Inventory Systems Summary

Forecasting is a planning tool meant to help management in their attempts to cope with the uncertainty of the potential events. Forecasting with indices is used for numerous reasons, especially in business. There are two common methods of forecasting, there is the quantitative method and then there is the qualitative method. The quantitative methods are based on more numerical data; these are typically statistical methods done by collecting data. Team D has computed a forecast based on the Summer Historical Inventory Data with an explanation on how the results were detained.The University of Phoenix has found Itself in a lot of trouble with the law, with law suits being filed against them left right and center; an overwhelming amount of crystals has been aimed at the Institution from the employees to students, who Indicate there Is trouble brewing In the Institution. In this paper we will look at how the trend of admissions has been affected and predict the future of registrations in this university (Summer Historical Inventory Data).According to Institution of education sciences (2010), the year 2000 University of Phoenix had 4,783; the enrollment after this sky rocketed and in fall 2006, the total number of students enrolled were 165,373, in 2007 fall, the number of students was 224,880, in 2008 fall the number was 301 323, In the fall of 2009, university of Phoenix had one of the highest enrollment rates in North America with the online program having an intake of 380,232 students.Projection statistics all indicate that enrollment of students Is on the Increase as the years pass by, the need for education Is growing ND all factors considered like gender, age and attendance all show that the likelihood of a fall In enrollment in universities granting degrees Is highly unlikely. University of Phoenix has been no exception to the rule as by 2009 the numbers have been increasing (Institution of education sciences, 2010).The rate of part time students NAS particu larly Increased, as many people opt Tort tans Upton as opposed to being full time students. The university has experienced changes in administration and has really focused on getting more and more students; the methods they have seed however have raised eyebrows as it is one of the highest profit raking institutions and burdens students with heavy loan repayments (Scott, 2009).While there have been concerns raised about the university, as far back as 2006, the numbers have kept rising especially because the offer classes online, though their many campuses and other hybrid programs online, such schedules are flexible and appeal to many who may not have the time to attend campus regularly; Students can get their associates, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees (Online degree reviews, 2011). Opinions from many people who have been through the university are however likely to affect the enrollment rates.In 2011, the general enrollment has gone down by about 30% by most statistics a nd with the malpractices that are coming to light this rate is likely to continue, as the needs of the students do not seem to be met adequately and many end up feeling they got a raw deal (Scott, 2009). University of Phoenix has certainly perfected the art of getting the numbers to the school with many people employed to ascertain this, however the problems begin to how after the students begin school as they most often do not get the full details of what they are getting themselves into (Online degree reviews, 2011).

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay

In Ambrose Bierce’s short story, ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,’ he uses his setting to carry out the plot of the story better than the short film of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. ’ The words in the short story flow so beautifully, and give such detail as to fully understand the emotions running through Peyton Farquhar’s head as the time progresses to his hanging. In my opinion, the story’s graphic settings and imagery easily grasp the introduction rising action/climax, and conclusion as Ambrose Bierce originally wanted the story to be told. In the introduction of the short story, Bierce tells of a man, soon to be known as Farquhar, standing above a bridge engaged to be hung. As he is waiting for the lieutenant to complete preparations, he lays eyes upon a piece of drift wood in the swirling stream below the bridge. The story then goes into detail about how slowly the stream appeared to be moving the drift wood along, â€Å"He then let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed the current. How slowly it appeared to move! What a sluggish stream! (Literature 71). † However, in the short film it only represents the image of the piece of wood. This driftwood symbolizes the situation he is currently in; that he is in a chaotic predicament but is still able to ‘slowly drift’ through the problem. Therefore the story helps the reader fully grasp the introduction of the story better than the short film. During the middle of the story, before Farquhar’s last moments he thinks about his wife and children only to be interrupted by the sound of his pocket watch. As if time were slowing down in his last seconds, the interval between each tick is symbolic to how little time he has left. â€Å"Striking through the thought of his dear ones was the sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil.. the delays became maddening (Literature 72). † In the short film of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,’ time speeds up and his pocket watch was taken from him by one of the officers, clearly not as in dept to relate why Bierce wrote the pocket watch into the story. Also during the rising action of the written story, it is told in great details of how he plunges into the water, and begins to swim through the stream. When he removes the noose from his neck, he sees himself performing but doesn’t follow through. He commands himself to place the cord back once he feels a sudden pang throughout his body, but his hands disobey him. This gives the reader inside details of the characters internal state, which is not expressed in the short film. Lastly, before it is known that Farquhar has been hung and this was his mind flashing through his last moments of life, the soldiers begin firing guns while he swims to safety downstream. At one point the written story tells of how he is spinning and whirled around in the water; which brings us back to the symbolism of the driftwood in the introduction. He spins round and round like the driftwood, finally caught up and not in control of the predicament he is in. â€Å"He had been caught in a vortex and was being whirled on with a velocity of advance.. spinning like a top (Literature 75). The film does not show the final symbolism of the driftwood and rushes through the stream to only have Farquhar advance to the bank and run through the forest to his wife and children. Therefore, in my opinion, Bierce’s written version of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek,’ uses the setting to advance the story and plot to the readers. It is more in dept and brings all things to light: internal state, physical state, symbolism, and his flashbacks. The introduction, rising action, and conclusion were all better carried out with setting in the written version rather the short film.

Advertising Manipulates And Persuading The Consumers Media Essay

Advertising Manipulates And Persuading The Consumers Media Essay The basic purpose of this paper is to understand the techniques used by advertisers, the propaganda they create and the real dangers they cause in modern society. Our argument is essentially unless people become aware, our society will change direction. A balanced view however cannot ignore the fact that people like to be in control of their thoughts.   Ads also give information about their products.  Some inform against disease risks, others are for humanitarian aid or for the Nation’s welfare but this kind of ads is not much prevalent. In the following pages, we will first look at what are the methods used by advertisers, how they manipulate dreams and yearnings; then we will turn back to the power and strategies of advertising which attract people with guilt complexes, emotional blockages and false ideas before finally examining the influences on children through various examples of commercial campaigns using transgression and appearance. The main goal of advertising i s to demonstrate in every ad that consumers have an important and interesting offer and the reason to buy a product. Advertising helps a product to be sold. If it is well advertised, people will be aware of a product and it will lead to an increase in sales. Moreover, with a well marketed ad, it is easier for consumers to understand the benefits of a product and where to find it. Furthermore, people will save time and money instead of trying every kind of product. Companies use different ways to help sell and identify a product with for example, slogans which are used over and over. Advertising is aimed at people who are loyal customers. For example, make-up and beauty products are targeted at women while razors and brief-boxers are targeted at men. Slogans like â€Å"It’s the real thing. Coke† by Coca-Cola (Bovà ©e, Thill, Dovel, and Wood 680), or â€Å"Because I’m worth it† by l’Oreal but also â€Å"Just do it† by Nike help consumers to r ecognize companies. When people see the Nike symbol, they know what to expect. Nike introduce of the best athletes in their ads and it feels to the viewers a great satisfaction, that is why they want to buy sportswear to be like Zinedine Zidane, Usain Bolt etc. Advertisers create strong, persuasive and lasting symbols. However, these repetitive slogans lead to a ballyhoo and it gets into everybody, people are no longer interested by the quality of the product but they are only focus on the brand. Sut Jhally, in the film â€Å"The Ad and the Ego†, said that â€Å"symbolism is never natural, it is tied up with power†. Advertising plays a positive key role in many aspects; it also helps â€Å"health care organizations, charitable organizations and social activist groups encourage people to give money, to do voluntary work, or vote to change laws† (Day 34). Agreed, but is it the good way to ask some help by broadcasting or others ads? For example, charitable organiz ations like Amnesty International reach out to their audience by commercials, magazine ads. These ads help consumers to become more aware of problems and that each coin is important, as well as all the support they can give. Should not these organizations directly go and see people, be attractive, organize meetings? Another example is ads made by government for road safety but it does not mean that there are less accidents. We can also watch ads to join the army, but is a thirty second clip make people really want to join military services?

Written Assignment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Written Assignment - Term Paper Example In classifying risk, one considers such as aspects of who should be released in pretrial, who to release under tight supervision in the community, who to release on parole and or under supervision release. Clinical assessment or actuarial tests are basic tools that assist in such risk classifications. For the clinical assessment, informal as well as non-observable tactics of determining the risk posed by a person to the community are employed while the actuarial approach undertakes thorough research in the determination. The actuarial approach involves research methodologies in being empirical or theoretical in determination of relation to recidivism. On the need principle, the main concern determined is what should be the main targets of human service aspects in rehabilitation programs. Interventions form what is called criminogenic needs and they are said to be deficits that relate to likelihood/propensity of an individual to commit crime. They are seen to be changed through programs of rehabilitation. The principle therefore addresses such attributes as pro-criminal attitudes, associates, weak socialization, impulsivity, low verbal intelligence (below average), risk taking, early antisocial behavior exhibit, low capacity to solve problems, poor parenting as well as educational deficits among others. Despite these factors being targeted in rehabilitation for their association with criminal activities, others are by no means related to crime (Jacobs, Davidson, Steiner & Hoge, 2002). Examples to these are self-esteem as well as self-control as they show weak relation to recidivism. It is understood that even offenders in some ins tances they exhibit high esteem and therefore rehabilitation would not be effective in targeting esteem. Another distinct feature of need principle is that the needs can be classified as static and or

4Firm Concentration Ratio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

4Firm Concentration Ratio - Essay Example The reason is that the demand curve is higher than the average total cost curve. However, in the long run following this change in the demand, many firms will be attracted to the industry to capture the economic profit since there is free entry and exit and this causes the economic profit to disappear. The adjust process implies that the industry will continue to maintain the 30% CR because those who look for the economic profit have gone. Monopolistic competition operates only at a normal profit in the long run; therefore the industry will maintain monopolistic competition. Suppose the industry has 20 firms but the CR for the industry is 80% instead of 30%, this means that the largest four firms are controlling 80% of the total market sales. This type of industry is called oligopoly. In oligopoly, each of the oligopolies faces a downward sloping demand curve, decisions of one firm influence the decision of another and as such they watch each other keenly. Oligopolies do not change prices occasioned by minor adjustments in prices of raw materials, they only change when there are major changes in the general cost of production. In the long run prices do change. c) Products: products play important role in determining CR of an industry.

