Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Authority, Structure and Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Authority, Structure and Organization - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  board of directors plays a very rudimentary role in plan implementation. They formulate organization’s vision and mission. They audit all components of plan implementation.   The board of directors also ensures the planned strategy is effective and efficient. At the beginning of the process, they help the team, members in choosing the ideal course and direction. Similarly, they provide an overview of specific opportunities and planning process. After implementation program, they review all strategies to ensure consistency of the implementation plans and main aims. Additionally, they give planning teams insight on the current trends. Lastly, they evaluate opportunities and threats.This paper discusses that the executive leaders execute the strategies of implementation. They ensure there is clear communication between the implementation committee. In future consideration, the leaders make long-term and short-term goals. Also, they play a cru cial role in strategy implementation that helps the idea to become part of the organisation.   In the long run the leaders align, measure make plan implementable.  The committee addresses issues of quality when the plans are being implemented. They evaluate the plan and give a further recommendation on how to improve the quality. The committee also evaluates, provide a report and implement involvement. Furthermore, they help in developing action plans in the health sector.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Crucible have lasting appeal Essay Example for Free

The Crucible have lasting appeal Essay The play The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. It was set in a 1692 in a small Quaker town called Salem, Massachusetts, North America. Arthur Millar based the play on the Salem witch trials, so elements of this piece of literature are based on historical fact. The play acts as an analogy for the communism which took place post World War II in the American Government System. Miller himself said of the setting The place devotes a lethal brew of illicit sexuality, fear of the supernatural and political manipulation. The Play explores human relationships in a deeply religious, insular society. It explores many common themes that we can identify with the 21st century, the predominant themes are the strict Quaker religious regime, jealousy, revenge, adultery, compulsive obsessive behaviour, the art of manipulation, power obsessed, love and hate, violence, racism and finally prejudice. These themes are timeless as we still have them in todays society. They are skilfully presented in the play in the use of stage craft techniques, where Miller creates tension and suspense throughout the thorax. In his analogy Miller compares communism in the American Senate to the witchcraft that took place. This play highlights the hypocrisy of the American government and it is a satire on the American legal system. The title of this play, The Crucible has a specific meaning because a crucible is used as a melting pot for metal alloys and in Millers play he draws parallels between the different social and cultural fusion in a 17th century community and the mixing of different metals to strengthen a structure. As the principle characters in the play enter into conflicts, struggle to understand one another and beguile with their lies and lack of fidelity, we could see the similarity between a red hot crucible as all tensions come to the surface. There is a link between the crucible and the witches cauldron and witchcraft is a significant theme in the play. The title also relates to the death of John Proctor at the end of the play and his betrayal of conscious, suggesting to us that he too needed purifying like the metals heated in the crucible to purify it. This immediately appeals to our inquisitive nature and we are naturally intrigued by superstitious acts. Miller communicates to us through the play how a group of girls manipulate a theocratic society into believing that friends, family or neighbours were practising the art of witchcraft. A character called Abigail and some friends were discovered dancing in the forest. In order to divert attention form themselves the girls seized the opportunity to make their own accusations of witchcraft leading to the death of several characters. Millers inspiration came from his personal experience in the McCarthy Era in which he was accused of being a communist. Miller uses the theme of jealousy and presents it through Abigail Williams as she is clearly very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. She wants to get rid of her so that she can have John Proctor to herself. Abigail is obsessed with him and will do anything in her power to get him, even if it means that Goody Proctor is killed. When the girls were dancing in the forest, Abigail drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor, this shows how much she will try in order to kill her. The main theme of this play is witchcraft, this engages the audience and adds curiousity. Mr Putnam is curious why seven of his children dies at birth and if it may be linked to witchcraft. Abigail uses the art of manipulation to force the other girls into following her. She blackmails them into doing as she say by saying: Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. She wants to be the leader and relishes the power that comes with it. She and the other girls create lies so that people in the town are accused of witchcraft so they will be arrested and hanged. It is as if the girls are deciding who will live and who will die. The people being accused of being witches are getting arrested for it; this is making the people lie in order to avoid death. If people confessed to witchcraft, even if they didnt practice it, their life would be spared. Corruption and discrimination is shown in the play and also the misuse of power and influence. Parris uses his power as the Reverend if Salem to his advantage. He is a widower with no interest in children, this means he doesnt really know or care about children and is a firm believer that children should be seen but not heard. The true nature of Parris is that he is more worried about himself not his daughter and this is shown when he says: Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it He was paranoid and controlling, this was shown by the fact he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door with out first asking for his permission. Also he thought that he was being persecuted wherever he went. As Reverend he was suppose to teach the word of God and make sure the rules of a Quaker town were kept, however, he spent the church money on gold statues and candlesticks instead of spending it on things that would be worthwhile. This makes him a hypocrite as he is telling the villagers to do one thing while he is doing the other. We also see racial discrimination against Tituba, I know not she spoke Barbados This is a theme that can still be seen in the world today and because she has a different appearance and she speaks differently then she is made a target for Abigails accusations. Abigail shows that she is racist throughout the play. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Lottery :: essays papers

The Lottery Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines tradition as, an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom) and the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction. If we are to go by the latter definition , we can understand how traditions are easily lost. Have you ever played the game telephone? You whisper something in someone's ear and they whisper it in another person^s ear until it finally returns back to you and normally what is returned isn't even close to what you originally whispered into the first person's ear In Shirley Jackson's short story ,"The Lottery" ,the main theme is how traditions that lose their meaning due to human forgetfulness can cause dreadful consequences to occur. Jackson uses a lot of symbolism to show this. The story is set in a small town, ^on the morning of June 27th^(272). It opens with false innocence , using the children building a rock pile, tricking the reader into a disturbingly unaware state. The reader almost expects the Lottery to be something wonderful since the "normal" lottery has the winner getting a prize of a large amount of money or possesion. Even the story alludes to the innocence , explaining how the the town also holds ^square dances, teenage club and the Halloween program^(273) in the same spot that the lottery is held. In "the Lottery" we discover that the town-folk use a lottery, to pick a "winner" to stone to death. The winner is picked using a black box that has been around for ages, and has even been ^rebuilt with parts supposedly from the original black box^.(273) Within the box are slips of paper, enough for the entire town. On one slip of paper is a black dot for the one lucky winner. Black has always been a symbol for death, and the color of the box and dot are no exception to this rule. One of Merriam-Webster^s dictionary definitions of black is ^marked by the occurance of disaster^ . The black dot on the slip of paper identifies the lucky winner of the lottery-the person who will get stoned to death. No-one in town really knows exactly why it is a tradition although they have some vague ideas. Old Man Warner alludes that it was once said "lottery in June, corn be heavy soon".(276) Ironically, even the oldest member of this village doesn^t even remember the real reason behind the lottery.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Coulomb’s Law Essay

ABSTRACT Performing this experimentation will allow one to investigate the relationship quantitative relationship between the electrostatic force and the distance between charged objects. First a simply observation was made of the electrical forces on two pieces of tape taking note of their attraction and repulsion. This same phenomenon was observed in the experimentation of two charged spheres. Furthermore the we used this experimentation to determine the magnitude of the electrical force between charged objects through video analysis. Derived from our data we have resulted that the forced acting is dependent upon the distance for the forces to act at an exponential rate of .04microcoulombs. OBJECTIVE We will note coulombs law by observing examination of forces in static equilibrium to determine the magnitude of the electrical force between charged objects. PROCEDURE Using the Logger Pro we track the electrostatic force between two charged spheres and the magnitude generated by the repulsion. RESULTS Data was not signed but sent to Doctor Wijesinghe upon completion in lab with analysis of results found. Synopsis sent was agreed to by all lab members. DATA ANLYSIS From the data gather we seen that the force generated increases exponentially at rate of 0.04microcoulombs. The intial data was to dissect the distance the spheres moved due the forces acting upon them in by allowing X to be the hanging sphere and X2 to be the probing sphere in a distance field in of 1m. To calculate this value the following equations were used: Fe=Kq1xq2/r2 Abs(X)-Abs(X2)= CC Fe=mg sin∂ sin∂=x/l Fe=mgx/l DISCUSSION The force will be dependent upon the sizes of the charges, and their separation. In fact the force follows an inverse square law, and is very similar in form to Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. It is known as Coulomb’s law. The form is exactly the same as Newton’s law of universal gravitation; in particular, it is an inverse-square law. This force can be attractive or repulsive. The magnitude of the force can be calculated by this equation, and the direction should be obvious from the signs of the interacting charges. (Actually, if you include the signs of the charges in the equation, then whenever you get a negative answer for the force, there is an attraction, whereas a positive answer indicates repulsion).Although the law is formulated for point charges, it works equally well for spherically symmetric charge distributions. In the case of a sphere of charge, calculations are done assuming all the charge is at the centre of the sphere. In all realistic cases, the electric force between 2 charges objects absolutely dwarfs the gravitational force between them.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Privatization Study Essay

