Oracle of Truth

Claim: While delivering the commencement speech at Yale University in 2000, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said: â€Å"Graduates of Yale University, I apologize if you have endured this type of prologue before, but I want you to do something for me. Please, take a good look around you. Look at the classmate on your left. Look at the classmate on your right. Now, consider this: five years from now, 10 years from now, even 30 years from now, odds are the person on your left is going to be a loser. The person on your right, meanwhile, will also be a loser. And you, in the middle?What can you expect? Loser. Loserhood. Loser Cum Laude. † Status: False. Origins: In July 2000, an inventive story about Oracle CEO Larry Ellison bestowing an unusual commencement speech upon the graduating class of Yale University began popping up in various inboxes. Some were left wondering if this could be the real thing, given what is known of Ellison's famed ego, and because the wide circulation of the 199 7 Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech hoax had prepared the way for this piece to sound plausible. In truth, Ellison did not give a such a speech at Yale, nor anywhere else.The article was the fanciful creation of Andrew Marlatt, a writer for the satire website, SatireWire. It was reprinted (with SatireWire's express permission) on BBspot, another satirical web site. The full text of the piece: ELLISON TO GRADS: DIPLOMAS ARE FOR LOSERS Oracle CEO Urges Students to Drop out, Start up NEW HAVEN, CONN. (SatireWire. com) – In one of the more controversial commencement addresses in memory, Oracle CEO and college dropout Larry Ellison told Yale's Class of 2000 they were â€Å"losers† whose hard-won diplomas would never propel them into the ranks of the super rich.The evangelical Ellison, noting that college dropouts Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Michael Dell were, like himself, on Forbes' recent top 10 list of billionaires, urged freshmen and sophomores at the ceremony to  "drop out and start up,† and added that the undereducated Yale security guards who ushered him off stage probably had a better shot at uber-wealth than graduating seniors. What follows is a transcript of the speech delivered by Ellison at the Yale University last month: Graduates of Yale University, I apologize if you have endured this type of prologue before, but I want you to do something for me.Please, take a ood look around you. snopes. com: Larry Ellison ‘Loser' Commencement Speech http://www. snopes. com/quotes/ellison. asp? print=y ? 1 3? 2012/9/21 10:41 Look at the classmate on your left. Look at the classmate on your right. Now, consider this: five years from now, 10 years from now, even 30 years from now, odds are the person on your left is going to be a loser. The person on your right, meanwhile, will also be a loser. And you, in the middle? What can you expect? Loser. Loserhood. Loser Cum Laude. â€Å"In fact, as I look out before me today, I don't see a th ousand hopes for a bright tomorrow.I don't see a thousand future leaders in a thousand industries. I see a thousand losers. â€Å"You're upset. That's understandable. After all, how can I, Lawrence ‘Larry' Ellison, college dropout, have the audacity to spout such heresy to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious institutions? I'll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence â€Å"Larry† Ellison, second richest man on the planet, am a college dropout, and you are not. â€Å"Because Bill Gates, richest man on the planet — for now, anyway — is a college dropout, and you are not. â€Å"Because Paul Allen, the third richest man on the planet, dropped out of college, and you did not. And for good measure, because Michael Dell, No. 9 on the list and moving up fast, is a college dropout, and you, yet again, are not. â€Å"Hmm . . . you're very upset. That's understandable. So let me stroke your egos for a moment by pointing out, quite sincerely, tha t your diplomas were not attained in vain. Most of you, I imagine, have spent four to five years here, and in many ways what you've learned and endured will serve you well in the years ahead. You've established good work habits. You've established a network of people that will help you down the road. And you've established what will be lifelong relationships with the word ‘therapy. All that of is good. For in truth, you will need that network. You will need those strong work habits. You will need that therapy. â€Å"You will need them because you didn't drop out, and so you will never be among the richest people in the world. Oh sure, you may, perhaps, work your way up to No. 10 or No. 11, like Steve Ballmer. But then, I don't have to tell you who he really works for, do I? And for the record, he dropped out of grad school. Bit of a late bloomer. â€Å"Finally, I realize that many of you, and hopefully by now most of you, are wondering, ‘Is there anything I can do?Is t here any hope for me at all? ‘ Actually, no. It's too late. You've absorbed too much, think you know too much. You're not 19 anymore. You have a built-in cap, and I'm not referring to the mortar boards on your heads. â€Å"Hmm†¦ you're really very upset. That's understandable. So perhaps this would be a good time to bring up the silver lining. Not for you, Class of '00. You are a write-off, so I'll let you slink off to your pathetic $200,000-a-year jobs, where your checks will be signed by former classmates who dropped out two years ago. â€Å"Instead, I want to give hope to any underclassmen here today.I say to you, and I can't stress this enough: leave. Pack your things and your ideas and don't come back. Drop out. Start up. â€Å"For I can tell you that a cap and gown will keep you down just as surely as these security guards dragging me off this stage are keeping me down . . . † The last line of the piece should have given away the joke, if nothing else did. Larry Ellison being dragged off a stage is a satisfying mental image to contemplate and provides snopes. com: Larry Ellison ‘Loser' Commencement Speech http://www. snopes. com/quotes/ellison. asp? print=y ? 2 ? 2012/9/21 10:41 a wonderful closing for a piece that would otherwise be difficult to orchestrate an ending for, but that's all it ever could be, even if Ellison had addressed the Yale Class of 2000 and had given that speech. (Which, by the way, he hadn't). Venerable institutions of higher learning have at times chosen keynote speakers they've later had cause to regret. The price of turning the podium over to another is having to listen politely to the entirety of his address, even if it is offensive. Audiences are still expected to clap at its culmination, and hoever introduced the speaker is still on the hook for thanking him for his insights. Such are the demands of a polite society, with security guards standing poised to remove invited guests who give voice to unpo pular sentiments not figuring anywhere into the equation. Should there still be any remnant of doubt about the veracity of the article in question, Yale didn't have a guest speaker at its 299th graduation ceremony, held in May 2000. Yale seniors received a more personal address on Class Day, another part of this two-day commencement ceremony.The keynote speaker for that event was Bob Woodward, who graduated from Yale in 1965. (His investigation of the Watergate break-in helped win a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post in 1973. ) Larry Ellison is a prime choice for such lampooning because this thrice-married, thricedivorced multimillionaire is known for living larger than life. A 1997 unofficial biography was titled The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: God Doesn't Think He is Larry Ellison. Barbara â€Å"leisure unsuited larry† Mikkelson Additional Information: SatireWire BBSpot Last updated:

