Analysis for Monologue of an Onion Essay

Cutting an onion breaks cells in its skin causing a reaction that results to the formation of volatile sulfur compound which, when mixed with tears coating our eyes, becomes sulfuric acid. This triggers the tear ducts to produce more tears to alleviate the imbalance in acidity the irritant has caused; the longer the eyes are exposed to the acid the greater the quantity of tears produced. Sue Kwock Kim uses this certain property of an onion to tackle a specific human idiosyncrasy. Monologue for an Onion discusses how humans have the tendency to lie to themselves in pursuit of false hopes through dramatic situation, tone, and symbol. The poem opens with the onion voicing out its thoughts as the person peels away its skin. As the poem progresses, more and more layers are removed in the person’s pursuit to find the heart of the onion. In stanza three, it becomes evident that the onion has no heart because it is â€Å"†¦pure onion—pure union of outside and in, surface and secret core. But despite this, it is seen that the person continues to subject his eyes to the acidic fumes emanating from the peels in hopes of finding what is obviously absent. As the person persistently peels away the onion’s skin, the onion continues to utter words of warning to the person: it is pointless to continue stripping the onion off its covering when all that can be attained in the end are tears and â€Å"†¦onion-juice, yellow peels, [and] (my) stinging shreds†; the wasted effort and the person’s refusal to concede to the truth angers the onion. For most of the poem, the feelings of annoyance and anger dominate the scene. But in the first six lines of the poem, the talking onion pities the person for he is deluded into thinking that it has a heart. But in the proceeding lines, the negative feelings start to bubble to the surface. These feelings were first introduced in the tenth line: â€Å"Look at you, chopping and weeping. Idiot. † Here, we see that the onion finds it stupid that the person persists to chop away his skin when the act causes him to hurt. The emotions climb a steady slope and burst out into the open starting with lines fourteen and fifteen: â€Å"†¦ruin and tears your only signs of progress? Enough is enough. † Here the onion lashes out to the person for refusing to look past the veil of tears and see what is there right in front of him. The onion finds it incredulous that the person lets himself be fooled by false pretenses of the existence of something good buried deep beneath a layer of unfavorable boundaries. The onion sees no point in its destruction when all that awaits the person is nothing but a pile of abandoned skins and wasted tears. Eventually, the onion calms down but does maintain the angry tone up to the very last line in the poem. In the poem, the centerpiece is the fact that the onion is a symbol. The onion represents the truth that the person is desperately trying to deny. In the first two stanzas of the poem, the peeling off of the onion’s skin can be interpreted as the person’s attempt to find a sugar-coated version of the truth. Alas, an onion is an onion in and out and therefore the bitter covering is all there is to it. Even so, the person persists on chopping off the onion’s covering—a clear indication of man’s reluctance to let go of desired truths. The tears symbolize the troubles brought about by this unrelenting pursuit of misguided truths; the more man insists on digging deeper into the basic foundation of the truth, the troubles would only increase in multitude. Eventually, man reaches the core of the truth and finds that it is no different from what the surface contained. With each peeled off layer of the onion—each section of the truth uncovered, disappointment greets the persistent man. Disappointment after disappointment, this has left the person with a weakened morale. And so the onion takes pity on the person who ended up having nothing but a tired heart divided into pieces. In conclusion, Monologue for an Onion talks about the dangers in blindly chasing false hopes. The poem highlights man’s ability to conjure fantasies and desired truths that could somehow cloud man’s judgment—instead of separating the fantasy from reality, man desperately searches for the non-existent truth in the expense of personal physical and/or emotional health.

