The Jade Peony–Sek-Lung Is a Marginal Character

A strong, intelligent, independent boy is what every traditional Chinese family wants. Unfortunately, Sek-Lung is not such an ideal child. In the novel, The Jade Peony, Sek-Lung is a marginal character. He is rejected by the dominant group, first being made to feel insignificant and second to feel uncomfortably visible. Sek-Lung is born in Canada, with a sick body, being considered inferior and unimportant. To begin with, he gains a reputation because of his brainlessness. Referring to his own feeling, â€Å"everyone knew [†¦] I was brainless† (Choy 145). For example, â€Å"I would say ‘Third Uncle’ instead of ‘Great Uncle’ † (Choy 145).That is because he is stuck between two cultures. In English, kinship terms are simple, but in Chinese, they are complicated, and Sek-Lung is so confused. Another reason is because he is not allowed to go to school due to a lung infection, and he cannot receive proper education, neither from English school nor Chinese school, which restricts his knowledge. Every time he uses improper Chinese, he is insulted by being called brainless. In addition, the lung infection makes him very weak, and he has to stay at home, while â€Å"everyone in the family is caught up with work and school† (Choy 186).In fact, â€Å"Kiam was fifteen and was getting all A’s at King Edward High; Jung was twelve and was learning how to box [†¦] at Hastings Gym† (Choy 148), and his sister can â€Å"read rapidly† (Choy 176). His siblings impress him so much with their amazing abilities. In contrast, Sek-Lung can do nothing, which makes him feel inferior. Furthermore, he recognizes that he is a burden in his family. He thinks, â€Å"I did everything to ruin their time with me, if they stayed around at all† (Choy 224). For instance, each family member needs to take turns to teach him.He notices that he is wasting their time, and actually they do not like spending time with him. In brief, Sek-Lung is brainless, not as good as his siblings, and he is treated as a waste. Sek-Lung, growing up in an unusual background, is made to stand out, because he is different from others. First, he is insecure, and he is afraid that he will not get along with other students. When he first goes to school, â€Å"Jung’s tough-guy reputation protected I from the school bullies† (Choy 174). A marginal character is always unconfident.Because of his weakness, brainlessness and different cultural background, he worries about getting into trouble. Second, Sek-Lung, spending all his childhood with Poh-Poh, is the only person who sees her ghost. For example, after Poh-Poh dies, every time the windows mysteriously close or make noises, Sek-Lung insists, â€Å"It’s Grandmama† (Choy 181), â€Å"[†¦] and everyone [glares] at [him]† (Choy 181). Poh-Poh is his closest family member, and he cannot get over her death. He believes that Poh-Poh’s soul will come back and protect him. However, in his family’s eyes, he is acting strange, and no one believes him.Besides, his family thinks he will shame their name. For example, sister Liang refuses to take him out because people will see or hear him. Similarly, â€Å"Chinatown people turned away, muttering behind my back† (Choy 178). He is not only noticeable in his family, but also well-known all over Chinatown. People think he may be crazy or he really sees a ghost, which shows that he is unlucky, and either point of view will make him be rejected by society, because no one likes abnormal persons at that period. To conclude, Sek-Lung becomes marginal by being treated as insignificant and distinctive.

Procter & Gamble Global Business Services: A Case Study Essay

A Time to Make a Change at P&G Some of the signs and signals experienced by an organization which indicates that it is time to make a change are: experiencing rapid growth or a decline in growth, a decline in productivity, a decline in resources, stakeholder pressures on management, environmental crises, sociopolitical influences on the organization, environmental turbulence and changes to customer expectations and behavior. The highly competitive global marketplace where Procter & Gamble operates is forcing the company to continuously do more with less. Advancements in technology, the pace of competition, globalization, the need to control cost and the increased efficiency coupled with the increasing customer expectations mean that the organization has to evolve and regenerate in order to survive. This is all the more important because if business has to know anything about the future, it is that it will be different from the present. Whatever is, will change. There’s no way to avoid it. But it can be managed. The inevitable changes in the organization will take P&G to a higher level, and will bring them to new avenues opened up for growth, in the face of the increasingly boundless global market that the nature of the consumer goods business is mercilessly made to put up with. Communicating Change to Employees Within the popular management literature, John Kotter (1996) has put forward an eight-stage model on how to successfully manage change. This is very applicable to the situation in P&G and comprises of: (1) communicating a sense of urgency; (2) creating a vision; (3) communicating the vision; (4) forming a powerful coalition; (5) empowering others to act; (6) planning short-term wins; (7) consolidating change and (8) institutionalizing new approaches. He argues that change leaders should communicate their vision in many different forums over and over again if they wish to develop an effective implementation strategy. The question of what to communicate should be all information that interrelate employees in their work in order to inform, to convince and to determine action during a time when the employees are most confused and apprehensive of the circumstances within the firm. The matter of when to communicate should be at all times, when there are new developments in the change that seems to be in the scope of concern of the employees, as they would naturally ant to be informed of any progress that the transition is taking. Effective communication in times of change helps facilitate smoother change management. Recommendations One effective strategy to overcome expected resistance is to think beyond it. The Procter & Gamble management must attend to the more specific reasons for resistance, such as loss of control or loss of self-efficacy, to diagnose problems more accurately and to overcome them more efficiently and effectively (Dyer, Dalzell and Olegario, 2004). It must also be kept in mind the context of the change and focus on explanations other than individual resistance for why change may not be successfully implemented. Likewise, senior management must think beyond the wisdom that people resist change by challenging themselves to consider the role they, as change leaders may play in creating resistance. The unavoidable changes in corporate culture should be supported through revamping internal reward systems and introducing training programs in order to improve result orientation among employees. It sold its rigorous training to potential recruits during that time in much the same way that the US Army sells its educational opportunities to its own recruits. Two integration programs are seen as useful for these types of changes: training & development and reinforcement. Training and development, as any decision that would be reached would inevitably bring about change within the company. Reinforcement is necessary also, in which the staff will become so used to the changes that the tendency to resist it fades as they are bound to ultimately follow such policies if they are to stay in the organization and contribute to its continued growth. WORK CITED Dyer, D., Dalzell, F. & Olegario, R. (2004). Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Publishing. Kotter, J. (1996) Leading Change. Harvard: Harvard Business School Press.

