Mission, Vision, and Values Paper

The University of Phoenix was founded in 1976 as an outlet for working adults to obtain an education, while continuing to hold down a full time job. The ingenious idea of creating such an organization can be coupled with the name Dr. John Sperling. Dr. John Sperling begin the creation of University of Phoenix in his basement, at the preface of personal computers. The University of Phoenix offers degree program at the level’s of associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. The degree programs can be obtained by several modalities.The most commonly know modality is online, and there are also over 200 campuses that offer programs as well. Dr. John Sperling suggested how institutions would pioneer new approaches to curricular and program design, teaching methods and student services. These beliefs eventually resulted in the creation of University of Phoenix and they continue to inspire the University’s mission, purposes and strategies today (University of Phoenix [ UOP], 2008). The University of Phoenix is the nation’s largest private university.The mission of University of Phoenix is to provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the productivity of their organizations, and provide leadership and service to their communities (University of Phoenix [UOP], 2008). The following are the purposes for the University of Phoenix: ~To facilitate cognitive and affective student learning–knowledge, skills, and values — and to promote use of that knowledge in the student's work place.~To develop competence in communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and information utilization, together with a commitment to lifelong learning for enhancement of students' opportunities for career success. ~To provide instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice through faculty members who bring to their classroom not only advanced academic preparation, but also the skills that come from the current practice of their professions. ~To provide General Education and foundational instruction and services that prepare students to engage in a variety of university curricula.~To use technology to create effective modes and means of instruction that expand access to learning resources and that enhance collaboration and communication for improved student learning. ~To assess student learning and use assessment data to improve the teaching/learning system, curriculum, instruction, learning resources, counseling and student services. ~To be organized as a for-profit institution in order to foster a spirit of innovation that focuses on providing academic quality, service, excellence, and convenience to the working adult.~To generate the financial resources necessary to support the University’s mission. (UOP, 2008) All corporations depend on effective strategic management. A starting point in strat egic management is setting goals. Every business needs goals, a mission, and values. Goals are basically intended to meet hopes and plans of an organization. The mission usually tells how a company will reach their goals. Values are what the organization beliefs in. The strategy of an organization should determine the firm’s overall attitude toward growth and the way it will manage its businesses.A company may decide to grow by increasing its activities or investments. Strategies should focus on improving the companies competitive position, and how best to achieve corporate goals by being as productive as possible. The mission statement is a message designed to be inclusive of the expectations of all stakeholders for the company's performance over the long run (Pearce & Robinson, 2004). At many companies, top management drafts and circulates detailed mission statements.Because such a statement reflects a company’s understand of its activities as a marketer, it is not e asily described. The mission statement for the University of Phoenix explains how they will achieve their purposes in the environments in which they conduct businesses. Strategy tends to have a wider scope. It is the definition a broad program that describes an organization’s intentions. A business strategy outlines how the business intends to meet its goals and includes the organizations responsiveness to new challenges and new needs.Because a well formulated strategy is so vital to a business’s success, most top managers devote substantial attention and creativity to this process. A second implication of viewing strategic management as a process is that strategy formulation and implementation are sequential. The process begins with development or reevaluation of the company mission (Pearce & Robinson, 2004). This also presents an opportunity for an organization to do a SWOT analysis. SWOT is an acronym for the internal Strengths and Weaknesses of a firm and the envir onmental Opportunities and Threats facing that firm.SWOT analysis is a widely used technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company's strategic situation (Pearce & Robinson). The ultimate goal of the new strategy is to have an effective impact on the leaders, the culture, and the stakeholders. The strategy should allow the leaders to efficiently run the organization. The strategy should enable a conducive culture so that there is no negativity brought to the organization. The strategy should reward stakeholders and ultimately reward the stakeholders so that they may continue to hold stake in the company.

Case Assignment Essay

a. How did data analysis enable agility/flexibility? Conducting analysis provided SEJ with the opportunity to strategize locations of stores and deliveries of the right products at the right times. b. How did data analysis reduce leftover goods that were perishable? Through the identification of product type, time and frequency, SEJ was able to reduce leftover goods that were perishable. Also, considering weather, local area events, and holidays they were able to adjust their ordering. c. How did electronic data acquisition reduce ordering/delivery lead times? The orders were instantly sent and received by the vendor so the turn-around time was reduced. Trending these orders also allowed the vendors to be prepared with the items. d. What statistics did Seven-Eleven find that determined the success of a new store? They used several data points including, demographics for age, population, income etc. They considered local foot traffic, nearby schools, buildings and subways. They also balanced it with impacts of other local stores. e. How did Seven-Eleven share data electronically with its supply chain partners? They used their handheld terminals in each store to order directly through to the vendors. This data was also captured for analysis and transportation. 3. If you were to design an analogous information and data analysis system for DCMA to oversee contractors and subcontractors: a. What would the goals of that system be? For me trending issues with sub-tier suppliers should be addressed. Currently we are very poor at sharing information within our offices and across the organization. A large scale supply chain mapping, rating and tracking system with feedback from all employees would help in being predictive about potential delivery and quality issues. b. What data would you want to collect and how would you want to â€Å"data mine† it, or analyze the data to improve the performance of the contractor network and become aware of problems earlier? I would include both subjective and objective observations. Tracking delayed deliveries, their reasoning, CARs, Supplier CARs and supplier ratings or actions against their sub-tier would be the first step. I would also include subjective analysis by supply chain specialist to identify other areas of potential concern that may not have developed to the point of SCARs or delays.

A Study on the Effects of Alcohol on Human Health

A Study on the Effects of Alcohol on Human Health Effects of alcohol on human health Alcohol consumption is a common practice at various gatherings and parties in different parts of the world. Nonetheless, alcohol consumption can have a different impact on human health and can lead to negative social consequences due to addictive, toxic and addictive properties. So we will talk about drinking in this essay, and its main purpose is to discuss its causes and consequences. When we discuss the causes of drinking, we can say that society is the main engine in this process. Alcohol is generally accepted as an integral part of any company. People think alcohol makes you excited, energized, improves mood and health, makes conversation more vivid and fun, but its just a temporary effect. Some use it as a sort of solution to the problem, but can not solve it and cause depression. By observing the effects of alcohol on human health, it can be said that alcohol can cause health effects such as mental illness as well as social illnesses. Today, alcohol abuse is a major problem in modern society because it affects all human organs and alcohol intake causes skin dehydration. This is because skin cells lose essential moisture and valuable minerals. In addition to the chronic illnesses that occur according to the age of the person consuming large quantities of alcohol, drinking is associated with increased risk of acute health conditions such as trauma, including injuries from road traffic accidents. So, to summarize the previous statement, we can say that the need for alcohol is not part of the natural life of human needs, such as oxygen, the need for food and water, and that alcohol itself is not motivated by humans. Young people are beginning to use alcohol as an obvious attempt to follow fashion, but the situation has changed dramatically and does not stop. I think society should fight this phenomenon and popularize a healthy lifestyle, but if everyone wants to control drinking and stop it, the problem will eventually disappear

Consider the following scenario Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Consider the following scenario - Research Paper Example The distinctive ledgers which ledgers used within inventory recording system include Raw Materials, Work in Process and Finished goods accounts. Differences between the two costing techniques arise as costs are added up with respect to their jobs in job order costing system while in process costing system; these costs are pooled in with respect to a department’s cost incurred with respect to a specified time period. Further differences between the two costing system occur because of the nature and types of production methods employed to manufacture goods. Process costing system is used in production organizations which tend to have similar ongoing procedures to manufacture their goods while job order costing is used in companies which tend to produce special or customized goods in batches. Since our company would be producing a single version of a product, a process costing system would be best suited to analyze the costs of the product. This system would also be carried out in future as well if the production is carried out in large quantities of identical pattern in an ongoing flow. Job order costing would only be employed if the company produces tailor-made products for their customer or it manufactures standard products in batches (Lucey,

Workplace Change Over the Last 1015 Years Essay

Workplace Change Over the Last 1015 Years - Essay Example In addition, 63 percent of the executives also said that technology is also the future enabler of working styles in the future. Nevertheless, technology ranked fourth among the priority list of these executives in as far as the driving of businesses is concerned; after better productivity, culture, and cost reduction. According to these executives, VoIP, wi-fi, and ultra-mobile PC's are some of the technologies that will greatly impact on the workplaces in the next five years (Carr 2006). In this regard, flexible working is slowly becoming a common culture in some of the technologically-oriented companies. Whereas close to 91 percent of these organizations let their employees to work from home, a further 67 percent are still reliant on office attendance. For the latter group, 55 percent of the executives interviewed were optimistic that this trend will soon change (Carr 2006). Only just about 50 percent of the respondents believe that in the next five years, their workforce will still be commuting from home. Information technology has proved to be of fundamental importance in as far as organizational change is concerned. The business landscape will always have to change in line with the technological innovations in the workplace, pressure from competitors, and consumer preferences. As such, a lot of companies are now embracing information technology to streamline operations, improve business processes, increase profitability, and cut costs. The impact that information technology has had on organizational change cut across all the sections of an organization. Thus, the structure of the organization, process change, employee skill base, product delivery, and methodologies in marketing, all have to change as a response to information technology. Weber, Taylor and Fayol, as well as a couple of other theorists were of the opinion that there does exist a single and best way through which organizations can be structured. Nevertheless, organizations still vary greatly with regard to structural attributes, and this has led to the carrying out of numerous researches with a view to understanding the determinants of such variations. A lot of organizations are now becoming aware of the need to have relationships and social interactions at the workplace (Klein et al 2001). The understanding of such a phenomenon and the implications that it will have at the workplace is already proving to be a challenge to many organizations. Today, a lot of organizations struggle to keep pace with changes in the economy and the marketplace, while at the same time also seeking out for ways through which they can best enhance their financial profitability, while also enhancing the performances for their employees. Lin (2001) has described the theory of social capital in reference to the investments that organizations make in social relations, while also expecting to make returns in the marketplace. Such organizations usually embrace the culture and ethics of

