Group Development Essay

The first stage is the forming stage. During this stage, things are characterized by much uncertainty. There is uncertainty as to what the purpose of the group is, what the structure of the group is, and who the leadership of the group is going to be. Members of the group will want to test the waters and try to determine how far they can go and what they can get away with during this stage of the group development process. The second stage is the storming stage. During this stage of group development, the members of the group accept the existence of the group but are against the restraints put on individual creativity. This can lead to serious problems if there is not some sort of compromise or agreement put in place on allowing individuals to be creative within the guidelines of the project. The third stage is the norming stage. During this stage, relationships among team members are becoming closer and group cohesiveness is coming together. The group identity is really becoming clear. This stage is considered complete when the structure of the group is completely solidified and the members of the group have decided on what is considered proper behavior for members of the group. In my opinion, this is one of the most critical stages in group development. The fourth stage is the performing stage. This stage of group development is really when things start to happen. Members of the team have fully accepted the structure and the team is working towards accomplishing the goals that were set forth initially. The group has gone from getting to know each other to complete understanding and working on accomplishing the  task at hand. The fifth and final stage of group development is the adjourning stage. This is only true for groups that are temporary. Permanent work groups are finished after stage four. This stage is normally when the group finalizes and wraps up the tasks that they have been asked to perform and then they go their separate ways. This stage is hopefully where the project is finalized and the group has been successful at accomplishing the goals that were initially set forth. Problem Identification There are two major problems that I see in this situation. The first problem that I see with this group is that there is going to be conflict of interests from each of the different groups. Each of the groups have different agendas as to how to fully accomplish the goals of the project. This can lead to problems or possibly a severe conflict between one or more of the groups. This differing of opinions and attitudes by the groups could also possibly lead to an overall failure to achieve any of the objectives of the group. The second major problem that I see with this project is demographic diversity. There are such wide and varied demographics in the school district that this project is going to take place. There could be conflicts that one demographic is being favored over another. There could also be problems that stem from this. If one demographic seems to think that another is being favored, then they could cause problems for the overall project and the goals of that project. Retrospective Evaluation The solution for the first problem will be the easiest of the two problems. During the formation of the development group for this project, common goals need to be decided upon by the development team. These goals need to be approved by all of the different entities that have an interest in this project succeeding. There should be one major common goal for the project and all of the groups should agree to this goal. If they cannot agree to a common goal, then there really is no need to go forward with the project. The solution for the second problem is going to be a little harder to solve. I believe that a non-interested third party group should be brought in to oversee the project. This will allow for an impartial representative to make decisions and also to ensure that no one demographic group is being favored more than another. If one groups interests are being pushed and another group see this favoritism, it could lead to problems and thus an overall failure of the project. Therefore, a third party should be placed in charge and there should be no conflicts because they should not favor any one particular group. Reflection The project is all about making things better for the kids of this school district. This could lead to better educational opportunities for all involved within the district. However, there are possible issues that need to be solved for this project to move forward and be a success. If these issues are addressed in the beginning then there should be resolutions and no problems should arise. This will allow a successful project and the enhancement of educational opportunities for the children of the school district.

Indicators of the Effectiveness of Marketing

An important task of marketing research is the evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing activities. Management companies require marketers increasingly rigorous reporting and substantiation of expenses. Tired of the high and steadily increasing marketing costs, executives are naming the following as marketing : failed new products and failed advertising campaigns, too many phone calls and expensive campaign that are created to stimulate sales but fail to do so. Marketing research is partly able to solve the problem of accountability of marketing.Consider the basic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities – a system of performance marketing. Performance indicators of marketing – the criteria by which companies quantify, compare, and interpret the results of its marketing activities. Brand managers are using these indicators, or metrics, program design, and top managers – in the allocation of financial resources. If the ma rketer can show how the money will give the effect of his proposed measures, which means he can no longer justify the allocation of appropriate resources to senior management.Performance indicators can be internal marketing, i. e. , refer to the company's internal environment and external, that is, relate to the external environment of the company. In turn, internal and external indicators are divided into: †¢Current – continuously varying parameters, which require continuous monitoring, and are often carried out with the help of a marketing information system. †¢Final – indicators that are used as marketing the company's goals and evaluated, as a rule, for the quarter, half, or year. Let’s consider the most popular domestic rates. Current domestic rates: †¢defect rate of products degree of knowledge of the company's goals of personnel †¢timeliness of delivery †¢errors in billing †¢inventory turnover It is advisable to keep in mind key indicators that are not directly related to marketing activities. For example, estimating the percentage of defective products and participating in the task to reduce the reject rate, the marketer, thus reducing production costs, which in turn can reduce the price of the product. A price control is one of the essential tasks of the marketer. Timeliness of delivery can improve customer loyalty and forms in their eyes the image of a reliable and punctual company.The degree of knowledge of the objectives of the company allows staff to make the right decisions in complex ambiguous situations. And, most often benefit from such solutions is primarily a consumer. The final internal indices: †¢net profit (income) †¢return on sales †¢margin per unit of output †¢return on assets These figures can be attributed to the financial. The marketer should be aware of the dynamics of their growth or decline. Financial performance could not be more eloquently and accurately desc ribed as the company's activities in general and the marketing department.Of course, to a direct relationship between the magnitude of these parameters and the degree of effectiveness of the marketing department can not, however, the negative trend indicators will clearly indicate the true chosen strategy of the company and, accordingly, a lack of effectiveness of the marketing department. The most popular external indicators include the following. 1. Current external indicators: †¢degree of customer satisfaction †¢the number of complaints †¢the total number of customers †¢loyalty, retention rates †¢intention to buy †¢awareness of the productThe presented figures are difficult to translate into a financial equivalent. How, for example, brings the company's customer loyalty? Therefore, these parameters are estimated separately, according to a specific, produced for a specific company, the system scales. Also, the absolute values are used, for example, to measure the number of complaints or the total number of customers, and the relative values of, for example, the percentage of people who have the intention to purchase goods in the near future. 2. Final external indicators: †¢market share †¢size of the market comparative sales of new products †¢revenue per customer †¢market growth rate In fact, these figures constitute a group of industry and competitive rates. Industry indicators – a measure to assess the state of the industry – its rate of growth or size of the market. It is not possible to measure these indicators. But on the basis of these figures the company can make adjustments to the marketing communications plan or competitive strategy. Competitive rates, for example market share, company can assess its position in the market relative to competitors.Market share – one of the most important indicators of the effectiveness of marketing activities, and the dynamics of its growth has a d irect impact on sales growth. To ensure the maximization of the diversity metric can be done by the special organizational processes and systems. All materials used in the company's internal and external parameters can be represented as a marketing information system. As a source of data for marketing information system companies can use two systems of market valuation, reflecting the company's results and help to learn in advance about the possible impending problems.The evaluation system of consumers includes analysis of the following indicators: †¢percentage of new buyers from the average number of customers †¢percentage of dissatisfied customers of the average number of customers †¢percentage of customers who are able to return, the total number of customers †¢percentage of customers who declare their intention to re-purchase the product †¢percentage of customers who declare their intention to recommend a product to others †¢the average perception o f roduct quality in comparison with the main competitor †¢percentage of consumers who claim that the product is the most preferable in its category The evaluation of people that have interest. Companies need to continuously monitor the mood of the various groups interested in their work, or to affect it: employees, suppliers, banks, distributors, retailers and shareholders. It should also set standards for each group and take action as soon as one or more of them show an increased level of dissatisfaction. ExampleIn each division of the company  «Hewlett-Packard » evaluation system of customers is applied, which includes from 18 to 20 indicators. Some criteria (customer satisfaction and timely delivery) the same for all, while others depend on the specifics of each department. Analysis of these estimates allows company management to assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies, sales and profits and to identify areas in which improvements can achieve greater quantitativ e indicators. 9. 2. Methods for assessing the effectiveness of marketing activitiesEvaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities is very challenging and not always given the opportunity to express the quantitative effect obtained at the expense of marketing activities. Nevertheless, there are many different approaches for addressing this problem, which allows you to select the following classification of methods for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing. Qualitative methods involve the use of marketing audit, during which the comprehensive analysis of environmental organizations, as well as all the threats and opportunities.In this case there are two areas of marketing control: control of marketing results-oriented and marketing audit, i. e. analysis of the qualitative aspects of the organization. Quantitative methods for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing requires comparing the costs of marketing with the resulting gross profit and the cost of advertising to sales , and they characterize the final financial results for the organization. Analysis of the profitability and cost analysis can also be one of the options for the quantitative method of assessing the effectiveness of marketing.In evaluating marketing activities should be the parameters that characterize the activity of a particular business units – sales volumes, the organization of the market share, margin and net profit. The volume of sales (gross sales) is a complex indicator and reflects not only and not the success of efforts to implement the product, but also chosen the right price, and most importantly, how the goods â€Å"fell† in the target group of consumers. Dynamics of sales – an indicator of an organization's position in the market, its shares and trends.It should also be noted that independent place in the analysis of cost structures and evaluating the development potential of the organization is the analysis of break-even point. Break-even volume sh ows how many goods to be sold, that the resulting contribution margin covers all fixed costs. This volume is an indicator of the organization capabilities to maneuver in the market. Sociological methods for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing aimed at using the tools of applied sociology – the development of sociological research program and in accordance with its conduct of the study.In the use of tools of applied sociology also is oriented assessment of the effectiveness of marketing communications (advertising effectiveness, sales Tenths methods for assessing the effectiveness of marketing separating its effectiveness for each activity in compliance with the eligibility criteria of the list of structures and processes of the marketing concept of setting a specific score for each criterion. Nowadays, there is an increasing number of methods to assess the effectiveness of information marketing that are most widely discussed on the Internet.The essence of these methods is that in order to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing programs used by Sales Expert 2, Success, and others, which are software for marketing information systems. In fact, the evaluation of the effectiveness of marketing activities is one of the functions of a marketing information system. All the indicators needed to assess the effectiveness of marketing activities should be incorporated in the marketing information system. Marketer, the user of the system is only necessary to define the algorithm and the method of assessing effectiveness. 9. 3.Performance indicators of marketing – the criteria by which companies quantify, compare, and interpret the results of its marketing activities. Performance indicators can be internal marketing, i. e. , refer to the company's internal environment and external, that is, relate to the external environment of the company. In turn, internal and external indicators are divided into current – which should be continuous monitored and which are often carried out with the help of a marketing information system, and final – indicators that are used as marketing the company's goals and evaluated, usually on the basis of quarter, year.The following methods of evaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities: †¢Qualitative methods involve the use of marketing audit, during which the comprehensive analysis of environmental organizations, as well as all the threats and opportunities. †¢Quantitative methods are used for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing requires comparing the costs of marketing with the resulting gross profit, and advertising costs to sales. †¢Sociological methods – for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing aimed at using the tools of applied sociology – a program of sociological research and in accordance with its conduct of the study. Tenths methods for assessing the effectiveness of marketing â€Å"isolate† its effectiveness for each activ ity in compliance with the eligibility criteria of the list of structures and processes of the marketing concept of setting a specific score for each criterion. The essence of the method of information lies in the fact that the evaluation of the effectiveness of marketing programs used by Sales Expert 2, Success, and others, which are software for marketing information systems.Four tools for monitoring the implementation of the marketing plan. 1. Analysis of the distribution suggests a partition of the total sales data into categories such as products, end users, marketing intermediaries, sales territory, and the size of the order. The purpose of the analysis – to identify strengths and weaknesses of the area, for example, products with the highest and lowest sales, buyers, who account for a large portion of the proceeds, as well as sales agents and territory, demonstrating the highest and lowest quality of work. . Analysis of market share. Sales volume and market share are t he primary functions of a number of determining factors. For consumer goods, these factors include the efficient allocation, the relative price, retain or change the perception of one or more of the essential characteristics of the product to consumers in comparison with competitors' products and product placement on store shelves. 3. Itemized analysis of earnings and expenses.Data on sales – it is certainly not the only relevant information regarding the success of marketing activities. Need to monitor values of gross margin and profit margin, and to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of all marketing expenditure items. 4. Analysis of the ratio of marketing costs and sales volumes. Analysis of the annual plan requires ongoing monitoring to achieve the goals of expenditure. The main management measure is the ratio of marketing costs and sales volumes.

