ADHD Facts and Myths Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ADHD Facts and Myths - Research Paper Example A larger proportion of the findings categorizes the aspects of ADHP as of inattention category and the remaining claims the presence of hyperactivity-impulsivity in the behavior a child. A number of symptoms are identified from the basic reflective features for the easy identification of the child’s conducts that basically result the inferior learning process and overall behavioral disorder that distinguishes an ADHD affected child from his peer equals. Ever since the researches began, there have been many assumptions and findings about the reasons and consequences of ADHD; however, most of such conflicting opinions have greatly contributed in having the studies a myths-and-facts image. Diagnosis for the ADHD is no easy after the child grows older, because the significance of the preexisting disorders may not be exhibited in its routine activities related to study, work or relationships. Many scientists and psychologists are of the view that the issue that runs through the fam ily which develops in the later stages of brain development. Since it is the most largely identified disorder in child behavior, researchers have explored the causes and risk factors involved in AHDH and assessed that a number of problems like depression, insomnia and learning impairments as part of it. They suggest that an early consultation with a doctor for ADHS suspected children for their rescue from further development of behavioral and health issues that may seriously damage the personality of the child in the future. Some studies say that â€Å"the adolescent and adult populations with ADHD also demonstrate significantly different profiles from those of their normally achieving peers† (Gregg & Deshler, 23).† The symptoms present in the suspected cases are mainly the visible comprehensive disorder, laziness in learning, severe impatience in the classroom, higher level demonstration of energy while playing, constant nature of interrupting the speech etc. Although this problem is easily ignored by the teachers and parents as a stage of growth, many teenagers feel depressed during the period of abstinence from attentiveness of their respective listeners of their ideas. Observers are of the opinion that â€Å"it is very important for adolescent to feel that they have been listened to and understood and that their opinions have been taken seriously, because in the past their ideas may have often been discounted by adults† (Robin, 506). There are several tests for identifying the affected cases. The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) has advised that the children below 7 years of age be observed with the indicative symptoms for over six months and for the older children, parent-teacher interviews, IQ and psychological testing and other forms of competitive mental and developmental examinations (â€Å"Attention deficit hyperactivity..) Though this problem can be addressed and managed with medication and behavior therapy by experts in this field. From the parental angle, the child should be guaranteed enough sleep and praise for good behavior. Experts warn that any negligence in treating the ADHD affected children may take them to a more complicated life style in the future such as alcoholism, academic failure, inconsistent job preferences and acute disgust towards the law. Moreover, the height of degree of impulsive behavior may cause them severe damage in the peer relationship. There has been a lot of conflicting information developed from the evaluation of such identified issues of ADHD related problems. The factors contributing to such an intellectual debate

Mercantilist Relationship Between the American Colonies and the British Government Essay Example for Free

Mercantilist Relationship Between the American Colonies and the British Government Essay Mercantilism is an economic policy and theory where the government has complete control of trade, both foreign and inside boundaries. This policy was dominant during the 16th, 17th, and late 18th centuries, it demanded a positive balance of trade between the countries it was involved with. There were many policies that were within the theory based upon mercantilism including, building a network of overseas colonies and forbidding them to trade with other nations, forbidding trade to be carried in foreign ships, export as a trade barrier using domestic goods and services competitive against imports, and restricting domestic consumption with non-tariff barriers to trade. The British government established a mercantilist relationship with the American colonies that was to its benefit until 1763 and then the relationship no longer was of economic benefit to the British crown. Prior to 1763 the colonists had no choice but to go along with Parliaments right to take actions on their behalf and the predominance of Britains economic benefits over their personal ones. Seven Years War was the war that altered the parliaments actions, had been intended to regulate trade and nothing else, Parliaments arrangements began to conflict with the colonists interests. This caused the colonies to grow and thrive, by the time the British realized this Americans had already established lucrative trade with other countries. Britain became more aware of this growing â€Å"problem† and began to keep a close eye on the colonies and implemented regulatory policies, the British instituted a series of laws of trade and navigation known as the Navigation Acts. The purposes of these acts were to limit colonial trade to the British only. For this to be accomplished all trading to be done involving the colonists was to be on either English vessels or colonial-built vessels, therefore, if colonists planned to trade with other nations all of their goods had to first be shipped to England. This gave the British the chance to get a hand on the items being traded and to collect revenue from taxation before the products were traded. Another limitation that was set on the colonies was that in order to trade products such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton it had to be done with the British only. When the British would notice the colonies beginning to make profit they would add the product that was causing the increase in revenue to the list of products only to be traded with them. Although there were many restrictions placed upon the colonies, they did not cause as much damage as Britain may have hoped. Benjamin Franklin answered when asked, â€Å"I have never heard any objection to the right of laying duties to regulate commerce; but a right to lay internal taxes was never supposed to be in Parliament, as we are not represented there†. There were even some benefits even to having these regulations, such as a built in market for raw products that they had and the British did not rigidly enforce the trading regulations that were set. Following Great Britain’s achievement of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War allotted the Proclamation of 1763 in October of 1763. The purpose of the proclamation was to establish Britain’s new North American Empire and to stabilize associations with Native North Americans through regulation of settlement, trade, and land purchases. The proclamation kept certain lands for the Indians and prevented the colonies from settling inland. The colonies wished to expand their territory inlands but with the Proclamation of 1763 they were unable to do so, causing massive amounts of interest conflicts. The British seemed to be enforcing this proclamation more so than any other laws placed on the colonies before. Troops were stationed along the frontier to give the colonists’ no control over attempting to expand their population inland. The colonies feared for overpopulation and crowded cities along the coastline. It appeared that the break down of this mercantilist relationship between the United States colonies and Britain along with the split of America from the British Empire was unavoidable. Before the French and Indian war, Britain was having a hard time keeping up with and maintaining regulations that they had placed upon the colonies. The trade laws were inadequately implemented and the colonies were able to go about their own political and economic systems independently. But, with the close of the war Parliament concluded the time of this neglect of enforcement and became more dominate with the colonies in order to reestablish complete control over their trade. Pervious laws that were established to benefit Britain were enforced harshly and new laws were also applied to further benefit the British. This led to animosity between Britain and the colonies because the colonies experienced economic independence for too long a period causing the colonists to have no desire to return to how things used to be. The aggressive application of the Navigation Act to the colonists subdued their manufacturing operations and increased resentment against the British Parliamentary. The severe enforcement of these laws led to inflation and alienation in the colonies, neither of which benefited the British Empire. During this time of strict enforcement there were many more laws and acts placed upon the colonies to restrict their trade and growth. Parliament passed the Sugar and Molasses Act trying to bring the colonies in line with regard to payment of taxes. The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses and listed more foreign goods to be taxed including coffee, wines, sugar, and various other goods. The tax on caused the instantaneous deterioration in the rum industry in the colonies. This interrupted the economy in the colonies because it reduced the markets to which the colonies could sell and the amount of currency available to them for the purchase of British manufactured goods. This act, and the Currency Act, set the stage for the revolt at the imposition of the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act of 1765 was a direct tax on documents and articles, this act directly affected all colonists. The law required a stamp to be placed on all printed materials, including legal documents, almanacs, pamphlets, and newspapers. Although this affected all colonists, lawyers, clergymen, and printers felt the wrath of this act the most. Benjamin Franklin stated â€Å"There is not gold and silver enough in the colonies to pay the stamp duty for one year. The before and after of this act set in stone the perceived idea that the mercantilist benefits of the relationship between the colonies and Britain may have run its course. After debate about the collection of taxes due to the Stamp Act was the Quartering Act of 1765. The Quartering Act was part of the intolerable acts; the purpose of this act was only to take back hold of the colonies. The act violated the Bill of Rights, which forbids taxation without representation and the raising or keeping of a standing army without the consent of Parliament; colonies disputed the legality of this Act. In his first speeches in Parliament, Camden said, â€Å"taxation and representation are inseparable; this position is founded on the laws of nature; it is more, it is itself an eternal law of nature; for whatever is a mans own, is absolutely his own; no man has a right to take it from him without his consent, either expressed by himself or representative; whoever attempts to do it, attempts an injury; whoever does it, commits a robbery; he throws down and destroys the distinction between liberty and slavery. Taxation and representation are coeval with and essential to the constitution†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If the soldiers outnumbered the housing available the colonies were expected to pay the cost of housing and feeding the troop, after the arrival of the troops New York refused to pay for supplies causing the troops to have to stay aboard their ships. Even after attempts to revise the Stamp Act, New York still resisted which led to the repeal of this act and the Stamp Act. With no doubt it seemed that violent hostility would prevail even with any effort to change the Acts making it almost impossible for Britain to establish any hope for a beneficial relationship with the colonies. The steady resistance to the Stamp Act led to it being repealed, which cost the British, â€Å"Suppose a military force sent into America; they will find nobody in arms; what are they then to do? They cannot force a man to take stamps who chooses to do without them. They will not find a rebellion; they may indeed make one. † This repeal showed the colonists that their resisting the act worked and would put fire to their future revolts considering this worked for them. The British were losing money now and the colonies did not seem to be hurt as badly as would have been hoped by the British. To down play the win that the colonies had just accomplished Parliament set out another act, the Declaratory Act, to serve as a punishment. The Declaratory Act asserted that Parliament had, hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America in all cases whatsoever. In the context and the word choice in which this was written shows that the act was intentionally clear-cut and to the point. Parliament had the upper hand and the absolute power to make laws and changes to the colonial government, in all cases whatsoever. Caught up in attempting to strip the colonies of their freedoms in order to prevent them from creating a profit, the British were losing money and quite frankly, running out of it. In one final attempt to gain back control of the colonies and make their relationship work Parliament passed the Townshend Act. A colonist identified as Brutus argued against that assumption, stating, â€Å"Nothing can be more flagrantly wrong than the Assertion of some of our mercantile Dons. John Hancock adds, â€Å"Taxes equally detrimental to the commercial interests of the Parent country and the colonies are imposed upon the People, without their consent; Taxes designed for the Support of the Civil Government in the Colonies, in a Manner clearly unconstitutional, and contrary to that, in which till of late, Government has been supported, by the free Gift of the People in the American Assemblies or Parliaments; as also for the Maintenance of a large Standing Army; not for the Defiance of the newly acquired Territories, but for the old Colonies, and in a Time of Peace. This testimony written in a letter was tremendously effective in the efforts to abolish this act placed upon the colonies; there were also the Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, which had its influence on the topic as well. There were twelve letters that were widely read and reprinted throughout the thirteen colonies, and were a major factor in attempting to unit the colonists against the Townshend Acts. Dickenson, the farmer, acknowledged the great power that the Parliament had in concern for the whole British Empire but argued that the taxes that were given to the colonies were for purpose of their own personal gain in revenue rather then what was stated in the books of the acts being for purpose of trade only. Dickinson foresees the possibility of future conflict between the colonies and Great Britain, but urges against the use of violence, â€Å"If at length it becomes undoubted that an inveterate resolution is formed to annihilate the liberties of the governed, the English history affords frequent examples of resistance by force. What particular circumstances will in any future case justify such resistance can never be ascertained till they happen. Perhaps it may be allowable to say generally, that it never can be justifiable until the people are fully convinced that any further submission will be destructive to their happiness. † The colonies boycotted this idea, their boycott, although it failed, gave them the strength to continue to not follow the acts that the Parliament required of them. The British had no way to enforce the collection of taxes so Britain had no choice but to repeal the Townshend Act. Britain was completely unstable and given this, the mercantilist relationship was coming to an end between the United States colonies and the British; the Tea Act would create the breaking point for this relationship. â€Å"An act to allow a drawback of the duties of customs on the exportation of tea to any of his Majestys colonies or plantations in America; to increase the deposit on bohea tea to be sold at the India Companys sales; and to empower the commissioners of the treasury to grant licenses to the East India Company to export tea duty-free. The Tea Act of 1773 caused in turn the Boston Tea Party, which aggravated the British so greatly that they delivered a punishment act. The punishment acts were called the Coercive Acts and also, along with other acts, became part of the intolerable acts the British had placed upon the colonies. The Boston Port Act, The Massachusetts Government Act, The Administration of Justice Act, The Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act were all placed in order for Britain to again attempt to take control over the colonies. The restrictions placed on the colonies by these acts included the closing of the port of Boston, limited the meetings to one meeting per year, allowed the governor to move trails, and attempted to house the British solders. This out lash of over bearing authority over the colonies became known as the main reason that the mercantilist relationship could not continue. Britain’s attempts of harsh leadership and the lack of economic opportunities became great enough to continuously push the colonies away and gave them reason to revolt and not comply. As years passed the interests of the colonies and British began to not be similar in any ways, causing conflicts. The colonists educated themselves in ways that the British had not expected, giving the colonies the upper hand in knowing what they deserved and what was being taken from them. There were no longer any benefits to having a relationship with Britain and the colonists were well educated on this fact and showed their feelings on this aspect in many ways. The mercantilist relationship was no longer making a profit for the British Crown or bringing benefits to anyone; it was causing them to lose money. This loss was apparent after the downfall of both the economic systems after the French and Indian War in 1763.

