Friday, November 29, 2019

Sebastian Henderson Essays - World, European Union,

Sebastian Henderson Professor Browning English 112 February 2nd, 2017 Education: The effects it has on Society and Politics An Annotated Bibliography Cole, Jonathan R. "Ignorance Does Not Lead to Election Bliss." The Atlantic , Atlantic Media Company, 8 Nov. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/11/ignorance-does-not-lead-to-election-bliss/506894/ . Mr. Cole's article "Ignorance Does Not Lead to Election Bliss" almost directly correlates the lack of education in our public education system and how our previous election turned out. He gives examples of things like how more Americans could recognize Michael Jackson's Billie Jean in the first four measures that the ones who recognized the bill of rights. This article really shoes the distinct lack of education that people in the United States have on politics. Collender, Guy. "Education in Nigeria: The Impact of Bad Politics and a Blueprint for Progress." Education in Nigeria: The Impact of Bad Politics and a Blueprint for Progress | LIDC - London International Development Centre . N.p., 05 Oct. 2015. Web. 02 Feb. 2017. This Articles focuses on Nigeria's political structure and how due to the lack of Education the people are being let down and almost screwed over by their political officials. It shows how most of the citizens have around a middle school education and that the people in the higher echelon of their society mainly all have college education. It shows how failed their very rudimentary education truly is. Herlitz, Stephen. "Lack of Political Interest Due to Poor Education." The Massachusetts Daily Collegian , 28 Oct. 2013, dailycollegian.com/2013/10/28/lack-of-political-interest-due-to-poor-education/. Another example of American politics that is on display during the article "Lack of Political interest due to poor education" by Mr. Herlitz. Basically, he goes over the fact that most parents are discouraging their children for pursuing political office. Because of this parents are more likely to less educate their children on the political process and policies which then leads to political ignorance. Runciman, David. "How the Education Gap Is Tearing Politics Apart | David Runciman." The Long Read , Guardian News and Media, 5 Oct. 2016, www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/05/trump-brexit-education-gap-tearing-politics-apart . In this Article Mr. Runciman address the radical rhetoric used by one of the candidates during the election and how it connected with a lot of supporters who were mainly on the less educated spectrum of society. I also went and took and in depth look at how the Brexit vote and looked at the polling and noticed that most of the people who voted for the Brexit weren't in the Talented tenth percent and that most of the voters didn't have a college degree. Thomas, P.L. "Politics and Education Don't Mix!" The Atlantic , Atlantic Media Company, 26 Apr. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/politics-and-education-dont-mix/256303/ . Thomas's "Politics and Education Don't Mix!" article goes into the debate of leadership characteristics/traits or expertise and knowledge. It talks about how in the United States early on students are taught it's not who you know it's what you know. He then goes into the issue of the trickle- down effect of ideas that then lead to a mob mentality ordeal. He uses the great example of a hierarchical system of a school about how information is started at the top and eventually finds its way down to the students and spreads rapidly. .

Monday, November 25, 2019

Cindy Sherman essays

Cindy Sherman essays Terror and mockery come together in the portraits of Cindy Sherman on display at the Crocker Art Museum. Walking into the large, dimly lit ballroom, one may begin to feel a slight sense of trepidation as the viewer looks around to find nine sets of beady eyes watching one's every move. Sherman produced her History Portraits during the late eighties and early nineties, nine of which are displayed at the museum. In her portraits she uses lush fabrics, lavish jewelry, and false body parts to decorate herself in these self-portraits. Her portraits have been know to cause discomfort in the viewers who find the general stereotypes, depicted in her portraits, amusing, yet confusing and terrorizing. Sherman's Untitled #225 (Blond Woman) triggers those exact emotions. The portrait is a large colored photograph created in 1990. An eighteenth century blond, Madonna-like, young lady sits poised with one hand on her exposed artificial breast as if she is nursing a baby. She is well dressed in a blue satin dress, small white beads laced through her braided hair, and a tiara atop her head. Her icy, blue eyes stare off to the left with a harsh, cold expression. With her breast aimed high, spewing fluids, in the same direction as she stares, it is difficult to imagine what is going through her head, however it is clear that it is something of an almost vindictive and unforgiving nature. Possibly, she points her breast toward a man who betrayed her or harassed her. The overall painting, much like the others in the exhibit, is generally flat, yet she uses contouring lines and overlapping to give the paintings depth and perception. Like Untitled #225 (Blond Woman), Sherman's Untitled portrait #198 (Feather Mask) also stirs a sense of uneasiness. The portrait is a color photograph created in 1989. A woman with an open salmon colored shirt exposes both artificial breasts as she sits with a large, blue feather mask covering her face...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Creating a Motivating Work Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Creating a Motivating Work Setting - Essay Example Creating a work environment that maintains employee job satisfaction as well as motivates people towards exceptional performance is one of the fundamental roles of leaders to play. Recently, a survey was conducted by the Conference Board, which specified that only 45% of Americans are really satisfied with their work, the least record ever observed by the Conference Board in about 22 years of research (Chartcourse, 2011). Organizations which are not able to implement an adequate improved job satisfaction are at tremendous risk of losing their talented personnel to the existing competitive market. Leaders are entitled with huge responsibility of sustaining their talented employees by providing them with motivating elements. McDonald's is a renowned name of restaurants functioning globally. McDonald's is an American based company. The company is counted amongst the largest restaurant businesses and considered as part of the American life style. An estimate of its current global workfor ce would be around 1.5 million people, and 10 million people are estimated to have worked for the corporation, since its formation (McDonald's, 2011). The increasing expansion abroad appears to be the sound answer to an increasing economical market in the USA, where McDonald's is no longer trying to expand but is instead trying to increase the sales of existing restaurants. McDonald's is a service-oriented company where their products and personnel act as their face to their consumers. Therefore, providing them with satisfactory atmosphere is an essential aspect of motivation. In order to sustain in this competitive market, McDonald's has come up with strategies and development programs for motivating employees and polishing leadership qualities. In the paper, the motivation strategies of the organization and the effective techniques of leadership adopted by McDonald's will be analyzed. Case Example-McDonald’s The culture of any organization plays a very vital role in motivat ing employees. Work culture of McDonald's is highly dependent on the unit manager in charge at any particular time (Goldman, 2009). The most essential thing that any unit manager can do to create a motivated environment is to make sure that work performed by the employees is in accordance to strategies prepared. The unit managers need to ensure that the work performed by the employees is productive in nature with the point of view of the company. The responsibilities of leaders; in this case the unit managers or the line mangers, are intense in nature. Motivation does not mean employees doing their work accordingly when the manager is around but is what employees do when the manager is not around. A good leader is the one who does not only gives order but also welcomes feedback from employees. Managers are usually supposed to use position and power and adopt a telling style of leadership considering the employees are inexperienced and young. And, certain managers are found of runnin g the departments in mechanical way, mostly during peak business stage. Though, in quite a few cases managers were comparatively relaxed and at times were not different from their employees. Certain managers welcome the ideas of their employees, making them feel important. In this process, good ideas are generated and conceived whereas also add to the motivational factors in the organisation (Goldman, 2009). Generally, the managers avoid any strong vertical barriers themselves and between their employees. Motivation can be of four types such as extrinsic and intrinsic, and negative and positive. Extrinsic motivation is when one is working according to others’ will and intrinsic motivation

