Great by Choice by Jim Collins Morten T. Hansen

In the book ‘Great by Choice’ co-authored by Jim Collins Morten T. Hansen, the two consider the factors that cause some companies to significantly outperform others in economically turbulent times.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on ‘Great by Choice’ by Jim Collins Morten T. Hansen specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In their analysis, they tend to discount the role of luck in this success concluding that it is the decisions taken by a company’s leadership which determine whether a company performs well during difficult times (Holtz 2008). The book’s ideas are based on a controlled research covering seven small firms operating in highly unstable environments. Some of the companies include Microsoft and Intel and they are all based in the U.S. Concentration of the sample population was due to limitation on the availability of share data of other eligible companies. The res earch used a historical approach to collect data. The research found that the seven companies that had been selected outperformed their industries’ averages consistently by a rate of more than ten percent (Holtz 2008). The findings showed that the success of companies during economically chaotic times is not a matter of luck but is rather caused by three distinctive qualities of a company’s leadership. These factors are: tenacious discipline, making use of empirical data, and being constructively paranoid. Thus, the basic argument of the book is that businesses have the power to determine their own destiny in turbulent times or environments.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discipline Discipline is a vital factor in determining success not only in business but also in life in general. As a matter of fact, the main factor that differentiates successful entr epreneurs from unsuccessful ones or non-entrepreneurs is self-discipline. Self-discipline in the broader context refers to the ability of a person to do something even when he or she does not feel like doing that thing. As described in theory X and theory Y, humans are generally lazy and they tend to avoid work whenever possible. Thus, indiscipline is human nature but one which can be controlled. Self-discipline results from disciplining one’s mind to follow plans as scheduled. Just like self-discipline is required for personal success, collective discipline of organizational members is necessary to achieve organizational success (Kalbfleisch 2007). As Collins and Hansen found out in their research, those companies which sustain success in tough times are those ones that pursue measured growth and which set both threshold and upper-limit performance standards. These companies commit themselves to reach the lower limit irrespective of the prevailing economic conditions. On the other hand, the upper limit should be reached during good times. The upper-limit is meant to ensure that the company does not overstretch its resources during good times only to suffer from resource shortage in lean times. It also helps the company to maintain a stable performance making it more reliable in the eyes of investors in spite volatility in its operating environment. In contrast, those companies that fail to perform well during difficult economic conditions are characterized by lack of commitment to plans and they register high performance only during good economic times.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on ‘Great by Choice’ by Jim Collins Morten T. Hansen specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They lack measured growth and are susceptible to over-utilizing their resources during favorable economic times only to find that they have no buffers when the economic environment turns bleak. These companies are characterized by highly fluctuating performance ranging from dramatic earnings when the environment is good, to resounding losses in unfavorable environment. Thus, a key factor differentiating consistently high performance companies from others is steadfast discipline to plans and having lower-limit goals that must be achieved under any economic environment, plus an upper threshold for good economic times to avoid stretching the company resources. Essentially, organizational discipline calls for consistency in following plans and accomplishing the set objectives and goals. Using Empirical Data/Knowledge Gathering existing knowledge on a subject is one of the key ways of reducing uncertainty. Using empirical data or knowledge entails finding out what is known about a subject and then using this information creatively to innovate. In a company context, this innovation could take various forms such as developing a new improved product, making organizational processes lea ner and more efficient, establishing a new organizational culture, or even introducing a break-through technology (Venables 2010). Gathering empirical information may take either analytical or experiential approach. An analytical approach involves gathering the existing data on a topic and then analyzing it to see if one can come up with new insights into the topic or discover something new.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This approach is usually used to generate new information from the existing data. For example, a company in the foods and beverage industry may notice that its sales go down substantially during a certain period of the month. As a result of this discovery, the company undertakes an analysis of its clients’ information to determine the reason behind the dip in sales during the particular period. In this case, the company will be using an analytical approach to obtain empirical information. The experiential approach, on the other hand, is not aimed at generating new information but rather obtaining what is known about a topic. In business, for instance, asking consumers to describe their experience with a given product could be regarded as an experiential approach to gathering empirical data. Companies that sustain high performance employ both approaches in obtaining empirical information. Such information is useful for avoiding duplication of efforts that have been exercised b y other businesses, providing a basis for decision-making, generating insights, avoiding risks such as financial risks, etc. Overall, empirical information helps to reduce uncertainty giving confidence to management in the decision-making process. Constructive Paranoia Fear is destructive in most situations. However, constant fear regarding what may go wrong can also be constructive and much so in business situation (Taylor 2008). As a matter of fact, any success process, business included, has inherent in it the elements of its destruction. The only way to avoid this destruction is to harness the power of fear by converting it into more constructive energy. This is, in turn, done by creating buffers to take care of any contingencies that could materialize and impact negatively on the business. Perennially successful companies are often those that are constantly on the lookout for factors that imperil their business, and those that are flexible enough to adjust in order to adapt to the changing environment. Such flexibility is aided partly by making margin of safety provisions; for instance, maintaining excess cash reserves for rainy days when the company becomes a victim of a liquidity crunch. Companies whose leaders feel complacent and unthreatened are very susceptible to unstable environment and they are unlikely to perform well consistently. Therefore, it pays dividends to be constructively fearful at least in a business situation. Conclusion In the book ‘Great by Choice’, Jim Collins Morten T. Hansen argue that the ability of some companies to defy tough economic conditions is not a matter of luck but rather, its leaders share three essential characteristics namely; unrelenting discipline, reliance on empirical data, and being constantly paranoid. According to the two authors, these are the factors that set continuously successful companies apart from the less successful ones. Works Cited Holtz, Evans. â€Å"Sticking it Out: Entrepreneurial Survival and Liquidity Constraints.† Journal of Political Economy. 102.1 (2008): 53-75. Print Kalbfleisch, Prentice. The Statistical Analysis of Failure Time Data, New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2007. Print Taylor, Mishra. â€Å"Survival of the Fittest.† Economic Journal 109.454 (2008): 140-55. Print Venables, Warner. Modern Applied Statistics, New York: Springer-Verlag, 2010. Print This book review on ‘Great by Choice’ by Jim Collins Morten T. Hansen was written and submitted by user Tanner H. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism is very important for the advancement and the current and future welfare of our environment. This is an important issue facing our society and must be dealt with in order for our environment to survive. Sustainability, as a model for development, establishes the need to satisfy the requirements of today's society without making it impossible for future generations to satisfy their own. Basically, this means that the development of a country cannot be achieved by the unrestrained exploitation of its resources (natural, cultural, social, etc.) to the point of extinguishing or destroying them, seeking to fulfill the needs of the present population (food, housing, health, work, etc.), without recognizing that these resources are the only platform, or potential asset, that the future generations of this country will have to meet their own needs. For tourism, sustainability is not only a response to the demand factors of the industry, it is a n indispensable condition to be able to complete successfully and, even more important, to be able to survive over the long run. The ever-deteriorating world ecological and social crisis have had a significant impact on human consciousness and, therefore, have also seriously impacted the accelerated growth rate that environmental tourism experienced in the past decade, to the point that it has meant a significant change in the habits and expectations of the world's tourists. Unfortunately, in the last decade we paid most of our attention to the ecological aspects, but very little to the implications of the impact that tourism has on the quality of life and on the sociological heritage of the communities that are directly affected by this industry. It is time to change the tourism tide to a more integral one, namely, a sustainable tourism. As we look at these changes in the expectations of the tourists, we notice how each day they are demanding a more ac... Free Essays on Sustainable Tourism Free Essays on Sustainable Tourism Sustainable tourism is very important for the advancement and the current and future welfare of our environment. This is an important issue facing our society and must be dealt with in order for our environment to survive. Sustainability, as a model for development, establishes the need to satisfy the requirements of today's society without making it impossible for future generations to satisfy their own. Basically, this means that the development of a country cannot be achieved by the unrestrained exploitation of its resources (natural, cultural, social, etc.) to the point of extinguishing or destroying them, seeking to fulfill the needs of the present population (food, housing, health, work, etc.), without recognizing that these resources are the only platform, or potential asset, that the future generations of this country will have to meet their own needs. For tourism, sustainability is not only a response to the demand factors of the industry, it is a n indispensable condition to be able to complete successfully and, even more important, to be able to survive over the long run. The ever-deteriorating world ecological and social crisis have had a significant impact on human consciousness and, therefore, have also seriously impacted the accelerated growth rate that environmental tourism experienced in the past decade, to the point that it has meant a significant change in the habits and expectations of the world's tourists. Unfortunately, in the last decade we paid most of our attention to the ecological aspects, but very little to the implications of the impact that tourism has on the quality of life and on the sociological heritage of the communities that are directly affected by this industry. It is time to change the tourism tide to a more integral one, namely, a sustainable tourism. As we look at these changes in the expectations of the tourists, we notice how each day they are demanding a more ac...

