Why do organizations continue essays

Why do organizations continue essays The world economy is moving away from the traditional economic system, where national markets were considered as distinct entities, towards a modern economic system where the national markets are merging into one huge global market. Therefore, as the development in the international business environment are forcing companies to think of the world as one vast market, the companies are being forced to set up their manufacturing and marketing facilities in different foreign countries in order to be internationally competitive. Large multinational enterprises and global organizations typically employ individuals from throughout the world. In this regard, there are in today's world a still increasing number of managers, namely expatriates, who are sent by international firms on foreign assignments to work in an overseas subsidiary for a period of time in order to broaden their horizons and to enhance their inter-cultural competence (K. Barham, 1991, pp.158 ). Nevertheless, as mentioned by J.F Hennart (1982, pp.82), operating overseas usually costs more than operating at home because a foreigner does not have the same contacts and knowledge of local customs and business practices as indigenous competitors". The potential losses associated with this latter point can be extremely costly for the ongoing success of the company. B.J. Punnett pointed out that the incremental cost (i.e., that over and above the amount incurred if the position were staffed locally) of sending an expatriate manager to a foreign location is in the vicinity of $200,000 (B.J. Punnett, 1997, pp.388). Hence the need to ensure the right people are going overseas for the right reasons at the right time is also central to the companys success. As the use of expatriates or parent-country nationals in multinational companies can seem confusing because of the cost involved in training and sending managers overseas, we therefore need...

Admiral Barbarossa of the Ottoman Empire

Admiral Barbarossa of the Ottoman Empire He began his naval career as a Barbary pirate, alongside his brothers, raiding Christian coastal villages and seizing ships across the Mediterranean. Khair-ed-Din, also known as Hayreddin Barbarossa, was so successful as a corsair that he managed to become the ruler of Algiers, and then the chief admiral of the Ottoman Turkish navy under Suleiman the Magnificent. Barbarossa started life as a simple potters son and rose to lasting piratical fame. Early Life Khair-ed-Din was born sometime in the late 1470s or early 1480s in the village of Palaiokipos, on the Ottoman-controlled Greek island of Midilli. His mother Katerina was likely a Greek Christian, while his father Yakup is of uncertain ethnicity - different sources state that he was Turkish, Greek, or Albanian. In any case, Khair was the third of their four sons. Yakup was a potter, who purchased a boat to help him sell his goods all around the island and beyond. His sons all learned to sail as part of the family business. As young men, sons Ilyas and Aruj operated their fathers boat, while Khair bought a ship of his own; they all began operating as privateers in the Mediterranean.   Between 1504 and 1510, Aruj used his fleet of ships to help ferry Moorish Muslim refugees from Spain to North Africa after the Christian Reconquista and the fall of Granada. The refugees referred to him as Baba Aruj or Father Aruj, but Christians heard the name as Barbarossa, which is Italian for Redbeard.  As it happened, Aruj and Khair both had red beards, so the western nickname stuck.   In 1516, Khair and his older brother Aruj led a sea and land invasion of Algiers, then under Spanish domination. The local amir, Salim al-Tumi, had invited them to come and free his city, with assistance from the Ottoman Empire. The brothers defeated the Spanish and drove them from the city, and then assassinated the amir.   Aruj took power as the new Sultan of Algiers, but his position was not secure. He accepted an offer from the Ottoman sultan Selim I to make Algiers part of the Ottoman Empire; Aruj became the Bey of Algiers, a tributary ruler under Istanbuls control. The Spanish killed Aruj in 1518, however, at the capture of Tlemcen, and Khair took on both the beyship of Algiers and the nickname Barbarossa.   Bey of Algiers In 1520, Sultan Selim I died and a new sultan took the Ottoman throne. He was Suleiman, called The Lawgiver in Turkey and The Magnificent by Europeans. In return for Ottoman protection from Spain, Barbarossa offered Suleiman the use of his pirate fleet. The new bey was an organizational mastermind, and soon Algiers was the center of privateer activity for all of North Africa. Barbarossa became the de facto ruler of all the so-called Barbary pirates  and began to build up a significant land-based army as well. Barbarossas fleet captured a number of Spanish ships returning from the Americas laden with gold. It also raided coastal Spain, Italy, and France, carrying off loot and also Christians who would be sold as slaves. In 1522, Barbarossas ships assisted in the Ottoman conquest of the island of Rhodes, which had been a stronghold for the troublesome Knights of St. John, also called Knights Hospitaller, an order left over from the Crusades. In the fall of 1529, Barbarossa helped an additional 70,000 Moors flee from Andalusia, southern Spain, which was in the grips of the Spanish Inquisition. Throughout the 1530s, Barbarossa continued to capture Christian shipping, seize towns, and raid Christian settlements all around the Mediterranean. In 1534, his ships sailed right up to the River Tiber, causing panic in Rome. To answer the threat he posed, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire appointed famed Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, who began to capture Ottoman towns along the southern Greek coast. Barbarossa responded in 1537 by seizing a number of Venetian-controlled islands for Istanbul.   Events came to a head in 1538.  Pope Paul III organized a Holy League made up of the Papal States, Spain, the Knights of Malta, and the Republics of Genoa and Venice. Together, they assembled a fleet of 157 galleys under Andrea Dorias command, with the mission of defeating Barbarossa and the Ottoman fleet. Barbarossa had just 122 galleys when the two forces met off of Preveza. The Battle of Preveza, on September 28, 1538, was a smashing victory for Hayreddin Barbarossa.  Despite their smaller numbers, the Ottoman fleet took the offensive and crashed through Dorias attempt at encirclement. The Ottomans sank ten of the Holy Leagues ships, captured 36 more, and burned three, without losing a single ship themselves. They also captured about 3,000 Christian sailors, at a cost of 400 Turkish dead and 800 wounded. The following day, despite urging from the other captains to stay and fight, Doria ordered the survivors of the Holy Leagues fleet to withdraw. Barbarossa continued on to Istanbul, where Suleiman received him at the Topkapi Palace and promoted him to Kapudan-i Derya or Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy, and Beylerbey or Governor of governors of Ottoman North Africa.  Suleiman also gave Barbarossa the governorship of Rhodes, fittingly enough. The Grand Admiral The victory at Preveza gave the Ottoman Empire dominance in the Mediterranean Sea that lasted for more than thirty years. Barbarossa took advantage of that dominance to clear all of the islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas of Christian fortifications. Venice sued for peace in October of 1540, acknowledging Ottoman suzerainty over those lands and paying war indemnities. The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, tried in 1540 to tempt Barbarossa to become the top admiral of his fleet, but Barbarossa was not willing to be recruited. Charles personally led a siege on Algiers the following fall, but stormy weather and Barbarossas formidable defenses wreaked havoc on the Holy Roman fleet  and sent them sailing for home. This attack on his home base led Barbarossa to adopt an even more aggressive stance, raiding throughout the western Mediterranean Sea. The Ottoman Empire was allied with France by this time, in what the other Christian nations called The Unholy Alliance, working in opposition to Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Barbarossa and his ships defended southern France from Spanish attack several times between 1540 and 1544. He also made a number of daring raids on Italy. The Ottoman fleet was recalled in 1544  when Suleiman and Charles V reached a truce.  In 1545, Barbarossa went on his last expedition, sailing to raid the Spanish mainland and offshore islands. Death and Legacy The great Ottoman admiral retired to his palace in Istanbul in 1545, after appointing his son to rule Algiers. As a retirement project, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha dictated his memoirs in five, hand-written volumes. Barbarossa died in 1546.  He is buried on the European side of the Bosporus Straits. His statue, which stands next to his mausoleum, includes this verse: Whence on the seas horizon comes that roar? / Can it be Barbarossa now returning / From Tunis or Algiers or from the isles? / Two hundred ships ride on the waves / Coming from lands the rising crescent lights / O blessed ships, from what seas are you come? Hayreddin Barbarossa left behind a great Ottoman navy, which continued to support the empires great power status for centuries to come. It stood as a monument to his skills in organization and administration, as well as naval warfare. Indeed, in the years following his death, the Ottoman navy ventured out into the Atlantic and into the Indian Ocean to project Turkish power in distant lands.

