Jennifer Walshe free essay sample

A Background Jennifer Walsh, a Dublin conceived young lady in 1974, has made a remarkable name for herself as a craftsman. She fiddles with numerous sorts of artistic expression. She is an artist, an author, a vocalist, an experimenter and significantly more. She contemplated sythesis with John Maxwell Geodes at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Kevin Violas in Dublin and moved on from Northwestern University, Chicago, with a doctoral certificate in arrangement in June 2002. Her main instructors at Northwestern were Mammon Holman and Michael Poplar.Jennifer has won numerous prizes Including, the Characterless Mackerels, Praetors Music Prize and an award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, New York. She has additionally finished numerous residencies in spots, for example, In Context 3, Foundation, DAD Berliner K;nongovernmental. Snifters work has been performed and communicated everywhere throughout the world by gatherings, for example, Alter Ego, outfit rcreche, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Orchestra Significant del Theater La Fence, Schoolmistresses Kaleidoscope, Ensemble Resonant, Apartment House, group Nitgrades, Nine Vocalists Stuttgart. We will compose a custom exposition test on Jennifer Walshe or then again any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page

Mr birding in the opening of the play? Essay

Mr. Birling is introduced as egotistical and an opportunist through the stage bearings toward the beginning of the play. He is portrayed toward the beginning, in the stage bearings, as a â€Å"heavy-looking, rather foreboding man in his center fifties but instead commonplace in his speeches.† This suggests Birling is a man who was conceived in the open country and that he isn't from a significant foundation. This shows in view of Birling’s history, he’s a bombastic man and he attempts to show everyone how significant he really is; this is a direct result of how his status used to be the point at which he was growing up as a kid. Priestley likewise passes on Mr. Birling as a forsaken opportunist through what he says and his idiosyncrasies toward the beginning of the play. Priestley shows that Birling knows about the individuals who are his social bosses, which is the reason he flaunts about the port to Gerald, â€Å"it is the very same port your dad gets.† He is pleased that he is probably going to be knighted, as this would move him much higher in the groups of friends. He asserts that the gathering â€Å"is perhaps the most joyful night of my life.† This isn't simply because Sheila will be glad, yet additionally on the grounds that a merger with Crofts Limited will be useful for his business. Through this Priestley presents Mr. Birling as narrow minded and exceptionally conceited, indicating that he just thinks about himself and his business. Priestley does this to show that all industrialists were like Birling as they excessively just thought about their economic wellbeing at that point. The utilization of emotional incongruity in Mr. Birling’s discourse presents him as stupid and Priestley is obviously taunting industrialist esteems. Priestley sets the play in 1912 in light of the fact that that year was before a great deal of noteworthy authentic occasions occurred. This makes it simple for Priestley to utilize sensational incongruity to show Mr. Birling’s self-importance and stupidity. He unquestionably expresses that â€Å"nobody needs war† and that it will never occur, and he has extraordinary confidence that the â€Å"unsinkable, completely unsinkable† transport Titanic will never sink. Priestley’s utilization of the reiteration of the descriptive word â€Å"unsinkable† further emphasizes Mr. Birling’s haughtiness. Clearly every one of these things truly didâ occur a lot to the beguilement of the 1945 crowd, who currently know not to take Mr. Birling as an insightful, attentive individual. In general Priestley utilizes the character of Mr. Burling as an agent of free enterprise, indicating that business people were silly and pompous, much the same as Mr. Birling.

Please, Mr. Postman

Please, Mr. Postman Dont sue me, Fox News. Has Al Franken taught you nothing? Do you want to see exactly what an MIT student does over the summer? Theres no better way to do that than to look at my webmail inboxto see what major issues are really pressing down on me and requiring my immediate attention. Yes, there was a point in my life where 75% of the e-mail I was receiving came from Mitra. The remaining 5 were actually all about MIT blogs also. This is my general e-mail folder, not my special blogging folder, which I havent had time to set up yet becuase I dont understand quite how IMAP works on Eudora 6.2. No, really. Really. How many e-mails does Mitra send me in a typical day? Lets go through the past week or so: Monday, 7/11/05: 4 Tuesday, 7/12/05: 4 Wednesday, 7/13/05: 2 Thursday, 7/14/05: 12 Friday, 7/15/05: 1 (wow!) Saturday, 7/16/05: 0 (she was at a wedding, okay?) Sunday, 7/17/05: 1 Monday, 7/18/05: 4 Tuesday, 7/19/05: 22 Wednesday, 7/20/05: 8 The average length of the e-mails seems to vary based on how busy Mitra is at work and how excited she gets. The standard deviation, however, stays constant, so this data would be homoskedastic, right? What can Mitra and I talk about to the tune of 5.8 e-mails on an average day? Well, looking through my archives, I can see that we were in fact having 5 simultaneous conversations about: how we should take a trip to Germany next summer and go hang gliding Rachael Ray making delicious (and healthy!) meals in 30 minutes despite sounding like a sensual goose who smokes too much in the words of a popular website delicious chicken barley soup in the cafeteria at her place of employment Sams Mom buying us tickets to a Clay Aiken concert on 8/28/05 how I should take a screenshot of my inbox and blog it (each of us thought this up independently) She also sent 2 e-mails to Sams Mom, who shes met like twice. Did Mitra e-mail you on 7/19/05? Let me know. I think she seriously might be breaking some sort of record here, both in sheer volume of e-mail and in fingertip velocity. Your fingers have ADD. Mike Short 05, regarding Mitras typing Speaking of velocity, yesterday Mitra arbitrarily decided that were going to run the Boston Marathon on 4/17/06be sure to check out Mitras Blog for an entry on that, since Ive promised to chronicle only one boys summer @ MIT . edu. I feel really honored that she asked me, by far her least athletic friend, rather than Spencer 07, who ran 14 miles last weekend just to get a Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino. Well, I have been trying to make this a year of personal improvement. Just to see whats its like, Im trying to be a vegetarian for exactly one month. So, for 10 days running, Ive been subsisting mostly on tofu, gnocchi, and leftovers of Rachael Rays salsa stoup. God, I cant believe I just typed stoup. Thicker than a soup, thinner than a stew! Shut up, Rachael! I miss meat pretty much once every hour. Uh, look for a blog entry on it! This was actually a great concept for an entry, just a poorly-selected sample, huh? Then it spun out of control, into the sun. Nothing bears out in practice what it promises incipiently. Thomas Hardy Okay. Click.

Preparatory Questions for California Pizza Kitchen

Brief history of CPK (p.3) Reasons for CPKs success (p.3) Ways to facilitate the success of CPK (p.3-4) Anticipated effect of changing the capital structure on return on equity (p.4) Anticipated effect of changing the capital structure on cost of capital (p.5) Expected number of shares of CPK that can be repurchased (p.6-7) Anticipated effect of changing the capital structure on CPKs stock price (p.6-7) Our recommendation (p.7)  In order to explore whether or not California Pizza Kitchen should change their capital structure, we must first look at the brief history of the firm to get a better idea of the corporate culture and the firms appetite for risk. California Pizza Kitchen started in 1985 and they have been rather successful given†¦show more content†¦As we see in Exhibit B in the appendix, with an increase of 10, 20, and 30 debt to total capital, we see our ROE increase to 9.52, 10.19, and 11.05 respectively. However this increase in ROE comes at a price, as the ov erall risk of the company is increased with the addition of the debt obligations. In Exhibit B, we see that the beta of equity increase as we increase our debt in the capital structure, and increasing beta indicates increased systematic risk for the firm. This increase in beta is also a factor that contributes to the increased cost of equity. As shown in Exhibit B, the cost of equity increases 21 bps with the addition of 10 debt, 43 bps with the addition of 20 debt, and 67 bps with the addition of 30 debt into the capital structure. The increased basis points come as investors will begin to demand a higher rate of return on their investment as more debt is added to the structure because, as residual claimants, their claim to assets are reduced in favor of the bond holders. This increased rate will make it more difficult to raise future capital in the equity market if needed. However, by issuing debt which has a lower cost of capital at 6.16 and repurchasing equity that has a cost of capital of 13.37 (unlevered), the company can reduce its overall cost of capital, or the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The WACC is measured by taking the weight of debtShow MoreRelatedPrep Question988 Words   |  4 PagesThe answers to the following preparatory questions are not necessary or sufficient for your Case Briefs. Rather, the questions are to serve as a guide for your group discussion of the cases and a help to getting started on each case. Your final solution the case and recommendations should not necessarily be limited to the answers to these question or the assumptions in the case. FOR INDVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS: For individual assignments, you must answer the questions labeled â€Å"Memo.† Individual

