Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Pueblo Bonito essays

Pueblo Bonito essays The famous Pueblo Bonito is located in North West New Mexico and contains some of the most spectacular Indian ruins of North America. Some archaeologists say that this lone fact makes this site one of the most valuable and important places, especially for reconstruction. Archaeologists and researchers, in fact, have already proved this to be true. They have found pottery dating back to 920 A.D. that can tell us about the technology and trade of the Anasazis in the Chaco Canyon region. Kivas, partly underground chambers used for religious ceremonies, can be found all throughout the ruins of Pueblo Bonito. The kivas tell about the Anasazi religion and how they worshipped. The Anasazi Indians are known for building great houses such as Pueblo Bonito, which, in fact, are towns within themselves. These great houses are an important aspect of the research of Pueblo Bonito because of how much the architecture can tell archaeologists about these ancient peoples. For example, archaeologists can tell that characteristics of the great houses include planned layouts, distinctive masonry, multi-story construction, and kivas. The location that the Anasazi people chose for Pueblo Bonito also contributes to the importance of Chaco Canyon and Pueblo Bonito. The location was unusual because they built it under a separated piece of a cliff wall. This piece was called Threatening Rock, standing 97 feet high and weighing about thirty thousand tons. The Anasazi people knew of this threat and built a supporting terrace which slowed the erosion of the soil. This worked well for them, because Chaco Canyon has a desert-like climate. The terrace worked quite well for the Anasazis, because the Threatening Rock did not fall until 1941. From the first excavations of Pueblo Bonito by Richard Wetherill, a rancher, and archaeologist George Pepper, to the most recent, archaeologists have ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

North American River Otter Facts

North American River Otter Facts The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal in the weasel family. While it may simply be called the river otter in North America (to distinguish it from the sea otter) there are other river otter species throughout the world. Despite its common name, the North American river otter is equally comfortable in either coastal marine or freshwater habitats. Fast Facts: North American River Otter Scientific Name: Lontra canadensisCommon Names: North American river otter, northern river otter, common otterBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 26-42 inches plus a 12-20 inch tailWeight: 11-31 poundsLifespan: 8-9 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Watersheds of North AmericaPopulation: AbundantConservation Status: Least Concern Description The North American river otters body is built for streamlined swimming. It has a stocky body, short legs, webbed feet, and a long tail. In contrast to the European otter, the North American river otter has a longer neck and narrower face. The otter closes its nostrils and small ears when submerged. It uses its long vibrissae (whiskers) to find prey in murky water. North American river otters weigh 11 to 31 pounds and range from 26 to 42 inches long plus a 12 to 20 inch tail. Otters are sexually dimorphic, with males about 5% larger than females. Otter fur is short and ranges in color from light brown to black. White-tipped hairs are common in older otters. River otters use their tails as rudder while swimming. Hailshadow / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution North American river otters live near permanent watersheds throughout North America, from Alaska and northern Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico. Typical habitats include lakes, rivers, marshes, and coastal shorelines. Although largely exterminated in the Midwest, reintroduction programs are helping river otters reclaim part of their original range. Diet River otters are carnivores that hunt fish, crustaceans, frogs, salamanders, waterfowl and their eggs, aquatic insects, reptiles, mollusks, and small mammals. They sometimes eat fruit, but avoid carrion. During winter, otters are active during the daytime. In warmer months, they are most active between dusk and dawn. Behavior North American river otters are social animals. Their basic social unit consists of an adult female and her offspring. Males also group together. Otters communicate by vocalization and scent marking. Young otters play to learn survival skills. River otters are excellent swimmers. On land they walk, run, or slide across surfaces. They may travel as much as 26 miles in a single day. Reproduction and Offspring North American river otters breed between December and April. Embryo implantation is delayed. Gestation lasts 61 to 63 days, but young are born 10 to 12 months after mating, between February and April. Females seek dens made by other animals for giving birth and raising young. Females give birth and raise their pups without aid from their mates. A typical litter ranges from one to three pups, but as many as five pups may be born. Otter pups are born with fur, but are blind and toothless. Each pup weighs about 5 ounces. Weaning occurs at 12 weeks. Offspring venture out on their own before their mother gives birth to her next litter. North American river otters reach sexual maturity at two years of age. Wild otters typically live 8 or 9 years, but may live 13 years. River otters live 21 to 25 years in captivity. Baby river otter. ArendTrent / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies North American river otter conservation status as least concern. For the most part, the species population is stable and otters are being reintroduced into areas from which they vanished. However, river otters are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because the species may become endangered if trade is not closely regulated. Threats River otters are subject to predators and disease, but human activities are their greatest threat. Otters are highly susceptible to water pollution, including oil spills. Other important threats include habitat loss and degradation, illegal hunting, vehicle accidents, trapping, and entanglement in fishnets and lines. River Otters and Humans River otters are hunted and trapped for their fur. Otters pose no threat to humans, but in rare cases they have been known to attack dogs. Sources Kruuk, Hans. Otters: ecology, behaviour and conservation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-856586-0.Reid, D.G.; T.E. Code; A.C.H. Reid; S.M. Herrero  Food habits of the river otter in a boreal ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 72 (7): 1306–1313, 1994. doi:10.1139/z94-174Serfass, T., Evans, S.S. Polechla, P. Lontra canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T12302A21936349. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T12302A21936349.enToweill, D.E. and J.E. Tabor. The Northern River Otter Lutra canadensis (Schreber). Wild mammals of North America (J.A. Chapman and G.A. Feldhamer ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Devising a Strategy for Accor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Devising a Strategy for Accor - Research Paper Example Johnson et al. confer additional dimensions to strategy in their definition: i) long-term perspective, ii) meeting competition and iii) stakeholder value. According to them, a strategy is " the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieves the advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within changing environment and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. (2004) After understanding what 'strategy' means the next logical step is to design the 'strategy' and work it. Of the four elements that make 'strategy', according to Mintzberg's definition, internal competencies and shortcomings are internal and therefore within the organisation's control. The other two, viz. changes in the environment and contingent moves by intelligent opponents are external and therefore need to be carefully monitored to be turned into an advantage or counter-acted. The external elements, according to Porter evolve into five forces that impact business success as i) industry competitors, ii) potential new entrants, iii) substitutes, iv) suppliers and v) buyers. (2004 4). In order to meet the challenges of the five forces and out-perform competitors, according to him, there are three generic (meaning they are applicable across industries) strategies. They are i) cost leadership, ii) differentiation and iii) focus. (2004 35) Ireland et al. describe six components of strategic leadership that help organisations navigate the choppy waters of the twenty-first century businesses: they are i) determining the firm's purpose or vision, ii) exploiting and maintaining core competencies, iii) developing human capital, iv) sustaining an effective organisational culture, v) emphasizing ethical practices and vi) establishing balanced organisational controls. (2005)

