Medieval and Renaissance

Lewis, after having been granted Chair of the Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University in 1954, presents his first lecture to shed light on this new responsibility by drawing on a latent misnomer that could perhaps be created by the title of his present position, particularly by placing the terms â€Å"Medieval† and â€Å"Renaissance† side by side to connote a concurrence in meaning, which according to him, â€Å"†¦by this formula the University was giving official sanction to a change which has been coming over historical opinion within my own lifetime.Referring to the remarkable yet discreet elimination of the traditional divides between these terms as human’s understanding of these epochs broadens. Such usage of the terms likewise indicates how the perceived invisible divides marking out the disparities between these terms have been overstated (par 3). To this Lewis provides an alternative view saying that, â€Å"The actual temporal p rocess†¦has no divisions, except perhaps those â€Å"blessed barriers between day and day†, our sleeps.Change is never complete, and change never ceases† (Ibid). Nonetheless, placing everything that happens in a lifetime cannot be put in a single continuum otherwise it will create a chasm filled with categorically definable events yet in such circumstance may not be totally identifiable. Hence creating recognizable divisions such as periods for events is inevitable. He then moved on to consider the different periods that have marked the transitions from the Medieval to the Renaissance, namely: 1) between Antiquity and the Dark Ages or the fall of the Empire (par. 5); 2) between the Dark and the Middle Ages (par. 10); 3) towards the end of the seventeenth century (par. 11).For each perceivable period, he identified significant events such that between the Age of Antiquity and the Dark Ages, particularly in the literary genre, he recounts, the inevitable effect of â €Å"the barbarian invasions, the christening of Europe† (par 5), while referring to the observations of Gibbon, most probably that of Edward Gibbon, an â€Å"English historian and scholar, the supreme historian of the Enlightenment, who is best-known as the author of the monumental THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,† (Liukkonen, 2008) who believes that â€Å"the material decay of Rome was the effect and symbol of moral decadence† (Ibid). Lewis then suggests that such episodes where imperative that people in earlier days who were able to adapt to the circumstances where no different than the people now and the changes that have happened them would have the same effect to us—â€Å"Nothing new had come into the world† (par. 7).Likewise everything that happens then occurs for a reason and each event is irreversible as it is if it would happen now. As to the episodes between the Dark and the Middle Ages, which Lewis regards as â€Å"a period of retrogression: worse houses, worse drains, fewer baths, worse roads, less security† (par. 10), nonetheless, it is during this period that the world reached â€Å"a period of widespread and brilliant improvement† (Ibid) (i. e. recovery of Aristotle’s text and its consequent integration by Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas; discovery of alternative solutions to technical problems in Architecture; introduction of rhymed and syllabic verse in place of the old alliterative and assonantal metres which has characterized European poetry for centuries [Ibid]).Finally, concerning the third boundary within the epochs towards the end of the 17th century, Lewis, as in his explanations on the exigencies in the previous epochs, maintains that such events or changes are prerequisites to impending developments. Thus he concludes: When Watt makes his engine, when Darwin starts monkeying with the ancestry of Man, and Freud with his soul, and the economists with all that is his, th en indeed the lion will have got out of its cage. Its liberated presence in our midst will become one of the most important factors in everyone's daily life (par. 11). One should then perceive circumstances as a priori to succeeding events. Lewis did not stop with this structure though.He moved on to create a structure that will eventually define the organization of the succeeding epochs, after the Renaissance. To this division, however, Lewis clarifies: â€Å"The dating of such things must of course be rather hazy and indefinite. No one could point to a year or a decade in which the change indisputably began, and it has probably not yet reached its peak† (par 12). He then starts drawing the lines between these periods starting off from Scott (par. 13), most probably Sir Walter Scott, â€Å"a Scottish writer and poet and considered one of the greatest historical novelists, who lived between 1771 and1832† (â€Å"Sir Walter Scott,† n. d. ). Lewis then presents his view on these timelines taking a stance in relation to the political order circumstances.Thus, â€Å"For of a ruler one asks justice, incorruption, diligence, perhaps clemency; of a leader, dash, initiative, and (I suppose) what people call â€Å"magnetism† or â€Å"personality† (par. 13). Next, he considers the arts as a factor affecting the timelines. At this point he presents his argument concerning the arts, saying: â€Å"I do not think that any previous age produced work which was, in its own time, as shatteringly and bewilderingly new as that of the Cubists, the Dadaists, the Surrealists, and Picasso has been in ours† (par. 15), implying the intrinsic worth he attributes to the arts then and now. Thus, â€Å"To say that all new poetry was once as difficult as ours is false; to say that any was is an equivocation† (Ibid).He then proceeds to consider the developments in the timelines placing circumstances in line with the religious aspects of develo pments where, according to Lewis, there was a time when there was a traditional pre-conceived notion that individuals have the tendency to â€Å"relaps[e] into Paganism† (par. 16) or â€Å"that the historical process allows mere reversal (Ibid), to which he maintains the idea that circumstances as a priori to succeeding events as irreversible. This he clarifies: It is not what happens. A post-Christian man is not a Pagan; you might as well think that a married woman recovers her virginity by divorce. The post-Christian is cut off from the Christian past and therefore doubly from the Pagan past (par. 16).In paragraph 17, Lewis finally transitions his structuring of the timelines with the creation of the machines, which he considers â€Å"parallel to the great changes by which we divide epochs of pre-history† and where â€Å"the latest in advertisements always means best. † It is during this period that man regards â€Å"milestones in life as technological advan ces†: everything that happens is either directly or indirectly affected by technology. Such factor, according to Lewis, starkly differentiates us from the people in the other timelines and concludes â€Å"that it really is the greatest change in the history of Western Man† (par. 18). In the end, he points back to his earlier claim that there really is a great divide between â€Å"Medieval† and â€Å"Renaissance.† Nonetheless, somewhere in that divide lies some defining distinctiveness that unify these terms which are â€Å"certainly important and perhaps more important than its interior diversities† (par. 19). To end the arguments created or most likely to be created in the presentation of the boundaries or frontier, as Lewis labels them to be, he clarified that he will be using â€Å"Old† (Ibid) culture instead. He concludes with an emphasis on the significance of having a deeper understanding of the past for with it one is released from its shackles (par. 21) and a claim that even though there is a great distance that separates men from different epochs or timeless, they can still have a common ground. Thus, Lewis, being a native of the time, is in authority when he said:It is my settled conviction that in order to read Old Western literature aright you must suspend most of the responses and unlearn most of the habits you have acquired in reading modem literature (par. 22). References: Lewis, C. S. â€Å"De Descriptione Temporum† Inaugural Lecture from The Chair of Mediaeval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, 1954. Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://www. eng. uc. edu/~dwschae/temporum. html Liukkonen, Petri. (2008). â€Å"Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). † Retrieved April 30, 2009 from http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/egibbon. htm â€Å"Sir Walter Scott. † (n. d. ). Retrieved April 30, 2009 from http://www. online- literature. com/walter_scott/

