Monday, September 30, 2019

Colonies and Colonizers costums Essay

Although Alexie was a creative writer, his essay uses metaphors in the context of straight forward statements. Only his reference of a fence can be treated so far as a rhetorical statement. This shows how he might still be saying that although he is teaching his fellow people, they are still not open to real education, as he expresses in some of his statements where instead of learning to read and write, some of his students still ought to stay at the back and be indifferent to education as what was their parents’ custom. In fact in the essay’s last paragraph, Alexie expresses his frustration and in some ways, insult to his fellow people. Among colonized nations there is this one behavior that is very evident among them, refusal to learn the practices of their colonizers especially their education (or in other words colonizers teaching the colonies how to be them). Indians had been long standing in the colonies that have refused to learn the ways of the non-Indians. All in all, Sherman Alexie’s essay speaks of frustration and yet hopes—frustration in the fact that his people are not open to education. That the non-Indians don’t always offer their own customs but an opportunity to be fulfilled in one’s life. Alexie’s usage of a Superman not only offers a quick way of learning how to read but a comic relief to the essay. Alexie was arrogant, he was smart, he was able to save his life and now he is trying to save the life and the culture of his people. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. â€Å"Superman and me†. The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me (1997) McAdam, D. J. â€Å"American Indian Culture and American Society†. D. J. McAdam Where the world goes for free advice. < http://www. djmcadam. com/ojibwe. html>

Organizational Needs Essay

The success of any business or any organization basically depends on proper planning and proper utilization of its resources. It is true that success dose not comes overnight, a need for assessing; exploring is required to be done. After planning, there comes the step of communication. The quality of communication determines the extent of the success of a business. In order to make communication effective career development programs are introduced to the employee by the organization. The basic aim of this kind of career development program is to make an individual employee give in his best to the company thus, maximizing profits. Although these programs were not really liked by some of the organizations. And were regarded as cost oriented, but with times as the result was good, people recognized its importance. â€Å"A needs assessment is a systematic exploration of the way things are and the way they should be†. As Gutteridge says that career development is not only the development of an individual but also the development of the management as a whole. It is equally essential, to know what learning will be accomplished, what changes in an individual’s performance are expected, what are the expected economic costs what will be the result, and after how much time will the target be achieved. Main Aim of Organizations As we know that the main aim of any origination or any business done is to get maximum profits. It is the same way in order to achieve the target. A lot of hard work has to be done, like conduction of career development programs. Knowdell (1982 – 1984) traced the origin of career developmental programs. This would of course enhance their abilities of the employees as we know that â€Å"a career development system with in a business is an organized formalized, planned effort to achieve a balance between the individuals. † With the help of these career program employees and managers know about their potentials and weaknesses, they come to know how to manage their own careers and this way feel more confident and responsible about themselves. A career developmental program should be based on: Check Actual Performance The very first step should be to check and analyze the present abilities of the employees and of course the current satiation of the organization in which it is running. After the analyses of the current situation have been made we could them go on to focus on our desired goal. By the help of the information gained on the abilities and on the capabilities of the employees we could by the help of counselors could guide an individual employee, on what particular part. He basically has got to focus. This practice may take time but with time slowly and gradually every individual employee would to his organization. It is very crucial that one must distinguish the actual needs from the perceived needs. It is true that with proper training, guidance and of course not to forget full cooperation of the employee, the target of maximums profits would be achieved. An individual should work harder on his weak points and should strive to develop his stronger ones. Set Priorities After analyzing an individual or the employee’s strengths and weaknesses we could know what kind of training is needed by an individual. What time, money should be allocated on him. One thing which should be kept in mind is the organizational needs goals and realities. The employee who is under training should set priorities that is, on which area he should work first, as per the need of his organization. If all these matter would be taken into consideration then without any doubt he would develop himself his abilities, his sense of responsibility, knowledge, skill and would accomplish his goals. Identify Problem Areas In this step we would identify those areas in which working have got to be done. After the problem is identified specific solution has to be applied. This will of course require detailed investigation and analysis. Identify Appropriate Solutions In this last step after solution have been applied to the specific problems, still as it is there is more room for improvement. It is important to move people into new direct to explore more and to improve. There are specific research centers like â€Å"the society’s career development program provides awards intended to meet the specific needs of investigators at different states in their research careers†. Thus, a lot of encouragement is given to all those people under training, so as to encourage them get good results. Essential Components The oxford English dictionary says One’s careers are one’s course or progress through life. This basically means that as an individual keeps on progressing and making himself better, through gaining more knowledge and information he keeps on improving with time and practice to improve there are self development tools. Self Assessment Know body know you as well as you know yourself. So as it is that the person under training should assess himself that what kind of training he should take or what kind of training would help to make his career develop and prosper. He should take care of his weak points and should develop his strengths. It is very curtail that counseling should be done by an expert advisor to the trainee. This way the trainee would be sure as to which way he has to go. There are also internal labor marketing and many more components. Pro and Cons There are advantages as well as certain disadvantages of getting into career programming. The good points are that after a certain period of time with a lot of hard work and labor the organization would gain good profits. There are certain disadvantages as well like it is very. Time consuming; it involves a lot of time, labor and money which would otherwise be spent elsewhere in the company. Conclusion There is a well enough connection between the organizational development and career development. As we know that a lot of individuals make is going to go under training gains knowledge develop his skill and abilities. Eventually he would perform well in that organization and because of him the company would make a lot of profits there he would certainly be rewarded. Thus his way he would also develop his career and this would certainly be a good start in his life. Reference http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=11618

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Nineteenth Century: the Beginning of Modern Europe

Modern Europe started at the opening of the nineteenth century which brought a lot of changes to Europe. The ambition to colonize territory grew stronger in order to support the increasing needs for raw materials. Capitalism abolished feudalism and many Europeans ventured to make a living in the New World. These unrests was the result of the industrial advancements like the introduction of big steam ships and the opening of two major canals that bridged oceans and made traveling efficient. However, unrest was not just felt in Europe but also in the colonies. The opening of the two major canals opened up the colonies to the ideas of the social contract philosophers and these triggered the colonies to seek independence from the mother country. However, the old view of racial superiority and manifest destiny seemed to decline. The slave trade was abolished. However, in nineteenth century Europe, major imperialist still did not desire to get loose of their colonies and the competition to discover and colonize seemed renew. Many battles were fought between countries specifically Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and Germany regarding disputes between territories. Yet, many European statesmen in the nineteenth century had already expressed unwillingness to support further expansion and agreed to ultimately grant liberty to the colony. Moreover, the nineteenth century was also the start where women asserted their right s to suffrage and many privileges that only men held in the past. Nineteenth century was the stage where meaningful transformations in women occurred. Society started to acknowledge the contributions that women brought to the society. Women started to unraveled themselves and freely spoke their ideas unlike in the sixteenth century where women used to employ male names in order to persuade the society to hear their ideas just like the case of the Bronte sister. Moreover, in the nineteenth century, the church became less and less powerful. Church -derived morality were already unpopular. Morality in the nineteenth century appeared to be no longer derived from religious affiliations but to social groups where a person belongs. Science had also improved a lot. Many discoveries further improved the lives of many European. Standardizations of measures were also instituted. The British had claimed the suppose position of the prime meridian were standard time will be calculated. The start of the nineteenth century was also the start of modern Europe. This is the time where totally deviant ideas were observed to have begun, flourished and grew. This is also the time where Europe started to take on new identities and became open to the view of other races.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Partnership in Employee Relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Partnership in Employee Relation - Essay Example Without delving deeply into why mind always associate industry and office with non-living things, the point is, humans are the crucial things who can put an organization in a cruise mode in terms of production, sales, profits, etc. So, the workers only form the crucial ‘cog’ in the running of the organization. Only if these crucial workers are recruited or staffed optimally through an effective recruitment process, the organization can achieve optimum success. Even with automation and computerization happening in every segments of organization, all the important processes inside the organization mainly rests with the humans. Even though, all the important processes starts and ends with the leader or the management team, the workers will also be included, as part of â€Å"successful work teams† or â€Å"Partnership for Progress†. â€Å"Partner for Progress† is the organizational term given to the UK government policy which spelled out how employees should work in partnership as teams for the successful functioning of the organizations. That is, since late 1990s, the U.K. government has laid more emphasis on the concept of ‘Partnership for Progress’ and ‘Partnership Working’ and importantly selected it as the preferred model of UK employment re lations policy and practice. So, this paper will critically evaluate how the state initiated concept of ‘Partnership’ is implemented in the organization and how it will have an impact on employee relations, promoting partnership as well as derailing partnership. . In any organizations, the successful Partnership can be successfully set or established, if the head or the management team of the unit put their thoughts, strategies and also the organizational goals for discussion among the other organisation officers or workers. This way the workers as a form of work teams can be involved productively. That is, the workers can input their gained knowledge

