Thursday, November 28, 2019

Akeelah and the Bee Essay Essay Example

Akeelah and the Bee Essay Paper Akeelah Anderson is a immature. 11 twelvemonth old school-age child who is a littlemature and learns at the school of Crenshaw Middle School. She hasdeveloped many new alterations from the beginning of the film until the terminal. Towards the beginning of this narrative. Akeelah was merely a normal schoolgirl. Well. normal significance that she went to school merely like everybody. Although. she wasn’t making rather good in her surveies. First of all. she barely of all time turnedin half of her prep! The instructors at Crenshaw surely didn’t have acrave at all for Akeelah’s pathetic survey wonts. Following. she was accused ofskipping categories which of class. she did but claimed she merely skipped thephysical instruction. or PE categories. True. on her trials she would stand out everytime. Akeelah would neer lose a spelling word and would invariably acquire a large. ruddy A+ marked on her paper. Unfortunately. her attending wasn’t desired. as she was belated about every twenty-four hours. We will write a custom essay sample on Akeelah and the Bee Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Akeelah and the Bee Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Akeelah and the Bee Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Akeelah Anderson was non a really polite miss towards her schoolmates orfamily members. It was her manner whether you liked it or non. If it was difficult. Akeelah wouldn’t privation to make it ; if it was easy. she’d take it into consideration. She had an attitude that wasn’t proper and was disliked. The manner she talked. slang and all. made the instructors around her get 2nd ideas about her. She was ever described as holding possible but non holding any desire ineducation. She failed. at the beginning. to larn that school should alwayscome up foremost before winning any spelling bee. Akeelah Anderson. in myopinion. gave up excessively many times even though the people who fought for herto win cheered her on. During the spelling bee at her school. Akeelah would easy acquire distractedfrom people who would badger her. She didn’t cognize how to stand up forherself but merely fought alternatively of work outing the struggle with good manners. She learns how to stand up for herself when her brother says to her. â€Å"C’monAkeelah. make the spelling bee for Dad. † Akeelah first refuses to vie inthe spelling bee but when she hears that she should make it for her deadfather. she instantly wants to vie. Akeelah Anderson hardly is positive at the beginning of the narrative. Shebarely smiled or laughed at people. When she eventually meets Dr. Larabee. andhe commands her to halt speech production slang. Akeelah’s reply is. † Whatever. †Akeelah hasn’t yet learned how to act with proper manners to an adultespecially one who lost a loved 1. He calls her an impudent kid. andAkeelah hatreds to be called like that. She all of a sudden becomes ill-mannered and talksback to Mr. Larabee. There is a point where Akeelah says her sorry but shedidn’t truly intend it as she stomps off off to her house. When it comes to the Los Angeles School District Spelling Bee. she is stillshy within her milieus. She hasn’t learned yet how to get the better of herfears though finally. Dr. Larabee will. The fact that has been teasing herparents and school staff is that Akeelah merely worries and cares about thespelling bee. Surveies come after spelling bees is Akeelah’s manner of looking atthings. The people who inspired Akeelah to alter her manner and personality wereseveral characters. One of them was Mr. Larabee who helps her to beconfident and non to allow anything acquire in her manner. She starts assuring non tospeak any longer slang. and this is the clip when she genuinely apologizes for theinsult incident that she had created yearss earlier. Mr. Larabee could bedescribed like another male parent for Akeelah Anderson because he neer lether to believe that she was an unemployed also-ran. It was ever positive for him. Georgia. Javier. and Dylan contributed a batch to doing Akeelah alteration hermanners and behaviour. Javier. a spelling bee friend of Akeelah’s. helps her toconcentrate more on her surveies. and he truly puts a bright visible radiation in front ofher significance that he ever makes her smile. In the beginning of the narrative. she would barely smile and believe in herself but with the true religion of herbee friend. Javier. she learned self-respect. In add-on. the manner thatJavier stalled during the spelling bee merely to wait for Akeelah to come backfrom the talk by her ma was merely outstanding work. I mean. Javierdidn’t even win the spelling bee. and he was the 1 who could havemotivated Akeelah into being the reflecting star for everyone and winning thebee. alongside with Dylan. Dylan. the individual who was the other rival of the spelling bee. contributed tonss to Akeelah’s alteration of personality. He gave her confidenceto radiance in the spelling bee since he was her opposition. Since he knew morewords. he gave Akeelah the assurance to larn five-thousand words byherself to win the spelling bee. Now. Akeelah’s best friend Georgia was ahuge impact to Akeelah. She was that best friend who would ever motivateAkeelah by stating her that she can make things even when Akeelah herselfthought she couldn’t. Georgia allowed Akeelah to construct more self-confidenceand to win the spelling bee by her positive comments. Yes. Akeelah the Bee was still an speculative and bombinating kid throughoutthe film. but that was natural. The people who stood beside Akeelahallowed her to derive many things such as assurance and motive. Whetherit was her manager Mr. Larabee. her best friends. Georgia. Javier. Dylan or hermom and pa. she ever knew how to reflect and make what was best for her. Many times Akeelah refused to make things in the beginning and gave up manytoo times. but her friends stood by her side whether it was Akeelah’s toughmoments or easy 1s. They inspired her to travel through all the manner for thespelling bee. and her ma even motivated her to win the spelling bee. Thisspelling bee was Akeelah’s merely opportunity to win it. as she was about traveling todrop out since she did non obey her female parent. Akeelah changed her personalityand manners so that everyone around her would love her. and that was true. Akeelah neer stopped bombinating like a true spelling title-holder bee. Bibliographies: Akeelah and the Bee

