Power of Discrimination Exposed in Call It Blindness Essay -- Call It

Power of Discrimination Exposed in nominate It blindness The fear of the unknown causes people to inflict pain and hatred rather than try to understand. They discriminate or prejudge others on the basis of their ethnicity, race, sex or handicap. This treatment often results in victims being ostracized from society. It is assumed that such hardship can make people bitter and full of resentment. However, Georgina Kleege disproves this in her essay Call It Blindness. She shows that her personal struggle against discrimination has made her better, because it pushes her to open peoples narrow-minded views, break down societal stereotypes, and inspire those with similar challenges. As a handicap, there atomic number 18 extra struggles that Kleege must face while trying to broaden the narrow-mindedness of people in todays society. When people have a handicap, they are seen as wobbly and inferior. The blind must try to escape the negative stereotypes that are often associate d with them. Kleege acknowledges that people believe, Blind means darkness, dependence, destitution, despair. Blind means the beggar in the tubing station (395). She tries to help others understand that her condition is not one of despair but one of hope, as blindness does not in itself constitute helplessness. You volition be as resourceful, capable, and intelligent as you ever were (403). Kleege tries to make clear to others that her condition is not the end of her life, but the start of one with more difficulty. in that location are also stereotypes of uncleanliness and unawareness of those without vision, as well as an idea that the blind are less intelligent. Even though there are galore(postnominal) who do fall into the stereotype, there are also in... ...r way. Throughout history, there have been many images of braveness and strength. However, there is none more admirable than the bravery and strength of people identical Georgina Kleege. They continue to fight, even when their triumphs go unnoticed by most. As a result, their actions have had a larger impact on society than any famous hero. With their patience and perseverance, they have helped change and mold societys negative view of the disabled into a positive one. Without people with perseverance like Kleege, members of todays society would never try to open their eyes and learn to accept and respect those who are different. Work Cited Kleege, Georgina. Call It Blindness. The Presence of Others. 3rd ed. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. unsanded York Bedford, 2000. 389-407.

Community Based Policing Essays -- Argumentative Persuasive Police Ess

Community ground PolicingThere has always been a love-hate kin between the public and the police. When called upon to help, they can be something sent from God, only when when they are writing tickets, or taking a friend to jail, the view changes from a deliveryman to a presence that is unwanted and often hated. An effort to better the public view of law enforcement is being attempted by many de resolvements. Using dissimilar styles of policing techniques, mainly companionship based policing, has proved to be the high hat way to improve the image of law enforcement.Community based policing can best be defined as, a collaborative effort between the police and the community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems (Sykes). Community based policing is the supposition that the role of the police is not that of catching bad guys, but more that of serving the public. In order for communi ty based policing to have an effect, the presence of crime isn?t needed, in fact it?s often more powerful without the involvement of crime, ?Modern police departments are frequently called upon to help citizens resolve a grand array of personal problems--many of which involve no law-breaking action? (Schmalleger). The role of the police officer in community based policing, is to have an active part in the community. This can be something as simple as stopping in at a school just to talk to the kids, or... Community Based Policing Essays -- Argumentative Persuasive Police EssCommunity Based PolicingThere has always been a love-hate relationship between the public and the police. When called upon to help, they can be something sent from God, but when they are writing tickets, or taking a friend to jail, the view changes from a savior to a presence that is unwanted and often hated. An effort to improve the public view of law enforcement is being attempted by many dep artments. Using different styles of policing techniques, mainly community based policing, has proved to be the best way to improve the image of law enforcement.Community based policing can best be defined as, a collaborative effort between the police and the community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems (Sykes). Community based policing is the idea that the role of the police is not that of catching bad guys, but more that of serving the public. In order for community based policing to have an effect, the presence of crime isn?t needed, in fact it?s often more effective without the involvement of crime, ?Modern police departments are frequently called upon to help citizens resolve a vast array of personal problems--many of which involve no law-breaking activity? (Schmalleger). The role of the police officer in community based policing, is to have an active part in the community. This can be something as simple as stopping in at a school just to talk to the kids, or...

Capital Punishment Essay example -- Papers Death Penalty Argumentative

Capital PunishmentWorks Cited Not IncludedCapital Punishment was basically scene of for the good of society. The objective of Capital Punishment is to stop people from committing violent and offensive acts. Capital Punishment or the death penalty has failed however, to prevent or discourage crime. Moreover, it is cruel and gruesome. At present there atomic number 18 five methods of execution. The most commonly used form of execution is by lethal injection. In this method the convict is first injected with sodium thiopental, which puts him to sleep, then he is injected with pavulon, which finally kills him. The next most common method of execution used is electrocution in which the psyche is tied with leather straps to a chair and electric current of two thousand or more volts is passed through the body. The initial shock of the electrical energy causes the persons body to surge forward. The shock burns the internal organs of the person, which leaves them dead. During this process urination, vomiting of blood, change in skin color, and even gibbousness or burning of the skin may occur. This method of execution is currently used by only eleven states. The third method is gas bedroom execution in which hydrochloric acid and potassium is used to kill the convict. One of oldest methods of executions is hanging and last method is by shooting (Loeb). All the five methods be inhumane and cruel. The convict dies within a few seconds. He never gets the cartridge clip to realize his mistake, repent over it or to correct it. Killing that person does not kill crime. So, I do not see any purpose of the death penalty. Instead, if the convict is given the penalty of life imprisonment, he has the time to realize his mistakes and correct it in some form. It h... ...in practice. In Great Britain, it was abolished in 1971 France abolished it in 1981. Canada abolished it in 1976. The United Nations General Assembly affirmed in a formal resolution that, throughout the world , it is desirable to progressively restrict the number of offenses for which the death penalty might be imposed, with at view to the desirability of abolishing this punishment(57).Furthermore, the U.S is popular for its justice and respect for human life. Death Penalty does not to with this image of our country. So death penalty abolishment is necessary, to stick to our values and morals.Thus, I hope I have sufficiently tried to prove my view that Capital Punishment is not right. Because it is unfair and unjust innocent people are executed it is more expensive than life imprisonment. Therefore it is a highly controversial and emotional subject.

Capitalism and the Joy of Working :: essays research papers

Enjoyment of work and creativity is more important to most people than higher pay. Employers cant pay to get more creativity because it is not just about the money. Something meaningful and challenging is generally more important for new-fashioned workers coming into the workforce. No more is it the hope of reaching fame or making money that drives the workforce. Its the opportunity to do the work that is enjoyed. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist at the University of dough and author of Finding Flow The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life, has found through his research that for some people, paying them to do things they enjoy actually reduces their pursuit in doing those things. Another theory is that if you take your hobby and turn it into a career you wont enjoy it as much. Capitalism plays a key component part in creativity because the workforce needs to be stimulated in order to produce good publications. Cracking the whip on an assembly groove stifles crea tivity in the workplace and most workplaces are not assembly lines like they were a while back. Leaders that work under an authoritarian ideal stifle creativity and innovation. This will ultimately lead to low productivity and low turnover within the workforce. The good life just doesnt eliminate anymore. There arent millions of people working in assembly lines and in automobile manufacturing plants .. people are creating their happiness and most of it is a direct result on how they spend their time while they are punched into a clock.When what we do at work is meaningful people dont get blase or distracted, they get so involved they forget to eat. The world, and capitalism, needs creativity and innovation and without it would breed a lull in change and engineering science. Obviously, change and technology are what drives our capitalistic society. I remember my father always telling me that in order to appreciate and value the things you have you have to work for them yourself. I think the same holds true for ancestry ventures. Having a personal interest and a personal bank account on line drives one to make it possibly all the more than k working for a set paycheck. Wealth and prosperity are created with capitalism. Freedom, self-interest and competition make for a brawny environment engulfed in capitalism. Freedom is the rights to exchange products and capital. Self-interest is the right to pursue ones own happiness (which after all is the American way) which transforms into pursuing ones own business and use it to appeal to the consumers.

The Life of Tupac Shakur Essay examples -- Tubac Biography Shakur Essa

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971. Named after an Inca Chief, Tupac Amaru means Shining Serpent referring to wisdom and courage and Shakur meaning thankful to God. Shakurs mother, Afeni Shakur, was a leading appendage of the Black Panthers, a radical wing of the civil rights movement, with support for hardcore ghettos as well as white patronage. When Tupacs mother was pregnant with Tupac she was outlay judgment of conviction in the Womans House of Detention in Greenwich Village for conspiring to bomb several public places in New York City. All increment up his family lived in homeless shelters and run down town houses. Many times his family could not even afford lighting in the house. The only neighborly member he ever told of his childhood was of a diary he kept. In this diary he recorded his first attempts at poetry, this is where it began. A spectacular moment in Tupacs intellectual life occurred when he was twelve. At the age of twelve his mother enrolled him in 127th Street Ensemble, a theater group in Harlem. Even at an early age his mothers political views where confusing, and intriguing him. As he told the January issue of VIBE magazine in 1994, She was trying to get out me live in the white picket fence lifestyle, but yet we aint got no money and no good food and no lights. You want me to go to school? They tellin me all this stuff about fighting the system but they pushin me in the system. Meanwhile Tupacs father was serving time in prison, when released Tupac and his mother had moved to Baltimore. Before Afeni Shakur could contact him, he had died of a crack induced hart attack. While in Baltimore, Tupac auditioned for, and was accepted into, the Baltimore School of Arts. This triumph gave Tupac a goal and ambition. It overly exposed him to white people who cared about his life. However, before Tupac could finish high school at this school of arts, his family moved to Marin City, California.. Because of this move, Tupa c never did finish highschool. Marin City, at the time, was nicknamed the jungle because it was mainly project housing and had high crime rates.This is the point in Tupacs life where he claimed he got off sweep. Tupac began selling crack to all the ghetto inhabitants and was soon thrown out of his house. During this time, however, he did receive a positive brake, he was hired as a roadie/ social dancer for the hip-hop group Digital U... ...f all his problems are knawing at my sanity as if it where a rat or other animal.Hyperbole is an exaggeration, when something is embellished. Hyperbole is also used. At one point Tupac says that the children are bred with ruthlessness This exaggeration makes it sound like they are bred for certain traits, like animals, bred to be hartless and without feelings. This is an obvious exaggeration as that no person is actually bred to be without feelings.The final piece of figurative language is irony. Irony is almost a sort of mockery, or a satire. What I mean is, for example, if a person feared flying all their life, but finally decided to fly, and died in a plane crash. Irony in this poem is when he writes affright of being outcast , afraid of common fate. In this he says that people are afraid of being different than everybody, yet they also scared of being the same as everyone. This is irony.ThemeThe theme of this poem is that although things may be bad , if you keep your head up, and fight everyday for what you believe in, and so you can achieve and make the future better. You must leave the past behind you, and you will achieve what you want in the future.

