The Islamic Hegemony Essay Example for Free

The Islamic Hegemony Essay The course of world history could have been altered if a single detail in the events in the 1200’s was changed or did not happen, or a decision was roughly executed at the wrong time, place and situation. Other races or nations may have been the world’s superpower today if the right opportunities were present at that time, and it only means that what could be happening today may be reversed in an instant as not a single nation holds the monopoly of societal change. The world we know today could have been much different if Genghis Khan’s attempt to destroy the Persian Empire was defeated. In the next sections we will present a historical alteration of events and hypothesize on the consequences of Genghis Khan’s defeat with its repercussions on the political, cultural and economic environment of the present. Islamic armies have conquered much of the Central Asian region and converted the population to Islam before the Mongolian invasion of Persia in the 1200’s which halted the Muslim expansion. Whenever these Muslim warriors went, torture, massacre and abuse on the different nomadic tribes, Turkish, Mongolian and other non-Muslim people were perpetuated. The affair on the Silk Road was the only event which altered the course of history. If Genghis Khan was not able to defeat the Persians, it would have been possible that the Islamic Empire expanded East ward without facing any formidable resistance. China in 1279 during the Sung Dynasty has suffered from Mongolian attacks hence any organized resistance would be impossible and the disoriented armies formed to oppose the Muslims would be severely annihilated en masse. The possibility was great that the combined forces of Khwarazmian Empire’s of Shah Muhammad II of Eastern Iran and the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad could take hold of the territories that the Mongolian hordes have reached; India, China, Central Asia and farther up in Poland. Without the emergence of Pax Mongolica (Phillips 32), Muslim influence could have reached a vast expanse in Asia, Eurasia and the Caucasus for it was evident that the Muslim armies converted to Islam every nation or kingdom that they had conquered under the scimitar and the green flag. Thus, we would be having two of the world’s most populous nations (China and India) under Muhammad’s doctrines and such could greatly alter the balance of power in the contemporary history. With Islam as the world’s leading religion in terms of the number of believers. The factor that could have attributed to the Islamic success in dispersing its culture and belief is that unlike the Mongolians, who subscribed to the cultures of the conquered lands, they brought along with tem an organized religion and culture paired with iron will to impose their belief and culture by the sword. Later in Kublai Khan’s rule, he had planned to conquer Japan from the Korean Peninsula but was halted when the Mongolian fleet was destroyed by a typhoon. The Mongol leader attacked in 1274 but was unsuccessful due to a hurricane, known to the Japanese as the winds of the Kamikaze. Eight years later, Kublai struck again launching the largest naval brigade prior to the 1700s. However, the Mongol fleet was sunk by another massive hurricane. After these two disastrous failures, Kublai deserted his plans for the conquest of Japan. (Hooker 2) Imagine when the Islamic conquerors have annexed China into the Islamic sphere of influence with the Arabian dynasty on its helm, we would have a Muslim Japan, which is another world superpower today. With the occupation of China and Japan, it would have been easier for the Arab converters to take hold of South East Asian countries like Philippines, Indonesia and the Indochina and monopolize the political and religious power in the region, blocking the European colonial powers from acquiring their colonies (Dutch East Indies, Indochina and Philippines) in the early part of the 14th century. On the other side of the picture, Muslim armies were also waging a war in the Iberian Peninsula, taking Portugal and Spain from their bases in Egypt and North Africa. This could have spelled total disaster for the Christian armies that were also engaged in the Crusades aimed at retaking the Holy Land from the combined armies of different caliphates and kingdoms in the Middle East. This would be greatly altered in the event that the Islamic armies would be concentrated on the expansion in the European kingdoms. Europe at that time was facing constant disputes on its closely knitted states and principalities hence the political atmosphere was not conducive to economic activities. Without trade from the East (mainly referred to the Silk Road) the mercantile economy was paralyzed. The Mongol hordes rampaged Europe with: †¦A massive raid rather than a complete occupation; nevertheless, the picture she paints is chilling. Driving across the North German plain, the same route Cold War planners pictured for a Soviet invasion, the Mongols would have made use of expert reconnaissance to target plunder and grazing land. They would have sacked Belgium and Holland, destroying the embryonic financial centers of Europe. They would have turned south into France, destroying Paris and with it the revival of ancient philosophy that it would have hosted a few decades later. Perhaps they would have crossed the Alps and ravaged Italy, destroying the other birthplaces of the Renaissance†¦The Dark Ages were pure light compared to what could have happened (Dutch) With such factors, the European nations would not be able to reach a stage of economic growth. The Anglo Saxon and European kingdoms were limited to self-preservation and busied with internal conflicts, so if ever the Arabian Empire would pose a threat to the continent, the nations would not be able to respond accordingly. Though these nations were not totally annexed by the Arabian Empire, the age of explorations will not be like what it was in real history. The colonial powers of Europe may have not conquered parts of Africa because of a strong Islamic influence on the continent brought about by the healthy trade relations with the caliphates and emirates in the Islamic world. The Asian continents were already fortified with Islamic sultanates that had ensued from China, which was already an Islamic territory. The discovery of the New World may have not been possible because of the diverted attention of the European nations from exploration to warfare and territorial defense. The effects of these events could have paralyzed the entire European economy as they were scuttling for raw materials for their industries and caused a crisis in the production system making wars of aggression and annexation more often. It should be noted that the Crusades were, hypothetically, defeated by the Muslim armies thus, the Holy Land was in the sole custody of an Islamic state in the Palestine. If that was what had happened, there is a strong probability that the Zionist Israel will not exist therefore a more peaceful Middle East. It was also likely that the strong Islamic states have maintained the sovereignty of their oil resources and subsequently created a more prosperous oil industry free of European influences. Hence, the events that could have transpired in the 1200’s would have created a new world order wherein the Islamic culture is dominant. The majority of the world’s population could have been Muslims and with such superiority in number religious discrimination would be inexistent. It could have been possible that a nation in Middle East is today’s superpower not the United States. Such was the gravity of the alterations in world affairs that even as we speak, we would be subscribing to Arabic-speaking television networks. The dynamism of history is truly fragile. There are many possibilities in the historical development of human societies and each would yield another result. Works Cited Dutch, Steven. The Mongols. (1998). May 23, 2008 http://www. uwgb. edu/dutchs/WestTech/xmongol. htm. Hooker, Richard. The Establishment of the Bakufu. Japan, Korea and the Mongols. May 23, 2008 http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/FEUJAPAN/KAMAKURA. HTM. Phillips, E. D. The Mongols. Vol. 2. New York: Frederick A. Prager, 1969.

