Asperger’s Disorder Essay examples - 1385 Words

Amazingly, one percent of new births will have some type of autism (Autism Society of America, 2010). Asperger’s disorder is one type of Autism, and is at the high end of these disorders. This â€Å"disorder, which is also called Aspergers syndrome (AS) or autistic psychopathy, belongs to a group of childhood disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) or autistic spectrum disorders†(Exkorn, 2006). A characteristic of this disorder is harsh and strict disruption of a certain type of brain development. The most affected areas of Aspergers disorder is difficulty in social understanding and in behavior or activities that are limited or recurring (Frey, 2003). Students with Asperser’s have different levels of seriousness,†¦show more content†¦He gave an example of how John improved with help. When a teacher would notify John that it is time to change classes, he would get aggravated and would want to finish the model he had begun. The teacher talked to him, explaining that in five minutes they will have to leave, and they can come back at lunch if all the other work is completed. John agrees. This technique settled him down. The rest of the day he did his best so he could get back to building his model (Glover, 2010). Asperger’s disorder (AD) is a disruption in the formation of the child’s physical and or psychological development and recognizing these, the disorder was separated from Autism in 1944, to provide a basis for each child to get the proper care. All children with Asperger Disorder will show some traits in these three categories; impaired social skills, trouble communicating with others and a pattern of behavior, interest, and activities’ will be limited and recurring; they become obsessed with a single theme. Usually the child will have the normal communication skills in the beginning years. They will be using single words by age one. They just will not be using them in the normal way. When doctors are testing for this disorder, they are looking for specific behaviors or skills that are either present or absent. If the right services are available, Asperser’s children will show significant improvement in languageShow MoreRelatedDifferentiating the Diagnosi s Between Autism and Aspergers Disorders1113 Words   |  5 PagesTwenty years ago, we seldom heard of the terms Autism or Aspergers Syndrome. Today the terminology seems to be as well known as the words Schizophrenia or Down Syndrome . Most of us know someone who has a relative with one of these disorders, or have a child or a relative ourselves who has been diagnosed. While the terms are recognizable, these disorders are relatively new to the ordinary citizen. The knowledge of the cause, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment are even further limited. For thoseRead MoreLife of a Child with Aspergers Syndrome702 Words   |  3 PagesWhile children with Asperger’s Syndrome have an average to above average intelligence and normal cognitive abilities, they unfortunately suffer with impaired social skills. An effective treatment program will have to be tailored to fit the specific child’s Asperger’s in order for the child to be successful in managing his or her own behaviors. This form of treatment is run by a psychologist, counselor, speech pathologist, or social worker, these therapies are invaluable ways to build social skillsRead MoreMozart and the Whale Reaction Paper980 Words   |  4 Pagestwo people with Asperger’s syndrome, and tells the story of how they developed a relationship and eventually married. Nearly the entire cast is composed of characters with disabilities who have been joined together as a support group by the main character, Donald. Donald has Asperger’s syndrome and forms the group so he can have friends. Isabelle, who also has Asperger’s Syndrome, joins Donald’s group and the two have a lot in common. Most of their similarities come from Asperger’s Syndrome - theyRead MoreMany characters in movies, television shows, and novels have been portrayed or have been hinted to600 Words   |  3 PagesMany characters in movies, television shows, and novels have been portrayed or have b een hinted to have a psychological disorder. Some examples are Ariel from The Little Mermaid, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder and is a hoarder, and Mike from the animated series Total Drama, who has dissociative identity disorder. This phenomenon has become more prevalent in popular media. These characters appear in all types of genres: psychological thrillers, comedies, mysteries, musicals, and more. Read MoreChildren With Autism Struggle With Sleep Essay799 Words   |  4 Pagesfunctioning in autism spectrum disorder3,4,5. Besides, autistic children also suffer from sleep disorders in a manner a similar to developmentally normal counterparts. Thus, treatment of sleep disorders can contribute to improvement in behavior and cognitive function. These findings have led to a robust exploration in the science of sleep dysregulation among children with autism spectrum disorder. Scientists claim that several mechanisms underpin sleep disruption in autism: 1). NeurochemicalRead MoreWhy Do Children With Autism Struggle With Sleep? Essay823 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween poor sleep patterns and impairment in social functioning in autism spectrum disorder3,4,5. In addition, autistic children also suffer from sleep disorders in a manner a similar to developmentally normal counterparts. These findings have led to a robust exploration in the science of sleep dysregulation among children with autism spectrum disorder. Scientists hypothesize that several mechanisms underpin sleep disruption in autism: 1). Neurochemical disturbances that include abnormalities inRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Mary And Max 1009 Words   |  5 Pagesin their lives. They begin asking each other questions, and that’s when Mary asks Max about love. Max has a severe anxiety attack and finds out that he suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. After the anxiety attack Max refused to write Mary back for a while, but he eventually writes back and tells her that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s. As the two of them go on writing back and forth, Mary has her birthmark removed and becomes in love with her neighbor, Damian. Around that time is when the death ofRead MoreThe Difference Between Autism Spectrum Disorder, And A Trade Journal1194 Words   |  5 Pagescontext in which they are used are very different. This basic principle relates to writing in the medical field as well. More specifically, mental health disorders such as Autism. Autism has always been a very controversial topic in the me dical field as the ranges of its intensity are different for each person diagnosed. Not just Autism but mental disorders as a whole are not comparable to cancer, or a tumor, as it is not easy to diagnose. It is diagnosed through long periods of examination and observationRead MoreThe Perks Of Being A Wallflower1401 Words   |  6 PagesI chose to do my Abnormal Psychology paper over The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I heard about this movie a couple of years ago and I never had time to watch it until recently. I did have a difficult time diagnosing what disorder I thought the main character had, but it turned out to actually be a learning opportunity for myself. This assignment did give me the opportunity to watch the movie differently than I have examined a movie before. What I mean is, for this assignment, I had to examine inRead MoreAsperger s Syndrome : A Psychological Disorder Essay1221 Words   |  5 PagesAsperger’s syndrome is often thought of as an invisible disorder as you usually cannot tell just by one’s physical appearance if they have this syndrome. Asperger’s patients look like everyone else physically but their brains are wired much dissimilarly than someone whom is non-Asperger’s. Although there are no tell tale physical traits of Asperger’s syndrome some patients exhibit a youthful look or glow, blank facial expressions, and lax joints. Although Asperger’s is a psychological disorder

Academy Awards Ceremony Free Essays

At the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, the writing awards were already split into two categories: Best Writing, Original Story and Best Writing, Adaptation. (For the record, that first year saw the only presentation of an Oscar for Best Title Writing, an art that had become obsolete by the following year.) Over the next few decades, the delineation of the screenplay awards morphed a bit. We will write a custom essay sample on Academy Awards Ceremony or any similar topic only for you Order Now For a while, three awards were presented: Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Story, and Best Story and Screenplay- confusing categorizations that speak to the tortured distinctions made by the Writers Guild when determining authorship. But for the last half century, the sensible division between an original screenplay and a screenplay based on a preexisting work has held. Writers and their audiences see a difference between the art of creating characters, situations and dialogue out of whole cloth and the art of turning an existing work into a film script with all the requisite transformations that such a translation entails. This is not to say that the distinction between an original and adapted work is always clear. In 2000, Joel and Ethan Coen ‘s O Brother, Where Art Thou? was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay thanks to a credit on the film that cheekily stated it was based on Homer’s Odyssey. Eyebrows rose all over Hollywood: O Brother had about as much to do with the Odyssey as did The Wizard of Oz or really any story about someone lost who wants to go home. The Coens were perhaps prompt- ing the age-old debate as to whether any artwork, especially a narratively driven artwork, is ever truly original. In a broad sense, every storyteller obviously builds on the stories that came before him or her and relies on pre-programmed audience expectations. Harold Bloom’s Anxiety of Influence addresses this topic with great insight, and an entire academic discipline, the study of â€Å"Intertextuality,† analyzes this phenomenon. The Oscar nominees for Best Original Screenplay this year – American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, and Nebraska – all utilize existing genre tropes, standard (or subverted) plot devices, patterns of dialogue derived from previous works, and so forth. Blue Jasmine is quite consciously based on Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, with virtually every character and situation a direct outgrowth of the earlier work. The dialogue is new, but it’s debatable as to whether the work is â€Å"Original† in the strictest sense. Certainly it is much more of an adaptation than O Brother, Where Art Thou? Conversely, one of the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay this year is How to cite Academy Awards Ceremony, Papers

Essay Analyzing The Structure And Language Of The Declaration Of Independence Example For Students

