their kitchen wardrobe and others household furniture themselves by IKEA computerized tools. Opportunities: IKEA states: There is a true business potential for IKEA in providing solutions that enable customers to live a more sustainable life at home. IKEA is developing effective solutions for customers in order to support them recycling or reusing used products, aiming at no products ending up at landfill and the recycled materials used in producing new IKEA products. IKEA Increases use of renewable and smarter use of raw materials helps them to keep the price low. By initialize of flat packing and easy assembling help the customer to take their product home and assemble themselves. These all business policy of IKEA is juts to ensure a quality product in low price but if we look deeply we can see that IKEA using their strengths to take advantages of opportunities. Now a days all over the world everyone is concerning about carbon footprint, greener products, low cost products. IKEA is making best out of these opportunities. Now a day demand is growing for low priced products. Current financial situation made consumers trading down from expensive stores. All most everyone is concerning about carbon footprint. IKEA most of product comes to store direct from supplier by which they gradually phase out wooden pallets and use of the most spaces of transport. Using of less transport which is less carbon emission. They keep redesigning products so that they take less space. This way they save costs and contribute to environment also. Other business may be has to change their business policy because of these global concerning. But IKEA is taking advantages of these opportunities. Weakness: Each single company tries to find out their weakness and try to resolve them. IKEA is a global brand with 300 stores globally. So the size and its scale of global business can be a problem. It could be hard eventually to keep up with their standard and quality. IKEA suppliers are in such country where government doesnt implement the legalization to control working conditions. It can affect business supply chain. On the other hand IKEA need low cost raw materials but good quality for their products. But because of global warming and other financial and environmental issues it could be hard to get the supply. Threats: Emerging a new household company with low price and its own food in the market will be a strong threat for IKEA. Though emerging a new company with such range and scale is not so easy, but by keeping their standard IKEA can held their position. Porters five factors: Porters five factors is a strong analytical tool. It helps us to understand business strength of current competitive situation and the strength of the position we are moving into. The outcome of this framework is five important factors which determine the competitive intensity, as it may in use of when creating strategy, plans or making decisions regarding investment about a business. Figure: Porters Five Forces model. Powers of buyers: IKEA make sure to satisfy their customers in every aspect by providing quality service. IKEA is global brand for household furniture for reasonable prices. The management of IKEA tries to keep the standard globally so their customer is happy about the quality and the prices. Furniture and other household has small alternative and consumers has limited choices which makes IKEA unique in his competitive market. Low price strategy is other way to response buyers needs. Powers of Suppliers: We have to consider power of supplier for our competitive situation. To ensure the quality and low price business policy IKEA must have some supplier who can supply according to the demand. IKEA set some rules for their supplier. IWAY is one of it. All suppliers should follow these set of rules. IKEA get the contracts with supplier for a long time. In this way supplier and IKEA both feel more secured. If something happens with the supplier IKEA also got time for supplement. So in this case supplier got limited powers. Competitive rivalry: IKEAs furniture competitors offer different functionality and design. However, the IKEA still holds the first position in his competitive market through his quality and low price policy in Sweden and globally also. Flat packing policy saved a lot in price and easy for customer to carry out. New entrants: There is less chance to enter

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Markering :: GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Coursework

