Case Analysis - Allied Electronics Essay Example for Free

Case Analysis Allied Electronics Essay Robert Venter, second-generation Chief Executive (CE) of family-owned Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd, considered the pros and cons of more clearly linking the firms compensation system to sustainability performance. In June 2011, Altron, a multinational headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, controlled more than 200 companies in Africa, Europe, the US, the UK, Australia, and the Far East. More than 14,000 employees designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed a range of telecommunications, electronics, power electronics, and information technology systems and products. Having made a clear commitment to sustainable development, Venter was confident that the commitment was shared across the senior management team. However, there appeared to be a higher acceptance in the operating units for meeting financial targets than for meeting sustainability targets. There was a clear difference between Venter and his predecessor, Dr. Venter. Dr. Venter adopted a value-based culture in the company, ensuring that the mission and vision of the company were followed and reviewed after every year. The codes of ethics were maintained and that the company responded quickly to changing external forces and trends. Dr. Venter was mostly the sole decision maker at that time and whatever his decision was, was accepted by the organization. At the time Dr. Venter was in charge of the company, it was mostly bottom-line drive; focusing mostly on profits. No doubt that with the family oriented approach that Dr. Venter had and the sole responsibility that he had undertaken for all decision making made the company soar to new heights. But with the global changes in the corporate world took place and the way corporations did business shifted, a change was needed to handle this change. This was the perfect time that Robert Venter took over the company. He differed from his father in many ways, the biggest being; he concentrated more on sustainable development. He believed that the company should be more transparent and everyone’s views mattered. He created a more participative decision-making process that involved a process by which the idea would float and if the ideas clicked on each level of the process, it would be implemented. This not only empowered employees, but lead to more ideas being generated. Carbon Footing: Even though Venter focused more on the sustainability goals of the company, most of the senior managers were still focused on the financial bottom line. With the new process for feeding new idea to the company, Johnston came up with a business case for a carbon footprinting concept. The main idea of this concept was to link the end-goal of a sustainable goal with a tangible success. Johnston set-up to develop a case on the shift from bottom line to sustainable goals and how they were suppose to implement this. The following considerations and steps were performed: * Why they needed the change * Culture of the organization * Risks facing the change * Whether they had the proper systems and the structure for the change * How they would bring about the change in the organization and how to educate the employees about the change The carbon footprinting brought a change for the greater good in the company, the reporting system became more transparent and numbers and reports were being shared and used in different decision making processes. This led to better decision making and found out where the company lacked how proper steps could be followed to make the company having a better standing in its operations. This system also led the company to incorporate broad-based black economic empowerment, which gave a good image to the company in the eyes of the public as well as the government. A compensation plan was drawn up which was based on key performing indicators, this was linked to the annual performance bonuses. After the success of the carbon footprinting across Altron, it was evident that if a proper research, methodology and the respective steps were followed they could bring about a change in the organization and change its structure, the way they did their work and better efficiency in their operations. King III and the How Altron embraced change With the new legal requirement, known as King III, in South Africa required organizations to publish their integrated reports, Altron had an edge on its competition since it had already started publishing its report a year before the legal requirement. As mentioned in the case, Venter, chief executive of Altron, find this to be satisfying since it put the company in a proactive position. Altron was able to adapt with the new legal requirement faster than the other companies. This adaptation to the evolving reporting environment led Altron to come up with a new, better and a more integrated corporate strategy. There was an increase in the strategic themes from 8 before the new reporting system to 11 with the implementation of the new reporting system. Even though most of the strategic themes of the company were the same, they were now looked upon with a broader perspective. Along with the 8 existing themes revitalized and broadened, three important themes were added which were essenti al for the growth and sustainability of the company. These themes include: * Human capital * Environment * Corporate governance Venter believed these new themes were critical for future sustainability of the organization. All three themes were essential to give the company an edge on the competition as well as show the public the greener, environmental friendly and public friendly the company was. If these three factors were incorporated properly in the company strategy it would lead the company to new heights in the eyes of the employees and the public. With the new strategy that was being implemented in Altron, a lot of different changes were to be made and Altron faced different challenges in designing the new corporate strategy keeping in mind the 11 new strategic themes. Also, they had to come up with a payment policy aligned with the strategy of the company based with the individual performance of the employee. There were mixed reviews about the change in the compensation policy of the company, some employees were reluctant to the change of the already existing compensation policy while others were ques tioning the existing policy and looking forward to the change. Embracing Change As mentioned in the case, the King III regulation was an opportunity for Altron to rethink its strategy and closely incorporate sustainability into its strategy, something that Venter had wanted since he had become the CE of the company. Yet again, Johnston steeped up to the task to come up with a case that would allow the company to embed sustainability into the company’s strategy. For this purpose he assembled a team and carried a research on the different aspects that are already mentioned in the above section (why they needed change, risk involved in the change, manpower and organizational culture etc.). Altron was one of the first companies to start the integrated reporting and the following quote explains why Venter thought it was important for them to do so: â€Å"Integrated reporting focuses management and others on looking forward rather than only backwards, which has historically been the case with most reporting. It creates a complete and accurate picture of the company.