Essay Analyzing The Structure And Language Of The Declaration Of Independence When, in the course of human language, it becomes necessary for people to create or redefine, words or phrases to express an object or an action; and to assume, among society, the acceptance and usage of these words and their definitions, in ones own language, or idiolect. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind, requires that Americans should recognize slang adopted into language. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that language is expression of thought, in the form of speech or written symbols, that have agreed-upon meanings. That, many large speaking languages contain dialects, or other versions of languages within a community, that are different in some aspects of grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary. That, because language is a form of ones own ideas and expression, everyone possesses his or her own individual language, or idiolect. That, not only does perception change language, but that language changes perception. That, through the course of history, idiolects have shaped dialects, which have shaped language, which in turn, have shaped concepts. Conservatives, indeed, will dictate that languages will follow a narrow path toward a standard language. And accordingly, expression will follow the rules and guidelines that limit thought, rather than the ability to rethink old vocabulary and enrich new ones. When we speak, write, learn, and think in a s lowly evolving vocabulary, which does not adapt to the more rapid introduction of cultures, concepts, fashion, and technology, we must add new meaning to conventional vocabulary.Such has been the language of Conservative American English speakers and writers, who have discouraged the use of creative language and the use of dialects and idiolects. Many individuals have not noticed that new vocabulary is, at many times, adopted into ones language. A large number of slang words and phrases have been considered standard in todays daily speech.To prove this, let us claim a few of the many slang terms that have been adopted. Slang has been used, where other words seemed unfit to describe a thought or feeling:Awesome.Radical.Cool.Far OutNew words that were created to describe new technology:A cellular or mobile telephone. The internet or the computer and modem accessed information highway. Electronic mail or computer generated mail. A beeper or an electronic paging device. Metaphors, similes, and creativeness also create slang:A coward is a chicken.Money is bread. A ride is a car. One thousand dollars is a grand.People eat grub.Smoking marijuana is the same thing as smoking weed or pot.A toilet is the John.A toilet is the can.A toilet is the hole. A Cop is policeman. A Pig is also a policeman. If something is bad it is really good.Those who are plastered are drunk. Those who are hammered are drunk. People who are driving too close behind another car are tailgating.Slang, also evolves in the form of phrases:A person Kicking Back, is relaxing. Cut to the chase or get to the point. Accept the consequences, or face the music.Two cents worth, or an opinion. The whole nine yards or everything. In the English language, we have petitioned for the use of slang in language. But our creative language has been considered meaningless to conservatives of standard English. Conservatives, who themselves use vocabulary that was at one time considered slang, are unfit to argue against it. Every language around the world adopts slang that, at one point, was considered nonstandard to the majority of the people. Slang is used to provide new shades of meaning. Slang is shared by introducing new concepts, just as new objects and ideas are shared. All vocabulary establishes its meaning through the acceptance of its concept into ones language.We must continue to express thoughts through ones choice of language, and accept them, as we would accept the importance of originality and creativity within individuals. .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be , .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .postImageUrl , .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be , .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:hover , .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:visited , .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:active { border:0!important; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:active , .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc1b2fe12f0637ba63ad817d95055e9be:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Geography of New Zealand EssayWe, therefore, the representatives of a linguistic society, do, in the Name, and by authority of speakers and writers of English, declare that slang refreshes language with new concepts, ideas, and interest; that slang allows language to evolve with society; that there are no determining factors in declaring a true language; and, that language contains vocabulary where its meanings are changed and new ones are introduced.

Mugged by Andrew Payne Essay Example

Mugged by Andrew Payne Essay I performed in Mugged by Andrew Payne. I played the character of Taylor who was a deprived boy who has turned into a bully because of the people that he is around. Mugged is a play about six teenagers that are affected by the things around them, two are bullies, two are boys who are good friends that try to act cool and the two girls go along with the bullies. The teenagers are scared of the muggers and this ends up in one of the six being stabbed. In my essay I am going to study the plays of mugged and Blood Brothers and also Billy Elliot. My character of Taylor is a street wise teenager who is one of the school bullies. He victimises people who are quieter and less street wise than him. He is scared of some individuals across the park that they all fear and see as muggers but intimidates those less powerful than him and makes it look like he is not scared when he secretly is. I played the character of Taylor using some techniques such as walking in the way that a teenage boy would walk and also raising the tone of my voice to make me seem a lot more superior and also talking louder than I normally would. We will write a custom essay sample on Mugged by Andrew Payne specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mugged by Andrew Payne specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mugged by Andrew Payne specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I tried to base that character of Taylor like the character of Tony Elliot, Billys older brother. The actor who played Tony showed his power and authority by raising his voice and he seemed like the type of person who would break the rules but he was very loyal to the miners on strike by not caving in because he needed the money he continued with his work mates. Although he was over powering when he told Billy to dance on the table he was trying to show compassion that he is only a little boy and should not go to ballet school. I tied to play Taylor as very headstrong but towards the end he was a bit lost in whom he was and what he was doing there and I tried to show that he also had a compassionate side. Playing the part of Taylor in mugged helped me to understand how a person like this would relate to the settings around him and also the other characters on the stage. The part of Taylor is a bit like the character of Sammy Johnstone in Blood Brothers because even know they are not the main character in the play they are still a character that has a lot of impact on the other characters and of the outcome at the end of the production. The characters of Sammy, Tony and Taylor have an outcome on the productions that I have used above because they cause life changing situation and in the plays Blood Brothers and Mugged someone ends up dying and Tony changes the decisions that are made but does not affect the play as much. The set of mugged is very simple compared to the sets of Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot. The set of Billy Elliot is the main background of the village miners hall and the bedroom and house was brought in by hydraulics under the stage and other things are brought in by the cast and crew. In Blood brothers the main setting in the first act is the old council buildings on the stage right and on the stage left a posh middle class house. In the second act it changes to some better presented council houses again the other parts of the stage are brought in by the cast and crew. The setting of Mugged was very simple because we performed it in our school so we had two park benches and a bin in between the two benches and that was it so that the set did not distract the audience form the performers. Also this is all that we needed for our play to make it look realistic. Our costumes were very simple me, Sian who played Leon, Allanah who played Marky and Kerry who played Dig wore jogging bottoms and a zip up hoddy to look like the style of people who were trying to be. Penny who played Mel and Georgina who played Soph wore there school skirts and a coat to look like slutty girls. In Billy Elliot each character had more than one costume because the play was over a few months the only person who wore the same costume was Mrs Elliot because she only was on a few times and she was dead so she did not change. Also in Blood Brothers they were a few different costumes because they are playing people over 10 years apart so they have different costumes to show the differences in age and also how they have grown up. Most productions on the West end and in most theatres are different to ours because they have people making the costumes and doing the makeup but because we only did it in school we did not have to do much to make it look good because people do not expect it to look good because it is only armature dramatics so we would not have very good costumes and also we would not have a very complex set. The theme of Mugged is mainly Friendship and who to make friends with and how friends act towards each other. Our play is also about peer pressure which ties in with the plot of both Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot because in both of these plays there is a lot of peer pressure. In Billy Elliot there is peer pressure because the miners are pressurised to stay on strike but Billys dad decided that he would break it for his son to go to ballet school. And in Blood brothers Sammy and his gang pressured Mickey. Linda and Eddie into things that they dont want to do and end up in trouble.

Canadian Adverising Industry Essays - Media Manipulation, Marketing

Canadian Adverising Industry Essays - Media Manipulation, Marketing Canadian Adverising Industry Beth McNeill Introduction The topic of discussion in this paper is advertising in Canada. It will argue that the Canadian advertising industry strives to protect themselves from competition in the United States. The paper will discuss how the Canadian advertising industry allots their money to different forms of media to ward off the United States competition. Tracing the history of advertising from the early 1960s to the present day, will help to show why Canada concentrates on the television and radio portion of the media. The paper will display the philosophy or reason behind their advertising, as well as the structure of their industry. The audience and the jobs and training that take place will also be examined to better understand the Canadian advertising industry. The external environmental factors such as technology, language, and the economy will also affect the advertising industry. This issue should be addressed to understand the importance of international competition and how it can affect or even control an industry. To better understand the advertising industry in Canada we need to look at some facts. The communication lines in Canada are expanding daily. These communication vehicles are how advertising is spread. The more Canada strives to be evident in the communication lines, the less influence the United States can have on the Canadian industry. There are 18.5 million telephone lines and 3 million cellular phones in use. There are 32.3 million radios in Canada and there are 535 AM stations and 53 FM stations. As of 1997 there was 80 television broadcast stations (with over 100 repeater stations) and 21.5 million televisions. In 1999 there was an estimated 750 Internet service providers (CASI). There are 120 daily newspapers, 108 are in English and the other 12 are in French (Pang). There are also seventy-five ethnic weekly papers published (Pang). Communication is part of the second largest service industry in Canada. With such a large country and such few people Canada relies on strong comm unication to tie people together. Canada was the first country to launch a communications satellite and has been in the forefront of developing communications technology. With more and more changes in technology, the government, and the economy Canada can communicate to all citizens in many ways, keeping the communication lines tight. CBC is Canadas national radio and television service. It was developed in 1936 to help prevent the threat of American programming to dominate Canadian culture (Shepard). Canada has strived to keep their culture of Canadian decent. The United States and Canada have a very strong relationship because they share the longest undefended border in the world and are close allies as members of the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO). The United States is the largest investor in the Canadian industry and the largest market for Canadian trade. So Canada could be easily influenced or even controlled by the United States. The United States does tend to exploit its greater power and affect relations between the two countries. The function of advertising is to develop awareness and recall of a product or service that results in market increase. Canada uses all of the same mediums as the United States, to expose the consumer of products and services. In 1993 the gross advertising revenues for all media reached $9.0 billion. Newspaper advertising accounts for 26.8 percent of this total revenue. Radio and television make up 27 percent of the total. Catalogues and direct mail account for 21.8 percent, periodicals use 15.9 percent and outdoor and miscellaneous uses the remaining 8.5 percent (Strategies). (See pie chart) All of the advertising in Canada can be divided into two components, local and national advertising. Local advertising represents about sixty percent of all media (about $5.4 billion) (Strategies). This advertising is placed into the industry by a companies media representative and usually does not require the help of an advertising industry. National advertising accounts for the remaining forty percent of all the media (about $3.6 billion) (Strategies). This component is responsible for the revenues of the advertising agencies. Large businesses, which market their products worldwide, are a part of national advertising. Ad agencies coordinate the production, creation, and placement of the advertising. Television is the primary medium, but not exclusively.

