What Is Overregularization in Grammar

Overregularization is a  part of the language-learning process in which children extend regular grammatical patterns to irregular words, such as the use of goed   for went, or tooths for teeth. This is also known as regularization. Although technically wrong, says  Kathleen Stassen Berger, overregularization is actually a sign of verbal sophistication: it shows that children are applying the rules. Meanwhile, The cure for  overregularization, according to Steven Pinker and Alan Prince, is  living longer, thereby hearing irregular past tense forms more often and strengthening [childrens]  memory traces.   An Example of Overregularization He is a perfectly healthy little boy with no more fears and worries than any other youngsters his age [two and a half], but one night he awakens screaming for Mommy and Daddy. Ginger bited me! he wails. Ginger is the little cocker spaniel next door. Stevie had been playing with him that afternoon. Mother had been there the whole time.  Ginger had not bitten Stevie. No, darling, Ginger didnt bite you! says Mama, comforting him. He did.  He bited me  on my foot.(Selma H. Fraiberg, The Magic Years) What Childrens Errors Tell Us Childrens errors...give us an idea about the state of their developing grammar systems. In fact, it may be inappropriate even to call them errors since they are often logical forms for the childs current state of development. The kinds of variation from adult rules that children make are often not ones that parents are likely to have made in any context, so children did not learn these variations through repetition. What parent would say to a child, often enough for the child to have acquired through repetition: The baby goed home or The baby wented home, My feets hurt or  even My foots hurt? In each of these utterances, it is clear that the child has figured out a commonly used structure rule but has not yet learned that there are exceptions to the rule.(Elizabeth Winkler, Understanding Language: A Basic Course in Linguistics, 2nd ed.) Overregularization and Plurality [O]ne of the first rules that English-speaking children apply is to add -s to form the plural. Overregularization leads many young children to talk about foots, tooths, sheeps, and mouses. They may even put the -s on adjectives when the adjectives are acting as nouns, as in this dinner-table exchange between my 3-year-old and her father:Sarah: I want somes.​Father: You want some what?Sarah: I want some mores.Father: Some more what?Sarah: I want some more chickens.​ Although technically wrong, overregularization is actually a sign of verbal sophistication: it shows that children are applying the rules. Indeed, as young children become more conscious of grammatical usages, they exhibit increasingly sophisticated misapplication of them. A child who at age 2 correctly says she broke a glass may at age 4 say she braked one and then at age 5 say she did braked another.(Kathleen Stassen Berger, The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence) Regularizing the Language Regularization errors have been taken as evidence either that children rely on a template or schema for producing a stem and inflection, or that they have started to make use of an abstract rule . . ..Many observers, from at least Rousseau on, have noticed that children tend to regularize their language, getting rid of many irregular forms in adult use. Berko (1958) was one of the first people to offer experimental evidence that by age five to seven, children had identified different inflectional affixes and were able to add them to nonsense stems they had never heard before.(Eve V. Clark, First Language Acquisition) Overregularization and Language Development [O]verregularization errors occur over protracted periods of development.  Marcus et al. demonstrated that the rate of  overregularization is  much lower than was typically assumed, i.e., children usually do not overregularize more often than 5-10% of the irregular verbs in their expressive vocabularies at any given time. Furthermore, the correct past tense form co-occurs with the incorrect version.(Jeffrey L. Elman et al., Rethinking Innateness: A Connectionist Perspective on Development) Sources The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, 2003. Regular and Irregular Morphology and the Psychological Status of Rules of Grammar in The Reality of Linguistic Rules, 1994.

Was War Against The Confederate States of America Justified

The Civil War was a trying time in American History; societies crumbled, lives were lost, and a nation was torn apart in order to be made whole. However, was this conflict inevitable? Were the North and the South destined to battle out their differences? Were the decisions made by President Abraham Lincoln to make war on the CSA justified? While there is much deliberation on this topic, the final answer is yes to each and every question. The North and the South, though they shared many similarities, were irreparably divided over the slavery issue, such that conflict could not be avoided. Lincoln’s deliberations on the situations of the day were the only acceptable response to the issues at hand. Disagreement caused by the slavery issue†¦show more content†¦This decision was not only just, but necessary for the Union to continue in the way the Founders had intended. Lincoln’s main reason for allowing the Civil War to occur was his belief that the South had overs tepped the bounds of law in order to maintain slavery. In the campaign for the Illinois Senate seat, Lincoln managed to maneuver Stephen A. Douglas, his key opponent, into an extremely vital and incriminating statement of the South’s intentions. â€Å"It matters not what the Supreme Court may†¦decide as to the abstract question of whether slavery may or may not go into a Territory†¦. The people have the lawful means to introduce it or exclude it as they please.†[7] This set off a red flag in politicians’ minds: did the South really believe it could override the laws of the United States? Evidently they did believe so, as in 1861 the South seceded from the nation, formed a confederation, elected leaders, and coined money; all of which were completely unconstitutional acts. Lincoln’s reverence for the law as the basis of the nation’s principles demanded that war be enacted to combat the South, who had blatantly defied those principles. In o rder for the Union to continue, its constituents had to follow its statutes or it would crumble. Both the division of the North and South and a President who protected the laws of the nation set the stage for a poignant question: Was the war with the South inevitable? The answer is, undoubtedly,Show MoreRelatedEssay about How Justified Were President Lincoln’s Wartime Decisions?559 Words   |  3 PagesHow Justified Were President Lincoln’s Wartime Decisions? In a time of war, it is necessary for the President to enforce limits on the power of individuals. President Lincoln was entirely justified in limiting rights during the wartime situation to protect the nation. It was also necessary for him to increase the size of the federal army in order for the North to have any possibility of winning the war. Lincoln had to do all that he could to keep the Border States, each of which the Union couldRead MoreThe Civil War1055 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Civil War and what happened as soon as President Abraham Lincoln was elected to office. Then to add in the action the story line will tell about major battles of the war to include the battle of Bull Run, the seven days battle at Richmond, the second battle of Bull Run, and the battle at Antietam. Then comes the Emancipation Proclamation and what it brought about to the United States of America. So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the information this story has to offer. The war started theRead MoreUnderstanding The Civil War1710 Words   |  7 Pages Civil War Chris Cowan HIS/155 November 11, 2015 Civil War Understanding the Civil War is very important, to understand the way America has been shaped through out the past couple of centuries. Shelby Foote, a historian, believed that the Civil War defines the people in America. The Civil War was a war involving the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates) who had different points of view over whether or not slavery was justified. Ultimately around 600,000 Americans lost theirRead MoreSignificance Of The Dred Scott Supreme Court Case1240 Words   |  5 PagesCourt case. The Dred Scott case took place in 1857. Dred Scott sued in federal court claiming that he was a free citizen. He had been taken to a slave-free territory by his owner, who was an army doctor (history.com). Since the state was free he also declared that he too was free, so Scott sued. He said that he was a citizen of Missouri and a free man. This case became a legal nightmare. This case was basically trying to figure out if slavery should be allowed in the south or not (history.com). ScottRead MoreFranz Lieber and the Lieber Code1305 Words   |  5 Pagesof the deadliest war in American History, there stood a voice of morality and reason on the United States soil. 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Slaves were prisoners of war, criminals, debtors, andRead MoreThe Suspension Of Habeas Corpus Essay1332 Words   |  6 Pageswhich is the right to due process. Anyone who was a confederate sympathiser or spoke out against the war were arrested, put in jail and weren t given a trial until after the war was over. Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus because he wanted to suppress dissenters to strengthen the War effort. More than 13,000 civilians in the Union were arrested under martial law throughout the War. Lincoln viewed his action as justified since he believed the country was in a time of crisis. The Suspension of HabeasRead MoreCauses of the American Civil War Essay1118 Words   |  5 Pagesversion of the civil war and even now I am just coming to a full understanding of the truth. The civil war was a terrible rift in our nation, fought between the northern states (known as the union) and the southern states (the Confederate States of America). The people’s opinions were so divided over the issues of the civil war that, in some families, brother was pit against brother. Eventually, the south succumbed to the north and surrendered on April 9th, 1865 but not before the war had caused 618Read MoreReasons and Results of the Civil War Essay example540 Words   |  3 Pagesthe Civil War The Civil War was a very critical event in American History. It started by many disagreements between the North and the South. For blacks as for other Americans, the Civil War was a strong voice preaching the needs for devotion and allegiance to form a justified nation. After the war ended there were many results that would forever linger throughout America and the world. The South was known as the Confederate States of America, seceded from the North, which was known as theRead MoreThe Reasoning And Significance Of The Emancipation Proclamation1090 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Zupon History 101 08 November 2017 President Abraham Lincoln was a bold individual who acted on what he felt was ethically correct. Despite congress being against his wishes, he did not waiver in what he believed in. This courage is very difficult to find even to this day. This was a time when the country was at war. President Lincoln had just lost his son Willie to typhoid in February of 1862. (CivilWar.Org Staff 2017) When everything seemed to be going wrong President Lincoln committed