Nx448 Business Game Report

Contents Part 1 Introduction3 1. 1 Business Objective3 Part 2 Company Performance4 2. 1 Round 14 2. 1. 1 Discrepancy analysis4 2. 2 Round 26 2. 2. 1 Business Strategy6 2. 2. 2 Round 2 Forecast7 2. 2. 3 Discrepancy Analysis7 2. 3 Round 38 2. 3. 1 Business Strategy8 2. 3. 2 Round 3 Forecast9 2. 3. 3 Discrepancy Analysis9 2. 4 Round 49 2. 4. 1 Business Strategy9 2. 4. 2 Round 4 Forecast10 2. 4. 3 Discrepancy Analysis10 2. 5 Key Performance Indicators11 2. 6 Performance Evaluation Comments12 Part 3 Learning14 3. 1 Financial Management14 3. 2 Human Resource Management15 3. 3 Operation Management16 3. Marketing Management17 Part 4 Team Performance18 4. 1 Team18 4. 1. 1 Management Team18 4. 1. 2 Decision-making Process19 4. 1. 3 Leadership19 4. 1. 4 Team Role19 4. 2 Individual20 4. 2. 1 My Contribution20 4. 2. 2 My learning about effective teamwork and decision making20 4. 2. 3 Suggestions for Improving My Performance21 Part 5 Conclusion21 Part 6 Reference22 Part 7 Appendices23 7. 1 Design and Options23 7. 2 Warranty Cost24 7. 3 Other Key Performance Indicators25 Part 1 Introduction This report will give a clear analysis and explanation of the company performance during the business game.Learning about four main business functional areas (Finance, Marketing, Operation and Human Resource) will be discussed in part 3. Team performance and individual assessment will be critically evaluated in part 4. 1. 1 Business Objective Moon Star Motors aims to provide customers with the ability to own a car and lead the customers to experience comfort and quality at an affordable price. We intend to create a distinctive place in the market for our products and build up brand value of quality and reliability in the mind of customers.The initial business objectives set up by management team is: * Increase sales annually * Maximise our profit * Sell out 98% of our cars for every round * Obtain 16% return on investment by the end of round 4 | City Car – TIKI| Large Car – C RUISER| Total| Forecast Production (Units)| 85,000| 35,000| 120,000 | Sales Income (? m)| 850| 833| 1,683| Post Tax Profit (? m)| -| -| 20| Bank Balance before Loan (? m)| -| -| -74| Closing Bank Balance (? m)| -| -| 26| Table 1. 0 Forecast for year 1 Part 2 Company Performance 2. 1 Round 1 2. 1. 1 Discrepancy analysisUnsold stock In round 1, we forecast to sell out both TIKI and CRUISER. However, only 80% of TIKI is sold, with 17,393 units left. We concluded three main reasons as following: * Supply over demand. We are over confident to sell big volumes with low price, but the market actually reached saturation. * Unattractive and inflexible options. In order to maintain low material cost, we only offer two options for customers to select. It might affect the popularity of our TIKI and make it less competitive compared with other car manufacturers. * Not enough promotion.We invested 23 million on market promotion via television and internet, which is about ? 200for every single car . We didn’t invest too much for this round because we want to firstly evaluate the effect of advertisement. Net profit We forecast 20 million net profits and actual figure is minus 116 million. This is mainly due to the large amount of unsold stock and ineffective pricing strategy. The total contribution is unable to recover our fixed cost. In other words, the break-even point is set up too high and our sales volume did not reach BEP.Meanwhile, some overheads such as professional charges and warranty claims are not properly calculated. Gross margin The difference between forecast and result for gross margin of TIKI and CRUISER is 3. 21% and 7. 08% respectively. It is mainly caused by the unexpected extra direct cost. For example, the worker strike increase our labor cost of both models and the option take-up is more than our estimate. Market share Our target market share is 1. 5% for TIKI and 1. 2% for CRUISER. We sold out all our CRUIER and hit the large car sales target. Ho wever, market share for TIKI is around 0. % less than we expected due to our unsold stock. 2. 2 Round 2 2. 2. 1 Business Strategy New Pricing Strategy The management team decided to adapt average pricing strategy in round 2 for two main reasons: * We already access successfully to target market. * Low price high volumes strategy did not make profit. Sales income must be increased in order to recover all overheads in this round and most of the loss in previous round. Based on this, TIKI gross margin increased 2% to 14. 24%, while CRUISER gross margin increased 4. 3% to 25. 25%. ProductionProduction for TIKI in this round has to decrease due to 17,393 units in stock, and we try to sell them out in round 2. Meanwhile, results of round 1 indicated that CRUISER won thepopularity in the market so we intend to increasethe production by 10,000 units. Based on the production adjustment and market predictions, the market share of CRUISER will increase from 1. 2% to 1. 5%, while TIKI maintains 1. 2% market share. Under this situation, our forecast sales will reach ? 2058 million in round 2. Redundancy The harshest decision made by management team is to cut down 574 workers.Even though we understand this have negative effects on industrial relations, it is far beyond our business objective to over produce the cars and keep unsold stock by the end of the year. Therefore, we forecast a 2. 4 million of redundancy cost within total overheads. 2. 2. 2 Round 2 Forecast round 2 forecast| TIKI| CRUISER| Total| production/ units| 51,000 | 45,000 | 96,000 | selling price ? | 11,800 | 27,800 |   | gross margin %| 14. 24%| 25. 25%|   | sales income ? m| 807| 1,251 | 2,058 | total overhead ? m|   |   | 262| post tax profit ? |   |   | 82| closing bank balance ? m|   |   | 12| 2. 2. 3 Discrepancy Analysis There are three main differences between round 2 forecast and results: (1) production (2) Sales (3) pre-tax profits. Production Production (units)| TIKI| CRUISER| tota l| Target| 51,000| 45,000| 96,000| Actual| 49,668| 44,467| 94,135| Difference| | | 1,865| Our target production is 96,000 units but we actually produced 94,135 units, with 1,865 units missing. This is mainly because the redundancy decision initiated serious worker strike, which is recorded as 41 days in our company report. Thus, the actual production did not hit our target.Sales Sales (? m)| Total| forecast| 2,058 2,058 | actual| 2,017 | difference| 41 41 | The discrepancy between forecast sales and actual sales is 40 million. We have 387 units CRUISER in stock which could increase our sales by 11 million if we can sell them out. And we will get 29 million more if we are able to hit the target production of 96,000 unites and sell them up. Pre-tax profit The actual pre-tax profit is less than the forecast due to wrong calculation on current account interest and loans interest. We have closing bank balance of minus 270 million last round.According to overdraft facility, we forecast to pay 11% of 270 million as overdraft interest which is around 30 million, but it actually is 15% of that amount and cost us 40 million. Besides, an extra 8 million is deducted as the interest of 100 million bank loans of round 1 and is ignored when we did financial forecast. 2. 3 Round 3 2. 3. 1 Business Strategy Personnel Decisions Management team decided to maintain the size of workforce and to increase wages by 8% and training investment by 25% in order to improve worker satisfaction and commitment, especially after we suffer a great loss caused by 41 days strike.We hope to effectively control the strike in this round and expect the improvement of productivity. Automation Investment Management team made a decision of doubling the automation investment due to two main reasons. Firstly, it is recognized that automation can effectively increase the productivity and decrease the high wage bill. Secondly, the profit we made in previous round increases our confidence and financial capa city to introduce new equipment. 2. 3. 2 Round 3 Forecast round 3 forecast| TIKI| CRUISER| Total| production/ units| 65,500 | 40,500 | 106,000 | selling price ? 12,270 | 28,600 |   | gross margin %| 15. 25%| 28. 98%|   | sales income ? m| 804| 1,169 | 1,973 | total overhead ? m|   |   | 281| post tax profit ? m|   |   | 118| closing bank balance ? m|   |   | 158| 2. 3. 3 Discrepancy Analysis Gross profit Gross Profit| forecast| actual| difference| Sales (? m)| 1,973| 1,973|    0| cost of sales (? m)| 1,512| 1,577|    65| gross profit (? m)| 461| 396| 65| The actual gross profit is 65 million less than our forecast, even though our sales reach the target. This is mainly caused by exceeded materials costs.It is indicated on company report that design and options cost for CRUISER is ? 7572 per unit, but we only count it as ? 6186 when we forecast. In this situation, we are charged ? 1386 more for producing every CRUISER. It reflects that the options we offer to cust omers are of great popularity and we should enlarge option take-up percentage when doing the material cost forecast for next round. 2. 4 Round 4 2. 4. 1 Business Strategy Sales target Encouraging by the good financial performance of last round, management team decided to increase the sales by 32% in round 4 in order to further satisfy our shareholders.However, we do not plan to increase the gross margin for both models because we guarantee customers of good value for money. Thus, we expect the high volumes sales bring us profit. Design and options To make our cars competitive, we add more options to both models for customers to choose based on the popularity indicators (see appendix). Since the very beginning, both 3/5 door hatch with small engine (city car) and MPV with diesel engine (large car) are most popular designs for our target age group. So, the adjustment is focused on the alternative options. Promotion ExpenditurePromotion expenditure will increase by 34% to ? 40 million. This decision is made by management team with attempt to make our products sold better. Market predictions indicated that city car market and large car market will shrink by 12% and 9% respectively. That is to say, risk of keeping stock is high if we increase our production in round 4. Thus, we hope the promotion and advertisement could help reduce that risk. 2. 4. 2 Round 4 Forecast round 4 forecast| TIKI| CRUISER| Total| production/ units| 70,000 | 44,550 | 114,550 | selling price ? 13,900 | 26,800 |   | gross margin %| 15. 34%| 30. 73%|   | sales income ? m| 973| 1,639 | 2,612 | total overhead ? m|   |   | 308| post tax profit ? m|   |   | 235| closing bank balance ? m|   |   | 412| 2. 4. 3 Discrepancy Analysis Unsold Stock We expect to achieve zero closing stock but actually have 12,853 units unsold which worth ? 246 million. As a result, we are unable to reach target sales, post-tax profit and target market share. Market Share| TIKI| CRUISER| round 3 result| 1. 20%| 1. 51%| round 4 target| 1. 46%| 1. 80%|After evaluation, we conclude two possible reasons which contribute to this result: * We over estimate our capacity and are hurry to expand the market share. As shown on the table, we increase 0. 26% for TIKI and 0. 34% for CRUISER. It seems better if we execute market expansion step by step. * The competitors’ price might have negative impact on our sales. In final round, in order to offer more alternative choices and high quality experience to customers, we added more popular and high cost options for both TIKI and CRUISER, which increase our direct cost per car and make it hard to decrease the selling price. . 5 Key Performance Indicators Performance indicators| round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| Sales | 1509 | 2017 | 1973 | 2274 | Sales growth (decline) %| -| 34%| -22%| 15%| Cost of sales| 1333 | 1599 | 1577 | 1700 | Cost of sales ratio %| 88%| 79%| 80%| 75%| Profitability| Gross profit margin %| 12%| 21%| 20%| 25%| Operating profit %| -7%| 6%| 6%| 12%| Net profit %| -8%| 3%| 5%| 9%| Return on assets %| -24%| 12%| 14%| 26%| Return on investment %| -23%| 21%| 18%| 36%| Liquidity| Current ratio| 0. 64| 1. 26| 3. 52| 3. 24| Quick ratio| 0. 13| 1. 1| 3. 52| 1. 45| 2. Performance Evaluation Comments In general, sales increased from ? 1509 million in round 1 to ? 2274 million in round 4 – an increase of 51%. Over this period, we did not launch any new model and enlarge the sales volumes too much. The main reason for sales increase is the growth of our selling price. Direct cost of sales decreased yearly from 88% in round 1 to 75% in round 4. Even though inflation raises material costs and we offer a pay rise to our workers, we are still able to handle the cost/sales ratio efficiently by adapting smart and efficient pricing strategy.Profitability: Gross Margin % The gross margin has doubled from 12% (round 1) to 25% (round 4). In real money terms, our gross profit increased from ? 176 million to ? 574 mi llion. This trend indicated that return on sales improved. Although direct cost of sales increased year by year, we adjust our pricing strategy in order to make our business more profitable. Operating Profit % Operating profit margin improved from minus 7% (round 1) to 12% (round 4) indicatingmore efficient operation management. To be specific, stock upkeep cost and redundancy cost are well managed.The R&D investment and warranty costs are effectively controlled. Even though the investment on promotion and training increase yearly, this cost is balanced by the decreasing depreciation cost due to the book value of our fixed assets reduced yearly. Net Profit % Net profit margin shows an increasing trend from minus 8% (round 1) to 9% (round 4). Our company remains profitable since round 2. This indicated that our business is successful in consistency of earning. Return on Assets % The return on assets grows dramatically from minus 24% (round 1) to 26% (round 4).This indicates that mana gement is more and more efficient in using business assets to generate profit. Return on Investment % The return on capital employed shows a similar trend, except a slight decline of 3% in round 3. The ROI is 36% by the end of round 4, which has actually achieved our business objective. Liquidity: From round 1 to round 3, the current ratio increase from 0. 64 to 3. 52 times, and the quick ratio increase from 0. 13 to 3. 52 times. The increasing ratio indicates that we have more cash flow to pay our creditors (quick settlement) and meet our short-term obligations.In round 4, the current ratio drop slights to 3. 24 times and the quick ratio drop greatly to 1. 45 times. This trend looks good because high ratio does not mean a healthy cash position of the business. It indicates that we do not use our capitals properly and efficiently. In conclusion, according to our current liquidity situation, our company is suggested to reduce the stock levels and to invest surplus cash in longer term investments. Market Share From round 1 to round 4, market share of TIKI increased from 1. 21% to 1. 35%, despite a slight decline in round 2.Market share of CRUISER increased sharply in round 2 compared with round 1, then showed a tiny increase trend year by year. It indicated that we are successful in persistently and steadily supplying products to the market. Overall, our company’s performance has been improved in several ways, (e. g. sales, profit, creditors, market share, etc. ) In addition, it would have been more helpful for the further financial performance evaluation if the industrial average figures and key competitors’ information had been made available (Behn 2003). Part 3 Learning 3. 