Observing a Math Lesson Essay

A standard in mathematics provides, at the very least, is a baseline or outline to loosely adhere to during the school year. They are at the most though, designed to curricular goals and guidance for the math curriculum (Ferrini-Mundy, 2000). The direction of the future of math standards is equally important. The NCTM is focusing on having every state adhere to the same standards. Traditional teaching and learning is now taking a backseat to an updated common-core driven era because the old ways are dated for the dynamic of today’s classroom. The big difference between a baseline and goal is the minimum requirement and the maximum success rate you are aiming for as a teacher. Just having standards in a classroom and pushing through each lesson to achieve the notion that you made it through each standard produce a sub-par learning experience. There should be goals, not just for getting through standards, but an actual standard of learning each standard. A certain percentage of students should be able to demonstrate a mediocre to high capability of quality work for each standard. Formative and summative assessments could be used to analyze when it is time to move to the next standard. The separation of standards by state requirements show a difference in in the challenge the standards uphold from state-to-state (GreatSchools). After the NCLB Act of 2002, states were held accountable for the test scores, and even more than scores, the progress of their students. States submit their standards and questions for approval. There was a gap however in the quality of questions from each state. The NCTM is trying to find a happy medium for this. Forty-nine states now have adapted or at least begin implementing the new subject matter standards in mathematics (Ferrini-Mundy, 2000). Classrooms are no longer made of just high and low learners. Classrooms incorporate such a vast and diverse dynamic that not only includes a plethora of students that require differentiated lessons, but also consist of students who learn in all seven styles (Burton, 2010).  Being able to transcend information above just delivering it to each student can prove to be challenging. The goal would be to not just deliver, but have students receive, comprehend and apply. Constructivist style teaching and learning offers a gateway to the success of this. Students understand even subconsciously how they learn. Taking an active role in their own learning and mathematical discovery is key to their lifetime learning journey. Peer problem solving, dynamic small group teaching and think pair share offer an engaging premise for this learner’s accountability (Burton, 2010). This however does not mean every aspect of teaching from previous generations is lost. If it is not broke, don’t fix it applies to anything that was successful from all previous teaching methods throughout time. Traditional teaching methods are ideal for basic levels of learning. This is evident when basic information needs to be construed to the students. How to do addition and subtraction type concepts do not require constructivist style learning. Both styles of teaching provide huge upside but also are handcuffed by cons if used exclusively in the class. Constructivist math programs leave low-achieving students behind. Traditional programs may be tedious to high-achieving students (McDonell, 2008). A combination of both should be used for the greatest success. Lesson The objectives of the lesson I observed was to establish two different ways to find the area of triangles. This lesson was used as a base for eventually teaching composite figures and finding not only the area of them, but also the volume. The lessons incorporated problem solving and word problems, heightening the effectiveness of the lesson. The teacher placed the students in group settings. Within each group, students were given two separate problems. After the completion of each problem they discussed how the performed the work and came to find the answer. Once they all agreed on the answer and explanation, they groups were all shifted to a new table which held a new set of questions to solve and discuss. The standards used from the NCTM fall under the measurement and the process categories. It covers a majority of the two standards because of the variety of strategies used in the lessons. Below is all of the strategies used that were pulled from the NCTM website (NCTM, 2014). Measurements Grades 6–8 Expectations: In grades 6–8 all students should– understand both metric and customary systems of measurement; understand relationships among units and convert from one unit to another within the same system; understand, select, and use units of appropriate size and type to measure angles, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume. Process Standards Problem Solving Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to— Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems Monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving Reasoning and Proof Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to— Recognize reasoning and proof as fundamental aspects of mathematics Make and investigate mathematical conjectures Develop and evaluate mathematical arguments and proofs Select and use various types of reasoning and methods of proof Communication Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to— Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others; Use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely. Connections Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to— Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas Understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics Representation Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable  all students to— Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas Select, apply, and translate among mathematical representations to solve problems Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena Standards in mathematics are important because it allows maximum learning. Being able to produce a lesson and then compare the standards allows educators to revamp or add to their lesson plans and implement more then they initially intended. A lesson can be drawn up and leave out simple elements that if added increase learning and meaning. The enhancement of the lesson will lead to a better success rate for the future lessons this one was meant to be a baseline for. A deeper understanding and comprehension of the area of a triangle makes the transition to composite shapes much easier to address. The methods used for this lesson were ideal. Strategies used were group work and a think-pair-share approach to explaining their conclusion of how they came to their answers we very effective. Although the text does not say, whole brain teaching and modeling methods were used for the first half of the lesson. Demonstration effective learning is important in this particular class because the c lass includes students who fundamentally have problems with simple multiplication even though it is 6th grade. Because of this, she also has to differentiate her instruction. This was done by not only making appropriate group dynamics but also giving low students’ multiplication charts so that they may solve the work on their own. This was not counterintuitive at all because the purpose was to understand solving for area. The school is low economic status, and technology is scarce. Technology was not used but could have been at basic levels. It could have been used to submit their work, to include their explanations. This would provide a means for accountability. It could have also been used for interactive websites intended for solving area. Technology was not used, but manipulatives were. Each problem consisted of its own cut out to measure. One of the changes I would have made to this lesson would be to allow students to measure something around the classroom. I noticed quite a few triangular shapes in her class to include an awesome Avengers kite. Assessments of the lesson included exit cards for that day  and when the section of the lessons was concluded, multiple tests were taken. The teacher used all of these assessments to her advantage. She addressed necessary review time because of them, making the overall lesson an absolute success. Other than allowing students free reign at the end I wou ld not change anything about this lesson. This will be yet another lesson I steal and use for my own classroom. Resources Burton, M. (2010). Five Strategies for Creating Meaningful Mathematics Experiences in the Primary Years. YC: Young Children, 65(6), 92-96. Ferrini-Mundy, J. (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics: A guide for mathematician. Notices of AMS, 47(8), 868-876. Retrieved from http://www.ams.org/notices/200008/comm-ferrini.pdf GreatSchools Staff (n.d.). State standardized test scores: Issues to consider. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/626-state-standardized-test-scores- issues-to-consider.gs Lee Yuen, L. (2010). The Use of Constructivist Teaching Practices by Four New Secondary School Science Teachers: A Comparison of New Teachers and Experienced Constructivist Teachers. Science Educator, 19(2), 10-21. McDonell, J. (2008). Constructivist versus traditional math programs: How do we best meet the educational needs of our students?. (Master’s thesis, Carroll University). Retrieved from http://content-dm.carrollu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/edthesis/id/2/rec/14 NCTM. (2014). thstandards and expectations. Retrieved from http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=4294967312 Winstone, N., & Millward, L. (2012). The Value of Peers and Support from Scaffolding: Applying Constructivist Principles to the Teaching of Psychology. Psychology Teaching Review, 18(2), 59-67.