Downsizing Definition Essay

Downsizing occurs when a company permanently reduces its workforce. Corporate downsizing is often the result of poor economic conditions or the company’s need to cut jobs in order to lower costs or maintain profitability. Downsizing may occur when one company merges with another, a product or service is cut, or the economy falters. Downsizing also occurs when employers want to â€Å"streamline† a company – this refers to corporate restructuring in order to increase profit and maximize efficiency. Downsizing results in layoffs that are often followed by other restructuring changes, such as branch closings, departmental consolidation, and other forms of cutting pay expenses. In some cases, employers are not fired, but instead become part-time or temporary workers to trim costs. In a business enterprise, downsizing is reducing the number of employees on the operating payroll. Some users distinguish downsizing from a layoff, with downsizing intended to be a permanent downscaling and a layoff intended to be a temporary downscaling in which employees may later be rehired. Businesses use several techniques in downsizing, including providing incentives to take early retirement and transfer to subsidiary companies, but the most common technique is to simply terminate the employment of a certain number of people. Recentll, country’s largest cell phone company Grameenphone, has embarked on major operational cost-cutting measures that include the downsizing of its manpower in some specific sections of the company. GrameenPhone is the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh. In the midst of lack of communication means, GrameenPhone has introduced an effective and user-friendly mobile phone network. It has put a positive impact on the lifestyle of the people of Bangladesh.It is one of the largest cellular operator in the country. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation. Telenor is the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns 51% shares of Grameenphone. It is amongst the oldest, most sophisticated, and diversified telecom companies in the world. Grameen Telecom itself owns 35% shares, 9.5% shares are held by Marubeni Corporation in japan and the remaining 4.5% shares are held by Gonofone Development Corp in New York. In addition, three leading international financial institutions– the International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank and the Commonwealth Development Corporation — are also shareholders of GrameenPhone. The three organizations each hold three per cent of preferred shares of GrameenPhone. It was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh. It also established the first 24-hour Call Center to support its subscribers. With the slogan Stay Close, stated goal of Grameenphone is to provide affordable telephony to the entire population of Bangladesh. At present around 4800 employees, both permanent and contractual, are working in different sections of the GP. But the sudden decision to downsize its manpower has created panic among most employees of the company that saw substantial rise in its annual profit-earning in recent years. The victims of the latest cost cutting measures are in most cases permanent employees who worked in the sales and services departments. The company has abolished its logistics services in all regional offices and in the case of sales it has reduced the number of posts and declared the remaining post vacant. Interestingly, it has asked all the sales staff either to compete a fresh for the vacant posts or take an attractive ‘exit’ package. Management is saying it is a part of the business alignment process, Through a so called performance evaluation process the company is conducting termination of permanent employee who were meant to be loyal and efficient. Even in many cases employees are being forcefully asked to leave the organization. some of the employees have complained that Grameenphone’s management has threatened them to submit their resignation letter otherwise they will be mentally humiliated as well as downsized at work. From employee source it is found that in many cases the company is violating the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 but the government or the labor law enforcement bureau is not t aking any action. The statistic shows that last year the company profit incensement was almost 205% and the employee of the company was suppose to get a potation of the profit as per the company policy. But it never happened. As Grameenphone’s profit already is in increase as per last year’s report than the company should provide a valid reason of termination of such a large number of employment within a short time. Recently the management have introduces a new system of re-interview within the company to ensure the existing position of the individuals. Management has claimed this process as a part of performance evaluation tool which has made the employee to raise their voice against this injustice. By using such words like ‘Business Alignment’ and ‘Change in structure’ actually the company is terminating the employment of permanent employee who has given his 8 hours of every single day with loyalty to built this organization to this height. Even in some cases the company had forced some of the female employee to attend the interviews during their maternity leave and terminated their employment contract as claiming the employee is less productive for the company which is a direct violation of Bangladesh labor Act 2006. Employees have claimed that the management is not providing any written announcement or instruction but verbally they are asking to leave the organization through phone calls and general meeting. This year the government has announced 11% inflation rate but Grameenphone being a multination company has provided only 0%-5% incensement to it’s employees though it’s quarterly report shows almost 81% increase op profit with is this year. Back in 2009 Almost 1500 permanent employees are asked to leave the organization without any valid reasons but based on performance evaluation process. So how come the number of termination became so high based on performance evaluation process after a certain period of time every year? And how downsizing a large number of senior employees into junior position became ethical practice or business alignment process? As a Norwegian company people had a better expectation from Grameenphone but now it seems to be the reason behind of distraction of hundreds of employee’s career.

Would implementing groupware in our organization be more trouble than Case Study

Would implementing groupware in our organization be more trouble than it would be worth - Case Study Example The complexity of data collection, reporting, and analysis can be averted by the effective implementation of Groupware. Although groupware is intended for individuals to access common data and to empower effective communication, there are certain troubles the implementation of groupware can cause. Groupware is supported by the modern computer network technology which includes email, electronic calendar, chat, electronic meeting systems, video conferencing, and web publishing (Nominal Group Technique). The initial challenge is associated with groupware designing because it is more complex than installing a single user system. Most of the organizations confront with problems related to a proper system design and acquisition. It is an area where entrepreneurs need to hire the assistance of some professionals and vendor experts. In addition, the groupware project manager should have up-to-date technical and professional knowledge because system development and implementation are the significant stages where specialized understanding is needed. Conflicts of interests and employee resistance usually occur when the new system is implemented in a conventional form of organization. For instance, as found in a case study, when two innovations were introduced simultaneously, peer review and groupware, individuals became skeptical of the systems (O’Connor 1999, p. 15). To deal with such situations, organization should make an assessment about the acceptability attitude of the managers, staff and other employees prior to the design and development of the project. Management should keep well designed strategies to educate members on the effective usage of the system for attaining common objectives. However, it is assumed that management will often confront with ‘issues of how to reward a given individual for team outcomes’ (O’Connor 1999, p. 16). Another challenge is

Government and the public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Government and the public - Essay Example This is an attempt to find out how effectively the US constitutional doctrine of keeping the public sphere and state apparatus out of the influence of a particular (often dominant) religion has succeeded. It is argued that the public sphere, state and judiciary in the US have only partially succeeded in keeping dominant religion at an arm’s length. This paper is specifically about the institutional biases that exist in the society in favor of dominant religion even as constitutionally, equality and separation of religion from the state is guaranteed. The separation of church and state has been a subject of interest for many social observers and authors. Wald and Calhoun-Brown (2014) have given a nearly comprehensive account of this conflict in their book titled, Religion and Politics in the United States. The book in its first chapter itself, has articulated that â€Å"religion remains an important political factor in the United States† (Wald and Calhoun-Brown, 2014, p.1). Wald and Calhoun-Brown (2014) further in chapter 4 of their book have given a nuanced account of how tricky the business of dealing with religion can be for state. The different ways of defining the possible conflict areas between church and state, namely, the â€Å"†boundary† problem†, â€Å"†the wall of separation† between church and state† and â€Å"the â€Å"free exercise† controversy† (Wald and Calhoun-Brown, 2014) point towards the grey areas that exist. By citing examples and history of the Unit ed States of America as coming of age as an organized state, Wald and Calhoun-Brown (2014) in this chapter have revealed how the growing democratic and equality based principles of state molded the secular nature of the same. They (Wald and Calhoun-Brown, 2014) also have demonstrated how state as a political entity needed to distance itself from religion so that a coherent nation could come to being. What Wald and Calhoun-Brown (2014) have concluded in this chapter is that

