Tccc Business Strategy

This report is centered on research of The Coca Cola Company (Global) in the carbonated beverage market. Various methods and models of analysis were used in examining the company’s market position and determining its strategic competitive advantage. The Pestel model and Porter’s five forces model was used to identify the company’s opportunities and threats. The barriers to entry in the carbonated beverage market are really high which means that the threat of other companies successfully entering into the industry is low and this has been a big advantage for the company. Brand loyalty is another. People today in general are becoming increasingly aware of a healthier lifestyle in light of new information regarding nutrition and this has been a major threat to the company and the market in general. The Company’s strategic competitive advantage stems from its three main core competences. The manufacture and distribution system of its beverages (products), branding through marketing campaigns and the innovative nature of the company in its market are all major strengths. One thing special about the company is that it uses its resources in a way unique to its competitors and consumers see value in their product. The Coca Cola Company understands the clout of their stakeholders and they have set their strategic objectives to meet their individual demands. This message has been firmly implanted in the company’s mission statement. Coca cola competes on the basis of value added for customers. People will pay the premium over lesser brands for the coca cola product and this may be why they have chosen (from Porters model) a differentiation strategy. This has paid off for them. Their manufacturing and distribution system has been an effective business level strategy. The Coca Cola Company and its bottlers can work together to determine local responsiveness and produce products that best suit the local tastes in that particular geographical area. Amongst other business level strategies these two would have to be the most effective. The companies structure and systems lend there hands to the successful implementation of their planning. Without which it might not have its position within the carbonated beverage market today. Strategic Analysis External Analysis We looked at the external environment of the carbonated beverage industry using the pestel model and Porter’s five forces model to find the key trends or influences on the industry. People today in general are becoming increasingly aware of a healthier lifestyle in light of new information regarding nutrition. People are trying to eat and drink a lot healthier and as a result there has been an increase in market demand for drinks such as orange juice, water, and other healthier alternatives. This was once a threat to the business of The Coca – Cola Company. Instead they eliminated this threat through product diversification. As you may have seen The Coca – Cola Company has a product from most drink categories. The barriers to entry in the carbonated beverage market are really high which means that the threat of other companies successfully entering into the industry is low. Virgin once tried to enter into the industry with Virgin Cola and was unsuccessful because Coke and Pepsi were already too strong. The Coca Cola Company has already well established brand awareness and distribution channels and the production costs are also substantial in the industry. Creating brand awareness and achieving market acceptance is a very costly procedure, extensive market research needs to be undertaken to understand local tastes and preferences. The Coca Cola Company has arrangements with certain Fountain Outlets (MacDonald’s and Subway) who are contractually obliged to distribute only their drink product. There are many other fountain outlets that have existing contracts with one of the soft drink companies and this makes it harder for new entrants. The large quantity of marketing and propaganda has lead to increased brand loyalty and is a major strength for the Coca Cola Company. It has also lead to the brand Coca Cola being perceived as the premium Cola drink. The dominance of Coca Cola can be seen by the failure of the drink Virgin Cola. Because of the limited size of the market, the growth in market share of one brand will result in the decrease of another. The Coca – Cola Company has used the large amount of resources at their disposal to wage competitive war on PepsiCo and other brands and results have shown that they have come out on top. One of the major strengths of The Coca – Cola Company is its sheer size in the industry because of which it can effectively utilize economies of scale. TCCC concentration is on marketing the brand, new product development, researching future venture opportunities and warding off competition. Their operations take place in a very dynamic environment and therefore innovation is vital to their success. Internal Analysis The company as the leading brand of carbonated beverages has a number of core competencies which it utilizes to give it its strategic competitive advantage (SCA) in the market. The manufacture and distribution of non alcoholic beverages The process of manufacture and distribution of Coca Cola products is unique to the industry. The Coca Cola Company has different bottling partners throughout the globe which manufacture and bottle the final product which the end consumer ultimately receives. The Coca Cola Company produces the concentrates and syrups of the products itself and then sells the rights to manufacture the products to its bottling partners. They do not control the policies and programs of these bottling partners, but they do have mutual self-interests and therefore work together to find common ground and take common action in many areas. Through this system they can effectively devise the appropriate strategy for responding to the needs of the local environment. Branding through marketing campaigns The Coca Cola Company has put a lot of emphasis over the years on creating and maintaining its brand name through large scale marketing campaigns. They have effectively used their resources to build a brand that is unique and known on a large scale throughout the world for its quality. This has led to a brand loyalty factor. Innovation: Product, packaging, equipment and marketing Coca Cola is always bringing out new carbonated beverages. Through the use of its resources and technology, it has led the innovation of new, improved, and different soft drinks around the world. A recent example of this from Coca Cola is â€Å"Jianchi† meaning strong inner energy in Chinese, the drink, made with fruit juices and plant extracts and available in three flavors is inspired by ancient Chinese wisdom to enhance the inner balance. The Coca Cola Company has invented a bottle which is made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials named the ‘plant bottle’. It is a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation. The new bottle reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET, and is 100% recyclable. â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company is the first company to introduce a beverage bottle made with recycled plastic has been focused on ensuring the sustainability of its packaging for decades. It has put resources behind creating packaging that is recyclable and investing in recycling infrastructure to ensure that its packages are collected, recycled and re-used†. The Company has built the world’s largest recycling plant with the ambition of reducing costs and the amount of materials in their packaging through recycling. The packaging being lighter will also reduce the cost of fuel on delivery etc. To increase the market for recycled materials, The Coca Cola Company has also released a line of merchandise which is made from 100% recycled material. Overall the innovation of recycled packaging will reduce costs, prevent waste and maximize value over the life of the product and inadvertently adding value to the Coca Cola brand. Coca Cola won the Gold lion in the point of sale category at the 2009 Cannes lion’s international advertising festival with the â€Å"video vendor† being the latest innovation in vending machines. It is believed to create a uniquely immersive experience for consumers. Strategic Directions; Strategic Objectives Vision The vision of Coca Cola â€Å"specifies what the organization could achieve if it performed perfectly† (Viljoen and Dann, 2003:97) â€Å"To refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness and to create value and make a difference† Mission The mission statement of The Coca Cola Company has all the elements a good mission statement should have. It specifies the company’s commitment to their shareholders. Their mission is to: Achieve sustainable quality growth, be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be, bring the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy peoples desires and needs, nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, be a responsible citizen that makes a difference be helping build and support sustainable communities, maximise long term return to s hareholders while being mindful of our overall responsibilities and be a highly effective, lean and fast moving organisation. |Stakeholder |Salience |Stakeholder demands / needs |strategic objective(s) to address | | | |that must be satisfied |stakeholder demands / needs | |   |   |   | | | | | | |Shareholders |Definitive |High dividends & growth in share |Growth in profitability | | | |price |Increase in revenue | | | | |Financial stability | | | | |Efficiency | | | | |Research and development | |   |   |   |   | | | | | | |Customers |Dominant |Quality products at lowest price |Social Responsibility | | | |socially and environmentally aware |Product quality and service | | | | |Higher level of customer satisfaction | | | | |than rivals | | | | |Research and development | | | | |Focus on the needs of consumers, | | | | |customers, and franchise partners | | | | |Listen, observe and learn in the market | |   |   |   |   | | | | | | |Employees |Domina nt |All employee benefits satisfied |Employee welfare | | | |Clean and safe working environment |Financial stability | | |Friendly working environment |Be a great place to work where | | | |Job security |people are inspired to be the best | | | | |they can be | |   |   | |   | | | | | | |Community |Dominant |Minimal environmental impact |Social responsibility | | | |Support the community |Be a responsible citizen that makes a | | | | |difference by helping build and support | | | | |sustainable communities | | | | |Support charities and community | | | | |organizations | | | | |Research and Development – | | | | |Environmentally friendly products | | | | |Possess a world view | |   |   |   |   | | | | | | |Suppliers / Bottlers |Dominant |Network and communication |Nurture a winning network of customers | | | |Reliability |and suppliers, to together create mutual | | | |Support |and endearing value | | | | |Research and evelopment | |   |   |   |   | | | | | | |Government |Dormant |Abide by the laws and legislation |Abide by the law | | | |governing each county TCCC has |Be mindful of overall responsibilities | | | |its products | | |   |   |   |   | The strategic objectives of The Coca Cola Company are in alignment with the demands of each of its stakeholders. Its strategic objectives are firmly bound within its mission statement showing their commitment to upholding their responsibilities to meeting the demands of all possible stakeholders. Key Strategies – Current Using Ansoff’s product / market strategies model it can be determined that The Coca Cola Company is pursuing a product development / diversification strategy. This means that their aim is to keep distributing new products into the same existing market as well as look for opportunities in new markets. An example is the release of Jianchi a new product made from fruit juices and plant extracts. Miles and Snow’s adaptive strategies model reveals that the company is in the prospector / defender position in the market. The company is a prospector leading change in the industry through creating new products and identifying new opportunities in the market place. High innovation is key in the prospector business strategy. However it could be said that it is a defender as well in terms of the original coca cola product and its position in the Cola market. They are defending vigorously focusing on high quality and creating barriers to entry. Their position on strategy is characterized by stable growth, profits, efficiency and flexibility in a dynamic environment. Their business structure is flat / loose and authority is decentralized within the organization. The high level of innovation can be seen through the company’s marketing at a functional level with the recent release of the new four and a half minute Music Video released by The Coca Cola Company titled – â€Å"open Happiness† which has taken marketing in the carbonated beverage industry to a new level. Coca cola competes on the basis of value added for customers. People will pay the premium over lesser brands for the coca cola product and this may be why they have chosen (from Porters model) a differentiation strategy. In the past the company has focused cost leadership however this sometimes leads to lowered market entry barriers this has led them to a differentiation strategy and a focus on pervasive penetration, preference and price related value. Due to economies of scale Coca Cola has the opportunity to be a low cost provider and undercut Pepsi's prices but from what we can see it chooses the differentiation strategy and distributes its products at a premium. A possible reason why they may not have chosen a cost leadership strategy is that it can generally be seen as a weak competitive advantage. Competitors may undercut you and it is easily emulated as well as difficult to sustain over time. In order to differentiate from the conventional Coke product, The Coca Cola Company has produced / innovated other such products as cherry coke, vanilla coke and diet coke and it has undertaken competitive marketing against such companies as PepsiCo and Cadbury / Schweppes to advertise how their products are so different and better in quality. The Coca Cola Company has employed a strategy which closely resembles a multidomestic strategy. A multidomestic strategy is characterized as being â€Å"orientated towards local responsiveness†, establishing â€Å"semiautonomous national units in each country in which it operates to produce and customize products to local markets†. It does this in a unique way in collaboration with its bottling. Together The Coca Cola Company and all its bottlers form one system called The Coca Cola System. The benefit of this strategy is that The Coca Cola Company and its bottlers can work together to determine local responsiveness and produce products that best suit the local tastes in that particular geographical area. We have seen this strategy in action with the introduction of the Coca Cola equivalent of red bull being â€Å"Mother† the energy drink being release certain regions but not others. Strategic Implementation; General Perspective Evidence of unrealized strategy The Coca Cola Company was set for the acquisition of the Huiyuan Juice business in China around March earlier this year, which looked to agree with their product development / diversification and differentiation strategy. Unfortunately the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) decided to decline approval for the proposed purchase. Coke released a statement saying: â€Å"We will now focus all of our energies and expertise on growing our existing brands and continuing to innovate with new brands, including in the juice segment. † The innovation of one of their newest products – â€Å"Jianchi† came approximately around this time. Apart from minor setbacks such as the failure of the Chinese juice company merger and acquisition, the coca cola company has implemented its strategies of diversification and differentiation well and this can be seen in the popularity of their products and their prosperous position in the carbonated beverage market. Key Strategic Implementation Issues Using the Mckinsey 7’s’ model we found that the three major strategic implementation issues that confront The Coca Cola Company is structure, style and systems. Structure The Coca Cola Company has in the past gone through major restructuring of its organization. It has cut out various levels and moved to a more multi-domestic structure. A couple of years ago they restructured their operations in both North America and internationally. â€Å"Not to save pennies but to simplify decision making and expedite the speed in which we can execute†. To this day they continue to refine their business structure. In June 2009 they integrated three core functions for a new business structure: Global Business Services, Global Information Technology and Transformational productivity. This will allow the company to deliver services that are highly dependent on technology and standardized processes to its business units in a more effective and efficient way. Style Amongst the list of The Coca Cola Company’s seven â€Å"values† includes integrity and accountability. Muhtar Kent the current CEO of the company was caught betting against the company’s stock allegedly based on insider information then claimed not to know that his actions were illegal. This does not constitute good leadership and could however be classified as an implementation issue for the company. The style of leadership a CEO shows can have a massive effect on the shared values or culture of an organization. So far there are no further signs of further situations like the one described above by the CEO and the company is continuing to improve. The signs point towards Muhtar Kent redeeming his reputation in the company. Systems The Coca Cola Company has the largest beverage distribution service in the world. With close to 1. 6 billion servings a day consumed in over 200 countries, The Coca Cola Company has had to develop effective and efficient system to cope with the magnitude of the business. Systems are as important to The Coca Cola Company as they are to any business. The distribution system of their products is unlike any other in the industry. It ties in with their business structure closely resembling a multi-domestic organizational structure. The Coca-Cola Company frequently utilizes promotional merchandise to connect consumers with its brands. It is critical that all such merchandise make a positive impression upon consumers. It is important that they monitor quality control not just for their concentrates and syrups but also on their promotional merchandise. The organization of The Coca Cola Company comprises many systems which enable the company to run smoothly. It takes strong successful systems for a company to survive and they can also give a company its strategic competitive advantage. However they must also be monitored and evaluated. TCCC has a triple bottom line approach to reporting and they utilize the balanced scorecard to achieve this. Evaluation of Strategy – Current / Future Efficient evaluation has been implemented through a triple bottom line reporting approach. They understand due to their large public profile they have to maintain a focus not just on financial reporting but also on their social responsibilities and the environment. The balanced scorecard is used in their financial reports based on key performance indicators to measure their performance in implementing their strategic objectives. The message is therefore communicate to their stakeholders through their general purpose financial reports (GPFR). References Textbooks Hill et al. 2007, Strategic Management: An integrated approach 2ed, Wiley and Sons. Page: 4 – 19, 64 – 72 Internet News Article I’d like to sell the world a Coke http://www. nytimes. com/ref/business/20070527_COKE_GRAPHIC. tml Viewed: 10:52 Monday 31st August The Coca Cola Company Website: Innovation http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/ourcompany/innovation. html Viewed: 4:59 Monday 31st August The Coca Cola Company Website: The System The Coca Cola logo (used above) is a registered trademark of The Coca Cola Company http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/ourcompany/the_cocacola_system. html Viewed: 4:59 Monday 31st August Strategic management http://www. docstoc. com/docs/10713752/Strategic-Management Viewed: 4:00 Saturday 10 October 2009 Brand Spotlight: Coca-Cola http://www. brandingstrategyinsider. com/2007/04/brand_spotlight. html Viewed: 6:31 Sunday 11 October 2009 Organization Strategies: Strategies used in Coca Cola http://www. findfreecollegeessays. com/show_essay/47865. html Viewed: 6:40 Sunday 11 October 2009 Open Happiness: Music Video http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Cxfkg3RaRjs&feature=related Viewed: 4:53 Saturday 10 October 2009 THE COCA-COLA COMPANY INTRODUCES INNOVATIVE BOTTLE MADE FROM RENEWABLE, RECYCLABLE, PLANT-BASED PLASTIC http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/presscenter/nr_20090514_plantbottle. html Viewed: 10:16 Sunday 11 October 2009 ACQUISITION OF HUIYUAN JUICE GROUP IN CHINA NOT TO PROCEED http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/presscenter/nr_20090318_huiyan_juice. html Viewed: 11:37 Sunday 11 October 2009

