Cellular Processes Essay

When molecules move from a high to low concentration it is called moving DOWN the concentration gradient. †¨When molecules move from a low to high concentration it is called moving AGAINST the concentration gradient. †¨When the concentration of a solute is the same throughout a system, the system is at EQUILIBRIUM.†¨What kind of transport DOES NOT require energy? PASSIVEWhat kind of transport requires energy? ACTIVE†¨Which CELL PART provides the energy for active transport? MITOCHONDRIA†¨Which MOLECULE is produced by mitochondria and provides energy for transport? ATP †¨Movement of molecules FROM a region of HIGH concentration TO a region of LOW concentration = DIFFUSION †¨The movement of molecules FROM a region of HIGH concentration TO a region of LOW concentration with the HELP of carrier proteins or channels = FACILITATED DIFFUSION Membrane proteins that move molecules across membranes by attaching, changing shape, and flipping to the other side like a revolving door = CARRIER PROTEINS Membrane proteins that help molecules across membranes by providing a tunnel = PROTEIN CHANNELS†¨The movement of WATER molecules from HIGH concentration to LOW concentration across a cell membrane = OSMOSIS Stage 3 Stages 1 & 2Which kinds of transport use VESICLES to help molecules across membranes? ENDOCYTOSIS (PHAGOCYTOSIS & PINOCYTOSIS & EXOCYTOSIS Photosynthesis Chemical Reaction for photosynthesis: Water + Carbon dioxide à   Glucose + Oxygen 6H2O + 6CO2 ïÆ'   C6H12O6 + 6O2 Process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches Chloroplast- site of photosynthesis Cellular Respiration- process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen; Aerobic means with oxygen (O2); Anaerobic means without oxygen (O2) -Glycolysis- Means the splitting of glucose; Occurs in the cytoplasm of all cells in every organism; It does NOT require oxygen; A net of 2 ATP is made during glycolysis. -Fermentation – Anaerobic Pathway-There are 2 types of fermentation: Alcoholic Fermentation-Occurs in yeasts and bacteria, CO2 and ethyl alcohol are produced (bread dough rising); Lactic Acid Fermentation-Occurs during strenuous exercise (burning & fatigue in muscles) -Cellular Respiration Totals: Energy produced per glucose molecule; -Glycolysis = Net of 2 ATP; Kreb’s Cycle = 2 ATP; Electron Transport Chain (ETC) = 32 ATP; Total = 36 ATP per glucose molecule Mitochondria â€Å"powerhouse†- site of cellular respiration= MAKING ENERGY! Manages the process by which energy stored in food molecules is transformed into usable energy for the cell. Other cell organelles: Vacuole- stores water, waster, enzymes and other materials (like a water tower) Golgi body- sorts and packages proteins (think of UPS) Nucleus- brain/control center of the cell; instructions for making proteins Lysosome- digests worn out organelles, food particles, and engulfed bacteria & viruses (like a janitor/clean up crew) Ribosome- site of protein synthesis (think of meat-has protein in it) Cell membrane- controls what enter and leaves the cell, â€Å"semi or selectively permeable† (like a bouncer) Mitosis: produces 2 genetically identical, diploid body (somatic) cellsDiploid: full set of chromosomes Meiosis: produces 4 genetically different, haploid sex (gametes) cellsHaploid: chromosome # is half Practice Questions: Cell organelles carry out specific metabolic processes. 1. Study the statement above. Which cell organelle manages the process by which proteins are sorted and packaged to be sent where they are needed? a. ribosomesb. lysosomesc. Golgi bodiesd. vacuoles 2. Study the statement above. Which cell organelle is responsible for storing  enzymes and other materials needed by the cell? a. ribosomesb. vacuolesc. mitochondriad. lysosomes 3. Study the statement above. Which cell organelle manages the process by which proteins are assembled based on DNA instructions? a. mitochondriab. lysosomesc. ribosomesd. vacuoles 4. Study the statement above. Which cell organelle manages the process by which energy stored in food molecules is transformed into usable energy for the cell? a. lysosomesb. golgi bodiesc. mitochondriad. ribosomes 5. Study the statement above. Which cell organelle manages the process by which worn out organelles, food particles, and engulfed viruses or bacteria are digested? a. ribosomesb. lysosomesc. vacuolesd. golgi bodies 6. Which of these is not an advantage gained by organisms which reproduce sexually? a. Genetic recombination created genetic diversity within a species. b. Some percentage of organisms within a species will be likely to survive and reproduce despite harsh environmental conditions. c. Genetic diversity reduces the risk of species extinction caused by hard environmental conditions. d. Genetic diversity weakens a species’ overall ability to survive harsh environmental conditions. 7. A fertilized egg created through sexual reproduction- a. has a combination of genetic material that is unique in the species b. is genetically identical to other eggs of the same parents c. is genetically identical to the parents d. contains genetic material from only one parent 8. Organisms reproduce asexually in a variety of ways. A bacterium reproduces by making a copy of its chromosome, growing larger, then dividing into two separate, genetically identical cells. This process is called- a. regenerationb. binary fissionc. vegetative reproductiond. budding 9. Which of the following statements about sexual reproduction is false? a. Organisms that reproduce sexually produce sex cells called gametes. b. Fertilization is part of the sexual reproduction process. c. In sexual reproduction, a single parent produces identical offspring. d. A zygote is produced through sexual reproduction. 10. Study the chemical reactions below. Photosynthesis: Cellular respiration: Plants produce more oxygen during photosynthesis than they use in cellular respiration. What happens to the excess oxygen produced during photosynthesis? a. It is used as an energy source by plant cells. b. It is released into the air and is used by other organisms for respiration. c. It is converted into heat energy. d. It is a waste product which is never reused. 11. Which of these is inhaled by animals, then used in respiration? a. carbonb. oxygenc. nitrogend. water 12. One of the products of photosynthesis is glucose (C6H12O6). Which of the following statements about the production and use of this molecule is false? a. Plants use the energy from glucose to convert nutrients to body tissues and grow larger. b. Glucose that is not immediately used by the plant is stored for later use. c. Plants use the energy from glucose to manufacture a variety of plant products. d. Glucose that is not immediately used by the plant is lost as waste material. 13. Tigers, goldfish, peacocks, and humans all reproduce sexually. Which statement is true about sexual reproduction? a. It is not a factor scientists use to define different species. b. It involves the joining of an egg and sperm into one cell. c. The offspring are genetically the same as their parents. d. Sexual reproduction can only take place by internal fertilization. 14. Jackson is growing a bean plant in a pot. One day Jackson notices that the plant is wilting. He waters the bean plant and within a few minutes the plant begins to perk up. This is because the plant has taken up water by osmosis. At what structural level does osmosis occur? a. organs b. tissues c. cells d. organ systems Organisms as different as bacteria, mushrooms, algae, oak trees, and human beings are all made of cells. 15. Read the information above. Which statement is true for all cells? a. All cells have the same shape. b. All cells need energy to survive. c. All cells are surrounded by a rigid wall. d. All cells belong to organ systems. Michelle is looking through a microscope at a cell from an onion root. She sees a cell that is in the process of dividing to make a new cell. This is what Michelle sees: 16. Study the diagram and the description above. If Michelle were able to find an onion cell that had completed division, what products of cell division would she see? a. four different cellsb. only one cellc. two identical cellsd. four identical cells 17. Study the diagram and the statement above. Michelle is observing cell division in an onion cell, but this type of cell division also occurs in the human body. Which statement is not true about this type of cell division in humans? a. This type of cell division is humans produces sex cells as well as body cells. b. This type of cell division in humans occurs while bones are forming during development. c. This type of cell division in humans can be affected by viruses. d. This type of cell division in humans is necessary to heal cuts and wounds 18. Study the diagram and the description above. What is the name for the process Michelle is observing? a. mutationb. meiosisc. mitosisd. metamorphosis 19. Study the diagram and the information above. Which of these statements about cell division is true? a. A newly formed daughter cell has less DNA than its parent cell. b. Cells divide at random times. c. New cells formed by cell division can replace dying cells in an organism. d. The phases of cell division can occur in any order. 20. A special type of cell division, called meiosis, is used to form sex cells or gametes. Which statement is true above this type of cell division? a. The products of meiosis are two identical cells. b. DNA is not copied at all during meiosis. c. The new cells have half the DNA of the parent cell. d. Meiosis is complete after only one round of cell division. 21. A person with swollen gums rinses his mouth with warm salt water, and the swelling decreases. Which has occurred? a. The swollen gums have absorbed the saltwater solution. b. The saltwater solution lowers the temperature of the water in the gums. c. The salt in the solution has moved against the concentration gradient. d. The water in the gums has moved from a high to a low concentration of water. 22. What advantage do sexually reproducing organisms have over asexually reproducing organisms? a. genetic variationb. genetic stabilityc. increased fertilization rated. increased reproductive rate 23. What is the most likely function of a group of cells that contain a high number of chloroplasts? a. respirationb. transpirationc. fermentationd. photosynthesis 24. In humans, glucose is kept in balance in the bloodstream by insulin. Which concept does this best illustrate? a. adaptationb. homeostasisc. metabolismd. organization 25. In which way are photosynthesis and cellular respiration different? a. Cellular respiration stores ATP, while photosynthesis releases ATP. b. Cellular respiration produces oxygen, while photosynthesis uses oxygen. c. Photosynthesis releases energy, while cellular respiration stores energy. d. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide, while cellular respiration produces carbon dioxide. 26. Which statement best distinguishes aerobic from anaerobic respiration? a. Only aerobic respiration involves fermentation. b. Only anaerobic respiration occurs in the mitochondria. c. Only aerobic respiration requires oxygen. d. Only anaerobic respiration produces carbon dioxide. 27. Which most accurately describes the difference in ATP production between aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration? a. Aerobic respiration produces more ATP than anaerobic respiration. b. Anaerobic respiration produces more ATP than aerobic respiration. c. Only anaerobic respiration produces measurable amounts of ATP. d. Anaerobic and aerobic respiration produce the same amount of ATP. 28. A human skin cell contains 46 chromosomes. How many chromosomes are present in a human sperm cell? a. 23b. 46c. 92d. 138 29. What is homeostasis? a. the ability of an organism to maintain a relatively stable internal environment b. the production of a hormone by an endocrine gland that works on another endocrine gland c. a series of events that monitor how hormones work in the body d. a process in which a change in the environment causes a response that returns conditions to their original status 30. If the body stopped producing new Beta cells, what would the expected outcome be? The pancreas would no longer release glucagon High blood glucose levels would continue to become normal Insulin would no longer be released Alpha cells would become beta cells 31. You just ran a marathon (26.2 miles) and your body is trying to reach homeostasis. Which of the following statements is true? Your blood vessels will constrict to conserve heat Your blood vessels will dilate to release body heat Your body’s control center will shut down Your brain will tell your body not to sweat

