Leadership Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Plan - Essay Example In case of global teams, I would make them know each other through video chat. According to Love (2010), storming is the stage that involves members’ conflicts with each other and their resistance to tasks and team structure. â€Å"Typically during the Storming phase, conflict, dissention and difficulties arise† (Fran, 2010). At this stage, I would work towards resolution of conflicts between team members. In case of conventional teams, I would meet conflicting employees face-to-face in order to know their issues, as well as to resolve them. I would assign the roles and responsibilities to each team member considering their skills. In case of global teams, I would arrange a video conference in which I would invite all team members to know and resolve their cultural and personality conflicts. At this stage, members start thinking themselves as a team (Egeland, 2011). At this stage, I would develop a sense of cohesion between the team members of both conventional and global teams. In case of conventional teams, I would meet each team member personally to make him/her aware of his/her role in the achievement of goals and the way to meet the deadline. In case of global teams, I would contact all team members through video conference to make them aware of the ways to work in a collaborative manner and the ways to resolve personal and cultural conflicts that may arise between them at some time in future due to cultural differences. This is the stage when members, having their efficiencies developed, work toward the achievement of goals. â€Å"Group members begin to look outside of their domain in order to assist others on the team† (Waren, 2010). At this stage, I would continuously motivate both conventional and global teams to make them achieve the goals effectively and efficiently. To evaluate and motivate conventional team members, I would meet each member personally. However, to motivate global team

Damage and destruction Essay Example for Free

Damage and destruction Essay A suicide attack, also known as suicide bombing, homicide bombing, or kamikaze is an attack intended to kill others and inflict widespread damage and destruction, in which the aggressor is expecting or intending to die in the process. The concept of self-sacrifice has long been a part of war. However, many instances of suicide bombing today have intended civilian targets, not military targets alone. â€Å"Suicide bombing as a tool of stateless terrorists was dreamed up a hundred years ago by the European anarchists immortalized in Joseph Conrad’s Secret Agent’. † (Feldman, 2006). The ritual act of self-sacrifice during combat appeared in a large scale at the end of World War II with the Japanese kamikaze bombers. In these attacks, airplanes were used as flying bombs. Later in the war, as Japan became more desperate, this act became formalized and ritualized, as planes were outfitted with explosives specific to the task of a suicide mission. Kamikaze strikes were a weapon of asymmetric war used by the Empire of Japan against United States Navy and Royal Navy aircraft carriers, although the armored flight deck of the Royal Navy carriers diminished Kamikaze effectiveness. Suicide attacks were used as a military tactic aimed at causing material damage in war, during the Second World War in the Pacific as Allied ships were attacked by Japanese kamikaze pilots who caused maximum damage by flying their explosive-laden aircraft into military targets, not focused on civilian targets. During the Battle for Berlin the Luftwaffe flew Self-sacrifice missions (Selbstopfereinsatz) against Soviet bridges over the River Oder. These total missions were flown by pilots of the Leonidas Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heiner Lange. From 17 April until 20 April 1945, using any aircraft that were available, the Luftwaffe claimed that the squadron destroyed 17 bridges, however the military historian Antony Beevor when writing about the incident thinks that this was exaggerated and that only the railway bridge at Kustrin was definitely destroyed. He comments that thirty-five pilots and aircraft was a high price to pay for such a limited and temporary success. The missions were called off when the Soviet ground forces reached the vicinity of the squadrons airbase at Juterbog. (Beevor). Suicide bombing is a popular tactic among Palestinian terrorist organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Bombers affiliated with these groups often use so-called suicide belts, explosive devices (often including shrapnel) designed to be strapped to the body under clothing. In order to maximize the loss of life, the bombers seek out cafes or city buses crowded with people at rush hour, or less commonly a military target (for example, soldiers waiting for transport at roadside). By seeking enclosed locations, a successful bomber usually kills a large number of people. In Israel, Palestinian suicide bombers have targeted civilian buses, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels and marketplaces. (Analysis: Palestinian suicide bombings). Palestinian television has aired a number of music videos and announcements that promote eternal reward for children who seek shahada, which Palestinian Media Watch has claimed is Islamic motivation of suicide terrorists. The Chicago Tribune has documented the concern of Palestinian parents that their children are encouraged to take part in suicide operations. Israeli sources have also alleged that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah operate Paradise Camps, training children as young as 11 to become suicide bombers. Papes Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism (2005) contradicts many widely held beliefs about suicide terrorism. Based on an analysis of every known case of suicide terrorism from 1980 to 2005 (315 attacks as part of 18 campaigns), he concludes that there is little connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, or any one of the world’s religions . Rather, what nearly all suicide terrorist attacks have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland (p.4). The taproot of suicide terrorism is nationalism, he argues; it is an extreme strategy for national liberation (pp. 79-80). Papes work examines groups as diverse as the Basque ETA to the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers. Pape also notably provides further evidence to a growing body of literature that finds that the majority of suicide terrorists do not come from impoverished or uneducated background, but rather have middle class origins and a significant level of education. In a criticism of Papes link between occupation and suicide terrorism, an article titled Design, Inference, and the Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism (published in The American Political Science Review), authors Scott Ashworth, Joshua D. Clinton, Adam Meirowitz, and Kristopher W. Ramsay from Princeton charged Pape with sampling on the dependent variable by limiting research only to cases in which suicide terror was used. In a response to the article, Pape asserted that he dealt with these objections sufficiently in his book, and that he had not sampled at all, but rather included the universe of suicide terrorist attacks. (American Political Science Review, 2008). References Feldman, Noah. (29 Oct 2006). Islam, Terror and the Second Nuclear Age Beevor, Antony. (2002). Berlin: The Downfall 1945. Penguin Books. Analysis: Palestinian suicide bombings (May 2008). American Political Science Review. Volume 102, Issue 02, pp 269-273.

Is there ever a solution for working mothers? :: essays research papers

The vast majority of mothers in the world today are working and earning. Where they work may range from the family compound, to nearby fields, to local markets, to industrial parks, to corporate headquarters; but in both developing and developed countries women are economically active, providing support for themselves, their children, and their families According to http://www.popcouncil.org/publications/seeds/seeds13.html#10T it states that: Not only are more mothers working but, in both the modern and traditional sectors, more mothers with very young children now find it necessary to venture further from home in order to provide a livelihood for the family. While it is difficult to find statistical breakdowns of the number of working mothers in most parts of the world, especially where large numbers of women are employed in the informal sector, in the United States today nearly 57 percent of women with children under the age of six are employed, and the trend appears to be growing. The number of women returning to the job market in the U.S. within one year of giving birth, for instance, rose from 31 percent in 1976 to 50.8 percent in 1987. The critical question is who is going to care for their children while they are working, because, in virtually all parts of the world, providing suitable child-care arrangements is the responsib ility of the woman. One problem is that, in too many cases, adequate child care is not available, and when suitable arrangements do not exist, women face not only limitation of employment options and confinement to low-income occupations (where there is generally greater flexibility), but frequent high levels of stress, anxiety, and fear. There is a need for another care giving alternative: delegation of responsibility to a formally or informally organized system of childcare.

Discussing Road Accidents in Malaysia Essay

Road accidents are global tragedies with an ever-raising trend. In Malaysia, it represents a major public problem because of the high number of victims involved and also the seriousness of the consequences for the victim themselves and to their families. Accidents are generally classified as single vehicle accidents in which the vehicle is either colliding with fixed objects or with pedestrians Besides that, the vehicle may fall in a ditch and multiple vehicle accidents in which two or more than two vehicle can either collide head–on. The increase of road accident is closely linked with the rapid growth of population, economic development, industrialization and motorization encountered by the country. It continues to be a growing concern to all those who uses the roads. Every year, road accidents in Malaysia are becoming more and more common in today’s society and it contributes to a significant number of deaths as the result. Although the police have already taken action to prevent the accidents, it is still raising day by day. Based on statistics, road accidents mostly occur during festive days such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and so on. They are travelling a long distance for purpose to go back their hometown to celebrate with their relatives. There are a few reasons why accidents happen in Malaysia. Firstly, road accidents happen because of speeding. For example, many teenagers in Malaysia like to drive with a sense of speed. They drive recklessly and love to ignore the speed limit. Even though our government has put up signboards on roads and highways, they seem to ignore these signs. These actions not only endanger their lives but it also endangers the lives of other road users. Secondly, accidents happen when the drivers are in a drunken condition. After getting drunk, they do not realize that they are actually driving very fast because they are influenced by alcohol. They lose the ability to focus and drive properly when drunk. So, they would get in trouble and get involved in an accident. It is a very dangerous action and is one of the top causes of accidents in Malaysia. Thirdly, Malaysia has a lot of road users that are not responsible. They do not care about the rules that are provided; they just ignore them for the sake of being comfortable. They are careless and make unnecessary mistakes such as falling asleep at the wheel, unsafe overtaking, not stop at the red traffic light and other common disregards of road rules. Distractions are also linked to driver error because accidents can occur when the driver is distracted, which includes texting while driving. As a conclusion, there are a lot of causes of road accidents but the main cause of road accidents occur because of the driver’s behaviour. As a driver, we need to take responsibility for what we have done. Refrain from doing actions that might cause accidents to occur or injure other person; on phone while driving, drunk driving and so on. These actions are really dangerous if we do it when driving because we cannot control the car well. Remember that our family members are always worried about us and care about us. There are no people who are wishing to get involved in a road accident. It is really a tragedy; it makes a lot of people lose their family members. Besides that, all Malaysians should be cooperating to reduce the number of road accidents. Whenever you think that this isn’t achievable, remember our slogan â€Å"Malaysia Boleh†.