The Economic Factors that Help Explainining the Expansion of Low-Cost Research Paper

The Economic Factors that Help Explainining the Expansion of Low-Cost Airline Carriers - Research Paper Example Accessibility of alternative modes of transport that are rationally close substitutes for air transportation diminishes with distance travelled. Globalization and free movement of merchandise and people between and within regions have a positive effect on air travel demand. Business travel market consists of time sensitive passengers; therefore, these customers are price inelastic in terms of fares. If the airline firm offers high quality service to this market segment, such as frequent and reliable frights, flexibility, comfortable seats, and excellent, frequent flyer programme rewards, business class customers will be willing to pay high prices (Junwook, 2011). However, with the introduction of low cost airlines the price elasticity of this business class market has changed and they display price elasticity. In previous years, airline industry relied heavily on business travel market as a major source of profit, however, this trend has changed, and the industry has noted that a hig her percentage of passengers considers price over service. Business class customers are willing to give up luxuries, food quality, flexibility or choice in return to lower prices. According to Rosario & Eddy, 2010, the economy travel market is largely determined by the costs being charged by the airlines; they are price sensitive. The first class air travel market does not generate much profit to the airline industry, as a result, many airlines are moving from three to a two-class cabin. The levels of consumer income influence the passenger’s choice of the air travel class; the choice of consumers with high levels of income will differ with those of consumers with low levels of income (Bijan, & Tom, 2008). The demand for leisure travel is influenced by the number of independent holidays and short term breaks; in this market passengers book flights, accommodation and car by themselves. According to Airport International, the changes in demand of leisure travel indicate that cu stomers are expecting and preferring low fares. Low fares in this market segment are the main stimulus for growth in luxury travel, and passengers are willing to change destination for fabulous deals. According to Susan, 2009, the prices of air tickets are largely influenced by the fuel prices, the exchange rates, and the costs of financing airline projects. High costs of financing, unstable exchange rates, and high fuel prices lead to high air fares. Other natural calamities, such tsunami and earthquakes among others results to decline in tourism and business travels thereby, affecting the air travel demand in the affected areas (Roger, 2008). The following diagrams and tables show the effects of fuel prices on operating costs of the airline industry. Prices of air tickets are determined by the price of fuel; fuel price is influenced by the prevailing economic conditions such as the exchange rates. Industry Fuel Costs and Net Profits. Source: Industry Financial Forecast Table (IATA Economics). Fuel Impact on Operating Costs Year % of Operating Costs Average Price per Barrel of Crude Break-even Price per Barrel Total Fuel Cost 2003 14% $28.8 $23.4 $44 billion 2004 17% $38.3 $34.5 $65 billion 2005 22% $54.5 $51.8 $91 billion 2006 26% $65.1 $68.3 $117 billion 2007 28% $73.0 $82.2 $135 billion 2008 33% $99.0 $88.9 $189 billion 2009 26% $62.0 $55.4 $125 billion 2010 26% $79.4 $91.0

Report on recruitment and selection processes Assignment - 1

Report on recruitment and selection processes - Assignment Example A company then selects successful applicants from any of these recruitments methods and takes them through interviews. The company often updates recruitment and selection processes in order to set acceptable standards that meet the demands of the company (Hobson, et al 2010). Like any other company or organisation, Healthcare United has had it recruitment, and selection processes changed. Its recruitment and selection process of 2000 is not the same to that of 2010. There are certain changes introduced to the selection of 2010. Some of the changes affected the timeframes, personnel involved, documentation, training, and monitoring and evaluation. There are some news features that the organisation introduced to its selection and recruitment process of 2010, which were not in that of 2000. Again, there are those, which it exempted on its recruitment and selection process of 2010 and were in that of 2000. In the recruitment and selection policy of 2000, the manager had two to three days to analyse the necessity of a vacant position and then notify and request the Human Resource department for a from allowing recruitment. After receiving the form that permits recruitment, a manager had to complete his/her section of the form in the same period of two to three days. After that, the senior management validates the form permitting recruitment, and then the HR department uses three to five days to fill the description of the position. After description, advertisement of the position took 20 to 25 days whereby internal advertisement used the first ten days and while external advertisement took the remaining ten days. Short-listing of applicants took a minimum of five days while preparation of interviews took one to two days just as the interviews, which the organisation also allocated one to two days. Reference checks consumed a period of one to two days. Job offer took a time of one to fi ve days while feedback to failed applicants

Critically Discuss and Investigate on Entrepreneurship in Singapore Essay

Critically Discuss and Investigate on Entrepreneurship in Singapore - Essay Example Early-stage entrepreneurial propensity includes the â€Å"nascent† participation rate and the â€Å"new firm† participation rate in Singapore. However, entrepreneurial activity has been slow to develop in Singapore and those that have emerged as successful entrepreneurs are the most likely to emigrate (Oxford, 2006). This is because of the challenges that the entrepreneurs face in Singapore. The start-ups and the SMEs did not have access to capital even though the financial sector was liberalized and developed (Low, 2005). Even though Singapore was ranked as the â€Å"third most globalized nation† there were no provisions to support the entrepreneurs to participate in the global market place. Over regulations stifled the innovative characteristic in the entrepreneurs and they had to comply with the high cost of fees and licenses. Singapore is a developed nation according to the socio-economic indicators (Table I) except for its sustainability in science and technology (Low, 2005). Singapore is an open economy and its growth is dependent on direct foreign investment and trade. The island nation has a well educated and skilled labour force but lacks in other resources. The government in Singapore recognizes that the nation lacks in entrepreneurial culture and hence fostered an entrepreneurial environment in its master plan – named ‘SME21’ to meet the challenges of the 21st century (Bhasin, 2007). This is meant to stimulate the high-tech SMEs from their earlier focus on MNCs (multi-national corporations) and larger corporations. Earlier, the government had also launched the Technopreneurship 21 (T21) program to encourage entrepreneurs in the field of technology and innovation. In March 2000, the government also set up a $10 million fund called The Enterprise Challenge to sponsor innovative proposals and encourage creativity. The government also set up agencies to support the entrepreneurs. Notable among

Films the Conversation and the Parallax view and its influence on the Essay

Films the Conversation and the Parallax view and its influence on the audience - Essay Example Authority on wiretapping soon after the Watergate Scandal broke out referred to the equipments used to eavesdrop on the Democratic National Committee's headquarters as sloppy and amateurish. Harry Caul is depicted as the microcosm of America at the 70's. He is shown as an anti hero in the sense that he can effortlessly bug anybody at anytime, anywhere. He is dedicated to his work which becomes an obsession, and he doesn't seem to care about fellow humans and their sufferings. He himself is a paranoid and secrecy is his moral. He swears by secrecy in anything remotest connected to him, perhaps it's the realisation in his sub conscious mind that how important a person's secrecy is which he is constantly violating. However, when he overhears a conversation of a couple he was bugging, his conscience prevailed over his sense of professionalism and he got entangled in a web of deceptions and lies. The movie is insightful and penetrating and divulges deep into the fears in everyone's mind, which is lying dormant. The conversation is about paranoia, invasion of privacy, bugging and nagging conscience of people. In the Watergate scandal, the people involved although were aware of the immorality of their act, did not think it to be objectively wrong. Harry initially had no notion about the immorality of his job but finally he had which destroyed him. Though the script was written in the mid 60's, the release of the movie coincided with the Watergate Scandal and the script that finally emerged had in it issues of personal responsibility and encroachment of technology on the privacy of individual. The film is not a response to any one political event, rather it is a generalised commentary on the erosion of privacy and... The Parallax Corporation is shown to have unlimited power. The question about Kennedy’s assassination and the Watergate scandal of 1974 are stark realities which proved general publics ignorance about constant threat to democracy and freedom. The scenes behind the Parallax Corporation where Frady undergoes some qualifying tests, reveals how patriotic values can be perverted and manipulated to serve a corrupt system. Both the movies released in the 70’s are influenced by the happening in America during that time period. While intrusion of privacy, wiretapping, lies, deceits at the highest level, fear psychosis in mind of the American public, were depicted in the Coppola movie â€Å"the Conversation† through the surveillance expert Harry, the Parallax View based on conspiracy theory drew its storyline from assassinations of J.F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Since both the movies drew their inspiration from real life situation, every image seen in the movies have the potential of affecting the audience greatly. Presenting the most dangerous and volatile political issues of the 1970’s in a lucid pattern, both the movies have earned critical acclaim.