Advertising Campaign Case Study New BMW Series Essay

1.0 Description of campaign-â€Å"DESIGNED FOR DRIVING PLEASURE†Ã‚  BMW is the German manufacturer Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (as known as Bavarian Motor Works) which is one amongst the luxurious and advanced brand in motor vehicle industry, such as Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Its product is not only automotive vehicle, also refer to motorcycle and Formula One. However, BMW automotive is more well known than others. â€Å"Designed for driving pleasure†is BMW launched a new international campaign focused on design in Germany. The integrated global campaign highlights the dynamism of BMW design and features a TV commercial that portrays the BMW concept 4 Series Coupe in a highly dynamic way, using a surprising visual effect that is revealed at the end of the spot. Design and dynamics are also the focus of the print campaign. Ropes are used in the image to create the motion blur effect normally seen in real driving shots. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Unlike previous global campaigns of BMW, this new Designed for Driving Pleasure features the all new 4 Series Concept, instead of a production models. The advertisement campaign also features a download app called AD Essence specially for IPad and Android phones. The design and presentation of this new app is thanks to Architectural Digest magazine along with BMW Group Design while the campaign will be aired on company web-side â€Å"www. Bmw.de† from today. This is a global campaign which will have a worldwide reach in the first quarter of 2013 drawing special attention to BMW Concept 4 Series Coupe. At the same time, the campaign brings to the fore all what BMW stands for, be it dynamics of design, sheer driving pleasure, enhanced performance, and vehicles with a marked degree of sportiness and elegance. The print campaign showcased the BMW Concept 4 Series Coupe and the new BMW Z4 which is expected to be launched across Germany from March 16,2013. (Sagar Patel, 2013) 2.0 Market group-â€Å"Up-market† The main market group to whom the advertisement campaign from BMW-â€Å"Designed for driving pleasure† could be identified by demographic assessing variable aspects from consumers’ age, gender or income. Demographic analysis is used in two ways-as market segment descriptors and in trend analysis. To create descriptors of market segments, marketers match demographic and psychographic profiles of a segment with its consumer behavior. The demographic variables that correlate sufficiently with specific consumer behavior are then used to describe that segment. In this sense, demographics are used as a proxy for how consumers will behave, based on characteristics such as age, income level and ethnicity. When marketers do not have primary research, demographics information can be used to guide new development, product repositioning, brand extension, distribution strategies or media and creative appeals in communications programs. (Blackwell, 2000) The 4 Series advertisement from BMW is not only found to concentrate on a particular psychographic market, and it’s about promote a new car that stands for dynamic performance, sportiness and elegance. The target of BMW 4 Series is not only for achievers but also for strivers and other else who have ability to buy it. So, rather than psychographic, the BMW 4 Series campaign can be said to rely more on social-demographics. According to the demographics segmentation theory, the up-market, often referred to as â€Å"super-affluent†, represents the top quintile (20 percent) of consumers in terms of income. These holds often consist of two income-earners who place high value on time, because time is scarcer than money for them. They usually value extra services-such as offers of semi-prepared food, organic food at higher prices in some supermarkets or the shopping nights offered by David Jones or similar stores for exclusive attendance of their store cardholders that some retailers provide to capture new customers. (Blackwell, 2000) In the demographics theory up-market is the customers who prefer a good quality product or service even though it would spend more money such as BWM. BWM is one amongst the leading brands in vehicle industry as we known. And Compare to other car companies like Toyota, Holden, BMW is not cheaper than them, but it would has a better quality or service and the customers also have a different sense. For 4 series: Acceleration, breaking, taking fast corners-pure driving pleasure. BMW products promise sheer diving pleasure that clear lines and distinctively sculpted surfaces express this dynamism and motion even when the car is standing still. What is said above, the product which BMW campaign promoted, it is almost focus on the target of up-market. 3.0 Problem recognition When considering making a consumer decision, problem/need recognition is the first step. It is easy and helpful for marketers to identify the reasons for customers to buy their products, as the analysis of the problem recognition and buyer behaviors. The campaign of BMW is to make a ‘4 Series Coupe has its own character within the BMW family and combines all that BMW stands for: dynamic performance, sportiness and elegance.’(Horatiu Boeriu, 2013) Obviously, the problems that the advertisement seeks to address are providing a product which is practical and also elegant. BMW is a band which meets the needs of high quality car and showing the status of customers. When people driving a BMW across the road, the strangers on the road side may attractive by the design of the car, as BMW emphasizes making a good fist impression (John Brink, 2013). On the other hand, it is important for drivers to think about is the performance of the car (John Brink, 2013). BMW offers comfortable conditions of driving experience as well as passengers feeling. Customers may require a ‘smooth, balance, and capable’ journey when driving a car, regardless of straight motorways or narrow, and winding country lanes (John Brink, 2013). In addition, safety of the car is also an important element for consumers to consider. There is no end for BMW to quest the next innovation about safety (BMW, 2013). When having a fascinating appearance, safety can be a difficult and important part for BMW to do research and development. In general, the nature of the decision made by BMW of this 4 Series Coupe is to meet the needs of both attractive surface and car performance and safety. However, the potential risk of the 4 Series Coupe is that it is a high class of consumption. According to the research, the New BMW 4 series will sale at the end of 2013, which costs an expected price of  £28,000 (Luke madden, 2013). It is more expensive than 3 Series, and competitively with A5. That is to say, BMW 4 Series Coupe is a premium luxury item which is priced higher than any other car of its competitors. As a result, this risk leads to lose some of the customers who cannot afford it. 4.0 Theory and application BMW aims for a simple design and classic that attracts from every angle and that will age well. The core values of BMW brand is providing quality, technology, performance and exclusivity. For BMW, performance is the most concerned rather than speed (BMW Blog). Nowadays, BMW is launching an international campaign – Design for driving pleasure to introduce the concept 4 Series Coupà ©. â€Å"The BMW Concept 4 Series Coupà © has its own character within the BMW family and combines all that BMW stands for: sportiness, dynamic performance and elegance†, said by Karim Hbib, head of BMW Design (BMW blog). Like Mercedes-Benz, BMW stands for luxury and successful. Consumer motivation refers to the drive to satisfy both psychological and physiological needs through product consumption and purchase (Blackwell, D’Souze, Taghian, Miniard, Engel. 2007). Physiological needs are the most basic needs, including more than food and drink. Sometimes people may not feel hungry but they still want to eat something, this physiological need of consumption is the need for pleasure. For BMW crazy fans and collectors, the BMW Concept 4 Series Coupà © is newly introduced into market place. Those who have financial abilities may have the eager to purchase the fresh ground car even though they don’t lack of car. Furthermore, the 4 Series Coupà © is more focus on sportiness, this factor may attract more successful businessmen’s attention. They could drive 5 or 7 series BMW during business time, while they could drive 4 Series Coupà © during leisure time. As we could see, the 4 Series Coupà © has streamlined design, which adds more fashion elements to 4 Series Coupà ©, this factors may attract more young people and females, especially in fashion industry. Most people want to give a good impression to public and be perceived as complying with various social norms in order to gain social esteem and approval (Olof, 2006). We all want our family to be proud: some even want to be seen and recognized as successful and rich; others want to be viewed as attractive. This is called social image needs – the need to project a certain image of ourselves to our social environment (Blackwell†¦et. al. 2007). BMW represents successful. The new 4 Series Coupà © reflects not only young and fashion factors but also successful. According to Ozaki and Sevastyanova’s report, the relationship between the possibilities produced by technological innovations and actual sustainable outcomes is heavily mediated by consumers’attitudes towards those innovations. The 4 Series Coupà © brings the fashion, sportiness and luxury image of BMW to public, which drives new market consumption. Customer engagement refers to the engagement of customers with one another, with a company or a brand (Vaughn. 2012). BMW has already creates its company and brand loyalty during the past years. The new 4 Series Coupà © once is launched, BMW customers who are engaged with BMW would pay attention. 5.0 Strategy assessment and conclusion BMW is involved a high-involved buyer behavior, as it has a complex thinking and research process during buying a car. It is not like purchasing milk, customers have to compare and do more research about the products. This campaign uses marketing communication to increase the product awareness, including print, TV, social media and out of home advertising (Sagar Patel, 2013). The advertising is trying to use the vehicle’s design with the special visual effect as the product feature (Sagar Patel, 2013). Compare to the global campaign of BMW before, instead of presenting statistics of the models and the functions, this campaign use an image and an app called AD Essene, as the design of the product is the most important purchase reason (Horatiu Boeriu, 2013). The purpose of these promotions is to attract the target market customers and making them interested in this product. On the other hand, the dynamic moving car on the TV advertising which looks elegant and balance also make people feel the 4 Series Coupe is a good choice. Obviously, the 4 Series Coupe is target customers who are achievers, as it is a high class of consumption. The ads can be found not only on the TV, Internet, Magazines, but also on the out of the door globally, in other words, people can easily find the ads all over the world. As a result, the products can look attractive to everyone, especially for the high class people who are affordable to buy this product. In addition, this advertisement may target people who are fashionable, as the new design of the fascinating appearance. To fit within the whole campaign, the advertisement should make motivation for customers to buy this car. Currently, it is popular for a family to own a car, especially for the rich family, they can have more than one can in their home. That is to say, people who can afford BMW may consider about purchase more cars for their family. The advertisement can be posted and exposure frequently on the CBD office Building, the famous commercial magazines, as well as commercial and financial websites, so that potential customers can get the product information easily and simply.

Family Tradition

Elizabeth Ashleigh Petersen Mrs. Perniciaro English 1101 MW March 15, 2010 Family Tradition I always know it is Thanksgiving morning when I awake to the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven and the cinnamon apple spice tea brewing on the stove. The rest of the morning is spent helpingmy mom and grandmother cooking in our large open kitchen. Every year for as long as I can remember, my grandmother uses my Nana’s recipies when cooking the thick butter garlic mashed potatoes, homemade sweet red cranberry sauce, and the rich creamy dark gravy. On the other hand, my mom and I always cook the french green beans, sausage and bread stuffing, and also our homemade pumpkin pie together. While the women spend most of the early afternoon in the kitchen getting things ready, the men normally gather in the living room and watch sports or play a board game on the coffee table. It is a rule in our house that no man is allowed in the kitchen while we are cooking unless he is coming to help with dishes; otherwise the men eat all the food as it is being prepared. Thanksgiving is a day where my entire family can get together and enjoy excellentfood as well as each other’s company. My father who lives in the beautiful Birmingham, Alabama drives down every year the day before Thanksgiving and stays with us throughout the weekend. He always brings the finest fresh sweet tea and homemade peach cobbler you can find in Alabama which are essential to our Thanksgiving meal. However, my maternal grandparents drive down from Memphis, Tennessee and bring along with them a small present for each of the kids; which include my two brothers, Johnathan and Harrison, and my sister Alise. Even though this is a day for my family to spend time together, we have always welcomed anyone without a place to go or family to be with to spend it with us as well. Some of the past years we have had neighbors join us and also friends of the children. As I’ve already stated, this day is very important and special to me and every member of my family. Although we each lead our own chaoticand busy lives, we will always make time for each other especially for holidays. Thanksgiving in our home promotes a sense of togetherness and thankfulness, while also incorporating homemade food. We have specific recipies and certain important family traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next and so on. Even though we do some of the same things each Thanksgiving, I cannot help but feel excitement for every year thereafter.

