Ray Lewis Leadership Essay

A leader is a person who has the ability to lead or command an entire group of people, a leader is someone who is followed by other people. Being a leader is a wonderful privilege, it is something that is not necessarily handed to an individual nor is it something that can be bought, leadership is something that is earned. This entire course we have been learning about and discussing various characteristics of effective leaders. Some of those characteristics included confidence, charisma, courage, heart, perseverance, and among many others. This paper will focus primarily on one individual who exemplifies these traits and many other characteristics which contributes greatly to his success as a leader. The person that has been selected for the basis of this paper is Ray Lewis, a twelve year pro-bowl selection linebacker from the Baltimore Ravens. The reason I have chosen Lewis for this paper is because of the qualities he has as a leader not only on the playing field, but off of it as well. He is what I believe to be the best and most motivational and inspirational player in the National Football League today, maybe even all sports. The object of this paper is to elaborate on Lewis’ characteristics and provide an explanation of his leadership style and why they are effective. This paper will begin by giving an in depth analysis of Ray. After the analysis it will then move into discussing Ray’s styles of leadership. After talking about Lewis’ styles it will then begin going through all his characteristics as a leader and what makes him stand out as a leader, in other words, I will explain why Ray Lewis is such a powerful and effective leader and the reason he stands out to people other than his organization. Ray Lewis is a professional football player who is currently in his 17th season playing for the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League. Lewis, born on May 15th 1975, ranks him amongst one of the oldest current players in the league. Even at age thirty-seven Lewis manages to still be one of the most dominant forces in the game today even while competing with and against athletes who are nearly half of his age. Seasoned but experienced, Lewis still has much to offer his team regardless of his age. Statistically Lewis still remains up near the top of the list. In seventeen seasons Lewis has won multiple individual awards as well as team awards during his time in the NFL. Lewis has been selected to thirteen pro-bowl appearances in his seventeen year career. Essentially the pro-bowl is a nation wide vote on what players go to an all-star game, the players who are selected are deemed the best at their position during that year. Lewis has also been selected as the best defensive player in football in two of those seasons, which earned him the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2000 and 2003. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens lead by Lewis were underdogs in the biggest game of the year, the Superbowl. The Baltimore Ravens won that game 34-7 over the New York Giants to clinch the perfect end to their season. Lewis became only the second linebacker to win the MVP award for his performance in that game. Adding to his collection of individual awards was the ultimate award of National champions after winning the Superbowl. Since 1996 Lewis has started 228 regular season games and 17 playoff games. In those 228 games he has recorded 2,061 tackles, 41 sacks (times tackled the Quarterback), 31 interceptions, and 3 defensive touchdowns. These numbers are a clear representative of how dominant Ray can be on the field as well as what a long and powerful career he has had thus far. Not only do these numbers say that he has had a great career, but it shows that Lewis has credibility behind everything he says on and off the field. Before getting into the leadership styles of Ray Lewis, I want to provide a historical background of him in order to give a brief idea of Ray’s childhood and where he came from. Ray Anthony Lewis was born on May 15th 1975 in Bartow, which is a small city in Central Florida. His mother Sunseria Smith, had Ray at a very early age of 15. His father walked out on both Ray and his mother while they were in the hospital without his new born baby even having a name. The first time he ever saw his father face to face was when Ray was just shy of a year old. The abandoning of Ray by his father played a tremendous role and had a large impact on his life as the time went by. He believes his fathers absence in his life actually helped shaped him as a man and made him the character that he is today. Growing up, Ray witnessed many things in life that effected him individually in a way that would alter the path of his life. As the years went on, Ray still without a father, began to play sports as a kid. He found his calling in football when he was told by multiple coaches that he had a natural talent and was extremely gifted. The problem was that Ray had no one to tell at home. His mother was constantly working, she maintained three jobs to keep the house over their head and food on the table. Every time he did something great in life his father was never there. When he graduated from highschool, his father was still not there. When he accepted a scholarship to Miami University in the spring of 1993, his father yet again failed to show his son support. The reason this is important and relevant to Ray’s characteristics of a good quality leader is because it is the spark behind his motivation. â€Å"I was pissed off† was the answer Lewis gave the interviewer when asked how he felt about his situation with his father (E:60. Ray Lewis, 2012). He explained how his fathers absence in his childhood angered him, and confused him. He often wondered how someone could create life and just leave it behind like nothing ever happened. The pain that Ray was receiving from all the broken promises, lack of time spent with his father, and being the only man in the house growing up was all turned into a positive energy for him. The reason that his father is a popular topic thus far is because of how he created the man that Ray Lewis is based on the fact he left him alone. â€Å"I turned pain into my friend. The only ever way to defeat pain, is to recognize that pain exists. That’s the only ever way you will beat pain. Because pain comes in every second of our lives† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis, 2011). What he meant by turning pain into his friend was that he would use that â€Å"pain† that his father bestowed upon him to motivate and drive himself every day by working out. â€Å"Sometimes I would do pushups and situps until I cried because I wanted to beat him so bad! I wouldn’t stop, I promised myself I would never stop† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis, 2011). Much of Ray’s success in training came from the drive he had from the pain he suffered. When he was in highschool one of his coaches handed him a yearbook and told him to turn to the sports page. On that page was a picture of Ray’s father Ernie. The next page had a list of records for every sport, in the number one slot for record holders was Ray’s fathers name. He made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t stop training, he would never give up no matter what, and he would continue to fight through the pain until his fathers name was gone off of those records. Every time he took over a record, he crossed his fathers name off of the record list. The past of Ray Lewis is the reason for why he is the leader that he is today. Growing up with a single mother, Ray witnessed his mother in many broken relationships. As a child, there were multiple occasions where Ray saw his mother with bruised arms, black eyes, cut up faces and other signs of domestic abuse from failed relationship. Another motivation he had for working so hard was to make sure that â€Å"No man, ever, ever put his hands on my mother again or family again† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis, 2011). This mentality Ray had would continue on for the rest of his life. He developed the skills necessary for fulfilling the leadership role at a very early age. All of this makes it very easy to see as to why Ray Lewis has developed the characteristics necessary for being an independent, trustworthy, never going to quit, hard working, and passionate individual. I could go on and on about characteristics, virtue, and other good qualities Ray possesses and we will eventually get there. The next part of this paper is going to examine Ray in the modern era, and look at his leadership styles and why they are so effective as well as examine the possibilities as to why he is so well respected as a leader. â€Å"I’m a natural born leader† Ray admits, he constantly reminds people that if they follow him he will take them to greatness (America’s Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens). This section will focus primarily on leadership, and why Ray is a great example of exemplary leadership and what styles he uses for leading his organization. The first style of Ray that will be mentioned is his ability to lead by example. This type of leadership according to the EIL module is considered â€Å"modelling the way† which essentially means paving the path for teammate’s and/or the organization by leading by example. In the National Football League players are considered the best of the best at what they do, being confident is hardly an issue, but being the best does not necessarily mean that they work or play like they are the best. Essentially what I mean is that it is very easy for people who are good at something to not think that they need to continue working to get better. Yet it is very hard to not give a hundred percent at something when the entire atmosphere of the organization is doing the same thing. However, when there is that one person who is constantly trying to outwork everyone and never settles for anything less than a hundred percent it is very difficult for the entirety of the team and/or organization to continue slacking or not giving it their best effort. This type of leader forces to people to want to do well by consistently working to the best of their abilities and never quitting. When talking about Lewis and his ability to lead it is important to look at how he handles situations of adversity. Every person, team, and organization has at one point in their existence faced a matter of adversity or been in some situation where they had to climb their way out of a struggle. The year 2000, marked a major transition in Ray Lewis’ life. That year Ray was facing adversity as an individual for he was accused of murder after his involvement in a bar fight one Saturday night (Beyond the Glory 2004). The charges were dropped and Ray was considered wrongfully accused, however, even though proven innocent this still did not help his image in any way, shape or form. Those who knew Ray closest knew he was not about violence and never believed it was true. That year the Ravens were playing an away game against the Tennessee Titans. Ray Lewis was being introduced and as he was coming through the tunnel the fans were yelling vulgar, offensive, and racist comments towards him. They were shouting â€Å"You black son of a bitch† and other racial slurs towards Lewis. His team mate Trent Dilfer noted that the way Lewis reacted to that was amazing, he did not act out of anger or say anything back. He simply proved to his team that no matter what someone says to you â€Å"you always have to move on† and never stop fighting. Lewis did just that, he used what these fans were yelling at him and turned it into positive energy, leading the Ravens to a victory over the Titans that game (Americas Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens). The team had his back, and once they saw how Lewis was transitioning the negativity into a positive they followed his lead. Lewis was known for making a claim and backing it up. He would constantly repeat himself about how he is going to win this game for his team, as long as they follow his lead and have his back because he will always have theirs. He would never allow himself to fail on the field, he would back up all of his words with actions and that made him an effective individual that people could put their trust in. He did just that, in 2000 he led the league with 137 recorded tackles, 3 interceptions, and 3 sacks (LLC 2000). The importance of leading by example goes hand in hand with the individuals ability to be an influential, motivation, and inspirational one as well. This leadership style is also known as â€Å"encouraging the heart.