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

buy custom Alexander the Greats Empire essay

buy custom Alexander the Great's Empire essay Alexander III the Great still remains one of the greatest commanders who have ever lived. He was born in 21st July, 356 BC and died in 11th June, 323 BC. He was the King of Macedon whom, at only thirty years of age, had already conquered the biggest empire that any leader can ever imagine. He had conquered Europe and most of Asia. This conquest was however short-lived as he unexpectedly died at age thirty two with fever. His death marked the beginning of fall to his vast kingdom as divisions come up from his various generals. Fight for the control of power led to divisions of this empire. This was something he would have never agreed to if given a chance to do so. This paper seeks to explore reasons why Alexander III the Greats empire fell so fast after his death. He succeeded his father, King Philip II of Macedon, who was assassinated by one of his bodyguards at a wedding ceremony. His mother was Philips fourth wife Olympias who was the King of Epirus daughter. She was Philips principle wife for most of his kingship. Alexander the Great therefore grew in the royal family. In his early life, he had been tutored by Aristotle. He was taught much of arts, war, music, and philosophy. This greatly contributed to his zeal for success. The lessons molded him for the great task ahead. At only sixteen, his father had entrusted him with the army when he was away. Alexander defeated the Thracian neighbors going ahead to establish his first city. He named it Alexandropolis after himself. Alexander had also managed to tame a hostile horse that was to belong to his father Philip. This horse was afraid of the shadow from the sun. Alexander offered himself to tame this horse and superbly succeeded. This made his father to buy him the horse. These were clear signs of the potential Alexander possessed as this only happened at ten years of age. He was therefore destined to be the heir to the throne. Not only was he groomed for this but he was also aware of it and adequately prepared himself for it. He was well taught the act of war, something he well perfected during the battles. King Philip II, his father had entrusted him with commanding the army. He took this opportunity under the guidance of hid father to expand and strengthen the army. This helped the father to easily defeat his enemies. They could go to wars with Alexander controlling one group of soldiers while the father controlling the other. After the death of his father, Alexander took over the throne as an already established soldier. He took time during his previous years to build a very strong army. His father Philip had also been able to establish a very peaceful empire. He took time to diplomatically bring peace among the other parts of his kingdom that had rebelled. This may have a very good beginning for Alexanders as he had little internal battles to fight. He however ordered for the execution of those he thought were a threat to his kingship. He was later given the award of the Greece generalship. This gave him an opportunity to continue with his fathers plans. The late Philip had planned to systematically expand the kingdom. This assured him of his grip on power. Thebes also had refused to acknowledge his authority. He responded by invading it with his army killing all the 6,000 soldiers there. After successfully taking control of Greece, he decided to invade and capture Persia. He succeeded in the first attempt but king Darius of Persia and his army retreated controlled a section of their territory. Alexander and his army went ahead southwards against Egypt. He was welcomed here and was like a liberator for them as they had been under Persian rule for long. He went ahead to the lower Asian territories. After many conquests, he returned with his army to finish out Persia. This is a mission he successfully accomplished. King Darius died in this war. He therefore matched to Babylon and occupied king Nebuchadnezzar IIs palace. He had planned to establish Babylon as the capital of his entire kingdom. This was to be his base as he planned to attack Arabia and North Africa. This plan was however not successfu as he died after a short while. As noted by Depuydt in Die Welt des Orients, Alexander the Great died on 11th June 323 BC in Nebuchadnezzars palace. He had fever following a private drinking party that had been hosted by Medius of Larissa. His fever grew worse by each day bringing worry to the soldiers. By the time he was becoming speechless, his Macedonian soldiers were arranged to pass by him as an honor. The best he could do at this time was to speechlessly wave to them. He later succumbed to this ailment. This was the end to a king who had ambitiously conquered a considerably large empire for himself. As per his plans, he was to continue with this trend to maybe the entire world. The astonishment starts after the death of this great king. The news of his sudden death spread to the unbelief of Greece and other towns. This was to be the beginning of another twist to the Macedonian empire. He had set a different legacy in all the territories he had conquered. He believed in the maintenance of peace through intermarriages. This was seen as he encouraged his soldiers to marry with the natives. He also imported people from other towns to live with the rest. He believed that his empire would be a peaceful one through such coexistence. This was his legacy. By the time of his death, he had not picked an apparent heir to his throne. This was an important factor in his succession. The process of picking the heir was not an easy as their there was no automatic one. The one who could have been one was not yet born. This prompted his generals to fight for his position. Rivalry was evident as each one of them fought to control a section of the empire. Perdicas and Meleager were some of the commanders who were killed in Asia. Later, another general named Antigonas controlled the Macedonian empire. This however did not last long as rivalry still come into surface prompting other commanders to gang against him. He later died in battle. Consequently, the entire Macedonian kingdom was split into four main territories: Macedonia which included Greece was controlled by Cassander; Ptolemy became the king of Egypt; Celeusus become the king of Asia; and Thrace was controlled by Lysimachus. The chaos was experienced depicted that Alexanders mission across the whole his entire empire was not embraced by the rest. He may have not had other allies who embraced his vision. He continued with conquest believing that he brought unity amongst these towns. This was not the case as evidenced by what happens after his death. Civil war broke up in Macedonia as power struggles ensured between different entities. Greece had been occupied by the Macedonians. Greece later planned to free themselves from their rule. They rebelled against them, a decision that started another war known as Lamian War. The Macedonians were defeated and expelled out of Greece. They however went back after getting reinforcement from Craterus. The great Macedonian empire continued with is woes for the next almost fifty years. It was falling never to rise again to the former glory. Later the Romans attacked Macedonia terribly conquering it in 197 BC. It was later to be relegated to become one of the Roman provinces. This was the beginning of Roman Empire. They controlled Macedonia until the 19th century. Rome also conquered Greece at the same period. Egypt was later added to be part of the Roman Empire. As it is pointed out by Knight (2010), those that worked with him never embraced his vision. Alexanders death could have provided them an opportunity to continue with his works. It also comes out that Alexander the Great had written down an organized vision of how he wanted things to happen in the expanded Macedonian empire. All his commanders fail to implement these even after the written document is read to the soldiers. He was wanted the intermarriage between different cities in Europe and Asia. He believed this as the only way to enhance development in these regions. According to him, the family ties created would be an asset in peaceful coexistence. This is the reason he encourages his soldiers to marry andd to have children with the native women. After Alexanders death all these marriages broke proving that they did this out of insistence by the leader. It should also be pointed out that Alexander had his weakness that featured after his death to influence the fall of the Macedonian empire. He was so much authoritative and ambitious that nothing could stand between him and his mission. He was a high tempered and an over reactive person. He could not stand any opposition as those who stood out like him were all done away with. This led him to the execution of all those who may have been the ideal heirs to the throne. This may have also distanced his potential allies from him due to fear. For all those years, he could not have missed to groom someone to be so close to him to take the throne in his absence. His ambition went had limitations. There is on the absolute authority of a leader during this system of ruler ship. It was upon him to ensure that another leader was ready at anytime. His father did that to him but he failed to do the same. An effective government or kingdom must have structures. These structures are based on different levels of management with appointed leaders. Such is the only way to have absolute authority over the subjects. This is missing in Alexander the Greats empire. Unlike his father Philip who was well organized, he failed to organize his vast kingdom. There is no place we see an organized structure of management in all the areas he conquers. His kingdom remains vulnerable as himself and his army continues fighting ahead. This greatly contributed to the fast downfall of his kingdom as he was the only unifying factor. The mention of his name made towns, cities and monarchs surrender. After his death, the loopholes in his rule resurface as rebellion openly emerges. There were no structures put in place to manage the entire Macedonian empire. This led to the civil wars and the divisions of the empire. There had been some disquiet amongst some commanders in Alexanders army just before his death. There was a problem when they had come from the Persian invasion. Many of the soldiers had died on their way back through the desert due to hunger and exhaustion. Alexander held a big victory party after he dismissed 10,000 veteran soldiers to go back to Macedonia. This led to the mutiny by the army, something that enraged him. He then ordered the execution of the ring leader to his bodyguards. This incident created tension in the army and most of his close generals. This may have contributed to the fall out of the generals after his death. Alexander the Great may not have picked a successor like his father did due egoism. He was so much filled with himself and his achievements. He may never imagine anybody to be the king but him. In Persia, he trains the Persian youths in the Macedonian ways. He introduces his own culture in this territory. He recruits these almost 30,000 Persian youths in the army. It also seen that remains with all the children that were born by the Macedonian army men with the native women. He decides to live with them instead of giving them away to their mothers. He works on a plan of coming with a hybrid army that will only be attached to him. He has no thought of bringing other leaders into the picture. This may have distanced some of the leaders from him and the new breed of this army. In conclusion, Alexander III the Great of Macedon was a King who achieved a lot in terms of the military power. He was able to establish the biggest empire for that matter. The success of this empire however vanished with the death Alexander. Immediately after his death, this kingdom encountered upheavals that led to its collapse. It was clear that his death came by surprise as he had not put things in order. He failed to provide a good structure for the unity of the entire empire. As much as he had great vision for this kingdom, it seemed that all those who worked with him had not embraced this. This remains to be part of history that is a lesson to all the present leaders who are so ambitious with their achievements at the expense of the long term stability of their jurisdictions. Buy custom Alexander the Great's Empire essay

Sunday, November 24, 2019

10 High Paying Entry Level Construction Jobs (No Degree Required)

10 High Paying Entry Level Construction Jobs (No Degree Required) Want to work a job in construction, but don’t have your college degree? If this is you, then you can get very satisfying work that you may find quite rewarding, albeit physically demanding. Here are the 10 highest paying entry level construction jobs that only require a high school diploma. Some of these jobs might even hire you with just a GED. Construction work is actually higher paid than most jobs that don’t require a college education. So go ahead, make some money.1. Solar voltaic installationThe median pay is just over $40k or so per year. This technology- installing solar panels on roofs and structures- will only get more popular, and jobs more plentiful.2. CarpentryAn oldie but a goodie. Median pay is just under $41k per year to do this classic construction work framing and finishing buildings and other structures.3.  Equipment operationMedian pay for this is just under $43k per year. This heavy machinery is very dangerous to operate, so you make a bit more. B ut if you have the necessary skills and training, go for it.4. Sheet metal workMedian pay for sheet metal work is just above $45k per year. If metal is your medium, this work might be for you.5. IronworkMake median pay of just over $45k per year working with iron and structural steel.6. Plumbing, pipefitting, steamfittingMedian pay for this line of work is upwards of $50k per year, and can cover piping needs for waste, water, gas lines, etc.7. ElectricalElectricians make upwards of $51k per year in median pay. If wiring and lighting are strong points for you, this is a lucrative gig.8.  InspectingConstruction and building inspectors make a median wage of over $56k per year, and are a crucial part of making sure that codes are being followed to the letter.9. BoilermakingBoilermakers can pull in just under $60k per year in median pay installing and repairing boilers and other systems that handle gases and liquids.10. Elevator installation and repairLiterally rise to the top, with a median annual salary over $78k. It’s the highest paid construction gig around, and worth getting in at the ground floor†¦ so to speak.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Creating a Genealogy Research Plan Like a Detective

