Frank O’Conner: My Oedipus Complex

Everyone shows traces of the little green monster, known as jealousy, but some more than others. This specific trait has had a huge effect on the world over time, sometimes destroying, sometimes rebuilding trust, friendships, and even business opportunities. Jealousy is an extremely prominent element in most of Frank O'Connor's writings and is often shown through different literary concepts such as conflict, characterization, and obsessive love.In writing â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, O'Connor investigates the issue of jealousy through the various actions of his characters and the conflicts they get themselves tangled in, more importantly the ones involving their childlike obsessive love. To fully understand O'Connor's stories, you first have to delve deep into his background. Frank O'Connor was born in Cork, Ireland, on September 17, 1903 to Michael and Minnie O'Donovan. He was born under the name of Michael O’Donovan, but later created the pseudonym â€Å"Frank Oâ€℠¢Connor† that he would use for all of his writings (Gale).It was there in Cork that he experienced the horrors and distress of living in poverty. Even when the family had a small amount of money, O'Connor's father would regularly go out on drinking sprees and return home violent and cruel (Gale). O'Connor, being the only son, learned to help provide for his mother when his father's priorities fell short. O'Connor's education was minimal as he only attended formal school for a short period of time. Although, even after he couldn't afford it any longer, he continued to further his education by reading widely and often (Contemporary).Under the guidance and instruction of Daniel Corkey, O'Connor's biggest influence, he joined the Irish Republican Army. He fought against the British even after a treaty was signed ending the war in 1921 (Gale). O'Connor was then arrested and imprisoned for his involvement in abiding the fight (Gale). During his time in prison, O'Connor continued to educate himself until his release in 1923 and formed many of the ideas that he would use in his future short stories. After he was released from prison in 1923, O’Connor held various teaching posts at American Universities. He then went back to Ireland and worked as a librarian.Being a librarian and educator suited O'Connor well because he could never put down a book and he was eager to share his knowledge with the rest of the world, especially the day's youth. O’Connor continued to write and teach upon his return to Ireland and until his death, caused by a heart attack, on March 10, 1966 in Dublin. Although there were many worldly issues happening at the time â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† was written, O'Connor often chooses personal reminiscences over focusing on bigger, withstanding issues. â€Å"†¦ nothing that can be identified as social or political about ‘My Oedipus Complex'†¦ † (Literature Resource Center).Many of O'Connor's other stori es, however, were saturated with the conundrums of his time. In â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, Larry is forced to face the fact that now that his father has returned from the war, Larry is no longer his mother's first priority. This goes on to include the Irish Republican Army in O'Connor's past. Also, World War I was touched on lightly. The first conflict in â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† is an extremely obvious one. The main conflict occurs between a young boy, Larry, and his father. For as long as Larry can remember, he has been living with only his mother because his father was a soldier in World War I (O'Connor 337).While Larry was living with solely his mother, he was treated almost as an adult (O'Connor 343). Mother would often have long talks with her son in the mornings about the events that would occur later that day and what was running through her young child’s head. When father returns home, it is pure chaos between him and his only son as the morning ritual is interrupted and soon becomes forgotten. It is all that Mother can do to settle the constant bickering between her only son and her husband. It is impossible for her to choose a side because they both have such significant roles in her life.Father often treats Larry as if he were merely the child that he really is, while Larry, used to being treated fairly in his own home, believes that he is much more mature than his father (O'Connor 343). Larry was fully convinced that Father didn't deserve Mother's love and affection nearly as much as him, so naturally Larry did all that he could to prevent him from getting it. Larry felt that Father was too conceited for his own good and every time he spoke, Father’s words agitated Larry beyond belief (O'Connor 346). In other words, he saw Father as a self-absorbed, immature fool (O'Connor 340).These observations made Larry realize how much he hated Father at the time, but his attitude towards his father would soon change for the bette r. For the time being, Larry, as he was only five and not getting his own way, was full of spite as soon as Father got home. He even kicked Father a couple times the next morning so that he could lie in the bed next to Mother instead of Father (O'Connor 344-345). This angered Father and flared up his reclusive anger towards his son. Father didn't want to let his son or his wife know that he was getting impatient, but Larry was starting to see that all his little annoyances were starting to add up.It was becoming more and more obvious to both Larry and his mother that Father was not at all pleased with Larry's actions. Larry would often catch Father glaring at him from the corner of his eye and referred to him as â€Å"a mountain out for murder† (O'Connor 346). All the tension within the family was starting to affect everyone in the household. â€Å"That settled it. Either Father or I would have to leave the house† (O’Connor 343). When the new baby (Sonny) is bor n, Father is thrown into the same position as Larry. Mother is suddenly ignoring not only Larry, but Father, too (O'Connor 349).Father seeks solace in Larry, climbing into bed with him and complaining about Sonny, and the two of them bond this way. Finally, an understanding is reached. Father is sympathetic towards Larry now that he knows what his son has been through because he has been going through the exact same thing ever since Sonny was born. Father even ends up buying Larry an expensive train set for Christmas because now he understands how it feels to be forgotten in the midst of other people. The unique way that O'Connor develops his characters has a prominent effect on the way he tells his story.Since Larry is the main character, he has the most divergent traits. He often expresses an astounding level of maturity, but after Father returns from the war, he often thinks about how there is a lot that he doesn't understand (O'Connor 342). Larry's lack of understanding is most noticable when he thinks about how things were when it was just him and Mother at home and compares it to how they are now that Father is back. Larry, being just a young boy, did not have very much patience or understanding for what was going on and he didn't like that Father was seemingly stealing Mother away from him (O'Connor 342).Growing up, O'Connor did not have a good relationship with his father, so he used that to supplement this story in particular. In addition to growing up without a positive father figure O'Connor had to take on a role of responsibility because of his father's alcoholism. In â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, Larry makes it clear that he feels that he is the more mature figure in his mother's life. â€Å"I had been through it all myself, and even at that age I was magnanimous† (O'Connor 349). Because of this, Larry also thinks that he is more deserving of his mother's attention, care, and love.The young boy viewed himself as responsible for his moth er's health and did not like it when Father came home and Mother was worried and concerned all the time (O'Connor 339). Although Larry saw himself as older and wiser than he really was, he had a very rich imagination. In the mornings, before he went upstairs to his mother's room, Larry would let Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right, his feet, have various discussions regarding the day's events (O'Connor 338). When Father returned home, Mother became instantly anxious and no longer had time for their morning talks (Website).Her concern for Father was overpowering her love for her only son, which again, fits in well with O'Connor's background and childhood. Larry becomes extremely upset when he starts to think that his father has seemingly taken his place in his mother's life. When he notices that Mother is becoming overwhelmingly concerned for Father, Larry quickly realizes that he despises seeing Mother this way (Website). When Father had finally returned from the war, instead of celebrating li ke they should have, Mother became extremely worried about Father's physical health (O'Connor 339).She was also concerned about his mental health because of the trauma he had endured. Larry was upset about this for two reasons, the first being that he didn't like seeing his mother anxious and worried. When she was upset, so was he (Gale). The second reason was that Larry didn't like that thought that his father was seemingly replacing him as his mother's first priority. Because of all these tensions, Larry felt that he had to make sure that Father knew he wasn't just going to give up the fight. Larry was openly willing to fight against his father for Mother's affection (O'Connor 347).He thought that Mother was with Father only because he was forcing her to be. With this in mind, Larry knew that he had to get Mother out of Father's grasp. By doing this, Larry felt that he was â€Å"rescuing† his mother in a way (O'Connor 347). â€Å"'I'm going to marry you. ‘ I said qui etly [to Mother]† (O'Connor 347). In his many short stories, specifically My Oedipus Complex, O'Connor creates conflict, a lugubrious family, and distinct character traits to interpret the theme of jealousy into the plot of his story.He also uses those three concepts as an insight to his background and childhood. Even though O'Connor doesn't have very many cultural influences over his writings, he makes sure that there are some working forces behind them. The only thing that differentiates O'Connor's writings from any other author's writings is that instead of have cultural influences, O'Connor has personal influences. He often uses his own life as a supplement to his fictional stories. O'Connor does a wonderful job of piecing together the small parts of his mind and connecting them into his writings.

