Speech Conversion Using Neural Networks - 1063 Words

CS 549 TOPICS IN ARITIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TEXT TO SPEECH CONVERSION USING NEURAL NETWORKS Project Report Firstly, Artificial Intelligence was used in 1956, at the Dartmouth conference and from then it is expanded because of various proposed theories and many new principles developed by its researchers. It is an area of computer science that focusses on creating machines that can engage on behaviors of humans, solve the computational models for complex problems. Here Neural Networks are a computational approach to AI, which is based on the great collection of Neural Units, which models a Human brain as connected large number of neurons. These neurons are connected to each other to process the information as of the human brain. Artificial neural network (ANN) learn by testing and training data. The Artificial Intelligence in brief can be defined as the study and design of intelligent agents. Text to Speech Conversion using Neural networks: In this project, we are developing Natural Language Processing (NLP), which is related to processing human language by computer. The base paper for the implementation of our project is â€Å"Natural Language processing techniques in Text-To-Speech synthesis and Automatic Speech Recognition† Here the base paper we referred depicts usage of natural language processing techniques which includes the production of audio from the input text i.e., text to speech synthesis and the inverse process i.e., automatic speech recognition. From this paper weShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Speech : Automatic Speech Recognition1610 Words   |  7 PagesAutomatic speech recognition is a tool that allows computers to translate spoken language into written text. This technology can assist users in interpreting and using audio information for applications such as transcribing interviews, human-computer interactions, and many more. Speech recognition is an application the Ministry of Justice has expressed great interest in. They wish to automate the conversion of voice recordings of inmate phone conversations to text, which can then be analyzed forRead MoreLocation Based Sentiment Analysis Of Twitter Data: A Literature2234 Words   |  9 Pagesoptimization processes. Social media plays an import ant role in taking decisions about any products based on the reviews provided by the user. It accurately tells about the exact opinion of the user regarding the product. Twitter is one of the famous social network which is used by most the online user. The account holders are allowed to post their opinions in the form of tweets. In the previous approaches, the product reviews alone considered. In the proposed system, tweets of the products are analyzed basedRead MoreTeenagers and Short Text Messaging2921 Words   |  12 PagesDESCRIPTION TravellingWave develops software, using voice recognition technology, for entering text into mobile cellular devices. The technology combines voice recognition with keystrokes or touch gestures, to accelerate text input resulting in an easy to use and expedient interface for text entry called VoicePredict. (TravellingWave, 2010). TravellingWave’s lead programmer served on the Dragon Naturally Speaking team, which was the 1st successful speech recognition software developed for the PC.Read MoreAp Psychology Review Packet12425 Words   |  50 Pagesearned. 6.Acoustic Encoding:  encoding of sound, especially words. 7.Acquisition:  the initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. 8.Action Potential:  a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. 9.Activation Synthesis:  theory that REM sleep triggers neural firing that evokes random images, which our sleep brain weaves into stories. 10.Adaptation Level Phenomenon:  tendency to form judgements relative to a neutral level defined by our priorRead MoreEarly Parkinson s Disease ( Pd ) Through The Characteristics Of Finger Movement During Typing Essay5181 Words   |  21 Pagesbased on just clinical and observational criteria. 2.2.1 Issues with diagnosing PD Many of the symptoms of PD are imprecise and can also be similar to other neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative disease symptoms. Evaluation is usually performed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) (Goetz, 2003). The UPDRS generates a score from a neurological evaluation performed by a physician and hence it is a subjective measure which lacks objectivity and sensitivity (Frid et al., 2014)Read MoreThe Most Frequent Neurodegenerative Movement Disorder Today Is Parkinson Disease5166 Words   |  21 Pagesrigidity and loss of postural reflexes (Jankovic, 2008). 3.2.1 Issues with diagnosis Many symptoms of PD are imprecise and also common to other diseases, both neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative in nature. Evaluation is usually performed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) (Goetz, 2003). This tool is based on a score derived from the neurological evaluation that is performed by a physician and hence it is a subjective measure which leads to a lack of objectivity andRead MoreElectronics and Communication Engineering (Ece) Syllabus Book R075299 Words   |  22 Pages2007-2008 JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, HYDERABAD B.TECH. ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING I YEAR COURSE STRUCTURE Code Subject English Mathematics - I Mathematical Methods Applied Physics C Programming and Data Structures Network Analysis Electronic Devices and Circuits Engineering Drawing Computer Programming Lab. IT Workshop Electronic Devices and Circuits Lab English Language Communication Skills Lab. Total T 2+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 3+1 2+1 3+1 25 P/D 3 3 3 3 3 15 C 4 6 6 4Read MoreCognitiveradio and Networking Research at Virginia Tech23281 Words   |  94 PagesABSTRACT | More than a dozen Wireless @ Virginia Tech Lastly, we consider the analysis of cognitive systems using game theory and the application of cognitive techniques to problems in dynamic spectrum sharing and control of multipleinput multiple-output radios. KEYWORDS faculty are working to address the broad research agenda of cognitive radio and cognitive networks. Our core research team spans the protocol stack from radio and reconfigurable hardware to communications theory to theRead MoreITIS 2P91 Final Exam3757 Words   |  16 Pagesconsists of SEVENTY multiple choice questions and is worth 70 marks (1 MARK EACH). Answer all questions and record your answers on the scantron sheet provided to you. Section II consists of six questions and is worth 30 marks. Answer all the questions using the space provided in the examination paper. There are 21 pages in this exam. Do not detach any pages of the exam. All pages must be submitted. You are responsible for ensuring that your copy of the paper is complete. Bring any discrepancies to theRead MoreManagement Information Systems22991 Words   |  92 Pagestechnology. C) data and telecommunications technology. D) networking and telecommunications technology. 23) An intranet uses: A) mainframe technology. B) infrared telecommunications systems. C) the telecommunications capacities of fiber optic networks. D) Internet technology within the boundaries of the firm. 24) The first step in the four-step model of business problem solving is: A) agreeing that a problem exists. B) identifying the problem. C) outlining the problem s causes. D) assigning

