Critical Appraisal of Contemporary Urban Housing Problems Essay

Critical Appraisal of Contemporary Urban Housing Problems - Essay Example This trend has been exhibited through a data of 464 tenants of the market for council housing (Nevin et al. 2001: p. 59). As per the social and economic features of tenants for the council housing, it seems that the customer-base is getting economically weaker as only 16% tenants are working full time, 37.4% are in search of employment and 86.4% are getting help from the state. In comparison to private rented sector where 64% tenants are working, only 31% of council’s ates the weaker economic graph of the tenants of city council houses. Tenants give top priority to such tenancies which are of their preferred size, are situated in the right localities, family and friends are easily reachable and environment is healthy (ibid: p. 60). Trends are similar in geographical diverse areas such as Knowsley, Wigan and Stockport. As per the 1999 housing investment data, the social rented housing in Knowlsey was high with a population of 154,562 (38%), out of which local authority possessed 19,187 units (31%) and housing association owned 4,344 (7.1%). In Wigan the difference between the local authority and the housing association in the social housing segment was 24%. It was quite vast with local authority houses 21% and housing association houses just 2%. In Stockport the percentage of social housing was 16 while council share was 11% (ibid: p. 63). Comparatively, council housing is easily available than housing association. In Knowsley, most of the housing stock of housing association is outside the borough, in Liverpool. In Stockport and Wigan, housing association accommodations are found to be in good numbers but even then insufficient (ibid: p. 73). In comparison to council houses, private rented houses are in good numbers, are easily traceable and offer better locality alternatives than council houses. Private properties are widely advertised through the local print media. The only hindrance in renting of private property

Using Picture Books in the Secondary Classroom Essay Example for Free

Using Picture Books in the Secondary Classroom Essay There are many reasons to use picture books in middle and high school classrooms (Albright, 2002, 418). Picture books are very useful in all subject areas and all content areas that are taught to secondary students (Albright, 200, 418). There are three stages of planning and implementing that must be considered and understood when utilizing picture books in instructing older children (Albright, 2002, 419). In order to effectively use picture books during read aloud, the secondary teacher must plan, prepare and produce (Albright, 2002, 419). A teacher must plan what book will go with what lesson and ensure that the text is age appropriate (Albright, 2002, 420). The teacher must also prepare a lesson that will make use of the picture book in such a way that students will be engaged in the text within the book (Albright, 2002, 421). Finally, the teacher must produce learning using the selected picture book. In other words, the teacher must be able to observe students learning the intended outcomes while listening to and learning from the picture book (Albright, 2002, 421). â€Å"The primary focus of using picture books in higher grades is to increase students’ literacy skills and ability to analyze short stories† (Tiedt, 2000, 1). Picture books have a great deal to offer middle and high school students (Tiedt, 2000, 1). There are four major reasons why teachers should consider using picture books in teaching secondary students (Tiedt, 2000, 1). The first is that picture books are useful resources for promoting good classroom discussions (Tiedt, 2000, 1). Second, picture books provide engaging models for teaching writing (Tiedt, 2000, 1). Third, students can improve their oral language skills as they read out loud, performance dramatic reenactions and tell stories (Tiedt, 2000, 1). Fourth, can use picture books as models to write their own picture books and therefore enhancing their own individual creativity (Tiedt, 2000, 1). There are many reasons why picture books are so useful and should be incorporated into secondary classrooms (Young, 1). The themes of many picture books are appropriate for all ages and they include many genres that cover topics of importance to students of all ages (Young, 1997, 1). Second, many new picture books are published each year and older students may not have had the benefit of reading these new books. Using new picture books in secondary school settings exposes older students to resources they may otherwise have missed as new picture books incorporate better artwork and more high quality metaphor and description (Young, 1997, 1). Third, picture books are incorporating many more real world events and topics than they have in the past. For example, more picture book writers are writing about such issues as war, global warming and nuclear destruction (Young, 1997, 1). Fourth, the short format of books allows for easy incorporation into lessons. The material in short picture books is easy for secondary students to comprehend and therefore students are able to quickly grasp the subject so they can move on towards creatively applying the material to the topic or subject being studied (Young, 1997, 1). Finally, picture books the pictures in picture books can be used as a comprehension aid for secondary students (Young, 1997, 1). In the current age of television and video games, secondary students have become accustomed to using pictures to make connections so picture books build on this ability. The visual cues in pictures allow students to easily comprehend what they are reading and use those applications in the lesson material (Young, 1997, 1). One subject where picture books can be enormously useful is in math (Spicer, 2004, 1). Typically, picture books that discuss math concepts are only used in the primary levels of school. However, there are a great many picture books that can get even high school students excited about math (Spicer, 2004, 1). For example, elementary school students will gain a firm grasp on geometric concepts when reading Sir Cumference and the First Round Table. The book details the efforts of Sir Cumference and his son Radius, in showing the knights how they can all sit peacefully at a square table (Spicer, 2004, 1). High school students would enjoy the silliness of this book as well as reviewing basic geometry concepts (Spicer, 2004,1). Similarly, there are many picture books that can be applied to high school life. One good example is The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics. This book is about a love triangle. The straight line is in love with the dot that is in love with the squiggle. By the end of the story, high school students will learn that when a line bends a little, a vector is created (Spicer, 2004, 1). Students of all ages love picture books (Spicer, 2004, 1). There are many fun and easy ways to incorporate picture books into secondary math lessons (Spicer, 2004, 1). Students can choose a book from a list provided by the teacher and write a report about the math concepts included in the story (Spicer, 2004, 1). They can also write mathematical sequels or prequels to books that are read aloud in class (Spicer, 2004, 1). Utilizing picture books as part of math lessons will ensure that weeks later secondary students recall both the story and the lesson (Spicer, 2004, 1). Another way that picture books are useful in the secondary classroom is in assisting struggling readers (McEwan, 2007, 1). Generally, high school students read very long and complex textbooks (McEwan, 2007, 1). The problem lies in the fact that struggling readers cannot use these textbook to learn because they are not fluent enough readers (McEwan, 2007, 1). Therefore, picture books can help struggling readers become better readers at the same time that they are learning the same concepts as the other students (McEwan, 2007, 1). In addition, background knowledge is important when teaching nonfiction concepts to secondary school students (McEwan, 2007, 1). Easy nonfiction books should be collected and provided to students who need alternative resources when textbooks are too challenging for them (McEwan, 2007, 1). Further, when students gain the necessary background knowledge and learn key concepts through reading easy nonfiction picture books, they are able to gain the confidence to try the more challenging textbook material (McEwan, 2007, 1). In order to assist struggling readers, a comprehensive list of nonfiction picture books aimed at math, science and other subjects should be compiled and made available to teachers and students (McEwan, 2007, 1). Writing is another subject area where picture books provide an enormous benefit to secondary students (Culham, 2000, 1). Picture books are a readily available but untapped resource that many secondary teachers are just beginning to discover (Culham, 2000, 1). Picture books can be highly visual and motivating in teaching students to become better writers (Culham, 2000, 1). Picture books can be used as models to help writing students organize their thoughts in meaningful ways, to explore new topics and share different viewpoints about various topics (Culham, 2000, 1). Using picture books can show students how other authors use word choice, and editing to create a polished piece of written work (Culham, 2000, 1). In addition, picture books can enable students to use a small amount of text to find a large amount of meaning (Culham, 2000, 1). There are a wide variety of topics available in using picture books and these topics can inspire creativity in writing students (Culham, 2000, 1). Picture books explore current and relevant topics that can further enhance writing ideas (Culham, 2000, 1). Finally, picture books can often inspire fresh creativity about old ideas that can lead to better writing (Culham, 2000, 1). Social studies is another area where picture books can be easily incorporated into lesson plans (Young, 1997, 1). The study of people places and cultures are natural compliments to picture books (Young, 1997, 1). The true life events of the past and present can be portrayed through the eyes of the characters and current events can be explored (Young, 1997, 1). Events such as World War II, the Vietnam War and Paul Revere’s ride teach about these historical events in easy to follow formats (Young, 1997, 1). In addition, current events such as homelessness can be described through short picture books that incorporate pictures and text to convey the seriousness of such issues (Young, 1997, 1). Science can very easily incorporate picture books (Young, 1997, 1). An obvious example would be the Magic School Bus series that explores various science concepts through and elementary classroom and its use of the magic school bus to take field trips (Young, 1997, 1). These books explore science concepts that are easy for elementary school students to understand but are also relevant to secondary school students as they provide good introductions into science concepts that can then be built upon (Young, 1997, 1). These books provide a way to explore science through the eyes of children and include a great many side notes and text that describe such concepts as the solar system, the human body, the earth and the water cycle (Young, 1997, 1). Finally, picture books can be successfully incorporated into vocabulary lessons (Bartell, 2005, 57). In fact, picture books can be used as an alternative to traditional vocabulary instruction (Bartell, 2005, 57). Traditional vocabulary instruction often makes students copy words and their definitions into notebooks but picture books allow students to as models to create their own picture books. The use of alphabet books gives students the creative ideas necessary to write their own text and therefore increase vocabulary as they write (Bartell, 2005, 57). The nature of picture books allow for high levels of vocabulary and the illustrations provide further avenues for students to make connections between pictures and words (Bartell, 2005, 57). Picture books in the hands of skilled language arts teachers can create lessons of extraordinary educational value (Young, 1997, 1). The content of the picture books are important in increasing secondary students reading and writing abilities but their value goes far beyond this content (Young, 1997, 1). The pictures used in children’s literature can also help students build awareness of language as well as explore illustrations as a way to communicate meaning in a non intimidating way (Young, 1997, 1). Therefore, teachers need to be cautious when choosing picture books to incorporate into lesson plans. They must choose picture books based on the quality of the art and the quality of the text (Young, 1997, 1). The pictures and the text need to work together to provide a comprehensive book that will be easily incorporated into the lesson plan (Young, 1997, 1). In order to successfully picture books into secondary classrooms, some important changes need to be made (Young, 1997, 1). The first is the attitude that picture books are children’s literature. Instead, picture books should simply be viewed as literature (Young, 1997, 1). Once this attitude is changed then educators can start seeing the curriculum opportunities that picture books offer (Young, 1997, 1). Picture books entertain students and provide information about a wide variety of topics that can then lead to a greater understanding of the world (Young, 1997, 1). Picture books are another tool that literacy teachers should know about, have access to and incorporate into their lesson plans (Young, 1997, 1). Teachers have been reading aloud to elementary school students for centuries (Guignon, 2001, 1). Research has shown the value of reading out loud to emerging readers (Guignon, 2001, 1). However, once a child learns to read on his or her own, being read to out loud often decreases or stops altogether (Guignon, 2001, 1). Reading aloud to students of any age helps them improve the important literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening (Guignon, 2001, 1). Students listen to stories read out loud on a higher level then they read on their own and so hearing stories read out loud stimulates their understanding of vocabulary and language patterns (Guignon, 2001, 1). There are some important guidelines for teachers when reading out loud to secondary students (Guignon, 2001, 1). The first is that the teacher and students must make time to discuss the story in order to expand student understanding of the topic the story covers (Guignon, 2001, 1). Second, the illustrations should be used to encourage prediction and interpretation. Using the illustrations can add to the students’ understanding of the events in the story (Guignon, 2001, 1). Third, read out loud gives students the opportunity to learn more about different authors and illustrators. It also allows them to look forward to reading other books by favorite authors (Guignon, 2001, 1). Fourth, hearing picture books read out loud gives students the chance to relate the stories to their own experiences (Guignon, 2001, 1). Finally, reading out loud brings in more curriculum related topics that are of special interest to the class (Guignon, 2001, 1). Teachers are often wary of presenting controversial and private topics into their curriculum and instruction (Bartell, 2005, 57). Picture books provide an outlet for these issues by presenting the material in non threatening way (Bartell, 2005, 57). Secondary students are often facing many stressors as they are not quite grown yet but are no longer children. Their bodies are changing as are the nature of their social situations (Bartell, 2005, 57). Picture books provide a way for students to explore the issues that present themselves at this point in life by exposing them to characters going through similar experiences (Bartell, 2005, 57). Picture books are short and get right to the point so they provide an easy way to show secondary students how to deal with situations that they are experiencing (Bartell, 2005, 57).