† This style of leadership is actually what Lewis is most known for, the way he can inspire his teammate’s with words of wisdom and words of truth. Lewis can capture the minds of many of his team by simply talking to them. He enables people to want to do well and gives them a whole new confidence that mentally prepares them for something important. Anytime that Lewis felt his team was becoming shy of hope, and losing faith, he would be the one to get them back up on their feet and make them believe nothing is impossible. Before every game Ray gathers his teammate’s together to provide them with mental energy. Usually he begins by telling them that they should never settle for anything less than their best. He always reminds them why they are where they are today, and how they need to take advantage of every opportunity that appears. He constantly reminds them that he will be there for them when they are in a moment of despair. Any time they are feeling like they cannot move on they will be reignited with him giving it his all. â€Å"I am not telling you something for the benefit of myself, I am telling you something for the benefit of us† (America’s Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens). The intriguing thing about Lewis is that he understands when it is time to talk, and when it is time no listen. As credible of a player he is, Lewis still respects every time his coaches or players have something to say. â€Å"The most surprising things I have discovered about Ray upon first meeting him was how quiet he really is. Lewis rarely opens his mouth and is usually found in the background quietly watching and observing everything that goes on in a meeting. Wisely, Lewis is very selective about when he chooses to deliver a vocal message. But when he does, everyone listens† (Riddle, 2012). Those times that he chooses to open his mouth he delivers powerful messages that force people to believe in something greater than what they think they see. The following passage is a speech given by Ray Lewis to his team and coaches in the hotel a night before their AFC championship game: â€Å"We have been here before, we done been here 3 years in a row! N’ we let this time off the hook. Make sure that you own it tonight and do not let them take you away from this moment man! Cuz this is all we got. That’s what ya’ll don’t realize most of the time, that we gonna get this again. We gonna get this again, the car runs too fast. That’s why we got to savour these moments cuz of right now. I couldn’t understand that when I was 24 and 25. That’s why God had to incarcerate me so I could see how great my blessing was that he gave me. So I had to come from a jail being in position, to then step onto a Superbowl podium man. I don’t do this for me, I just watch enough film so that I can put myself in position to make my defence the best damn defence in football. That’s why I come back every year. We are not letting this team get out of here this time. That’s what we here for, a W! And when we get off the bus tomorrow, we get off it with a swagger, a swagger that says.. Done!† Lewis was known for his â€Å"we not me† mentality that inspired many people to want to play with him, for him, and for the team. A distinct story stood out about this man. It was a the beginning of a new season, Lewis and the Ravens were about to take the field. Patiently waiting in their locker room stalls, nervous and anxious, all of these players have one goal in mind, to win the game. All of a sudden, just minutes before it was time. Lewis stands up, and pulls out a bottle of what looks to be muscle reliever of some sort. He begins to go up to every single person in that locker room. One by one he dabs his finger in this bottle, and briefly touches each individual on the head. As he is doing so he is whispering something different to each of his teammate’s. What he is doing is essentially blessing all of his teammate’s. He is praying for their safety and courage. â€Å"It was as if he injected every man in that locker room with synthesized courage† (Riddle, 2012). This highly motivated his team, a new found inspiration was giving to his teammate’s that night. This event touched many of Lewis’ teammate’s in many different ways. They all believed that they were one unit, one team, one family, because they had a father and mentor that they knew would always keep them safe. Lewis is well known for encouraging the hearts of other players, making them feel capable of succeeding. He is especially effective when the morale of the team is at a low because he feeds off of his players emotions, he understands how to motivate his teammate’s both mentally and physically. As motivation as Ray Lewis is the list of qualities and styles does not end at motivational. One of the most stand out styles and characteristics of an individual leader is his or her ability to inspire a team based on a vision. This is one style that Lewis takes to heart and is exceptionally great at doing. He has the ability to inspire a team based off a shared vision, which is his vision that inspires the rest of the organization. Ray Lewis is know for his passion for the game, and an even bigger passion for being the best possible person he can be as a man of God. This mentality also influences how he thinks as an athlete. Recently, he was asked to participate in an interview with hall of fame player Deion Sanders during the playoffs. Ray asked them if they could hold off until next week insinuating that his team will win the upcoming game and move on to the next round of the playoffs. â€Å"Some call it cockiness, I call it confidence† the two chuckled over Ray’s remarks because of how confident he was in his team to be successful. Ray’s mentality was simple, he claimed that he was never in it to fail. â€Å"See I’m not going to lose, I’m not in it to lose. That’s just a fact. I never strap up my helmet to go lose. And honestly, that’s a vision. And that’s the thing, get everybody seeing that same vision.. and if you do, man that’s rough beating a man with a vision, beating a man who see’s something† (Beyond the Glory 2004). This mentality Ray had stated would go on much further than just words that he thought of on the spot. He preaches to his team about being one unit, thinking a like, having the same mind set day in and day out, because if that is the case then they truly will be unstoppable. He preaches about being â€Å"one heart beat, one mind† and that essentially means that they live and die as one, there is no individuals. Essentially, if one person makes a mistake everyone is accountable, and this went for off the field situations as well as on the field decisions as well. Lewis inspired his team to be smart, play with each other, and especially most importantly learn to love each other. Lewis said that if you are not playing for each other than you will never amount to anything great. It is more beneficial to play selfless than to play selfishly. Reason being is because his whole vision is that â€Å"the only path to success, is the one that we take together. There is no other way. If we all believe in the same thing and have the same vision, then we will truly be powerful, and no one can take that away from us.† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis 2011). In 2011, Ray suffered a broken toe injury that sidelined him for several weeks. Instead of acting upset like how most athletes act, he instead used the adversity and turned it into a positive for his teammates.ï€  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Adversity defines true character. If one of us is hurting, the other part gotta pick it up† This is the message he told his team the following game while he was talking to them before their game. He emphasizes that having a team believe in the same goal will ultimately advance a program and organization to new heights, in order to be successful all must be on board when making the right choices for accomplishing a goal. Those types of leadership mentioned earlier in this paper actually compliment the next style which is challenging the process. This style basically means never settling for anything. Always going after target. When one goal is accomplished, another one is added to the board. Lewis is a firm believer that there is only one way, and that is up. And there will continue to only be one up until he stops playing the game when he retires. After Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens won the championship in 2000, Lewis was talking about it is great to celebrate, but other teams are already training to take down the Baltimore Ravens next year, and their goal is be right there at their very moment again (America’s Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens). Even in his workouts it is evident that he continues to push himself passed his limits because settling for mediocre and at a certain level is not what makes an individual great. Growing up, every accomplishment Ray ever had he would always tell himself that it isn’t enough. He wanted more, and he would continue to make new goals after every one was accomplished. This mentality would benefit his career as a professional. He continuously emphasizes the importance of hard work, and will. The will to keep going when everything is good can often be more difficult then when everything is bad. When something is going well you tend to think you are doing alright and do not need to keep striving for more, Lewis understands that if this is the case then he will never be truly as great as he could be if he believes that is true. A question that often rises when talking about Ray Lewis is where does all this energy and motivation come from? What is he like outside the game of football? Well, as was mentioned earlier Lewis has come from a broken home, fatherless, with a mother who was full time working two different jobs. His childhood is what fueled him to be great. Especially with situations such as domestic violence that Ray saw a very young age it is no question where his motivation to be a good person comes from. When his father left him he could not grasp an understanding as to why a father would bail like that on his new born baby. â€Å"Why cant a daddy be a daddy to a child who had no choice to be here today, why would someone leave that child.† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis 2011). This was the reason why he not having a dad developed Ray’s mindset. â€Å"I didn’t know who to call daddy,† he worked because of that, he used to cry during workouts because of that mindset that, pain is nothing. Ray Lewis today has six children of his own â€Å"4 kings, and two queens, and I have never had a greater push in my life than to see my children smile.† ( A Football Life: Ray Lewis 2011). This along side many of the people he met later in life would go on to be a reason why he is the man that he is today. Ray got involved with an individual who was suffering from a disease that was life threatening. Bill Warble was Lewis’ biggest fan, an elderly man who promise Ray he would not leave this earth until they won another championship. Ray says that he owes Bill his life. He taught him a valuable lesson on life, which contributed much to his reasoning as a leader and how to act. Bill Warble had taught him â€Å"what to complain about, what not to complain about, what not to be sad about, what to be glad, sad, mad and happy about.† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis 2011). This changed his perspective on life for the better as Lewis began to see things in his own life a lot clearer. Ray Lewis will go down in history as one of the greatest linebacker’s to ever play in the National Football League, along with that claim he will also go down as one of the best leader’s on any sports team as well. For all who have played with him, got a chance to meet him, knew him outside of the game, all of those people knew the real Ray Lewis and what he was capable of doing. â€Å"He was truly an inspiration and it was a pleasure to play along side Ray† (Riddle, 2011). Whether the team win’s or loses, Ray is never taking credit or placing the blame on anyone. He will forever live by his â€Å"one heart beat, one mind† mentality and will forever impact the lives of those who got a chance to play along side him. After their AFC championship loss in 2011 Ray was getting interviewed by reporters about what had happened. He got upset with the reporters for hinting towards the loss being solely on one player.â€Å"What you gonna do put that loss on two men? Oh, Evans should have caught the ball, oh Billy should have made the kick. Well, maybe I should have made that tackle in the third quarter. So anything could cost you, so there is no one person that you could ever put blame on. We came here as a team, we locked and loaded as a team, let’s make sure we leave as a team.† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis 2011). He went on after the game to tell his teammates in prayer that they did what they had to do, that next year they had to make sure they finished. He told his team it is no ones fault but their team combined effort. No one person gets the blame. He kept the morale as high up as he could in order to keep his team motivated for the following season, that this loss should burn into their memories for next year. Use it as fuel, turn that negative energy into something useful. â€Å"Let’s understand ourselves as men, and make somebody smile when we walk out of here† (A Football Life: Ray Lewis 2011). This is Ray Lewis, his impact and his legacy. â€Å"We get one opportunity in life, one chance at life to do whatever you’re going to do, and lay your foundation and make whatever mark you’re going to make. Whatever legacy you’re going to leave, leave your legacy!† — Ray Lewis Sources: Sabol, Ed. 2000. Ravens Road to the Superbowl (Documentary). NFL Films. United States. Sabol, Ed. 2011. A Football Life. â€Å"Ray Lewis† (Documentary). NFL Films. United States. Farrey, T. Nichols, R. Schaap, J. Smith, S. 2012. E:60 Ray Lewis (Interview). ESPN. United States. N.A. 2004. Beyond the Glory. â€Å"Ray Lewis† Season 4, ep. 9. (Documentary). United States. Riddle, Ryan. August 7th 2012. Bleacher Report (Article). Web. December 4th 2012.

