An Analysis Of Communism Essays - Communism, Anti-capitalism

An Analysis of Communism 15 May 2000 Different forms of government have existed through the ages, including capitalism, monarchy, socialism, dictatorship, and theocracy. Communism is a government that developed in the early nineteen hundreds. The theory of communism is to create a government under which all people are equal. Communism hasn't achieved its goal to make all people equal. The leaders of communist nations have shown an insatiable desire for power. They take what the workers produce and give back only what is necessary (Orwell 10). Purges took place in communist governments under the leadership of dictators such as Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. Under Stalin's rule "30,000 communists [were] killed in Paris" (Joseph Stalin). George Orwell narrowly escaped Stalin's purges in Spain where "many of [his] friends were shot, and others spent a long time in prison or simply disappeared" (Orwell 5). In this purge Stalin successfully executed Trotsky, who had been a key figure in establishing communism in the U.S.S.R (Joseph Stalin). Communist governments are unstable and no efficient system of checks and balances exist. The leaders of communist countries have supreme control over the country, and what they say is law. Fidel Castro, communist leader of Cuba, "helps to legitimize the regime and preserve its internal cohesion" (Mastrapa). If this "internal cohesion" stops existing when Castro dies, a power struggle will develop that will make the existing regime extremely unstable. The working class is still at the level that it was before the communist government came into existence. The poor economy in Russia resulted from the "lack of foreign loans and low industrial production, among other things, indicate[s] a failure of the recently implemented socialist system" (LoBue). The standard of living in Communist Russia has not shown a significant rise (LoBue). The working class also had members voice their opinions and become executed or imprisoned in the Gulag (Joseph Stalin). Although communism tries to abolish the upper-class and lower-class system, "[The U.S.S.R.] was becoming a hierarchical society, in which the rulers have no more reason to give up their power than any other ruling class" (Orwell 10). The purpose of communism is meant to create a government in which all people are equal. Karl Marx believed in overthrowing "all existing social conditions" (Marx 44). He also believed that the working class should control the government "for the benefit of the working class" (Kuhn). Communism wants to get rid of the bourgeoisies who enslave and hoard all the property. In this sense communism wants to bring about the "[a]bolition of private property" and take away the goods from those people who have earned the goods (Marx 28). The communist doctrine also asks for collectivization of all private property. Collectivization is "the workers work for the state and get [a fixed] salary regardless of their output" (Joseph Stalin). The fact is obvious that the only way communism can be attained is through the forceful overthrow of all existing governments (Marx 44). Communism has failed to meet the demands of the proletarian society and has enslaved the proletarians. Communism has failed to achieve its goal to create a nation in which all people are equal. The rulers in a communist society have ended up being dictators and malevolent rulers. This dictatorial government represses the people of communism. The purpose of communism has not been achieved, because equality has not been reached. Communism is not the answer to a society in which all people are equal. Works Cited Joseph Stalin. 16 May 2000 http://vladivostok.com/rus_mag/eng/N_2/1PER EPIS.HTM. Kuhn, Rick. Marxism Page. Australian National University. 9 May 2000 http://www. anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/marx.html. LoBue, Christopher M. Capitalism in Russia. 16 May 2000 http://www.usaor.net/users /xlobue/HISTORY.HTM. Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1987. Mastrapa, Armando F. Government and Politics of Cuba. 16 May 2000 http://www.cu Bapolidata.com/gpc/gpc.html. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Signet Classic, 1996.

Free Essays on The Taming Of The Shrew

In the beginning of â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew†, some say Shakespeare portrays Katherina as a very shrewish figure. Others may argue that she is not shrewish but just a very strong willed person. At the end of the play some people say she is transformed into a very kind and gentle person, while again others will argue that she is not â€Å"tamed† but just putting on an act to â€Å"show up† her younger sister Bianca, whom has always been more beautiful and charming. Kate is â€Å"like a wasp, like a foal, like foal that kicks from his halter; pert, quick and determined, but full of good heart.† 1. This statement made by one author, shows clearly that he does not see her as shrew-like, even at the beginning of the play. The same author states that at the end of the play she has not really transformed, rather she has just fallen in love with Petruchio, in essence she is free from torment because she is no longer seen as the shrew. In the beginning of the play Kate is â€Å"consistently in opposition to everything around her†2, meanwhile â€Å"Bianca obeys so gently and with such sweet submission that it is obvious why she is Baptista’s favorite daughter†2. In the end of the play, the roles switch and Katherina is submissive to every word of Petruchio and Bianca resists the commands of her new husband. Kate’s first reaction to Petruchio, her â€Å"mad wooer†, is self-pity, and even her father feels that his treatment of her would â€Å"vex a saint†. He takes her away from the home she is used to, with servants and maids to wait on her hand and foot, to the country. There she is away from the luxurious town life and is cold, hungry and tired. She somewhat learns to watch her temper and obey Petruchio so that he will feed her so she can survive peacefully rather than miserably. I believe that his method of taming her is not cruel yet very effective. He shows her that she can get much farther an d live life a lot happier if she is nice and â€Å"e... Free Essays on The Taming of the Shrew Free Essays on The Taming of the Shrew In the beginning of â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew†, some say Shakespeare portrays Katherina as a very shrewish figure. Others may argue that she is not shrewish but just a very strong willed person. At the end of the play some people say she is transformed into a very kind and gentle person, while again others will argue that she is not â€Å"tamed† but just putting on an act to â€Å"show up† her younger sister Bianca, whom has always been more beautiful and charming. Kate is â€Å"like a wasp, like a foal, like foal that kicks from his halter; pert, quick and determined, but full of good heart.† 1. This statement made by one author, shows clearly that he does not see her as shrew-like, even at the beginning of the play. The same author states that at the end of the play she has not really transformed, rather she has just fallen in love with Petruchio, in essence she is free from torment because she is no longer seen as the shrew. In the beginning of the play Kate is â€Å"consistently in opposition to everything around her†2, meanwhile â€Å"Bianca obeys so gently and with such sweet submission that it is obvious why she is Baptista’s favorite daughter†2. In the end of the play, the roles switch and Katherina is submissive to every word of Petruchio and Bianca resists the commands of her new husband. Kate’s first reaction to Petruchio, her â€Å"mad wooer†, is self-pity, and even her father feels that his treatment of her would â€Å"vex a saint†. He takes her away from the home she is used to, with servants and maids to wait on her hand and foot, to the country. There she is away from the luxurious town life and is cold, hungry and tired. She somewhat learns to watch her temper and obey Petruchio so that he will feed her so she can survive peacefully rather than miserably. I believe that his method of taming her is not cruel yet very effective. He shows her that she can get much farther an d live life a lot happier if she is nice and â€Å"e... Free Essays on The Taming Of The Shrew taming of the shrew analysis Petruchio: â€Å"Even in these honest mean habiliments. Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor: For ‘tis the mind that makes the body rich; and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honour peereth in the meanest habit. What, is the jay more precious than the lark because his feather are more beautiful? Or is the adder better than the eel because his feathers are more beautiful? Or is the adder better than the eel because his painted skin contents the eye? O, no, good Kate; neither art thou the worse for this poor furniture and mean array. If thou account’st it shame, lay it on me; and therefore frolic; we will hence forthwith, to feast and sport us at thy father’s house.† The above passage, spoken by Petruchio at the end of scene three, does an excellent job of summarizing the theme of the entire play. The youngest sister, Bianca, is the most beautiful and the most sought after daughter in Baptista’s household. Through all the intricate plots that her suitors have, she is almost sure to choose the one whom she loves the most and therefore live happily ever after. Katherina, the so-called shrew and antagonist of the play, is publicly known as a vile woman who is the least likely to find a suitor, and almost certainly not love. However, all things change when Petruchio, the down on his luck noble and protagonist, comes along and finds his equal in whit and intellect. In an analysis of Petruchio’s passage we see a different man than that was originally presented to us in the beginning of the play. We see no mention of gaining riches, his purpose for considering wedding her, and in fact he denounces material things. â€Å"Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor: For ‘tis the mind that makes the body rich.† In other words: in wearing the ragged clothing that they did, he proves that his purpose is not for money and riches. He is able to see past her dowry and...