The Struggle of the Educational System Essays -- Public Education Scho

The Struggle of the Educational System It seems as if the American government has struggled to evaluate the current educational system in order to determine if significant social issues, including increasing regional poverty, and declining literacy rates in specific urban regions are related to economic differentiations in the education system. There needs to be more emphasis placed on determining a system that provides greater equity between disadvantaged inner-city schools and wealthier suburban, middle class schools. The gap between the nation’s best and worst public schools continues to grow. Our country is based on freedom and equality for all, yet in practice and in the spectrum of education this is rarely the case. Many obvious distress signals seen in today's American urban schools include the increasingly overloaded and under-funded schools, confusion over actual goals and purposes, and a tendency toward a separation into two unequal class divisions within the public schools. Our nation has sadly become a society where many people are concerned only for themselves with little concern for those who are less fortunate. One of the most significant issues raised in public education in recent years is the radical difference that exists in funding levels between wealth and poor school districts. â€Å"Many states have allotted educational funding related to tax revenues, and this has determined a higher level of educational spending in wealthy neighborhoods and a much lower level of spending for inner-city poor and rural poor communities† (Frady 15). A number of states have considered and implemented plans for the equalization of school funding, but this has not come without considerable opposition. Though individuals in low-income neighborhoods areas have defined this equalization as a positive process for improving urban schools, wealthier suburban populations have complained that this will take away funding necessary to maintain programs that are already in place. â€Å"The basic formula for educational spending today is determined by a program called the "foundation program (Kozol 238)". The way that the program works is a local tax based on the value of homes and businesses within a given district raises the initial funds for schools. Then to compensate poorer districts, the state provides sufficient funds to lift the poorer districts to an estimat... ...eets. The lack of equal quality education is producing a generational cycle of poverty in the country that is casting a gloomy burden on our schools and society for the future. Many individuals stay in poverty because they don't know there is a choice and have no one to teach them how to overcome it and become successful. Schools are the only place where students can learn the choices of other social classes. The chances of them overcoming the heavy obstacles that await them without the skills the need are very slim. Their chances of being economically successful in today’s competitive society is small. Those who have had a more extensive and advantageous educational experience will continually overshadow them. â€Å"The children of poverty and those who are products of inner city schools will most likely remain prisoners of an extensive legacy of economic and social exile† (Gross 185). The neglect for the educational needs of the children in urban schools threatens the economic well being of the nation. Unless the inequalities in education between suburban and urban schools are diminished, the schools and their students will always be victims of the divisions of race and class.