Privatisation can be defined as ‘the partial or total transfer of property of responsibility from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business) or private persons. Privatization can include the transfer of responsibilities and not solely change of ownership. Privatisation consists of simply ‘the transfer of all or any of three kinds of property rights from the state to the private sector; ownership rights, operating rights and development rights since these constitute the most common type of privatisation. In general privatisation has been undertaken as one of the reform measures to reduce government role in the economy and broaden the role of the private sector. Privatization can also be said to be a process of asset divesture. It is seldom asked, what does privatization seeks to accomplish in the Caribbean? It must be understood that privatization is seen as an instrument working towards supply side improvement by the promotion and allocation of more e fficient resources and short term stabilization through expenditure reduction. Privatization initiatives are now a current occurrence in most Caribbean countries such as Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Guyana to name a few. It has shown that most privatization activities took place in Latin America & the Caribbean; between the period 1988 and 1993 this region accounted for more than half the total privatizations in the Third World. Most privatization initiatives take place in the utility companies of the Caribbean. In case of Belize (electricity, water, port authority and the sugar cane factory). Government in many of these Lesser Developed Countries embraces privatization as an attachment to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. These institutions stress and maintain that privatization is the main driving force towards economic liberalization and self-sustained growth. The objectives of Privatisation can happen either directly or indirectly. The main objective of privatization is placing emphasis on improving the efficiency of government owned/ semi-owned establishments, whether retained or divested. Some objectives are to Improve the operational efficiency of enterprises that are currently owned or semi owned by government, and their contribution to the national economy in terms of reliability of delivery,  quality and price; introduce competition in areas under monopoly; Reduce the burden of semi/owned government enterprises on the Government budget (direct) an example is stated in the re- privatization of Air Jamaica by the Government. (The Government of Jamaica initiated re-privatization process due to the airline’s increasing financial losses and the restructuring needed to face the challenges of new market conditions. The privatization of the airline was a top priority and engaged the International Finance Corporation as its Lead Adv isor)(The KED Group Research); raise revenue opposing to increase taxes on citizens (direct);Expand the private sector’s role in the economy, permitting the Government to concentrate more on its public resources and roles; Encourage wider public population in the ownership and management of business; encourage industrial growth; attract foreign investments Some other objectives can be classifies as secondary objectives such as creating a more market-oriented economy; to gain access to the foreign markets and technology while promoting the development of the capital market; and preserving self-reliance. There are said to be three major areas which privatization is expected to impact. Firstly there’s Efficiency, secondly there’s reduction of financial burden of the government and thirdly the ability to enhance private sector growth and activity to promote economic democracy through the participation of national assets ownership. In the Caribbean, privatization is expected to have a positive impact on productive efficiency. This is a result of the in-efficiencies that have plagued the public enterprises. It is said that as a result of non-competitiveness these enterprises misuse production inputs, they enjoy privileges of subsidiary capital and some social welfare. Shareholders do not scrutinize management performance so there is no incentives to maximize profit and minimize cost. Some problems that leads to privatization of government enterprises being in-efficient are over- staffing, management incompetence and low employee productivity. These are made into undesirable situation due to the intervening of government’s non-economic ends such as non-competitive pricing and employment maximization. When privatized efficiency is expected to yield better management operations. In order to meet the other area of maximizing revenue and reducing the financial burden on government enterprises; Privatization is considered one of the most directive and effective ways whereas government sells public enterprises. Not all asset sales is indeed a reduction in budget deficit, it is a short term measure of correction. It was in the early 1980’s in the Caribbean that revealed most countries found it difficult to provide counterpart funding for projects. Due to governments commitment to provide funding for these projects resulted in the economy to fluctuate and cause a burden on government resources. The growth of the expenditure exceeded the growth of revenue resulting in some countries to privatize. Privatization stimulates private sector growth. It seems to be beneficial as the private sector is constantly evolving. Privatization also sparks development of entrepreneurship by promoting economic democracy by participation of ownership of national assets. This can be seen in Belize with the telecommunication provider BTL. This company was bought and shares were sold to the public, giving them some ownership in the company. In the Caribbean, public enterprises were established because the pr ivate sector fell short to supply and demand because they weren’t willing to take the risk of high investment. Privatization of these public assets took place to attract foreign investment, government had to remove the restrictions of market access and the protection of state owned enterprises so that private investors would have been encourage to invest and avoid monopoly. This increased the foreign investment in the Caribbean. In Belize a similar situation of taking a risk and some monopoly to an extent can be seen in the privatization of the water company. CASCAL the foreign investor had problems when government had already invested in the utility company but was said to have not express the overvaluing of the company which yielded a more long term debt. Nevertheless CASCAL invested over $70 million USD into the company. Privatization of an enterprise or government own entity can be done in many ways. Some organizations use not only one method both sometimes several means for privatization. These methods of privatization are adopted based on the objectives of the enterprise such as financial position or the structure of the market. Some forms or methods of privatization can be stated as Sale of Equity, Sale of Assets, Concession/ Lease Agreement, Management Contracts, Franchising. In Belize the most common form is Sales of Equity and Sale of Assets. Sale of Equity refers to the transfer of equity usually done by the selling of shares. The government usually decides on what percentage to keep and what to sell. Once government decides on the  issue, the form of public offering or private placement of these shares can take place. Usually in large financially sound enterprises the public offering method is more attractive to government. The Belize Telecommunication privation is a great example of how g overnment took the public offering method and offered the Belizean public to buy shares into the company. Belize Telecommunication Ltd was the first privatization in Belize 1989 when British Telecom bought 25% of the shares. In 2001 Carlisle Holdings committed and increase BTL shareholdings to 52% with a $50 million investment. In 2004 Carlisle Holdings sold its shares back to the Government, which then resulted in the government to sell its shares plus the shares acquired from Carlisle to Innovative Communication Cooperation. Innovative communication Cooperation couldn’t pay for its share in 2005 which caused the government to take back 52% majority shares and sold it to private entities. In 2007 all rights and assets were transferred to Belize Telemedia Limited and the Government became the owner of majority of shares, the remaining shares were offered to the public which builds up 908 small shareholders. This is one company that basically use the sale of equity method. When using method of sales of assets, the basic concept is the direct sale of a public enterprise’s assets to a private investor or a group of investors. This would occur in a very competitive manner where government would try to receive the best price through an auction or tender process. Belize’s only sugar cane processing facility Belize Sugar Industries Limited was under negotiations for privatization due to BSI running into financial problems following allegations of mismanagement and bad investments in an allied electrical generation project BELCOGEN Ltd. The government first attempted to promote the sale of BSI to Honduras’ Banco Atlà ¡ntida but this failed. A purchase offer was made by the Belize cane farmers, who is the major suppliers of the factory’s sugar cane, was not entertained with much interest by the government. The sale was offered to the U.S. Company American Sugar Refin ery. This privatization was solely the sale of asset; no shares were offered to public and the factory is solely managed by a foreign company but still retains the employees being Belizeans. American Sugar Refinery, assuming the entire debt of BSI, will become the beneficiary of additional shares issued by BSI so that at the end of the day there will be something like 78 to 22 per cent ownership. ASR will in fact hold the  majority shares and the other 22% representing the actual workers of BSI. This act of privatization in Belize was a direct result, as BSI was in debt of 30 million and couldn’t repay. The government was forced to privatize at the same time act in best interest for the 90% of cane farmers that is the driving force for the sugar industry in Belize. There are other methods such as contracting/ franchising. This mostly happens when the government cannot take on the responsibility in services such as road construction and maintenance, machinery repair garbage collection (Belize Waste Control) and health services (such as Belize Dry Cleaners contract to heat wash all hospitals bedding etc.) this relinquishes all duties and services from the public sector to the private sector. This was also evident in The Jamaican privatisation programme which began in the early 1980s with the divestment of public services; which were burdening on fiscal resources of the government. These services were garbage collection services, parks and markets, and public cleansing. There is also the management contract method which solely involves hiring private sector to manage government enterpr ises for a special fee. This method entails the management responsibility only and does not involve the transfer of personnel. The final method is concessions and lease agreement; this method is used when government does not want to transfer complete ownership of an entity. Privatization of enterprises would be mostly natural resources or infrastructural. While government retains ownership, the private operator is responsible for desired improvement and management. Private investors may have an option to purchase the company after the agreements end. Privatization in the Caribbean countries was said to be influenced by the deteriorating financial state of the countries except for Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago which privatized their enterprises to undergo a structural adjustment program with the International lending Institutions. As in example with Grenada and Dominica which privatized for their own structural reform to reverse the deteriorating financial state. In Grenada their reform was organized by the Caribbean Development bank and aim was to privatised state owned enterprises to reduce the arrears of debts and contributions and focus on fiscal reform. In Dominica privatization was through the public sector enterprise reform that was based on the privatization of the Dominica electricity Services. In Jamaica privatization came into act in the 1980’s when the government at  that time, wanted to reduce their role in the economy. On board with privatization efforts were the International Monetary Fund and The World bank which disbursed several loans to the government of Jamaica divestment agenda. Some divestments included cleaning public facilities, operations of public markets which was done through the lease agreement and management contract method which gave private entities control. Privatizati on took flight in 1985 when shares offering was done by the National Commercial Bank acquiring 51 percent of the government’s equity. Privatization in a whole is said to have both positive and negative impacts depending on the way it is carried out and for the purpose the governments seems deemed. Advantages or potential benefits of Privatisation are that it improves efficiency. Private companies have a profit incentive to cut costs and be more efficient. When working for an industry that is managed or run by government, managers do not usually share profits. However, a private firm is interested in making profit and so it is more likely to cut costs and be efficient. A simple example of this is the British Airways have shown degrees of improved efficiency and higher profitability. Privatization also allows for the lack of political interference. It is said that most governments are motivated by political pressures rather than sound economic and business sense. They may employ too many workers which is inefficient and might be government may be reluctant to get rid of the workers because of the negative publicity involved in job losses. Therefore, state owned enterprises often employ too many workers increasing inefficiency. There may be instances when it’s beneficial for government when there just thinking in terms of until the next election. This is called the short term view. Government may be unwilling to invest in infrastr ucture improvements which will benefit the firm in the long term because they are more concerned about projects that give a benefit before the election. Shareholders apply pressure to private entities if they are inefficient. These companies could be threatened by a takeover. Another beneficial aspect is increased competition; privatisation of state owned monopolies allow more firms to enter the industry and increase the competitiveness of the market. One of the major competitions in the Caribbean would be telecommunication. In Belize, the Belize Telecommunication Limited was under monopoly which gave rise to a new competitor namely Speednet (SMART). However, privatisation doesn’t  necessarily increase competition, it depends on the nature of the market. The last advantage is that government will raise revenue from the sale. This could be seen in the water and sewerage authority in Trinidad & Tobago, the flour mills, the steel company and assets of PETROTRIN which raised over $542.4 million USD for the Trinidadian Government in 1999. Also in Trinidad the British West Indian Airline under privatization had a profit of 2.04 million USD as compared to the previous loss of 25.6 million USD. In Jamaica about 50% of public enterprises has gained overall benefits of privatization. According to the National Investment Bank of Jamaica from since the privatization process from 1981, the government proceeds have been over $300 million USD. Privatization also increased the employment in the agricultural field, hotels which have increased by 85% due to aggressive market strategies and telecommunications as a result job losses were le ssened. Also public cleaning and garbage collection has improved. (Stone 1992). This also shown that by 150% employment was increased. In Guyana, the privatization of the Telephone & Telegraph Company Ltd. Has increased the number of subscribers from 21,000 to 53,600 and have improved services and quality. (Tyndall 1995) Privatization may also have its disadvantages which can mostly occur when there is a monopoly in an industrial firm. It is better to have a public monopoly rather than a private monopoly which can exploit the consumer. Some disadvantages are when privatization happens for public interest. Many industries which perform an important public service such as health care, education and public transport is not profit driven. In these industries, the profit motive shouldn’t be the primary objective of firms and the industry. In the case of health care, it is feared privatising health care would mean a greater priority is given to profit rather than patient care. The Problem of regulating private monopolies, such as the water companies and rail companies (as in Jamaica) is another disadvantage of privatization. Regulation is needed to prevent abuse of monopoly power. Therefore, the government still need to have regulatory power or state ownership. As in the advantage of short term view when government is looking only towards the next election and trying to minimize public investment; the private entity can swing this around and do the same. This would be called short termism of firms which would be also a disadvantage. Private owned entities would or may seek to increas e short term profits to shareholders  and avoid long term investment. In privatization of a company it’s not always in the best favour of the public citizens. In some case privatization of a utility company have caused price increase in the service they provide. It is always hard for government to reacquire these companies after privatization. A typical example in Belize of a privatization went wrong was under the PUP government. They privatized the Port of Belize to a so call crony of the party. This was clearly not in best interest of the people or country. Under government ownership the port was serving Belize as well as Southern Mexico. Today not even Belizeans are fund of using the port due to the lower prices and services offered by neighbouring ports as Honduras and Guatemala. Privatization was been around in the Caribbean from the early 1980’s and has gain over ten years solid experience and now evolving as the learning process continues. What is clear is that government has been more interested in the economy rather than letting the private sector take over. Is has shown that through studies in Jamaica and proper consultation, privatization has caused a very beneficial change in the country. A consensus must be must be initiated with the society at large for any privatization program to be successful or beneficial. Privatization has its pros and cons and any government in the Caribbean should consider if privatization is the best option, not just for political gain; but for the benefit of its people. Although sometimes some countries are driven or force into privatization to help the rescue them from the ir financial burdens, there must be a privatization structure and team in place so as to have the government not selling out and causing its people to suffer. With the proper assessment and consulting privatization can be a way forward for developing Caribbean countries. REFERENCES siteresources.worldbank.org richardbernal.net/Privatization_in_the_English-Speaking_Caribbean dbankjm.com/privatisation pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNABL654 ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent. economictimes.indiatimes.com westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography www.guardian.bz/index www.belizetelemedia.net www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters www.caricom.org/jsp/community/donor_conference†¦/preferences.pdf

