An Information Technology System For a School Essay

ANALYSIS: To aid in investigation of the problem, two interviews were carried out. One was with the school principal, and the other with the school administrator. In preparation of the interviews a list of topics for discussion was drawn up, and included these checkpoints: * What the new system hopes to achieve, exactly. * The problems in the current system. * The methods currently employed to input data into the system. * The information that is required per file, i.e., for each student what fields will have to be input. * The format of the required output. * The volume of data expected, e.g., how many students are expected to enroll, or how many new teachers will be required. * Any hardware or software constraints, such as the new system only being able to run with a particular operating system. Interview 1: This interview was with the school’s principal, Mrs. Monica Stakich. It took place in her office, on appointment, and was as follows: Q: Mrs. Stakich, your school has built up quite a reputation of excellence over the years as shown by its grades. How do you intend to maintain this? A: Well, the school has always prided itself on its academic achievements, and this is due to our students being dedicated in their studies, which shows itself in the superior grades. We will be fine if we can continue this trend. Q: You are shifting to new custom-built premises and are also expanding your range of activities offered. Why have you made this decision? A: We are changing our status to an authorized ‘A’ level Center. As such, we will need the appropriate facilities to meet the requirements for this standard. Also, the school expects a significant increase in enrolments at both ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels, so the space is needed to provide for these new students. Q: How many students do you currently have in your institution? And how many do you expect to enroll in the future? A: The school currently caters to a population of around 2500 students, but we expect an influx of around 1000 students next year. Q: How do you access a file of a student or a teacher? Do you find it yourself on your computer or does the secretary do it for you? A: I can access files of both students and customers from my own PC, as well as any other file, such as stationery, electricity bills, etc. But I must also focus more on the task of running the school itself, so I usually let my secretary handle all the files. She herself gets these files from the school system administrator. I only check a file myself if we need to consider carefully the person, or file in question, for example a teacher for an important position. Q: Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Stakich. A: You’re welcome. Analysis of the Interview: The interview, on analysis, showed the school to be result-driven, as indicated by the Headmistress’s comments. But more importantly, it also showed that she did not focus on the file input and retrieval system in particular herself, and on the school’s information system in general. The actual file control and handling was carried out by the system administrator, who could provide us with insight of the current system’s workings. Interview 2: An interview was arranged with Mr. Mark Glasse, the system administrator, in his office. It proceeded as follows: Q: How long have you been working here, Mr. Glasse? A: Its been around four years since I started wok for the school. Q: How many times has the system been updated since you started work? A: We’ve updated thrice so far. Q: What changes had been made during these updates? A: Well, once we had to increase our disk space to around 10 GB to cope with increased student information on Health Cards, as was required by a new Government law. Another time we had to modify our input procedure, it being too manual, with almost unnecessary paperwork involved, so we had to purchase new input devices. And there was also the time when we had to call in a professional security company to install anti-hacking programs when our database was actually hacked into. Q: What input devices do you work with? How is output shown? A: I use a keyboard, a mouse, a web-camera and a scanner as input devices. Output is displayed on a monitor, or on a plotter as is appropriate. And, of course, I often have to print out some files using a laser printer. Q: And your system configuration? A: I use a Pentium 2, 333 MHz Processor, with 32 MB RAM, 4 GB hard disk with Windows 98 as my operating system. I also have other software such as MS Visual Studio and MS Office 2000 installed on my computer. Q: Mr. Glasse, what is the general procedure that you follow if you were asked to, for example, update a file? A: First of all, I would have to get an approved notice from someone in an authoritative position, for example the Headmistress, or the Head Administrator. This note would be attached to a Modification Form showing details of the file that needs to be updated. The authorization slip has to be filed into a drawer in my desk, and I just have to access the file using the code given on the Form and change the required fields. I have the Menu on my Desktop, Mrs. Stakich and I are the only ones who know the Password so I’ve never thought about changing it, once in the records I go to the Search Command to call up the file in question, and make the changes required. On exiting the database, I go have to fill out another form, a Proof Form, as it is known as, to acknowledge my action. This form then returns to the top-level to the individual who initially authorized it. Q: How often do errors occur using this procedure? A: As you can see, the system is designed in such a way that carrying out the procedure makes it prone to errors. We’re still lucky to have a few students and teachers, basically small files is what I mean to say, which do not have to be updated too often, so they aren’t too many mistakes. Even if there are, they can easily be located and corrected due to the small size of our database. Q: OK, now what about the plus points of this system? For example, is it easy to use? Is it efficient? Do you feel that you yourself are performing at an optimum level with this system? A: Ill have to think this question over. Yes, for sure it is easy to use. I just have to type in an identifier code for each record, and the particular record is searched for and displayed. Its that simple. I don’t think its efficient though. As the number of files increases the system takes longer and longer to search the database to produce the results I was looking for. It only follows that I myself feel I am under-performing at my job, as some time will definitely be wasted in waiting for results. Q: Are you satisfied with the system performing only these functions? A: Yes, I am. I would like it to be faster though, and even up-to-date, technologically speaking. Q: Thank you, Mr. Glasse, for your cooperation. You’ve been a great help. A: The pleasure was all mine. Analysis of the Interview: This interview was more enlightening than the one with Mrs. Stakich, for we were able to focus on the technical side of the school’s database system. Certain glaring shortcomings of the current system came to light, such as a very limited database size, as indicated by the system being upgraded the first time. This further tells us that the system itself, with all its components, is out-of-date. In such a state, it may also be incompatible with other systems, should it be desired to connect to these for data exchange purposes. Another significant weakness is the fact that the third upgrade was for security reasons, which means that the Password Protection was initially low. Mr. Glasse also said that it takes longer to search for a required field if there are many records – this is only fair, but there aren’t too many records right now, so we can expect the system to have some sort of linear search function in operation, unsuitable for large databases. The program, although performing just a few main functions, is slow, again pointing to its near obsoleteness. Its low productivity has an effect on the human element involved, as Mr. Glasse himself feels as if he has not fully achieved his full potential. Lack of motivation could cause further falls in productivity. The system also has standard input devices (mouse and keyboard), as well as standard output devices (printer, scanner and plotter), needed to process data and produce the desired results. The system also runs on a fairly fast processor, as given by the computer’s configuration. However it is unlikely that the system uses any of the other software packages (apart from the Wi ndows 98 operating system) so these, as powerful as they are, aren’t being utilized. MAIN WEAKNESSES OF CURRENT SYSTEM: Based on the knowledge gained in these interviews, it is possible to finalize the main shortcomings of the system currently in use: * Small disk space. The disk space used for storage of data is relatively small as it needed to be upgraded beforehand. With all the new enrolments expected, as well as other related increases, such as electricity and water, teachers’ salaries, etc the available disk space will not be sufficient. * Poor security level. Security forms an important part of any system, and the fact that the database was hacked into shows just how weak security really is. The password used seems to be outdated and it is likely that people other than those authorized know it. Laxed security is especially important here as we are dealing with the personal records of students and teachers, not to mention important transactions such as total fees received, expenses, and so on. So security, despite being of paramount importance, isn’t given the priority it should be. * Inconvenience The normal procedure to accomplish a single task is lengthy and time-consuming. It also involves unnecessary paperwork. This would exhibit itself as delays in processing, as a single instruction would have to be passed through many stages before being received by the sender once again as feedback. * Basic obsoleteness. As seen from the interview, Mr. Glasse uses a relatively fast processor. Despite this speed, we still find that the speed of running the system is slow especially when new records are added. This means that the components of the system itself are slow and outdated. This weakness especially comes into focus when we consider the fact that nowadays systems are rarely independent. One system has to be connected to at least one more system, with data exchange taking place between these. However, if their speeds are not compatible they will not be able to function at their optimum level. If the system were to exchange information over the Internet then this incompatibility could become a problem. OBJECTIVES OF THE NEW SYSTEM: 1) To provide quick access to the files in the database. Many files will now be in the system and it is necessary that they be reached quickly. 2) To maintain a higher level of security. This ensures that the database is viewed and controlled only by those who have the proper authority to do so. 3) To minimize ‘red tape’ involved in making changes to the records. The previous system involved a lot of paperwork and proved to be costly in terms of time (therefore money), so this new system aims to reduce that by quickly and efficiently processing an instruction. 4) To be user-friendly. Step-by-step guidance ensures that the user can easily find his way around the database to perform the desired task. A Flowchart of how data would be passed along the new system is as follows: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Standard input devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner and a web-camera will be needed for this system to operate (the mouse and keyboard are the main ones, the others for inputting photos and such graphics). Output devices will be plotters and printers. Hardware: The CPU requirement for this system include at least 100 MHz Pentium processor and 16 MB RAM. Software: It is necessary to have an operating system such as Windows 98 as well as MS Visual Basic program installed, as this is the front-end program to be used for this system, with Access 7.0 being the back-end program. The user will be Mr. Glasse, and his computer already exceeds the requirements for this system to function efficiently. His IT skills will also be relevant: since he already has MS Office 97 installed he will already know the basics behind Access 7.0 and should find no problem in entering the data. It must be remembered that the system to be developed is intended to replace the outdated system in current use. The current system is slow, inefficient and incompatible. Its replacement will be better than it in all these respects, and should bring the database up to the level of technology today.

