Stupid Questions free essay sample

My teachers have lied to me since I was seven. Every year, theyve reassured my class that there are no stupid questions. But, recently, Ive discovered that I ask stupid questions all the time – some are irrelevant, some are obvious, and most are far from scholarly. Throughout the day, a puzzled voice chirps these questions into my eardrum. As the questions â€Å"how did medieval people with poor eyesight see?† and â€Å"where do roadkill go?† resonate in my head, they naturally seep out through my lips. My family, accustomed to hearing me make random inquiries, chooses to ignore them. When my intonation rises, my sister doesnt even look at me. When I begin a sentence with â€Å"why,† my mom tells me to Google it. Although my family dismisses these questions as annoying, I picture them as fuel for the furnace of curiosity. Without discriminating between insightful and obvious inquiries, the embers alight from any source of nourishment. We will write a custom essay sample on Stupid Questions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As the flames grow, each question builds upon the prior – â€Å"how did medieval people with poor eyesight see?† evolves into â€Å"what precipitated the invention of eyeglasses?† – until magic happens. I understand the impact of literacy in a whole new context. Spontaneously, I gasp with inspiration, a gust big enough to blow out the mental wildfire, thereby creating fertile ground for a dull question on another day. Im able to have these mini-epiphanies because of the allegedly stupid questions I ask. I acknowledge that my questions aren’t scholarly, but I’ve already found that it’s impossible to change the way my brain works. Sometimes, a one-line statement from Wikipedia is enough to satisfy my curiosity. More often than not, I need more. My ideas may be silly and erratic, but theyre the unpredictable products of my thought process. Since I do quite a bit of thinking every day, Ive accepted that for me, thinking begins with a stup id question. Even though Ive been asking random questions since I could formulate complete sentences, the spool of intriguing topics never seems to run out. When my mom enrolled me in kindergarten, she hoped that going to school would abate my curiosity, but its only expanded it. As I learn more, the questions quadruple – which means a lot of Googling. Despite the annoyed looks I receive and the awkward silences that follow my unanswered inquiries, my mind is free to zip-line from one thought to another, all branching off from an â€Å"irrelevant† question. Then, I suppose, my teachers are right. There are no stupid questions because they develop into something greater, maybe even something scholarly. It’s evolution at its finest.

