Professional Resume and Cover Letter Essay

Create a professional resume and cover letter for a position within your selected industry, and attach a copy to this discussion forum. Respond to at least three of your classmates’ posts by Day 7, providing both positive and constructive feedback. If you do not have a resume or cover letter, you may access helpful resources by logging into your Ashford University Student Portal. From the Student Portal homepage, locate Career and Alumni Services (look for the blue â€Å"Career† word cluster image) and click on the link to My Career: Career and Professional Development Center to review resume and cover letter resources. If you would like additional assistance, Career Services is available to critique your resume and/or cover letter. You may contact Career Services directly at careerservices@ashford.edu, or call the appointment line at 1.866.711.1700, ext. 1876. Please allow adequate time (2-3 business days) for a Career Services Specialist to respond to your request. Ashford 3: – Week 2 – Assignment Critiquing Internet Sources Today, the Internet provides an unprecedented amount of information by way of blogs, videos, and podcasts. Conduct a critique of one blog, one video, and one podcast, which provide information that addresses the topic of your Final Research Paper. Assess the authors’ use of bias, validity, and applicability of information. Examine the influence of web-based information on global citizenship and multicultural understanding. Then, compile a list of three factors you believe should be considered when evaluating Internet sources for use in researching information. The paper must be three to four pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. In addition to the three multimedia sources you are analyzing, support your points with at  least two scholarly sources. One of the scholarly sources must be from the Ashford Online Library. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.

Recruiting and managing employees Essay

Job descriptions are a vital part of recruiting and managing employees. These written summaries of jobs ensure that applicants and current employees have clear understanding of their roles and what is expected of them in order to be held accountable. Despite the various job descriptions and posts for new hire, it is imperative that job descriptions be thoroughly written because it will help employees understand the major areas of their job or position and also help attract the right candidates for the job. In this essay, I will be writing on the components of job description with emphasis on the role of Operations Manager with careful analysis of the important facts about the job with respect to the tasks, tools and technology, knowledge, skills and abilities, and the educational requirements for the position. Emphasis will also be placed on job advertisement and the assessment methods used when recruiting and why the methods are most appropriate especially in recruiting an Operations Manager. In today’s labor market, business environment is constantly changing and for this reason the tasks of an Operations Manager in a company is ever increasing so the job description of this position should clearly state the expectation of the job. A job description identifies characteristics of the job to be performed in terms of the tasks, duties and responsibilities to be fulfilled (Youssef, 2012). The tasks of the position must clearly and concisely communicate in the job description. For instance, the main tasks of an Operations Manager will be to oversee, direct, and coordinate all activities of the business with respect to products and services being offered by the company. In addition, the Operations Manager will be responsible for reviewing financial statements, activity report and also m anaging, training and developing employees. Once the tasks of a job is clearly written on a job description it is important to state the tools and technology requirement of the position to ensure that employees or candidates for the job understand and know the tools and technology involved to carry out the expected tasks of the job. For the position of Operations Manager in my company, the person must be proficient in the use of cell phones, laptop computers, security systems, barcode printer, and barcode scanner. In additional to these tools, the person must also be comfortable with using various software to execute tasks some of which includes accounting, electronic mail, enterprises resources planning, office suite, spreadsheet and word processing. Having  enumerated the tools and technology required for the job, the knowledge needed to be effective in the position must also be clearly stated to ensure employees and prospective candidates for the positions understand the minimum knowledge required to be successful at the job. For the operations Manager, he or she is required to have substantial knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources (http://www.onetonline.org/link/details/11-1021.00). Also should be included in job descriptions is the skills and abilities needed for the job. As an Operations Manager, he or she must be a good listener giving attention to customers and employees taking the time to understand points being made and also must have the ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through written and spoken words and sentences. The skills and abilities will ensure that the operations manager can communicate with his or her customers and also employees either in resolving problems with customers or employees or business transactions (http://www.onetonline.org/link/details/11-1021.00). Lastly, a job description must include the educational requirement for the position. In most management position, a minimum of Bachelor’s degree is needed and preferably in Business or equivalent. In some instances, some company requires five years of experience in the field as an equivalent to Bachelor’s degree. Once the analysis and job description for a job is complete, the next step would be to identify recruiting method to use in selecting candidates. Since recruiting is the first stage in the hiring process, it is important to attract qualified people who have the skills and experience the job demands. To do this, I will suggest that recruitment be done through job fairs and advertising. To properly advertise a job, it is important to start by selecting the most effective job advertising medium where suitable candidate can be attracted. To recruit an Operations Manager, it will be best to place the ad on a premium job website. Once an advertising medium has been identified then the job is posted using the written job description for the position with some background information about the company. Once candidates  are identified, the next step would be to gain some valuable information about them. There are different selection methods that should be used and according to Youssef (2012) , selection methods can narrow down potential candidates. The approach and selection that I would employ in hiring an Operations Manager would be through tests and interview. The idea of using tests as selection method is to assess the personality and abilities of each candidate for the jobs. The personality test is to focus on the feelings, thoughts, and behavior of candidates as they relates to the type of enthusiasm and motivation employer is looking for in a candidate while the aptitude and ability test is to assess the intellectual performance of candidates. Interview method on the other hand, is a crucial preliminary part of recruiting process because it afford face-to-face meeting with candidates because it combines a detailed understanding of organizational requirements with a distinctive understanding of the responses, talents, qualifications, personality and character of prospective employee’s in order to make a final decision. Using interview and tests in the selection of candidate for the Operations Manager position will be most appropriate because it will afford the recruiter to be able to observe candidates attributes that will affect the job performance which include the abilities to communicate, reason and understand. This will also give the interviewer an opportunity to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each applicant. It is clear that to hire the best individual to fill a position it is important the analysis of the position be done and a written job description should be made to include the tasks, tools and knowledge, educational requirements, and the skills and abilities required to be successful at the job is needed in order to attract the best candidate. The recruiting method employed also is very vital in the process of hiring would also ensure that the best of the best candidates that applied for the job is eventually selected for the position. It is only by having a structured hiring process that an organization can compete and attract great minds in the labor market. References O*NET OnLine. (n.d.). O*NET OnLine. Retrieved from http://www.onetonline.org/ (http://www.onetonline.org/) Youssef, C. (2012). Human resource management. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Cuban Missile Crisis Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Assignment. Divine, Robert A. The Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Markus Weiner Publishing, 1988. This book written by Robert Divine is an historical overview of the most important events, causes, and the consequences after and during Cuban Missile Crisis revolution of 1962 This author provides a concise but not oversimplified review of the many complicated aspects of this affair; wich brought the world to the age of nuclear war.This book helps me to have a better point of view about all Cuban Missile Crisis revolution of 1962 including some Cuban points of view and also American points of view, wich are very important to have a better understanding of this big event. Garthoff, Raymond L. â€Å"Reflections on the Cuban Missile Crisis†. Washington D. C. : The Brookings , 1989. In this book Garthoff has revised earlier analysis to make the most accurate, eye-opening story yet of the 1962 crisis.This book focuses in the nature of the crisis, its consequence s and its lessons for the future, It provides a combination of memoir, historical analysis and political interpretation, and also it gives particular attention to the aftermath of the crisis. This helps me to solve how this war happened and how it affected the world. Laurence Chang, Peter Kornbluh. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. New York: The New Press, 1992.In this book written by Chang and Kornbluh, are released documents reveal just how dangerously close the world came to nuclear destruction in 1962 and also provides me the official correspondence between John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro. It focuses on the political decisions between countries and how they controlled this crisis. This book would help to understand the political problems and the relationships between these countries. James G. Blight, Bruce J. Allyn and David A. Welch. Cuba in the brink.New york: Pantheon Books, 1993. This book is an analysis of Cuba, Its relations with the superpowers, and its role during the missile crisis is superb and unmatched in the existing scholarship on this topic This book helps me to know more about Cuba and to have more contexts in Cuba’s role in this crisis, also this book tells me about the political and social intentions of the U. S. A over Cuba. And how they found a solution to this problem. Topping, Seymour. On the Front Lines of the Cold War : An AmericanCorrespondent's Journal from the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. Los Angeles: LSU Press , 2010. This e-book was written trough several researches by Seymour, This book helps me to know more about this Big war and to have a background to see how this war is related to Cuban Missile Crisis, and how Cuba was involved in this huge problem. This book focuses on Cuban history and its relation with the world problems. I found it very interesting and useful because give me more information about Cuban history.

Production and Operations Management in Williamsons Joinery Essay

Production and Operations Management in Williamsons Joinery - Essay Example The company always focused on the high quality of the products that they offered to the customer and also had high focus on the craftsmanship that was been used over the products where of unique designs and also made very carefully. The company faced a lot of problems related to the inventory management and storage of items as the space in the company got occupied by huge storage of goods as a result the company was incurring huge loss. Though because of the high sales of the custom furniture’s the company was able to make up its cost but slowly the operational cost increased to a great value and it started affecting the company’s performance in many ways like by increasing the lead times, reducing the capacity, increasing the overall cost, storage issues etc. This report covers the overall performance of the company in the way it produces its goods including its operational process and layouts, identification of the problems that the company is facing and the specifica tions of those problems by going into the root cause of the problem and also the impact of these problems over the day-to-day operation of the company. All these are been analysed using various concepts of production and operation management to understand the effect of wrong management and the problems that the happen causing a huge impact on the whole operation of the company. According to Tompkins and White in 2003 the impact of the material flow does have an effect from the way the layout s been designed, while Chhajed, Montreuil in 1992 exclaimed that the complexity of the layout design affects in the production process in a huge way. In 1997, Heragu explained that the layouts in the company are generally made based on the flow of the materials between the various facilities in the company. It is been decided based on the space available for each facility.