Ideas of the Parthenon Essay -- essays research papers

The Greek people of the 5th century BC created a culture that was deeply rooted in philosophy and the arts. Their endless search for their place in the grand scheme of the universe and in nature around them influenced everything in their lives especially their love of the arts. Their drama, sculpture, and even architecture are all shining examples of the ideas that were so dominant in the minds of the Greek people. What could be considered the crown jewel of Greek architecture, the Parthenon, is one such of these examples. It brings into form the three principal ideas of humanism, rationalism, and idealism of the 5th century Greek people through not only its structure, but its ornamentation and sculpture as well. The basis of humanism can be summed up in the words of Protagoras, â€Å"Man is the measure of all things.† Humanism is the idea that human beings are the yardstick by with to measure all things in the universe, including Greek gods and goddesses. The Parthenon stands for this very idea through the fact that it is a human organization of space. It brings an understandable order into a chaotic space that would otherwise be incomprehensible to a human being. It allows a human to see the space and recognize it as something that is real. It also consists of repeated patterns and distance intervals throughout its structure that add to this order. The metopes, for example, are set in an alternating pattern with the triglyphs around the entire building at distinct intervals bringing a clear order to the entablature of the Parthenon. The columns that support the Parthenon are also placed in certain distance intervals from each other and coincide with the pattern formed by the metopes and triglyphs. These columns, however, are not in a perfect pattern of equal distances around the entire Parthenon. The columns on either side of the doorway to the Parthenon are placed a little farther apart than the rest to show a clear entrance to the building. Also the corner columns of the building are positioned slightly closer to their neighboring columns in order to compensate for the human eye. Without this compensation the columns would give the illusion of leaning outward and being farther apart than the rest of the columns because of the distortion of such a large structure to the human eye. The stylobate that the columns rest on is also built to allow for this op... ...ding hints to the fact that the Parthenon is a place that is not meant for a human or even built with a human being in mind. For example, the steps of the Parthenon are to such a large scale that is clumsy and awkward for a man’s normal stride, but in the Greek mind, the perfect distance and size for that of a goddess. The entrance to the Parthenon, through it’s colossal size, denotes that a human is not the main concern when it comes to entering and exiting of this building in the mind of the architect. The 5th century Greek people played a pivotal role in the shaping of not only the world of philosophy but also the world of art and architecture. Their ideas of humanism, rationalism, and idealism were the things that brought to life the artwork of their time and still effects ours to this day. The Parthenon, with its bulging columns, its repeated ratios, and its colossal size expresses how these ideas formed the structure of the building and then shows how the same ideas brought to form the beautiful pediments and sculptures that give us a deeper insight into the minds and hearts of the Greek people. The Parthenon is truly an elaborate time capsule overflowing with Greek ideas.