Business Process Outsourcing

Business Process Outsourcing Introduction Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) involves a firm contracting some of its operations and processes to another firm. According to Duening and Rick (2), Business process outsourcing is a movement of business process from inside the organization to an external service provider. Outsourcing enables the company to concentrate on the main objective.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Business Process Outsourcing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rafiq (4) describes business processing as a white collar services required to service employees to customer. The services given by BPO firms may include: auditing, tax processing, Payroll, e.t.c. India has for a long time dominated the BPO market, mainly because of availability of labor, resulting from the high population in the country. There has been tremendous growth in BPO industry in china. The growth can be attributed to Chinese richness in experts, knowledge and skills, as well as increased proficiency in English language in the recent years, compared to the past. China’s main barrier to becoming the top BPO provider is the English language (Shalin 1). A lot of Chinese people today are learning English and the government plans to use billions of dollars in English Education so that China can become a global leader in BPO. Outsourcing has become popular in developed nations and across the world, with the firms being drawn to the BPO because of factors like availability of expertise, availability of improved services and cost reduction (Reid 1) Who are the major competitors? India hosts most of the leading BPO companies and enjoys vast market from United States, and around the world. It has firms like Genpact, Infosys BPO, IBM India and HCL which are globally competitive IBM offers BPO services, among many other services and it’s based in the United States of America. It manufactures and sells computer software and hardware. IBM offers the following outsourcing services;Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Customer Relationship Management Finance and Administration Human resource Procurement and supply chain management Technical Help desk services Industry Bank office CRM services involve provision of an improved customer experience and also intensive analysis of customer’s data, so that it becomes possible to come up with actionable and viable customer initiative. Customer Relationship Management also involves reduction of bad debts, through managing of debts. IBM also offers analytic business services which are supposed to give insight to customer management, and also to help the firm make better and valid decisions. IBM technical services helps a firm to utilize technologies in a way that they will reduce cost and ensure incidents that result to losses are reduced through proacti vely scanning IT environment. IBM has a branch in India, (IBM India) which was awarded the Golden Media HR Excellent awards for the year 2011, due to its effectiveness in Human resource and customer management. Accenture is another major competitor in the BPO market. It is an information technology outsourcing company, based on Ireland. Among the services that it offers are listed below. Procurement and human resource Finance and procurement: these includes Learning and Human resource IT outsourcing in conjunction According to Zacks investment Research (1), Accenture secured a number of contracts, for example, a 6-year outsourcing contract to provide application management services to Germany-based Henkel’s North American operations in the year 2010. This is an indication of how globally competitive the firm is, because of its links with Europe and proficiency in English language. Genpact also is another competitor to Chinese outsourcing companies. It offers services like,A dvertising We will write a custom report sample on Business Process Outsourcing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sales and marketing. Finance and Accounting. Supply chain. Collection. Customer services. Health care and learning. Content Management. Genpact went into a contract in January 2010 with US largest drugs store Walgreens, transferring at least 500 jobs to Genpact (Sachitanand 1). The main reason behind the outsourcing was to improve cost productivity and facilitate growth strategy aiming at maximizing returns. Genpact may be a big challenge to Chinese companies because, despite it having high skilled experts in various fields of services, it has the advantage of having staffs that are proficient in English, a language widely spoken in Europe, America and around the world. These are just but a few giants in the BPO market, that are out to compete with China in this business. Most of these firms get their employees from Indi a due to the availability of cheap and efficient labor which makes the outsourcing firms to prosper. Infosearch BPO is another company based on India that offers outsourcing services to their clients. According to Inforsearch BPO website, the company offers services ranging from: Outbound Call centre solutions Telemarketing Technical support, Chat and e-mail support Lead generation BPO processes Web related services In the BPO services, they offer Account and finance operation Various accounting services include: Accounts payable processing, interim Audits, General ledger Maintenance, Monthly and year end closing assistance, payroll processing, sales and tax returns preparation and Accounts reconciliation. Human resource services Human resource services include: Payroll Administration including handling of taxes issues, employee benefits, health, and Medical employees’ background verification Data processing and Management Data Processing and management services includes: D ata maintenance, data entry, Data processing, data conversion data mining and new database creationAdvertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chat and Email support Chat and email support include, Customer service, Technical support, inquiry Handling order taking and Follow up services Strength and weakness of the main competitors Based on the above list of competitors, most companies that can give Asia a challenge in outsourcing business are in India. A company like IBM is based on United States; therefore it can enjoy better access to USA market than Asian companies due to the advanced market in the United States of America. India has been preferred to be a good source of labor force. India has low labor costs and high quality of skilled labor (Shalin 7). Outsourcing services in India has grown among major cities with some firms avoiding the major cities of India, to operate from minor towns in the service industry with low cost. Some firms are again looking for cheaper and efficient labor in the remote cities (Kobayashi 115) Shalin observes that the flourishing BPO industry in India is a result of a strong English spea king workforce that joins the market every year (vii). Outsourcing industry in China is faced with a Language challenge as many of the citizens cannot use the language well. To remove this barrier, the government of China is putting in place academic programmes and has also developed curriculum that will lead to more Chinese enrolling in those programmes to familiarize themselves with the English language. Accenture on the other hand offers extensive services, ranging from application, infrastructure, to business process outsourcing. It embarks on cost reduction to its clients, at the same time offering high quality services. It surpasses china by the fact that it is based on an English speaking country, and also being strategically located in Europe. According to Zacks investment research, â€Å"It has been expanding over the years, Accenture also has extensive relationship with world’s leading companies and government, and it operates in over 120 countries† (Zacks in vestment research 1). This has given this company an upper hand in securing a share in the BPO market (Zacks investment research 1). Infosearch BPO, another outsourcing company based in India, stresses the need of offering the best services to its customer. Inforsearch seeks to offer Financial and accounting services emphasizing on data security, risk management, governance and improved efficiency (Infosearch BPO services 1). Inforsearch BPO also offers excellent data processing and management at low rates, and also performs error- data management services that will help the organization save time, and hence money. They also respond to email of clients effectively without delay, removing the offload of many mails thereby reducing email overcrowding. Labor arbitration across Asia Labor arbitration is an economic concept where, with the removal of trade barriers, labor moves from regions with low paying jobs to regions where jobs are paying better. Some nations have very high populati on, and so they educate more labor than can be absorbed in the market. This leads to low wages and salaries. Labor arbitration allows these employees to migrate to other countries and seek employment. lupinacci (1) found out that cost of labor in Asia is 75% the cost of labor in United States. Therefore creating a need for companies to source cheap labor form Asia, just to save on cost. However, outsourcing only helps to reduce cost and is viable if you are importing labor at a lower cost. Companies in china cannot therefore source labor outside the country, if such labor is abundantly available right in the country. Initially, outsourcing clients were expected to come from expensive economies such as Japan, USA, Singapore, simply because labor costs in these countries were high, and therefore companies operating from there would wish to import labor at lower costs. Surprisingly, KPMG international (2) found out that 55% of surveyed companies in India and 46 percent in China say tha t they already outsource. 24 percent of respondents in India, and 30 percent in china plans to outsource in the next three years. Companies in India have greater tendency of outsourcing business functions as compared to other Asian companies and this distinguishes the operations of the companies between the two territories. According to the report, 64% of respondents in India say they currently outsource, or plan to outsource accounting, debt collection and tax processing. Only 50% in the rest of Asia say the same (KPMG 2). Language is an important and indispensable Criterion for companies when selecting and putting into place a service provider. To majority of the respondents, language and the country’s culture strongly dictates their outsourcing requirement. Although English remains the key language of the subsidiaries of multinational companies, it is not the case with local companies. Therefore, companies looking for outsourcing markets in Asia should employ people who ar e fluent in Asian languages. Most of the respondents viewed some tasks such as strategic planning, sales and marketing, risk management and research and development as very important and essential to the company, and so they should be done from inside. According to KPMG international (2), BPO business will boom in Asia, when more Asian companies agree to trust outsiders in the areas they regard as key player. For example, accounting, finance, etc. Finally, an explosion in the market is set to happen, when the companies that are already outsources succeed over their competitors, as a result of reduced cost brought by outsourcing. The competitors will be forced to follow suit, in order to stay in the business. Growth strategy to outsourcing company in China Outsourcing is one of the strategies that firms in developed world are using to lower cost of production, by outsourcing labor which is cheap, lowering their labor cost. Wage rates in China and India range from 10% to 25% as compar ed to those for quality workers in the US and elsewhere in the developed world (Brecher et al 1). What this means for Asia is that they stand a chance to expand their markets event wider because more and more firms in the developed countries will tend to source more labor from Asia. A good growth strategy would include: Adoption and campaigning for policies which allow labor migration across the world. In a free market economy, labor can easily move from countries where demand is low, to countries where demand is high. If all countries adopt this policy and ceases government intervention in labor markets, then firms in a given country can easily outsource. The government of China should ask its trade partners to adopt this policy, which is widely used by many developed countries in the world. The main drawbacks are that national labor union, as well as non-governmental organizations, which will always challenge the government if most of the countries workforce is outsourced and the unemployment levels, are high. Mostly, trade unions in developed countries demand for higher and higher pay. With the labor unions as watchdogs, it becomes tricky and difficult for the firm to replace the costly labor with a cheap one. Language is another factor that needs to be addressed. Language and culture of firms in outsourcing should be that which is acceptable and admirable to those who wish to get their labor. The main reason why Indian firms get a wider market in United States and Europe compared to other Asian countries is their ability to communicate in English. Chinese government has already embarked on programmers to make its citizens more conversant with English language. However, this does not rule out other Asian languages. The bottom line is for each BPO company to clearly make a target in the market, and ensure they are proficient in the language spoken in the spotted and targeted market. Companies like IBM India Genpact market share is largely attributed to their staffs’ proficiency in the English language. Asia, that is china and India should embrace outsourcing with both hands. KPGM international survey report shows that most firms in China embrace outsourcing, but just not with both hands. There are areas in the firms that the management feels so precious to outsource, and therefore they would rather produce their own workforce to do these jobs. These jobs include strategic planning, risk management, research development. If only everybody could embrace BPO, then china can enjoy the market first in the region and later in the rest of the world. However I strongly feel that in due time, the few firms that have embraced BPO in all areas will make tremendous success against their competitors. Government Policy The government of china should adopt policies that are likely to encourage firms to indulge in BPO, either as the supplier of services, or consumers. The policies should involve a tax holiday, for companies in BPO business. If an employee goes to work outside china and they are taxed on their income, the Chinese government should not tax the same so that they can avoid the problem of double taxation. Recently, the government of china has been encouraging multinational companies to set up outsourcing operations in the country or event set up joint venture with Chinese outsourcing companies. According to Ensinger, â€Å"the Chinese and the US government’s chamber of commerce and industry, Chinese branch, has worked hand in hand with the US government to Sponsor events in America, encouraging the US companies to seek for workforce overseas† (Ensinger pg. 1). The chamber has funded pro outsourcing campaigns, and has openly opposed those who are against it. Management This is yet another strategy individual firm should have good management skills that will enable to adopt strategies that will lead to success. Every firm should have a good IT infrastructure management that will ensure the firm adv ances in IT skills and should produce staffs that possess the same skills. Expertise in area of specialization is a self marketing concept in staff, and china should make their staff as experienced as possible. Employment retention The firms should adopt measures to ensure that hard working and focused employees are given incentives and good working conditions and the company should dedicate its resources towards their career development and experience so that they do not leave the firm. High employee turnover Raman classifies the reasons that lead to high employee’s turnover into â€Å"Drive attrition† reasons caused by the employer, or â€Å"drag attrition† reasons due to the employees. Drag attrition are caused by employer, who may fail to re hire employees after the contract period. The employing company’s policy may require retention of only the productive employees, with the rest