2.Outline and analyse the concept of ideological hegemony. Employ the Essay

2.Outline and analyse the concept of ideological hegemony. Employ the concept in analysis of a piece of text - Essay Example Gramsci’s idea of ideological hegemony is related to his view of the role of the intellectuals in the society as mediators. Journalists are also included in the blurred category of ‘intellectuals’, though Gramsci says this with a slight tone of regret (141). In Prison Notebooks, Gramsci argues that intellectuals do not constitute a separate class but rather perform certain functions: â€Å"All men are intellectuals, one could therefore say: but not all men have in society the function of intellectuals† (Gramsci 140). This means that there can be no stable class characteristic of the intellectual ‘elite’ that controls ‘masses’ (particularly, by the means of media). Such role is obtained as a function, in the process of social interactions between different groups. As the influence of such groups is not limited to their official status or the power assigned to them by law, Gramsci distinguishes between ‘dominant groups’ and state institutions: he says that intellectuals are the functionaries of such â€Å"superstructures† of the society as â€Å"civil society† (â€Å"private†) and â€Å"political society† (â€Å"the State†) (145). The former corresponds â€Å"to the function of â€Å"hegemony† which the dominant group exercises throughout society† (Gramsci 145). Thus, â€Å"hegemony† is achieved on the discoursive level, by the influence of the messages and social relations that are reproduced more successfully than that of the other ‘groups’. In Allan’s wording, it manifests itself through â€Å"persuasion† rather than â€Å"coercion† (109). The main tool of this reproduction (often used unconsciously) is so-called ‘common sense’, an intricate game of representing some group’s opinion in the â€Å"common language† of the other groups of the society (or most of them). According to Gr amsci, ‘common sense’ lies in the conventions of cultural entities within the society and is carried in language, or,

Finding Our Way Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Finding Our Way - Essay Example This proposal will largely reduce environmental pollution. Preserving land for environmental reasons may result into less housing issues but when the government sets price floor then the land’s price may hike and further make housing less affordable. As a result, the article proposes that high density housing should be encouraged to benefit builders but this idea may not be received well by the communities opposed to the higher density development. Education is another vital aspect in economic growth. Although quality education is considered important, less attention is paid to alter financial system of education. The author suggests that the issue of education may be solved by the government taking larger portion of education cost to encourage property tax saving. No Child Left Behind school scorecard should continue with its intended purpose of evaluating individual improvement. The program has failed to address challenges facing children living in poverty such as inability to learn from home because of frequent sickness and hunger . Part of the money used in this program may be used to boost education of students living in poverty. Educated immigrants maybe very useful in providing workforce that may stir the economy. Transportation is an important aspect of resource distribution and should therefore be evenly distributed. But because of inability to expand it imposed by factors such as financial constraint developing a centralized transportation location may be very useful in ensuring proper distribution of resources. Environmental pollution may hinder economic growth but since there should be economic activities going on regardless of environmental challenges, few of the activities such as housing and transportation may be allowed to ensure minimal pollution of environment. Education is another significant factor that can catapult economic growth but because it is a

Division of Labour - Now and then Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Division of Labour - Now and then - Essay Example Its importance is analogous to the various organs, muscles, tendons, veins and cells of the body – that each must play its part and coordinate in order for the entire human body to function and live normally. Adam Smith (2003) explained this by positing how division of labor is the foundation of the wealth of nations. In his book, Wealth of Nations, he underscored this by immediately discussing its merits in the very first chapter of his work, which essentially pointed to the fact that such division of work is the reason for the increase in productiveness of labor and, henceforth, a country’s wealth. Division of Labor in History There are so many explanations that seek to define the roots of division of labor. For example, Karl Marx (2007)in the Capital, stated: The foundation of every division of labor which has attained a certain level of development, and has been brought about by exchange of commodities, is the separation of town from country. One might say that the whole history of society is summed up by this antithesis. (p. 287) Marx’s theory emphasizes a sociological characteristic wherein an economy is portioned into independent firms and industries. Perelman (2000) demonstrated this further by commenting that for Marx, â€Å"the conventional social division of labor concerns the organization within the factory [for instance], where the employer divides the work among the employees,† hence it describes hoe work is actually divided up between different workplaces that are, in turn, coordinated by market relations instead of an authority figure within the workplace. (p. 59) Marx’s theory implies that the phenomenon a little bit later than the antiquity and was only fully realized during the modern period when machinery and capitalism had been invented. Other thinkers posit different opinions. Smith, for instance, was bent on the contrasting idea of division of labor as simply the organization and specialization of work w ithin the workplace. If one is to follow this thinking, then division of labor has existed in the ancient times. As previously mentioned, some semblance to it could be identified in the ancient Egyptian and Indian societies. Perhaps the simplest example that could be provided in this regard is that of the family. Since time immemorial, gender or sexual differences had played key roles in the division of labor within it. In ancient China, for instance, this division is considered as an ideal virtue, crucial in maintaining harmonious family relationship. (Gamble 1963, p. 245) Here, husbands dealt with external matters while the wives managed the affairs within the family. Also, figurines from the Classic Maya island site of Jaina in the Yucatan peninsula suggest division of labor based on gender as well. They showed variety of activities, showing women grinding corn, weaving and using pots while men’s were focused on activities that require strength. (McKillop 2004, p. 123) The family also played an important part in the division of labor outside of the domestic realm. One can turn to the example provided by ancient American metalworking. Bruhns and Stothert (1999) recounted that Peruvian smelters were worked by family groups: Men and adolescents would have supplied the lung power for smelting, while other members of the family could break up the ore for charging furnace and later extract the