William Wordsworth’s Philosophy of Nature

William Wordsworth has respect or more, great reverence for nature. This is evident in both of the poems Ode: Intimations of Immortality and Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey in that, his philosophy on God, immortality and innocence are elucidated in his contact with nature. For Wordsworth, nature had a spirit, a soul of its own, and to know is so is to experience nature with all the five senses. In both his poems there are many references to seeing, hearing and feeling his surroundings. He speaks of mountains, the woods, the rivers and streams, and the fields. Wordsworth realized, in each of us, there is a natural affinity for a certain setting for nature. To elaborate, a fisherman would be most comfortable in a setting where he can be beside the sea, which is beside the shore. His affinity towards nature is oriented to the sea. In the same way, a shepherd would like to be near meadows and fields and near lush rolling hills. Wordsworth’s affinity would be to mountains, woods, rivers, streams, and fields. He knew the sprit, the soul and the feel of these places for he was able to experience these places in the fullness of youth (Sparknotes, n. d. ). Both of these poems by Wordsworth are poems of recollection and in these recollections, Wordsworth came across something that was truly immortal: Nature and its soul. Though change, death and destruction might be normal occurrences that come to nature, there is rebirth and continuity to life. As in death and destruction, human endeavors are also mortal and temporary when compared to nature and its spirit. Nonetheless, though these things are only mortal, or temporary, they are still as much a part of it as much as water droplets individually make up a river. Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,/As have no slight or trivial influence/On that best portion of a good man’s life ,/His little nameless, unremembered, acts (Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, stanza 2) portray life and all its endeavors as mundane to something immortal like nature and its spirit. Still these aspects of everyday life are swept away by the strong force that binds the spirit of nature to its occupants. These sentiments are expressed in Ode as well; Though nothing can bring back the hour/Of splendor in the grass, or glory in flower;/We will grieve not, rather find/Strength in what remains behind;/In the primal sympathy/Which having been must ever be;/In that soothing thought that spring/Out of human suffering (Ode: Intimations of Immortality, stanza 10). Wordsworth also speaks of his memory of childhood or innocence retraced in communing with nature in his adult years saying nature has the power to unearth those memories for a grown man to reflect upon. (Sparknotes, n. d. ) In Ode, he celebrates the gift of childhood memory or of innocence sharing the same insights in Tintern Abbey by expressing his delight to find himself once more with nature. As a young boy he delighted in his every interaction with nature. Nature made his day. Though, times have changed, he does not mourn nor shed a tear from this bittersweet memory of childhood rather Wordsworth, reminisces with new insights or what he claims as mature gifts that comes with growing up, the childhood memories becoming more valuable by the discovery of a philosophic mind. Innocence is not all lost but can be retraced through nature, nature reminding what has been lost and found. In the midst of his contemplation with nature, he discovers a far greater power beyond humanity, the presence of God in nature, â€Å"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting†¦ Not in entire forgetfulness, / And not in utter nakedness, /But trailing clouds of glory do we come / From God, who is our home/ Heaven lies about in our infancy! †(Ode: Intimations of Immortality,stanza 5) from Ode . He discusses further the relationship of God in Nature in Tintern Abbey. He goes, â€Å"a motion and a spirit that impels / All thinking thoughts†¦ / And rolls through all thi ngs,† (Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, stanza 4) beyond nature, an energy spurs him to weigh upon â€Å"moral being†.

Corporate Strategy Essay

In Corporate Strategy, Collis and Montgomery explain there are two kinds of diversification—linked and constrained. Companies using linked diversification enter new businesses when it relates in some way to another business they are already in (it is linked to it), but does not necessarily have any connection to their other businesses. If they are using constrained diversification, however, they only enter a new business if it is based on their core resources or competencies. Companies based on linked diversification have little coherence to their overall corporate strategy, while companies using constrained diversification tend to be more focused. Constrained diversification allows companies to maximize the effect of their resources because they are shared (100). Apple uses constrained diversification. Apple is, inherently, a personal computer company (hardware and software), and their businesses utilize their competencies in developing hardware and software. The Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iPod and AppleTV are all computers, which allows Apple to share resources between businesses. For example, the Macintosh, iPad, iPhone and AppleTV all run OS X, Apple’s operating system. This creates economies of scope, which, Collis and Montgomery point out, create cost savings for the company because their resources are shared across multiple businesses (72). Rather than just have related businesses, though, each business is a focused platform with no extraneous products or product types. The Macintosh, for example, consists of two kinds—desktop and notebook. These separate product lines each share resources and complement each other. The iMac and MacBook Pro are both primarily constructed from aluminum and glass, so not only do they share the same materials (which reduces costs), but they resemble each other, creating unity between product lines. Each platform, too, complements the other. Apple’s Macintosh computers sync their media and personal data (calendar, contacts, email) seamlessly with the other platforms. Because they work so well together, owning products from each platform benefits users by creating an experience where their devices â€Å"just work.† The platform advantage does not apply just to Apple’s devices. Through iTunes, users can purchase music, movies and television shows that syncs across all of their devices, or even do so from their iPhone or iPad. The App Store allows users to download applications for their iPhones and iPads wherever they are, and now the iBook Store, released in April, will allow them to do the same with books. Because Apple has chosen what businesses to enter carefully, these platforms reinforce the others and make them more powerful. The sum is greater than the parts. This creates a complete package for consumers to choose, and it is difficult for competitors to match. Their platform strategy makes each individual business more valuable than it would be as a separate entity. Their strategy can be improved, however. Currently, MobileMe—a service Apple offers that keeps contacts, calendar, and email in sync across multiple devices over the air—is a premium service that costs $99 per year. This is the wrong approach. Rather than a premium service, MobileMe should be free and integrated into Apple’s platforms. MobileMe should act like the â€Å"glue† that integrates the platforms and as a draw for users. Apple’s goal should be to get as many MobileMe users as possible. Once someone is happily using MobileMe across their various devices, they are less likely to switch to a competitor’s product.

Challenges and Opportunities of Emotional Literacy in Primary Essay

Challenges and Opportunities of Emotional Literacy in Primary Education - Essay Example I agree that it is all about helping children get in touch with their emotions, identify them and understand what a significant role they play in their personal growth and development, and teaching them steps to handle those emotions positively.   A major underlying factor to numerous of the problems in contemporary society is ignorance of the crucial role emotions play. Emotional literacy is a constructive preventive mechanism, which accurately understood, can help society in eliminating loads of its problems (Saarni, 1999). Once gained, it provides individuals with an alternative to illness, aggression, substance abuse, unhealthy relationships, and societal conflicts (Elias, Zins, Weissberg and Frey 1997); hence the need for emotional literacy education in early childhood. Understanding the notion of emotional literacy necessitates examining its two component constructs, ‘intelligence’ and ‘emotion’. The cognitive domain comprises such functions as reasoning, human memory, abstract thought, and judgment (Matthews, 2006). Emotions belong to the commonly named affective domain of mental performance, which comprises the emotions themselves, assessments, mood, and other feeling conditions, including energy or exhaustion (Matthews, 2006). Descriptions of emotional literacy should somehow link emotions with intelligence if the definitions of the two concepts are to be sustained (Sharp, 2001). For instance, motivation is personality’s third domain. It denotes ‘learned goal-seeking behavior’ (Matthew, 2006: 13) and biological drives. To the point that it is engaged in emotional literacy, it should be visualized as secondary (Matthew, 2006).  Ã‚  

How Gene Luen Yang's Life contributes To the Novel American Born Essay

How Gene Luen Yang's Life contributes To the Novel American Born Chinese - Essay Example Monkey King is a master of the kung-fu arts, and this makes him be adored by his subjects and the most powerful monkey on the earth. However, the Monkey King wants to be recognized as god and not a monkey. Chin-Kee is a typical Chinese stereotype and he keeps on ruining his cousin’s (Danny) life. Danny is a great basketball player and a famous kid at school. However, each year Chin-Kee visits; he is forced to transfer to another school so that he escapes the shame. These three unrelated stories make up the comic novel â€Å"American Born Chinese† (Barnes&Noble 1). Themes The main theme in the comic novel is the attempt to fit in. There is tension between cultural forces and the essential self. In the storyline â€Å"Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee,† American stereotypes are expressed by Gene Luen Yang’s narration as sitcom. The use of sitcom in this novel is proper because it is a genre that is mostly used in describing stereotypes. Chin-Kee as a typical Chinese is the part that Yang wants to deny in order to fit in with his white friends or peers. Chin-Kee offers nothing important to others in the context of the Chinese culture. This is because he is antiquated and dressed in the Chinese attire, speaks in Chinese accent, and instigates practices that the westerners find to be detestable (Pulliam 1). Chin-Kee eats cats and he is intensely patriarchal. He wants to look for an American girl who is big-breasted and whose feet he is able to bind so that he can have children with her. He plays horrible jokes on his peers, and he does not at all understand proper western behavior. Although Chin-Kee conforms to the stereotypic culture that all Asians are smart, in his case, the knowledge he has, is not useful at all. All the knowledge he has, is to popularize himself in the class and this makes him a laughing stock in an American high school. Yang has become completely assimilated as a Caucasian just like his parents. When it is time for Chin-Kee to leave, each of the parents believes that Chin-Kee is the relative of the other. This demonstrates the degree Jin’s parents have become assimilated (Pulliam 1). The Monkey King story represents the instance of Yang in regard to whom he really is and his culture. Just like the Monkey King, Yang tries to deny his actual self. At the end, the Monkey King must humbly accept who he is just like the monk Wong Lai-Tsao. According to Wong Lai-Tsao, this is the strategy to true transcendence, and it removes the suffering. The monk (Wong Lai-Tsao), â€Å"is free of want because he is free of ego that would make him want what he cannot have† (Pulliam 1). Among the four monks, he is the only monk who has attained legendary status in ancient times and his gifts are said to be remarkable. Wong Lai-Tsao was a master of being humble unlike the other monks who were either masters of bodily needs for movement or food or master rhetoricians. The monk is able to free the Monkey King from prison; he does this by telling him to accept his monkey form and give up all the other forms. If the Monkey King could have done that a long time, he would have been freed from prison. Just like Wong Lai-Tsao, the Monkey King is happy in his true form (the monkey form). Thus, Yang can only find happiness when he accepts who he is (Pulliam 1). Style The comic novel unfolds in three sections: a modern version of the Monkey King myth; the fake-sitcom of â€Å"