If criminal justice is a 'system' in England and wales, describe and Essay

If criminal justice is a 'system' in England and wales, describe and examine how the agencies within contribute to a rising population of predominantly males - Essay Example The rise in prison populations in England does not correspond to increases in the rates on crime; rather it is from an increase in the percent of offenders given custodial sentences and an increase in the average length on jail terms. The chief determinant of punishment should be the seriousness of the crime, and custodial sentences should not be used as a deterrent tool meant to jolt the rest of the populace; as it has failed miserably in the England criminal justice system. Of these prison populations, more than half are men serving sentences of four years and over with the rest jailed for six months or below (Home Office, 2004). The justice system in England has consistently used custodial sentences and longer jail terms. This has minimized the use of fines resulting in a swell, in the number of captives especially males, in the prison system. There is a predominantly large male prison population imprisoned, and it is necessary to understand some of the driving factors that leave more males behind bars. More than half the prisoners lacked employment prior to their imprisonment. Most offenders who are in prison have various mental illnesses with 78% males compared to 50% women having personal disorders (College of Psychiatrists, 2007). There is a higher likelihood of men without formal qualification, who have poor socio economic statuses that exposes them to ill health and poor financial status of committing a crime and ending up in jail (College of Ps ychiatrists, 2007). The number of sentences of older male prisoners aged over 60 years has increased gradually mostly due to increased sexual offences in this group. In 2001, 80% of this group was serving custodial sentences of more than four years, which was an increase of 55% to older males given custodial sentences (College of Psychiatrists, 2007). This increase in custodial sentencing for older males corresponds to an increase in an indictment of men. This