Selection Of Steve Jobs Case Study Commerce Essay

Selection Of Steve Jobs Case Study Commerce Essay The purpose of this assignment and the selection of Steve Jobs case study draw in many features of leadership theories and works connected with Jobs Apple or his business activity. His leadership tells again one further thing that sometimes successful leaders may divide into two camps the whole world : some adore the leader and others cannot stand him. This sensation is not so unusual as example of Margaret Thatchers political leadership and many military leaders over the centuries. Apples success made Steve Jobs a successful leader and the main thing is Jobs personal creation is Apple. During his time there were Bill Gates and Michael Dell who were fabulously successful in different parts of the IT business, but Jobs Apple was always the most creative, the quirkiest, maybe even the coolest of the three brands. By this time, many of us already learned, heard, read and watched about Steve Jobs many contributions to the society, his achievements on many accounts. Consumers passions about Steve Jobs and the Apple are rare in the business world. In Soho I was passing by an Apple store not long ago and found flowers and hundreds of post it notes from so many expressing gratitude to Steve Jobs. As his biographer Walter Isaacson and others have pointed out, however, Steve Jobs was far from perfect.   Id like to comment in particular on his leadership and management style.   It is well-known that Steve Jobs could be arrogant, dictatorial, and mean-spirited.   Yet he was a great leader. So, this overturns some management writers claims and thoughts todays business leaders need to be nice, kind, humble (Level 5 leadership), and practice servant leadership? I think the contradiction about leadership can be clarified by two sets of aspects. One we need to recognize the situational leadership. In some circumstances one style could work properly but that might not work in some others at all. Ambiguity or the surprise matter always there while claims being made about the behaviour and the characteristics of the universal leadership. Woking overseas and leading cross functional global teams definitely recognize leadership needs to be adapted culture specific. Mr. Jobs leadership not mentioning his genius activities was a key part in the success of Apple. If he had used another style, might not be able to achieve the glorious success at Apple. The other one is apart from arrogance style of Mr. Jobs he had some great executive leaders qualities visionary, risk taker, emotional stability, openness to experience, and highly focused, committed or persistent, passionate and positive attitude. Not only he dived into his vision, he made sure companys everyone brought into that created for the company a higher purpose which excited really the company employees. His products and passions of course were legendary in Apple. He established trust among company members not as a founder but in marketing and product design. Leadership And Organisational Behaviour issues To understand the attached case studys key aspect module Organisational Behaviour, I have done a detailed research on Apple Inc. policies, leadership strategies etc. Balanced Scorecard Institute defined the balanced scorecard which is a management and planning system used to bring into line business activities to the vision and the organisations strategy, communications (internal external) improvement, and against strategic goals monitor organisational performance. Most organisations, to bring effective changes use the balanced scorecard. But APPLE INC. doesnt implement the scorecard for operating changes but uses for long term performance. It focuses on various categories of measurement in the following order Financial Perspective Shareholder Value Customer Perspective Market share and customer satisfaction Internal Process Perspective Core Competencies The Innovation and Improvement Perspective The three wide-ranging Organisational Behaviour aspects have been taken i.e. Leadership, Motivation, and Change Management to identify whether Apple Inc. is following a good strategy or any possibility of improvement or any requirement of complete change. Especially the focus is more or less orbited around the Apple Inc.s CEO Steve Jobs throughout the report and the way he be able to manage and motivate the Apple Inc.s employees Leadership Through the case study and because of Steve Jobs I deeply researched and found on crisis moment Apple called him and simply Steve Jobs turned the things around and took the organisation at top level, honestly I got charmed by this man. His leadership styles sets for everyone example, he is visionary and transformational leaders role model. For example the price of Apple share 2% fell on Steve Jobs illness rumour in 2008. Because of some power struggles internally, Apple forced Steve to leave his job in 1985 and after that nearly one decade Apple was in serious crisis. In 1996 financial losses was reaching $81600000 and in 1997 it was $1 billion and instead of $70 per share (1991) it became $14 per share. In 1997 March issue Fortune Magazine described Apple as Silicon Valleys paragon of dysfunctional management. (Woods, 1997). Later Apple appointed Steve Jobs as the CEO and everything started changing even Apple is much ahead than rivals HP, Dell, Microsoft etc. and posited or ranked sixth in the list of reputable companies. In spite of his all achievements, Steve always been encircled with arguments. Beside the concern of the products of Apple, he is looked up as a business idol. Transformation leadership consists of charisma, motivation (inspirational), stimulation (intellectual) and consideration (individual). Everybody knows that Steve Jobs had these all qualities except the last one consideration (individual). He had a perfection achieving phenomenal hunger and acted as a one man army to reformed computing system. From his past as well as the past of Apple we can see his greatness. Todays the digital image of the society is enhanced by the Apple i.e. Steve Jobs. During 1985 to 1997, successfully he transformed Pixar into a successful speculation. Only lack was Steve Jobs liked secrecy. Apple builds trust but never talked about their forthcoming products. They always talked about their achieved things and this behaviour effects a lot to the Apple Inc. employees. His arrogant and top-down approach is not going to work according to William C. Taylor (Harvard Business Review, 2009) With an excellent speech ability and superb fascinating influence over the audience and his employees, Steve Jobs is a very powerful charismatic leader. He made his employees enthusiastic by the charismatic power and convinced customers to buy Apples products. Apart from his charismatic power he is also known as devious, rude and corrupt. He did not respect individual, employees scared him, though its perfection quest but still shows his consideration for individual is low to some extent. He made his employees better but not to be easy on them. Survey in 2008 shows that employees were not enough satisfied with their bonus and compensation level but they had towards the products and the policies of the company full passion. Steve Jobs tremendous qualities of charismatic power, Apple outperformed others primarily in the business market. Though charismatic leadership power matched with him but his individual consideration does not go with him. In this respect my doubt goes whether Steve Jobs is a charismatic leader or a personalised leader more. Motivation The purpose and direction of behave is the psychological process which is referred by the Motivation. An organisation will be benefitted if the employees are motivated by effective productivity though its a very complex task as motivation keeps on changing. In 2010, Glassdoor results show clearly that Apples employees are respectful to their boss and are motivated. A few years before and the present Apple if compare, anyone can easily realise that Jobs was outstanding to get his employees commitment properly that proved Apples employees motivation. When excellence expected then employees need not be told anything said by Steve Jobs in 1989, initially needs to coach them. the motivation model of the Maslows hierarchy of needs (1943) describes that the needs can be classified into these stages (including last need being basic need most). SELF ACTUALISATION Doing what best you can do ESTEEM NEEDS Self-respect and respect from others BELONGING Acceptance and being part of something SAFETY NEEDS Physical and Psychological security PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS Hunger, Thirst, Rest etc. Esteem , Belonging and Self Actualisation needs are as highlighted is that according to me, these are the underperformances in the Apples motivation level for employees. Apple never put hard gear on the employees motivation as they never knew what company coming up with next. They are restricted to go from one department to another by using electronic badges as terrorists. Jobs kept software and hardware department separate and set in different buildings. Steve Jobs always looking for perfection, a notorious manager, instead of motivate he used his stick. This definitely is not followed the Maslows hierarchy of needs. Steve Jobs was an autocratic as he wanted people to listen to him. Though innovation is part of the involvement of the employees but this theory had a doubt on Apples innovation. Definitely it conflicts with the Self Actualisation Stage of Maslows hierarchy. In 2006, Roderick Kramer wrote for Harvard Business Review, a certain degree of forcefulness might prove to be useful when it comes to handling intractable problems. So, Steve jobs always worked on his own way and delivered fabulous results does not mean that his ways is the right way. Because its not about Steve Jobs, its the question about Apple Inc. So, therefore the way Jobs worked is not the right way. According to an insider Steve was acute with his employees, made them cry but also most of time he was right. His viewpoint was exceptional and he had no asshole rule, he was tyrant in his workplace but if employees not fully pleased then things not going to work same way in future. Change Management The development of an organisation depends on Change Management, a set of behavioural science-based theories, values and strategies. It is not an easy job. W Pasmore in 2010 said that many leaders failed to make operating and critical changes to led the organisation. Apple like many other big companies gained mastery in this matter. Not only Apple Inc. comes up with new and innovative technology but also the implementation of the financial figures of them vastly accepted all over the world. Steve Jobs has many reasons to be successful in change management and out of those understanding and anticipation of customers requirement most. Change Management helps an organisation to take from one level to the next level by treating Employees as Focus Group. Steve doesnt rely on focus groups, instead he is a steady believer that customers themselves dont know their requirement. Without asking them he has a strong understanding ability and can anticipate his customers