Strategic Management Study Guide

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TEST 2 (Chapters 3, 4, and 6): STUDY GUIDE †¢Know definitions and be able to recognize examples of concepts †¢Test will be multiple choice, 45-50 items †¢Bring scantron sheet and #2 pencil Additional free student study resources available including an interactive quiz from the publisher at: http://highered. mcgraw-hill. com/sites/0078029317/student_view0/chapter1/chapter_quiz. html Chapter 3: Assessing the Internal Environment †¢What is value chain analysis? How is it useful for understanding competitive advantages?Strategic analysis of an organization that uses value-creating activities. It is useful for understanding the building blocks of competitive advantages. †¢In the value chain, what are the 5 primary activities? Which 4 activities are support activities? Primary- inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. Support- general admininistration, human resource management, technology development , and procurement. †¢Relating to primary activities, what specific activities are associated with inbound logistics? Operations? Outbound logistics?Marketing and sales? Service? Inbound logistics- receiving, storing, and distributing inputs of a product. Operations- all activities associated with transforming inputs into the final product form. Outbound logistics- collecting, storing, and distributing the product or service to buyers. Marketing and sales- activities associated with purchases of products and services by end users and the inducements used to get them to make purchases. Service- actions associated with providing service to enhance or maintain the value of the product. †¢What is a Just-in-time inventory system? were designed to achieve efficient inbound logistics. Parts and deliveries arrive only hours before they are needed. †¢Relating to support activities, what specific activities are associated with procurement? Technology development? HR management? General administration? Procurement- purchasing inputs used in the firm’s value chain, including raw materials, supplies, and other consumable items as well as assets such as machinery, laboratory equipment, office equipment, and buildings. Technology development- development of new knowledge that is applied to the firm’s operations.HR management- activities involved in the recruiting, hiring, training, development, and compensation of all types of personnel. General administration- general management, planning, finance, accounting, legal and government affairs, quality management, and information systems: activities that support the entire value chain and not individual activities. †¢How has Walgreen’s used information systems to be a sources of competitive advantage? Introduction of a computer based prescription management system- automates telephone refills, store to store prescription transfers, and drug reordering.Also provides information on drug inte ractions and frees up pharmacists from administrative tasks to devote more time to patient counseling. †¢What are the two levels of interrelationships among value-chain activities? 1. Interrelationships among activities within the firm 2. Interrelationships among activities within the firm and other stakeholders. †¢What is resource-based view of the firm? Perceptions that firms’ competitive advantages are due to their endowment of strategic resources that are valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and costly to substitute. What are the 3 types of firm resources? Tangible, Intangible, and Organizational Capabilities. †¢What are the 4 kinds of tangible resources? Financial, physical, technological, and organizational. †¢What are the 3 kinds of intangible resources, Human, Innovation and Creativity, and Reputation. †¢What examples of organizational capabilities? Ex. Outstanding customer service. Excellent product development capabilities, innovativeness of p roducts and services. Ability to hire, motivate, and retain human capital. What are the four criteria that a firm’s resources must possess to maintain a sustainable advantage? 1. Resource must be valuable in the sense that it exploits opportunities and/or neutralizes threats in the firm’s environment. 2. It must be rare among the firm’s current and potential competitors. 3. It must be difficult to imitate. 4. Must have no strategically equivalent substitutes. †¢How can the following four resource characteristics help sustain a competitive advantage based on inimitability: physical uniqueness, path dependency, causal ambiguity, and social complexity? 1.Inherently difficult to copy. 2. Resources are scarce because they were acquired through a unique series of events. 3. Costly to imitate because competitor cannot determine what the resource is and/or how it can be re-created. 4. Costly to imitate because the social engineering required is beyond the capabilit y of competitors, including interpersonal relations among managers, organizational culture, and reputation with suppliers and customers. †¢Substitutability can take which two forms? 1. Substitute a similar resource that enables it to develop and implement the same strategy. . Very different firm resources can become strategic substitutes. †¢ See exhibit 3. 7 – what are the implications for competitiveness based on differing characteristics of a resource or capability? The less valuable, less rare, easier to imitate, more substitutes, the less competitive advantage. †¢What are the four factors that help explain the extent to which employees will be able to obtain a proportionally high level of a firm’s profits? 1. Employee bargaining power. 2. Employee replacement costs. 3. Employee exit costs. 4. Manager Bargaining Power. What are the two approaches to use when evaluating a firm’s performance? Financial ration analysis and taking a broad stakehold er view. †¢What is financial ratio analysis? How can historical comparisons, industry norm comparisons, and competitor comparisons each serve as useful reference points? 1. Technique for measuring the performance of a firm according to its balance sheet, income statement, and market valuation. 2. Provides a means of evaluating trends. 3. Assesses relative performance. 4. Gain valuable insights into a firm’s financial and competitive position. What is the balanced scorecard? Why is it useful? a method of evaluating a firm’s performance using performance measures from the customers, internal innovation, and learning, and financial perspectives. Provides managers with a fast, but comprehensive review of the business (operations measures that drive the future financial performance). †¢What are the four key perspectives of the balanced scorecard? 1. Customer perspective- measures of firm performance that indicate how well firms are satisfying customer’s exp ectations. 2.Internal business perspective- measures of firm performance that indicate how well firms internal processes, decisions, and actions are contributing to customer satisfaction. 3. Innovation and learning perspective- measures of a firm performance that indicate how well firms are changing their product and service offerings to adapt to changes in the internal and external environments. 4. Financial perspective- measure of firm’s financial performance that indicate how well strategy, implementation and execution are contributing bottom-line improvement. †¢What are the limitations of the balanced scorecard?Lack of a clear strategy, limited or ineffective executive sponsorship, too much emphasis on financial measures rather than nonfinancial measures, poor data on actual performance, inappropriate links of scorecard measures to compensation, inconsistent or inappropriate terminology. Chapter 4: Recognizing a Firm’s Intellectual Assets: Moving Beyond a Firm ’s Tangible Resources †¢What is the knowledge economy? An economy where wealth is created through the effective management of knowledge workers instead of by the efficient control of physical and financial assets. How has the emphasis shifted between intangible and tangible resources as a result of changes in the competitive environment? Shifted from tangible resources such as land, equipment, and money. Efforts were more directed toward the efficient allocation of labor and capital. Now intellectual and information processes create most of the value for firms in large service industries. †¢What is the market value of a firm? What is the book value of a firm? What does the difference between the two values represent? In what types of firms does this difference tend to be the greatest?Market value- the value of a share of its common stock times the number of shares outstanding. Book value- is primarily a measure of the value of its tangible resources: total assets- t otal liabilities. The difference between the two represents the firm’s intellectual capital ( a measure of the firm’s intangible assets). In firms where knowledge and the management of knowledge workers are relatively important contributors to developing products and services and physical resources are less critical, the ratio of market to book value tends to be much higher. †¢What is intellectual capital and how can it be increased?Intellectual capital= market value of firm-book value of the firm. To increase: attract and leverage human capital effectively through mechanisms that create products and services of value over time. †¢What is human capital? Social capital? Explicit knowledge? Tacit knowledge? Human capital- the individual capabilities, knowledge, skills, and experience of a company’s employees and managers. Social capital- the network of friendships between talented people both inside and outside the organization. Explicit knowledge- knowl edge that is codified, documented, easily reproduced, and widely distributed.Tacit knowledge- knowledge that is in the minds of employees and is based on their experiences and backgrounds. †¢How is new knowledge created? Through the continual interaction of explicit and tacit knowledge. †¢How has employee loyalty to the company changed relative to loyalty to the profession? Knowledge workers place professional development and personal enrichment above company loyalty. †¢What is a first critical step in the process of of building intellectual capital? What are the other processes organizations use to build human capital?Hiring talented individuals, developing them to fulfill their full potential to maximize their joint contributions. Retain the best and brightest. †¢Why do many companies use employee referrals for new hires? Incentive bonuses paid to the referrers are cheaper than what they would have to pay headhunters to find candidates, plus the current employe es would find good candidates because they are putting their reputation on the line for them. †¢What strategies are used to develop human capital? Encouraging widespread involvement, Transferring knowledge, monitoring progress and development, and evaluating human capital. How as the importance of evaluating human capital changed in recent years? Collaboration and interdependence are vital to organizational success. Individuals must work collectively. Traditional past systems evaluate performance from a single perspective. †¢What is 360 degree feedback? Superiors, direct reports, colleagues, and even external and internal customers rate a person’s performance. †¢What are the 6 benefits of diversity in a firm’s workforce? 1. Cost argument- firms with more effective management in diversity will have a cost advantage over those that are not. 2.Resource acquisition argument- firms with excellent reputations as prospective employers for minorities will have a n advantage in the competition for top talent. 3. Marketing argument- for multinational firms this will be useful. 4. Creativity argument- less emphasis on conformity to norms of the past and diversity of perspectives will improve the level of creativity. 5. Problem solving argument- people with different perspectives have a better shot at solving complex problems than those who all think alike. 6. Organizational flexibility argument- greater flexibility leads means better reactions to environmental changes. What is network analysis? Closure relationships? Bridging relationships? Analysis of the pattern of social interactions among individuals. †¢How can effective social networks be advantageous to an individual’s career? Private information now available. Access to diverse skill sets. Power. †¢What is groupthink? – tendency in an organization for individuals not to question shared beliefts. †¢What are intellectual property rights? What actions can be ta ken to manage intellectual property? Intangible property owned by a firm in the forms of patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets. What are dynamic capabilities? The ability to sense and seize new opportunities, generates new knowledge, and reconfigure existing assets and capabilities. Chapter 6: Corporate-Level Strategy: Creating Value Through Diversification †¢What is corporate-level strategy? What two related issues does it address? a strategy that focuses on gaining long-term revenue, profits, and market value through managing operations in multiple businesses. Acquisitions and mergers. †¢How is related diversification different than unrelated diversification? What are the potential benefits of each?Related diversification- a firm entering a different business in which it can benefit from leveraging core competencies, sharing activities, or building market power. Unrelated diversification- a firm entering a different business that has little horizontal interac tion with other businesses of a firm. †¢Be familiar with the classifications of Exhibit 6. 2 3M was using exorbitant rebates to retailers, which pushed them into a â€Å"monopolistic position† and courts ordered 3M to pay 68. 5 million dollars to another tape company. †¢In related diversification, what is meant by economies of scope?Cost savings from leveraging core competencies, sharing activities, or building market power. †¢What is a core competency? What are the three criteria for assessing if a core competency creates value? Firm’s strategic resources that reflect the collective learning in the organization. 1. Must enhance competitive advantage by creating superior customer value. 2. Different businesses in the corporation must be similar in at least one important way related to the core competence. 3. Must be difficult for competitors to imitate or find substitutes for. †¢What are sharing activities?What are the two payoffs associated with sh aring activities. -Having activities of two or more businesses value chains done by one of the businesses. -1. Cost savings -2. Revenue enhancement †¢In related diversification, what is market power? Firm’s ability to profit through restricting or controlling supply to a market or coordinating with other firms to reduce investment. †¢What is pooled negotiating power? the improvement in bargaining position relative to customers and suppliers. †¢What is vertical integration, in its associated risks and benefits? an xpansion or extension of the firm by integrating preceding or successive production processes (occurs when a firm becomes its own supplier or distributer). Pros- secure supply of raw materials or distribution channels. Protection and control over assests and services required to produce and deliver. Access to new business opportunities and new forms of technology. Eliminating the need to deal with a wide variety of suppliers and distributors. Cons- cos ts and expenses associated with increased overhead and capital expenditures. Loss of flexibility resulting from large investments.Problems associated with unbalanced capacities along the value chain. Additional administrative costs associated with managing a more complex set of activities. †¢What 5 issues should be considered in making vertical integration decisions? 1. Is the company satisfied with the quality of the value that its present suppliers and distributors are providing? 2. Are there activities in the industry value chain presently being outsourced or performed independently by others that are a viable source of future profits? 3. Is there a high level of stability in the demand for the organization’s products? . Does the company have the necessary competencies to execute the vertical integration strategies? 5. Will the vertical integration initiative have potential negative impacts on the firm’s stakeholders? †¢What is the transaction cost perspec tive? A perspective that the choice of a transaction’s governance structure such as vertical integration or market transaction, is influenced by transaction costs, including, search, negotiating, contracting, monitoring, and enforcement costs, associated with each choice. †¢What is unrelated diversification? What is a parenting advantage?A firm entering a different business that has little horizontal interaction with other businesses of a firm. Parenting advantage- the positive contributions of the corporate office to a new business as a result of expertise and support provided and not as a result of substantial changes in assets, capital structure, or management. †¢What is restructuring? What are the three types of restructuring? The intervention of the corporate office in a new business that substantially changes assets, capital structure and management. 1. Asset restructuring 2. Capital restructuring 3. Management restructuring What is portfolio management?Method of assessing the competitive position of a portfolio of businesses within a corporation, suggesting strategic alternatives for each business, and identifying priorities for the allocation of resources across the businesses. †¢What is the Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) growth/share matrix? What are the 4 quadrants in the matrix? What are the suggested strategies associated with each of the quadrants? What are the limitations of the BCG matrix? Each of the firm’s strategic business units is plotted on a two-dimensional grid in which the axes are relevant market share and industry growth rate. 1.Stars-competing in high growth industries with high market shares, long term growth potential and should continue to receive substantial investment funding. 2. Question marks- competing in high growth industries with but have weak market share, resources should be invested to enhance their competitive positions. 3. Cash cows- have high market shares in low growth industries . Have limited long run potential, but represent a source of current cash flows to fund investments into starts and question marks. 4. Dogs- have weak market shares in low growth industries, weak positions and limited potential.Most recommend they become divested. Limitations of BCG matrix- 1. the only compare based on two dimensions. 2. View them as a stand-alone entity, ignoring common business practices and value creating activities that may hold promise for synergies across business units. 3. The process becomes largely mechanical, substituting an overly simplified graphical model for the important contributions of the CEO or other managers experience. †¢What are the three primary means by which a firm can diversify? 1. Through acquisitions or mergers 2.Pool the resources of other companies with their resource base, commonly known as a joint-venture or strategic alliance. 3. Diversify into new products, markets, and technologies through internal development. †¢What are the benefits and potential of mergers and acquisitions? 1. A means of obtaining valuable resources that can help an organization expand its product offerings and services 2. Can provide the opportunity for firms to attain the three bases of synergy—leveraging core competencies, sharing activities, and building market power. 3. Can lead to consolidation within an industry and can force other players to merge.Cons- competing firms can often imitate any advantages realized from the M&A. there can be cultural issues that may doom the intended benefits from the endeavors. †¢What is a divestment? The exit of a business from a firm’s portfolio. †¢What is a strategic alliance? Joint venture? How do they differ? What are their potential advantages and downsides? Strategic alliance- a cooperative relationship between two or more firms. Joint venture- new entities formed within a strategic alliance in which two or more firms, the parents, contribute equity to form the new legal entity.A strategic alliance is a cooperative relationship. A joint venture is a special case of alliances where both firms contribute equity to form a new legal entity. Pros- Reducing manufacturing or other costs in the value chain. Developing and diffusing new technologies. Cons- many fail to meet expectations. Without proper partner, a firm should never consider it. Little attention is often given to nurturing the close working relationships and interpersonal connections that bring together the partnering organizations. †¢What is internal development?What are its potential downsides? -Entering a new business through investment in new facilities, often called corporate entrepreneurship and new venture development. -It may be time consuming, firms may forfeit the benefits of speed that growth through mergers and acquisitions can provide. †¢How can managerial motives erode value creation? They may often act in their own self-interests (CEOS). â€Å"growth for gro wth’s sake†, excessive egotism, and the creation of a wide variety of antitakeover tactics. †¢What is meant by growth for growth’s sake? Egotism? Manager’s actions to grow the size of their firms not to increase long-term profitability, but to sever managerial self-interest. -Manager’s actions to shape their firm’s strategies to serve their selfish interests rather than to maximize long-term shareholder value. †¢What are the antitakeover tactics of greenmail, the golden parachute, and poison pill? Greenmail- a payment by a firm to a hostile party for the firm’s stock at a premium, made when the firm’s management feels that the hostile party is about to make a tender offer. (sort of like a bribe)

