Business Dining Etiquette Essay

Notes for PowerPoint slides Slide 3 Employers may want to see you in a more social situation to see how you conduct yourself, particularly if the job for which you are in requires a certain standard of conduct with clients and superiors. You could be critically scrutinized on your table manners and conduct. The meal is a time to visit and interact and this is always more important than the function of eating. Slide 4 Having a working knowledge of dining etiquette turns any employee into a poised marketing representative of the company. Whether you’re going to a business lunch with your peers, recruiters, clients or partners, you need to make sure you behave appropriately. Yet many business folk don’t know proper dining etiquette. I have put this handy guide together with tips gathered from the business etiquette experts all over the world to help make sure that someone doesn’t call you out at your next business meal. Does anyone have a business dining experience that they would like to share? Slide 5 Be on time, no one wants to be kept waiting. If it is an unavoidable delay, try to contact the person. Keep in mind that you never know when you will encounter heavy traffic, wrecks, construction of other delays Slide 6 Shake hands with all present at the table. If necessary, introduce yourself. Concentrate on remembering your host/hostess’ name. Remain standing until host sits. Host has moved his/her napkin. Sit up straight and don’t tip your chair back. Don’t ask the waiter to explain everything on the menu; you will annoy others and appear indecisive. Place your napkin on your lap after everyone is seated and after you. Lets practice this. I want everyone to stand up move away from your tables each person find a partner and practice meet and greeting each other at the table, remember to greet shake hands and introduce yourself. Wait until the host has seated then you may sit down. Each one of you does this and once you both have practiced you may all be seated. Slide 7- No notes Slide 8 A decade ago young executives were expected to bring table manners to the job with them. In today’s world of busy families, table manners are no longer practiced on a daily basis, making it necessary to teach the acceptable dining etiquette before sending them out to represent the company at a customer lunch of business dinner. There are definite rules of dining etiquette and having a working knowledge of them turns any executive or employee into a gracious host or guest and a poised marketing representative of the company. Slide 9 Order only from the lunch menu, and then, not the most expensive item! The expectations are the employer will pay for the meal; however you may offer. Do not order alcohol and do not order foods that are messy to eat or require you to hold the food with your hands. Order foods that are easy such as chicken, fish or salads. Avoid sloppy hard to eat foods like spaghetti or ribs. Now that you have watched the video are there some pretty obvious things that you seen that were inappropriate? Lets watch the second video on what should be expected during a lunch meeting. Do you all feel that you could be in a lunch meeting situation and act appropriately? Slide 10 With a pre-set mean the host/hostess has already made the selections and the individuals are served. If allergic, religious or vegetarian issues arise, quietly deal with these as the server is at your side. For vegetarian ask if you may have a vegetable plate; with allergies or religion, provide the server with options. Always eat a little of all items served to you that have been brought to you specific from the server in which you have asked for. You will follow the same rules as a pre-set meal the only difference is that you will have more options and you will be able to choose the food based on your preference usually there are a couple of options to choose from within a buffet Slide 11 Most receptions or social hours are for the purpose of mingling and making contacts whether for job leads, as part of an interview or an employee entertaining clients. When you enter the reception observe the layout of the room. Seeing the room layout gives you a clue on how to proceed at the reception. If no tables are available, you should only have a drink or your food in your hand- never both. You should be prepared to greet and shake hands with individuals. If having a drink hold it in your left hand to keep your right hand dry and ready to shake hands. If eating hold your plate on the right hand and eat with the left hand. When someone approaches, you are able to switch the plate to your left hand and your right hand is clean and ready to shake. If tables are available you may have your drink and food together. However, always be ready to stand and greet people. Networking and or mingling are an important aspect of a business function, even if the event is described as a social gathering. Be sure to greet or introduce yourself to the host. Hostess. Spend a few minutes conversing with them on topics that relate to the event or to their business. To move on you can politely say, â€Å" I know you need to talk with other guest. † connect with as many attendees as possible. So not interrupt people; wait until they include you, or there is a break in the conversation and you can introduce yourself. Start conversations by asking someone about themselves. Do not look around the room for your next contact as you converse with someone. Focus eye contact on that individual and after a time, politely excuse yourself to move on to someone else. Slide 12 Office parties are good opportunities to improve morale and build good will. Keep in mind these are people who see you every day and they will remember a lapse in behavior. Be aware of your alcoholic consumption and do not embarrass yourself. Do not discuss business- this is a social occasion and an opportunity to learn more about your co-workers. Now that you have learned about all the scenarios I have some handouts as guidance for you to reference just in case you forget anything that we have discussed. ( Handout 1 and Handout 2) Slide 13 Now that you are aware of the different types of business scenarios you can actually move forward to the part we actually and sitting down and eating. It can be very confusing to be presented with a variety of eating utensils. Remember to start at the outside and work your way in. if you have been given two forks, which are the same size, begin with the fork on the outside. Many restaurants use the same size of fork for both the salad and main course. Be careful how you hold your utensils. Many people tend to make a fist around the handle of the utensil, this is the way a young child would grasp a utensil not an adult. There are two acceptable ways to use the knife and fork; continental fashion and American standard. Continental fashion; the diner cuts the food usually one bite at a time and uses the fork in the left hand, tines pointing down, to spear the food and bring it to the mouth. American standard; a few bites are cut, the knife is laid across the top on the plate, sharp edge toward you and the fork is switched to the right hand, if right-handed, tines up to bring the food to the mouth. Do not cut more than two or three bites at a time. Slide 14 This would be a typical dining table setting. Each and every one of you will walk away today knowing exactly how these should be set up. Slide 15 Continental or European style is when cutting the food with the right hand and using the left hand to hold the food while cutting and when eating. The American style is cutting the food with the right hand and holding the food with the left, then switching hands to eat with the right hand. Slide 16 Do not take a lot of time to order. Others are waiting. Order simply, do not customize your order excessively as this can attract unnecessary and negative attention. Follow your host’s lead. Avoid foods that are difficult to eat and or messy. If you are your host’s guest, select an item that is in the mid-price range, easy to eat and one you will enjoy. Consider asking your host/hostess for a recommendation before making your decision. If you are the host, it is courteous to take the lead in ordering appetizers and wine, if these are to be served. Slide 17 Do introduce yourself to each new person at the table and greet those you have already met before everyone is seated. Remember to use a firm handshake! Don’t talk with food in your mouth. Do sit up straight and keep your arms and elbows off the table. Don’t blow on food that is hot. Do carry food to your mouth with an inward, not an outward, curve of the fork or spoon. Don’t gesture with silverware in your hand. Do look into, not over, your cup or glass when drinking. Don’t overload your plate. Do try a little of everything served to you unless you are allergic. Don’t saw back and forth with your knife; stroke the knife toward you instead. Don’t let your silverware touch the table after you have picked it up. If you are not finished eating, place the fork and knife on your plate in an upside down V. Don’t push your plate away from you when you are finished; instead place your fork and knife side by side on your plate at an angle Slide 18. All of these will be very useful when you have your first business dinner. Or maybe this is a refresher for those who have encountered a business dining situation before. While eating wait for everyone to get their meal before starting yours, take small bites, try to pace yourself to finish as the same times as everyone else. If you leave the table, excuse yourself and place your napkin on your seat. When you are finished eating, place your napkin neatly to the left of your plate, but do not push your place setting away from you. Slide 19- No Notes Slide 20. You should prearrange how the bill is being paid. Always make sure the bill is accurate. Last thing to remember when paying the is to tip appropriately 15% for moderate service and 20% for excellent service. Now that you have finished thank your guest for joining you and shake their hand again. Slide 21 Now that you have sat through all of this training I am sure you all have worked up a appetite. How about we demonstrate what we have learned here today? We will be dining at the Radisson Hotel for a business dinner with everyone who has attended today. You all will be monitored so lets show the company you can do this! After dinner we will meet back here to finalize this workshop. At this time any questions that have not been answered during the presentation feel free to ask them now. Slide 22 A good point to remember in business etiquette is everyone should be treated with equal courtesy and respect. Business etiquette should be a give and take, to help each other when help is needed and have consideration for others. Good manners and business etiquette have always been based on common sense and thoughtfulness.

Cheif Joseph’s Speech

Speech by Chief Joseph Summary: Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indian tribe is trying to persuade the American people that they should try to change their ways. He does not feel as though they are being treated equally. The American government is pushing them to live in the places they demand. Chief Joseph gives a speech persuading the Americans that it is possible for the two conflicting groups of people to live in peace and get along. He just wants his people to be treated fairly without causing harm and preventing future harm. Causes: There are many different reasons that caused the Americans to continue to govern the Indians in an unfair way. First, they were showing a misuse of authority. They believed they could overpower the Indians and tell them what to do without even considering making peace with them. Also, the Americans had a great deal of ethnocentrism. They believed that their way of ruling was correct without exceptions. Since the Indians were different in their culture and the way they lived, Americans considered them to be â€Å"wrong†. So they put forth the effort to change the Indians so they were â€Å"right†, which was the way Americans wanted them to live. Personal thoughts: I believe that Chief Joseph used many rhetorical appeals and other devices in his speech which helped make it more convincing. His use of logic and emotion makes his point of view very appealing. The use of repetition really helped get his point across and the use of ethos, pathos, and logos made his side a lot more believable because it makes you think and eventually realize that his speech makes sense and it leads you to agree with what he is saying.

