World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

World War II - Essay Example The main story is a fiction but it revolves around the attack on Pearl Harbor and some of the incidents shown in the movie relate to what we have learned in the course. The aspect in the movie that impressed me the most in the movie is that how the attack was a big surprise to the Americans and how it lead to America’s official entry into the World War II. Also the re-creation of the war scenes was very impressive as some of the scenes were exactly as photographed on the unfortunate day on December 7, 1941. We have learnt in our courses that at the time of the attack, Japan was still in peace talks with America. And the attack was a complete surprise. This is very well depicted in the movie. The president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, emphasizes on the Nazi Germany as the main enemy and how America needs to support Winston Churchill (Britain) and Stalin (Russia) by sending men and weapons. Japan is not treated as a threat at all and Europe is seen as the main danger. Also it is depi cted in the movie how the American strategists believe that Pearl Harbor can not be attacked due to its geographical isolation. One scene that stands out with this context is when a soldier states that he did not even know that Japan was sore against the US.

Welfare Social Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Welfare Social Services - Essay Example This essay researchers one of the mot important thesis in the capitalistic countries, that is whether or not societies have a duty to help those out in need. The researcher takes a look into modern society's views on the topic and provides some examples, he also expresses his opinion on the topic. It is suggested that nowadays the welfare social services is one of the most interesting issue, and many equally exciting and interesting topics have once again been thrown into the forefront of the public’s eye. These topics are all worthy of debate, and one of them that has again come up is the topic of welfare, and the cause of public assistance. It seems that just as many people that are for it, there are lines of people against it to. However, the researcher express his feelings that public assistance is not only people's duty, but an obligation and that people should never even think of taking away such social programs for those people who really need it. In conclusion of this essay, the researcher firmly asserts that welfare is something we need. In a capitalistic society, it almost depends on people to be at the bottom and be on welfare. Beside that, it is our duty and obligation to do all we can to help those in need, and at the end of the day that is really all it comes down to. We need to keep welfare to help out people of poor circumstances, and we need to make sure it stays around to help those people who truly need it and not let those who abuse it ruin it for those who rely on it to get by.

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay Example for Free

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay The roles the society allocates to its members according to sex are the root course of how people relate to each other in the society. Those who don’t fit into predetermined gender roles face social sanctions. This paper reveals that the gender stereotyping in the society are unfair and amount to the abuse of the rights of those who don’t conform to the norms. The essay takes into consideration the origins of the social standards and experiences of life which are used on women. Devor’s essay reveals how gender stereotypes give rise to female to male transsexuals. This paper shall also analyze Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls that provides a literary example that complements Denvor’s scientific explanation. The paper will also be complemented by various views by feminists. Devor states that since time immemorial women were taken as less important than men. Women were not much recorded in writings on the society as men were. A close look at the writings of ancient religions e.g. Greek, Judaism, and the dark ages reveals this.   Cultures in the past have had individuals with mixed gender, who are based on polytheistic beliefs. In America this was identified in the 16th century. This was not written about as most of the writings focused on men thought to have female traits for social ridicule. In the twentieth century women became empowered and became workers due to the industrial age. In this time women who dressed like men were branded the title lesbians. This name later was used to refer to transgender women in the culture. Efforts to discover the trait of transgender individuals have been undertaken in the recent past however this phenomenon has been present in societies always. This phenomenon for long has been suppressed. Modern science has discovered the biological differences as well as psychological and social influences between men and women, and now the study of transsexuals can be studied and medication given. Devor argues that the context of culture is very important in understanding sex and gender. He states that the structure of the society determines the lives of individuals. Gender is a result of cultural influence on the members of the society. The relations in the society that enhance gender are rules of relations in the society. He observes that the society is responsible for its transgender individuals. They represent the mean of what the society has forced in the diverse human life (Dover 37). His argument is that the home is the place where the female to male transsexuals are bred. Most of the theories on transgender individuals put the responsibility of the situation on parents. For instance fathers are seen to impart the message that women are lesser to their daughters. Also mothers who appear victimized and dependent on the husband make their daughters attracted to be like men. This leads to a personality split, which is not illness, as some people believe. In the developmental years at the stage of early development those children with male to female traits do not identify with female relations in their childhood years.   