Non-Commissioned Officer in the US Army

The desire to serve the nation and protect the people as well as defend the Constitution is the primary duty of a soldier. The soldiers’job is a tough one and a big responsibility which consequently brings them to risk their lives, wealth and family for the sake of the nation. In the US Army, serving the Americans are delivered in different nature, there are varied forms of duties and roles of the soldiers that they portray. Some are tasked to perform in combat and some are assigned for logistic support or maybe as non-combatants who are commonly called non-commissioned officers.The Merriam-Webster dictionary defined non-commissioned officer as â€Å"a subordinate officer (as a sergeant) in the army, air force, or marine corps appointed from among enlisted personnel†. (MW, 2007) A non-commissioned officer or also known as an NCO or Noncom, is a member of the military force from enlisted rank who has not attended officer training program but performs as a lower-ranking s upport crew who also has authority over the other enlisted members. The NCOs are tasked to provide logistical support that is mostly administrative or even technical in nature.Most of their duties are in training programs including capability building for personnel or advisory to the officer corps. The NCOs are usually ranging from the lower level positions of a sergeant for the US army, corporals for the US marine and warrant officers while for the navies NCOs are mostly belonging as petty officers. Most military units regard NCOs as the support system or the â€Å"backbone† of their services. Their services are crucial in the development and well-being of the military officers esp.regarding performance of their duties as officers. The primary responsibilities are along administration and office management. There are also senior NCOs or whom they call Petty Chief Officers who mostly perform leadership concerns such as leading larger groups of members, mentoring of junior sol diers, and counselling senior members relative to their duties and responsibilities. Some NCOs perform the highest levels of service such as advisory in all concerns regarding the welfare or well-being and utilization of the enlisted members.As a Noncommissioned Officer, there is a difference in the way other people relate with greater expectations having to assume more responsibilities. Such change in the way people treat an NCO is brought about by the fact that an NCO is a member of a Noncommissioned Officer Corps known as the â€Å"backbone of the Army†. (Pukansky, 1999) NCOs live by codes of honor as they perform in delivering their duties and accomplishing the mission. These codes of honor are exemplified in the NCO Creed.It identifies the values or principles that are essential in effectively carrying out responsibilities as noncommissioned officers and leaders. NCOs are committed to excellence in service. One of the creed statements talk about professionalism â€Å"No one is more professional than I. † As a professional, an NCO must live by the guiding standards and exhibit the army values that others may follow. Building leadership qualities is expressed in the creed. â€Å"I am the non-commissioned officer, a leader of soldiers†.Effective team work is also the battlecry of the NCOs apart from the other qualities that are expected from a leader that are essential in carrying out the role of an NCO. NCOs are also expected to humbly recognize the roles of those members in the NCO corps who served and the relevance of the group in the development of the US Army. The creed also called for selflessness by putting the welfare and development of the others before oneself as part of its commitment to serve the army. Competence is another area that an NCO must believe in. The creed believes that â€Å"competence is my matchword†.Demonstrating high level of competence and proficiency breeds trust and confidence from the members of the army. An NCO is expected to display competence and look for opportunities to further develop the skills and talents that competent leaders possess. The inherent role of an NCO must recognize the welfare of the soldiers. This is one major responsibility that an NCO must recognize by heart. To serve the other soldiers and aim for their well being must come first and place their needs above one’s own. The NCOs are expected to guard the soldiers’ well-being and defend them at almost any costApart from the above desired qualities, the NCO Creed believes that an NCO must also possess the following characteristics : to be fair and impartial when endorsing rewards and punishment, constantly and consistently provide communication to soldiers, exhibit loyalty to peers and seniors, display integrity and moral courage and most of all believe that NCOs are professionals and leaders. NCOs may neither have undergone officer training program in the military nor have commissioned offi cial ranks as soldiers in the military force, however, they serve better purposes in the welfare and development of the soldiers.The NCO corps have been truly recognized by the many as the â€Å"backbone of the Army†. Hence, they are essential in the military workforce as drivers in motivating soldiers and bringing the whole US Army into excellence. b. ) Why should we, as leaders, live by the 7 Army Core Values (Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage) on a daily basis. Most of the American people look up to the army not only as protectors or professionals of arms but as men of integrity. These soldiers are expected by the people to exhibit values that are inherent in being nation protectors and defenders.Lt. Gen. Jackson said â€Å"What is life without honor? Degradation is worse than death. † This statement underpins the importance of integrity as a soldier. The US Army observed the seven (7) army values that an American soldi er must live by. (US Recruiting, 2006) It is strongly believed that the cornerstone of the best military force is the values that they possess. The US Army is a values-based group that highlights the importance of teamship. Army Values will help build a strong, cohesive organization that, in turn, will become a source of strength and institutional knowledge for all the members of the military force.The Army’s profession is neither easy nor ordinary. There is always a need for team work in dealing with complex and risky conditions. For the group to achieve the mission, there is a need for a need to set common goals and principles that will guide each soldier in performing their duties. These goals and guiding principles must reflect the values of a dignified soldier and the values of the nation. Since the whole nation is counting on each of the soldiers, the army values must be embodied in the daily undertaking of each individual and as soldiers getting ready for the future, t hese values shall guide the way.As former Army Chief of Staff General Dennis J. Reimer stated, â€Å"The Army is, at heart, a community of Active and Reserve Soldiers, civilian employees and their families. Communities thrive when people care about one another, work with one another and trust one another. I believe today's Army carries within it this spirit and sense of community. . . . I am optimistic about the future and convinced that because we hold tight to a strong tradition of commitment to one another, we are and will remain the best Army on Earth. † (Forscom, 2007)A soldier’s loyal allegiance to protect the nation is coupled with core values which are deemed to be of equal importance to protecting the nation. These values is expressed via the acronym LDRSHP, these are : Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor and Personal Courage. These values are not only statements on how soldiers should behave but serve as their personal identity. These core values define who they are. The core values and their significance in the present soldier’s life are the following: first and foremost is Loyalty.Loyalty means genuine devotion to a person or other people _it maybe a unit or family or the army. Showing one’s support to a person, superior or even an activity despite its flaws or negative views from peers or subordinates calls for audacity and loyalty. A loyal soldier is one who supports or defends the leadership and stands up for other soldier. He/she will sacrifice for the leader, his country and its people. The US military core value states: â€Å"Bear true faith and allegiance to the US Constitution, the Army, your unit, and other soldiers. † This shows unquestionable loyalty to its country and its heritage.A member of the army who exhibits loyalty prioritizes duties according to the highest where the Constitution is its foremost consideration, the Army as the second priority including the unit, and lastly the self. An army who shows faithfulness to the organization always puts his own welfare the least of all. Showing allegiance also means carrying out the mission and orders from superior without showing personal critical perspective towards its superiors. Another critical characteristic of a loyal soldier is its faithfulness towards his/her fellow soldiers that may consequently bring about confidence and trust from its fellow soldier.It is this kind of devotion that heightens cohesiveness or bond among the soldiers. An ideal exemplar of an action of loyalty is the case about Private Ernest West, a soldier in the L Company. His story happened in 1952 concerning his selflessness and allegiance towards his fellow soldiers by rescuing them from an ambush. Private West, despite the difficulty he encountered during the attack wherein he suffered serious wounds losing one of his eyes. His loyalty to his fellow armies inspired everyone in his infantry which brought him up towards the ladder of succes s. Another army core value is Duty.Duty is defined as a work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons. It means it is a legal or moral obligation to complete assigned task to the fullest of your ability. An army must do what needs to be done without being told to do it. This requires willingness to accept full responsibility for a soldier’s actions. Duty is not time bound such as putting in time to work from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. in a day but it is a selfless service to one’s country, unit, family and people. The saying â€Å"I regret that I have but one life to give to my country† is an example of an indisputable commitment to duty.Being dutiful means carrying out its jobs to the best of one’s ability and sacrifice its needs in pursuing excellence. The duty which Private Sasser has showed is one of the most inspiring characteristics of duty. Sasser was in the force as a medical aide. His company was making an air assault when it was under attack by enemies which swept numerous casualties. He offered to assist the wounded without hesitation, despite the wounds he suffered during the encounter. Sasser did not showed he was immobilized due to the serious wounds in his legs.Instead of accepting medical attention, he ran through a barrage of rocket and automatic weapons fire to aid casualties of the initial attack and, after giving them urgently needed treatment, continued to search for other wounded. Despite two additional wounds immobilizing his legs, he dragged himself through the mud toward another soldier 100 meters away. Although in agonizing pain and faint from loss of blood, he continued to save the lives of other people. With this, he was conferred with the medal of honors. According to Gen. Bruce Clarke, despite of age or grade soldiers must be treated as mature individuals.Soldiers are engaged in a dignified occupation and honorable profession that they deserve to be treated with dignity and honor. Respect is a n important value that an army must possess. The golden rule best exemplifies the idea of respect. In the US soldier’s code, â€Å"Treat people as they should be treated. † A soldier is expected to treat other people with dignity and respect. This allows him/her to gain the same treatment from other people. This begins with a basic understanding that each and everyone is worthy to be respected as human beings. A leader of the army will not gain respect if he/she shows superiority over his subordinates.Respecting fellow soldiers means having faith towards them in fulfilling their jobs and duties without necessarily showing them who is the boss. To show respect to others, safety and welfare of others is its prime consideration. However, it is also important to nourish one’s self physically in order to promote health and well being of the school. Discrimination, harassment and inequity are the opposites of respect which may block cohesiveness and trust towards each member of an organization. Selfless Service is beyond a soldier’s consideration of one’s self.The US army pledged to â€Å"Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. † The sake of the nation comes first. The priority is always the needs of the country or the people. Serving one’s country is about putting one’s duty above one’s own interest or without having in mind what one can gain. When a soldier takes action it must be for the good of the others and not to increase his/her standing. SPC Fitzmaurice received a medal of honor when he displayed selfless service in Vietnam on 23 March. The courageous deed was realized when he threw his personal safety above the others by shielding fellow soldiers.Fitzmaurice suffered multiple wounds and partial loss of sight. SPC Fitzmaurice's heroism in action at the risk of his life contributed significantly to the successful defense of the position and resulted in savi ng the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. Doing one’s duty in the army is doing service before one’s self. What it does mean for selfless-service is to complete one’s duty prior to its own comfort zones. The welfare or well being of the entire nation and the organization come before the soldier’s own. Selfless service may be confused with loyalty and duty as they are closely related.This is an indication on the importance of accepting all the Army values and ignoring none. Honor is said to be a guide for character and conduct. It is something one earns. As we know, one of the highest military awards is the medal of honors. This is conferred to soldiers who displayed the virtue of living up to the values of the army. Honor starts with knowing what is ethically right and wrong and demonstrating what is right. This should begin with sincerity in one’s actions and maintaining integrity and honesty to one’s daily work as a soldier. It take s a good soldier to bring honor. As Gen. Jackson once said â€Å"What is life without honor?Degradation is worse than death. † As the US army code puts it : â€Å"Do what’s right, legally and morally†. Integrity is a virtue a soldier should possess. This is something to be developed by conforming to moral ethics. A good soldier has moral standards and truthful in adhering to these principles both in word and deed. It is not enough to know what is right, but by demonstrating the right makes a soldier earn the trust and confidence of others. Military men of integrity act according to the dictates of the moral ethics and not according to decisions that is convenient for the moment or that temporarily works for a certain situation.A good soldier possesses personal courage i. e. in physical and moral planes. Bravery is one of the basic characteristic that a soldier must possess. A child when asked about bravery always cites a soldier as an example. This means that co urage is attached to the identity of a soldier. Building a noble character of a soldier means developing a physical and moral courage that are required to combat the conflicts and demands in their jobs. It means taking the risks in war despite the fear of being killed. As personal courage is not the absence of fear but it is the ability to face danger and take action on what is needed.Personal courage does not only mean the ability to combat the conflicts but it also embodies the idea about taking responsibility for the decisions and actions made. Courage also involves the ability to do self-assessment and confront new ideas, and even to the extent to change. Leaders are expected to make decisions that involve risk and often take a stand during times of stress. Personal courage has long been associated with the military force where several narratives about the dangers and hardships that soldiers have successfully faced are notable.Personal courage is not the absence of fear but it i s taking positive action in spite of the fear. Physical courage means overcoming fears of bodily harm and still being able to do your duty. It’s the bravery that allows a soldier to operate in combat in spite of the fear of wounds or death. It is what gets the soldier at airborne school out the aircraft door. It’s what allows an infantryman to assault a bunker to save his buddies or a medic to treat the wounded while under fire. With physical courage, it is a matter of enduring physical duress and, at times, risking personal safety.Private Silvestre S. Herrera is a good replica on the fighting spirit and courage which are duly recognized by the higher authorities. Private Herrera was conferred with the medal of honors last 2006 due to his courage and fighting spirit in battling the explosives that burst before him hitting his leg. Despite intense pain and the unchecked bleeding of his wounds he lay in the minefield, firing to suppress the enemy while others of his plat oon skirted the minefield to flank the enemy position. His courage and fighting spirit reflected honor upon his adopted nation and that of his birth.Private Herrera received the Medal of Honor These values are not only a statement for how soldiers must behave; these are doctrines that tell them who they are. Army leaders emulate these values because they are the standard for action. Such standard for behavior must remain to be the foundation of trust which the Americans expects from the military (Snider and Watkins, 2000). In relation to this, the military principles rest on the foundation of the seven Army Values. These values reflect the standards to which the whole military force adheres to, regardless of its mission.In the same way as these Values lead the way thoughts are formed, words are acted, and professional principles of every soldier, so will those same values guide the actions of those who intends to support and follow them. The Americans hold the entire military force to a higher level, not only the front-line combatants. All the priorities time tabled for implementation and the efficiencies gained or the improvements in quality achieved are attainable in keeping with the Army Values. This transformation brings with it many challenges to overcome.However, it is still recommendable to continually evaluate if successes of the organization are due to adherence to these values. The United States Army serves around the world in the many forms of missions and roles. Although several reasons are known why they join the force, at some level one of them is the desire to serve the nation and the mechanism in perfecting their service is through these values. Hence, these seven values are the main principles that must guide each soldier in their daily undertakings which will lead them towards excellence in service to the people and the nation._____________________________ Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dan gerous and dreadful. — Samuel Johnson References Don M. Snider and Gayle L. Watkins, â€Å"The Future of the Army Profession: A Need for Renewal and Redefinition,† Parameters (August 2000): 5-20. Field Arty (1989). A Brief History of the Backbone of the Army. (Aug. 1989) pp. 17-22. Per. Condensed version of handout at SGM Academy. Forscom . (2007, June 27 updated). Call to Duty : Army Values. Retrieved August 7, 2007, from http://www. forscom. army.mil/reeng/Army%20Part1%20Values. htm U. S. Army Recruiting Battalion. (2006, January 18 updated). Army Values Training for Future Soldier Training Program Soldiers. Retrieved August 7, 2007, from http://www. usarec. army. mil/1stbde/1obn/FS/values. html Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2007). Retrieved from http://www. m-w. com/dictionary/noncommissioned+officer. htm on November 12, 2007 Pukansky, Michael W. (1999) The Army Chaplaincy. Reflections on Leadership. Retrieved from http://www. usachcs. army. mil/TACarchive/AC71M/refle ctions_on_leadership. htm on November 13, 2007.