How Military Leavers Can Benefit the Private Industry

How Military Leavers Can Benefit the Private Industry ISSUE TO BE EXAMINED Each year British businesses clamour after the best and brightest coming out of business schools. However, these same businesses often overlook a body of potential employees not only with good or better training, but also with the experience to go with it. Given that military personnel provide a valuable and often taken for granted service to our country, often putting their own lives in danger to defend others, it seems more should be done to assist them in the transition back into civilian life. Such personnel also offer a viable resource for British business, leaving the military with some of the arguably best training in the world and often significantly more experience in a wide variety of areas than others their age who did not undertake military service. This research aims to examine the benefits of military leavers’, particularly officers’, experience and training to private industry. It is hoped findings from this study will aid both military leavers and industry in the UK in connecting, so as to encourage productive employment relationships between the two. Possible outcomes of this research may include some type of publication of findings, or recommendations for military leavers and employers, which would assist employers it taking advantage of this valuable resource and military leavers in finding suitable civilian employment. Specifically, this research undertakes four objectives: To examine the success of military officers in private industry, and how their military training contributed to their success. To identify what specific skills are readily transferable to private industry, and how these can best be articulated to those in hiring positions. To increase awareness amongst those in hiring positions of the often overlooked talent pool of military leavers available to their industry sectors. To consider what private industry must do, if anything, to ensure smooth transition for leavers moving into civilian positions. RELEVANT LITERATURE This project will include a review of literature relevant to the four objectives above. This will include reports and research in former military officers and how they have achieved successful employment in private industry. For example, Shuit (2003) describes the training, people skills, and self-discipline former junior officers bring to the corporate sector. Many others offer similar information (Abrashoff 2002; Anon 2004; Bowers 1996; Joinson 1997; Zicarelli 2000). Specific reports of success across a number of military leavers, rather than concentration on a few case-study type accounts, will be emphasised. Also considered will be the specific skills acquired by military officers that are readily transferable into the civilian workplace. As it is necessary to limit skills to a workable group for research purposes, basic management skills will be emphasised. All officers can be assumed to have received both training and experience in these skills, often much in excess of their civilian counterparts. For example, Questionline reports â€Å"service leavers have spent more time being trained than ninety-nine per cent of civilians†¦ They will be valued, if the employer is able to understand what they are† (Anon 2002). They also argue that British military training is among the best in the world, and has â€Å"considerable civilian value when stripped of its purely military elements and translated into the right language† (Anon 2002). Bowers (1996) similarly contends â€Å"business-management experts say the military builds skills th at can be as valuable in the office as in a war zone† (1). Identifying skills common between the military and private industry will assist both military leavers and HR managers in identifying transferable skills (Anon 2004; Joinson 1997; Zicarelli 2000). Examination of literature will document reasons private employers may overlook leaving military personnel as potential hires. This is undertaken to make recommendations on ways the placement of former military officers in private industry may be improved. For example, Zicarelli (2005) notes that HR positions are increasingly held by people without military experience or reference. As such, understanding and appreciate of military attributes can no longer be assumed. Additionally, many military leavers had to perservere in searching for civilian positions, often learning through turn-downs how to finally present their experience in a way understandable to the typical civilian HR manager (Shuit 2003; Investors Business Daily 2004). Methods employers or organisations have found successful in aiding military officers in transitioning into civilian employment will be analysed, with the purpose of developing broad recommendations for use in the private sector. These will include tactics employed by individual HR managers and company-wide programmes. For example, American companies such as Home Depot, Coors and General Motors have programmes specifically designed to recruit military leavers (ICFAI (2004; Zicarelli 2005). British employers with similar programmes, if any, will also be reviewed. It is anticipated that data in this section will included both information for the individual HR manager and concerning developing company-wide initiatives. Finally, the literature considered in this review will concentrate on those leaving the British military who seek and / or obtain employment in the UK. Supporting literature from countries with similar militaries and economies, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States will be additionally considered from a supportive standpoint. METHODOLOGY Data will be collected from two groups of people: former military officers who have successfully transitioned into civilian employment, and HR personnel in charge of hiring. Open-ended questions designed from issues arising through the review of relevant literature will be used. It is anticipated these open-ended questions will solicit a variety of responses, but will also allow documentation of actual perceptions and observations from interviewees, rather than reduce their experiences to a defined group of possible responses. It is anticipated that questions will be framed within the four stated objectives, however, this framework may be adapted if significant findings from the literature review warrant such change. The planned sample size is ten interviews for each group. While this is statistically too small a sample to make relevant statistical conclusions, the purpose of this research is to articulate transferable skills and raise awareness to the benefits in hiring military leavers, neither of which require the statistical justification of a large sample size. This is additionally a large enough group of interviews to allow broad generalisations about