Signode Industries, Inc

Signode Industries, Inc Recommendations Mr. Gary Reed should increase the price of Steel Strapping Consumables by 3.6% and tie the salesperson's compensation to gross margin instead of sales revenues. He should Maintain the loyalty of existing customers in National and Large segment by providing value added services like providing custom sizes, grades, tools and machines. He should also focus on stimulating further volume growth by taking actions to convert nonusers into users, to increase use frequency among current users, or to expand into untapped or underdeveloped markets.Pricing Decision Pricing decision in this case involve an inherent conflict between (1) the need to win customers and (2) the need to maintain/increase profit margins to satisfy the firm's financial need to generate as much capital as possible for further expansion. The complete analysis for arriving the pricing decision was shown in the Exhibit 1. The revenue generated by steel consumables is $133 millions. Its existing margins percen tage is 36.5.Bentley's winged "B" badge and bonnet (hood) ornam...The 6.8% increase in material cost resulted in $4.8 million burden on Signode. Signode either have to pass on this burden to customer in the form of price increase or absorb the burden by reducing its margins. Signodes past experience showed that the introduction of price increases and substitute products like plastic-strapping materials resulted in 10% drop in market share. So it is assumed that the price increases would result in 10% reduction in revenues. Gross revenues are calculated for the three options: ‚Â · Increasing price ‚Â · Keeping the price constant ‚Â · Price Flex It is evident from Exhibit 1 that "Increasing price" option provides greater gross margin compared to "Keeping the price constant" or "Price Flex" options. So Gary Reed should increase the prices to maximize the gross margins for Signode.Sales personnel Compensation Current sales personnel compensation is tied to the...