Women of Different Eras

Shops was a woman of Ancient Greece that history sees as a mystery. Her life is a mystery because not much is known about her or her poems that she wrote because only bits and pieces are left of her works. During this period, women were not known to be well educated individuals like Shops, only men. Women were to be caretakers of the house and bear the man's children. Shops went â€Å"against the grain† and made a name for herself as a well-known lyric poetess, which means her poetry was made Into songs and played with a musical Instrument called a lyre.Furthermore, Shops poems were connected to emotions and feelings from her heart when she wrote. It did not matter If she wrote her poems to a woman or a man. Society took this and ran with her emotions and labeled Shops as a lesbian. Society is still the same then as it is now, speculating that a person is gay or lesbian because they only have â€Å"girlfriends†. It is still called stereotyping. It was not taken into con sideration that Shops was married and had a daughter. Also no evidence was presented to prove this allegation.On the other hand, Muralist did not have such a time being stereotyped because he was not labeled like Shops. Like Shops, Muralist was a mystery because her real name was not known. During the Hein Period, â€Å"real names of noblewomen were not usually known; Muralist Skibob was actually the author's nickname in court circles In The Tale of Genii† (Anta, 2008, Para. 7). Women of the Hein period also had a social position to uphold for the sake of family, something In Ancient Greece would not even been heard. A woman would not be seen outside the house or for that matter even give her point of view on a situation.Noblewomen from Japan and women from Ancient Greece had another difference in their time periods. Ancient Greece women did not have law that required them to have their face covered if they were not in the presence of their own family. The noblewomen were to be a mystery to the men they were to marry, even if it was an arranged marriage between the fathers of the families. In Ancient Greece the fathers also arranged their daughter's weddings to an ideal suitor. Another similarity that both eras have is polygamy for the men in their marriages. The men of Japan had many wives and their wives would live with her parents.In Ancient Greece the men also had many wives, but would ravel from house to house to be with the different wives. Mural was considered the first famous novelist In Japan. Like Shops she wrote with her heart her stories In her novel â€Å"The Tale of Cancel†. It took Mural several years to finish her masterpiece. An educated woman in Japan was believed to be studied and knew Japan prose which is a form of writing they were also more popular with the women of the courts than the men. Even though Shops and Muralist were from different time periods, both ladies were successful authors of poems and novels.

Pathology of the Heart Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pathology of the Heart - Term Paper Example There are two main types of myocardial infarction and these are transmural while the other is subendocardial infarction. The transmural can be further classified as anterior or posterior and is a result of insufficient oxygen supply in the heart (Ruben and Reisner 23-232). This heart condition is basically due to deposits of fats along the blood arteries causing blockage in the tubing. As a result, more pressure is exerted to the heart during blood flow and this could lead to rapture of the blood vessels. It is also due to unbearable psychological stress or when one experiences physical exertion that exceeds the normal. Some research indicates that pneumonia and increased uses of antibiotics contribute to this heart condition. Some human activities contributing to this include excessive tobacco smoking as well as heavy alcohol drinking. Other factors contributing to heart failure are air pollution, diabetes, old age both in men and women, and proven genetic factors. Socioeconomic factors like lack of education or low income generation also pose high risks of heart attacks. Women using more than one type of contraceptive pills and still smoke are at higher risk of heart attacks. Symptoms associated to this heart condition include abrupt pains in the heart often felt in the form of tightness or pressure. The pain is due lack of enough blood supply in the organ. This is a condition which is also known as angina pectoris. Other symptoms are difficulty in breathing as a result of limitation of left ventricle output and abnormal anxiety. In addition, lack of concentration due to cerebral or brain shocks could be experienced (Bogaet and Dymarkowski 68-134). This heart condition could lead sudden death since the heart fails to supply the required amount of blood to various body parts. Women patients experience weakness as well as difficulty in

Case Study on Statutory Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study on Statutory Interpretation - Essay Example In presiding over court proceedings, they hear all evidences and witnesses presented by parties involved in particular cases; they then asses the arguments and credibility of the evidences and parties which guide them towards making a ruling on the case at hand. The judgements made by judges are based on a judge or panel of judges’ personal interpretation and interpretation of the law that relate to a particular case.2 However, to avoid subjectivity and erred judgements, judges are guided by principles and rules which they use to interpret statutes. Statutory interpretation is the process through which legislation is rendered and enforced; that is, courts interpret and apply legislation to specific cases being presided on.3 Principles and rules of interpretation of statutes are very important in ensuring that justice is administered appropriately. This is because some words in statutes are vague and ambiguous while others are plain in meaning. Therefore, different level and am ount of interpretation is needed when a case is involving a statute.4 In order to interpret and apply statutes, judges usually find meanings using various methods and means of interpreting statutes. These methods and means include the purpose of legislation, history of legislation, and the canons of interpreting statutes. In some instances, the meaning of legislation has proved to be inconsistent hence need for interpretation in order to achieve the purpose of legislation. For constituency to be achieved in the interpretation of legislation meaning, judges in the courts of law use specific principles and rules to resolve vagueness and ambiguity that appear in statutes. It is imperative to note that different principles and rules of statutory interpretation may be applied. The application of these principles and rules depend on the nature of the ambiguity and the context in which ambiguity and vagueness arises.5 Statutes are drafted by legal experts and it is the language used in the statutes leave little room for interpretation. However, experience by legal practitioners and scholars have shown that expressions and words in statutes are in some cases ambiguous hence the need to resolve the inconsistencies. They argue sometimes interpretation of legislation may differ from its construction.6 Interpretation is the process of finding out the true meaning of a given word and ascertaining the sense that the author wanted to convey. As such, a statute being a legislature edict thus its interpretation should seek the intention of its author or maker. The obligation of the judiciary, therefore, is to interpret the true intention of the Legislature in formulating the statute at hand.7 In an event that the provision of a statute is open to more than one interpretation, the court has to make a decision or an interpretation that represents the true purpose of the Legislature. It is worthy pointing out that legislation contains uncertainties due to a number of reasons ther eby necessitating interpretations. These reasons include the following: one, in the course of enactment uncertainties may be added to the statute. Two, new technologies, cultures, and unforeseen situations often make interpretation and application of laws quite difficult. Three, words can sometime be ambiguous and its meaning may change over time hence making them imperfect symbols to

Computer crimes and fraud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer crimes and fraud - Essay Example One example of an ethical dilemma is seen when employees conduct their own errands, hobbies, and businesses during working hours. In many occasion, employees can be found accessing social networking sites, checking personal emails, and shopping on the organization’s computers. This may seem harmless when employees use the organization’s facilities for personal benefit after they have finished their work for the day. However, if these habits continue, the trend will be spread to more employees who will assume that it is okay to start doing this. This will deny the owner or the owners of the organization their right to make profits. When employees are being employed, they agree to work for the benefit of the organization. They are expected to use the time allocated to them to work on the tasks given to them to the best of their ability and in the timeliest manner. The employee is given the responsibility to act in the best interest of the company. When employees are doing their personal things using the resources of the organization, they are making unethical decisions as opposed to what is expected from them. This can negatively affect the performance of the organization. It is crucial for employees to act ethically because integrity forms a big part in building and maintaining relationships with employers. This also helps an individual to create a personal brand. It is also evident that investors like dealing with organizations that are seen to be ethical.

William Bradfords Relationship with the Indians Essay

William Bradfords Relationship with the Indians - Essay Example o would later come to the New World and interact with the Native Americans, the Pilgrim’s relationship with them was â€Å"largely peaceful, despite profound cultural misunderstandings† (â€Å"Plymouth Colony†). Bradford and his followers became friends with Native American leaders and established a policy of tolerance and trust between their cultures. Native Americans in the area had previously interacted with English traders and fisherman before Bradford’s arrival. Relations were not positive and 20 Indians were kidnapped by Thomas Hunt, who tried to sell them as slaves. In 1621, the Indian, Somoset, came to the Plymouth colony and began speaking with the Pilgrims; he had previously learned some of the English language from those earlier traders and fisherman. He returned a few days later with the famous Indian, Squanto, who was one of the Indians kidnapped by Thomas Hunt. Squanto and Somoset talked with Bradford and other Pilgrim leaders and arranged a meeting with their Chief, Massasoit. The Pilgrims then established a peace treaty with the Indians that, under the Governorship of Bradford, would last for over 50 years. Later in 1621, when Bradford became Governor of the Plymouth colony, he invited Massasoit to what would later become known as one of the most famous events in American history, called Thanksgiving ( "Plymouth Colony†). Before the plentiful harvest of that first Thanksgiving, Plymouth was struggling to survive. The Indians played a significant role in saving the colony from starvation. Because of his ability to speak fluent English and his willingness to help the Pilgrims, Squanto was revered by the people of the Plymouth colony. He taught the Pilgrims how to plant their corn, where to fish, and led them to places where they could more easily live off the land. In his History of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford explains his belief that the Indian, Squanto, was sent as an â€Å"instrument of God† to help them (95). Bradford was a devoted friend

Media or america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media or america - Essay Example Because the constant repetition of ideas in a society can easily lead to hegemony of values and cultural expression, it is important to be vigilant as to the effect of media in daily life and the way that it shapes concepts of self-identity. The effect of mass-media is found in all modern education systems and entertainment activities for the majority of society. In many instances, such as public opinion polls, marketing, and commercial advertising campaigns, nationalism and patriotism are used in branding a product for consumption. But more commonly, America knows that when it comes to advertising, sex appeal sells products best. Yet, advertising can also be important in building self-identity patterns that are unrealistic or unhealthy for individuals to relate to personally. For example, women are typically shown in contemporary media representations with an unconventional, ultra-thin body as the ideal body type. Similarly, men are built with broad shoulders, enormous muscles, and zero percent body fat. This creates an expectation in the individual to shape his personal appearance to be comparable to that of a male or female superhero in order to gain acceptance. When visualizing this type of sex appeal personally, people often try to be accepted in society by imitating this â€Å"ideal image,† despite the fact that is first posited by the commercial stereotype. The â€Å"ideal image† leads to the striving for perfection in what is considered physically beautiful in the culture or society at large, but the problem is that this system also simultaneously and implicitly values the ideal above all others. The advertising in mass-media of today exposes American society repeatedly to an ideal body image and creates the idea that the individual must meet these standards. When the ideal is adopted individually, negative outcomes may occur such as eating disorders, depression, obsession, and low self-esteem. Following this paradigm, it is clear that oth er mental health problems can potentially arise from the internal conflict between media patterns of approved or applauded identity and the Self’s own reality and experience. Thus, the media environment to a great degree determines the education and sustenance of an individual mentally and spiritually in today’s world, as well as being the means by which a person searches for and establishes their own personal identity or sense of Self. Complex images on how women and men should grow up to look like are introduced at the earliest ages of human development. For example, children at the age of five are often given influences in the form of toy dolls known as the â€Å"Barbies† or â€Å"G.I. Joe† action figures in America. The Barbie and G.I. Joe dolls are designed based on a body image that is impractical, creating an almost fanatical impression which drives subconsciously the way people believe adults should appear and dress. Barbie’s measurements a re nearly physically impossible for most women to achieve physically, but they are learned to be desired. Society needs to provide healthier and more realistic social models to children during their formative years of education and mind development.

