Types of Planning

INTRODUCTION Besides organizing, controlling and leading, planning is one of the management functions. Good planning is crucial to enable an organization to function effectively. Planning is done for two purposes, firstly as a protection to the organization and secondly to increase the affirmative levels of an organization according to C. W. Roney (Certo, 2000). As a protection to the organization, a manager can forecast the effects from each of the suggestions or alternative actions that will be carried out.Then managers will be able to ensure what needs to be done, how to carry out the actions, why it has to be done, when to do it, who should implement it with proper planning. And it is done to increase the affirmative levels of an organization. According to Fayol – The plan of action is, at one and the same time, the result envisaged, the line of action to be followed, the stages to go through, and the methods to use. It is a kind of future picture wherein proximate events are outlined with some distinctness.Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done. It involves the selection of objectives, policies, procedures and programs from among alternatives. A plan is a predetermined course of action to achieve a specified goal. It is a statement of objectives to be achieved by certain means in the future. In short, it is a blueprint for action. Louis A Allen Management planning involves the development of forecasts, objectives, policies, programs procedures, schedules and budgets. Theo Haimann Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done.When a manager plans, he projects a course of action, for the future, attempting to achieve a consistent, co-ordinated structure of operations aimed at the desired results. Koontz O’Donnell Planning is an intellectual process, the conscious determination of courses of action, the basing of decisions on purpose, acts and considered estimates. .TYPES OF PLANNING According to Dessler (2001) there are three m ain types of planning which are planning based on format, organization hierarchy and frequency of use. PLANNING BASED ON FORMATDescriptive planning is a planning written in the form of statements that state what needs to be achieved and how it is achievable for example, planning of an individual’s career. Budgeting is plan that stated quantitatively by using financial terms. Graphics planning is a planning that explains what needs to be achieved and how to achieve it in the form of charts. For example Gantt chart, it illustrates the time period required in order to implement an activity in the form of bar chart. PLANNING BASED ON ORGANIZATIONAL HIERARCHY There are three levels in an organization – top management, middle management, lower management.Top management (strategic plan) Strategic planning focuses on long-term issues for the survival, growth, and overall effectiveness of the organization. Companies need to be visionary, and must develop long-term strategies to meet changing conditions in their industries. Strategic planning involves developing a strategy to meet competition and ensure long-term survival and growth. The marketing function plays an important role in this process in that to provides information and other inputs to help in the preparation of the organization’s strategic plan long term plan. Middle management (tactical plan)Tactical planning focuses their goals on a shorter time frame, usually ranging from one month to one year. Middle managers give authority and responsibility to team leaders or supervisors, after that they provide direction, necessary resources, and feedback on performance as tasks are completed. Usually they need more detailed information than top managers, but less information than team leaders and supervisors. They also use business support systems, knowledge management systems, and user productivity systems to perform their jobs. Lower management (operational plan) Lower management carries out da y-to-day  operational plans.Operational employees primarily receive data that they need to perform their jobs day to day. In many companies, operational employees also need information to handle tasks and make decisions that were assigned to supervisors which is called  empowerment, and gives employees more responsibility and accountability. PLANNING BASED ON FREQUENCY OF USE One time usage planning is a planning that is only used once. Specially prepared to fulfill specific purposes. For example the organization may open more than one branch, but each plan made only applicable to the specific branch only.Because it have different resources like money, manpower, customer’s distribution, size of the branch area etc. Standing plan is a planning that is repeatedly used. Used to manage situations that frequently arise in an organization such as employees disciplinary problems. Standing plans have three types which are policy, procedure and regulations. i. Policy Principles or general guidelines to manage situations. ii. Procedure Actions or process that must be taken if a certain situation arises. iii. Regulations Specific guidelines when taking an action. WORKPLACE HISTORYMalaysia Airline System Berhad is doing business as Malaysia Airlines since its inception as an  independent airline  in 1987. Proudly running as the national-flag carrier of Malaysia from main home base of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with secondary hubs at Kuching and Kota Kinabalu on the second island of the Malaysian state. With a concentration of network on both regional as well as international sectors, MAS has come to be known as world renowned airlines well as a local favorite along with its subsidiary, MAS Wings, because of staff hospitality and its marketing campaigns.It has been understood that there are various issues and opportunities that are being faced to MAS. Some of these are an overstaffing problem involving more than twenty-thousand employees all o ver the world. Another one, being incurred net losses of RM 479 million by the third quarter of 2011 and at the end of the fourth quarter the airline had incurred a loss of RM 2524 million, indicating a substantial decrease from a profit of RM 234 million in the previous year. Malaysia Airlines Vision is to be the Preferred Premium Carrier by using A380 as the flagship product.To support the vision, Malaysia Airlines mission is to be the best-in-class, top 10 commercially viable airline in the Asia Pacific region that returns sustainable profits to the shareholders. Business plan updated June 2012 RECOVERY PLAN (TOP MANAGEMENT) BUILD A PROFITABLE NETWORK Malaysia Airlines will realign the network based on demand and profitability result in the termination of MAS highly unprofitable routes to South Africa and Argentina and its only destination in Latin America.Other long hauls routes that unprofitable will also be eliminated MAS will deploy aircraft optimally to suit mission and for cost effectiveness. WIN BACK CUSTOMERS Malaysia Airlines will completely revamp the commercial team to improve performance and review sales and distribution channels. MAS plans to win or gain back its premium long hauls passengers through changing its carriers. A phase-out of MAS ageing widebody aircraft will be pursued and simultaneously new passenger facilities will be introduced.By the end of 2013 the carrier will be operating only three types of modern widebody aircraft  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ A330-300s, B777-200ERs and A380s. Then MAS will put in place best-in-class revenue management to fix corporate travel business and revamp our internet booking engine. MAS will enhancing our marketing and branding efforts and grow ancillary revenues. RELENTLESS COST FOCUS Malaysia Airlines will radically improve productivity and efficiency by increased aircraft utilization. Then MAS will streamline assets and resources across group. After that MAS will review and revamp legacy rocesses and work practic es and reduce reliance on 3rdparty and in source jobs where possible. Lastly overhaul the procurement and contracting practices, and review existing contracts for greater cost savings. BRIDGE THE FUNDING GAP The funding gap that must be bridged given the aircraft deliveries of 2012. This bridge has five pillars of support: 1. Positive operating cash flow 2. New debt and leasing arrangements 3. Working capital boost via the return of pre-delivery payment deposits 4. Proceeds from potential spin-offs 5. Unwavering support of our shareholdersGAME CHANGERS (MIDDLE MANAGEMENT) i. Capture regional point-to-point traffic * Deepen and optimize regional & domestic networks * Shift focus to point-to-point traffic markets * Optimize traffic hubs in KLIA, PEN, KCH, BKI ii. Alliance and partnerships * Enter one world for greater market access, connecting traffic flows, and seamless frequent flyer arrangements * Explore collaboration and joint venture opportunities to capture new markets and cons olidate market position while reducing the financial risks of participating individually. iii. Profitable ancillary businesses Build a profitable portfolio of ancillary businesses around the core airline FOUNDATION (OPERATIONAL PLAN) i. Branded customer experience Improve product quality, including business class product offering in to match best in market and radically improve service levels at all customer service touch points also create and build on service delivery differentiation. ii. Continuous operational improvement Continuously improve processes and work practices by simplify work steps. Remove legacy practices by reduce bureaucracy. Inject innovation in solving issues and problems. iii. Winning organizationReview organization design and manpower requirements. Improve talent and succession planning. Revamp work rules to increase productivity. Reinforce performance based compensation and rewards. Rally staff through active engagement & communication. REFERENCE Dessler, (201 1, 12). Malaysia Airline Business Plan. Retrieved 03, 2013, from http://malaysiaairlines. com/content/dam/mas/master/en/pdf/corporate-info/Malaysia%20Airlines%20Business%20Plan. pdf Unknown, (2013, 06). Malaysia Airline Report. Retrieved 03, 2013, from http://www. scribd. com/doc/97200708/Malaysia-Airline-Report