Response to Intervention (RTI) model Assignment

Response to Intervention (RTI) model - Assignment Example This diversity in terms of culture, language, has infiltrated in to the mainstream education system in the city. Most of the mainstream schools also have students with special needs who need special care to ensure they benefit from the education system just like other students. As an English teacher in the city, with a diverse group of students, I have to develop strategies aimed at ensuring inclusiveness in my teaching approach, more especially because a majority of the students in the school speak Chinese and English will only be a second language to them. I have to create a good learning environment for non- English speakers as well as those students with special needs to feel comfortable throughout the learning process and benefit from the education albeit their differences. Education should be a uniting factor in such diverse mainstream schools where people from different backgrounds come together to share ideas, knowledge and learning experiences. In order to ensure inclusivene ss in my role as the English teacher, I would employ the use of Response to intervention (RTI) model. The Response to Intervention (RTI) model is very important in the provision of inclusive education to a diverse group of students. ... rning disabilities or even any other disabilities that may hinder the students from fully concentrating on their education and getting the best outcomes possible. The Retention to Intervention (RTI) model can therefore be defined as a general framework of education that involves research based interventions and instructions and regular structures of monitoring the progress of students in the learning process as well as the subsequent application of these data and information over time in order to make useful educational decisions (Klingner, 2006). One of the main advantages of the RTI model is the use of scientifically based interventions whose effectiveness has already been determined through scientific experiments in various randomly controlled trials. One of the main goals and objectives of the RTI model is to apply the concepts of accountability to educational programs by allowing teachers to focus only on those programs that have been scientifically proved to work rather than re lying on programs that seem to be simple and easier to use. The RTI model is a multi-tier strategic approach that promotes early identification of children with learning and behavioral needs in a diverse learning environment. The model employs various techniques and approaches to ensure the students’ needs are addressed and fully met so as to ensure positive learning outcomes for all students (Gresham, et al. 2004). The model can be used for by both regular and special needs education teachers who have a group of highly diversified students with different leaning and behavioral needs. The process starts with a general universal screening of all the students in a class room and the use of high quality instructions. After the screening process, the learners identified to be struggling are

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Myths and Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Myths and Theories - Essay Example This myth also tries to discourage being lazy. Structural myths were patterned after human mind and the nature of human being. They show both sides of the human mind; the bad side and the good side. Structural myths also depict the divided self and the duality of human being nature. Psychological myths are based on human emotions that come from human unconscious mind. Cultures in the world had similar questions, fears, and wishes that were unexplainable to them. Ritual theories are based on the idea that all myths are ritual. Any myth derives from a ritual, or is at least closely associated with a ritual. From my analysis, Rational Myth theory is most helpful in understanding the meaning and function of myths in different religions. This is because different religions have different believes and in this theory we can see the god and goddesses are the main forces. From the given two case studies of the myths, the Enuma Elish and the Moses story from the Bible, the rational myth theory could be applied on the issue of creation and birth of Moses respectively. It appears that man created myths with reasons. Some of such reasons include explaining the natural events and forces, explaining the unknown, to show the duality and pureness of human mind and human nature, and help societies in maintain order and remain stable. But there must be more reasons of exactly why myths should have

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Interview of Professor Graue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview of Professor Graue - Essay Example My interview with Professor Graue was truly enlightening. It offered me a whole new perspective on how â€Å"human† university professors actually are. Professor Graue was called into the teaching profession and he dutifully heeded this calling. Other than teaching, he also has to fulfill responsibilities in the University such as assisting students, running the Mathematics department and completing researches. Professor Graue employs a number of teaching strategies that would make it easier for students to learn and appreciate mathematics. He further says that in order to succeed and be happy as a university professor, one has to be continuously learning and must have the intrinsic love for teaching. My interview with Professor Graue proves why he is a campus favorite among students. He is truly a valuable asset in the teaching profession. His knowledge in Mathematics and passion for teaching makes him a gem in his chosen field.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Race, Gender & Ethnicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Race, Gender & Ethnicity - Essay Example This information can be useful to several interest groups and it is easily understandable even for laymen. In total there have been â€Å"1226† executions in the last 35 years, which make the yearly average to 35 (Facts about the Death Penalty, 2010). The data indicates that in the 70s and 80s death sentences were very few. It has registered an increase from mid 90s and the bar chart allows an easy and clear interpretation of the data. After showing a decreasing trend for several years, it increased from 37 in 2008 to 52 in 2009 and fell to 38 in 2010. Thus, it will suggest that death punishment does not act as an effective deterrent. The site presents the data in an easily discernible manner so that users can easily understand it. The article offers data on the executed persons’ race that of the victims in the cases of death penalty. â€Å"687† or â€Å"56%† are Whites, Blacks constitute â€Å"424† or â€Å"35%† while â€Å"91† or â€Å"7%† are Hispanics and â€Å"24† or â€Å"2%† are from other categories (Facts about the Death Penalty, 2010). Whites constitute of the victims with â€Å"76%† and Blacks are second with â€Å"15%† while Hispanics and others comprise â€Å"6%† and â€Å"3%† respectively (Facts about the Death Penalty, 2010). These details provide the users with a clear idea of the racial orientation of the death penalties. The article further mentions about the discrimination in 96% states, based on the â€Å"pattern of either race-of-victim or race-of-defendant† and finds, based on research evidence that â€Å"98% of chief district attorneys† are Whites (Facts about the Death Penalty, 2010). This information, again, enables the users to understand the influence that race can exercise in the death penalty cases. The article also finds that since the year 1973, â€Å"130 people,† whose innocence has been proved, â€Å"have

Monday, September 23, 2019

Benefits and limitation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Benefits and limitation - Essay Example It is worth to note that health information system adoption constitutes benefits and limitations towards planning and implementation of hand hygiene compliance re-education program (Peter, 2010). Some of the benefits include health information system’s ability to enables access to comprehensive, legible, and organized patient data and reference literature at the point of healthcare service. This boosts compliance of the nurse as far as hand cleaning compliance is concerned. Health information system constitutes networked computers that are located in each exam room and physician’s office; a provider can also access data over the Internet which is effective in promoting re-education program. The main limitation concerns set-up and training. The time to set up and learn to use a system is often a challenge. However, users share common lists, data entry templates and text macros to decrease start-up time for users. This means that much time should be allocated at the beginning of the re-education program so that the nurses can master how to use the health information system. The planning must also constitute extensive outlay of the training shifts and adjustable time frame that allow for smooth transition from the paper charts to health information system (Carroll, 2009). The overall goal of adopting health information system is to improve on the compliance on hand hygiene which is the main cause of hospital acquired infections. Time is the central resource that will be taken into consideration when implementing the adoption of health information system (Peter, 2010). In the acute setting, the patient requires immediate attention and this puts significant pressure on the nurse. In this regard, it is appropriate to allocate much time in training the healthcare providers on how to apply health information system in hand hygiene compliance so that once they assigned a patient in ambulatory condition, it would be easy to work. Availability of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