Ethical Code Of Data Collection Essay

Ethical code is vital to any survey. Researchers today are obliged to follow the different ethical codes designed and guided by different institutions like government agencies, research agencies and marketing associations pertinent to the different countries, societies and communities. This is the first thing researchers should take into consideration while developing or designing research materials. There are ethical code enforcement bodies in almost all layers of our community from local institutions to the federal level, which has the power to control all the research related activities and their impact in the community. Research is highly affected and influenced by ethical codes. One of the major aims of the MRA (Marketing Research Association) ethical code is that while conducting research; researchers should not act in such a way that it violates the general public laws which will discredit people’s confidence against the entire research profession. The research code of ethics is there to establish guidelines and principles to maneuver researchers to achieve the goals and objectives in a socially acceptable manner. Therefore, Marketing Research Association code of ethics guides researchers in almost all layers of their work from their research design phase of the research to the communication of findings of the research to the concerned parties. Some of the principle elements of the MRA ethical codes include: 1. People or the community should be involved as major participants in the all facets of the research. 2. Researchers should get written permission from the people in the community which will be involved in the research project. 3. All the resources (information collected from the community) are direct  assets of that community and therefore researchers should communicate the findings of research to the community and those data should be returned to the community. 4. While publishing the research findings, the community or the people associated with the research should be involved in decision making process. 5. And finally, researchers should make sure that the partners of the research (community) have agreed to make information available to the publication. Above mentioned principles are the major pillars of the MRA ethical code of research. It provides the power to the community and provides the decision making ability to those who are the members or a part of the community. MRA ethical code of research has become a key guiding principle of any research activity. How researchers design their research depends upon MRA’s ethical codes of research, review, and regulation. Respect of the individual person’s or participant’s privacy is the key focus of the research code. It is the degree of control which research participants have over the researchers about their own information and how researchers deal with that information about participants. This code of ethics provides exclusive rights to the research participants about whether to participate in the research or not. In the next level, research code of ethics prioritized the maximization of the benefits of the research to the concerned partner, community or society. A survey result or the research does not always provide advantages or the benefits the community. Therefore, another ethical code of the researchers is to maximize the possible benefits of the research and minimize the harm of research or research findings to its participants or community. Researchers should always have a sense of justice towards its research. Researchers can never include all the members or elements of its target population, therefore while selecting the sample they should be non-discriminatory. By doing so, researchers not only do justice to the participants or the community but also maximize the chances of integrity of the research findings. Another important issue of the research ethical code is the confidentiality of the information provided by the research participants. Researchers are  liable to provide highest level confidentiality of the data towards the participants. MRA research code of ethics makes sure that researchers provides complete confidentiality to its research participants unless the respondent or the participants of the research themselves waives their confidentiality. Besides these basic ethical codes of data collection, researchers should not falsify or omit collected data for any reason during the data collection process. And before collecting the data researchers should specify the methods of data collection, time and date of data collection, sampling frame and method and sampling size and these predetermined methodologies are not subject to change without the permission of the research participants. Data collectors should not reveal the information about the client or sponsor to the participants during the data collection phase without proper authorization. If the respondent wants to know about the sponsor or the clients then the data collectors can only reveal the information only to respondent with the authorization to do so by the clients or sponsor. The data collectors are liable to protect the confidentiality regarding the business of the client without the express written consent of the client and without the necessary ground to do so. If the data collectors are conducting the secondary data collection then revealing the source of the data to their client is their prime responsibility and they should not present secondary data as primary data to their clients or sponsor. If a respondent wants to withdraw or refused to participate in the middle of the data collection process then the data collectors or the researchers have no right to coerce them or make the cooperation obligatory by threatening them with anything. Researchers or the data collectors should always respect and protect the right to participate and right not to participate in the research by the respondent at any time from beginning to the end of data collection. The result of the study or the collected data is the property of the clients or the sponsor therefore, researchers or the data collectors should not at any cost share the findings of the collected data to the third party without the pre-consent of the clients or sponsor. Researchers are liable to follow the standard ethical code of data collections coordinated and enforced by the agencies like Marketing Research Association and federal agencies. References Marketing Research Association (2012). Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from www.mra-net.org Malhotra, N. K. (2010). Marketing Research an Applied Orientation (Sixth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that if you ask the average population to explain what qualities make a good leader or a good manager, you would probably get many similar answers. Several attributes can contribute to a good leader in management positions, such as those leaders who have the full support and respect of their employees while realizing goal-oriented results. In some organizations, managers may burden their subordinates to achieve the desired goals and build a positive image in the eyes of their superiors and co-workers. However, they may do so by imposing a sense of fear for failure or extremely stressful expectations upon those working for them. An employee may not be motivated by a positive reinforcement in the workplace, but rather by a â€Å"looming† fear that his or her job may be at risk if a manager’s expectations are not met. On the other hand, individuals who are gifted leaders can motivate individuals without intimidating them, but the y may fall short of the corporate expectations as managers. In other words, some managers may be terrible leaders and some leaders make for very poor managers. Therefore, employees that combine the attributes of the skilled leaders and managers are valuable assets to their organization as they put their teams on the right track to support the organization’s overall goals. Honesty, humility, logic, confidence, compassion, ethics, morality, and a sense of humor are just a few of the attributes that may be sought out in a good leader and manager.... I believe â€Å"the list of messages to leaders† to be endless, and may not be encompassed in Hamm’s five messages nor in the following four messages that I suggest. 1. Do not just be proactive†¦be interactive Unintentionally, some managers may lean toward imposing their individual perspectives and ideas upon their teams. They may eagerly explain the preferred course of action their employees should implement without allowing for further discussions. Such managers may have genuine and viable ideas; however, other team members should be equally motivated to participate and contribute their ideas rather than acting as mere instruments. The manager being completely interactive within her team says a great deal about the quality of her leadership. (Prive, 2012) As we have discussed in the class, interactions and consequent conflicts are naturally occurring and necessary to spur teams’ synergy and collaborative efficiency. 2. Appreciate that â€Å"Teams† a re the sum of their parts†¦ For a manager that is not interactive, it is easier to think of the team members as single merged entities. They are identifiable to the manager by department names or team titles, not as skilled individuals forming a cohesive group dynamics. This may drive team members to feel as expendable as machine parts, and consequently not take individual pride in their work. A good leader takes the time to regularly review the people that contribute to the business’s success. Recognizing the names of the individuals and the jobs they perform make employees feel appreciated. Furthermore, acknowledging the quality of employees’ work makes them feel uniquely important and needed. (Makovsky, 2012)

Perception of China as a Tourist Country Dissertation

Perception of China as a Tourist Country - Dissertation Example The research identified that Western tourists considered China as an economical place for tourism and the main problems encountered were lack of professionalism by the hotels’ employees, unavailability of Western food and insufficient facilities for Western tourists. Hence, it is recommended that the tourism authorities of China start revamping the image of China by doing marketing activities that will attract the tourists to the country and bringing desired changes in their tourism and hospitality industries. I am pleased to submit my dissertation on â€Å"Perception of China as a tourist country: Western tourists’ point of view†. During this phase of collection of data, its analysis, writing and designing the report, I have gained very useful knowledge and experience of writing an analysis. In addition, it helped join all my skills and abilities to produce the best report. I would like to offer my appreciation to respondents who took out time for filling the questionnaires and providing me the most valuable information. Furthermore, I would like to thank University of Bedfordshire for providing me this opportunity to work on such a report where I utilized my skills and learnt all the necessary theory related to my topic. And most of all we would like to thank University of Bedfordshire for providing me the access to digital library which gave us reliable and meaningful data. In the end, I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, MR/MS., without his help and guidance, it was not possible to accomplish and complete the report. He provided me with the necessary teachings that really facilitated me during the writing of this report. The tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries across the worldwide and it is one of the highly contributing industries in the country’s economic growth.

