Huck Versus Odysseus Essay

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an important part of the American literary canon. Its importance, in part, derives from its tale of the development of a new nation, a development in both space and culture. Huckleberry Finn’s journey into the developing landscape of the South has some very striking commonalities with that of Odysseus’s journey in The Odyssey. With the characters, journeys and story structures being so similar between the two epics, it is imperative that analysis be given. Huck Finn and Odysseus are surprisingly similar given the time period in which they were conceived. They are both cultural heroes, embodying the ideals of their country. Huck is the epitome of the American rugged individualism. Throughout his journeys, he does whatever he wants while living on the fringes of society. Odysseus’s role in the Illiad gave him the status of a Greek hero because he outsmarted the Trojan army with his famous horse. He is known for being a clever and resourceful character, much like Huck. They are both skilled liars and trickster figures, and they use intelligence and their sly ways to get out of trouble. This is seen in the scene in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where Huck escapes his father using intelligence not commonly found in a twelve-year old. There is a parallel to be found in Odysseus’s tricking Polyphemus to escape the cave. It is worth remarking that both encounters involve a much weaker person deceiving a drunken entity that is larger and stronger. There is one obvious similarity between the journeys of the two heroes: they take place on water. Although Huck’s journey takes place on the Mississippi while Odysseus’s takes place in the much more dangerous ocean, both journeys have a similar goal. Both heroes are searching for freedom. Huck wishes to free himself from society and Jim of enslavement, and Odysseus strives to free his beloved wife from the suitors swarming Ithaca. There are also similarities between what happens to the vessels the heroes travel with. Huck’s raft is destroyed by a â€Å"bulged out, big and scary† riverboat with â€Å"red-hot teeth† while Odysseus’s ship is destroyed by a wrathful Poseidon (115). Both scenarios show the heroes at the mercy of a more powerful entity that does not care of their well-being. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Odyssey have their own unique, individual structure, yet are still similar in this regard as well. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a highly episodic novel due to its publication in serials. The Odyssey is a Greek epic with a non-linear plot that gives it an episodic nature. Every two to four books in The Odyssey serve as new adventures of Odysseus. For The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, each chapter provides new exploits for the young hero. Such a similar structure would not be lost on readers of Twain who were acquainted with The Odyssey. The similarities in the epic journeys of Huckleberry Finn and Odysseus do not necessarily denote that Twain consciously attempted to recreate The Odyssey. There is not always a parallel between each scene of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Odyssey. It would not do to say that it is just a happy coincidence that both epics are so similar. Rather, it could be said that the similarities derive from a participation in what Joseph Campbell called the â€Å"monomyth.† An analysis between the two epics is an important exercise in intertextuality that allows for the audience to become a part of a larger literary tradition: that of the archetypal hero journey.

Methodist denominations

Methodist denominations are today represented by four major churches: the United Methodist Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. The present paper describes and compares these four institutions.Historically, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a denomination, composed of African Americans, who adopt and employ Methodism as their religious worship (Bucke, p.340). â€Å"The group was organized in 1870 when several black ministers, with the full support of their white counterparts in the former Methodist Episcopal Church, South, met to form an organization that would allow them to establish and maintain their own polity, that is, to ordain their own bishops and ministers without the necessity of them being officially endorsed or appointed by the white-dominated body† (Bucke, p. 342). Nowadays, the organization has its publishing house in Memphis, Tennessee.According to inte rnal documentation concerning leadership, bishops are elected as superintendents of the church and can perform their duties until the age of 74, importantly, there are no gender restriction for this position, so females are entitled to be elected.   Bishops are supposed to appoint pastors (or local clergy), protect and preserve the beliefs of the church and perform ordinations (Heitzenrater, p. 348; Bucke, p. 343). The major characteristic of this denomination is the belief in the universal redemption, under which everyone can be saved, regardless of their ‘earthy’ activities.Other prominent beliefs include: the importance of Christian perfection and spiritual development; the possibility or leaving this church (for another one, or rejecting christian beliefs completely); the priority of faith; the possibility of witnessing the Holy Spirit in this life and the importance of observing sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) (Heitzenrater, p. 351). The church has three branches of power – legislative (the General Conference), exeutive (Episcopacy) and judicial (the Judicial Council).The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was also intended as a religious organization for individuals of color and was established in 1821. The word ‘Zion’ refers to the Biblical teachings and means ‘Church’ (Heitzenrater, p. 398). â€Å"The society of this new denomination called itself the â€Å"Freedom Church† at the time, because the founders decided to dedicate it to the liberation of the human spirit. Spiritual, social and economic freedom were very important to the founders† (Wigger, p. 284).The members of this church share almost the same beliefs as those who belong to the CME, but AME Zion seems to impose more obligations upon its participants, as its statute claims that individuals are basically miserable and therefore should dedicate themselves to serving God in order to receive the real blessing t he achieve personal liberty. This denomination is extremely concerned about the religious affairs in African countries and therefore its missionaries regularly visit the corresponding countries. While the CME is administered by bishop, who has the full range of entitlements, the most critical decisions in the AME Zion are taken during the general conference, but the hierarchy and bureaucracy in this denomination are also uncomplicated and actually not exceedingly formalized (Bucke, p. 401).The United Methodist Church is among the largest Protestant denominations (Wigger, p.225 ) , as it has accepted under its roof a number of minor organizations, which nowadays have very low level of autonomy and both officially and factually belong to the single church. â€Å"The United Methodist Church is organized into conferences† (Wigger, p.227).   The General Conference is the most influential organization, entitled to express the opinion of the whole church and to approve decisions a nd projects.The General Conference is gathered every four years, and each meeting results in the publication of the Book of Resolutions, or additional principles and plans to implement. Jurisdictional and Central Conferences are hierarchically lower and therefore accountable to the General Conference (Kimbrough, p. 118). The main objectives of the jurisdictional meetings (which also take place every four years) are electing bishops as well as chief administrators of the members units and planning basic activities for these executives.The Annual Conference, accordingly, is aimed at appointing minor clearly like pastors and (re-)interpreting the Book of Discipline. â€Å"Annual conferences are further divided into Districts, each served by a District Superintendent. The district superintendents are also appointed annually from the ordained elders of the Annual Conference by the bishop.District superintendents are not superior in ordination to other elders; upon completion of their se rvice a superintendent they   routinely return to serving local congregations† (Kimbrough, p. 119). Importantly, this denomination allows women to serve as bishops and in general observes the same Christian principles as the two above described organizations, based upon the individual salvation and outreach work with the disadvantaged.   On the other hand, the UM is a bureaucratic and formalized organization, which has strict leadership structure and therefore might be at risk of the monopolization of the power by the single participant (Kimbrough, p. 124).As for the clergy of the organization, they are divided into three ‘positions’: bishops, elders and deacons, the last group of religious workers are responsible for technical performance of liturgies and also might be employed as educators, musicians or business administrators, i.e. they can combine their participation in the UM with more secular activities.Elders have the same responsibilities, but the main difference between these two classes of the clergy is the regulation of appointments: deacons have a chance to choose the locality where they wish to serve, whereas elders are assigned directly by the Annual Conference (Kimbrough, p. 130; McEllhenney, p. 429). According to another classification, local pastors are distinguished from the other three categories.Local pastors, conversely to bishops, deacons and elders, are not required to have master’s degree in theology (divinity) or related sciences. In order to avoid the misuse of entitlements in local churches, the conferences can annually make new appointments for all local congregations, but the same deacons, elders and pastors serve at the certain local organization for years.The African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in the 1850s and has almost the same organization as the UM, so the primary decision-making body is the General Conference, during which bishops are elected. â€Å"The bishops are the chief Off icers of the Connectional Organization. They are elected for life by a majority vote of the General conference which meets ever four years. Bishops are bound by the laws of the church to retire following their 75th birthday† (Heitzenrater, p. 473).The Council of Bishops is also called the Executive Branch of the denomination, as it is responsible for applying the new statutes, adopted during the General Conference. The Board of Incorporators is the supervisory body that conducts analysis and partial control of the Council’s activities and determines whether they match to the overall religious course, established by the organization. The General Board is the administrative body, responsible for the distribution of material resources and financial affairs of the denomination, so it approves the decisions made by the Council of Bishops and provides the resources needed for applying new rules or principles, building new churches or colleges (this denomination has sixteen hi gher education institutions).The Judicial Council is charged with resolving the conflicts within the denomination and also dealing with corresponding appellations (McEllhenney, p. 463). The major mission of the AME is supporting the nurturing physical and spiritual development of its congregations as well as the whole society in general. More specific objectives are as follows: â€Å" 1) preaching the gospel; 2) feeding the hungry; 3) clothing the naked; 4) housing the homeless; 5) cheering the fallen; 6) providing jobs for the jobless; 7) administering of the needs of those in prisons, hospitals and nursing homes; 8) encouraging thrift and economic advancement† (McEllhenney, p. 658).In conclusion, it is necessary to summarize the similarities and differences between the denominations. First of all, they have approximately similar beliefs and missions, which necessarily include brotherly aid for those in need and education for the youth: all churches have their own education institutions, which provide holistic training in various disciplines beyond theology. Furthermore, all these churches are concerned about the current political and social affairs and although they do not directly engage into non-religious movements, they always state and publicize their attitudes towards such issues as terrorism, the U.S. trade deficiency and ethnic segregation, moreover, actively help ethnic minorities.As for a parishioner, all churches are comparatively ‘democratic’ in their beliefs and do not place too strict constraints upon the individual’s lifestyle (fasts etc) and skillfully use the principles of social work like the empowerment and reinforcement of community capacities. On the other hand, the united Methodist church and the African Methodist Church have more complicated hierarchical structure and therefore appear more ‘formal’ organizations and therefore have more prescriptions for deacons, elders and pastors, serving for loc al congregations.All denominations avoid gender discrimination and view females as equal to males in terms of their entitlements. Finally, the CME and the AME Zion appear more sensitive to the recent changes in social life or recent crises, as their responses to the adversities bred by hurricane Katrina were the most rapid,   even though these organizations are much smaller that the others.Works cited1)Bucke, E. The History of American Methodism. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1964.2)Heitzenrater, R. Wesley and the People Called Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.3)Kimbrough, D. Reverend Joseph Tarkington, Methodist Circuit Rider. Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press, 1997.4)McEllhenney, J. United Methodism in America: A Compact History. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992.5)Wigger, J. Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise of Popular Christianity in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Hinduism, the Religion as portrayed in Bollywood Cinema Essay

Hinduism, the Religion as portrayed in Bollywood Cinema - Essay Example The author has classified these feature films into four main categories: mythological films, devotional films, Islamic films and the films propagating religious and secular ideals. She has then discussed the characteristic features of each of these categories of cinema under different chapters of the book. According to Dwyer, the Hindu religion in India has always had a strong relationship with the various forms of the artistic expressions. Much before the medium of films came into existence, the traditional forms of the Indian media such as â€Å"drama, poetry, music, dance, painting etc.† have been found to be replete with depiction of Hindu religious practices. This proves that, right from the ancient times, Indian religion has had a significant influence on the different forms of the country’s art. The medium of cinema was no exception to this rule, and the all-encompassing impact of India’s religious culture paved the way for the regular portrayal of the religious practices on the large screen. That is why, Dwyer has considered it important to study the mutual relationship between the Indian religion and the medium of films. In her work she has evaluated the methods in which the medium of cinema has influenced the religious practices in India. She has also tri ed to determine whether Indian films have portrayed the religious rituals in their true form or have modified them while exhibiting these practices to a larger audience. (Dwyer, 2) Dwyer’s book makes significant contributions in other spheres as well. The author has studied the importance of Indian cinema in constructing various national identities related to films. Dwyer has outlined how the cinematic medium has helped to form India’s political identity, its nationalistic zeal, the religious identity and also facilitated the creation of the different religious communities. In his book, the author has further argued that Indian films have not restricted themselves by depicting only the religious rituals, the religious communities and their philosophies. Instead, Indian cinema portrays an Indian society whose customs and practices are grounded in the basic religious ideals of the country. This modern Indian society transcends the political boundaries and religious divid es to register its presence amidst the larger global audience (Dwyer, 2). In 2008, Dwight Friesen (University of Edinburgh) had published a review of Rachel Dwyer’s book in The Expository Times. Friesen has identified Dwyer’s book as an unprecedented effort mainly directed towards evaluating the significance of Indian religion in their cinema. The first chapter of the book traces the origins and development of mythological films in India, while the second chapter describes the same aspects of the feature films belonging to the devotional genre. In the third chapter, the author has described how Indian films have depicted the Islamic religion, culture and their ways of life in the relevant â€Å"Islamicate films†. The fourth chapter has enumerated how Hinduism has significantly influenced the framework and the basic themes of the Indian social cinema. (Friesen, 206) Friesen declares that Dwyer’s book bears testimony to her investigations and research about the subject matter of her work. Friesen has appreciated Dwyer’s knowledge about the evolution of the Indian motion picture industry which is reflected abundantly in the book. As such, Friesen points out that the book has minimal flaws. However, the reviewer rightly identifies that Dwyer has concentrated more on the depiction of religion in Hindi films ( produced in the Bombay film industry) rather than the

Declination of Sufism among Muslims Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Declination of Sufism among Muslims - Essay Example These powers are attributed to them under the guidelines of Quran and Sunnah. The most important aspect is that the disciples of Sufis take up the path of peace or even armed jehad for Shariatisation of the whole world as their mission. "Seekers of Tawhid should strive to dedicate themselves to the Prophet Mohammad, so much so that their entire selves, including their hearts and their spirits, were free of thoughts other than of God" (Saiyied Athar Abbas Rizvi 178). Even though Sufism is popular, history bears witness that several attempts have been made to suppress Sufism. There have been attempts to use even physical force and violence to suppress Sufism. This paper discusses some of the reasons for declination of Sufism among Muslims. The concept of Sufism was mainly intended to focus the mystic power on the spiritual dimension of Islam with the purpose to shield the believers from the superficial and unrealistic dogma of the faith. In other words it can be said that mysticism is a realistic spiritual discipline particularly based on the insight of illuminated seekers of reality or truth. Besides, it can be said that it is a mission of higher religious order of any faith, which disdains conflict and violence in any form. The ultimate goal is joy of self-realization which is generally experienced after a long spiritual practice (Upadhyay n. pag). Ev Even after the popularity of Sufism, there are several instances where the Sufi practices are suppressed using violence. There are several reasons for this and in spite of varied debates and modernist and reformist attempts to separate or dissociate Sufism from Islam. Take for example in orthodox Islam, according to Najaf, the object of creation is the worship of God," This is an association of subordination or in other words - a one-way association in which God is the master and the devotee is the slave. On the other hand Sufis argue opposing the view of orthodox Islam that God should be worshipped not because of the fear that you will be punished if you did not worship, rather God should be worshiped because of the love that an individual feels for God. The main ideology of Sufi is love. As a result, Sufis believe that there exists equality among all people and everyone irrespective of gender or place in the social order is capable of expressing his or her love for God, and that su rpasses religious associations (Dalrymple n. pag). One of the main theme in the ideology and activities of contemporary Sunni Islamist movements is a deep-rooted opposition to Sufism. The reason for suppression of Sufism is the modernist approach to knowledge or disdain of what cannot be scientifically explained led to the dismissal Sufism too. The mutual rivalry between these groups has become prominent in the modern setting of heightened political Islamism. The doctrinal roots of opposition to Sufism are found in the important writings of the 13th-century Hanbali 'alim Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya (Majmu'a Fatawa Shaykh al-IsIam Ahmad ibn Taymiyya). Besides, Ibn Taymiyya in his quest to purify the Muslim faith strongly opposed Sufi pantheism and such practices as the worship of saints and pilgrimages to their shrines (Makdisi 247-251). In the hands of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Taymiyya's restrictions on Sufism was transformed into a popular disapproval and prohibition of the Sufi orders (Shaykh Muhammad Ibn 'Abd