Erwin Schrödinger and the Schrödingers Cat Experiment

Erwin Schrà ¶dinger and the Schrà ¶dinger's Cat Experiment Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrà ¶dinger (born on August 12, 1887 in Vienna, Austria) was a physicist who conducted groundbreaking work in quantum mechanics, a field which studies how energy and matter behave at very small length scales. In 1926, Schrà ¶dinger developed an equation that predicted where an electron would be located in an atom. In 1933, he received a Nobel Prize for this work, along with physicist Paul Dirac. Fast Facts: Erwin Schrà ¶dinger Full Name: Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrà ¶dingerKnown For: Physicist who developed the Schrà ¶dinger equation, which signified a great stride for quantum mechanics. Also developed the thought experiment known as â€Å"Schrà ¶dinger’s Cat.†Born: August 12, 1887 in Vienna, AustriaDied: January 4, 1961 in Vienna, AustriaParents: Rudolf and Georgine Schrà ¶dingerSpouse: Annemarie BertelChild: Ruth Georgie Erica (b. 1934)Education: University of ViennaAwards: with quantum theorist, Paul A.M. Dirac awarded 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics.Publications: What Is Life? (1944), Nature and the Greeks  (1954), and My View of the World  (1961). Schrà ¶dinger may be more popularly known for â€Å"Schrà ¶dinger’s Cat,† a thought experiment he devised in 1935 to illustrate problems with a common interpretation of quantum mechanics. Early Years and Education Schrà ¶dinger was the only child of Rudolf Schrà ¶dinger – a linoleum and oilcloth factory worker who had inherited the business from his father – and Georgine, the daughter of a chemistry professor of Rudolf’s. Schrà ¶dinger’s upbringing emphasized cultural appreciation and advancement in both science and art. Schrà ¶dinger was educated by a tutor and by his father at home. At the age of 11, he entered the Akademische Gymnasium in Vienna, a school focused on classical education and training in physics and mathematics. There, he enjoyed learning classical languages, foreign poetry, physics, and mathematics, but hated memorizing what he termed â€Å"incidental† dates and facts. Schrà ¶dinger continued his studies at the University of Vienna, which he entered in 1906. He earned his PhD in physics in 1910 under the guidance of Friedrich Hasenà ¶hrl, whom Schrà ¶dinger considered to be one of his greatest intellectual influences. Hasenà ¶hrl was a student of physicist Ludwig Boltzmann, a renowned scientist known for his work in statistical mechanics. After Schrà ¶dinger received his PhD, he worked as an assistant to Franz Exner, another student of Boltzmann’s, until being drafted at the beginning of World War I. Career Beginnings In 1920, Schrà ¶dinger married Annemarie Bertel and moved with her to Jena, Germany to work as the assistant of physicist Max Wien. From there, he became faculty at a number of universities over a short period of time, first becoming a junior professor in Stuttgart, then a full professor at Breslau, before joining the University of Zurich as a professor in 1921. Schrà ¶dinger’s subsequent six years at Zurich were some of the most important in his professional career. At the University of Zurich, Schrà ¶dinger developed a theory that significantly advanced the understanding of quantum physics. He published a series of papers – about one per month – on wave mechanics. In particular, the first paper, â€Å"Quantization as an Eigenvalue Problem, introduced what would become known as the Schrà ¶dinger equation, now a central part of quantum mechanics. Schrà ¶dinger was awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1933. Schrà ¶dinger’s Equation Schrà ¶dingers equation mathematically described the wavelike nature of systems governed by quantum mechanics. With this equation, Schrà ¶dinger provided a way to not only study the behaviors of these systems, but also to predict how they behave. Though there was much initial debate about what Schrà ¶dinger’s equation meant, scientists eventually interpreted it as the probability of finding an electron somewhere in space. Schrà ¶dinger’s Cat Schrà ¶dinger formulated this thought experiment in response to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which states that a particle described by quantum mechanics exists in all possible states at the same time, until it is observed and is forced to choose one state. Heres an example: consider a light that can light up either red or green. When we are not looking at the light, we assume that it is both red and green. However, when we look at it, the light must force itself to be either red or green, and that is the color we see. Schrà ¶dinger did not agree with this interpretation. He created a different thought experiment, called Schrà ¶dingers Cat, to illustrate his concerns. In the Schrà ¶dingers Cat experiment, a cat is placed inside a sealed box with a radioactive substance and a poisonous gas. If the radioactive substance decayed, it would release the gas and kill the cat. If not, the cat would be alive. Because we do not know whether the cat is alive or dead, it is considered both alive and dead until someone opens the box and sees for themselves what the state of the cat is. Thus, simply by looking into the box, someone has magically made the cat alive or dead even though that is impossible. Influences on Schrà ¶dinger’s Work Schrà ¶dinger did not leave much information about the scientists and theories that influenced his own work. However, historians have pieced together some of those influences, which include: Louis de Broglie, a physicist, introduced the concept of â€Å"matter waves. Schrà ¶dinger had read de Broglie’s thesis as well as a footnote written by Albert Einstein, which spoke positively about de Broglie’s work. Schrà ¶dinger was also asked to discuss de Broglie’s work at a seminar hosted by both the University of Zurich and another university, ETH Zurich.Boltzmann. Schrà ¶dinger considered Boltzmann’s statistical approach to physics his â€Å"first love in science,† and much of his scientific education followed in the tradition of Boltzmann.Schrà ¶dinger’s previous work on the quantum theory of gases, which studied gases from the perspective of quantum mechanics. In one of his papers on the quantum theory of gases, â€Å"On Einstein’s Gas Theory,† Schrà ¶dinger applied de Broglie’s theory on matter waves to help explain the behavior of gases. Later Career and Death In 1933, the same year he won the Nobel Prize, Schrà ¶dinger resigned his professorship at the University of Berlin, which he had joined in 1927, in response to the Nazi takeover of Germany and the dismissal of Jewish scientists. He subsequently moved to England, and later to Austria. However, in 1938, Hitler invaded Austria, forcing Schrà ¶dinger, now an established anti-Nazi, to flee to Rome. In 1939, Schrà ¶dinger moved to Dublin, Ireland, where he remained until his return to Vienna in 1956. Schrà ¶dinger died of tuberculosis on January 4, 1961 in Vienna, the city where he was born. He was 73 years old. Sources Fischer E. We are all aspects of one single being: An introduction to Erwin Schrà ¶dinger. Soc Res, 1984; 51(3): 809-835.Heitler W. â€Å"Erwin Schrà ¶dinger, 1887-1961.† Biogr Mem Fellows Royal Soc, 1961; 7: 221-228.Masters B. â€Å"Erwin Schrà ¶dinger’s path to wave mechanics.† Opt Photonics News, 2014; 25(2): 32-39.Moore W. Schrà ¶dinger: Life and thought. Cambridge University Press; 1989.Schrà ¶dinger: Centenary celebration of a polymath. Ed. Clive Kilmister, Cambridge University Press; 1987.Schrà ¶dinger E. â€Å"Quantisierung als Eigenwertproblem, erste Mitteilung.†Ann. Phys., 1926; 79: 361-376.Teresi D. The lone ranger of quantum mechanics. The New York Times website. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/07/books/the-lone-ranger-of-quantum-mechanics.html. 1990.