being sent away (3). According to Raman, â€Å"Drag attrition is due to insecurity and vulnerability associated with taking on a career with a BPO company, while others may quite as a chance to rise up the corporate ladder† (Raman 3). Nature of work in many BPO companies is psychologically stressing and may lead to illness, fatigue, ulcers, depression and other chronic illnesses. In order to overcome workers turnover, BPO companies should give initiatives to ensure that employees remain with them and to make them feel that they gain more when they work with BPO than when they leave. Incentives may be financial; it can be a pension scheme which is enjoyable after working for years with them so whoever leaves earlier looses the benefit. High salaries High salaries that meet employee’s needs should be a must, alongside the assurance of a job security. The employees should feel that the BPO Company holds the future for them. Raman suggests various ways that employees can be made to stay in a BPO company (8). One of them is changing employeeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s attitude towards BPO. Employees should cease from seeing this job as a lifestyle or may be a job to cling on waiting for greener pastures ahead, to seeing it as a career. This can be done through changing organizational structure, which will give the employee a chance to climb up the corporate ladder, may be from a subordinate staff, to junior staff and later may be a manager. BPO companies should also present a socially presentable image to the employees and the public at large. Raman (8) says that â€Å"BPO firms should take those physically handicapped in the community, and thereby become socially responsible† as this will present a very good image in the eyes of the employees and they will feel a part of the organization and they will be more loyal and willing to serve the company to the best of their ability. According to Raman (9), effective communication should be used as a tool to give the employees a sense of belonging. Their views should be taken seriously and whoever has an incentive in the company should be taken seriously. Employees should be informed of what is happening and should be updated on issues of the company. Employees should also be given a choice of reward. Every employee should be in a position to choose among the varieties of rewards that the company offers Some people may prefer more pay, while others may prefer more time off. Personalizing rewards shows the company cares for each individual’s needs, as opposed to distributing generic rewards (Raman 10). Customer satisfaction This is also very important in outsourcing business; the firm should aim at achieving the needs of the company that it is supplying with technical experts. A good vendor client relationship also is a key thing in boosting BOP business (Mayen 4). Schwartz and Ye (1) attributes the key to business success to indulging yourself with a good outsourcing company that will ensure reduction in cost and lead to increased production capacity. The main reason why firms outsource is to attain competitive advantage, and achieve economies of scale (Kakabadse and Kakabadse 3). According to Harley (106), both the BPO Company and the client should consider certain aspects when developing a good negotiation strategy that amount to good result Both should understand negotiation position, and the position is largely determined by the objectives and goals of the BPO Company and the client. The clients aim at reducing cost and gaining competitive advantage. The scope of business The scope of business being outsourced should also be considered. This is driven by consumer’s business requirement and it will be determined by how the BPO Company deals with certain legal terms. Relative bargain Relative bargain positions of either party should also be put into consideration. The bargaining position is influenced by the client’s urgency to enter into a BPO contract and also the benefits that the transaction carried out offers to the vendor. The parties should establish the objective and goals of the contract because it largely influences the substance and form of the contract entered into. The parties should define the scope, according to the client’s requirements and the company’s resources and capabilities. The client must first define the scope of the agreement, and then the company redefines it. This process will help to come with good terms over the contract and it is a key to establishing a good and satisfying contractual relationship. Establish the value and urgency of the contract in terms of your client. The value may range from increased profits as a result of saving on costs to creating a good image in the eyes of the public, as a multinational company that take regards need of other nations. According to Harley (108), the value may also be psychological whereby if the contract has already been communicated to the employees and the public as a whole, failure to close the deal may be seen as a weak point in the eyes of the public and may demean the client. Each party must define roles it intends to play in the contract. This involves the legal process of drafting the agreement, where both parties ensure that all its concerns have been put into consideration. A good contract negotiation strategy by China BPO Company will lead to happy customers and long ties that ensure business progress in the coming years. Willcocks and Cullen (46) talk of a contract management that will ensure that firms operate at lower costs and in the spirit of profit maximization and relative competitive advantage. With these factors taken into consideration, Chinese BPO companies can at a significant amount overcome the challenge of employee turnouts and they would be at a path to become world leaders in this business. Why china has a great potential for BPO China’s BPO potential has been on the rise over the years, attracting more and more international companies. This strength c an be attributed to: Strong domestic market China is a country with very high population. This population offers a market for business growth. Many Chinese firms have also started outsourcing some services. The BPO industries therefore enjoy both the domestic market and the international market, leading to a tremendous growth. A survey conducted by Sanchez (20) shows that many companies in Asia and Canada do not outsource the areas they consider strategic, such as finance, but 90% comfortably outsource it. Companies should however embrace outsourcing in all sectors, to increase the domestic market Improving education infrastructure According to Gallagher et al (5), on a higher education report in china by (OECD), enrollment in higher education in China has risen from 5 million in 1990, to 23 million in 2009. This tremendous investment in education means improved and quality workforce for china. The workforce has hence led to high growth in BPO industries. Skilled labor at low prices China enjoys a vast population of skilled labor. Going with the law of demand and supply, higher supply will reduce the cost of labor, making manufactures enjoy low labor at very low costs. It has the largest population with 1.3 to 1.4 billion people (Eltscjomger, 34) Brecher et al (1) argues that wage rates in China and India rang form 10% to 25% of those for comparable quality workers in US and elsewhere in the developed world. Due to this, firms in developed countries are moving to china to source for cheap labor boosting the BOP industry. Comprehensive IT infrastructure The government of China has embarked on a massive investment on the IT sector. China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) declared that the government has spent RMB 367.6 billion on infrastructure. This infrastructure is therefore boosting businesses, especially IT outsourcing. KPGM international survey report shows that most firms in China embrace outsourcing but just not with both hands ( 4). There are areas in the firms that the management feels so precious to outsource, and therefore they would rather produce their own workforce to do these jobs. These jobs include strategic planning, risk management, research Government policies The Chinese government has embarked on policies that are at largely aimed at boosting BPO businesses. The policies are together with increased English education to make China population to be fluent with the English language and make China globally competitive. The policies also involve giving tax rebates, incentives and subsidies to BPO Companies (Rightsite Team 1) Exchange Nexus is a Chinese based company that provides insight to other companies on how to outsource. According to Exchange Nexus (1), the company works with top Chinese outsourcing companies trying to outsource and provide them with training resources and this firm is just another reason why China is climbing heights in outsourcing. Conclusion The BOP industry is one of the largest growing industries in the world as a result of benefits that accrue to those who use it. The cost of initial investment can be tremendously high, because of capital assets as well as experts in various fields. In fact, the time that a firm may take to develop human resource that it requires and train them to high standard may be too much, considering how important time resource can be to an organization. BPO makes it possible for you to acquire these services without necessarily training the workforce yourself. BPO can also offer flexible labor because you can have a short term outsourcing contract for a service that you do not need for long. It can also be a good method of acquiring employees, because you can consume them in your program after the contract is over. Some firms even have policies to retain productive employees after the contract. In the long run, it means such a firm will employ a very productive workforce even in other parts of the world, a supermarket that want to develop sales software, probably do not have a programmer at hand. However, they can indulge an IT company to make this software for them without necessarily employing a programmer. The outsourcing business also helps in cost reduction because the firms can import cheap labor from developing countries to cut down on production cost. Outsourcing is therefore becoming a very common way of acquiring what firms do not have and the demand for the BPO services is increasing. India and China have got a large pool of skilled employees (Infosearch BPO Services Pvt Ltd 1). Over the years, India has dominated the market due to proficiency in English language of its citizens. Key leaders in the BOP business include IBM and Infosearch. These companies have branches in India. They are attracted by the large percentage of skilled workforce. Both India and China enjoys high population, resulting to surplus labor which should to be exported to other countries. China recently has enjoyed trem endous growth in the BOP sector (Weinberg pg 1). The government of China has been encouraging other countries to import labor from china, by diplomatic relations. We have already seen that the United States chamber of commerce and industry (China branch) is very active in campaign to encourage the US companies to outsource cheap labor from china. Initiatives are also underway to make most of the population to be fluent in English so that they can comfortably engage in business transaction Europe and America. The government has also made allies with other governments, in a view to expand international markets in the spirit of globalization of the labor force (Bpovia.com 1). Individual firms are also encouraged to undertake strategic measures that will ensure they live long in the business. They should build a good business name by providing high quality services to their customers and establishing good customer relations. Public image presented by a BPO company may either attract cus tomers or chase them away. If the current trend continues, China will be the leading BPO services provider in the world due to the abundance of professionals with high expertise at a very low price as well an increased IT revolution in Asia, and particularly in china. Bpovia.com. China Government favorable policies outsourcing China Business news, 2008. Web. bpovia.com/blog/bpo/china-government-favorable-policies-outsourcing.html Brecher, Jeremy., Costello, Tim and Smith, Brendan. From Campgains to movements:  Global labor strategies, 2006. Web.. http://laborstrategies.blogs.com/global_labor_strategies/2006/05/index.html. Duening, Thomas, and Click, Rick. Essentials of Business process outsourcing. Canada: John winkly and sons, 2005. Web. https://books.google.com/books?id=3OBKGyqZpJ8Cprintsec=frontcoverdq=bpo+outsourcinghl=encd=2#v=onepageq=bpo%20outsourcingf=false Eltscjomger, Cyrillm. Source code china: a new global hub in IT outsourcing. New Jersey: John winkly and sons, 2007 . Ensinger, Dustin. Report: chamber of commerce held seminar promote outsourcing:  America’s Economic report, 2010. Web. http://economyincrisis.org/content/report-chamber-commerce-held-seminars-promote-outsourcing Exchange Nexus. Connecting outsourcing opportunities in china, 2010. Web. exchangenexus.com/ Gallagher, Michael., Abrar, Hasan., Canning, Mary., Newby, Howard., Saner, Lichia – Yiu and Whitman, Ian. OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education, 2009. Web.https://www.google.com/#sclient=psyhl=ensite=source=hpq=march+2009++higher+education+report+in+china+%2Cby+(OECD)++btnK=Google+Searchoq=aq=aqi=aql=gs_sm=gs_upl=bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.fp=3de569e27bd1a92ebiw=1024bih=564 Harley, John. Business process outsourcing: Process, strategies, and contract, 2nd ed,  2007. New Jersey: John winkly and sons, 2007. Web. https://books.google.com/books?id=i9fAXY- ZfTACprintsec=frontcoverdq=bpo+outsourcinghl=encd=3#v=onepageq=bpo%20outsourcingf=false Infosearch BPO Services Pvt Ltd. B PO Company India: Outsourcing BPO Services   Call Center Solutions in Chennai, India, 2009. Web.. infosearchbpo.com/index.php Kakabadse, Andrew and Nada, Kakabadse. Outsourcing: Current and future trends. London: Wiley periodicals, 2005. Web.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tie.20048/abstract Kobayashi, Mark. Outsourcing to India: The offshore advantage, 2nd ed. Berlin: Springer verlag gerlin Heidelberb, 2005. Web.. https://books.google.com/books?id=zdxbEwgfQzQCpg=PA133dq=bpo+bookshl=enei=JThVTr-bHsXt-gagzenABgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=6ved=0CEoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepageq=bpo%20booksf=false KPMG International. International and Economic intelligence unit: Asian outsourcing,  2006. Web.aimri.net/master/presentations/Rajan-cht(2)..pdf lupinacci, Geno. Out sourcing in Asia, 2011. Web.. http://askvisory.com/research/hr-outsourcing-in-asia/ Mayen, Cunden. The impact of the it outsourcing relationship on the success of the  Venture: A research agenda Warwick Business Schoo l. UK: University of Warwick, 2005. Rafiq, Dossani. Issues in software and Business Process offshoring: Doing Business  In India, 2003. Web. http://asia.stanford.edu/events/fall03/slides/dossaniSlides.pdf Raman, Rajeev. Strategies to Retain Human Capital in Business Process Outsourcing  (BPO) Industry. India: Kohinoor Business School, 2006. Reid, Warren. Outsourcing: 20 steps to success, 2003. Web. www.wsrcg.com/Articles/OutSourcing.pdf Rightsite Team. 5 Reasons why China Will Dominate Business process outsourcing,  2010. Web. http://rightsite.asia/en/article/5-reasons-china-will-dominate-business-process-outsourcing Sachitanand, Rahul. Genpact ink 10-year outsourcing deal: Economic Times, 2005. Web. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ Sanchez, Carlos. The Benefit and risk of knowledge process Outsorcing: Ivey  Bussiness Journal, 2010. Web. iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/strategy/the-benefits-and-risks-of-knowledge-process-outsourcing Schwartz, Alan and Ye, George. Outs ourcing – Control is the key to success, 2002. Web. scribd.com/doc/58516259/Article Shalin, Verma. Soft Skills and BPO Sector. India: Dorkling Kinderslery publishers, 2009. Weinberg, Joshua. Offshoring IT and BPO services to China, 2010. Web. http://internationalbusiness.wikia.com/wiki/Rising_Star:_Offshoring_IT_and_BPO_Services_to_China Willcocks, Lesliem and Cullen, Sara. The Outsourcing Enterprise: From Cost  Management to Collaborative Innovation. Newyork: Palgrave macmillian, 2011. Zacks investment Research. Accenture wins outsourcing contract, 2010. Web. dailymarkets.com/stock/2010/06/16/accenture-wins-outsourcing-contract/ wauo7CmBgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false?

