Anishinaabe Change Maker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anishinaabe Change Maker - Essay Example As an aboriginal, Campbell was born at a time when the native populations were still struggling to live in the highly diversified Canadian society. At the same time, it was a period when women had no place in the society (Mandel, 2005). However, as a focused person, Campbell beat all the odds to accomplish her goals in life. The issue is that she was did not sit back and watch. Instead, after struggling to pursue her education, she dedicated her life to serving the people. She was really concerned about the plights of her people that she did her best to resolve using her writing, filming, broadcasting and advocacy talents. Surely, Campbell must have been so passionate about her people. As already highlighted, Campbell qualifies to be my change maker mainly because of the numerous achievements that she made in the society. The first major achievement was to become a renowned playwright. This was proven when she published a lot of books that later received the approval of the society and become so popular not only in Canada, but also in other countries like France, Italy, Germany, China and USA in which her publications were translated into a number of foreign and local languages. Her other achievement is that she inspired her people when she became the very first film maker in the history of the Aboriginals. This is something that no woman could think of doing during then (Johnston, 2009). Later, she made other achievements when she joined activism to advocate for the rights of the Aboriginals ands the women folk. These are very great achievements that made Campbell to inspire a lot of people who not only admired, but also considered her as a change maker. With all these achievements, Campbell has had a rich legacy. The first legacy for which she will be remembered is that she was the first Aboriginal woman to found and establish an active and fully functioning production company in Canada. This was evidenced when she established

Performance Management Essay Example for Free

Performance Management Essay 1. Summarize the seven (7) components of the framework for coaching and performances management, and identify which ones you require development in and why. The seven components of the frame work for coaching and performance management are the coaching relationship\, insight, motivation, capabilities, real-world practice, accountability, and organizational context. The first and most important step in the performance management process is to communicate what is expected. The should also be identifications of any job related learning needs and possible ways to address these needs. There also needs to be a performance review periodically to make sure that job expectations are relevant and appropriate and revise them if needed. Managers are encouraged to do this jointly with their employees which observing and documenting their performance. Throughout the performance management cycle, you should observe your employees’ performance and identify instances of both good and poor performance. Specific events and details are important for employees to clearly understand the impact, results, and consequences of their performance. Thorough documentation will enable you to recognize good performance and help you to correct poor performance. Provide feedback you should provide frequent feedback and coaching to your employees regarding performance throughout the year. This is especially important for the employee who is performing poorly. To be effective, feedback needs to be immediate, specific, and expressed in relation to a particular outcome and expectation. Deal With Performance That Does Not Meet Expectations. You may wish to enlist the support of your manager. He/she can give you the benefit of his or her experience and provide input and support before proceeding. Also, you can use the services of your Human Resources or Labor Relations Components especially if you are contemplating disciplinary action. They will provide the procedural and regulatory guidance as well as assistance in looking at alternatives and providing resources, intervention strategies, and other support.† (Public service commission) 2. Evaluate the validity of each of the reasons provided for failure in performance management. The reasons provided for failure in performance management versus performance appraisal discipline gap, accountability, measurement scarcity or overload, lack of balance and failure to assess impact. â€Å"There are two primary purposes of performance appraisal: evaluative and developmental. The evaluative purpose is intended to inform people of their performance standing. The collected performance data are frequently used to reward high performance and to punish poor performance.† (Smither, 2009) The developmental purpose is intended to identify problems in employees performing the assigned task. The collected performance data are used to provide necessary skill training or professional development. â€Å"The purpose of performance appraisal must be clearly communicated both to raters and rates, because their reactions to the appraisal process are significantly different depending on the intended purpose. Failure to inform about the purpose or misleading information about the purpose may result in inaccurate and biased appraisal reports.† (Cascio, 1998) 3. Identify two (2) of the barriers of success that are evident in preventing successful execution of performance management in a company you know well and recommend a solution to the problems. If you have not worked with or for a company that evaluates employee performance through performance management, imagine what the problems would be based on your knowledge of the company. Be sure to provide your rationale. Future scenarios allow organizations to explore multiple potential futures and generate robust strategies and early warning signs to understand how the future is unfolding. Where a vision articulates a â€Å"preferred future,† future scenarios describe how an organization might achieve its mission in different circumstances or environments. Organizations identify a focal issue or major decision the organization faces and the critical uncertainties in the macro environment, such as social, economic, political, environmental, and technical forces. Scenarios are developed based on combinations of these forces and robust strategies are identified to address multiple futures. Finally, indicators are identified to help understand how the future is affecting the organization’s decisions. In-order to fully understand the rationale past, present, and future analysis would have to be done on different work environments in-order to generally process the full computation of how and HR performance management society would work to stay in constant communication with the employee’s skill set.

Blindness in Oedipus the King :: Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

â€Å"The blind man sees and the seeing man is blind.† To what extent is this true in Oedipus the King? â€Å"To be wise is to suffer.† Throughout this play we see that after Oedipus suffers and loses his eyesight it is only then he is able to seek the truth. When we are first introduced to Oedipus, he is a strong leader who is thoroughly respected by the people of Thebes. â€Å"O greatest of men.† Oedipus was the saviour of Thebes 15 years before he solved the riddle of the Sphinx which freed the city from the plague and death. Because of this act, he inherited the throne although when a new disaster threatened the prosperity of the city, the people of Thebes turned to Oedipus. â€Å"I grieve for you my children. Believe me; I know all that you desire of me, all that you suffer.† Oedipus learns that there is an â€Å"unclean thing† which is polluting their soil. He declares punishment to this thing that if he owns up now then his punishment will not be harsh but if he conceals the truth and it later outed then nothing will save him. â€Å"No matter who he may be, he is forbidden shelter or intercourse with any man.† After declaring this punishment, Oedipus is approached by Teiresias, a frail, blind prophet who says that Oedipus is the â€Å"cursed polluter of this land.† Oedipus is horrified by this accusation and mocks the blind prophet. Later on in the play, we see that Oedipus becomes the figure he once mocked. At the beginning, we are informed that Oedipus has murdered his father and married his mother. Throughout the play, we observe how Oedipus is completely oblivious to this knowledge and we are able to watch how he learns about the truth. As he follows the path to his destruction he becomes aware of the truth. Upon learning that he has killed his father and married his mother, Oedipus gouges out his eyes and makes himself blind. He feels that if he kills himself then he must face his mother/wife and father in heaven and he does not have the strength to do so. Blindness in Oedipus the King :: Oedipus Rex, Sophocles â€Å"The blind man sees and the seeing man is blind.† To what extent is this true in Oedipus the King? â€Å"To be wise is to suffer.† Throughout this play we see that after Oedipus suffers and loses his eyesight it is only then he is able to seek the truth. When we are first introduced to Oedipus, he is a strong leader who is thoroughly respected by the people of Thebes. â€Å"O greatest of men.† Oedipus was the saviour of Thebes 15 years before he solved the riddle of the Sphinx which freed the city from the plague and death. Because of this act, he inherited the throne although when a new disaster threatened the prosperity of the city, the people of Thebes turned to Oedipus. â€Å"I grieve for you my children. Believe me; I know all that you desire of me, all that you suffer.† Oedipus learns that there is an â€Å"unclean thing† which is polluting their soil. He declares punishment to this thing that if he owns up now then his punishment will not be harsh but if he conceals the truth and it later outed then nothing will save him. â€Å"No matter who he may be, he is forbidden shelter or intercourse with any man.† After declaring this punishment, Oedipus is approached by Teiresias, a frail, blind prophet who says that Oedipus is the â€Å"cursed polluter of this land.† Oedipus is horrified by this accusation and mocks the blind prophet. Later on in the play, we see that Oedipus becomes the figure he once mocked. At the beginning, we are informed that Oedipus has murdered his father and married his mother. Throughout the play, we observe how Oedipus is completely oblivious to this knowledge and we are able to watch how he learns about the truth. As he follows the path to his destruction he becomes aware of the truth. Upon learning that he has killed his father and married his mother, Oedipus gouges out his eyes and makes himself blind. He feels that if he kills himself then he must face his mother/wife and father in heaven and he does not have the strength to do so.