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

You should be familiar by now with the implications of class, age and Essay

You should be familiar by now with the implications of class, age and gender for the kind of lives that people lead in society. But do you think that where you - Essay Example Durkheim strongly believes that the cohesion or the lack of cohesion of religious groups is more important than what the believers think or feel about their religion. Since the behavior of the group can strongly affect the social phenomenon of society, it is but fitting that one should always play closer attention to the characteristics manifested by the group. However, he stressed that social facts, such as moral rules are effective guides and controls of the conduct of the group if and only if these social facts are internalized by the individual members of the group. By instilling the moral standards in the members of a group, the members will now be constrained to obey rules as a moral obligation. The existing structures of society and the constraints that social factors tend to create on the individual members of the group affects the kind of lives that people may lead in a certain place. Note that any social formation be it superior or inferior to the quality of individuals that compose it, is considered a separate entity from the individuals that comprise it and therefore demands a certain that culture and social circumstances can be considered as unique to a place and to a group of people thus it very much likely that the quality of life of people will be greatly affected by where they live. A clear example of the social effects of where one lives can be seen in the case of Northern Ireland where a group of people come in constant conflict with each other. Technically, the conflict in Northern Ireland can be more easily understood if taken in the light of the opposing forces composed of the people who want Northern Ireland to be part of the United Kingdom on the other side and the people who want to â€Å"liberate† Ireland from external controls. An overwhelming majority of the members of the group that wants the union between Ireland and the United Kingdom are Protestants. On the other hand, the people who want

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Galapagos Islands Essay Example for Free

