- People and Organisations Case Study 2012-2013 Essay

- People and Organisations Case Study 2012-2013 - Essay Example With respect to the given case in point, that of Microsoft before and after the fateful year of 2006, there are a number of points that this analysis will seek to make as a means of better informing the reader as to why such a shift in outcomes were noticed within this specific year (Dodds 2011, p. 33). Whereas group work and the performance review process had previously helped to elevate the level of overall output, profitability, and performance, the firm seemed to reach a type of critical mass in which the given formula of success that had set the firm on such a path of growth and rapid development seemed to fall apart. However, it is obvious from a study of business management theory that it is not possible for a given approach to merely stop working (Hult 2012, p. 5). Instead, one must assume that key personnel factors, dynamics of business, culture, or other factors have affected the ability of the previous system to continue to promote the high level and degree of success that the firm had formerly experienced. ... As a result of the high level of emphasis on groups and the way that the performance reviews ranked these groups and their individual members, a type of opportunism developed. This opportunism is a trait that can be linked to both management theory as well as human psychology; however, for the purposes of this brief analysis, the author will focus upon the level and extent to which the emphasis on group formation, recognition, and personal performance sought to develop a type of self-interested dynamic that quickly gave way to something of an extent culture within the Microsoft organization (Maddox 2005, p. 3). The fact of the matter was that the group dynamics that had given rise to such a high level of success within the organization were the very same dynamics that eventually would prove to be a net negative. It is a well known fact that a company’s culture is not something that is developed and implemented overnight (Muller et al 1999, p. 90). Rather, it takes many years, and the actions of management to solidify. In this way, the reader can quickly infer the that the true nature of the issues associated with Microsoft, as indicated by the case study which was reviewed in writing this brief response, stem not from the fact that the individual management or organizational style which was employed was fundamentally wrong; rather, the key errors only developed many years later as a function of the negative cultural developments associated with opportunism, selfishness, and the gradual shift from operating as a true group should and seeking only to maximize a sense of personal gain from each and every situation that the members of