Adopting a mac system Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Adopting a mac system - Assignment Example de a mock website enabling the management to visualise how a website may benefit their business and also for the report to elaborate on any technical issue that may become apparent during or after the transition. The aim of this project is to integrate the knowledge and skills learned through out the HNC/HND Computing course and to deliver a practical and realistic solution to the business related problem that I have chosen. The objectives for the project are to demonstrate my ability in producing a technically sound document that highlights the required details mentioned in my project proposal and to provide an effective and economical solution to the proposed scenario. During the process of compiling the required information it will be necessary to provide a very brief systems analysis of the old system, it is not my intention to do a complete analysis of the system but I shall provide enough information and data on this topic to allow the project to be completed. LM photography is a company which deals with photography who currently specialize in Weddings and special occasions, they also have two in-house studios where they take family and portrait photographs. The company was started in the year 2005 by Lisa Mary Moggach to turn a life long passion into a sustainable, financially viable business. The business took of well in 2006 when two large wedding planning companies approached LM photography and asked them to supply photographers and equipment for 196 weddings over two years. LM photography took the opportunity and drafted in ten freelance photographers and ten assistant to cope with the additional workload. In 2009 the fledgling company are still flourishing but the management have realized that there current IT system does not have the foundations to be continually built on, as the system can be unstable and unreliable when in constant use. The decision was made to employ an IT company who were to propose a new Macintosh based operating system

Themes & Corresponding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Themes & Corresponding - Essay Example Smith and Gordimer are able to use these female characters to in their literary works to depict the manner in which the society treats them, because of the color of their skin, as well as their racial background. The short story by Gordimer and the poem by Smith all depict the life of a black woman. Altikriti (2011) explains that racialism and ethnicity are vices that people experience on a day to day basis. On most occasions, black people are always discriminated upon, by the whites or the Caucasians. Furthermore, Altikriti (2011) explains that racialism and ethnicity was a subject that was difficult to discuss, mainly because of the emotions that it could bring forth. These two literary pieces of art are about ethnicity and racialism. Both the short story and the poem give a discussion of ethnicity and racialism. For instance, in the short story, there is a love relationship between Thebedi, a black woman, and Paulus, the son of the master of Thebedi. Altikriti (2011) explains that this relationship between Paulus and Thebedi was forbidden because of the racial nature of Thebedi. She was a black woman, and the black’s were not allowed to inter-marry with the whites. The relationship between Thebedi and Paulus emanated from their childhood romance, into adulthood, resulting to the pregnancy of Thebedi, without the knowledge of Paulus who had gone to study. This passage is able to show the love that existed between Thebedi, and Paulus, Gordimer in her 1975 piece of work denotes that, â€Å"In one summer afternoon, when water was flowing in the river, and it was very hot outside, Thebedi wadded as they used to, when they were little children, the dress she wore was able to bunch modestly tucking into her leg s. The school girls that Paulus used to go swimming with at the pools or dams near the neighboring farms had their bikinis. However, the sight of their thighs and bellies had never made Paulus to feel