A Short Biography about the author Free Essays

Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr. We will write a custom essay sample on A Short Biography about the author or any similar topic only for you Order Now was born in Los Angeles, California, U. S. A., on June 14, 1939. An American Evangelical Writer and Minister, with an existing radio program entitled â€Å"Grace to You†, currently serving as a Pastor/Teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California, also holding the position of President of The Master’s College (and it’s Seminary), located in Santa Clarita, California. He is the son of Dr. Jack MacArthur (also an accomplished Preacher in his time), John was a gifted athlete who attended the Bob Jones University before moving to Los Angeles Pacific College (now name Azusa Pacific University). He earned his Masters of Divinity course at Talbot Theological Seminary in La Mirada graduated with honors in 1969. He was the third Pastor in the Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in the same place. John MacArthur   and his wife, Patricia, have four children,   eight grandchildren, and are living in Santa Clarita, California.   In 1985, he became the President of the Master’s College (used to be named and known as the Los Angeles Baptist College), an accredited four year liberal arts Christian College a year later he founded the Master’s Seminary. His daily radio program â€Å"Grace to You† is being broadcast   not just in California or the U. S. A. but also through out many parts of the world. He is an author to many dozens of books with notable commentary series various Bible Study Guides. He works alongside Phil Johnson who usually edits most of his written works. MacArthur has been involved in a lot of controversial issues, the greatest one of which was when his evangelical church for the first time, got sued for malpractice charge. A certain Kenneth Nally, a 24 year old seminary student from their school committed suicide in 1979. A year after, MacArthur several other members of their staff   appeared before the court about the legality of their Biblical counseling procedures from the modern psychological approach, notwithstanding that Nally has been under a psychological   help from the outside. Several years passed with various court rules, appeals, hearings until the California Supreme Court ruled out that there was insufficient evidence to   forego on the case into a full trial. How to cite A Short Biography about the author, Papers

Native Son Character Actions Defines Their Individual Essay Example For Students

Native Son: Character Actions Defines Their Individual Essay Personalities and Belief SystemsRichard Wrights novel, Native Son, consisted of various main andsupporting character to deliver an effective array ofpersonalities and expression. Each characters actions definestheir individual personalities and belief systems. The maincharacter of Native Son, Bigger Thomas has personality traitsspanning various aspect of human nature including actionsmotivated by fear, quick temper, and a high degree ofintelligence.Bigger, whom the novel revolves around, portraysvarious personality elements through his actions. Many of his action suggest an overriding response to fear, whichstems from his exposure to a harsh social climate in which a clearline between acceptable behavior for whites and blacks exists. His swift anger and his destructive impulses stem from that fearand becomes apparent in the opening scene when he fiercely attacksa huge rat. The same murderous impulse appears when his secretdread of the delicatessen robbery impels him to commit a viciousassault on his friend Gus. Bigger commits both of the brutalmurders not in rage or anger, but as a reaction to fear. Histypical fear stems from being caught in the act of doingsomething socially unacceptable and being the subject ofpunishment. Although he later admits to Max that Mary Daltonsbehavior toward him made him hate her, it is not that hate whichcauses him to smother her to death, but a feeble attempt to evadethe detection of her mother. The fear of being caught with awhite woman overwhelmed his common sense and dictated hisactions. When he attempted to murder Bessie, his motivation camefrom intense fear of the consequences of letting her live. Bigger realized that he could not take Bessie with him or leaveher behind and concluded that killing her could provide her onlymerciful end. The emotional forces that drive Bigger are conveyed by means otherthan his words. Besides reactions to fear, his actions demonstratean extremely quick temper and destructive impulse as an integralpart of his nature. Rage plays a key part in his basic nature,but does not directly motivate the murders he commits. Rage doesnot affect Biggers intelligence and quick thinking and it becomesevident during the interview with Briton. The detective makesBigger so angry that the interrogation becomes a game to Bigger,a game of logic and wills, of playing the stupid negro, andtelling the man exactly what he wants to hear. The game Biggerplays during the interrogation shows his great intelligence andability to think quickly on his feet. Bigger also displayed hisintelligence in the creation of the ransom note. Using thesituation to his advantage, Bigger wrote a ransom note to extortMarys parents for money. To make the note even more convincingand to dissuade blame from himself, Bigger signs the no te with thecommunist symbol of a hammer and sickle. Although the book revolves around Bigger he possesses few goodqualities, which get his horrendous actions negate, making him ananti-hero. He possess the violent tendencies to commit rape,extortion of the dead girls parents, robbing, and killing innocentpeople. These traits do not portray a simple victim ofcircumstance, but a habitual criminal acting out against asociety. While Bigger dominates the story, his appalling actionsmake him a man that the reader can not look upon as a hero. Infact the author punishes the anti-hero character by condemning himto death for his crimes. One of the two most sympathetic characterizations of white personsin the novel comes from the character of Jan Erlone, Mary Daltonsfriend. He exhibits an enthusiastic personality and represents anidealistic young organizer for the Communist party. Marysparents and their servant Peggy distrust his motives. Biggerinitially expresses a distaste for reds when responding to Jansfriendly advances during their first meeting. While receivingdistrust from those around him, Jan retains a simple belief in theequality for all men, regardless of social class or race. Throughout Jans first meeting with Bigger, he regards Bigger withthe utmost respect. During the course of the night, Jan sits inthe front of the car with Bigger, eats with him, drinks with him,and speaks to him as an equal. Those actions of equality portraymore than a decent man, it shows that Jans character possesses astrong sense of morality and honesty. Jan is also characterizedby other heroic traits, forgiveness and understanding. As aninteresting twist of fate, Jan gets Bigger an attorney, anddemonstrates that he could forgive Bigger for implicating him forMarys kidnapping. The Battle With Grendels Mother EssayThemesFrustration and hopelessness develop as major themes of thestory. When Bigger and his friend Gus watch a sky writing plane,Bigger expresses frustration in his statement I could fly one ofthem things if I had a chance. Discussing the impossibility ofaccomplishment in the white-controlled world, Bigger expresseshopelessness, saying, They dont let us do nothing. When Gusreminds Bigger that they have always known this, Bigger agrees,but insists that he cannot accustom himself to it. Every time Ithink about it, he says, I feel like somebodys poking a red-hotiron down my throat. Today a good example of the same type offrustration can be seen on the various music videos done by blackartists. These video portray, poor education and a lack ofopportunities afforded to blacks. Oppression, hate, and the separatism between whites and blacksalso arises as a main theme. Bigger represents the oppressed butrebellious black, in contrast the Daltons represent naive whites,and Jan and Max represent the oppressed communists. These variouscharacters hate each other without comprehend the underlyingsocial cause. Only the oppressed groups come to help and forgiveeach other by the end of the novel, while the oppressors stillasking for bitter vengeance. The separatism become obvious whileBigger when sits in the car with Mary and Jan. He feels afraidand uncomfortable being treated like an equal and being allowed tosit near them. This separatism also made his oppressors blindlyignorant of the realities of social oppression. Separatismaffects both sides of the color line. The characters considereach other as separate entities, never interacting on an equalbasis. Social ignorance allows the scapegoating of Bigger, tovent the anger and rage built up from by many years of tens ionbetween the races. A good example of separatism and oppression inour area shows up in the conflicts between Whites and Cubans. Arguments about English as the official language as the officiallanguage of the US represent the manifestations of this conflict. A notable theme that the author portrays through Biggers actionscome from the true meaning of freedom to the oppressed. Biggersdiscovered freedom came to him in two instances, in both caseswhile committing murder. With the death of Mary Dalton, Biggerstarts to realize that for the first time he has gone against thelaw. Breaking the proverbial barrier and the proper limits ofwhat a black man can do in society he is no longer controlled orrestrained by another mans rules. This idea expands to note thatwhen Bigger himself defines the rules, he makes himself free. Interestingly serial killers in our society have multiplied, acommon trait that they all possess is abuse in their earlylifetime. Perhaps they act out of the same misguided need forfreedom that Bigger found when committing murder. Authors BeliefsBigger, his family, and Bessie all feel the affects of separatismand oppression. Richard Wright believes in the immorality ofoppression. He uses his book as a tool to vent his frustration,at the world that segregates negros. His characters, themes andconflicts probably originate from his own experience ofseparatism. By using such a wide range of characters, he givesthe readers who are not black an insight into the horrificallydesperate situations many poor blacks experience. Biggers actions toward Jan and Mary portray his resignation tothe social inequity of the color barrier. He acts simply, as asubservient yessah. It appears the author believes the truewall of separation between whites and blacks is an almostimpassable division. Jan and Max base their decisions on the equality of man. Having amoral basis for action leads them to have a means to deal withoppression and the ability to hope. In contrast, Bigger acceptsseparatism as an immutable condition, and rebels against it bycommitting crimes. Bigger receives punishment for his actions. The author would appears to support socialist concepts as theproper rebellion against oppression. He seems to believe in theequality of men and the value of demonstrating it in everydayactions.

Essenetial elements of ps free essay sample

They read the speech, hear from those who heard the speech) 3. Message It Includes both verbal and nonverbal signals. Your message should have a purpose. 4 . Noise It Is anything that distorts message and prevents the listeners from receiving the message as you Intended It to be received. *Signal refers to Information that Is useful to you; Information that you want a. Physical others talking loudly, cars honking, b.Physiological hearing or visual impairment, articulation disorders c. Psychological preconceived ideas, wandering thoughts d. Semantic misunderstood meaning 5. Context a. Physical Context- actual place in which you give your speech b. Psychophysically Context the relationship between speaker and audience (supervisor-workers, worker to supervisors) Includes the audiences attitudes toward and knowledge of you and your subject (supportive audience, hostile audience) c. Temporal Context Includes factors such as the time of day and more importantly where your speech fits into the sequence of events. (follow another presentation? ) d. We will write a custom essay sample on Essenetial elements of ps or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cultural Context It has to do with the beliefs, lifestyles, values, and behaviors that the speaker and the audience bring with them and that bear on the topic and purpose of the speech. 6. Channel It is the medium that carries message signals from sender to receiver.