Markering Introduction Steve Case founded America Online (AOL) in pre-Internet days when the networking of various computer systems was rather informal and difficult for all but the highly computer-literate to accomplish. His goal was to make accessing these networks easy enough for anyone to manage. Though AOL has changed dramatically since those days, ease of use has remained a primary consideration in all changes visible to the user. Much maligned by the more "serious" services (and their subscribers) in the past, AOL has risen to be the industry leader despite challenges and the image of being the J.R. Ewing of the Internet, the provider everyone "loves to hate." Advertisers complain of AOL's dictatorial policies, yet with more than 21 million subscribers (Anonymous, 2000), AOL is an advertising venue that they dare not ignore. Current Situation and Background All large organizations today have vision and mission statements, but only the most successful actually adhere to them. Many organizations sport rather cryptic mission statements, or they put great effort into devising one and then never consult it again. AOL appears to be cognizant of both its mission and vision statements in every addition it makes to its service. America Online's Vision: To build an interactive medium that improves the lives of people and benefits society as no other medium before it. America Online's Mission: To build a global medium as central to people's lives as the telephone or television... and even more valuable (America Online, 1999; p. 34). Corporate strategy is clear. Mission and vision statements reveal gross strategy; investment reports indicate that more narrow strategy also is effective. Several advertisers have complained about AOL's policies in the past, but the factors of which they complain are those that keep AOL's management – rather than the phenomenal growth of the Internet – in control of the company's destiny and its attainment of its goals. Senior management misjudged the response to its offer of flat-rate charges for unlimited use, and the company even suffered class-action lawsuits after their access systems were overwhelmed in many areas. Seeking the greatest number of subscribers and offering to highlight advertisers willing to pay for AOL's assistance is a strategy that ensures AOL's continued financial good health. AOL's functional strategy of being indispensable to subscribers is one that can work to ensure the company's continued growth. Already, AOL has more content than does any other ISP (Anonymous, 2000), and it seeks only to grow in scope.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Improving Performance & Effectiveness of your Company

A year ago, the administration has met the top eight managers of the company for a thorough departmental evaluation. The conference yielded outstanding overviews of where the company is, where it should be going, and how it can get where it should be. Each department head devised a plan on how to contribute to the vision of the company, which each department was able to materialize.A year later and the goals have been met. However, the overall state of the company stayed the same. If it moved forward at all, the move was too little and subtle to affect the company vigorously.This is why the management has decided to create an action plan which will homogenize the departmental plans that were created and now being observed so that the positive effects aid the company in moving forward. EXAMINATION OF THE VARIABLES The initial evaluation made by the managers is sufficient to zero in on department-specific issues and concerns. Initially, these issues and concerns of the individual emplo yees and the small group (departments) were considered the best determinant of the company’s progress meter. From these evaluations, the managers identified the problems and devised ways of solving them.Likewise, they uncovered opportunities that were not used before. Lastly, action plans have been created. While the managers succeeded in their implementation of their action plans, it did little for the company. The company remained stagnant as a whole even if the departments soared at meeting goals and exploiting opportunities. Solving problems, Meeting goals One important aspect of the process was identifying the problems in detail by specifying those which bothers each department. By looking into the details, the managers ensured building a strong foundation for the company.It is also by looking at these minute problems that the bigger ones are avoided. With a better foundation, a company is stronger and small problems are sure to not affect it. The identification of probl ems led to an evaluation for coming up with solutions. This further resulted in slating several goals which will keep the employees focused. Goals are important as it unites all the different activities that happen in the background of the company. The goals of the company became the guide line for the employees and managers alike. Opened opportunitiesThe evaluation also enabled the opening of opportunities which the departments have not identified before. By looking at these opportunities and exploiting them, the company was able to minimize the wastages. The opportunities also helped maximize the advantageous edge that the company already enjoys. Heterogenous However effective the departmental initiatives were, the problem was that the initiatives were definitive. Instead of helping the company as a whole, each department strived at achieving their own goals which were rather specific for their areas rather than focusing on the goals of the company as a whole.Thus, the positive re sponse received upon the action plan of the managers did little to grow the company. CONCLUSIONS The process, recommendations, and actions were good, but they were not good enough. The managers were effective on the task given to them, but putting off the focus on the company and concentrating on the areas was a bad choice. Instead, the vision and mission of the company as a whole should be a chief consideration for all initiatives big and small. With this, every little inch in which the company grows will be monumental and evident. RECOMMENDATIONSIt is worth for the initiatives of the managers to be carried on. Given that they have been effective in their respective areas, they should also be introduced in other departments in which they may also be needed; even though the need might not be obvious or immediate. To do so, another meeting with the managers should be called to order. Then, the managers will be prompted to share to the group the successes of their respective departmen t. From these sharing, the managers will be encouraged to adapt the initiatives of another department that are not yet applied in their own area.However, the initiatives that will be adapted should be fit to the department who is also adapting it. Meanwhile, marketing and advertising should be made available as well to boost sales which is primarily important for the business. EVALUATIONS A twelve-month recourse will be put into place, after which an evaluation will be made as to the progress of the company. If the company improved, the initiatives will be continued and even propagated with new ones. If not, a new proposition should be looked at.One would be evaluating for problems in the company as a while instead of by-area. The managers should also introduce new breakthroughs. Employee participation may also be encouraged later on, where the employees will be given the chance to voice out what they think and feel about improvements that can be made to the company. Employee welfar e will also be considered. With all the follow-up initiatives, a focal vision will give every action plan the effectiveness it needs. In return, it will also give the company the effectiveness it deserves.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Marketing Strategy Essay