Abraham Lincoln Bio Essay Example for Free

Abraham Lincoln Bio Essay ? Since his death in 1865, Abraham Lincoln has been immortalized as one of, if not the greatest hero in American history due to his role in ending the Civil War and abolishing slavery. He led our country through its’ darkest days and was able to prevent the south from successfully seceding and preserving the United States. Throughout history many have been called heroes, some deservedly and others not. Lincoln’s recognition as a hero is valid because of his many achievements and his leadership style. Lincoln was born in February 1809, in Kentucky. His early life was difficult, losing his mother to illness at 9 years old. The family was poor and Lincoln needed to work to help support them. As a result, he had very little formal education, but it was this hard work and humble beginnings that ignited the spark in Lincoln to learn. When he was a young man the family moved to Illinois and it was there that Lincoln learned the law and became interested in local politics. In 1834 he was elected to the Illinois State Legislature. He taught himself the law, was admitted to the Bar in 1836 and also began a career as a successful lawyer. Between 1847 and 1849 he served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result of the increased opposition to slavery, the Republican Party was born and Lincoln joined the party in 1856. It was his anti-slavery views and the continuing passing of laws to protect slavery that further sparked his interest in politics. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate but obtain national exposure from the race due to his unique communication and debating techniques. It was this exposure that found him as a candidate for President in 1860. He was elected the 16th President of the United States and the first President from the Republican Party. Because of his well-known views on slavery, the  secessionists began their plans to split from the Union prior to his taking office. The Civil Was began in April of 1861 with the attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Almost immediately in his role as President, Lincoln was faced with the most challenging situation of any President prior to him. His decision-making and communication skills, though unpopular at times, would be a vital part of his success over the next several years. Lincoln possessed strong social intelligence skills. He was sensitive to other people’s feelings and moods, and he was particularly adept at reading people. Lincoln had a great ability in understanding the motivations of others, and was skillful at getting others to cooperate with him. He knew to be pleasant and approachable while also being fierce when fighting for causes he believed in. One tool that Lincoln would use was storytelling. He would use stories from his past which would put people at ease while at the same time relaying his point in a clear way. Another method he would use was to ask questions to get his rivals to see things his way. His communication style and speeches were simple and logical. Abraham Lincoln’s most famous speech was the Gettysburg Address given in 1863 at the dedication of the National Cemetery after the battle at Gettysburg. The speech last just over two minutes and was an example of how Lincoln understood his audience. There had been much â€Å"Pomp and Circumstance† throughout the ceremony and many long speeches prior to his. The words he chose were short and to the point, but were full of inspiration and emotion. The speech focused on the principles of the founding fathers of our nation and the words from the Declaration of Independence that â€Å"all men are created equal† and that all men have the unalienable rights to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. One of the main things Lincoln wanted to accomplish with this speech, was to rally support for the 13th Amendment, which would abolish slavery and was in jeopardy of failing to pass in Congress. Lincoln again used his influence as a communicator to get the 13th Amendment passed. He would spend hours with his political rivals building relationships. It was important that he understood their perspectives on the issues and would give them the opportunity to express their views and needs. His approach was thoughtful and personal. This bill was met with much opposition and it took great skill and tenacity on Lincoln’s part to insure its passage. Many Presidents since Lincoln have also faced challenges when trying to pass  legislature, among them our current President Barack Obama. Whether or not you are a supporter of our current President aside, some similarities can be seen between the two. As was the case with Lincoln, Obama is known for his listening skills, and taking in ideas from all sides. He is a skilled orator and there is a strong sense of morality in his tone when speaking. There are many references to President Lincoln in Obama’s speeches which show the influence the former President has on him. Abraham Lincoln led our nation through one of its most turbulent times. He used his communication skills and understanding of people to obtain success. His ability to talk to people and understand what they stood for while moving them to see things his way led him to be regarded as one of our greatest Presidents. A-E Networks. Abraham lincoln – biography [Web log message].