A Smart Action Plan

A Smart Action Plan After I had started my first year at University I realised that if I want to become a successful student it is crucial to develop time-management skills. It is based on identifying our goals, prioritising and listing them in order to help us achieve the best result. We also need to identify our strengths, look at our work and think how we could improve it to get a better result in the future. We can do so using a diary or personal organiser. Time-management skills are very important because if we know how to organize our time properly, we can carry out more and meet deadlines. It is important to start with setting our priorities because sometimes there is no time to complete all of them. We need to be aware that some of them might take longer than we expected so we should write somewhere what we want to do and when we want to do it. Resources: We should start with identifying our goals and priorities. When doing so, we need to be realistic and definite about them. We must precise wh at needs to be done, how and when. Then, it is recommended to start keeping an academic diary or a personal organizer where we can write in everything we do (such us important dates or study activities). It will help us to look at the way we work and identify where further improvements can be made. (Oxford Brookes University) To take the most out of the diary we should always carry it with us and keep it up to date. It is also recommended to check it many times a day and add new tasks straight into it. The last step is to identify how we spend the time in order to see if we use it productively. We need to list the work we have to do and precise the amount of time we want to spend on carrying out particular tasks. The most important things should be highlighted or stared that can be easily seen, where the least important ones should be written in a pencil so we can change or remove them easily. (Cottrell S., 2003) Reflective comment: The first thing I did in order to improve my time- management skills was doing some background reading. I used a chapter of a book recommended by my tutor as well as some online resources. It gave me understanding of which steps should be taken in order to became successful. I started with identifying my goal, which was preparing a good set of notes for my oncoming exam. Then I started writing in a diary activities I was planning to do. The most important ones I wrote in using a pen (such as searching for material for my notes) and less important in pencil (like going to the store or meeting someone). The following, I highlighted the most important one so every time I opened my diary it was the first thing I saw. It was a reminder of what is need to be done. Then I identified how much time I want to spend on these tasks.

Analysis of Leadership Theories for Their Applicability Inside an Research Paper - 4

Analysis of Leadership Theories for Their Applicability Inside an Organisations Leadership Model - Research Paper Example Situational and contingency theories will be highlighted in detail, in assessing the most appropriate theory to rely on in setting up an organizational model of leadership. Leadership insights are apparently inevitable in the management roles that an organization’s executive have in steering the organization towards the realization of its objectives. From these two approaches, the theorists assist in understanding the relevant connection to be made between leadership and management, under the inspiration of the organizations’ mission and vision focuses. On one hand, situational theory, Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard contributions to the effect that styles of leadership styles are not fundamentally important than or superior to the leadership’s response to the varying situation is examined. On the other hand, Fiedler’s contingency theory has been visited in conjunction with the situational theory to illustrate the importance of leadership in the formulation of organizational leadership practices (Kreitner, 2006, p452). In this discourse, I will attempt to find solutions to the question of whether an organization can adopt several leadership perspectives to sustainably tackle all of its challenges. A position held up to the generation of the question is that the organization faces pretty too many leadership challenges such that it cannot be possible to be reliant on a single approach. The choice of these theoretical approaches of leadership was deliberately done to demonstrate the need for the model of organization to depart from retrogressive leadership designs that rigidly fixates the organization to conservative systems inhibiting initiatives. Under the opposing theories of leadership, it is difficult for organizations to respond to the rapidly changing market but reacting to the market only leaves the organization in a poorer condition.  

Strategic Management Unit 2 DB SA Fourth Week Essay

Strategic Management Unit 2 DB SA Fourth Week - Essay Example Brian Moore is an example of good strategic management that can be emulated by other industries. Although it was unethical for him to stretch the truth to get the job at Footlocker, his hard work was quite apparent. At Saucony, for instance, he resettled the strategy of performance running and classic business strategy (SGB, 2009). Even more encouraging was his belief in teamwork to accomplish organizational tasks successfully. To Moore, an individual is as good as individuals around him (SGB, 2009). Furthermore, he favors consistency and creativity for success. These are fundamental, sincere and valid beliefs that can see the management of different industries successful. Like Footlocker, Finish Line is a company dealing in shoes. The company considers shoes as very important assets in everyone’s that should be at the heart of every person. Shoes go with people to and from various places and are central to customization culture in America. Now, more than ever, consumers need custom-made shoes (Creamer, 2004). Besides, they want original and not counterfeit products which are of high quality. The company realized it was lagging behind and signed the Heavy, a co-opt New York Boutique Branding Agency in an attempt to see it improve to heights of success. This was a bold step on the part of Finish Line. Creamer, M., (2004). Footlocker Shoe Store-Sneaker Maker Takes to Tuners. Retrieved from AIU Online Library-EBSCO, Vol. 75, Issue 43, pg. (6). http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=b59cb214-2192-4012-940441caac93a90f%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4205&bdata=JnNpdGU9Z Whvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=14881951 SGB, (2009). Footlocker Shoe Store-Brian Moore. Retrieved from AIU Online Library-EBSCO, Vol. 42, Issue 4, pg. (40).

Spoil the Parenting Essay Example for Free

Spoil the Parenting Essay In the essay entitled Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parenting, Pitts argues that the traditional, sweeping concept about corporal punishment is no longer acceptable, maintaining that the minor punishment like spanking or swatting the butt of children should be distinguished from the harsher punishments such as the â€Å"shaking and blows to the head or face.† In effect, he does not agree with the idea that all corporal or bodily punishments, notwithstanding their severity, should be considered de facto child abuse (Pitts). He presented several reasons why a reasonable corporal punishment like spanking should not be considered child abuse. First, he argued that spanking should not be equated with stomping, punching, or scalding because they are simply not the same. Second, according to him, it has never been proven with certainty that spanking, as previously claimed by some, leads to mentally unstable children. As a matter of fact, Pitts cited the study conducted by Dr. Diana Baumrind of the University of California which refuted this argument. Third, the suggestion that parents should resort to negotiation instead of applying reasonable corporal punishment is just not feasible because a five-year-old, for instance, would rather scream than talk things over. According to him, negotiating with a child accomplishes nothing more than propping up the child’s self-esteem which leads him or her to the dangerous belief that he or she is in charge (Pitts). Pitts considered spanking a corrective measure which should be applied in order to let the child know who is in charge. According to him, when parents fail in this role, children grow up without respect for adult authority. He explained that history is replete with horror stories involving persons who grew up in such an environment. However, he agreed with those who oppose spanking or corporal punishment, per se, when they say that corporal punishment is not a panacea or a cure-all solution for misbehaving children. He clarified that child-rearing does not only require â€Å"discipline, but also humor, love and some luck.† In the end, Pitts urges parents to take charge, declare a â€Å"benign dictatorship† as our culture dictates. The alternative, he says, are children â€Å"poisoned by self-esteem† and â€Å"self-centered adult[s] ill-equipped to deal with the vagaries and reversals of life† (Pitts).   Work Cited Pitts, Leonard, Jr. â€Å"Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parenting.† Attachment to order #71157717.

Regeneration by Pat Barker Essay -- Regeneration Pat Barker Essays

Regeneration by Pat Barker The war in 'Regeneration' is explored 'back home'. Rather than portraying the war in terms of fighting on the frontline in the battlefields of France, Barker demonstrates the effects on the soldiers 'back home', both physically and mentally. The soldiers are those who have been injured, shell-shocked, or had a breakdown and are being treated with the intention of sending those who are able, back to France or at least resuming some kind of war duties. The war is explored, essentially in terms of the psychological effects of those who fought it. The physical traumas and horrific injuries suffered are widely known. However the mental traumas are probably less known and not fully understand. It is from this perspective Barker writes. The book poses as an alternative to the novels written from the perspective and experiences of the soldier who is fighting on the frontline. I Regeneration we learn of these experiences from those who were there but learn them in such a way that we are allowed to understand the real and devastating effects they can have on individuals. Barker manages to provoke the vivid and agonising pain of the First World War through her characters and portrayals of how their lives and they themselves have come to change as people as a result of their involvement in the war. This is seen most clearly in patients such as Sassoon, Burns and Prior as well as Dr. Rivers. Through these characters she challenges the assumptions about the relationship between doctors and their patients - some patients describe Rivers as a father figure, between men and women - Prior finds comfort in a woman who learns nothing about his devastating experiences, and yet there are sub... ...become a rickety sack of skin and bones. There is an episode in Regeneration of his suicide attempt and we learn more about Burns trough his actions rather than his words and emotions. Burns was almost certainly never going to be able to overcome his condition and suffered badly from terrifying nightmares. Burns portrays then men who came back but already had lost their lives. Burns would never be able to return even slightly to the man he once was because his ordeal was too overwhelming and incredibly hard for him to forget and overcome. He is compelled with his thoughts and reminded of his experience in every nightmare and every time he eats. He would rather die and this is what Barker tries to communicate with us - that there were some whose experiences were so devastating that they will never get over them and therefore have already lost their lives.