Timeline from 1870 to 1880

Timeline from 1870 to 1880 1870 1870: Thomas Nast, the star political cartoonist of Harpers Weekly, began a campaign of lampoon the corrupt ring that secretly ran New York City. Nasts biting depictions of the Tweed Ring  helped bring down Boss Tweed.February 3, 1870: The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave the right to vote to black males, became law when the required number of states ratified it.June 9, 1870: Charles Dickens, British novelist, died at the age of 58.July 15, 1870: Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to return to  the Union.July 19, 1870: The Franco-Prussian War began. The war was provoked by Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian leader, as part of his plan to unite Germany.October 12, 1870: Robert E. Lee, Confederate general in the Civil War, died at the age of 63 at Lexington, Virginia. 1871 January 1871: Italian troops led by Giuseppe Garibaldi briefly fought against Prussians in France during the Franco-Prussian War.March 26, 1871: The Paris Commune, a temporary government, formed after an uprising during the Franco-Prussian War, was proclaimed in Paris.May 28, 1871: The Paris Commune was suppressed as the French Army took over the city during what becomes known as The Bloody Week.Summer 1871: Photographer William Henry Jackson takes a number of photographs on the Yellowstone Expedition. The scenery he captured was so remarkable that it led to the creation of the National Parks.July 15, 1871: Thomas Tad Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln, died in Chicago at the age of 18. He was buried beside his father in Springfield, Illinois.October 8, 1871: The Great Chicago Fire broke out. It destroyed much of the city of Chicago, and a persistent rumor was that it was caused by Mrs. OLearys cow.October 27, 1871: William M.  Boss Tweed, the leader of the legendary New York poli tical machine Tammany Hall, was arrested on multiple charges of corruption. November 10, 1871: The journalist and adventurer Henry Morton Stanley located David Livingstone in Africa, and said the famous greeting: Dr. Livingstone, I presume. 1872 January 6, 1872: Notorious Wall Street character Jim Fisk was fatally shot in a Manhattan hotel lobby. As he died, his partner Jay Gould and Boss Tweed stood vigil at his bedside. Legendary detective Thomas Byrnes apprehended Fisks assassin.March 1, 1872: Yellowstone National Park was established as the first National Park in the United States.April 2, 1872: Samuel F.B. Morse, American artist, and inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code, died at the age of 80 in New York City.Spring 1872: After supervising work on the Brooklyn Bridge in the caisson under the East River, Washington Roebling came to the surface too quickly and was stricken with the bends. He would be in poor health for years afterward.June 1, 1872: James Gordon Bennett, who in many ways invented the modern newspaper by founding the New York Herald, died in New York City.November 5, 1872: President Ulysses S. Grant wins a second term in the election of 1872, defeating legendary newspaper editor turned candidate Horace Greeley. November 29, 1872: Horace Greeley, who weeks earlier lost the presidential election, died in New York City. 1873 March 4, 1873: Ulysses S. Grant took the oath of office for the second time as he began his second term as President of the United States.April 1, 1873: The steamship Atlantic struck rocks on the coast of Canada, and at least 500 passengers and crew perished in one of the worst maritime disasters of the 19th century.May 4, 1873: David Livingstone, Scottish explorer of Africa, died in Africa of malaria at the age of 60.September 1873: A stock market crashed sets off the Panic of 1873, one of the great financial panics of the 19th century. 1874 January 17, 1874: Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins who became famous as the Siamese Twins, died at the age of 62.March 11, 1874: Charles Sumner, Massachusetts senator who in 1856 had been beaten in the U.S. Capitol in an event leading up to the Civil War, died at the age of 63.March 8, 1874: Millard Fillmore, former president of the United States, died at the age of 74.November 1874: The Greenback Party was established in the United States. Its constituencies were the farmers and workers adversely affected by the Panic of 1873. 1875 April 21, 1875: Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish political leader, was elected to the British House of Commons.May 19, 1875: Mary Todd Lincoln, the widow of Abraham Lincoln, was judged to be insane in a trial instigated by her son, Robert Todd Lincoln.July 31, 1875: Andrew Johnson, who became president following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, died at the age of 66. 1876 March 10, 1876: Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call, saying, Watson, come here, I need you.April 10, 1876: Alexander Turney Stewart, renowned New York City merchant, died.June 25, 1876: General George Armstrong Custer, commander of the 7th Cavalry, is killed, along with more than 200 of his men, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.July 4, 1876: The United States celebrated its centennial with celebrations in cities and towns across the country.August 2, 1876: Wild Bill Hickok, gunfighter and lawman, was shot and killed while playing cards in Deadwood, Dakota Territory.August 25, 1876: The first crossing of the unfinished Brooklyn Bridge was accomplished by its master mechanic, E.F. Farrington, riding on a wire strung between its towers.November 7, 1876: The United States presidential election of 1876 was disputed and became the most controversial American election until the election of 2000. 1877 January 4, 1877: Cornelius Vanderbilt, known as The Commodore, died in New York City. He was by far the wealthiest person in the United States.Early 1877: An electoral commission was formed to settle the disputed presidential election of 1876 results in the Compromise of 1877. Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the election, and Reconstruction was effectively brought to an end.March 4, 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was  inaugurated as president, and comes into office under a cloud of suspicion, being called His Fraudulency.May 1877: Sitting Bull led followers into Canada to escape the U.S. Army, and Crazy Horse surrendered to U.S. troops.June 21, 1877: Leaders of the Molly Maguires, a secret society of coal miners in Pennsylvania, were executed.July 16, 1877: A strike in West Virginia set off the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which spread nationwide and spurred violent clashes in American cities.September 5, 1877: Crazy Horse was killed at an army base in Kansas. 1878 February 19, 1878: Thomas A. Edison patented the phonograph, which would rank as one of his most important inventions.April 12, 1878: William M.  Boss Tweed, the legendary head of Tammany Hall, died in jail in New York City at the age of 55.Summer 1878: The head of the Statue of Liberty was displayed in a park in Paris during an international exhibition.November 1878: The Second Anglo-Afghan War began when British troops began invading Afghanistan. 1879 April 30, 1879: Sarah J. Hale, a magazine editor who urged President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving an official holiday, died at the age of 90.August 21, 1879: Villagers at Knock, in rural Ireland, saw visions of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist. The village became a place of Catholic pilgrimage afterward.October 1879: In Ireland, following mass meetings held earlier in the year, the Land League  was  formed to organize tenant farmers.

Environmental Sustainability Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental Sustainability Questions - Essay Example This report provided a complete synopsis of the emerging environmental crisis and remedies in solving the problems. This report majorly aimed at discussing environmental development as a single issue. This report gathered various issues relating to environmental problems and initiated a comprehensive breakthrough to sustainability thus encompassing social, economic, political and environmental criteria. The main aim of this report was to provide the country with sustainable environment as from 1987 hence forth (Ashford& Hall, 2011). The idea of sustainability was initiated by the world commission of environmental development which has since been used and redeveloped in the continuous work with sustainability in different scopes. The Bruntland report was majorly divided in three parts that are the major focus of the commissioned report. This report was concerned of the environmental sustainability in the future since the rate of human environmental reduction was very high. However, th ere were challenges experienced such measures to achieve a supportable growth in the environment. This effect leads to reduction in infant mortality and on the other hand human life expectancy is also high therefore posing a challenge to the global environment (Ashford& Hall, 2011). ... Question Two This is an international agreement formulated to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. This agreement was designed in 16th September 1987 in Montreal and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992.This treaty stipulates that production and consumption of materials that diminish the ozone layer in the stratosphere such as chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs), methyl chloro form, carbon tetra chloride and halons are to be eliminated by the year 2000 while methyl chloro form should also be eliminated by 2005(Ashford& Hall, 2011).Scientific theory suggest that ,the moment these compounds are emitted into the atmosphere then they deplete the ozone layer that shields the earth from destroying ultra violet- beta radiation. This agreement was signed by over 140 nations among Argentina, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Denmark, Europe, Egypt, Belgium, Australia, Canada Austria, Congo, Chile and Kenya. This protocol relates to climate change in that it aids in the restricting the use of ozone depleting c ompounds. This has majorly helped reduce global warming and protect the ozone cover. Therefore, the benefit of this protocol to climate change currently supersedes the one for Kyoto protocol (Ashford& Hall, 2011). This protocol has helped to reduce global warming and protect the ozone layer. This protocol is also essential to the climate change since it has helped reduce the volume of heat confined due to ozone depleting substances as this would be twice as much as present levels. Question Three Transboundary pollution involves the pollution that originates from one country but is not able to damage another country’s environment by passing or crossing borders

The U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Arizona immigration law Research Paper

The U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Arizona immigration law - Research Paper Example Governors across the state and lawmakers introduced many immigration bills. The law required non-citizens to carry authorization papers which gave Arizonans to sue state and localities for non compliance. The Arizona law specifically drew the greatest national attention due to its racial profiling2. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court released an order that invalidated most sections of the Arizona immigration law. It was declared a success for Obama administration, a challenge for the constitutionality of the law. A number of issues were considered invalid and unconstitutional3. The congress specified the type of aliens to be evicted from the United States following laid down procedures. A brief by former commissioner of the United States immigration and naturalization services covers some aspects concerning alien eviction. According to him, aliens are subject to eviction if they could not be admitted at the time of entry or have had committed certain crimes. Eviction is civil and not criminal. The officials of the federal government have a voice on what credits an eviction. Aliens too have the right to seek asylum and other permit to remain in the country or leave without official eviction. Alien workers supporting their families are les likely to pose threat and are allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds. Returning an alien back to his country is also considered inappropriate regardless of whether they have committed crimes or have not met the admission requirements4. Unlike the Arizona law on field preemption, the federal law provides guidelines for alien registration and punishment for refusal. The aliens within the state borders are kept on track by a comprehensive and strong system. The Arizona law ignored the basic rules of field preemption that nations are banned from entering an area preserved by the federal government itself. Also,

