A Personal Statement to Acquire Doctorate Degree in Pharmacy Essay Example for Free

A Personal Statement to Acquire Doctorate Degree in Pharmacy Essay Right from my childhood, I have always been passionate to attain my laid goals as well as preparing for challenges that may come forth as I tread the path of life with diligence. In pursuit of these goals, I do have an aura of inner heaviness that spurs me to embark on improvement program or any other initiatives found necessary to champion the goal. Regardless of any difficulties, hardships, discouragement, or intimidation, I have got good motivation for success in life. With my inherent quality of excellence, I have chosen to further education to bag a doctorate degree in Pharmacy. I have fervent enthusiasm to know how man responds to similar drugs prescription with variation. I remember once pondering extensively in my mind on this issue especially while some drugs choose to produce an allergic reaction in certain individuals but do not in others. For example, some patients react to penicillin containing antibiotics like amoxicillin. A visionless individual may find it difficult to find focus amidst opportunities and available options of courses; this was not my case as I opted for pharmacy. I believe only this can harmonize both my short term and long term goals. Ever since I had my preliminary studies, the fascinating experience was enough to always make any visionary individuals rush back for more training in other to have it all. I found the college of Pharmacy as the richest source of joy that can deliver my vision for the future. I can also substantiate my special interest in Pharmacy as a career because of my love for medicine or clinical practices, a noble profession. Far back in college, I offered Organic Chemistry and Microbiology. The courses gave me introductory science on which pharmacology of drug-to-drug interactions are based. I took those courses with great interest, paying detail attention as if I knew I would this day be yearning for more. Moreover, learning what underlines the exact principle on how and why chemicals combination react in stochiometry of biochemical reactions are intriguing. The microbiological basis of body pathogens showing inhibiting sensitivity to antimicrobial therapies was equally interesting to me. In my academic background, I also learned about how experts have researched to use medicines and technology to counteract dangerous invasive and non-invasive effects of pathogens. The fact that there still exist several questions and problems around virulent pathogens has also aroused my interest as this still leaves some room for further studies and discoveries. Today, technology has become a big influential in invariably all fields, especially in the field of medical diagnosis. Being an Information Technology specialist at the University of Oklahoma, I can professionally operate on pieces of equipment with high technological competency. I am strongly convinced that this expatriate input is still required to buttress the progress of Pharmaceutical practices in the world. I am envisioning a long term goal of being able to assist the community as a pharmacist in drug prescriptions as well as enlightening them on do’s and don’ts of medication (indications and contraindications) to safe more lives and prevent drug complications resulting from ignorance or abuse. Why the pursuit of Doctorate Degree in Pharmacy? Taking a doctorate degree in pharmacy would provide me a perfect platform to stand tall with an edge over the non-professionally trained practitioners. Reason being that the training would erase any ignorance in me when I shall be on the field fulfilling my vision in life. In summary, interaction with people has always been a very joyful experience for me. I have always had educative discussions with pharmacists at retail stores and hospitals. I personally have a preference to question pharmacist occasionally when there is a choice between pharmacy and a physician concerning any medical issue bordering my mind. However, in the abundance of different available options and seas of opportunities, I consider it a self incurred injustice if I do not stand for Pharmacy as a choice of career in accomplishing my immediate goal. With the absence of doubt, abundance of witnesses by unwavering convictions in me, I strongly believe a career out of pharmacy is a misplacement of priority. For the love of my society and the hope of helpless people who await my pharmaceutical cares in the nearest future, I love pharmacy with passion!

Innocence and Experience Essay Example for Free

Innocence and Experience Essay At one point in our lives we were all children, learning things about life, experiencing new things, and understanding life’s lessons. We were all naive and knew nothing about the world around us, we were all innocent to life and what it had to bring. It was not until we grew older that we began to lose our innocence with every new experience. Growing older means taking responsibility, accepting and overcoming life’s hardships and understanding oneself. So as we reach adulthood we begin to question when the conversion from innocence to experience occurs and what causes and marks this coming of age. In the novel They Poured Fire on Us From The Sky, the characters and plot prolong the opposition of innocence and experience and show us how they continuously overlap and occur throughout the lifetime of an individual. By analyzing the boy’s experiences of being refugees, their encounters with war, and their relationship and appreciation for the Dinkaland, we become aware of the connection between innocence and experience and how it is portrayed and represented in the novel. Starvation, isolationism, and confusion, are words we unknowingly associate with refugees. None of us can fully understand and begin to relate to the thoughts and emotions of refugees. Most of what we know has been through books or media where the hardship of refugee life is depicted as horrifying, desperate, and unresponsive. In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, one of the main characters, Alepho depicts life as a refugee while giving us instances of experience where we are shown his loss of innocence. Through the text Alepho gives us a first hand account of his experience with being a refugee and how he has matured, transitioned into adulthood, and through all of this has ultimately been stripped of his innocence. â€Å" The Soldiers who came to camp always said, â€Å"You know, I think there will be peace. † But although people always hoped and prayed for peace, peace never came and we lost hope† (Deng 271). Not only does this show how through their experiences they realize peace will never come but also how they have given up on hoping for a better future. Their innocence has been lost through every thought of hope that has never been achieved. At only a young age Alepho and the other boys have already experienced so much devastation, corruption and loneliness, leaving only their childhood memories as a connection to their innocence. Not only did being a refugee leave mental scars