International Trade and Us Economy

TOPIC OF THE CASE: TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND US ECONOMIC GROWTH INTRODUCTION: The assignment is about the case where the organizations in the US were responsible for the development and advancement of information technology which also included the invention of Mainframe and Midrange computers in the era of 1960s and 1970s. Companies such as IBM and Dell were one of the first companies which led to advancement of information technology.However, with the high cost of production in US regarding the production of basic components, such were then offshored to foreign companies. PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS: 1. During the 1990s and 2000s computer hardware companies in certain developed nations progressively moved the production of hardware components offshore, often outsourcing them to producers in developing nations. What does international trade theory suggest about the implications of this trend for economic growth in those developed nations? SOLUTION: INTRODUCTION:The theory illust rates that developed nations despite having resources to produce, have pursued in buying the commodities from the foreign manufacturers. This is because of the low cost of importing rather than producing such components. The theory may be described as Comparative Advantage Theory. Such theory states the ability of a nation to produce goods at a lower opportunity cost than other nation. The developed countries were only focusing on producing on high value added components whereas developing nations were improvising on manufacturing basic hardware components.The demand of these different components were being met by each nation and hence the international trade commencement to meet the demands were utilized by such nations. IMPLICATIONS: The developed nations by practicing the outsource methodology for production of basic hardware commodity benefited it for many different reasons. Such reasons are as follows: * The internal resources which could have been utilized at exorbitant costs can be curtailed and such resources could be used for alternative purposes.This would mean that the factors of production shall be available for other developments and advancement. * The decrease in cost of a final product would result in increase in the sales volume of such product as demand will increase. This increase in demand would result in an increase in the supply of a commodity therefore, more revenue shall be generated for the government. * An increase in the overseas supply of a final product would implicate a favorable balance of trade.This shows that exports shall increase over imports during a period. * Productivity of a major industry in regard to an increase in sales will enlighten the economic development of a nation by enhancing its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means if information technology industry of a nation improves then the contribution to the GDP of a developed nation shall also enhances. * Development in an industry promotes the job opportunities of developed nations.This means that with the advancement of information technology sector came with a high demand of related jobs such as computer software engineers and other kinds of computer based services. With this unemployment also reduced and proved a considerable contribution to the economy. CONCLUSION: With the outsourcing of production of basic commodities to developing nations in the era of 1990s and 2000s, developed nations were greatly benefited by both time and cost to allow them to produce even more technical commodities and exert their skills on advancing in the information technology sector.Currently such companies like Dell, Intel, Apple etc. are generating even more new products into the world market of information technology and simultaneously contributing to the economy of their respective nations. 2. IS THE EXPERIENCE OF THE UNITED STATES, AS DESCRIBED IN THE CASE CONSISTENT WITH THE PREDICTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE THEORY? SOLUTION: INTRODUCTION: Computer comp anies in the United States like Dell, Intel, Apple etc. have been manufacturing computers in the late 1970s.However, during the early 1980s, such companies decided to offshore production of basic components like dynamic random access memory chips (DRAMs) to Japan and other countries manufacturers, yet they kept the production of the highest value added components such as microprocessors to themselves and the final assembly. This trend implicates that US companies were producing the final product and in the light of international trade, demand for such computers was also increasing momentarily by other nations.Also, US was also advancing in other industries which started to utilize IT based products. Altogether, productivity expansion was shown in the US economy. ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE US ECONOMY: Ricardo’s insight on comparative advantage theory stated that all countries come out ahead when they trade with each other because if a developed nation like the US trade more with a developing nation like Japan with each country specializing in different products then they have a relative advantage.But this effect had an adverse implication on the job losses in US. By the continuation of globalization, many of the US white collar jobs were at stake. This is because of the production shifting to offshore countries like Japan, China, India, etc. A census by Harvard University labor economist showed that every 1% drop in employment due to imports or factories gone outsourced curtails about 0. 5% off pay for remaining workers. And if white collar outsourcing expands, the concluding job losses could cutoff a massive swath of US consumers.As there is minor doubt that globalization will relatively break in and would cause around 14. 5 million workforce loss and more than half the US workforce of around 130 million could feel the blow. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE US INDUSTRIES: Many economists thought that the new offshoring is an accumulated advantage. For one thing, bossesâ €™ cost savings should be more than enough to uphold for any remuneration loss impact. By the reduced prices of software and other goods outsourcing could enlighten a new cause of US productivity increments.This is agreed to say that surely that developing countries like Japan, China etc. will specialize in producing IT commodities and are obtaining jobs in IT related services, but US will still outrun them in areas like drug research or nanotechnology which the developing countries are not even close to achieving. Thus US will have space, technology and other resources to work on the developments of new and technical industries. PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN THE US ECONOMY: Globalization of IT hardware production also created an impact on IT services and software.With the decrease in the prices of both hardware and software from 10 to 30 percent, these lower prices led into higher productivity growth and an accumulated $230 billion in additional Gross Domestic Product. Many other indu stries also started to use computers in their businesses which shown 2. 8% percent growth in the productivity of their sales and profits. 3. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE THEORY AND DATA FOR a) GOVERNMENT POLICY IN ADVANCED NATIONS SUCH AS THE UNITED STATES, AND b) THE STRATEGY OF A FIRM IN THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY, SUCH AS DELL OR APPLE COMPUTER?SOLUTION: INTRODUCTION: Comparative Advantage Theory states that countries should specialize in economic activities in which they have a comparative advantage and trade with others. The government policies should also revert on focusing on that specific area which the country specialize. a) United States government on realizing the productivity growth in information technology trend, promoted the IT related industries on importing basic commodities such as DRAMs and other PC components and by the end of 1990s, IT developed so much so that GDP raised to $230 billion.The US government was mastering in information technology very early. In 199 0s, it issued an agenda to articulate and implement a vision for a national information infrastructure (NII). This initiative was widely praised at the time as a forward looking technology policy initiative that would simultaneously promote economic growth, improve the lives of citizens, and allow governments to provide better services and information to the public- all without new expenditures by the government.The agenda embraced information technology as an enabling and indeed as transformative means for achieving a broad range of economic, social and political goals. The agenda characterized the US as having become primarily in information based economy and asserted a bright future for computer industries and other related IT industries. b) During the heyday of the technology boom throughout the 1990s many companies experienced enormous success for a few years, however without creating a solid internal framework many of these companies did not survive.An exception to that busine ss trend is dell, which was able to address its problems associated with rapid growth and build itself into a lasting profitable company. Dell in later 1990s manufactured PCs which no one else could think of, it was specializing in producing tailor made computers for users all over the world. Because of advancing in technical fields and continuing research, Dell proved to be one of the market leaders in computer industry and accounted for much market share in the overall world market of computer industry.After the era of 1980s, advanced companies in the US computer industries were in business to make a profit and do well for other stakeholders such as investors. Because of this notion, many industries to offshore white collar jobs to developing countries like Japan, India, etc. Many of the economists argued that the loss of white collar jobs was merely a manifestation of companies viewing the world as a borderless market- where they seek resources wherever they are cheapest, produce in the optimal location, and sell wherever there is demand. CONCLUSION:USA being the pioneer of Information Technology, developed most of the gadgets that we use today and have provided an ease of access to the computer industry. Despite the job losses after the offshoring process in the US itself, it provided a gain for other developing countries like Japan, China, India and many others. The core aim for the US companies was to maximize profits and expand production to overseas markets to enhance profits and sales. In the end still US economy in the IT related industry tops out in comparison to the rest of the world.