1 Financial ManagementIn the field of financial management, cost-volume-profit analysis is a powerful tool that helps managers identifies the relationships among cost, volume and profit (Banfield, Newcastle Business et al. 2008). It focuses on how profits can be affected by th e following variables: selling price, sales volume, unit variable costs, total fixed costs, etc. (Banfield, Newcastle Business et al. 2008). Break even analysis and margin of safety is the important part of cost-volume-cost analysis. The formula is shown as following: Formula: BEP = Total Fixed Cost = (in Units) Contribution per unitMargin of Safety = Forecast Demand – BEP Forecast Demand In round 1, we forecast our total fixed cost and depreciation charge is 241 million, and the contribution per unit is 2316. By using formula, the forecast BEP is 104,000 units. So we decided to produce 120,000 units after evaluating market demand. Our forecast margin of safety is therefore around 13. 3%. However, we underestimated the total fixed cost and overestimated our sales volumes. Thus, we suffered a loss of 116 million in the first round. In round 2, we re-evaluate the cost, volume and profit, and then set up 32. % of margin of safety. Financial performance is improved in this round so we adapted the similar approach for round 3 and 4, in which our margin of safety is about 39. 1% and 52. 8% respectively. It has been proved that high margin of safety makes profit less vulnerable to demand drops (Jacobs 2002). Even though we have 12,853 units unsold stock, we still make a profit of 198 million in round 4. From the business game, we have practiced how to price products and how much volume of products we must sell in order to make a profit. 3. 2 Human Resource ManagementWhen we practice the Human Resource function in business game, we put emphasis on rewards, in particular worker wage. High wage will not always improve the work performance from long-term perspective, but annual pay increase works (Banfield and Kay 2008). Based on this learning, we decide to pay our worker ? 355 weekly in round 1 and to increase that wage annually. However, we suffered a loss due to bad company performance in round 1, so wage did not increase even though inflation rate is around 3% . In round 2, company performance is improved and we make profit. Thus, wage increase by 9% ahead of 4% inflation rate in round 3.In round 4, wage increase by 5% to ? 404. Overall, from round 1 to round 4, wage increase by 14%, but the strike days only reduced 1 day (8 days in round 1 and 7 days in round 4). It is indicated that a reward cannot help to improve work performance if the pay increase does not meet the employee expectation (Corby 2009). According to data on competition, EMPIRE, our key competitors, pays their worker ? 500 weekly in round 4 and the strike day is controlled as 2 days. From the business stimulation, we realized the importance of monetary rewards and the link between rewards and productivity.On the other hand, poor management of employee relations often end up with strikes (Blyton and Turnbull 1998). With this learning, we could have found another solution to allocate our workers instead of redundancy. There are some limitations of business game in terms of HR management. High wage and training investment seems to be the only way to motivate productivity. And some other important HR functions such as recruitment and selection, promotion and employee engagement are not covered in the game. Learning experience will improve if those issues are made available in the game. 3. 3 Operation ManagementQuality management refers to the management activities involved in determination of quality policy and its implementation through means such as quality planning and quality assurance (Gitlow 2005). High quality puts costs down and revenue up (Banfield, Newcastle Business et al. 2008). Based on this learning, in order to control product quality, we focus on the R&D (Research and Development) and skills training when we practice the operation function during business game. From round 1, we keep investing on projects of fuel efficient engine and low emissions in order to detect and control the quality of engines.Both of them are successful after 3 ye ars of research and development. This help to reduce our warranty cost efficiently (see appendix). Due to safety factor, we started to invest on the project of advanced safety systems. We expect the continuous R&D investment bring us long term financial benefit. Meanwhile, we continuously invest on skills training based on the knowledge that investment in skills training can significantly improve product quality (Gitlow 2005). From the business game, I got better understanding about quality management and how quality influences customers’ buying decision.We also learn how to define the quality characteristics, set quality standard and measure the quality of our products. One of the limitations in stimulation process is that it is unavailable to evaluate and select the suppliers by ourselves. If this is made available, I believe that the operation cost would be controlled autonomously and learning experience of students about supply chain would be improved. 3. 4 Marketing Mana gement Marketing management is the art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping, and growing customers through creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value (Kotler and Keller 2011).In carrying out the marketing functions, the company needs to have a marketing program or strategy. This is known as the marketing mix (Marc 1997). The conventional view of the marketing mix consisted of four components: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. It is indicated that 4Ps constitute the cornerstone of any sound business (Marc 1997). Based on this learning, we tried to use the right marketing mix to reach our target market during the business game. Product: In round 1, 3/5 door hatch and small engine are chosen for city car (24-40 market), while MPV and diesel engine are chosen for large car (41-55 market).Options are selected due to the factors such as safety, comfort and style. From round 2, we detect the popularity index and aim to offer the most appropria te products to our customers (see appendix). Price: We use market penetration in round 1. In the next three round, we adapt average pricing strategy. The economic trend and income status of our target customers are also taken into account as well. Promotion: We keep increasing our promotion investment from 23 million to 40 million via various media. In round 1, we invest ? 200 for every car and it increase to ? 450 in round 4.Through business game, I got better understanding about marketing mix. However, innovation and new product strategy, as another important marketing strategy, is failed to be used in our game. We could have learned more about finding customer value opportunities and creating an innovation culture in our team if we had launched new model. Part 4 Team Performance 4. 1 Team 4. 1. 1 Management Team We distributed our team into four groups in order to cover the four main functional areas of business organization: Finance, Marketing, Operation and Human Resource. Base d on personal interests and experience, I take the charge of Finance.Dorothy and Kira take the responsibility of managing marketing. Operation is taken charged by Michael and Jayson. Adetoro is responsible for HR. It does not mean that we make decisions and take responsibility separately. Actually, those functional areas are linked with and supported by each other. And everybody of the team is required to know exactly the whole process of our business. In reality, the main purpose of functional areas is to ensure that all important business activities are carried out efficiently. This is essential for a company to achieve its business objectives (Marcouse 2010). . 1. 2 Decision-making Process The overall decision-making was a collective process. During the business game, we discussed and evaluated all feasible solutions and make sure every decision is made to help settle the current problems and lead to business objectives. The controversy, however, is sometimes unavoidable. For ins tance, Dorothy, marketing manager, proposed to launch new model in round 3 due to market attractiveness. I cannot agree with that because we are still experiencing financial difficulty. Our net cash position is minus ? 371 million with poor ability to pay our creditors.Adetoro is standing by my side, thinking from a long-term perspective. He suggested our team not to launch new model until we gain a reasonable market share. The further discussion and communication led to unanimous approval of the final decision. The similar situation happened when we discussed whether or not to adept price skimming strategy for our products. The dispute finally is settled properly. 4. 1. 3 Leadership I was nominated as the leader in business game due to my ability to manage market information and provide direction to my team members at the very beginning.Under my leadership, our company is driven to achieve business objectives (execution). I make clear that all my team members are enjoying the game and have learned how to run a business in a real world. 4. 1. 4 Team Role Through my observation, I have identified the strengths/weaknesses and work preference of my team members: * Jayson and Michael prefer to analyze the current situation and raise the issues that we have to face (analysis). Michael is a good team worker who communicates and cooperates effectively with others.Jayson, as a monitor evaluator, has a high critical thinking ability but lacking of expression. * Dorothy and Kira are intuitive about the market information, and they often give the creative ideas (plan). Both of them play as plant. Dorothy prefers change and innovation. She can work more effectively when cooperate with the people who are identified as implementer in Belbin team role framework. * Adetoro used to reflect all our decisions we have made for every round and make everything reasonable and explainable (reflection). He is enthusiastic and logic thinker. 4. 2 Individual . 2. 1 My Contribution I hav e little knowledge about car industry when I take this project, but I quickly realize that I have special interest on costing and budgeting due to my previous work experience. So, I went through the user menu and market research then finish the finance forecast sheet before attending the group meeting. In round 1, I am responsible for both Finance and Marketing. During the group meeting, I proposed my ideas about cost/price, most of which are accepted by my team members and I therefore am nominated as manager of Finance. We suffered a loss in round 1.After analysing the discrepancy between forecast and results, I suggest to adapt new pricing strategy and set a higher gross margin. The strategy is adapted by management team and makes profit for our company by the end of round 2. I am nominated as team leader due to my hard-working, efficiency and reliability. And I actively build up team relation and motivate our team members. I play the role of implementer successfully. I monitor ev ery process of the game and every detail of our decisions, and put emphasis on improving efficiency of every group meeting, and record the minutes. 4. 2. My learning about effective teamwork and decision making Through business game, along with the knowledge I learn from Developing Self module and the experience of residential weekend, I have better understanding about: * An effective teamwork involves in a group of people with common objectives and being able to build up trust and cooperate relationship with each other. * An effective teamwork involves in a group of people who have complementary strengths/weaknesses with each other. * An effective team should have a leader who is able to provide direction, open mind to different opinions, ake right decision and take risks. * An effective decision should create the competitive advantage for organization and bring short term profit along with long term development. * An effective decision builds up the core competency of organization and turn competitive advantage into sustainable competitive advantage. 4. 2. 3 Suggestions for Improving My Performance * If the game could be played again, I would like to think twice before adapting market penetration strategy in round 1 and try to avoid that loss as much as possible. I would like to pay more attention on developing my leadership capability and making better use of the abilities of my team members in order to build up a powerful and effective team. Part 5 Conclusion Overall, our company is successful in the achievement of business objectives. By the end of round 4, our sales have increased by 50%, and our profit is showing a trend of growth. Even though the unsold stock percentage is larger than what we expect, we are still able to control the inventory and keep profitable. Return on investment in round 4 is 36% which is much more than our target.Part 6 Reference Banfield, P. and R. Kay (2008). Introduction to human resource management. New York, Oxford Universit y Press. Banfield, P. , S. Newcastle Business, et al. (2008). Managing for competitive advantage, McGraw-Hill custom publishing. Behn, R. D. (2003). â€Å"Why Measure Performance? Different Purposes Require Different Measures. † Public Administration Review 63(5): 586-606. Blyton, P. and P. Turnbull (1998). The dynamics of employee relations. Basingstoke, Macmillan. Corby, S. (2009). Rethinking reward. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Gitlow, H. S. (2005). Quality management. New YorkLondon, McGraw-Hill. Jacobs, T. (2002). â€Å"The margin of safety. † NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY 20(12): 1191-1191. Kotler, P. and K. L. Keller (2011). Marketing management. Harlow, Pearson Education. Marc, L. (1997). â€Å"Marketing mix customization and customizability. † Business Horizons 40(6): 39. Marcouse, I. (2010). â€Å"BTEC First Business. † 1. 4 The main functional areas within business organisations Ed. Retrieved 06/01, 2012, from http://www. teachmebusiness. co. uk/pag e29/page16/page18/assets/Functionalareas. pdf. Part 7 Appendices 7. 1 Design and Options TIKI (City Car)  | | round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| /5 Door Hatch| Y| Y| Y| Y| Small Engine (4 Cylinder)| Y| Y| Y| Y| Multi Location Airbags|   |   |   | Y| Alloy Wheels|   | Y| Y| Y| Parking Sensors| Y| Y|   | Y| Air Conditioning| Y| Y| Y| Y| Superior Sound System/iPod|   | Y| Y| Y| Security Package|   |   |   | Y| Safety Package|   | Y| Y| Y| CRUISER (Large Car)  | | round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| SUV| Y| Y| Y| Y| Diesel Engine| Y| Y| Y| Y| Multi Location Airbags|   |   | Y| Y| Alloy Wheels|   |   | Y| Y| Security Tracker|   |   |   | Y| Cruise Control| Y| Y|   |   | Automatic Transmission| Y| Y|   |   | Parking Sensors| Y| Y| Y| Y| Electronic Stability Control| Y| Y|   |   |Panoramic Sunroof| Y| Y|   |   | Heated Elec Wing Mirrors|   |   |   | Y| Electric Adjustable Seats|   |   |   | Y| Air Conditioning| Y| Y| Y| Y| Superior Sound System/iPod| Y| Y| Y| Y| Bluetooth Phone Preparation|   |   |   | Y| TV/DVD Player| Y| Y|   |   | Metallic Paint|   |   | Y| Y| Security Package|   |   | Y| Y| Safety Package| Y| Y| Y| Y| Luxury Package|   |   |   | Y| 7. 2 Warranty Cost Warranty Cost| round 1| round 2| round 3| round 4| TIKI per car ? | 173| 170| 140| 155| CRUISER per car ? | 400| 353| 295| 348| Total Warranty Claims ? m| 26| 27| 21| 23| 7. 3 Other Key Performance Indicators