Organization Intervention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organization Intervention - Essay Example Some researchers contend employees who are spending more hours working have less time for family responsibilities, leisure activities or personal development (Rochon, 2000). It is therefore reasonable to assume these long hours of work would have a direct impact on employee’s work/life balance. Intervention Corporate America has seen a dramatic shift in work dynamics over recent years. Days of traditional 9-5 work done from within a corporate office building are evanescing and being replaced by the virtual office, a phenomenon known as telecommuting. Today more than ever before, workers are using portable electronic tools to carry out work away from a conventional office setting, often without leaving the home. In order to maximize the outcome of this new era, organizations will need to stay abreast to this shift, and will need to be to understand and grasp its intricacies. Telecommuting is one solution that can be used by Eddie Bauer Inc. to improve effectiveness and efficien cy in the workplace. Previous research has proven it difficult to delineate a universally agreed upon and comprehensive definition of telecommuting. This is likely a result of the wide variety of tasks that can now be carried out remotely and the sheer number of ways in which accomplishment of these tasks can be achieved (Harpaz, 2002). Some have defined telecommuting as "whenever an employee is paid for work done at an alternative worksite and total commuting time is thereby reduced" (Gibson, Blackwell, Dominicis, & Demerath, 2002, p. 76). Others consider telecommuting to be working wherever is needed to in order to satisfy client needs (Gibson et al., 2002), and still there are other definitions of telecommuting incorporating self-employed, formal or informal agreements, and percentage of time spent working at alternative worksites. While many operationalizations of telecommuting have been presented, emphasis on the utilization of electronic communications from home or another loc ation as the primary channel of contact between the paid work carried out and the employing organization, its members, and customers has been a consistent feature noted across literature to date (Gainey, Kelley, & Hill, 1999). This paper defines telecommuting as working from home on a regular basis and does not include supplemental or additional work taken home at night (Virick, 2002). Review of Intervention The first telecommuter on record was a Boston bank president who, in 1877, installed a phone line between his bank and home. Although telework was foreseen as a viable organizational possibility as early as 1950 (Hill et al., 1998), telecommuting itself was not formally introduced until the 1970's when companies considered telework a method of protection from fuel shortages during the OPEC oil crisis (Hill et al., 1998). Since its advent, interest in telework as an alternative to the traditional office setting for organizations has continued to grow (Siha & Monroe, 2006). Accomp anying this interest has been a dramatic increase in the number of American teleworkers (Hill et al., 1998). Though an exact number of telecommuters has been difficult to quantify due to the lack of a universal definition, research estimated that the number of teleworkers increased more than tenfold in a decade to roughly 22% of the American workforce in 2001 (Gibson et al., 2

A Synthesis of the Themes in Selected Poems about War Essay

A Synthesis of the Themes in Selected Poems about War - Essay Example These poems argue that wars are honorable because of the courage they involve, but they are still immoral because soldiers and their enemies are treated as mere pawns, dehumanized because of their mission to strike and kill without compunction, and stripped of their rights to autonomy, survival, and a good life with their families. To be a soldier is a noble calling because to live by its principles is an honorable thing. The basic principles of war, based on these poems, are courage, commitment, and selflessness. Lovelace may be referring to Lucasta as a woman whom the soldier loves, or all his loved ones in general. He explains to her the reasons of going to war, despite having the option of staying in the blissful arms of his beloved. The â€Å"Nunnery† means that the place of his beloved is pure and good, but it is not a man’s place (Lovelace 1.2). The â€Å"Arms† of war are more suited to a real man, where war is seen as a testing ground for manhood: â€Å" To War and Arms I flee† (Lovelace 1.4). The speaker agrees that war is another mistress; it takes so much time, attention, and resources: â€Å"True, a new Mistress now I chase† (Lovelace 2.1). ... The â€Å"stronger Faith† signifies that war is a holy quest. The decision to go to the war is an honorable responsibility. It means that honor in war is about protecting one’s country, something that can be done only out of the purest of intentions, the purest of love: â€Å"Yet this inconstancy is such/As you too shall adore† (Lovelace 3.1-2). Soon, Lucasta will realize what he means. He depicts that Lucasta is then fortunate, for in honoring the war, he honors her even more: â€Å"I could not love thee, Dear, so much,/Loved I not Honour more† (Lovelace 3.3-4). The greatest love comes from loving the society as a whole, not just one’s mistress or family, for in protecting their societies, they are protecting their families too. Another poem agrees that being a soldier is an honorable calling because of the courage, dedication, and selflessness it requires. Lord Alfred Tennyson, in â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade,† refers to an actual battle, where the English Light Brigade charged to a suicidal mission in the Crimean War. The tone of the poem honors the soldiers, but the feelings of exhaustion and resentment are present. In the first stanza, Tennyson says: â€Å"Half a league, half a league,/Half a league onward† (1.1-2). He repeats the phrase â€Å"half a league† three times in a row, suggesting tiredness. Soldiers get weary from their missions, but they must never falter, as if they are not supposed to feel tired at all. Tennyson does not mince words, when he introduces the fate of these soldiers: â€Å"All in the valley of Death/Rode the six hundred/ â€Å"Forward, the Light Brigade!/Charge for the guns!† he said (Tennyson 1.3-6). He knows that these soldiers are doomed because they will be charging for the guns. The soldiers

Search for Extraterrestrial Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Search for Extraterrestrial Life - Essay Example Forrest Gump even likens life to a box of chocolates! This gives us a lasting notion that it is very difficult to define life in a single dictionary meaning. There are efforts that try to delineate life from non-life to give us a clear perspective. In fact, the only planet that is capable of supporting life is the big blue one we are living in right now. What does earth possess that other planets, stars and cosmic bodies don't Is there yet an undiscovered life outside of earth Gradually, we can try and analyze the answers to these questions through an intense exploration of life and its characteristics. There are no definite properties of life. Authors have tried and listed ten or more observable properties that seem to adhere to the principles of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Harold J Morowitz pointed out six features on what life is simply based on. Living things are capable of "(1) reproduction; (2) growth; (3) metabolism; (4) movement; (5) responsiveness; and (6) adaptation" (242). It is indeed likely that these six characteristics are possessed by all living things because plants and animals reproduce following the law that reproduction only occurs within a species. Inanimate rocks do not reproduce instead they split up or break down to make smaller pieces. Even the littlest bacterium has a mechanism of splitting itself or combinatorial joining with another bacterium. Special plants can reproduce by budding their leaves to produce another organism separate from the original. Certainly, reproduction will not make sense if the progenies do not develop into a mature individ ual so it is very certain that development should follow. With growth, there is differentiation of the different cells into the supposed make-up of the whole organism. Every structure corresponds to its specific function. For example, the human eyes will develop into something capable of seeing and the legs into resilient limbs capable of running and balancing the whole body. Metabolism is defined as the "totality of an organism's chemical processes" (Campbell 83). This is a fusion of the chemical, physical and biological processes that occur within the organism to sustain life. In animals, this can include the digestion of food that would later be converted to energy, the breathing process, and the blood flow along the veins and arteries. For plants though, metabolism can be observed in the production of food from light energy termed as photosynthesis. Movement is a property is visibly manifested in animals and hardly noticeable in plants. This property can easily be misinterpreted because movement is not exclusive to living things. While animals move about freely to search for food, plants on the other hand make their own food so movement is unnecessary except for internal processes such as the exchange of food within cells. All living things also share the same property of responsiveness to a certain stimuli. This can be used as a mechanism of defense or a simple reaction to a chemical attractant. This property is very important for the living organism's to respond to the different changes in the environment. Lastly, living organisms that have the ability to reproduce, develop, move, use up energy and respond to the environment must learn how to adapt in various conditions to allow them to survive in

A journal article critique in the family health area - 1

A journal critique in the family health area - Article Example The author employed the methods correctly since all the results indicated that chiropractic care produced positive results that improved the quality of life. However, there might be error in the research, since the author assumes that those who do not get chiropractic care do not get other health services, but in reality they could be receiving other health care in different forms. The evidence in support of the topic can be the 1992 research where people who received chiropractic care had a higher immunity than the average population or cancer patients. Dr. Petro states that chiropractic health care imparts maximum efficiency to whatever genetic makeup one may be possessing, while in the 2005 research, the study indicates that chiropractic health care determines normal physiological process which influence DNA repair and oxidative stress. This implies that subluxations removal has a positive influence on health. The strength of the evidence can be that chiropractic care has positive results on the immune system and can be recommended for quality life, while the weakness can be that those who got chiropractic care may have lived in the same environment which favored the practice or have specific biological background. The author supported the topic by explaining that the immune and nervous system were connected, and therefore manipulating the nervous system would produce a result, which in this case is chiropractic care which has positive results on the immune system. Other authors have conducted chiropractic research. They include shekelle et al (1992) and they concluded that manipulation of the spine fastens recovery from minor low back pains, after literature review on 25 trials. Van Tudler, Bouter and Koes in Netherlands found superior evidence for efficiency of manipulating the spine for chronic back pain. Bronfort (1999) conducted a review and found short term capacity

Development of Compliance Checklists for Wastewater Treatment Plants Dissertation

Development of Compliance Checklists for Wastewater Treatment Plants - Dissertation Example The report identifies the essential wastewater management regulations provided by regulating authorities. The processes highlighted within this report describe the possible opportunities for improvement within the existing checklists. This report defines the essential elements of compliance checklists that could be changed in ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. The regulations provided assist the developers of the checklist in identifying the different aspects of waste management processes requiring improvement. Improvements to the existing management processes could essentially ensure sustainability of wastewater disposal. The report presents a discussion of the prevailing problems within the wastewater disposal procedures. The management of the processes involved in wastewater disposal continues to cause difficulties in terms of implementation. Implementation of the processes requires development of checklists aimed at ensuring the entire process remains compliant w ith the environment regulations. The environment regulations remain the fundamental base for developing of proper compliance checklists for wastewater treatment plants. The report further identifies the various components of the development approval aimed at ensuring comprehensibility of the developed checklist. The compliance of wastewater treatment plant with required regulations remains essential in the overall process of waste management.... Proper operating procedures need to be adopted by wastewater treatment plants in ensuring production of safe products free from environmental contaminants. The management of waste disposal remains a critical element in environment conservation that requires critical assessment. Different waste management processes could be applied in ensuring that the disposal of waste, produced within different areas, remains safe to the environment. The environment remains the biggest concern when developing waste management procedures. While some wastes could be classified as biodegradable, others contain chemicals with potential environmental hazards. Waste management processes seek to develop disposal methods having limited negative environmental impacts. Proper waste disposal method could potentially increase the safety of environment through reduction of pollutants. The disposal of effluent material remains critical as these materials might contain harmful elements within the liquid. While sol id wastes can be sorted physically, liquid wastes contain dissolved and suspended materials, which could cause adverse environmental effects. Majority of the effluent materials require specialized analysis before disposal to establish their safety in disposing. The process of disposing these materials includes utilization of industrial processes for filtering the harmful elements, dissolved or suspended within the effluent material. The industrial process of treating effluent material causes numerous environmental challenges to the involved parties. The process requires the establishment of proper procedures for ensuring the safety of the process. During the treatment process, the treatment plant also presents a challenge for handling the waste material released by the plant. The imminent

Choose the topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Choose the topic - Assignment Example The video could work for beginners as well as those well versed with the optics of the practice (Yoga for Complete Beginners a 20 Minute Home Yoga Workout!). The guide is clear on the steps that one needs to take into the yoga practice. One needs to find some sense of peace as well as appreciate what the exercise has to offer in the line of health benefits as well as mental serenity. Some of the health benefits associated with the practice include flexibility and muscle strength and tone. The exercise performed during the process go a long way in ensuring that the individual can strengthen their body tissue. That is by learning what it takes and what the body needs (Yoga For Complete Beginners a 20 Minute Home Yoga Workout!). The exercise also helps in respiratory functions since it can improve on one’s respiration. One can increase their body energy, as well as vitality. That makes sure that those partaking in the process can maintain healthy lifestyles, as well as some sense of cognitive stability. Yoga helps people relax and unload their minds as well as engage their bodies in some gainful exercise. The exercise also helps in weight reduction. The video helps people practice yoga in their comfort zones such as at the comfort of their