but it also had a lasting impact on their physical well-being. â€Å"Being a refugee is something that many people cannot understand. Refugee life was like being devoured by wild animals. We lived five of us in one house. The little ration we received we collected together and cooked as a meal once a day. Though we had an appetite there wasn’t enough to eat as young growing boys with tender bones and body. Nutritional diseases were rampant in the camp. Children died from marasmas, kwashiorkor, anemia, and beriberi. Rickets was the worst with the young boys; almost every boy was bow-legged. It was hard for boys to go to school with empty stomachs. An empty stomach cannot carry a healthy mind† (Deng 274). This depicts a more vivid picture of what refugee life was like and how impacting it was to their health. They became famished, and their health was slowly deteriorating with every meal that they skipped, and every disease acquired. As a result, we see how at such a young age the boys life was corrupted and how they had to experience things that most people don’t experience in a lifetime. Starvation, devastation, and loneliness, were the only things we as children saw in movies or games, we could never imagine ever experiencing it first hand. The boys were stripped of their innocence as children, grown to be familiar with an empty stomach, separated from their family, and above all had no place to truly call home. Through each experience they faced they lost all ties to their innocence and were forced to mature in a world of corruption, and isolationism. We have all heard the word war, whether through textbooks in school, or stories passed down from our grandparents. We have all been some what introduced to the concept of war, World War I and II, Vietnam, The Civil War, and the current Middle Eastern War, are just some of the wars we have been taught about. However, none of us have experienced the horrific emotions, and psychological pain that comes along with being involved in war. We all know adults or friends who have served for our country, but what we are not familiar with are children who have been forced into war by means of cruelty. In the novel, the young boys are taken from their homes and forced into war, and the life of a refugee. â€Å" But I didn’t understand this complicated war, how it mortally devoured the land and left it so full of skeletons. The adults talked of the war all the time. They discussed slavery, apartheid, racism, segregation, and tribalism. They called it a religious war. A jihad. I heard all the words but I didn’t understand them. I think kids feel differently about things than adults do. From what I could see men or woman, children or adults, young or aged, rich or poor, war was making everyone equal† (Deng 123). This shows how the boys are naive and innocent to the war, and the reasoning and purpose of it, but this innocence is soon lost when the boys experience death of friends and family, life of a refugee, and the horrors of war. The boys are innocent in the fact that they do not understand the concept or reason for war but their experience throughout it show they have fully made the transition from innocence to experience or childhood to adulthood. Throughout the book we see how the boys show experience over innocence but when it comes to understanding war, and what causes it, the boys immaturity comes through. â€Å"We said that a lot. As children, seven or eight years old, we knew nothing about the world, just that we were not in our mama’s house no more† (Deng 123). The boys are so innocent to the world around them and what’s going on, that all they do know is that things have changed and they are not home anymore. At one point in the novel the boys experienced innocence. They were so naive to not only the world, but also to the concept of war. However, as we become more familiar with the boys and follow them on their endeavors as refugees we can see how through their experiences their innocence was lost. Family and friends, are something most of us take for granted, the thought of loosing them is indescribable. Family and friends are to most of us, the most structured and important relationships in our lives. Family is what helps you overcome difficulties, and friends are there to share laughs and build memories with. In some cases people have lost family members due to serious illness or other circumstances but very few to almost none in our society have been taken away from their families and community to be refugees of war. Alepho, Benjamin and Benson have all been taken away from their family and Dinkaland, and forced to be refugees of war. â€Å"Since my wandering began, there hasn’t been a day or night that I do not think back to my family, our people and lovely Dinkaland† (Deng 3). The boys have been taken away from their home and familiar way of life, to become refugees of the war. The boy’s loss of innocence is shown through every thought of family and home. They are so young and have been taken out of their familiar way of life to live a life of corruption and unfamiliarity. Through this we see how experience has a drastic effect on ones innocence, and we see through every experience the boy’s lose a touch of innocence. â€Å"When I sometimes have nightmares about all the things that happened when our peaceful village life turned to chaos, that feeling of not being able to move during my initiation still overcomes me† (Deng 10). This shows Alepho’s response to the war and when it finally arrived to their time. The memories of that day still haunt him, and overpower him with fear. One can say that this is the first time the boys innocence is lost and the last time we see his total state of innocence. This quote helps depict Alephos attitude and how much of a drastic affect it has on him. From their experiences, the boys lose their naivety and begin their world of maturity and responsibilities where they learn from experience, and ultimately make the transition from innocence to experience. In our society today events and cultural celebrations mark the coming of age such as birthdays, Sweet Six-teens, Graduation, and the ability to vote. Today age eighteen marks the beginning of adulthood where childhood becomes a thing of the past and society expects you to begin to take responsibility and show maturity in not only the choices you make, but also the actions you engage in. However as we can see in the novel They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, Alepho, Benjamin, and Benson have all shown maturity through their experiences and consequently a loss of innocence. Through reading their stories and analyzing the text we can see how the boys experience in war, being a refugee, and their appreciation for the Dinkaland has forced them into the transition from innocence to experience, at such a young age. Ultimately we are shown that innocence and experience are directly related, with experience we lose innocence and with our innocence we are more vulnerable to experiences that will shape our lives. Both of these entities continuously overlap and often reoccur through out the life of an individual.