The Galapagos Islands Essay The Galapagos Islands were first inscribed as a World Heritage site in danger in 1978. This was extended in 2001 and they were again inscribed in June 2007. The islands are found on the Pacific Ocean, 1000 kilometer from the South American continent, they are in Ecuador. They are 19 islands which lie on equator so their seasons vary very little. They have been called a unique â€Å"living museum and showcase of evolution†. (www. whc. unesco/org/en/danger). The islands were formed by seismic and volcanic activities which are still ongoing processes. These together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life such as the land iguana, giant tortoise and many types of finch. The finch inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution following his visit in 1835. The islands are referred to as an archipelago as they are very isolated from the nearest continent and the islands themselves are separated from one another. This separation and differences in climates favors evolutionary change. As a result, populations that are related follow separate evolution tracks leading to emergence of various species and even further diversification. The species so formed become very susceptible to changes in the environment. ( www. darwinfoundation. org) The uniqueness of the island lies in its marine and land ecosystems, and presence of flora and fauna endemic to the islands and in most cases found nowhere else in the world. The marine ecosystem is composed of both cold and warm water current systems, marine landscapes â€Å"bajos†- these are underwater mountains formed by volcanic activity they rise almost to the oceans surface. Some of the coastal animals found in the Galapagos marine reserve are sea lions, fur seals, albatrosses, several species of booby, frigate bird species, sea turtles marine iguana, penguins and flightless cormorants. (www. darwin. foundation. org) The land habitats of the Galapagos are mainly determined by their vegetation which is in turn determined by the local climate. The vegetation of the area is strongly zoned by altitude. The land ecosystem has such animal species as land iguanas, land snails, rice rats among others. The Galapagos contain a total of 560 native species of flora,180 are endemic (www. darwinfoundation. org). Some of the plant species include scalesia, opuntia cacti and the Galapagos rock-pursane and other lesser known species. Human intrusions threatening the area Threats to this hub of diversity are mainly in the form of fishing and tourism by humans. In the 1990s, fishing led to a big decline in some of the marine species such as sea-cucumbers and sharks. Then, the fishermen would fish the sharks just for their fins and the remainder of the shark’s body would go to waste. Fishing is the second most important economic activity in the region and marine resources were overused by such practices as illegal fishing and over fishing. The dangers presented by the Galapagos fisheries are-: i) Large international vessels fishing around the Galapagos pelagic zones and inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) which is illegal. Long-lining and use of large seines are modern high-technology methods with devastating effects of depleting marine species. (www. darwinfoundation. org) ii) There has also been a rapid influx of poor fishermen from the mainland of Ecuador who serve the interests of mainland fishing companies and middlemen buyers. The fishermen are provided with capital in the form of a loan by the fishing companies to buy boats and equipment. The fishermen then sell the catch to the companies; the catch is later sold in the international market especially the Asian market. The influx has led to the human explosion being experienced in the islands and also the immigration brings with it invasive species which compete with the natural species of the islands decreasing their survival chances. ( www-darwinsfoundation. org) Tourism is the leading economic activity in the Galapagos Islands. Tourism has grown economically at 14% per year and this has lead to the Galapagos experiencing drastic, social, economic, cultural and ecological changes. (www. galapagos. org) The dangers that immigration poses include increased pollution, overuse of resources and eventually a charge in climate and introduction of invasive species. A change in climate will lead to loss of some of the species in the island. Invasive species refers to alien plants, diseases, insects and other organisms that people bring inadvertently to the islands. There are now 1,321 introduced species, compared to 112 identified in 1990. These include 748 species of introduced plants compared to 500 species of native plants and at least 490 species of introduced insects. The risk of the arrival of pathogens such as the West Nile virus, insect pests, and new predators is now high-: Dengue-carrying mosquitoes and some avian diseases are new arrivals in the islands. (www. galapagos. org,2007) Existing protection areas The Galapagos Islands have several protection areas. The Galapagos National Park (GNP) is one of this. 97% of the area covered by islands was designated as a national park in 1959. The lands not included were the settlement areas. Later in 1967, a park service Galapagos National Park service (GNPS) was set up to oversee management and administration of the park. The GNP is made up of 13 large islands, 17 small islands and 40 rocks. (www. galapagos. org/). The park authorities educate the visitors and enforce the laws and regulations of the park. The GNPS also oversees the management and administration of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) which was set up in 1998, another protection area. The GMR’s function is to protect the waters surrounding the archipelago. 3000 species of marine plant and animals are found in the GMR. The necessity of the GMR became apparent when in the 1990s fishing activities around the archipelago increased and almost had devastating effects on the marine species due to the high demand of both sea cucumbers and sharks’ fins. The GNPS also approves itineraries. This ensures that no one place is too frequently visited. This serves to distribute tourism to all the islands, decreasing chances of harm to the environment. The GNPS works together with the Charles Darwin Foundation, now known as the Galapagos Conservancy. The foundation provides the scientific and technical know-how required in maintenance of the natural biodiversity and ecosystems of the islands. Other protected areas include Sangay National Park, Limoncocha Reserve, and Antisana Ecological Reserve which has the Antisana volcano that is 5758 meters high. The reserve was created in 1993. The Cuxabeno Forest Reserve is another protected area, for two thirds of the year the forest is submerged in water and when it is not, it is made up of dry futbol fields (www. ecuador. com/,2007). It was established in 1979. Part of the 6000 square Kilometer rain forest makes up part of the Amazon Rain forest. There are indigenous people found in this forest whose contribution to reservation is through jungle tours and eco-tourism. Existing efforts in Galapagos to protect and preserve the area include:- i) Registration of fishermen to fishermen’s cooperatives. This has enabled the monitoring of fishermen’s activities and from this an estimate of how much fishing is going on can be got. Also, it makes it easier to track illegal fishing. ii) Establishment of the Galapagos Marine Reserve in March 1998. In this area, all fishing is banned. The area covered by the GMR was expanded TO cover 40 miles around the whole archipelago. These are also zones of protection around the islands. All these are patrolled by GNPs park rangers. The sea shepherd conservation society assists with carrying out patrols in the service. iii) Approving the designation of the Galapagos Archipelago as Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the Marine Environment Protection Committee(MEPC). PSSA is defined by the International Marine Organization (IMO) as â€Å"an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological socio economic or scientific reasons and because it may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities†. ([IMO,2001]www. dorwinfoundation. org) iv) Introduction of residence controls which decrease immigration and in turn lower the flow of alien species. The aim is to curb population growth. The controls are however difficult to implement because it is difficult to determine genuine residents and those who come and go but have permanent residence elsewhere. (www. law. emory. edu/ ) v) Education of residents, tourists and Galapagos policy makers on how beneficial sound conservation, practices, polity and sustainable economic activities are for example finding alternative viable economic activities for the local fishermen. vi) The success of Project Isabela. This project has seen a large area being freed of feral goats and pigs. Subsequently there has been an increase in Galapagos’s rails. Areas that had been previously degraded have now become resting areas for petrels and re-establishment of vegetation like tree-terns and endemic scalesia has occurred. Also native invertebrates thought to be extinct are now being identified (www. darwinfoundation. org, 2007) vii) Successful breeding programs for tortoise run by the Charles Darwin Foundation and GPNS has led to repopulation of some islands with their native reptile species. The giant tortoise was becoming extinct due to hunting by humans and other animals. (www. galapagos. org) viii) Inclusion of various sectors in the management board of the Galapagos National Park service has been instrumental in bringing about an attitude of conservation and preservation. At first the local people felt that the government was only concerned about plant and animal life. The multisectoral approach involves key players in fishing, tourism and conservation sectors and also the local person. (www. galapagos. online/) Including the local people has helped to enhance the concept of conversation because the local people no longer feel neglected. Should human intrusion go unchecked, the loss will be great. Maintenance of the rich biodiversity of the islands is achievable of the ecosystem can support sustainable economic use where the local people, conservationist and players in tourism and fishing industry feel their needs have been put into consideration. An example of how the biodiversity can lost is seen in the fact that the present tortoise population is very small. Poaching, destruction of habitats and the presence of invasive species are the main dangers to the tortoise population. (www. galapagos. org, 2007). Though the near extinction of the giant tortoise caught the attention of people and the process was reversed the giant tortoise is not out of the woods yet, and the work of repatriation needs support. In the process of poaching the tortoise, various invasive species which trampled on the tortoise’s habitat were limited and multiplied faster than the tortoise would, leading to destruction of the tortoise habit. The mangrove finch is another species being driven towards extinction. Again the greatest threat to be mangrove forests and the finches is the exploding human presence in the Galapagos. (http://www. galapagos. org/about. html). Increased activity among humans increases the risk of disease further especially avian pox, black rats, cats, fire ants the parasitic fly philornis. All threaten the mangrove finch as well as vulnerable species in Galapagos (http://www. galapagos. org/about. html. ) For the mangrove finch to be saved there has to be study of the mangrove finch and its habitat. Activities that would require support in the mangrove finch conservation project include: ? Creating potential captive breeding facilities for the mangrove finch. ? Resting degraded mangrove finch ecosystem, including establishment of new mangrove forest plots. ? Releasing the captive-bred birds to sites on Isabela and Fernandina islands where the mangrove finch once thrived. For the future generations to be able to see and be part of the abundant biodiversity in the Galapagos islands the necessary funds and a coalition of leadership are needed to successfully conserve and preserve the world heritage site. Otherwise, we risk losing not just an area rich in natural biodiversity but a site of origin of human philosophy and in the process part of the human race. Because of ecological interdependence, there can be no climate changes that will affect animals and plants only, whatever adverse effects will affect flora and fauna will also affect the human race. This means that no part of the ecosystem will be spared the price of not doing all that is necessary to protect and preserve the balance of nature. Conclusion Islands are generally smaller than continental areas but are basically more or less the same with similar social, economic and ecologic changes happening. This then means that islands can and should serve as a model to the rest of the world for these changes (www. darwinsoundation. org). In coming up with solutions to the Galapagos problems we are more or less coming up with a prototype to solve problems that will occur in other continents of the world, but if we cannot resolve the issues then it means that we will also fail in achieving a society where there is a balance of nature and social economic sustainability in the rest of the world. References Charles Darwin foundation, Galapagos Risk; Ground Breaking Analysis Produced retrieved July 6 from http://www. org/en/library/pubs/2007/galapagos Galapagos Conservancy, ‘Breaking News: Galapagos in â€Å"Danger† Retrieved July 6 from http://www. galapagos. org/about. html. ‘Protected areas’ Retrieved July 7 from http:www. ecuador. com/protected-areas UNESCO, Galapagos islands, Retrieved July 7 from http://whc. unesco. org/en/danger UNESCO World Heritage in Danger List July 7 from http://whc. unesco. org/en/danger/ .

