Best Buy Marketing Plan Essay

Since its start in 1966 Best Buy Co. , Inc. has become a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology services and products. The company is headquartered in Richfield, MN and currently has 180,000 employees. Best Buy operates in the U. S. , Canada, Mexico, Europe, as well as China. Their product offerings include mobile products, televisions, e-readers, digital cameras, computers, appliances and many others. Best Buy attributes their steady growth over the years to their deep commitment to innovation and their customers. They continually adapt their product offerings to meet and exceed the ever changing technology needs of their customers. Best Buy recognizes that in the world of retail company’s need to constantly be finding new ways to attract, and retain customers. This has led the company to transform their operating models, as well as their stores to have a more customer-centric focus instead of the product-centric focus they once had (BBY, 2012). Recently Best Buy has been forced to make some difficult decisions regarding their company in an effort to stay competitive. With the departure of Best Buy’s CEO, Brian Dunn the company had to deal with some negative press regarding his inappropriate behavior with a company employee. In addition the company’s founder and chairman of the board of directors, Richard Schulze, was also caught up in this negative press and also resigned from the company. Recently Best Buy announced the closure of 50 of their big box stores, and lay off of hundreds of employees in an effort to cut costs (â€Å"Opportunity amid,† 2012). As online shopping increases in popularity, Best Buy’s current website may not be equipped to capitalize on this trend. This was demonstrated last holiday season when a malfunction of the company website cost Best Buy sales as well as credibility with consumers (â€Å"Company’s strength,† 2012). These recent events are forcing Best Buy to reevaluate their once very successful business model as they look to the future. Situation Analysis The electronics retail industry that Best Buy operates in is one that is constantly evolving as technology and customer preferences change. Business models that were successful in this industry in the past are not as effective in today’s world, thus companies are forced to adapt their techniques to retain their market position in the industry. Over the years Best Buy has built a strong brand recognition in the U. S. as well as around the world. This reputation helps the company maintain a solid market share in the industry. Another advantage for Best Buy is that they are becoming one of the few companies where customers can actually go to a store and try out electronics. Their stores give customers the opportunity to ask questions about electronics, something that online-only companies are lacking (Katsenelson, 2012). In addition Best Buy also offers customers a more personalized experience with their in-house group of electronics experts known as the Geek Squad. Since Best Buy purchased the unknown computer repair group in 2002 the Geek Squad has grown into the world’s largest tech-support operation with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion (â€Å"Company’s strength,† 2012). This industry contains two different types of retailers both offering  similar products. One type of retailer are those that offer electronics in stores, such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target. The other type of retailers are those that sole offer their products online, like Amazon, EBay, and Newegg Inc. There is a huge opportunity for Best Buy to really focus on redesigning their website, in an effort to compete with the online-only retailers. The company should work toward building a tighter collaboration between their website and their physical stores (Katsenelson, 2012). In order to truly capitalize on their stores, Best Buy should consider investing more in customer service training for their employees. When customers shop at a Best Buy store the company has an opportunity to personalize the technology experience for them. In the past Best Buy employees have been too focused on selling customers what they want to sell them instead of what customers actually need (â€Å"AT BEST,† 2012). Improved customer service will also help in the battle to turn Best Buy stores into more of an asset instead of a liability. Customers are testing products in Best Buy stores, and asking employees questions about them but then ultimately going to an online competitor to make their purchase for a cheaper price. Providing employees with more customer service training may help reduce the threat of losing sales to online-only competitors (Katsenelson, 2012). In addition to improving customer service at Best Buy the company should also focus on reinventing their customer rewards program. By creating a solid rewards program and promoting it the company could encourage more repeat business, and build a more loyal customer base. This industry is also characterized by intense competition, where many different retailers are offering the same products, thus making price one of the main motivators for customers. Best Buy’s main competitors are discount chains such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco. As well as online-only companies such as Amazon, EBay, and Newegg Inc. When it comes to appliances Best Buy also competes with home-improvement superstores such as Home Depot and Lowes. In an industry that is driven mostly by price companies will need to discover ways to set themselves apart from the competition in an effort to gain market share. Based on the company information for Best Buy, as well as the industry analysis a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis was created to summarize key items that the company should address. This SWOT analysis will help guide Best Buy as they look to implement a new marketing plan that will hopefully lead to a successful future. SWOT Analysis Strengths (Internal Factors):Weaknesses (Internal Factors): Brand recognition Cost of operating large stores Extended portfolio of products and services Recent negative press regarding departure of upper management Geek Squad Disconnect in regards to pricing between stores and website Opportunities (External Factors):Threats (External Factors): Focus on redesigning company website Intense industry competition Improve employee customer service training Customer information stored on website being hacked Work with vendors to offer bundled products available exclusively at Best Buy Customers shop products in Best Buy stores but ultimately buy product cheaper from online-only competitors Enhance customer rewards program New product launches by major vendors Implementation Control Best Buy executive leadership should review this marketing plan quarterly to track the marketing strategy. Executive leadership should assign individuals to take on responsibility for pushing projects along to meet the marketing strategy. Management must create a schedule and budget to monitor progress but also adapt to any unexpected events that may occur and plan accordingly.

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Evolved in Response to Antibiotic