Nucor Steel Case Study

There are many competitive forces that are affecting Nucor Corporation. Some of the primary ones are the market size, number of rivals, and pace of technological change. The market size is shrinking because of the increase in competing international steel companies. The number of rivals in America is declining due to higher labor costs than in foreign countries. There is a very fast pace of technology in the steel industry and it seems that the company, that obtains the newest technology, flourishes. This is due to the difficulty in lower costs of steel production. Better technology is one of the only ways to decrease costs because labor is pretty much at a set cost and all that is left is the cost of iron and making the steel. If a company can get its hands on a new technology that allows it to under price its competitors then it has a big advantage in the steel industry. Nucor’s main rivals in the steel industry are AK Steel Holding Corporation, Mittal Steel Company, and U. S. Steel. The five forces for the steel industry are the buyers, substitutes, suppliers, threat of new entrants, and rivals. The buyers have a fairly strong power on the steel producers. This is because of the low switching cost between competitors. Unless a contract is signed between a steel company and its buyer, there is little cost to the buyer if it wants to switch to a different steel company. There are not very many substitutes for steel, as steel is a commodity, so the substitute power is weak. Steel is a one of a kind item in that it is very strong and very versatile in its use. It is used in buildings, automobiles, bridges, garage door openers, and many other everyday objects. Suppliers also have a weak power in the steel industry. The suppliers are supplying iron to steel companies. Iron is very common and many companies sell it. Also, steel companies frequently integrate backwards and provide their own iron to their steel mills. The threat of new entrants is very weak due to high entry barriers and the current struggling competitors. The rival power is moderate to strong because there are a fair number of steelmaking companies. Also steel dumping occurs, but I will be talking about that later. According to this analysis, Nucor is in a three star industry, so it seems to have an okay chance at surviving. It is not the best industry to be in, but Nucor still has been able to flourish due to its organizational philosophy and technological innovation. 2) The driving forces behind the steel industry are industry growth rate, globalization, technological change and manufacturing process innovation, exit of major firms, and frequent change in cost. The steel industry is falling. There is a declining demand for steel and many companies have already gone bankrupt or are on the verge of going bankrupt. Some of these companies are Bethlehem Steel and Ling-Temco-Vought. The steel industry is very difficult to compete in because more steel is being produced than there is demand for it. Globalization is also a problem for the steel industry in America. Due to globalization it is getting easier for competing companies to send their products to other countries. This causes a problem for companies like Nucor because America has strict labor laws. In other countries labor is exploited and workers are paid very little, while in America, companies must pay their workers a minimum wage. One good thing that America does do is provide tariffs on incoming steel products to help American companies better compete with the international companies. Some countries are subsidiaries to the steel companies in their countries. This means that the governments have a vested interest in the company and want it to succeed. The companies can then sell products, like steel, at a much lower price due to the incoming funding form the government. China has been accused of this and America has taken action to alert the World Trade Organization to settle the matter, but this is only one step to â€Å"leveling the playing field† with China. The technologies for making steel are constantly changing and this allows for more efficient and therefore cheaper steel products. It seems that the companies, who obtain these technologies, obtain a significant head start in the industry. Like I said before, many companies are going bankrupt and are leaving the exiting the industry. Since steel is a commodity it leads to very volatile prices and can change quite frequently due to demand. By looking at Exhibit 1, you can see how the average price per ton decreased form $425 per ton in 2000 to $354 per ton in 2001. This exhibit shows how many tons of steel Nucor sold during certain years from 1970 to 2006. It is interesting to see that Nucor’s net income was fairly low during the years of 2000-2002, but increased to $1,121. 5 million. This is because of Nucor’s many acquisitions during the low period. Just a few years later in 2004, the price of steel was back up to $595 per ton. These driving forces very easily impact the steel industry’s competitive structure in a bad way. These driving forces make it very difficult for steel companies to compete in this industry. 3)The prospects for future profitability of the U. S. steel makers are very unattractive. Unless America can successfully combat China’s enormously, inexpensive, production ability, I do not see any American steel company surviving. China just has too big of a production ability and has the workforce to do it cheaply. Nucor will have to expand in this industry in the United States to survive. If the WTO negotiations with China go well then American steel companies may have a chance in the steel industry. If they do, then America can increase tariffs on incoming steel products and give American steel companies a chance to survive. Future profitability looks grim for American steel companies because of what I described before. China has been accused of subsidizing its steel companies, therefore funding them to make it possible to â€Å"dump steel† which is the process of selling steel at prices below the cost of making it. China would do this because then it would eventually under price foreign competitors and run them out of business. This, supposedly, happened back in 2000-2001 and devastated the steel industry in America, causing many companies to go bankrupt or be bought by other companies. Nucor was lucky enough to have survived this fall out and acquired many steel plants at low prices. The steel industry did bounce back in 2005-2006 and this allowed Nucor to grow quite rapidly due to its previous acquisitions. If America can again survive the big Chinese power, then Nucor will succeed, but right now it looks bleak for the American steel industry. 4)Nucor has adopted a low-cost strategy based on four parts. These parts are acquisitions, technological innovation, plant innovation, and joint ventures. The acquisition part of the Nucor strategy is that it has acquired many different steel companies in 2000-2001, when the steel industry in America was suffering. Because of the low time in the steel industry, Nucor could purchase steel companies at lower prices than normal. This helped its low-cost strategy substantially because it allowed Nucor to grow yet still remain a low-cost steel producer. Exhibit 2 shows Nucor’s financials, and very accurately illustrates the hit Nucor took during the low period of 2000-2003. This was a perfect time for Nucor to buy other steel companies, as this was one of the only ways for it to grow. Nucor invested heavily in new technologies. Investing in new technologies is very important for steel companies to do, as it is very easy to reduce costs if the company has a foothold on a new technology. Nucor focused on the introduction of disruptive technologies to give it an advantage in the market as compared to its competitors in terms of product quality, cost per ton, and market share. One example of this is the Castrip process. This new process produced flat-rolled, carbon, and stainless steels in very thin gauges. It allowed Nucor to produce steel in fewer steps, and helped produce savings in its operating expenses, therefore increasing Nucor’s net income. The Castrip process needed lower-quality scrap steel, which decreased costs of the scrap steel, and required 90% less energy. Also this new process cut green house gases by 80%. Nucor also increased its capital investments on the newest machinery to provide more efficient steel plants. By providing its workforce with the best possible technology, Nucor was able to max out production yet still retain a safe working environment. The implementation of hard working plant managers, produced hardworking managers that are aggressive enough to implement methods to improve product quality while keeping costs low. Nucor’s last strategic part was its joint ventures. By investing in joint ventures, Nucor was able to grow internationally with out the full capital risk. Some examples of this were its joint ventures in Brazil, Australia, and Trinidad. The joint venture in Brazil was between Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and Nucor. The goal was to produce an environmentally friendly pig iron plant that used eucalyptus trees as fuel. The use of eucalyptus trees as fuel removed 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for every one ton of pig iron produced. Another joint venture was three other companies in Australia. This plant used a new technology process called HIsmelt. This new process converted iron ore to pig iron at a lower cost and higher quality than previously known pig iron producing technologies. The Trinidad plant was acquired in 2007 and was originally in Louisiana. The plant was moved to Trinidad because of the constant supply of natural gas as fuel therefore lowering costs. This plant reduced scrap metal dependence by as much as 25%. It also allowed for a higher quality production of sheet steel. Nucor’s four-part strategy has lead to a competitive sustainable advantage as seen in exhibit 2 between the years of 2004-2006 when its net income soared to more than $1,757. 7 million. Nucor used a cost-based advantage to achieve its competitive sustainable advantage. )Nucor employed an organization philosophy consisting of decentralization, individually operated plants, a three layer structure, good compensation practices for its employees, and good employee relations. Nucor’s decentralized structure allowed for its employees to make quick decisions that did not have to go through all of the bureaucratic steps like that in a centralized company. A decentralized co mpany relied on higher quality employees that could analyze a situation and react quickly and successfully. The individually operated plants were akin to the decentralized company. Each plant was individually responsible for its profits. The three layers consisted of the executives at the headquarters located in South Carolina, the general managers that ran the plants and talked to the executives, and the hourly employees that did most of the labor at the plants. The general managers ran the plants individually form each other and were expected to reach, at least, a 25% return on its total assets. If a general manager failed this, the executives would interfere and had no hesitation in replacing an unsuccessful general manager. The individual plants allowed for team like competitions between plants to see who could be the best performer. Nucor was nonunion, but provided salaries based on competing plants’ salaries in the area. Nucor offered a generous compensation bonus to good work that differed for each worker. Hourly workers received bonuses if they produced more than the standard number of tons. Department managers earned annual bonuses depending on percentage of net income to dollars of assets. Nucor also had great employee relations. Nucor offered 401k plans by matching up to 25% of employees’ contributions. Medical and dental plans were very common for Nucor employees. There was also a tuition reimbursement of up to $2,750 for any employee. For the children of employees, Nucor would provide a scholarship up to $2,750, which would encourage employees to stay until their went to college. As seen here, Nucor treated its employees very well to reduce employee turnover and attract the best employees. Nucor required a high human capital if it were going to use a decentralized structure. The high quality employees that Nucor attracted helped Nucor execute its low-cost strategy, and led to superior results. )Nucor’s leadership, great strategy, and execution were what led to why Nucor was so successful in the steel industry. The great leader that Nucor relied upon was Kenneth Iverson, who changed Nucor from a nuclear energy company into a steel company. As seen in the last question, the decentralized structure helped Nucor react t problems quickly due to the ability of employees to take t he authority to solving problems. To be a great company, you need all three. This was evident in the case of Nucor because it was turned around and became a very successful company in a very different and difficult industry than where it started. )The SWOT analysis of Nucor is as follows. The strengths of Nucor are its strong market position, historically based position, increased production capacity, and strong technological focus. Nucor had a strong market position that allowed it to flourish in the steel industry. The strong market position is shown by its ability to stay out of the red during hard times. This is seen in exhibit 1. Nucor continued to have a positive net income, even during the low period between 2000 and 2002, as seen in exhibit 1. Nucor’s historically based position has given it a long-standing presence that is known to most steel consumers. This has helped Nucor because it tells the consumers that Nucor has been able to provide quality steel year after year. As seen in exhibit 1, Nucor has increasingly produced steel starting at 207,000 tons in 1970 to 22,118,000 tons in 2006. This growth is enormous and not once did Nucor’s steel sales fall below its previous year. Nucor’s strong technological focus has allowed it to become a power in the steel industry. It used electric arc furnaces when they were a new technology and encouraged further innovation into the steel production methods. Some weaknesses of Nucor are that it is mainly located in America and that the steel industry is already very developed. The fact that Nucor is mainly in America limits its growth. Nucor cannot compete with international companies so it is best to stay in America, but that continues to limit its growth because Nucor can only sell so much steel in the United States. The steel industry is very developed due to the early demand for the high amounts of steel back when the steel industry started. Now demand has lessened and the developed companies are fighting to stay alive. Nucor’s opportunities are joint ventures and new technologies. Nucor has taken advantage of some of its joint ventures in Brazil and Australia. This is good because is allows for an expanded production line and further integration backwards. New technologies are a good way for Nucor to grow as it can decrease its costs and therefore increase its net income. This is a necessity for Nucor due to its â€Å"prison-like† existence in America. The threats on Nucor are foreign competitors and decreasing demand. Foreign competitors are growing in the developing nations like India and China. These nations are very large and China already produces one third of the steel in the world. Decreasing is also a problem, which is caused by the increasing amount of suppliers. Nucor’s distinct competencies are its highly successful strategy and high quality human, technology, and leadership capital. 8)My assessment of Nucor’s stock is that it has done the best out of its American competitors as shown in exhibit 3. Exhibit 3 is a comparison of the stocks of Mittal Steel (MT), U. S. Steel (X), AK Holding Steel Company (AKS), and of course Nucor Corporation (NUE). As shown, exhibit 3 shows these four stocks from 1999 to 2009. Mittal Steel did surpass Nucor during the years of 2007 and 2008, but currently Nucor is the highest. This is good because it shows the reaction to the recession, and it shows that Nucor bounced back the best. I personally would not purchase any steel stock because I believe that the growing steel industries in China and India will over power the American steel companies. However, if I had to invest in a steel company, it would in fact be Nucor. 9)Nucor needs to address the growing steel industry in Asia. Daniel DiMicco needs to do something to ensure that Nucor survives. I would recommend further investment in new steel technologies, and if it comes to it, Nucor may have to change industries again, like it did back in 1970. DiMicco may want to make sure that he is not â€Å"keeping all of Nucor’s eggs in one basket† by staying in the steel industry. Moving into the energy industry may be a smart move as there is a definite need for alternative energy. Nucor’s current, increasing net income could help invest in alternative energies that would help Nucor become sustainable. 