Friday, November 15, 2019

Fire Fighting Technology Essay -- Technology Technological Essays

Fire Fighting Technology Innovations in Communication Technology This 80,000 pound powerhouse was just purchased by the Swarthmore Fire & Protective Association. Equipped with a 100-foot aerial and a 2000 gallon per minute (gpm) Hale single stage pump, Tower 14 can knock down just about any fire. "The first five minutes after the first fire apparatus arrives on scene at a large-scale fire are coordinated chaos." Joe Lombardo of the Garden City Fire Department made it a point during fire school to emphasize that a good firefighter will always maintain a clear head even in the most harrowing of circumstances. This task may be difficult in situations where an enormous amount of information must be transmitted to effectively fight the fire. Recent innovations in fire scene communication technology have allowed for more information to be transferred to the appropriate firefighters before and during the initial attack. The following outline some of the more important innovations to fire communication technology: Communications between Incident Command and Firefighters on scene: Digital technology is rapidly becoming integrated into fireground operations because, in general, voice clarity is much better than conventional radio, because it is easier to encrypt than analog. Mary Jane Dittmar, of Fire Engineering magazine, describes the technologies as working by "converting a voice into binary information and then compressing it. Through modulation and encoding formats, the analog information is converted to digital data, compressed, and then converted back again, while still maintaining acceptable levels of voice quality. Digital technology is clearer and easier to understand than analog technology because background ... ...er units. All this information is now immedeately available to the first out engine so that the incident commander can come up with a plan of attack before even assessing the scene first hand. As such, the coordinated chaos may very well be sorted out before the apparatus even arrives on scene. Works Cited: Anderson, Leif. Using Technology to Manage the Information Overflow. "Fire Engineering." May 2002. Bachman, Eric. Pre-Incident Size Up: An Important Response Tool."Fire Engineering." April 2002. Cobb, Ralph. Benefiting from Military Technology. "Fire Engineering." May 2002. Dittmar, Mary Jane. Fireground Communications: Strategies for Meeting Today's Challenges. "Fire Engineering." May 2002. Hawkins, Clayton. A Model to Improve Emergency Management. "Fire Engineering." April 2002. http://www.nfpa.org/Home/index.asp (visited December 15, 2002)