International Business Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Business - Coursework Example For example, in Western cultures, ordinary employee can speak with the director of the company equally while in Eastern cultures it is almost impossible that the opinion of the ordinary employee would be considered seriously. In other words, cultures with high score of power distance believe that every person has its place and they should act in accordance with their role in society. Uncertainty avoidance is a dimension that identifies peoples attitude to their inability to predict future. Some cultures let things happen in their natural flow; others tend to control the future. Pragmatic cultures with high uncertainty avoidance scores tend to pay more attention to planning than those cultures where the score is low. This score helps to predict peoples attitude to planning and define the best way to build long- and short-term relationships with them. Also, pragmatic cultures rely on planning, experts and analysts who try to define future obstacles and prepare people and organizations for changes. Overall, power distance and uncertainty avoidance are really important for successful cross-cultural business. If people ignore these cultural dimensions, they can fail to build good relationships with representatives of the opposite culture. On the contrary, they succeed if they pay enough attention to features of every culture they deal with. 2. Conflict and violence, terrorism and kidnapping, property seizure, police changes and local content are 5 main types of political risk. Out of these 5 types, conflict and violence and policy changes affect international business directly. In case of external and internal political conflicts, any society experiences crisis related to unstable political and economic situation. All international companies suffer from this instability and it results in a sequence of unwanted consequences for any organization. Business becomes dangerous in terms of safety; in many cases the best solution to the issue is to ship the

A Biography Of Booker T Washington History Essay

A Biography Of Booker T Washington History Essay Birth, Parents and Family Life The well known clichà ©, bad beginnings have good endings, resonates in ones mind when this name is mentioned. Booker T. Washingtons life, undoubtedly encapsulate this well-known phrase as throughout his life evidence proves how he grew and became very successful. Booker Taliaferro Washingtons life began on April 5th, 1856 where he was born into slavery on the Burroughs Plantation in the rural, Hales Ford, Virginia. He had three siblings, one of whom was adopted. His mother Jane was an enslaved African American woman who worked as a cook on the plantation. His father was a white man, whom he knew very little about. His mother later married another slave, Washington Ferguson, who left to for West Virginia. Early Life Washingtons early life was that of a slave where he lived in a small cabin and slept on a dirt floor with only a pallet that was put on the ground for his comfort. Survival was a struggle as his mother Jane from time to time would take a chicken or an egg from her masters and cook them during the night just to feed her children. From an early age, Booker knew what labour entailed and began working quite young. One of his duties was to carry sacks of corn to the mill on the back of a horse. Sometimes when a sack fell on the ground he had to wait for hours for someone to come and replace it on the horses back. Washingtons discomfort of his living arrangement and hard labour as a child was mingled with the discomfort of his clothes and shoes. Until his shirt was worn for six weeks, Washington had to bear the pain from his flax material shirt which pricked his skin. The discomfort was so great that once his brother offered to wear his shirt until it got a bit softer. His shoes also were uncomfortable as his first pair of shoes had wood as its sole and coarse leather tops. Education Although he went to school while he was a slave, Booker T. Washingtons education only began when his family was freed of slavery. In Washingtons time, it was illegal for slaves to go to school and be educated. However, Washington went to school with James Burroughs daughter in Franklin County, not as a student but to carry her books. It was only when the Emancipation Proclamation in April, 1865, Washington now nine, was read to the jubilant slaves that Booker was able to spread his wings a bit. Washington, his siblings and mother soon left the plantation with a wagon that his stepfather sent for them to join with him in Malden, West Virginia. Because of the state of poverty that the family was faced with, Washington could not have had a normal schooling experience. Instead, at the tender age of nine, Washington was thrust into the world of work. His stepfather, who worked in the salt mines, found work for him and his brother at a salt mine that began at four in the morning and ended at nine. Sometimes they even worked at coal mines. One Mr. William Davis opened a school for coloured children. Bookers parents allowed him to go but on the condition that he maintain his job. As Booker worked in the morning period, he was now able to attend school later in the day but returned to the mine after school. After a few years, Booker had to leave the school in order to work fulltime in the coal mine; but his mother found him another job. He was taken in as a houseboy by a wealthy family, General Lewis Ruffner. The wife was very strict on him but very encouraging. He proved his trustworthiness to her while he stayed with her for four years and saw her as one of his best friends. It was at this point that Booker learned about a school, Hampton Institute, where black students can get an education, paying their way by working. He saved up some money from his labour at the mines and in 1872, at sixteen, when he had just about saved enough money, Booker left for Hampton. The road to Hampton was not an easy one. He walked the way but stopped for a few days, sleeping under a plank sidewalk during the night and loading a ship with food items during the day to raise more money to buy food. When Booker finally arrived at Hampton; he was first denied entrance into the school because of his appearance, but soon impressed the head teacher with his janitorial skills and continued doing these services to pay for his school expenses. It was during one summer of his studies that his mother died while he was on his summer vacation. He still went on to spend three years there, graduating in 1875 at age nineteen. Life as an Adult: His Marriages and Family Booker was married three times. The first of the three came just after moving to Tuskegee in 1882, when he married his childhood sweetheart Fannie Smith. From this marriage one daughter, Portia, came in 1883. Unfortunately, one year following the birth of their daughter, Fannie died unexpectedly. Washington remarried in 1985 to Olivia Davidson who was also working at the Tuskegee Institute as an assistant principal. The new couple had two boys, Booker Jr. and Earnest; however, Olivia only remained with him for four years before she also died. Washington soon got married again for the third time to Margaret Murray, a teacher at Tuskegee, in 1893 but the couple had no children however she helped with her stepchildren. Margaret died ten years after Washington in 1925. Washington credited each of his wives for their contribution to the Tuskegee Institute. Where he lived and worked By now, Booker T. Washington was developing into an adult, being able to sustain himself. Washington was a strong advocate of education and believed that through education, the quality of his people could be improved. Due to the strong belief that he maintained, when he graduated, Booker moved back to his hometown, Malden, to teach, but spent only a short time there teaching eighty to ninety children in the day, adults in the night and two Sunday schools. However, during the short time at the school, Washington encouraged students to attend the Hampton Institute and sent his two brothers, John and James, to school. Washingtons time at this school was soon up when he was hired by General Armstrong, the principal of Hampton, as a member of the faculty and a postgraduate student. Washingtons now taught classes at nights for students who could not attend classes in the day, teaching also a group of seventy five Indian boys. His Accomplishments Now at twenty five, in 1881, Washington was recommended by General Armstrong to a prominent white man in Tuskegee who wanted to establish a school for black children in that town. Mr. Armstrong recommended Washington for the position to spearhead the establishment however when he arrived in Alabama Washington found out that no provisions were made for acquiring lands or buildings. He also found that the only funding for the school was two thousand five hundred for teachers salary which was given by the state legislature as a favour to the black people who had supported a politician. Although throughout the early years, the institute was able to survive on gifts of individuals, Washington was still faced with the challenges maintaining the school even at the beginning where he had to locate an appropriate location for the school and building of the campus. However, Washington was soon able to purchase farmland that amounted to two thousand acres where he established the school. Two sm all buildings were converted; there were no equipment and hardly any money. All the students had to work in addition to their academic studies. Some of the activities the students engaged in were chopping of trees, making bricks, building furniture, clearing lands and constructing buildings. Classes were opened with thirty students and what was taught developed the students, teaching them both trades and professions. Ten years later in 1891, now 35, the institution had matured into a campus which boasted of over five hundred and forty acres of land, many well equipped buildings, thousands of students, over two hundred faculty members teaching thirty eight trades and professions. Booker T. Washington was taught the skill of public speaking by one of his teachers during his years at Hampton. The lessons Ms. Nathalie Lord taught him made him a very eloquent speaker and he used this to propel his efforts bringing many benefits to the Tuskegee Institution. To add to Booker T. Washingtons accomplishment, in 1895, Washington was asked to speak at the opening of the Cotton State Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia which was a major accomplishment for an African American. In his speech, later referred to as the Atlanta Compromise, Washington encouraged blacks and whites to work together and explained his idea that African Americans can secure their place in the society through their own economic and moral development and not by legal and political changes. Washingtons belief was not accepted by all African Americans as some feared that some may fight against them for their want of equal rights. However, the whites approved of his views and helped to bring the programs he envisioned to fruit. He was later given an honorary degree by the Harvard University in 1896. One year after his speech, in 1896, Washington was able to acquire funding for an extension of his institution. He opened an agriculture school with the help of the Slater Fund for Negro Education. At this extension school, George Washington Carver was entrusted to lead the school, many other people who were interested in the education of the blacks helped and the school flourished. Contributions to Society The Tuskegee Institute still educate people today, and in addition to this, Booker T. Washington also instituted a variety of programs for rural extension work. He also helped to set up the National Negro Business League. Although Booker was selected to be named to a cabinet post, he refused, stating that he preferred not to be involved in politics. It was not until 1901 that Booker T. Washington published his autobiography, Up from Slavery of which the profits were given towards strengthening the economic stability of the Tuskegee Institute. It was in this same year that Washington was invited to the White House by the president at the time, Theodore Roosevelt, the first African American to be recognized in this magnitude. He was also privileged to have tea with Queen Victoria during a visit to Europe. By1904 Washington was now forty eight and became very influential in many political decisions, becoming the advocate and key advisor to the African American community. Through the use of the black newspapers and other publications Washington was able to create good public relations for his causes. Washington however refused to be a part of a race relations conference that was the driving force for the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). Washington was sceptical of the motives behind the conference fearing that it may be of a combative nature; however, the elections of Woodrow Wilson in 1912 caused Washington to change the way he spoke. After assuring in his campaign that he will fight for equal rights of the African Americans, Wilson never follow through on his promises. This caused Washington to surprise everyone when he published an article whose tone was similar to the militant black leaders of the time. Even with this change, many still believed that Booker had done more than he was credited for or that was recognized by others. How he was Renowned The key contributing factor that distinguishes Booker T. Washington from all other African American advocates was his approach. Although he believed in equality, the method in which he used to achieve it was quite different from any other. Washingtons approach was not confrontational, as was the approach of many at the time. He realized that being confrontational would only be to his disadvantage, and worked in a way to develop and maintain the support of the white people who were instrumental in fulfilling many of his ideas. He believed that success for blacks can only come through economic stability using mainly vocational training. Washington was unlike his critics such as Fredrick Douglass and W.E.B Du Bois who protested, challenged the political system and spoke up about the lack of equality. Instead he saw these militant actions as distractions to economic success and encouraged blacks to concentrate on developing industrial skills. Booker was also known for his capability to raise funds for the Institution, which when coupled with his ability to speak made many individuals give generously to Tuskegee because of his clarity of expression for how the school can help blacks make a better life for themselves. Through education, Washington, more than any other, helped to elevate his people. He is therefore best remembered for freeing African Americans from the economic slavery that kept them bondage even after they were physically and legally freed from slavery. His Death Even at the gates of his death, Washington remained a fighter as he continued to principal the Tuskegee Institute. Washingtons body was deteriorating. He collapsed in New York where he was sent back to Tuskegee. On November 14th 1915 his body could bear no more and he passed on. Although at first it was assumed that he died of heart failure due to exhaustion, it was later confirmed when in March 2006, with the permission of the descendants, the examination of his medical records showed that he died of hypertension with a blood pressure more than twice the normal range. Washington was finally laid to rest on the grounds of the Tuskegee Institute near to the chapel. Reason for my Choice In a society where there is s thirst for good male role models, I found it a pleasure reading about Booker T. Washington and making him my choice for my biography. Washington was an individual whose life I can emulate and imbibe. First of all he was a black man who started life by measly means; however, he did not allow him to hinder his determination. Washington pressed forward and at his death he was financially secure, had a family and was well renowned. He was very intelligent and used this ability for good causes. The exceptional qualities that surrounded Washington are those that I would like to portray in my life; hence my ultimate reason for my choice or Mr. Booker T. Washington. How he has affected my Life The life of Booker T. Washington has greatly affected me in many positive ways. I now look at life differently since his life is truly a testimony that it is not about how your life begins but how you decide to end it. I am also encouraged to face any challenges that are put before me. Washington faced a number of challenges, but although at times he may have been disappointed, he did not allow that to keep him down but instead rose from the challenge to become an even greater person. From his life I was also encouraged to look out for others and to show more humanitarianism to my fellowmen. For me it can begin at home, just as it began at home for Washington. When he started working, he was able to send his two brothers to school which to me if very commendable. Booker T. Washington has therefore proven to be a person worth emulating, and once this is done success would come my way.