Japans Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

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The Dark Side of Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Dark Side of Literature - Essay Example "London" is a short poem of four stanzas in which Blake laments the fact that "marks of weakness, marks of woe" can be seen in every face he meets in the city. In "every cry of every Man", in the "Infant's cry of fear", and in every other voice, the freedom-loving poet hears the "mind-forg'd manacles." The poet makes a specific attack on the twin arms of power-the Church and the Crown: Plainly, the poet is of the view that the blight has entered into the very heart of the London, for harlots are used and abused not by the high and mighty alone, but by every man who thinks he can get his money's worth from them-be the sum a few pence or more than a few guineas. It is the curse of the harlot that engenders the "Infant's cry of fear" and makes marriage a farce that begins and ends as a hearse that transports men and women from the plagues of Earth to the plagues of Hell. If "London" appears dark, "The Human Abstract" is quite unrelentingly, black in its round and full condemnation of the 'Human Brain'-not just the brain of politician or monarch or demagogue, but the human brain. The poet reveals the selfish foundation of even seemingly benevolent emotions such as 'Pity' and 'Mercy': Pity would be no more If we did not make somebody Poor; And Mercy no more could be If all were as happy as we. In such a context, it is only "mutual fear" that brings peace till selfishness waxes too great. Then, "Cruelty knits a snare/And spreads his baits with care." "Holy fears" soon "water...the ground with tears." This is all that it takes for "Humility" to take root beneath the cruel foot. The "dismal shade/ of Mystery" then drops over his head and "the Catterpiller and Fly/ Feed on the Mystery." The fruit of this tree appears "Ruddy and sweet to eat" but it has a canker at its core and it is the "fruit of Deceit." The Gods of earth and sea may search for this tree and its fruit through all Nature, but the search would be "in vain" for the tree grows not in Nature, but in Man-"in the Human Brain." If in "London" Blake had seemed to sympathize with "Chimney sweeper", with "hapless soldier" or "youthful Harlot", in "The Human Abstract" the poison tree is revealed as one that can flourish in any human brain. While the oppression of Church and the State will be condemned and rightly so, the poet's task is not to be populist or to strive to be popular-he has to shine the light of his poetry into the cracks and crevices of every human heart and soul and brain. This should lead to a transformation-but such a change can occur only if the need for change is manifest, and that, surely, is what a poet like Blake is trying to achieve. In

Fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion - Essay Example One, there was an atmosphere of freedom. Two, the industrial era was growing. And three, there were people whose ideas were catching up with the youth of those times. What was happening was a new generation shaken by the war and psychologically drained was left without mooring. It was left to this generation to lead or to be lead. The economic scenario was grim. In this environment, a new culture emerged that was to give the haute couture in Paris a run for its money! Fashion was no more to be treated as the private domain of a few individuals. It became mass based. It became an industry that rolled out quality, ready-to-wear stuff in mass productions. There was awareness to move away from the elitist class to more bourgeois order and reap the benefits of a freer and more powerful society (Mid Twentieth Century). The 1950s emerged with the market targeting teenagers for music and fashion. The trends were becoming bolder. Women were wearing shorter skirts. Popular movies set trends in what to wear and more than eager teenagers in huge droves styled themselves after their divas. Christian Dior introduced a New Look silhouette that bespoke the freer atmosphere after the war restrictions. The New Look silhouettes included longer skirts with emphasis on waist and shoulder lines (1950s fashion). In the 1960s, a class of fashion designers emerg... In the 1960s, a class of fashion designers emerged of the likes of Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, and Emanuel Ungaro. They brought about radical changes in the way people wore clothes. This was also the time when the skirt had metamorphosed to mini-skirts. The hippie culture towards the latter part of the decade added its own imprint on dresses and the bell-bottom trousers was one of them. Since then, the world has not looked back. The pattern of wearing clothes continued from the 1960s to the 1970s. The jeans also made their presence felt and people began wearing them in large numbers everywhere. Jeans were increasingly tattered to give the wearer the look of randomness. However, this was also the time when the shift was taking place away from the mini-skirt and the skirts began dropping to below the knee levels. Shoes were more flat and pointed or rounded in leather or canvass. From the 1970s the trend for changes continued albeit more sporadically until the closing of the millennium in 2000. In the mid-1990s the insistence on more formal clothes became a necessity and young people were told to be formally attired. These were the days of recruitments. Technology advanced. Management got more powers in decisions of recruitments and lay off. They could tell their recruits what to wear. In many firms they wore uniforms. This trend has continued to this day. Fashion and the Arts In arts, fashion covers a wide array of interests from handicrafts and photography to knitting and shoe making. Each stream is a field by itself and nurtures its own discipline. From time to time, one or more disciplines come together to exhibit their wares for a few days to weeks. Fashion is in essence

RFID and online shopping Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

RFID and online shopping - Assignment Example This gives leverage to exploit hackers and online criminals to exploit the age of the internet. Technology is moving into human bodies quickly (Keenan, 2014). Humans are gradually becoming slaves to technology. Software and machines know the most intimate secrets of a person. Apps and devices track blood-sugar level, heart rate and blood pressure. It won’t be hard for a hacker to sell medication to diabetic patients after obtaining this useful information. One does not even need to be that illegal to exploit internet privacy. Studying shopping habits is becoming a science in itself. The internet has provided so many in-depth tools to marketers that they can explore shopping behaviors by regions (towns, suburbs etc.) and persons. A shopper might put in some key words in the search engine and in just a few seconds he might see banner ads selling the exact or a relevant product to this person. This precise form of marketing is frightening. It reveals how much activity of a person can be tracked over the internet. One study conducted on online shoppers showed that the privacy concern is a major impediment of truthful and deep online interaction (Flick, 2009). Shoppers are always concerned about their information security. Different credible shopping websites have to show a licensed banner for the online security of their fund transfers. News of identity theft, credit card scams, online stalking and threats over social media are not new. The surprising part is that not everyone engages so much over the internet to become a victim of cybercrimes. Internet privacy is among the most widely discussed subjects in print and electronic media (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2014). A significant number of people are now informed of this menace. People are not comfortable giving sensitive information online. But modern lifestyle almost demands engagement with technology and modern shopping trends. People are outsourcing their lives to

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Research Paper

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that EEOC is under the mandatory obligation to monitor compliance and enforcement of Title VII under Civil Rights Act, 1964 along with other federal civil rights. Civil Rights Act, 1964, Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are some such practices of EEOC that prohibit discrimination at workplace based on a range of factors age, nationality, ethnicity, gender, etc. Title VII of Civil Rights Act entails race, color, origin, gender, and religion as protected groups which show evidence of discrimination and the laws of EEOC are intended to protect employees and potential employees against discrimination. EEOC recommends that employees of all public-private firms are protected by federal laws against discrimination. In this regard, Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 1964 prohibits discrimination in terms of race, color, religion, sex or national origin in hiring, promoting, discharging, payment, fringe benefits, among other aspects of e mployment. The amended version of The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protects employees, present and prospective, with disabilities in hiring, promoting, and other aspects of employment. For protecting discrimination based on an age of above 40 years who are the applicants or employees, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 is handy to ensure equal opportunity. Also, Title VII of Civil Rights Act, 1964 and The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibit sex discrimination where women and men are paid different wages for the same work in the same organization. Further to this, all federal laws prohibit any retaliatory action by an employer in cases of filing of charges of discrimination by the employee, and it can amount to serious offense of the laws. Diversity at the workplace is practiced to ensure that individual differences are recognized and acknowledged to create an environment that is diverse and innovative, and which utilizes the contributions of the diverse backgroun ds of its employees. In the diverse workplace, EEO policies apply in addressing the disadvantaged groups prone to discrimination in terms of age, race, etc.