Steinbecks Nonteleological Perspective Essays - 2954 Words

There is no meaning to life. Life has no inherent meaning. The meanings of our lives are chosen by what we feel and experience or are assigned to us by others. The ends of our existence cannot be foreseen and will not be limited by such things as destiny. These are the ideas and philosophies of those who believe life to be non-teleological. A famous literary example of a non-teleologist is a man named John Steinbeck. Throughout his life Steinbeck experimented with Darwinism, transcendentalism, realism, socialism, naturalism, and Taoism (Endnotes 1). Each of these ways of thinking show up in Steinbeck’s philosophy and therefore his work cannot be classified specifically. All that may be said is that he had a non-teleological way of†¦show more content†¦For instance, we do not use a knife to cut objects because the blade is sharp, we made the knife in order to cut the object. But teleologists admit that there are objects that are non-teleological. We take advantage of t he shape of mountains by skiing on them, but mountains are not the shape they are in order for us to ski on them (1). This can also be explained as â€Å"ends exist in the mind which studies nature, not in nature itself† (1). Teleologists must admit that there on non-teleological parts of life, otherwise their philosophy would include such ridiculous beliefs as sodium and chloride being combined to taste salty rather than the salty taste being an effect of the two elements bonding. Steinbeck was correct in thinking that as a non-teleological thinker he must also take into account the teleological outlook on life. Steinbeck said: â€Å"Teleological answers necessarily must be included in the non-teleological method since they are a part of the picture even if only restrictedly true and as a soon as their qualities of relatedness are recognized. Even erroneous beliefs are real things and have to be considered proportional to their spread or intensity† (Log from the Sea of Cortez 171). Steinbeck believed teleology to be only a small part of the big picture and that by not expanding their view and opening their minds teleologists would have a very limited

A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream Free Essays

â€Å"A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream†, Opus:   Op. 61: Wedding March as composed by Felix Mendelssohn. Kind of music as referred or viewed with a referential listener that shows the dramatic end of the twist-love stories of the four major actors. We will write a custom essay sample on A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream or any similar topic only for you Order Now Which, after a long tirey, challenging day of winning each real true love: to the extent of Helena’s following Demetrius just to win his love; and, Lysander escaped Hermia from her father’s eye, live happily ever after to a far place away from theirs’. To the point when Fairies took charged and ‘kind of’ messed up the story at first, but later on had perfectly turned it up with a happy ending. The story was so inspiring as well as to music (march wedding) being composed and used as soundtrack for this movie, in the sense that the referential listener felt each character being portrayed. And â€Å"despite to all odds, there’s still a rainbow after the rain† intention and desired of the musicologist to deliver to his listeners was successful. I, for an instance, was entertained and got associated by his music because I felt the connection, excitement and fulfillment the main personas including others have achieved. They were able to fight for their right to love. The song was played during the marches of the brides through the aisles as they were being waited by their grooms near the altar (although, this was not really seen in the movie but we all can visualize what was happening every time we hear songs like this). It gave courage, hope, and undying love to be bounded forever. The song is arranged for Organ, and is meant to be played for very especial occasions like wedding ceremonies. The kind of instruments also enhances great impact to the composition because it made the song more meaningful, inspiring, solemn, touching and unbreakable. Music is an art, and instruments add up its harmony, expressions, to dwell in people’s heart. Right instruments to be used into a certain piece make them (the songs) to be more especial and valued by the listeners who analyze and accept the work of every musician. Composer Mendelssohn had made a fine, perfect and soul-breaking to the lovers who want to make a bind for the rest of their lives become true. How to cite A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, Papers

The Golden Era of East Coast Hip-Hop free essay sample

This piece will demonstrate an understanding of the golden era of East coast help- hop, from 1986 to 1993, focusing and analyzing the historical roots, influences and inspirational individuals, giving reference to musical examples that shaped East coast hip-hop. Attention will also be centered on the legacy left, concentrating on the music that was influenced as well as the resulting change in fashion and political views. Historical roots Influence The East coast was influenced somewhat by the traditions of West African culture, theGrits dating back hundreds of years who traveled as poets and lyricists, contributed greatly to the lyricism of East coast hip-hop; the music of the Last Poets, Gill Scott- Heron and Gala Mansard Unhurried, had great importance to the development of east coast hip hop with their early raps and rhythm. The furthermost direct Influence on East coast hip-hop was the Jamaican style of Toasting, which consisted of chanting over African American RB records. African American sailors introduced Toasting in the asses at dances termed Blues dances, whilst in port.The advent of Hip-hop culture can be traced back to the ever more widespread block parties of New York City (1973), where a cross colonization of African Americans and Puerco Ricans began In the South Bronx. These block parties mostly comprised of Ids playing vernacular genres such as soul, funk and disco, DC Cool Here amongst them, was credited with the development of East coast hip-hop, his technique of isolating the break from a hard hitting funk track and extending it by using two copies of the same record became very popular.He emigrated to America (1967) from Jamaica ringing with him the already popular DC style of break-beat mixing used in Jamaican Dub music. He encouraged B-oblong or break-dancing, which became part of the four elements of hip-hop culture (B;oblong, rap, graffiti and D]ling he Introduced a generation of sampling, which was extensively used in ass hip-hop w hilst creating a generation of Ids and influencing artists such as Grandmaster Flash, Africa Bombast and DC Premier. Gangs had great influence on the evolution of East coast hip-hop culture, from guarding equipment, security for Ids, to collecting money off the doors of parties.Africa Bombast once head of the largest gang in New York, the Black Spades, managed to create one the largest movements in hip-hop culture, the Zulu Nation. This hip-hop awareness group began organizing social events for the youths of New York, merging the mall the four elements of hip-hop, B-oblong, graffiti, rapping and violence and where the youth could socialize, as well as promoting black power. Bombast had great effect on the growth of hip-hop culture; one very influential piece he produced was Planet rock (1982), which became one of the most ever sampled and remixed tracks in hip-hop.The influence from Jerkwater is apparent throughout; the melody from the Trans-Europe express (1977) is used as well as their style of synthetic drums and rhythms. Arthur Baker, the producer, set a blueprint for future producers by the u se of the Roland TRY-808. Distinctive elements individuals In divergence to many early raps, which utilized basic rhyme patterns, East coast can be defined by its emphasis on poetic skill; it may also be characterized by its intricate wordplay, metaphors, polysyllable rhymes and smooth conveyance, production may be perceived as hard hitting, aggressive and mainly sample driven, as seen in DCPremiers iconic production. A major influential duo in East coast rap was Eric B Racism, who made sampling James Brown the main basis of hip-hop in the late ass and early ass. The duo saw their debut with the single Eric B is president (1986), which consisted of Rakes notable ladybird vocal style and Eric Bis distinguished scratching. The original record recognized Eric B as the producer and Marble Marble as the mixer, but the fact was, Marble Marble arranged the parts together; the duo Just simply paid him, due to their lack of knowledge with studio equipment.The track entwined the famous baseline from Found Races over like a rat (1982) above drums from the Honey Dippers Impeach the president (1972) and the vocal sample of James Browns funky president (1974), which was the scratched by Eric B; a subtle 808 kick was also layered underneath. Marble Marble produced the entire track using a four track recorder and an Kaki Mac Renaissance, he described these confines as, Limitations made us what we were, he said. We were making classic hip hop in the projects in the living room, no studio and a four track.So its not where youre from, its where youre at. Sometimes limitations are good[l]. The duo had their album debut with Paid in full (1987) which soon became East coast hip-hops most influential album of the golden era, with Rakes style setting a blueprint for future East coast rappers, it was taken from the old-school era to the lyrical dexterity known to define East coast hip-hop of the ass. Rakes Jazz influences were portrayed throughout the album with his tranquil implementation.Woven Bone describes this era as During this period, it was rap artists, rather than Black churches or traditional civil rights organizations, who through their music and persona connected with chicaneries urban youth[2]. James Brown had a very similar influence, His music not only reflected the stride of and the diligence and militancy of the Black liberation struggle, but some of his songs became anthems of Black Pride in the face of racism and state repression, such as, Say it Loud, Im Black and Im Proud, which our knees[3].These views on Black Natio nalism, social states and Affirmations became the main reasons for the extensive sampling of James Brown in this era, many would agree that without James Brown hip-hop would not be where it is today. K. R. S One became a foremost influence to the East coast hip-hop movement, eager to express his West Indian heritage he began creating a new hip-hop reggae style, deeply motivated by reggae legend Skinhead he started to incorporate and promote Jamaican dance hall expressions into hip-hop music.He had his debut after founding PDP (Boogie Down Productions), combined with D-Nice and DC Scot La Rock with the influential album Criminal Minded (1987), which soon gained credit for the establishment of gangs rap. The albums production followed the path of Eric B and Racism by the wide acceptance of sampling James Brown. Poetry (1987) contained samples from James Browns Dont tell it (1976), Dope beat (1987) enclosed samples from ACID Back in Black (1981) and Criminal minded incorporated the vocal melody from the Battles Hey, Jude (1968).The Jamaican inspiration is present throughout the album, utilizing the Diseases iridium which began with Helmsmans reggae song Gauzing (1982), the groove can strongly be heard in Remix for p mm but was more hostile and provocative. Criminal minded was the first album to contain a vivid portrayal of real life in the south Bronx streets; it paved the way for the next decade f gangs rap. The albums was the first of their kind to promote gun violence as can be heard in mm and the brandishing of firearms on the front cover, which soon became widely accepted in the ass era.The album was mainly produced by K. R. S; it is sampled based production, a very aggressive style and utilizing the sampling of funk breaks. The legacy The legacy East coast hip-hop left was vast, greatly expanding to a more commercially viable demographic, with the help of Bombast, it was spread worldwide. Dry. Jocosely Wilson describes the legacy left, Surely the cultural expressions in a hip-hop epistyle created a way for many people across a variety of backgrounds to grow wealth, extend the boundaries of their artistic talents and establish a foothold in areas of political and civic engagement[4]. Political and social views expressed through music had been preserved in many other styles of music, gangs rap was soon to follow the golden era, heavily influenced by Eric B Racism and K. R. S, it became a dominant force in hip hop culture up until its collapse in the late asses. The majority of early rap was accredited for decreasing gang violence but the emergence of gangs rap did completely the opposite, many youths of society would come to express the quarrels of individuals into a nationwide dispute, this can be seen in the feud between the Blood and the Crisps gangs.The golden era was the most innovative, diverse and creative period in hip-hop; it currently entered our daily vernacular and penetrated conventional culture. The early fashion style of the a-boys (baggy Jeans, trainers, Jewelry and tracksuits etc. ) has been echoed throughout mainstream society, with the majority of popular fashion companies following. Businesses such as Aids, Mike, Fred Perry, and so Roth have all played part in spreading hip-hop fashion to the masses.