Obama’s Health Care Reform

Obama’s Health Care Reform Building the universal health care system is one of the campaign promises of the Obama administration. Health care occupies a special place on public finance; it’s different with other goods markets in the daily life. It’s one of the important issues for the government, which associated with people’s life and death. People have high quality health care is a right of all people and should provide as a public service. People got their health insurance from the working companies, the government, or the insurance companies.The health care reform is the large part in Barack Obama’s presidency. On March. 23rd, 2010, finally the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. Obama wants to use health care reform to stimulates the economy in the short run, but also reduce the deficit problem in the long run. This health care reform is the most important transition for the US. As we known US is the only developed countries which doesn’t have universal health coverage, it has more than 40 millions who don’t have health care insurance, also some family can’t afford the high health insurance cost.Also the public funds for the health care are also high; the US has the high cost health care but inefficient operation system. Now the aging problem become more serious, it has more retirees, the elders need more health care, and this increases the pressure of the health care insurance, increase the cost of the health care; also some technique widely used caused the expenditure increase†¦ The Obama’s health care plan quickly increase the number of people who have health care insurance by spending money upfront.The Act includes the health insurance providers are mandated to accept person, charging them the same rate as individuals without conditions; extend the coverage, provides more subsidies to the poor people to get the insurance, provide affordable health coverage for all Am ericans, no matter that are rich or poor; people have choice to select their insurance and doctors, it aims to eliminate some worst practices of the insurance company; reduce the cost and make health insurance more effective.The US would keep the employee-based health insurance to cover most Americans, also create a public insurance system for people who do not have insurance. The employers have to pay into the system for the employees or provide health care insurance as good as the federal system. Also individuals would pay into the public system, the government would give subsidy to lower the cost and make them affordable for the low-level class.As a family, 38% think that the life would be better off, 43% think that there’s no change; As the whole country, we find that 59% think the country will do better after health care reform, 19% think that there would be no change after reform, 12% think their life would be worse off. So to the whole country, most of people support t he reform. Actually, this reform brings the US many changes. To the whole US citizen, it extends coverage through mandated. The health care plan will provide affordable and efficient health insurance coverage for most Americans.So people who in the middle-level class or low-level class have ability to join into this health care plan. They all have right to get high quality health care. US expand the Medicaid range, give subsidy insurance premium to someone were poverty; creating a â€Å"national health insurance exchange†, it’s control by the government and sell insurance to people who don’t have health insurance; As shown in the graph, using the health care plan, the share of the population with health insurance coverage would increase to 93. 3% in 2019, spend about 20. 9% GDP on health care, means that government care more about people’s health.Change the US health care system to lower cost but high quality system. Obama put forward that â€Å"antitrus t laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for malpractice insurance. † This not only reforms the medical malpractice system, regulate the insurance company, but also improve the efficiency of the whole system, improve patient safety. The most important part of Obama’s policy is make investment in health information technology, this strategy nor only improve the health care quality, also reduce the cost in long run society. He provides a competitive insurance market to promote more efficient and more competition.Promoting prevention and strengthening public health. In previous health care plan, less than one in twenty five goes for prevention. Obama’s notion of the health care plan is â€Å"to create the conditions and opportunities that allow and encourage Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles. † Prevention is the national priority, providing opportunities to have healthy lifestyle and keep disease away. .. For example, have more primary care provider and disease prevention program, established National Prevention, Health Promotion†¦ these federal agencies would help to build good promotion and prevention for the country.The government provides special funds for promotion and prevention; this would improve the quality of health care, improve the public health strategy and develop the new technology; provide new prevention technology information and regular screening for people†¦government provide such services to prevent disease by healthy lifestyle. The reform not only affects the health care, but also the economy. The most important impact on industry is the insurance industry.As the demand and for insurance increase because the regulation on employers, also the supply decrease the price is low due to the regulation, this would decrease the cost of health insurance. Recent years, insurance industry is overhead, by this health care reform, it reduces the overhead status and reduces the competition in this ind ustry. Obama’s plan regulate the insurance industry by providing new purchasing pools, standards the health care package, reducing expenses, promoting competition†¦without the reform, government spending on Medicare and Medicaid is unsustainable, also raising during years, by this, the family save a lot.The reform has regulation on employers should provide health insurance to the employees. Also to some small business, the government provide special subsidy fund to help them build the health care plan†¦ Obama’s plan tries to overhaul the previous health care system. He stands as the patient, the health care provider, employers, employees, government†¦ attempt to change aspect from different person’s opinion. This reform changes the current health care system and affects the economy, to build a universal health care system. It has variety advantages, but also it has some problems.Like government require employees to provide employers health insuran ce if they don’t have. To employers, this is not good news, basically, this increase their cost of hiring employers, and means that they should hire less people by the same amount spending. Also American is a democratic state; people have their own right to choose what they want. Obama’s opinion is build the universal health care system, but realization way is force all people to buy health insurance, people lost their right; at the same time, they should provide personal information to the insurance company, including their habits.The most important is government power expansion to the health insurance; Americans lost their own medical decision, the decision power transfers to the government. Also there’s problem whether the cost containment strategies going to support this universal health cares system in long run†¦ Now it’s hard to say the future of this health care reform, weather is good to public, or have some problem, time would tell us the tr uth. According to the short term, the reform is good for Americans and the economics also good for the people who cannot afford the insurance.It has positive impact on the society, become one of a big jump in the history. Citation: 1. http://www. calpoly. edu/~efisher/Econ%20464/NicoleWallen%20Senior%20Project. pdf 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Health_care_reform_in_the_United_States 3. http://healthpolicyandmarket. blogspot. com/2008/03/detailed-analysis-of-barack-obamas. html 4. http://www. bing. com/images/search? q=health+care+obama+plan&FORM=BIFD

Who or what started and perpetuated the Cold War Essay

Who or what started and perpetuated the Cold War - Essay Example Bernard Baruch who was the senior advisor to Harry Truman (33rd president of the US), in context to the frequent occurrence of the crisis among the two nations, termed the situation as â€Å"Cold War† in 1947 (Global Security, 2010). The Cold War began in 1917, with the appearance in Russia of a radical Bolshevik regime dedicated for dispersal of communism throughout the modern world. There were differences in opinion between the US government and the Soviet Union. The US government interpreted communism to be an international development that was in the direction of favouring transnational communism. But it was found out that the communists across the world were loyal as they received orders from Moscow (Global Security, 2010). In the year 1918, the US had united unresponsively in an unsuccessful linked effort to collapse down the revolutionary Soviet regime. Distrustful relations between the Soviets and the US long before the Second World War prepared them as reluctant supporters in the combat against Nazi Germany (Global Security, 2010). The Great Britain and the US struggled against the Bolsheviks, between 1918 and 1920. In 1918 American groups contributed in the allied involvement in Russia in support of anti-Bolshevik armed forces (Global Security, 2010). The argument lies between the interpretation of the US government and the thought of the Soviet Union. The Russian argued that whether this approach of the Soviet Union proved to be a threat to the US or whether the US decision makers, misinterpret Soviet and communist. The Soviets ideology might have been interpreted in wrong way due to political interest. The US government could have perceived the level of threat to be huge and not in favour of the political environment in future (Macdonald, 1995). There are numerous thoughts and perceptions that had created the Cold War and were argued whether the issues were right or wrong in the context of the Soviet and the US political leaders.

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Auditing - Essay Example As the report declares the evolution of auditing ethical standards has abdicated the powers governing ethical issues of objectivity from the institutes and placed it in the hands of the ASB, this doesn’t seem to enough to properly control the behaviour of auditors in terms of objectivity and independence. In some cases, the Auditor becomes too financially dependent on the client that it cannot afford to give negative reports regarding the company for fear of losing his/her job. After all, good paying clients are becoming quite scarce nowadays. Other auditors are also providing very profitable advisory services to the client and even go to the extent of deciding for the company instead of merely advising the same. This discussion stresses that standards be set and properly instituted through statutes to provide effective deterrent to potential violators. The low cost auditing services proves to be a major reason why most auditors are resorting to unethical practices of the profession to augment their income. Standards have to be upgraded in terms of professional fees for auditors to prevent them from becoming too financially dependent to the clients. The decision rendered by the Court on the Caparo Industries plc v Dickman case, it if now very difficult to prosecute the auditor. Two provisions of Civil Law can be used to sue auditors for breach of contract, where the client sues the auditor for giving clean report which the client subsequently feels unjustified, and for tort which can be brought to court by anybody other than the client being audited for breaching their duty.

Ontemporary Issues in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ontemporary Issues in Management - Essay Example This essay Contemporary Issues in Management descusses new business management approaches, that involve the creation of new channels for shareholders, employees, and investors to question and contribute to CSR development. Stakeholders exist in every organisation whether it is profit or nonprofit. Stakeholders can be summarised as the people who form the internal and external environment of any organisation. Stakeholders are, in essence, the organisation. Consequently, it is important for organisations to understand the role played by stakeholders so that they can enhance it as well as improve their relations with them. The objective of this paper is to provide a critical evaluation of the role of stakeholders within CSR. Freeman’s stakeholder theory highlights and models the stakeholders of an organisation, and both defines and suggests methods by which senior management can duly recognise and address the interests of these entities. In summary, Freeman tries to address the à ¢â‚¬Å"who or what matters† concept. In the traditional perspective of the organisation – the shareholder perspective - the shareholders are the owners of the organisation and the company has an irrevocable fiduciary responsibility to prioritise their needs and enhance value for them. In previous input/output organisational models the company was expected to transform the contributions of employees, suppliers and investors into salable products that consumers purchase, hence providing some capital benefit to the organisation.