The Life of Tupac Shakur Essay examples -- Tubac Biography Shakur Essa

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971. Named after an Inca Chief, Tupac Amaru means Shining Serpent referring to sapience and cour get along with and Shakur meaning thankful to God. Shakurs mother, Afeni Shakur, was a leading member of the Black Panthers, a radical wing of the civil rights movement, with support for hardcore ghettos as well as white patronage. When Tupacs mother was pregnant with Tupac she was spending time in the Womans House of Detention in Greenwich hamlet for conspiring to bomb several public places in New York City. All growing up his family lived in homeless shelters and run down town houses. Many measure his family could not even afford lighting in the house. The only fond member he ever told of his childhood was of a diary he kept. In this diary he recorded his first attempts at poetry, this is where it began. A big moment in Tupacs intellectual life occurred when he was twelve. At the age of twelve his mother enrolled him in 127th Street En semble, a theater group in Harlem. Even at an early age his mothers political views where confusing, and intriguing him. As he told the January issue of VIBE magazine in 1994, She was trying to make me live in the white picket fence lifestyle, but yet we personalt got no money and no good food and no lights. You want me to go to school? They tellin me all this stuff about fighting the arranging but they pushin me in the system. Meanwhile Tupacs father was serving time in prison, when released Tupac and his mother had moved to Baltimore. Before Afeni Shakur could contact him, he had died of a dissolve induced hart attack. While in Baltimore, Tupac auditioned for, and was accepted into, the Baltimore School of Arts. This success gave Tupac a goal and ambition. It also exposed him to white peck who cared about his life. However, forwards Tupac could finish high school at this school of arts, his family moved to Marin City, California.. Because of this move, Tupac never did fini sh highschool. Marin City, at the time, was nicknamed the jungle because it was mainly project housing and had high crime rates.This is the point in Tupacs life where he claimed he got off track. Tupac began selling crack to all the ghetto inhabitants and was soon thrown out of his house. During this time, however, he did tempt a positive brake, he was hired as a roadie/dancer for the hip-hop group Digital U... ...f all his problems are knawing at my sanity as if it where a rat or other animal.Hyperbole is an exaggeration, when something is embellished. Hyperbole is also used. At one point Tupac says that the children are bred with ruthlessness This exaggeration makes it sound equal they are bred for certain traits, like animals, bred to be hartless and without feelings. This is an obvious exaggeration as that no person is actually bred to be without feelings.The final piece of figurative dustup is irony. Irony is almost a sort of mockery, or a satire. What I mean is, for exam ple, if a person feared flying all their life, but finally unflinching to fly, and died in a plane crash. Irony in this poem is when he writes scared of being outcast , afraid of common fate. In this he says that people are afraid of being different than everybody, yet they also scared of being the same as everyone. This is irony.ThemeThe theme of this poem is that although things may be bad , if you keep your head up, and fight everyday for what you believe in, then you can achieve and make the future better. You must leave the past buns you, and you will achieve what you want in the future.

School Dress Code

School uniforms give the identity of the school. A certain design, style of a uniform initially gives an impression about the school. Usually, schools which require their student to wear coat and tie every day are dubbed as the exclusive schools. In America, those schools which have uniforms are private schools and somehow provide a status symbol for people. The aesthetics of a school uniform is just a bonus. A school uniform provides formality in education. This is why the teachers and the staff in an educational institution also wear uniforms.However, the public schools in the country do not require their students to wear uniforms. Instead, they just wear casual clothes to school (Brunsma, 2004, p. 50). The importance of having school uniforms is highlighted when it comes to the safety of the students. It is relevant that the student be tending(p) school uniform for easier identification when outside of the school campus. A modified school uniform per year level will also help. An example of this would be providing color-coded ribbons for each grade school.This will better help in identifying the students especially in a big school. In school gatherings and announcements, this helps in organizing the students in much(prenominal) big events (Brunsma, 2004, p. 55). When outside the campus, a student in uniform can easily be identified if he or she should be in or outside the campus. Once caught, the school can easily take action for the students wrongdoings. Thus, uniforms help make the administrations jobs easier in maintaining the discipline of the students.It will also give the students a second thought on cutting classes and doing nasty things especially when they are carrying their schools name. Although this may be just a glitch, the problem that will probably be faced in having a school uniform is that it will somehow give more schoolwork to the institution. With these being said, it is just important that schools have uniforms. The preceding(prenomin al) reasons are more than enough to justify the importance of school uniforms.