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Differences in American and Asian Culture essays

Differences in American and Asian Culture essays The family and cultural values of Asian countries and the United States are very different. However, those values in Asia differ dramatically among different countries. Therefore, it would be difficult to explain the values of Asia as whole, but rather, it would be easier to explain the values based in one country. Some of the most common countries people mention as part of Asia are Japan and China. These two countries are considered the most dominant in the Asian Continent. However, their values differ from one another. Therefore, you would have to choose between these two cultures and differing it with the United States culture. Beings a lot of business is done between the United States and Japan, it would seem most fittingly to differ these two countries in regards to their cultures. Many Americans travel to Japan each year for business related purposes, whether for a corporation or for the Armed Forces, whatever the case, Americans would spend part of their life in Japan. Americans must know that their cultures are different of those in Japan. For example, the family in Japan is considered closer than that compared to families in the United States, and marriages are also different from those in America. Also, certain behaviors that are of everyday use differ between these two countries. Weddings in America are different from those in Japan in some forms and comparable in others. In Japan, the grooms family is to send a formal letter to the brides family, requesting for the hand of the bride. Also, a letter is prepared and presented to the brides family on the day of the wedding to confirm and commemorate the official acceptance of the bride into the grooms family. In picking the wedding date, an astrologer is used to select an auspicious date for the wedding. On the wedding day, the grooms family sends out a whole bridal procession of musicians, servants, and relatives to fetch ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Managing Corporate Reputation †the Case of Ryanair