Human Growth and Behaviour Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Human Growth and Behaviour - Research Paper Example Erikson expressed the notion that every stage of growth has its distinctive challenges, referred to as crises. He held that such egocentric crises offered challenges to the identity of an individual (Riley and Erikson, 1979). Successful psychosocial development or personality development relies on addressing and overpowering these responsibilities or crises. The first stage of development and the crisis faced by the child involves the basic trust versus basic mistrust of an infant, which emphasizes that when parents meet all the needs of an infant, trust develops automatically. â€Å"The basic strength of the first stage is hope or the expectation that difficulties in life, presenting whatever challenge they may, will eventually result in a positive outcome† (Archer, 2011). Accordingly, the infant would require this sense of hope at his subsequent stages of behavioral development to meet any impending challenges (Lawler, 2002). The weakness of this stage or rather the direct o pposite of hope is the hopelessness and withdrawal. Jimmy Lee felt hopeless during his infancy because both his parents worked at their restaurant for long hours, leaving their son under the care of other Scottish friends and relatives who looked after his interchangeably for the first two years of his life. The second stage, autonomy, and shame during toddlerhood involve parents who generate supportive and caring surroundings to let the toddlers study and apply independence and gain their personal confidence.

Principles of Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Principles of Marketing Communications - Essay Example The current marketing communication campaign of IKEA can be regarded as an effective strategy for building long-term loyalty and relationship among its customers. Though marketing communication is an age-old concept, its strategies and implementation techniques are evolving as customer demands and preferences are changing. It is no doubt that the marketer has shifted from product marketing to customer marketing and ultimately to relationship marketing (Kitchen and Li, 2005). In order to create long lasting relationship with customers, it is important to send messages which are creative and offer more than just products or service. As a result, organisations are increasingly trying to attract customer attention offering service which helps them to improve their overall quality of life. Creating advertisements and campaigns with a social propaganda has become one of the major trends among big and successful firms (Balmer and Gray, 2003). The same concept has been implemented by IKEA in its current brand campaign where the objective is to encourage children and adults to spend more time together. It can be at home doing activities such as, baking, cleaning or simple relaxing, apart from playing and making merry. As a result, the organisation upheld a three minute documentary of a particular family created by the mother. The idea was to send customers the message that IKEA understands how individuals stay at home and various challenges that they face especially when it comes to working at home.