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Essay Example for Free

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Essay â€Å"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them† -Ray Bradbury. In the past there were events that affected book writers. People will get together to burn books because they thought it was inappropriate or they were against their literature. Montag is a fireman in a futuristic society who would start fires instead of put them out. After he meets Clarisse a young girl different from all teenagers in that society Montag will find himself doing things he never did before. In Fahrenheit 451 Montag will have a huge change in his life that will make him different from other people. There were people who contributed to that change, people who Montag would never thought of meeting or people he had already knew. Clarisse had Montag analyzing his happiness and questioning himself which caused him to do things he never done before. When Montag and Clarisse were walking Clarisse asked him if he was happy with the life he was living. â€Å"Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m not?†. Montag seems really bothered by the question Clarisse asked him. Montag is positive about his happiness, he knows he’s happy with the life he’s living He knows he’s â€Å"happy† but by someone else asking him that kind of question it doesn’t seem like he is. â€Å"He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it†. Once Clarisse asked him about his happiness he started thinking about it and he knew he wasn’t happy at all. He thinks that Clarisse opened his eyes about it. Montag also feels like Clarisse was the one who took his happiness by asking him that question. Mildred proved to Montag he wasn’t really by the way she acts towards him. She was the one who woke him up and made him do something so he could have his happiness back. Mildred as a wife should listen to Montag and make him feel better. Instead Mildred would totally ignore him and seem careless every time he would say something. â €Å"I’m hungry Last night he began. Didn’t sleep well. Feel terrible she said. God I’m hungry I can’t figure it Last night he said again. She watched his lips casually. What about last night Don’t you remember†. Mildred doesn’t really listens to Montag He always tries to tell her something but she seems careless about it. He feels like he’s not getting the attention he wants from her. â€Å"â€Å"When did we meet? Where?†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"It doesn’t matter.† She was up, in the bathroom now, and he heard the water running, and the swallowing sound she made. â€Å"No, I guess not,† he said. This demonstrates that all this years of marriage meant nothing to Mildred. By her not remembering how they meet tells that Mildred doesn’t really care about their marriage. Faber encouraged Montag to overcome his fears not by giving him advice but by showing Montag he also feared. Faber was always the type to follow the rules so he wouldn’t get in trouble and face the consequences. Montag didn’t want to be a coward like Faber that’s how he overcame his fears. â€Å"For a little while I’m not afraid. Maybe it’s because I’m doing the right thing at last. Maybe because I’ve done trash thing and don’t want to look the coward to you†. Faber has never made a change in his life because he has always been afraid of the consequences. He tells Montag that he has to face his fears which make him feel like he’s doing the right thing for once. â€Å"â€Å"Mr. Montag you’re looking at a coward. I saw the way things were going a long time back. I said nothing. I’m one of the innocents who could have spoken up and put when no one would listen to the ‘guilty’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Faber is telling Montag that he never had the courage to stand up in what he strongly believes its right. He categories himself as a person who’s afraid by the consequences. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Clarisse, Mildred and Faber had Montag doing things he never did before. They had him questioning, making him realize and encouraging him to get over his fears. He was doing things he never saw himself doing before in his life. Even though those things he do had its bad consequences he never felt that good about himself. Many people won’t confront their fears because they’re scared of the consequences but once people they overcome those fears there will be nobody who will stop them to do what they think it’s right. WORK CITED Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon and Shuster paperbacks; New York, 2012

JavaScript :: essays research papers

Within this report is information on how Java Script is used on the Internet. This report will contain information that will help you learn about Java Script and its uses on the Internet. It mentions what Java Script is, where it originated and what some of its uses are.JavaScript is a loosely typed scripting language that resembles the programming language C. It is designed to be an extension to HTML and is usually included within HTML scripts. Java Script is object-oriented and has block-structuring features. The main feature of Java Script is that it lets you build interactive web pages. Java Script allows you to respond to a user's input in the form of text, buttons selected, or mouse clicks, and can generate a response to the user's computer. Java Script originated from within the labs of Netscape Communications Corporation in 1994. It was invented so a computing language could build web pages and applications more effectively. When it first appeared it was thought that it was a new form of C, but later turned out to be this wonderful new language called JavaScript. There were skeptics that said the language was a dud and would never catch on, but now more people are learning Java Script then ever before.JavaScript is used within HTML tags so that the page setup in already present when the Java Script starts to run. There are many different uses for Java Script on the Net. It can be used to make mail forms that a customer or person trying to input information can use. The program will allow the user to input information, then it will automatically send that info to a designated email address with the click of a button. It can also be used to put a password on a certain web page; a user trying to enter the page must then input the correct commands and passwords to enter the page. Another command added to this code will make it so that if the user enters the wrong password the code will send them to a site of the scripts designers choice. Java Script is also a popular language for making simple interactive games like bridge and peg games. These codes can provide hours of fun! Java Script is used mainly on pages that need to allow users to enter information or choose from options on the page.