European Commission´s actions against The Coca Cola Company Essay

* 1 Introduction The Coca Cola Company (TCCC) is an American corporation and manufacturer especially known for its soft drinks like Coca Cola or Fanta. It sells over 3500 products, is available in over 200 countries and has revenues of nearly 50 billion us-dollars (Coca Cola Company, 2011). After Coca Cola was accused by the European commission (EC) to have abused its market power, Coca Cola gave in and set up commitments to prove that it does not abuse its power. They promised no exclusivity arrangements, no target or growth rebates, no  use of its stronger brands to sell other less strong brands and finally a 20 percent free space in their coolers for other products and brands. These commitments were accepted by the EC. This essay explains why the EC is concerned about the abuse of market power and analyzes the commitments stated by the coca cola company in its economic terms and how they affect the market competition. Finally it will evaluate if the EC was correct in accepting these commitments. Background to the Case The EC tries to establish a free competitive market and a fair competition between businesses in setting up competition policies like state aid, merger control rules and antitrust also known as the European competition law (Report European Comission, 2010). It does so to ensure the maximization of social welfare which will be further explained in section 2. In September 2004, the EC started to proceed against the Coca Cola Company relying on their antitrust regulation. In October, 2004 Coca Cola was sent a â€Å"preliminary assessment† which stated the EC ´s concerns about their abuse of market power. One month later Coca Cola submitted commitments in response to these Claims (European Comission, 2006). The four commitments are as followed: 1. Coca cola promised that at all time their customers are free to buy or sell carbonated soft drinks from any supplier of their choice and therefore no more exclusivity arrangements; 2. No target or growth rates are allowed. Coca Cola no longer offers rebates that reward in purely purchasing the same amount or more of Coca Cola products than in the past. Hence it is easier for customers to purchase from other suppliers; 3. Coca Cola is not allowed to use its strong brand to push other products which are not that popular goods; 4. If Coca Cola provides free coolers to retailers, the retailers are allowed to use 20 per cent of its space for other brands and goods. If Coca Cola should break these commitments the EC could demand a fine of ten per cent of Coca Cola ´s total worldwide turnover (European Comission, 2006). Loss of Welfare due to Market Power But why is the EC actually concerned about the abuse of market power, the ability of a firm to charge a price above marginal cost and earn a positive profit (Perloff, 2012), of big firms like TCCC? The main answer to this question is that the EC tries to ensure social welfare and to maximize it. But before answering this question social welfare needs to be elucidated. Social welfare itself is difficult to measure. One way to measure it is to define it as the sum of the consumer and producer surplus. Perloff describes the consumer surplus as: â€Å"The monetary difference between what a consumer is willing to pay for the quantity of the good purchased and what the good actually costs† (Perloff, 2012). In other words the consumer surplus is used to measure and compare consumer welfare, the benefit of a certain product a person gets consuming that product less the money he or she paid for the good. In contrast the producer surplus is described by Perloff as followed: â€Å"The d ifference between the amount for which a good sells and the minimum amount necessary for the seller to be willing to produce the good† (Perloff, 2012). It is the gain of trade and thus equal to the profit from trade minus the profit from not trading. The EC tries to maximize the social welfare. This is only possible in a competitive market because in such a market environment the price equals the marginal costs (Perloff, 2012) which results in an equilibrium price, an economic term for a balance between the wants of producers and consumers and no loss of welfare. However, the converse argument is that in a non-competitive market social welfare is not maximized. The biggest counterpart to a free competitive market is a monopolistic market. Although TCCC is not a real monopoly it has big market power and can therefore be compared to a monopoly. The loss of social welfare, the deadweight loss, which occurs if a monopoly (or a company with a big market power) arises, is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Deadweight Loss of Monopoly 1 (Barnett, 2007) Figure 1 shows that at the competitive equilibrium the price (Pc) is lower than the monopoly price (Pm) and the quantity (Qc) is bigger than the quantity (Qm) which the monopoly supplies. Hence a deadweight loss arises. This deadweight loss develops only due to missing competition. This scenario could appear due to an abuse of market power. By definition, market power is  the ability to charge a price above marginal cost and therefore earn a positive profit (Perloff, 2012). Compared to a competitive market the demand curve is not horizontal but downwards sloping. This means that although the quantity decreases if a monopoly raises its price there are still buyers for the product. In a competitive market this is not true because the demand curve is horizontal and only the slightest increase in price will result in zero demand. As we can see in Figure 1: The monopoly is able to set its price not at the equilibrium (the intersection of marginal cost and the market price) but at a poin t at which it maximizes its own profit (a point where the price is higher than marginal costs). This results in a welfare loss for the consumers which the EC tries to prevent. Furthermore the market power is related to the shape of the demand curve and tells a monopoly how much it can raise its price above the competitive equilibrium (the interception with the marginal cost) at the profit maximizing quantity. The more elastic the demand curve becomes, graphically this would means a nearly flat curve, the more sales are lost even if the price is only slightly increased. Conversely, if the demand curve is a steep curve (not very elastic) it would lose fewer sales by the same increase of price (Perloff, 2012). However a firm with a big market power or a monopoly benefit from large economies of scale. They can produce their products cheaper than any number of other firms together and for this reason not challengeable (Perloff, 2012). Economic Effect of the Commitments on Market Competition Concerned of the big market power TCCC had, the EC decided to intervene and requested Coca Cola to come up with solutions to allow the free competition to grow. Coca Cola then set up four commitments which were accepted by the EC. Although all four head to the same economic effect of lowering entry barriers for competitors and accordingly make consumers more aware of substitutes for Coca Cola products, all four are described separately. The first commitment assured that TCCC would not accept any exclusivity arrangements. It allows customers of Coca Cola to sell any soft drinks from any supplier next to Coca Cola. This means more suppliers which results in more products similar to Coca Cola ´s products, substitutes. Although these  substitutes existed also before the commitment it is now much easier for consumers to be aware of these and accordingly buy these. The economic effect of more substitutes was already explained in section 2: The market power is related to the demand curv e. The flatter the demand curve is the more elastic it is and therefore a small increase in price leads to a big loss in sales. If we now take the substitutes into account the demand curve of TCCC becomes more elastic because consumers can choose between products of different suppliers. Hence Coca Cola cannot set its price per unit as high as before. In other words the demand curve gets closer to a competitive demand curve and if TCCC sets its prices too high consumers will buy a substitute. In addition as prices of Coca Cola ´s products gets lower it becomes easier for other firms to enter the market. The second commitment prevented Coca Cola to set up target or growth rates. Hence Coca Cola was not able to reward customers for purchasing the same amount or more of Coca Cola products than in the past. Again this makes it easier for customers to buy from other soft drink suppliers or a less amount of Coca Cola products plus different products. Economically this has the same effect as the first commitment and concentrates the overall effect: The demand curve becomes even more elastic and the market becomes more competitive. The third commitment states that TCCC is not allowed to use the strongest brands to sell less popular brands. Again consumer can choose more easily between different suppliers and the competition in the market is further increased. Next to this economic effect it is now harder for Coca Cola to sell its less popular products and weakens its market power and brings TCCC even closer to sell at the competitive equilibrium. Secondary to the economic effect of the more elastic demand curve the decrease of entry barriers and the gain of substitutes increase the supply of the market. As more suppliers enter the market, supply increases which lowers the price of products in the market. The last commitment allows retailers to use 20 percent of the space in the Coca Cola coolers although they were provided by TCCC for free. Therefore Retailers who want to benefit of a free cooler are not forced to use it only for Coca Cola products anymore. This makes it easy for consumers to be aware of substitutes of Coca Cola ´s products as well as comparing prices. All in all the four commitments are heading to decrease TCCC ´s market power and to increase the competition in the market. They do so allowing substitutes gain  more attention by customers which results in a more elastic demand curve for Coca Cola. The more elastic it becomes the more competition increases in the market. Moreover the market ´s supply increases and prices decrease. Conclusion Finally it can be said that firms with too much market power can reduce the social welfare. In order to protect this social welfare the EC accepted the four commitments. The closer analysis of the four commitments and their economic effect on the market shows that due to lower entry barriers the market ´s supply is increased and more substitutes are easier available for consumers. In addition, Coca Cola ´s demand decreases and it cannot benefit from its economies of scales as it could before. Furthermore, it cannot set its price as high as it could before. Although Coca Cola does not lose all of its market power and is still one of the biggest companies and soft drink suppliers worldwide its market power is reduced by the EC ´s actions and this results in an increase of market competition and a reduction of Coca Cola ´s market power. If it was actually maximized to its fullest cannot be said because the information of actual demand or marginal cost curves is always limited, nor are the theoretical assumptions of a market environment given in real life. Nevertheless, the social welfare was definitely increased by the EC and therefore it was right to accept the four commitments. References Barnett, T. (31. October 2007). Maximizing Welfare through technological Innovation. From www.justice.gov: http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/speeches/227291.htm Coca Cola Company, C. C. (31. December 2011). Anuual Report of Exchange. Von www.sec.gov: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/21344/000002134412000007/a2011123110-k.htm Comission, E. (2006). Competition in Practice – Coca Cola. European Comission, E. (2006). Coca Cola. Perloff. (2012). Microeconomics. England: Pearson. Report European Comission, C. (2010). Report on competition policy . Brussels.