Foreign Policy Issues Faced by UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foreign Policy Issues Faced by UK - Essay Example The three issues of international concern to the U.K. are discussed in greater depth below. Discussion The United Kingdom has been in the forefront of international news lately and these three foreign policy issues are the fight against terrorism, the economic crisis in Europe and the on-going war in Libya of which Great Britain and France took the lead roles for all NATO members in cooperation with the United States of America. The three international issues are important to the United Kingdom because it is leading member of the European Union as well as a major player in the international arena of politics, economy and the oil industry. On the whole, an evaluation of the newspaper's approach to presenting the news will show it tries to present a balanced view of the news, without any sensationalism, slant or any personal opinion either of the reporter or the newspaper's news editors. This is as it should be as the task of any newspaper is to inform its readers and any views on the news should always be properly relegated to the opinion-editorial page (op-ed section). If ever, the personal views of the reporter are largely muted or very subtle an ordinary reader would hardly notice it. The fight against Islamist terrorism is of great interest to the United Kingdom. It is a primary concern to the country as it itself had once been a victim of these terrorists attacks. It was not too long ago when four suicide bombers detonated themselves in a well-coordinated attack by riding on London's trains and set off the bombs back in July 07, 2005 that targeted civilian train passengers. The four bombers declared themselves as jihadists and had links to the terror network of Al Qaeda. The recent successes of the American's anti-terrorism efforts should be of good cheer to the English people as well because it implies a safer environment for every British citizen. The killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan back in May this year is a great victory against international ter rorism. The recent news about the assassination of Mr. Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen should be reason enough for a celebration (Hider 1) as this guy in a way had assumed the ideological leadership of Al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States which is the lead agency tasked to fight terrorism overseas had targeted him despite Mr. Awlaki being an American citizen. He is a native American of sorts, having been born in New Mexico but he took up jihad (Dozier and Apuzzo 1) and was responsible for several failed bombing attempts using airplanes also. The second news item of international significance for the United Kingdom is the on-going financial and economic crisis in Europe caused by the risk of default by Greece. The country is one of the strongest economies in Europe, besides Germany and France, It is only expected that it will also play a leading role in resolving this latest debt crisis by contributing to a bailout fund and st amping a seal of approval for any loans to be given out to Greece. But is it also in a quandary of sorts, as the country itself has not yet fully recovered from an earlier financial crisis brought about by the bursting of the American housing sub-mortgage bubble in 2007 and is also suffering from a large budget deficit that has necessitated big cutbacks. Great Britain had seemed headed for a mild economic recovery just six months ago but the situation today has completely deteriorated due