Barry Bonds

One of the baseball’s most troublesome issues has been the increasing use of performance enhancing drugs. Retired home slugger, Jose Canseco has claimed that 85 per cent of big leaguers use steroids and Xen Caminiti, who died in 2004 from drug overdose, stated in a highly publicised article in Sports Illustrated that the incidence of steroid use has mushroomed to 50 per cent of active players. Although other players have stated this figure to be exaggerated, the problem has become widespread within major league baseball.A well known sports orthopaedist, Dr. John Andrews asserted that there has been a dramatic rise in muscle and tendon injuries among baseball players related to the increased use of supplements creatine, human growth hormone, and steroids (Teitelbaum, 2005, p. 107). The use of amphetamines in major league baseball gained substantial notoriety in 1970 when Jim Bouton, a pitcher for the New York Yankees during the 1960s and the author of highly controversial book Ball Four admitted using amphetamines and estimated that 40% of other players did as well.As with football, the size and strength of professional baseball players appear to have increased markedly during the last two decades. As a consequence, suspicions of anabolic steroid use have been dramatically soared during the last decade. In 1995, the general manager of the San Diego Padres admitted to the prevalence of steroid use in at least 10%-20% of the league players (Hinitz, Yesalis, Bahrke, 2002, p. 12-13). Jose Canseco, who was the first player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same year, wrote in his book ‘Juiced’ that he used steroids to help him build the muscles he needed to succeed.He also claimed that (although without proof) many players in the game had done the same. This cast grave doubts on the home run records set by Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds and others. In 2005, the congress held a special hearing to investigate the steroid problem i n baseball. Commissioner Bud Selig while testifying admitted that the sport’s hands were tied because of a complicated agreement with the union that represented the players. Baseball was not allowed to test most players for steroids. Even for those who were exposed, punishment was light (Stewart, Kennedy, 2006, p. 61).Barry Bond, the legendary baseball player, shot to power and fame by winning three MVP awards in 1990s and he was recognised as the best all round player of the decade. He became the second 40-40 player in 1996, and narrowly missed the fit in 1997. In 1998, he became the first 400-400 player in history. 1 In 2000, the house belonged to Barry, who at the age of 35 was on the brink of a remarkable run of five career defining seasons. Up to that point, he had hit 445 home runs over 14 seasons of play. In 2000, he set a personal home run record with 49, and in 2001, he set a new all time record with an incredible 73 homers.The unprecedented late career explosion of 258 home runs in five years raised suspicions that Bonds had taken illegal performance drugs, such as steroids, which Bonds vehemently denied. In 2003, Bonds hits 45 home runs, which brought him within three of his coach May’s mark on the 1. URL: http://www. baseballlibrary. com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/B/Bonds_Barry. stm, retrieved on 15th Dec, 06 lifetime list. In 2004, Bonds chased his 660th career home run to join Mays as third on the all time leaders list. But he just fell short of Mays record. He admitted struggling with the notion of surpassing his childhood idol.Bonds openly admired his idol and said, â€Å"I love him so much. It is hard subject to talk about† (Linge, p. 178). Finally, in the fifth innings of the Giants home opener, Bonds achieved the fit and coach May expressed immense happiness that third place on the lifetime homer list was staying within the Giants family (Linge, p. 178). Currently, Bond has 734 home runs, 22 from breaking Hank Aaronâ₠¬â„¢s career record of 755. He could play only 14 games in 2005 following three operations in his right knee, he came back in full force in 2006 to bat 270 with 26 homers and 77 RBI in 130 games for the Giants in2006.Although he had arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in October, he still has potential power. 2 Beginning in 1998 with injection in his buttocks of Winstrol, a powerful steroid, Barry Bonds took a wide array of performance enhancing drugs over at least five seasons in a massive doping regimen that grew more sophisticated with passing years. These facts were published in Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters at the forefront of reporting BALCO steroid distribution scandal.The Book revealed day-to-day detail of how often and how deeply Bonds was engaged in the persistence doping. According to the book, Bonds used the drugs in virtually every conceivable form, by either injecting himself with a syringe or being injected by 2. Retrieved from the URL: http://sportsline. com/mlb/players/playerpage/7447 on 14th Dec, 06 his trainer, swallowing pills, placing drops of liquids under his tongue, and in case of BALCOs notorious testosterone based cream, and he applied it locally.The authors compiled the information over a two-year investigation that included, but was not limited to, court documents, affidavits filed by BALCO investigators, confidential memoranda of federal agents (including statements made to them by athletes and trainers), grand jury testimony, audiotapes and interviews with more than 200 sources. 3 Bond while denying the charge of steroid use was rather vague in his denial statements. In one of his statement Bond was quoted as saying, â€Å"Doctors ought to quit worrying about what ballplayers are taking. What players take doesn't matter.It's nobody else's business. The doctors should spend their time looking for cures for cancer. It takes more than muscles to hit homers. If all those guys were using s tuff, how come they're not all hitting homers? â€Å"4 People from all walks of life, from baseball fan, players, and analyst reacted to Barry’s steroid controversy and the consequent BALCO trial. Baseball player Turk Wendell reacted in Denver Post, â€Å" If my personal trainer, me, Turk Wendell, got indicted for that, there’s no one in the world who wouldn’t think that I wasn’t taking steroids.What, because he is Barry Bonds, no one’s going to say that? I mean, obviously he did it. (His trainer) admitted to giving steroids to baseball player. He just 3. http://sportsillustrated. cnn. com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/news. excerpt/index. html retrieved on 15th Dec, 06. 4. http://sportsillustrated. cnn. com/2006/baseball/mlb/03/06/bonds. quotes/index. html, retrieved on 15th Dec, 06 doesn’t want to say his name. You don’t have to. It’s clear just seeing his body†. 5 Journalists were although divided in their opinion regardin g the issue, majority were convinced that Bonds was guilty.Journalist George Will have expressed his view about Barry Bonds, his steroid use and its impact on the baseball statistics in the following lines. According to him, â€Å"â€Å"(Barry) Bonds' records must remain part of baseball's history. His hits happened. Erase them and there will be discrepancies in baseball's bookkeeping about the records of the pitchers who gave them up. George Orwell said that in totalitarian societies, yesterday's weather could be changed by decree. Baseball, indeed America, is not like that. Besides, the people who care about the record book — serious fans — will know how to read it.That may be Bonds' biggest worry. †5 The group who sympathises with Barry Bonds feels that he is a victim of racial prejudice. They feel that even if it is true that Bonds takes steroids, the attention that he receives far outshines that of any other athlete under investigation in the same probe. W hat the allegations of steroid use imply is that Bonds had reached his achievements on the field unfairly, and given his reputation as an unlikable player, the sportswriters and fans intend to believe this allegation.Beyond his actual guilt or innocence in this steroid probe, the public’s interest in Bonds involvement with steroids goes beyond the fact that he is an accomplished baseball player (Bloom, 2004, p. 111). 5. http://thesteroidera. blogspot. com/2006/08/memorable-steroid-era-quotes-1995-2006. html retrieved on 15th Dec, 06 Considering the fact that Barry Bonds was a steroid user, which has been proven without doubt, he should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame. This is a case of cheating and deceiving the public who passionately follow the game.If he is inducted into the hall of fame, it will be tantamount to accepting his deceitful act, which will be detrimental to the future of baseball. Moreover, since Pete Rose was denied the hall of fame for his deceiving act , it will be justifiable if Bond is treated in the same manner. As his name is already tainted, it is unlikely that people will remember him, forty, fifty years from now. His unsporting conduct and violation of sports ethics will eventually obscure him from popular memory. Only those with excellent and untainted track record, moral integrity, and true sportsmanship deserve to be incorporated into the Hall of Fame.References Bloom, J (2004) Barry Bonds: A Biography, Greenwood Press, USA Hinitz, D. R. , Yesalis, C. E. , and Bahrke, M. S (2002) Performing enhancing substances in sport and exercise, Human Kinetics Publishing Linge, M. K (2005) William Mays: A Biography, Greenwood Press, USA Stewart, M, Kennedy, M (2006) Long Ball: The legend and lore of the home run, Milbrook Press, p. 64 Teitelbaum, S. H (2005) Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols, University of Nebraska Press. The Hastings Centre Report (1985) Blood, Sweat, and Drug: The high cost being number one, Vol. 15, No. 5. p. 2

Thermoforming essays

Thermoforming essays Thermoforming is one of many manufacturing processes that converts plastic resin into usable everyday products. Thermoforming is greatly relied on in today's society because of the tremendous need for high volume plastic products. Thermoforming is considered to be one of the most cost-effective processes in plastics manufacturing. Thermoforming is considerably economical because of the low molding costs and fast molding cycles. Speed and cost efficiency are the highlighted qualities that thermoforming offers which lead the way for the process becoming so important in industry today. The basic concept of thermoforming is quite simple. A premanufactored thermoplastic sheet is heated until it becomes soft and pliable. It is then forced against the contours of a mold until it cools to its original state. Once it has cooled it is removed from the mold while still obtaining the shape of the mold. Usually the product is then trimmed to produce the finished product. The operation seems simple and straight foreword but there are many different applications associated with the process. Thermoforming is a broad term; there are many different types of thermoforming processes. These processes all have similar traits but they do differ in certain aspects of the overall process. Trapped Sheet Forming is a specialized type of thermoforming. In trapped sheet forming a hot blow plate is used in both the heating and forming process. A plastic sheet is positioned between the hot blow plate and the female mold cavity. Air forced through the plate and pressure from the female mold combine to thrust the sheet onto the hot plate. The sheet is then heated and forced into the female mold by the use of air pressure. One advantage to trapped sheet forming that is such a simplified process that many products can be produced from this method. Also the process uses contact heating, which is easily used and is not subject t ...