The children in this stage identify themselves with masculine figures and preferred male company. In the final analysis there seems, on the part of these girls a desire to escape the problems of their gender. Transsexuals, therefore, are the result of intense socialization.   The process starts at early childhood and continues to build up in adolescence and even in adult life. She argues that people should be left to live and fully express the gender roles they choose. Most transsexuals don’t undergo the surgery to change their genitalia so they face continuing limitations in society. In spite of this they are able to achieve their goals in life.   As stated in the introduction, Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls supports Devor’s idea of sex and gender. The story of the girl narrator sheds light on Devor’s argument about gender stereotyping in the society. In the book Munro depicts challenges and successes in the process of passage from childhood to adulthood. Her narrators are a girl and a boy, who are siblings. She tackles the theme of sex role stereotype which is full of unfairness. The protagonist undergoes exacting and extreme initialization into adulthood like her younger brother. The author suggests that stereotyping of gender and loss of innocence are initiation into adulthood, and are extremely influential to individual children. Munro through the choice of a female protagonist who is without a name and therefore undignified lays he ground for showcasing the stereotype. The younger brother of the protagonist is named laid for lord, and by virtue of the name he is to become a dignified master of others. The grandmother of the children comes calling and gives the narrator advice on the rules of conduct for a girl. For instance girls keep their legs together when they are seated. The narrator faces a disliking of the roles that she is being couched to take; those of her mother. She rather likes her father’s roles.

Stable President Essay Example for Free

Stable President Essay 1. Do presidents have so much power that they can almost guarantee reelection to more than two terms? Instead of starting a second term knowing he could not serve again, the president would be able to keep congress and the public guessing, thereby retain their influence until the last minute. There was a great belief early on of steadiness for America, and to achieve that there must be a stable president, so it was more likely back then to be reelected opposed to getting change. Presidents were arguably more effective if their opponents assumed they would be running for another term. 2. Does the two-term limit weaken the president’s ability to influence the course of the nation in the second term? Washington’s two term presidency was applauded, but the founders did not encourage a term limit. They argued that such a limit would have weakened the public’s voice in keeping the president honest. Presidents are then again, more effective if their allies and opponents assume they may be running for another term. Otherwise, they will lose their influence. 3. What checks and balances ensure that presidents can be held accountable even if they are lame ducks? The office carries such great power that lame duck status may keep presidents from abusing their power even as lame ducks, they retain significant influence on Capitol Hill in their fifth and sixth years. The founders believed that elections serve to discipline the president for his actions, while the four-year term provides enough time to achieve policy results. They believed that steadiness in administration would help the country survive its early years, while giving the president a reason to create policies that would help the nation long into the future. PAGE 353 4. In one or two paragraphs explain the president’s responsibility in each of the three roles discussed in the chapter Presidents work as Morale Builders by projecting a sense of national unity and authority. Through their everyday actions, they are bale to arouse despair, hope, honor or dishonor. Building more morale simply means unlocking a sense of public good for the nation. For example, the weeks following September 11th Bush needed to boost the morale of America to instill the hope among all the pain. Presidents work as Agenda Setters by for proposing initiatives in foreign policy and economic growth. They seek out new campaigns to later be defined by office staff. They make new economic policy to keep unemployment low, social policy to support legislation, and national security to uphold strong presidential authority in the area. Presidents work as Persuaders through using skillful campaigning to win over the hearts of Americans. They have reduced the number of press conferences over the past five decades, and instead public press conferences have gained leverage. PAGE 354 12. List the three main causes of conflict between the president and Congress Presidential Mandates is a cause of conflict because the winner-take-all system tends to make the president’s popular vote look larger than it really is. Mandates also determine public approval for whether or not the President is just in opinion on specific policies. Public Approval causes conflict due to the depending on public approval and how it usually falls over a given time. Presidents benefit instead from rally points, spikes in public approval following a domestic crisis. This could boost a President’s followers over a very short amount of time due to the events happening in the present. Reputation often causes conflict by the fact that the longer presidents stay in office, the better they get at being president. They can learn how to persuade people by giving them what they want to hear, how to show the right image to the people, and how to operate. Presidents also gain knowledge of how to shield the bad.