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Middle eastern humanities essay paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Middle eastern humanities essay - Term Paper Example These stories also reveal the different cultures of people. There are various ways to manifest love and show it to people around them. The story of Laila and Majnun is a story of love without bounds. It knows no limit. Their love for each other swerves dangerously between two opposing ideas of sanity vs insanity. The love they felt each other is so strong that they tend to forget who they are. Their thoughts are only filled by the object of their affection. It corrupts them of their identity. No other reasons are good enough for them to face the other aspects of life such as family, religion, society, and culture. Love made Majnun appear crazy before men and society. He idolized Laila so much to the extent of kissing all the objects related to her, such as the walls, seat and even her dog. His love blinded him of his identity as human being. He obliges to the commands of his emotions to pursue his Laila regardless of his physical health. For him, nothing else must be regarded but his affection to his Laila. He sets aside education, forgetting norms of society, and neglecting the love of his family towards him. In the same manner, Laila is bound in chains at the same height of love sickness as her lover Majnun. She sets her delight to him only. Her studies, social life, and family were all sacrificed due to her love sickness for Majnun. Her family kept her at distance due to the insanity behavioral tendencies of Majnun all because of love. The love of Majnun and Laila is a tragic one. They are both incapable of handling the emotional stress that love brought to them. They forget the other aspects of life that can make a person whole. They were carried by the strong current of their affection for each other. And when they are not granted to be together, life is equated to death. Their story ended up tragically. Majnun, remained in hope in the promise of Laila to come back to where they last parted. He forgets his identity

Monday, November 18, 2019

Federal Subsidized Housing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Federal Subsidized Housing - Essay Example The CHA is governed by commissioners who are appointed by the mayor. The first Executive Director of the CHA was Elizabeth Wood. Who served for 17 years. During the Wood years the CHA became immersed in perpetuating an obvious pattern of institutional racism: The federal Housing Act of 1937 in conjunction with the Chicago Public Works Administration were successful in completing four low-rise (two to four story building prior to World War II. Three of these projects were opened in 1938: Jane Adams House, on the near west side, comprising of 32 buildings which housed 1,027 families; Julia C, Lanthrop Homes on the north side housed 925 families and Trumbull Park Homes on the far south side for 426 families. These three complexes were built primarily for whites (although 2.5 per cent or 60 units were set aside for African Americans). In 1940 The CHA embarked on a pattern which would later be challenged as a social, moral and legal travesty. In 1941 the CHA completed construction of its first public housing project exclusive for African Americans and situated it in the heart of an African American (Ghetto) neighborhood. The Ida B. Wells House was considerably larger than the CHA’s previous projects, and it accommodated 1,662 families.... a myth which permeated every (white) neighborhood in Chicago. Not only did the CHA promote its promulgation on the local level, the federal government under the"Neighborhood Composition Rule", gave tacit approval for the furtherance of institutional racism, when it stipulated: that the tenants of a housing development be of the same race as the people in the area in which it was situated. (Hilliard1966) Many northerners took a special type of "white" pride in decrying the antics and overt racism of their southern brothers, while declaring that they (northern whites) were all liberals, who believed in the absolute provisions of the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights and the Constitution, which provides human and civil rights for all men, regardless of their race or skin color. In his pre World War II study of the race situation in America, Gunnar Myrdal presented his findings on the heightened hypocrisy which existed in the souls and minds of most white Americans in general and in this instance of Chicagoans in particular; Another form of discrimination in the North against Negroes is in the market forHouses and apartments; whites try to keep Negroes out of white neighborhoods by Restrictive covenants. The legality of these covenants is open to dispute, but in soFar as the local courts uphold them, the discrimination is in the legal principle, not In the individual cases brought to court. (Myrdal 527)This study by Myrdal is required reading (at least passages and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The History Of Community Mobilization