Creating a Genealogy Research Plan Like a Detective If you like mysteries, then you have the makings of a good genealogist. Why? Just like detectives, genealogists must use clues to formulate possible scenarios in their pursuit for answers. Whether it is as simple as looking up a name in an index, or as comprehensive as looking for patterns among neighbors and communities, turning those clues into answers is the goal of a good research plan. How to Develop a Genealogy Research Plan A major goal in developing a genealogy research plan is to identify what you want to know and formulate the questions which will provide the answers you seek. Most professional genealogists create a genealogy research plan (even if only a few steps) for each research question. The elements of a good genealogy research plan include: 1) Objective: What Do I Want to Know? What specifically do you want to learn about your ancestor? Their marriage date? Spouses name? Where they lived at a particular point in time? When they died? Be really specific in narrowing down to a single question if possible. This helps keep your research focused and your research plan on track. 2) Known Facts: What Do I Already Know? What have you already learned about your ancestors? This should include identities, relationships, dates and places that are supported by original records. Search family and home sources for documents, papers, photos, diaries, and family tree charts, and interview your relatives to fill in the gaps. 3) Working Hypothesis: What Do I Think the Answer Is? What are the possible or probable conclusions that you hope to prove or possibly disprove through your genealogy research? Say you want to know when your ancestor died? You might start, for example, with the hypothesis that they died in the town or county where they were last known to be living. 4) Identified Sources: Which Records Might Hold the Answer and Do They Exist? Which records are most likely to provide support for your hypothesis? Census records? Marriage records? Land deeds? Create a list of possible sources, and identify the repositories, including libraries, archives, societies or published Internet collections where these records and resources can be researched. 5) Research Strategy The final step of your genealogy research plan is to determine the best order to consult or visit the various repositories, considering the available records and your research needs. Often this will be organized in order of the available records likelihood of including the information youre looking for, but may also be influenced by factors such as ease of access (can you get it online or do you have to travel to a repository over 500 miles away) and cost of record copies. If you require information from one repository or record type to be able to more easily locate another record on your list, be sure to take that into account. A Genealogy Research Plan in Action ObjectiveFind the ancestral village in Poland for Stanislaw (Stanley) THOMAS and Barbara Ruzyllo THOMAS. Known Facts According to descendants, Stanley THOMAS was born Stanislaw TOMAN. He and his family often used the THOMAS surname after arriving in the U.S. as it was more American.According to descendants, Stanislaw TOMAN married Barbara RUZYLLO about 1896 in Krakow, Poland. He immigrated to the United States from Poland in the early 1900s to make a home for his family, settling first in Pittsburgh, and sent for his wife and children a few years later.The 1910 U.S. Census Miracode index for Glasgow, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, lists Stanley THOMAS with wife Barbara, and children Mary, Lily, Annie, John, Cora, and Josephine. Stanley is listed as having been born in Italy and immigrating to the U.S. in 1904, while Barbara, Mary, Lily, Anna, and John are also listed as having been born in Italy; immigrating in 1906. Children Cora and Josephine are identified as having been born in Pennsylvania. Cora, the oldest of the children born in the U.S. is listed as age 2 (born about 1907).Barbara and Stanle y TOMAN are buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Glasgow, Reade Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. From the inscriptions: Barbara (Ruzyllo) TOMAN, b. Warsaw, Poland, 1872–1962; Stanley Toman, b. Poland, 1867–1942. Working HypothesisSince Barbara and Stanley were supposedly married in Krakow, Poland (according to family members), they most likely came from that general area of Poland. The listing of Italy in the 1910 U.S. Census is most likely a mistake, as it is the only record located that names Italy; all others say Poland or Galicia. Identified Sources 1910, 1920 and 1920 census for Stanley Barbara TOMAN/THOMAS in Cambria County, PennsylvaniaPassenger lists for the ports of Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; and Ellis Island, NY.Marriage records for the children born in PolandSocial Security Death Index and Social Security application records (SS-5) for Barbara and Stanley TOMAN/THOMASNaturalization records for Stanley, Barbara, Mary, Anna, Rosalia (Rose)or John Research Strategy View the actual 1910 U.S. Census to confirm the information from the index.Check the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Census online to see if Stanley or Barbara TOMAN/THOMAS were ever naturalized and to confirm Poland as a country of birth (disprove Italy).Search the online Ellis Island database on the chance that the TOMAN family immigrated into the U.S. through New York City (more likely they came in through Philadelphia or Baltimore).Search for Philadelphia passenger arrivals for Barbara and/or Stanley TOMAN  online at FamilySearch or Ancestry.com. Look for the town of origin, as well as indications of possible naturalizations for any of the family members. If not found in the Philadelphia arrivals, expand the search to nearby ports, including Baltimore and New York.  Note: when I originally researched this question these records were not available online; I ordered several microfilms of records from the Family History Library for viewing at my local Family History Center.Check the SSDI to see if Barbara or Stanley ever applied for a Social Security card. If so, then request an application from the Social Security Administration. Contact or visit the Cambria County courthouse for marriage records for Mary, Anna, Rosalia, and John. If there is any indication in the 1920 and/or 1930 census that Barbara or Stanley was naturalized, check for naturalization documents as well. If your findings are negative or inconclusive when following your genealogy research plan, dont despair. Just redefine your objective and hypothesis to match the new information youve located so far. In the above example, initial findings prompted an expansion of the original plan when the passenger arrival record for Barbara TOMAN and her children, Mary, Anna, Rosalia, and John indicated that Mary had applied for and become a naturalized U.S. citizen (the original research plan included only a search for naturalization records for the parents, Barbara and Stanley). The information that Mary had likely become a naturalized citizen led to a naturalization record which listed her town of birth as Wajtkowa, Poland. A gazetteer of Poland at the Family History Center confirmed that the village was located in the southeast corner of Poland- not too terribly far from Krakow- in the portion of Poland occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1772-1918, commonly referred to as Galica. After World War I and the Russo Polish War 1920-21, the area in which the TOMANs lived returned to Polish administration.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Research Paper Example It quickly became apparent to all as soon as the scandal became public that both it and the cause behind it could have been avoided. To try to prevent other corporate scandals and collapses from happening, President George W. Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, named for its sponsors, which would establish measures for corporate oversight and promise stiff punishments for those that even attempted, knowingly or unknowingly, to engage in corporate fraud (Bumiller, 2002). Promising to hold the top echelon of corporate executives accountable, and overhauling auditing and recording practices, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was declared to be the most far-reaching reform of the United States of America since the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Bumiller, 2002). Enron: From Start, to Scandal The story of what would be one of the largest scandals in history started in 1985, when Enron came into existence as Kenneth Lay combined his company, Houston Natural Gas, with InterNorth Corporatio n to form Enron (National Public Radio, 2002). Hoping to gain further profits and showcase its new status as not just a business but a competitor, Enron started to market what was known as futures contracts or the delivery of natural gas to buyers for a certain price at some point in time in the future (National Public Radio, 2002). Like a giant game of Monopoly, Enron worked the boards buying and selling, building profits while growing the business larger and larger, expanding its business. Unfortunately, the investments and contracts that Enron had become known for by 2001 did next to nothing in terms of earning money. The investments that were made and secured largely were not turning a profit, or even earning a return (National Public Radio, 2002). Enron had invested sums of its own corporate funds in operations that, it had hoped, would provide even more money with which to run the business, thus creating a cycle of profit (National Public Radio, 2002). That money never materia lized, though this was kept secret until Enron filed for bankruptcy. The ensuing scandal brought about major reforms in the way accounting practices and audits were conducted, starting with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Enron and GAAP Violations Above all, the biggest question posed to Enron was, what exactly happened? By all accounts, it appeared to be doing well. Even its own employees did not suspect wrongdoings within the company (Cruver, 2003). Unfortunately, Enron also violated Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), or guidelines set out for the preparation of financial statements, in a number of ways (Cunningham & Harris, 2006). While this was not the entire reason for the collapse of the giant that left many without jobs and executives heading to jail for their actions, the ignorance and violation of GAAP principles may well have been the starting point.

Empress elizabeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Empress elizabeth - Essay Example At her tender age, German had a significant influence on Russian economic and political development, which she did not welcome. As such, in 1941, she organized a coup that led to the collapse of the emperor of the time, and capture of the emperor family members, which was a major boost to the Russian economic development transition. By then, Russia was independent from its neighbouring countries based on its treaties. According to Madariaga, â€Å"the  conditions  laid  down  by  treaty  when  the  Baltic  provinces  were  first  annexed  by  Russia  in  1712,  Livonia  and  Estonia  were  allowed  to  maintain  their  own  form  of  administration,  social  structure,  religion  and  language† (8). Since her approach to governance was very different from that of the previous governance, many changes were necessary. As such, when she got to power, she obliterated the cabinet system of governance and replaced it with the senate system. To her, the senate system effectively addressed the needs of a majority of the population and thus was more appealing. Moreover, the previous system of governance had failed to realize good results. ... This is because it empowers the citizens with knowledge to make sound decision on various aspects of life, they encounter. In her part, Elizabeth played a major role in improving the literacy level in Russia. Due to her interest in education, she led to the establishment of the first Russian university. This ensured that people who held various positions had a chance to sharpen their skills and thus improve their efficiency in management. In addition, Elizabeth saw the establishment of the academy of art, which was an investment to the Russian economy, and was facilitated by her extensive interaction with foreign policy. The foreign policy was reinforced by Catherine, her successor. According to Madariaga, â€Å"The  basic  orientation  of  her  foreign  policy  was  laid  down  in  the  treaty  of  alliance  with  Austria  in  1726,  while  friendly  relations  were  maintained  with  Britain  and  Denmark† (11). The acade my of art enhanced art skills and thus provided an avenue for the creation of revenue, for both the citizens and government. This saw Russian became a power hub in the European region and thus gained recognition from other well-established nations of the time. According to Madariaga, â€Å"As  a  result  of  the  union  between  the  Empress  Elizabeth  of  Russia  and  the  Empress   Maria  Theresia  of  Austria  in  1746,  Russia  became  one  of  the  leading  powers  in  the  so ­called  diplomatic  revolution  of  1756,  the  change ­over  from  the  traditional  hostility  between  France  and  Austria  to  an  alliance  between  the  two  countries,  supported  by  Russia,  with  the  aim  of  defeating  and  partitioning  Prussia† (12) Significant economic and political success was realized during the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Case study report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Case study report - Essay Example The company built the largest car rental brand in North America. The brand is widely known for low rates that are exceptionally as well as outstanding customer service. The brand has effective product and service offering methodologies in relation to marketing. Regarding the company’s management it has successfully showed tremendous leadership that has enhanced its operations worldwide. Motivation among employees in the company has been achieved thus promoting entrepreneurial spirit among them thus enhancing and encouraging high productivity. Enterprise Car Rental has established a consumer oriented strategy in relation to marketing that is of great importance to success. The company though has been opposed by stiff competitions from its main competitors. Enterprise not only sells services, it also brings an experience that is real in the market industry. A market Development Strategy has been followed by the company rigorously since it has put great effort to an existing p roduct(car-rentals) regarding the new market. Earning of profits that are high in the market that is untapped has been enhanced by the effective strategy. A rapid growth has been depicted in the Enterprise recently. The opportunities in relation to particular segments of market are now realized by competitors. Therefore, they are putting great effort to enormously build up their strengths in those realized branches. New entrants have posed a significant competition in the same segment of market. Therefore, Enterprise is gradually becoming saturated in its Market Development Strategy thus becoming obsolete. There will be no development room in the market soon because of the stiff competition that is slowly lowering demand from its consumers. For the Enterprise to regain its stability in the market context, they should switch over to a more advanced Market Penetration strategy to attempt. Thus, this will help them once again gain market share