Effective Operations Management At Ryanair

Effective Operations Management At Ryanair To be successful in an increasingly competitive environment, organisations must be more adaptive and innovative than ever before in providing a superior quality service. This paper will consider the role of operations management with the organisation and ways in which successful operations management can contribute to meeting organisational objectives. It is essential the organisations address issues of quality and resource utilisation to reduce costs and provide superior customer service with the intention of increasing sales and creating a competitive advantage. This paper will discuss how organisations can create a quality culture through TQM, and diagnose problems and areas for improvement using quality tools such as Lean and Six Sigma. The final section of this paper will discuss how organisations can plan for the successful implementation of TQM, highlighting the need for a quality management team, adequate management and resource availability, and consultation and communication with its workforce. Task 1: The strategic objectives of operational management The role played by effective operations management at Ryanair This section will discuss the role played by effective operations management at Ryanair; Europes largest low cost airline. Effective operations management is the systematic direction and control of five functions (management, procurement, transformation, customer services and distribution) that transform input resources into finished goods or services offering superior customer satisfaction (Slack, 1999). Within this transformation process (Figure 1), the role of effective operations management is to improve resource utilisation, thus reducing costs, whilst also providing improved quality and customer service which increases revenue (Slack and Lewis, 2002). Figure 1: Transformation process Operations management at Ryanair aims to optimise resource utilisation through the careful management of employees, technology, raw materials and money in order to increase productivity. For example, flight staff at Ryanair are trained to improve their productivity and keep aircraft turnaround times to a minimum (Slack et al, 2007). This increase in productivity allows Ryanair aircrafts to make more flights each day, significantly increasing turnover. In addition to this, another role of operations management at Ryanair is to ensure superior customer satisfaction. This is achieved through improving the flexibility, quality and consistency of its service and continually driving down costs. For example, through providing a no-frills basic service on-board its aircrafts, Ryanair can ensure superior satisfaction through driving down costs (Slack et al, 2007). The role played by effective operations management at Ryanair is to maximise resource utilisation and ensure superior customer service. Although operations management at Ryanair is extremely successful at these two roles, it could be recommended that they continue to ensure effective operation management through maintaining a precise understanding of customer requirements and monitoring environmental change that may affect these requirements. Ryanairs strategic objectives Ryanairs strategic objectives set out its mission and aims as well as defining how it is going to compete within its market (Slack and Lewis, 2002). Ryanairs strategic objectives will be categorised in terms of its goal (market leadership), target customers and offer (distinctive positioning), operating system (to sustain its low cost position), values and distinctive competence. Ryanairs fundamental goal is to establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service (Ryanair, 2009). Gaining and maintaining market leadership is advantageous in allowing Ryanair to increase its publicity due to leadership status, increase its economies of scale and further reduce costs. Another main strategic objective of Ryanair is to clearly identify its target market segments in order to position its strategy to satisfy particular customer requirements. Ryanair identifies its target customers as fare-conscious leisure and business travellers (Ryanair, 2009). In addition this, Ryanairs strategy is to create a superior offer tailed to its target customer requirements. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies (Ryanair, 2009). Ryanairs strategy is also to clearly define its company values of low price, value for money and efficiency and to further utilise its distinctive competence of being creative at driving down cost. This distinctive competence is effective because it can be transferrable to other services; it provides a benefit to the customer and is unique to Ryanair. In summary, Ryanairs strategic objectives are to become Europes largest airline operator through offering low-cost, reliable service to both business and leisure users. Ryanair aims to achieve this through clear company values of low price, value for money and efficiency and its distinctive competence of being creative at driving down costs. In order to fulfil these strategic objectives, Ryanair must ensure that its operational objectives are focussed on ensuring superior customer satisfaction and effective resource utilisation. The success of Ryanairs operations objectives in meeting strategic objectives This part of the assignment shows how Ryanairs operations objectives contribute