The History Of Community Mobilization Introduction: The term community has various meaning. We can define community is a place where people living in the particular geographical area and they shares their common values, interests and they follows a particular way of living. The term community may refer to the national community or international community. In biology a community is a group of interacting people sharing a populated environment. Apart from a geographical area a community is a group or society, helping each other. In human communities belief, resources, needs, interest and a number of other conditions may be present in common, which also affects the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. In every society various types of communities may take place. Some categorizations are as follows:- Geographic communities: It ranges from the local neighborhood, suburb, village, town or city, region, nation or even the planet as a whole. These refer to communities of location. Communities of culture: It ranges from the local clique, sub-culture, ethnic group, religious, multicultural or pluralistic civilization, or the global community cultures of today. They may be included as communities of need or identity, such as disabled persons, or frail aged people. Communities are nested; one community can contain another-for example a geographic community may contain a number of ethnic communities. Identity is also one of the important factor to assess the type of community. For example if a group of people shares the common identity other than the location, we can call that as community based on their common interest. Likewise, in present scenario we can see that various communities exist in society based on the certain profession. A professional community is a group of people where they are with the same or related occupations. Not on the basis of above things, There are different things that bound people together to their different communities or that they may have in common with the other people living around them, which includes beliefs and values, traditions, common interest, language, territory, religion, culture and occupations. Community Mobilization: A strong community feeling one can identifies at the time of crisis and occasions like change for families, such as marriage and death. In a community people shared their we feeling with each other. As we know that proper management and utilization of resources is the best possible way for the development of the community. Therefore community mobilization is always prominent for the development and upliftment of any community. For mobilizing the community people make their plans and then do the things accordingly. They take charge, transforming, developing their community and their lives as well. Community mobilization is a process which allows people in the community to identify their needs and problems and bring them together for a social action and their community development. Communities can mobilize to work for changes that will fulfill the social, emotional, financial and physical needs of people. Community mobilization is an organized process through which people can aware regarding the present situation of their community also how to bring positive changes within the community by using various resources. Nutshell, community mobilization is one of the strategic method which helps the people to attain maximum community development. For community mobilization communication is one of the important tool to achieve it. Through proper and effective communication various methods of mobilizing the community can be implemented. Here we are discussing the various methods for community mobilization by given actors as per the fig 1.1. Mobilizing the community Political Parties Social Movements Individual groups Political Parties The use of social networking sites by political parties and other politically active groups has been increased in these days. All these political and other groups realized that by suing of social networking sites many people can be mobilized. The internet has become the strongest communication tool even at the global level. Even various politicians also used Twitter, Flicker, You Tube, and Facebook among people to communicate and mobilize people. As political parties using of social networking sites is one of the effective method to mobilize the people. In the present scenario, the use of social media is really important to mobilize the people and communities for collective action. We know that today millions of people are connected in one way or another to the internet. People are easily accessible on internet. It is another way of reaching large numbers of people to mobilize them for a group effort. Facebook, Mixit, Twitter can also be effective for the above. To generate awareness among people and to mobilize them in large number to make a community independent. Newspapers, radio stations and the TV have the authority to inform thousands more people about various campaigns for mobilizing any community. By writing a press release, a political party can highlight the facts, peoples demands, and what people want the media to talk about regarding the development and continuous empowerment of their community. Parties can also organize a press conference. So they can invite the reporters to come to a meeting where spokespeople from the community organization speak out publicly about the problem and the solution of the problems of community. Apart from above, Political rallies and the use of local languages are instrumental in the mobilization of groups for social action. Social Movements Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations which focus on specific political or social issues for their development. In other words, they carry out, resist or undo a social change in the society. Social movement campaigns play a critical role in mobilizing and maintaining the submerged networks of social movement communities. A social movement refers to collective effort organizing from the people for their development and to bring social change in the society. Community mobilization is often used by grassroots-based social movements, which includes revolutionary movements. Through Social movement for mobilizing the people in community we can apply various methods like large public gatherings such as mass meetings, marches, parades, processions and demonstrations. These gatherings usually are part of a protest action. These are the different ways by which a community can be mobilized and can raise voice for the demand of development of the community. In other words, community mobilization seeks to facilitate change within the community for its development. Modern Western social movements became possible through education (the wider dissemination of literature), and increased mobility of labor due to the industrialization and urbanization of 19th century societies. Social movements have been and continued to be closely connected with democratic political systems. Occasionally, social movements have been involved in democratizing nations, but more often they have developed after democratization. Modern movements often utilize technology and the internet to mobilize people globally. Adapting to communication trends is a common theme among successful movements. Research is beginning to explore how advocacy organizations linked to social movements use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action. Social movements are any broad social alliances of people who are connected through their shared interest in blocking or affecting social change. Although social movements do not have to be formally organized. Social movement is always an important tool to bring the change in society and as well as to mobilize the communities for their own development. By arranging people in mass meetings, parades, marches, discussions on various issues, movements for stressing the education of people, bringing the concept of democratization in light communities can mobilize through theses social movements. Social movements are always a part of society, and people may compare their options and make rational choices about which movements to follow. As long as social movements wish to be success, they must find resources (such as money, people, and plans) for how to meet their goals. Furthermore, for organizing successful social movements and mobilizing the people there should be strong and effective networking with other organizations especially the organization which are exist in the local community. There has to be proper networking and strong communication even on the grass roots organization which are working locally in the community such as Church groups, clubs, special interest organization, local schools, hospitals , recreational groups and other community groups can support the social movement and through effective and strong networking with the above organizations we can mobilize the communities. Physical concentration is also necessary for organizing successful social movement and for mobilizing people. We should bring people into closer proximities in cities, factories, local university campuses which help the social movement to get into the right direction for mobilizing people for their betterment in society. Also a co-optable communications network should be there to speed up the social movements for mobilizing the people and to spread awareness among the people. As we know that the greater the number and excessive participation of people builds a strong network which leads to mobilizing the greatest number of people. Also for maintaining the above and to get a fuller participation of people and to mobilize them we need to able ourselves to maintain the resources within and outside the community. We should also provide the equal opportunity to each and every unit of the community. We cannot let the youth and other units to go. We need to encourage every individual with n o matter of his / her own personal identity. We need to motivate people to participate actively in the social movement and consider the point of availability in our mind. As People with full time jobs, marriage and family responsibilities are less likely to participate in social movement activity. Autonomous individuals with few personal responsibilities such as college students and single professionals are much more likely participants. On the other hand, for mobilizing people without considering them as particular unit of society, we need to encourage them for their maximum participation. Through motivation and encouragement we can mobilize people and can make them ready for their community development. Individual groups It is always easy to start a fire and involve a number of people. Community members need to choose certain people whose role will be to keep the fire of community mobilization burning. In this guide these people will