Research Paper on Queueing Theory Essay Example

Research Paper on Queueing Theory Essay Queueing theory is a mathematical theory related to the probability theory, which seek optimal solutions for managing queues or waiting lines. A queue is necessary and will be created if it is not expected in all cases where the supply is less than demand, even temporarily. It can be applied to different situations: planes taking off or landing management, customers waiting at the counters, or even computer programs storing prior to their processing. This field of research, originated in 1917, is based on the work of the Danish engineer Erlang on the telephone network management in Copenhagen between 1909 and 1920, including consideration of systems of arrival in a queue, the different priorities of each newcomer, and the statistical modeling of execution time. The theory was really developed thanks to contributions from mathematicians Khinchin, Palm, Kendall, Pollaczek, and Kolmogorov. The theory of homogeneous flow of events that formed the basis of queuing theory was invented by the Greeks after defeating Troy, but was developed by Soviet mathematician Khinchin. An employee of Copenhagen Telephone Company was the first who tried to develop a management system based on queuing theory in the period between 1908 and 1922. Agner Erlang, had to streamline the telephone exchange and to calculate in advance the quality of customer service, depending on the number of devices used. Queueing theory is the area of applied mathematics dealing with the analysis of processes in production systems, maintenance, management, in which homogeneous events are repeated many times. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Queueing Theory specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Queueing Theory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Queueing Theory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The subject of the study of queuing theory are queuing system (QS). Under the queuing system is meant an object (a company, organization, etc.), whose activity is related to the implementation of multiple execution of homogeneous tasks and operations. The purpose of queueing theory is to develop recommendations for the rational construction of queuing systems, the organization of their work and the regulation of the flow of requests for the high efficiency operation. The tasks of queuing theory are optimization and eventually definition of the system, which will provide minimum total cost of waiting for service, loss of time, resources for the service and downtime of the service channels. The theory of queueing becomes increasingly important today and college students, who are about to write their research proposals on the subject, have to realize its significance and carefully analyze the origin and evolution of the theory. If you encounter any trouble with your work preparing, it can be helpful to look through the free sample research paper on queueing theory. You can easily find a lot of those free samples on the Web, which will help you understand the main rules of first-class research project composing. In addition, they will show you how to outline your thesis statement and drew a persuasive conclusion. Are you looking for a top-notch custom written research paper on Queueing Theory topics? Is confidentiality as important to you as the high quality of the product? Try our writing service at EssayLib.com! We can offer you professional assistance at affordable rates. Our experienced PhD and Master’s writers are ready to take into account your smallest demands. We guarantee you 100% authenticity of your paper and assure you of dead on time delivery. Proceed with the order form: Please, feel free to visit us at EssayLib.com and learn more about our service!

Essay on The Use of TelecommunicationEssay Writing Service

Essay on The Use of TelecommunicationEssay Writing Service Essay on The Use of Telecommunication Essay on The Use of TelecommunicationThe term telecommunications means long distance connection (Floyd,  2012). This is a form of transmitting and receiving all sorts of information (sound, images, text) over long distances via cable, magnetic, wireless, optical and other electromagnetic systems. Telecommunication systems have been developed and spread in the 20th century (Want,  2006).RFID (radio frequency identification) is a way to automatically identify objects, which by means of radio signals read or writes the data stored in the RFID tags (transponders). RFID systems according to distance are divided into near, medium and long-range identification. RFID technology is used in many spheres of human activity: education, medicine, industry, agriculture, as well as in systems: baggage handling, localization of objects in real time, access control and other (Wamba, 2012). This prevalence of this type of technology has caused serious controversy around it. Sometimes its criticism reached boycotting products. For example, many argue that the RFID system violate privacy. They argue that the buyer may not even know of RFID-tags or can not get rid of them, and secondly, the data from the tags can be read without your knowledge, in the third, when paying for goods by credit card it is likely the binding of ID tag with the buyer. Many argue that such a tagging system creates problems with rights for privacy and for most applications it is not necessary. The public is concerned that the presence of such tags for the purchased product, which the buyer may not even be aware of, may cause a number of negative phenomena. For example, goods with RFID-tags can be used to spy on the person. RFID systems represent a danger if obtained information about a person is stored in the database set of independent materials. In the future, obtained information can be used for bad purposes. For example, a burglar, using a handheld reader, can evaluate the material condition of a p otential victim passing by (Periaswamy,  2011). All this is due to the possibility of reading the information over short distances. Security experts are opposed to the use of RFID systems for authentication people, explaining that by high-risk of identity theft.

Project costing (Project Management) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project costing (Project Management) - Essay Example This gives the essence of a project which should be a temporary thing outlaid within the limits of time. In respect of this case study, it’s imperative that the project appraisal is facilitated so that the resources can be put into proper use. In a project like a construction of say a health facility, there tends to be three major players for the success of such endeavors. These factors are mainly; time, quality and budget. In project management circle, a lot of regard is given to the attainment of the specified quality and this need to be within the stipulated project life so that there is no much deviation of the cost. It is therefore important that before a project like the one in the case study take off, appraisal and evaluation is effectively carried out. It is common that time and cost tend to show an inverse relation and therefore it is always advisable that to cut time, there must be a compromise in the overall project cost (Smith, 1995). Any project management team mu st therefore be very considerate and extra careful when designing and implementing so that resources which tend to be costly are economized. In regard to the construction project referred to in this case study, cost stands out o be one of the thorny issues since it forms the better part of the implementation process. This is in the form of building materials, manpower and other costs like sunk and legal costs. It a bit easier to manage cost issues ones the network analysis has been drawn and simple breakdown of the work is put down. Project cost management will tend to be challenging since there is always the issue of uncertainties caused by natural disasters like floods, fire, earthquake and others which can alter the plan significantly. For this project proposal to succeed, cost control is paramount. Beginning with the building materials, the client may decide to give tender wholesome to a given contractor so that even the cost