My Ideal Partner Essay

There are many things I look for in a relationship and in a partner, loyalty and respect being at the top. A relationship is based completely on loyalty and the trust that you must have in your partner. I would never want my partner to make me feel like I was a second choice or not good enough for them, just as much as I would not want my partner to feel that way. Loyalty is about support and allegiance, my partner needs to support my decisions and my goals one-hundred percent. Respect is to admire your partner’’s abilities and achievements and to never put them down. A relationship is two sided and must stay balanced for it to be healthy and functioning. I plan on working at a job I love and being very successful when I grow up, I hope the same for my husband. If my husband were more successful than me it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest and if it were the opposite I would not want a partner that felt threatened or second best. I could not be with someone that didn’t aspire to achieve great things in life. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also very important that is why I want a partner that motivates me to stay fit and to eat healthy. I do not want a husband that is lazy and content with whatever is given to him. We will strive together to be active and be able to live a long and happy life. Being fit is important to me because I love to travel and to explore and go on adventures, I need a partner that also enjoys these things. Wanting to travel to many different countries and explore new things is something my ideal partner would definitely need to be interested in. I want kids and my partner must too. Couples often get into serious relationships without knowing what the other person might want in the future. My ideal partner would want to live the same life that I do. That is why it is important that I marry someone that is interested in having at least two kids, I want to be able to start a family of my own. Finally my partner must be attractive. Although physical attraction is not what to base a relationship on it, it can’t hurt. Having an attractive partner can only be beneficial, it can boost confidence and make you more compelled to enjoy the time you spend together. I would like to marry someone that I enjoy looking at everyday. I want my husband to be  tall and to be muscular, who could argue that? Ha. In conclusion my ideal partner would be a combination of many different qualities. It is someone that I can trust and feel I can confide anything to. It is someone that respects me, and my aspirations. It is someone that wants to travel the world and see new things. It is someone that wants kids and to have a family. It is someone that is physically attractive and fit. My ideal partner will treat me as his equal.

What Companies Can Learn From The Enron Case and The Impact of the Essay

What Companies Can Learn From The Enron Case and The Impact of the Enron Case - Essay Example The corporation was formed with the merger between two natural gas pipeline corporations, namely Houstan Natural Gas and Internorth Inc. After the merger, the position and corporate image of Enron Corporation improved by a large extent thereby enhancing its productivity and profitability among others in the market of the US. In the year 1989, Enron Corporation became one of the largest gas suppliers of the United States and United Kingdom (UK) with approximately sixty thousand kilometers of gas pipelines (American-Business, 2011). The prime objective of Enron Corporation was to position itself as an inventive as well as a prominent leader in the sector of natural gas of the US. Apart from these, Enron also extended its services in other sectors namely water, fiber optics, newsprint and telecommunications among others. Enron Corporation was quite succesful in its business operations, as its revenue enhanced approximately from US$ 9 billion in the year of 1995 to about US$ 101 billion in 2000 (Dharan & Bufkins, n.d.). It was as a result of enormous international and domestic expansions but the entire amount was cloaked from the shareholders through affiliations with other concerns (Drennan, 2008). Unfortunately, the brand image of Enron Corporation declined due to planned book-keeping fraud known as ‘Enron scandal’and illegal loans. ... It may include prevarication or alterations of accounting records in order to attain an illegal financial benefit. Thus, it can be clearly revealed that it is an example of corporate internal fraud as the board members and management of the organisation were entirely involved in this case of conspiracy (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, 2009). This type of fraud not only hampers organisational distinctiveness but also its culture, employees, ‘corporate social responsibilities’ and ethics. Hence, it can be affirmed that if the pillars of the busuiness are affected then it can not sustain in the long run among others in the market. Thus, it proved rather detrimental for Enron Corporation thereby fading its name from the market of the US. Fraud Conducted in Enron Enron Corporation was regarded as one of the fastest emerging and best controlled business organisations in the market of the US, but it could not retain its corporate image for the long run. The prime reason was due to the accounting scandal which resulted at the end of the year 2001. It was finally revealed that the fraud resulted in deterioration of its financial situations bringing about downfall of position and reliability among others in the market of the US. As a result, customer loyalty as well as market share was also affected to a large extent (IWS, 2002). Due to varied financial discrepancies, Enron Corporation finally filed a bankruptcy case on 2nd December in the year 2001. The prime suspects of Enron’s internal fraud were namely Kenneth Lay, Andrew Faston, Michael Kopper, Jeffrey Skilling, J. Clifford Baxter and Arthur Andersen, among which most of them were the directors of the organisation (Drennan, 2008). The fraud resulted due to the

Critical thinking in Palliative Care of Nursing Essay

Critical thinking in Palliative Care of Nursing - Essay Example ng to World Health Organization (WHO, 2009), palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and families who face life-threatening illness, by providing pain and symptom relief, spiritual and psychosocial support from diagnosis to the end of life and bereavement. Fatigue is one of the most frequent symptoms in palliative care patients, reported in 80% of cancer patients and in up to 99% of patients following radio- or chemotherapy (Radbruch et al., 2008). The fatigue experienced as a side effect of cancer treatment is differentiated from the fatigue experienced by healthy people in their daily lives. Healthy fatigue is frequently described as acute fatigue that is eventually relieved by sleep and rest; cancer treatment–related fatigue is categorized as chronic fatigue because it is present over a long period of time and is not completely relieved by sleep and rest (National Cancer Institute, 2009). This study aims to identify the treatment modalities and symptom management for cancer-related fatigue including assessment, interventions, and collaborations with multidisciplinary health care professionals, in providing comfort to alleviate the sufferings of breast cancer patients. Concepts and knowledge from related literatures, research, and practice shall be applied to clearly understand its nursing implications taking into consideration the actual management of breast cancer patients during Oncology ward hospital exposure. In a broader sense, fatigue, also known as weariness, tiredness, exhaustion, or lethargy, is generally defined as a feeling of lack of energy (eMedicineHealth, 2009). Cancer-related fatigue is a feeling of debilitating tiredness or total lack of energy that can last for days, weeks, or months; commonly caused by anemia, fatigue is the side effect of chemotherapy that affects patients the most – more than nausea, pain, or depression; symptoms include feeling weak or worn out, having difficulties climbing stairs, walking short

How does the implementation of a quality managment system such as EFQM Research Paper

How does the implementation of a quality managment system such as EFQM or Six Sigma in the hospitality industry help improve th - Research Paper Example All the prominent organizations may have a well defined quality management system in order to ensure the quality of all the products or services offered to the customers by the organization. Earlier, in most of the organizations, a quality control (QC) division was functioning whereas at present instead of QC, Quality Assurance (QA) division is functioning. The change from QC to QA reflects the importance and changing concepts about the quality in organizational world. Service sector is one area in which quality plays a vital role in determining the success and failures of an organization. For example, in hospitality industry, the customers often compare the quality of services they received from different organizations before they select one organization. European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and six sigma (Developed by Motorola Corporation) are the major quality management systems implemented in the hospitality industry at present. Both EFQM and Six Sigma have some meri ts and demerits. This paper briefly analyses how the implementation of a quality management system such as EFQM or Six Sigma helps the hospitality industry to improve the performance. ... â€Å"To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects/ million opportunities. A Six Sigma defect is defined as anything outside of customer specifications†( What is six sigma, 2010) (Jkerrigan, n. d) The basic architecture of six sigma includes five aspects; define, measure, analyse, improve and control. The organization which implements six sigma should define its objectives at first. Then the organization measures the output with the help of statistical analysis. If the output does not reach the six sigma mark, the process should be improved further and further till it reaches that mark. Proper control should be exercised while the organization strives for better quality and management practices. â€Å"Six Sigma is driven by the customer and thus aims to achieve maximum customer satisfaction and minimizing the defects. It targets the customer delight and new innovative ways to exceed the customer expectations† (Advantages and Disadvantages of Si x Sigma, n. d).The focus of Six Sigma implementation is attached to the customer. In most of the modern quality management systems customers are at the central point. All the quality improvement activities are rotate around the customer since the customer is the one who is capable of making or breaking an organization. Starwood Hotels and Resorts have already implemented the Six Sigma approach. Six Sigma at Starwood has helped improve the financial performance of the group by ushering in the quality and consistency of the customers' experiences. Six Sigma has also provided the guidelines and tools to create a consistently superior guest experience at all properties, and simultaneously improve the bottom line. The Six Sigma organization in the group reports to