How to Get Into Politics - Tips and Recommendations

How to Get Into Politics - Tips and Recommendations There are lots of good ways to get into politics, but most are not easy and take time and plenty of effort. Often, its also about who you know and not necessarily what you know. Even after you figure out how to get into politics, you will likely find that it wont immediately pay enough money to be a career but instead a labor of love or civic duty, especially at the local level. Its a different story if youre running for Congress, where the salary is in the six figures.   Few people start their political careers at the federal level though- President Donald Trump is the rare exception- so lets begin with the assumption that youre considering a run for the town council, perhaps weighing whether to launch a campaign for elected office in your community. What do you need to know first? Here are some helpful tips for how to get into politics. 1. Volunteer for a Political Campaign Every political campaign- whether it be for your local school board on up to legislature or Congress- needs hard workers, the people who serve as the boots on the ground. If you want to get an idea of how politics really works, walk into any campaign headquarters and offer to help out. Youll likely be asked to do what appears to be menial work at first, things like helping to register new voters or making phone calls on behalf of a candidate. You might be handed a clipboard and a list of registered voters and told to go canvass the neighborhood. But if you do the job well, youll be given more responsibilities and a more visible role in the campaign. 2. Join the Party Getting into politics, in a lot of ways, really is about who you know, not what you know. And an easy way to get to know important people is to join or run for a seat on your local party committee, whether its the Republicans or Democrats or some third party. In many states these are elected positions, so youll need to get your name on the local ballot, which is a good learning process in and of itself. Precinct and ward leaders are the rank-and-file of any political party and are among the most important players in the political process. Their responsibilities include turning out the vote for the partys preferred candidates in primaries and general elections and screening potential candidates for local offices. 3. Contribute Money to Political Candidates Its no secret in politics that money buys access. In an ideal world that wouldnt be the case. But donors often have the ear of their favorite candidate. The more money they give the more access they get. And the more access they get the more influence they might have over policy. So what can you do? Contribute to a political candidate of your choice in the community. Even if you contribute just $20, the candidate will notice and make it a point to acknowledge your help in the campaign. Thats a good start. You can also start your own political action committee or super PAC to support candidates of your choice. 4. Pay Attention to Political News Before you get into politics, you ought to know what youre talking about and be able to hold an intelligent and thoughtful conversation about the issues. Read your local newspaper. Then read your statewide newspapers. Then read the national newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal,  The Los Angeles Times. Find good local bloggers. Stay current on the issues. If theres a particular problem in your town, think about solutions. 5. Start Local and Work Your Way Up Get involved in your community. Go to municipal meetings. Find out what the job is about. Network with activists. Find out what the issues are. Build coalitions dedicated to changing and improving your town. A good place to start is attending your weekly or monthly school board meetings. Public education and school funding are important issues in every community in the United States. Join the conversation. 6. Run for an Elected Office Start small. Run for a seat on your local school board or town council. As onetime U.S. House Speaker Tip ONeill famously said, All politics is local. Most politicians who go on to serve as governors, congressmen or president started their political careers at the local level. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for example, started out as a freeholder, a county-level elected office. The same goes for Cory Booker, a rising star in the Democratic Party. Youll want to pick a team of advisers who will offer advice and stick by you through the process. And youll want to prepare yourself and your family for the intense new scrutiny youll be getting from the media, other candidates and campaign workers who perform opposition research on you.

Womanly Words †Gyn

Womanly Words – Gyn Womanly Words Gyn Womanly Words Gyn By Sharon Well, I couldnt let the men have all the fun. English has a lot of words that contain the Greek root meaning woman or female gyn. This appears at the start or in the middle of many common words. As with the andr- words, many of these have biological or scientific origins. Heres a list to start you off: acrogynous plants having female organs at the top of the stem androgynoid a male with female features androgynous having both male and female characteristics; also applies in botany. apogynous, apogyny referring to the condition of having non working female reproductive organs calligyniaphobia a fear of beautiful women (if youre scared of all women, then you have gynephobia or gynecophobia) ergatogynous describes insects who have worker females gyneceum harem or womans house gynander woman who has male characteristics (gyndandrous refers to plants) gynarchy government run by women gynecentric regarding women as primary or central gynecium the pistil, or female part of a flower gynecogen something that stimulates female sexual characteristics (hormone) gynecology the study and treatment of diseases that affect womens reproductive systems gynogamete ovum gynoid robot shaped like a woman Many more here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouWhen to Form a Plural with an ApostropheAdvance vs. Advanced

Leadership vs. Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership vs. Management - Essay Example That is because of the existing gray area in the definition of the two. However, Warren Bennis who penned the book â€Å"On Becoming a Leader† (1989) has tried to differentiate leadership and management by explaining that; In essence, leadership sets the tone that the group is to follow while management controls and directs the workers towards achieving the goals based on established values and principles (â€Å"Definition of Leadership and Management†). Based upon the aforementioned differences of a leadership and management, we can now create a more solid perception of what the good characteristics of a leader should be. According to Tanya Prive (2012), there are 10 qualities that depict the best characteristics of a leader. These characteristics include; While there is a very long list of characteristics that is expected of a leader, there are only 5 very important qualities that a manager must have according to Jacob Morgan (2013). These qualities include; Experts such as Erika Andersen (2012) believe that it is possible for a single person to be a good leader and manager since the two are complementary and related. The characteristics of a good leader and manager actually overlap in 4 areas according to Andersen (2012). These include â€Å"listen well, are curious, manager their self - talk, and hold themselves accountable for moving their business forward.† Leadership qualities therefore, can be acquired, developed, and taught to others. That is because business managers learn to observe their leaders in order to properly manage their business. The leaders train the managers to become their clones on the floor and therefore allow these managers to develop their leadership abilities, which are taught to them and which they pass onto their subordinates. In conclusion, I would advise that those interested in management and leadership read more articles pertaining to the method by which these two highly

Natural environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Natural environment - Assignment Example Another equally disastrous effect of man’s unlimited usage of energy will be exhaustion of earth’s natural resources. Each human activity today will have its repercussions tomorrow. The manner in which man’s life might change because of the change in the environment is complex and quite unpredictable. The rapidly changing climate will have an impact on a person’s life by endangering life itself through natural disasters. It is not only the poor countries that will suffer but rich countries will suffer as well evident from instances such as Katrina and Aila leading to a crash in the world’s economy and creating economic problem for each individual . Problems in crop production might lead to market politics and decrease in food security. Famines might also result from this. Bad air and water quality will affect a person’s health and reduce the quality of life. Man-wildlife conflict is bound to harm man’s life as well with rapid urbanization and an increase in stress factors on wildlife (Hunter, 2007, p316). Another major problem will be scarcity of water because of rapid decrease in potable water leading scientists to predict as 3rd World War over this precious resource. Exhaustion of natural resources would bring man’s life to a stand-still since man is over dependent on resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Since man’s future depends on the present activities, mitigation efforts and plans need to be constructed to help restore the environmental quality and control anthropogenic activities thereby ensuring continuation of life on

New York State Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New York State Politics - Essay Example Some of the requirements required to get the card are proof of residency and identity. Special provisions have been put in place for the homeless residents who are also required to apply for the card. There are also provisions of protection put in place especially for people such as the domestic abuse survivors. There is also a platform for appeal for those denied the card. The cardholders are also required to be above 14 years of age and be residents of New York. These rules were put in place with the assistance of the HRA and in response to the online feedback and the October public hearing. The card comes with its benefits, which are benefits and discounts from the 33 city’s largest cultural institutions, which include the museum, art galleries and the zoos (Khurshid). These 33 institutions are on rent-free New York land enjoying the energy and subsidized operations in the city. They are beneficiaries to the $479.7 million spent on Cultural Institution Group (CIG) fiscal year 2013, which there are members (NYC.Gov). These are accounted for in the annual budget at the cultural affairs department that carries about two- thirds. The cards, however, are not membership cards to these institutions, as the holders are required to apply for their individual memberships in these institutions. These applied memberships are valid for a year from the day of signing up. Those who had previously applied for the membership will not be eligible although they will enjoy discounts from the institutions in which they were not members.