Nursing sensitive outcomes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing sensitive outcomes - Essay Example Variables studied under this paper vary from the sophisticated constructs comprised of a combination of nurse and patient variables mediated by the 'Nursing Role Effectiveness Model (Doran et al, 2002) derived as per the researchers from Nursing Economics, 1998: 16; 58-64; 87. The same complexity of variables is derived from Titler et al, 2006, wherein the researchers utilize a construct model comprised of patient characteristics, clinical conditions, nursing unit characteristics and medical, pharmacy and nursing interventions related to the outcome of discharge disposition. Other less complexly structured but as legitimate variables studied herein are nurses' spirituality (Chung et al, 2007), nurses' effective usage of physical touch in care (Rombalski, 2003) and special nursing intervention practices such as slow-breathing relaxation exercise as a prelude to the usage of opioids as a means to pain management during chest tube removal for patients who had undergone coronary bypass s urgery (Friesner et al, 2006). The paper shall now study the degree of effectiveness as assessed by the individual sets of researchers for the aforementioned variables to determine their relative contributions to nursing role performance. Doran et la, 2002, utilized the Nursing Role Effectivene... The cross-sectional design of NREM is a set of structure, process and outcome variables. Patient structural variables include medical diagnosis, gender, age and education (Doran et al, 2002). Nurse structural variables include educational preparation and hospital experience. Unit structural variables include the adequacy of time to provide, autonomy and role tension (Doran et al, 2002). Nurses' independent role performance was assessed by patient report on perceptions of quality of nurses' care. Interdependent nurses' role performance was assessed by nurses' report on quality of nurses' communication and co-ordination of care (Doran et al, 2002). Patient outcome variables include patients' therapeutic self-care ability, functional status and mood disturbance at the time of hospital discharge assessed by patient self-report. It is distinctly significant that the quality of nurses' independent role performance mediated to a greater degree patient outcomes. Patient functional status was much better and degree of mood disturbance at discharge much less when nurses' independent role performance proved of better quality. Interestingly also, this independent nursing role performance proved of better quality in units where there was less autonomy and more time for care. Interdependent role performance variables like care co-ordination proved of better quality in units where there was less autonomy and role tension and more nurse education and experience (Doran et al, 2002). The other nursing role interdependent variable, nurses' communication, proved of better quality in units where nurses were afforded more autonomy and had higher degrees of education but were less experienced and

Wikis International Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wikis International Business - Assignment Example However, the runaway corruption in these countries complicates the operation of the multinational companies. This situation gives rise to the problem of bribery that intertwines with corruption. It is almost impossible to mention bribery without thinking of corruption. The corruption that arises out of bribery erodes the economic and social lives of people and businesses. It is important to fight corruption because it discourages investor confidence that lowers the economic growth of a country. A weak economy puts a heavy burden on people by lowering their living standards. Corruption in these developing countries has adversely affected the ethics of international business. Bribery in international business usually takes place in big tendering processes and contracts. The Rolls-Royce case is an example of such a deal where a company pays significant amounts in bribery to secure a lucrative deal. Many companies have resorted to illegal means of obtaining contracts due to the stiff competition in the international market. Corruption has become a legitimate cost of doing business with countries that require infrastructure or are rich in natural resources. Countries such as Nigeria and Brazil have an abundance of natural resources yet at the same time still require infrastructural development. These companies’ primary goal is to make profits, and they are, therefore, willing to do anything to beat their competitors and stay in business. However, there are a few measures that the MNEs can implement to put a stop to the scourge of bribery. Multinational companies often pay hefty bribes to corrupt officials who are immune from judicial processes in these emerging markets. It, therefore, demands collective action on the part of these companies in order to change the dynamics of this corrupt game. They should further form a partnership with the civil society. Intermediaries are the ones that conduct most transactions for MNEs working abroad. The