Polyphony in the Middle Ages Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Polyphony in the Middle Ages - Research Paper Example This form of progression gave the music resonance that is so fascinating. The first parallel organum was the Musical enchiriadis (Musical Handbook) which emerged in 9th century1. Occasionally, two voices in the music began in unison followed by vox organalis climbs to its hiatus, receding at the ends of phrases to the unison. This form was followed by the Ad organum facienddum2 . In 11th century, four other organums emerged. This include florid organum, melismatic organum, duplum organum and organum purum. Dalahoyde notes that the unmeasured melismatic dupum invoved the use of long tenure notes. Aquitanian organum of the 11th century which is linked to the French SW ‘Discant organum’ involved the use of two voices falling into a rhythmic style. This style of organum involved 6/8 or sometimes 8/9 fell, singing at the same pace for a passage. Dalahoyde reveals that in the 11th and 12th century, the octaves, fourth and fifth were perceived constant but not thirds. He notes that the standard closing sonority was 1-5-8 structure because it involved two perfect intervals3. Notre-Dome is also a style of early organum which came into being in 12th century. Its is derived from the Notre Dame Cathedral which was constructed in 1163. Notre Dame has two parts: organa and several clausulae, motets and Conductus. In organa, the melody involved the use of long notes with the organal part being left free and measured rhythm but with complex melismata. The free melismatic style is used when the original melody of the playsonng is syllabic in nature. Under discantus style, two parts of the play song moves notes by note rhythmically or in forms derived from the music of troubadour. The discantus style is employed especially when playchant is elaborated in lyrical form4. Clausula is another form of Notre Dame Style developed in 12th and 13th century. It is based on small portions of Gregorian chant as opposed to the organa which is based on the whole chant. This style involved squat compositions based on responsorial chant of melisma. Under this style, the tenor has no full text, nevertheless, icipit or just a syllable to show the chant from which tenure is taken from5. Organum Purum is another form of the Notre Dame which is employed where chants are syllabic. This implies situations where tenor cannot be modal. Immediately the tenure employs ligatures, its tenure transforms to modal and becomes discant which is the second type. Copula is the third form which entails the use of loh. de garlandia used between the discant and organum. Under Notre Dame Style, there are some distinctions that exist whether the style is strictly modal or not. Under duplum organum in its purum organum parts of syllables, the parts of cum littera in two-part conductus, monophonic conductus and copulae would be part of repertory. This are not strictly modal. Under monophonic songs, whether it is a conductus or a chant by Petrotin, musical standards for declamation is n ot varied as was the case with traditional types. Research has shown that there is a lot of variance and fluency of declamatory speech rhythms used in chants and should, therefore, govern it6. Florid organum is a musical genre of the twentieth century. Under this genre, there exist between two to six notes sung in the original voice but under a single nonstop note in the tenor. This is the principle also followed by the Paris duplum organum and Saint Martial organum. In the mid twentieth century,

Implement and monitor nursing care for clients with acute health Case Study

Implement and monitor nursing care for clients with acute health problems - Case Study Example Harold’s injuries would limit his mobility and would confine him for a while to a bed or to a chair (University of Virginia â€Å"Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation). He would likely need assistance for all his activities – from his waking to his sleeping hours. I would involve Harold’s family in meeting his self-care needs by placing them on shifts. I can ask his wife to sleep in a separate bed, but still be in the same room as her husband in order to assist Harold in his ADLs. However, since Harold’s wife has initial manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease, she cannot be left with Harold for prolonged periods of time. Members of the family can take shifts in helping care for Harold. His children and grandchildren can be asked to assist Harold in performing his ADLs. They can help groom him, assist him to and from the bathroom, and keep him company. This can help ensure that Harold would not be bored and his morale always kept up. This would also ensure that his burns would not get infected or be subjected to further injury. The grandchildren have to be taught the proper ways of assisting and caring for their grandfather by demonstrating to them the proper ways of grooming and assisting in order not to subject Harold to further injuries. 3. Assess metabolism. Burn victims are in a hypermetabolic state. (Hom, et.al., p. 184), which increases their risk for prolonged inflammation, cardiac dysfunction, infection, sepsis, and death (Bankhead â€Å"News by Specialty) 1. Explaining to Harold the debridement process – how the procedure would be undertaken, the risks of the procedure, and the ultimate goal of the surgery. This would help reduce the patient’s anxiety and stress about the procedure (Steele, et.al., p. 55). 3. Instructing Harold on what he can expect during the surgery itself. I would explain to Harold why intravenous access will be needed before the surgery; the surgical skin preparations

Globalization and International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization and International Relations - Essay Example As a result of globalization, nations could improve their political as well technological relations globally. This paper will analyze globalization and its impacts on international relations. The concept of global economy came into existence with the emergence of globalization. This process notably assisted different segments of the international market. Globalization has significantly contributed to the creation of a global market and a global system of production. Capital marketers also enjoy the benefits of globalization as it has contributed to the integration of financial systems. This concept aided financial organizations like International Monetary Fund to disseminate â€Å"a particular view of the state’s role within the international economy† (Robinson, 2006). In addition, globalization enhanced the development of telecommunications media which in turn fastened the spread of global mass culture. And the key production factors such as capital and labor became globally mobile. Globalization eliminated international trade barriers and thus promoted international relations once this concept weakened the ability of nations to control transnational operations and economic activities. Companies transplanted their production facilities to other countries where costs are comparatively lower. Before the emergence of globalization, developing and underdeveloped countries had little access to developed markets and improved technology. However, since globalization, the global economic environment has undergone tremendous changes. According to Devetak and Hughes (2008, p. 34), globalization connects nations through a global network, and it assists a nation to get access to foreign markets and customers. Since the nations got ranges of benefits from globalization, governments adopted a liberal approach towards international trade.

Civils Wars in augusta and Franklin Counties Research Paper

Civils Wars in augusta and Franklin Counties - Research Paper Example Possessing slaves served like a sign of class and riches. There were far larger figures of impoverished inhabitants in the South than there were the planter privileges. Therefore, when it approached down to it, slavery alienated more than just Augusta and Franklin. Therefore, when one gives the impression of being at the counties of Franklin, Pennsylvania and Augusta, Virginia the subject that bound out is the association of African-Americans to the surroundings where they stay. Liberated African-Americans of that time had noteworthy challenges that lessened from community hostility no matter which county they were. Introduction Prior to the war, in Augusta County, there was a liberated Black Entry. There were two hundred registered African Americans in Staunton, a major city in the county. Total registered free blacks were five hundred in the county as a whole. The free black inhabitants in Augusta turned down in the 1860s as a fraction of the entire population, just as it did in Fr anklin. This creates main troubles for these inhabitants. Having to register as a subject to community verification is wearisome since it gives the organization an authority over a person in a manner, which is similar to the Jewish inhabitants that had to have on the Stars of David in the period of World War II. In an editorial printed in The Vindicator in 1860, there were "Several liberated African-Americans existing in Staunton who are not registered and have no dealing in the municipality, according to the Vindicator. The document urges the powers to inform the free blacks to go away or undergo the legal penalties." It became an emblematic response to whichever African American that by law, the community could reach them (Ayers, 2004, P.56). Apparently, in the slave obsessed South there was a forbidden on the incorporation of the races by matrimony. Prior to the warfare, it became characteristically against the rule. In a different article printed by The Vindicator, a black male, Jack Sophia, escaped with a white woman, Gladys Pinkly. This editorial was in a pessimistic attitude and was emblematic of the response to such an episode. The pre-war survival of free-blacks in Augusta County was not a satisfying one for the majority of the parts. This, nevertheless, did not imply this action was elite to their account of southern generosity. In Franklin County that was situated in the Northern side, there was no slavery. When natives learned about the civil warfare for the first occasion, they believed that the North was extremely responsive to the African-American grounds and, whereas this was factual to a degree in that it was extreme better than the South, there were still extremely profound chauvinism existing in the northern county. Franklin County indeed had its share of problems with the Augusta County. With the deep-rooted hostility and deceit that existed among the black and white races, there are going to be inevitable predicaments even in the municipal ities and states where slavery did not apply. In Chambersburg, a major municipality in Franklin County, following to the Valley Spirit, 1 There was a "painted man" that was assassinated by white soldiers for no obvious explanation. This illustrates the disgraceful behavior that survived in both divisions of the counties. During the battle on both sides of the regions, some occasions should not go unmentioned. Before the North formally made the

How will social media help reduce crime in london Essay

How will social media help reduce crime in london - Essay Example Through the media, effectiveness of cutting down crime rate to manageable rate is possible and it not only influences the measures that can work out for proper crime management but also it influences the architectural design involved in fighting crime. There are reasons why the local crime rate in London has been on the rise. These factors include unemployment, struggling with difficult background, psychological disorders, and decrease of social capital. In the case of unemployment, many middle-aged youths would remain idle (Muncie 2004, p.110). Due to this reason, their energies end up being directed to the wrong side of involvement like robbery, street gagging, and turn into arsonists as well (Weiner 2013, p. 88). The media can help to highlight the plight of these people by shedding some light to the government as this can help in yielding a follow up. If any positive response comes by to meet the highlighted plight of unemployment, this can as well help to cool down crime partici pation since many of the wrong doers would involve themselves in an activity (Ceccato 2012, p. 72). This same case with someone faces and still struggles with difficult backgrounds. With no signs of fortune crossing by, someone may engage in crime activity to make his ends meet. If the social media can come in place to air always such grieving circumstances, there would definitely be some awareness. This might prompt the relevant agencies to advance in order to find solutions to such personnel’s in such background. Psychological disorders and decrease of social capital substitute trigger the birth of social crimes. All these, once publicized in advance, and relevant measure taken in good will, the crime rate would stifle down as well (Ceccato 2012, p. 90). This shows that the social can largely take a bigger proportion in reducing crime rates in the centrally located towns of London. This means that social media apply even in measures like a neighborhood watch, punishment, po lice patrol and CCTV cameras that might come into use in order to tame down the crime rate. As much as the media would help to reduce the rate of crime rate in London, this incorporation faces some challenges. For example, with the media pictographic mapping of crime rate already showing the zones of high crime rate, what happens on the paper, reported on television through graphics may not be the real capturing of the intensity of the crime at that place (Wykes 2001, p. 124). In most of the cases, disregarding of the media and crime happens without their knowledge denies them the opportunity to uncover the real issues. This may come as an overt challenge in involving media to reduce the crime rate. Lack of modern gadgets by police in terms of technology denies them the capability to deal with imminent threats of crime within London zones (Brownsword & Goodwin 2012, p. 102). Take for example, a bandit who runs loose after committing a crime and frequently checks on twitter or Facebo ok and no one of the police investigators are aware of his technological odysseys. This lack of knowledge on existing social media outlets one can use might not help in reducing crime in London. The same would apply if the law enforcement officers would make use of the social media networks (Ceccato 2012, p. 87). This would greatly provide follow-ins of criminals and clear statistics on the intensity of crime within London. In this metropolitan city of London, the media has