Compare and contrast Everyman and Christian in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Essay

The Dreamer is the narrator of this religious allegory. It is based on the injunction in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) to seek first the kingdom of God. Christian‘s family don’t understand him, even think him mad perhaps. He leaves home carrying the book that inspired him, one of a number of pilgrims we encounter in the story, and he travels along the King’s highway. He meets many characters and encounters many of the problems we all face in our lives. He travels alone, almost isolated from all that is going on around him. As he travels he resists temptations of various kinds that would distract him from his journey and eventually he reaches the celestial city. Pilgrim reflects Protestant thinking of the time. Pilgrim travels in hope of heaven, rather than in fear of death as ‘Everyman does. Inspired by her husband his wife Christiana eventually makes a similar journey. Pilgrim , though an ‘everyman ‘ is based on Bunyan’s own experience, rather than a more general one. He had lain in the dungeons of Doubting Castle and had overcome Despair. His advisor, the Evangelist, is a positive figure rather than the negative one of Death in ‘Everyman’, even though Death is sent by God. The story is told in a very serious way. ‘ Everyman’ is an earlier work, a medieval morality play from the 15th century. It is much more light hearted despite its serious message. The morality plays used allegory just as Bunyan did to show the difficulties that Christians face in life. The character is told by Death that he is about to die. Everyman is deserted by his false friends, rather than isolating his self from them as Pilgrim does. Even his family desert him. He would not have carried a bible as they were not available to people in general. In the end it is only his good deeds that he can rely on while Pilgrim relies on Faith. Everyman reminds us right from the start that he represents every creature called to give account of themselves, but Christian is much more of an individual, one among many different people making their way to the Celestial city by various ways. One other difference is that the story of Christian was in book form – available only to the literate. ‘Everyman’ is a play that anyone who speaks the language can follow and learn from. Reference http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/242/1883/frameset.html

