Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission? Essay

â€Å"Graduating with six figures’ worth of debt is becoming increasingly common.† (179) In the essay â€Å"Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission† Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus discussed about how the price of college education is increasing, while the quality of some teachers is decreasing. Hacker and Dreifus gave tips on how to make college education successful. Hacker and Dreifus included the tips they discovered including money, faculty-student relations, classes that should be taken, graduate schools, and teaching techniques; the two also visited schools across the United States from University of Mississippi to Western Oregon and figured out what those schools were doing right to have a good success rate. Many schools have forgotten what it’s like to give a student an education that is worth their time and money. Most kids go into several thousands of dollars of debt and come out with a negligent education. If schools were to pay better atten tion to the tips given, they would be more likely to succeed in educating students. Hacker and Dreifus believe that all students should be involved in the learning process. The students must love to learn what they are learning about; but in order for that to happen teachers must love what they are teaching about and care for their students. All students must be able to use their minds. â€Å"64% of undergraduate students are enrolled in vocational majors, instead of choosing fields like philosophy, literature, or physical science.† (180) Those classes are much more difficult than general classes. Students should not be able to go through college and never be challenged; they are paying for a challenge. If a student’s relationship to faculty members is good then they will get a better education. The education shouldn’t just be the teacher not knowing names, and teaching; the relationship should be the teacher knows what the student wants to do with the degree. But, instead many teachers are apathetic when it comes to a students learning. The teacher gets paid whether they teach well or not. Another problem is many teachers are getti ng a sabbatical, which allows them to get time off every 7 years. The reasoning of sabbaticals is so teachers  can expand the research field but as Hacker and Dreifus pondered, †Do we really need that many new books or articles?†(181) The president of the school typically does no know their students. The presidents are just in the business for the money, not the student’s individual education. Some teachers try to focus on sending students to graduate school and not worry about the ones stopping their education after their two or four year degree. Schools believe that they need all of the big graduate schools on their campus. But in reality there are plenty of graduate schools in the United States. Not every school needs a graduate or medical school; in fact, â€Å"Princeton University has succeeded quite nicely without a medical school.†(182) Princeton University is an Ivy League school, and if they are doing just fine without a medical school, chances are your school will do fine also. People donate money and services to schools. That’s nice and considerate of them but most people send money to the big schools that everybody knows and hears about. Then those schools then have too many donations and begin buying unimportant things. People should try sending their money to small schools that could truly use the money and be much more thankful for it. A bundle of new teaching techniques are now available for teachers to use. Teachers need to be able to offer multiple techniques. Some techniques work better for some students, while others do not. In order for students to get the best education, they will need to use the technique that works best for them. Hacker and Dreifus visited campuses across the United States from the University of Mississippi to Western Oregon. Many of the things each of the schools had in common was that they focused on the students, had professors that cared about their field of study, and didn’t charge the most outrageous prices. â€Å"Only 10% of the classes are taught by graduate assistants† (184) was found during researching the school of Notre Dame. A school that wants to be successful cannot have a majority of classes taught by graduate assistants. Berea College and Cooper Union were both schools that students received tuition free; there were alternatives, such as labor jobs for them to pay off tuition, therefore students were not stressed about their education debt. Evergreen State College was a school that did not give letter grades. Each student was given an evaluation sheet at the end of the year. Surprisingly, the school is very successful with reports of â€Å"82% found full time employment within a year, and 93% that  applied to graduate school was accepted† (188) The teachers must pay some attention to undergraduate students, so they can succeed and hopefully go up to the next level of education. The key to a successful school is paying attention to your undergraduates and not making them pay so much money for a bad quality education. Schools need to keep in mind the tips given. Remember Hacker and Dreifus think that money, faculty-student relations, the choice of classes, the amount of graduate schools on campus, and teaching techniques are important tips to giving a student a successful education. The two learned the tips from visiting a variety of schools and doing research! WORKS CITED PAGE Hacker, Andrew and Claudia Dreifus. â€Å"Are College Worth the Price of Admission?† They say I say: With Readings. 2nd edition. Cathy Birkenstein, Gerald Graff, Russel Durst. New York: Norton, 2012. 179-189. Print.