Fast food restaurant Essay Example for Free

Fast food restaurant Essay There are a few issues in the United States that many of us are talking about daily. One of those main issues that are being talked about is food in our society. But even more specific than that, many are talking about how the fast food industry has affected and impacted our society. There is a lot of history of how fast food has started. There were a lot of entrepreneurs many years ago that realized that going into the fast food chain would bring them great profit (Levenstein 229). Some not only went after the food people liked to eat, but also where exactly they started their business. The author Harvey Levensteing tells us that one of the most successful entrepreneurs, Ray Kroc from McDonalds, went after the areas where there were more families with children, and just that helped him become more successful than others (229). So other than a couple of smart guys knowing what industry to get in and being extremely successful, there are many ways that these people have made the fast food industry impact our society in a couple of ways. We all live in this country and since we are all humans we have to make time to eat, whether it is at home or somewhere outside of home, we still have to eat. In that case, we all have seen or been around the fast food industry. Fast food is a growing industry that has had a huge impact in our society today, with its speedy service, the convenience of drive through, and its cheaper way of mass production, it has made us Americans see food in a different way. America now in days is known to want and have everything as fast as we can have it. We Americans, have gotten into this set of mind that if things go faster then everything will be better. Like I have said previously, many entrepreneurs saw that and took advantage of it quickly. It has been researched that people are relying more on food that isn’t prepared at home for meals when you’re not home and even when you are home (Sharkey et al. 1). One of the main reasons for that is that it is time consuming to even go home and cook a meal for a whole family. It saves time to just go right around the corner, usually, and buy a whole meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is an easy way out for those with a fast-paced life which now is almost every American. In many cases when you are tired from working long hours and are starving, a meal from one of the many fast food restaurants just seems holy since you know you will receive it in a matter of just minutes. The fast food chains have adapted with the fast-pace lives which also lead us to other types life styles such as amusement and entertainment (Thomas). With its advantage of saving time and getting as much food as you would otherwise, there is also a disadvantage with fast food being so speedy and gotten us used to it. Since it is a way of getting your food so fast and eating it right away, it takes away from other valuable things there was to eating. We are so wrapped up in just getting eating out of our way that we lose the value to family quality time spent when there is a more home-made traditional meal (â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages†). Clearly, fast food has helped with getting our meal faster, but also made us lose some of our valuable moments. One huge advantage that fast food owners saw was drive-through, also known as drive-ins. This was something that happened at exactly the perfect time it had to. These entrepreneurs saw how the car industry was growing in our society and immediately took advantage of that fact. That is when drive through started because they saw how much American’s loved the car. So they made a food lifestyle revolve around the automobile, which to this day has stuck to our society. Eric Schlosser has a quote of one of the first founders of drive-ins, Jesse G. Kirby, which he states, â€Å"People with cars are so lazy, they dont want to get out of them to eat! † (Schlosser) This shows how America had changed and revolved around what these guys were doing. Clearly they were successful meaning there had to be those of us loving to just go to a place, order and get our food brought right to us. The bad part of this, was that like Kirby said people were being really lazy to get something we couldn’t go without, which is food. This has come to a full circle with how it has impacted our society. Being able to get in your car and drive through a window and get a meal in a matter of minutes is great, but when we are doing this constantly and through laziness, that’s when we go wrong. The fact that there is an easier way to get our food has helped the fact that America is known for an obese country. We can’t completely blame it, but it has had the drive-in impact, which like it has been said, people are that lazy they don’t want to get out of their cars to even eat. To sum it up, drive-in have been an addition to our society that has had several effects. Another big way the fast food industry has impacted our society is the economics of mass production (Levenstein 228). A perfect example of this is what the McDonald brothers did when they were tired of having to deal with things that lead to them spending much more and consisting of more time. So they started something that would stay with us for a long time. What the McDonald brothers did was: [They] fired all their car hops in 1948, closed their restaurant, installed a larger grill and reopened three months later with a radically new method of preparing food. They eliminated almost two-thirds of the items on the menu. They got rid of every item that had to be eaten with a knife, spoon or fork. The only sandwiches now sold were hamburgers and cheeseburgers. The brothers got rid of their dishes and glassware, replacing them with paper cups, bags and plates. They divided the food preparation into separate tasks performed by different workers. The guiding principles of the factory assembly line were applied to the workings of a commercial kitchen. The new division of labor meant that a worker had to be taught how to perform only one task. Skilled and expensive short-order cooks were no longer necessary. All of the burgers were sold with the same condiments: ketchup, onions, mustard and two pickles. No substitutions were allowed. (Schlosser) This is where it all started. Schlosser clearly tells us that they even added the principle of the assembly line. The McDonald brothers saw that making things in more amounts was going to be way cheaper and save time as well. How they changed things impacted society greatly. After the other fast food entrepreneurs saw that this was a genius idea, they all started following the same path. What Schlosser says that the brothers did is still what we see today in almost any fast food restaurant we go out to eat at. How much they produce in a day is mainly by how much us as Americans demand for. This all seems great and beneficial to all, but how beneficial is it to our society as a whole. The fact that the fast food industry has seen that it is cheaper to hire people to a job that is literary a dead end, make the food we eat just as a simple assembly line to satisfy our need to have everything faster, and making everything in huge amounts has been good in a way, but bad in others. This had led to other problems as to how and where they get there food fast enough to have as much as they need for the demand. Much of the process of how they get there food isn’t the greatest which in another way has a bad impact to this country. Clearly us as Americans loved the economics of the mass production, but we should realize everything behind it. In conclusion, we clearly see the impacts fast food has had in our country and society. It has come to change the way we live because food is such an important part of our lives. Us as Americans have had a habit to want things very quickly, we love our cars therefore the drive throughs were a huge success, and the fact that producing things in large amounts and being able to pay less for the work seemed like a genius idea. This has lead to many benefits with the fact that we are living in a fast-paced society. On the other hand, some of it has affected us like being one of the obese countries. This issue is something that will be talked about for years to come. Hopefully someone will find that happy medium where the benefits of fast food stays, but the bad side of it goes away. When that day come will we have a better way of seeing fast food and how much of an impact it has and will have in our society, and we will be able to focus more on those other issues that are being talked about. Works Cited â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food. † Buzzle. com. N. p. , 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. Levenstein, Harvey. â€Å"Fast Food and Quick Bucks. † Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in Modern America. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. 227-236. Phoenix College Library. Web. 7 June 2011. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. N. pag. Print. -. â€Å"Fast-Food Nation. † Rolling Stone 3 Sept. 1998: Part 1-2. MC Spotlight. Web. 7 June 2011. Sharkey, Joseph, et al. â€Å"Focusing on fast food restaurants alone underestimates the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and exposure to fast food in a large rural area. † Nutrition Journal 10. 1 (2011): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 June 2011. Thomas, Emma, ed. â€Å"How to Cognate The Good Side of Fast Food Culture. † Sooper Articles. ISolution, 2011. Web. 14 June 2011.

Hitler: Planner or an Opportunist?