Is It Too Much Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is It Too Much - Term Paper Example Interestingly, children are major beneficiaries in this account. The role of computers and related technology on today’s children and childhood has had interesting developments in the recent years. The parental society of today while envisaging the hilarious impact that computers are going to have over the world in the future, are encouraging the access of the children of today to computers and its numerous applications. The society in that context is of the general view that for children to involve in this new and different world socially, economically, and politically they must acquire a certain level of comfort and competence in using computers. Trotter (1998, p.6-9) has indicated the popularity in the society on the providing support for children to have access to computers so as to enable them to learn adequate computer skills and improve their education. ‘Most parents believe that the Internet can help children with their homework and allow them to discover fascina ting, useful things, and that children without access are disadvantaged compared to those with in access’ (Turow, 1999, p.14-24). However the indiscriminate use and dependency on computers by children is alarming towards many long term consequences. When the use of computers becomes excessive and unmonitored it can adversely affect the physical, social and psychological development of children. The detrimental impact becomes more acute when the usage is coupled with other screen technologies like television and video games. While computers open up the window of access to enormous information, eventually it may expose children to long term health and psychological impact. In the ideal stages of character and personality development, the children must be properly monitored on what they learn and pursue and what they end up with the learning process. The essay is a trial to review the effects of prolonged computer usage on children. While pointing out

OHS Safety Management System National Implementation Project Research Paper

OHS Safety Management System National Implementation Project - Research Paper Example Through communications management, project information will be generated, collected, transmitted as well as stored. Project risk management will ensure identification, analysis, and response to risks arising when implementing the project. Procurement management will entail procuring or acquiring goods as well as services for a project from external performing companies. The Project Management Institute describes the project management as the utilization of skills, knowledge, techniques, as well as tools to the activities of the project in order to meet the requirements of the project (41). This shows that those involved in managing a project have to strive to meet the expectations and needs of the people affected or involved by the activities of the project (Sai Global Limited). The main elements of this framework are the project management areas and project stakeholders. The stakeholders are the people affected or involved in the activities and encompass project team, project sponso r, users, support staff, suppliers, customers, and also project opponents. The implementation of a national safety management system will take place in four phases which will be used as an outline for evaluating the effectiveness of project implementation. Phase one will involve planning of OHS national Safety management system. Phase two will focus on reactive safety management processes. The third phase will focus on predictive and proactive safety management processes whereas the fourth phase will focus on operational safety assurance. This phased approach to implementing a national safety management system is a clear-cut process. It is evident that complex projects in management of projects are best progressed through breaking down... The paper tells that the Project Management Institute describes the project management as the utilization of skills, knowledge, techniques, as well as tools to the activities of the project in order to meet the requirements of the project. This shows that those involved in managing a project have to strive to meet the expectations and needs of the people affected or involved by the activities of the project. The main elements of this framework are the project management areas and project stakeholders. The stakeholders are the people affected or involved in the activities and encompass project team, project sponsor, users, support staff, suppliers, customers, and also project opponents. The implementation of a national safety management system will take place in four phases which will be used as an outline for evaluating the effectiveness of project implementation. Phase one will involve planning of OHS national Safety management system. Phase two will focus on reactive safety managem ent processes. The third phase will focus on predictive and proactive safety management processes whereas the fourth phase will focus on operational safety assurance. This phased approach to implementing a national safety management system is a clear-cut process. It is evident that complex projects in management of projects are best progressed through breaking down the entire intricacy of the task at hand into smaller and controllable subcomponents of the entire task. This will allow for smaller or partial resources allotment to complete activities subsets.

Personality Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality Development - Essay Example In hoarding we see people who see the entire world as a possession that they must acquire, while the marketing orientation includes those who mold themselves to what they feel society’s image of them is, they dislike anything old and crave anything new. These are closely related to Horney’s moving against people orientation, where we see the need for power, control, and recognition They also are similar to Horney’s moving away from people orientation, which includes the need of autonomy, the need for perfection, the need of self sufficiency, and the need to feel better than others. Like all of Horney’s orientations, moving toward people is also fraught with needs: the need to be loved, the need to gain the approval of others, and the need to please others. Fromm’s last orientation, necrophilous, deals mainly with death and destruction, something that Horney does not touch on. Fromm’s one orientation that is positive is the productive one, whe re people continually learn to relate to the world and others in it, and learn to truly love, and have no fear of acceptance.

Human resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Human resources - Essay Example The use of effective performance management could somehow contribute to the overall success of a business organization. Implemented by the line managers, performance management is valuable to corporate managers and employees in the sense that the organizational competencies are aligned with the organizational core values (Armstrong and Baron 20). Through the use of proper coaching and guiding techniques, the line managers are expected to be able to effectively motivate employees to unleash their potentials which are necessary in improving the overall performance of the group as a team (ibid). Considering the advantages of having effective performance management, improving the overall organizational performance of a business group is equally beneficial on the part of the public shareholders and the business owners. Basically, improving the overall business performance of an organization increases its profit earnings. Therefore, the public shareholders are expected to receive higher di vidends whereas the business owners are expected to receive more financial gains. ... hat is taking place within a business organization, it becomes a challenge on the part of the HR managers to establish organizational culture that promotes organizational behaviors that are more flexible and open to changes (Rahim and Rahim 227). For this reason, positive reinforcement on employees is necessary from time to time. Within a business organization, the unbreakable behavior laws are referring to the act of making accepted behavioral practices a significant part of the organizational culture. By making positive behavior a part of the organizational culture, the practice of positive behavior within the business organization can become a norm. This makes the development of positive behaviors more difficult to break. Organizational behavior is considered the key factor that could effectively improve the quality products and services being delivered by employees. Given that the HR manager is able to reinforce positive behaviors among its employees, the organizational managers will be able to effectively motive the workers into working as a team in order to reach the organizational goal. It is also possible to make employees become more self-sufficient as a worker. By making employees learn to embrace the importance of self learning, employees could contribute more in terms of improving the overall business performance. Q.3 What is pinpointing? As explained by Axson Pinpointing in performance management is pertaining to organizational behavior that indicates relevant business information that can be used by the organizational leaders when making important business decisions (216). By pinpointing parts of the faulty production process or negative human behavior that could hinder the operational success within a business organization, the organizational managers

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cover letter - Essay Example accountant is extensive, with reputation of effectiveness, efficiency, an immediate positive connection to the clients, and minimal supervision but within the team environment. As a member of your company’s accounting team, I will provide reliability, efficiency, accuracy with figures, honesty, maturity, knowledge of legal and general office practices, and opportunism for tackling challenges. I find working under intense pressure with a dedicated financial team very satisfying. I have attached my resume for your perusal and review, and I hope that if you find any questions that require my clarifications you will contact me at the telephone numbers above. Mr. Fredrick, my aim is to establish a convenient timeframe that we can meet and discuss how my professionalism, enthusiasm, and talent may add value to your company’s operations. Thank you for considering my candidacy. I am looking forward to speaking with