call. So he treats as focus group his own employees and without any customer intervention makes the decision. By giving such huge importance to the employees, the employees themselves feel a part of the change. Thus he gains the employee loyalty very easily. The products like iPod, iPhone, and iTunes are great examples that prove his expertise in understanding the customer needs. Every individual thinks own way differently and has got own different insights and assertiveness in life. So, therefore, its not possible to get 100% support from all the employees. Rather, to accept and adapt to change, they need to be motivated and inspired enough. Jobs chooses team members by selecting multiplier factor of excellence. He believes that the extraordinary designers, engineers and managers are not only better than the good ones by 10 or 20 % but 10 times better. He feels that outstanding products come from their contributions. Eliminating Fear of Change: Over time, Steves leadership has made the organisations mantra, together with its distribution and channel partners. While iTunes launch, people thought it might change the entire music industry. With the charismatic ability Jobs eliminated the fear of change, and they achieved their 100% contribution and iTunes in the music industry made a revolution. Managing Changes in Distribution Strategy: the whole distribution strategy might be disrupted at time by the innovation and Apple faced the problem on their iPod launching time. They made good relation with big box stores like Wal Mart, Target etc. before introducing them in the consumer electronics industry. For distributing digital music iTunes also built a complete new distribution strategy successfully and thats the way Apple overcome the changing problem in distribution strategy. Review of Literature Most business leaders expect to touch the level Steve Jobss did before he died in October 2011. He is the legendary visionary player one in a century. He is a dynamic and controversial leader and his success totally relied upon his innovation capabilities. During time the legacies left by many other protruding leaders become clear. However, we already by today have tremendous clarity of Jobss leadership. Because of the masterful biography of Walter Isaacson, we know that Jobs pursued former CEO of CNN and managing editor of  Time Isaacson, for five years (the first of many examples of Jobss persistence in the book), and then gave him a free hand (a much rarer occurrence), promising: Its your book. I wont even read it. Certainly Steve Jobs was a wayward and ambitious leader, and his innovation, commercialization and services to the society through Apple Inc. changed the way of life styles of many of us and developed truthfully great ways for computing, publishing, movies, music, and mobile telephony industries. His way or style of leadership is complex, risky, committed and charismatic to convince customers and employees on his aspiration. Though he is greatest business executive of the era but he was critical, tyrant one. All too often he was the antithesis of the servant leader model popularized in the 1990s (the giving, caring organizational mentor who in many ways contrasted with the hero model of a century prior). Not only at Apple Inc. but at NeXT and at Pixar, he seeded powerful culture. He created a place where motivated people make great products. He had fascinating and perplexing leadership. Personally and professionally he fell in and out of love with people easily. Because of his great talent he created extraordinary skilful organisation but he missed many peoples potential contribution. In question of teamwork, he always challenged to do beyond the possible. So, a few strong people cope with this challenge to keep remain the pride but many others usually become frustrated. In a way this is a loss of encouragement and emotional effect as the theme comes up A players and B players. Then there was Jobss habit of distorting reality to fit his purposes, coupled with the impatience, criticism, and brusqueness that often accompanied it. On the one hand, the Jobs version could create a compelling vision of what might be. Witness the strong cultures that he fostered at his companies: Even through the 10 years he was exiled from Apple, the underlying essence of the culture he established somehow stayed alive. On the other hand, Jobss reality distortion could be extremely alienating, and it sapped his credibility, especially when he used it to dismiss a promising idea or an effort as a piece of crap. Applied to the wrong strategy, market, or product, his behaviors could sink a company. In the end, what made Jobs such a successful leader was his much-lauded talent at envisioning and delivering breakthrough products and services. His ability to innovate for his customers in a way few leaders had done before served as a salve to his gruff personal style. Very few top leaders pay as much attention to product and design detail as Jobs did. He always considered simplicity, functionality, and consumer appeal before cost efficiency, sales volume, or even profit. That attention was integral to the strategic and marketing capabilities of his companies. In these respects, Jobs was an entrepreneurial leader in the mode of Walt Disney and Edwin Land, both of whom he admired. Jobs famously said that customers dont know what they want until weve shown them. Indeed, he had a remarkable, but not infallible, ability to develop products that consumers would buy and savor, as well as the confidence, courage, and drive to bring them to life. Part and parcel of this appeal was Jobss remarkably clean sense of design, which Isaacson traces back to his study of Zen Buddhism and, further still, to his adoptive father, a blue-collar mechanic who rebuilt cars in the familys garage for extra income. Much of Jobss genius and Isaacson contends his genius was for imaginative leaps [that] were instinctive, unexpected, and at times magical stemmed from his ability to integrate diverse disciplines, particularly the humanities and science, a sort of synthesis of artistry and engineering. With age and experience, Steve Jobs became a better leader of people. Although Jobs was never one to dwell on his own shortcomings, Isaacson quotes a statement he made during a 2007 conference in which he revealed a somewhat reluctant, even latent sense of an important flaw. Because Woz and I started the company based on doing the whole banana, we werent so good at partnering with people, he said of Apples design philosophy. I think if Apple could have had a little more of that in its DNA, it would have served it extremely well. Jobs would have benefited from more of that in his leadership DNA, too. Who knows if he had had more time, he might have been able to close that gap altogether. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS By looking at the financial results of Apple Incorporated, people might perceive that things are going quite well within the organisation. But the entire analysis above shows that there are a lot of loopholes in Apples functioning which requires a deep thought. Where Steve Jobs is considered as an idol by millions of people, at the same time his attitude questions whether he is a true transformational leader or more of a personalised leader. One might feel that innovative products of Apple are a result of employee motivation and involvement. But that is not the case. By analysing the levels of motivation with the help of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, it was found that the top three levels of needs go dicey in case of Apple employees. However, there is no denying the fact that Apple has mastered in the concept of change. Whether it is about training the employees for change or it is about managing the changes in distribution strategy, Apple has successfully managed changes both within a s well as outside the organisation. My recommendations to the company, particularly to Steve Jobs, are: No wonder apple has no match in its innovation. But things can further improve provided that employees are given more freedom to express their thoughts. Moreover, if instead of Stick, Jobs can manage with some positive motivation, it can do wonders for the company as far as employee loyalty is concerned. Steve Jobs, undoubtedly, is a fantastic charismatic leader. The analysis in the report clearly shows that the charisma of Steve Jobs has single handed taken the company to such heights. But Apple needs to think beyond Steve Jobs. The company should start focussing more on its future, for which it is really important that the other members of the organisation also start scratching their heads and reduce their dependency on one man. Read more:  http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/the-terms-of-organisational-behaviour-issues-business-essay.php#ixzz2HK3tupwa Steve Jobs Organizational Behaviour, Leadership theory from Subhendusankar Kar SOME POINTS ON STEVE JOBS LEADERSHIP AND VISION http://www.livescience.com/16442-visionary-science-steve-jobs.html group assignment on steve jobs http://www.scribd.com/doc/41982491/Group-Assignment-Case-Study http://en.oboulo.com/us-management-and-leadership-steve-jobs-63068.html management and leadership of steves INTRODUCTION Apple: One Year After Steve Jobs Death, iPhone Sales Disappoint Wall Street http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/02/03/is-apple-truly-agile/ (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() http://assignmentpapers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/entrepreneur-steve-jobs.html http://hbr.org/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs/ar/1 Summing Up We know that there are basically two types of organisational leaders the transactional and the transformational. Transactional leaders are the ones who work with the safety of the status quo. Transformational leaders strive with all their might to change the existing order of things. They are the ones who bring about major, positive change for a group, organisation or society. We have seen that Steve Jobs was able to direct his people and make them do things which they had never done before, but these things were also essential for the realisation of his vision and plans. I leave it your judgment to deduce what style of leadership Jobs followed. It is quite logical to assume that Jobs style of management changed over the years. This is also indicated in the following quote When Jobs was ousted from Apple in 1985, he was often termed as arrogant and bully combined with perfectionist attitude, something that indicates the Authority-Obedience Manager' (Fortune 2009, The Decade of Steve). In 2009, due to medical reasons, Steve delegated his responsibilities to Tim Cook, Apples COO for six months, and everything went on smoothly. Perhaps, he had mentored his executive team successfully to think and decide like him, which indicates that his style had probably moved on to being a Team Manager. Interestingly, Jobs may not be the embodiment of an effective leader in a way, he was far from being a classical text-book example. Nevertheless, his charisma, self-confidence and passion for work overshadow all his flaws, making him one of most successful CEOs of the decade.