Hitler: Planner or an Opportunist? In order to reasonably construct an argument, it is first necessary to elucidate the question slightly. Specifically, it would seem that the question infers planning and opportunism to be mutually exclusive by asking if Hitler was a planner or an opportunist in his foreign policy. To adapt ones actions in order to achieve wider predefined goals contains elements of both planning and opportunism, so it should be borne in mind that one does not necessarily exclude the other; he may have been both. Since Taylors controversial The Origins of the Second World War (Taylor, 1961) was first published, intense debate has raged in the historical world as to whether Hitler was simply an opportunist, a view propounded by Taylor (1961), or if his actions were well planned and strategised, as suggested by Hillgrubers Stufenplan (Hillgruber, 1965) and others. This essay addresses the question by considering key events in German foreign policy from 1933-1941, analysing each in terms of opportunism and planning. Particular attention shall be given to events prior to the German invasion of Poland and the resulting declarations of war upon Germany by France, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. After these declarations were made, Hitlers foreign policy would need to be more opportunistic and fluid if it was to be successful; in any war victory requires constant reappraisal of the situation at hand. It shall also be suggested that Hitlers actions in the period 1940-1941 were, though forced to adapt due to circumstance, ultimately motivated by a greater plan built on strong ideological beliefs, a view shared by Hillgruber (1965) in Hitlers Strategie. The question of the existence of a Stufenplan, as proposed by Hillgruber (1965), is somewhat harder to answer. Certainly such a plan may be constructed from analysis of Mein Kampf. However, it is difficult to say if such a plan genuinely existed, or if it is merely a construct built upon a foundation of selected statements from the book. Such a plan is also suggested in Nazism 1919-1945, A Documentary Reader (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 617): â€Å"from the comments and arguments contained in Mein Kampf one can construct a foreign policy programme which essentially consisted of five stages † However, this is somewhat within the realm of conjecture and with the benefit of hindsight. Mein Kampf is by no means a step-by-step work, but there are key principles embedded within the text which may be extracted and compared to Hitlers actual foreign policy actions. Through this it shall be argued that at least some level of planning, some attempt to achieve pre-defined goals, did in fact exist. In the broadest sense, the foreign policy advocated by Hitler in Mein Kampf is quite clear, namely to expand Germany to become a world power through the acquisition of territory or ‘living space. In Mein Kampf Hitler (1926, p. 557) states: â€Å" without consideration of ‘traditions and prejudices, it (Germany) must find the courage to gather our people and their strength for an advance along the road that will lead this people from its present restricted living space to new land and soil † Furthermore, it should be noted in the above quote that Hitler not only expresses his desire for lebensraum, but goes further in suggesting that it is reasonable to acquire territory without â€Å"consideration of ‘traditions and prejudices†. From this it may be inferred that Hitler is largely unconcerned by any ethical argument that might counteract the expansion of Germany. This view is compounded by Hitlers (1926) further statement â€Å"Germany will either be a world power or there will be no Germany†. Although A.J.P. Taylor (1961) argued that Hitler did not have any real blueprint for his foreign policy, which consisted of nothing more than taking opportunities as they offered themselves, that Hitler was nothing more than â€Å"a traditional European statesman† (Taylor, 1961), the above comments from Mein Kampf seem to suggest a higher motivation, the desire to expand Germanys borders and present Germany as a world power by non-traditional means, without, as Hitler (1926) states, â€Å"consideration of ‘traditions or prejudices†. In order to expand Germany and gain lebensraum it would first be necessary to somehow remove the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. It is already apparent that in 1926 Hitler saw no use in any future delegations regarding the removal of the sanctions imposed by Versailles, dismissing the treaty as an act of â€Å"highway robbery against our people† (Hitler, 1926). He further stated in Mein Kampf: â€Å"One must have the simple mind of a child to believe that the revision of the Versailles Treaty can be obtained by indirect means and by beseeching the clemency of the victors The sword is the only means whereby a nation can thrust that clutch from its throat† (Hitler, 1926, p. 554). Taylor (1961) would have us believe Mein Kampf to be nothing more than the ramblings of an imprisoned man, yet already we see an element of forward planning; what was outlined here would be realised by Hitler years later. In March 1935, Hitler introduced compulsory military conscription, openly flaunting the Treaty of Versailles, although his army had already been growing in secret since 1933, when Hitler ordered his Generals to treble the size of Germanys army to 300,000. This was the ‘sword with which Hitler intended to vanquish the ‘clutch of Versailles. A year later, on March 7, 1936, German troops remilitarised the Rhineland, again flagrantly violating the Versailles Treaty. Were these actions merely opportunistic, lacking any real planning? Had Hitler simply, to paraphrase Taylor (1961), leaned on the door of the Rhineland hoping to gain entrance? One could argue that, due to the poor British economy following the Depression, Hitler was opportunistic in his timing of these treaty violations, perhaps sensing that military retaliation was unlikely. However, he had undoubtedly expressed his intentions to violate Versailles by forceful means almost ten years earlier, as evidenced above in Mein Kampf. Rather than simple opportunism, it would seem that Hitler was shrugging away the shackles of Versailles at a prudent juncture, just as he had intended. Furthermore, this may be seen as the first step in his wider quest for lebensraum. To acquire territory, to become a world power, required military strength prohibited by Versailles. In March 1938, German troops annexed Austria. This was at least in part opportunistic. Hitler knew very well that the Nazis enjoyed strong support in Austria; four years earlier Dolfuss had been assassinated by pro-Nazi sympathisers within Austria who actively desired Austro-German unification. Such was the influence of the Austrian pro-Nazis that Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg was ultimately forced to resign, due to pressure from within Austria and from Hitler himself. Following Schuschniggs resignation, German troops were able to enter Austria without resistance. In the case of Austria, perhaps it is reasonable to entertain the idea of Hitler simply acting as a statesman rather than following any great plan. Since such strong support for the Nazis existed within Austria, it could be argued that any prudent statesman in a similar position would take advantage of such a situation. However, there is also evidence in Mein Kampf that this event was planned: â€Å"German-Austria must be restored to the great German Motherland. And not indeed on any grounds of economic calculation whatsoever. No, no. Even if the union were a matter of economic indifference, and even if it were to be disadvantageous from the economic standpoint, still it ought to take place. People of the same blood should be in the same Reich† (Hitler, 1926, p. 11). Hitler appears to hold the union of Austria and Germany in particular regard, a matter of principle and genetic unity rather than merely a stepping-stone in Germanys expansion. Taylor (1961) would have us believe that Hitler merely took advantage of the situation in Austria and that this situation was â€Å"produced by Schuschnigg not Hitler† (Taylor, 1961). This view seems somewhat myopic. Hitler may have been acting opportunistically to restore or strengthen Germany through alliance with Austria, but his primary motivation would appear to be something more esoteric, the unification of blood or race. To counteract the above argument, one might say that there were many far-right individuals with similar beliefs, that Hitler was not unique and thus the annexing of Austria was still simply an opportunist act. Opportunist in timing, perhaps, but it cannot be denied that as early as 1925, when the first volume of Mein Kampf was published, Hitler already intended to unite the two countries. How and when he did so may be a matter of opportunism, but the fact that he intended to do for ideological reasons remains. In view of this it seems difficult to renounce the unification of Germany and Austria as purely opportunistic. The evidence presented so far in support of the view that Hitlers foreign policy was not entirely opportunistic is largely rooted in Mein Kampf. However, when considering the Sudetenland and Czech Republic there is further evidence of possible planning on Hitlers part in the form of the Hossbach Memorandum, minutes of a meeting that took place on November 5, 1937 between the Fuehrer and several highranking Nazis (of these the majority were military officials rather than politicians). It is interesting that Hitler chose not to hold a full cabinet meeting, given the gravity of the topics discussed. Hitler himself attributed this to the importance of the matter, but one might also infer that he was reluctant to include too many politicians in the meeting in order to minimise the abstraction of military planning from himself and thus maintain more precise military control. This in itself may be said to evidence a certain level of planning on Hitlers part; discussing such matters within a full cabinet would seem to be the logical course of action for the typical statesman. What is especially interesting about the meeting is that the subject of Czechoslovakia as a tactical foothold is specifically addressed. Hossbach (1937) specifically notes: â€Å"If the Czechs were overthrown and a common German-Hungarian frontier achieved, a neutral attitude on the part of Poland could be the more certainly counted on in the event of a Franco-German conflict. Our agreements with Poland only retained their force as long as Germanys strength remained unshaken. In the event of German setbacks a Polish action against East Prussia, and possibly against Pomerania and Silesia as well, had to be reckoned with† (Hossbach, 1937). Almost a year later, German troops occupied the Sudetenland, with the blessing of both Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier. In fact Lord Runciman, sent by Chamberlain to attempt reconciliation between the Germans and Czechs prior to the cession of the Sudetenland seemed to positively endorse the action as ‘natural: â€Å" the feeling among the Sudeten Germans until about three or four years ago was one of hopelessness. But the rise of Nazi Germany gave them new hope. I regard their turning for help towards their kinsmen and their eventual desire to join the Reich as a natural development in the circumstances† (Runciman, 1938). Reading Lord Runcimans comments above, one might consider it reasonable to view the acquisition of the Sudetenland as opportunistic; after all the British and French were willing to appease Hitler with the Munich Agreement. However, a year earlier, Hitler and those present at the meeting documented by Hossbach had realised the advantages occupying Czechoslovakia would present; Hitlers desire to take Czechoslovakia was already evident in 1937. Shortly after signing the agreement Hitler complained â€Å"That fellow Chamberlain spoiled my entrance into Prague†. Three weeks later, Hitler told generals to prepare for the â€Å"liquidation of the remainder of Czechoslovakia†. Undoubtedly Hitler was opportunistic in signing the Munich Agreement, though it is clear that both before and after signing his ultimate goal was to take Czechoslovakia. It is also apparent that two years before finally annexing Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Hitler saw an advantage in Czechoslovakia beyond immediate opportunistic gain; namely the improved position of Germany with regard to possible aggression on the part of Poland in the event of Franco-German conflict. Taylor (1961, p. 152) dismisses all this, saying â€Å"Even more than in the case of Austria, Hitler did not need to act The crisis over Czechoslovakia was provided for Hitler† and claims that Anschluss in Austria had led German Czechs to â€Å"ungovernable excitement† (Taylor, 1961, p. 152). However, even if Hitler was taking advantage of the crisis, to dismiss his actions as pure opportunism seems churlish; the plan to take Czechoslovakia existed in 1937, before the annexation of Austria took place. This plan also had a wider strategic purpose, even if the execution may have taken advantage of opportunity, particularly in the form of the Munich Agreement. The Pact of Steel also held a higher tactical purpose than mere opportunistic allegiance. In Nazism 1919-1945 A Documentary Reader, it is heralded as a â€Å"diplomatic success in his (Hitlers) preparation for war with Poland securing at long last an alliance with Italy† (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 736). Hitler knew that the French and British would not support the invasion, in fact in his Zwitte Buch he makes it quite clear that France shall always be an enemy of Germany: â€Å"In any conflict, regardless on what grounds, regardless for what reasons, France will always be our adversary† (Hitler, 1928, p128). Thus the Pact was important to Hitler, it levelled the field somewhat regarding the issue of Poland. With France and Britain likely to oppose Hitler in this matter, Italy became an important ally. Taylor (1961) counters this view saying â€Å"The Germans attached less weight to the Pact (than the Italians). They took it almost by accident†. Here it seems hard to logically support Taylors comments. The Pact was proposed by the Germans themselves in 1938, so to suggest that it was taken â€Å"by accident† simply does not make sense. Even if it is argued that the Pact was not direct preparation for war with Poland, it was proposed by Germany in 1938 and became reality in 1939. It did not fall to Hitler by accident, it was an opportunity Germany made for itself. Even if one chooses not to see the Pact as preparation for war with Poland, the invasion of Poland itself was preparation for a greater war in Hitlers view. In May 1939 he stated: â€Å"It is not just the Danzig that is at stake. For us it is a matter of expanding our living space in the East and making food supplies secure and also solving the problem of the Baltic States† (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 737). Thus the tactical importance of the Danzig and Poland was paramount to Hitler. Not least it represented preparation for a greater conquest; Russia. Furthermore, this principle of expansion into the East was not a new dream of Hitlers, being laid out quite clearly in Mein Kampf: â€Å"When we speak of new territory in Europe today we must primarily think of Russia. This colossal empire in the East is ripe for dissolution. And the end of Jewish domination in Russia will also be the end of Russia as a state † (Hitler, 1926, p. 557) As evidenced above, in 1926, Hitler was convinced that Russia should be Germanys primary goal in terms of land acquisition. Thirteen years later, he is intent on annexing the Danzig to expedite this goal. It is difficult to deny a certain clarity of vision here. Hitler still seems to be following his original wider plan of expansion, namely to reach a position where it becomes feasible to attack Russia. On 23 August 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is signed, facilitating Hitlers invasion of Poland with help from the Soviets. This could be argued as an opportunistic Pact, simply expediting the attack on Poland, expanding German territory and presenting a stronger united enemy to the French and British, allowing Hitler to fight a stronger war in the West if need be. Conversely it could be argued that Hitlers conviction that Germany must expand into living space in the East remained. In this case the non-aggression pact with the Soviets and the subsequent invasion of Poland can be seen as opportunism with a further goal, the invasion of Russia itself. Since Hitler had maintained this attitude towards Russia since 1926 and reiterated it only months before signing the Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact, it would seem that, opportunistic or not, Hitler had signed the Pact with Russia ultimately to facilitate action against Russia herself. Operation Barbarossa further supports the view that action against Russia was always intended, with Hitler invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. If anything it could be argued that a more opportunistic leader would have sought to maintain the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and concentrate on what was available in Western Europe, rather than risking a war on two fronts. However, Hitler was not only opportunistic but idealistic, seemingly determined to end â€Å"Jewish domination in Russia†. From a purely opportunistic point of view, starting a war with Russia would not seem the most prudent course of military action given the current conflict in the West, so one can only assume that Hitler did so due to anti-Semitic ideals and his ongoing belief that Russia should ultimately provide lebensraum. To summarise, it is difficult to label Hitler or his foreign policy as either purely planned or purely opportunistic. Taylor (1961) seems to do the latter at the expense of evidence to the contrary, yet equally it cannot be doubted that Hitler often took advantage of fortuitous situations such as the Austrian Crisis, whilst also creating his own, one example being the Pact of Steel. Ultimately it would seem that Hitler had several definite goals in mind as set out in Mein Kampf; to breach Versailles, to build military strength, to unite Germany and Austria, to invade Russia and ultimately to establish Germany as a world power. Whether or not these goals were intended to be accomplished step-by-step, a Stufenplan, or were simply tackled on a more ad-hoc basis, the key aims established in Mein Kampf do seem to persist in later German foreign policy and many of them were achieved. Rather than simply a planner or an opportunist, it would seem that Hitler was both; taking advantage of opportunity to bring him closer to his planned objectives. Henigs (1985) interpretation of Bullocks argument articulates this view extremely well, and it is with this that the discussion shall be drawn to close: â€Å"He combined consistency of aim with opportunism in method and tactic† (Henig, 1985, p. 39). Are Metropolis and 1984 Cautionary Tales? Are Metropolis and 1984 Cautionary Tales? Both Metropolis and 1984 can be viewed as cautionary tales. The concerns communicated within the texts directly align with the concerns of their respective authors and their contexts. Discuss this statement. Texts are fundamentally expressions of the composers contextual concerns, where differing perspectives upon similar issues provide insight into the values prevalent in the composers time. Fritz Langs expressionist film Metropolis (1927) and George Orwells dystopian satire novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) (1949) are linked by their shared exploration of technological advances and social structures that restrict individual autonomy. Lang is optimistic about societal reform whereas Orwell completely rejects the possibility of a cohesive world, revealing the shift in context from Weimar optimism to post-war nihilism. Therefore, a thorough study of the conceptual connections between these texts ultimately allows us to attain an enhanced appreciation of their composers intertextual perspectives on universal concerns. Despite their differing contexts, both composers highlight the dehumanising nature of totalitarian regimes within society. Langs depiction of German expressionism in Metropolis displays the extensive disparities of class that occurs due to the existence of autocratic power. Set in a dystopian future world, Master Joh Fredersons complete control of the capitalistic Metropolis is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the underclass labourers in the Depths, a subterranean workers city while the aristocratic, wealthy industrialists high in the heavens rule over them tyrannically, symbolically representing the oppression of the inferior lower class. This notion parallels the social inequality in 1920s Germany where hyperinflation induced by the Weimar Republics poor economic management led to immense social disparity. Furthermore, the hedonistic behaviour of the upper class in the Golden 20s is epitomised in the privileged life of Freder, depicted by the extreme long shot of the Eterna l Gardens. In contrast, the mise-en-scene coupled with the slow, uninspiring body language of the workers during shift change illustrates the lack of individuality within the working class. Thus, Lang skilfully allows the audience to empathise with the workers by highlighting this perspective, allowing for insight into how totalitarian regimes necessitate conformity as shaped by the context. Orwell mirrors the ramifications of harsh political regimes on the individual and echoes the qualities of the prevalent communist ideology as he examines the psychological impacts of politically enforced conformity on the individual, emphasised by his personal experiences with fascism and his socialist agenda. The totalitarian rule of Oceania, governed by the omnipotent and omniscient Party employs the use of propaganda such as Big Brother and Newspeak to manipulate people, leading to a society in which the people unquestioningly obey their government and mindlessly accept propaganda as reality, similarly represented during Stalins arbitrary governance in Soviet Russia. The complete suppression of independent thought is described through anaphora in Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death provides parallels to the contextual deprivation of freedom of speech as facilitated by Soviet governance. Orwell employs the protagonist, Winston Smith, to rebel against the Party s doctrine, paralleling the mass uprising in Metropolis, through his blow struck against the Party political act as his subversion culminates in a sexual relationship with Julia which challenges how the Party, and similar dictatorships in Orwells context, suppress human sexuality and relationships. However, Winstons attempt is rendered futile as the psychological and physical torture instigated by the Party in the novels poignant culmination results in Winston succumbing to the totalitarian rule when he states with an accepting tone of voice that He loved Big Brother. Talent Management and Acquisition: Human Resource Management Talent Management and Acquisition: Human Resource Management Before going into the discussion on Talent Management, it would be apt to understand the word Talent. Talent in general