Custody Synapsis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Custody Synapsis - Research Paper Example The case will be evaluated based upon the information presented. Jane and John had been married for several years and were divorced due to incompatibility one year ago. Jane and John share one child, Anna, who is three years old. Currently John is the custodial and residential parent of three year old Anna, having been awarded custody in the divorce proceeding by the previous judge. Jane was granted regular, unsupervised visitation with Anna. John is now asking the court to grant permanent supervised visitation for the mother Jane due to strange behavior he indicates Anna is exhibiting. In response to John’s request, Jane is asking the court for a change of custody making him the custodial and residential parent. John, the Plaintiff is asking the court to grant permanent supervised visitation for Jane due to sexual abuse allegations. The sexual abuse allegations came from an incident that happened two months ago. Anna was playing at his mother’s home when she suddenly bent over, dropped her underwear and continued to put her fingers up to her private parts saying â€Å"my mommy hurt my butt and body daddy.† Concerned, John calls children services and reports the daughter’s behavior. Children’s services workers come to his home and John tells them about the incident, while Anna is playing quietly in her room. John is not only concerned about the incident but also some of Anna’s behaviors that have been disturbing him for some time, Anna has, on three different occasions, been observed trying to insert foreign objects in to her private areas, has been dropping her underwear and saying â€Å"look at my butt†, and has taken the water hose and pushed it u p against her genital area. These behaviors took place in various settings with and without John present. These are some of the witnesses to these behaviors Anna’s Aunt, Anna’s paternal grandmother and grandfather, John’s girlfriend, and in front of John’s good friend. John has responded

Activities Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Activities - Personal Statement Example The lessons a person learns when he or she plays as an athlete can help him or her succeed in the corporate world. A valuable experience that I had outside of classroom was an internship at HSBC. During this internship I had to meet a lot of great people that inspired me to graduate soon and have a full time job. I learned the importance of communication and of being a team player. Another activity in which I have been involved in the past and of which I am very proud is community service. I have donated hundreds of hours to local food shelters and volunteering work coordinated through a church. Working in a shelter for the homeless was a life changing experience for me because it has taught me how we can make a difference in the lives of people who are in need. Community service is a very satisfying activity because other people reap the rewards of your efforts. Volunteering can help build a strong and united

Unbroken Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unbroken - Essay Example The scene provides some insights into the early struggles of Louie and his Spirit of fortitude to overcome. Despite the sickness, Louie beats the odds and becomes an accomplished athlete in his school days. It was while in school that he met Glenn Cunningham who becomes his mentor. Louis puts all his efforts in the sports and soon starts breaking a record becoming the fastest high school miler in 1934.He goes on to become the youngest distance runner in the Olympic team, qualifying in the 5k trial against some of the best in the sports he set his sight in Berlin Olympics in 1936 (Oney). At the Olympics, however, he could not match the Finnish runners who seemed more experienced and technically superior to Louei finishing in seventh position. No sooner, had he set his sight on the 1940 OlympicGames than two countries, Germany, and Japan began to exert pressure on nations. The following year 1941,saw Louie join the air corps service on a crew as a bomber into the world war 11 operations. Life for him is relatively calm with no demanding duties at that time until December while at the Pacific theatre when the Pearl Harbor was bombed. Japan eventually conquers many territories leading to America’s entrance into the war. Louie together with other men was to go for bomb raids. The pilot to the crew was Phillip Allen and together with others made up crew no.8 in the 372nd bomb squadron of the 307th Bomb group, seventh Air Force. His duty included operating his position with the NordenSight; that would assume the flight of the plane, calculate the target angle, and drop a bomb at the best moment (Hillenbrand 17). The scene provides a deep insight into the real life experiences in the camp as bomber. It includes conversations between Luie and the rest of the crew as they familiarize with each other and the team leaders efforts to build an effective team. The crew’s first mission came in December 1942, which was to dismantle the Japanese base

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Business Law - Essay Example For Leighton Industries the amount of consideration was the specific brand of steel requested. For Callier Steel, the consideration must have been the amount of money included in the invoice. The two companies are of contractual capacity (Richards, 22). Thus a valid and binding contract existed between the two parties. The next step will be to find out if the two companies met their contractual obligations under the contract and if their contractual rights under the sale of goods contracts were mutually respected. A contract is normally considered as an act of good faith that is free from any ill intent from the contracting parties. An act of misrepresentation constitutes a vitiating element in a contract. The representation must be inaccurate, misleading or untrue (Richards, 78). The representee must have reasonably relied on the misrepresentation and the damages that he suffered must be as a result of this reliance as was the case in Andrews Vs Mockford (1986). By delivering a wrong brand of steel, Callier Steel would be liable for innocent, fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation that breached the contractual obligation of good faith. By obtaining leaking furnaces as a result of the wrong brand of steel that was delivered, Leighton suffered damages which the court must remedy. Leighton

United States South Korean Alliance Essay Example for Free

United States South Korean Alliance Essay About 55 years have been passed since the U. S. -R. O. K. alliance, a pillar of East Asia security indeed, which has been proven to be quite successful and beneficial to both the countries in the history of International Relations. For the Republic of Korea, the security guaranteed by this alliance has acted as a major instrument for its transformation. While on the other end, the United States expresses its gratified sentiments to have played a vital role in supporting the progression of democracy, human rights and in holding out its aid for the very survival of the population in the Republic of Korea. A set of mutually related policies of understanding and agreement exist in this alliance. There happens to be a series of goals, whose accomplishment has been a shared responsibility of both the partners. A strong foundation indeed, this firm security alliance has turned the very relationship into a more mature and inclusive partnership for both the countries. However, lately, this longstanding alliance has undergone an intricate time. There exist a number of challenges which seem to pose quite a concentrated threat to this collaboration. Concerns are growing at both ends, with experts and historians wondering over what the future would be for this alliance. Nonetheless, deep down, both the parties foresee the much feared atrophy as a terrible mistake. â€Å"Experts say friction in the U. S. -South Korean relationship is hardly new, but the alliance has managed to endure. † And for a continued survival, both the countries need to envision a renewed perspective towards the very many present and forthcoming challenges. The History Following the post-World War II splitting of the peninsula between the then occupying forces of the United States in the south and the now called Soviet Union in the north, as the promised national elections continued to pend, the United Nations in 1948 finally pronounced the Republic of Korea (R. O. K. ) as the only legal and rightful government on the peninsula. This assertion was highly rejected by the Soviets. In retaliation, the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) invaded South Korea in 1950. This was the time when the United States held out its support and reached to the rescue. Insuperable challenges had to be faced as the struggle continued till 1953, and an armistice finally took effect. It was in 1954, that the United States and South Korea approached and mutually signed the U. S. -R. O. K. Mutual Security Agreement. In this, they corresponded to protect each other in the episode of outside aggression. Present Challenges to the Alliance Society does change with time. For natives it may be acceptable as it is about their own country, but when it is in relation to some other country, even if it is a coalition partner, things get a little complicated. For both South Korea and United States, the issue of raising public awareness , of the changes taking place in each other’s society is the biggest challenge fronting their alliance. The impact of the September 11 attacks on America, and the resulting magnitude of its effect wasn’t and still isn’t fully appreciated. Similarly, on the part of Americans, it is also tough for them to cope with the radical changes evolving within Korea. For America, the September 11 attacks chiefly affected their foreign relations, as well as the political, domestic and economic landscape. If considered in some other context, rather than that of September 11 and the subsequent fundamental changes it brought to the American society, the U. S. policy of fighting against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction and promoting the spread of autonomy and social equality as the best solution to extremist ideologies, creates unrest in the international community. Thereupon, the South Korean government unwaveringly and gallantly supported the war on terrorism, at the same time exposing itself as a fervent supporter of democracy around the world and playing an active role in encouraging constructive changes in the developing world. Such common interests of the two countries and next to no areas of conflict are a merit in their alliance. In 1998, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung adopted the â€Å"sunshine policy,† an Asian variant of the â€Å"Ostpolitik† policies pursued by West Germany toward the Communist East during the Cold War. Kim extended his proposal of economic and altruistic support to North Korea. In return it asked the North Korean government to be humble in recouping the contacts between long-divided families and other cultural concession, under the intention to defrost the inter-Korean relations. However, a generational divide largely exists in South Korea over how to handle it. The abysmal memory of the 1950 war that frets the older generation about relations with the DPRK, while the younger generation’s empathy with the impoverished North Korea, and who instead, has powerful reminiscence of their own nation’s tyrannical rule, are indeed two opposite sides of the picture. Due to this generational fault line, a paradigm shift has been brought about in the foreign policy objectives, as many Koreans of today’s time, who grew up in a room knowing only democracy, independence, freedom and global impact, no longer see North Korea as an enemy. Instead, they consider it a partner in need of support and understanding. They expect to achieve genuine peace, settlement and reunion through augmented exchanges and collaboration with North Korea. Now here, the North Korea’s nuclear program appears in the limelight, being a big challenge to South Korea and its alliance with the U. S. In 1994, four countries consisting of North and South Korea, Japan and the United States arrived at â€Å"Agreed Framework† Pact whose purpose was to end the North’s nuclear weapons research in return for economic and political privileges. In order to carry out the terms of the pact, the â€Å"Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization† (KEDO) was established by the United States, Japan and North Korea. But it wasn’t far away when North Korea started violating the agreement and troubles started rising. The U. S. President Bush terminated diplomatic talks with North Korea in 2001. The relations kept on fraying, and in 2005 when North Korea claimed that it has nuclear weapons, followed by the July 2006 long-range missile tests that it carried out, operated to further aggravate tensions. This made the U. S. to hard-boil against the DPRK. Due to this, South Korea, on the other end, also had to cut the humanitarian aid to its northern neighbor. At the same time, however, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who did not want to lose ground on the progress that had been made so far in the inter-Korean relations, tried to give a lower profile to the July missile tests, being of the view that the weapons were not as much a bigger threat to the United States as they were for Seoul, the capital of South Korea. In reality, for South Korea, the North Korean nuclear weapons, is not a critical issue – it never was. In fact, its prime concern is how to settle the issue of national unification and incorporate North Korea back into the world’s most active region, whether or not there are nuclear weapons. In contrast, U. S. concerns are global and military. Being so over focused on the anti-terrorism issue, the United States has been emphasizing on denuclearizing the North, viewing this policy as a narrow addition to its anti-terrorism policy. Therefore, the attitude toward DPRK missile tests and the disapproval shown by the South Korean President towards such an increased authorization incensed the U. S. government. South Korea also, in return, objected the fact America is ignoring about all the gains it has made so far. Such beliefs and different strategic priorities have led to serious strains, resulting in the upsetting of the U. S. -South Korean alliance. Regarding the issue, the Six-Party talks among the United States, Russia, Japan, China, North and South Korea, was thought to act as a basis for a closer coordination between the two alliances, and also for the purpose of convincing North Korea to join the international community by giving up its nuclear weapons program, and getting out of its self-imposed remoteness.