The Life of the Governess Rebecca Sharp :: Victorian Era

The Life of the Governess Vanity Fair Sets the Stage â€Å"If Miss Rebecca Sharp had determined in her heart upon making the conquest of this big beau, I don't think, ladies, we have any right to blame her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Thackery 27). The narrator of Vanity Fair encourages readers not to blame Rebecca Sharp for being determined to win Joseph Sedley's attentions and proposal in only ten days! After all, the narrator reminds us that she was motherless, and thus had no one to help her secure a husband. Yet, members of Vanity Fair rebuke Miss Sharp for her assertive efforts. Perhaps, though, one should sympathize and applaud Miss Sharp's labors because her destination after ten days was the life of a governess. A Governess-A Definition The position of a governess required that one act as a companion for her charges and teach them the accomplishments that would enable them to compete effectively in society†¦ The required accomplishments were still one or two languages, preferably French and Italian, music, dancing, drawing and needlework†¦ The eventual aim was the best possible marriage. --Alice Renton, 48 The governess was even often the heroine for writers focusing on domestic, educational and social issues (â€Å"The Victorian Governess†). Yet, author and former governess Charlotte Brontà « wrote, â€Å"it was better to be a housemaid or kitchen girl, rather than a baited, trampled, desolate, distracted governess† (Damrosch 1524). And Anna Jameson wrote, â€Å"a woman who knows anything in the world would, if the choice be left to her, be anything in the world rather than be a governess† (Renton 59). Why the Negativity Regarding a Governess? As the cries of these governesses allude, life as a governess was not always glamorous, despite the literary regard. â€Å"A governess who was capable of teaching more than the usual subjects was generally little valued† (Renton 50). The pay a governess received often reflected the small value. â€Å"Her wages could be as low as eight pounds a year†¦ Charlotte Brontà « received twenty pounds per year (actually only sixteen since washing expenses were deducted at the source)† (Allingham). Perhaps the Quarterly Review best put the institution of being a governess in perspective when the following was published, â€Å"a being who is our equal in birth, manners, and education, but our inferior in worldly wealth† (Renton 96). Thus, governesses â€Å"ranked with the superior servants† (Altick 56) and ended up feeling broken and lonely as Jameson described (Renton 59). So Where Did Becky Fit In? Becky was obviously not the typical Victorian governess.

The Details on Security Change After 9/11

The word â€Å"cliche† is sure to have been used hundreds if not thousands of times for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in September 11, 2001 or commonly known as 9/11. The meaning of 9/11 first on the domestic scene is that America joined the ranks of those that suffered the brunt of terrorism for decades such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. America lost â€Å"its innocence† since this terrorist incident is of greater magnitude compared to the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993 or in terms of the socio-political impact, it really brought home the message that â€Å"no one is safe.† On the global scale, 9/11 meant that even a superpower or the â€Å"only superpower† can fall prey to a low-intensity type of warfare known as terrorism. It prove that such an act can affect economic and market outputs considering that it weakened the stock exchange and flights were cancelled for a few days throughout the United States. 9/11 also redefined the meaning of terrorism and â€Å"holds lesson for other states, not just America, by demonstrating the U.S. resolve and ability to remove regimes that harbor or sponsor terrorism, 9/11should have strengthened the deterrent message to governments that would contemplate aiding terrorists. (Knopf, 2002)† It showed that whether it is state-sponsored terrorism or ideological group-led terrorism like Al-Qaeda, governments and nations of the world must unite to battle this modern-day organized plague. In response to 9/11, the U.S. government implemented the Patriot Act of 2001 or completely known as â€Å"†Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. This piece of legislation contains sections that defines and effects controls and measures in the fight against terrorism such as: Enhancing domestic security against terrorism; International money laundering abatement and anti-terrorist financing; Removing obstacles to investigating terrorism; Providing for victims of terrorism, public safety officers and their families; Increased information sharing for critical infrastructure protection; Strengthening the criminal laws against terrorism; and Besides the Patriot Act, 9/11 brought about the existence of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through House Resolution 5005 and whose major mandate is to prevent terrorist attacks within and reduce the vulnerability to terrorism of the United States. Since DHS became the focal point of the U.S. response to terrorism some major government agencies were transferred to the DHS. One of the major outputs of the DHS is coming out with the National Response Plan (NRP) in December 2004 (DHS, 2004). The NRP â€Å"is an all-discipline, all-hazards plan that establishes a single, comprehensive framework for the management of domestic incidents. It provides the structure and mechanisms for the coordination of Federal support to State, local, and tribal incident managers and for exercising direct Federal authorities and responsibilities. (DHS, 2004)† Having been aligned with the National Incident Management System (DHS, 2004), the NRP had more 32 signatory government departments and agencies. Although it is an incident response plan, the NRP carries policies â€Å"to protect national security, coordinates the activities of the other members of the law enforcement community to detect, prevent, preempt, and disrupt terrorist attacks against the United States. This includes actions to prevent, preempt, and disrupt specific terrorist threats or actual incidents that are based upon specific intelligence or law enforcement information. (DHS, 2004)† Although brought out in general terms, the new security measures in place gives a signal to the domestic marketplace that vigilance and stricter enforcement of security rules is already in place. Trade and commerce with the United States became more stringent especially in terms of cross-border access between U.S., Mexico and Canada. On the whole, the effectiveness of the change security posture after 9/11 is being met on two fronts. One group agrees with the measures believing that it really curtails terrorist activities. On the other hand, another group declares that starting with the Patriot Act, then the rise of the Department of Homeland Security and the implementation of the National Response Plan, all these are questioned due to their singular and collective effects on rights, freedom and liberties Americans enjoy. But as in any history of the United States, the debate or division brought about by the new security measures in effect is always welcomed since this is one of the true tests of democracy – when two or more groups agree to disagree. Five years after 9/11, the full measure of the efficacy of the security policies and methods in place can only be truly gauged when a future major terrorist incident can be prevented and the perpetrators captured – only then can some of the â€Å"questionable human rights violation measures† can be vindicated! But for now, we can only â€Å"hope and pray† that such incident will not happen again or else another event that would live in infamy would be in our midst.