A Comedy in Two Acts Essay Example for Free

A Comedy in Two Acts Essay A naive yet charming sixteen year old going out on her first date. She is the youngest of three sisters and was raised mainly by her traditional mother. She often finds herself caught between her mothers’ traditional views and her older sisters’ modernity and aggressiveness. She admires her sister Georgia the most for her individuality and sense of freedom. (Definition of Feminine – Gentle (easily handled) by Bernessa Wilson, co-worker; Timid (shy) by Pam Magel, co-worker; Weak (soft) by John Nowicki, co-worker. ) MARTHA – The matron of the house and mother of Olivia, Georgia, and Julia. Her petite frame belies a strong and rugged personality. She is around forty years old and although she shows signs of age and weathering, she wears it with grace and a quiet self-assurance. Her husband passed away early and she has had to raise her daughters by herself on meager savings and odd jobs. Julia is her favorite daughter. (Definition of Feminine – Corsets by Craig Jensen, co-worker; Modest (not bold) by Johannes Laun, boss) TYRA – A close friend of Olivia. She is in her early thirties and although her occupation is not clear to us, it seems evident that she is some kind of model or works in television. She has fashionably short hair and a very slim and long legged body. She has a beguiling charm about her and is not shy to use it on men in order to have her way. She views being feminine as an asset and uses it to her advantage. (Definition of Feminine – Cleavage by Dave Atkins, co-worker; High heels by Matt Tuttle, co-worker; Beauty by Danya Slozerek, co-worker) OLIVIA – The eldest of the three daughters and the most accomplished. She is in her early thirties and works as a senior executive in a bank. She is slim and pretty but has an air of manly seriousness about her and this makes her even sexier. She is the archetypal modern independent woman and views femininity as a liability in her predominantly masculine world. She has learned how to be taken seriously without losing her sense of femininity. (Definition of Feminine Elie Tahari’s shoes designed to let a woman’s true beauty shine through. Made in fine fabrics and leathers, Tahari shoes feature clean lines and tasteful embellishments. His designs are smart, sexy, and feminine) GEORGIA– The middle child in the family and somewhat boyish. She is similarly pretty like her two sisters but is less self-conscious about herself. With strong traces of Audrey Hepburn, she embodies Ralph Lauren’s vision of a modern denim version of the traditional Gregory Peplum Jacket – modern, practical and rugged yet somewhat delicate and fanciful at the same time. (Definition of Feminine: Ralph Lauren describes the Gregory Peplum Jacket as an inspiration, which lends a modern edge to the structured stretch denim jacket, defined by its shape, a feminine flared peplum and puffed sleeves. ) BEN – Julia’s date for the night. A shy and awkward sixteen year-old. ACT ONE: Before us is a modest two-story house. It is around 6pm in the afternoon and the sun is just about to set. The ground floor of the house is divided into a sparsely decorated living room to the right and a dining room and kitchen to the left, separated by a swinging door. The front door opens to the right side of the living room while the back door opens to the left of the kitchen. The living room holds a practical yet smart looking leather couch big enough to seat four and matching wooden chairs around a low glass coffee table with a few magazines. A stairway behind the couch leads upstairs to a woman’s peach-walled bedroom. In the living room, Olivia is seated casually on the couch browsing through a copy of Vogue. She is dressed in a blazer and a skirt and looks as if she has just come home from the office. Georgia is looking through some bills and writing down some notes on a notebook. She is wearing a slim fitted denim Peplum jacket and purple pajama pants. In the kitchen, Martha is quietly preparing food in a plain dress and apron. Upstairs Julia (in a red dress) is seated in front of an ornate ivory colored powder table with a large oval shaped mirror. She is sitting unnaturally straight with her chin up to the mirror looking in mild anxiety as Tyra (dressed in a white tank top and tight dark jeans) puts make up on her. TYRA: There†¦ that’s it! You’re all set baby girl. JULIA: (stands up and twirls around looking at herself in the mirror) TYRA: Damn I wish my ass still looked that good! JULIA: (blushes in embarrassment) What? Don’t you think it’s too much? Maybe I should†¦ TYRA: (interrupts quickly) I’m just kidding dear, you look great and that’s how you’re supposed to look. Besides boys love older looking women. And I know that for a fact (winking at Julia). JULIA: (tentatively) Umm†¦ maybe I should just wear my jeans and pink sweater. I don’t think we’re going anywhere that fancy anyway. TYRA: Hell no! (defiantly) If that boy’s worth anything he’d better be taking you somewhere where they at least serve some Cabernet. And if he’s not planning to well baby we’re sure as hell going to make him. JULIA: (exasperated) But I’m not even allowed to drink! GEORGIA: (calls from downstairs) Hey Julia come on lets see you! JULIA: (calls back) Coming! TYRA: All right, go on now (heading towards the door) Julia goes down the stairs followed by Tyra. Both Georgia and Olivia look up from their business and look admiringly at Julia. Julia walks down the stairs gingerly in new strappy heels and in a slightly skimpy maroon dress. She looks beautiful but awkward as if her clothes are itching her. GEORGIA: (in admiration) Oh Julia! You just look absolutely lovely. OLIVIA: Wow nice work Tyra. Yeah Jules you look fantastic. You’re going to break some hearts tonight. JULIA: (unsure) Do you really think so? Don’t you think it’s a bit too much? Aunt Tyra picked out this dress from some Italian woman’s shop. I think it’s supposed to be for adults. TYRA: Darling please, I’m too young to be your aunt. And I bet there are going to be girls younger than you trying to dress like Paris Hilton with skirts ten times shorter than that. You have to show those boys what you got. MARTHA: (Enters from the kitchen carrying a teapot. She looks at Julia in both shock and awe. ) Julia?! Oh my! Where on earth did you get that dress? Cover your chest young lady! OLIVIA: (guffawing in disbelief) Oh please mother! It’s called cleavage and it seems to be the most highly prized commodity a woman can posses these days. GEORGIA: (in a calm soothing voice) It’s alright mother that’s a very conservative dress by today’s standards. Besides I’m sure Julia here has the best reputation as a lady (smiles warmly at Julia). JULIA: (stuttering) Y†¦yes mother I promise to be at my utmost behavior tonight. MARTHA: (loudly to Georgia) I don’t care what today’s standards are. If I followed today’s standards I’d be dressed in a bikini mowing the lawn. I know what’s right and proper for a lady and that dress does not look proper to me. (turns her attention to Julia and addresses her patiently) Oh my sweet innocent child, I just don’t want boys to get the wrong idea about you Julia, you’re such a sweet sweet girl and I don’t want you turning into a†¦(stops herself as she glances involuntarily at Tyra and Olivia). OLIVIA: (completing her mothers sentence)†¦into a successful empowered woman? (says defiantly) The days of housewives are over mother. These days either a woman fends for herself or she gets stuck with three kids in a tiny one bedroom apartment while her husband elopes with some nineteen year old intern. MARTHA: (looks as if about to shout but then collects herself and says resignedly to Julia who looks at her pleadingly with puppy eyes) Well dear†¦ at least just put a jacket on won’t you? So you don’t catch a cold? TYRA: (enjoying the tirade) Oh don’t worry I took care of that too. She won’t be catching any colds tonight. I already showed her how to put on a jacket. (gives Julia a sly wink) JULIA: (looking puzzled) †¦a jacket? MARTHA: (looks threateningly at Tyra and starts to open her mouth) OLIVIA: (gives Tyra a look of warning) GEORGIA: (stands abruptly) Come mother! I’ll help you dinner. MARTHA: (takes a deep breath) No it’s alright it’s already done, let’s just all sit down and have some tea. TYRA: (smiling apologetically) Let’s! Anyways, so Julia why don’t you tell us a little about this boy toy of yours. What car does he drive? I for one would never go out with a guy who drives anything less than a BMW. MARTHA: (surprised) Driving?! Oh I’m sure he’s too young to drive. And where will you be going anyway? JULIA: Well his dad usually drops him at school everyday so I don’t think he drives yet. But I think we’ll just be walking tonight mother, we’re only going to the plaza down the block for a burger. TYRA: The plaza? For a burger? Baby with you looking like that it ought to be a damn expensive burger. Well the least he can do is bring us home some of apple pie and chocolates. And if he gives you anything less than half a dozen roses†¦ MARTHA: (interrupts Tyra) Well if he does bring a car I don’t want you to spending any time in there you here me? You just finish your dinner and you order him to take you back home you understand? GEORGIA: (laughing) Mother please! Let the young lady enjoy a night out. JULIA: (in eager agreement to Martha) Yes mother, I promise I won’t even hold his hand, we’re only friends that’s all. Besides Ben is a nice boy, all the teachers like him MARTHA: Oh I know all those tricks the boys use these days, they haven’t changed since your father. Sure he may have gotten me at first but I won in the end. OLIVIA: Mother please can we have one day of not mentioning dad? MARTHA: (ignoring Olivia) But men†¦boys these days, you just don’t know what to think of them†¦ OLIVIA: I’ll tell you what to think of them sis, they are absolutely useless. All they’re good for is making babies. All I need is a decent good-looking guy to get me pregnant and I can live peacefully. The doorbell rings and all the women stop and look at the door, then look at each other questioningly. JULIA: (nervously) That must be him! MARTHA: Alright girls behave yourselves. Julia, go upstairs and put on a jacket. JULIA: (looks at Georgia for help) GEORGIA: Just go put a jacket on honey, you can take it off later if it gets warm. JULIA: Ok mother. ACT TWO The setting is in an old-fashioned diner where a few other young people are having burgers and fries. BEN: Boy you sure have one weird family†¦that’s a really nice dress. You look really uh†¦grown up. JULIA: Thanks Ben, my aunt Tyra got it for me. BEN: Well your aunt sure knows how to dress up. JULIA: I know, you sure couldn’t seem to keep you eyes off her. BEN: uhh†¦well (blushes) JULIA: I’m just kidding Ben, (brushes her hand against his hot cheek) BEN: (becomes flustered) JULIA: (enjoying the moment) So have you ever kissed a girl before? BEN: um†¦well (becomes even redder) JULIA: (coyly) Would you like to? BEN: (looks at Julia in disbelief) uhhh†¦ JULIA: But first you have to promise me something Ben. BEN: (quickly) Sure, I mean anything. JULIA: Promise you’ll take me to the movies next week? And we can have dinner in a nice restaurant. Somewhere with ca-ver-nay. (trying to say Cabernet). BEN: (tentatively) Yeah, yeah sure. JULIA: (excitedly) Great! And you can bring me a dozen roses for me to put in my room when you pick me up in a car. BEN: Uh†¦ a car? Yeah sure. JULIA: (suddenly) Oh! And Ben! BEN: (starting to get scared) yes? JULIA: The car that your dad drives†¦ BEN: uh-huh JULIA: It’s a BMW right? Curtain Falls The End