Business Essays Entrepreneurship Pancake Cereal

Business Essays Entrepreneurship Pancake Cereal Entrepreneurship Pancake Cereal Business Model / Mos Pancake and Cereal Bar Introduction Entrepreneurship is a thriving activity in the United States, as well as globally. Increasing numbers of people are deciding to implement their dreams of business ownership. There are between three and five million entrepreneurial business ventures undertaken annually within the United States. Eighty-four percent of those starting a new business venture are first-time entrepreneurs (Zimmerer Scarborough, 2005). This â€Å"adventuresome spirit† is having a significant impact on the national economy and the business environment, as well as playing a significant role in the health of the global economy. These businesses have introduced many new products and services, provided new technological innovations, increased job opportunities, and more importantly, provided their founders with a means to do something they enjoy; however, 64% of small businesses fail within six years (Zimmerer Scarborough, 2005). A business model that offers an interdisciplinary roadmap will provide first-time entrepreneurs with a stronger foundation for initial success. In a recent study, Ernst Young reported that â€Å"78 percent of influential Americans believe that entrepreneurship will be the defining trend of this century† (Zimmerer Scarborough, 2005, p. 2). Downsizing and massive layoffs by many of the country’s largest organizations have created a large population of entrepreneurs with extensive management experience and years left of productive work. The notion of job security has all but disappeared; and as a result, starting a new business is no longer perceived as particularly risky. In light of this favorable environment for entrepreneurial activity, the success of a new business venture, Mo’s Pancake and Cereal Bar (MPCB), located in the vibrant and historical downtown district of Grapevine, Texas, seems particularly promising. Elements of several relevant disciplines will play a vital role in the success or failure of this particular venture. By taking advantage of the perspectives of these particular disciplines, it should be possible to integrate their insights in order to create a viable business plan that will result in the ultimate success of Mo’s Pancake and Cereal Bar (Repko, 2005). There are a wide range of disciplines that could contribute to the creation of a successful business plan for MPCB. Some of these disciplines include architecture, business administration, education, history, political science, sociology, and urban planning and development. Three disciplines have been identified as those making the greatest contribution: urban planning and development, architecture and the subfield of interior design, and business with an emphasis on small business management. An understanding of urban planning and development will be necessary to ensure a business plan that is that is in keeping with the overall goals and the long-term development plans of the city of Grapevine. Urban planning and development plays a key role in understanding patterns of growth and its resulting economic implications (McCarthy, 2007). The ownership and management of MPCB must understand the significance of community goals and the importance of these goals on the ultimate success of MPCB. As an organization, MPCB should develop strong ties with city government and take an active part in promoting its development. One way it can do this is by taking part in such activities as Main Street Days, Grapefest, and various holiday festivities held annually in the city of Grapevine. The design of the physical location of MPCB will require a working knowledge of architecture and interior design (Killory Davids, 2007). The Historical Society of the city of Grapevine will need to be consulted in order to design a facility that is in keeping with city ordinances and the overall historical flavor of downtown Grapevine. The interior design of MPCB must combine a reflection of historical Grapevine and at the same time a â€Å"unique breakfast experience.† These unique parameters will require competent design capabilities and a certain level of architectural expertise. A study of small business management within the discipline of business will provide the foundation upon which to develop a specific business model. This model will include four basic parts: the description of the business, marketing, finances, and management. Each section will provide a detailed analysis in sufficient detail to enable a financing institution to determine the viability and potential success of MPCB. This business model will also describe the corporate mission statement and identify those factors considered to be the keys to success (Bachler, 2007). Another primary function of the business plan will be to convey the overall concept of MPCB, which will be the creation of a â€Å"unique breakfast experience.† It must be evident to someone reading the plan that MPCB offers a unique and different dining experience. The construction of a detailed business model will also provide a roadmap and sense of direction to the management of MPCB, thus facilitating a greater chance for the ultimate success of the business. The goal of this endeavor is to take an interdisciplinary approach to developing a business model that will result in the ultimate success of Mo’s Pancake and Cereal Bar. The research method used will primarily involve a thorough search for applicable information within the relevant disciplines and the collection and assimilation of pertinent data from peer-reviewed sources. This data will provide the basis for statistical analysis needed to determine its value and contribution to the plan. The marketing and sales experience of the owner/managers will also play a critical role in the development of the plan. An interdisciplinary approach to this entrepreneurial venture should facilitate a holistic understanding of the best method of designing a comprehensive business plan through the identification of the benefits of community interaction and the construction of a complementary physical location. Through the integration of relevant disciplinary insights and the creation of a new approach, Mo’s Pancake and Cereal Bar should have a much greater chance for financial success and long-term stability (Repko, 2005). Background As mentioned in the introduction, entrepreneurship is a fast-growing phenomenon that is having a broad impact on the U.S. economy, as well as the global economy. Therefore, the impact of small business failure can be tremendous. Reducing the percentage of small business failures annually within the United States could significantly affect the livelihood of many Americans. The question becomes, â€Å"What is the best way to reduce the incidence of small business failure?† It is well-known in the business community that a strong ego is a prerequisite for the creation of a successful business; however, it can also be a major cause of business failure. Too often entrepreneurs allow their knowledge of their products and services to prevent them from seeking advice and performing the self-evaluations necessary for success. Business owners must continually be on the lookout for the warning signs of falling into the â€Å"ego trap† (see Figure 1, Malone, 2004). Leaders must learn to retain their confidence in themselves, while at the same time remembering that they do not know it all (Malone, 2004). Being willing to learn from others, and by choosing to familiarize oneself with successful small business models within a particular industry, many major mistakes could be avoided. Reducing the failure rate of first-time entrepreneurs will greatly affect the livelihood of residents living within individual communities. In the city of Grapevine, for example, city planners have successfully provided an environment that is conducive to entrepreneurial success. According to a 2007 economic update (City of Grapevine, 2006), Grapevine is considered to be one of the most vibrant communities in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. Decreasing property taxes in Grapevine play a large role in increasing the attraction of small businesses. One of the reasons for decreasing property taxes is the attraction of such large-scale businesses as the Grapevine Mills Mall, the Gaylord Texan Convention Center, and the Great Wolf Lodge; which produce increased tourism traffic resulting in increased area business revenues. These industries are credited with triggering continued growth within Grapevine’s small business sector for the last few years (see Figure 2, City of Grapevine, 2006). This success translates into a vibrant local economy and lower tax rates for area residents. It is evident; therefore, that urban planning plays a large role in reducing the failure rate of first-time entrepreneurs. The premise of this paper is that an interdisciplinary approach to creating a small business model could conceivably lead to the greater likelihood of success for a first-time entrepreneur. By comparing and contrasting the perspectives of the three most relevant disciplines: urban planning and development, architecture, and business; areas of overlap should reveal common ground from which to develop an integrative and viable business model for MPCB leading to the ultimate goal of first-time entrepreneurial success. This means of discovery, an interdisciplinary approach, becomes a unique way of addressing and solving a real-world problem (Repko, 2004). When implementing this approach, the discipline of urban planning and development becomes the umbrella under which the design of the location of MPCB and its’ comprehensive business plan becomes a reality. Understanding the overall parameters set forth by the city of Grapevine is critical to developing a plan that enhances the city’s goals and objectives and ultimately results in the opportunity of success for MPCB. By researching the guidelines for successful urban development, the basic strategy upon which to build a successful business model can be developed. With urban development providing the foundation, the second phase of actual construction of a complimentary facility can begin. Understanding basic architectural concepts and the limits of design should result in a physical location that is harmonious with its surroundings and appealing to potential customers. That appeal is critical to the ultimate success of MPCB since one of the primary goals of this business is the creation of â€Å"a unique dining experience.† That concept will not only include the physical location and the interior design, but the menu as well. The research and effective use of applicable architectural design elements provides another avenue to the ultimate goal of first-time entrepreneurial success. The third element of the plan is the thorough research of proven business principles leading to the construction of the actual business model. Research of successful business models within the food service industry should provide guidance and direction. A comprehensive and thorough â€Å"roadmap† based on those proven business principles should greatly enhance the opportunity for first-time success. This business model should be very detailed and cover every aspect of small business operation. The executive summary, corporate mission statement and keys to success will provide the background information required to facilitate the attainment of financing necessary to begin operations. Tremendous emphasis will be placed on the management and training of employees. Proper training and development is critical to the success of any business, particularly small businesses. Effective employee training and proper motivation techniques are particularly critical in businesses such as MPCB where customer contact is of utmost importance. The small size of MPCB will allow management to have a closer working relationship with each employee and therefore a better understanding of individual training needs. Additionally, training is more easily designed around the corporate objectives of a smaller organization (Blanchard Thacker, 2007). The primary indicator of the success of this interdisciplinary approach will ultimately be the track record of MPCB. By understanding the disciplinary perspectives of the three most relevant disciplines and integrating their insights (Repko, 2005), the goal is to discover the key to first-time entrepreneurial success. References Urban Planning and Development Diamond, J. (2007). Managing the city. London; New York: Routledge. City of Grapevine (2006). 2007 Economic Update. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from http://www.ci.grapevine.tx.us/IndividualDepartments/EconomicDevelopment/tabid/ 95/Default.aspx McCarthy, J. (2007). Partnership, collaborative planning and urban regeneration. Aldershot, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate. Ofori-Amoah, B. (2007). Beyond the metropolis: Urban geography as if small cities mattered. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. Architecture and Interior Design Killory, C. Davids, R. (2007). Details in contemporary architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Kolleny, J. (2002). Seven outstanding finalists prove that good design pays. Architectural Record, 190(11), 112. P Pearson, C. (2005). Making the scene. Architectural Record, 193(11), 141. P Ryder, B. (2007). New restaurant design/Bethan Ryder. London: Laurence King. Business/Small Business Management Bachler, C. (2007). Plan of attack. Home Business Magazine, 14(5), 28-82. P Blanchard, P. Thacker, J. (2007). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Malone, M. (2004). The small business ego trap. Business Horizons, 47(4), 17-22. Price, B. (2007). Five fatal flaws falter small business. Broker Magazine, 9(9), 10-12. P Zimmerer, T. Scarborough, N. (2005). Essentials of entrepreneurship and smallbusiness management. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Other Sources Repko, A. (2005). Interdisciplinary practice: A student guide to research and writing. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing

Euthanasia is Morally Wrong :: Against Euthanasia

The matter of euthanasia continues to be a contentious issue within today’s society. Over the past years, there have been a slew of debates that have tried to justify the practice of assisted suicide, otherwise known as euthanasia. Gallup’s survey in 2007 served to illustrate this fact by showing that over 75 percent of Americans believe that euthanasia should be permitted. However, what Americans have failed to discern is that legalizing any form of euthanasia goes against the sanctity of life and will result in no limitations to the justifications of why it is being performed. It seems as if society has become so debauched that the American people honestly feel that they can condone ending the life of a precious individual. Perhaps in order for one to construct a fitting viewpoint on euthanasia, one must be knowledgeable on the philology and background of euthanasia, along with having a clear comprehension of some underlying terms. Euthanasia is a term which â€Å"derived from the Greek word â€Å"euthanatos†, meaning simply a good death† (Perri, 1996). This word is extremely vulnerable to the various interpretations of all people; therefore, many people fall short when it comes to understanding the two distinct types of euthanasia. These two unique types are known as active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is described as being â€Å"the deliberate ending of a person’s life with the intent of reducing that person’s suffering† (Perri, 1996). For instance, active euthanasia can be as simple as injecting a patient with a harmful toxin. On the other hand passive euthanasia is typically defined as the â€Å"withdrawing of medical treatment with the intention of causing the patient's death† ("Types of euthanasia," 2001). Now an example of passive euthanasia is simply when a patient is perishing and the doctor choices not to recover them. Now it is imperative that one recognizes the distinction between active and passive euthanasia. Another aspect in which euthanasia can be classified is as involuntary or voluntary. Involuntary euthanasia â€Å"is when a patient’s life is ended without the patient’s knowledge and consent† ("Types of euthanasia," 2001). A perceptible example of involuntary euthanasia is when a patient is in a coma and does not have the capability to decide what should happen to him. Lastly, the subject of voluntary euthanasia is â€Å"the patient requests that an action be taken to end his life, or that life-saving treatment be stopped, with full knowledge that this will lead to his death† ("Types of euthanasia," 2001).

Shakespeares Othello - The Triangle Between Othello, Iago, and Cassio :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Triangle Between Othello, Iago, and Cassio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I chose to look at the triangle between Othello , Iago, and Cassio because these three men are very important in the play. They are important to each other and the people around them. The relationship between the three of them is very strange because someone is always trying to get back at the other one and they don’t care about each others feelings or anyone else’s. In the end this leads to a blood shed fight. Othello is the main character, heÕs the head of the Vinician army and he has just made Cassio his Lieutenant. Iago is very upset by this because he wanted to become Lieutenant but what he doesnÕt realize is that in some ways heÕs more important to Othello just without the title. Iago is OthelloÕs right hand man but Iago canÕt take that he wants more. The main problem that IÕve noticed in this play is a lack of communication and trust between the characters. Even though Iago must figure out a way to get get this position as Lieutenant I donÕt think he hateÕs Cassio or Othello. Iago is a very power hungry character and he will do anything and hurt anyone to get what he wants. Iago just canÕt understand how he could be chosen over someone who is very naive, but he never even asked Othello why he wasnÕt chosen as Lieutenant. Maybe Othello had a good reason for not giving him that position and he may have had another position waiting for Iago. Being in this situation leaves Iago to be jealous of Cassio and very angry with Othello, and the question WHY? ( But Iago never asks this question) Othello is a very strong will and minded character but also very naive in believing everything that Iago tells him. His other weakness is the love he has for his wife Desdemona. Othello being head of an army, I would assume would not be so gullible to believe everything he hears. But then you also have to look at who its coming from his Ã’right hand manÓ , but even so wouldnÕt you search around and try to find out for yourself whether or not all these accusations are true. Othello trusts Iago to much and doesnÕt really think for himself, he automatically believes in Iago which gives Iago even more power and control over his mind.

Why We Need Universal Healthcare Essay -- Health Care, Medicare

Why We Need Universal Healthcare Many would argue that here, in the United States, we have the best healthcare in the world. We benefit from the most up to date medical technologies, medications, and services. People come from every corner of the world to take advantage of our top notch physicians and facilities. But is this reputation warranted, and if so, at what cost? The average annual cost per US resident is $7,681; this comprises 16.2% of our gross domestic product. These costs rank us among the highest of industrialized nations (Lundy, 2010). Does this high expenditure equate to better outcomes? According to the National Scorecard on US Health System Performance (2008), the US received a 65 out of 100 possible points. Compared with 19 other industrialized nations, the US came in last place in preventable mortality. Preventable mortality means just that, deaths which could have been prevented if â€Å"timely and effective care† could have been provided (The Commonwealth Fund on a High Performanc e Health System, 2008). In 2000, the World Health Organization performed their first ever comparison of the health systems of the world. They reviewed 191 different countries and ranked them on numerous parameters, the United States ranked 37th for overall health system performance (WHO, 2000). Is it that our healthcare system is truly that poor, or is it that our care is only excellent for those patients who can actually afford it? A universal healthcare system would not only provide healthcare for all, it could also decrease our healthcare spending and potentially produce better health outcomes. High quality and less expensive healthcare can be achieved with a universal healthcare model. In fact, the United States is the... ...healthcare. At this point, the law encourages the free market system by requiring employers to purchase private insurance for their employees or face penalties. It also imposes new regulations on private insurers mandating that they provide insurance for all people, regardless of health status and preexisting conditions (KaiserEDU.org, 2010). The effects of the new act will not be seen for many years, the majority of the sections are not required to be in action until 2014. In the meantime, detractors of the law are working tirelessly to have it overturned. We have the benefit of closely examining how other countries of the world provide healthcare for all of their citizens. We can compare what works with what does not. Maybe it’s time we stop trying to fix our already broken system and focus on real change, universal healthcare as a right, not a privilege.