Personal Trainer's Talents Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Trainer's Talents - Research Paper Example Personal training has different disciplines. Examples are; baby massage instructor, meditation, circuit training, rugby coach and many others. These disciplines of choice require different training facilities. The job outlook of a personal trainer has to it that there is a high probability that job opportunities will be quite conducive as from now to the coming years. Many people have decided to live healthier lifestyles due to different kinds of health problems. Hence, the need for personal trainers has become so adequate in many people’s lives. There has been a noted reduction of school physical education programs hence, personal trainers are needed to keep the physic of the children conditioned and make them live healthy lives. The salary of a personal trainer roughly ranges from a low of $26,000 to a high of $50,000 annually. This is not fixed as some personal trainers earn more. One’s level of education is also related to one’s pay. For example, a diploma holder will earn less compared to a degree holder. The place where one works will also affect one's salary. Franchise health clubs and universities offer the lowest pay estimated at $13 per hour which will rate about $26,000 annually, federal and state government $20 per hour which amounts to $40,000 annually. This includes working in prisons and parks. Private companies offer $25 per hour, which totals up to an estimated $50,000 annually. Lastly, private trainers happen to receive the highest pay of an estimated $50 per hour. This is achieved through working hard enough to get one's own client list. The skills needed for one to be a personal trainer include a good level of physical fitness, an outgoing personality, a good background in fitness activities and good communication skills. In terms of educational requirements, most employers prefer one who is a holder of a bachelor’s degree or certified. One is advised to register in a package that contains coursework in different areas, which are sports nutrition, first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), athletic performance and client fitness assessment. It is important for one to be certified after having completed the training program.

Differences and similarities between any public and private Essay

Differences and similarities between any public and private organizations you are familiar with - Essay Example Private schools on the other hand are profit oriented and get their funding from their customers who are the parents in this case. The products and services in the private organization are furnished based on individual needs in exchange for direct payment or transaction (Tompkins, 2005). Secondly, public organizations are predominantly controlled by political forces while private sectors are controlled by market forces. Allocation of resources in public schools is through democratic means, and in private institutions it is through the price system. This enables the private schools to define their market and set achievable goals while the public institutions pursue goals set for them by legislatures (Tompkins, 2005). One similarity is that the managers in both schools have similar functions, to run the institutions internally. They both have an interest in running programs and activities that have been properly designed for them. This is done in order to use the organization’s resources efficiently and achieve the stated goals. They are concerned with meeting the staff needs, motivating employees, obtaining financing so as achieve the set goals (Shafritz, et al, 2005). Equity and efficiency is a fundamental aspect in both private and public schools. Public organizations are mostly government sponsored with significant emphasis on equity between the constituencies. In private the institutions, there is greater emphasis on efficiency and competitive performance (Shafritz, et al,

What are the key skills of leadership in present-day organization Essay

What are the key skills of leadership in present-day organization - Essay Example Great man theory articulates a leader is a supernatural being in the eyes of his employees. Effective leadership in the present organization requires perfection of several skills purported by several leadership theories. Both Vertical and horizontal leadership leads to culmination of power and influence across organizations circles. This is because it involves others in vexing organizational problems, success and making heroes in others. Many underuse vertical leadership because sucking up to the boss and serving an effective junior is tedious. Proper upward management calls for investing in communication, boss's priorities, preference, and decision-making styles. If insight is gained in this investment then an employee creates support for the boss and vice versa (Strati 1999). Communication deficit is common in most organizations; therefore managers should be quick to point out the problem lest risk the team ineffectiveness. Huczynski & Andrze (1985) enunciates that A leader’s goal should be mastery of interpersonal communication and strengthen it via one on one, fu ll staff, social media emails and be keen listener. In accordance with trait theory, some leadership skills are inborn. Leaders inherit this trait and leadership comes easily to them. Such leaders portray figures of authority and have communication with everyone they interact. Critical thinking skills envision leaders as vigilant in identifying and challenging assumptions behind the organizations actions or inactions. A leader should be wary of unproven theories, inferences, and generalizations while in times of emergency they should think decisively on their feet. To do so managers have to counter check on their biases when they blur their decisions and be independent thinkers. As a leader, make it a milestone to know each of your employees on a personal level. Management leadership theory supports the motivator acts by stating that ideal leadership considers the input of workers to effective leaders. The leaders dwell on encouraging participation and contribution of ideas. The the ory focuses on group performance and supervision organization. Behavioral theory believes that leaders are made and not born; they acquire leadership through teaching and observation. Such leaders learn through training on how to provide feedback to employees. They do so by embracing the â€Å"feedback contact lenses† which enable you to view people, and their importance. These â€Å"lenses† help you be alert to discover opportunities, help people on their performance and their importance in the organizations. Huczynski & Andrze (1985) clarifies that a leader should upgrade their interaction quality constantly. Embracing internal emails and coffee meetings with employs help strengthen the art of feedback. Strategic thinking, another leadership skill, involves getting the greater picture of the organization as well as its future. This means stepping aside from your work to view the entire office from a neutral point. This helps you set priorities in alignment with major goals, learn new items and discover the unexplored. Leadership Behavioral theory advocate for a leader to encourage innovation by encouraging and rewarding people who takes risks. Comparatively, network and communication connections should be formed between leaders and followers. Relationship theory advocates for teamwork or collaboration as a role model for effective networking. It depicts a spanning of old boundaries and breaking ice. The main barriers for networking or discomfort, distance with other experts and dissonance. To avoid these setbacks leaders should: stay in touch with others; change your assumptions about roles, learn about other