Analyse how students at the University of Gloucestershire can take Essay

Analyse how students at the University of Gloucestershire can take full advantage of the opportunities offered to develop their employability skills - Essay Example gathered that expectation of employers has shifted from academic result and degree to employability skills such as teamwork, leadership, positive attitude and motivation and relative work experience (Snowden, 2011; Mason, Williams and Cranmer, 2006). The UK job industry is evolving rapidly and drastic change has been observed in demand of skilled workforce in past few years. However, it was observed in surveys that UK universities are making very weak contribution in this regard. It was gathered that 50percent and above surveyed graduates alleged that their universities did not take sufficient measures to develop their employability skills (Weinstein, 2014). The UK universities make yearly contribution of  £59 billion towards the economy and are essentially responsible for generating high skilled workforce, imparting non-academic skills such as innovation and training and raising standard of education (Snowden, 2011). The paper assesses and critically examines the opportunities that are being presented to graduates by University of Gloucestershire for developing their employability skills and recommendations have been provided accordingly. Employability skills are referred to set of attributes that helps individuals to respond accurately to the changing environment of workplace and to make positive contribution towards organisational success and personal growth and development. Employability skills deliver benefits to employers as well as employees and include skills such as self-management, accountability, time management, team working, consumer awareness and awareness of business environment, problem solving, positive attitude, entrepreneurship, communication skill and analytical skill (CBI, 2009; Mason, Williams and Cranmer, 2006). Employers make heavy investment in developing skills among new recruits by means of training and development post joining. However, the level of basic expectations has increased over the years. Presently, they want individuals to

Syncope Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Syncope - Research Paper Example Syncope can cause injury if the victim falls on things that can hurt him or her. Syncope is preceded by dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, and black out or white out field of vision. Syncope can be triggered by pain, trauma, prolonged standing, or emotional stress. Syncope is categorised into several types. Carotid sinus syncope occurs as a result carotid artery constriction around the neck and it normally happens when having a tight collar, in the shaving process, or after turning the head. Vasovagal syncope is usually triggered by stress, pain, or trauma. Situational syncope occurs in the process of urinating, coughing, defecation or can also be stimulated by gastrointestinal process (Hain, 2009). In a dental office, it is a common phenomenon to encounter cases of syncope. Syncope in this case can be because of anxiety, fear, emotional distress, and pain. Syncope always happens in a dental office due to fear, unusual smells and images, fasting as a result tooth ache, pain, and fatigue. Syncope is frequent case to young men. The dentist should always be prepared to handle syncope cases. There should be adequate drugs and equipments to handle case of syncope. Before syncope sets in, the body undergoes a period known as presyncope whereby the victim suffers inadequate cerebral circulation therefore leading to lack of oxygen and glucose. Initial symptoms include a change in the skin colour to a pale complexion followed by a cold sweat (Hain, 2009). The victim then suffers a feeling of dizziness, warmth around the neck and in the head, nausea, light-headedness, tingling in the fingers and the toes. Many victims may complain of a bad feeling, or that everything becomes dark prior syncope. Fainting can happen abruptly. Syncope is actually the duration by which the victim loses realization. Other common symptoms are weak thread pulse, hypertension, and bradycardia. Unconsciousness leads to muscle relaxation resulting to obstructed airway, because of

The Benefits of Hybrid Cars Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Hybrid Cars Essay There was once a time when you could turn on the news and not hear about the terrible state of the environment or the impending doom that is global warming. That time has become part of the past. The standard automobile can be blamed for a large portion of the conflict. Today’s large gasoline engines spew harmful emissions into the air every time we drive. Of course as a result, the United States government has started to resolve these problems. As a result, the United States government has been attempting to solve the environmental problem. One such solution is the hybrid electric car, which can save resources by giving off less emission. And my claim is one of the ways to assist the environmental situation is using hybrid cars. First of all, what do we know about the hybrid car? HEV’s or hybrid electric vehicles differ from standard vehicles by their source of power. According to Michael Westbrook, who is recently retired as the manager of technological research with the Ford Motor Company, â€Å"any vehicle that has more than one power source can be classified as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)†(142). The first-ever hybrid cars appeared in the middle of the nineteenth century. These primitive constructions sped up no more than 10 km/h (Westbrook, 11). The main energy that propelled vehicle was steam source. In 1905 Belgian, Henry Pieper, invents and patents a hybrid chart for a car. Ferdinand Porsche developed the idea of the Belgian inventor. A car carried the name Lohner Porsche and was very popular at that time. Company Lohner Porsche produced a few varieties of hybrid cars of the most different orientation: freight, automobile, busses, fire trucks and ambulances. But unfortunately, in 1906 production of hybrids of System Lohner Porsche was stopped from their unprofitability as compared to cars on petrol. A new wave of interest in the hybrid vehicles emerged after 40 years, in the early 60’s, last century. But it was just the beginning of an interest in hybrid vehicles (Westbrook, 20-21). Permanent price advances on oil and gas in the late twentieth century, and also strengthening of requirements to ecological descriptions of cars, have compelled developers again to take up developments of ecofriendly and economical motor vehicle. (Westbrook, 23) After a long time, the forgotten ideas of hybrid auto were needed designers. In 1997, Toyota began selling the Prius. Below is the example of two hybrid cars from different manufacturers. (Siler) After two years, another Japanese company Honda produces a hybrid vehicle, which is called Insight. This car satisfied not only the Japanese market, but the US too. But already in 2000, The Toyota Prius went on sale begins to expand to foreign markets, primarily in the United States. It was a huge success. According to the magazine Forbes The Toyota Prius enters in the ten cars that changed the world and also as the most sold hybrid car in the world (Westbrook, 26-27). In the meantime, due to the progress of hybrid cars and due to the high standards to automobile companies the situation with air pollution significantly changed. The chart below shows six major air pollutants and in the first place is carbon monoxide, which is emitted by vehicles, then nitrogen oxides, then volatile organic compounds, etc. (Cooper) But we should mention that comparisons from 1970 to 2002, the carbon monoxide in the air is so much decreased, and the reason for decreasing carbon monoxide is the hybrid car, because as we remember from the history of the hybrid cars in these years were the main progress in the development of hybrid cars. (Cooper) According to Nurretin Demirdoven’s investigation, which is the professor of Engineering System Division at the MIT, comparing the energy potency of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, as we have with combustion engines, showed that fuel cell vehicles don’t provide more important benefits than hybrid-powered vehicles in urban vehicles in urban driving settings. There are other pros of using hybrid electric vehicle, such as: 1. Cost effectiveness. Hybrid car uses less fuel, as is able to move only the electric range by battery power. 2. Ecological compatibility. Intermittent use of ENGINES is ensured, while the electric motor does not produce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Toyota Prius to 85 percent less polluting than the class car with traditional power installation. 3. Low noise. Electric motors are virtually silent. Hybrid car has its drawbacks: 1. High cost. For modern technology, environmental friendliness and cost efficiency car buyers have to pay the price for its purse. 2. The complexity of repair and insufficient development of a network of service centers in selected countries. 3. Potential danger to pedestrians who often just dont notice because they are hybrids of noiselessness. (YouManitoba) Hybrid cars are good for the environment. Hybrid cars are one among the promising types of new generation cars. Hybrid cars are more reliable than electric cars from what we are seeing to date and they have gasoline as an alternate fuel. Hybrid cars are currently more expensive to buy than conventional cars. So, we may pay more now but we should see great gains and thus yields is solving our current and long term energy needs when it comes to our people mover desires. Hybrid automobile technology has been accepted as an answer for the car pollution issues of the day. And in the end, I would like to conclude by quoting Gandhi: à ¢â‚¬ If you want to change the world, start with yourself.† Let’s change the world! Works Cited Cooper, Mary H. â€Å"Air Pollution Conflict.† CQ Researcher 14 Nov. 2003: 965-88. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. Demirdà ¶ven , Nurettin, and John Deutch. â€Å"Hybrid Cars Now, Fuel Cell Car Later.† American Association for the Advancement of Science. 13 Aug. 2004: 974-976. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. Siler, Wes. â€Å"By The Numbers: 2010 Toyota Prius Vs 2010 Honda Insight†. Jalopnik. 13 Jan 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2012 Westbrook, Michael H. â€Å"The Electric and Hybrid Electric Car.† London: SAE International and Institution of Electrical Engineers, 2001. Print. YouManitoba. â€Å"What Are The Advantages Of Hybrid Electric Cars?† YouTube. 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2012