The Best Form of Governmen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Best Form of Governmen - Essay Example In this form of government, the rule is for needy people. Under conditions of law or aristocracy, the ruler is interested in the outcome of his actions in the name of his country (Mindell 1996; Randall, 1960; Robinson, 1995). Aristotle on government Government should develop virtue and common good. The rulers are interested in people with enough knowledge, power and time to follow their ideas. Nowadays there is a need to promote the development of the best ruler. The politics must be open for the â€Å"ready† rulers, who are focused on their own ideas and the developments in the name of the virtue. The politicians should not cash in on the misery of their citizens; they must develop their policies in the name of the common good. The rulers have to invest their money into the development of the common virtue, because the laborers are too busy and they will not be able to contribute much into a common good. In his Book III we can read: â€Å"†¦a state is a body of citizens sufficing for the purposes of life† (Aristotle 1997, p. 43). Concerning the negative forms of the government, Aristotle claims that under conditions of tyranny, the interests of the monarch are supported. In terms of oligarchy, the interests of wealthy people are taken into account. ... It is a kind of a mixture of democracy, monarchy, and oligarchy. I think that in the modern context it is possible to apply the ideas of Aristotle successfully. In case the modern rulers do not consider democracy as the most successful form of the government, there is a need to implement the mixed forms of ruling (Jackson, 2001). Aristotle justifies his choice of a mixed government employing the example of the social roles: for instance, a father shows different roles in his relations with his children and his wife: in the first case these rules are royal and in the second case these rules are constitutional ones. Moreover, we can analyze the following quote by Aristotle: â€Å"†¦but in most constitutional states the citizens rule and are ruled by turns, for the idea of a constitutional state implies that the natures of the citizens are equal, and do not differ at all. Nevertheless, when one rules and the other is ruled we endeavour to create a difference of outward forms and n ames and titles of respect† (Aristotle 1997, p. 185). Consequently, we can claim that rules of governing are changing during a certain period of time. The constitutional government implies relations of a wife and a husband. There are permanent inequalities within the governmental structure. In their essence, these relations are equal, but in fact there is always a kind of difference in the relations between wives and husbands. Consequently, â€Å"polity† is the best form of the government, as Aristotle claims. Every citizen has a right to rule. Ruling is a complex activity and there are many social layers involved in the process of governing. Therefore, an option of a social control over different forms of the government place both rich and

Animal Cruelty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Animal Cruelty - Research Paper Example The given work will discuss the main forms of animal cruelty and provide the recommendations on how to struggle with the problem. Animal entertainment is one of the many forms of animal cruelty that often goes unnoticed. Animals are used in zoos, circus, bull riding and bull fights. Most of these animals are taken from their homes and forced to live in much small replicas of their natural habitats. These animals do not like being confined, which often results in aggressive behaviors, they are usually accused of. Many animals are killed, because they are considered dangerous for people. Nobody thinks about the real causes of this aggression. Animal experimentation is also a form of animal cruelty. In 1938, the food, drug and cosmetics act was passed requiring animal testing of certain drugs and chemicals to make sure they were safe for humans. Millions of mice, rats, cats, dogs, monkeys and many other animals are waiting to be experimented on right now. 90% of them are rats and mice (Mice and Rats in Laboratories). It is well-know that mice and rats are very similar to humans psychologically, they can have different feelings like humans, but it is not taken into account when choosing animals for experiments. It is well-know that mice and rats are very similar to humans psychologically, they can have different feelings like humans, but it is not taken into account when choosing animals for experiments. â€Å"Mice and rats are mammals with nervous systems similar to our own. It’s no secret that they feel pain, fear, loneliness, and joy just as we do. These highly social animals communicate with each other using hi gh-frequency sounds that are inaudible to the human ear† (Mice and Rats in Laboratories). Most of these animals used for experimentation live in cold, barren cages before the initial experiment takes place. More than one millions animals are used in labs per year in the U.S. Most animals are poisoned,

Black Culture Essay Example for Free

Black Culture Essay During the Harlem Renaissance, writers, especially black ones, portrayed the black culture and style in their writing. They used black assumptions, generalizations and stereotypes to show, what they thought was, the black culture. Not all of this was far from the truth. Three writers, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Sterling Brown are examples of writers that emulated black culture in their works. Langston Hughes works, â€Å"†The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† â€Å"Mother to Son,† â€Å"When Sue Wears Red, † â€Å"The Weary Blues,† I, Too,† and â€Å"Harlem† are examples of the portrayal of black culture through writing. In â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† Hughes focuses on important accomplishments and places where Negroes were heavily populated. â€Å"I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. / I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. /I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. / I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln/ went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy/ bosom turn all golden in the sunset† (Hughes 1291). In â€Å"Mother to Son,† he describes advice of a mother given to her son. She tells him how her life was no â€Å"crystal stair† and how she had to struggle to get where she is and that she is still struggling to get even further. She describes her trials and tribulations as â€Å"tacks/†¦and splinters/ and boards torn up/ and places with no carpet on the floor/ bare. † (Hughes 1292). She tells her son never to give up on his dreams and to keep climbing that â€Å"crystal stair. † This is because the mother knows how hard it is to get ahead in the world when you’re black and that everything that blacks have they have worked hard to get. â€Å"When Sue Wears Red† describes the beauty of the black woman. He compares Susanna’s face o â€Å"an ancient cameo/ turned brown by the ages. † He also compares to â€Å"a queens form some time-dead Egyptian night† (Hughes 1293). â€Å"The Weary Blues† portrays the musical side of the black culture, describing a man playing â€Å"that sad raggy tune like a musical fool† and singing in â€Å"a deep song voice with a melancholy tone† The music that â€Å"comes from a black man’s soul† (Hughes 1294). â€Å"I, Too† show the degrading manner in which black people were treated. The black house workers were treated as if they were inferior or not fit to be around white people. This is shown when the worker tells us, â€Å"they send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes. † Due to the high hopes and determination of black people, this does not discourage the speaker. He knows that, one day, he’ll â€Å"be at the table/ when company comes. / Nobody’ll dare/ say to me/ ‘eat in the kitchen’/†¦they’ll see how beautiful I am/ and be ashamed† (Hughes 1295). He believes that one day black people will be accepted and will be able to â€Å"eat† with the whites. This attitude is what kept blacks striving to succeed. â€Å"Harlem† questions what may happen if black people put off their dreams and progression. This delay may be willing or by force but either way the dreams may â€Å"dry up/ like a raisin in the sun† or stink like rotten meat† or even worse â€Å"explode† (Hughes 1309). Stopping black people from fulfilling their dreams would at worst cause a rebellion. This rebellion may not be nonviolent. Sterling Brown uses poems such as â€Å" Odyssey of Big Boy,† â€Å"Southern Road,† â€Å"Slim Greer,† and â€Å"Ma Rainey† to describe black culture in his eyes. Brown wrote mostly of the working class black population. He wrote his poems as though it were a work song that they used to keep time. Thus, you see a lot of repetition in his works. This is seen in both â€Å"Odyssey of Big Boy† and â€Å"Southern Road. † In â€Å"Odyssey of Big Boy,† Brown gives sight to some of the folklore heroes of the black culture, such as â€Å"Casey Jones† and â€Å"Stagolee† (Brown 1248). This not only shows the heroes represented in black culture but also their use of stories past down through the generations to keep the culture alive. He goes on to describe the manual labor that black people have done over the ages. This includes how they â€Å"skinned as a boy in Kentucky hills/druv steel there as a man/†¦striped tobacco in Virginia fiel’s/†¦mined de coal in West Virginia† etc (Brown 1249). These are prime examples of the jobs that the lack culture held whether it is when they were slaves or after they were freed. It was characteristic of them to hold jobs that involved a great deal of manual labor. â€Å"Southern Road† depicts some of the struggles that a typical black man may have dealt with during those times. He speaks about working in a chain gang, a father dying, going to jail and white men degrading the black man. â€Å"Slim Greer† is about a black man that passed as white. He met a white woman who â€Å"thought he as from Spain/ or else from France† (Brown 1256). It was not until he played â€Å"some mo’nful blues† that they found out that he was indeed black (Brown 1257). This depicts the musicality of the black culture. Music was one of the many ways they used to express themselves, so, for the most part, they had a great talent in it. â€Å"Ma Rainey† is also a poem about the musicality of the black culture. Whenever Ma Rainey came to town â€Å"folks from anyplace/ miles aroun’/†¦flocks to hear/ Ma do her stuff† (Brown 1258). Black people enjoyed gathering around to listen to music. This was probably because not only was it entertaining but it also told a story. Zora Neale Hurston depicts black culture through her works entitled â€Å"Sweat,† â€Å"How IT Feels To Be Colored Me,† and â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God. † Hurston wrote a great deal about the togetherness in the black community. Many of her stories, including these three works, took place in an exclusively black town and included at least one seen where the entire community sat outside together talking, usually gossiping, and watching passersby. In â€Å"Sweat† they gossip about Delia Jones, mainly they talk about how her husband, Sykes, beats and abuses her and how he is having an affair with a woman named Bertha. They badmouth Sykes, saying how horrible and stupid he is for cheating on a god woman like Delia, especially with such a fat woman. This also shows how it was common in the black culture, especially in the south, for men to like thicker women. â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† also has a few scenes in which we see the black community together. In the beginning, Janie is seen by the whole community walking back in overalls. They immediately begin to talk about her. They make assumptions, such as Tea Cake stole all of her money and abandoned her. They talk about how silly she was for taking off with a younger man in the first place and whatever happened to her probably serves her right. In conclusion, the black culture is evident in many works by various black writers. They show the good and the bad, the truth and its exaggerations. Reading works written in the time gives us a good look into what the black society was actually like back then.