Ben Hamper

For Ben Hamper it was inevitable that he would end up working in the General Motors factory in Flint, Michigan. He was a third generation â€Å"shop-rat† following in the footsteps of his family and extended family. Working on the Rivet Line for General Motors was far from what Hamper wanted to do with his life. Unfortunately for Hamper this was the only job where he was receiving good pay and was able to drink throughout his day. Hamper faced many ups and downs being an American autoworker; the working conditions, labor-management relations and psychological problems to name a few.It would eventually be the psychological issues that would lead Hamper away from General Motors and the auto industry. Hamper did not start out with a plan to work the Rivet Line as his career. He wanted to be an ambulance driver, but that later went away as he grew older. Hamper was a smart kid who would sometimes make the honor roll; though he complains that he had nothing better to do but homewor k. His father, Ben Hamper II was nothing but ordinary. Hamper II was married but rarely worked, and when he was not working he was at the closest bar he could find.Hamper’s father was also a Rivet Line worker, just like his father before him and so on. It was a family affair to work in the auto industry. Hamper describes â€Å"Flint, Michigan. The Vehicle City. Greaseball Mecca. The birthplace of thud-rockers Grand Funk Railroad, game show geek Bob Eubanks and a hobby shop called General motors† (15), most likely having to do with the fact that within the surrounding areas of Flint were ten other auto industry shops. It was as if Hamper was born into the Rivet line. Prior to Hamper working at General Motors, he painted houses.Right after graduating high school Hamper found out his girlfriend, Joanie, was pregnant and he married her. He soon got a job painting houses, but that was not making enough profit for his family. Joanie then got a job while Hamper stayed home an d drank and used drugs with his neighbors, which is when his family began falling apart. Soon Hamper would find that getting a job was going to be difficult, because in the mid-1970s Flint, Michigan went into a recession. Hamper came to the conclusion that he would have no choice but to get a job at General Motors. This was much more difficult than Hamper ould have thought. Due to the recession, Hampers attempt at applying at GM was a long shot. They were not hiring and not handing out any applications. Fortunately for Hamper his friend got hired and was able to get him a job. Out of all the stations that Hamper would have wanted to end up working, his least favorite was the Cab Shop, where General Motors management stationed him. The job came easy for Hamper, perhaps because of its repetition it required. Hamper states that â€Å"Every minute, every hour, every truck and every movement was a plodding replica of one that had gone before† (41).It was a job of repetition and mo notony, which was eventually going to drive him crazy. The psychological costs that Hamper received due to working in the auto factories were foreseeable. The countless repetition, and the boring days were going to drive him crazy. Drinking was one way to cope with the tedious work day. Hamper relies on his coworkers for practical jokes and banter. Though some workers were unable to take the constant repetition, was Roy. Roy was a Rivet line worker just like Hamper, but he was using drugs. Perhaps it was the drugs that caused him to capture a mouse and send it through the rivet line.Hamper knew that it was the working conditions that sent many men over the edge. They would make up games like â€Å"Rivet hockey† or played cards to pass the time. But Hamper found other ways to pass his free time at the factory, he wrote. He wrote poems, articles and manuscripts, even the book called â€Å"Rivethead† while at General Motors. The effects the economy had on these workers wa s rough at first, but then Hamper speaks about the factory coming back onto its feet, â€Å"summer and fall of 1977, the truck plant was hummin’ six days a week, nine hours per shift† (44).People were spending money again and buying automobiles. Hamper and his work partner developed a scheme they called â€Å"doubling up†. This was a way for Hamper and his partner to take longer breaks and do less work throughout the day. Things were looking up for the factory and its workers, until management claimed there was going to be a change in the way things were done. Hamper would have to put in more work, which then lead to another recession hitting, and to people getting laid off. This set the General Motor factory back into a downward spiral. There was an nnouncement, given by Roger Smith, stating that many of the General Motors factories would be closing down. Hamper describes it as â€Å"My beleaguered hometown was like some banged-up middleweight resting its rump on the ropes, covering up its soft belly, hoping to only last out the round† (68). The town of Flint was facing yet another recession, and in the process of becoming the poorest town in Michigan. For Hamper, it was either stay in Flint where there were no jobs, or relocate to Pontiac, Michigan and commute for work. Prior to transferring to Pontiac, he would be laid off for about nine months.Hamper collected unemployment and quickly found that he was getting more money by collecting rather than working. Finally the time came for him to commute to Pontiac. Hamper finishes working in Pontiac and moves back to working for General Motors in Flint. Where more layoff were occurring and at times he was unemployed for a year. While living in Flint, Hamper writes to Michael Moore, who is a man responsible for the liberal rag called the Flint Voice. Moore was pleased with Hampers writings and called him, set up a meeting and offered Hamper an unpaid job of writing feature articles.He ac cepted and this was the start of Hamper and Moore’s friendship. Soon their relationship would turn into much bigger things for Hamper. His column was being read and becoming popular, even by the wall Street Journal. This seemed to be a turning point for Hamper, but his panic attacks started happening once he transferred to Pontiac. During the spring of 1988, Hampers panic attacks would get the best of him and it was the last time he would leave the auto factory. Ben Hamper was a third generation General Motors factory worker.It was far from what he wanted to do with his life growing up. Working in the auto factories for Hamper was like it was in his blood. He picked up the job quickly and soon found ways around it. For the working class man like Hamper and his many coworkers at the General Motors plant, was hard. Many workers had jobs, and then would get laid off and so on. They faced low pay for the amount of work they needed to put in, while at times other had to commute tw o hours for work. The psychological problems that occurred to the workers were mostly mental and alcoholism.Hamper being falling victim to both, knew that it was time for him to get out of the industry and move onto something he loved. He was a writer, and became notably famous for it. Perhaps it was Michael Moore who first gave Hamper his debut into the writing world, but it worked for Hamper. Hamper is a very well accomplished man for being raised by a mother who worked two jobs and a father who was almost always absent. Hamper knew that he would be more than a â€Å"shop-rat† like his father and grandfather. He has made a name for himself, and that is what he should be proud of.

Cheat Sheet MDM Risk analysis

Decisions based on them are dangerous! A single point only ever tells us what the average of two cases is, never what happens between the two cases! Poor understanding of downside risk poor understanding of upside opportunity 2) Scenario analysis: Define your scenarios; best-worst-base There are a range of results!Check if risk makes a difference 3) Use distributions for the uncertainties to describe key risk drivers Choose distribution based on historical data or expert opinion Distribution is important for the simulation; based on the given distribution, the simulator ill be more/less likely to pick numbers in specific ranges Uniform: same probability of all numbers in a given range Triangle: point within the range is much more likely than the other points Normal: you know the middle point but it could be off by X in either direction 4) Run (at)Risk (Monte-Carlo simulation) Define distributions (step 3) Define output cell fir which to simulate results Things to look out for Mean of objective variable (usually NAP) Compare results with scenario results (atria's will give better indication of the range than the scenarios! Look at full range of outcomes Look at standard deviation and at confidence range Look at downside risk and upside potential. What is % of being above/below specific number? What is breakable probability? What is the distribution like? Perform Monte-Carlo simulation to Evaluate different possible outcomes Determine expected result, range of results, probability of results (e. G. Probability of break-even), downside risk, etc.. Advantages: avoid the Flaw of Averages, understand the risk, test your intuition 5) Sensitivity analysis Purpose Examine sensitivity of results when model parameters are varied Observe change in results due to change in assumptionsIdentify main uncertainty drivers / key risk drivers Methodology What-if analysis (simple changing of numbers to see what happens) One-way & two-way sensitivity analysis Tornado diagrams One-wa y & two-way sensitivity analysis Use one-way sensitivity analysis (data table) to check how changes to a variable effect the output variable. Use Goal Seek to find breakable point of that variable. Use two-way sensitivity analysis (data table) to check for changes in two different variables at the same time Tornado diagram Check for impact of each variable / parameter, sorted in order of magnitude Shows you on which variables you should focus most, where the most important risks lie! Some Excel info points: Simulation settings: EXAMPLE QUESTIONS ON RISK ANALYSIS 1 .In what type of decision context could risk analysis be useful and why may it be dangerous to rely on single point forecasts? What techniques can you use to overcome the problems of such forecasts? How do you decide what technique is most appropriate to use? Every business decision entails risk dangerous! A single point only ever tells us what the average Of two cases is, never what happens between the two cases! Example answer for this part: These numbers are based on the average scenario which is not necessarily representative of the true value (argue why could over- or underestimate). Furthermore, they do not tell us anything about the risk.Technique: scenario analysis or simulation 2. Explain in your own words how Monte Carlo Simulation could be useful to a decision maker Evaluate different possible outcomes Averages, understand the risk, test your intuition 3. Explain how the simulation process works to produce results that are useful to a decision maker Example answer: This is different from the E,250 that Carolina's predecessor estimated because the original estimate was made using only single-value estimates for each of the variables.However, by using a Monte Carlo simulation that allows for a range of possible values (with a triangular distribution to account for the higher likelihood of the values Of 5% and 20% for economy and business, respectively). This means that, based on 1 ,OHO ite rations of possible combinations for each of the variables as per the arranging definition of the potential values for each variable under each iteration, the mean of the cost is E 10,277. 4. A friend of yours has just learned about simulation methods and has asked you to conduct a complicated risk analysis to help her making a choice. She said she would be happy to let you solve the problem and then recommend what action she should take. Explain why she needs to be involved in the analysis and modeling process and what kind of information you need from her.Risk analysis requires information about the characteristics of a particular uncertainty (e. G. Shape of probability striation function, range of likely values etc) 5. A simulation model has produced the following three risk profiles displayed below. What advice would you give to the decision maker on the basis of this output? Choice depends on risk attitude, personal wealth, importance of project success and cost of investment a lternative. Alternative C has the highest associated payoff. However, range of possible payoffs is quite large. The steeper the shape of the probability distribution function, the smaller the range of possible expected payoffs (look at standard deviation of outcomes).Consider 5% confidence interval of most likely payoffs. Alternative A has quite a big confidence interval with relatively flat slope at the edges. Look at intersection of B and C and argue which one is less risky. 6. Your boss has asked you to work up a simulation model to examine the uncertainty regarding the success or failure of five different investment projects. He provides probabilities for the success of each project individually (numbers given). Because the projects are run by people in different segments of their investment market, you both agree that it would be reasonable to believe that, given these probabilities, he outcomes of the projects are independent.He points out, however, that he really is not fully confident in these probabilities and that they could be off by as much as 0. 05 in either direction on any given probability. (a) How can you incorporate this uncertainty about the probabilities in the simulation model? Use normal distributions for each project with Sd= 0. 05 (b) Now suppose he changes probability to include ranges. How can you update your simulation model to take this additional information into account? Update probability distributions – triangle, discrete, uniform, normal Example answer: He should use historical data and his expert judgment to estimate the distribution of inputs. He should apply a normal distribution if the different values are independent of each other.Example for normal distribution argument: However, since the number of high quality applications is the sum of the individual decisions â€Å"whether or not to apply/' of a substantial amount of high caliber young professionals, and since this decision is taken by each potential applicant to a large extend independently of each other, the normal distribution with mean 630 seems reasonable. Moreover, given the potential range of high quality applications is between 51 0 and 750, a standard deviation of 60 seems reasonable; that is, the range of 240 students corresponds to 4 standard deviations. Since the proportion of offers accepted is again the sum of many individual decisions, the normal distribution with mean 58% and standard deviation of 2% might be reasonable. 7. Interpret the following risk analysis result tables ask at: Minimum, expected, maximum, P(loss) = x % (downside risk), P(> X) = Y% (upside potential) 8. Interpret sensitivity analysis Describe how output variable is sensitive to given assumptions/parameters.Describe how output variable minimizes and maximizes with the different scenarios; what is the upside potential and downside risk Example answer: The total cost decreases by El ,800 for each 5% increase in the business class no-show rate from 15% to 20% (at which point it is minimized), but then increases by E,700 per percentage point increase from 20% to 30%. The rate Of increase is consistent regardless of the rate of economy no-show. (could include more insights!!! ) The two-way sensitivity table and the accompanying chart show us that in the lower ranges of the possible no-show rates, the total cost is sensitive to both variables in fairly similar proportion, until the optimum combination (I. E. The minimized cost) is reached at 5% economy and 20% business. After this inflection point, the total cost becomes much more sensitive to changes in the business class no-show rate. 9.Describe, compare and explain the shape of a distribution. Risk profile: probability of making a loss vs. a profit Minimum versus maximum Variance Size of 90% confidence interval around the mean Expected return mean average) Include arguments why distributions might differ with different scenarios 1 0) Make recommendation based on the results. Will us ually be trade-off between high risk for higher return on average and lower risk for lower return on average Include risk profiles, probabilities, maximum and minimum numbers†¦ Example answer: The policy that we have recommended is better than the others, because it has the lowest average total cost.Furthermore, the 95% confidence interval has the narrowest range of possible values, as well as the lowest probability that costs will exceed El 7,000. However, even though our recommended policy is better overall, it is not necessarily going to be the best on each individual flight. However, this doses t matter since the average cost is the single most important criterion when choosing a policy because you have 365 * 4 flights per year. One additional insight you could generate is the simulated cost difference between the current and suggested policies. The new policy is worse than the original policy 6% of the times. 1 1) What can be further done to improve profitability and manag e the risks involved?