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Penney

A 19% decline in same store sales took place in the first quarter of 2012 for J. C. Penny; followed by 350 employee layoffs and the departure of President Michael Francis (Turner, 2012). This led to a prototype of their new store concept in order to save the company. CEO Ron Johnson, responsible for the redesign of Apple stores, was bought on as part of the team to make this turnaround successful. Unfortunately, Johnson struggled to implement his new company vision to make this transformation which was originally dependent on discounts and coupons to drive sales.Johnson launched a three-tiered pricing scheme meant to make the shopping experience simpler and attract more customers. Advertising and direct mall received new eye catching attention. Also the company changed the concept of constantly have sales to consistently having lower prices. Incomplete execution of the change is why the intended results failed to produce (Basin,2013). A complete transformation was attempted by J. C. Penny, but failed to instill every customer touch-point. Merchandising, Marketing, Customer Service, Store Environment, and its new character were the areas that needed 100% focus and planning.The most important agents of change, the employees, had not been completely brought on board. This being the case, the strategy failed to generate the urgency and excitement required to make the change successful with employees and customers. â€Å"One of the big mistakes was perhaps too much change too quickly without adequate testing on what the Impact would be,† said Bill Cancan, the principal shareholder of J. C. Penny(Edwards, 2013). As good as Johnny's Intentions really were, he was not experienced with bringing a retail store above ground.The director image is the image that best suits this organizational situation of changing how J. C. Operates on a day-to-day basis. This image is based on an image of management as control and of outcomes being achievable (Palmer, 2009). It is u p to the change manager Monsoons) to direct the organization (J. C. Penny) in specific ways to reach the desired outcome. It is assumed that the change is a well-planned choice that managers make and the well-being and survival of J. C. Penny depends on them. The objective is to be a better-performing, better-aligning organization.You cannot change the organizational culture without knowing where your organization wants to be or what elements of the current organizational culture need to change. When an organizational culture Is already established, people must unlearn the old values, assumptions, and behaviors before they can learn the new ones. Executives must lead the change by changing their own behaviors. It is extremely important for change. Members of the organization must clearly understand what is expected of them, and must know how to actually do the new behaviors, once they have been defined.The culture of the change is that the sales have plummeted significantly, employe e layoffs, and the departure of the president (Townsend, 2013). The role culture played in the change is that the economy changes and so do people and what hey desire. What might have worked in the retail business one year might not work the next. The changes that took place in the J. C. Penny Company were most definitely Second order, discontinuous change. This change â€Å"is transformational, radical, and fundamentally alters the organization at its core† (Palmer, 2009).What Johnson is trying to do is seen as large-scale and disruptive, and so is second-order change. J. C. Penny is transforming the nature of their organization, not developing. This is already an established and well known company; it Just needs to turn itself around to be saved. For example, if we were to go skydiving it wouldn't be successful to Jump out while we were not flying. Therefore in order to arrive at a successful place to make the Jump, we have to stay in the same plane and fly around to move t o the right spot. Johnson is a new face to the company and customers and should not come in and totally throw out all things â€Å"old†.Instead of this drastic change to wipe out all that is old, the old and new should be integrated. Not everything that is old is broken and it once worked perfectly fine. However since the beginning of the business opening there have been changes, and now they Just aren't working. Empowerment and teamwork should be seen as assisting in the development of functional and divisional structures rather than replacing them† (Palmer, 2009). Since this major change is restructuring and reengineering, this is altering the basic functioning of the company and therefore is transformational.In order to deal with highly competitive changes in the business environment, producing a fundamental reorientation of J. C. Penny is needed. Some of the key challenges with J. C. Penny are increasing quality and customer value, enhancing innovation, motivating s taff, and enhancing competitive advantage. These challenges can easily be met if the right rationales are put in place. To increase quality and customer value Johnson needs to increase customers' expectations (Palmer, 2009). Without customers, retail store would be non-existent. Enhancing innovation needs to meet customers' expectations.Customers' Expectations are hard to only assume without doing proper planning. Motivating staff needs to gain effective contributions. This is one of J. C. Penny's horrible faults. The employees were not properly trained and knowledgeable about the new changes. Being excited about the opportunities of a many and being able to convey that message to current and future customers is everything when a new system is rolled out. The method for implementing the change was simple, or so Johnson thought. Johnson thought it made sense to cut to the chase by listing realistic prices from the get-go and foregoing nonstop sales.It does make logical sense. However , customers are often drawn to stores not by the promise of fair pricing, but by the lure of hunting for deals using coupons and price markdowns. The â€Å"How Much You Saved† line at the bottom of the receipt serving as a score is nice to look at until one day it disappears. Even Johnson acknowledged the mistake the stores had made when sales started falling even more in summer 2012 be known as having consistently low prices. The vision of the company is the most important thing to know so you know where to start with plans, objectives, and budgets (Palmer, 2009).Vision usually paints a picture of the future and is inspirational. If J. C. Penny had a well-specified market vision, this would have helped to identify how the company would have grown and competed. Meaning is created throughout the organization about what it is the organization does when the vision is aligned with the internal dimension of organizational beliefs and values (Palmer, 2009). The change that J. C. Pe nny went through was communicated poorly. J. C. Penny failed to insure every customer touch-point. Customer service, Marketing, Merchandising, store environment, and employees were not fully developed (Edwards ,2013).The biggest downfall was the employees not being fully onboard. If employees are confused or unsure about a new change than it would be impossible to share this with someone else. This caused a lack of urgency and excitement that the company needed to make the change successful. On a scale of 1-10 of the change agent's work in the execution of the new vision for J. C. Penny, I would give him a 2. While his intentions were good and he thought he had the experience needed, he failed to research what customers really wanted. He guessed.He assumed he knew exactly what had to be done based on how he feels as a customer, but everyone is different and likes different things. Nut and Babcock identified three different approaches for crafting a vision and the leader-dominated ap proach fits the description of the J. C. Penny situation (Palmer ,2009). In this approach the CEO revived the strategic vision for the organization. This is similar to the â€Å"telling† and â€Å"selling† strategies. Telling is when the CEO creates the vision and gives it to staff. It is used when involvement is not seen as important. This is where Johnson went wrong.He took on all of this by himself and didn't want involvement from the rest of the company so much that the employees themselves were confused about the new vision and what to do with it. â€Å"Selling† on the other hand is when the CEO has a vision that he or she wishes to sell to staff (Palmer, 2009). He didn't include the staff and that was a major problem. This is used when the CEO is attracted to the vision and wants others in the organization to adopt it. If Johnson would've done both the â€Å"telling† and the â€Å"selling,† then maybe this would have had a different outcome.M aking J. C. Penny a leader in style with good products and honest business practices would've helped increase success of the project. Leaders must make sure that the entire organization understands the business case for change. Everyone must understand why the change needs to be made. Johnson should over- communicate the business case for the change so that people will believe that it's OTOH real and urgent. Also J. C. Penny must be certain that all levels of leadership are on board with the change and are communicating the same message.Deadlines will probably be missed and excuses will be made for not implementing the new changes if employees do not feel confident in what they are supposed to be supporting. Have we sufficiently rallied the troops? Do they all clearly understand the opportunity ahead? Are they excited by the opportunity and know how they can help the company succeed? These are some good questions that need to be addressed when taking steps to increase the success of the project. Coping with hyperactive business internal and external strategic collaboration is a way to be able to plan everything out thoroughly (Palmer ,2009).Outsourcing of activities in which the organization has no distinctive competence is very important to get rid of things that are not needed in the J. C. Penny vision. Empowerment is the introductions of mechanisms to provide employees with the authority, resources, and encouragement to take action. This recommendation keeps popping up but it is the most important thing with following through with a big change. Another recommendation is to reduce internal and external boundaries. This reduction helps to encourage communication and resource sharing (Palmer, 2009) as there wasn't much communication going on at all.Use techniques to focus people's attention on the importance of change to meet the challenges of J. C. Penny. Also Johnson could use multiple channels to constantly communicate the vision that Johnson created for th e big system change (Moratoriums, 2013). Becoming informed and helping the CEO and leadership team to articulate personal vision for the future of the organization by examining external impacts, trends, and core beliefs. Also visit the future and think ahead five years about the reputation, what competitors and customers think of you, contribution to the community, and what people will say about your company (Palmer, 2009).To ensure the success of any company, the proper steps need to be followed even if it takes longer than you originally planned. Skipping steps might get you there faster but it will hurt your business in the long run. J. C. Penny is still currently trying to get back on track. J. C. Penny's largest challenge going forward is whether it can capture market share from Macy's and other mid-tier retailers and eve from losses to profitability.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Review on How to talk so people would listen