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

In the novel Of Mice and Men, Jon Steinbeck portrays the life of two common men looking for work on various ranches throughout the United States. The ultimate goal of Lenny and George is to save enough money so they will be able to purchase their own ranch. Traveling the country in search of work proves to the men that companionship is one of the greatest things a man can obtain. Steinbeck uses his novel to introduce several themes that many people will encounter in life such as loneliness, death, and chasing the American dream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lenny and George discover that as long as they have each other, they will always have something. Most of the other ranch workers do not have any family or a close friend. Lenny can not take care of himself and depends on George to do so. George merely counts on Lenny for companionship and as someone to confide in. George tells Lenny of his hopes and dreams and although Lenny may not fully comprehend what George is saying, George’s need for someone to converse with is fulfilled. Lenny and George are almost like a family as in they satisfy each other’s emotional needs and keep each other company. Both Lenny and George benefit greatly from their relationship. Although it appears that Lenny needs George more, George’s needs are just not as evident. Without Lenny, George would take his pay, and “go into town and buy liquor.'; Lenny is a means of hope and his presence keeps George on track.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Death is not perceived to be the worst possible situation in this instance. Lenny has a mental condition and has the mental capacity equivalent to that of a third grader. Lenny’s reasoning skills, or rather lack thereof, lead him into doing harm to others and ultimately into killing Curley’s wife. After the other ranch workers find Curley’s wife dead, they suspect Lenny to be the killer. Lenny runs away and hides in a spot that George has told him to run to if anything bad should ever happen. George finds Lenny before the other men do, but ironically George kills Lenny. George does not kill Lenny to get rid of him and not have to take care of him anymore, but as way of helping him. Lenny’s mental state deters him from distinguishing right from wrong and thus, Lenny stays in constant trouble. Lenny does not comprehend his strength and does not know how to contain it.