Science and Technology in Childcare

Science and Technology in Childcare Introduction This paper identifies the everyday concept in relation to science, a broad topic and the appropriate scientific concepts which can be introduced to the children. Using Slowmation as a digital resource, it can be used to develop to support the concept development and the storyboard to designate steps from everyday to scientific concepts. The ‘everyday concept’ identified From the observations obtained from the first assignment, the everyday concept identified is that â€Å"the plants are thirsty†, according to Ann’s theory as she waters the plants daily. From her understanding, the leaves are always thirsty and by watering on the leaves, it will not be thirsty anymore. Hedegaard and Chaiklin (as cited in Robbins, 2012) recommended that the most effective for learning happens when educators intentionally takes into children’s account. By identifying Ann’s everyday concept, I can then extend her understanding in scientific concepts through intentional and purposeful facilitation. This everyday concept can be utilized as a starting point for science experiences (Anderson, Ellis, Jones, 2014). Topic chosen and â€Å"Scientific Concepts’ Based on the everyday concept which I have identified, Plants would be the broad topic for children to find out more. As children are active and competent learners (Stoecklin, 2012), this topic would encourage children to have hands-on interaction, play and discovery as they would be involve in planting little seeds, which lead to understanding the scientific concepts relating from their everyday concepts. Children often began to ask questioning and engaging with natural and physical world which resulted in children constructing their own hypotheses from their everyday experiences (Anderson, Ellis, Jones, 2014). These concepts which children had organized does not have to be replaced, instead, it can be rationalised through facilitation (Anderson, Ellis, Jones, 2014). These are the specific scientific concepts that I aimed for the children in my class to understand: Most plants need water, light, minerals, warmth, air, Plants get the water from their roots Seeds grow into plants with roots, stems, leaves, and flowers Some plants grow from roots A plant’s roots use the soil to hold the plant in place. The plant can grow tall if it has a strong base. I have revisited some of these scientific concepts to assist me in supporting the children’s learning and develop it into digital teaching resource. According to Science of Life Explorations (n.d.), it explains what a plant need for growth. Each segment describes the environmental factors affected the growth of a plant. Too much or too little of each factor will slow down the development of the plant. To support Ann’s learning of her everyday concept â€Å"plants are thirsty† and relating to the scientific concept â€Å"plants need water and sun to grow†, I read up the factors affecting the growth of a plant and I learnt that too much water can make a plant die as plant’s roots need space and air to breathe. I also looked up â€Å"How Stuff Works† to find out more about how water helps in growth of the plant. In my readings, I reaffirmed that plants take in water through their roots and plants need water to support them (Freeman, n.d.). Thus, in my preparation for my resource, I will include this science concept in my digital resource. In addition, I also learnt that these scientific concepts are interlinked. To understand the growth of a plant, these are important factors which I hope the children will eventually understand as part of their potential learning progress. Digital Resource The digital resource that I would choose to develop to support and share this concept development would be to use slowmation. â€Å"Slowmation† (abbreviated from â€Å"Slow Animation†) is a simplified way of telling a story or explaining a concept that is played slowly at two second per second (Fleer Hoban, 2012). I believe that by using ‘slowmation’, I am able to share with the teachers on how this digital resource can be a pedagogical for refining their science teaching. Slowmation is being used as a method of encouraging teachers to begin to identify their children’s understanding in relation to their science topic which they are investigating (Keast, Cooper, Berry, Loughran, Hoban, 2010). Slowmation can be created through these five connecting representations (McKnight, Hoban and Nielsen, 2011). The first step is to write down notes from prior experiences, followed by using a storyboard to plan for animation to making simple models or using cameras to captures of models and moving them manually and lastly to create the animation. Although Slowmation is similar to clay animation and digital storytelling, it is easier to be implemented in a classroom and it displays the features like purpose, timing, orientation, materials and technology (Hoban, Nielsen, 2012). In relating back to the science concept, the growth of a plant can be narrated using Slowmation. In this case, I decide to pick a sunflower seed to demonstrate the growth of the plant. The purpose would be to explain on how a sunflower would grow from a seed. Children’s knowledge gained on the things such as sunlight and water which a sunflower needed to grow can be narrated in the animation. Fewer photos will be needed as animation is played slowly. The orientation of the models are usually in 2D, hence, it can be placed on the table and makes it easier to manipulate while capturing the photos. The materials used for the animation are easily available as it can be dough, drawings, pictures or 3D objects such as rocks, leaves, or seeds. This will be further explained in the storyboard. When teachers have gathered the children’s understanding science concepts about plants, it can be added into the animation and explain it in the narrative form. The main idea of slowmation is that a narration can be added to explain a particular science concept while the models are animated as in a narrated flip book (McKnight, Hoban and Nielsen, 2011). In a research done by Keast et al., (2010), they mentioned that Slowmation were most effective when the concept is self-contained and easy to summarise and represent after a series of lessons. It is also suggested that teachers who were introduced to Slowmation had incorporated into their teaching had benefited their children’s learning as it has helped them to better understand how their students developed their undemanding in their science concepts (Keast et al., (2010). Storyboard – Reviewing on the scientific concepts based on the growing of a plant Slowmation worked well as a review for the topic, taking in the major concepts of the topic (Keast et al., 2010). Taking into considerations from the everyday concepts identified, the storyboard described how the everyday concept leads to scientific concepts. Based on their knowledge gained, the children can narrate the story. The story began where Ann likes to water the plants then to finding out how plants grow using sunflower seeds. They can use dough to make a sunflower or even used a real sunflower in the story. While introducing the tools for planting, the real objects can be captured to include it in the Slowmation. In the following sequence of the story, children