How to talk so people will listen Introduction The author Steve Brown offers the student a helpful guide to effective communication. He emphasizes the basics of speech and conversation and makes us aware that speech allows us to communicate to others quickly or easily about our needs, feelings and desires. Speech allows us to correct false impressions or share our ideas. We are able with speech to encourage reprimand or inspire. With speech we can also express anger, love or Joy.Brown makes us aware of some of the setbacks which include include fear, speaking with authority, not wasting time, and inning the right to be heard. , He gives us the basic principles of how we can overcome such. Brown argues that if a speaker can master these basic principles, he or she can gain an audience and effectively speak to be remembered. Review In this book â€Å"how to talk so People will listen†, includes a wealth of advice and insightful information for the communicator.We are reminded th at words have power when God speaks his very speaking accomplishes the purpose of His word Isaiah 55:1 1 . Whether the reader has never made a speech before or he is a well- established and experienced professional, this book is very useful. Brown realizes the ower that speech has to influence people. For this reason it should be important to everyone who has a desire to impact an audience. The reason many people avoid public speaking, though, is because of the intimidation factor. Brown reasons that fears and intimidators must be faced confidently and realistically.Failure should be seen positively as â€Å"it is harder to learn from success than it is to learn from failure. † The speaker must not allow his performance to influence his feelings of self- value. Positive thinking about oneself and a positive optimistic mindset should enable the orator to face his fears and thus conquer them. In this culture, an audience will not listen unless the speaker communicates with auth ority. Brown explains if you want to talk so people would listen it is essential that you have the right words for the message you want to communicate.Thus having a good vocabulary is one of the primary elements of speaking with authority Words express the most power when they are properly used, so a thorough understanding of language is essential. The right words at the right times are of uttermost importance in effective communication. Brown goes on to describe further â€Å"roadblocks† that negatively influence speech and in turn remove the authority of the peaker. These roadblocks include a lack of clarity or preciseness and insensitivity. They inhibit communication and remove the authority of the speaker.The book continues to emphasize important characteristics of speech by opposing any waste of the audience's time. Brown describes elements of communication that carry over into one-on-one relationships as well. He realizes that speaking in front of large audiences should be as relational and should have as strong of a connection as speaking with Just one person. For this reason, attributes like humility and empathy go Just as far from the lectern as they do in a personal conversation. If the speaker demonstrates that ne is personable and esta blisnes a connection witn his audience they will no longer feel as if their time is being wasted.Other ways to not waste the audiences time are to add some unconventionality in your communication, express passion, share illustrations, and most basic of all follow the rule that â€Å"the longer the speech, the greater the chance of failure. The final necessity that a speaker must address is the winning of the right to be heard by the audience. The speaker must go to great lengths to understand and relate to his audience. The same speech to two very different groups of people hould most likely be very different!Things such as age, education, attention span, and venue should all be taken into consideration in th e preparation of a speech. If the speaker can connect with his audience, he can then impact them. But if no connection is established then any speech will most likely be forgettable. The audience should influence the topic, the presentation, and all other elements of a speech. If these things are taken into account, the speaker will win over the right to be heard. Lastly, Steven Brown convinces the reader to speak to be heard and remembered as is title suggests.