A Reflective on Senior Portfolio inTowson University Assignment

A Reflective on Senior Portfolio inTowson University - Assignment Example I have produced a term paper which directs on the New Mexico Medicaid and its Modernization Plan and an in-class presentation on cultural competence. On the paper, I only scored 85% due to the fact that I fail to correctly gather the entire relevant issues imperative for a correct interpretation of the study. On the oral presentation, I scored 90.3% partly because of partial mastery of the topic and certain demonstrations lapses like the lack of eye contact. Reflecting on these selections, I realized how important it is to be thorough, complete and all-encompassing in analyzing a particular issue. Professionally, working on these projects triggered my critical thinking skills needed in order to assimilate all possible aspects of a particular issue with the aim of delivering more accurate, comprehensive and wide-ranging interpretations and inferences that will serve as a focal point in making more effective solutions and developments. Further, the selections taught me the importance o f preparedness, self-confidence, and profoundness in terms of the knowledge about the topic to facilitate the delivery of an informed, knowledgeable presentation. The opportunities that were offered to me during the entire duration of my Master’s degree work, and the chances presented to me to work on the many societal issues related to the administration of health sciences, were all expansive and thought-provoking. Nevertheless, the learning that I received from my professors, classmates and my research projects widened my understanding about health administration by allowing me to directly experience the administrative practices involved in the research projects, by working together with professors, and most importantly, by reflecting on my personal encounters. Today, there are numerous cases of sexual relationships thriving in our society; in fact, they are proliferating in acceleration. This is a problem that has been existing for so many years, and yet because of the typ e of government we are living in, prostitution cases has continued to shoot up. It is an imperative societal problem that needs to be addressed as this destroys the lives of many young individuals who were unintentionally impregnated due to certain causes. These particular grounds triggered my interest in knowing the different causative factors encompassing the issues of promiscuity in relation to the activity of parenthood. As a result, I have conducted a study on the related pieces of literature pertaining to The Jamaican Adolescent study and one literature review on Father Presence matters. These selections capture my analytic abilities as it requires thorough and inquisitive scrutiny on the possible reasons why many young children, especially adolescents are indulging in oftentimes pre-marital sexual intercourse which according to my research and many other studies, promiscuity in children is attributable to the poor â€Å"father presence† during childhood. In conducting this study, it is important for me as a researcher to develop profound knowledge and sharp analytic expertise on the different overlapping issues and parallel studies that can be related to the topic at hand.