Should countries opt for nuclear power (please dont write anything Essay

Should countries opt for nuclear power (please dont write anything without reading and referencig the pack provided) - Essay Example It is believed that the available oil resources in this world are sufficient enough only for a few decades more. â€Å"Running out of oil has much bigger consequences than just not being able to drive your car to work or not being able to watch TV† (McLain, 2012). Under such circumstances, it is inevitable for the world to find alternate energy sources and nuclear energy seems to be getting the first priority. Even though nuclear energy has many advantages over other energy sources, it has many disadvantages also. According to Ewall (2008), â€Å"Nuclear power is an expensive, polluting, dangerous, racist, depletable, and now a foreign source of energy†. The waste generated from the nuclear power stations is difficult to dispose properly because of its ability to survive thousands of years, liberating harmful radiations. Moreover, nuclear energy can be misused for destructive purposes. The third danger associated with nuclear energy exploitation is the limited life of nuclear reactors and the chances of accidents. This paper argues against the exploitation of nuclear energy. The ability of nuclear waste, generated from the nuclear power plants to survive for thousands of years and to liberate harmful radiations is the number one problem. At the same time, advocates of nuclear energy argue that the amount of wastes or greenhouse gases produced from nuclear power plants are less compared to the wastes produced by other energy sources. It should be noted that oil and coal energy are producing many types of greenhouse gases and thereby causing environmental problems and global warming. â€Å"The only realistic chance of slowing global warming is to drastically reduce carbon emissions† (Dickson, 2007). According to George Monbiot (2011), coal is 100 times worse than nuclear power. People like Monbiot believes that nuclear energy will help the world to

Australia and Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Australia and Britain - Essay Example gone to war in the Middle East and the then Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, sent his troops to help them in the war, considering themselves still part of the British empire (Behiels, Stuart & Organization for the History of Canada, 2010). Later on in the 1942 war, the Prime Minister at the time, Curtin, decided to pull his troops out of the war to come back to their country and help assist them fight against the Japanese (Clancy, 2004). This war was against the British decision who wanted to send the Australian troops elsewhere to Burma to continue helping them with their fight. This decision apparently angered the British, who were also not willing and not in a better position to assist them. They then turned to the United States to help them fight this war against Japan, who had made great steps in their intentions to conquer the pacific (Clancy, 2004). America, on the other hand, came in handy and was more than willing to assist because apparently they too had been brou ght into this war by the Japanese action to attack Pearl Harbor. They felt the need to get back at them through this war. The Australian troops were weakened at a time, and America supplied them with most of the arms they required and with their help were able to win the war (Mackerras, 1996). There is a huge political debate as to whether the Australian authorities should continue being in support of the Americas foreign policies with the opposition parties coming out strongly to criticize these ties and relations (Clancy, 2004). This debate has been more of an indication of an increasing shift to the practice of being aligned to the West on almost all of its external affairs (Behiels, Stuart & Organization for the History of Canada, 2010). Some Australian scholars have also argued that  Ã‚   the British and then the United States have hindered Australians from rediscovering itself and driving their own agenda despite the fact that they attained their independence in 1901. This argument

Importance of the Marketing Concept to McDonalds Assignment

Importance of the Marketing Concept to McDonalds - Assignment Example Marketers can only offer service propositions, but their â€Å"value† depends on customers’ experiences and assessments. An organisation uses the marketing concept by interpreting customers’ needs through their values, beliefs, and practices, adopting this understanding to guide organisational vision, mission, and core values, and finally implementing it through intelligence gathering, sharing, and application, one of which is through the marketing mix. See Figure 1 for the Marketing Concept. Organisations use the marketing concept because they are aware that it has been empirically related to higher sales, profitability, product quality, success of new products/services, employee morale, and general performance (Ailawadi, et al., 2006; Shiu and Yu, 2010; van Triest, et al., 2009). Figure 1: The Marketing Concept Source: Nakata and Sivakumar (2001, p.256) MCDONALD’S: COMPANY OVERVIEW McDonald’s Corporation operates and franchises McDonald’s r estaurants in 119 countries. McDonald’s restaurants offer a standard menu, which includes, â€Å"McDonald’s menu includes hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Filet-O-Fish, several chicken sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets, Snack Wraps, French fries, salads, oatmeal, shakes, McFlurry desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, pies, soft drinks, coffee, McCafe beverages and other beverages,† including local and limited-time products (Reuters.com, 2013). Furthermore, the company enjoys sustained growth with a global comparable sales growth of 3.1%. Sources showed that some of the target market’s needs and wants are: 1) the need to buy quick and tasty food for busy parents and businesspeople; 2) parents want to give treats to their... This discussion declares that the marketing concept has evolved significantly for the past sixty years. Most of the definitions of the marketing concept in the 1960s emphasise the relationship between organisations and customers, while current definitions in the twenty-first century seek to be more inclusive by embracing a stakeholder approach to defining and attaining â€Å"values†. As the paper stresses McDonald’s Corporation operates and franchises McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries. McDonald’s restaurants offer a standard menu, which includes, â€Å"McDonald’s menu includes hamburgers and cheeseburgers, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Filet-O-Fish, several chicken sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets, Snack Wraps, French fries, salads, oatmeal, shakes, McFlurry desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, pies, soft drinks, coffee, McCafe beverages and other beverages,† including local and limited-time products. The company enjoys sustained growth with a global comparable sales growth of 3.1%. The marketing concept is relevant to McDonald’s because of its tools of competition analysis and 7Ps marketing mix. For competition, the next contender to having the biggest global market share is Yum! Brands, Inc. KFC is expanding its menu through adding wraps and local food, even vegetables for some Asian markets. Burger King and Wendy’s are updating their store designs and layout. Apart from competition analysis, McDonald’s can be examined further through its 7Ps marketing mix.

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 7

Project Management - Essay Example In order to ensure the success of the Scantel project, Brian Callister who is an engineer and the acting manager of CSU together with an engineer and a technician was given three months deadline to report to VIL board regarding the following: (1) expected outcome of possible technical problems; (2) assess the feasibility of developing the concept into a working prototype; and (3) plan the development tasks which would lead to the prototype stage. Based on Callister’s suggested Scantel network diagram, the researcher will analyze and identify the key factors that may contribute to the delay of project completion. In line with this matter, the researcher will provide reasons that could promote the projects’ potential risks of delays. Eventually, the researcher will provide some strategies that could keep the project done within the preferred schedule. To be able to analyze the possible cause of bottleneck in each stages of the network diagram that was proposed by Callister and eventually develop an effective strategy that could prevent the delay upon completing the Scantel project within the desired schedule. Based on the simplified network diagram proposed by Callister, the major bottleneck with regards to the Scantel project occurs more on: (1) display system; (2) the chassis & body; and (3) the lens and housing. (See Figure I – Simplified Network Diagram on page 16) The display system is referring to the simplified sub-system of the whole plan. It shows the major events that will be needed in order to manufacture, test and calibrate the end product within a specific period of time. The problem with the display system is with regards to its accuracy. Considering the fact that the time allocation for producing the lens and housing is unknown, the whole schedule based on the plan is making the display system less accurate. For instance, the time allocation for producing the lens and housing will take longer time to produce than

Through Media and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Through Media and Technology - Essay Example Technology is cold but it is often more efficient than human beings who are more likely to make calculative and academic mistakes or be slowed by human considerations and errors. People are becoming more and more accustomed to getting what they want with a single click. Many experts feel that that elevated exasperation and deteriorated patience are only likely to get worse and separate people even more. The more we favor that perspective the more and more distant from one another people may become. We interact with technology on a regular basis every day. We cannot make a phone call and speak to a person without first speaking to a â€Å"human-sounding† automated system to direct your calls. When we shop at grocery stores several have self-service checkout lanes where a friendly female voice directs you through the process and thanks to you for your patronage. The more commonplace this becomes the more desensitized we become to interacting with technology that sounds, behaves, and functions ever-increasing human ways. Children are being indoctrinated by robotic toys that resemble positive likable things, like dinosaurs and obedient puppies. These pleasing forms only work to make technology more and more appealing. However, they are still machines and are not capable of genuine emotion. It would not take long for humanity to become as empty and superficial as the technology they interact with. Human compassion, sympathy, empathy would likely all fade away in the face of greater efficiency and logic.

Final Project Reflective Paper - Team Beta Assignment

Final Project Reflective Paper - Team Beta - Assignment Example Consequently, it is a suitable platform for human resource managers to evaluate their progress and effect adjustment in their human resource management strategies. Management Introduction While implementing projects in new environments, any organization will require to strategize on how to manage its resources including the human labour in an effort to penetrate the market and compete with the external and internal market forces. The human labour is a crucial element of any business, and its management and effective utilization has a direct impact on the organization’s success. The productivity of human labour in all the phases of project implementation lies on the shoulders of the organizational managers. The role of human resource manager in an organization is to recruit, train, monitor, evaluate and motivate the employees during the project implementation process. The performance of an organization will depend on its ability to exercise effective organization behavior and s kills while managing teamwork among the role players within the system. To do this, a company will require to conduct a SWOT analysis as a strategy of re-evaluating its effectiveness in gathering its strengths, neutralizing its threats and weaknesses and grasping its opportunities presented in the environment. Effective team management and organizational behavior are the basic elements that the human resource management must possess in order to survive in the diverse market. Just like any other organization, Team Beta has faced the challenge of managing the team players during the implementation of its performance based scenario planning project. To maintain teamwork within the four members who have a variant cultural background is a credit worth effort that requires effective management skills that can stand the tests of a harsh project environment. The purpose of this article is engage in a critical reflective practice that Brookfield (1998) terms as an effective procedure to chec k the success of any team leader at each stage of a project. Organizational Behaviors and Skills Required in a Successful 21st-Century Organizational transformation is an element of business that an organization cannot ignore in the 21st century. With the proliferation of technology the barriers of business boundaries have become a thing of the past and the world has condensed into a small village. This is a century that has been dominated by trade globalization and extension of business boundaries to feature international business markets (Kreitman, 1997). These changes have had a great impact on trade and organizations are under the pressure to readjust their organizational behavior to suit diversified business environments that are characterized with unpredictable market forces. In team management, it is important to adopt a behavior that suits the modern approach of team management. One challenge that arises team management is the understanding of the available labour force, its management and motivation of the role players. Global diversity management advocates that team leaders provide opportunities for each employee to grow and develop within the organizations that they work in. It requires that the organization takes