How have Mycobacterium tuberculosis evolved in response to antibiotic use? Section 1 P1: (Words: 177) Since antibiotics has been discovered in 1920 by a Scottish microbiologist Alexander Fleming, people began to have access to treatments for infectious diseases (Bright). However, over time these M. tuberculosis has evolved and became resistant to antibiotics through constant use and incorrect usage (Bright). It is important to solve this health issue because it has created a serious problem to the people who are infected by diseases since these antibiotics are no longer effective.It is estimated that approximately 77,000 people were killed by resistant M. tuberculosis in the United States (Bright) and the medical cost to treat infections with antibiotic resistance has reached as high up to 44 billion dollars every year (Larsen). In the article of â€Å"Antibiotics Resistance† by Pushpa Larsen, roughly about 70 percent of those 2 million people in the United States who has beca me infected with diseases within a year were resistant to antibiotics that was being commonly treated in the hospitals (Larsen).With an overuse and misuse of antibiotics by the human population, it increases the chance of M. tuberculosis to evolve and have the ability to become resistant. Section 1 P2: (Words: 482) As people take antibiotics constantly and antibiotics that treats for a variety of M. tuberculosis, over a period of time it usually results in M. tuberculosis being resistant, and the only way to solve this is to change the human behavior. Since M. tuberculosis can reproduce rapidly within hours or days, the big population of the M. uberculosis causes the increase of adaptation to different environment (Bright). The ‘fast generation’ mentioned in the article of â€Å"Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance,† claimed that with such massive population, it also can rise the possibility of mutation in genes which causes variation (Bright). With having more cha nce of resulting variation among these huge quantity of population in M. tuberculosis, there will be more chance of these M. uberculosis with mutation to be selected for the environment due to natural selection. With M. tuberculosis being able to use specific tools gained from the gene, each can perform different methods of being resistance to the antibiotic’; for example, by taking ‘a gene from another bacterium’ (Bright). Scientists measure the percentage of M. Tuberculosis by using a special tool called, spectrophotometer to shoot out light and count the percentage of M. tuberculosis present in the tube. A certain amount of M.Tuberculosis will be added into the tube and place it inside the spectrophotometer to measure the percentage of population present in the tube by using a specific light of wave length with a scale pointing to how much light is being present (Ferguson, 2012). With having a higher population in the culture, the less light it will be shown i n the spectrophotometer (Ferguson, 2012). When antibiotics are added into the tube, those that are not resistant to the antibiotics are being killed, but those that are resistant survive (Ferguson, 2012).The measurement will show the amount of population being resistant to antibiotics by the scale shown in the spectrophotometer (Ferguson, 2012). There are no treatments to stop the M. tuberculosis from being resistant to antibiotics. However, we can help solve the problem of more bacteria being resistant to antibiotics by decreasing the amount use of antibiotics and taking antibiotics in the full cycle as prescribed by the doctor (Bright). The amount of antibiotics that people take is about 235 million doses a year, and approximately ‘one third to one half’ of the antibiotics being taken are not needed (Larsen).A research has found that patients have been demanding antibiotics from doctors even though the patient’s cold or other infections does not require any ant ibiotic use (Bright). The antibiotic misuse by people is that patients usually stop taking antibiotics once they feel that their cold or viral diseases is much better (Larsen). This can lead to the resistance in M. tuberculosis and ‘develop a stronger defense’(Larsen). By changing the human actions towards the use of antibiotics, it can help solve the problem of bacterium evolved in response to antibiotics.Section 2 P3 + P4 combine (Words: 407) The measurement of spectrophotometer to determine the percentage of M. Tuberculosis and the theory of natural selection both determines an effective way of observing how M. Tuberculosis evolved in response to antibiotics. By measuring the percentage of M. Tuberculosis present in a tube, the method of using spectrophotometer helps scientists to observe and witness the evolution of how M. Tuberculosis became more resistant to antibiotics overtime (Ferguson, 2012). The resistance of M. tuberculosis in ntibiotics due to evolution the ory of natural selection, those that favors in the natural selection tends to survive and reproduce to carry on their traits (Bright). As they reproduce, an immense volume of culture is being duplicated which increases more chance of variation among the tremendous population (Bright). Scientists uses tool like spectrophotometer to observe the rate of M. Tuberculosis being killed, and how those survived bacteria regained its immune towards antibiotics the next time it is being added to the culture (Ferguson, 2012).As each time an antibiotic is being added to the culture, those without resistance dies and those with, remain alive (Ferguson, 2012). Those that does live, increases and continues to grow (Ferguson, 2012). But, when an antibiotic is being added into the culture again in the next round, the rate of resistance of M. Tuberculosis increases in terms of building up a defense and using methods as in gaining a gene from a bacteria to become immune to antibiotics (Bright). Overtim e, the increase number of antibiotics added into the culture rapidly escalates and boost up the number of M.Tuberculosis being resistant (Ferguson, 2012). By looking at the theory of natural selection, those with best suited traits tends to be selected for, and reproduce in massive quantities which increases a greater possibility in variation. Either an antibiotic is being ameliorated from the former antibiotic or a completely recent developed antibiotic is invented, M. Tuberculosis will always find a solution to become more resistant to the antibiotic until it completely becomes unscathed to them (Bright). As more M. uberculosis gain further ability in building defense against the antibiotics, the more they reproduce those immune duplicates, the more difficult it will be for the human to fight against these M. Tuberculosis since they develop resistance. With the overpopulation of these cultures, the probability of variation is very high due to mutation in the gene (Bright). The met hod of measuring the increase in resistance helps benefits scientists to understand how M. Tuberculosis has evolve in response due to antibiotics and natural selection by using spectrophotometer.Section 3 P5 + P6 combine: (Words: 429) With the science application use of measurement of M. Tuberculosis percentage resistant to antibiotics and the theory of natural selection effects us socially in terms of causing chaos among the society with being unable to cure these M. Tuberculosis as they continue to become more resistant. Patients usually demands and gives pressure on doctors to provide them with antibiotics even when not needed (Bright). This usually is the reason to why M.Tuberculosis evolve and become resistant to antibiotics rapidly as more variation is present by the massive reproduction of M. Tuberculosis (Pitman, 2004). If the doctor suggests the patient to not take antibiotics, because it might cause the resistance towards antibiotics, then it is likely that patients will s till insist to take those antibiotics just to cure their infections or cold. Such aspect of the patient shows that they have no tolerance towards the future crisis of the uprising war between antibiotics and M. Tuberculosis.When a doctor insists their patients to take antibiotics as described in the instructions of the cycle, patients usually feel that their freedom of choice is being pressured and mostly they will go with their own opinion and decision making towards the use of antibiotics (Tekstiin, 2009). As patients sense that their cold or infectious disease has become better, they usually stop taking the antibiotics (Tekstiin, 2009). The reason for this is because some patients think that their immune system have the ability to fight against the bacteria present in their body.Research have found that taking antibiotics are very detrimental to the body in terms of damaging the good bacteria, as well as decreasing the competition between the harmful bacteria and the beneficial b acteria existing in your body (Tekstiin, 2009). In the future when people are infected by infectious diseases, the infection in the human body will not be effected by the antibiotics since they have evolved resistance towards antibiotics (Tekstiin, 2009).With this reason, as more people get infected with diseases, the antibiotics will be ineffective and cause turmoil among the society because doctors will be unable to cure them since the resistance in M. tuberculosis continues to rise rapidly. As a large percentage of the people becomes infected with diseases that are unable to be treated, the world could lose a massive population because more and more people are infected by the disease each day. The science application of measurement on resistance in M. Tuberculosis and the natural selection links to the factor socially with the cause of ineffectiveness of most antibiotics towards M.Tuberculosis, causing a huge loss in human population. Section 3 P7 + P8 combine: (Words: ) Scientis ts observe the measurement of percentage in M. Tuberculosis by looking at the curve of the increasing resistance in antibiotics as the natural selection provides the chance of stronger resistance due to variation of M. Tuberculosis; and with this, scientists are able to predict that it will effect the society economically in terms of medical costs to treat resistance in antibiotics. With people constantly overusing antibiotics for treating their infections or cold; overtime, those M.Tuberculosis that survived recovers by reproducing a large quantity of population and develop a defense against the antibiotics (â€Å"Antibiotic resistance,† 2008). As more antibiotics are given and added to kill the M. Tuberculosis, they become more resistant each time and soon, they will become completely resistant to antibiotics within a short period of time. As the number of resistant M. Tuberculosis increases, the more time and money scientists will have to invest on research and create anti biotics to treat the infected growing human population.With the experimentation, tools and a variety solutions of antibiotics, it all comes with a large amount of money. The healthcare system might find themselves drowning and finding difficulty in finance since a large amount of money will be spent on medical research and care (â€Å"Study on the,† 2009). Also, they will find trouble in restoring their stability in health care for the people when several people are dying since no treatment can be cured (â€Å"Study on the,† 2009). However, it is not only the scientists and the healthcare association who suffers, but also the infected patient’s families as well.To treat such infection with resistance towards antibiotics it comes to a huge cost in finance for the patient’s family (â€Å"Study on the,† 2009). The prediction of the high medical cost in the future by looking at the increasing rate of resistance of M. Tuberculosis in antibiotics by the scientists show how this problem of the uprising resistance towards antibiotics effects us economically when no cure can be treated. Section 4 P9: (Words: 309) The social limitations of the measurement in the increasing percentage of M.Tuberculosis developing into a newly developed antibiotic resistant bacteria links with the natural selection of massive reproduction in the M. Tuberculosis that increases the chance of variation among the huge population, that causes the rising probability in resistant to antibiotics, which creates a numerous number of patients to suffer severely when no treatments are to be able to completely cure the continuous developing new bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Understanding the measurement of the change in the increase rate of new evolved M. uberculosis effects not just the people but also the society in whole as well. Overtime, as people continuously take antibiotics to treat infections, those survived M. Tuberculosis develops into a new stronger bacteria resistant to the antibiotics, due to natural selection of variation among the huge population of the culture (Larsen). As scientists creates new antibiotics to treat such newly developed antibiotic-resistant M. Tuberculosis, these variation in the M. Tuberculosis will continue to become stronger and develop immune towards these new antibiotics (Bright). By applying the theory of evolution of M.Tuberculosis being more resistant to antibiotics by natural selection of variation in overpopulation, it impacts on the people socially with infections that continuously rises in population and keeps on developing into a new and stronger M. Tuberculosis that is unable to be treated, it will cause a major problem in our society where a large percent of the human population are suffering from the continuous developing new variation of M. Tuberculosis (Bright). With the huge population of culture, variation among these population is high which increases the rising rate of new developed M .Tuberculosis resistant to antibiotics that causes an issue in our society of people to be troubled by the fact of the continuous treatment to cure for unrepeated variation in M. Tuberculosis. Section 4 P10: (Words: 345) The measurement of the rising percentage of the huge population in newly developed antibiotic-resistant M. Tuberculosis, and the overpopulation in natural selection that leads to the high possibility in variation effects the people economically in terms of the difficulty in treatment necessary to cure the patient’s continuous infected disease that is antibiotic-resistant with the variation in the M.Tuberculosis, that causes billions of dollars to treat this non-stop evolution of M. Tuberculosis. As doctors treats patients with antibiotics for their infected disease, some M. Tuberculosis in the infected disease are killed and some remain alive (Pitman, 2004). Those that survives, reproduces in large quantities and in those massive population, the high probabil ity of variation that becomes immune towards antibiotics among the huge population rises (Pitman, 2004). When scientists invents new antibiotics to treat for the newly developed M.Tuberculosis, the survived M. Tuberculosis evolves and becomes more resistant to antibiotics because of natural selection (Pitman, 2004). M. Tuberculosis adapts to the antibiotics and evolve in response through the constant use of antibiotics that causes them to become more resistant (Pitman, 2004). With people spending roughly about 44 billion dollars every year on treating the continuous appearing new variation of M. Tuberculosis, it has created a burden in finance when there are no treatment to completely obliterate the variation in M.Tuberculosis since they always develop resistance to antibiotics (Larsen). In order to treat the continuous antibiotic-resistant variation in M. Tuberculosis, it will effect tremendously on the infected patient or their family and the hospital in terms of the finance in th e medical cost (â€Å"Study on the,† 2009). In the end, people will end up paying endlessly on antibiotics to treat these non-stop evolving resistant variation in M. Tuberculosis. With the continual of M.Tuberculosis in evolving into a newly antibiotic-resistant with the natural selection of variation because of the massive population that increases the possibility of mutation in gene, it will cost economically on the people to spend on the treatment to cure for the never-ending variation in M. Tuberculosis that is resistant to antibiotics. Works Cited Antibiotic resistance. (2008). Retrieved from http://www. sciencedaily. com/articles/a/antibiotic_resistance. htm Bright, K. (n. d. ). Applied evolution unit: Evolution of antibiotic resistance. Retrieved from http://evoled. dbs. umt. edu/lessons/background. htm Ferguson, D. 2012, May 14). Measuring antibiotics resistance. Personal Communication . Larsen, P. (n. d. ). Antibiotics resistance. Retrieved from http://www. naturalch oice. net/articles/antibiotics. htm Pitman, S. (2004, December). Antibiotic resistance. Retrieved from http://www. detectingdesign. com/antibioticresistance. html Study on the economic impact of antibiotic overuse and antibiotic-resistant infections. (2009, October 19). Retrieved from http://www. news-medical. net/news/20091019/Study-on-the-economic-impact-of-antibiotic-overuse-and-antibiotic-resistant-infections. aspx? page=2 Tekstiin, T. (2009, November 11).The long-term effects of antibiotics on health and immunity. Retrieved from http://inhumanexperiment. blogspot. jp/2009/11/long-term-effects-of-antibiotics-on. html Bibliography Davies, J. , & Davies, D. (n. d. ). Origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance. Retrieved from http://mmbr. asm. org/content/74/3/417. full Kunkel, D. (n. d. ). Antibiotic resistance: Delaying the inevitable. Retrieved from http://evolution. berkeley. edu/evosite/relevance/IA1antibiotics2. shtml Microevolution & antibiotic-resistant bacteria. (2012, April 18). Retrieved from http://alexa2b. edublogs. org/2012/04/18/microevolution-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria/