Aditya Birla Case notes

The Unknown Global Indian Conglomerate Q) After a decade of reform, had the Barilla group done enough to outpace its rivals , or was there another step It had to take to be â€Å"Barilla #1†? NAS: Once Kumar Mangle Barilla took over the Barilla group in 1995 after the untimely death of his father, he ushered In an era of reforms and mandated the company be among the top three players In the world or at least in the region for any particular Investment. The renewed focus of the group was in making investments in India, acquiring companies outside India fuelling growth.One of his notable acquisition was Novels to make the high-risk aluminum business less vulnerable to price fluctuations on the London Metal Exchange. (Novels was acquired by Handball). Mangle Barilla focused on strengthening and consolidating similar businesses together and investing in growth business sectors from the cash generated from the value businesses. His strategy paid off and from being a conglomerate wi th Just US$I . 5 billion in revenues in 1995 it had grown to a business with revenues of approximately US$40 billion in year 2012.Though the group has come a long way It Is still at number three amongst the Indian Conglomerates(Number 1 being Data with revenues of US$OHIO billion as of 2012 and RILL with revenues of US$74 billion). In certain businesses the group Is number one Like VS. and cement whereas In certain other sectors like retail It needs to work towards establishing itself amongst the top three. The level of competition has increased both at home and abroad and the Barilla group needs to rethink their strategy to be the number one. The Barilla Financial services can play a major role with insurance company and an asset management fund.As a conglomerate it should be able to reap the benefits of distributing its costs across similar businesses and achieve cost leadership to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals. The group is looking at investment opportunities in Af rica, South America, East Europe and Central Asia because these geographies present Immense opportunities for the group to do business. The next logical decision of the group would be to Invest in Infrastructure and the group Is actively seeking out opportunities for the same. With the new government In place this might be one of the lucrative business opportunities.The roof is diversified across many sectors but it should be cautious enough not to spread its wings too thin. Recently the group sold off Ditty Barilla Maniacs as the group wanted to exit the business process outsourcing sector because it lacked scale and was not amongst the top three players in the particular region. The capital raised from the deal was invested in other growth sector opportunities in the group. The group has redefined its business strategy and management practices aimed at becoming the foremost firm in India but it still has a long way to go. According to Kumar Mangle Barilla he has all the large piec es in place.

The Kennewick Man Controversy

The â€Å"Kennewick Man Controversy† has been an issue debated among scientists and the Umatilla tribe. The debates focused on the question of who should take ownership and immediate possession of a human skull found at the edge of the bank of the Columbia River. Archaeologists argued for a right to study the human skull, causing the legal battle to stretch for several years until scientists were allowed to study the â€Å"Kennewick Man†.The discovery of the skull paved the way for realizing the urgent need for archaeological analysis and gave rise to certain ethical contentions which drew the lines between scientific and cultural pursuits. In this paper, I argue that archaeological study is an immediate need that should overcome certain ethical and cultural considerations for a specific duration. There are scientific limitations and ethical issues raised by the debates over the Kennewick Man. Scientists arguing for the right to study the human skull are limited by an e xisting law of the United States: the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act.Also, once scientists are permitted to study the human skull, their study’s length will be limited not only by their scientific tools but also by the demands of the Umatilla tribe to take possession of the remains the soonest possible time. One of the results of the scientific study conducted reveals that the Kennewick Man did not fit any of the modern classifications of â€Å"race† and that more is yet to be known about the identity of the human skull (Fiedel, p. 86). As far as ethical issues are concerned, the controversy has stirred the delicate balance between the importance of scientific research and the respect for cultural beliefs.The major point raised by the archaeologists—that the human skull needed archaeological analysis in order to solve the â€Å"puzzle†Ã¢â‚¬â€came in conflict with the contention of the Umatilla tribe, which is that they have a claim to the bo nes and, therefore, it is only proper to repatriate the bones to them. On closer inspection, the granting of the permission of the archaeologists does not necessarily imply the higher significance of scientific analysis over the cultural rights of the Umatilla tribe in general.Permitting archaeologists to examine the remains only signify that there is an urgent need to study the skeletal material. The fact that the law forces the scientists to return the artifacts after examination signifies that, in the long run, the ethical considerations for the cultural rights of the Umatilla tribe still weighs more than scientific pursuits. Elizabeth Weiss argues that â€Å"the demand to bury aboriginal skeletons, not only in America but also around the world, poses a potentially serious impediment to scientific inquiry† (Weiss, p.13), to which I fully agree. While we should consider the cultural rights of native groups to their heritage and cultural property, the examination of archaeol ogical findings to expand the human understanding of human civilization’s evolution is likewise a significant thing to consider. Legal arrangements can be made in order to preserve the integrity of the skeletal material during archaeological analysis under a prescribed length of time and to guarantee the claimants of the skeletal remains that they will have possession of the object after the study.To this day, modern scientists are still seeking the humble beginnings of humanity through what is little that remains of it, from aboriginal skeletons to historical objects. When archaeologists and the larger body of scientists across the world are prevented from examining such materials from the past, there is reason to believe that it will similarly deprive future generations of knowing and understanding the past.The greatest threat is when these objects eventually get buried in time, forgotten and never to be seen again; the result is catastrophic because humanity will have no r eason to mount attempts to study human history. James Chatters also writes that most of the analyses and interpretations about â€Å"the peopling of America† and â€Å"where the immigrants came from† are â€Å"limited by the tiny sample of ancient skeletal material† (Chatters, p. 291).Thus, scientists should not be deprived of studying ancient skeletal materials once they are found. The more objects we can study, the more we can unveil a hidden history and the more we can know and explain how human civilization has evolved. Cultural concerns should not be abandoned, yet the primacy of scientific study should also compel us to at least suspend our ethical judgments for a moment and allow science to aid us understand our world.Bibliography Chatters, James C. â€Å"The Recovery and First Analysis of an Early Holocene Human Skeleton from Kennewick, Washington. † American Antiquity 65. 2 (2000): 291-316. Fiedel, Stuart J. â€Å"The Kennewick Follies: ‘N ew’ Theories About the Peopling of the Americas. † Journal of Anthropological Research 60. 1 (2004): 75-110. Weiss, Elizabeth. â€Å"Kennewick Man's Funeral: The Burying of Scientific Evidence. † Politics and the Life Sciences 20. 1 (2001): 13-18.

Dramas and Comedies on the Big Screen Essay

â€Å"Forrest Gump† is one of Tom Hanks’ best movies. He did an outstanding job of playing a dimwitted man who always seemed to be a part of most major events that happened during the 1960s and 1970s. It told an awesome story of a man recollecting his childhood to his present life. Sally Field also did an excellent job of playing Hank’s mother in the movie. She was the 1995 BAFTA Supporting Actress nominee. The visual effects were dynamic, especially the way that Gary Sinise’s character â€Å"Lt. Dan Taylor† was shown with amputated legs. The movie won the 1995 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Eddie Murphy plays seven different characters (five at the same time) in â€Å"The Nutty Professor†. The main character, Sherman Klump, is an overweight college professor that tries to impress a chemistry graduate student, Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett-Smith). He is so frustrated with himself that he takes a weight-loss formula. Of course, it has flaws that affect him and the people around him. This is definitely a movie that showcased Eddie’s talents. It is very few actors that can play multiple roles to that extent. This is movie that will make you laugh out loud. The makeup jobs were also very impressive features about this movie. Many movies that are produced are based on books or remakes of classics. Some movies are remade more than once. In some cases, the original is always the best. In these instances, both versions are comparatively terrific. Reference 1. Retrieved July 22, 2009 from http://www. netflix. com.