Leadership And Change Management At General Motors Commerce Essay

Leadership And Change Management At General Motors Commerce Essay General Motors (GM), one of the worlds largest automakers, was initially founded by William Durant in 1902 and held a remarkable presence in the automobile industry for almost a century. It is predominantly engaged in the designing, manufacturing and marketing of cars, trucks, and other automobile parts in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific regions. Additionally, GM also provides vehicle safety, security and information services through GM OnStar. This company sells not only cars but also trucks under several brands such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall in 31 different countries (Datamonitor). The main headquarters is located in Detroit, Michigan where over 200,000 people are currently employed globally. Its largest market is in the U.S, followed by China, Brazil, the UK, Canada, Russia and finally Germany. Globally, the automobiles and components industry was severely affected by the global ec onomic downturn in 2008. Unfortunately, the recession in the global economy harmed GMs business by adversely affecting its revenues, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. According to Isidore (2009) in CNN Money, General Motors filed for bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. . This move was once viewed as unimaginable, since it was one of the worlds leading automakers. However, after years of losses and market share declines topped by a major plunge in sales, bankruptcy was inevitable. A new company financed by the US Treasury stepped in and purchased most of GMs assets and trademarks. By July 10, 2009, the companys name changed from General Motors Corporation to General Motors Company. Consequently, the company experienced major changes such as massive job cuts, closure of a dozen facilities, emergence of new leaders, etc. In order to evaluate the radical change undergone by General Motors, both internal and external factors leading up to the change must be identified. Several pressures such as economic conditions, competition, government intervention, technology, resource availability, and people can cause change (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). In order to be successful, organizations increasingly need to be scanning the environment to anticipate the appropriate change action. More importantly, they need to be proactive in their attitude to change. In the case of General Motors, the causes of change were economic conditions on a global scale and unavailability of financial resources. Even though there was a resistance to change, GM had to swiftly evaluate the situation and devise new strategies on how to move forward. The success of the transition of an organizational change is mainly dependent upon the leadership of senior management (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). The Chief Executive Officer at GM, Mr. Fritz Henderson, was replaced by Mr. Edward Whitacre in 2009. He was the former Chairman and CEO at ATT from 1990-2007. Mr. Whitacre serves on the Boa rd of the Institute for International Economics and the Boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Exxon Mobil and the PGA Tour (Datamonitor-GM). Furthermore, he is also involved in The Business Council. Even though leaders of General Motors are still trying to implement stability, the transition leading up to the radical change could have been more efficient and effective. LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND APPLICATION TO GM 1.1 Leadership Theories: Amongst the many definitions of a leader, Bryman (1992, p. 3) describes The leader is characterized by a strong drive for responsibility and task completion, vigor and persistence in the pursuit of goals, venturesomeness and originality in problem solving, drive to exercise initiative in social situations, self confidence and sense of personal identity, willingness to accept the consequences of his or her decisions and actions, readiness to absorb interpersonal stress, willingness to tolerate frustration and delay, ability to influence other peoples behavior and the capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand. A true leader has the ability to motivate his or her followers. While the early leadership theories focused on the leaders individual characteristics and behavior, later theories explored the duties of the followers and the environment contributing to the success of a leader. Up to the late 1940s, it was believed that leadership qualities were innate primarily by men or passed along from generation to generation. Whether a leader is born or made was the controversial question that arose in the past. Historical evidence can justify that many effective leaders seem to be born with innate aptitudes. This is known as the Traits theory, which has three broad types of traits. The first is primarily based on the physical factors such as appearance, physique, height, etc. Secondly, the traits reflected on the persons abilities including intelligence, fluency of speech, and knowledge. The third type covers a wide range of personality characteristics such as conservatism, self-confidence, dominance, and emotional control (Bryman, 1992). On the contrary, the Style theory describes that employees will perform better depending on the adopted style of their leader (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). In other words, the same group of people will behave differently according to the leaders style. A type of leadership that follows the style theory is transactional leadership, based upon contingency where reward or punishment is given depending on the subordinates performance. The leader designates a specific task, and the subordinate is fully responsible to carry it out despite the circumstances. The emphasis is based on goal clarification, the setting of tasks and objectives, and organizational rewards and punishments. While this approach still remains popular, certain limitations exist such as the assumption that the subordinate is strictly motivated by money and reward (Dave Paper). On the other hand, transformational leadership theory is centralized on the development of commitment and motivation among followers. A transforma tional leader creates a vision and eventually persuades his or her followers to buy in in order to transform the performance of the organization (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). Even though people wont readily accept a radical vision, the transformational leader will do whatever it takes to get every person on board. This concept is based on a relational contract, where subordinates willingly contribute beyond the requirements. Both transactional and transformational are equally important to help increase organizational competitiveness in an era of global competition (Mohamed Rafiuddin, 2010). Yet, another leadership theory is that of Vroom and Yettons decision-making model. According to Porter, Smith and Fagg (2006, p.76), All leaders are considered as decision-makers, and their effectiveness can be determined by examining the quality of decisions taken over time. The most appropriate style of leadership is flexible which depends upon the subordinates preferred style, the situation and the task facing the leader. Vroom and Yetton defined five key types of leadership where two are autocratic, two are consultative and one is group-based. The way how the leader obtains information or the way how the leader makes a decision is different for each type. Situational factors influence which method is considered the most pertinent. While the path-goal theory of leadership is similar to the Vroom and Yettons model, many differences exist. A characteristic of the path-goal theory also involves a participative leadership, where the leaders consult with the followers and take their id eas into account for decision-making. However, the leaders are expected to guide, encourage, and support their subordinates in achieving the goals. For example, they are required to clear the path by removing roadblocks so that the subordinates know which way to go (Daves Paper). Moreover, the leaders are to be supportive by showing concern for the followers welfare and creating a friendly working environment. Another similarity to the Vroom and Yettons model is that the path-goal oriented leader will also vary in his or her approach depending on the situation. Finally, a term used to characterize brilliant forms of influence, exceptional, gifted, and even heroic is known as charismatic leadership. According to Galvin, Balkundi and Walkman (2010, p.477), Subordinates who view a leader as charismatic will tend to see the leader and his or her vision as core their own identity and will be willing to sacrifice so as to benefit the collective and achieve the goals and vision of the leader. Some distinguishing attributes possessed by the charismatic leader are confidence, power, success, and influence. A transformational leader can also be qualified to be charismatic and vice versa. Since a transformational leader instills the vision onto the subordinates, he or she can do so in a charismatic manner. 1.2 Leadership in General Motors Leadership models and theories should be used as frameworks for developing personal styles, and self-reflecting. While various theories exist, a successful leader should know their industries, have astute insights, and are willing to induce the changes necessary to their organization (Van Wart, 2010). Furthermore, they are an inspirational figure, where they can influence their followers in the course of events. In the case of GM, the former chief executive, Mr. Fritz Henderson was asked to step down from the position. Mr. Henderson had worked along the former GM president, Mr. Rick Wagoner, throughout his career. According to Madslien (2009), This could pose serious problems for GM, which may now find it hard to find not only a replacement for the charismatic car guy. However, concerns such as the fact that Mr. Henderson was clinging on to power in the name of stability were expressed. Additionally, he was eagerly trying to rebuild the company based on the traditional model that GM used prior the crisis. Based on this analysis, it shows that the former CEO was not apt for changeability. He can be categorized as being a transactional leader, where a clear structure must be set in place and subordinates are required to just follow. Fritz Henderson could also have been path-goal oriented, where he would direct the subordinates, tell them what to do, and provide appropriate guidelines. The new CEO stated, Mr. Henderson had done a remarkable job in leading the company through an unprecedented period of challenge and change (General Motors BBC article, 2009). On the contrary, Mr. Ed Whitacre, who replaced Fritz Henderson, is more of a transformational and charismatic leader. The newly-appointed CEO, who previously ran the ATT telecoms company, was brought in as chairman by the Obama administration. General Motors needed an outsider, who had no attachments, as the leader. When he accepted the post, he announced that sweeping management changes needed to be made at GM (Luft, 2009). The fact that Mr. Whitacre reorganized and restructured departments three days after taking over demonstrates that he is both transformational and path-goal oriented. He managed to guide his followers in how to achieve the goals and objectives set in place for the future GM. Moreover, he had a vision to recreate General Motors and put passion and energy into everything. This type of leader constantly sells the vision to his followers. With all the changes that GM was experiencing, Whitacre realized the workforce was rattled and immediately addressed it by sending a companywide email. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the email reassured the employees that the major leadership changes are all behind them (2009). Even though Whitacre might be somewhat naÃÆ'Â ¯ve in the time frame of product development amongst other areas, he strategically designates other people to overlook the areas he lacks in knowledge. Furthermore, he wants to give people more responsibility and authority deeper in the organization and hold them accountable for their doings (Luft, 2009). In decision-making, this leader follows Group procedure, where he shares the problems with followers and seeks consensus agreement. Essentially, as a transformational, charismatic, path-goal oriented leader, Mr. Whitacre will try to ensure a smooth and successful transition for GM as a company and for the employees. General Motors new management team will focus more on leadership duties and responsibilities to meet their objectives to design, build and sell the worlds best vehicle. 2.0 EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL FACTORS Organizations are expected to experience changes due to the instability and inconsistency of the environment. Organizational change is usually provoked by some driving force such as decrease in productivity and services, substantial cuts in funding, major new markets and clients, etc (Barbara and Fleming, 2006). The reasons why and how changes occur can only be understood if an internal and external analysis of the company is performed. The Porters five forces, PESTLE and SWOT analysis, and internal resources can be used to conduct an environmental scanning; hence, objectives and strategies can be formulated and used to implement the changes. 2.1 PESTLE Analysis PESTLE analysis is a framework comprised of political, economical, social, technological, legal, and environmental components. From the beginning, General Motors has always been affected by the law and government regulations. Most of the regulations are associated with the environment and concerns for safe automobiles. For example, the EU recently restricted the usage of heavy metals due to environmental issues. Additionally, the vehicle emissions regulations have also become stricter (Datamonitor: Automobile). Economically, since 2008, the global automotive industry has been severely affected by the major global credit crisis where both North America and Europe encountered recession. This in turn caused unstable oil prices, decreases in employment rate and decrease in consumer spending. Other essential components are the sociological and environment factors. With the increasing interest of the environment worldwide specifically in the US and Europe, General Motors has taken a firm s tance in Corporate Social Responsibility in all its business practices. This includes the operation of the factories and business offices, usage of renewable and recyclable materials, production of fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and less emission of greenhouse gases (GM website). Additionally, society has become relatively materialistic and driven by status quo. General Motors is aware of this; therefore, it would target each market depending on status and income. The last component in the PESTLE analysis is the technological component. The rise of the internet worldwide has affected not only the automobile industry, but many others as well. GM can benefit from the increasing usage of the internet, because more and more consumers can access its website and view products more easily. 