How to Write the Columbia University Essays 2017-2018

Columbia University is one of the world’s leading research institutions and one of the best universities in the country. Originally founded as King’s College in 1754, today Columbia attracts top-performing students from all around the globe with its combination of a world-class academic program and its location in the social and cultural hub of New York City. With such a great academic experience comes high interest, limited space, and an increasingly difficult path to an acceptance letter. For its class of 2021, Columbia admitted a mere 5.8% of its applicants. As a result, competitive applicants will need to write extremely compelling essays in order to stand out in the admissions process. When applying to Columbia, you will submit either the Common App or the Coalition Application, each of which includes a general 650-word essay. For more advice on how to craft a stellar response to the 2017-2018 Common App and Coalition essay prompts, see ’s guides on the   Common App Essays and the Coalition Essays . In addition to the general essays from the Common App and Coalition Applications, Columbia has four â€Å"essay† questions that they want you to answer for their school in particular. These essays can be broken into two groups: Luckily for you, is here to help. In order to give you the best shot possible for the class of 2022, we’ll be offering you plenty of practical suggestions for how to navigate this year’s supplemental essays. We’ll also be adding a few suggestions on how you might try something a little bit more adventurous in your writing to stand out from the crowd. This prompt is asking you for a list — no snappy introductions or grandiose concluding statements. But keep in mind that even when you are writing a list, you are still telling a story. The items you put at the beginning and the end of the list matter, and there is room for humor and dramatic effect. Let’s handle the formatting first. You can organize your list by using periods to separate different words and phrases. A bare-bones response to this question might start out something like this: Exciting. Something unexpected. Being in awe of my peers and constantly learning from them. Studying with the top researchers in the field of biology. Doing interdisciplinary work that addresses real-world issues. Always being exposed to new ideas. Inspiring and uplifting. You get the idea. But, as you read this sample response, you may get the sense that it is extremely broad (sort of like Columbia’s mission statement ). Large institutions have to use vague statements of general purpose because they need to represent a huge body of interests without stirring up controversy. But you are just one person, peculiar in your own interests and passions. And Columbia wants to see that person. Once you get past the mission statements written by committees of administrators and into the classes, the books, the late-night poetry readings, the frantic scribbling at the end of a linear algebra midterm†¦ then Columbia becomes an interesting and lively place.    The key to writing a compelling answer to this question is to recognize that you are not just describing your ideal college community but also yourself and how you hope to interact with that community. Maybe you want a community that â€Å"welcomes a small-town entomologist into the big city,† or maybe you want a community â€Å"full of hands with paper cuts from thumbing through The Critique of Pure Reason. † Your answer to this question can be part personal essay and part aspirational statement about what you want your college to look like. First, it helps to have an expansive sense of what the word â€Å"community† might mean. It can refer to your friends, your professors, your classmates, but also your TAs, the people who clean and serve food on the campus, the musicians who play on New York Subway. Maybe you want a college campus that is â€Å"loud with the sound of the city,† but where the libraries â€Å"are quiet with the frantic intensity of thought.† As you write, try to avoid vague buzzwords like â€Å" innovation ,† and hackneyed phrases like â€Å"cultivates leadership ,† and â€Å"values sustainability .† These words may sound fancy, but if they already appear in the promotional materials for every college and university that you are applying to, then chances are your admissions officers are already tired of hearing them. Instead of a college community that â€Å"values sustainability,† maybe you want a college community that is â€Å"doing everything it can to fight global warming.† Instead of a college community that â€Å"cultivates leadership,† maybe you want a college community that â€Å"asks me to listen, intently and respectfully to those with which I disagree, even if they don’t believe in climate change.† Don’t be afraid to offer a list that speaks to your own values, where each item contributes to a narrative about you that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Finally, if you really want to go out on a limb, you might recognize that a list can also be a poem. Maybe you want a community â€Å"that reaches beyond the ivory tower, that turns around to speak truth to power.† That rhyme is a little clammy. You can probably do better, and we encourage you to try. You might suspect that this part of the application has some kind of hidden trap. If you do not list a certain work or publication, does that rule you out? Is there anything they are looking for specifically? The answer to both of these questions is no. For this segment, honesty is key. The admissions committees are looking to understand who you are through your interests. It is true that Columbia is looking for some degree of sophistication. But don’t let this discourage you: Not everyone reads Aristotle for fun! Moreover, even if you spend some time reading Archie Comics , you can have an intricate reading of those too! The sophistication of your chosen reading material does not necessarily reflect the sophistication of your reading practice. As a general rule, you should make sure that your reading list reflects a high school reading level, even if it has a few more eclectic, â€Å"fun† titles thrown into the mix.    Across these lists, you also have the opportunity to show you are intellectually curious and interested in subjects beyond your chosen area of study. Because Columbia offers its students a liberal arts education, neuroscience majors may find themselves in a discussion about Gertrude Stein (they might even learn that the poet of â€Å"A rose is a rose is a rose† was herself quite dedicated to the modern study of physiology and cognition). If you are applying as a STEM major, you might include some of your favorite novels, whether it be the early nineteenth-century study of manners in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or the eco-utopian science fiction of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy . On the other hand, if you are applying as an English major, you might demonstrate your interests in the narratives that live outside of literary texts by including some of your favorite works on science, politics, and economics. After all, Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century begins with an analysis of â€Å"property† in Jane Austen, and Naomi Klein’s analysis of the politics of climate change in This Changes Everything quotes Robinson’s novels. In all of these lists, the most important thing is to remain true to yourself; don’t make things up for the purposes of sounding fancy. A world where everyone has read the same few â€Å"important† books would be a very boring world indeed. No special tricks here. These works should be directly from your literature class’s syllabus: just list the titles of your favorite required works from the year. Unless they are relatively unknown, there is no need to include the author’s name. If you are an international student, use this opportunity to showcase titles that might not normally appear in an American high school curriculum. Make sure to use the translated titles into English. We recommend a minimum of three or four works and a maximum of about ten works. Remember that these can be both fiction and non-fiction; ideally, your list will offer a mixture of both. The fiction works should not be from your school courses, even if you did not list them on the first part of this supplement. As with the previous question, you should give a minimum of four texts and a maximum of ten. The point here is not to give an exhaustive list of your reading, but rather to give the admissions officers a sense of your interests. In terms of works that would be inappropriate to list, remember that these are books you’ve read within the last year. Maybe you feel like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was an important novel to your childhood and shaped you as an individual, but unfortunately, Columbia is only looking for more recent reads. But, if you reread an important text every year, feel free to include it. After all, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts reportedly rereads Samuel Johnson’s â€Å"The Vanity of Human Wishes† every year . Feel free to include texts from any genre, even comic books. Some graphic novels, like Emil Ferris’ My Favorite Thing is Monsters are modern classics that tackle tough issues, like racial tensions in Chicago, the beauty of Fuseli’s The Nightmare , and the long history of Nazi Germany. The most important thing to remember is that these are books you have discovered, read, and enjoyed within at most the past year. They should reflect who you are at the moment! As a formatting note: If you read these titles in a language other than English, feel free to make a small note in parenthesis after each title noting this, for example, Les Misà ©rables (read in French). Submit your essay and we’ll get back to you with helpful edits. There is no need to make a distinction between â€Å"print† and â€Å"electronic,† as most publications are currently available online. Unlike other sections where it is useful to have a mix of answers, hunting down different publications that are solely online or solely print is completely unnecessary. Examples of appropriate publications can include but should not be limited to: The New York Times , The Economist , Astronomy Magazine , International Journal of Psychology , American Anthropologist , etc. Don’t forget that scientific, economic, and social sciences journals count as publications! At the same time, it’s perfectly fine some on your list are not that â€Å"sophisticated.† Even sites like Buzzfeed, which by some are not considered extremely serious news sources, can add value to your application if you feel their content is representative of your interests. One final note: These days, there are a lot of â€Å"news† outlets that do not conform to the traditional standards of journalistic integrity . Alex Jones’s InfoWars comes to mind as a prominent example. If you visit and read from sites like this, it is, of course, up to your discretion whether or not you include them on your list. One argument for including a site like InfoWars might be that you read it, not for â€Å"information,† but rather to study the media that millions of Americans read and watch every day, for better or worse. If you are interested in journalism or media criticism, you might write a very compelling response to the fourth essay prompt below that asks you to talk about your intended field of study. You might start that essay by saying: â€Å"You might have been surprised to see The Daily Stormer listed alongside the New York Times in the list of publications that I regularly read above. I included that site because I have long followed the work of the Southern Poverty Law Center , and I am interested in studying how white supremacist ideas spread in our modern media ecology.† (Indeed, the Columbia Journalism school just so happens to be doing a lot of work on exactly this issue.) This category is the most general, meant as an opportunity to showcase what you do when you are not reading. This can include anything from big music concerts to theatre performances to museum exhibits. You can even list video games (there is a rapidly growing world of philosophically and emotionally sophisticated games, like That Dragon, Cancer , that are worthy of study alongside any other work of literature). You can also use this category to display your interest in international issues. Maybe you attended an exhibition on the art of climate change in Beijing or were captivated by Gianfranco Rosi’s Fire at Sea . Maybe you are a regular reader of the trendsetting African literary blog Brittlepaper . But what if you haven’t done lots of fancy travel? What if you don’t live in a big city with lots of fancy museums? Even small local events are worth listing here if you got something out of them. There is no reason why you should be shy about including a local theater production, a community dance competition, or an exhibit from a local artist. Showing that you are aware of the various forms of art and life that flourish outside the circuit of Guggenheim Fellowships and Booker Prizes can add an important dimension to your application. In this essay, the admissions officers want to know why you want to attend Columbia in particular. Not just because it is a big fancy school with brand recognition, but because you are attracted to the specific courses Columbia offers, the ways it trains its students, and social and cultural institutions that surround it in New York City. Columbia wants to know that you have taken some time to research what they have to offer. Before you can write a compelling answer to this question, you will need to dig deep on their website. For this essay, generic kiss-up praise for Columbia’s â€Å"high-quality academic curriculum, outstanding professors, and talented students† is not going to cut it. Anyone can write that. You should also try to reach beyond patinas to the things that Columbia touts in its promotional materials. Everyone who is applying to this school knows that Columbia is â€Å"famous† for being located in New York city, for having all of its students take a â€Å" Core † curriculum, and for emphasizing academics over athletics. The admissions officers’ eyes probably glaze over a little bit every time they hear a student parroting back to them a line like this: â€Å" I am excited to take Contemporary Civilization and join into the tradition of students who have, since 1919, assembled to discuss important works of moral and political thought from Plato to the present .† A good response to this prompt starts with the recognition that it is not just asking you to tell what is â€Å"valuable† about Columbia itself. They are asking you to talk about how the values and commitments that make you a distinctive and interesting person are related to the dazzling array of opportunities that Columbia has to offer. You want to share something that is specific about yourself and pair it with something equally distinctive about the university. Maybe members of your community have recently been deported, and you are especially interested in the work that Columbia’s School of Journalism has done reporting on that issue. Maybe your interest in mathematics and computer science led you to start reading up on automata theory , and you are excited to attend the Math department’s Samuel Eilenberg Lectures — a series named for a former Columbia professor who made great contributions to that field. As you do your web search to try and find out how your interests intersect with Columbia, the more specific you get, the better. Columbia is a massive institution, and there is a lot happening there — much of which your admissions officers might not even know about! If you can teach them something about their own institution, then you are more likely to capture their attention. Another thing that makes Columbia distinctive is not just the work that happens within its walls, but also its location in New York City. Maybe you are excited to take an Art History class where you can go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and see â€Å" The Death of Socrates † in person while reading The Phaedo . Maybe you are interested in the socioeconomic issues associated with gentrification , and want to study first hand the classic case of Brooklyn. As you write this essay you should not be afraid to talk about how your interest in Columbia lies in how that institution is related to the urban environment that surrounds it. Note: This final question differs slightly between applicants to Columbia College or to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. For applicants to SEAS, there is no option to apply as undecided, so the second sentence is omitted from this prompt. The admissions committee is interested in knowing what you find fascinating about your field and what you have done to broaden that interest. They are trying to weed out people who are applying for a given major just because it sounds fancy. But, more than that, they also want to see what makes you tick, how your passion for learning carries you beyond your high school classes, and what keeps you up at night in a fever pitch of wonder and excitement. You want to find the best, and most concise, way to showcase your passion. 300 words are a lot fewer than you would think! At , we have broken down the â€Å"Why Major?† essay into two main questions: Your essay should seek to address both of these questions with as high a degree of specificity as possible. Because this essay is so short, it is difficult to address a general field. You cannot fully explain your love of a subject with a mere 300 words. â€Å"I love astronomy† is not sufficient. Instead, you could write more specifically about your interest in exoplanets and astrobiology. Include a personal story about stargazing as a child that sparked your love of the field and mention scientific research completed in high school that further cultivated your interest in the stars. It’s also possible that you are still figuring out what you want to study. No intellectually curious seventeen-year-old is ever certain about the topics and disciplines that will drive their future studies. One way to communicate your interest and your desire to continue exploring a given topic is to talk about a recent conversation you had with someone who is already immersed in a field that you are curious about. An essay might begin: â€Å"Ever since my high school teacher combined potassium permanganate and glycerol and set his lab coat on fire, I’ve been fascinated with the chemical property of flammability. In order to learn more, I reached out to John McJohnson, a graduate student studying autoignition temperatures at the University of California, Davis. What most excited me about our conversation was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Of course, in order to write this essay, you need to actually have a conversation with someone who is working in that field. If you live in a town that has a research university, and if you are considering majoring in chemistry, you can actually go to the chemistry department’s university website, find a professor or graduate student whose work looks interesting to you, and send them an email asking to meet for coffee. This may seem intimidating, but we can assure you that there are lots of researchers who might be willing to take 30 minutes out of their day to talk with a young person about their work. You might not get a response (most of these people are very busy), but the sooner you get used to reaching out to potential future colleagues and making connections, the better off you’ll be. No matter what approach you take to this question, you’ll want to be sure to avoid cramming in too much jargon in an effort to communicate your technical mastery. You only have 300 words, and the point of this essay is not to dazzle your reader but rather to show what practical steps you’ve taken to explore and develop your intellectual interests.   However, you choose to write your essays, dare to be a little creative. Don’t just describe the university that the Columbia admissions officers already know. Ideally, they will see their campus a little bit differently after having read what you imagine it might be to you. As Columbia’s website says, they are looking for students who â€Å"will take greatest advantage of the unique Columbia experience and will offer something meaningful in return to the community.† The advice we’ve offered in this article is only a sampling of what we try to do with our clients at . If you want help on your Columbia application and essays, check out our College Apps Program and our Essay Editing Program .