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

What kind of society should the United States strive to become Essay

What kind of society should the United States strive to become - Essay Example Though it presents us with a unique opportunity, it has the potential to work against us if we fail to create a social attitude to accept these differences. There is a fine line we must walk to maintain our cultural differences without labeling a group as being different. Being set too far apart from the larger society runs the risk of many minorities becoming increasingly separated by prejudice and discrimination. The challenge is to incorporate and preserve multi-value systems without the attitude that can develop in a dominant-minority relationship. The multicultural approach views our value system as a diverse set of qualities that defines what it means to be an American. The term mulit-cultural implies that the definition is broad and sweeping, encompassing numerous attitudes and beliefs. The older national approach assumed there were a set of traditional American values at the core of our society. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive. Minority groups adopt the prevailing core values of the society in an effort to become more American. Immigrants may develop values based on our constitution or Ten Commandments without rejecting their own unique perspective and cultural heritage. What is ethnocentrism Can you identify your own ethnocentric feelings Please provide a specific example. Ethnocentrism is the belief that our own values and standards are the true and correct ones and cultural differences are viewed as unusual or inappropriate. Ethnocentrism deems our own judgments and values as morally superior than others, which we view as primitive or barbaric. It is a trait that gives us the sense that 'I am right, they are wrong'. When I see an ethnic grocery store or market in a major American city, I am instantly repelled by the bizarre types of foods and what I perceive as unhealthy conditions. I may not even know what the foods are, but my knowledge that they are different is enough for me to develop the perception that they are inferior to my familiar cheeseburger and french fries. My ethnocentrism is making the judgment without regard to well-reasoned thought. Week 2 Define pluralism and explain the ways in which it differs from assimilation. Why has interest in pluralism increased How have contemporary theorists added to the concept of pluralism Pluralism is the process of maintaining distinct social groups that hold and preserve unique cultural differences and values. Assimilation is the process of becoming a member of another group through social contact. It assumes that when groups interact they will adopt mutual values and goals. Over time, the two groups will merge into one without noticeable differences. Pluralism recognizes that values and ethnic traditions are preserved within a group because they offer value to its members in the way of self-image and group power. Interest in pluralism has increased because real assimilation does not seem to be a practical reality. Ethnic identification has become more pronounced as America becomes more diverse and groups cling to and celebrate their ethnic traditions. It is becoming more accepted that the assimilation predicted by Park and others will not come to pass in the foreseeable

Monday, November 18, 2019

Managament Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managament Style - Essay Example There exist divergent types of management styles that includes democratic, autocratic, laissez-faire, paternalistic, informal, participatory and supervisory etc. Depending on organizational setting, a particular style may do well than another. All the above management styles have been summed up by Thepot in three types of leadership in the management literature as follows: the directive leadership, the transactional leadership as well as transformational leadership. It is acceptable that different managers exhibit different styles of leadership in the course of their duty. Authoritarian style This is a style of leadership also known as coercive style of management due to its uncontrollable ways. According to this style, a manager mostly demands compliance through intimidation which is basically where only the manager has a say and his demands goes un opposed. The managers give direction without asking the opinion of his juniors and convince them on how to follow his or her requirements. According to Efere, this method puts pressure on the employees which does not work well in modern business organizations as it attracts rebellion and demoralization of staff and might lead to legal redress for harassment at work place. Nevertheless, the suitability of authoritarian management style is applicable in a crises situation where a decisive measure must be taken. Democratic style A democratic manager seeks to attain his objectives through consulting his staff and coming to a compromise in decision making. When a manager involves and seeks the opinion of his or her staff on serious issues, they create a sense of responsibility and ownership among the staff who feels their contribution is valued. (Efere, 2003). As depicted by Efere (2003) such management style is likely to dispel rebellion within the staff. Nonetheless, this might be problematic in instances where the staffs are against the implementation of an important plan. In spite of this, effective communication is attainable, leading to reduced rebellion within an organization where this management style is applied. Laissez-Faire Style In this type of management style which is also known as permissive style, staff gets little direction or none at all from their managers, thus being allowed to perform their duties freely. This presents to the staff a great sense of empowerment making them feel proud of be ing in charge of their work and confident of working without supervision (Efere, 2003). However it is very advisable that this style of management be applicable where staffs are experienced and highly proficient, interested in working unmanned, trustworthy, and independent experts sourced from outside. The potential problems with this style are: first, feedback from the staff is limited if any, thus the manager is kept in the dark in regard to what is happening in his company. Secondly, it can lead to insecurity and uncertainty within the staff members should the staff be improperly trained and inexperienced. Thirdly, a situation may arise whereby the managers withhold compliments due to the staff since they are not well acquainted with the efficiency of the staff. Lastly, the responsibilities and the role played by the manager are gradually reduced and sometimes their presence is not felt by the staff. Bureaucratic style Efere (2003) argues that Bureaucratic style

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The House on Mango Street and A Dream Deferred Essay Example for Free

The House on Mango Street and A Dream Deferred Essay In the short story The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros unfolds her childhood memories where she and her family struggled with poor living conditions on the way to their own house, and she seems to suffer from it more than anyone of the family. When one day they finally get the house of their own and her family seems to be ready to settle with it, she continues suffering because its not the house she imagined and built up in her dreams. At that point Cisneros obtains her dream to be fulfilled: she decides that whatever happens, she must have her dream house. Whereas Cisneros talks about a dreams birth, Langston Hughes in his poem A Dream Deferred investigates the destiny of a dream. Predicting what could happen to a dream that is not yet realized, he tries to measure the impact of a dream in our life. At first sight, these two works might seem completely different; however, upon a closer look its obvious that they are closely connected: Cisneros tells us what led her to obtain a dream, whereas Hughes contemplates on continuation of a dreams existence. In The House on Mango Street the author tells us how she found her dream. Her large family had to move all the time in search of a decent place to live. Experiencing what not having her own place is like, moving all the time and being ashamed of her shelters, Sandra Cisneros defines the features of the house of her dream. It has to be not just her own place to live, but also a place that she could be proud of. She describes her dream house: inside it would have real stairs, not a hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on TV; it would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence(501). Moreover, she says it has to be the house one I could point to (Cisneros 502). Even though these features are not necessities for living, the authors own dream becomes her necessity to be fulfilled. In A Dream Deferred the author proposes a lot of theories of a dreams destiny: it may calm down, but still exist. In his words, it dries like a raisin in the sun, or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet (Hughes); or it may redouble with the time: fester like a sore- and then run (Hughes), and eventually, it may just explode. But one thing he shows he is sure about that dream deferred never dies; he doesnt even  consider such an option in his poem. Sandra Cisneros describes what caused her to build up her dream, whereas Langston Hughes tries to guess the results of any dreams existence. Cisneros doesnt unveil to us what happened to her dream; in contrast, Hughes gives a lot of options. However, upon a closer analysis we might notice that their ideas are quite similar: Cisneros leaves her future on a readers imagination, and Hughes gives the reader a right to chose from options he gave. And what completely unites them is their belief that dream is immortal. Cisneros proves that by her certainty that she has to have her dream house: I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. (Cisneros 502), and Hughes refutes the traceless disappearance of a dream. From millions of childhood experiences there are some that form our dreams. These experiences can be positive, thus, they will play as a role model throughout our life, or, they can be negative then our dream will be imagined ideal for our future. Whatever it is, once dream is born, it will never disappear; it can become almost indistinct, but still, its influence on us is tremendous. Even though both authors leave the question open, they imply similar ideas of dreams importance in ones life and danger of a dream to be deprived of fulfillment. When we read both works, the final decision is not a question for us: we agree with Hughes that dream doesnt extinct and is made to be fulfilled and we know for Cisneros that shell pursue her goal, because the energy of a dream is absolute. Works Cited: Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 40 Short Stories. Ed. Beverly Lawn. New York: Bedford, 2001 Hughes, Langston. A Dream Deferred.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Study of Organizational Culture and the Indian Army