2.2 Porters Five Forces Porters five forces of competition framework can be used to analyze the intensity of competition and the level of profitability (Grant, 2005). These five forces include competition from substitutes, entrants, power of suppliers, power of buyers, and established rivals. In replace of purchasing automobiles, consumers can use public transportation such as buses, trains, and bicycles. Moreover, consumers can also choose from other automobile products that are not GM-related making the threat of substitutes high-risk. High barriers to entry such as large capital allow the threat of new entrants very low-risk. In the automobile industry, the bargaining power of suppliers is considered low, since these suppliers rely on the automakers to purchase the raw materials such as steel, paint, glass, aluminum, etc. In regards to the bargaining power of the buyers, the risk is high. Customers can choose not only from other automobile manufacturers, but also from many automobile dealers that exist. Finally, there is a high rivalry existing among the competitors of General Motors. The major competitors include Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Company, Mazda Motor Corporation and several other automakers (Datamonitor- GM) 2.3 Internal Analysis According to Porter, Smith, and Fagg (2006, p.393), Environmental analysis also requires an examination of the organizations internal environment. Internal analysis is concerned with the resources and capabilities that an organization must seek to understand before it can pursue any form of strategy. An internal audit includes the organizations human, financial and other resources which contribute to supporting its strategies. General Motors employs more than 200,000 people worldwide. Moreover, it has created a business environment based upon mutual respect, responsibility, and understanding. One of GM goals is to give employees more responsibility and authority and hold them accountable (GM website). In other words, this company believes in empowering its employees. Additionally, GM understands the effectiveness of performance when personal life and work are linked. Given that General Motors is considered to be one of the largest employers in the world, the benefits offered are just as grand. Amongst some of these benefits are medical plan including dental, investment options, life insurance, paid holidays and discounts on GM products and services. Financially, GM leaders and employees are committed to building its market share, revenue, earnings and cash flow with the goal of paying back its loans by 2010. In the year ended 2009 the estimated worldwide market share was recorded as 11.6%. Furthermore, vehicle sales in the US fell drastically since the peak in 2007 (GM Annual report). 2.4 SWOT Analysis Once an audit of external and internal influences has been conducted, a framework such as SWOT analysis can be used to link an organizations resources and capabilities. Then, the implications of strategies can be identified (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). SWOT represents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is the most widely used analytical management technique. 1. Strengths: General Motors not only has a strong brand portfolio, but also has a wide portfolio of regional brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. The strong brand portfolio spanning the global market allows GM to gain a competitive advantage. Also, since it has an extensive geographic presence in 207 locations, General Motors is able to spread its risks across the global markets. 2. Weaknesses: GM incurred significant losses from 2005 through 2008 due to operations and restructurings. The companys liquidity position along with its operating performance was negatively affected by the industry conditions. Additionally, there was a major decline in sales in major business segments. 3. Opportunities: The increase in the global truck market experienced a growth during 2004 and 2008 and will continuously have a steady growth for the future. This represents an opportunity for General Motors to capitalize on this market which can positively affect its revenues and profits. Moreover, there has been a worldwide demand for hybrid electric vehicles. Therefore, General Motors has been focusing on developing new high technology products for these eco-friendly automobiles. Consequently, this would boost the demand for GMs products. 4. Threats: Due to the ongoing global recession, GMs business would be significantly affected in its revenues, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. More importantly, the global automotive industry is extremely competitive, where General Motors are facing strong competitors. As a result, there would be an adverse effect on vehicle pricing and market share. 3.0 CHANGE THEORIES AND APPLICATION TO GM According to Palmer (2006, p.50), Variety of pressures on managers: the environment, discovery of deviations from standards, new desires and visions of the future or the fundamental nature of organizations themselves. He also continues on stating that the result of change is, ironically, stability. While these pressures for change are constant, advantages of a changing organization are better integration, teamwork, common values, and mindsets. All these benefits contribute to achieving a better organization with more efficient and effective outcomes. John Kotter explains that some forces for change are greater economic integration, maturation and slowdown, technology, and fall of socialist countries and their reorientation toward capitalist economies (Palmer, 2006). 3.1 Change Theories Several change management theories describe the process of developing a planned approach to the changes taken place in an organization. The first model is John Kotters 8 steps, which was published in 1995 in the Harvard Business Review. Firstly, establishing the need for urgency refers to performing market analysis by determining the problems and opportunities. The second step, ensuring there is a powerful change group to guide the change can be performed by creating team structures to help drive the change and making sure the teams have sufficient power to guide the change. Thirdly, developing a vision can be carried out by providing focus for change. Then, the vision must be communicated by using multiple channels to constantly communicate this vision. The next step is empowering the staff by removing organizational policies and structures that inhibit the achievement of the vision. Once this is done, the organization must empower the staff which help support the need for change an d provide motivation. Consolidating gains is the seventh step. This refers to rewarding those who engage positively with the change. Last but not least, the change must be linked to organizational performance and leadership (Palmer, 2006). However, while the Kotters 8 steps outline the management of an organizational change, the Bridges Transition Model suggests that change will not be successful if transition doesnt occur. In this case, transition is defined as the ending of something, which is the first phase. The second phase is the neutral zone, which is a confusing state between the old reality and the new. During this phase, people are not ready or comfortable to welcome the new beginnings. Much importance must be given during this stage, because the change might be jeopardized if the organization decides to prematurely escape. However, if the neutral zone is completed successfully, many opportunities for creative transformation can be presented. The final phase is acceptance of the new beginnings and identification with the new situation (Bridges, 1995). Similarly, another model of change that was developed in the earlier days is that of Lewins. His model also consisted of three phases like Bridges Transition Model. The first phase is identified as unfreezing, where it involved dismantling the existing mindset of the people. For example, a change in the organizational culture would take place in this stage. According to Brown (1998, p.6), Organizational culture refers to norms, attitudes, values, and beliefs that conduct the behavior of members of an organization with each other and with external stakeholders. Changing is the second phase of Lewins model where actual changes are implemented so the organization progresses to the new position. Just like Bridges, this phase is also accounted as the hardest to overcome. In the last phase also known as refreezing, the changes are stabilized. They have been accepted and become the new norm. At this point, the need for recruiting new staff untainted by old habits might be fitting for the or ganization (Senior and Fleming, 2006). 3.2 Changes in General Motors In 2007, General Motors declared record sales of more than nine million vehicles for the third consecutive year. Despite that this company had such an achievement, environmental turbulences such as the global recession in 2009 forced GM to declare bankruptcy. This was considered as the biggest failure of an industrial company in US history (BBC website- GM ready to file). According to the news article GM ready to file for bankruptcy, GM, once the largest company in the world, has been losing market share since the early 1980s (2009). Some causes leading up to this disastrous event are high production costs and collapse in credit markets and consumer spending. Furthermore, the automaker was slow in moving away from the production of gas-guzzling SUVs when consumers were looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles (BBC-Website, 2009). Even though restructuring of the company was necessary, the transition and resistance to change were posed challenging. Using Bridges Transition Model, the radical change that occurred in General Motors can be evaluated. In the first phase, the organization realized there were major discrepancies between its goals and the current system of operation. Consequently, General Motors accepted the fact that it was the end of their glorious era and placed its fate in the hands of the US government. The new GM left the government holding 60% of the companys equity (Clark, 2009). Since this automaker was an iconic symbol of the American auto industry, it was necessary to preserve it. General Motors then entered the second phase, the neutral zone, of the Bridges Transition Model. Herein, the company faced many barriers and resistance to the changes that were taking place. According to Bridges, management and employees would feel anxious, disoriented, resentful, and self-protective (Bridges, 1995). At this stage, it is natural for people to feel confused between rushing forward and going back to the old ways. Th e GM official website states that the company has a new global operating structure, a leaner and more streamlined leadership team, and a restructured Board of Directors (GM Website). The designated leaders take a crucial role in the neutral zone. The newly-appointed CEO Ed Whitacre exercised his authority by drawing up a new management blueprint to improve accountability and responsibility for key market performance within General Motors (Luft, 2009). Inevitably, during the restructuring and reorganizing, employers were fearful for their jobs. Bridges (1995, p.41) advises, Communications help to keep people feeling included in and connected to the organization. On March 31, 2010 Whitacre decided to send out a companywide email to ease the anxiety and anticipation that had been developing during the change. In his email, he wrote, A smart company changes and adapts to the needs of the business. So, while there will always be individual moves within GM, I want to reassure you that the major leadership changes are behind us (Welch, 2010). Once General Motors was out of the neutral zone, the company was able to indulge in the new beginnings that have been much anticipated for. Even though the new GM decided to get rid of Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, and Saab, it still held on to the most profitable brands such as Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. Additionally, it will continue to press on for structural cost reduction and a healthier balance sheet with a significant lower debt. Most importantly, the automaker will strictly concentrate on investing in innovative products and new technology. 3.3 Resistance to Change While the new GM managed to leave the neutral zone of the change process, it was prolonged because of the resistance to change. Some reasons why individuals resist change are routine, security, economic factors, fear of the unknown and selective information processing (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). In the case of General Motors, management and employees were confined to the traditional way of the companys operations. Even more so, they knew that restructuring and layoffs were going to take place; therefore, they lost their sense of security and allowed anxiety to take over. 4.0 LINKAGE OF LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE According to Porter, Smith and Fagg (2006, p.301), The change agent should be at the center of any change process, and one of the most important jobs for him or her to do is to develop a good relationship between all the parties involved in the change process. This is vital to ensure that commitment, trust and mutual respect develop. The change agent is also known as the leader of the organization. During the transition of the old GM to the new GM, Mr. Ed Whitacre was designated as the CEO. He immediately recognized the importance of organizational development by changing its structure and the people within it. A successful change is accompanied by the redistribution of power within the company so that the decision-making is moved towards shared power (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). CEO Whitacre alongside other directors and managers had to work together as a team in order to carry out the changes successfully. They may even have had to find themselves adopting the role as a transfor mational leader. As leaders, they are responsible in having a clear sense of direction in order to keep the organization moving on track towards the agreed objectives and goals. However, leaders cannot accomplish a successful change on their own. They need to also depend on the subordinates, which can be achieved by encouraging teamwork, empowerment, and acceptance of certain failures (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS / CONCLUSION While General Motors was able to fast-track the change process with the right leadership in place, certain actions could have been done differently to maximize efficiency and minimize resistance. Palmer suggests that resistance to change can be managed by communication to the followers, participation from everyone involved, negotiation between the leaders and the subordinates, and explicit or implicit coercion (Palmer, 2006). Although Mr. Whitacre automatically sent out a companywide email when the company was in turmoil, it was not necessarily effective. Alternatively, he could have done a video conferencing with all the employees worldwide. In this manner, not only would his body language be viewed, but also would he be able to display emotions. According to Bridges (1995, p.41), Communications help to keep people feeling included in and connected to the organization. Without communications in place, wrong information can be multiplied and people develop apathy. Moreover, since the new General Motors wanted to revive its innovativeness, it is recommended for the company to expose people to new aspects of their tasks and opportunities for collaboration (Vermeulen, Puranam and Gulati, 2010). Also, while an organization is in neutral zone, creativity should be encouraged. This can be fostered by providing training in the techniques of discovery and innovation, encouraging experiment, embracing losses or setbacks, and looking for opportunities to brainstorm new answers to old problems (Bridges, 1995). All these must be carried out by the changing agents or the leaders. In conclusion, General Motors was able to identify their disparities and firmly decided to change the organization in order to accomplish its goals and objectives. More importantly, it acted quickly and and realized that current leadership talent did not have the capabilities to deal with the radical change. As a result, General Motors was assigned a charismatic, transformational leader to guide it through change, solve complex problems, and build for the future.