issues outlined in the project objectives to be examined without the possible skewing of one person’s atypical experience that might occur with a sample of only two or three interviews. In addition, ten is a workable number of interviews for the researcher to conduct within the project time guidelines. Companies in a variety of civilian pursuits will be examined, with additionally at least two small, two medium, and two large organisations present in the sample of HR managers. A list of companies currently hiring for management positions will be gathered from Internet and newspaper advertisements. These companies will then be drawn at random to establish an order for contact, with each contacted by letter and follow-up phone calls. Interviews of approximately one hour will be requested, with an overview of the questions to be asked provided with the letter. Contact of companies will continue until ten interviews are secured. Former military officers will be identified through two means. First, the researcher will seek recommendations from those in private industry as to successful former military officers. If ten persons willing to participate in interviews are not acquired through this method, HR managers interviewed as part of the first group of this research will be asked to provide names in their companies or others of potential interviewees. Both groups of interviewees will be promised and supplied with a copy of the final research project. Data will be analysed to develop a skills set that is clearly identified as relevant, the benefits and drawbacks of hiring military leavers, and ways to increase companies’ awareness of potential post-military hires. This will be done first by thorough examination of the transcripts of each interview, followed by statistical gathering of the number of times and importance each item considered was provided by the interviewees. Similarities present in items identified in the interviews will be described and supported with relevant quotes from interview transcripts. A summary of the most relevant answers to each question will be included in an appendix to the report. Obviously, it is not possible to consider all types of military leavers with their myriad of training and experience, or all the needs of private industry that such personnel could fulfil. Therefore, this study will concentrate on the basic management skills typically acquired by all military personnel achieving a rank of at least junior officer. It will examine how this basic management acumen translates into successful civilian employment. Also, since a large number of military personnel go into the defense industry and it already typically recruits military leavers, only companies and positions outside the defense sector will be considered. REQUIRED RESOURCES It is anticipated the most significant resources this project will require are time and people. Twenty interviews of approximately one hour each will be conducted, not to mention the time required to arrange such interviews and analyse results. Getting busy workers to provide an hour of their day for an interview that do not immediately benefit them may not be so easy. It is important to line up persons to interview that can make contributions to the areas considered in the research. The project requires little capital outlay beyond letters, copying of the final report and postage. A small tape-recorder may be used to better document interviews, in which case this would be an additional expense. In addition, it may be necessary to interview some people over their lunch times, in which case politeness would require the researcher to foot the dining bill. PROJECT PLAN The literature review will be completed within thirty days of the project approval, and interview questions developed. These questions will then be submitted to the supervisor for feedback and recommendations. Towards the end of this period, a list of companies and individuals that may be potential interviewees will be developed. Interviews should be arranged within two weeks, and completed within the next two to three weeks. After that, data will be analysed and a project report draft written, which will be forwarded to the project supervisor for comments. Finally, the final report will be generated. Tentative Project Plan: Week 1 Begin literature review research. Week 2 Continue literature review research. Week 3 Continue literature review research. Week 4 Write literature review, create interview questions. Week 5 Begin compiling interview list, interview questions to supervisor. Week 6 Finish compiling interview list, write and send out letters. Week 7 Follow-up letters with phone calls, arrange interviews. Week 8 Continue arranging interviews, begin conducting interviews. Week 9 Continue conducting interviews. Week 10 Finish conducting interviews. Week 11 Analyse data, begin writing project report. Week 12 Finish draft of project report, draft to supervisor. Week 13 Make changes to draft as recommended by supervisor. Week 14 Make changes / rewrite draft. This project plan will both ensure the project is completed in a timely manner and is flexible enough to allow for contingencies. REFERENCES Abrashoff, D.M. (2002) It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, New York: Warner Books. Alkhafaji, A. (2003) Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control in a Dynamic Environment, Oxford: Haworth Press. Anon (2002) â€Å"Military skills in a civilian workplace,† Questionline website, October 2002. Available at http://www.questonline.co.uk/ magazine_sections/leaders/military_skills_in_a_civilian_workplace, accessed 21 May 2005. Anon (2004) â€Å"Army is major contributor to UK plc,† Personnel Today, May 4, 2004, p. 4. Bass, B. (1997) Transformational Leadership: Industrial, Military and Educational Impact, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Bowers, F. (1996) â€Å"Generals trade their army boots for wingtips in trek to civilian jobs,† Christian Science Monitor, December 2, 1996, Vol. 89, Issue 5, p1. ICFAI (2004) â€Å"Home Depot’s Cultural Evolution,† Case Study, ICFAI Center for Management Research. Available at www.icmrinda.org, accessed 21 May 2005. Investors Business Daily (2004) Military and Political Leaders and Success: 55 Top Military and Political Leaders and How They Achieved Greatness, Higher Education. Joinson, C. (1997) â€Å"What HR can learn from military veterans,† HR Magazine, June 1997, Vol. 42, Issue 6, pp. 116-119. Shuit, D.P. (2003) â€Å"Combat ready and business prepared,† Workforce Management, November 2003, Vol. 82, Issue 12, pp. 24-25. Wightman, S., McAleer, E. (1995) â€Å"Management development: the neglected domain,† Journal of European industrial Training, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 3-10. Zicarelli, R. (2000) â€Å"The Military Advantage,† Veteran’s Business Journal, January / February 2005, pp. 20-26.