How the character of Stephen is portrayed by Faulks in Birdsong Essay

At the beginning of Birdsong, the Azaires are first introduced on the first page, followed by Stephen, who happens to be another important, if not the main character in the whole of the story. As a reader, we would assume that the Azaire family and Stephen and some connection, either already, or as we read later into the novel. Within the opening pages of the novel, it becomes apparent that Stephen as a clear view of what is right and what is wrong. Faulks, by including this so early on the novel, makes us wonder whether Stephen may be faced with a decision of right and wrong, and if so, would he recognise it as either. In the first chapter, we learn that Stephen is a young English man, the age of Twenty and has come to France to learn more about manufacturing process at Monsieur Azaires factory. As a reader, this portrays Stephen as an intelligent young man, who is willing to learn more, no matter how far he has to travel. We also learn that Stephen a hugely wealthy man, but neither is he much poorer than other people in the village; ‘Stephen Wray fords metal trunk had been sent ahead and was waiting t at the foot of the bed.’ If Stephen was of a higher class, he would have had his trunk emptied and clothes hung for him, yet he hasn’t, so we assume that he is of a middle class standard. He also isn’t a man of huge class and much effort put into his clothing; ‘..and hung his spare suit in the giant carved wardrobe.’ The description of the wardrobe in this sentence shows that Stephen isn’t used to such luxury nor a lot of space for himself. The room in which Stephen is given in the novel, portrays what kind of man Stephen is, as I feel was included purposely by Faulks; ‘The room was simple, but had been decorated with some care. This makes us as a reader, think that Stephen may spend a lot of time in his room, as that may be where he feels most comfortable. The sound of birds is also very prominent in the novel, and the first mention is when Stephen has gotten’ settled into his room. I feel that the bird mentioning’s may be apparent when something quite important happens in the novel. Faulks presents Stephen as a character who is more practical in his appearance, rather than pride of it. ‘Stephen washed perfunctorily’ backs up this observation of Stephen. When empting his pockets before leaving his room he takes out a knife, as described by Faulks as; ‘a knife with a scrupulously sharpened blade.’ The description of the blade, as a reader makes me wonder in the ‘sharpened blade’ was sharpened already, as protection on his journey or whether something serious may happen in his stay at the Azaires. This gives some sense of anticipation as to what may happen, and how serious it may be. As we continue the novel, Stephen gets lost around the house, searched for the dining room and stumbles across the kitchen. Here we learn that although Stephen as a higher role than the maids in the Azaires house, he is also only a visitor and his brushed aside by them, making the following quote, an oxymoron. ‘†This way, Monsieur. Dinner is served.† Said the maid, squeezing past him in the doorway. When Stephen finally reaches the dining room, he is welcomed by Madam Azaire by her presence of standing up to show him his seat. It appears strange to a reader, that the lady of the family would welcome Stephen and Monsieur Azaire himself, but we take this as a simple welcoming, one of which a character like Stephen is probably used to. It becomes quickly apparent that he has an interest in Madam Azaire, when he doesn’t here Monsieur Azaire fully; ‘Azaire mutted an introduction of which Stephen heard only the words, ‘my wife’.’ We also see that he has a lot of respect for her straight away, by his movement of bowing his head towards her. We also find out that he doesn’t reveal much about himself unless encouraged to do so. We find this out when Grà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½goire questions how old Stephen is. Stephen also doesn’t feel himself extremely intelligent towards Monsieur Azaire when asked about his knowledge about textiles. When he replies, he says ‘A little’, causing us to wonder whether he actually knows a lot more than we think, but doesn’t wish to boast about it. After dinner, Stephen heads back up to his room, where we learn that the notebook he had previously taken out of his pocket was indeed a small diary of events in his life. As he is opening the notebook, he hears an owl in the gardens, making the reader assume that the events that have just happened, will affect the future in some-way or another. As he opens his notebook, we find out that the book is already ‘half full with inky writing.’ By this, Faulks makes the reader think that a lot has happened in Stephens’s life already that may be important in the rest of the novel. We also learn that Stephen isn’t a tidy, structured man as in his notebook, he can go days, even weeks between logged something in it, as the dates in it are very scattered. We learn that Stephen is very intelligent whilst learning about what his notebook is about, when we are told that Stephen writes in code in his notebook, derived from his knowledge of Greek and Latin in his Grammar Sc hool. ‘He laughed softly to himself as he wrote.’ makes the reader assume that he enjoys a sense of secrecy in his life, and in his notebook, allowing us to think whether he will use his ‘spy’ like qualities and secrecy later on the novel in a more, hands on and practical situation. We also learn he has an openness and problems with anger, which thanks to his notebook, has kept this hidden from anyone he may know. We may see both these qualities that Stephen processes later on the novel, which leads the reader to want to read more of it, a technique perfected by Faulks in order to enthral and attract the reader’s attention to read on. He also has a slight problem, as Faulks refers to it as, ‘not to trust his responses and wait and watchful.’ This would also make a reader want to learn more about Stephen and see how Faulks develops him throughout the novel, as we want to see whether if in any circumstance, he could ‘not to trust’ hi mself and do what was right, rather than what he wants, which we later find out, is not the case. Throughout the novel, the reader entices the reader with snippets of Stephen live in England and he is constantly complimented on how well he understands French and the work at the factory. ‘I was brought up by my grandparents. Then in an institution until I was taken away by a man I’d never met before.’ The information he gives up about himself, is only when he is prompted to release such information, by question asked by the children, Lisette and Grà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½goire. Grà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½goire asks about Stephen age and Lisette asks about his child life at home. He also doesn’t seem to mind not talking about it, as when addressed to end the topic, he does so, making the reader think that maybe he either has something to hide, or he is just extremely secretive. Knowing so little about Stephen in the first couple of pages of the novel entices the reader to read on and also invokes sympathy towards the character. Stephen is an ambiguous character and doesn’t reveal great aspects of his life; he rarely mentions England at all whilst staying with Azaires and only touches upon small details of his childhood, but there also becomes apparent that there is another side to Stephen that the reader doesn’t know yet. When there’s an outbreak of violence in the factory, he lashes out and punches a man for insulting Isabelle, Madam Azaire, who it also becomes apparent, he has strong feelings for. It becomes clear that Stephen doesn’t know his own strength and why he usually tries to keep that side of him, under wraps for anyone to observe. We also know that, later on in the novel, Stephen gets blackmailed by Lisette, as she wants him to ‘do things’ to her, like he does to Madam Azaire, as I will talk about in a moment or two. She tries to force him to make her ‘happy’ and when forcing his hand around her body, Stephen ‘felt a reflex feeling of desire.’ This paints an almost perverted picture of Stephen, which I feel Faulks did on purpose, to make any empathy that we feel for Stephens’s character, fade a little, making us feel uncomfortable about whether what we know about Stephen currently, to be true. His relationship with Isabelle, Madam Azaire is also one that shows another side to Stephens’s character, a side of love and trust, excitement and fear. Stephen, one day, talks to Isabelle alone in the garden, when she is pruning some unchecked roses, to which she greets him with ‘Monsieur.’ This in itself shows she has great respect for Stephen and see’s him as one of their class and not someone, who is of course, of a lower class than themselves. Their conversation, at first, consisting of; ‘Allow me.’ and ‘Let me.’ shows their relationship blossoming already, with the idea that not one person is on control all the time; they share responsibility, which may become important later on in the novel. As the novel progresses through this scene, Stephen takes great pleasure in noticing the small details in Isabelle’s appearance, almost coming across to the reader as slightly creepy, if not frightening, but the character sees this as a normal, observational thing that he does. He compliments her on her age and beauty, respected in return by Isabelle, who appears, none affected by his effort to brighten her mood. After a, what a reader may call, an awkward moment between Stephen and Isabelle, when he tries to talk about the sounds he heard from her room, it appears that Isabelle has some feelings towards Stephen in return in the following quote; ‘Madam Azaire watched his tall figure retreat across the grass to the house. She turned back to her roses, shaking her head as though in defiance of some unwanted feeling.’ From this moment, the pair embark on a sexual affair, taking place in the ‘red room’, a room in the Azaires household that appears to not be used often. By doing this, Stephen goes against everything he tries to deny himself of. He loses control of his feelings, his reactions he is unable to control and in doing so, he falls in love with Isabelle, who the reader is constantly reminded of during meaningful and loving scenes between the two, is married to the owner of the house, Monsieur Azaire. There are many sides to the character of Stephen, many of them the reader probably doesn’t feel they know yet. The novel, so far enlightens the reader to know about some of his past, some of his present and drops subtle, war related clues to possibly indicate something about his future. The mention of birds is a constant reminder of something important and we also find out that Stephen is afraid of birds and is therefore a subtle reminder that everything he does when the birds are mentioned, is an act of terrible consequences, in the Azaires household, so far.