MBA

The 20th century revolutionised the idea of leadership and management. As dwarfish as ten years ago, leadership and management were clearly separated by rank, position and chain of command. leadershiphip was seen as something natural, which could maybe not be skilled. It was the stuff of Bill Gates and Richard Branson, the giants of technology and commerce who belonged to a genuinely exclusive club of like-minded individuals.These people manifested the kind of leadership that was connected to charisma, mogul and the ability to inspire others to buy into their vision. In the past, you commanded the right connections or at least an MBA to shape a leader of anywhere near that caliber. The ethos was determined by political visionaries such as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan who promoted the ideas of free enterprise and a move a tensenessing from socialist economies.It is not simple to understand what are the differences in the role of police squad leadership and organizati on leadership? As for me the roles for leaders do change, as will be explained in more(prenominal) detail which let in adjusting organisational structures and supports for collaborative accomplishment procedurees and monitor and mediating environmental factors that effect internal operations.Team leadership concerns the level and focus of way a team communicate. Team members may share leadership amongst them or rely on a chosen leader. Wherever it resides, leadership is master(prenominal) in channeling team energy and efforts, and in dowery to work through conflicts and problems. Clearly absent from the High-Performance Team Wheel is the leader, as around important aspects of leadership are contained in the nine dimensions and can effectively least in theoryexist without a formal authority or designated leader.After long comparison I concluded that team leaders coordinate bit leaders of organization control work and work processes. As general organization leaders are its man agers. The team leaders business enterprise is to develop the business and the business strategy e.g. formally or informally researching and identifying new business opportunities. Organization leader are more involved in setting objectives, drafting plans and implementing the work. Moving people is very much part of its role while, at the same time, organization leader must know how to make staff on a daily basis.Team leaders coach and develop e.g. by setting up mentorship relationships between new entrant graduates and experienced, no-hit senior managers. Organization leader s on the other hand is engaged in training and managing/monitoring staff performance. The leaders role is to renew, reinvent and replenish, while organization leader measure, evaluate and monitor. 21st century leadership is as well as about growing and developing self-managing teams. Organization leader are more concern with building and managing conventional teams.The role of leadership is required to c ommunicate a vision of how products need to be developed and to define the desired development process objectives under this new paradigm. Is the focus on time-to market, on product performance and technology, or on product or life cycle costs? from each wiz of these objectives will result in a different orientation for the development process. Specific goals should be established and communicated we will cut our development cycle by 40% over the next three years.Priorities need to be established we will focus on establishing an effective team-based approach to development out front we invest in upgrading our CAD systems. Resources and funding mechanisms for this effort need to be committed including time for personnel working on the IPD initiative, training, process improvement, and tools implementation. Will these efforts be funded by a separate budget, by departmental budgets or by development programme budgets? Explicit guidance is required on objectives, goals, priorities , resources and funding mechanisms. once the key people in the organization develop a plan of action, it must be reviewed, approved and actively supported by executive management.Leaders must have a wide range of skills, techniques and strategies, which are the same to both organization and team leaders. These includePlanning Communication skills Organization ken of the wider environment in which the team operates Jack Welch, respected business leader and writer is quoted as proposing these fundamental leadership principlesThere is only one way the straight way. It sets the tone of the organisation. Be open to the best of what everyone, everywhere, has to offer. transfer learning across your organisation. Get the right people in the right jobs it is more important than developing a strategy. An informal atmosphere is a competitive advantage. Make sure everybody counts and everybody knows they count.Legitimate sureness is a winner the true test of self-confidence is the courage to be open. Business has to be fun celebrations energies and organisation. Never underestimate the other guy. Understand where real value is added and put your best people there. love when to meddle and when to let go this is pure instinct. Worked Cite1. Daniel. F. Predpall, Developing Quality Improvement Processes In Consulting Engineering Firms, Journal of Management in Engineering, pp 30-31, May-June 19942. Richard Pascale, Managing on the bounds, Penguin Book, pp 65, 19903. John Fenton, 101 Ways to Boost Your Business Performance, Mandarin Business, pp 113, 19904. Welch, J. (2001). Jack Straight from the gut. New York Warner Business Books. Samsung in bloom. (2002, July 15). Newsweek, 35.5. Patrick M Lencioni, Jossey-Bass The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, , San Francisco, CA, 2002MBAI would like to share the considerations which I have made in my choice to enroll in an Executive MBA program. I weigh that the program would supporter me grow in both personal and profession al realms, through an scholarship of both technical and soft skills. Through the rigor and discip pipeline required, I will be equipped with academic content that will help me function more effectively in my job. In securing a Masters degree, I as well to develop the necessary soft skills that will hone managerial effectiveness.In particular, I want to be enlisted into a program that will help me set ahead develop my skills of problem solving, written and oral communication skills, information retrieval and utilization, and collaboration. From a working association level, I want the program to help me make out to a can do level. For my problem solving skill, I want to learn more on how to analyze and synthesize the emergence of problems, patterns and ca applys and to generate solutions or options in solving critical or mingled issues through various means.I also want to be capable of identifying new, innovative and creative ideas/options to spank problems. For communication s kills, I want to learn how to foster an atmosphere of open communication and to see things from anothers linear perspective. In addition, I want to learn how to assess the need of the audience in order to deliver the appropriate message and content.For information management, I want to broaden my perspective by ensuring that information is free of distortions or personal bias. Finally, on collaboration, I expect the program to teach me how to develop and maintain a strong network of contacts in the industry and right(prenominal) the union and use this to promote my companys reputation. I also want to learn how to actively building lasting business relationships with other department or companies, private and authorities institutions.Pursuing this degree is one of my educational goals in the near future. I want to secur the degree within the next 5 years as I simultaneously strive to continue developing my accounting and management skills. I will carry this out by conscientiously attending training and store sessions for accounting and administrative professionals. I would also be actively engaged in planning for my own development in my current workplace, suggesting means and venues for skills acquisition to my superior. If time permits, I also intend to join a professional organization within my field of expertise striving to work my way up to a role with greater responsibility and to pursue a Doctorate degree simultaneously to further increase my management competencies.I am rosy-cheeked to have been given proper and comprehensive exposure to management roles. I have held positions which allowed me to exercise a substantial degree of autonomy. The positions which I have then far held helped me to think critically and to make rational decisivenesss amidst ambiguity.While I do not have an exceptionally high GPA, my experience in the organisational setting, I believe, may compensate for this short coming. Upon graduation in 1989, I have worked for a deca de in manufacturing companies, holding accounting positions. These include the positions of approach Accountant, General Accountant, Plant Accountant, and Finance Manager. Gradually, my circle of influence has grown with change magnitude responsibility.There have been no significant changes in terms of the technical requirements of these roles. The increasing responsibility came with the need to manage people, which is more of a challenge than the technical aspect of these jobs. I take pride in saying that while I have not been academically exceptional, I have been effective at performing these roles, being both results driven and yet to have enough focus on people management.Thus far, the position of Finance Manager have been the most contest role I have performed so far. Whereas before I was only expected to deliver daily management plans or short-term objectives, this role has necessitated strategic and big picture thinking. In this role, I have also been required to manage pe ople, and have realized that it it important for them to realize how their objectives are meaningfully linked to overall organizational goals. Recognizing the importance of ones portion has been an effective motivator.The intangible factors of autonomy, relationship with superior, and engagement cause people to be results-driven and constantly motivated. The people management component of the role has helped me keep a more balanced perspective or focus on work vis--vis people, and initiatives may be cleverly drafted so that one component complements the other.In resolving to arrest in the program, I have been convinced that it is critical to my personal development and learning, and may also be key to progress in my career. In get in the program, I expect my technical and management skills to be developed further. For problem solving, I want to be able to break down problems and see patterns or basic relationships or connections among them. Moreover, I want to be able to utilize several analytic or creative shipway to break apart complex issues into component problems and to evaluate the identified alternative solutions to problem.I would also want to be taught how to use logical, systematic reasoning to understand and resolve, analyze and resolve issues. In terms of communication skills, I want to express ideas more effectively in both written and oral communication and to pick up non-verbal clues and use non-verbal information. I want to practice effective use direct, open, two-way communication and read beyond what is said and to alter my own behavior to respond appropriately. education management is also one of the areas which I want to develop. I want to be able to compare, recognize and correct discrepancies with multiples sets of data to balance records and to utilize monitoring systems to ensure achievement of goals of individuals in the organization I work for. I also want to be taught the rigor of verifying or uncovering redundant information fo r accuracy. I also want to be more effective at collaborating with others. I want to build true relationships with people within and outside of the organization to identify or resolve differences, issues and obstacles.All these soft skills, together with the technical content that shall be imparted in the program will help me become a more effective professional. I am thoroughly convinced that to progress in ones profession, there must be unbroken passion for learning both academically and through practical applications. The learning not only comes with solid academic content but also equips one with the soft skills needed to advance in ones career. This realization of the value of learning upon application to the program in itself is valuable.I have changed my perspective of learning as a tedious process, to one in which I could be actively engaged, and to even have fun. I really appreciate what the program has to offer, and its promise of helping me advance both my personal and professional career.I also expect the program to espouse an atmosphere of learning where students can be inquisitive. That is, where questions and further inquiry are encouraged. Moreover, I hope that the teachers of the program may be prudent in knowing when to handhold a student and when to let him work independently. There may be some subjects which I will find difficult and in which I expect more help from my Executive MBA mentors.MBAMy decision to pursue my MBA rests on my commitment to improve myself. Being a firm believer that learning is a life-long process which should an individuals top priority, I am applying for an MBA program with the hope of furthering my strengths and competencies while contributing my acquired knowledge and skills to this institution.After my college graduation, I remember being very much excited on applying the hypothetic concepts which I have learned inside the four walls of the classroom into the outside world. Surprisingly, working in the corpo rate arena equipped me with the new skills which are beyond what are taught by professors. My job experiences furnished me with the capacity to lead, become creative as well as self motivated.Having been assigned to lead my team in the creation of communication tool for managing promotions, I have experienced how it is to manage a workforce with members of different values, expertise, and ideas. I can say that the most challenging part in being a leader is coordination especially because Ive dealt with a team from different functional areas. However, this experience taught me the essential qualities to be an high-octane leaderbeing goal-oriented, credible, approachable, firm, and the ability to deal with a diverse workforce.I am the type of person who doesnt settle for the conventional but as much as possible, I look for ways to improve things. In the business sense, I apply this through a continuous search for ways which can help my business organization to be more efficient like the communication tool I have described above.I believe that my acceptance for the MBA program should not only be credited for my skills that I currently posses but even more for my passion in gaining more knowledge and enhancing my skills in order for me to reach my full potential. I am very much motivated to excel in my career but more importantly is my motivation to improve myself.I know that there is no simple formula which can make a person succeed in everything that he does. My measure of accomplishment is usually gauged in the amount of things that I have learned from the experience and not victory itself. So far, I am very grand of the three accomplishments which have instilled me with a sense of fulfillment namely being able to land my first full time job at VCS, being a core team member of business projects, and leading a team which worked for the creation of a communication tool for promotions management.I am one of those fortunate fellows who have experienced the thril l and challenge of landing a first full time job after searching for months. I can still remember how overjoyed I was when I am informed that I am hired for the position of _________ at ______________. This job probability has tested my patience and perseverance. The company also became the first venue for me to apply my knowledge and skills and instilled me with the values of being a good employee.Secondly, I am proud to be a core team member of the Business Objects project where members representing various departments worked hard together to reach a common goal. While we spent countless hours to test and implement the project, in the end, it is very much self-fulfilling. I value the ideas that I have learned from my colleagues as well as the good working relationship which we have established.Lastly, I consider launching a communication tool for managing promotions, which is now utilized by sales, operations, finance and senior management the most challenging task that I have e ver handled. I am specifically proud of my recognizing some of the shortfalls which I committed during the project because this is where most of the learning comes from. I am proud to have led the project which is now generating numerous benefits for the company not just in its bottom line but on overall efficiency.

Brief Analysis of Music Essay

In Joel and Ethan Coens unique take on referencing Homers Odyssey in the seduce of a 1930s Great Depression comedy-adventure film, O Brother, Where machination Thou? , the most noticeably intelligent attribute was the genius song and medical specialty quality that, in more ways than one, dictated scene build-up, characteristic, and transition, thus keeping the theme of the old-time, old-country atmosphere well intact throughout. The variety of American roots music songs used in the scenes gives cinematic emphasis to the characters circumstances and plot situations.Moreover, the assortment highlights the realness of time and setting presentation in telling the story of triad convicts and just where, when, and how their adventure unfolds. Brief Analysis of Music Selection in Joel and Ethan Coens O Brother, Where Art Thou? As the film opens with a lengthened line of hard-toiling inmates along the rail-road iron linings, collectively and heavily chanting verses from a rather haunt ingly soothing blues tune entitled Po Lazarus (Track 1), the audience is at once audio-visually oriented and introduced into the state of the times, surroundings, over-all atmospherics, and mood of the film.The relative simplicity of life through the rather depressed and trying times is kept through famed scenes. An example of which is when the odd trio of Ulysses Everett McGill, Delmar ODonnell, and Pete, together with Cousin Wash, all enjoyed an after-meal, quality-entertainment radio offering via Norman Blakes country classic You are My temperateness (Track 3).Moreover, the music presented in each of the scenes not only offers musical genre variety of roots country and folk, blues, bluegrass, gospel, and much in between through accredited scene transitions, but more importantly highlights the tone of each separate scene in between dialogue, one distinct from the other, effectively and memorably. An example of this was the on-going haggling of Everett and Pete which was oversh adowed by the mass baptismal gathering and singing of a traditional gospel hymn Down to the River to Pray (Track 4), wherein all except Everett opted to clean his sacred slate.Another was the scene seduction by the sirens, which is musically accompanied with Didnt Leave Nobody but the Baby (Track 10) by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch, and also with Tommys ambitious hanging in the sound of O Death. All of these scenes are observably different from one another, but the rather musically enchanting versed call melodies even give the scenes both an emotionally accessible and later-on cinematically nostalgic feature which stays with the viewers even after the film is over.The song selection provides the comme il faut build-up, eventual transition through, and even main story twists which fuel the storys eventualities. An example of this was when the trio headed to a local radio station in hopes of garnering a means of self-financial aid, they sang Man of Constant So rrow (Track 7), disguised on the airwaves as the Soggy Bottom Boys accompanied by musically skillful, guitar-equipped Tommy Johnsonwho vie a particularly important scene role for the films story.The song performed was not only quite entertaining, but its definitions also constituted what a traditional American folk song truly is, which gave the scene much credibility and realness in every extent. The music also provides the film with a sense of scene consistency without compromising the story and, as the quality of song recordings are kept to its truest form even more enriching the old-time face of the film. As Evan Cater (2009) points out, These recordings, which were made without the meddling clarity of digital technology, give the film much of its power and authenticity (n. p. ).The excellent selection and execution of music and scene inter-play gives the film a characteristic of its own and none like other. References Burnett, D. (2000). Man of Constant Sorrow D. Tyminski, H. Allen & P. Enright. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack CD. Nashville hydrargyrum Records. Cater, E. (2008). O Brother, Where Art Thou?. AllMusic. com. Retrieved January 21, 2009 from http//www. allmusic. com/cg/amg. dll? p=amg&sql=10hifixqu0ldse. Coen, J. (2000). O Brother, Where Art Thou?. California Touchstone and Universal Pictures. Davs, J. & Mitchell, C. (2000). You are My Sunshine N. Blake.O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack CD. Nashville Mercury Records Harris, E. , Krauss, A. , and Welch, G. (2000). Didnt Leave Nobody but the Baby E. Harris, A. Krauss, G. Welch . O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack CD. Nashville Mercury Records. Lomax, A. (2000). Po Lazarus J. Carter. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack CD. Nashville Mercury Records. Traditional (2000). Down to the River to Pray A. Krauss. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack CD. Nashville Mercury Records. Traditional. (2000). O Death R. Stanley. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack CD. Nashville Mercury Records.