10)The biggest recent event is the possibility of China potentially steel dumping, which would under price Nucor substantially. This would lead to the downfall of Nucor. Another current event is the new technology of producing â€Å"Green Steel† (http://news. n. msn. com/business/article. aspx? cp-documentid=1090378). This is a new technology that takes waste plastic and converts it into steel. Since plastic is mainly carbon, it is possible to produce steel from the waste plastic. This would solve the problem of what to do with the plastic that is no longer used and help produce cheap steel that also lowers emissions. Lower temperature is needed in this new process therefore reducing the energy needed. This new technology converts waste into very much needed, and useful steel. Nucor Steel Case Study There are many competitive forces that are affecting Nucor Corporation. Some of the primary ones are the market size, number of rivals, and pace of technological change. The market size is shrinking because of the increase in competing international steel companies. The number of rivals in America is declining due to higher labor costs than in foreign countries. There is a very fast pace of technology in the steel industry and it seems that the company, that obtains the newest technology, flourishes. This is due to the difficulty in lower costs of steel production. Better technology is one of the only ways to decrease costs because labor is pretty much at a set cost and all that is left is the cost of iron and making the steel. If a company can get its hands on a new technology that allows it to under price its competitors then it has a big advantage in the steel industry. Nucor’s main rivals in the steel industry are AK Steel Holding Corporation, Mittal Steel Company, and U. S. Steel. The five forces for the steel industry are the buyers, substitutes, suppliers, threat of new entrants, and rivals. The buyers have a fairly strong power on the steel producers. This is because of the low switching cost between competitors. Unless a contract is signed between a steel company and its buyer, there is little cost to the buyer if it wants to switch to a different steel company. There are not very many substitutes for steel, as steel is a commodity, so the substitute power is weak. Steel is a one of a kind item in that it is very strong and very versatile in its use. It is used in buildings, automobiles, bridges, garage door openers, and many other everyday objects. Suppliers also have a weak power in the steel industry. The suppliers are supplying iron to steel companies. Iron is very common and many companies sell it. Also, steel companies frequently integrate backwards and provide their own iron to their steel mills. The threat of new entrants is very weak due to high entry barriers and the current struggling competitors. The rival power is moderate to strong because there are a fair number of steelmaking companies. Also steel dumping occurs, but I will be talking about that later. According to this analysis, Nucor is in a three star industry, so it seems to have an okay chance at surviving. It is not the best industry to be in, but Nucor still has been able to flourish due to its organizational philosophy and technological innovation. 2) The driving forces behind the steel industry are industry growth rate, globalization, technological change and manufacturing process innovation, exit of major firms, and frequent change in cost. The steel industry is falling. There is a declining demand for steel and many companies have already gone bankrupt or are on the verge of going bankrupt. Some of these companies are Bethlehem Steel and Ling-Temco-Vought. The steel industry is very difficult to compete in because more steel is being produced than there is demand for it. Globalization is also a problem for the steel industry in America. Due to globalization it is getting easier for competing companies to send their products to other countries. This causes a problem for companies like Nucor because America has strict labor laws. In other countries labor is exploited and workers are paid very little, while in America, companies must pay their workers a minimum wage. One good thing that America does do is provide tariffs on incoming steel products to help American companies better compete with the international companies. Some countries are subsidiaries to the steel companies in their countries. This means that the governments have a vested interest in the company and want it to succeed. The companies can then sell products, like steel, at a much lower price due to the incoming funding form the government. China has been accused of this and America has taken action to alert the World Trade Organization to settle the matter, but this is only one step to â€Å"leveling the playing field† with China. The technologies for making steel are constantly changing and this allows for more efficient and therefore cheaper steel products. It seems that the companies, who obtain these technologies, obtain a significant head start in the industry. Like I said before, many companies are going bankrupt and are leaving the exiting the industry. Since steel is a commodity it leads to very volatile prices and can change quite frequently due to demand. By looking at Exhibit 1, you can see how the average price per ton decreased form $425 per ton in 2000 to $354 per ton in 2001. This exhibit shows how many tons of steel Nucor sold during certain years from 1970 to 2006. It is interesting to see that Nucor’s net income was fairly low during the years of 2000-2002, but increased to $1,121. 5 million. This is because of Nucor’s many acquisitions during the low period. Just a few years later in 2004, the price of steel was back up to $595 per ton. These driving forces very easily impact the steel industry’s competitive structure in a bad way. These driving forces make it very difficult for steel companies to compete in this industry. 3)The prospects for future profitability of the U. S. steel makers are very unattractive. Unless America can successfully combat China’s enormously, inexpensive, production ability, I do not see any American steel company surviving. China just has too big of a production ability and has the workforce to do it cheaply. Nucor will have to expand in this industry in the United States to survive. If the WTO negotiations with China go well then American steel companies may have a chance in the steel industry. If they do, then America can increase tariffs on incoming steel products and give American steel companies a chance to survive. Future profitability looks grim for American steel companies because of what I described before. China has been accused of subsidizing its steel companies, therefore funding them to make it possible to â€Å"dump steel† which is the process of selling steel at prices below the cost of making it. China would do this because then it would eventually under price foreign competitors and run them out of business. This, supposedly, happened back in 2000-2001 and devastated the steel industry in America, causing many companies to go bankrupt or be bought by other companies. Nucor was lucky enough to have survived this fall out and acquired many steel plants at low prices. The steel industry did bounce back in 2005-2006 and this allowed Nucor to grow quite rapidly due to its previous acquisitions. If America can again survive the big Chinese power, then Nucor will succeed, but right now it looks bleak for the American steel industry. 4)Nucor has adopted a low-cost strategy based on four parts. These parts are acquisitions, technological innovation, plant innovation, and joint ventures. The acquisition part of the Nucor strategy is that it has acquired many different steel companies in 2000-2001, when the steel industry in America was suffering. Because of the low time in the steel industry, Nucor could purchase steel companies at lower prices than normal. This helped its low-cost strategy substantially because it allowed Nucor to grow yet still remain a low-cost steel producer. Exhibit 2 shows Nucor’s financials, and very accurately illustrates the hit Nucor took during the low period of 2000-2003. This was a perfect time for Nucor to buy other steel companies, as this was one of the only ways for it to grow. Nucor invested heavily in new technologies. Investing in new technologies is very important for steel companies to do, as it is very easy to reduce costs if the company has a foothold on a new technology. Nucor focused on the introduction of disruptive technologies to give it an advantage in the market as compared to its competitors in terms of product quality, cost per ton, and market share. One example of this is the Castrip process. This new process produced flat-rolled, carbon, and stainless steels in very thin gauges. It allowed Nucor to produce steel in fewer steps, and helped produce savings in its operating expenses, therefore increasing Nucor’s net income. The Castrip process needed lower-quality scrap steel, which decreased costs of the scrap steel, and required 90% less energy. Also this new process cut green house gases by 80%. Nucor also increased its capital investments on the newest machinery to provide more efficient steel plants. By providing its workforce with the best possible technology, Nucor was able to max out production yet still retain a safe working environment. The implementation of hard working plant managers, produced hardworking managers that are aggressive enough to implement methods to improve product quality while keeping costs low. Nucor’s last strategic part was its joint ventures. By investing in joint ventures, Nucor was able to grow internationally with out the full capital risk. Some examples of this were its joint ventures in Brazil, Australia, and Trinidad. The joint venture in Brazil was between Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and Nucor. The goal was to produce an environmentally friendly pig iron plant that used eucalyptus trees as fuel. The use of eucalyptus trees as fuel removed 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for every one ton of pig iron produced. Another joint venture was three other companies in Australia. This plant used a new technology process called HIsmelt. This new process converted iron ore to pig iron at a lower cost and higher quality than previously known pig iron producing technologies. The Trinidad plant was acquired in 2007 and was originally in Louisiana. The plant was moved to Trinidad because of the constant supply of natural gas as fuel therefore lowering costs. This plant reduced scrap metal dependence by as much as 25%. It also allowed for a higher quality production of sheet steel. Nucor’s four-part strategy has lead to a competitive sustainable advantage as seen in exhibit 2 between the years of 2004-2006 when its net income soared to more than $1,757. 7 million. Nucor used a cost-based advantage to achieve its competitive sustainable advantage. )Nucor employed an organization philosophy consisting of decentralization, individually operated plants, a three layer structure, good compensation practices for its employees, and good employee relations. Nucor’s decentralized structure allowed for its employees to make quick decisions that did not have to go through all of the bureaucratic steps like that in a centralized company. A decentralized co mpany relied on higher quality employees that could analyze a situation and react quickly and successfully. The individually operated plants were akin to the decentralized company. Each plant was individually responsible for its profits. The three layers consisted of the executives at the headquarters located in South Carolina, the general managers that ran the plants and talked to the executives, and the hourly employees that did most of the labor at the plants. The general managers ran the plants individually form each other and were expected to reach, at least, a 25% return on its total assets. If a general manager failed this, the executives would interfere and had no hesitation in replacing an unsuccessful general manager. The individual plants allowed for team like competitions between plants to see who could be the best performer. Nucor was nonunion, but provided salaries based on competing plants’ salaries in the area. Nucor offered a generous compensation bonus to good work that differed for each worker. Hourly workers received bonuses if they produced more than the standard number of tons. Department managers earned annual bonuses depending on percentage of net income to dollars of assets. Nucor also had great employee relations. Nucor offered 401k plans by matching up to 25% of employees’ contributions. Medical and dental plans were very common for Nucor employees. There was also a tuition reimbursement of up to $2,750 for any employee. For the children of employees, Nucor would provide a scholarship up to $2,750, which would encourage employees to stay until their went to college. As seen here, Nucor treated its employees very well to reduce employee turnover and attract the best employees. Nucor required a high human capital if it were going to use a decentralized structure. The high quality employees that Nucor attracted helped Nucor execute its low-cost strategy, and led to superior results. )Nucor’s leadership, great strategy, and execution were what led to why Nucor was so successful in the steel industry. The great leader that Nucor relied upon was Kenneth Iverson, who changed Nucor from a nuclear energy company into a steel company. As seen in the last question, the decentralized structure helped Nucor react t problems quickly due to the ability of employees to take t he authority to solving problems. To be a great company, you need all three. This was evident in the case of Nucor because it was turned around and became a very successful company in a very different and difficult industry than where it started. )The SWOT analysis of Nucor is as follows. The strengths of Nucor are its strong market position, historically based position, increased production capacity, and strong technological focus. Nucor had a strong market position that allowed it to flourish in the steel industry. The strong market position is shown by its ability to stay out of the red during hard times. This is seen in exhibit 1. Nucor continued to have a positive net income, even during the low period between 2000 and 2002, as seen in exhibit 1. Nucor’s historically based position has given it a long-standing presence that is known to most steel consumers. This has helped Nucor because it tells the consumers that Nucor has been able to provide quality steel year after year. As seen in exhibit 1, Nucor has increasingly produced steel starting at 207,000 tons in 1970 to 22,118,000 tons in 2006. This growth is enormous and not once did Nucor’s steel sales fall below its previous year. Nucor’s strong technological focus has allowed it to become a power in the steel industry. It used electric arc furnaces when they were a new technology and encouraged further innovation into the steel production methods. Some weaknesses of Nucor are that it is mainly located in America and that the steel industry is already very developed. The fact that Nucor is mainly in America limits its growth. Nucor cannot compete with international companies so it is best to stay in America, but that continues to limit its growth because Nucor can only sell so much steel in the United States. The steel industry is very developed due to the early demand for the high amounts of steel back when the steel industry started. Now demand has lessened and the developed companies are fighting to stay alive. Nucor’s opportunities are joint ventures and new technologies. Nucor has taken advantage of some of its joint ventures in Brazil and Australia. This is good because is allows for an expanded production line and further integration backwards. New technologies are a good way for Nucor to grow as it can decrease its costs and therefore increase its net income. This is a necessity for Nucor due to its â€Å"prison-like† existence in America. The threats on Nucor are foreign competitors and decreasing demand. Foreign competitors are growing in the developing nations like India and China. These nations are very large and China already produces one third of the steel in the world. Decreasing is also a problem, which is caused by the increasing amount of suppliers. Nucor’s distinct competencies are its highly successful strategy and high quality human, technology, and leadership capital. 8)My assessment of Nucor’s stock is that it has done the best out of its American competitors as shown in exhibit 3. Exhibit 3 is a comparison of the stocks of Mittal Steel (MT), U. S. Steel (X), AK Holding Steel Company (AKS), and of course Nucor Corporation (NUE). As shown, exhibit 3 shows these four stocks from 1999 to 2009. Mittal Steel did surpass Nucor during the years of 2007 and 2008, but currently Nucor is the highest. This is good because it shows the reaction to the recession, and it shows that Nucor bounced back the best. I personally would not purchase any steel stock because I believe that the growing steel industries in China and India will over power the American steel companies. However, if I had to invest in a steel company, it would in fact be Nucor. 9)Nucor needs to address the growing steel industry in Asia. Daniel DiMicco needs to do something to ensure that Nucor survives. I would recommend further investment in new steel technologies, and if it comes to it, Nucor may have to change industries again, like it did back in 1970. DiMicco may want to make sure that he is not â€Å"keeping all of Nucor’s eggs in one basket† by staying in the steel industry. Moving into the energy industry may be a smart move as there is a definite need for alternative energy. Nucor’s current, increasing net income could help invest in alternative energies that would help Nucor become sustainable. 10)The biggest recent event is the possibility of China potentially steel dumping, which would under price Nucor substantially. This would lead to the downfall of Nucor. Another current event is the new technology of producing â€Å"Green Steel† (http://news. n. msn. com/business/article. aspx? cp-documentid=1090378). This is a new technology that takes waste plastic and converts it into steel. Since plastic is mainly carbon, it is possible to produce steel from the waste plastic. This would solve the problem of what to do with the plastic that is no longer used and help produce cheap steel that also lowers emissions. Lower temperature is needed in this new process therefore reducing the energy needed. This new technology converts waste into very much needed, and useful steel.