Free Essays on The Healing Bridge

I think it all began during the January of 1999, just 18 and recently married to a guy 10 years older; I was inexperienced and scared. Being brought up in a protected environment, I was suddenly thrown into a situation where I had to take upon a lot of responsibility. My husband expected a lot from me and I was not going to be able to fulfill his aspirations. Sensing his unhappiness I felt blamable but helpless. I was in a new place, a new culture with a person whom I’d known just for a week. That’s when the pain started... Back then I just knew that I would like to get the pain taken care of, so I kept going to different doctors and they kept trying different procedures, tests and medications. Drugs would help, but only temporarily. Then the pain would manifest again in another way, in a new form, but in a different area of my body. Eventually I was ready to really dig into what was going on with this pain in my body. It was then that I realized that there were some very significant aspects of my physical problems, that I had not been aware of before, clearly involved my emotions, and also who I am. This awareness entirely changed my perception of myself. One morning I came in for my usual appointment of therapy. The therapist started to loosen up my body, beginning with the head and neck and upper spine. He was holding my upper body and rolling it around when all of a sudden something happened inside of me. Some really big jolt occurred. I felt it physically, it was a very deep pain in my abdomen, very low in the pelvic area, and it just ripped through my body. And there was a really intense emotional content to it. It shook me up. I don’t know how to describe it†¦ it was just so powerful. I was sort of in a daze while I went through the rest of that session. All I could tell him was, â€Å"It hurts!† After the appointment I went out to my car and I just sat there and wailed. All afternoon, I just sat there. I co... Free Essays on The Healing Bridge Free Essays on The Healing Bridge I think it all began during the January of 1999, just 18 and recently married to a guy 10 years older; I was inexperienced and scared. Being brought up in a protected environment, I was suddenly thrown into a situation where I had to take upon a lot of responsibility. My husband expected a lot from me and I was not going to be able to fulfill his aspirations. Sensing his unhappiness I felt blamable but helpless. I was in a new place, a new culture with a person whom I’d known just for a week. That’s when the pain started... Back then I just knew that I would like to get the pain taken care of, so I kept going to different doctors and they kept trying different procedures, tests and medications. Drugs would help, but only temporarily. Then the pain would manifest again in another way, in a new form, but in a different area of my body. Eventually I was ready to really dig into what was going on with this pain in my body. It was then that I realized that there were some very significant aspects of my physical problems, that I had not been aware of before, clearly involved my emotions, and also who I am. This awareness entirely changed my perception of myself. One morning I came in for my usual appointment of therapy. The therapist started to loosen up my body, beginning with the head and neck and upper spine. He was holding my upper body and rolling it around when all of a sudden something happened inside of me. Some really big jolt occurred. I felt it physically, it was a very deep pain in my abdomen, very low in the pelvic area, and it just ripped through my body. And there was a really intense emotional content to it. It shook me up. I don’t know how to describe it†¦ it was just so powerful. I was sort of in a daze while I went through the rest of that session. All I could tell him was, â€Å"It hurts!† After the appointment I went out to my car and I just sat there and wailed. All afternoon, I just sat there. I co...

Envy essays

Envy essays Director Julie Money's Australian feature veers slightly around the usual themes, but creates an interesting and new mix of character study, role reversal, and sexual politics. The story is basic, but its presentation is tantalisingly different. Envy opens with a fragment from a scene that doesn't appear fully until the film's climax. It draws the audience into confusion, and sets up the possibilites for unconventional storytelling. Envy grabs the attention immediately as the camera settles on young, blonde and nervous-looking Rachel at a suburban shopping mall. As if caught by a surveillance camera, she looks briefly down the lens (and directly at us in the audience) before leaving the frame. Later we will discover the significance of this moment but for now it's all the information we're given as the destinies of Rachel (Anna Lise Phillips) and Kate (Linda Cropper) collide. At a public swimming pool, Kate, a married professional recognises what she believes to be her stolen black dress being worn by Rachel, a beautiful young thief. While Rachel is swimming, Kate reclaims her dress and bolts. The actions turn Kate's family upside-down and unwittingly sets off a dangerous chain of events. When Rachel and her two friends come calling for the dress back, the result is a brutal stir in her of passionate revenge, combining a modern woman's power with a dangerous taste for retribution. It's that change in Kate that gives Envy its step above normalcy, its extra set of layers that make it worth watching. Envy explores an ordinary suburban family, mother Kate , father Phil and son Matt, who through a minor act of defiance become the victims of three anarchic young people. On the surface Envy is about a successful, secure middle class woman and a young thief fighting over possession of a black dress. Underneath it's about class and sexual politics - rich topics given a vivid examination after Kate's house is invaded by Rachel and tw ...

Evita Peron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evita Peron - Essay Example She was the wife of Argentine president Juan Peron from 1946 to 1952 when she succumbed to cancer. Evita is considered as one of the most powerful women during the 1940s to 1950s; an era which was characterized by serious discrimination of women in different societies. Being the only woman with power to question and to rule during those times automatically rendered her much fame compared to other women. Other researches by Historians reveal that she was more powerful than male leaders, her husband inclusive. Fraser and Navarro, in their book, Evita: the Real Life of Eva Peron, explore the life of Eva from her birth in Argentina, Los Toldos 1919 May, 17 to the time of her death and burial as a First Lady, the wife of the Argentine leader (Nicholas & Navarro 94). Eva’s actions and steps give vivid review of the kind of a woman she was during her time. The first reason that shows that the woman had more power than other women and some men in the society is the issue of the Nazi a nd Argentina relationship during the cold war. Eva offered hiding places, in Argentina, to the Nazi people. This is an indication of the power the woman had. She managed to influence most of the Argentine government, including her husband to allow the Nazis hide within their territory. This implies her daring and brave character of taking risks. It was obvious that the Nazi enemies would have reacted by waging war against them, in case they discovered their decision. The end of the Second World War initiated and triggered powerful democratic tides on the street in different cities such as Buenos Aires threatening to Swamp Peron (Fraser and Navarro 34). The book reveals that Peron’s soldiers became angry because of his excess or total dependence on his wife for support; they forced him to resign because of this. This, analyzed, portrayed the amount of power that the woman had. She had a lot of influence on her husband, making the soldiers become angry (Nicholas & Navarro 34). The anger by the soldiers was due to the tradition that women had less power compared to their male counterparts. Their beliefs and stereotyping of women as powerless individuals forced them to terminate the closeness of the president to his wife. They went ahead and forced him to resign from the seat of vice presidency. Eva, seeing this, took the opportunity and used her persuasion power to rally support for her husband calling for his allies or friends in the worker’s union, military, and the police department. This led to riots in Casa Rosada giving the couple leeway to flee the city (Nicholas & Navarro 43). The navy discovered their hidden cottage and went to arrest them. Eva, on seeing this, went out of furiously out of control with anger and rage, and forced them to take away her husband, but left her behind. The reason why they left her had been the question and the debate of many Historians in Europe and the entire globe. Reliable and trustworthy sources like Fraser a nd Navarro, in their book, state an interpretation of this that it was the strange ego and brevity of the woman that scared them. Others would ask why they decided to take the husband. Was the husband not strong enough to defend himself? From the above illustrations, it is evident and undoubtedly true that Evita is exercising charismatic type of authority on the people. Her authority and power is not only derived from her position in the Argentine government as the First Lady, but also from her brevity and daring nature. The action of facing the soldiers with anger and fury is an indication that she is a brave woman who is ready to approach the male soldiers without fear. Besides, she is the only woman in the entire Argentina who has shown a lot of power and influence on the governance and ruling of her husband. Rational

Nursing Essay on Gerontology Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing on Gerontology - Essay Example Thus, the three main nursing diagnoses of the patient are 1) ineffective airway clearance related to pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 2) impaired gas exchange related to acute and chronic lung disease, and 3) displaying symptoms of depression due to respiratory illness. It is highly possible that her respiratory condition is caused by her history of smoking. Cigarette contains noxious chemicals that irritate the respiratory lining. These protective mechanisms include the increased production of mucus layers the epithelium to prevent the chemicals from reaching the cells, causing further damage. In addition, the respiratory cells to divide in a faster rate to try to compensate for the chemical-induced tissue injury. As a result, the normally one-cell thick respiratory epithelium that is able to facilitate gas exchange between the atmosphere and blood is now converted to a thick epithelium with multiple cell layers, which decreases the amount of air passing t hrough. This clinically presents as ineffective airway clearance, causing impaired gas exchange, thus explaining the shortness of breath experienced by the patient, and the need for supplement oxygen to meet the demands of the body (Reilly, Silverman & Shapiro, 2012, pp. 2153-2154). Addressing the first two nursing diagnoses should be prioritized because these two are the ones causing the depression. In fact, it is estimated that almost one-third of individuals suffering from a chronic medical condition present with signs of depression. When a person acquires a chronic illness, he or she must adjust both to the disease and to its treatment. Consequently, the health condition can affect a person’s independence, quality of life and perception. These changes cause significant stress that can push a person to abnormal levels of sadness, causing depression. Although a lesser priority, this nursing diagnosis should also be addressed since the loss of interest, sleep disturbance and repeated thoughts of death or suicide can adversely affect management of the concomitant respiratory disease (Cleveland Clinic, 2009). III. Open-Mindedness Again, the patient has depression resulting from the inconvenience brought by ineffective airway clearance and impaired gas exchange due to chronic airway obstruction, not elsewhere classified. Based on this statement, the measurable outcome should include 1) increased forced expiratory volume in a second (FEV1) to demonstrate improvement in airway clearance 2) increased oxygen saturation of hemoglobin to objectively measure improvement in gas exchange, and 3) better functional status (SF-36 Health Survey) score compared to before treatment. IV. Inquisitiveness Nurses have a vital role in the achievement of these outcomes. To improve FEV1 and oxygen saturation, nurses should first be familiar with the management plan of the patient. A) They ensure that the patient’s medications, bronchodilators for airway obstruction and supplemental oxygen to improve gas exchange, are being taken as per the doctors’ orders, so that homecare can become an option (Hernandez et al., 2008). B) Any questions about these medications, both by the patient and her family, should be addressed to promote compliance and adherence. By doing so, this can involve the family into the patient management (Jonsdottir, 2008). C) Also, the patient should be guided during the measurement of FEV1 using spirometer and oxygen satura

