Business Research Proposal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Proposal - Research Paper Example In addition to exploration of weaknesses, opportunities will also be identified to take the restaurant from good to great. By differentiating itself from the growing number of similar, family-themed restaurants saturating the market, Olive Garden an increase in market share is predictable. BACKGROUND The intended audience of this business research proposal is the Olive Garden’s CEO and the regional manager responsible for the Miami, Florida location. The specific problems to be addressed are restroom cleanliness and sanitization, length of wait to be seated upon check-in, and lack of staff efficiency. After visiting this location on several occasions, at various times and on different days of the week, these three issues have been reoccurring. By focusing on these three issues, the restaurant will have made great strides toward reaching its full potential. An improvement that would allow the restaurant to differentiate itself from other similar style restaurants is offering ch ild care to customers. In my experience, family and friends with children have wanted to go out to a romantic dinner for a â€Å"date night,† but were unable to find a babysitter. Providing child care as a free service to guests will increase the restaurant’s market share by tapping into an area of the market that is perhaps non-existent. Personally, I have never been to a restaurant that offers such a service.

Ways Of Overcoming These Barrier English Language Essay

Ways Of Overcoming These Barrier English Language Essay Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Today I would like to give a speech on the effect of communication barriers and overcoming these barriers. As we all know, communication is the basic needs for everyone to communicate in order to develop in social skills. Sometimes communication can involve only one person, usually when the individual is having a self-thought over something or making a decision. Communication is also an activity which allows each party who communicate to share information through the exchange of thoughts, messages or information. Communication in an organization usually requires more than one person in order in work out on daily productivity and being successful. Communication usually requires a message sender and a recipient to receive the message by the sender. There are different types of communication usually involve in an organization, one of them is the verbal communication. Verbal communication includes sound, language, speaking and words. Verbal communication occurs in an organization usually when one person involves face-to-face conversation to other, meeting, teleconference and presentation. A good verbal communication is inseparable part of business of organization communication. Since business requires you to be able to communicate with the person you come across with various races or culture, a fluent verbal communication is important as it will help you deal better with people in business or during a meeting. Self-confidence also plays an important role in business and communication which with the fluency of communication skills it will lead to success. Public speaking is also a verbal communication which a group of people have to be addressed. Preparing a speech before it starts is important in order to be effective. In public speaking, it is necessary to prepare according to the type of audience you are going to give speech to. The way, you can prevent any boredom from the audience while you are giving speech. Your speech should contain a content which is authentic and prepare enough information on the topic chosen for public speaking. The main point of your speech must be delivered in a correct order. There are many skills in public speaking and these skills should be practiced well in order to have an effective speech. Another type of communication would be the non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is a communication which involved in a physical way and no words are used, it is also known as body language, for example the motion of the body, tone of voice, appearance, or eye contact. Body posture and physical contact can convey information. Non-verbal communication is also important as it can express the feelings of an individual through facial expressions. By non-verbal communication, it helps you understand better on how the person you are communicating with feel and know the person better. Written communication is a communication which words are written in the order you want to communicate. In written communication, we exchange information with language written. Well written communication is important in business. It provides proof and exchange of documentation Examples of written communications are E-mail, memo, faxes, reports, article or letters. Before written communication take place, it is possible to make amendment and edit limitless of times before the message of the sender was sent to the receiver to whom the communication is intended. This is one of the advantages in written communication as one of the major means in business which provides black and white statement. Written communication is not only used in formal business purposes but it can also be used informally. Mobile short messaging system (SMS) is one of the informal ways in written communications. Visual communication is visual display of information which usually involved pictures. In visual communication, the recipient receives the message from a signboard, banners, advertisement, display or maps. The signboard or banner of McDonalds indicates that the fast food eating joints, which is a form of visual communication. Visual communication is also important but it depends on how the recipient interprets the message with the sign on it. Effective communication is important in order to success in any type of business and also in an informal way. Without a good communication skill, nothing can be archived. Therefore, it is important to develop in communication skills. One must understand the type of communications which are equally important and it is a must to develop in such skills in all medium. Communication Barriers However, if any disturbance blocks the step of communication, the message is destroyed. This is called communication barriers. Communication Barriers involved distraction from noise, language understanding difference or using jargon, and lack of interest in topic during a conversation, lack of focus from distraction and the use of over complicated or unfamiliar terms to the recipient. The common thing in communication barriers is both sender and receiver have an absence of common frame of reference which is affecting the smooth interpretation of meaning, feeling, attitude and thoughts from the sender to the receiver from the specific topic of conversation. Distractions from noises which causes communication barrier usually take place in an environment which is crowded, where renovation takes place nearby or when someone else is also talking nearby when your conversation take place. A sender sends out the messages which he or she wanted to say, but with the distractions of noise, the receiver could not fully receive the message and could not interpret the message sent by the sender, which misunderstanding in the conversation will occur. Language barrier indicates the difficulties faced when both the sender and receiver do not have any languages in common attempt to communicate with each other. Language barrier happens usually when travelling abroad for a business trip. This is common during multinational meetings. Different countries have their own local language, foreign who visited the other country who does not know their language find it difficult to communicate with the local people is also a language barrier in communication. Even communicating with both using the same language, a linguistic difference will also lead to a communication barrier. Certain same words with many different types of meaning will lead to misinterpretation. For example the word value, it can represent the meaning of worthiness of something with its importance and usefulness or a principle standard or quality which is worthwhile or desirable. Communication barriers will occur if the perception is wrong received by the receiver. Sometimes when you speak too much in a presentation or in a meeting, you have to be aware on the information you shared out rather if it is necessary. This is because the more unnecessary info being shared out, there will be a risk which your listeners will misinterpret your point. Lack of focus from the listeners will occur when the speaker prepares a topic which is not interesting, having loads of information which is not really necessary in the presentation or taking long hours in the speech. This will sometimes relate to listeners getting distracted or thinking of something else not related to the speaker. When listeners have lack of knowledge of what is presented by the speaker, it will also cause communication barrier. Too much information from the speaker will lead to the listeners harder to focus effectively on the key point and important messages. Speaking too fast in a presentation can also cause communication barrier, listeners will not likely get the main point which the speaker is trying to share out. Another problem in an organisation which leads to communication barrier is the status of each party. Usually when a listener of the meeting in an organisation has a lower status than the speaker may be very cautious when sending message back and respond to the speaker. They will only talk about something which is related to the topic or something which they think the speaker is interested in. It is related to an organisation which higher status people will refuse in discussing anything which would tent to undermine the authority of the organisation. Some people may think that they should treat people differently based on what status or power they perceive in an organisation. If the employees think that managers or supervisors have power to control over staffs, for example allocating duties for them, promote, reward, or dismiss staff, it may lead to communication barriers before communication even takes place because employee will think that if they say anything which will offend thei r manager, it will affect their productivity. Ways of Overcoming These Barriers Effective communication in an organisation is very important for in order for an organisation to succeed. It is necessary to cope up and deal with these communication barriers to ensure an effective and smooth communication in an organisation. To overcome with the distraction of noise where conversation take place, both the speaker and listener must overcome the barrier by changing their ways of communication or eliminate the noise pollution. Firstly, try to detect the source of the noise, if the noise is possible to be eliminated, consider if its removal is practical. For example, noise outside can be reduced by closing the window or move to an inner place in the building which is far from where the noise come from. Sometimes if there is any renovation nearby the building, consider when is the right time to plan to have your oral communication. It will not be possible to completely remove the noise, but it is possible for the speaker to raise the speech volume. If the listener could not hear properly due to noise, then the listener should request the speaker to speak louder. Listener should practice active listening, this means paying attention to what the speaker is saying, not just hearing what the speaker is saying but also try to understand the speakers point of view. Language barrier is one of the major problems in an organisation as communication is a two-way process. To overcome language barrier, it is advisable to use only one type of language which is used globally and by everyone. Try practise using English in an organisation because it is a language which is used globally. However, dont forget to show respect for local language as well. Adding subtitle or having a translator is also a great way to overcome language barrier. Dont just practice with one language, try to make effort to learn some words either the some or different languages. Just a basic way of saying good morning, hello and thank you in the local way. Before travelling abroad for a business trip, do learn and find out about the culture, language and the local customs of the country first. Especially on body language and how the locals behave. Dont be too sensitive when you are in a foreign country, this is because you are the foreigner and oddity. You may have to respect thei r culture of the country when you are paying a visit or having a meeting with the local people overseas. Do ask for clarification politely and make sure the information is correct when you do not understand what is being told. Never assume that you understand what the speaker has said. Be patient in overcoming this barrier. Cross-cultural communication requires additional time. You cannot expect your communication to occur with the same ease when you are communication with someone else with the same culture as yours. The way to overcome lack of concentration in a presentation or oral communication is to add some image or sound effects which may attract the attention of the listener. Pictures or animation with colours will make a good presentation and would have overcome this barrier. Avoid using idioms in an oral communication. This is because idioms will cause the listener harder to understand the point given by the presenter. Speaker should consider using language clearly and straightforward. By doing so, it is able to prevent unnecessary confusion and misinterpretation. Before planning on a presentation, it is necessary to realize that some information is not essential, this information are advised to be remove from your speech as it will be harder for the listener to get your key point. Try using simple language which is easily understood by many people and only present what is important with information meaning rather than just passing a message itself. Speak slowly and clearly with proper e nunciation and slow down your speech. Try to manage your time and plan well on your oral communication. Even if youre pressuring for time, do not rush through your communication. This will ended up taking more time to clear the confusion if the listener could not really get your point and cause miscommunication and misunderstanding. The reason that status is part of communication barrier is because one in an organisation with a lower status may think that talking directly to their manager or someone with a higher status are not interested in listening what the speaker wants to say or being too serious with a topic which is not related to work. To overcome such barrier, the managers and colleagues should be well informed in what they are doing. Try encouraging employees with a lower status to keep you informed by being respectful and fair-minded in their opinions. Be open-minded in a communication, this will make employees with a lower status feel that saying out their opinion will be considered rather than being rejected. Always be prepare on receiving information even if you think it is not necessary. Because sometimes employees have information to share out, they will first think and afraid that their manager might not like. Status which cause communication barrier can be overcome by the willingness to give an d receive information regardless rather it is good or bad. Conclusion To conclude my speech today, allow me to summarize the main point of my speech. Plan a time and place well to prevent noise distraction from your conversation. Speak louder if necessary to prevent noise distraction to break down your communication. Get everyone to practice using only one language practiced globally, get a translator or add subtitle if a foreigner who doesnt understand your language is attending your presentation. But also dont forget to respect local language and culture. Summarize what you are going to say in an oral communication, longer time or too much information will make the listener confuse and hard to get the point of your view. Prepare what is necessary in your presentation. And lastly, be open in communication in the organisation and always be ready to receive information even if it is going to be a good or bad opinion to prevent communication barrier due to status. Practice the way to overcome these barriers to archive an effective communications in any business organisation in order to succeed. Thank you.