Hume and the Problem of Induction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hume and the Problem of Induction - Essay Example It is possible that a piece of food will poison the individual even though it has never poisoned him or her in the past. Therefore, the individual has weaken his or her conclusion by claiming that probably the piece of food is not going to poison him or her. The statement is true concerning the statement of psychological conviction. The question that rings is, Is It rationally justifiable in any sense of objective? Therefore, it can be said that any form of inductive argument and reasoning is only reliable when the outcome or the conclusion from the statement is almost true most of the time. According to Hume, if at all there were any of such arguments it will be simple enumerative induction. Hume himself does not use the concept of induction. In any case, whatever has come to be called the problem of induction has come down to everyone. Hume problem of induction is into two different parts. The first part is the descriptive problem. In this part, it explains how human’s beings are able to form opinions out of fact matters that are unobserved. The second part is the normative section. The second part tries to answer the question of whether the beliefs that are in such ways are justified. Hume’s tries to answer questions of life on whether individuals who reason out just the same way people do, have the reason to believe on his or her conclusions, on the parts of nature he or she knows nothing about and has not observed (Sloman and Lagnado, pg. 95). The first claim of Hume is negative: a priori cannot be from any knowledge that is not observed. Rather the priori must be derived from the knowledge that has been gained through observation and experience. Imagine an individual who has never heard about snow leave alone seeing it. For the first, he or she is shown a snowball and asked to make a prediction even before he or she has touched it, whether it will be hot or cold.

Intership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Intership - Essay Example This report paper will seek to describe my experience, challenges, and recommendations in my tasks and responsibilities while serving at Second Harvest food Bank. Second Harvest is an organization that deals with strategies and programs targeting local hunger. It operates in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Its operations began in 1974 and have grown over the years to the largest food store in the region. It supplies food to nearly a quarter of the county population of which almost half of the supply is fresh farm produce. The organization purposely advices families about nutrition and health food selections. It concentrates on distributing food to low income people effectively and efficiently through direct service program and collaborating with a network of non-profit agencies. Some of its partner agencies are shelters, pantries, children’s program, soup kitchen, residential programs, and senior meal sites. Volunteers contribute their hours to perform free service at the organization and get a reward in form of food supplies. On return, these hours save on high costs of personnel recruitment. Such a practice enables the volunteer to practice justice by giving back to the society. I was in a position to understand the struggles other peoples undergo in life, learn how to interact with less fortunate like orphans in the society and how to handle difficulty situations when assisting others. Duties and responsibilities Data entry 68.50 hours Food sorting 39.50 hours Arranging emergency bags 6 hours Helping Second Harvest bank set up its launch 5 hours. Filing paper 4 hours Downloading music 4 hours creating labels for salads 4 hours Working with second food bank needs very little sophistication and mental effort since it did not demand any technical effort. The tasks were straight forward, no need for experience, but basic computer knowledge for data entry were necessary. The tasks involved less of mental energy but more of physical energy. This is beca use I could file papers manually, sort food as well as arranging emergency bags. For purpose of neatness, little mental effort was essential. The preparation of the organization launch needed a lot of time and good planning for it to come out successful and commendable. This is because the organization has many guests and partners therefore; this event took a lot of attention both mentally and physically. My internship at second Harvest food bank exposed me to the world of reality when executing tasks (Barbur et al, 2011). It gave me the opportunity to manage my work and time effectively, ensuring that every task is completed within the set time. I prioritized my work and allocated time according to tasks’ complexity and lengthy. It also gave me an opportunity to improve and practice my computer skills. Working with a computer enabled me advance my basic computer knowledge, learn new programs and even create an interesting working environment, as I could not get bored. The us e of computer made me appreciate the importance of new technology since I could enter data within short time, edit it, and retrieve information if necessary. The application of computer simplifies tasks since summaries are generated when necessary within the shortest time possible. Relating with people at work was my biggest opportunity to practice and enhance people and communication skills learned during my course work. I was able to resolve personal issues and conflicts between workers. It gave me the

Strat-Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strat-Management - Essay Example DP world is amongst the world’s largest port operating entities that has an established business base and considerable potential with the ventures expanded over different major ports of the world that are hub to the services, containers and shipping. Company specialization: It specializes in the ports and terminal operations. The company has enjoyed control over three major cargo terminals in this area and has recently decided to sell as high as 60 percent of its terminal stakes (portstrategy 2012). It facilities the functions of performing cargo terminal services across the major docks and primarily on the Belgian docks as in this particular case. This move of selling the shares comes as a result of agreement and settlement with a locally operated company in the name of Zuidnatie, which aims to overtake and purchase as many as 60 percent of the overall shares of the company that were owned by it previously. This decision has various repercussions ranging from business view po int, to economic and strategic since the brand name is already established and also the services delivery infrastructure has been in place as well. Therefore understanding its long term, short term impacts is vital along with the possible angles and dimensions under which this move may have been initiated. Core idea: The idea behind selling its break bulk terminal is trigged by the move and motive to focus on the core services which is that of deep water container facility. This move is accompanied by that of expansion of its services and facilities usage in the Delwaide Dock terminal, which again is a front line terminal and would enable better focus on the core stream. The overall sales are worth around 60 million dollars. Repercussions: Since the decision is of major significance, it has both internal impacts and external, each of these need to be evaluated in terms of the possible impacts on DP world, this will be looked into with reference to the internal variables, internal fa cilities, the workers response, and on external front, it would be gauged against the supply chain factor, the market competition, the rivals response, the possible loss of customers and clients by giving up the terminal that has long been associated with DP world and other factors. All these need to be critically evaluated and observed in order to assess the impacts and determine whether this decision would augur any positives for the company or possibly lead to the negative impacts on the overall organization. It is potentially amongst the top three largest stevedores in the Port of Antwerp and its decision to abandon and sell its services will have impacts both on DP world itself and the overall terminal’s environment since it is an established entity and has been around and has earned the clients trust for considerable time (Barnard 2012). Under the law and rules and regulation of the porting industry, 70 jobs have to be cut off in lieu of this decision which would includ e 40 white collar jobs, and 30 blue collar jobs (Nobx 2012). The trend: DP world has exhibited similar behavior in recent times, and this is not the only and unique function being performed, the selling of its 20 percent shares to the Russian giants was one similar example. Another similar event came to forth in form of DP world’