English Language in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Essay

English Language in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Essay Example ARAMCO produces all of the crude oil in Saudi Arabia which massive oil reserves amount to over 25 % of the entire world's proven oil reserves (Cordesman 2003, pp. 465, 467). An important after-effect of this oil boom was the immediate massive importation of foreign engineers and other technical experts to man ARAMCO's oil depot, structures and offices. The common denominator of all these personnel was the English language. There arose a need to train Saudi employees and on-the-job Saudi technical people to learn and speak the English language in order to communicate with these foreign technical experts. This need to master the English language was heightened when King Faisal decided to utilise the huge oil revenues from the burgeoning Saudi oil industry to modernise Saudi Arabia by launching large-scale infrastructure programs in the fields of education, telecommunications, transportation, housing, health, social welfare, water, electricity and other utilities (Mackey 1987, p.43). This thereby necessitated importation of more foreign technical experts who had to be conversed and communicated with by the Saudi people in the English language. We also must not forget that annually more than 2 million Muslim people from all over the world converge in a requisite once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage or Hajj mainly to the cities of Mecca and Medina and they too must be interacted with using the English language (Siddiqui 2006, p.70). ... so must not forget that annually more than 2 million Muslim people from all over the world converge in a requisite once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage or Hajj mainly to the cities of Mecca and Medina and they too must be interacted with using the English language (Siddiqui 2006, p.70). Moreover, such gargantuan oil revenues had been decided also to be used for international operations in subsidiaries and joint ventures in USA, Japan, China, South Korea, Philippines, Greece and elsewhere, all designed for finding outlets for the country's immense crude oil production (Cordesman & Al-Rodhan 2006, p.211). The Saudi oil bonanza had also raised the standard of living and modernised practically all aspect of Saudi society. In the realm of business, Saudi Arabia has suddenly become a commercial hub. It had successfully beckoned several multinational companies to establish business interests in the kingdom. The banking system was energised with the establishment of such banks as Saudi American, Sa udi British, Saudi Dutch, Saudi French etc. Businesses like supermarkets, hotels, restaurants sprouted which all required from their personnel working knowledge of English, the world's lingua franca. Even established corporations such as Saudi Airlines, Aramco, Dallah, Samarec etc. require all their personnel to possess a high level of proficiency in English, which is a sine qua non requirement for acceptance in their employment. All are required to undergo further honing of English skills with more training and instruction (Fishman et al, 1996, p.460). The elevation of the standards of living has necessitated the employment of 8.8 million expatriate workers who are employed on jobs that native Saudis cannot fill or are unwilling to fill and of these some 2 million are English

History and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine Essay

History and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Essay Example With respect to the sages, Zhang Cong Zheng is one of the most notable. This paper will explore his works, theories and philosophies including his influence in the development of Chinese traditional medicine. Also known as Zhang Zi-he, Zhang Cong Zheng founded the Gong Xia Pai, which is the School of Attack and Precipitation or Purgation. Here, there was an emphasis on the approach to disease as caused by the presence of evil qi (Yang, 1993, pp.vii). This kind of qi involves those pathogenic factors that must be flushed out of the human body with the use of drugs and treatment, hence, the titular name of the school. Together with other great masters such as Liu Wansu, Li Gao and Zhu Zhenheng, Zhang Cong Zheng was able to further promote the Chinese traditional medicine, exploring it from different angles, enriching and expanding it in the process. Zhang Cong Zheng was born between 1156 and 1200 CE in He Jian, Hebei Province. The place and time is important because they underscore the influences to the sages philosophies that led to the school that he founded. First, he lived during the Jin-Yuan period and that the three other great masters were his contemporaries or close to his generation. What these all mean is that he was able to incorporate elements of treatment from his Jin-Yuan contemporaries. The great master Liu Wansu, for instance, was already dead during his time, but the sages cold/cooling method heavily influenced Zhang Cong Zhengs work. There were also protracted conflicts and plagues that marked the period, providing a new environment and, therefore, new requirements for medical treatment and practice. Zhang Cong Zheng is known for his purgation method, where treatment involves the inducement of pathogens in bodily processes. This works within an understanding of pathology based on the climatic qi of heaven and earth. According to Buck, Zhang Cong Zheng, through his purgation school improved on a Liu

Bibliography and Annotations Annotated Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

And Annotations - Annotated Bibliography Example She studied the social organization of the Santee before 1892 and compared it to the community she came across in 1935. According to Landes, the Mdewakantonwan was grouped into seven to ten villages with about 50 to 400 people per village (220). They had strong corporate features economically and politically independent and owned plenty of land. This book helps people understand the socio-cultural organization of the Santee; thus giving a better understanding of their cultural perspective. This book written by Charles Eastman and Ernest Blumenschein in 1971, traces the life of Eastman growing up as a native Santee Sioux. He mainly talks of his life in Canada, where he had gone to exile after separating with his father and siblings during the Dakota war, in 1862. Eastman claims that during his childhood in Santee, children were trained through several ways such as narration of stories and myths by adults, games and sports, and spiritual and moral training among others (54). The learning that Eastman expresses from his childhood is not much different from the learning that takes place in the society today. This is a nonfictional book written by Roy Meyer in 1968. According to Meyer, the Santee is an American Indian group, which consists of four divisions of the eastern Dakota (199). They include the Sisseton, Mdewakanton, Wahpeton and Wahpekute. The Santee spoke the languages of the Siouan of eastern Dakota that is strongly related to the Lakota language spoken by the Teton, and Nakota, which is spoken by Yanktonai and Yankton. The Yanktonai, Yankton, and the Teton are the other three divisions of the Dakota. Meyer argues that the traditions of the Santee shows that they originated from the northeast, probably near the â€Å"Lake of the Woods†, but the expanding Ojibwa community forced them out of their homeland to the South and West (200). They rose against the Whites in 1892 under the little cow, but lost the war, as well as their remaining Land in

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 8

Case study - Essay Example mission of the company is to provide airline services to the customers, while generating high amount of customer satisfaction through the intangible factors of warmth, friendliness as well as high quality customer service (Southwest Airlines, 2013.). It has to be said that the external analysis needs to take into account the various factors of the outside world that can seriously impact the business prospects of the low cost airlines. The external analysis can be best judged by evaluating the competitive business environment of the airline sector. The global aviation sector is highly integrated with a lot of macro level factors, which has to be taken into consideration while judging the business prospects associated with this sector. The high and tremendously complex level of integration of the multiple numbers of macro factors of various regions and countries has significantly pushed up the risk quotient that is associated with doing business in this particular sector. While studying the trends that have existed in the aviation sector all around the world, it has been found that the competitive scenario in the last decade shared an inverse relationship for the growth of the airline business all over the world. The analysis of the performance of the airline sector in the period of 2000 and 2009 revealed that the sector of global aviation was subjected to a net loss of more than 52 billion USD. The expert analysts of the aviation sector cited that the issues related to fragmented nature of the airlines sector all over the globe as well as mismatch in terms of demand and capacity are the main reasons for the loss based upshots. The experts have predicted that with the continued existence of these factors, there will be a significant impact in the global airline sector. It has to be said that these factors will trigger a loss of more than 52 billion USD in the next couple of years (Brueckner and Lee, 2010). Talking about the potential threat of the domestic

Blog Post Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Blog Post - Assignment Example Armando Aguilar, the head of the fraternal order of police in Miami, described graphically and in detail the incident. The suspect, according to him, growled when the police ordered him to stop attacking the other man. When the suspect tried to attack the police, he was shot four times before he finally went down. What is more shocking is that there were four similar cases beforehand, which all took place in Miami. The above case is, without a doubt, a perfect example of sensationalism in the media. Truth and objectivity, which are highly cherished values in journalism and mass media andcommunication, are absent in this case. Basically, the issue of truth and objectivity relates to the purpose and significance of the news. The news about a man eating the face of another man is of course significant. But what is the purpose of CNN for presenting this news in a graphical and outrageous manner? There is one obvious answer: to sensationalize and drew the attention of the public, or, worse, to sell. In sensationalized news, truth and objectivity are halfheartedly espoused. Of course, CNN is known for its reliable and credible news reporting, but the network apparently failed to disclose the truth about this so-called zombie attack in an objective manner. With all of the odd incidents happening all over the world, people start to speculate if something strange or unexplained was causing these events . Because of news like this, gossips start to surface about an imminent cannibalism outbreak. Apparently, there is no imminent cannibalism outbreak. And there are no inexplicable ‘something’ goading normal people to eat human flesh. The CNN report about one isolated incident in Miami is an example of how sensationalized news can incite panic; it also reveals the triviality of contemporary news media. The truth is there are a lot of mentally ill or deranged people all over the world. Cannibalism,

Windows Upgrade Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Windows Upgrade Report - Essay Example XP is termed a real operating system capable of working on a separated mode giving maximum benefits in terms of server features for home and office use. Windows 7 came to live in 2009 as a replacement for Window XP. The Edition was designed for business, home and desktop use. The graphic features improved those of XP and implored the 3D. The â€Å"super bar† improved the architecture of the task bar with better coding scheme for instant access. In addition to Windows Media player, the new revolutionary Windows Movie Maker and Windows Photo Gallery updated the media segment (Er. Vivek Sharma, 2013). Windows 7 is available in many versions and present different features. Windows 7 is available in Starter, Premium, Enterprise, Professional and Ultimate. A user has a choice of these versions according to their needs. The system adopted higher requirement specifications than those of XP. Windows 7 is characterized by 64-bit and 32-bit architecture with 64-bit 1 GHz processor. The minimum RAM size mandatory is 2GB with a lowest amount of 20 GB hard disc. The 32-bit architecture has a RAM requisite of 1GB. This is the disadvantage with Windows 7 if the current hardware does not suite the requirements. Another issue is that Windows XP is not easily upgraded to Windows 7. Window 7 Enterprise has a number of features that minimizes cost for the business user. Direct Access is one such feature. Like the Direct Access, Branch cache is another application in Windows 7 that can be utilized together Windows server 2008 to improve the speed of extracting data from remote locations by caching the information in the intranet or the internet the first time it is requested. Other advancements include VDI, App locker, Federated search and Language Pack (Abraham Silberschatz, 2013). Windows 8 was first released for manufacturing on August 2012 and is an extension of the 6.2 version of the Windows NT Kernel. The new