terms refers to the capabilities, skills or the art, a person possess in a particular field. It also refers to those people who have high potential, scarce knowledge and skill or who can successfully bring about transformation and change in the organization. Talent management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for a company. Coming to the word Talent Management in an Organisation, it refers to those special steps an organization adopts to recruit, develop and retain its pool of top talent. The steps adopted should normally be creative and should not project bureaucracy. Talent Management also denotes a deliberate approach taken up by an organization to attract, develop and retain people with the aptitude and abilities to meet not only the current requirements but also future organizational needs. In todays talent-hungry market scenario, one of the greatest challenges that organizations are facing is to successfully attract, assess, train and retain talented employees. Talent Management encompasses in itself the entire process of Planning, Recruiting, Developing, Managing, and Compensating employees throughout the organization. Organizations have realized the need for talent management and are now focusing to develop and retain the existing talent in their organization rather than trying to acquire a new talent because the cost of identifying, developing and retaining the talent internally is more cost effective instead of replacing the talent which is lost from external market. Though it may appear initially that in the process of retaining talent, we are spending more in terms of increased wages, rewards and recognition, when we practically analyse, the cost of acquiring a new talent is higher. Apart from higher cost of acquiring the new talent it has to additionally face the initial hiccups of this new employee getting along with the organizational goals and strategies. Every business unit is making sure that they can respond and withstand the challenges of talent crisis by developing an effective talent management strategy like identifying the key talented people in the organization, cultivating and developing the skill of their present workforce and retaining highly talented employees by protecting them from competitors. HISTORY OF TALENT MANAGEMENT The origins of Talent Management can be traced to the 1990s with the realization of the immense value of the Human Asset for organizational success surpassing every other resource. Today it is a very widely used terminology with Google returning about 26,300,000 results. Many companies commit the mistake of putting a herculean effort in attracting the best employees but fritter away this valuable resource by not making any effort to develop or retain them. Companies have initially thought of talent management as a means to solve high employee turnover. In course of time it has become part and parcel of the corporate strategy itself with a key responsibility placed on the line managers. One cannot wish away the fact that these managers have to play a pivotal role in nurturing the talents and skills of those reporting to them. In other words, it is a case of joint trusteeship between the line and staff functions. However, in Indian Companies, talent management is of fairly recent origi n. Talent Management Process Organizations are made up of people: people creating value through proven business processes, innovation, customer service, sales, and many other important activities. As an organization strives to meet its business goals, it must make sure that it has a continuous and integrated process for recruiting, training, managing, supporting, and compensating these people. The following chart shows the complete process: Creative ways to innovate Talent Acquisition There are seven creative ways to innovate Talent Acquisition which is mention here:- Talent Acquisition Strategy Outsource Internally: A clever way is to get someone else to do your job. Its a clever way of finding the right person for a position while adding to the insurance of a successful hire. Involve the hiring manager, the superiors, the subordinates this persons work will affect. Collect their ideas for increasing productivity, satisfaction and success. What skills are required? What personal traits will be helpful? What strengths are already on the team? Which might be missing? Translate this input into the skills and personality attributes that tell you exactly what to look for in a candidate. Market your openings in ways you may not have tried before, and build relationships to reach people youve never reached before. Set up an employment interest station in your lobby, at tradeshows, or conferences. Give your business cards to salespeople, or anyone who can evangelize employment, or who may come across colleagues, or even customers, interested in employment with your company. Think like a talent scout, and open your recruiting efforts up to extend beyond the familiar grounds for sourcing talent. Create a widespread referral network that works continuously. Recent hires, association colleagues, retirees and high performers who have left your company are all excellent points of reference. Consider putting up wanted posters, describing your ideal candidate, complete with a cash reward. The reward gets split among all referrers in a line that lead to a successful hire. There can also be other incentive referral programs, like points awarded for referrals, with redemption for prizes, travel, or paid vacation days. However its implemented, the key ingredient is people reaching out to other people. Really interact with people who show interest in joining your company. Job seekers, both active and passive, are a fountain of information about your business, your industry, your competition and your customers. If you develop the approach of treating your interested job seekers like you would treat prospective customers, this can become second nature. Forget about auto-responders on email, or generic postcards. These can actually confirm an applicants suspicion of being a number rather than a valued prospective employee. Create an easy, non-intimidating talent collector that makes it easy for people to explore your company, what its about, what its like to work for. The best place to do this is your company website, with its global reach, and endless possibilities for communication and relationship building around the clock. Move the Careers area to a prominent position on your site. Turn around your application process, reduce your workload and find the right people for open positions fast by having interested job seekers create a profile of themselves. You can collect more information specific to your companys hiring objectives, and also begin to turn the workload in your favour by not having to respond to each individual application. This way, you can build your talent pool exponentially to always have a ready source to search for current and coming position openings. REVIEW OF LITERATURE OF TALENT MANGEMENT AND TALENT ACQUISITION While study of talent management and talent acquisition. I have been read some articles; Review of literature some mentioning her Business Editors High Tech Writers,Dec4,1998 We are a marketing and communications company with Internet and interactive businesses at our core, said Werner Haase, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Exceed, Inc. Whether our clients are looking for ecommerce solutions, or communication strategy and execution for mergers, acquisitions, corporate branding, Web development, human resources or consulting services, weve got the talent to deliver. Ian Cunningham,2007 This paper explores ways in which organizations can take a systemic stance on talent management. The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations plus research in HR functions. The need is for a systemic approach to talent management. Just focusing on talent acquisition is misguided and unhelpful. The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals in setting up a functional strategy for talent management. The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists who are involved in talent management strategy. Business Finance Week, Atlanta, Feb 18, 2008 In the paper, McCoy says that in both good economies and in times of economic uncertainty, it is incumbent upon senior management and human resource (HR) leaders to be smart about the resources they hire and ensure their organizations workforce is structured for flexibility and maximum productivity. PR Newswire, New York, Mar 5, 2008 A January 15, 2008 Wall Street Journal article (Demand Rises for Talent Management Software) identifies one of many issues that shine a spotlight on the looming talent crisis: a labour shortage in industries across the board caused by the aging of the Baby Boomer generation and a decline in worker satisfaction. The Banker, London, Jul 2008 Outsourcing requires the same commitment to understanding organisational goals, due diligence and governance as a merger, acquisition, or strategic partnership. Before any outsourcing initiative is undertaken, there needs to be a clear vision of how the project enhances stakeholder value. Infosys finds that its most successful clients have a well-thought-out, long-term, strategic sourcing plan that focuses less on cost savings and more on leveraging global talent and industry expertise. This article discusses location strategy while considering global sourcing. Steven Land berg, Jan 2010 Positions on what can a corporate hiring executive learn from sports teams an approach to talent acquisition is answered. When pursuing talent acquisition, executives can observe some interesting analogies and learn some lessons from sports teams. First, talent selection and acquisition is recognized as one of the most critical aspects for success in a sports organization. Sports teams frequently acquire free agents that have moved amongst a number of teams with the understanding that many of those moves are not necessarily the choice of the player. Chris serres,Jan24,2010 Two years of brutal downsizing and consolidation on Wall Street, combined with the disappearance of such storied firms as Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, as well as a slew of regional investment banks, have given Piper the opportunity to play on a bigger stage, according to industry analysts. Piper declined to comment for this article, citing a company policy against discussing its financial performance or other material non-public information in advance of earnings. PR Newswire, New York, Apr 26, 2010 Media Link LLC has launched an Executive Search Practice and hired Christopher Nutile, one of the most respected professionals in the executive search and talent acquisition sector, to run it as Director of Executive Search, it was announced today by Media Link Chairman CEO Michael Kassan and President COO Wenda Harris Millard Business Wire, New York, Apr 28, 2010 In creating i-GRasp 3.0 we incorporated many of the features that customers said were vital to them in terms of increasing recruiter productivity, reducing operating and IT costs through enhancing self-configuration capabilities, and providing a great candidate experience as they step up recruitment activity in the face of economic recovery. Step Stone Solutions on-demand (SaaS) software and services enable organisations to implement efficient processes, including: attraction and hiring, post-hire talent management, performance management, compensation management, skills and competency management, career and succession planning, training and development management. Recent trends in talent management Attracting qualified talent is the critical first step in the talent management cycle. Jobs are plenty, finding the right candidate is the challenge. The need is to sell a job. Having sold the job well, retaining good employees is the next challenge that arises. And the companys brand image makes these tasks easier. Hence the marriage of compulsion arises between HR and marketing principles-employer branding. As we know that we get good customers with a good brand. In the same way companies must develop their image in the society by implementing the best practices in each and every aspect. Employer branding therefore helps a company attract, recruit, and retain employees that if wants and is becoming increasingly important in attracting and retaining star performers in a talent-tight market. Employer branding is not different from (branding a product or service and the payoff are identical. Some of them are product service branding customer acquisition is easier Increased retention possible Loyal customers Less price sensitive customers Employer branding Recruiting people is easier Reduced employee churn Committed employees Less CTC sensitive employees Selecting Talent An effective retention strategy begins at the earlier stages of the recruitment selection process. This is true because most of the employee turnover happens due to poor chemistry or bed fit. The research indicates that most of the people leave organizations due to the mistakes made during the hiring phase. For this reason some smart companies are adopting the strategy of hire for attitude train for skill. They have realized that it is easier to develop the skills capabilities that an employee needs than to attempt to change the employees personality or mind set. For instance, although Infosys receives about twice the number of application as its competitors it is very selective in recruiting employees. In the financial for 2004-2005, it received close to one million resumes which went through rigorous selection process and offers were made to about 1.5% of the applicants. Infosys looks at candidates who display a high degree of learnability. Indian company was selecting a senior marketing manager after the candidate had gone through several rounds of interviews. The company had identified the person they thought was the right one for the job and was on the verge of making an offer. Retaining Talent In present scenario people choose companies which have congenial atmosphere and prefer change if they dont get desirable, as it may hinder the growth and success of the company. Hence retention is vital than recruitment. The attrition rate of employees in organization is alarming. Take any industry, any sector, any organization and you can find more than enough examples of employees joining and leaving their workplace. All this adds to the worry of HR managers who are only left with the option of scratching their heads and singing no mercys all-time hit-where do you go? Thus it is an organizations ability not only to recruit, but also to cultivate and retain, talent that will ultimately determine its longevity. Two major trends point to the growing importance of employee retention as an important HR issue. Cost of Employee Turnover Turnover is important because it costs the organization money in direct expenses to recruit and train new hires and indirect expenses to pay overtime for remaining workers, when necessary, and in opportunity cost of lost production. With a 10 per cent turnover rate per year and on average individual pay level of $40,000 might be expected to spend between $ 4 million and $ 8 million per year on turnover-related costs. Talent management involves in 1. Recruiting- Does the firm have a formal recruitment processes to recruit internally or externally? 2. Career Management- Is there clarity in the career path for the employees? 3. Succession Planning- Are there clear-cut plans for who steps into which position at which time. This involves matching current potentials with future organizational demands. 4. Performance Management- This should be able to tell us how each staff performs in his/her present responsibilities. A very good performance Management should be able to unfold the following; those who need to be rewarded, those who need to be cautioned, those who need additional responsibilities, Staff training and development needs, Promotions, Demotions etc. 5. Reward Management- Talent Management will not succeed without a system that clearly defines performance results. Average, Superior and Outstanding performers in an organization should be rewarded differently otherwise outstanding performers for instance will not be motivated to work harder. Todays Top 10 Talent-Management Chalenges Attracting and retaining enough employees at all levels to meet the needs of organic and inorganic growth All three companies are facing a talent crunch. Essar, for example, has grown from 20 thousand employees to a staggering 60 thousand in the past 3 years. Fifty-five per cent of their employees have less than two years of tenure. Creating a value proposition that appeals to multiple generations With four generations in todays workplace, most companies are struggling to create an employee experience that appeals to individuals with diverse needs, preferences and assumptions. Developing a robust leadership pipeline I believe one of the biggest potential threats to many corporations is a lack of a robust talent pool from which to select future leaders. This is in part a numbers issue. Rounding out the capabilities of hires who lack the breadth of necessary for global leadership Its relatively straightforward to identify and assess experts in specific functional or technical arenas, but much more difficult to determine whether those individuals have the people skills, leadership capabilities, business breadth, and global diversity sensibilities required for the nature of leadership today. Transferring key knowledge and relationships The looming retirement of a significant portion of the workforce challenges all companies, but particularly those who are dependent on the strength of tacit knowledge, such as that embedded in customer relationships, a key to Mercers business success. Stemming the exodus of Gen Xers from corporate life A big threat in many firms today is the exodus of mid-career talent-people in whom the organization has invested heavily and in whom it has pinned its hopes for future leadership. Redesigning talent management practices to attract and retain Gen Ys The challenge of calibrating talent management practices and programs to attract and engage our young entrants is critically important to all firms. Creating a workplace that is open to Boomers in their second careers. Age prejudice still exists, but smart companies are looking for ways to incorporate the talents of Boomers and even older workers in the workforce. In many cases, this requires rethinking roles and work relationships. Overcoming a norm of short tenure and frequent movement Some industries, such as specialty retail, are known for having a very disposable view of talent. Companies intent on changing that norm, such as The Gap, must address both external influences in the marketplace and an internal mind set. Enlisting executives who dont appreciate the challenge Many talent executives complain that business leaders still believe that people are lined up outside the door because of the power of the companys brand. The challenge of enlisting the support of all executives for the transition from a talent culture that has traditionally operated with a buy strategy to one that places more emphasis on build is widely shared. CRITICAL APPRAISAL Firstly I want to discuss about Critical appraisal. It is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context. When I study some the articles of talent management and talent acquisition then I find something which is helpful in company to solve the problem related to talent management and talent actuation issue. 1. Costs The costs of having to replace someone with scarce skills are considerable. Firstly, the Recruitment costs are substantial. Qualified staffs, especially Blacks and Women, are not freely available in the market place. This means that agencies or search consultants are required to find such talent and they are expensive. Further costs are incurred during the first 3 6 months of employment during which new staff are seldom fully functional 2. Risk Despite every attempt to follow effective selection practices, there is always a risk that new staff will not perform as expected. It is often said that while organisations select people on their competence and experience, they fire or lose them due to lack of cultural fit. A highly competent professional who is unable to fit the organisational culture is unlikely to be effective or remain for long. This is particularly true in respect of HDIs entering a firm which has been historically white and or male dominated. Client Service and Opportunity Costs In a service organisation service excellence relies largely on personal relationships. It demands that clients feel confident in the people providing the service and that service providers have a memory of client needs and issues. If that relationship is broken as a result of key talent leaving the organisation, the capacity of the firm to provide sustainable service is severely compromised. This has the potential to compromise future business with the associated opportunity costs Lack of Capacity Lack of people with suitable skills and talent is a key restraint in terms of service capacity. This manifests itself at 2 levels. Firstly, firms soon reach a state of overload. Deadlines are missed, standards and quality of work drop and a vicious cycle emerges and feeds on itself. This is a very common phenomenon with small and medium sized professional firms. They do not have the capacity to manage their growth or the peaks and valleys associated with the modern business world. Secondly, the firm is so consumed with meeting operational deadlines that it loses its ability to keep up to date with latest best practice, legislation or other issues demanding new skills. In this case clients will soon recognise that mistakes are made due to lack of currency of skills. These are some of the more visible risks to firms who do not pay attention to the attraction, growth and retention of key talent. Beyond the visible, other manifestations of the problem arise. Staff morale declines because leadership talent is absent and this energy drop is transferred to the client. Internal politics and protection of territory or unwillingness to share information and surface problems affect the functioning of the firm. All of these things affect the ability of the organisation to offer great service and take advantage of opportunities to grow Conclusion When I study then I decided that the attraction, growth and retention of talent are a key success factor for modern service based knowledge organisations. To be known as an employer of choice is considered a key organisational goal with direct benefits. Whether is a small accounting firm or a large consulting organisation there are certain processes that need to be applied for effective talent management. However, research has shown consistently that the most important factor that influences a persons decision to stay or leave an organisation is the relationship with their boss. Other key factors are opportunities for personal growth and career development, the culture of the organisation in terms of facilitating innovation and the nature of the work itself South African organisations, large or small, have an obligation to the country and to themselves to grow the professional skills required for economic growth and competitive advantage.