Adolf Hitler and Max Essay - 1554 Words

THE BOOK THIEF STUDY GUIDE Part 5 The Floating Book (Part 1) 1. Why do you suppose the narrator flashed forward to Rudy Steiner’s death? Do you think this knowledge improves or lessens your appreciation of the book? The flash forward to Rudy’s death improves your appreciation of the book because it makes you wonder why the book was floating in the river. 2. The Gamblers (A Seven-Sided Die) 1. â€Å"Max and Liesel were held together by the quiet gathering of words.† Explain. It symbolizes the bond and connection between Max and Liesel through crosswords. They held many similarities and experiences together. 2. How did Max make time pass as he spent days and weeks in the Huberman’s basement? Filling in†¦show more content†¦The Idiot and the Coat Men 1. Why was Hans Hubermann guilt-ridden? He has given a Jewish man bread. 2. Who have the Coat Men come for? Rudy Part 8 Dominoes and Darkness 1. Why did the â€Å"coat men† visit Alex Steiner’s house? To take rudy The Thought of Rudy Naked 1. Why was Rudy selected for medical examination by the Nazi medical authorities? What was ironic about his selection? They want to take him for training for special Nazi training, maybe training to enter the secret police, due to his excellent grades and athletic ability. This is ironic as Rudy did not want to go and this was all due him being good at something. Punishment 1. Why were the middle-aged Hans Hubermann and Alex Steiner drafted? Germany was desperate and running out of soldiers. The Collector 1. Why do you think the author showed German soldiers such as Hans Hubermann performing civilian tasks instead of being shown on a battlefield? And why did he focus on ordinary German civilians during wartime? So Hans could see what was happening to the rest of Germany because of the war. He focused on ordinary German civilians so the reader could see what was happening and engage with the civilians. The Bread Eaters 1. Why did Liesel and Rudy go to observe the third march of the Jews to Dachau? She hopes to see Max. The Hidden Sketchbook 1. What do you think Maxs book (The Word Shaker) reveal about the power ofShow MoreRelatedMein Kampf : Jewish Virtual Library988 Words   |  4 PagesIn Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote various hate-filled comments such as,â€Å"The personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew†(â€Å"Mein Kampf: Jewish Virtual Library† 7). This is only one of the variou slurs the dictator used in the Mein Kampf. There were many controversial topics in the book, not just the derogation of the Jews. He explains the formation of his views and thoughts along with the construction of the Nazi party. Hitler â€Å"decided the he would rule theRead More Hitler - A Method to His Madness Essay981 Words   |  4 PagesHitler - A Method to His Madness The Holocaust found its origins in Hitlers deep rooted hatred of the Jewish Society. This quote from Hitlers diary is an example of his feelings toward Jews... The Jew has never founded any civilization, though he has destroyed hundreds. He must spread as a disease spreads. Already he has destroyed Russia; now it is the turn of Germany and, with his envious instinct for destruction he seeks to disintegrate the national spirit of the Germans and to polluteRead MoreThe Book Thief By Markus Zusak908 Words   |  4 PagesDeath And His Accordion Throughout The Book Thief, the readers are shown how the characters achieve great things through their will to survive. The readers can see from Liesel, Hans, and Max how this is done. Germany in 1934 was hard to survive due to the bombings and fear. The author, Markus Zusak, writes about the Hubermanns hiding a Jew and how they take care of each other. The theme of reaching great things while surviving becomes very clear through the setting, plot, and characters. In The BookRead MoreHolocaust Sociology Essay1561 Words   |  7 PagesWorld War II. (Holocaust History) Nazi Germany led by Adolf Hitler had targeted every single Jew to be perished. Unfortunately Nazi Germany succeeded to murder two-thirds of the nine million Jews who were stationed in Europe. (Holocaust History) The Holocaust can be viewed at in many sociological perspectives of the sociologists mind. Adolf Hitler used everything in his power to exterminate any non-German ethnic that lived in Germany. (Hitler) Authority played a key point in the Holocaust againstRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Thief 1307 Words   |  6 Pagesenjoy her new life in Molching with her foster family. She makes some new friends, Rudy Steiner and Max Vandenburg. Max Vandenburg is the Jewish man Hans and Rosa are hiding in their basement. Liesel and Rudy are put into the Hitler Youth and Rudy is chosen to be taken to a special Nazi training school. His father will not let him go so the Nazi’s send Rudy’s father off to war instead. Eventually, Max has to leave Molching due to Hans and his actions towards a Jewish man. During all of this, LieselRead MoreAdolf Hitlers Belief Affected the World1513 Words   |  6 PagesHow Adolf Hitler’s Beliefs Affected Many Involved in World War II Adolf Hitler to some people, is considered one of the most infamous political rulers ever. Hitler was a German politician, and leader of the Nazi Party from 1933 to 1945 (Gale). While trying to seize control of Germany, Hitler was able to recruit new members from the German Workers Party and change the name, so that it would be well known in cities such as Munich. Finally in 1920 the name of the group was changed to the more eye-catchingRead MoreThe Capability of Human Strength in Markus Zusak ´s The Book Thief1005 Words   |  5 Pagesgo to obtain it. When Liesel first arrives at the Hubermann’s she feels powerless, she attains power through stealing books and learning how to read. Rudy Steiner also longing for power tries to obtain it through standing out and impressing people. Max Vandenburg, a Jewish fist fighter hiding in the Hubermann’s basement feels weak since he has little control over his life. He gains strength by fighting for his own survival through ima gination and words. Zusak allows readers to relate to the novelRead MoreWas Appeasement Justified842 Words   |  4 PagesChamberlain didn’t like to avoid war at any cost, he soon realized that Germany had been rearming its army for quite a while. Consequently it would be ludicrous to go to war with such a small army, therefore in the mean time it was better to appease Hitler. Britain slowly started to rearm its army, each year investing more. Reasoning for this is that if you spend all your money too soon you may end up with outdated weapons, which are useless against a modern army. Also numerous people feared a secondRead MoreWebers Theory Of Bureaucracy To The Holocaust707 Words   |  3 Pagesorder among people, have such a similar definition to the negative word of totalitarian? Rubenstein focuses on the understanding of bureaucracy and how Nazi Germany under the ruling of Adolf Hitler made use of its powers and used it as a weapon to massacre millions of Jews. According to the Bureaucratic Theory of Max Weber, â€Å"three types of power can be found in an organization; traditional power, charismatic power and legal power† and â€Å"six management principles, task specialization, hierarchical authorityRead MoreCharisma and Political Communication Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesIf I said that Hitler, Obama and Jesus have one thing in common, would you believe me ? Indeed, all these people mentioned have this super ability to move masses wherever they have been thanks to their charisma. Actually there was no concrete agreed on by all definition of charisma. These term has a Greek origin...... Which means grace and special gifts. In ancient Greece, the charits where goddess who had charm, beauty, loveliness and could easily captivate the attention of any given group. These

Exhibit Bronze Statue Entitled Women Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Exhibit Bronze Statue Entitled Women. Answer: Exhibit: Bronze Statue entitled Women Are Persons! This exhibit explores Albertas Famous Five, petitioners in one of Canadas most famous case entitled Persons Case. It was in 1927 when the case was tabled before Canadas Supreme Court followed by a decision in the Judicial Council of Britains Privy Council (Canadas highest ranking court at the moment) in 1929. Essentially, the five women had been involved in vigorous campaigns aimed at advocating for womens rights and they enjoyed both an international and national reputation. Why I Choose the Topic For too long, the literature on Canadian history has focused more on the great men of Canada while seemingly excluding the women. Notably, the women of Canada, as in the case of the Famous Five, impacted the history of Canada in one way or another. Though it was not easy, women successfully filled the new roles created by wartime demands, while maintaining the roles of traditional females. Hence, there is need to grant the women their worthy recognition. Inclusions to the Exhibit The message, as encoded by the exhibit, will be explained to the audience through the use of a small booklet. The booklet will be placed just above the exhibit so that the people who come along will just have to flip through the pages to get the deeper meaning of the portrait. Medium to be used The exhibition will be presented in form of an essay through MS Word. Sources to be used The sources used for this work are scholarly sources, also known as academic sources. They will include books, published expert reports, newspapers, videos, websites, and journal articles as outlined in the reference section below. References Dunstan, A. (2014). Nineteenth-Century Sculpture and the Imprint of Authenticity. 19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century. Elgersman, M. G. (2014). Unyielding spirits: Black women and slavery in early Canada and Jamaica. Routledge. Epp, M., Iacovetta, F. (Eds.). (2016). Sisters or strangers?: immigrant, ethnic, and racialized women in Canadian history(Vol. 44). University of Toronto Press. Explore the statues, monuments, and memorials of the Hill Canada's Parliamentary Precinct - PWGSC. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/decouvrez-discover/statues-eng.html Famous Five - The Canadian Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/famous-5/ Fildes, V., Marks, L., Marland, H. (Eds.). (2013). Women and Children First (Routledge Revivals): International Maternal and Infant Welfare, 1870-1945. Routledge. Innis, H. A. (2017). Essays in Canadian economic history. University of Toronto Press. Kaufman, B. E., Taras, D. G. (2016). Nonunion employee representation: history, contemporary practice, and policy. Routledge. Krller, E. M. (Ed.). (2017). The Cambridge companion to Canadian literature. Cambridge University Press. Lloyd, D. W. (2014). Battlefield Tourism: Pilgrimage and the commemoration of the Great War in Britain, Australia and Canada, 1919-1939. AC Black. McPhedran, S., Mauser, G. (2013). Lethal firearm-related violence against Canadian women: Did tightening gun laws have an impact on womens health and safety. Violence and victims, 28(5), 875-883. Rutherdale, M. (2014). Women and the White Man's God: Gender and Race in the Canadian Mission Field. UBC Press. Rutherdale, M., Pickles, K. (Eds.). (2014). Contact Zones: Aboriginal and settler women in Canada's colonial past. UBC Press. Statues of Famous Five entitled Women are person grounds of the Parliament Hill City of Ottawa - Photo Travel Idea Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.canada-photos.com/picture/statues-of-famous-five-entitled-women-are-persons-grounds-of-parliament-hill-city-of-ottawa-6339.htm Stevens, Q., Franck, K. A. (2015). Memorials as Spaces of Engagement: Design, Use, and Meaning. Routledge. To some, it's the Infamous Five - The Globe and Mail. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/to-some-its-the-infamous-five/article746377/

Smoke signals Essay Example For Students

Smoke signals Essay The job was fulfilling, and we were euphoric at being able to brighten up someones day. Unfortunately, I had to move on and begin a new life thousands of miles away. I felt like a traitor who had temporarily empowered these young children to forget their worries only to desert them when they felt that someone finally cared for them. At that moment, the conviction that laugher could not be the miraculous remedy I had always assumed it to be was so overwhelming that it forced me to choke back on my own tears. Then little Joey walked up to me, gave me a runny kiss and a tight hug, and vehemently protested: Why are you sad? We know that you will always be our smiling friend who said that we should laugh unhappiness away. We are happy, but why are you sad? At that poignant moment, an innocent victim believed that laughter can save the world and it was beyond my prowess to challenge his conviction. Joey reminded me of one of lifes most important lessons-the lesson that laughter is the greatest medicine, a medicine that often when coupled with the spice of sarcasm can leave a bitter taste in your opponents mouth. I laugh at myself and the world laughs with me. Just because one person does not consider me good enough company does not mean that everyone else will follow their path. As a member of society, I am entitled to my views and so is everyone else. Having learned to live with this universal truth, and with the realization that a smile a day can keep bitterness away, I can enjoy the little things in life, and laugh the injustices away. Laughing my heart away has awakened me to the realization that hypocrites try to deny the existence of worldly vices but the only effect this has on their lives is that it starves them of the chance to appreciate the relief humor evokes. More importantly, learning to laugh taught me that You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view (Lee 273). Laugher enables us to see things as being three-dimensional and not simply the products of our prejudices. When people see me laughing at my own imperfections, they often question my mental hygiene and wonder aloud whether I can be so blunt as to unabashedly acknowledge these imperfections or whether this is a mask of sarcasm and double standards. I believe that failing to appreciate the humor in their lives forces hypocrites to see the world behind disfigured masks. Not surprisingly, this belief and the conviction that laugher shatters the strongest and most elaborate of masks make an honest face more appealing to me. I do not want to be deceived by appearance, so it is only just that I do not try to deceive others. As Sara Jeanette Duncan once said, One loses many laughs by not laughing at oneself, (www. google. com) an observation that makes me all the more convinced that by foregoing the mask of self-deception and mocking my own blemishes, I am one step closer to being a productive member of the body, society, that Priestly so vehemently praised. Smiling employs more facial muscles than frowning; a scientific fact that has persuaded me that laughing is not as unsophisticated and effortless as it appears both literally and metaphorically. Since laughing burns more calories than puckering our brows at lifes blemishes, wouldnt it be less grueling to burn off the freshman fifteen by laughing our hearts away, rather than by collapsing in stifling gymnasiums? Gore Vidals observation that laughing at someone else is an excellent way of learning how to laugh at oneself (www. .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff , .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .postImageUrl , .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff , .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:hover , .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:visited , .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:active { border:0!important; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:active , .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud5d088c8097961e2afcaadb2cc3ebaff:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Lady Macbeth in Act 2, Scene 2 Essaygoogle. com) is a conviction that often influences the choices I make. Thus, all that I need to remind those who reject this power is that questioning what seem to be the absurd beliefs of another group is a good way of recognizing the potential absurdity of many of ones own cherished beliefs (www. google. com). Moreover, exhausting their desire to laugh at others will inevitably force them to laugh at themselves. Just the way I do.

Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis Essay Example

Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis Essay NO SUGAR (JACK DAVIS) Jack Davis’ â€Å"No Sugar†, written in 1985, is a play that highlights Australian racism and cultural destruction caused by British colonialism. It is set in 1929 (Great Depression) in Northam, Western Australia. The play explores the impacts of the European social and political philosophy of the early 20th century on Aboriginal society. The focal points of this play are the superiority of white people, racism, and the bond between Aboriginal families. These themes highlight Australian culture, and have shaped it into its many different forms for all Australian’s today. Jack Davis has used dialogue between the characters in this extract to privilege a postcolonial reading of the text. Davis uses dialogue in order to construct a world in which the aboriginal people can be identified to the audience as an ill-treated, oppressed race. Davis uses dialogue to represent how the colonized react to the social situations in which they were subjugated to, on a regular basis in the early times of colonization. â€Å"CISSIE: Aw mum, Old Tony the ding always sells us little shriveled ones and them wetjala kids big fat one. Through this dialogue the audience identifies that society at the time did not allow the colonized to be classed as the same standard as the colonizer. Davis lends this text to a postcolonial reading through the use of characterization. The use of characterization in the play reinforces the idea that the characters amplify a sort of submission to English culture displays to the audience the effect of colonization. Although the characters reta in many of their aboriginal attributes, such as living off the land â€Å"Come on, let’s get these rabbits. They have allowed themselves and their culture to be colonized by accepting many of the British attributes such as playing cricket â€Å"DAVID and CISSIE play cricket with a home-made bat and ball. † The aboriginal people have allowed themselves to colonized acquiring British aspects, which coincide with their aboriginal heritage. Through this extract the characters also begin to read the paper, the combination of the children playing cricket and the elder reading the paper appears from an outside point perspective a very British activity. Looking at the context, which surrounds the writing of the play, can also support a postcolonial reading. We will write a custom essay sample on Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another device used by Davis is stage directions principally used to invoke or create a rising dramatic tension, an example of this is â€Å"He nicks his finger with the axe and watches the blood drip to the ground. † This is symbolic of the Aboriginals manifesting frustration; they are inflicting pain on themselves because they know it isn’t possible to inflict pain on their conquerors. Jimmy’s character represents the rebellion of any marginalized race; he pushes the boundaries as far as he can. The fact that Aboriginals are â€Å"dancing† for the white Australians shows their power. This dancing is a form of service provided by the Aboriginals, they are expressing their culture but to the people who have destroyed it. It could almost be read as a child trying to get an adults attention by jumping around and holding out what they want. To Jimmy these dancing Aboriginals are jumping around and showing the White Australians that they want their culture back. This reach out to white settlers shows how much more dominate they are and their culture is. Through the use of dramatic conventions Jack Davis’ play No Sugar can be read as a postcolonial criticism. It presents a number of issues with colonization and the particular effects it had on the Australian Aboriginal people. First performed in 1985, the play deals with the struggles of the aboriginal people and oppression in which they endured by white Australian society. The play was set in 1929, a time when aboriginal people were not yet accepted as equals in society. The main ideas presented in the play are shown through the dialogue, characters and context. This extract uses techniques to set the basis for the idea’s that will be expressed throughout the entire play.

Exploration and History of Banned Books

Exploration and History of Banned Books A banned book is one that has been removed from the shelves of a library, bookstore, or  classroom because of its controversial content. In some cases, banned books of the past have been burned and/or refused publication. Possession of banned books has at times been regarded as an act of treason or heresy, which was punishable by death, torture, prison time, or other acts of retribution. A book may be challenged or banned on political, religious, sexual, or social grounds. We take the acts of banning or challenging a book as a serious matter because these are forms of censorshipstriking at the very core of our freedom to read. The History of Banned Books A book may be considered a banned book if the work has been banned in the past. We still discuss these books and the censorship surrounding them not only because it gives us insight into the time in which the book was banned, but it also gives us some perspective on books that are banned and challenged today.Many of the books that we consider rather tame today were once hotly debated works of literature. Then, of course, books that were once popular bestsellers are sometimes challenged or banned in classrooms or libraries because the cultural viewpoint and/or language that was accepted at the time of the books publication is no longer deemed appropriate to read. Time has a way of changing our perspective on literature. Why Discuss Banned Books? Of course, just because a book has been banned or challenged in some parts of the United States doesnt mean it has happened where you live. You may be one of the fortunate few who have never experienced banning. Thats why its so important for us to discuss the reality of banned books.Its important to know about the cases that are happening in other parts of the United States, and its important to be aware of the cases of book banning and censorship that are taking place around the world. Amnesty International directs attention to just a few writers from China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, and Saudi Arabia, who have been persecuted for their writings.

Monetary policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Monetary policy - Assignment Example The implications of bank lending involve a situation whereby many bank borrowers do not have close substitutes for bank funding. This force the banks undergo challenges especially when they are monitoring their borrowers. Individuals also rely on the banks for credit and many small firms do not access to the capital. Another implication is that contractionary monetary policy reduces the quantity of reserves and deposits in the banking systems (Hammonds, 2006). In addition, banks mend their balance statement by reducing loans and securities holdings therefore, changes in bank lending has got resultant effects on investment spending small firms and debt financed spending. Consequently, the bank lending channel of monetary policy operates in a manner that if the monetary policy contracts, banks cost of refinancing increases hence lending rates also rises. High rates of interest aggravate problems of moral hazard and adverse selection. This is shown below by the following graph: In addit ion, banks cannot tell honest and dishonest borrowers apart since the mix of honest and dishonest borrowers rely on the interest rate. Therefore, at high interest rates majorly high risk borrowers come forward. In this case, increasing the loan rate may reduce bank expected profit (Haan & Eijffinger, 2005). ... What are the lessons for monetary policy from the experience of the international financial crisis? Taylor’s rules are those instrumental principles that are used to determine and formulate the right model for monetary policy that measures the output gap and measures the rate of inflation in the economy (Keel, 2012). These rules are used to determine whether the monetary policies used by various countries are tight or loose. If the monetary policies are tight then it means that financial institutions such as banks will not under go a financial crisis while when the policies are loose then they are like to cause a financial crisis. Taylor’s rule of inflation Taylor rule concerning federal funds rate since 1980 to 1992 is precisely matched by this rule: it = r* + ?T + ? (yt-y*) + ?(?t- ? T) Where by r* =equilibrium real interest rate of 2% ?T =target inflation rate of 2% (Yt-Y*)=output gap (?t -?T)=inflation gap The power of the two gaps (? and ?) is about 0.5. This model suggests that the central bank can care about output and inflation or it can use the output gap to forecast the future inflation (Jadhav, 2006). It is therefore, noted that Taylor’s rule can be used to make decisions on various economic conditions such as inflation. This model also determines whether a policy has transformed after targeting inflation or not. Open economy Taylor rules are to respond on the role of international spill over while non-linear rules are used to respond to aspects of inflation or deflation. Empirical evidence of Taylor’s rule Taylor’s principles in United States practice, have been used to inform policy decisions and therefore, not a mechanistic rule.