Cell Phones and Teenagers Essay

Driving and talking on a cell phone is a major distraction and possible cause of railway car crashes. Cell phones and hot technology is becoming the cause of more and more deadly crashes, especially when it is a teen driver. There were 3,092 deaths in distraction-related accidents in 2010, but the number is in all likelihood higher. Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young drivers reaction eon as slow as that of a 70-year-old. While teenagers are texting, they spend about 10 percent of the time outside the driving lane theyre supposed to be in. About 6,000 deaths and a half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers every year. Each year, 21% of deadly car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 was because they were on their cell phones. This result has been expected to grow 4% every year.Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) is an organization all over the uncouth and is a recognized group that started out 30 years ago with a mis sion to prevent drinking while driving. In 1997, they changed their name because they cute increase their focus into all areas of negative behaviors such as texting while driving, road rage, and teen crashes in general. The National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS) is another(prenominal) countrywide organization that promotes empowerment and leadership for teens to take action and help save lives among their fellow road companions.

Why Do Ads Target Children?

Why do Ads Target Children? Have you ever been in an isle of a store and heard, but florists chrysanthemum I really want this I saw it on television? This is a product of advertising. Since the late 1980s fryren have emerged as a advert demographic to marketers. Advertisements selling everything from the latest video game to the newest automobile are now targeted to the youth of our world. Children have subverting power that sways their parents purchases, and they are the future consumer. marketing to children is creating the childrens ability to nag a parent into purchases.Nagging or Pester Power is the most used strategy in the market today. The theory behind this is rather than going straight to the parent, give the child the grease ones palmsing power. Children are much more persuasive in the middle of a shop trip than that commercial the parent heard two hours ago. Children very much get their wants based on their persistence of needing a product. If someone asks you whe ther you want a reversal or Pepsi, you immediately know youre being asked about a carbonated cola beverage with distinct yet subtle differences between the two.Which ever discolouration you choose, Coke or Pepsi shows that somewhere along the line you developed a preference for that product. In Advertising it is called product loyalty. Marketers use Repetition of products children have no current use for such as a Ford Truck to build brand recognition in hopes that as an adult they will buy that Ford verses the Chevrolet. It also works with things such as Cake mixes. A child watches the Betty Crocker cake mix ad, nags the parent into buying and using the product. Then in turn buys the product as an adult based on their experience as a child.The Market has seen a new angle to encourage children to buy brand X over the competitors product. Many schools have lost funding due to our economic experiencefall. So advertisers such as Campbells soup have come up with campaigns such as La bels for Education. Basically you buy their product. Send in the label and earn stuff for your school. This gives some(prenominal) children and parents a creditable reason for buying the product. Corporations are also gaining access to advertise in public schools in exchange for materials. Frito Lay will support events in schools in exchange for tagging their logo n flyers advertising the event. Children are easily influenced by things they see. Nine times out of ten a child will pick the cereal with Hannah Montana on the box over the box that shes not on. Since the days of radio children have been introduced to the idea that if I want to be a star I should eat the same cereals that the stars eats. The use of role models and celebrities to influence children is used everywhere. If it is meant for the use or consumption of a child you will most likely find a celebrity attached to it. On average there are three televisions and one computer in every home.So it is no wonder how adver tising can reach so many children. Just a child sitting down to do some school researches can be inundated with hundreds of advertisements in an hours time. A half hour television special contains at the least 10 minutes of commercials. Just about everywhere you look someone is trying to sell something. Although, children have no direct income of their own we often overlook their buying power. In todays busy world parents have tendency to buy more to satisfy their children. From candy bars to insipid screens never underestimate the buying power of a whining child.

A Dream Deferred

Langston Hughes poem, A Dream Deferred, is about the sentiments of African American people back when they were great laden and marginalized (Hughes).They were denied of a dream, of a better life and a better world just because of their skin color and their ethnicity. Looking closely at the poem, we can elatem that the particles used by Hughes could clearly show the readers how much he felt back at that time when he wrote it.It is important to analyze the poem by dint of its parts first and then its entirety so that well see how Hughes came up with a short but very effective poem.Hughes used several literary elements all throughout his poem. The first one is the use of rhetorical questions, where we can see that the poem is structured as a questions related to deferring a dream. These questions carry to answer themselves in the end, and this is where the use of the next element, simile comes in. He uses it to describe every situation that he gives relating to a dream deferred.On e example is Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun, where he used like a raisin in the sun to describe the drying up of the dream (Hughes). From this, it is evident that it also uses the element imagery when describing, including fester like a sore, stink like rotten meat, and a lot more (Hughes).Through these literary elements, we can see how much feeling the author has regarding this topic. As an African American, he had his fair share of discrimination, which led to his dreams being deferred.The poem shows us the progression of how his dreams and aspirations were denied and how his reaction evolved. From the poem, we can clearly see that it seemed to worsen to a point of destruction. With this, the readers can follow how his emotions could flip changed through time.Hughes intends to answer the question what happens to a dream deferred, and he was able to do so by giving several responses (Hughes). His first few responses were generally negative, as wed expect from someone dis criminated and denied of their dreams.He responded that it could dry up like a raisin in the sun. This is a very appropriate response for someone who lost hope, saying that their dreams would all go to waste and just dry up.A raisin in the sun is erstwhile a juicy grape, just like a dream thats full of promise and hope. By denying that dream, all that would be left is just the wrinkle skin of the past, something very distant to what it previously resembled.Other responses that Hughes provided include festering like a sore, stinking like a rotten meat, and crusting and sugaring over like a syrupy sweet. These are all undesired, negative situations that could be a gauge of how the author felt when his dream was deferred.It was uncalled for, it was non the outcome that he expected, but still he must live with that. There isnt any hint of justice for the author, since these were all irreversible outcomes. At this point, we can now see that divagation from disappointment, having one s dream deferred also causes a great deal of sadness and pain.In the end, all of the dreams deferred from a man like the author would eventually have to go somewhere. As it piles up, it creates a heavy load which would eventually sag.All the dreams that they were not able to achieve, all the opportunities that were denied from them would eventually sag and weigh them down. It is such a heavy burden to carry and on that point is no other way to ease it other than giving them the chance to fulfill those dreams.Because eventually, as it continues to sag and expand, there would come a point when it would just explode. In the end, they wouldnt be able to sustain such load and so it leads to destruction.This could be taken two literally and figuratively, because I think that when the load is too heavy to bear, people like Hughes would eventually think of a way to lessen the burden, and it may not be a desirable course of action.Work CitedHughes, Langston. A Dream Deferred. Writing throu gh Literature. Eds. Linda Anstendig and David Hicks Prentice Hall, 1995.