be called motivators. People in the community know each other very well. Take time to carefully choose honest people who are respected by others, and who can encourage others to work well together. They need to have some time and energy available, have a desire to bring change and be willing to work free of charge. Each community should select two or three motivators. The people chosen will need equipping and support in their role. Each local area has a number of different kinds of resources. People use these resources to keep alive and to cope with changing seasons, political change and cultural pressures. Helping people to understand and to value the different resources they have is very important. These are the main kinds of resources: _ Natural resources include land, trees, forests and water. _ Human resources include the skills, knowledge, understanding and labour of local people. _ Financial resources include money, access to credit and loans, credit unions and government support. _ Social resources include the culture, traditions, organizations, friends and extended family. _ Physical resources include buildings, tools, roads, water pumps and transport. _ Spiritual resources are the strength and encouragement that people gain from their faith. Local people already know more than any outsider about their community and the people living there. Many people assume they know everything about their local area, but there is always more to learn and understand before making new plans. Take plenty of time to help people in the community to tell their story together. One very effective way of doing this is to draw maps, either using clear ground with sticks, leaves and stones, or if available, large sheets of paper and pens. Encourage small groups to draw different maps to show: the natural and physical resources in the area (hills, forests, roads and rivers, for example) -where people live, noting important people and organisations -how the area looked 50 or 20 years ago (only for older people). So for mobilizing communities, individual groups can do the social mapping of the community so that the people can aware about the present problems in the community. Another helpful way to focus on key issues within the local area is to encourage people to prepare a role-play to express their concerns. As people discuss what subjects to use, they will often focus on important issues. However, they are also likely to share these in funny ways. Laughter has a way of taking the pressure out of a situation, helping people to discuss sensitive issues, sometimes for the first time. Again, encouraging people to work in small groups is another way to mobilize the communities. Having chosen their first priority for action, local people need to decide whether they have enough information to take action. For example, if education is identified as the priority, people may need more information about the problems and whether they are at primary or secondary level. The problem may be poor attendance and, if so, there is a need to find out why. Considering electing teams of local people to gather relevant information is another way to mobilize the communities. Choose people who can be trusted and who know their community well. Before sending teams out to gather information, take plenty of time to decide exactly what kind of information is needed. Apart from this, conducting role plays- street plays in the community is always a good strategy to mobilize the maximum number of people and to preparing them for a social action. By Arranging a community meeting to share all the information gathered is showing information clearly to the people. A large number of people can mobilize for the collective action after getting all the facts and problems of the community. Also, motivation plays an important role in this activity. As keep motivating the people in right direction is always worthy and will be fruitful for attaining maximum development of the community. Initial contact with the community is another way to mobilize people. Understanding community practices and traditions prior to establishing contact can help identify the appropriate approach for engaging with different groups and members of the community. It is important to focus on learning from the community, especially during the initial contact.  Taking every opportunity to meet informally with diverse members of the community (at the health post, during registration, at distribution points, in the queue for water). Also utilizing community leaders also increases the chances of reaching a cross-section of the population and not just a narrow representation. It is essential that all members of the community receive word about mobilization and how they can be involved.  Outreaching to those who are isolated, vulnerable or considered. If they cannot personally attend a meeting, it is important that they be represented in some way. So as per the above discussion, motivating peop le, arranging meetings, initial contacting with the communities, utilizing the community leaders, conducting role-plays, street plays, community outreaching are different ways to mobilize the maximum people of community by individual groups. Also, identifying an existing committee or a community-based organization which can give individual groups access to the community and facilitate distribution of  messages. Meeting the host community and the authorities is important to reach out the goals for community development and mobilization.   Messages might only reach certain groups, such as community leaders, and not all members of the community.  Developing outreach strategies with the leaders and others to ensure that everyone is informed, including women, girls and boys, minority groups, and people with mental and physical challenges. Making sure that information is delivered in a language everyone can understand, is culturally sensitive and is correctly perceived and understood.  As always communication should be effective and strong for the mobilization. Arranging meetings at mutually convenient times. As far the mobilization concern, for development of any community individual groups should make positive rappor t building among the community with key people- like facilitator, leaders, service providers etc. and whole community as well. A good rapport building is effective strategy to mobilizing the people.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Transparency, respect and consistency are essential for building trust, confidence and collaboration between organizations and partners, including members of the community.  Also individual groups have to make ensure that after the first contact immediate follow-up action is taken or not.   Orienting the Community is another way to mobilize the people. The first step in mobilizing the community is to orient them to the process.  This can be done in a number of ways, including written communication, television, radio, or an organized meeting.  Meetings are more personal and conducive to building relationships.   They also facilitate two-way communication where questions can be answered efficiently. As groups can motivate community people for their maximum participation in every discussion as they should feel that they are the key part of it.   Also to start these meetings as soon as possible, so that trust and a positive working relationship can be built between parties. Having the meeting sponsored or hosted by a respected individual or group within the community can add credibility to its agenda.  This may happen through a church, school, tribe, or other local group.   Utilizing community leaders also increases the chances of reaching a cross-section of the population and not just a narrow representation. It is essential that all members of the community receive word about mobilization and how they can be involved.  Outreach is prominent to those who are isolated, vulnerable or considered marginal is critical. If they cannot personally attend a meeting, it is important that they be represented in some way. Individual groups should take care of these things before conducting any activity as part of the community or within the community. An only arranging meeting is not as sufficient. The goals of the meeting must be carefully considered and reflected in the agenda.  Community leaders can provide assistance presenting the information in a culturally appropriate manner. Some of the community leaders may be chosen to convey topics with which they are familiar.  During this meeting, it is important to invoke the input of the community. Identify their needs and begin to priorities how those needs will be met.   Individual groups sho uld know that this meeting will be an opportunity to develop an awareness of what the contributing organizations can provide, and also an opportunity to learn about the strengths and resources of the community. It will be important to define mutual goals and develop a plan as to how to reach these goals.  This will include organizing individuals to work together and coordinate services.   Proper organization of every resources and management is necessary to mobilize the people. Also individual groups should develop ongoing ways to communicate for mobilizing the people. Once goals have been defined and a plan has been developed, it will be important to identify ongoing ways to communicate.  Rather than having large meetings, cluster meetings of project staff, community leaders and community members working on similar tasks are more manageable and efficient.  The groups should begin team building with all team members (international  and national staff, community leaders and community members). It is vital that marginalized and vulnerable people are included in these teams.  Intervention with the community may be required for them to allow marginalized or isolated members of their community to participate in a team.   Working in small teams that include affected people as well as outside helpers.  Team leaders should meet daily for sharing of information, planning and coordination. Not all teams will be required for all emergency response projects. Some people may be a member of more than one team. Conclusion: It is to be concluded that for continuous community development mass awareness, people mobilization is very important. In our society there are different resources which can perform to mobilize the community. But one should only need to generate these resources within the community or outside the community. Maximum resource utilization and mobilization of people are key things for developing any community. Community development emphasizes participation, initiative and self-help by local communities but should be sponsored by national governments as part of a national plan.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Analysis of Harlem by Langston Hughes Essay -- Harlem Langston Hughes