Study of Organizational Culture and the Indian Army THE INDIAN ARMY is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. It came into being in 1947 when India gained independence, and inherited most of the infrastructure of the British Indian Army that was located in post-partition India. It is a voluntary service and though there is a provision for military conscription in the Indian constitution, it has never been imposed. The Indian Army is the worlds second-largest standing army whose primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats and maintaining peace and security within its borders. It also conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. CULTURE is comprised by the customs, heritage and achievements of a particular segment of society. Organizational culture is the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization and its employees. In this case, we talk about the army. As an organization, its culture is the sum total of the activities and ideas shared by this group of people with its common requirements, customs, laws and traditions. These are percolated across the Army by the thoughts and feelings of the people concerned and are reinforced by actions of individuals and sub-groups to present a whole picture of a common and shared perception of a uniform blend of ideals working and striving towards the achievement of a common goal. By ultimately working in accordance with and in response to a single will, political and military they attain the objectives laid down for them in peace, and particularly during operations in war. This is how the Army is designed and it is mandatory that this design is followed in the best manner possible for maintaining and preserving the solidarity and cohesion of the force and its professional competence. The two epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata constitute the framework on which the edifice of Army is built. The elements of culture have been imbibed a lot from these two epics. Even in the Indian army just like Mahabharata, the good of the nation is put first rather than the individual. In terms of power distribution just like the Ramayana the Indian Army is a well structured organisation. There is a central authority of power which releases orders, the people at various levels follow orders from the superior and respect them at the same time. There are clear cut guidelines for each and every army personnel to follow and deviations from the same are not appreciated in the Institute. Army as an institute lays special emphasis on attention to details as they need to be sure of everything before going out for war. The armed personnel have both facets in their personality they are aggressive when required and can be stable when required. The Indian army has people orientation also as part of its culture. It believes more than the artillery the men are their biggest strength. They have proper training facilities to inculcate them into the culture of the Indian Army. To further understand the culture of the Indian Army we interviewed three Army personnel. The following is a gist of the three interviews What are key facets of Culture of the Indian Army? The key facets of Indian Army include a sense of bonding, they are a unit which is closely knit, an extremely disciplined bunch of people with high levels of motivation. They have high respect for what they do and their peer group. In practise, a lot of times the Indian Army does not receive its promised share of returns and hence the general moral of the troops takes a dip. This can be attributed to bureaucratic interference. How does the organisation structure impact culture? The organisation structure helps them integrate with the culture, since it clearly defines roles of individuals. At the same time it also brings in a sense of respect towards their seniors. How do the forces men get to know about the culture of Indian Army when they are recruited? Culture is imbibed in the men right from the days of training. It is a rigorous training method followed at the IMA/NDA/OTA to train these bright young individuals to become men of the Indian army. During the training period through their interactions with seniors the recruits learn more than the functionalities of the Indian Army. They say it is one the best ways in which culture is imbibed in the minds of these young individuals. What is sought after in Indian Army the larger Interest or Individual requests? Its the interest of the nation that is the most important thing for any of the armed forces men. He puts the nation before everything in his life. How clearly are roles defined in the Indian Army? Roles are very clearly defined in the Indian Army. A hierarchy structure is in place. The posting of individuals happens on the basis of role requirement and then finding the best fit. Does culture also evolve and is there scope for new traditions? Indian army is an institute which believes in continuous development for the better, at the same it believes in maintaining its rich heritage. In a nutshell it amalgamates the old and new and ensures the best is created. But it likes to hold on to its past a lot. Any knowledge of cross culture impact of the people as they come from various backgrounds? It is probably the best example to understand homogeneity in heterogeneity. The backgrounds which people come from are diverse but at the same time at the centre of their diversity is unity which binds them to guard their nations boundaries. Due to varied backgrounds, individuals learn to appreciate others and also at the same time learn to celebrate differences. How important is detailing as a facet of culture in the Indian Army? The most important facet of Indian Armys culture is detailing. One cannot go to battle field without knowing every detail of war. Special emphasis is laid on detailing right from the training period of each and every personnel. An eye for detailing is extremely important as well as highly appreciated in the Indian Army. How does the Indian army communicate its culture to the outside world? Each army personnel is the brand ambassador of the Indian army. He/She is role model for todays youth and carries himself accordingly. Besides Indian army leads by example in every aspect it gets itself involved in. But in totality the army is a very closed organisation and not appreciative unwarranted interaction with the outside world. How do you deal with someone who does not follow the culture of Indian Army? For somebody who is not in line with the culture, they are various stages of ensuring that the person is brought in line with the culture like warnings and annual reports. But if all the options dont work out then Court Marshall is also an option which is exercised where the armed personnel is made to forfeit his position and honour associated with it. FUNCTIONAL AND DYSFUNCTIONAL ASPECTS The mission statement of the Indian Army is not a very clearly defined one. On a broader perspective the Indian Army stands for the following ideology: The Indian Army doctrine defines it as The Indian Army is the land component of the Indian Armed Forces which exist to uphold the ideals of the Constitution of India. As a major component of national power, along with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the roles of the Indian Army are as follows: Primary: Preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war. Secondary: Assist Government agencies to cope with proxy war and other internal threats and provide aid to civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose. Following is the tabulation of the functional and dysfunctional aspects of the Indian Army: Functional Aspects Dysfunctional Aspects It is a highly integrated organization Interference by the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy tries to influence decision making and hence some decisions tend to go haywire, creating confusions for the people around. The motivational levels of the personnel of the Armed Forces are extremely high which is needed for the job profile that they have. Red Tapism. There is a lot of lethargy in some departments to get the things to action. This is quite unacceptable for an institution like the Indian Army. There is immense respect for an individual as well as for the team spirit. Distributed decision making. This causes some crucial decisions to be delayed. The organization has an excellent training programme, which grooms the complete personality of an individual instead of focussing on one aspect. Budget allocations are not defined within the Organization. Hence, the allocation is not even sometimes. They have extremely high standards for selection to the Indian Army, and despite a manpower crunch they have decided not to lower the selection criterion. Indian Army needs to attract the correct talent, which currently it is unable to do. This can be attributed to the lack of proper and correct information to the youth. Very good quality of life for the people who are a part of the Indian Army. Lobbying for promotions. At the senior level, there is a lot of push and pull for getting the coveted positions. This creates an unhealthy environment in the organization. Indian Army ensure a good post retirement life. Low incentive remunerations. Anomalies in the pay structure for the armed forces are a common occurrence. Indian Army provides opportunities to experience various cultures and live in various places as a part of their tenures. ACTION PLAN Based on the derived dysfunctional aspects, we can note that the discrepancies occur on two fronts: External influences Internal functions The issues caused by external influences include: Interference by the bureaucracy The Army should set such high standards that its perceived image is one where it only serves its mission and cannot be influenced. This image will deter all kinds of informal requests and interferences. This can be done by giving more autonomy to the forces in the framework of the organizations serving the country. The issues caused by internal functions include: Red tapism The Army witnesses excessive regulation and rigid conformity to formal rules that at times prevents swift action or decision-making. The organization should allow for flexibility in structure of actions and decision making. Also, it can include cutting of red tape as a policy promise. Hierarchical decision making Orders issued by Army personnel are of critical importance, and thus the decisions to these orders need to be taken on time without any delays. This can be done by empowering officials at different levels so that decisions can be immediately taken and there arises no need to wait for sanctions from the top order when it is urgent. Uneven budget allocations Studying and understanding of every departments needs, will help carry out equal and effective budget distributions. This will ensure availability of all needed resources to all departments. Poor perceived image The armys current image is unable to attract attention of the youth for new recruits. This can be fixed by better communication and public relations exercise. Lobbying for promotions It is crucial for every organization to ensure that there are no unethical practises taking place. To prevent any lobbying for promotions, the Army should give due appraisals based on merit at the right time. It should also devise a protective mechanism for all those who report these unethical practises; this will help report all such malpractices. Unequal remuneration compared to other Government Organizations This brings about lack of motivation in the Army officials. The Government must ensure that the relative appraisals in all its organizations are at par. Acknowledgement We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Shubhra Gaur for giving us this opportunity to conduct research on the Indian Army and its Culture and to study the various functional and dysfunctional aspects associated with this organization. We would also like to thank Maj.Gen.(Retd) D.V. Kalra, VSM for helping us understand the culture and working style of the Indian Army..

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Hamlet :: essays papers

Hamlet Revenge For Your Father In Shakespeare's tragic epic Hamlet, one man is torn between loyalty of his new king or the revenge of his old king and past on father. Should Hamlet lose everything while his uncle controls what should be his? Many things led to the down fall of Hamlet some of them are the murderous acts of Claudius, the act loyalty to revenge the death of a king and father, and the great depression that Hamlet struggles to control. In Hamlet there are many unfortunate events. The start of the unfortunate event is when the king is brutally murder. Cluadius seemed to bring curse a pawn everyone around him. By the murder of Hamlet's father he was determined to avenge his death. Hamlet now had to avenge the death of his father and end the incestuous acts between a twisted uncle and mother. "He kills Polonius by accident, hoping that in a blind thrust through ther arras he might turn out at last to have dispatched the King..."(Murray pg131) Some may think that Hamlet let his emotions take over his actions in avenging his fathers' death , but Ophelia and Laertes also lots a father and they too acted like out of control. Laertes also look for revenge toward his fathers' killer just like Hamlet. Ophelia the sister of Laertes was unable to get revenge for her father Polonius lost her mind and committed suicide. Hamlet may too gone mad and taken his own life if he was unable to get revenge. The ghost of Hamlet's father give Hamlet the answer of revenge by telling him how the killer is. "The Ghost as a sort of symbol or allegory. Hamlet's character and situation were well conceived to base such a hallucination upon."(Santayana 128) The ghost gave Hamlet a great power inside to avenge his death. The ghost also to Hamlet of how the death of his father caused infinite damnation and led to corruption fo his other and Denmark. "If thou hast nature in thee bear it not, Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest"(I.5.81) Hamlet also is under great depression and constant internal struggle. The civilization was also coming down around him. He had no one to trust. Hamlet is expected to go alone the remarriage of his mother, and also after finding out that his fathers' murder was by his own uncle who married his mother and is now the new king of Denmark.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Breaking Metaphoric Shackles in Toni Morrisons Beloved :: Toni Morrison Beloved Essays

Breaking Metaphoric Shackles in Beloved      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Toni Morrison's novels, she uses her main characters to represent herself as an African American artist, and her stories as African American art, and Beloved is no exception. She does this through her underlying symbolic references to the destructiveness of slavery and the connections between the characters themselves. Syntax is also what makes this novel work, using both the powers and limits of language to represent her African American culture with simple words and name choices.    One of her main characters, Baby Suggs, uses her English with some abandon, but only after getting her message across, however simple it may seem. She might choose simplicity over complexity in speech, but her words carry the needed intensity to express herself in the little time she has left on earth (Dahill-Baue, 472-73). Baby Suggs represents the authentic black woman, having been freed from slavery by her son, Halle. "Suspended between the nastiness of life and the meanness of the dead, she couldn't get interested in leaving life or living it" (Morrison, 3).    Slavery has limited Baby Suggs' self-conception by shattering her family and denying her the opportunity to be who she wants to be, which is a good wife and mother. She is seen as wise and spiritual, even in her last days. "You lucky. You got three left. Three pulling at your skirts and just one raising hell from the other side" (Morrison, 5). What makes her so authentic is her ability to have such control over language, dismissing the "binding shackles of social codes" (Dahill-Baue, 473).    Baby Suggs is not the only main character to hint that slavery it/was an experience that could never be known exactly for what it truly was. Morrison, through all of her characters, remains willing to risk losing her main characters to a past that can be neither seen nor controlled. She uses Sethe to symbolize the border between slavery and freedom, and unexpectedly does not allow Sethe to grow in the novel and escape that painful border (Parrish, 84). Through fragmented rememories, we see that Sethe was frequently treated as an animal in her period as a slave. She once walked in on Schoolteacher giving his pupils a lesson on her "animal characteristics.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Customer Satisfaction Of Airtel & Grameenphone Essay