Philosophy of David Hume in response to Rene Descartes Essay

Philosophy of David Hume in response to Rene Descartes - Essay Example On the contrary, Hume responds by demonstrating his philosophy on empiricism whereby an a posteriori knowledge is required apart from analytical endeavor for such theory posits that matters of fact in the world may only be ascertained by perceiving through the senses. In the light of an empirical attempt for one to obtain certainty with truths that may be contingent, Hume necessitates engagement with observations wherein an observer becomes capable of designating philosophical connections with contiguity and identity of objects. Hume holds suspicion on Descartes’ belief on pure reasoning on the basis of arguing that causes and effects are physically adjacent in space so â€Å"the causal inference must be grounded in experience, not in any intuitive knowledge of ‘essences’†. If causes exist in reality, according to Hume, no reasoning can It is basically indispensable for Hume that humans understand how they are led to the factual goal by having resolutions to it sought through sensory experiences that are external or extrinsic by nature. Hume claims: â€Å"Even after we have experience of the operations of cause and effect, our conclusions from that experience are not founded on reasoning† that is why causal beliefs may not be treated an a priori for perceptions by sense establish a strong basis around a contingent truth that relies heavily on ‘matters of fact’ which are directly observed. Kant, nevertheless, argues â€Å"Have courage to use your own reason† in his attempt to address lack of enlightenment during his time for enlightenment in a man pertains to a state when the latter has overcome or emerged above his immature self. It is claimed that beyond man’s immaturity, there exists sufficient capacity to understand in the absence of external guiding principle and in this propos ition, the immaturity of an individual is considered to be imposed upon oneself and