Trovan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trovan - Essay Example Trovan of Pfizer, an unapproved drug, was administered in children at the hospital of Kano in 1996, which came to the public attention only in December 2000. Pfizer picked approximately 200 children for their clinical trial, of which 100 children were administered with Trovan whereas the other half was treated with the standard anti-meningitis drug Ceftriaxone that also acted as the control group. The children who were treated with Ceftriaxone, a cephalosporin antibiotic, were given an initial dosage level of 100 mg/kg dose which was subsequently reduced to 33 mg/kg to reduce the pain caused by intramuscular injection. These children, who had reached the hospital for their treatment of meningitis, were hand-picked randomly by the doctors of Pfizer. These children were also given tags to identify the drug they received. These two batches of children continued their treatment with Trovan and Ceftriaxone for five consecutive days and were monitored either in the hospital or out-patient clinics, depending on their health. Those children who required additional care were transferred to another hospital at the expense of Pfizer. The study was concluded after four weeks and a follow-up exam was conducted by Pfizer. The results at the end of the trial conducted at Kano IDH recorded a survival rate of 94.4% at Kanos IDH against the overall survival rate in Nigeria of 90%. However, this anti-meningitis trial treatment was not devoid of mortality issues. Five children out of 100 children treated with Trovan and six out of 100 children treated with the standard drug Ceftriaxone died after the treatment. Though the follow-up conducted by the Pfizer team reported that there were no unusual side-effects, unrelated to meningitis, the children treated with Trovan did develop symptoms of arthritis, though no evidence relating the drug to this development is available. Trovan was being developed for its

Sanlu milk powder Essay Example for Free

Sanlu milk powder Essay Consequentialism, as its name suggests, is the view that normative properties depend only on consequences. This general approach can be applied at different levels to different normative properties of different kinds of things, but the most prominent example is consequentialism about the moral rightness of acts, which holds that whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act or of something related to that act, such as the motive behind the act or a general rule requiring acts of the same kind. Utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes utility, usually defined as maximizing total benefit and reducing suffering or the negatives. It also makes classic utilitarianism subject to attack from many angles. Persistent opponents posed plenty of problems for classic utilitarianism. Each objection led some utilitarians to give up some of the original claims of classic utilitarianism. By dropping one or more of those claims, descendants of utilitarianism can construct a wide variety of moral theories. Advocates of these theories often call them consequentialism rather than utilitarianism so that their theories will not be subject to refutation by association with the classic utilitarian theory. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) Corporate social responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business, sustainable responsible business (SRB), or corporate social performance, is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. Milton Friedman and others have argued that a corporations purpose is to maximize returns to its shareholders, and that since only people can have social responsibilities, corporations are only responsible to their shareholders and not to society as a whole. They assert that corporations have no other obligation to society. (Freeman, 1984) Corporate social responsibility (CSR) essentially requires companies to conduct business beyond compliance with the law and beyond shareholder wealth maximization. It suggests that companies should do more than they are obligated under applicable laws governing product safety, environmental protection, labor rights, human rights, community development, corruption, and so on; it also suggests that companies should consider not only the interests of shareholders but also those of other stakeholders (e. g. , employees, consumers, suppliers, and local communities). CSR requires companies to provide not only the quantity of goods, services, and employment but also the quality of life for those whose interests are affected by corporate activities. (Carroll, 2008). Facing the challenge, in order to protect and expand the market, on one hand improve the Sanlu milk purchase cost, on the other hand, through the continuous low prices, unfair competition and reduce the product quality. At the same time, Sanlu Company launched the infant formula milk powder or occupation of the rural market, adding excipient, is as high as 40%. If the production in accordance with national quality standards enterprises not only profits, but also serious losses. Vicious competition led to price higher than the cost, one of the value and price inversion phenomenon is the direct cause of Sanlu milk powder incident. (Wu, 2007) Rethink of Corporate Social Responsibility by Sanlu Milk Incident Ethic problems in Sanlu Incident have the following aspects: (1) Ethic relationship between the enterprise and the government; (2) Ethic relationship between the enterprise and the competitors; (3) Ethic relationship between the enterprise and the consumers; (4) Ethic relationship among the enterprise, consumers, and government. The analysis is made step by step as follows.

The criminal justice system in the United Kingdom

The criminal justice system in the United Kingdom Introduction: Justice is a human rights and law reform organization based in the United Kingdom. It is the British section of the International Commission of Jurists, the international human rights organization of lawyers devoted to the legal protection of human rights worldwide. Consequently, members of JUSTICE are predominantly barristers and solicitors, judges, legal academics, and law students. The main areas of Justices work are: Human rights Criminal justice European Union (EU) law The rule of the law The word fair is defined by Merriam-Websters Dictionary (2009) as marked by impartiality and honesty, free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. Related words include just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, and objective, all of which mean free from favor toward either or any side. One additional term that is important for understanding fairness is desert. Desert refers to getting what you deserve, as in reward or punishment. The Criminal Justice System of England and Wales: The Criminal Justice System (CJS) is one of the major public services in the country, with over 400,000 staff across six agencies which work together to deliver criminal justice. The core agencies are the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the courts, the National Offender Management Service (which covers prisons and probation) and the Youth Justice Board (which oversees Youth Offending Teams). Some services and initiatives within the CJS are run by a number of voluntary groups such as Victim Support and the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO). The substantive aspect of the law reflects the what of the law, in that laws are created to define certain behaviors as crimes and to provide punishments for violations of those laws. Two main goals of Criminal Justice System: One goal of the criminal justice system is to reduce crime. Reducing crime can be achieved through reactive means, such as responding to a call for service, making an arrest, obtaining a criminal conviction, and carrying out the punishment imposed by the court, or through proactive means, such as eliminating the conditions that produce criminality. Another goal of criminal justice system is justice. They have to assure that they give justice to everyone without any discrimination. Justice should be above everything. Favorism should be eliminated from the root. Is criminal justice system fair? Before you decide whether the system is fit for purpose you have to decide what that purpose is. There is too much pressure on the criminal justice system because it is supposed to solve societys ills. But it is not the answer to everything; it cant be used to cope with the mentally ill, the homeless and problem teenagers. Thats not what it is designed for; it can never be fit for that purpose. Politicians have created a panic about crime so the public now fear there wont be enough space in prison for all the people who are guilty of offences. They have trapped themselves in a debate where they tell the public there is nothing wrong with the system, then enact more criminal laws to change it. One of the greatest challenges facing the criminal justice system is the need to balance the rights of accused criminals against societys interest in imposing punishments on those convicted of crimes. That is one view. An opposite view is the problem of wrongful convictions. A spate of wrongful convictions in Canada has resulted in judges in some jurisdictions being sent on a 3-day course on avoiding wrongful convictions. Why have these convictions occurred? Four factors have been identified: Overconfident eyewitnesses Bogus prosecution experts Lying jailhouse informants (who frequently invent confessions) Overzealous prosecutors or inept lawyers who jeopardize the right to trial of the accused. An additional factor in wrongful convictions is the tendency, particularly in high profile cases, of the press, police, and publicity-seeking public figures, to convict the accused prior to trial. As expected, comments on both sides of the debate are plentiful. Some of the critics of Sir John Stevens (head of the  Metropolitan Police Service from 2000 until 2005) suggest that social action is the best approach in cutting crime, so that the issue of criminal justice never comes up, since crimes will not be committed. Job creation is an excellent example of that approach. The problem, of course, is that organized and even disorganized, that is random crime is not affected by job creation. Gangs terrorizing neighborhoods are not impressed by flower-planting and make-work programs. The issue of the criminal justice system is therefore not addressed. Crimes will still occur and the criminal justice system will still have its problems. The other view, dealing with wrongful convictions, is equally as serious. When people sit, wrongly convicted, for 15 years, major miscarriages of justice occur. Another factor influencing the system is public opinion. The courts have a difficult balance to achieve while the courts should not be controlled by public sentiment, neither should they lose the confidence of the population. Let us look now at another country, the United States of America. When the former President, Mr. Bush, was Governor of Texas, that State had an incredible record of executions. Yet I didnt see crime, or more the fear of crime, decrease. The streets of Texas cities are empty even at midday due to concerns with crime. We have seen this situation in Houston and Dallas. You cannot find people out at night walking around. Instead, they live, if they can afford it, in gated communities. Now it is equally true that Texas has a strong gun culture. However, no one doubts that hardened criminals in any jurisdiction can obtain the firepower they want. Equally, liberal approaches to crime, such as that of Mr. Lionel Jospins government in France, have resulted in the police unwilling to enter certain neighborhoods and uncontrolled street gangs burning automobiles and Lorries. Do you notice something interesting with these examples? Whether the criminal justice system is restrictive or permissive, gang violence is rampant since the public order establishment (not just the police) have not addressed the situation by eliminating the gangs. Is that the answer? Would that return order and public confidence? Should the goal of the criminal justice system be the conviction of the guilty? Or fair trials for all? Or the elimination or reduction of crime? Equally, if fair trials are the goal, and crime still dominates, there will be no public satisfaction or confidence. Reform of Criminal Justice System: The Justice for All public service agreement (PSA 24) outlines a program of reforms for reducing crime and re-offending, and providing justice. This section sets out these programs against the main priority areas. Efficiency and effectiveness Making the system/process more efficient and effective at bringing offences to justice is a priority for the Criminal Justice System. This section covers the programs aiming to support this goal. Bichard 7 Business information strategy Cross-CJS alignment Exchange links Postal charging and requisitions Prisons to Court Video Links PROGRESS Secure eMail Virtual Courts Public confidence: The Criminal Justice System working effectively requires that people in local communities feel confident that it is fair, effective and meets local needs. This section covers the programs aiming to ensure local communities are informed about its performance, consulted and engaged about their priorities. Adult Conditional Cautions Community Engagement with the CJS Youth Crime Action Plan Victim and witness satisfaction: The Criminal Justice System exists to allow victims to seek redress. This section covers the programs aiming to help improve victims and witnesses satisfaction with the service provided by the CJS. Victims Pledge Witness Charter Race disproportional: The Criminal Justice System needs to be fair to all regardless of their background or situation. This section covers the programs aiming to help identify and address any unjustified disproportional with regard to race throughout the criminal justice process. Minimum Data Set Asset recovery The Criminal Justice System is concerned with seizing assets acquired by convicted criminals through their activities. This section covers the programs aiming to support the recovery of assets from criminals. Content will be available shortly. Compliance and enforcement: Ensuring that offenders and defendants comply with sentences and orders of the Criminal Justice System is integral to delivering an effective and efficient justice system that inspires public confidence and trust. This section covers programs aiming to produce an improved way of measuring compliance and enforcement performance. Compliance and enforcement measure. WORD COUNT:

Public Relations And Business Ethics Management Essay

Public Relations And Business Ethics Management Essay Literally Public relations mean relations with publics, e.g. customer, employees, investors, communities, media, suppliers, government, industry bodies, pressure groups, competitors etc. It is defined as the management of communication between an organization and its publics (Grunig and Hunt 1984, p.6 McElreath 1996). PR is the discipline that looks after organizations reputation, maintains its public image and facilitates relations in order to gain understanding and support as well as influence opinion and behavior (McElreath 1996, Ciprco.uk). It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its public (Cipr.co.uk). For an organisation, there are varying functions of public relations. The 4 main areas are first, marketing communication, by which PR is used as a promotional tool to help achieve marketing objectives. The second area is financial public relations, by which it present information to business reporters. The third comes to product public relations, which aim to gain publicity for companys product and service and lastly, crisis public relations which concentrate on the responding to negative information. Other areas of PR practise include building rapport with investor and community, employee, media and government (Rubel, 2007). Thus it can be seen that PR can complement advertising and marketing but it has its own identity as a profession Public relations also involve in assessing and supervising public attitudes as well as maintaining mutual understanding and relations between an organization and its public. To provides exposure to its audiences, public relations practitioners use third-party endorsement such as topics of public interest which do not associate with direct payment (Seitel, 2007). Some wildly used PR tools include press releases, media kits, brochures, newsletters, annual reports and interactive social media. Common PR activities include working with the media, speaking at conferences, crisis communication and employee communication. By responding to the stakeholders expectations and harmonizing their interests with the organization, PR serves as an intermediary. Effective PR will help the organization to convey information and message to its public improve communication channels and develop new ways to encourage two-way communication thus crafting its public image and public awareness in order to increase patronage of its product. Why has ethics become a central issue for PR field in recent years? The initiative that corporations should be ethical and socially responsible began in 1960s. It was a time that businesses were growing rapidly and internationally (Lantos, 2001). The danger associates with corporations unethically pursuing profit and social power has heightened public awareness. In recent times, it has also been seen that some of the most famous companies lost public confidence from the publicity because of their dishonourable behaviours. Examples include Shell contributed to environmental degradation; Nike operated sweatshops in developing countries and the once top corporations such as Worldcom and Enron the collapse because of fault. Apart from destroying individual companys reputation, these scandals raised questions of corporate credibility and shaken public confidence in the entire global business. Public relations, as a communications function, has a major role in disclosing the company financial and other critical information as well as the management of relationships between the organisation and its key stakeholders. Thus ethical dilemmas are especially common in Public practices because PR always need to handle highly sensitive and controversial matters. Besides, the complicated and different levels (interpersonal, organisational and societal) of relationships which PR always engaged with will often incur conflicting expectations and interests between different publics. Therefore it is sometimes quiet difficult for PR professionals can act ethically and to get a balance between being an advocator of external and internal publics and at the same time, taking care of companys interests. However, it should be noted that maintaining ethical standards and values is the key to the establishment of good relationships with clients, employees and media (Baskin Aronoff, 1992: 88). Harlow emphasized the importance of ethical communication by highlighting that it is PR practitioners duty to serve public interest (Vithakamontri, 1991:19). The importance of ethics is associated with the positive relationship between good public relations and business success. Ethical and socially responsible companies are proved to enjoy better relations with its public (Baker, 2004). Companies with ethical conduct might appear to succeed at first, but often it can be found that they suffer from poor public relations in a longer term. In 2002, WorldComm admitted falsifying its income statements and became the biggest bankrupt company ever. The scandal wave soon swept away other corporate giants such as HealthSouth, Tyco and Auther Anderson and brought jail terms to many, even homemaking icon Martha Steward. On the other hand, many corporations create a critical source of competitive advantage-a climate of acceptance for the organisation by being ethical and engaging actively with CRS activities. Corporate social responsibility can serve as a way to strategically differentiate itself from the competitors. Like the Co-operative Group, Body Shop and American Apparel, they build customer loyalty based on distinctive ethical values (Pieczka, 2001) and they do benefit from building a reputation for integrity. Besides, some of them do it through working with local communities to help educate children and develop skills for adults in Flower Valley, Africa. Starbuck and Marks and Spencer also actively help the African community by guaranteeing fair trade purchases. Another approach to corporate social responsibility is to incorporate the CSR strategy directly into the organizations business strategy. For examples, many business including KPMG, PG and Starbucks has policy to only procure Fair Tra de tea and coffee. As we can see, ethical public relations is key to the organizations success as good ethics is simply good business. So it is worth to examine ethic in a greater detail. Ethic is defined as a value system for making decisions about what is right or wrong. The organisations conduct is not only measured against their consciences but also against societal and professional norm, so organizations, with different nations, industries and organization cultures, have different standards. Ethical choices are rarely black and white but sometimes it means a higher standard than the law. In a business perspective, business ethics and corporate governance refers to the system by which companies are controlled. Nowadays most companies have in-house codes of ethic and codes of social responsibility (Heath and Ryan, 1989). It has been argued that ethics is the duty to tell the truth. A study regarding ethical judgments concluded that regardless of peoples cultures and religions, honesty outweighed all other considerations. Honesty is particularly essential to the communication industry because dishonesty leads to lack of trust. When a PR practitioner is discovered telling a half-truths, he will be resented. According to the PR professional codes of conduct, telling the truth underpins all other practices (Keller, 1983:1). Beside triple bottom line reporting (3Ps) is becoming commonplace. The 3 pillars, People, Planet and Profits capture a new criterion of measuring organizational success: social, ecological and economical. Companies like Shell and McDonalds have issued Statements of Business Principles and Social Responsibility reports. To fulfill societys moral obligations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is introduced. CSR policy is self-regulating mechanisms where businesses monitor and ensure it follow the law and ethical standards so business can embrace responsibility for the impact on the communities, environment and employees. Moreover, CSR-focused businesses would promote the iterest of the public by encouraging community development and abolishing practices which give damage. So it is said that CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the honouring of a triple bottom line (Heath Ryan, 1989). What role should public relations play in improving levels of corporate social responsibility? There is a strong emphasis on the role Public relations play in implementing social responsibility among leading practitioners. Social responsibility has become a major reason for an organization to have a public relations function (Grunig and Hunt , 1984). Similarly, Harold Burson advocated that the public relations practitioners should provide qualitative evaluation of social trends, which helps developing policies and leading to a formal corporate response (Burson, 1974). Bernays also argue that, Public relations are the practice of social responsibility (Stone, 2005, p. 31). It has been pointed out that PR role is to serve not only their clients but the whole society at large (Kruckeberg and Starck, 1988). Social responsibility is understood as a concept of public relations, some scholars believe that with public relations, businesses can successfully implement social responsibility programmes. Thus PRs role of consciences in the decision-making is particularly important (Dennis, 1981). From the above review of related literature, it can be concluded that CRS obligation to serve the society applies to both individual PR practitioners and the professions as a whole. The welfare of the public should be taken into account when individual practitioner helps clients to solve problem. Meanwhile the associations of PR professionals should use their power collectively as moral agents for a better world (Clark, 2000). PR roles in improving the level of corporate social responsibility include the following. First PR need to improve the conduct of company by emphasizing the need for public approval. As a management function which looks after organizations reputation (McElreath 1996), to look for the company best interest, public relations practitioners should actively be engaged in the proposing and initiating of Corporate Social Responsibility. They should fight for CRS implementation with management. Knowledgeable staff is an important as they play a significant role in counseling management and ensuring that CRS programs maintain high professional standards (Tilson and Vance, 1985). It has been argued as the publics expect organizations to take on a greater role in solving community problems; they want to see businesses being ethical. PR professionals should go beyond advisory role and should regard themselves as the consciences of their organizations (Judds, 1989 Choi, 2005). It is true that th e most important thing is how a company conduct itself and deal with its publics. Communications is second to that. It is very important for the company to truly embrace CRS. Merely publicizing them is not effective as it has to be backed by appropriate behaviour. Also, public relation should serve the public interests by making all points of view communicative in the public. When CRS become part of the organization management initiative, PR as a communication function between an organization and its publics (Grunig and Hunt 1984, p.6 McElreath 1996), it has an important role to align corporate organization behaviour with stakeholder expectations. It should be done through a process of identifying public interest and potential CSR issues, prioritizing them, and closely monitoring their evolution, they can be managed-either by changing the companys behaviour or its stakeholders expectations, or both (Clark, 2002). Besides, Public relations should advance its professionalism by codifying and enforcing ethical conduct and standard of performance, serve our society by using mediation to replace misinformation and execute its social responsibility to promote human welfares. However, the practice of CSR is subject to much criticism. Critics argue that CSR is just a superficial window-dressing, they believe that companies like BP, British American Tobacco and McDonalds are using CSR programs to distract the public from ethical questions incurred in their operations. These corporations maximize their profit through raising their reputation. Another example, Shell has a much-publicized CSR policy and was a pioneer in triple bottom line reporting, but this did not prevent the 2004 scandal concerning its misreporting of oil reserves. It is important to note that CRS is an aid to an organizations mission as well as a guide to what the company stands for and will uphold to its consumers. Merely taking token gestures will only throw poor practice into sharper focus. Also, organization has to be flexible and see what legislators are up to and update the CSR programme in order to stay ahead as issues change with time and lastly CSR policies needs to be ensured that they are well implemented. It is believed that with well management, CSR can be an opportunity for a company to differentiate itself. Organizations can also benefit from the proliferation of annual list in major media. In a long run, managing relationships successfully required ethical conduct so effective public relations cannot be about deception and manipulations. Thus real public relations require honesty and a genuine concern for the needs and expectations of the public and it will build trust and credibility.