Alan Bennett on Education in History Boys

In the first half of the play, Bennett is asking the audience to consider what â€Å"education† is. How does his presentation of the characters Hector and Irwin assist with this? It is clear to the audience that, from the start, the play is concerned with education and schooling. There are â€Å"eight boys of seventeen or eighteen† disrobing a man of â€Å"studied eccentricity†; prior to this intimate scene that introduces you to the characters, Irwin is speaking to numerous MPs regarding a political matter and finishes his speech with, â€Å"Back to school.† Hectors thoughts towards education are clearly negative; on page four of the play, he says that A-level are the â€Å"longed for emblems of your conformity†: this quote can be taken as a cynical thing. He believes that the examinations themselves are useless – they do not allow you to have your own mind. You follow what everyone else does, with no substance to the style that you provide in an exam. Irwin, however, believes that â€Å"examinations are a fact of life† and, although he believes that â€Å"[exams] are for now,† he accepts that Hectors knowledge, although presented in an unorthodox manner, is good. He tells the boys to apply Hectors â€Å"gobbets† to help them in an examination. He was hired to add style to their Oxbridge applications, not particularly substance that could affect their being. He teaches them for the now, not for when â€Å"youre old and grey†. Hector insists that â€Å"there is a world elsewhere† of examinations and education for the sake of passing exams: he teaches the boys â€Å"culture† and their shared moments are a â€Å"pact – bread eaten in secret†. Akthar, when they boys are interrogating Irwin, insists that Hectors shared knowledge is â€Å"just the knowledge† Timms follows this up with, â€Å"the pursuit of it for its own sake†. Irwin, on the other end of the spectrum, believes that truth and, consequently, education, â€Å"Whats [that] got to do with it? Whats that got to do with anything?† The boys need flair over the others applying, as they will have done things that the history boys havent. If they can find a way to apply Hectors â€Å"gobbets† to spice up their exam, it should be done. If they truly want a prestigious place at their particular university, then they need to use whatever they have at their disposal in order to achieve it  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ he deems that Hectors knowledge is good for flair. Not for having substance. â€Å"Poetry is good up to a point.† Hector, again, is shown to have a negative opinion of Thatchers educational reform â€Å"Not to say that I dont regard education to be the enemy of education†. He believes that your knowledge, what you learn by heart, will stay with you forever – and that application of this lifelong knowledge in real life should be done in order to acquire more knowledge or share knowledge for the sake of knowledge. By doing this, he partially jeopardises their examinations as he allows his personal feelings to cloud his teaching. However, he believes that his view is the best way; his approach encourages the boys to think outside of the box and, instead of regurgitating facts at a rapid-fire rate, they instead can regurgitate quotes that they understand and can apply to situations, unlike what you have to learn for exams; despite Timms declaration of, â€Å"I dont understand poetry!†, when you truly understand what youre saying, its â€Å"as if a hand has come out, and taken yours†. Hector believes that education is the â€Å"pursuit of knowledge for its own sake†; he doesnt disagree with teaching, he just wants to make the boys â€Å"more rounded human beings† his â€Å"codes, runes† are not to help the boys with their high ambitions, â€Å"forget Oxford and Cambridge†, but to give the boys something personal and that will stay with them no matter what they do or where they go. He believes that his quotations and words are â€Å"making your deathbeds here, boys†. Hector also likes to split his lessons up to be memorable; one lesson he is teaching the subjunctive in French (set in a brothel) and another moment he declares, â€Å"Now for some silly time†. He is playful and breaks the rules. He likes locking the door to his lessons, which is unquestioned by the Headmaster as Hector shows â€Å"commitment†, and Akthar remarks that its â€Å"locked against the future†. Hector is the embodiment of education for the sake of knowledge, while Irwin is the idol of do it now and youll never have to do it again Regardless, both men are happy with themselves to some degree. Despite Hectors molestation of the boys and Irwins lying  about where he got his degree, they are happy – but is it better to be happy when you have so much knowledge bustling in your head, or is it better to be dull for your exams and achieve happiness later on life?

Economic Growth in Russia after the Collapse of the Soviet Union Essay

Economic Growth in Russia after the Collapse of the Soviet Union - Essay Example Russia’s economic performance â€Å"after the fall† has been negatively described by many including members of the United States Congress. But in 2003, President Bush praised Russian President Putin over his democratic ideals in ruling present-day Russia. Let us examine first how Russia encountered those challenges in the early years after the fall of the Soviet Union. Russia first experienced currency devaluation due to large deficit. The newly-independent states (NIS) experienced a dramatic drop in the Gross Domestic Product by more than 40% for the period 1990 to 1995 (qtd. in Mondal 140). This situation led to numerous reforms in the economy, particularly the reconfiguration of the public finances. The international community helped to provide economic reform and infuse foreign aid. This led to an improved GDP. At the start, Russia had to depend on foreign capital to sustain economic growth because of internal factors like slow revenue collection and excessive state expenditures. The government was also encountering low savings rates and Russian banks refused to provide finance for domestic investment. Research on the Russian economy found that the legal system was â€Å"an obstacle to foreign investment† and there was no proper legal regulatory framework to provide efficient foreign trade arrangements. Other factors considered obstacle were spot-market and hierarchical transactions which are common in low-performance economies. The strategy of liberalization and internationalization changed the configuration of demand, price signals and transaction costs because of Russia’s â€Å"large territorial distances and fragmented economic space† even if Russia has rich natural resources and human capital. ... nalization changed the configuration of demand, price signals and transaction costs because of Russia’s â€Å"large territorial distances and fragmented economic space† (qtd. in Kirkow 80) even if Russia has rich natural resources and human capital. Liberalization and new foreign trade arrangements were faced with bureaucratic encroachment by means of export and import tariffs and quotas as these were opposed by resource-based industries (in metallurgy, oil, etc.) and â€Å"crony legal entities.† There were also external factors like export restrictions imposed by EU regulations and international cartels (Kirkow 81). These factors impeded the flow of foreign capital, technology and technological knowledge, and prevented the creation of new jobs and industries. Two industrial sectors supposed to attract FDI in Russia in 1993-1994 were not considered labor-intensive, and manpower was not a major FDI magnet. Moreover, there was a linking of the traditional and new a pproaches since the Russian government had â€Å"active state participation† over matters relating to Russian exports. This policy applied to what the government called â€Å"strategic resources,† such as military hardware, natural gas and precious metals. There were also export restrictions conducted by the government, like issuance of export licenses and quotas, taxes, the limitation of export producers, the monopoly of FTOs in acquiring export products on the domestic market and the policy to remit a portion of the hard currency revenues to the government (Kirkow 82). State-owned banks set up during the Soviet era and still operating abroad continued to provide state control and coordination of foreign trade. These banks were set up to provide credits for Russian firms at lower than domestic interest rates and

History of Medical Education With Emphasis to Its Formal Origins Essay

History of Medical Education With Emphasis to Its Formal Origins - Essay Example This essay stresses that at the end of the century America still struggled to resolve the problems of its medical education. It is clear there was a realization that changes should be brought in order to remedy the situation in order to transform American medical education along the lines of European medical schools. However, real reform of American medical education did not start until Carnegie Foundation published famous report of Abraham Flexner Medical education in the United States and Canada This report entailed huge reforms in the quality of education that American medical schools provided. The fact that these reforms were not implemented in the USA at the end of 19th century can be explained by several reasons. First the USA was a comparatively young country and could not provide as much opportunities for the research as Western European countries could. Few doctors were among the first settlers of the USA (partly due to the limited possibilities for their practice in the continent), and the social status of those who settled in America was comparatively low. Most of the medical schools that were founded relied on the fees of their students, whereas in Western European countries Government took active part in financing of medical educational institutions. As the medical schools were struggling in the USA to find adequate finances they had to take into account the wishes and desires of the students, who wanted to receive their medical diplomas as quickly as possible, wh ich certainly in turn entailed the lowering of quality standards of medical education.

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning - Essay Example For this product, the targeted segment to deal with is sports clubs. The segment that has been targeted is sporting clubs within the locality where the entrepreneur seeks to start the company. By sporting clubs, reference is being made to soccer teams, football teams, hockey team, and rugby teams. Characteristically, most of these teams own private fields and pitches that are well gardened and parked with various grasses and flora. Constantly, these grasses and flora are mowed by the teams to keep them attractive and within standards where they can be used for the various sporting activities. It can therefore be said that the robotic lawn mower comes with a functionality that is directly focused on the needs of the sporting clubs, as far as their fields and parks are concerned. Another characteristic is that this segment often has institutionalized organizational structure that put staff in charge of finance and accounting. What this means is that by targeting them, the entrepreneur and the company will be dealing with them on a business to business basis. The reasons for selecting the targeted market are directly reflected in the major characteristics that have been given about the segment above. In the first place, the size and number of these sporting clubs would mean that there will be a readily identified market for the robotic lawn mower. Indeed, the more the machines are sold, the more likely the company will be expanded. It is therefore important to choose this segment which guarantees ready market due to the type of business in which they are engaged in. Again, the financial risk in dealing with business to business marketing can be said to be relatively lower than dealing with business to customer marketing. This is because businesses guarantee quicker and assured payment of their debts than individuals do. This is another reason that makes the selected segment ideal and convenient,