Organizational Culture: Present Trends Essay

Organizational culture has been defined as â€Å"the set of shared values and norms that control organizational members’ interactions with each other and with suppliers, customers, and other people outside the organization† (Jones, 2004). Just as an organization’s structure can be used to achieve competitive advantage and promote stakeholder interests, an organization’s culture can be used to increase organizational effectiveness. This is because organizational culture controls the way members make decisions, the way they interpret and manage the organization’s environment, what they do with information, and how they behave. Culture thus affects an organization’s competitive position. As culture is discussed in terms of the values and norms that influence its members’ behavior, it usually determines how members of a firm interpret the environment, bond its members to the organization, and give it a competitive advantage. Recent advances that develop organizational theories that deals with culture in organizations have been instituted. These are developing high performance teams, managing organizational identity and managing diversity. Organizational culture exercises a potent form of control over the interactions of organizational members with each other and with outsiders. By supplying people with a toolbox of values, norms, and rules that tell them how to behave, organizational culture is instrumental in determining how they interpret and react to a situation. In developing concepts that enhance organization’s culture would literally translate success and competitive advantage in organizations. High Performance Teams  When working with a group or a company, one should be a team player in order for your tasks to be accomplished successfully. To quote, â€Å"Someone may be great at his or her job, maybe even the best there ever was. But what counts at work is the organization’s success, not personal success. After all, if your organization fails, it does not matter how great you were; you are just as unemployed as everyone else† (Johnson, Kantner & Kikora, 1990). In the work environment, teams materialize to focus on tasks or solve problems that are beyond the capacity of one individual. With this type of set-up that allow creative and innovative juices to flow through the constant sharing of information, people could appropriate division of labor among the members of the team can lead to more effective, more efficient and less stressful workplace. Their high levels of performance with regards to quantity, quality, and timeliness of work results can contribute to their sense of satisfaction, addressing a psychological and motivational need. With incessant exposure to each other, team members and their superiors could ascertain whether they have a team that can continue working together with synergy or their togetherness poses a detrimental effect on their output and interrelationships. In traditional organizational structures, teams were introduced and experimented on to see what works and what does not. While employees have already formed their own social groups for their personal interaction with other employees, management devised ways to re-group them and build teams that would be more productive for the organization. The old hierarchies were replaced with cross-functional structures that were both flat and self-directed. The emergence of the concept of High Performance Teams evolved. To date, organizations and businesses have shifted to this kind of paradigm. They are depicted as flexible but difficult to put together, expensive but worth every cent. To build a high performance team requires a lot of work, time, effort and money. The team leader can serve to be the conduit between the team and the management or other external organizations. Coordination of the team’s activities is also the responsibility of the team leader. Any team leader should be able to ensure that the team maintains the ethical standards of the organization. What’s important is for team members to be consistently coached by management or external agencies hired by management to continually trust, respect and support each other and the organization. Coaching coupled with their guidelines will keep in check their members’ behavior and enhance their decision making skills. Empowerment is a key for the advancement of these skills. To be empowered, the team needs to have information and resources. It also needs the management’s trust that they won’t abuse the information or the resources they are given, which is often curtailed by the guidelines they have set for themselves. This empowerment leads them to become cross-functional. They are then given a wider perspective of the processes and a detailed coverage of the activities that occur and address what needs improvement in the organization. In developing work environments, more corporations are now staunch in their support for diversity. Dealing with diversity in a way that makes it a strength has come to be known as â€Å"managing† diversity. According to Sharon Nelton: Managing diversity meant, and still means, fostering an environment in which workers of all kinds—men, women, white, disabled, homosexual, straight, elderly—can flourish and, given opportunities to reach their full potential and contribute at the highest level, can give top performance to a company (p. 19). When we refer to â€Å"diversity†, this could mean cultural, demographic, organizational or psychological and encompasses ethnicity, religion, gender, age, personality, values, attitudes, occupations, status, or job tenure. By working together in well-supervised teams that include women and men, young and old, minorities and non-minorities, employees can learn how to realize the full potential of diversity. According to Goetsch & Davis (2004), diversity in teamwork can be promoted by applying the following strategies: †¢ Continually assessing circumstances. Is communication among diverse team members positive? Do bias and stereotyping exist among team members? Do minorities and non-minorities with comparable jobs and qualifications earn comparable wages? Factors that might undermine harmonious teamwork should