Fundamentals of Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fundamentals of Communication - Essay Example His self concept is bolstered by the amount of success that he attains over a period of time and by the kind of appreciation that the people hold for him in essence. It makes him realize that he is doing something right and hence should be hailed by all and sundry. There is a dire need on his part that the people around him get his message and thus deliver their appreciation back to him. It would raise the bar that surrounds his environments as well as makes him feel elated on most of the occasions. One of the concepts that come about within this discussion center on the premise of bringing in his self identity in close contact with what he aspires to achieve, backed up with the motivational levels that shall make him feel successful at the end of the day. An individual might showcase a number of self identities and concepts that keep on changing as and when the need so arises. What is really required is a vision to set things right within the personality of the individual under cons ideration and thus find the one (self identity/concept) that closely matches with his profile and then go about doing the basics right towards the people at large and the society without any problems whatsoever. The self concept discussion is observable because many different representations are showcased every now and so often by the individual under consideration. This would mean that he is doing his best to tell everyone what kind of successes lie in store for him if he is being his real self and telling to the world about his strengths without any issues. The need here is to contemplate the fact that the self concept will remain detectable without any problems coming to the fore. It would also mean that he is being true to his own individual personality and not representing someone who he is not. If the same happens, his self concept and self identity domains would lose track and hence a totally new personality would emerge on the horizon.

Early Childhood Learning Through Songs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Early Childhood Learning Through Songs - Essay Example Their understanding grows as they grow because as an infant, they can only learn through senses and as they grow they begin to learn how to reason and think differently. Young children learn better when given examples that relate to them. Age is a determining factor when learning because children understand differently depending on how old they are (MacBlain, 2014). As children grow, they reach an age whereby they have to start attending school and learn more. Most children enjoy learning songs because they are fun and usually easy. A child is more likely to remember something they learned through a song than something they were taught through simple verbal communication. They are moreover more liable to remember something they were taught through a story or a game. This is because, at their young age, they can only reason and think to a certain level (Ostroff, 2012). Children are taught different things at different stages of their academic life. Some of the things they learn as beginners are how to write their names, letters and sounds, shapes, numbers and simple songs. Songs are a good way to learn since most of the children’s songs have simple actions that go with them. Children love singing along to songs and listening or watching kid’s songs. There are different strategies that can be used in helping dual language children learn the name of shapes through songs (Priddy, 2011). One of the strategies is creating a welcoming environment in the classroom and playing area. These may include pictures, posters and books that have children’s languages and cultures. The second strategy may be inquiring from the child’s family about their interests in order to incorporate them into the learning. The third strategy is providing opportunities for the children to share stories and information in English.