The Marxist Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Marxist Hamlet In his article "'Funeral Bak'd Meats:'   Carnival and the Carnivalesque in Hamlet," Michael D. Bristol mingles Marxism and Bakhtin's notion of double discoursed textuality into an unique reading of Shakespeare's drama as a struggle between opposing economic classes.   Bristol opens with a two paragraph preface on Marxism, highlighting Marx's own abnegation of Marxism:   "Marx is famous for the paradoxical claim that he was not a Marxist" (Bristol 348).   While he acknowledges some of the flaws inherent in Marxist criticism, Bristol uses the introductory paragraphs to assert the "enormous importance" of "the theory of class consciousness and class struggle" which Marxist theory includes (349).   Having prepared readers for a discourse whose foundation lies upon "the most fundamental idea in Marxism," Bristol recasts Hamlet as a class struggle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A strange, mutli-faceted mingling pervades Bristol's argument, and, according to his thesis the drama of Hamlet as well.   According to Bristol, two contrasting texts, two opposing social worlds, flow past one another in the drama, forming a strange suspension "of grief and of festive laughter" (350).   This odd juxtaposition of opposites becomes the basis for Bristol's introduction of the carnivalesque.   The echoes of Carnival within Hamlet, according to Bristol, ceaselessly evolve throughout the play until they reach their most perfect representation in the grave-diggers' scene of the fifth act.   Bristol assigns Carnival a function that immensely strengthens his thesis:   "Carnival opens up alternative possibilities for action and helps to facilitate creativity in the social sphere" (351).   Bristol's discussion of Carnival expands in order to include the theories ... ...istol concludes his article by explaining the ultimate end of the Carnivalesque, "the dissolution, and finally the extinction of identity, the annihilation of the individual in the historical continuum" (365).   The bodies of the festival-makers, the court of Hamlet, lie on the stage like "slaughtered 'meat'" (364).   Bristol concludes that the second culture, or the second language, of Carnival within the drama of Hamlet, supplies an alternate reading for the drama by "uncrowning the shifting rationales used to explicate political intrigue," by transforming the play into a struggle between social classes as expressed by the carnivalesque (365).   The doubleness of Hamlet, the mingling of tragedy and the comic, sheds new light on the drama as an ambivalent and grotesque Carnival which diametrically contrasts the power and propriety typically associated with the play.

Cloning :: essays research papers

Millions of people. They all look alike, think alike, and dress alike. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, right? Well, with cloning it’s possible, maybe. They will look alike, but that’s about it. Cloning will help the world, not make it the same. Three pros to cloning are that cloning may hold the secret to eternal youth, the research of genes has changed the thinking of scientists, and that parents would be able to have a child who looks exactly like a model, movie star, etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, cloning could lead to the discovery of the secret to eternal youth. If anyone had a chance to live forever, they would take it. If anyone could have a child who could live forever, they would do it. Cloning may be the answer to eternal youth. â€Å"He said the creation of transgenetic animals could be an important tool in ... ultimately stopping -- the aging process.† Becoming immortal is not the only plus to cloning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, the research of cloning has helped scientists become aware of the way genes operate. With continuous research into the ways of cloning scientists could come to understand the ways cells and genes work. As the information grows we will be able to get rid of genetic diseases and defects. â€Å"As geneticists have come to understand the ways in which genes operate, they have also become aware of the myriad ways in which the environment affects their ‘expression.’† In the future people will be able to decide what their child will look like and what kind of base intelligence the child will have, but they will not be able to decide the child’s fate. For the people who want to control what their children will look like, there is the possibility of cloning a famous person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, parents will be able to clone a model’s appearance so that their child looks exactly like the person. This would get rid of a feeling of not being beautiful and would allow people to worry about more important things than what other people think a bout them. â€Å"Suppose a couple wants a ‘designer child’ - a clone of Cindy Crawford or Elizabeth Taylor -- because they want a daughter who will grow up to be as attractive as those women.† This would be possible because of the fact that the child would not think or act like the person they were cloned from, they would only look the same.

Magic Realism: A Problem :: Essays Papers

Magic Realism: A Problem "Magic Realism" is a term used by critics to describe a mingling of the mundane with the fantastic. This may seem a straightforward enough approach unless one happens to be a student of postcolonial studies - or at least, a student of postcolonialism should smell a rat. A brief history of the term is required for us to see why the term should be deemed problematical. In 1925 Franz Roh, a German art critic, used the term to describe a new post-expressionistic form that was emerging. Essentially the art described as "magic realism" was realist but was simultaneously possessed of a strange or dreamlike quality. If one were to seek a literary analog - although it is probably better if one did not - the paintings were a non-verbal equivalent of defamiliarization. Essentially, the magic was derived from the painting technique employed by the associated artists rather than the actual content (ultimately it came to be viewed as a kind of down-market surrealism). Later, in 1955, Angel Flores applied the term (with some modification - he referred to it as "magical realism") to Spanish-American writing. Flores put forward Borges as the master of this form and suggested Kafka as a Eurpoean equivalent. In this caase magic realism was distinguished by the fact that its practitioners treated the fantastic as normal, without any sense of surprise or amazement. In summary one could say - somewhat tritely - that Flores' version of magic realism was Dickens with weirdness: 19th century realism dotted with fantastical moments beyond spontaneous human combustion. Gradually Flores' definition was expanded, yet simultaneously narrowed to include folkloric elements. However, this is an over-simplification of the case - these elements came to be regarded as essential. With folklore being considered an integral part of the genre, Borges could no longer be considered a magic realist (instead he could only be considered as part of fantastic literature - although he is now regarded as an essential if early cog in postmodernism's wheel). Perhaps the novel most commonly described as magic realist is Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Yet, if one takes the definition as being strictly one which must include folklore, this novel too is shifted into the realms of fantastic literature. Instead, a critic adhering to the term in this way would say that a Garcia Marquez novel such as Chronicle of a Death Foretold, or Love in the Time of Cholera, is a magic realist novel.