Boy Scouts and Militarism

Boy scouts movements are what we can consider embedded in the culture of many countries. The appeal of this youth movement had captured the attention of young boys worldwide. The Boy Scout movement had built a decent reputation of rearing young boys with admirable characteristics. This gained reputation is the very basis why the Boy Scout movement had become the largest youth-based organization in the world. When people hear of the term â€Å"Boy Scouts†, they associate it much with camping and other fun activities.According to founder of the movement, Robert Baden-Powell, the activities of the Boy Scouts are focused on developing physical and mental fitness, camaraderie, character, and citizenship. The program of the Boy Scout movement claims to be designed to help young people to develop self-reliance, courage, and integrity, among many other admirable traits (Elleke 12-15). The truth behind those stereotypes would not be questioned. What this paper would delve on is what ma ny admirers may had overlooked regarding the nature and the origin of the of the most influential youth movement.Many critics had argued that the Boy Scout movement can find its roots as being militaristic in nature. The concept of militarism may sound too radical when aligned with the seemingly innocent movement, who talks about having fun while aiming towards being better persons. But of course, criticisms would not be heard of if they are lacking solid and convincing basis. If the nature of the origin of the Boy Scouts movement would be reviewed, the possibility of militarism could be easily disregarded. It is beyond question that the Boy Scout movement is promoting very ideal yet admirable concepts for youths.But since there is lots of evidence that suggests militaristic beginnings, this paper would argue, as a reiteration to the arguments of forerunners with the same argument: that it is undeniable that the Boy Scout movement had started as an interest group that is based much on militarism. To springboard this argument, there is no need to look far from the word â€Å"Boy Scouts. † The term â€Å"scouts† alone would ring a military function. The term would suggest military functions that are closely related to information gathering and reconnaissance.IF we give much thought on this term, we could relate it to the incorporation of outdoor activities (e. g. camping, trekking) to Boy Scout programs. The movement claims that those outdoor activities are for developing self-reliance and survival in the wild. It is hard to dismiss the notion that these kinds of activities have resemblances to military training. The question of where would Boy Scouts could use this kind of training would certainly intrigue critics. It appears that knowledge of survival in the outdoors is not as practical as the movement promotes.Knowledge of survival in the outdoors is much useful in the context of war. Militaristic Origins Scouting can be traced back from the tim e of Robert Baden-Powell, a British lieutenant- general who founded the Scouting Movement. It all started and happened during the Siege of Mafeking, Second Boer War. Baden-Powell recruited boys with ages 12- 15 years old whom he eventually trained. From this situation, he founded the Boy Scouts, which is clearly seen to be a product of a militaristic movement. The roots of British Boy Scouts, on the other hand, can be traced from its foundation in May 1909.The organization was actually composed through members of Scout troops in the Battersea District. Although lacking of financial and human power support, the organization survived through various ways of generating these two important resources. To gain financial assistance, the organization pursued to get initial funds through acquiring sponsors. The members used the weekly page of the paper Chums to generate funds from their sponsors. To gain more members, the foundation spread the news of their existence in other parts of the Un ited Kingdom.However, in October of that same year, the British Boy Scouts was reconciled with Baden-Powell’s headquarters. They became the allied organization of Baden-Powell with Sir Francis Vane giving his assurances. That time, he is the Commissioner of Baden-Powell London. One proof that the British Boy Scouts originated from a military orientation is the incident that happened the following month. It was November 1909 when Sir Francis Vane suddenly made a schism right after he was ousted by Baden- Powell from the Scout Association.The two men actually have opposing views regarding the militarism and bureaucracy. Vane made strong arguments regarding Baden- Powell’s militaristic and political leadership over his headquarters staff. Here, the British Boy Scouts proved their support to Sir Francis Vane. They came with Sir Francis Vane in his schism and chose him to be their leader. From this point, The British Boy Scouts expanded its connections and alliances through founding another organization in the early 1910—the National Peace Scouts. It was actually a joined organization with the Boy’s Life Brigade.From a small organization, the British Boy Scouts, late known as Brotherhood of British Scouts, expanded through forming some allies with other countries such as the United States, Hong Kong, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Indi, New Zealand, and South America. It was then called The Order of World Scouts in 1911. From a small organization, it expanded to 12 countries. (Jeal 428) However, The Order of World Scouts suddenly declined and eventually made its downfall when Sir Francis Vane got involved with bankruptcy, making the Brotherhood of British Scouts fell back as a domestic, small organization. The presence of militaristsIn 1910, fifty- six percent of the 250 Presidents and Commissioners, a total of 140 men, were identified as military officers, whether serving or retired (Springhall, 939-940). With this huge militaristic pr esence in the government, the Boys Scout Association can be given doubts as the organization that acts as front for further military ambitions. Involvement of the youth in war In Baden-Powell’s book entitled Scouting For Boys, one chapter discusses marksmanship which is said to be the same with patriotism (Baden-Powell 322). When World War 1 exploded, the scouts were used as auxiliary assistance of the war.Moreover, those who ages fifteen to seventeen could undergo special trainings in basic infantry techniques, entrenching, shooting, and signaling. In addition, a specific cadet corps called Mafeking Cadet Corps helped military missions through transmitting messages, decreasing the duties of the military men while providing the boys with something to do during the siege. The Mafeking Cadet Corps composed of young boys was of great help to the military during the siege in 1899 to 1990. Similarities to militarism The resemblances between the Boy Scout movement and groups with m ilitaristic nature are very striking indeed.The similarities between the two would go beyond similarities in their appearance. Boy Scouts are sporting uniforms that could only have been inspired by military uniforms. But more striking is the use of badges to determine ranks or seniority. The concept of â€Å"badges† could be interpreted as one of the drawbacks of the design of the program of the Boy Scout movement. Boy Scouts could be trained and condition to think that everything they do must translate to merits. This could be more than contradicting to the movement’s preamble that is seemingly altruistic.Many critics had posted the striking similarities, even in the design of Boy Scouting badges to those that the military forces are using. It could also be included that the Boy Scout movements also conduct flag ceremonies in an almost religious manner. Only the military forces practice such religiosity towards nationalistic practices like the flag ceremony. The desig n of conducting flag ceremonies, in relation to the argument that Boy Scouting involves much militarism could have been for re-instilling nationalistic thoughts in the minds of young people.In Baden-Powell’s book, Scouting For Boys, he had something that could be relatively too hard to absorbed by young people, but not of young people under militaristic training â€Å"be prepared to die for your country is it need be, so that when the moment arrives you may charge home with confidence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The most notable part of his line was targeted to young Boy Scouts â€Å"†¦not caring whether you are going to be killed or not† (Baden-Powell 331-332) For Baden-Powell, the ideal citizenship involves being preparedness for the possibility of death while serving the country.Those lines could be closely associated to what military personnel say all the time, like they are brainwashed or something, especially when they are set to fight in a war. Even the seemingly innoce nt practices of Boy Scouts like songs, chants, and marching finds its roots to military influences. Almost all Boy Scout song and chants have similarities to those of the military forces. There striking similarities in terms of cadence, melody, and content.There is no need to expound on marching as being military influenced. That just requires an open-and-critical mind dashed with even the slightest common sense. Moreover, the similarities go beyond appearances between Boy Scouts and the military. Even the internal design of the Boy Scout program seems to follow militaristic thinking. During the early years of the Boy Scout movement, the divisions of the early version of the Boy Scout movement have very explicit similarities to the way military forces are organized.It was like there is a corresponding branch within the Boy Scout movement to branches of the military forces. In 1912, there was the Sea Scouts, during World War 2 there was the Air Scouts of 1940 (Vane 19). In the founda tional book â€Å"Scouting For Boys†, there was a whole section dedicated for the discussion of the Navy and the Army (Baden-Powell 328-330) Misleading design Militaristic qualities are ever present and obvious at the Boy Scout movement. Yet advocates of the movement persistently dispel the argument that the movement is in anyway militaristic.Their first line of defense was the seemingly innocent and politically stripped words of Robert Baden-Powell (see introduction of this paper). But many critics view Baden-Powell’s design as misleading and leaning towards militaristic ideals. One point of argument by the movement’s critics is that misleading leanings set by Baden-Powell. The founder of the movement claims that Boy Scouts are aiming for high morality. According to critics, that kind of design is also employed by other misleading organizations such as when the pacifist group Boys Life Brigade aiming at â€Å"saving lives.† (Foster) One of the most popul ar interpretations of the Boy Scout movement as a whole is by former president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. His comments are devoid of any leanings, but still it provides good material for this discussion â€Å"†¦it does not try to make soldiers out of Boy Scouts, but tot make boys who will turn out as men to be fine citizens, and who will, if their country needs them , make better soldiers for having been scouts† (Roosevelt) A critic had analyzed Baden-Powell’s words to his publisher in 1901.Baden-Powell’s words are â€Å"if you want to ensure peace let them see you are prepared for war†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That alone could paint a militaristic interpretation, yet Baden-Powell added and pertaining to the Boy Scoutsâ€Å"†¦a wise and practical organization of the splendid material lying ready to our handsâ€Å" (Adams 123) The critic had concluded that the real motive behind the creation of the Boy Scout movement is to provide additional defen se for the British military. (Foster) Conclusion The Boy Scout movement started as an organization that has an altruistic mission of helping young people.But political opportunists had recognized the potential of the growing movement. And by their power and influences, they had managed to create a seemingly innocent movement that has subtly incorporated militaristic traits. Moreover, the Boy Scout movement can not deny the fact that their origins are of militaristic nature. Even the founder of the movement had come from the military. It is just understandable that he may incorporate militaristic ideals in the formulation of the organization that he had started.Having a militaristic origin does not reflect negatively on the Boy Scouts of today. What is the most efficient way to do is to separate negative and positive traits from militarism. They should reject negative militaristic traits like leanings towards war. More importantly, preserve positive militaristic traits like high-leve ls of discipline and nationalism. Works cited Adams, William Scovell . Edwardian Portraits. UK: Secker and Warberg. 1957 Baden-Powell, Robert. Scouting For Boys: The Original 1908 Edition.Dover Publications ,Incorporated. 2007 Boehmer, Elleke (2004). Notes to 2004 edition of Scouting for Boys. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Elleke, Boehmer. Notes to 2004 edition of Scouting for Boys. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004 Jeal, Tim, Baden-Powell, Hutchinson. The Vane Rebellion Pages. 1989 Michael Foster. MILITARISM AND THE SCOUT MOVEMENT. Scout History Association. 17 April 2008 Vane, Sir Francis. The Boy Knight, The Council of the National Peace Scouts. 1910