Anatomy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anatomy - Assignment Example In this case, the last pathway stage is seen to regenerate the compound that is used in first step. There are 8 steps of the cycle and all of them are redox, decarboxylation and dehydration reaction which yield two molecules of carbon dioxide, reduced forms of NADH and FADH2 and one GTP/ATP. The reaction is taken to be an aerobic pathway since the FADH2 and NADH produced are supposed to transfer their electrons to the pathway that is next in the system that will utilize oxygen. If this transfer does not take place, the citric acid cycle oxidation steps will as well not occur. It is noted that citric acid cycle generates very little ATP directly and it never utilize oxygen. The acetyl group in the citric acid cycle is attached to four molecules of carbon oxaloacetate to form a six carbon citrate molecule. Citrate is oxidized through a series of steps and in this case it releases 2 carbon dioxide molecules for every acetyl group fed into the cycle. In the due course, 3 molecules of NAD + are seen to be reduced to NADH, A molecule of FAD is reduced to FADH2 as well as one ATP (based on the type of cell) is generated (through substrate-level phosphorylation).Since the final citric acid cycle product is as well the reactant, the cycle is seen to run continuously in the presence of reactants that are sufficient (Aragon and Lowenstein, 1980). Condensation is the first step. In this case, the 2 carbon acetyl group from acetyl CoA combines with a molecule of 4 carbon oxaloacetate to generate a citrate molecule of 6 carbons. CoA is seen to be bound to a sulfhydryl group and it diffuses away and combines with another acetyl group. The step is known to be irreversible since it is highly exergenic.The reaction rate is regulated by the negative feedback and the available ATP amount. It there is an increase in ATP levels, the reaction rate will decrease. If it ATP is limited, the reaction

RayOVac Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

RayOVac - Case Study Example However this ratio declines sharply in the year 2001 and even further to the least recorded debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05 in the year 2002. This is the year where the business has the highest stability of all the five years. The business increases its debt sharply in 2003 recording the highest debt-to-equity ratio of 6.65. This is the year when the business is least stable. Reduced debt-to-equity ratio boosts the business a little in 2004. The gearing ratio starts relatively high at 0.86 in the year 2000. The ratio falls to 0.72 in the year 2001 and even further to 0.67 in 2002, coming out as the least recorded gearing ratio of all the five years. This is the year where the business is most stable. The ratio increases sharply in 2003 to record at 0.87, the highest recorded ratio of all the three years. This is the year when the business is least stable (more vulnerable). The ratio declines a little bit in 2004 to record at 0.81 as the business stabilizes a bit. In the year 2005, Rayovac acquired Tetra Holdings of Germany at a cost of $555 million where $50 million was financed through long term debt. The question we may want to deal with at the moment is whether the debt was justified. Performance-wise Tetra Holdings showed some good results with annual sales of $223 million as of the end of 2004. The annual sales were an improvement from the $179 million sales made in 2001, showing that the company growing and its territories expanding and thus justifying the acquisition by Rayovac. Calculation of the Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) may also be used to justify the acquisition as below. The positive ROCE implies that the company will be able to generate returns from its capital base and hence the acquisition is justifiable. A negative ROCE would raise an alarm as this would be an implication that the company is generating losses from its capital base. Following the multiple acquisitions, the company

Tream paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tream - Term Paper Example Modern buildings still incorporate beauty of art in there structural design which is in line with the old practice of pre-modern architecture. According to a quote from â€Å"Improvement of Modern Systems† by Sitte- â€Å"Our study has certainly demonstrated that it is not at all necessary to design modern city plans in as stereotyped a fashion as is the custom, that it is quite unnecessary to forgo in them all the beauties of art and the attainments of the past†, he confirms how pre-modern architecture focused on ornamentation that were aesthetic in value. In as far as the ornamentation in modern architecture need to maximize the good of all users, the necessity of stereotyped fashion that focused more on beauties of art was still somewhat of use in modern architecture. However, it is impractical to conceive stone ceilings much better contrived compared to those of the early churches. This is because they are at once, beautiful, light, substantial, and lofty. First, th ey are light, since, their principal strength anchors in the ribs and the intermediate spaces or the spandrils are packed in with small light stones. Secondly, they are substantial, since for every stone being cut to the centre and forming the portions of the curve, when combined they are capable of thwarting immense pressure and the keys or the bosses wedging all together. Thirdly, they are beautiful, since for no ceiling is worth being conceived more elegant and graceful than an elongated perspective of lines and arches which radiate from exquisitely carved centers. Fourthly, they are lofty, since, not only in relation to the elevation at which these stone ceilings of early churches are placed, but also that their construction enables the clerestory windows to get carried up high with a crown of the arch inside the intermediate spaces. Pitch roof express beauty and slide off snow Pre-modern architecture design utilized pitch roof so often. This is because of its perceived utility and beautiful appearance as opposed to the ugly look of flat roof. In pointed architecture, the pitch of roof is a subject in which certain useful observations might be made. One can find, on examination that the extremely beautiful pitch of any roof or gable end is undoubtedly an inclination satisfactorily steep to slide off snow without offering the slate too perpendicular a strain, that is created by the two sides on equilateral triangle. When this form is departed from, the gable definitely appears either too widely spread or painfully acute. Every really beautiful form in ornamentation of architecture is actually based on soundest principles of utility. The Practical men know how fiat-pitched roofs, that are extremely ugly in appearance, are nothing more than an ill calculated roof incapable of resisting the action of weather. Moreover, especially in slated roofs, gusts of wind in fact, blow under and also lift up the covering. Purpose of ornamentation is a factor to consider i n design work The purpose of ornamentation should come out clearly and be shown in the both internal and external appearance of any design work. Ornamentation should clearly reveal the purpose unto which a building is to be put. A building for worship of God, for example; should be different from the one used for settlements. A chapel should be different from house of residence. Cathedral should be differe

Southwest airlines Essay Example for Free

Southwest airlines Essay Analyzing Southwest Airlines organizations harmony is very challenging. Using the Mckinsey 7S Framework will make this process easier. The Mckinsey 7S Framework is made up of hard elements and soft elements. The hard elements consist of strategy, structure, and systems. These are elements in the organization that can not be changed easily. The soft elements consist of shared values, skills, style, and staff. These are elements that can be changed easily. The strategy of Southwest is very nique. Southwest strategy focuses on provided their service with the lowest prices in their industry. They have a ten-minute turnaround policy which allows flights to board and leave very quickly. Southwest deals with competitive pressure by focusing on a greater competitor, the automobile. This focus keeps Southwest ahead of the other airlines. Changes in customer demand were softened by the unique staff that Southwest had. Customer service took the place of meals that would be served on short flights. Southwest has a functional structure with three levels of management. Decision making is decentralized at Southwest. This decentralized decision making is good for the organic cultural of Southwest. Southwest strives to keep its employees involved with decisions. The main system that keeps Southwest going is its Human Resources system. This system ensures that the culture of the organization remains strong. This is important because it is one of the factors that keep customers returning to Southwest for all their flight. The HR department makes sure that the people it hires are willing to have fun while on the flight as well as crack a few Jokes from time to time. There are some strong shared values within Southwest Airlines. Southwests values include quality, reliability, action, informal communication and feedback. All of these values contribute to the customer service orientation of their organization. Southwest has a very unique style that it as set for itself. Decisions at Southwest are made collectively. Employees seem to be more cooperative than competitive. Southwest is a family oriented organization that enforces its culture to the customers using its employees. There are nominal groups formed within the company. The employees get together voluntarily in order to do community service projects. The Southwest staff is like a family. Many of Southwests staff is classified as couples. This helps Southwest effectively promote its family oriented culture. Selected staff needs to be fun and outgoing. The strongest skills that are represented by the Southwest employees are customer service skills. Southwest prides itself on giving the customer a great flight experience. Their staff, as stated previously, is fun and family oriented. Judging by the 7S framework model, Southwest Airlines should not take on the extra flight it would get from LaGuardia. The extra flight will compromise the ten-minute turnaround that Southwest has praised itself on. This will negatively affects its customer service effectiveness which is the driving factor of Southwests culture and values. southwest airlines.