GE Organizational Structure Analysis

GE Organizational Structure Analysis 1. Introduction This essay identifies GE on the life-cycle chart during the transition from Jack Welch to Jeff Immelt as CEO. It also addresses the changes he made to its organizational structures, thereby achieving his goals. Furthermore, highlighting the risks and trade-offs accompanied with those changes. Finally, this essay also gives recommendations to the transportation department of GE for the new Hybrid project. 2. Life-cycle Source: Adapted from Robert E. Quinn and Kim Cameron, Organizational lifecycle and Shifting Criteria of effectiveness: Some Preliminary Evidence, Management Science 29 (1983), 33-51: and Larry E. Greiner, Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow, Harvard Business Review 50 (July-August 1972), 37-46 (Cited in Organizational Theory and Design Daft et al, 2010) In terms of structure, GE was focused on having close relationship with all members of staff, with small company type thinking where everybody was on first name calling basis. In a speech by Jack Welch in his final management meeting he stressed the following, Fight like hell to keep the small company spirit, involve everyone, reward broadly celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate! Hate bureaucracy, hate it every day and dont be afraid to use the word hate, laugh at bureaucrats and get rid of Layers make fun of layers, joke about layers. They slow, they insulate, and they are what cheap people do in lieu of pay raises for people. (Jack Welch, 2000) As for products and services, Jack  Welch shifted GE business from purely manufacturing to financial services through numerous acquisitions. A list of GE products include Aviation, lighting, electric distribution, media and entertainment, energy, oil and gas, finance- consumer, finance- business, rail, water, healthcare. Reward and control systems in GE where extensive, tailored to product and department. The reward system was greatly differentiated by Jack Welch and he did so mainly based on performance and those who failed where fired from the company. Jack Welch differentiated employees by implementing pay for performance matrices applied to all GE staff where he grade staff from outstanding to unacceptable and bonuses were based on these ratings. Any who fell below par were eliminated from the company. (Jim Pinto, 2007) The main focus and goal of the company is to maintain their reputation as well as complete organization. The stress on reputation was also paramount in GE a quote from Jack Welch the retiring GEO attests to that fact. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Just someone doing something stupid from a legal point and bringing tarnish to the company and destroying themselves and their families in the process (Jack Welch, 2000). Top management style means team approach, attack bureaucracy. As earlier quoted we see the emphasis on attack of bureaucracy and the team approach encouraged by the then CEO Jack Welch. Organization reached stage maturity and may encounter periods of temporary decline. Figure 2 (Taken from investorguide.com) acts as evidence showing the company stocks at a decline from 2001 when Jeff Immelt took over as CEO from Jack Welch. This was as a result of external factors such as the post internet bubble stock market drop and the downturn in the economy which resulted in the drop of confidence of investors in big organizations especially after the post Enron scam. Figure 2 GE Stock Chart (Taken from investorguide.com) Need for revitalization-The decline of stocks and profits in GE indicated a need for revitalization in the company. The Company shares was trading at $23 compared to its $60 in August 2000 ,and the modest increase in profits on revenues by 7% compared to the double digits delivered by the former CEO. There was a need therefore to improve company performance and this could not be accomplished by replicating the same strategy of his predecessor. He therefore embarked on a change in strategy focusing on organic growth through technological leadership, commercial excellence and global expansion. 3. Immelts goals It is apparent that in the year 2000 after Jack Welch retired from GE, Jeff Immelt who was elected by the board members of the company became the new CEO. However, at the same time, the global economy was experiencing a significant downturn, which exerted some detrimental influences on GE. As a result, Immelt did not have an easy situation and besides, he tried to combat the economic problems. Most importantly, he could not copy the business strategy used by Jack Welch his predecessor since the economic environment had changed significantly in the last several years. Generally speaking, Immelt wanted to make a big revolution to the company and besides, Brady (2005) found that Immelt had decided to make GE become an innovative and creative company rather than a process-oriented one. Besides, GE had to shift its attention from cost-cutting to develop new products, improve services and open up new markets. In order to achieve this goal, GE should make a host of changes, particularly in four areas. Specifically, in terms of the organic growth, the most famous action was the imagination breakthrough (IB) which can generate 100milllion dollars in new business during some years and took GE into a new line of business or markets (Prokesch, 2008). After that time, GE developed some famous and successful IBs, such as EVO and GML. Furthermore, Immelt wanted the company to be innovative and creative. Consequently, in 2002, GE began to engaging in new fields, such as oil and gas technology, water technology as well as paying much attention to the research and development. The research group found that some certain areas with the potentials to bring huge profits to GE should be taken into consideration by GE, such as biotechnology. Despite the organic growth, Immelt also hoped GE enter into a stable growth trajectory. As a result, the concept of Ecomagination materialized, since it is a huge business opportunity and most importantly, it is an immerging trend in the economy which can bring GE sustainable and long-term growth rather than only a few months. Immelt announced in 2005 that GE had prepared to focus its future to the eco-friendly technology, such as clean water and clean energy. Makower (2005) also found that almost every year, GE dedicates a vast amount of money in cleaner technologies, thereby developing some eco-friendly products. Moreover, GE tried its best to reduce the greenhouse emission by 1% as well as make some alternative energy, such as hybrid-dual-fuel, which can bring huge profits to GE and improve its reputation in the global market. The third area which Immelt wanted to focus on is the development of infrastructures. After setting his goal, Immelt invested a large amount of money in upgrading the RD facilities and set up some research centers in other countries, including Shanghai and Munich. Furthermore, GE expanded its emerging market in China, India, and Africa. GE also gave priority to the marketing. Brady (2005) made a definition to the marketing; a companys marketing group should pay attention to understanding the market needs and meet customers demands rather than just create slogans for the products. 