Customized Learning Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Customized Learning Theory - Assignment Example The aim of this study is to examine the characteristics of gifted children in the school environment. The study will also look at the various elements of learning theories that relate to this group of children and further combine these elements to develop a hybrid theory that caters to the needs of gifted children. Characteristics of Gifted Children Gifted children learn faster, broadly and deeply meaning their intellectual ability is higher compared to their peers. Intellectual ability is believed to be innate and is not acquired through personal effort. Further, intellectual ability can be specific or general. An intellectually gifted individual for example maybe strikingly gifted in mathematics but lack the same strong skills in humanities or language. A combination of an adequately challenging curriculum and the necessary diligence to master learned skills often leads to academic success for the intellectually gifted (Eakin, 2007). Although intellectually gifted children are uniq ue, they share some common characteristics within the academic environment. First, they have certain cognitive characteristics including, faster learning of materials, curiosity, widely diverse interest, reasoning ability, creativity, an excellent memory and a large pool of vocabulary. In addition, intellectually gifted students are perfectionists and often fear failure. Their intellectual capability makes them feel different and their superior vocabulary makes it hard to communicate with their peers hence they will have trouble forming social relations with their classmates. Further, gifted children are highly introspective and introverted and hold very high expectations for themselves and for others. Gifted children are also highly sensitive to their environment in terms of emotional and mental over-awareness (Eakin, 2007). The learning environment for gifted children is important as with other special needs students. Gifted students should be provided with opportunities to attemp t new learning and develop their strengths in a psychologically safe environment. A modified learning environment provides gifted students with the opportunity for development and optimum growth. The social environment should also be supportive making sure that no one feels out of place and the students can establish trust with the teacher without the fear of being sanctioned. Moreover, gifted students should be provided with an opportunity to function at advanced levels of depth and complexity and their interests tied in with schoolwork. Gifted students tend to decline in performance if not challenged with abstract concepts, or presented with opportunities to go beyond what is offered in the regular classrooms. Gifted students that are rarely challenged lack confidence in their ability to perform well when presented with challenging learning tasks (Eakin, 2007). Learning Theories and Gifted Students Theories dealing with gifted children focus on the ability to adapt successfully to the environment and the ability to solve problems related to particular situations. Under the cognitive trait theories, Galton emphasizes two inherited traits whose abundance makes one intellectually gifted. The first trait is sufficient energy, which increases the capacity for labor. The second trait is sensitivity making the intellectually gi

E-Business is Better if Localized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-Business is Better if Localized - Essay Example Technological advancement and the introduction of computer-driven technologies in the business landscape have influenced how business is managed today. Computer-driven technologies are making it possible to turn out small runs of increasingly customized goods aimed at niche markets. Smart companies are moving from the production of long runs of commodity products to short runs of "higher value added" products (Toffler,1990,p.52). Financial markets are not spared from the upheaval. World capital markets throughout the globe are now interlinked via satellite, networks and technology. Globalization has linked formerly independent economies. When a cataclysm occurs within a globally linked financial system, the entire global market feels the ripples of the event. Businesses are no longer isolated entities that operate autonomously. Business environments are changing rapidly because of several factors. These changes make it difficult for companies to meet the challenge while using traditional business models. Barabba (1998,pp.34-59) attributes these three phenomena as factors of change: 2. Communications technologies improve and enable businesses to acquire deep and broad external knowledge of markets, allowing them "to better sense changes in customer requirements." These technologies will also allow companies "to Innovatively serve those markets."; and 3. "Technology is redefining the nature of competition." Murphy (1998) describes "a new business model or paradigm that he calls alternatively" an "internetworked (virtual) enterprise" or "extended enterprise." These new enterprises "encompass channel partners, remote workers, suppliers, distributors, and consumers through a secure Web-based global network." (ij and Saarinen,2001). Infrastructure to support this new development is provided by the Internet. The Internet allows companies to become decentralized and operate within the digital environment. To make this model work, this type of business organization must link all business functions (supply, purchasing, manufacturing, operations, transportation, financing, accounting, personnel, sales, and customer service), "all stakeholders (business partners, suppliers, service and technology providers, distributors, retailers, outsourcing partners, remote workers, and customers, competitors, financiers, and regulators), and all organizational capabilities (information system, self-regulatin g and self-organizing organizational structure, and reinvented virtual supply chain)" (ij and Saarinen, 2001). This is to create a holistic business approach in the digital milieu. The new business paradigm created by three new classes of business model -

Why was OJ Simpson found not guilty in the criminal proceedings, and Essay

Why was OJ Simpson found not guilty in the criminal proceedings, and found liable in the civil proceedings - Essay Example y considered to have been poorly administered by the presiding judge (Lance Ito), and despite the introduction of considerable forensic and circumstantial evidence pointing to the defendant’s guilt, Simpson was acquitted in October 1995. However, in the civil trial alleging wrongful death and concluded in February 1997, the verdict was otherwise. This disparity in results has raised a number of questions concerning such matters as actual guilt, double jeopardy, and the like. In criminal litigation, the burden of proof is on the state. â€Å"The state [or ‘prosecution’] must prove that the defendant is guilty. The defendant is assumed to be innocent; [and therefore] the defendant needs to prove nothing†¦ [Furthermore,] in criminal litigation, the state must prove that the defendant satisfied each element of the statutory definition of the crime, and the defendant’s participation, ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ [Standler, 2002].† Conversely, in civil litigation, while the initial burden of proof, as in criminal cases, falls to the plaintiff (paralleling the prosecution in a criminal proceeding), â€Å"when the plaintiff has made a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the defendant to refute or rebut the plaintiff’s evidence [Standler, 2002].† Equally important, in civil proceedings the requirement that the jury be convinced ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ is replaced by a jury’s col lective satisfaction that the ‘preponderance of evidence’ points to the defendant’s guilt or negligence. In California, no one may be convicted in a jury trial criminal proceeding (vice trial by presiding judge alone), except in those instances when the jury is unanimously agreed on the defendant’s guilt. Conversely, in civil proceedings, the plaintiff prevails if nine or more of the twelve jurors concur in the defendant’s guilt or negligence. Since no formal punishment attaches to conviction in a civil proceedings, matters at issue that have been resolved in

Sociology Class - Paragraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology Class - Paragraph - Essay Example At the core of every international relation, global commerce, everyday life, etc. is the question how the reality is constructed in the society. Thus, understanding the social construction of reality helps in realizing how and why certain news issues (such as the dumping of oil off the California coast) end up ‘on the cutting room floor,’ never making it into the mainstream news. As David M. Newman maintains, â€Å"the social construction of reality (truth, knowledge, and so on) is the process by which reality is discovered, made known, reinforced and changed by members of society†¦ Not all of us possess the same ability to define reality. Individuals and groups in positions of power have the ability to control information, define values, create myths, manipulate events, and ultimately influence what others take for granted†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Newman, 41) Therefore, it is fundamental to comprehend that the social construction of reality is based on various factors that affect the social life. Similarly, individuals and groups, politics, economic interests, values, ethics, other interests etc. determine how and why certain news issues affecting the society are constructed and maintained.

Cultural Sensivity Essay Example for Free

Cultural Sensivity Essay The manner in which color is employed in an international context is a significant factor which is frequently maltreated or neglected by the developers of Web sites and instructional material. What is more, its application is even more complicated due to the notion that perception of color is conditioned not merely by ones physical competence to see it. It is even more important for a designer to understand the meaning of a color in terms of cultural preferences. Following are some recommendations in regards to the worlds attitudes toward the basic colors. So, the developer of a site oriented on an international viewer should keep in mind that blue is the best-tolerated color worldwide. Blue is one of the colors that is unobjected in the majority of ethnical traditions. Therefore, a designer can employ it for all sorts of sites, no matter what its audience, purpose, or placement are. In regards to the pleasant perception of this color specialists state that on our planet you cannot find anything that would be isolated from the surroundings – that is, excluding the sky. This may be the cause for prevailing religious beliefs place their deity somewhere above, while evil usually resides under the ground. There is a group of colors that possess somewhat indistinct characteristics and meanings. Among those one should mention pink. When developing sites for citizens of East India, it is recommended to avoid pale version of this color for the reason that male audience consider it as having a feminine attribute. In some states, on the other hand, representatives of both genders favor pastels; the perfect example is Japan. But the most important category for the designer to remember is the group of unsafe colors. The most noteworthy example is purple, which is received negatively in all around the world. Catholic-dominated countries, for example, have this color as a representation of death and crucifixion. Moreover, it symbolizes mystical teachings and practices that oppose the tenets of Christianism, Judaism and Muslimism. It is crucial for instructional designers to realize that all material is unseparatable from culture. Thus, Web site developers must take some special aspects of culture like, for example, color preferances, and integrate them into the project in order to create culturally sensitive presentation. Reference List 1. Design at Work Leaning Network. (April 2003). A brief introduction to information design. Retrieved on February 23, 2007, from http://http://www. christiania. edu/iforum/iforum/ePaper_no_4_3003. pdf.