Development programme Essay

12 minutes run on the Treadmill in level 11.5 and 5 minutes cycling a steady pace.  12 minutes run on the Treadmill, in level 11.5 with 5 minutes cycling at a steady pace  Circuit training programme which we will include 1 minute cycling at a fast pace rest for 2 minutes, 1minutes sprint with 1 minute rest and back to the cycling. This will go 4 times.  And finally cycling for 5 minutes in a steady pace to get rid off lactic acid. Bicep curls, Triceps push down, Bench press, seated leg extension and seated leg curl all of this, 3 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute rest between sets and 2 minutes rest between different exercises. Keeping the same weight as last session.  Bicep curls, Triceps push down, Bench press, seated leg extension and seated leg curl all of this, 3 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute rest between sets and 2 minutes rest between different exercises. Keeping the same weight as last session. Bicep curls, Triceps push down, Bench press, seated leg extension and seated leg curl all of this, 3 sets of 12 repetitions with 1 minute rest between sets and 2 minutes rest between different exercises, this week we will only increase 1 kg in every exercise.  Passive stretches on the less flexible muscles with serious extension to see a good improvement (groin, hamstring, quadriceps, back, biceps, triceps, gastrocnemius and gluteus). All will be kept for 45 seconds. Passive stretches on the less flexible muscles with serious extension to see a good improvement (groin, hamstring, quadriceps, back, biceps, triceps, gastrocnemius and gluteus). All will be kept for 45 seconds.  Passive stretches and static stretches in every muscle (groin, hamstring, quadriceps, back, biceps, triceps, gastrocnemius and gluteus). All will be kept for 50 seconds.  I think this week really will help to maintain a good cardiovascular development and a good muscular strength. In both fitness components I’ve increased some type of resistance such as doing the really hard session in Friday for cardiovascular and adding 1 kilogram per exercise in the muscular strength training. I think the flexibility exercises I developed, will really help to see a difference in next week’s sessions. Next week I will increase 10 seconds in each stretch to see if week 4 really helped him to improve.  This wee I’m going to focus in two things, muscular strength and cardiovascular system. As its one more week left for the training programme to be finished, I am concentrate on the two major things that need improvement. To improve my cardiovascular I will do a Fartlek training session and a hard weight session by adding more weights, in Wednesday, everything it’s going to be a normal week and in Friday I will do an interval training to prepare for next week hard sessions and I will also do a very hard session for muscular endurance. For flexibility I will maintain adding seconds but won’t focus as much at it.  Monday  Wednesday  Friday  Fartlek training programme which will last 12 minutes and will be done in the athletic centre. It will have serious changes of speed every 3 minutes. A bike session of 2 minutes as harder as possible.  12 minutes run on the Treadmill, in level 12 and 5 minutes cycling at a steady pace  In this session a Interval session is being produces which will be jogging for 10 minutes, then do 3Ãâ€"100 sprint with a rest between of 1 minute jogging and finishing with another 10 minutes run. Finally cycling for 5 minutes in a steady pace.  Bicep curls, Triceps push down, Bench press, seated leg extension and seated leg curl all of this, 3 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute rest between sets and 2 minutes rest between different exercises. Adding 2 more kilos for the duration of the whole session. Bicep curls, Triceps push down, Bench press, seated leg extension and seated leg curl all of this, 3 sets of 15 repetitions with 1 minute rest between sets and 2 minutes rest between different exercises. Keeping the same weight as last session.  Bicep curls, Triceps push down, Bench press, seated leg extension and seated leg curl all of this, 3 sets of 12 repetitions with 1 minute rest between sets and 2 minutes rest between different exercises. Adding another 2 kilos for the duration of the whole session. Passive stretches on the less flexible muscles and static stretches on more flexible group muscles (groin, hamstring, quadriceps, back, biceps, triceps, gastrocnemius and gluteus). All will be kept for 50 seconds.  Passive stretches on the less flexible muscles and static stretches on more flexible group muscles (groin, hamstring, quadriceps, back, biceps, triceps, gastrocnemius and gluteus). All will be kept for 50 seconds. Passive stretches on the less flexible muscles and static stretches on more flexible group muscles (groin, hamstring, quadriceps, back, biceps, triceps, gastrocnemius and gluteus). All will be kept for 55 seconds.  I think this session can really help obtain a difference for the last week of the development programme. Making him work in the cardiovascular system as much, will help him psychological and physically to be more determine in sports, as he put all his effort in this week session and hopefully was done perfectly, with motivation and confidence. Flexibility stood the same but we added 5 more minutes in the last session so we can see an improvement in next weeks last session.

Stroop Lab Report Essays

Stroop Lab Report Essays Stroop Lab Report Paper Stroop Lab Report Paper The word Blue when presented in blue ink, on the other hand is an example of a congruent-colored word. Because the left hemisphere has demonstrated an overall advantage relative to the right hemisphere on most verbal tasks, interference effects were hypothesized to be greater in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere (Balancer Camino, 2002). Numerous studies have been made in hope to fully understand the Strop effect, yet several issues remain open. The primary purpose of this duty was to determine whether the Strop phenomenon is equally strong in both brain hemispheres. Participants collected from our research methods lab were asked to complete an online experiment measuring the time of interference it took them to depict the color of the ink of the color-words. Furthermore, each color was assigned a number. For example, the ink color red was represented by the number two. The color words were also randomly presented in the center, left, and right of the screen to measure our hypothesis, which stated that incongruent words presented to the left hemisphere exhibit greater Strop effect than when they are presented to the right hemisphere. Along with our second hypothesis stating that there is greater interference (Strop effect) when color words are incongruent with their presentation color. The Strop effect can be denoted through the time of interference that it takes to name the ink color of a word, varying in word position and word color. Several accounts have been made to explain the Strop effect. In Manacles model of the Strop there is a slight into that hemispheric effects might be present; in theory, hemispheric effects are expected to be superior in the left hemisphere. Methods Participants A total of 87 subjects (76 Female, 11 Male), drawn from students in two research method labs, took part in a mufti-experiment study and were given course credit as compensation. Independent variables that were tested include: L Congruent vs Non-congruent c Left-presentation vs Centered-presentation vs Right-presentation c Input method: Keypad (37 participants, lab 1) vs Keyboard (50 participants, lab 2) The pendent variable that was measured in the study was reaction time. Procedure Research participants were to complete at least 72 trials. Each trial measured the time of interference it took them to depict the color of the ink of the color-words. Furthermore, each color was assigned a number. For example, the ink color red was represented by the number two. Each trial began with a plus sign, serving as a focal point on the computer screen. Research participants were to press a key when they were ready for a word to be presented. Following the key press was random delay of about 1 to 4 seconds before the word appears. Words then appeared written vertically on the screen for a fixed time. Four color words were used: red, blue, green and yellow. Words were randomly printed in a word-color congruent form or non-congruent form appearing at any of three positions (left, center, and right).