effectively to achieving its strategic objectives. Operations objectives are decisions which shape the capabilities of an operation and their long-term contribution to strategic objectives, through the reconciliation of market requirements with resource utilisation (Slack and Lewis, 2002). The success of Ryanairs operations objectives in meeting strategic objectives is achieved through its focus on ensuring superior customer satisfaction and through rigorous redesigning of systems and processes to enhance resource utilisation. Superior customer service is achieved by Ryanairs operations management through obtaining a clear understanding of the characteristics and requirements of their target customers. Ryanair understands the importance of a low-cost, reliable and safe airline service to its customers. Ryanair sells tickets directly to customers through its internet site keeping prices low and providing customers with the flexibility to buy tickets whenever and wherever they choose (Ryanair, 2010). In addition to this, Ryanair also keeps aircraft turnaround times to a minimum allowing more flights to take off per day and increasing the availability of flights to customers (Slack et al, 2007). Operations management at Ryanair also aims to improve resource utilisation and to continuously drive down cost. Ryanair, for example, uses standardised aircrafts and parts to allow for large orders from a single aircraft supplier increasing their economies of scale. In addition to this, Ryanair schedules flights to smaller secondary airports allowing money to be saved in airport fees (Slack et al, 2007). These twin operational objectives are so well balanced that they enable Ryanair to successfully achieve its strategic objectives. Through ensuring superior customer satisfaction, Ryanair is able to maintain a clear definition of its offer and also fulfil its goal to become Europes largest budget airline through increasing its customer demand. In addition to this, continuous improvement to resource utilisation allows Ryanair to gain and maintain competitive advantage through its distinctive competence of being creative at driving down costs and values of providing a low price and efficient service. Ryanairs operations objectives are extremely successful in meeting strategic objectives through its clear focus on ensuring superior customer satisfaction and rigorous redesigning of systems and processes. It could be recommended that Ryanair further builds upon this success through the implementation of a Total Quality Management (TQM) system aimed at integrating practical quality control techniques with organisational cultures conductive to the continuous improvement of quality (RDI, 2008). TQM systems at Ryanair will be further discussed in the next section. Task 2: Appropriate Systems 2.1 Systems to ensure the quality of products This section will discuss the use of two fundamental quality systems, Six Sigma and Lean. These two processes implement different methodology to achieve a similar goal: an offer of superior quality through the careful consideration of customer requirements and removal of defects and waste. Six Sigma Six Sigma is a data-driven discipline aimed to improve the quality of operational processes by listening to customer requirements and identifying and removing the causes of defects and variability (General Electric Company, 2009). Organisations that implement Six Sigma correctly achieve significant benefits that contribute to competitive advantage and to changing the culture in an organisation from reactive problem solving to proactive problem prevention (Six Sigma Group, 2010). An organisation such as Ryanair could use Six Sigma to ensure quality through the implementation of the Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control method throughout the organisation. Customer requirements must be defined and measures should be made against core business processes to determine possible shortfalls. Potential gaps between current performance and goals must be analysed, and then innovative solutions using technology and discipline can be implemented and controlled (iSixSigma, 2010). Lean Lean is a production practice aimed at maximising customer value while minimising waste (Lean Enterprise Institute, 2009). Ryanair could incorporate Lean to help optimise the flow of the transformation system to ensure superior customer value and minimise waste. This could be achieved through determining customer requirements and eliminating stages of the transformation system that do not contribute towards meeting these requirements. This process should be repeated until perfect value is created with no waste (Lean Enterprise Institute, 2009). Unlike Six sigma which focuses on individual systems, Lean is effective at ensuring quality through addressing the transformation system as a whole. This also allows simpler information management and allows for faster responses to changing customer requirements. 