The Big Change

I was waiting for Nick Mondo, Nick is also a pro wrestler and my favourite opponent and we have been best friends since we were kids. Nick and I had just had a main event spot in Combat Zone Wrestling's main pay per view of the year â€Å"Walk way to Hell†. CZW is where Nick and I work, Nick and I have been working there for about three years and we were both being paid about $75,000 a year. Nick and I grew up in England and at the age of 18 when we left collage we both moved too Philadelphia in the USA. Walk way to Hell† is our favourite ppv of the year because that is when we both made our first appearance 3 years ago. Nick was at the hospital ward after getting parts of a light strip in his eye after he hit me with one in our match, I was fine just a few scratches. The match was great but there was one mistake near the end and this mistake is the one, which ended Nick's career. Nick threw me out of the ring and then came out after me, he snap suplexed me on the concrete floor and then went to get a light strip. The fans were screaming and so was the announcer Joey Styles but when Nick brought the light strip back over his head for a big swing, the top of the strip smashed on the turnbuckle and glass flew everywhere, unfortunately for Nick glass flew in his eye and the rest cut a 12 year old fan at ring side. The cut gashed the small boy all down his left cheek and as you can imagine his parents were not happy so they forced to sue CZW, for this Nick Mondo formally know in the ring as Sick Nick Mondo Was given the sack luckily for me I wasn't and the family dropped all charges on the federation. But I wasn't happy Nick and I had grown up together so if he got fired I quit. Eventually at 11:35pm Nick flew in the doors and man he did not look happy, he was as pale as a ghost and had a massive patch over his eye and just by looking at him I could tell he was really pi$$ed off. Nick walked up to me at the bar and said, â€Å"Hey Kid you want a wrestle† so I replied with a â€Å"hell yeah†. Ten minuets later I find myself climbing through a window into the CZW arena with Nick giving me a push up onto the window ledge, I got through the window and helped Nick up. While we were walking over too the ring we noticed a cleaner walk through the door â€Å"never mind me lad's carry on with your stuff† he yelled across the stadium. We walked over too the ring and went through our routine warm up and then the match began. It started off with a few spots; spots are loads of reversal moves done very quickly, then came in the hip-toss's, body slams and other small moves, while we were wrestling we noticed that the cleaner had actually sat down and watched us wrestle. By now the match was going really well loads of moves no stops and I think that match was the best match of my career so far. The match ended when Nick hit a 450 moonsault on me, I just wish someone was filming it because we done some awesome stuff in that match. After the 1 2 3 pin we heard a small applause coming from the back and yes it was the cleaner who had actually sat through the whole match, the cleaner then stood up and walked out without saying a word and we never saw him again. Nick and I then split up and went our separate ways home, food, sleep and wrestling were the only things on our minds when we drove off. Well it was 1:00am and I had to be at training at 10:00am so I went home to bed. Even though I was out off business I still wanted to keep in shape. My alarm clock woke me up at 8:30am, when I say alarm clock what a really mean is my girlfriend. My girlfriend is called Helen she is from New York and is 22 years old, we have been together for 2 years and we are now living in a big house in a very posh estate we have two cars I have a â€Å"Ford Mustang Mash 1† and Helen has a â€Å"Toyota 2000 GT†. Helen and I went too Steve's Steak House for breakfast, that is where we usually go on weekday morning's for a full English breakfast. After breakfast Helen went to work, she is a lawyer for a big company in the city and in a way is my â€Å"little sugar mama†. After Helen goes I go to training at the gym. I arrived at the gym at 10:00am and I saw Nick waiting at the gym gates for me, he told me that he needed to speak to me about last night. We went in to the gym where he asked me if I had picked up his wallet when we left, I told him that the last time I saw it was when he was buying me a pint at the pub before we left. After the gym Nick and I went to the CZW arena to see if the cleaner had found it but when I asked the caretaker he said that all cleaners leave the arena at 5:30pm and that it was impossible that there could be any one in the arena after that time because he was the last person out that night and there was no one there when he locked up. From there Nick and I went on a wallet hunt around the stadium but there was no luck. Yes there is a reason why we were trying to find Nicks wallet and it is because there was two tickets for WRESTLEMAINA 27!! That very night, yes the WWE's biggest ppv of the year on the 21st July 2011 and we had just lost the last tickets. Nick and I then went back to Nick's car but when we got there we realised that Nick's wallet was on the dashboard and that the car was wide open. We both launched our selves into the car too see if the tickets were still there and they were but they weren't our tickets they were front row tickets. We had ringside tickets to wrestlemaina but we didn't no why, and all of Nick's money was still there so somebody had stolen his wallet and upgraded our seats about $200 more. So now we had the tickets we went home to get ready for the big night. When we arrived at the arena we were given V. I. P back stage passes and were sent to Shane McMahon the owner of the WWE. While we were walking to meet Shane I saw the cleaner in the dressing room training up The Rock and that was when I worked it all out. When we arrived at Shane's office we went in and sat down â€Å"good evening gentlemen† he said â€Å"I hear you are no longer wrestling for CZW, but I have got some business for you two tonight†. By now Nick and I were on the edges of our seats waiting for him to say it â€Å"would you two boys like to make a surprise attack on The Rock tonight during his steel cage match with Stone Cold Steve Austin† by then we were both jumping up and down â€Å"YES† I said â€Å"well then that's that sorted then† Shane then shook our hands and walked out. To be truthful I had tears in my eyes and so did Nick we were going to wipe out The Rock and we couldn't wait. We waited nervously backstage for 6 long hours and then it was time for action. We were walked down to ringside with wrestling masks on for disguise and when the blackout started for the cage to be lowered we snuck under the ring. We waited there for 30 minutes and when the referee gave the signal we broke out from under the ring and started to lay into The Rock. The WWE announcers Jim Ross and Jerry king were screaming â€Å"It is Sick Nick Mondo and Crazy Kid from CZW they are helping Stone Cold† and there he was right in front off us Stone Cold Steve Austin with three cans of Budweiser in his hands he then threw one two me and Nick and in front of 21 thousand screaming fans we drank beer and poured it in The Rocks face. But before I knew it The Rock was on his feet again laying into me with powerful forearms he then spat in the palm of his right hand and by then I realised what was coming to me but I couldn't do anything, The Rock then made a fist and smashed me in the eye with a massive right hook, he then lifted up my right arm and WHAMM he hit me with a Rock Bottom and man it hurt so I laid there in a daze with thick red blood pouring from my eyebrow. After some real brutal wrestling we laid The Rock on a table then Stone Cold came over to me and told me to do a shooting star press leg drop on The Rock through a table of the top rope. And before I knew it I was climbing a WWE turnbuckle, I had never done this before and I knew I couldn't because it was not high enough so I just kept climbing to the top of the steel cage and it was there I stood and looked at 21 thousand people screaming, camera men running around trying to get the best angle, the press flashing away, Jim Ross screaming his head off, Shane McMahon staring at me with amazement and Stone Cold and Nick in a stun of disbelief, I knew what Nick was thinking it was that I was going to do it and it was going to be good. So I stood at the top of the cage fans chanting my name and my heart froze I looked down at The Rock and he opened his eyes and winked at me as if to say that I should do it so it was then I launched myself up and forward all I saw was flashing of cameras I followed through with a moonsault and landed it perfect. I looked up and saw Shane and paramedics running to ringside, Stone Cold jumped on top of The Rock and pinned him he get the 1 2 3 and he was new WWE champion. By the time the Steel Cage had risen I was still on the floor but with one thing extra, a broken leg. Stone Cold was happy I was happy and so was Nick, Steve and Nick carried me back stage with a row of paramedics and Shane following so we left The Rock with a smile on our faces and a Bud in our hands and a packed full arena chanting C Z DUB.