Friday, November 8, 2019

or being Italian portrayed in the stories you have studied compare and contrast at least two short stories.

How is Italy and / or being Italian portrayed in the stories you have studied compare and contrast at least two short stories. This essay will discuss the portrayal of Italy and being Italian in the short stories I have studied. I have split this broad theme into smaller themes which are most prominent in the stories, they are also the themes that reflect Italy and the notion of being Italian.Italy as we know it has only been in existence for just over 140 years. Before this time it was a feudal unbalanced, divided collection of separate kingdoms. Before 1860 when Giuseppe Garibaldi and his red shirts set out to unify the kingdoms. Many kingdoms had their own rulers, languages, customs and Identities. These geographically enhanced differences still occur in Italy. It is quite possible for two Italians from different locations to speak very different forms of Italian and to have a completely different notion of what it is to be Italian. The North South divide is well noted as being one of the most dramatic divisions in any European country.Abu Simbel: alba lungo il viaggioToday there is even a northern separa tist party called the Liga Nord. The North with its arable land and closer links to opulent Europe always had a better chance of being rich. These favourable conditions have made the north and the golden triangle especially wealthy and is in stark contrast to the south. The depiction of Sicily and Sicilians in ' Il Lungo Viaggio ' exemplifies what it is to be southern Italian. While the north raced ahead with modernisation the South remained poor and many inhabitants dreamt of a better life and leaving for America. This story brings out a warm but very stereotypical view of an average poor Sicilian. They are even described as backwards by Nick Roberts, ' Il Lungo Viaggio, the story by Leonardo Sciasca, was published in 1973 in the collection ' Il mare colore del...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats Essays

Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats Essays Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats Paper Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats Paper I will be comparing the poems Lochinvar written by Walter Scott in 1808 and Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats. Lochinvar and Le Belle Dame Sans Merci are two Romantic poems that claimed popularity in the movement of Romanticism simply because they were short in length, they both tell a story and contain a plot, they were fashionable for the Romantic movement also they were easy to remember and recite. The main and most obvious similarity between the two poems is that they are Romantic. The Romantic period began about 1798 and ended approximately around 1832. Romantic poetry concentrated on nature, feelings and emotions. Furthermore the subject matters of the supernatural and medieval were used. It was a break with the old tradition, that was until the Victorian movement moved in and people, actions, outward morality and reason were more important. Poems such as Porphyrias Lover were written during the Victorian movement. One of the main differences between the two poems would be that Le Belle Dame Sans Merci is a ballad whereas Lochinvar uses rhyming couplets and archaic language. In addition Le Belle Dame Sans Merci could be described as being tragic and heart-rending where Lochinvar is the perfect fairytale with the idyllic ending. Le Belle Dame Sans Merci can be considered a ballad because of its tragic content, the inclusion of a knight and the effective use of natural imagery. It is broken into four line stanzas as ballads usually are and a regular rhythm. Additionally each of the four line stanzas describes a separate incident in the poem, breaking it up into small, short scenes. Le Belle Dame Sans Merci rebels against being a ballad in a few ways. One of the most important being that it does not follow the expected rhyme scheme of A B A B; instead it goes A B C B. Lochinvar is also written in the style of a ballad to some extent. It is more of a folk style of writing. Some examples of this would be when, The bride kisses the goblet, and, He stayed not for bracken, and he stopped not for stone. There is also some archaic language used, such as, ere, ye, saith, twere better by far, and quoth. Archaic language is generally used to crate a Scottish accent and emphasise medieval subject matter. The Scottish element supports the idea of the folk style of writing. The rhyme scheme used in this poem is rhyming couplets adding a steady rhythm to the poem. There is also a small amount of natural imagery used. The story of Lochinvar tells a tale of a knight who goes and rescues the woman that he loves from her wedding. Lochinvar wants to get married to Ellen. Ellen has just been married but Lochinvar turns up at the wedding reception. It is clear that Lochinvar and Ellen are in love. They dance with each other at the wedding reception but Ellens mother and father are not at all pleased with this. It is at this point that they run away together. Their families attempt to follow them. The main characters in Lochinvar would be Ellen and Lochinvar. Lochinvar is a Scottish Lord and Knight. He is very brave and bold. We know this because, He rode all unarmed and, he rode all alone, also He stopped not for break, and he stopped not for stone, and He swan the Esk River where ford there was none. There is some speculation that he could be dangerous. We know that Ellens family is quite well off, the live at Netherby Hall. And Ellens parents do not approve of Lochinvar. It could be possible that Ellens marriage could be arranged. Lochinvar and Ellen have been in love for some time so maybe Ellens parents arranged this marriage to try and exclude Lochinvar from Ellens life. The story of Le Belle Dame Sans Merci is that of a tragic one, ending in possible death and mystery. The narrator in the poem meets a knight who looks extremely unwell. The narrator asks the knight what is wrong. He continues to tell the narrator that he met a fairy in the field. He made her some jewellery consisting of flowers, then the fairy tells him that she loves him. The fairy then took the knight to a cave. She cries and he kisses her. The fairy then sings the night to sleep, then he has bad dreams about death. He then wakes and appears to be in a field. A strong possibility is that the whole encounter could have been a dream. English Literature Kieran Walsh 10E Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Keats section.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Discuss the role and charachteristics of e-communications in Essay

Discuss the role and charachteristics of e-communications in integrated marketing communication - Essay Example iced that the above forms are just indicative; in fact different forms of e-communications can appear within a particular market in accordance with the cultural characteristics and the general trends of the specific market. On the other hand, it should be noticed that the effectiveness of the type of e-communications chosen in each case depends on the structure of the market and the demands of the consumers as they have been identified through an appropriate marketing research. Under the above terms, e-communications can be considered as having a significant role on the development of marketing activities within a particular marketplace. In fact, e-communications should be considered as a tool for the improvement of marketing communication regarding a specific market. The evaluation of marketing communication strategies applied within a particular market belongs to marketers who have the responsibility to choose the appropriate e-communications tool taking into account that business activities worldwide should be promoted through specific marketing initiatives in order to be productive. In accordance with the above communication in marketing is an indispensable part of the marketing plan having a major importance for marketers around the world. In this context, e-communications become a valuable tool for the support of marketing initiatives worldwide (through the improvement of marketing communication as already explained above). The development of marketing plans has been a challenging task for marketers internationally. The above phenomenon should be explained primarily if taking into account the constant changes of consumer preferences and trends of the market worldwide. It is for this reason that the development of marketing communication has been considered to be a priority for marketers within the global market. More specifically, marketing communication has been proved to be the most effective method for improving the performance of marketing plans

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Case study 2 - Essay Example The act of transferring ownership to the remaining tenants is referred as the right of survivorship (Spiers 2008). Joint tenancy is restricted to a maximum of four members who are allowed to own property. In the state of North Carolina, individuals are allowed to form a joint tenancy with a right of survivorship. According to the laws associated with joint tenancy in the state of North Carolina, the title of assets passes on to the other joint members in the case of death. Bank accounts held by the joint tenants can be withdrawn by any of the joint members. In the event that one of the members dies, his or her will has no effect on the joint tenancy. The asset in the joint tenancy may be available to creditors of the other tenants. A trespasser can have ownership to land in the state of North Carolina provided he or she occupied it for a period of time. Nevertheless, adverse possession of land is a doctrine that allows individuals to own land if they had possession of the land for a certain period (Barnett 2011).   Title deeds of adverse possession depend on the different states. The period of time set by North Carolina is 20 years and the adverse possessor is expected to have full claim of the land for the period. An individual may advise Martin legally, that the piece of land obtained by Otis is legally his. Martin should take the matter to court and try battling the matter with Otis. Individuals have the right to keep intruders off their property. In the future Martin should keep off intruders by fencing the property and placing signs that warns trespassers. Legal action will be taken by the individuals who cannot keep away from the property (Barnett, 2011). It is a legal way to keep adverse possessors of the personal property and helps in avoiding adverse possession of an individual property. Martin, as a Christian, should try to know the problems affecting the son of