2.2 The use of TQM and ISO 9000 to monitor quality to a satisfactory level Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO 9000 have a mutual focus on ensuring quality through the promotion of customer satisfaction and process improvement. Whereas ISO 9000 is a tool used to regulate quality, TQM can be understood as the overarching philosophy within which ISO 90000 should be implemented. TQM TQM is a management philosophy that aims to empower all organisational functions with the responsibility of ensuring quality (ISO, 2010). This is achieved through developing and reworking systems to optimise resource utilisation, prevent errors and ultimately achieve superior customer satisfaction (Chartered Quality Institute, 2010). TQM aims to deliver quality and value above and beyond customer expectations through several key principles. Firstly, employees throughout the TQM organisation must be united within a customer-focussed culture to share ideas and facilitate innovation (Oakland, 2003 p3 ff). There must also be continuous improvements of systems and processes to increase resource utilisation and prevent errors before they occur. Finally, information must be shared throughout all levels of the organisation to ensure that the quality culture is embedded and maintained (Oakland, 2003 p3 ff). ISO 9000 ISO 9000 is a tool which can be used within a TQM culture to regulate and ensure quality. It is a systematic approach to managing the organisations processes so that they consistently turn out products that meet and exceed customer expectations (ISO, 2010). ISO 9000 is able to ensure quality to a satisfactory level through the implementation of quality management guidelines. Firstly, the organisation must ensure that a clear customer focus is established and processes are assessed as to how successful they are contributing to the customer focus. All outputs are monitored for defects, and new systems are implemented to prevent future defects. Continuous improvements are made to the quality system to ensure continued development (ISO, 2010). TQM and ISO 9000 are essential systems to ensure quality. Organisations must be aware, however, that in order to maintain a level of superior quality, TQM and ISO 9000 must not be treated as add-on functions with little attention given to the required changes in organisation and culture. 2.3 Quality Culture in the United Kingdom and Bulgaria This element of the paper sets out to define the term quality culture and then compares the view of quality between the United Kingdom and Bulgaria. Quality culture is an organisational value system that results in an environment that is conducive to the establishment and continual improvement of quality (Noronha, 1999). An organisation that develops and maintains a quality culture will differ significantly from an organisation with a traditional culture. Its attitude towards customers, problem-solving approach, supplier relationships and performance improvement approach will be geared towards creating superior customer value and increased resource utilisation as means of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. For the successful introduction and implementation of a quality culture such as TQM, a quality culture must be developed to increase the success and likeliness of the systems acceptance throughout the organisation. This can be achieved through maintaining an awareness of quality as a key cultural issue, empowering employees and encouraging self-development, and rewarding behaviours that nurture and maintain a quality culture (Noronha, 1999). The view of quality in the UK and Bulgaria The view of quality in the UK has been shaped considerably by the values and principles brought about by quality management systems such as TQM, ISO 9000 and Lean etc. There is a great emphasis on achieving quality through the refinement of systems and processes tailored to deliver superior customer satisfaction and efficient resource utilisation (Noronha, 1999). Becoming part of the economic union in 2007, Bulgaria has had little exposure to quality management systems and quality culture that have been adopted by many organisations across Europe. The view of quality in organisations in Bulgaria was based purely on traditional values rather than hygiene, inspection of product, systems and TQM. Although there are clear differences in the view of quality internationally, there are also considerable differences between the views of quality nationally. The key issue, however, is the degree to which an organisation is able to understand and address quality issues. By way of conclusion a further point of interest prompted by this question is that while comparing quality culture between countries it is apparent that the same issue can be levelled at individual companies. Slack references the differences between companies in individual countries by distinguishing between pioneer, adaptive and follower categories of business and different approaches to quality culture Task 3: Organisational Performance Problems and opportunities for quality improvement In order to establish a need for quality improvement, BTB should conduct an appraisal of internal and external factors to gain an understanding of potential shortfalls in the quality of products and services, and resource utilisation. For an external review, an appraisal of the stakeholder market can be undertaken providing valuable information about customer requirements and stakeholder perceptions of the current quality of the operation. This type of appraisal can be undertaken through market sensing customer needs and requirements, and conducting surveys to obtain customer feedback on service and product quality. In addition to this, benchmarking can be undertaken to compare the performance of the company with that of its competitors within its own and other markets. BTB can also undertake an internal review to reveal information