Significant life changing moment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Significant life changing moment - Essay Example e, entire fate gets changed from even very small changes in life, in this discussion I would tell you what turning points my life took and how I changed my self entirely. I was born in a lower class family with so many problems and I saw my parents fighting all the time with no mercy, both of my parents were quite opposite to each other and they had no match, still I wonder why God made such a terrible match, but now I realize that it all happened because God was willing me to get birth from that couple, I was never comfortable as a child, though I was the only one to take birth and had no one around except my parents, as a kid I never gained attention of my parents because of numerous reasons, firstly my father who was a sports person, used to have very less earning and what ever he used to earn he never gave it to me and my mother, this was the first clash between my parents, secondly my mother also had to do part time jobs in order to support me and herself, so there was no way to get individual attention from either of my parents, life was never easy for me, I still remember when I used to walk and visualize all the happenings of my life at an ea rly age, I tried my level best to bring my parents closer but was failed each time, may be because they were also never comfortable with each other and also they never thought of sacrificing their lives for me and one day they both got apart forever, I was five when they got divorced, it was decided that I would live with my mother as my father was never willing to keep me and that is what exactly happened, â€Å"Modern childhood is often portrayed in terms of enhanced democratic relationships between parents and children, with the assumption that childrens negotiating power has increased over time†(Jensen, 1: 2003). My father was a strange person and he was said to be psychotic by my mother in which she was quite true, my father remarried to his old time friend who was a nurse at some hospital but he was again a

Letter of introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Letter of introduction - Essay Example I am attracted to this particular field because of the impact that it brings to our social world. It is not just about the trends but it is about giving the people something to feel good about themselves. Comfort and security in one’s image is very important to me. And this is what I want to impart those I can reach through the field I am choosing to become part of. Self-image and self-confidence is very important for me. It is the root of one’s strength and courage to do things for himself and for others. But even if I have my own beliefs and perspectives, I do not reject other’s opinions just because it does not match mine. Differences are challenges for me and it makes me more aware of what’s happening around me. Just like in fashion, people don’t like the same clothes, colors or designs. Everyone has his own style. This is the same as with beliefs and perspectives. But just the same as in the fashion world, the differences gives us color and lif e. I believe that we should learn to compromise and accept that the world can never be just black and white. I hope that I am able to give you a better understanding of how I think about myself and how I would like others to see me. I am looking forward to the learning experience and relationship that we will have this semester. With respect, (insert your full name)

Economic environment effect on Build-a-Bear Essay

Economic environment effect on Build-a-Bear - Essay Example When consumers’ income decrease, then it is expected that their purchasing power will fall thus impacting on the brand negatively. For example, after the financial crisis of 2007/2007, consumers’ income fell remarkably in the United States as a result of closure of companies, laying down of workers and reduction of salaries of wages (Nanto Dick). As a result consumers were unable to spend money buying items in the manner they did before the financial crisis. This is what resulted in the decline in sales of the Build-a- bear company thus negatively affecting its brand. According to the company’s press release the company increased its sales remarkably in the first quarter of 2013 (yahoo finance). Other external factors that affected the company’s brand are savings, debts, employment and credit. All these factors were also greatly influenced by the financial crisis of 2007/2008 thus negatively affecting the company’s brand. This is due to the fact thi s industry dependent highly on consumers’ disposable income (Accuval). How Recent Stock Market Movements have Affected the Company Despite the economic crisis of 2007/2008, the United States of America economy has been recovering gradually. This has been as a result of the austerity and stimulus policies that have been adopted by the United States of America government (Weaver, 189). ... At the same time the company’s sales increased by1.4 dollars more than the previous quarter. This is a remarkable improvement considering the company was performing poorly after the financial crisis of 2007/2008. This is because consumers in the united Sates of America opted for imported toys and other commodities in the industry from countries such as china since they were at a cheaper price. Thus it can be concluded that the recent stock market movements have favored the company. Actions Has the Company been Taking in Response to these Developments and Trends In order to cope with the developments and trends in the economy, the company came up with a number of strategies. Firstly, the company introduced a store design that is new where the company introduced 11 stores which were newly imagined. These stores increased sales to 20 percent in the second quarter. The company expects that by 2013 it will have established the new store design in at least 30 locations and 25 more i n 2014. The company decided to reduce on operational costs by closing up 38 stores in 2012 and transferring the sales of these stores to other stores in the market. The company also remodeled it stores in order to save on cost by reducing the square footage occupied by the stores. It also moved to smaller premises in small malls. Build-a Bear also changed its approach to marketing and advertising in order to increase shopping frequency. The company did this by building their brand through television advertising in its markets in the United States of America 2012 mid October. It also rebalanced its marketing mix in Europe in order to retain existing customers and attract more consumers to their products. This has resulted in the company realizing

Toyota Motors Japan Essay Example for Free

Toyota Motors Japan Essay The mission theme of Toyota Motors Japan is Innovation into the Future – A Passion to Create a Better Society.   Launched and announced in 2004, this mission theme is the main influence for all of the programs of Toyota Motors Japan.   It basically follows four (4) basic guidelines which the company follows in order to achieve its goals in being able to create a more prosperous society.   These four (4) basic principles are as follows: Be a driving force in global regeneration by implementing the most advanced environmental technologies. Create automobiles and a motorized society in which people can live safely, securely and comfortably. Promote the advantages of cars throughout the world and attract more Toyota fans. Be a truly global company that is trusted and respected by all people around the world. These goals are the overriding objectives of Toyota Motors Japan and figure prominently in the formulation and implementation of its corporate strategies and plans.   Toyota Motors adheres to the principle of Monozukuri, which emphasizes the manufacturing of value-added products and technological innovation.   The company believes that while Japanese cars have been associated with low costs and quality it can change all of this by offering better quality for relatively the same price.   It also emphasizes the shifting trend into more environmentally friendly vehicles in line with the Tokyo Protocol. These implementing guidelines for the mission statement of Toyota Motors Japan, which help them maintain their focus on their goals, are the following: Honor the language and spirit of the law of every nation and undertake open and fair corporate activities to be a good corporate citizen of the world. Respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to economic and social development through corporate activities in the communities. Dedicate ourselves to providing clean and safe products and to enhancing the quality of life everywhere through all our activities. Create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services that fulfill the needs of customers worldwide. Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management. Pursue growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management. Work with business partners in research and creation to achieve stable, long-term growth and mutual benefits, while keeping ourselves open to new partnerships.