First Indian reservation in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains Term Paper

First Indian reservation in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains - Term Paper Example rom the northern Arctic shores to southern tip of Cape Horn, everywhere alike in the main physical characteristics, with exception of the Eskimo in the extreme North, whose features were Mongolian. This belief that Columbus was in India was later refuted by Amerigo Vaspucci after whom the continent was named. History of original inhabitants of this continent encompasses a broad range of cultures and uniqueness. American Indians, as they are commonly referred to, varied greatly from region to region, as did their reactions to European settlement. The Watchung Mountains in New Jersey, whose natural beauty characterizes the locale, came into existence some 125 million years ago when volcanic eruptions covered the area with two thick lava flows (Meisner, 2002) 1. Millions of years of geophysical transformation gradually exposed the basaltic jutting edges of the buried lava and came to be known as the First and Second Mountains of Watchung. Between them nestled a broad fertile valley through which flows the Green Brook and the peaceful valley-river, Passaic 2. The name Watchung is derived from an Indian word meaning "on the hill" or "high place". A large Native community known as the ‘Lenape’ or ‘Delaware Indians’ lived in this area that they called ‘Lenapehoking’, which meant land of the Lenape. Delaware Indians are a closely-knit Native American group of the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock. In the 17th century their territory included all of what is now New J ersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Southeastern New York State, Northern Delaware and a small part of Southeastern Connecticut. As part of the Eastern forests Lenapehoking had many rivers, streams, lakes and dense forest with rich wildlife. The Passaic River was integral to the Lenape existence, providing transportation and sustenance. Two branches of the Great Minisink Trail, known as the Indian highway between the shore and the Delaware River, ran along the Passaic. Many

Intel Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intel - Term Paper Example Revenues and profits dropped significantly. The company had to change its operational strategies to remain significant in the market. The challenges faced in the organization were mainly on the quality of the HR department and the rising competition (Ulrich, Allen, Brockbank, Younger & Nyman, 2009). The HR department was reluctant in coming up with new operation strategies. The management of Intel Company had to sensitize its HR department on the effectiveness of change. It was found that the HR did not make any concerns on the rising need to improve on service delivery. The department was comfortable with the current operations since the company was making incredible market impact. The rising competition was also a worrying factor that made the management of Intel formulate new plans and strategies. Internal influences in the organization revolved around the employees and the management. The management had it under their responsibility to make sure the company made the correct operational and strategic decisions. The management was responsible for coming up with appropriate decisions regarding the tactics and strategies the company employed. The staff on the other hand was responsible to implement the strategic plans formulated by the management. The expertise of the employees was also an influence in the organizations. The company had over the year employee individual with outstanding talent in the company. The quality of the employees included in the company was questionable. For the transformation of the company to be successful, the employees and management had to work together to come up with suitable strategies (Ulrich, Allen, Brockbank, Younger & Nyman, 2009). The quality of the human resource is also a significant internal factor to be considered. External influences in cluded the market competition. The demand and satisfaction of consumers are also external factors. The rising competition had to force the organization to come up with

An advantage and a disadvantage of a large, public company because of Assignment

An advantage and a disadvantage of a large, public company because of its corporate form of ownership - Assignment Example For instance, a key benefit that can be seen is with regards to the fact that the initial public offering in stock price of Twitter has progressively risen since its first offering (Wilhelm, 2014). This of course stands in stark contrast to what was predicted and the way in which a similar platform, Facebook, behave. However, tangential to this, a noted drawback that the authors of several articles have noted has to do with the fact that Twitter has the difficulty of living up to an unrealistic expectation. As individuals have seen the rapid growth and advance in stock price, more and more investors have come to see this as a lucrative investment through which they can make something of a sudden gain upon their initial investments. However, the fact of the matter is that Twitter is an established tech company and seeks to provide a level of resilient growth without being seen as an investment instrument. In this very manner, the negative drawback of the growth that Twitter is facing is ultimately the result of its success. Wilhelm,  A. (2014, January 13).  IPO Underwriter Goldman Sachs Boosts Its Twitter Target 41% To $65 | TechCrunch. Retrieved  February  3, 2014, from

Intel Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intel - Term Paper Example Revenues and profits dropped significantly. The company had to change its operational strategies to remain significant in the market. The challenges faced in the organization were mainly on the quality of the HR department and the rising competition (Ulrich, Allen, Brockbank, Younger & Nyman, 2009). The HR department was reluctant in coming up with new operation strategies. The management of Intel Company had to sensitize its HR department on the effectiveness of change. It was found that the HR did not make any concerns on the rising need to improve on service delivery. The department was comfortable with the current operations since the company was making incredible market impact. The rising competition was also a worrying factor that made the management of Intel formulate new plans and strategies. Internal influences in the organization revolved around the employees and the management. The management had it under their responsibility to make sure the company made the correct operational and strategic decisions. The management was responsible for coming up with appropriate decisions regarding the tactics and strategies the company employed. The staff on the other hand was responsible to implement the strategic plans formulated by the management. The expertise of the employees was also an influence in the organizations. The company had over the year employee individual with outstanding talent in the company. The quality of the employees included in the company was questionable. For the transformation of the company to be successful, the employees and management had to work together to come up with suitable strategies (Ulrich, Allen, Brockbank, Younger & Nyman, 2009). The quality of the human resource is also a significant internal factor to be considered. External influences in cluded the market competition. The demand and satisfaction of consumers are also external factors. The rising competition had to force the organization to come up with

Advantages Of Bluetooth Technology implementation In Modern Life Case Study

Advantages Of Bluetooth Technology implementation In Modern Life - Case Study Example The Bluetooth technology in business information system uses a weak signal so that it doesn't interfere by means of cell phone signal or additional signals. This technology is identical to the radio signal technology. The Bluetooth technology can be utilized to transfer data between different sections at the Business Information System. The current status of the technology Bluetooth has held every corner of society resorting overwhelming trend since Ericsson proposed the new technology-Bluetooth in 1998. The development of Bluetooth is improved rapidly in recent years. As a new short distance wireless transmission technology, Bluetooth has been paid close attention to the fields of science, industry, and entertainment. Bluetooth service utilizes radio waves to transfer data that's mean distances between each Bluetooth devices has to in short distance. Another weakness point about Bluetooth is security; because of the underlying communication medium is an open system for everyone. In these cases, this technology is not effectively operational. It is suitable for only office-based communications and data handling. According to Flint, Karvinen, McKnight, & Tee (2008), Bluetooth is a new and modern type of technology in the telecommunications sector. This new technology allows connecting wirelessly to computers, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants or PDAs. This wireless connection allows easy interconnection by a short-range wireless link. In this way, we can transfer data within a short distance with high data rate. By means of this technology, users of wireless technology, cellular phones, PDAs can purchase a 3in1 mobile phone that is able to offer the facility of portability at the office or home. It also presents the capability to obtain rapidly synchronized information in a notebook or desktop computer.