be anticipated, identified, and handled. Giving team members opportunities to learn. Humans naturally tend to distrust people who are different, whether the differences are attributed to gender, culture, age, race, or any other factor. Just working with people who are different can help overcome this unfortunate but natural human tendency. However, it usually takes more than just working together to break down barriers and turn a diverse group of employees into a mutually supportive, complementary team in which the effectiveness of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. With regards to compensation, there should be an implementation of an appropriate compensation system. In other words, if you want teamwork to work, make it pay. This does not mean that employees are no longer compensated as individuals. Rather, the most successful compensation systems combine both individual and team pay. In Anne Schauber’s study (2001), it found that if a team’s performance is duly rewarded by the organization, a culturally diverse organization â€Å"may be more economical in the long run† and â€Å"will result in better service to a changing clientele†. It enhances the creativity and problem-solving capabilities of the organization† in such a way that the â€Å"previously untapped talent and energy will be focused on achieving organizational goals† (Schauber, 2001). Thus, diversity has become a positive contributing factor to the achievement of the goals of a high performance team. Moreover, De Vries and Manfred (2005) recently used the idea of Zen Buddhism in leadership group coaching to develop high performance teams. De Vries and Manfred (2005) said that Zen Buddhism has as its fundamental purpose the awakening of the mind and the individual attainment of spiritual enlightenment. A Zen teacher is concerned with self-help and helping others with wisdom and compassion. Given this mindset, Zen teachers can be seen as forerunners of leadership coaches. Like Zen teachers, such management coaches provide learning opportunities by giving constructive and balanced feedback. They serve as sparring partners. They help their clients reflect on their own actions. As a way of clarifying and enhancing consciousness, coaching has become the Zen for executives. With executives finally realizing the value of coaching, the coaching market—now a multi-billion-dollar enterprise—is ballooning. Originally carried out by â€Å"one-person bands,† leadership coaching has become a major activity for many large consulting firms. As corporations are constantly seeking methods to improve their own workplace effectiveness and efficiency, individual and group performance had to be measured. Work teams transform to become empowered to make decisions and improve performance; there is also an increased need for accountability. Virtually, all organizations with work teams need a means for measuring their teams’ performance. Indeed, high performance teams coupled with diversity could spell the success of any organization or corporation in our fast changing global environment. Managing Organizational Identity Organizational identity differs, most sharply, from organizational culture because of the prominent role of transference phenomena. The nature of emotional attachments and connectedness, or disconnectedness, is the footing of organizational life and the essence of organizational identity. The centrality of this emotional substructure is especially crucial when there is demand for organizational change and development. Change depends on members’ willingness to assume responsibility for their actions and to depart from the status quo. But this willingness is the result of mutual understanding of shared emotions between superordinates and subordinates, and often among peers in organizations, and is the outcome of their recognition of unconscious expectations and desires. Helping members to become aware of the structure of organizational identity and their place in it is a precondition for freeing them up for organizational change that is strategically sound and productive (Diamond, 1993, p. 7). Ravasi and Schultz (2006) had presented a recent longitudinal study of organizational responses to environmental changes that induce members to question aspects of their organization’s identity. Their findings highlight the role of organizational culture as a source of cues supporting â€Å"sensemaking† action carried out by leaders as they reevaluate their conceptualization of their organization, and as a platform for â€Å"sensegiving† actions aimed at affecting internal perceptions. Ravasi and Schultz (2006) explored organizational responses to environmental changes and shifting external representations that induced members to reflect on their organization’s recent and prospective courses of action and ask themselves, â€Å"What is this organization really about? † Although past research has documented the impact of desired images on organizational responses to environmental changes, they deemed that the influence of organizational culture—and in particular, the influence of its manifestations—on the redefinition of members’ collective self-perceptions. They found organizational culture became the central construct in understanding the evolution of organizational identities in the face of environmental changes, suggesting that collective history, organizational symbols, and consolidated practices provide cues that help members make new sense of what their organization is really about and give that new sense to others. Furthermore, the role of culture in preserving a sense of distinctiveness and continuity as organizational identity is subjected to explicit reevaluation. The findings suggest that the roles external images and organizational culture play in affecting organizational responses to identity threats may be more complementary than the current literature on organizational identity would suggest (Ravasi & Schultz, 2006). Building on evidence from their research, they developed a theoretical framework for understanding how the interplay of construed images and organizational culture shapes changes in institutional claims and shared understandings about the identity of an organization.