Health Care System In Uae Health And Social Care Essay

Health Care System In Uae Health And Social Care Essay Health care is essential for any economy regardless of its size since it directly affects the workforce. The workforce in turn influences output and income earned by the government from taxes and foreign exchange. The health care sector should thus receive a substantial proportion of the budgetary expenditure if a country is to achieve high growth and development levels. The UAE is one of the most influential countries in the Middle East and it shapes the economic and political sphere in this continent. Although it is a dominant country in the Middle East, it faces many challenges in its health care system which threatens to undermine its growth and development. Several interventions should be taken to ensure that this nation does not lose its influence in the Middle East due to problems in the health care sector, which may affect its growth and development. This paper will show that UAE faces challenges such as limitation in the number of specialists and nurses, low skills possessed by nurses and poor remuneration of employees who work for government hospitals. In order to address these concerns, more health care professionals should be trained and schools build for students who are interested in the medical field. In addition, foreign workers in health care facilities should be thoroughly vetted to ensure that they possess skills needed by patients. In order to motivate employees in the health care sector, their salaries and allowances should be increased, and their working environments improved through equipping hospitals with drugs, equipment and health care specialists. This will improve the overall quality of health care provided in the UAE. Introduction The health care sector is one of the most important sectors in any nation and it directly affects the economic growth and development of all nations. This is due to the reason that if the population has poor health, the productivity from individual workers decreases and this in turn reduces output from industries and firms. This in turn results in lower GDP, lower taxes earned by government and lower income earned from exports. Many health care systems across the world face challenges due to an increase in number of people who seek health care and the limitation of resources available. There has been an increase in diseases, both communicable and terminal illnesses. In addition, unhealthy lifestyles and poor dietary habits have led to an increase in diseases such as diabetes, heart illnesses and high blood pressure, across the world. It is therefore important that different health care systems are assessed and their weaknesses exposed in order to improve the quality of health care pr ovision. The UAE faces some challenges in its health care service delivery. These weaknesses include a shortage of specialists and nurses. Others include low quality of skills by nurses and low motivation levels among health care stakeholders. This has led to poor service delivery and man patients are opting to pursue health care services abroad. Many specialists are also taking jobs abroad since they perceive remuneration in UAE to be low. These factors have an economic impact of loss of revenue by the government, increase in cost of health care and opportunity costs of seeking local health care services. This paper will analyze the health care industry in the United Arab Emirates. Various weaknesses inherent in the system will be discussed from an economic point of view. These weaknesses will be compared to other successful hospitals across the world in order to develop effective interventions to solve them. Recommendations will then be made on actions which the UAE government, in collabora tion with the private sector and international partners, has to take to improve the quality of health care provision. The incentives which should be given to change the behavior of UAE health care stakeholders will also be given at the end of the paper. The discussed issues will be summarized. Problems and solutions Introduction There are various problems which are present in the UAE health care system as earlier stated. These problems include inadequate distribution ratio of nurses to patients and the presence of low skilled nurses. These problems lead to dissatisfaction with service provision amongst the UAE population, and this results in many patients seeking treatment overseas. Over 70% of residents in UAE seek treatment overseas when faced with life-threatening ailments. This leads to losses to both health care providers and the government, which loses a substantial income from taxes. In addition, sometimes the government supports patients who seek treatment overseas and this increases the costs incurred by the government. For instance, in 2009, the UAE government spent over 280 million dirham to cover overseas costs of 530 patients (Porter Teisberg, 2006). This figure is even higher when military patients are included. When the government spends this amount of money on overseas treatment, economic lo sses include opportunity costs of payment from patients to health practitioners, loss of tax revenue by the government and direct expenses paid for the medical cost. It is therefore imperative that steps are taken to restore the confidence which nationals of the UAE have in the health care system. This part of the paper will discuss individual problems in the provision of health care in the UAE. The solutions to the problems faced will be discussed after discussing the problems. Inadequate distribution ratio of nurses to patients The international acceptable standards in health care provision advocates for a bed capacity to nursesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ ratio of 1:1 in areas which are considered critical to health care. The current ratio present in the UAE is in fact 1:5. This means that one nurse takes care of four patients simultaneously. According to Zain and Libo, (2008), although the internationally recognized nurse to patient ration in the ICU is 1:5, there are several hospitals in Dubai which have higher nurse to patient ratios. For instance, the Al Baraha hospital has a nurse to patient ratio of 1:10 in general wards, and in the ICU, this ratio is 1:4. In addition, it has 100 doctors and 200 nurses yet it receives 13 new born babies, 250 emergency patients and 650 outpatients in a daily basis. This shows the problem facing the hospital as far as the shortage of nurses is concerned. This is not acceptable, especially in critical areas of health care. This is due to the reason that increasing the workload of nurses has adverse impacts on health care provision. These include increasing risk of spread of infection as nurses urgently try to complete tasks, increasing risk of error due to fatigue, increasing occupational injuries due to rush to complete tasks, increasing risk of error when filling incident reports and increasing turnover rate due to excessive work and few promotions. This would eventually reduce the overall quality of health care, which adversely affects the health of the population and workforce. This would in turn reduce productivity and economic growth and development in the UAE. In addition, inadequate staff may make patients lose confidence in the health care provision and seek alternative health options such as over the counter medication, herbal medicine and others. Some of these methods may further aggravate their illnesses. In order to solve this problem, the UAE government should increase its investment in health care. The current proportion of budget spent on health care in the UAE is approximately 9%. For a sector which has a huge impact on a countryà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s growth and development, UAE spends too little on health. It should increase this proportion to over 15% in order to cater for the needs of hiring new nurses and expanding health care infrastructure. The US, which is a larger economy, spent 17% of its GDP in 2009 on health care. More nurses should be hired to improve the nurse to patient ratio. In addition, more medical schools would be built to train more health care practitioners who would cater for the expanding health care needs. This will reduce the risks earlier discussed and improve the overall quality of health care in the UAE. Low skilled nurses Many nurses who work in the UAE are either under qualified or in possession of little experience, which affects their health care provision. This is caused by many factors and one of them is the shortage of nurses and the unfavorable nurse to patient ratio. Due to this shortage, cheap labor is sought from foreign countries such as Philippines and India. When this happens, it is difficult to fully ascertain the levels of skills held by these professionals, and most end up having low nursing skills. In addition, little or no professional training in nursing is given to such health care professionals. As a result, the few nurses present in the UAE do not possess the skills required to deal with the many health care needs of the population. This leads to provision of poor and low quality health care, which makes the population unhealthy. Nurses with poor professional skills are more prone to errors, which may even end up being fatal to patients. In order to deal with the problem of low skills among nurses, several interventions ought to be taken. The first is a review of skills and experience possessed by nurses who come from overseas to work in the UAE. Their academic qualifications and experience should be corroborated, and the quality of health care institutions they worked for assessed before they are employed in UAE hospitals. In order to develop superior nursing skills among UAE residents, the government ought to increase its budgetary allocation to the health care sector in order to build more nursing institutions which would develop more nurses (Oxford Business Group, 2008). The private sector and international partners should collaborate when building these nursing schools and training new nurses in order for improve the quality of skills possessed by nurses. According to City data website (2010), this strategy has already proved to be successful in Bangkok. Due to investment in training of nurses and use of technol ogy, the health care delivery has improved and this has translated into direct benefits to the population. The life expectancy has increased by over 10 years during the last three decades. Inadequate number of specialists This is a third problem which faces the UAE health care industry. There are a large number of general doctors but few specialists amongst the population. Most large hospitals have over 100 doctors but the number of specialists is usually less than 10. This limits the effectiveness of health care provision since many patients nowadays require specialized health care needs. The increase in chronic diseases such as cancer, heart problems and brain disorders has made it necessary to increase the number of specialists in these fields. In the current case, where there are few specialists, the specialist to patient ratio is very large. This may cause similar problems caused by overburdening nurses with responsibilities. In addition, it increases the costs of treating illnesses which require specialized care since the few specialists may charge high prices due to their high demand. The overall effect of having few specialists is increase in cost of health care, inability of the population to access specialized care and increase in errors made by specialists due to high work load. All these factors undermine the UAE health care provision industry. In order to solve this problem, training of specialists is required, so that they may offer their services to patients who require them. The government should collaborate with international partners and the private sector to build more schools where health care specialists are trained. These medical schools should be well equipped in order to ensure that specialists have the expertise and knowledge needed to perform their duties effectively (Crichton, 2000). Since the cost of training health care specialists is high, the government should subsidize the costs of pursuing education on certain areas of health care. The population should be encouraged to pursue knowledge on certain areas which have very few specialists such as neurology. Incentives which should be given to health care practitioners There are various incentives which should be given to doctors and nurses in order to increase their motivation levels. These incentives enable them to be well motivated and to increase their output as far as caring for patients is concerned. These incentives will be discussed below; Better remuneration There have been complaints from many health care practitioners in the UAE that the salaries and benefits they receive are not commensurate to the efforts they put in their assignments. As is common in many countries, many government health practitioners have complained that professionals working in private practice are earning significantly higher salaries and benefits than them. This lowers their morale and productivity since according to the expectancy theory by Vroom, employees only work harder when they are sure that their expectations regarding remuneration and other needs, will be realized (Beach, 2007). This can be seen by the large number of health care specialists who are moving to the US and Europe to offer their services to these countries. In order to increase their motivation levels, their salaries and benefits should be increased and matched to those of specialists in private practice. This will ensure that health care professionals are motivated and they will increase the quality of services they give. Better working environments In order for doctors and nurses to be able to work effectively, they should be provided with the latest equipment, drugs and training. This enables them to provide high quality health care to the population. The government should ensure that all hospitals have enough staff in order to improve the nurse to patient ratio. There should also be enough specialists and equipment and drugs used by patients. In any organization, organizational culture plays a role in motivating employees (Murray, 2005). The organizational culture should be therefore conducive for employees, since this will motivate them into increasing their output. The management should ensure that employees are involved in decision making, are given independence when working and that they are encouraged to work as a team. There should be an uninterrupted flow of information between the lower level employees and the management. The management should use the democratic leadership style since this is the most effective in ach ieving employee motivation (Bratton, et. al., 2004). This style involves employees in making decisions which affect their duties. Finally, there should be conflict resolution mechanisms which will avoid workplace conflicts. This will ensure that the quality of service provision improves. Incentive for patients It has been discussed that due to the challenges which the health care sector in the UAE faces, many patients are beginning to lose confidence in the health care system. It is therefore necessary to provide certain incentives which will restore confidence in the health acre system. One way of doing this is improving the patient to nurse ratio. This has been discussed in detail above when dealing with challenges in the UAE health care industry. Increasing the number of nurses will ensure that patients receive better quality of health acre and this will restore their faith in the system. Another incentive is the increase in quality of skills possessed by nurses. This will enable nurses to provide better services to patients, and this can be achieved through re-training them and vetting them before they are employed. Finally, patients should be provided with score cards which reveal their satisfaction with service provision in hospitals. This measure will enable hospitals to acquire fee dback from their patients and they will be able to improve upon areas which they are considered to be weak (Carver Scheier, 2001). It has proven to be successful in many hospitals in Thailand and it is bound to be similarly successful in the UAE. This measure will increase the quality of health care provided. Summary and conclusion There are various aspects of the UAE health care system which have been discussed in the paper. UAE has been seen to have challenges such as few number of specialists, low nurse to patient ratio, lower remuneration of health care stakeholders and poor skills by nurses. These effects have been discussed to lower the motivation of employees and as a result, they are likely to make errors or perform poor quality assignments. This in turn makes patient lose confidence in local health care provision and some seek health care services overseas. Some health care professionals also look for employment overseas as a result. When this happens, the UAE government loses tax revenue. It also ends up paying for patientsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ overseas treatment which leads to economic losses such as lost opportunity costs of payment from patients to health practitioners, loss of tax revenue by the government and direct expenses paid for the medical cost. In order to solve these problems which are affecting the UAE healthcare service provision, several steps should be taken by the UAE government in collaboration with the private sector and international partners. The first involves better remuneration of employees in the health care industry. The stakeholders in the health care industry should set new remuneration which matches that from the private practice. The second step involves building of medical schools and paying for educational needs of students to enable them pursue various medical fields. This will increase the skills and number of health car professionals, which is a major challenge in UAE. The third intervention is screening all health care professionals from foreign countries before they begin working in the UAE in order to ensure that they have adequate skills. Although these interventions are important in improving the overall quality of healthcare provision in the UAE, it is similarly useful to provide incentives to stakeholders in the health care sector in order to improve service provision. Health care employees should receive higher remuneration in order to increase motivation. Their work environment should also be conducive and the organizational culture should feature teamwork, independence, communication, conflict resolution and other important factors (Mugisho, 2007). Patients on the other hand can be motivated through improving the skills and increasing number of nurses and specialists since this will encourage them to have faith in the health care system. Feedback should be sourced through score cards, where patients rate service provided to them. This will enable the management improve the weaknesses of the processes. These interventions will encourage patients to seek local health services and this will increase government inco me and tax revenue thereby leading to higher economic growth and development.