History of Las Vegas, Nevada Essay Example for Free

History of Las Vegas, Nevada Essay Las Vegas, translated from Spanish as â€Å"the meadows† was discovered and thus established in 1829 by the Mexican merchant Antonio Armijo, who led a trade caravan of 60 men creating a trade route to Los Angeles. Ironically, what historically was established as a mere transition point on a route, became one of the most remarkable places in the United States, â€Å"a pearl in a desert. † Practically, the rapid growth of Las Vegas as both a tourist destination and a community is directly related to the development of the image of Las Vegas. Even though Nevada was the last state to outlaw gambling in 1909 and the first state subsequently to legalize gambling in 1931, Las Vegas city fathers were more concerned with the divorce laws than reinstating gambling, and throughout most of the 1930s, gambling remained a sideline for Las Vegas. But the eighth wonder of the world, as Boulder Dam was then billed, began to funnel a torrent of tourists to the Las Vegas Valley (Boorstin, 1987:3). Las Vegas leaders envisioned their town as a Nevada Palm Springs. Alan Hess, in his book Viva Las Vegas, observes, They began to promote their characteristic western identity, the desert scenery, a social mix of laissez-faire government and neighborly hospitality embodied in speedy divorces and easy gambling† (Hess, 1993:19). In 1932, a year after the legalization of gambling, the then-luxurious, three-story Hotel Apache opened in downtown Las Vegas. With a motif of Native American design and an elevator to the supper club on top, the Apache was the most modern for its day. By 1936, the dam was completed and Las Vegas, with no more big payroll checks from dam workers, was beginning an economic slump. But, between 1938 and 1942 several changes occurred to avert the slump. In 1938, Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Brown had begun enforcing the no gambling laws in California and many California gamblers moved to Las Vegas. Guy McAfee, a police captain and commander of the vice squad, was one of these California gamblers who moved into Las Vegas where he purchased the Pair-O-Dice Club in 1939. McAfee is credited with naming that part of the Los Angeles Highway which came into Las Vegas as The Strip in fond memory of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. It would be several years before The Strip would gain its present day fame. Federal intervention also assisted the Las Vegas economy when President Roosevelts administration ordered air bases throughout the country. In 1940 Las Vegas received an air training station on the outskirts of town, and in 1941, Basic Magnesium, Inc. (BMI) was built, which created the city of Henderson. Las Vegas found itself with two new industries-recreation provided by the dam and lake, and defense, provided by the training station and BMI. The recreation (tourism) and defense industries would shape many western cities throughout the rest of the century. Fremont Street, Las Vegass main thoroughfare, boomed. As Don Knepp said in Las Vegas Entertainment Capital, There also emerged the image of Las Vegas as the glamorous hub for vacations in the Southwest† (Knepp, 1987:31). The city leaders had begun promoting Las Vegas as a tourist Mecca, and the WPA Guide to Nevada, the Silver State, 1940, seemed to approve of the methods when it said of Las Vegas, No cheap and easily parodied slogans have been adopted to publicize the city, no attempt has been made to introduce pseudo-romantic architectural themes, or to give artificial glamour and gaiety† (Hess, 1993:20). 941 saw further growth for the Strip and downtown. The El Rancho opened with a dude ranch theme and atmosphere. Built by Californian Thomas E. Hull, the El Rancho established a pattern of roadside landmarks, vistas and signs that broke with the tradition of downtown Las Vegas hotels and realized a vision that would mold the citys current form. The El Rancho duplicated the easy accessibility of the roadside motel, but with much more grandeur. While the downtown Hotel Apache was fancy, the El Rancho was lavish. Downtown, the El Cortez opened. Built by Californians Marion Hicks and John Grayson and although multistory, as most downtown hotels were, the El Cortez also kept to the western or Spanish theme. After stopping at the El Rancho, William J. Moore and R. E. Griffith, realizing the potential of thousands of gambling customers from the gunnery school, built the Last Frontier. Opening in October 1942, the Last Frontier also western in theme, was larger and more opulent than the El Rancho. McAfee, not satisfied with owning just the Pair-O-Dice Club, tried to upstage the El Rancho by building the Pioneer Club at Fremont and First Streets. Also consciously western in style, the Pioneer Club opened in 1942. Even though western in design, as late as 1947 Las Vegans were amazed that something so lavish as the El Rancho could succeed so far from downtown. The success of the El Rancho, the Pioneer Club and the Last Frontier was impressive enough that the city boosters considered making the western theme mandatory for Fremont Street. Although many downtown casino owners followed suit, the idea was never formally adopted. As Las Vegas became more savvy about the potential of a tourist economy, it began to exploit its western heritage more consciously. In keeping with the western motif, dude ranches replaced motels to provide divorce seekers a place to stay until their six weeks residency requirements were met The western influence provided a successful venue for divorce interests and gambling, two of the leading economic factors for Las Vegas. Close behind McAfee was Bugsy Siegel, who began by taking over the Las Vegas race betting wires, and, as a representative of Al Capone, muscled out the Continental Press Service and gained part ownership of several Fremont Street Clubs including the Pioneer Club. Although there was already an obscure element of gangsters in Las Vegas, Siegel was publicly known for his ties to organized crime. Siegel brought with him the negative aspect of the influence of organized crime, but he also brought the positive aspect of establishing a landmark luxury resort with the building of his Flamingo which broke with the western theme. The half-finished Flamingo officially opened with Jimmy Durante as entertainment in 1946; finances forced closure of the resort four weeks later, but the Flamingo reopened in 1948. Knepp credits Siegel with bringing extensive national exposure to Las Vegas; the notoriety attached to the Fabulous Flamingo branded Las Vegas as an underworld haven, a reputation that has persisted (Knepp, 1987:32). World War II created a shortage of construction materials which also created most of the financial difficulties Siegel experienced while building the Flamingo. But the federal government, including the war and defense spending, contributed greatly to Nevada, especially Las Vegas. Eugene P.  Moehring states in his book, Resort City in the Sunbelt, that Defense spending was an obvious by-product of the worldwide conflict. But, like the dam earlier, World War II strengthened the towns recreational economy† (Moehring, 1995:40). The war also brought some disadvantages such as curfews, which cut profits by closing casinos from 2 to 10 a. m. and meat rationing, which caused some restaurants to close. Clearly, the national emergency created many problems for Las Vegasâ⠂¬  (Moehring, 1995:40). Yet, much the same as Hoover Dam before it, World War II represented a bonanza for the small towns economy. The war helped confirm gambling as Las Vegass main postwar industry; By partially depriving the city of tourists for almost four years, the war magnified their [tourists] importance in the minds of promoters† (Moehring, 1995:40). The end of the World War II brought an end to the shortages of construction materials which had plagued Siegel and the 1950s brought the largest growth expansion in American history. This expansion occurred in the western United States, led by the state of Nevada. As 1950 opened, Nevada contained approximately 160,000 residents: by 1955, the population was about 245,000, a rise of more than 53 percent (Glass, 1981:39). By the end of the 1950s, Nevadas population had increased 75 percent, to 285,000 residents, making it the fastest-growing state in the country. During this expansion, Nevadas economy flourished thanks to mining, to the Freeport Law and to the test site in Las Vegas. But, it was gambling that brought about the unprecedented growth. By 1955, mining still outstripped gambling by just under $100,000, but as Jane Glass, in her book Nevadas Turbulent 50% asked, Who noticed? Well, of course the people who were working the mines noticed and the tax collectors who pulled in the highest amount on record but, almost nobody else† (Glass, 1981:92) which seems to imply that Nevada, especially Las Vegas, had forgotten the rich economy of mining, preferring instead to credit gambling as the biggest boon the states economy. The Freeport La w was the legacy of Edwin Bender, an administrator for a federal agency in charge of storing strategic war material, when he discovered a shortage of space in which to store the items. By the end of the 1940s, Bender found himself with a surplus of space and a shortage of goods. Later, when the county tax assessor evaluated some of the items for tax purposes, Bender felt the taxation to be unfair. He wrote a proposal for what became the Freeport bill and with the help of Nevada Attorney General Alan Bible, who drew up the bill. Owners of warehouses and light manufacturing firms found Nevadas tax climate substantially to their liking and, the Freeport Law became a significant economic advantage. After twenty-five years, three-quarters of a billion dollars worth of goods were being shipped yearly by truck and rail from the warehouses in the state (Glass, 1981:44). Although initially slow to move, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce became deeply involved in designing and planning for tourists as early as 1944. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and its boosters, fearing for the postwar economy sponsored a fund raiser to raise $75,000 as a budget for promoting the city as a tourist destination. During the war, the two largest industries had been the Army Air Base and Basic Magnesium, Inc. Surveys and research led the Chamber to the conclusion that tourism was now the best means to a good economy and the Chamber set out to attract visitors. Before long however, Las Vegas found it had to deal with the underworld image that had grown up thanks to Bugsy Siegel and others. The Chamber of Commerce tried several different public relations firms and advertising firms to draw attention away from the negative publicity of gangsters as well as the wild city image previously promoted. When these firms failed to promote the city in what Las Vegans and the Chamber felt was a positive way, the Chamber hired the West Marquis Agency to handle promotion. The West Marquis Agency was subsequently replaced when the Chamber felt it too had failed. It appears the Chamber need not have worried. Surveys now have shown that during the time of heavy gangster influence, tourists came to Las Vegas in the hopes of actually seeing a gangster. Knepp supports this view, For most visitors in the 1940s, however, the reputed underworld ties seemed only to highlight the citys wide open appeal. † (Knepp, 1987:32). Nevertheless, by the 1950s, promoting Las Vegas and creating the acceptable image had become a concerted effort of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the city and the casinos who hired their own communication specialists. Contemporary Las Vegas is a place famous for extremely high concentration of world largest and what is more important, famous, casinos, among which are Stratosphere Hotel and Tower, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Rio Suites, the Gold Coast, the Maxim, the San Reno, the Continental, the new Paris and the smaller Hard Rock, Luxor, and the Circus Circus. Las Vegas Valley and its dominant industry generate a great many statistics, some misleading, others conflicting. In 1995-96, gamblers left behind $3. billion at the machines, tables, and sports books of the Strip compared to $683 million Downtown, a fact that gives some idea of the relative importance of the two in the industry that created and still runs Las Vegas (Littlejohn and Gran, 1999:2-3). Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other city in the world (more than a hundred thousand in 1998, with twenty thousand more either planned or under construction), and the highest average hotel-occupancy rate (87 to go percent) of any American city. In 1995, the Zagat Guide estimated that it offered the lowest average daily hotel room rate of the thirty-three leading U. S. visitor destinations. Moreover, Las Vegas currently contains nine of the worlds ten largest hotels. Las Vegas claims to be the number-one tourist destination in the U. S. , with more than 30 million visitors a year. Nevada had in 1996 both the highest marriage rate (ten times the national average, due primarily to out-of-state couples who come to Las Vegas and Reno to marry) and the highest divorce rate (more than double the national average). According to the FBIs Uniform Crime Reports for 1995, Las Vegas had the highest total crime rate and the highest rate of crimes against property among all American cities with more than 250,000 people (Littlejohn and Gran, 1999:5). Police reports for that year placed Las Vegas fourth among U. S. metropolitan areas of over a million population after Miami, Phoenix, and Oklahoma City in the rate of all serious crimes; 14. 7 percent of these were called â€Å"violent. †

Dale Earnhardt Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Dale Earnhardt grew up in automotive racing. Ever since he was a kid that is what his family did, and now his family carries on that legacy. Dale Earnhardt grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina, a textile mill town. His father, Ralph Earnhardt, was known as "Iron heart" on the short-track racing circuit, and he taught Dale how to drive stock cars and work with engines. His father had converted a barn behind the family home into a garage, and he was well known for his skill with engines. Earnhardt's earliest memory is of watching his father race. Dale dropped out of high school after the eighth grade because he tried ninth grade twice and just couldn't do it. After he dropped out, Dale worked odd jobs, drove dirt tracks, and also argued with his father, which wanted him to complete high school. Dale became most famous with his black Monte Carlo with a dominate # 3 in white on it, but his first dirt track car was a 1956 hot-pink ford Sedan, which his neighbors gave to him, David and Ray Oliver. His father Ralph had built the engine, and some other friends, Frank and Wayne Dayvault and their cousin Gregg, tuned it. They int ended to paint the car avocado green, but a paint mishap resulted in the car being pink. They could not afford to repaint it, and Dale raced the pink car on dirt tracks around Charlotte, North Carolina. Dale married for the first time at 17, and at age 18 had a son, Kerry. Dale divorced his first wife at 19 and married a second time to Brenda. This marriage would last five years before he divorced again. Dale had two children with his second wife, a daughter, Kelley, and a son, Dale Jr., who would both followed him into racing. While Dale was at the age of twenty two his father died from a heart attack. Earn... ...nto the steering column of the car. Dale's legions of fans mourned his loss deeply, creating shrines and memorials all over the country, particularly in his hometown of Mooresville. Bechtel quoted long-time friend H.A. Wheeler, who said, "Here's a kid who came from the bottom, worked hard for everything he got and didn't have any airs about him . . .. Truck drivers, dockworkers, welders and shrimp-boat captains loved that. He was everything they dreamed about being." I believe that Dale Earnhardt was the greatest stock car driver there was and ever will be. He was down to earth and didn't let money or fame stop him from connecting with his fans. Dale has done many great things with his life, and also great things with the community and the people that followed him thought his racing career. Dale was a role model to many and other drivers looked up, and respected him.