can draw out each stage of the plant, until it turned into a sunflower. Each step is carefully planned in such a way that the information that is needed to be shared is drawn. As the animation is play slowly at two frames per second, the children are able to view the process of the plant growing as part of the reflection. They will also explain the nutrients the plant need in order to growth and identifying the parts of the plant. To conclude the animation, a song about a little seed (refer to Appendix 2) can be added at the end of the story. In this storyboard, it is also clearly explained what plants need in order for it to grow, how a tiny seed grow into plants with roots, stems, leaves and flowers by using a sunflower to demonstrate the scientific concepts. Supporting Children’s Further Learning of the Scientific Concepts In addition to the digital resource, I would plan for an environmental project, in this case creating a garden to further enhance the environment and at the same time, the children would be applying the scientific concepts which they have learnt while embarking on this project. In addition to that, the children would also be exposed to learning about sustainable development. Banks (as cited in Fleer, Jane, 2011) reasoned that children should be practiced at thinking at a social, environmental, cost-effective, technical, moral and social level. While creating a garden to further enhance on the school environment, the children would further develop more scientific concepts such as growing root vegetables such as carrots, onions, garlic by placing these vegetables into the soil. The children will also be involved in technological thinking skills as they are thinking about their environment in school, designing and planning how they would want to create their garden. They will be using their imagination and creativity to create their garden. For example, the children may use materials they could use for their planters. This could an empty bottle, a container or even a tyre. Vygotsky (as cited in Fleer Jane, 2011, p. 89) mentioned that â€Å"imagination is not just an idle mental amusement, not merely an activity without consequences in reality, but rather a function essential to life†. The children also explore how to use gardening tools while doing planting. While planning, designing meaningful experiences for the children, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore has developed the iTeach principles to set as a guide for educators to take into consideration during their preparation in engaging with the children in bringing in everyday and scientific concepts together. â€Å"Teachers as facilitators of learning† (MOE, 2012) extended and scaffold the children’s learning through their abilities and experiences. This can relate to Rogoff’s three lenses of analysis on how educators can observe their children in school (Robbins, Bartlett, Jane, 2006). â€Å"Children learn when they are engaged in play that enjoyable and thoughtfully planned† (MOE, 2012, p. 34). This statement describes that play is the main tool for children to explore and learn in the environment. When children are engaged in purposeful play, the children are involved in not just only play, but bringing in active participation of children exploring, developing and applying their skills and knowledge based on their cultural, interests and abilities (MOE, 2012). In relating back to the everyday concept identified, Ann’s interest was displayed as she was watering the plants and this led to exploring more scientific concepts such as plants gets water from their roots, and find out what plants need in order to grow. As an educator, I have to constantly reflect on my teaching on how I can thoughtfully create stimulating and challenging environment that provoke children’s curiosity and sustain meaningful learning (Children’s Services Central, 2012). With â€Å"intentional teaching† (Children’s Services Central, 2012) in mind, I would place materials and tools purposeful and deliberately for children to notice and make use of them. I would also carefully choose the contextual learning environment for children to be engaged in. As my centre has a luxury of greenery space, it will definitely benefit the children’s learning in this authentic learning context where children construct more everyday concepts and relating it to the scientific concepts making real and relevant to the real world (MOE, 2012). Conclusion As an educator, it is important for me to understand how much the child already knows, how I can enhance the learning potential by bringing in personal experiences and incorporating intentional teaching while making use of the cultural influences and context available. The learning does not end once the child knows; it should be a learning journey for the children as they apply the skills in the real world. For educators, we should make an effort to increase our knowledge in science and develop confidence in teaching science (Robbins, 2012). Using digital resource has definitely helped me in explaining science concepts and made it easier for children and teachers to understand. References Fleer, M., Jane, B. (2011). Design and technology for children. (3rd ed). Frenchs Forest NSW: Pearson Australia. Robbins, J. (2012). Learning science in informal contexts: The home and community. In Campbell, C Jobling, W. (Eds) Science in Early Childhood (pp.94-112). Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. Robbins, J. Bartlett, J. Jane, B. (July, 2006). Children’s technological and scientific thinking in block play: A cultural-historical perspective. Paper presented at 40th Annual Conference of the Australasian Science Education Research Association, Deakin University, Geelong Australia. Anderson, J. L., Ellis, J. P., Jones, A. M. (2014). Understanding Early Elementary Childrens Conceptual Knowledge of Plant Structure and Function through Drawings. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 13(3), 375-386. Fleer, M., Hoban, G. (2012). Using Slowmation in early childhood centres: Possibilities and imaginings for intentional teaching. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(2), 61-70. Keast, S., Cooper, R., Berry, A., Loughran, J., Hoban, G. (2010). Slowmation as a pedagogical scaffold for improving science teaching and learning. McKnight, A., Hoban, G., Nielsen, W. (2011). Using Slowmation for animated storytelling to represent non-Aboriginal preservice teachers awareness of. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(1), 41-54. Hoban, G., Nielsen, W. (2012). Using â€Å"Slowmation† to enable preservice primary teachers to create multimodal representations of science concepts. Research in Science Education, 42(6), 1101-1119. http://www.cscentral.org.au/Resources/intentional-teaching-web.pdf http://www.letstalkscience.ca/hands-on-activities/life-science/how-do-plants-soak-up-water.html http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/h2o5.htm Appendices Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Little Seed Rhyme First you take a little seed And plant it in the ground Then you pour some water on And let the sun shine down And watch it grow and grow and grow and grow Grow it up to the sun sun sun And let it bloom and bloom and bloom and bloom Flowers for everyone Name: Loo Si Hui Student ID: 25687514 Page 1