Samsung company analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Samsung company analysis - Essay Example The market is expected to grow at 7% annually globally between 2012 and 2015 with the 3D TV product category as the fastest growing segment in the industry. Sales in consumer electronics recorded a 10% growth in 2011 (almost $965 billion) from a 13% sales growth in 2010 ($875 billion) (Reportlinker 2013). One of the leading consumer electronic brands in the industry is Samsung Electronics, part of the Samsung Group which is headquartered in Seoul Korea. The company registered revenue of KRW 145,044,766 (USD 129,666,338) in the 3rd quarter of 2012 (latest figure available) and had been experiencing an average increase of net profit of 50 % since 2009 (Data Monitor 2011). The company occupies the top position in the television and monitor product category and the world’s largest producer of DRAM, SRAM, and flash memory. It is also involved in the manufacture of other consumer electronics product such as smartphone, computer tablet and home appliance. According to its CEO, Samsun g prides as the â€Å"fastest in commercializing original technologies† where innovation is encouraged by holding â€Å"competition between four main divisions--semiconductors, telecommunications, digital media and flat-screen panels† on who could best deliver the most innovative product that made the company a market leader in color TVs, VCRs, liquid-crystal displays and digital memory devices (Foroohar 2004). II. Environmental/back ground Analysis The external environment of Samsung is highly competitive (see appendices). Industry players are always looking for ways to innovate their products and ways to cut on their prices to make their product more attractive to the consumers. In addition to it, they are also looking for ways to develop new products that would debunk existing products such as the case of Sony Walkman that became obsolete with Apple’s iPod. Suppliers are also used as strategic weapon to leverage companies against competitors. In sum, the cons umer electronics industry is one of the most competitive industries because many players wanted to cash in on its phenomenal growth. III. The Company – Internal Analysis Samsung has undoubtedly strong brand recall. This is substantiated by Fortune’s ranking of Samsung Electronics as the second most admired company in global electronics which bids well for Samsung in its position in the market. A strong brand recall provides a company a strong competitive edge because consumers tend to patronize brands that they trust. Research and development is one of the strongest if not the strongest component of Samsung Electronics as a company. This constant focus on research and development enabled the company to become one of the leading brands today from being a nuisance brand in the 1990s. This penchant for research and development has been the company’s practice since 1990s particularly during the Asian Crisis where it was the only activity in the company that Samsung did not cut on cost. It continued its focus on R&D that in 2010, it spent as much as 5.9% of its total revenue in research. This focus in R&D did not only help Samsung to dominate certain product categories but also helped the company to launch new products recently and contributed to its success signfiicantly. Its effort and allocation of its resources

Case for servise marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case for servise marketing - Research Paper Example As discussed in the case study that APM grew due to its franchising strategy which not only involved direct franchising but also through Master Franchising. Thus the overall expansion strategy for the business has remained focused on the development of regional franchisees who can deliver the services according to the demand from a particular geographical area in which they can deliver them effectively. APM tend to advertise the franchising opportunities in the local newspapers and other media to attract the potential franchisee. This was achieved through advertisements as well as the word of mouth also. One of the key criteria used by APM to recruit new franchisee was to observe the behavior and attitude of the person willing to apply for the franchise. One of the tasks involved was to assess the willingness of the person to show closer association with dogs. Since APM was mobile services provider for dog washing therefore it was considered as essential that the persons must have so me degree of association with pets and specially dogs. This was also important because the PEOPLE element is considered as one of the key variables in the overall integrated services marketing mix. While recruiting the new franchisee, APM therefore gave a lot of weightage to the people element besides ensuring that processes are performed in accordance with the laid down criteria. This was also duly supported by the subsequent training and development of the franchisees in order to ensure that those who are hired have the requisite degree of knowledge and expertise in delivering the services. Having a relative degree of education, up to 10th grade, was another task involved in ensuring that the franchisee actually can handle the business aspects of delivering the services too. This task again can be considered as a focused approach to offer the franchise only to those individuals who can successfully carry out the task of business management also. One of the key similarities between recruiting new franchisee as well as attracting new customers was the use of advertisement. As discussed above that APM used word of mouth as well as the advertisement to attract the new franchisee therefore relatively same procedure was also applied to attract new customers. The use of colorful mobile vans served as strong advertisement vehicles also attracting the attention of the potential customers. This therefore not only provided APM and its franchisee a cost effective way to reach to new customers but also improve its overall image in the areas where they work. Another important similarity between the two is the use of word of mouth and incentives for attracting the new customers. The use of discounted services as well as the additional care tips provided to the customers ensured that the service providers develop a long term relationship with their customers. As discussed in the case that one of the strategies applied by the franchisees were to advise the dog owners to incr ease the frequency of dog washing so that they can save costs on other issues such health related issues with the dogs. The use of recommendations by the satisfied customers was another important task involved in retaining and attracting customers. This was however, not the case for recruiting the franchisee as they had to meet strict criteria before their applications can be accepted. One of the key contradictions between the two however,

Thomas Hobbes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thomas Hobbes - Essay Example Contrarily, by the theory of his equality and the seed of superiority already existent within everyman becomes the eternal hamartia, which clashes with the very idea of the "common power" that man tries to bind the others into, where each will always try to supercede the other. "Warre" is the result of every man trying to hold every other man in awe! The will is not inclined towards any disposition and everybody is live "without security" and depends on his own individual strength, which only makes his life "nasty, brutish and short.". However, Hobbes points out that these acts of passion and desire that override man's nature and make him abuse one another are no sin and are only viewed as wrong when measured against some Law that makes it look so. Thus, he talks about man's nature pitted against the Law that can only be laid down when it agrees with man and which then gives man the consciousness of it's existence and what it forbids. Therefore, where there is no law or no consciousness of what is forbidden (he takes the example of primitive America ruled by savages) where the notions of justice and injustice have no place because they are not part of any faculty of the mind or the body.

Mangement of the arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mangement of the arts - Essay Example Area, an Italian restaurant situated in Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge, London, is a good reference example. Area is owned by a man from south Italy called Franchisco. The business was started fourteen years ago as a small regular restaurant. It drew customers from the lower and middle socio-economic backgrounds. With time, people from good socio-economic backgrounds began to visit the restaurant. This included wealthy people and famous football players for example Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Arsenal’s Sagna among other footballers. The new wealthy good pool of customers made Franchisco to think of a way to upgrade his low financial status. To achieve this, he increased the prices of food, beverages and drinks served at the restaurant by 50%-100%. This created the impression of quality. As a result of this, the restaurant attracted many richer customers mainly Arabic. According to Pinson and Jinnett (1996), entrepreneurs must track the needs and preferences of their customers so as to satisfy and retain them. It is from this perspective that Franchisco created an Arabian atmosphere in and outside the restaurant in order to maintain the large pool of Arabian customers. He made Arabian designs of various features in the restaurant and played Arabic music. Changing the atmosphere to Arabic made the business attract more Arabian customers. Sheesha is offered outside the restaurant until 11pm. This is an Arab custom in which flavored tobacco is smoked using shisha pipes. This created a good social atmosphere for lovers of sheesha. Customers express their love and appreciation for Area by pinning or placing different currency notes on its walls or on a board. Franchisco choose ‘Area’ as the name his business because it is a neutral term. This has allowed the business to attract people from all cultural backgrounds. Sheesha is strictly offered outside the restaurant. This is because smoking in all public

A Critical Evaluation of Your Learning and Development Whilst on Work Assignment

A Critical Evaluation of Your Learning and Development Whilst on Work Placement - Assignment Example The main aim of the module is to enable learning from the entire work experience that includes a focus on knowledge from the workplace and generic skills. These comprise of: induction programs, understanding organizational structures, learning through induction, personal development and critical analysis (Peter, 2009). Much of my educational learning is about gaining of subject knowledge and development the critical and analytical skills related to my subject. This is a very important fact; however, what is also vital is that I can apply this academic knowledge and, more exclusively, the kinds of thinking skills I gained through education to a more practical context of work (Sammon, 2008). With ever changing knowledge, I also need to be very practical and adaptable so as to cope with these demands. Therefore, this module is generally aimed to help me: develop my personal and key skills, increase my employability skills, improve on my strengths and weakness, become a reflective practi tioner, be able to utilize effectively transfer of skills, become an autonomous learner and finally to be able to learn by experience. MODULE STRUCTURE 1) Learning through self-awareness 1.1) knowing and understanding my learning style There are numerous means that a person can learn. The more can be able to understand our preferences to learn, including developing and practicing various ways of learning and hence the more we become effective learners in different contexts (Peter, 2009). According to Kolb (1984), as we grow up, we build up tendencies and preferences to learn new things in some specific way, without essentially noticing that it is so. My learning style is basically linked to Kolb’s four stages of learning as shown below: 1having a strong experience doing 4. Testing planning 3. Conceptulizing 2.reflection/ observation review To be a more effective learner I would wish to improve on these selected areas. 1.2 Personal and key skills Many generic skills are for ef fectiveness at work or daily lives, for instance problem solving, good communication, time management, setting goals. It is actually important to continue to develop your skills at greater levels and in new situations (Sammon, 2008). Personal and key skills self evaluation 1 2 3 4 justification Self management a. Time management b. Dealing with criticism c. Professional responsibility d. Meeting of the objectives, standards and priorities e. Clarification of personal values f. Employment potentials Problem solving a. Identification of the problem b. Critical thinking about the problem c. Conceptualization of the issues d. Identification of the options e. Identify possible solutions f. Implementation of the course of action g. Carry out the solution h. Evaluation and adaption of the solutions and outcomes Working with others a. Planning together b. Respecting the values and views of others c. Delegation, d. initiative, e. negotiation, f. lead Communication a. visual/oral competency b . effective listening c. verbal communication Handling of data a. use of media and appropriate technology with IT b. handling of large amount of data c. translation of data into words d. evaluation and adoption of strategies for handling data and information e. use of sources of information KEY: 1) started but needs more practice 2) able to do if there is some assistance 3) proficient without assistance 4) proficient and able to help others 1.3 strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis This entails an honest and critical reflection of my strengths, weaknesses and areas that I need to develop. It also contains the opportunities that are