Rebellion Against Oppression Essay Example for Free

Rebellion Against Oppression Essay How Does Oppression Within â€Å"Like Water for Chocolate† and â€Å"The House of Bernarda Alba† Lead To Unnatural Consequences? In both ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ and ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ rebellion against oppression is a strong theme, with both Tita and Adela struggling to break free of their mother’s authoritarianism. However, it is important to realise that with both characters, the authors are using them to symbolise their own journeys. Federico Garcia Lorca uses Adela’s strong willed fight against Bernarda Alba to represent the costs of repressing the freedom of others. Likewise, in Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel uses Tita’s constant battle against Mama Elena to show how women struggle to be heard and how both men and tradition can be strong oppressors. Laura Esquivel employs magic realism throughout ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ to show how Tita’s emotions are transmitted and exaggerated through food. Laura Esquivel presents the supernatural as an everyday event, however not all the characters accept it in the same way as reality, for example Mama Elena remains convinced that Tita is somehow doctoring the food to her own liking, instead of it being ‘magical tears’. Tita lives in a traditional female role, she enjoys cooking and is a selfless nurturer but she lives under a matriarchal rule. A woman who has â€Å"never needed a man for anything†, which leaves the reader questioning why Tita seems to require a man in her life in order to â€Å"alight her matches†. Adela, although fighting for her right for freedom again Bernarda Alba, still believes that she must take orders from Pepe. The traditional roles the mothers have created for their daughters continue even in their rebellion. The men in both books are not particularly strong characters. All leaving the women to suffer for the mess they have created themselves. When Librada’s daughter kills her newborn baby in order to avoid the shame of having sex with someone out of wedlock, â€Å"a big crowd† gather in order to kill her. It is completely unnatural that the woman is being prosecuted for being a â€Å"woman who tramples on decency† as opposed to a murderer. This is an ironic recasting of the Mary Magdalene narrative, which exposes the hypocrisy of Bernarda Alba’s society. This shows however, that within both texts, men are far less restricted than the women. The man is of no fault for having sex out of wedlock, it is her shame. Similarly, in ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ Mama Elena is far more annoyed at the idea of Tita shaming her family than of Pedro cheating on her eldest daughter. Mama Elena is obsessed with tradition and all her actions reflect this. Tita, being the youngest daughter of the family, is forced to remain at home until the day her mother dies. Mama Elena immediately disregards Tita’s questioning of the tradition, saying, â€Å"for generations not a single person in my family has questioned this tradition†, expressing that Tita should simply accept these traditions as fact and that she does not have the right to question her mother’s authority. Rosaura informs Tita that her only daughter will care for her and never marry, according to family tradition. Rosaura tries to mirror her relationship with Esperanza to the relationship her mother and Tita shared. Tita is horrified to discover that Rosaura plans to ‘perpetuate such an inhumane tradition†. Rosaura does not seem to have any powerful emotions and persists to carry on the family traditions as a poor imitation of her mother. It is class and not tradition that keeps Bernarda Alba from concealing her daughters from the world of marriage and men within ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’. Her mind is focused on how the world views her and her family. When Angustias is seen looking at Pepe El Romano, her mother asks â€Å"is it proper for a woman of your class to go chasing after a man? She is instantly noticing that her daughter is stepping outside her class and reining her back in. When Matirio is set to marry Enrique Humanas, Bernarda won’t allow it because her ‘blood will never mix with that of the Humanas family’ proving that her only real interest is in class rather than the welfare of her daughters. Mama Elena and Bernarda Alba have different reasons for oppressing their daughters but both women are equally as keen to enforce their rules. It is ironic how un-natural the ends of oppression are shown to be. When Tita is brought into the world prematurely after her fathers sudden death, Mama Elena is the opposite of a nurturer, never forging any bond with Tita. Tita develops a relationship with food that gives her the power to nurture and give outlet to her emotions. Tita rebels against her mother’s authority first through her consorting with Pedro. When Tita receives the news that Pedro is to be married to Rosaura, her life begins to crumble around her and throughout the novel there are many times when they meet without Mama Elena’s knowledge. Roberto, Rosaura and Pedro’s son is a strong, if not surprising influence in Tita’s actions. Roberto forges the bond with Tita that her and her mother never had and ‘contary to what she had expected’ she feels â€Å"an immense tenderness towards the boy†. It is when Roberto dies that Tita’s desire to please her mother and her own desires clash and she outwardly defies her mother and steps out of the shadow of oppression for the first time. She â€Å"tears apart all the sausages† symbolizing her finally destroying her mother’s rules. When Tita is found in the dovecote, it is ironic that Mama Elena states that â€Å"there’s no place in this house for maniacs! † when her oppressive nature is what caused Tita to break down. When John arrives and removes her from the oppressive atmosphere her mother has created, and she is offered comfort and love, Tita’s failing sanity returns leaving the reader questioning Mama Elena’s own sanity as she confines her daughters to a life of unnatural solitude. Adela is quietly rebelling continuously through the three act play; her real emotion doesn’t arise until the end. From the first act, after the funeral Adela wears a ‘green dress’ making her stand out from her more conservative siblings. The colour green symbolises fertility which Bernarda objects to. This immediately separates her from her family. Unlike Tita, Adela never covers up her feelings in front of her mother or siblings, she knows what she wants and â€Å"her body will be for anyone†. Bernarda’s cane is her symbol of authority, one bang on the floor and all is silenced. In her fury Adela breaks ‘the tyrant’s rod’, the ultimate rebellion, breaking Bernarda’s status symbol. With her object of authority broken, Bernarda can no longer oppress her youngest daughter. Lorca structures the conflict between the characters, short sentences forces the audience to feel the panic of the women and the strength of Adela as Bernarda’s matricachal world crashes down around her. In the last act Adela’s repression from being with the man she loves causes her to commit suicide, an ironic tragedy. Lorca makes the audience judge public morality by showing how women are oppressed throughout the scenes and how people react in the most unnatural fashion, women are convicted of adultery before murder. When Adela hangs herself, Bernarda is strong on the knowledge that her daughter â€Å"died a virgin†, she is much more interested in how the town see her as oppesed to the fact her daughter murdered herself due to Bernarda’s rules. Gertrudis and Paca Le Roseta seem very similar characters; they both follow their carnal desire and run away. Paca La Roseta was â€Å"carried off to the top of the olive grove† by the men, when Bernarda finds out ‘she agreed to it’ she is eager to announce her distaste, claiming Roseta is a ‘loose woman’ and therefore to be shunned. Because she breaks the rules of what is deemed acceptable she is immediately rejected In chapter three, Tita’s lustful emotions find themselves in the quail in rose petal sauce. When served, the family’s hidden lust rise to the surface, all of them experiencing Tita’s desire. Gertrudis is the ‘conducting body’ for Tita’s rebellion giving her the opportunity to enter Pedro’s ‘hot, voluptuous, totally sensuous’ body. Esquivel uses magic realism to describe Gertrudis setting aflame and running away with a man. Totally defying the rules of tradition set down by her own mother. Bernarda’s mother rebels against her daughter constantly and loudly. Constantly shouting that she wants to ‘get married at the edge of the sea’. She questions ’why isn’t there any foam here? Nothing but black mourning shawls’, she wants to go somewhere bright and full of hope instead of being locked up surrounded by the darkness of oppression. Maria Josepha is persistent in trying to escape her oppressor, trying to be a mother, outstepping her boundaries. She wishes a lamb to ‘be a child’ as she has a strong maternal instinct that represents all the girls’ wish to be a mother. How they all must have a maternal instinct Bernarda is not allowing them to have. The family is unnatural, a denial of nature. Maria Josepha represents rebelling against oppression much like Gertrudis in ‘Like Water For Chocolate’. Throughout both books, the matriarchal oppression forces both women to come to an unnatural end. The strict ideas of tradition, class and how a woman should act condemn everyone to a life of tragedy. Lorca and Esquivel are both fighting for the voices that were not allowed to speak in their own society.