Education Experience in a United States University vs. Education in Essay

Education Experience in a United States University vs. Education in South Africa - Essay Example Later in the day I met the human resource manager, who assessed my credentials together with my goals and interests and then suggested the most suitable mentor. For once in my life, I felt happy about myself. I was taking action and doing something about my career development plans. The next day, I booked an appointment with my mentor at ten in the morning. I couldn’t wait to hear what he thought and had to say of my plans on career growth. At exactly ten in the morning, I left my office and headed for my mentor’s office in a happy mood. By now he had already been briefed by the human resource manager of the agenda. He went straight the point, asked a series of questions. These included; why I chose to become an assistant, what were my expectations as regards the job, where do I see myself in ten years to come, what fields was I interested in working and what my long term goals and dreams were. I struggled to answer some of the questions and this made me realize that I had become complacent. I had lost sight of everything that was important to me with regard to career progression. After a long chat, we came to a conclusion that for me to experience the career development that I have always wanted I had to go back to school. ... How long will it take? All these questions ran though my mind. Acquiring higher education in this day and time is undoubtedly critical; this is due to the ever increasing demand for skilled manpower in our economies. Universities, colleges and technical training institutes are the single source of skilled manpower today. Currently, there are tens of American institutions of higher learning and making a choice on which university to join poses a major challenge to many would be students. The situation is not any simpler in South Africa. South Arica has struggled to become the flag bearer in Africa when it comes to academic matters and has invested heavily in its universities in an attempt to improve the quality of education they offer and meet world class standards. According to Education UK, while choosing the course to take, one should check whether the course is right for them? What type of degree it is, whether it improves chances of following ones career plans, options available to the course, methods of teaching the course, and performance of the department in the Quality Assurance Assessment external review. After considering the advice from my mentor and my personal goals and objectives, I settled on a course that would best suit my needs. I was to take a master of Business Administration. I had always wanted to move onto a management position in employment. There are so many factors to consider when choosing which institution to join. According to the Fulbright Commission, there are over 1,700 American universities that offer postgraduate courses or degrees. It is thus not easy to narrow down to the particular institution to join. Students aspiring to join South African universities face the same challenge, they thus have to put all the

Cross Cultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Cross Cultural Communication - Essay Example In seeking the relevance of English use in the international business environment, McKay (2003) proposed that English has achieved its status as the global lingua franca as an increasing number of individuals in the world believe it is of their advantage to acquire English as an additional language. Graddol (1999, 62) actually predicted that, "based solely on expected population changes, the number of people using English as their second language will grow from 235 million to around 462 million during the next 50 years." This staggering growth impacts on the use of English as the international business language. In order to address English language use and culture understanding in the business context, it is also necessary that the business organisations' side be properly assessed in what ways does culture and language have to be incorporated in the day-to-day operations. Mattock (2003) presented a need to examine the following in order to fully comprehend and develop ways to address organisational issues in the global context: Communications are ways and means to connect, be understood and eventually become acceptable within an organisation or locality in consideration of various languages, understanding of common language use, among others. Likewise, when organisations already defined ... Timing encompasses understanding of daily routines, concept of late and on time, proper situational clues and even days and months or years when executives must implement what they plan Communications are ways and means to connect, be understood and eventually become acceptable within an organisation or locality in consideration of various languages, understanding of common language use, among others. Likewise, when organisations already defined their goals and plans within the context of learning and incorporating national and organisational cultures, personality types, tactics and negotiation skills, as well as timing and communication, all these lead to the role of language use. These basically comprise immersion and total commitment towards the host country of which culture and language play major roles in order to realise organisational goals. Likewise, other problems have been identified with regards to the international setting for business organisations. The recent decades global economic growth saw widespread changes and foreign investment so that business expatriates from Western developed countries like: USA, France, Germany, Australia and UK (Selmer, 2001) representing mostly multinational enterprises (MNEs) were assigned to overseas territories as other countries are closely consider their moves as their international companies aspire a foothold in many areas. Asian, South American, African and formerly Russian countries have become a top expatriate destination by many western multinational enterprises as foreign direct investment (FDI) set to continue growth. This research besides noting the prevalence of English usage in pop culture that characterises

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Management accounting - Essay Example It may be noted that the financial tool of ratio analysis has been used to make comments and comparisons between the two companies over their financial position and performance. During 2007 Intercontinental has not effectively improved upon its profitability performances in 2006. In fact it has maintained more or less the same level of profitability as was in 2006.The increases in profitability ratios in net profit and return on equity are deceptive. ROE has increased manifolds because capital employed has been reduced tremendously from $686m to mere $49m. Otherwise gross profit ratio that shows the real operative efficiency of the entity has dwindled and remained at almost the same level. Increase in return on capital employed is marginal. The overall efficiency on operational profitability has not improved. The profitability performance of Peel Hotels in 2007 has also gone down when compared with 2006. Gross profits and ROCE that show operational efficiency has shown declined performances. On the hand ROE, return on assets, net profit ratios that are affected by factors other than operation performances have shown increased performances. The result is that company has not improved upon its real profitability but shown efficiency only to attract investors and other interested users of financial statements. Both companies are facing liquidity crunch as reflected from their current and quick ratios. Both ratios are lower than the standards required to maintain optimum level of liquidity. The liquidity status is critical in both the years for each of the companies. The companies have to take some extraordinary steps to improve liquidity; otherwise both companies are facing the danger of short term insolvency. Intercontinental has low inventory turnover but it at least has maintained the same performance in 2007 as was in 2006. The company has shown improvement in collection of debtors but

Obesity in children-long term effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obesity in children-long term effects - Essay Example tioned earlier, the effects of obesity are dichotomized into â€Å"immediate† and â€Å"Long-term† effects therefore, the prime focus of this prose is to assess both the long-term and immediate effects of obesity that will be discussed one by one in the following text. Obesity exposes the child to higher risk of suffering from a cardiovascular disease and are also more susceptible to prediabetes; a condition characterized by high blood-glucose level that may develop into diabetes in later parts of their lives. (Kiess, et.al. 2004) Children suffering from obesity often experience chronic pain in their limbs, back and joints because of relatively high weight than their heights and age. Obesity also exposes the child to social and psychological repercussions that causes the child to feel socially stigmatized and have lower self-esteem. On the other hand, researches have also discovered that individuals who suffer from obesity in their childhood are likely to suffer from it in their adulthood. Therefore, the individuals are exposed to all the health risk factors outlined earlier and obesity is also associated with many types of cancer. (CDC, 2011) High fat level in the body exposes the individual to cancer of the breast, colon, cervix, gall bladder, kidney and thyroid. The stress on the joints and bones can cause significant amount of distress to the individual and it also leads to respiratory problems and sleep apnea the latter is associated with high blood pressure. The additional weight adds pressure on the chest wall and lungs that causes the child to have trouble breathing resulting in troubled sleep during the night and sleepiness during the day. Due to fatigue and joint pain the individual is unable to partake in physically challenging activities and may lead to even more fat deposition in the child. (CDC, 2011) It is evident that obesity affects every individual regardless of age however, in children the problems may be more pronounced because the child

Theories of deviance Essay Example for Free

Theories of deviance Essay Theories of deviance (1)The text describes issues of unacceptable behavior in the society. There was given 4 different theories that explain reasons and different aspects of deviance behavior. (2)In the beginning of the text author gives us the examples of deviance behavior: alcoholism, stealing, being nude in public places. Also there is a definition of deviance behavior: behavior that violates social norms and disapproval from the majority of society. However, the behavior which is deviant for one group of people may be acceptable for others. Science that explore deviance is criminology. (3)Differential-association theory. Edwin Sutherland, the author derive this theory to explain the processes of how people learn to violate. The key features of this theory is environment in which the person is and agents of socialization: family, friends, co-workers and media. People learn criminal behavior from the interactions with others, especially in small groups. The problem is that the vague terminology of the theory don’t let it to validate empirically. Anomie theory. Robert Merton defines the term â€Å"anomie† as situation in which social norms conflict or don’t even exist. Merton pointed the difference between social acceptable goals and opportunities that people have to reach this goals. With the example of achievement of wealth author shows that when people don’t have means to attain their goals, they can use deviance behavior as a response to injustice. Although, the theory does not explains the process of learning deviance. Control theory. Walter Reckless claim that people periodically may want to act in deviance ways, but most of them don’t do it. The key is in various restraints, like internal: conscience, values, integrity, and outer: police, family and religious authorities. Self-control plays an important role in preventing unacceptable acting. Development of self-control requires right  socialization, especially in early childhood. Critics use the examples of politics and businessmen’s that commit crimes. Labeling theory. The theory claims that acting become deviant only when society defines it deviant. Drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, sex offenders, retarded people are labeled as deviant people. The consequences of being labeled can be very deep, for example people who are labeled as deviant are more likely to act against social norms as a result of the label. In support of the theory author gives the description of classic study (William Chambliss, 1973) into the effects of labeling. 1- Conclusion. 2- Introduction. 3- Arguments Explanations background information.