Changing the Way America Fuels its Cars Essay Example for Free

Changing the Way America Fuels its Cars Essay When President Bush declared that Americans were addicted to oil, he was right. Americans do not eat, travel or shop without oil. Robert Bryce admits this, but then asks, â€Å"So what? † Almost every other western nation is too, he declares. But Bryce takes the problem too lightly. (Bryce, 2008) There are four answers to Bryce’s question. First, America’s addiction to oil might be contributing to dangerous climate change. According to Romm (2008), it is speeding up global warming. Carbon Dioxide emissions, he says, cause rising temperatures, which may leave the world barren and desolate, wiping out species and drying up human water supplies. America’s oil addiction also threatens its national security. Indeed, according to Stein (2008), if America continues to purchase oil from unfriendly countries, it could fund the development of military technology, thus allowing its enemies to make and buy weapons and training that could later be used against Americans. According to Stein (2008), Relying heavily on foreign oil is also expensive for Americans, who are left paying whatever OPEC thinks they ought to. As gas prices go up, so do the prices of everything else in America – even food. Finally, America’s investment in foreign oil might be immoral, since, according to Romm (2008), most of that oil is purchased from undemocratic countries. These countries engage in many practices which the U. S. does not condone. While the problems caused by America’s oil addiction are clear, finding a solution is difficult. There are several potential substitutes for oil that can be produced domestically. For instance, America has its own oil. Recently, President Bush lifted a ban on off-shore drilling, in order to allow oil companies to obtain oil domestically (Upton, 2008). Another popular alternative is hybridization. Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mercury and Saturn are among the car companies that have already invested in such technology. Using a combination of electricity and gas, the cars produced by these companies can get over thirty miles per gallon. While some oil is still required to fuel these cars, using them reduces the amount of oil consumers will need to buy substantially. Meanwhile, some counties are moving toward fully electric cars, which would eliminate the need for foreign oil completely (Romm, 2008). Another alternative is bio-fuel. Ethanol – fuel made from corn, has been the most commonly used bio-fuel, and can be produced in the Midwest, rather than abroad. Other crops could also be used to produce oil. The Midwest is also a good place to harvest wind energy. Indeed, windmills and turbines can be placed throughout the United States, where they can be used to produce electricity. According to Stein (2008), Wind power has already been used successfully in Europe. It accounts, he says, for a fifth of Denmark’s energy. Meanwhile, many congressmen support the â€Å"coal to liquid† process, through which coal is turned into gasoline and diesel fuel (Roskam, 2008). Another alternative offered by some scholars and officials is increasing the use of nuclear power. While, according to Upton, France produces 80% of its electricity through nuclear power, and even has electricity to export – using American technology, Americans barely use nuclear power at all (Upton, 2008). Many have suggested that, in order for America to break its addiction to oil, the federal government must act, either by offering tax credits to consumers who invest in alternative fuel, or by penalizing gas companies and consumers by increasing gas taxes. Indeed, according to Stein (2008), taxing gas can reduce its popularity. Meanwhile, according to Tucker (2006), state governments have begun to step in themselves, seeing that the federal government is slow to act. These states, says Tucker, have begun to invest in solar, wind, landfill gas, and coal mine methane, biomass, along with hydro and geothermal energy. But which alternatives ought the government –or consumers, for that matter – invest in? Some alternatives are more risky than others, yet some of the alternatives with the greatest perceived risk are the most effective (Tucker, 2006). Representative Boehner recommends off-shore drilling. While he does not believe America has enough oil to fuel cars permanently, he does think such drilling will provide temporary relief to consumers at the gas pump (Boehner, 2008). But what can be done for the long-term? / Roskam advocates the use of coal. After all, he says, â€Å"America is the Saudi Arabia of Coal,† holding perhaps one fifth of the world’s coal supply (Roskam, 2008). According to Roskam, coal is cleaner than it used to be, and can be used to create gasoline and diesel fuel. Coal can also be used to produce electricity (Roskam, 2008). Indeed, Stein submits that the Co2 emissions from coal-powered electricity are much lower than those produced by traditional horsepower (Stein, 2008). According to Romm, creating Hybrid cars is costly, but, he says, if the government aids consumers with tax credits, such cars will become affordable. Furthermore, according to Romm, electric energy is the only alternative fuel source that costs less than gasoline. â€Å"It has a per-mile cost about one fifth that of gasoline, even when made from low-carbon sources,† he says (Romm, 2008, p. 14). He also points to the practicality of a move toward electric energy, stating that Israel and Denmark are already moving toward using fully electric vehicles. Although he does not expect America to jump to fully electric cars so quickly, he says that Americans will make the transition by investing in hybrid cars that can go up to forty miles on just electricity. Because, he says, most Americans only travel thirty miles per-day, the fuel savings would be substantial. â€Å"Cars could pay for themselves in fuel savings,† he says (Roskam, 2008, p. 14). He also nods to Toyota, GM and Volkswagen, who plan to release this sort of hybrid in the next two years. Meanwhile, Representative Upton argues for the use of nuclear power, saying, â€Å"â€Å"Nuclear power is the cleanest, most efficient, and most reliable source of electricity. † (Upton, 2008, p. 1) Not only that, says Upton, but nuclear energy can be recycled. Furthermore, unlike solar and wind power, nuclear energy can be used around-the-clock. France, Upton says, is remarkably energy independent, while Germany, which phased out nuclear power, is completely energy dependent. While the United States is currently independent as far as electricity is concerned, says Upton, we may not be, down the road, if we continue to avoid using nuclear energy. Stein supports Upton’s remarks, saying that NASA scientist Steve Lovelock believes that the only way to escape harmful global warming is to begin using nuclear energy (Stein, 2008). Yet, each alternative has a negative aspect to it as well. According to Romm, America should not engage in off-shore drilling, because it will not meet the needs of the American consumer, nor will it truly reduce energy dependence, because it will leave Americans addicted to oil, which they will obtain from foreign sources, once domestic sources dry up. Drilling in Alaska, says Romm, â€Å"would cut gas prices only 2 cents by 2025. † (Romm, 2008, p. 14) Romm also sees harm in the use of bio-fuels. â€Å"Using crops to make energy is unwise,† (Roskam, 2008, p. 1) he says. It will not, according to Romm, reduce greenhouse gasses substantially Meanwhile, as energy prices go up and the world’s population increases, while at the same time, climate change makes less land usable, people will need to use the land they have for crops and they will need to use the crops they have for food, or they will starve (Roskam, 2008) Stein (2008) also agrees that using food for energy is not a good idea. Furthermore, according to Asrar, Ethanol has a very high production cost (Asrar, 2007). Romm doesn’t think America’s current hybrid efforts go far enough either. Current laws, he says, require only that cars get 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This is less, he points out, than what cars get in either Europe or China. â€Å"We should aim,† he says, â€Å"for all new cars to get more than 100 miles per gallon by 2040. † (Romm, 2008, p. 14) Meanwhile, Upton admits that the current system for disposing of nuclear waste is not adequate. But he says, if the government invests in it, that waste can decrease, from the size of a soda can, per individual, to the size of a half-dollar (Upton, 2008). According to Stein, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club also sees harm in using nuclear energy. They will not even consider using the fuel, because they are afraid that an accident could have catastrophic effects, like those brought about by the accident at Chernobyl (Stein, 2008). Environmentalists also worry about wind power. They are afraid that windmills might cause harm to migratory birds. Although, Stein says, harm to such birds could be avoided by making windmills higher, environmentalists also worry that this makes them an obstruction and that placing such technology around America will disturb animal habitats. They also argue that the amount of land needed to create wind farms will lead to the loss of farmland and recreational space (Stein, 2008). If farmland is lost, Americans could face the same problems they would face if they used bio-fuel. Yet, if land becomes unusable due to global warming, Americans would have plenty of recreational space. According to Roskam (Roskam, 2008), Nancy Pelosi stands in the way of any Coal-to-Liquid programs – not even letting bills providing for investment in such technology come to a vote in the senate. Yet, according to Stein, coal-to-liquid is not an effective alternative, anyway, as it is still polluting and because synthetic fuel cannot compete with the real deal. Yet, using coal to produce electricity is, he says, a good idea (Roskam, 2008)X. While the experts agree that relying on bio-fuel is more harmful than it is helpful and that drilling will not meet the needs of Americans, most of the other options have some merit. Of all the alternatives, nuclear energy is the cleanest. Modern technology has made the use of it very safe. France’s successful use of nuclear energy shows that it can be harnessed and effectively used. Therefore, the government ought to invest more heavily in nuclear power. Meanwhile, because America is so coal-rich, the government ought to invest in finding ways to produce electricity through coal more cleanly. Government incentives for hybrid and electric cars ought to be increased, and the government’s requirements for automakers ought to be made more stringent. Works Cited Asrar, G. R. (2007). Americas Farms: Growing Food, Fiber, Fuel And More. Agricultural Research , 55 (4), 2. Boehner, J. A. (2008, July 15). We Need an `All of the Above Energy Strategy. US Fed News Service, including U. S. State News . Bryce, R. (2008). Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence. New York: Perseus Publishing. Romm, J. (2008). End This Addiction Immediately: Record gasoline prices are affecting every aspect of the U. S. Economy, and the nations burgeoning energy problems have become a frontline issue in the presidential election. U. S. News and World Report , 145 (2), 14. Roskam, P. (2008, July 14). Energy Independence A Question of Will. US Fed News Service, Including U. S. State NEws . Stein, S. (2008). Energy Independence is Not Green. Policy Review (148), 3-18. Tucker, P. (2006). Thinking Globally, Acting Locally on Energy Use. The Futurist , 40 (4), 8-9. Upton, F. (2008). Recycling of Spent Nuclear Fuel Offers Great Promise. US Fed News Service, Including US State News .