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Philosophy - Essay Example However, such a theory needs some qualifications. For example, what is the process by which we decide which ideas are ‘causally related’? In other words, what are the cognitive components of the mind which Hume argues, go into related some ideas, but not others? The following will examine the relationship between inference and epistemology, demonstrate Hume'’ scepticism, and analyze Kant as a means of criticizing and overcoming Hume’s problem. Toward this, Hume argues that when we examine two distinct ideas, or in turn, two impressions which we might think are related, we supposedly find that we do not perceive any of the necessary, or ‘causal’ connections between these two ideas or impressions. Rather, Hume argues that what we do perceive, are only those ideas which are contiguous and successive. Hume writes: Without any farther ceremony, we call the one ‘cause’ and the other ‘effect’, and infer the existence of the o ne from that of the other. In all those instances, from which we learn the conjunction of particular causes and effects, both the causes have been perceiv’d by the senses, and are remember’d: But in all cases, wherein we reason concerning them, there is only perceiv’d or remember’d, and the other is supply’d by conformity to our past experience . . .This relation is their constant conjunction. Contiguity and succession are not sufficient to make us pronounce any two objects to be cause and effect, unless we perceive, that these two relations are preserv’d in several instances [Hume 87] Although a long passage, the preceding contains many of the core ideas surrounding Hume’s ‘model of the mind’, his notion of ‘causation’, and finally, the notion of ‘inference’ – that is, the opposite of a deductive or necessary form of reasoning. First, is the important notion of sense impression. Hume argu es that the mind operates by ‘mirroring nature’ – to borrow a phrase from Richard Rorty [1979]. An impression of the external world, is akin to a photographic image, and to this end, he argues also that the more immediate an impression is, the more â€Å"lively† [Hume, 1995: 98]. In other words, past impressions are more vague. The second important aspect of his theory of causality, is the notion of ‘belief’ or ‘understanding’. In this regard, he argues that the relationship between one impression and another impression (e.g. representation), is a relationship that is founded on ‘belief’, and belief itself is formed out of custom and habit. He argues that habit and not the impressions themselves are what ‘conjoin’ the two, given that any careful consideration of the nominal nature of impressions, will yield the conclusion that two certain ‘frames’ are different than another. By contrast, he c laims that notions such as â€Å"identity†, â€Å"time†, â€Å"place† and finally â€Å"cause†, are only â€Å"ideas† rather than anything which actually exists in nature and therefore understood or perceptible by the senses [Hume 73]. The classic example of two such impressions, are between ‘smoke’ and ‘fire’. Taken or understood as images, separately, that is, neither one of these resemble one-another. There is no reason, save for habit and experience, to relate one of these impressions with the next. Indeed, he argues

Drugs and their influence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Drugs and their influence - Research Paper Example In 2004, the famous Whitney Houston disappointed many of her fans when she was arrested because of drug use. She ended losing her voice and reputation. In 2009, Michael Jackson shocked the world with his death that is associated with drugs. Such cases are only a few of the many unknown cases of drug users. Other effect is on the economy of the government. Billions of government money has been spent to treat victims of drug abuse and eliminating its supply but it seems victims of it and its illegal market grew even more. Tom Whitehead (2011) in his editorial report mentioned that the government has wasted 100 billion pounds tackling illicit drug markets. Because of this, aggressive attempts to prevent abuse of drugs by the government not only in the United States but internationally have been enforced. The supply and cost, risk factors of illegal drug use, and practice of physicians all influence the continuous habit of using drugs. Understanding these factors may lead to better strat egies or techniques in dealing with the problem of drug use in the United States. Review of Related Literature Influence of Supply and Costs of Illegal Drugs in its use Most problems of drug use in the Unites States are rooted in the supply. The supply of illegal drugs is abundant in some States of the country especially in the southern part because of its proximity to Columbia and Mexico which are the largest producers and suppliers of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine (Reuter, 2009). Drugs flourish in the Northern cities of Mexico and seem too crawl beyond its border and expand to United States through its border cities. This claim is further supported by the study by Bucardo and company (2005) where they explained that Mexican border crossings might be a contributory factor on the rampant heroin use in the border cities of the United States. History also reveals that Mexican and Columbian drugs reach the United States and Canada via the Caribbean. With the proliferation of dru g production in these neighboring countries, eliminating drug use is almost would be difficult. Not only illegal drugs are abused because of abundant supply. Cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and over the counter (OTC) drugs are also commonly abused. More than 46 million individuals in the United States alone are smokers. The supply of cigarette and alcohol makes it an easy choice of drug abusers to shift from illegal drugs to cigarette and alcohol instead. Today that law enforcers are becoming stricter in the implementation of laws in clamping down drug traffickers, supply of cocaine was reduced forcing drug users to resort to over the counter drugs too. Most often, pain killers like codeine, morphine, and oxycodone are abused as a replacement of illegal drugs. Cost also influences the proliferation of drug users. Low price encourages users to continue the use of illicit drugs because it is affordable. Ironically, policies prohibiting its sale caused the price of the commodity to decr ease and that drug users could easily avail of it. The increased capture of drug traffickers by coast guards and other government authorities had significantly resulted in the low price of the commodity favoring drugs users because of reasonable price. Report also stated that the price of heroine had further deteriorated to 30% more even with a 26% seizure rate of heroine throughout the world (ONDCP, 2004). On the other

Prepare a report for the board of directors of Summer Bodysuit Ltd Coursework

Prepare a report for the board of directors of Summer Bodysuit Ltd that analyses the problems faced by the company and that sets - Coursework Example 2. To study whether bank’s request for a significant reduction in the overdraft facility granted to Summer Bodysuit Limited is reasonable. Structure of the organization The financial problems in a company arise mainly due to weakness in the structure of the organization. Jill Dempsey and Mike Greaves have good experience in the company’s business. The business model, designing and manufacturing of casual and leisure clothes aiming particularly at the younger and higher-income market, is in line with their experience. However, the weakness in the organization structure lies in lack of proper system for financial management. Financial management is a specialized area which needs expertise for efficiency in business operations. Keeble brothers’ involvement in the day to day business activities has been very limited. The business has grown well over the period of time and the order recently received from Arena, a chain of casual and sportswear stores is seen particul arly important. The draft accounts from the Auditors confirm the company’s success. But, lack of suitable system for working capital management and planning in capital investment has landed the company in the current financial difficulties. Relationship with the bank and planning for the future The bank wants the company to reduce the overdraft by half over the next six months. The company had breached its overdraft limit on several occasions over the past few years. The management is aware of the fact that the patience of the bank has been wearing thin. The largest shareholder of the business is Keeble Estates Ltd, owned by David and John Keeble. Neither they are in a position to make further investments nor willing to accept investments from new investors, fearing loss of influence over the company. It is in this backdrop the analysis is done to make suitable recommendations for taking necessary actions to overcome the current financial difficulties. Business operations Dec how et al (2010) state, â€Å"the quality of a ?rm’s earnings depends on both the ?rm’s ?nancial performance and on the accounting system that measures it.† Prima facie the company has not accorded the deserved attention to accounting in the organization. The management has embarked on investment spree without making necessary arrangements for the additional working capital needed for its operations. David et al (2007) states that â€Å"overcon?dent managers underestimate risk and therefore take actions with excessive risk†. Evaluation of the business prospects involves analysis of several factors relating to the business. Schrand and Zechman (2009) state that â€Å"the overconfident managers make optimistic forecasts and in order to meet these forecasts, exhibit higher levels of fraud and earnings management.† Though the results do not in any way suggest fraud its management of finance calls for critical analysis. Gross profit margin during the la st two years has been at 14.99% and 20.61% respectively which reflects the soundness of the business proposals of Jill Dempsey and Mike Greaves. The increase in capital investment and consequently working capital required additional investments which are met primarily through bank overdraft. â€Å"An overdraft facility enables businesses to obtain short-term funding - although in theory the amount loaned is repayable on demand by the bank† (Riley, 2012). The bankers are now asking the company to reduce the