Using Electrophoresis To Determine The Sickle Cell Disease I essays

Using Electrophoresis To Determine The Sickle Cell Disease I essays Title: Using Electrophoresis To Determine The Sickle Cell Disease In Hemoglobin Electrophoresis is the movement of charged molecules under the influence of an electric field. Because amino acids and proteins are charged molecules, they migrate in an electric field at appropriate pH values. Hemoglobin is the major protein inside red blood cells. Its primary function is to transport oxygen. When used in an electrophoresis experiment traits and diseases are easily determined because of where the proteins and amino acids migrate on the gel plate. When oxygen concentration in the blood decrease the defective molecule forms long crystals inside the red blood cells to elongate and assume a sickle shape. The crystallized hemoglobin also damages the cell membrane so that the cells become very fragile. Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder that is caused by a single amino acid change in the hemoglobin. In this particular experiment, electrophoresis was used to distinguish whether or not each sample of blood was normal hemoglobin, blood with the sickle cell tra it, or blood with the sickle cell disease. The hypothesis concerning this experiment was that considering the hemoglobin of sickle cell disease has a different amino acid that normal hemoglobin or a carrier for the disease it will migrate to a different space on the gel plate than the normal hemoglobin or carrier. The hemoglobin that is a carrier for sickle cell disease has both amino acids, therefore, it will fill both the space designated for normal hemoglobin as well as the diseased hemoglobin. Predicted Resulted As seen in the charts supplied above the predicted outcome was achieved in the performed experiment. In column one the sample was read as normal hemoglobin, in column three it was sickle cell, and finally in column ...

How to Use the French Conditional (le Conditionnel)

How to Use the French Conditional (le Conditionnel) The French conditional (le conditionnel) mood is very similar to the English conditional mood. It describes events that are not guaranteed to occur, those that are often dependent on certain conditions. While the French conditional mood has a full set of conjugations, the English equivalent is simply the modal verb would plus the main verb. Le Conditionnel: If...then The French conditional is mainly used in  if...then  constructs. It  expresses the idea that  if  this were to happen,  then  that would be the result.   While French uses the word  si  in the if or condition clause, it does not use a term for then in the result clause.  The conditional verb itself is used in the result (then) clause, while only four other tenses are permitted in the  si  clause:  prà ©sent, passà ©Ã‚  composà ©, imparfait,  and  plus-que-parfait. Il mangerait sil avait faim:  He would eat if he were hungrySi nous à ©tudiions, nous serions plus intelligents:  If we studied, (then) we would be smarterIl mangerait avec nous si nous linvitions:  He would eat with us if we invited him Special Cases: Vouloir and Aimer The verb vouloir (to want)  is used in the conditional to express a polite request: Je voudrais une pomme:  I would like an appleJe voudrais y aller avec vous:  I would like to go with you However, you cant say si vous voudriez to mean if you would like, because the French conditional can never be used after si. The verb aimer (to like, love)  is used to express a polite desire, sometimes one that cannot be fulfilled: Jaimerais bien le voir:  I would really like to see itJaimerais y aller, mais je dois travailler:  I would like to go, but I have to work Conjugating le Conditionnel Conjugating the conditional  may be one of the simplest French conjugations youll encounter. There is only one set of endings for all verbs. Most of them - even many that are irregular in the present tense - use their infinitives as the root. There are only about two dozen  stem-changing  or  irregular verbs  that have irregular conditional stems but take the same endings. To show you how easy conditional conjugations are, lets take a look at how it applies to different types of verbs. Well use  jouer  (to play) as our regular  -er  example,  finir  (to finish) as our irregular  -ir  example, and  dire  (to say) as one exception to the rules. Subject Ending Jouer Finir Dire je -ais jouerais finirais dirais tu -ais jouerais finirais dirais il -ait jouerait finirait dirait nous -irons jouerions finirions dirions vous -iez joueriez finiriez diriez ils -aient joueraient finiraient diraient Notice how we had to drop the e in  dire  before adding the conditional endings. This is the sort of change you will find in that handful of verbs that do not follow the standard conditional conjugation pattern. Other than that, you can see how easy it is to form the conditional from almost any verb, even the irregular ones. The Verbs That Don't Follow the Rules So which verbs are you going to have to pay attention to when it comes to the conditional verb mood?  Dire  and other verbs that end in  -ire  are easy compared to some of the others, a few barely resemble the infinitive form while others take on more subtle changes.   The following verbs are irregular in the conditional mood. Notice how the stems change and that they do not use the infinitive form like the other verbs do. There are two rules here: The conditional stem always ends in r.  The exact same verbs are irregular in the  future tense  and use the same stems. When conjugating these into the conditional, simply attach the endings noted above according to the subject pronoun in your sentence. Infinitive Verb Conditional Stem Similar Verbs acheter achà ¨ter- achever, amener, emmener, lever, promener acquà ©rir acquerr- conquà ©rir, s'enquà ©rir appeler appeller- à ©peler, rappeler, renouveler aller ir- avoir aur- courir courr- concourir, discourir, parcourir devoir devr- envoyer enverr- essayer essaier- balayer, effrayer, payer essuyer essuier- appuyer, ennuyer à ªtre ser- faire fer- falloir faudr- jeter jetter- feuilleter, hoqueter, projeter, rejeter nettoyer nettoier employer, noyer, tutoyer,-ayer stem-changing verbs pleuvoir pleuvr- pouvoir pourr- savoir saur- tenir tiendr- maintenir, obtenir, soutenir valoir vaudr- venir viendr- devenir, parvenir, revenir voir verr- revoir vouloir voudr-

Guest lecturer reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Guest lecturer reports - Essay Example Thus engineers are part of the problem solving process and apply an analytical approach in providing solutions. The knowledge of social construction of technology aids in the comprehension of societal problems in relation to the existing economic needs of the people. Therefore engineers are able to device appropriate solutions technically to suit the changing economic trends. Engineers are social scientific practitioners who mainly link scientific discoveries and the commercial applications to meet the day today societal and consumer needs (Anastasia & Reshma, 2009). This is incredibly plausible through the ideas this clever bunch of professionals put forward to act as economic solutions to technical problems in relation to the application of scientific principles. Sociology of technology is a theory that argues on the basis of human action shaping technology. One of the distinctive characteristics of technology is that it’s socially shaped i.e. a new technology available at o ne time may be developed and implemented following consumer interests. Thus a working technology is rendered unsuccessful when it does not meet the prevailing standards of consumer interests (Bijker, Wiebe, Thomas, Hughes, Trevor, & Pinch, 1987). Engineering socio-technical system defines societal roles in determining what design should be used by engineers to construct a device that is generally accepted, at certain limits. It is this design that influences the implementation of a particular technology at a particular time. As a theory and a methodology, SCOT analyses the causes of success and failure to a particular technology through formalizing appropriate scientific procedures and principles. This argument is evident in the evolution of bicycle, innovating different designs. The first invention of the bicycle was the velocipede, which was difficult to mount, had a poor braking system and the front wheel tended to clean itself on the cyclist's trousers while negotiating bents. T his paved way for penny-farthing part of the developmental process to find an efficient form of personal transport. Similarly, it took a cyclist some practice to learn how to get into and off the high wheel. This, accompanied by risks of tumbling for longer distances when one lost control, called for a new invention. The bicyclette, also known as safety bicycle, is the first chain-drive with advantages over the other inventions. The bicycle invention may be summarized in an innovation model continuum, as shown below. The linear innovation model suggests that the technical change in bicycle occurs in a linear fashion as illustrated in the flow chart below. On the other hand, multi-directional model provides a wider view on the relationship of the subsequent designs (Sismondo, 1993). Illustration 1: Linear Model of Innovation Illustration 2: Multi-directional Model Social analytical approach spells out clearly the diverse problems that need corrections, thus, which are very fundamenta l for my understanding. The interpretive flexibility stage analyses the problems affecting the male, elderly and female cyclists. By this, understand the requirements of the elderly, male, and female cyclists. The ordinary bicycle contributed major to the development of bicycles albeit having limitations on the elderly cyclists and female cyclists. It was rendered for young and athletic men who were thought to withstand its tumbling menace when it suddenly hit a rough surface, and also the rider's position over the centre of the