Parent Firms of Joint Ventures

Parent Firms of Joint Ventures Are joint-ventures and their parent firms more closely related in terms of skill-relatedness than in terms of value-chain? Abstract The distance between joint-ventures and their parent firms is a fairly new topic of research in the field of diversification. In the process of determining the actual parent firm of a joint-venture out of all alternative industries, it turned our that both vertical- and skill-relatedness proved to be significant. The results indicate further that skill-relatedness is more predictive in this process than vertical relatedness and that joint-ventures are more likely to have parents that have skill overlap to their primary activity than industries that do not. These results hold for the entire sample and a subsample of manufacturing firms. Another finding is that joint-ventures and their parents tend to be more closely related in skills than their parents active in the joint-venture. Suggesting that joint-venture are a mechanism to reduce cognitive distance and increase the absorptive capacity of the new knowledge being transferred. 1. Introduction Diversification and relatedness between firms has been widely researched and finds their theoretical foundation in Coase (1937); Penrose (1959) and others. Coase (1937) can be regarded as one of the first to address the transaction costs theory, while Penrose (1959) addressed the resource based view of the firm. Both theories form the basis of many empirical research to understand more about diversification behavior of firms. These theories therefore form a basis for further research in diversification and especially in the distance between joint-ventures and their parents for this paper. Output produced by one industry often form the basis of production in other industries. It makes economic sense to integrate these activities into already existing activities to improve efficiency, make the company less dependable on their primary activity and expand the company, in order to achieve growth. Fan and Lang (2000) found this already before in their research about diversification. Firms tend to have secondary segments that are related in terms of in-output. This vertical integration of activities is most likely to occur when facing high market transaction costs. Neffke and Henning (2010) also investigated diversification behavior of firms using in-output relatedness. Their research however introduced a new measure of skill-relatedness, which turned out to be dominant in predicting diversification behavior of firms. Conform the resource based view, regarding human capital as the prime asset of the firm, their research firstly compared observed job switchers against the predicted job switchers between certain industries. Individuals gain, certain specific skills during their working life and can only redeploy this knowledge (â€Å"know-how†) in other industries which posses some degree of knowledge overlap. If this is not the case, switching will only hurt the individual, since he or she will be not valued for all acquired skills during his working life. This measure of skill-relatedness between industries proved to outperform in-output relatedness and supported the resource based view in diversification activities of firms. While diversification behavior and relatedness is widely researched, this is not the case for the relationship between joint-ventures and their parents. A joint-venture is a separate legal entity (Harrigan, 1988) and has at least two parents, who are in joint-control and reliable for their equity share in the joint-venture. This paper will discuss, why a joint-venture might be preferred over alternatives and how this might influence the distance between joint-ventures and their parent firms. This will provide new insights in the relationship between joint-ventures and their parent firms. In order to investigate the relationship between joint-ventures and their parent firms and testing for dominant mode in this relationship, this paper used a sample of 237 German joint-ventures between 2005-2011 and constructed an average vertical relatedness according to Fan and Lang (2000) for German industries between 2005-2007. It than included the skill-relatedness of Neffke and Henning (2010) based on Swedish labor switchers between 2004-2007. These data allowed us to make an overview of all joint-ventures and all industries in which it can have their parents. We then tagged the actual parent firms of the joint-ventures with a one and all other industries with a zero, allowing us to run a logit regression with the actual parent firms as our dependent variables. The findings indicate, that the resource based view is the dominant mode in explaining distance between joint-ventures and their parent firms. This provides more insight in the importance of close relatedness in terms of skills over other forms of relatedness. In the following chapter, we start with a theoretical framework about diversification and argue that the resource based view can be regarded as the most important in diversification moves. We will then discuss the alternative diversification possibilities and the limitations of diversification. This will be followed by a discussion of the most important strategic motives on joint-ventures choice. These strategic motives and the theoretical framework will be summarized at the end of chapter 2 and we will explain how this all will relate on the distance between joint-ventures and their parents. In chapter 3 we will discuss empirical evidence on diversification and joint-ventures and their implications on our research. Then we will follow with a data discussion and our method of research in chapter 4 and 5. The results and out findings will be presented in chapter 6 and the final chapter will discuss our outcomes, provides some more insight in the distance between both parents active in the joint-venture, limitations, policy implications and future research. 2. Theory on diversification: an introduction This paper investigates the distance between joint-ventures and their parents. Before we can have a look at this relation, we start with a theoretical framework about diversification and the implications of this framework for our research. Thereafter, we will explain more about diversification motives and the problems and limitations firms might face when diversifying. We then summarize all this and discuss how this all relate to our expected findings on joint-ventures and the relatedness with their parents. 2.1 Theoretical framework behind diversification strategies A theoretical framework behind diversification strategies will be discussed in the coming chapter. This theoretical framework provides more insights in the diversification motives of firms. After these motives have been discussed, we can discuss their influence on the distance between joint-ventures and their parents at the end of chapter 2. 2.1.1. Transaction cost theory The transaction cost view is a theory of Coase (1937) and Williamson (1975, 1985) and addresses the view that economizing is the core problem of economic organizations. The core of these problems in organizational context lay in the assumptions of incomplete information and self interest seeking firms / people. Incomplete information in contracts implies that it is impossible for individuals and firms to predict each future event, therefore all contracts are incomplete and exposed to uncertainty of future situation not foreseen by firms and individuals. If these future states / conditions change, the incentives for the individuals and firms involved might also change. In other words, there is room for self-interest of individuals. In the transaction cost theory, these assumptions of bounded rationality and self-interest seeking are paired and as a result there is room for fraud or guile of economic agents. Economic agents are driven by self-interest and the transaction costs theory a llows these agents to deceive, disguise and confuse in order to maximize their self interest. Opportunistic behavior and moral hazard are thus included in the theory of transaction costs. These assumptions are the basis for the theory of transaction cost and have some consequences, especially when it comes to contract modes and thus joint-ventures. Due to bounded rationality and opportunistic behavior of economic agents, all contracts are incomplete (Williamson, 2006). This means, economic agents have an incentive to behave to their own optimal ex post outcome if situations change which cannot be contracted. The second assumption is contract as promise (Williamson, 2006). This assumes that economic agents will fulfill contracts as promised. However, this will not be obtained if these agents are given opportunistic opportunities. â€Å"The transaction costs analysis entails an examination of the comparative costs of planning, adapting, and monitoring task completion under alternative governance structures† (Williamson, 2006, p. 58). The transaction will become the basic unit of analysis and minimizing transaction cost will result in the most efficient governance structure. Transactions differ in three ways from each other; (1) frequency at which transactions recur; (2) level of uncertainty to which they are subjected; (3) level of asset specificity involved. Since asset specificity is of crucial importance, we elaborate some more about the characteristics of asset specificity. â€Å"Asset specificity has reference to the degree to which an asset can be redeployed to alternative uses and by alternative users without sacrifice of productive value† (Williamson, 2006, p. 59). This asset specificity becomes of importance in the context of incomplete contracts, while asset specificity can take different forms; (1) physical asset specificity; (2) site specificity; (3) dedicated asset specificity and (4) human asset specificity. The complexity of a transaction is therefore highly dependent on the asset specificity (k) of the asset and investments in that asset. A supplier can for example use a general purpose technology with low asset specificity (k=0) or it might invest in a specialized technology with high asset specificity (k=1). High asset specificity is likely to involve high bilateral dependency between the parties in the transaction. Since the parties involved in the contract become vulnerable of each other, switching is difficult and costly option due to the mutual dependency and the investments done in specific assets. The buyers cannot easily turn to an alternative supplier and the current supplier is highly dependable on the demand of its current buyer. Therefore the higher the asset specificity, the more likely it become that higher contract costs have to be faced. Both parties have more incentives to devise safeguards to protect the investment in the transaction if asset specificity is high. How ever, if there is low asset specificity (k=0) and we thus have a general purpose asset, contract are easily monitored and market transactions will be preferred. Back to the diversification decision, minimizing transaction costs is regarded of crucial importance for the choice in governance mode. This implies that firms choose between a wholly owned subsidiary, a simple market transaction or a hybrid made, as a joint-venture for example. This trade-off between a joint-venture and other governance modes has been widely researched. Hennart (1991) for example found that; Japanese firms start joint-ventures with U.S. counterparts to combine intermediate inputs when they are subjected to high market transactions costs. This paper uses a relatedness in terms of in-output and can therefore measure the distance in terms of the use of intermediate products between industries. The influence on joint-ventures and partner distance will be discussed at the end of chapter 2. At this point of the paper, it is however important to understand that high relatedness in the use of intermediate products is likely to be caused due to high transaction costs. This w ould imply that if diversification has a high level of relatedness in value-chain and are thus closely relatedness in terms of vertical relatedness, this is most likely caused by high transaction costs and supports the transaction costs view of diversification.. 2.1.2. Knowledge and resource based view In the resource based view, knowledge (â€Å"know-how†) is regarded as the most important production factor within the firm. The origin of the resource based view goes back to the work of Penrose (1959), who inspired the discussion of the resource based view of the firm and the importance of resources to achieve firm growth. Penrose stated that: â€Å"the firm is a collection of productive resources (human and non-human) under administrative coordination and authoritative communication that produces goods and services for sale in the market for a profit† (Penrose, 1959, p. xvii).† â€Å"The administrative coordination and authorities communication define the boundaries of the firm† (Penrose, 1959, p. xvii). The firm specific human resources are regarded as the most important of all resources within the firm. Without these human knowledge, there can be no operating firm. As a result, the firm cannot make decisions, long-term planning, run operations and it c an certainly not make any expansions. From this point of view Penrose (1959) indentified two major causes of firm growth. First of all, causes external to the firm and secondly those causes that are internal to the firm. â€Å"External causes for firm growth, as capital constraints, cannot be fully understood without an examination of the nature of the firm itself† (Penrose, 1959, p. 532). We may therefore conclude that firm growth is endogenous to the firm; this is a result of two reasons mentioned by Penrose (1959). In order to execute plans and strategic action, human capital is required. After completion of the project/action, managerial resources will be released with increased knowledge. These resources gained experience and knowledge during the time of the expansion and can be redeployed at alternative use after the time of the expansion. The redeployed individuals with an increased knowledge and skills might improve efficiency and organization of the firm, but might also be able to development new or speci alized services. Depending on the expansion, individuals involved might also gain ‘unique knowledge of their experience; this is particularly true for certain forms of tacit knowledge, which are more difficult to transmit. The theory of firm growth of Penrose (1959) has been regarded as one of the earliest contributions to the resources based view of the firm, stressing the importance of knowledge as the key production factor within a firm. The drive of firms for growth, is a drive for new knowledge that is not accessible to the firm before their diversification. However, the motives and goals of each diversification differ and so do the resources possessed by each firm in a diversification. These differences and similarities in knowledge are of crucial importance in the resource based view, where acquiring new knowledge is the ultimate goal for achieving growth. Acquiring knowledge comes with certain problems; the â€Å"fundamental paradox† of knowledge and the difficulty arising from transferring tacit knowledge are two of those problems. In the fundamental paradox of information it is extreme difficult to determine the value of the knowledge for the buyer of the knowledge, which causes high c ontract costs. Since it is impossible for the buyer of knowledge to estimate ex ante the characteristics of what is being bought. On the other hand, if the seller of the knowledge provides this information, he will be revealing important information and transferring his â€Å"know-how† free of charge (Arrow, 1959). If the targeted knowledge, is a certain â€Å"know-how† which cannot be patented and protected against spillovers to competitive firms and other industries it become far more difficult. Certain types of knowledge cannot be put on paper and granted a patent. Firms experiences in