Importance of Organizational Behaviour on Teamwork

Importance of Organizational Behaviour on Teamwork According to Keith Davis organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people act within organizations. It is human tool for the human benefit. It applies broadly to behavior of people in all type of organization such as business, government, schools, etc. it helps people, structure, technology, and the external environment blend together in to an effective operative system. Fred Luthans defines organizational behavior as understanding, predicting and controlling human behavior at work. [http://www.mbatown.com] Stephen Robins defines organizational behavior as a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have an organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge improving an organizations effectiveness. According to Stephen Robbins, four elements make up the Organizational Behavior life cycle. They are Leadership, Employees of the Company, Organization Behavior Guidelines and time frame, Organizational Framework. Organizational Behavior is an important aspect to maintain interaction levels amongst employees in the company and also to enhance healthy relationships between them. Other attributes like leadership qualities of the employees, openness to discuss problems between the top level and ground level employees, challenge-initiative are all embedded in to this basic concept of Organizational Behavior to help the business in achieving its strategic and sometimes its business objectives. What Case Study Says The General Electric(GE), the conglomeratecorporation incorporated in the State of New York, USA, is famous for its organizational culture. In GE, the management philosophy followed by the management is to Encourage employees to share their views in a collaborative culture, Vest greater responsibility, power, and accountability with front-line employees, Eliminate wasteful, irrational, and repetitive steps in the work process (which would come to light through employee feedback), Dismantle the boundaries that prevent thecross-pollination of ideasand efforts and they consider customers and community as the emperor. They gave former importance to team job and gave respect to each other. All these optimistic aspects helped the company to get strong faithfulness of millions of employees during the long 120 years since the Company was founded by Thomas Edison. Jeffrey Immelt managed the whole company in a well-known style that has been very legendary till now. In 2000 to till now, when GE passed away correspondingly, along with the obituary wordings it was noted by writers, that the founders legacy was not the reason for the huge growth of GE-but it was the one and only GE Way. But after the merger of GE with ITT Corporation,Ling-Temco-Vought,Tenneco, the things misrepresented upside down. Former GE people like former dissection heads, managers, engineers, and all the employees says about the GE Way as something special. General Electric usually visited the corporation halls, interrelate with community and staff about their projects, their troubles etc. They keep in mind that at time everybody valued everybody else. The actual issues started when John Francis Welch Jr, was hired from outside as GEs Chairman and CEO. He stuck hard to the productivity of the company. A background of fear started among the staffs which never be real before. The main complaints against him were valuing money more than people, maltreatment lay-offs and creating a culture which is inequitable to the staffs. His intentions didnt match with GEs visions. They saw revenue only as a bludgeon to achieve other objectives which are given equal value. The other objectives include welfare of the employees, customers etc. The above case was all about GE Way. It is a across the world held opinion that GE Way played a critical role in Companys achievement. Critics may say that to support an excellent corporate civilization, the company should be at its superior times. But people of GE who have experienced GE Way will never agree this because GEs most struggling times were also the times when GE Way was established at its best. [http://www.paloaltoonline.com] 1) The contribution, motivation, rewards and roles of individuals within these groups and teams According to Stephen P. Robbins, motivation is the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned by the efforts ability to satisfy some individual need. Fred Luthans views motivation as a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behavior or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive. Each and every function of life is accompanied with one or other type of motivation. There are two main kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Internal motivation is known as intrinsic motivation. When external factors compel the person to do something, then it is extrinsic motivation. [http://www.elmotivator.com/] [http://www.mbatown.com] Elton Mayo has the opinion that a employee having societal links at the place of work will be motivated more. Mayo believed that employees can also be motivated by acknowledging their social needs and making them feel important among others. This is what is done by General Electric in the case of GE Way. The employees who have skilled the actual GE Way says that everyone is valued by everybody else which means all the employees are given significance and also the opportunity to articulate their thoughts and views. Employees were given liberty to make decisions on the work and superior concentration was paid to relaxed work groups. This model is named as Hawthorne effect by Elton Mayo. [http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles] [http://ezinearticles.com/] In the case study, General Electric were very victorious in inspiring their employees by simply being down to earth. They never forget to visit their employees, to interact with them and to know their troubles and also to find answers. From all these illustration we can say motivation is what propels life. In everything we do motivation plays a major role. To care about output, learning, means, employment, achievement, victory, breakdown, etc motivation should be there An example for motivation, in management and organizational behavior: Example: Under-performing of employees which resulted in performance outcome A unexpected collapse in the profits was experienced by Company A. The companys management executive found out that this returns fall is as a result of under-performing of their employees. The performance of the employees was extremely much under the expectations of the management. This resulted in a rapid action from the companys part by firing about 6 employees and a new batch of people was hired. The company unsuccessful to understand in an earlier stage that the managers incapability was the basis cause of under-performance of the employees. The manager unsuccessful to provide them safer working conditions and this de-motivated the employees which resulted in decrease of productivity. This incident really opened their eyes which made them to execute strategies which help the company as well as employees to come from Under performance era. [http://www.org-behavior.com] The motivation process is demonstrated through several theories. They are as follows: Need-based theories: Need based theories include Maslows need hierarchy, McGregors Theory X and Theory, Herzbergs two-factor theory, Alderfers ERG theory and McClellands need theory Process based theories include Expectancy theory, Goal-setting theory, Reinforcement theory, Attribution theory Individual-organizational goal-congruence theories consists of Exchange, Accommodation, Socialization, Identification Maslows Need Hierarchy is all about a hierarchy of five basic needs which includes Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, shelter etc. Safety needs: security and protection from physical and emotional harm, Social needs: affection, belongingness, love, acceptance, and friendship, Esteem needs: internal esteem and external esteem, Needs for self-actualization: the drive to best realize ones potential. Alderfers ERG theory talks about three types of needs-Existence needs consisting of physiological and safety needs, Relatedness needs including the desire for maintaining important interpersonal relationships: social needs, and the external components of the esteem needs and Growth needs: an intrinsic desire for personal development: the intrinsic component of esteem, and self-actualization. McGregors theory X and theory Y Theory X has the assumption that employees dont like work, and they are lazy, not willing to take responsibility, and not motivated. Theory Y has the assumptions that employees like work, are creative, responsibilities seekers, and are self motivated. Herbergs two-factor theory talks about two contrasting views of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and it also talks about two factors-motivational factors and hygiene factors. McClellands Need Theory deals with the need for achievement. In other words it talks about a drive to excel, to set a higher goal, to seek higher responsibility, and to strive to succeed. All these theories more or less deals with what all factors create motivation in people and also the influence of motivation in an business. In the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC (GE), earlier the company was very good in mounting employee morale and thereby improving the efficiency of the operations of the company. But after the merger, the things totally fell upside down. The new top level authorities intense only on the profitability and not on the employee morale. This paved the way for dissatisfaction in employees which negatively affected the productivity of the company. Reward system consists of financial rewards and employee benefits, which is collectively known as total remuneration. They also include non-monetary rewards such as appreciation, promotion, praise, achievement, responsibility and personal growth. Recent studies and researches on reward system shows that reward criteria of the organizations, both monetary and non-monetary rewards have great influence on the employees and performance and the performance of the employees. As an answer to the question, why reward system is required, we can find out a number of reasons like it can improve organizational effectiveness, it is capable of achieving integration, motivate the employees, compete in the labor market, increased commitment towards work, it can attract employees having fair and improved skills, improved quality, develop team working. Singh et.al. (1977) in a study of organizational culture and its impact onmanagerial remuneration concluded that the demands for money was significantly influenced by the quality of organizational culture and that it can substantially be reduced by improving the quality of organizational culture. Findings such as those suggest that satisfaction, task involvement, demand for money and commitment are largely determined by organizational culture. Steve Williams and Fred Luthans (1992) stated that, the choice of reward interacting with feedback had a positive impact on task performance. According to Theodore R. Buyniski (1995),Despite the tendency in recent years to down grade the importance of money as an organizational reward, there is ample evidence that money can be positively reinforcing for most people. Teams are also important in an organizational context because it bring together people with different skills and experiences that enable the organization to quickly respond to innovation, changes in the business environment, and changes in the customers need faster and more effectively. Teams also solve problems quicker because of increased communication (Katzenbach Smith, 1999). The positions that are defined by a set of expectations about behavior of any job incumbent are termed as Roles. A set of tasks and responsibilities that may or may not be spelled out is accompanied with each and every role. Since money is being paid for the performance of the roles, there is prestige attached to a role, and a sense of accomplishment or challenge, roles have a powerful effect on behavior. In the context of the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), even though reward plays a vital role, the morale of the employees was more affected by changes in the psychological environment of the organization and also sudden change in the culture of the organization. As they were practicing a different culture of informality, they find it difficult to a survive the new environment which is so formal and which gave no importance to their opinions. When an organization gives importance to the views and opinions of employees, they feel it better to work in such conditions because it is human nature to wish to be recognized. Better performance will be the result if the individuals are given some roles to perform. [http://www.indianmba.com] [Steve Williams Fred Luthans (1992), The Impact of Choice of Rewards and Feed Back on Task Performance, Journal Of organizational Behavior. Vol. 13, P: 653-666] [Katzenbach, J.R. Smith, D.K. (1999). The Wisdom Of Teams. New York: HarperBusinees] [http://www.nwlink.com] (b) Management and leadership relating to both groups and teams Alan Keith stated that, Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. Tom DeMarco says that leadership needs to be distinguished from posturing. Northouse says that leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Mary Parker Follett defined management as the art of getting things done through people. Setting a new direction or vision for a group to accomplish the objectives of that group is known as leadership. But management is the controlling body or directing body of people and resources available in a group according to already established values. Even the terms management and leadership are often confused, they are actually different, but interrelated. The GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) Way dealt with the legendary management style of two leaders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard who through their leadership skills and qualities, developed the organization as a single f amily giving respect to each other. It is evident from the growth of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) that they were very successful in managing the people. Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus (1997) said leadership is like the Abominable Snowman, whose footprints are everywhere but who is nowhere to be seen. Leadership is everywhere but no one seems to be able to determine or figure out what makes up good leadership. It has been discussed by Bass in his book a study by H.L. Smith and Krueger (1933) in which they researched various primitive cultures around the world and finally reached a conclusion that leadership exists among all people, regardless of their culture, race or beliefs. Even though if societies do not have established or elected leaders, chiefs, or rulers, someone always exists who initiates a process and plays a critical role in the decision making process of a group (Bass, 1990). Hewlett and Packard found out that leadership qualities are lying hidden in each and every individual and thus they developed a culture of respecting each other developing a sense of integrity in the organization. According to Hollander, leadership is a process that involves three main components. One is the leader, the second is the employees, and the third is the culture of the organization. If the relationship between these three components is not compatible then in a long term perspective leadership will fail and so will the team. The first component of leadership is the leader. A leader must possess certain beliefs, perceptions, characteristics, and skills for good leadership to occur in teams. A leader must hold the Wallenda factor closely. The Wallenda factor is the ability to only think about succeeding, and concentrating on the task at hand and not even thinking about failing. The Wallenda factor was named after a famous tightrope walker Karl Wallenda who fell to his death. Karl Wallenda was preparing for his most challenging stunt of his life. But what he could think for 3 months before stunt was about failing, instead of working hard for the stunt. Checking and supervising the const ruction of his rope, he has never done it before and due to the thoughts of failing he checked it for the first time. (Bennis Nanus, 1997). The willingness to share power and control with the team should be a quality of the leader. Acting like a traditional boss is not good for a leader; he should be like a player or coach to the team. As already seen in the case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), leaders must be there for support and encourage employees to solve problems on their own. Hewlett and Packard were typical leaders in the sense that they regularly visited company halls to interact with people and to solve their problems. GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) Way, as the employees feel was a life and the leaders were like colleagues not bosses. They treat employees like equals and there were nothing that could be communicated only to managers and not to employees. [http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk] [Bass, M.B. (1990). Bass Stogdills Handbook of Leadership. New York, NY: The Free Press] [Bennis, W. Nanus, B. (1997).Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. New York, NY: HarperCollins] [www.sagepub.com] [Hollander, E.P. (1978). Leadership Dynamics. New York: The Free Press] RESOURCES QUANTITY GOALS OBJECTIVES SCHEDULE QUALITY Boundary Management Chart Harvey Robbins created a chart that helps leaders and the team members to know their boundaries specifically. This chart is having goals and objectives in the middle box, resources in the box above it and quality in the box below it. The quantity box is to the left of goals and objectives and to the right is the schedule box. When a team member becomes more skilled the leader will put his or her name in one of the boxes and then that team member will be responsible for that job. The other boxes deal with being in charge of the quality of the product produced, the quantity of the product produced, and in charge of the resources used to produce the product. Other responsibilities assigned to other employees could be added to the chart if needed. The only box, according to Harvey Robbins, that is not negotiable is the center box: goals and objectives. Leaders are not ready to completely give up control of goals and objectives because they must make sure the team members goals and objectives are matching with the organizations goals and objectives. But the team members will be given the opportunity to involve in decision-making (H. Robbins, personal communication, September 15, 1999) An important element of good leadership is trust. Trust can be earned through many ways. In case of GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE), one way of creating trust was sharing of information and access to upward communication. A second was allowing team members to take risks without fear of punishment. Instead of firing or giving punishments the culture in GENERAL ELECTRIC(GE) was to give reassignments of jobs from which they can learn their mistakes. c) Group structures, goals and objectives. The group structures are important since it plays a vital role in determining the productivity of a group. A group can do better than the collective effect of employees working independently. A successful group leader can lead a group to success. Different organizations structure their groups differently based on their goals and objectives. Groups should not be over crowded with skilled people, at the same time should not lack skills and talents. A group lacking skilled personnel may fail to achieve the said objectives. Goals and objectives provide the team members with the means of doing an act, and the end result will be their successful accomplishment. The groups goals, work plans, procedures, resources etc should be successfully arranged to get good results. When the work is carried out in well managed groups, the groups will enjoy operational and managerial freedom, which can increase their satisfaction towards work. The members of the group should be aware of his/her contribution towards the group and it is being valued, each individual starts viewing the group as an attractive entity. Well managed group structures enable the employees to work in co-operation. The statements that describe about the vision to be accomplished, or the results of any action that will be achieved in the future are known as goals and objectives. Goals provide a wide context of what the vision is and what is it trying to achieve. Objectives are more statements that describe in a narrow context i.e. specific, tangible products, deliverables and fruits that will be delivered as a result of the action. Compared to objectives goals are high level statements. Goals may include more than one objective to achieve since it is at a higher level. To be more precise, achievement of many objectives may result in the accomplishment of a goal. Generally goals cannot be measured. Goals are defined as long-term aims, in which validation is possible in the future while objective accomplishment is a step by step process and can lead to the successful accomplishment of a goal. What the action is trying to achieve is what that matters in objectives. The objectives are concrete statements which should be written at a lower level. Then only it will be possible to evaluate at the conclusion of a goal to check whether it was achieved or not. Compared to goal statements, objectives should not be vague. An excellent objective will be specific, measurable, attainable/achievable, realistic and time-bound. Even though goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, there is a main difference in their level of concreteness. Goals are less structured compared to objectives which are more concrete. In the case study Hewlett and Packard were having clear cut objectives and goals which never hampered the satisfaction of the employees and customers. They considered profitability as a tool to enable other objectives which are equally important to them. But the problems started when the management failed to align the objectives of the organization and the objectives of the employees together. [http://books.google.co.in/books] [www.askscs.com] [www.articlesnatch.com] CONCLUSION Organizational behavior is so important because it studies or investigates about the impact of individuals and groups on behavior within organizations and it is used for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving the effectiveness of the organization. Organizational behavior provides the managers and leaders of the organization, the way through which they should travel and also make their employees travel to achieve organizational goals and objectives. For managers to build up a better work related understanding of themselves and their followers it is important to learn about organizational behavior in todays business environment. As the definition says, a manager has to get his things done through others; the organizational skills become a valuable talent or asset for him. The role of the managers has become more sensitive due to the changing nature of todays business environment. It is now essential to be familiar with handling new work forces, dealing with the complication of new environment and so on. For this, business people have to develop their information about attitude and behavior of individuals, and groups in organizations. In any organization or company, motivation and communication are two important elements in determining the success of the company. Based on motivation itself many theories have been developed to study behavior and characteristics of employees. The internal theory focuses on the differences within the individual that give rise to motivation and behavior. There are also theories about relation between personal needs or desires and organizational needs. The process theory focuses on the relationship of the employees with the company. The external theories focus on the various components in the environment making it a basis explanation of the behavior of the employees at work. Communication is the so important since it is the basis of all activities and it is used by all the employees regardless of their position whether upper or lower for informing about what is going on in the organization or company. An important motivating factor for employees is harmonious relationship in Maslows th eory, which is a type of affiliation. The prior position in determining the satisfaction of the employees is occupied by working environment of the company. The employees when given roles to perform and rewards for their performance can perform better. This is the reason for many companies setting up teams to work and develops a healthy competition among the teams. Management and leadership also play an important role in the ultimate success of the company. Both these terms are essential because one without the other will make the operations of the business incomplete. Leaders can make sure that the team possesses clearly defined goals that match with the overall vision, goals and objectives of the company. Leaders and managers are concerned with effectiveness which will be reflected in the companys operations. Conclusively, OB can create an environment having happy moments of bonding together that can make each employee more intact that can help to maintain teamwork.