Local and State Education Agencies Essay

Dear Colleagues, The purpose of this document is to provide a stand-alone guide for local and state education agencies faced with the task of designing a new or upgrading an existing automated student information system. While based on a chapter from the Student Data Handbook for Elementary, Secondary, and Early Childhood Education, this guide contains additional information from a variety of resources, most of which are cited in the text. Included in the contents are guidelines, checklists, and real-life examples. This document was commissioned by the National Education Statistics Agenda Committee (NESAC) of the National Forum on Education Statistics (a part of the National Cooperative Education Statistics System) and funded by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Through contract with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and NCES funding, this document was developed by Barbara S. Clements of Evaluation Software Publishing, Inc. It is an adaptation of the chapter, Building a Student Record System, contained in the Student Data Handbook for Elementary, Secondary, and Early Childhood Education: 2000 Edition. Beth Young of NCES and Oona Cheung of CCSSO provided overall guidance to and management of this activity. Comments on the text were gratefully received from state and local education agency staff including Raymond Yeagley, Rochester (NH) School District, Lee Tack, Iowa Department of Education, Bethann Canada, Virginia Department of Education, and Carol Hokenson,  Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning. Design assistance was provided by The Creative Shop. The original Student Data Handbook was developed in 1994 by NCES. It was the result of the collaborative effort and work of NCES staff and contractors, the NESAC Student Data Task Force, local, state and federal education representatives and researchers from around the country. We hope this document will provide you with useful and interesting information to aid in designing your automated student record system. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries. NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public. We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information effectively. If you have any comment or suggestions about this or any other NCES product or report, we would like to hear from you. Introduction The national focus on student outcomes has placed an additional burden on our nation’s schools, school districts, and state education agencies, for they must monitor the achievement of individual students, as well as groups of students, and show that all students are meeting high standards for learning. An education organization’s ability to meet this challenge is affected by the organization’s access to complete, accurate, and timely information about its students. This booklet has been developed to help education organizations plan and implement efficient systems for maintaining and using individual student records so that effective decisions can be made for the benefit of the students. Many schools, school districts, and state education agencies already collect and use data effectively. However, the proliferation of new reporting requirements and dramatic changes in technology have had a profound effect on the need for student data and the education community’s ability to manage student records. Purchase of more powerful computer hardware and software and the reconfiguration of information systems have become essential components in efforts to meet the needs of all students. There is probably no single best information system solution that can meet the needs of all 90,000+ public schools, 16,000+ school districts, 27,000  private schools, and 57 education agencies in states and outlying areas. However, there are certain steps that could help all education organizations to determine the best solution for their particular situations. This booklet can lead education organization decision-makers through the process of making the best and most cost-effective decisions about information management systems devoted to individual student records. Building an Automated Student Record System describes steps that are useful for education organizations to follow when planning for, designing, and implementing an automated student record system. This booklet should be particularly useful if your school or district is moving from paper records to automated student records or if you are revising or replacing an existing system. In addition, you may find information that is useful if your state education agency is building a new student record system or expanding the collection of individual student records. Contents of this Booklet Included are twelve steps to consider when developing and  implementing an automated student record system. Many of these steps are relevant to the implementation of any administrative record system, but our focus here is on the special considerations relating to student records, including confidentiality and access. After a general discussion about student records and student record systems, each step is described. Examples, case studies, and checklists are included to help you work your way through the steps and make crucial decisions. Related resource documents will be described for some of the steps. It should be noted that this book is derived from a chapter that appears in the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Student Data Handbook for Elementary, Secondary, and Early Childhood Education: 2000 Edition. In addition, information from other documents developed or sponsored by NCES and the advisory group, the National Forum on Education Statistics, are referenced and parts included in this booklet. Each of these documents is described in the Resource List at the end of the booklet, along with ways to obtain copies of the printed documents or the online versions. Student record is, by definition, any written information about a student. Student records can be described in terms of their contents (e.g., courses taken, grade point averages), use (e.g., identifying students eligible for the free lunch program), and storage medium (e.g., a manila file folder). The maintenance of extensive, accurate, historical, and current data about individual students is essential to the functioning of schools and school districts, and can promote effective educational practices at all levels of the education system. The contents of the student record are determined by the uses of the records. Typical contents may include family information, courses taken and grades, special program participation information, immunization records, assessment scores, extracurricular activities, and other information that is used by the education system to promote student success and provide appropriate services. Some of this information should be standard across classrooms, schools, districts, and states, while other information can be unique to the particular classroom, school, or district. Student records are used for many important educational purposes, including instruction and guidance decisions; monitoring compliance with attendance and health laws; and administrative purposes, such as determining tuition status, scheduling students into classes, planning school bus routes, monitoring program completion, and completing reports for local, state, and federal authorities. The student record usually contains the information necessary for each of these purposes at the school or district level.  Instructional management systems are frequently linked to student record systems to provide more analytical capability for teachers and administrators. These systems allow for student learning plans, individualized education plans (IEPs), portfolios, and other student products to be stored and retrieved for instructional decision-making and achievement monitoring. A student record may be kept on file in a classroom, school office, school district office, intermediate agency, state education agency, or other approved location. The record may contain information collected from the student (or family); from teachers and other school staff; and from other sources outside the school, such as health care providers or testing companies. The record for a student may be stored in a central location (such as a school computer) for the convenience of anyone with authorized access and a need to obtain information; or there may be a separate paper or computer record maintained by each person who has contact with a student. Some parts of the record may even be stored outside the school, as happens when student health records are stored and maintained by the local public health service, or when state test scores are stored and maintained at the state education agency. No matter where the student records are stored, procedures must be in place to ensure that access is granted only to authorized individuals and that only authorized individuals have the capacity to maintain (update) the records. Student records traditionally have been kept only at the school or district level. In recent years, however, many state education agencies have begun to collect individual student records. State-level records typically consist of data about student characteristics, program participation and assessment results––a subset of the data usually maintained at the school and district levels. The purposes of state-level databases are to promote continuous improvement in schools, plan for program changes to help students achieve high standards, distribute funds, and hold schools and districts accountable for student achievement. Most of the information included in state-level databases comes directly from schools and districts, and the information may be transmitted electronically among levels of the state’s school system. In summary, a complete student record may be a single file, or it can be made up of several separate records, each with specific content or uses and each stored and maintained in a different way.

American Core Cultural Values

I grew up in a very liberated yet bonded family. Mom and Dad are working, my siblings have their own worlds, and I am busy with school. However, we still find time to sit and relax and chat every night, and know the latest in each and everyone of us. I am also raised in a wonderful community which I call my second home. I met a bunch of people, of different tongue and color, whom I consider friends; and neighbors, who burst out of their houses ready to greet you with a warm smile.For me, everyday is a new day – learning new things, getting excited with minute things, seeing beauty in the world. Since then and now, America has changed a lot – it has dramatically transformed from something so simple, into a great nation of complexity. This often make me stand, gaze in oblivion and ponder – of the diverse American values, a hundred or so cultural diffusion if not acculturation, countless experiences, rich and unique history, are there any left native to us?Are there values that we can proudly call â€Å"heraldic† and â€Å"ours† since time immemorial? I discover many, but for the purpose of this paper, I will focus on four American core values I found significant and got to live with since I was born – Individualism, Time Management, Equal Opportunity and the so-gone issue on Racism. At a very young age, I was trained by my workaholic parents to stand on my own feet which simply began with learning to dress myself alone, to tie my shoe lace, to prepare my school bag and cook my own breakfast.I was trained to be responsible with my actions, words and decisions that if failures arose, I have no one to blame but myself. I grew up having sense of being an individual – independent, resourceful, hardworking. I tend to be self-reliant, not giving myself much attachment to other people except for social purposes. I had envision myself to be this or that person, or to have this or that belongings and I strive (and is still s triving) to reach the goal that I have designed and formulated.Like most of my co-citizen, I want to be known not as the son of Paul Miller or a brother of Louise Brown – I want to be known as a separate, unattached entity named Robert Walden. Like the Africans, the Americans live with the value of Individualism – a concept which stresses human independence and the importance of individual liberty in terms of morality, politics, economics and society. It opposes the general concepts of communism, holism, socialism and the likes which view communal relationship as more important than individuality. Being self-reliant, Americans believe in the ability of the â€Å"self.† One is responsible for himself, and most likely, you won't find a person who will generally lend a hand to you, because as an individual, with determination and own way of thinking, you are expected to seek solution or find someone else who can aid you. Americans also have a very strict work ethic . As most of us notice, American businesses are most likely to stick to deadlines and seldom would it be extended for an individual's sake. Often, when an employee arrived late, the employer wouldn't scrutinize the former since he has nothing to do with it and the employee is responsible for his tardiness.Also, businessmen strongly value the concept of â€Å"healthy† competition. Americans believe that competition brings out the best in an individual, and in this case, in a business. Having a â€Å"free market† economic system, companies are strongly encouraged to compete resulting to the lowering of product prices while increasing its quality, thus, the concept of â€Å"free enterprise. † Not only in the workplace is competition highly visible – it is as well a common value at school. Students also do compete – they study well, participate in class activities, etc.Seeing other students doing the same way make them strive even harder so they would end up being the best among the rest. If schools award and honor students who have worked harder than the others, companies also reward those who showed industry and dedication, especially those employees who achieved the greatest goals. The state promotes liberty and equality, not just of the individual but of all aspects of life – from the family to the society, from local government to the entire city, from a single entity to a nation.Liberty is defined as the condition that provides an individual to act according to his own will, giving him the freedom from external compulsion. This again falls to the initial value of individualism – one being solely responsible for himself. The combination of these two ideals refines an American to act and work efficiently and in the most practical way. From liberty resurface the concept of equality. Americans regard â€Å"equality† as significant, if not, vital for the nation's survival, and the citizens' harmonious relati onship. To quote paragraph 2 of the US Declaration of Independence:We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed (US Congress, 1776). But the pursuit of equality in the United States took many years of efforts and struggles from different social groups – innumerable bullets soared in the air, blood flooded the countryside, protests and social movements impaired the hearing of those who wouldn't listen.Racism has, ever since the coming of the â€Å"colored† people, been the most debatable and undying issue in American history. The entry of the Blacks during the â€Å"Slave Trade† commenced the years of discrimination since they came primarily to work in the plantation, construc tion sites and other brawn activities that require strength and endurance. As workers, they were viewed lowly by the society – as inferior to their professional office activities. But as the society slowly becoming liberated in ideas and open to changes and transformation, so are the people's behavior and attitude towards their so called â€Å"other people. †This understanding resulted to the dawn of the concept â€Å"equal opportunity,† another significant American value that has been continuously advocated by the U. S. Government. Equal opportunity is said to be synonymous with racial harmony – the elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination between different races, thus, giving everybody equal access to politics, economy, spirituality, and other common necessities and needs. One way to promote such ideal is by creating and passing laws that prohibits, for instance, job discrimination and elevates the international understanding of human rig hts and human rights violations.Some laws and provisions against job discrimination are discussed and incorporated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and Civil Rights Act of 1991. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (or EEOC) enforces these and other laws related to the protection of people from job alienation, particularly those of non-American race. Before, I found it really difficult to befriend other nationalities, as personally, I have no idea on how to approach them in utmost respect.However, feeling at ease in a diverse and complex environment that I grew up with gave me the courage (and in some way, disciplined me) to act normally with and treat other races in a manner that I would want them to treat me. And as such, it is now a taboo to see a White man cursing and pouncing on a Black man simply because of the latter's color. Last ly, what I regard as among the most important values of the Americans is their reverence with time. Cliche as it may seem, but the quotation, â€Å"Time is Gold† is an understatement.For Americans, time is more than precious – it is almost â€Å"invaluable† in the sense that you can't add-on value to time. They have this attitude of maximizing the day so as to make themselves a productive person in as many hours as possible. In that case, it is normal to see most Americans, even students my age, working in a cafeteria, gasoline stations, and the like so that, while learning, they are as well earning. Being time-oriented, wasting time is a â€Å"no no! † In a signboard hanging along a commercial avenue I passed through reads, â€Å"Being early means being on-time.Being on-time means coming late. And coming late means being dead! † As we value time for being productive, so as to relax and pamper ourselves. Most Americans, especially those with better jobs, spend their year working as hard as they can so that by the time of vacation, they have more money to spend and a lot more time to reward themselves with a luxurious and satisfying vacation. We don’t just work to earn, we work to have fun. An Asian friend once told me that it’s really difficult to understand an American – or to grasp the core of a true-to-the-blood American.I ask him why and told me that the country is too diverse and totally mixed-up. American culture is too complex that it seems like its entire culture is a result of the mixing of this and that foreign culture, he added. Again, it made me wonder – are we really that hard to understand, or don’t we really have a â€Å"trademark† that would particularly identify us? This paper prove them wrong. And I've proven them wrong. Americans have their own identity, and treasure a set of values they call their own. What I've discussed in this paper are but some of our core valu es, which in my opinion, are the most vital of all.I may have not fully exercised some of these values now but I intend to when the right time and avenue comes. Entertainment media has successfully portrait the life of a true American through the many local and international films. However, what foreign viewers grasp is our more obvious character, that is, being liberated in words, actions and decisions. We practice and enjoy liberty that it almost overflow or over portrayed in movies. Liberated is equated to Americans. But we are more than just being liberated.We are more than a bunch of people who have our own free-will. We are not simply those Whitemen who exhibited liberty for the sole reason of being free. We are more than what they thought of us. In one word, we are â€Å"deeper. † Still in doubt? Just read this paper again and you'll surely understand what I mean. Works Cited Smedley, Brian D. and Alan Jenkins. All Things Being Equal: Instigating Opportunity in an Ineq uitable Time. New York: The New Press, 2007. US Congress. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. Retrieved on 15 April 2008 at