Office Automation Essay

Office automation has made office work to be efficient nowadays for the organizations that have adopted the system. Office automation usually refers to a situation where office activities are computerized so that it becomes easier for them to be executed faster and efficiently. This had been facilitated by use of computer in the office and it has really help many companies to cut cost in terms of manpower. Office automation has been relied on by many companies to collect, store, create and transmit office information when they are needed in order to accomplish some basic activities in the office. (Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P, 1994) Our organization has adopted a number of automation and collaboration software to enable them carry on their activities efficiently and to cut cost on wages and salaries. Collaborative software is a system that an organization adopts in order to ensure that the organization is working a coordinated manner when they are executing they office work in their day to day activities. Our organization has not been left in terms of automation as it has implemented some collaborative software to facilitate office activities. Some of the collaborative software that has been adopted by our organization is use of email and instant messaging. The use of email to communicate in our organization has facilitated conveying of messages and data from one point to another either within the organization or even outside the organization. Since the organization adopted the system, it has seen the organization be able to cut cost in term on the cost it incurred previously to send communication via other mode of transmission. However, when it comes to internal communication within the organization, our company has adopted intranet system where employees within the organization uses company mail to send emails to each others only. The use of email in the office has some advantage in that it is the cheapest means of communication, one can forward the mail to another person, one can open the mail from any computer in the world that is connected to the internet, and there is unlimited storage facility. Another advantage of using email to communicate is that the message can be stored in the receiver’s inbox even if he is not in the office. Some of the disadvantages of email are that it might not be used to communicate confidential information; people might misuse the facility and keep on browsing through the internet instead of working. Instant messaging is collaborative software that has been adopted by our organization to communicate within or outside the organization. This facility is very popular in our organization as one get feedback immediately after sending a message to the other person either within or outside the organization. The disadvantage of the facility is that since it requires instant feedback it cannot be used to communicate if the receiver is not there to reply to the message. The facility also cannot be used to communicate detailed information like data and for this case; it needs someone to use another facility. The facility also cannot be used where one want to attach something like a photograph or a map. (Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P, 1994) The collaborative software adopted by our organization has been of great use in our organization to convey messages within and outside the organization. Our company has saved a lot when it adopted the facilities and abandoned the older mean of communication where they used fax or even letters and parcel which are slow and expensive.

Democracy Remixed

If we take a look at American History, we see that many African Americans before us accomplished many things, in various disciplines, such as become the surgeon general of the United States, Win an Olympic Gold medal, Become a President of an Ivy League University, become CEO of a Fortune 500 company or even become President of the United States. These and the others on the extensive list of African American Firsts did not come easy or were given. In the words of Cohen, â€Å"They had to work hard, be respectful, and always have your superior humanity on display for whites to observe. With more and more 1st being accomplished, it has become more possible for many African Americans to reach hose same positions or go further. Today, in the year 2014, we also have new problems to face in terms of this new technology. Black twitter, for example, is an unofficial title for a community on twitter that has a huge impact online and in the media. Whether there is a primetimes television show or some breaking news story, Black twitter has you covered. Seemingly as a voice for all black Americans, this is heavily skewed by its demographic.Consisting of mainly young adults, this community becomes very negative and often creates moral panic and suppresses ACH other in the black community. The post-racial thesis suggests that in the post- civil rights era, material conditions have improved for Black Americans, but the conditions Black Americans face today are markedly better than the conditions that earlier generations had faced. As one example of many pressures black youth are facing, this shows that material conditions may have increased but the pressures are still prevalent In Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the future of American Politics, a book by Cathy J.Cohen, discusses about the political life of young black people, not emitted to their relationship with the state and or government but between their peers, other members of the black community and the larger soci ety. In relation to the post-racial thesis, this book contains arguments that serve as a counter to the post-racial thesis by discussing many issues that young black people face. In chapter 2, she introduces the phenomenon called moral panics and how they affect the black community, especially black youth.In chapter 5, she discusses forms of alienation that black youth face and how they engage in the public sphere, attempting to voice heir own public agenda. In chapter 6, she engages the ideas that young black people develop in light of the election of the country 1st black president and what this means to them. Chapter 2, â€Å"Gangs Rap Made Me do it†, talks about moral panics and how Bill Cowboys and Don Emus are examples of creating such things. Earlier on in the chapter, they discuses some statistics developed by The Black Youth Project.These statistics showed results from surveys filled out by African Americans ages 30 and above and group based on levels of income The t opics of the survey included Rap Music's perceived Influence on Black Youth, The behavior of too many young black Americans threatens to progress of respectable black people who are trying to do the right things, and reasons young black Americans find it hard to get ahead. These topics were surprisingly posed to non-youth about three topics that involve black youth in America.Many of these adults had an opinion on all of these questions, because of moral panics. Cohen states that moral panic is a concept typically used by scholars to explain irrational and inflated reactions to lesser events that have been exaggerated by the media. Through the media, the crisis itself is shrouded by the massive uproar generated by the public. Bill Cowboys, known for his comedic background, spoke at Constitution Hall in Washington, D. C. Where they were commemoration the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.The topics that he received fire from were the ones directed to poor black people a nd the black youth. From Cowboys perspective he is trying to let it be know that everything black people do, is a representation of all black Americans. His comments toward poor members in the black community included â€Å"These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids, $500 sneakers for what? And wont spend $200 dollars for ‘Hooked on Phonics. ‘ † Here we have an older African American who is removed a generation from those parents he are addressing.This alone shows that there is a problem with the consecutive generation. This also highlights that the generation of parents who are buying the kids expensive sneakers are more worried about looks that education. We can infer that the kids wanted the expensive sneakers because of social pressures to be wealth. Also, His comments on Black Youth culture is that the out of today are uneducated when it comes to knowing about their African American and their African culture.He makes remarks about how bla ck males are putting on clothes backwards and sagging of pants, and women wearing short skirts and piercing. This is another example of pressure that the youth are facing because Bill Cowboys is probably not the only person making these remarks. The pressures of previous generations in its self are making it hard for the young black American to live. She introduces the 21st century, the average youth has a lot of things to deal with. Bullying, growing up, peer pressure, family, school

School Culture and Climate Management Research Paper

School Culture and Climate Management - Research Paper Example The author of the essay "School Culture and Climate Management" begins with the short introduction of the topic. He tells that upon entering the premises of a school, a visitor may immediately feel a sense of the school’s prevailing social climate. A positive atmosphere should be palpable upon walking through the school premises. Classrooms may be designed differently, but my school maintains a standard by which each classroom teacher adheres to. Several studies have been completed on the topic of classroom climate and how it affects student learning. Wilson et al. (2007) concluded that an effective classroom climate encompasses a warm, child-centered, positive environment in which the teacher exhibits sensitivity to each student’s emotional and instructional needs and structures instruction to encourage student autonomy and self-control. The teacher is enthusiastic and respectful of students and encourages students to pursue their interests. (Douglas, 2008, p. 41) Wilson adds that a well-managed, positive school environment where adults manifest sensitivity and allow autonomy in the students’ learning coupled with evaluative feedback results in the development of positive social behaviors of the people within that school. Therefore, It follows that quality of interpersonal relationships within the school determines the factors that create a school’s culture and climate. Fulfilling relationships flourish in pleasant learning environments, influencing academic achievement. (Van Petegem et al., 2008). A pleasant learning environment brings about well-being among students, which is described as â€Å"a positive emotional state that is the result of harmony between the sum of specific context factors on the one hand and the personal needs and expectations towards the school on the other hand† (Engels, Aelterman, Van Petegem, Schepens, & Deconinck, 2004, p. 11). Dynamic factors such as the nature of students’ experiences in their positive interactions with their teachers are more essential than structural factors. According to Munro (2007), Pianta devised certain questions to explore these dynamics: What do children experience in the school? How do their experiences and interactions affect their learning? How can the quality of interactions and experiences in classrooms be improved through observations and professional development? (p. 46) In the implementation of the school’s mission and the achievement of its vision, the school culture and climate has to be consistent in meeting set expectations. Widespread agreement among researchers prevails that a positive and pleasant environment that emphasizes sensitivity to student needs from caring and supportive teachers and school staff increases the likelihood of student success (Wilson et al., 2007; Douglas, 2008; Van Petegem et al., 2008; Munro, 2007; Black, 2006). Blankstein (2004) identified the six principles that promote student achievement and these reflect the school’s culture and climate: common mission, vision, values and goals; ensuring achievement for all students by establishing systems that provide