Should Workers Be Allowed To Strike? - Argumentative Essay

It is difficult to see how anyone could deny that all workers should have the rights to strike. This is because striking gives workers freedom of speech. This is justifiable, because Britain is a democratic nation. My first reason supporting the motion that workers should be allowed to strike is in order to bring to the fore poor safety conditions. For instance, in the nuclear power industry, any breaches of safety can have tragic consequences. If the employees are exposed to nuclear material, this could lead to serious illnesses such as cancer, leukaemia and radiation sickness. Radioactive material could also affect residents of the surrounding area, as in the case of the Chernobyl disaster. In the light of poor safety conditions, workers striking can be justified by the fact that the government and public would be informed. Similarly, another justification for employees striking is that production and confidence would perhaps increase after industrial action. This could be because, when workers strike for higher pay or better conditions and their employers meet their demands, the employees return to their place of work with higher morale than before the walk-out. As a consequence, the higher productivity would be beneficial to the owners. Likewise, industrial action gives the worker a line of protest against unfair hours or miserly wages. Theoretically, if taking industrial action was outlawed, the management could impose any terms and contract changes that they wished ...

Nonsmokers: A Prospective Study

In 2006, Rudolf bertagnoli and his team published a study investigating the effects of smoking on patients who have undergone Lumbar total disc arthroplasty. â€Å"Smoking has always been considered to a negative predictor for fusion surgery.† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) Not many studies have been undertaken to observe effects of smoking on the procedure of Total arthroplasty and the recovery afterwards in smoking and non smoking patients. Some research suggests that smoking prevents or reduces the bones ability to grow into the prosthesis. Delay in recovery and decrease in over all success of the implantation procedure have also been blamed on smoking. (ProDisc Total Disc Replacement, 2008) â€Å"The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in functional and disability outcomes within a period of two years minimum in smoking and nonsmoking patients who have undergone the artificial disc replacement therapy.† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) The Null hypothesis and the Alternate hypothesis proposed were as follows. Null Hypothesis: Smoking has no detrimental effect on success of artificial disc replacement (ADR). Alternate Hypothesis: â€Å"Smoking has a detrimental effect on the success of artificial disc replacement (ADR).† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) A cohort study was conducted with an initial sample of 110 patients between March 2000 and April 2002. The inclusion criteria for the sampling included, smokers and non smokers, age between 18-65 years, â€Å"disabling low back pain and some radicular pain secondary to single-level lumbar spondylosis† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) , patients undergoing minimum of 2 year follow up and assessment, and lastly failure of medical treatment. They excluded â€Å"patients with spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, prior fusion surgery, chronic infections, metal allergies, facet arthrosis, inadequate vertebral endplate size, more than one level of spondylosis, neuromuscular disease, pregnancy, Workers' Compensation, spinal litigation, body mass index greater than 35, and/or any isthmic.† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) Patient’s smoking status was recorded through questionnaires. Preoperative aspects of the lumbar anomaly were recorded radiographically. Outcome measurements were recorded at 3rd, 6th, 12th and the 24th month after undergoing the procedure. The procedure success and recovery progression was noted using the Visual Analog Score (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Questionnaires recording the back pain, pain drugs usage and patient satisfaction were also used. Preoperative and postoperative radiographical assessment of the back was also used to observe the recovery progression in both, the smoking and non smoking group of patients. Dependent variables included Smoking and Non smoking group. Whereas the independent variables included VAS, ODI, patient satisfaction, leg pain, work rates (postoperative), and drugs used postoperatively. Statistical analysis was done as it was found that even though there was significant changes between preoperative and postoperative variable like VAS, ODI, patient satisfaction, relief of leg pain work rate etc but no statistically significant differences were found between these outcomes of smoking patients when compared with nonsmokers. Therefore, the study fails to reject the null hypothesis, which still stands, i.e. â€Å"Smoking has no detrimental effect on success of artificial disc replacement (ADR).† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) The research was conducted in a controlled manner excluded many bias.   But further studies need to be conducted with larger sample sizes to further explore the role of smoking if any, in the success of disc replacement. Also there is need for exploring the link between blood levels of nicotine and success of procedure as well as the effects of smoking and indicators of bone adherence to the prosthesis needs to be further conducted. Couple of questions that come to mind, if nicotine plays such great inhibiting effect on the bone and collagen growth as the study claims, then why wasn’t the effect of smoking   on growth factors and their monitoring not included in the study. Also, if as the researchers claim, that nicotine has an analgesic effect on patient, was it not included as a component in the study? REFERENCES Bertagnoli. R., Yue. J.J., Kershaw.T, Shah.R, V., Pfeiffer. F, Fenk-Mayer, A, et al. (2006). Lumbar Total Disc Arthroplasty Utilizing the ProDisc Prosthesis in Smokers versus Nonsmokers: A Prospective Study with 2-Year Minimum Follow-up. Spine, 3, 992-997. ProDisc Total Disc Replacement (2008).   Spine Service- Sydney, Australia, retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from http://www.spine-service.org/dr.html ; ; ; ; ;

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. Essay

What stylistic elements does King use to influence his readers? After reading and analyzing â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† write an essay in which you answer the question and analyze structure and language in his text, providing 3 or more examples to illustrate and clarify your analysis. What conclusion can you draw about the power of this text? 1. Copy and paste the introduction of your essay here. Check your grading feedback from Lesson 8 to see if your instructor suggested any revisions to your introduction. Please make your revisions and type your revised introduction in the space below. INTRODUCTION: Everyone knows Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail but not everyone knows he wrote it because he was tired of being told to be patient and to wait. He wanted those eight white Alabama men that called him an extremist and whom believed the civil rights campaign would cause violence, to know that he was fed up waiting. King would take a stand and fight alongside his brothers and sisters for their rights. Martin Luther King uses strategic support and imagery to influence his readers and help us understand that all the hardships and judgment the blacks faced matter since he’s trying to make us understand the pain and tiredness of segregation and of waiting for nothing to happen. Write 2. Using what you have learned about evidence, explanation, quotations, and paraphrase, write your body paragraphs in the space below. You will need to include at least one of each of the following: a direct quotation introduced with a complete sentence and a colon a direct quotation introduced with a signaling phrase and a comma a direct quotation that is introduced and explained in one sentence a paraphrased example  an embedded quotation IMPORTANT ALERT: Use your outline from the previous lesson (Lesson 9 Organize Your Ideas) to form your body paragraphs. BODY (Minimum of 2 paragraphs – one about the structure of the letter and one about the language of the letter): King uses quotes from other famous people to offer comprehension of the respect those people were given and explaining how those men were  also extremists; â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .† said by Thomas Jefferson. King uses allusion to talk about how Jefferson mentioned something in his past life of being equal and that our society cannot be divided in half. It goes back to segregation by explaining the people of the world shouldn’t be divided by the color of their skin since according to Jefferson all men were created equal. By stating Jefferson, he makes a point of everybody, including blacks, having the right to share bathrooms, restaurants, and schools. Not one person should suffer the consequences of being different. Abraham Lincoln said that â€Å"This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.† King also used an allusion of Lincoln’s to point out that the nation would not be able to survive being divided by the color of one’s skin. If the government were going to divide the town’s people, to divide them by the content of their actions, than by their skin color. It would be for example, dividing a forest by its predators, and prey. By placing a fence in between the two sections, neither side would survive. King wants us to understand that being divided is toxic to our nation and we need to mix to be able to feel right in the world, like you belong. As mentioned, king uses imagery to help us visualize better what he desires for us to understand like when he says â€Å"†¦when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people †¦Ã¢â‚¬  he uses this to help the readers comprehend why they are fed up of being told to wait, and to stand aside patiently. He mentions how he can see the clouds of inferiority form in her little mind, understanding that they think of the blacks as less of humans. King also describes seeing her unknowingly develop a hatred towards the whites and not knowing that changes her personality. When this happens to his daughter, he wants us to understand that there comes a time when men are exhausted of being in a pool of injustice and having to be told they can’t  do anything about the situation. â€Å"Like a boil that can never be cured†, King states in the end of paragraph 24 of his letter. When he says this, he is giving us an image of a disgusting boil, while comparing injustice and racism to it. King is using a simile to make us believe that just like a person or animal is sick, the people back then were sick and the symptoms were injustice and racism. Just like we tend to those unwell, we have to tend to them. King compares the two and simplifies his thoughts when said that they need to be acknowledged and treated. He is hinting that he wishes of injustice and racism to be treated and vanish, but that it won’t happen if not everybody pitches in. Locate (copy and paste) 3. Within the body paragraphs of your essay, locate and copy and paste the following components. Be sure to include the entire sentence. a. a direct quotation that is introduced with a complete sentence and a colon: King uses quotes from other famous people to offer comprehension of the respect those people were given and explaining how those men were also extremists; â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .† b. a direct quotation that is introduced with a signaling phrase and a comma: Abraham Lincoln said that â€Å"This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.† c. a direct quotation that is introduced and explained in one sentence: As mentioned, King uses imagery to help us visualize better what he desires for us to understand like when he says â€Å"†¦when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people †¦Ã¢â‚¬  he uses this to help the readers comprehend why they are fed up of being told to wait, and to stand aside patiently. d. a paraphrased example: King also describes seeing her unknowingly develop a hatred towards the whites and not knowing that changes her personality. e. an embedded  quotation:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Like a boil that can never be cured†, King states in the end of paragraph 24 of his letter.