law in the end of a policemans nightstick essays

law in the end of a policemans nightstick essays Police brutality has been a long lasting problem in the United States since at least 1903 when police Captain Williams of the New York Police Departmen coined the phrase, There is more law at the end of a policemans nightstick than in a decision of the Supreme Court. In the 1920s the Wichersham Commission had a number of instances of police brutality. Many of these included the use of the third degree (beating to obtain a confession). This is a very effective way to get a confession out of somebody. However, beating the accused could easily elicit a confession from a scared and innocent person. Also, this puts the accused persons life in danger. Police officers must make snap life and death decisions daily. Officers work in an environment where death (theirs, their partners, and an innocent or guilty person) is one decision away. How does that constant fear effect an officers perception? Unfortunately, many that are attracted to law enforcement are aggressive and prone towards violen ce as a solution. Police officers have a lot of power. With this power comes responsibility. Police brutality can be defined as the excessive or unreasonable use of force in dealing with citizens, suspects and offenders. A nationally known example occurred on the morning of March 3, 1991. Rodney King was pulled out of his vehicle and beaten by two Los Angeles police officers. The LAPD had originally given chase to Mr. Kings vehicle due to a failure to yield. Officers fired a 50,000-volt Taser electric dart gun at Mr. King. They also hit King with batons. Mr. King, according to police officials, was hit approximately 56 times. Mr. King had 11 broken bones at the base of his skull. Also, the bones holding his eye in the right socket were broken (LA Times March 19, 1991 p. A20). The policemen reported that Mr. King appeared to be on PCP at the time he was pulled over. Subsequent tests indicated Mr. Ki...

MANAGERIAL REPORT Essays - Regression Analysis, Multicollinearity

MANAGERIAL REPORT Essays - Regression Analysis, Multicollinearity MANAGERIAL REPORT INTRODUCTION The purpose of this analysis was to develop a regression model to predict mortality. Data was collected, by researchers at General Motors, on 60 U.S. Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA?s), in a study of whether air pollution contributes to mortality. This data was obtained and randomly sorted into two even groups of 30 cities. A regression model to predict mortality was build from the first set of data and validated from the second set of data. BODY The following data was found to be the key drivers in the model: ? Mean July temperature in the city (degrees F) ? Mean relative humidity of the city ? Median education ? Percent of white collar workers ? Median income ? Suffer dioxide pollution potential The objective in this analysis was to find the line on a graph, using the variables mentioned above, for which the squared deviations between the observed and predicted values of mortality are smaller than for any other straight line model, assuming the differences between the observed and predicted values of mortality are zero. Once found, this ?Least Squared Line? can be used to estimate mortality given any value of above data or predict mortality for any value of above data. Each of the key data elements was checked for a bell shaped symmetry about the mean, the linear (straight line) nature of the data when graphed and equal squares of deviations of measurements about the mean (variance). After determining whether to exclude data points, the following model was determined to be the best model: -3276.108 + 862.9355x1 - 25.37582x2 + 0.599213x3 + 0.0239648x4 + 0.01894907x5 - 41.16529x6 + 0.3147058x7 + See list of independent variables on TAB #1. This model was validated against the second set of data where it was determined that, with 95% confidence, there is significant evidence to conclude that the model is useful for predicting mortality. Although this model, when validated, is deemed suitable for estimation and prediction, as noted by the 5% error ratio (TAB #2), there are significant concerns about the model. First, although the percent of sample variability that can be explained by the model, as noted by the R? value on TAB #3, is 53.1%, after adjusting this value for the number of parameters in the model, the percent of explained variability is reduced to 38.2% (TAB #3). The remaining variability is due to random error. Second, it appears that some of the independent variables are contributing redundant information due to the correlation with other independent variables, known as multicollinearity. Third, it was determined that an outlying observation (value lying more than three standard deviations from the mean) was influencing the estimated coefficients. In addition to the observed problems above, it is unknown how the sample data was obtained. It is assumed that the values of the independent variables were uncontrolled indicating observational data. With observational data, a statistically significant relationship between a response y and a predictor variable x does not necessarily imply a cause and effect relationship. This is why having a designed experiment would produce optimum results. By having a designed experiment, we could, for instance, control the time period that the data corresponds to. Data relating to a longer period of time would certainly improve the consistency of the data. This would nullify the effect of any extreme or unusual data for the current time period. Also, assuming that white collar workers are negatively correlated with pollution, we do not know how the cities were selected. The optimal selection of cities would include an equal number of white collar cities and non white collar cities. ! Furthermore, assuming a correlation of high temperature and mortality, an optimal selection of cities would include an equal number of northern cities and southern cities. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The model has been tested and validated on a second set of data. Although there are some limitations to the model, it appears to provide good results within 95% confidence. If time had permitted, different variations of independent variables could have been tested in order to increase the R? value and decrease the multicolliniarity (mentioned above). However, until more time can be allocated to this project, the results obtained from this model can be deemed appropriate. STATISTICAL REPORT MODEL SELECTION In order to select the best