Analysis of Harlem by Langston Hughes Through the turbulent decades of the 1920's through the 1960's many of the black Americans went through difficult hardships and found comfort only in dreaming. Those especially who lived in the ghettos' of Harlem would dream about a better place for them, their families, and their futures. Langston Hughes discusses dreams and what they could do in one of his poems, "Harlem." Hughes poem begins: "What happens to a dream deferred..." Hughes is asking what happens to a dream that is being put off. What do these dreams do, do they do good, do they do bad, or do they do neither good nor bad? He continues by stating this simile:"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" Using this simile he is stating that dreaming can be good or bad. A raisin is a grape that has been dehydrated by the sun. Hughes is conveying that dreams can suck the life out of a person, mentally dehydrating them. However a raisin is not necessarily bad. When the grape is dehydrated by the sun it turns the grape into a raisin, a sweet and delightful friut which can furnish ...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Case 9: Horniman Horticulture Essay

1. Strengths: – Profitability Ratios: Constant growth from 2002-05, particularly year 2004 and 2005 with impressive growth in revenue with12.5% and 15.5% respectively, much higher than the benchmark just -1.8%. Gross, operating and net profit margin were all performing better than the benchmarks. – Management: Co-owner Bob Brown has been brought up to value a strong work ethic, which he has obtained through his father since at young age by working for his father at the mill. After finishing his study, he returned to the mill and excelled at his job (supervisor) and was highly respected. Bob was a â€Å"people person†, his warm personality made beloved by all customers and employees. Weaknesses: – Activity Ratios: takes increasingly time to receive payments from sales – 51 days year 2005 (far exceeded the benchmark – 22 days). Days of inventory on hand (476 days) has been increased gradually much higher than the benchmark (386 days). Payables turnover (10 days) is too short compared with the benchmark (27 days) and slowly declined as years pass by. – Liquidity problems seen through cash on hand kept decreasing since 2002 and sharply reduced in 2005 probably resulted from the issue that quick payables and slow receivables happened simultaneously every year. Since 2005, they had not reach their target balance of 8% cash over total revenue (fell to 0.9% – 2005) 2. Free cash flow to the owners of the firm (FCFE) for 2005: FCFE = Operating Cash Flow – Change in Net Working Capital – Change in Investments |Operating profit | |100.0 | | − Taxes | |39.2 | | + Depreciation | |40.9 | |Operating cash flow |101.7 | | − Capital expenditure | | (4.5) | | − Increase in NWC | |(156.3) | | Increase in CA |803.3 – 642.9 = 160.4 | | |- Increase in CL |47.3 – 43.2 = (4.1) | | |Free cash flow | |(59.10) | Cash cycle of the business for 2005: CCC = Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) + Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) – Days Payables Outstanding (DPO) = 476 + 51 – 10 = 517 (days) Using cash: Even though HH had rapidly increased gross profit, operating profit and net profit since 2002, the firm’s cash balance had massively declined from $120,100 (2002) to $9,400 (2005). Increasing in inventory as extending property by 12-acres, with an expected capital expenditure of $75,000 in 2006, HH has also increased their product range by 40%. Therefore cash has been used a lot in this period. The firm’s credit terms have been improved as HH offers longer payment periods for customer (DSO of 51 days), firm’s payment of purchases within 10 days (DPO) to receive a 2% discount, this shows that HH is making payments five times faster than receiving them. DIO is also a concern that HH has a hand in, HH is choosing to focus on more maturing plants, therefore its inventory will naturally be longer than the benchmark, in fact, HH’s lowest end was still 10% over the benchmark. 