The Third of May 1808 Essay Example for Free

The Third of May 1808 Essay The museum I chose to look at was the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain. I did not physically go to this museum because it was across the world. I went on a virtual online tour of the museums website. This museum was very interesting to me because it had a lot of old paintings from the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries. The paintings and sculptures in this museum were mostly of human beings and their culture life-styles. I have never been to that museum or any art museum before in my life, so it was also very interesting to see the different types of art there was at the Museo del Prado. If I physically went to the museum, I would have been blown out of my mind with all of the unique styles of art on display. The online pictures of the paintings do not look the same if you went to see it in person. The artwork I analyzed was created by Francisco De Goya in 1814. The Third of May 1808, was the name of his masterpiece and he painted it on an oil canvas. I chose this painting because it is a painting that explains an event that happened during a war between two countries. On my analysis of this painting, I discovered that this painting shows a variety of cultural representations of that time period. Museums have numerous items on display that represent many cultures and countries. Many art pieces have a story behind it that explains the past history of one’s culture. I would not risk my life to save the artwork that was created from my culture, unless the piece had a very valuable meaning to me personally. Our culture and society today is changing and there are millions of paintings being created. I also do not feel the need to risk my life for art. Goya created The Third of May 1808, because the painting shows the battle Spain had to go through to gain its freedom from Napoleon and his French Army (Totally History 1). Goya, being a Spanish man during this war, had witnessed and heard about the brutality of Napoleon decided to paint the harsh images of what was happening in his country. In the artwork, there are a handful of French soldiers poi nting their weapons at unarmed citizens. Three men are dead and bleeding on the ground. The people behind the dead  men seem to be very afraid and appear to be of a different ethnicity then the armed men, based on their clothing, hair, and skin. Goya also showed how these Spanish men stood up for their country. In The painting, there seems to be a woman hold a child behind a group of men being shot at. The man standing up with his hands above his head, showing signs of surrender, appears to be trying to protect the woman and the other people by saying taking him instead of them. Goya describes the basic human characteristics one would do in this kind of situation. People are crying and sobbing because people are dying, men are surrendering to the army men because they do not want to die. He also painted the men that are dead because he wanted to show what the men with weapons were doing to the helpless men on the hill. This piece makes me feel sad and hurt for the people that are being executed. These people are unarmed and cannot defend for themselves against the arm y men. These rebels were only trying to protect their country from being overthrown by a foreign power and had every right to protect it. Woman and children were even being killed during this horrific battle for Spanish freedom. Goya sends a very strong message to the world in this piece because it shows what the Spanish people went through to overcome Napoleon. They lost many lives and were treated inhumanly. When something, like art, is consider to be real, then that means it is the original piece of work created by the artist themselves. A copy of something, like art, means that the original piece was taken and re-created by another person besides the original creator. I would rather see the original piece of something because that piece itself shows what is really there or not. For example, when an art is copied, the two pieces will never be identical. I would not know if the copied piece was altered with and extra designed or material was added. In this painting I feel like Goya wanted to show the world that a person or political power should not treat another person inhumanly based on personal wants. I feel like he sent this message out because the people were all bunched together and traumatized by the French army soldiers pointing their guns at them. This painting shows the integrity and community core values of Saint Leo. The Spanish rebels showed their honesty and loyalty to their county and people around them. As a community they stood together, protected each other and fought for freedom in their country. When the men in the painting were about to be shot they stood up proudly for their country and  accepted what was about to happen. They did not back down to Napoleon or the soldiers and instead died for their country. I personally feel like I will not judge a person based on their ethnicity because of this painting. I think of the wars happening around the world and all the people being stereotyped in our country because of incidents happening. This makes me think deeper into my respect, personal development and integrity core values as well. This artwork was selected to be displayed in the Prado Museum because it symbolizes a big part of the freedom Spain established in its earlier years as a country. When people see this piece they will think of the people who sacrificed their lives for the people to live in Spain today. Goya used oil canvas to paint and this created a great source of the difference between light and dark. He used the light colors to grab the viewer’s eyes on faces of people in his painting, this is called a Rembrantian style of painting design that contrast light and shadow (Janaro and Altshuler 124). In The Third of May 1808, the army men seem to be using a light to better their view of their victims in the dark. Goya puts a spot light on the Spanish rebels to tell what this piece is mainly about. He uses white on the male surrendering his life’s shirt to symbolize his acceptance to Christ and he is ready to go to heaven. Goya wanted his pieces to be realistic and to show how he felt about his pieces(Janaro and Altshuler 125). His piece is of value to Spain because it resembles their cultural past events that took place in their country. The message he portrays in his artwork is very relevant in our generation. Our country has and is still overcoming liberation. Our country is attempting to help other countries overcome it as well and this painting symbolizes liberation. If the Spanish can stand up for their freedom then other countries and cultures can do the same. Somebody should have to feel trapped because somebody else wants to control them. Humans are meant to be free.

Article Analysis: Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Article Analysis: Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy ADEOLU AMOS ADEYEMO D240 EMA X246808X QUESTION: (A) Summarise the research article ‘An exploration of the therapeutic process while using computerised cognitive behaviour therapy’ (D240, 2010 The Open University). (B) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the approach to research contained in the article. (C) Conclude by discussing which understanding of the counselling relationship you feel most drawn to and why. Word Count. 2000. PART A SUMMARY The purpose of this qualitative study on the use computerised cognitive behaviour therapy is to investigate the experience of clients when using computerised cognitive behavioural therapy and also to identify if it has the same effect as it would in face to face cognitive-behaviour therapy; given that high value have been placed on client-therapist relationships in success or failure of a therapy. The other purpose of the study is to explore the process by which clients are able to make use of unsupported computerised Cognitive-Behavioural therapy self-help therapy to aide their recovery (Davd G. Purves Dutton, Janet, 2013). In order to carry out this qualitative study, seven participants were recruited, six female and one male between ages 30 to 57 years on voluntary basis through newspaper advertisement; those recruited have had mild depression with some self-help experience in the past. Those recruited were screened with the use of questionnaire to make sure they were appropriate for the research. For the purpose of this research Blues Begone Computerised Cognitive Behavioural therapy program which was designed as self-help to fight the symptoms of fear and anxiety was used. Each participant was sent one in form of CD to be downloaded into their computers, each has thirty episodes. It offers assessment and personalised program of therapy as contained in CBT framework, with no interference from the researchers, though they were available for assistance ((Davd G. Purves Dutton, Janet, 2013). After completion of the programme, data were collected from the participant through semi-structured interview, the transcript of the interviews were analysed by the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. Inter-rater reliability was used to reduce any bias that may impact interpretation of the data; the data was also checked by two autonomous raters but were familiar with conducting and analysing interview data ((Davd G. Purves Dutton, Janet, 2013). At the end of data analysis the research result shows four main areas of interest were discovered while carrying out the process of computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy activity. There was development of some reasonable relationship with self-help materials provided which was confirmed by five of the seven participants, the design of the program which cartoon provides warmth, humour and enthusiasm. It encourages them to form ‘relationship’ just as in real live therapeutic bond. However the computer was unable to provide immediate response to difficulty, and specificity as in human encounter therefore the users were unable to address their problems at a deeper psychological level. Also five participants expressed that they feel empowered because the program provided them information that altered their perspective on a specific issue, they were able to take information that are relevant they are to their situation and how that information can be used to address their situation without any assistance from a therapist. The third point raised was that the participants were stimulated with the way the program were presented in different colours, music, images and humorous cartoon, all these boost their engagement and helped some to think, this was seen as a form of interaction. The last finding was that the participants found how the structured of the Blues Begone helped them to break down their issues and handle them in a convenient way thereby regaining both sense of direction and individual control in the process ((Davd G. Purves Dutton, Janet, 2013). While the researcher was discussing the research it was suggested the environment created by therapist with warmth and empathy that enhance therapeutic change can be converted into self-help media to the extent that the user became engaged in the self-help process and motivated to undertake the work of change. Even with the participants not being able to experience the reaction and depth of face-to-face rapport, it did not reduce the worth of the cCBT intervention. And what the cCBT experience lacked in depth was made up for in participants involved with different features of the program to experience changes in thinking and develop new explanations to their problems. It was also suggested that while cCBT has the prospective of stimulating and facilitating individual process, as the responsibility of the work of therapy lies with the client. It also confirms the idea that in self-help effort the client is indeed the main cause of change. It also suggested that the implication for pra ctice was talking therapy services are to offer self-help or guided self-help intervention before receiving face-to-face therapy. PART B Discuss the strength and weakness of the approach to research (qualitative) contained in the article. Qualitative research can be defined as organised study that involves gathering and evaluating non-numerical data (D240, 2010 p.309). It is about the study of people in specific circumstances and usually in their own normal environment, Qualitative research usually aim to give support to the development of understanding, by arriving at a report and or interpretation of specific aspect of human experience. Qualitative research is different from quantitative research; quantitative research is mainly about gathering numerical (numbers) data usually through questionnaires, surveys to give explanation to a specific phenomenon and in most cases it involves larger group; hypothesis is usually given at the beginning of the research unlike qualitative research (D240, 2010). There are different means of collecting qualitative data, among which are interviews, open-ended questionnaires, diaries and recordings made during counselling therapy sessions (D240, 2010 p. 309). The style of qualitative research used dictates the method that will be used to construct meanings, for instance there are different guidelines that can be used to analyse interview data which includes empirical phenomenology, grounded theory and interpretative phenomenological analysis. However another school of thought believed that meaning is made up between people through their use of language; in view of this idea analysis of dialogue and everyday talk is taken as sources of meaning (D240, 2010 p. 309). In this type of qualitative research approach, there are different methods of analysing different aspects of language. Discourse analysis, conversation analysis and narrative analysis. The discourse analysis for example focuses on how an individual position herself or himself within wi de-ranging culturally based ways of talking while conversation analysis is on the way meaning is created in the moment by moment interaction between talkers. Narrative on the hand emphasises the stories someone tell about his or her lives as vital elements of meaning (D240, 2010 p. 310). However whatever way of conducting qualitative is chosen there are sets of standard procedures to follow. It starts with researcher identifying question or issue to explore; this is followed with the creation of text which can be in for of diary, interview transcript or a recording session of a therapy to represent the phenomenon. The researcher will now have to deeply involve himself or herself for its meaning to come out, after which the act of interpretation will be transferred to appropriate audiences in a report format (D240, 2010 p.310). One of the strengths of qualitative research approach is in its ability to provide a thoughtful and description of people’s understandings of a phenomenon which cannot be understood in terms of numbers; example can be taken from the article, most of the participants felt empowered during the course of cCBT program, this type of feeling cannot be quantified in numbers. Also qualitative research approaches permits some amount of flexibility in the conduct of a certain study which indicates that the researcher do not have to use a definite type of data collection method towards the investigation but can be flexible in using a variety of methods to collect data.; it helps the investigation of complex or difficult topics if a bond of trust develops between the investigator and the participants; and aided investigators to make connections between diverse facets of people’s life, like domestic issues, work and leisure. Another good thing about qualitative research approach is that as a researcher you have the capability to interact with participants in the language they understand and most importantly on their positions. After identifying the process involved in conducting qualitative research and how good it can be to unearth the hidden fact that quantitative research cannot give answer to, some weaknesses have also been noticed. One of these weaknesses is in the focused group which are always small which means the results are most likely to be valid for that specific focused group. In that wise generalisation cannot be made as will do with quantitative research results. Another point is because qualitative researches pay more attentions on depth, it may mean that collection and the analysis of data materials can take a long time, and if that is case the economic and human resources costs may be high. Also there could be doubt in accuracy of the interpretation of the investigator; the investigator/researcher as a human-being just like participants may have their own biases to consider when carrying out the research process. And again because qualitative research involves small group of participants, other academic researchers might not take the outcome of the research seriously. PART C COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP I FEEL DRAWN TO AND WHY. The relationship that develops between a client and therapist has been described as a very vital aspect of counselling process; therefore sustaining a good therapeutic relationship is essential. A good therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and client across all therapeutic approach to counselling has been suggested to be one of the best factors that lead to successful therapeutic results (D240, 2010 p.259). The counselling relationship I feel drawn to is from therapeutic alliance perspective, it involves all essentials of the relationship needed with the bonding between therapist and client (D240, 2010 p. 261). I believed that collaboration between the client and the therapist, with full focus on the clients and their essentials needs and set goals will help the clients to improve their coping strategies and be able to help themselves, while enabling positive therapeutic environment to help in exploring their past and presen t issues without passing judgement. Among the factors identified as necessary for development of therapeutic alliance is empathy; it is defined as the capability of the counsellor to have thoughtful of the world of the client and be sensitive to their experience in a moment-by-moment manner (D240, 2010 p. 262). It was suggested that there is prove that empathy is effective in bringing about positive therapeutic change more than individual technique (Bohart, Elliott, Greenberg and Watson, 2002 cited in D240, 2010 p. 262). It is about going into client’s world and sees things from their own perspective. Partnership between the client and therapist in some counselling approach start with shared goals and expectations that are deliberated and agreed upon for the therapeutic work they are working towards, recognition of tasks to be performed by each person can hold the relationship together. I believed that therapeutic alliance should start from the time initial contacts were made with the client by showing attributes of respect, candidness, understanding and it is stated in the client-therapist contract. The contract usually sets out boundaries, roles, responsibilities and expectations on both sides. Other characteristics of therapeutic alliance are active listening to clients and make them know that they are being heard and understood, therapist to be aware of verbal and non-verbal communication. I do believe in given objective feedback either positive or negative; both are believed to be important in improving outcomes (D240, 2010 p. 264). Although at the same time I will be mindful of any negative feedback I give so that it will not create more problems for the client having realised that people process information in a different way. Also on my role, I prefer to work together with client on equal levels that is adult-adult/friend-friend type of relationship to deal with presenting issues (D240, 2010 p. 267). REFERENCE Barker, M. Vossler, A. and Langdridge, D. (2010) D240: ‘Understanding counselling and psychotherapy’, London, Sage for The Open University. David G. Purves and Dutton J, (2013) An exploration of the therapeutic process while using computerised cognitive behaviour therapy: Linking research with practice, DOI: 10.1080/14733145,2012.761259 SELF-REFLECTION The area I found interesting is the counselling relationship, understanding it makes me confident on how to engage with clients The areas I found difficult was research summary and I struggled a bit with discussion on strength and weakness of qualitative research method.