4. Changes in Organizational Structure GE underwent a change in the basic structure of the organization in several aspects. Specifically, The Global Research Center agenda became more long term oriented rather than focus on short-term product development as it had in the past; the GRCs agenda became more oriented towards the long-term. (Bartlett et al, 2008). Besides, the organization had a more commercially oriented perspective to its decisions; Immelt wanted the organization to turn its attention to the marketplace and to bring in a more commercially oriented perspective to its decisions. (Bartlett et al, 2008). Furthermore, Increase in Human Resources by the reinstatement of chief marketing officer role formally abolished. In one of Immelts first appointment, Beth Comstock was named GEs chief marketing officer, a position Welch had abolished decades earlier. (Bartlett et al, 2008). Moreover, The external recruitment of human resources a formally uncommon practice in GE. Because of the shortage of internal talent, many of these marketing leaders had to be recruited from the outside, an uncommon practice at GE. (Bartlett et al, 2008). The formation of commercial council and experienced commercial leadership program are to monitor and drive change and the slowdown of job rotations, so that the mangers can develop more in depth market and technological knowledge. Immelt also encouraged an innovative nature in his employees and to take more risks and possibly fail, which was contrary to the immaculate completion of objectives formerly encouraged in Jack Welchs era. 5. Trade-offs In order to implement the shift in strategic focus from the interior to marketing, Immelt realigned the human resource by recruiting marketing leaders from outside to compensate the lack of internal talent and forming the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program to integrate newcomers into GEs culture and system. In terms of global expansion, which is also one of the Immelts strategies, Comte increased the Transportation marketing staff by 18 people. These implementations led to extra investment in terms of increasing personnel and training newcomers. On the other hand, instead of operating efficiency and cost-cutting, Immelt focused on technology leadership by upgrading RD facility, upping RD budget 14% and authorizing two Global Research Centers in Shanghai and Munich. The change caused higher costs and more resources required in terms of RD. Rather than focusing on short-term RD as it had before, GE concentrated mainly on the long term. Furthermore, as one of Immelts management styles, spending longer on developing products is prior to acquiring companies for technology, compared to previously consistent growth primarily through acquisitions. Therefore, the result required longer time to reflect on profit. Immelt slowed the job rotation in order to develop growth leaders with deeper understanding in expertise such as market and technological knowledge. Moreover, the evaluation and reward processes which had focused on flawless and short-term execution were adjusted in order to encourage employees to take risks. As a result, although improving professional skills and innovation, these changes led to lower operating efficiency. 6. Risks In terms of earning per share, the average growth per annum from 1981 to 2000 as Welch was the CEO remained 23%, while only 7% from 2001 to 2009 when Immelt changed the strategic focus. Furthermore, focusing on long-term, more modernized and more limited RD projects led to larger uncertainty of the business, which might be risky due to its innovation and unknown market acceptability. Therefore, although these changes represent a new era of GE, shareholders might lose their faith of the company. On the other hand, one of the GEs major divisions is GE capital services. From late 1980s, GE Capital Services increased largely and by 2000 it accounted for almost half of the total sales of GE Consolidated. However, Immelt put more emphasis back on GE Industrial, and the operating profit fell overwhelmingly from US$6,593 in 2004 to US$2344 in 2009. (GE Annual Report, 2009) There was a symbiotic relation between GE Industrial and GE Capital Service. As Jack Welch was CEO, the main strategy of growing industrial division was acquisition because remaining profit of GE industrial enabled GE to be ranked as industrial company so that GE Capital Services could borrow at cheap rates and lend at higher rates, the fact how GECS increased its revenue. Immelt, nevertheless, abandoned the strategy of acquisition and upgraded the RD budget in order to enhance GE industrial because he wanted to make GE as a research-based and innovative enterprise. This move led to a collapse of the balance betw een GE Industrial and GECS and might cause potential risk in GE because GECS accounted for more than 40% sales revenue of total. (Froud, 2005) 7. Transportation recommendation Besides the EVO, GE also prepared to focus its attention to the hybrid project since it is the perfect candidate to fit into the Ecomagination project which GE just announced and committed to save the environment. Hybrid was a project which aimed to reduce the emission and captures the energy generated during braking and stores it with the batteries. Consequently, by using the hybrid, it could reduce fuel consumption by almost 15% compared with other locomotives, which was helpful to the customers, environment and GE. However, the costs for developing the batteries and hybrid technology were extremely high and GEs limited finances and engineering resources required GE to weigh the opportunity cost of embarking on this project. These factors required the transportation division of GE to come up with three possible scenarios; The first option would be to explain that while the project as currently defined appeared to have very limited to short- to medium-term commercial viability, the business would commit to it as an IB and continue to explore alternative ways to make it successful; The second approach would be to acknowledge the hybrids long-term potential, but suggest that it be placed on hold as in IB, perhaps by transferring primary responsibility to the Global Research Center to work on the battery technology in collaboration with various GE businesses including Transportation-that had an interest in its development; The final alternative would be to recommend that the company acknowledge the fact that after three years of hard work on Hybrid, neither the technology development nor the market acceptance of the concept had indicated that it could be a viable commercial proposition in the foreseeable future, and therefore that it be dropped as an IB. After considering all the elements, GE should opt for the second option by the following reasons. First, to hold hybrid as an IB and meanwhile to develop the present technology may help GE to not only remain the leading position among the present market but move forward to the future by researching in future trend. Furthermore, it would be relatively less risky than the first option due to the separation of the investment. The increased emphasis on gas emissions ensure that the hybrid engine will definitely become a necessity for the rail transport industry, this is also in line with Immelts goals for GE to be the 1st in innovative technology and embarking on trends that cannot be easily imitated. The battery technology when completed can be used for alternative businesses in GE there by helping the company to be green and promote the environment. Due to the environmental importance of the project GE can solicit help from the government to aid with the cost for the development of this new technology as highlighted by Bartlett et al (2008), Compte explained that his marketing organization had located some potential government funding for hybrid project. 8. Conclusion In conclusion GE is a company with strong strength of organizational cultures and uses task type of organizational culture. It was identified in the case study to be at the elaboration stage of the lifecycle chart at the time Immelt was made the new CEO of the company. The company was at the revival stage of organizational development, he accomplished this by changing the company from a result oriented closed system to a process oriented open system. Moreover it is an organic organization which uses learning to improve its organizational and managerial capabilities. As a result it has diversified quality production and can be prospective in its environment, strategies and technology. Word Count: 2492