Canada Supreme Court Judge Selection

Canada Supreme Court Judge Selection Essay The issue of judges’ appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada has come to the foreground of Canadian politics in recent years. The Supreme Court is afforded great power within Canada, including the ability to strike down law produced by democratically elected legislatures. Therefore, the method of selection for the Supreme Court is absolutely critical to Canadian democracy. Scholars have suggested reforming Canadian Supreme Court appointments. This paper will analyse alternative ways of selecting Canada’s Supreme Court judges and make an argument in favour of retaining current practice with a few modifications. Key Principle In order to establish the best method, one must have a way of identifying it. There are few greater principles in Canadian politics than judicial independence. The Constitutionally guaranteed principle â€Å"ensures that the courts guard our Constitution, the Rule of Law, equality and the democratic process† (Johnson, Remarks to the Committee). Judicial independence is divided into two categories: institutional independence and decisional independence. In order to have an effective top level court, judicial independence in both its forms must be enforced. Alternative appointment processes have been heavily scrutinised for their potential to politicise the selection process, thereby dissolving judicial independence. Scholars argue that US-style confirmation hearings will lead to qualified candidates excluding themselves from consideration (Peach, 2005). Canada at Present Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada are appointed by the Governor General upon recommendation by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, in turn, consults with her Cabinet. The Prime Minister’s selection is made based upon a shortlist provided to her by the Minister of Justice with input from the relevant law society. By the Supreme Court Act, candidates must have been a member of a provincial or territorial law society for at least ten years, or have served as a judge in a superior court. Additionally, at least three of the nine Supreme Court judges must come from Quebec. This is often justified due to Quebec’s unique utilisation of civil law, unlike the other provinces, which utilise common law instead. Interestingly, though representing one-third of the Supreme Court, Quebec represents only 23% of the Canadian population (Statistics Canada, 2013). By convention, the remaining six appointments are split between Ontario (three), Western Canada (two) and Atlantic Canada (one). In Canada the judicial branch is independent of the executive and legislative branch – that is, it has institutional independence. The justice system also enjoys decisional independence, most notably in the Supreme Court. Judges are appointed until the mandatory appointment age of 75, and their remuneration is controlled by the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. Through this process the legislative and executive branches cannot influence judges’ decision making through threats of reduced salary or termination. Canada’s system has been criticised for essentially three reasons. First, there is much confusion in the Canadian public as to how the appointment process works, with even a fair number suspecting that there is political interference. Secondly, due to the geographic considerations in the process, many worry about the effect of Provincial politics on the shortlisting of candidates. Thirdly, there has been a history of inconsistent consultation of Prime Minister (Johnson, Remarks to the Committee). Other countries Amongst developed countries, there is great variation on the selection of judges for the highest court. In the US, their Senate holds the final decision making power in confirming or denying the President’s candidate. While legislative approval is generally a formality, there have been recent notable cases of Senate confirmations going awry in the cases of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. In the age of mass media, candidates may be subject to an avalanche of questions concerning their personal life. The US-style senate confirmation mechanism is criticised for giving qualified candidates a reason to withdraw their candidacy. However, even if all the best candidates made themselves available, the President does not select the best candidate. They select the best Senate-confirmable candidate. If the Senate and candidate have strongly opposing political views, then the confirmation can degenerate into a virtual inquisition, and quite literally means that the judiciary answers to the legislature. This severely undermines the judicial independence in the selection process as the President must make a political calculation of who the best candidate is that will also pass Senate confirmation, and also reduces independence from the legislature. In Switzerland, Austria, and Germany the national assemblies vote to nominate members of their constitutional courts. For Germany, this practice means that the states are involved in the appointment process because the members of Germany’s upper house the state governments. While there have been calls for greater Provincial involvement in Canadian Supreme Court appointments, Carl Baar warns, Experiences in other federal systems thus do not impel Canada to the kind of provincial role in selection of Supreme Court justices that was embodied in draft provisions of the Meech Lake Accord. While the Accord provisions did not provide as widespread and continuing participation for the provinces as the provisions in West Germany’s Basic Law provide for its state governments, they did authorize a much more substantial provincial roles (both in its constitutional status and in the range of activities it involved) than is characteristic of any of the world’s other federal systems. And unlike the West German provisions, the Meech Lake Accord kept judicial selection completely outside parliament (1991). In 2009, the United Kingdom implemented their Supreme Court that had been established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Here, judge candidates are selected by an independent selection commission of several judicial committees. Once the selection commission has arrived at a consensus for one candidate, it then provides the name to the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor is then required to consult with all the politicians and judges that the commission consulted in their selection of the candidate. The Lord Chancellor is given three rounds in which to accept a candidate. If the Lord Chancellor rejects a candidate, then the selection commission will bring a new name forward in the next round. If the Lord Chancellor asks the commission to reconsider, then the commission may present the same person again, or provide a new name. The Lord Chancellor must accept the name put forth in the third round, if they have not already accepted a candidate in a previous round. The Lord Chancello r then forwards this recommendation to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is then required by law to recommend this name to the Queen for appointment, and may not nominate anyone else. The plethora of international selection processes in use appears to provide Canada with ample reform options. One must be cognisant, however, of countries’ political cultures and their effect on shaping the process. In order to maximise the quality of the ultimate appointee, and legitimise the process in the eyes of the public, one must be careful to fine tune the process based upon the particular country’s political climate. Canada is a parliamentary democracy There is a great consensus amongst scholars that judicial independence is superior in an appointments process than an election process (Geyh 2003; Tarr 2003). Bibliography Baar, C. (1991). Comparitive Perspectives on Judicial Selection Process. Toronto: The Ontario Law Reform Commission. Canadian Bar Association. (2004). Supreme Court of Canada Appointment Process. Canadian Bar Association. Freund, P. (1988). Appointment of Justices: Some Historical Perspectives. Harvard Law Review, 1146-1163. Geyh, C. (2003). Why Judicial Elections Stink. Ohio State Law Journal, 43-80. Johnson, W. (2004). Ensuring Supreme Confidence in Judicial Appointments. Policy Options, 41-45. Johnson, W. (n.d.). Remarks to the Committee. Retrieved from The Canadian Bar Association: http://www.cba.org/cba/news/pdf/scc_johnsonremarks.pdf Peach. (2005). Legitimacy on Trial: A Process for Appointing Justices to the Supreme Court of Canada. Regina: University of Regina. Ref re Independence and Impartiality of Judges of the Prov. Court of P.E.I., 24778 (The Supreme Court of Canada September 18, 1997). Ref re Remuneration of Judges of the Prov. Court of P.E.I., 24508 (The Supreme Court of Canada September 18, 1997). Statistics Canada. (2013, November 25). Population by year, by province and territory. Retrieved from Government of Canada: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo02a-eng.htm Supreme Court Act, Revised Statutes of Canada (1985, c. S-26). Retrieved from Department of Justice Canada: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/s-26/ Tarr, A. (2003). Rethinking the Selection of State Supreme Court Justices. Williamette Law Review, 1445-1470. Yahya, M., Stribopoulos, J. (2007). Does a Judges Party of Appointment or Gender Matter to Case Outcomes?: An Empirical Study of the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 315-363. Ziegel, J. (2006). A New Era in the Selection of Supreme Court Judges? Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 547-555.