Airline Competitive Advantage

Airline Competitive Advantage During turbulent 1970s and early part of 1980s, marketing was a comparatively unimportant activity among airline companies around the world due to stringent industry regulation and the industry was operating in a sellers market conditions around the globe. In particular, protected by government ownership and regulation, airlines were safe from serious competitive effects of the marketplace. In most cases, the industry showed an oligopolistic market structure. For instance, price competition was nonexistent, promotional efforts were limited, product service quality was uneven, and little had been done to develop efficient distribution systems through hub and spoke networks Borenstein 1989. In a market which was dominated by airlines themselves the motto was if you offer flights from one destination to another, people will take them. There is substantial anecdotal evidence that an airline with a dominant share of the traffic at an airport has a competitive advantage on routes that incl ude that airport. In this approach, consumers needs and wants, their expectations did not have any meaning. In recent years, there have been a number of changes in global airlines industry which have had profound effects on the development of this very volatile sector of the economy in most countries of the world. Pustay 1992Demographic, legal-political, socio-economic and technological changes have led the way to transformation of the airline and the way they do business domestically as well as internationally. In this rapid re-structuring process, both national as well as private airlines had to modify their marketing and business policies and strategies. In particular, the emergence of consumer-oriented marketing approach was evident. The essence of the marketing concept incorporates three basic elements of customer-orientation, integrated marketing efforts and the resultant company profitability and customer satisfaction. In this process, continuous relationship between airlines and their customers has become the watchword and airline industry standard. Definition of Competitive Advantage and Strategic Thinking A competitive advantage is a medium or long-term factor that works in favour organisation or at least, a restricted number of airline industries. Competitive advantages in airline are usually facets which are costly and time consuming for others to develop so that the entry price is high. Typical competitive advantages are cost leadership, technological superiority and uniqueness. Positioning Airline Company The first approach takes the structure of the industry as given and matches the company. Strength and weaknesses to it competitive advantage can be viewed as a building defence against the competitive force or as finding position in the industry where the force are weakest. Knowledge of the airline industry capabilities and of course of the competitive force will highlight the areas where the airline industry should confront competitive and where avoid it. When dealing with the industry force that drive industry competitive, company can devise a strategy that takes the offensive. This posture is designed to do more than merely cope with the forces themselves it is mean to alter their causes. Innovation cost in airline industry market can raise brand identification or otherwise differentiate the service and capital investment in airline at large scale facilities or vertical integration affects entry barriers. The forces he identifies are: Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Threat of Substitute customer relationship and Services Threat of New Entrants Bargaining Power of customers Bargaining Power of employees Exploiting Industry Change in Airline Company Airline industry evolution is important strategically because evolution, of cause, bright with it changes in the sources of competition in the familiar services in the life-cycle pattern, for example, growth rates changes, services differentiation is said to decline as the business becomes more mature and the company tend to integrate vertically. These trends are not so important in themselves, what is critical is whether they affect the sources of competition. Consider vertical integration in the maturing airline industry, extensive vertical integration both in servicing and in customer relationship development is taking place. This very significant trend is greatly raising economics of scale as well as the industry this is turn raising barriers to entry and may drive some smaller airline competitors out of the industry once growth level off. Oligopoly and Game theory in airline industry Taking two different airlines as an example, if either airlines decides on cutting their fares, there is tendency that it will affect the other, and if both airlines decide on cutting down their fares, they will both be affected and shift to a worst situation unless, there is increase in fare sales to a reasonable level. Using the names Ryan Air and British Airways respectively to represent two different airlines, If the Ryan airline decides to go for the best fare that maximises profit, it will affect the demand of the fares for the British Airways airline and vice-versa, and also they could also decide on going for the maximum of the minimum (MAXIMIN), tending to increase they profit. So therefore, both airlines tend to have effect on effect other. Recession could be an advantage or demerit to an economy and other firms. Some organisations might see recession as an advantage because it motivates the market to run effectively mostly during long-term. Taking Ryan jar airline as an example, the organisation seen recession as an advantage to them because, during recession competition within the airline industry is less, it causes brings down the cost of airlines. If there is high number of airlines, the lesser the information they get about each others performance being an advantage to the firms, and more likely output and prices will be at a competitive level (Wessel,W.J (2006)pg 433-434). An article laid out by Elowitt, K. (2009), British Airways is one the affected airlines in the economy, stating a 14% drop in the premium traffic domestically and worldwide during the previous year, causing the company to put on hold two or more of their biggest flights. How EU Encouraged the Expansion of low Cost Carriers Reduce congestion in the skies. The European Union constructed a single European sky thereby reducing congestion drastically. The EU has the power to do so because the congestion price is at their disposal and they can also develop strategies and alliances with other airports. A country aware or facing a congestion problem can also create secondary airport to divert segments of the main airports traffic. Air regulations. Rules were imposed into to erase or prevent monopolistic practices which were anti competitive that usually prevented competition to the detriment of consumers. Most importantly, the EU competition rules regaled mergers, state aid to producers are prohibited within certain conditions and finally rules about cartels that prohibited all inter-company agreements that usually restrict or prevent competition within the European Union was implemented. Five ways to airlines reduce cost Used of secondary airport. Paying lower airport charges by using cheaper airport is a means by which cost can be reduced. A similar example is the Debonair and easy jet that set them up in 1995 at Luton where they were given extremely favourable deals on airport charges and rentals. The low-cost is very attractive to smaller airport and as a result can demand extremely low lending and other fees. Increasing number of seats by removing galleys and reduce the seat pitch; By doing away with business class, by reducing the seat pitch that is the distance between seats, low-cost carriers can simply increase the number of seats available for sale on the aircraft. Low-cost carriers tend to also increase their number of seats by reducing the number of toilets and eliminating other spaces such as coat cupboard, and so on. Direct Flight. Low-cost carriers dont set up a network. Their connection is point to point with a high market potential especially for individual private or non-business travellers. The traditional carriers have their own hubs where passengers can switch planes, from European to intercontinental flights. High cost of sales of tickets online. By so doing, they do not pay agencies like the traditional airlines on the sale of tickets. A company spokesman said Ryan airline has around three quarters of its customers already checked online and predicted that passengers would welcome the initiative. Low operating cost: All cost is reduced to its minimal e.g. maintenance cost, air fares, wages etc. No hub services, short cleaning time, no air freight, thus giving rise to high resource productivity. Low-cost carrier in the Aviation Industry Low cost carriers made a great impact on the aviation market causing the competition amongst firms to increase. Low cost carriers also led to a large extension in the number and density of civil airports, thus, the number of passengers in the traditional airport did not reduce. Basically from the point of view, low cost carriers induced either an additional demand or won clients for the air traffic which might have travelled by other means. An interview showed that 59% of the clients or passengers of the low cost carriers are new and 37% changed from other airlines. From the new airlines statistics, 6% stated they would have used the train, 15% the car and 71% said they wouldnt have travelled at all if they wouldnt have been the low cost offer. Incumbent airlines have responded with small cut-price airlines of their own to maintain market share. Due to the impact of low cost airlines, traditional European airlines such as British airways and Lufthansa are experiencing increasing pressure from the growth of the LCC. The traditional airline responses have gone to the extent of reduction in labour cost, greater use of regional aircraft and a run-down of secondary hubs. The traditional airlines also made a lot of changes to their on-board service and a move to direct-sell bring these airlines closer to the low cost carrier product. At the end, the traditional airlines network strength is largely maintained, however, which appears a better strategy to them. The traditional airlines raised up an issue against the low cost airlines that there is unfair competition and abuse to monopoly power and the conclusion led the traditional airlines to be in better shape than their counterparts. Source of Competitive Advantage in Airline Industry Competitive cost advantage in airline industry is a constantly moving target for any company in any industry; the key is not to get stuck with a single simple notion of its source of advantage. The best competitors the most successful ones, know how to keep moving and always stay on the cutting edge. Today, time is a cutting edge among the airline. The ways bigger airline industry companies manage time airline industry in new customer relationship and introduction in flight schedule represent the most powerful new sources of competitive advantage. Though certain western company are pursuing this advantage airline industry experience and practice provide the most instructive example not because they are necessarily unique but because they best illustrate the evolutionary stage through which leading companies have advantage. What Determines cost Success or Failure in Airline Industry Competition The question of what determine the cost success or failure of airline firms competition may be the most fundamental question that strategic management poses. Success, for a strategically distinct business requires that a competitive advantage be created and sustained in airline industry. Competitive advantage yield an economic rent in other words it create a situation in which economic costs are exceeded by revenue generated. Cost may be less than those of competitors, or any combination of this advantage. Conclusions Company might be affected by cyclical effects, leading them to reduce travels of all kinds most by individuals, leading to reduction in demand but the growth remains on a positive side. Individuals travelling on higher fares tickets like first class might change to second class or a lower class. Other companies deciding on building higher cash flow either by introducing higher discounts on premium tickets so as to fill lapse or even to increase demand. According to Winston and Morrison (1989), if an airline exercises monopoly power, the services provided are likely to be reflected with higher prices for the same level of output.