Reading Recovery Essay -- Research Papers Learning Education Papers

Reading Recovery The ability to read is vital to a child's success in school and throughout life. However, reading achievement in the U. S. is low. In fact, according to the most recent national assessment of educational progress, 44% of U.S. students read below the "basic" level, meaning they exhibit little or no mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary to perform work at grade level (Collins, 79). These statistics have driven school districts, parents, and students scrambling to find something to turn the tide of reading failure. They are searching for a solution that will have a lasting impact on a child's reading ability. Many have adopted the Reading Recovery Program as a viable solution to the problem. The issue to be addressed now is; Does this program provide an effective solution to the reading problem that is plaguing students of the US? I was particularly interested in this question because my eight year old daughter, Brooke, successfully completed the Reading Recovery program when she was in first grade. However, despite our efforts, her reading skills stagnated during second grade. By the beginning of third grade her teacher approached me to say something is wrong. The teacher pointed out that if Brooke successfully completed the Reading Recovery Program, then she should not be struggling like she is with reading. This was my catalyst to finding out about the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery Program. I wanted to find out if the program really produced long term results or if it was just a nice bit of one on one attention from a devoted teacher. To fairly analyze these questions, it is essential to take a glimpse into the reading problem that pervades across the US. As stated, ... ...Recovery Program is effective in raising potentially poor readers to grade level. Most of these children are able to maintain an average reading level as they progress through school. This program appears to be a viable solution. Bibliography Clay, Marie M. 1993. Reading Recovery. Reed Publishing Co. Auckland, New Zealand. Collins, James. "How Johnny Should Read." Time Magazine. October 27, 1997 Mc Guinness, Diane. "Why Our Children Can't Read." (photo copy with out the rest of the information). Personal interview: Brown, Wayne. Feb. 18, 1998 Personal interview: McMahan, Taffy. Feb. 20, 1997 Personal interview: Howard, Gwen. Feb. 20, 1997 Office of Research, Consumer Guide. December 1992. Number 3 Masters Program, Curriculum and Instruction. Reading Recovery, Illinois State University. Fax 309-438-8699

Lincoln - Douglas Debate :: essays research papers

Affirmative Case Introduction- "We must use every tool of diplomacy and law we have available, while maintaining both the capacity and the resolve to defend freedom. We must have the vision to explore new avenues when familiar ones seem closed. And we must go forward with a will as great as our goal – to build a practical peace that will endure through the remaining years of this century and far into the next.† Because I believe so strongly in the words of U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, when she spoke at the Stimson Center Event, June 10, 1998, that I ask you to affirm today’s resolution, â€Å"Resolved: The use of economic sanctions to achieve U.S. Foreign Policy goals is moral.† Before I go on, I feel it necessary to define some key phrases in this resolution: ? Economic sanctions- the deliberate, government inspired withdrawal, or threat of withdrawal, of customary trade or financial relations. "Customary" does not mean "contractual"; it simply means levels of trade and financial activity that would probably have occurred in the absence of sanctions. ? To achieve- to fulfill ? U.S. Foreign Policy goals- to encompass changes expressly sought by the sender state in the political behavior of the target state. ? Moral- capable of right and wrong action or of being governed by a sense of right; subject to the law of duty. I ask you to affirm this resolution in order to achieve my all-important value premise of societal welfare. To make my position clear, I will define societal welfare as the United States government’s duty to act in the nation’s best interest. This also refers to what the majority of the citizens want. To achieve societal welfare, I shall utilize the criterion of national security. I will define national security as the government’s obligation to protect its citizens. It is in this way that the United States government must proceed to achieve its greatest goal of societal welfare by exercising the security of our nation. Now on to the core of the affirmative case: My first contention in this debate is that sanctions aim to modify behavior, not punish. Sanctions do not exist to ostracize or punish, but rather they encourage a change of policy that leads to compliance with standards of international law. One of our goals is to change or destabilize the target’s government, which means to change its policies that involve human rights, terrorism, and nuclear nonproliferation. Others are to disrupt a relatively minor military adventure and to change the policies of the target in a major way, such as, to surrender a territory. Our goals are NOT to go

Conceptualizing a New Product or Service Division of an Existing Business Essay

The success of an organization depends on the strategic plan. In the plan, it will define the mission, vision, ad value statements. The strategic plan is designed to assist the organization with its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The SWOT analysis will help develop a strong strategic plan and map out the direction to follow to achieve an organizational vision and goal. The purpose of this paper is to cover the mission, vision and core value of De Von’s Printing. Define the guiding principles and strategic direction. Then introduce and identify the customer’s needs and how it achieves competitive advantage. Mission De Von’s is classified as a full service printing provider for standard and custom invitation, web design, and web support. The company’s clientele are individuals and organizations of any size or nature. The services offered to the clientele ranges from standard to custom. De Von’s center its dedication and customer appreciation around the skills of displaying the most outstanding customer service to each customer that the company serve. The company’s mission statement is to provide the customer with the highest quality product and service in a timely manner, and provide each customer with a competitive price. We will be