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 58

Case Study Example The solution was sensitive to emotional and physical factors. It would improve the firms public image in the end. By allowing the use of the premises, the firm upholds personal values. It would create a hearty relationship between the families of the victims and the firm (Bill 1-2). The solution to the crisis would assist the firm establish the content of the risks. It would draw a framework for evaluating the alternatives for reacting to the crisis. The management will have the time to calculate the probability of success or degree of risks by opening the door to the victims. The solution assisted in determining the certainty or uncertainty of assisting the victims. If it were beyond their reach, they could have consulted the authorities. There were disadvantages of the solution to open the door for the victims. The employees of the firm will be demoralised. They will feel the management did not involve them in deciding on the rationale of opening the door for the victims of the blast. It will reduce the trust of the employees towards the employees. The management did not consider creating the crisis awareness among the employees. The employees did not participate in clarifying the objectives of solving the crisis. In that situation, the CEO should have involved the staff in assessing the situation and involve them in the main decision-making (Archer 289-299). The decision would have caused liability issues. It was necessary for the CEO to consider the legal aspects of the business. Our current society is overly litigious. It requires the businesses to consider regulatory aspects. By opening the door to the victims, it will cause concerns to the shareholders and investors of the firm. The investors may feel the CEO acted against the business regulations and laws. In addition, the firm will experience some degree of indemnification. In addition, the decision to open the door may traumatise the

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Essay Cross-cultural perspectives are just that, an individual perspectives of other another culture in comparison to another. Cola-Cola was created May 8, 1886 by John Pemberton and Jacobs’ Pharmacy was the first place it was served at. In 1906, Coca-Cola expanded to three countries outside the United States. In 1912, they expanded to the Philippines and then to Asia for the first time. In the late 1920’s, Coca-Cola formed a Foreign Department that would supply their concentrate to 10 other countries. Coca-Cola started a couple of bottling operations in India, one at Mehdiganj, Uttar Pradesh in 1999 and another one in 2000 at Plachimada, Kerala. Environmental issues began to surface at these two India locations shortly thereafter. Environmental Issues India has several Coca-Cola bottling operations throughout their country. The two that will be discussed are the ones in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, in particular. These two plants have similar issues that they are facing, including closure of their operation. If the ISO14001 standard was utilized before and during the operation of these two plants, the outcome would have been considerably different. According to ISO14001:2004 EMS Requirements (2004), â€Å"ISO 14001:2004 is applicable to any organization that wishes to implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system; assure itself of its conformance with its stated environmental policy; demonstrate such conformance to others; seek certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization; make a self-determination and self-declaration of conformance with this international standard.† Uttar Pradesh Location The plant in Uttar Pradesh was opened in 1999 and the people were not happy  about it from the beginning. Coca-Cola started proceedings to expand the water table for consumption which ultimately took from the local farms. It was discovered that Coca-Cola also increased their production from what was allowed per their contract from their government which in turn made them use even more water. Locals protested this request plus they also stated that the plant was built on ground that did not belong to them. With this area already considered drought-stricken, Cola-Cola should have taken other measures to obtain the necessary water to run the plant and the right to increase production prior to this dilemma. Morally and ethically speaking, they had the obligation to not harm the people or their environment in any shape, form or fashion while operating their business for profit. If depletion of was not bad enough, the water they used was contaminated and were found in about a dozen of th e finish products that were produced there. Hansia (2014), â€Å"The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) found high levels of toxic pesticides and insecticides, high enough to cause cancer, damage to the nervous and reproductive systems, birth defects and severe disruption of the immune system† (para. 17). They were only fined $2,000 US dollars for the land issues and was ordered to vacate the premises but Coca-Cola obtained a stay order but the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have not allowed them to reopen as of the summer of 2014. However, Coca-Cola was instructed to replenish twice as much water they extracted as part of the ruling, and in 2014, the government made a promise to the local village council that the factory will be demolished because the land belong to them and the construction of the plant was illegal, (Coca-Cola Forced To Close India Bottling Factory Over Excessive Water Use, Pollution, 2014). Kerala Location The Kerala plant started their operation in 2000 but soon came to similar complications as the Uttar Pradesh location encountered in 2004. Due to water depletions, the community is aggressively taking action to have the plant shut down. The liabilities that the legislation is holding Coca-Cola is $47 million for damages caused by the operation of the plant (Coca-Cola Plant Shut Down In India , 2014). Considerably more than Uttar Pradesh imposed previously. Along with having the same water contamination issues, the Kerala plant also had solid waste problems. The company was passing off  the sludge as fertilizer to the farmers which caused environmental and health damages which were most likely included in the liability charges that were imposed. India now accuses Coca-Cola of having double standards were human health is concerned, in comparison to the United States, (Ethical Issues Concerning Coca-Cola In India, 2009). That very well may be an accurate accusation because that would not have happened in the United States. The U.S. environmental rules and regulations are a lot stricter than most countries and are strictly enforced throughout the U.S. Hefty fines are issued when the rules are broken as they are there for the protection of the U.S. environment and the future generations to come. Viable Solution For both locations in reference to the water issue. Further evaluations and consultation with the environment committees would have been beneficial knowing that water is a commodity that is scarce in both regions. Critical thinking into other options in obtaining water such as building traps to collect rain water or recycling the waste water through new technology that has been recently created and tested to be the cleanest water. As far as the solid waste dilemma, find other ways to dispose of it such as other approved locations or disposal plants, if any that it can be taken to or contact renewable energy plants that use bio materials to operate their power plants. If one does not exist, explore the opportunities to create one for renewable energy for the Coca-Cola plant itself. Conclusion In spite of the water/beverage contamination, solid waste problems and the two closures discussed previously that Coca-Cola had endured, they are known around the world as the top leading soft drink. Cola-Cola needs to align the ethics and morals of the operations in the United States with those of other countries in order to get and maintain the status that all their stockholders would be proud of. The communities would actually invite the company to open an operation in their region because they would know that their environment would advance and improve along with the well-being of the people of that community. Coca-Cola should have embraced overseas countries as if it were in their own backyard. References Coca-Cola forced to close India bottling factory over excessive water use, pollution. (2014). Retrieved from http://rt.com/news/167012-coca-cola-factory-closed-india/ Coca-Cola Plant Shut Down in India. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2014/1020.html Ethical issues concerning Coca-Cola in India. (2009). Retrieved from http://imaginecorporation.blogspot.in/2009/08/ethical-issues-concerning-coca-cola-in.html Hansia, F. (2014). Coca-Cola Forced To Shut Bottling Plant in India. Retrieved from http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15963 ISO 14001:2004 EMS Requirements. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.itgovernanceusa.com/shop/p-644-iso14001-iso-14001-ems-requirements.aspx?gclid=CLqom7Gt6MMCFYeTfgodzVAAUw#.VOLgEvmAEbI