manufacturing, distribution, and country-specific knowledge, knowledge of markets, customers and especially high educated employees cannot be patented but are of crucial importance of a firms success in the resource based view. â€Å"This type of knowledge that cannot embody specifications, designs and drawings, but instead is embedded in the individual is called ‘tacit knowledge†. (Polanyi, 1959; Hennart, 1988, p. 366). These individual characteristics of experience and social nature make transfer, coordination and spread of knowledge between firms, extreme complex and difficult (Lam, 2006). The transfer and spread of this tacit knowledge is one of the difficulties when facing diversificat ion decisions. The transfer and spread of this tacit knowledge can be done in different alliance forms, which will be discussed later in this paper. However, for now, it is important to know that diversification is undertaking to gain new knowledge, which must be for same part related to the knowledge of the firm. This is the case since the new resources must be redeployed at alternative use after a project, which might be a joint-venture for example. As for distance in diversification, higher skill-relatedness and thus diversification activities that are more closely related in skills stresses the importance of the resource based view. 2.1.3. Portfolio management theory A third and final theory behind diversification motives is the portfolio theory of Markowitz (1952). Diversification decisions of firms are important decisions taken by firms management in order to maximize the expected returns of their portfolio of investments. These investors are the shareholders of the firm and have a claim on the residual value of the company assets, when debt has been paid. In order to maximize this expected return of the firm outstanding shares, the law of large numbers will ensure that the actual yield of the portfolio will be almost the same as the expected yield. In any case, holding a diversified portfolio would be preferred over all non-diversified portfolios (Markowitz, 1952). Increasing variance in your portfolio would mean an increase in the number of projects, since each project would be successful / unsuccessful at a certain probability, which is referred to as risk. Holding a large variety, in other words, betting on more than one horse, increases yo ur probability on having a winning project. The portfolio management theory suggests that diversification tends to take place in activities that are unrelated to the primary activity of the firm. If this is the case, diversification activities (such as a joint-venture) would be unrelated to the primary activity of the firm. There would be a large distance between the firm and its diversification activities, while transaction costs and the resource based view are stressing the importance diversification in more closely related activities, although for different motives. 2.2 Different diversification alternatives In all theories discussed, the main driver for diversification is in order to achieve growth. Either, by minimizing transaction costs in the transaction costs economy or by diversification of risk, which increases the probability of a winning innovation. In all these theories is explained how they might influence the distance between diversification activities. Is there however any limit to firm growth in their challenge to innovate and to expand? According to Penrose (1959) there is no limit on the size of a firm, however the growth of the firm has some limits it can reach. In the Hercules Powder Company case study Penrose claimed: â€Å"Growth is governed by a creative and dynamic interaction between a firms productive resources and its market opportunities. Available resources limit expansion; unused resources (including technological and entrepreneurial) stimulate and largely determine the direction of expansion. While product demand may exert a predominant short-term influence, over the long term any distinction between ‘supply and ‘demand determinants of growth becomes arbitrary† (Penrose, 1959, p.1) How does this reflect to diversification strategies? Penrose (1959) distinguished between different areas of diversification. The firm can be divided into different productive activities, that consist of machines, processes, skills and materials, all closely and complementary associated in the production process, which Penrose (1959) calls the production/technology base. The firm now faces the decision to diversify into a new market using the existing technology base. It might prefer entering an existing market using a new technology base, which is referred to as horizontal/complementary expansion. The last scenario would be to enter a new market using a new technology base. As described above, the ability of a firm to expand and grow is limited by its internal resources, from which human resources is regarded as the most important. Diversification increases the creative and dynamic interaction of a firm and its resources. All these forms of diversification have implications on the expected distance between the diversification activities and thus joint-ventures and our research. Entering a new market using a new technology would probably have a larger distance in terms of skills from its primary activity than entering a new market with an existing technology. In this latest case, the technology and specific knowledge can be partially redeployed at alternative use, while this is not the case in the first alternative. The main implication from Penrose (1959) famous work is that firms diversify in order to achieve growth. According to Penrose (1959) the resource based view of the firm is the dominant view in order to achieve this growth by diversification. This would suggest that the distance between diversification activities would be more closely related in terms of skills and less closely in vertical relatedness, used as a measure for the transaction costs theory. If diversification is undertaken in order to diversify risk, conform the portfolio management theory diversification activities would not be related at all. 2.3 Limits on diversification and diversification distance? There are different diversification forms as discussed in the previous chapter. It is important to understand that firm growth is limited by its human capital (Penrose, 1959). A firm should therefore carefully choose its diversification activities. A clear understanding of these limits and where these limits depend on is extremely important to understand the distance between firms diversification activities. Since this implicitly answers the question, to what extent firms diversify and is there a limit on the distance between partners and their diversification activity? Cohen and Levinthal (1990) discuss the ‘absorptive capacity of a firm, which indicates: â€Å"the ability of a firm to recognize the value of new, external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends, which is critical to its innovative capacity† (Cohen and Levinthal (1990), p. 128). This absorptive capacity puts limits on the commercialization of new knowledge and boundaries on diversification. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) assume that a firms absorptive capacity and the individual absorptive capacities of its employers are largely a function of the firms level of prior related knowledge. Earlier research suggest that absorptive capacity might be a byproduct of a firms RD investments and others suggest that firms can also invest directly in absorptive capacity while investing in specialized educ ation/training. The key to absorptive capacity is that organizations needs prior related knowledge to assimilate and use new knowledge for exploitation. This is very important for the resource based view in our paper, since this implies that diversification activities of firms should be related in terms of skills. Since, the higher the prior knowledge in ones memory, the higher their ability to acquire new knowledge and the ability to recall and use that knowledge. What is often the case in organizations and especially expected in joint-ventures is the transfer of learning skills across bodies of knowledge that are organized and expressed in similar ways. Mowery et al. (1996) indicated that joint-ventures are the most efficient alliance form for transferring tacit knowledge, which could certainly human specific skills. As a consequence, experience or performance on one learning task may influence and improve performance on some subsequent learning task (Ellis, 1965). Cohen and Levin thal (1990) make two important assumptions about knowledge, important for diversification strategies. â€Å"Firstly, knowledge is cumulative and secondly, learning performance is greatest when the object of learning is related to what is already known† (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990, p. 131). This implicit that learning is more difficult in novel domains, in other words radical exploration of new ideas, products, technologies and standards. Diversification might offer an advantage, since with diversification comes a wider knowledge base and as a results an increasing probability that the new knowledge is already / partially known to the organization. The absorptive capacity of an organization however, does not only exist off the aggregated absorptive capacity of its individuals, but also on the ability to exploit this knowledge. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) mention there is a trade-off between high levels of absorptive capacity of an organization and the ability to exploit this. They describe this as a trade-off between inward-looking (specialization) versus outward-looking (diversify) trade-off, where excessive dominance by one or the other will be suboptimal. Exploitation can best been seen as specialization of old familiar ideas and certainties in organizational learning, while exploration can best be described as the invention of new technologies, standards, products or ideas in an organization. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) discuss also the importance for innovation of close relationship with both buyers and suppliers, suggesting a vertical relatedness would be beneficial for innovation performance. In the trade-off described, Co hen and Levinthal (1990) suggest that to the keep an effective, creative utilization of new knowledge a portion of prior knowledge should be closely related with a the firm new knowledge, and another part should be fairly diverse, although still related. If this is the case, firm diversification activities should be closely related in terms of skills supporting the resource based view of the firm. Why is it important to have both creative utilization and a portion of prior knowledge is best described by March (1991), who distinguishes between exploration and exploitation. Returns of exploration are systematically less certain than those of exploitation (March, 1991), this might influence the choice for diversification for the long term however, exploration has long run positive return although this outcome is certainly not always the case in the short run. Exploration activities therefore capture much more risk taking, uncertainty, variation, flexibility, discovery and innovation than exploitation. Exploitation is more focused on production, choice, efficiency, marketing, costs and benefits (March, 1991). The importance of exploration is best described in a model of mutual learning in an closed organization and its personnel in it (March, 1991). The organization is regarded as a storage of knowledge (consisting of procedures, norms, rules and tacit assets) and the organization, accumulate knowledge over time by learning from their personnel. â€Å"Individuals (personnel) however, are socializing the organizational beliefs, which are diffused to individuals through various forms of instruction, indoctrination, and exemplification† (March, 1991, p. 74). This mutual learning approach between organizations and individuals has implications for the choice between exploitation and exploration in organizations and has therefore consequences for the short-run and long-run incentives. In this model of mutual learning organizational code is affected by the beliefs of their personnel, the other way around, the individuals are influenced by the organizational code / norm. Important to know is, that individuals can not influence each other, the influence each other through the organizational code. What will happen in this closed model? In this organization, each adjustment in beliefs is served to eliminate the difference between the organizational code and the individual beliefs. If the individuals over time become more knowledgeable about the code, they become also more homogeneous with respect to knowledge and in the end will find an equilibrium. In this equilibrium the individuals beliefs share the same organizational code. It is therefore important to keep a portion of new knowledge in order to increase the organizational code. March (1991) also describes a second model, evaluating the role of personnel turnover in the organization and turbulence environment are considered. The length of service of an individual in an organization has a positive effect on the knowledge of the individual and therefore also a positive effect on the average knowledge of the individuals. A recruit therefore has a negative effect on the average knowledge of the individuals. The role of turnover on the organization knowledge is more complicated and is a problem of learning rates versus turnover rates. As described in model of mutual learning the strength of the recruit is, the diversity in knowledge, since the recruit posses on average less knowledge than the individual it replaces. Long serving individuals, on average know more, but their knowledge is already reflected in the organizational code over time and therefore they are less likely to contribute to the organizations knowledge base. Now consider environmental turbulence t o the organization, this can be the case of processes involving lags in adjustment rates. Consider an organization without personnel turnover, in this organization the beliefs reflected by the individual and these beliefs do not change, although the environment is changing. After some time the organizational code is systematically degraded through changes in reality and a much lower equilibrium is reached. Organizations with a moderate personnel turnover however, are resistant to these environmental shocks and adjust to the new knowledge of the recruits (diversified knowledge). March (1991) extent this model of competitive ecology in a model to compete for scarce resources and opportunities. Assuming the performance of a firm is a measure of the average value (x) and some measure of variability (v), which are normally distributed. An increase in both will increase the probability to gain competitive advantages over competitors. In this part there consist a trade-off between an increase in the mean and the variance. Which supports earlier literature, that diversification is undertaken to gain excess to new knowledge to some extent, but is expected to be related to prior knowledge of the firm. March (1991) conclude that exploration firms compete far more on variance than exploitation firms. 2.4 Implications and differences between the theories discussed The main difference between the management portfolio theory and the resource based view and the transaction costs view is that the management portfolio expect that diversification tends to take place in unrelated industries, while this is not the case for the other two theories, although at different level of relatedness. The resource based view stresses the importance of knowledge gain and the benefits of this new knowledge in diversification. Transaction costs theory however focuses more on the cost side of the transaction.Leaving the transaction costs as basic unit of analysis to determine an appropriate alliance form, which will minimizes the transaction costs of the firm. According to Wang (2007), a firm shoul