The List of the Most Persuasive Speech Topics that Are Relevant for 2018 How to Choose the Best Topic

The List of the Most Persuasive Speech Topics that Are Relevant for 2018 How to Choose the Best Topic The List of the Most Persuasive Speech Topics that Are Relevant for 2018: How to Choose the Best Topic At college or university, there are a lot of new things to learn but the time is usually limited for students. No wonder most of them struggle when they are asked to write a persuasive speech as they need to dispose an audience to their views. The most challenging part is not the actual writing but rather choosing speech topics that can be considered as persuasive and one that you can do justice to while presenting before the audience. What to Consider When Selecting a Persuasive Speech Topic? Your interest in a topic. It is impossible to entice your audience, more importantly to persuade the others if a topic doesn’t interest you. With a topic you are interested in you will use the right words. According to Joseph Conrad, those who want to persuade should put trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The topic knowledge. How can you convince people to believe your arguments that you have no idea about? When choosing a topic for a persuasive speech, make sure it includes something that you are well conversant with. If the topic has already been selected for you by an examiner, then you should take enough time for research. Write down the key points and ideas on a scratch paper before you can even begin writing the speech. This will help consolidate your ideas and you will have a smooth task when it comes to the actual writing and public speaking. The targeted audience. The listeners whom you’re going to deliver your speech have an influence on the kind of persuasive speech topics you choose. The audience also determines the kind of vocabulary you use. It is not logical to use medical terms when writing a speech addressing farmers. What Are Persuasive Speech Topics Actual in 2018? Among various categories this list contains the key issues in 2018. It’s up to you what speech topic you select. Keep in mind all those points mentioned above are essential while considering a topic for speaking. Indeed, there are many resources for looking up the necessary information. But you’ll find a relevant and useful source below as well. Climate Change. To be more aware of the following topics, see the speech by the president of America, Barack Obama, given at the Copenhagen Conference. - How Real is Global Warming in the 21st Century?; - The Best Solution to the Global Problems in Climate. Health. Search Medical Research Council to be provided with the data on the topics: - Contraceptives and Their Role in the Society; - How Effective is Plastic Surgery and Can Humans Do Away With it? Society. Find the Brookings Institute useful to get new ideas for solving problems facing society at all levels. - People in the LGBT Community: Their Role in the Society?; - University Freedom and the Increased Immorality Among Students. Law. Consult at Legal Information Institute to find out more information on the topics: - Should Prostitution be Legalized in the Modern World?; - Drug Abuse among the Youths: What Measures Should Be Taken by the Government? Military. Open the site Military1.com to be familiar with the following topics: - Should Nuclear Weapons Be Banned to Prevent the 3rd World War?; - What Honors and Awards Contribute to a Soldier Inspiration to Protect a State? How to Make Your Speech Persuasive? The best way to make your speech persuasive is to keep the audience engaged by giving interesting facts on a topic and react to their response during a speech. Stay calm and confident to really impress your listeners. With the right topic, you will find yourself persuasive. You are lucky to have a list of the most persuasive speech topics actual for the year 2018 to excite the curiosity of the audience. Writing a persuasive speech is actually very easy if you resort to our professional persuasive speech writing service provided by our company.

The eNotes Blog But If You Act Now! Teaching Persuasion in theClassroom

But If You Act Now! Teaching Persuasion in theClassroom Teaching English Composition can betedious at times, for both the professor and the student. No matter what book you use in your courses, teaching the same techniques every semester can become dull. A couple of terms back, I decided to try something new. For their persuasive essay, I have students compose their own infomercial and write a script for their product. First, they have to come up with a product on their own. It can be something completely fanciful or a way to improve upon an existing product. Humor is encouraged, but I stress that all portions of the argument must be in place. Those elements include providing a response to a problem, focusing on the future, and centering on a particular audience. In responding to a problem, the team of 3-4 students must show how the need or problem affects its targeted audience. They must explain why the need is significant. They must say why the competitions solution does not measure up. The presentation itself must include both before and after evidence. They must stress the urgency of acting now and include extras to sweeten the deal. I offer the students a lot of freedom in composing their infomerical. They can either film the entire thing (Im continually amazed at how proficient they are with movie-making programs. Even those on their iPhones often turn our very well), they can do a live action/audience interaction performance, or blend both film and live action. Although they may ad-lib during their presentations, a script must be provided to me beforehand, and they must identify the parts of the argument each line is addressing in the margins. The infomericals should run from about 7-10 minutes. Depending on the size of your class and the length of your sessions, you may need   a couple of days to get them all done. I have 50-minute classes and we usually take two days. To get them started, I show them two classic infomericals. One is a real, The Hawaiian Chair, and one is a parody from Saturday Night Live, The Bass-o-matic. Without question, this is the most fun we have all term. Here is one my classes created just a few weeks ago.   Not only is it hysterical, but they manage to cover all the points of argument admirably. Give it a try and see how creative your own students can be.

Get a Look at Some Giant Mammals of the Cenozoic Era

Get a Look at Some Giant Mammals of the Cenozoic Era The word megafauna means giant animals. Though dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era were nothing if not megafauna, this word is more often applied to the giant mammals (and, to a lesser extent, the giant birds, and lizards) that lived anywhere from 40 million to 2,000 years ago. More to the point, giant prehistoric animals that can claim more modestly sized descendants- such as the giant beaver and the giant ground sloth- are more likely to be placed under the megafauna umbrella than unclassifiable, plus-sized beasts like Chalicotherium or Moropus. Its also important to remember that mammals didnt succeed the dinosaurs- they lived right alongside the tyrannosaurs, sauropods, and hadrosaurs of the Mesozoic Era, albeit in tiny packages (most Mesozoic mammals were about the size of mice, but a few were comparable to giant house cats). It wasnt until about 10 or 15 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct that these mammals started evolving into giant sizes, a process that continued (with intermittent extinctions, false starts, and dead ends) well into the last Ice Age. The Giant Mammals of the Eocene, Oligocene, and Miocene Epochs The Eocene epoch, from 56 to 34 million years ago, witnessed the first plus-sized herbivorous mammals. The success of Coryphodon, a half-ton plant-eater with a tiny, dinosaur-sized brain, can be inferred by its wide distribution across early Eocene North America and Eurasia. But the megafauna of the Eocene epoch really hit its stride with the larger Uintatherium and Arsinoitherium, the first of a series of -therium (Greek for beast) mammals that vaguely resembled crosses between rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. The Eocene also gestated the first prehistoric horses, whales, and elephants. Wherever you find large, slow-witted plant-eaters, youll also find the carnivores that help keep their population in check. In the Eocene, this role was filled by the large, vaguely canine creatures called mesonychids (Greek for middle claw). The wolf-sized Mesonyx and Hyaenodon are often considered ancestral to dogs (even though it occupied a different branch of mammalian evolution), but the king of the mesonychids was the gigantic Andrewsarchus, at 13 feet long and weighing one ton, the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammal that ever lived. Andrewsarchus was rivaled in size only by Sarkastodon- yes, thats its real name- and the much later Megistotherium. The basic pattern established during the Eocene epoch- large, dumb, herbivorous mammals preyed on by smaller but brainier carnivores- persisted into the Oligocene and Miocene, 33 to 5 million years ago. The cast of characters was a bit stranger, featuring such brontotheres (thunder beasts) as the gigantic, hippo-like Brontotherium and Embolotherium, as well as difficult-to-classify monsters like Indricotherium, which looked (and probably behaved) like a cross between a horse, a gorilla, and a rhinoceros. The largest non-dinosaur land animal that ever lived, Indricotherium (also known as Paraceratherium) weighed between 15 to 33 tons, making adults pretty much immune to predation by contemporary saber-toothed cats. The Megafauna of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs Giant mammals like Indricotherium and Uintatherium havent resonated with the public as much as the more familiar megafauna of the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. This is where we encounter fascinating beasts like Castoroides (giant beaver) and Coelodonta (woolly rhino), not to mention mammoths, mastodons, the giant cattle ancestor known as the auroch, the giant deer Megaloceros, the cave bear, and the biggest saber-toothed cat of them all, Smilodon. Why did these animals grow to such comical sizes? Perhaps a better question to ask is why their descendants are so tiny- after all, svelte beavers, sloths, and cats are a relatively recent development. It may have something to do with the prehistoric climate or a strange equilibrium that prevailed between predators and prey. No discussion of prehistoric megafauna would be complete without a digression about South America and Australia, island continents that incubated their own strange array of huge mammals (until about three million years ago, South America was completely cut off from North America). South America was the home of the three-ton Megatherium (giant ground sloth), as well as such bizarre beasts as Glyptodon (a prehistoric armadillo the size of a Volkswagen Bug) and Macrauchenia, which can best be described as a horse crossed with a camel crossed with an elephant. Australia, millions of years ago as today, had the strangest assortment of giant wildlife on the planet, including Diprotodon (giant wombat), Procoptodon (giant short-faced kangaroo) and Thylacoleo (marsupial lion), as well as nonmammalian megafauna like Bullockornis (better known as the demon-duck of doom), the giant turtle Meiolania, and the giant monitor lizard Megalania (the largest land-dwelling reptile since the extinction of the dinosaurs). The Extinction of the Giant Mammals Although elephants, rhinoceroses, and assorted large mammals are still with us today, most of the worlds megafauna died off anywhere from 50,000 to 2,000 years ago, an extended demise known as the Quaternary extinction event. Scientists point to two main culprits: first, the global plunge in temperatures caused by the last Ice Age, in which many large animals starved to death (herbivores from lack of their usual plants, carnivores from lack of herbivores), and second, the rise of the most dangerous mammals of them all- humans. Its still unclear to what extent the woolly mammoths, giant sloths, and other mammals of the late Pleistocene epoch succumbed to hunting by early humans- this is easier to picture in isolated environments like Australia than across the whole extent of Eurasia. Some experts have been accused of overstating the effects of human hunting, while others (perhaps with a view to endangered animals today) have been charged with undercounting the number of mastodons the average Stone Age tribe could bludgeon to death. Pending further evidence, we may never know for sure.