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Philosophy - Essay Example This means that laws of nature work with other events to act as forerunners that necessitate every occurrence. Soft determinism, also known as compatibilism, is the conviction that the ideas of determinism and free will are compatible (Loux 38). Therefore, one can believe in determinism and free will and still be logically consistent. Here, according to American philosopher William James, free will is the liberty to act according to one’s motivation. However, he also points out that an individual can do their will but cannot control what they will to do. On the other hand, hard determinism, also known as metaphysical determinism, agrees that determinism is true but not compatible to free will. Therefore, free will, according to hard determinism, is non-existent. Hard determinism positions itself relative to other determinism forms in which the future is necessitated in its entirety. Question Two Epistemology, also termed as the theory of knowledge, is a subdivision of philosop hy that deals with the scope and nature of knowledge (Nelson 1). Epistemology examines the theory of the limits, nature and origin of knowledge by focusing on its meaning, acquisition and the degree to which an entity can possibly be known. Epistemology discusses three kinds of knowledge, which are â€Å"knowledge by acquaintance†, â€Å"knowledge how† and â€Å"knowledge that†. For example, it is mathematically â€Å"known that† 1+1=2, and people also â€Å"know how† to calculate sums. Then, there is the aspect of knowing an activity, a thing, a place or a person (Boyle 86). The disagreement between empiricism and rationalism is concerned with the extent to which people are dependent on sense experience in their effort to acquire knowledge. While empiricists opine that the definitive source of all knowledge and concepts is sense experience, rationalists hold that significant ways exist in which knowledge and concepts are acquired independently of sense experience (Duncan 611). In rationalism, the most significant knowledge draws from using reason. This, therefore, means that rationalism verifies a priori, or â€Å"prior knowledge† as most significant kind of knowledge. Both Spinoza and Descartes associated using reason with mathematics. They both believed in seeking metaphysical truths whose reliability can be likened to mathematics. There is a metaphysical tendency in rationalists, since they portray notions like essence and substance. Rationalism also agrees with theology, which can be seen in Spinoza’s and Descartes’ thought that the existence of God can rationally be demonstrated (Boyle 114). Empiricism, which is hostile to religion and metaphysics, aligns itself with natural sciences. Empiricism, therefore, believes that knowledge stems from experience, and any notion not based on experience is questionable. Empiricists like Hume, Berkeley and Locke do not believe in innate knowledge. They opine tha t it must be from experience, either from the five senses or reasoning through the brain (Duncan 610). The innate knowledge thesis states that there is knowledge of various truths in certain subject areas, say, S, as part of human rationale nature. However, empiricism about a certain subject does not agree with the analogous version of the innate knowledge thesis. Question Three Ethics is the discipline of moral righteousness of human acts as guided by the

Leading Stragegic Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leading Stragegic Change - Essay Example Bear in mind the data it is possible to say that employees feel lack of HR support in the process of personal development. The increasing need for change is created by internal need to improve technology and labor skills; attitudes of employees; size of organization; need to improve performance. For most organizations, change is necessary to ensure an adequate supply of staff who are technically and socially competent, and capable of career advancement into specialist departments or management positions. There is, therefore, a continual need for the process of staff development, and training fulfils an important part of this process. Training should be viewed, therefore, as an integral pan of the process of total quality management. Strategic management is a process geared at detecting environmental threats and turning them into opportunities (Bolman & Deal, 2003). There are 7 C's of change which involve conversation, consistency, creativity, courage, commitment, change and celebration. 3ach of these C's has a great impact on organizational performance and functions of management. Management (supervisor and above) more positive than crew leaders and employees in their responses on most questions and indexes except those relating to interdepartmental cooperation and increased motivation as a result of reorganization. Crew Leaders more positive than employees in their responses to questions relating to clear understanding of job duties and sense of teamwork within their departments. Employees more positive than crew leaders in their responses to questions regarding trust and confidence in upper management, ethical standards, and increased motivation as a result of... This essay focuses on investigating the issue of sustainable strategic organizational change that can be explained as a continuous change which affects all areas of business activities. This change entails developing a business process model of how activities function, analyzing relationships among business units, and implementing changes that would eliminate redundant processes and make business units more effective. Performance deficiencies result from motivational problem which is closely connected with lack of skills. To improve this situation, the researcher suggests that organizations need to change employees' motivation taking into account rapid environmental changes. The purpose of strategic change is to provide management with a framework in which decisions can be made which will have an impact on the organization. A conscious effort to systematize the effort and to manage its evolution is preferable to an unmanaged and haphazard evolution. The basic planning problem is how to allocate the organization's limited resources. The researcher also mentiones some major benefits that to be expected from planning that include an improved sense of direction for the organization, better performance, increased understanding of the organization and its purposes as well, earlier awareness of problems and other issues, and more effective decisions. Long-range planning is most often an extrapolation of the present. It answers the question of how to get the job done in details.