Competition vs Collaboration

Competition vs Collaboration Competition versus Collaboration Studying so much about collaboration within and outside the organization made me curious about the competition element. So I tried to find out where does the competition lies when we are talking about Collaboration.Christiansen (2000) says that for creativity and innovation, it is important to consider whether collaboration or competition is valuable. Although there are some downsides with collaboration like: collaborative group working independently, resistance dispute, ownership problems, Time pressure in members and their activities, etc.. Despite having such downsides competition is beaten by collaboration. Furthermore, competition among individuals within an organization, in idea generation, forces people to shutdown. Who wins and who looses is based on the rules of the game which includes individuals competencies and other factors. Whereas in the innovation-process, creativity nourishes with new ideas from a variety of sources. In competition individuals hold back information. Furthermore, the individual might not have a clear picture about the problem in-hand or reduce creative thinking or might not give enough time to think about the solution. Thus, increasing the possibility that the outcome is not a best solution or a best idea. Whereas in collaboration, individuals will be synergistically working together towards their objective. Collaboration is an important part of the innovation stages of selecting the ideas, development and commercializing an idea. In case where competition is outside the organization Nagel (2001) says that Wealth is created by competition and innovation plays a centre role in competition. And innovation is a key which comprises collaboration among competitors. Innovative companies collaborate externally though joint ventures, alliances or less structured forms of networking. Some innovative companies value internal and external competition, not being cut-throat competition with high secrecy or fierce, only to stimulate higher performance in competing projects where the losing teams are happy to support the winning team on their way forward. In such a company, with a positive competitive culture, to lose is not equal to losing face or missing out on the next potential promotion. In companies that believe in collaboration, people cannot help but to collaborate (Mayle 2006).This concept can be seen apprentin the Ripple Effect (IDEO 2009) project model from IDEO where different organizations collaborate to provide inspiration, deign and business support to entrepreneurs in development of new offering. I have attached a video below showing how companies are collaborating to provide clean drinking water for the poor The Ripple Effect in India, by IDEO and Acumen Fund from IDEO on Vimeo. Reference: Christiansen J. A., 2000 Competitive Innovation Management: Techniques to Improve Innovation Performance, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan IDEO 2009, Ripple Effect: Access to safe drinking water for Acumen fund and The Bill Melinda Gates foundation [Online], Available:http://www.ideo.com/work/item/ripple-effect-access-to-safe-drinking-water/ Mayle D. 2006, Managing innovation and change, Publisher: SAGE Nagel S. 2001, Handbook of Policy Creativity: Creativity at the cutting edge Publisher: Nova Publishers, Social Media and Networks In the last few years, the number of users accessing the internet is expanding and an exponential rate. Users looking for any kind of information are searching the internet. Organizations are shifting or starting businesses online spending a lot of many to get traffic to their site. But with the hype of internet and web 2.0, these companies are using the internet to market and advertise their products and services through social media channels like facebook, twitter, youtube etc. It is the most low cost promotion method available today. Now a day marketers are using social media as their primary advertising platform as it is able to capture mass audiences. Its somewhat similar to TV advertising . In our business plan this social media and networks is playing an important part in advertisement. Companies are more concerned about their social graph ranks about products and services then how Google ranks them. The social media channels are creating content for the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) to work for the companies social media strategy. The content creation strategy should be aligned with the social media strategy to drive users towards taking action ( PR News 2009) There are three kinds of people who doubt the efficiency of social media. * Who are unaware about social media. * Who are interested in it but do not have knowledge to use it * Who doubts the social media strategy could benefit the business or their website(Jue et al. 2009) Social media should be included in the brand strategy because it will help consumers in the adoption process, laid out by Rogers (1962), which are (1) awareness, (2) interest, (3) evaluation, (4) trial, and (5) adoption, by spreading the awareness of the brand and answering the questions about the benefits the brand will provide. Social media will communicate the brand at all emotional levels. Furthermore, feedback will help in improving and evolving the brand. Bauknecht (2005) says people are believing and trusting more on peer recommendations than an advertisement. According to Warner (2008) social media networking might be just waste of time because the amounts of time individuals are spending on it. According to a survey, there is an estimated cost of  £6.5 billion per annum for loss in productivity and high bandwidth usage Britains social media fanatics spent like 12 hours per week on social media websites wasting value time. Young generations are also spending so much time on it. It was already hard to get the video game generation to focus on their studies. Lets see how much time it takes to spend on social media I am not a blogger or a social media fan. I did not have a Facebook account. I belonged to the category who doubted that social media could not benefit the business as advertising does. Now for me realizing the potential of social media was a huge eye-opener. I cant imagine how I could be ignoring it even after noticing all the online websites and other friends are on some kind of social media. However, after attending the Presentation of Chris Ramsbottom, former student of LUMS, and listening to his experiences regarding convincing the top managed about the importance of social media made me realize that I am not the only one. Now I have almost all the major social media channels and to expand my knowledge further regarding social media, I just got a book The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success 2009 by Lon Safko, David Brake and a digital copy of Social Media Marketing for Dummies 2009 by Shiv Singh. Also an iPhone to keep in touch with the social media networks However, it is important to understand how to utilize social media effectively by clarifying what actually is required from the social media either increasing sales or brand awareness of products or services. It will avoid wasting valuable time. Reference: Bauknecht K., Prà ¶ll B. and Werthner H. 2005, E-commerce and web technologies: 6th international conference, EC-Web Publisher: Springer Science Business Perez S. 2008, Real People Dont Have Time for Social Media [online], Available: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/real_people_dont_have_time_for_social_media.php PR News 2009, SEO SEM 3.0: Demystifying Social Media Optimization to Bring Consumers to You, PR News, April 27, http://www.proquest.com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/ (accessed December 13, 2009). Jue A.L. , Marr J.A. and Kassotakis M.E. 2009, Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance , Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Rogers, Everett M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations. Glencoe: Free Press. Warner B. 2008, Times Online : Is social networking a waste of time[Online], Available: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3536749.ec Mass Production I have been absent from the working log for quite sometime. Was really busy in group meetings, presentations and assignments etc. just finished my toughest assignment for SAP which is due day after tomorrow. Im relaxed now and having a cup of tea and startedwriting my learning log again Mass Production Honestly when I saw the week 6 questions I thought mass production will be boring and just time consuming, there would be nothing interesting about it except the word mass production but after seeing a clip of Charlie Chaplin at the time of lecture actually started my interest. I was fascinated to find out how industrial revolution began and how change actually happened. Most of the people live their lives and dont bother to look at the history like how we, as people, got to current situation. How we, as people progressed. It made me feel proud how we as human beings progressed through passage of time. The Industrial Revolution consisted a period from 18th to the 19th century where changes on manufacturing, transport and agriculture had an enormous effect on social, cultural and economic conditions first starting in UK. UK is the place, in the 18 century, where first manufacturing operations were specifically designed to reduce production costs by specialized labour and the use of machines appeared (britannica.com). Then afterwards spread to Europe, North America, and eventually the world. It was interesting to read about Model T a model of car produced by the Ford Motor Company between 1909-27, first car to be successfully mass-produced on an assembly line. I was a little bit curious what is the significance of the letter T. Just noticed it is 20th letter of the alphabet. So Model T is THE MODEL OF THE 20TH CENTURY. (Babylon dictionary) The main characteristics of MODEL T is the Standardization which lead to economies of scale during production, Division of Task which led to higher productivity. Specialism which lead to easy training of new workers in different departments Payment procedure, more parts produced the more money earned, led to overcoming the problem of high labour turnover Concentration where specialist making the decision instead of Workers Interest to read more about Model T and suggestion from Mary on The limits of Fordism led me to a paper onThe Rise and Decline of Fordism and the Sea-Change in the Technological Advantage of Nations 2004 by Andrew Tylecote and Giovanna Vertova, who states that in the manufacturing industry there are 3 functions Design Manufacture process of turning inputs into outputs co-ordination management The larger the firms became, under Fordism production, the more co-ordination was required; the faster technology and products changed and the pace of change was steadily accelerating, the more design was required. It is to be noted that Fordist production methods was actually derived from the transformation of previous organization of production notably Taylorism. It was actually Taylor in his Bethlehem Steel plant where craftsmen were subordinated directly to engineers who allocated tasks to workers. Fordism production, in Kaplinskys words, had distinct spheres. Photobucket Mass production system of Fordism was marvellously efficient and the model can be valued by the concept of transformation mechanisation which has 3 stages referred by Coombs (1983). Stage 1: The dedicated machine tool, lower labour cost and higher production Stage 2: The assembly line of continuous flow mechanical moving of materials between different stages of transformation. What Fordism lacked was the 3rd stage i.e. Control mechanisation which is the substitution of machines for the human brain in the direction and supervision of the productive process.What was needed, for control mechanisation, was machine intelligence and that was the next techno-economic paradigm development of ICT. Later on flexible form of mechanisation was made possible by Computer-aided manufacturing. Computer aided manufacturing which later on joined with computer aided design. The use of ICT in the process of coordination was increasingly recognized which led the development and diffusion of internet. Coming from a family business of clothes manufacturing, for me I understood perfectly about the boredom the workers experience for constant doing the repetitive work in mass production.Even after the policy of wages were based according to the amount of output a worker does i.e. wages paid for each item of work they do, the motivation increases but eventually comes down and the element of boredom re-appears. By looking at the theory of the law of Diminishing Marginal Productivity of labour (sometimes called the law of diminishing returns). It states that the increase in output due to units increase in labour working hours will eventually decline.(Jacques, Ian 2006) Which means if a worker is working 10 hours in a day ,His efficiency in the 1st hour will be higher than the 2nd hour. 2nd hour skill of production is more than the 3rd hour. In his last hour that is in the 10th hour his efficiency will be very very low .It may be zero or negative. Which was apparent in the case of Charlie Chaplin in the MODERN TIMES movie clip, that was seen in the class, when he lost his mind after repetitive working of loooooog hours and his productivity became negative In the book Mathematics for Economics and Business by Jacques, Ian gives an exmple: In the simplest case output, Q, is assumed to be a function of labour, L, and capital, K. Moreover, in the short run the input K can be assumed to be fixed, so Q is then only a function of one input L. (This is not a valid assumption in the long run and in general Q must be regarded as a function of at least two inputs. Methods for handling this situation are considered in the next chapter.) The variable L is usually measured in terms of the number of workers or possibly in terms of the number of worker hours. We define the marginal product of labour,MPL, by dQ = MPL dL Between 0 and L0 the curve bends upwards, becoming progressively steeper, and so the slope function, MPL, increases. Mathematically, this means that the slope of MPL is positive: that is, d(MPL ) > 0 dQ Now MPL is itself the derivative of Q with respect to L, so we can use the notation for the second derivative and write this as d2Q - > 0 dL2 Similarly, if L exceeds the threshold value of L0, then Figure 4.17 shows that the product curve bends downwards and the slope decreases. In this region, the slope of the slope function is negative, so that d2Q dL2 The law of diminishing returns states that this must happen eventually: that is, d2Q dL2 for sufficiently large L. Conclusion: To increase the productivity of a labourer and to reduce the cost of production. Reducing working hours of a shift is necessary. References: Andrew Tylecote and Giovanna Vertova 2004, The Rise and Decline of Fordism and the Sea-Change in the Technological Advantage of Nations www.giovannavertova.it/WP06.pdf britannica.com http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/368270/mass-production Babylon dictionary http://dictionary.babylon.com Jacques, Ian 2006, Mathematics for Economics and Business, Pearson Education UK, p. 268-271 http://lib.myilibrary.com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/Browse/open.aspID=60204loc=Cover Kaplinsky (1984) Fordial Organisation Of Factory Production, p. 24 Perez Coombs. (1983). Structural Change and Assimilation of New Technologies in the Economic and Social Systems, Futures, 15(5): 357-375. disruptive technology It is a term which Christensen described as a new technology in this book the innovators dilemma by categorizing new technology into 2 categories: Sustaining technology incrementing improvements in an existing established technology Disruptive technology new technology, may not be perfect but appealing to a limited audience. Has initially little value and does not create attention among the dominate players in the industry. Disruptive technology usually targets new areas within the current industry with a new approach and could dominate an existing market. I will give 2 examples of disruptive technologies. Firstly, in my technology module, I found cloud computing a very disruptive technology. Its potential value cannot be ignored or denied. There were number of phases involved in the evolution of cloud computing, which include application service provision (ASP) and Software as a Service (SaaS) (Velte et al. 2009). In 2006, Amazon launched a commercial web service called Elastic Compute cloud (EC2) allowing small companies and individuals to renting I.T. infrastructure and computing power to run their own computer applications (LaMonica 2006). Cloud computing service is risk free and Easy to use. One does not have to buy anything or invest hugely into it. The technology is flexible; adjusting to the companys requirements and also easily scalable; fulfilling the needs of the companys growing demands. Just imagine in an industry where customers, had to pay upfront for a technology for which they may get 20-30% use, could use this cloud computing technology model and pay only for what is used and when it is used. It can be seen that the barriers to the entry of customers, around cost and complexity, are going to come down so dramatically that the cloud is going to open up much more usages of IT for small medium businesses. Emerging markets can be seen in countries, where just the cost and complexity have been barriers. Developing countries like Brazil rushing, China, India and beyond are going to end up using the technology in ways they have never been able to use it before and in ways we have never seen before. The second disruptive technology I found was the Google announcement of Google Navigation Map product for FREE, which was one of the innovation searches in our workshops. This product is used by connecting to the internet to Google cloud computing technology providing all the services of a traditional Sat. Nav and much more. By looking at the stock market of Garmin, one of the leading companies of navigation system providers in the GPS industry, we could actually see the market reaction to such a disruptive technology in just a couple of days from announcement, last year, in October 2009. TomTom and other companies are also affected. This product is targeted to price sensitive customers with offering excellent features and capabilities for FREE. With good understanding of the term disruptive innovation and disruptive technology, broadered my view of anticipating whether any new technology, i came accross, will prove disruptive or not. References: * Christensen C.M. 1997, The innovators dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail, Publisher: Harvard Business Press * Gurley B., Google Redefines Disruption: The Less Than Free Business Model [Online],Available: http://abovethecrowd.com/2009/10/29/google-redefines-disruption-the-%E2%80%9Cless-than-free%E2%80%9D-business-model/ [Accessed December 1, 2009 ] * LaMonica M. 2006, Amazon servers, starting at 10 cents an hour [Online], Available: http://news.cnet.com/Amazon-servers,-starting-at-10-cents-an-hour/2100-1038_3-6109202.html [Accessed December 1, 2009 ] * Velte T., Velte A. and Elsenpeter R. 2009, Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach, Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional disruptive innovation The term Disruptive innovation is thought up by Clayton Christensen, who describes the term as a process by which a product or service application starts from the bottom of the market and manoeuvres up in the market displacing established competitors. (christensen, 2009) I read an interesting book The innovators guide to growth: putting disruptive innovation to work by Scott. It describes the disruptive innovation theory: the market consists of customers some of which are at a high end, very demanding, and willing to buy high-performance, expensive products. While others are low end and satisfied with simple and inexpensive products. Customers lives are not changing as fast as most organization or companies are innovating. These fast innovating companies end up producing goods, sustaining innovations, that are too good, too expensive and sometimes too inconvenient for many customers. The disconnect between the capabilities of a product and the customers ability to use them opens up an opportunity for innovators who brings to a market a disruptive innovation that is simple, convenient, accessible and affordable. Thus, changing