The Use or Threat of Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Use or Threat of Violence - Essay Example The public expects the use of violence from police if a situation requires a necessary force. If this they do not show this power, the public may display an intolerable arrogance that may result in disorder. Police brutality is necessary for people who have no disregard for human life, such as violent inmates. Necessary force ensures that such people do not influence others or cause unnecessary damage. Law enforcers risk their lives in the line of duty and should do anything possible to ensure they are safe and safeguard their lives. If a suspect hits a police officer with a stone and inflicts serious injury, the necessary response is the use of a baton or a gun. Although laws in the Constitution protect it, there is no proper definition of excessive force, and it characterizes reacting to the situation at hand to achieve a legitimate goal. Law enforcers need all the necessary permission to handle situations, most of which are not outlined in the Constitution. Individuals are differe nt, and the actions of one criminal are not comparable to another. Similarly, threats and violence are not applicable in similar measure to different criminals, hence it cannot be restricted or outlined on how to go about it. The law enforcing system may be failing to some extent, and there is the need for some police to ensure they perform their duties to their capability, even if it means introducing excessive and necessary force. There is the need to use necessary force to subdue a person in case one resists arrest.

What problems Adults with dementia face in palliative care Essay

What problems Adults with dementia face in palliative care - Essay Example Using these findings in clinical practice can make the lives of these patients much better. For the same reason, it is important to be able to use an important clinical research appraisal tool which can help maximize the benefits gained from doing such research. This includes the McMaster’s Critical Review Form for Qualitative Studies, which will be used in the review below. Evidently, there are a number of ways in which a research paper can benefit the palliative care nursing staff and the patients who receive this care, and qualitative information can be extremely useful for receiving feedback on this care (Baxter & Jack, 2008). However, there are sometimes issues which need to be addressed in the research before incorporating it into current practice, which is why the McMaster’s Critical Review Form can be so useful in assessing suitability. ... The three papers that have been chosen to review using the McMaster’s tool are all qualitative, as this gives an interesting and more personal look into the challenges that face those working with dementia patients in palliative care (Baxter & Jack, 2008). It allows researchers to see more accurately the thoughts that are going through people’s head, and to group these into common themes (Sale et al, 2002), without the need for pressurizing scales that provide quantitative data. Challenges for professional care of advanced dementia (Chang et al, 2009) covers the challenges identified by professional health workers when caring for those with dementia in a palliative care environment. This research used small focus groups and individual interviews to gather information about the work that these people do with patients suffering from dementia. Barriers and facilitators to the receipt of palliative care for people with dementia: The views of medical and nursing staff (Ryan et al, 2012) covers UK practitioners who offer end-of-life care to those with dementia in an attempt to understand the issues that these workers may have in providing this care. Again, this research was done using a mixture of focus groups and individual interviews to gather relevant data. Finally, Dying well with dementia: qualitative examination of end-of-life care (Lawrence et al, 2011) also targets the issues that surround end-of-life palliative care for those with dementia, identifying that this type of palliative care can be quite different from that offered to those with other chronic conditions. This time, the data was carried out using interviews of both bereaved

A response to the reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

A response to the reading - Essay Example As the story starts, the reader cannot discern the intention of the author and one might take offence with the language that sounds discriminatory to one of the races in the world. However, the author’s intention is to highlight the issue of self-preservation in the world and draw attention to a race’s view of another race. While doing this, the author managers to use humor in a distinctive way that makes the reader enthusiastic. All along, the author uses themes and leaves the reader with questions regarding their worldview on both diminutive and abstract aspects of life. Through the interior lives of the characters in the story, the author manages to illustrate the differences between world viewpoints that were dominant in a culture and their fundamental difference with the lives of those affected. Concisely, the author successfully illustrates the meaning of being human in an audacious and prudent approach. In this case, the story delivers a mix of the interaction of past mistakes, successes, new beginnings, and the regrets that individuals live by as the innermost being defines their

A Culture That Supports Financial Acumen Part II Assignment

A Culture That Supports Financial Acumen Part II - Assignment Example by equipping all employees with basic skills in financial profitability, it is easier to expect that the actions of all these people will be focused on the achievement of the financial goals of the organization. Today, there is a new trend with cross-functional team work, which requires that all employees work together as a team. This however cannot be possible when financial acumen is not part of the skills of all employees (Brigham & Houston, 2013). I admire your post for a lot of things but more importantly is the fact that you stressed on the need to make financial acumen everybody’s business at the workplace. Indeed several organizations have failed to experience the full benefits of financial acumen because the whole concept has been made to center round only a few people. Because of lack of understanding for the concept, it is always difficult to get the support of others in implementing strategies that foster financial growth (Brigham & Houston, 2013). Based on personal experience, I realize that some other ways in which organizations can make financial acumen work from a collective perspective is by promoting cross-functional roles. Such roles will ensure that those in departments not directly related to finance will have a means of working with the financial experts. By so doing, the transfer of knowledge from those high on financial acumen can easily go down to those low on financial

Compare and contrast a christian and jewish woman's expression of Essay

Compare and contrast a christian and jewish woman's expression of spiritual feminism - Essay Example Spirituality presents a rational way to move toward the topic of "feminism and Christianity. In the 1970s, a new event appeared inside the women's association in the United States under the name of "feminist spirituality." This movement came to Europe around 1980. It arose from the imminent that the beginning of women’s estrangement goes deeper than the divergence of sex-roles between man and woman. Its ancestry lies in the dualism between spirit and body which characterizes patriarchate itself. In the following ten to fifteen years many other new phenomena appeared which can be treated under the heading of feminist spirituality. In the first place, such spirituality has to to be one of freedom. The theological basis lies in the courage to be, which means the courage to choose life. "Life and death I give you, blessing and curse. Choose life," says the bible. Liberation spirituality starts off perturbed with and in upheaval against all structures in society and church based on man-woman relations and the resultant limitations these place on women's autonomy. as a society, women can fulfill an intercessory purpose, moving in the field of the Spirit who sets us free from all peripheral restraints. Living in the Spirit of Christ encourages us not to allow ourselves to be incarcerated any more. Liberation spirituality is therefore also a revolutionary spirituality which can be productive only if it fuses together elements of the journey to Tabor, the Transfiguration, and the return journey to the Jerusalem of death and resurrection. For liberation is finally a way to freedom: freedom to love, to celebrate ordinary life, to become open to the Mystery of our existence which we call God. There we find liberty to live carefully and to listen, which is the basis for the liberation effort. Establishing a connection between Latin-American liberation theology and feminist liberation spirituality, it strikes as important that Gustavo Gutierrez places special importance on the knowledge of God's grace. For him, "Communion with God and with all people is first and foremost a gift." Jewish: IN THE PAST TWENTY YEARS there has been a sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, but mostly unremarked rebellion in North American Jewish spirituality, based on feminism. New prayers, rituals, and speech to address theology are some of the more clear changes. Equally important are new forms of spiritual leadership, changes in mutual authority, and even telling details such as services held in circles rather than hierarchically planned arrangements. The expansion of modern Jewish feminist spirituality has rested on three approaches to ritual. The first is reinterpretation: a reconsideration of recognized sources from feminist positions. On a philosophical level, Jewish feminists have found areas of important convergence between Judaism and feminism. The most significant of these is a fundamental discrimination and valuing of interrelationship. Just as the essential feminist imminent that "the personal is political" emphasizes the associations among all those aspects of acquaintance to Jewish theology. Both perspectives imitate a wish to observe the amazing present in the mundane and to be aware of the daily choices involved in our lives, which constantly create and re-create the larger world. Finally, the link between individual liberation and social change couched in the thoughtful that "the personal is political" has been a characteristic of Jewish thought since biblical times. As compared to models of spirituality that highli ght indifference or otherworldliness, Jewish spirituality is entrenched in the interrelationship among study (in the better sense of learning and teaching), prayer (including manifestation common visions and public festivity), and social work for justice. In contrast to other spiritual ethnicity, such as Christianity or Buddhism, Judaism has no historical models of a women's spiritual society. Separatist Jewish feminism has busted momentous new