Security Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Security - Case Study Example As technology grows, it has become much easier to work. You can store a lot of information and retrieve it very fast at the touch of a button. Well, this has brought to end the carrying of books and pens to meetings. This trend has also been picked up by hotels. They are introduced touch pad registers to manage their work efficiently and easily. A fast food franchise introduced touch pad registers. They issued each register with a password and a user ID to log into the system. It allowed them to input their passwords four times before the system locked. With time the system became harder to operate. The touch pads became greasy and some of the of the workers forgot the passwords. The system was a good idea, but it had several flaws in its design. The fact that this system needed a password and a user ID to log in, it became a problem when the workers forgot their passwords. When a worker entered the password there times unsuccessfully the system locked itself and needed the managers card to reboot the system. In cases where the manager is not present it would be impossible for the workers to use the system. It took some time for the system to reboot. This lost time could translate to looses. If a worker for the password and asked another worker to log in so that they could use the system, it will take it hard for the employers to track the activities in the fast food franchise. This was the main aim of introducing the touch pad register. The issue with the workers forgetting passwords was because of the keyboard layout. The managers complained about the time that it took to reboot the system. If the shift of a worker ended and they did not log out the system, it needed the manager to reboot the system that took a long time to do. The accumulation of grease on the touch pad made it harder for the workers to input their details. This is because the touch pad did not have any protection against the grease. With all these

Flooding in Ottawa Illinois Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Flooding in Ottawa Illinois - Essay Example Finally, by choosing to discuss this hazard, the solutions that come from it will educate public and they will therefore have knowledge in handling such an incident when it occurs. In the last five years, seven disasters were experienced in Illinois. For instance, last summer, more than $300 million was put into operation to aid in management of the aftermath of the flood. Also in June 2008, Midwest floods initiated widespread flood destruction across Illinois owing to insistent heavy rains that caused rivers to spill over their banks. Insured losses to Illinois inhabitants totaled $5.3 million. The Great Midwest Floods of 1993, was one of the biggest floods in U.S. history. The outcome was approximately $273 million uninsured flood destruction and an estimated $15 billion in total damages. The approximate amount of damage cause tolled to around $2.6billion and $60.7 million of them insured losses (Barry, 2007). The probabilistic point of view for flood potential issued by the NWS on March 6, 2014 gives a probabilistic valuation of flood potential using the vocabulary presented below. These viewpoints indicate that the likelihood in percent that slight, modest, or major flooding will take place. Additionally, they provide statistics regarding the possibility a given river stage will be equaled or exceeded during the present forecast period. Property destruction and financial losses are one side of the story. Alternative perspective focuses on the consequence the flooding has had on the surroundings and the modifications it made to the physical land. Flood waters leads to erosion thus changing the shape of the land. This is caused by the chemicals and organic material deposit carried within the floodwaters. Also flood interfere with shipments of essential commodities like foodstuff, chemicals and other products. When canal are flooded and becomes impassable, ship and other marine means of transport

Mechanical and structure factors in aviation safety Essay

Mechanical and structure factors in aviation safety - Essay Example The first flight lasted 12 sec, but later flights on the same day were a little longer; a safe landing was made after each attempt. The machine was a biplane (an airplane with two main supporting surfaces, or wings) with two propellers chain-driven by a gasoline motor (answers.com 2004)." Since then, the idea of having a safe travel by air is a myth no more. A lot of developments have been made and people from all over the globe were fascinated by the idea of having their travel via air. During these developments, it was also made to the knowledge of many that travel by air is much faster than transportations both in land and in water. With the demand surging continuously, the development of Airplane as a means of transportation was embraced. Up to present wherein a lot of models where introduced transporting tremendous amount of goods and people are being transported day after the other, flight or aviation safety is still a vital concern for the people who utilize airplanes and other related air transport vessels. For several years, air mishaps, crashes, engine malfunctioning has been recorded and was attributed for the loss of properties, resources and lives over the past several years. Due to these kinds of incidents, a lot of experts has been studying how to lessen and to formally eradicate this kind of tragedies by formulating remedies to solve these kinds of queries. Baron R (2005) has reported several aviation tragedies that were recorded and was regarded as the worst in the history. "In 1977, at Tenerife in the Canary Islands, heavy accents and improper terminology among a Dutch KLM crew, an American Pan Am crew and a Spanish air traffic controller led to the worst aviation disaster in history, in which 583 pass engers perished " and "In 1990, Colombian Avianca pilots in a holding pattern over Kennedy Airport told controllers that their 707 was low on fuel. The crew should have stated they had a "fuel emergency," which would have given them immediate clearance to land. Instead, the crew declared a "minimum fuel" condition and the plane ran out of fuel, crashing and killing 72 people." While the aforementioned examples deals with either pilot error or ignorance with some aircraft devices, we cannot also discredit the fact that some aircraft mishaps were due to mechanical failures of the aircraft and sometimes lead into horrible accidents. Mechanical and structure factors in aviation safety 3 Before venturing into air accidents and tragedies caused by mechanical malfunction, it is vital to know the mechanical structure of an airplane for the awareness and analysis of the factors that might trigger accidents during flights and on-ground instances. "The airplane has six main parts-fuselage, wings, stabilizer (or tail plane), rudder, one or more engines, and landing gear. The fuselage is the main body of the machine, customarily streamlined in form. It usually contains control equipment, and space for passengers and cargo. The wings are the main supporting surfaces. Modern airplanes are monoplanes (airplanes with one wing) and may be high-wing, mid-wing, or low-wing (relative to the bottom of the fuselage). At the trailing edge of the wings are auxiliary hinged surfaces known as ailerons that are used to gain lateral control and to turn

Ronald Reagans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ronald Reagans - Essay Example Islamists groups were becoming stronger an aspect that increased the Americans concern due to their ailing economy (Historical times, 2011). In 1980, the country was in need of a leader who was to reform the economy. Peace through strength slogan by the conservative popularized the party and as a result Ronald Reagan was elected. The slogan supported military strength which was aimed at creating peaceful international relations in the world (Snyder & Brown, 1997, p. 45). After he took power he invested heavily on military buildup in order to wear down the soviet that had attained much power. By the time he stepped down, the military budget has been expanded to 44% increase. This increased thousands of troops, more advanced war equipments and even an advanced intelligence program. The program was of great importance as it returned America back to its military position. There is no country that can develop its economy when it is not guaranteed that the state of security is high. This is because investors fear to invest in a country where their capital is not secure (Hodge & Nolan, 2007, p.343). As a result, America recorded tremendous growth as investors were ready to invest in the country as security of their investment was guaranteed. The benefits of this economic growth and military superiority are being experienced even in current decade (Hodge & Nolan, 2007). Reagan two terms marked a new and dramatic era of innovation. Due to the funds that the government set aside for innovation, many innovators were encouraged to come up with new innovative ideas that were aimed at improving country’s security and economic growth. The innovation era was not just in America but even in other countries especially in the soviet as they tried to keep with Americans. This saw them falling into a budget deficit (Hodge & Nolan, 2007). Massive military expenditure enabled the government to avoid war. This was through scaring off their enemies due