The Effects Of Welfare Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Effects Of Welfare Reform - Essay Example Welfare reform are a great source of assistance for many individuals who are unable to earn their living for any of reason and depends on the social welfare programs to get their share of livelihood. This dependence on the welfare programs may be attributed to their some physical or mental disability, natural calamity or age factor. The large number of dependents in our society requires a comprehensive mechanism to address the issues pertaining to their requirements and needs. Additionally, some other facets of the society who require some economic enabling assistance may get the benefits of the reforms. Taxpayers are also the legitimate beneficiaries of the system. The social response to these needs shapes into the welfare systems arranged, managed and run by individuals, state, social security groups and societies, state owned welfare schemes like Medicaid and Medicare or similar services. Welfare of these needy and dependants is not a simple task, enormous spending are required to keep these programs running and a huge managerial effort is required address the issue in a befitting manner. Moreover the coordination among various social welfare programs and scheme is of core importance to avoid wastage of hard generated resources. More recently there is an increased awareness among masses to ensure that their contributions in these social welfare programs are used purposefully for the wellbeing of the targeted populations.

Leadership & HR (Succession) (mod 3) case Essay

Leadership & HR (Succession) (mod 3) case - Essay Example The selection of the new CEO may be from the options available to the Board of Directors which is either internal or external to the organization. However, the success of the succession to the position of CEO is influenced by several social and psychological factors. These concepts of CEO succession and leadership are also applicable for Apple Inc when the CEO succession to Steve Jobs occurred with the appointment of Tim Cook as the new CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook is a US business executive who has been appointed as the CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook spent his childhood in Robertsdale in Alabama. His father was a worker in the US shipyard while his mother used to work at a pharmacy. After graduating from Robertsdale High School, Cook went on to complete B.S in Industrial Engineering and then post-graduated as Master of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Management in 1988. Before joining Apple in 1998, Tim Cook worked in the business of personal computers of IBM where he also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the reseller department of Intelligent Electronics in the later stages. He also worked in Compaq for a short stint of six months. Since 1998, Tim Cook held important positions in the post of senior vice-president for worldwide operations. In his path of advancement to the post of CEO, Tim Cook has worked as Executive Vice President in the department of worldwide sales of the company. Tim Cook was then appointed as the Chief Operating Officer before he was finally appointed as the CEO of the company in the year of 2011. Tim Cook joined Apple Inc. in 1998 when the company started to transform itself into an electronics and software giant under the inspirational leadership and passion of Steve Jobs. Time Cook who already had a long stint with IBM in the personal computers section had rich experience of running the worldwide operations of a

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

Strategic Management - Essay Example This paper discusses the relevance of strategic management and its implications particularly to the hospitality industry. Strategic management is the process of specifying an organizations objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and allocating resources so as to implement the plans. It is the highest level of managerial activity, usually performed by the companys top leaders particularly the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and executive team. It provides an overall direction to the whole organization. An organization’s strategy must be best suited for its resources, circumstances, and to achieve its objectives. The process involves matching the companys strategic advantages to the business environment the organization faces. One aim of an overall corporate strategy is to put the organization into a position to carry out its mission effectively and efficiently. A good corporate strategy should integrate an organization’s goals, policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole (Wikipedia, 2006). â€Å"There are a few major forces driving change in the remote and immediate environments of the organization. These forces are often referred to as trends, create opportunities and pose threats to the firm. They shape and force change in both predictable and unpredictable patterns. Hence the success often comes from the choice of competitive methods used by the firm to take advantage of the threats and opportunities in the business environment. These methods should also provide the firm with sustainable competitive advantage. Above all the most important area of management in an organization is the effective and efficient allocation of the firm’s resources.† (Olsen, et al. 1998). Corporate strategy can be described as an organizations sense of purpose - a guiding purpose or policy, a focus/mission statement, even a philosophy,

One page sammary Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

One page sammary Quality - Essay Example Customer Focus - This category deals with how the organization captures and holds on to its customers for long-term success. The strategies for this category include how the organization creates a customer-focused environment, and how the organization listens to the needs of their customers. Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management - The focus of this category is how the organization selects, gathers, analyzes, manages, and improves upon its current data and information. It also delves into how an organization implements reviews into their practices to improve its performances. Workforce Focus - The purpose of this category is to examine how the organization develops the workforce to make use of its full potential in regard to the overall mission and strategy of the organization. The goal is to have a workforce environment that is working on its highest performance. Process Management - This category looks at how the organization designs its work systems and how it manages and improves the key processes for executing these work systems to benefit customer value and to obtain organizational success. Results - This category looks at every aspect of the organization’s performance and improvement, from product outcomes and customer-focused outcomes, to financial and workforce-focused outcomes. Performance levels are taken into consideration and examined in regard to those of

Essay on Machiavellis The Prince Essay Example for Free

Essay on Machiavellis The Prince Essay Since the beginning of civilization man has continually been faced with the complexity of creating a peaceful and unified existence for all, without resistance or violence. People have been trying to develop a system of how to rule effectively while acting ethically and morally to avoid chaos and destruction. However, as history has shown us this has not been an easy endeavor and very few rulers have been able to accomplish this. This leads us to a question that is in dispute: Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa? (Machiavelli, 51) An effective ruler would be one that relies upon fear without hatred, rather than love, as described by Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince. In a perfect world all people would be good-hearted, all would treat each other equally, and all would follow and respect the rules of society. Machiavelli points out that people tend to focus how the world should be rather than how it is. Let us leave to one side, then, all discussion of imaginary rulers and talk about practical realities. (Machiavelli, 48) It is easier to complain about problems and society than it is to become a leader and produce positive change. All individuals have different perceptions of what it takes to keep order in a world where not all is good and not everyone gets along. It is easy for one to discuss ideals of how things ought to be, and to use reality to form a dream of something different that we believe would be better than the current state of affairs. Dreams though can not be actualized without action, and all the discussion in the world will accomplish nothing if everyone sits idly by. We all want peace, and in order to have peace there must be structure and in order to have structure you must have an effective leader that you trust to design the framework of how things will work. Ideally all would want a leader that is trustworthy, just, intelligent, compassionate, giving, and loyal to the people while at the same time having the ability to protect society from harm. Now I know everyone will agree that if a ruler could have all the good qualities I have listed and none of the bad ones, then this would be an excellent state of affairs. But one can not have all the good qualities, nor always act in a praiseworthy fashion, for we do not live in an ideal world. (Machiavelli, 48) Unfortunately in reality we can not have a leader that stands on a platform of extreme love or extreme hatred, if we expect to  remain safe and unharmed from the rest of the world. You need someone that is tough, and has the ability to enforce and maintain order upon people who are not always good and reliable, people who are selfish and have their own interests above all else. In reality people do not act responsibly out of love and consideration for others, but of fear what will happen if they do not act accordingly. It is important to keep in mind that to be feared is different than being hated. But fear restrains men because they are afraid of punishment, and this fear never leaves them. Still, a ruler should make himself feared in such a way that, if he does not inspire love, at least he does not provoke hatred. For it is perfectly possible to be feared and not hated. (Machiavelli, 52) If there were no consequences for bad behavior, people would have no reason to act any differently. It is not that punishment in itself creates hatred, but it is how the people are punished that will determine the fear or the hatred they have for their ruler. For example if one is caught stealing and then punished by having to serve some time in jail, that would cause them to fear you and to abide by the law. On the other hand if the punishment were death it would cause the people to hate the ruler for being so un-just and immoral. When a ruler becomes hated they lose all respect and control over the people, for they will reach a point that they can no longer endure the cruelty and rise against you. Indeed, one of the most effective defenses a ruler has against conspiracies is to make sure he is not generally hated. For conspirators always believe the assassination of the ruler will be approved by the people. (Machiavelli, 57) When people feel as they have been oppressed and abused for to long they will revolt and not think twice about getting rid of the ruler they are discontented with. For once the people have become determined to over throw their ruler, they have already lost all faith and feel there is nothing else to lose whether they are successful or not. It is not enough for a Ruler to be strictly feared, but to also appear to have some compassion and respect for the people that he oversees. It is imperative that an effective ruler is one that can balance fear, goodness, authority, respect, and compassion if he wishes to maintain harmonious  control. So it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge. (Machiavelli, 48) The point Machiavelli makes here is that it is not enough to be completely good or completely evil, but to know when to do bad things in order to create good. Power is ultimately based on violence, and sometimes in order to preserve sovereignty and authoritative command, a ruler must engage in what society deems as immoral acts such as lying, betrayal, and even murder. So the conclusion is: If you take control of a state, you should make a list of all the crimes you have to commit and do them all at once. That way you will not have to commit new atrocities every day, and you will be able, by not repeating your evil deeds, to reassure your subjects and to win their support by treating them well. He, who acts otherwise, either out of squeamishness or out of bad judgment, has to hold a bloody knife in his hand all the time. A hated, thus unsuccessful ruler would be one that would not know his limits, and continue to use violence to obtain desired results. A wise ruler would be one who could look ahead and see when it is necessary to do harm so that he can know exactly what needs to be done, how to do it, and when to do it. Most importantly the ruler must have the ability to stop once what he has set out to do is accomplished. Violence and evil doing must be used sparingly to prevent the populous from hating you. A powerful leader needs the ability to equally rely upon intelligence and brute force, he must be able to discern when to use the different characteristics and be able to step into the role of either the lion or the fox at any moment. Since a ruler, then, needs to know how to make good use of beastly qualities, he should take as his models among the animals both the fox and the lion, for the lion does not know how to avoid traps, and the fox is easily overpowered by wolves. So you must be a fox when it comes to suspecting a trap and a lion when it comes to making the wolves turn tail. (Machiavelli, 54) Machiavelli is referring to the symbolism of the lion over the monarch power in England. The lion represented courage, strength, and  leadership; it was seen as being the dominant animal that could wipe out smaller animals. A fox on the other hand is timid, reserved, and clever; it thinks before it acts. There are only two ways to obtain power, either lawfully or un-lawfully. To do it lawfully is to be considered human and to do it un-lawfully by inciting violence is to be considered animalistic, so when stepping outside the law a ruler must choose whether to be lion and exercise brute force or to be the fox and exercise the mind. Nevertheless, you should be careful how you assess the situation and should think twice before you act. Do not be afraid of your own shadow. Employ policies that are moderated by prudence and sympathy. Avoid excessive self-confidence, which leads to carelessness, and avoid excessive timidity, which will make you insupportable. Machiavelli is reinforcing the significance of a ruler to have the ability to know when to act like a man and when to act like an animal. A feared but not hated ruler is one that does not act upon impulse but carefully calculates his moves in order to do what is necessary for the people, even if it means acting outside of the law. This essay began with the notion that if one wishes to be a successful ruler he or she must induce fear among the people to gain their respect as opposed to loving and being loved. How a ruler treats the people and how the people treat the ruler is the determining factor of how successful society will be. We have to look at the relationship between the people and the ruler as we would the relationship between a child and a parent. To be an effective parent you can not inflict harm upon your child, but you can inflict fear by imposing consequences to their negative behavior. If a child does something wrong we do not physically abuse him or her, but make them sit in time out or perhaps take away a privilege like playing video games. The child may be upset with you for a short time, but will not hate you and will respect your authority enough to abide by the rules in the future. On the other hand though, if you play the role of the best friend and consequences for negative behavior are non-existent then the child will go about doing what they please without regard for anyone else. Once the child realizes that he  or she will not be punished they have the ability to over power the parent. Religion also uses fear in order to enhance positive behavior and love among the people. No matter which religion one chooses to believe, he or she does not always willingly act with morals and ethics because in their heart they believe its right, but do so because they fear what will happen to their soul if they dont. People fear negative consequences whether it is timeout, prison, or even hell and will most always act how they are told in order to avoid such punishments. Ruling with fear to create stability and harmony can be used in many everyday situations whether running the country, the household, the office, or the church. Bibliography Wootton, David, ed. The Prince. Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.