† â€Å"Not necessarily more detail, but greater insight into the strategy, risks and value creation of a company.† – Robert Venter (Reference: http://www.kpmg.de/docs/20110912_Integrated_Reporting.pdf). As the quote above explains that the research led Johnston and Venter to identify various risks, value creation factors and the strategy that is being used. It put everything Altron was doing in perspective and evaluated where the company stood, locally and globally. After the evaluation of the research and the decision to broaden their strategic themes, to embed sustainability into their strategy, they came up with the 11 new strategic themes. Not only that but they also; * Defined targets * Timeframe, for every task to be done and operations to take place * The measure of performance of an employee that was going to take place on the basis of the 11 strategic themes An analysis of the Compensation Strategy With the changes taking place and sustainability being implanted into the strategic goals of the company, Venter was uncertain about the incentive structure and what kind of message it would send about the sustainability-oriented corporate strategy that they had come up with. With the already existing compensation plan focusing on rewarding consistent long term individual, it drove employee’s energies and activities towards key business goals, creating a competitive and a challenging work environment. This also led to the alignment of shareholders interest with the; * Operational requirement * Strategic direction * Business-specific value drivers of the employees 5 compensation policies were introduced in Altron that focused on: * Attracting talent * Motivating employees * Rewarding employees on their work * And retaining the high-caliber people The 5 policies that Altron came up with were supposed to be transparent and were to link the compensation plan with the sustainability of the company. These 5 policies were explained in details so that employees and managers to sure about the factors they had to follow in order to get a high compensation in a year. Although the compensation plan was a good one, there were a lot of managers and employees that were not happy with this new plan which led Venter to ponder on the effectiveness of the compensation plan with the new sustainability approach the company had took. Analysis: With the company being a market leader and one of the most successful and highly respected companies in South Africa, this new change from focusing on bottom-line to sustainable growth was an important because of the developing markets around the world and the increasing competition. Altron had the right attitude and the right pace to maintain the market leader status because of the efficiency in their work pattern and them doing work according to the rules and regulations that they had come up with. Not only that, but Altron considered both the internal and external factors before bringing forward a new idea or a change. With the new change that was being implemented and the broadening of the strategic themes of the company, Venter had to consider the sustainability drivers and how they were going to implement that change. In the case the highlight is on the compensation plan of the employees and the managers, this maybe because Venter feels that one of the biggest assets the company has is its employees. No doubt in the market that companies exist in there are very minute difference in products and services and it all comes down to the people that work for the company create a difference between one company to the other. In our view, the better the more motivated the employees are the better they would perform and bring forth and change in the company. Venter believed that the employees working for Altron were going to bring a change in the strategy of the company due to which he had to align the compensation plan with the new strategic themes they had come up with. These compensation policies that he had come up with had different criteria’s that an employee or a manager had to fulfill in order to get a good bonus. This involved individual performance and the performance of a certain departmen t. Even though these policies were carved wonderfully, there were employees and managers that were not happy with them. Statistics from exhibits show that even though the company was maintaining a good financial position, employee turnover had increased. This could result in a problem for Altron. With the 11 new strategic themes focused on different areas, Altron realized the importance of having strategic themes for the employees and the customers. Overall we think that these policies were necessary and would bring a change in the working environment of the company and help people work efficiently in order to get a bonus. Although employees were reluctant to the change there were some pros and cons in the policies: * Adopted a total cost of employment policy. * Performance evaluation of employees twice a year, which would lead to detecting problems earlier and whether the goals of the company were being met or not. * Feedback to the employees, which is essential in the growth of the company and the employee. * Aligning interests of the employees and managers with the interests of the company and the stake holders. | * The 70/30 ratio for the financial and non financial KPIs was a bit high. * The performance evaluation and group evaluation at an 80/20 rate, respectively, as high as well. * | Recommendation and Conclusion Although we are in favor of the new policies being implemented because they take in account all the aspects that are needed for the company to grow and different evaluation techniques that should be used in order to come up with the compensation and bonuses that the employees should get, we recommend that: The financial and nonfinancial KPI ratio is lowered, so that people don’t only worry about the financial outcome of the task they perform but also focus on the nonfinancial work they do. In fact there would be departments such as the customer complaint department, which would not know how their financial outcome would be determined since there suppose to interact with the customers rather than increase the sales or make profits. Each department should be given their own set of KPIs that would be used to evaluate their performance. One of the biggest concerns we have is the 80/20 ratio that Altron is thinking of incorporating. This would mean that employees would rather work on their own than work with each other. Department synergy would be destroyed because everyone would rather work to get a better evaluation that his colleague. This ratio should be kept at 50-50 because with the new integrated report system Altron is using it is very important for departments and employees to work together rather than just focus on their individual performance.