Customer Service and Order Processors

The Human Side of Management Assignment Repairing Jobs That Fail to Satisfy Learning Goals Companies often divide up work as a way to improve efficiency, but specialisation can lead to negative consequences. DrainFlow is a company that has effectively used specialisation to reduce costs relative to its competitors’ costs for years, but rising customer complaints suggest the firm’s strong position may be slipping. After reading the case, you will suggest some ways it can create more interesting work for employees.You will also tackle the problem of finding people who are qualified and ready to perform the multiple responsibilities required in these jobs. Major Topic Areas Job design Job satisfaction Personality Emotional labour The Scenario DrainFlow is a large residential and commercial plumbing  maintenance firm that operates around the United Kingdom. It has been a major player in residential plumbing  for decades, and its familiar rhyming motto, â€Å"When  Yo ur Drain Won’t Go, Call DrainFlow,† has been plastered  on billboards since the 1940s. Leigh Reynaldo has been a regional manager at DrainFlow for about 2 years.She used to work for a newer  competing chain, Lightning Plumber, that has been  drawing more and more customers from DrainFlow. Although  her job at DrainFlow pays more, Leigh is not happy  with the way things are going. She has noticed the work environment  is not as vital or energetic as the environment  she saw at Lightning. Leigh thinks the problem is that employees are not motivated  to provide the type of customer service Lightning  Plumber employees offer. She recently sent surveys  to customers to collect information about performance,  and the data confirmed her fears.Although 60 percent  of respondents said they were satisfied with their experience  and would use DrainFlow again, 40 percent felt  their experience was not good, and 30 percent said they  would use a competi tor the next time they had a plumbing problem. Leigh is wondering whether DrainFlow’s job design  might be contributing to its problems in retaining customers. DrainFlow has about 2,000 employees in four  basic job categories: plumbers, plumber’s assistants, order  processors, and billing representatives. This structure  is designed to keep costs as low as possible.Plumbers make very high wages, whereas plumber’s assistants  make about one-quarter of what a licensed  plumber makes. Using plumber’s assistants is therefore  a very cost-effective strategy that has enabled DrainFlow  to easily undercut the competition when it comes to  price. Order processors make even less than assistants  but about the same as billing processors. All work is very  specialised, but employees are often dependent on another  job category to perform at their most efficient  level. Like most plumbing companies, DrainFlow gets  business mostly from the Yellow Pages and the Internet.Customers either call in to describe a plumbing problem  or submit an online request for plumbing services,  receiving a return call with information within 24 hours. In either case, DrainFlow’s order processors listen to the  customer’s description of the problem to determine  whether a plumber or a plumber’s assistant should  make the service call. The job is then assigned accordingly,  and a service provider goes to the location. When  the job has been completed, via mobile phone, a billing representative  relays the fee to SHR034-6, 12-13 he service rep, who presents  a bill to the customer for payment. Billing representatives  can take customers’ credit card payments by phone  or e-mail an invoice for online payment. The Problem Although specialisation does cut costs significantly, Leigh  is worried about customer dissatisfaction. According to  her survey, about 25 percent of customer contactsà ‚  ended in no service call because customers were confused  by the diagnostic questions the order processors  asked and because the order processors did not have  sufficient knowledge or skill to explain the situation.That means fully one in four people who call DrainFlow  to hire a plumber are worse than dissatisfied: they  are not customers at all! The remaining 75 percent of calls that did end in a customer service encounter resulted  in other problems. The most frequent complaints Leigh found in the customer  surveys were about response time and cost, especially  when the wrong person was sent to a job. A  plumber’s assistant cannot complete a more technically  complicated job. The appointment has to be rescheduled,  and the customer’s time and the staff’s time have  been wasted.The resulting delay often caused customers  in these situations to decline further contact  with DrainFlow—many of them decided to go with  Ligh tning Plumber. â€Å"When I arrive at a job I can’t take care of,† says  plumber’s assistant Jim Larson, â€Å"the customer gets  annoyed. They thought they were getting a licensed  plumber, since they were calling for a plumber. Telling  them they have to have someone else come out doesn’t  go over well. †Ã‚   On the other hand, when a plumber responds to a  job easily handled by a plumber’s assistant, the customer  is still charged at the plumber’s higher pay rate.Licensed plumber Luis Berger also does not like being in  the position of giving customers bad news. â€Å"If I get  called out to do something like snake a drain, the customer  isn’t expecting a hefty bill. I’m caught in a difficult situation—I don’t set the rates or make the  appointments, but I’m the one who gets it from the customer. †Ã‚  Plumbers also resent being sent to do such simple  work. Obi Ani i s one of DrainFlow’s order processors. She is frustrated too when the wrong person is sent  to a job but feels she and the other order processors are  doing the best they can. We have a survey we’re supposed  to follow with the calls to find out what the problem  is and who needs to take the job,† she explains. â€Å"The  customers don’t know that we have a standard form, so  they think we can answer all their questions. Most of us  don’t know any more about plumbing than the caller. If  they don’t use the terms on the survey, we don’t understand  what they’re talking about. A plumber would, but  we’re not plumbers; we just take the calls. † Customer service issues also involve the billing representatives. They are the ones who have to keep contacting  customers about payment. It’s not my fault the  wrong guy was sent,† says Elisabeth King. â€Å"If two guys  went out, thatâ €™s two trips. If a plumber did the work, you  pay plumber rates. Some of these customers don’t get  that I didn’t take their first call, and so I get yelled at. †Ã‚  The billing representatives also complain that they see  only the tail end of the process, so they don’t know what  the original call entailed. The job is fairly impersonal,  and much of the work is recording customer complaints. Remember—40 percent of customers are not satisfied,  and it is the billing representatives who take the  brunt of their negative reactions on the phone.As you can probably tell, all employees have to engage  in emotional labour, as described in your textbook,  and many lack the skills or personality traits to complete  the customer interaction component of their jobs. They  are not trained to provide customer service, and they see  their work mostly in technical, or mechanical, terms. Quite a few are actually anxious about speaking directly  with customers. The office staff (order processors and  billing representatives) realise customer service is part  of their job, but they also find dealing with negative  feedback from customers and co-workers stressful.Two years ago, a management consulting  company was hired to survey DrainFlow worker attitudes. The results showed they were less satisfied than  workers in other comparable jobs. The following table  provides a breakdown of respondent satisfaction levels  across a number of categories:  Ã‚  Ã‚   SHR034-6, 12-13 DrainFlow Plumbers DrainFlow Plumber Assistants DrainFlow Office Workers Average Plumber Average Office Worker I am satisfied with the work I am asked to do. 3. 7 2. 5 2. 5 4. 3 3. 5 I am satisfied with my working conditions. 3. 8 2. 4 3. 7 4. 1 4. 2 I am satisfied with my interactions with o-workers. 3. 5 3. 2 2. 7 3. 8 3. 9 I am satisfied with my interactions with my supervisor 2. 5 2. 3 2. 2 3. 5 3. 4 The information about avera ge plumbers and average  office workers is taken from the management consulting  company’s records of other companies. They  are not exactly surprising, given some of the complaints DrainFlow employees have made. Top management is  worried about these results, but they have not been able  to formulate a solution. The traditional DrainFlow culture  has been focused on cost containment, and the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"soft areas† like employee satisfaction has not been a major  issue.The Proposed Solution The company is in trouble, and as revenues shrink and  the cost savings that were supposed to be achieved by  dividing up work fail to materialise, a change seems to  be in order. Leigh is proposing using cash rewards to improve performance  among employees. She thinks if employees  were paid based on work outcomes, they would work harder  to satisfy customers. Because it is not easy to measure  how satisfied people are with the initial call-in, Leigh  wo uld like to give the order processors a small reward  for every 20 calls successfully completed.For the hands-on  work, she would like to have each billing representative  collect information about customer satisfaction for each  completed call. If no complaints are made and the job  is handled promptly, a moderate cash reward would be  given to the plumber or plumber’s assistant. If the customer  indicates real satisfaction with the service, a  larger cash reward would be provided. Leigh also wants to find people who are a better fit with  the company’s new goals. Current hiring procedure relies  on unstructured interviews with each location’s general manager, and little consistency is found in the way  these managers choose employees.Most lack training in  customer service and organisational behaviour. Leigh thinks  it would be better if hiring methods were standardised  across all branches in her region to help managers identify  recruits who can actually succeed in the job. Your Assignment Your task is to prepare a persuasive report for Leigh on the potential  effectiveness of her cash reward and structured interview  programmes. Make certain it is in the form of a  professional business document that you would give  to an experienced manager at this level of a fairly large  corporation.Leigh is very smart when it comes to managing  finances and running a plumbing business, but she  will not necessarily know about the organisational behaviour  principles you are describing. As any new  proposals must be passed through top management,  you should also address their concerns about cost containment. You will need to make a strong evidence-based  financial case that changing the management style will  benefit the company. When you write, make sure you touch on the following  points:  Ã‚   SHR034-6, 12-13 1.Although it is clear employees are not especially satisfied  with their wor k, do you think this is a reason  for concern? Does research suggest satisfied workers  are actually better at their jobs? Are any other behavioural  outcomes associated with job satisfaction? 2. Using job characteristics theory, explain why the  present system of job design may be contributing to  employee dissatisfaction. Describe some ways you  could help employees feel more satisfied with their  work by redesigning their jobs. 3. Leigh has a somewhat vague idea about how to implement  the cash rewards system.Describe some of the  specific ways you would make the reward system  work better, based on the case. 4. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using  financial incentives in a program of this nature. What, if any, potential problems might arise if people  are given money for achieving customer satisfaction  goals? What other types of incentives might  be considered? 5. Create a specific plan to assess whether the reward  system is working. What are the dependent variables  that should change if the system works? How will  you go about measuring success?