Applied Research Case Study Essay

Global Innovations ChallengesOn June 5, 2006, Peter Vyas paced his office as he grappled with a request for $2 million to relaunch a mini pissing-oxidation harvest. Despite two failures to bring this fruit to securities industry everywhere the past three years, his group was confident this latest iteration was a winner. For Vyas, full normal manager of the Filtration building block of Applied Research Technologies ( trick), the request presented a major repugn. He recognized that his team had worked tirelessly to make this project a verity and warmly believed they were now headed in the right direction. But he also unders excessivelyd that the Filtration Units track record of failure during this products fall apartment had hurt its credibleness. If he supported the proposal, he knew he would be putting on the line not only his own personal credibility alone also that of the entire building block. Due to the projects sizing, final approval would be made by Vyass boss , Cynthia Jacksonthe newly nominate vice president of ARTs pissing Management member. Jackson was acutely aw are of the mounting losses in the Filtration Unit, and she had already devoted a significant amount of time trying to get them gage on track. She had confided to one of her colleagues When I took on this assignment, I was told my number one task was to fix the Filtration Unit. The unit only had one r hithertoue-generating product line and had failed to bring a arrive atable new product to market in five years. It was clear that I was evaluate to either turn it around or shut it down.Im trying to protect them and ensure they get support, but my initial feeling is if they are to survive, they must become much more disciplined. They seem to be making progress on that front, but in all honesty, I sometimes interview if it is time to cut our losses and initiate a harvest strategy for the unit._________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________ HBS Professor Christopher A. Bartlett and Heather Beckham prepared this case solely as a basis for class discussion and not as an endorsement, a source of primary data, or an illustration of effective or ineffective wariness. This case, though found on real events, is fictionalized, and any resemblance to actual persons or entities is coincidental. There are occasional references to actual companies in the narration.Copyright 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing. To localise copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http//www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No crack of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval trunk, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any instrumentelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the permission of Harvard Business Publishing. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.ART was one of the technology worlds emerging giants. The phoner had grown with the merger and acquisition of numerous technology-based industrial companies, acquired in the LBO buyout waves of the 1980s and 1990s.By 2006, ART consisted of a portfolio of about 60 business units, to each one of which operated as a profit center. Total corporate revenue was $11 billion in 2006.1 Major fragments in the corporation included healthcare (medical symptomatic equipment), Industrial Automation (robotics), Energy ( particular(a)ction, conversion, and transportation solutions for the oil and gas industryincluding the piddle Management Division), and HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning, including climate visit solutions for residential, technical, and industrial markets). manifest 1 shows the organization structure of the company.The companys success had been built on its innovative and entrepreneurial culture, coupled with a decentralized management philosophy. ARTs vision statement, proudly displayed in almost every office and cubicle, stated We aim to change the world through innovation, and to grow our place in it through entrepreneurship.Culture and PracticesART was dedicated to supporting innovation not only with funding (the companys R&D spending was duplicate the rate for U.S. industrial companies), but also in its practices, several of which were deeply embedded in the companys culture. ART encouraged employees to spend a half day each week experimenting, brainstorming, and thinking outside the box. It was a practice that the companys visionary founder and current CEO, David dormitory, referred to as monkey time. He explained the imaginationInnovation and entrepreneurship are the twin engines driving this company. Its the reason weve ingrained tinker time in our cultureI conceptualise all our managers, and particularly those on the front line, to create, promote, and back assure ideas. But we understand that when you go for the big leap, you wont always clear the bar. So there is no shame in failure when you are stretching for big objectives. Around here we routinely celebrate what we call worthy attempts even when they are unsuccessful.Knowledge sharing and dissemination was another key part of ARTs business philosophy, and despite the high level of decentralization and profit accountability, technology and human capital were both widely shared among particles. For example, experts in one division routinely served as advisors on project committees for other divisions, and it was not uncommon for employees to go on loan to help another unit with a promising product idea or technology. The company also locomote quickly to bring products to market. If an idea showed promise, funding was usually available for polished beta batch productions, which often freeed market testing to achieve what was called proof of concept within ART. Once an innovation was proven, significant investment was q uickly put behind it.Objectives and PrioritiesTo infuse discipline into its decentralized organization, ARTs top management set highly aggressive performance objectives and tied executive compensation tightly to them. In 2006, as in 1 Of that total, Water Management Division sales were $560 million and Filtration Unit sales were $38 millionany other year, each division was expected to deliver sales growth of 10%, pretax margins of 15%, and return on invested capital of 20%, referred to as the 10/15/20 Target. The belief that innovative products were the source of the companys ongoing competitive advantage was reflected in a companywide metric requiring 30% of each divisions total sales come from products developed in the defy four years.2Hall also continually emphasized that to be competitive, ART had to shorten the life cycle between a new technologys conception and its commercialization. In response, the company had introduced the Fast Track Pipeline, a program that focused on t he highest priority projects by providing them with additional resources and management assistance. ART currently had 67 such projects in the pipeline, six in the Water Division, but none in the Filtration Unit. (The mini oxidation unit had not been identified as a Fast Track project). In the late 1990s, Hall began pushing to grow ARTs global presence. Its important not fair to expand our market access, but also to broaden our talent access, he insisted. Innovation and entrepreneurship know no national boundaries. In the quest to meet this challenge to attract the best and the brightest wherever they live, in 2000, the corporate R&D group opened the India Technical Center (ITC)a substantial operation that Hall hoped would become a model forother R&D centers he syllabusned to open up around the globe.The Filtration Business UnitThe Filtration Unit was part of a business ART acquired from an oil and gas services company in 1996. Its core product line was in mobile body of water m anipulation that allowed oil and gas exploration companies to meet government water recycling requirements at well heads and drilling sites. These products were still the units core line, but in the late 1990s, new competition from Chinese manufacturers had led to a commoditization of the business and an erosion of margins. ARTs newly acquired filtration business had tried to develop the next generation of products and technologies, but after two high-profile new product failures, the unit had lost confidence. By 2006, it was losing about $6 million annually. refreshing Management, New EnergyIn a promotion from his role as a lab manager in the HVAC Division, the 32-year-old Vyas had assumed the role of business manager for the Filtration Unit in June 2001. He immediately confronted the units twin organizational problems of low morale and growing turnover, and in his premiere year, rebuilt the team by guardedly selecting entrepreneurial-minded individuals to fill the vacancies left by turnover in the unit. One of his key recruits was Janice Wagner, whom he knew from her five years as a market manager in the HVAC Division. She was excited to join a unit that had an opportunity to develop a new business from scratch.Convinced that survival depended on innovative growth, Vyas appointed a technology evaluation team early in his tenure, charging them with the responsibility to focus on technologies with the potential to turn the unit around. In one of his first reviews with that team, Vyas learned that for almost a year, the filtration unit had been working with ITC technicians on an exciting new technology the young Indian team had developed based on a license obtained from a Delhi-based start-up company. Developed as a potential solution to the widespread triad World problem of obtaining clean water in contradictory regions, this minuscule-scale oxidation system was thought to have2 Hall had recently increased this target from 25% of each units sales from p roducts developed in the last five years.application in many less-developed markets. But in an effort to cut costs, the filtration units previous management had decided to abandon the collaboration a year earlier. After reviewing the technology, Vyas became convinced that this had been a mis take aim and encouraged his evaluation team to pursue the project. Working nigh with the ITC technologists, the team cerebrate that the oxidation technology was the most promising opportunity in their portfolio, and recommended developing a small-scale oxidation system that enabled waste-water disinfection in small batches. We were so excited by that decision, said Div Verma, the ITC technologist in charge of the project. We believe this project can make a huge difference to the lives of millions. move by the support they received, the ITC technicians developed a promising initial design. Without bulky equipment (the equipment was a 26-inch cube) or an electrical power source (it utilized bat tery power), this small system could transform waste water into potable water without chemicals in minutes. A single unit had the capacity to process approximately 2,000 liters of contaminated water per day. With pride, they took their design to Vyas. But Vyas wanted to understand the business opportunity and asked Wagner to prepare a brief overview. Wagner learned that only about 2.5% of the worlds water was fresh, and most of that was frozen. Population growth, industrial development, and agricultural expansion were all putting pressure on fresh-water supplies in both developed and developing countries. Indeed, the World Resources institute found that demand for water was growing at twice the rate of the population. As a result, the World Health Organization estimated that over 1.1 billion heap lacked access to clean water, and that 2.4 billion lacked access tobasic sanitation. The research also revealed that waterborne diseases accounted for 80% of infections in the developing world, and in 2002, 3.1 million deaths occurred (90% children) as a result of diarrheal diseases and malaria. As countries such as India and China industrialized, they used more fresh water and added more pollution to existing water sources.Wagner concluded that the scarcity of clean water was reaching crisis levels in developing nations, and that the mini-oxidation system could help avert some of the catastrophic effects. But she also reported comparable R&D efforts also underway in the government and private sectors in China and Europe, and that several companies in the United States and Canada were researching the technology. Nevertheless, her analysis suggested the ITC teams product was further along and probably superior to anything else in the space.New Opportunities, New InitiativesVyas decided to pursue the project and convinced the VP of Corporate R&D who had ITC oversight to allow the three ITC technologists working on it to become members of his technical teama move that would allow them to focus on developing commercial designs for the oxidation technology. Simultaneously, he asked Wagner to do a first-cut market assessment to identify potential opportunities for the technology. Over the next few weeks, through focus groups and interviews with potential customers, she reveal several promising applications. (See Exhibit 2). But while the market research was exciting, progress in bringing a product to market proved to be slow and difficult. From January 2003 to February 2006, the technology team coordinated with separate manufacturing and marketing teams located in the United States to work through two complete cycles of product development, beta batch productions, and test marketing of two different versions of the mini-oxidation system. Both failed due to what were subsequently revealed to be defects in the design and lack of interest in the marketplace.The first-generation product was aimed at the application for which the technology was origina lly developedto provide developing nations with safe drinking water. Largely supported by foreign aid, the mini-oxidation system was field-tested by representatives from funding agencies. Unfortunately, the output water had a detectable odor which the funders found unacceptable. Despite assurances that ITC technicians could fix the problem, the trials failed to convert into orders. The team decided to refocus a second-generation product on specialized applications in Western countries where funding was more available. The plan was to develop a slightly modified version of the product and aim it at a potential market for military use and NGO disaster backing activities that Wagner had identified in her initial analysis. This decision was enormously disappointing to the Indian technologists who had developed the initial examples, and Vyas had to work hard to keep them on board. The second-generation product fixed the odor problem, but field trials showed that the solution caused the unit to consume too much