honest, give professional advice and provide friendly customer service. Our goal will be to meet and exceed full expectation. The mission statement is a written declaration of an organization’s core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time. Properly crafted mission statements (1) serve as filters to separate what is important from what is not, (2) clearly state which markets will be served and how, and (3) communicate a sense of  intended direction to the entire organization (â€Å"Mission Statement†, 2014). Vision De Von’s vision statement is to be a leader in the Printing industry. The way the company will display and honor the statement is to use innovative work practice with a self-improvement of the culture, to evaluate the new technology that will add value, and being socially responsible. We commit to our principles, product and service, ad clientele. The vision statement is an aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serves as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action (â€Å"Vision Statement†, 2014). Core Value The company’s core values are to discipline and respect the commitment that was developed, ownership to the goals, and take accountability and responsibility for our actions, uphold the trust, sensitivity, and professional conduct, and have a quality orientation and purpose of excellence. The core values are a company’s ethical and moral compass and decision making foundation. They are the ideals and ethics that management holds dear. They drive decision making in that they are constantly referred to in the decision making process. That is, when in a tough spot, the answer needs, first and foremost, to be consistent with the company values. They are generally for both internal and external consumption. They tell those in the company how things are done and those outside the company why they want to be associated with this company. Corporate values are best when they are few in number but high in meaning and lived daily (â€Å"Mission, Vision, and Value†, 2013). Guiding Principles The company’s core value is developed around the certainty that the standard and custom printing is a way to produce quality invitations for the clients. This makes it easier for those that do not wont cheap printing and looking for a professional look. De Von’s Printing guiding business principles are committed to follow is: a. Listen and communicate b. Leadership c. Courtesy and respectful d. Exceed customer expectation e. Excellence f. Share knowledge g. Simple process h. Team work i. Participate and contribute to activities The company has beliefs that the custom printing will target a huge segment of clients, who are in need of quality printing. The management team wants to serve a competitive price depending on the design. Organization’s Strategic Direction De Von’s objectives for the future are to achieve the goals in the strategic plan to expand on the growth for the company. Once the achievement has been accomplished, the management team would review the profit made and look at other opportunities in the printing industry such as screen printing. De Von’s future goal is to add to the partnership network with the competitors such as Paramount Printing. The executive and management team has discussed the advancement plan of the objectives. The objectives would include connect with web designers and screen printing organizations, communicate, and advertise the new service. Produce a partnership with local competitors by advertising workshops or seminars, and use a recruitment method to reach out to master printers. Use social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to advertise and promote the product and service. The strategic plan solely depends on the mission, vision, and core values. The mission statement identifies the company and who it supports; the clientele, employees, and investors. The mission statement recognizes the proficiency within the industry. The clients realize that De Von’s Printing is committed with customer satisfaction, focus, and outstanding abilities. The vision statement summaries how the company wants to succeed by providing outstanding products and service to the clients. De Von’s vision is to become one of the popular printing companies in the area and through the United States. This shows that the company is committed to accomplishing and achieving excellence to the clients, staff and investors. It also shows that the ownership has motivation to be the best it can be and be loyal to  the goals for the company to expand. The core values of De Von’s Printing are correspondingly as impertative as the mission and vision statement of the organization’s strategic plan. Lastly, the value of integrity shows that cl ients and employees can trust the company to do what is right for not only clients, employees, and shareholders, but for the community and society as well. The Customer Needs and Achieved Competitive Advantages De Von’s top priority is to be able to meet the customer’s needs. The company has developed a strong communication method. This method has allowed the management team to utilize his or her listening skills. Once the communication and listening plan was put in place, they were able to understand what the clients were looking for in a product and services. There are three steps the team would need to follow in order to bring satisfaction to the clients. The steps would be Listen, Process, and Deliver. The team took the steps and developed a plan. The first step is Listen. Team A took the information from the clients and was able to understand what he or she was trying to achieve. Team B had the Process step. They reviewed the multiple solutions that were available and then were able to decide the best one for each individual or organization. In the Process step, the team used the advanced solution instead of the cheaper one. The last step is the deliver. This step Team C set a method for the clients to follow through, and establish a way for the client to meet the request of the customers by providing on time service, and a committed competitive price. De Von’s focus is to remain in an advance stage of bring competitive with the competitors. The management team and executive leaders have put in place ways to stay competitive in the Printing Industry. An incentive and training program was put in place to provide positive resources for the employees. Conclusion De Von’s Printing has a strong method of maintaining a positive strategic plan. The mission, vision, and values were properly evaluated and developed with a smooth path of organization. The mission statement identifies the company and who it supports; the clientele, employees, and investors. The vision statement gives a view of where the company has set out for the future and in what direction they plan to be. The core values are a guide  that helps the company to meet the goals that are set. De Von’s management team has realized that their biggest competitive advantage will be the clientele and the employees. . Reference â€Å"Mission Statement†, (2014). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/mission-statement.html#ixzz35ZMkiGFn â€Å"Vision Statement†, (2014). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/vision-statement.html#ixzz35aW3DgZb â€Å"Mission, Vision, and Value statement†, (2013). Retrieved from http://www.bellevuechamber.org/links/pdf/mission_vision_and_values_template.pdf

Movie Review Hoodwinked