Benefits Of Scenario Planning And Systems Thinking Business Essay

Benefits Of Scenario Planning And Systems Thinking Business Essay Scenario Planning Introduction Today, organizations are increasingly affected by the growing uncertainty from the macro-environment.. In recent years, it is very common to see some organizations suddenly get into a recession or even fall into crisis because of some changes of external factors. These companies have one thing in common, that is, they all fail to take into account the future. And now a powerful tool which used largely by businesses to solve this problem Scenario planning. It is a tool which can help organizations think about the future , grasp the trend to look for new profit growth in an uncertain future, help decision makers reshape the mental models and find the correct direction of the future.( Bill and Ian , 2008 ) In order to make us have a better understanding of scenario planning, the following issues will be discussed: Benefits of Scenario Planning, difficulties of implementing scenario planning, PEST Analysis over the period to 2030, risks and opportunities organisations will face and the action plans. Benefits of Scenario Planning Scenario planning is a tool of strategic decision-making that does not focus on accurately predicting the future, but is a process that creates a number of possible futures that are credible yet uncertain (Schoemaker, 1995). There is no doubt that companies can gain benefit from scenario planning, and here are the several strengths of scenario planning. Systems thinking By using the scenario planning manager can have a systems thinking. Like smart chess players always think clearly and have a variety of possible scenarios in the next steps , the scenario planning can provide manager a preventive mechanism , before problems occur, manager can deduction the possible scenarios based on a series of logic and empirical facts through the business acumen and the immediate perception, seeing trends in the evolution of things ,shape and the impact of changing trends in the structure. (Mbalib,2007) In addition,through scenario planning, managers can use systems thinking, take into account the various factors which they think will influence the decision to make a overall well-depth analysis, and to avoid narrow personal bias. The optimal allocation of resources Using the scenario planning , companies can predict the possible future scenarios, so that managers can be more aware of the external environment and their companys status and future directions therefore they can match internal resources to external environment to allocate the resources more effective and rational. Risk Reduction: Scenario planning help us understand today better by imagining tomorrow , it is good to help organizations deal with the future uncertainties by aware of the weak signals and let them get better prepare to handle new situations to keep business alive and flourishing. Difficulties of implementing Scenario planning Scenario planning as a business tool which is aim to help organizations make right decisions, reduce risk, save time and maximum profit. Though the aims of organisations who adopt the scenario planning are the same, there are many inherent difficulties for organisations of differing sizes in implementing Scenario Planning for the first time. Usually, all the company will faced with these difficulties: Cost The costs of scenario planning really depends on the numerous variables such as the organization size, timeframe of the scenarios, teams and those partnering in the strategic planning process and methods of analysis and data collection involved in the planning process Time To make an accurate predictions of scenario is very time-consuming. Usually, scenario planning could take around 6 to 12 months for some organizations engaging in depth, multi scenario planning. Data and information from different sources have to be collected and interpreted which makes scenario building even more time-consuming. Resources Scenario planning need to use various resources, in addition to money, with the propose of forming a scenario management team it need the external experts to cooperate with internal staff, whats more, it also need the companys data resources from different departments. Small companies For a small business, such as self-employed and partnerships, they generally just have a short-term plan with the goal of maximum profits, and usually make decisions relatively easy just simply focus on cost, price and output decisions. As for a small business, they has few competitors and the external business environment is relatively stable and certain which has little effect on their business. Since the first time implementing scenario planning, companies may not well aware of the real needs of the company, though they do not need a complex scenario planning, do not need to have such high sensitivity of external influences, do not need such resources, technical staff they may still spend too much time and money on it which will increase the costs of company and may not take advantage from scenario planning. Large, multinational companies With the turbulent external business environment and the increasing competition it is necessary for large, multinational companies to adopt Scenario Planning in order to survive and prosper. Although large companies have abundant resources or access to the necessary resources in terms of expertise, time and money, there are still many inherent difficulties for organisations in implementing Scenario Planning for the first time. How far ahead should organizations predict The time horizon for scenarios must be short enough to create scenarios that are probable, but long enough for us to imagine that important changes with an impact on the future business can take place. (Lindgren, M. and Bandhold, H. (2003))How long should organizations take into consider ,it is a vital issue. With the accelerated pace of world change, the further predict, the more complex. More aspect need to consider, and the predictions are less accurate. However, if the prediction of the time too close it will not achieve any effect. How many scenarios For a company it is not necessary to say that the more scenario planning the better future of the company and of course, it make no sense of the company development if company has too little scenario planning. All the scenario planning need to prepare action plans and corresponding measures, have too much scenario planning not only take times and waste money but also may increase the operational costs of the company, however, if with few scenario planning it cannot help company predict the future to avoiding the risks PEST Analysis over the period to 2030 Today, due to increasing concern for sustainable development, global economic competition and technological advances ,change is happening faster than before which increased the business uncertainty . For this reason, scenario planning has been unprecedented attention. In order to make the correct prediction of what might happen in the business environment over the period to 2030 , it is important to have an understanding of what are the key drivers of external change .The best way to do this is to monitor and analyze trends and scan the current environment. There is a particularly useful tool -PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technological) analysis can help organization to identify the different forces. http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning/trend-analysis Political: BRICK adding new memberSouth Africa. BRICK expanded five-member bloc known as the BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and, for the first time, South Africa. (Mainichi,2011) The expansion of the BRICS have a great impact in the western business environment over the period to 2030. Since BRIC countries are facing a great historical opportunity for development, their development will bring a significant impact on the global economy and global structure .According to the global economic report of Goldman Sachs: (Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050), BRICs will guide the world economy in 2050 coquettish. And BRIC has been trying to expand its influence which make the western countries have to be careful to look at the next step plans of these emerging economies . In addition, more and more international investors are divide their asset allocation according to the BRIC. And ONeill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, said the BRIC will catch-up G6 in the next 20 years. Economic Globalization It can be said that the developed countries led economic globalization as they master the worlds most advanced productivity and technology. However, according to the annual World Economic Report which published by The World Bank reported that by 2030, the global economy will grow from 35 trillion U.S. dollars in 2005 to expand to 72 trillion dollars, the share of total global output of developing countries will from the current 1 / 5 to nearly 1 / 3 and the share of the global purchasing power will occupy more than 1 / 2. Report also highlighted a general underlying trend: in the next 25 years, developing countries will be a major force in global economic growth. (Sujingxiang,2006) Over the period to 2030, with the spread of new technologies such as the Internet, developing countries will go from the periphery to the center of the world economy, and gradually grow into an important engine for global growth, however , the developed countries, the influence on globalization is weakening , some organization and workers of developed countries were impact by the developing countries, particularly in emerging economies competition. Manufacturing and other traditional industries were in trouble which increased unemployment and the downward pressure on wages.(Haoran, 2009) Social Change in consumer behavior pattern As technology developed, people gradually changed their consumption habits, staying at home, online shopping has become a way of life that are interested by Internet users. The eMarketer estimates that over 68% of UK web users ages 14 and older will buy online at least once per month in 2011-a total of more than 27 million people. It estimated that between 2009 and 2014 he size of the UK online shoppers will continues to grow, penetration rate of online shopping users in 2014 will reach 71.1%. And the UK online shoppers will continue to increase in the future. http://www.emarketer.com/Report.aspx?code=emarketer_2000779 Since more and more people prefer online shopping and the number of people seems keep increasing, it can be said the online shopping represent the future direction of business. Face with this huge online consumer groups, organizations should seize the opportunity to develop the online shopping channels. However, The online shopping will change the business environment over the period to 2030. It will change the competitive basis and competitive approach among the organizations. E-commerce is information-based, the level of the access to information determine the market competitiveness of organizations . Technological Web 4.0 is transforming the Internet landscape according to Spivaks predictions, by the year of 2031 the next generation of internetWeb 4.0 will appear which further convergence of the online and physical world http://www.zmogo.com/web/web-40trip-down-the-rabbit-hole-or-brave-new-world/ Technology innovation will also influence the business environment during the period of now to 2030, With Web 4.0 which increase speeds and bandwidth, coupled with high-speed wireless access will enable information exchange on an unprecedented level. Risks Competition: The expansion of the BRICS and the increasing globalization will lead to more competitors from developing countries such as China and India. Similarly, with the increasing number of Internet users and network development, e-commerce appears which changes the business environment, reducing the trade entry barriers, blurred industry boundaries and expanding the scope for competition. Information management The improvement of network technology will allows us to enter an information age, as the network is free and open which will make the global information more transparent, everyone can master the competitors product information and marketing dynamics. Opportunities E-commerce E-commerce can significantly reduce inventory costs. Compared with the traditional commerce, E-commerce with high speed and fewer links, whats more, it does not have pressure on inventory, a well-run electronic store can even be zero inventory, no bear any pressure on the stock which will save a considerable costs. Internet Over the past 20 years the revolution of Internet has changed business model, and similarly, in the next 20 years, the networks development will bring new opportunities to the organization. With increasing speeds and bandwidth, coupled with high-speed wireless access will enable information exchange on an unprecedented level organizations can use business information effectively to fully serve their customers and attract more customers. Whats more, they can also open up international markets and change production environment in order to gain more profits. Action plans Since We have listed the key factors of the changes of macro environment in the next 20 years and also found out the opportunities and risks which company may experience in the future .In order to survive and make the company prosperous, companies should make some corresponding countermeasures. Improve management systems With the next generation of internetWeb 4.0 appears and the increasing online shoppers , organizations should improve their management systems in order to catch the pace of business. Organization can adopt the commodity cloud computing and during the production process , using the computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD / CAM) based on the management information systems (MIS) to establish the computer integrated manufacturing system (CIMS).Using these new manage methods to combine the production technology and information technology together and to upgrade the traditional mode of management system. (Shizhenxi,2010) Focus on global strategy It can be said that with the economic globalization, the increasing integration of world economy is becoming an unstoppable trend, the world is entering an era of borderless competition. Only focus on the domestic market is not enough, organization should develop foreign markets. Organization should develop and allocate resources in global in order to survive and prosper in the future.Organization can gradually develop and allocate the capital, labor, technology, resource from domestic to global. Distribute the capital according to different regions to reduce financial risks, establish appropriate technology development centre in different regions to gain the local advantage in order to enhance their technology competitiveness . Conclusion Lindgren, M. and Bandhold, H. (2003) Scenario Planning; The Link Between Future and Strategy. Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan. (pg53) Scenario Planning Handbook Bill Ralston)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¼Ã…  Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  (Ian Wilson2008 http://product.china-pub.com/826843ref=browse 2007, http://wiki.mbalib.com/wiki/%E6%83%85%E6%99%AF%E8%A7%84%E5%88%92 http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning/trend-analysis (Mainichi,2011) http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20110414p2g00m0bu044000c.html (Sujingxiang,2006) http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2006-12/22/content_5518332.htm (Haoran, 2009) http://www.zh09.com/lunwen/jjx/gjjj/200912/373158.html (à ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ »Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™) 14 Web 4.0,Trip Down the Rabbit Hole or Brave New World?, zmogo.com: http://www.zmogo.com/web/web-40trip-down-the-rabbit-hole-or-brave-new-world. Accessed 7th June 2009. (Shizhenxi,2010) http://www.fenghuang163.com/blog/article/327.html http://www.chinact.org.cn/Html/200672714031-1.html http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=192147837462567 http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_65e8dd750100ny4h.html(à ¥Ã‚ Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¢) Schoemaker, P.J.H. and van der Heijden K. (1992) Integrating Scenarios into Strategic Planning at Royal Dutch/Shell, Planning Review. Vol. 20 (3): pp.41-46.