power, requiring frequent battery replacement. Once again, no orders were forthcoming.While these trials were occurring, the filtration units small R&D team in the United States persuaded Vyas to allow them to work with corporate R&D on an entirely new version of the product that would utilize ultrasound waves for water disinfection. High frequency vibrations were shown to control the growth of algae, organic waste, and bacteria such as E. coli. commercialize applications for this technology included treatment for clean water storage receptacles, public/private ponds, seek tanks, and ballast water. However, in 2006 this technology was still in the earliest stages of research and testing.New Oversight, New DisciplineIn January 2006, just as Vyas and the rest of the mini-oxidation team were launching their secondgeneration system, Cynthia Jackson was appointed vicepresident of the Water Management Division. Jacksons attention was soon drawn to the troubled Filtration Unit which she matt-up needed to put much more rigor into the planning and analysis that supported their product development activities. According to JacksonPeter Vyas seems to be an excellent talent manager. He was able to recruit and retain good people to his unit, and then build them into highly motivated teams on two different continents. Hes also shown himself to be an outstanding advocate for the groups ideas -skilled at managing upward, gaining support, and running interference so his team can concentrate on the task at hand. And Im aware that the company has high hopes for the Filtration Unit, but the results just are not there.In my view, the unit lacks discipline. They had a promising technology that was in search of a market, but had not done the work to nail down either. In the first meeting I had with them I explained that they would be developing any future proposals using a rigorous three-phase process linking market analysis and technological development to business planning. In her first meeting with Vyas, Jackson also made it clear that the units continued existence was in jeopardy if they did not turn things around.Mini-Oxidations Third Launch AttemptTo coordinate the third launch of the mini-oxidation system, Vyas assembled a single six-person development team with representatives from various functions located in the United States and India. Because Janice Wagner had demonstrated strong project management skills, Vyas named heras the team leader. (Exhibit 3 details committee membership.) From the outset, the team was highly committed to the product and worked tirelesslyto complete Jacksons three-phase process.Phase 1 General mathematical product Concept and Market AnalysisWagner took the lead in preparing the Phase 1 requirement to develop a general product concept supported by market research. Having learned that the unit lacked the expertise to sell to developing markets, governments, and NGOs, she decided to focus additiona l research on U.S. data that seemed to indicate strong potential for a residential water purification system. She also decided to see if opportunities might exist in national agricultural applications. According to the Palmer Drought Index from April of 2006, 26% of the United States was considered in moderate to extreme drought conditions, and Wagners research showed that low rainfall, high wind, and fast population growth in the Western and Southeastern regions of the country caused a major water scarcity problem for these areas. The resulting government-imposed water restrictions often led to good limitations or outright bans of water used in residential landscape irrigation.Because re-use of waste water would serve conservation efforts while preserving residential landscaping, Wagner felt that the mini-oxidation system offered a perfect solution for the needs of homeowners in these drought-stricken areas. In addition, since the product would be used for irrigation and not for drinking water, the disinfection quality could be lowered and goose egg consumption would therefore be reduced compared to past product iterations. Wagners research on the U.S. water industry indicated that the domestic water-treatment equipment market generated sales of over $9 billion. (Exhibit 4 provides selected data from the research.) Residential water treatment products ranged from water filters that reduced sediment, rust, and chlorine odor (average retail price $50) to systems that provided more comprehensive kinsperson water purification (retail price $1,500 to $3,000). The research also showed that in-ground sprinkler systems cost between $1,800 and $4,000, and after conducting some industry interviews and focus groups, Wagner felt this was a good barometer of what a homeowner was willing to pay for a lush, green lawn.After discussing the product concept with the development committee members, the team decided to recommend a retail price of $2,000 ($1,000 wholesale pri ce) for a residential irrigation mini-oxidation system (RIMOS) capable of supporting a 10,000 square-foot lawn. Pricing for an agricultural irrigation large oxidation system (AILOS) would be importantly less on a per-acre basis, with details to be developed only after further research had been done. Wagner and Vyas compiled the data and product concept information in a formal proposal for Jackson to approve. Jackson responded to the teams Phase 1 proposal with a flurry of questions and challenges. She highlighted the sparseness of concrete market numbers and their lack of data on target markets. And when the team floated the idea of innovation a larger-scale agricultural version of the system, she asked them to think about whether that would stretch resources too thin. With the whole company under pressure to trim budgets, Jackson asked the team to consider reducing the projects costs by eliminating either the RIMOS or AILOS product. After some discussion, Vyas and his team agreed to focus future product development and marketing efforts on the RIMOS product for the U.S. market.Phase 2 Technical Specifications and paradigmHaving won the approval of Phase 1, the team was now ready to begin the second phase of Jacksons product development process. This involved designing actual product specifications and determining how to do this within the $1,000 wholesale price point that the group had determined was appropriate. A working prototype was also to be created as part of this phase. The team relied heavily on ITC expertise to adapt the existing product originally designed to provide potable water in remote locations, to one capable of processing wastewater for lawn irrigation. During this phase, several misunderstandings surfaced between team members in the United States and India. For example, Wagner became concerned when the Indian teamrepeatedly helpless design deadlines she had requested. When she confronted Div Verma, the lab leader responsible for the proj ect, he responded terselyPeter told us he wanted the new design to be flawless. I take that as my number one priority. We cant meet this deliverable without proper testing. Why is everything so rushed with you? If we dont have a perfect design, then we run the risk of failing a third time and that is not acceptable. My team will not provide designs for a prototype until we are sure that all the bugs have been worked out. We dont want to be involved in another failure. Emphasizing the mandate to move quickly while ensuring product quality, Vyas mediated the disagreement by crafting a compromise that gave the Indian technical team a formal schedule allowing them two weeks of extra testing time. I felt there was a mix of disappointment and pride that had to be dealt with, said Vias. I also told Div that this third generation product would give us the credibility to return to the developing world project. Once the prototype was finished, the final designs and specs were again submitted for review.Jackson was impressed by the attention to detail in this latest iteration, but wanted to ensure that the team was fully utilizing the internal expertise available at ART. With Jacksons help, Vyas tapped engineers and manufacturing managers from the HVAC and Healthcare Divisions who had expertise his team was lacking. He invited them to join his development team, and they quickly became deeply engaged in the project. They identified several design changes and production specifications that increased might and lowered manufacturing costs.Phase 3 Business PlanThe development of the business plan was the most difficult phase for Vyas and his team. They were unaccustomed to creating complex sales compute models and cost estimates. But eventually they developed a detailed product concept, marketing approach, and manufacturing strategy for RIMOS, as well as sales forecasts, cost projections, and cost estimates. They also acknowledged that they still believed there was a signi ficant market in water treatment for the developing world and in emergency relief work, butthese future options had not been included in the current forecasts or business plan. They hoped to explore these with the help of the Oil and Gas Division which had excellent transnational contacts.Jackson challenged the teams pro forma financials which she felt lacked the data to support their assumptions. She asked the team to perform additional due diligence and to justify their assumptions. She also pushed back on the projected sales assumptions and suggested that the pro forma financials needed to be stress-tested. But after testing the analysis, Wagner felt her research was sound and was adamant about the size of the opportunity and their ability to capture the market. Vyas stood by Wagner and also defended the financial data which he felt had been carefully developed by the manufacturing and technology experts. Exhibit 5 summarizes the teams sales and operating margin forecasts.The te am acknowledged that its assumptions relied on the ability to gain access to the HVAC Groups Residential Market Division. As Wagner pointed out, ARTs norms encouraged them to take advantage of these types of synergies, and they had good contacts in the division. However, the HVAC Residential Market Divisions senior executives had full courtesy regarding the products distributed through its channels, and they had not yet made a formal decision aboutJackson also expressed her concerns with the $2,000 retail price point and pushed Vyas to clear identify the risks associated with the plan. After further consideration, the team developed a risk assessment and response matrix, which they included in the business plan (Exhibit 6). The business plan revealed the need for $2 million in funding for beta batch production of RIMOS and the marketing budget to support its distribution and promotion.Toward a Decision Go or No Go?An hour after receiving the investment proposal from his team, Vyas was still pacing back and forth trying to decide whether to support or reject their request for the $2 million in funding for RIMOS. He knew his development team was absolutely convinced it could succeed, but he also realized that the units existence and even his own career were being openly questioned. Two floors above Vyass office, Jackson was also contemplating the RIMOS project. Having heard through the company grapevine that a funding request had been submitted to Vyas, she began to think about how she would handle the request if it was sent up to her. She had heard rumblings from other managers in her division that the Filtration Unit was a drain on division resources and that it was time to pull the plug on any additional funding.As a newly promoted division VP, Jackson understood that her actions would be closely watched. She wanted to make sure she did not drop the ball.Exhibit 1ART Organization with Filtration Unit incidentFinanceEngineeringLegalR&DHRDavid HallCEOHealth careExecutive VPEnergy3 divisions17 business units2 divisions13 business unitsPowerGenerationOil/GasExtraction4 business units2 direct reportsT. SmithAdministrationCynthia JacksonVP WaterManagementDivision5 business units3 other business unitsB. BradyR&D USAIndustrialAutomationW. SteilowPlantSuperintendent5 direct reports40 plant personnelHVAC3 divisions14 business unitsPowerDistribution3 business unitsPeter VyasManagerFiltration UnitJ. Wagner gross sales andMarketing2 direct reportsB. WangProductionControlP. GuptaIndian TechnicalCenter Team2 direct reports3 direct reportsExhibit 2Wagners List of Potential MarketsDeveloping Nations Provide potable water solutions for areas with unsafe drinking water U.S. Residential Landscape irrigation Pools In-house water recirculation for non-drinking purposes (e.g., laundry, dishwashers, etc.) U.S. Commercial Restaurants marketplace stores Laundromats Linen/Uniform companies Farms Landscape irrigationU.S. and Overseas Emergency Units Disaster r elief MilitaryExhibit 3ART Mini Water Oxidation strategyDevelopment Committee Team Structure New Product Introduction Team MembersD. VermaR. PatelB. WangH. LewisJ. WagnerT. SmithC. CortezaG. SteinbergaLaboratory LeaderIndian Technical CenterProduct DevelopmentIndian Technical CenterManufacturingQuality AssuranceMarketing (TEAM LEADER)Project AdministrationHVAC Division RepresentativeHealthcare Division Representativea Member from another unit of ART added in Phase 2Exhibit 4Market Research Summary DataThe U.S. Water effort (Revenues in millions)aWater Treatment EquipmentDelivery EquipmentChemicalsContract OperationsConsulting/EngineeringMaintenance ServicesInstruments and TestingWastewater UtilitiesDrinking Water UtilitiesTotal U.S. Water Industry$9,110$11,660$4,020$2,350$7,460$1,780$1,400$34,130$35,070$106,980sU.S. Residences (2000 Census)Total Housing UnitsSingle-Family Detached Homes116 million70 millionDrought Indicators (Palmer Drought Index 4/10/2006)% of the continuous U.S. in severe to extreme drought% of the continuous U.S. in moderate to extreme drought13%26%NOTE Mini-Oxidation Systems are a new-to-the-world product with unnamed market potential. a Source Adapted from the Environmental Business Journal, 2006Exhibit 5Summary Sales and Profit regard for RIMOS2007Forecast Sales ( $ millions)Forecast Operating Income (%)Exhibit 62008200920102011$ 5.4510%$ 7.0815%$ 8.8620%$ 10.8920%$ 13.0720%Summary Risk Analysis and Risk Mitigation for RIMOSRisklevelPlanMay not gain market acceptanceHighEnsure HVAC distribution supportHighlight ART nameSupplement marketing budget for product launchProduct design flaws averageMonitor beta batch closelyPrice point too highMediumQuantify customer savings from increased waterefficiencyProvide sales training to distributorsEmerging competitionLowGet to market firstLeverage ART global presence, technical support,supplier relationships, and distribution network