about potential gap between where the company is performing now and where they want to be in the future. This gap analysis can be undertaken to identify the adequacy of the systems currently in place to engage with customers and the channels in place to facilitate communication and information sharing. Organisational performance improvement programme Executive Summary This report will show how, through the introduction of TQM, improvements will be made to significantly raise productivity and reduce waste. As a consequence of these improvements sales throughput will have the potential to dramatically increase, significantly enhancing the organisations ability to gain and maintain competitive advantage. Introduction BTB Brew Technology (BTB) is an international manufacturing business specialising in buying, refurbishing, and selling industrial processing equipment and factories. BTBs strategy is to increase sales throughput by 10% through making dramatic improvements to customer service and resource utilisation. BTB has been advised to implement TQM as a means of achieving this goal. The importance of TQM Many organisations have found that the key to competitive success lies in maximising product and service quality (Kano, 1993). TQM is an effective means of allowing BTB to improve customer service through improving quality and resource utilisation. It is a structured system that will encompass all levels of an organisation to provide products and services that consistently meet and exceed customer expectations (Noronha, 1999). The importance of an implementation plan The implementation process of TQM will require a substantial change in BTBs organisation and management philosophy. Simply understanding TQM is not enough to create a management system required to sustain a TQM culture. It is essential that BTB develops a strategic TQM implementation plan that is developed, directed, and supported by management, and implemented throughout all levels of organisation. Strategic approach to project management Edwards and Hodgson (2004) state that TQM implementation is most successful when the four stages of (a) providing a vision (b) management action, (c) increasing employee participation and awareness, and (d) business alignment, are undertaken. This suggests that a successful implementation strategy must begin with creating vision towards quality which is communicated throughout the organisation. Management must show their commitment to the vision and motivate and empower employees to make quality their priority. Business systems and processed must then be modified to achieve customer satisfaction and recourse utilisation. Recommendations As a means of ensuring a successful and smooth implementation it is recommended that BTB formulates a project management team who will be responsible for developing and carrying through the strategic implementation plan. Strategic Implementation Plan Figure 1: Stages of TQM implementation The implementation plan consists of three stages: developing a case for change, piloting TQM, and implementation. Developing a strategy for change In this stage, BTB should aim to gain a thorough understanding of what should be expected from the introduction of TQM and the implications of introducing it. Upper management at BTB will need to develop a clear belief of the benefits of TQM to generate the momentum to start and maintain the implementation. This could be achieved through conducting benchmarking visits to superior performing organisations and studying TQM literature. After establishing a belief and need for TQM, the organisation must unite with a commitment to customer satisfaction; communicating the vision and bringing together employees within a quality culture. To communicate and lead this vision, BTB will need to bring together a quality management team who will be the driving force behind the implementation process. The quality management team will firstly need to communicate the quality vision and ensure that all employees understand and are committed to the organisations direction. This could be achieved through establishing a company quality policy, incorporating a statement of vision, goals and principles which is communicated to all employees. The quality management team must also start to build trust amongst employees, providing reassurance about jobs and roles, and communicating the benefit of TQM. Employees must also be motivated with a new sense of direction, receiving encouragement and rewards when commitment to the new culture is displayed. Preparation for the piloting stage must also be conducted, ensuring that there is appropriate resource allocation and support for TQM. Guidance must also be given by the quality management team to help clarify the role of each level of management, and establish systems and activities for interdepartmental problem solving. Finally, the quality management team must begin to identify and develop an appropriate action plan for TQM implementation; producing a Gantt chart which clearly illustrates the work breakdown structure of the project. They must, take into consideration the deadline for implementation, time to deliver and install new equipment and systems, length of training programmes, and potential obstacles which may be faced such as shortage of capital, and delays from suppliers. It is important that buffer periods are also factored into the time plan which will help to compensate for unexpected