American Revolutionary War and Common Sense Essay

Many students feel they know about the American War for Independence, but few understand how complex the arguments were and how long the war lasted. In your studies this week, what impressed you about the formation of the American nation? Was there anything presented in the material that you had not thought about before? What do you think about the way that Keene showed both the Patriot and Loyalist experiences during the period? After completing our reading for this week assignment, I learned a great deed; it was very interesting understanding the American Revolution and the War for Independence. There were many events that led the American colonists down the road to Revolution and their War for Independence (1775-1783). The British Parliament, in retaliation for the events surrounding the Boston Tea Party, had passed a series of punishing laws which the American colonists called Intolerable Acts. The Americans had argued that they were not afforded the same rights as the British. But the British ignored their protests, passing laws and demanding new taxes such as the Tea Tas. The basis for the legal argument of the Americans was that the 1689 English Bill of Rights had put into place a constitutional form of government in which the rights and liberties of the individual were protected under English law. The American colonists protested that were not afforded these privileges and that the British had abused their rights and liberties. After the issue in Lexington and Concord, the Americans knew that they had to fight for their own freedom so many battles took place afterwards but Thomas Paine’s â€Å"Common Sense† showed them how urgent it really is to win the Revolutionary War. â€Å"Common Sense† is a 46 page long pamphlet talking about how King George III has wronged the colonists, how the government and humanity were different, and his pamphlet also had religious influences and several other factors in it. After Common Sense was published it was sold 500,000 times within a year and it opened the colonist’s eyes. Overall many different aspects incensed the colonists and made them to rebel against Great Britain. The American Revolution was an effect of taxation, restriction of freedom and passing on of colonial political ideas. If these three cases wouldn’t have taken place the Colonists and Great Britain might not have separated from each other. The militias were the first to grasp the importance of firing from concealed locations and then retreating to take up new positions in which to fire from, at Lexington and Concord. A chapter discussing the American â€Å"Art of War† and its champion General Charles Lee and its protagonist General George Washington (the personal relationship between Lee and Washington would deteriorate early in the way over the issue of the militia’s use). Lee found that hit and run tactics were very effective and noticed their impact had upon British mentality. American militias fighting in this style would allow the British to roam amongst the countryside, but the psychological effect on the British proved to be tremendous as an early form of insurgent warfare. On the other hand Washington disagreed with the militia style of warfare and believed America could not afford to allow the British to run at will in the countryside. He preferred the European style of fighting, where soldiers fought side by side. During the Battle of Bunker Hill, the militia proved capable of fighting in the European style, by fighting from prepared positions of earthworks and trenches. This laid the foundation for the Continental regulars as they would be better disciplined to fight in this fashion. However, for Washington to achieve this, he would have to wait years until the American mentality could be trained to accept the ridged soldier’s life, whereas the British were already disciplined professionally by comparison. As problematic as the militias were, they did have many redeeming qualities. Throughout the course of the war the numbers of American troops in the regular army always remained small, but when the British army lurked near for a fight, American commanders could call out for the militias help. This swelled the American ranks by as much as couple of thousand. In this way the militias proved a valuable asset, as it left the British constantly guessing to the real numbers of their opponents they faced on the battlefield. When I think of the militia, the bible verses that touches me the most is Deuteronomy 31:6, â€Å"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.†