3. The growth trend would be expected to be stronger in 2006. However the cash deficit is still a significant issue due to both capital expenditure and working capital would be further increased in order to maintain the business expansion. Therefore, they need to work out some financial leverage to solve this problem. |Projected Horniman Horticulture Financial Summary (in thousands of dollars) | | | | | | | | | | |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006E |20% | |Profit and loss statement | | | | | | | |Revenue |788.50 |807.60 |908.20 |1048.80 |1258.56 | | | Cost of goods sold |402.90 |428.80 |437.70 |503.40 |630.49 | | | |51.10% |53.10% |48.19% |48.00% |50.10% |Percentage of Sales | |Gross profit |385.60 |378.80 |470.50 |545.40 |628.07 | | |SG&A expense |301.20 |302.00 |356.00 |404.50 |482.53 | | | |38.20% |37.39% |39.20% |38.57% |38.34% |Percentage of Sales | |Depreciation |34.20 |38.40 |36.30 |40.90 |37.45 |Average over 4 years | | Operating profit |50.20 |38.40 |78.20 |100.00 |108.09 | | |Taxes |17.60 |13.10 |26.20 |39.20 |42.37 | | | |35.06% |34.11% |33.50% |39.20% |39.20% |Similar as year 2005 | | Net profit |32.60 |25.30 |52.00 |60.80 |65.72 | | | | | | | | | | |Balance sheet | | | | | | | |Cash |120.10 |105.20 |66.80 |9.40 |13.43 | | |Accounts receivable |90.60 |99.50 |119.50 |146.40 |160.24 | | | |11.49% |12.32% |13.16% |13.96% |12.73% |Percentage of Sales | |Inventory |468.30 |507.60 |523.40 |656.90 |763.03 | | | |59.39% |62.85% |57.63% |62.63% |60.63% |Percentage of Sales | |Other current assets |20.90 |19.30 |22.60 |20.90 |20.93 |Average over 4 years | | Current assets |699.90 |731.60 |732.30 |833.60 |957.62 | | |Net fixed assets |332.10 |332.50 |384.30 |347.90 |300.10 | | | Total assets |1032.00 |1064.10 |1116.60 |1181.50 |1257.72 | | | | | | | | | | |Accounts payable |6.00 |5.30 |4.50 |5.00 |5.20 |Average over 4 years | |Wages payable |19.70 |22.00 |22.10 |24.40 |31.41 | | | |2.50% |2.72% |2.43% |2.33% |2.50% |Percentage of Sales | |Other payables |10.20 |15.40 |16.60 |17.90 |21.19 | | | |1.29% |1.91% |1.83% |1.71% |1.68% |Percentage of Sales | | Current liabilities |35.90 |42.70 |43.20 |47.30 |57.80 | | | Net worth |996.10 |1021.40 |1073.40 |1134.20 |1199.92 | | | | | | | | | | |Capital expendit ure |22.00 |38.80 |88.10 |4.50 |75.00 | | |Purchases |140.80 |145.20 |161.20 |185.10 |224.13 | | | |17.86% |17.98% |17.75% |17.65% |17.81% |Percentage of Sales | 4. The company’s accounts-payable policy: Currently the firm’s DSO was 10 days (in order to receive a 2% discount), approx. 2.7 times as fast as the benchmark of 27 days. This policy is not suitable as their current credit terms offered to customer up to 51 days, which is double the benchmark. The firm’s net profit margin was 5.8% (the benchmark is just 2.8% – 2005), so HH does not need to continuously make payment to suppliers early (adversely, HH should take advantage of the offered credit terms allowing firm 30 days to payback for purchased goods), and also HH will also reduce the credit terms even though the sales probably drops, which would leave more cash available for firm as well as the cash cycle will be shorter so that the business will avoid the insufficient liquidity of the cash. If HH does not change the policy, in the long run, the shortage of cash may adversely influence the purchasing power and operating capacity of the business and further business’s profitability. 5. What can the company do to solve its cash problem? – Offers discount payment terms (i.e. 2% discount if payments are received within 10 days): enable HH to collect cash immediately. – Takes advantage of the offered credit terms (allow firm 30 days to payback the purchased goods): keeps more cash for operating activities in long-term period. – Slows down the expansion pace to decrease the capital expenditure. Starts selling product ranges that are not â€Å"instant landscape† plants (as these take a long time to mature and also can eliminate some risks for keeping the plants for longer periods of time – feature of this industry: rely heavily on weather that is unpredictable) – Raising funds: starts financing through debt, also can receive the tax shield benefit on interest payments. Transforms business from sole proprietorship into partnership in effort of not only increasing cash available for business but also receiving contributions of property, labor and skills form partners. 6. Calculate the sustainable growth of the company in 2005: |Sustainable growth = ROA x Leverage x Retention | | |5.36% | |ROA (Net profit / Total assets) | | | |5.15% | |Leverage (Total Assets/Net Worth) | | | |1.04 | |Retention (1- Dividend Payout ratio) | | | |1.00 | |Economic profit = (ROA – Cost of capital) x Total Assets | |-57.35 | |Cost of capital | | | |10.00% | |Total Assets | | | |1181.50 | |Net Worth | | | |1134.20 | The negative economic profit shows that the firm does not earn a sufficient return on capital. The firm is facing their dismissing level of cash and as a result, the negative cash level in the forthcoming years will be clearly observed. As shown above, the majority of the firm’s cash expenditure is held up in inventory (with cash cycle being 517 days compared with the benchmark of 381 days) and account receivables (due to the collection policy). The trade-off that company has to face is an increase in their credit terms. Even though this may reduce the sales volume, the company will probably avoid the risk involved with having a more mature product range.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