Rogers Communications Analysis

Rogers Communications Analysis Currently Rogers has competition with companies like Bell Canada, TELUS and Shaw Communications. There are also new providers in the industry that are offering products and services at low prices. Rogers is a company that has the best technology in comparison of other providers. It is the only company that operates on both GSM and HSPA technology. 1Rogers operates in three areas. The first one is Wireless, which includes wireless voice and data communications services. Rogers is Canadas largest wireless provider. The second one is Cable. Rogers is one of Canadas largest providers of cable television services as well as high-speed Internet access, telephony services and video retailing. The third and the last one is media, which includes radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, and sports entertainment. Its backbone is its distribution channels, which includes 3,600 Rogers-owned, dealers and retail outlets. Rogers provides valuable customer services to its customers. Its goal is to maximize its subscribers and become the best communication and media provider. There are 70 subscribers out of 100 (2010) in comparison of 25 per 100 (2000). Furthermore,  [2]  in the time of recession, Telecom industry is one of the industries that have been able to survive and make profit margins. Thus, Telecom industry is an industry where consumers go first which means that consumers would reduce their spending on other goods and services in comparison of telecom services. Therefore, if Rogers has brand image and the market is full of opportunities then why let new entrants capture the market share. The second issue that Rogers face is regarding its financial position. If we see the table below, companys sales growth in 2007 was 14.54% and cost of goods sold was $961 million. In 2008, sales growth reduced to 11.97% but cost of goods sold was more ($1303 million). If we see the last year that is 2009, sales growth was just 3.49% and cost of goods sold was $1380 million. This concludes that, if sales growth has been decreasing every year, cost of goods sold has not been decreasing with proportionate to sales growth. In other words, profit margin has been decreasing and companys operation is not able to increase its sales growth and minimize its cost of goods sold. Morever, if we see the debt to equity ratio, it is increasing every year. In 2007, it was 1:2.3. In 2008, it was 1:2.61 and in 2009 it was 1:2.98. This concludes that Rogers is using a lot of debt to finance its operations. But on the other side, Rogers has good return on assets of 8.67% in 2009 in comparison of 6.18% in 2008, which means Rogers is earning more money on less investment this year. In order to overcome current challenges, Rogers should use overall low cost provider strategy. Rogers should apply this strategy to solve its business and financial issues. The advantages of this strategy are customer satisfaction, moving towards its rivals, prevail market conditions and strengthen its market position. What else can Rogers do to maintain its market share and presence? Rogers can include features and services in packages that are essential to its consumers. It can find ways to achieve competitive advantage that would be hard for the current rivals and new entrants to match. Though the industry did have the slowest growth in 2009 from 2000, the analysis shows that there is a lot of room to grow. When Rogers would use lower pricing for its products and services then there would be less competition and more accessibility to local market that would increase its sales and revenues. By doing this, Rogers is completing its mission strategy, which is to add great value to its customers lives by offering new and reachable products and services. When companies raise prices of their products and services, they dont realize that by doing this they are far away from their customers but new entrants are putting themselves in their customers shoes. In other words, they are thinking like their customers. This is what Rogerss strategy should be, to think like its customers and add value to their lives. If Rogers would think like its customers then there would be brand loyalty and there is less risk of loosing its market share and presence. If customers would feel that Rogers has understood them, then they would definitely contract with Rogers. This would lead to Rogers implementing its financial strategy, which is to maximize profit and return on investments. In regards to reducing Rogerss cost of goods sold, Rogers should invest more money on new technologies to improve its companys operations. This would decrease its cost of goods sold and increase business efficiency. In addition, Rogers can outsource some of its operations as it has been doing with its physical IT infrastructure. Rogers has been outsourcing its physical IT infrastructure to IBM to make capital expenditure efficiencies. Rogers can do the same with some of its operations but one thing to consider is that Rogers should have strict quality standards for its products and services while outsourcing. Furthermore, cost of goods sold increases when there are high designs or services that is neither seen nor valued by customers. Rogers can simplify its products and services and reduce cost of goods sold. In conclusion, Rogers, to become the best telecom company in Canada should apply all the recommendations above. This would help Rogers to increase its subscribers and reduce its cost of goods sold. A) INDUSTRY INFORMATION: 1. What are the Industrys Dominant Economic Features? Market Size   [3]  In 2010, there are 70 wireless subscriptions for every 100 Canadians in comparison of 25 wireless subscriptions per 100 in 2000. Market Growth Rate (Product Life Cycle) Maturity. There is competition between different companies. Growth Cycle   [4]  Real gross domestic production increased from $25,559 million in 2007 to 26,775 million in 2009.   [5]  2009 and 2010 are the slowest years of production growth in two decades. Scope of Rivalry   [6]  Low barriers of entry. New entrants are providing same services that big players do at low prices. Type of Distribution Channels   [7]  Dealers, retail outlets and advertisement. Pace of technological change   [8]  Internet connection giving access to television entertainment. Level of Product Differentiation -Low. All companies offer same products or services. Ease of Entry Exit   [9]  Low barriers of entry due to deregulation of telecommunications service providers and advancement in telecommunication system. Industry Profitability   [10]  Profit margin has decreased to 12.8% in 2009 from 13 % in 2007. Summary- Telecommunication Industrys market size and real gross domestic production has increased but profit margin has decreased. There are low barriers of entry but competition is high. 2. Competitive Analysis Summary The 5 Forces Model The Rivalry among competing sellers in the Industry Intense. Companies try to attract customers with more discounts, promotions and benefits in comparison of their competitors. Firms in other industries offering substitute products Weak. Customers have no option or substitute for services offered by companies in telecommunication industry. The potential entry of new competitors -Weak. Low barriers of entry  [11]  due to deregulation of telecommunications service providers and advance in telecommunication system. Entrants enter the market but do not survive unless they offer low prices because companies ruling in telecommunication industry have brand equity and customer loyalty. The bargaining power of suppliers   [12]  Weak. Small Internet resellers get a very small share of the market, and their share has been declining in recent years. The bargaining power of buyers -Moderate. There are not many companies that offer all the products and services but still customers switch to rivals when they offer huge discounts and promotions. Summary- Suppliers share has been decreasing. There are no substitutes and buyers have very less options. There are low barriers of entry but competition is high too. 3.Drivers of Change Industry Growth Rate   [13]  Real gross domestic production increased from $25,559 million in 2007 to 26,775 million in 2009. Product Innovation   [14]  Smartphone, high speed Internet and digital TV. Technology Change   [15]  Fiber optics, improved computer technology and the Internet. Regulatory/Government Influence   [16]  Business rules are regularly changing which is giving small Internet providers access to the large companies networks. Summary- The main driver of change is the new technology introduced every time that excites customer to purchase products and services. 4.Competitive Position Quality of Services and Network Less More Few Many Coverage Who is favorably/ unfavorably positioned why? -Bell Canada occupies the most favorable position among the rivals because of being first Canadian telecom company and occupying more coverage. The closest competitor to Bell Canada is Rogers that offers large variety of products and services and has a wide geographical presence in the market of telecommunication industry.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   5.Key Success Factors Technology Related   [17]  HSPA+ 21 Mbps wireless network and DOCSIS-3.0 50 Mbps high-speed Internet service. Organizational Capability   [18]  Knowledgeable staff that would develop newer, better, and faster ways to deliver what customers want, while also delivering attractive returns for shareholders. Distribution Channel   [19]  Diversified distribution channels such as dealers, retail outlets and advertisement. Other -Brand image. Widely recognized and accepted by customers. Summary- Key success factors in telecommunication industry are technology, well-trained staff, distribution channels and brand image. 6.Industry Attractiveness -The industry is at maturity level. There is a lot of room to grow and profits are high. Whenever, new technology is introduced, customer demand increases. Low barriers of entry makes it easy for new entrants to enter the industry but it is hard to survive unless they offer low prices because there are big players in the industry. There are no substitutes. Competition is intense as companies try to attract customers with more discounts, promotions and benefits in comparison of their competitors. B) COMPANY RESOURCES: AN INTERNAL ASSESSMENT 1. The Strategic-Making Process Vision Statement stated/implied   [20]  To grow in the business while taking care of corporate social responsibility. Mission Statement   [21]  To add great value to customers lives by offering new and reachable products and services. Strategic Objectives Business Maximize the number of subscribers and become Canadas best communication and media provider. Organizational   [22]  Achieve highest standards of business conduct among all employees. Financial Maximize profit and return on investments. Current Strategy-  [23]  Launched Long Term Evolution (LTE) so that customers can anywhere, anytime access to information, communications and entertainment. Strategic Performance Indicators Qualitative Measures-   [24]  High-quality network coverage. -Customer satisfaction. HSPA+ 21 Mbps wireless network and DOCSIS-3.0 50 Mbps high-speed Internet service. Quantitative Measures-   [25]  7% growth rate in Wireless Network and Cable Operations businesses in 2009.   [26]  1.5 million Smartphone customers in 2009. 2. Financial Analysis Conclusion- The Company has issue with its cost of goods sold. Comparing all years, sales growth is decreasing but cost of goods sold is increasing .If this continues then soon the company would loose its financial well -being. Therefore, the company should increase its sales growth but decrease its cost of goods sold. High debt to equity ratio indicates that the company is using a lot of debt to finance operations, which might be reason for company to have more earnings than it would have without debt. Rogers have 1: 2.98 in 2009.  [27]  Rogers has also generated a 29% increase in free cash flow growth in 2009. Return on assets provides information on how effectively company is utilizing its money to convert it into sales. Rogers has good return on assets of 8.67% in 2009 in comparison of 6.18% in 2008, which means Rogers is earning more money on less investment this year. In total asset turnover, the figure indicates how much is generated in sales from every dollar worth of assets. Rogers has 68.80% in 2009 in comparison of 69.9% in 2008.This means that Rogers has been less efficient at using its assets in generating sales this year. In current ratio, the conclusions cannot be drawn before considering other factors. However, when the current ratio is higher than 1, it is normally considered acceptable. It indicates how quickly current assets can be turned into cash. Rogers is in less good position by having 1:0.80 in 2009 in comparison of 1:0.84 last year. 3. The Company Value Chain Operations   [28]  Rogers is the only one operating on both GSM and HSPA technology.   [29]  Outsources its physical IT infrastructure to IBM to make capital expenditure efficiencies. Distribution   [30]  Powerful national product distribution network consisting of more than 3,600 Rogers-owned, dealer and retail outlets. Sales and Marketing   [31]  Activated 1.5 million Smartphone customers. Service   [32]  Created a dedicated team who would engage with customers looking for help in online forums and micro blogs.   [33]  Created the Rogers Customer Commitment to help customers understand what they can expect when they contract with Rogers. Summary- Rogers have the best technology, outsource, distribution network and customer service that makes its way to success. 4.Competitive Strength Assessment Model 5-8 KSFs weighted Conclusion- Bell and Rogers have close competition. TELUS and Shaw are behind Rogers. Bell has 10 rating for reputation image because of being the oldest and trusted company in Canada. Rogers is trying its best to grab Bells market presence and has been successful in doing that. In terms of technology, Rogers has 10 rating because it is the only one operating on both GSM and HSPA technology. 5. SWOT Analysis Internal (S)trengths -Brand recognition.   [34]  Powerful national product distribution network.   [35]  Dedicated team for customers. (W)eaknesses -Internal inefficiency that increased cost of goods sold. -Dependent on debt. External (T)hreats -Bell, TELUS and Shaw Communications.   [36]  New entrants are entering the market. (O)pportunities   [37]  Attract new clients.   [38]  $900 million total principal amount of 4.70% Senior Notes due in 2020. Summary- Rogers has internal strength in its brand recognition and distribution channels. Its weakness lies on increased cost of goods sold and debt. Competition is intense with current rivals and new entrants. Opportunities are bright with new and existing customers. 6. Strategic Issues that merit Managerial Attention Business Issue   [39]  Would it be a good strategy by Rogers to lower price of its products and services due to high competition from new entrants? Financial Issue -How should Rogers decrease their rising costs? 7. Criteria for Strategic Solution(s) Able to maintain high quality network coverage, HSPA+ 21 Mbps wireless network and DOCSIS-3.0 50 Mbps high-speed Internet service, 7 % growth rate in Wireless Network and Cable Operations businesses, 1.5 million Smartphone customers and reduce cost of goods sold. Work Cited Canadian Industrial Outlook. (Autumn 2010). Canadas Telecommunications Industry. The Conference Board of Canada Retrieved from http://www.conferenceboard.ca.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/temp/f191b447-0cc1-43f8-89cd-a7d54518d917/11-146_CIOS-Telecom_Autumn10_WEB.pdf. Investor Relations. Rogers. Retrieved from http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=IR_LANDING Corporate Social Responsibility. Rogers. Retrieved from http://your.rogers.com/aboutrogers/csr/overview.asp About Rogers. Rogers. Retrieved from https://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=about_landing PRNewswire. (October 6, 2010). Rogers Announces First Lte Technical Trial in Canada. Yahoo finance. Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Rogers-Announces-First-Lte-prnews-2287777662.html?x=0.v=62 Guides to Occupations. Working in the Telecommunication Workers Industry. Skilled Immigrant Infocentre. Retrieved from http://skilledimmigrants.vpl.ca/index.php/guides/industry/telecommunication_workers Defining Next. ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. 2009 ANNUAL REPORT. Rogers. Retrieved from http://www.rogers.com/cms/investor_relations/pdfs/2009_Annual-Report.pdf Bringing Your World Together. ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. 2008 ANNUAL REPORT. Rogers. Retrieved from http://www.rogers.com/cms/investor_relations/annual_html/2008/html/HTML2/default.htm The Americas Intelligence Wire. (Sep 22,2010). Rogers Communications Prices $900 Million Senior Notes Offering. Ryerson. Retrieved from http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/servlet/BCRC?rsic=PKrcp=COvrsn=unknownlocID=rpu_mainsrchtp=cmpcc=1c=136mode=cste=72tbst=tsCMtab=2ccmp=Rogers+Communications+Inc.tcp=rogersn=25docNum=A237731531bConts=13119

The Purpose and Power of Language Essay -- Research Essays Term Papers

The Purpose and Power of Language If you are fluent in a language, you probably don't give much thought to your ability to interact with others, to understand and be understood in your world. But what would happen if you lost your voice? Or if suddenly the language skills you have, that is your ability to read, write, and speak, were no longer sufficient to allow you to understand television and newspapers or to tell a waitress what you wanted to eat or a doctor what was wrong with you? What if your language actually caused others to discriminate against you? I suspect your perception of the importance of language would undergo a pronounced change. Recently, I had an experience with language deprivation when I had laryngitis. The three days I was without my voice were frustrating, interminable, and evidence of the power and purpose of language. Early in her essay, "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan discusses this power of language. She writes, "it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth" (26). Though at times, I could whisper, people had difficulty hearing and understanding me, and I couldn't write my thoughts down quickly enough to meaningfully converse with others. In short, my lack of voice impaired my ability to express myself and to communicate and indeed participate in my world. Moreover, language, the combination of specific words in a particular order, not only empowers individuals to participate as members of a designated community, it is also a fundamental key in enabling individuals to establish and define the dimensions of their identity. Language is the impetus that empowers individuals to forge ties that bind into a community, thus giving them personal, social, or cultural identificat... ... Language is many things: the arrangement of words in a particular order, uttered in a certain way, denoting certain meaning, a political instrument which evokes images and emotion. Certainly, all of this is a description of the purpose and function of language. But at its most fundamental, language is quite simply the expression of self and the ability to share that expression with others. Baldwin and Tan both highlight the importance of language: to be without language is to be voiceless, and to be voiceless is to silence the song of the self. Works Cited Baldwin, James. "If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What is?" Across Cultures. Eds. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Singleton. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 128-131. Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." Across Cultures. Eds. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Singleton. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 26-31.