Skodas Marketing Turn Around

Skodas Marketing Turn Around How did Skoda manage this major turnaround in the public perception of the company? Analyse the changes that have taken place [55 marks]. In your analysis, you should use knowledge of management strategies and approaches that you have gained from the module or further study [40 marks]. Please make sure that you give clear and complete references to the sources of any of the concepts or information on the company that you include. In the early 1990s Skoda was a struggling company, faced with a shortage of skilled labour, low productivity, high debts and low sales (North, 2009). Skoda was producing out-dated and unreliable cars, causing its brand to be synonymous with unreliability. VW turned around its fortunes with changes in technology, management practice and marketing. Key to its product offering was the utilisation of VWs common platform approach, another cornerstone was the recognition that the brand required a complete overhaul. Skoda is now a successful part of the VW Company and for the large part has seen strong sales and profit. More recently, tough market conditions have made business difficult with most competitors suffering. Skoda however, has found itself in a stronger position than many; an astonishing achievement considering its poor market position only 20 years ago. Skodas roots are based in early 19th Century Czechoslovakia when Và ¡clav Laurin  and Và ¡clav Klement began to produce their own bicycles. This progressed quickly to motorcycles and eventually automobiles in 1905. It was not until the 1920s when Laurin and Klement became partners with Skoda Works, the conglomerate arms manufacturer and the origin of the enduring name. After the global depression in the early 1930s, Skoda successfully exported models such as the Popular until the break out of World War 2 and the German occupation. During this time the Nazi occupation directed industry efforts towards arms and munitions and hence production in this period sharply fell. Post World War 2, Czechoslovakia fell behind the iron curtain and became part of the centrally planned communist soviet government. Designs were overhauled and updated models were still being developed through until the 1960s. However, at this point western technological advancements overtook that of Skoda and the i nherent inefficiency within the centrally planned economy began to take an effect. Towards the end of the communist regime Skoda were still producing models based on those from the 60s and subsequently became the basis of ridicule for poor reliability and quality (North, 2009). This is essentially the basis of the tarnished brand that had to be rebuilt in order to achieve its current position in the market. Skoda was producing cars that were poor compared to its competition and using technology that was hopelessly out of date (Edmondson, 2007). Ailing Skoda was bought by VW and began to turn Skoda around, largely by integrating it into its own highly successful business model the part and eventual complete sale by the Czechoslovakian government to VW represented an innovation in government foreign business policy (Lengyel Cadil, 2009). In order to compete in western markets in which capacity for cars exceeded demand resulting in a buyers market. In order to survive from competition, it needed to assess its product offering and brand image in the pursuit of market perceived value. In order to address Skodas issues VW re-aligned Company objectives to produce a quality value car and a strong brand image. In order to increase the efficiency and quality of the Skoda production, VW began to train employees in its management methods. Management across different businesses require consideration for organisational culture especially when working within an international setting (Naylor, 2004 pg120-121). The VW management had to deal with differences in business culture. Initially VW training did not improve the productivity of the Czech production plants, as the Czech engineers had adopted a very flexible improvisatory way of working. VW employed strict control on methods and made use lean production methods such as the just in time (JIT) management. Although it is generally more efficient and cost effective (Naylor, 2004, pg 510-511), JIT can involve short delays or pauses whilst waiting for the correct parts to arrive to maintain quality. This contrasted with the Skoda improvisatory style of working. VW took on more of a Human relations approach to its management, and by understanding and respecting Skodas business culture it was able to break down inflexible aspects of the old Skoda culture whilst working with other parts such as their vast and varied experience in order to bring about successful change. The management adapted their management style from a very directive role to include aspects of behaviour in order to deal with the cultural differences and more effectively manage the new workforce (Naylor, 2004 pg 10-11). The management also introduced novel methods to achieve Total Quality Management (TQM), this reduces the number of errors on the production by making everyone responsible for quality control as opposed to only checking for faults at the final stage of the production line and therefore increasing productivity (Naylor, 2004 pg 510-511). To achieve this VW introduced the Red Button which halted the production line when a fault was spotted by a member of staff. This introduction encouraged personal responsibility for fault checking. The knowledge that anyone could halt the assembly line and highlight individual errors combined with the fact that more errors were spotted and corrected before reaching the end of the assembly line resulted in less errors reducing the number of defects. After making changes to the management and workforce to deal with VWs culture, VW began to work with Skoda on its new vehicles, based on the VW common platform approach. The common platform approach allowed many cars to share the structure. This allowed Skoda to immediately take advantage of the latest advancements of VW technology, massively reducing the cost required to produce a new model. The common platform approach allows for innovation at the visible customer-facing parts of the vehicle. Creating a flexible management and employing VWs methodology worked well for Skoda. The result was the creation of cars which were as if not more reliable than VW badged counterparts. The Octavia beat its VW counterpart the Golf in endurance tests (North, 2009). The result of combining VW management and technology with Skoda know-how had resulted in cars that were more reliable than VW was producing on its own. Skoda now produces quality vehicles winning awards across Europe and the world (appendix 2.) including Car of the Year in India 2009 (Skoda, 2009). This high quality production also resulted in high customer satisfaction scoring Skoda highly in independent customer satisfaction surveys. In the 2007 European consumer satisfaction and quality studies, it ranked top ten in France and Germany and in Britain ranked 2nd (Edmondson, 2007). From internal customer research Skoda discovered that 98% of its customers would recommend Skoda to a friend (The Times Online). From the outset and throughout the introduction of the new VW based Skoda models, the branding of Skoda was overhauled. From the outset It was clear initially that Skodas brand was poor in most of Europe, Skoda was associated with cheap poor quality and unreliability and VW spend a large amount of money to Decontaminate the brand image adverts admitted flaws of the past 548 changes and Its a Skoda honest (North, 2009). In 2006 Skoda reviewed its market position and conducted a SWOT analysis. It was clear that the brand was still within a Niche Market an assessment of its brand suggested that although Skoda had been successful at disassociating itself with low-budget and low quality it still had a weak and neutral image compared with its competitors. (The Times Online) It was also clear that Skoda owners were happy about owning a Skoda and. Skoda decided once again to reposition its brand to gain market share in the mainstream car market. Skoda responded with a new marketing strategy, again leaving behind its successful brand defensive tactics. Its new market strategy was based around the happiness of its owners as shown in satisfaction surveys with the confident slogan the manufacturer of happy drivers. Promotion centred on this emotional draw with adverts such as the Cake during the advert the actual car is not shown at any point (The Times Online) This flexible management, commitment to quality and brand recognition gave Skoda the over-haul it needed. Since VWs take 20 years ago, Skoda sales have quadrupled to 650,000 cars and are responsible for 25% of VWs profits. Skoda product positioning was competing with other upmarket brands such as VW and Audi not only on price but also on quality (North, 2009). Skodas success followed the introduction of the Octavia and the Fabia, these were based on VW platforms this allowed the underlying chassis to be based on underlying modern, tried and tested technology. The Octavia beat its upmarket rival the Golf in endurance tests proving that management organisational and cultural changes at Skoda had allowed for the culmination of VW management and Skoda experience had produced a product even better than VW alone. In 2005 Skoda moved to diversify its brand by expanding its range into new and growth markets segments such as MPVs and SUVs allowing it to diversify and increase the size of its target market these also sold well. Similarities with Skoda can be found in Rover. Rover founded in 1877was nationalised in 1970 caused by labour strikes and financial difficulties. It was then privatised and passed around to various parent companies. Its issues with an out-dated and un-reliable product, with poor brand image and financial instabilities were never resolved and resulted in MG Rover declaring bankruptcy in 2004. Skoda was a struggling company, turned around by VW. Key to its success were VWs management strategies combining directive and organisation approach to management VW was able to aid Skoda in producing a competitive product and a strong brand image. Skoda is poised for future growth within both western and emerging markets (Edmondson, 2007). Bibliography (n.d.). Retrieved 03 1, 2011, from The Times Online: http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/skoda/skoda_13_full.pdf Edmondson, G. (2007). Skoda: Volkswagens Hot Growth Engine. Bloombery Businessweek, sep 14 2007. Lengyel, B., Cadil, V. (2009). Innovation Policy Challenges in Transition Countries: Foreign Business RD in the Czech Republic and Hungary. HUMAN CAPITAL, INNOVATION, KNOWLEDGE, Volume 16, Number 1, 174-188. Naylor, J. (2004). Management Second Edition. Prentice Hall. North, P. (2009). The Rise of Skoda . Engineering Automotive, pg 25-26. Skoda. (2009). Skoda Annual Report . Appendix 1. Laurin Klement is the original brand name used by the founders of the bicylcle company they started in 1895 which became Skoda, named after the company founders Và ¡clav Laurin and Và ¡clav Klement. As at the end of 2009, Ã…Â  koda Auto Groups worldwide workforce comprised 26,153 employees including 1,986 temporary employees and 1,336 people employed by subsidiaries of Skoda Auto Group. In 2009 Skoda Auto Groups injury rate was 1.6 injuries per one million hours worked. In 2008 Skoda Auto Group achieved 200,182 million CZK from sales and 10,818 million CZK in profit after tax. In 2009 Skoda Auto Group achieved 187,858 million CZK from sales and 3,462 million CZK in profit after tax Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Skoda, Seat and Scania are all part of the Volkswagen group. Source: Skoda Annual Report, 2009