What Would Your Job Be Like If It Were in the 1700s

What Would Your Job Be Like If It Were in the 1700s With 200+ years of innovations and changes since July 4th, 1776, some of the same jobs were  just as important then as they are today.   Let’s take a look at how they have changed since the United States of America declared its independence. HealthcareDuring the Revolutionary War effort, nurses were in high demand for the military to mend the sick and wounded,  earning 2 to 4 dollars per month.   Today, with the U.S. healthcare industry nearing $3 trillion and integrating with modern  innovations in technology,  a myriad of opportunities continue to grow in healthcare.   While specialized education is often required, competitive salaries follow those who pursue it.PublishingJohn Campbell brought us  The Boston News-Letter in  1704,  the colonies’ second paper which lasted 72 years.   Same as today, nearly every town in colonial times strove to have a homegrown publication.   The internet has completely revolutionized news media  with an ever gr owing number of devices and publication mediums, and in some cases, completely free and available to the public.ManufacturingOn the cusp of the industrial revolution, the American colonies began with simple textiles and hand looms to what would today become the world’s second largest global manufacturer.   Some of the top manufacturing sectors in the U.S. currently include chemical, machinery and energy.ConstructionDuring colonial times, ship building was a large sector for carpenters and builders.   Homes and buildings used primarily brick, wood and stucco.   Today, the construction industry in the U.S. employs over 7 million workers in commercial, residential, aerial and naval sectors and showing steady growth since 2008.Finance  The Continental U.S. largely financed the Revolutionary War through loans from the French government and other foreign allies, leaving control to the political elite of the Continental Congress.   Today, the complex finance industry repre sents nearly 8% of U.S. GDP, with leaders headquartered  in cities like Charlotte, Atlanta, Omaha and Minneapolis.  FarmingAlways an integral part of American industries, farming was just as important then as it is now.   Most Americans during the westward expansions had farms to support their families and service small local markets.   Today, American agriculture is a $70 billion industry expanding across the country and serving to feed the  entire globe.

William O'Douglas' (The Black Silence of Fear), Essay

William O'Douglas' (The Black Silence of Fear), - Essay Example In this enlightening document, he points out how intolerance and arrogance play major roles where the minorities are concerned, suppressing them still further into a corner of oblivion. However, O’Douglas believes that if a person has to fully understand and apprehend its meaning, he has to leave his own country and lose himself in the dark regions, and absorb himself in the trials and tribulations of other civilizations. He feels that after this is carried out and when the person comes back to his own country, he would definitely be shocked at the intolerance and arrogance exhibited by the leaders who hold public office, the press and the general attitude of the Americans towards their Asian counterparts. He would also understand that thoughts were becoming standardized, ideas limited, discussions narrowed because minds have become closed. According to O’Douglas, the very thought of it, is rather disturbing especially when one loves his country. He believes that the ph ilosophy of strength brought about through free speech, is being replaced with the philosophy of fear due to repression. The author takes the example of the Soviet society when Russia was ruled by Lenin. During that time ministers and officials were allowed to debate and come out with new ideas or criticism, but once a final decision was taken, there was no question whatsoever, of either disagreement or dissension. However, in the case of Stalin’s rule, the system of control remained totally under his custody and there was absolutely no question of free speech nor action. O’Douglas believes that America too is moving in the same direction and closely resembles the Soviet society because of the intolerance and arrogance it exhibits towards the developing and underdeveloped countries like Asia. He drives this point home when he says that the Asians identify the Americans not by freedom but by guns. Therefore, the fear mounts as the Soviet imperialism expands and while th e free world contracts without putting up a fight. Communism within the country is another manifestation of inherent fear among the people, as its glories are being magnified and exalted beyond all reality. Fanning the flames of fear are some irresponsible people, especially those at the helm of affairs. Suspicion has been substituted for the goodwill of people, while character assassination has become the norm of the day. Innocent acts now bear the stamp of disloyalty. In O’Douglas’ opinion, the days when we could bravely debate, challenge, question or present our thoughts, ideas or even solutions to problems are gone because no one is permitted to enjoy such freedom. The author once again points to Soviet Russia’s policy and strongly feels that America is closely following in its footsteps and therefore the resemblance between America and Russia becomes all the more evident. According to O’Douglas, orthodoxy has gained popularity due to the rising growt h of suspicion, because orthodoxy seems to be the safest bet that supports Communism. When suspicion mounts, there is no question of trust. This is the reason why there is competition for embracing orthodoxy because those who follow the path of unorthodoxy would always remain suspect. People who do not adhere to the military policy makers become suspect. All those who stand up and oppose are called ‘subversive’. People who are honest and truthful are suppressed and pushed aside. All these forces fan fear and encourage it to run rampant. Shedding light on our present way of thinking and reacting, O’

Biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Biotechnology - Essay Example Chlorophyll absorbs all wavelengths of the visible light except the green light, which is reflected out. The chlorophyll is a complex molecule. Being complex it ahs undergone a lot of modifications and as a result chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophylls and carotenoids are found in the leaf. Carotenoids and chlorophyll b absorbs some of the green wavelength energy. Chlorophyll a receives it energy from the blue-violet and reddish orange wavelength. As the intensity of the light increases, the increase of the photosynthesis is observed. (Giacometti and Giacometti, 2009). The present study was performed to determine the effect of the color on the photosynthesis rate, the rate of photosynthesis, the rate of oxygen uptake was determined for this experiment. Chromatography is the process of separation of the solutes. Paper chromatography is the process of separating the pigments that are present in the chlorophyll into fractions based on their molecular weight. The porosity of the paper helps in the separation using petroleum ether –acetone solvent. The plant emits oxygen when the photosynthesis reactions take place. If the intensity of the light is higher, then the rate of photosynthesis is higher. At the same time if the light is kept closer to the leaf, it should also increases the photosynthesis rate because the intensity is directly proportional to the photosynthesis. The action spectra have color of various wavelengths shorter to longer. If the wavelength is small then the intensity of the light should be higher. This indicates that the color with greater intensity will have greater photosynthetic rate. When the red, green , blue light are used as the light source for the photosynthesis reaction, then the light of shorter w avelength should produce maximum intensity , therefore the photosynthesis will be greater. Of the three colors the blue has the shorter wavelength, so it should produce higher photosynthetic rate. Fresh

Research Paper Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Paper Proposal - Essay Example With regards to the proposed research study, the researcher aims to provide a clear introduction. As part of the main body, the researcher will discuss the following: (1) importance of dental development when it comes to determining the age of the victim; (2) ways in which archeologists could determine the sex of the victim through by studying either the human dental remains and skeletal remains of the victim; (3) the use of human dental remains when it comes to determining the past occupations of the victim; and (4) ways in which human dental remains could reflect the victim’s past medical condition and treatments prior to his/her death. Prior to the conclusion, the researcher will seek to discuss how human dental remains could reflect the victim’s lifestyle and/or habits. 1. To save the researcher’s time and effort, the researcher will first list down the schools that offer courses related to the study of bioarcheology, dentistry, forensic science, criminal justice, and crime scene investigation. (Guide to Online Schools, 2008) The researcher plans to complete the research study within a short span of one week. The researcher will list down the nearby schools that offer online courses related to bioarcheology, dentistry, forensic science, criminal justice, crime scene investigation followed by gathering related peer-reviewed journal within the first two to three days. Right after the gathering related peer-reviewed journals, the researcher will spend another two days going through the journals and highlight important parts of the study. As soon as the researcher is done highlighting important findings in each journal, the researcher will start conceptualizing followed by officially writing down the flow of the research study. (See Appendix I – Gannt Chart Showing the Proposed Research Schedule on page 4) The proposed research

ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IN THE UAE Assignment

ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IN THE UAE - Assignment Example Even if they do not have their own fleet available to them, they should be able to hire other transportation companies to do the jobs for them. Our logistic distribution center must be able to provide inbound and outbound traffic control, the route optimization services, delivery using multiple mechanisms of transport and payment services. There are in fact various business intelligence tools that come into play when we are dealing with the transportation management. When we are considering other factors for our choice of company for the regional distribution center, we need to evaluate the performance of the candidate company based on, on time delivery, cost adherence to supplier’s adherence. Selecting the best carrier for the project would be an efficient choice. When we are analyzing, we need to consider the factor of supply compliance analysis. It has often been observed in the supply chain management that the goods are sometimes delayed. They are not delivered on time. And sometimes they get delivered or shipped more than the expected amount. There can be different factors that can contribute to that operation such as customs and tax evasions. The point in evaluating the logistic support must take into consideration the leverage that the company offers. There needs to be flexibility in the company to cater for the contingencies. The factor being considered here is that the performance of the logistic company should have an inspiring history. Where this will help in different aspects of the business, it will help in developing the long term career relationships. Which are more useful o us than to them as we will be the one looking for some regional personnel who could provide services. The importance of this factor cannot be overemphasized. We need to calculate the time span between the placement of order and the actual shipment of delivery. Again, this factor will be thoroughly analyzed for the new logistic company. The cycle time analysis will

Trouble Relating to Women Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Trouble Relating to Women - Assignment Example The Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act is the core subject of analysis in the ad and the position of the presidential candidate (Mitt Romney) on the subject being the topic. According to the Act, the employers would be allowed to deny coverage for birth control for women thus posing an implication on the women’s reproductive health (Cimpl-Wiemer, 2008). The ad appeals to the target by enabling them understand the position of the candidates with respect to the sensitive issue of fair pay and reproductive health of the women. At the time of the development of the ad, a presidential election campaign was in progress in the United States; thus, the issues affecting the American citizens were common discussion points. The Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act was one of the critical issues affecting the Americans, as they wanted an understanding of the position of the future government on wedges and reproductive health of women. The ad seizes the fact that Mitt Romney does not take a position on the debate thus questioning his understanding on the implication of the matter. This could significantly influence the support of the candidate (Mitt Romney) as the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act had a lot of impact for