Marketing Strategy Essay Marketing Strategy Essay Marketing Strategy Enron - The Smartest Guy in the Room Enron was once the seventh largest company in the world, they were even featured in fortune magazine as America’s most innovative company for six years in a row from 1996 to 2001, but somehow they allowed their greed and arrogance to get the better of them. Though they have been successful for many years, it took very little time for them to go bankrupt. Enron’s demise is a result of implementing outrageously unethical and unrealistic strategies such as their â€Å"Mark to Market† strategy, and manipulating situations such as the California electricity crisis; just to name a few of the many unethical things that they engaged in. One of their most outrageous accounting strategies was their mark to market method. This strategy allowed them to forecast what earnings will be in the very distant future and treat those forecasted earnings as current profit. They practiced this despite the fact that those earnings may not be collecte d for many years, neither are they guaranteed. Enron appeared to be very profitable in the public’s eye and their stocks kept increasing in value, but in reality they were sinking deeper and deeper in debt. Enron managed to cook the books through their mark to market strategy. Enron went above and beyond when they manipulated the California electricity system. They took advantage of the state’s deregulated energy market and deliberately created blackouts and shortages in order to increase prices many times more than the current price. California was their way out when they needed profits. Enron’s unethical and outrageous behavior caught up with

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

How to Talk About Failure in a Job Interview

How to Talk About Failure in a Job Interview When you’re putting together your resume and getting ready for an interview, you focus on making yourself look as perfect as possible. This is not a process where you want to let self-doubt and self-esteem issues creep in. Yet all that positive thinking and prep can be undone by one or two little questions in an interview. â€Å"Where could you use some improvement?† Or, â€Å"Can you tell me about a time when you failed.† After positioning yourself as kind of an uber-candidate, this can be a tricky navigation. You want to show an appropriate amount of honesty and humility, but who likes reliving past failures, let alone disclosing them to a potential employer? There are ways to do it that can help you get past these spots, without derailing your image as a confident, competent interviewee. Here are some things to consider when you talk about failure in a job interview.DO take it seriously.â€Å"I’m addicted to Mountain Dew† is not the way to go her e. The interviewer is trying to get a sense of your level of self-awareness, and whether or not there are any red flags or major gaps.DON’T use a clichà ©d comeback.â€Å"I care too much.† â€Å"I work too hard.† â€Å"I am too dedicated to my job.† The interviewer isn’t looking for a beauty pageant answer†¦he or she is looking for someone who can be frank about shortcomings, and self-aware enough to try to overcome them. Backdoor bragging that tries to show that you’re just too well-liked or too diligent at work will most likely earn you an eye roll.DO be honest†¦It’s okay to admit you’re not perfect. This is one question in an interview that is 99% about your accomplishments and qualifications, so approach it honestly and candidly. The interviewer will appreciate your candidness.†¦But DON’T treat it like a confession.This is not the time to list all of your drawbacks. (Unless you’re applying for the CIA, in which case you might as well be honest, because they will find out.) Ahead of time, think about one or two areas where you know you need improvement, and make sure they’re not red flag-worthy. For example, if you’re not great with numbers, don’t answer the question with, â€Å"I suck at math.† Basically, anything that makes you seem â€Å"bad† at something is not the right choice here.DO perform the spin-pivot move.Whatever you do go with, make sure you use it to emphasize strengths you do have. With the bad-at-math example, you can emphasize that you prefer creative problem solving to hard-and-fast numbers. Frame it as a choice between A (weakness) and B (strength), and talk about how you’d choose B.DON’T use anything in the basic job description as your weakness.If you despise being around kids, and are applying for an elementary school position, well- what are you doing there? But more importantly, if you’re aske d about an area where you could improve, mention that you’re always looking to improve your ability to relate to students.DO emphasize that you’re a work in progress.Part of what an interviewer is trying to assess is your growth potential. When you talk about any challenges or areas of improvement you have, be sure to say that you’re aware of your limitations in X area, and that you’re constantly seeking to be better/more efficient/stronger.DO avoid using words like â€Å"weakness,† even if the interviewer uses it first.Instead, frame it as a challenge, or avoid using negative nouns altogether.Getting past this moment in an interview can be awkward, but if you do some thinking ahead of time about your challenges and how you plan to turn those into strengths, you should be back in safe, â€Å"I’m awesome† territory in no time.