IPAD VS TABLET Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IPAD VS TABLET - Essay Example This product has the best Ios application store which facilitates wider selection (Stanton's). IPad as compared to its competitors has continued to improve its products coming up with varieties. These generational have additional improvement and tweaks enabling it to being the best tablet. The existing and the prospective consumers always expect new and additional features on the IPad thus attributing to consolidated customer base and loyalty (Weinstein 62). The following are the key notable features which make IPad more distinct and better placed in the market with other competing products. Retina display IPad has a beautiful and large display thus making the user to have a better experience as compared with the display of other similar competing products (iPad). The IPad Retina display feature has remarkable resolution of 2048 by 1536 which is further enhanced by rich colour saturation and 3.1 million pixels. The pixels are a number of times more than other competing products scram bling for the same market. The IPad pixels are very close together thus enabling the viewer to be able to have a total different view of the photos, articles images and enabled record of HD video in full as well as the improved new Face Time HD camera. Improved device performance IPad have new generational products which are considered most powerful by its customers. It has a high speed delivery performance in both the CPU and its graphics performance (iPad). This makes IPad faster and more responsive compared with other competing products (Stanton's). IPad applications launch faster and they run smoothly, making it cool is the graphics-intensive games which are lifelike enhanced by the gorgeous Retina display. Also in built is the fast and improved image signal process which makes IPad camera sharper and a more clear display compared to other products. Built-in applications The IPad users find it more extraordinary in using IPad applications as compared to other products. These app lications are characterized with new adventures with easy performance of many tasks. IPad has more than 275000 apps from its apps store which are beautiful and immersive which have been designed to perform various tasks. This enhances performance of the many tasks on a single device and this is impossible in other devices. With these characteristics and attributes IPad has become a notable competitive product in its market and admired by its existing and potential customers. Market Segment Description Apple Company has constantly added more features and specifications on its major product iPad in order to appeal more prospective buyers. With the above mention key important features and characteristics this product is better position for the completion in the underlying market segments (Weinstein 108). The iPad mainly targets individual customers who want to perform tasks without being dependent on the keyboards. The target market segment for Apple’s iPad is majorly businessme n and professionals who need portable, accessible and easy to operate devices for the various tasks. Another key market segment is that of the young customers comprising mainly of the students, this is attributed by the trendy and innovative features and iPad design with variety of selections (Pickton 78). It is also notable that the market segment of the older people is emerging. This diversification of the market segment resulted into iPad gaining popularity and has become widely accepted in the global

What best explains people's willingness to work hard Essay

What best explains people's willingness to work hard - Essay Example anging workplace; motivated employees do not leave when the company is trying to survive in the market, and motivated employees are more productive (ONeil 1994). If the managers want to be effective, they need to understand what drives people work better. It is the complex task and requires the individual approach to every single employee. For example, the research shows that as employees earn more, money becomes less motivating and as they get older the interesting job is of higher value to them. Understanding what motivates people has been analyzed by many theorists. Adam states that employees want to find the balance between themselves and other employees – equity is when employee’s outcomes is equal to inputs and is equal to outcomes of the other employees. Maslow believed that employees have five levels of needs: basic, safety, social, ego and self-actualizing. At first the lower level needs should be satisfied in order for employees to be motivated. Herzberg divid ed motivation into two sections: motivators (achievement, recognition) and hygienes (pay, security). Schein has analyzed motivation from the standpoint of employees and has based his judgment on expectation theory – if the expectations are met, the individual is satisfied and remains in the company while if the expectations are not met, the individual either leaves or deems his expectations as unrealistic or unimportant and stays. McGregor has developed two theories: X and Y describing two different attitudes to workforce motivation and has left it up to managers to decide which one is more appropriate for the given company. Each of these theories has its advantages and disadvantages. Interestingly, Maslow has developed his motivation theory when he observed the behavior of monkey – he noticed that some on the needs take precedence over others. For example, thirst is stronger need than hunger. He continued this idea and created the hierarchy of needs with broader layers: The

The Al Qaida Transnational Terrorist Network Essay

The Al Qaida Transnational Terrorist Network - Essay Example But the larger issue revolved around the nature of terrorism itself and its emerging modus operandi. Whether the 11 September attacks in the United States were the delayed manifestation of Oplan Bojinka, as some believe, or whether they were an isolated plan, it is clear that terrorism--and particularly that form of terrorism practiced by al Qaeda --has fundamentally changed. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has achieved significant successes in its war on terrorism. Removing the Taliban government in Afghanistan, thereby eliminating al Qaeda's sanctuary and training camps, has broken an important link in the process that once provided al Qaeda's leadership with a continuing flow of recruits. Toppling the Taliban also demonstrated American resolve and international support, and it underscored the considerable risk run by governments that provide assistance to terrorists. From the summary in above, I would like to gradually come down to particular research of Al Qaeda terrorist organization. I will first discuss the historical and statistical facts about organization, than make the insights into organizational motivations and strategy finally will come out with conclusions as for the possible ways of dealing with future possible attacks. History Al Qaeda was a product of the struggle to reject the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. Portrayed as a holy war, that campaign brought together volunteers and financial contributors from throughout the Islamic world. Muslims from Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Southeast Asia, and beyond fought side by side, forging relationships and creating a cadre of veterans who shared a powerful life experience, a more global view, and a heady sense of confidence underscored by the Soviet Union's ultimate withdrawal and subsequent collapse, for which they assumed credit. Instead of being welcomed home as heroes, however, the returning veterans of the Afghan campaign were watched by suspicious regimes who worried that the religious fervour of the fighters posed a political threat. Isolated at home, they became ready recruits for new campaigns. There were ample reasons and opportunities to continue the fight: the Gulf War and the consequent arrival of American troops in Saudi Arabia; the continued repression of Islamic challenges to local regimes; armed struggles in Algeria, Egypt, the newly independent Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union, Kashmir, the Philippines, and Bosnia; the forces of globalization that seemed threatening to all local cultures; and the continuing civil war in Afghanistan. Organizational survival, the natural desire to continue in meaningful activity, and the rewards of status and an inflated self-image contributed powerful incentives to continue the fight. The subsequent victories of a like-minded Taliban guaranteed safe haven for the militants and their training camps, which graduated thousands of additional volunteers (Cullison, Higgins, 2001). What Osama bin Laden and his associates contributed to this potent but unfocused force was a sense of vision, mission, and strategy that combined 20th century theory of a unified Islamic polity with restoration of the Islamic Caliphate that, at its height, stretched

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 4

Business Ethics - Essay Example Once the announcement took place, trading for the shares skyrocketed and price increased by more than 20 percent, thus, benefiting the people who had previously bought those shares for a premium. The case also reveals that the SEC and other regulators are willing to punish such actions as they are deemed to undermine market efficiency and investor confidence. In fact, they have even gone so far as to freeze Swiss bank accounts. Insider trading has been prevalent since the very inception of stock markets (Ferrell et al., 2012, pp. 83). In the recent past, several prominent names which include but are not limited to Rajat Gupta (Goldman Sachs), Raj Rajaratnam and Jason Goldfarb (Galleon Group), Donald Johnson (NASDAQ), Joseph Skowron and Yves Benhamou Matthew Kluger and Brett Bauer have been disgraced, fined, imprisoned due to insider trading. Although insider trading is one of the most widely discussed and debated issues within the field of business ethics, there is a serious disagree ment amongst experts regarding whether or not insider trading should be made ethical or unethical. This paper makes a brief attempt at exploring and analysing various dynamics of insider trading in light of the above mentioned article. ... e likely to possess information about the company that no individual on the outside knows such as a possible merger, acquisition (as in the case of Heinz), financial results, lawsuits, getting access to new distribution or communication channels, strategic alliances and others. The law does not restrict employees of any company and for that matter of fact even the top management, directors and large shareholders of the company from trading the shares of the company but it does not make it explicitly clear that they should not take any advantage of non-public information (Ferrell et al., 2012, p. 83). In fact, even if an insider reveals a piece of crucial inside information, the law restricts the ability of any outsider to use or act upon that information (Henn, 2011, p. 85). Important here to note is that the timing is crucial in the cases of insider trading. Insiders aware of non-public information can act on that information once that become public. Some companies restrict insiders to act on that information only after 24 hours had passed on that information becoming public in order to avoid any complications (George, 2006, p. 75). Ethical Issue The ethical issue which is under discussion here is that of insider trading. The insiders, clearly, used the information that did not belong to them and used it for their personal gain (Sharma & Bhal, 2004, p. 412). When an asset of any organization is used, without the permission of the owner, for personal gain, the gain belongs to the owner and in this case it belonged to Heinz who has been now been acquired by Buffet’s company. Insider trading is also an ethical issue because while other traders in the market had access to a certain level of information, these insiders used information that had yet not been made