Price Elasticity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Price Elasticity - Essay Example This is because a sophisticated machine such as a CD needs proper parts to function accurately. Much is dependant on the installment of proper parts into a CD and unless each of them lives up to industry standards the end product (i.e. the CD) will not be permitted to be released in the market. Given the significance of the raw materials therefore no CD company can possibly compromise on them just in order to bring their prices down. Cheaper parts, most know, may bring down prices but ultimately prove a nightmare for consumers. Software corruption and malfunction can result of a simple cut down on budget. Since most CD companies are reluctant to take such risk and thereby ruin their reputation amongst buyers they (usually) stick to being safe than sorry and thereby choose to use the more expensive parts if they have to. (Lamb, 2004) Given how dependant the CD industry is on both the supply of building materials as well as the demand of the consumers we find that the price elasticity of both demand and supply is rather high on the CD industry. All private markets generate what are called 'externalities' or 'spillovers'. Such externalities include any sort of charge or benefit that the price of the merchandise or services sold by the market does not include.

Trouble Relating to Women Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Trouble Relating to Women - Assignment Example The Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act is the core subject of analysis in the ad and the position of the presidential candidate (Mitt Romney) on the subject being the topic. According to the Act, the employers would be allowed to deny coverage for birth control for women thus posing an implication on the women’s reproductive health (Cimpl-Wiemer, 2008). The ad appeals to the target by enabling them understand the position of the candidates with respect to the sensitive issue of fair pay and reproductive health of the women. At the time of the development of the ad, a presidential election campaign was in progress in the United States; thus, the issues affecting the American citizens were common discussion points. The Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act was one of the critical issues affecting the Americans, as they wanted an understanding of the position of the future government on wedges and reproductive health of women. The ad seizes the fact that Mitt Romney does not take a position on the debate thus questioning his understanding on the implication of the matter. This could significantly influence the support of the candidate (Mitt Romney) as the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act had a lot of impact for

Final research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final research paper - Essay Example Instead it encourages non-Jews to uphold the Seven Laws which it believes were given to Noah. Conversions to Judaism are therefore relatively rare, including those from the Islamic world. Islam accepts converts, and spreading Dawah to other religious adherents including Jews. Muslims Beliefs Muslim is an Arabic word meaning "one who submits to God". A Muslim is an adherent of Islam. The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam and Muslims believe that it is the verbatim word of ALLAH as revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Muslims also follow Hadith which has the teachings and practices of Muhammad. Muslims believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that has been revealed before through many prophets. Muslims also believe that the Qur'an is the final unaltered revelation from God while previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time. Islam teaches Muslims to practice it in everyday’s life. They pray five times a day , fast during the Holy month of Ramadan, pay zaqaat. Most of all Islam tells people to be good with each others in every aspect Jewish Believes The basic laws and tenets of Judaism are derived from the Torah. This was the first written book sent to Hazarat Mossa to preach his nation. The most important teaching and tenet of Judaism is that there is one God, Who is incorporeal and eternal. All people are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Much of Jewish religious observance is centered in the home. They pray daily three times a day, in the morning, the afternoon, and after sunset. Congregational prayers usually take place in the Jewish house of prayer and study called synagogue. The synagogue service includes readings in Hebrew from the Torah and the Prophets on special days like On Mondays, Thursdays, the Sabbath, festivals and High Holy Days (About the Jewish Religion). 2. Problems that Jewish Muslims relationship is facing The problem i n jews muslims relationship arises because of the following factors: Differences in Religion Before the rise of Islam, every messenger was sent to Jews. They started believing that they were the only chosen and guided ones for possession of the Divine Law and Scriptures. They became arrogant and proud. They could not accept when Prophet Mohammad was selected among Arabs as final messenger. Differences in Beliefs Muslims accepting Islam as the last religion have contradictions with the belief of Jews. Muslims believe they have most authentic guidelines presented by Prophet Muhammad. So relationship between Jews and Muslims always remained stressful. Land Claim Land claim is also a factor disturbing Jews and Muslims relationship. It starts with the fact that when the British divided Palestine into parts, the Muslims got the vast majority of the land and the Jews were given only 22%. This started a war between the new Jewish State and the Arab. And since that time in 1948, the Arabs ha ve been trying to rid Israel of the Jews. So there is always a conflict between Jews and Muslims (myjewishlearning). A political activist, blogger and a spokesperson Pirzada Hasaan Hashmi states that anti-Jewish and sentiment is deeply rooted in the Muslim society. Muslims countries are deeply influenced by their religious scholars. They teach them that Jews have occupied Muslims’ holiest lands and that the rightful owners of those lands are Palestinians. So politicians of Muslims country

First Tuesday Book Club Essay Example for Free

First Tuesday Book Club Essay The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ranks number two on a list of â€Å"Ten Aussie Books to Read Before You Die† voted for by viewers of the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club. Discuss the Significant Features of the novel that have contributed to its success, analysing and evaluating their contribution. The novel, â€Å"The Book Thief† by Markus Zusak was first published in 2005. The story is set in Germany, 1939, the time of World War Two. Many significant characters are revealed though out the novel such as Death, Hans Hubermann, and Liesel Meminger. These characters are memorable as well as lovable, but also bring out the idea’s and style of the Novel. Death is one of the major characters in The Book Thief as not only does he give the book a certain style but also the book is set from his perspective. â€Å"It’s the story of one of those perpetual survivors.† (Markus 2005, p.6) Death is shown as impatient and spills in the beginning the main events in the book such as the bombing raid the takes place, the death of the American fighter pilot as well as the fate of important characters. Death even notices it and apologises. By him being exposed as impatient, Zusak has been able to use the literary style of foreshadowing. Markus Zusak mentions in one of his interviews, â€Å"I deliberately made Death let the plot out of the bag. It lends to the idea of his knowingness, and that he is not human. He does not function exactly how a human would in his story-telling There was also the idea that knowing what would happen in advance might soften the blow, and its also a challenge to myself.† (Little Willow 2006) Death uses colours to not only describe certain moments, but also the colour of the sky when people are dying. There are three moments in the book where Death comes across Liesel and he uses three colours to describe these moments, when her brother died it was white, â€Å"It felt as though the whole globe was dressed in snow.† (Markus 2005, p.7) When the American fighter pilot died it was black, â€Å"It was the darkest moment before the dawn.†(Markus 2005, p.10) There was the last time when he encountered Liesel, when the sky was red, â€Å"The sky was like soup boiling and stirring. In some places it was burnt.†(Markus 2005, p.13) the use of colours creates a style which sets the mood. Whether the mood should be silent, soft and still, or it should make you angry. Death isn’t given a gender in the the novel and although he has feelings, it gives the idea as well as shows he is not human. There are other ways that Death shows he is not human. He clearly states â€Å"I am haunted by humans† which separates him from humanity. â€Å"To prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.† (Markus 2005, p.16) Death acknowledges the idea of whether humans are worth it. Throughout the Book Thief it is noticed that there are many characters that truely are worthy such as Hans and clearly Liesel. Death illustrates that through all the ugliness that is happening at that time, even though the story is set at the time of the Holocaust as well as World War Two, that there is beauty that shines. It makes a difference. â€Å" He had the ability to appear in the background He was always just there. Not noticeable There was most definitely a value in him† (Markus 2005, p.34) Hans wasn’t a main character within The Book Thief, but was an important character. He creates the love and joy within The Book Thief. â€Å"I nearly wrote you a reply and signed your mother’s name I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself.† Hans is a caring, and gentle. This stands out as the book thief has many sad moments by him being caring and gentle it gives you another view of what life was like in World War two as Hans is an average German man, but he disagrees with what is currently happening in Germany. â€Å"When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear notes.† Hans’s accordion was not only a symbol of his kindness, but also is a part of him. Markus Zusak has carefully placed this in the book by writing about Rosa clinging to it at night when Hans works for the military and Liesel mentioning that she sometimes imagines Hans as an accordion when he plays. Liesel is the main character who still finds happiness out of an awful situation. â€Å"The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn’t be any of this. Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing. There would be no limping prisoners, no need for consolation or worldly tricks to make us feel better.† (Markus 2005, p.521) Although at age 9 Liesel is illiterate she soon learns the power that words have to heal and save such as Liesel reading books to Frau Holtzapel to heal the pain she felt. â€Å"It’s the story of one of those perpetual survivors- an expert at being left behind.†(Markus 2005, p.6) Liesel is seen as a â€Å"perpetual survivor† because despite many people dying and all the suffering she manages to still have pure happiness. The style and ideas are shown through the characters and the book is unusual in so many ways as it tackles ideas most don’t want to think about such as the ugliness and beauty of humans and whether some deserve to live. It also shows the power humans have through words and what we believe in. It looks at a different perspective of death so instead of humans being afraid of death, Death is afraid of humans. It’s a sad, depressing story where many good characters die, but it shows lightness. Good people who stand out even if not important. The novel is beautifully written as it flows like a poem with such power. These are the significant features that have contributed to its success. Zusak, M 2005, The Book Thief, PanMacillan, Sydney. Little Willow 2006, ‘Interview: Markus Zusak’, Blog post, interview, 4 June, accessed 22 May 2013, .