Lincoln In American Memory by Merrill D. Peterson Essay -- Book Review

"O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is wonÂ… The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object wonÂ…" Walt Whitman's description of a ship weathering a powerful storm, and returning safe with its mission complete, perfectly illustrates the United States enduring the divisions of the Civil War. This poem is one of numerous commemorations to the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Merrill D. Peterson, author of Lincoln in American Memory, examines an interesting variety of sources, including statues and prints made of Lincoln over the years in addition to the numerous biographies written, and attributes three prominent images to the legacy of Abraham Lincoln: Savior of the Union, the Great Emancipator, and the Self-made Man. From the moment Lincoln died on Saturday, April 15, 1865, these images have developed in the hearts and minds of the American public, withstood the test of time, and still remain to this day (Peterson 1). The day had been Good Friday on the Christian calendar when the commander in chief had been shot, and immediately his correlation to the life of Jesus Christ as an American martyr began (Peterson 1): Both were born in forlorn hovels. Both Joseph and Thomas [their fathers] were simple carpenters. Both were humble, kind, sorrowful, and loving of their fellow man. Both spoke in parables. Both were sent to fulfill divine missions and preceded by prophets who were executed: John the Baptist and John Brown. On Palm Sunday Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, Lincoln to (or from) Richmond; one had his Last Supper, the other his last cabinet meetingÂ… (Peterson... ...: With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. (Faragher 477) The nation would eventually reunify and forever commit to memory the images of Lincoln as Savior of the Union, the Great Emancipator, and the Self-made Man. Works Cited Basler, Roy P. Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 5. Abraham Lincoln Association. 27 Feb. 2004 Faragher, John Mack, et al. Out of Many: A History of the American People. New Jersey: Prentice, 2000. Peterson, Merrill D. . Lincoln in American Memory. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Anderson Leadership Management Contribution to Success or Failure

Analyze the leadership and management at Arthur Andersen and evaluate its contribution to the company’s success and failure. Leadership has been defined as the individual traits, behavior, interaction patterns, role relationships, follower perceptions, the influence over the followers, task goals and organizational culture (Yuki, 1989). Through the years, the firm Arthur Anderson has gone through many leaders and their style and leadership and behavior has affected the firm in certain ways.From the beginning when the leadership role was in the hands of Arthur Anderson, he placed very strong emphasis on ethics and demanded honest accounting from all his employees despite the conflict of interest amongst some of his clients. His pacesetting leadership style requires all new partners and employees to undergo a series of mandatory trainings annually to ensure that all of them were able to remain focused on the company’s philosophy and values.Pacesetting leadership style dem ands the followers to do as the leader says and such a leadership style produces positive results only if the team is already motivated and skilled. Which in this case, Arthur Anderson has it covered. However, when used extensively, it could overwhelm and stifle the team’s innovation which was what we observed of the firm when analysts view the training process as â€Å"making of androids†. The stifling of innovation may not be such a huge issue at this point as creativity and innovation was not what Arthur Anderson was looking for in his team but instead, structure and following the books.Furthermore, while leading the team, he had a directive leadership behavior which refers to assigning team members specific tasks, clarifying expectations on their work and setting rules and regulations to be followed etc. This behavior pattern has been known to initiate structure which is the goal of Arthur Anderson which explains the success of his leadership during his time. When Arthur Anderson passed on, Leonard Spacek took over the rein of leadership and made use of the authoritative leadership style by coming up with a new logo that he thinks â€Å"epitomized the common vision† that he has or the firm. This style of leadership is effective when the team needs a new vision as circumstances have changed which was true as the firm now has to readjust themselves to the leadership of Spacek instead of Anderson. Such style of leadership inspires entrepreneurial spirit and vibrant enthusiasm for firm which proves success. As the years went by, the leaders that followed up had their priorities wrong and lost focus of what was built throughout the years. The rules and standards set were gradually removed from the system.Eg: the mandatory 2 year audit practice was removed. Such leaders will model the wrong behaviors and will inevitably spread themselves too thin and organizations are at the greatest risk when leaders lose their focus and led to the failure of Anderson. Leaders who are self-serving will also cause the downfall of a firm as it would cause the team to have no confidence in him. For example, Kapnick was reportedly said to have wanted to head both departments by himself and it could have been one of the reasons why the other partners lost trust in him causing him to resign.