Samsung and the Theme Park Essay Example for Free

Samsung and the Theme Park Essay Charles Dhanaraj and Young Soo Kim prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Paul Beamish solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. SAMSUNG has the right to reproduce and use this case for its educational purposes. Ivey Management Services prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmittal without its written permission. This material is not covered under authorization from CanCopy or any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Management Services, c/o Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail [emailprotected] uwo. ca. Copyright  © 1996, Ivey Management Services and Samsung HRDC Version: (A) 2002-11-22. In October 1994, Her Tae-Hak, President of Samsung’s Joong-Ang Development Company was driving to his office, past the â€Å"Yongin Farmland† (Farmland), an amusement complex sprawling over 3,700 acres in the Yongin valley. Her was spearheading a major drive within the company to position the theme park as one of the world’s leading vacation resort towns. His master plan called for an investment of about US$300 million over the next five years, to be internally funded by the Samsung Group. Despite the booming Korean economy and the increasing demands for leisure attractions, the global competitive environment of the theme park industry raised several concerns. Should Samsung invest in such an aggressive expansion plan for Farmland? Was this an attractive industry for investment? Her was scheduled for a meeting with the Chairman of the Samsung Group for a formal presentation of the proposal at the end of the month. THE GLOBAL THEME PARK INDUSTRY The early 1990s saw the emergence of theme parks as a major source of family entertainment, not just in the United States but around the world. The earliest evidence of a business where people â€Å"paid money to be terrified† was in the early 1600s when several Russians operated a sled ride with a 70-foot vertical drop. In the late 1800s, several theme parks were set up in Coney Island (New York) in the United States. The first roller coaster was set up in 1884, followed by an indoor Page 2 amusement park, Sealion Park. In the 1930s, the amusement industry had to contend with alternative entertainment offered by the movie houses as well as setbacks due to economic depression. However, with the Disneyland Park opening in 1955 in California, the industry was revived and Walt Disney was credited with raising the profile, as well as the profitability, of the industry to a new height. There was a variety of parks and attractions, each with a different approach to drawing crowds and showing them a good time: Cultural and Education Parks were a remnant of the old-fashioned type of European park. Such parks featured formal greens, gardens, and fountains. Generally they incorporated historical and educational exhibits. Outdoor Amusement Parks were small parks that served a metropolitan or regional market. These parks featured traditional thrill rides, carnival midways, and some entertainment. Most amusement parks did not have a theme to the architecture, rides, and entertainment. Theme Parks were generally family-oriented entertainment complexes that were built around a theme. Theme parks were larger and had a greater variety of rides and attractions than amusement parks. Water Theme Parks were a recent phenomenon, a special type of theme parks centered on water activities. Large water parks featured wave action pools, river rides, steep vertical drop slides, and a variety of twisting flume slides. Most of the theme parks were members of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, which tracked the attendance at various theme parks. In 1993, North American parks accounted for 48 per cent of the worldwide attendance, Asian parks 33 per cent, European parks 14 per cent, and Central and South American parks four per cent (see Table 1). North America The Walt Disney Company was the largest park chain in the world with three major theme parks in the United States. Time Warner’s Six Flags Corporation was the second largest with seven parks spread out in the United States. Paramount, Anheuser Busch and Cedar Fair were some of the other conglomerates who owned theme parks. In mid-1993, Paramount bought Canada’s Wonderland theme park originally developed by Taft Broadcasting Company in 1981. Despite the mature nature of the industry in the United States, a number of theme parks were investing heavily in upgrading their facilities, and extending the theme parks’ services. 9A96M006 Page 3 Europe In 1980, Alton Towers, a 60-year old park in North Staffordshire (England), comprised primarily of historic gardens, repositioned itself as a theme park by adding a roller coaster and some other attractions. The park was extremely successful within a very short span of time. The success of Alton Towers led to a number of new theme parks in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, including Blackpool Pleasure Beach (England) that featured the world’s tallest roller coaster. In France alone, three major theme parks emerged in the early 1990s: Walt Disney’s $3 billion Euro Disney, the $150 million Parc Asterix located northeast of Paris, and the $110 million Big Bang Schtroumpf (Smurfs) theme park just north of Metz. Six Flags Corporation and Anheuser-Busch both recently opened new theme parks in Spain coinciding with the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Asia Tokyo Disneyland was opened in 1983 by Walt Disney as a joint venture with the Oriental Land Company (OLC). The success of Tokyo Disneyland set off a wave of theme park developments in Asia. OLC and Disney had agreed to open a second theme park, â€Å"Tokyo Disney Sea† in 2001. Ocean Park in Hong Kong, started in 1977, was the largest water park in Asia with an annual attendance of 3. 2 million. Jaya Ancol Dreamland, located in North Jakarta, Indonesia, was one of the largest recreation complexes in south east Asia. Dreamland had a theme park (Dunia Fantasi), a waterpark complex, an oceanarium, a golf course, a beach and several hotels. China was a major growth market. Beijing Amusement park, started in 1981, reported that between 1990 and 1993 revenues increased over 2,000 per cent and earnings before interest and taxes were up 200 per cent. Over the next five years, six regional theme parks were to be developed with a total investment of over $100 million. FINANCIAL ISSUES. The theme park business required a large-scale initial investment, typically ranging from $50 million to $3 billion. Depending on the real-estate markets, the cost of the land value itself could be very high. Theme parks required over 50 acres of land for a full scale development, with some of the theme parks utilizing 10,000 to 30,000 acres. Since accessibility of the park location was a key success factor in the industry, theme park developers chose land sites in a central area which was relatively expensive. Alternatively, they could choose a remote area at a low cost and develop the transportation network. In either case, the land development costs constituted nearly 50 per cent of the overall investment. The amusement machinery constituted 20 to 30 per cent of the total investment, and the working capital requirements took up the remaining 20 to 30 per cent of the investment. The amusement equipment required for the park was also expensive, most of it 9A96M006 Page 4 9A96M006 going from $1 million to $50 million. Businesses which had an in-house land development expertise or equipment technology had better control of these costs. Many parks periodically added new attractions or renovated existing ones to draw repeat customers. The parks typically reinvested much of their revenue for expansion or upgrading purposes. The economies of scale and scope were significant in the industry. Increasingly, parks got larger and larger to generate more operating revenues. Also, companies had multiple parks to take advantage of the learning curve effects in the management of theme parks and the increased economies of scope. Most of the operating expenses for theme parks (about 75 per cent) were for personnel. Admission fees1constituted over 60 per cent of the total revenues of a theme park, while the rest came primarily from food, beverage, and merchandise sales. To handle the admissions revenue a centralized ticket system was generally preferred. An all-inclusive admission price entitled customers to as many rides and shows as they desired. This approach led to longer stays at parks resulting in increased food and beverage sales. Another centralized admission method was to sell ride/show tickets in sets or coupon books (i. e. , five coupons for $5, but 12 coupons for $10). Both approaches to centralized ticket sales minimized the number of employees handling money throughout the park resulting in improved efficiency and control. Walt Disney Company’s financial profile was generally used to assess the return on investment within the industry. The revenues for the theme parks segment of the Walt Disney Company were at US$2. 042 billion in 1988 and grew to US$3. 4 billion in 1993. Operating income was pegged at US$565 million in 1988 and US$747 million in 1993. The return on equity for the Walt Disney Company was pegged at 17 to 25 per cent. One of the analysts remarked on the theme parks segment of Walt Disney: Theme parks are going to become increasingly stable and annuitylike, with the ability to generate $700 to $750 million in cash flow a year. There were signs of declining profitability in the U. S. operations, since the market was maturing and the competition was getting more intense. Tokyo Disneyland, the Japanese operation, was growing and profitable. However, EuroDisney, the European theme park, was a disaster for the company with huge losses since operations began in 1992. The company was expecting a break-even in 1995. 1. Admission fees varied from $5 to $25 depending on the location and reputation of the park. Page 5 9A96M006 MARKETING AND SOCIAL ISSUES The traditional appeal of theme/amusement parks was to preteens, teens, and young adults. Changing demographics were causing most parks to think in terms of a broader market, particularly families, corporate groups, and even senior citizens. There were five major market segments for theme parks: Local Families — people within a day’s drive who visited mostly on weekends. Most parks focused exclusively on this segment, which generally constituted 60 to 75 per cent of the attendance. Children’s Groups — schools, churches, recreation agencies, scouts, and other groups who traveled in buses on summer weekdays. The Evening Market — teens and young adults who came for entertainment, concerts, and romancing at night. Corporate Groups — included consignment sales and group parties. Tourists — a substantial market for large theme parks in destination areas such as Florida. Customer satisfaction was a critical issue in theme parks management. Successful park managers used extensive marketing research to understand their customers and also spent a lot of effort in promoting the park. To reach the diverse groups, parks emphasized increased beautification and the range of entertainment and food services offered. Theme park managers were working with tour operators and government tourist promotion boards to draw the tourist crowds to their parks. Theme parks spent about 10 per cent of their annual revenues for advertising. Radio, newspaper, yellow page (telephone book) advertisements, family and group discounts, and direct mail were the most common promotional methods. Among large theme parks, television advertising was an excellent visual medium to capture the excitement. Some parks expended a major portion of their advertising budget for television promotion. An issue for the theme parks industry was the seasonal and intermittent nature of the business. Theme parks’ attendance peaked in the spring/summer and in the school holidays. Even in the holiday season, bad weather could adversely affect the attendance. The seasonal fluctuations put a lot of strain on the theme parks’ management. During the peak season, the requirement for employees shot up; quite often the management had to find employees beyond the domestic territory and provide housing for out-of-town employees. The sudden surge in demand often choked the service systems such as transportation, building management, etc. It was the availability of leisure time and a high discretionary income that drove the commercial recreation industry. Economic downturns had a severe impact on industry revenues. Also, consumers could substitute a visit to theme parks with other modes of entertainment. Consumers substituted products/services in order to try something new, different, cheaper, safer, better, or more convenient. Free Page 6 admission parks and beaches, camping trips, or even video-movies at home were competing options for leisure time. REGULATORY ISSUES Government regulations were quite strict because of the extensive land use, and the potential for serious accidents. Licensing requirements and methods of ascertaining operational expertise to ensure visitors’ safety varied from country to country. In some countries, where land was scarce, governments limited the area of the land that the developers could take up for theme parks. Park administration was dependent on the government for utilities such as power, gas and water. A typical period required for arranging government approval for a theme park could be as high as two to five years, depending on the country. A related issue was insurance premiums. Given the likelihood of accidents in the amusement parks and the possibility of serious injury, 100 per cent insurance coverage was a must in the industry. Although safety records in the industry were very good, the insurance premiums were extremely high in some parts of the world, particularly in the United States. However, the large premiums often drove the small players in the industry out of business. Countries in Asia did not have this handicap. TECHNOLOGY ISSUES The theme park industry had three classes of inputs: the building and construction services that provided landscaping and architectural support; the hardware providers that supplied amusement machinery; and the software providers that supplied management know-how. The amusement machinery industry had grown over the years. Most of the large drives, such as the Hurricane or the Giant Wheel, were manufactured in Japan, Europe or the United States. There were fewer than 10 suppliers who were capable of developing quality machinery, such as DOGO of Japan, HUSS of Germany, and ARROW of the United States. Most of these suppliers worked globally, and the machinery were custom designed and made to order to fit the particular market and environment conditions. There were a large number of suppliers for the smaller machines, and quite often, they could be manufactured domestically. Special simulators for amusement purposes using proprietary technology were being developed by technology-intensive companies such as Sega Japan and Simex Canada. The park management expertise commonly referred to as the â€Å"software† in the industry was not easily available. Leading theme park companies, such as Walt 9A96M006 Page 7 9A96M006. Disney Company, charged huge licensing fees which were over 10 per cent of the revenues. Also, they were very selective in choosing joint ventures in other countries. Disney went through an extensive market analysis and partner profile analysis for over three years in Europe before finalizing the venue in France with the joint venture partner. Mr. Yu, director-in-charge of the Farmland project, commented: We wanted to go for a joint venture with Walt Disney Corporation. But they somehow were not interested in Korea. So we had to go it alone. It takes a long time for theme park managers to develop service delivery of world class quality. Although Walt Disney offered a number of educational programs to train other managers in the