Hoodwinked is a movie produced by Weinstein Company in 2005. The film puts a new spin on the children’s tale of Little Red Riding Hood as each of the characters is shown with a spin of their own. The story started with the familiar event, in which little red riding hood went to Granny’s house with a basket of goodies. As she arrived at the house, she saw the wolf in the bed of her grandmother and disguised as Granny. As the wolf jumped to attack Red, her Granny who is tied up jumped out of the closet and the lumberjack came to save red and granny. However, when the police arrive at the place of the incident, the line of questioning moves to information which is related to a mysterious string of goodie and recipe thefts which have been happening all over the woods. As Red’s Granny still has her recipes, the police decided that Granny, the wolf, Red and the woodcutter must be guilty or the police are determined to find evidence to prove that one of them is the prime suspect.  Ã‚   Police Chief Grizzly just wanted to book everybody and call the case as closed, however, Mr Flipper, the dapper detective sees more to the incident. The detective also arrived at the crime scene and decided to have an investigation by interrogating the four. In the movie, it can be seen that there are two overlapping crimes that happened in the woods. First crime is the attempted murder, if we can consider what the wolf wanted to do with Red that way, as well as trespassing in the house of granny and the abuse he made with the Granny and the recipe theft that is happening all over the woods. The police have been in the crime scene to investigate what had happened in the house of Granny and to know what the real truth behind the said is attacked of the wolf to Red and his Grandma. However, as the investigation proceeds, the four had learned that there is another crime that is happening in the woods which is the theft of the recipes of the goodies. And instead of solving the first issue, the detective have made focus on the recipe theft issue and interrogated the four, whom at first considered as victim, but now considered as the suspect for the other crime. In this story, one of the articles that can be linked or associated with it is the article entitled Deception and its Detection by Detective Wesley Clark under the testimonial evidence. The article is about obtaining statement that should be useful in investigating a crime. There are two different types of statement that can be established in crime investigation. This includes the specific statement and the alibi statement. Specific statement includes the information provided by the subject of the crime while the second one pertains to statement made to cover-up specific time-frame. In the story, detective flipper would want to know the truth about the thief of the recipes; hence, he interrogated that four. Since, the four (wolf, granny, red and woodcutter) are busy with what happened to them about the attempted crime of wolf to red, we can possibly say that they do not have any idea about the recipe theft. However, since granny has her own recipe, the four have become the suspect. To know the truth, the police have interrogated the four and asked them questions to determine whether they will be considered guilty or innocent of the crime.   With this, to cover up, each of the four had their own alibi statements to make sure that they will not be accused of being the recipe theft. According to the article of Detective Clark (1998), the police officer who is interrogating a suspect, should provide the subject with the limitations within which alleged suspects must be asked to tell everything that had happened during a specific time-frame. For example, since the recipe theft has happened in the woods, the police who is interrogating the suspects should let the suspect write everything which happened from the time they wake up until the time that they ended their day, in this case, the time after the crime of the wolf has been ended in granny’s house. Another article that can be linked in this story is the article still under testimonial evidence which is entitled Conducting Successful Interrogations by David Vessel. As can be noted in the story, the police officers have interrogated the four, knowing that they will be able to know who among them is the real suspect of the recipe threat but did not give attention to the crime that happened in the house of granny. In the article, it is said that the main purpose of having an interrogation is to identify the suspect or involved criminal suspects which makes confession by admitting his participation in a crime. More often, interrogators are having difficulties in collecting statements that will prove how guilty the suspect is or not. If the interrogator have investigate the wrong suspects, there is a tendency of having more conflict since the investigation would only waste the time of the police officers as well as the time of the alleged suspect. There would be a tendency that the real suspect is still living freely without the investigator knowing it. In the case of the movie, it can be said that the interrogators have investigated the wrong person, since in the end, granny’s recipe has also been stolen, making the officer believed that none of the four is guilty for the recipe theft. In the article, it also discussed about the acquisition of adequate background information about the subjects to be able to have a successful investigation. It is said that the feeling, personal values and attitudes of the subject have a direct impact on the success of the interrogations. In the part of the movie (Hoodwinked), though the police officers knew the background information about the suspects (red, granny, wolf and woodcutter), they still stick on they thought that one of the four is the prime suspect of the recipe theft.   The interrogation made by the police in a succession has revealed different experiences of the four which complexly intertwine themselves perfectly into a whole. In interrogating a suspect, the police officer should also consider the human rights of the individuals, even if he is accused of committing a crime. Hence, the officer should treat the alleged suspect in an ethical manner. However, in the movie, it can be said that the police officer who interrogated the four has not been ethical on the way they interrogate the wolf, granny, red and woodcutter. The police shouts on the alleged suspects and behaves in a threatening was towards the fours suspects. Such behaviour is said to violate one of the rules investigating and interrogating. Instead of treating the suspect badly, the interrogator should build a good relationship with these people to be able to gather essential details that would lead to the solution of the crime or that would lead to the real suspect. In the story, each of the characters has their own personality that is not usual for investigating a crime. The investigations made by the police bear and the detective frog, can be said to be incompetent unlike the investigations made by the wolf and his sidekick, though it still lack of enough evidence to conclude who really is the suspect of the recipe theft. References Clark, W. (1998). Deception and its Detection. Connecticut Trooper Magazine, Fall. Online Available http://www.crimeandclues.com/deception.htm. Accessed October 8, 2007. Vessel, D. (1998). Conducting Successful Interrogations, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Online available http://www.fbi.gov/library/leb/leb.htm. Accessed October 8, 2007.