Effective teamwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Effective teamwork - Essay Example Organizations all over the world are looking for new work structures or forms and concepts so that they can comply with their internal and external demands, and this puts them an edge over their competitors (Rosenhauer, 2009). For this reason, teams have become an integral tool in many organizations for the purpose of management to ensure that the external and internal demands are met. Despite the fact that not all teams will work well, they are known to harness the collective energy of all members and there needs to be proper strategies to be followed to ensure that teams are effective. Teams refer to a group of individuals who have complementary skills and committed to a common goal, which they will be mutually accountable to ensure its success. Team members will come up with a distinct identity the work together by supporting each other to ensure that they achieve their set objective. Accomplishing a task is the extent, to which a team’s effectiveness is determined, and tea ms achieve this because working together and combining the different expertise goes a long way in ensuring success of any endeavor. Successful teams will be determined by the levels team spirit, which ensure trust, respect for one another, helping each other and being collaborative (West, 2004). Bringing people together does not necessarily mean that they will work effectively as a team and make the right decisions. People in a team will come from different backgrounds, and this can be a plus or a minus depending on how the team members relate, and this means that teams can either help or frustrate the emotional or social needs of members, which determines the effectiveness of the team. Team indifference results as a product of failing to enhance good teamwork, which is likely to result to poor performance. Effective teamwork will require certain measures put in place to ensure that people who are put together work collaboratively to achieve the set ends. Resources are an important success factor for a team and forming a team whose resources, task and membership matches is paramount when considering forming a team. This is because lack of resources may result to scramble of the available ones, which may cause stifles in the workforce. Good leadership is also paramount to the success of any team as the leader will coordinate the activities of the team to ensure that all members accomplish their tasks to ensure that there are no delays in delivery of the products (West, 2004). Team member commitment plays an integral part as no member will want to work more than the other members. Members should identify with their goals and ensure that they have achieved their task, which eliminates the chances of certain members feeling that they are overworked. Developing team goals plays an important role in ensuring that the members have focus on the ends that they are supposed to meet and this gives them a shared vision, which will motivate them as they want to achieve the set goal by the allocated time. Common ownership and joint responsibility is the other determining factor of an effective team as this will ensure that team members are in unison and are determined to achieve the set

The book the Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Research Paper

The book the Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Research Paper Example The meteor – A message from God Symbolism is nothing but employing concrete symbols to display a detailed and deeper meaning. Symbols sometimes present a moral belief, religious belief or value. Literature works are never rich without the use of symbolism. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's celebrated work The Scarlet Letter, the novelist lavishly uses symbols that have a deeper meaning. This can be considered as the most symbolic piece of literature that the American literature has ever seen. The splendid use of symbolism in this works has contributed much to the rise of American literature. The most obvious symbol in the work is the scarlet â€Å"A† that the main character is required to wear. The novelist makes use of symbolism to explain how the Puritans and their people dealt with sin and how that affects sinners. The scarlet letter ‘A’ shows sin Hester performed and the way Puritans treated Hester’s sin. The entire story is centered on this symbol Scar à ¢â‚¬Å"A†. Hester Prynne gives birth to a baby after committing adultery. She struggles to build a new life of dignity and repentance. In the case of Hester Prynne also society inflicts her with isolation and discrimination. As she committed adultery she was forced to wear a scarlet â€Å"A† which is a punishment for her. She suffered complete isolation as society considered her as nothing but an adulteress. As she had to wear the scarlet â€Å"A† she remained fully ostracized from the community. Hester’s inner longings never confirmed to the rigid laws of the puritan society. She was thus secluded from the society that made her contemplate the sin and other events in her life. Solitude made her make an attempt to free herself from the pricking of the sin. Hester is publicly humiliated and thrown to isolation by the people of Boston. She carries the badge of humiliation and isolation. Hester could escape from the solitude by leaving the Massachusetts Bay Co lony. She could remove the scarlet letter and lead a normal life if she had left the place. Hester, however, behaves indifferently as Chillingworth informs her that the town leaders are planning to relieve her from the scarlet letter. The solitude did not deprive Hester of her clear thoughts and determination. She desired to determine her own identity rather than allowing others to determine her identity. Hester never desired a mercy from others. She rather effectively used the life of isolation to realize her mistake and rebuild her life again. Isolation produced a positive effect on Hester. Hester considers the scarlet letter as a symbol of her sin and painful experiences. She doesn’t want to escape from her past and rather desired to learn from her past failures. Solitude is no longer a curse for Hester. Thus, Hester very determinedly integrates her sin into her life rather than escaping from its consequences. The symbol scarlet â€Å"A†, describes the life of the c entral character in the work. The novelist has explained the life of the central character through the symbolic scarlet â€Å"A† which she wears. The letter â€Å"A† has a better abstract meaning, â€Å"A† means American. During those periods America was a religion was a more religion-based country than it is today. The Puritan way of life influences Boston and several other regions of America. Americans were heavily punished for going against the Christian religion. Yet another interpretation for letter â€Å"A† is ‘able’

Fornatale & Mills and Hilmes Terms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fornatale & Mills and Hilmes Terms - Essay Example The essay "Fornatale & Mills and Hilmes Terms" talks about Fornatale & Mills and Hilmes detail separate if related transformations in the radio and compares the two discussions on their own terms since the radio has long been noted as the first ever invention in technology that opened the door gates to modern systems of communication.Fornatale and Mills naturally point out that radio has created a new sense of industry in the field of music and news. Way before, only news anchors were paid for their professional service; this goes for the AM stations that air news broadcasts. However, on the part of the FM radio stations, the DJ's only received â€Å"favor† costs from the network owners. Later on, though, this has gradually changed. Dj’s began requiring compensation and the whole radio industry was in full blast. From a simple source of entertainment and news, the radio industry has become a well grown commercial branch that generates profit from airing music and news f or the public audience. For this reason, the composers and the song writers and the producers of aired music at that time received double billing for the air broadcasting of their creations. Fortanale and Mills further insisted that because of this incident in the broadcasting industry, the music producers, and music co-creators tried to branch away from the broadcasting industry since they think that this particular commerce is costing them more than it is doing them the benefits of promoting their craft to the public.

Bmw Company Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bmw Company Analysis - Essay Example BMW is and always will be looking for new and innovative vehicles to develop in accordance with the needs and wants of the customers while keeping the environment and safety precautious as number one on the priority list. The all-hybrid vehicle is just one example of such a strategy that is in store for the customers. The other important step that BMW would be taking is to increase value for the customers while achieving higher profitability and growth targets with the programme to tap 6 billion Euros in efficiency potential by 2012. Furthermore the shareholders would benefit from company success to a greater extent and their confidence will be regained. New targets set by the CEO in September, 2007 to regaining the sales target of 8% to 10% in the Automobile segment will quieten down the non-ambitious target critics. Also, to solve its declining Dollar problem, BMW will use natural hedging and increase its purchases primarily in US dollars. Specialized Competitors exist in the industry. Luxury vehicles Mercedes and Audi and Lexus compete directly with some of the classes of BMW. It is tougher for BMW to compete than other premium car makers because it lacks the competition’s economies of scale. Audi uses components and engines from its huge Volkswagen owner just like Lexus uses many crucia l from Toyota’s while Mercedes trucks and smaller cars can provide hidden content for more luxurious models.

Life span development of Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Life span development of - Essay Example Nearly four months into her pregnancy my wife, reported feeling movements of the baby and the ultra sound scan confirmed that we were to have a girl child. The movements of the fetus in the womb of my wife became more and more pronounced, as the pregnancy progressed into the third trimester. Frequent kicks and shoves seemed to present themselves, which were lulled by wife reacting by attempting to soothe the fetus with her touch. My wife she developed a practice of holding long conversations with fetus. The remarkable feeling was there appeared to be responses from the fetus to the voice of my wife. On July 6, 1981 Nitya Miranda emerged, as the most beautiful baby, I had ever seen. My wife and I were thankful that she was a normal baby. The first few months saw Nitya grow from a fragile baby into a tireless toddler. Her motor skills developed fast and she was quick to stand and walk and then run. That was when it became a merry hell for my wife and me to keep up with her antics. It was also the time when we discovered that she had inherited febrile fits from me and so needed extra care at times of illness in keeping the fever down. By then we had our second child, a son. I observed the protective nature of my wife, when she started to pay less attention to her younger child and became protective of the Nitya, to try as far as possible to prevent her from getting an infection. Nitya was an inquisitive child, opening any unlocked cupboards she could reach or climbing on to chairs and stools to reach things. She also recognized that her mother preferred to sleep with her, when she was ill and gradually made use of this opportunity to get out her bed and slowly creep into the bed next to her mother on a regular basis. I was the bread winner of the family, while my wife tended to the children and the domestic chores. Mine was a marketing job, which required days away from home. In spite of all the attention my wife gave

International Port Security. (Freight, shippment studies) Essay

International Port Security. (Freight, shippment studies) - Essay Example The piracy and the armed robbery of ships belong to such crimes at sea. Last years the international terrorism has left the national frameworks and has turned into a problem of a world scale, becoming one of the most dangerous and unpredictable criminal actions. Sea objects often become the targets of terrorist organizations for putting pressure upon the governments of various countries. Though in the issue these actions do not lead to achievement of results desirable by terrorists, all of them involve people's sufferings, and even worst human victims, and cause a significant material damage. Piracy is unlawful actions against navigation in the waters outside of national jurisdiction of this or that country. It belongs to one of the most ancient threats to the vital interests of the states, representing now real danger to navigation and, first of all, to the rights of each person to life, to freedom, and to inviolability. Modern piracy is a child of criminal organizations. Some kind of trans-national corporations, which are engaged in traffic of drugs, weapon, contraband, now come into operation on the sea. The first one of their revenues is a piracy in traditional sense of the word. The second and, perhaps, more essential is the fulfilment of orders of big business. It is generally known that monopolies wage cruel war with each other. And frequently monopolists in order to overcome the competitor, to get ahead of it, to make it weaker by causing some material damage recourse to services of pirates. Making illegal actions, criminals not only abduct some material values, but also use power that cause damage to people's health and even murders. Actions of terrorists, which aspire to reach their purposes, at the expense of life of harmless people are similar.In order to have a possibility to struggle the terrorist and pirates attacks and to ensure secure maritime operations both at the sea and ashore it has been worked out the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. Let us make analysis of the Code and its implementation.ISPS Code and its ImplementationWhat is ISPS Code From the beginning of the 1980s the problem of safety at sea has become a subject of constant attention of the international governmental and nongovernmental organizations. As it was mentioned above the only way to get a result in the battle with various unlawful acts at sea is to combine the efforts of both governmental and nongovernmental organizations of all states. First of all let us consider overview of the notification obligations of ISPs and network operators in selected EU countries made by Patrick Camerer Cuss (2007). He provided the analysis of Security breaches in different EU countries.The UK When must you disclose To whom must you disclose Does National Law state what "appropriate Security Measures" are Response of the Member State to the Commission's Proposal When "there remains a significant risk to the security of the public electronic communications service". Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations Guidance