Why The Russians Were Right :: Essays Papers

Why The Russians Were Right Zubok and Pleshakov wrote this book â€Å"in order [for westerners] to understand the Cold War from the Soviet perspective, one must understand the importance of that moment and the larger historic legacy of Russia and the Russian Revolution, vindicated by the victory of 1945† (2). These men wanted the western world to be able to read this book and understand the different personalities that made up the Kremlin, their personal experiences and how this affected their political leadership. To reveal the Kremlin, in a humanistic way, the authors used the newly declassified documents from the Russian side, to explore the background, psychology, motives, and behavior of Soviet rulers from Stalin to those who replaced him, and to better understand the world that they helped create (xii) The main thesis of the novel is â€Å"It was this group [the Kremlin] that had replaced the Communist politburo during the four years of the most devastating war in the world’s history. Leading the others, walking at some distance from them was Joseph Stalin, the head of the USSR† (1). Zubok and Pleshakov start out explaining the basic views of the Kremlin around 1945, before Stalin comes to power. They then move to the revolutionary world of Stalin and the expansions of the empire that were gained by Molotov. At this point in the book the emphasis shifts to war, nuclear bombs and geopolitics. Contained in these sections are chapters on Zhdanov; Beria and Malenkov; and Kennedy and Khrushchev. The formation of these chapters and subjects in this particular line-up progresses in the order that they historically happened. In order to understand why the USSR made some of the political choices, trying to remove some of the biases in place throughout the world, the authors give personal background information on the USSR’s major leaders of the Cold War time. At one extreme in the USSR government they experienced, Stalin, who lived through war, which made him a ruthless and hardened man. While on the other extreme is Khrushchev, who lived through the revolut ion, which made him a gambler and outstanding bluffer. These two men compromise most of the focus of the book because both brought the world close to war again with their personalities running the Kremlin, Krushchev just brought it closer to nuclear war. The authors use the idea that Westerners do not have a clear understanding of the culture of communist Russia.

Government and Politics - Time to Stop Lying Essay -- Argumentative Pe

Time to Stop Lying A great number of young adults have lost interest in the political system of this country. It is really quite simple- the power structure is not working in our favor, we see no great future achievements in legislation or politics, and we would much rather put our energies towards more fulfilling ends. The nature of politics in this country has progressed to a corrupt web of lies and deception that clearly favors the white male who spends his life working nine to five and has given his voice, his freedom, his manhood over to his government. Â   Those of us who refuse to succumb to this lifestyle find ourselves constantly battling to maintain even a base level standard of living. We have not chosen to close our eyes to the social conditions that surround us, and we have not chosen to be pretentious suburbians living life in a bubble of our own creation, fooling ourselves into believing that words and legislative acts will solve the many problems of these times. Â   We do not have much faith in the legislative system in America. We study our history, and realize that nothing has really changed, despite numerous amendments, acts, and programs. We find these to be simple attempts to pacify the masses in a scheme of the largest proportions to launder our riches and our wealth. Â   You ask why we do not vote or participate actively in politics. I ask why should we choose betwee... ...ve us some skills to enter into this rat race you have started. Give us computers, teach us to use them, and help us in our individual pursuits. Stop sucking us dry with taxes and fees, and give us financial assistance to start our independent pursuits. Repay the descendants of slaves and repay the Native Americans. Find some justice for the people of this country. Educate us on truth and the world. Don't shut us in a box, ignorant of the world community, perpetrating white supremacy and western "democracy." Give us something worthwhile to vote for and we might start showing up at the polls. Don't be afraid to admit the wrongs of the past and present; that is the only way to grow and move into the future. Â  

How Business Strategy and Hr Strategy Are or Should Be Linked Together

Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Anna Morozova Essay How business strategy and HR strategy are or should be linked together? Moscow, 2011 Departments are the entities organizations form to organize people, reporting relationships, and work in a way that best supports the accomplishment of the organization's goals. Departments are usually organized by functions such as human resources, marketing, administration, and sales. The forward thinking human resource department is devoted to providing effective policies, procedures, and people-friendly  guidelines and support  within companies.Additionally, the human resource function serves to make sure that the company mission,  vision,  values  or  guiding principles, the company metrics, and the factors that keep the company guided toward success are optimized. Of executives surveyed, 20% currently use the HR department as active and innovative business solution partners. 