General motors core business

General motors core business INTRODUCTION GENERAL MOTORS General Motors was known as one of the worlds best automotive, started in 1908 with 76 years of management and leadership at its best. Its global headquarters located in Detroit, with employees of 204,000 people all over the world and operates business in 140 countries. General Motors core business of producing cars and trucks operates in 34 countries and selling and servicing these vehicles through the following brands: GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Buick, Cadillac, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. It has the largest market in United States followed by China, Brazil, Germany, U.K, Canada and Italy. GMs main element, in which it is industry leader, is its vehicle safety, security and information services. As of 2008, General Motors is the ninth largest publicly traded company in the world. Recently the company has endured major financial confusion, including a 38 billion dollar loss in 2007. GM needs a sense of urgency regarding revising a strategic plan that incorporates the next generation of vehicles. In todays global economy and highly competitive auto industry GM has no time for delay. Factors affecting General Motors and other car industry. Industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing and sale of motor vehicles are known as automotive industry. More than million of motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide in 2007. Figures show that in 2007, around 71.9 million new automobiles were sold worldwide in which 22.9 m sold in Europe, 21.4 m in Asia-Pacific, 19.4 m in USA and Canada, 4.4 m in Latin America, 2.4 m in the Middle East and 1.4 m in Africa. Though the markets in North America and Japan were inactive but in South America and Asia markets grew very strongly. Russia, Brazil and China were the one who showed rapid growth compare to others. In 2008, automotive industry were experiencing a combination of pricing pressures from raw material cost and changes in consumer buying habits due to rapid rise in the price of oil. G.M and other automotive industries were also facing external competition from the public transport sector, as consumers re-evaluate their private vehicle usage. U.S is the worlds largest consumer market for light vehicles, passenger cars and light trucks which are conquered by big three companies i.e. General Motors, Ford Motors and Daimler/Chrysler. But recently these three industries were started to lose their market share to other rivals within the industry. General Motors are facing huge competition by domestic company such as Ford Motors and Daimler/Chrysler and also by foreign companies such as Toyota Motors and Honda Motors who are able to produce car much cheaper cost than General Motors. In 2006, General Motors has been bankrupted and has been avoiding a filing for years. For years it has been using cars as razors to sell consumers a monthly package of razor blades- in the form of highly profitable car loans. And the reasons for its bankruptcy are because they were focusing mostly on their finance division rather than it vehicle design operation. GM cars were poorly designed and build, took long time to manufacture as compare to its toughest competitor Toyota who has better designed and high quality and cheaper. In past GM controlled half of North America vehicle market but presently it has only 19 percent control as GM has been ignoring competition due to which Toyota and other industry took over the market share. Since General Motors were focusing on making profit from finance they did not care about building better vehicles. It was managing in bubble as GM rewarded those employees who followed the old way of doing things and those who praises CEO wisdom and carry out his orders. PEST Analysis Political: Since 1960, there were more powerful and strict laws and Government intervention that has affected GM and other car industries. Mostly, all regulation was related to consumer increasing concern for environment and concern for the safer automobiles. Economical: Automobile Industries plays an important role on every countries economy. As Automotive industry are major user of computer chips, aluminium, textiles, copper, steel, iron, lead, plastics, vinyl and rubber. Research and study had shown that for every autoworker there are seven other jobs created in other industry which include aluminium to lead to vinyl. Sociocultural: Todays people are mostly concern about their status and society judges on the basis of what type of car one drives. Manufacture takes advantage of this thought and target the market. Every one want attractive and nice car which other people admires. Consumers feel better when they driving nice and new car. Technology: Internet had played a significant role in automotive industry. A study showed that about 60 % buyers referred to internet before making their purchase and out of that 60 percentage. 88 % buyer went to auto website before going and taking test drive. Strength and Weakness of General Motors. Strength: Huge Market Share: Although General Motors market shares has dropped in United States but it still has very much competitive at 26 percent. On the other hand, it is increasing its share in Chinese market and world wide. They still believes that they have an opportunity to become automotive leader once again as it was before. Global Experience: Although General Motors share have decline recently but they have capability of becoming leader once again due to vast experience of almost 100 years. As GM current opportunity is to expand globally and it has got experience to do so. Variety of Brand names General Motors had been leaders in the past and reason for that is wide variety of quality brand names that differentiate it from other automotive manufacturer. Its current brands include GMC, GM Daewoo, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Holden, Buick, Cadillac, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GMAC Customer Finance Program Since, General Motors Acceptance Corporation establishment in 1919, it has proven to be GMs most reliable source of revenue. On Star Satellite technology Star Satellite technology was developed in1996 with a subscriber of more than 3 million and it is the standard of all GM vehicles. The benefit of this technology is that vehicle can be easily tracked at the time of emergency or theft. On the other hand, it allows the driver as well as passengers to communicate with On star personnel just in one click of button. Weakness: Behind on Alternative Energy Movement: This is one of the biggest weaknesses of General Motors. The alternative energy/hybrid technology has already taken place in the automotive industry and GM has been one step behind the competition in terms of alternative energy vehicles. As a result, GM faced lots of problem including loss of market shares and fall in company profit. Now days for any automotive company looking for success must be Hybrid friendly and fuel efficient. Poor Organizational Structure: This is the second and significant weaknesses of GM. Its organizational structure seems to be too vertically integrated. As a result, there is lack of communication between top level management and bottom level management and may have played a part in GM falling behind on the alternative energy movement. Stagnant Profitability: General Motors profit has been certainly falling and they are struggling with respect to the size of their company. General Motors profit margin was about 1.5 % and the ROE has dramatically decreasing by dropping to 10 % in 2004. At this situation shareholders are not happy and they are becoming less interested. Fully Based on US market: For any one who is concentrating on one particularr market cant be successful. This is what happened to GMs case, it fully dependent on the US market. It must take advantage of the opportunity to expand globally. Due to high competition, it is becoming too strong to focus on just one country. Over Dependent on General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Financing: The other important weakness of General Motors is that it is too dependent on its financing program. Although, it is accepted that it is a great strength for GM, however it will be a problem if it solely rely on financing and cant turn profits, in order to compete with Honda and Toyota who are rapidly growing. Poor Credit Status: GMs credit status is steadily declining same as everything else. It is losing credit in market and amongst the customer. Its current ratio is merely above 1 and its acid test is even lower. Poor strategies and lack of Foresight: Due to increase in oil prices, consumers began to turn away from SUVs, but still General Motors predicted much of its operating success on its ability to sell newly unpopular vehicles. While companies like Toyota, were concentrating on light vehicle and in improving efficiency where GM assumed sales would continue in future. ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development is a system which differs from other systems of organizational change by putting stress/focusing on process rather than problems. In fact, change system focuses on identifying problems in an organization and then trying to alter the behaviour that creates the problem. OD is a methodology intended for use in complex situations to provide intervention strategy for change management. OD finds the behavioural interactions and the pattern that creates or sustain problem. In fact, OD does not change the behaviours, but they focus on creating a behaviourally healthy organization that will automatically solve and prevents the problems. OD generally considered long term effort that is of at least one to three years in most cases. In addition, it mostly focuses on combined management where manager and workers of different level communicate and unite to solve the problem. OD understands the fact that all organization is different and same solution cant put in every co mpany. The other feature of OD is that it gives importance to team work and small group. The important features of OD programs is the change agent, that is group or individual which makes OD process much easier. Almost all change agent are consultant from outside who are experienced in managing OD programs but sometimes companies may utilize its inside managers. The benefits of consultant from outside are that they provide a different outlook and have a less biased view of the organizations problems and needs. The disadvantage of outside change agents is that its lack an in depth of understanding of main issues mainly one specific organization.

Why We Go To Malls :: Free Essay Writer

Why We Go To Malls There are a number of reasons why people shop at malls. For one thing, people malls extremely convenient. In addition malls provide shoppers with a great variety of stores and shopping opportunities. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, malls are great places for entertainment. Malls are convenient places to shop. They provide shoppers with abundant and secure parking areas. Shoppers need not drive around for fifteen minutes looking for a parking place, nor need they be afraid to walk to their cars after they have completed their shopping. Malls are usually totally indoors so people are comfortable why they shop. They do not they do not have to be subject to the elements as they go from store to store. Finally, the most convenient aspect of the mall is its one stop shopping experience. Variety is another advantage of the mall. There are specialty stores, such as candle stores, bath and beauty stores and music and video stores. These are the anchors of the mall, and the mall provides "odd stores" for those eccentric shoppers who are looking for different items. Finally, the mall is a wonderful entertainment center. Not only do people go there to shop, but they also got there for relaxation. There are movies sometimes as many as fifteen or sixteen. In addition, arcades are available for children, teens and adults. Some parents drop their children off at the arcade, give them a roll of quarters and pick them up after they have completed their shopping. For the hungry shopper there is a food court, which provides fast food for those shoppers who want to relax and possibly have a cocktail with their meal, other restaurants are available.

Exercise Prescription :: Exercise Physiology

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Date of Birth: 09/01/77   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sex: Female   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Height: 61†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weight: 113 lbs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resting Heart Rate: 58 bpm  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Health problems or injuries: Previous lower back injuries  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Medications that may influence heart rate: None  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Risk of cardiovascular or orthopedic injury: None  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Individual preferences for exercise: Jogging, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, resistance ball, free weights, yoga  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Individual dislikes for exercise:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stationary bike, treadmill, some weight machines  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Individual program objectives and goals: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maintain health 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase core strength 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase lean body mass 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease body fat percentage 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 months to train for triathlon: Need to increase speed and endurance in running, biking, and swimming  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Opportunities Live close-by gym with pool, weights, and aerobics classes Live close by running and biking trail Gym available at both jobs  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Barriers Varied work schedule Sometimes need partner or personal trainer for motivation  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Expected Results â€Å"After 5 months of training I expect to be moderately stronger and more efficient in all areas of activity as well as see a reduction in body fat and an increase in lean body mass.† Cardiovascular/Respiratory Training Schedule Warm-up: Before Running: Do 5 minutes of light walking. Before Bicycling: Do 1 set of 10-15 of stationary lunges without weights and do leg stretches (including quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutes). Before Swimming: Do full-body stretching with 5 minutes freestyle swimming. Cool Down: After Running: Do 5 minutes of light walking and stretch all leg muscles. After Bicycling: Do 5 minutes of light cycling and stretch all leg muscles. After Swimming: Do 5 minutes of easy freestyle swimming and do full-body stretches for flexibility. Running Exercise #  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sets  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type R1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Light run R2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intervals – alternating 1 min. light run w/ 1 min. moderate run R3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moderate Run Bicycling Exercise #  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sets  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type B1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Light cycling B2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intervals – alternating 1 min. light cycling w/ 1 min. moderate cycling B3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moderate cycling Swimming Exercise #  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sets  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type S1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast stroke, butterfly, back stroke, freestyle S2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast stroke, butterfly, back stroke, freestyle S3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30 minutes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast stroke, butterfly, back stroke, freestyle L1: 30-45 minutes of any exercise above at intervals (1 min. light/1 min. moderate). If swimming, do 1 lap light/1 lap moderate intervals. Week #  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mon.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tues.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wed.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thurs.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fri.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sat.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sun. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *R1, B1, S1, R2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *R3, S2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ---  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *B2, S3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *L1, B3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  --- *Note: Each exercise does not have to be done simultaneously. Because of varied work schedule and other activities, spread exercises according to amount of free time. Core Strength Training Warm-up: Do 5 a minute walk or do 5 minutes of the movements of the following exercises without the weight and so light full-body stretches.