Collision Avoidance Essay Example for Free

Collision Avoidance Essay The importance of protocols in the communication of data packets over networks cannot be under-emphasized. With the advent of increasingly easier forms of communication and technological revolutions happening by the hour, millions and millions of computers are now communicating over networks with one another. Clearly looking at the past decade’s rates of technological growth, it is no surprise that the breakthrough in communication was the creation of the wireless LAN. Without this single invention, the globe would be at least 30% more wired. In the years to come, this figure could rise and certainly in the long term a solution had to be found to the problems of wired connectivity. Fortunately the solution came even before IP version 6 will be implemented. IP version 6, designed to accommodate more IP addresses than the total number of people on Earth plus their houses plus their dogs and plus a lot of other things. IP version 6 literally gives throwaway IPs and will see millions of computers being added to the global network monthly. There are numerous protocols available for wired and wireless networks. There are trade-offs between speed, packet loss ratios, costs and distances, however, the bottom line is to meet what matters at the end of the day for that particular type of network (Cottingham, 2005). For example, the network at Cambridge may not be concerned with costs but may focus entirely on speeds and a low packet loss ratio. Thus, it may be having a different protocol than the local cafe whose concern may be costs for their own profitability. The aim of this paper is to discuss the differences between two varieties of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) protocol – Collision Avoidance (CA) and Collision Detection (CD). The advantages and disadvantages of each will follow after their differences have been explained. Protocol in Focus: Carrier Sense Multiple Access Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) is a general network data transfer protocol that allows the transfer of packets across a network. Since this is a generic protocol, there are specializations in this protocol which make different types of protocols fitting into wired or wireless networks (Cottingham, 2005). Since CSMA works across the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and is not a deterministic protocol – rather it is a probabilistic protocol – there are various types of CSMA protocols. The more important of those are the CSMA/CA and CSMA/CD protocols which work on wireless and wired networks (Ethernet) respectively. CSMA/CA v. CSMA/CD CSMA/CA: This revolutionary transmission protocol used in wireless networks does not offer the capability of â€Å"detecting† collisions. A wired medium can easily detect a collision; however, this is not the case in a wireless medium. Thus, the modus operandi of this protocol is to keep waiting for random clock cycles and then begin packet transmission. However, if there is a collision, it goes unnoticed at the transmission ends (sender and recipient), and thus a collision results in an erroneous packet with no re-transmission of the lost packet (Korkeakoulu, 2009). CSMA/CD: The simplistic model of operation – which has always been the traditional one – is a continuous cycle of waiting for a free wire or medium, transmission of the data packet, immediate suspension of transmission if there is a collision and re-initiation of the transmission after random clock cycles (Korkeakoulu, 2009). Thus, the basic difference is that CSMA/CA works on wireless networks with no way of detecting collisions in the transmission, while CSMA/CD works on wired networks with collision detection mechanisms and with the possibility of re-transmission of lost packets. Advantages and Disadvantages Obviously, there are trade-offs associated with both CSMA/CA and CSMA/CD protocols. CSMA/CA allows wireless networks and communication possible and if not for this type of MAC protocol, the entire wireless LAN communication systems in the world would be impossible. At the same time, CSMA/CD offers exceptionally low packet loss ratios providing the highest guarantees of secure and accurate communication. The issues of data security are known to exist in CSMA/CA protocols since the absence of a â€Å"wired† medium allows free access to the packets by any recipient (Cottingham, 2005). However, encryption and CSMA/CA security algorithms have reduced risks to lesser odds but still not up to the mark of CSMA/CD. There is an additional delay caused in packet transfers in the CSMA/CA protocol since it is a probabilistic model which will wait a random time before it will transmit a packet. However, the delay in the CSMA/CD mode is perhaps, on average, greater than the delay in CSMA/CA protocol. This is due to the fact that in a CSMA/CA protocol, there is no re-transmission of a lost data packet. Thus, this essentially results in a serial transfer of packets with small random wait times. Any packets lost result in minute information losses which have been generally tested and found to be suitable even for voice over IP transmissions. However, in the case of CSMA/CD protocol, the re-transmission of the collided packet causes a rather larger delay because the average time to transmit a single packet increases (Korkeakoulu, 2009). Thus, there is a critical trade-off between accuracy in the transfer of packets in the case of CSMA/CD while at the same time a greater speed in the wireless medium can be achieved using the CSMA/CA protocol. It is therefore very much upon the requirements of a network as to which protocol is chosen for communication and data transfer, however, it should be remembered that each type of protocol has a different set of advantages and disadvantages allowing network specialists the decision to choose their medium to be followed in a network setup. References Cottingham, D. (2005). Digital Communication II Explanations. Retrieved March 25, 2009, from University of Cambridge: Computer Laboratory Digital Technology Group: http://www. cl. cam. ac. uk/~dnc25/dciiexplanations. html Korkeakoulu, E. (2009). Wireless Personal, Local, Metropolitan, and Wide Area Networks. Retrieved March 25, 2009, from WLAN Part 2: http://www. comlab. hut. fi/studies/3240/luentokalvot/4_wlan2. pdf

An Analysis Of The Freedom Of Expression Politics Essay

An Analysis Of The Freedom Of Expression Politics Essay Ever since the idea of freedom of expression flourished, there has always been that small irritating voice at the back of the governments head, contemplating as to whether or not freedom of expression could one way or another lead to the citizens taking advantage of their democratic rights. To stop such circumstance from happening, governments tend to put limits to the said advantage, the limits usually varying with religious or cultural backgrounds that the government belongs to. So what exactly is freedom of expression? Precisely, the term alone says it all: it is basically having the right to express ones thoughts, whether it is through speech, text or media, without having to worry about the consequences that one would have to face for not putting a boundary on the message being conveyed due to the lack of censorship and restrictions imposed on the state. The intention of freedom of expression is to stir the citizens of a state into comprehending truth on their own, making it an aspect of self realization or human dignity (Freedom of Expression in Canada 1963). This leads to self development, which on some basis would be a beneficial point, if it was not for the risk that self development might also lead to the realization of how corrupt a state may be on some terms, or how much a state lacks a certain foundation. To illustrate this further, it is most always likely that a state which supports freedom of expression to be a democratic state the government of the people, ruled by the people for the citizens make their own decisions, whether political or nonpolitical, through their freedom rights (Ray 2004). However, that does not necessarily mean that any state which claims to be democratic actually supports its citizens when it comes to freedom of expression. A small number of political analysts believe that the main reason that more than plenty of Arab countries do not follow a democratic regime is for the cause that these Arab countries are also at the same time Islamic countries (Otterman 2003). Conversely, an excerpt from the Islamic Quran deems this piece of misleading fact to be false; Islam clearly states that freedom of speech in all cases should be accepted within a society, unless the claims being made are evil, obscene, immoral, or hurtful to others that is if it is not done to serve the cause of justice (Kamali 1997). That being said, it is acceptable to say that there are in fact states in the Middle East which practice a democratic regime, such as Turkey. However, we do have other cases in the Arab world which lack democracy and the comfort of the government allowing its citizens to freely express themselves for other reasons, such as the fear of citizens overthrowing the government. One state which can exemplify this notio n would be Egypt. The Republic of Turkey is one of the very few democratic states in the Middle East which decidedly supports a democratic regime hand in hand with freedom of expression. This piece of information unfortunately goes incorrect. The start of a democratic regime in Turkey was not easy; journalists would try to express their thoughts via newspapers, only to be oppressed by the government by being forced to shut down their newspapers, or being prosecuted or arrested (Obituary: Hrant Dink 2007). Mustafa Kemal Ataturk the father of all Turks then came into the picture; he came into power in the early 1920s, being elected president of The Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He claimed Turkey as a Republic state in October 29th, 1923 before initiating democracy in Turkey a year later; in the years from 1924 up until 1938, he introduced to the state a series of radical reforms in the countrys political, social, and economic life known as the Ataturk Reforms, in attempt to turn Turkey into a westernized, democratic and secular state (Sansal 1996-2010). Throughout these reforms, he succeeded in adopting general European policies, such as accepting new penal codes, and changing the Islamic prayer call and the Quran readings from the regular Arabic to the Turkish language. He even insisted on getting the citizens to dress like the Europeans did, and overall live a basic European lifestyle. The people of Turkey easily succumbed to all the changes that Ataturk developed, devoted to the ideas he proposed, and so they accepted the new implemented courses of action with arms wide open. During his reign in power, Ataturk managed banning the religious brotherhoods; giving civil rights to the women of the country through a new civil code, and also the right to vote and run in parliamentary elections; introducing Secularism into Turkey; banning the public use of the Arabic script; and joining the League of Nations. The changes he implemented upon the country still remain until today and forever on in the hearts of Turkish people, for it was he who had modernized and democratized the nation state. He established elections, which gave the right for the people of Turkey to voice their own opinion as to who they think should be Prime Minister or President of the state (MidEastWeb for Coexistence RA. n.d.). While the public sees Turkey as an all democratic state, on the other hand the citizens in the state are actually in fact being oppressed by the media, not being able to voice their opinions. In the year 2005, Turkey established a new penal code Article 301 which summed up that it is officially illegal for a Turk to insult any sort of Turkishness, whether it is the ethnicity, government institutions, or just general criticism against the government. The penalty for breaking the code would be an imprisonment of a period between six months and three years. This Article caused an up riot, since it got in the way of democracy and freedom of expression; it even disqualified Turkeys request to be a part of the European Union. A number of journalists were prosecuted, some sentenced to imprisonment; such as Hrant Dink, a famous Turkish journalist who was put on a suspended sentence; and Noam Chomsky, who was put on a trial but was soon after cleared of all charges (Armenian Assembly of Ame rica 2009). A second Middle Eastern state that also claims to be democratic, as mentioned above, is Egypt. Yes, elections do take place in Egypt, and, yes, several candidates do step up to have their say. It is a multi-party government, and people are always expressing their love for the country freely, whether it is shown on TV or in the newspapers. All of this is with the exception that the citizens of Egypt are actually living genuinely oppressed lives, and being led on by the government to think that Egypt is a democratic country, when in fact the government plays its way around and acts for itself from behind the scenes (Consolatore 2005). The declaration of the Republic of Egypt was proposed in the year 1953 by Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser had then taken Naguibs position as president, and made several further attempts to transform Egypt from a Dictatorial Republic state to a Democratic Republic one. However, Egypt was at the time a police state, and remained being one up until the 1980s. Under both Nassers and Anwar Sadats, the third president of Egypt, rule, the freedom to express ones thoughts was completely prohibited; such laws concludes that Nassers accomplishments happened to fall short of democracy (Guindy and Shukrallah 2000). Despite Nassers many accomplishments of which he nationalized all industry, banned the Muslim Brotherhood and the communists, and gave women more political rights people argue that he could have still done and sacrificed more for the country. He had the power, and the opportunity to fully democratize Egypt for once and for all, since people were liberal back then, and were more open-minded to freedom (Totten 2005). However, what Nasser did was ban all political parties, eliminating any other competition. Former presidents added on to Nassers mistakes; Sadat, by bringing back the Muslim Brotherhood into the state of Egypt; and Hosni Mubarak, the latest President of Egypt, by oppressing all liberals (Totten 2005). As a result, a great number of people were put on trials due to freedom of expression, from under Gamal Abdel Nassers era, to Anwar Sadats, and up to the present day, Hosni Mubaraks. In an interview done by The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the legal advisor for the syndicate of journalists stated that there have been more than one thousand cases, and the number of trials is about five hundreds (Arabic Network for Human Rights Information 2007). Protests have been held against the government, but journalists and women are attacked by the police, as if doing so would justify all means. Strangely enough, on top of all the oppression and the prosecutions taking place, a number of people in Egypt believe that the lack of freedom of expression is all for the best and not for Islamic reasons! These people believe that if competitions and elections were fair, and that the balloting was not toyed with, then there would be more than a fifty percent chance that the Muslim Brotherhood would get most votes, being the party to take hold of the country. This being done would completely wipe out the idea of Egypt having any freedom whatsoever; by becoming an Islamic state, this means that books would be banned, just so that people would not get any new or crazy ideas; and women would be forced to wear the headscarf (Totten 2005). The other percentage of Egyptians who do not vote for the Muslim Brotherhood are completely against the idea of Egypt becoming an Islamic state, which is why not much is being done to enhance the freedom of expression in Egypt. There is also the idea t hat Egypt has to go through Islamism in order to reach liberalism, just like Afghanistan had done, but the idea is clearly too much of a risk (Totten 2005). If one were to talk about democracy as a whole, regarding Egypts and Turkeys current condition, then it should be obvious that Turkey is much better off on the subject of competition they have between their candidates; the political participation that the citizens of Turkey obtain; the rights, equality and fairness that they are given as a group; and furthermore, the confidence in knowing that the voting procedures and the balloting are to be trusted, instead of being deceitful. A citizen accustomed to Western or European democratic standards might reflect that neither Turkey nor Egypt should be labeled as a democratic state at all in the first place, due to the restrictions imposed on the citizens living there. Still, there are levels to freedom of expression which should be considered before jumping to a conclusion. First, many people confuse freedom of expression with freedom of criticism, or biased unthinking. That sort of operation is often overlooked and mistaken to be legitimate and politically moral. For instance, there was the case in the year 2005 when twelve comical caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed were drawn and published in a Danish newspaper, evidently offending the Muslims and causing an up riot for obvious reasons. This act of freedom of expression was deliberately provocative towards Muslims, winding up in a massive outrage throughout the different Islamic countries, resulting in deaths and destruction (Asser 2010). Many people might argue that there should be no limits to freedom of expression whatsoever. One must agree that each person should not feel permit to free his or her own opinions, but as long as it does not reach the borders of criticism. Limits should be applied in order to protect the rights of others; in the end, it is all also a matter of respecting others. Giving the people the right to freely criticize one another creates a spark of hatred between the community, which could eventually lead to unnecessary rebellion and riot.