Free Essays on Strategy Analysis Of LOreal

L’OREAL INTRODUCTION Strategy analysis focuses on the long-term objective generating alternative strategies, and selecting strategies to pursue. The firm’s present strategies, objectives and mission, couple with the external and internal audit information, provide a basis for generating and evaluating feasible alternative strategies (David 200). L’Oreal has numerous competitors. To have an advantage on competition, L’Oreal has to apply some strategies that include internal audit information and external opportunities that will make the company stronger. They will also prevent competitors to have an advantage over L’Oreal. This report will be based upon the effectiveness of current strategies of L’Oreal, a real global leader in every segment of the industry. CURRENT STRATEGIES L’Oreal encounters threats and opportunities and they have weaknesses and strengths. It is known as the TOWS matrix. It is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: SO Strategies, WO Strategies, ST Strategies and WT Strategies. The external opportunities and threats were identified earlier (see part 1) by developing the â€Å"External Factor Evaluation Matrix† and â€Å"Competitive Profile Matrix† is important for the current strategies development. L’Oreal internal strengths and weaknesses will be discussed further in this report. SO Strategies SO Strategies uses the internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities of a firm. L’Oreal has always taken these advantages with their new innovations and global expansion. The company is reaching out to more people across a bigger range of income and cultures than just about any other beauty-products company in the world. L’Oreal strategy positions it beautifully to profit even further when the middle class begins to grow stronger in emerging markets. That makes L’Oreal competitors more hustling to catch up. ... Free Essays on Strategy Analysis Of L'Oreal Free Essays on Strategy Analysis Of L'Oreal L’OREAL INTRODUCTION Strategy analysis focuses on the long-term objective generating alternative strategies, and selecting strategies to pursue. The firm’s present strategies, objectives and mission, couple with the external and internal audit information, provide a basis for generating and evaluating feasible alternative strategies (David 200). L’Oreal has numerous competitors. To have an advantage on competition, L’Oreal has to apply some strategies that include internal audit information and external opportunities that will make the company stronger. They will also prevent competitors to have an advantage over L’Oreal. This report will be based upon the effectiveness of current strategies of L’Oreal, a real global leader in every segment of the industry. CURRENT STRATEGIES L’Oreal encounters threats and opportunities and they have weaknesses and strengths. It is known as the TOWS matrix. It is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: SO Strategies, WO Strategies, ST Strategies and WT Strategies. The external opportunities and threats were identified earlier (see part 1) by developing the â€Å"External Factor Evaluation Matrix† and â€Å"Competitive Profile Matrix† is important for the current strategies development. L’Oreal internal strengths and weaknesses will be discussed further in this report. SO Strategies SO Strategies uses the internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities of a firm. L’Oreal has always taken these advantages with their new innovations and global expansion. The company is reaching out to more people across a bigger range of income and cultures than just about any other beauty-products company in the world. L’Oreal strategy positions it beautifully to profit even further when the middle class begins to grow stronger in emerging markets. That makes L’Oreal competitors more hustling to catch up. ...

Why the Modern Project Manager Needs to Comprehend Business Models

Why the Modern Project Manager Needs to Comprehend Business Models Introduction Strategic management literatures have shown the increasing need for corporations to realize the prolonged competitive advantage in the current unpredictable and turbulent business environment.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Why the Modern Project Manager Needs to Comprehend Business Models specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In fact, most discussions and analyses show how modern economies and technology have altered the nature of traditional business models in most companies that range from product to technical corporations. However, modern project managers hardly understand how business models are sustained, appraised, shaped and what they actually denote (Doumeingts Ducq 2001, p.147). Therefore, modern project managers must comprehend business models in order to develop guidelines and frameworks that can help an organization to utilize the resources efficiently for survival and competition. The pot ential and use of business model Research on business models is still an immature field though it has proved its relevance. The key segments where business-models have enhanced are in the formation of apparatus and conceptions that venture supervisors might exploit to transform, evaluate, plan, converse, comprehend, and seize the corporation trade rationales (Jones, 1960). The subsequent sections clearly highlight the generalized reasons why modern project managers must understand the concept of business models.