Othello †It Ranks High or Low? :: Othello essays

Othello – It Ranks High or Low?  Ã‚        Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello has been given high marks by some critics and low marks by others. Let us elaborate on this problem in this essay.    In the volume Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley explains why the modern audience feels so exasperated when viewing this play:    But Othello is not freed by this sense of his own situation: he has been caught in it as if in a snare. And instead of being freed by the hero’s consciousness of things, and sharing it with him, we are forced to stand outside Othello’s delusion. The play grips us in its own artifice of incomprehension. And for most onlookers, nowadays, the sensation seems to be more exasperating than it is either thrilling or painful. (200-201)    The feeling of exasperation on the part of the audience is not universal. Lily B. Campbell in Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes explains the factor that made Othello significant among the tragedies of its time:    The Moor goes to the task of killing his wife in the name of justice;    Thy bed, lust-stain’d, shall with lust’s blood be spotted.    And in the second scene, the scene of the murder, he cries again as he looks upon the sleeping Desdemona and kisses her:    Oh, balmy breath, thou dost almost persuade Justice to break her sword!    It is this insistence upon the passion which makes men try to take the place of God, and by private revenge execute the laws of God that makes Othello significant in the tragedy of its time. Othello sees his acts as the expression of justice, worked out in the most perfect balance of deed and punishment. (172)    If the justice aspect of private revenge gave the play popularity then, what gives it fame today? Othello would appear to have a beauty about it which is hard to match – thus ranking the play high. Helen Gardner in â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune† touches on this beauty which enables this play to stand above the other tragedies of the Bard:    Among the tragedies of Shakespeare Othello is supreme in one quality: beauty. Much of its poetry, in imagery, perfection of phrase, and steadiness of rhythm, soaring yet firm, enchants the sensuous imagination. This kind of beauty Othello shares with Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra; it is a corollary of the theme which it shares with them.

Storm Born Chapter Eleven

Someone was screaming in the desert, and I didn't realize it was me until Tim raced over and grabbed my shoulders. â€Å"Jesus! Eugenie, what's wrong?† I broke from him, dropped to my knees, and threw up into a convenient shrub. That soon gave way to endless dry heaves, my body's distress too strong to stop. When I finally finished – it seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes – I ran my hands over my face. It felt like I had shoved my head through a window, cutting my skin to shreds. Yet, when I pulled my hands back, there was no blood. Apparently convinced I was done bringing up everything in my stomach, Tim carefully handed me a bottle of water. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and then drank greedily. When I started to hand the bottle back, he shook his head. â€Å"Keep it. What happened?† â€Å"Transition shock,† came Volusian's flat voice. â€Å"You came through the worlds too hard and too fast, mistress.† â€Å"You should be dead,† added Nandi. â€Å"Or at least segmented.† â€Å"Segmented?† asked Tim. I nodded and drank again. â€Å"If you're not strong enough to make it work, only your spirit will get back here. The body stays in the Otherworld.† He stared. â€Å"Will that kill you?† â€Å"Worse.† â€Å"What's worse than death?† asked a new voice. Or not so new. Wil. I'd forgotten about Wil. I leapt to my feet and spun toward him, gun drawn. Some part of me wondered if I even had bullets left. I'd changed the cartridge once in the Otherworld but couldn't recall how many times I'd fired at Aeson's men. Tim's mouth dropped open. â€Å"Eugenie, put that away!† â€Å"You don't know what he's done. He's a fucking backstabber.† Wil, sitting on the blanket he'd gone into trance on, froze, too afraid to move. But not too afraid to speak. â€Å"I had to. It was the only way to get Jasmine.† â€Å"Yeah, it worked pretty well, huh?† He sounded near tears. â€Å"I'd gone a year without any chance of getting her. Then that sprite cut me the deal. Said if I got you to go over, they'd give me Jasmine back. I'm sorry.† I didn't move the gun. â€Å"I was your only chance to get her back. If you hadn't led us into that trap, we'd be back here with her now.† He groaned, burying his face in his hands. â€Å"I didn't know. I didn't know. I just wanted her so badly.† He looked back up at me. â€Å"What happened? Why did she run away? Was she scared?† â€Å"Maybe. Or it could be that†¦what's that called? Where people help their kidnappers? Stockholm syndrome?† â€Å"What, like Patty Hearst? No. Jasmine wouldn't do that.† I wasn't so sure. She was young and impressionable, and Aeson struck me as a very forceful figure. â€Å"He's too pathetic to kill,† observed Finn after studying Wil for a moment. â€Å"No harm in doing it anyway,† said Volusian. â€Å"Kill him and enslave his soul.† Wil's eyes widened farther. â€Å"Eugenie!† Tim stared at me like I was insane. â€Å"You aren't seriously considering that.† Probably not. Sighing, I lowered the gun. â€Å"Get out of here, Wil. I don't ever want to see you again.† He scrambled to his feet, face falling. â€Å"But Jasmine – â€Å" â€Å"You lost your chance. You blew it. Get in your car before I do something stupid.† Wil hesitated, his face pleading and upset. Then wordlessly he headed toward the trail that led out to a makeshift parking area. I watched him leave, bitter anger boiling up within me. In the distance, thunder rumbled. â€Å"Eugenie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Tim hesitantly. A slight wind ruffled his hair. â€Å"I don't want to talk about it. Take me home.† We gathered up his things and walked in the direction Wil had gone. â€Å"Meet me back at my house,† I told the minions. They vanished. Tim had enough sense to leave me alone on the car ride back. I leaned my head against the window, liking the feel of the cool glass against my fevered cheek. So many things had happened tonight, I had no idea what to fixate on first. Jasmine? Wil's betrayal? Aeson's stupid accusation? Kiyo? Yes. Kiyo was probably the safest, which was saying something. My heart had leapt at seeing him again. It was stupid, considering the way he'd used me, but my emotions didn't appear to realize that yet. Why? Why did he have this pull on me when I barely knew him? I didn't believe in love at first sight. And what about the fox thing? I knew of no gentry who could do that, but I did know shape-shifters filled the Otherworld. I'd fought some before but never a fox. Seemed like a weird choice. Perhaps that explained why he hadn't felt gentry. He was something else, not gentry but still Otherworldly. Not much of an improvement. I left Tim as soon as we got home, seeking out the solitude of my room. Well, as much solitude as I could get with the three spirits waiting for me. I threw myself onto the bed, leaning into the corner where the bed sat against the wall. Exhaustion ran through me, and I did and said nothing, staring into the darkness. Thunder rumbled again but seemed fainter now, like the storm had changed its mind. The spirits simply waited and watched me. â€Å"Tell me what just happened.† â€Å"Um, which part?† asked Finn after a minute. â€Å"Any of it. Tell me what Kiyo is. The fox.† â€Å"Oh.† Finn seemed relieved to have a question he could answer. â€Å"He's a kitsune. Japanese fox spirit.† â€Å"Roland taught me hundreds of magical creatures. Never heard of a kitsune.† â€Å"You don't find them around here much,† explained Finn. â€Å"And they're not really dangerous.† â€Å"He looked dangerous enough to me.† â€Å"They carry animal traits into human form,† said Volusian. â€Å"Strength. Speed. A certain sense of aggression.† I thought about sex with Kiyo. Yeah. That had been pretty aggressive. I closed my eyes. â€Å"Why would he mark me and then follow me?† â€Å"I do not know.† It figured. â€Å"Anything else I should know about him? About them?† â€Å"They're usually female. Men are rare. Perhaps his human blood affected that,† said Nandi in her emotionless voice. â€Å"Half-human? Oh. His mother was the kitsune,† I mused, recalling him talking about his parents. â€Å"Yeah,† agreed Finn. â€Å"The women are supposed to be pretty hot. Like sirens. Real seductive. Men can't stay away from them.† â€Å"Like a drug,† added Volusian. I opened my eyes. â€Å"Could he do that too?† â€Å"Possibly.† Suddenly my obsession seemed less weird than twisted. Had he used some sort of sexual power to lure me in? Was that why I couldn't stop thinking about him? â€Å"I guess half-human isn't so bad,† I muttered, speaking out loud without meaning to. I hadn't bedded a full-fledged Otherworldly creature. â€Å"Not bad at all,† agreed Finn happily. â€Å"He's just like you.† â€Å"Stop it,† I snapped. â€Å"That whole thing†¦what Aeson said†¦it's stupid. I don't want to talk about it.† â€Å"And like so much, you ignore what you don't want to hear. Being Storm King's daughter is no small thing.† Volusian's red eyes held my gaze. â€Å"Your bluntness is so endearing.† My stomach turned, but it was now or never. â€Å"All right. I'll bite. Why does Aeson think that?† None of them had an answer right away. The impression I got from them was surprise more than ignorance. â€Å"Because you are, mistress,† said Nandi at last. â€Å"No, I'm not. I'm human.† Volusian crossed his arms over his chest. â€Å"You are half-human, mistress. And as I said, your prejudice blinds you from the truth.† â€Å"One gentry's accusation isn't the truth. Where are the facts?† â€Å"Facts? Very well. Here are facts. Who is your father?† â€Å"Roland.† â€Å"You know what I mean, mistress. Who is your blood father?† â€Å"I don't know. It doesn't matter. My mom always said he was a bastard not worth knowing.† Volusian stared at me expectantly. â€Å"That doesn't prove anything.† â€Å"What about your powers? You are rapidly surpassing every other human shaman. You are equal in strength in both worlds. Do you think it's coincidence that the most powerful shaman in remembered history grew up in Roland Markham's household? He brought you there, taking you from Storm King.† â€Å"From where? Are you saying I was born in the Otherworld?† Volusian inclined his head. â€Å"Storm King abducted your mother and made her his mistress. She bore his child. You.† â€Å"You seemly awfully sure about this.† â€Å"I saw your mother when she lived in the Otherworld. I have seen her in this world. She's the same woman.† â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"By the power that binds us, you know I am not.† He was right. He couldn't lie to me – not so openly, at least. I knew that, and acknowledging that forced me to put my own world into a new perspective. It might explain why my mother hated the Otherworld so much. Why she and Roland had been adamant about instilling that hate in me, making sure I could never have any empathy with the gentry or anything else from that world. I swallowed and realized I was on the verge of tears. God. That would probably blow the show of strength I always tried to hold around these guys. We needed to get through this interview. â€Å"So, are you saying that's why Roland eventually killed him? To protect me?† â€Å"Among other things. Storm King's invasion was imminent. He had come to claim you. Roland Markham killed him, both saving you and halting Storm King's plans.† â€Å"So Dorian was telling the – wait a minute. He knew! That bastard. He sat there and fed me that stuff about Storm King, knowing who I was!† â€Å"Everyone knows who you are, mistress,† said Nandi. â€Å"It's pretty recent, though,† added Finn, seeing the look on my face. â€Å"Came out only a couple of weeks ago. The same time everyone learned your real name.† â€Å"How?† I glared at Volusian. He had known who I was this whole time. â€Å"Did you tell them?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then why didn't you tell me before this? Why didn't any of you tell me when this came out?† They stared. â€Å"Because you did not ask us,† replied Nandi. â€Å"Yes,† agreed Volusian. â€Å"Had you asked us, ‘Am I Storm King's daughter?' we would have gladly – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, shut up.† I rubbed my eyes. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep forever and forget all this. But I had miles to go before I slept, just like in the Robert Frost poem. â€Å"If everyone thought Storm King was so great, then why are they all coming after me? Shouldn't I be some kind of hero? Instead they want to kill me.† â€Å"Most aren't trying to kill you, unfortunately. They're trying to bed you, mistress.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Probably because of the prophecy,† said Nandi. â€Å"Prophecy,† I said dryly. â€Å"Wonderful. Now there's a prophecy.† â€Å"Mistress,† she said hastily, â€Å"had you asked us if there was a prophecy – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah. I know. What's this one say? That I'm a good lay?† Finn hesitated. â€Å"Well†¦it says Storm King's vision will be carried out through his daughter's first son. That the human world will be reconquered.† â€Å"You're kidding.† Oh, God, I wanted to sleep. â€Å"When they found out you didn't have kids yet, everyone – well, every guy – wanted to get in on the action. Being the one to father Storm King's heir would be a pretty big deal.† â€Å"Likewise,† added Volusian, â€Å"the prophecy says Storm King's daughter will clear the way for her son. Being your consort would carry great prestige.† â€Å"Hey, I'm not clearing the way for any invasion. Not that I believe in prophecies. Not that I believe in any of this! In fact, that prophecy proves how stupid this all is. I wouldn't turn against my own kind.† I swear Volusian smiled. â€Å"Yes, but which people truly are your own kind? Your loyalties are now divided.† My anger flared. â€Å"No. Even if this is true and I am the daughter of the biggest gentry badass ever, I know where my loyalties are. I'm human. I act human. I have no gentry powers.† â€Å"As you say, mistress.† â€Å"Get out of here. All of you. None of this is true. I'll talk to my parents and clear this up.† Volusian bowed. â€Å"A wise idea, mistress.† I said the words to send them away and then lay on my bed. The storm had quieted outside, but one of my own raged inside me. I wanted to shut down my feelings. I wanted to forget all of this, because it wasn't true. It couldn't be. I wanted to take one of the prescription sleeping pills, but I didn't need Roland's warnings to know how stupid that would be. If every gentry was suddenly hot to get me pregnant, I couldn't let my guard down. I shouldn't have been able to sleep. Not after fighting gentry and seeing a girl run back to them. Not after learning my one-night stand was a kitsune. Not after discovering that I could very well be something I hated. Something that made me question everything I'd ever believed in. No, I shouldn't have been able to sleep at all, but my body knew better as tiredness flowed over me. My body knew I'd been up all night, that I'd fought and been injured. And most important, it knew my fight wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Learning Team Deliverables Essay