Managing Corporate Reputation – the Case of Ryanair Introduction Corporate reputation refers to the values and the association created in the mind of a customer based on organisational communication and other areas of contact between the company and customers. Factors that contribute to corporate reputation include pricing, promotions, leadership, employee attitudes and customer service, among others.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Managing Corporate Reputation – the Case of Ryanair specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A company with a positive corporate reputation is also characterised by market growth and maintenance of competitive advantage. In addition, such a firm has an excellent brand equity and customer loyalty (Bick 2009). Although Ryanair operated successfully for a long time with a negative corporate reputation, profit warnings in financial reporting highlighted the need to change the bad image of the company occasioned by poor communication and in sulting of stakeholders (BBC News). The current study focuses on understanding the corporate reputation of Ryanair, identifying contributing factors to negative reputation and proposing measures to improve reputation of the firm. Background – Ryanair The airline company is one of the best performing businesses in Europe. In fact, it is characterised by the lowest charges. With regard to the number of passengers on an annual basis, the organisation is the second best performing airline in Europe (Ryanair 2014). The company, founded in 1985, is named after its founder Christopher Ryan. Under the management of Michael O’Leary, the airline adopted and perfected the low cost model pioneered by Southwest Airlines and most people associate the affordability and ancillary revenue to Ryanair. While other airlines continued to seek ways of increasing ticket prices, Ryanair focused on reduction and making up for the lost revenue through ancillary sources such as shopping on board , hotel booking, car hire and internet gaming. When providing the low cost services, Ryanair has no frills, operates from point to point, maximises utilisation of aircrafts, has less delayed flights, charges lowest fares, has standardised fleet, and uses small airports.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In spite of being among the most popular airline firms because of its low cost model, the company’s corporate reputation has been questioned by many people on the premises of low quality of customer service (Ryanair 2014). The current situation The stakeholders’ theory is helpful in understanding the current situation in the airline, as poor reputation impacts on internal, external and connected stakeholders. As discussed in the background, the company faces a problem with its corporate reputation. In fact, customers complain of low quality services , rudeness and limited attention from staff members; survey ratings put the company at the bottom in terms of customer satisfaction. Customer complaints, especially in the social media, deal a blow to the Ryanair’s corporate reputation. The situation is made worse when the CEO asserts that the low quality services are the value of the lowest charges that the firm adopts (Topham 2013). The huge blow to corporate reputation resulted in the company’s stakeholders asking for a reversal of the situation, which is possible mainly through an effective communication strategy. The stakeholders theory states that all stakeholders must be considered in the decision-making process of the organisation. This theory focuses on the critical roles that are played by shareholders in order for an organisation to have excellent results (Crowther Seifi 2011). In this case, Ryanair’s stakeholders include managers and employees in the internal environment, customers, financiers, dist ributors, suppliers and retailers as connected stakeholders, and the government, pressure groups, professional bodies, the media, society and local communities being the external stakeholders. Currently, the company has strengths, including the low cost model, online presence, efficient fuel consumption, new aircrafts and plans for effective communication and marketing. On the contrary, as the company corporate reputation is poor because of poor customer services, disregard for customer concerns by the CEO, poor booking process, and the use of destination airports.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Managing Corporate Reputation – the Case of Ryanair specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Because of reputation problems, the company experience declining profits, dissatisfied shareholders, employees and customers, low reputation and popularity of the CEO, falling share price, intense competition in the market, poor communication and service quality (BBC News). The challenge As highlighted in the current situation, Ryanair faces a challenge with its corporate reputation, which had implication on the company’s strategic and organisational aspects. A strategic and organisational analysis of corporate the reputation challenge facing Ryanair reveals various positive and negative aspects of the situation. The company faces corporate reputation challenges as the management often receives complaints from customers and competitors because of misleading advertisements and inappropriate communication in implementing the company’s marketing mix strategies. The company sometimes advices fare prices, which are not consistent with the real prices the company charges passengers. The company’s publicity is dented by the CEO, who insults the company’s stakeholders in a direct manner (Topham 2013). The company, sometimes, announces measures such as extra charges for using the toilet, overweight passengers and standing, which are never implemented. This is an indication that the company intends to seek attention from customers. Reputation is also negatively impacted by the company’s low quality services and bad treatment of customers. The firm fails to provide services that are critical in ensuring relatively higher levels of satisfaction. Social experience is a major problem resulting from negative corporate reputations for the company. People reported of not flying with Ryanair because of negative social influences of others. Impact of the reputation challenge on Ryanair and stakeholders Considering the reputation challenge facing Ryanair, the implications for the organisations and its stakeholders are immense. First, in the recent times, the CEO admitted that the company was having reputation challenges, which call for collaboration to change (Topham 2013). This would contribute to maintaining the company’s position as the leader in the low cost airline market. Second, empirical research indicates the organisational and stakeholder challenges of having a poor corporate reputation. For instance, the article in The Economist newspaper revealed reports of Ryanair being at the bottom most of the surveys conducted to determine customer satisfaction, with most customers expressing their frustration in the social media (The Economist 2014).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, a comparison between Ryanair and other major low-cost model airlines such as easy Jet revealed better corporate reputation and perception of easy Jet, which impacts negatively on Ryanair’s competitiveness. Although the low cost strategy has been the reason for Ryanair’s market leadership and reputation, using the strategy in every aspect of the business including marketing and communication compromises the quality of service. The low cost strategy implies cutting cost of every aspect of the airline. From the information presented, the corporate strategy under the leadership of O’Leary indicates a negative corporate reputation, which results in bad publicity and negative perception of Ryanair (Topham 2013). Furthermore, although the CEO O’Leary’s straightforward nature may be positive for the company it has negative implications as the customers perceive the attitude as that of caring less. Indeed, O’Leary’s harsh response s to customer dissatisfaction and being straight to the point about returning value for customers’ money worsened the corporate reputation (Topham 2013). The leadership behaviour at the top is often passed down to other employees who in turn express the same behaviour to customers, creating a bad organisational culture and behaviour (Ogbonna Harris 2000). On the positive side, the strategy pursued by the CEO is for the good of the business and its target market segment. Indeed, as the CEO, O’Leary asserted, the strategy suits the target customers who are more interested in the punctuality of flight scheduling, safety and low price because of their budgetary constraints (Topham 2013). On the contrary, the negative corporate reputation impacted negatively on the company’s competitive advantage. As research findings indicated, Ryanair experienced negative growth while close competitors such as easy Jet experienced gradual, positive growth (Vizard 2014). Financial and economic reports indicated declining company profits and share price because of customers withdrawing and investors fearing for sustained negative corporate reputation (BBC News 2013). The implications for the organisation and stakeholders highlight the correlation between corporate reputation and organisational growth. The positive correlation indicates the need for reversing the negative image and embrace good communication, which would improve corporate reputation, customer service and identity. The steps result in positive publicity for the organisation and maintenance of the leadership position in the industry. A proposal for improving Ryanair’s corporate reputation Considering Ryanair’s strong reputation as a low cost carrier, adopting an effective communication strategy could contribute significantly towards improving its perception in the public, which in turn leads to being competitive and increase the rate of growth. Therefore, the proposed measures are g eared towards improving the corporate image through effective communication strategies. The major areas identified included promoting the publicity of the organisation through advertising, social media marketing and positive publicity. Improving publicity is in line with making the consumption experience better through high quality customer service and ensuring in-flight conflict. Above all communication will help in creating a positive social influence, which would facilitate the word of mouth advertising (Shakespeare 2013). Improving publicity is in accordance with the assertion of Crowther and Seifi (2011) who considered it as the best way of product and service promotion through media space, with the low-cost model being a major positive for Ryanair. Appearance in the media informs and reminds people about the company’s existence and the benefits derived from it. Rather than using negative publicity, the company can replace with positive publicity, mainly through advertis ing, social marketing and positive publicity from the CEO. To reverse the negative reputation and regain stakeholders’ confidence, the CEO should publicise an apology for insulting stakeholders, announce plans to transform the corporate reputation, being responsive to customer dissatisfaction and apologising in case of unplanned inconveniences. With the negative reputation facing the company, improving publicity would catch consumers by surprise, which gains their attention in addition to maintaining awareness (Topham 2013). Improving the consumption experience through in-flight comfort, service features and quality of services is vital to the communication strategy to be effective (Curry Gao 2012). Although in flight comfort is not a key market proposition for the company, improving customer service on board contributes significantly to a positive reputation. In this regard, positive corporate image is possible with a change in organisational behaviour and culture through p ositive communication from the management. Good communication with staff is reflected in their communication to customers. Other service features to improve corporate reputation include transparency in published ticket prices, flexibility in luggage limits, making booking easy, ticket prices, and making the company website more attractive to enhance communication. Improving social influences in the market is important in ensuring customers affected by negative reputation start using Ryanair services. Employee training is a critical aspect of improving publicity because they are the ones who get in touch with customers first hand (Curry Gao 2012). Conclusions From the analysis of Ryanair’s corporate reputation, various conclusions and recommendations are drawn based on the current situation of the organisation. They are based on internal and external analysis and identification of measures to improve the company’s corporate reputation. Being a leader in the low-cost ai rline industry in Europe and the world, the company has experienced profit decline, which, as the CEO admitted, resulted from negative corporate reputation. The reputation resulted mainly from the company’s poor treatment of customers and the CEO insulting stakeholders openly. Furthermore, the company focused efforts on negative publicity through straightforward communication and failure to respond appropriately to customer dissatisfaction issues. The dissatisfaction resulted in profit decline, which necessitated changes in communication (BBC News). As the CEO admitted to harmful implications of the bad reputation, the study proposes measures to improve the situation and achieve positive reputation. The measures proposed include publicity improvement through advertising, social marketing, in-flight comfort, customer service, and improvement of social experience. The improvement measures do not compromise Ryanair’s low cost strategy because cost differential is the majo r source of competitive advantage of the airline. References BBC News, Ryanair shares plunge after warning over profits. Web. Bick, G. C. 2009, Increasing shareholder value through building Customer and Brand Equity, Journal Of Marketing Management, vol. 25, no. 1/2, pp. 117-141, Crowther, D, Seifi, S. 2011, Corporate Governance and International Business. Bookboon, London, United Kingdom. Curry, N. Gao, Y. 2012, Low-Cost Airlines- A New Customer Relationship? An Analysis of Service Quality, Service Satisfaction, and Customer Loyalty in a Low- Cost Setting, Services Marketing Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 104-118. Ogbonna, E. Harris, L. 2000, Leadership style, organisational culture and performance: empirical evidence from UK companies, International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 11, 4, pp. 766-788. Ryanair, 2014, Cheap Flights | Cheap Flights to Europe | Official Ryanair Site. Web. Shakespeare, S. 2013, Ryanair charm offensive may heal its brand reputation. YouGov: What the world thinks. Web. The Economist, 2014, Price or quality-pick one. Web. Topham, G. 2013, Ryanairs new touchy-feely OLeary hits turbulence but sees clearer air ahead. Web. Vizard, S. 2014, EasyJet narrows gap on Ryanair in passenger battle, Marketing Week (Online Edition), vol. 2, no. 1, p. 9.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Standard Courses for 11th Grade Students