Spanish-Speaking Groups in the United States Essay Example for Free

Spanish-Speaking Groups in the United States Essay This research paper will identify the linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions or statuses of Columbian Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Rican Americans living in the United States.| Cultural Interests of Spanish-Speaking Groups in the United States Cultural interests of Columbian Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Rican Americans that live in the United States of America are the focus because of the diversity and controversy that surrounds them. The United States grouped all the Spanish-speaking people that originate from Latin America, Central America, or South America together as one ethnic group referred to as Hispanics or Latinos. Cultural interests identified for each of these four groups will consist of their own group’s linguistics, political status, social status, economic status, religious status, and familial conventions. The first Hispanic group we will explore is Columbian Americans. Sturner (2012), â€Å"Spanish is the language of most Colombian-American households in the United States, where it serves as perhaps the surest means of preserving traditions† (Colombian Americans). Columbians do not believe they will remain in the United States because of the immigration restrictions, therefore Columbian Americans traditionally devote themselves to politics in Columbia, and most do not become very involved with American politics (Sturner, 2012). Columbian Americans pursued professional careers and took employment as laborers, factory workers, domestic servants, and opened small businesses (Sturner, 2012). According to Sturner (2012), In the mid-1990’s Colombian Americans had one of the highest average incomes among Latinos and many prospered in business, especially in in ventures in Miami related to trade with Latin America† (Colombian Americans). Socially, they develop strong ties with other  Latinos through informal networks because they share a commonality of Spanish-language media, which provides news, entertainment, and music from Latin America (Sturner, 2012). The Catholic church provides crucial support to Latin Americans throughout the United States and religious ceremonies are closely tied to important customs and traditions, such as compadrazgo (Sturner, 2012). Preservation has been assured in recent years as parishes have added Spanish-language services (Sturner, 2012). Columbian immigrants preserve their family traditions as a focal concern against pressures encountered in American society (Sturner, 2012). Their traditional roles are that the husband is the wage earner, the wife is the homemaker, and the children are taught to obey their parents and respect authority (Sturner, 2012). The second Hispanic group we will explore is Cuban Americans. Those born in the United States tend to be English Speakers and have less facility with Spanish, while those born abroad have greater facility with Spanish and more than half have some English ability as well (Buffington, 2012). Cuban American communities are well assimilated in the United Sta tes and have significant political influence because of their size (Buffington, 2012). Buffington (2012), Cuban Americans are reputed to being conservative politically and to vote overwhelmingly for the Republican Party Elections† (Cuban Americans). The most important political organization for them is the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) because it is regarded as the representative of the Cuban American community (Buffington, 2012). Economically Cuban Americans closely resemble the total U.S. population and they have greater economic security than other Hispanic groups (Buffington, 2012). They are highly educated and a moderate percentage of their population has completed college or graduate schooling (Buffington, 2012). Most Cuban Americans report and perceive a non-discriminatory relationship with White Americans (Buffington, 2012). Cuban Americans overwhelmingly identify themselves as Roman Catholics, however a small percentage are some form of Protestantism, and one-quarter of native-born Cuban Americans say they either have no preference or have another religious affiliation (Buffington, 2012). Most Cuban American families have inherited the American way of life, which is significantly different from the tradition al Cuban family in many ways (Buffington, 2012). Compadres or grandparents are less likely to play significant roles of  Cuban American children and Cuban American women are more likely to have greater authority in the family because of joining the workforce to contribute to the household income for security and independence of the family (Buffington, 2012). The third Hispanic group we will explore is Mexican Americans. Spanish has remained their primary language of all Mexicans in the Southwestern United States. It became necessary for workers and students to become proficient in English to continue to work and get an education. The Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (PASSO) and Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) were created to articulate ethnic political goals (Englekirk Marin, 2012). Unhappy with both the Democratic and Republican parties in 1970, Mexican Americans created an alternative political party called La Raza Unida (LRU), which had remarkable success (Englekirk Marin, 2012). Traditionally the voting patterns of Mexican Americans have been Democratic at the presidential level. The majority of Hispanic-owned businesses existing in the United States are controlled by Mexican Americans, and this has contributed to the growth of the Mexican American middle class. Englekirk and Marin (2012), Despite the diversification in employment into sectors of the national economy, wages have remained low for most members of the Mexican American community† (Mexican Americans). Englekirk and Marin (2012), â€Å"Following the Mexican-American War, increasing violence perpetrated by Anglo Americans made Mexicans and Mexican Americans intensely aware of their subordinate status within the American Southwest† (Mexican Americans). Mexican Americans created a variety of social and political organizations that promoted ethnic solidarity to attempt to cope with their second-class status. The majority of the Mexican American population is of the Catholic faith with a small percentage that converted to Protestantism and other faiths. In the traditional Mexican American family their extended family and closest friends are just as much a part of their family as their immediate family because of a system of mutual dependence and respect for elders that creates a close-knit family unit. The last Hispanic group we will explore is Puerto Ricans. Proper Castilian Spanish is the native language of Puerto Ricans. Green (2012), Although English is taught to most elementary school children in Puerto Rican public schools, Spanish remains the primary language on the island of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican  Americans). There is a substantially higher rate of voter participation among Puerto Ricans on the island than on the U.S. ma inland. There is political cynicism among the Puerto Ricans because of the lack of opportunity and education for the migrated population, but the Puerto Rican population can be a major political force when organized (Green, 2012). Some problems such as crime, drug-abuse, poor educational opportunities, unemployment, and the breakdown of the Puerto Rican family structure have caused them to be overall, the most economically disadvantaged Latino group in the United States (Green, 2012). Puerto Rican American social assimilation has been one of great success mixed with serious problems (Green, 2012). Green (2012), Because many Puerto Ricans are of mixed Spanish and African descent, they have had to endure the same sort of racial discrimination often experienced by African Americans† (Puerto Rican Americans). Most Puerto Ricans are Catholic, but dominance has been declining and the presence of many various form of Protestants has been increasing (Green, 2012). Among the Puerto Rican Catholics, a small minority actively practice some version of Santeria (Green, 2012). Green (2012), Puerto Rican family and community dynamics have an extensive Spanish influence and still tend to reflect the intensely patriarchal social organization of European Spanish culture† (Puerto Rican Americans). Both men and women have strong roles in childbearing and place a high value on educating their children. Since we have explored these four races, we can clearly understand the similarities and differences between them. They have been grouped together regardless of their origin because they share the Spanish language. We can be sure that Columbian Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Rican Americans make up a very diverse ethnic group. Each race is unique in their cultural traditions about family and religious beliefs. Their economics, social status, and political views we explored are only a very small reflection of who they are and how they live their lives in the United States. References Buffington, S. (2012). Countries and their Cultures. Retrieved from http://everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cuban-Americans.html Englekirk, A. Marin, M. (2012). Countries and their Cultures. Retrieved from http://everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Mexican -Americans.html Green, D. (2012). Countries and their Cultures. Retrieved from http://everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Puerto-Rican-Americans.html Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups (sixth ed.). Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Sturner, P. (2012). Countries and their Cultures. Retrieved from http://everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Colombian-Americans.html