History 158 Mid-term Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History 158 Mid-term Exam - Essay Example President William McKinley was known not to have taste for war, but the public opinion and the press proved to be a force that changed his mind and drove him onward. The violent aggression and conflicts in Cuba caused so much political and economic instability in the region. This was a cause to worry and it caught the attention of the United States which had long-held interest in managing the Western Hemisphere. The tensions between Spain and the United States had been gradually mounting for months. With the mysterious sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana harbor that killed 259 sailors and injuring 80, military intervention by the United States in Cuba became very likely. On the 11th of April 1898, President William asked for the authorization from the Congress to end the conflicts in Cuba between Spanish forces and the rebels. The United States wanted peace, tranquility and security of its citizens and the Cubans living on the island and the way to do it was to establish a stab le government which would oversee law and order maintained. McKinley was authorized by the Congress to use whatever military force deemed necessary to ensure Cuba’s Independence. ... On the 2nd of April 1917, President Wilson requested the joint session of Congress to declare war on Germany. His request for war was based upon Germany’s involvement in submarine warfare in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, and several attempts to get Mexico into an alliance with them against the United States. The U.S senate voted unanimously in support of war on Germany, Austria and Hungary on the 7th of December 1917 (Davis 68). Germany’s involvement in submarine attack on merchant and passenger ships was the primary driving force behind president Woodrow’s decision that led the US into World War One. President Woodrow had to balance issues regarding German’s submarines attacks as well as their numerous attempts to pull Mexico into an alliance against the United States. On the 19th of January 1917, the British intelligence had decrypted an intercepted telegram that had been sent by the German Foreign Minister Zimmerman. The telegram was sent to the Ambassador in Mexico and in it was the promise by German Government to help Mexico regain the territories it had surrendered to the US after the Mexican-American War. All that the German government wanted were the full support of Mexico in the war against the United States and its allies. Initially, the Britons had not shared the telegram news with United States officials mainly because they wanted to keep secret their ability to break the German’s code. Germany’s resumption of submarine warfare could not hold the secret back and the Britons decided to use the telegram to help sway public opinion and American officials to join the World War (Davis 73). Despite the shocking telegram’s news, President Wilson hesitated on

Compare and contrast a christian and jewish woman's expression of Essay

Compare and contrast a christian and jewish woman's expression of spiritual feminism - Essay Example Spirituality presents a rational way to move toward the topic of "feminism and Christianity. In the 1970s, a new event appeared inside the women's association in the United States under the name of "feminist spirituality." This movement came to Europe around 1980. It arose from the imminent that the beginning of women’s estrangement goes deeper than the divergence of sex-roles between man and woman. Its ancestry lies in the dualism between spirit and body which characterizes patriarchate itself. In the following ten to fifteen years many other new phenomena appeared which can be treated under the heading of feminist spirituality. In the first place, such spirituality has to to be one of freedom. The theological basis lies in the courage to be, which means the courage to choose life. "Life and death I give you, blessing and curse. Choose life," says the bible. Liberation spirituality starts off perturbed with and in upheaval against all structures in society and church based on man-woman relations and the resultant limitations these place on women's autonomy. as a society, women can fulfill an intercessory purpose, moving in the field of the Spirit who sets us free from all peripheral restraints. Living in the Spirit of Christ encourages us not to allow ourselves to be incarcerated any more. Liberation spirituality is therefore also a revolutionary spirituality which can be productive only if it fuses together elements of the journey to Tabor, the Transfiguration, and the return journey to the Jerusalem of death and resurrection. For liberation is finally a way to freedom: freedom to love, to celebrate ordinary life, to become open to the Mystery of our existence which we call God. There we find liberty to live carefully and to listen, which is the basis for the liberation effort. Establishing a connection between Latin-American liberation theology and feminist liberation spirituality, it strikes as important that Gustavo Gutierrez places special importance on the knowledge of God's grace. For him, "Communion with God and with all people is first and foremost a gift." Jewish: IN THE PAST TWENTY YEARS there has been a sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, but mostly unremarked rebellion in North American Jewish spirituality, based on feminism. New prayers, rituals, and speech to address theology are some of the more clear changes. Equally important are new forms of spiritual leadership, changes in mutual authority, and even telling details such as services held in circles rather than hierarchically planned arrangements. The expansion of modern Jewish feminist spirituality has rested on three approaches to ritual. The first is reinterpretation: a reconsideration of recognized sources from feminist positions. On a philosophical level, Jewish feminists have found areas of important convergence between Judaism and feminism. The most significant of these is a fundamental discrimination and valuing of interrelationship. Just as the essential feminist imminent that "the personal is political" emphasizes the associations among all those aspects of acquaintance to Jewish theology. Both perspectives imitate a wish to observe the amazing present in the mundane and to be aware of the daily choices involved in our lives, which constantly create and re-create the larger world. Finally, the link between individual liberation and social change couched in the thoughtful that "the personal is political" has been a characteristic of Jewish thought since biblical times. As compared to models of spirituality that highli ght indifference or otherworldliness, Jewish spirituality is entrenched in the interrelationship among study (in the better sense of learning and teaching), prayer (including manifestation common visions and public festivity), and social work for justice. In contrast to other spiritual ethnicity, such as Christianity or Buddhism, Judaism has no historical models of a women's spiritual society. Separatist Jewish feminism has busted momentous new

FDI, Setting Up a Business in a Foreign Country Term Paper

FDI, Setting Up a Business in a Foreign Country - Term Paper Example In this regard, South Korea is considered a favorable destination for foreign direct investment. For effective entry into the South Korea business, Snap Fitness requires a strategy for entry into the country’s market. There have been previous reports of companies that failed in such attempts but Snap fitness will not. The strategy for entry will involve all stakeholders in the Snap fitness business. The entry into the business will have to involve the locals. It is only when the locals are involved that they will feel free to adopt technology that Snap Fitness is introducing. The method that the company is going to use is that of partnership. For the company to secure a place in the Korean market, it will be appropriate that Snap Fitness seeks partnership with other fitness companies in the country. Therefore, Snap Fitness will identify the company to partner with before the entry. Entry into a new market is always coupled with challenges and risks. Snap Fitness entry into South Korea is no different. The company expects to find already established market for many of its competitors and an uncertain population. There are also risks of partnering with a non-performing company that can ruin the whole plan or make it significantly expensive. However, this remains the most appropriate mode of entry given that the country is a multicultural state and for Snap Fitness to gain a competition base with rival brands. The other benefits of partnership are that we will be able to connect easily with the local consumers who are the target segment through using of the market language. The above method has been documented to have worked with other brands such as MacDonald’s, which established itself into the Korean market by using culture as an asset and not a risk (Lim, 2004). They first used educated locals to learn the cultural requirements of Koreans, and then established products that are culturally acceptable. They sold Korean delicacies to the locals and within