The Case of the Speluncean Explorers Essay Example for Free

The Case of the Speluncean Explorers Essay The group is expected to look at the case and find answers for the points raised herein. 1. What is the context/background in which this incident occurred? How does it affect the decision making? 2. In the decision making situation, how can a balance be brought about between the necessity for a decision and the rights of some people on whose behalf such decisions are being taken? Can a decision be made for another? When and how? 3. Can a killing in self-defense be excused? Why? Does the plea of ‘self-defense’ apply to the given situation? By the same logic does one have the right to suicide-singly or collectively? 4. Do jurisdictional issues affect societal decision making? 5. Do we need a leader for taking decisions? 6. Do a leader’s opinions/values affect the decision? Is it a good thing or not? 7. Can we view this as a simple judicial decision making issue or a moral one? 8. Does ones value system play any role in shaping the final decision? The questions are endless but the answers are one’s own. If you are the judge what will you decide and why. Solution: 1. The decision occurred in a situation of necessity. Since the men were torn apart from society, from statutes, they forgot their societal values and norms, and resorted to carnal instincts. This affected the decision making since they were in a situation of desperation, and obviously could not think rationally then. They were driven by illogical and inhuman thinking. 2. A balance can be brought about by the spirit of equality in each of the people in the situation. If each of the people are given enough of right to be heard, and if they are able to speak out for themselves, then a balance can be achieved. Yes, a decision can be made for another only if the person consents to another’s opinion or decision. The person must explicitly express his consent to another making a decision on his behalf. 3. Yes, a killing in self-defense can be excused, if the person is cornered, and has no other option available, and is exposed to threat. The plea of self-defense does not apply to this situation, since the victim is not proved to have been threatening, or exposing them to any sort of danger. They are in a situation of equality, and neither party has a position of power over the other. In the given situation, it is stated that Whitmore did not consent to participate in the rolling of the die at the end, and it was against his will to participate in the gamble at the last instance, even if he did propose the idea, and plant the seed into the heads of the other 4 men. If he consented to die for the rest of the men, then his suicide is justified. They could have taken the gamble among the 4 of them, and not shared their â€Å"earnings† with Whitmore if he did not consent to participate in the gamble. 4. Yes, jurisdictional issues do affect societal decision making, since legality is opposed to morality in some cases, like in the above case. This has also been taken into question in other cases like Dudley vs. 5. Yes, a leader is needed for taking decisions, but the leader must be unanimous in his decision, and not let emotion defeat rational thinking. 6. They do influence a decision, since the leader has the trust of the members of the group, and he has the ability to influence their decision, and most of the times even change their point of view. If the leader thinks rationally, and is not biased in his decisions, then it is a good thing. However, if he uses his skill to unduly influence the decisions of his followers, even when it is against their values and beliefs, then it is detrimental. 7. It is a conflict of both – legality and morality. 8. Yes, since the law of the land is important in maintaining societal balance, and conformity. However, it must not be forgotten that laws have been made for the purpose of improving humanity, and not for destroying it. The ‘Law of Nature’ must not be used to the convenience of the defendant. If I was the judge, I would support the sentence, since the Law of Nature does not state to what degree or extent is the term â€Å"nature† used. If a person steps into a forest, he comes under the purview of ‘nature’, so is he entitled to kill another human being without the fear of being tried in court? Thus, I defer with the opinion of Judge Foster. Also, I feel that the statements put forward by him are based on emotion, and not on evidence. Also, taking into consideration the consequence of letting the men free, it is highly improbable for any of them to wipe this incident off their minds, and they would have to live in guilt, or die of it. In most cases, people go mad as a result of such incidents. They are unable to live a healthy life in society, and they are not accepted in society. These views, however, cannot be subjected to another’s. It depends on each person’s views, values and beliefs that he has been brought up with. His values would determine the type of decision he would have taken, and this can only be taken if there is Empathy felt towards the Spelunks, not just sympathy.