Best War Ever Essay Example for Free

Best War Ever Essay The Causes of World War II History 1302 In the book The Best War Ever: America and World War II by Michael C.C. Adams, Adams discusses the misconceptions about world war two that America had and still has today. Through the title, one can assume that Americans came out of the five year war with a positive view. This was due to the way theatre and television portrayed it to the public, and like naà ¯ve children America ate it up. Television and other media didn’t want America to see the true horror that actually took place overseas, but what they didn’t know was how mislead America was going to become. This essay will discuss the argument Adams creates in chapter 6 about how sugar coating the war for America, was in a sense best for them, but for small businesses, immigrants and teens it was a different story. Before World War II became the center of attention in America, people lived their everyday lives. Most were small business owners that were just trying to make a living. As the war went on overseas, Pearl Harbor was attacked, which led to the U.S. joining the war. Do to this sudden need to protect our country, America became â€Å"obsessed† and young men volunteered to fight for the country they loved. Everyone including women and children had this attitude of supporting the troops and doing everything they could to help out, by women working jobs in factories that were originally created for men. As these factories like Ford, Coca-Cola, and Wrigley’s grew, â€Å"World War II undermined the world of the small producer in business and agriculture, completing the triumph of large corporations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Best War Ever: America and World War II, 1994)1. Small businesses closing down wasn’t the only cause of America joining the war but also, families losing their homes, farms, towns, and well basically their lives. These people had to move to bigger cities where factories that were being recognized, due to the war, were the o nly jobs available. While factories grew, violence towards immigrants grew as well. Due to Pearl Harbor being attacked by the Japanese, Japanese-Americans were seen as a threat and removed from their homes and put into detention centers. â€Å"More  than two-thirds of the Japanese who were interned in the spring of 1942 were citizens of the United States.† (Japanese Relocation Centers: During World War II, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were under lock and key, 2007)2. President Roosevelt felt that they were a threat to America and that anyone of them could be a spy. African-Americans were facing hard times as well, though racism was still going strong, many African-Americans were being attacked and miss treated because of mixed work environments as Adams states in his book (1994) â€Å"A white man in a wildcat strike at a Packard plant said ‘I’d rather see Hitler and Hirohito win the war than work beside a nigger on the assembly line.’†3 Wives of African-American men in the army were also treated as lower class while the American women would get preferred treatment. Another race that was targeted were American-born Hispanics. Teen Hispanics began to form gangs and â€Å"challeng[e] the traditional restraints of their behavior†. They did this by wearing zoot Suits. Because of this new fashion trend amongst Hispanics, military men began to harass and ended up creating a riot known as the â€Å"Zoot Suit Riot† . In this riot military and Hispanic men attacked each other but only the Hispanic teens got arrested for the violence. As immigrants were mistreated, young American teens were feeling a sense of freedom, this was due to the lack of parental control. â€Å"More girls got pregnant. And the venereal disease rate rose : between 194 and 1944, New York City’s VD rate among girls aged fifteen to eighteen years old increased 204 percent.† (The Best War Ever: America and World War II, 1994)4. Teens were getting into trouble cutting school and joining gangs. It was hard for schools to maintain a strong education among the youth and so a decline in intellectual quality began in young Americans. Media also had a small part to play in this lack of education. Mass entertainment was trying to win over the youth through T.V. and movies and because of this the armed services saw that students in this generation weren’t as prepared as generations before them, they lacked skills learned in high school. But one reason that as a main factor were the number of jobs that were available. Teens were able to get a job as young as thirteen years old, even though the job wasn’t helping out the war, money made the youth feel free like they could do anything they wanted, which they did. In conclusion, World War II in a sense was the best war ever but for small businesses, immigrants and teens, it was a war that ended up changing tradition into trends and  violence. Americans w ere blinded and lied to and through this it brought grave consequences . â€Å"†¦ it is the danger of arrogance and hubris – that is, the danger of going to war because a nations leaders are convinced of their own righteousness, or have persuaded themselves and the public that a foreign country should be attacked because its government or society is not merely alien, hostile or threatening, but evil.(The Good War Myth of World War Two, 2008)5. Bibliography Michael C. C. Adams, The Best War Ever: America and world War II (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1994) Japanese Relocation Centers: During World War II, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were under lock and key, 2007 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/internment1.html The Good War Myth of World War Two, May 24, 2008 http://www.ihr.org/news/weber_ww2_may08.html

Odysseus is an Epic Hero :: essays research papers

People are heroes in different ways for different reasons. American soldiers are heroes because they fight boldly for their country. Corrie Ten Boom is also a hero because she took risks and saved hundreds of Jews. Abraham Lincoln is another example of a hero because he fought for what he thought was right and helped free all slaves. Similarly, Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, possesses all of these characteristics and many more, making him a true epic hero. First of all, Odysseus is brave and courageous, giving him the initiative to fulfill his goals. One example is when Odysseus confronts Skylla. Odysseus purposely â€Å"made [his] way along to the foredeck—thinking to see her first from there† (Homer 217). If he was scared, he would have hidden underneath the deck. But instead, Odysseus goes out to face the beast. Odysseus knows that Skylla is immortal and cannot die, yet he is brave enough to confront her. Next, Odysseus fights the suitors, who are courting Penelope in his palace. The suitors greatly outnumber Odysseus, but Odysseus still chooses to fight even though the odds are against him and he is able to win. He stands up against those who do wrong. Having the courage to fight, Odysseus defeats the suitors and fulfills his goal of regaining his palace. If Odysseus was a coward and did not fight, then the suitors would have eventually won Penelope, resulting in Odysseus losing his palace and his wife. Ma ny people have bravery and courage, but not many use it, as Odysseus does, to achieve their purpose. Secondly, Odysseus has great self-control, which allows him to deeply contemplate his decisions. Moments before Odysseus falls asleep, he spots a â€Å"covey of women laughing as they [slip] out†¦to the suitors’ beds† (Homer 375). Seeing this, Odysseus is angered and wants to kill every one of the suitors right then and there. But Odysseus retains his self-control and does not strike yet. At that moment, if he did strike, he would have lost because he would not have been prepared. He retains all his anger for the final battle with the suitors. In that battle, Odysseus is fully prepared and ready to fight, resulting in all the suitors’ deaths. Next, when Antinoos throws a footstool at Odysseus, â€Å"Odysseus only [shakes] his head, containing thoughts of bloody work† (Homer 326).