20% believe that the HR department should remai n as administrative overhead and only perform transactional work. But, 60% of the  executives are starting to expect the HR department to partner with others departments to improve the company’s core competencies and competitive advantages.Competitive pressure in a fast changing business world – pressures for sales, talent, and profits. Most CEO’s are held accountable for three general but powerful results: Increasing revenue, generating cash, and reducing costs. In order to focus on these three accountabilities, executives are discarding paradigms that no longer work as companies seek to stay in and grow their business. Many CEOs and CFOs are more interested in the payoff and are asking appropriate questions: What’s in it for the company? Where is the improvement in the revenue stream? How does this get us new customers and retain our current customers.Where is the proof of corporate performance enhancement metrics? Once they get solid answers to these questions from competent HR leaders, the CEOs are quick to change their thinking. To answer the payoff questions, recognize that a continual company-wide value chain analysis is critical to the success of any organization. Over the past decade, CEOs began demanding that their Human Resources departments deliver flawless functional work and become a knowledgeable partner with all other disciplines to advance the business plan of the company. Individual professional silos are breaking down.Disciplines such as finance, sales, marketing, operations, and HR no longer exist as stand-alone entities. They are inter-dependent with one another. Weakness of any one of the links inhibits other links from maximizing their efficiency and productivity. These three emerging concepts in the practice of HR bear examination: * What value does the HR department brings to the organization. Many HR teams lack a vision that includes their value to the organization. Do the HR department’s activitie s directly help the company achieve its broad business objectives?Are the HR team’s arguments for or against a business strategy credible to the other department heads at the decision making table? How are the HR department strategies that benefit the employees, the shareholders, the customers, and all other stakeholders in the organization, selected and implemented? * What value does the HR department generate for the customer – the end user of the company’s product or service? Sales and quality are no longer restricted to the sales and quality assurance teams. The HR department doesn’t just hire a salesperson based upon a manager’s request.The end result of HR’s recruiting and hiring efforts is that the customer who interacts with the new sales person receives continuing world class service from the company. HR shares the quality of the new hire with the other departmental silos to insure that the company is, or becomes, the vendor of choi ce for that customer. * The final of the three emerging concepts for the Human Resources Department is: What core business competencies must HR leaders possess in order to be credible strategic partners with the rest of the executive team?Each company and each industry can generate its own list of core business skills their teams must have that go beyond their individual specialties. This issue has become so critical that in graduate and undergraduate level business programs, new editions of Organizational Development textbooks are including chapters on financial calculations and ratios, corporate social responsibility, globalization, and major workforce diversity challenges, among others.The biggest barrier to profitability is ignorance – ignorance by many people about how the company makes money and how it achieves its objectives, and how all of the departmental silos are interdependent on each other. The myth that only finance people need to know about finance or that mark eting people are the only people who need to know about marketing is fast disappearing. In today’s business environment, profitable organizations require highly skilled employees who can solve complex problems using multi-disciplinary teams.Here are three examples how can HR be linked to profitability metrics: * A well known global company formed a group of HR professionals who developed processes and training programs in sales, customer service, workouts, project management, process improvement and leadership development that focused on critical performance issues for their internal and external customers. By partnering with operations, sales, and customer service they served as a catalyst to forge alliances, partnerships and agreements.Many of their efforts resulted in improved relationships that translated into â€Å"Preferred Provider Status†, which increased sales and lowered costs. All of their costs were liquidated by charging a fee for the service while creatin g net revenue. After two years, this HR group generated sales of $4 million and a profit margin in excess of 30% which was returned to the division budget at the end of each fiscal year. * Secondly, an HR team, partnering with the Audit staff, discovered that the accounts receivable turnover had moved from a preferred 30 days to 45 days during the past two years.They decided to let the chief credit officer go. The HR staff established criteria to identify candidates with the ability to reduce the ratio from 45 days back to 30 days. The HR staff recommended one candidate for hire. Within six months, the company’s DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) ratio was reduced to 35 days. * In a third case, while designing and negotiating a new health care and 401(k) plan, the HR leadership partnered with the sales and marketing team to determine if the cost of the program would erode the company’s market share and competitive pricing strategy.The resulting benefit program design achieve d its cost/benefit objectives without jeopardizing the company’s market share and pricing metrics. How do HR leaders and CEOs make the Human Resources Department to a Profitability Factor? Here are suggestions based on that the more employees become knowledgeably involved in the business, the better they will be able to become a more productive asset. * Develop a leadership development program that includes hands on training in all of the functional disciplines.For example, in the production department, identify the barriers that prevent managers from achieving efficiencies and savings; * Insist that Human Resources staff receive financial training so they understand the impact of cash flow, receivables, billing cycles, and so forth. If it is a public company, teach them how to read and understand company’s annual report. Reading the proxy statement is always informative – even if the information contained in it is reluctantly revealed, and occasionally masked w ith arcane accounting jargon; * Have HR staff participate in sales strategies, customer visits, and technology reviews.Encourage them to learn quality methods, process