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller | Analysis of Abigail

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller | Analysis of Abigail Obvious Faults In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. In the play, Abigail Williams is the main character in the book. She has worked at John Proctors house as a maid, she also love John and has an affair with John Proctor. She is 17 years old in the book, but her true age is 11 years old. Abigail is a mean and vindictive people who make the wrong decisions, and hurts anyone to get what she wants; John Proctor. Her faults are quite obvious, she does deserve the blame for the outcome of the play. Abigail loves John Proctor, but John has a wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail is very jealous of Elizabeth. So,she uses witchcraft to frame Elizabeth. She really hope Elizabeth die, if Elizabeth died, she will be the only lover for John. Abigail williams is a person that living under the very stern leadership of her uncle (Reverend Parris), and hoping for a life with John, she falsely believes her all contribute in love to making her into the spiteful character she becomes. Abigail is a very vindictive person who always want her things, no matter who she hurts,she also never care for anybody except John Proctor. Abigail has a conversation with John in Act I: I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! (22). Abigail always imagined John Proctor would be hers and love her, because she has an affair with John before. But John Proctor didnt want to betray to his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth will not trust John again, because his earlier deceit: I am only wondering how I may prove what she [Abigail] told me, Elizabeth. If the girls a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove shes fraud, and the town gone so silly. She told it to me in a room alone-I have no proof for it. [] Then let you not earn it (52). Abigail not only love John Proctor, she also think John love her too. Abigail believes she is worthy of Proctors love, and that Elizabeth is not. Proctor had an affair with Abigail in seven months in the beginning of the play. John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth used Abigail to be a maid in their house, to help their homework, until Elizabeth found the affair between John and Abigail, then she threw the maid out. Although John told she that the affair was over and he also never touch her again, she tried to rekindle their love and romance. Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before Ill ever reach for you again. (23) She claims that she loved John and that he loved her too. Before the play began, Abigail tried to kill Elizabeth with a curse.ABIGAIL: Gah! Id almost forgot how strong you are, John Proctor! PROCTOR, looking at Abigail now, the faintest suggestion of a knowing smile on his face: Whats this mischief here?[] PROCTOR: No, no, Abby. Thats done with (9). Abigail and John both have lies, they lie other pe ople about their relationship and their past. Abigail not only believes she is worthy of Proctors love, she also frames Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft. Abigail is very ruthless and cunning when she frames Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft. During Elizabeths illness, Abigail took advantage of Johns insecurity and loneliness to seduce him. She also think she is Johns true love and his ideal choice to be his wife. She believes only Elizabeth die, she can marry with John and achieve her fantasy. In Act I, Abigail tries to protect herself: And make this, Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know that I can do it (20). Abigail used threat of violence to make other girls beliefs some real witchcraft, then keep them in a same line together. John reveals Abigails true desire and jealousy in the church: PROCTOR, breathless and in agony: It [Abigail] is a whore! DANFORTH, dumfounded: You charge-? ABIGAIL: Mr. Danforth, he is lying! PROCTOR: Mark her! Now shell suck a scream to stab me with but-[] God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whores vengeance, and you must see it now (89). John said Abigail is a whore to seduce him, then he thinks he has a dear good wife, he cant betray his wife. So, Abigail cant restore John, then vengeance John and Elizabeth. Arthur Miller describes Abigail Williams in The Crucible is a vindictive and manipulative girl. She decisive in making the wrong decisions, she always hurts other people who around her then to get what she wants, she really want to get John Proctor. So, that is why she always uses conspiracy to framed Elizabeth. She also a poor girl who just want to find a true love and a man.But, her faults are quite obvious, so she does deserve the blame for the outcome of the play.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Change Management in an Organisation