Emotional intelligence three schools of thought

Emotional intelligence three schools of thought Emotional intelligence. What is it and what role does it play in work and life effectiveness? Is emotional intelligence just a repackaging of people skills in scientific clothing? Research suggests it is not. Academics and business people alike are intrigued by the possibility that emotional intelligence is a distinctive and measurable form of intelligence that is important to success as a leader. But how important is it to effective leadership? Are there some aspects of emotional intelligence that are more important than others? And, importantly: are there any downsides to having too high an EQ? What is Emotional Intelligence? From the review of the research there is no proper consensus about what actually emotional intelligence constitute.According to the research there are 3 schools of thoughy: 1)First school of thought like Goleman 1998 thinks factors influencing emotions and intelligence as initiative,self confidence and drive for results 2)Second school of thought like Bar-On 1997 view emotional intelligence as a personality dimension, like extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. 3)Third school of thought like Mayor,Dipaolo thinks that emotional intelligence is the set of abilities which constitutes the capacity of the person to understand,reason about and how to use emotions to think and act. All three share a fault in terms of measuring leadership effectiveness. The tests are designed to assess specific aptitudes, traits, abilities, or behaviors thought to relate to emotional intelligence, but without regard as to how those may relate to success in particular situations.This is also the fundamental flaw in how emotional intelligence is being applied to effective leadership: we are beginning with competing constructs of emotional intelligence and attempting to relate them to leadership success, instead of going the other way around. We are, in effect, looking through the wrong end of the telescope at leadership performance. How Effective Leaders Demonstrate Emotional Intelligence At Cambria Consulting, we have taken the approach advocated by McClelland: identify the most effective leaders and study what makes them different from the average. During the past 30 years, we have observed and interviewed over 1000 highly effective senior managers and executives in prominent Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, nonprofits and the military.. Based on this research, we have noted several critical aspects of emotional intelligence that are highly important to leadership effectiveness, as well as others that can actually be dysfunctional. What follows is a brief summary of our conclusions about what works and what doesnt work based on our observations. 1. Effective leaders are aware of their impact on others and use it to their advantage. Efffective leaders in an organization know that their strong personalities ,their position and even their physical presence makes a strong impact on others.they are also sensitive about hoe they come across to others.They form channels to bring about best in others.Such kind of leaders thinks that they are in perfect control over about their own feelings nad how they express them.But at the same time there is a big risk involved with such kind of leaders that these may come across as overbearing.Perfect balance is being created by the effective leaders. 2. Effective leaders have empathy for others; yet can still make tough decisions. Effective leaders often are best from thinking on placing himself in others position.They place themselves in others shoes and are able to think why and how employees react at the time of personal crisis,any changes may it be transformational or transactional,any prganizational events.But it doesnot prevent them to take tough decisions.They make people acknowledge that the decisions really make sense.The risk attached to it is that its easy to over-identify with others or let empathy be confused with sympathy, and not make the tough decisions as needed. 3. Effective leaders are astute judges of people without being judgmental. Effective leaders are able to judge others in terms of strengths and weaknesses and are able to apply and recognize diverse talents of the organization.The risk is that thay may overly critical about what they perceive about others weakenesses nad may make them feel undervalued or disrespective by dimissing the advice of such people. . 4. Effective leaders are passionate about what they do, and show it. Good leaders are passionate, highly optimistic and believe in the inevitability of success. They encourage others to believe that the most challenging goals can be met and the most daunting obstacles overcome. But it doesnt mean that they are always cheerleaders; their passion may be expressed as persistence in pursuing an objective or a relentless focus on a valued principle. However,theres a fine line between being excited about something and letting too much passion close your mind to other possibilities and ignoring realities that others see. 5. Effective leaders balance feeling and logic in making decisions. Effective leaders are in touch with their gut instincts about the right thing to do in the absence of supporting data. They also recognize their internal warning signs that something might not be the right thing to dodespite the seemingly compelling analysis. They understand that logic and facts are not the only things to consider. Nevertheless, they do not just go with their gut without checking out their instincts with others. The drawbacks are the temptation to rely largely on their feelings about things and bet that they are correct without further investigation. They are essentially gambling with the resources of the organization, and can lose big. 6. Effective leaders are excellent communicators. Effective leaders understands that the information should reach to people on time about the business.though they are not good speakers but still they kknow the hot buttons of the organization.They know that timely information always motivates people and make them connected to the organization.The only problem they face is that they get into the trouble of providing too much or too less information to the people connected with the organization.sometimes information not passed with the fear of people being upset from the truth. As in most things, emotional intelligence as a leadership requirement should be kept in perspective. The key to effectiveness is balance: a strong mix of cognitive capacity (logical, conceptual and creative thinking), people skills (interpersonal astuteness, influence skills, and communication skills), and the wisdom borne of experience and having to make unprecedented decisions based on a strong set of personal values and personal integrity. Taken together, this is what makes for effective leadership.

The Health Care System Essay -- essays papers

America has a highly developed health care system, which is available to all people. Although it can be very complex and frustrating at times it has come a long way from the health care organizations of yesterday. Previously most health care facilities were a place where the sick were housed and cared for until death. Physicians rarely practiced in hospitals and only those who were fortunate could afford proper care at home or in private clinics. Today the level of health care has excelled tremendously. Presently the goal of our health care is to have a continuum of care for the patient, one which is integrated on all levels. Many hospitals offer a referral service or discharge plan to patients who are being discharged. Plans for the patient are discussed with a discharge planner. The discharge planner is a person who is trained in assessing what the patient's requirements for health care will be after discharge from the hospital. This enables the patient to continue ! their care at a level which is most appropriate for them. Items reviewed for discharge planning include but are not limited to therapies, medication needs, living arrangements and identification of specific goals. A few of the options that are available for persons being discharged from an acute care hospital can include home health care, assisted living facilities, long term care or hospice Home Health Care According to Growing Old in America (1996), "Home health care is one of the fastest growing segments of the health care industry" (p. 114). Alternatives for home care can meet both the medical and non-medical needs of a patient. These services are provided to patients and their families in their home or place of residence. Home care is a method of delivering nursing care and other therapies as required by the patient's needs. Numerous alternatives are available for persons seeking health care at home. With transportable technologies such as durable medical equipment, oxygen supply and intravenous fluids there are countless possibilities for treatment within the home setting. As stated in The Continuum of Long Term Care "Home health programs range from formal organizations providing skilled nursing care to relatively informal networks that arrange housekeeping for friends" (p. 185). This has allowed for home care to quickly become an e... ...mpanies. The regulating agencies that set the standards for hospices are Medicare, the National Hospice Organization, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) and state hospice agencies. I have found that the medical record content in a hospice program contains an extensive amount of identifying information in regards to the patient and their primary caregiver(s). All aspects of patient care are well documented and assure well-coordinated, continuous care. The medical record acts as a communication tool between the different team members and is used on a continuous basis throughout the patient's care. Conclusion Although there are many options other than those listed for health care after discharge from a hospital, The most important aspect for a person is to be well informed and knowledgeable about the variety of options available. It can be very confusing, especially to an elderly person when talk of finances, regulations and covered and non-covered items are discussed. It is our responsibility as future health care administrators to provide adequate information to the person who is opting for alternatives to health care.