Behaviour Of Individuals In A Group Education Essay

Behaviour Of Individuals In A Group Education Essay Introduction The line of study and understanding of individual and group behaviour, and patterns of structure in order to help improve organisational performance and effectiveness. (Robbins, 2007). Organisation is one of the most important parts and serves important needs of the society. So the decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community (Mullins, 2008). Hence it is important, to understand how organisation functions. For that we need to learn the behaviour of people, how do they behave and perform as members of a group and as individuals. This report is discussing the performance and behaviour of an individual while working in a group. The report emphasise on three interrelated parts which are concerned with: describing the formation of the group, differences between group and team, how individual perform in a group and their performance as an individual, and finally some conclusions on importance of the behaviour and performance of an individual in a group. Groups Groups are any number of people who interact with one another; are psychologically aware of one another; and perceive themselves to be a group (Schein, 1988). A group is two or more individuals interacting with each other to accomplish a common goal (Ivancevich, Konopaske, Matteson, 2008). Any ways groups are not same as that of teams. Teams are mature groups which are motivated and they are interdependent on each other for a common goal. Team can be of fixed size but groups can defer on purpose of the work. All teams can be a group but all groups cant be a team. Advantages and disadvantages of a group Advantages Learn to listen others point of view of other member in a group and take their considerations. Learn a lot from individuals personalities. Learn group co-ordination and Mutual understanding. Learn to divide work and complete the work faster. Learn to interact with different kind of people. Disadvantages If there are many people in a group then there may be group conflict. There may be different opinions on doing same thing so sometimes it takes time to start the work. Every member of a group should know its role and should work accordingly. Self esteem of a person can be heart while his opinion is not taken or not implemented. Why do people join groups? Humans are social animal, they cant stay alone. They want someone to interact with each other. People join clubs, different groups and societies just for interacting with each other. This is human psychology that they cant stop communicating with each other. Working in a group is an excellent way of building the effective interpersonal relationship that organisation needs (Heller, 1997). There are some of other reasons why people like to be in a group and they are: Security, Task achievement, Social needs and Power (Ellis Penny, 2000). People feel safety while they are in a group for an example working in an organisation some decision has to be taken people feel safe to take decision in a group rather than taking individually. Task achievement is also a main reason why people join groups there are many task which cannot be done alone. Some people join groups for social needs say by forming a group they are forming some special relationship. Power is the main reason people form a gro up for an instance if many people are doing a particular talk it can be done easily but thats not true for individuals. Reasons for formation of a group in an organisation People join groups because groups are able to accomplish things that individuals cannot accomplish working alone and working in group fulfils the social needs of people. The functional theory of the formation posits that groups are the only way to survive the demands of the environment (Stewart, Manz, Sims, 1999). Environmental factors As jobs become more complex due to technology or other factors, groups become a good way to handle the complexity (Levi, 2001). Moreover, joint management has a strong ability to attract capital beyond the founders or owners resources from private and venture capital backers (Timmons, 1999). I feel some work in an organization cant be done by individual it requires a group of people for better understanding of a complex situation. Poor performance, crisis and survival The urge to try something new and to change the course of action increases when the performance is low (Boone, C; van Olffen, W; vanWitteloostuijn, A; De Brebander, B, 2004) . Hence there is a fear of failure when a individual is working alone but thats not always true when groups are working. People know their own responsibilities while working in a group and they try to fulfil each and every thing. Growth A small business owner may not have the sufficient knowledge and skills to ensure significant organizational growth (Weinzimmer, 1997). When the firm sizeincreases, more people are needed for effective management (Weltman, 2001). Groups are responsible for the development of an organisation. Hence group should always think about the growth of the organisation. Profitability and better firm performance The benefits of teamwork in management relate to both work and firm performance (e.g. (Hunsaker, 2001; Eisenstat Cohen, 1990)No human is perfect, but groups can be. Human has some or other areas where they cannot work. But while working in a group human can hide their weaknesses. Social issues Companionship can help in problem solving and to diminish demanding working conditions as support arises among the team members (Hunsaker, 2001). One of the most compelling reasons why people join groups is because they believe membership in a particular group will help them to satisfy one or more important needs. Group norms According to Sherif (1936), norms are the customs, traditions, rules, values, fashions, and any other criteria of conduct which are standardised as a consequence of contact with individuals. Later, (Steers, 1981) called norms a shared group standard which regulates member behaviour. Norms also have been identified as the informal rules that groups adopt to regulate and regularise members behaviour (Feldman, 1984). Although norms generally exist in the formal context of group functioning, rarely appear in written form, and are seldom discussed, they still have a very powerful and consistent influence on group behaviour (Hackman, 1976). After analysing all this definitions I feel norms are rules which are made by individuals which work in a group for its smooth working. Norms are made by a group, so there can be different norms for different types of a group. For example, there are groups of people who are in a university every group will have its own norms. Secondly, there are various degrees of acceptance by a group member. That means some norms are followed by every group member and other norms are restricted to some people only. Some of the norms are also applied all group members and some norms are applied for few people in a group. For an instance, a group is working in an organisation, some norms are followed by all group members and some norms are only for the position holders, say managers in a group (Ivancevich, Konopaske, Matteson, 2008). Different types of group Organisation has two different types of groups they are formal groups and informal groups. The major difference between both this types of groups is that there is friendship between the members of the group. In informal group the entire member knows each other so they know what strength and weaknesses each individual has according to that everyone can work out knowing each other. And formal groups are made by the organisations they dont know each other they are formed for a specific goal. A planned system of cooperative effort in which each participant has a recognized role to play and duties or tasks to perform (Katz, 1965). These types of groups are made only for smooth functioning of an organisation. People dont know each other so there are less chance of getting friendly environment, and getting better results. According to Palazzolo (1981), a collection of individual whose common work experience result in the development of a system of interpersonal relations beyond those expect ed of them by values of their employment. In this type of group people know each other and they are friends with common goals so they can coordinate with each other without any problem. There is no communication gap between the people, so work can be done in better way. The only problem with this type of group is that it has friendly environment so many times it does not work for a organisation. But informal groups are better than formal groups. Groupthink A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically Appraise alternative courses of action (Janis, 1972). With the idea of Groupthink group behaviour and performance can be increased. Groupthink can make any kind of decisions in an organization. As we have notice individual does not take any decisions, all the decisions are been taken by the organisation are discussed before implementing it. This is because all individual has different way of thinking in an organisation so everyone should know what is going on and can get ideas from everyone. By doing this the chances of implementing a risk gets decrease and on one in an organisation can regret the fact after implementing the new project. Numbers of specific symptoms on groupthink are as fallows. There is an illusion of invulnerability with excessive optimism and risk-taking. The discounting or discrediting of negative feedback which contradicts group consensus results in rationalisation in order to explain away any disagreeable information. An unquestioned belief in the inherent morality of the group which leads members to be convinced of the logical correctness of what it is doing and to ignore ethical or moral consequences of decisions. The groups desire to maintain consensus can lead to negative stereotyping of opponents or people outside the group, or to the acceptance of change. There is pressure on individual members to conform and reach consensus so that minority or unpopular ideas may be suppressed. Each member of the group may impose self-censorship in order to suppress their own objectives, or personal doubts or disagreements. As a result of self-censorship, there is an illusion of unanimity with a lack of expressed dissent and a false sense of unity. In the unlikely event of dissent or contrary information, this will give rise to the emergence of mind guards who act as filters, guarding group leaders, deflecting opposition and applying pressure on deviants. (Mullins, 2008) Individual behaviour as a group member Psychological research on creativity has tended to focus on individuals and intra-individual factors (e.g., motivation; Amabile, 1982). Fords (1996) Theory of Creative Individual Action also links the work environment with intra-individual factors to explain individual creativity. Fords theory describes three individual characteristics which overlap conceptually with the components of Amabiles (1988, 1997) model, via: sense making, motivation, and knowledge and ability. Individual personality makes a big impact on his psychological behaviour in an organisation. Also all the employees has to be motivated by some or the other ways. There may be some of the differences while working in a group but individual has to ignore them. All the group members are there for a common purpose so everyone should know their role and accordingly they have to perform while they are in a group. No individual should back-off at last movement while working in a group. By doing this he can develop psychologically as well as potentially. He can get different ideas from all other group members. He wont be restricted to a limit, and also can work better as a group member. This is because we know no individual is perfect and group can be, this says group members can hide weaknesses of a individual. But for performing better in a group individual should be motivated all the time. Maslows theory of motivation gives an idea how individual can be motivated. Motivation Motivation is the factor that every group leader should give to their group member. Motivation is better explained by Maslows theory. Maslows theory Abraham Maslow attempted to formulate a needs-based framework of human motivation and based upon his clinical experiences with humans.  From Maslows theory of motivation, modern leaders and executive managers find means of  employee motivation  for the purposes of employee and workforce management. According to this theory humans are motivated by unsatisfied needs and certain lower needs. All individuals should fulfil physiological needs first. If these needs are not satisfied then there are chances for an individual to leave the organisation, as he is de-motivated from the organisation. After completing these needs other higher level needs should be completed like he should be safe from other things which are in and out of the organisation. And the hierarchy goes on till Self-Actualization. Hence Abraham Maslows model indicates that basic, low-level needs such as physiological requirements and safety must be satisfied before higher-level needs such as self-fulfilment are pursu ed. (Anonymus, Abraham Maslow Biography, 2005) Peer Pressure Peer pressure  is a change in  attitudes,  values, or  behaviour  in person to  conform  to group  norms (Anonymus, 2010). This person cannot be the member of the group. Peer pressure can be because of change in anything in the organisation. This can be a environment change or change in need. And because of this pressure group member leaves the group and may join other group which he dont like to be a member of that group, and thus they behave adversely concerning that groups behaviours. Peer pressure can cause people to do things they would not normally do, e.g. start drinking, may take least interest in the organisation, etc. Group Conflict Group conflict can occurs when there is difference in opinions within the group member. Conflict in a group can occur because of following reasons age, race, gender, education, functional background, and tenure. And because of this some time we feel to stay away from a group. This type of conflict can be seen in formal group. But thats not a case of informal group all the group member knows each other so they are understanding and many a times informal group may be of same age group and same kind of education so due to this reason the rate of conflict reduces or many times conflict does not take place. There is also conflict in the informal groups but this type of conflict does not last for more than a day. Experience This I can say with my own experience, I have been a member of a informal group while I was in my college, I was a member of cultural committee of the college from five years. Till completed my graduation. We used to organise the college festival called Utkarsh, I always took part in event handling stuff. And for last couple of years I was elected as a co-ordinator of Roars, with is IT and comp-science festival under Utkarsh. There were almost 15-20 peoples group who used to be a member if Roars and Utkarsh, so while organising a festival there are always conflict between a group members that which event will take place and where will it be held in the college, this is because there are almost 4000 people turning up for the event hence every one want to keep more event and all the event at one place hence there are conflict between group members. But once everything is solved there are no personal regrets in any ones mind. This is a big advantage of been a member of a informal group. In informal group also there should be a person who manages the group. In my case I been a co-ordinator had to look after the group. I had to look after personal problems with some other group members some other problems group member has while organising the festival. In intra group conflict I had to manage to solve the problem. This I was doing on the Maslows theory. If they need any necessary things for the event I typed to fulfil that by demanding it from the college authorities. The authorities should give them some safety measures by asking professors to take the lectures which they have missed and dont mark them as absent while they are working for the college festival as well as providing them with equal standards so that everyone gets a chance to give their own opinion. To provide them a self esteem so that they can also be confident while working for a college festival. Conclusion Work done by individual always talk time then work done by a group. Everything depends on the individual personality and his psychological and potential behaviour. Say now there is a word written impossible one individual may read it as impossible and other may read it as i m possible. Hence it depends on how the individual think. But working in a group always helps for individual to development himself. He gets to know how other individuals in a group think and what is the approach of other people on a particular work. There is always conflict in a group individuals should take these in a positive way as the group conflict is because of the betterment of the work which group is doing. The conflict in a group can be minimised if the group is an informal group. This is because all the group member knows each other and they are almost of same age so there thinking are also almost same. There should be a leader in a group to control the group. Group leader should always motivate people so that people can work in better way. Finally, I think group is always a better option to work rather than working as an individual.