Factional Terror, Paramilitarism and Civil War in Haiti Essay -- Haiti

â€Å"Factional Terror, Paramilitarism and Civil War in Haiti: The View from Port-au-Prince, 1994-2004† is a scholarly article discussing the observations made by J. Christopher Kovats-Bernat in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, during the country’s heavily violent civil war. The article goes into great detail in order to discuss the events leading up to the civil unrest, taking into consideration many of the political, economic, and cultural influences that prompted the 1994 coup-d’à ©tat and the resulting ten years of extreme violence. The author, though, attempts to investigate the country’s bloodshed using the methodology developed by anthropologist Carolyn Nordstrom, who believed that war is not a static event but instead one that shapes and is shaped by historical, social, and cultural contexts. Therefore, Kovats-Bernat attempts to investigate the country’s current bloodshed by taking three separate questions into consideration; what pol itical advances led up to the war, what social aspects characterises the war’s violence, and how has the war affected the day-to-day-lives and cultural identities of Haitians? Kovats-Bernat describes the three key concepts that he wishes to utilize in order to make such an investigation into the life of Haitians during the civil war: political history, social analysis of material conditions, and cultural context. However, he does not seem to aptly follow all definitions that he provides for each of these concepts all throughout his paper, at least not in a concise manner that is easily understood by the reader. Take ‘cultural context’, for example. Kovats-Bernat clearly states that by cultural context he means â€Å"individual and community narratives of violence... within a larger symbolic world... ...ulk of this academic journal discusses primarily the â€Å"political developments that led to the war† (p.123), and therefore Kovats-Bernat has been successful in considering at least one of the three aspects that he had hoped to discuss. However, he does seem to be lacking when it comes to discussing his other two clearly define key concepts– exactly what the author originally claimed would result in ambiguous, subjective, and inaccurate observations. The author has not successfully been able to put an individual or community ‘face’ to the issue, and seems to focus more so on history rather than ethnography. Had he instead been successful in presenting Haiti’s political history as well as a more in-depth social analysis of material conditions and discussion of cultural context, there would be a much greater basis upon which I could express my confidence in the evidence.

Questions in a Little Dark Corner

â€Å"Who are you? Is this me? Why can't I recognize myself?† those questions have always been around me in the pass few years that I have hided myself in a little dark corner. I have asked the same questions to myself over and over again, but when can I get an answer? I've only got more and more questions come out through my mind. I don't know where they came from, I don't what to say, and I don't know what to do, but cry, in a little dark corner. I started to ask those questions when I came to America. I don't know why, but I do know this have never happened to me before. Back in Taiwan, I was known as a cute little girl that likes to play a lot, many adult loves me by make them happy. I know I have come from a beautiful little island, which we all called Taiwan. I never thought about going anywhere outside of this country, until my father has already decided to start a new adventure at America. He thinks this is a good opportunity for us to see outside of the world, and learn something new form the out side world. But are you sure this is a right thing to do? Nobody knows, not even myself. Socratic Seminar Questions I have no idea what's like to be apart from my country, I just know I'm following my dad's order, and go on to the airplane just as he tell me to. I only know few words in English, like â€Å"hello† and â€Å"good bye†, or the most important one â€Å"bathroom†. I still remember when we came down from the airplane, we were lost in the airport, since my older sister have the best English out of all of us, my father tried to convince her to ask direction for us, but still she is also have never talk to any American before, therefore we are all dislike to talk to anyone. But we still need direction for our way out, and then we have the idea to use paper-rock-scissor to decide who will be the one asking direction for us. This â€Å"paper-rock-scissor† thing has happen through out the whole first year that we came to America. Even we have already been practiced talking to native speakers, I don't know why I still didn't see any improvement of my English skill, and I'm the only one still on the same spot as I came to America. I have never liked to talk to any American; I know if I don't talk my English skill will never get better, but what can I do? I can't, just can't, I'm afraid to make any mistakes or see other people make joke out of me, I don't want to make fun of myself and let people laugh at my face. I don't know what to do, what can I do? At the school, because of my â€Å"afraid†, I didn't talk to any other students; therefore I didn't have any friend. Everyone think I'm weird, no one likes to talk to me, and there are even have some classmate thought I'm one of the â€Å"special kid†; they don't like me, and I don't like them, I'm all alone. But is this what I really want? No, I do not want my life continue like this. I want to make some friends, be part of them, have some laugh with, and be happy. Don't walk away from me, don't turn your face away, look at me and talk to me, be friend with me, but how? I keep asking myself to speak, to talk, just open my mouth, but why can't I do it? Why? I ask myself in a dark corner. After one year, when I know we are moving, and I was going to transfer to another school, I was so happy; I thought I can make up my stupid mistake, and make some friends this time. By the time before the first day to my new school, I was teaching myself how to introduce myself to other classmates in front of my bathroom mirror, think that I can actually make some friend on my own. I was very happy; I thought I don't need my little corner any more. But I was wrong. I didn't make up any of my mistakes, I have done it again. When I saw other students came to me, my mouth immediately closed up, and I only stand there and watch them walk pass through me one by one. I hate myself, hate that couldn't speak, hate why can't I just do it, and make some friends. I'm back in the little dark corner, I said to myself everyday, to talk, to speak, to make friend, but I never did it, I can't, not even I wanted to, my mouth just won't work. What can I do? I keep asking myself the same question again and again. Two years have passed my sister and my brother has getting better and butter in English, and they have make all kinds of friends, only I haven't change much, and still no friend for me. High school is getting closer and closer, only few mouth left, I know what I need to do, I know what I should do, but can I do it? I keep practicing my little speech to myself, will I make friends? Will I open my mouth? I don't know, but I will try. I will try anything to get out of the little dark corner. Now I'm a high school student, the little dark corner is getting smaller and smaller; I have friends now, and I even have by â€Å"BFF†, and I'll continue to make more friends. I do not need my corner anymore. But still, I will like to become more open like what I use to be, the happy little girl who always have a nice smile on the face, and make everyone laugh all the time. Even I'm not a little girl anymore, to be happy or sad, I'm still me, I may change over time, but I am still here. This is the new me, to get stronger and stronger, to help other get out of the little dark corner.

Movie “The Blind Side” Essay

I have selected the movie; â€Å"The Blind Side†, it is the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless teenager who was able to overcome great obstacles in order to become a first round draft pick in the NFL. Michael Oher had a rough childhood as he didn’t know his father and his mother was addicted to drugs. He was in and out of foster homes and at times living on the street. The football coach at Wingate, a private school, saw football potential in Michael and got him admitted into the prestigious school. However, he had learning disabilities and still did not have a permanent home. Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother of a Wingate student, and wife of the owner of several Taco Bell restaurants, finds out about Michael’s predicament and invites him to stay the night at their home. Once Michael is in the Tuohy home, a close relationship develops between him and the Tuohys. The one night stay turns into a permanent living situation for Oher. Leigh Anne makes it her personal mission to make sure Michael has everything he needs emotionally and academically to graduate from high school and to get admitted to Ole Miss. After a successful college football campaign, Oher was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round in 2009, thus fulfilling his dream. This movie has it all. As you watch it, you experience the emotions of both sadness and joy, as you watch this young man go from being homeless to being drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.

The European Union Mechanism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The European Union Mechanism - Essay Example The policies developed at the European Union are developed by a complex structure incorporated in the European Union mechanism. Among the main goals and objectives of the European Union when it was first instituted was focused on economic stability and growth. In summary, the European Union’s concept was founded on three crucial economic theories. The three economic theories are; the free market, comparative advantage and economies of scale. Although the European Union is attributed to many economical responsibilities within its member states, it has also faced numerous social and economic challenges that continue to emerge from the member states. For instance, the high rate of unemployment in some of its member states has raised eyebrows on the equal and genuine contribution of the European Union among the numerous member states. Although the businesses in the European Union member states have been recording high profit margins, the same cannot be said of the GDP whose growth has been slow. Federalism approach   In order to comprehend and understand as why dialogue among the European Union member states sensitive policies is not taking place, one has to check at the various phases of the European Union integration operation. ...The federalist approach is regarded as the strategy of achieving a common purpose. The current European federalism idea traces its roots to the unclear vision of a United Europe. This ambiguity vision had two perspectives. In the first perspective integration was regarded as a federal project as well as an institution that responded to particular issues that faced Europe in its post-war period. The second perspective was comprised of European integration that comprised of a combination of federal elements that lowered and confederal elements that solidifies the national sovereignty. In Europe, the federal project is undermined by the emphasis on institutional establishment as well as the neglect to participate in active and cre ative support of the citizens in the European Union. The recent constitutional of European Union in 2005, the divisions that sit deep in the Union and the multilevel governance theories are regarded as signs of federalism. Proponents of the treaty advocated for the European Federation while opponents of the treaty were rooted to the idea of confederation of Europe that is established member states that are sovereign. The shift from treaty federalism to constitution federalism according to Ward is bound to give rise to resistance and heated debate over the precise intension and objective of European integration. After a downfall of constitutional treaty, the Lisbon treaty was negotiated which reflected the older model version of treaty federalism.