What Happens in the Sacraments Essay Example for Free

What Happens in the Sacraments Essay 1. What does the Church’s liturgy celebrate? The Church’s liturgy celebrates the Paschal Mystery of Christ. 2. Redemption is the action of Jesus Christ whereby he paid the price of his own Death on the cross to save us from sin and thus return us to new, eternal life in union with God. In the Eucharist we proclaim the mystery of our Redemption. 3. True or False? In the liturgy we remember and participate in the events that accomplished our Redemption. True 4. What is a central theme of the spiritual writing of Blessed Dom Columba Marmion, O.S.B.? Explain. A central theme in his writing is â€Å"divine adoption† 5. In the Eucharist Christ communicates the fruits of the Paschal Mystery. Through faith and our participation in the sacraments, every facet of our lives becomes intertwined with the life of Jesus as we grow in union with the Blessed Trinity. Pages 32 – 37 Christ Acts through the Sacraments 6. True or False? The Apostles were empowered to begin the mission to teach and baptize people of all nations on the Jewish Feast of the Ascension. FALSE The Apostles were empowered to begin the mission to teach and baptize people of all nations on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost. 7. The experience of Paraclete forever changed the Apostles as they became enlivened, rejuvenated, and filled with courage. They spoke openly to the â€Å"Jews from every nation† who had come to Jerusalem for the celebration. 8. The Holy Spirit continued to be present in the Apostles and they became â€Å"sacramental signs† of Christ. Through Apostolic succession they entrusted the power and authority of the Holy Spirit to their replacements. 9. True or False? The events of our Salvation occurred only once, but by the power of the Holy Spirit the liturgy makes these events present and real for us today. True 10. God the Father is the source of the blessing we receive from the liturgy. Our response involves recognizing God’s blessings in the story of creation, His covenants with the Chosen people and finally in the coming of Christ.