Enhancing Literature for students of English as second Language Research Paper

Enhancing Literature for students of English as second Language - Research Paper Example Research shows that education is a long prescription and a short on description and this statement holds true for literacy instructions given for English language learners or students who use English as a second language (ESL). ESL students will represent a wide range of cultures and language skills and are the easiest to take note of in schools as they are enter into classrooms without knowing how to have a conversation with other students in English. These students will remain silent in class as they are trying to adjust in the new environment and culture and this silent period presents a time of great discomfort for the students as they feel as if they do not belong. Teachers working with these students will require theories and conceptual models and frameworks that are aimed at ensuring that the students easily adapt in the new environment and that their learning goes on smoothly without language barriers affecting their success in education (Jimenez and Gersten, 1994). Teachers will require to incorporate comprehensive input, cognitive academic language proficiency and the natural language approach in the effort of making ESL students learn without language barriers interfering with their success. Research reveals that there needs to be a considerable amount of guidance and innovative ideas that will enable ESL students to adapt in the new environment and learn English, and this will make the classroom conducive for learning. (Jimenez and Gersten, 1994). Teachers are required to enhance the approach they use to educate ESL students so as to make their classrooms conducive for the great numbers of ESL students. There is a general increase in the number of ESL students in the United States classrooms, and this means that there are cases when teachers without training on how to teach them attend to these students. Teachers can be asked to teach students of Non-English backgrounds , and this presents a milestone as the students may not be able to read and writ e well in their native language or in English hence the need for special attention and programs aimed at improving the literacy learning skills (Jimenez and Gersten, 1994). Thus, teachers are faced with the task of building literacy, develop writing expression ability and enhance the growth of the English language for the student at the same time. This is extremely challenging for teachers, and even the most experienced ones may have problems in simultaneously building these capabilities. Factors Affecting Second Language Acquisition There are various factors that will affect students’ ability to acquire a second language despite the fact that students will have varying patterns, speed and acquiring styles. Some students will easily take off and become quickly conversant without much effort and for others this will present a huge challenge. Some students will continue to struggle with learning English despite being engaged in constant and lengthy periods of being exposed to t he language being learnt (English). Learner characteristics or personal traits affect the ESL students in their effort to acquire literal efficiency. These are the characteristics that are specific to an individual and they will include attitude, motivation, personality, learning styles and attitudes. Research shows that self confident students and those that have sociable personalities will have the courage to attempt verbal communication with other students and these interactions will make them to adapt easily to the new environment (Reid, 2002). Learner characteristics will affect how the student responds to instructions, which will influence the student’s ability to learn. Situational or environmental factors are concerned with issues that are external to the

Copyright Law and Technological Advances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Copyright Law and Technological Advances - Essay Example In the context of the Internet, copyright law operates in such a way that the interests of the genuine owner of creative works, and the rights to the public to access such works are balanced. Hence, protecting creativity in the context of the Internet implies the promoting of intellectual development. In the absence of such protection for intellectual creativity, public access to information would be restricted. Hence, copyright law has to provide sufficient protection to copyright owners and also restrict the infringements that take place on the internet. Damages for such infringements have to be compensated to the owner of copyrights. The infringements of copyrights are increasing in number, due to the rapid expansion of the Internet. The relevant legislation has not kept apace with this proliferation of the Internet. It remained static and was unable to cope with the new and innovative methods of infringing copyrights.

Corporate strategy assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corporate strategy assigment - Essay Example The company has employed more than ten thousand professionals in 27 countries globally. The company enjoys considered client base that include insurance companies, corporations, sovereign wealth funds, banks, pension companies and endowment foundations. The company offered integrated services to its clients including enterprise management, strategic advisory services and risk management services. The company has more than US $ 3.67 trillion in fixed income securities, real estates, equity funds and alternative investments (Grind 40). Business model development Black Rock Inc has implemented an excellent business model. The company recognizes the changing business environment requires innovative products. The company has a global scale approach to its operations and enables clients have a local reach to its services. The company is also client-focused since it provides integrated services to its client portfolio. The business model is aimed at facilitating efficiency, enhancing teamwo rk across the globe and offering tailor-made products that meet the client needs. Organisational culture One of the core assets of the organisation is an organisational culture that is aimed at meeting client needs. ... The company adds value to client solutions by the constant evolution of new product offerings. Through offshore funds, unit trusts and managed accounts, the company has been able to meet the unique needs of each client in the world. Human resources The company has invested in highly qualified risk management analysts and other key staff. For instance, the company has recently recruited experienced staff from some of the major competitors. The risk and quantitative analysis teams utilize a global and integrated approach in analysis of the market risks while also maintaining a regional orientation. The human resources are able to use the best practices in investments and risk management activities. Distribution and logistics The company has office locations in about 27 countries. The company has also enhanced the global reach through offering investment opportunities through the internet. The company has established partnerships with other financial intermediaries in order to increase the client base. Porter’s Five Forces Supplier power Maintaining of a good relationship with current clients is very important for Black Rock Inc. Current clients usually refer new clients due to their satisfaction with services that they receive from an organization. The company recognizes this and has invested on building long term relationships with their clients. One of the critical assets of the company is a good reputation that is maintained by the investor relations segment of the business (Schermerhorn 2010). Black rock Inc has been able to gain a high ranking among potential employees through its performance in the industry. Therefore, the company gets a highly qualified pool of applicants to choose from when hiring employees. The employees are

Career Path Planning Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Career Path Planning Report - Essay Example Designing and implementation of software refers to the task of software development. This has grown to cover web development aspects, interface design, issues concerning securities, mobile computing among others. Most graduates usually follow this career path. Despite having taken a degree being sufficient to venture into this career, some graduates decide to undertake a master’s degree (Lopatto, 2004). Career opportunities is provided in various settings such as software companies, computer services companies, industries, health sectors, banking among other sectors. Coming up with new ways of computer use requires one to come up with various innovations in computer technology applications. This pathway includes graduate work that is advanced, positioning one in an industrial research or research in a university. Coming up with effective ways in solving computing problems needs one to apply knowledge and theory in computer science to come up with solutions to computational problems. This needs graduate work to PhD level, later positioning in Research University or development laboratory or industrial research (Goode, 2008). On completion of my computer science course, two career jobs of my choice are web designer and software tester. Having gained all the skills and knowledge over the years of my degree course, it would be easier to handle the two careers in the real life situation. As a software tester, one is engaged in quality assurance level of development of software and deployment. The person is involved in conducting both automated and manual software tests to ensure their fitness for the purpose they are meant for. This career of software testing involves software and system analysis to eradicate risks and prevent other software issues. The software tester role is tied to development of software systems and other technical products such as electronic goods, vehicles, healthcare and defense.

Discus and Biomechanics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discus and Biomechanics - Term Paper Example It was first introduced in the modern sporting event in the 1896 Olympic Games. This maiden appearance marked the dominance of the sport in the Olympic Games (Leigh & Yu, 2007). Moreover, interest in the sport has increased significantly. In Europe mostly, the sport has become a famous trend in field and track competitions. Over the years, the track and field event has featured in major global arenas such as the Olympics and has attracted the participation of numerous personalities and nations (Hay& Yu, 1995). Its development has been gradual. Prior to attaining global significance, early modern participation in the sport was a throw from an inclined pedestal and employed an exaggerated style copied from the old representation of the event. The throw was done from a 7-foot circle. It was until 1928 that the circle was adjusted to the measurements used in the modern sporting events. In addition, the modern sport is divided into the men and women categories. The two divisions differentiate in the weight and size of the discus used. The disc has a diameter of 8.16 inches. The thickness should be 1.75 inches (Hay& Yu, 1995). The discus is made of wood or a material with similar properties. The outside of the discus is created with metal rims and small brass plated on its sides. The weight of the discus must exceed 2 kg. In 1928, the sport was included in the women’s track and field events. However, a small discus was used for women. The discus weighed 2 pounds 3.2 ounce (1kg). It measu res 7.1 inches (Hay& Yu, 1995). The major objective of the sport is to increase the participation of athletes in track and field sporting events (Hubbard & Cheng, 2007). In addition, its adaption as an Olympic event had the objective of retaining its relevance considering its great history. The creation of the sport was based on the aim to include more sports disciplines in the track and field events. Its purpose in has been influenced by the fact that the

Career Path Planning Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Career Path Planning Report - Essay Example Designing and implementation of software refers to the task of software development. This has grown to cover web development aspects, interface design, issues concerning securities, mobile computing among others. Most graduates usually follow this career path. Despite having taken a degree being sufficient to venture into this career, some graduates decide to undertake a master’s degree (Lopatto, 2004). Career opportunities is provided in various settings such as software companies, computer services companies, industries, health sectors, banking among other sectors. Coming up with new ways of computer use requires one to come up with various innovations in computer technology applications. This pathway includes graduate work that is advanced, positioning one in an industrial research or research in a university. Coming up with effective ways in solving computing problems needs one to apply knowledge and theory in computer science to come up with solutions to computational problems. This needs graduate work to PhD level, later positioning in Research University or development laboratory or industrial research (Goode, 2008). On completion of my computer science course, two career jobs of my choice are web designer and software tester. Having gained all the skills and knowledge over the years of my degree course, it would be easier to handle the two careers in the real life situation. As a software tester, one is engaged in quality assurance level of development of software and deployment. The person is involved in conducting both automated and manual software tests to ensure their fitness for the purpose they are meant for. This career of software testing involves software and system analysis to eradicate risks and prevent other software issues. The software tester role is tied to development of software systems and other technical products such as electronic goods, vehicles, healthcare and defense.