Ethics of Us Army

ETHICAL CULTURE AUDIT of the United States Army By: Andrew Driscoll March 16, 2013 Each soldier in the United States Army, or any military service, will have very different experiences with the ethical culture of their unit. Is this experience due to the organizational culture or how its leaders operate within that culture that creates such an unique experience for every soldier? The point is that if you ask 10 soldiers to conduct an ethical culture audit of the military, I believe you will get 10 different answers that fall on all points on the continuum.Responses that the Army is highly ethical would come from soldiers who have â€Å"internalized cultural expectations† (p. 152). Since the Army has such a strong culture, ethical or not, there are always going to be individuals who fight that culture and resist the â€Å"internalization† of some or all the values. Typically these soldiers separate from the military during their initial training or when their first time commitment is up, usually 2-3 years. From my experience the United States Army has a highly ethical culture.One could sight any of several dozen scandals or investigations from Abu Grhaib prison abuse to the 101st Airborne soldiers raping and killing a family of five in Iraq to counter my assessment. But, I argue that these incidents occurred in spite of the strong culture, where a combination of â€Å"individual character traits† (p. 198) and/or trauma suffered in combat operations caused unethical behavior contrary to the ethical training they received. To help prevent such incidents and also study behavior the US Army has developed the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic.Since 2008 the Army has incorporated the research from this organization and trained its mid-level leaders to implement its findings at the unit level. To have a highly ethical organization, you need leadership that is committed to continuous improvement and not complacent with the current culture. In an organization with over 500,000 active soldiers the mentality has to be, there is always room for improvement. This mentality of continuous improvement must also come from the leadership of the military to be effective and implemented.Similar to Kelleher’s philosophy of â€Å"serving the needs of employees† (p. 156), the Army has a strong tradition of taking care of soldiers and their families so they can take care of the country. The leadership of the Army has set up and participates in numerous programs to assist soldiers with any issue from financial to marital problems. I completed my undergraduate education in Finance and then joined the military. I had no idea how to do my taxes and the Army taught me, not a $100,000 plus education. Once I knew how to do my taxes, as a junior leader I was required to assist my soldiers.Formal leadership in the military is prominent, from the understanding the Uniform Code of military Justice, to daily corrective actions for ve ry minor offenses that in other organizations would probably go unnoticed. This relationship tends to be very formal as all rules and regulations are written down and trained during your initial 12 weeks of basic training. The leader is also responsible for continuous training to include a weekly briefing on good decision making when off duty. The informal aspect is very unique for each leader, it typically comes from written policies that the leader permits his soldiers to dis-obey.Whether it is early dismissal on Friday, or a motto against regulations, it builds a trust a with soldiers that their leader is on their side as well. Except in extreme cases such as the Abu Grhaib prison unit, I have found that the informal systems are in alignment with the formal ones and where they differentiate are so minor that it does not cause issues. The best way to summarize ethical leadership is to know that soldiers react to your actions more than they do your words. A common Army Office motto is â€Å"Lead by Example. This motto best prevents â€Å"hypocritical leadership† (p. 162). To get the right type of leadership in the Army, recruiters look at every candidate with the SAL method, Student, Athlete, Leader. Candidates are given a score based on GPA, sports, clubs and leadership rolls held. The Army has historically not allowed individuals with a history of crime, drug abuse or cheating in, but due to recruitment issues they have started to waive some requirements to meet goals. This shift has been criticized and said to have diminished the quality of the US soldier.It was interesting to see making goals or the number this as the main reason to waive values in Aaron’s speech this week. It appears no organization is free of the pressure to perform on a quantitative measure regardless of the effect to values. Selection for promotion in the Army is also very rigorous and has a set of standards that are very consistent. This prevents fraud and any possible quid pro quo from occurring. For General officers their appointments have to be confirmed by Congress and top secret security clearance requires a polygraph test.This ensures that the nations military decision makers and individuals with information can be trusted and have been vetted. The US Army’s values, mission statement and policies are simple but have withstood the test of time. The mission of winning the nation’s wars has remained constant, but Congress has added sub-statements to ensure responsibility and protection of the American people. In history winning at all cost was commonplace for the military especially in WWII. Since then collateral damage and fratricide are no longer acceptable consequences to accomplish the mission.The values of the military (leadership, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage) are instilled from day one, and put on your chest right next to your dog tags for every day there after. It is these values that help leaders and soldiers accomplish the mission with the best course of action, rather than the quickest or most definitive. As for policies, the military has a policy for how to do just about everything. The UCMJ is just the tip of policies in the US Army. Every branch, every machine, every unit has a manual to dictate policy.Very rarely does a situation occur in peacetime in the military that there is not a written policy to follow. Ethics training starts before day one in the military. Before you report to initial training you take an oath of office or enlistment that defines your roll in the military and commitment to uphold the constitution. Everyday of 12 weeks in basic training you recite the values and Ethos of the Army. In the past there had been issues that units did not operate according to individual training, so over the last decade all training programs have been updated to ensure the best possible replication of how the â€Å"real† Army is.Companies seek soldiers after their service for one main reason, they have had the best training in their field possible, and I believe this is holds true for values as well. Performance management in the military is very structured. There is a system in place and the only thing preventing a soldier from getting a fair and thorough evaluation is their own failure to self evaluate. Each unit has very different performance tasks to evaluate, but all soldiers are evaluated on the seven values of the Army at least twice a year.There is also reverse evaluations where soldiers have the opportunity to critique their leaders. Lastly after every mission the Army conducts and after action review where everyone can provide input. There is always a mandatory three positive comments period and three improves to ensure continuous improvement while remaining positive. For most situations the military has set up a structure where it is impossible to cheat on evaluations. Whether the tasks are team or individuali zed, the test results are hard to accomplish without actually doing the work.The key to performance management in the military is that the soldier knows what is expected of him or her and the consequences of not meeting those expectations, similar to how Joe Paterno treated his organization. The Army’s Organization structure is outlined by the chain of command. When to go above or around the chain of command is clearly defined in UCMJ as well as when you are authorized to dis-obey an order from that chain of command. While it is easy to say it is all written down, application in combat is the real test. The leadership in the organization will determine whether it works in the field or not.Soldiers can not be fearful of reporting wrong doing or negative results, and that comes down to their leaders to ensure what is written is implemented. The Military’s decision making process (MDMP) is a 300 plus page manual of which I took a one month long course on learning the proc ess. This process rivals six-sigma for in depth analyzing a problem and how to take the best course of action. The best example I can provide is that MDMP alone and how it relates to ethical culture in the military could be a five-page introduction.The Informal cultural system of the Army is the one that is most portrayed in the movies and stories, from Code Reds in â€Å"A Few Good Men,† to the heroics of the Band of Brothers in WWII these are the moments that soldiers live for. We spoke of the formal evaluation system, but the informal bond between leaders and soldiers is what really makes a soldier perform his duties to the best of his ability. Heroes are both formally and informally recognized. For every Medal of Honor winner there are 100 soldiers that have done impressive tasks that civilians could only imagine accomplishing.Norms, if they are positive are usually translated into doctrine over time, so most Norms only last a few years until they are wholly accepted. Rit uals however are very unit focused and are usually never written down. They are passed from leader to leader as a ritual itself during the change of command. Even today, 5 years removed from the military, the stories we tell amongst military friends are what motivate my actions to do the right thing. When we tell stories, you will immediately notice that we are speaking a language or code that is only understood by a few.Many of our values are questioned from the outside, by the way we speak in jargon or our fondness of tobacco and alcohol, but simply look at the actions of a military person and you will see his own language of values is thru â€Å"deeds not words,† my unit motto. Based on the examples and reading chapter 5, I believe even more so that the Army is a highly ethical organization. Compared to the organizations in the reading and the others I have worked for, there is no group who puts more time and effort to ensuring values in its actions and people than the US Army.While there are individuals who stray from the Army values, typically in their informal leadership methods, as a whole the formal and informal culture of the US Army are complimentary and exist to best promote the welfare of the Untied States. It is hard to criticize something you love, and that has been developing and evolving continuously over 200 years by some of the greatest leaders the World has ever seen. There is one key element to ensure the ethical culture environment of the US Army, to recruit personnel at the highest level possible.The Army cannot waiver in its recruitment of new soldiers to â€Å"meet the numbers. † Lowering the requirements for entry will only weaken the organization’s culture and ethical standards. There are always other areas fro improvement, but this one area is more important than all the others combined. I Andrew S. Driscoll affirm that I have neither given, utilized, received or witnessed unauthorized aid on this deliverable and have completed this work honestly and according to the professor’s guidelines.

Samsung vs Apple

SAMSUNG VS APPLE-BATTLE OF THE GIANTS Samsung and Apple are the two biggest smartphone companies with a combined market share of more than half the global smartphone market. Every year both the companies bring in new innovations in their smartphones, which greatly increases their smartphone sales. But in today’s market where there is cut throat competition it is given that each company will try to outdo the other in every possible manner.Hence I would like to discuss the fierce battle raging between these smartphone giants-Samsung and Apple. Apple created a boom in the smartphone market by launching the iPhone, which had more features and was the most advanced smartphone at that time. The company made a huge profit and Apple became a household favorite. But with the rise of competition and the growth of Asian giant –Samsung, Apple’s success was not to last forever.Samsung came up with the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone with identical features as that of the iPhone a nd slowly but steadily the sales of Samsung smartphones rose. Over the years there have been many new versions of the Apple iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy smartphone series and to surpass each other both these companies have been guilty of imitating the technologies used in their smartphones and have also filed for various lawsuits against each other.Samsung has been accused by Apple of violating patents and: – 1) Copying their icon arrangement display pattern. 2) Accused of imitating the iconic iPhone’s shape which in official terms is called as â€Å"tradedress†(e. g. smartphones resemble the iPhone 3g and iPhone 3gs in shape). [One such example of tradedress is that Apple on conducting a survey with â€Å"BestBuy† found out that there were many people who returned the Samsung phones because they thought they were iPhones.This Apple accuses was Samsung’s strategy for increasing their smartphone sales against the iPhone and also to tempt buyers int o buying Samsung phones which look identical to iPhone] 3) Imitating features like â€Å"double tap† to zoom, â€Å"pinch and squeeze â€Å" to zoom and the â€Å"rubber-band† effect. On the other hand Samsung has accused Apple of: – 1) Using Samsung’s 3G technology in their smartphones without a legal permit from Samsung. (Apple uses this technology on millions of phones) 2) Use of E-mail in a camera equipped phone. ) Multitasking in the mobile device. Hence by weighing the claims of both these companies, in my opinion, Samsung tried to ape the specific look and feel of iPhone to increase its sales. However, this is not the only reason that translates directly to lost sales on apple’s part-from price to carriers. To sum up, the software patent claims made by both the companies seem pretty baseless to me and I strongly feel there needs to be some kind of protection for genuine innovation. References: – www. businessweek. com www. ibtimes. com www. forbes. com