Hybrid vs Conventional Vehicles Essay

Today’s universe is a universe where everyone has to be someplace at a certain clip. This means you normally have to go to acquire at that place. What I normally do to acquire someplace is to acquire in my truck and thrust at that place myself in my conventional truck. There are many obstructions that I run into when I have to drive though. Gas. energy. and the air pollution my truck causes are merely some of the jobs with this. A intercrossed vehicle would assist me out with all of these jobs. I think that intercrossed vehicles are much more efficient and have manner more positives than a conventional auto. Whenever you think about driving. what is the 1 most of import thing that comes to mind? For me. I would hold to state that gasolene is the biggest factor on whether I am able thrust someplace or non. The job with gasolene these yearss are the high monetary values ( Anderson ) . If you had a loanblend. this would non be as large of a job with a conventional auto. A batch of my gas gets wasted from holding to halt and travel in traffic and pressing the gas to acquire my engine up to the flow of traffic or up to the velocity bound. In a intercrossed auto. the engine shuts off temporarily when you are stopped in traffic in order to salvage your gas and non do you blow as much ( Anderson ) . There is no manner that you could make this with a conventional auto. This is a large positive for intercrossed autos in my sentiment. The engine temporarily closing off besides helps to salvage on energy. which is my following chief point. Conventional autos and intercrossed autos are two different things when it comes to energy. Conventional autos work by utilizing an engine and gasolene to run the vehicle. Hybrid autos are much more efficient when energy comes into drama though. There are two types of intercrossed autos that work in different ways ( Powers ) . Parallel intercrossed autos are the first type. These types use both a fuel armored combat vehicle with gasolene and a set of batteries in which both the electric motor and the engine can turn the transmittal at the same clip ( Powers ) . Series intercrossed autos are the 2nd type. In this type. the gasolene engine turns a generator and the generator either charges the batteries or powers the electric motor that is used to turn the transmittal. The electric motor gets its power from the battery but it ne'er loses all of its energy ( Powers ) . You are likely inquiring how that is. This is a technique known as regenerative braking. Regenerative braking is the recapturing of energy ( Powers ) . These intercrossed autos besides have another manner of ne'er running out of energy. The battery can besides be recharged by power from the gas engine ( Powers ) . My last point that I wanted to convey up is the air pollution factor. Air pollution is a large job in the universe today ( Garcia ) . There are many pollutants that are emitted from motor vehicles such as C dioxide. N oxides. volatile organic compounds. C monoxide. hydrocarbons. and sulfur oxides ( Garcia ) . These pollutants could impact your visibleness and your wellness every bit good ( Garcia ) . This is a really good ground to do the passage from conventional vehicles to intercrossed vehicles entirely. Why would you utilize a conventional auto. which produces many types of pollutants. over a intercrossed auto which produces barely any pollutants at all ( Garcia ) ? We would assist the environment and assist many different people out with pollution if we all choose to do the passage from conventional to hybrid. So all in all. I think you could see why holding a intercrossed auto would be more utile than holding a conventional auto. Of class we have all gotten used to driving our ain conventional autos. and we have all gotten used to traveling about and acquiring gas and normally holding to pay excessively much for it. ground being to why we should all do the passage over to the intercrossed autos. They are more efficient. less money consuming in the long tally. aid cut down on the air pollution that conventional autos put out. and should get down acquiring cheaper one time more people start change overing over to the loanblend. I think that everyone can see with all of these solutions and all of these positives that the intercrossed autos are traveling to take over more Oklahomans than subsequently. Works Cited Nice. Karim. and Julia Layton. â€Å"How Hybrid Cars Work† 20 July 2000. n. d. 16 July 2012. Garcia. Jorge. â€Å"Air Quality: Vehicle Emissions and Air Quality. † 18 Oct. 2006. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. deq. province. Idaho. us/air/prog_issues/pollutants/vehicles. cfm ( 18 Oct. 2006 )

She Loves Me Paper essays

She Loves Me Paper essays Taking place in a charmingly delightful Parfumeria in Budapest during the 1930s, this gem of a musical is based on the film, The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart and Maureen Sullivan. The delightful premise playwright Miklos Laszlo puts to words in this work never fails to appeal to the romantic in all of us: while the lonely shop clerk Georg Carries on a very public feud with Miss Amalia Balash, a newly hired shop girl who grates heavily on his nerves, he is unwittingly falling in love with her by corresponding through a lonely hearts club. As a counterpoint to this engaging couple, the shop girl, Miss Ritter, is trying to extricate herself from an unhappy love affair with the man about town and cad of all cads, assistant shop manager, Mr. Kolady. Talk about a contrast in love affairs. It is no wonder that the New York Times called She Loves Me "the happiest musical with a score that is a sheer delight for the theatergoers." Theatre in a box setting, I find is usually best for one-person shows or melodramas. And in this case, I will not disagree. Putting on a musical in a box theatre was one of the worst moves Foothill has ever made. Musicals are about singing and dancing and movement. The theatre provided did not allow for much of that at all. I felt sorry for the actors as they tried to move about, at times awkwardly as to not run in to one another. I also felt so bad for them when they sang. I felt like they had to (obviously) adjust for being in such a small space, with a band to boot. In order to really get ones voice across to an audience, projection is usually in order. But in this case, the space was so small it was almost as if the actors were having to sing softer than they were used to or felt comfortable with. But if the worst part about a play is the place in which it is produced, it cant be all that bad, right...? Right! The acting in this production of She Loves...

Illiegal Immigration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Illiegal Immigration - Research Paper Example A most recent example involves the spirited efforts by a section of pressure groups to prevent a bill meant to give more room to law enforcement agents for searching persons suspected to be illegal immigrants. Discussion The usual trend in the United States has been that competing perspectives and opinions between those expressly opposed to structural safeguards and those who advocate for more determined steps of addressing the matter (Bascio and Patrick 122) determine the subject of illegal immigrants. Estimates from various sources place the number of illegal immigrants in the United States between 10 to 12 million (Kenney and Kwao 50). This numbers has kept fluctuating over the years in response to certain forces that derive from social or economic stimuli. Chain migration is one of the most visible aspects of illegal migrations in the U.S. Chain migration occurs where illegal immigrants attract relatives, friends, or associates from their countries of origin to join them once the y have settled in the states. Efforts to contain illegal immigration have often been caught up in differences conditioned by political competition, private interests, and lobby pressure (Kenney and Kwao 50). ... The healthcare system is one of the institutions that are considered the worst hit by the effects of illegal immigrants. Parties proposing tough approaches on the question of illegal immigrants argue that the groups have imposed significant pressure on the limited healthcare resources. Illegal immigrants are accused of causing significant imbalances between the available healthcare resources and the demand (Ngai 68). As a consequence of this reality, these parties argue that the cost of healthcare has risen due to the gap that is created by the mismatch between supply and demand. It would be important to consider the subject of illegal immigration in light of some of the issues that attend to their impact on the political scale. Hispanic voters are some of the most influential voting blocs in the United States. They comprise some of the significant swing votes in the United States. It is precisely because of this reason that political parties tend to approach the question of illegal immigration with utmost caution. Past trends and analyses have shown a growing preference by immigrant populations to Democrats. Studies have shown that immigrants find the Democrats’ policies more conducive and tolerant to their situations than the Republicans. A survey conducted on the Hispanic voters showed that the Democrats enjoyed nearly two thirds of the Hispanic votes while the Republicans only attracted less than 20 percent of the vote (Ngai 68). These results indicate that the voting process among the groups is highly determined by matters of convenience. The immigrant groups have tended to show a determined support to policies and discourses

Louis Vuitton Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Louis Vuitton - Assignment Example 1). This love is not about to die anytime soon, as the corporation is still making sales and profits in the region. Louis Vuitton’s success in the Japanese market In the world, Japan is considered as being the most concentrated source of revenue, especially when it comes to luxury goods. In some cases, it has been mentioned as the market paradise for luxury brands. In Japan, the success of Louis Vuitton became possible as a result of the region’s consumer behaviour. As a result of the group-oriented culture, countless Japanese folks feel the need to possess luxury brands. This can be considered as a way for them to make a fashion statement (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 6). Fashion consciousness among people in the region, especially women, seemed like a way of social expression that could not be matched by any city that was considered developed, for example; New York or Paris. The social and cultural consistency in Japan assisted the multinational corporation to explain the a ttachment people in Japan have to luxury brands. In Japan, looks are highly important especially among the middle class, which means that most of the people involved in the purchase of products always go for quality and sophistication (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 8). ... Opportunities and challenges faced in Japan There are opportunities that arise with the market in Japan. One of the most crucial opportunities would be the mergers of different corporations/brands/people that are already well-known in different regions in Japan (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 11). In doing so, the corporation may likely venture into different territory in terms of products, which enable it to make more money. One of the major challenges that the multinational corporation faces is its overdependence of the Japanese market. Relying too much on the Japanese market makes the corporation forget about other markets that are already familiar with their products, for example; America, and emerging markets such as India. Also, counterfeiting is a challenge for almost every luxury brand present in the world. For Louis Vuitton, the fashion label was synonymous with status. This means that only a few people get to be part of the luxury experience. Counterfeiting makes this impossible fo r the corporation (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 12). Specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market Japan represents the largest and most sought after market for luxury brands. Louis Vuitton, a brand synonymous with style and a lavish repertoire, claims to have its biggest share in the region as compared to any other region. The affordability of most of the brands is a factor in the Japanese market that plays a tremendous role in its growth. It is imperative that quality be one of the main concepts behind these brands, because consumers want something they can feel close to, and at the same time, feel like they are equal to some of the famous people they admire (Feroul & Paul 2010, p. 8). Luxury brand consumption in Japan seems like a compulsory action among most individuals. The jewellery and