Kellogg Book Essay

This book is intended to be a resource for members of the Kellogg School of Management Class of 2005 as they look for summer internships in the consulting industry (as well as for general management internships) for the summer of 2004. The book will also be useful to current first-year students during the fall of 2004 as they look for full-time postKellogg consulting jobs, as well as to the yet-to-be-admitted Kellogg Class of 2006 in their summer and full-time job searches. While we hope this document results in more Kellogg students reaching their employment goals, we are also confident that using this resource to prepare for case interviews will reduce the stress associated with the interviewing process. Additionally, students will find this document to be a useful reference for Kellogg’s core strategy course, MGMT 431, regardless of whether or not they plan to interview for consulting jobs. This introduction will provide an overview of the different sections of the book, recommend how it is to be used, and offer general thoughts of how this fits book in to the bigger picture. To this last point, the book is not intended to be the only resource that Kellogg students will need during the recruiting process for consulting. Rather, it is meant to be a central body of work that provides a complete and thorough introduction to the process, offers its reader a road map of the basic toolkit needed to succeed in these interviews, and also points him or her to other resources that may be helpful. Background on this book and acknowledgements can be found in Appendix A. 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 2 Sections This book is divided into six sections, plus five appendices. Section I is this introduction, whose goals are stated above. Section II provides an overview of the case interviewing process and offers general advice on how to perform magnificently during the interviews. (It is adapted primarily from the Fleischmann, Fong, and Marciano article that is alluded to in Appendix A, and has been reorganized into seven sub-sections. ) Section III provides ten sample cases. The first seven of these are meant to be solved in a 30-to-45 minute interview; the first six contain slides. The last three cases are shorter and attempt to emulate the 10-to-15 minute case nterviews that are used by some consulting firms. After all of the practice cases, Section IV discusses fit interviewing, which is a typically smaller, but no less important, part of the overall process. Again, this section is adapted primarily from the earlier work of Fleischmann et. al. Section V provides one-page overviews of each of the eleven consulting firms that are currently planning to in terview Kellogg first-years for jobs during the summer of 2004. Of special interest in this section are the interview formats used by various companies. Students who are interviewing should use this information to customize their case practice and preparation, based on the formats used by the companies that are most of interest to them. Finally, Section VI provides some concluding thoughts and attempts to synthesize the key â€Å"take-away† points of the book. How To Use The Book We would like to conclude this introduction by orienting the reader as to how we envision this book being used. We have mentioned previously that it is not designed to be the only available or necessary resource on the subject. Students who attempt to use it in this way are doing themselves a disservice. Instead, it should be used in tandem with the many other 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 3 resources that are available, such as case books from other business schools, Kellogg Career Management Center (CMC) counselors, students at Kellogg who have worked in consulting or are planning to, company representatives and literature, and the rest of the list of resources that is summarized in Appendix B. As for this book, sections I, II, IV, and VI are written to be read straight through (not necessarily in only one sitting). Section III provides practice cases that should be used or studied one at a time. Section V provides thumbnail data on companies that are interviewing at Kellogg, and is meant to be a quick reference for students who are interviewing in those firms. Particular attention should be placed on the various interview formats used by each different company. To maximize results, candidates should study cases that most closely mimic the ones that are given by the firms that they are planning to interview with and/or most want to work for. It is our hope that the combination of this book and of other available resources will maximize the effectiveness of Kellogg students during the winter quarter 2004 interviewing process. If anyone has any questions about the book or the process, they should feel free to directly contact me, either of the Associate Editors, Prof. Marciano, the Kellogg CMC, or any of the 2003-2004 Kellogg Consulting Club co-chairs1. We are all here to help Kellogg first-years get as many summer consulting job offers as possible. Best of luck in the process! Edwin Van Dusen Editor, 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book Evanston, Illinois December, 2003 1 The co-chairs are Leo Castro, Ami Fadia, Hanna Norfleet, Jason Greenwald, Brian Oxley, and Ojas Wadikvar, all from the Kellogg Class of 2004. 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 4 II. How to Ace Case Interviews2 Overview of Section This section provides a complete and comprehensive overview of the case interview process and is probably the single most important section in the book, along with Section III on practice cases. It offers advice on how to best navigate the process, and is divided into seven sub-sections to make the material easier to understand and digest: 1. Sub-section one provides an overview of the case interviewing process. 2. Sub-section two discusses the use of frameworks, and the need to strike a balance between a structured approach and the pitfalls of an overly regimented analysis. 3. Sub-section three walks through a step-by-step illustration of a case interview and is in turn sub-divided into five parts. 4. Sub-section four reviews several common case situations and how to handle them. These include public math, how to get unstuck, and the infamous estimate questions. 5. Sub-section five reviews seven common types of cases that are frequently found in case interviews. 6. Sub-section six goes through some overall tips on how to handle the process. Please do not be put off by the â€Å"laundry list† format of this section, for it contains some important nuggets of advice and wisdom. 7. Finally, sub-section seven provides some concluding thoughts about the process. 2 As mentioned in the Introduction, the text in this section has been primarily adapted from the 2001 Fleischmann, Fong, and Marciano article, although some of the content and wording are new. They, and we, would like to give special thanks to Jason Moss and Chris Riley (both members of the Kellogg Class of 2001) for their invaluable contributions to the initial document, from which this section is primarily adapted. 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 5 We have endeavored to distill the most important aspects of the case interview process into this section while keeping it to a manageable length. Obviously, since entire books have been written on this subject, it was not possible for us to include every detail or every opinion on the matter. Students should probably begin by reading this section to get the major points, and then can consult some of the additional resources listed in Appendix B if they feel that they still need to get more depth and detail. Sub-Section One of Seven – Overview of Case Interviews This section will describe the format and structure of case interviews, discuss the various types of cases that one may encounter, and provide practical tips and advice on enhancing one’s chances for success. Fit interviews will be discussed in Section IV later in this book. The consulting interview process may be unlike any series of interviews that a person has been through before Kellogg. While each consulting firm has its own distinct style and method of interviewing, virtually all screen candidates using a combination of â€Å"fit† and â€Å"case† interviews. Understanding and being prepared for both of these types of interviews improves one’s chances of obtaining a position in the field and also reduces the angst associated with the process. The framework is simply a tool to help you structure your response, so do not get too hung up here and waste valuable time that you could be using to advance the discussion. Your initial framework should be a broad sketch, not a detailed blueprint, of how you intend to go about solving the case problem. The details of your analysis should evolve interactively with the interviewer as you progress through the interview. Based on the framework you have developed, you should be able to identify several possible paths towards addressing the case issue. For example, consider a case about Firm X whose profits declined last year. Firm X’s reduced profits could be due to sagging revenues, rising costs, or both. Given that your interview time is limited, it is important to prioritize the issues you will investigate in the case. Investigate the most likely solution to the problem first, followed by the second most likely, and so on. The initial information that you have been given 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 14 may steer you towards a particular path. Take cues (subtle or overt) from your interviewer about which paths hold the most merit. For example, if you were told that Firm X recently altered its product mix, you might want to start by examining the prices of its various products. Based on the information you have received, and the framework you have developed, you should formulate an initial hypothesis about the case problem you are evaluating. In the parlance of case interviews, a hypothesis is what you believe to be the central issue of the case, or the solution to it. With regard to Firm X, your initial hypothesis could be that the root cause of its declining profits is that it is selling relatively more low price/low margin products than it had in the past. You may not be given enough information at the onset of a case to develop a reasonable hypothesis from the start. If that happens, progress through your framework, elicit information from the interviewer, and develop a hypothesis as soon as you can. If your initial hypothesis turns out to be wrong, which is often the case, try another one. It is not an automatic â€Å"ding† to not guess the answer correctly on the first try. But it is a likely â€Å"ding† to give up or to lose sight of the main issue, which