Apple Inc Culture Has Both Advantages And Disadvantages Business Essay

Apple Inc Culture Has Both Advantages And Disadvantages Business Essay Introduction Apple Inc, a multinational company delivers high standard computer products, communication products, and entertainment product such as Mac Computers, Iphones, Ipads and Ipods. The American company was developed and formed in Cupertino, California in the year 1976. The company was incorporated in 1977 as Apple Computer, Inc. The company started as computer manufacturer, and over the years the company grew rapidly was soon more than a computer manufacturer. The high standard operating system Mac OS made them unique among the competitors from the same industry. At the moment Apple, Inc is one among the top rated in the fortune companies and is well established as a PC, Mobile phone, and software developers and distributors worldwide. The company was formed in the year of 1976 the incorporation took place in the year of 1977; also the first computer was introduced in the year of 1977. The founders of Apple Inc (founded as Apple Computer Inc) are Steven Paul Jobs, Stephen Gary Wozniak, and Ronald Gerald Wayne. But Wayne has left Apple before the incorporation, the real twist in its growth and development was with the entry of Mike Markkula who was the former marketing manager at Intel Corporation. Markkula offered a financial support for Apple Computer Inc. He had invested $ 250, 000 and some expertise for expanding Apples business. At first, they manufactured a computer without key boards and monitors, the computers even sold without a case. The first computer is named as Apple I. Following Apple I the company had launched Apple II which covers all the drawbacks of Apple I. Apple II had added advantages over its predecessor, including a colour display and a cassette storage drive. The introduction of Apple II was a great success and it enhanced $ 1 million annual sales. By the year 1979 Apple launched Apple II+ computers which came out with better memory and features that Apple II. During the 1980s Apple introduced their Apple III computers. The launch was a big failure. The analysts stated that the PC had launched without sufficient tests, as a result many of the units turned out to be defective. Following that Apple continued to remain innovative in product development. One of their greatest innovations was their Ipods which is able to store and play music files with the help of their own Itune software. The unique design and ultra portability made the product favorite for all kinds of customers. Following that they have introduced their first mobile phone, which was there entry in to the booming mobile phones industry. The mobile phone is top rated for their unique features, and enormous designs. It was great success in the smart phones category. With all their high standard products and innovations the company had remained top rated even in the recession. According to the second quarter report Apple Inc, the 2010 second quarter revenues raised up to $ 13.5 billion, the second quarter revenue of 2009 reported as $ 9.08 billion. Also the profit margin raised from $ 39.9 % to $ 41. 7 %, Mac PCs shows 33 % unit growth and Ipones shows 131 % unit growth compared to the previous quarter. Whereas, Ipods shows 1 % decline in unit growth, the major portion of the revenue is contributed by Iphones. Organisational behaviour According to Mullins, (2005), Organizational behavior as the study and understanding of individual and group behavior, and patterns of structure in order to help improve organizational performance and effectiveness, (Mullins, 2005, p.26) Organizational culture is complex and multi-faceted. Culture is intangible and varies from organization to organization. Many authors came up with relevant theories regarding these subjects. It can be defined in simple terms as the way things are done in an organization. Mullins, 2005 stated that according to Handy there are 4 main ways that organizational culture can be classified, they are as follows: Power Culture Role Culture Task Culture Person Culture Power Culture Organization in this category tend to have minimal rules and regulations, also it is largely dependant on a central character. The decisions are made by this central character or a central group. The focus group of Apple Inc have proved to be best at what they are doing so far. Though this type of culture is adopted by small enterprises, Apple Inc have adopted this due to the fact that they emphasise on delivering quality over anything else. Role Culture The organization in this category, tend to have a bureaucratic way of organizational culture. It very much sticks to the rules and regulations of the company. In this culture, organizations tend to work as the strong pillars, where individual values have less importance, whereas the positions play important roles. In Apple Inc, there involved a level of secracy as individual opinions were not acepted at all points and there were flaws in communication as well. While looked upon from a human resource view, this proved to have affected the product development at various stages. Where as, when looked upon from a product development prospective, this proved to be a more challenging and more demanding quality of significant importance. In most cases the pillars are controlled by the role, also roles and job descriptions are more important than individual performance. Task Culture In this culture, organizations are more concerned about the objective and tasks. It does not pay much importance to HR rules and regulations as this culture is more tasks oriented. Expertise and individual performance are more valued than the positions and roles. The communication tends to be both ways and the employees are free to express their ideas and suggestions at Apple Inc. Also decision making is not relied on information from a single source and the employees take part in expressing their opinion or the managers gathered ideas from the co-workers. But reports at Apple Inc show that this culture can be difficult to achieve economies of scales. In todays fast moving digital world, many companies including Apple Inc adopted this style of operation. In olden days this has been seen in the aeronautic engineering, but now-a-days some of the multinational IT companies are adopting this style, because they are keen about their organisational goals and tasks. Person Culture Individuals are the key factors for this concepts, this culture is normally seen in animal protection organizations. According to Mullins, (2005) Geert Hofstede also identified four dimensions to organizational culture and work place differences. They are as follows: Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism Masculinity Power Distance In this culture there is high level of disparity. According to Hofstede this culture is totally dependent on the management; in this concept subordinates should obey the superiors. Communication tends to flow from top to down. It is seen in military operations, at the moment organisations are trying to reduce power distance and putting their maximum efforts to bring equality in organizations. Apple had this within the management and this was a factor that affected the overall performance to a certain extend. Uncertainty Avoidance As Hofstede linked the national culture and organizational culture, uncertainty avoidance refers to the unexpected situations or unusual situations that a society or the employees of an organization feels that they are going to face. Apple Inc had this problem as there was a level of secrecy maintained among the employees. They themselves were not aware of what was happening around them. Individualism Individualism refers to the individuals being capable of looking after themselves. At Apple Inc, the context of organizational behavior is applicable to some parts of the organization that the employees are self driven. They are highly committed to what they do pertaining to work and were not able to take care of themselves. Masculinity It refers to the gender difference in organizational behavior, in some society the womens value is not differed from mens but in some society it differs women has less value that the men. Automatically it affect the organizational behavior, if an organization provide the same positions for men and women, it may bring internal conflict in that particular organization. Leadership Leadership is not about the leader, it is about how he builds the confidence of everyone else. Leaders are responsible for both the big structures that sever as the cornerstone of confidence, and the human touches that shape a positive emotional climate to inspire and motivate people. Leaders delivering confidence by espousing high standards in their messages, exemplifying these standards in the conduct they model and establishing formal mechanism to provide a structure for acting on those standards. (Mullins J. L, 2007, p.362) A diagrammatic representation of leadership Subordinates-centered Leadership Boss-Centered Leadership Use Authority by Manager Area of freedom for subordinates Manager makes decisions and announce it Managers permits subordinates to function within defined limits Managers presents problems, gets suggestions and make decisions Manager presents ideas and invites questions Managers presents tentative decisions to change subject Manager sells decision Managers define limits, and asks group to make decision (Mullins J. L, 2007, p.362) What is good at Apple, Inc? Innovative and task driven culture Apple Inc is totally focused on innovation, in another word they always tries make superior and unique products to gain competitive advantages. For this purpose they are very keen to choose the best work force available. Hard work and commitment is the main quality that the company seek from it employees. There is a common saying that there is always more work to do than the employees. A relaxed and informal atmosphere is created in the working campus, many researches proved that the employees at Apple Inc is relaxed and at the same time highly committed to tasks given by the company. The company is always taking keen interest to entertain their employees after the working hours. As discussed, the company is recognized as innovator therefore it always prefers workaholic people. In one way the company is adopting Handys task oriented organizational culture, in this culture Handy described that organizations are less formal and highly task oriented. It is agreed that Apple Inc is adopting an innovative and task driven culture, but at the same time they have very strong work ethics and very strict deadlines. The best example for this there working hour, an employee is working 60 to 70 hours per week. The employees believe that apple is not just for making money. The innovations helped the company gain market reputation, at the same time it helps the employee to learn more things every day. That is one of the main things that employees are seeking for, especially in software and computer related fields. The technology is changing day by day, and Apple Inc is always trying to innovate something which can surprise the world. It helps the employees even after they left the organization, the world knows that the employees coming out from Apple will be highly committed, task driven and hard working, also they can contribute expertise in to other business in which they are selected for. Individualism According to Hofstede, in this culture employees are capable or expected look after themselves. Apple Inc is allowing their employees to work themselves. The employees must run their own shows. Because of that the company is always seeking for the best talents, also the guidance are given occasionally, as a result the employees are becoming self confident and self motivated, and they clearly focused and showing high commitment to the tasks. Also they always ready to take more responsibilities. There is common belief in the employees mind that Apple Inc is always seeing for accomplishment rather than the relationship building. Individual has the opportunities to prove their ability and get the reward. The opportunity to grow is wide open in Apple Inc. As it is highly focused on the innovation and their keen interest to launch something new and inspiring allow the employees make the days creating and challenging. It is widely accepted by the employees at Apple Inc is that every day tha t they can learn and they can experience something new. Therefore the individual opportunities to grow and learn is more compared to any other multinational firms, also the employees are capable to their own tasks without any guidance. Diversity and Cross functionality Apple Inc is a multinational which is always looking for the best talents and committed work force, therefore from all the parts of world talented people are appointed. Employees are most often used to work with multinational workforce. It is also allowing the employees to learn different culture and working styles. According many studies conducted, it has been realized that employees are often find cross functional activities to perform the accomplishment of the companys objectives or organizational goals. Apple Inc. took all the necessary steps to promote diversity among its work force and also there always make sure a non homogeneous workforce. Furthermore they have set up partnerships with various of organizations. Apple Inc has a partnership with National Black MBAs, National society of Hispanics MBAs and the society of Women Engineers. These Kind of organization promote diversity and allow the employees mix with diverse work force. Apple Inc believes that the diversity in work force is one of the important tasks to execute a successful corporate culture Managers are asked to do different tasks other than their working area. Many of the multinational firms are adopted cross functional activities in order make their employees multitask oriented and to broaden up their abilities. Many mangers in Apple Inc, stated that they have often asked to cross functional activities which are out of their working area. For instance according to case study, an input manager commented that he is involved in many of the cross functional activities, one day he may asked to involve in industrial design, another day he may asked to involve in the product design and software engineering. These kind of cross functionality will make the employees to work and enhance knowledge in different fields, also they may not be stick in position they will always be creative and active. At the same time the organization will allocate a smooth operation in regards human resource management, it may not stuck if one or more employees are off or on holidays, someone can ea sily cover up the situations. Bonus and Benefits The benefits in Apple Inc are differs from locations to locations and it is also depends on the employment status. The company has taken number of steps to make the employees feel good about the benefits offered by the company. The companies benefit programs starts with the insurance coverage schemes, also they initiated Flexible spending accounts, employees stock purchase program, 401 saving and investment plan, product discounts for the staffs, on site fitness programs also they offered the opportunities to work in big projects where extra bonu is offered. As discussed the bonus and benefits somewhat depends on the performance, in the year 1995 Apple Inc has designed and implemented a program called Apple Fellow Program. The main aim of the program is to identify the best performer and from which employee the company has received extra ordinary contribution. The Fellow program winners used to be the leader and they can guide other for companys progress activities. In return the company offered the Flexi benefit program to its staffs. Also the studies and researches shows that Apple Inc had given free Iphones to its staffs after the unique mobile phone has launched in the industry. Opportunities and Job Securities Career opportunities are very wide in Apple Inc, as it recognized as an innovator the employee are having wide range of opportunities to prove their caliber and can build their career on a performance wise. Also Apple Inc conducting many internship programs which allow the employees to gain the thorough knowledge in different fields. The employees working with Apple Inc is coming out with a great confidence. According to Maslows pyramid after basic need of human it very essential that employees feel job security. In case of Apple Inc it is not only a job security, in Apple Incs words the company is not providing employment security but it is providing employability security. The people coming out from Apple Inc is highly demanded, employers are happy offer opportunities for this candidates. Employers worldwide are well aware that these candidates have a wide range experience and they can cope up with any organizational culture. They expect a strong contribution from these candidates. Unique Corporate Culture The organizational culture at Apple is highly focused on the jobs and innovation, may CEQs came and made some changes in the culture, but over the time the ultimate corporate culture is totally focused on innovation and the jobs done. They are enjoying an informal culture at the same time they have employed very strong deadlines and making the employees to have clear focus on the objectives. The founder Jobs did contributed the best of to make this Unique culture possible for this company. Many of other multinational firms are adopting this kind of organizational culture. The difference between these companies and Apple Inc is that the other companies will be more flexible and they might lose the focus and they wont be strict on the deadline like Apple Inc. On the other hand Apple Inc is maintaining the informal culture and task oriented culture but at the same time they are very much focused on the objectives and tasks and they have very strong deadline with no compromise. The corporate culture of Apple Inc, is making the employees or it is encouraging the employees to make something Insanely Great and the CEO Jobs said to be the founder of this culture. As discussed earlier many CEOs came and altered the organizational corporate culture, but at the end of the day Jobs came and restructured the culture, after he has come back he realized that the company is lacking their original culture which was at time he was the CEO. Experts opinioned and stated the result of this change is Imac. What is bad at Apples, Inc Lack of transparency of information Apple Inc is recognized as an innovator and the products they are offering to the market is unique and high standard. There is secret behavior has maintained from the beginning of the business. In a way it is acceptable that company is mainly focused on Innovations therefore a secrecy in information is necessary, but may reports shows that the secrecy somehow making trouble for smooth operation of the company. Their tight control over the information caused many troubles; even it had led an employee to commit suicide in China. Though they have not affected by the recession, considering future growth of the company transparency of information is necessary. Transparency of information helps the investors as well as the stake holders. Many of the multinational companies showing keen interest in making the information available to the public, but at Apple Inc secrecy is there part of the corporate culture. Reports show that the many of the product launches are surprising the staffs, because it is kept secret, only the product developer and the senior management are aware of the product. But thinking globally many great ideas and suggestions can come out from the internal staffs, especially from the marketing team, because they are the have the clear picture of market needs and wants. Even the managers used to make wrong information product even during the meetings. Dysfunctional culture There are assumptions many times that Apple Incs corporate culture moved to dysfunctional. There are cases reported that many talented people they left the company because they could not adjust and adopt the unique culture of the company. According to the case study vice president is enjoying a greater power in the company. Analysts pointed out that the company has less feeling towards relationship with the employees but they strictly focused on the jobs. An incident reported that vice president hired people and assigned a pay scale twice than the senior employees working the firm. Unfair Promotions and compensations There are many cases that reports unfairness in promotion and analysts say that the employees are treated unfairly. This is mainly because of their unique corporate culture, as discussed earlier personal values have less important in Apple Inc they prefer jobs and innovations but at the same time they are creating a relaxed atmosphere for their employees. Also report says that only top executives are compensated and appreciated for jobs done. The employees claiming that even if they come out with new product, they dont get enough appreciation. Also the promotions are given depends on the interest of the managers. There are comments from employees that they are not given enough opportunities grow their career. Long Working Hours Apple Inc is always preferred hard working people in another word they prefer workaholic people who does not care about the working hours. An average working hours per week in Apple Inc is 60 to 70, which is more than the normal companies working hours. As we can see this will affect employees family life. The job is also bit stressed and the employees must be creative and enthusiastic all the time. For instance if an employee is working in the product development department for 60 to 70 hours per week continuously they might get over stressed, the particular department needs full concentration all the time he or she is working. There case that former employee sued Apple Inc for violating the labor law California, he complained that he used to work 7 days every six weeks. The company is also aware of that, there are cases after working these kinds of long hours the employees were in therapy. Highly Depending on Leadership Apple Inc is highly depending on the leadership, The CEO Jobs has very much influence on the corporate structure of Apple Inc. Analysts sees that without Job Apple will nothing other than a normal software company. Also analysts stated that the company will be struggling without Jobs. Looking into the theoretical side one can see that Job the CEO of playing both democratic and autocratic styles of leadership. In a way he is making an informal atmosphere and creative opportunities for his employees at the same time the company is very strict on the tasks and deadlines like a military camp. The information are very secret and the will not tolerate any leakage of the company information. The always kept a secret behavior. Conclusion Many of the issues have been discussed, it has been realized that Apple Inc as multinational company has a unique at the same very challenging corporate culture. Many supporters have wrote and many companies are trying to adopt this culture, also many studies shows some of the major draw backs of Apple Incs corporate culture. The study realized that the culture has both advantages and disadvantages, the capacity of innovating unique and high standard products the company attract more talented people in to their business, the younger generation will love to work with as they can learn something every day also they can expose themselves. On the other hand there are some major draw backs, they have no transparency of information also they have long working hours compared to another companies. With some changes the corporate culture of Apple Inc can be the best in the world. Recommendations There are major issues that the company can change, they are as follows: The information can be more transparent, the investor and stake holder are always seeking transparent information. Also it can help to improve product quality and can get tremendous ideas and suggestions from the co workers. Transparency of information will help the company to know better the needs and wants of the market. The long working hours can be changed, maximum of 40 hours working hours will help the employee to relax, a relaxed mind can produce greater idea than a stressed and week mind. Having multiple senior executives will allow the company to continue their activities, eve if one senior executive left the organisation. All the employee should be treated same, equality is another great fact for the success of an organization, more talented people will be attracted to organisation. Job appreciation will encourage the employees to work more committed and task oriented.