How Does Social Networking Affect People’s Lives? Essay

Social networking is quickly becoming more and more popular. I am going to investigate exactly how and why it influences people lives. I’m going to specifically look at different age groups and see if there is any pattern in their lifestyle. I will find my information from books, articles, news stories, the internet and people’s experiences and opinions. I will interview a whole range of people so I can get more of a range of opinions from teenagers to OAP’s to see if there is a general feeling for different age groups. My essay will address many questions such as are people’s opinions affected by their age? Does it influence people’s lives in different ways because of their age? This topic interests me because it is becoming more and more popular with most people’s lives; I hope to find out why so many people use it and the reasons for it. This is also an interesting topic because it is currently in the news with bullying stories and school grades decreasing. My information will include data tables, graphs etc. I will base my study on these resources to allow me to draw conclusions from this question. This will then lead to producing a presentation to a large group of people. I hope to gain an extra qualification to combine with my others to make me more of an all rounded student. It will also give me some experience of partaking in presentations to a number of people which would help me if I go to university. I also want to find out whether social networking does influence people’s lives and how. The internet is a global network of computers that allow you to go on things like social networking sites, instant messaging sites, and factual sites and so on. The internet originally started with the name ARPAnet, it was created by the US government to use as a defence mechanism for the cold war in the 1960s. Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn developed TCP/IP, ’A Protocol for Packet Network Interconnection’ (in 1974), to connect different networks. The internet was consequently a ’network of networks’, although the Internet Protocol (IP) came to dominate networking. At the end of 1969, there were only four computers on ARPAnet, and they were all at US universities. This grew to 5,000 internet hosts in 1986, after which the number of users grew rapidly into the millions and then hundreds of millions. Social networking is an online community of people with a common interest who use a Web site or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources, etc: a business-oriented social network. A simpler definition is a web site or online service that facilitates this communication. This includes Facebook, Twitter and MySpace along with lots of others. Instant messaging is basically text communication between two or more people. This uses the internet and is present on most social networking sites. Most common programmes include MSN, BBM and whats app. These both have their good and bad publicity. They let people communicate from around the world. On the other hand lots of cyber bullying stories are heavily linked to these services. Blogging is a list of journal entries posted on a Web page. Anybody who knows how to create and publish a Web page can publish their own blog. Some Web hosts have made it even easier by creating an interface where users can simply type a text entry and hit publish to publish their blog. This is an old type of social networking that has got took over by popular sites like Facebook. Video conferencing is a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data. Each participant has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered to the other’s speakers, and whatever images appear in front of the video camera appear in a window on the other participant’s monitor. Most popular programs used for this are Skype and imessenger. These services are present on Facebook via the messaging service. Advantages and Disadvantages There are many advantages and disadvantages about social networking. You can chat to your friends through the messaging services available on most sites. This makes it easier for people to communicate to people without costing any money through telephone calls or messages. This could range from friends in different countries, old school friends or family. However it does have its disadvantages like a lot of people tend to make fake accounts attempting to be someone else and end up being pedophiles. This can lead to people being harmed both physically and mentally which aren’t the reason why social networking has been made. It is usually used by teenagers that are taking part in important exams that could change the shape of their future lives. They use these services in their free time when some people say that they should be studying. People are always complaining that this leads to underachieving exam results which is a disadvantage and wasn’t why social networking was made. It is the opinion of some people that social networking is leading to the percentage of young people becoming obese to rise. They’re saying that the time that is spent on these sites could be used as exercise time rather than sitting down looking at the computer and eating or drinking while doing this. Social networking is known for its links to bullying and possible self-harming which in some cases has been suicide. This can be through the ease of free speech with most social networking sites through status updates, tweets and blogging. This makes it possible or anyone to see these things and be made aware of this. Bullying can also come from the messaging services available that allow you to write anything to anyone you’re friends with no restrictions on what you can write. On these sites whenever you want where you want. This is because you access these sites on your mobiles pretty much anywhere you go with the new mobile network technology. The technology allows you to access the sites through 3G and the new EE networking. These new technologies are very cost effective and affordable so this increases the amount of people that have these services available to them. These services have also been made very user friendly and easy to access. This make both social networking accessible to people that aren’t familiar with using computers. Mobile The growing ubiquity of cell phones, especially the rise of smartphones, has made social networking just a finger tap away. Fully 40% of cell phone owners use a social networking site on their phone, and 28% do so on a typical day. Young people, blacks, Hispanics, the highly educated and those with a higher annual household income are more likely to use SNS on their phones than other groups. Social impact Do social networking sites isolate people and truncate their relationships? Or are there benefits associated with being connected to others in this way? In November 2010, we examined SNS in a survey that explored people’s overall social networks and how use of these technologies is related to trust, tolerance, social support, community, and political engagement, and found: * Social networking sites are increasingly used to keep up with close social ties * The average user of a social networking site has more close ties and is half as likely to be socially isolated as the average American * Facebook users are more trusting than others * Facebook users have more close relationships   * Internet users get more support from their social ties and Facebook users get the most support * Facebook users are much more politically engaged than most people * Facebook revives â€Å"dormant† relationships * MySpace users are more likely to be open to opposing points of view Does Social Networking make us more unsociable? There is an argument that social networking is making people more unsociable. This can make social time very unsociable as people are checking there Facebook, twitter accounts etc. to some people they think that it limits conversation length and interest. This of course is an influence on people’s lives. Some people of course think it’s bad and some people like the fact. Does Age Matter? This leads me onto say that people’s age can affect the amount of time they go on social networking sites and how it influences them. The graphs above prove this point as it clearly states that younger people tend to go on social networking sites than older people. This gives me an indication that it could make generations more unsociable than others. For example if there are less old people using social networking then there are no distractions when in sociable events. I also see this very often when I am at social events. As a teenager myself I see it a lot with my age group constantly looking at their phone to check for updates on these sites. This does lead to less sociable conversation as people don’t spend as much time giving people eye contact and listening effectively. Politics Social networking sites have become an important additional arena for politics. They are a resource for political news, information, finding likeminded issue-oriented people, and a tool for voter outreach in the run-up to elections. During the 2012 campaign season, Pew Internet released a number of reports on the role of social networking sites on elections and the political process. Statistics A survey by SciJourner of 51 youth, ages 21 and under, finds that nearly a third say they are â€Å"addicted† to social networking, but only 8% of the teens and young adults surveyed feel that social networking affects their relationships with other people. The survey also showed that younger teens, ages 14 and 15, use the social networks Facebook and Bebo more than teens at the age of 17. Approximately equal number of males and female took the survey. Of those who responded, 37% are under 16. Most of the teens used Facebook, but 30% preferred Bebo and 20% were on both Bebo and Facebook. How much time are teens spending on social networks? For this survey we defined addicted as checking their Facebook or Bebo page more than 3 times a day. Around a third of the 51 teens fell into that category, spending 30 minutes to 5 hours per day on social networking. [1] http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/March/Pew-Internet-Social-Networking-full-detail.aspx 23/01/2013 Bibliography [1] http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/March/Pew-Internet-Social-Networking-fu

What Did Charles George Gordon Do to Earn the View That He Was an Imperial Hero and Was It Justified?