Everest Report Essay Example for Free

Everest Report Essay Introduction Everest simulation is a group task program created by Harvard this program allows teams to gain new experiences in relation to group tasks. The Everest teams were given two opportunities to complete the simulation, during the two simulations team members learnt how to problem solve and make strong decisions to ensure the group and individual goals were met. This exercise is a valuable tool to learn as it places students in teamwork situation within professional organisations. The following report will examine both simulations outcome of results and the significant events which took place. Focusing on the group and individual’s experience based on the theory concepts attitudes, leadership and groups and teams. As the results were at a distance the report will look at the type of strategy’s adapted between  both attempts. As we did not have a clear leadership style and no clear communication within the first simulation this affected the overall confidence and support in achieving a higher group and individual score this report will discuss what type of leadership theory was approached during both simulations and the change of structure through the group experience. Preparation of Everest Simulation As the Everest simulation is a group based task we were formed into our numbered groups. Group 35 decided during the tutorial to take part in the first simulation through face to face contact, in this meeting were technical issues within the Wi-Fi system and we could not continue with the Everest climb. Some members suggested we continue at a later time through the Skype program. During this conclusion we had a few encounters as a few of the team members including myself were not familiar within the Skype program ,including the time chosen for first climb would not be suitable for group members external conditions. It had seemed we were facing a dilemma, we found ourselves problem solving even before the first Everest climb. As a group we problem solved to ensure we could support all members individual commitments with minimal conflict. It is imperative when forming a group task to ensure all group members are satisfied with the final decision according to (Lakein’s, 1973 cited in Macan, 1994) there were forms of time management descriptions were individuals confirm the importance of their personal needs and facing the task of prioritising these activities to ensure the goals are met and accomplished. This evidence suggests that most individuals preparing for a group task will prioritise and be committed to complete the Everest simulation1. Critical Analysis of Attitudes / groups and teams within Everest simulation 1and 2 Group experience and result: This first group reflection is based on the first Everest simulation which subsequently took place via a virtual mode of Skype, This virtual interaction gave the group a total group result/of 67 The attitudes of the team were very positive in building strong relationships with one another, this first simulation was at a forming stage and we moved into the storming  stage of adapting to each other’s behaviours and personality’s. Time management had become an issue as we were trying to contact a few Everest tem members who did not respond to the initial set time for virtual meeting after 45minutes after the initial start time. As there was a cultural diverse group of personality we found ourselves developing strategies within a social interaction, gaining respect for each individual member and personal commitments. As prior to commencement there were difficulties with computer problems during face to face meeting within the library. It is imperative as a group that consistency is vital to gain a more efficient and effective result in productiveness. Motivation and emotional factors of not knowing each other on a closer bases and the link of a virtual experience was a concern ( Baltes, 2002, cited in , Bordia, 1997) Demonstrates that studies have shown computer based teams are less satisfied and positive of those who meet in a face to face environment. As we all had no prior recognition of familiarisation w it one another this became a little difficult to conduct a virtual group task, As our score was a little low this may have been due to the unclear communication of a virtual experience at times as a group it was unclear to know if we would proceed due to messaging being transmitted and encoded with no clear construction. As stated by (Bos 2002 and Jensen, 2000 cited in Hertel, 2012) â€Å"Differences between computer-me diated and face-to-face teams for negotiation tasks have seldom been explored. It is usually recommended that negotiation and conflict management should rather be realized face-to-face than at a distance because they involve complex interaction and the need to build trust† As a group within the first simulation we had no clear discussion on the Everest group goals and what we initially would like from this experience prior to climb. Due to the external noises and distractions during the virtual simulation through Skype at times it seemed there was low level of satisfaction in completing the tasks in front, once the simulation was completed their was job satisfaction in completing a score of 67%. Everest Simulation 2 was completed as another form of meeting this time we wanted to build a better performance rate in the second simulation, we decided it may be more productive to meet in house face to face, this was probably the most suitable decision. At this stage were forming close  relationships and building trust as a group, getting to know the behaviours of one another. Our second team score was 96% this was a significant rise in results, the probability of a higher score may have come from the confidence we all gained in communicating as a team and not as individuals. There was a sense of inclusion and respect for all suggestions on how we would help all team members meet the goals of the summit climb more effectively and efficiently. This was not evident within the virtual simulation as we had no group structure or clear goals. Individual Experience and result: My individual experience and result of the first simulation within the Attitudes and group and team theory, I originally was very hesitant as I knew it was imperative to form a strong team ethic to ensure we succeeded in the tasks set out by the Everest simulation. Originally I have only ever been in face to face situations with group tasks; I was excited about a new challenge of virtual learning but at the same time not sure about how I could build trust through the comfort of technology. As an individual researched the job description of my position as the marathoner, this preparation was to ensure I could support my team members in the higher success of reaching the summit and meeting the group goals and individual goals set. During and before the climb we had no briefing regarding the Everest team goals and we just commenced the climb as a member of a team I know this is an important part of team building of relationships and discuss within your team. This can also affect the trust of a group and team and we are already reluctant to gain relationships with team members, I wondered whether this may have been due to the virtual experience I had been a part of as discussed by (Li 2004 cited in Brahm and Kunze, 2012) moderating the role of trust is more difficult in the virtual team thus can create trust attitudes and the relationship of team trust and team cohesiveness. My total result for the first Everest simulation was at 67% I feel this may have been due to the confusion on whether to speak up or just sit back and not interact with the group due to the lack of clear communication. The Everest simulation 2 was a much more positive and enjoyable task as an individual I was more confident with a face to face meeting, at one stage I was a natural leader by gaining the confidence in expressing my interest and advice in  having the next simulation meeting together. I suggested this may create a higher score for us as a team. As an individual I could relate to the flexibility of a virtual meeting but was hesitant in the process and the clear low result we may achieve. Speaking up and having voice was the start of feeling comfortable within my team environment, there may have been other team members who felt the same decision was necessary as stated by (Argyris, 1991 cited in Morrison, Wheeler-Smith, Kamdar 2011, pg. 183) â€Å"Group and team members often do not share their opinions, ideas, and concerns, and such an absence of voice can have serious negative implications for group performance†. As an individual going into a group task I feel it is important to have your say to benefit your team in success. My individual score of the second simulation was a result of 100% this high score I feel was from the result of strong decision making and problem solving within the group. We also had sufficient time between climbs to take our time and work through questioning every step we took as a group; I fe el my extroverted approach to this questioning assisted in the high individual score. In the end it is vital to have clear goals and achieve success through positive and effective construction within a team environment. Group Experience within Leadership Everest simulation one and the leadership dynamic through the virtual experience of Skype may have affected the initial role of the team leader and the response of no clear structure or coordination within the group. As our group existed to remain new to the first simulation we were still adapting to each other’s behaviours. As a leader it is imperative to gain confidence in building the relationships within your group, the team leader assigned seemed quite held back and not confident in becoming assertive within the decision making process, whether this was due to a virtual leadership role and difficulties familiarisation of a new group of people.. We as a group required a strong leader who could guide us all in our role for a successful climb. Our leader was more of a Laissez-faire style who generally was happy for all team members to come together and have freedom in the decision making process. At the beginning of the confusion in the virtual Everest climb our leader was introverted but was a supportive leader and happy for us to move when required. The group still had respect for the  authority of the leader as this member was still in form of legitimate power due to the job description and role within the Everest simulation. We all know the role we were required to play. Our group had quite a few natural leaders who were supportive with the knowledge of what was the next option. Put a quote in about importance of a strong clear confident leader; also talk about difficulties faced by leaders in virtual roles During the first climb there were a few scenarios were as a group we would problem solve wether to move on and leave the critically ill, I found myself waiting on the other end of disruptions from a clear answer from our team leader. In the end it felt more like a self-reflective answer from all members on their own individual goals. Individual experience and result: My individual experience of Everest simulation one was at first curious to see how leadership would be demonstrated through a virtual experience, as managing group or team in a work environment can have its challenges my initial thought was leading a team with no visual contact could affect the process. As we did not have a briefing or discuss the goals of the team I felt it was unorganised through the leadership process. I knew the role of the leader would have some advantage in ensuring we all meet our own individual goals and those of the Everest team as discussed by At times I feel l was a natural leader who assisted my team in achieving maximum success through supportive questions and answers. At the same time I was aware we were all team members from diverse cultural backgrounds, i respected this and showed respect for all my team members. Leadership was not as strong at the first simulation, but progressed over periods as we started to form a stronger group. As stated in our Team contract we referred to having a specific team leader but collaborated together in a final vote. Virtual teams can have difficulty in leading (Hertal udo,2005 pg 72) suggest that virtual experiences â€Å"by hand are feelings of isolation and decreased interpersonal contact, increased chances of misunderstandings and conflict escalation, and increased opportunities of role ambiguity and goal conflicts due to commitments to different work-units. Following from this quote it is evident from our second simulation of face to face interaction, we had a change in leadership style our leader demonstrated characteristics  in becoming a democratic leader, this assisted me in growing confidence to become more effective and efficient in meeting the individual and team goals and my leader became more engaged in the learning process. This may have also resulted in a final group result of 96% and my individual result of 100%. Due to the change in leadership we become a confidant ad trustworthy group with a sense of social glue. Leadership with social face to face interaction showed more qualities for a successful leader and team. Conclusion Based on the analysis of the two attempts of the Everest simulations it is recommended that as a group we remained more productive and efficient in meeting our goals through face to face collaboration. As our results varied remarkably amongst both simulations The Everest simulation is a wonderful learning device to gain improvement in new expertise utilised in the team and group environment of a workplace, ensuring group development throughout the process likewise evident in the significance of integrating the team contract and policies to track when members required assistance. References: 1:Baltes et al., 2002; Bordia, 1997; Hollingshead McGrath, 1995; Warkentin et al., 1997) page 86 cited in 2: Gersick, Connie J G. (1988). TIME AND TRANSITION IN WORK TEAMS TOWARD A NEW MODEL OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT. Academy of Management Journal. 31 (1), 9-41. http://search.proquest.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au/docview/199773909?accountid=12763 3: Hertel, Guido Geister, Susanne Konradt, Udo. (2005). managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review. 15 (1), 69-95. 4: Morrison, Elizabeth Wolfe 1; Wheeler-Smith, Sara L. 1; Kamdar, Dishan 2. (January 2011.). Speaking Up in Groups: A Cross-Level Study of Group Voice Climate and Voice.[Article]. Journal of Applied Psychology 96 (1), 183-191. 5 .P. J. Lamberson and Scott E. Page. ( April 2012). Optimal Forecasting Groups. Management science. 58 (4), 805-810http://mansci.journal.informs.org/content/58/4/805.full.pdf+html 6.Macan, Therese Hoff. (June 1994). Time Management: Test of a Process Model. Journal of Applied Psychology.. 79 (3), 381-391. 7.Taiga Brahm, Florian Kunze, (2012) The role of trust climate in virtual teams, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 27 Iss: 6, pp.595 – 614 cited on 11/10/13 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17047848show=abstract HHAY, RATHTANA V, KLEINER, BRIAN H (2013). Effective communication in virtual teams Industrial Management/ Business source premier. 55 (4), 28-30. Cited 12/10/13