Wal Mart organizational change management analysis

Wal Mart organizational change management analysis Organizational Change Management encompasses all activities aimed at helping an organization successfully accept and adopt new technologies and new ways to serve its customers. Effective change management enables the transformation of strategy, processes, technology, and people to enhance performance and ensure continuous improvement in an ever-changing environment. A comprehensive and structured approach to organizational change management is critical to the success of any project that will bring about significant change. Organizational change is a reality of the modern world, and that reality isnt likely to change anytime soon Organizational change is the implementation of new procedures or technologies intended to realign an organization with the changing demands of its business environment or to capitalize on business opportunities. Organizational change typically encompasses the introduction of new and perhaps unfamiliar processes, procedures, and technologies, which represent a departure from what affected individuals generally view as the established, practical, and familiar ways of doing their work. Thus, at the individual level, change can engender emotions and reactions that range from optimism to fear, including anxiety, challenge, resistance, ambiguity, energy, enthusiasm, helplessness, dread, motivation, and pessimism. Organizational change management is the process of recognizing, guiding, and managing these human emotions and reactions in a way that minimizes the inevitable drop in productivity that accompanies change. WAL-MART AT A GLANCE Wal-Mart, founded by Sam Walton in 1962, is one of the world largest companies by market capitalization and number of people employed and touching millions of customers everyday. There are more than 7,800 Wal-Mart stores and Sams Club locations in 16 markets worldwide and there are more than 2 million associates serving more than 100 million customers per year (About Us, n.d.) It is the largest grocery retailer in the United States with an estimated market share of around 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business. To be able to efficiently operate such a complex operation at such a large and do it consistently would only be possible by the huge effort by Wal-Marts associates as its employees are called. Companys Principle Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart) has enjoyed success by adhering to three basic principles since its founding in 1962. The first principle is the concept of providing value and service to our customers by offering quality merchandise at low prices every day. Wal-Mart has built the relationship with its customers on this basis, and we believe it is a fundamental reason for the Companys rapid growth and success. The second principle is corporate dedication to a partnership between the Companys associates (employees), ownership and management. This concept is extended to Wal-Marts Vendor Partners who have increased their business as Wal-Mart has grown. The third principle is a commitment by Wal-Mart to the United States and the communities in which stores and distribution centers are located. Wal-Mart strives to conduct its business in a manner that reflects these three basic principles and the resultant fundamental values. Each of our Vendor Partners, including our Vendor Partners outs ide the United States, are expected to conform to those principles and values and to assure compliance in all contracting, subcontracting or other relationships. Saving people money to help them live better was the goal that Sam Walton envisioned when he opened the doors to the first Walmart more than 40 years ago. Today, this mission is more important than ever to our customers and members around the world. Companys Profile: Wal-Mart: the worlds leading supermarkets. Founded in 1962 by the Walton brothers, former employees of Ben Franklin supermarket, Wal-Mart is now the leading supermarket group in the world. With what has become a real empire of more than 5,300 superstores, supermarkets and stores, Wal-Mart distributes every product we need in life (from food to beauty products, together with clothes, electronics, domestic appliances, sports equipment and so on) whether it be under the Wal-Mart name or under that of SAMs Club, a members-only store dedicated to SMEs and the general public, or that of ASDA in Great Britain. Not to mention its on-line sales service. Originally aiming to set up stores in medium-sized towns in the United States, Wal-Mart has since taken on the international market, from Mexico, Brazil, and Canada to Great Britain, as well as Japan with the 2002 take-over of Seyu, the fifth-placed Japanese supermarket chain, without forgetting Europe with the Great-Britain and the Germany. Companys Mission Through careful search, I have established that Wal-Mart does not officially have a mission statement. In retrospect, the mission statement is its slogan, Always low prices, always! The CEO of the company has said that people are not concerned with their mission statement as much as they are their prices. Companys Structure Sometimes I find myself reading through the court documents for lawsuits filed against Wal-Mart. Usually those documents are filled with a bunch of garbage posing as factual information. Occasionally, though, some interesting information is found. Below is a description of Wal-Marts operating structure which was published in a court document in 2003. The only advantage to reading the text here is that I removed all of the legal cross references and footnotes to make the text readable. The following should be taken with a grain of salt in that this information was produced from an anti-Wal-Mart lawsuit and does not come from the companys official filings. There are a total of 41 regions: 35 Wal-Mart regions and six Sams Club regions. Each region is supervised by a Regional Vice President (RVP), who is based in Bentonville and travels for three weeks out of each month to the region. Because the regional management is based in Bentonville, Wal-Mart has an unusually high concentration of executives and managers based in the Home Office. Each region, in turn, contains approximately eleven districts; each district contains approximately six to eight stores. Each district is run by a District Manager, who lives in the field. The highest level hourly manager at Wal-Mart is Support Manager. The next step up is to management trainee, a four-to-five month program which prepares employees for positions as Assistant Managers. The first salaried management position is Assistant Manager. Each store has several Assistant Managers, varying with the size of the store. The next level is Co-Manager, a position used only in larger stores. The top store p osition is Store Manager, called General Manager in Sams Clubs. The stores contain 40-50 different departments. Companys Vision SAFETY EYEWEAR PROGRAM An estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces every day, caused by employees not wearing eye protection or wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. Flying particles, flying or falling objects, or objects swinging from a fixed or attached position (like tree limbs, ropes, chains or tools) are just some of the hazards that lead to accidents. Most people dont realize that an eye can be destroyed in a fraction of a second. The smartest and most effective safeguard against these risks is always wearing suitable eye protection. Many workplaces today are required by OSHA to ensure their employees wear safety glasses meeting the new ANSI Z87.1-2003 standard for personal protective eyewear. OPTI- DIRECT VISION PROGRAM Discover a simple, cost-effective way for your company to provide vision benefits for your employees without the complexities of an insurance vision plan. The Opti-Direct program can mean an average savings of more than $70 per year, per employee in comparison to a traditional vision insurance plan. Companys Characteristics Wal-Mart is almost certainly not an example of pure competition. Pure competition is characterized by a very large number of sellers each with an almost infinitesimally small market share selling a non-differentiated product. Wal-Marts market share is immense (as you stated) and they differentiate their product through branding measures that include everyday low prices, convenient hours, etc. There can be tough competition in every market structure (except monopoly) but that does not mean that the market meets the definition of pure competition. Company Products Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., like most large retail and grocery chains, offers store brands, commonly referred to as house brands or generic brands, which are low-priced alternatives to name brand products. Wal-Mart has numerous store brands, each catering to a different consumer need or desire. Almost all products offered under Wal-Mart brands are private label products, and can be found in almost every category at Wal-Mart. Major Names: Sams Choice: Sams Choice originally introduced as Sams American Choice in 1991, is premium retail brand in food and selected hard goods. Named for Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, Sams Choice forms the premium tier of Wal-Marts two-tiered core corporate grocery branding strategy that also includes the larger Great Value brand of discount-priced staple items. Most Sams Choice beverage products (excluding Grapette and Orangette) are manufactured for Wal-Mart by Cott Beverages. Other products in the line, including cookies, snack items, frozen meals, and similar grocery items are made by a variety of agricultural and food manufacturers. Great Value: Great Value was launched in 1993 and forms the second tier, or national brand equivalent (NBE), of Wal-Marts grocery branding strategy. Products offered at Walmart through the Great Value brand are claimed to be as good as national brand offerings, but are typically sold at a lower price because of minimal marketing and advertising expense. As a house or generic brand, the Great Value line does not consist of goods produced by Wal-Mart, but is a labeling system for items manufactured and packaged by a number of agricultural and food corporations, such as ConAgra, which, in addition to releasing products under its own brands and for Wal-Mart, also manufactures and brands foodstuffs for a variety of other supermarket chains. As Wal-Marts most extensively developed retail brand, covering hundreds of household consumable items, the Great Value line includes sliced bread, frozen vegetables, frozen dinners, canned foods, light bulbs, trash bags, and many other traditional groc ery store products. The wide range of items marketed under the Great Value banner makes it Wal-Marts top-selling retail brand. The new redesign also includes over 80 new items including thin crust pizza, fat free caramel swirl ice cream, strawberry yogurt, organic cage-free eggs, double stuffed sandwich cookies, and teriyaki beef jerky. Walmart changed the formulas for 750 items including: breakfast cereal, cookies, yogurt, laundry detergent, and paper towels. The new brand was tested by over 2,700 people.[1] Other retailers are following suit with their private label packaging as well. MARKETING ENVIRONMENT The Wal-Mart and all of the other actors operate in a larger macro environment of forces that shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. There are six major forces Demographic Environment Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupation, and other statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up markets. Demographic trends are constantly changing. Economic Environment The economic environment of Wal-Mart are those factors that affect consumer purchasing power and spending patterns Natural Environment The natural environment involves natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities. During the past two decades environmental concerns have steadily grown. Some trend analysts labeled the specific areas of concern were: Shortages of raw materials. Staples such as air, water, and wood products have been seriously damaged and non-renewable such as oil, coal, and various minerals have been seriously depleted during industrial expansion. Increased pollution is a worldwide problem. Industrial damage to the environment is very serious Government intervention in natural resource management has caused environmental concerns to be more practical and necessary in business and industry. Leadership, not punishment, seems to be the best policy for long-term results. Instead of opposing regulation, marketers should help develop solutions to the material and energy problems facing the world. Technological Environment The technological environment includes forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. Political Environment The political environment includes laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals in a given society. Various forms of legislation regulate business. Marketing Strategy of Wal-Mart Wal-Marts marketing strategies are based upon a set of two main objectives that have guided the firm through their growth years. The customer is featured in the first objective; Customers would be provided what they want, when they want it, all at a value. Team spirit was emphasized in the second objective, Treating each other as we would hope to be treated acknowledging our total dependency on our associate partners to sustain our success. I agree with Wal-Marts two main objectives. The customer objective includes giving the customer what they want at a reasonable value. The second objective covers the foundation of the company; its employees. Employees are the basis for success of the company and drive the day-to-day operations. Wal-Marts employees, feeling like associate partners, gives them a feeling of empowerment and pride that drives the companys culture. Wal-Mart has launched successful marketing strategies that considered factors like social and environmental causes.. CHANGE PROCESS IN THE ORGANIZATION Change is a complex process, and also included with a time of anxiety and uncertainty for the workforce. Organizations need to clearly articulate the merits of change and present a clear process for achieving change, if they are to win the commitment and enthusiasm of people. Wide involvement in and communication of the change project can assist with employee understanding of the what and how of change. ORGANIZATION LIFE CYCLE Before planning a management strategy is important to carry out organizational life cycle to identified in which stages the organization are. After analyzing it if identified that Wal-Mart are in Elaboration of structure phase because it ensures Managers seek ways to streamline any excess bureaucracy that has cropped up during the previous phase. Decisionmaking becomes de-centralised, allowing individual departments to get organised along specific product/services lines or projects. Often the need at this phase is to revitalise the organisation. Innovation Fig: 1: The Organizational Life Cycle of Wal-Mart BUSINESS PROCESS TRANSFORMATION MODEL Business process modeling is a technology aimed at modelling business processes and analyzing them with the objective of using the analyses to drive process transformations. Business process modeling tools have underlying capabilities such as simulation that helps business analysts to understand and quantify the impact of different process transformations on process Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Even though business process modeling is widely used, analytic capabilities such as simulation are used to a much lesser degree because developing and running simulation models and interpreting their results is seen as a complicated activity by a majority of business analysts. As a result, many business analysts consider such tools as only suitable for experts in the field and are hampered in unlocking the full potential of business process modelling for identifying and assessing business process transformation options. Hence, there is a need for researching approaches that enable busine ss analysts to use quantitative analysis methods easily towards the overall objective of business process transformation.. Business process transformation is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed Business process Transformation is a top-down approach. It is not about projects carried out in isolation to examine a specific activity. Business process transformation is about looking at entire processes, rather than at specific activities or functions. It also needs to be customer-centric and look at the chain of activities leading to the customer output (whether that is service or product). Wal-marts mission statement: Wal-mart mission is to enhance and integrate our supplier diversity programs into all of our procurement practices and to be an advocate for minority- and women-owned businesses. To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same thing as rich people BEHAVIOURS THAT NEEDED FOR ACHIEVE THE MISSION AND AIM Optimize resource capacities This pattern results in potential reduction of operating costs, by reducing resource capacities in different roles. Optimize resource scheduling policies This pattern results in potential improvement in service and reduction in cost, by refining the scheduling policies governing the allocation of resources to different activities. Combine roles This pattern results in potential reduction in operational costs, by creating new roles in the process, by aggregating multiple existing roles. Change branching probability This pattern results in potential operational improvements, by modifying the probability that a specific branch is chosen by a token. The change in probability may in turn be realized by different means, such as employing improved technologies for managing flows, etc. Introduce business integration solutions, IT (InformationTechnology) systems This pattern results in potential improvement in operating costs, by automating the process using business integration and other information technology STAKE HOLDER ANALYSIS The purpose of stakeholder analysis is to inform the Project Board and Project Manager who should contribute to the project, where barriers might be and the actions that need to be taken before detailed project planning. Key stakeholders of Wal-Mart A Key stakeholder is a stakeholder whose interest in the project must be recognised if the project is to be successful. In particular, those who may be positively or negatively affected during the project or upon successful completion of the project Shareholders The management authority of the BPL Employees Physicians / Doctors Related banks Participants The retailer The distributor Supplier The non key stakeholder A Non-key stakeholder is a stakeholder who does not need to be recognised in order for the project to be successful, but will be identified as s result of the process of identifying all stakeholders Pressure group Taxation authority The Standard testing Institute Local community Political influences International policy SYSTEM MODELING The 7-S-Model The 7-S-Model is better known as McKinsey 7-S. This is because the two persons who developed this model, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, have been consultants at McKinsey Co at that time. Thy published their 7-S-Model in their article Structure Is Not Organization (1980) and in their books The Art of Japanese Management (1981) and In Search of Excellence (1982). The model starts on the premise that an organization is not just Structure, but consists of seven elements: Strategy Actions a company plans in response to or anticipation of changes in its external environment. Structure Basis for specialization and co-ordination influenced primarily by strategy and by organization size and diversity. Systems Formal and informal procedures that support the strategy and structure. Style / Culture The culture of the organization, consisting of two components: Organizational Culture: the dominant values and beliefs, and norms, which develop over time and become relatively enduring features of organizational life. Staff The people/human resource management processes used to develop managers, socialization processes, ways of shaping basic values of management cadre, ways of introducing young recruits to the company, ways of helping to manage the careers of employees Skills The distinctive competences what the company does best, ways of expanding or shifting competences Super ordinate goals These represent the aspirations of the organisation, the beliefs, the principles and aims which should pull it towards success. A shared view of this within the organisation is a powerful competitive advantage for an organisation to develop Resources: Recourses needed for achieving the new markets Established a new plant for production Ensure better quality Set up new marketing channel specially for the international markets New management and trained staff Finance Political support Marketing environment IMPLEMENTATION Implementing the Change A practical understanding of how people and organizations respond to change. This is received by a exporters to understanding how change unfolds helps reduce the amount of unproductive behavior that may accompany the implementation of a new technical solution by reducing the amount of uncertainty involved in change. Reduced uncertainty alleviates surprises and better equips people to focus time and energy on the technical solution. The manner in which change unfolds can be broadly grouped into seven key concept areas. These areas are: Nature. The impact of change on the individual. Process. The typical flow of change. Roles. The positions that are central to change. Resistance. The reactions that accompany change. Commitment. The process by which individuals and organizations align with change. Culture. The organizations past and present ways of doing things and the influence of these behaviours on the change. Synergy. The impact of teamwork on the change. Making Good Decisions Decisions are the alignment of an organizations current and planned changes with the resources available for implementing the initiatives. For an organization to be successful in implementing change, it must ensure that the demands created by its change initiatives do not exceed the organizations capacity for executing the changes. When change demands exceed the organizations capacity for change, key resources become overwhelmed by the number of changes competing for their time. The result is an increase in dysfunctional behavior that detracts energy from the implementation effort and, in many cases, impedes its process. Ensuring adequate capacity for existing and planned change demands generally involves: Inventorying current and planned changes and evaluating them to determine their potential value, impact, and resource requirements. Prioritizing changes according to this evaluation. Determining current capacity to implement changes. Trimming current and planned changes as necessary according to capacity limits. Developing and implementing strategies to increase overall change capacity to expand organizational adaptability. Structured Implementation Architecture: The structured plan for achieving the desired goals through implementation of the perceived change solution. Following a structured, yet flexible, implementation framework reduces errors and oversights and allows a team to proactively address issues that are routinely associated with the failure of organizational changes. Such a structured framework consists of seven phases which, when applied as a system, facilitate successful implementation of an initiative. The seven phases are: Clarification. Development of a comprehensive vision and measurable outcomes that are wholly shared by key leaders. Announcement. Development and execution of a detailed communication plan. Diagnosis. Assessment of critical risks and key levers associated with the change. Planning. Development of comprehensive strategies to mitigate risks and use levers identified in the diagnosis phase. Execution. Implementation of developed strategies. Monitoring. Continuous assessment and augmentation of an implementation sequence. Evaluation. Assessment of a complete implementation sequence, and documentation and transfer of key learnings. Recommendations I feel that Wal-Marts most challenging issue involves the publics resentment. Wal-Mart has wiped out numerous retail establishments (too many to count) and will continue to do so unless stopped. So far, some big box opponents have stopped Wal-Mart from specific expansions but Wal-Mart is definitely fighting back. From Wal-Marts point of view, I think more focus should be spent on global expansion. If specific areas are so against having a Wal-Mart that they pass laws to stop Wal-Mart from building in their area, I think Wal-Mart should stay away. For example, Wal-Mart would have a terrible time expanding into Oakland. I would assume that with the laws that were passed, a great deal of negative press also took place. The time and effort to get a Wal-Mart built in Oakland may not be worth the trouble. This is one of the reasons I feel Wal-Mart should focus on international expansion. There were 1,355 international Wal-Marts in 2004. I definitely feel that expanding this number sounds l ike it could be very lucrative. Another issue facing Wal-Mart is the federal lawsuit regarding sex discrimination. From the numbers quoted in the case study, it sounds as though Wal-Mart is clearly discriminating against females. This is somewhat surprising but will hopefully be fixed. Wal-Mart is very thorough in their strategy, maybe they need to be more thorough and/or detailed in their compensation and incentive policies. Wal-Mart definitely needs to end the discrimination. In order to avoid future discrimination, monitoring of wages and salaries should be established. This is especially true for upper management employees, where females are paid significantly less than males in similar positions. Last, I feel that the compensation and benefits offered to Wal-Mart employees are somewhat of an issue. If only about 60 percent of employees have health coverage (compared to 72 percent in the retail industry as a whole), I think their benefit package needs to be revaluated. The case study claims that the reason many employees did not sign up for health coverage is because they obtained it through a member of their household. Im sure that is the case for some, but not all. Furthermore, Wal-Mart does not pay any health care costs for retirees. I feel that both examples are methods Wal-Mart uses to cut costs and both need to be reconsidered. CONCLUSION Management change in the organization is the key to adopting with new technologies. Though it a complex and continuous process but every organization should practice this new techniques to manage and operate he organization successfully.