What did Charles George Gordon do to earn the view that he was an Imperial Hero and was it justified? When discussing heroes the first things that would come to mind are selfless individuals, they would show a tremendous amount of bravery in the face of certain defeat and have the courage and determination to beat overwhelming odds. The dictionary definitions of heroes are â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength and ability† or â€Å"a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities†.Charles George Gordon has gone down in history as a an imperial hero, during this essay I will ascertain what it was Charles Gordon did to earn this title and whether or not it was justified. Gordon was the son of a Royal Artillery officer and born in 1833. He was part of a large family with five sisters and five brothers. It would be from one his sisters that Gordon would inspiration for his strong religious views as his life went o n. Gordon followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the military, he joined the Royal Engineers as an officer.Gordon thrived in the Engineers with the nature of the work perfectly suited to his personality; they were posted all over the world building bridges, siege work and buildings all over the world. One of his first postings was to Pembroke Dock in Wale, here Gordon converted to Christianity. Although this wasn’t the beginning of the Gospel spreading Gordon we know today, he was still indifferent with regards to his religion he was not actively spreading the Christian word.By the time of his death, Gordon was a devout Christian, he did not fear death for he genuinely felt that death would lead him to a better place. By 1854 Gordon had become a very religious man, a lot of the can be attributed to his older sister Augusta. He wrote to her often almost thanking her for her spiritual guidance whilst also keeping her updated with his religious journey â€Å" You know I was never confirmed. When I was a cadet, I thought it was a useless sin as I did not intend to alter (not that it was in my power to be converted when I chose).I however, took my first sacrament on Easter day, and have communed ever since. †(Churchill, 2009, p95) I feel that his change in religious views ultimately would have a huge affect in how we was remembered and thought of. Religion was a huge part of the Empire, although the main stimulants for empire were to expand lands and capture natural resources, there was an aspect that by colonising lands it would also spread the message of God. Civilise and educate the savages of foreign lands. At the height of the imperial age church people liked to argue that religion and the British empire were inseparable- that the visible, commercial and political empire was woven into the fabric of another, invisible country- a spiritual empire’ (Carey, 2008, p1). Charles Gordon was given many different political roles w ithin the British Empire whilst serving in the army, however it is the Sudan that he is renowned for. In 1874 was appointed the full Governor of the Sudan. In typical Gordon style he launched himself into his new role, paying particular attention to the curbing and stopping of the slave trade.This was the sort of impossible task that Gordon relished. Gordon despised the slave trade, and he wrote often about it, voicing his disgust frequently in his letters. â€Å"I am a fool, I dare say, but I cannot see the sufferings of these peoples without tears in my eyes†¦. †. (2010, Moore-Hall) Alice Moore-Hall writes that despite his hero label, Gordon didn’t successfully complete his objectives. Gordon essentially brought the area under the control of Egypt, however Moore-Hall explains that this was only really the case when Gordon or his representatives were present in the region.He was extremely successful at reducing the slave trade within the Sudan, a somewhat difficu lt task considering the affect that it had on the economy of the area. He did not however completely stop it, something that Moore-Hall attributes to the locals within Gordon’s expedition due to the participation of peoples under his command partaking in the enterprises they were in fact charged with stopping. The economic interest, political stability and social relations brought into question by the slave trade made it a practice that even the likes of Gordon would fail to eradicate.So the question remains, was it his efforts in Sudan that brought him heroic status within the empire, it wasn’t a finished job, there was no real glory or great British achievement within Gordon’s actions on his first trip to the Sudan, he wasn’t even working for the British military at the time. Gordon left the Sudan in 1879 with the intention of becoming the Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India amongst other things such as visiting Palestine, South Africa and Ireland . None of the positions he undertook following the Sudan were of any great importance highlighting the lack of trust in him from the British War Office.When looking at the roles which Gordon undertook, it is reasonable to question why it was exactly that he was the man sent to the Sudan when trouble was arising? The British Government, led by Gladstone had viciously attacked Disraeli and the previous government’s foreign policies, yet by 1882 an invasion of Egypt was sanctioned in order to protect the Suez Canal. This led to further involvement with the Sudan due to its ties with Egypt. A self proclaimed leader of Muslims, intent on holy war and cleansing the Muslim religion had succeeded in uniting the various groupings within the Sudan.The British government more than likely would have been happy with abandoning the Sudan, perhaps even Egypt. It is believed by Historians such as Michael Asher that Gladstone felt inclined to intervene in the Sudan due to his beliefs that the Sudanese were struggling to be free. By the end of 1883, Army Officers, clergymen, Egyptian Experts and even Queen Victoria herself were lobbying for Government intervention, more importantly, for Gordon. Gladstone reportedly had an intense dislike for Gordon, he felt that he was both rash and irresponsible.The media and public however did not feel the same way. W T Stead of the Pall Mall Gazzette wrote â€Å"We cannot send a regiment to Khartoum, but we can send a man who on similar circumstances than an entire army. Why not send Chinese Gordon with full powers to Khartoum, to assume absolute control for the territory, to treat with the Mahdi, to relieve the garrisons , and do what he can to save what can be saved from the wreck of the Sudan? † (Asher (2003) p4). This attitude was enthusiastically backed up Stead with their backing of Gordon.This wave of support pushed the government into acting quickly. This public support tells us that Gordon was held in high regard prior to his second visit to the Sudan. He had proven to the empire his skills, he held religion in extremely high regard and previous form tells us he achieved results. He gained an international reputation as an effective commander of armed forces not as skilled as the British. Particularly in China, he was rewarded by both the Chinese and the British for his efforts in quashing a rebellion.Surely he was the perfect man for the job. By the December of 1883, the British had ordered the Egyptians to order their troops to retreat and abandon the Sudan along with civilians and families. Gordon was sent with the intention of assisting the plans for evacuation. Gordon arrived in February the following year and immediately began to evacuate the women, children sick and wounded back to Egypt. It didn’t take long for Mahdi’s forces closed in the Sudanese capital following astounding defeats of the Egyptian forces.By April the British Forces had all withdrawn from Garrisons in the Sudan effectively leaving Gordon and his men abandoned. Gordon was not sent to the Sudan to fight the Ma’hdi, far from it and when the news had travelled that Gordon was in Sudan, he received little sympathy from the British Government. Gladstone did not act swiftly in sending a rescue party. It is believed by historians such as Dennis Judd, that the delay in this relief party was down to the Governments lack of interest in spending money abroad and annoyance that Gordon had not done what he was asked.The government dragged and the public rallied. Public Opinion in the end was too strong for the government and in the end an order was given to relieve Gordon in Khartoum, unfortunately for Gordon, and the government, it was too late. In the early hours of January 26th 1885 Gordon was murdered by Ma’hdi forces. There were various accounts of his death, varying in details. However the one that captured the Victorian peoples imaginations. Gordon immaculately dressed fightin g to the end.When addressing what it was that made Gordon the imperial hero he was is an interesting one, he was not your stereotypical Imperial hero. What he did do was heroically defend Khartoum, save thousands of women and children with his evacuation. For this it is fair that he is acclaimed a hero. But with regards to a hero of empire, it is harder to justify. He rallied against colonial rule, he didn’t obey his orders with regards to the evacuation of Sudan and he severely undermined the British government of the time. Yet he captured the hearts of a nation and perhaps most importantly, a queen. Dear Miss Gordon – How shall I write to you, or how shall I attempt to express what I feel! To think of your dear, noble, heroic Brother who served his Country and his Queen so truly, so heroically† (Churchill, S (2009) p112). this extract from a letter to Gordon’s sister captures not only the true thoughts of a queen, but perhaps a nation. Statues were erect ed and schools were named after him as well as books, journals and biographies written to celebrate a nations hero. In my opinion I find it very hard to describe Gordon as a hero of the empire.He was as a Christian Martyr foremost, he believed in honour, fairness and god before all else. His life was captured after his death and used to promote jingoistic ideals, the hijackers in fact were the following government, Disraeli jumped aboard promoting an empire of Enlightenment was exactly what the country wanted following the death of Gordon. However, despite the stories and support he received post-mortem the fact was he never conquered a single mile of land for the Queen, and spent the majority of his career working for foreign governments and not in fact the British Army.He was a hero for his achievements, moral code and was someone to look up to and aspire to be but he was not an imperial hero. Churchill, S (2009). General Gordon: A Christian Hero. London: Trediton. Judd, D (1997). Empire. Great Britain: Basicbooks. Pollock, J (1993). Gordon, The man behind the Legend. London: Constable. Asher, M (2003). Khartoum. 