Analysis of Dickinson’s I heard a Fly buzz - when I died Essay

Analysis of Dickinson’s I heard a Fly buzz - when I died Emily Dickinson wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime that dealt with death. She seemed to have an almost morbid fascination with the subject. Her poem "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died" is one of the many poems she wrote about this ghastly topic. The symbols she used make this poem interesting because they can be interpreted on more than one level. The punctuation and capitalization used also give the poem an abstract quality. Like much of Dickinson's poetry, this poem is both startling and somber. One thing that stands out about this poem is that the word fly is capitalized throughout. It makes one wonder what the fly actually represents. Flies often gather around death and dead things, and on one level, the fly can be seen as a representation of death. Death, the perpetual fly on the wall, is finally making itself noticed. Although the speaker has always known that death is going to come, when it finally arrives, its modest appearance is disappointing. The fly can also be seen as an interruption in the narrator's process of dying. The fly can be heard buzzing above the "Stillness in the Room." The fly also comes between the speaker and the light in the last stanza of the poem, which is another disturbance in the speaker's dying process. The fly can also be seen in an ironic light. The speaker, like all of us, is expecting death to be an important, grandiose experience in our lives. Her own death, however, is interrupted by something as insignificant as a fly. The insignificant quality of the fly could represent the commonplace nature of death and the relative irrelevance of the death of one person. The fly is unimportant, an... ...e describing a sort of spiritual death, since she talks about the fly cutting her off form the light, which could represent God. This interpretation has some difficulties, however, since family members probably would not be present during a spiritual death. (Dickinson 1146) Dickinson's poetry is both thought provoking and shocking. This poem communicates many things about Dickinson, such as her cynical outlook on God, and her obsession with death. It is puzzling to me why a young lady such as Emily Dickinson would be so melancholy, since she seemed to have such a good life. Perhaps she just revealed in her poetry that dark side that most people try to keep hidden. Works Cited: Dickinson, Emily. "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died." The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1, 2nd Edition. Ed. Nina Baym, et al. New York: W.W. Norton, 1985

I Have Cancer and My Brother has Cerebral Palsy :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

There are things in life which none of us can control, in my life there have been many such things. In trying to write this essay I have a difficult time trying to decide what I am going to write about. I have many ideas running through my head,and I am trying to decide what makes me who I am, what makes me special. Soren Kierkegaard said, "Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards." I have a difficult time understanding my life even as I look back, I am unsure of why things happened and what effect certain events had on my life. I say this because I know nothing else, I have nothing to compare my life to. I am who I am and I have always been this way. There are three major topics that I am considering to include in my essay. The first topic is my medical history, which is quite thick, as shown by my four fat medical files. The problems all started at an early age when E-coli was found in my hip, and it had to be removed. I went in to surgery for the first time, before my first birthday, and had part of my hip scraped out to remove the bacteria. This was the first of about 5 major surgeries and a vast number of visits to the doctors. I could talk about the trauma I went through wondering if I would ever be able to walk, but I was too young to remember any of this. The E-coli was of little importance in my mind except that it was my first surgery, and also that Doctor's told my parents I would always walk with a limp, and be unable to compete in athletics. The condition that everyone believes had the largest effect on who I am is CANCER, I made that big and bold because I want the sympathy vote. I was diagnosed wi th cancer on Feb. 11, 1987 and went into surgery 2 days later. I didn't remember that date, and I had to go ask my parents all of this. They remember it all. I had a stage four Wilms Tumor attached to my left kidney, I know what side because I get to look at the huge scar every day, and that the doctor's gave me about a 50/50 chance of survival.

Characterization In A Classic Novel Essay -- essays research papers

Characterization in a Classic Novel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is the story of a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his quest to create life from death. Frankenstein’s experiment goes dreadfully wrong and he is forced to flee from the monster he created. Throughout this novel, Frankenstein is characterized by his extreme intelligence, skepticism and withdrawn behavior, and remorse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of this novel, it is clearly stated that Victor has a love for knowledge. â€Å"It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupies me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, that physical secrets of the world,† (37). Victor is educated but self-taught in his favorite subjects. He begins reading books dealing only with science and describes himself as, â€Å"always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature,† (39). When Victor is old enough, he attends college in Ingolstadt. At Ingolstadt, Victor becomes interested in chemistry and the human body. Frankenstein decides to create a human being in hopes that he will be able to restore life to the dead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is apparent that Victor dislikes groups of people. During his childhood, he has one friend who remains close to him throughout his life. Instead of talking to his friend or family when...

Should we reinstate the Selective Service Draft or continue to rely on a volunteer army?