Discounting And Environmental Valuation In Cba Environmental Sciences Essay

This REMT undertaking supported by GEF grants chiefly consists of two constituents ; Renewable Energy Power Generation – set uping the policy and regulative models and beef uping the institutional capacity for renewable energy development, 2 ) Commercial Solar Water Heating ( CSWH ) – supplying proficient aid and edifice industrial capableness for CSWH systems and services [ 1 ] . The undertaking appraisal study examined its feasibleness by non merely incremental cost analysis of the undertaking but besides the economic and fiscal analysis of possible renewable energy undertakings which the REMT undertaking would promote to implement. I have focussed on cost benefit analysis of the undertaking and looked at whether or non the estimated price reduction rate and rating of nonmarket merchandises and services are decently determined during the undertaking assessment. Particularly, I have reviewed the assorted methods of environmental rating and different consequences on economic value of CO2 emanation decrease, which is considered as a major benefit of the REMT undertaking.Background to the UndertakingIn general, South Africa has a well-developed power sector, with a entire 42GW installed capacity and 244,607 GWh electricity production accounting for about 45 % of sum produced power in Africa in 2004. As a consequence of heavy dependance on coal for energy ingestion, South Africa remains the top 10 manufacturers of GHG emanations in the universe. As such, the Government published its White Paper on Renewable Energy taking for renewable energy development and set a mark of 10,000GWh of renewable energy part by 2013 [ 1 , 2 ] . The REMT undertaking aims to take the barriers of renewable energy engineerings development by back uping the Government in set uping the policy and regulative models. In add-on, the undertaking provides proficient aid and capacity edifice for renewable energy development. The GEF besides finances some portion of advisers ‘ services and goods for CSWH systems installing under the public presentation grants. Ultimately the undertaking is expected to excite important private sector investing in renewable energy sector and to assist accomplishing the Government ‘s mark [ 1, 3 ] . Furthermore, it contributes to extenuate nursery gas emanation in the line with the GEF ‘s planetary environmental nonsubjective [ 4 ] by replacing the conventional power works with renewable energy.Analysis for Project AppraisalIncremental Cost AnalysisThe intent of the GEF is to supply supportive support for incremental costs to increase the planetary environmental benefits. As such the incremental cost and the planetary environment benefit demand to be explicitly analysed during the undertaking assessment. The undertaking appraisal study defined value of CO2 emanation avoided by CSWH systems as a Global Environment Benefits of the undertaking. The table-1 below summarises incremental cost analysis in this study. [ 1 ] Table 1: Summary of Incremental Cost Analysis for REMT undertaking Baseline Alternate Incremental Domestic Benefit Job Creation, Private Net income Job Creation, Private Net income None Global Environment Benefits Slow advancement towards overall renewable energy mark ; 15 old ages cumulative value of CO2 emanations avoided by CSWH systems ( 0.15 M metric tons ) Accelerated advancement towards overall renewable energy mark ; 15 old ages cumulative value of CO2 emanation avoided by CSWH systems ( 1.15 M metric tons ) Cost ( US $ ) 2.3 M ( Government ) 2.5 M ( Private Sector ) 8.3 M ( Government, GEF ) 9.0 M ( Private Sector ) 6.0 M ( GEF ) 6.5 M ( Private Sector )Economic and Financial AnalysisGiven catalytic map of the proficient aid, out economic and fiscal analysis was carried out non merely for CSWH undertaking but besides a sample of possible undertakings which this TA undertaking could promote the private sector to put in [ 1 ] . The societal and economic impact classs, measurement indicant and other values which were used for the analysis are outlined below [ 2 ] . Table 2: Summary of Economic and Financial Analysis for REMT undertaking Undertaking Component Renewable Energy Power Generation CSWH Cost Capital Cost Market monetary value ( 2004 ) estimated by proficient expert Capital Cost Market monetary value ( 2004 ) estimated by proficient expert O & A ; M Cost O & A ; M Cost Benefit Avoided Coevals Cost Long run fringy cost ( LRMC ) Cost avoided by exchanging ( Saved Electricity ) Eskom ‘s Duty Avoided nursery gas emanation Carbon emanation decreases ( CERs ) monetary value Avoided nursery gas emanation Carbon emanation decreases ( CERs ) monetary value Discount Rate 10 % 10 %Evaluation of the Project Appraisal DocumentDiscount RateThe price reduction rate was non explicitly stated in the appraisal study, but harmonizing to its economic and fiscal analysis due diligence study [ 2 ] , it is found that the price reduction rate of 10 % was applied for the economic analysis for the possible undertakings ( renewable energy power coevals ) . The studies justified the determination of the price reduction rate of 10 % saying the same price reduction rate was used for recent electricity sector surveies from National Electricity Regulator ( NER ) . On the other manus, in the economic analysis of CSWH system shown in Annex 9, it revealed that the price reduction rate of 0 % was applied without any justification. Therefore, it is necessary to reexamine how to find the price reduction rate on the REMT undertaking which has the long term planetary environmental benefit from CO2 emanation decrease. In general, the pick of appropriate societal price reduction rate in the cost benefit analysis is a cardinal issue for finding the present value of any long footings societal impacts that occur in the hereafter [ 5 ] . The ADB economic and research section working paper provinces that: â€Å" Puting the societal price reduction rate excessively high could prevent many socially desirable public undertakings from being undertaken, while puting it excessively low hazards doing a batch of economically inefficient investings. Further, a comparatively high societal price reduction rateaˆÂ ¦favours undertakings with benefits happening at earlier day of the months ; while a comparatively low societal price reduction rate favors undertakings with benefits happening at subsequently day of the month. † [ 6 ] In peculiar utilizing high price reduction rate on undertakings refering the environmental issues such as clime alterations and planetary heating has been criticized. There are a assortment of statements on finding the proper price reduction rate. Some has argued that the price reduction rate demands to be lowered in general to stress future environment effects. The usage of a lower price reduction rate individually on certain environmental impact and worsening price reduction rates has been besides suggested [ 7 ] . Sing a fanciful price reduction rate ( 10-12 % ) for the World Bank funded undertakings [ 8 ] , the price reduction rate of 10 % used in the REMT undertaking seems proper. However, as the REMT is the planetary clime alteration related undertaking which has intergenerational environmental benefits and costs, it seems more sensible to use the lower rate. Even though legion reviews on the Stern Review exist, it is found that the societal rate of clip penchant of 1.4 % was applied for dismissing planetary clime alteration impact [ 6 ] , which is significantly lower than the price reduction rate for the REMT undertaking. In add-on, harmonizing to the manual for ciphering GHG benefit of GEF undertaking, the larger uncertainnesss for GEF undertaking compared to CDM undertaking compromises the quality of a GHG impact appraisal for undertaking assessment by using no price reduction rate on future GHG emanation decreases [ 9 ] . This could be another ground why the lower price reduction rate should be considered for the REMT undertaking.Environmental Valuation ( CO2 Emission Reduction )One of the advantages to utilize cost benefit analysis is that a policy or undertaking can be assessed by quantifying the value of all societal and economic effect in pecuniary footings. It besides means predicting and monetising all impacts are significantly of import for the accurate analysis. However, in pattern valuing in pecuniary footings is hard and combative particularly for environmental impacts. [ 10 ] The REMT undertaking identified one of the benefits as the value of avoided nursery gas emanation from conventional coevals displaced by renewable coevals. In the economic analysis, the value was calculated by the market value of gas emanation decrease ( CERs, $ 3.75/tonne CO2 ) mentioning to the old Prototype Carbon Fund Durban Landfill Gas Project [ 1 ] . Of class, there are the big scopes of the estimated economic value of emanation decrease depending on different premise by each survey [ 12 ] . However, it seems hard to state that a simple market monetary value of CERs to the full reflects the environmental and societal value of reduced gas emanation for the analysis. Furthermore, the estimated value of CO2 emanation decrease seems undervalued being considered as the planetary benefit of the REMT undertaking. Duong has categorised the monetary value of C as five definitions ; ‘the expected extenuation of climate-change harm ‘ , ‘the cost of cut downing CO2 emanations ‘ , ‘the societal cost of C ‘ , ‘the politically negotiated value ‘ and ‘CO2 market monetary values ‘ . And it stated that the monetary value of different definition well varies. [ 12 ] Among the above definitions, in order to monetise the entire societal and environmental benefits from reduced emanation accurately, it could be more sensible to utilize the societal cost of C, an estimated pecuniary value to society of environmental CO2 emanation impact [ 13 ] , alternatively of the market monetary value. In general, chief attacks for environmental rating are known as ‘stated penchant methods ‘ , ‘revealed penchant methods ‘ and ‘benefits transfer ‘ [ 14 ] . In add-on, Koomey introduced two rating methods particularly for emanation decrease. ‘Direct harm appraisal ‘ monetise the amendss such as human wellness and environmental effects definitively related to emanation of a pollutant. This method is highly complicated and hard. On the other manus, ‘cost of suspension ‘ uses the cost of pollution controls imposed by regulative determinations as a placeholder of the outwardness costs. But rapid society ‘s penchants may ensue in misrepresentative suspension cost computations. [ 15 ] In malice of recent progress in environmental rating methods, ‘Benefits Transfer ‘ deducing the values from old surveies has been progressively popular for policy assessment in footings of environmental rating, since it can be carried out faster and more cheaply than primary rating surveies [ 14 ] . There are several different attack of benefits transfer method, which have been introduced ; the first attack is reassigning original unit value from a ‘study site ‘ to ‘policy site ‘ and the 2nd attack is reassigning full WTP maps. Another method is a meta-analysis of bing rating surveies to find sensible value for a policy site [ 16 ] . While the research on the societal cost of C has been conducted, Tol examined 211 estimations of the societal cost of C through the meta-analysis and concluded that a average value were $ 120/ton of Carbon ( $ 33/tonne CO2 ) for surveies between 1996 and 2001 and $ 88/tonne of Carbon ( $ 24/tonne Cos ) for surveies since 2001. [ 17 ] Even though the average value of Tol ‘s analysis ( $ 29/tonne CO2 ) has been criticized, it seems clear that the value of $ 3.75/tonne CO2 estimated in the REMT undertaking is non plenty to reflect the economic and societal impacts of CO2 emanation decrease.DecisionThis essay has reviewed the societal price reduction rate and environmental rating used for the economic analysis of the REMT undertaking. These two factors are significantly critical to analyze and gauge net present value of the cost and benefit of the undertaking, which is considered as the chief standard to be applied in determination. By reexamining the surveies on an appropriate price reduction rate and CO2 emanation rating, despite ongoing arguments, it seems a more wise attack to use the lower price reduction rate and higher economic value of CO2 emanation decrease for the REMT undertaking. This attack leads to the addition of economic and societal benefits of the undertaking and shows the determination to continue with the REMT undertaking was sensible overall. However, in footings of choice of subproject, different determination could be made based on this attack. The undertaking appraisal study has clarified the ground for singling out CSWH among the possible options such as biomass, air current, small-scale hydro and landfill gas. But if the lower price reduction rate and higher economic value of decreased emanation was used, so during the undertaking planing stage, the REMT undertaking might displace other specific options which may hold more economic and societal benefits compared to CSWH.