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sharing and Understanding Modern project managers need to comprehend business models as they assist in sharing and communicating, understanding, visualizing and capturing business logics (Kaplan Norton 1992, p.1). Allocating and conversing Nearly all corporations have trade logics that are supposed to be captured, visua lized, and comprehended. This can only be realized through business models. The knack to distribute and converse such business ideas with shareholders is just a preceding rational outcome. According to Galper (2001, p76) claims, to formalize and express business models in a concrete manner may assist modern project managers in sharing and communicating their business understanding to other shareholders. Such ability is significant to any dialogue among individuals with diverse backgrounds including engineers, system architect and modern project managers (Aguilar-Savà ©n 2004, p.133). Comprehending The current business models have become very complicated especially those that have well-built e-business and ICT elements. The associations between the decisive success factors and different business model elements are not often directly observed (Chesbrough Rosenbloom, 2002). Thus, the social systems modeling process can help modern project managers to understand and identify the relat ionships and appropriate constituents within the specific project domain (Magretta 2002, p.87). Furthermore, within the business models there are visual symbols that can enhance modern project managers understanding of any task that lies ahead.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Why the Modern Project Manager Needs to Comprehend Business Models specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Visualizing Modern project managers are human beings and they are rather incomplete in their capacity to process any multifaceted information (Kaplan Norton 2000, p.171). This can be revealed practically and tentatively. In case business venture data is processed through diagrammatic coordination of trade models it can boost the scale at which the involvedness could be effectively managed. By comprehending business models, modern project managers can use the conceptualization process in capturing the business concepts with minimal effort an d they will be able to present the outcomes graphically (Weill Vitale 2002, p.21). Capturing Even though business models for corporations are simplified symbols of their business concepts, they are hardly described clearly in an abstract manner. Studies show that modern project managers are usually unable to communicate their business models clearly (Weill Vitale, 2001). Besides, since modern project managers draw on diverse intellectual models, they find it difficult to comprehend business models in a similar way. Therefore, a mutual and generic concept that can be used to describe and understand business models is essential. The frameworks offered by business models can serve as a shared language among the shareholders while project managers can use them to carry out what each party comprehends easily (Reich Benbasat 1996, p.55). Analyzing The concept of business models may help project managers to analyze corporate business logics. In fact, through comprehending business model s, modern project managers can be well positioned to understand that the concept is a novel analyzing unit (Mahadevan, 2000).Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, comprehending business models may assist modern project managers in improving the measurement, comparison, and observance of corporate business logics. Measuring Comprehending and capturing business models can help modern project managers to classify appropriate measures that must be followed to improve project management. Such capability may aid in the selection of executive information system indicators that can be used to monitor project strategy execution. This can be via the use of a balanced-scorecard plan that has innovative, internal business and clients as well as business perspectives (Bernus, 2001, p.114). Tracking and observing Corporate business logics are continuously changing due to external and internal pressures. Hence, modern project managers must comprehend business models in a structured way to be able to handle specific issues that eventually change (McKay Radnor, 1998). Comparing Just like an eventual observance of corporate business models, a structured plan might allow modern project managers to evaluate their business models against the ones being held by rival corporations. This is founded on the fact that business models are comparable when they are comprehended in similar ways. When project managers understand and compare their business models to those that other companies have they are better placed to generate some insights that can foster the innovation of business models (Timmers 1998, p.4). Managing According to Rappa (2004, p.33), business models play an important role of improving the firm business management logics. Comprehending business concepts can therefore support current project directors in restructuring the execution, altering, scheduling, and scheming of corporate trade models. With better comprehension of business models, modern project managers can quickly react to any adjustments within business surroundings. Designing It is often difficult to design a business model in which all its elements are coherent and reinforce each other. That is, it is not easy to design a business model where individual elements are optimized in the project. Due to these complexities modern project managers must base the success of their projects on the interactions between each element in the model. This understanding is even compounded by the fact that modern technology that is being adopted in business today adds to the variety of business models that one can imagine (Lechner Hummel, 2002). Conceptualization