Beowulf V. 13th Warrior :: compare contrast poem movie film

After reading the epic poem Beowulf and watching the movie The 13th Warrior, I find that the differences greatly outnumber the similarities. However, the theme of good versus evil reflects the values of the Anglo-Saxon people in both the poem and the movie. Numerous differences exist in the poem and the movie including the characters, the bloody battles, and the deaths of the heroes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many differences occur in the poem and movie. The difference in the heroes names becomes obvious. In the poem the heroes name is Beowulf. In the movie, Boulvine is the hero’s name. Another difference occurs in the monsters. In the poem the head monsters name is Grendle. In the movie though, the monster is called the leader of the Ven. Also, in the poem, Grendle is just one person. In the movies the Ven consist of a group of humans that act like animals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another difference in the poem and movie is the bloody battles. In the poem, Beowulf has supernatural powers when he is at battle. In the movie, Boulvine battles with human strengths and power. In the poem Beowulf fights all of his battles alone. In the movie Boulvine battles with several men. One of the famous warriors is the 13th warrior, played by Antonio Banderes. He helps Boulvine fight the Ven. In the poem Beowulf does not fight his third battle until 50 years later. In the movie Boulvine fights his third battle immediately after the second. The last difference that occurs is the difference in the deaths of the heroes. In the poem Beowulf dies form a slash to the throat from a dragon. In the movie Boulvine dies from poison. Beowulf dies as an old man in the poem. In the movie though, he dies as a young man. In the poem, Beowulf kills Grindle and then Grindles mother.

lilies of the field

The â€Å"lilies of the field† was a 1963 production directed by Ralph Nelson starred by Sydney Poiter. This movie has naturally outlined the basis of modern religious heroism during the 1960’s. Understandably, such movie plot has been created to actually instill values upon the viewers with regards the major implications of religion and beliefs on social development and social values application. The main character, Homer Smith, which is played by Poiter is considered a modern day hero in the film. The approach though is rather different as it points out that the supposed hero of the film is not in the likeness of actually accepting the task. Most likely, he refused to accept the situation that is shown to him by the people as their hero primarily because he does not believe that he has been appointed, whatsoever by God to set a source of inspiration to the people as to how they should believe in God or as to how they should react on the belief that they are portraying as Christians. As a modern day hero though, Poiter’s character showed that heroism in a religious form today is a matter of one’s own choice and not a forced manipulation from the society as a basis of what they believe into. Motivating people to move in a much noble way to assist others or the community towards progress is a matter of self-push. One must be able to believe that he is able to make change to the lives of others, until he could really affect the lives of other people in the society. In the movie of the Lilies of the field, such implication has been given a better light as the main character has been introduced to have lesser interest in the manner by which people aim to treat him. He then left to find the purpose that he is really doing his job as a handyman for. Within a certain span of time, he returns and serves the best way that he could to be able to finish his job of building the church. Although he never expected anything in return, he was given gifts by the people, given a high regard for his reputation as a builder and a rather effective organizer of their community. He might have never realized how much he affected the community that he served, however, he left a legacy of unity and truthfulness among the people of the village as he worked on their church. It is as if he is sending valuable messages to the people although he never says a word to them. His understanding of the fact that he has a job to finish as a handyman likely increased the capability that he has in affecting the people around him through his works. He has been viewed by a nun as the tool used by God to create the church that would likely bring back faith to the people in the community in which she serves. Although Smith was resentful of this responsibility at first, he later on understood why the people termed his situation as something that is God sent to their community. Likely, it was what he was working for that made him a tool for unity, faith and salvation in the community that he served. He did not actually try to do anything than what he knows he is supposed to do in a wholehearted way that he was able to directly affect the lives of those people watching him see the work he does as he tries to accomplish the mission that he knows he accustomed to complete. Reference: Lilies of the Field (1963). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057251/synopsis. (March 20, 2008).

Female Education

The history of progress of the human race is the history of education. Hence it is necessary or every person, man or woman, to be educated. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Women should be educated like men; otherwise there can be no peace or no progress. If you yoke an unbroken (untrained) horse with a highly trained one, the carriage will be dashed to pieces and the occupants’ lives will be destroyed. The family peace cannot be preserved with such ill-matched life-long companions.Napoleon was once asked what the greatest need of France was. He answered, â€Å"Motherland’s National progress is impossible without trained and educated mothers†. If the women in any country are not educated, about half . he people in that country will be Ignorant. The result is that such a country will not be able to go along with other nations in development and progress. I’ll There is a greet controversy going on in Pakistan their women should receive her edu cation or not.Orthodox people are in favor of female education, but they us opposed to giving them higher education but this view does not sound welt. If women are mentally fit to receive higher education, there seems to be no reason why they should not be allowed to develop their mental faculties. There is other group of liberal people which Ii In favor of the female education. To give them only the rudiments of knowledge, while they are eager for advanced studies, is to condemn them to a place of inferiority.A woman has to play three distinct pests in the course of her life in each of which certain duties are expected of her. If she is able to do these well, she is worthy of being called perfect woman. It is only by the help of education that she can hope to be able to do them satisfactorily. The first duty of a woman is to be a good daughter. Th. second is to be a good wife and the third is to be a good mother. Education Leeches a woman what she should be. It also teaches her how she should do it to be a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother.Many men spend their evening time at clubs and societies. But a gentleman with an educated wife will not feel the need of clubs and societies. He can share his thoughts with her and seek her advice in trouble. Ho can spend his leisure Lime in her company. An educated lady will be a good Mend, a clever nurse and a useful adviser to her husband. She will be a true helpmate. She can retain her husband’s affection and regard. An uneducated lady is always unable to share in his interests. There is a saying in English. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world†. The meaning is this that the mother exercises a very great influence over the lives of her children and is able to mould their thoughts and characters. If she is educated, she will make such an impression on the mind of her child, that it will enable him in later life to grow into a good and great man. Thus education will enable women to make their parents, husbands and children truly happy. Consequently it is very important that women should be educated.