2nd ed. London: Penquin. Carey, H (2008). Empires of Religion. New Zealand: Macmillan. Moore-Hall, A (2010). Egypt's Africa Empire: Samuel Baker, Charles Gordon ; the Creation of Equatoria. Sussex: Sussex Academic Press What Did Charles George Gordon Do to Earn the View That He Was an Imperial Hero and Was It Justified? What did Charles George Gordon do to earn the view that he was an Imperial Hero and was it justified? When discussing heroes the first things that would come to mind are selfless individuals, they would show a tremendous amount of bravery in the face of certain defeat and have the courage and determination to beat overwhelming odds. The dictionary definitions of heroes are â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength and ability† or â€Å"a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities†.Charles George Gordon has gone down in history as a an imperial hero, during this essay I will ascertain what it was Charles Gordon did to earn this title and whether or not it was justified. Gordon was the son of a Royal Artillery officer and born in 1833. He was part of a large family with five sisters and five brothers. It would be from one his sisters that Gordon would inspiration for his strong religious views as his life went o n. Gordon followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the military, he joined the Royal Engineers as an officer.Gordon thrived in the Engineers with the nature of the work perfectly suited to his personality; they were posted all over the world building bridges, siege work and buildings all over the world. One of his first postings was to Pembroke Dock in Wale, here Gordon converted to Christianity. Although this wasn’t the beginning of the Gospel spreading Gordon we know today, he was still indifferent with regards to his religion he was not actively spreading the Christian word.By the time of his death, Gordon was a devout Christian, he did not fear death for he genuinely felt that death would lead him to a better place. By 1854 Gordon had become a very religious man, a lot of the can be attributed to his older sister Augusta. He wrote to her often almost thanking her for her spiritual guidance whilst also keeping her updated with his religious journey â€Å" You know I was never confirmed. When I was a cadet, I thought it was a useless sin as I did not intend to alter (not that it was in my power to be converted when I chose).I however, took my first sacrament on Easter day, and have communed ever since. †(Churchill, 2009, p95) I feel that his change in religious views ultimately would have a huge affect in how we was remembered and thought of. Religion was a huge part of the Empire, although the main stimulants for empire were to expand lands and capture natural resources, there was an aspect that by colonising lands it would also spread the message of God. Civilise and educate the savages of foreign lands. At the height of the imperial age church people liked to argue that religion and the British empire were inseparable- that the visible, commercial and political empire was woven into the fabric of another, invisible country- a spiritual empire’ (Carey, 2008, p1). Charles Gordon was given many different political roles w ithin the British Empire whilst serving in the army, however it is the Sudan that he is renowned for. In 1874 was appointed the full Governor of the Sudan. In typical Gordon style he launched himself into his new role, paying particular attention to the curbing and stopping of the slave trade.This was the sort of impossible task that Gordon relished. Gordon despised the slave trade, and he wrote often about it, voicing his disgust frequently in his letters. â€Å"I am a fool, I dare say, but I cannot see the sufferings of these peoples without tears in my eyes†¦. †. (2010, Moore-Hall) Alice Moore-Hall writes that despite his hero label, Gordon didn’t successfully complete his objectives. Gordon essentially brought the area under the control of Egypt, however Moore-Hall explains that this was only really the case when Gordon or his representatives were present in the region.He was extremely successful at reducing the slave trade within the Sudan, a somewhat difficu lt task considering the affect that it had on the economy of the area. He did not however completely stop it, something that Moore-Hall attributes to the locals within Gordon’s expedition due to the participation of peoples under his command partaking in the enterprises they were in fact charged with stopping. The economic interest, political stability and social relations brought into question by the slave trade made it a practice that even the likes of Gordon would fail to eradicate.So the question remains, was it his efforts in Sudan that brought him heroic status within the empire, it wasn’t a finished job, there was no real glory or great British achievement within Gordon’s actions on his first trip to the Sudan, he wasn’t even working for the British military at the time. Gordon left the Sudan in 1879 with the intention of becoming the Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India amongst other things such as visiting Palestine, South Africa and Ireland . None of the positions he undertook following the Sudan were of any great importance highlighting the lack of trust in him from the British War Office.When looking at the roles which Gordon undertook, it is reasonable to question why it was exactly that he was the man sent to the Sudan when trouble was arising? The British Government, led by Gladstone had viciously attacked Disraeli and the previous government’s foreign policies, yet by 1882 an invasion of Egypt was sanctioned in order to protect the Suez Canal. This led to further involvement with the Sudan due to its ties with Egypt. A self proclaimed leader of Muslims, intent on holy war and cleansing the Muslim religion had succeeded in uniting the various groupings within the Sudan.The British government more than likely would have been happy with abandoning the Sudan, perhaps even Egypt. It is believed by Historians such as Michael Asher that Gladstone felt inclined to intervene in the Sudan due to his beliefs that the Sudanese were struggling to be free. By the end of 1883, Army Officers, clergymen, Egyptian Experts and even Queen Victoria herself were lobbying for Government intervention, more importantly, for Gordon. Gladstone reportedly had an intense dislike for Gordon, he felt that he was both rash and irresponsible.The media and public however did not feel the same way. W T Stead of the Pall Mall Gazzette wrote â€Å"We cannot send a regiment to Khartoum, but we can send a man who on similar circumstances than an entire army. Why not send Chinese Gordon with full powers to Khartoum, to assume absolute control for the territory, to treat with the Mahdi, to relieve the garrisons , and do what he can to save what can be saved from the wreck of the Sudan? † (Asher (2003) p4). This attitude was enthusiastically backed up Stead with their backing of Gordon.This wave of support pushed the government into acting quickly. This public support tells us that Gordon was held in high regard prior to his second visit to the Sudan. He had proven to the empire his skills, he held religion in extremely high regard and previous form tells us he achieved results. He gained an international reputation as an effective commander of armed forces not as skilled as the British. Particularly in China, he was rewarded by both the Chinese and the British for his efforts in quashing a rebellion.Surely he was the perfect man for the job. By the December of 1883, the British had ordered the Egyptians to order their troops to retreat and abandon the Sudan along with civilians and families. Gordon was sent with the intention of assisting the plans for evacuation. Gordon arrived in February the following year and immediately began to evacuate the women, children sick and wounded back to Egypt. It didn’t take long for Mahdi’s forces closed in the Sudanese capital following astounding defeats of the Egyptian forces.By April the British Forces had all withdrawn from Garrisons in the Sudan effectively leaving Gordon and his men abandoned. Gordon was not sent to the Sudan to fight the Ma’hdi, far from it and when the news had travelled that Gordon was in Sudan, he received little sympathy from the British Government. Gladstone did not act swiftly in sending a rescue party. It is believed by historians such as Dennis Judd, that the delay in this relief party was down to the Governments lack of interest in spending money abroad and annoyance that Gordon had not done what he was asked.The government dragged and the public rallied. Public Opinion in the end was too strong for the government and in the end an order was given to relieve Gordon in Khartoum, unfortunately for Gordon, and the government, it was too late. In the early hours of January 26th 1885 Gordon was murdered by Ma’hdi forces. There were various accounts of his death, varying in details. However the one that captured the Victorian peoples imaginations. Gordon immaculately dressed fightin g to the end.When addressing what it was that made Gordon the imperial hero he was is an interesting one, he was not your stereotypical Imperial hero. What he did do was heroically defend Khartoum, save thousands of women and children with his evacuation. For this it is fair that he is acclaimed a hero. But with regards to a hero of empire, it is harder to justify. He rallied against colonial rule, he didn’t obey his orders with regards to the evacuation of Sudan and he severely undermined the British government of the time. Yet he captured the hearts of a nation and perhaps most importantly, a queen. Dear Miss Gordon – How shall I write to you, or how shall I attempt to express what I feel! To think of your dear, noble, heroic Brother who served his Country and his Queen so truly, so heroically† (Churchill, S (2009) p112). this extract from a letter to Gordon’s sister captures not only the true thoughts of a queen, but perhaps a nation. Statues were erect ed and schools were named after him as well as books, journals and biographies written to celebrate a nations hero. In my opinion I find it very hard to describe Gordon as a hero of the empire.He was as a Christian Martyr foremost, he believed in honour, fairness and god before all else. His life was captured after his death and used to promote jingoistic ideals, the hijackers in fact were the following government, Disraeli jumped aboard promoting an empire of Enlightenment was exactly what the country wanted following the death of Gordon. However, despite the stories and support he received post-mortem the fact was he never conquered a single mile of land for the Queen, and spent the majority of his career working for foreign governments and not in fact the British Army.He was a hero for his achievements, moral code and was someone to look up to and aspire to be but he was not an imperial hero. Churchill, S (2009). General Gordon: A Christian Hero. London: Trediton. Judd, D (1997). Empire. Great Britain: Basicbooks. Pollock, J (1993). Gordon, The man behind the Legend. London: Constable. Asher, M (2003). Khartoum. 2nd ed. London: Penquin. Carey, H (2008). Empires of Religion. New Zealand: Macmillan. Moore-Hall, A (2010). Egypt's Africa Empire: Samuel Baker, Charles Gordon ; the Creation of Equatoria. Sussex: Sussex Academic Press