of a business model that identifies the vital building blocks together with their relationships enables managers to draw a protracted business model. Planning, changing and implementing In situations where business projects require novel model or need to change the present one, conceptualization and visualization of the model would be essential in improving planning, transformation and implementation. In situations where there is evidence that elements can change models can easily be transformed. I ncidentally, Linder and Cantrell (2000) anticipated a change model where transformations taking place in the firm as well as its future profitability are based. Responding Appreciating, planning and putting into practice business models generate the source in which modern managers can suitably respond to the outside demands. Proper understanding of the concept of business model supports modifications that lead to a new form of model (Petrovic Kittl, 2001). This is very important in tentative and fast shifting competitive business environment. Aligning The business model forms the conceptual bridge that aligns the organization of the whole business, strategy, and technologies used. Chesbrough and Rosenbloom (2000) assert that business model act as a connecting construct amid expertise and the cost-effective significance of the company. Modern project managers can use the concept of the business model as a significant tool to promote development, advance current business processes an d align information systems (Osterwalder Pigneur, 2003). Improving decision-making The concept of business model enhances communication and understanding of the business logic. Therefore, managers or decision makers can use the business model concept to be more informed and enhance their decision-making process (Hayes Finnegan, 2005). Moreover, the business model has become an innovative component of examination (Sthler, 2002) that is observable and comparable. Business model concept supports classification of new procedures that are essential in decision-making. Prospect Through simulations and portfolios, modern project managers can use the business model to define probable prospect for the firm. The concept of business model is an important tool that supports innovation and prepares the business for the future. It is essential for business managers to apply the concept to drive forward their projects and ensure complete implementation of the undertaken projects. Innovation Modu lar and formal business model is capable of creating and improving changes as well as the increase in response abilities within the company. The business model concepts can promote innovation within organization. Specific sets of elements of a business model together with their interrelationships can become a building block for a very new concept (Burgi Victor, 2004). The designers can experiment and test with these elements to create innovation or very different models. This capability is restricted only by sets of pieces supplied (Beresford, 2001). Amit and Zott (2001) unequivocally understand the concept of business model as a focal point for innovation. Consistent with Mitchell and Coles (2003) assertions, improvements resulting from the concepts of business model add more value to the firm. Portfolios for business models According to the evolutionary theory law of excess diversity by Allen (2001), the firm should maintain a selection of business models to prepare for the futur e. The assertions by this theoretical perspective are that evolutionary strategies of firms require good quantity of diversified internal quality. Allen further suggests that businesses require varied potential strategies to be implemented in volatile and changing environments (Andriani, 2001). Many business models that companies have will enable them to cope with changes in the environment. Simulating and testing Modern project managers always expect the testing and simulating of business models. However, simulations normally do not envisage any prospect. Managers perform simulations and testing as a way of undertaking low-risk investigations without incurring additional organization costs (Sterman, 2000). Testing and simulating business models makes managers to formulate future prospects (Richards Morrison, 2001). Conclusion Business models concept becomes a very important tool for business managers especially at this time when the business environment is volatile and highly comp etitive. The reality is that appropriate application of the business model concept not only enhances the organization capabilities, but also increases its competitiveness. Thus, modern project managers should build business concepts that enhance the realization of future prospects and add more value to the business. Through comprehending business models, modern project managers might have suitable management strategies. References Aguilar-Savà ©n, R 2004, Business process modeling: Review and framework, International Journal of Production Economics, no.90, pp. 129-149. Allen, PM 2001, A complex systems approach to learning in adaptive networks, International Journal of Innovation Management, vol.5 no.2, pp.149-180. Amit, R Zott, C 2001, Value creation in e-business, Strategic Management Journal, vol.22 no.6, pp.493-520. Andriani, P 2001, Diversity, knowledge and complexity theory: some introductory issues, International Journal of Innovation Management, vol.5 no.2, pp.257-274. Ber esford, K 2001, European patents for software, E-commerce and business model inventions, World Patent Information, vol.23 no.3, pp.253-263. Bernus, P 2001, Some thoughts on enterprise modeling, Production Planning Control, vol. 12, pp. 110-118. Burgi, P Victor, B 2004, Case