Hyundai Motors: An Evaluation

Hyundai Motors: An Evaluation Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007. The numbers were increasing rapidly, especially in China. In 2008, with rapidly rising oil prices, however, industries such as the automotive industry are experiencing a combination of pricing pressure from raw material costs and changes in consumer buying habits. The industry is also facing increasing external competition from the public transport sector, as consumers re-evaluate their private vehicle usage. We have discussed how Hyundai Motor would expand business in global automotive environment which has been changed and exceeded demands. Company overview Hyundai Motor Company, a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, is the worlds largest automaker by profit, the worlds fourth largest automaker by units sold and the worlds fastest growing automaker. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai operates the worlds largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. Chung Ju-Yung founded the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in 1947. Hyundai Motor Company was later established in 1967. The companys first model, the Cortina, was released in cooperation with Ford Motor Company in 1968. In 1975, the Pony, the first Korean car, was released, with styling by Giorgio Giugiaro of ItalDesign and powertrain technology provided by Japans Mitsubishi Motors. Exports began in the following year to Ecuador and soon thereafter to the Benelux countries. In 1991, the company succeeded in developing its first proprietary gasoline engine, the four-cylinder Alpha, and transmission, thus paving the way for technological independence. In 1983, Hyundai exported the Pony to Canada, but not to the United States because the Pony didnt pass emissions standards there. Canadian sales greatly exceeded expectations, and it was at one point the top-selling car on the Canadian market. The Pony afforded a much higher degree of quality and refinement in the lowest pric e auto segment than the Eastern-bloc imports of the period then available. In 1986, Hyundai began to sell cars in the United States, and the Excel was nominated as Best Product #10 by Fortune magazine, largely because of its affordability. The company began to produce models with its own technology in 1988, beginning with the midsize Sonata. In 1996, Hyundai Motors India Limited was established with a production plant in Irrungattukotai near Chennai, India. In 1998, Hyundai began to overhaul its image in an attempt to establish itself as a world-class brand. Chung Ju Yung transferred leadership of Hyundai Motor to his son, Chung Mong Koo, in 1999. Hyundais parent company, Hyundai Motor Group, invested heavily in the quality, design, manufacturing, and long-term research of its vehicles. It added a 10-year or 100,000-mile (160,000 km) warranty to cars sold in the United States and launched an aggressive marketing campaign. In 2004, Hyundai was ranked second in initial quality in a su rvey/study by J.D. Power and Associates. Hyundai is now one of the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide. Since 2002, Hyundai has also been one of the worldwide official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup. In 2006, the South Korean government initiated an investigation of Chung Mong Koos practices as head of Hyundai, suspecting him of corruption. On April 28, 2006, Chung was arrested, and charged for embezzlement of 100 billion South Korean won (US$106 million). As a result, Hyundai Vice Chairman and CEO, Kim Dong-jin, replaced him as head of the company. After a shake-up in the Korean auto industry caused by overambitious expansion and the Asian financial crisis, Hyundai acquired rival Kia Motors In 1998. In 2000, the company established a strategic alliance with DaimlerChrysler and severed its partnership with the Hyundai Group. In 2001, the Daimler-Hyundai Truck Corporation was formed. In 2004, however, DaimlerChrysler divested its interest in the company by selling its 10.5% stake for $900 million. Hyundai Motor has been expanding globally, starting with its plant in Turkey in 1997, India in 1998, China in 2002, and in 2005, it built a plant in the U.S., the worlds biggest auto market. In 2007, a decade after it began building plants overseas, Hyundai Motor began construction for plants in the Czech Republic and Russia, creating a strategic network of production facilities spanning over six countries. With its 12 CKD plants, Hyundai Motor is boosting sales every year and cementing its position as a global automaker. The company pl ans to raise the ratio of overseas production to 50 percent by 2010, to produce 3 million units outside Korea. Hyundai Motor is present in 196 countries and has 6,000 dealerships all over the world. It is maintaining a strong position in developed regions such as the U.S. and Europe. Furthermore, it has been successfully winning orders for taxis and government vehicles in emerging markets such as Central Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, boosting sales and the companys brand image. After reaching the 2 million unit sales mark in 2006, Hyundai Motor sold 2.6 million units worldwide in 2009. Through its strategy of local production and sales, the company is contributing to the local economies.(Exhibit1) [Exhibit1] Annual Unit Sales 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 Sales in unit 1,611,991 1,668,745 1,700,297 1,611,062 1,700,843 Domestic 701,469 570,116 624,227 580,288 569,721 Export excluding CDK 910,522 1,098,629 1,076,070 1,030,774 1,131,122 Hyundai Motor Companys brand power continues to rise as it was ranked 72nd in the 2007 Best Global Brands by Interbrand and Business Week survey. brand value estimated at $4.5 billion. Public perception of the Hyundai brand has been transformed as a result of dramatic improvements in the quality of Hyundai vehicles. The Company produces and markets passenger cars under the brand names of Equus, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Azera, Sonata, Elantra, Accent, Getz, i30, i30cw, i20 and i10; recreational vehicles under the brand names of Veracruz, Santa Fe, Tucson, Matrix and H-1, and commercial vehicles, which include medium and heavy duty trucks, and buses. Analysis of Global Automobile Market Environment Current Automotive industry Market In 2007, a total of 79.9 million new automobiles were sold worldwide: 22.9 million in Europe, 21.4 million in Asia-Pacific, 19.4 million in USA and Canada, 4.4 million in Latin America, 2.4 million in the Middle East and 1.4 million in Africa. The markets in North America and Japan were stagnant, while those in South America and other parts of Asia grew strongly. Of the major markets, China, Russia, Brazil and India saw the most rapid growth, and China became both the largest automobile producer and market in the world after experiencing massive growth in 2009. In the first 4 months of 2010, the total sales of automobile were 6.17 millions in China (3.52 millions in US), and the total sales were expected to be around 17 millions (13.65 millions in 2009) for the year of 2010, nearly twice as much as USA. [Exhibit 2] International Car Sales by Global Auto Report The automotive industry crisis of 2008-2010 was a part of a global financial downturn. The crisis affected European and Asian automobile manufacturers, but it was primarily felt in the American automobile manufacturing industry. The automotive industry was weakened by a substantial increase in the prices of automotive fuels linked to the 2003-2008 energy crisis which discouraged purchases of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks which have low fuel economy. The popularity and relatively high profit margins of these vehicles had encouraged the American Big Three automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler to make them their primary focus. With fewer fuel-efficient models to offer to consumers, sales began to slide. By 2008, the situation had turned critical as the credit crunch placed pressure on the prices of raw materials. Car companies from Asia, Europe, North America, and elsewhere have implemented creative marketing strategies to entice reluctant consumers as most experienced double-digit percentage declines in sales. Major manufacturers, including the Big Three and Toyota offered substantial discounts across their lineups. The Big Three faced criticism for their lineups, which were seen to be irresponsible in light of rising fuel prices. North American consumers turned to higher-quality and more fuel-efficient product of Japanese and European automakers. However, many of the vehicles perceived to be foreign were actually transplants, foreign cars manufactured or assembled in the United States, at lower cost than true imports. [Exhibit 3] Major global automotive company analysis Competitors Globalization Strategy Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation, commonly known simply as Toyota, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan. At its peak, Toyota employed approximately 320,000 people worldwide. It is the worlds largest automobile maker by sales. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his fathers company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Three years earlier, in 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product, the Type A engine, and, in 1936, its first passenger car, the Toyota AA. Toyota also owns and operates Lexus and Scion brands and has a majority shareholding stake in Daihatsu and Hino Motors, and minority shareholdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, Yamaha Motors, and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. The company includes 522 subsidiaries. Toyota is headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi and in Tokyo. In addition to manufacturing automobiles, Toyota provides financial services through its Toyota Financial Services division and also builds robots. Toyota Motor Corporation (including Toyota Financial Services) and Toyota Industries form the bulk of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world. Toyotas marketing efforts have focused on emphasizing the positive experiences of ownership and vehicle quality. The ownership experience has been targeted in slogans such as Oh, what a feeling! (1978-1985, in the U.S.), Who could ask for anything more (1986-1989), I love what you do for me, Toyota! (1990-1997), Everyday (1997-2000), Get the feeling! (2001-2004), and Moving Forward (2004-present). Toyota introduced a new worldwide logo in 1989 in conjunction with and to differentiate it from the newly released luxury Lexus brand. There are three ovals in the new logo that combine to for the letter T, which stands for Toyota. The overlapping of the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represent the mutually beneficial relationship and trust that is placed between the customer and the company while the larger oval that surrounds both of these inner ovals represent the global expansion of Toyotas technology and unlimited potential for the future.[30] Toyota has factories in most parts of the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for local markets. Toyota has manufacturing or assembly plants in Japan, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Canada, Indonesia, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Colombia, the United Kingdom, the United States, UAE, France, Brazil, Portugal, and more recently, Argentina, Czech Republic, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, Egypt, China, Vietnam, Venezuela, the Philippines, and Russia. Recently, Toyota announced it was recalling up to 1.8 million cars across Europe, including about 220,000 in the UK, following problems with defective accelerator pedals. Many Toyota models were involved, covering the 2007-2010 model years. Toyota subsequently recalled the Prius model for reprogramming of its ABS system. The U.S. Sales Chief, James Lentz, was questioned by the United States Congress committees on Oversight and Investigations on February 23, 2010, as a result of recent recalls. On 26 March Toyota said it would halt production in France and Britain for 12 days because of poor sales following the recalls. On 6 April 2010, The US government sought a record penalty of US$16.375 million from Toyota for its delayed response in notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the defective accelerator pedals, and on 19 April Toyota said that it would pay the fine. The company said the recalls could cost the company up to US$2 billion (GBÂ £1.25 billion ) in lost output and sales. General Motors General Motors Company, also known as GM, is a United States-based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM manufactures cars and a truck in 34 countries, recently employed 244,500 people around the world, and sells and services vehicles in some 140 countries. By sales, GM ranked as the largest US automaker and the worlds second largest for 2008, having the third highest 2008 global revenues among automakers on the Fortune Global 500. On June 1, 2009, General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, which were completed on July 10 of the same year, and it was thereafter reorganized once a new entity acquired the most valuable assets. GM is now temporarily majority owned by the United States Treasury and, to a smaller extent, the Canada Development Investment Corporation a Canadian Crown corporation and the Ontario government, with the US government investing a total of US$57.6 billion under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. On April 21, 2010, GM CEO Ed Whitacre Jr. announced that the company had paid back the entire amount of the US and Canadian government loans, with interest, a total of $8.1 billion. The company expects to repurchase a sizable portion of the remaining equity stake with funds earned via a public stock offering. While no GM shares are currently available to the public, the companys plans as of 2009 were to initiate an initial public stock offering (IPO) in 2010. GM plans to focus its business on its four core North American brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. In Europe, following a period of negotiation to sell a majority stake in its Opel and Vauxhall brands, the company decided to retain full ownership of these operations. However, on February 23, 2010, GM sold Saab Automobile to Spyker Cars NV and is winding down its Hummer, Pontiac, and Saturn brands, the latter two remaining under the old GM, now known as Motors Liquidation Company In 2009, General Motors employs approximately 244,500 people around the world. The Renaissance Center located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, is the global headquarters of General Motors. In 2008, GM sold 8.35 million cars and trucks globally. GM is the majority shareholder in GM Daewoo Auto Technology Co. of South Korea and has collaborations with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation of China, AvtoVAZ of Russia, and most recently, UzAvtoSanoat of Uzbekistan. GM has had collaborations with various automakers including Fiat and Ford Motor Company.GM retains various stakes in different automakers. General Motors best success internationally has unquestionably been its performance in China, GM sales rose 66.9% in 2009, selling 1,830,000 vehicles and accounting for 13.4% of the market. Volkswagen Group Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturing group; and according to figures published by economic research firm Global Insight in November 2009, is the largest automobile maker in the world by vehicle production.