Argumentative Thoreau Essay

Jessica Taylor 13, February 2012 AP English Mrs. Mercer Self-Sufficiency and Individualism Can Harm a Community Henry David Thoreau goes to the woods to live away from duties and to live a life of leisure. He moves far away from any method of communication, such as the post office. He wishes to live independently and self-sufficiently. The quote â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life†¦and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. † He summarizes his reasons for living in the woods in this quote.Thoreau wants to live deliberately; to choose his own course and have no one else influence his life. He doesn’t want to get old and look back and realize that there are things in life that he wanted to do, that he has never done. If everyone in a community lived by the virtues of individualism and self-sufficiency, then there would be no community. In a community, everyone contributes somethin g. Individuals in a community work together, in order to solve problems and issues facing the community. Such as, if there has been a terrible natural disaster, communities work together to repair the damage.If the damage is more extensive in some areas than others, then the individuals of that community can work harder to restore it. If everyone in a community lived by the virtues of individualism and self-sufficiency, then in times of crisis or suffering, there would be no sense of community where people helped one another. Also if a community lived by these virtues, then there would be no trust. In order to gain or build trust, there has to be some sort of connection between individuals. In Thoreau’s self-sufficient world, there was no communication.If a person held the virtue of self-sufficiency, this may make other individuals feel offended. People would feel offended because today’s world is all about communication. If an individual blocked out other people and d id not allow them to help him/her, then this might make the other individual feel as if they were not beneficial. Instead of being a community, it would be more of a rivalry between individuals. There would be no trust or companionship. In times when individuals would need each other’s help; there would be no sense of alliance.Everyone would be against one another, because everyone would feel as if each other were untrustworthy. In the United States, we are one giant community; there are many communities within the major one. In times of war or battle, we stand together. Above all, the citizens in the U. S are able to come together to fight the battles when needed. If every citizen in the U. S lived by the virtues of self-sufficiency and individualism then there would be no U. S. in times of war; there would be no army. In an army you must work together to find the best solution to the problem, there has to be teamwork and trust.In a self-sufficient world, everyone would want to do things in their own way, and in return this would cause chaos. A community is a beneficial factor, without it we have nothing. Yes, being self-sufficient can be a helpful virtue, but in the condition of the community it is one virtue that can destroy the community. If there was no sense of an alliance, there would be no way to survive a natural disaster or fatal event. A community can strive and recover from a setback, whereas, if an individual was self-sufficient, then this would be much more difficult.

Free Essays on Columbus Day

An Extra Day Off Sounds Nice â€Å"It is only radical or currently unfashionable ideas that the texts leave out- it is all ideas, including those of their heroes.† (FitzGerald) USF does not recognize a major holiday. A lot of schools do not recognize this holiday. This upsets and disappoints me. The holiday that I am speaking of is Columbus Day. My barber shop is not open, neither is my favorite liquor store. Why is my school still open? The reason is simply because many people see Christopher Columbus as a tyrant and do not think we should observe this holiday. If we are going to celebrate Presidents Day and Independence Day then why not celebrate Columbus Day. Our country can kill and it is justified, and Columbus killed yet it is some how frowned upon. I believe we need to respect and show thanks to the man that lead to our founding as country. Christopher Columbus set sail for the East Indies in the year 1492. â€Å"Columbus outfitted three pitifully small ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and set forth from Spain.† (Lowen 39) This shows that Columbus did not set off on an easy voyage. It shows that we need to look at the hardships he went through to bring the new world to Spain. Whether or not he killed, raped, and pillaged the people he came across in the new world he still made it there and brought the news back to Spain. That is reason enough to respect and give thanks to him for me. I certainly would not have the guts to set sail into the unknown to find something that I might not reap the full benefits of. Some say, â€Å"Columbus did not even know for certain where he was going. Evidence says he was seeking Japan, India, and Indonesia.† (Loewn 55) This does not matter. Who cares where he thought he was going. He found a new land that had not been discovered and that land is the land where millions reside. People say if Columbus did not bring this news back to Spain someone else would have. That I agree wit... Free Essays on Columbus Day Free Essays on Columbus Day An Extra Day Off Sounds Nice â€Å"It is only radical or currently unfashionable ideas that the texts leave out- it is all ideas, including those of their heroes.† (FitzGerald) USF does not recognize a major holiday. A lot of schools do not recognize this holiday. This upsets and disappoints me. The holiday that I am speaking of is Columbus Day. My barber shop is not open, neither is my favorite liquor store. Why is my school still open? The reason is simply because many people see Christopher Columbus as a tyrant and do not think we should observe this holiday. If we are going to celebrate Presidents Day and Independence Day then why not celebrate Columbus Day. Our country can kill and it is justified, and Columbus killed yet it is some how frowned upon. I believe we need to respect and show thanks to the man that lead to our founding as country. Christopher Columbus set sail for the East Indies in the year 1492. â€Å"Columbus outfitted three pitifully small ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and set forth from Spain.† (Lowen 39) This shows that Columbus did not set off on an easy voyage. It shows that we need to look at the hardships he went through to bring the new world to Spain. Whether or not he killed, raped, and pillaged the people he came across in the new world he still made it there and brought the news back to Spain. That is reason enough to respect and give thanks to him for me. I certainly would not have the guts to set sail into the unknown to find something that I might not reap the full benefits of. Some say, â€Å"Columbus did not even know for certain where he was going. Evidence says he was seeking Japan, India, and Indonesia.† (Loewn 55) This does not matter. Who cares where he thought he was going. He found a new land that had not been discovered and that land is the land where millions reside. People say if Columbus did not bring this news back to Spain someone else would have. That I agree wit...