L200 Essay †Crucible Experience Essay

The purpose of this essay is to identify, describe, and justify a crucible experience from my life; discuss how that experience influenced my personal leadership style, beliefs, philosophy, or behaviors; and explain how it will influence me as an organizational leader. To lay the ground work to do this, I believe it is important to first define what a crucible experience actually is. According to Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas, in their article titled C rucibles of Leaders hip, a crucible is defined as: â€Å"A transformative experience through which an individual comes to a new or an altered sense of identity.† 1 Based on this very broad definition, I discovered that it was difficult to identify just one particular experience that had a profound impact on my sense of identity. Over the course of my forty four years on this earth, half of that serving our great Nation, I have experienced many opportunities to grow as a person and as a leader. For this paper, I chose to use an experience from when I was a newly promoted Corporal and Infantry Mortar squad leader in the Salute Guns Platoon of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, â€Å"The Old Guard†, back in 1990. During a a standard monthly counseling session with my immediate supervisor, a Staff Sergeant that will remain nameless in the event my essay is ever published, I received some advice that had such a profound impact on me that I decided to leave the Active Duty Army at the end of my first term of service, join the National Guard, and attend college. He counseled me that if I wanted to be a strong leader in the Army, I must always put the Army first. The mission must always come before my family, even if it meant I would lose them. His advice challenged my paradigm of: God, family, country. This caused me to take a deep look at what kind of man I wanted to be remembered as at the end of my life. Would an Army career bring me fulfillment? If I stayed in the Army, and listened to his advice, would my family still be there at the end of an Army career? Was this Staff Sergeant the type of leader I wanted to emulate? Did I really need to sacrifice my family to serve my country? Was his advice sound? I identify these questions as the recognizable beginning to my lifelong journey to become an effective leader, not just in the Military; but also as a father, a husband, a son, and as a man in general. I say this because I believe that an effective leader at work must also be an effective leader at home in order to lead by example in all areas of life. In the process of refining and answering those questions, I discovered what I believe are the basic tenants of an over-all effective leader in life; at the individual level, as well as the organizational level. To answer the first question; yes, an Army career is my chosen profession, and it has continuously brought me a sense of accomplishment and purpose. I discovered while I was a member of the Kansas Army National Guard and working for Xerox Business Services as my full-time employment, that there was a big difference between being a manager in the corporate world and being a leader in the Military. Army leaders are taught to lead by example, to lead from the front, and to care for the Soldiers under their command as if they were their own family. That mindset is very different from corporate leadership. Business managers and supervisors in the civilian work place only care that their employees show up on-time and do their work, what they do off the clock is of no concern. Army leaders must know every possible detail about their Soldier’s lives. A Soldier’s family is as important as the Soldier him / herself and Army leaders must be much more empathetic to the whole situation a Soldier is facing than the civilian supervisor is of an employee. So, part of what that Staff Sergeant was trying to say is true. In the Army it is mission first and Soldiers always, but an effective leader must find a balance between serving as a leader in the Army and serving as a leader of his own family. Yes, sometimes the mission requires my full attention and my family must wait. That is why it is important to be an effective leader at home when I am there. Just as it is my duty to mentor and grow young leaders in the Army to carry on the mission in my absence, I must also mentor my family to carry on when the Army requires me to be absent from home. I see leadership as fulfilling God’s will for my life, and that is all encompassing in every aspect of life. Just as a father must teach his children to become leaders so they can become successful in their lives, a leader in the Army must teach his subordinates, as well as his peers and supervisors how to be effective leaders. I feel that is the true purpose of leadership; to grow and develop more leaders. After nearly a decade in the civilian work force, I applied to return to the Army because I missed the Army way of life. I was disappointed in uncaring management I had experienced in the civilian work force and missed the true leadership I had experienced in the Army. The only caveat was that I had to ensure I maintained balance between my spiritual, personal, and professional life. To answer the next question; it depends, whether my family would still be there at the end of a successful Army career was really not completely within my power to control. As it turned out, I lost my family anyway. I discovered the hard reality that if a Soldier’s family does not share the same commitment to serving our great country, they probably do not share a common bond in other areas of life either. I have been able to counsel many of my Soldiers, and even some peers to carefully consider things before they throw away their career because they are afraid their spouse will leave them if they stay in the Army. Almost every time I have seen a Soldier get out of the Army to save their marriage, the marriage ends anyway. I am not sure this experience is universal, but I see serving in the Military as a family affair, that is why it is imperative that Army leaders engage on a more personal level than civilian supervisors do. Military family members must be willing to sacrifice just as much as their Soldiers do. A few years ago, I learned from a fellow Old Guard member that the Staff Sergeant that advised me that I must put the Army before my family also lost his family to divorce a few months after I ETSed. Apparently, his commitment level was higher than his spouse’s. I have learned the importance of achieving balance at work and home, and the importance of mentoring my Soldiers to do the same. In the Army, there is not a clear cut delineation between a Soldier’s personal life and professional service. Learning how to find a balance in my own life has given me the empathy to understand why it is important to help fellow Soldiers to find that same balance. I now understand that all leaders must remain cognizant of the importance of maintaining balance in life when leading Soldiers from the one-on-one level all the way up to the largest of organizational levels. In answering the third question, I discovered the real crucible of my leadership experience. I have met all kinds of leaders during my life; some are worthy of emulation, some only serve as an example of what not to do. The lesson I learned from that Staff Sergeant was to have patience and be more tolerant of those hard charging leaders who are so narrowly focused on the mission at hand, they overlook the big picture. The Army is not just about accomplishing the mission, we have a responsibility to also ensure the well-being of our Soldiers and their families under our care at the same time. In the Army; it is not mission or family, it is mission and family. This delicate balancing act of accomplishing the mission while taking care of Soldiers is what sets Army leaders apart from civilian supervisors. I firmly believe that if the Army were to be defined as a business, with an end product, the final product would be: leadership. Everything the Army does is tied together and driven by leadership. A truly effective leader mentors new leadership to work themselves out of a job so they can move on to positions of greater responsibility. This is totally different from civilian management positions where people are afraid to teach someone else how to do their job because they could possibly lose their job when it is discovered that someone else can do it just as well. Leaders who forget to account for Soldier’s families because they are overwhelmed with the responsibilities of the mission, may be looked upon as toxic leaders and bring the morale of the entire unit to its knees. In garrison, I have learned the importance of including family social events and Soldier family time into the unit training calendar to ensure those events do not get counted as white space and postponed when a last minute training idea comes up. Even at the highest organizational level of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the importance of taking care of Army families is at the top of the priority list. In conclusion, this essay has covered at least three leadership topics, concepts, or issues that we have discussed during our leadership lessons this year. According to the L101 lesson on developing organizations and leaders, paragraph 11-3 of Field Manual 6-22 states that: â€Å"Successful organizational leadership tends to build on direct leader experiences. The modern organizational level leader must carefully extend his influence beyond the traditional chain of command by balancing his role of warrior with that of a diplomat in uniform.† 2 Balancing mission and family can seem like a diplomatic task much of the time. In lesson L109 we learned that: â€Å"The Army is people; its readiness to fight depends upon the readiness of its people (Soldiers and their families), individually and as units. We improve our readiness and foster a ready state of mind by training, motivating and supporting our people, and by giving them a sense of participation in the Army’s important endeavors.† 3 This statement was made by former Army Chief of Staff Creighton Abrams, which goes to show that no matter how high up the chain we go, taking care of Soldiers and their families is always important. The key take away I learned from lesson L112, Organizational Leadership Philosophy, was: â€Å"Competent and confident leaders seek input and improvements over the entire span of their careers.† 4 Becoming a leader in life is an ongoing process, no matter how big the organizational responsibility.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Without Let