Barack Obama: Leading Change In The US

Barack Obama: Leading Change In The US Having defeated John Mc Cain, in the 44th US presidential elections on the 4 November 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American president in the history of the US. According to Forbes, he is seen as the most powerful person in the globe because he leads the largest, most powerful and evolving economy in the world. In his capacity as the American president, he participates in the (G8) forum and he is one of the people whose decisions shape the world economy. Additionally, at home, his party holds the majority in both US house and senate; therefore, he is able to wield legislations and policies to his favour. (Forbes, 2010) His priorities when elected as president was to develop plans to withdraw American troops from Iraq, finish the operations in Afghanistan and close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. His overall political agenda included (a) improving the American Economy, (b) introducing new legislation which aimed to provide affordable accessible health care to all American citizens as well as (c) improving education and (d) investing on renewable sources of energy in an attempt to reduce the disastrous effect of climate change. Last but not least, he aimed to stop Iran from developing their nuclear program. One of Barack Obamas major concerns was to improve the American foreign policy image around the world, in particular the relationships between the US and Muslim countries, which under the presidency of Mr. George Bush had deteriorated as a result of the war against Afghanistan and Iraq. Moreover, unlike George Bush who saw himself as the ultimate CEO, who sets big goals and agendas, and runs the Federal Government as a large private corporation, Barack Obama had at the core of his internal policy the interests of the ordinary American citizen. In other words, George Bush, an autocratic leader was succeeded by Barack Obama, a democratic leader. His vision was to inspire pride in all American citizens so that they would believe again in the potential of the American dream and restore their belief that change was possible and that they could all, together develop a new sense of common goals about their country. Clearly, Obama does not see himself as a CEO, but rather as a community orga nizer and facilitator whose authority is derived from the American People and whose main purpose is the public welfare. (Burnett, 2008) What makes Barack Obama a true leader? Barack Obama is true leader because of his leadership characteristics and personality traits. One characteristic that makes him a leader is integrity, that is, the strength of someone able to keep his personal ethics. Obama has this trait because he will not compromise to anything that is unethical to him and he will stick to his position and ethics for the greater good of the country, even if he is risking his career. Another characteristic that represents Obama, with regard to foreign affairs, is his sense of respect of other countries despite their past. This led Obama to support diplomacy, even with countries which were considered terrorist such as Iran. Barack Obama is characterized for his belief in equality for every American citizen. According to a tax plan that he introduced, middle class families will relief from taxes and so will small business because they create more jobs. Another typical characteristic of Obama is his sense of citizenship. Back in 1992, when he was still a community organizer in Chicago, he helped to create a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants rights organization. This showed Obamas self-will and motivation to be an active member of a community and make changes for the greater good. Obamas sense of caring and solidarity to the American people, led to a new legislation which reformed the public health care sector as well as the education sector in the United States. This shows that the welfare of each American is at the top of its agenda. Not many leaders have the ability to have time for both their families and the public welfare, but apparently Barack Obama keeps balance of his time and also devotes time to his beloved family. Confidence is another virtue of Barack Obama, which is particularly obvious in his speeches and the way people perceive him. His confidence is inspiring; it boosts their morale and encourages them to act for a common purpose with their own goodwill. Barack Obama was elected with a majority of 53%. A remarkable thing to say is that a few weeks after his election, a Gallup poll revealed that the 83% of the population approved of his action. This shows that the 30% of the voters who hadnt voted him at the elections changed their minds and gave another chance to the 44th American president. What made them change their mind about Barrack Obama? Since day one, Barack Obama tried to introduce important changes in domestic policies and the foreign affairs as he had promised from his campaign. His activities caught the eye of the public and gained him their trust, with his charismatic nature. One century earlier, the German Sociologist Max Weber, stated that charismatic leaders are characterized by a certain quality in their personality by virtue of which they are set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. Barack Obama has this charisma and his followers think of him as a leader with special qualities that he deservers their devotion and faith. This charismatic ability enabled him to bring the people to his side, especially young people and prompt them to achieve goals larger than their expectations and strengths. During his speeches he uses the expression we a lot, which enables him to have direct communication with his audience. A lso, in his speeches he uses expressions such as we are hurting, in order to awaken them and get their attention to important issues that affect them and make them believe that they can contribute to his work. (Fellahi, 2009) According to Barack Obamas doctrine, a complete change will come from the transformation of the politics of America to heal Americas pain and change American lives for good by replacing the politics that breed division, conflict and cynicism with a policy that increases unity and brings peace in America and the whole world. From this doctrine we can see that Barack Obamas charisma springs from empathy and inspiring power rather than authority and muscular strength such as Bushs administration. (Fellahi, 2009) Is Barack Obama a transformational leader? Looking so far what Barack Obama has done as a president for this short term, we can see an extraordinary person who has climbed the ladder of power with a vision. One of the dominant mottos in his presidential campaign was Change We Can Believe In. This referred to hope for a better future and a better country. So far, Barack Obama has made a lot of changes in the health care legislation and the economic system in an attempt to fight recession. His activities have inspired many people and provide them with a new vision that increases commitment and performance. After eight years under George Bushs transactional leadership with rewards and penalties in an attempt to force people to comply, came the transformational leadership of Barack Obama who presented himself as an initiator of change able to inspire people with his vision and create a need for change by making the people to deal with the problem, by creating a new culture of urgency and energy and not by ignoring it. (Bateman, 2010) According to the contingency theory in leadership, different management styles will be more effective in different situations. In that case, during his presidency Barack Obama has been able to respond to different situations with different styles. For example, when he was travelling abroad he was humble and listened patiently before he spoke. However, in other cases he showed his tough site and forced the automobile industry in the US to follow some standards and change their business actions. Finally, he showed the world that he is willing to work hard to accomplish the changes he promised to bring and overcome all types of challenges in order to keep his promises. (Coggins, 2009) In conclusion, Barack Obamas leadership has taught us that every leader needs to set his goals and create his own strategy of implementing them. Definitely, having a vision helps to set priorities and makes you confident so that you will work hard in order to achieve your goals. Barack Obamas vision has enabled him to set goals and priorities such as the welfare of the American citizens, to be self-motivated and confident of what he was doing and inspire others to follow him. Finally, Barack Obama is characterized as an initiator of change; with his vision, he has created a need for change by making people deal with their problems and create a new culture of urgency and energy. Sources Forbes, 2010. [online]. Available at:

Future of Signals Analysis :: essays research papers

FUTURE OF SIGNALS ANALYSIS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protocols for transferring data, information, or any other signals communication have dramatically changed. Breakthrough technology has changed the way signals are transmitted, collected, analyzed and distributed. Technology has exceeded well beyond first generation robust computers to third and forth generation supercomputers that are small enough to fit in a person’s shirt pocket. Signals analysts are expected to engage and explore the realms of the unknown and conquer it with decisive and accurate analysis. The future holds an extremely challenging problem for signals analysis. The conglomerate of highly skilled analysts is extremely small which poses a problem because as the global market gets larger, skilled signal analysts have a difficult time keeping pace. The Internet has long surpassed its expectations and survivability by at least three folds since the time of its creation. The Internet has provided the ability to process large quantities of data from anywhere in the world with corresponding communication bandwidth with a few simple mouse clicks. The Internet appears to be a conduit for up to 95% of the world’s communication transmissions. A state of the art desktop computer with Internet access is universally available to millions of anonymous individuals at affordable rates. Ingenious individuals constantly cover their footprints while pinging specific websites and e-mail addresses to avoid detection from the United States Intelligence Community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cryptology applications are becoming extremely advanced and more difficult to distinguish. Scientists and mathematicians are spending years developing indestructible encrypted codes, while also trying to decipher codes. Data is sometimes transmitted in such an unpredictable manner that analysts have difficulty understanding the chaotic system. Cryptology has proved its effectiveness through two World Wars. Combining legacy with state of the art technology has the potential to create an awesome defense. Less than  ½% of people will send crucial data or information through unsecured communications. Knowing the severity of decoding encrypted messages, signal analysts must remain aware of new trends and occurring patterns to make successful calls about intelligence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AT&T and MCI telecommunication companies have laid enough fiber optic cables to reach the sun and back to the earth at least three times. There are many more smaller private and commercial companies that have also laid cable throughout the world. The advantage of fiber optic cables is that they do not emit external signals while transmitting. There are over 200 fibers within the cable, which can transmit data or information.

A Midsummer Night?s Essay :: essays research papers

This play reaction is written about William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play is a comedy and it was copyrighted in 1974, it was published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. In this particular book the play starts on page 222 and ends on 246.The opening of the play is the reader finds out the basic environment that they’re in and the Duke (Theseus) is proclaiming that he shall be wed to the Queen of the Amazons (Hippolyta) in five days. The reader also learns (in the exposition) about most of the characters that are in the play. The exciting force basically begins when Egeus brings his daughter (Hermia) to the Duke, but she is already in love with Lysander. Hermia’s father is completely aware, and against the entire relationship between the two and he demands that Hermia be judged by the Duke and he tells her that if she doesn’t marry Demetrius (her fathers choice for a husband) she will die unless she wants to live her entire life a virgin. This situation results in the decision for Hermia and Lysander to elope, in a distant wood outside of Athens.When the couple elopes the admirers (people who have crushes on Hermia and Lysander) follow them into the woods where the climax takes place. Puck is sent out to give one Athean man a love potion. When Puck is sent out to do so he gave the potion to a sleeping and unaware Lysander. When Lysander awakes he saw Helena (the admirer of the admirer of Hermia, Demetrius) and falls completely in love with her. Meanwhile Hermia is wondering what happened to her love.In the falling action Puck fixes what he has done wrong , and all the lovers are extremely confused.Then all the couples marry one another and all live happily ever after. The main characters in the play are Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius. Hermia is the daughter of Egeus and the mutual lover of Lysander. She is a very beautiful,nice, and free spirited girl. Lysander is madly an love with Hermia but Egeus says that he is not fit to be her suitor because Egeus believes that Lysander is just interested in . . . "play". In all actuality Lysander is really in love with Hermia. Helena is madly in love with Demetrius and there is nothing anyone can do to dissuade her in her feelings.

Mans Need For Woman in the Works of Edgar Allen Poe Essay -- Biograph

Man's Need For Woman in the Works of Edgar Allen Poe      Ã‚   In the beginning, there was Adam.   Adam felt incomplete in the Garden of Eden and needed a companion.   Eve was created and Adam had his woman.   Edgar Allen Poe experimented with man's eternal necessity and drew his final conclusion near the end of his literary career.   With the publication of Eureka, Poe made his final realization that tied every one of his love driven short stories together and triumphantly proclaimed: "I have no desire to live since I have done Eureka.   I could accomplish nothing more" (n. pag.).   Kenneth Graham puts it best:   "For Poe, the most notable glimpse of eternity available to man is in the beauty of woman, always ephemeral, always melancholic" (2760).   With this idea in mind, Poe shows the consequences of losing the love of one's life through his short stories and his poetry, and also tries to bring reason to his own troubled life.   In the works of Poe, a man without his love becomes a man without the most vital part of his spirit and collapses in a horrifying manner.   "For Poe, the most notable glimpse of eternity available to man is in the beauty of woman, always ephemeral, always melancholic" (Graham 2760).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poe's obsession with dying women stems from his own life.   His mother died when he was only three.   His first love, Elmira Royster was forbidden from associating with him by her father.   His child-wife, Virginia, who was also his cousin, died at the age of 24.   Just when he found Elmira once again, who was by this time a widow, he died of his own health problems.   These stinging losses, especially that of his mother, left a subconscious scar in his already convoluted psyche.   Poe's personal history compelled him... ...r': an Allegory of the Artist." Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe.   New York: Marlowe, 1972. Rpt. in Literary Companion. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1998. Huxley, Aldous.   "Vulgarity in Literature" Music at Night and Other Essays.   New York: Harper & Row, 1930. Rpt. in Poe: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1967. James, Henry.   Dustjacket.   Regan, Robert ed.   Poe: A Collection of Critical Essays.   Englewood Cliffs:   Prentice-Hall, 1967. Lawrence, D.H.   " 'Ligeia': Analyzing Poe's Love Stories."   Studies in Classic American Literature. New York: Seltzer, 1923.   Rpt. in Literary Companion. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1998. Poe, Edgar Allan.   Selected Tales.   Oxford: Oxford UP, 1988 ______.The Complete Online Reference Manual. 1999 ______.Philosophy of Composition.   Rpt. in Literary Companion. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1998.

Well Elder Project

She has no plans about where and how she wants to live out the remaining years of her life other than â€Å"right where she is now†. I have to say that was extremely concerned with her Brick wall she has built around the concept of aging and dying. I do not think that my elder has accepted the fact that the only guarantee in life is that everyone will eventually die. She has also not come to terms with God and is not sure if she even believes in God, even, hell, reincarnation, afterlife, or any of those sort of things. . Explain which developmental tasks your client has met or not met: My client has maintained a close, supportive, loving relationship with her spouse. (l did not talk to her about sex†¦ I felt that was intrusive) did learn that they still sleep in the same bed because she says he snores really loud. They have had issues adjusting to life on a limited income, her husband like to buy stuff and if they don't have the money he charges it.They both seem like the y are able to perform all the Dad's necessary for day to day life. My elder is even able to match her clothes really well considering her poor eyesight and does so without the help of her husband. My client has difficulty accepting the facts of life. 3. Describe possible reasons specific developmental tasks have not been met: think my client has trouble meeting certain developmental tasks as she ages because she is not ready to accept the fact that death is inevitable.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Essay

My topic is a rally car made by the Japanese company Mitsubishi. This machine is considered one of the best rally cars in the world. And they are used as cars in our everyday life. The car I am going to be focusing on is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in Short Evo. The evolution is a racing car modern transportation car. | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution short (evo) is a product of Japan. It was created as a separate branch to the lancer. The Evolution was intended as a Professional Rally car. The car turned out so well that there were numerous requests for a road car. The evolution was then turned into a sports sedan. The reason I love Evolution so much and would like others to know is because of the way the car was created. If for example you are a driver that loves a sporty car but has a family the Evolution is perfect it has five seats so that the whole family can go. The car is also 4by4 which means that it can go through stormy weather and the drive can feel confident. The Evolution has great prices as well so that means that you can get almost up to three hundred horsepower and a turbo for an affordable price. One of the reasons that the Evolution is so famous is for its handling it was created for rally racing which means that even though the sedan may be different it is still similar. The handling on an Evolution is one of the best in the world for a sedan. Due to the Gentlemen’s Agreement which stated in Japan that no production car would have more than 300 horsepower the Evolutions in Japan, Europe and North America some of the versions of the Evolution where different. In the future Mitsubishi is planning on making more Evolutions but it is still unclear about the look of the car. Mitsubishi claims that the car is going to have some medications and Versions of it might run on Electricity and there probably will be Hybrids. The Conclusion that I came up with is that if you are a family person but always wanted something sporty under $30,000 and something the whole family can go on this would be your choice. The car has magnificent handling and it is very safe. It has a very flashy look and enough power under the hood to keep you going for a long time. In my personal opinion if you have a family a two setter sports car would not go as good with the family, but a sports sedan would.