Transformations Of Modern Society Sociology Essay

Transformations Of Modern Society Sociology Essay Modernity is a period of time within the world that started for many around the seventeenth century. It was accentuated by the shift from a move from a feudal system to a system we know as capitalism and the nation state which gained influence throughout the known world. There was a shift in focus from agricultural work and employment to Industrial and town based focus. Many commentators have looked at modernity and what was meant by modernity. This report focuses on modernity from the perspective of Gliddens, his opinion of what its key institutional factors were and those of globalisation. For Giddens modernity as a simple explanation is, ways of life for groups of people which emerged in Europe from about the seventeenth century onwards. This consequently, moved on and became a way of life around the world. Thus modernity is located within a specific time period and a starting geographical position, the features of modernity can be explored later. (Giddens, 1990, p. 1) Modernity changed the way people around the world were connected to each other, this in turn had a profound effect on the personal level. On the one hand modernity gave people the more chances to live a more rewarding life, yet the dangers that came with that were greater in Giddens opinion. He states, modernity was a double edged sword of security versus danger and trust versus risk, this is seen in the fact that more people died in the wars of the twentieth century than in the previous two centuries even if you allow for the increase in population over this period (Giddens, 1990, p. 7). The move from agrarian based production to the industralised production that catered not only for local but international markets produced more varitey of products. However, at the same time human labour power became commercialised. Capitalism became the way of life not only in modernitys economic system but all its other institutions. Giddens, 1990, p.11 explains this as, the social order of modern ity is capatilistic both in its economic structures and other institutions. This created a cycle of investment profit investment meaning profits declined and meant a need for a continual expansion of the system. However for marx though the modern eras rapidly changing characteristics were not derived from a capitalist order but an industrial order, one characterised through the harnessing production to human needs throughthe industrial exploitation of nature (Morrison, 2006, p. 78) Having looked at modernity it is briefly time to explore what Giddens calls the key features of modernity these are , the separation of time and space, disembedding mechanisms and the reflexive appropriation of knowledge (Giddens, 1990, p. 53). These three features were interconnected and could be found in all. So for giddens modernity had multiple layers especially on the institutional level, the introduction of a world clock and time zones along with a move from gregorian to julien calendar gave us uniformity the world over. Here we will look at the next focus of Giddens in terms of modernity, mainly this will explore his perspective on the institutional dimensions of modernity. The four institutional dimensions Giddens 1990 identifies are, Capatilism; industrialism; military power and surveilance(p.59). The first instituional dimension Giddens 1990 deals with is capatalism, capitalism is the making of useful items based around those who have the means of production and those who have no such capital and sell their labour, this creates the axis of a class system. This system requires good to be made for competitive market with price being a guide for buyers, sellers,investors and producers of goods alike. The second institutional dimension Giddens identifies is industrialism, Giddens 1990 sees Industrialism not necessarily as the move to big factories using machines and electricity and or steam power but something more. For Giddens it affects every day life not only the work place but, how we interact with each other and how we travel. It also impacts on the home and leisure life of all individuals. Capitalism and industrialism may be two distinct dimensions but they are inter-related for Giddens, they are in fact so closely linked distinguishing the two from each other is difficult. The third institution dimension explored by Giddens is that of surveilance, this he explains is the role the nation state a phenomenon seen in all modern societies in one form or another exercises control and social regulation. Giddens 1990 sees the administrative system of nation states having coordinated control over areas of territory it has gained, no pre-modern state were able to achieve this level of administrative control. Giddens 1990 (p.58) is directly interested, in the supervision of the activities of a population, this can be directly as Foucault discusses through prison or education systems, or more directly in the way information is controlled. The last institutional dimesion that Giddens identifies is that of military power. For Giddens 1990 the nation state and modern societies are unique in the fact that it was able not only able to create the means for war in weaponary and machines but also had the support of the millitary, in most pre-modern societies the central political figure had to make alliances with princes warlords clan chiefs to gain their support. He also points out how, industralism permeating both the organisation of the military and the weaponary at their disposal. The industralisation of war radically changes the character of warfare, ushering in an era of total war and a nuclear age (Giddens, 1990, p. 58). This point is highlighted in (Hopkins, Evans, Norton-Taylor, 2012) Senior military officers and ministry officials have taken up more than 3,500 positions in arms companies over the last 16 years. So for giddens all four Intstitutional dimensions of modernity were interconnected with each other and c an not be seperated from one another. Lastly we will explore what Giddens means by the term Globalisation, Giddens 1990 (p.64) defines globalisation as, the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happening are shaped by events occurring many miles away. As a definition of globalisation this is one of the better ones available. However, the definition of globalisation by Trevellion 1997 in (Lyons, 2006, p. p.122) that globalisation has both subjective and objective meanings, to embrace both the objective social, economic and technological changes associated with the dismantling of national and regional barriers to trade and communications and the subjective shifts in conciousness associated with the growth of global concerns and global sensibilities. What trevillion is arguing is that globalisation through social, economic and technology changes have made it easier to trade and talk to anyone in the world, but at the same time issues like global warming and chi ld poverty have become a worldwide not just localised concerns any longer. For Giddens there are four dimensions that create globalisation similar to his ideas on modernity. Giddens 1990 (71) shows us that, the nation state, world capitalist economy, world military order, international division of labour. He claims that the chief form of production is economic enterprise and this has definite class related issues. Each state develops a local and world economic policy which involves regulating the economic activity. But the administrative organisation of these states means that they are able to separate the economic from the political. The second dimension for Giddens is world military power. For Giddens trans national companies may have more economic power than certain nations and are able to use this economic power to influence political issues to their favour, however they do not control the means of violence or territory that states do. Most states have either total or majority control for the means of violence within their state. Trans national companies can accumulate all sorts of economic power but, they are not military organisations (Giddens, 1990, p. 71). The other area that occupies Giddens 1990 (p.72) in terms of globalisation is the international division of labour. He claims that, nation states are the main drivers in global politics whilst trans national companies(businesses) are the major players in the world economy. This is especially true when looking at how they trade with other companies, states and individuals. Manafacturing banking and other financial institutions depend on production for profit. Which is why the influence they carry brings the worldwide extension of commodity and financial markets. However, even from its beginnings the world capitalist economy was not just about the trade of goods and services. It involved and involves still the commodification of labour power, this seperates the workers from control of their means of production. This of course has consequences and means class divisions widen and global inequalities become more pronounced. So in summary we are now all more connected especially through the use of global media and the world wide web. We are aware of things happening in other countries yet at the same time we may feel the effects of those things. The recession and possible collapse of Greeces, spains and portugals to name a few economies will have an effect in the united Kingdom and other places around the world who trade with these countries. We have explored Giddens perspective on modernity and the institutional dimensions that are present, before looking at Giddens Views on globalisation and the institutional dimensions of globalisation. Modernity in Giddens eyes is denoted by the move from agrarian community to industrialisation based in the city, with the move to a world time system and time zones and a world calendar. The key instutionial dimensions identified by Giddens were, capitalism, industralism, military power and surveilance each were interconnected. Finally we looked at Giddens views on globalisation and the institutional dimension found within it not suprisingly the institutional dimensions to globalisation are nearly identical to those of modernity. What he pinpointed within globalisation is that inequalities that were already present have not only persisted but expanded and can be found globally.