Comparison and contrast of 2 composers of the Boroque period Essay

Comparison and contrast of 2 composers of the Boroque period. (instructor has 5 composers to chose from - Essay Example In Rome, George Frederic Handel is believed to have survived Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) music career who was the bestselling Baroque musician in Rome. Henry Purcell from England at the same time was the bestselling baroque musician in England. Although he did not live for long before he met his death, Purcell made the very best from the flowering music career. Many prolific composers of the baroque period traced their roots from Rome and Handel was no exception. Most of their compositions was purely based on the roots, and tried to connect their current happenings with their past lifestyles. This approach made their works unique, because it was not an imaginary composition, but they composed on real life situations which made a lot of difference in their lives. His predecessor Corelli was highly appreciated and his influence was to later extend to the entire Europe continent. Corelli’s influence, which could not have been ignored by anyone interested in becoming a composer in the entire Europe. This is because he had a good grasp of happenings and his approach to lifestyle music was capturing big audiences. Handel is later reported to have partnered with young Scarlatti whom they performed together before Cardinal Pietro Ottoborni in Venice. This was a huge milestone for Handel and his blend with Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas was unmatched. The 1600s was a period of political upheavals in England where they were changing from autocratic to parliamentary monarchy. During this change in leadership, a musical leader was born, and a history would have it, the born leader would later carry the music mantle and end up being one of the finest at his time. Henry Purcell was born in the year 1969 and didn’t live for long. However, his years on earth were of great impact to the music industry. Much of his time was accorded to writing operas which were musical dramas and incidental stage music. His passion for music

Leaders in Innovation Assessment Essay Example for Free

Leaders in Innovation Assessment Essay As stated in the assessment instructions, in the field of organizational leadership, many models are used as a means of examining what qualities and skills make an effective leader. Although there is a variety of models I have decided to analyze the behavioural and the transformational theory models. Reviewing the resources recommended for discovery and delivery skills, I learned how those skills have a direct impact on an effective leader’s performance in innovation organization. The discovery skills are based on associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking they are also referred as the DNA of innovation. Delivery skills also play in the innovation process with their four key skills which are analyzing, planning, detail-oriented implementing, and self-disciplined executing. In the body of this paper I will unfold my research on those skills and identify its correlation with innovation. I will also be assessing the strengths and weaknesses on my ability to support innovation in an organization. Leadership Models Supporting Innovation Over the years, a number of leadership theories have been established including: trait, behavioural, contingency, and transformational theory. My analysis will be on behavioral and transformational. Behavioral Theories As described in Doyle and Smith (2001) early researchers ran out of steam in their search for traits, they turned to what leaders did and how they behaved, specially towards followers. They moved from leaders to leadership and this became the dominant way of approaching leadership within the organizations in the 1950s and early 1960s. Different patterns of behaviour  were grouped together and labeled as styles. This became a very popular activity within management training perhaps the best known being Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid (1964; 1978). Various schemes appeared, designed to diagnose and develop peoples style of working. Despite different names, the basic ideas were very similar. The four main styles that appear are: Concern for task. Here leaders emphasize the achievement of concrete objectives. Concern for people. In this style, leaders look upon their followers as people their needs, interests, problems, and development. Directive leadership. This style is characteriz ed by leaders taking decisions for others and expecting followers or subordinates to follow instructions. Participative leadership. Here leaders try to share decision-making with others. The behavioral theory has many assumptions which conclude that leaders can be made rather than born. This theory has a direct approach with innovation in the organization. With the managements concern for their employees it gives everyone in the organization the motivation to innovate. Innovation is all about adaptability and with the behavioral theory leaders are made, which means that they can adapt to any situation that they are confronted with. The following grid model was developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in the early 1960s The grid clarifies the magnitude in which a leader focuses on these dimensions determining the leadership style that they relate to. Some leaders are more concerned with getting the tasks at hand completed successfully in a timely manner. Other leaders prefer creating solid interpersonal relationships with their employees, because by being an oriented leader the employee’s performance will be higher. For example, if you have a high concern for completing a task and achieving results with little concern for having a relationship with people, you would be an authority-obedience manager. Another example: if you have little concern to complete a task or interact with people, you would be an impoverished manager. Transformational Theory Transformational leaders are those leaders who transform followers personal  values and self-concepts, move them to higher levels of needs and aspirations (Jung, 2001), and raise the performance expectations of their followers (Bass, 1995). This leadership has four components; charismatic role modeling, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. Using charisma, the leader instills admiration, respect, and loyalty, and emphasizes the importance of having a collective sense of mission. By individualized consideration, the leader builds a one-to-one relationship with his or her followers, and understands and considers their differing needs, skills, and aspirations. Thus, transformational leaders articulates an exciting vision of the future, shows the followers the ways to achieve the goals, and expresses his or her belief that they can do. (Bass, 1990) Incorporated by (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Damanpour, 1991) has been suggested that transformational leadership is an important source of organizational innovation, empirical studies have not examined the moderating role of this contextual factor while investigating the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation. In addition to external support for innovation, support within the organization, in terms of an innovation supporting climate and adequate resources allocated to innovation might also be an important contextual factor that plays a role in this relationship. Transformational leaders have been suggested to have an impact on innovation. Transformational leaders enhance innovation within the organizational context; in other words the tendency of organizations to innovate. According to (Elkins and Keller, 2003) transformational leaders use inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation which are critical for organizational innovation. They also promote creative ideas within their organizations and their behaviors. Blake , and Jane (n.d.). Discovery and Delivery Skills In recent studies it has been identified that the ability of a person’s creative thinking comes one-third from their genetics; and the other two-thirds of innovation skill set comes through learning (Dyer, Gregersen,   Christensen, 2009, p. 63). To begin with, a person is given a skill set that they will analyze till understand, then practicing, experimenting, and lastly gaining confidence in one’s capacity to create. The following details will demonstrate by skills how innovative entrepreneurs acquire their innovation skills. The following five skills set that constitute the â€Å"innovators DNA†: associating, questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting. Discovery skill 1: Associating is the ability to successfully connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas from different fields, is central to the innovator’s DNA. Discovery skill 2: Questioning the power of provocative questions. To question effectively, innovative entrepreneurs do the following: ask â€Å"why?† and â€Å"why not?† and â€Å"what if?† Discovery skill 3: Observing the behavior of potential customers. In observing others, they act like anthropologists and social scientists. Discovery skill 4: Experimenting, innovative entrepreneurs actively try out new ideas by creating prototypes and launching pilots. Discovery skill 5: Networking is devoting time and energy to finding and testing ideas through a network of diverse individuals gives innovators a radically different perspective. Delivery skills play in the innovation process, improving their discovery, and encouraging themselves and their organizations to take a long-term view. The delivery skills consist of four keys terms: analyzing, planning, detailed-oriented implementing, and self-disciplined executing. At times delivery skills are relatively more important during the maturity growth of a business. Analyzing: examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of something or information. Planning: the process of making plans for something. Detail-oriented implementing: capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task well done and executed. Disciplined-executing: acting in accordance, and performing an act successfully. The synthesis of, discovery and delivery skills are critical for delivering results and translating an innovative idea into reality for organizations. According to Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen, (2011) it is vital to understand that the skills critical to an organization’s success  vary systematically throughout the business life cycle. For example, in the start-up phase of an innovative venture, the founders are obviously more discovery-driven and entrepreneurial. Discovery skills are crucial early in the business life cycle because the company’s key task is to generate new ideas worth pursuing. Thus, discovery skills are highly valued at this stage and delivery skills are secondary. However, once innovative entrepreneurs come up with a promising new business idea and then shape that idea into a bona fide business opportunity, the company begins to grow and then must pay attention to building the processes necessary to scale the idea. Strengths and Weaknesses in Discovery Delivery Skills Strengths Discovery Skills Weaknesses Associating: I’m always coming up with new ideas to improve things. Experimenting: Like with observing I also like to experiment, but I quickly become frustrated after getting something wrong after a couple of tries. I would like to give myself the ability to keep trying with a positive mind that I will get to the right solution. Questioning: When it comes to questioning I don’t have a mute button. I like to ask enough questions because it helps me come up with the best solution. Networking: I have no networking skills. I’ve had the opportunity to do this in my place of work, but I never take the time to do it. Observing: This skill is definitely one of my strongest. I observe everything that goes around me always finding a better way to solve an issue. StrengthsDelivery SkillsWeaknesses Planning: I enjoy planning, especially when the plan in process will be a success to an issue. Analyzing: I lose interest very easily when I have to sit down for a long period of time to analyze something. Detail-Oriented: When I’m given and assignment I make sure I executed just as it was asked. Discipline-executing: I always make sure I perform to the best of my ability as asked of me following all regulations and procedures to be successful. Having good associating, questioning, observing, planning, detail-oriented, and discipline-executing skills will not only be beneficial for me, but also  for the organization that I work for. Due to the fact that innovation is a critical aspect for organizations, senior executives are always seeking for candidates with these types of skills because it will contribute to their ability to innovate and be successful in the business with strategically ideas since executives don’t feel responsible for innovating. Unfortunately due to that fact; that my weaknesses with experimenting, networking, and analyzing will hinder my ability to support innovation in an organization at 100%. Although I’m not as concerned even though my weaknesses will delay any project I might be working on, but with trial in error I can convert those weaknesses into strengths. As stated in the innovators DNA, practice, practice, practice. Though innovative thinking may be innate to some, it can also be developed and strengthened through practice. Conclusion Through the models and detailed explanations we have learned how the behavioral and transformational theories are a big part of innovation and organizations. The roles of discovery and delivery skills are crucial in an organization to innovate with ideas, research, and these skills are a company’s success to innovate and succeed. I feel comfortable with my discovery and delivery skills, my role now are to practice and work on my weaknesses. A candidate with all the skills in place; is better than one with just a few. References Barnard, C. (1938), new definition of leadership. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm Bass, B. M. (1990). From Transactional to Transformational Leadership: Learning to Share the Vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3): 19-32. Bass, B. M. (1995). Transformational Leadership. Journal of Management Inquiry, 4(3): 293 298. Behavioral Grid Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/classical-leadership-theories-lesson-quiz.html#lesson Cohen, W. M. and Levinthal, D. A. (1990).Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35: 128-152. Damanpour, F. (1991). Organizational Innovation: A Meta-analysis of Effects of Determinants and Moderators. Academy of Management Journal, 34: 555-590. Doyle, M. E., Smith, M. K. (2001). Classical models of managerial leadership: Trait, behavioral, contingency and transformational theory. Retrieved from Infed Web site: http://www.infed.org/leadership/tradional_leadership.htm. Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., Christensen, C. M. (2009, December). The innovators DNA. Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 60–67. Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., Christensen, C. M. (2011). The innovators DNA: Mastering the five skills of disruptive innovators. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. Elkins, T. and Keller, R. T. (2003). Leadership in Research and Development Organizations: A Literature Review and Conceptual Framework. Leadership Quarterly, 14: 587-606. Jung, D. I. (2001). Transformational and Transactional Leadership and Their Effects on Creativity in Groups. Creativity Research Journal, 13 (2): 185-195 Transformational model Retrieved from http://strategyofnarayan.blogspot.com/2013/04/assignment-of-week-23.html