Essays --

The populist and nationalist ideology of the Iranian Islamic revolution was attributed to the perception of a plague that has alienated Muslims from their roots and identity, and this plague was the Western culture. Western culture was a plague that must be fought and expelled as it influenced many young Iranians and deviate from the interpretation of Islam. To bring back the loyalty and faith to Islam as the one true way of awakening the oppressed and liberating the Third World from colonialism is a great manifestation of revolt and declaration. Ayatollah Khomeini dominated the revolution itself declaring that Shia Islam dictated for revolt and martyrdom against injustice and tyranny. He advocated for Muslims to reject the influence of the Soviet and American superpowers in Iran and developed the ideology that Muslims required guardianship. The Islamic jurists must rule to protect Islam from innovation and deviation by following the traditional sharia law and prevent poverty, injustice, and the deprivation of Muslim land by foreign non-believers. The establishment of and the obedience to the Islamic government were considered to be an actual obedience to God that was more necessary than prayer and fasting. The universal principle of true Islam was that the world only needed and deserved a just and true government which was the Islamic government. This revolutionary vision and ideology were supported by Khomeini and a great number of core supporters who were determined to establish a government ruled by Islamic clerics and defeated opposition from the different factions. America’s deep involvement in Iran for many years before the revolution was only for personal gain through government influence and through control of I... ...regime’s desire to recreate man was carried out with ideas of order and justice which revealed the true nature of its devastating power. Revolutionary Islamic justice is founded on the rejection of the concept of the individual as a juridical and moral person and was greatly manifested in the courts of the Islamic Republic as it rejected due process. Due process considers man as an autonomous and a fallible being and the denial of this logic is denial of due process. Khomeini’s regime saw the termination of the existence of many who resisted its ideology and protesting in the name of free will and freedom of conscience. It is therefore concluded that the Islamic rebels against God’s will by denying the existence of the very human beings He created; that the Revolutionary Islamist justice is ignorant of the true spirit of the traditional Muslim jurisprudence.