Film Analysis Of Double Indemnity Film Studies Essay

Film Analysis Of Double Indemnity Film Studies Essay From the moment they met, it was murder! This is the legendary tag line for Billy Wilders most incisive film noir, Double Indemnity, even though in 1944, when it was first released in New York on September 11, critics called it a melodrama, a elongated dose of premeditated suspense, with a pragmatism evocative of earlier period French films [poetic realism of the 1930s], with characters as rough, solid and inflexible as steel. Even though James M. Cain is accredited as the original novel and Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder contribute to screenplay credit, the film is in fact based on the case of Ruth Snyder, a criminal murderess who breathed her last breath in the electric chair on January 13, 1928. Supported by Miklos Rozsas throbbing film score and John Seitzs expressionistic black-and-white camera work, Wilder had no valid idea he was filming in a technique called noir; he found out about this many years later, to his great astonishment. In Double Indemnity, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), a to some extent cute but dim insurance agent, becomes prey to the charms of a flirtatious blonde, Phyllis Dietrieckson. (Barbara Stanwyck), an anklet-sporting femme fatale/housewife. She plots to kill her husband in a railroad mishap that would bring her a double indemnity insurance imbursement. What makes this film a wonderful case in point of the culture and style of film noir is that, as stated by the movie production convention of the period, jealousy becomes a part of Walters relationship with Phyllis after he does the crime. Thinking she has an additional, much younger admirer, he murders her in a rage of jealousy, then in all probability bleeds to death from a shot fired by the perishing Phyllis, having first relegated the complete story of the film in a two-hour flashback. (In the new novel, Walter and Phyllis go off jointly on a journey, happily back together.) in accordance with with the crime doesnt pay principles of the era, Billy Wilder even added a shot of Neff dying in the San Quentin gas chamber, but thought the film looked better with the film concluding as Neff hears the wails of police and/or ambulance sirens approaching. Double Indemnity is the most excellent example of a noir film to date: rough as sandpaper, with acerbic, wrenching dialogue and practical sets. Watch Walter and Phyllis as they get together in a luminous white southern California superstore, sporting dark glasses, not shopping or still watching each other while plotting up plans for a homicide. And those magnificent lines: Yes, I killed him for money and for a woman. I didnt get the money and I didnt get the woman. Pretty, isnt it?, There was no way in the world I may perhaps have known that murder occasionally can smell like honeysuckle, or I couldnt hear my footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man,. Double Indemnity moreover has a homoerotic bond between Walter Neff and Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), the claims examiner who believes Phyllis, but not Walter, of the crime. Wilder underplayed the father-son relationship in addition to the police routine constituent that could have made his film a detective tale more willingly than a twisty noir, which is what it in actuality is. Wilder took the focal point off Robinsons role and cultivated his viewpoint, in disparity to the many detective films of the age that instigated in novels of Raymond Chandler, his co-conspirator. By modeling Double Indemnity into a homicidal melodrama with sexual insinuations, Wilder produced a rational crime accomplishment. The Book and The Film Wilders film and Cains novel even supposing it does not credit the book as its source. Body Heat can be expressed as a masquerading or unacknowledged remake, a film that repeats basic story units from the Cain novel (and Wilder adaptation) but changes the details of its name, location, period, character names and the those like it. For want of a screen credit recognizing the source property, the remake becomes a hypothetical construct or role of the films production and response. Imperative here is Cains standing, and the untimely 1980s revitalization of notice in Cains work, nevertheless more important is Double Indemnitys advantaged place in the noir principle. A small number would refute that Double Indemnity is a perfect film noir and one of the most significant movies in Hollywood history. It was an unconventional film, challenging almost a decade of Production Code battles to Cains literature. Frank Krutnik in the same way declares that Double Indemnity was traditionally signif icant in the growth of the 1940s erotic crime thriller, setting up through its depiction of the Cain tale a model for the story structures of following film noirs. Lately, Brian De Palma (whose reverence to Alfred Hitchcock are well known) has paid compliment to film noir, by the opening scene in Femme Fatale (2002) with the title character, Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), mirrored in a hotel room television screen as she gazes at the Barbara Stanwyck model in Double Indemnity. These instances of Double Indemnitys repute and standing in film history help make clear why critics such as Leitch openly match up Body Heat to Wilders version, but do not take heed to Double Indemnity had previously been more honestly remade as a lesser-known movie for television, intended for by Jack Smight in 1973. Double Indemnity starts with Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), bleeding from a bullet wound, stumbling into his office in the Pacific Insurance Building. Neff talks into his dictaphone and his narrative of an unholy love and an just about perfect crime unfurls in flashback. Neff is an insurance salesman who becomes entangled with the beautiful and treacherous Phyllis. Phyllis encourages Walter not only to lend a hand her take out a $100,000 life insurance policy on her spouse, but also to assist her in murdering him. Jointly they simulate Dietrichsons inadvertent death in order to meet the criteria for the double indemnity, but things go awry when Neffs manager, Barton Keyes, starts to infer murder. Neff starts an acquaintance with Phylliss step-daughter Lola, who suspects that Phyllis has started going out with her (Lolas) previous boyfriend Nino Zachetti. Believing he has been deceived, Neff plots a plan to murder Phyllis and trap Zachetti. In an argument in the gloomy, Dietrichson sit ting room, Walter slays Phyllis, but not before she gravely stabs him. Towards the end, the narrative turns back to the current day where the dying Walter is reassured by the paternal Keyes. Even though Wilders Double Indemnity is frequently thought of as the original alongside which Kasdans noir remake is weighed up, Body Heat can more generally be seen as a remaking of Cains composition (or no less than those works by which he is best kept in mind). Some critics go as far as to dispute that Double Indemnity was a case of auto-citation, produced by [Cain] in full familiarity of the fact that he was paying his own homage to [The] Postman: Both tell fundamentally a similar story: an all too obedient male is enchanted by a physically powerful and scheming lady. With her inspiring it and with him ironing out of the details, the disloyal couple carry out a perfect murder of the womans husband. Afterward, when they are practically free, providence (or irony) swipes them with its gigantic lumbering paw and they are given their just desserts but for different reasons. Such an association makes possible for one to recognize noir essentials for example the hard-boiled conversation and portrayal of bare (and graphic) animal covetousness that are universal to both The Postman and Double Indemnity. For example, Body Heat is considered for dialogue for example Neds You shouldnt wear that body, and Mattys Youre not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. On the other hand, at an even higher plane of generalization, it can be said that Body Heat at the same time refers to and remakes the noir genre to which its intertexts belong. Film Noir For a moment or two, both the problem movies and the semi documentary crime thrillers made it appear that Italian neorealism had established a habitat in an anxious, if prosperous, America. One of the preeminent things that is taking place in Hollywood is the propensity to move out of the placeto support imaginary pictures on information and, more significantly, to shoot them not in decorated studio sets but in authentic places. But an additional assortment of postwar American film, one which was dependent on the restricted environment of the studio on top of bona fide locations for its representation of the sordid underbelly of American life, soon became apparent. This was film noir (more exactly, black film), invented and named by French critics in 1946 when, experiencing American motion pictures for the first time ever since 1940, they alleged a weird and wonderful new mood of cynicism, dimness, and depression in definite crime films and melodramas. They came up with the term from the Serie Noire detective pulp fiction books then all the rage in France, many of which were renditions of works by members of the hard-boiled genre of American crime authorsDashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and James M. Cain (afterward coupled by Mickey Spillane, Horace McCoy, and Jim Thompson)whose books were also recurrently tailored in films noir. In the vein of the novels, these films were set apart by a subdued atmosphere and realistic violence, and they presented postwar American cynicism to the extent of nihilism by presuming the total and hopeless corruption of society and of everyone in it. Billy Wilders acidic Double Indemnity (1944), which shocked Hollywood in the year of its release and was just about banned by the authorities, may be considered as the archetype for film noir, even though some critics trace the origins back to such rough but significantly less pessimistic films as This Gun for Hire, High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon, and Stranger on the Third Floor. Mo dified by Wilder and Raymond Chandler from a James M. Cain novel, Double Indemnity is the squalid story of a Los Angeles insurance agent (Fred MacMurray) sexually ensnared by a clients wife into killing off her husband for his death reimbursement; it has been declared a film without a solitary trace of compassion or love. Without a doubt, these are characters remarkably missing from all films noir, as conceivably they seemed not present from the postwar America which created them. Like Double Indemnity, these films succeeded upon the unembellished interpretation of greed, desire, and unkindness because their fundamental theme was the profundity of human immorality and the absolutely unheroic character of human beingslessons that were almost not taught but without doubt re-emphasized by the one of its kind horrors of World War II. Nearly everyone of the dark films of the late forties take the structure of crime melodramas for the reason that (as Dostoevsky and Dickens recognize) the devices of crime and criminal detection afford an ideal metaphor for dishonesty that cuts across conformist moral classes. These films are frequently set in southern Californiathe geographical archetype for a social order in which the breach between anticipation and reality is determined through mass hallucination. The cent ral characters are regularly unfeeling antiheroes who chase their foundation designs or basically drift aimlessly from side to side in sinister night worlds of the metropolitan American harsh world, but they are even more frequently decent people trapped in traps set for them by a crooked social order. In this concluding sense, film noir was immeasurably a cinema of moral nervousness of the kind experienced at various times in postwar Eastern Europe, most lately in Poland at the pinnacle of the Solidarity groupi.e., a cinema about the environments of life enforced on truthful people in a untruthful, self-deluding society. The moral unsteadiness of this world was rendered into a visual style by the expert noir cinematographers John Alton, Nicholas Musuraca, John F. Seitz, Lee Garmes, Tony Gaudio, Sol Polito, Ernest Haller, Lucien Ballard, and James Wong Howe. These technical masters turned into moral vagueness obviously real through what has been called anti conventional cinematography. The method incorporated the all-encompassing use of wide-angle lenses, allowing even more and greater depth of field but causing animated deformation in close-ups; inconspicuous lighting and night-for-night filming (that is, essentially shooting night scenes at nighttime more willingly than in bright daylight with dark filters), both of which produce ruthless contrasts between the light and dark spheres of the frame, with dark outweighing, to match the moral disorder of the world; and pointed, unnatural set-ups. If all of this spears to be suggestive of the artificial studio modus operandi of German Expressionism, it ou ght to, for the reason thatlike the Universal horror phase of the thirtiesfilm noir was fashioned to a large degree by German and Eastern European migrs, a lot of of whom had gained their basic training at UFA in the twenties and near the beginning of the thirties. The noir directors Lang, Siodmak, Wilder, Preminger, Brahm, Litvak, Ophls, Dieterle, Sirk, Ulmer, and Bernhardt; the director-cinematographer Rudolph Mat; the cinematographers Karl Freund and John Alton; and the musicians Franz Waxman and Max Steiner had all been linked with or inclined by the UFA studio technique. On the other hand, given its subject matter, film noir could barely break out of the general pragmatic predisposition of the postwar cinema, and noir directors recurrently shot outside shots on location. Such wartime modernizations as slighter camera dollies and moveable power packs, higher speed lenses and additionally sensitive, fine-grain film rolls cut down the logistics of position shooting and aided to generate for film noir a nearly standardized visual method. For this motive, it has become trendy to discuss film noir as a category (some consider it is a genre) of idealistic or expressive pragmatism; but its inheritance includes such a wide variety of cultural influencesGerman Expressionism and shock exploitation, American gangster movies from the thirties, Sternbergian exoticism and self-indulgence, the graceful pragmatism of Carn, the case-hardened institution of American fiction, the forties cultural significance and fame of Freud, postwar American disenchantment (particula rly a sagacity of sexual betrayal amongst GIs coming back home) and the flourish of cinematic practicality it created, cold war mistrust, and for sure, Citizen Kane that it is probably better to typify it as a cycle to a certain extent than to draw up the boundaries too rigidly. Double Indemnity (1944), d. Billy Wilder, Paramount, 107min., bw, sc. Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler from the novel by James M. Cain, ph. John Seitz, m. Miklos Rozsa, v. MCA.

Piping Plover :: essays papers

Piping Plover Background Information Piping plovers are small shorebirds that usually lives on sandy beach and is considered to be endangered. It has a pale color that blend perfectly with dry beach sand. During the spring and summer, it appears to have a single black neckband and a narrow black band across its forehead. The plover’s bills and legs are yellowish but their bills have a black tip. During their flight its rump is white in color. The sexes appear similar, in both their size and color. During the winter, their legs and bill gets darker. Piping plovers are seen in small flocks or singularly. Food Piping plover eats insects, marine worms, mollusks, or small crustaceans. Habitat and nesting place During the warm season (summer), piping plovers usually lives and nest on the sandy beaches, shores of the Great Lakes, major rivers, or the prairies. They usually breed on dry sandy beaches and in the winter, they settle along the shores of southeastern United States. The piping plover usually nests on the sandy beach, some distance away from the water and is often located near a large rock or clump of grass. There are usually 4 eggs in the nest. The eggs begin to hatch for 25 to 30 days. Why are they endangered? Piping Plovers are endangered because of habitat loss and degradation. Homes and roads are being built onto their habitat. Off-road vehicles run over and destroy their nest. As a result, their habitat is being destroyed, leaving them with no place to live and to nest their young. They are also being disturbed by human activities near their habitat. Some people even step on their nest and bringing pets that kill the chicks and destroy the eggs. As these things kept on happening, their population started to decrease. When did it get on the list? The United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the piping plovers as endangered in 1985. Recovery Plans Some of the plans that protected the piping plover were the closing of beaches, and making public announcements. Several beaches were reserved for these birds, including some of the coastal beaches in Massachusetts. This helped the piping plover from being disturbed and from loosing their habitat. As a result their survival rate and reproduction increased. Another plan was making public announcements to alert people about the extinction of piping plovers. This made people to be more careful when they see one and not to disturb them.