Change Management in an Organisation The assignment focuses on the outcomes of the study of the module-Organizational Behaviour which deals with the importance of the organizational principles in any company linked to its success in long run. I have focused myself to study the Case of BHARAT PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED in reference to change of organisation structure bringing in success. Though the objective of the study is to analyse the organisation in the context of dynamics of change affecting its very functioning with respect of organizational issues, the limitation of the study is inability to take up all issues considering organisation behaviour. In 1952 two different companies Shell Petroleum Company and Burmah Oil Company, UK signed an agreement with the Indian Government to prepare a new refinery in Mumbai and the name of the refinery was Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd. In 1957 it started and worked in a proper flow, In 1976 Indian Government changed their policy and nationalized the petroleum industry. Indian Government acquired the complete equity in Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd and changed from Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd to Bharat Refineries Ltd. In 1977 the Indian Government again changed its name to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL). Industry Environment Indian governments acquired BPCL in 1970 in the act of nationalisation arrangement of Indian governments. In 1991 It was monitored and under the supervision of government till economic reorganizations. Government monitored the all the expenses, raw materials and the end products purchase and selling price, manufacture capacity, uses of the raw materials, circulation, and what is the return on investment were monitored by the government. Three main combined marketing and purifying companies were there at that time and many small and independent companies were supplying their product to these companies. Government improved their strategy for work and enlarged the distribution network in all over the country, like setup new retail outlets to reduce the competition along with their competitor. Privatization As a part of the ongoing economic reforms the government was actively pursuing privatization of the public sector companies. A couple of senior managers state Privatization is a slight that will happen. One cant bother too much about the future without knowing what is going to happen. It is inevitable and we cant do about it. We dont know what will happen to BPCL and us. Tomorrow we may not exist as BPCL. We might become a part of Shell or Reliance or some other organization. The impeding competition as well as the uncertainty of existence in the present form created anxiety in the organization across all levels. Some considered it to be an opportunity where as others considered it as a let down by the government and the organization. The organization initiated numerous changes in order to transform itself to face the future competition. Initiation of the Restructuring Process The initiation for restructuring the organization was by the personal initiative of the CMD Mr. U Sundararajan. He had earlier been appointed by the government to study the petroleum industry in other countries as a preamble for deregulation. He had formed a cross well-designed team for studying the effectiveness of the models followed by different countries. Mr. Sundararajan and the team studied more than two hundred books and numerous articles on deregulation, oil industry and best practices. Mr. Sundararajan realized the inability of his organization to compete with MNCs with deregulation. He started the reorganization process through discussions with the top management, the board and the government The path which BPCL LTD choose to face the competition and initiatives taken in terms of organizational Behaviour has been assessed in this assignment. For the purpose of analyzing the focus was laid down on key aspects of organization behavior which are organizational structure, change of team and organizational culture and climate in terms of Coaches of Organizational Learning which can be correlated to the case. Coaches of Organizational Learning Consultants from Innovation Associates (a subsidiary of ADL) initially trained a group of trainer in systems idea and organizational education. A team of around thirty full time coaches and more than sixty part time coaches were trained in turn by these. These coaches conducted two programs namely Visionary Leadership Planning (VLP) and Foundations of Organisational Learning (FOL). More than six hundred managers have undergone VLP and more than five thousand management and non-management staff have undergone FOL. VLP program is designed to help teams clarify and understand reasons for their unique existence, co-create team aspirations, realistically assess current reality and formulate a Strategy to cover up the gap. The teams identify High Leverage Results they are passionate about and assign responsibilities to a few members with the whole team agreeing to support the process. FOL program is designed to create a common language of learning in organizations. The coaches were instrum ental in creating a non-threatening atmosphere for change and also in providing the inputs on systems thinking and learning organization, enabling effectiveness of the various task forces empowered for quick result changes. One of the trainer states We have applied for instructor education with skeptism. We later realized the importance of systems ideas and organizational education. The first program was a mind opening experience. The inputs on functional silos reflected our organization. Now we are hardcore followers of systems ideas. Communication Communication played a important role during out the change process. A bulletin was promoted that provided usual updates to the whole organization about the visioning exercise, the assessment of current reality, status of the quick fix opportunities and the new structure. In every stage the break through teams had a high level of interaction with the concerned divisions. The informal channel of communication was also taken care of by including community from all realistic constituencies in the change break through teams. A top down approach was used to communicate the change plan with help from the break through team members. One CUSECS member reiterates Communication played a fundamental role in CUSECS project. The common updates through the newsletter and informal communication through the members to their parent departments was useful in updating the whole organization quickly. We identified enablers in each department, people who are opinion shapers and we particularly embattled them. We convinced them first and then asked them to communicate to others about the change Top Management Involvement The CMD was occupied throughout the reorganization process. He communicated his hold to the change activities by personal involvement, and regular appreciation to the change management team and the particular task forces. He played the role of a mentor to the team members. He also interacted with a large number of employees during the visioning, assessment and finishing point stages. Young managers recount stories of his support to the change team, where he gave total freedom to come up with creative ideas and safe guarded them from backlashes from well-known constituencies. Mr. Sundararajan recalls In the prime period I talked to lots of group of people regarding the need for reorganization. The leader has to act not just talk. Lip service will not work for long. If individual says one will take of care of the subordinates then one has to when something happens Change Opportunities for Quick Results During the assessment process, the break through teams identified many opportunities where small changes were likely to produce foremost results. Special task forces for working on the identified opportunities were created and started working in equivalent. The job forces were provided with adequate training and were in constant communication with the break through teams. At one point of time there were more than six hundred task forces working across the organization on thousands of opportunities identified in the change plan. Market study, brand building, packaging, operational efficiency of plants, correct quantity and quality of products, cash collections, and safety are some areas where task forces worked to produce quick results. Creating a Shared Vision The visioning exercise was conducted to develop clarity and common understanding about the potential of the association. The visioning work out started with the panel. The exercise was extended across the company in a escalation approach flowing from the top management to the junior management facilitated by internal experts trained particularly for the same. The core of the vision as articulated by the organizational members across the organization is given below. Be the BEST Establish first class brands and Make the workplace exciting corporate image Improve boundary management Excellent customer care and service Fulfill social responsibilities, to Go for excellent performance and ethical operational efficiency Apply the best technology. Make people a source of improvement Make systems strong and dynamic. Below figure elaborates the nine broad themes in the shared vision of BPCL. The visioning exercise provided an opportunity for articulation of the aspirations of the people. The process brought the whole organization out of lethargy, and increased the energy levels and expectations on persons, teams and the company. Since the vision was iterated throughout the organization, there was greater buy in for the change. One of the managers states We were all amazed that the vision was so much in unison across the organization. It clearly stated that people had great aspirations but never expressed them. This exercise made us realize the possibilities for the future of BPCL. Change Plan Based on the inputs from the shared vision and current reality, a workshop was conducted to develop a change plan. The change plan came to six volumes with over one thousand and six hundred pages. The change plan included the Organizational assessment Well defined corporate values Vision articulated in terms of critical business processes, and Areas of change to achieve the vision Organizational Assessment Current Reality Based on the initial diagnosis by the CUSECS team and the visioning workshop for top management, it was decided that an organization wide assessment exercise would be conducted simultaneously with the shared visioning exercise. Six break through teams were formed. The teams were responsible for assessing the organizational reality in terms of Marketing, Lubricants and Refining Support services and management Logistics processes LPG. The marketing team looked at the customer management processes, product management processes and execution management processes. The refining team compared the effectiveness of the refinery; lube oil processing and LPG plants with the best international players taking into account the machinery age and technology employed. Various performance parameters like crude acquisition, energy consumption, and capital expenditure were assessed. The logistics team also looked at the existing logistics infrastructure, economics of supply and distribution, opportunities for cost reduction, supply points vs. consumption centers, impact of taxes and duty, and comparison with benchmarks and competitors. The LPG team compared the LPG marketing with that of the international and local competitors. The customer base, pricing policies, interface between the customer and marketing and future plans were critically reviewed. The lubricants team analyzed the organizational competitive position in comparison to the competition. It also looked at the packaging, pricing, branding, trade channels, the existing joint venture arrangements, and future plans. The team responsible for support services and management processes evaluated the human resource practices (for example work culture, HR processes, training and development, and appraisal and compensation), the information systems (for example use of different software packages, integration and use of IT), and accounting practices in terms of clarity, speed and cost. The break through teams also assessed the organizational structure in terms of roles and responsibilities, levels and accountability, human resource development in terms of training, appraisal and compensation. Each team interacted with all the stakeholders concerned including the unions, suppliers, distributors, customers, financial institutes, local communities, government officials, and so on. Assessment was carried out in a non- threatening manner, with constant and rich communication of the activities carried out by the break through teams. The assessment exercise created an internal environment for change. The organizational assessment exercise found the following Collective dissatisfaction with the status quo Low customer focus and customer orientation Huge gap between the vision and capabilities to achieve it, and Many opportunities for quick improvement Change Team A change team was formed with twenty-two managers nominated from various functions across levels. The team size grew to thirty as the project progressed. The team members had varied performance records, educational qualifications and experience. The CMD did not believe in giving importance to those with higher degrees over others. His philosophy was to provide an opportunity to average people in an empowered and enabled environment to achieve great results. Mr. Sundararajan says Initially when we formed the change team I asked for nominations from various departments and they nominated all kinds of people. I did not nominate the best mangers in BPCL because I have observed many times in my career, if people are given the right environment and opportunities they would rise up to it. And my faith was not misplaced. These youngsters did a wonderful job. The change project was titled CUSECS for Customer Service Customer Satisfaction. The consultant ADL trained the CUSECS team. The training included topics like negotiations, interpersonal effectiveness, presentations, systems thinking, and best practices. The CUSECS team was provided with all the information and support required to develop skills in diagnosis, change strategy formulation, organization design, and implementation. Those who could not take up the huge workload and stress were requested to leave and join their parent departments. The team conducted a short diagnosis of the organizational issues with facilitation by consultants and made presentations to the top management. One of the CUSECS team members state: We were initially frustrated and unable to understand why ADL wanted us to think through everything ourselves, rather than telling us what is best. Later, we appreciated their approach in enabling us to think and decide for ourselves what is best for the organization. We were trained exhaustively starting from presentation skills, negotiation skills to systems thinking and so on. Designing the New Structure There was a clear consensus among the change management team, top management team and the consultants that the functional structure would not be able to sustain initiatives taken to create the customer centric organization. The obvious solution was to create customer centric strategic business units (SBUs). The change management team with assistance of the consultants considered various options. The redesign process took about a month. The CMD was personally involved in this. To prevent any interference from day to day activities he officially took leave and was present as a resource person. The change team discussed the various choices in structure with all the stakeholders. There were apprehensions among senior managers regarding the new structure and no consensus emerged on the new structure. Politicking and power plays were observed, with each function trying to retain the existing status in terms of power and control. Finally the CMD personally called for a meeting of the functi onal heads and other senior managers. Asking the group to discuss, negotiate and come with a concrete solution acceptable to everyone, he locked the room and waited outside. Finally a design was approved that was acceptable to all. The final structure was not the optimum structure as envisioned by the change team but one acceptable to all the members of the top management team. Implementation The new structure was rolled out in phased manner to ensure effective implementation. The new structure was first implemented in the LPG SBU. Based on the experience, the new design was implemented across the organization with necessary modifications. Further, in each of the proposed SBUs specific regions were identified and the new structure was implemented to verify the smooth functioning before full implementation. Organizational Structure The older structure was functionally organized. There were mainly four functions (refineries, marketing, finance and personnel) each headed by an executive director reporting to the (CMD). Other support departments like corporate affairs, legal, audit, vigilance, coordination and company secretary were directly under the CMD. The Director refinery was in charge of refinery, corporate planning, JV refineries and special projects. Other than corporate finance and marketing finance EDP was also under the Director finance. In marketing, there were different departments for retail, industry, LPG, lubricants and aviation segments. Corporate communication was also under Director meeting. The whole of India was divided into four regions and further into 22 divisions. Each region was headed by a Regional Manager who was in charge of all activities within the region and reported to the Director marketing. Each region had a manager in charge of each of regional personnel, regional engineering, regional industrial customers, regional retail, and regional finance. Regional LPG was under regional industrial customers. The division was the responsibility of the Divisional Manager reporting to the Regional Manager. He had a manager each for sales, operations and engineering. Each of these was responsible for sales, depots and engineering respectively for all the customer segments. Across the marketing function, except for the corporate departments (LPG, industrial customer, etc.) specifically looking after a customer segment, every individual and role is focused on multiple customer segments. For example any strategy addressing the industrial customers originates from the Corporate Department (Industrial Customer), goes via the Director Marketing, Regional Manager, Divisional Manager to the Sales Officer. All of them are responsible for multiple customer segments like retail, LPG, industrial, etc. and deal with different classes of customers. Hence there was very low customer awareness in terms of the unique needs of the different customer segments, with no single individual at the operational level having clarity on any single customer segment. Moreover, the marketing strategy was formulated by people who were far from the customer with very low understanding of the customer they were targeting. The implementers were responsible for diverse customers with a l ow understanding of the logic of these strategies meant for each customer segment. Thus the old structure had created a bottleneck between the strategy formulators and implementers in terms of the regional structure, and between the field staff and the corporate offices and refinery. Activities of a business process are spread out across different functions and levels of hierarchy, engaging many individuals. There was a long chain of non-value adding linkages between any two activities targeting a business / customer. For example, when an industrial customer gives a special order of lubes to the sales officer, the corporate lubes purchases the base oil, plant blends it, SD packs it and the sales officer sells it. The Sales Officer would communicate the order to the Divisional Manager, who passes it on to the Regional Manager. Then the order would be routed to the Corporate Lubes for processing. Everyone involved in the activities of this process belong to different functions and hierarchy levels. This long chain of communication had led to a lack of customer orientation, low awareness of customer needs and expectations and slow response. The New SBU Structure The new structure was focused on the business processes and the customer. The new structure at the top management level is the same. Five SBUs Retail, Lubes, Industry/Commercial, LPG and Aviation are customer centered SBUs and come under the director (marketing). The sixth SBU, Refinery along with two new departments IT Supply Chain and RD are under the director (refineries). Each SBU would have its own HR, IS, finance, logistics, sales, engineering, etc. The number of layers in the organization was reduced to four from six or seven. The major change is the introduction of the territories covering a smaller geographical area and focusing on specific customer segments. In retail SBU the new structure had 669 territories reporting to the four regional offices, where as in the earlier structure there were only 22 divisions which catered to all segments. In other SBUs the regional office was removed and territories were designed to directly report to the SBU heads. Each territory team leader was responsible for sales in the territory only for a specific product. The territory structure was designed to enable the field staff to focus on specific customer segments. Authority was also delegated down the hierarchy and decision making pushed to the lowest possible levels. Decisions earlier taken at the regional level were taken now at the territory level. Further authority was delegated to the role and not the hierarchy level. Administrative offices have been moved to supply locations that consist of 125 terminals for mai n fuels and 35 LPG bottling ones. In LPG SBU head office there are only nine personnel and across the territories even managers at senior positions have been forced to get business. The new design incorporated recalibration of roles and responsibilities and redeployment of more than two thousand people (around one fifth of total employee strength) across the organization. It created new roles at the front effectively using redundant manpower to increase customer interface and interaction. Since the corporate and support functions are now located within the SBUs the new design included lateral linkage mechanisms (see Appendix C). Governance Councils, Process Councils, and Task forces (to address specific organizational issues) were the mechanisms for integrating the different parts of the organization. Some Salient Features of New Structure were Highly empowered work force Decentralized decision making De-linking of authority from hierarchical levels Orientation towards internal and external customers Regular market research and customer surveys Conscious brand building efforts Organizational Structure before redesign Organizational Structure after redesign Conclusion Bharat Petroleum realises that, in the long run, success can only come with a total reorientation and change in approach with the customer as the focal point. Today, Bharat Petroleum is restructured into a Corporate Centre, Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and Shared Services and Entities. From the last many years Bharat Petroleum continues face many challenges of the quickly changing environment. Bharat petroleum make advance and changes their products and services according to the changing environment. In day by day changing in bharat petroleum only one factor has remained unchanged this is Bharat Petroleums employees which are the source of strength and motivation of Bharat Petroleums in their future innovations. Bharat Petroleum wants their employees to understand the complexity of the market, customers requirements, and offer the innovative products to meets the customers requirements. For Bharat Petroleum, promise by its staffs is a critical resource. BPCL believe that only a cheerful worker will place his best result and a good relationship with the customs, Bharat Petroleum deployed and also will plan to implement several steps to make the organisation a great place to work or worker get best organisation environment. Hewitt Associates conducted a survey for Business Today magazine in the January 2001 issue to identify the best employers, and in this survey Bharat Petroleum was one of top ten employers in India. The main motive of the survey was to discover out which companies had really charged the expressive and intellectual energy of their employees. The companies who were in the top list were Hughes, ICICI, P and G, Asian Paints, Hewlett-Packard, HLL, Infosys, LG and Compaq. Bharat Petroleum adopts significant value-based HR methods for growth of individuals and their organisational skills with a assessment to provide them with a competitive edge and also to realise their private vision in tandem with the commercial vision. Bharat Petroleum has been conferred the National HRD Award 2000 by National HRD Network for making Outstanding Contribution to HRD. At the National Petroleum Management Programme (NPMP) on Excellence in Creativity and Innovation (1999-2000), Bharat Petroleum employees bagged all the three awards in the individual category, along with four certificates of recognition in the team category.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Private Schools vs. Public Schools Essay -- School Reform, Education Re