improvements techniques, terms and conditions, and contract negotiations with suppliers and customers. Engage them as process consultants (have them trained if necessary) so they can assist with growth initiatives; * Most importantly, hold all employees accountable for achieving the â€Å"critical numbers† established for your company. A superb HR department becomes irrelevant if the company is sliding into bankruptcy. The HR department's powerful value focuses on its contributions toward reversing the slide.It is important to Include HR employees as full business partners. They will rise to the occasion and surprise you by building your bottom line and becoming a profit center contributor as well as maintaining their traditional responsibilities – and they will be better at both. The intense and brutall y competitive business environment of our global and digital world needs the help of everyone in the company. Russian small enterprises do not practice the establishment of HR Departments in view of unprofitability of such a business organization.As the result, the majority of small enterprises do not develop any HR strategy. Thus I would like to present the unique HR strategy of Apple Inc. and how it is linked to company’s business strategy. Most firms strive to have a productive workforce. One of the best ways to measure workforce productivity is revenue per employee. Apple produces what can only be considered extraordinary revenue per employee; $2 million. A second measure of workforce productivity is profit per employee: nearly $478,000 for Apple (unbelievable considering it has a retail workforce).During 25 years Apple has been following the philosophy called â€Å"lean – management† which explains the prime drivers for Apple’s extraordinary employee productivity. For years, the leadership of Apple has followed the philosophy that having less is more, meaning that by purposely understaffing and operating with reduced funding, you can make the team more productive and innovative. Innovation at most firms is expensive because you must pay for a lot of trial and error.The lean approach, however, can improve innovation because with everything being tried, there simply isn’t enough time or money for major misses and re-do’s. â€Å"Unrealistic deadlines† at Apple mean that you have to get project problems solved early on, because there isn’t time to redo things over and over. Being lean forces the team to be more cohesive. Even providing a lean schedule forces everyone to be productive because they know there is no room for slippage. At Apple, the lean approach means that even with its huge cash resources, every employee must adopt the mentality of leanness.If you understand the lean concept and its advant ages, you shouldn’t be surprised that numerous innovations have been developed in â€Å"garages,† the ultimate lean environment. I have chosen an article â€Å"Human resource practices to attract and retain talents† by Hiltrop, 1999, because, in my opinion, it is very actual theme as businesses look for global growth, chronic skills gaps combined with a mismatch between demand and supply of talent means that getting (and keeping) the right people in the right places at the right time has never been more challenging.HR leaders need to mobilize talent to help businesses grow. This article explores one of the biggest issues and challenges now faced by large organizations: how to attract and retain a critical group of talented people. Getting talent management right means you can worry less about your talent problems and more about your business opportunities. It is very important to use a fact based approach to help identify the specific elements of talent manageme nt which drive the most value in your business and industry.It is needed to create a Talent Management Framework and Diagnostic to develop and implement strategies that deliver the right improvements – those that give you the best return on investment. So I can conclude that to win the war for talent, companies should figure out who they are aiming for, and then make sure the recruitment process and practices are tailored to the specific needs and expectations of the target group. I have chosen an article â€Å"Science and practice of HRM in small firms† by Mayson and Barret, 2006 because human capital (i. e. the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees) is one of the primary factors a business can rely on to differentiate their products or services and build a competitive advantage; however, few studies directly guide managers of small and growing firms through the people management issues that they will face through the lifecycle of their business. The recogniti on that human resource issues are important to small and growing firms is not new. For instance, in 1987 (Hess) was presented data that suggested that small business owners rank human resource related issues as the second most important management activity after general management.Further, was suggested that the majority of CEO's believe that human resource practices have a substantial impact on firm performance. Additionally, in 2008 were presented the results suggesting that sound hiring practices and training programs are considered important by small business owners who have 10 or more employees. A small firms' ability to attract, motivate and retain employees by offering competitive salaries and appropriate rewards is linked to firm performance and growth.Whilst the evidence does show that there is some form of HRM in small firms, it also confirms that the practice is characterized by informality. I personally think, that this is a problem, because informal HRM practices do not necessarily recognize the value of employees. Despite the recognition of the importance of HRM to small, growing and entrepreneurial firms, there is very little research in the area, there is even less research that explores the strategic nature of HRM in small firms.It is important to note, that properly developing strategic selection, training, and compensation programs takes time and financial resources. However, these short-term costs are almost always balanced by long term gain because the quality and caliber of employees (or human capital) within the firm improves. The improved caliber of employees and enhanced effort almost always has a positive financial impact for the organization.