360-degree appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

360-degree appraisal - Essay Example management, this paper will provide analysis of a case study using the AMA 8-step case analysis tool as a means of installing the 360-degree appraisal in an organization (American Management Association, 2009). GE Company has its employee working in nine teams to produce GE 90 jet engines. Each of the nine teams handles the production of an engine from the initial step until the engine is ready for delivery. Each team has a goal of getting the engine produced; however, they are all responsible for management of their internal affairs including training, vacation, and overtime. Each team is equally responsible for making an adjustment to the production process, monitor product quality and take responsibility for identifying and resolving problems arising among members of the team. Decision-making in the company is based on consensus, with each team making its decisions pertaining the production process. However, the company has an overall plant manager who ensures the attention of all the teams is focused on the achievement of the company’s goals. Due to the independence nature of the teams in decision-making, the manager has little responsibilities in following up each team, as the team members feel untrusted. Unlike the conventional responsibility of decision making by managers, in the GE Company, a manager makes few decisions, with major decisions such as cost reduction and safety improvement delegated to a task force (Bressen, 2007). The challenge that comes with independent decision making by team members in a company is the disparity in the quality of the final products of the company. Since each team determines the production process, there is a likelihood that the quality of the engines would not be similar which would challenge the reputation of the company. Independent decision making by the teams in the company would result in differences in the appraisal pattern for the employees of the organization. Despite the presence of a plant manager, there

Alaska Airline & Corporate Culture Essay Example for Free

Alaska Airline Corporate Culture Essay A unique cultural characteristic of Alaska Airline would be the benefits they allot their employees. After 90 days of working with Alaska Airline, an employee earns benefits which allows him or her to fly anywhere at anytime with 1 other individual. In addition to this, the employee is given 6 â€Å"buddy passes† each year which allows the employee to give 6 roundtrip tickets to people other than himself or the 1 person he chooses to travel with. The best part about these benefits is that as long as the employee remains in good standing with the company, they are issued indefinitely, even after retirement. Companies can unknowingly cultivate negative culture among its employees and customers. This can happen in numerous ways. If a company were to institute a new policy which applied undue stress to its employees, adopt new prices that are greatly higher than what its customers are accustomed to paying, or allow a top representative to behave in a manner which sharply contradicts the values of the company, it would certainly be cultivating negative culture. While such behaviors may be immediately illusive to the company, some, if not many, employees and customers will notice it, and the company will suffer for it. In order to know specifically how a business corporate culture can be amended for the better, it would be necessary to know which business is being discussed or at the very least, the disposition of it’s corporate culture. While a grocery chain may need to focus on training employees to assist the elderly or the otherwise incapable individuals with carrying and loading groceries into cars, the corporate culture of an electronic store may benefit from having better-educated employees about the products in order that said employees may help customers make better-informed purchases. As far as developing a sense of corporate culture directed at the employees, a company may issue monthly kudos to employees who overachieved or plan celebrations after goals have been reached. Nevertheless, any and all amendments put into effect by a business for the purpose of improving corporate culture must result in an enhancement of customer or employee experience and or perception. There will certainly be a cultural shift in Microsoft as they reorganize to emphasize customer service. Before, the company was not so focused on customer service, and therefore had a corporate culture with its center of gravity more on product development. Now, however, the company must necessarily implement changes ubiquitously, effectively replanting its center of gravity, in order to meet is goal of honing in on customer service. Such a drastic make-over will involve a significant cultural shift. While Jet Blue has experienced much difficult as a result of bad weather which has in fact damaged their culture, it would be hasty to say their culture has been irreparably damaged. There can be work done through public relations and customer appreciative measures to repair its damaged culture. Work Cites 1. â€Å"Work-Life and Benefits- Alaska Airlines.† alaskaair.com. Alaskaair, n.d. Web. 20 April 2011. 2. March, Suzanne. â€Å"JetBlue Airways – Flight Change Fees Waived For Passengers Affected By Bad Weather .† starglobaltribune.com. Starglobaltribune, n.d. Web. 20 April 2011.