International Relations Between the United States of America and Assignment

International Relations Between the United States of America and Middle East Countries - Assignment Example The main issues that are dominating international relations and politics are the relationship between the United States of America and the Middle East. It is therefore important to identify the issues that have affected the fragile foreign relationship between some of the Middle East countries and the United States of America (Kivimà ¤ki, 64). Obama, in 2013, stated that ‘‘The united states of America will continue to foster peace among the Middle East countries†. There exists little debate around the question of what the United States international policies are towards some of the countries that are located in the Middle East as well as other countries in the globe. One of the policies of the United States towards the Middle East countries is centered at promoting peace as well as democracy in countries that have continued to be conflicts. Based on the terrorism attack that took place in the American soils by the extremist with camps in the Middle East, the US has targeted the Middle East with the intention of preventing the acts of terrorists around the world (Kivimà ¤ki, 65). Additionally, the prevention of biochemical weapons attack and nuclear proliferation in the Middle East is an of issue of significance in the anti-terror efforts with Iran being regarded as one of the countries that pose great danger to the world security as a result of its persistent initiative of creative nuclear weapon(Stephens, Elizabeth, and Steve, 14). The United States has therefore extended its efforts in the region with an intention of ensuring that such dangerous weapons are not developed. The US has also focused on Syria with many offenses such as development of chemical and biological weapon of mass destruction and support of international terrorism being leveled against their leaders.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Case Study Example LVMH constitutes of 60 subsidiaries each controlling several prestigious market brands. The company is interested in five-service and product area that include leather and fashion products, jewelry and watches, cosmetics and perfumes, alcohol (spirits and wines), and selective retailing. The subsidiaries have independent management though the overall management influences operations. LVMH’s corporate strategy is defined as strategic merge of independent companies that produce different or slightly different products. The companies may be thriving in the same market region or different market region (Wendlandt & Denis 3). LVMH creation of value LVMH seeks to create value in different ways especially by providing new value, adding value to the existing brands and providing quality value. Since the company emerged, it has continually sought to create new value by searching for companies with high performance potential and signing them into the merger business. The company dynamic ally gains recognition and market ground that allow it to create new value by seeking and purchasing new brands (Hannaford 95). The cost of producing each commodity reduces by merging different production and marketing entities. Negotiating for reduced advertisement charges, raw material costs, distribution cost and other similar operation becomes easier. As a result, the quantity of specific items can increase to lure the customers. Another measure that LVMH strives to attain is setting standards that improve their brand items. This ensures improved commodity quality. Apart from the above strategies, LVMH organizes exhibitions to show case their products. Additionally, it participates in community activities to improve its image. The â€Å"LVMH Young Artistic Award† is an annual price for creativity competition for students sponsored by LVMH (Wendlandt & Denis 3). LVMH partakes in direct activities to ensure increased value by improving quality of products. These activities include formulation of vision, training, boosting technical skills to improve service, consolidating resources and interviewing new recruits. The newly employed recruits are initiated into their job environment immediately to evaluate their productivity. They later enroll in a training program to further their skill (Wendlandt & Denis 3) LVMH capacities that distinguish it from its competitors Several advantages place LVMH above its competitors. The synergies associated with its subsidiaries’ financial portfolios provide a strong financial backing. The organization can determine the benefits of each subsidiary and sponsor them accordingly (Hoskinsson, Hitt and Ireland 95). LVMH is strategically diverse especially in the market enabling the company to target and serve customers with different lifestyles. Each subsidiary provides a venture that targets different consumers. It caters for alcohol lovers as well as fashion-oriented people who do not drink. Diversification strength ens efficiency, parenting measures and increases market influence. Efficiency improves because each business benefits from links with the mother corporation. The corporation also gains from the relationship. Each separate business has numerous partnership options for coordination during distribution, research, logistics and purchasing (Thompson 145). In the event that a business encounters challenges that are difficult to address, the mother corpor

The Appeal of Horror Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Appeal of Horror Movies - Essay Example Horror movies have a cathartic effect on the viewer. Many fears, suppressed in real life because of the expected ridicule from peers, can be given vent to at the film: Arachnophobia permits a boy to scream aloud and give vent to his very real fear of spiders. Horror movies also give the viewer emotional escape from real-world anxieties, such as unemployment or debt. Â  Horror movies provide an opportunity to exhibit gender roles. Men can show that they are not afraid, while girls are free to act quintessentially ‘feminine.’ There is also the social satisfaction of belonging to a group which exhibits similar reactions. Most often, horror movies are viewed in a group. Â  Horror movies satisfy a very real need in humans. The stimulation of the senses gives a keenness to mundane lives; suppressed emotions find expression; there is an escape from the stress of the real world; social bonding is facilitated. It is obvious that horror movies satisfy a basic need in humans. Long live Horror Films! Â  From the time of Icarus, man has always dreamt of flying like the birds. This dream became a reality with the Wright Brothers, and travel by air is now very much a part of modern life. Air travel has improved life through the speed of transport, but has the negative effect of increasing global warming and adding to man’s destructive capabilities. Â  One undeniable benefit of air travel is the factor of speed. This speed is a great advantage for the emergency transport of both people and goods, particularly in inaccessible terrain. People can be rescued from disaster zones, airlifted for medical aid, and save time on travel. Perishable goods, medical supplies, and relief can be transported rapidly to areas of need.

Leadership - MAO ZEDONG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership - MAO ZEDONG - Essay Example The story of Mao Zedong is one the Chinese reflect on to date. People understand that the situation of his growth to a national figure started by the decision to make a difference in the society. The idea was to allow people to understand they had rights. He wanted to show the society that even peasant farmers have a voice when it comes to making the choices within the society. He was born to wealthy farmer. From the beginning, Mao took up the nationalism sceptre as his guide towards the issues taking place within the organization. In many sessions, Mao was willing to lead the people towards a revolution and create a platform that would give them a say in the issues of the society (Shuyun, 2006). However, upon taking the leadership, he created the People’s Republic of China and stated that one party, the Communist Party of China, would control it. This reduced the participation of the people because only those accepted at the party level would have a chance at the leadership levels in the country. He played a psychological card that made it easy for him to consolidate his leadership in the country after taking up his position as the leader of the new republic (Shuyun, 2006). He wanted to see the country develop and his idea of the great leap forward was to see the country better managed, developing, and increasing its appeal to everyone across the world. People would get a chance to participate in the growth by learning new skills that would be essential for the general improvement of their lives. This set the country apart towards the achievement of greatness (Chang, & Halliday, 2005). A variety of leadership styles can be used to define the life of Mao as a leader of the great country of China. At the very start of his journey towards meeting the ideals of his people as a revolutionary, Mao was using a contingency theory of leader. Here, the leader knew that the only way of making it work in the country was by changing the leadership styles to

Substance Abuse Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Substance Abuse - Coursework Example In relation to Miller family document, Sam Miller, who is 50 years old, is experiencing alcoholic characteristic signs and symptoms that have both biological and psychological significance. Sam is divorced and is estranged from both the son and the ex-wife. He equally has a long history of work and legal problems that are instigated by his drinking habit. According to the family history of Sam Miller, neither the father nor the mother is alcoholics and the same can be said to the grandparents. It is thus evident that the alcoholism as portrayed by Sam is not genetically acquired. Nevertheless, environmental factors can work in synergy to influence alcoholism in an individual, like peers one associate with and the nature of one’s work (Krohn, 2013). Having begun abusing alcohol at an early age, Sam has become dependent on the substance, thus has had profound implication to his life making him be termed as a social failure. Beginning consumption of alcohol at an early stage of life leads to addiction to the drug followed by dependence. When one depends on drug, he/she becomes inefficiently functional in the absence of the drug, thus the fact that Sam Miller began consuming alcohol at an earlier stage in life has increased the dependency on alcohol. Brunetti, M., Di Tizio, L., Dezi, S., Pozzi, G., Grandinetti, P., & Martinotti, G. (2012). Aripiprazole, alcohol and substance abuse: A review. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological

What epistemological and practical factors should be considered when Essay

What epistemological and practical factors should be considered when planning a research project. My research project is (Perception of formal and informal care of aging (old) Saudi population) - Essay Example The objective of the research is to investigate the living trends of the aging population and how their care impacts the social arena in Saudi Arabia. The research would require qualitative explanations for them to be able to understand the issue in the social context. For this reason the research epistemology and practical aspects need to be organised. Epistemology refers to the researchers ontology on the existing reality and compares it with theories. Theories have been developed by earlier studies. The researchers epistemology may be different from others or may resemble. It is therefore important to determine the research epistemology which supports the research perspectives. In this research, the epistemology rest on the fact that changing social and economic conditions have given rise to the aging population in Saudi Arabia, which may be explained by empirical research and social theories. According to Bryman (2008) "a theory is an explanation for observed regularities" (p.6) which the researcher uses as stepping stones for his/her own epistemology. For research of the aging population and their perception on kind of care they receive, qualitative approach has been chosen because of social theoretical framework required to explain people’s perception. Research epistemology also largely depends on the underlying adopted methodology, methods, and techniques as well that the researcher chooses for objective evaluation (Love 2001). For this research an interpretivist approach has been chosen. An interpretivist approach is a methodology which involves inquiry of a specific sampling to formulate theories which are grounded to data. In this methodology interviews and focus groups are the preferred method for data collection (Dawson 2007). In this study, theory shall be generated by adopting the qualitative method for which subjective data shall

Housewife in India and Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Housewife in India and Pakistan Essay In India different approaches to domestic responsibilities are found in the various ethnic groups. In a Hindu family, the head of the family is the Griha Swami (Lord of the House) and his wife is the Griha Swamini(Lady of the House). The Sanskrit words Grihast and Grihasta perhaps come closest to describing the entire gamut of activities and roles undertaken by the householder or housewife. Grih is the Sanskrit root for house or home; Grihasta and Grihast are derivatives of this root, as is Grihastya. The couple lives in the state called Grihastashram or family system and together they nurture the family and help its members (both young and old) through the travails of life. The woman who increments the family tree (bears children) and protects those children is described as the Grihalakshmi (the wealth of the house) and Grihashoba (the glory of the house). The elders of the family are known as Grihshreshta. The husband or wife may engage in countless other activities which may be social, religious, political or economic in nature for the ultimate welfare of the family and society. However, their unified status as joint householders is the nucleus from within which they operate in society. The status of a woman as a housewife anchors them in society and provides meaning to their activities within the social, religious, political and economic framework of their world. However, as India undergoes modernisation, many women are in employment, particularly in the larger cities such as Mumbai or Delhi, where most women will work. In Muslim families, use of the term housewife (or its equivalent) is uncommon, even though housewives are very common and stay-at-home husbands are extremely rare. Muslim society sets different expectations for the husband and wife, but respects their individuality.