1. Introduction The introduction of the telecommunication sector has been pretty late in Bangladesh compared to that of the neighboring countries. The mobile telecommunication service has been doubling on an annual basis over the last two or three years. Now-a-days there are six mobile phone operators in the country with – Grameen phone, Robi, Teletalk, Banglalink, Airtel and Citycell. They are offering different new package and offers different value added services to satisfy the customers ‘demands. Customer satisfaction is a fundamental marketing construct in the last three decades. In the past, it was unpopular and unaccepted concept because companies thought it was more important to gain new customers than retain the existing ones. However, in this present decade, companies have gained better understanding of the importance of customer satisfaction (especially service producing companies) and adopted it as a high priority operational goal. Customer satisfaction, a term frequently us ed in marketing, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as â€Å"the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals. People in Bangladesh are becoming busy day by day and more professional than previous. They need to share more information to each other because demography has changed due to the era of globalization. Mobile phone has introduced a tremendous change in the communication sector in our country. It has changed the communication structure also. People in various occupations and income levels are using mobile phone intensively for their occupational purpose and personal purpose as well. 1.1 Basic information The telecom sector of Bangladesh began its journey with land phone. Then SEBA was the first company to bring cellular telephone services. The telecom sector has completely changed both in terms of coverage and efficiency of services. Cellular telephone services have achieved great commercial success. For most firms, the preeminent goal is to maximize the value of the  firm for its owners or shareholders. Increasing competition (whether for-profit or nonprofit) is forcing businesses to pay much more attention to satisfy customers. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables, which correlate with satisfaction behaviors. For this majority of the firms is trying to be a customer-oriented, customer- focused, or even-customer driven enterprise. Airtel is one of the late movers in telecommunication sector of Bangladesh. And like all other telecom companies, it is trying hard to penetrate the market and get a hold of significant market share t hrough their valued customers. 1.2 Background information Airtel Bangladesh Ltd. is a GSM-based cellular operator in Bangladesh.Airtel is the sixth mobile phone carrier to enter the Bangladesh market, andoriginally launched commercial operations under the brand name â€Å"WaridTelecom† on May 10, 2007. Warid Telecom International LLC, an Abu Dhabi basedconsortium, sold a majority 70% stake in the company to India’s Bharti AirtelLimited for US$300 million. Bharti Airtel Limited took management control of thecompany and its board, and rebranded the company’s services under its ownAirtel brand from December 20, 2010. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission approved the deal on Jan 4, 2010. Grameenphone widely known as GP, is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh. With more than 46.04 million subscribers (as of September 2013), Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone operator in the country. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation, a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed microfinance organization and community development bank Grameen Bank. Telenor, the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns 55.8% shares of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom owns 34.2% and the remaining 10% is publicly held. Grameenphone was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh. It also established the first 24-hour Call Center to support its subscribers. With the slogan Go Beyond, Grameenphone promises its customers to bring the best of communication technologies so that they can Go Beyond. 1.3 Objective of the report The objective of the report is divided into two parts. They are specific and  broad objectives. The specific and broad objective of this report is given below: 1. Broad Objective: The broad objective of this report is to find out the customer satisfaction level of Airtel & Grameenphone customers. 2. Specific Objectives: The specific objectives will be To find out specific areas of satisfaction of Airtel & Grameenphone users To figure out specific areas of dissatisfaction of Airtel & Grameenphone users To know the overall satisfaction level of the customers To figure out possible improvement sectors to reduce dissatisfaction To know the better service provider between this two companies 1.4 Literature Review Airtel is the 6th mobile phone carrier to enter the Bangladesh market and launched commercial operation on May 10, 2007. India’s bharti Airtel limited bought 70% share of Warid telecom international. This is the largest investment in Bangladesh made by an Indian company. Airtel offers both prepaid and postpaid connections with lots of diversified packages to its customers. It also offers massive value added services to its subscribers. Below is a description of timeline of Warid Telecom in Bangladesh, Bharti Airtel and its taking over Warid: In December 2005, Warid Telecom International paid US$ 50 million to obtain a GSM license from the BTRC and became the sixth mobile phone operator in Bangladesh. In a press conference on August 17, 2006, Warid announced that its network would be activated two months ahead of schedule, in October, 2006. Again in October, 2006 Warid Telecom put off the launch of its cell phone services in Bangladesh until April, 2007 after its major supplier Nokia walked out on an agreement over a payment dispute. Warid had a soft launch at the end of January 2007. It gave away complimentary subscriptions among a selected group of individuals, whose job was to make ‘test calls’ and the operator adjusted its network’s quality based on their comments. On May 9, 2007, Warid in an advertisement in some daily newspaper stated that it would be launching publicly on May 10, 2007. However, no call rate or any package details were revealed. The advertisement included an announcement for the people interested to buy Warid connections to bring the documents like ID card, etc., to the  designated franchise and customer care centers. On October 1, 2007, Warid Telecom expanded its network to five more districts raising total number of districts under Warid coverage to 56, said a press release. Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Rajbari and Narail towns were covered by Warid network. On November 10, 2007, 61 districts under Warid network coverage. On June 10, 2008, Warid Telecom expanded its network to 3 more districts Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati. Now all 64 districts of Bangladesh are under Warid network coverage meaning Warid Telecom now has nationwide coverage. On December 20, 2010, Warid Telecom was rebranded to Airtel. Bharti Airtel Limited is commonly known as Airtel. It is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G, 3G and 4G services depending upon the country of operation. Airtel is the third largest telecom operator in the world with over 243.336 million customers across 20 countries as of March 2012. It is the largest cellular service provider in India, with over 181 million subscribers at the end of March 2012. Airtel is the third largest in-country mobile operator by subscriber base, behind China Mobile and China Unicom. Airtel is the largest provider of mobile telephony and second largest provider of fixed telephony in India, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services. It offers its telecom services under the Airtel brand, and is headed by Sunil Bharti Mittal. Bharti Airtel is the first Indian telecom service provider to achieve Cisco Gold Certification. It also acts as a carrier for national and international long distance communication services. The company has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, which connects the submarine cable connecting Chennai and Singapore. Airtel is known for being the first mobile phone company in the world to outsource all of its business operations except marketing, sales and finance. Its network—base stations, microwave links, etc.—is maintained by Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei, and business support is provided by IBM, and transmission towers are maintained by another company (Bharti Infratel Ltd. in India). Ericsson agreed for the first time to be paid by the minute for installation and maintenance of their equipment rather than being paid up front, which allowed Airtel to provide low call rates. Bharti Airtel began its journey in Bangladesh in December 2010 when it acquired 70 percent stock  of Warid Telecom of Abu Dhabi Group. So, it can be said that Airtel Bangladesh has just completed its maiden year in the country. And within this period of time, the operator has also created a vast job opportunity in diverse segments of the organization and as of August 2013, Airtel Bangladesh has 7.97 million subscribers with 7.3% of market share. Before Grameenphone’s inception, the phone was for a selected urbanized few. The cell phone was a luxury: a flouting accessory for the select elite.The mass could not contemplate mobile telephony as being part of their lives. Grameenphone started its journey with the Village Phone program: a pioneering initiative to empower rural women of Bangl adesh. The name Grameenphone translates to â€Å"Rural phone†. Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, Grameenphone has come a long way. Grameenphone pioneered the then breakthrough initiative of mobile to mobile telephony and became the first and only operator to cover 98% of the country’s people with network The idea of providing universal mobile phone access throughout Bangladesh, including its rural areas, was originally conceived by Iqbal Quadir, who is currently the founder and director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT. He was inspired by the Grameen Bank microcredit model and envisioned a business model where a cell phone can serve as a source of income. After leaving his job as an investment banker in the United States, Quadir traveled back to Bangladesh, after meeting and successfully raising money from New York based investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman, and worked for three years gaining s upport from various organizations including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor. He was finally successful in forming a consortium with Telenor and Grameen Bank to establish Grameenphone. Quadir remained a shareholder of Grameenphone until 2004. Grameenphone received a license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 28, 1996. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day in Bangladesh. Grameenphone originally offered a mobile-to-mobile connectivity (widely known as GP-GP connection), which created a lot of enthusiasm among the users. It became the first operator to reach the million subscriber milestone as well as ten million subscriber milestone in Bangladesh. Since its inception Grameenphone has built the  largest cellular network in the country with over 8500 base stations . Presently, nearly 99 percent of the country’s population is within the coverage area of the Grameenphone network. Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and servi ces in the local telecom market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997. Grameenphone was also the first telecommunication operator in Bangladesh to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based push-pull services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services. In October 2013 the company launched 3G services commercially. The entire Grameenphone network is 3G/EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing access to high-speed Internet and data services from anywhere within the coverage area. There are currently over 7 million 3G/EDGE/GPRS users in the Grameenphone network. Today, Grameenphone is the leading and largest telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh with more than 47.64 million subscribers as of January 2014. Grameenphone has so far invested more than BDT 24,300 crore to build the network infrastructure Grameenphone is one of the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed more than BDT 35,500 crore in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years. There are now more than 1600 GP Service Desks across the country covering nearly all upazilas of all districts and 94 Grameenphone Centers in all the divisional cities Grameenphone has about 5000 full and temporary employees. 300,000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others. In this report we tried to discuss the comparative analysis of Airtel 7 Grameenphone over the customers. 2. Research Method 2.1 Data sources †¢ There are two types of data sources are used to obtain the required information. 2.1.1 Primary Data †¢ Direct interview though a survey questionnaire 2.1.2 Secondary data †¢ Commercial websites of Airtel & Grameenphone †¢ Online articles on telecommunication sector †¢ Previously conducted research papers on different issues of telecommunication Company‟s magazines, brochures, etc. 2.2. Method of collecting data 2.2.1 Selecting Sample The population of this study are customers of Airtel Bangladesh & Grameenphone and we took interview 120 person of different age group in our study. We targeted different people from different age group. The target population were divided among following age groups- 18-30 years – 60 30-50 years – 30 50-70 years – 20 70- above years – 10 2.2.2 Procedure of data collection After determining the target population and sampling frame we were looking forward to conduct the survey for collecting the information. As our extent of the target population was preplanned and structured, therefore, we did not have any trouble to collect the information from the fieldwork. Whenever we found a student who was sitting idle or gossiping with their friends we went to them, cordially introduced ourselves and asked them whether they were using airtel or GP. After receiving a positive response, we provided a questionnaire form and asked them to participate in the survey. Fortunately, no one denied participating in the survey because it did not take more than four minutes to finish. Moreover, every respondent was looking enthusiastic in taking part and some of them were very cooperative and supportive. They also assisted us to find out active airtel & GP users. By this way, we collected data from 100 respondents. Rest 20 set of questionnaires were given to my friends and t he neighbors who were the Airtel or GP users. 2.2.3 Method of analyzing data After completing the research survey, we started the data preparation for the project. As soon as we received the questionnaires from the field I kept all the information in Microsoft Excel program. Since, this is a descriptive  research and the data analysis should be done quantitatively. For this reason, we used MS Excel software because we have enough insights of using this program. In the beginning portion of the questionnaire, there were some general questions to aware of the some information about the respondents, for instances, gender, age, duration of the network age and some direct question related to their usage pattern. This information is analyzed collectively rather than individually. Here, no statistical tools have been used. The next section of the questionnaire contains 13 statements. Each of the statements has been arranged in such a way which is directly related to the customer satisfaction factors. 2.3 Limitations of the study The survey is subjected to the bias and prejudices of the respondents. Hence 100% accuracy can’t be assured. The researcher was carried out in a short span of time, where in the researcher could not widen the study. The study could not be generalized due to the fact that researcher adapted personal interview method. It is so difficult to survey questionnaire among target samples. 3. Result & Discussions: Findings 3.1. Findings on respondents’ analysis The general analysis of the 120 samples is presented in this section. The main objective of the respondents‟ analysis is to get the overview about respondents. Here, respondent‟s gender, age limit, duration of their network, and usage pattern, etc. have been discussed briefly. There is no statistical tool used to analysis the respondent’s overview because this information will not affect directly to the customer satisfaction factors. For collecting data from the field, the research survey has been conducted among 80 male and 40 female users of airtel & GP users. Thus, the ratio of male user is 60% and the ratio of female user is 40%. We have conducted the research on 18-30 years – 60 30-50 years – 30 50-70 years – 20 70- above years – 10 From this scenario, it can be said that most of the airtel is more polular in  urban areas & in young generation. There were also two direct questions asked to the respondents to know the reason of using Airtel and to know which of the value added services are used by the respondents. Research findings show that 40% of the respondents use airtel only for the lower cost. 20% of the respondents use airtel for the highest FnF benefits. 10% of the respondents said they are using airtel for low on-net tariffs. 30% of the respondents use GP for network, voice quality and for the brand image. 3.2 Findings on questionnaire analysis 1. How many sim do you use? Most of the respondents use 1 sim. Rest others use 2 sims for various purposes. 2. Which company’s sim you are using now? Most of the respondents use Airtel. Those who use 2 sims, they have Grameenphone, teletalk, Robi & Banglalink sim. 3. What is the reason behind of your choice? Most of the Airtel users use Airtel for the lower call rate. Grameenphone users use it for better network & service. 4. Who is following better business strategy? Most of the Airtel users think Airtel is following better business strategy at this moment to attract new young generation. Grameenphone users think GP should obtain more attractive business strategy to retain the existing customers as well as draw interest to new customers. 5. Who provides more facility for their customers? In this question, most of them think Grameenphone is providing more facilities to its customers. With their network, service & customer care outlet around the country Grameenphone is far better than Airtel. 6. Who is more responsible for social welfare?  Most of the respondents expressed that being the most popular & largest telecom company, Grameenphone is contributing more for social welfare of Bangladesh. 7. Call Rate  Most of the respondents are satisfied with the call rate of Airtel. Few of them think it is moderate. On the other hand, most of the respondents think call rate of Grameenphone is highly expensive. They are dissatisfied with this. 8. Service.  In service issue, most of the respondents feel moderate with the Airtel service but Grameenphone have many satisfied clients in this regard. 9. Network.  In network issue, Airtel has dissatisfied customers. The respondents are not satisfied at all with the striggling network of Airtel. On the other hand Grameenphone is reigning the telecom scenario with their operative network. 10. Bonus Offer.  The respondents are satisfied with the endless bonus offers of Airtel. Most of them are agreed with that. Contrariwise Grameenphone’s bonus offers are not so much satisfactory to its clients. 11. Bundle Offer.  Most of the respondents are satisfied with the bundle offers of Airtel. A small number of them are moderate with that. Inversely the bundle offers of Grameenphone are dissatisfactory to its clients. 12. Which company’s sim you will suggest for using to your friends? 60% of the respondents told that they will suggest Airtel sim to their friends. Rest of them stated that they will recommend Grameenphone to their friends. 3.3 Best According to Customers 3.4 Reasons of the First Choice: Grameenphone 3.5 Reasons of the First Choice: Airtel 3.6 Competitive Advantage of Grameenphone & Airtel 3.7 Customers Recommendations In the respondent‟s opinion and suggestion section, 12 respondents did not put any opinion. However, rest 108 of the respondents shared their valuable opinion regarding Airtel & Grameenphone services and those are given below accordingly: Most of the respondents suggested Airtel to upgrade its network coverage as soon as possible. The also suggested Grameenphone to reduce the  call rate. Some respondents also suggested to: Stop sending unwanted SMS Reduce VAS tariffs Increase the validity for bonus talk time Offer attractive handset bundle package