Reflection on Cognitive Development Essay

This reflective essay speaks about Educational Psychology, a good teacher, general principles of development, the brain and cognitive development, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective. Educational Psychology plays a very important role in our daily lives as it helps us to understand and develop strategies to improve the learning process. An effective teacher is one who is organized, not biased, patient, and flexible and knows how to teach medium and slow paced learners. The essay also speaks about Development; persons develop physically, socially and also personally. It also speaks about the different ways in which development takes place. The brain begins to lateralize soon after birth and therefore have specific functions to carry out. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development speaks about the four stages while Lev Vygotsky educates us on his sociocultural perspective. Educational Psychology is important to me as a teacher in training as it helps me to understand my students’ behaviour and the strategies that I can use to help them. Life is a process and therefore we go through changes from conception to death. This process is called development. We develop physically, socially, and also cognitively .The changes that occur early in our lives, are generally assumed to be for the better and to result in behaviour that is more adaptive, more organized, more effective and more complex (Mussen, Kogner, Kagan, 1984).I also learnt that development takes place at different rates and that is persons may be more coordinated than others and also be more mature in their thinking. Secondly, development takes place orderly as we learn to babble before we talk and the final one is that development takes place gradually, that is you know the letters of the alphabet before you can spell words. Finally, the one that stands out to me most is maturation. Maturation deals with the natural changes that take place in our bodies. The changes in the climate don’t affect the natural changes that will take place in our body only severe sickness or malnutrition. The brain is also important in cognitive development as each part is given a specific function to carry out. However, the different parts of the brain combine in order to perform human activities and construct  understanding. There are some terms that are associated with the brain and the first is synapses, as the word suggests they are tiny spaces between neurons and that chemical messages are sent across the gaps. Hippocampus really took me by surprise as the first syllable â€Å"hippo† is the name of an animal. However it means recalling new information and recent experiences. Myelination is also very new to me and it means influencing thinking and hearing. The basic tendencies in thinking help us to organize our thoughts and behaviours into coherent systems. Our thinking process and knowledge is now developed through adaptation and this is adjusting ourselves to the environment. Assimilation, accommodation also takes place. Sometimes it seems as if I am searching for some balance in my thinking and this is known as equilibration. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is not foreign to me as I did in Introduction to Psychology. I know that there are four stages and each stage has a different age group. The fist stage is the sensorimotor stage and children at this stage are usually zero to two years of age. The most significant things that occur at this stage are: the children develop object permanence, perform goal directed activities, use there senses and also uses imitation. The pre-operational stage is age two to seven years. Children are able to use symbolic function for example taking a broom and riding it saying that it is a donkey. There motor skills are being developed and therefore they would want to feed themselves. In the concrete operational stage children are able to think logically, can engage in a conversation and reversibility, classification and seriation takes place. The final stage is the formal operational stage and they are able to reason well and they also develop adult egocentrism and that is the heightened self consciousness that is reflected in adolescents and the belief that others are interested in their thoughts as they do. It also speaks about them having a sense of uniqueness and wants to be noticed by others. However some students will develop reckless behaviour including suicidal thoughts and drug abuse. In my opinion Vygotsky’s theory is much better than Piaget’s. He placed more  emphasis on the development of language than Piaget. He also states that language is the most important symbol in the development of language. As a child I use to talk to myself and now I know that it is private speech. I really believe that private speech guides an individual into making the right decisions and also into problem solving. The most important part of his theory is the zone of proximal development. My understanding of it is that at a particular stage in one’s life given guidance and support will help me as an individual to master something. Children first learn pronounciation and they shy away from those words that are hard to pronounce. For example my three year old son says ‘begetable’ instead of vegetable. I also believe that adults should use language in the child’s learning experience and don’t use high flown words because the child should be able to relate to what is being said. Vocabulary, grammar and syntax are developed at around age five. However parents can buy books, read to their children, take them on a nature walks and also answer their questions so as to develop their language.

Great Gatsby Reading Response Essay

Characterization: Simply put, indirect characterization is the author’s way of giving the reader clues as to how a character is really like. Such clues may be describing how the character dresses, letting the reader hear what the character says, or revealing the character’s private thoughts. Example: â€Å"Gatsby, his hands still in his pockets, was reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease, even of boredom† (The Great Gatsby, 86). Function: The nervous appearance of Gatsby as he meets Daisy suggests a different side to Gatsby’s personality. This meeting with Daisy, which takes place at Nick’s house, gives one a closer look as to how Gatsby can seem like a different person altogether. Gatsby’s surprisingly timid nature even disables him to directly ask Nick to invite Daisy for tea. Gatsby, usually sophisticated and composed, is in distress as he tries to mimic a pose of â€Å"perfect ease† when he tries to talk with Daisy (86). Gatsby’s awkward character directly involves Nick as he turns to him for help in reuniting him with his love. The author characterizes Gatsby differently from Nick’s first impression to show the reader the sincere love he feels for Daisy. Similar to how a man in love can be sheepish and disheveled, Gatsby is clearly characterized as a typical man who fell in love through his failed attempts at being calm in Daisy’s presence. His appearance at the beginning of the novel differs from the true feelings he hides deep inside. This complete change of character with Gatsby emphasizes the climax of the novel, which is when Gatsby and Daisy finally meet. All of Gatsby’s actions, including his parties, were done with Daisy in mind. In relation with the change of pace in the novel as the novel switches from Gatsby’s mysterious nature to a complete revelation of Gatsby’s inner workings, the plot of the story changes to include Gatsby’s course of action in the hopes of reviving his past with Daisy.