Essay --

Hannah Ricks Ricks, 1 Mrs. Miller English 12 11 November 2013 Rosa Parks How important are rights and equality? How many would walk 20 miles a day in rain or snow just to get the point across that bus segregation, among other forms of segregation are unjust or how many would be willing to give up their lives, jobs, protection for their families, homes, friends and others for change that is deserved? Rosa Louise McCauley Parks among many other civil right activists did just that. Rosa went through many struggles and trials in her life for the fight for freedom. She was an amazing example to all people, not just African Americans. Even though she wasn't well educated she still made a huge impact in society. By Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus, she changed society in many ways: she gave hope to those races that wanted change and equal rights for themselves. Rosa got her high school diploma at age twenty thanks to encouragement of her husband Raymond: she dropped out in eleventh grade to take care of her mother and grandma. As children the black students had to walk to their school, which was often inadequate while the whites had school buses that took them to their brand new school. As long as she could remember, there was a black world and a white world, the bus was among the first ways she realized it. Parks recalled a time when the Ku Klux Klan marched down the street in front of their house while her grandfather guarded the front door with a shotgun, she could not ignore the racism of her society. Ricks, 2 Rosa suffered many things in her life but some... ...t to accomplish this goal: "President Barack Obama unveiled a statue honoring Parks in the nation’s Capital building. He remembered Parks, according to The New York Times, by saying "In a single moment, with the simplest of gestures, she helped change America and change the world. . . . And today, she takes her rightful place among those who shaped this nation’s course." Rosa Parks helped shape society into what it is today. Not all racism is gone but she made a huge impact, and tried her best to for equal rights to the oppressed. She gave so much in order for blacks to have a little bit of freedom. It took quite a while to make an impact but it had to start somewhere, and that somewhere was in the heart of Rosa Parks, it was on that bus when she decided she had had enough, it was in all the Negros that joined in a gave their lives for equality and civil rights.

People do not treat others as equals Essay

There is a problem with the way the world works right now. People do not treat others as equals. Regardless of race, age, creed, color, or sex, people have found a way to escape from treating humans with common decency. As we walk through our lives, we are disrespected at least once a day, and probably more than that. We are brought up in a world where winners are just that, they are winners, and because they win, we are supposed to revere and envy them. We are in constant competition, rarely is anything settled without a clear winner, and this is how we live. We are the true essence of a Dominator Model in this sense. But we do not draw the line there. We can extend it out to personal relationships to. The line can be extrapolated because we, an editorial â€Å"we† mind you, treat our personal relationships in much the same manner. Arguments rarely end in compromise, and when it does it is not what comes naturally. So this is the life we have set up and in order to shift the paradigm we must first discover what is wrong and move on. We must attack the issues that keep us closer to Cro-Magnon man than evolved individuals. And that is what my intention is for today’s radio program. One of the main concerns when talking about compromise is the fact that things end without one being over another; we are talking about ending things, in dominator language, in a tie. But we cannot look at this as being bad; we must look at this as being a win. This is what we are talking about, a complete paradigm shift which lends no glory to the dominator, or androcratic society. One of the keys to making this shift occur is to first recognize what is on the other side of the androcratic model, which is the partnership or Gylanic model. The Gylanic model is based on the idea of mutual well being, and for a society such as ours that has always pleasured male over female, straight over gay, etc this is a hard concept for us to grasp. Tearing these historical walls that have been built for us is the birth of a new paradigm. And there are many ways to get to this idea, I will focus on a few that will get us started, and hopefully it will snowball, over a period of time of course, but hopefully it will pick up steam and lead us into a society that places emphasis on every individual who resides in the realm of partnership. Effective listening: This is one of the main concerns when shifting from androcratic to Gylanic models. Over time our conversational skills have excelled while or listening skills have fallen by the way side. We have seen great leaders, and great icons of pop-culture speak without listening, and it is not just something that the trained specimen can see, it is painfully obvious. In order to start us on our way this is the first baby step that must be taken. Emphasis needs to, once again, be placed on communication. Interruptions are just that, they interrupt that which somebody is trying to say, so we must understand that cutting somebody off from speaking is a facet of the Dominator Model. Listen to those that you speak with, and let them know that you are listening. Showing that you are listening is not the most difficult of tasks, it is quite simple really. Here are some things that one can do to show that he/she is listening: eye contact, a simple nodding of the head when it is appropriate, not interrupting, are just a few things that could improve a conversation dramatically. It is amazing what you hear when you actually listen without having to speak at the same time. Too, this helps to create a comfortable environment, in which exchange is welcome. After a conversation and this is the true test, tell the person that you are speaking with what you just heard them say. It may be difficult at first, to be able to listen and not speak, and then to be able to reiterate what you had just heard, but it helps to strengthen a relationship. â€Å"True Listening, total concentration on the other, is always a manifestation of love. An essential part of true listening is the discipline of bracketing, the temporary giving up or setting of one’s own prejudges, frames of references and desires so as to experience as far as possible the speaker’s world from the inside, stepping inside his or her shoes. This unification of speaker and listener is actually an extension and enlargement of ourselves and new knowledge is always gained from this. Moreover since true listening involves bracketing, a setting aside of self, it also temporarily involves a total acceptance of the other.† – A Road Less Traveled Scott, Peck [emphasis mine] Now we will be moving listening, from just an aspect of everyday life, to the inclusion within interpersonal relationships. This is obviously a necessity in relationships, as is so stated by Peck, but true listening is not asking anything that is â€Å"easy†. It is work. In many relationships one party is always subverted under another party, and for this reason a successful relationship is hard to find. We must not think along the lines of mimesis either, because to find power through ones subversion of power, is once again striding to find a winner. We must drop the idea of â€Å"the last word† or the idea that there must be a â€Å"winner.† Arguments can be settled within the parameters of effective communication. As Peck says it is an act of love, listening is an act of true love, and with the absence of true listening, true love in turn takes on another meaning. We are talking about moving from north to south here; we must learn that compromise is winning, and that there is not a single winner and a single loser. Listening is part of communicating, and in order to be successful, as is with anything else, we must be able to communicate. In summation being able to listen effectively is the first step in the long line of steps of communication, which must be taken in effort to escape the life of the Androcratic model. I know that Rome was not built in a day, and that I am not going to change our society in one conversation about how to change, but I do want to focus on one aspect that will start us on the path of partnership, and that aspect I am focusing on is the aspect of communication. So I will not get into â€Å"bedroom† subject matter. The next aspect of communication that is important is called leveling. Virginia Satir says, â€Å"What the leveling response does is make it possible for you to live as a whole person †¦ real, in touch with your head, your heart, your feelings, and your body.† Leveling is a system in which we speak our minds but not at anybody’s expense. We speak without thinking that we might make a mistake, or we might be criticized, or impose on somebody. All leveling is is â€Å"responding to real people in real situations that permit you to agree because you really do† (Satir, Virginia). She uses The Matrix as one example. In the Matrix people are hungry for the directness that is offered by Morpheus, but not many are willing to except it. It is the reality that is stated through our own constructed reality. The â€Å"I† statement is the best way to begin the leveling process. I feel . . . . (an emotion or feeling, not a belief) Because . . . . (feelings come out of YOU and your various Experiences in your life; explain the basis of your feelings rather than blaming or â€Å"psychologizing† the other person or yourself) And What I’d To do or see Happen now is . .(how both of you can take into account one another’s needs, and work toward an acceptable solution for/with each other) It is the idea of taking responsibility rather than placing blame. It is very effective. The final idea that I will discuss today is the idea of being a mindful learning. We are students of life, we are constantly learning based on what occurs in our lives. We must actually learn what we go through though. We must take the time and be energized in our lives in order to learn from mistakes that we have made, and hold on to the things that we do well. I suggest that we mindfully improve the way we learn so that we can create our own understanding of the process that will help live our quality of life. Become interested in your own live and it will create interest in others. Focus on the other person and listen to his/her stories and life experiences and communicate in an effective manner that will allow for a steady relationship.