Home Depot Case Study

Home Depot Case Study Home Depot Incorporation was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in the year 1978 by Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus. Both Arthur and Bernie had been fired from a small company that dealt with home improvement products thus the decision to start a retail store providing these products. At its commencement, Home Depot had a warehouse stocked with a wide variety of home improvement products at very low prices.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Home Depot specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From then on, the company has grown to be the largest chain offering home improvement items in the world. At the start, the company grew at a much slower pace but with time the business picked and today Home Depot is a successful enterprise. With over 2,000stores across the globe, Home Depot is a booming enterprise with Lowe as its main competitor. With reference to the case study, this paper will assess Home depot’s growth strategy, i ts current business environment, the industry, competitors, the strategies used, and how the company can address the challenges it is facing. The business environment of a company includes the various aspects of its surrounding which affects the operations in one way or another. In other words, Home Depot’s business environment is a set of conditions that cannot be controlled by nature whereby these conditions affects its normal functioning. Just like any other company, Home Depot has internal and external environments. Its internal environment consists of factors like manpower, machinery, cash, and management which can be controlled by the business. Home Depot can make changes in the internal environment with respect to changes in the business’s functioning. This is evidenced by changes in the top management since the company’s inception and the growing number of its workforce and stores. From the year 1979 to the year 2006, the company’s revenue grew fr om $ 22 million to $90.8 billion respectively. When Home Depot commenced its operations up to the year 2000, one of its co-founders acted as the CEO (Hess 2). Having grown the company’s revenue tremendously, the board of directors embraced change by replacing Blank with Bob Nardelli. Having served in the military, Nardelli employed a completely different strategy. He imported manpower and ideas from the military and as a result caused culture overhaul.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Previously, Home Depot had a culture that was low profiled and collaborative but Nardelli converted it to â€Å"a culture of fear† (Hess 3). The decline in sales experienced during the 1990’s can be attributed to the form of management employed by Nardelli. Changing the decentralized strategy that paid attention to employees and more importantly to the custome rs led to the low sales. This shows that changing the internal environment of the business does affect its business’s performance in different ways. On the other hand, the external environment of Home Depot consists of factors that are beyond its control. The external environment of the business does affect its internal functioning, the strategies it employs, and its objectives as well. The operative external environment of the business consists of customers, the suppliers, competitors, market intermediaries, and the public as well. The suppliers provide the company with raw materials therefore they must be reliable to ensure success of the business. Home Depot is a multinational company operating across the globe meaning that it has multiple suppliers. Customers are constituents of the business’s external environment. Customers determine the success of the business therefore the need to tailor products that will provide maximum satisfaction. Home Depot is a large inco rporation thus its customers range from industries, wholesalers, retailers, and governmental institutions. Also, important to the external environment of the business are the market intermediaries who link the final consumers of the products to the business. Banks and other financial intermediaries, middle men, and marketing agencies fall under this category. Competitors are an important constituent of the external environment of the business as well. Each and every move which a competitor makes affects the company. Home Depot’s competitor is Lowe; with this in mind, Home Depot has to keep on adjusting according to the strategies which its competitor employs.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Home Depot specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Both Lowes and Home Depot compete in the â€Å"Do It Yourself† market for home improvement products. The merchandise offered by these two include building materials, millwork, and lumber, kitchen, plumbing, electrical, wall covering, paint, and flooring (Hess 4). The Do It Yourself strategy was first adopted by Home Depot but Lowes has always been pushed by market forces to survive the stiff competition. After conducting SWOT analysis for both companies, it is clear that they possess the same strengths even though Lowe has never out performed Home Depot. In this case, Lowe is found to have been the market leader and as a result has its loyal customers. On the other hand, Home Depot employed a better strategy of price leadership. The business took the strategy of offering the same product as Lowe but at a lower price. The public which makes up the external environment of a business consists of people who have vested interest on the operations of the business. On the macro or rather general external environment of a business, the PESTLE analysis is always carried out to establish its stand on the industry. PESTLE stands for political, economic, so cial-cultural, technological, legal, and environmental factors that make the external environment of a business. The political factor determines how a change in governmental policy can affect a business. Political factors are felt in areas like labor and environmental laws, tax policies, tariffs and trade restrictions as well as the political stability of a country. The economic environment is dynamic and it reacts to changes in politics and policies. An economy can affect a business through government spending, exchange rates, and interest rates among others. Social factors analyze how the beliefs and behaviors of the consumers affect the business. Culture, attitudes, and population constitute the social factors of the external environment.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The technological environment concentrates on the speed at which product innovations and production processes can affect the business. Ethics are important for a business for they lead the management and workforce to do what is regarded as morally right. Time and again, integrity and acting in an ethical manner have been said to be the driving forces that have contributed to Home Depot’s success. Environmental factors including the aspects of climate, climatic change, and weather which are important in the external environment of a business. Legal factors include consumer laws, discrimination laws, and employment laws. All these factors are important components of Home Depot’s external environment for they affect its operations in the short and long terms. Since the 1990s, the industry of home improvement has experienced a speedy growth. With the wealth effect, many people have invested heavily on expensive and prized possessions. Change of customer needs, increased ho using expenditure, and the internet has made the industry what it is today. In its current situation, Home Depot has employed successful business strategies that can be summed into its core values. The core values include: offering excellent service to customers, caring for the people, being ethical, shareholder value, respecting all people, giving back to the society, maintaining a spirit of entrepreneurship, and building strong and lasting relationships. The vision of stores with a wide variety of assorted products at low prices and giving customer’s excellent services has contributed to the company’s success. The greatest strength exhibited by Home Depot is its ability to listen to its customers. The company’s dedication to provide customers with an excellent service contributes to its success. The only weakness the company has is that it spends more on advertising so as to lock out its competitors. After analysis of every aspect of the company, it is clear t hat the situation that needs to be addressed by Home Depot concerns the growth strategy. Robert Nardelli’s leadership and management styles did no good to Home Depot therefore the new CEO is faced by a challenging task concerning a growth strategy. Alternative actions to address the situation There is need to change the GE style, human resource policies, accountability, technology, and operating efficiencies that were existent during Nardelli’s tenure. Nardelli significantly changed the entire culture of Home Depot through changes in merchandising, the executive, centralization, and purchasing and inventory. The founders Blank and Marcus adopted an entrepreneurial and decentralized culture that gave first priority to employees and customers. Now that Blake is facing a huge challenge of bringing back Home Depot’s credibility, he can do so by using alternative business strategies. The alternative business strategies should work on improving the current stores, div ersifying services, finding new channels, and expanding the business to the global front. The change should come from the top management then to the retailers such that they can schedule and optimize their work time. The company should put into consideration ways in which shoppers can be more efficient. This can be done through the provision of self-checkouts. The best action which Frank Blake can take is to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit so as to settle problems regarding shareholders and employees. Rethinking the current strategies will also be a good alternative. Bringing one of the co-founders of Home Depot to the management level could work well in reorganizing the business. Redirecting, reorganizing, and dis-positioning of the existing business strategies and some of its operations will be the best alternative. Redirecting the management from its current centralized nature to a decentralized one will enable the business to reach all the customers. A decentralized managemen t will allow the business time to be close to the customers and through research and development it will capture firsthand information on the needs and wants of the customers. The information provided by the store managers will aid in decision making. Again, reorganizing the business to adopt the previously used inverted pyramid will help in overcoming the challenge. The pyramid structure recognizes the people working in the stores as very important since they are the ones in close contact with the customers. Home Depot can employ the â€Å"best cost provider† competitive strategy to draw a line between the enterprise and its competitors. It is a fact that Home Depot’s competitors do offer installation services but the enterprise supposedly offers the services at affordable prices. Nardelli opted for acquisitions and mergers and through them; Home Depot has been able to outdo its competitors. This trend can be used to increase the business’s market share through the opening of more retail stores across the globe. The Do It Yourself approach coupled with differentiation and price leadership will be great alternatives which the business can take. All these alternatives will aid in satisfying the customers thus the growth of the business (Hess 6). Recommendation The best solution for this situation at Home Depot is reorganizing and redirecting the management style. Decentralizing the business like before will enable the business to reach and keep contact with all classes of its customers. Investing in technology will enable customers to order products online. The advancing technology also allows product innovation and production processes. A decentralized management system, excellent customer service, and competitive prices will keep Home Depot on top. Wide range of assorted products and excellent distribution channels will be a part of the decentralization. Ensuring that the mission and vision statements are observed will keep Home Depot on top. The core values which include: offering excellent service to customers, caring for the people, being ethical, shareholder value, respecting all people, giving back to the society, maintaining a spirit of entrepreneurship, and building strong and lasting relationships will work well in improving the situation. The vision of stores with a wide variety of assorted products at low prices and giving customer’s excellent services will aid in the decentralization. The competitive strategies to use will include differentiation and price leadership (Hess 8). The financial objectives of Home Depot include growing its revenue by a certain percentage, growing the company’s market share through acquisitions and mergers, growing the return on sales and return on investment, and a strong cash flow. Just like any other multinational company, Home Depot has an objective to be stable in the market, and having a solid balance sheet as well as a good ability to invest. The implementa tion plan for Home Depot will aid in measuring the success of the business strategies employed. The implementation plan breaks down each strategy to steps that the management can identify with. These steps are then assigned to people to suggest when each can be completed. For the implementation to be successful, the objectives should be clear, each task should be assigned with a deadline, and then progress monitored so as to achieve the intended goals and milestones (Hess 10). In summary, the implementation plan should have: objectives, the tasks to be carried out, time allocation, and then the progress. Conclusion The Home Depot incorporation was founded by Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus in Atlanta, Georgia in the year 1978. The company has been successful since its inception due to its good management and business strategies. With over 2,000 stores across the globe, Home Depot is a booming enterprise with Lowe as its main competitor. Even though Nardelli changed the management sty le and culture of the business, Home Depot has always remained unmatched. In this case analysis, the key issue identified is poor growth strategy. With decentralization of the management, this situation can be done away with since the company will be able to keep in contact with its customers. This way, products can be tailored to give the customers maximum satisfaction hence brand loyalty. An implementation plan is important for it aids in the achievement of financial objectives as well. Hess, Edward. The Home Depot Inc. Virginia: Darden Business Publishing, 2007. Print.

Dogs chomp on more than four million people a year1 essays

Dogs chomp on more than four million people a year1 essays Dogs chomp on more than four million people a year. Megan Boger of La Belle, Pa., returned from shopping with her mother and ran into the yard to greet the family pet, a part-cocker mutt named Blaze. Seconds later, her mom, Elena Boger, heard a snap and then shrieks from three-year-old Megan. There was blood all over her face from tooth punctures under an eye and around her mouth, she recalls. Elena and her husband rushed their sobbing child to a local hospital. But the injuries were severe enough that the Bogers were sent to Children ¡s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where a plastic surgeon stitched the gashes. Little Megan is far from alone in having been the victim of a dog bite. According to a 1994 survey (the most recent) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, some 4.7 million people were bitten by dogs. About 800,000 required medical treatment. Many bites are to children, and most are from family pets or familiar dogs, not strays. Many bites are treated at home or in a doctor ¡s office, and as a consequence are often not reported to authorities. Meanwhile, there is no ongoing national system for counting dog bites, says the CDC ¡s Dr. Jeffrey Sacks. In some locales bites are reported to the police, in others to the animal-control folks or the health department. Some counties don ¡t collect data at all. Whatever the exact numbers, medical, veterinary and insurance experts agree: dog bites are on the rise. One reason may be that more people are getting larger, more powerful dogs than in the past. The CDC considers dog bites a serious public-health problem for children. A Pennsylvania study found that 45 percent of children had been bitten. And not only children are at risk. Dog bites are no joke for letter carriers and delivery people. Dog attacks account for a whopping one-third of all liability claims under renter or homeowner ¡s insurance policies. The Insurance Information Institute says that...