Ayn Rand Anthem Paper :: essays papers

Ayn Rand Anthem Paper When born into the world, you are sheltered and nourished. When the appropriate age is reached you begin your schooling. Once your education is complete you are employed and work with complete security in your trade. At forty years of age you retire and spend the rest of your days with your peers, with everything requested provided for you. That is as long as you learn at the same pace as everyone else. If you're too bright you will be punished. And as long as you don't ask too many questions, the overly inquisitive are beaten. As long as you don't care who you are told to sleep with, because we know who your genes are most compatible with. And as long as you don't believe you are any different or any better than anyone else is, because that will cost you your life. You aren't granted a name or an identity or a soul. There are no individuals; there is only the collective. This is the world of Anthem. Ayn Rand composes Anthem in an almost lyrical fashion and the majority of the text embraces poetry more faithfully than it does prose. This does little to affect the storytelling, but it encourages the reader to view the novella as an extended poem which detracts from the seriousness of the piece. Rand presents her tale of a man who dares to make individual choices, to seek knowledge in a dark age, to love the woman of his choice. In a society in which people have no names, no independence, and no values, he is hunted for the unpardonable crime: having the courage to stand above the crowd. Rand's own beliefs and her philosophy are most obviously seen through the protagonist, Equality's, struggles. By having us bear witness to this oppression, her opinion on the detrimental effects of collectivism is projected to us. The world described in Anthem is a primitive one, although it is set in the future. All technological development has been lost, because "What is not done collectively cannot be good," and, "What is not thought by all men cannot be true." (p.81) In this collectivist society, the individual has been lost to assimilation, and all creativity is suppressed. In spite of all of this, Equality has always been different; in the world in which he lives, this is a terrible sin.

Anti-kickback Implications of a Retail Medical Center (RMC) Essay

During the last two decades the health delivery system has been revolutionized. Many patients no longer visit the traditional medical facility system but choose to visit RMCs to receive limited medical care. The new phenomena are known as RMCs and are a new delivery service for health-care services. As far back as 1995, Newt Gingrich predicted that patients would â€Å"go to Canada or Wal-Mart.† For example, retail medical clinics appear in pharmacies, grocery stores, and big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, offering basic health care services. Furthermore, retail stores have joined in the health-care fray in an effort to increase sales in the retail stores either through increased pharmacy sales or as an increased traffic in other areas of the stores. By establishing the medical clinics in retails stores, it allows the patient to experience more efficiency with the delivery of medical services. For example, when I have cold or flu symptoms, I make a quick trip to the ret ail clinic and see the Nurse Practitioner within fifteen minutes rather than spending hour visiting the traditional clinic in the Houston Medical Center. Patients could spend an hour or two in visiting the traditional doctor while a trip to the retail medical clinic could spend as little as fifteen minutes waiting for their appointment. Additionally, during the time that the patient is visiting the retail medical clinic, the one could shop for other items within the store such as groceries or soft goods thus increasing the efficiency of medical visits. In some cases, the retail centers are even providing an electronic device to notify the patient when the medical representative is available to see the patient. Facts: Ready Clinic (â€Å"The Company†) will create a... ...f the anti-kickback statute. First, a requestor may not use a hypothetical situation as the basis of their advisory opinion; therefore, Ready Care must indicate that the coupon practice will be a practice that they seek to put in place. Seeking an advisory opinion should be used judiciously, as the process is quite lengthy and may be very expensive due to the legal costs. The company’s operations could be exposed to more scrutiny by their request for a ruling. Furthermore, a ruling should not be sought where the law is unambiguous. In the case of the coupon, the law does not appear to be ambiguous. Additionally, although the OIG has stated that the fact that an advisory opinion does not qualify for a safe harbor or receive a favorable treatment by the OIG, a negative ruling does not indicate that the anti-kickback statute has been violated. Anti-kickback Implications of a Retail Medical Center (RMC) Essay During the last two decades the health delivery system has been revolutionized. Many patients no longer visit the traditional medical facility system but choose to visit RMCs to receive limited medical care. The new phenomena are known as RMCs and are a new delivery service for health-care services. As far back as 1995, Newt Gingrich predicted that patients would â€Å"go to Canada or Wal-Mart.† For example, retail medical clinics appear in pharmacies, grocery stores, and big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, offering basic health care services. Furthermore, retail stores have joined in the health-care fray in an effort to increase sales in the retail stores either through increased pharmacy sales or as an increased traffic in other areas of the stores. By establishing the medical clinics in retails stores, it allows the patient to experience more efficiency with the delivery of medical services. For example, when I have cold or flu symptoms, I make a quick trip to the ret ail clinic and see the Nurse Practitioner within fifteen minutes rather than spending hour visiting the traditional clinic in the Houston Medical Center. Patients could spend an hour or two in visiting the traditional doctor while a trip to the retail medical clinic could spend as little as fifteen minutes waiting for their appointment. Additionally, during the time that the patient is visiting the retail medical clinic, the one could shop for other items within the store such as groceries or soft goods thus increasing the efficiency of medical visits. In some cases, the retail centers are even providing an electronic device to notify the patient when the medical representative is available to see the patient. Facts: Ready Clinic (â€Å"The Company†) will create a... ...f the anti-kickback statute. First, a requestor may not use a hypothetical situation as the basis of their advisory opinion; therefore, Ready Care must indicate that the coupon practice will be a practice that they seek to put in place. Seeking an advisory opinion should be used judiciously, as the process is quite lengthy and may be very expensive due to the legal costs. The company’s operations could be exposed to more scrutiny by their request for a ruling. Furthermore, a ruling should not be sought where the law is unambiguous. In the case of the coupon, the law does not appear to be ambiguous. Additionally, although the OIG has stated that the fact that an advisory opinion does not qualify for a safe harbor or receive a favorable treatment by the OIG, a negative ruling does not indicate that the anti-kickback statute has been violated.