ROBBERY police foundations program (canada) Essay

ROBBERY police foundations program (canada) - Essay Example Robbery refers to illegal possession, attempt over one's property or cash by violence, threat of force or any influencing force with or without injury. For instance, bank robbery, shop robbery, snatching, looting, train robbery etc. Nature and percentage of robbery in various countries vary from time to time. Faulkner shared his views for United States as Robbery-related injuries constitute a major risk for convenience store workers in the United States. Studies that focus on the injury outcomes associated with convenience store robbery are extremely limited in number. Robbers make their plans and strategies with respect to their targets. It has been observed that robbers are mostly aware of wealth status and routine of their targets. Most of the time, Cash-in-transit vans are being targeted. Mr. Gill defined the same statement as Cash-in-transit vans are an attractive target for robbers because they are lucrative. Rate of robberies and crimes such as armed robberies, crimes committed by employees, commercial crime, are not controllable even in countries like United States of America then third world countries stand no where. Robbers, who are lost in greed, do not care for one's life for the sake of money. Robbery is a result of being associated or friendly to extremist people. After a few robberies, robbers become habitual of crimes and robbery becomes their nature. Individual robbery is the most common type of robbery.

Personal Statement for Transferring to UC Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

For Transferring to UC - Personal Statement Example Economics doesn’t only teach to make distinction between better choice rotating around only investments and interest rates, it gives ideas about how a person can perk up his/her living standard. I appreciate that if we understand knowledge of economics it better gives idea of where to invest and what good a person can do with his/her money (Wessels). Moreover, Economics not just deals with monopoly, economy growth, and pollution etc., it is also related to personal problems such as wages, the cost of living, taxes, and employment. It deals with current vital problems of the society. The content of Economics is complementary to many other fields. Students enrolled in Economics major are not just restricted to Economics; they can choose other subjects as a minor along with Economics. Students have successfully combine Economics with other diverse fields such as Psychology, Journalism, Political Science, and many more. An economic option opens future options to students. I may gain expertise for my career in Educational Administration, Finance and Banking or Politics. My interest in Economics also developed due to my father’s occupation. He is an admirable man who works for the China Council for the promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) at the position of Vice Inspector. My father’s way of working and dealing with different issues prudently shows his uniqueness and good logic sense. Through his unique visions I learned a lot from him. He always shared his vast knowledge of Economics with me, which developed my curiosity and concern to know more about Economics. Fortunately in 2010, I acquire chance to work at China Council for the Promotion of International Trade as an internee during my semester break. During my internship, I got to learn much more new aspects about Economics and how it is related to the promotion of international trade. I learned how to work practically and

You as a leader Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

You as a leader - Assignment Example I would subsequently identify possible alternatives and assess the choices based on their consequences. I had to establish the best alternative before putting it into action. According to Mathena (2002), a leader needs to examine the situation by analyzing various perceptions. Subsequently, formulating alternatives and choosing the best is equally an appropriate measure. I remember my classmates and I failed to grasp certain concepts learned in class. I identified the problem to be solved that included complicated concepts like compassionate practice. With the assistance of other group members, we came up with possible alternatives like providing simplified learning materials and starting group discussions. I established that it was necessary to perform group discussions. The discussions were viable platform that could be used to better understand the concept. Some of the leadership strengths I demonstrated include being student focused, results oriented, strategic, good at handling conflicts, and making high-quality decisions. However, I still have to improve in my communication skills since it is an essential leadership