Brief and Time-limited Therapy: Types and Effects

Brief and Time-limited Therapy: Types and Effects Brief Therapy – Promising or Abusive? Brief and time-limited therapy experienced much controversy about its usefulness before it has finally established itself as a valid form of therapy for certain patient populations while being accepted by most professionals in the field. Some therapists have even hailed brief therapy as having already filled the place of longer-term psychotherapy and having emerged as the 21st century’s preferred treatment (Carlson Sperry, 2000). This brief paper intends to investigate whether these assertions are acceptable or whether brief therapy should be rejected in favour of traditional longer-lasting intervention models. Definition and Characteristics of Brief Therapy Brief therapy is neither unequivocally defined nor represents a unity as demonstrated by Sperry (1989) who compared eight contemporary brief therapy models. He concluded that none of the investigated models would agree upon the ideal clients to treat, the ideal definition which decides over what is exactly comprised by the term brief and most importantly in the targets and aims for brief therapy (Manaster, 1989). The present paper will focus on these points and also emphasise the practical and ethical bases for brief therapy. Psychotherapy generally embraces a therapeutic negotiation which can last from a few months to a few years (brief vs. long-term therapy) although these therapeutic transactions may even take place after shorter periods of time during a therapeutic dialogue. Notwithstanding, there was for a long time the notion persisted among leading therapists that the longer a therapy endures the better the improvement experienced by the patient (Fiester and Rudestan, 1975). This belief, however, was neither backed up by scientific research nor by clinical experience. In contrast, recent research repeatedly and uniformly demonstrated that therapeutic interventions which are designed for shorter amount of sessions are more effective than longer lasting interventions (Sperry, 1989). As a result of these findings, brief therapy enjoyed greater popularity and it became necessary to finally formulate the brief therapy model more thoroughly. Thus, Koss and Shiang (1994) identified in the fourth edition o f the Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change the basic principles of brief therapy. They concluded that it involves around six general considerations that enable therapeutic processes to be brief: 1) time-limitation 2) focus on change over the client’s life span, 3) working alliance between counsellor and client, 4) therapists pro-activeness, directiveness, optimism, 5) flexibility of technique, 6) focus on termination issues (Nicoll, Bitter, Christensen, and Hawes, 2000; Bitter and Nicoll, 2004). Number of Treatment Sessions A fundamental and enduring discordance between idealised hypothesis and realisable practice involves the average number of treatment sessions undertaken by patients. Hansen, and colleagues (2002) discovered that the median number of treatment sessions in time-unlimited therapies is below seven. However, after having reviewed the literature it can be said that most definitions regard brief therapy as including at maximum 20 to 30 sessions while the numbers appear arbitrary. Most investigated interventions, however ranged from seven to 25 sessions (Sperry, 1989). Shulman (1989) notes that prior to the emergence of psychoanalysis the necessary time period for psychotherapy was not an issue. Nonetheless, by the time psychoanalysis indicated to be both popular and lengthy length of time required for successful psychoanalysis interventions became an issue. Ferenczi (1951) and Rank (1945) pioneered in finding new ways to reduce the treatment period. Consequently, Shulman (1989) defined brief therapy by the therapist’s endeavour to significantly improve the client’s condition in a short period of time while Gentry (1981) described brief therapy as emphasising on â€Å"current observable behaviour and social interaction.† Brief therapists, as a conclusion, excludes the exploration of childhood traumas and experiences as it is not intended to make the client aware of impact of past experiences upon current functioning. Thus the fundamental aspect of a brief therapy definition seems to be the focus on keeping therapy short and limited rather than specifying the maximum allowed amount of necessary time (Manaster, 1989). Limiting targets and time are the two ways which have been identified by therapists as making it possible to keep therapies as short as possible. Limiting targets involves reducing the attention to a specific resolution of an identifiable trouble or problem. This approach is characterised by under standing individuals in parts in such a form that it is possible to treat their crisis more briefly. Those who prefer a more holistic approach regard patients as more complex and believe that thus it is only feasible to treat solely superficial dilemmas and crises. Consequently, according to Evans (1989) it is very complicated to vindicate the limiting of targets in a holistically based therapeutic transaction (e.g. Individual Psychology). The matter of setting joint targets is important as clinicians often have different expectations about treatment results than their clients. Whilst most therapists attempt to succeed in achieving more complex and thorough treatment results most clients are normally requiring relief from psychotherapy (Beutler and Crago, 1987). As a matter of fact, the therapist should strive towards being professional, and thus, offer as many sessions as necessary. As a consequence of choice given to clients or economic and policy considerations, the norm in both Britain and America is that to undertake brief therapy in no more than about 25 sessions. The new trend, however, are currently so-called ultra-brief therapies which involve therapies of less than six sessions. Again, these ultra-brief therapies result due to treatment services and resource constraints. A few recent experiments have already tried to establish its usefulness. Copeland and colleagues (2001), for instance, contrasted one- and six-session cognitive-behavioural interventions aiming on clients to cease and maintain abstinent from cannabis usage and revealed that only the six-session group demonstrated observable decreased amounts of cannabis consumption relative to controls while one-session programmes resulted only in marginally significant reductions in cannabis usage. Brief Therapy Conditions (Referral, Contracts) As Randolph (1992) maintained â€Å"brief therapy is viewed as realistic and geared to the demands (and needs) of clients and not to the restraints of the market place† (p.159). In other words, brief therapies are more client-focused and centred in contrast to long-term therapies and therefore it is important to consider for which type of clients brief therapy is more meaningful and promises to be more effective. Hence, both referral out and in should be based upon cautious and thorough assessment of patient’ suitability for brief therapy. Most time-limited work takes place in settings and as a consequence involves more than the therapist alone. In essence, what is made available to the patient is usually determined on the applied exclusion and inclusion criteria. Additionally, the practising counsellor should be preferably the only person who decides over what exactly can be done to improve the patient’s condition, who is the ideal person to assess the present client and future patient and how the therapy has to be set up, contracted, conducted, and ceased. Due to limited resources it is not always possible to consider the client’s choice over what s/he desires to receive. Both prognosis of potential outcome and availability play mostly a more important role than the patient’s ideal therapy plan. There are no strict rules of how contracts have to be negotiated as they are very context specific. They can be arranged as Mander (2003) noted by â€Å"the therapeutic couple or by service managers who hold the purse strings and stipulate the number of sessions allowed.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Starting clients off will depend on whether they are ready to engage in an active working alliance and have sufficient trust to reveal at assessment the extent of the emotional crisis that has made them seek help.