Personal Development in Strategic Management

Personal Development in Strategic Management Personal development is about acquiring knowledge, skills and experience for the purpose of improving individual performance and self perception. It is a systematic process, which has a purpose to develop, identifying the skills to be improved, utilising the opportunities, action plans to be formulated, recording the outcomes, reviewing and evaluating the outcomes and benefits. Strategic manager is an individual who has good leadership qualities to bring change according to an environment and to operate at a strategic level. He/she is the one who takes the necessary decisions, set goals and strategies to win over existing and potential competitors. Personal development is imperative in todays world as this is a planning process through which managers acquire leadership skills and knowledge necessary to achieve long term goals of the organization. The organisation that I have chosen is Pioneer Computer Services is a leading IT management, systems and technology consulting firm. Committed to innovation, responsive to our clients needs, and focused on delivery of value, PioneerÂÂ  draws on the knowledge and expertise of our consultants, whose skills span a wider range of capability than any other major consulting firm. The specialist disciplines ofÂÂ  pioneers consulting staff are underpinned by deep change management experience managing risk, mobilizing staff and integrating initiatives to deliver sustainable change quickly. As a strategic manager at Pioneer, I have to keep focusing on what are the skills I need to develop in order to support strategic direction as well as I need to evaluate what are the strategic skills required to achieve strategic ambitions. In this assignment first I would try to identify the personal skills required of managers to achieve strategic ambitions of Pioneer. Then I will discuss leadership development to support achievement of strategic ambitions, effectiveness of the leadership development plan, promote a healthy and safe environment that supports a culture of quality and finally I will conclude my work by summarizing the whole assignment. LO1. Be able to identify personal skills to achieve strategic ambitions Analyse the strategic direction of the organisation Strategic is a organised plan . which veirified to achieve better collition of corporate plan. A modified strategic direction of infotec company will help in identifying the own competencies of a strategic manager . this can be accompalish by knowing the affect of strategy on corporate, business and operational level and by study . what strategic ideas would required to make decisions and modifying. A fine image . what infotec purpose is ? It could be shown in the form of mission and vision statement. At corporate level i attempt the strategic analysis to findout strategic direction of infotec, putting question to myself considering the type of business infotec is in ? is there any need to expand business or new services to be provided to customer in market from organisation. How to corroborate infotec financially in acting the above activities. At a business point of view i findout the particulate sector to developed. Eg : Flexible Benefits, incentives and rewards to motivate the em ployee to give there best for the company to be a chanllenging in business world . infoted mission is to be customers first opt of service provider by implementing the quality service , capitalistic cost by delivering latest technology Eg . To be a most successful electronic company by presenting a best customer experience and satisfaction in the markets we serve, providing handsome returns to shareholder and rewards to our employee. Infotecs vision is to expand its business by providing systematically superior services. E.g. seven years from now maplin will be as judge one of the top 5 electronic company in the industry, by 2020 lebera will be one of the top 5 communicating network companies in world. infotecs destination goal of elaboration into the other trades apart from its own country and it can be come through by export and import business opportunities, uniting and acquirement, new business deals, this align with the strategic direction of the organisation. Evaluate the strategic skills required of the leader to achieve the strategic ambitions Strategic ambitions of infotec are, to be a world-wide leader in the service and technology industry, to represent among the top 10 quality sellers in the market, to elaborate our business sharply through technology and to generate handsome revenues for the organisation. This can be accompalish when a organisation has a perfect leader with good leadership qualities and ideas to implement. Leaders are known for their development and applying favour to corporate strategies, predicting the future of organisation, features the ability to take full favour of available resources, etc. still it is very important for leaders of InfoTech to keep on creating| their skills, so that infotec can exist for a long period in this aggressive market. Leadership skills are determined and measure from time to time and keep on modified to meet strategic ambitions of infotec are identifying as: vision, relationships, teamwork, coaching development and decision making. Vision: Being a leader of infotec I must have a open idea where my organization and team are going beyond this years budget.In long terms to what extend it may reach? 1. Relationships: Being a leader, I should like speek with people issues, by taking leadership advantage. Only then I creat a team and achieve amazing results for infotec. 2. Teamwork: A team, consist of people with different skill sets, is necessary. I must know how to sturcture and encourage such a team. 3. Coaching development: Developing others giving opportunities to explore there ideas is an important role for me and boost them to expand their capabilities. Instructing and development are important skills that I should set up at infotec. 4. Strong communication skills: Communication is necessary because as a leader I have to coach, arrange , counsel, judge , and supervise through this process. Competencies needed to achieve strategic ambitions: Decision making: I must be able to wade through information, perceive whats applicable, make a well-considered conclusion, and take implement based on that conclusion. Time management: It is precise for me to hold the time, when I intend every thing according to achieve certain goals, it helps me to grade my work, it helps in creating a superior work, keeps me on the right path concentrating on strategic ambitions Assess the relationship between existing, required and future skills to achieve the strategic ambitions At present in infotec the strategic managers own few skills to accomplish the strategic ambitions. These insences not sufficient to accomplish the strategic ambitions. They own communication skills,delegacy mission,developing others, motivational skills, personal skills,Technical skills, command others, and initiators. Skills needed to achieve the strategic ambitions of infotec apply, the architectural role are empowering others, creativity, quick reaction, time management, flexibility,strategic thing, possessing high personal standards,endless learning, result oriented, self judgment, problem solving etc. Analysing the gap between current position or existing skills and expectable skills is mention as gap analysis. By analysing the gap, infotec came to know where are we and what skills are missing. Then a personal development plan came into creation which turn up in the below , final result for future to succeed the strategic ambitions. Personal development plan supports infotec to judge and determine the future skills needed and also educated the value of future skills. Identified below are the few future skills: Master strategist, relationship builder, talent developer and business challenges.personal arrogance , controlling leadership style ,reluctance to tackle difficult people, Should be able to bring the alternative whenever required rely up on the position , ability to form competent teams to present the best services, a dominating level decision making, ability to addres and consider , unpredicted opportunities, ability to combine strategy with corporate culture, anticipate the vision, command the business on behalf of all the stakeholders, to develop and apply changes to corporate strategies, personal opening to go beyond specify boundaries, to supervise and manipulate operations with special cite to financial results, productivity, caliber, customer services, invention , new wares and services and staff developments, to provide guidelines and plan of action for other managers to alleviate both the management of operations and changes in capitalistic and structural strategies. LO2. Be able to manage personal leadership development to support achievement of strategic ambitions 2.1 Discuss the opportunities to support leadership development As a leader, I have to confine where do I position today in the organisation? This can be perform by self assessment; a feedback from others would be the best to certify, what do they imagine about me? What do they see in my behaviour? Its very esssential to know about me, what leadership caliber, behaviour I own? What others retrieve and dont retrieve about me? These feedbacks, helps in succeed the strategic ambitions of infotec. This can be perform by using very acquainted development tools like performance estimation, 360 degree feedback, SWOT analysis, psychometric assessment, interaction sessions, coaching etc. Performance estimate is one of the essential tools to determine the performance of an employee in an organisation. It render the organisational diagnosis and development; assist communication between employee and administration. A 360 degree feedback can be acquire from my managers, peers, grade and customers whilst perform self assessment. Another essential tool to carry out self awareness is SWOT analysis, to avaluble extent it is used for strategic planning but can also be used for personal development border. Educational chance, development chance, training chance, career planning chance, are the opportunities to approve leadership development being followed by infotec. Educational opportunities: Educating the people of infotec to give knowledge about the system, process being carried in the infotec, so that the people will have a clear understanding of products and technology being used, it leads to a qualification subsequent with a degree and career way as well. Development activities: Ample number of growing activities with acquiring potential based personally or base on work in the organize of seminars, workshops etc. with these growing activities people will come to know themselves better and experiencing new things in technology sector of infotec. Training opportunities: Training people to make awareness about specific things for a specific period and place with a result oriented objectives. Training the people to bring up their skills and perform more effectively to encounter the strategic aims of infot Career planning opportunitiesplanning a long term strategy of any individual about his/her career. He/she has to intend, make and work according for the next 2-5 years 2.2 Construct a personal development plan to direct leadership development As a leader of infotec, with the strong position and want to make this personal development plan successful using a growing log initially I determine Key development goals: Appraising the presentation of my employees, these results in staff more devote to their work (efficient performance) and to perform training session for sales team to modify their performance and sales estimate. Collecting feedback: Accumulate feedback from my fellow worker about the way I am carrying the process, about the force which help me to hike more of my contribution, about the unannounced opportunities whether, I should employ them or not. This prove in a positive response from my fellow workers, saying that I possess satisfactory leadership skills which are my capability(change ability, time management, decision making) and these capability will help me to boost more and can move up with the coming opportunities. Planning steps: I intend according to the growing goal step by step. What power get in the way to carry out this development goal Which things I have to judge or release with in the time What resources will be expect or acquirable with me What I have to do to succeed this development goal Entering progress To displace out one of the key development goal: providing teaching sessions for sales team to change their performance and sales figure, things like more time I need to pass with them, work force may get in my way; I need to give up extra time to groom, I may need to perform training meeting with the sales group; Need enough budget to complete the training sessions, special training rooms needed; acquire trained or advice on rendering training to sales team,planed meetings, conducting teaching sessions, communicate for feedbacks to present to board. Similarly intend for employee assessment as well. Monitoring progress: After the successful completion of teaching sessions for sales team I started supervise the progress of sales team. analyze their efforts to sell there move candidates of infotec to different customer and getting them placed. Continuously reviewing and refining your approach to deliver superior performance: I had face to face interactions with each and every singular of sales team, conside any queries they have, any problems being