Pretty Flacko Nigga

The poem â€Å"Hard Rock† by Tethering Knight is a poem that takes place in a prison (or possibly somewhere else like a sporting event, a dining room, etc. But a prison fits the context better). The poem is about a black prisoner that comes back after being in the Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The Inmates are reminiscing on all the crazy stuff Hard Rock used to do that they had always wished they could do. During Hard Rock's time at the Hospital he had a brain surgery In which they â€Å"cut out part of his brain and shot electricity through the rest.The speaker of the poem Is recalling all the stones of crazy things Hard Rock used to do before he left and telling the listener how much of a bad ass Hard Rock was. The speaker of the poem Is an Inmate at the prison; maybe Hard Rock's cell mate, friend, or Just someone that knew about him. Who the speaker Is talking to Is unclear though. It Is most likely another Inmate, assuming that the setting is In a prison, however It Is not clear within the poem exactly who the auditor is. The situation of the poem and the whole reason why the speaker is even recalling all of these memories is because it's been said that HardRock is soft now. The â€Å"word† has it that Hard Rock is a shell of what he used to be and will just stand there with a stupid smile on his face when tested. The old Hard Rock didn't â€Å"take no sit from nobody' but now the word going around is that the new Hard Rock has been tamed. The tone of this poem begins as inspired and almost proud, like a little brother talking about his cool older brother. The speaker seems to have a lot of respect for Hard Rock. Hard Rock is a hero to the speaker because Hard Rock will act out situations that the speaker could only ever dream of doing; he was their â€Å"destroyer.The tone quickly changes in line 27 to sad, almost nostalgic sounding. The inmates are reliving all of the crazy stuff he did before his surgery. The fact that he has been tamed now leaves the inmates â€Å"crushed† and hopeless. They no longer have someone that will carry out the fantasies they dream of doing, whether it be sticking up for the blacks when the Jail block bully comes around or even beating up a guard. They want to convince themselves that it is all an act, Hard Rock Is a little bit smarter now and is waiting for his opportunities, but they know in their hearts that Hard Rock is no longer the same guy he used to be.The theme of this poem Is about race and what problems black people faced In those times. The poem was published in 1968- the same year that Martin Luther King Jar. Was assassinated. The poem Hard Rock could be a metaphor for timeline of events that happened In the ‘offs. Martin Luther King (Hard Rock) was one of, If not the most, prominent face of the civil rights movement. MILK wouldn't settle for anything less than what he wanted to see happen and nobody could stand In his way. If someone tried to stop him he would Just keep trucking and fighting for his goal. In the poem,Hard Rock would pummel any and every body In his way, regardless of who they were, similar to how MILK would â€Å"take out† whoever stood in his way. The surgery Hard Rock goes under could be a metaphor for the assassination of MILK. Hard Rock is no longer what he used to be, he can no longer kick ass and take names because he is physically unable to (MILK is physically unable to keep fighting because he is hopeless. They always dreamed of doing the things Hard Rock did but they feel incapable (the black population is shocked and devastated by Milk's death and feel hopeless and as if they can never achieve what he did).The fears of years, like a biting whip, Had cut grooves too deeply across our backs. † The years and years of slavery, torture and demutualization of black people is too ingrained into the current (sass's) black population's minds and they feel as if they are not brave enough, smart enough, or important enough to take a stand and make the kind of changes that MILK had once done. The poem is written in mostly iambic pentameter. Lambs are how people speak in everyday life so with it being written in iambs it makes the poem seem â€Å"regular† and not â€Å"poetic. The poem sounds like a conversation you would hear f you were to listen in on prisoners talking. The dialect of the poem also gives it more of a natural feel. The reader feels as if they're reading an excerpt from a prison conversation rather than reading a poem. No rhyme scheme is detected in the poem- except for 4 lines. The author adds two couplets in the beginning and the middle of the poem. He does this to reinforce the point what he is trying to get across within these lines. The break in the normal flow and rhythm of the poem with these couplets grabs the attention of the reader and makes them focus on what the lines have to say.