Standard Courses for 11th Grade Students As they enter their junior year of high school, many students are starting to think about life after graduation. If they are college-bound, 11th graders will begin taking college entrance exams and focus on getting academically and emotionally prepared for college.  If they are following a different path, such as entrepreneurship or entering the workforce, students may begin to refine their elective studies to prepare for their specific field of interest.   Language Arts A typical course of study for 11th-grade language arts will focus on developing higher level skills in the areas of literature, grammar, composition, and vocabulary. Students will refine and build on the skills they have previously learned.   Colleges expect students to have earned four language arts credits. In 11th grade, students will likely study American, British, or World literature, completing whichever course they did not complete in 9th or 10th grade.   Homeschooling families may wish to combine literature and history, so an 11th-grade student taking world history would choose world literature titles.  Ã‚  Families who dont want to tie literature into their history studies should work with their student to select a robust and well-rounded reading list. Students should continue to gain writing practice in a wide variety of composition types such as how-to, persuasive, and narrative essays and research papers. Grammar is not typically taught separately in 11th grade but is incorporated in the writing and self-editing process.   Math A typical course of study for 11th-grade math usually means geometry or Algebra II, depending on what the student has previously completed. High school math is traditionally taught in the order Algebra I, geometry, and Algebra II to ensure that students have a solid understanding of geometry for college entrance exams.   However, some homeschool curriculum follows Algebra I with Algebra II before introducing geometry. Students who completed pre-algebra in 9th grade may follow a different schedule, as will those who completed Algebra I in 8th grade.   For students who are strong in math, 11th-grade options may include pre-Calculus, trigonometry, or statistics. Students who are not planning on going into a science- or math-related field may take courses such as business or consumer math. Science Most students will study chemistry in 11th grade after having successfully completed the math courses necessary for understanding how to balance chemical equations. Alternative science courses include physics, meteorology, ecology, equine studies, marine biology, or any dual-enrollment college science course. Common topics for 11th-grade chemistry include matter  and its behavior; formulas and chemical equations; acids, bases, and salts; atomic theory;  periodic law; molecular theory; ionization and ionic solutions; colloids, suspensions, and emulsions; electrochemistry; energy; and nuclear reactions and radioactivity. Social Studies Most colleges expect a student to have three credits for social studies, so many 11th grade students will be completing their final social studies course.  For homeschooled students following a classical education model, 11th-grade students will study the Renaissance. Other students may be studying American or world history.   Common topics for 11th grade social studies include the  Age of Exploration and Discovery; the colonization and development of America; sectionalism; the  American Civil War and Reconstruction; World Wars;  the Great Depression;  the Cold War and the nuclear era; and civil rights. Other acceptable courses of study for 11th-grade social studies include geography, psychology, sociology, anthropology, civics, economics, and dual enrollment college social studies courses. Electives Most colleges expect to see at least six elective credits. Even if a student is not college-bound, electives are an ideal way to explore areas of interest that may lead to a future career or a lifelong hobby. A student can study just about anything for elective credit. Most colleges expect a student to have completed two years of the same foreign language, so many 11th graders will be finishing their second year. Many colleges also like to see at least one credit in the visual or performing arts. Students can earn this credit with courses such as drama, music, dance, art history, or a class like painting, drawing, or photography. Other examples of elective credit options include digital media, computer technology, creative writing, journalism, speech, debate, auto mechanics, or woodworking. Students can also earn credit for test prep courses, which can be useful in helping them meet their elective credit requirements and approaching entrance exams with more confidence.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Challenging Leopold Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Challenging Leopold - Essay Example King Leopold II was Belgian King between 1865 and 1909. Under Leopold II control, the regime became notorious for forced labour used to gather ivory, palm oil and rubber. It killed so many locals in turn, until its misdoings were eventually exposed and widely reported by the Congo Reform Association, which had been established by Edmund Dene Morel, after which King Leopold was forced to transfer control to the Belgian government. Edmund Morel discovered that the trade in Congo was based on slave labor while in the course of duty at the Shipping Company where he worked. He realized that most ships landing were laden with valuables: ivory, rubber and minerals. However, the ships departing to Congo mainly carried soldiers, ammunitions and other weapons of destruction. There was only one conclusion from the discrepancy: slave labour was ongoing in Congo. Chapter 1 Henry Morton Stanley was an American journalist and an explorer, who was born in Wales. He explored through the Congo River a nd Basin and vast lands of the present DRC. He teamed up with resource hungry King Leopold II to establish the Congo Free State. In Europe, explorers were respected and treated in awe. This explains why many European countries competed to send explorers. The motives of British Exploration in Africa were several. Importantly, it was to acquire resources and new market for its product. Secondly, it was as result of political reasons as major European nations were competing for colonies. Importantly, Britain desired to spread religion, open up the region and stop slave trade. The targets of anti-slavery fervor in the 1960s were mainly Arabs operating mainly from East Africa. Dr Livingston was a Scottish born explorer, famous for his works in Central Africa. His initial aim was to spread Christianity and commerce in the region. While in Africa, he developed illness and was not heard from for a long time prompting his search. Henry Morton Stanley is famous for having found Dr. Livingston e in Africa. This was after being commissioned by the New York Herald to go and search for him. His search for Dr Livingstone was important to his future career because after finding Dr Livingstone, he preceded with exploration in the Congo Basin and River, and it his findings which prompted him to team up with Leopold to establish Congo Free State. Chapter 2 Leopold was obsessed with making Belgium an imperial power, succeeding at what his father did not. Edmund Dene Morel account describes him as a cruel, greedy yet with a charming personality. Leopold believed that one of the key to building a powerful, imperial Belgium was to through colonial expansion. One of the core reasons why he wanted a colony was to establish recognition: he felt that he was not truly in charge of Belgium because of Parliament. Therefore, he wanted a colony in order to establish his recognition, and create a profit to build monuments. He promoted his interests in Africa through creation of Congo Free Stat e, which was a privately held state. The Brussels Geographical Conference took place in September 1876 at the request of Leopold and its agenda was to discuss Europe activity in Africa. H invited several experts and explorers to the conference. He used this conference to rubber stamp his interest in Africa,

SUmmaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SUmmaries - Essay Example He used to spend his time playing hockey and posting on social media and some of the people who know him have described him as a shy and person who minds his own business. The boy who has been charged with several counts of attempted homicide and aggravated assault as well as possession of a weapon in the campus premises. There have been mixed reactions about this case with some of people stating that the suspect should be tried in a juvenile court and others preferring that he should be subjected to a mental examination first. However, his trial in a juvenile court can only take place if he is considered cooperative to treatment in the court. Regardless of the gravity of the matter as well as the age of the suspect, the issue that motivated Alex to go on the rampage and stab fellow students is yet to be identified for the case to be understood fully. After an Illinois father received a call that his son had committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest, a note left by the son was discovered blaming bullying for the suicide. Even though the death of his son was difficult for him, Jordan Lewis decided to post video on Facebook the night that his son died explaining the circumstances of his son’s death as well as the events that led up to the occurrence. This included the apparent bullying, concerns from some of his friends, visits by the police as well as the emergency call the son had made prior to his death (Hamilton, 2013). According to Jordan Lewis, he is posting the videos so that he can stop bullying through showing that some people are not strong enough to overcome the humiliation that is associated with bullying. The bullying that his son had faced had been so much that he dropped out of the football team. Based on research by the Yale university children who are subjected to bullying have a higher likelihood o f committing suicide. There are high chances that Lewis’ son developed a sense of hopelessness and the bullying

Friday, October 18, 2019

Health Care Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Care Economics - Essay Example However, with advances in technology scientists came out with the discovery of solar panels. Solar panels are just a one-time investment and once set up they’ll provide free electricity for their entire life. What simply happens is that the solar panels take up energy from sun rays and convert that energy to provide electrical power. This simple example goes on to show how technology has brought down the cost of various products. Health care has been one of the most important issues of the current time. With the ever increasing health care costs, people from all walks of life have been complaining they cannot afford proper treatment. Workers in America have so hardly been hit by the high health insurance premium payments that they often forego getting a recommended checkup rather than paying huge sums of out of pocket money. So why it is that business technology saves a lot on costs but when it comes to healthcare, new technology drives up costs? There are a lot of reasons to this and we’ll look at each in turn. Firstly, we’ll focus on simple demand and supply factors. The demand for health care has increased over the years as worldwide population increases exponentially. However the supply side hasn’t moved at the same pace as there are a limited number of medical technology producers. The demand supply gap is one of the main reasons why healthcare costs have gone up. Another important reason why health care technology has increased health care costs is that medicinal technology is different than other forms of technological improvements. When a new medicinal technology is launched in the hospital market, a new progress towards diagnosis of a disease or its treatment is made. However in other fields, technological innovation is just a continuation of a previous product to make it better. Such an innovation’s primary objective generally is to achieve an increase in the product’s efficiency and therefore reduce its overa ll cost. However when it comes to medicinal technology, a new purpose is accomplished every time a technological advancement is made and so the investment and the return (payback) process starts from the beginning every time. To recover such investments, patients have to be charged high so at least the hospitals breakup if they don’t make a profit. This is one of the main reason why patients end up paying high medicine bills as the recovery cost of technological improvements is ultimately passed on to the final consumers. Health care technology requires a lot of research. The major chunk of expenditure that’s made by pharmaceutical and health care equipment companies is on research and development of new products and technologies. These figures are often so significant that they take up to seventy percent of a company’s annual budget! It’s pretty obvious now that when such companies will develop their products, they’ll have real high costs attached to them. The latest machines for chemo therapy and drugs to contain cancer have very high costs associated with them. These high costs simply reflect the amount spent on research and development towards the innovation of these drugs and machineries. Whether a particular technology will reduce or increase the amount spent on healthcare will depend upon several critical factors. One of such