Role of Anti-MCV in Arthritis

Role of Anti-MCV in Arthritis Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by joint inflammation resulting in severe deformity, thus, early management is crucial. At a time, rheumatoid factor (RF) was considered the gold standard for diagnosis, however, more specific and sensitive auto-antibodies have been reported. Antibodies against citrullinated peptides, the peptides modified by the conversion of arginine to citrulline, have then been regarded as specific serological markers for RA (Klareskog et al., 2008; Engelmann et al., 2008). Citrullination is a process of protein unfolding, altering protein structure resulting in aberrant recognition in the immune system. They are thought to be triggered by genes that confer susceptibility to RA and by environmental agents (Klareskog et al., 2008). Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) has been proposed as a good alternative to RF for diagnosis of RA owing to its higher specificity and sensitivity (Sauerland et al., 2005). However, debate exists regarding its specificity in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (Riccio et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2008). HCV infection is usually asymptomatic and may be detected incidentally; it induces immunological extrahepatic manifestations including arthralgia and arthritis which can mirror RA, and discrimination would be difficult without observing the erosions (Palazzi et al., 2008). In addition to anti-CCP, anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) has gained importance. Vimentin is a protein filament that is expressed by in the synovium. Modification of this protein occurs in macrophages experiencing apoptosis, thus, anti-vimentin antibodies may emerge if the apoptotic material is not adequately removed (Khalifa et al., 2013). Performance of anti-MCV antibodies has been studied mainly in connective tissue diseases (Mutlu et al., 2009; Wagner et al., 2009; Luime et al., 2010), however, no enough data exists regarding its role in discriminating RA from HCV associated arthritis. Research Question What is the role of anti-MCV in differentiating arthritis of rheumatoid origin from that associated with chronic HCV infection? Â  Rationale HCV related arthritis is one of the extrahepatic immunological manifestations of HCV infection and may resemble rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Thus, differentiating patients with HCV associated arthropathy from patients with RA represents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Hypothesis The potential role of anti-MCV in discriminating rheumatoid arthritis from HCV associated arthropathy will be assessed in this study. Aim of the Work The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic value of anti-MCV in differentiating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from HCV associated arthropathy. Objectives To measure the level of anti-MCV in rheumatoid patients and chronic HCV patients. To assess the diagnostic performance of anti-MCV in differentiating arthritis of rheumatoid disease and chronic HCV infection. Subjects, Material, and Methods Ethics statement: All procedures will be conducted in accordance with the ethical principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consents will be obtained from all patients will be enrolled in the study. Administrative Design: Approval will be obtained from Zagazig University Institutional Review Board (IRB). Subjects: Inclusion criteria: The study will be conducted on 2 groups of patients recruited from Zagazig University Hospitals: Group I will include 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) characterized according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) new classification criteria for RA (Aletaha et al., 2010), and negative for anti-HCV antibodies. Group II will include 30 patients with chronic HCV-associated arthropathy positive for HCV antibody and RNA. Exclusion Criteria: Patients with any of the following criteria will be excluded: Positive for HBs-Ag Other connective tissue diseases Chronic infection/inflammation Malignancy Organ transplant Material and Methods: The laboratory section of this part of study will be carried out in the Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University. Clinical division: Demographic data and disease history will be taken from all patients (age, sex, disease duration). Disease activity score (DAS 28) will be calculated for RA patients as per Preevo et al. (1995). Laboratory division: Five ml blood samples will be aseptically collected from both groups. Centrifugation will be done followed by storage at -20Â °C until analysis. All samples will be investigated for anti-MCV and anti-CCP using indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent technique (ELISA). All gathered data will be then statistically analyzed using the appropriate statistical tests.

journeyhod The Inward Journey in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Ess

Inward Journey in Heart of Darkness  Ã‚   Heart of Darkness is a book about one man’s journey into the depths of the African Congo. He travels to a place where, "’the changes take place inside’"(Conrad 15). For a man named Kurtz, his journey went deeper into Africa then he could have ever expected. Kurtz’s journey into Africa ended up being a journey into the darkness within himself. At the beginning of the journey, Kurtz was a good man who believed in bringing civilization to Africa. You see some of Kurtz’s good intentions in a lot of his writings. When Marlow was reading them, he said, "’†¦He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, ‘must necessarily appear to them (savages) in the nature of supernatural beings-we approach them with the might as of deity,’ and so on, and so on. ‘By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good practically unbounded,’ etc. etc"(Conrad 50). In his writings, Kurtz believed in using the power of Europe for good. He believed in coming to the Africans as a God, not as a conqueror. You also see his good intentions in a picture that he painted. Marlow saw it and said, "’Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman draped and blindfolded carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber-almost black’"(Conrad 27). The picture gives you an idea about how Kurtz felt before he left for the interior. In the picture, the darkness is Africa and the woman represents Europe.    The light that she is holding represents knowledge, or the civilization that Europe is trying to bring to Africa. Kurtz believed that he was bringing light to Africa and he expressed that in his picture. Even though Kurtz we... ...se. But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself and by Heavens I tell you, it had gone mad. (Conrad 65)    Marlow clearly states here that by being in the wilderness, Kurtz was alone and isolated. Through this isolation, Kurtz had found himself. To Marlow he was mad, but he was still clear about himself. To Kurtz, he might have been mad, but he had finally found out who he really was. Throughout the book, Kurtz struggled to find his true self. In the beginning he believed in bringing civilization for the greater good, but by doing this, he was forced to realize the corruption within himself. Through the loneliness and isolation of Africa, Kurtz’s journey ended up being a journey into the darkness within himself. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. W.W. Norton & Company: New York. 1988.       journeyhod The Inward Journey in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness Ess Inward Journey in Heart of Darkness  Ã‚   Heart of Darkness is a book about one man’s journey into the depths of the African Congo. He travels to a place where, "’the changes take place inside’"(Conrad 15). For a man named Kurtz, his journey went deeper into Africa then he could have ever expected. Kurtz’s journey into Africa ended up being a journey into the darkness within himself. At the beginning of the journey, Kurtz was a good man who believed in bringing civilization to Africa. You see some of Kurtz’s good intentions in a lot of his writings. When Marlow was reading them, he said, "’†¦He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, ‘must necessarily appear to them (savages) in the nature of supernatural beings-we approach them with the might as of deity,’ and so on, and so on. ‘By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good practically unbounded,’ etc. etc"(Conrad 50). In his writings, Kurtz believed in using the power of Europe for good. He believed in coming to the Africans as a God, not as a conqueror. You also see his good intentions in a picture that he painted. Marlow saw it and said, "’Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman draped and blindfolded carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber-almost black’"(Conrad 27). The picture gives you an idea about how Kurtz felt before he left for the interior. In the picture, the darkness is Africa and the woman represents Europe.    The light that she is holding represents knowledge, or the civilization that Europe is trying to bring to Africa. Kurtz believed that he was bringing light to Africa and he expressed that in his picture. Even though Kurtz we... ...se. But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself and by Heavens I tell you, it had gone mad. (Conrad 65)    Marlow clearly states here that by being in the wilderness, Kurtz was alone and isolated. Through this isolation, Kurtz had found himself. To Marlow he was mad, but he was still clear about himself. To Kurtz, he might have been mad, but he had finally found out who he really was. Throughout the book, Kurtz struggled to find his true self. In the beginning he believed in bringing civilization for the greater good, but by doing this, he was forced to realize the corruption within himself. Through the loneliness and isolation of Africa, Kurtz’s journey ended up being a journey into the darkness within himself. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. W.W. Norton & Company: New York. 1988.      

Urban and the Council of Clermont :: European Europe History

Urban and the Council of Clermont There are many accounts of that day in November, 1095. Some were written by monks, others by bishops, and even a few by warriors themselves. Historians are constantly asking, "What exactly did Pope Urban II say at the council of Clermont to persuade Christians to set forth on such a difficult venture as the Crusades?" One man, an early 12th century cleric named Fulcher of Chartres wrote perhaps the best historical chronicle of the events at Clermont and the speech of Urban II. Fulcher begins his account with a prologue that states how blessed the journeymen of the Crusades were to take up such a conquest. He follows this by speaking on the Council of Clermont. Fulcher describes Pope Urban II and what he heard was happening to the Christians in the east. What comes next in Flucher's writing is a long speech, allegedly quoted from Urban II himself. In the speech, Urban first lectures his fellow clergymen regarding problems in the church, saying that they should "set [themselves] right before [they] do others"1 Fulcher, 51. Urban II next, as according to Fulcher, declares the doctrine of the church and re-instates the idea of the "Truce"2 McGinty, 52. He also discussed various crimes for which the criminal would be excommunicated from the Church. In Fulcher's third section, Urban speaks of the "evils" in the east. He says, "there is work to do, you must help your brothers living in the Orient, who need your aid for which they have cried out many times"3 Fulcher, 52. He gives word that these "brothers" (Christians) are being threatened by the Turks who must be pushed back to Persia. Urban will grant remission of sins for their services. In closing, Fulcher tells how Urban II presses on to say, " Let no delay postpone the journey"4 Fulcher, 53. Fulcher of Chartres' account of what happened at the Council of Clermont is a great piece, full of detail. Fulcher obviously held Pope Urban II in high regard. Throughout his chronicle, he douses him with compliments saying that he is " a man distinguished in life and character."5 Fulcher, 49. It might not seem like much now to put the Church's interests before all others; however, in the Middle Ages people were extremely religious. The better Christian one was, the better man he was. Urban II speaks to his clergy about the problems in the Church and as Fulcher tells the story he seems he seems rightly bestowed with the compliments Fulcher gives him.