is to eventually solve the client’s problem. Some firms are more or less receptive to hearing an interviewee, very early on, state a hypothesis for analysis. The key lesson here is to know the firms that you are interviewing with. If you are interviewing with a firm that conducts its cases/engagements with an â€Å"Answer First† approach, then you should probably state a hypothesis early and then relate findings to it as the case progresses: â€Å"this supports my initial hypothesis†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"that seems to refute my initial belief, my revised working hypothesis is now†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Other firms may conduct their work by doing much more detailed data collection before forming a hypothesis. In this case, strive to form a hypothesis, but hold back on stating it until you have collected more data: â€Å"OK, I think I now have enough information to form a hypothesis – based on facts A, B and C, it looks like X might 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 15 be happening. Here’s how I would evaluate whether X is truly going on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  With these firms, you may look like you’re jumping to conclusions if your hypothesis isn’t fact-based. Ask members of the firm about their firm’s preference prior to your interview (that’s what all those cocktail receptions are for). Step Three of Five – Articulation After you have developed your analytical framework, prioritized potential solution paths, and formulated your initial hypothesis, the next step is to articulate them to the interviewer. In the case of Firm X, it might go something like this: â€Å"Given that Firm X has experienced a decline in profitability, I am going to begin my evaluation by investigating the various elements that make up profit, namely revenues and costs (framework). Since you mentioned that Firm X has seen its product mix change over the past year, I will begin by analyzing the firm’s revenues, focusing first on pricing (prioritization). It could be that a decline in Firm X’s average price is causing its profits to suffer (hypothesis). If that turns out not to be the case, then I will look at changes in the company’s cost structure. † It is critical in case interviews to demonstrate a structured, logical, and thorough thought process. If you do not verbalize your thought process to the interviewer, (s)he will not be able to evaluate your performance. In addition to talking through your thought process, you may find it beneficial to sketch out your analysis framework on your note pad. Writing down your framework will help you to organize your thoughts, and to regain focus if you get stuck or your analysis becomes very complicated. Just as importantly, an illustrated framework shows the interviewer that you are thinking in a structured manner, and makes it easier for him or her to guide you. Many successful consulting interviewees extol the importance of â€Å"paper management† in case interviews. Interviewers often encourage candidates to take notes, and some even keep 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 16 those notes to help remember the path that the interviewee took during his or her case. Whether or not this happens to you, your notepad is an excellent communications medium during your interview. Consultants are generally graphical thinkers – even if they didn’t start this way, they now communicate in slides, charts, and graphs. Speak their language – sketch out your thoughts on your paper, write large, and show the interviewer what you are doing. It is not uncommon for an interviewer to look under an interviewee’s shoulder onto his or her notepad, and comment on it and/or ask questions about its contents. For example, â€Å"I see from your notes that you have come up with five reasons why Firm A should acquire Firm B, and the first one is distribution synergies. What do you mean by that? † Draw out your framework so that the interviewer can see where you’re going, and steer you accordingly. Many interviewees divide their paper into three sections. In the first section, they note facts about the situation (both those given in the initial situation explanation as well as facts uncovered through questions). In section two, analysis is performed, and in section three key findings/conclusions are noted (this section is especially helpful when the candidate is asked to â€Å"sum up† at the close of the case). Note: this does not have to all occur on the same page – feel free to use multiple sheets of paper; the clearer your actions are to the interviewer, the better. Be as graphical and as structured as possible whenever you seek to convey concepts like organizational structure or whenever you do quantitative analysis. Quantitative analysis, in particular, should be laid out in rows and columns â€Å"Excel-style† (ideally with the equation noted above the columns) so that interviewers can follow your calculations. Doing fancy math in your head is great, but it’s more important to illustrate to the interviewer how you are coming to your numbers than to wow them with calculation speed. Your arithmetic may be correct, but your equation may be missing a critical variable. Drawing out your thoughts helps the interviewer 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 17 identify this and correct your course. This is far preferable to leaving the interviewer wondering why your number does not match the number that is given in the case solutions. To err is human, but to do so in a way that leaves the interviewer wondering about whether the problem was with your arithmetic or your thought process is likely to prove fatal. Step Four of Five – Analysis: Ask Questions, Gather Information, and Test Hypotheses Having articulated your framework and initial hypothesis, you are ready to move into the analysis phase, which should be the bulk of the interview. In the analysis phase, you should ask questions, synthesize the information provided, and draw conclusions based on the facts. By asking questions and bringing to light new information, you will be able to determine whether your initial hypothesis was valid or invalid. If the data proves your hypothesis to be invalid, systematically follow your framework and progress to the issue with the next highest priority. In addition, based on new information you receive, develop a new hypothesis as soon as possible. For example: â€Å"Based on what I’ve learned so far, it appears as though Firm X’s product mix and revenues are not the most important cause of its declining profitability. So now I’ll move on to investigate the firm’s costs (transition to next branch of the framework). You mentioned that Firm X recently signed a new agreement with its unions, so I’ll start by examining its labor costs. It could be that an unfavorable union contract has inflated the firm’s labor expenses and negatively impacted its profits (new hypothesis). † Asking questions, collecting information, and developing and testing hypotheses is an iterative process, and constitutes a good case interview. As you receive answers to your inquiries, you should be able to hone in on the solution to the problem, and the interviewer may point you in the right direction. Even if all of your hypotheses are ultimately proved invalid, if 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 18 you have solicited relevant facts and drawn conclusions in a structured, logical manner, you will have done well. Do not forget that it is important to verbalize your thought process throughout the entire interview. Avoid long periods of silence — the interviewer is attempting to evaluate how you think, and mute introspection precludes this. When doing calculations, tell the interviewer everything that you’re doing. This maximizes the interviewer’s ability to coach you and illustrates your thought process. It takes practice to be able to do this with aplomb, but it is a skill well worth developing. Asking questions is a fundamental part of the process, but remember to do so within the context of your framework, as opposed to firing off questions in no particular order. As you work through the case, it is a good idea to verbally summarize where you are, what you have learned, what the information means in diagnosing the problem, and where you are headed next. Summarizing can also be a useful technique to buy yourself time to think if you become stuck. Take caution not to summarize too frequently, however, because it takes away from the time that you should be using to analyze the case issue. Step Five of Five – Summary and Recommendation When you feel you have covered all the bases in your analysis, or when you have run out of time, end by summarizing the situation and providing a recommendation. If at all possible, always end your interviews with a succinct recommendation. Try not to recap the path of analysis that you have just performed. Instead, draw on key facts to give a clear answer to the central question of the case. For example, â€Å"I do not recommend that the firm enter the market, given that the industry in question is characterized by low barriers to entry, intense rivalry, and significant supplier power† (all of which you discovered through your analysis). 2004 Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book 19 You might also add next steps or additional considerations, as appropriate, to make your analysis more balanced and thorough. For example, â€Å"Based on the discussion that we had today, I would not recommend at this point that the firm enter the market. However, I would also want to know more about the regulatory trends in the market, and about the industry’s distribution channel mix, before making a final decision in a real situation. † Remember, cases are usually complex. If you imply to the interviewer that you have completely addressed the issue in 30 to 45 minutes, you may be perceived as short-sighted or arrogant. It’s much better to state what you’ve found and can reasonably infer, and then identify the areas that you’d like to further penetrate (if given more time) and the assumptions that you’ve made that you think your conclusions are most sensitive to. An important point to keep in mind is that even if you are dead wrong, if you have approached the problem in a logical, structured, and thorough manner, you have done well. You will likely encounter the â€Å"elevator test† at the end of some of your interviews. It typically goes something like this, â€Å"We’re out of time. Sum this up in 30 seconds so I can tell the client our major findings. The purpose of this exercise is to see whether you can identify the most important elements of the case, distill complex issues into concise, easily understandable terms, and maintain your poise when thrust into a stressful situation.