Information Technology Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Information Technology Security - Essay Example To do so we firstly need to understand the different types of frauds. Then we focus on what is identity theft, its growth using computers, and the possible precautions. Also the legal responses have been touched upon briefly. To understand the seriousness of identity theft we firstly need to know the different types of electronic frauds. The next section helps us understand the different electronic frauds. With the increased usage of computers and the Internet, there is a lot of movement data and personal information. This is one of the biggest causes for the increase of electronic crime. E crime is treated very seriously and is every country has its own laws relating to the Internet usage. This document will provide a study of the computer related crimes and a few of the statistics of the various crimes that are conducted. Computer as known are automated data processing, communication or storage devices. Crimes as known are an act which is a violation of the law and regulations. A Computer Related Crime hence is a crime where the computers are used as an instrument for the crime. Here the computers contain all the evidences of the crime. Criminals sort to manipulation of computer records for fraudulent activities. Another very common fraud is unauthorised access to information where the criminals hack into customers accounts to make changes or misuse the accounts. Also another common fraud is hacking, or cracking of software to modify customer data, like phone number and address can be changed easily without any proof or evidence. The cost of licences for software is very high, thus some of the criminals sort to create pirated versions of software. Also with the growth and increase of internet usage, it is very common for people to receive viruses. These viruses can spread through online chat accounts, or even by email attachments. Some of the viruses

Thursday, October 17, 2019

American Government Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Government Assignment - Essay Example Many critics oppose this system of drug test among students because they feel that it violates the right to privacy of the young people. Random drug testing challenges the honesty and integrity of the students. The students might land up answering to many embarrassing questions asked by their teachers which cause unnecessary stress to students. (Kowalski, 2006, p.40) Teachers and parents of these students should try to encourage them to lead a drug free life. Students under the influence of drug, suffers from behavioral adjustment problems (DuPont & Brady, 2005, p.81). However this conflict of interests might be resolved by adopting softer and more considerate measures after the results of drug tests have been obtained. The ‘Tea Party’ The Tea Party movement is a very powerful movement in modern day America. Its agenda is to save the country from moving away from autonomy and liberty so that it can provide a greater prosperity for the upcoming generation. Tea Party suppo rters comprises of 89 percent white and only 1 percent black. The members of this movement are very qualified and belong to the higher income group of the society. The ‘Tea Party’ members are identified as ‘angry’ because they are angry with the performance of the government. They are unhappy because the government is unable to represent the people. Government is not working on the health care reform bill. The supporters of this movement are mostly concerned with the economic issues of the state. This party is not a third political party but it voices against the illegal immigration, indiscrimination between races and the lack of good job. (Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are and What They Believe, 2010). Chapter 4: The Heritage of Rights and Liberties Equal Protection of the Laws The article â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships†, talks about legalizing the same-sex marriage on grounds of equal protection of the laws. Same sex marriage has been the most prominent issue in the last few years of the politics of United States. Numerous agitations took place among the religious groups which forced the legislation to either prohibit or legalize this practice. Gay rights organizers had been collecting money and muscle power from different places of United States to convince the lawmakers to approve the right of same sex marriage. Supporters of same sex-marriage have proclaimed that marriage is a representation of love and promises and naming something else to the amalgamation of same sex couple proves that they are been treated as a second- class citizen. They also claim that, they should also enjoy the legal rights that are attached to marriage. Many states of U.S have denied changing the status quo but few states like Washington D.C, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont do produce marriage licenses to the same sex-couple. In June 2011, New York legislation permitted same-sex marriag e. After few days of legalizing this practice, the Rhode Island State Senate permitted a bill allowing civil unions though it was strongly protested by the gay rights promoters. Same sex marriage is mostly successful in New York because twenty nine states have banned this practice where as twelve other states have initiated law against this practice. In the year 2012, the Gay-rights groups are planning to seek ballot to lift the ban in Maine so that same-sex marriage can be allowed there. In the year 2008,

Nanoprobes used to Fight Breast Cancer Tumors Essay

Nanoprobes used to Fight Breast Cancer Tumors - Essay Example The prevalence rates are quite similar throughout the world with the United States leading in the number of incidences and China showing the least. Historically, Eastern Europe and the Far East have had low rates of breast cancer which however, have begun to rise rapidly (Babb et al, 2001). The age related incidence is also very significant in this disease as, the age group most at risk are women over 50 years old (80% of cases) and the highest number of cases is in this 50-69 age group (Office for National Statistics, London, 2008). The treatment for breast cancer is dependent on various factors like, the type of breast cancer, the size and histopathology of the tumor, the stage of the disease and the presence or absence of certain biomarkers. The general health of the patient is also a major factor in determining the mode of treatment. The options range from unilateral to bilateral mastectomies, lumpectomy, with additional chemotherapy or radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation on their own. Tamoxifen, an endocrine targeting drug which acts by interfering with the activity of estrogen, a female hormone is the largest selling drug for breast cancer. Tamoxifen has been used for more than 30 years to treat breast cancer in women and this too, has side effects that cannot be overlooked and in most cases is usually an additional therapeutic drug. All these treatments are painful in different degrees both physically and emotionally. The recovery time is long, especially in older patients and the nature of th e disease, that it could reoccur, is an emotionally exhausting variable to live with. The invasive and painful features of the currently available treatment options and the high incidences, makes this a very important disease in which to fund research. The awareness, on the rising numbers and the need to address the methods of diagnosis and treatment has been heeded by many countries and organizations. Technological advances in one area serendipitously affect applications in other areas. Nanotechnology is one such science that has influenced developments in many spheres of science, technology and medicine. Nanotechnology involves the creation of practical substances, devices, and systems which can be used in different applications on an incredibly small scale. The size and scale we are referring to here is in nanometers and hence the name nanotechnology. Nanotechnology works between 1 and 100 nanometers, a nanometer being, one billionth of a meter. To put this in proportion we can compare this to being the same as about ten times the diameter of a hydrogen atom. Advances in this technology have had applications in treatment options for many diseases including cancer. Introduction Significance of the Issue Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women (http://www.cancer.gov/statistics/). Breast cancer incidences and statistics are calculated and processed by gender, age, geographic variation, trends over time and prevalence. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the United Kingdom although the incidence in men is minute compared to other cancers. In 2005 there were 45,947 new cases of breast cancer that were diagnosed, of these 45,660 (over 99%) were in women and 287 (less than 1%) in men. As mentioned earlier the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