Over the Hedge Essay

Over the Hedge is an animated film about the difficulties little harmless animals experience when man encroaches on their habitat (Fry, 2006). The film starts with the end of winter and the animals in the forest are coming out of hibernation. A hyperactive and mischievous raccoon named RJ forages on the junk food of the bear; he escapes alive with the promise of returning all of the bear’s food within a week. On the other side, a family of cute little animals awakens with a green wall in the middle of their forest and suddenly fears what lies beyond the hedge. Verve the turtle ventures over the hedge to find out what was on the other side; however he was subjected to the ferocious human machines like the lawn mower, grass sprinkler, bikes and etc. He returns to the forest and warns that no one should ever venture over the hedge as it is dangerous. The group of animals however had another problem, they had no food. Then here comes, the rascal raccoon RJ and convinces the group that humans throw out their food every time and all they needed to do was go out there and gather it. Verve disagreed and warned them against the idea, but as food became scarce Verve finally agreed with RJ. RJ on the other hand was really thinking of how the group could help him gather the food he owed the bear and here the conflict started. The rest of the film tells about friendship, trust, honesty and love of family. The film does this effectively within the context of man’s environmental responsibility to be stewards of Mother Nature. The plot of the story was actually very simple however, since the characters were cute, furry, funny and adorable animals, the film held much interest. The visuals were very good; it was clear, crisp and very alive. Although one would notice that it was not created in the traditional way, in fact the movie’s animation were all computer generated, from the drawing to the filming. The sound was in the standard Dolby format, and it was clear and loud, however some of the characters dialogues were tweaked to resemble that of the animal, sometimes the dialogue got lost in the way it was pronounced but one could still understand the gist of the sentence. I especially liked the three baby possums because they were really cute, and they were very funny. They had this way of saying things in chorus and then either refuting or supporting each other and their thoughts resembled the candidness of children. The vividness of the colors and images really fed my interest in the film, however I was lost in the burping of the squirrel and the farting of the skunk, maybe the director thought it would add to the comedic element of the film, but it did not feel that way to me. The film talks about the importance of living well with our animal friends, and it shows a very real example of how man react to animals when they start invading our homes and community. The film however had the ability to make us realize that man had been the first to invade the animals’ home and since they get their food from their ecosystem, man’s invasion of their habitat also affects their existence (Peabody, 2006). The film is far from serious and boring, it is funny, entertaining and honest, and brutally honest I must say. The film actually appealed to my sense of justice and equality knowing that man and beast should live together in the best possible way. Although, the film was targeted for children of all ages, some of the dialogues were brazen and crude, thus the film landed in the PG rating, but all the same it contains the essential elements of a good story, interesting characters, excellent animation and great actors and this held my interest in the film until its end.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Essays