Spelling Bee Words Essay

Spelling Bee Words Essay Spelling Bee Words Essay stellar reckon axle talons heroic stomach patriot episode cabinet murmur uniform racial compass prism wriggle journal assign eyelet tissue posture thermos fashion chorus humane ugliness ransom flannel fragrance prevail sinus weasel oasis quarrel lightning foreground veil midriff munchkin kindergarten marshmallow question bristle delighted echoed therapy mortar intruder terrific curtain calculator blizzard virtue antelope blatant confection reality ingredient fanzine widget recruit airborne peruse genius eclipse unreadable defiantly acrobat clarinet plague tourism waiver imitate larceny altogether toilsome perturb delved cleave mischief interpret exotic laborious defunct audience thermostat pyramid carnival evidence microphone sequel carpenter replete pungent jealousy trespass hurriedly muscular envoy vegetarian damageable accommodation conclusion explanation actually conscience February alcohol conscious fierce although consequence forty analyse/analysis continuous fulfil argument creation furthermore assessment daughter guard atmosphere decide/decision happened audible definite health audience design height autumn development imaginary beautiful diamond improvise beginning diary industrial believe disappear interesting beneath disappoint interrupt buried embarrass issue business energy jealous caught engagement knowledge chocolate enquire listening climb environment lonely column evaluation lovely concentration evidence marriage material potential sincerely meanwhile preparation skilful miscellaneous prioritise soldier mischief process stomach modern proportion straight moreover proposition strategy murmur questionnaire strength necessary queue success nervous reaction surely original receive surprise outrageous reference survey parallel relief technique participation remember technology pattern research texture peaceful resources tomorrow people safety unfortunate ly performance Saturday Wednesday permanent secondary weight persuade/persuasion separate weird physical sequence women possession shoulder Common homophones and confusions advise/advice choose/chose quiet/quite a lot of cloth/clothe sites/sights affect/effect conscience/conscious source/sauce allowed/aloud course/coarse thank you bought/brought our/are threw/through braking/breaking practise/practice to/too/two Abscess is a localized collection of pus in tissues of the body. Accessible means easy to approach Accommodate is to do a kindness or a favor to; oblige. Accordion is a musical instrument. Annulment is the declaration that annuls a marriage. Appellate is of or pertaining to appeals. Assassin is a murderer, especially in politics. Atrium is the central room of an ancient Roman house. Automaton is another word for a robot. Baboon is a large monkey found in Africa or Arabia. Balloon is an inflated bag. Barbiturate is used to medicine as a sedative. Barrette is a clasp used to hold a girl's hair in place. Bassoon is a large woodwind instrument. Bazaar is a marketplace, especially in the Middle East. Beige is a very light brown. Benign is having a kindly disposition. Bizarre is markedly unusual. Bobbin is a reel upon which yarn or thread is wound. Bonsai is a tree that has been dwarfed, as by pruning. Bough is a branch of a tree. Bouillon is a clear usually seasoned broth. Bouquet is a bunch of flowers. Bursar is a treasurer or business officer. Butte is an isolated hill or mountain rising abruptly. Cache is a hiding place. Calendar is a table of days and weeks in a year. Camaraderie is good fellowship. Campaign is a military operation for a specific objective. Canvass is to solicit votes. Carafe is a wide-mouthed bottle used to serve beverages. Caribou is a large, North American deer. Cataclysm is any

The Jungle Essay essays

The Jungle Essay essays Allegory of Charles I of England and Henrietta of France in a Vanitas Oil on canvas painting as done by Frenchmen by the name of Simon Renard de Saint-Andre between the years of 1669 and 1677. The main purpose in evaluating this piece of work is to be aware and describe the physical features, content and symbolization of this painting. This will undoubtedly include the complexity of painting and historical content of the painting. Allegory of Charles I of England and Henrietta of France in Vanitas has many admirable physical features. At first glance , it is a massive painting. It is much larger than other painting sand it seems to engulf the whole wall. The large bulky frame of the painting is plain until your eyes wonder to the top center of it. There is a large flat shell like protrusion surrounded by a flower and imbedded in beads giving it a slight touch of class that it did not have before. Starting from the top, are a low solemn dark atmosphere and further down the painting y ou go the mood gets lighter and more colorful. However the first thing we see at the top are four bubbles floating in the air. They are floating up from a shell. The shell is resting in the hand of a white stoned sculpted baby boy. The shell itself also holds four more bubbles . They could represent the bubble s of life. Bubbles in general reflect things, as in a mirror. Could these bubbles exemplify the life of a man? They seem to be telling us of times to come or of times past. Behind the baby are two half statures of women. They look Roman-like in appearance. These classical busts have on robes of possibly something like a toga. The statues seem to be in a darker background than the baby boy is . It could be the background or it could be that during these times the Romans were looked down upon and in this portrait they were neglected from the light as Judas was in Leonardos Last Supper. Going further down the picture, the light and the colors seem...