Cynthia Ozick Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Cynthia Ozick (1928 - †¦.) Cynthia Ozick was born in New York City on April 17, 1928. She was the second of two children. Her parents, Celia (Regelson) and Wiliam Ozick immigrated to the US from the northwest region of Russia. The family came from the Litvak (Lithuanian) Jewish tradition which was a tradition of skepticism, rationalism and antimysticism. Her parents owned a pharmacy in Pelham Bay section of Bronx. They worked very hard, usually fourteen hours a day. Cynthia delivered perscriptions sometimes. Her mother was a generous, lavish, exuberant woman full of laughter whereas her father was a discreet, quiet man. He was also a Jewish scholar, and knew Latin and German. When she was five and a half, her grandmother took her to â€Å"heder†, for Yiddish-Hebrew religios instruction. The rabbi told Ozick’s grandmother to take her home because a girl did not have to study. But her grandmother brought her back the very next day and insisted that she was to be accepted. Ozick is grateful to her grandmother for that instince and dates back her feminism to that time. She describes the Pelham Bay section of Bronx as a lovely place but it was â€Å"brutually difficult to be a Jew† there. She remembers having stones thrown at her or being called as Crist’s killer. At home and at the â€Å"heder† she was considered intelligent but she was particularly uncomfortable in school because she did not want to sing Christmas carols and was humiliated for that. She felt inadequate and tells that she suffered â€Å" a wormlike childhood in grade school†. But she was excellent in grammar, spelling, reading and writing. And to run away from the dreariness of being different, she dedicated herself to the world of books. She began reading with her older brother’s... ...d." She has turned 80 earlier this year and has won not one but two lifetime achievement awards. In April 2008, she was receved the PEN/Malamud Award for short fiction and the PEN/Nabakov Award for â€Å"enduring originality and consummate craftmanship†. Bibliography: Trust – novel, 1966 The Pagan Rabbi – stories, 1971 Bloodshed – novellas, 1976 Levitation – fictions, 1982 Art & Ardor – essays, 1983 The Canibal Galaxy – novel, 1983 The Messiah of Stockholm – novel, 1987 Metaphor &Memory – essays, 1989 The Shawl – stories, 1989 Fame & Folly – essays, 1996 The Puttermesser Papers – novel, 1997 Quarrel & Quandry – essays, 2000 Heir to the Glimmering World – novel, 2004 The Din in the Head – essays, 2006 Dictation – stories, 2008 Souces: www.reaaward.org www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org www.complete-review.com www.myjewishlearning.com www.guardian.co.uk

Buried Alive! The Fiction of Premature Burial :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Buried Alive! The Fiction of Premature Burial Why are there claims that people are being buried alive? I will tell you why; it is an old wives tale so there is no credit to. People were never buried alive, it is all fiction. There were patents put out there but the patents were never supported. The fact that there are no signs of the patented objects ever being used makes you wonder if they ever existed. If they did exist, why are they not being used today? I will tell you why people in the present age are being embalmed. Once a person is embalmed, the body is killed in order to keep it preserved and so it does not rot. In the paper, I will discuss how if a person is buried alive it is improbable that someone would live. In addition, I will discuss the theories about Anne Hill Carter Lee's double burial. If a person were buried alive, there would be no way to tell if they were in fact buried alive. Would you not hear the person screaming to be let out of their tomb? Of course you would not be able to hear a person scream or yell for help. They are six feet under the earth. In the times of old they would supposedly find scratch marks on the lids of coffins, but how do we know if they were telling the truth. Now in the twenty first century, we are finding no evidence of this ever happening in coffins of old days or even now days. There used to be bells and pulleys to let the person on the graveyard shift know someone was there. No longer are there such bells and pulleys. When the person who was on the graveyard shift and heard the supposed bells and sirens they had to dig up the coffin. In reality, this would have taken excessively long and the person in the coffin would run out of air. The fact is there are articles being revised to fit the culture of the twenty-first century. In 1898, the Journal of the American Medical Association editorial reminds us of the peculiar fascination with "premature burial" held for people in the last century. Even if a person should be so unlucky as to be buried while unconscious, the editors pointed out that the average coffin contains so little oxygen that asphyxia would probably precede any return to full consciousness. Buried Alive! The Fiction of Premature Burial :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Buried Alive! The Fiction of Premature Burial Why are there claims that people are being buried alive? I will tell you why; it is an old wives tale so there is no credit to. People were never buried alive, it is all fiction. There were patents put out there but the patents were never supported. The fact that there are no signs of the patented objects ever being used makes you wonder if they ever existed. If they did exist, why are they not being used today? I will tell you why people in the present age are being embalmed. Once a person is embalmed, the body is killed in order to keep it preserved and so it does not rot. In the paper, I will discuss how if a person is buried alive it is improbable that someone would live. In addition, I will discuss the theories about Anne Hill Carter Lee's double burial. If a person were buried alive, there would be no way to tell if they were in fact buried alive. Would you not hear the person screaming to be let out of their tomb? Of course you would not be able to hear a person scream or yell for help. They are six feet under the earth. In the times of old they would supposedly find scratch marks on the lids of coffins, but how do we know if they were telling the truth. Now in the twenty first century, we are finding no evidence of this ever happening in coffins of old days or even now days. There used to be bells and pulleys to let the person on the graveyard shift know someone was there. No longer are there such bells and pulleys. When the person who was on the graveyard shift and heard the supposed bells and sirens they had to dig up the coffin. In reality, this would have taken excessively long and the person in the coffin would run out of air. The fact is there are articles being revised to fit the culture of the twenty-first century. In 1898, the Journal of the American Medical Association editorial reminds us of the peculiar fascination with "premature burial" held for people in the last century. Even if a person should be so unlucky as to be buried while unconscious, the editors pointed out that the average coffin contains so little oxygen that asphyxia would probably precede any return to full consciousness.