The Bias Of Language Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Bias Of Language - Term Paper Example Moreover, pictures have limited possibilities since they cannot provide commentaries, which is the role of language. Unlike stationary pictures, moving pictures thanks to combinations of video and sound have a better potential of representation. Specifically, images are juxtaposed with music, sound, and symbols, which allows conveying emotions and â€Å"rudimentary ideas† (p.105). For example, moving pictures can represent a panoramic view of nature which enables a viewer to understand the concept/abstract idea. This contrasts with stationary pictures whose potential is restricted to showing a part of something – a cliff, a wave, etc. To add, stationary pictures cannot represent the process while moving pictures show how something is changing, e.g. a house burning to ashes, etc. 2. This point about the differences between language, moving and stationary pictures provide the basis for preparing readers for the deep understanding of the moving pictures essence. As further in the essay Postman and Powers discuss the nature and technology of newscasts production, the function, and power of moving pictures is clearly stated. 3. The writers’ main claim about today’s newscasts is they represent the world in a biased and dramatized manner, which makes it hard to grasp the reality of an event. I totally agree with this view. Newscasts are produced by television companies that are always someone’s property or under someone’s power. Therefore, they show the things the way that does not damage the image of the owner and serves his interests.

Organizational leadership Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational leadership - Coursework Example This essay will analyze the aspects that lead to great leadership development and the challenges faced in the same area. Leadership is an action of socially influencing people, whereby a person can help and support others to accomplish a common task. Leadership development is the ability of a person to be effective while performing their leadership roles (Veslor, McCauley & Rudeman, 2010, p.2). Leadership and leadership development, therefore, show that leading people, is a task that is left for the few who have the ability to manage not only themselves but also other people. Leadership is not only nurtured but also practiced by the people who mainly specialize in it. Although leadership and leadership development sound similar, they differ in some ways. Leadership is mainly focused on a person’s character and skills that the person has, whereas leadership development is focused on teaching a person the key concepts that revolve around leadership and encouraging them to practice it. Leadership principles in leadership development, help in governing people and organizations for stability and great achievement. The first principle is, Managing vulnerability (Avolio 2011, p.151) but leaders fear discussing their vulnerabilities. Individual strengths and weakness are understood by personally learning about oneself to know where one is vulnerable, so as to avoid mistakes. The second principles is, Identification Organizations must review their leadership development needs, and by doing so, the organizations can identify leadership gaps that are present amongst them and the need for improvement. This practice helps organizations to improve their status by amending the areas that require attention and strengthening themselves to remain relevant and remain competent. This is done by coaching leaders in top positions to

Final Assignment Questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Questions - Assignment Example IP is quite an important asset to the people of America for it is of very high economic value as well as an important element of the health and safety of the general American public (NIPRCC, 2011). The counterfeit merchandise therefore does not only pose a threat to the safety and health of the American public but also largely pause a threat to the general economy of the American nation since such products deprive the nation of hundreds of billions and trillions of dollars in terms of lost profits, tax revenue losses, job loss as well as additional product enforcement costs in the different supply chains (NIPRCC, 2011). Counterfeit products such as the pharmaceuticals, automobile parts pauses a great threat to the health and safety of the entire American public. This is because the counterfeit products fail to match the desired quality standards. Increase in counterfeit products has resulted from increased theft of IP which has further threatened the general security of the American nation. Increased theft of the US trade secrets and more so regarding the US war fighter poses a huge threat to the American national security (NIPRCC, 2011). In the year 1999, the president of America William J. Clinton issued an executive order 13133 that was purposely meant to address the issue of unlawful conduct and especially through the use of the internet. The reasoning behind the issue of this order was that if the use of the internet can be properly controlled, crimes such as sale of illegal firearms and explosives via the internet, sale of drugs, child pornography as well as fraud could adequately be controlled by the American government. The unlawful conduct in the internet was to be addressed through a working group selected by the president to resolve the particular issue. As stipulated by the executive order 13133, the working group goals included analyzing the already existing federal laws and assessing the extent to which these laws

Character of Jason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Character of Jason - Essay Example AS the paper highlights the patient was advised to undergo chemotherapy which can assist in eliminating the cancer cells, also, Burkitt’s lymphoma responds quickly to radiation and chemotherapy especially if the patient is still young. In a span of two years, the patient’s life was filled with emotional moments as he struggles with anxiety, sadness, anger, and depression , shock and disbelief which are not uncommon for young patients who have cancer. According to Astin, Shapito and Eisenberg ( 2003) cancer as well as the treatments prescribed greatly affects the patients: From this paper it is clear that since the character was just a young child, his main concern was fear of death. His energy levels had been adversely affected by chemotherapy. The patient experienced severe weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, and the depression of the immune system. For a child, this is a harrowing experience since the treatment itself seems like the disease. It is painful and depressing. Nevertheless, the American Cancer Society in the online article Children Diagnosed With Cancer: Dealing With Diagnosis recommends some guidelines that would help a child patient cope with cancer. The suggestions were specifically suited for children ages 6-12 : It is therefore crucial for parents to be honest in dealing with their child about the nature of the disease. The child must be fully informed about his/her situation and must not feel isolated from any information regarding his health. It was also suggested that the patient record his feelings or thoughts through writing or drawing.  