Research Paper on Quality Management

Research Paper on Quality Management In a prior career, I used to be the director of Systems Engineering for a major telecommunications manufacturer. The role of systems engineering is to provide technical support for sales. The duties include such tasks as technical presentations, gathering customer requirements, designing networks and project managing the testing and implementation of our products. One of the major aspects of the job was coordinating feature sets and timeframes between the customer and our engineering. Large customers are always looking for additional features that can set them apart from their competition. They always leverage the vendor into producing new product enhancements and try to accelerate the delivery. This phenomenon creates a dichotomy and trade-off between quality and costs. The relationships between cost management and quality management are an interesting one. Everyone in this world is a consumer of some sort. We all buy things and we all want only the best products for the best price. But, where is the line to be drawn for how much do we pay for quality? Most competitive companies have goals to put out the best product for the best price. They have many different slogans such as quality is #1 or customer service is #1. Nevertheless, how much should a company spend on quality before it starts to cut into profit? What are effects of rushing a product to market in respect to quality and costs? First, let me define a few terms: Quality Management Quality management is one of the hardest jobs of a manager to control. The goal behind good quality management is improving business processes, optimizing the performance of your business, and maximizing profitability. By definition, quality is a degree of excellence, superiority in kind. (Mish p. 963) Management is defined as the conducting or supervising of something. (Mish p. 722) This leads us to the definition of quality management being the supervising of a degree of excellence. Most companies aim to achieve a certain degree of excellence without exceeding budget. Cost Management Cost management is what drives companies to the top or sends them crashing and burning to the bottom of the business food chain. Cost management is defined as the conducting or supervising of (Mish p. 963) the amount or equivalent paid or charged for something. (Mish p. 295) When a business purchases a product or service, just like a consumer, there is a responsibility for the purchaser to find the best price available. This will keep the costs down for the purchasers company and will keep the company competitive with prices. Large customers hope to influence their vendors to provide specific product differences that would make them unique in the marketplace, thus giving them a competitive advantage. The proliferation of microcomputer technology has made it possible to change functionality of a product by introducing new software programming. Most customers are unaware of the intricacies of software programming, testing and controls. Their perception is that software development is quick and easy, with little costs as compared to hardware development. My company on the other hand has multiple large customers, each hoping to influence our product development and time to market. Each of these customers wants different product features that will make them unique in the marketplace. Our engineers are detailed oriented and prefer to layout a program of design and delivery based on the goals of senior management and marketing direction. Introducing new requirements in the middle of product development disrupts their orderly processes, increases cost, and causes tension internally between sales, marketing, and engineering. The type of company culture influences the outcome of the customers’ requests. If the company is primarily sales driven, the likelihood that engineering will have to adjust their plans is high. Engineering driven companies on the other hand, many be more staunch in their stance and maintain the existing development schedule. Management must decide whether the proposed changes to the product adds value long term, and is the customer willing to pay for the additional feature development short term. Managers from some cultures are less flexible because it is a sign of weakness. A company never wants to discourage customer feedback on features because it helps to set practical implementations of the product that design engineers may never think of. In addition, if the product diverges to far from what the majority of customers need the product will no longer be viable in the market. Let us assume that the customer requests for product changes have received approval. We now look at cost versus quality trade-offs that will ultimately influence the final product. Adding features to the product development requires additional resources. In software development, additional employees with specific programming language expertise may be required. It will also influence how the software is tested. Testing the software will require additional time and possibly additional automated test equipment. Additional lines of code may require more memory in the hardware to store the increased code. Each of these factors adds cost to the product and needs carefully evaluation prior to development. The addition of new features adds additional work, which effects time to market. Management will need to evaluate the trade-offs of missing the original schedule versus added costs. Missing the original schedule will influence other customers who are counting on our company to help them meet their goals. These are difficult decisions because they affect more than the requesting customer and our company. This decision will affect several more companies that do business with us. Meeting the original schedule means that we must compress the additional work. Management can address this issue by employing more people or demanding longer work hours from existing employees. This aspect is where most of the quality issues will show up. New employees are unknown commodities that require training and additional supervision. Until they are up to speed with our companies’ specific products, techniques, policies, etc, they are bound to make mistakes. Longer work hours for current employees create additional emotional stress, lack of focus, and possibly company resentment. All these factors add up to poorer quality The potential for added revenues versus the assured increase in development cost requires careful analysis by management. Typically, management will require sales to gather additional, specific information about the customer requirements so we are not developing the wrong feature. Sales must try to negotiate further commitments from the customer to purchase our products and possibly help fund some of the development. Sales will also need to assess whether other customers might have the same needs. Do the needs exactly line up or are there variances. Can engineering design the features to accommodate the variances? Marketing is tasked to evaluate how these new features might set us apart from our competitors. Do the new features add enough value to allow us to increase price? Can we make greater advertising claims and get our companies name better known in the industry? Politics and personal feelings always play into these decisions. Engineers who design products have an emotional attachment to their work. When asked to change the design, a natural resistance occurs. The owner of the company may be friends with a VP of our customer. A biased decision to add features based on friendships versus logical business decisions. Sales representatives are looking for attention on their clients and themselves. Sometimes there is a tendency to mislead our company about the potential for future business Relating Cost Management to Quality Management Changes in product design influences cost and quality. Many factors go into a decision to change design and implement new features. All these factors affect cost and quality requiring carefully management and planning. Quality management can become very expensive, so there comes a point in a business where a manager must recognize the issue of cost over sacrifices for quality. Your market will also dictate the extent of quality implementation. Auto manufacturer Ferrari knows if they produce a quality product, there are enough consumers out there who will spend the money to own the name and quality vehicles they produce. The other extreme has manufacturers such as the Yugo Car Company producing very cost effective vehicles that anyone could afford; however, quality levels are reported to be low. Other companies like Honda, Ford, and GM created a balance between cost and quality. This balance between cost and quality allowed them to become some of the most successful companies in the w orld today. Conclusion Quality management is essential for a business to survive and keep consumers happy. In addition, cost is always an issue no matter how much money one has. In order for a company to become as successful as they can be, there must be a balance of the two. Having the right management staff and experience in quality management and cost management can make a business very successful or can cause it to fail miserably. Change decisions cannot be made lightly and hundreds of factors influence the outcome. Good management is the ability to balance these factors using proven processes and sound logic. Systems engineering is the catalyst and moderator between the company and the customer. We influence through various forms of logic, economics and human relations factors.