Comparing The Elements of Style and Style Toward Clarity and Grace :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Comparing The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and Style Toward Clarity and Grace by Williams Both The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and Style Toward Clarity and Grace by Williams emphasize the importance of ‘style’ in writing. Though they agree style is important, their approach and views of style differ. Stunk and White’s book was published in 1912 and was written for the old-fashioned ivy leaguers. This can be expressed by their use of the pronoun ‘he’. According to Strunk and White ‘he’ should always be used. Williams’ book was published in 1981 and in more culturally written. Williams states that a writer can use either ‘he’ or ‘she’; whichever is socially acceptable. He also tells the writer to use such words as police officer instead of policeman and mail carrier instead of mailman. Strunk and White feel that to be a good writer one must adhere to the rules they state in their book. Jeri Eleswed’s blog states that she was amazed that she already incorporated many of the rules in Strunk and White’s book into her own writing. They feel it is important for the writer to have an individual style â€Å"†¦what your are, rather than what you know, will at last determine your style†. (Strunk 84) Strunk tells the writer that he should sympathize with the reader, but never seek to know the reader’s wants. The duty of the writer is to â€Å"please and satisfy yourself and a true writer always plays to a party of one†. (Strunk 84) In Patty Clark’s Blog spot she gave a great statement about Strunk and White. â€Å"The voice in which this little book is written sounds like an old-fashioned schoolmaster†. I completely agree with her and when I read their book I picture my twelfth grade English teacher at the bl ackboard with her fancy chalk holder cramming grammar down our throats. Williams’ views on style are more diverse. According to him, style should be more about the audience the writer is writing to rather than the writer himself. Williams explains how to write or the reader. In his last chapter Williams states how to write in a constructive voice, how to the flow of information affects the reader, what words to use when the reader has prior knowledge of the subject and when he or she does not, and how to be clear for the reader.

My Personal Faith Essay

My personal faith and beliefs contribute to every aspect of my life. I come from a Christian family and a congregation of baptized believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. My parents have always given me unconditional love and dedication, while teaching me healthy boundaries pertaining to life. Such as always putting the Lord first, being more concerned about the pain of consequences for irresponsibility, the rights and wrongs of my behavior, and what pain any of my actions may cause for others and God. My faith has enabled me to handle life challenges from my past and present. Some of these challenges have been series of events that I could hardly believe were happening, while others came with great joy. At five years old, my younger brother, Chandler, died unexpectedly. This was a tough challenge for my whole family to face. This challenge could have easily torn my family apart but together, as a team with God, we worked hard at picking up the pieces and moving forward even when there were days that seemed to be impossible. In the fifth grade, I was diagnosed with a common learning disability known as Attention Deficit Disorder. I am faced with this challenge on a daily basis. I have learned to cope with this disorder over the years by making prayer and patience priorities in helping me conquer this challenge. This challenge was especially difficult during my SAT and ACT tests. Certain scores on these tests were required to get into college and play NCAA football. The stress and pressure of taking these tests felt unbearable at times. While studying and before and during each test, I would remind myself that, through God, all things are possible. With God by my side, I was able to achieve the scores needed to reach my college and athletic goals. Varsity football has had an enormous impact on me during high school because it taught me how dedication and determination would help me succeed in academics as well as in extracurricular activities. Being part of a team helped me develop leadership skills within myself. Each time I step on the field, I put forth an effort to play my best. For me, each game started with a prayer that God would help me make good decisions and keep me and my team safe, win or lose. I earned many Regional and State awards for my achievements in football. All District First Team Defense 2011 and All Region Second Team Defense 2011 were two of my greatest achievements. Again, through God, all things are possible. Strong faith, good character and determination to succeed and live â€Å"a life that matters† can help anyone overcome any challenging situation that they are faced with in their lifetime. They also produce hope within oneself and set the foundation for an integral person to build on their morals and values. I plan to influence others to live â€Å"a life that matters† by staying true to my faith and hope within myself and allowing patience and perseverance to always be a strong characteristic of my character. I am going into the nursing program at Shepherd University in the fall. I plan to further my education into physical therapy. After my education is finished and I enter the working world, I want my greatest accomplishments to be encountering someone daily that I can portray my faith and integrity to that will make a difference in both our lives. I want to be able to reflect back on myself as a person who lived my entire life as one that mattered regardless of what stage of life or challenge that I am faced with at that time. As Christians, we are called and obligated to serve God with our time, talents, and material possessions but we must also recognize these areas as being entrusted to us to be used for the glory of God and helping others. God wants us to seek to bring others under the sway of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.