problems. Piloting TQM The piloting stage will provide BTB with a learning base from which management can begin to analyse the breadth of TQM requirements including, time, resources, and management focus. The number and sequence of team activities undertaken at the piloting stage should reflect the nature and strategy of the action plan devised by the quality management team. BTB should begin by testing its original production systems to assess efficiency and ability to ensure quality. Quality tools such as ISO 9000 and Lean production can be used to provide guidelines on system performance and address ways of increasing efficiency. BTB should make adjustments to all systems assessed as falling below standard. This can be achieved through buying new and more efficient production equipment, and though re-designing the transformation system to facilitate superior quality. Training initiatives must be implemented to all levels of the organisation. Line managers must be trained to become facilitators of continuous improvement, coaching new methods, and leading empowered employees. Employees should be trained to understand the importance of the customer and learn ways in which quality can be managed within their roles. Employees must also be trained to improve their communication skills to help facilitate information sharing throughout the organisation. It is also recommended that rewards and recognition are given to employees to reinforce commitment and adaption to new roles. For example, BTB may increase feedback given to employees by line managers and executives to reward commitment to quality and efficiency. In addition to this BTB may consider paying bonuses to reward positive appraisal feedback. Information and lessons learned from the pilot project must be used by management and the quality management team to make changes and revisions the original action plan, developing it into a structured and comprehensive multi-year implementation plan. It is at this point that BTB can make the commitment to implement TQM. Implementation In this stage, BTB should be concerned with securing the increased participation, shared responsibility, knowledge, skills and capabilities developed from the previous two stages. Training initiatives must be continued to improve communication channels throughout the organisation. For example, new IT systems could be installed to provide a new company instant messaging system allowing information to be sent instantaneously between departments. Employees should be trained on how to use these new systems and the importance of information sharing as a means of achieving a common goal. In addition to this, employees must continue to be kept regularly informed of business performance and development. Face-to-face meetings should be frequently scheduled with line managers, informing employees on factors such as individual and team successes to maintain motivation and commitment. It is recommended that BTB also forms strategic partnerships with suppliers and customers who have developed quality cultures and place value on efficiency and superior customer satisfaction. Strategic partnership will be beneficial to BTB in allowing them to form mutual relationships with other companies they are likely to work with, making sure that orders arrive on time, to right quality and the right price. BTB should now be in a position to exploit its internal improvement capability and use it to effectively re-focus its efforts on improving processes to deliver superior customer satisfaction. It should, for example, now focus on re-organisation to customer and market-driven process management. Conclusion The success of TQM implementation is a function of many variables (both controllable and uncontrollable), which are unique to the particular company situation. Effective project management determines the success or failure of the implementation project. BTB should aim to tailor its approach to exploit its unique strengths and focus on its particular weaknesses. It would be beneficial for BTB to look into more tactical approaches to TQM implementation; however this is beyond the scope of this assignment. Recommendations It is recommended that BTB focuses on a small defined set of improvement priorities that align with its business goals and objectives, and that should therefore be realistically achievable. These include the employment of an effective quality steering group who are effectively managed and resourced, and the set-up of a piloting project to help benchmark and appraise performance. The culmination and fulfilment of these objectives should then result in a structured TQM implementation plan customised to the specific needs of BTB. Assignment Conclusion To be successful in an increasingly competitive environment, organisations must be more adaptive and innovative than ever before in providing a superior quality service. It is essential the organisations address issues of quality and resource utilisation to reduce costs and provide superior customer service with the intention of increasing sales and creating a competitive advantage. Organisations must look towards transforming their culture into a quality culture through TQM, whilst implementing quality tools such as Lean and Six Sigma to diagnose areas of improvement. For organisations to remain competitive, they must continue to invest time and resources in the development of their transformation systems.