Identity Crisis in Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee

Identity Crisis in Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee ABSTRACT: Immigrants have envisioned tales that exhibit experiences of independent and emerging countries. Cultures have taken up new form in the contemporary times, where the issues of Diaspora, globalization, consumerism, transnationalism cultural hyberidity and identity crisis have become new motif in the postcolonial literatures. The new issues give rise to identity crisis that evokes feelings of an individual that portrays socio-cultural setup that shows the blend of tradition and modernity. The new identity creates problems for Tara in Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee, where she is alienated, languishing in the angst and ennui of the diasporic experience, yet to carve out a niche for herself. In the novel, Bharati Mukherjee has struck a balance between tradition and modernity by representing past and present which is achieved through the female protagonist -Tara, who severed her links with tradition but remains tied to her native country. Tara is influenced by ancient customs and traditions, but is rooted to modern customs. She is conscious of her existential predicament which is mirrored in the epigraph: No one behind, no one ahead the path the ancients cleared has closed. And the other path everyones pathà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ goes nowhere, I am alone and find my way. Tara is alienated from the society as she oscillated between the nostalgic fascinations of a traditional past and the romantic and adventurous allurements of the present. The diasporic qualities exhibited by Tara establish the merging of the East and West which shows the clash. The Identity of the protagonist is highly assimilative, can adopt and accommodate herself both to her traditional Indian way of life and to her newly adopted American ethos. She tries to move away from the constrained identity and vacillates between two lives: maybe I really was between two lives.(251) Taras reconstruction of identity is rooted in her nostalgic and romantic recollection of her past. It is based on the flux of her thoughts about the past coming to her mind in the present but in fragments, and not whole. She tried to reconstruct her identity through her diasporic experience. She was attempting to redefine the importance of her cultures through space and time. Loneliness had made Tara a little wanton and wantonness had made her very lonely. In these five years she had changed beyond recognition, but other character Bish had not changed at all.Bish is also an upholder of tradition. He prefers the values of an imagined past than those of contemporaneity. The concept of home and migration is very much embedded in the narratology that Bharati Mukherjee presents in Desirable Daughters. It is the sense of migration which brings about a change to the identity of Padma, who has finally made New York her home, her land of choice. But her inalienable attachment to her home makes her the sustainer and preserver of Bengali tradition in America. The alien culture thus fails to subvert her traditional identity. On the other hand it only remaps nad reconstructs her cultural identity. Hence migration plays a crucial role in restricting individual identifies and cultural attitudes and perceptions. The novel is woven brilliantly which depicts the thoughts and feelings of three Calcutta, India-born Brahmin upper-class sisters, renowned for their beauty, brains, wealth, and privileged position in society. Mukherjee narrates their lives as they leave their conservative, sheltered childhood home, where they are inundated with culture, tradition, and values and inculcated with education by the Catholic nuns in their convent structured school and college. Two of them emigrate to America and the other relocates to Bombay, India. The three sisters, Padma, Parvati, and Tara, are born exactly three years apart from each other and share the same birthday.They are named after the goddessess name,hoping that they will survive and prosper in whatever they do. We are sisters three/as alike as three blossoms on one flowering tree. (But we are not), says Tara, the protagonist, quoting a poem. Desirable Daughters is the novel that takes a long time to lift itself from the surface and once it releases its themes and characters, it seems to get liberated from the trapped situation. Engrossed in Indian culture old and new, it keeps strucking down in tight little circles of detail that create an atmosphere of cramped inwardness, even suffocation. Bharati Mukherjee, like in her previous four novels and short stories, tries to portray the repression that enables the women of her culture nailed down in subservience to male desires. The feelings and emotions are discovered after exploring traditional Indian society. The novel is based on three strikingly-beautiful sisters from a privileged Bengali Brahmin family in Calcutta feel the tug between tradition and freedom as they try to meet expectations that are often wildly contradictory. The youngest, Tara Chatterjee, seems to have flown farthest from the nest. Tara is divorced from Bishwapriya (a Silicon Valley multimillionaire hand-picked for her by her father), shes raising a sensitive teenaged son on her own. The depressing part is that, she works as a lowly teacher, a choice which would be unthinkable in the culture of her birth. The story is narrated by Tara from her adopted San Francisco home, where she lives with Andy Karolyi, a strange sort of Hungarian Zen carpenter who earthquake-proofs houses. The lifestyle of the protagonist implies, a sort of free and easy hippie lifestyle, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In the novel the rebellion-gestures are merely trappings, or reactions against the gagging restrictions of Taras girlhood. Tara initiates her tale of repression in a curious way, with a legend about her namesake Tara Lata, also known as the Tree Bride a remarkable figure who became prominent in the fight for Indian freedom. After going in for more than twenty pages, Tara then delves into telling story of her own, which seems to be dislocating in nature. She recalls the utter lack of romanticism in her marriage, in which her father told her, There is a boy and we have found him suitable. Here is his picture. The marriage will be in three weeks. Tara, not knowing any other way, submitted: I married a man I had never met, whose picture and biography and bloodlines I approved of, because my father told me it was time to get married and this was the best husband on the market. Mukherjee dwells on every detail of this highly traditional occurrence. The father of the child bride is a traditionalist even though he is a lawyer educated in English and English law. The groom dies of snakebite and his family blames the bride as unlucky. Greedily the father of the groom demands the dowry. But the brides father takes his daughter into the forest where he marries her to a tree. She becomes a woman noted for her courage and generosity. Her American granddaughter visits her home. She has the same name, Tara Lata, as the old woman and like her she has two sisters. The contemporary woman is a divorced woman. Her ex-husband was the traditionally pre-selected bridegroom like his former wife a resident in America and now she lives with her lover, an American, in San Francisco. Her son introduces a young man who claims kinship as the son of her oldest sister, Padma. This is a kind of impossibility. An impossibility since her sister never had a child and a possibility since the familial relationships are so convolutedly secretive as to make the existence of the young man as her nephew plausible. It seems likely that the young mans claim is true and that Padma, Taras sister, did bear an illegitimate child. This is a momentous event for Tara. As the pampered child of wealthy Calcutta parents, she was sheltered from the poverty of the city and from all but the most severe political crises. She suffers the stress now of an immigrant with a child that belongs wholly to her new country. The discovery of Padmas child brings into focus all her inner disqu iet and the need to find valid connections. In the novel, Taras relationship with her two elder sisters is complicated, the flow of affection blocked by a certain formality and adherence to preset roles. Middle sister Parvati married a rich man and stayed in India, but by some miracle was able to select the suitable match for her. Parvati in her own way had established her identity, because of which it was said:Parvati, the pliable middle daughter had done the unthinkable: shed made a love match. He was certainly not what brains-and-beauty Parvati Bhattacharjee could have commanded on the Calcutta marriage market. Even though Paravati was given right to select her right match but after that she is depicted as one who is a meek follower and gets diminished by losing her real.She writes to Tara: I hope you arent doing bad things to yourself like taking Prozac and having cosmetic surgery. Please, please dont become that Americanized. The third, and the eldest sister of Tara, Didi, is married to a Mehta (an illustrious family which includes the conductor Zubin) and moved to New Jersey to pursue a career in television. But again, all is not as it seems. Her lifestyle is a thin veneer laid over the dense, pressed-down bedrock of tradition. She is considered to be most glamorous of all the three sisters. The other character Chris Dey, is represented as crisis in the novel. He is a young man who represents himself to Tara as Didis illegitimate son, conceived through an affair with a prominent businessman named Ronald Dey. This exposes an ugly under layer of culture to Tara, not the India of doting grandparents, not the India of comfort and privilege, but the backyard of family, the compost heap. The characters in the novel are not portrayed in the liberated form, they are trapped into different set of emotions trying to carve out a new identity for themselves. Tara is projected as a character who more of a status conscious tries to uphold the values of traditional society despite falling for different allurements in the present. Her elder sister, Didi pretends hard to be a pure character but falters when gives birth to her son, which represents misalliance.Chris Dey isnt really who he says he is, and in fact he feels like a device, something dropped into the story to keep things moving forward. In the end, the novel, tries to come back from where it started, where and the legend of Tara Lata the Tree Bride, but this device doesnt quite work either. The denouement somehow goes slack and does not yield a satisfying end to the story. The novel seems to be a family saga which could not bring out the desirable characteristics in the characters of the novel, that portrays them as a dominant in any sphere. The end is quite suspenseful and complex where the description of homeland may be magical but symbolic intention was lost. Bharati Mukherjee depicts a liquid society in her novels, ie a society in flux. It is a society of constant flow, the flow of migrants, the flow of machines, flow of criminals, flow of power structures, flow of people and commodities.  Amidst all the confusions the message was brought out clearly and it is represented as a fascinating beautifully written work of art that exhibits vulnerability that cannot be missed out.