[7] Its parent company Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, develops vehicles and components for all marques of the whole Group, and also manufactures complete vehicles for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles marques. Volkswagen Group is divided into two primary divisions: the Automotive Division, and the Financial Services Division. The Group consists of 342 Group companies, which are involved in either vehicle production or other related automotive services. Although it operates worldwide, Volkswagen Groups core market is primarily Europe. Of its automobile brands, Volkswagen Passenger Cars is its mainstream marque, and the Groups major subsidiaries also include well-known car marques like SEAT, Ã…Â  koda, and the prestige marques of Audi, Lam borghini, Bentley, and Bugatti. The Group also has operations in commercial vehicles, owning Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, along with a controlling stake in Swedish truck and diesel engine maker Scania AB, and a 29.9% stake in MAN SE. Volkswagens second-largest market is China, where its subsidiary, Volkswagen Group China, is the largest joint venture automaker, selling more than one million vehicles in 2008. The Volkswagen Golf is the third bestselling automobile in the world, selling over 26 million units through 2008. In 2009, Volkswagen Group sold 6.31 million vehicles, claiming over 11% of the world passenger car market. Volkswagen AG is heavily involved in sports sponsorship, with investments having included the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2014 Winter Games, as well as the David Beckham Academy. The company also wholly owns the Bundesliga football side VfL Wolfsburg. The company is also the shirt sponsor of Major League Soccer club, D.C. United. In August 2009, Porsche SE and Volkswagen Group reached an agreement that Volkswagen AG and Porsche AG would merge in 2011. Ford Motor Company The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars in Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK. Fords former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of India in March 2008. Ford has agreed to sell Volvo to Geely Automobile in a deal expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2010. Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines. Henry Fords methods came to be known around the world as Fordism by 1914. Ford is currently the second largest automaker in the U.S. and the fourth-largest in the world based on number of vehicles sold annually, directly behind Volkswagen. In 2007, Ford fell from second to third in US annual vehicle sales for the first time in 56 years, behind only General Motors and Toyota. However, Ford occasionally outsells Toyota in shorter periods (most recently, during the summer months of 2009). By the end of 2009, Ford was the third largest automaker in Europe (behind Volkswagen and PSA). Ford is the seventh-ranked overall American-based company in the 2008 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2008 of $146.3 billion. In 2008, Ford produced 5.532 million automobiles and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants and facilities worldwide. Starting in 2007, Ford received more initial quality survey awards from J. D. Power and Associates than any other automaker. Five of Fords vehicles ranked at the top of their categories and fourteen vehicles ranke d in the top three. During the mid to late 1990s, Ford sold large numbers of vehicles, in a booming American economy with soaring stock market and low fuel prices. With the dawn of the new century, legacy healthcare costs, higher fuel prices, and a faltering economy led to falling market shares, declining sales, and sliding profit margins. Most of the corporate profits came from financing consumer automobile loans through Ford Motor Credit Company. In the face of demand for higher fuel efficiency and falling sales of minivans, Ford moved to introduce a range of new vehicles, including Crossover SUVs built on unibody car platforms, rather than more body-on-frame chassis. In developing the hybrid electric power train technologies for the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV, Ford licensed similar Toyota hybrid technologies to avoid patent infringements. Ford announced that it will team up with electricity supply company Southern California Edison to examine the future of plug-in hybrids in terms of how home and vehicle energy systems will work with the electrical grid. Under the multi-million-dollar, multi-year project, Ford will convert a demonstration fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids into plug-in hybrids, and SCE will evaluate how the vehicles might interact with the home and the utilitys electrical grid. Some of the vehicles will be evaluated in typical customer settings, according to Ford. In 2006, the company raised its borrowing capacity to about $25 billion, placing substantially all corporate assets as collateral to secure the line of credit. Chairman Bill Ford has stated that bankruptcy is not an option. In order to control its skyrocketing labor costs (the most expensive in the world), the company and the United Auto Workers, representing approximately 46,000 hourly workers in North America, agreed to a historic contract settlement in November 2007 giving the company a substantial break in terms of its ongoing retiree health care costs and other economic issues. The agreement includes the establishment of a company-funded, independently-run Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (more commonly known as a VEBA) trust to shift the burden of retiree health care from the companys books, thereby improving its balance sheet. This arrangement took effect on January 1, 2010. As a sign of its currently strong cash position, Ford contributed its entire current liabilit y (estimated at approximately USD$5.5 Billion as of December 31, 2009) to the VEBA in cash, and also pre-paid USD$500 Million of its future liabilities to the fund. The agreement also gives hourly workers the job security they were seeking by having the company commits to substantial investments in most of its factories. During November 2008, Ford, together with Chrysler and General Motors, sought financial aid at Congressional hearings in Washington D.C. in the face of worsening conditions caused by the automotive industry crisis. The three companies presented action plans for the sustainability of the industry. The Detroit based automakers were unsuccessful at obtaining assistance through Congressional legislation. GM and Chrysler later received assistance through the Executive Branch from the T.A.R.P. funding provisions. On December 19, the cost of credit default swaps to insure the debt of Ford was 68 percent the sum insured for five years in addition to annual payments of 5 percent. That means it costs $6.8 million paid upfront to insure $10 million in debt, in addition to payments of $500,000 per year. In January 2009, Ford announced a $14.6 billion loss in the preceding year, making 2008 its worst year in history. Still, the company claimed to have sufficient liquidity to fund its business pla ns and thus, did not ask for government aid. Through April 2009, Fords strategy of debt for equity exchanges, erased $9.9 B in liabilities (28% of its total), in order to leverage its cash position. These actions yielded Ford a $2.7 billion profit in fiscal year 2009, the companys first full-year profit in four years. Honda Honda Motor Company, Ltd., Honda Technology Research Institute Company, Limiteds a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is the worlds largest manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the worlds largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 14 million internal combustion engines each year. Honda surpassed Nissan in 2001 to become the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer. As of August 2008[update], Honda surpassed Chrysler as the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. Honda is the sixth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura in 1986. Aside from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators, amongst others. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and released their ASIMO robot in 2000. They have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 HondaJet, scheduled to be released in 2011. Honda spends about 5% of its revenues into RD. Nissan Motor Nissan Motor Company, Ltd., shortened to Nissan, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was formerly a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn (CEO). It formerly marketed vehicles under the Datsun brand name and is one of the largest car manufacturers. As of August 2009, the companys global headquarters are located in Nishi-ku, Yokohama. In 1999, Nissan entered a two way alliance with Renault S.A. of France, which owns 44.4% of Nissan while Nissan holds 15% of Renault shares, as of 2008. Nissan is among the top three Asian (also known as the Japanese Big 3 Automakers) rivals of the Big Three in the U.S. Currently it is the third largest Japanese car manufacturer. It also manufactures the Infiniti luxury brand. The Nissan VQ engines, of V6 configuration, have featured among Wards 10 Best Engines for 14 straight years, since the awards inception. III. Analysis of Hyundai Motors Hyundai Motors Globalization Strategy Process of Growth Since the companys foundation in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company became the first automaker producing manufacture facilities itself. The first model Pony, manufactured and started to export, was very favorable not only into Korean market but also into global market, which elevating Hyundai Motor into one of the global automobile companies. In 1976, Hyundai had started the first export business with Africa, North America and middle Asia and expanded into European market. In overseas market, especially in North America, Hyundai achieved the big success and had an opportunity to become into the global automaker in worldwide. Possessing 10 manufacturing plants, 11 research centers, and more than 6,000 sales networks throughout the world, Hyundai Motor also helps to keep sales growth across the world and maintain to the top leading global company. Furthermore, Now, Hyundai as Global corporate citizen makes every effort to fulfill its economic responsibility, most principal in corporate activities throughout the world. (http://www.hyundai.com) The Hyundai Motors Global Business Strategy In the process of globalization, the major global strategy for Hyundai Motor can be focusing on exporting in the global market which was very successful. From the inception of the foundation, the Hyundai management team always recognized the importance of exporting to overseas which the key factor to growth global business and manufactured most exports from single Ulsan plants. In other words, Hyundai has been involved in independent management strategy. In addition, striving to face with country specific regulation and rapid market changes, Hyundai has been implemented transnational strategy like the joint-venture strategy in China, Turkey and Malaysia in order to expand global market share. Hyundai Motor Company further strengthened its presence as a global automaker by promoting sustainable development worldwide, accelerating global management initiatives and creating the second construction of manufacturing plants in China and India, thereby increasing its production capacity all the more. At the same time, it also achieved qualitative growth by successfully generating sales of its strategic model targeting the European market. In 2007, a decade after it began building plants overseas, Hyundai Motor began construction for plants in the Czech Republic and USA, creating a strategic network of production facilities spanning over six countries. (http://www.hyundai.com) [Exhibit 4] Hyundai Motor Companys International Entry Mode (sourced by http://www.hyundai.com) Country Partner Hyundais Share Start Yr To produce Entry Mode India HMI 100 98. 9 Ownership USA HMMA 100 05. 5 Ownership Czech HMMC 100 06. 7 Ownership China BHMC 50 02. 1 Joint Venture WuHan Qi Che 21 96. 7 Joint Venture Turkey HAOS 85 97. 7 Joint Venture Malaysia INOCOM 15 99. 9 Joint Venture The organizational structure of international business for Hyundai Motor Company is International Division Structure which is like many Korean companies fit well with Korean culture and lean toward centralization. That is, it has risk of demotivating local manager in host countries. By that, the Hyundai Motor Company has struggled to recruit local manager who can manage, coordinate and control worldwide regional operations underutilized allowing diversity as strategic task. US subsidiaries show [Exhibit 5] Example of International Division Structure The Hyundai Motors Global Business Efforts International Site Selection The Site Selection implies that the company does spell out all possible locations to decide which site/market to be targeted and determined by content and goal with its limited human resource, technology, and capital. (Sourced by Professor Lee, JR, Shin, MS / International Business) Market Size and infrastructure: consider for purchasing power and production Market attractiveness: competitors and market structure Important to consider potential international market expansion which cover all countries/regions in the world for the further The major variable factor for site selection is market attractiveness, competitors, and the strategic goal for a company. The good example for International Site Selection in Hyundai Motor Company can be expanding the global business to Canada region. With the success of exporting Excel, Hyundai Motor Company had made decision to expand the international business into Canada as below factors as detour entrance strategy to USA. Of course, Hyundai Motor Company cannot overlook the competitors such as Toyota, Honda. etc. Market accessibility: to avoid Trade barrier by NAFTA, Market proximity , Cost Reduction and Price competiveness by Local Manufacture Government Aid: tax, financing support by construction of manufacture plant Regional Advantage : close to locate associated company Political Risk Avoid: to avoid lack of exports by Korean labor strike in 1988 Likewise, the variable factors to expand the Hyundais global business to other countries can be considered as reduction of transportation cost risk, avoid currency exchange risk, cost reduction by hiring local resources, government aid and etc, International Entry Mode Prior to change into the globalization, the process of growt