Amazon Case Analysis Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Amazon.com Case Analysis Internal & External Matrix, Matrix Analysis and TOWS Summary, and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix Executive Summary This case analysis serves the purpose to provide an analytical framework to evaluate Amazon.com from an internal and external perspective, and to provide strategic direction based upon the internal and external evaluation. The case will begin with an introduction to Amazon.com. Introduction/Background Jeffrey Bezos, formerly a senior vice president for D. E. Shaw & Company, founded Amazon.com in 1994. D. E. Shaw is a Wall Street-based investment bank, and Mr. Bezos was assigned to find good Internet companies in which to invest. During the summer of 1994, he stumbled across a Web site that showed the number of Internet users was growing by 2,300 percent per month. He quickly realized the vast potential of the Internet, and began putting together a list of possible products that he could sell on the World Wide Web. He eventually narrowed his list to music products and books. Although music products and books both had enormous potential, he eventually selected books because he believed that he could compete more evenly in the book segment due to the lack of a very dominant player. "In contrast, the music industry had only six major record companies. These companies controlled the distribution of records and CDs and, therefore, had the potential to lock out a new business thre atening the traditional record-store format" (Kotha, p.11). To begin his new venture, Mr. Bezos left New York and moved to Seattle. He decided to move to Seattle for two reasons: 1) Ingram Book Group's warehouse is located near Seattle; and 2) Because of the Seattle area's reputation for computer expertise. In 1995, Amazon began selling books entirely online, operating out of a rented facility and using doors laid across sawhorses for desks. He soon was able to generate several million dollars from venture capitalists, and sales were astounding. Sales for 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 were $0.5, $16, $147, $610 and $1,640 million respectively. Amazon's customer base has increased dramatically from 180,000 in 100 countries in 1996 to 12 million in 160 countries by mid-1999. In 1998, Amazon began to expand into other product categories. The Company began to sell music products and videos, and within two months o... ...fries & Company, Inc. April 12, 2001; pages 1-16. "Market Guide - Comparisons for amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)." http://yahoo.marketguide.com/mgi/ratio/A13EF.html ; pages 1-5. Author unknown. Lund, Brian. "eBay vs. Amazon" The Motley Fool. April 3, 2001. http://www.fool.com/portfolios/rulebreaker/2001/rulebreaker010403.htm ; pages 1-4. Becker, Holly, Gross, Michael and Leichter, Stephanie. "Amazon.com Inc.: Amazon's International Challenges." Lehman Brothers Global Equity Research. May 3, 2001; pages 1-16. The Economist (1997a). "A Survey of Electronic Commerce." May 10; pages 1-18. Author unknown. Taken from above Kotha essay. The Wall Street Journal (1996). "Reading the Market: How a Wall-Street Whiz Found a Niche Selling Books on the Internet." May 16; page 1. Author unknown. Taken from above Kotha essay. Eads, Stefani. "Why Amazon's Board is Part of the Problem." BusinessWeek online. http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2001/nf2001044_127.htm ; April 4, 2001, pages 1-5. Junnarkar, Sandeep. "Shares of Amazon Hit on "Underperform" Rating." c|net News.com. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2478430.html ; August 9, 2000, pages 1-3. Amazon Case Analysis Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework Amazon.com Case Analysis Internal & External Matrix, Matrix Analysis and TOWS Summary, and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix Executive Summary This case analysis serves the purpose to provide an analytical framework to evaluate Amazon.com from an internal and external perspective, and to provide strategic direction based upon the internal and external evaluation. The case will begin with an introduction to Amazon.com. Introduction/Background Jeffrey Bezos, formerly a senior vice president for D. E. Shaw & Company, founded Amazon.com in 1994. D. E. Shaw is a Wall Street-based investment bank, and Mr. Bezos was assigned to find good Internet companies in which to invest. During the summer of 1994, he stumbled across a Web site that showed the number of Internet users was growing by 2,300 percent per month. He quickly realized the vast potential of the Internet, and began putting together a list of possible products that he could sell on the World Wide Web. He eventually narrowed his list to music products and books. Although music products and books both had enormous potential, he eventually selected books because he believed that he could compete more evenly in the book segment due to the lack of a very dominant player. "In contrast, the music industry had only six major record companies. These companies controlled the distribution of records and CDs and, therefore, had the potential to lock out a new business thre atening the traditional record-store format" (Kotha, p.11). To begin his new venture, Mr. Bezos left New York and moved to Seattle. He decided to move to Seattle for two reasons: 1) Ingram Book Group's warehouse is located near Seattle; and 2) Because of the Seattle area's reputation for computer expertise. In 1995, Amazon began selling books entirely online, operating out of a rented facility and using doors laid across sawhorses for desks. He soon was able to generate several million dollars from venture capitalists, and sales were astounding. Sales for 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 were $0.5, $16, $147, $610 and $1,640 million respectively. Amazon's customer base has increased dramatically from 180,000 in 100 countries in 1996 to 12 million in 160 countries by mid-1999. In 1998, Amazon began to expand into other product categories. The Company began to sell music products and videos, and within two months o... ...fries & Company, Inc. April 12, 2001; pages 1-16. "Market Guide - Comparisons for amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)." http://yahoo.marketguide.com/mgi/ratio/A13EF.html ; pages 1-5. Author unknown. Lund, Brian. "eBay vs. Amazon" The Motley Fool. April 3, 2001. http://www.fool.com/portfolios/rulebreaker/2001/rulebreaker010403.htm ; pages 1-4. Becker, Holly, Gross, Michael and Leichter, Stephanie. "Amazon.com Inc.: Amazon's International Challenges." Lehman Brothers Global Equity Research. May 3, 2001; pages 1-16. The Economist (1997a). "A Survey of Electronic Commerce." May 10; pages 1-18. Author unknown. Taken from above Kotha essay. The Wall Street Journal (1996). "Reading the Market: How a Wall-Street Whiz Found a Niche Selling Books on the Internet." May 16; page 1. Author unknown. Taken from above Kotha essay. Eads, Stefani. "Why Amazon's Board is Part of the Problem." BusinessWeek online. http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2001/nf2001044_127.htm ; April 4, 2001, pages 1-5. Junnarkar, Sandeep. "Shares of Amazon Hit on "Underperform" Rating." c|net News.com. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2478430.html ; August 9, 2000, pages 1-3.

Baskin Robbins Marketing Research Case Study

Baskin Robbins Case Study This case summarizes the marketing research to be performed for the logo redesign project of Baskin Robbins. Case Analysis Baskin-Robbins Brand Officer Ken Kimmel felt it was important to conduct this study because the frozen-food retailing industry had become more hostile to Baskin-Robbins in recent years. A few entrants such as Cold Stone Creamery and others had popularized the in-store experience. Cold Stone Creamery's sales were now almost 75 percent of Baskin-Robbins' sales. The contest has changed since the mid-1980s'. Customers are more demanding about the hospitality experience.They earn more money and they can buy comparable ice creams to Baskin-Robbins in grocery stores now. While BR’s competitors are pushing this mix-in experience – a higher price theater experience. The main purpose of the Baskin-Robbins corporate study was to decide whether or not they should change their logo to gain a competitive advantage. They are also using th is study to find out the implications of a change of logo, and a change in the way the stores are designed. The key questions the Baskin-Robbins brand team is addressing are: should the brand logo be changed to signal something new is happening at Baskin-Robbins?If the logo is changed would there be synergy between the logo changed and the redesign interiors? Also, changing the interior of stores will offer a lot of complications with the franchisees. A main concern is whether or not these franchisees would be willing to buy into the new ideas, considering that they have invested a lot into the franchise. The management of Baskin Robbins wants to change logo based on the customer reaction towards old logo and new logo after showing the drawings of the new logo and new redesign of the stores.The research design to be adopted should be exploratory research that can be based on the focus groups and direct interviews with the customer. Also observational research can be used to perform the research on how the customer reacts to the visits to the store and their reaction during the direct interview with the interviewer on the store and logo redesign. Approach for the research should be developed. Approach can consist of multiple research options such as direct interviews, focus groups and observational research. Research design can include the form of the research for each of the approach.A questionnaire can be designed to have direct interviews with the customers visiting the store. An observational form can be designed to capture the observations during the direct interviews. Secondary data have been collected for purposes other than the problem at hand. These data can be quickly located and are not expensive. Syndicated data are the compiled data available from the external agencies that can be used for the marketing research problem. These data are available in bulk. The secondary and syndicated data can be used for the research.Customer can be interviewed base d on their location by an internet survey or a telephonic call to gather details about their perspective on Baskin Robbins old logo and their experience with the store. Conclusion Marketing research plays an important role in decision making. Professionally done marketing research are practical provides a value to management. References California Intercontinental University – Quality Research in Consumer Behavior Study Guide Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, Sixth EditionHelp by Naresh K Malhotra Related post: Advantages and Disadvantages of Administrative Management