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Anton Chekhovs `Heartache` and William Faulkners `A Rose for Emily`

Throughout his work Faulkner demonstrates this ability to create characters whose loneliness functions both as a dramatic fact and as a psychological theme. In The Sound and the Fury Quentin Compson's personal despair, or sense of irrevocable isolation, is related to his puritan meddling with the lives of others. In As I Lay Dying the individual members of the Bundren family are motivated by secret and lonely desires that are in strong contrast to the apparent solidarity of the family venture.Darl Bundren's madness is the price he pays for a full understanding of human loneliness, of how â€Å"the clotting which is you† struggles to preserve its identity in the relentless flux of time. The moral themes of Light in August are directly related to Joe Christmas's puritan loneliness. But his loneliness is only a product of his desperate search for moral absolution. Human isolation is implicitly identified in such novels with the search for selfhood in a dynamic and time-ridden wor ld.An individual's sense of isolation is never a quality imposed upon him by circumstances; it is rooted in human nature, and circumstances only bring to light its destructive consequences. Loneliness has its particular origin at the heart of puritan self-consciousness, when man tries to create a bulwark of morality and reason against the fear that nothing in this world really matters. Only Faulkner's nonrational characters are free of the destructive fluctuation between moral pride and amoral despair.His primitive characters are never lonely; they never see themselves as isolated human agents. Faulkner's success in portraying human loneliness lies in the fact that only individuals can be lonely — and the characters of his early novels are always individuals. But in Faulkner's later novels a character's sense of isolation is treated primarily as an abstract or universal theme. The opposition between man and his social world becomes a question of philosophy and not of dramatic organization.Atmosphere is defined in the Dictionary of World Literature as â€Å"The particular world in which the events of a story or a play occur: time, place, conditions, and the attendant mood. † When, as in â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the world depicted is a confusion between the past and the present, the atmosphere is one of distortion–of unreality. This unreal world results from the suspension of a natural time order. Normality consists in a decorous progression of the human being from birth, through youth, to age and finally death. Preciosity in children is as monstrous as idiocy in the adult, because both are unnatural.Monstrosity, however, is a sentimental subject for fiction unless it is the result of human action–the result of a willful attempt to circumvent time. When such circumvention produces acts of violence, as in â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the atmosphere becomes one of horror. Horror, however, represents only the extreme form of ma ladjusted nature. It is not produced in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† until the final act of violence has been disclosed. All that has gone before has prepared us by producing a general tone of mystery, foreboding, decay, etc. so that we may say the entire series of events that have gone before are â€Å"in key†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is, they are depicted in a mood in which the final violence does not appear too shocking or horrible.We are inclined to say, â€Å"In such an atmosphere, anything may happen. † Foreshadowing is often accomplished through atmosphere, and in this case the atmosphere prepares us for Emily's unnatural act at the end of the story. Emily is portrayed as â€Å"a fallen monument,† a monument for reasons which we shall examine later, fallen because she has shown herself susceptible to death (and decay) after all.In the mention of death, we are conditioned (as the psychologist says) for the more specific concern with it later on. The second paragraph depicts the essential ugliness of the contrast: the description of Miss Emily's house â€Å"lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps–an eyesore among eyesores. † (A juxtaposition of past and present. ) We recognize this scene as an emblematic presentation of Miss Emily herself, suggested as it is through the words â€Å"stubborn and coquettish. The tone–and the contrast–is preserved in a description of the note which Miss Emily sent to the mayor, â€Å"a note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink,† and in the description of the interior of the house when the deputation from the Board of Aldermen visit her: â€Å"They were admitted by the old Negro into a dim hall from which a stairway mounted into still more shadow. It smelled of dust and disuse–a close, dank smell. † In the next paragraph a description of Emily discloses her similarity to the house: â€Å"She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue.Emily had not always looked like this. When she was young and part of the world with which she was contemporary, she was, we are told, â€Å"a slender figure in white,† as contrasted with her father, who is described as â€Å"a spraddled silhouette. † In the picture of Emily and her father together, framed by the door, she frail and apparently hungering to participate in the life of her time, we have a reversal of the contrast which has already been presented and which is to be developed later.Even after her father's death, Emily is not monstrous, but rather looked like a girl â€Å"with a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church windows–sort of tragic and serene. † The suggestion is that she had already begun her entrance into that nether-world (a world which is depicted later as â€Å"rose-tinted†), but that she might even yet have been sa ved, had Homer Barron been another kind of man. Just as Emily refused to acknowledge the death of her father, she now refuses to recognize the death of Colonel Sartoris. He had given his word, and according to the traditional view, â€Å"his word† knew no death.It is the Past pitted against the Present –the Past with its social decorum, the Present with everything set down in â€Å"the books. † Emily dwells in the Past, always a world of unreality to us of the Present. Here are the facts which set the tone of the story and which create the atmosphere of unreality which surrounds it. It is important, too, to realize that during the period of Emily's courtship, the town became Emily's allies in a contest between Emily and her Grierson cousins, â€Å"because the two female cousins were even more Grierson than Miss Emily had ever been. The cousins were protecting the general proprieties against which the town (and the times) was in gradual rebellion. Just as each s ucceeding generation rebels against its elders, so the town took sides with Emily against her relations. Had Homer Barron been the proper kind of man, it is implied, Miss Emily might have escaped both horns of the dilemma (her cousins' traditionalism and Homer's immorality) and become an accepted and respected member of the community.The town's attitude toward the Grierson cousins represents the usual ambiguous attitude of man toward the past: a mixture of veneration and rebelliousness. The unfaithfulness of Homer represents the final act in the drama of Emily's struggle to escape from the past. From the moment that she realizes that he will desert her, tradition becomes magnified out of all proportion to life and death, and she conducts herself as though Homer really had been faithful–as though this view represented reality.Miss Emily's position in regard to the specific problem of time is suggested in the scene where the old soldiers appear at her funeral. There are, we are told, two views of time: (1) the world of the present, viewing time as a mechanical progression in which the past is a diminishing road, never to be encountered again; (2) the world of tradition, viewing the past as a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from (us) now by the narrow bottleneck of the most recent decade of years. The first is the view of Homer Barron and the modern generation in Jefferson.The second is the view of the older members of the Board of Aldermen and of the confederate soldiers. Emily holds the second view, except that for her there is no bottleneck dividing her from the meadow of the past. Emily's small room above stairs has become that timeless meadow. In it, the living Emily and the dead Homer have remained together as though not even death could separate them. It is the monstrousness of this view which creates the final atmosphere of horror, and the scene is intensified by the portrayal of the unchanged objects which have surrounded H omer in life.Here he lay in the roseate atmosphere of Emily's death-in-life: â€Å"What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay; and upon him and upon the pillow beside him lay that even coating of the patient and biding dust. † The symbols of Homer's life of action have become mute and silent. Contrariwise, Emily's world, though it had been inviolate while she was alive, has been invaded after her death–the whole gruesome and unlovely tale unfolded.In the first place, she has been frustrated by her father, prevented from participating in the life of her contemporaries. When she attempts to achieve freedom, she is betrayed by a man who represents the new morality, threatened by disclosure and humiliation. Loneliness is associated rhetorically with abstract humanity. Simultaneously it becomes a cause less for despair than for transcendental affirmation, a theme related in A Fable to the Marsha l's faith in irrevocable human evil.The loneliest experience of all, the reader is told in this novel, is just breathing. But in its identification with the human condition, the concept of loneliness loses all personal meaning. Only by declining to state such identifications can the novelist successfully establish them. In his best work Faulkner demonstrates that loneliness is a particular, never a universal state of mind. Loneliness is not an abstract concept of human experience but the world in which each individual must live.Chekhov in his story, â€Å"Heartache,† dealt with being old and alone in the city. In â€Å"Heartache,† an old cabby lamented the fact that his son had died before him. He was then alone with no one to take care of him and with no one to learn from him. He was completely alone, abused by people, with no one to help him bear his grief. He earned enough to feed his horse and not much else. He slept on a bench in a large room with the other cabbie s. One wonders how long he would last with hunger, cold, and loneliness on his old, tired heels. (Williames 132)