Learning Organization Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY are proliferating as corporations seek to better themselves and gain an edge. Unfortunately, however, failed programs far outnumber successes, and improvement rates remain low. That’s because most companies have failed to grasp a basic truth. Before people and companies can improve, they first must learn. And to do this, they need to look beyond rhetoric and high philosophy and focus on the fundamentals. Three critical issues must be addressed before a company can truly become a learning organization, writes Harvard Business School professor David Garvin. First is the question of meaning: a well-grounded, easy-to-apply definition of a learning organization. Second comes management: clearer operational guidelines for practice. Finally, better tools for measurement can assess an organization’s rate and level of learning. Using these â€Å"three Ms† as a framework, Garvin defines learning organizations as skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from past experience, learning from the best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. And since you can’t manage something if you can’t measure it, a complete learning audit is a must. That includes measuring cognitive and behavioral changes as well as tangible improvements in results. No learning organization is built overnight. Success comes from carefully cultivated attitudes, commitments, and management processes that accrue slowly and steadily. The first step is to foster an environment conducive to learning. Analog Devices, Chaparral Steel, Xerox, GE, and other companies provide enlightened examples. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS  CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS are sprouting up all over as organizations strive to better themselves and gain an edge. The topic list is long and varied, and sometimes it seems as though a program a month is needed just to keep up. Unfortunately, failed programs far outnumber successes, and improvement rates remain distressingly low. Why? Because most companies have failed to grasp a basic truth. Continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning. How, after all, can an organization improve without first learning something new? Solving a problem, introducing a product, and reengineering a process all require seeing the world in a new light and acting accordingly. In the absence of learning, companies-and individuals -simply repeat old practices. Change remains cosmetic, and improvements are either fortuitous or short-lived. A few farsighted executives – Ray Stata of Analog Devices, Gordon Forward of Chaparral Steel, Paul Allaire of Xerox-have recognized the link between learning and continuous improvement and have begun to refocus their companies around it. Scholars too have jumped on the bandwagon, beating the drum for â€Å"learning organizations† and â€Å"knowledge-creating companies. † In rapidly changing businesses like semiconductors and consumer electronics, these ideas are fast taking hold. Yet despite the encouraging signs, the topic in large part remains murky, confused, and difficult to penetrate. Meaning, Management, and Measurement Scholars are partly to blame. Their discussions of learning organizations have often been reverential and utopian, filled with near mystical terminology. Paradise, they would have you believe, is just around the corner. Peter Senge, who popularized learning organizations in his book The Fifth Discipline, described them as places â€Å"where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. â€Å"‘ To achieve these ends, Senge suggested the use of five â€Å"component technologies†: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. In a similar spirit, Ikujiro Nonaka characterized knowledge-creating companies as places where â€Å"inventing new knowledge is not a specialized activity †¦ it is a way of behaving, indeed, a way of being, in which everyone is a knowledge worker. â€Å"‘ Nonaka suggested that companies use metaphors and organizational redundancy to focus thinking, encourage dialogue, and make tacit, instinctively understood ideas explicit. Sound idyllic? Absolutely. Desirable? Without question. But does it provide a framework for action? Hardly. The recommendations are far too abstract, and too many questions remain unanswered. How, for example, will managers know when their companies have become learning organizations? What concrete changes in behavior are required? What policies and programs must be in place? How do you get from here to there? Most discussions of learning organizations finesse these issues. Their focus is high philosophy and grand themes, sweeping metaphors rather than the gritty details of practice. Three critical issues are left unresolved; yet each is essential for effective implementation. First is the question of meaning. We need a plausible, well-grounded definition of learning organizations; it must be actionable and easy to apply. Second is the question of management. We need clearer guidelines for practice, filled with operational advice rather than high aspirations. And third is the question of measurement. We need better tools for assessing an organization’s rate and level of learning to ensure that gains have in fact been made. Once these â€Å"three Ms† are addressed, managers will have a firmer foundation for launching learning organizations. Without this groundwork, progress is unlikely, and for the simplest of reasons. For learning to become a meaningful corporate goal, it must first be understood. What Is a Learning Organization? Surprisingly, a clear definition of learning has proved to be elusive over the years. Organizational theorists have studied learning for a long time; the accompanying quotations suggest that there is still considerable disagreement (see â€Å"Definitions of Organizational Learning† on page 77). Most scholars view organizational learning as a process that unfolds over time and link it with knowledge acquisition and improved performance. But they differ on other important matters. Some, for example, believe that behavioral change is required. for learning; others insist that new ways of thinking are enough. Some cite information processing as the mechanism through which learning takes place; others propose-shared insights, organizational routines, even memo. And some think that organizational learning is common, while others believe that flawed, self-serving interpretations are the norm. How can we discern among this cacophony of voices yet build on earlier insights? As a first step, consider the following definition: A learning organization is an organization skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. This definition begins with a simple truth: new ideas are essential if learning is to take place. Sometimes they are created de novo, through flashes of insight or creativity; at other times they arrive from outside the organization or are communicated by knowledgeable insiders. Whatever their source, these ideas are the trigger for organizational improvement. But they cannot by themselves create a learning organization. Without accompanying changes in the way that work gets done, only the potential for improvement exists. This is a surprisingly stringent test for it rules out a number of obvious candidates for learning organizations. Many universities fail to qualify, as do many consulting firms. Even General Motors, despite its recent efforts to improve performance, is found wanting. All of these organizations have been effective at creating or acquiring new knowledge but notably less successful in applying that knowledge to their own activities. Total quality management, for example, is now taught at many business schools, yet the number using it to guide their own decision making is very small. Organizational consultants advise clients on social dynamics and small-group behavior but are notorious for their own infighting and factionalism. And GM, with a few exceptions (like Saturn and NUMMI), has had little success in revamping its manufacturing practices, even though its managers are experts on lean manufacturing, JIT production, and the requirements for improved quality of work life. Organizations that do pass the definitional test – Honda, Corning, and General Electric come quickly to mind – have, by contrast, become adept at translating new knowledge into new ways of behaving. These companies actively manage the learning process to ensure that it occurs by design rather than by chance. Distinctive policies and practices are responsible for their success; they form the building blocks of learning organizations. Building Blocks Learning organizations are skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from their own experience and past history, learning from the experiences and best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Each is accompanied by a distinctive mind-set, tool kit, and pattern of behavior. Many companies practice these activities to some degree. But few are consistently successful because they rely largely on happenstance and isolated examples. By creating systems and processes that support these activities and integrate them into the fabric of daily operations, companies can manage their learning more effectively. 1. Systematic problem solving. This first activity rests heavily on the philosophy and methods of the quality movement. Its underlying ideas, now widely accepted, include: †¢ Relying on the scientific method, rather than guesswork, for diagnosing problems (what Deming calls the â€Å"Plan, Do, Check, Act† cycle, and others refer to as â€Å"hypothesis-generating, hypothesistesting† techniques). †¢ Insisting on data, rather than assumptions, as background for decision making (what quality practitioners call â€Å"fact-based management†). †¢ Using simple statistical tools (histograms, Pareto charts, correlations, cause-and-effect diagrams) to organize data and draw inferences. Most training programs focus primarily on problem solving techniques, using exercises and practical examples. These tools are relatively straightforward and easily communicated; the necessary mind-set, however, is more difficult to establish. Accuracy and precision are essential for learning. Employees must therefore become more disciplined in their thinking and more attentive to details. They must continually ask, â€Å"How do we know that’s true? â€Å", recognizing that close enough is not good enough if real learning is to take place. They must push beyond obvious symptoms to assess underlying causes, often collecting evidence when conventional wisdom says it is unnecessary. Otherwise, the organization will remain a prisoner of â€Å"gut facts† and sloppy reasoning, and learning will be stifled. Xerox has mastered this approach on a companywide scale. In 1983, senior managers launched the company’s Leadership Through Quality initiative; since then, all employees have been trained in small-group activities and problem-solving techniques. Today a six-step process is used for virtually all decisions (see â€Å"Xerox’s Problem-Solving Process†). Employees are provided with tools in four areas: generating ideas and collecting information (brainstorming, interviewing, surveying); reaching consensus (list reduction, rating forms, weighted voting); analyzing and displaying data (cause-andeffect diagrams, force-field analysis); and planning actions (flow charts, Gantt charts). They then practice these-tools during training sessions that last several days. Training is presented in â€Å"family groups,† members of the same department or business-unit team, and the tools are applied to real problems facing the group. The result of this process has been a common vocabulary and a consistent, companywide approach to problem solving. Once employees have been trained, they are expected to use the techniques at all meetings, and no topic is off limits. When a high-level group was formed to review Xerox’s organizational structure and suggest alternatives, it employed the very same process and tools. 2. Experimentation. This activity involves the systematic searching for and testing of new knowledge. Using the scientific method is essential, and there are obvious parallels to systematic problem solving. But unlike problem solving, experimentation is usually motivated by opportunity and expanding horizons, not by current difficulties. It takes two main forms: ongoing programs and one-ofa-kind demonstration projects. Ongoing programs normally involve a continuing series of small experiments, designed to produce incremental gains in knowledge. They are the mainstay of most continuous improvement programs and are especially common on the shop floor. Corning, for example, experiments continually with diverse raw materials and new formulations to increase yields and provide better grades of glass. Allegheny Ludlum, a specialty steelmaker, regularly examines new rolling methods and improved technologies to raise productivity and reduce costs. Successful ongoing programs share several characteristics. First, they work hard to ensure a steady flow of new ideas, even if they must be imported from outside the organization. Chaparral Steel sends its first-line supervisors on sabbaticals around the globe, where they visit academic and industry leaders, develop an understanding of new Xerox’s Problem-Solving Process Step Questions to be Answered What do we want to change? Expansion/ Divergence Lots of problems for consideration Contraction/ Convergence One problem statement, one â€Å"desired state† agreed upon What’s Next to Go to the Next Step Identification of the gap â€Å"Desired state† described in observable terms Key causes documented and ranked 1. Identify and select problem 2. Analyse Problem What’s preventing us from reaching the â€Å"desired state†? How could we make the change? What’s the best way to do it? Lots of potential causes identified. Key causes identified and verified 3. Generate potential solutions 4. Select and plan the solution Lots of ideas on how to solve the problem Lots of criteria for evaluating potential solutions. Lots of ideas on how to implement and evaluate the selected solution Potential solutions clarified Criteria to use for evaluating solution agreed upon Implementation and evaluation plans agreed upon Implementation of agreed-on contingency plans (if necessary) Effectiveness of solution agreed upon Continuing problems (if any) identified Solution List. Plan for making and monitoring the change Measurement criteria to evaluate solution effectiveness 5. Implement the solution Are we following the plan? Solution in place 6. Evaluate the solution How well did it work? Verification that the problem is solved, or Agreement to address continuing problems work practices and technologies, then bring what they’ve learned back to the company and apply it to daily operations. Inlarge part as a result of these initiatives, Chaparral is one of the five lowest cost steel plants in the world. GE’s Impact Program originally sent manufacturing managers to Japan to study factory innovations, such as quality circles and kanban cards, and then apply them in their own organizations; today Europe is the destination, and productivity improvement practices the target. The program is one reason GE has recorded productivity gains averaging nearly 5% over the last four years. Successful ongoing programs also require an incentive system that favors risk taking. Employees must feel that the benefits of experimentation exceed the costs; otherwise, they will not participate. This creates a difficult challenge for managers, who are trapped between two perilous extremes. They must maintain accountability and control over experiments without stifling creativity by unduly penalizing employees for failures. Allegheny Ludlum has perfected this juggling act: it keeps expensive, high-impact experiments off the scorecard used to evaluate managers but requires prior approvals from four senior vice presidents. The result has been=a history of productivity improvements