† (p.486-487). Although both parties generally agree on the fact that the therapy should remain brief it should be possible to arrange a prior or post-therapy referral-on when a serious problem and crisis has been discovered. This referral-on should be very flexible and could even include relocation and therapist change if necessary. It makes sense to regard brief therapy as a kind of pit-stop which has the power to update, re-energise and adjust the human minds vehicle while allowing the individual to come back to the repair station whenever it is neede d again. Thus clients can be accompanied by brief therapies from childhood to maturity. Self-evidently not everyone will be in need of constant check-ups and pit-stops as the majority of individuals will adapt and acquire skills to deal with the working-through processes independently. The therapist him or herself can view this service as similar to intermittent parenting of an individual (Mander, 2003). Despite the fact that some (e.g. Bitter and Nicoll, 1994) view the integration of time limits into the intervention programme as leading to both meeting and leaving people in the middle of their lives other researchers are of the opinion that it must be possible to extend the contract in a therapeutic alliance and that the counsellor must even feel free to transform a brief therapy into a long-term therapy. In a nutshell, in deciding who to treat, clinicians of different fields should aim to match their techniques, clinical experience and theory with patients who they evaluate as being ideal to be helped by this intervention model. Whitaker (1996) noted furthermore that some groups like students with disabling emotional problems should not be included in brief therapy programmes. Likewise, severe eating or personality illnesses or serious sexual perversion and severe alcohol and drug addiction are hardly curable in intensive but limited and brief therapeutic interactions. Cooper and Archer (1999) added that the clinical service mission and criteria for therapy must underlie a well-defined, unambiguous and clear assessment model like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV). Suggestions for a Counsellor in Training Starting to practise as a brief therapist is both very challenging and rewarding. However it can also become difficult to constantly motivate oneself to continue if the desired outcomes do not become evident in the short available time. It is rewarding as one has the opportunity to see how patients’ conditions transform and improve in a short period of time whereas achieving set goals is certainly an uplifting and worthwhile experience. The real secret and difficulty for the beginning counsellor is, however, to know themselves perfectly and to not only be aware but also to tightly monitor one’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, â€Å"being able to bear the repeated hellos and goodbyes of brief therapy may depend on how the therapist has managed the meetings and partings in their own life, and their ability to focus on significant psychodynamic details will be a function of how they analyse their own life experience in terms of linking past and present†. (Mander, 2003; p.498). Without both it is rarely possibly to allow patients to move on when their contract has terminated. Discussing and being aware of transference helps additionally not to hanker about past clients while receiving and accepting new patients in need of brief therapy. It is debatable whether a young counsellor has already achieved a certain level of maturity which is necessary in order to accept imperfect rather than ideal treatment outcomes. Consequently, one must permanently be empowered to control for the balance in both the practitioner’s and patient’s expectations while being utterly optimistic that both expectations will be met. One has to constantly bear in mind that the client needs to leave the treatment sessions with a positive impression and feeling as a client will have to force and push him or herself real hard to ask for help the next time s/he needs therapeutic help again. Conclusion By setting targets and a time limit clients may feel that they are not imprisoned by the therapy but that an improvement of their condition is both in sight and tangible. This optimism unleashes positive energies which benefit the overall therapy. Additionally, patients may perceive for the first time that the therapy is more tailored to their own needs and that the therapist is not so much interested in the potential commercial benefits but is more concerned that the set goals are achieved in a brief period of time. The fact that clients may feel better understood enables a beneficial therapeutic relationship to develop which facilitates clients to come back after the brief therapy and attempt to tackle another experienced personal problem or crisis. References Bitter, J. R. and Nicoll, W. G. (2000). Adlerian Brief Therapy with individuals: process and practice. Journal of Individual Psychology, 56(1), p31-46. Bitter, J. R. and Nicoll, W. G. (2004). Relational strategies: two approaches to Adlerian Brief Therapy. Journal of Individual Psychology, 60(1), 42-66. Beutler, L., and Crago, M. (1987). Strategies and techniques of prescriptive psychotherapeutic intervention. In R. Hales and A. Frances (Eds.), Psychiatric updates: American psychiatric association annual review. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. Cooper, S. and Archer, Jr, J., (1999). Brief Therapy in college counselling and mental health. Journal of American College Health, 48(1). Copeland, J., S., Roffman, R., and Stephens, R. (2001). A randomized controlled trial of brief cognitive-behavioural interventions for cannabis use disorder. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 21, 55-64. Evans, T. D. (1989). Brief Therapy: the tradition of individual psychology compared to MRI. Individual Psychology: The Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research Practice, 45(1/2), p48-57. Ferenczi, S. (1951). Further contributions to the theory and techniques of psychoanalysis. New York: Basic Books. Fiester, A. and Rudestan, K. (1975). A multivariate analysis of the early treatment dropout process. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 528-535. Garfield, S. (1986). Research on client variables in psychotherapy. In S. Garfield and A. Bergin (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behaviour change. New York: John Wiley Sons. Gentry, D. L. (1981). Brief therapy. In R. J. Corsini (Ed.), Handbook of innovative psychotherapies. New York: Wiley. Hansen, N. B., Lambert, M. J., and Forman, E. M. (2002). The psychotherapy dose-response effect and its implications for treatment delivery services. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 329-343. Koss, M. P., and Shiang, J. (1984). Research on brief therapy. In A. E. Bergin and S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change (4th ed.). (pp. 664-700). New York: Wiley. Manaster, G. J. (1989). Clinical issues in Brief Psychotherapy: a summary and conclusion. Individual Psychology: The Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research Practice, 45(1/2), 243-248. Mander, G. (2003). Dilemmas in Brief Therapy. Psychodynamic Practice, 9(4), 485-500. Nicoll, W. G., Bitter, J. R., Christensen, O. C., and Hawes, C. (2000). Adlerian brief therapy: Strategues and tactics. In J. Carlson and L. Sperry (Eds.), Brief therapy strategies with individuals and couples (pp. 220-247). Phoenix: Zeig/Tucker. Randolph, J. L. (1992). Brief Therapy: myths, methods, and metaphors. Health Social Work, 17(2), 159-160. Rank, O. (1945). Will therapy: truth and reality. New York: Knopf. Shulman, B. H. (1989). Some remarks on Brief Psychotherapy. Individual Psychology: The Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research Practice, 45(1/2), 34-38. Sperry, L. (1989). Contemporary approaches to Brief Psychotherapy: a comparative analysis. Individual Psychology: Individual Psychology: The Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research Practice, 45(1/2), 3-26. Whitaker L. C. (1996). Treating students with personality disorders: a costly dilemma. J Coll Student Psychotherapy, 10(3), 29-44.

Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

The attempt to capture the American dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. This happiness is something for which he must reach into the past to have and for which he must revive an old dream. Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the story, is one character who longs for the past. Surprisingly he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture and, finally, dies in its pursuit. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the affluent Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status, he leaves her to amass wealth to reach her economic standards. Once he acquires this wealth, he moves near to Daisy and throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance she might show up at one of them. He, himself, does not attend his parties but watches them from a distance. When this dream doesn’t happen, he asks around casually if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy, who agrees to set up a meeting. Gatsby’s personal dream symbolizes the larger American dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want. Later, as we see in the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes that Daisy loves him. He is convinced of this as is shown when he takes the blame for Myrtle’s death and then watches and protects Daisy as she returns home. Jay cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Jay is sure that he can capture his dream with his wealth and influence. He believes that he acted for a good beyond his

The Harlem Renaissance: A Black Cultural Revolution Essay -- American

The Harlem Renaissance- A Black Cultural Revolution James Weldon Johnson once said that "Harlem is indeed the great Mecca for the sight-seer; the pleasure seeker, the curious, the adventurous, the enterprising, the ambitious and the talented of the whole Negro world."("Harlem Renaissance") When one thinks of the Harlem Renaissance, one thinks of the great explosion of creativity bursting from the talented minds of African-Americans in the 1920s. Although principally thought of as an African-American literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance's influence extended through every form of culture: art, dance, music, theatre, literature, history, and politics. Along with the great contribution this period made towards art and entertainment, the Harlem Renaissance also made a great impact on a social level. The Harlem Renaissance gave birth to the first African-American cultural identity and played a significant role in the political thought of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. How did the Harlem Renaissance become a hub of Black culture and identity? Around the beginning of the 20th century, a period known as the Great Migration took place. 750,000 African Americans fled the economically depressed rural South and migrated to the urban cities of the North to take advantage of the numerous employment opportunities and racially tolerant atmosphere. 175,000 of these African-Americans settled in New York City. Between the end of World War I and 1924, some significant works made by African-Americans were published; these works revealed the increasing creative fervor developing in Harlem. The groundbreaking book A Social History of the American Negro by Benjamin Brawley was published. The book that really drew attention to Harle... ...f the Soul Men." History Today Aug. 1997: 31(2). Student Resource Center Junior. Thomson Gale. 17 Nov. 2005 . Carrick Hill, Laban. Harlem Stomp! New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2003. 52-73. "Harlem Renaissance." Wikipedia . 16 Nov. 2005. 17 Nov. 2005 Powell, Richard. "How did the Harlem Renaissance affect the politics leading up to the Civil Rights Movement?" Interview with Titus King. PBS Online Newshour. 20 Feb. 1998. PBS. 17 Nov. 2005. . Stewart, Jeffrey. "How did the Harlem Renaissance affect the politics leading up to the Civil Rights Movement?" Interview with Titus King. PBS Online Newshour. 20 Feb. 1998. PBS. 17 Nov. 2005 . Stuart, Andrea. "The Harlem Renaissance in the twenties produced a wealth of black talent. But what was its legacy and who did it really benefit?" New Statesman 27 June 1997: 3-3. LookSmart.com. 19 Oct. 2005 .

Where Is Atlantis :: essays research papers

ATLANTIS Where is it?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Atlantis was an ancient civilization which was destroyed in one massive explosion. Many people have searched for Atlantis but it has still not been found. According to Plato, a Greek philosopher, Atlantis was located in the Atlantic Ocean past the pillars of Hercules, the Strait of Gibraltar. Plato has been credited with many scientific discoveries, but Atlantis’s existence is still unproved. â€Å"Plato, one of the fathers of western thought, is out sole direct source for the legend of Atlantis. His fragmentary account of the continent that was swallowed up by the sea still excited the modern mind.† (Reader’s Digest)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of Atlantis began about 11,000 years ago. Atlantis was the dwelling of Poseidon, the sea god in Greek mythology. Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito. He built an island, Atlantis, and he constructed a elaborate house in the center of the island. Poseidon built rings of land and water surrounding his house with walls on either side of them. Poseidon and Cleito had five sets of twin boys who would become the rulers of the island. Once the boys were old enough to rule each was given a section of the island to rule. Atlantis had a huge plain and very high mountains. Many exotic animals and plants inhabited the island. As the story goes the highly advanced inhabitants slowly became corrupt. The gods called a meeting and discussed what should be done. They decided to destroy the island to punish the Atlanteans. In one massive explosion beautiful Atlantis was gone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Atlantis has been mentioned in hundreds of readings, but none give the exact location of the destroyed island if it really once existed. Even though the Atlanteans were advanced in technology they lost contact with their religion (Edgar Cayce)surrounding countries. Even though Atlantis was destroyed the survivors probably fled to nearby advance civilizations. Egypt did become one of the most advance civilizations in the World.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato gives a vivid description of what Atlantis looked like in his wrightings. There was a 300 foot wide, 100 foot deep canal on Atlantis. 5.5 miles from the ocean was where the rings of water and land were located. there were three sets of rings. Each of the land rings were surrounded by walls which were coated in precious metals. On the continent of Atlantis there was a huge plain 330 miles long and 110 miles wide.