Suicide Or Ambicide Of Nella Laurens Passing English Literature Essay

Suicide Or Ambicide Of Nella Laurens Passing English Literature Essay The ending of Nella Larens Passing is famous for its ambiguity and obscurity; the death of Clare Kendry is never clear defined and vaguely stated. Despite this deliberate equivocation on the authors part, there is definitive evidence hidden within the text that Clares death is in fact a homicide. Clare Kendrys death was not a suicide; the one person who had constant and progressive reason for the murder Clare was her supposed friend, Irene Redfield. One of the main suspects in the death of Clare Kendry is her longtime childhood friend, Irene Redfield. Although they have known each other since they young, they drifted apart as they aged; it had been twelve years since she à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ had laid eyes on Clare Kendry (18). It is only through chance that these two were reunited, something that Irene would have rather left unchanged; Irene has repeatedly displayed a increasing desire to break ties with Clare, making many attempts à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to tell Clare Kendry at once, and definitely, that it was of no use, her coming, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (64). These tactics ranged from not replying to Clares mail or phone calls, though it à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ rung like something possessed (32) to lying about her schedule and how she is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ filled upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ so sorry (23) that her could not be with Clare. Irene could have been avoiding Clare because she is envious of her looks and of how Clare is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ exquisite, golden, fragrant, [and] flauntingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [how]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦her glistening hairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ eyes sparking like dark jewels (74). Irene often à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ felt dowdy and commonplace (74) when compared to Clare. Another reason Irene wanted Clare to leave her controlled life was that she suspected Clare to be pursuing and infatuating with Brian, Irenes husband. As time passed, Brian à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ looked on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with the same tolerant amusement that marked his entire attitude toward Clare (79). Because of this, Irene often wondered what did it mean? [and] how it would affect her and the boys? (93) and often feared that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ she didnt count, she was, to him, only the mother of his sons à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and that] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ she was nothing. Worse. An obstacle (93). Regardless of Irenes reasons, her thoughts were steady turning darker, frequently questioning if Clare should die! Then Oh, it was vile! To think, yes, to wish that! (101). During the confrontation at the end of the novel, Clare Smiled a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ smile that maddened Irene. She ran across the room, her terror fringed with ferocity, and laid a hand on hand on her Clares bare arm. [and that] She couldnt have her free (111). This quote showed Irenes determination and desperation for Clares disappearance, yet even though she acted in this murder, she stated that it was an accident, a terrible accident à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [that] it was. This phrase confirms Irenes guilt in this homicide, by the act of denying any fault, solidifies her as the prime suspect in Clares murder. Even though there is substantial evidence the other character had a hand in Clares death, she has shown a rather unpredictable and melancholy state of mind; such a state of mind could lead to irrational thoughts such as suicide. She passed for white and abandoned her black heritage for monetary value; she believes that in fact, all things considered, I think Rene, that its even worth the price (28). Yet Clare feels trapped by her husband, John Bellows, racist views; even though she is black herself, John believes Clare to be white. He has made it clear that he à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [drew] the line at that. No niggers in my family. Never have been and never will be (40). Despite the fact that she is in such a precarious position, she sought to be with Irene with reckless abandonment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to get the things I want badly enough, Id do anything, hurt anybody, throw anything away (81). Clare continues to visit Irene, requesting to accompany Irene to her various social parties and thro ugh her, to the black part of society that Clare abandoned long ago. Yet she à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ would if I could, but I cant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ you cant realize how I want to see Negros, to be with them again, to talk with them, to hear them laugh (71). All of these lead to a volatile mixture of recklessness, desperation, loss of identity, and a sense of being trapped. These could have lead to her eventual suicide, when John Bellow discovered and confronted her about her race: Clare stood at the window, as composed as if everyone were not staring at her in curiosity and wonder, as if the whole structure of her life were not lying in fragments before her. She seemed unaware of any danger or uncaring. There was even a faint smile on her full, red lips, and in her shining eyes. (111) This quote exemplifies Clares increasing sense of detachment from the world around her; when she was confronted by her husband at the end of the novel, she felt trapped and chose to escape rather the face the reality of her situation. Yet all of this is merely speculation. The motives and thoughts of Clare Kendry are unknown and can only be interpreted through Irenes perception of Clares actions. On the other hand, Irenes mental process it often displayed through her own narrations and has show on numerous occasions to have entertained the idea of ridding herself of Clare.