The Effects of the Internet on Children Research Paper

The Effects of the Internet on Children - Research Paper Example The internet is one of the most influential developments of the modern world mainly because it affects the lives of almost everybody in the world. It is fast becoming a major source of information with many people relying on it to get news from all over the world, for research, to do market research and make purchases and to keep in touch with one another over great distances. The internet provides a powerful tool for online resources and is an information dissemination tool for many people in the world. Recent researches have shown an increase in the number of children who access the internet everyday in the United States. These children are exposed to many databases, which may sometimes hold explicit, violent, prohibited and at times illegal content. Statistics show that in China, many children come to be exposed to the internet and gadgets related to it from an extremely early age. Parents in this country have been known, in recent times, to buy iPads for their toddlers, something which was not common only a few years ago (Hairong, 2012, Para 7). Surveys in China have also shown that the number of families, which have acquired iPads for their children, is about forty percent, which is a unique fact indeed. While many children have come to access the internet from an early age, they have also come to be exposed to things within it, which are harmful to their mental development. (Hairong 2012 Para 12). In order to help parents curb the children’s access to the internet, internet service providers and major search engines have created tools to enable parents to input parental control measures on the child’s computer at home. Recent research shows that majorities of parents use parental control, and this helps to filter and control the sites that children can access and set safe zones for them. The major setback for this has been that children have been seen to adapt very fast to these software and tools. In addition, they have been known to find w ays of penetrating passwords or firewalls set by parents and access restricted sites (Siegel, 2012 Para 16). The amount of time that children spend on the internet has been found to be detrimental to their mental development because it has made them become too lazy to be creative. Studies conducted at Duke University show that children who spend too much time online tend to have low scores in the test they are given in school (Scholastic News, 201

The North Wind and the Sun Essay Example for Free

The North Wind and the Sun Essay The North Wind and the Sun is about two different personalities and how they operate to get things done. The North Wind is very arrogant and has a personality that is very strong. He is also very impatient, he wants things done immediately and he wants it done his way.   He is the type who intimidates people and could very well be the type to instil fear in his subordinates.   This type of â€Å"shotgun-in-your-face† approach will work against some people until you come across individuals who have a mind of their own.    Some people make it a point to resist very strong individuals and this could pose a problem especially when North Winds are leaders.   When that happens, it is the personality of the Sun which can win them over.   Personalities like the Sun do not impose their wants and needs.   Personalities like the Sun do not make demands nor put pressure on people.   They have realized that a better approach to getting what they want is to be subtle.   They have mastered the art of manipulating individuals into doing what they (the Sun) wants by making them (the individuals) think that they decide and act for themselves.   It is this subtlety that makes people like the Sun more effective leaders. The human in this story, like in most stories of Greek and Roman mythology, is the plaything of the Sun and the North Wind.   He is at the mercy of their whims.   So when these two entities decide to test their strength through a competition, this hapless man becomes their focus.   They were quite smart because in order to settle their dispute, they did not ask for the man’s opinion.   They did not come down from the heavens to ask â€Å"who is stronger?†Ã‚   Instead they decided to settle their quarrel by watching the human’s reaction to the force they exerted.   He, in essence, acted as a fair and impartial judge in a contest he did not know he was mediating.