â€Å"Disney Management† style, the know-how seemed to be too sophisticated for the competitors to emulate. Virtual reality (VR) was increasingly becoming a highly lucrative mass-market entertainment phenomenon. A new entry that was due to open in July 1994 was Joypolis, a $70 million interactive theme park owned by Sega Enterprises, with projected revenues of $37 million per annum. Sega had plans to open 50 such parks in Japan, and was negotiating with Universal Studios, California, for its first U. S. installation of a VR theme park. YONGIN FARMLAND Yongin Farmland (Farmland), opened in 1976, was the first amusement park in Korea. It was managed by Joong-Ang Development Company, one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of Samsung with a mission to provide a better quality of life through healthy open-air leisure activities. In addition to the Farmland management, Joong-Ang was responsible for the building maintenance at all Samsung’s offices, as well as maintaining two golf courses. Farmland was located about an hour south of Seoul, and was owned by the Korean conglomerate, the Samsung Group (see Exhibit 1). The 3,700-acre attraction began as an agricultural center to demonstrate how mountainous land could be used productively for growing food products. Mr. Lee of Joong-Ang said, At that time, we had trouble raising enough food for our country. We created a model farm of how to work with an abandoned mountain by building a pig farm and planting fruit orchards. We changed the land use gradually through the years as we added entertainment elements. The Wild Safari was opened in 1980, and the Rose Festival, an impressive rose garden filled with 6,000 rose bushes of 160 different varieties arranged according. Page 8 9A96M006 to various themes, opened in 1985. To provide for winter entertainment, the Sled Slope was opened in 1988. A drastic departure from the traditional theme parks was taken when Yongin Farmland opened a Motor-Park in late 1993. The motor park operations incurred a loss in the first year of operations (see Table 2 for the profit and loss statement). In November 1993, Her took over as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Joong-Ang Development Company. Prior to his assignment to Joong-Ang, Her was the CEO of Cheju Shilla, a luxury hotel on Cheju Island in Korea. Her was credited with developing a world-class sea resort at Cheju Shilla which surpassed in customer service established hotel chains such as Hotel Hilton. Since taking over the reins of the company, Her had focused on improving the customer satisfaction level at Farmland, and had also been developing the plans for Farmland’s expansion. One of the major challenges was to see how the expansion plans for Farmland would match with the corporate strengths of the Samsung group. Her was aware that earlier attempts by previous management to expand Farmland had not met with the approval of the group’s Chairman. There were concerns in many quarters that the theme park industry did not fit well with the â€Å"high-tech† and the â€Å"global† image of the Samsung Group, and also that the profitability might be very low. The theme park industry was still in its early stages in Korea, and had a history of less than two decades. However, indications were that the industry was growing globally, with more players entering. Nevertheless, some of the managers did not see profitable growth opportunity in the theme park industry. One of the managers in Joong-Ang said: Theme parks may be a growing industry worldwide. That does not mean that it should be so in Korea. In Korea, we work five and a half days a week and we have annual vacation of only four to five days a year. Where do Korean people have time for theme parks? FARMLAND CUSTOMERS Traditionally, Farmland focused on the local customers. Most of its customers came from surrounding areas within two hours’ drive (see Table 3). The economic growth in Korea had been a major driving force in industry growth (see Exhibit 2). Despite the early stage of growth in the Korean leisure industry, there were six theme parks in the Seoul area including Farmland. Most notable among these were Lotte World and Seoul Land. Lotte World, started in 1989, prided itself on having the world’s largest indoor theme park with adjoining hotel, department store, shopping mall, folk village and sports centre. Commenting on Lotte’s strategy, one of the managers at Lotte World said: Page 9 9A96M006 We focus on a segment different from Farmland. Since we are located downtown, we cater to a clientele who want to drop by for a shorter period. Typically, we get office people who want to relax after a hard day’s work or couples who would like to spend some time in a romantic environment. Seoul Land, located near Seoul at Kyungkido, was also a key competitor to Farmland. With attendance at 3. 37 million, Seoul Land ranked 23rd in the â€Å"Top 50 theme parks worldwide. † Mr. Woon, one of the managers at Seoul Land, remarked: The park has a good reputation for quality special events and the people enjoy coming to the park because of its fresh air, beautiful scenery, and easy access. Despite the competition from other parks, Farmland had the highest growth rate within the Korean industry (Table 4). The seasonal nature of the theme park industry affected all the competitors, not necessarily in the same pattern (Table 5). PRICING Farmland was also going through a major change in its pricing structure. The pricing strategy in place (Table 6) was a combination of â€Å"pay-as-you-go† and â€Å"pay-one-price† system. Users had the option of paying the admission fees and buying separate tickets for rides (pay-as-you-go), that were available as coupons (Big 5 for five rides). Membership in the park was available for a price, which provided free admission for a year. The other option was to buy a â€Å"passport† (termed as â€Å"pay-one-price†) that provided admission as well as unlimited rides for one full day. The passport users were estimated at 17. 4 per cent of the attendance in 1993, and the membership holders were estimated at 75 per cent. Farmland wanted to switch gradually to the pay-one-price scheme, which was the most common pricing scheme in the leading markets. The prices across the major competitors were comparable. In 1993, average admissions and ride fee per person was 6,667 Won in Farmland, 7,279 Won in Lotte World, and 6,494 Won in Seoul Land. Theme parks also monitored the amount a visitor spent on food, beverages, and souvenirs. In 1993, average percapita expenditure on food and beverage in the three parks was 2,874 Won in Farmland, 2,017 Won in Lotte World and 1,804 Won in Seoul Land and merchandise sales per capita were 996, 1,319, and 722 Won, respectively. Page 10 9A96M006 OPERATIONAL ISSUES While there was some indication that the Samsung Group would be willing to consider a proposal for expansion of the Farmland, Her had to contend with a number of operational issues at Farmland. Based on discussions with a number of managers and customers, Her had some idea of the various issues involved in the operation of Farmland. Transportation One major issue was accessibility to the park. Yongin was 60 kilometres south of Seoul, and during peak hours, it took as long as two hours to drive from Seoul to Farmland due to traffic jams. One resident who lived very close to the Yongin area said: Actually, it should take only 15 minutes to drive from my home to Farmland. But the traffic jam is so intense that if I go to Farmland, it may take almost an hour of crawling in the traffic. That’s one main reason why I have not visited it so far. One of the managers in the marketing group commented on the critical nature of this problem: In Korea, we work five and a half days a week. Most of the time on the working days the travel time is long. All the house chores have to be done only on the weekends. Given this fact, it is only to be expected that Korean customers would not be so keen to travel on a Sunday or on a holiday if the traffic is heavy. However, many managers in Joong-Ang believed that the accessibility problem was only a temporary issue. Mr. Yu, Director of Personnel at Joong-Ang, commented: Travel difficulties are part of our life in Korea, given the small land and the large number of people. The government has plans to bring the subway up to Yongin, in which case Farmland would have a subway terminal, which will provide a lot of convenience to our people. This was echoed by one of the visitors to Farmland, who commented: I hate sitting inside my house all day. I have to get out somewhere. Seoul is too crowded and I would like to go to some place to breathe some clean air. Beaches are closed most of the season, and Page 11 9A96M006 if I want to go for some mountains or Pusan, it is too far away. So, I don’t mind driving down to Yongin to spend a relaxed day. I will skip the rush hour by leaving early from the park. Parking Another related issue was parking. Farmland had ample parking space for about 8,000 cars at one time around the four sides of the park. One of the managers who conducted an extensive analysis of the parking space said: What we have now is more or less enough for the time being. We have enough space for about 8,000 cars and at four people per car we can accommodate about 32,000 people. If we assume the lot turning over at 1. 7 times a day (at an average stay of six to eight hours), we can handle a peak attendance of 52,000. But the real problem is the seasonality. On peak days, we may get more visitors and quite often people may spend more time. If we are going to expand, this will be a major bottleneck. Part of the expansion plan included augmenting the parking spaces and also providing a â€Å"Park and Ride† scheme for visitors so that they could travel comfortably from the various car parks to the entrance. Environmental Issues Expanding Farmland meant taking over more of the land mass available in the Yongin valley. A farmer living in the Yongin valley, who was vehemently opposed to the expansion ideas, said: They (Samsung) just want to expand their business. But they don’t realize that one of the problems with cutting down the trees and leveling the ground will cause potential flooding in the surrounding region. This will damage all our crops. How will they compensate us? Organizational Inertia It was also a challenge to introduce a dynamic environment within the Farmland organization. In order to succeed in the industry, Farmland had to go through a major reorientation in its organizational style. Farmland had initiated customer satisfaction surveys recently and it was brought to the attention of the management that the customer satisfaction levels were lagging behind the key competitor, Lotte World. As one of the marketing managers noted: Page 12 9A96M006. Repeat business is very important to our survival. If we don’t satisfy our customers, they won’t come back and we won’t have any business left. But, it is not in our Korean nature to smile at strangers. We are very serious people. So it becomes all the more difficult to get the type of service you can see at Disneyland. Mr. Yu, who had pioneered a number of changes within the organization, recalled one event which demonstrated the type of organizational inertia the management had to deal with: Previously we had the head office at Seoul and we were managing the Farmland by ‘remote control. ’ We were faxing information and directives up and down. But I somehow did not see that this would be the best way to work. I insisted that the head office had to be located where our products are and only after much persuasion could we move to this place. Among other things, management was also considering a change in the recruitment process. Traditionally, Farmland had gone after the â€Å"academically best† graduates and students, which was the standard practice at Samsung. The management felt that they needed more service oriented people. The management wanted to recruit more female workers, the level of which at that time was below 25 per cent, but anticipated problems since most Korean women stopped working after marriage. Mr. Yu said: I think times are changing. For that matter, even if we have a high turnover, it may be good for us since fresh blood always brings in fresh ideas and we would be able to preserve some dynamism in our organization. THE MASTER PLAN Based on a detailed survey (Table 8) and tentative analysis, the management had put together a master plan to invest about $300 million in revamping Farmland. There were also suggestions of changing the name to provide a better image of the company. A master plan, for a phased investment of about $300 million dollars over the next two years, was being developed. Everland, Green Country, and Nature Land were some of the names proposed for the new â€Å"mountain resort. † Included in the master plan were: A waterpark to be built adjacent to the existing theme park, at an estimated cost of US$140 million, with a Caribbean theme. A Global Fair, a fun-fair indicative of the major countries in the world, at an estimated cost of $85 million. Page 13 9A96M006 Expansion of existing zoo, and parks including a night time laser show and a fable fantasy garden at an estimated cost of $50 million. The funding would come mainly from the parent, Samsung Group, and also through corporate sponsorship of the other companies within the Samsung Group. The master plan also indicated that if the first phase was successful, a second phase of developing a resort town in Yongin, with luxury hotels, golf courses, and resort accommodations would occur. (Exact budget for the second phase was not available at that stage.) A number of managers within the company who were closely involved in developing the master plan felt strongly that the theme park expansion was not only a priority but also would be a profitable venture. The General Manager of the planning group commented: What we want to create is a destination resort town and a residential community where people can come, relax and enjoy themselves in a low-stress environment. Samsung employs more than 180,000 people here in Korea. This will give them a place to come and be proud of. There will be plenty here for all members of the family as they grow. We feel it is time to change from a farm-oriented name to a name which represents our new mission, which is to create a zeal for long-lasting life that is combined with the harmony of nature. If this plan is approved, we will become the prototype destination resort town in the entire world. We have visited them all, and when we’re finished, there won’t be any better! Her wanted a comprehensive analysis of the theme park industry to ascertain the profitability of the industry. He wanted to present to the chairman of the Samsung Group a clear rationale why Samsung should invest in this industry. The Richard Ivey School of Business gratefully acknowledges the generous support of The Richard and Jean Ivey Fund in the development of this case as part of the RICHARD AND JEAN IVEY FUND ASIAN CASE SERIES. Page 14 9A96M006 Table 1 TOP 50 AMUSEMENT/THEME PARKS WORLDWIDE (1994) Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Park Location Tokyo (Japan) DISNEYLAND MAGIC KINGDOM of Walt Disney World, Florida, United States DISNEYLAND, Anaheim, California, United States JAYA ANCOL DREAMLAND, Jakarta, Indonesia. EPCOT at Walt Disney World, Florida, United States EURO DISNEYLAND, Morne La Voltee, France YOKOHAMA (Japan) HAKKEIJIMA SEA PARADISE, Japan DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS, Walt Disney World, Florida, United States UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA, Orlando, Florida, United States BLACKPOOL (England) PLEASURE BEACH, England YONGIN FARMLAND, Kyonggi-Do, South Korea UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD, California, United States SEA WORLD OF FLORIDA, Florida, United States LOTTE WORLD, Seoul, South Korea CHAPULTEPEC, Mexico City, Mexico HUIS TEN BOSCH, Sosebo, Japan TOSHIMAEN AMUSEMENT PARK, Tokyo, Japan KNOTT’S BERRY FARM, Fuona Park, California, United States SEA W.