Ethical judgements Essay Example for Free

Ethical judgements Essay Our entire life is a continuous process of gaining and retaining information, expanding our knowledge as individuals. Most people spend quite a bit of time in their childhood years in school learning, taking in knowledge that has been produced. As a species humans have produced a wealth of knowledge in a variety of ways. However there comes a time where you have to wonder what extent people would go to, to produce knowledge. Where is the line? When are we doing something ethically wrong? All of these questions bring up another question, do ethics get in the way of producing knowledge? The arts and natural sciences are two areas of knowledge that deal a lot with ethics. The arts are a very free area of knowledge in with people are allowed to express themselves, the natural sciences require a lot of experimentation. In my opinion, knowledge is very valuable, and the production of it should be a priority if the sacrifice is reasonable. The arts are a valuable source of knowledge, producers of art tend to try to convey a message through their artwork. Art comes in many different forms, ranging from visual arts to music and even literary arts. Throughout all forms most of art there are lessons embedded in the art piece, or at least messages conveyed through the art. Similarly, most art contains some form of censorship, artists are not allowed to touch on certain topics. Even if artists decide to make art that touches on controversial or different topics, their art is typically not accepted in society and does not receive any publicity. Again, this is the case with almost all art, however for the purpose of this essay I am going to focus on literary art. An example that is very prevalent in my mind is the ban of _The Book of Negroes_ by Lawrence Hill. A dutchman named Roy Groenberg wrote a letter to Lawrence Hill. In the letter he wrote that a group of people in the Netherlands were going to burn Hills book because in contained the word negro in the title (Hopper). _The Book of Negroes_ is an award winning book that is about the life of an 11 year-old girl who is kidnapped in a village near Segu in Africa, and sent to North Carolina to be a slave. The book continues to tell the reader about her life as a slave (Hill). _The Book of Negroes_ is widely considered as very moving and a book that conveys important messages (Hopper). Unfortunately, because of the title it was misconceived as a book that was critical of African-Americans. Groenberg was the only person to act on his feelings, however that does not mean he was the only person to see this book as negatively directed at African-Americans. _The Book of Negroes_ was likely misconceived by many more people just because of the inclusion of the word negro in the title. Unfortunately, society has made many ethical judgements about the word negro which are usually justified but in this case prevent people expanding their knowledge (Hopper). This one of many examples, in which an ethical judgement limited methods available in the production of knowledge. This brings up the question in my mind, why do people shy away from certain words? An attempt to find the answer lead me to the Theory of Knowledge diagram, more specifically the ways of knowing. One way of knowing that intrigues me is language, this seems to answer my question. Language is a very powerful way of knowing, as words can be very powerful. There are handful of words in the english language that are not spoken because of how powerful they are. It seems to me that because of this some words are not tolerated even if the context is appropriate. Which sort of explains why The Book of Negroes received some criticism. It almost makes the criticism understandable, and I can begin to justify Groenbergs actions. Like I said before, almost all art forms have artwork that is not socially  accepted, and up to this point Ive only discussed literary art. However in my personal life I have learned about art not being accepted, when it comes to hip-hop music. I regularly listen to hip-hop music and it is a very important part of my life. In the eighth grade for a social studies class I had the opportunity to play a song in class as part of a project. This for me was especially difficult because a lot of hip-hop music is not completely suitable for a eighth grade class setting. Even though I had found a couple of songs that were perfect for what I needed, but had a little too much profanity. I completely understand that there are some inappropriate elements to hip-hop music that are not the best thing for a class room environment. However, I believe by the eighth grade students have developed a level of maturity, and should be able to listen to hip-hop music. All that needed to happen was for my classmates to disregard any profanity and see the song for what it truly is. Similarly, people should have looked past the title The Book of Negroes and read the book to see it for its value. Ethical judgments are as prevalent in the arts as they are in the natural sciences. From stem cell research to animal testing, there are a plethora of examples for natural sciences. The arts are as much about entertainment as they are gaining knowledge, or maybe even more. On the other hand the natural sciences is almost entirely about gaining new knowledge and improving what is already known. In this age, developments in natural sciences are nearly only about human advancement. Whether is medically or discovering new things. I am going to mainly focus on how various countries, such as Argentina, the United States, Russia, Iran and France, tested their space equipment. From the mid 1940s all the way to 2013, the mentioned countries have sent monkeys into space (Gray). Before leaders were confident enough to send humans into space, they sent monkeys into space to see how their equipment fared. As expected, most of these monkeys died horrible deaths in flight with no way of knowing what is happening or any way to help themselves (Gray). The most notable instances were the first few monkeys in space. In 1948 NASA sent a  rhesus monkey named Albert 39 miles into the air in a rocket. Albert died of suffocation mid flight, however NASA sent another monkey in the air named Albert II. Albert II survived the flight but died due to a parachute malfunction (Gray). When I discussed the Book of Negroes I reached a conclusion that gaining knowledge is more important than ethical issues. However, when discussing NASA monkeys it is much harder to decide. This is because lives are at stake, although they are not human lives it is still hard to think about something dying for space research. Majority of people agree that sending monkeys into space is wrong. How is it that NASA can design equipment to go into space, but can not create a machine that can detect air pressure and oxygen levels. Again, understanding this point of view is much easier but the theory of knowledge diagram came to my mind again. In the ways of knowing there is emotion, and that is likely the main way of knowing affecting people when they imagine monkeys dying for space research. It is easy to create an emotional bond with an animal as cute as a monkey, and most people can agree monkeys are cute. When reacting on emotions people reach rash conclusions. Which I think can be applied here, I am curious what the reaction would be if NASA tested with uglier or at least less cute animals. What if NASA sent warthogs into space? This is a situation when I personally hate to play devils advocate, however if I was an astronaut in the 1940s I would certainly not go into a space rocket. I have absolutely nothing against monkeys, but if I were forced to make a decision between a monkey dying and a human dying I would choose the monkey, without hesitation. In conclusion, knowledge is very valuable and has been something humans have cherished through the ages. The production of knowledge has been vital to the advancement of the human race. Under most circumstances in the arts and natural sciences, the production of knowledge does not require a major sacrifice, just a small loss or temporary discomfort. There are times in which it is not worth the sacrifice to learn something. However the vast majority of circumstances provide a reasonable loss for the production of  knowledge. Overall, I believe knowledge and the production of knowledge is extremely valuable and should be a priority when it comes to he arts and natural sciences. Works Cited Gray, Tara. A Brief History of Animals In Space. NASA. NASA HQ, 02 Aug 2004. Web. 16 Sep 2013. Hill, Lawrence. The Book of Negroes. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: HarperCollins, 2007. Print. Hopper, Tristin. Dutchman threatens to burn The Book of Negroes. National Post. National Post, 10 Jun 2011. Web. 16 Sep 2013. .