A Study On The European Citizenship Politics Essay

A Study On The European Citizenship Politics Essay Citizenship is not an essence but a historical construction. The idea of European Union citizenship was first acknowledged in the Maastricht Treaty, which was signed in 1991 and came into effect in 1993. European patriotism and identity obviously draw on the concept of European citizenship. The complicated nature of European collective identity and the different collective identities of European nations eventually link the process of common identity-building to the legal formation of a European citizenry and the distribution of rights and duties guaranteed for citizens by European law (Von Beyme, 2001). Today, citizenship has moved to the forefront of political debates in many European countries as well as the European Union institutions, and it has become a volatile policy area where change is dynamic and continuous even if the citizenship laws remain robust to major changes mainly due to the friction between the nation state and supranationalism in terms of political sovereignty. While Maastricht Treaty establishes Union citizenship for every person holding the nationality of a Member State; the Amsterdam Treaty addresses this issue by adding that Citizenship of the Union shall complement and not replace national citizenship (Treaty on European Union Article 8, February 7, 1992). There is a problematical area which the European Charter on Fundamental Rights will not overcome: the citizenship is merely a derived condition of nationality, while certain fundamental rights are based on a mixture of various criteria other than citizenship or nationality alone. Even if the Charter on Fundamental Rights in the European Union adopted as a legally binding instrument with EU law, it will not change anything in this direction and this dilemma will remain to exist. An important problem of the current formulation of European Union citizenship is that it is not defined as an autonomous concept in Community Law at the supranational level, but defined exclusively by the appl icable member state legislation for granting of nationality only at the national level. From the perspective of the legal aspects of citizenship, EU citizenship might be characterized as a derived condition of nationality simply because there is no Community competence to set up its own criteria for defining nationality or citizenship, thus the formal European identity. The conception of European citizenship is one of the mechanisms that the integration process generates for further deepening of the Union. After several rounds of enlargements and accession of more than ten new member states in the last decade, the European integration project must focus its efforts on deepening its structures and organization rather than enlargement especially at a time of fast globalization. Today, Europe is in need of defining the borderlines of European citizenship which cannot be constructed by a model built on the nation state principles. Although the identity building stage for peoples of the European Union is similar to the process of national identity building; the EU citizenship shall be comprehended and structured as a whole different entity than national citizenship. Today, the European society is in trouble because of the unclear definition of the EU citizenship and common European identity, or the unhealthy practice of European citizenship through natio n state based models in the integrated Europe of our day. So far, the prospects of a common European citizenship have been basically failure when it comes to practice and the reason is that European citizenship is incorrectly formulized to serve the aims of national interests rather than the supranational institutions of the European Union. The ultimate attempt of the European Commission to consolidate political integration through a Constitutional Treaty in the year 2005 was rejected by citizens of France and the Netherlands. The public opinion indicates that most citizens in Europe are not eager to become citizens of Europe they are not willing to shift their sovereignty, political allegiance and identities from the national to the supranational level (Baubà ¶ck, 2006). The results of successive editions of the Eurobarometer suggests that European political identity is weak and there is a great variation across EU member states, while in most EU countries only a very small percentage of people around five percent declare having an exclus ive European identity while up to fifty percent do not have any sense of European identity (Gubernau, 2001: 176). Indeed, Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 makes it clear that citizenship of the Union shall complement and not replace national citizenship and that the Union shall respect the national identities of its member states. Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union: Article 1, October 2, 1997). Therefore, Community law does not recognize any authority of the Union in determining its own citizens (Baubà ¶ck, 2006). Instead, the current legislation suggests that the European Union citizenship is simply derived from national member state citizenship, which is highly problematic to serve the jurisdiction of the European Union institutions. Before the enlargement of 2004 which resulted with ten new member states joining the EU, the European Commission identified three priorities for the EU which highlighted giving full content to European citizenship (European Commission, 2004). In 2006, the second phase of the EU Programme to Promote Active European Citizenship was launched. The concept of a European citizenship incorporating shared values and a sense of belonging to the European Union in addition to legal rights were officially acknowledged by the Programme. However, today the European Union citizenship is increasingly challenged in domestic politics and may eventually become a source of conflict between member states, if it has not become an important area of intra-tension yet. Recent European experiences suggest that natural and spontaneous convergence among EU member states towards cosmopolitan liberal norms is no longer a reasonable expectation. Almost two decades after creating a citizenship of the Union, it shal l be the time that European policy-makers take the initiative of introducing common European standards for the citizenship laws of the member states to create an active and functioning European Union citizenship. Although this does not require imposing a single European citizenship law, the process might start with an open method of coordination and could result in an authority of EU law to regulate those aspects of national legislation that violate principles of European solidarity or result in discrimination and exclusion of third-country nationals (Baubà ¶ck, 2006: 6). Furthermore, problems exist at the supranational governance level as the European Parliament is the primary legislative body of the European Union but it is not a sovereign legislative body. . After all, the EU citizenship has unfortunately remained a metaphor with some added value to it until today. The European Union citizenship in order to practically exist needs direct effect of Community law in order to becom e e a genuine source of rights for citizens of Europe. Although Europe gave birth to the nation state system and the Europeans are creators of the idea of citizenship; peoples of the European Union are in desperate need of making an up-to-date definition of the EU citizenship today. The Classical Model of Citizenship, also known as the National-Political Citizenship, is a product of Europe in the context of the classical European nation state. One major problem in todays Europe is that this model is crumbling and no more capable of providing a complete comprehension of citizenship in the integrated Europe under our days dynamic conditions. The Classical Model applies to two types of nation state formations in Europe: the republican or civic model supported by France or the nationalist or ethnic model supported by Germany and the Eastern European states. Although the French model, also adopted by the Americans, focuses on the political qualities of culture and the German model focuses on the ethnical qualities as major elements; both incl ude the concept of nation, in other words people on a certain territory with certain rights and liberties as their main element. However, the strict attachment to territory when defining citizenship is no more applicable under todays European Union conditions; as free movement within the Union is established in recent years. On the other hand, the rights and liberties given to the increasing immigrant population and ethnic groups are questioned as the main factors of inconsistency, distress and tension in the socio-political life in Europe today. After all, the European Union is not a nation-state; it entails a whole different type of organization, a supranational entity above the level of member nation-states. If the EU is imagined as a large nation state, then its cultural politics stays on the top-bottom line as elitist discourse to create Europeans (Strath, 2000) and do not touch social identities of the people, except Euro-bureaucrats only (Shore, 2000). Nonetheless, today the EU citizenship rights are derivative of national citizenship and currently they do not form a compelling basis for an active European citizenship of participation (Delanty, 2000a: 83, Baubà ¶ck, 2006). On the other hand, to what extent EU citizenship departs from the nation-state norms of citizenship remains the question. The European integration has a positive impact on the decline of nation states as they begin to share their sovereignty for building a supranational entity which entails an economical as a well as a political unification of Europe. However, the National-Political Citizenship Model is out of date with the formation of todays integrationist Europe. European nation states are breaking down as they face with drastic changes driven by diverse outcomes of globalization, such as heterogeneous multicultural structure and free movement within the European Union which challenge the territory principle of the nation state structure. In Scholtes words, contemporary governance is multilayered; it includes important local, substate regional, suprastate, regional, and transworld operations alongside and intertwined with national arrangements (Scholte, 2000: 143). An important consequence of these shifts is that governance has become more fragmented and decentralized. Globalization has accelerated t he efforts for building European citizenship by creating gaps in effective governance at national level and refocusing attention on problems best dealt with at the sub-national or supra-national level (Rumford, 2003). Therefore, one can conclude that globalization has opened up the field of European governance. As a result, the new supranational state organization in Europe does not allow powerful nation states of the 20th Century to exist, and therefore the Classical Model of Citizenship which relies on the nation-state structure simply needs to be changed or reconfigured under todays circumstances. The present formulation of European Union citizenship has failed to establish a direct connection between the citizenry and the European Union institutions, without ties to the nation state. In the literature of liberal democracy, citizenship is meant to empower citizens of a state to hold governments accountable. In this respect, Union citizenship hardly satisfies democratic aspirations (Baubà ¶ck, 2006). Baubà ¶ck argues that the true value of being a citizen of the European Union lies not in rights one has towards the institutions of the Union, but in rights towards the other member states as the Union citizenship extensively prohibits national governments from discriminating against the citizens of other EU states (Baubà ¶ck, 2006: 1).. After all, there is a broader aspiration to promote relationships between the Union and European people which are to be more direct and substantial than they were in the past and which are less intervened by the member states. Almost a decade a fter the EU citizenship was introduced, the European Commission had confessed that EU citizens have little in the way of a European political consciousness and are not given much encouragement nor facility to engage in a consistent political dialogue with European institutions (European Commission, 2001:7). Therefore, Europeanists also believe that EU citizenship is also important for the future of the Union as it entails an enhanced relationship between the EU and its citizens which in turn will increase effectiveness and efficiency of European institutions, reducing the EUs democratic deficit while increasing the Unions political legitimacy. Meanwhile, the European citizenship has been a rather insignificant area of law and source of rights so far, after nearly two decades it had been introduced into the Community Law. In practice, the concept of EU citizenship has been used with an intention to close up certain gaps of free movement issues within the European land. The legal rights associated with citizenship of the Union are to travel and reside anywhere in the EU; to vote and to stand for election in municipal and European elections in the member state of residence, regardless of nationality; to have consular protection by the consulate of another member state while outside the EU; to petition the European Parliament and apply to the European Ombudsman (Consolidated Treaty of Rome Articles 18-22). Based on general principles of the Community law, specifically the principle of non-discrimination having direct effect, an extension of the substance of citizenship to third-country nationals who have legally lived within t he boundaries EU for a long time; and the issues that correlate with the interrelation between rights and duties remain as a question (Reich, 2001). Deviating from the past trend towards liberalization, there are numbers of countries, such as Greece, Denmark, and Austria, where restrictive citizenship laws have been either retained or further advanced largely due to the growing trend of external migration to the Union. The Netherlands, which used to have a liberal naturalization policy for immigrants, is the most dramatic example of a turnabout of citizenship policy. Furthermore, citizenship tests were introduced in Germany, Denmark, Greece, Austria, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in addition to the widespread requirement of learning the dominant language, these tests include questions about the countrys history, constitution, and everyday culture which almost require university level education for immigrants in order to become citizens (Baubà ¶ck, 2006: 5). While language skills are universally accepted as useful for social as well as political integration for immigrants seeking citizenship, the usefulness of the largel y implausible questions asked in citizenship tests raise doubts. This new approach in European Union member states to naturalization reminds of exclusionary ethnic conception of citizenship as the new naturalization policies emphasize integration as a precondition for citizenship and they define integration as an individual achievement rather than a structural condition of equal rights and opportunities. Although citizenship is no longer attached to ethnic identities in todays Europe, it cannot be accepted as a tool for integrating societies which have heterogeneous origins. Today, the current formulation of the EU citizenship has three main features. First, it is not autonomous and genuine as it is derived from member state citizenship; second, it cannot establish a direct link between the European Union and its citizens without ties to the national level; and third, in practice it only gives free access to other member states for European citizens within the boundaries of the Union, and does not provide more. Moreover, it is a source of inequality and exclusion for Europeans. Some European Union member states may give national