Would you change your school? Would you go to a private school instead of a public school? Or to a public school instead of a private school? Private and public education is different in many ways such as their performance, enrollment, and the overall education taught but yet they have somewhat similar teachers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Students’ performance in public and private schools differ a lot. Private schools often have better grades and test scores. It is proven that kids who go to a public school and attend a private school perform better (Williams 17). Student performance varies but the advantage would probably have to go to the private schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teachers in private and public schools are similar yet have some differences. There are about 2.7 million teachers and other faculty members in public schools (Klieg 22). There are about 400,000 teachers and other faculty members in private schools (Klieg 22). Of all these teachers only about 71% of private school teachers are licensed where 97.4% of public teachers are licensed (Williams 61). That makes the public teachers sound good, but there is also this little fact that they’re leaving out. Public school teachers aren’t even qualified to be teaching the subjects that they teach a lot of the time (Williams 46). Perhaps this is why the private school students are doing better than the public school students are. Or maybe it is because the average student to teacher ratio is better than public schools. This ratio is 17 students to 1 teacher in public schools where it is 14.9 students to 1 teacher in private schools (Williams 46). A good reason why private education is made out to be so much better than public schools is not necessarily because of the teachers, but the way private schools are able to hand pick each one of their students (Phillips Internet). Most likely they are going to pick the richest and smartest students they can. Why the richest and the smartest? Well if they pick the richest students it’s going to help the school financially. While the smarter students make the school and their teachers look good. So all in all teachers are all pretty equal besides maybe a few differences. How about teachers and their salaries? Teachers who are getting paid less are probably going to do a worse job right? WRONG! Private school teachers are usually paid about 12,000 dollars less than public school teachers ... ...ver child they want into their school. Who know, but it seems that public education can and needs to be improved maybe slightly more than private education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is money really the answer to everything? Some may think that their school does not have enough money and that’s why their students are doing so poorly. But more than likely money doesn’t play such a big part in the academic achievement of the students in school. For example: New Jersey is rated number 1 in terms of money per a student but yet they’re rated 29th in the basic student achievement (Williams 192). So before you blame your poor education on insufficient funds next time stop and think of these little facts. So what’s this saying? Maybe money is not the answer to everything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So therefore private and public education is similar to an extent. However they do show many differences also. As shown they were different in their performance, enrollment, and the overall education taught. Private and public schools don’t have that much in common, but are their things that they do have in common but just didn’t get mentioned? Yes there are many more topics that are similar and different that we didn’t get into.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Trust Thy Self :: essays research papers

Trust ThySelf:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, -- that is genius  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. (Trust who and what you are)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. (Peer Pressure)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But perception is not whimsical, but fatal  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares not say `I think,' `I am,' but quotes some saint or sage. (Given up on self)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insist on yourself; never imitate Except yourself:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Hamburger and Materials Management Essay

Resources: Ch. 12 of Introduction to Business. Read the Developing Good Business Sense activity on p. 394 of the text. Answer Questions 1–4 from the activity in a 700- to 1,050-word paper in APA format. Post your paper as an attachment. | The operations of a company consist of three stages. These stages are simple: the input, the operations, and the output stages. The process of the input stage includes raw materials, components, labor and customers. The operations process involves the skills, knowledge, machines, and experts needed to operate the company. As far as the output stage, this involves what we physically use or experience from the company, known as the goods and services (Jones, 2007). Every company, whether it be services such as hair and nails, serving, or patient care, or goods being sold such as jewelry, wholesale businesses, or a corporation like ShopRite or Wal-Mart, they all experience these stages uniquely. Each company runs experiencing input, operations, and output stages, but each stage is handled differently according to what kind of business, what is being offered, and who is running it. The activities that regulate the course of the resources between these particular stages is what we call materials management. Materials management helps operate these stages smoothly and effectively, providing necessities and organization (Jones, 2007). Let’s take a look at three different businesses and how each one handles materials management and the three operational stages. The first company that is going to be observed is Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is a company that has developed over the years into being a commonly recognized place to get everyday necessities for a great price. The process of operations for a business such as Wal-Mart is simple compared to others. The input stage focuses on what is needed for the company to run, such as, labor and employees, contact with a wholesaler, and more all while keeping the customers in mind. Wal-Mart strives to keep a friendly staff and low prices in order to keep the customer’s best interest and loyalty. The way Wal-Mart would go about doing this is hiring qualified staff and train them to best suit the company, and forming an alliance with suppliers that offer products at low prices. As far as the operations of Wal-Mart, they hire the best suited people with the skills and knowledge of this type of company’s operations. They are equipped with machinery and constantly updating in order to keep up with latest trends. With their input and operations, comes the output stage. This is where the goods and services that Wal-Mart offers is placed into the market for consumers to decide. Mentioned previously, Wal-Mart strives to meet the every need of customers providing a great shopping experience. So far, Wal-Mart is still one of the most successful companies of its kind and doesn’t look like anything is going to change that anytime soon. The second company that was observed is Burger King. Burger King is a fast food restaurant business that has a lot of competition. The slogan, â€Å"Have it Your Way,† has allowed Burger King to make way for success. The operations behind this slogan is a bit more complicated. The input of Burger King consists of associations with suppliers in order to have the best quality possible for a frozen, fast food restaurant. From the supplies of burgers, to fries, milkshakes and salads, Burger King is not going to have a supplier produce outdated food or else that would be horrible materials management. The operations stage of Burger King is figuring out new ways to produce faster and better food and service to its customers while living up to its slogan. Doing this, Burger King would have to make sure everything is up to date and employees are equipped with the skills and knowledge to come up with new innovations to suit the needs of the company. The output stage of Burger King is providing the service fast and efficiently. Making sure that all food is sanitary and delivered quickly. The third company that was observed is St. Joseph’s Hospital. This is a hospital that specializes in critical care and emergencies. The operations of this hospital is crucial because it is not only service, but it holds people’s lives at stake. The input of the hospital would be having ownership of the supplies and relationships with suppliers. This way when it comes to operations stage, the best and most updated equipment is ready for use and can provide the best service possible. Between these two stages, the best and most skilled doctors, nurses, and staff are hired in order to ensure safety and health. As far as the output stage of St. Joseph’s Hospital, the services provided are high-quality service and safety. As we look at these companies, we can see that a lot goes into operations behind the service and goods we receive as consumers. The way a company designs its operating system is crucial for success. The input, operations, and output are only a part of what is contributed. It is the materials management, the flow of how things are ran that really makes or breaks the backbone of a business. The way the systems are designed will give one company an advantage over another. Using materials management effectively and really going into detail about research will give a company more of an advantage than another. It will help a business increase its productivity, innovation, quality, and most importantly, its responsiveness to customers. Not only does the operations come into effect when running a successful business, but costs are a big part as well. Operations and materials management costs, also known as, OMM, consist of many costs pertaining to a company. The main costs of OMM are, raw materials and components, plant, labor, inventory, and distribution (Jones, 2007). These costs affect companies’ operations because each cost if part of the operating system. Without effectively running operations, costs will run a business†¦ out of business. Including costs during the operating process is a crucial way to success. This is all a part of materials management! References Jones, G. R. (2007). Introduction to business: How companies create value for people. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Assignment memo