Gender Speech Community Essay

Abstract This research paper will focus on the human language. Human language is extremely significant for all peoples. My main topic for this paper is how we use and develop language, the production of language, language acquisition and the importance of the critical period. Chomsky, Skinner, and Whorf all had various theories on language but all had one major thing in common, which was the significance of language. Regardless of when or how language is developed; it is essential to have living in environment where every one using language to talk, learn and receive knowledge. The Ways in Which People Use and Develop Language and The Effects it May Have on a Person If a person does not develop oral language this will affect the way in which people communicate with other people. From birth throughout their lives time people are taught the uses of language and create a way of communication. Language is the main component for all humans. â€Å"The use of language-the communication of information through symbols arranged according to systematic rules-is a central cognitive ability, one that is indispensable for us to communicate with one another† (Stapel & Semin, 2007; Hoff; 2008; Resiberg). Language is essential to how we communicate, think, and understand the world. Without language our ability to convey information, obtain knowledge and cooperate with others would be hindered. This paper looks at Chomsky, Benjamin Lee Whorf and B.J. Skinners theories on language acquisition and why language it is so important to have and what could happen to a person if he/she were isolated from society. In order to comprehend how language is created and relates to thought, we first need to know that the basic structure of language is grammar. Grammar is a set of rules that clarifies how our thoughts can be articulated. There are three main elements that go with grammar; they are phonology, syntax, and semantics. Phonology is the study of the smallest unit of speech called phonemes. Phonemes are the way we use sounds to form words and produce meaning. Syntax deals with how words and phrases can be united to form sentences and semantic rules allow us to express meanings to words. Feldman, Robert S. (2011). Although many people may have a hard time explaining the meanings of these words, we all subconsciously use grammar every day in a linguistic way! Language starts during infancy from three months through one-year- old. Children begin to make insignificant speech like sounds that is called babble. In the textbook Feldman, Robert S. (2011) stated that while babbling, they produce, at one time or another, any of the sounds found in all languages, not just the one to which are exposed. Even deaf children demonstrate their own form of babbling, who are incapable to hear, yet who are exposed to sign language from birth babble in their own way. In the same textbook I stated before Feldman, Robert S. (2011); indicates that babies’ babbling imitates the precise language being spoken in the infant’s environment which focuses more on the pitch and tone of the person talking to the child. As the baby gets older, he or she starts to specialize in the language that they were exposed to from birth. To support what I am saying I read an article called Language and Brain Development â€Å"Jump Start† copyright United Feature Syndicate stated that â€Å"a child is introduced to language virtually at the moment of birth. Children do not require explicit language instruction, but they do need exposure to language in order to develop normally. Children who do not receive linguistic input during their formative years do not achieve native like grammatical competence.† There were three theorists that had their own speculation on language acquisition but intertwined with my thesis. Let us begin with Noam Chomsky. Chomsky was a very well- known linguist. He believes that human brains have a language acquisition device that we are inborn with. All children are born with a universal grammar that makes them amenable to the common features of language because of this hard-wired background in grammar; children easily pick up a language when they are exposed to its particular grammar. Http://www.brighthubeducation.com/language-learning-tips/71728-noam-chomsky-language-acquisition-theories/. Basically Chomsky believed that all children develop language around the same age and all develop language skills rapidly and naturally. The next theorist was Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf’s theory is that children will learn language skills through interaction with others rather than obtain the knowledge involuntarily. He was recognized for his study that focused on a person’s thinking skills, how their ideas and expressions all depend on language. He anticipated a theory called â€Å"linguistic relativity.† This theory determines the way people think. In other words â€Å"â€Å"we think in terms of words or other symbols, and they are required as a precondition for a human to form an idea—or, at least, to express the idea to others. Although thinking involves mental manipulation of reality, it is heavily dependent upon words or other symbols.† Bergman. Jerry (Benjamin Lee Whorf: An Early Supporter of Creationism). My last theorist was B.F. Skinner. Skinner thought language is attained through standards of conditioning, association, imitation and, reinforcement. The difference from Chomsky and Skinner one believed he or she is born with language where Skinner believed that people have to be taught how to speak by some one’s language acquisition. All three theorists have their own assumptions on language acquisition. Chomsky believes we are born with the skills for language. Skinner believes children is learn through imitation that focuses on behavior and Whorf thought language was developed by interaction with peers rather than being born with it. The one major factor that they all share is the importance of language from birth. If children are deprived of language from the start they will suffer drastically, which proves my statement in the beginning; which was, children who are isolated from language and communication from the early ages will deal with major effects when they are older. A major period that some theorists believe is crucial for language development is called the critical period, which can cause many effects in learning language. From the article â€Å"Introduction Brain and Language† explained what the critical-age hypothesis was. This theory believes language is organically based and the capacity to learn your inhabitant language develops from birth to middle childhood. Subsequent to this period, the attainment of grammar is complicated for most people and never fully grasped. Children who are not exposed of language during this critical period will have a difficult time overcoming this deficit. This concept can be proved to be true in humans and other species. 22. Introduction Brain and Language gave an example of ducklings. For instance, from nine to twenty-one months after hatching, ducks will follow the first moving object they see regardless if it is a duck or not. This behavior did not come subconsciously but from an â€Å"external teaching, or intensive practice.† Other examples of the critical period that is strongly associated to language learning is the critical period in certain songbirds, e.g., zebra finches or white crowned sparrows (Marler, 1970). For children there have been cases that support this theory. For instance, there was a young boy who was isolated from society also known as the â€Å"wild† child. In the film produced by Francois Truffaut â€Å"The Wild Child† was based on a young boy named Victor. It was determined that he was left in forest and survived shockingly. (Language and Brain Development 23.) In the YouTube documentary we learned that Victor was not capable to speak or recognize language. He was brought to Paris where he was first put into a deaf school, but after Francois Truffaut observes Victor he believes he can hear and can be educated. After a while, Victor begins to gain some kind of language from being in society. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dA2W0SwIwY). Another perfect example that supports the conjecture of the critical period is a girl named Genie. Genie as well as Victor was a wild child. Genie was abused and isolated from all society from eighteen months to about fourteen years of age. Genie was restricted to a small room under terrible conditions and received minimal to none of human contact. Genie was not able to talk or knew any language at all. (Language and Brain Development 23) said â€Å"this linguistic inability could simply be caused by the fact that these children received no linguistic input, showing that language acquisition, though an innate, neurologically based ability, must be triggered by input from the environment.† Like Victor, Genie learned some kind of language but lacked â€Å"grammatical structure.† Possessing language is essential to have living in a society. Without language you would not be able to communicate, give, and receive knowledge. For instance Genie; in (Introduction Brain and Language) said â€Å"The cases of Genie and other isolated children, as well as deaf late learners of ASL, show that children cannot fully acquire language unless they are exposed to it within the critical period—a biologically determined window of opportunity during which time the brain is prepared to develop language.† People use and develop language in their lives and it is important to have developed it in an early age. References Feldman, Robert S. (2011). Essentials of Understanding Psychology â€Å"Jump Start† copyright . United Feature Syndicate. Reprinted with permission. Introduction Brain and Language http://suite101.com/article/how-we-learn-language-a158847 Aitchinson, Jean (1976). The Articulate Mammal: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics. London: Hutchinson & Co. http://www.healthofchildren.com/L/Language-Development.html http://www.icr.org/article/6391/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dA2W0SwIwY

Currency Crisis & Inflation in Argentina

Inflation is the increase in the prices of goods and services. Simply, inflation means continuously fall in the value of money due to too much supply of money in the market. Inflation affects a nation’s domestic (internal) market by repelling consumers to buy goods and services therefore this effects businesses as they are not getting money so they close down. This leads to unemployment. Inflation affects a nation’s exchange rate as it usually will depreciate their currency in relation to the currencies of their trading partners. 2.The Argentinean government adopted the Keynesian approach as their economic policy in the 1880-1886 period. This is clear because the Keynesian approach adopts an active government influence on the economy which is similar to the Argentinean approach. It says â€Å"funds were used to construct railroads and public works†, this shows the Keynesian approach the Argentinean’s were implementing. 3. The political stability affects th e economic activity in a country. Political stability means a government that can be relied on by the people from now until next year. A fraudulent election† signals that political parties were in strong conflict with each other in the election of Roca’s brother-in-law. This would mean that there would be conflict when it would come to decision making and policy changes. This damaged the economy as it could not implement the best policies which would have helped recover their economy. 4. Firstly, fiscal policy is the way in which a government adjusts its levels of spending in order to monitor and influence a nation's economy.It is linked with monetary policy where a central bank influences a nation's money supply. These combined are very important in achieving an economy’s goals. 5. When a country’s debt crisis spreads to other countries the other countries governments have to come up with a rescue package that will rescue their financial institutions. Thi s is seen when the British central bank had to step in with a bailout fund for the House of Baring which protected not only Britain but the European markets. 6.The pros of defaulting are that the country won’t have to go into a deeper hole of debt by getting other countries or the ECB to bail them out with their funds which will help the country get back on track. For investors, this is good news. They get to purchase property at bargain prices. The cons of defaulting are that the country’s credit rating is destroyed. Lenders have to raise their interest rates and become less generous to new borrowers in order to make up for the fact that they are losing money. This means that a default rate affects anyone who wants to get a loan by making it more expensive or even impossible.

Monsato Company †A Question in Agricultural Ethics Essay

Monsato Company is a Missouri-based company founded in 1901 by John F. Queeny and his wife Olga Monsato producing saccharine. In the mid-1940s, Monsato Co. began developing agricultural chemicals and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, herbicides were developed and introduced to the farmers. In 1981, a research group was established and the business’s primary focus was molecular biotechnology. In 1982, Monsato Co. bought Jacob Hartz Seed Co., a company known in the Midwest for its soybeen seeds. Also in 1982, scientists working for Monsato Co. produced the first genetically modified plant. In 1996, RoundUp Ready Soybeans were introduced possessing an in-seed herbicide. Several other in-seed herbicides are introduced in 1997 by Monsato Co. such as RoundUp Ready Cotton and RoundUp Ready Canola. Also introduced is an in-seed insect protection called YieldGard Corn Borer. In 1998, Monsato Co. combines the technology of in-seed herbicides with their in-seed insecticides into one product for its corn seed. In 2002, Monsato Co. identifies corn hybrids, which yield more ethanol per bushel than normal corn. Later this same year, they also identify a similar hybrid in their soybeans, which will produce more oil than a normal soybean. In 2004, Monsato Co. creates American Seeds, Inc (ASI) to support regional seed business with capital, genetics, and technology investments. In 2005, Monsato Co. acquires four companies Fontanelle Hybrids, based in Fontanelle, Neb, Stewart Seeds, based in Greensburg, Ind., Trelay Seeds, based in Livingston, Wis., and Stone Seeds, based in Pleasant Plains, Ill. In 2006, they acquire several other local seed companies, some family-owned, including Diener Seeds, Sieben Hybrids, Kruger Seed Company, Trisler Seed Farms, Gold Country Seed, Inc., Heritage Seeds and Campbell Seed. Over the next several years, they also acquire other local and regional companies and continue their research and development of genetically altered seeds. Over the course of a few decades, Monsato Co. has gone from a small company making saccharine to a Midwest agricultural giant manufacturing genetically altered seed. 1 A Possible Solution: Deregulation Although the idea of producing more crops with less cost, such as additional chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides may sound, the fact remains that Monsato Co. is not only toying with nature, they are also putting smaller family-owned companies out of business. In the past several years, organic foods have become more popular. Consumers want to feed their families healthy food, not food filled with chemicals. In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided to back Monsato and other biotech companies by supporting the deregulation of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. This would mean that the GE companies would have no restrictions on their technology and its use.2 Deregulation has its obvious problems. Organic crop company leaders, such as Stonyfield, Whole Foods, and OrganicValley believe that GE crops use a higher amount of toxins, herbicides, and water. Also the claims of higher crop yield will not be met and the price of this seed will be too costly for the average farmer. There is also the potential of cross-contamination of crops where a farmer using GE seed spreads the toxins to his organic neighbor through groundwater. This could lead to the organic farmer’s crops getting contaminated and his losing his license to sell organic products. Stonyfield and other organic companies opposed this ruling and in 2010 it went to the Supreme Court. The decision was that deregulation could not take place without the USDA making an environmental assessment of the genetically enhanced seeds used, and an injunction was put in place preventing the planting of GE alfalfa seeds. David and Goliath Biotech companies lobbied heavily in Washington. However, the smaller organic supporters caught the ear of the USDA and as a result persuaded them to conduct a meeting of the minds of both sides. The problem was clear – there was an incredible amount of support, political and financial, in favor of GE alfalfa. The result was that the UDSA would allow deregulation. The organic companies and farmers were faced with the fact that GE alfalfa was here to stay. What was left to fight over was whether it would be complete deregulation or one with restrictions. In their opinion, it was better to have some measure of control than no control at all, so the organic community stayed and fought. They brought to the table demands for reassurance that â€Å"(a) organic farmers whose crops become contaminated by GE alfalfa must be compensated by the patent holders for their losses due to losing their organic certification and (b) the USDA must oversee all testing and monitoring of GE crops t o ensure compliance as part of its role in protecting all US agriculture.† 3 The organic community won that portion of the battle. Conclusion The organic community may have won that battle, but they lost the war. Chemical companies and genetically engineered seed are a mainstay in today’s agriculture. Along with that they bring with them the potential for contaminated soil and damaged and lost crops of the small, everyday farmer. These farmers and family-owned businesses are being swallowed up on a regular basis. As the world’s population grows so does the demand for an ever increasing need of better, more enhanced, products. Technology provides us with the knowledge and growth for these, but in its wake leaves behind the things that matter very much to — clean air, clean soil, fresh water and â€Å"pure† food. References 1) Monsato. (2010). Monsato. Retrieved from http://www.monsanto.com 2) Pearson, C. (2010, March). The Most Unethical Company is also Best Corporate Citizen. Cause Integration http://www.causeintegration.com/2010/ the-most-unethical-companyis-a-best-corporate-citizen-what-gives/ 3) Hirshberg, G. (2011, January). Speaking with One Voice to Stop Monsato and Biotech. Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hirshberg/speaking-with-one-voice-t_b_816447.html