American Government Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Government Assignment - Essay Example Many critics oppose this system of drug test among students because they feel that it violates the right to privacy of the young people. Random drug testing challenges the honesty and integrity of the students. The students might land up answering to many embarrassing questions asked by their teachers which cause unnecessary stress to students. (Kowalski, 2006, p.40) Teachers and parents of these students should try to encourage them to lead a drug free life. Students under the influence of drug, suffers from behavioral adjustment problems (DuPont & Brady, 2005, p.81). However this conflict of interests might be resolved by adopting softer and more considerate measures after the results of drug tests have been obtained. The ‘Tea Party’ The Tea Party movement is a very powerful movement in modern day America. Its agenda is to save the country from moving away from autonomy and liberty so that it can provide a greater prosperity for the upcoming generation. Tea Party suppo rters comprises of 89 percent white and only 1 percent black. The members of this movement are very qualified and belong to the higher income group of the society. The ‘Tea Party’ members are identified as ‘angry’ because they are angry with the performance of the government. They are unhappy because the government is unable to represent the people. Government is not working on the health care reform bill. The supporters of this movement are mostly concerned with the economic issues of the state. This party is not a third political party but it voices against the illegal immigration, indiscrimination between races and the lack of good job. (Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are and What They Believe, 2010). Chapter 4: The Heritage of Rights and Liberties Equal Protection of the Laws The article â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships†, talks about legalizing the same-sex marriage on grounds of equal protection of the laws. Same sex marriage has been the most prominent issue in the last few years of the politics of United States. Numerous agitations took place among the religious groups which forced the legislation to either prohibit or legalize this practice. Gay rights organizers had been collecting money and muscle power from different places of United States to convince the lawmakers to approve the right of same sex marriage. Supporters of same sex-marriage have proclaimed that marriage is a representation of love and promises and naming something else to the amalgamation of same sex couple proves that they are been treated as a second- class citizen. They also claim that, they should also enjoy the legal rights that are attached to marriage. Many states of U.S have denied changing the status quo but few states like Washington D.C, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont do produce marriage licenses to the same sex-couple. In June 2011, New York legislation permitted same-sex marriag e. After few days of legalizing this practice, the Rhode Island State Senate permitted a bill allowing civil unions though it was strongly protested by the gay rights promoters. Same sex marriage is mostly successful in New York because twenty nine states have banned this practice where as twelve other states have initiated law against this practice. In the year 2012, the Gay-rights groups are planning to seek ballot to lift the ban in Maine so that same-sex marriage can be allowed there. In the year 2008,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Motivation Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation Case study - Essay Example A job that possesses higher levels of these core characteristics is higher in motivating potential. This relationship between job characteristics and employee motivation is moderated by the employee's growth-need strength. The relation between the presence of high levels of the core job characteristics and motivation on the job is stronger for individuals who have strong growth needs. The job characteristics model provides a conceptual frame work for improving the amount of motivating potential inherent in the design of the job through increasing skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the task itself. Changing elements of the job's design to strengthen these core motivating characteristics is known as job enrichment (McKenna n.d, 199). At Disney under Iger's leadership, the employees have been given a relatively relaxed hand to perform the tasks they are good at with the top management not getting into micro-management. This allows employees to make decision based on their own judgments and requires a more complex level of skills. Hence the skill variety of the employees has been increased under Iger. The increased level of delegation that the employees enjoy along with the autonomy to perform tasks as they see fit has been one of the prime reasons for the higher motivation levels at Disney under Iger. Employees feel that their contribution to the work they perform is greater now and they are able to take their job to completion and therefore can enjoy a certain sense of ownership about it. The greater level of skill variety, task significance and task identity has led the Disney employees to experience a greater level of meaningfulness in the work they perform, as is shown by the JCM requirements in the diagram in the appendix. This was in sharp contrast to Eisner's strategy of increasing his own influence and squashing the confidence of the employees to make own decisions and hence, decreasing their perception about the contribution they make to the work. This has led to higher internal work motivation and higher quality performance as employees have been able to concentrate on the creative aspect and do what they are good at. This has ensured that even if the top management is not creative, the steady influx of creativity from the employees and people good at their work has kept the star of Disney burgeoning. 2- How can equity theory explain the difference in motivation of employees working under Eisner, as compared to having Iger as CEO Discuss. The Theory Equity Theory attempts to explain relational satisfaction in terms of perceptions of fair or unfair distributions of resources within interpersonal relationships. It asserts that employees seek to maintain equity between the inputs that they bring to a job and the outcomes that they receive from it against the perceived inputs and outcomes of others. The belief is that people value fair treatment which causes them to be motivated to keep the fairness maintained within the relationships of their co-workers

Monday, October 14, 2019

Evaluation of Canon’s Strategies Essay Example for Free

Evaluation of Canon’s Strategies Essay The first part of this investigation involves an evaluation of the strategies used by Canon and the key factors for success. In order to being this review, it is first necessary to consider how the company has performed in recent years. Table 1 provided below provides an overall review of the organization’s performance in recent years. The data clearly suggests that Canon has made notable progress toward developing market share, revenues and profitability. In addition to reducing its debt to asset ratio in 2008, the organization also increased its stockholder equity to assert ratio. Table 1: Key Performance Indicators for Canon, 2004-2008 [pic] Data courtesy of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf Other indicators of Canon’s success are provided in Figures 1 and 2 below. These illustrations provide a review of net sales and ROE/ROA for 2003-2007. Figure 1: Net Sales for CanonFigure 2: ROE/ROA for Canon Data courtesy of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf With the realization that Canon has performed so well in recent years, it is pertinent to consider the specific areas which have promulgated success for the organization. A crucial review of the case information provided on the organization suggests that there are a number of pertinent strategy elements which have been pertinent to the success of the organization. In particular the organization has worked to develop a mission and vision which it has incorporated on all levels of its operations. The development of a guiding mission for the organization is essential for success (Henry 2007). Missions provide the foundation for the development of actionable processes which can be used for moving the organization toward specific goals (Johnson, Scholes Whittington, 2008). In addition to developing a mission and vision which provided the organization with a directive for action, Canon also developed a firm strategy focused on attainable goals for operations. Specifically, the organization set the specific goal of obtaining 30 percent of the world market by the 1980s. Research regarding the current state of achieving this objective suggests that even though Canon has not been able to maintain a 30 percent market share in the industry, it has overcome competitor Xerox to become second only to Hewlett Packard. Figure 3 below provides a review of global market share for companies competing in Canon’s industry. Figure 3: Global Market Share for Canon and Competitors [pic] (Data courtesy of â€Å"Office electronics industry profile,† 2008, p. 12) The focus on a specific goal for the organization has clearly had an impact on outcomes for operations. By using this specific goal for development, Canon has been able to set clear, measurable objectives which can be evaluated by the organization to determine outcomes. Setting measurable goals is an important component of developing a strategic plan for the organization (Huang, 2009). Measurable goals are viewed as essential to the successful implementation of a strategic plan which provides significant results for the ongoing development of the organization. Another issue which appears to have had notable implications for the successful development of Canon is the use of specific core competencies to ensure the outcomes of operations. In addition to developing a strategic plan which provided clear and measurable objectives, the organization delineated specific core competencies which it has been able to optimize in order to coordinate its strategic objective and achieve its goals. A review of what has been noted regarding the use of core competencies suggests that core competencies can provide the organization with the ability to focus development in particular areas (Zook, 2007). This process, in turn, sets the stage for the development of management practice and shapes how the organization approaches the market and its competitors. Collis and Montgomery (2008) provide a more integral review of core competencies noting the importance of review intended core competencies in the context of the external environment in which an organization competes. As reported by these authors, organizations need to consider the external environment and competitors in developing core competencies. While it is evident that core competencies must meet the internal demands and capabilities of the organization, Collis and Montgomery assert that improper alignment of core competencies in light of competitors and the larger industry in which the organization operates will result in failure of core competencies to be effective. In developing its core competencies, Canon appears to have taken these issues into consideration. The specific outcomes in this area are witnessed by the fact that in the 1970s, Xerox held a majority market share, which it has subsequently lost to Canon. In the 1970s, Canon recognized that the formula for success being used by Xerox was not the same formula which it wanted to pursue in the development of its organization. In this context, Canon chose to pursue a different pathway for competitive development; one which enabled the company to synthesize its internal capabilities with the market environment to create a unique competitive advantage against its largest rival. Because of this process of developing particular core competencies for operations, Canon was able to maximize its internal capabilities and use this as a strategic advantage in the marketplace. In summarizing the overall approach used by Canon to develop its strategic plan and subsequent management processes, it seems reasonable to argue that Canon did more than just place words on paper to establish a foundation for the organization. Rather, the organization developed a comprehensive plan for vision, strategy and development which were implemented on every level of the organization’s operations. In addition to delineating the larger objectives for the organization, Canon developed all of the intermediate steps that would be needed to achieve these objectives. In doing so, the organization aligned all of its activities toward the achievement of the organization’s overall strategy. The development of strategy in this manner is commensurate with what scholars note about the strategic planning and management processes. Kaplan and Norton (2008) assert that the strategy planning and development processes for the organization often end in failure because of the inability of the organization to effectively execute its strategy. Further, these authors assert that strategy failure is common because of implementation problems which manifest as organizations attempt to make critical connections between strategy objectives and specific outcomes which will be achieved to ensure that objectives are reached. Placing this information into the case of Canon, it becomes evident that these issues did not arise. Rather than struggling to implement, the organization developed to tools and resources needed to effectively ensure that it built a foundation which would enable success. It is this specific process which has enabled the success of Cannon. When strategy development is formulated as more than just specific words on paper the end result is the development of a strategic plan which provides concrete action steps for the organization to take. With these action steps in place, the organization is better poised to control the development of the strategic plan and its implementation (Neilson, Martin Powers, 2008). This element of control in the strategic planning process has been noted to be an important contributor to the success of strategic implementation. When control is established in the strategic planning process, the organization is able to dictate the specific changes which will occur and respond to outcomes in a manner that is commensurate with the capabilities of the company and responsive to the specific external environment which will impact the outcomes of operations. What Other Companies Can Learn With a basic review of the success of Canon in the development of its strategy provided, it is now possible to consider what, if anything, can be learned by other companies from this case. In examining the development and outcomes of Canon, it becomes evident that the specific protocols and practices which have been used by the organization to achieve success should not be mimicked by other companies. Even though Canon has been quite successful in its efforts to develop its products and services, the reality is that other companies cannot expect to use the same formula for success and to achieve the same outcomes achieved by Canon. Other companies have attempted to use this approach in the past—i. . Circuit City, K-Mart, etc. Even though mimicking another organization may provide some benefits in the short-term, the reality is that the outcomes achieved will not provide an organization with a long-term foundation for development. Even though companies examining the case of Canon may not be able to use the same specific tactics employed by the organization, Canon did employ a number of general models for strategic planning and development which could be considere d by other organizations. In particular, the development of core competencies for operations is an important tool which other companies could consider for success. An examination of models for the development of core competencies in the organization suggests that companies need to begin with a core strategy for the development of their operations. Once this core strategy has been delineated, it is then possible to articulate specific areas of organizational development by attaching them directly to the core strategy. Figure 4 on the following page provides a generic model of how core competency development for the organization has been conceptualized in for translation of core competencies into organizational practice. The application of this model to the development of core competency planning for the organization would serve as the foundation for the development of the basic ideas which could then be used for the further development of the organization. Based on the specific core competencies decided upon by the organization, a formal strategic plan for organizational development could be implemented. This plan would need to reflect the development of measurable goals to ensure the overall success of achieving core competencies. Figure 4: Generic Model for Core Competency Planning [pic] Image courtesy of: http://www. ulv. edu/cbpm/business/img/mba_exp_graphic. jpg Once the core competencies for the organization have been delineated, it will then be possible for companies to consider the development of a strategic plan. Examining the specific steps used by Canon, it becomes evident that solid advice for planning and development in this area are provided in the case. In addition to developing a driving vision and mission, the organization also implemented critical success factors which enabled the organization to formulate goals. The goals were codified in the context of action steps which provided a concrete foundation for the organization to achieve success. All of these issues were supported by the core competencies established by the organization. Figure 4 below provides a review of this process and demonstrates how other organizations could effectively adopt this process to generate success in their strategic planning and management processes.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