Human Cloning :: miscellaneous

Human Cloning Science fiction authors have for many years instilled in us the fantastic idea of great armies of cloned men and women, fighting mindless battles for the betterment of human kind. Perfect beings created under the microscope of fantasy to accelerate the evolutionary process, a brave new world, of disease free and identical people. But is there truly an application for human cloning in our 21st century society? Some scientists argue that one could use the cloning process to grow a twin sister for a dying child to allow for an organ donor, a perfect match. A noble idea, if one values a human life as highly as cattle headed for a slaughter house. And what of the dangers involved? A few years ago the world’s eyes turned to the scientific presses, hot with the new discovery that cloning was possible. Dolly the sheep was born, the first successful case of cloning the scientific world had seen. But what we didn’t see is that there were 276 failures before the successful case was achieved. Are we willing to gamble 276 human lives for the research of a non – applicable science? The thought of a perfect being is intriguing. The model child with the blue eyes you never had and the perfectly straight – without having spent three hours in a salon – blond hair that everyone thinks you have. It seems a popular notion that once one genetic modification has been achieved, others will follow. And even if the technology for a bouncing blue eyed catalogue selection is only a gleam in the scientific eye, the possibility of having a three year old Britney Spears is conceivable. The excitement of this sentiment unfortunately masks the reality of it, in that creating a homogeneous race poses a real threat to freedom, the very essence of humanity. At this stage in the development of the cloning process, each cloned Being is viewed as a subject. Dolly was a media spectacle, a lost lamb under the millions of gawking eyes. If a human is cloned, it is highly unlikely that he or she will not be swept up into a similar fate. And under the eyes of the media, not to mention the person who funded the â€Å"subject†, that child will be forced to grow up under a rock of obligatory expectations. Every action and emotion could indeed be shaped and cultivated to suit the perceptions of an idealised person.