Oppression of Native Americans Essay examples -- history, craniology,

Two-hundred years ago, there was a scientific study on the brains of Native Americans called the craniology and phrenology. The Europeans examined only indigenous people’s heads and were forbidden to use any European’s brains. The Europeans did three experiments, such as decapitating the tops of the heads and filling them with sand to see if their brains were smaller than blacks. The Europeans also looked at the bones and said that if the bones were in a certain way (such as natives cheek bones being up higher) the person was thought to be stupid. The last experiment the Europeans did to American Indians was that they had a small devise that they would put on the head and it would slice the brain open. There would be an award for retrieving a male’s brain that was five cents. By retrieving a woman’s brain the price would be three cents, and lastly a child’s brain which would be two cents. This is when the term redskin was invented (Poupart, 2014). Although we often remember First Nation communities by their history of oppression by the Europeans, as established above, present day communities are defined much differently. The Anishinabeg are an independent, non-interference sovereign nation and they follow their own rules by oral traditions. They are also a nation who were oppressed, exploited, and also misunderstood by non-Native Americans. When asked about the definition of a sovereign nation, Selma Buckwheat (September 25, 2013), elder member of the Anishinabeg tribe, explains by stating, â€Å"We govern ourselves and have our own laws† (personal communication). They have a lot of meetings that help understand most of the sovereign nations. In other words, a sovereign nation is power or a territory existing as an independent s... ...government’s policies. The changes of the 1900’s influenced many people such as historians, writers, film-makers, and other non-Native-Americans, causing them to view Indians in an increasingly sympathetic way. The non-Native Americans perceived Indians as a historically-oppressed minority who were victimized by imperial conquests and were dignified as peace-loving people in a sovereign nation. Works Cited Poupart, L. (2014, October 16). First Nations Studies: Social Justice. University of Wisconsin Green-Bay. Loew, P. (2001). Indian Nations of Wisconsin: histories of endurance and renewal. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Mihesuah, D. (1996). American Indians stereotypes and realities. Atlanta: Clarity Press. Poupart, L. (2000). Ojibwe Women of the Western Great Lakes. Retrieved from D2L. https://uwgb.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/

Watergate Chronology :: President Richard Nixon

January 20,1969 Richard M. Nixon elected the thirty-seventh president of the United States 1969 Ehrlichman suggests to Caulfield that he leave the White House and set up a private security business that would provide security to the 1972 Nixon campaign. This project, Sandwedge, would be similar to the Kennedy security firm, Intertel. June 5, 1970 With the goal of increasing cooperation between various intelligence agencies within the government, a meeting was called in the Oval Office. Those in Attendance: Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, Richard Helms, and chiefs of the NSA and the DIA. Nixon aide Tom Charles Huston was assigned to work with the heads of these agencies to facilitate increased cooperation. early July, 1970 The Huston Plan sent to the President. This plan was an addition made by Huston to a plan endorsed by Hoover and Helms (NSA and DIA as well?). Huston's addition called for electronic surveillance, monitoring activities, surreptitious entries, recruitment of more campus informants, et al. July 14, 1970 Nixon endorses the Huston Plan July 27, 1970 Hoover visits John Mitchell. Mitchell hears about the Huston plan for the first time. Mitchell later goes to Nixon and urges the President to Stop the plan. Nixon later cancelled the plan. September 17, 1970 Mitchell met with John Dean. Mitchell discussed the poor job that the FBI was doing in the area domestic intelligence. This followed a conversation between Mitchell, Helms and others from the CIA on a similar topic. September 18, 1970 John Dean sends a memo to John Mitchell in which he offers a plan for intelligence gathering. "The most appropriate procedure would be to decide on the type of intelligence we need, based on an assessment of the recommendations of this unit, and then to proceed to remove the restraints as neccessary to obtain such intelligence." May 3, 1971 Following Nixon's decision concerning Laos, Anti-Vietnam activists attempt to shutdown Washington by blocking roads with stalled cars, human blockades, garbage cans, and other materials. The protests result in over 12,000 arrests. John Dean headed up the White House intelligence gathering during this protest. June 13, 1971 The New York Times begins publication of excerpts from "The Pentagon Papers". The Pentagon Papers was a 7,000 page document that was first commissioned by Robert McNamara in June of 1967 for future scholars to use. The Papers were leaked to the Times by Daniel Ellsberg. Although there were many crucial documents that were not included, the Papers did include documents from the Defense Department, the State Department, the CIA, and the White House. June 14, 1971 John Mitchell sends a telegram to the New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger President and Publisher The New York Times