Executive Summary of Sun Cosmetics, Inc. :: Business Management Cosmetics Australia Essays

Executive Summary of Sun Cosmetics, Inc. There are many components to a successful organization, among them is a steady flow of innovative products that are consistently produced to high standards, available to customers when and where they are needed, and backed with diligent service and support. We will demonstrate the viability of capturing a significant market share of sunscreen products Down Under. We will inform you of our unique market entrance plans, our unique product and its marketable attributes. We will layout our target markets and their demographic information, and we will conclude with the profitability remarks necessary to gain your confidence and investment. Sun Cosmetics, Inc., the parent company, was founded in 1955 and has been a publicly held company since 1973. It was incorporated in the State of Massachusetts. Any U.S. legal conflicts fall under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts state court system. It's annual North American sales of sunscreen products are in excess of $20 billion. Sun Cosmetics created Oceana's development team for the express purpose of penetrating Australia's regional markets. Its members were selected based on their cultural appreciation and adaptability, their research expertise, and their discerning abilities with both primary and secondary data. Cheri Brown, Vice President of International Operations Robert Roy, Director of International Sales & Marketing Helen Quinn, Director of Cultural Adaptation Becky Barth, Director of Research & Development Sun Cosmetics, Inc. will send two expatriate executives to F.H. Faulding & Company Limited to work in commensurate positions and pay grades. The training and marketing guidance is invaluable from both perspectives. Product introduction and formulation Due to the high incident of skin cancer Down Under, primarily originating in young children, we have developed an additive that enables parents and children to see that this sunscreen has in fact been applied to all areas of exposed skin. This additive is a coloring agent that fades approximately three minutes after application. Taking advantage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Summer Games approach, we have incorporated the additive with an olympic theme: Oceana Gold, Silver & Bronze. The coloring agents will actually be gold, silver or bronze according to the label of the particular sunscreen purchased. In addition to these choices, each color would be available in several degrees of sun protection factor (SPF): SPF4, SPF8, SPF15 & SPF30 (SPF4 being the least and SPF30 being almost total sunblock). Oceana is a non-greasy water resistant sunscreen with aloe vera gel, vitamin E and is paba free. Incidence of skin cancer The high incidence of skin cancer in Australia is the reason for our choice of this product. Skin cancer has been on the rise due to environmental issues

terrorism Essay -- essays research papers fc

Terrorism Imagine a clear blue, sunlit morning; the most beautiful day you can recall. Imagine waking up from an amazing dream of a clear horizon. Imagine putting on your new fresh suit, to start your new job. Imagine having that extra hop in your step as you leave your front door, your mind anxiously awaiting the adventure of a new beginning to an amazing day. Then, imagine not getting to where you needed to be. Not because you fell victim to a traffic jam or missed the bus, but because you were a victim of a terrorist act - an innocent victim, whose life was cut short by terrorism. Shattered dreams and lives are just some of the many effects that terrorism can bring about. Just how different is each human than another? Anatomically there are slight variations, but we are all part of the same world. To lash out on other innocent people due to the fact of different beliefs, is almost inhuman. Lack of composure and intelligence is one of the many flaws’ terrorists have built within thems elves. Throughout history, there have been many unprecedented terrorist attacks. Each attack is worse than the next. These attacks have been thought about since 431 B.C. when a Greek historian wrote the effectiveness on psychological warfare (â€Å"Terrorism†). Most terrorists share the belief that killing, kidnapping, extorting, robbing, and wreaking havoc to terrorize people are legitimate forms of political action. Terrorists are never one-person, a single political regime, nor a particular religion but terrorist attacks can be targeted to such groups (â€Å"Terrorism†). The most common attack in the act of terrorism is the suicide attack. The outcome of the war now under way between the Israelis and Palestinians is very important to the security of every American. Palestinians are testing out a whole new form of warfare, using suicide bombers to achieve their political aims. Israelis are terrified. And Palestinians feel a rising sense of empowerment. Palestinians have long had a tactical alternative to suicide: nonviolent resistance (Friedman A6). Palestinians have adopted suicide bombing as a strategic choice, not out of desperation. Two influential U.S. senators expressed their fear that the kind of suicide bombings we've seen in Israel might indeed spread to the United States. They both agree that if these suicide bombings in Israel don't stop soon,... ...rorism and its affects on a nation. Each person seems to have there own idea on how to stop such things from ever happening again. There are those who are anti-war, who think if we just talk about things peace can be achieved. Then, there are those who think if we as a nation scare everyone with our military power the problem will be resolved. Both groups are far from the truth in my opinion. Terrorist acts are derived and acted upon by pure hatred and brainwashing. The only time terrorism will ever truly disappear is when we as a human race disappear. Works Cited Blitzer, Wolf. "Suicide bombings in the United States?" CNN. 9 Apr. 2002. Friedman, Thomas L. "Suicidal Lies – On Suicide Bombers." New York Times 31 March 2002: A6. â€Å"Info War†. 2002. The Terrorism Research Center, Inc. 5 Oct. 2003. 18 Apr. 2004 . Parkinson, John. â€Å"The Consequences of Terrorism.† CIO Insight Jan. 2003: 43-46. Sowell, Thomas. "The Median and Purpose of Terror." New York Times 19 Nov. 2001: A10. â€Å"Terrorism.† The Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003 ed. The War on Terrorism. 2003. Central Intelligence Agency. 25 March 2004