June 6 SAT Takers Heres How You Can Retest for Free

June 6 SAT Takers Here's How You Can Retest for Free SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The College Board is going to allow students who were affected by the mistake on the June 6, 2015 administration of the SAT to re-take the test for free in October. Read on for more information and to see what your options are. A Bit of Background: What Happened on June 6th? June 6 was the final SAT testing date for the 2014-2015 school year, and hundreds of thousand of students across the country registered to take the test. On test day, many were surprised to see that instead of the standard 20 minutes allowed for Section 8 or Section 9, their test booklets instructed they should be allowed 25 minutes. The proctors' instructions, however, still stated the time allowance should be 20 minutes. Therefore,some students got the correct amount of time on both sections, others were given 25% extra time, and still more were given something in between,which overall created a very confusing situation for everyone involved. Of the hundreds of thousands registered, almost all students were affected, apart from those taking the SAT with accommodations. (International test takers were not affected.) For a full breakdown of what happened, see our article here. The Aftermath and the Demand for a Retest After the test, students were very concerned about what would happen with their test results. They were worried that their scores would be invalidated,because the test was no longer standardized compared to other administrations of the SAT.Many worried that colleges would not accept their scores as equal to those from other testing dates. In the days following the exam, the College Boardgave a lot of conflicting information to different people.It told some thatthere would be a retest,but told others thatthe affected section of the exam would be thrown out. Two days later, they finally released an offical statement, in which they announced that they would proceed with scoring the exams,with the TWO affected sections removed.They claimed that they would be able to do this and still provide"reliable scores." Understandably, many students were angered by this response - it was obvious that this was decided on because it is theeasiest and cheapest way for the College Board to "fix" the situation, as opposed to the best way for students. It became clear that though the scores could be called "reliable," they would not necessarily be "accurate," especially for certain students. Students began to worry about how the test scores would affect admissions and qualifications for scholarships. Students began demanding anoptional retest for anyone who had been affected by the College Board's error.One student from Long Island has filed a lawsuit against the College Board, saying that scores of a test missing nearly 30% of its content cannot be considered valid. She has demanded unspecified monetary damanges and a re-test for anyone who wanted it. Another student started a change.org petition that quickly attracted over 1,000 supporters demanding another chance to take the test for free. The College Board Listened and Is Now Offering a Retest Late on June 15th, the College Board responded to unhappy students with an offer for a free retest - but maybe not in the way that they were expecting: â€Å"We remain confident in the reliability of scores from the June 6 administration of the SAT and don't want to cause undue anxiety for students by making them believe they need to sit for the test again. However, we have waived the fee for the October SAT administration for students who let us know that their testing experience was negatively affected by the printing error and we will continue to do so, through the September 3 registration deadline for the October administration.† You can see the full text here. Instead of offering students affected by the June 6th test their own makeup date, the College Board is giving free registration for the October test.This is going to mean that the retest will be too late for many students who need it, and it's only a useful offer for those students who were not relying on getting scores this summer. However, it's questionable how much the College Board really wants students to take advantage of the offer, even if they do have the time to get their scores later! For several days this past week, the informational banner with updated informationwas missing from the College Board web site, which meant that students who wanted more information about the retake would have beenunable to find it unless they had the link already.The College Board has now replaced the banner, but many were frustrated by what seemed to be a deliberate attempt to keep the information quiet. Additionally, on the June 6th FAQ page, the information for a retest is at the bottom, and is not emphasized. Many people would not know to look for the updated information. Fortunately for students (and unfortunately for the College Board), their mistake has received enough national attention that the retest is beingpublicized through various outlets, even though the College Board itself is trying to keep it quiet! I Called the College Board -Here Is How to Get the Retest Once again, there is a lot of misinformation going around abouthow to actually get registered for the retest.This is mostly because the College Board employees seem to know very little about it themselves. I called the College Board to nail down the information so that you don't have to. The first attempt... The first time I called them, the customer service rep I spoke to had no idea what I was talking about when I asked the process to be signed up for the retest. She insisted several times that there was not going to be a retest for students - this went on for about ten minutes. Finally, I verbally directed her to the appropriate section on their own web site and read it aloud to her. I was then put on hold for several minutes. Another rep picked up. I asked her what the proper procedure was to register for the retest. She told me (in quite an annoyed fashion) that Idid not need to take the retest. She said that theCollege Board was only dropping ONE section of the test, and that the scores would not be affected because they always drop one section as an "experimental section." As you know if you are at all familiar the SAT, there IS always an experimental section, but it is always one of the middle sections of the test - a 25 minute section. I said this to the rep and asked how it would be possible to swap in the experimental section for one of the final sections. Not only are they different lengths, but the whole point of the experimental section is to test out future questions and some of them may not be appropriate. She told me that the experimental section is always randomly selected out of all the sections, which is not true. I also asked how the other section would be accounted for, and was told thatthey are only going to drop one section. Both of these statements are in direct contrast to what has been said to other people who have called, and what has been said by the College Boarditself on its web site. This goes to show how unreliable the information is that they are giving out. If you call and ask for specific information, and it does not seem right to you, make sure to ask to speak to another person. Though we were 20 minutes in and I knew at this point that the conversation was going nowhere, I persevered and asked what I could do to sign up for the retest. I was told that I could wait to see my grades at the end of this month, and if I'm still unhappy to call back by the end of the month to register. The College Board has since updated its statement to specify that they will be accepting registrations through September 3rd for the October 4th test. Nevertheless, if you do want to take this retest, I recommend signing up sooner rather than later - see below for why. The second attempt... I called back a couple days later and had a totally different experience. As soon as I said that I wanted to register for the free re-take, the customer service rep agreed quickly and opened my account. I went though the security questions, she asked for my preferred test center, and waived the fee. In less than 4 minutes, I was signed up for the retest for free. The Takeaway In conclusion, here is how to sign up: The free retest hasnotautomatically been applied to your account. If you register for the test and pay, it will probably be more difficult to get your money back, so just call and register over the phone.Usually there is a fee for registering over the phone, but they are not charging this for June 6th testers. Call the College Board Customer Service line at 1-866-756-7346. Give yourself time to make this phone call. As you can see from my experiences above, how your conversation will go completely depends on which customer service rep you talk to. If the rep tries to give you a hard time about registering, ask to speak to another rep or a supervisor.Stay calm and say that you were affected by the College Board's mistake on the June 6th test, and you would like to take them up on the offer that is posted on the web site. If they still give you trouble, stay polite but firm: "This is not what the College Board is publicly offering. I was promised a free retest and I am calling to register for this. If the process remains difficult, I will contact press members to let them know that the College Board is not honoring its promise." You do not have to take the test at the same center where you took the June 6th SAT.This is great news for people like me who signed up for the June SAT late and had to travel quite far to take it. Usually when the College Board offers a retest it does have to be at the same center, so this is a big bonus. You will have to do all the things you normally do at registration time - including confirming your name, birth date, and high school. If you don't have any trouble with the rep, the whole process should take about 5 minutes. Afterwards, you will receive aconfirmation email and will be able to sign into your account to print out your admissions ticket. Can I See My Scores First? Yes, you can!The scores from the test you took on June 6th will be available around June 25th. You are welcome to look at your scores and decide if you want to take the test again. The College Board has done this intentionally, because they are hoping that many people will be satisfied with their scores and will decide to not take the test again.Remember, for each person who does decide to do the retest, they are losing out on potential registration money. Even if you sign up for the retest now, your scores will still be delivered on time. Remember, however, that these scoreswill not include sections 8 and 9, and youwill not have the option to see what your score would have been with those sections.So it will be difficult todetermine if you have beenpositively or negatively affected by the shorter test. Since they have now officially said that free registration will be available through September 3, you can feel comfortable waiting to sign up if you want to. But it might be a better idea to not wait.Since the College Board is not offering a separate test date for the retest,there will be many more people than usual signing up for the October test.Therefore, there is a very good chance that testing centers will fill up quite quickly. If you register now, you can always cancel later if you want to, and you do not have to risk potential disappointment at not getting a seat. Should I Take the Retest? For most students, signing up for the retest is a good idea if it's at all possible for your schedule. If you get your scores back and think that you were negatively affected, this is the best way to fix it - for free. And if it turns out that you did better than you were expecting to do, you can always cancel your registration. You will not lose out on any money from the registration costs because it's free. If this was your last chance to take the SAT for one deadline or another, then the retest will not really affect you. Though some schools are taking the "wait and see" approach for this test, it is very likely that most willhonor the results, especially for seniors or those who took the June 6th test on a tight deadline. If you feel that you have been significantly disadvantaged by the College Board's error, and cannot take the retest, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the lawsuit mentioned above to see how it progresses. If they win, you may be entitled to some compensation. Last Words... If you do decide to retake the test, you should use the experience you have had with this test to help guide your studying. Set aside time this summer for dedicated prep so that you can smash it this fall. What’s Next? Worried that taking the SAT again this fall will be one time too many? Read our guide on how many times you should take the SAT. To prep for the re-test this fall, read our 11 top, must-read guides to prepare yourself for the next test. Learn our expert strategies to improve your SAT Math, SAT Writing, and SAT Reading scores to help push your scores above 600s in any section. Wanta top score on the re-take? Read our guide to getting a perfect SAT score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. 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Statistics presentation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Statistics presentation - Coursework Example This formula is based on the risk free rate of the security, the beta factor of that security and the difference between the risk free rates of that stock. Understanding the testing of the CAPM, requires a good knowledge of these components of the CAPM. Investing in various securities in the securities market has various risks that the investors must consider when putting their funds in such securities (Sharpe, 2010). These risks are represented in the CAPM formula are the unsystematic risk in the market. The risk in each company’s stock is accounted for in the capital asset pricing model formula with the beta factor as the unsystematic risk factor. In this work of capital asset pricing model testing, beta factor in the formula is used to measure the level of risk when an investor decides to invest in any of the 20 companies discussed relative to the market risk (Mullins, 2012). For this coursework, the beta of the market would be 1 of the FTSE market index of the 20 companies. In measurement of the CAPM, an individual security, which will have a beta of 1.5 will be riskier than the market and less risky than the market if the stock has a beta of 0.5. The formula of the Capital Asset Pricing Model is given as The risk free rate in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) formula is the rate which is expected by the investors to be free from any risk when they invest in any of the companies’ stocks. These are like the Treasury bill rate for governments and are generally used as it is short term. Besides, the risk premium is also a component of the CAPM. The capital asset pricing model is made up of two components. If this market risk is multiplied by the beta factor of the market and added to the risk free rate, then, the expected return of the stock can be determined and tested in this case (Lakonishok and Allan, 2013, pp.16). Risk is the same with the volatility. For example, if the market risk is 1 and in the test a better of 2 was found then, the