the game of the market. The disruptive innovations can be broadly classified into two types: new-market and low-end disruptive innovations. The new-market disruptive innovation, which succeeds because they bring previous non-consumers into the market, whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers for whom price is more important than quality. Disruptive innovations can be generally be divided into new-market and low-end disruptive innovations. A new-market disruptive innovation is often aimed at non-consumption (i.e., consumers who would not have used the products already on the market), whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers for whom price is more important than quality. Low-end disruption has occurred repeatedly in retailing. Disruptive innovation will result in major changes, but they dont often rely on technological breakthroughs. In fact, many times the technologies are quite trivial. Its the Business Model the way a company organises and acts that drives disruptions. Taking the example of Wal-Mart, who opened their first discount retailer in 1962, they didnt start to sell goods that are different from their competitors, they created a new way to organize and act that allowed them to make money at low price points. So its not often the technology but is the businesses model. I read about many other models that shows the difference between disruption and sustaining innovation like the personal computer, eBay online model etc. the most interesting one is from the video games industries. Contrast the Sony PlayStation 3 product with the Nintendos Wii product. The PS3 is a technological marvel. The best game play you can find, great graphics, the blue ray disks in the player. It is aimed at the heart core gamers, the most demanding consumers in the games industry. Now Nintendo has innovated in a very different way. Instead of introducing games with better graphics Nintendo made it simpler, made it more accessible. The big innovation is the controller. Nintendo is consciously targeting the non-gamer and by doing so it has greatly expanded the market for the video games by reaching people that Sony wouldnt even think about targeting. Not winning it by doing it better but by winning it by doing it differently. (Ali Farhoomand, 2009) In the EBIN 504 innovation module understanding of the concept of disruptive innovation helped me understand more how to look at the market or industry to Spot Disruptive Innovation Opportunities which had helped me in my EBIN 503: Business Planning Module where we had a workshop for idea generation for starting a business. I also in thebook The innovators guide to growth I learned that, firstly we had to look for a market or industry where there is some kind of constraint that inhibits consumption where there is something that makes it difficult for people to solve problems in their life. Sometimes they dont have skills, sometimes they dont have money, and sometimes they cant access the solution and sometimes its just takes too long. Finding one of those barriers to consumption and see how you can obliterate it. Secondly we had to identify where people have important and unsatisfied jobs to be done. Where are problems that a customer faces that they cant adequately solve today. If we can find that frustrated customer and ease their pain we often times have the ticket to disruptive innovation. Then after we have looked for the constraint innovation and targeted that job to be done, then we think thought about how we can play the innovation game differently. With better understanding of the concept of di sruptive innovation theory, I understood its not about doing it better, its about making it simpler, cheaper, more accessible, more affordable. That is what disruption is all about. (Scott D. Anthony, 2008) References Ali Farhoomand, H. J. (2009) Nintendos Disruptive Strategy: Implications for the Video Game Industry. Feb 10, 2009, Harvard business publishing. http://harvardbusiness.org/product/nintendo-s-disruptive-strategy-implications-for-th/an/HKU814-PDF-ENG Christensen, C. (2009) Disruptive Innovation. http://www.claytonchristensen.com/disruptive_innovation.html John Bessant, J. T. (2007) Innovation and entrepreneurship John Wiley and Sons, p. 229-34, 247 Scott D. Anthony, M. W. J., Joseph V. Sinfield, Elizabeth J. Altman (2008) The innovators guide to growth: putting disruptive innovation to work, Harvard Business Press PLATFORM INNOVATION Platform in simple words means pictures of major subsystems and interfaces between these subsystems. The platform innovation is defined as one that leads to the practical application of fundamental innovations. Such innovations normally are launching pads for a new industry I read a journal Platform-Innovation drive enterprise growth. It was very fascinating to see how Platform thinking for physical products played an important role in the companys transformation of its traditional mainframe business to a Web server business. Also product platforms require accurate operational definition without which its difficult to achieve progress, but many organizations are lacking in applying this definition. New product strategy must be remodeled to capture the degree to which common architectures and subsystems will be leveraged across existing and new market applications, as well as the timing of product introductions. (Marc H Meyer ad el. 2001) In the EBIN-521 e-Technology module I have learned that the Internet has evolved from web 1.0 to and Web 2.0 to become an increasingly important platform not just for economic development, communication, educational purposes, and as an area for entertainment, but also as a place for those who wish to express their opinions and ideas freely and is now considered web as a platform which doesnt have a hard boundary Figure 1 shows a meme map of Web 2.0 that was developed at a brainstorming session during FOO Camp, a conference at OReilly Media. Its very much a work in progress, but shows the many ideas that radiate out from the Web 2.0 core. (Tim OReilly 2005) from the above figureabovewe can have an idea of Web as a platform.Web 2.0 can be conceived as blocks of principles and practices that are interconnected system of sites, where software and web applications are built upon the Web as opposed to upon the desktop. The uniqueness of web 2.0 is customers are building your business for you. (Tim OReilly 2005) Everything is platform in web 2.0 era. I found this comic very interesting. In the EBIN-521 e-Technology module and EBIN-503 Business Planning Finance Planning we are going to plan to have an open API (application programming interface) as part of our e-business. Open API is a platform innovation concept, where other developers uses Open API to come up with a new combination for an innovation, which leads to more innovation. Application Programming Interface (API) is an interface that a software program implements in order to allow other software to interact with it; much in the same way that software might implement a user interface in order to allow humans to interact with it. (Wikipedia cited: on Nov 2009).For example In September 2009 programmableweb.com announced that ithad 16 new Mashups in their Mashup Directory and 28 different APIs were used to build them in different combination (programmableweb.com 2009). At the website link provided below in the reference shows a list of API used in different meshups An an exampleof a web ping.fm (http://ping.fm/)It is a web application for Managing Social Networks. It is linked with 46 social websites like Twitter, Facebook, myspace,blogger, beboetc. You can create an account with ping.fm and link it to any social websitefrom the list of 46. And if you want to post something like any news or update you can just post once on ping.fm and it will posted to you all the LINKED services you added to your ping.fm account. Now pink.fm provides OPEN API. Byusing their opi functionality any web-developer or business organization can build their business In our business plan, we will be having an OPEN DATA API and TRANSACTION API in our eBusiness as a open platform for other developers build or develop their web-application or software , hence building their business using our platform or in other words building our business for us Reference: Make platform innovation drive enterprise growth By Marc H Meyer, Paul C Mugge, Publication title: Research Technology Management. Arlington: Jan/Feb 2001. Vol. 44, Iss. 1; pg. 25, 15 pgs Wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface#cite_note-0 John Musser 2009 28 APIs Used This Week: Open Government, Wikipedia, New York Times, and Football Nerds http://blog.programmableweb.com/2009/10/04/28-apis-used-this-week-open-government-wikipedia-new-york-times-and-football-nerds/ Realinnovation- 2008 http://www.realinnovation.com/dictionary/Platform_Innovation-312.htm dilbert.com 2007 http://www.dilbert.com/fast/2007-09-09/ Tim OReilly Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software 2005 http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html understanding Dominant Design Dominant Design a product configuration which endures; a particular combination of product features which appears to satisfy the market and survives, without major change, for some time. (Don Bradmore 2004) Often in dominant design route there are many competitors involved each one introducing many products with special features but the firm that are able to imitate the dominant design survive while those that cannot fail. The design typically remains a standard product model for many years during which firms compete on lowering costs through process innovations. In the technology industry number of alternative design are often introduced by firms e.g. Microsoft Windows, Apple Inc. Mac OS and IBM OS2). Updated designs are introduced later incorporating incremental improvements. After sometime the architecture that becomes most accepted as the industry standard may emerge e.g. Microsoft Windows. Dominant designs might not be better than other designs in the market place; however they fulfil the key requirements. Many technologies, currently in use, struggled with similar competing products before gaining the dominant design. According to Markides and Geroski (2005) until the standard is emerging consumers are affected by issues Competition vs Collaboration Competition vs Collaboration Competition versus Collaboration Studying so much about collaboration within and outside the organization made me curious about the competition element. So I tried to find out where does the competition lies when we are talking about Collaboration.Christiansen (2000) says that for creativity and innovation, it is important to consider whether collaboration or competition is valuable. Although there are some downsides with collaboration like: collaborative group working independently, resistance dispute, ownership problems, Time pressure in members and their activities, etc.. Despite having such downsides competition is beaten by collaboration. Furthermore, competition among individuals within an organization, in idea generation, forces people to shutdown. Who wins and who looses is based on the rules of the game which includes individuals competencies and other factors. Whereas in the innovation-process, creativity nourishes with new ideas from a variety of sources. In competition individuals hold back information. Furthermore, the individual might not have a clear picture about the problem in-hand or reduce creative thinking or might not give enough time to think about the solution. Thus, increasing the possibility that the outcome is not a best solution or a best idea. Whereas in collaboration, individuals will be synergistically working together towards their objective. Collaboration is an important part of the innovation stages of selecting the ideas, development and commercializing an idea. In case where competition is outside the organization Nagel (2001) says that Wealth is created by competition and innovation plays a centre role in competition. And innovation is a key which comprises collaboration among competitors. Innovative companies collaborate externally though joint ventures, alliances or less structured forms of networking. Some innovative companies value internal and external competition, not being cut-throat competition with high secrecy or fierce, only to stimulate higher performance in competing projects where the losing teams are happy to support the winning team on their way forward. In such a company, with a positive competitive culture, to lose is not equal to losing face or missing out on the next potential promotion. In companies that believe in collaboration, people cannot help but to collaborate (Mayle 2006).This concept can be seen apprentin the Ripple Effect (IDEO 2009) project model from IDEO where different organizations collaborate to provide inspiration, deign and business support to entrepreneurs in development of new offering. I have attached a video below showing how companies are collaborating to provide clean drinking water for the poor The Ripple Effect in India, by IDEO and Acumen Fund from IDEO on Vimeo. Reference: Christiansen J. A., 2000 Competitive Innovation Management: Techniques to Improve Innovation Performance, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan IDEO 2009, Ripple Effect: Access to safe drinking water for Acumen fund and The Bill Melinda Gates foundation [Online], Available:http://www.ideo.com/work/item/ripple-effect-access-to-safe-drinking-water/ Mayle D. 2006, Managing innovation and change, Publisher: SAGE Nagel S. 2001, Handbook of Policy Creativity: Creativity at the cutting edge Publisher: Nova Publishers, Social Media and Networks In the last few years, the number of users accessing the internet is expanding and an exponential rate. Users looking for any kind of information are searching the internet. Organizations are shifting or starting businesses online spending a lot of many to get traffic to their site. But with the hype of internet and web 2.0, these companies are using the internet to market and advertise their products and services through social media channels like facebook, twitter, youtube etc. It is the most low cost promotion method available today. Now a day marketers are using social media as their primary advertising platform as it is able to capture mass audiences. Its somewhat similar to TV advertising . In our business plan this social media and networks is playing an important part in advertisement. Companies are more concerned about their social graph ranks about products and services then how Google ranks them. The social media channels are creating content for the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) to work for the companies social media strategy. The content creation strategy should be aligned with the social media strategy to drive users towards taking action ( PR News 2009) There are three kinds of people who doubt the efficiency of social media. * Who are unaware about social media. * Who are interested in it but do not have knowledge to use it * Who doubts the social media strategy could benefit the business or their website(Jue et al. 2009) Social media should be included in the brand strategy because it will help consumers in the adoption process, laid out by Rogers (1962), which are (1) awareness, (2) interest, (3) evaluation, (4) trial, and (5) adoption, by spreading the awareness of the brand and answering the questions about the benefits the brand will provide. Social media will communicate the brand at all emotional levels. Furthermore, feedback will help in improving and evolving the brand. Bauknecht (2005) says people are believing and trusting more on peer recommendations than an advertisement. According to Warner (2008) social media networking might be just waste of time because the amounts of time individuals are spending on it. According to a survey, there is an estimated cost of  £6.5 billion per annum for loss in productivity and high bandwidth usage Britains social media fanatics spent like 12 hours per week on social media websites wasting value time. Young generations are also spending so much time on it. It was already hard to get the video game generation to focus on their studies. Lets see how much time it takes to spend on social media I am not a blogger or a social media fan. I did not have a Facebook account. I belonged to the category who doubted that social media could not benefit the business as advertising does. Now for me realizing the potential of social media was a huge eye-opener. I cant imagine how I could be ignoring it even after noticing all the online websites and other friends are on some kind of social media. However, after attending the Presentation of Chris Ramsbottom, former student of LUMS, and listening to his experiences regarding convincing the top managed about the importance of social media made me realize that I am not the only one. Now I have almost all the major social media channels and to expand my knowledge further regarding social media, I just got a book The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success 2009 by Lon Safko, David Brake and a digital copy of Social Media Marketing for Dummies 2009 by Shiv Singh. Also an iPhone to keep in touch with the social media networks However, it is important to understand how to utilize social media effectively by clarifying what actually is required from the social media either increasing sales or brand awareness of products or services. It will avoid wasting valuable time. Reference: Bauknecht K., Prà ¶ll B. and Werthner H. 2005, E-commerce and web technologies: 6th international conference, EC-Web Publisher: Springer Science Business Perez S. 2008, Real People Dont Have Time for Social Media [online], Available: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/real_people_dont_have_time_for_social_media.php PR News 2009, SEO SEM 3.0: Demystifying Social Media Optimization to Bring Consumers to You, PR News, April 27, http://www.proquest.com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/ (accessed December 13, 2009). Jue A.L. , Marr J.A. and Kassotakis M.E. 2009, Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance , Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Rogers, Everett M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations. Glencoe: Free Press. Warner B. 2008, Times Online : Is social networking a waste of time[Online], Available: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3536749.ec Mass Production I have been absent from the working log for quite sometime. Was really busy in group meetings, presentations and assignments etc. just finished my toughest assignment for SAP which is due day after tomorrow. Im relaxed now and having a cup of tea and startedwriting my learning log again Mass Production Honestly when I saw the week 6 questions I thought mass production will be boring and just time consuming, there would be nothing interesting about it except the word mass production but after seeing a clip of Charlie Chaplin at the time of lecture actually started my interest. I was fascinated to find out how industrial revolution began and how change actually happened. Most of the people live their lives and dont bother to look at the history like how we, as people, got to current situation. How we, as people progressed. It made me feel proud how we as human beings progressed through passage of time. The Industrial Revolution consisted a period from 18th to the 19th century where changes on manufacturing, transport and agriculture had an enormous effect on social, cultural and economic conditions first starting in UK. UK is the place, in the 18 century, where first manufacturing operations were specifically designed to reduce production costs by specialized labour and the use of machines appeared (britannica.com). Then afterwards spread to Europe, North America, and eventually the world. It was interesting to read about Model T a model of car produced by the Ford Motor Company between 1909-27, first car to be successfully mass-produced on an assembly line. I was a little bit curious what is the significance of the letter T. Just noticed it is 20th letter of the alphabet. So Model T is THE MODEL OF THE 20TH CENTURY. (Babylon dictionary) The main characteristics of MODEL T is the Standardization which lead to economies of scale during production, Division of Task which led to higher productivity. Specialism which lead to easy training of new workers in different departments Payment procedure, more parts produced the more money earned, led to overcoming the problem of high labour turnover Concentration where specialist making the decision instead of Workers Interest to read more about Model T and suggestion from Mary on The limits of Fordism led me to a paper onThe Rise and Decline of Fordism and the Sea-Change in the Technological Advantage of Nations 2004 by Andrew Tylecote and Giovanna Vertova, who states that in the manufacturing industry there are 3 functions Design Manufacture process of turning inputs into outputs co-ordination management The larger the firms became, under Fordism production, the more co-ordination was required; the faster technology and products changed and the pace of change was steadily accelerating, the more design was required. It is to be noted that Fordist production methods was actually derived from the transformation of previous organization of production notably Taylorism. It was actually Taylor in his Bethlehem Steel plant where craftsmen were subordinated directly to engineers who allocated tasks to workers. Fordism production, in Kaplinskys words, had distinct spheres. Photobucket Mass production system of Fordism was marvellously efficient and the model can be valued by the concept of transformation mechanisation which has 3 stages referred by Coombs (1983). Stage 1: The dedicated machine tool, lower labour cost and higher production Stage 2: The assembly line of continuous flow mechanical moving of materials between different stages of transformation. What Fordism lacked was the 3rd stage i.e. Control mechanisation which is the substitution of machines for the human brain in the direction and supervision of the productive process.What was needed, for control mechanisation, was machine intelligence and that was the next techno-economic paradigm development of ICT. Later on flexible form of mechanisation was made possible by Computer-aided manufacturing. Computer aided manufacturing which later on joined with computer aided design. The use of ICT in the process of coordination was increasingly recognized which led the development and diffusion of internet. Coming from a family business of clothes manufacturing, for me I understood perfectly about the boredom the workers experience for constant doing the repetitive work in mass production.Even after the policy of wages were based according to the amount of output a worker does i.e. wages paid for each item of work they do, the motivation increases but eventually comes down and the element of boredom re-appears. By looking at the theory of the law of Diminishing Marginal Productivity of labour (sometimes called the law of diminishing returns). It states that the increase in output due to units increase in labour working hours will eventually decline.