Citation Paper Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Citation Paper - Annotated Bibliography Example Author Amy Dean’s journal article ‘Occupy Wall Street: A Protest against a Broken Economic Compact’  (first published in Harvard International Review, 2012) offers insight and rationale behind his great mass movement. The OWS, which started as an innocuous gathering in Zuccotti Park in New York City, rapidly caught the public imagination, as it spread across the country swiftly and effectively. Amy Dean’s article is a valuable source for the research essay, for it deals with the crux of the problem, namely that of the ‘broken economic compact’. She notes how â€Å"the Occupy movement is a protest against a broken economic compact that reaches into the very middle of America and that is resonating in other parts of the world as well†. (Dean 12) Rather than being an arm-chair investigation of the landmark event, the author gives first-hand accounts of the unfolding movement from its epi-centre in New York City. As she observes during the introduction to the article, â€Å"During the early months when Occupy Wall Street maintained tent cities in lower Manhattan and other metropolitan areas around the country, the occupations attracted an array of young counter-culturalists and itinerant radicals. To many people seeing the images of the encampments on the news, it looked like a motley assembly, not something out of the American mainstream.† (Dean 12) As Amy Dean suggests in the article, Occupy Wall Street is a crucial reality check for a nation that is on the brink of economic and social disintegration. The movement showed up a mirror to the nation’s leaders and reminded them of their misplaced priorities and unethical behavior. The OWS movement is the most recent in that noble tradition of civil disobedience and collective public action that the country is so proud of. But Dean warns readers to not get carried away. How history will judge and rate the effectiveness of OWS will depend on how well public grievances are translated into

Where did I go wrong in life My independent life Essay

Where did I go wrong in life My independent life - Essay Example Life was too perfect and boring with no sense of adventure and excitement. Finally, my fervent application to numerous agencies bore fruit and my first joining letter came with an attractive pay cheque, with separate room rent. Informing my parents about my decision to move out to a separate apartment in the proximity of my office, I landed into a studio apartment. The feeling was one of elation and ecstasy, for there won't be anybody to check me litter the house, nor will my pa be here to switch off the music when I listen to it full blast. I can watch my favourite TV show, without having to battle over the remote with my brother. I am finally on my own and nobody can dictate me what to and what not to do. With a feeling of euphoria, I started my independent life, which lacked discipline and a complete chaos prevailed at my apartment. I often reach home late and called friends over, partying away the entire night, and go to work the next day without sleeping a wink.

Why Use Social Media?

Why Use Social Media? There is no longer a question on the power of social media in driving all types of businesses forward. No matter what type of industry you operate in, you will find that there are far too important benefits to be ignored. With the full understanding of the abilities of each social media and complete guidelines on how to best use them to your advantage, it is now up to you on how you can fully maximize its benefits for your business. Today, social media platforms have invaded and taken over public consciousness. It has become a big part of day to day routines and an indispensable communication tool for people to connect and stay in touch. Consumers have used social media presence as one of the integral basis of a companys legitimacy, reliability and viability. Businesses today are judged based on their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles, and consumers expect companies to respond to the concerns and queries they have tweeted within the day or within the hour. Suffice it to say, social media has managed to steal the thunder away from traditional marketing methods. Modern marketing strategies today have a mix of social media tactics as its integral component for reaching business goals. What is Social Media These days, social media is the buzz word in marketing and a global trend that has gotten everyone of every age engrossed in one, two and possibly even several social media sites. Everyone is on it, in one form or another. But what is it exactly? Social Media Explained in Plain English The term social media has been carelessly tossed around and used too often in online marketing. But what is it really about? In essence, social media incorporates the use of online technologies and methods that allow people to share personal opinions, content as well as swap insights and perspectives with the rest of the world. Social media content can take different shapes and forms: Text often used to write or put across personal opinions or posts Images photos are used to display anything of interest Why Use Social Media Social media has paved the way to a more powerful communication channel for companies to publish their marketing messages all without the exorbitant cost. While we all know social networks is generally used by businesses to engage their target market and study consumer preferences and behaviors, the truth is, it has other equally powerful features that you can incorporate into your marketing strategy, with highly rewarding payoff at that. Here are other areas in your business that you can apply social media to drive success: Customer Service -The ability to respond and react quickly is very critical in todays market, especially in influencing and changing perceptions. Even if a concern has not been resolved immediately, customers will feel their issues were acknowledged and given attention in a timely manner. This is yet another effect of the actualization of an account. This is actually what humanizes the social media. It gives reality to the virtual account; relationships can only be established if a workmate accepts a connection from another worker employed by the same company. Real time conversations happen another benefit of the social media that comes in different forms. As more and more companies and brands readily include their product offers in the social media experience, a growing number of consumers have grown increasingly comfortable with the idea of social commerce. When to use Social Media To effectively use social media to your full advantage, it is important to take time and learn how the ecosystem works and the emerging habits of the social consumers. Recruitment and Retention A lot of employees today decide on whether they want to be a part of an organization or not based on information derived from social networks. It can also present a powerful tool in sourcing social channels that exists through professional networks. Recruitment and Retention A lot of employees today decide on whether they want to be a part of an organization or not based on information derived from social networks. It can also present a powerful tool in sourcing social channels that exists through professional networks. Internal Communications and Collaboration Small and large organizations can largely benefit from social media, in terms of file sharing, collaborative editing and knowledge sharing. Who Uses Social Media According to the Social Media Marketing Report for 2010, an estimated 67% of marketers have actively increased and strengthened their social media channels. As more and more companies work on integrating social media into their corporate marketing and communication plans, there is a growing emphasis for creating a winning social media strategy. Without any semblance of a plan or strategy, your presence might as well be nonexistent or muted. Twitter According to Edison Research, 40% of the total time people are on Twitter are spent on learning about certain products and services or reading/getting feedback from what others have to say about them as well as share personal opinions and experiences. Facebook According to ExactTarget, the primary reason why people LIKE a Facebook page is to establish a sales relationship with a specific brand, through the following: to receive promotions and coupons (40%), derive instant updates on upcoming sales (30%), and to show support for certain brands or companies (30%) Growth of Social Media Social media is very complex and a constantly evolving medium. Its no wonder why many businesses struggle to figure it out and keep up. While a number have enjoyed quantifiable success, there are also many who failed, and the rest have still yet to figure out their social media strategy. When to use Facebook Great Exposure. With millions of users, Facebook offers unrivalled potential for exposure. When used strategically and consistently, Facebook can contribute to the significant increase in your companys online presence and visibility. Post comments, provide insights, advice and tips to earn respect and credibility in your network, and ultimately gain leverage. Provide Regular Updates. Facebook offers you a convenient way to update your network on new products, promotions, and general information about your company to stay fresh and relevant in the minds of your market. Enhance Customer Service. Consumers these days prefer real-time response to queries and concerns. The Facebook page for your business offers a convenient and accessible option for your market to reach you. When to use LinkedIn for your Organization Increase visibility. By establishing connections, you also increase your exposure and visibility. Whether you offer a product or service or both, you profile may be made available to people interested to doing business with, forge partnerships or hire services. Improve network. Connect with people from past acquaintances, people from your school, past companies, affiliations, and those who share your passions and interests. Improve Google PageRank. LinkedIn allows its users to publish and make their profile information available for search engines to index. LinkedIn profiles rank high in Google, so its a great and effective way to influence other peoples perception when they search for you. Enhance search engine results. Aside from your personal profile, you can promote your company website and blog to search engines through your LinkedIn account through the pre-selected categories such as My Website and My Company. Scope out the competition, partners and customers. LinkedIn is one perfect way to keep tabs on your competition as well as partners and customers. Highlight recommendations and reviews. LinkedIn is more like a living, breathing resume of professionals that comes complete with recommendation from people you have worked with and worked for in the past. This presents a wonderful opportunity to secure business reviews as well as the specific products and services you offer. When to use Twitter for your Organization Connect with your customers. This is the primary reason why you should make use of twitter for your business. Twitter has become so much a part of everyones daily routine, its the perfect venue to connect, interact, and study your target marker. Branding. In Twitter, you dont have to be in the league of Nike, Dell or Starbucks to brand and generate interest. In fact, it presents the best platform for small businesses and startups to reach their target niche. Customer feedback. If any customer is dissatisfied with a certain product or service, he/she will no doubt tweet about it. In this sense, Twitter is a reliable resource to derive feedbacks and opinions, as well as study consumer behaviors and preferences. Marketing. With its wide reach, you can use Twitter to market products and/or services to a wider market and the best part is, its free. News. Twitter is the best and fastest way to publish latest updates about your company without the need to compose long, elaborate content. Marketing schemes and promotions. If you have existing promos and exclusive deals, let your network know about it. Everyone loves a good deal. In fact, a lot of companies have conducted contests and promos exclusively for their Twitter followers to engage their market. When to use Google + for your Organization Free SEO Boost. Businesses can use search referrals for conversions. Google+ is built to influence search for people who have included a certain business in their Circle. This offers a great opportunity to get free promotion from people who like and use the product to people who share similar interests. Host Hangouts. The powerful chat function presents a great opportunity for businesses in engaging their customers and thought leaders in a more personal way. In addition, companies that operate from multiple locations can conveniently collaborate and share information and files such as spreadsheets and documents. Expand Distribution of Content. Google+ is a great platform to expand the publication of content distribution. It can be a great way tool to hosts contest and giveaways along with other promotions. Connect with Tech-Savvy Audience. People who are in Google+ are the early adopters of new technologies, a criterion which presents an ideal target market for many businesses. Segment Your Audience. One great advantage of Google+ is the option to share content with specific audiences through Circles. This makes it easier for businesses to segment their market and share content to certain followers. Expand Your Network. Be able to gather data and research on relevant contacts like potential clients and influential personalities in the industry. When to use Pinterest for your Organization Pinterest users rely on images to create a connection. The concept is more like a YouTube only that photographs are pinned, repined and utilized to establish a connection. The beauty of Pinterest is that people can get to develop relationships based on captured images rather than common school or location or unique status updates. If an individual pins a picture, which is liked by another, then a connection can easily be established. More than answering the need to be socially relevant, Pinterest is becoming relevant in marketing as well. It is becoming a reliable source for links that can actually create a consumer base for different brands. It offers an attractive front page, engaging enough for an individual to follow links that will actually convert into sales. Any individual who wants to learn about a business, a thing or simply an interest can easily find individual sites that teach, shares and allows one to share it too.