The Arrival of the Bee Box and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner :: English Literature

In The Arrival of the Bee Box and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, compare the ways in which the choice of language, detail and the form, tell us about the feelings of the writer. In both poems, a range of literacy devices are used in order to express the feelings of the writers. Plath's poem is written similarly to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and yet they are different in many ways. Plath wrote her poem in 1962 and Coleridge wrote his poem in the 1700's or early 1800's, and the style of writing differ, as Plath's writing seems to be more emotive, whereas Coleridge's work seems to have a more a gothic theme to it. One of the main literacy devices used in both poems is the extended metaphor. Plath uses the metaphor to show the box as a symbol of her life and how she wants to escape from it, but can't because of the consequences. "The box is locked, it is dangerous." I think she feels trapped within her life and the depression of everything is getting to her. She wants to get out and experience other things, but feels that she has created her life and therefore must live with it, "I ordered this, this clean wood box/ I have to live with it overnight" Possibly, this could be related to part of her past, where she tried to commit suicide, in order to end her life, so that she can be free of the box. In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, there are many metaphors within it. As the boat travelled on its course, it came across some ice and it got stuck there. At that time the Mariner didn't know what to do. Then an Albatross came to the rescue and it cracked the ice so the mariner was able to carry on his journey, "at length did across an Albatross/thorough the fog it came; / As if it had been a Christen soul, / We hailed it in God's name. / It ate the food it ne'er had eat. / And round and round it flew./ The ice did split with a thunder fit;/ The helmsman steered us through!" I think the ice was a symbol for the limitations in life, and the barriers Coleridge has come across in life and he over come them. Also, maybe the ice was a symbol of the dangers that come with life, and once they are dealt with, you can move along safely. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is written in loose, short ballad stanzas usually either four or six lines long but, occasionally, as

Defining Moments in Canada Essay

Defining Moments in Canadian History During the 20th century, there were many events and situations that helped define the country of Canada. There were positive moments, but also a good amount of negative ones. Of course, the successful events kept Canadians in a positive light, but the negative situations helped Canada learn from its mistakes and went to prove how strong and brave its citizens were/are. The three most defining moments would have to be the Dieppe Raid, the Invasion of Normandy, and the Battle of Vimy Ridge. These three events not only assisted the country to become what it has today, but has also defined what the nation has become. The first defining moment of the 20th century was the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This particular battle was a military engagement located in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France during World War I. The main fighters were Canadian Corps against the German army. The battle took place from April 9 to 12, 1917. This was the beginning stage for the Battle of Arras, led by the British. â€Å"The Canadian Corps was ordered to seize Vimy Ridge in April 1917. Situated in northern France, the heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge held a commanding view over the Allied lines. The Canadians would be assaulting over an open graveyard since previous French attacks had failed with over 100,000 casualties. â€Å"(Cook) Main objectives were to take control over German-held high ground along an extensive escarpment. Doing so would allow the southern flank to advance without having to be heavily worried about enemy fire. With support from a nearby barrage, Canadians were able to capture most of the ridge within the first day of attack. The town of Thelus fell the second day, as did the crest of the ridge. The final objective was to capture another ridge located outside the town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, which fell to the Canadian Corps on April 12. After that incident, the German forces had no choice but to retreat. This quick battle was successful due to a mix of tactical and technical innovation, powerful artillery support, extensive training, and thought-out planning. This event is a defining moment for Canada because it was the first time that all four sectors of the Canadian Expeditionary Force participated in a battle as a whole, therefore becoming a Canadian Nationalistic symbol of sacrifice and great achievement. â€Å"The Canadian success at Vimy demonstrated that no position was invulnerable to a meticulously planned and conducted assault. This success had a profound effect on Allied planning. Though the victory at Vimy came swiftly, it did not come without cost. There were 3,598 dead out of 10,602 Canadian casualties. After Vimy, the Canadian Corps went from one success to another, to be crowned by their achievements in the 1918 â€Å"advance to victory†. This record won for Canada a separate signature on the Versailles Peace Treaty ending the War.†(Battle of Vimy Ridge) The second definitive moment of the 20th century was the Dieppe Raid. This event was a World War II attack on the German occupied port of Dieppe on August 19,1942. The raid took place on the northern coast of France, and began around 5 am. Allied commanders were forced to call a retreat, a mere 6 hours later. Objectives included seizing and holding a major port to prove that it was possible and also to gather information. Allies also planned on destroying coastal defences, port structures, and all strategic buildings. The allied countries knew that they would eventually have to attack, so they figured they needed the practice. Another goal was to take some of Hitler’s attention off of trying to invade Russia. The plan was to use 5000 Canadians and have a 1-day attack and retreat on the Nazi-held coastal town of Dieppe. The plan was also to be secretive and attack at dark. None of these objectives were met. â€Å"The Soviet Union was pressuring the Allies to open a second front in Western Europe. The Allies, however, needed to build up their military resources before undertaking a full campaign. They felt that a large raid on the coast of France could force the Germans to divert more of their military resources away from the Soviet Union and also help in the planning for the full-scale assault to come. â€Å"(Canada Remembers) The first mistake was that they reached Dieppe in broad daylight, making this â€Å"surprise attack† not very surprising. Also, the Dieppe forces became on high alert at Dieppe because French agents warned them that the British were showing a great deal of interest in the area. When the Allied forces arrived at the port city, its flanking cliffs were well defended. Thesoldiers were met with very heavy machine gun fire from little stations dug into overlooking cliffs. The Allied fire support was not nearly adequate enough and the attackers were basically trapped on the beach by series of obstacles and never-ending German fire. After less than 6 hours, the Allies were forced to surrender and many of the soldiers were stranded on the port, to be k illed or to be taken prisoner by the Germans. The Allied forces were beaten severely, they definitely lost this battle, and they lost it hard. Numerous tactical and technical errors were made, resulting in huge amounts of Canadian deaths. â€Å"The raid was a disaster: More than 900 Canadian soldiers were killed, and thousands more were wounded and taken prisoner. Despite the bloodshed, the raid provided valuable lessons for subsequent Allied amphibious assaults on Africa, Italy and Normandy. â€Å"(Herd) This was, after all, one of the first attempts by the Allies on a German-held port. This was an important, defining moment for Canadians because the lessons learned there became the guidelines of what not to do in regards to future endeavours, and influenced preparations for the highly successful Normandy landings. The last definitive moment of the 20th century was the Invasion of Normandy (D-Day) on June 6, 1944. The Allies attacked the German-held beaches of Normandy, France towards the end of World War II. The landings were done in two phases; the first was an airborne assault landing consisting of 24 000 British, US, and Canadian soldiers shortly after midnight. The second was an amphibious landing around 6:30 am of Allied infantry. This attack was executed by all elements: land, sea, and air. The invasion required transportation of soldiers, and materials from England by aircraft and ships. These particular landings took place on an 20 km stretch of the Normandy coast on 5 seperate beach areas: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The British armies took control over Sword and Gold, US took charge over Utah and Omaha, and Canadian forces stormed Juno. â€Å"On June 6th, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade were tasked with establishing a bridgehead on the beach codenamed â€Å"Juno†. This was an eight-kilometre long stretch of beach bordering Saint-Aubin, Bernieres, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer. Assault troops were then to move towards the Carpiquet airfield, 18 kilometres inland. The 3rd Infantry Division, under Major-General R. F. L. Keller, was under command of the Second British Army. It was flanked on the left by the 3rd British Infantry Division that was to land on Sword beach (Lion-sur-Mer, Langrune-sur-Mer). To the right, the 50th British Division had as its target â€Å"Gold Beach† (La Riviere, Le Hamel, and Arromanches).†(D-Day) Unlike the previous, unsuccessful raid at Dieppe, surprise was achieved at Normandy, thanks to bad weather and a very successful deception plan deployed in the months prior to the attack. The deceptive plan was used to distract Germany’s attention from the possibility of landings in Normandy. Another key success was to convince Adolf Hitler that landings would occur at the Pas-de-Calais. At the same time of the attack, there were also decoy operations taking place. â€Å"Fourteen thousand young Canadians stormed Juno Beach on D-Day. Their courage, determination and self-sacrifice were the immediate reasons for the success in those critical hours. The fighting they endured was fierce and frightening. The price they paid was high – the battles for the beachhead cost 340 Canadian lives and another 574 wounded. â€Å"(Juno Beach) By the end of D-Day, 30 000 Canadians had been successfully landed and all had penetrated further into France than any other Allied force! This was a defining moment for the country of Canada because, after all the previous, unsuccessful missions, they deserved a glorious victory. That is definitely what they got! All their hard work; preparing weapons, planting decoys, and all their extensive planning made this invasion so successful, and all the tedious work paid off. This event is definitive for me because my great-grandfather was involved in this attack, and thankfully returned home from it. There were definitely more than three defining moments for Canada during the 20th century, but the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Dieppe Raid, and the Invasion of Normandy were three of the most significant. These events helped Canada grow as a nation, and made Canadians even more proud of their heritage and their country.

Playing Beatie Bow Essay

Kirk was a happy young girl who was cheery and enthusiastic towards her parents and life, until the day her father went off with another woman leaving her and her mother (Kathy). Lynette wanted nothing to do with her father so she changed her name to try and get everything about him out of her life. After wanting to be named after a witch she changed her name to Abigail, which her grandmother suggested. She went down to the park with her young next door neighbours Natalie and Vincent, finding them playing a game called, ‘Beatie Bow’. After becoming very interested in a little girl that stood there watching them play (Little Furry Girl) she decided to follow her. This was after having a fight with her mother, when she told Abigail that she had been seeing her father again and that he wanted the two of them to move back in with him and live in Norway where his architectural job was located. Abigail did not take this news well – She went for a walk to cool off, when she once again saw the little furry girl and following her found that she had followed her back into her own time of 1873. She got tripped over by the Little Furry Girl’s father, then found herself at their house. Further into the novel the character Granny (Alice Tallisker) told Abigail that she was ‘the stranger’ and had ‘the gift’. ‘The gift’ came from the crochet on the top of her dress which enabled her to travel and heal. Later in the book it mentions that the crochet was made by Granny. She falls in love with Judah, who was betrothed to Dovey, and realised firsthand what it’s like to love somebody but no be able to have them. This helped Abigail realise that she should not be selfish towards her parents and should let them have a second chance of a decent life and marriage. During the time that she was in the past Abigail matured by being influenced by the people that surrounded her, the world in which she lived and the events which occurred there.