KMART The New Forms of Discount Stores

Kmart was formed in the late 1950s to challenge new forms of give the axe stores. They are a descendant of an organization Sebastian S. Kresge. The average Kmart store is around 100,000 square feet. In 1987 Kmart was the largest rebate retailer in the United States. They currently have 2,223 stores and last year they had over $25 gazillion in sales which is nearly double that of Wal-Mart. In 1991 they opened their Kmart superstores. The superstore is a 150,000 square feet and is expected to primitive $40 to $50 million dollars in revenues. It will also remain open 24 hours a day.One symptom is that Wal-Mart has lower prices than Kmart which makes them very hard to compete with. Kmart has to try to get out of the in reality urban regions so they can compete more realistically with Wal-Mart. They need to keep their appearance and serving above par or this also will result in problems.Kmarts biggest problem is obviously the widespread of Wal-Mart all over the United States. They have to find a way to compete with Wal-Marts regional statistical distribution centers. These centers ensure the Wal-Mart guests that they are going to get the best product for the best price. Since Kmart does not have these centers they legato need to pay all of the fees that deal with shipping and handling. Kmart needs to do something quick. In a late(a) survey 49% of people said that they would drive right past a Kmart to go to a Wal-Mart. The average Wal-Mart customer visits the store 32 times in a year, meanwhile the average Kmart customer only visits 15 times in a year. They have to be in financial ail since they are getting pressure from vendors to pay their bills on time.Kmart needs to find a certain area that they are better at then Wal-Mart. They are not going to be able to wash up their prices so they have to provide better customer service. They have select a specialized incision that they can dominate and at least take away a little of the business from Wal-Mart. For utilisation develop a top of the line auto care station for tune ups, inspections, oil changes etcetera They have to research and find rare products that Wal-Mart does not carry. If it is at all possible try to lower their prices so that they provide more competition for Wal-Mart.Kmart needs to develop a way to get their products for a lower price. As already said they should come up with an idea similar to Wal-Marts regional distribution centers. They also need to develop physical distribution management. I think if they use the idea of regional centers it will greatly increase their product flow.

Why We Write

Have you ever stopped in the middle of what you were doing and just asked yourself What am I doing? This isnt a philosophical or existential question. While trying to write this essay, I find myself request What ex displacely am I doing? The obvious answer would be committal to pen, or struggling to. But as my mind, like an insatiably curious child, take leaveed asking an endless stream of Whys and Hows I became more awargon of this act that seems to be taken for granted. writing is so ing come downed in our human conjunction and our lives that we barely level notice it or care to think about its significance. Yet it would be almost impossible for us to live without it. That is because writing is a physical and optical representation of language it is a form of communication. Writing is a unimaginative necessity that all in allows us to connect with each other and share our thoughts, and it is also a means for cultural and artistic preparation. Through writing we can pass d own and communicate noesis from one generation to the next, which is a fundamental factor in the progress of human company.How did it all start? Oral language developed tens of thousands of years ago when our early ancestors began living in communities and the need for coordination and communication arose. Written language, however, was created much later in the cradle of human civilization known as Mesopotamia. The beingness of civilization entails the appearance of cities and long- outer space trade, and finding a way to communicate everywhere great distance became necessary for humans. As evidenced by discovered pieces of clay with pictographs on them, the traders and merchants of the city-states of Sumer discovered writing to consecrate their trade. As with oral exam language, written language may have developed out of a operable necessity, and has since proven to be useful and important in our human society.Even in our contemporary multiplication we still use writing for pragmatic purposes when we want to communicate information to others. We have been doing it for the greater lead off of our lives, and crimson something as simple as texting a friend constitutes writing. Texting is an example which shows that through a visual manifestation of language we can communicate with others and overcome the limitations of fourth dimension and space.But we dont communicate through writing for practical reasons alone. We also communicate to share the unique inner workings of our creativity. Literature is a flower example of that. It can reflect our innermost passions, ideas and determine as well as those of a fact culture. Through literature, writing is intricately woven into our lives as a form of personal, artistic and cultural expression which has the capacity to change and influence society. We read and break written works created hundreds of years ago to survey the impact that theyve had on societies of different times and places.Take for example the writings of the ancient Greek poet Homer, the creator of the now classic epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. It does not take an in-depth literary analysis to understand that the cultural values of the ancient Greeks were high reverence to their gods and the divine laws. In both works it is repeatedly shown what befalls those who disrespect and disobey any of the gods. For instance, when King Agamemnon refuses to release the captured Chrysies, the daughter of a priest of Apollo, the sun god descends from Mount Olympus to rain pestilence on the Greek army. It is give thanks to writing that these epic poems, formerly passed down through oral tradition, have reached us and allowed us to better understand the society and values of the ancient Greek civilization.However, at that place is no rule that an authors writing should necessarily reflect their culture. There are works of writing that are the personal expression of the author and can serve as critiques of the current soc ietal values and as innovations in literature. Many writers are actually pioneers in this sense, inventing new genres or challenging the status quo. bloody shame Shelley, at just 19 years of age, had created one of the worlds first science fiction novels, Frankenstein, and pioneered a genre. Emily Bront, on the other hand, challenged the social norms of her time with Wuthering Heights.These examples illustrate that writing is not only a means of cultural or self-expression but an act of constant innovation. The authors works do not only show the beliefs of their society during those times, but also criticize those beliefs and serve as a push during the transition between time periods. And even today these are relevant and popular works of art which allow us to analyze the values and norms of the past and to see how the ideas of these writers have influenced and changed our world.These cultural and personal expressions have withstood the test of time and reached all the way to our pr esent day world. It is thanks to the development of writing that we now have a practical way to communicate our thoughts and our creative ideas to each other. And as we saw with the literary examples, communication through writing transcends the boundaries of space and time. Innovations and discoveries that were made hundreds of years ago and far away from us are now at bottom our reach because writing has been an essential factor in the preservation and communication of human knowledge over the centuries.Writing has been crucial for the accumulation and innovation of human knowledge. By preserving and communicating information over the generations we postulate from the discoveries and inventions made in the past and strive to improve upon them to better our world and future. We enjoy the luxuries of today thanks to the pioneering and innovating work of the great minds that came before us. Our world is shaped by the ideas and discoveries of the past which are woven into our societ y thanks to the development of writing.As I draw to the end of this essay, I find writing even more fascinating than ever before. In essence, writing is like a river that carries human experience, knowledge and perception forward in time, but it also allows us to look back to our past. Thanks to it we have undergo and learned about ideas, sciences and arts which have existed hundreds of years ago and far away from us.Writing has allowed us to express ourselves and share our beliefs about the world. It has given us the opportunity to gaze upon the reflection of our world, and to strive to subscribe it better than what it was. Right now we stand in the middle of a vast infinity. What the generations of the future lead learn about us and our legacy will greatly depend on our writing now.

Crossing the Threshold

The Courage of Scott Carded It is difficult to chouse what one will do when faced with a intent or devastation decision. Many do not even encounter such choices. What is thought in that spit second moment? You could sustain yourself or possibly save another you could also die trying. Could you put whole self-regarding values apart and complete an absolute act of courage? This is a man who did. Scott Carded had the courage to risk his own aliveness for anothers.It was Coots third deployment. He is Infantry. He and his men walk directly into an enemy ruse. Gun tone-beginning and grenades threaten their very(prenominal) existence. Staff Sergeant screams to take cover, but it is too late for one man. He is down, lying vulnerably in the open. Between shots and explosions, Scott can hear the agonizing screams. He has no time to hesitate, enemy fire is closing in. Stay behind cover in safety or aide his brother in arms. No man left behind he shouts at his commanding officer.Scott te ars through the mainstay toward the screaming, toward the danger, toward his possible death. As he reaches his destination, he is shot through his hand by an enemys rifle. Does he take flight? No. He drags the man who has been shot through his stomach the 500 Ft. To cover with his other hand. Scott hears an all too familiar screech. He will not lose this man, not now he knows what to do. He lies on top of him to absorb the airborne shrapnel from the grenade. The metal pierces his back and side.That man is alive today because Scott risked his life for him. Scott crossed the threshold when he stepped out of cover to retrieve a friend. He overcame fear of death and fear of failure. Courage is not absence of fear, but making the choice to overcome it, facing it head-on. Scott Carded was awarded a bronze star and multiple purple hearts in reward of his single act of courage. He did not give up. He was determined. Do not give up on your objective you whitethorn even save a life.