Does CSR Work? Essays -- Business Essays

Does CSR Work? Adam Smith founded the modern study of economics on the premise that all businesses are driven by the invisible hand to seek as much profit as possible while society will take care of itself. However, as the public’s opinion of big business has steadily declined in the recent decades, big business has developed a social conscience to improve all aspects of society from worker compensation to protecting the environment to helping the needy. As Stephen Cook indicates in the January 2003 edition of Management Today: â€Å"Everyone cares these days. You can hardly walk through the door of a major company in the western world without tripping over stacks of glossy reports telling you how they care for the environment, their community, their stakeholders.† John G. Ruggie believes that the increase in corporate social responsibility (CSR) stems from three reasons: 1) companies have made themselves targets by doing â€Å"bad† things in the past (Shell in Nigeria; N ike in Indonesia), 2)public perception that the global marketplace is more police-able and international rules and standards are more enforceable, 3) companies large growth as made them the only ones capable of policing themselves in a global capacity. However, two questions arise from this new branch of the corporate hierarchy: 1) does CSR produce results? And 2) does the public care about CSR. Gereffi et al. and John G. Ruggie both indicate that the social pressure has pushed corporations to act: Under increasing pressure from environmental and labor activists, multilateral organizations, and regulatory agencies in their home countries, multinational firms are implementing â€Å"certification† arrangements—codes of conduct, production guidelines, and monit... ...ally responsible, only a minority will punish socially irresponsible companies. Cook indicates similar trends in the UK where only 20% of the people would be prepared to boycott a product on social grounds. Cook, goes on to indicate, however, that the number of people who care is steadily increasing: â€Å"there’s been a 40% surge in UK purchases of ‘fair trade’ products giving a better deal to third world farmers.† As more and more of the world’s population becomes aware of the growing need for corporations to maintain a strong sense of social responsibility, corporations are adopting self-regulatory policies to please the public and enhance their own reputation. All this benefits both the consumers and corporations until a company makes another Enron-like blunder. Then all the good credentials these pacesetting companies have accumulated disappears instantly.

Corus Departments Essay

The marketing department do everything, from putting the brochures together for market research, to understanding precisely what the competitors are doing e. g. understanding how big the demand for steel is, or how big the threat from competitive material. Communication is also extremely important: if the other departments don’t work efficiently, then the marketing department won’t get the right information needed to make formal decisions that would benefit the company. The marketing department constantly needs to be in contact with the other departments, such as; the technical department and production department. They also need to produce a newsletter covering all the departments, which is then sent out to these departments meaning that they are all up to date. Sales The sales department is responsible for obtaining the most common business aim and objective, which is to increase sales levels Finance The finance department is responsible for producing financial information with the use of graphs and tables: as figures are mainly being used this is the easiest way to communicate between departments. By using a graph it is then easier and a lot faster to track the trends throughout the year. The graphs and tables are usually sent by e-mail, to enable other people within the business to print copies when appropriate. The finance department also need to be in contact with the other departments, especially the production, sales and purchasing teams. Communication is vital for the finance department, to enable them to confirm that all the figures they have produced are correct. If the figures they have given coming in and going out of the business are incorrect this could result in the performance of the business, as the decisions being made would be wrong, overall affecting the future of the business. Human Resources Human resources are responsible for employing staff into the business and training them. They also have to make sure their employees get their wages and are responsible for managing and disciplining individuals within the business. When they’re dealing with individuals, trade unions and management they must organise face to face meetings, as this is the most effective way because it allows them to build strong relationships and also allows trust to be developed. They are also put in place to make an open and honest forum which other methods of communication don’t offer e. g. e-mail and telephone. Within the Corus business the HR advisor is responsible employee relations and looking after the logistics team and central functions within the company.