Personal Narrative Essay Example for Free

Personal Narrative Essay I began dancing at the age of three. First I took simple jazz and tap classes, but as I grew older I took more advanced classes such as ballet, pointe, modern, barre, and technique classes. From the first moment that I stepped onto the stage, any career possibility that involved something other than dancing didn’t seem like a plausible one for me. It wasn’t until I was about fourteen that I really took to the idea of living in New York City, the dance capital of the world. As a freshman in high school, it seemed that everyday brought with it some conversation or lecture about college possibilities. With each month it seemed that more of my friends had figured out what they were going to do after high school. Each had narrowed their choices down to a few colleges or universities, one or two majors or degrees of study, and an ending career. I knew that the only thing I wanted to do was dance, whether it would be as an instructor, a student, or as a professional in a ballet or dance company. It wasn’t until I saw Save the Last Dance, a movie about a young girl with aspirations to dance at The Julliard School in New York City, that I finally grasped what I wanted to do. The Julliard School is a world-renowned dance, drama, and music conservatory in Lincoln Center, New York City. Being perhaps the most selective school in the country, The Julliard School admits about 7% of its applicants and is home to just under one thousand undergraduate and graduate students. Some of the world’s most accomplished choreographers and dancers are Julliard alumni. When I first understood the exclusivity of this dance conservatory, I was immediately discouraged. I thought that the fact that I came from a small town and danced in a small studio was disadvantageous, and that I couldn’t possibly fit the criteria that Julliard searched for. I didn’t begin seeing The Julliard School as a potential college until my junior year in high school. Natale Harter was my instructor from the time I began dancing until the time I graduated. She was a certified instructor by the Dance Master of America teacher-training program, and was a well-learned dancer and instructor. Natale took a few of the most advanced students from our studio to a Dance Master workshop at the Hyatt Convention Center in Rochester in January of 2008. Taking into consideration that our studio wasn’t by any means a competitive studio, walking into a room full of a hundred or so competitive dancers came as a complete culture shock to each of us. This coupled with the amazingly challenging choreography each of our workshop teachers threw at us was enough to discourage most of the girls from participating. I soon found that I was the only dancer left from my studio left on the dance floor. The choreography was at that point in my life the most demanding and tricky combination of turns, leaps, rhythms and movements that I had experienced. Although I felt that I had made a fool of myself in front of some of the Rochester area’s best choreographers, I felt exhilarated. Fighting the urge to succumb to pain of my aching legs, my shaking arms, and the immense amount of adrenaline surging though my veins, I finished all three hours of the workshop. Not thinking that I had placed or had won any awards from the judges, I began changing and packing my dance shoes into my bag. As my team and myself began walking out the dance floor doors, my name was called. I had won the best overall dancer! Still to this day I cannot forget the joy and pride that overcame me. It was then that I knew that Julliard wasn’t as far out of my reach as I had thought. On top of my eight dance classes, I began training with Natale for four hours a day, six days a week. I signed up for an audition for late fall of 2008 to attempt admission to Julliard for the fall of 2009. There was never a day that passed that I wasn’t fantasizing about dancing in the Julliard conservatory; it consumed me. I had never pushed myself so such lengths before, I dedicated every ounce of my energy into perfecting my technique, increasing my stamina and flexibility, and exuding grace and poise into every motion I made. I was ready. When it finally came time for the audition, I was full of confidence. My audition was on a Saturday morning and was the last admission audition to be accepted into the 2009 fall semester. I arrived into Lincoln center an hour before my audition was to begin. I changed into the required plain black leotard and pink-footed tights, and began to stretch. Over the next hour about forty young girls slowly entered into the room and stretched beside me. As I took notice of each of them, I began to feel sharp pangs of nervousness and uncertainty poke at my confidence. Each girl seemed taller and skinnier than the last. As the room reached capacity, I was surrounded by a total of forty-three girls. Many of the girls looked so thin that I began realizing that the number of girls with eating disorders far outnumbered the girls of a healthy weight. Each girl was taller than me by at last half a foot. I never thought that I could feel so out of place doing something that had been as normal to me as breathing. The audition was comprised of five components. After each section the instructors in the room would dismiss a handful of girls and regretfully tell them that they would no longer be considered for admission. The first section was barre, or rhythmic ballet stretching and warm ups. Barre exercises showcase each dancer’s technique†¦ or lack thereof. I began each class in my studio with a twenty-minute barre warm-up, so I breezed through it. The first cuts were made, bringing the number of girls in the room down by ten. The next section was a ballet floor movement. An instructor dictated the counts and the motions for each six count, totaling twelve six-counts. We split into groups of five and performed the instructor’s dictated counts. This time five girls were cut, leaving us to only twenty-nine girls. Next came my weakest style: modern. Modern or contemporary dancing could almost be considered as interpretive dance due to its loose counts and generalized movements. To my amazement, I wasn’t included in the group of fourteen dismissals, leaving our group still smaller with a total of fifteen girls. Next came pointe. Pointe shoes worn by professional ballerinas are comprised of wood, glue, leather and silk, and are able to support the arch of the foot and toes just enough so that the ballerina wearing them is able to stand on the tips of her toes. By the end of the thirty-minute long pointe movement that our instructor had given us, I had suffered a later confirmed three broken toes. Eight cuts were made this time. Trying my best to hide the pain from reaching my face, I soldiered onto the final stage. The pianist sitting in the corner of the room behind a beautiful grand piano was to play one minute of improvised classical music. Each of us seven dancers left were to improvise for the full movement in an attempt to prove ourselves more worthy and qualified than the others. Dancing with every last ounce of energy my body had left to spare, I nailed it. Two more cuts were made, bringing the room to just four dancers, two instructors, and the pianist. The silence was deafening when the instructors left the room to converse with one another. When the instructors came back into the room, their faces had the faintest hint of hesitant uncertainty. The head instructor explained to us that since we were auditioning at the last possible chance and since there is a certain amount of dancers that the conservatory could admit each year, only three girls could be accepted. At this point my heart was beating so loudly I was sure that half of New York City could hear it, but I kept my composure. The second instructor then went on to explain to us that the way in which our fates would be determined was simple: we would each hold out our right leg in grande bottemont. To perform a grande bottemont means to hold the leg out as high as possible while maintaining a pointed toe and a proper turnout. The head instructor was to then come by and slap the top of our leg firmly and quickly. The dancer whose leg â€Å"jiggled† the most was to be cut. The anger that rose up from inside of me was too much to comprehend. All of the months of broken toes, relentless exercise, and devoted training seemed to all be wasted for such a vain and conceited factor as the amount of â€Å"jiggle† from a thigh. I now understood that this was not a place that I would ever want to be a part of. I was appalled by my newfound comprehension that arguably the world’s best dance school was more concerned with a dancer’s body composition than the amount of raw talent he or she possessed. By the time I graduated high school, I decided that I wanted to be a dance teacher. I wanted to teach young girls the skills that I had learned, but more importantly to help each young girl realize that she is a beautiful, strong, and unique dancer who should never try to change herself to fit into a cookie-cutter appearance.