Motivation Theories Application in Construction

Motivation Theories Application in Construction Most concepts of motivation that apply to the workforce begin with the assumption that behaviour, at least in part, is directed towards the satisfaction of needs or motives. Definitions of motivation include: Willingness to exert effort to achieve the organizations goals, conditioned by this efforts ability to satisfy individual needs (Robbins Coulter, 1996). An employees motivation to work consists of all the drives, forces and influenced- conscious or unconscious- that cause the employee to want to achieve certain aims (Graham and Bennett, 1998 p60) Processes that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal. Robbins and Judge (2009, p.209) There are many definitions of motivation, however the underlying concept appears to be that, some driving force within individuals by which they attempt to achieve some goal in order to fulfil some need or expectation (Mullins, 2002, p418). Rudolph and Kleiner (1989) and Armstrong (1999) suggest that it can be divided in to two categories, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is related to tangible benefits such as salary, fringe benefits, security, contract of service, promotion, the work environment and conditions of work. Whereas intrinsic motivation relates to psychological rewards such as the opportunity to use ones ability, a sense of challenge and achievement, receiving appreciation, positive recognition, and being treated in a caring and considerate manner. The importance of the construction industry in relation to the general economy The building and construction industry is essential to welfare and prosperity in the UK. In 2011 the Gross Value Added of the construction industry in the UK was  £89.5 billion, 6.7% of total GVA (Gross value added). There were 2.04 million workforce jobs in the UK construction industry in March 2012, 6.4% of all workforce jobs. The GVA of the industry fell in 2008, 2009 and 2010 both in terms of  £billions but also its share of the total economy, 2011 saw a slight recovery but the GVA of the construction industry remained below pre-recession levels. (http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01432) The importance of motivation Motivation is extremely important to organisations and companies of all sizes; in a competitive market place such as the construction industry it is vital that staff members are motivated in order to convert physical and financial resources into useful products, ultimately helping to reduce the cost of operations. According to Sabah Karimi (2010) Motivation is important in order to be able to attain the organizations goals and to accomplish long and short term objectives. Managers strive to motivate people in organisations to perform at high levels. This means getting them to work hard, to come to work regularly and to make positive contributions to the organisations goals. However job performance not only depends on motivation but also ability and environmental factors. The relationship of Performance can be stated as follows: P = M + A + E With, P = performance, M = motivation, A= ability, and E = environment To generate high levels of performance an employee must be motivated to do the job, must have the ability to complete the job effectively and must be provided with the necessary equipment/information to do so. Mullins (2002) refers to work by Krietner et al. who proposes that although motivation is a necessary contributor for job performance, it is not the only one. Alongside ability, motivation is also a combination of level of skill, knowledge about how to complete the task, feelings and emotions, and facilitating/inhibiting conditions not under the individuals control. Performance and satisfaction are areas commonly discussed when talking about motivation. Organisations not only want operatives that are productive, but they also want to ensure that their workforce is satisfied in order to reduce employee turnover. Boredom and frustration at work is often the result of an employees lack of involvement with the companys goals and a feeling that their ideas are not wanted or listened to. For the employer, staff turnover increases as employees walk out of the door for more interesting jobs. (Management today) Despite being discussed, there has been little scientific research in to the relationship between satisfaction and productivity and whether operatives are motivated so they are satisfied, productive or both. The importance of motivation is clear and can be summarised in the following quotation: Motivation may be defined as the degree to which individuals commit effort to achieve goals that they perceive as being meaningful and worthwhile Johnson, Johnson, 2003 However, it is slightly unclear are the factors that motivate operatives, if the techniques applied by management are successful, and what the relationship is between satisfaction and productivity. Therefore the aims for this research are to: Understand what motivates construction operatives, by ranking their needs, motivators and de-motivators. Establish what site managers perceive motivates operatives, and compare whether they are of the same opinion as the operatives. Compare the findings of this study with previous research, and establish any differences in opinion Discuss the issue of satisfaction and productivity and establish if there is a relationship between the two MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES THEIR APPLICATION IN CONSTRUCTION There are various theories which endeavour to quantify what motivation is, all which are partially true. However a generalised theory that applies to all individuals in different circumstances has not yet been theorised. It is not essential to discuss all motivational theories but it is however important to identify that each one is different. This project will be expanding on data analysed from previous research which was collected in relation to Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. It also raises key points in regards to issues with satisfaction and productivity, this in which is linked to the work of Herzberg. This chapter will subsequently focus on the work of Maslow and Herzberg; other theories will be outlined briefly. History of motivation Motivation theories can be traced back over two centuries ago to the works of innovative theorists such as Robert Owen, Jeremy Bentham, and Elton Mayo who began to research and implement principles of motivational theories, there be it different models. Robert Owen believed that by caring and looking after the needs of his employees they would be more reliable, efficient and longer lasting. He demonstrated pioneering management and ethical business policies which are now widely recognised and implemented within human resources today. His strategies inspired infant education, the need for safer working practices, the co-operative movement, trade unionism, and garden cities. Jeremy Bentham views are widely known as the carrot and stick approach, a metaphor relating to reward and penalties. Bentham believed that everyone is self-interested, motivated by either a desirable outcome or avoiding an unpleasant one. Although theories of motivation have been explored extensively since, reward and punishment is still considered strong motivators in our society today. Elton Mayo conducted various behavioural experiments to explore methods of motivating staff, from the research he conducted he concluded that staff were not only motivated by pay, work conditions and moral but also psychological and social factors. He also found that recognition and a sense of belonging are very important and that an individuals attitude towards work is strongly influenced by those around them. Outline of theories It is now possible to divide motivation theories into two categories, content theories and process theories. Content theories may also be referred to as need theories as they focus on the importance of establishing what motivates us, trying to identify the needs of individuals and thus relating motivation to the fulfilling of these needs. These theories are concerned with identifying peoples needs, their relative strengths and the goals they pursue in order to satisfy these needs (Mullins 2002). They include: Maslow hierarchy of needs model Herzbergs two-factor theory Alderfers modified need hierarchy model McClellands achievement motivation theory McGregors X and Y theory Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow introduced a hierarchy of needs in a paper written in 1943, called A Theory of Human Motivation. The hierarchy attempts to explain/propose factors that motivate an individual, Maslow suggested that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. The hierarchy is most commonly displayed in a pyramid format show in figure 1. Maslow believes that we must first achieve physiological needs as they are vital for our survival. They include the need for water, air, food and sleep; these are classed as primary needs as all other steps in the tier are secondary until these needs are met. Safety needs may also include factors that improve security; they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Once we can sustain ourselves (tier 1) it then becomes essential to ensure our safety/security, examples of this may be protection from weather, health insurance, machinery, vehicles etc. Social needs include our natural urge to feel accepted; examples of this may be with family, relationships or colleagues at work. Esteem needs include feelings such as self-worth, accomplishment and social recognition. Self-actualisation needs represent the highest tier of the hierarchy and are needs concerned with self-fulfilment or personal growth. Maslow believed that each tier must be fairly well satisfied before the needs of the next tier become important to the individual, however Oldcorn (1989) advocates that individuals may not satisfy the first need to move on to the next until they reach the top of the hierarchy. He implies that in reality we try to satisfy a mixture of various needs at any one time. This can often be seen when individuals are put under pressure, sleep and food (physiological needs) may be deprived in order to complete an objective or goal (esteem needs). This argument coincides with Wahba and Bridwell (1976) who reported that there was diminutive evidence to support the ranking of the needs or the hierarchical order, as his theory was difficult to test empirically; furthermore this meant that there are various interpretations of his theory and the clarity of his work has faded over time due to more recent publications by authors with more current views. Nevertheless the values of the tiers remain, regardless of the overlapping of needs. Herzbergs two-factor theory Dr Frederick Herzberg conducted research in order to gain an understanding of what creates job satisfaction. Herzbergs to-factor theory states there are certain factors in the workplace that cause satisfaction, and in turn different factors that create dissatisfaction. Herzberg divided these factors into two categories, hygiene and motivator factors. Principally hygiene factors are crucial in ensuring that workers are not dissatisfied, whereas motivators are needed to increase performance. Motivators are regarded as factors such as challenging work, recognition, responsibility and personal growth; elements Maslow describes as esteem needs. Hygiene factors are extrinsic, these include; job security, salary, fringe benefits and company policies; elements of Maslows higher level needs. They do not provide positive satisfaction, however if they are not present this will create dissatisfaction. There has since been criticism regarding the accuracy of the results concluded in Herzbergs theory, NEED TO INCLUDE POINT THAT DISPOVES, THEN EVIDENCE OF VALIDITIY. Alderfers modified need hierarchy model (ERG Theory) Clayton Alderfer redefined Maslows hierarchy and re-categorised it into three broader classes of needs. These include: Existence Needs Relatedness Needs Growth needs McClellands achievement motivation theory David McClelland was an American psychologist who conducted research to further the work of Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. McClelland carried out research and experiments to identify the varying needs and motivators in a variety of people. His research suggested that these needs can be categorised into affiliation, power and achievement. Each of these needs influence motivation within an individual, McClelland suggested that these needs or motivators are acquired over time and vary from person to person dependent on their life experiences. Achievement can be defined as a recurrent concern to excel, to do better for its own sake, for the intrinsic satisfaction of doing better. (McClelland, 1961). The power motive can be defined as a recurrent preference or readiness for experiences of having impact, control, or influence over others and the world (McClelland, 1975; Winter, 1973). The affiliative motive has been defined as the preference for establishing, maintaining, and restoring a positive affective relationship with another person or persons (Atkinson et al, 1954, p406). McGregors X and Y Theory Theory X and Theory Y are theories of human motivation, developed by Douglas McGregor in the 1960s. The theories describe two opposing models of employee motivation; X theory proposes that employees are fundamentally idle and have no interest in meeting the organisations objectives, therefore management and direction is necessary in ensuring that the workforce operates productively. Y theory still suggests that management are responsible, however McGregor proposes that management should show confidence in their workforce; giving employees the opportunity to exercise creativity, imagination and ingenuity in order to create a work environment where both management and subordinates share co-operative objectives. Weinbach, 2008 states that Most people can handle responsibility, because creativity and ingenuity are common in the population

Siddhartha - symbolism of the river :: essays research papers

Throughout the pilgrimage of Siddhartha’s life, he went through many different stages. In the beginning, we meet Siddhartha, The Brahmin’s Son. Siddhartha was very intelligent, but wanted to learn more. His mind was not full, and his soul was not at peace. He decided to become a Samana in order to fill his mind and set his soul at peace. He had a goal to become completely empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow. He had the idea that if he could completely lose Self, he would be content. During his time with the Samanas, Siddhartha heard about Gotama, the Buddha, and became distrustful of teachings and decided to leave the Samanas with the belief that what they could teach him was not good enough. He had to learn things for himself by experiencing them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After listening to Gotama’s teachings, Siddhartha had an awakening. He thought, â€Å"The reason why I do not know anythng about myself, the reason why Siddhartha has remained alien and unknown to myself is due to one thing, to one single thing—I was afraid of myself, I was fleeing from myself.† He realized that he was seeking Brahman and wished to destroy himself rather than finding and getting to know himself. This awakening set Siddhartha onto another stage in his journey. During the beginning of this stage, Siddhartha saw things in a completely new way. He saw the sun rise and the stars for the first time. Siddhartha came upon a beautiful young woman, who very much helped lead him into the next step of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siddhartha believed that he loved her and that she loved him. She led him into thinking that he would be happy if he had money, nice clothes, and her. Siddhartha became a successful merchant and loved money. He believed that with money, he could have what he wanted. After all, was it not money that got him Kamala in the first place? The money that had gotten Siddhartha what he wanted began to destroy him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siddhartha began to think that this world of the riches he had become accustomed to was nothing but a game, as was the love he felt for Kamala. This belief led him into the next stage of his pilgrimage. Siddhartha believed that there was nothing left for him in life, and he wanted to end it, but from somewhere in his soul he heard the holy word Om and his soul suddenly, once again, was awakened.

Defining One Country, Two System :: China Chinese Government Papers

Defining One Country, Two System Hong Kong is a very special city. It has a very interesting history. In 1842, Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. In 1860, Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong was ceded to England. In 1898, the rest of Hong Kong, the New Territories and 235 outlying islands were leased to England for 99 years. In the early 1980’s, the British and Chinese government began to have negotiations about Hong Kong’s future since the lease would expire on July 1st, 1997. The leader of China, Deng XiaoPing, introduced the â€Å"One Country, Two System†. The â€Å"One Country, Two System† was intended by China to give Hong Kong’s citizen a promise that communism wouldn’t prevail over capitalism in Hong Kong. This way, China would gain trusts from Hong Kong’s citizens that the conditions would be the same when the Great Britain returned the sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China. British and Chinese representatives signed the British-Sino Joint Declaration in 1984, authorizing the transition of Hong Kong’s sovereignty in the midnight of July 1st, 1997. Hong Kong citizens were excited that Hong Kong would finally return to its motherland. China wanted to show the world that the â€Å"One Country, Two System† would be unique and successful so that China could attract Macau and Taiwan to return to China. In the early 1990’s, the Basic Law was published in order to make the practice of â€Å"One Country, Two System† a legal procedure. In the Basic Law, it stated that Hong Kong would become an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China (1). China would authorize Hong Kong to practice a high degree of autonomy, and enjoy executive, legislative, and independent judicial power (2). The executive authorities and legislative of Hong Kong shall be composed of permanent residents of Hong Kong (3). Hong Kong residents would have their rights and freedoms (4). The socialist system and policies wouldn’t be practiced in Hong Kong, and the previous capitalist system and way of life would remain unchanged for 50 years (5). Hong Kong would protect the right of private ownership of property in accordance with law (6). The laws previously enforced in Hong Kong, the common law, rules of equity, ordinances, subordinate legislation and customary laws, would be maintained (8).