The Bonds of a Language Essays -- Amy Tan Literature Authors Essays

The Bonds of a Language Amy Tan is the author of several novels including The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. She was born in the United States to parents who immigrated to California from China (Gruber 35). In her article entitled â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Tan focuses on the English shared between her mother and herself versus the English that she speaks with everyone else, and how it has affected her outlook on language. Through her examples, she presents to the audience the obstacles faced by her mother’s â€Å"limited† English. Tan demonstrates that no matter how much someone may change, the most important things lay back in their roots. Tan directs this article in a certain way to allow for several people to relate. Even though she has the heritage of a Chinese culture, she did grow up in the United States, so she knows what catches people’s interest. She bases the entire article off of experiences that she has had with her own mother and the language barriers her mother has had to put up with. Someone who may not have experienced this first hand would probably not have as strong an argument. Tan also gears the article to a wide audience. Even if someone does not care about language or the struggles to be heard by people who can’t understand you, she throws in interesting stories that catch any reader for a small moment. A good audience for this article is people who deal with those who speak â€Å"broken† English, such as those in ESL programs. Tan points out that even though her mother isn’t the best at speaking English, she still comprehends it. Many just assume that her mother’s intelligence is equivalent to her spoken English, which as Tan points out, isn’t true. That may also have been why Ta... ...when you don’t know what they want or need, which Tan probably realizes. In conclusion, Amy Tan allows the reader to see through her eyes and her mother’s eyes. Despite the obvious responsibility put on her shoulders from her mother’s English, Tan still feels a sense of intimacy in that â€Å"broken† language. It becomes more of a point that she’s showing the audience the importance of this bond between her mother and her rather than to make them feel sorry for her mother. If her mother spoke as well as Tan does now, then Tan most likely would have turned out different. She learned responsibility and it allowed her to feel passionate about helping other understand English enough to make it a career. It also was a good step in showing options for Asians outside of the engineering field. And lastly, Amy Tan’s mother appears to be very proud of her daughter.