David Comparision Essays -- Essays Papers

David Comparision Today, just as Homo erectus did eons ago, modern man strives for expression through art. The evolutionary paths of man and art parallel one another; in that, the complexities, which have accompanied the millenniums, also have brought exponentially progressed forms of art. Sculpture is an art form that maintains a high quality of expression. Two examples of this are the Davids done by Michelangelo and Bernini. Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s David represent their different time periods and artists while remaining similar. Michelangelo was born in 1475 near Florence. At an early age Michelangelo’s interest in art eclipsed that of his studies, and so he began apprenticing at 13 in lieu of regular school. His time under Lorenzo de Medici was the most influential in his young life; this is where he came in contact with Hellenistic nudes, began with anatomy and embedded his humanitarian views. Michelangelo went to Rome at twenty-one and sculpted the Pieta, which made him famous (Coughlan 85-91). In 1501, in which time, he began the monumental task of carving David from a huge block of marble, Florence was experiencing political turmoil. The central meaning of the piece was to symbolize the greatness of Michelangelo’s proud city. He depicts David before the battle with Goliath as he thought Florence was only just beginning to fight and to remind the people of their duty to defend it (Shaked 1). David is portrayed nude, asymmetrical and in cont...

Isearch

Body To figure out the answer to my question I had to find people who have graduated room MOOSE. I went home and asked my mom and she said I have a cousin who attended MOOSE. Dave attended MOOSE thirty years ago. Dave also played for the baseball team and has a great Job of being a Senior Vice President at EMCEES Inc. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I figured Dave would be great to ask because of his liking for sports, and he and I are pretty similar in things we enjoy doing, so he would give good information coming from a perspective very similar to mine.The other person I e-mailed was Grant Ileum. I knew Brock Ileum's uncle was an engineer, but I didn't realize was that Grant owns his own business. Ileum Engineering makes ramps, risers, rail boards and engineered dock products. I also went online to an online discussion site and found some very interesting reviews from Jeff and Christopher on Capped. When I am wondering what I want in a college I think of price, campus quality, activities , and Job readiness. I asked questions and looked for answers based off of these four characteristics.I found that the answers vary substantially from person to person. Some support the school while others bash on MOOSE. I know he price at MOOSE is astonishing and very high. I have heard of great scholarships given out by MOOSE, but I don't know if everyone receives them. Based on the information I received most students get scholarships, but both Christopher and Dave said even with scholarships MOOSE did put a burden on their wallet. Everyone agreed that with the high price come the great professors, top notch learning materials, and also a laptop you get to keep after college.Dave said â€Å"There are a lot of businesses that invest heavily in MOOSE, so the school stays on the cutting edge with genealogy. † With businesses investing it helps cut down on the price while you still get the latest and greatest technology. Milwaukee can be dangerous, run-down, and deprived. I ne ed to know if the MOOSE campus is safe and clean enough for me. It is very assuring to hear that the campus is on a twenty four hour security schedule every day of the year. All of my sources say MOOSE is always trying to make the campus bigger and cleaner.Dave mentioned that the Kern Center are very neat and enjoyable to be in. Through my research I don't deed to have a car because of the small campus, and to get to the grocery store MOOSE provides buses to take students. The buses make going places a lot safer and makes the streets less clogged with the thick Milwaukee traffic. Being right in Milwaukee there has to be tons of activities to do. I knew MOOSE has many collegiate sports teams. The city of Milwaukee also hosts the Brewers and Bucks, but being a college student I probably won't be able to afford all that.Everyone I talked to was in at least one club and MOOSE encourages people to create new clubs as well. Dave was n intramural sports and it was where he met some of his closest friends. Jeff said â€Å"The lakefront is simply breathtaking and the museum is quite a sight to see. † Also there is fraternity parties that I may have to attend quite often. Once I graduate I need to be ready for my Job. I don't think I need to know about art history or music history to help me out with engineering. According to my sources MOOSE puts you into your major right away, which helps you get done in four years.MOOSE has a Job placement rate of ninety four percent, which is great, but do they prepare you engineer a product for them and, if you don't engineer something worthwhile you can't graduate. Also Dave said MOOSE doesn't teach theory they do practical applications which he feels fully prepared him for his great Job. Conclusion Now that I have researched about MOOSE many thoughts have gone through my head. To find the final answer first I have to answer the four characteristics I was researching. The price of MOOSE is very high, but most people get a s cholarship. I think MOOSE might be too expensive for me.The campus quality is amazing and I hint I get really enjoy living on the MOOSE campus. To have fun at college I want to participate in many activities. I think MOOSE has plenty of fun activities to do plus everything else in the Milwaukee area. When I graduate I want to be as prepared as possible and I believe MOOSE does a wonderful Job of that. Three of four categories is looking good, but I feel I want one that is four out of four. To answer my question, MOOSE is partially right for me. I will base more colleges of my criteria until I find one that is perfect, but if I don't MOOSE will always be high on my college list.