Strategic management and business policy module

Strategic management and business policy module 1 There were a number of concurrent changes in the VSM Group in the period 1997-2003, is the VSM Group still the same company? No the company has changed a lot with the arrival of the new CEO, new things has been introduced as: More people were involved in strategic sessions New mission statement Companion strategy High involvement of employees on different level Purchase of competitors added production capacity to the firm Processes have been directed towards strengthening the linkages between functional areas in the value chain. The physical relocation of the RD and marketing departments to the same building New programs for educating the retailers and customers on sewing and using the machines. Integrating technology (mainly on line) with the innovation of the new machines. 2 How would you describe the strategic capability of Viking Sewing Machines in 1997? In 2003? In 1997: The Company brought their managers of their major national sales companies as well as the marketing vice president into the top management; also there were changes in their operating systems New mission and documents brought different level together which added a broader sight Bringing the technical expertise and marketers together to come up with new innovations that meet customers needs. In 2003: New and exclusive dealers had been added. Two strong brands, Pfaff as a high quality brand, and Husqvarna as the family and innovative brand. Brno added add capacity of production to the company, which was cost efficient and added capacity to the production. They have expertise in the product development of the sewing machines industry 3 Are the core competences in 2003 more robust than in 1997? Definitely yes; there were more focus in the strategy and direction in 2003 They have better product development capabilities. Two strong brands. An IT company to develop their own technology work, thus controlling the embroidery market. Building linkages within the value chain. 4 What are the important factors in the macro-environment that influence VSM and its industry? Political The political situation might be influenced by the trade agreement between the States and the European origin products. Also, manufacturing in the Far East might have some regulations and extra taxations since these markets are flooding the world with lower priced products. Economic The economic situation is affected by the difference in currency of the different origin or production and consumer markets. To raise quality they might need to shift the factors from Far East to another location with higher pays. Also, Sales of low priced simple machines have increased, while more advanced machines showed steady sales. Social Clothes became cheaper so no need for sewing at home. More social activities emerged and resulted in less time afforded to sewing hobbies Technological This had the major contribution here due to: The high development of the internet usages and its spread; The power and reach of the new software. Enhancement of the senses and computerized motors to give better functionality to the machines. People (Customers) are more technologically driven and are up to date with innovations thus request the new and complicated models. Environmental Natural crisis as Tsunamis are threatening the Far East which might result in a cut of production and disturbance to the manufacturing flow. Legal It will depend on new regulation for this industry or in the industrial market as a whole 5 What are the forces of competition in the sewing machine industry? Five Forces analysis Competitive rivalry Moderate since there are moderate product innovation, and no real competition in the market through prices and addressing resellers. Low number of competitors covering the same segment There are some product differentiations in the complete products that depend on innovation Entry barrier Low, with some concern regarding the reach to the distribution channels that work exclusively with the other companies. There are some capital investment and know-how but its not a major one. Buyer power Buyers have high bargaining power due to low switching costs between brands since the industry is mature and there arent a lot of product differentiations for the general products. Supplier Power There arent any concentration in the supplier side , and the raw material are mainly general materials and the production and the RD at the VMS are covering the other parts , thus we see this as weak Substitutes Mostly this market have good quality machines and a lower cost ones from east Asia , thus they differ in price and quality , and switching cost is low , thus it will increase the threats for the normal machines , while complex computerized machines are limited in the market. From the above we dont see the market as attractive for new entrant since people tent more to buy cloths outside and have very attractive and affordable prices of clothes rather than creating their own. 6 What are the next strategic issues Viking will have to address? What strategic options might be considered? They need to maintain their technical leadership and managing the value chain. Also they need to manage their brands and their recent acquisitions. As for their next steps it should be to protect and build on their current successful position. They should work on increasing their customer orientation, RD, production, marketing, distribution in all parts of their value chain. Where the retailers have a major role in reaching their customer, which needs concentration and follow up on their training and supporting them , this will also place a good part of the attention on marketing and customers relationship management and VSM has transformed with the help of the new CEO from a product orientated company to a market oriented one. They also started to focus on selected customer segment to cover their needs; this is shown with the different targeting technique from their VMS and Pfaff line of machines, were they need to work on the innovation of products and services. The company has good attention to the acquisition of Emnet and software engineers computing companies. Where they need to build on their traditional strength and benefit from their product development, and the use of the new technology to add an edge for them in this industry m where the production have to be met with an aggressive and smart sales force . 7 How does the strategy of the VSM Group match its strategic capability with its environment? How did it change from 1997 to 2003? They need to concentrate on their existing resource positions and building on their new resources to capture a position on their selected market. VSM had many important recourses and competences that help them with their initial strategy building on their RD process and innovative production which have highlighted their brand , here they missed the importance of marketing and its power to play with the environmental factors to bring more success to the firm . And since the market was declining the way to survive was to concentrate on differentiation products that are high computerized. And mainly focus differentiation and top of the line models ,which needed to reach the customer with exclusive retailers and at prime locations , and took keep the flow of the experience they had trained the retailers to a level that represent them and keep a good relationship with the customers . Here they also created training programs for their end users of the machines and train them on professional ways and patterns of using these machines. Problem with their earlier value chain and not being able to have the benefit reach their clients due to the lack of the marketing control over retailers thus the new strategy was to fix this cut in the link in the value chain, another issue they were facing is the lack of communication between their RN and their marketing department, which the new CEO brought these department physical near each other to enhance this channels. Their new acquisition of their competitor Pfaff added new resources and a strong high end brand to the group, the thing now is how to manage their two brands since they compete in the same markets knowing that the perceived value and prices are not the sole player in the market, here they benefited from their technological edge and their high quality products in a clear market communication process to reach their desired customers segments each one by its own without affecting the flow and the strategy of the other brand. 8 The case starts with the arrival of the new CEO. What role did Mr. Runnquist play in the transformation of the company? How important is he for the future of the company? The New CEO defiantly added a lot to the organization and did a paradigm shift to their working culture, such as collaboration of a bigger audience in major decisions of the organization, educating employees, retailers and end users . He was under press since the company was newly sold to a new owner that expected revenues to jump , which made him shift the organization from production oriented to market oriented one to capture all aspects and react on them . Here the need for a new mission, vision and strategic document of the organization emerged , where he have going the forces from different departments to participate and build them , this of course included different levels of the organization to jump in these activity which have added some sense of commitment and ownership among all levels . Another major issue he worked on is the harmony and good level of communication in their value chain, working from the RD, production, marketing, Sales, retailer to the end customers. This helped in having all these level at the same level of professionalism and updated knowledge to better understand the products to be able to sell or buy them. He is very important for the continuity and the future challenges that will face VMS, he need to continually have an eye open for new channels and treats and benefit from this firms resources and capabilities building on their experiences to capture opportunity and turn around weakness and treats to bring more success to the firm, this of course implies that he might have another paradigm shift if it is needed. 9 At two points in time, the CEO of the VSM Group opens up a broad discussion on the strategic issues. What issues are discussed and why does he involve a larger group of the management on these issues? The first one was in 1997, when he joined the organization and need all level to be part of the new paradigm shift and mind set of the firm and be a part in creating their new mission. The second one was in 2000, after the acquisition of other firms team from outside the higher management was brought again to discuss the future of the firm and to gain legitimacy for the strategy ahead. The importance of this part was also to set all minds to a focused set of actions to deal with the two competing rand so as not to confuse the market and employees so and not to lose their corporate identity. It is important to participate a good audience to create commitment to the new strategic moves and create some sense of ownership among different level in the firm and push hard for the future and targets.