What Are the Strengths and Challenges of Teams at Work

What are the strengths and challenges of teams at work? Team work has been the biggest development In management of human resources for organizations In the past few decades (Norman, Cohen and Norman, 1995). It has been implemented in a wide variety of spheres and the growth of the popularity is still ongoing. It is obvious that these changes have not happened without a reason, there is something to team work that is attracting every manager like kids to an ice- cream car. Before I continue, I want to state some things so there would not be any misunderstanding further on the essay.First, I do not want any confusion when it comes to defining a team and a group, because I understand that there is not much of a difference (Ouzo, 1996) between these terms. The only thing that I want to state is that team always has an interdependent nature; they perceive themselves as a whole unit. Second, as the topic is about teams In general, the evaluation Is quite superficial and It will not be val id for every team. The way team performs depends on the size of the team, the management of It and of course the working environment It Is In.So every team has to be evaluated Independently to give an objective report. I will describe aspects that stand out amongst the others and are present for most of the teams. My goal in this essay is to evaluate teams at work environment drawing on theory and research. I am going to point out the strengths of a team-based work from member's point of view and challenges that team members have to face. Eventually, what I am trying to state is that people (managers, leaders etc. Who are leaning towards team work as the best way of getting things done have made this assumption based on feelings they have towards team-work rather than researching hurry and experiments made on the approach to get the bagger picture of what team-work consists from and what are the actual drawbacks. I am basing my work on the paper about ‘romance of teams' (Allen and Yecch, AAA) taking some Ideas from the paper, but putting them Into my own perspective. I am going to start with the most obvious strengths that teams has, because those are the ones that people are most aware of.Followed by additional strengths, that according to researches lies in our sub consciousness. After that I will describe the biggest challenges teams have to face. Strengths A team consists of several people and each one of them has their own skills, characteristics, gender, age and perception of things in general (Britton et al. , 2010). There are several definitions of a team, but this one serves the best for my purposes – ‘A group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, Job, or project' (Chicken, 2009).Indeed each one of us Is unique and by coming together and supplementing each other we form a living organism called ‘team'. Knowledge, opinion, experience and personal views can be shared in this living mind', in this way implying additional strengths. Maybe these are not the strengths that people will mention the most when speaking about pros of teams, but they exist and they do form our feelings towards teams. I would like to continue by focusing on strengths of teams that people are unaware of or they are aware of them subconsciously.Every team is a social formation; accordingly it includes interaction with others, whether it is Just a chat that started with â€Å"how are you doing? † or a discussion about the subjective they are trying to achieve or a social evening to bring he team closer together, it does not matter. The thing that matters is that team gives you a wide range of opportunities to satisfy your social needs; it gives you a feeling of belonging (Godard, 2001 a).Alongside, comes the feeling that overtakes you, that gives you the idea that you want to be a part of a team, which is natural, because people are creatures that has been living in groups since the beginn ing of time and social desires has developed naturally and is a part of our lives. The thing is that, not everyone is aware of this phenomenon, so this is where unconscious strengths appear. To continue, I would like to introduce a research made by Diddle and Strobe, 1991.This research states that individuals perceive working in group activities to be more fun and enjoyable than working alone and that time is perceived as passing more quickly when working in a group (Allen and Yecch, Bibb). Moreover, some researches shows that working in a team can increase your mental well-being and state of mind in general (Carter, 2000). Teams provide a benefit like reduction of stress (Godard, 2001 b) which mostly comes from the fact that teams reduces uncertainty about particular situations and verifies member's beliefs and ideas (Hog and Mulling, 1999).As all the facts that are mentioned before comes together, it is only obvious that teams do paint a really nice picture about themselves in our minds. Additionally, the way how people actually perceive themselves in a group is different from the way they do outside of one. Researches have shown that people tend to take less responsibility for failures of the team and in the same time more responsibility for success of the team (Schlesinger, 1975), which is kind of illogical, but in the nature f any human being.It is much easier to assign blame to others in that way preserving your own feeling of competence, rather than admitting that you are the one to blame, and when being in a team you have the opportunity to do that, because who will possibly forbid you, except yourself. The perception of team as a unit working together plays a big role here, because in your mind you do understand that you are not the only one who is in the team, so if the team fails or succeeds then the whole team does that.To add to this idea, people tend to evaluate their own reference higher when working in a team rather than working alone, both, th eir actual expectations and conclusions, of their performance in the team has been recorded to be of a higher value (Phallus et al. , 1993). This all can be very misleading, but as long as we – human beings – will not change our nature and start seeing things as they actually are, these will be some of the most mind impacting benefits towards teamwork.Challenges The point about the diversity of a team and different people coming together that When people with different ideas and different views on life come together and has o work as one and unbreakable unit, arguments between them are inevitable. That is why certain roles have to be assigned and a specific structure formed, so the team would manage to work productively. Size and composition of a team has an influence on individual behavior, on decision making (Kooks-De Bode et al. 2008), if these aspects are not sorted out in a timely manner then one of the biggest strengths of a team can turn into a drawback and then it is Just matter of time when the team will collapse. Another challenge for a team is goal setting, which is a really important aspect when it comes to whether the work is going to be smooth and whether it is going to be without misunderstandings. Goals has to be set at the very beginning and they have to be defined very clearly to everyone in the team, so everyone would really understand what the team is trying to achieve.If this is not done, then there is a possibility that team members start to head in different directions. An equally significant set of challenges comes from too much of dependence on your teams decisions. Researches made by Stanley Amalgam, 1973 shows that when decision has o be made, team members tend to follow the point of view that is presented by others or by most members of the team, that way actually not expressing their own thoughts. Besides that, these researches shows that people tend to follow the leader of a team even if the things that are being don e are against their principles and are morally wrong.Justification to these kinds of decisions comes from the fact that any decision made in a group actually is a group decision and therefore made by several people, accordingly the responsibility is being shared amongst all of the group embers. This results in poor decision-making process, which can further result in serious damage made to the work-group itself or to the possibility of achieving the goal that has been set out. Hence, the challenge for a team is to set certain norms.Norms about how the work has to be led, to what extent members should follow their leader and what are the social, moral, ethical and physical norms that should not be crossed. To sum up the challenges, team work has to be well balanced and well organized; it has to be like a machine that does not work if one of the parts is broken. To do that you have to take in consideration a lot of aspects, starting with leaders role and importance, ending with team m embers moral and physical needs. Everything has to be balanced and managed smartly and efficiently (Allen, 1996).That is the hardest challenge to deal with in team-work and it becomes even harder if the person who is in charge of the team does not know about these elements. Before I draw the conclusion I would like to remind the fact that the Judgments being made in this essay is superficial and regards the general population of people included in teams. Therefore, I am not stating that it is true for every person. To summarize, I have stated the strengths that in my mind form the feeling towards team-work inside a person's mind. I hope that others reading these points will be able to relate to them as well.