Executive Financial Plan Summary Essay

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for reaching out to me. One of the first steps towards financial clarity and meeting your financial goals is to reach out to specialists who can identify your needs and financial position. I am pleased to help you get started on your journey and look forward to seeing you meet your goals! Throughout this document, I will be using various numbers and concepts under the assumption that they represent your financial position. In truth, these numbers are meant to be fluid and may change with time depending on the course of events in your life. Reviewing the document carefully to understand the underlying concepts and financial patterns is necessary given that change is constant. Resources Available: The best place to start is by reviewing the attached cash flow summary. This is a tool which can help you both visualize and quantify your goals. Items that are included on the cash flow include investments you are making, debt payments, and unallocated cash flows as an example. Additionally, I have tracked the costs or savings associated with each of my recommendations in the cash flow summary as well. The summary should allow you to see an action plan for achieving your goals while keeping yourself within your budget. Issue 1: Emergency Funds While you have a good start on accumulating sufficient emergency reserves, your current amount would last 3.4 months without covering any additional out of pocket expenses for medical insurance in case of a job loss or medical expenses in case of an illness. Recommendation: Increase emergency reserves this year to at least 4 months of reserves which requires an additional $5,000 deposited this year. Move funds from the taxable money market to the Colorado municipal money market which has a better after tax return. Additionally, any tax refunds (estimated to be about $500 after changing withholdings) or â€Å"found money† should be dedicated to this goal, increasing it up to $33,000 over the next few years. Advantages: Increases your ability to handle any emergencies that come along. Using the municipal money market is more efficient with a better after tax return than your current money market. As long as one of you is working, this would cover six months of unemployment. Disadvantages: Funds invested in safe liquid assets earn less than those that have higher risk. Alternative: Use Roth IRA to begin accumulating more emergency reserves beyond the current $25,000 because you can withdraw your principle anytime without penalty and the funds are protected from creditors. In that case, we would not count earnings toward your emergency reserves but principle only. Issue 2: Paying off credit card debt as soon as possible. Paying off credit card debt starting now will free up money to accomplish other goals. Currently you are in a position where you can pay off debt immediately if you utilize current cash flows. This will save on interest payments and allow you to allocate cash flow to other goals. Recommendation: Pay off your $6,158 of credit card debt immediately using the re-allocable savings, tax withholding, and estate distribution. These additional cash flows of $20,300 should be more than enough to cover the credit card debt. Advantages: You will stop interest from accumulating on your credit cards, which frees up cash flow for other purposes in the future. Your $6,000 of per year expenses previously allocated to credit card debt is now freed up for other financial goals. With your credit card debt off of your credit report, your credit score will improve. With the increase in credit score, you may qualify for better debt financing rates in the future. An example of this would be if you refinance your home. Current lending rates (fixed) are lower than your current mortgage rate of 6.88%. Disadvantages: This is a significant upfront cost as far as cash flow is concerned. The additional resources could be used towards other goals in the short term. Depending on the actions you take, you may not have a need for more affordable lending rates. Issue 4: Homeowner’s Coverage Your current homeowner’s coverage is adequate from a baseline perspective, but I believe some minor improvements can be made to your coverage. With the cash flow we currently have available, minor tweaks can be made to your policy to ensure that you are covered under the most strenuous of circumstances and can have peace of mind regarding your home. Recommendation A: My first is that you increase your base coverage by $10,000; this will cover you for the full value of your home as you currently are covered for only 96% of its value. Advantages: The advantage of increasing your homeowner’s coverage on your dwelling from $310,000 to $320,000 is that you will receive the full replacement cost of your home in the event of a catastrophe. Increasing your homeowner’s coverage is also quite cheap; the additional cost is only $35 per year. Disadvantages: The additional homeowner’s coverage is cheap, but modest in its advantages. The $35 you are spending on these could easily go elsewhere. Recommendation B: My second recommendation is you take an inventory of your personal property. Advantages: A personal property inventory will ensure you know the value of your possessions in the event of a catastrophe. Appraisals of high-value items such as your jewelry, wedding ring, antiques, and guns will be beneficial not only for your personal property inventory but also for your personal benefit; you can have an appraisal on hand in case you want to sell something, for instance. Disadvantages: The personal property inventory will require regular appraisals if you are to keep up with maintaining it on a consistent basis. Appraisals for personal property are oftentimes costly. This is actually only a problem if you get a large number of items appraised. Recommendation C: My third recommendation is you add an inflation rider to  your policy. Advantages: The benefit of the inflation rider is that it increases your base policy by the amount needed to keep it on par with yearly inflation. It will automatically increase both coverage and the premium. It is also cheap at only $20 per year. Disadvantages: Similar to the increase in homeowners coverage, modest in its advantages. The $20 could go elsewhere. Issue 5: Automobile Coverage You have not had a review of your automobile coverage for four years. Looking at changes to your automobile policy can help us see areas where you are more at risk from financial loss. We currently see that improvement can be made to your base policy as well as how your deductible is structured. These issues and recommendations are ultimately to be addressed with your insurance agent; I am merely providing a perspective. Recommendation A: I recommend that you raise your current base policy to double its current amount. Along with this, you will also raise your uninsured motorist’s coverage to match the amounts of the base policy. Advantages: The primary benefit of raising the base policy to double its current amount is you concurrently raise your uninsured motorist’s coverage to match. Your current uninsured motorist’s coverage is lower than your base policy; raising the uninsured motorist’s coverage provides substantially more financial protection in the event of bodily injury or the potential loss of one of you as a breadwinner. Disadvantages: The cost of doubling your base policy is quite substantial compared to the alternatives. The total cost is of doubling the base policy is $120. Recommendation B: I recommend that you raise your comprehensive and uninsured motorist’s coverage deductibles from $500 to $1,000 each. Advantages: Raising your deductible’s from $500 to $1,000 each will provide you with $250 of cash flow yearly which can be used towards your other financial goals. These changes to your coverage are designed to maximize cash flow coming in while adapting to the financial needs that arise from certain risks. In sum total our recommendations result in positive cash flow for you while maximizing the benefit you gain from insurance claims. Disadvantage: In the event you do have to file an insurance claim, your insurance deductible for both comprehensive and uninsured motorists is going up to $1,000 from the previous $500. Alternatives: You could leave your base policy alone but double your uninsured motorist’s coverage by paying only $40 instead of $120. This will free up cash flow of $80 compared to my recommendation for meeting your other financial goals. Your total bodily injury and property damage will remain the same. The uninsured motorist’s coverage will double. This still gives you greater financial protection in the case of a loss of income compared to leaving uninsured motorist’s coverage alone. Issue 6: Umbrella Coverage You are not adequately protected from liability with your umbrella coverage. As an example, you have risks related to the ownership of your jet skis, snowmobiles, and horses. In the event you are sued for damage to either property or persons, you could be liable for anywhere between 5-15 times your annual income or even the sum total of your net worth. At your current level of coverage of $500,000, your financial security is at a high risk for being jeopardized in the event of a legal meltdown as well. Your current coverage premiums are above the average rates. None of the property previously mentioned is listed on your homeowner’s insurance policy either. Recommendations: Switch your umbrella policy from your current carrier to the same carrier as your homeowner’s policy. Under your new policy increase your total coverage from $500,000 to $1,500,000. Advantages: Combining these policies under one company will confer you a monetary benefit of $25 per year in savings. We have calculated your recommended coverage quote by multiplying your yearly gross wages of $150,000 by a multiple of 10. This multiple is considered because you are established with a home, cars, retirement, and educational needs. A young couple with few assets would use a multiple of 5 whereas a larger family with more assets might use a multiple of 15. Your situation calls for something in the middle. Your deductibles for the umbrella policy will integrate with the existing policy  limits. Disadvantages: The cost of the $1,500,000 is $200. This is $75 more than what you are paying with your previous policy. In the event you get rid of some higher risk items, such as your snowmobiles and jet skis, your coverage might need reevaluating as it would be too high relative to risk factors. You mentioned your personal items are low in value so retiring them soon would be an example of needing to discuss with your agent options regarding risk. Alternatives: Instead of raising your policy level to $1,500,000, raise it to $1,000,000 only. The primary benefit of this is the cost savings from a cash flow standpoint. You are already adding your snowmobile and fishing boat to your homeowner’s policy for $300 annually. While the additional cost savings is modest, it simply affords a little bit more cash to be used for your other financial goals. Issue: Disability Coverage You lack an adequate budgetary plan in the event either one of you becomes disabled. At your ages, you have roughly a 21% chance that either one of you will unemployed for longer than three months as a result of disability. The impact of a disability with either one of you would be disastrous to your financial goals. The most important goals that would be compromised include your retirement and saving for your son’s education. Buying a car for your son, jet skis, and traveling, these luxuries would have to be reconsidered and more likely would be impossible. As a result of your disability you would further have additional health insurance premiums to pay; other out of pocket costs related to your disability not currently included in your budget would be necessary to account for. Both of your long term disability plans factor in inflation. If Jim becomes disabled in the long term, a sharp drop in income occurs almost immediately and until retirement. If Anne becomes disabled, your income remains relatively the same until retirement. A question you should further consider is what happens at retirement? Your target income in retirement is $211,436. If Jim becomes disabled, your projected income in retirement is $83,285; this is 39% of your projected income. If Anne becomes disabled, your total income in retirement will be  around $97,000; this is 46% of your projected goal. Understanding the realities of a potential disability for either one of you and putting a plan in place is primary. Recommendation: 1) Purchase a $1,743 monthly benefit individual policy to age 67 with an inflation rider of 3% on Jim. Purchase a rider premium with this policy. The total premium cost will be $829. 2) Purchase an additional 10-year benefit with a 365-day elimination to supplement Nancy’s income. The total premium cost will be $433. 3) Add a rider premium to your mortgage.