Zora Neale Hurston Essay -- Zora Neale Hurston

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the history of our great nation, we have been blessed with many great writers those black and white. Some of these writers have left profoundly inspirational impressions on our lives, touching us in a way that will never be forgotten. During the â€Å" â€Å"Roaring 20’s,† many new aspects of life were introduced to American society, forever changing our lives. Along with the â€Å"Roaring 20’s,† came the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement during which black art, literature, and music received much deserved credit. It originated in New York City's Harlem district and was also called the Black Renaissance, or New Negro Movement. It was quite common in African-American society for people to exchange tales and folklores that stemmed as far back as their ancestor’s days in Africa. One of the most accomplished writers of this time was a beautiful, young and extremely intelligent woman. This young woman took this comm on practice and used them in her novels and tales. It was this simple yet intriguing idea for writing stories that helped launch Zora into the forefront of the Harlem Renaissance. Regardless, of her trying and discouraging lifestyle as a child, Zora chose to press onward and upward throughout her life. Zora had more than her fair share of hardships from her early childhood up until her last days on this earth. Though tough times were all too frequent, Zora continuously worked tirelessly towards her destiny. In her lifetime she was acknowledged as a leading force for the Harlem Renaissance, forever revolutionizing America’s views of African-American’s as well as the great intelligence and creative capability of women. Through her short stories, poems, and novels Zora was able to reach many people nation wide and therefore further express her views and beliefs to those black and white.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama Lucy Ann Potts Hurston gave birth to the sixth of her eight children. This child was given the name Zora or â€Å"light of dawn,† little did her parents know, she would certainly live up to her meaningful name. Lucy Ann Potts Hurston was an elementary school teacher until she later married John Hurston, a mulatto pastor of Zion Hope Baptist Church and the Macedonia Baptist church, farmer, carpenter and later Mayor of Eatonville of 1897 serving three terms. When she was th... ... using blacks as a means of buying votes. In 1954 she criticized the desegregation ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Ks. In this article she stated that she believed that black children and white children should not attend the same schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zora went on writing many publications that separated her from blacks; she was marked as a traitor. For this reason she spent her last days alone and in poverty working as a domestic until falling ill and dying of a stroke in 1960. However controversial, Zora will be remembered for her great contributions to the Harlem Renaissance and fine literary works. She has been a very influential and a true inspirational figure to many writers of today. One that comes to mind is a local playwright by the name of Mari Evans, who recently did a rendition of Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, titled â€Å"Eyes† Zora had a different outlook on life than most African Americans of her time but has remained the cornerstone of the Harlem Renaissance making black culture known and felt by all. That is why Zora will remain an outstanding and successful pillar in the literary world for many years to come.

Third Cinema in China: Yellow Earth Essay -- China Cinema Movies Yello

Third Cinema in China: Yellow Earth What is identified as 'excess' in Western cinematic experience is, therefore, precisely where we locate Third World cinema. -Teshome Gabriel The possibility of a Third Cinema in China is encouraged with Chen Kaige's 1984 film Yellow Earth. Drawing upon Teshome Gabriel's framework, a working definition of Third Cinema is possible in the case of Chinese cinema. The "fifth generation" of China's film-makers is credited in making films such as Yellow Earth, Farewell my Concubine, and The Blue Kite, as well as Raise the Red Lantern and Red Sorghum. While not all films made by the fifth generation are necessarily of a Third Cinema, many of them offer critique, drawing upon tactics to raise social or political consciousness. Yellow Earth 's characterization as Third Cinema lies in its aesthetic qualities, incorporation of folk art characteristics, and challenge of Western film language. Chinese Painting as Third Cinema Aesthetic Use of space is distinctive in Chinese painting, for not only is what space is occupied by an object, but more importantly the surrounding space. What, to the Western eye, may appear to be 'wasted' or 'empty' space, is as much a part of the entire picture than may appear to be the object of interest. Yellow Earth invokes characteristics of Chinese painting in the cinematographic style of Zhang Yimou. The use of Chinese painting' characteristics contributes to Yellow Earth as representative of Third Cinema in China. The use of space challenges Western convention, creating a new film grammar to code political agendas. In "Yellow Earth: Western Analysis and a Non-Western Text", Ester C.M. Yau notes that: Classical Chinese painting's representation of nature i... ...n Chinese, the folk culture seems dated and irrelevant. Third Cinema, however, realizes the need to draw upon folk tradition. Third Cinema is not limited to those cinemas of Latin America or Africa. It is located where challenges to Western cinematic domination and rules are played out. In China, the years following the downfall of the 10 year reign of the Cultural Revolution produced a climate ripe for a politicized revolutionary cinema. Yet, the cinema in China remains bound to censorship and banning of films. The overtly politically challenging film The Blue Kite, set in the decade leading up to the Cultural Revolution, was banned and denounced by Chinese authorities. What has emerged then is the need to create a new language for the cinema to speak with. The language of Yellow Earth draws upon Chinese art to create a new aesthetic, a Third Cinema aesthetic.