study: modeling how their business really works prepares managers for sudden change, Strategy Leadership, vol.32 no.2, pp.28-34. Chesbrough, H Rosenbloom, RS 2000, The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from XEROX Corporation’s technology spinoff companies, Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard Business School. Chesbrough, H Rosenbloom, RS 2002, The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from Xerox Corporations technology spin-off companies, Industrial and Corporate Change, vol.11 no.3, pp. 529-555. Doumeingts, G Ducq, Y 2001, Enterprise modeling techniques to improve efficiency of enterprises, Production Planning Control, vol.12, pp.146 -163. Galper, J 2001, Three business models for the stock exchange industry, Journal of Investing, vol. 10 no.1, pp.70-78. Hayes, J Finnegan, P 2005, Assessing the potential of e-business models: towards a framework for assisting decision-makers, European Journal of Operational Research, vol.160 no.2, pp.365-379. Jones, G M 1960, Educators, electrons, and business models: A problem in synthesis, Accounting Review, vo.35 no.4, pp. 619-626. Kaplan, RS Norton, DO 2000, Having trouble with your strategy? Then map it, Harvard Business Review, vol.78 no.5, pp.167-276. Kaplan, RS Norton, DP 1992, The balanced scorecardmeasures that drive performance, Harvard Business Review, vol.70 no.1. Lechner, U Hummel, J 2002, Business models and system architectures of virtual communities: from a sociological phenomenon to peer-to-peer architectures, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, vol.6 no.3, pp.41-53. Linder, J Cantrell, S 2000, Changing business models: surveying the landscape, A ccenture Institute for Strategic Change, vol.4 no.1, pp.22-29. Magretta, J 2002, Why business models matter, Harvard Business Review, vol.80 no.5, pp. 86-92. Mahadevan, B 2000, Business models for Internet-based e-Commerce: An anatomy, California Management Review, vol.42 no.4, pp. 55-69. McKay, A Radnor, Z 1998, A characterization of a business process, International Journal of Operations Production Management, vol.18, p. 924. Mitchell, D Coles, C 2003, The ultimate competitive advantage of continuing business model innovation.† Journal of Business Strategy, vol.24 no.4, pp.15-21. Osterwalder, A Pigneur, Y 2003, Towards strategy and information systems alignment through business model ontology†, Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Strategic Management Society, vol.34 no.7, pp.6-11. Petrovic, O Kittl, C 2001, Developing business models for e-business, Proceedings of the International Conference on Electronic Commerce, vol.16 no.9, pp.44-54. Rappa, M 2004, Th e utility business model and the future of computing services, IBM Systems Journal, vol. 43 no.1, pp.32-43. Reich, BH Benbasat, I 1996, Measuring the linkage between business and information technology objectives, MIS Quarterly, MIS Quarterly The Society for Information Mgt, vol. 20, p.55. Richards, I Morrison, J 2001, Using flight simulators to build robust dotcom strategies, Working Paper Accenture, vol.4 no.1, pp.14-19. Sthler, P 2002, Business models as a unit of analysis for strategizing, Proceedings of the International Workshop on Business Models, vol.21 no.3, pp.43-61. Sterman, JD 2000, Business dynamics: systems thinking and modeling for a complex world, Boston, McGraw-Hill. Timmers, P 1998, Business models for electronic markets, Journal on Electronic Markets, vol.8 no.2, pp.3-8. Weill, P Vitale, M 2002, What IT infrastructure capabilities are needed to implement e-business models? MIS Quarterly, vol.1 no.1, pp. 17-34. Weill, P Vitale, MR 2001, Place to space: Migrati ng to e-business models, Harvard Business School Press, Boston.

King Lear - Comparison between Edmund and Cordelias Sisters essays

King Lear - Comparison between Edmund and Cordelia's Sisters essays In the first two scenes of Act I, the readers are introduced to two families, both with problems to deal with. King Lears two older daughters, Regan and Goneril, flatter their father with insincere speeches, while planning an evil scheme to purge their father of his remaining authority. In a rather parallel situation, Edmund forges a letter to perform an act to frame his half-brother Edgar in order to claim the inheritance. It is apparent that there are some analogies comprised of dishonesty and treachery between the Lears daughters and Edmund in these two subplots. Yet, there are slight differences in their motives. Although Edmund and the Cordelia sisters are very disloyal to their family, they are nevertheless very intelligent characters with great observation and insight into their family members. With this in mind, they are able to take control over their father. The secret discussion between Regan and Goneril reveals their cleverness and observation of King Lear. Regan is able to recognize Lears instability as the infirmity of his age (I,i,294), and his sudden impulses as his unconstant starts (I,i,301). They understand that Lear values the pride of being flattered in public. Thus they are able to receive what Cordelia doesnt. The same goes with Edmund, who can see the weaknesses in Gloucester and Edgar and describes them as A credulous father! (I,ii,176), and a brother noble, whose nature is so far from doing harms that he suspects none;(I,ii176), and like the sisters, he takes control of the situation: I see the business (I,ii,179). The level of dishonesty and insincerity in these characters is very evident in the two families. When Goneril is asked to express her love so that King Lear will give her part of his kingdom, she states her love with complete flattery: Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter; (I,i,56), w...