citizenship to immigrants in three years while another state can call for ten years of residence; thus there is no standards for becoming a European Union citizen for immigrants as the Union citizenship is merely connected to national citizenship. On the other hand, current policies do not serve as a unifying factor at the supranational level but remain merely connected to the national level as immigrants who move frequently betw een different member states of the EU while staying within the territories of the Union for an overall long period of time cannot become European Union citizens, because citizenship policies still operate at national level which does not only harm the unity of European society but also embarrass European Union by proving it as an ineffective political entity. In fact, nearly all European states require a certain period of continuous residence in their national territory rather than the territory of the European Union as a condition for naturalization according to their natural laws. Theoretically, the EU citizens have the right of free access to employment in other member states of the Union. However, this right has been temporarily suspended in some member states for the citizens of countries that have recently joined the EU which introduced a temporary form of second-class citizenship within the Union that is hard to reconcile with the basic commitment to free movement and non-dis crimination on grounds of nationality among the European Union citizens (Baubà ¶ck, 2007: 459).Therefore, one may conclude that there is a great inconsistency between the aims of the European Union citizenship and its current formulation due to the tension between national and supranational levels and the fact the EU citizenship is not genuine and remain merely a derivation from natural citizenship policies. There are different ways of responding to these problems and all entail a new formulization of European Union citizenship. A radical solution would be to turn the relation between supranational and national citizenship upside down, so that the former determines the latter (Baubà ¶ck, 2006). This would propose a federation for the European Union and there is not much political support among European citizens as well as governments for building such a European federation. The alternative remains to be to hope for a spontaneous convergence of national citizenship policies from below; which experience suggests that is not realistic to expect anytime soon. Many national reforms have moved in similar directions over the past decades, but it would be rather optimistic to believe that member states are willing to change their laws in order to avoid burdening other states with immigration problems or in order to secure roughly equal conditions for access to citizenship across Europe (Baubà ¶ck, 2006). Rainer Baubà ¶ck (2007) summarizes three major approaches to future European Union citizenship: The statist approach, the unionist approach and the pluralist approach. The statist approach view the European Union in as progressing towards a federal state, and suggests federal norms of citizenship such as the example of the United States for the EU citizenship. The unionist approach aims to strengthen citizenship of the Union by making it more inclusionary for the Europeans. It is different from the federal modal in terms that it seeks to emancipate EU citizenship from member-state citizenship rather than integrate the latter into the former. The pluralist approach seeks to apply general norms of democratic legitimacy at both supranational and national levels and to balance these concerns where they may coincide or conflict. Although this approach is not primarily committed to strengthening the EU citizenship by weakening member state citizenships; it is reformist in promoting a more consistent conception of multilevel citizenship which can be applied to the EU under todays conditions. The statist, in other words Federal approach has only few advocates and involves substantial departure from the path the European Union has been following until today which makes it a non-feasible solution. The Unionist approach has many advocates among Europeanists and immigrant populations; but in larger civil society it still remains a marginal proposition for European politics. Finally, the pluralist approach is the most feasible solution for European Union citizenship, but still it is too ambitious to have any chance of adaptation in the near future (Baubà ¶ck, 2007). After all, all three approaches propose different paths for European citizenship but they share a commitment to Union citizenship and they are opposed to Euroskeptic nationalist or intergovernmental perspectives on EU citizenship. In the general literature, In the general literature, there are several alternative formulations other than the Classical Model of Citizenship which may serve as basis for a common European Union citizenry.Revised National Citizenship Model is a new approach to citizenship; it is basically a version of the national-political model of citizenship which is arguably updated to todays conditions in Europe. Indeed, this model is probably the most commonly practiced citizenship model by the European states today, which simply took place of the classical model or mixed with the classical model due to change of the environment in Europe. Although this model supports openness in terms of a potential of citizenship for resident non-citizens, political rights are not given to the non-citizen residents which is central to discussion to overcome the potential problems in Europe centered in minority issues. Therefore, this model does not seem to provide a solution for the European Union citizenshi p in todays circumstances as it has already been largely practiced in parts of Europe. Finally, although the revised model makes it easier for non-citizen residents to earn citizenship rights while it simultaneously closes the doors for newcomers by establishing effective control over borders. The model makes it even harder to migrate into a country in any legal status which would decrease the non-citizen resident population. Most states in Europe such as England and Germany which are regarded as the hardest countries to earn citizenship; empower this model rather than the classical model today, to create a solution for their migration problems. The Post National Citizenship Model is the most complex, revolutionary and appropriate model for the future of European integration. Habermas, as a well-known European constitutionalist and pro-integrationist who comes from a republican nation state tradition, puts a lot of emphasis on civil rights and liberties while his arguments center on the idea of constitutional patriotism. The main argument is that Europe needs a public sphere, a public opinion and a political culture to create a common identity but the values used in creation of this singular European identity should not be ethnic or nationalist values and solely political elements of culture (Habermas, 1994). Ratification of a European Constitution would provide the easiest way to achieve these values to create a single European identity, which definitely cannot be created with ethnic or nationalist elements, which should remain as secondary identities. On the other hand, Habermas argues that further enlargement of the EU wi ll make integration even more difficult and the deepening of European Union is more important than its widening policies under todays conditions (Habermas, 2005). Finally, the newcomers are seen as a risk for the model of citizenship and the future of Europe because they must adapt to the European political culture or they will surely pose a threat to the democratic system of the state. Habermas concludes that a resident non-citizen should be entitled as a citizen only when being a part of the European political culture by building positive relations with the majority of the society and by being schooled in the educational system of the host country to for full adaptation (Habermas, 1994). On the contrary, Yasemin Soysal uses a different perspective while discussing the Post National Citizenship Model. The main argument which lies at the heart of the debate is that the human rights are more important than political rights because citizens are individuals which raise the importance of human rights (Soysal, 2000). The key point here is the fact that, although political rights are highly related to the nation state structure, the human rights are not related to the development of nation-state thus they are independent from a nation-state based citizenship model. Massive decolonization, the rise of transnational agencies, the emergence of multilevel politics and most importantly, increasing immigration after the Second World War are four developments that created the historical background for the rise of human rights in Europe in last fifty years. In Todays Europe, boundaries of citizenship are fluid, multiplicity of membership and universal personhood exist which are basi c characteristics of the Post-National Citizenship Model. As a result, the post-national citizenship model is compatible with todays European Union, as it does not count on national borders and only universal characteristics rather than national ones. Therefore, post national citizenship model suits well with the concept of a European citizenship, not created by ethnic, national or religious elements of culture but the political culture, as it was also argued by Habermas (1994, 2003). On the other hand, there is a counter-argument about the possible success of the Post-National Model application in Europe. The critical argument made by Soysal is that the rising trend of human rights creates a paradox, which lays as the main reason behind the increasing minority violence events across Europe. Soysal asks in todays environment of emphasized civil rights and post national individualism, how are particularistic identities affected, given the rise of human rights, particularistic identities such as ethnical, religious and national identities rise simultaneously (Soysal, 2000). The conclusion is that the Post National Citizenship Model sits on top of the paradox; civil rights and particularistic identities rise simultaneously as increasing liberties prepare grounds for expressing these identities. Although human rights are rising for the privileged citizens, not each and every individual in a society such as immigrant minorities in France has full access to human rights because they remain as non-citizen residents, outsiders to the culture and this causes the creation of socio-economical inequality. On the other hand, when these groups are given cultural rights under todays conditions without the establishment of necessary economic and social integration; the outcomes may be further expression of particularistic identities which will again create a threat to the social system. The rise of cultural rights is a crucial issue in the post national debate. Cultural rights are defined as an issue of human rights; the issue is related to group rights rather than individual rights in the post-national context (Taylor, 1999). For example the minority violence events on European streets can be understood by observing the rights of these groups of people who are all resident non-citizens and who all dont have national political rights; and it is important that all are group actions instead of individual actions. Cultural rights of these groups are crucial in a multicultural post-national Europe, and most of the social tension centers on the issue that how much cultural rights should the minority groups have in the context of an integrated Europe rather than a nation state structure. What makes these people different than European Union citizens in the cradle of democracy is the fact that majority rules in democracies and minorities are excluded from the system as a s acrifice simply because democracy is a majority system. On the other hand, in democracies, minorities have belief in the system because they have hopes to be a part of the majority and thus the ruling class one day and thats how the mechanism of democracy works. However, these minority groups in EU member states seemed to lose their hopes of having political rights, or becoming citizens in other words; thus they pose a threat for the democratic system under todays national-political citizenship model as Habermas also argues (1994). As these minority groups were left outside by segregation in Europe, and they have no political rights as resident non-citizens; the expression of their adaptation problems turned out to be attacks against the social and democratic structure in the country. These are all problems caused by the crumbling model of classical citizenship and post-national citizenship idea would bring solutions to most of these problematic areas. Immigrant minority groups in Europe would have citizenship rights that would integrate them into the democratic system and give them the chance to be represented, which will provide these groups hope and trust in democracy. As a result, violence on streets would be prevented because these groups would have the chance to fight for their rights in the democratic arena rather than the streets. The integration of non-citizen minority groups will give pace to the deepening process of Europe and it should be achieved before further widening which would slow down the integration in Europe by adding more complexities (Habermas, 2000). Cultural rights and cultural policy is another important area of tension in the debate of a European Union citizenship. In the Classical Nation state, or Liberal Model in other words, which is exercised by most European states today, public and private are two distinct and clearly separated realms (Habermas, 2003). Cultural rights can be exercised in the private area of life while public area is kept neutral and ethnic or cultural signs are kept out strictly. In France, people are asked not to wear even cross as a symbol of Christianity in the public area, however one can see women wearing headscarf in public in Paris; so the picture is mixed and complex. Taylor argues that this clear separation of public and private spaces aimed by the Liberal model cannot be achieved in a multicultural environment (Taylor, 1999), such as todays Europe. However, under a multicultural model suggested by Taylor which means the end of the Liberal model, all citizens will not be equal but groups of citi zens will have different rights in practice. If such a system will be designed for Europe it would be problematic to govern multicultural societies in European Union, more rights will be asked from the state to overcome the inequalities between the groups and it is questionable how much cultural rights a European state can give as a reply to the enormous demand by different groups. Such a system will lead to chaos in both governance and the society thus keeping the public sphere neutral as it is in the liberal model still is a better proposition for Europe while increasing the cultural rights homogenously to an extent supported by the Post National Citizenship Model. As a result, one may conclude that citizenship is increasingly post-national, rather than national, and the rights and benefits of citizenship frequently accumulate to resident non-citizens. Equally, the spaces within which citizenship is enacted and contestation and claims-making take place do not necessarily coincide with either the nation-state or the EU (Soysal, 2000). In short, there exists a proliferation of new forms of participation, and multiple arenas and levels on which individuals and groups enact their citizenship (Soysal, 2001: 160). The bond between citizenship and civil society can no longer be assumed, and nationally coded public spheres do not hold (Soysal, 2001: 172). The application of civil society to a transnational context has attracted criticism; particularly that such a move represents an attempt to reproduce on the supranational level a model that has reached its limits on the national level (Delanty, 1998). There is also