“A business report of E-commerce for VG Jones”

Electronic commerce on the Internet will, before the end of the century, profoundly redefine many basics of operate on.A fundamental new line up for business is that the Internet changes everything. Internet-driven electronic commerce is essential for organizations entering a virtual distribution grocery store and wishing to survive in it.Just as location, location, location defines value in real estate, in business today its connectivity that equals competitiveness.Many Information Superhighway enthusiasts believe that networks of small firms or individuals constitute a new organizational form that will prove its superiority to both large, hierarchical corporations, on the one hand, and anarchical commercialize relationships, on the other.Millions of consumers and businesses are waiting in line to participate in the expansion of intergalactic and big virtual marketplaces.Most organizations now must compete in two marketplaces a physical (traditional) one and the acclivitous electronic one, mediated by the Internet. The electronic highway is not merely open for business it is relocating, restructuring, and literally redefining business in America.2Analysis of virago.comAmazon.com Advantage is a proven and office staffful means of distribution and order fulfillment. workplace directly with the Internets leading retailer to market your products to customers.11Access to tens of millions of Amazon.com customers around the world Leverage Amazons remarkable selling power with your whole catalog including Not Yet Released and backlist itemsYour titles are eligible for Amazons world-class marketing designs like personalization and auto-merchandisingYour products are available to ship to customers within 24 hours Control most aspects of your products Detail PagesReceive quick and easy payments when your products sellEnjoy circumscribed returns Support from our member services team 7 days a week Log in to your online account to confirm POs, add titles, and review sales reportsLaunched in 1996, Associates is Amazon.coms affiliate marketing program. By linking to Amazon products and services you can add compelling content for your site visitors enjoyment and receive up to 8.5% in referral fees for doing so.As one of the first online affiliate marketing programs, Associates has a 10-year track record of developing solutions to help website owners, entanglement developers, and Amazon sellers make money. Our latest innovations include aStore, Omakase Links, and Product Previews.Current participants in the Amazon Associates program include large, well-known(a) sites, niche content sites and blogs, comparison shopping engines, search engine marketers, and everything in between. Visit our Current Associates pageboy to see how some of these members are apply our solutions.How the Program WorksAssociates drive internet traffic to Amazon.com through specially formatted links that allow us to track sales and other activity. Associates earn u p to 8.5% in referral fees on all qualifying revenue made through their links. We send quarterly payment to Associates. Once you get hitched with the program, we will give you access to Associates Central, our extranet exclusive to our Associates.This is the place where you will build your links, view your traffic and compensation reports, and read about the latest news and opportunities available to you through the program. 11Participation is Easy and FreeComplete the online application.Create & post your links to Amazon.com using our Build Links tool in Associates Central.Begin tracking your traffic and earnings reports online. Reports are updated daily.Put Amazon.com Corporate Accounts to work for you Whether youre a purchasing manager, teacher or professor, small business owner, librarian, clergy member, or government worker, our Corporate Accounts program enables you to purchase everything you need quickly, easily, and conveniently.For a limited time, were offering mylar jack ets for no additional cost. To take advantage of this offer, scarce use the coupon code, OKUTFCMX, when placing your order. Amazon can now integrate with major procurement systems like Ariba, SAP, illusionist and PeopleSoft. You can now have a customized Amazon website that fits your Intranet look and feel with a seamless integrating to your procurement system.11

Tonto’s Dysfunctional Family Tree Essay

America is a multicultural nation. This fact is undeniable. We are a mishmash of people from all parts of the globe, each with a unique story to tell. One of the struggles of being such a diverse nation is that different heathenish groups often fail to understand one(a)ness a nonher. I believe that cross-cultural writing is a decently tool that dispels ignorance and fosters greater multicultural understanding. Writing has the power to bring people together. There are many a(prenominal) prominent cross-cultural writers in the history of American literature. Each of them has added to a growing writing style that explores what its like to move to this country in pursuit of the ever-elusive American Dream. Sherman Alexie is one such writer. However, his theme is not one of searching for the American Dream. His theme addresses what happens when the American Dream lands on you. Sherman Alexie is Native American, and his stories expose one of Americas dirty little secrets. In the para graphs that follow, I will review Alexies feeling, the genre and style in which he writes, and the overall themes of his utilisation. I will analyze the goldbrick story, Every elfin Hurricane, taken from the anthology, The Lone commando and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Sherman Alexie was born on October 7, 1966 in WellPoint, Washington. He belongs to the Spokane kin group of American Indians called the Salish Group.At the time of his birth he had hydrocephalus, a disease in which the patient has an additional of cerebrospinal fluid. The alone option was to get an operation that he most likely would not survive. nonetheless despite these dire predictions, he survived an invasive surgery at the tender age of six months. He didnt just survive he thrived. Despite chronic seizures related to his condition, Sherman continues to power through life-time with extreme determination. He learned to read at the age of three and from then on nothing could h rare him back. As a teen atten ding a reservation school Sherman was shocked to discover his mothers name inscribed in one of his text take fors. The realization that the schools books were decades old led to his determination to leave the poverty-stricken reservation and get a thorough education elsewhere. He earned a spot in one of the top high schools in Reardon, Washington, where he was a star student and athlete. He proceeded to the University of Gonzaga, where his dream was to become a physician. After fainting from disgust in his image class, he had to abandon this dream. It was during this dark time period that hebegan abusing alcohol. He then changed his major, a determination that was based on his love for poetry and aptitude for writing.This change of direction brought him to Washington State University where he quit drinking and earned a B.A. in American Studies. Sherman Alexie began his professional career in 1990 when his work was published in Hanging Loose magazine. This initial success gave him the incentive to quit drinking at the age of 23, and hes been sober ever since. His first collection of short stories, The Lone ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, was published in 1993, and that was just the beginning. In 1995 he launched his career as a novelist with Reservation Blues, an expanded version of the characters introduced in the previously mentioned collection. In 2007 he published a youthfulness adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This novel is a reflection of his person-to-person experience growing up on the Reservation. Alexie is the winner of numerous honors and awards including the 2001 PEN/Malamud Award, the 1994 PEN/Hemingway Award, the 2007 National have got Award, and the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award (www.fallsapart.com). Alexie is a advanced(a) writer who is not bound by a iodin genre.He has written poetry, novels, screen break aways, and most notably short stories. As the prevailing Native American short story writer of today, he creates unique imagery through recurrent memories, visions and dream sequences. He utilizes diary entries, faux newspaper articles, and multiple storytellers to tell stories within stories. One example of this is seen in Trial of doubting Thomas Build-theFire, where Thomas is personified as a number of historical figures. Alexie also uses cultural figures like looney Horse, Jesus Christ, Jimi Hendrix, and the Lone Ranger, to accentuate the complexities of his humble characters. According to Leslie Ullman He weaves a curiously soft-blended tapestry of humor, humility, preen and metaphysical provocation out of hard realities the tin-shack lives, the alcohol dreams, the bad luck and burlesque disasters, and the self-destructive fearlessness of his characters. (Ruby, M. 2011). I believe Ullmans comment is right on point. All of the stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven challenge the reader intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.Alexie seems to have a two-fo ld purpose for tattle his stories. Firstly, he yearns for all Native Americans to keep their memories and heritage alive through the art of storytelling. Secondly, he communicates how modern Native Americans endure the assault of mainstreamculture on their heritage, imagination and spirit. While his writing is modern, traditional or historical elements like powwows, fancy dancing, alcoholism and poverty, are interwoven throughout. His writing juxtaposes sadness with humor, brutality with good-heartedness, and church property with materialism. He depicts numerous prominent characters in this collection, quite a than just one or two dominant characters. The compilation contains twenty-two short stories that are loosely interconnected. In the first story, Every Little Hurricane, Alexie introduces themes that play out through the rest of the book, such as poverty, despair, death, alcoholism, humiliation, and the hope of transformation. In this story Alexie explains the choice surr ounded by think backing the pain of the past, and creating a false reality to avoid that pain. Alexie uses the character master copy, who is nine years old, to explain this struggle. The story is told from overlords perspective during a unused Years Eve society at his parents home.Disturbed by the drinking and extreme violence, Victor comforts himself by imagining that a hurricane has caused the destruction, rather than his own tribe. The hurricane is a fitting metaphor because it hits on both the emotional turmoil and social pandemonium prevalent in Victors dysfunctional family. Victor is faced with the decision to either remember what really happened, or forget by instead imagining that a hurricane caused the devastation. Ultimately, he chooses to accept the reality of his pitiful childhood. However, sluice though he chooses to live in the truth, he resorts to finding comfort in the only way he can, which is between the two unconscious bodies of his drunk parents.Alexie po ints out that the dysfunction in Victors family is the result of a long-standing attitude on the Reservation. Violence has become habitual, and therefore accepted. This point is do when Adolph and Arnold (Victors uncles) begin to fight, getting mired in a misdemeanor that would remain one even if somebody was to die. . . . For one Indian killing another did not create a special kind of storm. (Alexie, p 3) Alexie implies that American Indians have internalized all of the violence that has been perpetrated against them since their first contact with Europeans, so that even murdering one of their own goes almost unnoticed.The oppression that they have suffered has turned them into silent witnesses. According to Victor, They were all witnesses and nothing more. (Alexie, p 3) As the story continues, Alexie points out thatalcoholism is the most serious problem facing Victors tribe. Victors most powerful memory is of his father crying over the absence of Christmas presents, mend getting drunk to escape the pain of the familys abject poverty. His father continuously opens and closes an empty billfold as if the repetition itself could guarantee change. But it was always empty. (Alexie, p 5) Alexie shows the pervasiveness of alcoholism with continual references to the smell and sagaciousness of sweat, smoke, whiskey and blood. These are constant companions of Victors existence, so that he actually believes that the alcohol seep through his parents skin might get him drunk, might help him sleep. (Alexie, p 9) From day one Victor is forced to gain survival skills to handle extreme fear and poverty.When he sees an old, drunk Indian man drowned in a mud puddle at the powwow (Alexie, p 7) he understands that alcoholism is not his familys problem alone. It is a problem of his entire culture. After completing The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven it is obvious to me that Sherman Alexie is as Bob Hershon so aptly put it, one of the major spoken communication voic es of our time. (Alexie, p xiii) His writing pulls the cover off of Americas dirty little secret of what life is like growing up on the Reservation. Many critics have vilified him for perpetuating the stereotype of the drunk Indian.This is not so. Alexie doesnt write about the destructive effects of alcohol on Indians due to some literary locating or prejudiced perspective. Simply put, he is truth telling. I have wracked my brain to come up with an overall theme for this piece of literature. Then it came to me in a flash. Why not use Alexies own words, I kept trying to figure out the main topic, the big theme, the overarching idea, the epicenter. And it is this The sons in this book really love and hate their fathers. (Alexie, p xxii)Works CitedAlexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York, NYGrove Press, 1993, 2005.Falls Apart, Offical Website, http//www.fallsapart.com, 2013 Johansen, Bruce E. Native Americans Today A Biographical Dictionary. Santa Barba ra, Calif Greenwood Press, 2010. Ruby, Mary. Authors & Artists for Young Adults Vol. 85. Detroit, Mich Gale / Cengage Learning, 2011.