McCarthy Witchhunts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

McCarthy Witchhunts - Essay Example He established a committee that acted as task force and court for all those suspected or accused of communism; people from all walks of life would, ultimately, find themselves in the â€Å"hot seat.† History Joseph McCarthy was born in 1908 in Wisconsin. He was raised in â€Å"proper† Catholic family, was a good student, and earned his degree from Marquette University in 1928. He was involved in an unsuccessful law practice and became an avid gambler on the side, before he finally decided on a career in politics. He joined the Democratic Party, but after being overlooked for the Democratic candidate for district attorney he switched political sides. Becoming a republican he began, what many historians describe as an example of the most unqualified and corrupt of politicians of all time. This perspective is personified by the â€Å"dirty† campaign he ran to earn an appointment as a circuit court judge. After a short time in the military he won the Senate seat for Wisconsin; his term was overall not impressive. It was at this time the United States was feeling the looming threat of â€Å"communist† sentiments, McCarthy â€Å"banked† on those fears and began a crusade to eliminate this threat and guarantee himself reelection (Oh, and Latham 1). Discussion McCarthy established the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was tasked with investigating anyone who was suspected of or associated with people involved in communism or were thought to be sympathetic to the communist party. These committee courts forced the accused to answer questions about their political ideologies and behaviors. They offered deals to those that would give the names of others who are, likely, to be communists. When one refused to give names of others they were â€Å"Blacklisted,† which prevented hundreds of those questioned to be able to find work in their respective fields, from politics to Hollywood. Arthur Miller, famous American writer, found himself in McCarthy’s court. He would certainly not confess to Communist ideologies and refused to help them in accusing others. In turn, Miller was Blacklisted (History Channel 1). It is the events, during the McCarthy era, that led Miller to write â€Å"The Crucible,† which details a version of the Salem witch trials in the 1600s.He framed the way the young girls freely accused citizens of Salem, Massachusetts of witchcraft within the current events of McCarthy’s witch hunt. The accused were guilty until proven innocent, and their innocence was impossible to prove because of the structure of the courts. Accused witches were given the opportunity to repent and avoid execution. However, for many of these innocent and highly devout people they could not morally confess to something they did not do, even to save their own lives. This would be a lie and lying is a sin against God. They would rather die free of sin than to live having lied. This was r eflective of McCarthy and his HUAC. In 1938, as television first became common in people’s households, Edward R. Murrow, well-respected and renowned new correspondents, began a show called â€Å"See It Now.† The majority of his stories concerned issues of the average American citizens (American Masters 1). It was a huge success for more than a decade. In March of 1954, Murrow brought McCarthy on his show as a guest. He allowed McCarthy to do most of the talking; in black and white it became very clear that McCarthy had

Discourse Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discourse Analysis - Case Study Example The author further illustrates ‘islandness’ as a â€Å"construct of the mind,† which facilitates the islanders a â€Å"singular way† of looking at the world (192). Thus, the Island Institute has begun to publish the Island’s Journal, to create awareness in the general public about the islanders. The article draws research evidence from a wide variety of literature published in this journal, which the author has reviewed and he also uses his personal experience with island life. The author has supported and validated his thesis through an array of evidence from the island culture as well as referring to certain island qualities that â€Å"transcend local culture† (192). This becomes apparent in his illustration of the â€Å"self-consciousness about islandness† among the inhabitants of different islands (193). He also refers to the â€Å"cellarhole melancholy† that defines the sense of loss that permeates every inch of the island space and reflects on the islanders (193). The intended audience for this type of an audience may include scholars and teachers of geography, anthropology, literature and other humanities as well as people who have an interest in these subjects. The Geography Review, in which the article has been published, is a suitable publication for an article that contains such a topic. The author has taken a judicious stance in presenting the topic and there are not apparent bias on his part, except for his specific affini ty for the Islanders and his keen interest in informing the world about them. Similarly, Conkling also identifies many attributes that are common in islanders across the archipelagos different islands such as: a sense of freedom, loyalty and honor, frugality, â€Å"polydextrous and multifaceted competence† as well as the oral traditions, canny literacy and ability to tolerate eccentricity (192). The author’s use of language and style has been appropriate to the topic

Assignment1 economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment1 economics - Essay Example living for many in the Asian countries. However, the rapid growth in the economy of these countries have left the Middle East strained of skilled and unskilled labor. The Middle East's booming construction industry currently faces two main threats, the supply chain management of materials for construction, the supply of work force and the issues associated with them. Let us look at the questions below: 1. What has the government done to improve the situation The rise in the prices of oil affects the price of materials imported into the country for construction. The UAE government has cut down on import duty and is planning to launch its own materials supply company. More over the UAE is also launching its Nuclear energy program implementation organization according to the recommendations of the IAEA and the implemented organization will be called as the Emirates nuclear energy corporation. This is done mainly to meet the growing energy demand and facilitate construction companies. Company strategy& decision 4 Sources say that the UAE lifted cement and steel duties in March to reduce the burden on contractors and stabilize the steel market. The Dubai gold and commodities exchange launched its first steel rebar futures contract in October 2007 (Said Summer, Reuters 2008). The government has also paid attention to the rising dislike among laborers for gulf as a job destination the reason for the dislike being the low wages, poor working conditions, and lack of job security. Update "The UAE government has announced a review of workers' wages in the construction sector, following a series of strikes recently. The Cabinet has ordered a study on the salaries of construction workers." (Emirates Update... Said Summer (July 9, 2008) , 'UAE steel prices soar 15% in July' Construction and Industry news, Arabian Business.com , Retrieved on August 9, 2008 http://www.arabianbusiness.com/524340-uae-steel-prices-soar-15-in-julyln=en

Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Stress - Essay Example After the re-structuring there is no real motivation to inspire the employees because they fear that they could lose their jobs just like their past colleagues.   Part of the stress suffered by the employees has to do with the rapid transformation that the company has undertaken. This may be unavoidable because the company either has a limited budget or must make the transition by a deadline. This extra work load has required every employee to contribute more to the organization as a whole. Although not a perfect option, one method could be to give a raise to employees who choose to work longer hours. If finances are out of the question, then the company could introduce more work breaks so that employees do not feel tired as much. Another cause of stress can often be job security. The only way to remedy this is to make sure that every employee has a defined set of work responsibilities and no one else is trying to take over their job. Finally, the last cause of stress can be insufficient skills for the job. If an employee is unsure about how to complete their job tasks, then they will likely stress over it. This can be prevented by encouragin g open communication channels between employees and management and transfer employees who do not feel that they are capable of performing their job. Other co-workers can be located or new staff can be hired to help fill the

Ethical Dilemma (ethhics class) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Dilemma (ethhics class) - Essay Example Scott Thompson offered his services to the company, and subsequently managed the firm in a way that company growth and development was induced and subsequently realized. While it was unethical for the CEO to use fake documents for his employment at the company, the fact that the CEO successfully managed the firm cannot be refuted. The company faced an ethical dilemma relating to whether the CEO should be fired or maintained following his contribution to the firm. The available options are consequential in diverse and dynamic ways. Maintaining the CEO in his position would affect the employees in relation to honesty and dishonesty at work. Company subscribers were also at stake relating to company’s compliance with social, ethical, and legal requirements for hiring and firing of human resource (Jennings 153). In this respect, the company had a critical decision to make on this matter, and so did the

Marshall Fisher. What is the right supply chain for your product Assignment

Marshall Fisher. What is the right supply chain for your product - Assignment Example Fisher argues that in some instances, performance has significantly worsened as a consequence of costs rising to unprecedented levels (Fisher, 1997). Based on his ten years’ research on the topic of supply chain in different industries ranging from fashion, food and apparel to automobile, Fisher devised a framework aimed at assisting managers to settle on the best supply chain for their specific products and situations. Fisher’s article aims at assisting managers comprehend the nature of the demand of their products and services and create a supply chain, which can best suit this demand. Fisher begins by arguing that a lot of brain power and technology has been applied with the view of improving supply chains. Organizations have the capacity o acquire and retain the voices of their customers using sophisticated marketing tools. The primary aim of a successful supply is to accurately identify and respond to market demands. According to Fisher, the first and perhaps most important step in developing and effective supply chain strategy is to appreciate the nature of demand for one’s company’s products. In order to attain this objective, companies typically make use of agile manufacturing, automated warehousing and mass customization (Fisher, 1997). However, these efforts continue to prove ineffective as supply chains worsen with each passing day. A notable symptom of this problem is the notable excess of one product and the scarcity of another. This begs the questions of why firms are unable to develop the performance of their supply chains and how these problems can be tackled in an effective manner. Fisher shows that if an individual classifies products and services on the basis of their demand patterns, these products fall into two major categories: the products are either primarily innovative or functional. Each of these categories calls for a distinctly unique form of supply chain. A primary problem arises from the mismatch between the type of product category and form of supply chain utilized. Therefore, an effective supply chain must first identify the type of product through criteria such as demand unpredictability and lifecycle. Functional products fulfill basic needs and have long lifecycles and stable and predictable demand. Innovative products have short lifecycles and it is relatively difficult to predict their demand since they depend on prevailing fashion and lifestyle causing uncertain market reactions. Fisher argues that after ascertaining the type of product being supplied, a company should determine whether the company’s supply chain is responsive to the market or physically efficient before using a matrix to determine the ideal supply chain strategy (Fisher, 1997). Functional products typically need effective supply chain processes while innovative products require responsive processes. Companies dealing in functional products are presently realizing the detriments of focusing on cost re duction, which causes diminishing returns. Consequently, firms are shifting towards sustaining coordination with corporate stakeholders such as distributors and suppliers who play a pivotal role in the supply chain processes. This coordination presents growing opportunities especially in light of the development of electronic networks, which enable closer coordination. However, companies often use the cooperative and competitive strategies to their detriment since the two approaches need dramatically diverse behaviors (Fisher, 1997). On the other hand, companies dealing in innovative products seek systems that provide high levels of product availability