Creatine Monohydrate And Its Effects On Sprinters Physical Education Essay

Creatine Monohydrate And Its Effects On Sprinters Physical Education Essay Creatine monohydrate has been shown to act as a buffer to maintain fast rates of ATP turnover, therefore Creatine availability has been reported to be a main limiting factor during bouts of high-intensity exercise such as sprinting. As a result of recent investigations documenting the ergogenic value of creatine monohydrate supplementation, it has been used as a popular ergogenic aid for many athletes who require fast rates of recovery (Mujika Padilla, 1997). Creatine is thought to improve performance by facilitating the rate of post-exercise Phosphocreatine (PCr) resynthesis. Given this relationship between PCr resynthesis and recovery of power output, supplementation is most likely to be beneficial to repetitive sprint activities (Glaister, 2006). However, some investigations on the effects of creatine supplementation and its effect on multiple sprint performance report significant improvements, whereas others report no such effect (Mujika, 1996). The main reasons for discrepancie s in the results of different investigations are the use of low subject numbers, varied creatine doses, varied test durations, and poor randomization. For these reasons this study will use a high number of subjects in a double blind fashion, with a dosage of 20 grams per day for the first 5 days followed by 5 grams a day for the remainder of the study. The study will continue for a duration of 8 weeks. Creatine monohydrate supplementation is popular in athletes participating in strength and power sports. Creatine use is thought to be effective for enhancing performance of activities that involve repeated intervals of sprint type exercises with short rest periods. First, an increase in PCr stores should increase the contribution of PCr for the resynthesis and decrease the demand from glycolysis which will result in a smaller accumulation of lactic acid. Then, when PCr is broken down to rephosphorylate ADP, a hydrogen ion is consumed in the reaction. Therefore, an increase in PCr could delay the onset of acidosis and fatigue and thus improve performance in repeated bouts of sprinting (Chilibeck Cornish, 2006). A study performed on the sprint performance of 19 highly trained male soccer players using creatine supplementation, consisted of six maximal 15 meter runs with a 30 second recovery period. The results of the study allowed the investigators to conclude that acute Cr supplementation favorably affected repeated sprint performance, however intermittent endurance performance was not affect by Cr (Mujika Padilla, 1998). Another study done by Mujika in 1996, involved sprint performance among twenty highly trained swimmers. Unlike the other studies mentioned, this study showed no significant improvements in sprint performance among competitive swimmers, therefore according to these results creatine supplementation cannot be considered as an ergogenic aid (Mujika, 1996). A study using the 30 second maximal cycle test, also known as the Wingate test, in conjunction with creatine supplementation also showed no ergogenic benefit. 20 grams of creatine supplementation for 3 days did not increase resting muscle PCr, nor did it affect the single short term maximal cycling performance. A possible explanation for this is that the duration of the test was too short to produce and significant muscular changes (Odland et al., 1997). Most studies have investigated the effects of creatine supplementation using cycle ergometry, this study will involve actual sprinters performing repeated sprints with relatively short rest periods performing to exhaustion. Also, there is little to no research on the prolonged effects of creatine supplementation, so the length of the study will be 8 weeks. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: While many studies exist pertaining the effects of creatine supplementation on strength, power, and endurance, few studies exist investigating the effects of creatine supplementation on sprint performance on trained sprinters. The results of prior studies have noted many discrepancies such as research done by Mujika (1996) and Glaister (2006). Not enough evidence exists on the effects of creatine supplementation on sprint performance specifically the effect it has on trained individuals. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on sprint performance in 50 NCAA colligate track and field athletes. These participants will go through an eight week supplementation and training period where they will be timed pre and post supplementation on a weekly basis in the 100 and 200 meter runs. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: Most research on creatine has focused on short-term creatine loading and its effect on high intensity performance capacity. Some studies have investigated the effect of prolonged creatine use during strength training. However, studies on the effects of prolonged creatine supplementation on sprint performance are lacking. Due to this lack of information, this study will provide more data on the effects of prolonged creatine supplementation and its effects on sprint performance. RESEARCH HYPOTHESES: There will be a significant difference between the group which supplements with creatine and the control group in term of improvements in sprint performance. Improvements will be considered to be an improvement in time trials. The creatine group will have significant improvements in sprint performance compared to the control group. There will be more of a significant improvement in the 200 meter sprint times as opposed to the 100 meter sprint times. N) There will be no significant differences in terms of sprint performance between the creatine group and the control group. DEFINITION OF TERMS: Performance Improvement- Performance improvement for sprints will be when one records a better time than a previous test Fatigue- temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical work Exhaustion- extreme fatigue; debilitation: serious weakening and loss of energy ASSUMPTIONS: It is assumed that all subjects in the study will not be doing any other training regimen aside from the one included within the study. It is assumed that all subjects in the study are not using any other supplements during the course of the study. It is assumed that the all subjects are following protocol of the study and not deviating in any way. It is assumed that the subjects are training and performing to their maximal efforts. DELIMITATIONS: The study has been delimited to collegiate track and field athletes. The study has been delimited to athletes who compete in the 100 and 200 meter events. LIMITATIONS: Subjects are not following protocol correctly. Subjects are not performing to maximal efforts. Subjects are taking other supplements during the course of the study. Subjects change their dietary patterns mid way through the course of the study. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Most studies investigating the ergogenic value of creatine supplementation have reported significant increases in strength, power, sprint performance, and accumulation of performed work during multiple sets of maximal effort. These improvements are generally attributed to increase total creatine and phosphocreatine content in working muscles leading to more efficient resynthesis of PCr and enhance quality of training adaptations. Recent investigations by Mujika and Padilla (2000) have focused on the possible ergogenic value of supplementing the athletesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ diet with approximately 20 g/d of creatine monohydrate for a week. It has often been shown that this type of creatine supplementation can result in increased total muscle creatine and phosphocreatine concentrations. Some studies have also shown that this elevated intramuscular phosphocreatine can enhance the rate of ATP and phosphocreatine resynthesis after high intensity efforts, causing a delayed onset of muscular fatigue and an increased performance during repeated bouts of high intensity exercise. A study stimulated by anecdotal reports of gains in strength and lean body mass in conjunction with Cr supplementation investigated the use of lower doses of creatine monohydrate for extended periods during heavy resistance training. Using 16 collegiate football player which were randomly separated into creatine and placebo groups. Cr groups ingested 5 grams of creatine monohydrate while the placebo ingested a placebo capsule, both of which took their capsules for a 10 week period. The results confirmed that 10 weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementing while participating in resistance training program will significantly increase strength and power compared with placebo supplementation. The result also indicates that Cr supplementation over the long term can be effect without a large dose loading phase (Pearson, 1999). Francaux and Poortmans (1999) used 25 healthy males participating in a 42 day training period followed by a 21 day detraining period. Creatine and placebo were given over a period of 9 weeks. Subjects ingested 21 grams of Cr for 5 days followed by 3 grams per day for 58 days. There were no changes observed in body mass for the control or placebo groups, while the Cr groups had in average increase in body weight by 2 kg. The increase was partially attributed to body water content, however the relative volumes of body water compartments remained constant, thus the gain in body mass cannot be attributed to water retention, but most likely to dry matter growth accompanied with a normal water volume. It has also been reported that Cr supplementation may improve single effort and repetitive sprint performance, particularly those last from 6- 30 seconds with a 5 min rest for recovery between sprints. A study performed by Dawson et al. found that Cr supplementation significantly increased work performed during the first six 6 second cycle ergometry. These result are supported by a similar study by Schneider who reported at supplementation with Cr was associated with significant improvement in cycle ergometer sprints with 60 second recovery time. In a study concerning Cr supplementation in professional rugby players, they were directed to take a loading phase consisting of 20 grams per day for 4 days once a month. This loading phase was then followed by a 3 week abstinence period. After the third loading cycle, the players were surveyed on compliance, preferred time and ingestion method, perceived side