Customers Switching Behavior Essay

Relationships and individuals’ bank switching behavior Abstract We examine the role of relationships between individuals and their banks in determining bank switching behavior. Using data from a survey questionnaire from a random sample of bank customers in the United States, we find that the variables measuring the various dimensions of a relationship significantly lower an individual’s propensity to switch banks. These include the duration of an individual’s relationship with her bank, whether or not she has had problems with her bank in the past, and aspects of the quality of the service relationship. An innovation of the current paper lies in incorporating finance/economic aspects of relationship with the various dimensions of service quality relationship collectively as determinants of an individual’s propensity to switch banks. The attributes capturing whether or not an individual feels that her bank is responsive, is empathetic and is reliable to her needs, are all significantly negatively correlated with her propensity to switch banks. Our results demonstrate just how relationships may help in limiting bank switching behavior and deliver a strong message to banks about the importance of relationships in retaining loyal customers. Our findings also underscore the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate disciplines to better understand the behavior and decision making of individuals and their banks. Author Keywords: Bank switching; Relationships

“Youth Is Our Future Hope”

Youth are the building blocks of a nation. It is a fact that the more stronger the youth, the more developed the nation is. The role of the youth in the nation-building occupies the central place. The countries which utilize their youth in as right direction are more developed. The energy and brightness of minds of youth act as torch-bearer for a nation. On the contrary, the countries which fail to realize the importance of the youth lag behind in every department of life. If youth is not in the right direction and is unconcerned about the future of the nation, it will become a burden for the nation.Consequently, it will not play any productive role. Pakistan has a large youth population. An estimated 63% of the population fall under the age of 25 years. Due to endemic poverty, the majority of youth in Pakistan do not have the opportunity to experience a childhood. Male youth literacy rate is estimated to be 53% and female youth literacy rate is even lower at 42%. As far employment i s concerned 15% of the youth is unemployed. Despite constituting a major chunk of our population, our youth are lagging behind in every field.Thy have a major role to play in country’s progress but due to government’s negligence they are facing many new challenges in today’s society. They have been afflicted by an identity crisis, lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem, a sense of hopelessness and confusion and ambiguity concerning about moral issues and future. They have been trapped in a culture marked by guns, violence and drugs. All this has resulted in an unstable economy, a shattered confidence of foreign investors, lawlessness and a break-up of the social fabric.Education is the most powerful weapon of the youth. With this weapon they could lead their country towards progress. But unfortunately, quality and skill based education has been a dream for our youth especially for the poor. There is no formal guidance for students in logical selection of a specific course of study. There is no unified and single education system in the country. Our universities and colleges have become degree distributing machines. Education does not mean only degrees but in its true sense it is the future of the youth.Poverty is another major problem of our youth. Due to lack of resources they are unable to get quality education and pursue their field of interest. Poverty is a sort of disease which is weakening our youth. They are unable to fully use their talent and serve their country. Another major problem being faced by our youth is unemployment. After completing their education, they find no job to utilize their skills to serve their country. This is the result of negligence of government towards utilization of the youth in a proper manner.Deteriorating conditions are also responsible for low investment in the country resulting in less job opportunities. Unemployment is a multi-dimensional and complex issue which starts a vicious circle of assoc iated problems Some other major problems faced by our youth are child labour , committing sucide , growing use of narcotics and frustration. Despite the multiplicity of problems, it is still a right time for government to take some pragmatic steps. Of the 15 largest countries in the world in terms of population, Pakistan has by far the youngest population.Government should not regard the young population as a burden but an asset. We need to bear in mind that â€Å"the destiny of nations is in the hands of youth†. Keeping in view this fact, here are some suggestions to make good use of our youth.Competitive teachers must be recruited who could encourage and guide our youth to right lines.Politics must be prevented in the educational institutions.Campaign be started by the media that it is only education which can make our country more prosperous.We must have 100% literacy.It has become a common psyche among the well-educated people that after the completion of the education th ey would leave their country in the lurch.Government must prevent brain-drain in our country by providing full employment and act as a magnet for bright minds.Parents should teach youngsters patience to face the difficulties and be steadfast.Youth be given ample opportunities to prove and cash their skill in every field.Right men be placed on right places.Youth should be clear about their future.Youth should be at arm’s length from the bad company.To conclude, the youth of today can do a marvellous job for the nation. With all the modern means of this computer age, where everything seems to be possible, why can’t the youth override the things done by the people in the past? We always consider the heroes of the past to be the evergreen characters. But today the youth with the proper use of the modern facilities should be evergreen characters for the times to come.

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Project management - Essay Example As recommended by literature (Field and Keller 2007, p.198), the forward pass mode has been used for calculating the ETS for each of the activities. The mode is based on the assumption that all previous activities have been finalised. The following equation has been used in calculating its values: ETSj  = max (ETSi  + Ti  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ i - when an activity is linked to j on an arc from i to j). The values of ETS for each of the activities are provided in a Table 1. Early Finish Time (EFT) is calculated by adding the duration time of each activity to its ETS. The Late Start Time (LTS) is calculated through the use of backward pass mode. It is based on the assumption that the latest time the last event can occur is equal to the last event ETS. The following equation has been used in calculating its values: LTSi  = MIN (LTSj  - Ti  -j is an activity linked to i on the path from i to j). The values of LTS for each of the activities are provided in a Table 1. Float The total float in the scheduling provides information on the accepted event delay that will not result in total delay of the whole project (Field and Keller 2007, PMI 2008). It is the difference between the LTS and ETS of each project activity, i.e. Fi = LTSi–ETSi 3. The project duration and the critical path. The minimum required time for the completion of the project is 80 days. A final step in designing the network is the identification of the critical path. A critical path is made out of the critical activities of the project. An activity is assessed as critical when if delayed, will cause a delay of the whole project duration by an equal amount of time (Field and Keller 2007:183, PMI 2008). For a critical activity: The ETS and the LTS of the activity must be equal at the each node; The Float must be equal to 0; Table 1. Task Name Duration Pred. Early Start Early Finish Late Start Late Finish Float Critical path A 4 - 0 4 0 4 0 yes B 4 A 4 8 4 8 0 yes C 2 A 4 6 14 16 10 no D 6 A 4 10 10 16 6 no E 5 A 4 9 11 16 7 no F 8 B 8 16 8 16 0 yes G 10 C,D,E,F 16 26 16 26 0 yes H 7 G 26 33 26 33 0 yes I 6 H 33 39 33 39 0 yes J 5 H 33 38 34 39 1 no K 7 I,J 39 46 39 46 0 yes L 14 K 46 60 46 60 0 yes M 8 L 60 68 60 68 0 yes N 2 M 68 70 68 70 0 yes O 2 N 70 72 76 78 6 no P 8 N 70 78 70 78 0 yes Q 2 O,P 78 80 78 80 0 yes 1. Different Project Scenarios If the project starts on Monday 21st, May, 2011, what is the earliest date it can be completed using a 5 day working week? For calculating the schedule and the earliest date the project can be completed, the project management tool - Gant chart is used, presented in Appendix 2. The calculation is as follows: the total duration project of the (80) is divided with 5 (working days in the week) = 16 weeks. The earliest date is for completion of the project is Friday, September 2nd, 2011. If the following happened what would be the effect on the duration of the whole project? Explain the reasons. a. A two day delay in activity

Health and Wellness Program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health and Wellness Program - Research Paper Example occur or influenced within an organization while external factors are those occurring outside the organization and organization does not have any control or influence over them (Lindahl, 2011). One of the key factors that are critical in determining the performance of employees and ultimately the organization’s overall performance is health and wellness. According to Ingham and Norris (2007), the more the employee stays healthy and fit all year round, the higher the likelihood of improved organizational performance. Therefore, to ensure that organizations benefit from the employees’ good health and fitness, most organizations have embraced health and wellness programs. However, it should be noted that quite a significant number of organizations have not embraced this crucial program Lofton (2007). Also, it should be noted that even though some organizations have embraced these programs, they have not implemented the programs effectively thereby not reaping the full benefits of the programs Lindahl (2011). Health and wellness of employee is considered as one of the most important factor in determining organizational performance because it is internal and exter nal impact within an organization; employees need to be healthy and well within and outside the organization so as to enhance their productivity as well as to enable the organization respond to external challenges facing the organization Ingham and Norris (2007). In order to understand this organizational behaviour topic, this paper will address the following aspects of health and wellness: health and wellness programs and organizational culture; health and wellness programs in the work environment; assessment of health and wellness programs; effective health and wellness programs; and design and implementation of health and wellness programs. Health and wellness programs should recognize that building a supportive organizational culture is important Lofton (2007). The programs should seek to ensure