Crash and Privilege, Power, and Difference

Matthew Miller Paper #1: Privilege, Power, and Difference* and *Crash The Movie Crashis set in Los Angeles and begins when several people are involved in a multi-car accident. From there the movie skips to the day before where we see the lives of several of the characters who were involved in the crash and the racial problems they encounter that day. The moviebegins by showing an Islamic man and his daughter going into a gun shop to by a gun. When the Islamic man speaks in a different language to his daughter the store clerk says to him â€Å"Hey Osama, plan your Jihad on your own time. An argument ensues and the daughter ends up staying in the store and buying the gun, and instead of bullets she accidentally buys blanks asammo, however the clerk does not tell her this. The movie then skips to a couple of young black men who are complaining about the service they received at a restaurant. One of them says it is because of the stereotype that blacks don’t tip very well, and th ensays that he didn’t tip anything because of the poor service. As the two black men are walking down the street they come across a white politician and his wife. When the politician’s wife sees the black men coming towards them she gets closer to her husband. One of the black men noticesthis and points it out. Shortly after they pass each other the young black men steal the white couples’ car at gunpoint. The politician’s wife is really upset about being carjacked and has all of the locks in their house changed. When the locksmith comes and she sees that he is Hispanic she takes her anger out on him. The movie then shows a white LAPD officer who is trying to get medical help for his ailing father. The officeris having problems with a black clerk who won’t give the officers father permission to see another doctor. The white officer takes his frustration out on a black couple during a traffic stop and ends up sexually assaulting the woman. Next the Persian from the beginning of the movie calls the Hispanic locksmith to have him fix the lock at the shop that he owns. The Hispanic locksmith tells the Persian that he changed the lock but it wouldn’t do any good because he needs to replace the door. The Persian gets mad and tells the locksmith to fix the door and the locksmith said that he doesn’t do that, he just fixes locks. The Persian shopkeeper gets really mad about this. Shortly after this,the Persian man’s shop is robbed, and because he didn’t replace the door insurance will not cover the damage. The Persian man is extremely upset about this and blames it on the Mexican Locksmith. The white police officer has another run in with the HMO clerk. The white police officer basically tells the clerk that she only got that job because of affirmative action and that she probably beat out eightmore qualified white men for the job. He also tells her that despite the fact that his father’s janitorial service employed only black men he was forced out of business by affirmative action laws. The movie then goes to the crash where the black lady that was assaulted earlier in the movieis trapped in her car and surrounded by gasoline. It is only a matter of time before the car will explode and the first officer on the scene is the white officer who assaulted her earlier. The black lady initially tells him to go away, but he is very nice to her and ensures her that he is only trying to save her. He pulls her out of the car just before the car explodes. The movie then shows the Hispanic locksmith getting home from work, where he is then approached by the angry Persian shopkeeper, who blames him for his store being robbed and pulls a gun on him. The Hispanic locksmith’s daughter sees the gun pulled on her dad and runs in front of him just before the Persian man pulls the trigger. The shot is fired and everyone thinks the young girl has been shot, but since the Persian man’s daughter accidentally bought blanks in the beginning of themovie the young girl is fine. The movie ends with one of the young black hijackers being shot by the partner of the racist white police officer over some confusion. The first time I saw Crash my initial response was that the movie is incredibly sad. It is upsetting that so many of the racial issues we are faced with today stem from ignorance and fear. Part of me thinks this movie goes a little overboard with the racism issues in the movie because I don’t know if it is likely that so many people’s paths would cross in such a way where so many of them have such deep rooted racism and misunderstanding. It almost seems like the movie takes the racial stereotypes a little too far, but I think that was the point. It shows stereotyping and racism to an extreme and it makes you think that these peoples’ actions are ridiculous. I don’t think most of us are racist to the degree that is shown in the movie, but showing it to such an extreme really makes you aware of how ignorant racism is on any level. While the movie takes these examples to extremes, I do think a lot of the racial issues that occurred in the movie do happen on a regular basis, the movie just ties themtogether in the span of two hours to make a movie. At first I thought this was a little too much, but now I get the point of it. I really think the point of this movie was to raise awareness of the problem because awareness is a major step in the right direction towards solving the problem. One thing that stuck out to me because I’ve heard a lot about it is in the beginning of the movie when the young black men are talking about the poor service they received and that it was because of the stereotype that black people don’t tip very well. I have been dating a server for a few years, and she really isn’t racist at all, but she says this is true. She says she hates it because anytime she is serving a table of black people this stereotypegoes through her head and she hates thinking that but it’s true. I seriously doubt she is a person who would ever give them poor service because of the stereotype but I am sure that in some cases that happens. I think sometimes stereotypes are reinforced because of people’s preconceived thoughts. I am sure there are cases where a table of black people may receive poor service because the server assumes the table will tip poorly and then because the table receives poor service they probably do tip poorly, and the stereotype is reinforced. I thought the movie Crash and the book Privilege, Power, and Differencewere similar in many ways, but also very different in some ways as well. I think both the book and the movie take racial issues to extremes. I think they both do this to raise awareness of the important issues. In the book Johnson states â€Å"People can’t help fearing the unfamiliar—including people of other races† (2006, p. 4), Johnson goes on to say this isn’t necessarily true, but I think the movie tries to highlight this aspect of the problem. In the movie when the politician and his wife are walking down the street, the wife gets closer to her husband when the young black men approach because she is afraid of them. She is a person that has probably not dealt with very many you black men and sheprobably thinks that all young black men are criminals. In the movie she turns out to be right about these two menand is carjacked by them, but real life isn’t really that way. At some points I thought the movie kind of reinforced negative stereotypes like the young black men stealing the white couple’s car after she seemed racist for thinking they would do that. The book talks a lot about white racism and makes it sound as if it is white privilege that is holding back black people. I think the movie does a better job of showing racism from all aspects. The movie makes it seem like all races are racist against races other than their own, while concentrating heavily on the relationship between whites and blacks. In the movie one of the young thieves says that he would never rob a black person, and goes on and on about how white people hold black people down. Another important issue that the movie brought up is affirmative action laws. The white police officer who is dealing with the black HMO clerk brings up the issue in an argument with her. I think obviously the officer is out of line with what he says,however he brings up a pretty good point. The book goes on and on about the advantages of be â€Å"privileged†. When Johnson talks about the â€Å"privileged† he is referring to white men. Johnson says that the privileged have access to better jobs and will usually be hired instead of a black person or a woman. He is completely ignoring the affirmative action laws when he states this. Johnson states that â€Å"watching movies and television the message came across loud and clear that white men are the most important people on the planet† (2006, p. 79). I think the idea of the white man being â€Å"ideal† can be seen in the movie. When the black couple is arguing after the woman is sexually assaulted by the white police officer , the women says to her husband, you didn’t want to do anything because you didn’t want your name to be in the paper and all of your friends to know you really are black. I think she is implying to him that he hangs around with all white directors and acts white like them so that he will be more successful, but in the process has lost his â€Å"blackness†. Overall I thought both the book and the movie do a good job of raising awareness of the many racial issues that we are face with. They both take these racial issues to an extreme to make it clear that they do exist to a large extent. I thought the movie did a better job of giving a realistic portrayal of racism from all sides while the book seemed to be stuck on the concept of â€Å"white racism†. White racism† is certainly not a topic to be ignored and if you want to understand the racial issues we are faced with today it is not a bad place to start. However, the race issue runs much deeper than just white racism and can really be seen in cultures all around the world. I thought that Crash did a really good job of showing racism, and the negative affect it has in our society. Bi bliography Haggis, Paul (2004). Crash.