The Worlds First Artificial Satellite

The World's First Artificial Satellite On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union stunned everyone by launching the worlds first artificial satellite,  Sputnik 1.  It was an event that galvanized the world and spurred the fledgling U.S. space effort into high gear. No one who was alive at that time can forget the electricity of the moment when humans first lofted a satellite into orbit. The fact that it was the U.S.S.R. beating the U.S. to orbit was even more shocking, especially to Americans. Sputnik by the Numbers The name Sputnik comes from a Russian word for traveling companion of the world. It was a smallish metal ball that weighed just 83 kg (184 lbs.) and was lofted into space by an R7 rocket. The tiny satellite carried a thermometer and two radio transmitters and was part of the Soviet Unions work during the International Geophysical Year. While its goal was partly scientific, the launch and deployment into orbit had heavy political significance and signaled the countrys ambitions in space.   Sputnik 1 Assembly. Asif A. Siddiq / NASA Sputnik circled Earth once every 96.2 minutes and transmitted atmospheric information by radio for 21 days. Just 57 days after its launch, Sputnik was destroyed while reentering the atmosphere but signaled a whole new era of exploration. Almost immediately, other satellites were built and an era of satellite exploration began at the same time that the U.S. and U.S.S.R. began making plans to send people to space. Setting the Stage for the Space Age To understand why Sputnik 1 was such a surprise, its important to look at what was going on at the time, to take a good look back to the late 1950s. At that time, the world was poised on the brink of space exploration. The development of rocket technology was actually aimed at space but was diverted to wartime use. After World War II, the United States and the  Soviet Union (now Russia) were rivals both militarily and culturally. Scientists on both sides were developing bigger, more powerful rockets to take payloads to space. Both countries wanted to be the first to explore the high frontier. It was just a matter of time before it happened. What the world needed was a scientific and technical push to get there. Space Science Enters the Main Stage Scientifically, the year 1957 was established as the International Geophysical Year (IGY), a time when scientists would use new methods to study Earth, its atmosphere, and magnetic field. It was timed to coincide with the 11-year sunspot cycle. Astronomers were also planning to observe the Sun and its influence on Earth throughout that time, particularly on communications and in the newly emerging discipline of solar physics.   The U.S. National Academy of Sciences created a committee to oversee U.S. IGY projects. These included investigations of what we now call space weather caused by solar activity, such as auroral storms and other aspects of the upper ionosphere. They also wanted to study other phenomena such as airglows, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, glaciology, gravity, make determinations of longitude and latitude and planned to conduct tests in meteorology, oceanography, and seismology. As part of this, the U.S. had a plan to launch the first artificial satellite, and its planners were hoping to be the first ones to send something into space. Such satellites were not a new idea.  In October 1954, scientists called for the first ones to be launched during IGY to map Earths surface. The White House agreed that this might be a good idea, and announced plans to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite to take measurements of the upper atmosphere and the effects of the solar wind. Officials solicited proposals from various government research agencies to undertake the development of such a mission. In September 1955, the Naval Research Laboratorys Vanguard proposal was chosen. Teams began building and testing missiles. However, before the United States could launch its first rockets to space, the Soviet Union beat everyone to the punch. The U.S. Responds The beeping signal from Sputnik not only reminded everyone of Russian superiority, but it also galvanized public opinion in the U.S. The political backlash over the Soviets beating Americans to space led to some interesting and long-reaching results. The U.S. Defense Department immediately began providing funding for another U.S. satellite project. At the same time, Wernher von Braun and his Army Redstone Arsenal team began work on the Explorer project, which was launched to orbit on January 31, 1958. Very quickly, the Moon was announced as a major target, which set in motion planning for a series of missions.   Dr. Wernher von Braun was part of the U.S. space effort at the time of the Sputnik launch, working to build rockets to take U.S. satellites and astronauts such as L. Gordon Cooper (right) to space.   NASA The Sputnik launch also led directly to the creation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to carry on a civilian space effort (rather than militarizing the activity). In July 1958, Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act (commonly called the Space Act). That act created NASA on October 1, 1958, uniting the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and other government agencies to form a new agency aimed at putting the U.S. squarely in the space business.   Models of  Sputnik commemorating this daring mission are scattered around the world. One hangs at the United Nations building in New York City, while another is in a place of honor at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The World Museum in Liverpool, England has one, as does the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson and the California Science Center in L.A.. The Russian Embassy in Madrid, Spain, also has a Sputnik model. They remain gleaming reminders of the earliest days of the Space Age at a time when science and technology were coming together to create a new era of exploration.   Edited and revised by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Transportation in the Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Transportation in the Supply Chain - Essay Example For the paper, it is important to highlight that the paper is discussing on the concrete block s the product that is produced as well as sold by the company. It is important again to highlight that the company that does the production of the product is CRH Company. The company raw materials are imported from other companies outside the continent with very few areas that supply the company with the raw materials. It is considered very vital and quite in order to reiterate the fact that this company does the production exercise and supplies the products to the various branches that operate from the other ends of the world. These are located in the various countries in the world. This therefore vividly explains the concept of globalization as an adopted technique that the company has put into action as a way of combating the stiff completion from the other businesses (Dadashian, Shakibfar, & Fazel, 2007). It is important to highlight that the company faces very stiff competition from the other companies that produce similar products as the company. This has made the company to spend much on the product promotional measures and campaigns as well as establishing more branches all over the world. This is to enable the company to realize more sales. Some of the companies that pose great challenge to the company are; Bunco Company limited, Aisha Company limited, Genesee Company limited and finally Susana Company limited. All these produce similar product and they tend to engage the products in differentiation actions to make them attract customers to their products (Ilangkumaran, & Kumanan, 2009) In the diagrammatic representation of the supply, the chart below clearly gives the true operational picture and diagram of the company starting from the way in which the raw materials are received by the company, through processing to the supply of the products to the various wholesalers, retailers as well as