Experiment on Effect of Music on Driving Performance

Experiment on Effect of Music on Driving Performance Research shows that listening to music is mostly common in an automobile (Wikman et al., 1998). Moreover, compared to other activities that might cause a distraction, there is a popular misconception that listening or singing to music while driving on the road causes little-to-no-risk (Dibben and Williamson, 2007). Several types of research and experiments have studied the effects of music on the performance of the operator in different controlled environments and under different conditions (Beh and Hirst, 1999; Baldwin and Coyne, 2003). On one hand, research has continuously supported the idea that under certain conditions, listening to music does increase alertness by countering sleepiness when driving (Braitman et al., 2008; Bellinger et al., 2009; Brodsky and Kizner, 2012). Experiments have also shown that music played close to a persons comfort volume level (72 Dba for male and 66 dba for female ) will induce faster reactions to signals (Turner et al., 1996). On the other hand, listening to music accompanies several behaviors that take the drivers attention. These include changing songs, scrolling to a playlist, fine-tuning a radio station, and swapping CDs which directs the drivers eyes away from the road and leads to single-handed driving (Horberry et al., 2006). Listening to music while driving might also have another drawback as it will cause less auditory acuity for the sound of the music caps road noises (e.g. sirens, horns, vehicle warning signs) (Consiglio et al., 2003; Brodsky and Slor, 2013). This would considerably decrease the operators overall awareness of a situation (Lee et al., 2012). Additionally, momentary loud peaks in music disrupt vestibulocochlear control leading to a decrease in the reaction time of the driver thus increasing the risk of collision (Wikman et al., 1998). An important note is that previous research showed that some music genres like Pop, rock, and dance contain more frequent peaks in the tracks than o ther genres like classic, vocal, and rap (Hughes et al., 2013). Moreover, research has shown that the drivers perception of moving objects can be altered based on the pace of the background music (Brodsky, 2001). Furthermore, research done at the University of Negev in 2012 showed that although drivers that listened to their favorite music songs had elevated positive moods and enjoyed the trips, they exhibited more steering inaccuracies, aggressive driving patterns, and traffic violations compared to drivers that listened to songs they are not familiar with (Brodsky and Slor, 2013). A lot of research have considered effects of music based on its familiarity with the driver (Cummings et al., 2001), loudness (Ayres and Hughes, 1986), and pace (Iwamiya, 1997). Music genres are mainly categorized into Pop, Rock, Dance, hip-hop, and Rap (ÃÅ"nal et al., 2012). This categorization is based on the most popular music for individuals aged between 16 to 30. To our knowledge, there is no research that tests whether the effects of different types of music genres on driving performance(Oron-Gilad et al., 2008). The aim of this study is to test if there are any different effects of genres of music on the driver performance. The objective is to set the genres that enhance the drivers performance and the those that predict the worst outcome.(Ho and Spence, 2005; McEvoy et al., 2006) In this research, we seek to study the effects of the 5 different genres presented earlier on driving performance while controlling all other effects of in-cabin music like volume, familiarity, pace, and tempo. Hypothesis 1: Given that Pop, rock, and dance music have more peaks/climaxes than other music genres, we predict that they will have a negative effect on the performance. Hypothesis 2: On the other, we predict that listening to hip-hop and rap will have a positive outcome when it comes to the drivers performance. The proposed project will be a multivariate experimental design. The first independent variable in this study is the type of music the driver is listening to. These include 5 different genres compare to a control situation, which is when the driver is not listening to any music. 20 popular tracks (4 for each genre) will be chosen to be played during the experiment. The tracks will be chosen from a website called Grooveshark (Grooveshark.org) which contains top charts from each genre. The choice of tracks is very important to this experiment since as mentioned above the pace/beats per minute (BPM) of a song, and familiarity does affect the driving performance, thus all the tracks were chosen should have 120-125 BPM rate and should popular so that every participant will know one of these three tracks. The second independent variable will be the type of incident the driver must respond to. For the current study, a simulated world of the roads in London was created. The setting is intercity roads and highways. Incidents that the participant will face were designed specifically to mimic the possible scenarios that a London driver would experience (National Survey, 2016) they are characterized by 2 groups : Highway incidents Traffic Pileup Car following Monotonous driving Intercity Road incidents Car coming from the left violating the giveaway rule Parked car suddenly driving off Intersection crossing The dependent variables will be mental effort value and the driving performance. The former will be assessed using The Rating Scale Metal Effort (value from 0 to 150 where 0 indicates no effort and 150 indicates extreme effort) (Zijlstra, 1993) at different intervals during the study . In a series of studies by Zijlstra demonstrated that the scale is sensitive to changes in task load and correlates well with physiological changes based on task difficulty. Therefore, the scale is a valid and reliable measure for subjective ratings of mental effort, and an indicator of workload and information processing during the driving task. Throughout the experiment, the driving simulator will log relevant driving performance indicators during a series of 6 incidents that the participants will undergo them twice, once with no music as a control and another while listing to different music genres. More detailed description of the performance indicators will be mentioned in the measurement description. The experiment requires 85 participants that should have the following requirements: Participants should be between 18 and 65 years old A valid driving license for more than 6 months No hearing deficiencies Not persecuted by traffic court Participants will be selected to ensure a representative sample of the population in London. The ratio gender and age should be statistically similar to the drivers in London. According to the national transport, survey done in 2010, the gender ratio was 58% males and 42% females, and the mean age was 40 years. Finally, upon completion of the study, the participants will be rewarded a 20Â £ amazon voucher. All participants will be given a detailed information about the experiment prior participation and will be asked to sign a consent form. This document will include the risks and potential benefits, information about the researcher, and ERGO contact information. Also, the consent form will inform the participants that they have the right to drop out of the study at any stage, and withdraw their data after the study have been completed with no negative impact on them. The study will only be conducted with the approval of the ERGO committee at the University of Southampton. Finally, the participants will be each given a number that will be used in all data logging, questioners, results, and reports so that participant confidentiality is preserved. All soft data will be kept on a secure hard drive and all hard copy data will be kept in a locked cabin under the supervision of the principal investigator. Participants will go through all highway and intercity incidents twice (6 incidents as a control with no music, and another 6 with different music genres playing in the car). When the participants arrive, they will be debriefed and then guided through consent form. Once the participants agree to join the study, they sign the consent form. After that, they will undergo a 3-minute online Hearing deficiency test designed by the Royal institute of Deaf People (www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk) to check for any hearing deficiencies. If they pass the test they will go through a 10-minute training session in the driving simulator so that they will get to know the driving simulator. If the researchers observed any participants having simulation-sickness they would exclude from the experiment at this point. Moving on, the participants will choose 5 songs (one from each genre) that they are familiar with, and they will be informed that they should respond with a single value from 0 to 150 when a research asks them about their mental effort during the driving task. At this point, the participants will be asked to go through the 12 different scenarios with a 5-min break between each 6 incidents. The scenarios will be generated in a random order for the different participants using randomgenerator.org. Such that everyone gets a different sequence of the scenarios with different music genres. Avoiding the effect of sequence on the outcomes. To achieve a controllable environment a couple of measures will be taken. Firstly, the only songs played to the participant are the ones he/she chose before he started the driving simulation.Secondly, the music will be played at a moderate sound level throughout the experiment (72 Dba for male and 66 dba for female ) to exclude any effects of the different volume levels on the drivers performance. Thirdly, road noises simulated road noises will not be played during any of the tests because the research is solely interested in the effects of different music genres on driving performance. A pilot study will be conducted prior to the main study to ensure all the information given to the participants are clear. In addition, a pilot study will allow the researchers to address any possible factors that might affect the outcome and thereby produce a non-replicable result. The pilot will be made up of 10 individuals who will go through the whole experiment and afterward sit with the researchers and address their concerns in a focus group. The feedback will be taken into consideration and the study procedure will be adapted to try to avoid any problem that might arise during the data collection phase. Each incident will last 2 minutes, so each participant will be in the car simulator for an average of 40 minutes (including a 5-minute half-time). Including the debriefing talks, 10-minute training session, consent form, hearing test, and music selection music selection the whole experiment should last an average of one hour for every participant (Strayer et al., 2003; Sheller, 2004; Patel et al., 2008) The experiment will be done in the Southampton University Driving Simulator (SUDS) with a 135-degree field-of-view which contains a Jaguar XJ saloon vehicle linked to the STISIM Drive simulation software, it has an interactive driving simulator with three driving displays supporting a 135-degree driver field-of-view (University of Southampton Driving Simulator, 2016). 1000 Watt Panasonic speaker was used to play the background music that was linked to an iPod. A digital sound level meter was also used to measure the loudness of the music and keep the loudness level on 72 Dba for male and 66 for female participants. To measure driver mental effort the researchers will use The Rating Scale Metal Effort and will log the values on an excel sheet. For the hearing deficiency test, the researchers will use the online hearing deficiency test. For the driving performance monitoring, the SUDS will record specific values for each tone of the 12 of scenarios. The research will use relevant indicators used in other driving simulator experiments that test driver performance because of their effectiveness to portray the overall driver performance in each of the designed incidents.(ÃÅ"nal et al., 2012) Traffic Pileup: Mean minimum headway which is the time needed for the following car to reach the lead car. Absolute minimum headway time. Car following: Mean speed while following the car Standard Deviation of speed Monotonous driving: 2.a 2.b Car coming from the left Maximum deceleration Minimum velocity Maximum Break percentage Parked car suddenly driving off Time to contact the moving car 4.a 4.b Intersection Crossing Distance to the approaching car when the driver crossed the intersection The results will be analyzed using the MANOVA analysis. The two dependent variables will be mean values on the driving performance and mental efforts. The output of those will be compared across the 12 different scenarios. In addition, interactions between dependent variables will be analyzed (in the MANOVA analysis). Bonfornni posthoc tests will allow pointing where the exact difference is between the different scenarios. Finally the . SPSS version 24 will be used for analysis. References Ayres, T.J. and Hughes, P. (1986) Visual acuity with noise and music at 107 dbA. Journal of Auditory Research. Baldwin, C.L. and Coyne, J.T. (2003) Mental workload as a function of traffic density: Comparison of physiological, behavioral, and subjective indices Proceedings of the Second International Driving Symposium on Human Factors. 19-24. Beh, H.C. and Hirst, R. (1999) Performance on driving-related tasks during music. Ergonomics, 42 (8), 1087-1098. Bellinger, D.B., Budde, B.M., Machida, M., Richardson, G.B. and Berg, W.P. (2009) The effect of cellular telephone conversation and music listening on response time in braking. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 12 (6), 441-451. Braitman, K.A., Kirley, B.B., Mccartt, A.T. and Chaudhary, N.K. (2008) Crashes of novice teenage drivers: Characteristics and contributing factors. Journal of Safety Research, 39 (1), 47-54. Brodsky, W. (2001) The effects of music tempo on simulated driving performance and vehicular control. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 4 (4), 219-241. Brodsky, W. and Kizner, M. (2012) Exploring an alternative in-car music background designed for driver safety. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 15 (2), 162-173. Brodsky, W. and Slor, Z. (2013) Background music as a risk factor for distraction among young-novice drivers. Accident Analysis Prevention, 59, 382-393. Consiglio, W., Driscoll, P., Witte, M. and Berg, W.P. (2003) Effect of cellular telephone conversations and other potential interference on reaction time in a braking response. Accident Analysis Prevention, 35 (4), 495-500. Cummings, P., Koepsell, T.D., Moffat, J.M. and Rivara, F.P. (2001) Drowsiness, counter-measures to drowsiness, and the risk of a motor vehicle crash. Injury Prevention, 7 (3), 194-199. Dibben, N. and Williamson, V.J. (2007) An exploratory survey of in-vehicle music listening. Psychology of Music, 35 (4), 571-589. Ho, C. and Spence, C. (2005) Assessing the effectiveness of various auditory cues in capturing a drivers visual attention. Journal of experimental psychology: Applied, 11 (3), 157. Horberry, T., Anderson, J., Regan, M.A., Triggs, T.J. and Brown, J. (2006) Driver distraction: The effects of concurrent in-vehicle tasks, road environment complexity and age on driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 38 (1), 185-191. Hughes, G.M., Rudin-Brown, C.M. and Young, K.L. (2013) A simulator study of the effects of singing on driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 50, 787-792. Iwamiya, S.-I. (1997) Interaction between auditory and visual processing in car audio: simulation experiment using video reproduction. Applied human science, 16 (3), 115-119. Lee, J.D., Roberts, S.C., Hoffman, J.D. and Angell, L.S. (2012) Scrolling and driving how an MP3 player and its aftermarket controller affect driving performance and visual behavior. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 54 (2), 250-263. Mcevoy, S.P., Stevenson, M.R. and Woodward, M. (2006) The impact of driver distraction on road safety: results from a representative survey in two Australian states. Injury prevention, 12 (4), 242-247. National Survey (2016). Department of Transport. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8933/nts2010-02.pdf. Oron-Gilad, T., Ronen, A. and Shinar, D. (2008) Alertness maintaining tasks (AMTs) while driving. Accident Analysis Prevention, 40 (3), 851-860. Patel, J., Ball, D.J. and Jones, H. (2008) Factors influencing subjective ranking of driver distractions. Accident Analysis Prevention, 40 (1), 392-395. Sheller, M. (2004) Automotive emotions feeling the car. Theory, culture society, 21 (4-5), 221-242. Strayer, D.L., Drews, F.A. and Johnston, W.A. (2003) Cell phone-induced failures of visual attention during simulated driving. Journal of experimental psychology: Applied, 9 (1), 23. Turner, M.L., Fernandez, J.E. and Nelson, K. (1996) The effect of music amplitude on the reaction to unexpected visual events. The Journal of General Psychology, 123 (1), 51-62. ÃÅ"nal, A.B., Steg, L. and Epstude, K. (2012) The influence of music on mental effort and driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 48, 271-278. University of Southampton Driving Simulator (2016). Available from: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/research/facilities/driving_simulator.page. Wikman, A.-S., Nieminen, T. and Summala, H. (1998) Driving experience and time-sharing during in-car tasks on roads of different width. Ergonomics, 41 (3), 358-372. Zijlstra, F.R.H. (1993) Efficiency in work behaviour: A design approach for modern tools. TU Delft, Delft University of Technology.

White Power :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  White supremecy is a current issue in society today. It takes place throughout the world and is a very serious thing. There are a lot of people who have revolted against these White Power groups. While trying to overthrow or supress the White Power groups, people may have been beaten or killed in some cases. There are a lot of these groups out there now with thousands of followers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some White Power groups are only in special areas. Some of these groups are non-violent and try to fight the government for there demands. One of these non-violent groups is W.A.R. W.A.R. is a group in Arkansas fighting the government for an all white city.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Awaken White Americans or our race, heritage, history, and the future of our white children will be forever lost.†(www.airnet.net/niterider) This message was written from a Klansman Anarchist unnamed in the W.A.R. group. The quote is trying to recrute new members and telling the people about there orginization. The statement also proves that in a suppressive government people proceed with agression towards others easily in a society that tries to preach peace, love, and harmony.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The other three big white Power Groups are the Nazi’s, Klu Klux Klan or KKK, and Skinheads. Nazism originated under Hitler’s rule in Germany they are striving to achieve the Arian race that is against everyone except white protestants. The KKK are a bunch of hicks with guns with a lot of followers, they are against all blacks and Mexicans. The skinhead groups always vary; most skinheads are satanists, punks, or anarchists they are mainly against the government, blacks, and Mexicans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nazi’s are the biggest hate groups in the whole world. They mainly still live in Germany and still persecute the Jewish people and any people who try to suppress them. The Nazi’s are the most dangerous group to oppose, they have about two million followers in there organization. They also have great numbers of people in the United states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hate so cheap that even Jews are buying.† The quote is from the web site www.whitepride.net/home where you can buy Nazi music and flags. The site is trying to recrute new members to all of the White Power groups. The traditional clothes for Nazi’s were a brown coat brown pants and an armband with a swastika on it because it used to be good to expose you are a Nazi. Now the Nazi’s wear a camouflage or leather jacket, the leaders have hair, and the newer members have a shaved head and they wear Doc Martin black steel toed boots.