Veronica Guerin-the One Who Stood Up

Veronica Guerin-The one who stood up Veronica Guerin (5 July 1958 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish journalist who was murdered on the 26th June 1996, on the Naas Road, Dublin, as a result of her work as a crime journalist specialising in the drug world of Dublin. Guerin was born and brought up in Artane where she lived with her four siblings and her parents, Christopher and Bernadette. She acquired the nickname â€Å"Ronnie† during her childhood and she received her education in the Catholic schools of Dublin's north side. She became an accomplished athlete in camogie, soccer and basketball.Soccer, in fact, remained a lifelong passion of Guerin's; she was a fanatic supporter of England's Manchester United professional soccer team. One of her most prised possessions was a picture of her and the famous United player Eric Cantona, which was taken on a trip to Old Trafford. Guerin married Graham Turley who she had a son Cathal with. She studied accountancy at Trinity College Du blin and on her graduation she was hired by her father at his company. After her father passed away three years after her appointment at the company she left and started a new career in public relations.She started a new firm in 1983 which was run by her for seven years. After leaving the firm she took up journalism, first as a business writer for Dublin's Sunday Business Post and then as a news reporter for the city's Sunday Tribune. Then in 1994, Guerin became an investigative reporter for the Sunday Independent, the largest-circulation weekend newspaper in Ireland. This move signalled not only Guerin’s subsequent rise to somewhat fame in Ireland but also led to the sequence of events that ended in her eventually been murdered.Her murder along with detective Jerry Mc Cabe’s murder three weeks earlier sparked the Irish government and the Irish people into life on tackling the war on drugs head on and without fear. For years she had mounted a high-profile war against I reland's drug barons on the pages of the Sunday Independent. Guerin tackled, without fear and without regard for her own safety, the drug kings of Dublin. The work she was involved in was obviously extremely dangerous and her life was put in danger on a number of occasions In October 1994, Guerin was subjected to her first incident of violence to stem from one of her stories.Two bullets where shot through her house window as she was playing with her son at home. This incident came a month after she had written a newspaper article on the drug baron â€Å"the general† after he was shot dead in his car. The second major incident to arise out of her news reporting was a very serious and life treating one, in January 1995, a masked gunman burst into her home when she answered the door and pointed a handgun at her head but lowered it and shot her in the thigh. Guerin suspected that the gunman was hired to â€Å"hit† her because of an article that she had written about the th eft of ? . 4 million from a supposedly secure depot near Dublin airport. This was the largest cash robbery in Irish history. (Encyclopedia. com) When Guerin was released from hospital after been shot she went along with her husband to every crime boss in Dublin she knew and handed them a letter letting them know that she was unafraid and unwilling to give up the fight on drugs. It was a statement of intent. A security system was installed at her home after the attack and the guards gave her 24 hour escort.They accompanied her where ever she went but Guerin, after a few days, stopped the guards accompanying her, as she felt it hindered her work as she was unable to talk to people and get the information she needed for her articles. (Film: Veronica Guerin) Then in September 1995, Guerin paid a visit to a horse farm owned by the notorious John Gilligan, a known leading player in Dublin’s underworld. She confronted him about how he had amassed such a fortune and good lifestyle wi thout been able to show where he had obtained all the money from.He reacted in a brutal, cowardly and savage way to these allegations by tearing open her shirt while looking for a wire and beating her senseless. Sometime after Gilligan phoned her and threatened her and her son Cathal. He told her he would kill her and harm Cathal if his name was ever mentioned in any news article that she wrote. (Freemedia. com) Guerin was never scared or would never let the drug baron’s sees that she was scared. She insisted that she would not be intimidated by any of them but friends of Guerin did admit after her death that she was fearful of Gilligan for the fact that he had threatened to harm her son.She didn’t let this phase her and she continued her tireless and fearful work and she continued to try and get closer to these drug kingpins. As she once said â€Å"they would find it harder to kill someone they knew†. That statement I feel summarised how she basically felt abou t reporting on such a dangerous topic she knew the danger not only to her life but also to her families lives but she knew she had some sort of protection in the fact that she knew the people she was mostly reporting on and her statement is entirely true they would find it harder to kill someone they knew.In December 1995, Guerin received the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. On June 26, 1996, Guerin was in court in Dublin on a road traffic offence she travelled onto the Naas road and stopped at a set of traffic lights when the court was finished. She was alone in her car when she stopped at the traffic lights and made a call to friend and college, Chris Mulligan, on her phone having previously rung her mother to let her know she had been let off with the traffic offence in court. Then two men pulled up along the right hand side of the car and one of them opened fire.Guerin was shot five times in the neck and chest, killing her instantly. T he men then took off at speed before anyone could react. Her funeral, near Dublin airport was full with mourners, that included Ireland's president, and head of the armed forces; while thousands of others watched the service on television. On July 4, there was a moment of silence in her memory, people everywhere across the country stood quietly and bowed their heads in tribute. People just wanting to pay their respects gathered in front of the offices of the Sunday Independent to leave flowers and sign a condolence book. Encyclopedia. com) As soon as Guerin had been shot dead the guards launched an investigation into her murder. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she had been the victim of a â€Å"hit† ordered either by someone she had already written about in her articles or someone she had planned to report on in the near future. It was unsure at the time weather her culprits would be brought to justice as the guards knew it would be a long and pain staking inv estigation. However in October 1996, a man by the name of Paul Ward was charged with the conspiracy to murder Veronica Guerin.He was the first person arrested and charged over the murder but the guards were hopeful he wouldn’t be the last. Most people including the guards believed that Gilligan was behind the â€Å"hit† although this proved very hard to prove. Gilligan left Ireland for Amsterdam the day before Guerin was murdered. Sometime after, Gilligan was caught with half a million in cash trying to board a flight he was unable to explain where the cash had legitimately come from. He claimed he won the vast amount of money gambling but was arrested on charges of trying to launder profits from selling illegal drugs. Encyclopedia. com) Since she was murdered, a number of things have happened that showed she did not die in vain and die for no reason. Since her death journalists who report on dangerous topics have been given better protection. Also after she was murder ed the Irish government held a special meeting to come up with and discuss a way which they would be able to create anti-crime legislation in order to put a huge crack down on drug crime and also to make it easier for the guards to create and implement cases against crime bosses.These new measures forced many of Dublin’s crime bosses to flee the country before the guards had the chance or opportunity to arrest them. Veronica Guerin not only changed the level of drugs on Dublin’s streets, she changed how people reacted to drugs on their streets residents in some of Dublin’s poorest areas demanded change and set up groups that marched the streets and kicked the drug dealers out. After her death the drug crime rate in Ireland fell by 50% the following year. (Freemedia. om) As a result of her murder the government established the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 and the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996, so that assets purchased with money obtained through crime could be se ized by them. This led to the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). Veronica’s murder was seen as an outrage and as then Taoiseach, John Bruton, described it, â€Å"it was an attack on democracy†. (Encyclopedia. com) Charles Bowden, a member of Gilligan’s gang, was arrested along with the other members of the gang that where still in the country following the murder.In an agreement with the Attorney General of Ireland, he agreed to turn state's witness. In doing this he became the first person in history to enter the Republic of Ireland's witness protection programme. A programme that is now very prominent in the Irish legal system. (Encyclopedia. com) Her life and death signalled change in many institutions in Ireland mainly Social and Political. From a social point of view obviously the effect the fall in drug taking and drug crime would of having would have been very positive.A fall of 50% in drug related crime the year after her death symbolised jus t how much of an impact her death had on Dublin’s drug run underworld. Her actions obviously had a symbolic effect on drug users. From a political point of view this is the institution that Guerin’s life and death had the biggest impact on. Her actions as a journalist ultimately led the Irish government to change the Irish constitution they introduced two new acts which led to the formation of CAB. This was a historic moment in Irish history a moment that has played a major role in the way criminals are treated in this country.The fact that one woman’s life could change the Irish constitution through her actions is undoubtedly remarkable it’s just a shame it took her murder to spark the government into action. Her death obviously had a huge effect on a lot of people most notably her husband and son. She was admired by a lot of people for her tireless work on bringing the drugs problem in Dublin onto a national level. A piece from an article written by her work college, Kelly Fincham, summarises her mindset on the problem of drugs in Dublin. Like all mothers, she worried about her child’s future but she also worried that her son would grow up in a crime-infested city as the authorities appeared to be ignoring the drug epidemic. Unlike many people in journalism and indeed Dublin, Veronica felt it was a foolish choice to avoid the problem by isolating yourself from it†. (Irishabroad. com) Guerin’s actions and fearless reporting changed the view on drugs in Ireland forever. Her murder signalled a social change that will forever be prominent in our country.With the establishment of the above acts not only was the criminal justice system changed in this country but the Irish constitution was also changed. Guerin wanted to change people’s lives through her reporting. She had met with young drug addicts and it’s for this reason that she strived to expose the main drug dealers in Dublin. She saw that these à ¢â‚¬Å"drug addicts† didn’t have to live the life they where currently living and that they could change themselves along with other things. Everyone in the Republic of Ireland remembers where they were when they heard Veronica Guerin had been murdered on the Naas Road. Film: Veronica Guerin) Referencing Film: Veronica Guerin. (2003). Directed by Joel Schumacher. Dublin Ireland, (DVD). Website: Encyclopedia. com. (2004) Veronica Guerin. Available at http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-3404707176. html Accessed on 5/12/2011 Freemedia. com (2000) Veronica Guerin Ireland, World Press Freedom hero. Available at http://www. freemedia. at/awards/veronica-guerin/ Accessed on 11/12/2011 Irishabroad. com (2009) Remembering the real Veronica Guerin. Available at http://www. irishabroad. com/news/irishinamerica/news/guerin. asp Accessed on 11/12/2011