This paper seeks to determine whether the Americans should reinstate the Selective Service Draft or continue to rely on a volunteer army. This paper posits that it is more advantageous to rely on volunteer army than military draft. . No need to reinstate the military draft One of the strongest arguments why America need not reinstate the Selective Service Draft and instead continue to rely on volunteer army is the positions presently taken by the Bush Administration.Burns said, â€Å"The Bush administration sees no need to reinstate the military draft, but it is pushing for improved Pentagon management of the 1.4 million-strong force in order to meet wartime needs, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday. † He further quoted Rumsfeld saying , â€Å"†I don't know anyone in the executive branch of the government who believes it would be appropriate or necessary to reinstitute the draft,† to the Newspaper Association of America's annual convention. † The system of military conscription that was abandoned in 1973 just came from some members of Congress on whether the long-term nature of the global war on terrorism might require a return to same. It was Sen.Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. , who raised the possibility that compulsory military service might be necessary. Burns quoted Hagel as seeing the nation as engaged â€Å"in a generational war here against terrorism† and â€Å"It's going to require resources. † The main argument of Sen. Hagel was for burden sharing, hence, he was quoted as saying: â€Å"Should we continue to burden the middle class who represents most all of our soldiers, and the lower-middle class? † â€Å"Should we burden them with the fighting and the dying if in fact this is a generational – probably 25-year – war? â€Å"Burns found Rumsfeld not addressing the issue of burden-sharing, except to say the old system of conscription had â€Å"a lot of difficulties,† including lo opholes that permitted many to avoid being drafted. Rumsfeld was found to have said that the military simply does not need to abandon its all-volunteer approach and to have said the following statement, â€Å"†We have a relatively small military. We have been very successful in recruiting and retaining the people we need†¦ Although the military is strained by its commitments in Iraq and elsewhere, it is working on ways to get more combat power out of the existing force.† Burns also reported Rumsfeld arguing that the Army, for example, is reorganizing to increase the number of combat brigades from 33 to as many as 48 over the next several years and the Pentagon is finding ways to pull troops out of jobs that could be done by civilian Defense Department workers or government contractors, thus freeing more troops for combat-related duties (Paraphrasing made) . Hence it would mean that there is no need to reinstate the Selective Service since under the present circumst ance, volunteer army is a possible option.In trying therefore to analyse the statements of Rumsfeld, Selective Service draft should only come as an option if the present number of army could not be augmented through other means like pulling troops out of jobs that could be done by civilian Defense Department workers or government contractors. Why resort to compulsory service then when there are easier ways. As state earlier, the main argument for selective service is the shared burden principle between rich and poor. Equitable Spread of burden of military serviceGreenberg, David (2003) said that the proposal for selective service by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N. Y. is based on the argument that in our anomic culture we need mandatory service to instill common values, provide a shared experience for young people of all races and social stripes, and equitably spread the burden of military service. Hence, in writing in the New York Times, Greenberg found Rangel recently to have urged a â⠂¬Å"return to the tradition of the citizen soldier,† and arguing that â€Å"if we are going to send our children to war, the governing principle must be that of shared sacrifice.† (Paraphrasing made). Greenberg further said, â€Å"Cries like Rangel's have arisen in every war and quite often in peace as well. In 1940, inaugurating the first-ever peacetime draft, Franklin Roosevelt argued that the new policy â€Å"broadened and enriched our basic concepts of citizenship. † A quarter century later, Lyndon Johnson called the draft â€Å"a part of America, a part of the process of our democracy. † Indeed, appeals to patriotism and democracy have often accompanied the imposition of mandatory sacrifice. † Equality contradicting libertyThe laudable purpose of equality is not however unopposed because of the element of coercion which convinces many that equality need not liberty. Thus, Greenburg agreed difficulty of selling conscription because equality coul d be contradicting liberty. He said, â€Å" Despite these fine words, though, conscription has always been—and probably will always be—a tough sell. The reason isn't that Americans crave an unjust system, although they haven't shown too much regret over the draft's inequities. Rather, the draft's perennial unpopularity stems from an abiding national regard for freedom from state coercion.For all Rangel's rhetorical bows to the â€Å"citizen soldier† and â€Å"shared sacrifice,† his proposal addresses America's historic concern for equality but skirts its even more primary veneration for liberty. † As to the validity of the claims equality in the sharing the burden, perhaps it would be proper to take a look at the past. Had people readily accepted conscription in the past? Greenburg said â€Å"Indeed, the notion of the citizen soldier of the Revolutionary War to which Rangel hearkens—the common man trading plowshare for sword to fight an imm inent threat—actually points up the flaws in the argument for conscription.The Revolution's vaunted Minute Men were, after all, volunteers who needed no official prodding to take up arms against a threat to their liberty. The Continental Army certainly had its manpower problems—in the winter of 1776, Tom Paine decried the â€Å"summer soldier and the sunshine patriot†Ã¢â‚¬â€but even in those trying times, states rejected George Washington's plea for national conscription. When individual states did hold drafts, they allowed wealthy conscripts to hire substitutes, who were predominantly poor and unemployed. Service was hardly a shared experience. †If President Washington plea for national conscription was rejected when the country needed the citizen then to defend it was rejected, would it be easier to accept today? Could this happen with Bush administration when his defense secretary was saying that there is no need for military draft? But going back stil l in the past, it was found that draft really existed but it was just temporary to address an emergency. Thus, Greenburg added , â€Å"Whatever problems hobbled the Continental Army, the new nation's founders remained convinced that state encroachment on personal freedom was the greater danger.The Constitution's drafters conferred on Congress the power to â€Å"raise and support armies† but not to conscript citizens—an omission notably at odds with the practice in Europe. Virginia's Edmund Randolph, one of the few founders to raise the issue during the constitutional debates, argued that a draft would â€Å"stretch the strings of government too violently to be adopted. † Such sentiments carried the day even when British troops invaded American soil two decades later. During the War of 1812, President James Madison sought a draft.But even though Secretary of War James Monroe promised it would be just a temporary, emergency measure, Congress opposed it, in Sen. D aniel Webster's words, as â€Å"Napoleonic despotism. † It never got off the ground. † If success in the past may have to be used as a justification to put one today, would it be more acceptable? Historically this was not supposed to be the case since success seemed t far from good. Greenburg said, â€Å"In the Civil War, both North and South continued to rely mainly on enlistment, although they did adopt conscription when the volunteers dried up.Even though the Civil War drafts were extremely limited—only 8 percent of Union's 2 million soldiers were draftees—they were far from successful. The Confederate government gave exemptions to those in certain occupations, sparking popular protest. Meanwhile, the delegation of such vast powers to the Confederate government baldly violated the principle of â€Å"states' rights† and undermined the South's rationale for its rebellion. † The limited number then of military draft appear to post now a stron g objection to reinstating military draft now that they situation was not as dangerous before.There could be problems with impracticality because a forced military service may just cause desertions or non reporting which. This actually happened. Greenburg confirmed this when he said, â€Å"Fifty years later, with Europe at war, Woodrow Wilson courted the animosity of isolationists left and right by pushing through Congress a sweeping (but temporary) conscription program. To ensure fairness, the law barred the hiring of substitutes and the offering of bounties for enlistees.But the draft's more fundamental flaw—its coerciveness—still fueled protest. Waves of conscripts, perhaps as many as 3 million, refused to register for the draft, and of those actually called to serve, 12 percent either didn't report or quickly deserted. Local vigilantes took to shaming or brutalizing resisters into service. Civil libertarians sued the government, arguing that the draft was unconsti tutional under the 13th Amendment, which outlawed involuntary servitude, but in 1918 the Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional.† What could be more depriving than coerciveness? We have seen coercion generating protest but it does not mean that military draft is not without use and purpose. Hence Greenburg explained that the draft was scuttled when peace returned, but in 1940, when Germany invaded France, FDR sought to resurrect it. There must be a war to justify the draft. But how was it accepted then because of the war? Greenburg said, â€Å" Again, opposition was fierce; Sen.Arthur Vandenberg, for one, accused FDR of â€Å"tearing up 150 years of American history and tradition, in which none but volunteers have entered the peacetime Armies and Navies. † But FDR won out, and resistance faded after Pearl Harbor. As it was in so many ways, the experience of the â€Å"good† war proved an exception to a historical pattern. Yet FDR's policies also set a preceden t for the more questionable Cold War draft, which would last 25 years. † In the cold war , America had the draft during the Cold War but the Vietnam experience have taught them a lesson.Greenburg confirmed this when he said, â€Å"It took the catastrophe of Vietnam to end the draft. By the late 1960s, the mounting body counts and anti-war sentiment made it increasingly hard for President Johnson to justify sending young men to die in battle. Until 1969, Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, the head of the Selective Service, blocked efforts to reform or end the draft, but when Richard Nixon assumed the presidency he saw draft reform as a way to silence the peace movement and steal the Democrats' thunder without a precipitous pullout.Nixon forced Hershey into retirement, set up a lottery to make the draft fairer, and indicated he would move toward an all-volunteer force (AVF). In a debate over whether to continue the draft in 1971 or adopt an AVF, it was Nixon and Gen. William Westmorel and who argued for the AVF, while leading Democrats in Congress such as Ted Kennedy and one Charlie Rangel pressed to keep the draft in place. † Given past events, will America repeat the same mistake?The Americans have spoken about their positions in the last 2006 elections by giving more seats to Democrats over the Republicans. The constitutionality of mandatory military service One of the issues that may be invoked in trying to oppose the military draft is through constitutional means. Smolla, R. said, â€Å"The military draft has been rhetorically attacked as a form of involuntary servitude that violates the Thirteenth Amendment, [23] but, despite the hyperbolic utility of the argument, it has never been taken seriously by the Supreme Court.As early as the 1918 Selective Draft Law Cases, [24] the Court stated that as we are unable to conceive upon what theory the exaction by government from the citizen of the performance of his supreme and noble duty of contributing to th e defense of the rights and honor of the nation as the result of a war declared by the great representative body of the people can be said to be the imposition of involuntary servitude in violation of the prohibitions of the Thirteenth Amendment, we are constrained to the conclusion that the contention to that effect is refuted by its mere statement.[25] † It is therefore clear that legal battle appears a weak option because the court could still sustain legality so the decision is political and which using the result of the recent elections would show that the volunteer army is the better option. Conclusion: The evidence would go for continuing volunteer army instead of selective service draft. To serve ones’ country it is best to respect voluntary service.Americans need not be reinstated the military service if it could continue with volunteer army To force young Americans to join the draft was a difficult experience in the past where enlisted personnel failed or dese rted, constituting a big percentage. The compulsory draft in the past was made to address to an emergency. The executive department through the defense chief declared the lack of need to restore the military since the government can still have volunteer army.Forcing people to render a military service is being viewed as having the element of coercion which is one the greatest objection to selective military draft but the latter is arguing on the basis to shared sacrifice and therefore invoking equality. However, opponents of military draft rationalized that equality need not violated liberty which the Constitution was made to promote. The present jurisprudence however holds that force military draft is constitutional and hence the issue of legality may still allow the decision to pursue military draft over that of volunteer army.Since there is no emergency to invoke military draft, then said option must not be pursued. Works and Cases Cited: Burns, Robert, Defense Chief Sees No Need to Reintroduce the Military Draft, The Associated Press , Agonist Discussion, Re:WILL THE US FEEL A DRAFT SOON? , Reply #26 on: April 22, 2004, 03:44:24 PM, {www document} URL, http://discuss. agonist. org//? board=1%3Baction=display%3Bthreadid=18596%3Bstart=0,, Accessed November 28,2006.Greenberg, David. Rough Draft, The revive-conscription movement has history against it., 2003 {www document} URL http://www. slate. com/? id=2077346, Accessed November 28,2006 Millett, J. , The Organization and Role of the Army Service Forces.. Publisher: Office of the Chief of Military History, Washington, DC, 1954, p. 261 Schenck v. United States, 249 U. S. 47, 50-51 (1919) Selective Draft Law Cases 245 U. S. 366 (1918). Smolla, R. , The Constitutionality of Mandatory Public School Community Service Programs. Law and Contemporary Problems. Volume: 62. Issue: 4. Publication Year: 1999. p. 113

Stage Fright

Miguel Barvosa-Martinez ENGL 1301-192 Mooney Essay # 2 Final 2/22/13 Stage Fright I know, first hand, that being onstage about to perform in front of a big audience is not as many expect. I started doing stand-up comedy over two years ago. The first time ever being on stage, I felt nervous. I felt jittery my fingers were shaking, but it wasn't as bad as having my body paralyzed from nervosity. Fear can bring your body some unexpected responses. I had those butterflies in my stomach, like I was weightless, as if I were floating.After my first show I discovered stage fright wasn't a problem. I learned that stage fright will come with unpreparedness, and the lack of repetition. The longer I prepared and the more I practiced my material the better I was off with a successful show. For me to know and be comfortable with my material, I would go over it repeatedly, as if I were at the gym doing sets on the bench press. The more prepared I got myself, the more confident I felt. Performing my skit with my friends sitting in front of me as if they are the real audience helped my preparedness.Others listening to my material gave me a better feel for my jokes. I would have a list, the bad jokes I would cross out the good ones I would circle. I would ask my friends for feedback, I used it as a way to prepare for the real audiences reaction. My ways of preparing for the event were time consuming. The fact that my performance brought a lot of laughs to the audience, I felt like i was immune to nervosity. Additionally, experience tells me that I need to give myself time to gain confidence. I worked on my material, preparing for a long time, for a show that was months away.Its a long and frustrating process, but in the end I felt proud of myself. The confidence I felt when I first went up on stage was impressive. I felt powerful, like a star, making the audience laugh with well-revised and practiced material. Conclusively, preparation is key, as is practice. The more prepared I was, the more confident , and the more guided I was through the show. Stage fright is something that can happen to just about anyone, but from my experience it can be dodged. Just prepare, and practice.