General Albert Sidney Johnston in the Civil War

General Albert Sidney Johnston in the Civil War A Kentucky native, General Albert Sidney Johnston was a notable Confederate commander during the early months of the Civil War. After graduating from West Point in 1826, he later moved to Texas and joined the Texas Army where he acted as aide-de-camp to General Sam Houston. Following service in the Mexican-American War, Johnston returned to the US Army and was commanding the Department of California when the Civil War began. He soon accepted a commission as a general in the Confederate Army and was tasked with defending the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Considered one of the finest officers available at the start of the war, Johnston was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. Early Life Born in Washington, KY on February 2, 1803, Albert Sidney Johnston was the youngest son of John and Abigail Harris Johnston. Educated locally through his younger years, Johnston enrolled at Transylvania University in the 1820s. While there he befriended the future president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. Like his friend, Johnston soon transferred from Transylvania to US Military Academy at West Point. Two years Davis junior, he graduated in 1826, ranked eighth in a class of forty-one. Accepting a commission as a brevet second lieutenant, Johnston was posted to the 2nd US Infantry. Moving through posts in New York and Missouri, Johnston married Henrietta Preston in 1829. The couple would produce a son, William Preston Johnston, two years later. With the beginning of the Black Hawk War in 1832, he was appointed as chief of staff to Brigadier General Henry Atkinson, the commander of US forces in the conflict. Though a well-respected and gifted officer, Johnston was forced to resign his commission in 1834, to care for Henrietta who was dying of tuberculosis. Returning to Kentucky, Johnston tried his hand at farming until her death in 1836. Texas Revolution Seeking a fresh start, Johnston traveled to Texas that year and quickly became embroiled in the Texas Revolution. Enlisting as a private in the Texas Army shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto, his prior military experience allowed him to swiftly advance through the ranks. Shortly thereafter, he was named aide-de-camp to General Sam Houston. On August 5, 1836, he was promoted to colonel and made adjutant general of the Texas Army. Recognized as a superior officer, he was named commander of the army, with the rank of brigadier general, on January 31, 1837. In the wake of his promotion, Johnston was prevented from actually taking command after being wounded in a duel with Brigadier General Felix Huston. Recovering from his injuries, Johnston was appointed Secretary of War by Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar on December 22, 1838. He served in this role for a little over a year and led an expedition against Indians in northern Texas. Resigning in 1840, he briefly returned to Kentucky where he married Eliza Griffin in 1843. Traveling back to Texas, the couple settled on a large plantation named China Grove in Brazoria County. Fast Facts: General Albert Sidney Johnston Rank: GeneralService: US Army, Confederate ArmyBorn: February 2, 1803 in Washington, KYDied: April 6, 1862 in Hardin County, TNParents: John and Abigail Harris JohnstonSpouse: Henrietta PrestonConflicts: Mexican-American War, Civil WarKnown For: Battle of Shiloh Mexican-American War With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846, Johnston assisted in raising the 1st Texas Rifle Volunteers. Serving as the regiments colonel, the 1st Texas took part in Major General Zachary Taylors campaign in northeastern Mexico. That September, when the regiments enlistments expired on the eve of the Battle of Monterrey, Johnston convinced several of his men to stay and fight. For the remainder of the campaign, including the Battle of Buena Vista, Johnston held the title of inspector general of volunteers. Returning home at the wars end, he tended to his plantation. Battle of Buena Vista, 1847. Photograph Source: Public Domain The Antebellum Years Impressed with Johnstons service during the conflict, now-President Zachary Taylor appointed him a paymaster and major in the US Army in December 1849. One of the few Texas military men to be taken into regular service, Johnston held the position for five years and on average traveled 4,000 miles a year discharging his duties. In 1855, he was promoted to colonel and assigned to organize and lead the new 2nd US Cavalry. Two years later he successfully led an expedition into Utah to confront the Mormons. During this campaign, he successfully installed a pro-US government in Utah without any bloodshed. In reward for conducting this delicate operation, he was brevetted to brigadier general. After spending much of 1860, in Kentucky, Johnston accepted command of the Department of the Pacific and sailed for California on December 21. As the secession crisis worsened through the winter, Johnston was pressured by Californians to take his command east to fight the Confederates. Unswayed, he finally resigned his commission on April 9, 1861, after hearing that Texas had left the Union. Remaining in his post until June when his successor arrived, he traveled across the desert and reached Richmond, VA in early September. The Civil War Begins Warmly received by his friend President Jefferson Davis, Johnston was appointed a full general in the Confederate Army with a date of rank of May 31, 1861. The second-most senior officer in the army, he was placed in command of the Western Department with orders to defend between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Raising the Army of Mississippi, Johnstons command was soon spread thin over this wide frontier. General Albert S. Johnston. Library of Congress Though recognized as one of the prewar armys elite officers, Johnston was criticized in early 1862, when Union campaigns in the West met with success. Following the loss of Forts Henry Donelson and the Union capture of Nashville, Johnston began concentrating his forces, along with those of General P.G.T. Beauregard at Corinth, MS, with the goal of striking at Major General Ulysses S. Grants army at Pittsburg Landing, TN. Shiloh Attacking on April 6, 1862, Johnston opened the Battle of Shiloh by catching Grants army by surprise and quickly overrunning its camps. Leading from the front, Johnston was seemingly everywhere on the field directing his men. During one charge around 2:30 PM, he was wounded behind the right knee, mostly likely from friendly fire. Not thinking the injury serious he released his personal surgeon to aid several wounded soldiers. A short time later, Johnston realized that his boot was filling with blood as the bullet had nicked his popliteal artery. Feeling faint, he was taken from his horse and placed in a small ravine where he bled to death a short time later. With his loss, Beauregard ascended to command and was driven from the field by Union counterattacks the next day. Believed to be their best general General Robert E. Lee would not emerge until that summer), Johnstons death was mourned across the Confederacy. First buried in New Orleans, Johnston was the highest-ranking casualty on either side during the war. In 1867, his body was moved to the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