effects and perceived benefits. The results of this survey included; 35.3% reporting being fatigued less quickly, 29.4% reported quicker recovery from sprint type activities, and 23.5% reported faster recovery from training sessions. The study concluded that Cr supplementation may be useful in sports which require repeated sprint efforts and can be advantageous in both training and performance (Meir, 1995). It has been suggested by Mujika et al. (2000) that highly trained athletes who participate in sports in which performance relies on repeated efforts could benefit from creatine ingestion by means of an increased ability to perform intermittent high-intensity exercise either during training or competition. There have also been recent reports claiming that most studies not only do not use highly trained athletes as subjects, most of the studies cited above were conducted under laboratory conditions, and none of them assessed the effects of the creatine supplementation on performance during single specific athletic events. Recently reported results suggest that highly trained subjects performing sport-specific activities do not benefit from creatine ingestion (Mujika, 1996). There have also been a number of studies which report no ergogenic benefit from Cr supplementation. For example, one study by Burke et al. (1996) used male and female swimmers from the Australian National Team who supplemented with Cr for a 5 day period using 20 grams each day. This study did not show any enhancement due to Cr supplementation in 25m,50m, or 100m swims with a 10 min recovery period. Given such a long recovery period, ATP recovery should be recovered with our without Cr supplementation, therefore an increase in performance is not expected. A similar study involving swimmers was conducted by Mujika in 1996. This study also reported no performance increases between Cr and placebo groups, but did report a gain in body weight among the Cr group. This increase in weight could result in a increase in drag force and could alter the efficiency of a swimmers stroke. A study pertaining to maximal sprint performance on a cycle ergometer after Cr supplementation was conducted by Snow et al. (1998) The subjects were untrained men, who ingested 30 grams of creatine for a 5 day period. The results indicated that this dose of supplementation increase total creatine levels but did not improve sprint exercise performance on the cycle ergometer. These results are supported by similar studies by Finn et al. (2001) and Odland (1997). A recent study done in 2003, by Delecluse et al. examined the impact of a 7 day, high dosage of Cr supplementation on single and intermittent sprint performance in highly trained sprinters. Each subject ingested 0.35g of Cr per kg of body weight. Maximal sprint performance, degree of fatigue at the end of exercise, and degree of recovery all showed no difference compared to a placebo group. A review of previous studies concerning the topic of Cr supplementation show that Cr has been show to be a powerful aid in increasing strength and power related to sprint performance. Other studies however, have shown no improvements in strength, power, or overall sprint performance in conjunction with Cr supplementation. These discrepancies in results can possibly be attributed to differences in length of supplementation, exercise criterion, dosages, or subject response. METHODOLOGY: SUBJECTS: An email was sent to ten different division one schools asking their coaches if their track team would be willing to participate in an off-season supplementation program within a study that is being conducted at the University of Scranton. Due to the lack of a track and field team, we had to contact other schools in the area and see if there track team would participate. The coach from Lehigh University responded allowing his team to participate in this supplementation program. A written consent was obtained from the all 50 participants after they were thoroughly informed of the purpose and potential risks of participating in the study. All experimental procedures were approved by the Exercise Science Committee of the University of Scranton. All subjects were members of the same team and were competing at a national level at the time of the study. TESTING PROCEDURES: All of our testing will take place at the University of Scrantonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s gym facilities. This study will use a pretest-posttest randomized-groups design. Our subjects will be evenly divided into two groups. One will be the control group, and the other the experimental group. Both the researchers and subjects will lack information as to which group is which. Each group will come in for a pre-training assessment evaluation that will last the first week of the study. Each participant will be timed in the 100 and 200 meter runs to establish prior times and speeds before supplementation begins. All of the timed trials will be supervised by experienced exercise physiologists found in our team here at the University of Scranton. During weeks two through seven is when supplementation will occur. Creatine (Cr) monohydrate will be administered to the supplementation group. This supplementation group will ingest four 5-g doses of Cr monohydrate per day for 6 days. The control or placebo group will take the same dosage of a carbohydrate solution as the supplementation group. Weekà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s three to seven will cut back to just one 5-g dose a day for 6 days. By week eight, all supplementation will end. The subjects will be given a three day period of no supplementation and will be timed once again in the 100 and 200 meter runs to see if any significant difference occurred in pre-test times. During the two to seven week period, all subjects will come in three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and complete the following training regiment, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. All subjects will be expected to continue all off-season training that will be administered by their coaches. Repeated sprint test (RST). A study conducted by Mujika et. all in 2000 led to believe that the repeated sprint tests were a practical training regimen that could be used within this study. Subjects will perform six maximal 15-m sprints that will have 30 seconds of recovery between each. Each sprint will begin on the blocks, and once the sprint has commenced, subjects will pass through a photocell gate (Newtest OY, Oulu, Finland) placed 0.4 m above the ground, which will start a digital timer. Additional photocell gates will be placed at 5 m and 15 m, which record elapsed and final times. Intermittent endurance test (IET). This testing procedure was also done by Mujika et. all in 2000 that was also appropriate for the training regimen in this study. This test lasts 16.5 minutes, during which subjects will alternate between forty 15 seconds bouts of high-intensity exercise and thirty-nine 10 second low intensity exercise bouts. During the high-intensity periods, subjects will follow and outlined circuit around Fitzpatrick field, running 40 m forward, and 8.25 m backwards, 95.25 m forward, 8.25 m sideways while facing away from the center of the circuit, and 8.25 m sideways while facing the center of the circuit. During the low-intensity periods, subjects will jog to the center of the circuit and back to the position they reached during previous high-intensity period. The test results in the distance covered during 40 periods of high-intensity running. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Values will be expressed as mean +/- standard deviation. The level of statistical significance will be defined as P

Higgenbotham Book Review :: American History, American Identity

Don Higginbotham expertly combines both primary and secondary sources providing the reader a composite historical narrative of the American Revolution as â€Å"seen through American ideas.† Higginbotham was Dowd Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until his death in June 2008. Higginbotham contributed several articles on comparative revolution and many other books and articles about the American Revolution. The book’s subtitle is Military Attitudes, Policies, and Practice 1763 – 1789. However, Higginbotham devotes substantial attention to other themes providing the reader with a synthesized version of the political and military aspects of the war. He also addresses the cultural and social aspects of the war. In doing so, he illustrates how the war affected the development of an American identity and how whig philosophy translated into everyday reality for the common man. Finally, he uses the book to compare the Vietnam conflict to the American Revolution. The author never directly discusses the development of an American identity, but one can see that thread as he discusses the militia system and its reinforcement of the provincialism and localism during the period (7). Higginbotham continues this theme, contending that a group of â€Å"American political leaders† emerged within the Continental Congress who were nationalists and desired to go beyond the simple provincial assemblies (81). Higginbotham maintains this concept, proposing that Manifest Destiny may have been an issue as early as 1776 in the colonial discussions concerning the invasion of Canada (108). The concept of an American identity came to fruition in 1776 when opinion concerning independence grew increasingly favorable (117). One could argue, however, that most Americans possessed little concept of an identity even after the Declaration was signed. Nevertheless, in 1781 the Pennsylvania line must had some concept of an American identity. After revolting due to lack of pay and other necessary items, one soldier remarked that, â€Å"Clinton might ‘bribe such a mean toadeater as Arnold,’ but ‘it is not in his power to bribe an American soldier’† (404). Without an innate knowledge of what an American soldier was, it seems unlikely that such a remark would have been made. Higginbotham clearly demonstrates how colonial Americans internalized whig beliefs and turned them into action not only resisting British authority, but also resisting its own Continental Army. This created somewhat of a quandary for colonial authorities throughout the war, for in resisting the militarism of George III (118), they needed to establish a military that became what they were fighting against. Higginbotham describes Congress’ first attempt at this in a â€Å"restrained military code† that would reflect the society from which it originated.