Without Let Without Let Without Let By Maeve Maddox A reader coming across this sentence in Arthur Miller’s An Air-conditioned Nightmare (1945) was puzzled by the use of the word let: Night  and day  without let  the radio drowns us in a hog-wash of the most nauseating, sentimental ditties. Asks the reader, â€Å"Could this be a typo for â€Å"without let-up†? The English word let functions as a verb, a noun, and an adjective. Its use as a noun meaning hindrance or obstacle dates to the twelfth century. An obsolete meaning of let as a verb is â€Å"hinder or prevent.† This is the meaning of let in the King James translation of Romans 1:13: Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto). Paul is saying that he wanted to come but was prevented from doing so. In the Miller quotation, let is a noun, the object of the preposition without. In this context let means, hindrance, stoppage, or obstruction. The â€Å"ditties† described are unceasing. They come over the radio without stopping. Miller could have written, â€Å"Night  and day  without let-up  the radio drowns us in a hog-wash of the most nauseating, sentimental ditties.† The thought would be the same, but the connotation would be different. Miller’s intention is to distance himself from what he perceives as mind-numbing and vulgar noise. His feeling about the music is reflected in his choice of words. The word let-up belongs to the same register of language as hogwash and ditties. The more formal let sets the writer on a higher plane. For many modern speakers, the only familiar use of let as a noun occurs in the phrase â€Å"without let or hindrance,† as in Article 22 of the Actors’ Equity Association rule book (2011-2015): It is agreed that deputies may be designated by Equity without let or hindrance. The phrase is a fossilized doublet (two words that mean the same thing) common in legal writing, as in these examples: Her Britannic Majestys Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.- British passport. Henceforth the Vendor shall not have any right, title or interest in the Scheduled Apartment which shall be enjoyed absolutely by the Buyer without any let or hindrance from the Vendor or anyone claiming through them.- Generic sale form available by download. Miller was not alone among twentieth-century writers who used let in the sense of hindrance: They beat us to surrender weak with fright, And tugging and tearing without let or pause.- â€Å"Birds of Prey.† Claude McKay. Now that he knew himself to be self he was free to grok ever closer to his brothers, merge without let. - Stranger in a Strange Land. Robert A. Heinlein. Note: Heinlein coined the word grok. In this context it means, â€Å"to empathize or communicate sympathetically with.† The word is used by modern computer programmers with the meaning â€Å"to understand deeply†: Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about.- Steve Jobs, Wired interview, 1996. Spelling advisory: The word hindrance is frequently misspelled as â€Å"hinderance, â€Å"hindrence,† and â€Å"hinderence.† The verb is hinder. The noun is hindrance. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Arrive To vs. Arrive At10 Techniques for More Precise Writing15 English Words of Indian Origin

Monday, November 4, 2019

Case study report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Case study report - Essay Example One approach is to ensure they understand the cultural, organizational, and national framework to ensure the personnel tasked with the duties of implementing such strategies understands the expectations and the context of the business. Reardon’s Hotels is one of the United Kingdom companies in the hotel industry embracing the concept of MNCs. The hotel has seven branches with it’s headquarter in Bristol. Edward Readson is the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The organization has an up-market accommodation as its strategic market position. The managerial style and the organizational culture is that of a father figure because it’s a family run business (Reardon’s family) but follows a standardization human resource policy. Their primary customer targets are the travelers. Given that, most MNCs have strategies that lure, attract, and retain the best staff, tailoring the reward scheme that is justified to, the position will play a critical role in buildi ng the institution (Marginson et al., 2010; Tony 2010). Therefore, the MNC plays a significant role in influencing change and the possible directions the organization is likely to take to ensure acceptance and profitable entry into various markets across the globe. Therefore, the case of Reardon Hotels is a good example in assessing the roles played by MNC in the context of HRM to ensure integration and differentiation within and between the national and international system of organization. There are several perspectives on literature that assessed the MNC by examining the differentiation and integration. The perspective associated with the fact that most MNCs have had a tendency of retaining their national goals and values (Doremus et al 1998), because they retain a much stronger link between their country of origin and the subsidiaries. However, some researchers have documented converging evidence that aimed

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Delta Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Delta Airlines - Essay Example By 1953, Delta Airlines had expanded into the Southeast and were now serving the citizens and the southern airlines (Fojt, 2006). It took time for them to expand to the Northeast but by the early 1970s, all this was implemented (Partsch & Wellens, 2009). In 1956, they installed radars in all their aircrafts and later launched the Convair 880 jet service in 1960. The most significant strategy that Delta Airline undertook was merging with the Western Air Lines in 1986 that was hubbed in Salt Lake City. For the reason that Delta Airline’s management treated their employees well, they enjoyed amicable relations regarding their labor and a number of union contracts. There was high productivity, high work morale and excellent service that kept customers coming back and sticking to their services. In 1996, the motivated workers made an effort and dug from their pockets to but the company a jet. In 1997, Delta airlines introduced the Boeing 777s and became the first to board more than a hundred million passengers in one year. More advancement was made in the next year when they lay the foundation to include the first international cargo alliance with Swiss Cargo. They also installed automatic defibrillators on all their aircrafts. In 2003, Delta airlines became the first airline in America to provide pre-recorded audio information regarding flights at the gate (Katel, 2008). In 2005, the company filed for reorganization that is provided under chapter eleven of the bankruptcy code of the United States. In the same year, they started more expansions with more routes to the Caribbean and Latin American routes. After the expansions, the management decided to go into Africa and first invested on the Southern African side with flights to Dakar and Johannesburg South Africa. They were able to reemerge from bankruptcy in 2007 after they defeated the takeover by the US Airways. Delta merged with