Existentialism and Human Emotions Essay Example for Free

Existentialism and Human Emotions Essay I SHOULD LIKE on this occasion to defend existentialism against some charges which have been brought against it. First, it has been charged with inviting people to remain in a kind of desperate quietism because, since no solutions are possible, we should have to consider action in this world as quite impossible. We should then end up in a philosophy of contemplation; and since contemplation is a luxury, we come in the end to a bourgeois philosophy. The communists in particular have made these charges. On the other hand, we have been charged with dwelling on human degradation, with pointing up everywhere the sordid, shady, and slimy, and neglecting the gracious and beautiful, the bright side of human nature; for example, according to Mlle. Mercier, a Catholic critic, with forgetting the smile of the child. Both sides charge us with having ignored human solidarity, with considering man as an isolated being. The communists say that the main reason for this is that we take pure subjectivity, the Cartesian I think, as our starting point; in other words, the moment in which man becomes fully aware of what it means to him to be an isolated being; as a result, we are unable to return to a state of solidarity with the men who are not ourselves, a state which we can never reach in the cogito. From the Christian standpoint, we are charged with denying the reality and seriousness of human undertakings, since, if we reject Gods commandments and the eternal verities, there no longer remains anything but pure caprice, with everyone permitted to do as he pleases and incapable, from his own point of view, of condemning the points of view and acts of others. I shall today try to answer these different charges. Many people are going to be surprised at what is said here about humanism. We shall try to see in what sense it is to be understood. In any case, what can be said from the very beginning is that by existentialism we mean a doctrine which makes human life possible and, in addition, declares that every truth and every action implies a human setting and a human subjectivity. As is generally known, the basic charge against us is that we put the emphasis on the dark side of human life. Someone recently told me of a lady who, when she let slip a vulgar word in a moment of irritation, excused herself by saying, I guess Im becoming an existentialist. Consequently, existentialism is regarded as something ugly; that is why we are said to be naturalists; and if we are, it is rather surprising that in this day and age we cause so much more alarm and scandal than does naturalism, properly so called. The kind of person who can take in his stride such a novel as Zolas The Earth is disgusted as soon as he starts reading an existentialist novel; the kind of person who is resigned to the wisdom of the ages-which is pretty sad-finds us even sadder. Yet, what can be more disillusioning than saying true charity begins at home or a scoundrel will always return evil for good? We know the commonplace remarks made when this subject comes up, remarks which always add up to the same thing: we shouldnt struggle against the powers that-be; we shouldnt resist authority; we shouldnt try to rise above our station; any action which doesnt conform to authority is romantic; any effort not based on past experience is doomed to failure; experience shows that mans bent is always toward trouble, that there must be a strong hand to hold him in check, if not, there will be anarchy. There are still people who go on mumbling these melancholy old saws, the people who say, Its only human! whenever a more or less repugnant act is pointed out to them, the people who glut themselves on chansons realistes; these are the people who accuse existentialism of being too gloomy, and to such an extent that I wonder whether they are complaining about it, not for its pessimism, but much rather its optimism. Can it be that what really scares them in the doctrine I shall try to present here is that it leaves to man a possibility of choice? To answer this question, we must re-examine it on a strictly philosophical plane. What is meant by the term existentialism? Most people who use the word would be rather embarrassed if they had to explain it, since, now that the word is all the rage, even the work of a musician or painter is being called existentialist. A gossip columnist in Clartes signs himself The Existentialist, so that by this time the word has been so stretched and has taken on so broad a meaning, that it no longer means anything at all. It seems that for want of an advanced-guard doctrine ,analogous to surrealism, the kind of people who are eager for scandal and flurry turn to this philosophy which in other respects does not at all serve their purposes in this sphere. Actually, it is the least scandalous, the most austere of doctrines. It is intended strictly for specialists and philosophers. Yet it can be defined easily. What complicates matters is that there are two kinds of existentialists; first, those who are Christian. among whom I would include Jaspers and Gabriel Marcel, both Catholic; and on the other hand the atheistic exi stentialists among whom I class Heidegger, and then the French existentialists and myself. What they have in common is that they think that existence precedes essence, or, if you prefer, that subjectivity must be the starting point. Just what does that mean? Let us consider some object that is manufactured, for example, a book or a papercutter: here is an object which has been made by an artisan whose inspiration came from a concept. He referred to the concept of what a paper-cutter is and likewise to a known method of production, which is part of the concept, something which is, by and large, a routine. Thus, the paper-cutter is at once an object produced in a certain way and, on the other hand, one leaving a specific use; and one can not postulate a man who produces a paper-cutter but does not know what it is used for. Therefore, let us say that, for the paper-cutter, essence-that is, the ensemble of both the production routines and the properties which enable it to be both produced and defined-precedes existence. Thus, the presence of the paper-cutter or book in front of me is determined. Therefore, we have here a technical view of the world whereby it can be said that production precedes existence. When we conceive God as the Creator, He is generally thought of as a superior sort of artisan. Whatever doctrine we may be considering, whether one like that of Descartes or that of Leibniz, we always grant that will more or less follows understanding or, at the very least, accompanies it, and that when God creates He knows exactly what he is creating. Thus, the concept of man in the mind of God is comparable to the concept of a paper-cutter in the mind of the manufacturer, and, following certain techniques and a conception, God produces man, just as the artisan, following a definition and a technique, makes a paper-cutter. Thus, the individual man is the realization of a certain concept in the divine intelligence. In the eighteenth century, the atheism of the philosophers discarded the idea of God, but not so much for the notion that essence precedes existence. To a certain extent, this idea is found everywhere; we find it in Diderot, in Voltaire, and even in Kant. Man has a human nature; this human nature, which is the concept of the human, is found in all men, which means that each man is a particular example of a universal concept, man. In Kant, the result of this universality is that the wild-man, the natural man, as well as the bourgeois, are circumscribed by the same definition and have the same basic qualities. Thus, here too the essence of man precedes the historical existence that we find in nature. Atheistic existentialism, which I represent, is more coherent. It states that if God does not exist, there is at least one being in whom existence precedes essence, a being who exists before he can be defined by any concept, and that this being is man, or, as Heidegger says, human reality. What is meant here by saying that existence precedes essence? It means that, first of all, man exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and, only afterwards, defines himself. If man, as the existentialist conceives him, is indefinable, it is because at first he is nothing. Only afterward will he be something, and he himself will have made what he will be. Thus, there is no human nature, since there is no God to conceive it. Not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also only what he wills himself to be after this thrust toward existence. Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism. It is also what is called subjectivity, the name we are labeled with when charges are brought against us. But what do we mean by this, if not that man has a greater dignity than a stone or table? For we mean that man first exists, that is, that man first of all is the being who hurls himself toward a future and who is conscious of imagining himself as being in the future. Man is at the start a plan which is aware of itself, rather than a patch of moss, a piece of garbage, or a cauliflower nothing exists prior to this plan; there is nothing in heaven; man will be what he will have planned to be. Not what he will want to be. Because by the word will we generally mean a conscious decision, which is subsequent to what we have already made of ourselves. I may want to belong to a political party, write a book, get married; but all that is only a manifestation of an earlier, more spontaneous choice that is called will. But if existence really does precede essence, man is responsible for what he is. Thus, existentialisms first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him. And when we say that a man is responsible for himself, we do not only mean that he is responsible for his own individuality, but that he is responsible for all men. The word subjectivism has two meanings, and our opponents play on the two. Subjectivism means, on the one hand, that an individual chooses and makes himself; and, on the other, that it is impossible for man to transcend human subjectivity. The second of these is the essential meaning of existentialism. When we say that man chooses his own self, we mean that every one of us does likewise; but we also mean by that that in making this choice he also chooses all men. In fact, in creating the man that we want to be, there is not a single one of our acts which does not at the same time create an image of man as we think he ought to be. To choose to be this or that is to affirm at the same time the value of what we choose, because we can never choose evil. We always choose the good, and nothing can be good for us without b eing good for all. If, on the other hand, existence precedes essence, and if we grant that we exist and fashion our image at one and the same time, the image is valid for everybody and for our whole age. Thus, our responsibility is much greater than we might have supposed, because it involves all mankind. If I am a workingman and choose to join a Christian trade-union rather than be a communist, and if by being a member I want to show that the best thing for man is resignation, that the kingdom of man is not of this world, I am not only involving my own case-I want to be resigned for everyone. As a result, my action has involved all humanity. To take a more individual matter, if I want to marry, to have children; even if this marriage depends solely on my own circumstances or passion or wish, I am involving all humanity in monogamy and not merely myself. Therefore, I am responsible for myself and for everyone else. I am creating a certain image of man of my own choosing. In choosing myself, I choose ma n.