Improvement of the International Trade Essay

Introduction Organizations are facing increased global competition, economic uncertainties, and changing markets. Technology is changing the way we conduct business and manage information. Outsourcing of goods and services enables companies to take advantage of lower costs in areas such as labor, energy, land and capital. By doing this, companies hope to lower their overall cost structure, improve profit margins, and enhance product quality, reliability and distribution, thus allowing them to compete more effectively. Suppliers and vendor partners may be located in the same city, region or country. But they are just as likely to be located halfway around the world, adding new challenges to business management. The growth of international strategic partnerships has risen exponentially in the last twenty years. Competing in a global marketplace has made it increasingly important to align business strategies with a risk management strategy that includes strengthening global supply chains and vendor partnerships. In the near future, it is supply chains that will compete, not companies. Global supply chains must be carefully selected and monitored to ensure the competitive edge required to achieve success in the global market place. Typically, the first order of business has been logistics and operations. 1. Logistics moves the entire economy Economic developments in recent years have led to the creation of complex company networks and systems of goods flow – in the process, the globalization of procurement, production and sales as well as the division of labor have increased. In addition, the complexity of international logistics systems in many sectors has grown as a result of increasing product variations and differentiation. Another factor is that many companies are concentrating on their core skills and are reducing their vertical integration. The efficient management of the resulting global flows of goods has boosted both the business and economic significance of logistics. Structure of Global Trade International trade, both in terms of value and tonnage, has been a growing trend in the global economy. It is important to underline when looking at the structure of global trade that it is not nations that are trading, but mostly corporations with the end products mostly consumed by individuals. Inter and intra corporate trade is taking place across national jurisdictions is accounted as international trade. The emergence of the current structure of global trade can mainly be articulated within three major phases: †¢ First phase (immobile factors of production). Concerns a conventional perspective on international trade that prevailed until the 1970s where factors of production were much less mobile. Prior to the end of World War I, global trade was mainly structured by colonial relations. Particularly, there was a limited level of mobility of raw materials, parts and finished products. After World War I international trade became fairly regulated with impediments such tariffs , quotas and limitations to foreign ownership. Trade mainly concerned a range of specific products, namely commodities, (and very few services) that were not readily available in regional economies. Due to regulations, protectionism and fairly high transportation costs, trade remained limited and delayed by inefficient freight distribution. In this context, trade was more an exercise to cope with scarcity than to promote economic efficiency. †¢ Second phase (mobility of factors of production). From the 1980s, the mobility of factors of production, particularly capital, became possible. The legal and physical environment in which international trade was taking place lead to a better realization of the comparative advantages of specific locations. Concomitantly, regional trade agreements emerged and the global trade framework was strengthened from a legal and transactional standpoint (GATT/WTO). In addition, containerization provided the capabilities to support more complex and long distance trade flows, as did the growing air traffic. Due to high production (legacy) costs in old industrial regions, activities that were labor intensive were gradually relocated to lower costs locations. The process began as a national one, then went to nearby countries when possible and afterwards became a truly global phenomenon. Thus, foreign direct investments surged, particularly towards new manufacturing regions as multinational corporations became increasingly flexible in the global positioning of their assets. †¢ Third phase (global production networks). There is a growth in international trade, now including a wide variety of services that were previously fixed to regional markets and a surge in the mobility of the factors of production. Since these trends are well established, the priority is now shifting to the geographical and functional integration of production, distribution and consumption with the emergence of global production networks. Complex networks involving flows of information, commodities, parts and finished goods have been set, which in turn demands a high level of command of logistics and freight distribution. In such an environment, powerful actors have emerged which are not directly involved in the function of production and retailing, but mainly taking the responsibility of managing the web of flows. The global economic system is thus characterized by a growing level of integrated services, finance, retail, manufacturing and nonetheless distribution, which in turn is mainly the outcome of improved transport and logistics, a more efficient exploitation of regional comparative advantages and a transactional environment supportive of the legal and financial complexities of global trade. Trade Facilitation The volume of exchanged goods and services between nations is taking a growing share of the generation of wealth, mainly by offering economic growth opportunities in new regions and by reducing the costs of a wide array of manufacturing goods. By 2007, international trade surpassed for the first time 50% of global GDP, a twofold increase in its share since 1950. The facilitation of trade involves how the procedures regulating the international movements of goods can be improved. It depends on the reduction of the general costs of trade, which considers transaction, tariff, transport and time costs, often labeled as the â€Å"Four Ts† of international trade. United nations estimates have underlined that for developing countries a 10% reduction in transportation cost could be accompanied with a growth of about 20% in international and domestic trade. Thus, the ability to compete in a global economy is dependent on the transport system as well as a trade facilitation framework with activities including: †¢ Distribution-based. A multimodal and intermodal freight transport system composed of modes, infrastructures and terminals that spans across the globe. It insures a physical capacity to support trade and its underlying supply chains. †¢ Regulation-based. Customs procedures, tariffs, regulations and