A Level System Supports Positive Behavior

A Level System Supports Positive Behavior A level system for behavior contract is in many ways a sophisticated system for improving and shaping students long term behavior. By establishing levels, much as in a rubric for academic performance, you can shape students behavior by slowly increasing the expectations for meeting each level. This system is particularly good for secondary students, and can help a student in a single class or across classes. Creating a Level System Choosing Behaviors to Monitor Begin by identifying which behaviors will pull the cart of the students behavior. In other words if you successfully identify behaviors that are pivotal for improving a students over all performance and behavior in your class, focus on them. Behaviors need to be explicit and measurable, although data collection is not your primary focus. Still, avoid general, subjective terms like respectful, or attitude. Focus on the behaviors that will eliminate the attitude. Instead of shows respect for peers you need to identify the behavior as Waits to be called on or Waits rather than interrupts peers. You cannot tell your students what to feel. You can tell them what their behavior should look like. Choose 4 or 5 behaviors that will define the levels: i.e. PunctualityConforming to rules.Completing assignments,Participation Some people would include listening but I find that some secondary students who appear to be ignoring the teacher may actually be listening. You can ask for certain kinds of academic behavior that show whether a student has been attending or not. You cannot actually see students listening. Define the Behaviors for Each Level Describe what is excellent, good, or poor punctuality. Excellent may be on time and ready to learn. Good might be on time. And poor would be late or tardy. Determine Consequences for the Students Behavior Positive consequences can be given weekly or daily, depending on the age and maturity of the student or the intensity or inappropriateness of the behavior. For students with grossly inappropriate behavior , or who have a long way to go, you may want to reward performance daily. As a student participates in a behavior support program, over time, you want to thin reinforcement as well as spread it out so that students learn eventually to evaluate their own behavior and reward themselves for appropriate behavior. Consequences can be positive (a reward) or negative (loss of privileges) depending on the number of excellents or the number of poors each student earns. Decide Who will Provide the Reinforcement I would try to get parents to do the reinforcing if at all possible. Secondary students are especially gifted at working teachers against parents or parents against teacher. When you have parents on board, you are more likely to get the cooperation of a student. It also make lessons learned in school generalize to the students home. There is also nothing wrong with double dipping, providing one level of reward at school (i.e. a privilege earned for so many excellents) and another at home (a trip to a preferred restaurant with the family for so many excellents in a week, etc.) Evaluate and Re-evaluate Eventually, your goal is for students to learn to self-evaluate. You want to Fade from supporting the students behavior. You want to achieve these by. Increasing the time you evaluate, from daily to weekly.Raise the level of behavior you want the student to exhibit for each behavior (especially academic behavior. Tools for a Level Behavior System A Contract: Your contract needs to lay out the who, what, where, when, how of your system. Who: The students who will perform the behavior, the parent(s) who will reinforce the appropriate behavior and the teacher(s) who will evaluate the students behavior.What: Behavior you want to see increase. Remember, keep it positive.Where: all classes, or just one where the student is struggling? Do mom and want to continue the plan at home? (include levels for cleaning the room, say, or touching base with parents when out with friends?)When: Daily? Each period? Weekly? Remember to make it often enough to quickly increase the behavior, but understand that you will eventually be thinning reinforcement by spreading the incidence of reinforcement over longer intervals.How: Who is the evaluator? Will you give the student input on evaluation, or will it all be on you? Monitoring Tools: You want to create a tool that will make it easy for you or for general education teachers who may be evaluating students. I offer you models for A contract for a single class with a key.A blank contract for a single class.A week for a self contained program.A week for multiple classes.

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points - Essay Example He is particularly renowned for his fourteen points that developed a basis to the end of the war and the post World War I era. This paper explores the success Woodrow’s fourteen points and the points’ achievements. Overview of Woodrow’s fourteen points Woodrow’s fourteen points was a proclamation towards the end of the First World War. Having come just a few months away from the ultimate end of the war and their provisions that aimed at attaining a peaceful world indicate significance of the points in the consequently achieved peace. The fourteen points’ principles can be explored in three categories. The first category, consisting of initial five points, was general and concerned â€Å"international liberalism and free trade† (Rossini and Shugaar, p. 63). The points included a public approach to agreements towards international peace as opposed to private treaties, provision for freedom of navigation across international waters, elimination of trade barriers and equality in international trade, and appeal for disarmament. He also called for fair distribution of colonies (Yale, p. 1). Points that called for resolution of disputes over some territories followed these.