College admissions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

College admissions - Essay Example My cumulative GPA is low because in my first year at Radford, I only did four out of the required six classes to be a full time student. My Ranford transcripts do not reflect my true academic potential adequately. I am a focused student who was perplexed during my first year of study and was not fully aware of the academic requirements of the institution. I have been going to Northern Virginia Community College and have an acceptable GPA but not when they factor in the 1st year at Radford. My acceptable GPA proves that I am a serious student focused on my educational endeavors. In addition, my test scores indicate that I have the required proficiency to fit into college and better my education. From personal experience, I am aware that I must create a respectful environment for these values to accomplish the integrity and success associated with George Mason University. I believe that I can carve my niche in the university, and similarly, the university can carve in me a similar niche. The problem is that I previously had no goals and was clueless on the exact path I wanted to take pertaining to my career. Presently, I am older and wiser and have some achievable goals I would like to realize in the coming future. I am certain that I want to be a special education teacher, based on my childhood experiences. When I was younger, I struggled with reading and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and for that reason, I feel I have a lot to offer children with special education needs. I feel that my experience will provide an original perspective in George Mason University’s quest for knowledge, and help create a basis for future success. Based on my goals in life, this is truly the greatest success I can imagine. My recommendation letter and referees can attest to my level of brilliance and hard work. Kindly allow me to fulfill my academic

MPM IP3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MPM IP3 - Essay Example This paper tries to explain the roles and importance of WBS to any project tasks in the organization as well as identifying the purpose of the roles, the responsibilities of the roles, the reporting relationship of the roles, skills, qualifications, and experiences required (Haugan, 2002). Project teams are groups of people who are responsible for a proper planning and execution of the project. Project teams consist of the project manager, and a number of members of the project team, they are brought to deliver the tasks assigned for them in considerate to the scheduled project. The project manager is one who is responsible in making sure that the projects or tasks allocated are completed by the project team. He develops a project plan with teams and manages team’s performance of the project tasks. The key responsibility of a project manager is to secure an acceptance plus the approvals of the deliverables from the project sponsor as well as stakeholders. The project manager is also responsible for status reporting, for communication and risk management, and makes sure that projects are delivered at the correct time. There are some larger projects, which require project team members who may act as Team leads. Team leads provides tasks, and other technical leadership they sometimes maintains apportion of a project plan. The other project team member is the executive sponsor who is a manager and demonstrates the interest in out coming of the project; he is also responsible for securing as well as resources for project. Actually, an executive sponsor is the highest-ranking manager in project plan. The executive sponsor has the responsibility of providing support to the project, and has gotten the final approval of the scope changes as well as, signing off the approvals of succeeding the project phase. He may also elect delegates, which are above the responsibility to project Director. Other project