For your convenience, each question is given followed by the appropriate answer and an explanation of the correct response. Work your way systematically through these, comparing It with your own answer. Even If you chose the correct alternative, you may find that the explanations we give are useful. Try to understand the explanations. Many of the Items measure Insight, not Just factual knowledge. You will not pass this course if you try and memories the questions and answers! Question 1 The goal of quantitative research in psychology is best described as aiming to – 1 . Polo appropriate statistical tests which can be used to determine the relationships among psychological variables that occur at a level greater than chance 2. Develop theories that helps us to explain human experience and behavior 3. Formulate clear hypotheses based on insights about human experience and behavior 4. Convert theoretical constructs into measurable variables through personalization Answer: Option 2 gives the correct answer. The goal of research Is to develop theories which can explain aspects of human behavior and experience.Options 3 and 4 refer to stages In the process of doing initiative research but these are not the goals of the research. The goal of the research Is also not to develop statistical tests, as Implied In option 1 . These tests are developed by statisticians and are used by researchers in social and other scientific research, but developing the tests is not part of the goal of the research. PECCARY/201 5 Question 2 A psychologist believes that personality factors such as ability to get along with other people in a team are likely to have on influence their success in a team sport.To investigate this, she draws a sample of participants in competitive sport, comprising f soccer players, hockey players and cricketers from various sports clubs. After evaluating their performance on an appropriate psychometric test, she delves players from the three categories o f sports Into two groups: those who have good social skills and those who tend avoid social contact. She then uses evaluation forms, based on interviews with different sports experts, to assess the actual sports performance of the members of the sample.The dependent variable in the study is – – – – – and the independent variable is – – – – 1. Measured sports performance; social skills 2. Type of sports; social skills . Social skills; measured sports performance 4. Social skills; type of sports Answer: Option 1 is correct. The researcher wants to determine whether sports performance (a measurement of how well a specific sports participant performs) depends on social skills. This Implies that the construct ‘social skills' Is the Independent variable which Is varied to see how it affects the dependent variable, the measurement of sports performance. The population from which the sample was drawn (the types of sports p articipants that were involved), but in the context of this scenario this variable is not being investigated here. It would be possible to compare the three groups but this would not answer the research question. Question 3 Consider the following statement: â€Å"That phase of sleep during which brain rhythms resemble those of an alert person is called paradoxical sleep or rapid eye movement (ERM) sleep. † This statement is a – – – 1. Conclusion based on empirical research 2. Operational definition 3. Search hypothesis 4. Inference based on observation Answer: Option 2 is correct. The statement gives a definition of ERM sleep in terms of the measurement of brain waves (which can be done with an EGG machine). Since it is simply a statement about what the expression ‘paradoxical sleep or rapid eye movement (ERM) sleep' means, it is not a conclusion, hypothesis or inference, as suggested by the other options. 6 Questions 4 to 6 are based on the followi ng research scenario. A psychologist wants to study how aspects of motivation can influence people's productivity in their work.She reads an article which claims that an important aspect of motivation is locus of control, which distinguishes people who are driven by their own personal ambition from those who act by conforming to a social group. To test this idea, draws a sample of 100 workers from a number of companies in the information technology sector. She divides the workers into two groups, those with an internal locus of control and those with an external locus of control, based on an appropriate psychometric test. She then uses Job evaluation forms to assess the actual work performance of the workers in the two groups.Question 4 Which of the following gives the best expression of the hypothesis that the researcher wishes to test? 1 . Motivation affects the productivity of workers. 2. Internal locus of control is related to high productivity. . The Job performance of workers is influenced by locus of control. 4. Motivation of workers is influenced by locus of control. Answer: Option 3 is correct. Option 3 is the clearest expression of an appropriate research hypothesis. Option 1 is too vague: ‘motivation' is probably too complex to be captured in a single construct.Option 2 is too specific: it is not clear from the information given in the scenario whether internal or external locus of control can be expected to lead to higher productivity. ‘Locus of control' is regarded as an aspect of motivation (according to the scenario), not as a separate construct (or variable) that can be compared to it, so option 4 is also wrong. Question 5 Given that research is an investigation of a relationship between (two or more) constructs, which of the following constructs have to be compared to do this (b) motivation (c) locus of control (d) Job evaluation forms (e) people who work in the information technology sector 1. A) and (c) 2. (a), (b) and (e) 3. (a) , (c) and (e) 4. (c) and (d) Answer: The correct alternative is option 1 . ‘Locus of control' is the specific aspect of ‘motivation' that is being studied, which excludes option 2. In this particular context, ‘people who work in the information technology sector' is part of the definition of the population that the researcher chooses to study, not a construct that is being compared to another, so option 3 is incorrect. Option 4 is incorrect because ‘Job evaluation forms' are the instruments used to measure the construct ‘Job performance', and not a construct as such. Question 6 The dependent variable in the study is – – – – – and the independent variable is – 1 . Job performance; locus of control 2. Locus of control; motivation 3. Job performance; productivity . Locus of control; Job performance The dependent variable is the one that is predicted or explained, and the independent variable is manipulated to see h ow it affects the dependent variable. In this study the researcher tries to predict Job performance with the aid of locus of control. In other words, the researcher is trying to see if Job performance depends, to a significant degree, on locus of control.Option 2 is wrong because locus of control is the aspect of motivation that is being studied. In a similar way, Job performance is equivalent to productivity, which excludes option 3. Question 7 In scientific research, the word theory refers to a(n) – – – – – 1. Reasonable guess or creative insight which seems to explain a phenomenon 2. Method to make the constructs which are involved in a phenomenon visible through a process of personalization 3. Investigation or procedure which is performed to determine the relationships among variables 4. Explanation of why the observations that were made are as they are, or are related in the way that they are related Answer: Option 4 is correct. As explained o n page 4 in the Guide for PECCARY, a theory is a framework for facts: it s the explanation of why the facts (I. E. Observations, measurements) are as they are, or are related in the way in which they are related, based on empirical investigations. Option 1 is a description off hypothesis, but this is often how the word theory is option 3 is a description of a process such as an experiment by which a theory can be evaluated but not to a theory as such.Question 8 Consider the following statement: â€Å"The experience of strong emotion is accompanied by physiological reactions such as an increase in heart rate†. This statement can be viewed as a research hypothesis because it – a) makes a prediction that can be tested by observation (b) describes a possible relationship between variables 1. (a) but not (b) 2. Both (a) and (b) 3. (b) but not (a) 4. Neither (a) nor (b) 8 A psychological hypothesis formulates a testable empirical claim, that is, a prediction which can in pri nciple be observed, and this usually involves postulating a relationship between two or more variables.Question 9 A psychologist uses a psychometric test to study the intelligence of school children. Intelligence is the – – – – – variable and the psychometric test represents the – variable in this study. 1. Independent; dependent manifest; operational 3. Dependent; independent 4. Latent; manifest A hidden or underlying (latent) aspect of a construct has to be made visible (manifest) to be observed. ‘Intelligence' is a latent variable because it cannot be observed directly. The results of the psychometric test can however be observed directly and can therefore be regarded as the manifest variable.Note that the test result is the measurement by which intelligence is made visible, so these are manifestations of the same construct (or variable), only in one form it is observable (manifest) and the other form it is hidden (latent). Dependen t' and ‘independent' refer to relationships between two different variables, so options 1 and 3 are both incorrect. The psychometric test is the operation by which the variable ‘intelligence' is measured (or ‘personalities'), but you would not refer to the test or test result as an ‘operational variable', so option 2 is also not correct.Question 10 An industrial psychologist wants to investigate the levels of assertiveness among different categories of workers in a large company. He draws a sample of 200 workers and then divides them into managers, clerical workers, technical workers and manual errors with the intention of getting each participant to do a test to determine their level of assertiveness. The division of workers into these four groups represents a measurement on a – level. 1. Nominal 3. Interval 4. Asia When numbers are used to allocate people or objects to categories or groups with no implication of ‘intensity or ‘ordering re lated to the size of the number, it is referred to as a nominal level or nominal scale of measurement. Note that while one may presume that ‘managers' have a higher rank than the rest and perhaps ‘manual workers' can be said to have a low rank, there is no obvious way to decide whether lyrical workers have a lesser ‘rank than technical workers or the other way round, as it would depend on the specific types of work that they do.A senior clerk can outrank a Junior technician, and vice versa. (Nominal and other scales are explained in Appendix B of the Guide). PECCARY/201 9 Question 11 If a pupil will be chosen to go on a field trip from a class of 13 girls and 17 boys, what is the probability that Joanne (one of the 13 girls) will be chosen, given that a girl will be selected? 1. 1/13 2. 14/30 3. 1/30 4. 1/17 You have to use the basic formula for probability: We know that there are 13 possible outcomes (any one of the 13 girls can be selected) and we also know that there is only one favorable' event Anyone being selected).