Poem Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Poem Analysis - Essay Example ng the lines in Yeats’ â€Å"Second Coming† with Sassoon’s â€Å"Glory of Women†, I would say that one of their similarities would be how their poem described the dire conditions of the World War and how it seeps out the life and joy of people. An example of some intersections between the lines of the â€Å"Second Coming† and â€Å"Glory of Women† would be, â€Å"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere. The ceremony of innocence is drowned† from The Second Coming; and â€Å"You crown our distant ardours while we fight, And mourn our laurelled memories when were killed. You cant believe that British troops retire. When hells last horror breaks them, and they run, Trampling the terrible corpses--blind with blood,† from â€Å"Glory of Women†, which both talks about the casualties of war (Glory of Women, n.d.). All three poems have a similar theme, expressing the occurrences during the World War. All three are interconnected in such a way that â€Å"Glory of Women† details the experiences of people during the World War; â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum† then foretells of the aftermath of the World War, where the living conditions are undesirable; while â€Å"The Second Coming† gives hope to an escape from the cruel world through the hope of the coming of a savior that will end all suffering and

Law Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law - Article Example â€Å"When at the desire of the promisor, the promise or any other person has done or abstained from doing, or does or abstains from doing, or promises to do or abstain from doing something, such an act or abstinence or promise is called a consideration for the promise.† Social agreements are the agreements which are just promises between two or more persons or parties, but do not enjoy the status of contract. For example one person invites another at his office to have dinner with him, but if he fails to host dinner, no legal remedy can be demanded, as it is social agreement in nature. Such promises do not bind the parties, to fulfil the promise, thus no legal rights between the parties are created, as in the case of Balfour and Balfour (1919) 2 KB 571: â€Å"When a husband failed to pay a promised allowance, the wife sued. The court announced the judgement in these words: "There are agreements between parties which do not result in contracts within the meaning of that term in our law. The ordinary example is where two parties agree to take a walk together (or) arrangements which are made between husband and wife. They are not contracts because the parties did not intend that they should be attended by legal consequences. Each house is a domain into which the Kings writ does not seek to run.† (Quoted in Duhaimes Canadian Contract Law Centre, p 2). On the other hand, there are some contracts, which are legal in nature, and the parties are bound to execute the promise and agreements. In case of not complying with which, legal rights and obligations are created, as in the case of Telaviv and Yusuf. In the case above described, Telaviv and Yusuf are the plaintiff and the defendant respectively. Since the offer made by Yusuf through advertisement, was mere a general offer, and not made to one specific person. An offerer is the person who makes an offer, and the offeree is the person who

Group Cohesion and Productivity (MGT 415) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Group Cohesion and Productivity (MGT 415) - Essay Example I had recently joined the organization and was not fully aware of the all the operations and technologies (Losh). The technology that was used in the organization was very advance. However, instructions and trainings were provided by the management, but many of us still had issues. This problem was resolved when a group project comprising of 6 team members were announced to us. Since, I was new in the organization I had to cope up with different things (Feldman and Arnold), and because of the other 5 members I was able to do so. Working in a team turned out to be helpful and effective as it allowed me and others to share knowledge and overcome shortfalls. The project successfully ended before the given deadline. On the contrary, a similar team project did not work very well a few weeks ago. The team members including me did not have a mutual understanding with each other; thus, the decisions were vague and did not turn out to be as efficient as the last project. The project also failed as the productions was in a deficit and also exceeded the time

Compare Movie Doubt with the Novel Doubt Research Paper

Compare Movie Doubt with the Novel Doubt - Research Paper Example In ‘Doubt: A Parable’ these components are very articulate and emphatic. In the movie Doubt, the actress Meryl Streep overdoes the tyrant nun’s act. The movie’s plot follows the play plot in every important issue, but has included a few extra scenes that do not come in the play. The scene involving the cat and the mouse was not part of the play but was incorporated into the movie. The quote â€Å"who keeps opening my windows† was not part of the play, but it was added in the movie to give it length as the play is shorter than the movie. In the movie the feminist angle was more emphasized whereas in the play the racial tension is more pronounced. When a movie is adapted to a play script, some of the essence of the original work gets lost. In the case of ‘Doubt,’ the playwright has been able to retain the core essence of the struggle portrayed in the play and has managed to turn his simple stage production into a post-Vatican II period pie ce. This is very evident in a particular scene where Meryl Streep had to perform while rendering her dialogue. One of the most cathartic one liners of modern American theatre is â€Å"I have so many doubts! I have such, such doubts!† These lines were spoken when the script reached its most poignant moment.

Analysis of Love in “A Rose for Emily” Emily Grierson Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Love in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† Emily Grierson Essay Love was finally seen as infatuation when the dead body was found lying in the bed outlasting fake love. People can feel like they truly love someone, but actually, they only have a short-lived admiration for that person. Faulkner clearly creates excellent examples of mistaking infatuation for true love. Infatuation can cause people to perform stupid deeds that people normally would not do. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† Emily Grierson mistakes infatuation for love causing her to buy arsenic poison, kill Homer Barron, and retain his body after his death. Earlier in Emily’s life, she was unable to find love because of the lack of finding or keeping suitors. The reason she could not find or keep suitors was that of her father. Her father did not believe that any man was worthy enough to marry his daughter. His family was of higher rank so Emily could not marry a man of a lower social class. This caused her to never find love and to never experience true feelings for someone. The only love she knew and had was the unusual love from her father. She did not have a mother figure in her life to her father’s love was all she had. When her father died, Emily had no love at all. She was truly alone without her father and since her father denied all men, she was left with nobody. Emily’s thoughts of love are twisted because she never got to experience true feelings of her own. This is why Emily becomes insane and acts irrationally. She does not know what love truly feels like and can not process what love really is. She only knows the temporary feelings she has. Hogan 2 Sometime after her father died, a man, by the name of Homer Barron, comes into her life. Emily and Homer start to interact with each other, and she starts to develop feelings that she has never experienced before. She starts confusing those feelings and lust for love. Emily begins to think that sinc e Homer is spending time with her it is love, but she is completely wrong. Emily starts to act irrationally and goes to the druggist to buy arsenic poison. She tells the druggist that she wants the best poison he has. After the druggist names a couple, he tells her, â€Å"They’ll kill anything up to an elephant. But you want is† (paragraph10, sectionIII). Emily cuts him off and tells him she wants arsenic. The druggist tells her she has to tell him what she will do with it, but she just looks at him â€Å"†¦erect, her face like a strained flag† (paragraph14, sectionIII). She continued staring at him and he finally gives her the poison. This shows how Emily was determined to buy the poison no matter what because she has the false love for Homer. Emily bought the arsenic because of her infatuation with Homer Barron. She did not want to lose him because she thought she was in love with him. Emily was afraid that she would be alone for the rest of her life after she found out that â€Å"Homer himself had remarkedhe liked men† (paragraph1, section). Since Homer liked men, he would not marry her and love her the way she wanted to be loved. Even though that was true, it would not stop her from trying to change his mind, even if she had to use the arsenic to do it. Emily was unaware of the things infatuation was causing her to do. Emily, mind truly lost, kills Homer Barron, but before she does she tries to change his mind about liking men. Miss Emily prepares for their wedding, gathering every necessity appropriate. She buys a man’s toilet set in silver with his initials on it and a complete outfit of men’s clothing for him. Homer comes to see Emily one day and that was the last time people see Hogan 3 him. People believe that they are on a long honeymoon, but actually, she has him locked upstairs. When Emily realizes her efforts to persuade Homer to return the love has failed, she resorts to poisoning him with the arsenic. She believes this is the only way she can have him forever. Instead of giving Homer a proper burial, Miss Emily keeps his body upstairs, so she can have him for the rest of her life. The false love she has causes her to keep a corpse in her home until she dies. She not only keeps his dead body but also sleeps in the bed with it. This type of psychotic behavior is because of her infatuation for Homer Barron. Also, her lust for Homer causes her to have sexual relations with his dead body. Emily is still a virgin since her father did not approve of any of her suitors, so she never marries or takes her maidenhead. She did not want to die a virgin so she has intercourse with her so-called true love even though he is not alive. This is justified in her head because she loves him, but little did she know, she was only infatuated with him. When Miss Emily died and w as buried, people went upstairs and opened the room where Homer’s body was. His body had â€Å"apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace† (paragraph7, sections). This showed how Emily sleeps and cuddles with his dead body and how psychotic she has become because of infatuation and lust. Miss Emily only wants true love, but she did not know what true love really is. She mistakes infatuation and lust for love. Her father stops her from experiencing love by denying all of her suitors. Then when Homer gives her some attention and friendship, she grows temporary feelings for him and lets them drive her to do insane deeds. She buys the arsenic poison, kills Homer with the poison, and instead of properly disposing his body she keeps it so she would always have him to love. Miss Emily is not a bad person, she just does not have someone so she Hogan 4 is lonely. In reality Emily Grierson only wants to love and wants to be loved, but the lack of receiving it causes her to mistake love for lust and infatuation leading to the demise of her mind.