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford goes into the heart of Guatemala to six different locations of clandestine cemeteries to interview survivors of mass suicides that occurred during the period that is now known as La Violencia. Sanford strives to give voice to the Maya, who have been silenced all these years, and chose to have them write their own history of what happened during those dark years.By uncovering the dark secrets of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union as well as those of the Guerilla Army of the poor, the Guatemalan people were able to begin to heal, to find justice, to become inspired to organize again for social change and to ultimately take control back over their own lives and participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 73). Sanford constructs a â€Å"phenomenology of terror† through a forensic anthropological study of the clandestine grave sites at six different locations across Guatemala that the crimes against the Maya ultimately resulted in attempted genocide.These massacres occurred during a period known as La Violencia (1978-1982) under the regime of General Lucas Garcia (1978-1982) and General Rios Montt (March 1982-Aug 1983) (p. 14). According to Sanford, La Violencia went from selective terror into mass terror culminating in the â€Å"scorched earth† campaign and ultimately the violence did not cease until the disarming of the last civil patrols and the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords (p. 15).The Maya were the weak common people caught in the middle of a vicious war between the communist guerilla and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (GNRU); where both sides took advantage of the Maya using them for food and shelter and killing them with little thought if they got in the way for any reason (p. 101). The Maya were simple farming people for the most part and their rights were easily stripped away and they were treated like slaves for years and after La Violencia, they were left maimed, poor and powerless.The phenomenology of terror that Sanford constructed from the death records, bone analysis, testimonio and other public records/media consists of seven escalating phases of violence and domination (p. 32). . Through analysis of these phases Sanford proves the depth of the GNRU’s crimes and therefore brings them out in public for the Maya people to begin their process of healing. The phemomenology of terror starts with the â€Å"pre-massacre community organizing† which amounted to the Maya’s attempt to better their own community often through the local churches to build infrastructure for clean water etc.Because this organizing sometimes included guerilla organizing (which Sanford indicates was often brought about by fear tactics on the guerilla’s part), it attracted violent repercussions from the GNRU (p. 127). The phase two, â€Å"the modus operandi of army massacres,† Sanford describes as th e beginning of genocide because the GNRU felt they could not prevent the guerilla from organizing and they used this as an excuse to kill innocent civilians who might or might not have been involved, in order to scare everyone else away from the idea of helping the guerilla (p.129). In the â€Å"post-massacre life in flight,† or phase three, the Guatemalans fled the killing fields of their own villages and took refuge in the mountains with little or no supplies or protection against the elements and many of them died of illness or exposure. The guerilla found them here too and sometimes forced them to kill their own children in order to survive (p. 132). In phase four the â€Å"army captures a community† and the Maya were basically treated like prisoners of war: they were tortured, raped, punished, and were forced to work for their food (p.135). In phase five, â€Å"model villages,† the Guatemalans experienced something similar to German concentration camps wher e they lived under constant military control and were forced to work under fear of being tortured or killed (p. 138). In phase six, â€Å"the ongoing militarization of community life,† the civil patrollers, or police, were handed over control from the army but the struggle was still the same, the Maya continued to experience torture and abuse of power(p. 141).In Sanford’s last denoted phase titled â€Å"living memory of terror,† the Maya struggle to put their lives back together while living in terror and with diminished rights. The police continued to control their lives and prevent them from bettering their communities in any way (p. 143). The uncovering of the phenomenology of terror is precisely how the healing process was instigating. The Maya people realized their need for healing when the bodies of their loved ones were being uncovered and when they heard the stories of their peers being told and realized that their own story needed to be revealed as well .Sanford chose multiple excavation sites in order to have a variety of communities but also so that she could generalize. The communities she chose included: Ixil, K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Q’eqchi’ and Achi villages from the northwest highlands to the central lowlands to the eastern mountains (p. 17). Uncovering these clandestine grave sites amounted to taking back their villages, taking back their loved ones and giving them the respectful burial that they deserved. In doing this it created a political space that was stolen from the Maya in the reign of terror (p.73). This political space allowed the people to come together and gain power in numbers; they never allowed themselves to be separated off so that no one person could be sacrificed for the cause of bringing out the truth of these massacres. Even those who still believed that the GNRU were telling the truth about the massacres, that the only people killed were communist guerillas, were brought to see t he truth about La Violencia because â€Å"the bones don’t lie† (p. 47).Even military officials came to give public recognition of the murders but gave many justifications for their ruthless actions (p. 16). After Sanford herself uncovered a woman’s corpse face down in a mass grave holding a small baby, it became clear that civilians, including women, children and the elderly were a large part of the sacrifice made at mass executions made by the GNRU (p. 43). Records indicate that most of the bodies at the Plan de Sanchez site were women, children and elderly (p. 47).The Maya went to the Ministerio Publico (prosecutor) as a group and said, â€Å"We want a Christian burial for our families because they aren’t dogs, and we don’t want them piled up in those graves like dogs† (p. 39). They were not put down by the Rabinal when they were ordered to attend a meeting that amounted to them trying to control the Maya and prevent them from colluding wi th the foreigners to uncover the truth. â€Å"Leave the dead in peace† the sub-commander told them, but the Maya already knew that the dead were not in peace and stopped at nothing to uncover the rest of the truth so that they could be (p.44). By pushing forward and sticking together the Maya was able to strip the power from the â€Å"memory of terror† to hold them down and instead used it to drive them forward for change and justice (p. 230). Sanford shows that the excavation process gave healing through several different avenues, besides giving the Maya strength in coming together and publicly revealing the truth, the excavation also brought healing through religious ritual and public consecration of the burial sites.The rituals at burial sites â€Å"implicate the enactment of deeply held beliefs about the individual and community identity and reckoning in the past as well as the present† which Sanford believed was the powerful key to opening a future for the Maya in their own broken land (p. 40). Long after the confession and re-burial, the temples built on the sites allowed the Maya to continue their grief process and to continue to heal and have a place where they could go for remembrance of their loved ones and the pain they experienced (p. 245).In addition, the exhumation inspired the local people to organize once again to try to better their communities and used the memory of terror as inspiration to work hard for change rather than allowing it to hold them down in fear (p. 211). These local initiatives included things such as support groups and groups advocating yet more exhumations. (p. 243). Sanford describes another type of healing that took place because of the exhumations and resulting testimonies that amounts to the clinical treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: testimonial therapy (p. 239).By giving survivors the chance to â€Å"understand the impossible nature of the situation to which they had been exposed† and to transfer â€Å"the burden of responsibility to the perpetrators of violence and to the repressive structures that fomented their traumas† they were able to heal the emotional wounds of those experiences (p. 241). The final step in healing is providing the people with justice through charging those guilty of leading the massacres. Ultimately the confessions and the exhumations helped to bring those guilty of these horrible crimes to light for the sake of justice.The Maya faced the obstacle of â€Å"auto-limpieza,† which was the act of killing those who were in charge of giving orders for the military on behalf of the men who were in the upper echelons of the military power structure—in other words, the men who could tell the truth about who was ultimately responsible for these massacres were killed (p. 211). In addition to this obstacle, the government attributed any challenge to their authority to equate to a national security threat. So when the Maya be gan to search for those guilty of these war crimes, they faced the old threat of terror (p.251). According to Sanford, â€Å"justice, rule of law, and truth commission are now seen as a critical step for societies experiencing the transition from military rule,† therefore it was of utmost importance to the Maya to pursue justice and bring closure on the dark La Violencia era (p. 249). With the help of other Central American countries and international organizations such as the Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, the Maya people were given the added strength to bring justice to at least a few war criminals.Without their help the Maya may never have been able to overcome the memory of terror which stood in the way of them being able to participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 253). Ultimately the trials of the authors of this violence helped to construct, â€Å"a viable democracy by demonstration that the rule of law extends to the powerful as well as to the poor† (p. 270). In conclusion, Virginia Sanford shows through a forensic anthropological study of the massacre sites that genocide did indeed occur against the Mayan people and she lays out the timeline of violence in seven phases that she calls the phenomenology of terror.Through the process of constructing this phenomenology the Maya are brought together again and inspired to better their community and fight for justice. They experience healing through testimonio (of their PTSD) and through public recognition of their loved one’s sacrifices in religious ritual and the consecration of the burial sites. By consecrating those public spaces and bringing to justice those who were responsible, the Maya were able to break fear of the memory of terror and take their rightful place in the democracy that they paid so dearly for.