U.A.W. v. Johnson Control, Inc., 499 U.S. 187(1991) Essay

U.A.W. v. Johnson Control, Inc., 499 U.S. 187(1991) - Essay Example m that the respondent’s policy has created facial classification at the work place that is based on gender which discriminates against women on the basis of their gender (Becker 43). After some of the pregnant employees in a battery manufacturing became pregnant while maintaining blood lead levels, the company implemented a policy which barred all fertile women from the job. The affected employees filed a case in the district court claiming the policy constituted sex discrimination which violates the 1964 civil rights act. The court of appeal affirmed that despite the risk the company’s policy is discriminative. The holding of the court was that women should be given equal opportunities as men in the working place regardless of the risks since baring women from some positions is discrimination based on gender. Excluding fertile women or women with child bearing capacity from lead exposed job positions encourages facial classification that is based on gender and this this discriminates against the female employees with regard to their sex under 703 a of title VII The company’s lawyer argued that the safety of employees and their offspring should also be a major concern of the companies and the Johnson holding company was accepted to take the actions it took. He argued that the policy was not based on gender but the safety of the workers (Becker 44). In my opinion the company should only bar pregnant women from the jobs since the lead component is more hazardous to the foetus. There is evidence that the lead levels found in eight pregnant women was potentially harmful to the baby. The company barring all fertile women is sexually discriminative as by doing so it will be favouring the male

Hip Hop’s Problem Essay Example for Free

Hip Hop’s Problem Essay From its birth, Hip Hop is consistently argued about between black and white America, and among the young and old. Usually, it is the negative of the subject that receives the most attention from this topic. The main problem with Hip Hop is its negative aspects, Re creation, and the unrealistic goal of achieving the American Dream. Hip Hop today is more concerned with commercializing and what sells, which takes away from the culture that was established early on. With the newly evolving era of technology, the four pillars can be looked at as mp3, music video, mix tape, and commercialism. Music is the main focus that defines Hip Hop today and continues to become even bigger than before. Music is able to connect many different people on so many levels and influence fashion, cars, speech and attitude. This is an example of how Hip Hop has gone through many generations and is still going strong. As it grows among the youth, both black and white, it is definitely taking a positive role in the African American despite contrary belief. However as the growth of Hip Hop continues the negative aspects are focused on more than anything. To solve the negative aspects of Hip Hop stricter ratings need to be put on the music, bigger fines for re creation of previous songs, and have people realize that everybody can’t be a rapper. The negative aspects of Hip Hop are a more predominate feature that are more glorified in the media than the positive ones. One prime example would be the televised daily reports of gun related issues such as school shootings or elementary students that bring weapons to school. The media immediately begins to criticize the music for being the driving force behind the violence that occurs within today’s youth. If a child brings a weapon to school, there is an assumption made immediately, by the media, that he or she has heard this on a Hip Hop song. But there are many more instances where Hip Hop is said to influence acts of violence. In the Duval county public school system, there have been over 12 gun related arrests this year. In this area, this is not a new occasion, but a reoccurring event. Even though the problem starts in the households, it seems to be blamed on Hip Hop instead. Chief Officer David Coffman, who heads the school resource officers, places the blame on Hip Hop and music videos for making youngsters feel that it is cool to carry a gun. Another great example is the event which occurred between Don Imus and the women’s basketball players of Rutgers University. Although he did use his freedom of speech and press, he used sexually and racially derogatory comments to describe the women’s basketball team. For his poor choice, consequently the media did embark on the language used in the Hip Hop culture. In my English 101 class 85% of my classmates felt Hip Hop objectify women in a negative way. In Hip Hop, the image of women is not as positive as it should be. The culture of Hip Hop chooses to degrade women continuously, which does not go unnoticed by the American population and therefore is looked down upon for it; creating yet another reason for society to discriminate against this culture. One artist that displays this negative behavior towards women is Ludacris. Though he has many uplifting songs, his creation of the song â€Å"Ho† has no other purpose than to give an explanation of the negative perception of women. Despite some negative aspects of Hip Hop it is not fair to say that Hip Hop is a leading factor in increasing violence and social problems when it is so much more than that. To establish a stance on Hip Hop saying that it is only a bad thing should not be the method that is taken. These assumptions show that the culture of Hip Hop is frequently misunderstood. Such assumptions are made because of accounts that previously occurred. Hip Hop culture now is not an explanation for those parents that neglect their children or those parents that have problems with discipline towards the children. Hip Hop is not a cause of the increase of violence this but it may be a reflection of what the artist grew up seeing. Hip Hop record labels need to have stricter ratings and parents need to be more cautious about what their kids are listening to. The media causes the image of Hip Hop to be tarnished into what we see today. Since this image is embedded in our minds, the idea and culture of Hip Hop is not as encouraging as before. The experiences and their way of expressing their life are done with the use of Hip Hop. Re creation is not a concept that is popular, but has been around for many years. The act of taking an original invention or idea and mastering it in another way shows how creative a person can be. Though it is not a simple task, it is a frequent practice in Hip Hop. This exposes the ability of a young person’s mind. Nelson George comments on the topic, stating that â€Å"We love to take things that were once out of reach†¦and reinvent the technology in our own image† (George 52). This quote is saying that anything can be turned into an aspect of Hip Hop. Its original use is meant for another purpose, but that does not limit the abilities of it. One example is the use of ability to recreate music. Most people see this as plagiarism and stealing somebody else’s song. The process involves taking a part of an original song and developing a new use for it. This can be thought of as a pastiche. This has also assisted in opening the possibilities of music that could not be explored before by simple instruments. Now, the music makers of Hip Hop are able to extend the tradition of sampling music. Instead of just an instrument and some lyrics, there is a collection of sounds that have not been heard before. In today’s society, it is difficult to be your own person. Many artist see re creation as a means to survival in the Hip Hop Industry. The music industry should make it illegal for artist to use somebody else’s work and fine artist a penalty for doing so. Many artists see re creation as a necessity and will most likely keep on doing it. The culture of Hip Hop makes the idea of self definition a necessity for survival. For African Americans of all ages, it is hard to survive in this society. The development of pride and confidence in oneself is a key in self definition. To have just enough confidence may not be suitable. There is no limit to how much you should love yourself. These words are seen as bad for a person’s characteristics. To have an indulgence in self importance can destroy a person in the eyes of others. Instead, it can be a source of power. In any person’s lifetime, he or she may pursue the â€Å"American Dream†; the idea of a big house, luxury cars, and money. In the society of today, the dream is about being a young millionaire (Kitwana 46). Hip Hop continues to glorify this unrealistic fantasy. This dream is neither achieved by everyone, nor is it handed freely. It takes long hours and hard work to accomplish the dream. Many young people in the black community want to be rich like the rappers they look up to without the hard work. In Hip Hop, the dream is the motivation for any person in any aspect of the culture. Because of this, hard work is an expectation. This dream is leading to the downfall of lower class African Americans as well as Hip Hop its self. The majority of Hip Hop is focused on those living in lower class poverty level who wants to change their situation. What they hear and see is what they use to base their future on. The American Dream is not the only motivation for young Americans to increase their work ethic. Many others have no other choice but to work extra hours daily or an extra job. This is how they grow up and what they see in Hip Hop. Sometime it is not the preferred method, but it is a necessity for survival. Bakari Kitwana gives insight on this topic, saying â€Å"Everyone wants to make it big†¦many of us can’t wait until we’re 40, or even 35†¦Although such attitudes existed in previous generations, with the Hip Hop generation, it is nearly an obsession† (Kitwana 46). The youth that are growing up seem to understand that they will not be given anything. The determination to get millions of dollars is the driving force that makes them want to work. They see the benefits of having money but also experience the downfalls of not having it. Due to the experiences, they sometimes turn to illegal activity such as selling drugs. This should not be the case, but it does give the same results. You have to create cliental, gather product, and find ways to get the most profit from it. This is similar to a kid who becomes successful in the e-commerce industry. With the e-commerce business, you must find something that interest people, create a cliental, and be able to advertise. Both of those methods are different but share one thing: the development of an entrepreneur. Along with that, hard work is forced on those that are involved in activities such as drug sales or web development for example. The tactics are not easy, but they lead traits which become very valuable later on, and can take them to their millions. As a result, Hip Hop has been a big contribution to the youth of America in negative and positive ways. The main problem with Hip Hop is its negative aspects, Re creation, and the unrealistic goal of achieving the American Dream. Although there are negative aspects stand out the most, it has influenced the youth in a way that their parents are not able to. Hip Hop is able to open their minds and help them to become more creative. The idea of sampling a song and producing a new, unheard of instrumental is a very complex practice. It does take effort to do, but it is a great exercise of the brain. Hip Hop also helps to instill confidence and pride among the youth. This is a hard lesson to learn at a young age, but it is something that can be carried on through life. Finally, it helps to change the idea of kids being lazy. Now, there are more youth that are willing to work and establish themselves financially. They are able to set goals for themselves and strive for it. Hip Hop has been around for many years. During its time of existence, it has been able to change each generation that has grown through it. Among this generation, it has had the biggest and most positive impact of all. Work Cited Cobb, William. To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic. London: NYU Press, 2008. George, Nelson. Hip Hop America. Boston: Penguin (Non-Classics), 2005. Hip Hop Speaks to Children. Ebony 1 Nov. 2008: 55. Kitwana, Bakari. The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. New York: Basic Ci