Double Comparative in English Grammar

Double Comparative in English Grammar The double comparative is the use of both more (or less) and the suffix -er to indicate the comparative form of an adjective or adverb. In present-day standard English, double comparatives (such as more easier) are almost universally regarded as usage errors, though the construction is still heard in certain dialects. Examples Some-a people think Im more dumber than them because I dont talk so good, but they only know one language and meI speak-a two. (Marjorie Bartholomew Paradis, Mr. De Lucas Horse, 1962)I was more tireder than ever Id been in my life, wore down beyond weariness. (Ron Rash, One Foot in Eden. Macmillan, 2004)But the only thing I got to tell you, if you take a dog and kick him around hes got to be alert, hes got to be more sharper than you. Well, weve been kicked around for two thousand years. Were not more smarter, were more alert. (Mordecai Richler, Barneys Version. Chatto Windus, 1997)Repose you there; while I to this hard house- More harder than the stones whereof tis raised. (Kent to King Lear in Act Three, scene 2, of King Lear by William Shakespeare) The Taboo Against This Belt-and-Suspenders Usage Double comparison is taboo in Standard English except for fun: Your cooking is more tastier than my mothers. I can see more better with my new glasses. These illustrate the classic double comparative, with the periphrastic more or most used to intensify an adjective or adverb already inflected for the comparative or superlative. A belt-and-suspenders usage, this is a once-Standard but now unacceptable construction (like the double negative) that illustrates yet again our penchant for hyperbole. Shakespeare (the most unkindest cut of all) and other Renaissance writers used double comparison to add vigor, enthusiasm, and emphasis, and so do young children and other unwary speakers of Nonstandard English today. (Kenneth G. Wilson, The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Columbia University Press, 1993) The Double Comparative in Early Modern English As was true in earlier times also, a good many instances of double comparisons like more fitter, more better, more fairer, most worst, most stillest, and (probably the best-known example) most unkindest occur in early Modern English. The general rule was that comparison could be made with the ending or with the modifying word or, for emphasis, both. (Thomas Pyles and John Algeo, The Origins and Development of the English Language. Harcourt, 1982) More and most were historically not comparative markers, but intensifiers (as they still are in such expressions as a most enjoyable evening). In EMnE [Early Modern English], this intensifying function was felt much more strongly; hence writers did not find it ungrammatical or pleonastic to use both a comparative adverb and s from Shakespeare include in the calmest and most stillest night and against the envy of less happier lands. (C.M. Millward, A Biography of the English Language, 2nd ed. Harcourt Brace, 1996) More Doubles in English Grammar Double NegativeDouble Superlative

Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Marijuana - Essay Example The usefulness of marijuana cannot be denied its due right however as it is present within a number of medicines and in healing maladies and diseases. Therefore the negativities can easily be canceled out with the positives that surround marijuana in essence. The healing perspective is all the more necessary to state because it lists the main aspects that are present within marijuana. The perception related with marijuana needs to be altered in order to have a better viewpoint of the same within the society. The right side of marijuana must be propagated more than the drawbacks, because it is the need of the hour (Engs 1997). Moving on, the body effects of marijuana comprise of the redness within eyes, the decrease in intra-ocular pressure as well as the dryness within mouth. There is also the sensation of heat and cold within the skin with the addition of heart rate becoming faster and muscles becoming relaxed due to the intake of marijuana. Its usage develops anxiety and leads to d epression and psychosis. The causal mechanism has not been able to establish as of present times. There has been evidence available at certain places where heavy usage of marijuana has led to heart attacks as well (Graves 2005). More often it has been seen that marijuana users have reported certain abnormalities which have comprised of the likes of amygdale and hippocampus regions which are located within the human brain. A research by Dr. Sontineni demonstrated how chronic marijuana’s usage led to a form of compulsive bathing behavior by the patient. Furthermore, the benefits attached with marijuana include the fact that it has been able to assist patients with regards to their nausea and vomiting issues. It has addressed the issues that have come under the ranks of anorexia as well as weight loss. The individuals with movement disorders, asthma, spasticity, glaucoma and other painful conditions are facilitated with the usage of marijuana, as has been indicated through prope r research and evidence over the years. The benefits and good points related with marijuana seem to be hidden from all and sundry due to a number of different reasons. It indeed is a shame because this drug has a number of positives with regards to the entire society. People should have a soft corner for marijuana because it delivers help and assistance upon them (Cohen 2006). However the smoking of marijuana has eventually been a problem for quite a long while now and thus it resurfaces every now and so often. Researchers have shown through different studies on marijuana that its crude form has more than 400 chemicals that call for its usefulness. When smoked, the 400 chemicals break up into a number of chemicals which are varied in form and size. Much research has been based on the crude form of marijuana and indeed marijuana in essence, which depicts its usefulness in entirety. The medicinal role immediately ends when marijuana is smoked, thereby representing the fact that its us efulness has been at its lowest ebb (Kreit 2003). The social risks linked with marijuana are apparent nonetheless. The accidents that have been reported in media have more or less been blamed due to excessive usage of marijuana and its smoked form. It has played a very negative role at taking away the sheen from the usefulness of marijuana in its truest sense. People have generally blamed marijuana because of the different problems which come attached with it. The benefits have simply been ignored for all the wrong reasons. The role of

English 305 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English 305 - Assignment Example In such a way, the following analysis will seek to analyze to articles upon the topic of global warming (Kunzig 21). The first of these articles takes the viewpoint the global warming is very much caused by human activity and can only be slowed by a definitive and corrective process of engagement on the part of nearly each and every societal stakeholder. Conversely, the second article takes the standpoint that global warming is a natural process, one that is ultimately contingent upon the sun, not human activity, and will necessarily run its course and give way to a cooler era in the near future. The first article, entitled â€Å"Collective Action and Citizen Responses to Global Warming†, discusses the way in which global warming threatens to have drastic impacts upon the way in which individuals live their lives, raise their families, and plan for discernible future (Lubell 399). As such, impacts upon factors such as increased temperatures leading to reduced crop yields, the effects of decreased oxygen in the atmosphere and the possibility for plaintiff and other compliments of the global food chain to be reduced, and the way in which decreased water supplies in some of the more arid regions of the world could easily lead to global conflict. Naturally, none of these determinants is especially hopeful and the reader is left with the take away that unless global warming is stopped, the repercussions of it will create a less than enticing environment in the very near future. By contrast, the article entitled, â€Å"Global Warming: The Hoax of the Century† takes a greatly different stance. Although it is mostly rhetorical in its analysis, this particular article focuses upon the fact that the scientific models and means of analytics that are being referenced to prove global warming are ultimately flawed. Moreover, the author points to the fact that the winds of politics at impacted upon the way in which individuals view the issue, and indeed the way in which scientists are representing it to the general populace (Mardell 15). Most importantly, the article itself puts forward its own set of scientific factors and discusses the manner in which the sun, the entity responsible for warming our planet and keeping the crust of planet Earth from being frozen, as is the case with so many of the other neighboring planets, is ultimately responsible for any fluctuations in global temperature that had been referenced lately. Naturally, the common sense approach that this particular article puts forward allows the individual to come to something of a realization for the fact that global warming, although potentially a serious problem, might not have the human causation that so many individuals and scientists have doggedly been pointing to the past several decades. From the complete and thorough analysis of both of these articles, a more nuanced understanding of what causes global warming and how it is reference within the current dialogue wa s understood. Ultimately, with the available evidence that exists, it is clear to discern that humans are having a negative impact upon their plan. Regardless of whether an individual is an extreme