Free College Essays - New Journalism and The Right Stuff :: The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff - New Journalism The Right Stuff is a great example of the writing style called "New Journalism". Author Tom Wolfe is widely known as a ground breaker in this type of writing. New Journalism has its foundation in fact but uses techniques from the world of fiction to present the information in a refreshingly realistic way. One important fictional technique is dialogue. Seldom in "normal" journalism does a reader come across real dialogue. Through dialogue, an author is able to show the characters' personalities. The reader's ability to hear what a character says is as important as the ability to see how he reacts. For example, when Wolfe shows us Chuck Yeager's last try at a record, the dialogue gives the reader an extra sense into the intensity of the moment. A second important technique taken from fiction is scene-by-scene examination. Traditionally, journalists present news by importance of the events in a story. In New Journalism, the author instead describes only a certain number of important events. The different scenes are used in the same way that a writer of fiction builds the plot of the story as a whole. In an essay on "New Journalism", Chris Anderson states that a "New Journalistic" "writer can not only render the full details of a scene or event but also describe the subjective, emotional life of the characters" (Marowski and Matuz 418). A third fictional tool is descriptive language. In The Right Stuff, for example, Wolfe purposefully uses the insider slang of fighter pilots. Critic Chris Anderson says he is "fascinated with the insider's slang, the power words of the privileged groups and underground cultures he seeks out" (Marowski and Matuz 418). This use of words from a small, elite in-group helps to allow the reader to understand that group's characteristics, thoughts, and emotions. A fourth technique is point of view. Most journalists are taught to keep their own perspective out of the story and never use the first person in writing. "New Journalistic" novels like The Right Stuff balk at this idea. Wolfe's first-person point of view puts a human face on the news.

Hackers vs. Crackers Essay -- Internet Cyberspace Web Online

Hackers vs. Crackers Introduction When you hear the word hacker, you probably think of a nerdy, teen-aged boy sitting behind a computer with sinister plans for his attack flowing through the keystrokes of his fingers. You probably think of a techno-criminal defacing websites, shutting down computer systems, stealing money or confidential information-basically a threat to society. But these descriptions may describe someone else enterely. Many in the computer community contend that this criminal description defines crackers. Hackers, on the other hand, are actually people who enjoy learning how computer systems work, and bettering themselves and the computer community with the information that they gain from their learning. So if there are non-criminal (hackers) and criminal hackers (crackers), is it fair to label both hackers and crackers as hackers? It is important to address this question because the identity of a culture in our society-the hacker culture-is being challenged. It is being defined as good or bad. This good or bad status affects the way Americans use the Internet, the way the government controls or does not control the Internet, and the way technology will grow in the future. Some people say that there is no difference between hackers and crackers; they are both criminals. Others say that there are major differences between hackers and crackers. This paper addresses whether hackers and crackers really are two separate identities and whether it is right for society to define both hackers and crackers as hackers. This paper discusses . The people who believe hackers and crackers are two different groups of people and should be treated as such. . The people who believe there is no differe... ...r Credit." Digital Daily June 8, 1999. February 28, 2000. http://www.time.com/time/digital/daily/o,2822,26529,00.htm Taylor, Paul. "A Sociology of Hackers." The University of East London, United Kingdom. February 16, 2000. http://www.job.am/inet98/2d/2d_1.htm Denning, Dorothy E.. "Concerning Hackers Who Break Into Computer Systems." 13th National Computer Security Conference October 1- 4, 1990. February 22, 2000. http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/6095/articles/denning_defense_hackers.txt Vatis, Michael A. "Cybercrime, Transnational Crime, and Intellectual Property Theft." Before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee March 24, 1998. March 1, 2000. http://www.fbi.gov/search?NS-search-page=document&NS-rel-doc-name=/pressrm/congress/congress98/vatis.htm&NS-query=hacker&NS-search-type=NS-boolean-query&NS-collection=FBI_Web_Site&NS-docs-found=34&NS-doc-number=1

Examinations. Good or Bad? Essay

Examination is a very wide word, which is used in all spheres of life. It is the most feared word of many students. We have examinations everywhere around the world. In Singapore, students take examinations every few months and major examinations every few years. As a result, many parents often push their children to strive in examinations. This causes them to feel extremely pressured as they have to juggle extra co-curricular activities that are compulsory in Singapore’s education system as well as to ensure that they do not neglect their studies and to meet their parents’ expectations. They often end up burning the midnight oil when there are examinations, leaving them worn out. Hence, the majority of students in Singapore feel that exams should be abolished. However, examinations are also proven to be beneficial. They help observe if we were able to consolidate what we have learnt and it has given students the drive to study. Without examinations, do you think a stud ent will spend time revising? Clearly, examinations should not be abolished. Examinations have given students the drive to study. As many parents expect their children to pass with flying colours during examinations, they usually will push them to study, hoping that by doing so they will get good grades. Sending them to tuition classes or even taking time off work to help them with their studies are ways parents will push them to work hard. As many parents always tell their children, â€Å"getting good grades will get you a good job†. By doing so, students will have to put in effort into their studies and do frequent revision which helps them to understand better. Should examinations be abolished, students will not be motivated to study and do revision. Without revision, there is no point in having classes as one will not learn and remember everything being taught. Students will then laze around and waste unnecessary time which could have been used for revision which will be beneficial to them. Not only do examinations give students the drive to study, they are also used to evaluate students. It is important for schools to evaluate how well students can consolidate the material presented to them, as otherwise the teachers might have explained everything in class in vain. The evaluation based on the grades taken in exams can help the teachers see what the students’ mistakes are and what misconceptions they may have and the teacher can correct them. Moreover, it helps them to see the students’ areas of  strengths and weaknesses and ensure that the teacher is able to maintain their strengths and improve their weaknesses. Hence, students will be able to learn better and it is no doubt that examinations are helping the students. Some people point out that examinations cause a large amount of stress to many students. Admittedly, students tend to feel extremely pressured when they hear the word â€Å"examinations†. This is because they are being pressured to meet their parents’ expectations by studying extremely hard, and sometimes, even burning the midnight oil. While doing so, they also have to attend extra co-curricular activities as well as to attend ballet classes, piano classes, tuition classes, and many more. However, if students learn to manage their time properly, I do not see why they should feel stressed. By completing their homework and revision on time and by drawing out timetables, there should not be a problem when it comes to dealing with examinations. Moreover, instead of doing last-minute revision, they could have done revision every day after school. This way, they will not panic. Furthermore, if students do not waste unnecessary time lazing around and playing video games, ther e should not be a problem with not completing their revision on time. Additionally, stress helps boost brain power as well as create mental toughness, increase clarity, and it helps in greater appreciation for one’s circumstances, and contribute to a sense of confidence built on a history of overcoming of obstacles. Hence, when it comes to examinations as a whole, the good outweighs the bad. All in all, examinations have been beneficial to many people.