ASEAN essays

ASEAN essays ASEAN, The Association of South East Asian Nations was formed on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, only to be joined by Brunei Darussalam in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos ASEAN was formed to speed up the growth of the economy, social progress The activities carried out by ASEAN are planned by the different member countries. As the environmental pollution is an issue, member countries plan activities that deal with environmental issues, have conferences, hold camps and hold a Green Week in conjunction with World Environment Day, to name a few. The representatives from the member countries hold meetings throughout the year in the various countries around the globe. However, most of these meetings are held in Asia. They also take part in courses and workshops on transport, terrorism and such. These meetings are usually based on the Transnational Issues that ASEAN is concerned about. These Transnational Issues are the Environment, Transboundary Haze, Transnational Crime ASEAN keeps close relations with other countries by having each member country to coordinate with the other different countries that do not belong in ASEAN. These other countries are Australia, China, European Union (EU), Canada, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States of America. This coordination is held in 3 year cycles, rotating between the member countries to act as coordinators. ASEAN also holds conferences with the vario ...

Strong evidence Essays

Strong evidence Essays Strong evidence Paper Strong evidence Paper One definition of knowledge is true belief based on strong evidence. What makes evidence strong enough and how can this limit be established? The Oxford Dictionary states evidence as Anything that gives people reason to believe in something . This is however incorrect, as one can provide strong evidence and not change peoples beliefs, if their belief is based on something else. Equally, one can believe in something without substantial evidence (for example God). In this essay however, we are focussing on strength of evidence. Concentrating on religion, mathematics, science and history, we will try to understand how we can measure strength of evidence in each case, and then conclude upon whether there is a universal measure of strength of evidence, or whether strength depends upon the area to which it is applicable.Religion is by definition true belief in something. From an atheists point of view, much of the evidence that proves the existence of higher beings has links that are tenuous at best. For example, the Bible speaks of the ten plagues. These appear to be inexplicable except for the acceptance of some form of divine power. However, modern science is now showing that these events may have been caused by something other than the presence of a god, and can be explained as acts of nature the eruption of nearby Mount Santorini would explain all the ten plagues, and also how Moses crossed the sea, which was not in fact the Red Sea, but the Reed Sea the result of a mistranslation from Hebrew . It is problems like this that many would say disprove religion. The problem we face is that religion is immaterial, therefore there is nothing to test, and scientists are only able to test things so that they may disprove them. Does this mean that religion cannot be knowledge, as there is no testable evidence? Is it not a purely scientific view to say that all evidence must be testable by scientific means? Many religious people believe there is evidence of the existence of higher beings in events that are considered miraculous, such as the sudden healing of an ill person thought to be beyond hope, which medical science cannot explain. Others would argue however that there are many natural phenomena which modern science cannot explain but we have evidence of, such as spontaneous human combustion the process by which people catch fire without source of ignition, and burn at temperatures high enough to burn bones, but do not damage their surroundings. Therefore though current technology may not be able to pinpoint the reason why miracles happen, future knowledge may be able to. Indeed, some people have proved the resurrection of Jesus through the principles of law the six disciples who were witness to his resurrection all testified to it, without any reason to lie. Maths is what many would call absolute knowledge, in that it cannot be disproved once proved. However, this is because maths is an abstract concept 2+2 equals 4 because this is one of the basic premises upon all of which math is based, you cannot therefore disprove it. Mathematical paradigms are established through proofs, which are a series of logical arguments. While evidence can be used to show existence of paradigms, it cannot prove them they must be shown as true using already established rules and deductive logic (the process of taking already established ideas and building upon them). In the case of Fermats last theorem, numerical evidence was given to show it was probably true, as even with computer aid, no numbers could be found to disprove the theory. This however did not constitute a proof, and it took over 300 years from the invention of the theory to its final proof. Therefore in mathematics, knowledge is not based on evidence, it is based on proof. This does not mean we cannot look at strength of evidence in mathematics. Evidence is used to show theories which might be true, and in this case, strength of evidence is purely based on amount the more examples you can give where the theory works, the stronger the evidence.Science is in essence a series of ideas and disproofs one has an idea, one shows it fits certain patterns, and that idea holds true until it is disproved. It is therefore unlike mathematics in that proven theories can later be disproved. It is also important to note that theories may be used which are known to be incorrect, but work for many examples. This is due to a lack of a better theory to explain behaviour. For example, the model of the atom with its orbiting electrons cannot work, as a moving charge would produce a magnetic field, taking away the electrons energy and eventually stopping it. This does not happen, however we stick to this model as evidence shows it works with most cases.

Hypothesis testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hypothesis testing - Essay Example There is a procedure followed in hypothesis testing. The first step involves the stating of both the null and alternate hypothesis. The hypothesis is stated in a manner that they are mutually exclusive. The second stage is the determination of the level of significance (Lehmann, 2004). The higher the level of significance, the higher the precision attained. The sample size is then determined to allow for the collection of data. The size of data will determine the type of test conducted. After the collection of data, one moves to the stage of data analysis. In this stage, the value of test statistics is calculated e.g. z-value or the t-value (2012). The analysis of the calculated value is made by use of the statistical tables. The table is used to determine if the calculated score falls within the acceptance or rejection region (Lehmann, 2004). The final stage is then made depending on the location of the score. If the calculated value falls in the rejection region, the null hypothesis is rejected implying that there is significant variation in the observation made. Two kinds of error can be made in hypothesis testing: type one and type two errors. Type one error is that which leads to the rejection of null hypothesis which is true whereas type two error is the error of accepting a false null hypothesis. In conclusion, the stages in hypothesis testing if well followed makes the hypothesis testing easy to comprehend and make statistical decisions. Hypothesis testing is therefore essential in analyzing data to determine its validity and truthfulness hence important in making statistical

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Personal statement - Essay Example For a reputable student with less finances, I would apply high earning aspect in New York City, thus start raising money. Even though the effort might not come out very huge, this attempt will ask people to pay regard to a community like ‘The Association to Benefit Children’. I would choose â€Å"My Father’s Eyes† by Eric Clapton. This song embraces all generations and is preferred. As a business man or CEO of a company, a person should be responsible for his employees’ management. If offered a chance to sing, I would harmonize one powerful speech which would change people’s mind. My father has worked as President of a company over 20 years which has attracted me with his challenging persona. As I am not a person who is satisfied with sticking at once place, I ventured into the realms of Stern School of Business at NYU as it is competitive and has produced many successful business folks, hence encouraging

Disso proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Disso proposal - Essay Example The primary features of the online shopping helps in providing business accuracy, flexibility of design and readiness of accessibility (Gay, Charlesworth & Esen, 2007, p. 173). Today internet is an increasingly popular medium of shopping due to its convenience of shopping at the click of a mouse. This research paper focuses on this subject because of its growing relevance among the young generation. The behavior of the consumers in shopping is highly essential for the businesses in tracking the discrete preferences and engineers their strategies for focusing on the key requirements of the consumers. Various factors stand in the way of influencing the behavior of the consumers. From the standpoint of Warner, various external influences which affect the consumer’s behavior are demographics, socio-economics, technology and public policy; culture; subculture; reference groups; and marketing. Within the domain of internal influences, attitudes, learning, perception, motivation as well as self image and semiotics are various psychological attributes affecting the consumer behavior in online shopping (Malcolm). From the studies of Sheth in 1983 it can be also found that the consumers are predominated by mainly two types of motives which are basically functional as well as non functional. It is a common agenda that people in today’s world have drastically changed their shopping patterns and there has been application of various strategies by the companies towards positioning their products in systematic and successful manner. The marketing managers while strategizing optimal marketing plans and concentrating on the four ‘P’ of marketing, product placement becomes highly essential. The application of online shopping finds its rigorous importance as life in today’s world has taken a jet propulsive pace and people need their products available at their doorsteps. Majority of the people in today’s world go for online shopping