History of General Motors

History of earth(a) MotorsThe Renaissance decoct in Detroit, Michigan, is widely distri unlessed Motors world home plate. global Motors Corporation, besides known as GM or GMC, is the worlds second mountainousst car producer based on annual sales. Founded in 1908, in Flint, Michigan, GM employs approximately 284,000 nation around the world. With global headquarters at the Renaissance C record in Detroit, Michigan, USA, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. Their European headquarters is based in Zurich, Switzerland.In 2005, 9. 17 million GM cars and trucks were sell glob exclusivelyy under the next brands Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxh each. Early memorial command Motors was founded on Wednesday, September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan, as a holding friendship for Buick (then take holdled by William C. Durant), and instructd Oldsmobile later that class. The next year, Durant brought in Cadi llac, motorcartercar, El more(prenominal), Ewing, and Oakland (later known as Pontiac).In 1909, world-wide Motors also acquired the Reliance Motor apotheosis bon electronic network ton of Owosso, Michigan, and the Rapid Motor vehicle Company of Pontiac, Michigan, the predecessors of GMC Truck. A Rapid became the graduation exercise truck to conquer Pikes Peak in 1909. In 1910, Welch and Rainier were added to the ever-growing list of companies controlled by GM. Durant wooly control of GM in 1910 to a bankers trust, due to the large amount of debt (around $1 million) taken on in its acquisitions. Durant odd the firm and helped establish the Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911, with br otherwises Gaston and Louis Chevrolet. after(prenominal) a shiny line of work buy guts campaign, he returned to head GM in 1916, with the sanction of Pierre S. du Pont. Chevrolet entered the world-wide Motors fold in 1917 its prototypal GM car was 1918s Chevrolet 490. Du Pont removed(p) Du rant from solicitude in 1920, and various Du Pont interests held large or controlling sh be holdings until slightly 1950. In 1918 GM purchased the McLaughlin Motor Car Company of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, manufacturer of the McLaughlin-Buick automobile, and renamed it General Motors of Canada Ltd. , with R. S. Colonel surface-to-air missile McLaughlin as its first president.In 1925, GM bought Vauxhall Motors of England, and then in 1929 went on to acquire an 80% stake in German automobile manufacturer Adam Opel AG. ii years later this was increased to one C% and the guild remains the core of GM Europe to this day. In 1931, GM acquired Holden of Australia. GM surpassed ford Motor Company in sales in the late twenties thanks to the leadership of Alfred Sloan. While cut through move to refine the manufacturing process to abridge cost, Sloan was inventing new ways of managing a mingled worldwide organization, sequence paying peculiar(a) attention to consumer demands.Car buyer s no hourlong wanted the cheapest and most basic perplex they wanted style, power, and prestige, which GM spined them. Thanks to consumer backing via GMAC (founded 1919), easy monthly payments allowed far more people to buy GM cars, while Ford was moralistically contrasted to credit. (Nevertheless, Ford did offer similar credit arrangements with the introduction of the influence A in the late mid-twenties still Ford Credit did non exist until 1959. ) 1933 1958 During the 1920s and 1930s, General Motors sour control of the Yellow Coach mound conjunction, and helped create Greyhound bus lines.They replaced intercity train transport with buses, and established subsidiary companies to buy unwrap streetcar companies and replace the rail-based ser wickednesss as well with buses. GM organise unite Cities Motor Transit in 1932 (see General Motors streetcar conspiracy for additional details). In 1930, GM also began its foray into aircraft design and manufacturing by buying F okker Aircraft Corp of the States (U. S. subsidiary of Fokker) and Berliner-Joyce Aircraft, merging them into General air power Manufacturing Corporation.Through a stock reciprocation GM took controlling interest in North American Aviation and integrate it with its General Aviation division in 1933, but retaining the name North American Aviation. In 1948, GM divested NAA as a public participation, never to have a study interest in the aircraft manufacturing industry again. General Motors bought the internal combustion engined railcar builder Electro-Motive Corporation and its engine supplier Winton Engine in 1930, renaming some(prenominal) as the General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Over the next twenty clam bill years, diesel-powered locomotives the majority built by GM argely replaced other forms of traction on American railroads. (During gentlemans gentleman War II, these engines were also parentageamental in American submarines and destroyer escorts. ) Electro- Motive was change in wee 2005. In 1935, the coupled Auto Workers perseverance essence was formed, and in 1936 the UAW organized the Flint Sit-Down Strike, which ab initio idled two key plants in Flint, but later outspread to half-a-dozen other plants including Janesville, Wisconsin and arm Wayne, Indiana. In Flint, police attempted to enter the plant to arrest usurprs, leading to violence in other cities the plants were shuttered peace liberaly.The strike was resolved February 11, 1937 when GM recognized the UAW as the exclusive bargaining representative for its workers. World War II General Motors produced abundant quantities of armaments, vehicles, and aircraft during World War II for both Allied and Axis customers. By the dancing of 1939, the German G everywherenment had assumed everyday control of American owned factories in Ger many another(prenominal) a(prenominal), but decided against nationalizing them. During the warfare, the U. S. auto companies continued to be concerned Nazi Germany would nationalise American-owned factories. citation needed GMs William P.Knudson served as head of U. S. wartime push for prexy Franklin Roosevelt, who called Detroit as the Arsenal of Democracy. The General Motors UK division, Vauxhall Motors, construct the Churchill tank series for the Allies. The Vauxhall Churchill tanks were instrumental in the UK campaigns in North Africa (ironically often existence used to attack German logistics units victimization Opel trucks). Bedford Vehicles manufactured logistics vehicles for the UK exchangeiery, all important in the UKs land campaigns. In addition, GM was the tip manufacturer of U. S. Army 1? ton 44 vehicles. 1 Nevertheless, while General Motors has claimed its German (Opel) operations were asideside its control during World War II, this assertion appears to be contradicted by available evidence. General Motors was not just a car company that happened to have factories in Germany GM solicitude fro m the top down had extensive connections with the Nazi Party, both on a production line and personal level. 2 American GM immorality President (later Colonel) Graeme K. Howard was a committed Nazi, and expressed much(prenominal) views in his book, America and a New World Order. Adolf Hitler awarded GM top dog James D.Mooney the Order of Merit of the deluxe Eagle for his services to Nazi Germany. General Motors internal documents show a neaten scheme to profit from their German military contracts even after Germany declared war against America. Defending the German investment strategy as highly profitable, Alfred P. Sloan told percentholders in 1939 GMs continued industrial production for the Nazi administration was plainly sound business practice. In a letter to a concerned shareholder, Sloan verbalise that the manner in which the Nazi government ran Germany should not be considered the business of the management of General MotorsWe must conduct ourselves as a German org anization. . . We have no right to shut down the plant. 3 After 20 years of researching General Motors, Bradford Snell stated, General Motors was far more important to the Nazi war machine than Switzerland Switzerland was just a repository of looted funds. GM-Opel was an integral pick of the German war effort. The Nazis could have invaded Poland and Russia without Switzerland. They could not have done so without GM. 3 Post-war process At one point GM had become the largest corporation registered in the coupled States, in terms of its tax revenues as a percent of GDP.In 1953, Charles Erwin Wilson, then GM president, was named by Eisenhower as Secretary of Defense. When he was asked during the hearings before the Senate Armed Services perpetration if as secretary of defense he could make a decision unfavourable to the interests of General Motors, Wilson answered affirmatively but added that he could not conceive of such a placement because for years I thought what was effectu al for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa. Later this statement was often misquoted, suggesting that Wilson had tell simply, Whats good for General Motors is good for the country. At the time, GM was one of the largest employers in the world only Soviet state industries engaged more people. In 1955, General Motors became the first American corporation to pay taxes of over $1 billion. 4 1958 1983 While GM maintained its world leadership in revenue and securities industry place share throughout the mid-sixties to 1980s, it was product controversy that plagued the company in this period. It seemed that, in every decade, a major mass-production product line was launched with defects of one display case or other showing up early in their life cycle.And, in each case, improvements were eventually made to decline the problems, but the resulting change product finish up failing in the mart as its negative reputation overshadowed its eventual(prenominal) exce llence. The first of these fiascos was the Chevrolet Corvair in the 1960s. Introduced in 1959 as a 1960 mannequin, it was initially very popular. just before long its quirky discussion earned it a reputation for creation unsafe, inspiring consumer advocate Ralph Nader to lambaste it in his book, Unsafe at any Speed, make in 1965.Ironically, by the same (1965) sit around year, sus bounty revisions and other improvements had already transform the car into a perfectly delicious vehicle, but its reputation had been sufficiently sullied in the publics perception that its sales sagged for the next a few(prenominal) years, and it was discontinued after the 1969 exemplification year. During this period, it was also somewhat overwhelmed by the success of the Ford Mustang. The 1970s was the decade of the Vega. Launched as a 1971 model, it also began life as a very popular car in the marketplace.But within a few years, tincture problems, exacerbated by labor ferment at its main prod uction semen in Lordstown, Ohio, gave the car a bad name. By 1977 its decline resulted in edge of the model name, while its siblings along with a Monza version and a move of production to Ste-Therese, Quebec, resulted in a thoroughly sexually attractive vehicle and extended its life to the 1980 model year. In the 1980 model year, a full line of automobiles on the X-body platform, anchored by the Chevrolet Citation, was launched.Again, these cars were all quite popular in their respective(prenominal) segments for the first couple of years, but brake problems, and other defects, ended up big(p) them, known to the public as X-Cars, such a bad reputation that the 1985 model year was their last. The J-body cars, namely the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire, took their place, start with the 1982 model year. Quality was better, but restrained not exemplary, although good enough to come through through three generations to the 2005 model year. They were produced in a much-impr oved Lordstown Assembly plant, as are their replacements, the Chevrolet Cobalt nd Pontiac Pursuit/G5. 1983 2008 under(a) the controversial leadership of Roger B. Smith throughout the 1980s, a multitude of well-intentioned initiatives seemed to go awry at every turn. GM was losing money for the first time since the early 1920s as the legacy of sorry management of the previous decade was taking its inevitable toll. Poor product quality, campaign unrest and lawsuits over unsafe vehicle designs were affecting sales volumes, which meant that GM was losing market share at an alarming rate, generally to foreign automakers.Recognizing the superiority of the Japanese quality and production procedures and practices, Smith set out to infuse their methods into the GM culture. He formed joint ventures with two Japanese companies (NUMMI in California with Toyota, and CAMI with Suzuki in Canada). Each of these agreements provided opportunities for GM managers to work alongside Japanese manag ers, thusly learning their approaches, and taking this knowledge back to GM. Unfortunately the GM bureaucracy that unlike change influenced from outside was too virile and inbred, so the efforts of these managers as they returned to GM were fundamentally ineffective.Apparently anticipating this reaction, Smith also launched the Saturn Corporation, in which these managers could institute the Japanese system in a fresh non-GM environment. While all three of these facilities were, and still are, moderately successful, the net result for GM was failure to win Smiths ambitious goals. GMs profits remained inconsistent and its share of the U. S. market continued to fall. Ironically it was another Smith, not related to Roger, who took the reins of GM in the early 1990s, and succeeded where Roger had failed.Like Roger, his tenure began when GM was in dire straits, having just endured a very close brush with loser. Its losings were much deeper than they had been a decade before and jac k up Smith was burdened with the occupation of overseeing a radical restructuring of General Motors. communion Rogers understanding of the need for serious change, Jack undertook many major revisions, of which the most microscopic to the public in general was the last of the Oldsmobile division, an effort that took in total a full decade.Reorganizing the management structure to crack up the legacy of Alfred P. Sloan, instituting deep cost-cutting and introducing significantly improved vehicles were the key approaches. These moves were met with much less metro within GM than had Rogers similar initiatives as GM management ranks were stinging from their modern climb up-bankruptcy experience and were much more will to accept the prospect of radical change.By the late 1990s, many archaic remnants of GMs record were falling away, such as the Oldsmobile involved in Lansing, Michigan and Buick City in Flint. This also meant a large diminution in the work force. After GMs monolit hic lay-offs hit Flint, Michigan, a strike began at the General Motors parts factory in Flint on June 5, 1998, which quickly spread to five other assembly plants and lasted sevener weeks.Because of the significant role GM plays in the United States, the strikes and temporary idling of many plants noticeably showed in national scotch observations. In the late 1990s, GM had regained market share its stock had soared to over $80 a share by 2000. However, in 2001, the stock market drop following the September 11, 2001 attacks, combined with historic allowance underfunding, caused a severe pension and expediency fund crisis at GM and many other American companies and the value of their pension funds plummeted.A weak U. S. dollar and private health care (as opposed to nationalized health care in other countries) costs also put GM at a disadvantage to its Japanese, Korean, and European counterparts In successive moves, GM responded to the crisis by fully funding its pension fund howeve r, its Other Post Employment Benefits investment trust (OPEB) became a serious issue resulting in downgrades to its bond range in 2005. The company expressed its disagreement with these bond rating downgrades.In 2006, GM responded by offering buyouts to hourly workers to reduce future obligation over 35,000 workers responded to the offer, well exceeding the companys goal. GM has gained higher rates of return on its benefit funds as a part of the solution. Stock value has begun to tease as of October 30, 2006 GMs market capitalization was approximately $19. 19 billion. GM stock began the year 2006 at $19 a share, near its lowest level since 1982, as many on Wall Street count on the ailing automaker was bound for bankruptcy court.But GM remained afloat and the companys stock in the Dow Jones industrial average affix the biggest percentage gain in 2006. 5 In early 2007, GM fell to be the worlds second largest auto company, behind Japans Toyota, but regained the lead during the summer. Also, in June 2007, GM sold its military and commercial subsidiary, Allison Transmission, for $5. 6 billion. Having sold off the majority, it will, however, keep its heavy-duty transmissions for its trucks marketed as the Allison 1000 series.During negotiations for the renewal of its industry labor contracts in 2007, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union selected General Motors as the lead company or strike target for word form bargaining. Late in September, sensing an threatening impasse in the talks, the union called a strike, the first nation-wide walkout since 1970 (individual plants had experienced local labor disruptions in the interim). Within two days, however, a tentative agreement was achieved and the strike ended.