Gender Roles in Sports Essay

Gender Roles in Sports Ever since the beginning of the Olympics Games in Greece in 776 B. C. , women have always been put on the back burner when it comes to sports. To this day there are very noticeable differences in women’s sports compared the nature of men’s sports. Women and men alike experience their inequalities in sports. For example, of you were to ask a group of people what they would rather watch: women’s basketball or men’s basketball; generally speaking the majority of the group would favor watching men’s basketball. On the contrary, most individuals would rather watch women’s synchronized swimming as opposed to men’s synchronized swimming. Sports and all things involved are a business. Men playing professional sports get paid drastically more than women playing professional sports. It would be highly unlikely for a woman to get paid a 60 million dollar contract over six years like a man in professional sports would. According to www. therichest. org, soccer player David Beckham is currently worth 219 million dollars. He made 40 million dollars last year. If you compare that to the highest paid women’s athlete, Maria Sharapova, who made over 25 million dollars, this fact proclaims that fans pay drastically more to see males to play professional sports. According to www. therichest. org, the ten highest paid professional women’s athlete made 113 million dollars over the past twelve months, up only one percent from the year 2010. The ten highest paid, professional male sports athletes collectively made 449 million dollars. The reason they set up the Olympics Games like they did in 776 B. C. , by not allowing to participate or even watch, is because the spectators wanted to only have the strongest, fastest, and most durable to play and even witness the games. The games were a tribute to the Greek God Zeus. The people of Greece wanted to show Zeus the best of the best in their society. People don’t want to watch women play sports just like they don’t want to watch dumb people play chess or jeopardy. It’s logic, not sexism. When you watch the WNBA the most exciting thing you see is a backwards layup or a no look pass. When you watch the NBA, you see a man doing three hundred sixty degree slam dunks and all kinds of other cool tricks that naturally appease the like of their fans. The dynamic presence of men doing what women can’t inevitably draw’s a bigger crowd. Contact sports especially have a really addictive and enticing nature about them that women’s sports simply don’t have. All these aspects of contact driven sports are masculine, testosterone driven traits that are unlike the nature of women. This is the main reason their participation is absent and men dominate the sports fan’s wants. Gender inequality in sports has always been a growing problem up until June 23, 1973 when President Nixon signed Title IX. This law was a huge victory for women in the fight for equality in sports. â€Å"The law prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity within any institution any type of Federal financial assistance,† according to Duffy. This was women’s first chance to gain legal equality in sports. Women didn’t just get equality from this law, but they also got opportunity for equality. This law addressed the historical discrimination women have faced ever since the beginning of the Olympics first came about in 776 B. C. There is no women’s professional football team or any kind of football league for women. Men are not interested in watching women play the types of sports that men are always going to be better at. The only exception is women’s football where they play wearing lingerie; it’s sick how society works like that. The NBA is in a lock out as this paper is being typed. You can see the progress on the news every day. If the WNBA were to be in a lockout, the chances of it being on the news every day is highly unlikely. There are in fact sports that women are becoming more popular in like golf, gymnastics, figure skating, volleyball, and tennis. These sports complement the shape of a woman’s body. Also, figure skating, volleyball, and gymnastics are sports the women are especially better at due to their elegant figures and different bone structure. The stars of these sports are portrayed as sexy, curvy, graceful, and radiant. Men who are famous with sports like basketball, football, baseball, and soccer are known to be strong, dominant, and masculine. â€Å"The thought was that if women participated in strenuous activity that they would damage their reproductive organs, which would ultimately not fulfill an absurd belief that the primary role of women in society was to have children and care for the men,† heard from the thoughts of Murphy. Women in society in general are the face of modeling and sexy images. Commercials, advertisements, and every day television programs have sexy women posing with whatever it is they are trying to sell. This works the same way with them in sports. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition has a whole lot of sexy women posing in skimpy swimwear. That goes the same for the sports they’re involved in that are popular. For these reasons, women dominate those sports which lead to their popularity when it came to people watching them. There’s always the stereotype that women are lesbians or dikes for playing sports that require adequate physical strength and endurance. For instance, bodybuilding has always been a man’s sport. Women are always thought to be feminine and when you see a woman who is at least twice your size; judgments go through the roof not only with the judges, but with the audience as well. In Jennifer Banas topic of Women Athletes in Male Dominated Sports, she speaks her mind when saying, â€Å"Now, the contestants should be judged on muscle tone of the body right. Wrong. In order to define which women has the best and most well defined body, the judges feel compelled to define â€Å"body† in relation to â€Å"women. Recalling a time there was a girl at my old high school that graduated and went on to join a volleyball team at a college. After her first visit home, she was utterly disappointed to find her peers had started a rumor about her that she was a lesbian and that’s why she joined the team in the first place. It broke her heart to get that type of support, or lack thereof, from the people she grew up with who fully knew she was never a lesbian. Football is another example of this. If a woman decides she wants to become a football player, she should not have to worry about what her peers are going to say or think about her. She shouldn’t have to worry about being called those names like lesbian and dike if she wants to be a football player. When it comes to being in these competitions with lady football players, the judgments are a bit skewed and distorted due to the fact that men are typically associated with strong and large muscles. So when spectators have to look at a female figure, that has the typical aspects of a male’s figure, it can be a little confusing. The assumptions and discrimination still goes on to this day even if there is a law prohibiting it. It has been an issue since sports were first celebrated on a large scale in Greece 776 B. C. Although society is slowly but surely progressing towards a more open-minded view when it comes to sports, there is always going to be a gap when it comes to overall crowd appeal. Men’s sports are more interesting to watch simply due to the fact that they are better, faster, stronger, and intense. It all boils down to the money, and men’s sports generate more money. For these reasons gender inequality will always be a persisting problem in sports. Work Citied Page Duffy, Felice M. (2000). Twenty-seven years post title ix. http://heinonline. org/ http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/local/scisoc/sports02/papers/emurphy. html http://www. therichest. org/sports/forbes-highest-paid-female-athletes/   http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/local/scisoc/sports02/papers/jbanas. html

American history since 1876

Wars often have a significant impact upon the domestic development of a nation. Every nation at one point or the other has experienced a war of some sort and this has gone a long way in shaping economic, political and social lives of citizens. United States in particular had a fair share of wars especially looking back at the last two or so decades. The World War and the Cold War were very instrumental in shaping what the United States of America is today. This discussion looks at how these two wars brought about changes in the political, social and economic arenas (Martin, G.S. 2004). The Second World War commonly referred to as World War 2 was conflict in the military that was felt throughout the world by all nations. The Cold War on the other hand was subsequent to the Second World War and it was a conflict between the western region of the world led by U. S and the Soviet Union. The effects of the world war were evident in many countries and United States was no exception. The ef fects were both negative and positive. They were negative in the sense there was a lot of destruction of property and many lives were lost.However there are also many positive effects in that many developments were achieved. The first notable development was in the area of technology. It is during the world war that the forerunner was developed which would later bring about the development of television. This paved way for the growth of the economy of what was later to become the world’s superpower. It was not all about growth. As already mentioned the Second World War also had far reaching negative effects.One of the greatest economic devastations that have always been associated with the Second World War was the Great Depression where banks closed unemployment soared as factories closed down, people starved, there were long queues for bread and the rural folks lost their mortgages. It was due to deteriorated housing conditions, unbearable working conditions and unavailabili ty of essential commodities that is said to have brought the economic growth down. The government’s ability to control the economy through control over spending and consumption emerged during the great depression.It is thus believed that the Great Depression did contribute indirectly to the growth of the economy of the U. S. It is also clear that the Cold War left the U. S as the only super power with Russia having collapsed (Martin, G. S. 2004). The World War 2 and the Cold did also have effects on the social and cultural life of the Americans. It was evident that after such a long period of war American citizens were finding it hard to adjust to the ordinary life. It took them a couple of years before they could adjust but finally they were able to.However from research conducted there are clear indications that the general living standards of American citizens improved. In conclusion it is clear that the Second World War and the Cold war did have a great impact in the inte rnational community and United States in particular. The effects were both positive and negative. However in most cases the positive effects are more visible as America emerged as the world’s super power due to these wars. Words: 555 Reference: Martin, G. S. (2004). The Second World War: A Complete History, New York: SAGE.

Explanation of Human Behavior Essay

The history of evolutionary psychology began with Charles Darwin, who proposed that humans have social instincts that evolved by natural selection. Darwin’s work inspired later psychologists such as William James and Sigmund Freud but for most of the 20th century psychologists focused more on behaviorism and proximate explanations for human behavior. As school psychology transitions into an outcome-oriented profession, we continue to evolve new ways to bring science into applied practice in schools. This evolution is critical to the continued importance and viability of school psychology in U.S. schools. In the years since the inception of school psychology, many applications of science in practice have occurred, each with increased effectiveness. We stand at the threshold of the next iteration in that direction. ( Best Practices in School Psychology V) Psychological each perspective has its strengths and weaknesses, and brings something different to our understanding of human behavior. For this reasons, it is important that psychology does have different perspectives to the understanding and study of human and animal behavior. Genetic potential theoretical optimum performance capability an individual could achieve in a specific activity after an ideal upbringing, nutrition and training. In real terms it may be assumed that the finalists in a world championship are among the human beings whose performance comes closest to their genetic potential. Environmental influences sometimes it depends on the environment we grow up in are known to affect traits like our height and weight and out IQ, and our chances of developing a behavioral problems. The roots of all behavior and cognitive are to found in both our biology, due to genetic inheritance, and in experience, due to are environment.  So it involves nature and nurture. Personal choice is on the other side, nurture. The idea that people are products of their environments, and environment/socialization is a big factor in making people who they are, the messages they absorb, the behaviors they are compelled to imitate, which presumes all manner of social constructs that don’t exist in real life yet are assumed to exist in the same way/same forms because of the general outcome (for instance, the myth of â€Å"shared girlhood† and the idea that all small humans absorb socialization  of one form or another in the same way as everyone else as these passive receivers of external things that most of them may not even understand.) The ability to choose is what makes humans human. We can even alter the evolution of our own species, consciously, via free will and choice. Humans can make themselves whatever they choose to, because they chose to. References: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/booksproducts/ Introduction to Psychology and Research Methods

Audience Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Audience Analysis - Essay Example Actually, according to the American Red Cross young people constitute of about 20% of the nation’s blood donation (2014, para. 2). This implies that it is the role of all people to regularly donate blood in a bid to improve the health sector of our country. Every once in while, everyone encounters situations that require blood. This may be personal or someone we know. This implies that blood donation may be viewed as an investment for future use either by our own selves or other people. There are cases where people donate blood for their own future use but it is also important to donate blood freely and leave it open for everyone’s use. Most emergencies needing blood are accident related. Evidence has it that most blood donations are made during times of disasters (Baum, 1997, p.568). However, since we do not have control over accidents and we do not know when they will happen, the only thing we can do is to prepare adequately for when they occur. Donating blood can be considered one of the most effective ways to prepare for accidents. In addition to helping other people, donating blood also has many benefits in our health. For instance, researchers argue that people who donate blood regularly have an extremely low chance of getting heart related complications such as heart attacks (Medical West, 2014, para. 3-6). This implies that donating blood can be advantageous to us not only in cases of accidents or other illnesses but also in our normal daily routines. Reduced chances of getting heart related diseases can be attributed to the fact that regularly donating blood reduces iron levels in the body system. This is important in preventing iron concentration in the arteries hence reducing chances of getting heart attacks. Heart conditions are most prevalent among the older people and therefore blood donation can help reduce the risks even to much older