Medtronic External and Internal Analysis Essay

Medtronic Inc. can easily be compared to le Concorde, a turbojet supersonic passenger airliner first flown in 1976. This jet was more than twice as fast as any other airliner ever created, flying at speeds of up to 1,350 mph. The capability to fly at more than twice the speed of a regular airliner equates to twice the flights and premium prices for this astonishing service. The resulting profitability of le Concorde is what puts this machine at the top of its class. In 1957, Medtronic founder Earl Bakken created Medtronic’s Pacemaker, the first wearable device to treat abnormally slow heart rates. The Pacemaker is now the staple product of Medtronic and can be compared to le Concorde for its innovation, efficacy, and profitability. This is just one example of Medtronic’s ability to use its innovation to transform the treatment of chronic disease worldwide. The firm has been a leader in the Medical Device Manufacturing industry for over two decades, developing and manufacturing innovative medical devices to treat more than seven million patients each year. Its products include pacemakers, defibrillators, heart valves, and stents, among others. Medtronic’s drive for excellence is best summed up by its corporate mission, â€Å"To contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments or appliances that alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life† (Medtronic. com). To achieve its goals and maintain success, Medtronic must constantly monitor and evaluate its external environment and the forces in it that could affect the company. The Medical Device Manufacturing industry is exposed to numerous forces and trends that can generate opportunities for firms to exploit as well as threats for firms to avoid. Of note are the effects of rivalry, buyers, regulation, and globalization trends. The Medical Device Manufacturing industry, as a whole, has grown at an annual rate of 18. 9% since 2005, contributing to a high level of industry attractiveness (ibisworld. com). Medtronic is the clear leader with 17. 2% market share. Its closest rivals, Boston Scientific and St. Jude Medical, have market shares of 2. 8% and 4. 8%, respectively (ibisworld. com). Recently, the industry has seen a dramatic increase in consolidation as larger firms have cquired smaller operations in an effort to diversify their portfolios and gain market share. This shrinkage has resulted in greater industry concentration, increasing the rivalry among these key players. Focusing on a more narrow analysis of the Cardiovascular Device segment reveals a similar, more intensified, environment for rivals. Compared to the overall industry, this specific segment has recently witnessed much lower growth rates because the market is saturated with products that have little differentiation and limited innovation possibilities. For this reason, merger & acquisition activity is especially prominent among top firms seeking to create strategic competitiveness. They have identified the threat of rivals and are looking to gain additional resources and capabilities through diversification. The role of buyers is very unique in this industry. While individual patients are the ultimate consumers of medical devices, firms often focus on healthcare providers when selling products. This is because patients in the market have low brand recognition of the devices they use. Instead, they rely on their hospitals and physicians to recommend products for treatment. It is important for manufacturers to understand this distinction since it is these physicians and other providers that have the greatest brand loyalty. That said, individual patients still drive demand for products, and their satisfaction remains the ultimate goal. One key demographic trend of buyers is the aging U. S. population. As life expectancies continue to rise, and the baby boomer generation ages into their late sixties and seventies, this expanding age group will create a great opportunity for medical device manufacturers. For example, elderly patients experience a higher occurrence of health issues compared to the aggregate market, driving demand for medical devices upward. In fact, 40% of all patients diagnosed with heart disease or arthritis are 65 or older (ibisworld. com). The Medical Device Manufacturing industry is also subject to tight regulations, both domestically and internationally. For example, a new device may require a four-year trial before it appears on the market so that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can test its long-term effects. Products in Europe, meanwhile, undergo a different regulatory process; products are often introduced in Europe two to four years before they are available for patients in the U. S. Furthermore, compliance with these regulations requires firms to devote significant additional resources, often detracting from investments such as Research and Development. Along with these initial requirements, devices are constantly monitored for defects, which can result in product recalls that damage brand reputation and hurt profits. Globalization trends will certainly continue to have a strong impact on the industry, creating both opportunities and threats. Research shows that exports account for 21. 6% of industry revenue with an expected 2010 growth rate of 3. 9% (ibisworld. com). By developing these export markets, firms can work to maximize capacity utilization as they expand their distribution channels to reach more customers and generate more revenue. This is especially true of developing economies, in which 80% of chronic-disease-related deaths occur. Large portions of these markets are greatly underserved and demand is not being met. In addition, by diversifying into different geographic markets abroad, firms are able to mitigate the risks associated with being too dependent on the domestic market. The emergence of globalization also introduces several threats that firms must be aware of. For one, the competitive landscape changes as companies establish operations sites in foreign countries. When this happens, the demand in export markets declines since customers can purchase devices locally. Exporting firms must then reevaluate their international strategies and consider establishing similar operations of their own. Another threat globalization brings is that of increased competition. Manufacturers constantly fight to expand their geographic reach and to gain control of underserved markets. Given the effects of strong forces and emerging trends in the Medical Device Manufacturing industry, firms should strive to possess a key group of success factors in order to gain strategic competitiveness. The first factor is employees; they must be highly skilled and knowledgeable since the devices they design and produce are very complex. Second, economies of scale allow firms to improve profitability by reducing variable costs in manufacturing, which, in turn, lowers prices for customers. Third, as previously mentioned, the importance of global positioning cannot be understated. In order to compete in the industry, firms must make a global presence, expanding geographic scope and penetrating underserved markets. Finally, access to the latest innovations is imperative. To acquire new technologies, firms must invest considerable resources into Research and Development. Not only must they develop new technologies, but they must also look for ways to continuously improve existing products through high levels of innovation. This understanding of the industry environment is essential when considering a firm’s internal strategies. At the business-level, Medtronic possesses a number of strengths and competencies that are used to create a competitive advantage and contribute to the overall performance of the company. In particular, its research and development efforts along with its superior human resources drive the firm’s differentiation strategy in the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management (CRDM) unit (see appendix for more strengths). This sector remains the firm’s most profitable product market, accounting for $5. 268 billion of Medtronic’s $15. 817 billion total net sales in 2010 (Medtronic). As a percentage of those sales, Research and Development expenses equated to 9. 23%, a total of $1. 46 billion. Moreover, this expense has seen a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 8. % in the last 5 years, indicating Medtronic’s continued confidence in its ability to create value through the investment in research and development. The innovation fostered by research and development in CRDM has allowed Medtronic to create many new products; the complex nature of these products makes them rare and costly to imitate. They often even trump and replace the existing technology in the mar ket, making them highly valuable and unsubstitutable. These key innovations, therefore, give Medtronic a significant competitive advantage in research and development. For example, the CRDM unit recently introduced a new leadless pacemaker. Once implanted into the heart via catheter, the penny-sized device permanently latches into the flesh with tiny claws. Doctors can then wirelessly monitor and control the pacemaker. Medtronic’s demonstration of reduced size and wire elimination will create a new standard for such devices in the industry, making current, bulky pacemakers obsolete, and giving Medtronic a sustainable competitive advantage. Medtronic’s 40,000 employees also play a key role in the success of CRDM and of the company as a whole. They are the source of one of Medtronic’s most valuable intangible assets: knowledge. With a thorough understanding of human physiology and a breadth of technical skills, employees are a driving force behind the company’s groundbreaking innovations. They generate ideas and implement processes that create new or improved products or therapies. These advancements require that employees are well trained and possess a high degree of knowledge about the products or therapies they develop. In addition to the actual production of products, employees extend their knowledge to customers. By educating healthcare providers and users about the devices, employees ensure that patients safely receive the full benefits of Medtronic’s products. One way Medtronic optimizes its human resources is through collaboration blogs and internal grants. The company’s Quest program awards project grants that encourage employees to test their own ideas for product innovation. Nearly 25% of these projects eventually become a product or some part of a therapy. For example, employee Brain Lee had an idea to create an effective diagnostic tool for patients who suffered from unexplained fainting. With funding from the Quest program, Lee modified a pacemaker by adding self-contained electrodes. The device could be implanted just below the skin, recording electrocardiogram (ECG) signals in an endless loop. Much more effective than existing external tools, Lee’s device received additional funding, leading to successful clinical trials, and, eventually, a commercial release. This is just one example of how Medtronic’s strong workforce creates a core competency for the firm, one that is unmatched by its rivals. Furthermore, the innovations developed by employees and through research and development efforts can often be protected with patents, generating competencies that are not only distinctive, but also sustainable. At the corporate level, Medtronic is very well positioned. The firm outperforms its rivals in terms of market share with 17. 2%, compared to Boston Scientific and St. Jude Medical, which hold 2. 8% and 4. 8% market share, respectively. Since 2007, Medtronic has experienced an 8. 75% compound annual growth rate. While lower than St. Jude’s growth rate of 12. 3% in the period, it is noticeably higher than that of Boston Scientific’s, 6. 84% (See appendix for further financial comparisons). Medtronic’s corporate-level strategy defines which businesses it will be in as well as how it will integrate those businesses to grow and deliver value to stakeholders. The firm currently operates in seven business units: CRDM, Spinal, CardioVascular, Neuromodulation, Diab etes, Surgical Technologies, and Physio-Control, all of which are largely related. Because of Medtronic’s strong war chest, it has been able to focus its growth strategy around acquisitions. Since 2009, the firm has purchased nine companies, including ATS Medical Inc. and CoreValv Inc. , requiring a significant cash investment. In fact, Medtronic spent $370 million when it bought heart valve maker ATS Medical. The firm’s acquisition strategy specifically targets two types of purchases: those that will add immediate revenue to existing businesses, and those that add to Medtronic’s technology portfolio by providing expertise the company does not have. Of late, the firm has been focusing on the former, targeting smaller companies that lack the resources to complete clinical trials and gain FDA approval. Chad Cornell, vice president of corporate development at Medtronic, notes, â€Å"Size is obviously a factor, but it’s not what we start with. † Instead the question is â€Å"how can we add value? That’s the key lens† (Lee). Medtronic’s international strategy is best characterized as a global strategy whereby it develops devices in the United States to be distributed across country markets. To support this strategy, it uses a worldwide product divisional structure. Medtronic has recently changed its strategy, implementing a Global Realignment Initiative in 2008. The goal of the initiative is to reorganize the firm’s resources to focus on areas that add the most value and have the most attractive growth opportunities. Prior to 2008, the company had segmented its global market into the United States market and international markets. Under this new strategy, Medtronic will focus around developed markets and emerging markets, using its resources and capabilities to effectively meet each segment’s unique needs. Developed markets include regions such as the United States and Europe where trained healthcare professionals are familiar with current devices, and new, innovative products are readily accepted. Medtronic relies on its strong innovation capabilities and Research and Development investments to meet the demands of this segment. For example, patients with pacemakers are often denied potentially life-saving MRI scans due to possible pacing interference. Medtronic used its superior innovation and product knowledge to address the concern, manufacturing the world’s first pacemaker that is compatible and safe to use with MRI systems. Introduced in Europe in 2008, this innovative device provides a much-needed solution to millions of people who will now be able to receive the full benefit of a safe MRI scan. Emerging markets, meanwhile, include regions such as China, Brazil, Africa, and the Middle East, where access to care is often limited, and physicians may be unfamiliar with certain medical devices and hesitant to accept new products. In this segment, Medtronic depends on its employees and its reliable, high-quality products. Using these strengths, it focuses on training and educating healthcare providers so that products and treatment are much more accessible to underserved patients. At present, Medtronic operates in more than 120 countries, with more than 16,000 employees in communities outside the United States (Medtronic. om). These employees provide immense value to the company by using their extensive knowledge and skills to educate and collaborate with physicians around the world. Currently, 41% of total revenues are realized outside of the United. Medtronic plans to continue its geographic diversity strategy, aiming to become a â€Å"truly boundaryless organization† an d maintain its commitment to â€Å"making a sustained, global impact in the fight against chronic disease† (Medtronic). In order to keep its world-class status, Medtronic executes various tactics at each of its organizational levels in order to protect its strategic competitiveness. For example, the company uses a frontal assault on its biggest competitor, Boston Scientific. By using revenues created from CRDM, they have the capability to invest large investments into research and development in ways that Boston Scientific cannot. In doing so, they maintain continuous development and improvement of innovative products. Another tactic that Medtronic uses is the pre-emptive strike, identifying and evaluating a valuable opportunity and seizing it before a rival does so. This increases sales, differentiates Medtronic from competitors such as Boston Scientific, and helps foster innovation. Based on the analysis of Medtronic’s external environment and internal strategies, it is clear that the firm is a leader in the Medical Device Manufacturing Industry. However, there are also some key problems and issues the firm should address. Medtronic has had litigation issues over the past few years with recalls in various different product offerings as well as patent and licensing disputes. As noted on the 2010 annual report their litigation charges amounted to nets of, $374 million in 2010, $714 million in 2009, and $366 million in 2008 (36-37). This has been an industry wide issue as seen by Boston Scientifics 2009 litigations charges amounting to $2. 022 billion, $334 million in 2008 and $365 million in 2007 (Boston Scientific Annual Report pg. 69). With these industry wide litigation issues, the FDA is currently creating new standard procedures for testing products and time required to introduce them into the market, which creates a separate challenge in dealing with the new health care reform. In a recent interview with Brian Johnson from Massdevice. om, the CEO of Medtronic, Bill Hawkins outlines the challenges ahead with the new health care reform. â€Å"The new medical device tax will cost us $150 to $200 million per year when introduced in 2013. In 2010 we spent $1. 5 billion on R&D and this tax will directly affect that budget for us which hurts our innovation, or possibly investments in emerging markets†. Cleary the health care reform will be one of the toughest challenges ahead for Medtronic and the rest of the medical device industry.