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Essays Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Essay Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Essay The Towers of Hanoi is an ancient mathematical game. The aim of this coursework is to try to identify patterns and rules associated with the game and explain them in mathematical terms. The definitions and rules are: Rules: * There are only three positions a disc can be placed. Poles A, B or C. * A disc can only go on top of a larger one. (I.e. Disc A can only go on top of Discs B and C, but Disc B cannot go on top of disc A) * The object of the game is to get all the discs to move from pole A to pole B of C in the least number of moves. * Only one disc may be moved at a time. Finding Formula A Number Of Discs Least Number Of Moves Previous term (Doubled) 1 1 2 3 2 3 7 6 4 15 14 5 31 30 6 63 62 7 127 126 8 255 254 From looking at the table it is quite clear that there is a pattern linking the number of discs and the least number of moves. It is clear that there is an element of doubling involved, as the least number of moves nearly doubles each time. When I add the extra column see above, it is clear that there is a doubling element involved. When I look again, I can see that the pattern is the previous term doubled plus 1. This can be expressed mathematically as: Un = 2(Un-1) +1 This can be shown in: 1. For 1 disc, it takes 1 move to move disc A from pole 1 to pole 3; 2. For 2 discs, it takes 3 moves: 2(Un-1) +1 = 2(1) + 1 = 3 3. For 3 discs, it takes 7 moves: 2(Un-1) +1= 2(3) + 1 = 7 4. For 4 discs, it takes 15 moves: 2(Un-1) +1= 2(7) + 1 = 15 5. For 5 discs, it takes 31 moves: 2(Un-1) +1= 2(15) + 1 = 31 To understand how this works, coding is needed to see how a disc moves individually. Coding should show me the patterns involved and then I should be able to justify my formula based on this. Coding is on the next page. Coding Number of Discs: 2 3 4 5 Disc Moving: A A A A B B B B A A A A C C C A A A B B B A A A D D A A B B A A C C A A B B A A E A B A C A B A D A B A C A B A From my coding it is now clearer why that formula is that particular formula. It can be seen that there is symmetry involved in each pattern. The symmetry is always about the name of the bottom disc. I.e. with 3 discs the symmetry is about disc C and this is the bottom disc From the coding, I can also see that the pattern of moves for 2 discs is present in the beginning of 3 discs, 4 discs etc. The pattern for 3 discs is also in the pattern for 4 discs and so on. This is can therefore be explained as: In n number of discs where n is greater than 2, the first three moves will always be ABA. This is because the n-1 discs pattern is included in the n pattern. We have (Un-1), because we take into account the previous terms pattern when making the next tower. We have the 2 term because this pattern is repeated twice, firstly to deconstruct the tower and then to rebuild the tower on top of the bottom disc. We have the +1 term because this is where the bottom disc moves from Pole A to Poles B or C. This can be demonstrated when we move three tiles. ABA This is the move pattern for 2 tiles (Un-1). This allows C to be able to move. C This is when the bottom tile moves and we therefore get the +1 from. ABA This is where the doubling element comes in as well as the n-1 discs moves pattern. This is where the tower is rebuilt on top of disc C. So overall, we get the formula: 2(Un-1) +1 There are limitations to this however. Un-1 has to be an integer because we cannot have 3.5 moves. Un-1 has to also be equal to or greater than 0 and has to be an integer because the formula wouldnt work as the result would be negative and we cannot have a negative number of moves. Formula B Finding the formula that shows how many times a certain disc moves From formula A I now have a basis on which to work. Given a certain number of discs I need to be able to say how many times a desired disc moves. Firstly, I need to analyze my results from the coding. Disc: Disc A Disc B Disc C Disc D Disc E Disc F Total Number of times each disc moves: 3 Discs 4 2 1 7 4 Discs 8 4 2 1 15 5 Discs 16 8 4 2 1 31 6 Discs 32 16 8 4 2 1 63 We can also once again see a pattern here. There is a doubling, well halving element involved depending on which way you look at it. The table above shows how many times a certain disc moves. Whenever a new disc is added to the sequence, such as in Disc 4, the number of moves for Disc A doubles. I.e. As you go down the table the number of moves for each disc doubles. When I look at the results, I notice that they are all from the 2n pattern. Therefore I can come up with the relationship for the number of times each disc moving being: Number of times a certain disc moves = 2n-d with d being the disc number. So in Disc A, the number for d would be 1, as this is the first disc. Disc B would be 2 etc. In the series for 6 discs, the terms would be Disc A: 2n-d = 26-1 = 32 Disc B: 2n-d = 26-2 = 16 Disc C: 2n-d = 26-3 = 8 Disc D: 2n-d = 26-4 = 4 Disc E: 2n-d = 26-5 = 2 Disc F: 2n-d = 26-6 = 1 This therefore works. Now I have to prove that this works. We can see that Disc B always moves half as many times as Disc A. If we do 2n we get how many times Disc A Moves always. If we do 2n-2 we get how many times disc B moves always. This is because as we take more away from 2n we get smaller and smaller until it ultimately converges to 0. Taking 1 away from this halves the number of moves; whereas taking 2 away quarters the number of moves. Disc B always moves less times than Disc A because of the recurring pattern. A has to move more times, because it has to keep going on top of the larger tiles as the rules state. A has more options to move than B because it is smaller. There are limitations to this however, because we cannot have d being greater than n because the formula would not work. It wouldnt work because we cannot have half of a move or a quarter of a move. We cannot also have n being less than 1 because of the same principal. The number of moves and the disc number have to also be an integer because we cannot have Disc A moving 3.5 times. The Link The series above is a geometric series. I know this because the difference is different each time. The general way to write a geometric series is: General: a + ar + ar2 + ar3 + arn-1 The terms: a is the starting number in the sequence. I will use a 6 tiled sequence so my starting number from the table will be 32 as this is the number of times disc A moves. Ratio r This is the amount that a is multiplied to get the next term. So 32 is multiplied by 0.5 to get 16. Our sequence is: S= 32 + 16 + 8 4 +2 +1 To get the sum of a geometric sequence, we need to multiply by the common ratio (0.5) S = a + ar + ar2 + ar3 + + arn-1 rS = a + ar + ar2 + ar3 + +arn-1+ arn S-rS = a arn This can be expressed as S(1-r) = a(1-rn) Divide this by 1-r gives: a(1-rn) S= 1-r Before I can use this information however, I need to determine a formula to get a. I can use the formula I discovered above but just modify it slightly. To get a the formula is: 2n-1 as this is the formula for Disc A always. So the formula above instead of being 2n-d could have also been 2n-1 for the same principals. With n being the disc number you are trying to find. Disc 50 would be 249 and disc 3 would always be 22 and so on. Therefore I can now substitute in my values in a pile of 6 discs to get the formula that links formula A and B. To determine the ratio we have to just see how much the sequence is decreasing each time. 32 + 16+ 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 To get the next term suing the general geometric sequence rule, it says that we have to multiply 32 by a constant. a ar. So: a ar is the same as ar divided by a. 16 = 0.5. This is the ratio. 32 Therefore for the sum of my geometric series, the formula should be: a(1-rn) S= 1-r S = 25(1-0.56) 0.5 S= 31.5 = 63 0.5 Therefore the sum of a 6 termed series is 63. This can be proved by getting the formula for the previous term. S = 24(1-0.55) = 31 0.5 According to my earlier formula (Un = 2(Un-1) +1) when I substitute in I should get the answer 63. 2 x 31 + 1 = 63. This works because of the algebra of the general geometric sequences: S = a + ar +ar2 This is the rule for each term in the sequence: arn-1 or 2n-d I then multiplied by the common ratio (r) rS = ar + ar2 + ar3 This is the rule: arn Then I subtracted the sequence multiplied by the common ratio from the first sequence. This gave: S-rS = a arn = a(1-rn) Therefore S=a(1-rn) (1-r)) Limitations are: S has to be greater than 0 and has to be an integer a has to be positive and an integer r has to be an integer and greater than 0 Extension Work: Finding which pole the pile will be built upon. I have noticed from my work that when I had 3 discs on my pile, disc C landed on where I put disc A to start off with which was on Pole C. When I had 4 discs however, I noticed that the pile finished on where I did not place tile A which was Pole B. This can therefore be expressed as: If the number of discs in the pile to start with is even then the bottom disc will land where you place Disc A to start off with. If the number of discs in the pile is odd however, then the bottom disc in the pile will finish up on the pole where you did not place Disk A. Therefore where you put Disc A can be considered crucial to where you want your pile to land Overview: If I have 25 discs in my pile, I can expect there to be: 33554431 moves involved in the series. Disc A will move 16777216 times; whereas disc y will move only once. The Pile will end up on the pole where you place disc A, so if I leave it on pole B to start with, the pile will end up on Pole B. According to the monks in Hanoi, the world will end in over 500 Million Years. The problems with my investigation: I have realized that there are only 26 letters in the alphabet. With my system of labeling, it is impractical for me to label each disc A, B C etc because I will run out of letters. I will either have to name the poles ABC or call each disc past 26, A1 etc.

Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics

Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics The field of statistics is divided into two major divisions: descriptive and inferential. Each of these segments is important, offering different techniques that accomplish different objectives. Descriptive statistics describe what is going on in a  population  or  data set. Inferential statistics, by contrast, allow scientists to take findings from a sample group and generalize them to a larger population. The two types of statistics have some important differences. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics is the type of statistics that probably springs to most people’s minds when they hear the word â€Å"statistics.† In this branch of statistics, the goal is to describe. Numerical measures are used to tell about features of a set of data. There are a number of items that belong in this portion of statistics, such as: The average, or measure of the center of a data set, consisting of the mean, median, mode, or midrangeThe spread of a data set, which can be measured with the range or standard deviationOverall descriptions of data such as the five number summaryMeasurements such as skewness and kurtosisThe exploration of relationships and correlation between paired dataThe presentation of statistical results in graphical form These measures are important and useful because they allow scientists to see patterns among data, and thus to make sense of that data. Descriptive statistics can only be used to describe the population or data set under study: The results cannot be generalized to any other group or population. Types of Descriptive Statistics There are two kinds of descriptive statistics that social scientists use: Measures of central tendency  capture general trends within the data and are calculated and expressed as the mean,  median, and  mode. A mean tells scientists the mathematical average of all of a data set, such as the average age at first marriage; the median represents the middle of the data distribution, like the age that sits in the middle of the range of ages at which people first marry; and, the mode might be the most common age at which people first marry. Measures of spread  describe how the data are distributed and relate to each other, including: The range, the entire range of values present in a data setThe  frequency distribution, which defines how many times a particular value occurs within a data setQuartiles, subgroups formed within a data set when all values are divided into four equal parts across the rangeMean absolute deviation, the average of how much each value deviates from the meanVariance, which illustrates how much of a spread exists in the dataStandard deviation, which illustrates the spread of data relative to the mean Measures of spread are often visually represented in tables, pie and bar charts, and histograms to aid in the understanding of the trends within the data. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistics are produced through complex mathematical calculations that allow scientists to infer trends about a larger population based on a study of a sample taken from it. Scientists use inferential statistics to examine the relationships between variables within a sample and then make generalizations or predictions about how those variables will relate  to  a larger population. It is usually impossible to examine each member of the population individually. So scientists choose a representative subset of the population, called a  statistical sample, and from this analysis, they are able to say something about the population from which the sample came. There are two major divisions of inferential statistics: A confidence interval gives a range of values for an unknown parameter of the population by measuring a statistical sample. This is expressed in terms of an interval and the degree of confidence that the parameter is within the interval.Tests of significance or hypothesis testing  where scientists make a claim about the population by analyzing a statistical sample. By design, there is some uncertainty in this process. This can be expressed in terms of a level of significance. Techniques that social scientists use to examine the relationships between variables, and thereby to create inferential statistics, include linear regression analyses,  logistic regression analyses,  ANOVA,  correlation analyses,  structural equation modeling, and survival analysis. When conducting research using inferential statistics, scientists conduct a test of significance to determine whether they can  generalize their results to a larger population. Common tests of significance include  the  chi-square  and  t-test. These tell scientists the probability that the results of their  analysis of the sample are representative of the population as a whole. Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics Although descriptive statistics is helpful in learning things such as the spread and center of the data, nothing in descriptive statistics can be used to make any generalizations. In descriptive statistics, measurements such as the mean and standard deviation are stated as exact numbers. Even though inferential statistics uses some similar calculations - such as the mean and standard deviation - the focus is different for inferential statistics. Inferential statistics start with a sample and then generalizes to a population. This information about a population is not stated as a number. Instead, scientists express these parameters as a range of potential numbers, along with a degree of confidence.

Comparing Lean and Agile Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Comparing Lean and Agile Strategies - Essay Example Kanban is a Japanese expression that stands for ‘card’ or ‘visible’. It was initially established by Taiichi Onho to manage manufacturing processes and execute JIT producing at Toyota production firms in Japan. Kanban is an indication card that contains data concerning amounts of the item to be manufactured, the source of the item, and destination of the item. Execution of Kanban introduces a pull atmosphere in the institution. Applying Kanban, operators manufacture items according to the used items information other than the projected information ( Less, Abrahamsson & Oza 2010, Pg. 49). The Kanban strategy is devised to ease material handling and stock control. Instead of piling the materials released to the manufacturing close to the line in huge amounts, smaller amounts of materials are physically available at the point of consumption on the line and restocked simply when a Kanban or indication is produced. From the advantages of Kanban, it is evident tha t presentation metrics of PD like cost, release time, and suppleness may be enhanced. For example, because of enhanced flow and developed reaction to shift in demand, there shall be enhanced in delivery time and suppleness. Through executing Kanban, there shall be low stock, through which the stock storing charge will be lowered, therefore as well lowering institutional cost. Main policies of Kanban application include: - Simply manufacture items to replace the items used by the consumer