annually avenging 7% to 8%. Finally, ongoing programs need managers and employees who are trained in the skills required to perform and evaluate experiments. These skills are seldom intuitive and must usually be learned. They cover a broad sweep: statistical methods, like design of experiments, that efficiently compare a large number of alternatives; graphical techniques, like process analysis, that are essential for redesigning work flows; and creativity techniques, like storyboarding and role playing, that keep novel ideas flowing. The most effective training programs are tightly focused and feature a small set of techniques tailored to employees’ needs. Training in design of experiments, for example, is useful for manufacturing engineers, while creativity techniques are well suited to development groups. Demonstration projects are usually larger and more complex than ongoing experiments. They involve holistic, system wide changes, introduced at a single site, and are often undertaken with the goal of developing new organizational capabilities. Because these projects represent a sharp break from the past, they are usually designed from scratch, using a â€Å"clean slate† approach. General Foods’s Topeka plant, one of the first high commitment work systems in this country, was a pioneering demonstration project initiated to introduce the idea of self-managing teams and high levels of worker autonomy; a more recent example, designed to rethink small-car development, manufacturing, and sales, is GM’s Saturn Division. Demonstration projects share a number of distinctive characteristics: †¢ They are usually the first projects to embody principles and approaches that the organization hopes to adopt later on a larger scale. For this reason, they are more transitional efforts than endpoints and involve considerable â€Å"learning by doing. † Mid-course corrections are common. †¢ They implicitly establish policy guidelines and decision rules for later projects. Managers must therefore be sensitive to the precedents they are setting and must send strong signals if they expect to establish new norms. †¢ They often encounter severe tests of commitment from employees who wish to see whether the rules have, in fact, changed. †¢ They are normally developed by strong multifunctional teams reporting directly to senior management. (For projects targeting employee involvement or quality of work life, teams should be multilevel as well. ) †¢ They tend to have only limited impact on the rest of the organization if they are not accompanied by explicit strategies for transferring learning. All of these characteristics appeared in a demonstration project launched by Copeland Corporation, a highly successful compressor manufacturer, in the mid-1970s. Matt Diggs, then the new CEO, wanted to transform the company’s approach to manufacturing. Previously, Copeland had machined and assembled all products in a single facility: Costs were high, and quality was marginal. The problem, Diggs felt, was too much complexity. At’ the outset, Diggs assigned a small, multifunctional team the task of designing a â€Å"focused factory† dedicated to a narrow, newly developed product line. The team reported directly to Diggs and took three years to complete its work. Initially, the project budget was $10 million to $12 million; that figure was repeatedly revised as the team found, through experience and with Diggs’s prodding, that it could achieve dramatic improvements. The final investment, a total of $30 million, yielded unanticipated breakthroughs in reliability testing, automatic tool adjustment, and programmable control. All were achieved through learning by doing. The team set additional precedents during the plant’s start-up and early operations. To dramatize the importance of quality, for example, the quality manager was appointed second-in-command, a significant move upward. The same reporting relationship was used at all subsequent plants. In addition, Diggs urged the plant manager to ramp up slowly to full production and resist all efforts to proliferate products. These instructions were unusual at Copeland, where the marketing department normally ruled. Both directives were quickly tested; management held firm, and the implications were felt throughout the organization. Manufacturing’s stature improved, and the company as a whole recognized its competitive contribution. One observer commented, â€Å"Marketing had always run the company, so they couldn’t believe it. The change was visible at the highest levels, and it went down hard. † Once the first focused factory was running smoothly -it seized 25% of the market in two years and held its edge in reliability for over a decade-Copeland built four more factories in quick succession. Diggs assigned members of the initial project to each factory’s design team to ensure that early learnings were not lost; these people later rotated into operating assignments. Today focused factories remain the cornerstone of Copeland’s manufacturing strategy and a continuing source of its cost and quality advantages. Whether they are demonstration projects like Copeland’s or ongoing programs like Allegheny Ludlum’s, all forms of experimentation seek the same end: moving from superficial knowledge to deep understanding. At its simplest, the distinction is between knowing how things are done and knowing why they occur. Knowing how is partial knowledge; it is rooted in norms of behavior, standards of practice, and settings of equipment. Knowing why is more fundamental: it captures underlying causeand-effect relationships and accommodates exceptions, adaptations, and unforeseen events. The ability to control temperatures and pressures to align grains of silicon and form silicon steel is an example of knowing how; understanding the chemical and physical process that produces the alignment is knowing why. Further distinctions are possible, as the insert â€Å"Stages of Knowledge† suggests. Operating knowledge can be arrayed in a hierarchy, moving from limited understanding and the ability to make few distinctions to more complete understanding in which all contingencies are anticipated and controlled. In this context, experimentation and problem solving foster learning by pushing organizations up the hierarchy, from lower to higher stages of knowledge. 3. Learning from past experience. Companies must review their successes and failures, assess them systematically, and record the lessons in a form that employers find open and accessible. One expert has called t9is process the â€Å"Santayana Review,† citing the famous philosopher George Santayana, who coined the phrase â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. † Unfortunately, too many managers today are indifferent, even hostile, to the past, and by failing to reflect on it, they let valuable knowledge escape. A study of more than 150 new products concluded that â€Å"the knowledge gained from failures [is] often instrumental in achieving subsequent successes†¦. In the simplest terms, failure is the ultimate teacher. â€Å"‘ IBM’s 360 computer series, for example, one of the most popular and profitable ever built, was based on the technology of the failed Stretch computer that preceded it. In this case, as in many others, learning occurred by chance rather than by careful planning. A few companies, however, have established processes that require their managers to periodically think about the past and learn from their mistakes. Boeing did so immediately after its difficulties with the 737 and 747 plane programs. Both planes were introduced with much fanfare and also with serious problems. To ensure that the problems were not repeated, senior managers commissioned a high-level employee group, called Project Homework, to compare the development processes of the 737 and 747 with those of the 707 and 727, two of the company’s most profitable planes. The group was asked to develop a set of â€Å"lessons learned† that could be used on future projects. After working for three years, they produced hundreds of recommendations and an inch-thick booklet. Several members of the team were then transferred to the 757 and 767 start-ups, and guided by experience, they produced the most successful, error-free launches in Boeing’s history. Other companies have used a similar retrospective approach. Like Boeing, Xerox studied its product development process, examining three troubled products in an effort to understand why the company’s new business initiatives failed so often. Arthur D. Little, the consulting company, focused on its past successes. Senior management invited ADL consultants from around the world to a two-day â€Å"jamboree,† featuring booths and presentations documenting a wide range of the company’s most successful practices, publications, and techniques. British Petroleum went even further and established the post-project appraisal unit to review major investment projects, write up case studies, and derive lessons for planners that were then incorporated into revisions of the company’s planning guidelines. A five-person unit reported to the board of directors and reviewed six projects annually. The bulk of the time was spent in the field interviewing managers. ‘ This type of review is now conducted regularly at the project level. At the heart of this approach, one expert has observed, â€Å"is a mind-set that †¦ enables companies to recognize the value of productive failure as contrasted with unproductive success. A productive failure is one that leads to insight, understanding, and thus an addition to the commonly held wisdom of the organization. An unproductive success occurs when something goes well, but nobody knows how or why. â€Å"‘ IBM’s legendary founder, Thomas Watson, Sr. , apparently understood the distinction well. Company lore has it that a young manager; after losing $10 million in a risky venture was called into Watson’s office. The young man, thoroughly intimidated, began by saying, â€Å"I guess you want my resignation. † Watson replied, â€Å"You can’t be serious. We just spent $10 million educating you. † Fortunately, the learning process need not be so expensive. Case studies and post-project reviews like those of Xerox and British Petroleum can be performed with little cost other than managers’ time. Companies can also enlist the help of faculty and students at local colleges or universities; they bring fresh perspectives and view internships and case studies as opportunities to gain experience and increase their own learning. A few companies have established computerized data banks to speed up the learning process. At Paul Revere Life Insurance, management requires all problem-solving teams to complete short registration forms describing their proposed projects if they hope to qualify for the company’s award program. The company then enters the forms into its computer system and can immediately retrieve a listing of other groups of people who have worked or are working on the topic, along with a contact person. Relevant experience is then just a telephone call away. 4. Learning from others. Of course, not all learning comes from reflection and self-analysis. Sometimes the most powerful insights come from looking outside one’s immediate environment to gain a new perspective. Enlightened managers know that even companies in completely different businesses can be fertile sources of ideas and catalysts for creative thinking. At these organizations, enthusiastic borrowing is replacing the â€Å"not invented here† syndrome. Milliken calls the process SIS, for â€Å"Steal Ideas Shamelessly†; the broader term for it is benchmarking. According to one expert, â€Å"benchmarking is an ongoing investigation and learning experience that ensures that best industry practices are uncovered, analyzed, adopted, and implemented. † The greatest benefits come from studying practices, the way that work gets done, rather than results, and from involving line managers in the process. Almost anything can be benchmarked. Xerox, the concept’s creator, has applied it to billing, warehousing, and automated manufacturing. Milliken has been even more creative: in an inspired moment, it benchmarked Xerox’s approach to benchmarking. Unfortunately, there is still considerable confusion about the requirements for successful benchmarking. Benchmarking is not â€Å"industrial tourism,† a series of ad hoc visits to companies that have received favorable publicity or won quality awards. Rather, it is a disciplined process that begins with a thorough search to identify best-practice organizations, continues with careful study of one’s own practices and performance, progresses through systematic site visits and interview and concludes with an analysis of results, development of recommendations, and implementation. While timeconsuming, the process need not be terribly expensive AT&T’s Benchmarking Group estimates that a moderate-sized project takes four to six months and incurs out-of-pocket costs of $20,000 (when personnel costs ax included, the figure is three to four times higher). Bench marking is one way of gaining an outside perspective; another, equally fertile source of ideas is customers. Conversations with customers invariably stimulate learning; they are, after all, experts in what they do. Customers can provide up-to-date product information, competitive comparisons, insights into changing preferences, and immediate feedback about service and patt ern of use. And companies need these insights at all levels, from the executive suite to the shop floor. At Motorola, members of the Operating and Policy Committee, including the CEO, meet personally and on a regular basis with customers. At Worthington Steel, all machine operators make periodic, unescorted trips to customers’ factories to discuss their needs. Sometimes customers can’t articulate their needs or remember even the most recent problems they have had with a product or service. If that’s the case, managers must observe them in action. Xerox employs a number of anthropologists at its Palo Alto Research Center to observe users of new document products in their offices. Digital Equipment has developed an interactive process called â€Å"contextual inquiry† that is used by software engineers to observe users of new technologies as they go about their work. Milliken has created â€Å"first-delivery teams† that accompany the first shipment of all products; team members follow the product through the customer’s production process to see how it is used and then develop ideas for further improvement. Whatever the source of outside ideas, learning will only occur in a receptive environment. Managers can’t be defensive and must be open to criticism or bad news. This is a difficult challenge, but it is essential for success. Companies that approach customers assuming that â€Å"we must be right, they have to be wrong† or visit other organizations certain that â€Å"they can’t  teach us anything† seldom learn very much. Learning organizations, by contrast, cultivate the art of open, attentive listening. 5. Transferring knowledge. For learning to be more than a local affair, knowledge must spread quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Ideas carry maximum impact when they are shared broadly rather than held in a few hands. A variety of mechanisms spur this process, including written, oral, and visual reports, site visits and tours, personnel rotation programs, education and training programs, and standardization programs. Each has distinctive strengths and weaknesses. Reports and tours are by far the most popular mediums. Reports serve many purposes: they summarize findings, provide checklists of dos and don’ts, and describe important processes and events. They cover a multitude of topics, from benchmarking studies to accounting conventions to newly discovered marketing techniques. Today written reports are often supplemented by videotapes, which offer greater immediacy and fidelity. Tours are an equally popular means of transferring knowledge, especially for large, multidivisional organizations with multiple sites.