Inner city redevelopment and regeneration – London’s Dockland case study

* During nineteenth century, London was the busiest port of the world. But due to changes such as better technology, they became abandoned and derelict. * Larger ships could not reach the port and containerization did away with the need of large number of dockers. * By that time the area had very few jobs, the docks had closed and over half of the land was derelict, many of the houses needed urgent repair, transport was poor and there was a lack of basic services, leisure amenities and open space. * The London Dockland's Development Corporation (LDDC) tried to improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area. Changes ; Physical: derelict land reclaimed, trees planted, open space created and conservation areas created. ; Economic: improved transport systems means faster journey. Improvements in roads. Employment and businesses increased e.g. The Guardian and Daily Telegraph. High tech firms came due to the low rates of the enterprise zone. These were followed by firms wishing to relocate in new office blocks. ; Social: more than 20 000 homes created. Former docks converted into luxury flats. Large, modern shopping complexes built. Other activities such as marina for water sports and indoor sports centre built. Several areas cleared and converted into parks and area of open space. Almost 100 million pounds has also been spent of health, education, training and community programmes. Reasons for success You can read also Costco Case Study * Extremely high prices of land for new offices and residential development. * The potential of leisure activities and scenic views along the riverside. * Funding of some of the infrastructure by the government. * Initiatives taken by entrepreneurs like John Mowlem, whose company built the London City Airport. * The development of the Dockland Light Railway. * The setting up of the Isle of Dogs Enterprise zone to attract industry. * The development of the airport bringing easy journeys. Groups involved in this * Local housing societies helped by gaining home improving grants. * The local Newham council built affordable houses and improved local services. * The LDDC were responsible for planning and redeveloping dockland. * The national government created enterprise zone with its reduced rate. It encouraged private investment and improved transport systems. * Property developers were responsible for building large office blocks and converting derelict warehouses into luxury flats. * Conservation groups supported tree planting and other schemes. Opinions ? School leaver: happy because there are more new jobs available. ? Local shopkeepers: happy because they will have wealthier customers. ? Local retired people: bad, because the prices in the area rise sharply. ? Former docker: bad because no appropriate manual jobs created. ? Social worker: bad because local community is broken by newcomers. ? Elderly: bad because there is no sufficient services such as hospitals. ? Local people: bad, they wanted jobs and affordable houses. ? People living in Birmingham: happy as their houses were improved along with new facilities provided with them. Nupur Jain 5F Geography case study

Progressing Through Life

Progressing in life could be one of the most difficult things that a person will have to face during their lifetime. The troubles and problems that they encounter helps them to develop as a person, but also puts them through extraordinary pain. Denis Waitley a man known globally for counselling some of the world's most famous athletes, said a quote that could relate back to developing in life. He said â€Å"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.†In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, developing as a person is portrayed in several different ways through the main character Amir. As a child Amir faced conflict between his father and himself mostly because he was trying to find a way to learn and connect with his father to help him figure out how he wants to live. As he enters his teenage years he experiences evil in this world first hand, something some people will never see. Le arning to control himself and realize how to handle it is a major step for most people.Later when he enters adulthood he begins to take responsibility and puts others ahead of himself. Helping those who cannot help themselves is a considerate and remarkable thing to accomplish in life. During a human’s childhood they face a lot of self realization and this causes most kids to be confused as they are proceeding through the early stages of their lives. Amir's father makes it very challenging for Amir to develop as a child because he does not have very much respect for Amir and does not acknowledge him enough. â€Å"This is grown-ups time.Why don't you go read one of thosebooks of yours? † (Hosseini 3). This quote shows how Amir’s father ignored him like he did not exist. This caused Amir to get very frustrated with his father because all he ever wanted was to be accepted by him. Another point that relates back Baba not loving loving Amir as much as he should, is w hen Baba is talking to Rahim Kahn. They are talking about how Amir never sticks up for himself and Hassan has to do it for him. â€Å"Self defence has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him?Hassan steps in and fends them off. I've seen it with my own eyes. And when they come home, I say to him, † How did Hassan get that scrape on his face? â€Å"†¦ † he fell down† I'm telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy. â€Å"( Hosseini 18). This quote shows us how Baba has very little respect for Amir because he believes that he does not know how to stick up for himself and this causes Baba to ignore him more than he already does. This is not completely Amir’s fault because he has never been taught how to stand up for himself.This is Baba’s job, as a father and role model, to make sure he knows this. There is also a time when Baba tries to reach out to Amir and give him the chanc e to impress Baba but Amir fails to impress him. When Baba puts Amir into soccer, he is hoping that Amir will take an interest in it. Amir likes the idea so he tries it out, but when he does he finds out that he is not good at playing soccer and he cannot get through this athletic challenge. He is unable to keep up and his dad gets frustrated so he takes him out of it and tries to see if watching the soccer will be better for him.For the first few weeks Amir fakes being interested in it and his dad soon catches on that he has no interest in it and wants to give up on him. (Hosseini 15). Amir feels as if he has not inherited any athletic ability from Baba and this makes him feel even more discouraged than he already is. All Amir ever wanted was to get his father’s approval and he fails to do it in almost every situation as a child. As Amir entered his teenage years he faced the evil in the world first hand. Amir witnessed an event that could scar any person for their entire li fe.When Amir saw Hassan get sexually assaulted he did not engage in the situation to try and help his friend Hassan. Amir stood by and watched his best friend surrender to the boys who sexually assaulted him. This situation relates back to the first point in this paragraph because if Baba would have taught Amir how to stick up for himself and his friends, he could have tried to stop or prevent this horrible circumstance. This situation relates to the point because if Amir would have prevented the sexual assault then he would not have felt so guilty and lost his best friend.If this situation never happened it could have change his life completely. After Amir watched his best friend get sexually assaulted, this stalled his growth as a child because he was feeling very guilty and did not know what to do with himself. (Hosseini 61). This is demonstrated during the fight between Amir and Hassan at the pomegranate tree. Amir throws a pomegranate at Hassan trying to get him to throw one ba ck at him because he wants to feel like he is even with Hassan again but Hassan does not react.Instead Hassan smashes one on his forehead to show that he is loyal to Amir and does not want to hurt him like Amir hurt him. (Hosseini 78). These last two examples shows how Amir is developing and maturing as a person because he now knows what he should do in a situation like that if it ever happens again and it also teaches him how he should be loyal to every person you are close to in life. In Amir’s later teenager years his father decides to move to America to get away from all the evil that was starting to happen in Kabul.He thinks that this is a good choice for him and Amir because it will give them the chance to start a new life in a different country. ( Hosseini 93) This is a turning point in Amir's life because he gets a chance to live in a different environment and take all of the knowledge he has gained and apply it to his new life. When Amir enters his adulthood he conti nues to mature and starts to apply everything he has learned through his experiences while growing up as a child and teenager. After Amir finds out that Hassan has passed away, his first instinct is to go and save his son Sohrab.Amir returns back to Kabul and finds out that Sohrab is under the control of the Taliban. As Amir finally finds Sohrab he is faced with the leader of the Taliban which is the man who sexually assaulted Hassan as a child. Amir then sacrifices himself for Sohrab and takes a beating from the leader and escapes with Sohrab later on. (Hosseini 247). This is showing that Amir has figured out that he has to put others before himself sometimes in order to make them happy and do what is right. It is a major step for Amir because he has not done this before.After Amir rescues Sorhab from the Taliban he brings him to a hotel so they can stay together until he brings him back to America. The morning after they settle at the hotel, Sohrab runs away to a Mosque and Amir h ad no idea where he went. Amir then started to panic because he knew that Sohrab was now his responsibility. Amir then asks the man at the front desk several questions until he mentions the Mosque and Amir immediately ran there hoping to find Sohrab. He finds Sohrab there and has a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders because he has found him, and knows that he is okay. (Hosseini 271).As Amir stays with Sohrab he is trying to get the papers which allows him to enter America. When Amir first meets the man trying to help him get Sohrab into America he faces a major issue that becomes an obstacle. The man tells Amir that Sohrab will not be able to leave Kabul until Amir gets proof that he is the uncle of Sohrab. (Hosseini 290). This brave challenge would have been extremely difficult for Amir to handle previously but since he is now very responsible and mentally stronger, he now works hard and does what is necessary to make it possible for Sohrab to come back to America with Amir.Am ir has grown and developed significantly since his childhood and now realizes how he can have in impact on other people’s lives if he really puts his mind to it. Mary Engelbreit once said, â€Å"If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. † Developing in life is a very difficult challenge for most people, but for some it is something that they can do overnight. In this novel it is close to impossible for Amir to develop in the main stages of his life because of the type of person he is.In his childhood he tries to get his fathers approval, but later finds out that it will be a lot more challenging than it may seem. As he enters his teenage years Amir exposed to the worlds evil first hand. He witness' an event that he could have changed but fails to do so because of his lack of knowledge. Then when Amir becomes an adult he finally starts to figure out how to take the responsibility for others and put ot hers in front of himself in order to make them happy. Amir finally develops in life and puts everything that he has learned to the test. Amir has come a long way and now can say that he is a fully developed man.