(Jacques, Ian 2006) Which means if a worker is working 10 hours in a day ,His efficiency in the 1st hour will be higher than the 2nd hour. 2nd hour skill of production is more than the 3rd hour. In his last hour that is in the 10th hour his efficiency will be very very low .It may be zero or negative. Which was apparent in the case of Charlie Chaplin in the MODERN TIMES movie clip, that was seen in the class, when he lost his mind after repetitive working of loooooog hours and his productivity became negative In the book Mathematics for Economics and Business by Jacques, Ian gives an exmple: In the simplest case output, Q, is assumed to be a function of labour, L, and capital, K. Moreover, in the short run the input K can be assumed to be fixed, so Q is then only a function of one input L. (This is not a valid assumption in the long run and in general Q must be regarded as a function of at least two inputs. Methods for handling this situation are considered in the next chapter.) The variable L is usually measured in terms of the number of workers or possibly in terms of the number of worker hours. We define the marginal product of labour,MPL, by dQ = MPL dL Between 0 and L0 the curve bends upwards, becoming progressively steeper, and so the slope function, MPL, increases. Mathematically, this means that the slope of MPL is positive: that is, d(MPL ) > 0 dQ Now MPL is itself the derivative of Q with respect to L, so we can use the notation for the second derivative and write this as d2Q - > 0 dL2 Similarly, if L exceeds the threshold value of L0, then Figure 4.17 shows that the product curve bends downwards and the slope decreases. In this region, the slope of the slope function is negative, so that d2Q dL2 The law of diminishing returns states that this must happen eventually: that is, d2Q dL2 for sufficiently large L. Conclusion: To increase the productivity of a labourer and to reduce the cost of production. Reducing working hours of a shift is necessary. References: Andrew Tylecote and Giovanna Vertova 2004, The Rise and Decline of Fordism and the Sea-Change in the Technological Advantage of Nations www.giovannavertova.it/WP06.pdf britannica.com http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/368270/mass-production Babylon dictionary http://dictionary.babylon.com Jacques, Ian 2006, Mathematics for Economics and Business, Pearson Education UK, p. 268-271 http://lib.myilibrary.com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/Browse/open.aspID=60204loc=Cover Kaplinsky (1984) Fordial Organisation Of Factory Production, p. 24 Perez Coombs. (1983). Structural Change and Assimilation of New Technologies in the Economic and Social Systems, Futures, 15(5): 357-375. disruptive technology It is a term which Christensen described as a new technology in this book the innovators dilemma by categorizing new technology into 2 categories: Sustaining technology incrementing improvements in an existing established technology Disruptive technology new technology, may not be perfect but appealing to a limited audience. Has initially little value and does not create attention among the dominate players in the industry. Disruptive technology usually targets new areas within the current industry with a new approach and could dominate an existing market. I will give 2 examples of disruptive technologies. Firstly, in my technology module, I found cloud computing a very disruptive technology. Its potential value cannot be ignored or denied. There were number of phases involved in the evolution of cloud computing, which include application service provision (ASP) and Software as a Service (SaaS) (Velte et al. 2009). In 2006, Amazon launched a commercial web service called Elastic Compute cloud (EC2) allowing small companies and individuals to renting I.T. infrastructure and computing power to run their own computer applications (LaMonica 2006). Cloud computing service is risk free and Easy to use. One does not have to buy anything or invest hugely into it. The technology is flexible; adjusting to the companys requirements and also easily scalable; fulfilling the needs of the companys growing demands. Just imagine in an industry where customers, had to pay upfront for a technology for which they may get 20-30% use, could use this cloud computing technology model and pay only for what is used and when it is used. It can be seen that the barriers to the entry of customers, around cost and complexity, are going to come down so dramatically that the cloud is going to open up much more usages of IT for small medium businesses. Emerging markets can be seen in countries, where just the cost and complexity have been barriers. Developing countries like Brazil rushing, China, India and beyond are going to end up using the technology in ways they have never been able to use it before and in ways we have never seen before. The second disruptive technology I found was the Google announcement of Google Navigation Map product for FREE, which was one of the innovation searches in our workshops. This product is used by connecting to the internet to Google cloud computing technology providing all the services of a traditional Sat. Nav and much more. By looking at the stock market of Garmin, one of the leading companies of navigation system providers in the GPS industry, we could actually see the market reaction to such a disruptive technology in just a couple of days from announcement, last year, in October 2009. TomTom and other companies are also affected. This product is targeted to price sensitive customers with offering excellent features and capabilities for FREE. With good understanding of the term disruptive innovation and disruptive technology, broadered my view of anticipating whether any new technology, i came accross, will prove disruptive or not. References: * Christensen C.M. 1997, The innovators dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail, Publisher: Harvard Business Press * Gurley B., Google Redefines Disruption: The Less Than Free Business Model [Online],Available: http://abovethecrowd.com/2009/10/29/google-redefines-disruption-the-%E2%80%9Cless-than-free%E2%80%9D-business-model/ [Accessed December 1, 2009 ] * LaMonica M. 2006, Amazon servers, starting at 10 cents an hour [Online], Available: http://news.cnet.com/Amazon-servers,-starting-at-10-cents-an-hour/2100-1038_3-6109202.html [Accessed December 1, 2009 ] * Velte T., Velte A. and Elsenpeter R. 2009, Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach, Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional disruptive innovation The term Disruptive innovation is thought up by Clayton Christensen, who describes the term as a process by which a product or service application starts from the bottom of the market and manoeuvres up in the market displacing established competitors. (christensen, 2009) I read an interesting book The innovators guide to growth: putting disruptive innovation to work by Scott. It describes the disruptive innovation theory: the market consists of customers some of which are at a high end, very demanding, and willing to buy high-performance, expensive products. While others are low end and satisfied with simple and inexpensive products. Customers lives are not changing as fast as most organization or companies are innovating. These fast innovating companies end up producing goods, sustaining innovations, that are too good, too expensive and sometimes too inconvenient for many customers. The disconnect between the capabilities of a product and the customers ability to use them opens up an opportunity for innovators who brings to a market a disruptive innovation that is simple, convenient, accessible and affordable. Thus, changing the game of the market. The disruptive innovations can be broadly classified into two types: new-market and low-end disruptive innovations. The new-market disruptive innovation, which succeeds because they bring previous non-consumers into the market, whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers for whom price is more important than quality. Disruptive innovations can be generally be divided into new-market and low-end disruptive innovations. A new-market disruptive innovation is often aimed at non-consumption (i.e., consumers who would not have used the products already on the market), whereas a lower-end disruptive innovation is aimed at mainstream customers for whom price is more important than quality. Low-end disruption has occurred repeatedly in retailing. Disruptive innovation will result in major changes, but they dont often rely on technological breakthroughs. In fact, many times the technologies are quite trivial. Its the Business Model the way a company organises and acts that drives disruptions. Taking the example of Wal-Mart, who opened their first discount retailer in 1962, they didnt start to sell goods that are different from their competitors, they created a new way to organize and act that allowed them to make money at low price points. So its not often the technology but is the businesses model. I read about many other models that shows the difference between disruption and sustaining innovation like the personal computer, eBay online model etc. the most interesting one is from the video games industries. Contrast the Sony PlayStation 3 product with the Nintendos Wii product. The PS3 is a technological marvel. The best game play you can find, great graphics, the blue ray disks in the player. It is aimed at the heart core gamers, the most demanding consumers in the games industry. Now Nintendo has innovated in a very different way. Instead of introducing games with better graphics Nintendo made it simpler, made it more accessible. The big innovation is the controller. Nintendo is consciously targeting the non-gamer and by doing so it has greatly expanded the market for the video games by reaching people that Sony wouldnt even think about targeting. Not winning it by doing it better but by winning it by doing it differently. (Ali Farhoomand, 2009) In the EBIN 504 innovation module understanding of the concept of disruptive innovation helped me understand more how to look at the market or industry to Spot Disruptive Innovation Opportunities which had helped me in my EBIN 503: Business Planning Module where we had a workshop for idea generation for starting a business. I also in thebook The innovators guide to growth I learned that, firstly we had to look for a market or industry where there is some kind of constraint that inhibits consumption where there is something that makes it difficult for people to solve problems in their life. Sometimes they dont have skills, sometimes they dont have money, and sometimes they cant access the solution and sometimes its just takes too long. Finding one of those barriers to consumption and see how you can obliterate it. Secondly we had to identify where people have important and unsatisfied jobs to be done. Where are problems that a customer faces that they cant adequately solve today. If we can find that frustrated customer and ease their pain we often times have the ticket to disruptive innovation. Then after we have looked for the constraint innovation and targeted that job to be done, then we think thought about how we can play the innovation game differently. With better understanding of the concept of di sruptive innovation theory, I understood its not about doing it better, its about making it simpler, cheaper, more accessible, more affordable. That is what disruption is all about. (Scott D. Anthony, 2008) References Ali Farhoomand, H. J. (2009) Nintendos Disruptive Strategy: Implications for the Video Game Industry. Feb 10, 2009, Harvard business publishing. http://harvardbusiness.org/product/nintendo-s-disruptive-strategy-implications-for-th/an/HKU814-PDF-ENG Christensen, C. (2009) Disruptive Innovation. http://www.claytonchristensen.com/disruptive_innovation.html John Bessant, J. T. (2007) Innovation and entrepreneurship John Wiley and Sons, p. 229-34, 247 Scott D. Anthony, M. W. J., Joseph V. Sinfield, Elizabeth J. Altman (2008) The innovators guide to growth: putting disruptive innovation to work, Harvard Business Press PLATFORM INNOVATION Platform in simple words means pictures of major subsystems and interfaces between these subsystems. The platform innovation is defined as one that leads to the practical application of fundamental innovations. Such innovations normally are launching pads for a new industry I read a journal Platform-Innovation drive enterprise growth. It was very fascinating to see how Platform thinking for physical products played an important role in the companys transformation of its traditional mainframe business to a Web server business. Also product platforms require accurate operational definition without which its difficult to achieve progress, but many organizations are lacking in applying this definition. New product strategy must be remodeled to capture the degree to which common architectures and subsystems will be leveraged across existing and new market applications, as well as the timing of product introductions. (Marc H Meyer ad el. 2001) In the EBIN-521 e-Technology module I have learned that the Internet has evolved from web 1.0 to and Web 2.0 to become an increasingly important platform not just for economic development, communication, educational purposes, and as an area for entertainment, but also as a place for those who wish to express their opinions and ideas freely and is now considered web as a platform which doesnt have a hard boundary Figure 1 shows a meme map of Web 2.0 that was developed at a brainstorming session during FOO Camp, a conference at OReilly Media. Its very much a work in progress, but shows the many ideas that radiate out from the Web 2.0 core. (Tim OReilly 2005) from the above figureabovewe can have an idea of Web as a platform.Web 2.0 can be conceived as blocks of principles and practices that are interconnected system of sites, where software and web applications are built upon the Web as opposed to upon the desktop. The uniqueness of web 2.0 is customers are building your business for you. (Tim OReilly 2005) Everything is platform in web 2.0 era. I found this comic very interesting. In the EBIN-521 e-Technology module and EBIN-503 Business Planning Finance Planning we are going to plan to have an open API (application programming interface) as part of our e-business. Open API is a platform innovation concept, where other developers uses Open API to come up with a new combination for an innovation, which leads to more innovation. Application Programming Interface (API) is an interface that a software program implements in order to allow other software to interact with it; much in the same way that software might implement a user interface in order to allow humans to interact with it. (Wikipedia cited: on Nov 2009).For example In September 2009 programmableweb.com announced that ithad 16 new Mashups in their Mashup Directory and 28 different APIs were used to build them in different combination (programmableweb.com 2009). At the website link provided below in the reference shows a list of API used in different meshups An an exampleof a web ping.fm (http://ping.fm/)It is a web application for Managing Social Networks. It is linked with 46 social websites like Twitter, Facebook, myspace,blogger, beboetc. You can create an account with ping.fm and link it to any social websitefrom the list of 46. And if you want to post something like any news or update you can just post once on ping.fm and it will posted to you all the LINKED services you added to your ping.fm account. Now pink.fm provides OPEN API. Byusing their opi functionality any web-developer or business organization can build their business In our business plan, we will be having an OPEN DATA API and TRANSACTION API in our eBusiness as a open platform for other developers build or develop their web-application or software , hence building their business using our platform or in other words building our business for us Reference: Make platform innovation drive enterprise growth By Marc H Meyer, Paul C Mugge, Publication title: Research Technology Management. Arlington: Jan/Feb 2001. Vol. 44, Iss. 1; pg. 25, 15 pgs Wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface#cite_note-0 John Musser 2009 28 APIs Used This Week: Open Government, Wikipedia, New York Times, and Football Nerds http://blog.programmableweb.com/2009/10/04/28-apis-used-this-week-open-government-wikipedia-new-york-times-and-football-nerds/ Realinnovation- 2008 http://www.realinnovation.com/dictionary/Platform_Innovation-312.htm dilbert.com 2007 http://www.dilbert.com/fast/2007-09-09/ Tim OReilly Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software 2005 http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html understanding Dominant Design Dominant Design a product configuration which endures; a particular combination of product features which appears to satisfy the market and survives, without major change, for some time. (Don Bradmore 2004) Often in dominant design route there are many competitors involved each one introducing many products with special features but the firm that are able to imitate the dominant design survive while those that cannot fail. The design typically remains a standard product model for many years during which firms compete on lowering costs through process innovations. In the technology industry number of alternative design are often introduced by firms e.g. Microsoft Windows, Apple Inc. Mac OS and IBM OS2). Updated designs are introduced later incorporating incremental improvements. After sometime the architecture that becomes most accepted as the industry standard may emerge e.g. Microsoft Windows. Dominant designs might not be better than other designs in the market place; however they fulfil the key requirements. Many technologies, currently in use, struggled with similar competing products before gaining the dominant design. According to Markides and Geroski (2005) until the standard is emerging consumers are affected by issues