A Feminist Analysis of Othello Essay -- Feminism Feminist Women Critic

A Feminist Analysis of Othello  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello there are numerous instances of obvious sexism aimed at the three women in the drama -- Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca – and aimed at womankind generally. Let us delve into this subject in this paper. In the essay â€Å"Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello† Robert B. Heilman discusses a scene which occurs late in the play and which is sexist: When Othello summons Desdemona and dismisses Emilia, â€Å"Leave procreants alone . . .; / Cough or cry hem if anybody come. / Your mystery, your mystery! . . .† (IV.2.28-30), he not only dismisses Emilia, accuses Desdemona of infidelity, and betrays his own insane bitterness, but he converts the marriage into a brothel arrangement in which all three are involved, and by so doing establishes imaginative lines of connection with the role of Bianca and particularly with the Iago philosophy of sexual conduct. (331) In the opening scene, while Iago is expressing his hatred for the general Othello for his having chosen Michael Cassio for the lieutenancy, he contrives a plan to partially avenge himself (â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him†), with Roderigo’s assistance, by alerting Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, to the fact of his daughter’s elopement with Othello: â€Å"Call up her father, / Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight [. . .].† Implied in this move is the fact of a father’s assumed control over the daughter’s choice of a marriage partner. Brabantio’s admonition to Roderigo implicitly expresses the same message: The worser welcome:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In honest plainness thou hast heard me say   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My daughter is not for thee [. . .]... ... Review, LXIV, 1 (Winter 1956), 1-4, 8-10; and Arizona Quarterly (Spring 1956), pp.5-16. Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985. Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993. Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wayne, Valerie. â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello.† The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.   

Saturday, October 12, 2019

To Dance With The White Dog Essay -- Movie Film Movies Dance White Dog

To Dance With The White Dog When one is young in age, it is important for him or her to have a caretaker. It is important because there are many things that one cannot do at a young age, such as feeding or dressing one's self. In contrast, there are also many things that one cannot do at an old age, such as being the breadwinner of a family or going to the bathroom on one's own. In both stages of life one is usually helpless and dependent on others. This is why old age is usually considered one's second childhood. In the movie To Dance with the White Dog, Sam Peek had a hard time adjusting to his second childhood. He did not like the fact that he eventually would have to rely on his children Kate and Carrie to take care of him. After his wife Cora died, Sam's children felt it was their responsibility to take care of him. They believed that he was going senile because of the loss of his wife. He was used to being the caretaker of his family. So the mere thought of his children having to take care of him mad e him mad. Sam's second childhood was evident in the movie based on Terry Kay's novel To Dance with the White Dog. The movie played out Sam's stubbornness in accepting his children's desire to help him out in his day-to-day routine. Sam Peek was used to being the caretaker of his family. He made sure that they had clothes on their backs, food in their stomachs, and a smile on their face. Sam hated the fact that they thought being his caretaker was their role for him now. He never prepared himself for the fact that one day they would possibly take care of him the same way they would take care of their children. Throughout the movie Sam?... ...imagined that they would do the same for him one day. His daughters Kate and Carrie would treat him like a five year old. They would try to talk to him very slow because they thought he could not comprehend anything they were saying. Kate and Carrie believed that their father had an overly active imagination. They believed this because they could not see his white dog. Later on in the movie, Sam fell on the floor and the white dog ran around in the yard until someone came to help. That scene in the movie proved that Sam was not as crazy as they thought. Shortly after that, Sam was diagnosed with cancer. He put his stubbornness aside and let his children take care of him. At that point he really did not care, he only wanted to spend his last moments with his loving family. Works Cited: To Dance with the White Dog. Videocassette. Republic Pictures,1993, 103 min.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Gettysburg

Charles Esquivel Pritchett History 1301 Nov. 25th 2010 Civil War Project Located 50 miles northwest of Baltimore, the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was the site of the largest battle ever waged during the American Civil War. Fought in the first three days of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in a hallmark victory for the Union â€Å"Army of the Potomac† and successfully ended the second invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee's â€Å"Army of Northern Virginia†. Historians have referred to the battle as a major turning point in the war, the â€Å"High Water Mark of the Confederacy†.It was also the bloodiest single battle of the war, resulting in over 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured or missing(Coddington 21). On July 1, Confederate forces converged on the town from west and north, driving Union defenders back through the streets to Cemetery Hill. During the night, reinforcements arrived for both sides. On July 2, Lee attempted t o envelop the Federals, first striking the Union left flank at the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and the Round Tops with Longstreet’s and Hill’s divisions, and then attacking the Union right at Culp’s and East Cemetery Hills with Ewell’s divisions.By evening, the Federals retained Little Round Top and had repulsed most of Ewell’s men. During the morning of July 3, the Confederate infantry were driven from their last toe-hold on Culp’s Hill. In the afternoon, after a preliminary artillery bombardment, Lee attacked the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. | | The Pickett-Pettigrew assault momentarily pierced the Union line but was driven back with severe casualties(Bachelder 47) . Stuart’s cavalry attempted to gain the Union rear but was repulsed. On July 4, Lee began withdrawing his army toward Williamsport on the Potomac River.His train of wounded stretched more than fourteen miles. | Gettysburg Campaign (June-August 1863) Battle: July 1-3, 1863 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, US; Gen. Robert E. Lee, CS Forces Engaged: 158,300 total (US 83,289; CS 75,054) Estimated Casualties: 51,000 total (US 23,000; CS 28,000) The Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863, when a Confederate brigade searching for a badly needed supply of shoes in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, ran into Union cavalry(Nielsen 12).After the three days of battle were over, Union forces claimed victory, although both sides suffered heavy casualties. | | While Grant slowly strangled Vicksburg and Rosecrans feinted Bragg halfway across Tennessee, Lee decided to march his troops north toward Pennsylvania. There were several reasons for this bold move. The Confederate government hoped that a decisive victory on Northern soil would win foreign recognition of the Confederacy. In addition, Lee argued that an invasion of the wealthiest urban area of the North would probably lessen the pressure on Confederate force s in Tennessee and at Vicksburg.Perhaps most important, the lush Cumberland Valley would yield food and clothing for Lee's ragged and hungry army(Fransanito 6). On June 3, 1863, Lee began to move his Army of Northern Virginia across the Rappahannock. Hooker, who was aware of Lee's movements, shifted the Army of the Potomac northward, using it as a shield between Lee and the capital at Washington. Late in June, Hooker resigned his command, convinced that he had lost the confidence of the administration. On June 28, General George G. Meade replaced Hooker. Meade had been one of Hooker's corps commanders.On July 1 advance units of the two armies stumbled into each other near the little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 16 km (10 mi) north of the Maryland border. Both Lee and Meade realized that a battle was unavoidable. Fighting began that day. Union troops, after early reverses, managed to hold a strategic position on Cemetery Hill. The second day, July 2, saw confused fighting on bot h Union flanks. Generals Longstreet and John B. Hood assaulted high ground at the Peach Orchard and Little Round Top, but by night the Federals held key positions.The most dramatic action of the battle came on the third day, when General George E. Pickett led a gallant but hopeless charge against the Union center, â€Å"the bloody angle. † (Nielsen 184) Pickett's drive tried to charge across an open field at Cemetery Ridge, but concentrated Union fire stopped him. The battle was a decisive Union victory, but both armies suffered very heavy losses. Meade's casualties numbered 23,000 and Lee's about 25,000. Lee began his retreat on July 4. | To the great disappointment of President Lincoln, Meade did not pursue the Confederate army and make Lee stand and fight(Coddington 12).By July 14 the Confederate commander had brought the remnant of his army back to the safety of Virginia. Gettysburg had been a severe defeat for the South, both in terms of men lost and the army's morale. I n November 1863 President Lincoln dedicated a national cemetery to those who had died in the Battle of Gettysburg. His speech, known as the Gettysburg Address, became famous as an expression of the democratic spirit and reconfirmed Lincoln's intention to reunite the country.