Rising Fuel Cost in the Airline Industry

Running Head: Rising Fuel Costs and the Airline Industry Rising Fuel Costs and the Airline Industry Of all the changes that we have seen in the economy, fuel has to be at the top of the list as an item whose pricing affects more than just the price we see at the pump. In addition to increased prices at the gas pump, we have also seen products, services, and virtually every item sold increase due to the high cost of fuel. Although fuel prices have dropped today versus what they were in the third and fourth quarter of 2008, businesses had to make quick decisions as to how they were going to handle the rising cost so that they could still return a profit. One of the industries that the increasing price of fuel has made a large impact on is the airline industry. Four of the top airlines: Southwest, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines have all had to institute changes within their organization to minimize the impact of rising fuel costs on their bottom line. Southwest Airlines Last summer, when the price of crude oil increased at an astronomical rate, Southwest Airlines was praised as the airline that would make it through the crises. For years, Southwest used fuel hedging to keep their costs down (Reed, 2008). Fuel hedging consists of a future contract, and in this case, means that Southwest agrees today to pay a certain price per gallon for fuel in the future (Reed, 2008). When barrels of oil began increasing, Southwest was basically â€Å"locked-in† with their fuel pricing. That meant that they did not have the same sense of urgency that other airlines had at that moment in time. Southwest could still charge the same low rates, and not have to plan on making any drastic changes. Southwest began fuel hedging over 14 years ago (Reed, 2008), and was profitable by doing so. The executives of the company at that time developed a strategy many years ago that had paid off for them for quite some time. However, by the end of 2008, when crude oil began dropping, Southwest was at the other end of the spectrum. They were now paying more for fuel than the current price of fuel. This caused Southwest, for the first time in 17 years, to post a loss for the quarter (Fuel contracts 2008). However, Southwest still did not start charging customers for additional items as other airlines began doing. Currently, on their website, they still boast â€Å"Low Fares†¦no hidden fees† (Southwest, 2009). Instead, Southwest opted to make other changes to their organization. These changes went into effect before the oil prices starting dropping. Southwest decided to hedge only 10% of their fuel, in contrast to hedging approximately 75% of their fuel (Cochran, 2009). Although touted as some that Southwest knows what they are doing (Cochran, 2009), it must also be noted that Herb Keller, the former CEO of Southwest, retired last summer. It is difficult to determine at this point if Southwest is as creative, and that is the reason they have dropped their fuel hedging, or if the new leadership is reluctant to take the risks that the former CEO was willing to take and institute into the corporation. It is also difficult to determine if the new CEO is possibly at the eighth stage of Kotter’s model, and trying to anchor new approaches to the Southwest culture (Kotter, 1996). Only time will tell if the CEO’s new approaches will be successful. American Airlines When oil price increased sharply in the summer of 2008, American Airlines was the first major airline to start charging for the first piece of baggage (Johnsson, 2009). According to American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey (2008), â€Å"Our company and industry simply cannot afford to sit by hoping for industry and market conditions to improve† (Maynard, 2008). Because American was the first to institute these fees, some saw the move as something that could backfire on American, and called the move â€Å"stupid† (Maynard 2008). However, within weeks after American started charging fees, many other airlines followed suit. As of today, although fuel costs have dropped, the baggage fees are still in effect at both American and other major airlines. American Airlines, during this volatile time, took a risk and instituted a non-traditional idea (Kotter, 1996). This move increased their baggage revenue by $94. 1 million dollars in the quarter that they began charging fees. In addition to baggage fees, American also made additional changes in their business. From mid April to mid May in 2008, American Airlines raised their fare rates 14 times to offset the higher costs they were encountering Maynard, 2008). Announcements were also made that additional efforts to reduce losses, such as cutting approximately 300 flights, and retiring approximately 75 aircraft were also taking place (Maynard, 2008). However, despite all of these changes, and generating additional revenue, American Airlines still posted a loss of $341 Million in the last quarter of 2008, and lost another $375 Million in the first quarter of 200 9 (Bigger Q1 loss, 2009). Although the loss was large, it was still better than analysts expected (Bigger Q1 loss, 2009). However, no company can continue posting losses without a major overhaul of change occurring. Although American Airlines appears to be the airline that steps out of their comfort zone and makes changes, they still are not making money. Businesses simply cannot afford to stay in business if they do not make money; therefore, it is important the American Airlines move up their somewhat complacency level, move out of their comfort zone, and arrive at a plan that will boost their bottom line to a profit. Delta Airlines Last year, when oil prices jumped, Delta did not begin charging fees for the first bag. However, they allowed a passenger’s first bag at no charge, but charged fifty (50) dollars each way for the second bag checked. This double in price (from the original $25), along with higher fees for the third, fourth, and up pieces of luggage was a move to help defray the fuel costs (Delta doubles, 2008). In addition, another move made by Delta to help defray the fuel costs was charging Sky Miles or World Perks fliers a $25 to $100 fuel surcharge (Delta doubles, 2008). With fuel costs still increasing, Delta felt that they still had to make additional changes to cover the rising costs. Their fare increase had not been successful because it prevented them from staying competitive (Airlines upping fees, 2008) in the market. Therefore, Delta decided instead to charge frequent fliers, in addition to the $25 phone reservation fee, another $25 fee if the flight included another airline partner (Airlines upping fees, 2008). At this time, Delta also increased their charges for pets, oversized baggage fees, and unaccompanied minor fees (Airlines upping fees, 2008). Delta also announced last year that in 2009 they would reduce capacity six to eight percent, and ask for voluntary job cuts (Trubey, 2008). The interesting information concerning Delta was the fact that after they purchased Northwest Airlines, they lowered or dropped some of their fees. Reservations made over the phone fees was lowered, and curb side administrative fees were dropped (Delta to charge, 2008). Delta Airlines is optimistic that the merger of Delta and Northwest, along with decreased fuel costs, will allow them to post a profit in 2009. Although Delta did not jump on the bandwagon initially with baggage fees, they did change their business plan very quickly in March 2008 (Grantham, 2008). They did not wait around to see what would happen, and quickly arrived at a plan as to how they were going to handle the increase in fuel costs. Delta raised their fares, and also cut unprofitable flights from their schedules. Early in 2008, when fuel prices began increasing, the CEO of Delta remarked that Delta needed â€Å"to ramp up changes to its operations to deal with rising costs (Grantham, 2008)†. The CEO seemed to understand the urgency of the situation, and also had the power, as the CEO, to make those changes. The CEO also announced that they (Delta) would share with the employees the changes that the company was going to make, and how they would make them without the sacrifice of the employees (Grantham, 2008). This move, in my opinion, showed that the CEO had a process for change, and was communicating this to the employees. With the price of fuel increasing so rapidly, it is apparent that most likely employees were nervous about losing their jobs. By the CEO communicating the vision of the change to the employees, it most likely kept the rumor mill down, and got employees to focus on the change itself, instead of unfounded fears. Another move made by Delta to decrease their fuel cost was slowing the flight speed of planes approximately twenty (20) miles per hour. On a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, this would add an additional 6 minutes to the flying time. This small difference would not be noticeable to the customer, but would save gallons of fuel, which in turn would save thousands of dollars. Delta also replaced seats and carts with lighter equipment, and was also studying the concept of replacing manuals by electronic means (Chapman, 2008). Over 1. million gallons of fuel per year has been estimated to be saved by making these changes (Chapman, 2008). Delta appears to be very proactive on all of their changes that need to take place within their organization in order to turn a profit. United Airlines When the price of fuel increased last year, United Airlines made their changes in another form. United decided to lay off employees in an effort to maximize the profits on their bottom line. In June 2008 , United announced that it would lay off approximately 1500 employees, remove 100 airplanes from their fleet, and also eliminated one of their divisions (United Airlines, 2008). 00 of the 1500 employees were offered voluntary retirement packages, and certain contingencies must have been met for an employee to be eligible (United Airlines, 2008). This layoff was simply the â€Å"first† of layoffs, as by the end of 2008, United had laid off 2500, or approximately 30% of their employees (United Airlines posts, 2009). After posting a loss in the fourth quarter of 2008, United announced another layoff of approximately 1000 employees by the end of 2009 (United Airlines posts, 2009). This layoff was attributed to the corporation fuel-hedging in 2008 (United Airlines posts, 2009). United made a gamble that fuel would continue to rise, and when fuel prices dropped, they were locked in at higher rates. (United Airlines posts, 2009). This fuel hedging strategy actually backfired on the company, as when fuel prices dropped, the company was paying higher prices. Fuel hedging almost appears to be a gamble that a corporation is taking, and with the price of oil jumping back and forth so rapidly, it is difficult to understand the company’s objective hedging. It is almost as if they copied Southwest’s process, yet it backfired on them. United also jumped on the bandwagon and began charging for the first piece of luggage in September 2008 and also increased the price of the second piece of luggage from $25 to $50 (United Airlines raises fee, 2008). Although this scenario may not be accurate, it is almost as if United Airlines has a hard time going through their own processes and create any kind of plan or urgency levels, and relies on other companies changes to help them get through their own problems. Although United appeared to follow lead in 2008, they have just announced a new â€Å"fat fee† for overweight passengers (Passengers requiring, n. . ). Perhaps the most humorous part about this is that even on United’s website they have stated that this policy was implemented to â€Å"align themselves with other major airlines seating policies (Passengers requiring, n. d. )†. Conclusion When fuel made its dramatic jump in 2008, many of the airlines scrambled to come up with a plan to help offset t he increase. It appears that all were not successful, as in 2009, many are still operating at a loss, and still trying to make changes to their operations. Southwest appears to lead the pack with making the most significant successful changes. Although Southwest did lose money for the first time, they attributed their loss to the fuel hedging. As mentioned earlier, organizations can not continue to lose money, and if the airline industry does not devise a plan with significant changes, and successfully implement these changes, we may either see a bail out from the government, or see airline after airline file for bankruptcy. Perhaps the other major airlines should take a closer look at Southwest’s eagerness to make and implement changes into their company, and apply that to their own organization. Works Cited Chapman, Mary (2008, June 11). To save fuel, airlines find no speck too small. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from The New York Times Web site: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/06/11/business/11air. html? _r=1 Cochran, Jason (2009, Jan 5). Southwest Airlines: Straightening up and flying right. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from Wallet Pop Web site: http://www. walletpop. com/blog/2009/01/05/southwest-airlines-straightening-up-and-flying-right? icid=sphere_blogsmith_inpage_bloggingstocks Grantham, Russell (2008, March 14). Delta to make changes in response to rising fuel costs. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from AJC Web site: http://www. ajc. com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2008/03/14/delta_0315. html Johnsson, J (2009, March 2). U. S. airlines losing less luggage. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from Chicago Tribune Web site: http://archives. chicagotribune. com/2009/mar/02/travel/chi-mon-lost-baggage-uaua-amr-mar02 Maxon, Terry (2008. 12,28). Southwest Airlines adjusts fuel-hedging strategy. Dallas Morning News, Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. dallasnews. om/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/airlines/stories/122408dnbusssouthwest. 399369b. html (n. d. ) Passengers requiring extra space. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from United Airlines Web site: http://www. united. com/page/article/0,6722,52985,00. html Reed, Dan (2008, July 24). Can fuel hedging keep Southwest in the money. USA Today, Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/travel/2008-07-23-southwest-jet-f uel_N. htm Reed, Dan (2008, May 21). American Airlines to cut about 300 flights. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from USA Today Web site: http://www. satoday. com/travel/flights/2008-05-21-american-airlines-capacity-cuts_N. htm Trubey, J. S (2008, December 9). Delta president: carrier to turn profit in '09. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from The Business Review Web site: http://albany. bizjournals. com/albany/stories/2008/12/08/daily19. html (2008, April 2). Airlines upping fees to follow fuel costs. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from CBS News Web site: http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2008/04/02/travel/main3988490. shtml (2009, April 20). Bigger Q1 loss for American Airlines but still better than expected. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Travel blackboard Web site: http://www. etravelblackboard. com/showarticle. asp? id=91065=130 (2008, June 9). United Airlines, Continental Airlines cutting jobs due to ATF price increase. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from DWS Aviation Web site: http://www. dancewithshadows. com/aviation/united-airlines-continental-airlines-cutting-jobs-due-to-atf-price-rise/ (2008, July 30). Delta doubles luggage fee. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from The Seattle Times Web site: http://seattletimes. nwsource. com/html/businesstechnology/2008080585_deltafees

Organic Food Speech Essay

I have a question for you at the beginning of this speech. Who just eat organic food everyday? Obviously! According my research, which I gave the question to my friends. Most of them know about organic food, but only few of them just eat organic food which including the vegetable, meat and eggs and other people don’t take it seriously and eat fast food always. What is organic food? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that animals raised on an organic operation must be fed organic feed and given access to the outdoors. They are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides and using no petroleum-based or sewage-sludge-based fertilizers. Do ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ mean the same thing? And four main reasons to choice organic food! No, â€Å"natural† and â€Å"organic† are not same. You may see â€Å"natural†, â€Å"all natural,† â€Å"free-range† or â€Å"hormone-free† on food labels. These descriptions must be truthful, but don’t mean they are â€Å"organic. † Only foods that are grown and processed according to USDA organic standards can be labeled organic. According to USDA: Organic food such as fruits, vegetables and meat can make people become healthier and organic farming can protect the environment. Choice organic vegetable! The picture for strawberry: On the right is non-organic and left is organic. For the picture down: one the right is non-organic and the left is organic. Normally, non-organic fruit or vegetable will grow faster and taste not as good as organic food. For the last picture: the right side is organic egg and left side is non-organic. The reason why the color is different is because organic chicken also eats organic feed. Choice organic meat! We also need to choice organic meet. From the picture we see. Organic Meat Comes from Animals Treated Ethically and Humanely. The organic farming looks cleaner and animal form there lives healthier. Here are some of the reasons why you should buy organic animal products. 1. Organic meat comes from animals that were given a pesticide-free diet. 2. These animals may have had some limited access to pasture. 3. They were not loaded with antibiotics, steroids and other poisons. 4. Organic meat has not been irradiated. Therefore, organic meat is not loaded with toxins–that are subsequently passed on to you when you eat them–like conventional meat is. Health and money which one you prefer: Non-organic food can cause lots of disease. Even the organic food is expensive; there is nothing important than our lives and our family’s health. According to the research from Organic Liaison: Because factory-fed cattle eat the ground-up remains of their SAME SPECIES, this can cause mad cow disease, destroying a human’s central nervous system and brain. Also the animal, which grows up in dirty environment, can cause many parasitic disease and diarrhea. Studies also show that grass-fed beef contains more nutritional value, including higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Here is another new research from Maryland University: Non-organic Chicken has one kind bacterium, which is resistant to modern medicine. This kind of bacteria that can cause serious and unpleasant disease that becomes a lot harder to cure. Conclusion: We know that eating organic fruits, vegetables, and other produce is the way to go. It’s healthier, it tastes better, and it doesn’t have any nasty toxins or chemicals. Healthy and happy life cannot live without organic food. Now let us choice organic food!