Organizational husbandry consists of different traditional courses, values, and certain beliefs when setting out the rules for fashioning a decision, government agency, and complianceation of a comp some(prenominal). The organisational close foc workouts more(prenominal) on lead values. Culture de boundaryines the way we as battalion handle business and as well for mavins own success. By having a structured organizational culture, it allows the employees to feel that if they do what is right, they exit be rewarded for their actions. The following paragraphs will discuss the impact of leaders and the mores of ranking(prenominal) management and how they affect both the culture and the application of force play. We as a free radical have chosen a fair play of nature firm as the model company. supreme business leader peremptory queen is a form of manipulation customd on employees to bring nigh a virtuoso of fear. Employees conform to coercive force-outs for fear of retaliation. Coercive actor in the long rank can lead to character f impartialitys amongst employees. fair play firms that procedure coercive powers be unremarkably only concerned with short condition goals. Coercion used long margin can cause dissatisfied partners motion to drop. Partners may eventually end up leaving the organization because they feel energy good is going to happen for them. For instance, ally pressure at a law partnership could be a form of coercion to recognize a square decision regarding financial decisions. Long term affect could lead to the partnership organism resolved due to unmatchable of the partners dissatisfaction in the ways things are going. recompense military forceLaw Partners who conform to the rules to turn around compulsory benefits for their efforts fuck reward power. Law Partners enjoy reward power since it allows them to control banish repercussions by doing well. Partnerships use reward power to help encourage partners to perform highschool and meet the firms goal. For example, bonuses stipulation at the end of each family could impress all partners to do well. Reward powers usually benefits all parties involved.Legitimate PowerThe most common access to one or more of the power bases is allow power. Legitimate power stages the formal effectiveness to control and use organizational resources found on structural position in the organization. (Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, 2011) In a law firm, that structure is driven by the batting order of directors, then to the partners. Those that are lawyers are humble to the partners in hopes to become one someday themselves. We associate power with hierarchy, so employees subtract leaders as powerful and keep abreast when an executive order is placed. Although, legitimate power is the most recognized, having dear power is fair(a) as powerful.Expert PowerIn any organization, most of the time employees are easily replaced. If one depicts the s ame military service or acting task in a like manner as their counterpart, then replacing them is non that difficult. However, having a niche that is not easily replaced provides expert power. Expert power is the ability to provide an expertise and the respect and admiration of others. In a law firm, the knowledge of existence able to defend or represent the firm in a way that is beyond the ability of others creates an expert power that will buy you life in the firm. Since law firms are all intimately winning their cases, the more one brings to the table, the reform the opportunity of becoming partner.Referent powerReferent power in any organization allows an individual to be considered for affiance or a current employee to receive warranted or unwarranted compensation for their percentage to the entity. Referent power in a Law Partnership can take care in an employee becoming Partner of the firm. Rewards incurred from this power are influenced by interactions and the abili ty to stir to others. This power has been stated to hold more weight due to its intimacy. It has been directly gibe with positive performance, satisfied employees and the organization knowingly aware of an employees commitment and theatrical role to the organization. The use of the five power bases in a Law Partnership is commonplace.However, in order for the firm to be successful, the maturate of directors and partners must possess strengthened leadership skills, and abide by an even stronger decree of ethics when exerting their powers. Leaders of the partnership use their reward andlegitimate authority to motivate others, encouraging growth, and further development of skills. expertise is used to contribute to the growth of the firm, and not used as a pay off for individualized gain. In addition, a strong sense of values in leaders of the firm will bring about an atmosphere of respect and trust, thus velocity levels of the partnership use reference and personal influen ce within ethical confines. The use of all power bases for individual gain will not bring about sustainable growth and should be avoided. Furthermore, use of coercion power will create fear and distrust, and if the other powers are also being misused, partnerships culture can be affected stress, wishing of motivation, loss of staff, and corruption, and even betrayal.ReferencesSchermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., & Osborn, R. N. (2005). Organizational demeanour (9th ed.). Retrieved from https//ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetid=bb2bb7b2-43f9-41d6-af58-cf49682ce588&assetmetaid=20a7c5ea-8d61-49ba-b292-5374bc15903f.Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge. fourteenth ed. (2011). University of Phoenix website. Retrieved May 1, 2014 from https//newclassroom3.phoenix.edu