faced in accomplish their tasks, anything that I can help them out. I being carrying out this activity with sales team thrice in a week to present outstanding performance 2.3 Devise an implementation process for the development plan Personal Development Planning will support you to specify and research your goals and map out ways to make them into reality. It will change you to articulate the skills you are developing now in order to expose opportunities in the future. (Source: University of KENT website). I develop a SMART objective based plan to create leadership development of infotec which was specific, important, manageable , and pratical and time bound. Skill audit: performing a skill audit by measuring a multi-rater questionnaire with the option of customizing and alleviate the 360 degree feedback by one-on-one developmental discussion. Skill required to be improved: With this questionnaire impractical skills (modifying change, decision making, time management, considering unannounced opportunities, managing business on behalf of stake holders etc) were listed out to be improved, developed to encounter the strategic ambitions of infotec. Activities to improve the skills: Device activeness required to develop the above skills of leaders of infotec includes teaching sessions and workshops. To perform these teaching sessions and workshops there will be a requirement of a worthy seminar room or special teaching and development room with capable seating, ventilation system , white board, markers, projector, tables and chairs, pen and papers, with a minimum room temperature and the most essential budget as well. Measures to enter progress: Training is the important factor of personal development plan and it should be recorded up to date. Easy way of Performa is to maintain the copies in the seminar room or teaching development rooms where teaching is given. Once after teaching has been given on a particular day and time, it should be entered on the forms. Time limits: A verifiable based plan to be achievable it should have a time limits. And this can be make by keeping the records of trainees how well are they , executeing during the teaching sessions, within one week time, three weeks time respectively. The objective to direct the leadership development for infotec can be reach within 3 months time. LO3. Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership development plan 3.1 Assess the achievement of outcomes of the plan against original objectives After the prosperous implementation of leadership development plan, now it is the time to estimate the result of plan against original objectives of infotec. improment need: Describing the development need of infotec was an aspirational visionary style (which was to give a new ways to infotec before participate into the new markets). Targets: objective to make a new vision to infotec by consulting the stakeholders and presenting this at the upcoming comprehensive meeting in the next 3 months. Outcome: Attended the workshops and teaching sessions and designed a new vision , assertion after consulting the stakeholders and demonstrated it to board. Yes, the development demand was well acquire by the stakeholders during the consultation and was prepare to invest in the preparation activities and the board also sanction it to use as the next tool, next strategy to be implemented. Most of the things move well and were in favour of the imporved plan. Board was very awesome with the kind of work completed. Things finish well: Focus group with distinct stakeholders was truly helpful and cooperative in gathering basic data and feedback and wascreated to invest in the teaching sessions or workshops. Things did not work well: I expanded more time to inform my proposal to board as few of them requested to explain more in depth about the proposal. What would I do present new next time? I will spread handouts to each members of board so that they can form clear idea about my proposal and my thinking ; this would help me in preserveing time of board and,as well as minl. 3.2 Evaluate the impact of the achievement of objectives on strategic ambitions Development need: Identified development need of infotec was an aspirational , impractical style (which was to give a new way to infotec before entering into the new markets). Objective: objective to give a new vision to infotec by conferring the stakeholders and presenting this at the approaching general meeting in the next 3 months. Strategic ambitions of infotec: Strategic ambitions of infotec are, to state a world wide leader in the service industry, to be one of the top 5 prime vendors in the trade, to expand our business sharply through technology and to create handsome revenues. Applicable strategic ambition: A newborn marketing strategic plan to support the services of infotec in to new trade which, helps in becoming turning a world wide leader in the service industry. This marketing plan not only helps infotec in becoming a world wide leader in service industry but also adds more shareowner to the firm change the present impact being followed to be more impressive and streamlined in the future, helps employees to concentrate more and more on sales and customer focused. wedge achieved: yes, the impact was reach. A new vision statement was incorporate, more add of customers were been increase to the list, customers were effective with the vision and values of infotec, created the revenue more than 3 times analyse to last quarter, was added to the list of top 5 prime seller in the trade, 20% of magnitude in the employees performance, sales increased to 40% this was due to the addition in the 60% performance of sales group. Recruitment manage became more effective in present quality candidates to the customers of infotec. New shareowner started showing their arouse in infotec. 3.3 Review and update the leadership development plan Aspirational visionary style of development require was met within the time I hold for making the approaching strategy for infotec as it was going to appear into new trade. A new vision statement of infotec was created by consulting the stakeholders and presented in the common meeting held. Outcomes of this brand-new vision statement were comprehended when I attended the workshops and teaching sessions. Yes, the affect on strategic ambitions was appraise and many things were in spare of the development need and the verifiable behind it. It was well acquire by stakeholders and members of board, built relationships with new customer, new shareholders were been named, new business from this campaign ensued in huge income. And on the other side, present development requir public relations style and present development target behind this style of leadership stipulating, a high visible profile still require to be auctioned. This leadership style is about the holding the superior relations between the employees of infotec as well as with the customer, client , shareowner , community members, suppliers and with all those to have a good public visualise about the services rendered by infotec. New development require determine are human resource style, financial engineering style and analytical style of leadership development and with the aim in providing corroborative environment e.g.training, workshops, employee relations,profit and appraisals; rendering tight control systems, e.g. providing adequate amount to suppliers, by providing a improve rate of interest to shareholders for the specific quarter, decreaseing bonuses to employees, reducing down the training cost; providing quality analytical plans to be appied and measured, empowering the employees to communicate their thoughts in conveying a change in the present system, empowering the employees to take conclusion on their own to produce the yield in their own style severally. LO4. Be able to promote a healthy and safe environment that supports a culture of quality 4.1 Assess the impact of corporate and individual health and safety responsibilities on the organisation Health and safety is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the health, safety and welfare of people busy in employment. This is a policy of how a business will effectively guarantee and manage the health, safety and welfare of the employees. The goal of health and safety programs is to promote a safe and work free environment. It may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities who are impact by the workplace environment. Health and safety responsibility on pioneer: Pioneer has a legal responsibility for health and safety of its employees and its customers, local communities, shareholders and those who may be affected by its business and its activities. It is about the preventing people from being harmed at work by taking the right precautions and providing satisfactory working environment. Setting HS policy: Pioneer consists of 40 people and its policy is in written format consisting of statement of intent, pioneer section and arrangement section. Health and safety policy of pioneer has influenced all the activities, including the selection of people, equipment and material. This written policy of pioneer has been upgraded from time to time, it indicated about the hazards and risks assessed and controlled in creating a safe working environment. Culture of pioneer: The role culture has a benefit of specialisation; here the employees of pioneer always focus on their particular role assigned to them by their job description which on the other hand increases productivity for pioneer. Development and implementation of health and safety plan: Being aware of risks being entertained by organisation, the board of pioneer was happy with the developed policy of health and safety. With an aim to protect people of pioneer a proper management system was introduced to ensure risks are dealt sensibly and with responsibility. Monitoring, evaluation and review of plan: A proper monitoring system was introduced to have a glance of HS policy of pioneer and reporting the problems still being faced, to the board to take up any necessary changes in the plan. This implemented plan was reviewed to check whether it is working properly and meeting the strategic ambitions of pioneer by collecting the feedback from employees, asking for their assistance in improving the system as well. Impact of health and safety responsibilities on pioneer: This developed plan lead to good health and safety performance includes: Less employee absence, reduced number of accidents and saved money, reduced costs and risks involved, better position against suppliers, shareholders and partners of pioneer, improved corporate reputation, reduced threat of legal actions, produced more results in the form of new clients, new projects 4.2 Estimate an organisational culture of quality on the achievement of strategic ambitions Promoting a health and safety quality culture: It was a hard time for pioneer in making commitment to develop health and safety issues. As safety of employees being a prime motive for pioneer, it planned to create a safety culture a safety team which involves and motivates the people in health and safety. Main objective to create a safety team of pioneer was to create awareness among employees, motivate them towards safety; as long as safety in pioneer entertains the outcomes will be entertained consistently. A safety team was introduced to focus specially on the health and safety procedures and to look after the system to be followed. The safety team was consist of two safety representatives, who deal with all the procedures, system being followed, take care about the employees present situation on floor. These representatives report to their manger of safety team. The safety team started conducting meetings with safety representatives, invited and visited other known companies to exchange the communication for better health and safety quality culture in pioneer. Communicated with employees about the safety environment in pioneer; exchange information about the facilities provided to people during the working hours etc. They included a timeout session every Tuesday with employees where, they can exchange the information about the present safety procedures, their thoughts, and ideas for the better safety procedures to be taken place. It was a big challenge for the leaders of pioneer to co nsistently focus on motivating the people to accept this new culture and to believe that pioneer is highly committed in maintaining health and safety of its employees. Impact of health and safety quality culture in pioneer: With the implementation of safety quality culture in pioneer many things were figured out which were in favour of pioneer success. They are: Employees started paying more attention to their work Get connected with new clients and new projects Lower accidents (reduced by 40%) Produced quality results within the given time. Maintained good health Absence of employees in pioneer was below 4 % Profits were up by 10 % Employees started logging in and logging out at time. Conclusion: In this assignment I have tried to identify the personal skills required of managers to achieve strategic ambitions of my organization. Though personal development as a strategic manager and constructing and implementing personal development plan at pioneer is an important activity which supported the strategic ambitions, yet in the wake of global economic, demographic, and technological changes there is a dire need to inculcate some strategic changes in some of the above discussed areas that form the basis of personal development planning for the strategic managers. Feedback: Pass. A very good assignment. Well done.