handling of documentation. They insure that trade flows abide to the rules and regulations of the jurisdictions they cross. Cross-border clearance, particularly in developing countries, can be a notable trade impediment with border delays, bottlenecks and long customer clearance times. †¢ Transaction-based. Banking, finance, legal and insurance activities where accounts can be settled and risk mitigated. They insure that the sellers of goods and services are receiving an agreed upon compensation and that the purchasers have a legal recourse if the outcome of the transaction is judged unsatisfactory or is insured if a partial or full loss incurs. The quality, cost, and efficiency of these services influence the trading environment as well as the overall costs linked with the international trade of goods. Many factors have been conductive to trade facilitation in recent decades, including integration processes, standardization, production systems, transport efficiency and transactional efficiency: †¢ Integration processes, such as the emergence of economic blocks and the decrease of tariffs at a global scale through agreements, promoted trade as regulatory regimes were harmonized. One straightforward measure of integration relates to custom delays, which can be a significant trade impediment since it adds uncertainty in supply chain management. The higher the level of economic integration, the more likely the concerned elements are to trade. International trade has consequently been facilitated by a set of factors linked with growing levels of economic integration, the outcome of processes such as the European Union or th e North American Free Trade Agreement. The transactional capacity is consequently facilitated with the development of transportation networks and the adjustment of trade flows that follows increased integration. Integration processes have also taken place at the local scale with the creation of free trade zones where an area is given a different governance structure in order to promote trade, particularly export oriented activities. In this case, the integration process is not uniform as only a portion of a territory is involved. China is a salient example of the far-reaching impacts of the setting of special economic zones operating under a different regulatory regime. †¢ Standardization concerns the setting of a common and ubiquitous frame of reference over information and physical flows. Standards facilitate trade since those abiding by them benefit from reliable, interoperable and compatible goods and services which often results in lower production, distribution and maintenance costs. Measurement units were among the first globally accepted standards (metric system) and the development of information technologies eventually led to common operating and telecommunication systems. It is however the container that is considered to be the most significant international standard for trade facilitation. By offering a load unit that can be handled by any mode and terminal with the proper equipment, access to international trade is improved. †¢ Production systems are more flexible and embedded. It is effectively productive to maintain a network of geographically diversified inputs, which favors exchanges of commodities, parts and services. Information technologies have played a role by facilitating transactions and the management of complex business operations. Foreign direct investments are commonly linked with the globalization of production as corporations invest abroad in search of lower production costs and new markets. China is a leading example of such a process, which went on par with a growing availability of goods and services that can be traded on the global market. †¢ Transport efficiency has increased significantly because of innovations and improvements in the modes and infrastructures in terms of their capacity and throughput. Ports are particularly important in such a context since they are gateways to international trade through maritime shipping networks. As a result, the transferability of commodities, parts and finished goods has improved. Decreasing transport costs does more than increasing trade; it can also help change the location of economic activities. Yet, transborder transportation issues remain to be better addressed in terms of capacity, efficiency and security. †¢ Transactional efficiency. The financial sector also played a significant role in integrating global trade, namely by providing investment capital and credit for international commercial transactions. For instance, a letter of credit may be issued based upon an export contract. An exporter can thus receive a payment guarantee from a bank until its customer finalizes the transaction upon delivery. This is particularly important since the delivery of international trade transactions can take several weeks due to the long distances involved. During the transfer, it is also common that the cargo is insured in the event of damage, theft or delays, a function supported by insurance companies. Also, global financial systems permit to convert currencies according to exchange rates that are commonly set by market forces, while some currencies, such as the Chinese Yuan, are set by policy. Monetary policy can thus be a tool, albeit contentious, used to influence trade. The close relationship between international economic growth and logistics Mobility is a critical condition for gains to be achieved in productivity, growth and employment in a macroeconomic context. The connection between economic growth and demand for product-transporting services is the result of various effects. These effects can clearly show the growing significance of the economic sector of goods distribution: 1 The effect of goods volume For a long time, it was assumed that in highly developed economies fewer and fewer quantities of goods were produced for the macrologistics system and that the transport volume rose at a slower pace than the economy. Today, it can be assumed that the development actually goes in the opposite direction as a result of the increasing inter-company division of labor created by intensified outsourcing in some highly developed countries. Transport intensity – that is, transport performance per production quantity unit – increases for many types of goods. Individual parts or components of a product are transported numerous times during various stages of the value chain, e.g., transports between plants. 2 The effect of goods structure In highly developed economies, the number of high-quality consumer and production goods rises. The share of mass goods, on the other hand, stagnates or even falls. The distribution of goods then shifts to high-quality products that must be shipped quickly. Because of the relatively low costs, road transports Road transport generally benefit. Railroads and inland water transports generally suffer because of their low speed. 