What Makes CarMax Great? Essay

                  Organizational culture forms part of the influencing factor towards the success of an organization. Within every organization, there are practices, which are considered the norm, and dictates how operations in an organization are carried out. Organization culture also depends on the type of leadership within an organization. CarMax organization culture has contributed greatly to its performance, which has seen it become famous in all of its locations to the extent of being ranked among the top companies in Fortune 500 magazine. Its culture revolves various artefacts such as language, physical structure, values, ceremonies and rituals. The success of the company is realized from benefits of organizational culture, which include increased sales, productivity, customers’ loyalty and efficient service delivery. Therefore, positive organizational culture should be promoted within organizations. Abstract                Organizational culture is as a set of attitudes, norms, beliefs and practices that are shared by employees as well as the management in any organization or company (McShane, & Von, 2014). The culture generally includes various factors such as how customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders are treated when making decisions within an organization in addition to speed, level and process of decision-making (Ovidiu-Iliuta, 2014). Moreover, the culture encompasses the level of control and formality that is applied when carrying out operations and rewards giving to good performances within an organization.                CarMax IncOrganizational culture plays an important role within organizations whereby it helps in outlining the behaviors that are appropriate for employees and other operation practices. An organization that has clearly defined it culture ensures that the members of the organization know what the company or organization expects from them and stakeholders expect from the company (McShane, & Von, 2014). Organizational culture simply helps in defining an organization and its employees and giving it identity. The sense of identity is also communicated to the customers of the company, the employees of the company, the suppliers as well as the general public that constantly interact with the company.                All stakeholders, both external and internal, know who a company or an organization is through the culture that is communicated to them by the company or organization (Ledimo, 2013). Furthermore, it is to be noted that organizational culture helps in giving employees the sense of identity and provides the overall goals and objectives of the organization. Organizational culture is what holds the company or organization together through hard times and easy times (CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014).                CarMax is one of the largest retailers of used cars in the United States and is one of the Fortune 500 Companies. The first location of the company was opened up in the year 1993, and since then, it has experienced increased growth (CarMax Business Services, LLC, 2014). The CarMax Company had 128 locations by January 2014, clearly an indication that the company has grown over the years. The growth in the company can greatly be attributed to the organizational culture and values among other factors, which have propelled the company to the current position. Artifacts Language                CarMax Company is a retailer based in the United States. The language that is generally used for business in the United States is the English language (Ovidiu-Iliuta, 2014). As part of the language used at CarMax, the slogan used which helps in giving identity to the company is â€Å"The way car buying should be.† The employees work as team, which is evidenced by high interpersonal relationships among them. The interpersonal relationship is also extended to customers where employees’ high communication skills are maintained across all departments. Rituals/ceremonies                   Apart from the language that is used within the company for business and interactions between the associates and even with customers and other stakeholders, ceremonies are part of the organizational culture within the company. It is the culture of CarMax that whenever employees perform well, they are reward for their efforts. The rewards do not only just come in form of presents and other rewards; instead, the company always organize for steak cookouts for the employees. The steak cookouts are conducted regularly every time there are employees to be reward for great performance within the company. This provides an opportunity for the employees to interact with one another and share their ideas for the improvement of their performance and success of the company.                   Furthermore, it is also part of the organizational culture to ensure that the associates within the company have fun in addition to the customers. The company organizes for regular pizza parties and steak outs for its employees and encourages an atmosphere that is friendly driven by the focus of the company on integrity towards the customers and the employees of the company (McShane, & Von, 2014). Employees are rewarded with benefits such as holidays, time away, and paid vacations. Furthermore, the company offers rewards such as purchase of cars and accessories at discounted prices, discounts on childcare, appliances, fitness memberships, cell phones, travel, and furniture among others that help the employees save money. Consequently, The company employees show high respects for their customers and address them calmly. This has seen the company develop loyalty and build emotional connections with its employees, which contributes to its success.                   When hiring, CarMax normally conducts telephone interviews before face-to-face interviews. It is also the culture at CarMax when recruiting to conduct panel interviews as well as behavioural interviews for new employees. To set itself apart from other companies, CarMax also offers testing to interviewees before they can be employed. This ensures only the most qualified are employed. The hiring process is quote intensive ensuring that employees with the relevant skills are employed. This has been one of the contributing factors towards the success of the company because there is no compromise on the quality of staffs employed. Physical structures                   CarMax operates in what are known as superstores whereby a typical store is about 59,000 square feet (5,500  m2), and it carries about 300 to 400 vehicles. Furthermore, CarMax has a home office that appears like a glass box that has been modernized and is slipped in a forest (ADD Inc, 2014). The office located in such a way that there is access to daylight. It also has energy-efficient systems that regulate and control the energy consumption within the structures. The home office is designed in such a way that it appears beautiful in its natural surroundings.                     The structures are constructed using a campus plan which helps in minimizing the impact of its size whereby four-storey parking has been used. The inside of the building is constructed in such a way that it has strategically located points of interaction for the associates and customers. This helps in building a culture of collaboration and collegiality within the company. The headquarters of the company is a five-story office building that is made up of 243,000 square feet for offices, in addition to 19,000-square-foot used as a fitness facility.                  The building is located in a 3,500-acre piece of land in West Creek Business Park in the county of Goochland. The building is surrounded with trees and has a pedestrian connector that simply joins the office building and a parking deck that can host 1000 cars (ADD Inc, 2014). As part of the physical structure, CarMax uses yellow, navy blue and white colour as part of its identity. The company logo is made up of the colours mentioned; giving it unique looks that distinguishes it from other companies. The staffs of the company also put on uniforms, mostly t-shirts, that bear the logo of the company and the colours of the company. This also helps in uniting the employees by giving the identity of being equal. Values                   The main fundamental principle that guides the culture at CarMax is integrity, which is normally reflected in the way the company serves the customers, deliver its products to consumers as well as how employees within the company treat each other. Shared values are considered to be the foundation on which the operations of the company are built on CarMax Business Services. Through the various values that are shared within the company, the company seeks to ensure equal treatment of its investors, customers, and associates in terms of ethical practices and trustworthiness (Great Place to Work, 2014). The employees are involved in decision-making in addition to respect of customers and being honest as major ethical practice.                The values that are shared within the company include diversity, customer focus, communication, teamwork, associate development, and improvement. It is the culture of the company to conduct its operations in a customer-focused way, which is aimed at providing customers with great experience. On the value of respect, the company promotes individual knowledge among the associates and values the contribution that they make towards the company. Teamwork is also another value that is encouraged within the company. The employees and the management of the company normally work together for the interest of the company and also for the interest of the customers of the company. Communication is highly encouraged according to a survey conducted by Greatrated.com (2014).                The survey observed that 93% of the employees agree that there is great communication within the company. Sharing of information, soliciting for feedback and exchange of ideas within the company is also another organizational culture that is highly encouraged (CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014). Diversity is also another value that is practiced and encouraged as part of the organizational culture at CarMax Company. The uniqueness of the associates and employees is well integrated into the company and work is done to ensure that everyone in the company feels respected and valued despite the diversity in terms of beliefs, race, and gender among other aspects of diversity (Great Place to Work, 2014).                   Diversity within the company is promoted through various ways from the associates, the customers and even the community. For the Associates of the company, CarMax ensures that it hires, promotes and trains only the qualified associates who possess diverse attributes. Furthermore, the associates are treated with lots of respect, their contributions are respected and valued by the company and are always provided with benefits that help in supporting their diversity within the workforce. In addition to that, the associates are provided with an inclusive and collaborative environment that helps in encouraging the ideas and inputs of the associates.                  Diversity is also promoted among the customers whereby it is the culture of the company to welcome all its customers in all the stores if the company (McShane, & Von, 2014). Customers are also treated with utmost respect with an aim of providing them with exceptional experience. As part of the culture within the organization, all customers of the company are offered competitive and ethical offers that meet the needs of the customers. The community is also not left out on the issue of diversity at CarMax Company.                   It is the organizational culture of the company to make positive contributions towards the communities, which it operates, and its employees live in (Na, & Morris, 2014). This is done through the promotion of leadership in the youths, promoting education and wellness in the communities. CarMax supports diverse organizations and programs within the communities through internships, grants, volunteer activities and offering of sponsorships to the needy in the communities. Another organizational culture that is practiced at CarMax is that of associate development.                   Everyone from the junior employees to the top management is provided with opportunities for professional growth and development. The development of the associates and employees is done through coaching, sponsored trainings as well as mentoring of the employees. This has helped to improve the skills and work-performance of employees over the years. This can also be considered to be a contributing factor towards the tremendous growth experienced by the company in terms of its expansion and performance over the years.                  According to the survey by Greaterated.com (2014), it is observed that about 86% of the associates and employees at CarMax agree that they are offered great opportunities that help them to develop professionally and become better people. The positive culture within CarMax is generally attributed to the leadership with which about 94% of the employees according to a survey by agree that the bosses are great to work with. It is to be noted that the values that are practiced at CarMax start from the top management within the company whereby the leadership of the company is considered to be down-to earth and focused on the associates of the company (CarMax Business Services, LLC, 2014). The type of leadership that is found within an organization is an important factor that influences the type of organizational culture that is found within an organization.                Furthermore, it is also to be noted that CarMax offers its employees what is known as flexible time-away (CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 2014). This is a policy whereby employees are allowed to have some few weeks away from work before they resume their duties (Greaterated.com, 2014). This is a culture that to some extent is not good considering that the employees are not offered time for vacations. This culture should instead be changed to that of offering vacations, which will provide the associates with enough time to relax and build their lives.                  The company’s culture has contributed to its increased that has seen it being ranked position 54 among the Fortune 500 Companies list (Fortune 500 Magazine, 2014). An average employee within the company normally gets time away whenever they are in need of time to rest. Employees work in shifts whereby there are those that take the morning shift while others take the evening shift, but on rotational basis. Shared assumptions               Consequently, organizational culture is made up of shared assumptions within an organization. Employees normally share assumptions, which translate into being part of the organizational culture. In the sae of CarMax, the employees share the assumption that they own the company. This is based on the reason that the employees are constantly involved in the decision making process within the company. The employees are made to feel comfortable by allowing them to take part on decision making especially on matters dealing with the sales of the company and how they can increase their performance. Furthermore, the other assumption that is shared about the company is that all the customers get satisfied with the products that the company offers to them at all times. Organizational Culture and Performance of the Company                  Organizational culture and behaviour has been identified as one of the contributing factors towards the success of an organization. When there is positive organizational culture in a company, there are high chances that the company will be able to succeed (Niamh Ring, 2014). In the case of CarMax, the organizational culture that is practiced has been a contributing factor towards its growth over the years in the United Sates market. The organizational culture at CarMax can be said to have positive impact on the performance of the company in terms of employee turnover and customer attraction.                  The revenues of the company have been on the increase over the years, which mean that the organizational culture of treating customers with respect, and valuing their diversity has been of great help (Janićijević, 2013). It is also to e noted that the company has been able to retain most of its employees over the years (Reuters.com, 2014). This can be attributed to the positive organizational culture of empowering employees, valuing their contributions in the company and helping them improve professionally through trainings, coaching and mentoring (Niamh Ring, Jun 20, 2014). The impact of the organizational culture that is practiced at CarMax Inc can be seen through the number of stores that the company has been able to open up over the years. As of the year 2014 January, CarMax had about 128 superstores across the United States.                  A strong organizational culture is beneficial to a company, the employees as well as the customers of the company (Bà ¼schgens, Bausch, & Balkin, 2013). When a company has a strong and positive organizational culture, the productivity of the company is likely to improve as well as the performance of the employees (Reuters.com, 2014). Employees become motivated to work for the company therefore resulting in increased productivity. An average employees works for eight hours a day for a five-day long week. This ensures that employees are not overworked and have free time for recreational. This strong and positive organizational culture has helped to provide customers with high quality products CarMax (Narrative Science, 2014). When customers are provided with high quality products, satisfaction is guaranteed, which means that the company will continue to make sales from the customers as well as expand its operations to other markets, as observed in the case of CarMax.               The organization culture practiced by CarMax has impacted positively to its economic growth. The company has maintained high number of customers across America thus commanding a significant market shares in the industry of used cars. It has also given the company competitive advantage over other companies selling second handcars. This has been evidenced by its ever-growing sales and market share over years. Hence, the company should maintain its culture and try to improve its customer service by concentrating on customer loyalty, which make sure that customers are emotionally connected with all its products. The strategy will see it dominate in the market just like Apple, Philips and Nike that are widely known for their brand loyalty. Conclusion                   Every company has its own organizational culture that is practiced by the employees and determines how a company operates. Considering that organizational culture has great impacts on the success of an organization, companies should build and encourage positive organizational cultures that benefits all the stakeholders. CarMax attributes its success to the positive organizational culture that it has been able to build and maintain over the years. Therefore, the overall conclusion from the case analysis of CarMax with regard to organizational culture is that companies need to have positive organizational cultures that generate benefits. References ADD Inc (2014), CarMax Home Office http://www.addinc.com/portfolio/project-page.aspx?projID=105&PortID=2 on 10th September 2014. Bà ¼schgens, T., Bausch, A., & Balkin, D. B. (2013). Organizational Culture and Innovation: A Meta-Analytic Review Organizational Culture and Innovation: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal Of Product Innovation Management, 30(4), 763-781. doi:10.1111/jpim.12021 CarMax Business Services, LLC (2014) About CarMax; Our culture and values, viewed from http://www.carmax.com/enUS/company-info/culture.html on 10th September 2014. CarMax, Inc. SWOT Analysis. (2014). CarMax, Inc. SWOTS Analysis, 1-9. Great Place to Work ® (2014), What Makes CarMax Great, viewed from http://us.greatrated.com/carmax on 10th September 2014. Greaterated.com (2014), 2014 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For List, viewed from http://us.greatrated.com/2014-fortune-100-best-companies-to-work-for-list on 10th September 2014. Janićijević, N. (2013). The mutual impact of organizational culture and structure. Ekonomski Anali / Economic Annals, 58(198), 35-60. doi:10.2298/EKA1398035J Ledimo, O. (2013). Managing Organizational Culture Through an Assessment of Employees’ Current and Preferred Culture. Proceedings Of The European Conference On Management, Leadership & Governance, 161-168. McShane, S. L., & Von, G. M. A. Y. (2014). Organizational behaviour. McGraw-Hill Higher Education Na, F., & Morris, T. (2014). Organizational ambidexterity strategy and firm performance: the moderating role of organizational capital. Academy Of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 1138-1143. doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2014.22 Narrative Science (2014). Earnings expected to increase for CarMax, viewed from http://www.forbes.com/sites/narrativescience/2014/04/02/earnings-expected-to-increase-for-carmax/ on 10th September 2014. Niamh Ring (Jun 20, 2014), CarMax Soars as Earnings, Revenues Top Analyst Estimates, viewed from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-20/carmax-soars-as-earnings-revenues-top-analyst-estimates.html on 10th September 2014. Ovidiu-Iliuta, D. (2014). The link between organizational culture and performance management practices: a case of it companies from romania. Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 23(1), 1156-1163. Reuters.com (2014) Carmax Inc (KMX), viewed from http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=KMX on 10th September 2014. Source document