Factoid and Tabloid

Factoid and Tabloid Factoid and Tabloid Factoid and Tabloid By Maeve Maddox My use of the word factoid in the sense of â€Å"a little fact† in a recent post earned me considerable disapproval from my readers. Here are just two examples: Really, Maeve, â€Å"FACTOID?!?† So you mean to say you are lying to us? You mean to say those are not facts, but, like asteroids or humanoids, merely things that have the APPEARANCE of them?   its like seeing Superman jaywalk. I wanted to cry Say it aint so, Maeve! I apologized in the comments for using factoid in this way. I did not try to justify my use by referring to this secondary definition in Merriam-Webster: â€Å"a briefly stated and usually trivial fact.† As has been stated numerous times on this site, by both writers and readers, â€Å"But, it’s in the Dictionary!† is no justification for using a word irresponsibly. Writer Norman Mailer coined the term factoid by adding the suffix -oid to fact. The suffix -oid is used chiefly in science to form nouns meaning â€Å"something having the form or appearance of; something related or allied in structure, but not identical.† A factoid, therefore, resembles a fact but is not to be relied upon as being completely factual. Bottom line, speakers who care about maintaining useful distinctions will agree with the astute blogger who wrote this in 2010: It seems to me to be the waste of a good word to use  factoid  with the sense of â€Å"brief factual item† when it provides such a useful word for the half-truths and opinions that pass for â€Å"facts† in much of the media. We already have the word  trivia  for â€Å"a trivial, or little-known fact.† Actually, that’s probably not the bottom line. Defend the â€Å"true† meaning of factoid as we might, the word’s meaning has begun to evolve. Some words, despite efforts to make them mean only one thing, take on a life of their own–even in the speech of those who initially resist the change. The more one hears a word used with new meanings, the easier it is to forget the meaning it started with. The word tabloid is a case in point. Like factoid, the word tabloid is a coinage. It was trademarked in 1884 as a brand name for a small, flat, compressed piece of a medicinal substance: a medicine tablet. In 1903, the manufacturers brought suit against druggists who were calling their own tablets â€Å"tabloids.† The company not only lost their suit, the defendants succeeded in reversing the word’s trademark status. Here’s the ruling: The word Tabloid has become so well-knownin consequence of the use of it by the Plaintiff firm in connection with their compressed drugs that I think it has acquired a secondary sense in which it has been used and may legitimately be used so long as it does not interfere with their trade rights. I think the word has been so applied generally with reference to the notion of a compressed form or dose of anything. After the court decision, tabloid lost its capital T and was used generically to mean anything that provided a lot of value in a small package: The small speedy Sopwith biplane has been nicknamed the ‘Tabloid’ because it contains so many good qualities in such small compass. –Aeroplane, 1913. When gossipy newspapers with pages half the size of standard newspapers came into vogue, they were called tabloids. Because the content of tabloid newspapers is deliberately scandalous and irreverent, the word has given birth to tabloid as an adjective meaning sensationalistic, and tabloidy, meaning trashy. Not only is factoid now in wide use with the meaning â€Å"a minor fact,† it has taken on a new meaning in the realm of industrial trade shows. I found a reference to â€Å"product factoids† on a Cardiovascular Research Foundation site: A product factoid is a PowerPoint presentation of product and/or treatment specs. These could include product size, product profile, and approval status. CRF has designed PowerPoint templates specific to each product or treatment category. Here’s a link to the article by the astute blogger quoted above: â€Å"What’s a Factoid?† As regards my own lapse, The only thing faster than the speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness. Good thing we have other people to help us remember.†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œVera Nazarian. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives Difference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"Ebook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

International expantion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International expantion - Essay Example On the other hand, AIU should take into account national culture which affects all international and export marketing activity. Of concern to the manager are the influences of the religious, family, educational, and social systems of a society. Often these are manifested in the values, attitudes, and motivations of people and can affect business customs such as personal manners, colors, advertising, 'gift' giving and receiving, and pride and status. The UK is a country with old traditions which include both conscious and unconscious national values, ideas, attitudes and symbols that shape employees behavior. The UK consists of four main parts: Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The combination of language and religion creates a unique culture and traditions. At its deepest level, however, British culture comprises a set of basic assumptions that operate automatically to enable groups of people to solve the problems of daily life without thinking about them. The influence of Christianity and other religions in the UK had always extended for beyond the comparatively narrow of organized and private ownership. Religious organizations are actively involved in voluntary work and the provisions of social services. The UK is a leading industrial country which has a great influence on international economics and politics. The country has a service-based economy and a large private sector. In contrast to other European counties, the UK has not yet adopted the euro currency. "A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being" (The World Fact Book: the UK, 2006). The country has a population about 60,609,153 million who lives on 242,514 sq km. An average expectancy of life is 81 years for women and 76 years for men. GNI per capita is $33,630. GDP is $1.83 trillion. It is reported that GDP shows the lowest growth rates over the last 12 years. "GDP grew by 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2006, with growth unchanged from the last quarter of 2005. The level of GDP is now 2.2 per cent higher than the first quarter of 2005" (GDP Growth. The UK, 2006). 17% of population lives below poverty line. Demographics will help to analyze market potential, its perspectives, and segment the UK market. Demographic segmentation is based measurable characteristics of the population such as income, age distribution, gender, education, and occupation. A number of global demographic trends-fewer married couples, smaller family size, changing roles of women, higher incomes and living standards, for example-have contributed to the emergence of global market segments. In the UK, 17.5 % of the population are children from 0-14, 66.8% people from 15-64 year old and 15.8% - 65+. The majority of the population are white people - 54.85 million; people of Asian origin is about 2.38 million. Population growth rate is about 0.28%. In agriculture works about 1.1%, in industry - 26% and in service market - 72.9% (The World Fact Book: the UK, 2006). Cultural Concerns Need to Be Considered Great Britain is a country of old traditions and strong family values. Cultural preferences are quite apparent in food preparation and consumption patterns and habits. Taking into account the nature of the product AIU is going to market, these cultural preferences will play a core role in strategic planning. A solid understanding of food-related cultural preferen

Character comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Character comparison - Essay Example In this story , the character Paul rides his rocking horse with an undying passion to bring luck and money to him ,so that he can help is mother in becoming wealthy. The son being at a tender age, asks naively his mother as to the reason for her unhappiness. However the mother is unable to give an appropriate answer to the child as to her reason for her unluckiness and unhappiness. The mother is greedy, and wants to reach the status of artistrocracy and lead a wealth life style which she is deeply missing in the current situation.The son being naive and caring for his mother, attempts to fulfill the wishes of his mother. The character of mother is not living in realism, but is attracted to the pompous life and riches. She never understood that life is not a game of money but something to be bound with love and happiness. The Paul in his innocence and kind heartedness, deliberately and desperately tries to help his mother in winning money. He has lived in a situation where his parents crave for money and it is the only things echoes in the house. His character and attitude is different than his mother, who is greedy and materialistic. Paul is in a stressful situation wants to earn money to bring about a peaceful situation at home. The mother is selfish, less caring, and is not attentive to her duty towards home and children. She is not keeping interest in the happiness of her children, but is only concentrating on the luxurious life she would lead when money pours in. Being elderly and experienced, the mother is unable to understand the subtle attitude of her son and depicts to be ignorant and cold hearted. The son her is acutely aware of his mother’s relentless desire for leading wealthy life style .Even when he is deprived of love and caring from his mother , he thinks selflessly for her and providing her with what she dreams for. The boy being hearing the want of money from his mother since early years of childhood only hears the words â€Å"There mus t be more money†. The boy undoubtedly wants to help is mother but is not selfish like her. He is a giving person and continuously rocks the horse and also makes handsome money with his clairvoyance in betting. The mother instead is drowned in the dream of acquiring money and is utterly forgotten the demand of love firing in the hearts of her children. The character of the son is more inquisitive in nature, as he is dissatisfied with the answer of his mother regarding her unlucky situation. This shows that the son is more of a thoughtful nature and wants to know the thinks very deeply. The mother’s character is very shallow and does not give importance to aspects like emotions and relationships. Here the son is shown to be more loving, caring, understanding and soulful person. The son in his effort to make money indulge in rocking horse to attain a clairvoyant state where he get intuition about horse race winning .The son is only thinking of his mother and rides the hors e all time to foresee winning clue in a desperate move to acquire money. This shows how thoughtful he is about his mother and how much he cares for her. However, both the characters are closely connected as they share blood relationship and live in the same house. The son and