Helen Burns in Jane Eyre

Though Helen Burns is a short- lived character, her appearance in the book is significant on a symbolic level. In the novel, Helen epitomizes religious devotion and Christian principles, with the idea of ‘love your enemies’ summarizing her beliefs.Helen’s religious beliefs define her character and are referenced to help demonstrate the missing relationships in her and Jane’s life, as a result of being orphaned. Her religious conduct provides a comfort to her, and later on a comfort to Jane when confronted with her dying friend.The friendship formed with Helen greatly affects Jane and teaches her a lot, including how to mask her passion. Helen is the first person we see Jane form a friendly and intimate relationship with, increasing the impact and significance of Helen’s death scene; which can be viewed as a pivotal moment in Jane’s life, and a possible symbol of the death of her passion. Helen’s references to religious teaching can be u sed in the novel to demonstrate missing relationship dynamics in the girl’s life and help explore the friendship that they form.For example, Helen refers to God as ‘maker, father, friend, universal parent. ’ It is significant that God has these roles, as they are foundation figures in life that the girl’s have fallen short of. It is possible that part of the appeal of God to Helena, and soon to Jane, is because these individuals are not present in their life.This would demonstrate and explain the importance of religion in Helen’s life and the comfort God brings to her. Similarly, Helen suggests that one of the appeals to God and religion is the opportunity it provides to create a relationship.When Helen tells Jane ‘I love him, I believe he loves me,’ she is presenting ides of reciprocity and balance in a relationship. These ideas are contrasted in the relationships Jane and Helen have experienced in Mrs Reed’s house, the orphanag e and at Lowood.However, this can be a reminder to us that these ideas are seen with in the relationship between Helen and Jane; emphasizing the importance of their friendship to each other and further increasing the heartbreak of her death for Jane. Helen represents a model of Christianity that stresses tolerance and acceptance.Helen’s compliant attitude to life is center to her character and is significant in the story as it has a great impact on Jane. Helen Burns is a character incapable of anger or vengeance. This can be seen through the bullying of Helen by Mrs. Scratcherd.As Jane observes Mrs. Sctratcherd continually ‘make her an object of constant notice’ she finally lashes out at Helen for not having cleaned her nails. Helen ‘without being told, unloosened her pinafore,’ and Mrs Scratcheard striked her a dozen times. Helen is unresponsive.Jane is confused by Helena’s patient response to mistreatment and later tells Helen that ‘If I were in your place, I should dislike her, I should resist her. ’ However, her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane Sees as) unjustified punishment makes a great impression on Jane who ‘heard her with wonder’ as Helen explained the way she conducts herself. It is possibly through Helen Burn’s example that Jane learns to ‘mask’ her passion. As well as being an ideal for the Christian ethos, it could be said that the character of Helen Burns possesses Christ like characteristics.Helen’s suffering of rejection at Lowood can be compared to Jesus’ suffering of persecution. Furthermore, her response to suffering can be said to mirror those of Jesus. The idea of ‘Love your neighbor,’ summarizes Helen’s beliefs; she never passes judgment or rebels, and she seeks to forgive those who hurt her.This view of Helen should be noted as it links to and can emphasize the idea of Helen being a â €˜teacher’ to Jane, and the large impact that Helen will make on Jane’s life. While Jane and Helen are very dieeferent character’s, Jane very much feels she can relate to Helen and learns from her influence.Like Jane, Helen is an orphan who longs for a home. In the scene before her death, Helen tells Jane she is ‘going to my long home- my last home. ’ This is one example of the difference in the two girls beliefs. Helen believes that she will find her home in heaven rather than England.This conversation about life after death contrasts what adult’s in Jane’s life have taught her and similarly goes against Jane’s previous fears regarding ghosts, death and the supernatural. In this moment, however, we as the reader see Jane is  comfortable literally next to death, a concept she feared when living with the reads.This is the first intimate moment we see Jane experiencing- Jane is nestled in close to her friend, whose arm is aro und her. In this moment we feel Jane is contempt and comfortable. It is possible that Jane’s attitude to death was a fear of the unknown, which now Helen has made more familiar, therefor providing her with the strength to cope so close to death. Helen’s death can be seen symbolically on many levels.One interpretation of Helen’s death is that it symbolizes the death of Jane’s passion. The name ‘Helen Burns’ itself implies destruction, fire and burning. Fire is a recurring theme throughout the beginning of the book, which is referred to to represent the fiery and passionate nature of Jane’s character.As well as this, during the short friendship between Helen and Jane, we can notice the awe in which Jane has for the levelheaded attitude that Helena carries. Therefore, on both a literary and symbolic term, the death of Helen burns suggests death or destruction to Jane’s passion.

Arizona State University Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Arizona State University is a public research university with an acceptance rate of 85%. The university is one of five unique ASU campuses located throughout Phoenix: the main campus in Tempe, the Downtown Campus in Phoenix, the West Campus in Phoenix, the Polytechnic Campus in Mesa, and the Colleges at Lake Havasu City. The Tempe campus has over 51,000 students and is one of the largest universities in the country. Arizona State has well-respected academic programs in Business and Engineering. It was also awarded a chapter of  Phi Beta Kappa  for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences. The Arizona State Sun Devils compete in the NCAA Division I  Pacific 12 Conference. Considering applying to Arizona State University? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Arizona State University had an acceptance rate of 85%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 85 were admitted, making ASUs admissions process less competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 26,869 Percent Admitted 85% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 39% SAT Scores and Requirements Arizona State requires that all applicants fulfill aptitude requirements. These requirements can be demonstrated by class rank (top 25%), average GPA of 3.0 in competency courses, an SAT score of 1120 or above (residents), or 1180 or above (nonresidents), or an ACT score of 22 or above (residents), or 24 or above (nonresidents). Some degree programs have higher SAT/ACT requirements. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 60% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 570 670 Math 560 690 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Arizona States admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to ASU scored between 570 and 670, while 25% scored below 570 and 25% scored above 670. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 560 and 690, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 690. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1360 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Arizona State University. Requirements ASU does not require the SAT writing section or SAT Subject tests. Note that Arizona State participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements Arizona State requires that all applicants fulfill aptitude requirements. These requirements can be demonstrated by class rank (top 25%), average GPA of 3.0 in competency courses, an SAT score of 1120 or above (residents), or 1180 or above (nonresidents), or an ACT score of 22 or above (residents), or 24 or above (nonresidents). Some degree programs have higher SAT/ACT requirements.During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 58% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 21 29 Math 22 28 Composite 22 29 This admissions data tells us that most of Arizona States admitted students fall within the top 37% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to ASU received a composite ACT score between 22 and 29, while 25% scored above 29 and 25% scored below 22. Requirements Arizona State does not require the ACT writing section. Unlike many universities, ASU superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered. GPA In 2018, the mean high school GPA of Arizona State Universitys incoming freshman class was 3.54. This information suggests that most successful applicants to ASU have primarily B grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Arizona State University Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Arizona State University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Arizona State University, which accepts over three-quarters of applicants, has a slightly selective admissions process. If you have completed the course competency and aptitude requirements you have a strong chance of being accepted. ASU requires all applicants to have four years of English and math, 3 years of laboratory science and social studies, 2 years of the same foreign language, and 1 year of fine arts or technical education. In addition to course requirements, ASU applicants must demonstrate aptitude by class rank, GPA, or minimum ACT or SAT scores. If an applicant fulfills these requirements, they will likely be admitted to ASU. A student who doesnt meet minimum grade and test score requirements will still be considered through individual review, a process by which an individuals background and accomplishments are taken into consideration. Also, as a strong Division I university, Arizona State may take a students athletic skill into consideration during the admissions process. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had A or B averages in high school, and they had combined SAT scores of about 900 or higher (ERWM) and ACT composite scores of 17 or higher. Having scores and grades above that lower range significantly increases your chance of getting an acceptance letter from Arizona State. All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Arizona State Universitys Undergraduate Admissions Office.