Human Resource Management in Pakistan

Human Resource Management in Pakistan Pakistan is categorized in the list of developing countries. Many multinationals organizations are operational in Pakistan and along with these multinational organizations many large and small businesses are also operating in Pakistan. Now a day there is a trend of doing business thats why both experienced and well educated entrepreneurs are staring their businesses and this will a positive sign in the success of Pakistan. In Pakistan, most of the organizations dont have a proper human resource department to perform all the related activities of human resource department. Organizations dont give importance to the human resource department and do not realize the effectiveness of human resource department. They think that hiring a person is the only responsibility of human resource department in any organization and it can be done by any other person of the organization. But on the other hand, many multinational and national organizations realize the importance of human resource department and they have a proper human resource department in their organization and they are achieving the results positively. Organizations are now thinking and many organizations start building a proper human resource department so that they meet the challenges of the market. So in near future, we will see that almost every organization must have a proper human resource department and human resource managers are performing th eir duties effectively. PEST Analysis A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro-environment that affects all firms. P.E.S.T. is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors of the external macro-environment [1]. Political, economic, social and technological forces form the human resource management policies and activities. Local economy in terms of output and demand of labor is affected by the global economy influences. Political Factor: Political factor is more complex in our scenario because Pakistan is facing political instability and its relation to the other factors which are related to the human resource management. As Pakistan is in the category of developing countries and political environment is constantly changing, mainly in the area of regulatory requirements. Employment legislation, human rights, pay equity, occupational health and safety, industrial relations legislation and pension all impose on most human resource management activities, including selection, training and rewards. Also, government can get involved in the economy to influence economic activity and thus change labor market trends. In the meanwhile, government can influence on the work week and mandatory employee benefits which is directly related to the human resource management [2]. Economical Factor: A human resource management practices are strongly influenced by the current economic climate of the country. Skill level of workforce and labor cost are main factors of human resource management which are affected by the economical factor of a country. As Pakistan is a developing country and dont have a strong economic conditions which also impact on the organizations and they also dont have very much resources and on the other side those organizations who have resources only invest a certain level of amount which the organizations think they get back with profit. Due to weak economic conditions, organizations lack in competent human resource because people dont have much resources to get high profile employees. Due to economic condition, small businesses do not build a proper human resource department. They think that this will be wastage of money but do not give importance to it. Social Factor: Social factor also affect the human resource management practices of any country. Demographics, class structure, education, culture and entrepreneurial spirit are some of the parts of social factor which directly affect the human resource management of any country. In Pakistan, this factor plays a very important role but unfortunately plays a negative role to some extent. Some parts of this factor also play a positive role like education and entrepreneurial spirit are the most important ones. On the other hand, some organizations and government sector organizations are ruled by the class structure and demographics politics. Technological Factor: Technological factor plays a very important and also positive role in the human resource management. Those organizations that have a proper human resource department are now using latest technology and due to this employees confidence is built on the organization and they work more effectively because they know they get what they deliver. Most of the human resource departments are using customized softwares because of which their efficiency and effectiveness increased and they are delivering their best to the organization. These softwares help the human resource department in the time of recruitment and performance appraisals etc. Areas of Human Resource Management There are different areas of human resource management and here I select two areas of human resource management which I think are the most important areas of human resource management. The selected areas of human resource management are recruitment and selection. These both are the important areas of human resource management because if you dont select a right candidate for right position than you do not get the required results from that candidate. I will further high light the importance of these two areas by using an example of a company. The company which I select for this evaluation is wi-tribe Pakistan limited. I will discuss how the internal and external factors of wi-tribe affect the recruitment and selection process. Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment  refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a  job [3].  Different organizations outsource some of the recruitment process but there are organizations which perform the recruitment process itself. wi-tribe has its own full-fledged human resource management department which performs the activities related to human resource department. But there are few activities which wi-tribe outsource to different consulting organizations. wi-tribe outsource these activities to HRS global. Internal and External Factors The external factors [4] of an organization include; Economic forces Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces Political, legal and governmental forces Technological forces The internal factors of an organization include; Employees Suppliers Distributors Economic Forces: If the economic conditions of wi-tribe is not so good than they have to think about the cost incurred while conducting the recruitment and selection process. So because of this the organization tries that source of recruitment which will bear a lower cost of recruitment for each candidate and this will affect the selection of the candidate and there are chances that the wi-tribe will not select the right candidate and this will affect its operations and performance. Social, Cultural, demographic and Environmental Forces: These forces also have a strong effect on recruitment and selection process. If wi-tribe has a recruitment and selection process which is opposite to the social and cultural trends than this will also affect the recruitment and selection of the right candidate. Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces affect the organization and it is the responsibility of the management to set the policies of the organization in a way that they are not affected by these factors. Management has to handle these forces otherwise they are hurdles in the way of recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right position. Political, Legal and Governmental Forces: A number of government regulations have direct impact on recruitment and selection process. Trade unions also play a vital role in recruitment and selection. But these unions and regulations sometimes badly affect the organization and play a negative role. In wi-tribe there are no unions but they are affected by the regulations imposed by the government and also the Pakistan telecom authority. Political pressure is also used for any post which also affects the image of the organization among its employees and outsiders even the employee has the capabilities for a certain post. Technological Forces: Technology is also a factor which effects on the organization but in the case of wi-tibe it has more important role because wi-tribe is working in internet providing industry and providing wireless internet connections to its customers. wi-tribe has to stay up to date in his technology so that he can compete his competitors in technology. The more the latest technology the wi-tribe uses the more the positive impact effects on its customers wi-tribe impose. Now a days wi-tribe is using the latest technology available and importing that technology from china. For the handling of that technology wi-tribe recruits and selects the most capable candidates so that they handle that technology with care and customers get the best services. Employees: Employees are the back bone of any organization. Those organizations that are successful in the market are only because of their competitive employees. wi-tribe also have competitive employees which are capable of achieving their goals and because of these employees wi-tribe become the number 1 internet providing company in Pakistan within few years. This shows how effective the human resource department wi-tribe have because these employees are selected by the human resource department. Suppliers: Suppliers are also the important factor which affect the organization and play important role in the success of the organization. Those organizations who have effective and best suppliers are leaders in the markets and leading the market because the facility which you are offering to the market is a quality product or not based on your suppliers because if your supplier supply you the best quality products than you can deliver the best product. With garbage event his top leaders cannot produce the master piece. Distributors: Distributors are also the important factor and they are your front line army men. If you produce the best quality product and because of your distributors negligence your product will be infected than you are unable to lead the market and get required result. Some products are sensitive and need some extra care. Recommendations Every organization is looking for perfection in his every department. Here are some recommendations related to human resource management department of wi-tribe so that they can achieve their targets easily. They give full rights to their human resource department and also gave them the freedom of recruiting and selecting the employee which they think is the most suitable for the given position. Human resource department also include at least a single person from every department during the recruitment process of that department so that they can select the right candidate.

The Greed of Music Industry Executives and Declining Record Sales Essay

The Greed of Music Industry Executives and Declining Record Sales The music recording industry is in trouble. For several years now, sales of new and popular music have steadily declined and show no sign of changing. The record companies are quick to blame the growing popularity of the Internet; music is being traded in a digital form online, often anonymously, with the use of file-sharing programs such as Morpheus, KaZaA, and Imesh, to name a few. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) succeeded in disbanding the pioneer Internet file-sharing program, Napster, but is facing confrontation with similar programs that are escaping American copyright laws. While there is an obvious connection between declining popular music sales and increasing file sharing, there is more going on than the RIAA wants to admit. I will show that the recording companies are overpricing their products, and not sufficiently using the Internet as an opportunity to market and sell their products. I shall begin by describing in greater detail the problem that the recording companies are facing, as well as the growing epidemic of online music trading. From there, I will show the correlation between the two and describe the other factors affecting record sales, and how these trends could be turned around to help the industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Record Industry is in trouble,† says Jann S. Wenner in an editorial appearing in a recent issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. â€Å"Album sales are now down almost 20% from two years ago, and the record business is facing the biggest retail slide since the Great Depression† (Wenner). People are buying less and less products released by the recording companies. â€Å"Nobody doubts that the music business is in trouble. Last year, global sales of CDs were down by 5% from 2000, the first fall since the format was launched† (NAPSTER R.I.P). The Nielsen SoundScan, used to report final sales to consumers, revealed some of its figures in a September 2002 issue of Billboard Magazine. â€Å"Nielsen SoundScan reports that overall music sales compared with the year before were off by 12.6%†¦while album sales were off by 9.8%. Total first-half units sold fell to 317.7 million units from 363.4 million; the number of albums sold slipped to 311. 1 million units from 344.8 million – an 8.1% drop† (Garrity). Even the number of albums that become hits is... ...election and convenience of P2Ps. Because of consumer’s tendency to download single songs by many varying artists, many may wonder if increased Internet use will eventually exterminate the record album from existence. Personally, I do not foresee the death of CDs and albums as a product. The MP3 format is not quite CD quality, and the singles that are typically downloaded by consumers do not always reflect the talent or best product of a certain performer. Singles are what will make money, but B-sides, the songs that people do not buy the CD for, are also a culmination of an artist’s hard work. B-sides make an album good or bad, and consumers simply do not download B-sides. I fear that buying an entire album will become more rare as these new programs emerge that allow consumers to buy one song at a time, but the album will prevail. Newspapers and Magazines are now available online, but they still appear for retail in stores and by offline subscriptions. Online musi c purchasing shows no signs of dropping, and the consumers show no sign of listening to less music. The industry just has to take the initiative to make the music more accessible to music listeners at a fairer price.