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Child Rape in South Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Child Rape in South Africa - Essay Example Crime is occurring at an unprecedented rate and South Africa now boasts some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world (De Capua & Robertson 2009). Yet, one of the most pressing social issues to emerge is the sexual violence of children. Child rape is occurring at unprecedented proportions resulting not only in the trauma of children but in the increase of HIV/AIDS infections. The South African legal system is struggling to cope with the number of child rape cases and many children's rights advocates argue that the system is flawed in its handling of sexual abuse victims, in particular children. This paper seeks to examine the issues surrounding child rape in South Africa including the role of the legal system in combating this issue. Apartheid emerged in 1948 and was a legalized system of segregation separating the white Boer minority from the Black, mixed-race and Indian majority (South African Government Information 2008). It was a complex set of laws that resulted in the oppression and marginalization of all non-whites in South Africa. Apartheid was brutally enforced by the white minority and state-sponsored violence was commonly used to maintain order and suppresses social uprisings. With the end of Apartheid in 1994, this legacy of social and economic inequality has remained resulting in extremely high levels of violence of which women and children are often victims (Human Rights Watch 2001). Due to social inequality, women and girls are often the most vulnerable victims of violence, in particular, gender-based violence such as rape and sexual abuse (Human Rights Watch 2001). Apartheid was deeply entrenched in South African society and it continues to impact the political, social and economic conditions of the country. Schools, in particular, have felt the brunt of the pervasive violence that has wrecked havoc on the country and its people. According to Human Rights Watch, "the South African education system today is still scarred by the racially discriminatory policies of apartheid and in particular the system of 'Bantu Education' imposed by the National Party government" (2001). During the period of resistance, where freedom fighters waged war against the oppressive Apartheid system, "schools were often transformed into sites of political struggle and frequently become violent spaces" (Human Rights Watch 2001). Since the dismantling of Apartheid, the government has struggled to compensate for the lack of professional teachers.

Friday, November 1, 2019

BlackBoard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BlackBoard - Assignment Example Such tools include chat rooms, wikis, blogs, peer assessment, groups, and discussion boards. Therefore, the core aim of the research is to dig out into the significance of the virtual blackboard in modern learning. In achieving the objectives, various scholarly sources will be analyzed. Moreover, various case analysis will be conducted on various institutions that have shown adoption to the program, counterchecking the advantages, shortcomings, effectiveness, and the diverse features facilitating its use. The discussion board does enhance communication. All the students can engage in discussions, a tool that leads to creativity and innovation. Forums are different discussion topics students can engage in at a time. Some discussion features enables the instructor to follow up on what the student has done over time, hence perfect evaluation tools. Additionally they empower students, promote exploratory learning, and enhance reflection. Chat rooms lead to generation of ideas arising during and after classwork. Blackboards groups are the foundation of collaborative learning. They contribute to diversity, interpersonal growth, active learning, and opportunity to feedback provision. They come along with other features such as members’ enrolment key, groups’ creation, personalization, and disabling vs. enabling protocol. The peers’ assessment tool promotes the listening, analysis and critique aspects among students and their work. The assessment aids in fairness maintenance during assessments, judgment skills development, and workload reduction for instructors and acts as a learning opportunity. Blogs are online platforms whose role is to facilitate interaction via leaving the comments on the materials provided. Students who may fail to be active in class may divert their attention to blogs. As collaborative tools, they enhance consistent