Organizational Analysis Paper on Railroads of Pittsburgh Term

Organizational Analysis on Railroads of Pittsburgh - Term Paper Example Corporate culture, in theory, is one of the most critical treadles that could boost or bust the progress of a business. Unfortunately, its real value is almost impossible to quantify. The Railroad of Pittsburgh is one of the many businesses whose success is largely measured by its net revenue and measuring the financial contribution of cultural values and beliefs is and was never an exact science. This difficulty is compounded as culture changes, influences come in, and new communication technology is demonstrating new forms and intensity of power to the point of forcing changes to the internal organizational communication processes. The challenge for Railroads, as in any organization, is to develop an organizational communication process that is stable and strong enough to protect the company’s internal and external cultural identity. All the while being adaptable enough to adjust with the evolving customer and employee needs that dictate the level of cultural diversity withi n and outside of the business. Railroad’s organizational communication set up largely follows Henry Fayol’s Theory of Classical Management. The communication culture is highly structured with each employee expected to produce outputs that are measured and defined and fuelled by nothing else but salaries and quantifiable benefits (Miller 20). There have been many studies that mention how difficult it is for traditional or old companies like Railroads to adjust and adapt to new communication trends or accept the changes that are slowly reshaping their employees. One of the fundamental reasons companies like Railroads is often struggling to keep traditional communication process is the threat new technologies and its corresponding constructs post to changing the corporate identity altogether. Miller mentioned this concept in the Pervasiveness of Power (p. 101). Miller showed 14 sources of power as identified by Morgan (p. 103) and on top position is formal authority follo wed by other factors present in Railroads such as control of resources, boundaries and control of technology. Railroads believe that traditional organizational set-up secure the company’s cultural identity. This organizational barrier was also explored by Ronald Arnett in Communication and Community: Implication of Martin Buber’s Dialogue. Arnett summarized this situation in the concept of Polarized Communication or the process of someone’s inability to bend or adjust their belief including their own concept of power and authority (p. 15). Perhaps Railroad’s apprehension to change comes from the nature of its business. It provides a basic need, one that does not, at least to the management’s opinion, require any stimulant to be purchased. Unlike other companies whose products are forced to evolve in order to keep up with competition, Railroad’s winning selling point is as natural as the geography of Pittsburgh. It feels no need to change or progress. That framework is carried within the organization. Managers feel no need to adapt any new form of internal communication. It is also a part of a bigger organization which is the government and it is assumed that any changes in identity and process is bound by a larger ideology. The result is a classic example of the Max Webber’s Bureaucratic Theory of Management as discussed by Miller (p. 23). It has exhaustive spheres of obligation and ultimate power is bestowed upon authorities. Statement of the Problem Arnett (p. 94) believes that companies who are able to adapt to the changes and still maintain their strong cultural identity often result to company growth in branding and revenue which makes studying the company’s strategy critical and government is not an exception. In fact, the fact that it is owned and backed by the government that makes it even more critical for Railroad to examine how its organizational communication is affecting productivity and inte rnal and external identity. It is largely financed by government

Liberal Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Liberal Education - Essay Example The arguments developed by Graff and Edmundson on liberal education are found to relate in certain ways despite the fact that some difference, based on cultural ideas and practices, have been developed from the fact that various communities and nations have diversified norms and cultural practices that have to be followed by individuals of that community in a strict way. One of the ways in which Graff supports the arguments of Edmundson is through the idea of students choosing their professors by stating the reasons why the students had to choose professors. They need to choose their professors is based on the high cost of education that they are forced to pay for their education. This could be explained by their choice of lecturers. According to Graff, lecturers have different ways of teaching and thus students wish to gain the best possible by considering their most preferred lecturers who could enable them to gain the highest grades possible. The idea of Edmund is based on maximiz ing the resources available based on their payments, an idea supported by Graff in which the choice of lecturers happens to be one of these attempts to gain high points. This way, Graff’s ideology about students seems to support that of Edmundson of students trying to maximize their educational benefits given the high price they pay for the education (Edmundson). In his article, Graff talks about two professors who impart the same subject with different understandings, which can confuse students unintentionally.

Jominy Hardenability test Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jominy Hardenability test - Lab Report Example During testing, water was sprayed on one side of the steel bar when still hot so as to enhance a one-dimensional transfer of heat during cooling. Moving away from the end that was quenched made the temperature rate of change to be altered. The rate of cooling is observed being low as the temperature increases. When the hardness of the surface is measured as a distance function from the end, a profile of hardness was obtained. This profile can be applied to any specimen that is made from steel (Callister 4). Hardenability is, therefore different from hardness as hardness refers to a measure of the extent of resistance for a solid matter towards different types of permanent shapes whenever some amount of force is applied to the solid matter. The macroscopic hardness is hardness with intermolecular bonds that are strong. It occurs whenever the character of the solid matter under force appears to be complex. In this respect, there are a variety hardness measurements. These include indent ation hardness, scratch hardness, and rebound hardness (Bain 3).Comparing the experimental and published hardenability values, it is evidenced that the two pairs of curves are similar to each other. The curves have a similar gradient with just a few differences. These differences were brought about due to experimental errors. Some of the experimental errors came about due to air resistance, parallax, the heterogeneous trait of the calibration plate, faultiness of the Rockwell scale, and wrong calculation.... As widely cited, Hardenability is measured using the measurements of length. It serves the purpose of indicating how deep inside a material of given hardness can be obtained. This is one such vital property in welding and it is inversely proportional to the weldability of a material. This property can be demonstrated in a case where whenever a work piece that is made of steel is quenched; the contact area having water is suddenly cooled and it is often evened out of the given medium. On the contrary, the internal depth of the medium, fails to cool in a rapid in a rapid way and the work pieces inside, cool at a slow rate allowing the austenite to change into a structure besides martensite. The main effect is that the resulting component would be a work piece with different crystal structures, having a hard shell and a core considered being soft and hard for the entire structure. In this case, the softer core is a combination of cementite and ferrite such as the pearlite. In ferrous al loys such as steel, hardenability is a component of the carbon content and other different elements of the alloy. The other alloying elements have relatively important including the calculation using the equivalent material’s carbon content. In quenching, the fluid used facilitates the rate of cooling for the materials as a result of the changing thermal conductivity and specific heat. Components such as water and brine that have the ability to cool faster than oil and air (Callister 9). Apart from this, whenever a fluids are agitated, their rate of cooling is fast. In other cases, the part geometry influences the rate of cooling rate for two samples having different volumes. This means that the material

Defence Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Defence Diplomacy - Essay Example Prior to doing so, however, it is necessary to commence with a definition of the terms, such as would frame our understanding of it componential elements and implications: "To provide forces to meet the varied activities undertaken by the MOD to dispel hostility, build and maintain trust and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces, thereby making a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution."1 In accordance with the above cited definition, the importance of Defence Diplomacy within the context of international and inter-state relations may be affirmed. Quite simply stated, the exigencies of defence diplomacy emanate from the fact that it serves both to solidify inter-state defence relations and, in optimal situations, for the negation of nascent military/security threats. As Aldrich (1994) contends the very nature of the twentieth century as the bloodiest and most violent the world had ever witnessed, led to the evolution of defence diplomacy. World War I, followed just two decades later by World War II, left millions dead, cities and countries destroyed, economies shattered and civilisations in ruin. The horrors of these two wars, not to mention their cost, underscored the importance of diplomacy as a preventative strategy and defence diplomacy as a national security imperative. In other words, defence diplomacy is the by-product of incalculably violent and insupportable, protracted warfare. Within the context of the aforementioned, diplomatic missions proliferated and assumed reciprocal, voluntary form. These mission came to embrace a military, more specifically, a defence purpose and as such, the spread of diplomatic missions implied the parallel proliferation of defence attaches offices. These offices, representing a country's military, its Armed Forces abroad, soon evolved into an integral component, not just of military defence but, of Military Intelligent Services. As such, they did not simply function as the purveyors of defence and military-related information but acted in such a way so as to maintain national security interests and to fortify the represented state's international military alliances. The importance of Defence Diplomacy and, by association, the institution of the Defence Attach, continued to expand from inception onwards. On the international level, the Cold War most certainly established and promoted the importance of the said institution. The value of the said institution directly derived from the importance of national defence and national security interests and, accordingly, within the context of an ever connected and interrelated world, has increased. Within the geographic parameters of the Arab Middle East, Defence Diplomacy assumed unique importance. As recent events, if not those of the past five decades, have illustrated, the region is subject to numerous threats, many of which have the potential to function as regime destabilisers. The implication here is that, just as did other countries and regions, Arab nations recognised the exigencies of Defence Diplomacy and accordingly, ensured the evolution of the institution of the Defence Attach within the context of the Military Intelligence Directorate. In so doing, Arab nations effectively expanded the range of the mechanisms and instruments they deployed for