Impetus to Department of Homeland Security Essay Example for Free

Impetus to Department of Homeland Security Essay Abstract This is a case study into the impetus of The Department of Homeland Security due to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the increase awareness of terrorist attacks. This study will also cover the Oklahoma City and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and why it did not have the full impact or awareness of the 9/11 attack. Also, the study will try inject ways that the two earlier kinds of attacks could have been prevented according to the protection strategy in place today. Title of Paper (Does not Count as Heading) The word terrorist and terrorism is synonymous in that they both are used as violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. The 9/11 attack on The World Trade Center serves as a prime example to the type of terror that Americans have never witness before. It showed that our great nation was venerable to a new kind of attack where people do not value life but value their pursuit of life, liberty, and justice much more. These are the type of organization or people who will die for a justice cause. These very people lead to the Impetus of The Department of Homeland Security. The main reason the 9/11 attack was so gruesome was the fact that the organization did not need weapons of mass destruction to accomplish it goal. The organized group of the Taliban or Al Qaeda, as known by some, was able to commandeer two 747 planes and launch an attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This was a strategic threat that was well plan and the funding of it leader Osama bin Laden. These types of suicide missions that were televised to the nation through the media signified the dawn of a new kind of threat and that a new kind of organization or rational think had to be formed. This formidable threat lead to the formation of the Department of Homeland Security with the expressed mission of keeping our people, cyber, and critical infrastructure safe from terrorists and natural disasters. This is the third largest federal department that encompasses state, local, and the private sector. Of course this is not the first time that our soil has been threatened by extremist or terrorist groups. For example, on the morning of April 19, 1995, an ex-Army soldier and security guard named Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City(n.d.). He was about to commit mass murder. Inside the vehicle was a powerful bomb made out of a deadly cocktail of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals(n.d.). McVeigh got out, locked the door, and headed towards his getaway car(n.d.). He ignited one timed fuse, then another. McVeigh’s anger with the federal government on how his colleagues was treated at the Waco incident cause massive destruction and the loss of 168 human beings lives. Although, this was one of the worst home grown act of terrorist it did not gain that much dramatic impact from society and politicians because it was small scale and did not appear to have the funding to escalate to large scale terrorism. It also did not have the mass appeal of the 9/11 incident that was broadcast to the nation. Only the after mass was on display. Plus the ingredients used in making the bomb were your everyday garden variety, not weapons of mass destruction. Another example of the destructive nature of a terrorist group was the bombing of the Epicenter Parking Center under the World Trade Center. On Friday, February 26, 1993, Middle Eastern terrorism had arrived on American soil with a bang(n.d.). A small group of Islamic terrorist detonated a bomb that caused a massive crater killing 6 people and injuring thousands of others. The intent was to topple one building into the other collapsing both. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had intelligence information on this group but did not foresee them as a threat. Again, this incident did not have the dramatic impact as the 9/11 attack because the group was small scale and did not have the funding to inflict the damage of weapons of mass destruction. There were no ties to a large terrorist group with unlimited funding and followers. In both of these examples as stated neither gain the grandeur nature of the 9/11 attack because of they were not televised live as the event occurred, they did not have the notoriety or followers as Taliban or Al Qaeda terrorist group, they not have the funding of group capable of amassing weapons of mass destruction, and they were not the all for nothing suicidal group that would have giving their life for a cause. What we have in place today that could have thwart the attacks in the examples are different agencies are task with investigating specific areas and that is what they specialize in. For example, if one department had the responsibility of investigating the intelligent on the Islamic terrorist group they would have been more inclined to have arrested the group before they did any damage. The deployment of explosive sniffing dogs at critical infrastructure sites may have been able to detect the bombs before they were detonated. Surveillance camera located at critical location may a detected the vans being abandon for an undetermined time and helped to identify those involved. Quotations (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/february/tradebom_022608 References http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing Gaines, Larry K., and Victor E. Kappeler. Homeland security. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.

Summary of The Pianist Essay -- essays research papers

The Pianist Summary From 1939 to 1945, the world merely watched while six million Jews were viciously executed by the Nazis. Never in the history of the world had man kind experienced such evil against one class of people. The Pianist, a movie directed by Roman Polanski, is a touching, yet brutally honest film about a man living under the unforgiving conditions of the Holocaust. Adrien Brody demonstrates spectacular acting skills while playing this man, Wladyslaw Szpilman. The story starts out in Warsaw, Poland, 1939, at the house of Szpilman’s Jewish family. Szpilman helped to support his family by playing the piano at different cafes and bars, and for the Polish radio station. By 1940, the Nazi force had already impacted many of the Jewish population. The Jewish were only allowed into some shops and restaurants, they had to walk in the gutters, and bow to the Nazis. On October 13, 1940, the Nazis issued an announcement stating that all Jews had to report to a â€Å"settlement† in Warsaw by the 31st and wear one-inch armbands with the Star of David printed on them. This was to dist... Summary of The Pianist Essay -- essays research papers The Pianist Summary From 1939 to 1945, the world merely watched while six million Jews were viciously executed by the Nazis. Never in the history of the world had man kind experienced such evil against one class of people. The Pianist, a movie directed by Roman Polanski, is a touching, yet brutally honest film about a man living under the unforgiving conditions of the Holocaust. Adrien Brody demonstrates spectacular acting skills while playing this man, Wladyslaw Szpilman. The story starts out in Warsaw, Poland, 1939, at the house of Szpilman’s Jewish family. Szpilman helped to support his family by playing the piano at different cafes and bars, and for the Polish radio station. By 1940, the Nazi force had already impacted many of the Jewish population. The Jewish were only allowed into some shops and restaurants, they had to walk in the gutters, and bow to the Nazis. On October 13, 1940, the Nazis issued an announcement stating that all Jews had to report to a â€Å"settlement† in Warsaw by the 31st and wear one-inch armbands with the Star of David printed on them. This was to dist...

Kucera Clothiers

Proposal The implementation of a Collaborative System was chosen because as a distributed organization with multiple units in different geographical locations, with a semi decentralized decision making structure involving a large degree of autonomy in each organizational unit, collaboration between all these multiple units, collaboration and communication between these multiple units is of utmost importance, according to Munkvold (1998). Also, Stahl (2001) notes that increased collaboration strategies can help increase sales, create opportunities, improve customer service and decrease costs.According to a white paper by Cisco (Enhancing Business with Smarter More Effective Communications, 2006),Communication-caused delay or disruptions are major problems faced by most business. A Sage Research report found that in a survey, 36 percent of respondents said they typically were unable to reach remotely located colleagues on the first attempt, with 52 percent saying that they had to use m ultiple means of contact on a daily basis.Communications complexity affects long-term productivity, financial performance as well as business processes reform. Poor communications affect strategic initiatives such as lean or just-in-time production, supply chain optimization and customer relationship management.The inability to access, communicate and collaborate effectively with primary players causes decision support outcomes to suffer. A Forrster Consulting study found that many workers find it difficult to quickly assemble team members in real time to discuss a critical problem.Complexity of communications causes resources to be underused or misallocated. Under-use and lack of integration of communication tools such as cell phones, pagers, mobile PCs and PDAs   cause investment in developing human talent and enabling technologies to be less effective.A collaboration system, by enabling communication and collaboration between remotely located employees and the company, can addr esses and correct these problems. This project will also help Kucera achieve its mission statement of â€Å"fostering a positive environment that promotes teamwork and co-operation between employees†, and its goal of improving communications and operations between the central corporate location in Chicago and the other satellite offices and stores throughout the world.The benefits of a wireless network to connect offices is also to enable and facilitate better communications, however, it is less practical, more costly and less integrated and structured than a collaboration system. Furthermore it cannot be extended to cover all the multiple organizational units and employees located remotely or in different geographical network. Hence a collaboration system is more feasible and beneficial, especially since it can be accessed by any employee or organizational unit no matter their locations.The implementation of a CRM system to improve service to customers by tracking customer p urchases requires a stable, efficient and reliable communication and collaboration platform to be in place before it can collect, store, analyze and utilize customer data effectively, as described previously. Hence it is not a good choice to implement a CRM system right away.References Munkvold, Bjorn Erik, ‘Implementation of information technology for supporting collaboration in distributed organizations’, 1998, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Cisco White Paper, ‘Enhancing Business with Smarter More Effective Communications’, Cisco, 2006Stahl, Stephanie, ‘Collaboration's Benefits Outweigh Difficulties’, Information Week, Dec 10 2001SummaryThe project of implementing a collaboration system is consistent with Kucera Clothier’s IT strategy as it aids and facilitates Kucera Clothier’s currently existing business operations, as well as its plans for further expansion globally. As Bartel (2002) says, collaborative commer ce helps to optimize the web of relationships that an organization participates in, and is focused on building capabilities and improving the interactions that a company is engaged in. A collaboration system enables collaborative commerce for Kucera Clothiers; hence it serves its strategic needs.This project should be implemented as soon as possible, since the effectiveness of other information technology initiative such as a CRM system, ERP system or E-procurement system all relies heavily on efficient and reliable communication and collaboration. If other projects are developed without first enabling a stable, reliable and efficient method and platform for corporate communication and globalization among remotely located employees, office and geographically dispersed unit, there will be a high chance of project failure or impaired efficiency/implementation of these other projects.ReferencesBartel, Derrick, ‘Collaborative Commerce: A Strategic Perspective’, 2002