Engineering Management Skills

Engineering Management Skills An engineering manager has four main fields of responsibility, that is, supervising engineers or technicians, project management, interacting with clients, and offering suggestion and representative as a resourcefulness. An engineering manager should be a completely permit and specialized. All job seeker must finish a university undergraduate degree in engineering. Engineering management is the field involved with the application of engineering principles to the planning and manipulative management of manufacturing and industrial organizations. Engineering managers requires an integration of technical skills, soft skills, and conceptual skills as well. Technical skills are the elementary type of skills. Engineering manager is a leader of the team; normally consist of a group of engineers, technicians and workers. Engineering managers should have a unique skill in a specific area which can leading them to stand out among the public. Along with the proficient of technical skills, the engineering manager will able to understand the requirement and specification of the whole project. Beside that, engineering managers should have self-confidence while leading the group. Show the ability that can resolve the technical problem and hence the employees might convinced to him. As an engineering manager, the continuing study and upgrading the knowledge is required. This will help them in solving the specific problem. Admittedly, to develop employees effective, the soft skills are needful for engineering manager. Actually, for engineering manager, technical skills are generally less important, and their professional development focal point should be on skills that will assists a manager become a good leader at the organization. People who like to interact with others, are congenital leaders, and are capable engineers discover this type of position remunerative. There is a standard of direction or instruction as stage of this position that is a fresh skill for great majority of engineers. Interpersonal skills and communication skills are extremely importance in this responsibility. In addition, conceptual skills are needed for engineering managers. These essential skills are regard as a fundamental requirement for managers who located in highest level of management position. A successful engineering manager with specific skills normally has brilliant cognitive abilities to deliberate creativity. The conceptual skills involved thinking creativity, analysis and diagnosis, recognizes, psychological skills, planning intelligence, emotional intelligence and problem solving skills. Engineering managers who provided with conceptual skills are able to investigate complex problems, imagine details, and effective practice of behavior. Overall, management is an integrated new profession for engineers. Engineers who take on management position should emulate and study new set of specific skills. From beginning, engineering managers may often confront an intercession period that requires accepting a whole fresh skill and mentality. Engineering manager should change their natural instincts such as straightforward answers and seriousness. The important principles for engineering managers may and must be flexible. Always put effort on additional skills, will bring good results. CHAPTER 1 TECHNICAL SKILLS Technical skills are those skills, such as intellectual and mastery that managers use to complete their task in specialized areas such as engineering or information technology. Technical skills must be come out by entire standards of administrative. High level of management use technical skills to develop project plans and for making conceptual decisions, and to focus on the individual decision making process. Technical skills give lower-level managers the capability, intellectual and practiced in a designated field, not only to perform tasks, but also to regulate the tasks of employee in that area. Technical skill can define as the most fundamental type of skills that should have to achieve in our life. The technical skills required of life general as well as the particular technical skills required of specific job or task. The technical skill suggests an understanding in a specific kind of task. It involves specialized knowledge, analytical ability, and facilities in the use of the equipments of the specific branch of learning. Occupational practical training programmes mostly do a great job in developing this kind of skill. Engineers may evolution to transform into technical specialists or to monitor a team of technicians and engineers. Some may ultimately become engineering managers or to participate other managerial tasks. In business, an engineering intellectual will offers them to discuss a projects technical specification and helps in production planning, assembly, and utilize. Unique Skills Engineers who always succeed the greatest in their profession are engineers who have unique skills in a specific area leading them to stand out among the public. It might be the difference between banality and distinct. Upgrading the Knowledge People who able to take his skill levels in a specific area one level higher than his have now, and always taking up the effort in value adding process. This effort may even bring long term extra pay or reward from an unimaginable source. Technical skill building is an on-going, and it is a never-ending process. Constantly upgrade the skills, make continuous education, and always stay at a distinct advantage of changes and developments. For example: An engineering manager who hadnt had a consulting project of any considerable order in over half a year, and he realize that the relationship between his effort for improvement with his lifes better response to the effort. He tried to improve his knowledge by continuous learning some higher level skills. Within a short period, he was contacted by a company to produce a large consulting project. Mechanical and electronic engineering manager The technical skills are fundamental to the job. The computer skilful is very important. Most professionals task widely with computer drafting software and other specific programs to help them design a new product. Besides that, engineers always work on physically building prototypes, which need manual practised and particular knowledge of various types of tools and assemble techniques. Normally, it is require working rapidly and efficiently, without skipping any steps in the building procedure. After the prototypes has been completed, the engineer manager will passing the idea to the development teams member, and supervise them to complete the task according to the initial concept. Information Technology engineering manager The hardware support is the basic technical skill for information technology engineer, it depend on specialized training in hardware installation, software application, and computer networking. As an information technology engineer manager, the continuing study and upgrading the knowledge is required. Else, that will be difficult in certain kind of problem solving. The information technology is rapidly changing, the technology tends to evolve rather quickly, such as telecommunication, and there is an evolution from 3G to 4G, just taking a short period. The information technology manager should always review and estimate the current applications are satisfying the demands of the company. Besides that, the manager must be able to verify the new technologies to improve the objective of the company. Fully Integrated Skill As a skill gets carried out over and over again, it becomes nearly second. As the skill grows more integrated into out being, it transform from our conscious awareness of carry out the action involved in the skill fall into a subconscious stage where it is manipulate on an nearly automatic of implement. It is done without any effort and is done with a meaning of impassive. Technical Responsibilities Technical responsibilities can change greatly; it is depending on the scale and composition of the company. Identify Identify conclusive process scope that controls the reliability, quality and performance of the final product. Leading Lead the commercial grade design and progress a high volume manufacturing line in order to meet the requirement. Managing Manage the evolution of mechanical, electronic and electrical, and software systems for carry out, inspecting and controlling all field of the manufacturing process. Inspection Manage the design of electrical and mechanical measurement tools for received good monitoring, post-process inspection and final inspection. Evolution Evolution and refine the innovative product line to meet the requirement of client. Engineer manager will be working closely with the CEO, clients, contractors and manufacture groups. CHAPTER 2 SOFT SKILLS Soft skills also define as interpersonal skills. Engineering managers require interpersonal skills to be efficient. Without the capability to influences others, produce good decision making and control many preferential, the excellent of technical skills arent going to dedicate completely to the administrative of the team. As a engineering manager, who realize themselves badly off in interpersonal skill, must try to aspire training at any time to support up leadership skills, human skills, communications skills, management skills, presentation skills and so on. An administrative management must hold out such training. Engineering managers requires an integration of technical skills and interpersonal skills as well. For engineering manager, technical skills are generally less important, and their professional evolution focal point should be on skills that will assist a manager become a primary leader of the business. For those engineering managers who are not willing to spend those specialize into leadership path, may not be the greatest rightness for engineering management responsibilities. Human Skills Human skills include realizing how to interact nicely with people. Normally, nobody like to working for a manger that is impolite and inconsiderate. A manger lack in human skills can decrease both spirit and productivity of the team. However, engineering manager with effective human skills always has employees with a positive manner and a tough desire to boost up company productivity. It is important for engineering manager to work effectively with positional, subordinates, and supervisors. Always entertaining employees or workers with respectful and polite together with the ability to expressive a vision for the task are main element to a manager to archiving an interpersonal skills. Well communication skills and the intelligence to associate with people are the essential to become a successful engineering manager, or else, they will not be able to express their opinion for the business with the involved person. A successful engineering manager able to complete the task in all kind of responsibilities by cooperates with workers, technicians, managers and clients. Leadership Responsibilities Every organization requires certain people to take leadership responsibilities. Anyone can be a leader, as long as they are proficient in leadership skills. The organization will develop well if everyone expends their professional skills into proper leadership roles. A leader is someone who looks for works that havent been completed or pursue to improve the teams objectives to make it become more efficient. Leaders are responsible for employing, training, inspiring, counseling, and disciplining their employees. They always pursue to inspiring and utilize the energies and skills of employees to guarantee a productivity and efficient work. Besides that, they must always instill positive thinking or manners, to ensure that all the employees are working towards an achievement of same goal. Be a good example As usual, there are leaders and there are followers. Developing good leadership skills can bring about the excellence between the two. Some of the people claim that, a strong leader is born and not made. This is not to conclude that, the leadership skill does not be able to learn. As an engineering manager, try to developing yourself to stimulate become a good leader. People always follow a good leader due to he is stand for the beliefs of a team. This person is always well focused on a main objective and resolves the difficulties. In the same time, the employees will be happy to provide the support for the team in order to succeed in accomplishes their goals. Background Skills for a Manager In order to processing the effectively influencing of the teams activities, a leader should also need to influence their employees through some characters such as personal glamour, expertise, command of language, and the produce of mutual respect or polite. The engineering manager should also require to handling some background skills such as mentoring, decision making, group works, delegation and motivating others. Mentoring Become a trusted advisor and assistant with experience in a specific field. Actively sustaining and directing someone to develop their experience and knowledge in order to achieve career goals. A mentoring relationship could be formal or informal, but must include trust, respect, acceptance and commitment as both sides work together to accomplish a common goal. Group work Team work defines as any activity in which members work together. It also explains as an activity that has been specifically designed so that members can work in a team. An engineering manager should able to supervise the task for each member in the group. Help each other with their task given in order to achieve the common objective. Always corporately and working efficiently with other team members. Decision Making Evaluate proper evidence and balance up that evidence to make an option. As an engineering manager, should always taking responsibility for a decision and its consequence. Delegation An engineering manager should taking responsibilities for ensuring when to request someone else to carry out a decision for the task. In order to increasing the efficiency and productivity of the task, engineering manager should assigning responsibilities and power in a team by giving someone else the judgment to carry out the decision. Network Building As a leader, should always creating contacts with other people and keeping those contacts. For example, meeting and bring together with someone at a seminar with similar interests, and interchanging email addresses with them. Obtaining and keeping information about those who might be beneficial contacts for certain intention. Make use of a contact in an ethical way to help each other achieve particular goals. Motivating Others Engineer should always produce devotion and capability by being positively. Besides that, focusing on researching solutions and holding a positive manner even when thing are going bad. A good leader should always ask his employees about the ways to overcome the problem. Inspiring the team member to come out the solutions, and try to listening carefully to their opinion. Always prepared to support employees in taking agree with them, calculated risk, and not criticizing and blaming others when the thing is going wrong. Counseling Counseling defines as a personal talk with someone who need for helps in individual problem. Everyone has confronted with problems from time to time. As a good leader, employees will grow to respect him, and they will ready to come to him with problems. A leader always recognizes employees with problems, and he cannot let them suffer or just move them away. If the serious problem has been ignored, that will almost consequently become a group problem. Furthermore, counseling can also defines as listening. From the view of employees, when they get into trouble, they just need to talk it out about their worries and show the difficulties faced. After their worries and difficulties have been heard by leader gives the sufferer a feeling that his/her worries and difficulties are rational. Hence, by using this way, the self-confidence of employees might increase, handling the problem easily. Management Skills Engineering manager requires understanding many aspects of the business in running a task. The important skills related on special skill or knowledge in the area of organization, finance, marketing surveying, communication, and human resources. Based on the research, great majority of the projects fail because the management skills distribution of the project has not obtained enough notice. The human element has not been sufficiently concerned. For an organization or individual, the transform or change is stressful. It the manager is capability to develop this kind of change; he will accomplish his objective or goal easily. Planning Planning is an essential skill. It provides a common conceptual system to integrate a variety of related skills, involving problem solving skills, scheduling, to develop estimates of the time and resources needed to complete the project, negotiation with client, and conflict resolution. Planning is a sequential process, where a decision at certain stage helps transparent your choices in the next stage. As a manager, he can utilize the suggestion after each stage to help define the particulars for each task. The efficient utilize of planning will do more than any other technical skill to advance both obtaining the job done and managing the group together. Planning is advantage in team organization and individual. Managing Risk Engineering manager can also learned how to recognize problem of risk by establish a project permit that transparent the objectives, opportunity, limits, resources, and timing for the project. Manager require to know how to apply management skills to develop these ricks, Some of the organizations had provided certain kind of certification courses of training for this specific skills for new of future engineering managers. Budgeting An engineering manager should understand how to use the budget. It is another fundamental management skill, even though the organization has hired a team of profession accountants to manage the financial path. There are three important steps to a budgeting, first is preparing it, second is writing it, and final step is monitoring it. Although the finance department are responsible to charged with perform these matters for manager, but as a good engineering manager have the responsibility for the projects budget planning. Besides that, engineering manager also require to understand what have been told about the projects budget. To fully integrate into budgeting, engineering manager need to know about the logically challenge of project cost overrun. By develop this essential skill; engineering manager can be able to managing the budget efficiency. Team work The effective team work will assist an engineering manager to developing his/her project effectively. A good engineering manager also is a team leader as well. Always prepared to help and work with team member to accomplish the common goals. A good manager will able to set up a culture of teamwork into all direction of the task given. Furthermore, there will be a high self-respect within all of the team members, and it sense that they already feel personally included in the whole process of the project. Hence, the project will be success. Decision Making Decision making defines as an action of selecting between two or more type of option. Nevertheless, it might often be bear in mind that there may not always be a right decision making among the available choices. Sometimes there may have been a greater choice that had not been regarded at the suitable time. It is important for a manager to take notes of all decision and the reasons for each decision were made in order to make the improvement in the future time. Besides that, by using this way, we can easy to justify for any decision taken when problem is occurs. Time Management Engineering managers require the ability to organize themselves and others by implement of time management. Always require to examine precisely what had spending your time on and how significant are those task and distributions of time to the successful accomplish of the project give. For example, as an engineering manager, you could spend a lot of time per day just for reading the emails. Actually, this task can be distributed to your clerk or personal assistant. They might tell you what needs follow up with immediately and what can be keep until later or just ignore. By using this way, a manager could save a lot of time and concentrate in another part of the project like checking on progression or inspecting the quality and so on. The time management skills should be applies, and do take note that, it is not necessary to manage the entire task by yourself. The greatest way to improve the time management skills is to further up our self-control and hence can develop the task without terribly upset. Communication Communication is fundamental for effective operation in every stage of an organization. Even though finance, marketing, production, and technical department, may receive guidance from overall objectives and goals, the communication will connects them together and easier become organizational achievement. Communication is required to improves efficiency, quality, give satisfaction for customer, and hence create renovation products. Effective communication is very crucial for company success. That shouldnt only for manager, but also their employees and team members must be efficient in communication. The responsibilities of an engineering manager is to assist their employees improve their communication skills. The good manger must be able to established collaborative relationships through active listening. If all of the team members can communicate efficiently with each other, the performance of the team will be improved. Several ways to improve the relationship between manager and employees: Manager should Always identify employees training requires. Give feedback or suggestion on employees performance. Form a principle for staff decision is necessary, such as promotions, disciplinary actions, allowances, and salary increases. Offer the chance for company diagnosis and development. Demonstrate staff hiring techniques and human resource policies. Interact with client Beside that, interacting with the client also act as an important stage of the role of engineering manager. An engineering manager is usually involved in the beginning meeting, examining, designing of the product, and supervising of the team members. Frequently scheduled meetings with clients are normally planned by the engineering. The ability to operate well with an extensive range of people, and always share opinion and experience with employees is important. Now, many engineering manager attend additional courses in order to advance their communication skills that will help them to managing the employees. Controlling the Group As a good manager, always balances getting the job completed and managing the team together. Control is always a public behavior of the engineering manager. To control the team efficiency, an engineering manager should: Set the tempo A good manager should illustrate his volunteer to do anything asked from team members. Beside that, always sets a good model and example. Observes Observes the team and communicates with the team members but it is not necessary to dominate. Always tends to give suggestions for improvement, it is better than orders. Instructs Communicate clearly with employees. A good manager always allows team members to use their own idea. Although there is a mistake occurs, try to correct the mistake with mutual respect and without blaming. If the work is going well by employees, do not disturb. If necessary, try to offer direct support and instruction. Counsels A leader should be ready and willing to support their employees with certain needs. Always recognizes employees with problems, and he cannot let them suffer or just move them away. Beside that, encourages all of the team members to show their best. Inspects Practice and manage a positive thinking and does not appraise or blaming. Praises good work, in the same time silently provides suggestions to correct the errors. Avoid making employees fall into contempt. Reacts Identifies that responsibilities for lose or breakdown is on the leader, do not shift the blame on employees or team members. Always remain humble and constantly work hard to give service to the team. Human Resources Responsibilities Broadcast and Advertises Engineering Duty Moreover to supervising production, engineering managers always undertake human resources responsibilities as well. Manager broadcast and advertises engineering duty open to public in order to hire new workman and offer practically training. Human resources consist of all elements of employee management, such as recruiting, hiring, training, reserving and dismissal. Within each given area, they are verified effective human resource administration strategies. Effective human resources management skills The successful human resources management skills are needed for a productive organization that can accomplish the goal which is higher profit. All of the employees are a required resource in any organization. If the company does not using effective human resources management skills can be a bad bargain for a business. Human resource management skill is the anticipative developing of people. It needs opinion in advance, and planning methods for an organization to meet the requirement of its employees. In the same time, it also the employees also will meet the requirements of the organization. By using this way, the effective improvement of productivity will appear. A good human resource management should always improve everything from recruiting, hiring, training to evaluate skill and discipline. By improving the employees keeping proportion can reduce the cost for organization to training or hiring new employees. CHAPTER 3 CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Conceptual skills are skills that use the capability of a human to produce concepts. Conceptual skills also defines as a skills that manager should have to think and to conceptualize about digest, abstract and complicated condition. By using this essential skill, managers should be able to observe the company as an integrated, know the relationships between different subunits, and imagine how the company suits to its wider environment. These substantial skills are most significant at the highest grade of management. An engineering manager at the highest level of the companies have the responsibility for making the decision for whole sense of organization and set up the objective and goal that impact the whole organization. In the business field, these essential skills are regard as a fundamental need for managers who located in highest level of management position. Good engineering managers with specific skills normally have brilliant cognitive abilities to deliberate creatively hence resolve problems. A manager be provided with these essential skills are able to investigate a complicated issue and visualize details, and effective practice of behavior. To apply conceptual skills to produce concepts, progressing solution and resolving difficulties. They are some important steps need to follow: Ensure the outcome to be accomplished or explain the problem. Investigate and analyze all required information Evaluate the choices by using problem solving skills Analyze the feasibility of each option. Determine and perform most appropriate solution. Thinking Creativity and Visualizing Abstractions A concept is a series of ideas. A concept manages many ideas jointly; an idea is similar to a brick, it is not a final formation for a building. The final formation is the concept. Do not start a project without a creative concept. The creative concept is the way or the plan that you will use to produce the required outcome. As an engineering manager, you are requiring the ability to comprehend a situation or difficulties by evaluating and cope with possible issues and limits. Conceptual thinking involves organizing the sections of an issues or condition is a regular way and being able to visualize opinions and ideas. Hence, you can extend abstract ideas from certain case. Analysis and Diagnosis A manager should observe at models in events or objects. Always understand how to visualize the ideas. Engineering manager requires analyzing and diagnosis complicated situations which need them to learn conceptual skills. They are able to make the process rationally and make clear with available information. Beside that, engineering manager must be able to determine problems, identify correct option, estimate them and pick the greatest one in order to make a rational decision. Nevertheless, some managers lose in the direction due to lack of ability in rationally processing and illustrating information, managing the results in mind. An individual with conceptual skills can determine how ideas are relevance. They effectually see individual compositions in relationship to the entire project. Inspecting complicated situations and difficulties are important for an engineering manager. Furthermore, problem solving is an important skill that includes both creativity and analysis. A leader with strong conceptual skills always recognized as effective managers, due to their ability to comprehend the whole organization and develop the creativity strategies. Recognizes Recognizing how the different functions and operations of the company depend on one another, and how varies in any one part impact all the other. Recognizing also extends to visualizing the relationship of the personal business to the manufacture, the society, and the governmental, social and financial condition forces of the whole country. Recognizing also involves the thinking in terms of the following: Relative emphasis and proprieties among debating the standards and objectives. Relative tendencies and probabilities, rather than determinate case. Difficult relevancies and patterns among compositions, rather than legible and cause/effect relationships. Training Skills Training can improve previously developed conceptual skills. In developing the conceptual skills, some of the best consequences have been accomplish through guiding of employees by managers. By using the training techniques, manager can help his employees by supervising a specific responsibility. If there is an employee who confront with problem, try to reply with expedition question or opinion, rather than straight way giving answer. By using this way, the employees might learn to solve the problem, and hence their work performance also improved