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Southwest’s Competititve Advantage

STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT METRICS ASSIGNMENT-1 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy? 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? Southwest Airlines uses a Cost Leadership Strategy, however most pricing strategists would agree that having a low price does not, in itself, constitute a competitive advantage. In fact, thinking that low prices are always a good strategy for competition is deeply misguided.However, at times, targeting low prices can lead to a strategic focus which delivers tremendous results. Modern competitive strategy will often examine firms from a resource-based view. According to this lens, competitive advantage derives from leveraging an inimitable resource to deliver value at a lower cost than the competitors. Price is a completely imitable resource. Any company can match the prices of its competitor if it so chooses. H ence, arguing that a low price is a strategic resource, or that it leads to a competitive advantage in and of itself, is illogical.Southwest Airlines has used the target pricing and utilized a marketing orientation since its infancy in 1971, even though these concepts were not fully defined back then. First, starting with the customers and the value they sought, Southwest Airlines initial target was customers traveling between cities in Texas, specifically between Dallas and Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, San Antonio and Houston. While Texas is larger than many countries, it isn’t so large that people can’t drive from city to city.Hence initially, the most comparable alternative to Southwest, and therefore its prime competition, wasn’t other airlines. Instead, it was the car. In uncovering the car as the competing alternative, Southwest was able to also identify the target price of its offering. Second, to compete with the car, Southwest Airlines had to price their service relatively similar to the cost of car travel. With this target in mind, they chose $20. While $20 is lower than the government allowable tax deduction for travel, it is also significantly higher than the price of gas alone to drive between these cities.Thus, at this $20 price, Southwest Airlines could be confident that it would capture many of the travelers that would have driven and convert them into short-hop air travelers. Third, the product was redefined to serve customers at this low price profitably. Consider what was removed from air travel and what was included instead. The table below enumerates the key points Points 1 Removed Reduced reservations flexibility: Reservations primarily made directly Southwest Airlines as they eschewed working with travel agents.No connections between airlines: Southwest Airlines would not transfer baggage between flights. Included or Added Simplicity in Pricing: Flat rate of $20 per leg of the journey. Also reduced the cost of pr ice management, as no yield management system was needed initially. Higher convenience in terms of on-time arrivals: With a simplified fight route between lesser used airports, Southwest was able to operate more reliably. Higher convenience in flight frequency: With point to point flights, Southwest could offer service between Houston and Dallas with the same plane roughly every 2. hours. 2 3 No long-haul flights: Southwest Airlines customers could only take Southwest between a city-pair, not across the country or even across state lines initially. This greatly reduced cost of compliance with CAB rulings, as Southwest’s operations were not subject to interstate commerce rulings. 4 No in-flight meals: Southwest Airlines only offered peanuts and beverages. Fun: Friendly flight attendants provided jokes, costumes, and made flying comfortable with warm and caring service. Faster boarding times leading to faster flight turnarounds.More seats: With one class of service, Southwest A irlines could put 137 seats in a 737 versus 128 in a United Airlines 737. 5 6 No seat assignments: First come, first seated. No first class: One-class service. 7 Does not fly into major airports: or uses Use of underutilized airports that are less major airports concentrates on point close to metropolitan cities: reduced to point connections costs, punctuality Use of multiple aircraft types Frequent flyer program does not use miles earned Uses fuel efficient 737s: reduces maintenance and training costs Based on number of trips flown: reduced operating costs 9 From this list, we see a number of items which an airline would usually use to define superior value removed from Southwest Airlines offer. A Southwest customer couldn’t be treated to first class, couldn’t get food, couldn’t book them as part of a larger trip, couldn’t book with them through an agent, and couldn’t even preselect their seat. All of these features were exactly what defined a com petitive airline at the time. And, all of these features added cost.Instead, Southwest Airlines selected a specific target customer — a Texan traveling between cities in Texas — and then determined what it would take to satisfy that customer. ? ? ? That customer was far more interested in travel efficiency than travel class. That customer would be glad to forgo a meal, especially in exchange for a friendly flight attendant and a Dr. Pepper. That customer was trading off driving for flying, and needed flexibility in booking rather than navigating through the decisions and planning related to yield management.This service described does not meet the wants of every customer that could have flown Southwest Airlines, but it does describe those of the target customer. And, given the choice of mediocrely satisfying everyone at a high cost or highly satisfying a select few at a low but profitable price, Southwest Airlines rightly chose the latter. As a result of tightly defini ng the value sought by customers (efficient and flexible travel), and the price ($20), Southwest was able to meet the needs and surpass the expectations of their target customer.Moreover, it was able to do this at a significantly lower cost than a standard airline. So can low prices deliver a competitive advantage? NO, not alone. But target pricing, where the price and benefits demanded by customer leads to a strategic focus that drives a redefinition of the product and service, can deliver a winning competitive advantage. One where a customer need is met at a cost below the price the target market is willing to pay. BALANCED SCORECARD FOR SWA 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy?Southwest Airlines is probably one of the most striking examples of a company that (a) Defined a very clear and simple key business purpose, (b) Chose the right business model to support the business purpose, and (c) Consistently demonstrates the core values and behaviors derived from that ke y business purpose. The brand promise of Southwest Airlines is: ‘Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit'.Every single employee of the company is aligned with this brand promise and in spite of the current economic turmoil in the airline industrySouthwest's performance isamong the best in the industry. Staff morale is exceptionally high. In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher started an airline service with one simple notion: â€Å"If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline†.Southwest currently has the lowest operating-cost structure in the US domestic airline industry and consistently offers the lowest and most of all simplest fares. Southwest holds the best cumulative customer satisfaction record for the past 18 years. In December 2008, the airline had 35,499 employees and generated total operating revenues of $11 billion (2007 = $ 9. 8 billion, 2001 = $ 5. 3 billion) from a passenger load factor of 71. 2% with a fleet of 537 Boeing 737’s.Its stock exchange symbol is ‘LUV’, representing Southwest’s home at Dallas Love Field, as well as the theme of its employee and customer relationships. The major success to their continued success seems due to their low-cost model and competitors being aware that they cannot match Southwest Airlines’ low prices. Southwest Airlines has the reputation of being able to force a competitor into bankruptcy. It is believed, however, that it was not just the choice of its business model that made Southwest Airlines such a successful company; it is the way they execute their business model through perfect strategic alignment.Southwest Airlines succeeded in defining a very simple yet clear key business purpose; the fact that they aim for being â€Å"the only short haul, low fare, high frequency, point-to-point carrier in America† leaves very little room for interpretation. What makes Southwest Airlines’ key business purpose such a powerful one however, is not just the very clear definition of their ‘raison d’ etre’, but certainly also what the company and its leaders do with it.Their simple but effective key business purpose is the main guiding principle for Southwest Airlines’ strategic goals, business strategy, organizational infrastructure, and last – but certainly not least – their company culture. The organization of Southwest Airlines is best described as an upside-down pyramid – an organization very much in line with the way they want to do business. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts.Front line employees play a major role in the yearly business planning and operational budget which for a great part is done bottom-up rather than top-down. This is the fruit of co-founder Herb Kelleher's unorthodox leadership style, in which management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company does not put much emphasis on structure; instead, employees are encouraged to think freely without constraints such as titles or official mandates. The reason for Southwest Airline's success is due to their clear key business purpose and core values, and due to the way in hich they consistently execute their business model (a combination of ‘disruptive innovation’ and ‘customer intimacy’) in line with their key business purpose and core values. ? ? ? The Southwest Airlines fleet consists solely of Boeing 737s It offers only economy seats (there is no business or first class). Southwest Airlines also do not offer in-flight meals, only peanuts and other snacks. Southwest is simple and direct at the goal of their service ; â€Å"A primarily short-haul airline that flies directly from city to city, with just one type of plane – the Boeing 737 – and the lowest costs†.With a simple goal, Southwest has excised many of the ‘luxuries’ that competitors offer, such as luxury seats; this is made evident by their decision to enforce a rule for passengers who cannot fit into the seats to purchase an additional seat. This rather unpopular move – whereas other airlines would have suggested a more luxury class seat – is simple in its purpose – get passengers from point A to point B with a minimum of frills, but with a friendly smile and great personal service.While Southwest Airlines offer no frills, they do meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to personal service. They base their model on the motto â€Å"If employees are happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, they'll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, the y come back. And that makes the shareholders happy†. Southwest invests in very good relations with all their employees. Employees are either of independent labor unions or have flexible contracts which allow employees to work longer hours (adapting the business model to the key business purpose)