Analysis of Strategy Formation Essay

Strategy is difficult to define. There are many popular and debated definitions available. One idea is that strategy is top management’s plan to attain outcomes consistent with the organization’s mission and goals (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, & Lambel, 1998). Another definition is that strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions designed to exploit core competencies and gain a competitive advantage (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson 2013). Some argue that strategy cannot be defined at all because many professionals including researchers, practitioners, and theorists all have different thoughts on what strategy is, how it is formulated, and how it is implemented (Dewit & Meyer, 2010). However, all of these ideas have something in common: a strategy is a roadmap for getting from here to there. It is important to understand that strategy is not a single concept, but rather a process made up of many pieces. For this paper, I will define strategy as a roadmap or blueprint for obtaining a competitive advantage. In this analysis of strategy formation I will examine the most important issues involved in strategy formation and explain why they are important, define how corporate-level strategies relate to business-level strategies and functional-area tactics and how these pieces support each other, and finally, I will outline the primary inputs to strategy formulation in a firm. But, before we answer these questions it is important to share a brief history of strategy. The word strategy originated from the Greek work strategos. Strategos was coined when Kleisthenis developed a fresh set of organizational structure in ancient Greece in order to promote a better army. The direct definition of the singular stratos means to lead (DeWit &Meyer, 2010). Essentially the concept is derived directly from a need for a higher organizational structure, change and leadership development. Warfare was pas the point of simply winning a battle but instead was focused upon the coordination of units and tactical approaches to battle (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). When we look at how strategy is formed today we also see a parallel in that firms must coordinate corporate-level, business-level and functional-level tactical issues in order to successful formulate a strategy. By coordinating the approach a strategy helps to gain a competitive advantage for firms just as it does for armies on the battlefield. Now that we understand the history behind strategy formation we will discuss the most important points of strategy formation and discuss what makes them important. Strategy formation can be arduous because planners love to plan out every single details of a plan and press everything into an orderly, mechanistic process (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). It is critical for strategies to follow a mechanistic process with vision and end goal in mind while having a big picture mentality that takes change management and flexibility into account as the unknowns’ surface. Without a proper plan to learn and address needed adjustments the plan can become easily outdated and ineffective. Strategy formation is described as being a new way to understand old problems, however, strategic planning and formation can lead to analysis paralysis if overly complex and planned out (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). Flexibility is an important piece of strategy formation and as strategists we must avoid being married to a specific set of ideas, but rather be open to learning, experimentation, balancing risks and rewards while working towards to vision that creates a competitive advantage. This pattern in a stream of decisions works to get a company to its strategic goal and vision (Dewit & Meyer, 2010). A good approach to this is letting the strategies emerge in the process, rather than focusing on the strategy formation in the beginning. Outside of recognizing the importance of change and emergence there are many other important variables in strategy formation. For example, many organizations develop strategies based on rigid changes like their core competencies, resources, demographics, and market demand. But, there are also many other softer pieces can be equally important when formulating a strategy. According to DeWit and Meyer the most cited key issues in strategy formation are: 1) overall organization structure of its basic management style; 2) relationships with the government or other external interest groups; 3) acquisition, divestiture, or divisional control practices; 4) international posture and relationships; 5) innovative capabilities or personnel motivations as affected by growth; 6) worker and professional relationships reflecting changed social expectations and values nd 7) past or anticipated technological environments (DeWit and Meyer, 2010). These key components help give us a good framework for the most important parts of strategy formation, but they don’t make up everything. Many managers are comfortable with the planning piece of strategy formation, but lag when it comes to actually putting the plan into action (Hrebiniak, 2005). For many organizations putting the strategy in place is the easy part and creating a winning strategy doesn’t actually get you from here to there. A solid planned, documented and even inspiring plan of action doesn’t gain a competitive advantage in and of itself. It is the execution of that strategy that makes all the difference in the company achieving that completive advantage. Here are some key challenges that corporations face when executing on a strategy: 1) the culture of the organization and how it was not appropriate for the challenges ahead; 2) incentives and how people have been rewarded for seniority or â€Å"getting older† and not for performance or competitive achievement (the sacred cows); 3) the need to overcome problems with traditional functional â€Å"silos† in the organizational structure and 4) the challenges inherent in managing change as the division adapted to new competitive conditions (Hrebiniak, 2005). Actually getting the strategy to produce the desired results can clearly be more difficult that forming it in the first place. Execution is not the last important point of strategy formation to discuss; the stakeholders also play a fundamental role in the formation of a strategy. A stakeholder is any individuals, groups or organizations that can affect the firm’s vision and mission, are affected by the strategic outcomes achieved, and have enforceable claims on the firm’s performance (Hitt, Ireland, & Hosskisson, 2010). These stakeholders can be divided into categories. Capital Market Stakeholders are the banking partner and suppliers of capital. Product Market Stakeholders are customers, suppliers, host communities, and union groups. Lastly, are the Organizations Stakeholders, which are comprised of employees, manager, and non-managers. These categories are divided from top to bottom in order of importance, which means that Capital Market Stakeholders have the highest level of influence and the Organizational stakeholders have the least. All takeholders are not created equal. The more critical and valued a stakeholder’s participation, the greater the firm’s dependency on it; greater dependence, in turn, gives the stakeholder more potential influence over a firm’s commitments, decisions, and actions (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2008). A shift to more emergent characteristics in the strategy making process combining stakeholder considerations and strategic conversations during s trategy formation with select stakeholders is what makes the difference in a balanced strategy (Booth and Segon, 2008). The key point is the degree to which the stakeholder’s goals align with each other, and how those aligned elements are being addressed by the strategists in the organization. Strategic leaders are responsible and accountable for realizing the expectations of each of the many stakeholders. This accountability to the stakeholders plays an important part in developing the strategy. It can also impact the expectations of each of the stakeholders. For example, the vision and mission of the strategic leaders is shared with all of the stakeholders and their confidence or lack of confidence is a direct result of those strategic leaders. The expectations and composition of our stakeholders has a significant and direct affect in our organizations strategic formation. Of course, without security and surprise, a solid plan, execution strategy, flexibility, clear objectives, concentration, and coordinated and committed leadership, a strategy can still fail. Surprise strategy must make use of speed, secrecy and intelligence to attack unprepared opponents at unexpected time, while forcing the opponent to react to your company and not the other way around (Concept Paper #1). Security addresses keeping the core competencies, operations points and resource safe from the competition. For example, if our strategy is based on the talent of our human capital, we must work to keep the working conditions safe and happy so the competition doesn’t work to recruit our talent for their own strategy. We have outlined the most important points of strategy formation and discussed what makes them important, so now it is now time to define how corporate-level strategies relate to business-level strategies and functional-area tactics, and how these pieces support each other. Functional-area tactics are short-term activities each functional area within the firm undertakes to implement the grand strategy (Pierce & Robinson, 2012). Pierce offers three characteristics that differentiate functional area tactics from business-level and corporate-level tactics: 1) time horizon, focus on immediate activities; 2) specificity, business strategies provide general direction, functional area tactics specify activities and how they are expected to be achieved and 3) participants, general managers are responsible for business strategies, operating managers establish short-term objectives and functional tactics that lead to business-level success (Pierce & Robinson, 2012). These activities are put in place as a means of achieving a business-level strategy and so their relationship is one of vision versus direct action to achieve that vision. . A business level strategy is a carefully designed methodology that aids companies in implementing and carrying through with actions designed to meet the financial and other goals set by that business (wiseGEEK, 2013). Whether a firm has a competitive advantage or not, depends on the business system or business-level strategy that is has developed to relate itself to its business environment and if the configuration of resources (inputs), activities (throughput) and product/service offerings (output) intended to create value for its customers – it is the way a firm conducts its business (Dewit & Meyer, 2010). Business strategy can be further understood as the decisions a firm makes about its alternatives when competing in a specific market and how those alternatives works to bring their core competencies to the surface through cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership, focused differentiation, and integrated leadership/differentiation. According to Hitt et. l, the risks associated with cost leadership are 1) loss of competitive advantage to new technology; 2) failure to detect changing customer needs; 3) the ability of competitors to imitate the cost leader’s competitive advantage through their own distinct strategic actions (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson 2013). As also pointed out by Hitt et. al. , there are also differentiation strategy risks such as 1) a customer group’s decision that the differences between the differentiated product and the cost leader’s goods or services are no longer worth a premium price, 2) the inability of a differentiated product to reate the type of value for which customers are willing to pay a premium price, 3) the ability of competitors to provide customers with products that have features similar to those of the differentiated product, but at a lower cost, and 4) the threat of counterfeiting, whereby firms produce a cheap imitation of a differentiated good or service (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013). Previously, we have identified how business-level strategy impacts functional tactical strategy and now I will address corporate-level strategy and how it, respectively, relates to these levels. A corporate strategy is what makes the corporate whole add up to more than the sum of its parts and typically comprises four concepts: portfolio management, restructuring, transferring skills, and sharing activities (Porter, 2008). Portfolio management and diversification are central strategies for any medium or large business. Market analysis demonstrates that many organizations that are medium sized and larger are made up of multiple businesses and offer several product lines that can cross industries and regions. Organizations can have very different financial characteristics and face different strategic options depending on how they are placed in terms of growth and relative competitive position (Dewit and Meyer, 2010). A portfolio strategy requires firms to grow through investment in existing businesses, acquiring new businesses and withdrawing from failing ones. As porter points out another form of corporate strategy is philanthropic involvement. When it comes to philanthropy, executives increasingly see themselves as caught between critics demanding over higher levels of â€Å"corporate social responsibility† and investors applying pressure to maximize short-term profits (Porter, & Kramer, 2002). It doesn’t end there though, another piece to corporate-level strategy is corporate governance. Corporate governance is concerned with identifying ways to ensure that decisions (especially strategic decisions) are made effectively and that they facilitate a firm’s efforts to achieve strategic competitiveness by maintaining a harmony between the top-level managers and the shareholder’s interests (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013). We must also point out that mergers and acquisitions play a significant role in corporate-level strategy. Corporate-level strategy is made up of many pieces, but overall it shares the same goals as the other levels, to increase value by creating a competitive advantage. We have discussed the various elements to corporate-level strategy and now we will discuss how it related to business and functional/tactical-level strategy. Since corporate-level strategy is the highest level of decision-making and encompasses the end objective of the organization, allocation of resources, stakeholder’s goals and acquisitions is it always value-oriented, whereas, business-level and functional-level strategy is more relevant to each individual business entity. Corporate strategy is not the sum total of business strategies of the corporation but it deals with different subject matter; while the corporation is concerned with and has impact on business strategy, the former is concerned with the shape and balancing of growth and renewal rather than in market execution (Bhasin, 2010). Although there are different levels to organizational strategy they all relate and impact one another from the top down. Now that we understand the various levels of decision-making we will now turn to the various inputs to strategy formation for a firm. Before we conclude this analysis, it is important to review the different schools on strategy and those schools perceive strategy formation. There are 7 main school of strategy starting with the Design School. In short, the design school looks to create a fit between capabilities and opportunities or possibilities; it resulted in the famous SWOT analysis. Second, the Planning School also uses a SWOT like the design school to take into account internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. Although the design school doesn’t delineate the steps like the planning school does. It is this dividing into delineating steps that sets the planning school apart. The three phases of this school are: Objective Setting, Strategy Evaluating, and the Operationalization phase (Concept Paper #4). Third, in the Positioning School we see that the strategy formation is really driven by analyzing the market and deliberately implemented by those analytics. Forth, The entrepreneurial school is more of a singular vision of strategy from 1 person, namely the entrepreneur, rather than a collective approach as we have learned about in previous schools. Fifth, the Learning School of thought approaches strategy formulation in two separate models: 1) the grassroots model approaches strategy as emergent; 2) whereas, the hothouse model formulates strategy deliberately. Sixth, the Cognitive School states that in order to understand how strategies emerge from under other ircumstances we must look into the mind of the actual strategists. And finally, the last school is the Configuration School, as pointed out in Concept Paper #11, different dimensions of an organization cluster together under particular circumstances and conditions to define â€Å"states†, â€Å"models† or â€Å"ideal types†. It was important to review these various schools because when we look at the big picture of strategy formation and analyze how it is made up and why it is important we can glean important points from each of the seven school. Yes, the overall goal of each school is the same as the goal of strategy formation as a whole, to gain competitive advantage and overall value for the corporation, but it is not always as easy as following one school of thought. For example, what might work in one situation won’t necessarily work in another so as strategists we must be able to take pieces from each school and put them in place where appropriate to achieve our desired outcome for that particular problem. Now that we have some big picture understanding of the different perspectives we will now discuss the primary inputs of strategy. As we discuss the inputs it is first important to point out that there is a difference between emergent and intended strategy. Organizations always have an intended strategy but sometimes the inputs move them towards a more emergent strategy. While strategy formulation is the process by which an intended strategy is created, emergent strategies often come out of following a specific pattern in decision making. (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). The primary inputs are identifying, diagnosing, conceiving, and realizing; of course within this specific framework, there are more specific activities (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). The first input of identifying is outlining a mission and agenda, this could also include a vision statement. Diagnosing is the internal an external assessments, such as the SWOT analysis. Next, conceiving is the brainstorming process by which the participants envision where there are trying to go and how they will get there. This is the key component an input of strategy formation, and for most groups it can be the most difficult because it requires creative out-of-the-box thinking. Lastly, but not least, is realizing and this is where the rubber meets the road. It is here where specific activities must be undertaken to achieve the strategic plan. We have identified the most important issues involved in strategy formation and defined why they are important, differentiated between corporate/business/functional-level strategies and how they impact one another, discussed the various schools of thought on strategy formation, and finally outlined the primary inputs to strategy formation in a firm. Now it is time to dig in a little deeper and attempt to bring it all together and analyze what it means as a whole. From a big picture mentality strategy formation must encompass the important items we outlined, while also taking into account the potential for change. Having a change management protocol for the organization as a whole, as well as, for each of the subsidiary organizations is critical in today’s global market economy. Outside of change, as strategists, we must also clearly understand our competitors, threats and regions. Things like technology can play a significant part in the ability to execute on strategy. Surprise and security are also equally important to strategy formation. What this all tells us is what we discussed early on: strategy is very difficult to define as an individual concept. Rather than a singular concept see that strategy is more of a way of big picture thinking that is critical to achieving success in virtually any endeavor, not just business. Yes, you can get lucky and find success without strategy, but we could also win the lottery it doesn’t mean it is going to happen. A strategic way of thinking is also not just thinking it is an executable and traceable tool that can adjust and emerge as needed. As a metaphor we can use going to the gym for physical fitness. Our strategic vision is losing weight, increasing heart health and gaining strength. But, how will we get from here (fat, high cholesterol and weak) to there (strong, heart healthy and thin)? We start by developing an action plan, outlining the inputs and potential threats (bad eating, etc), and we follow our plan daily and adjust as needed based on what emerges from the data we gather. This methodology can be applied to any goal, and large corporate business is no different. Unless we execute by actually going to the gym, following and adjusting our strategy for maximum performance we will never achieve our goals, even if we are lucky. You cannot win heart health in a contest. The same goes for business you can’t accidentally win customers and keep them for extended periods of time with successfully executing on your strategy. As we continue and find success in the gym, we may choose to diversify and bring our success to our friend and family or co-workers. This portfolio diversification also applies to large organizations. Additionally, our goals in the gym have stakeholders like our friends, family, employers, insurance companies, communities and any organizations to which we belong, not the mention, the world as a whole that benefits from our staying healthy. This philosophy our strategic way of thinking can be with us every second of everyday, and by thinking strategically in our lives and our roles in business we not only gain competitive advantage but maintain that advantage overtime. In closing, from the origins of the word strategy, and earlier, human beings have been strategizing. We strategized how to hunt and now we still strategize how to hunt only we are not hunting mammoths, but we are hunted mammoth size endeavors that require mammoth sized strategies. As we create and execute a plan for how to get from here to there towards achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage, as strategists, we are constantly analyzing how to optimize our approach while limiting risks. Strategy as a way of thinking can also be approved upon and as humans we have the power and control to accomplish truly amazing things for our corporations and our world.