3 The effect of logistics Logistics systems constantly undergo optimization. Supply chain management Supply chain management, production-synchronization deliveries that employ just-in-time Just-in-time concepts, the forgoing of storage and global outsourcing are just a few examples of this. But the application of modern logistics concepts affects the economic sector of goods distribution. This is because the new logistics focus of industrial and trade companies has altered the demands placed on the goods-distribution system. Road transports can react relatively flexibly and well to these demands. Railroads and inland water transports have a difficult time making this switch. At the same time, air-freight transports profit from time-critical shipments. 4 The effect of integration The creation of large economic regions gives rise to international, cross-border logistics systems. For instance, the European Union and regulations from the World Trade Organization [World Trade Organization (WTO) have propelled globalization Globalization in the goods-distribution sector. As economic regions spread, cross-border trade expands and the distances that must be covered by logistics systems lengthen. The effect of integration describes the increasing demands placed on the economic sector of goods distribution that are arising from the creation of larger economic regions and cross-border logistics systems. Conclusion: In all likelihood, globalization will continue and intensify. Trade is critical to economic growth and to global development. Trade facilitation has been pointed out as the lowest-hanging fruit in this respect. It has also been argued that logistics services play an important role in matching entrepreneurs in poor countries with foreign customers, whether these are retailers or downstream manufacturers. In particular, as the traditional wholesalers are increasingly being bypassed in modern supply chains, developing countries need to ensure that their entrepreneurs have access to modern intermediaries that can help match local suppliers with foreign buyers and with ensuring that products meet quality as well as time reliability requirements. The future growth of world trade will not be evenly spread, any more than world trade has ever been evenly spread in any period in world history. Individual countries are in very different positions with respect to their ability to benefit from world trade. Part of that is luck – having a coast, and rich neighbors help. But part of it is skill. Countries that are open to world trade, that create the infrastructure, and above all the right attitude, will be best placed to weather the current hiatus more successfully, and to prosper in the years ahead. References: http://www.dhl-discoverlogistics.com/cms/en/course/trends/macroeconomics.jsp http://www.na-businesspress.com/Wisma.pdf http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/conc5en/ch5c2en.html http://www.unece.org.unecedev.colo.iway.ch/fileadmin/DAM/trade/agr/meetings/ge.01/document.r/wppdf.pdf

Ralph’s first impression of Piggy Essay

I had just been in a plane crash, a massive plane crash. I was tired and hot, and didn’t know where I was. I stumbled out of the bushes from a swarm of trees, and had observed, that I was lost. I took off my sweater, for the heat was exasperating. I was sweating profusely as my hair stuck to my forehead and shirt clung to my body. I stumbled among the creepers and tripped upon broken trunks. The sun was glaring down at me and suddenly a bird flew upwards and squawked. It was followed by a boys voice shouting, â€Å"Hi! Wait a minute!† It suddenly started raining, and the boy said, â€Å"Wait a minute, I got caught up. I can’t hardly move with all these creeper things.† He then came out from the bushes and I was surprised at how plump his knees were! They were scratched from the thorns, whereas some of them had stuck in his skin. He withdrew the thorns cautiously and turned round. He was shorter than I was, and much fatter. He rambled on about the island, mumbling about grown-ups. I told him about the pilot not being in the passenger seat when he was supposed to be in the cabin in the front. He squinted through to look at the reef. He talked more about other passengers that must have been on the plane. The other boys, that must have left earlier. We talked for a while, talking about the plane, the crash, and the rest. He was different to me. I’m blonde and well built, boxer -like, you could say. He was just fat and wore glasses! He seemed quite common as well, had quite a cockney accent to his voice. He eventually asked me my name. I replied, â€Å"Ralph†. I didn’t ask his back, but he carried on the conversation and if I had. He started talking about his aunt and his asthma, and wiped the lens of his glasses. He swiped the sweat from his cheeks and pushed his glasses on the crook of his nose. He then got distracted by the fruit and just sat by some foliage. I then walked through to the branches and I suddenly heard some panting behind me. I then climbed over a broken trunk and I was out of the jungle. The ground below was something I had never seen before. The grass was so fine and green, with torn coconut shells and bits of bark scattered around the floor. I looked out to the water and saw a blue so strong with such whiteness flicking against the reef. The view in front of me was breathtaking and indescribable to its incredibility. The most amazing effect of all, was the heat. The heat was so powerful that you could almost see it. I jumped down to the beach where the sand was thick. I took off my clothes and just watched the scenery before me. I threw the sand upon my chest and just was just bedazzled by the water. The other boy came up to me after that. Saying that we should have a meeting with the rest of the boys that must be on the island. He said he didn’t want the rest of the boys calling him what they called him back home. I was curious then. I asked him, â€Å"What was that?† He whispered in my ear, â€Å"They used to call me `Piggy’.† I laughed so much my stomach hurt! I jumped up and started teasing him, â€Å"Piggy! Piggy!† He made me promise to not tell the others though. I started swimming and it felt so refreshing. Piggy watched me as I swam through squinted eyes. Piggy dipped his toe into the water and said, â€Å"It’s hot!† â€Å"What did you expect?† â€Å"I didn’t expect nothing. My auntie—-† â€Å"Sucks to your auntie!† He was becoming annoying now and i just wanted to swim. I was still taking in all the information about the crash, landing on it and finding Piggy, being all alone with no adults at all. This was going to be fun†¦ He started talking about his asthma too. By then I was quite irritated by him and just shouted, â€Å"Sucks to your ass-mar!† I told him about my father being in the Navy and he stood naked now, cleaning his glasses with a sock. I started to drift away on the water I could sense that Piggy would become reliant on me, as I was the first to know him and for him to know me. He seemed quite sensible, possibly too sensible. Even though he was quite physically unattractive, it seemed he didn’t mind. He was quite sure of himself and had good ideas after that. It was obvious he was going to be teased about his size, and wait until I tell them about his name!