Resistance to Change in an Organisation

Resistance to Change in an Organisation Introduction Change is not an easy factor to go through. Taking in to account that it does not matter if it is a change of rules, space or simple habits. The concept of change involves many other functions. Where the resistance to it, sometimes is hard to adapt or maybe just simple depending the management and organization between one and more individuals, which makes part of an organization structure and affect a whole organization. Organizational change in inevitable Just like anything in life, in addition to this the evolution of the world markets and cultures. Makes the change something that requires constant attention and preparation. In order to be successful in any market, an organization has to be able to transform an evaluate different kind of statements that show the importance of organizational change in the develop of a company. We live in a world in which the nature of organization and the practice, most of people believe that we are in a Constance change. When the difference between theory and practice is completely relevant and plays an important role in management and helps to understand that is a vital in any organization process, which helps to analyze and create structures that help to understand the value of change. The theory of change The theory of change is a strategy or project for achieving large-scale, long-term goals. It identifies the preconditions, pathways and interventions necessary for an initiatives success in different model, where change makes a huge impact in the evolution of a system organization. Theories of change and logic models are vital to evaluate success for a number of reasons. According to Burke, Warner and his book (Organization change, theory and practice). Organizations change all the time, each and every day. The change that happens in organizations commonly is unplanned and gradual, affecting or attributing different aspects where planning is a very important tool to apply and makes this much more easy to understand and shows the importance of change and its crucial participation in the evolution of a company. For a better understanding of change, organizations are created and developed, to continue and during the last. But external factors as environment, plays a very important role in the evolution, because those are discontinuous and can cause destruction but can cause creativity as well. To affront this many others levels in managing as a planning and controlling for example, makes change a Constance factor, which decide the future or develop of any kind of system. However change sometimes could be an internal factor. For example, the change of management that brings new rules, methods and a new different path to assume new emerging markets, makes this theory unpredictable for the good of a system. The paradox of planned organization change. Sometimes when plan is the right way to follow in an organization not always is the option to assume as crucial for the right entrance of change. However this paradox can be implemented as a one of the most analytics methods to follow for a better and capable knowledge of this. According to Michael Powel and referring to the new digital technology, was quoted and saying: it will be messing and it will be confusing and we will get a lot of it wrong and well have to start over. But thats the creative process, thats the evolutionary process. (Naples daily news, 2001, p. 6A.) Mr Powell described change as a very realistic method, where the process is more linear and could be divided by phases, periods or steps and so on. The implementation process is difficult because change the system and of course the way, how the process it was made for, the things dont work well and people do they own way and in some cases the retaliation and revenge is one of the most common things to affront with many others negative aspects that make more difficult to implement a series of changes. Types of organizations change To define organizational change as the process to evaluate and reach the desired goals the first thing to have in mind in change is the concept between evolution versus revolution. The process of resistance is very common and shows the variety of circumstances to affront in management; this contrast might be is actually a very important way to think about the different forms that an organizational system can take and the correct evaluation to it. Organizational change occurs when an organization restructures resources to increase the ability to perform and create effectiveness as the principal method to arrive, similarly, to this the creation of new system of evaluation of a company for the right performance of it. Targets of changes Human resources are for an organizations most important asset, because include investment in training and modification of manage that motivates the personal for a better understanding and approach of it. In addition to it .Human resources plays a very huge impact in companies develop, because involves moral principles and workforce as a combination for the right develop of any system created to evaluate process in a safe work environment. Functional resource can be use to maximize the use of present value. Organizations can change the environment, structure and sometimes the culture of creation but technology is the most important thing to preserve. For example technologies that uses self manage work increased productivity and quality for a better develop in terms of time and production, helping to increased the creation of different products Reducing the use of time and decreasing the value in terms of production. As a result of the right use of change in a company. A technology capability, that helps to provide new products and changing the existing ones, improving the reliability and quality of goods and services of a company. Organizations might be need the restructuration of technology for a correct develop and achieve the results of a new and developing technology. Forces for and Resistance to Organizational Change Organizations and the process of change requires to face two and very important factors for the correct developed of it, one of those is change and the other is the resistance to change. Resistance to change can occur at the organizational level, group level and individual level. For example, managers should be motivated to initiate change because they are concern with improving their organization effectiveness. However, change can be threat to managers and no managerial personal as well. Almost every change requires the cooperation, collaboration, and co-ownership of others, even if that change might be beneficial some people just refused because is a natural way to response and affront. the change as fear of the unknown also to lose something of valuable, believing that change is not good for the organization and provide a different kind of elements damaging the right develop of a company in many levels and misunderstand the process of evolution. Why do people resist changing? An individual is likely to resist change for three reasons principally: uncertainty, concern over personal loss, and they believe that the change is not in the organizations best interest. In adtion to this a common example of resistance for change is giving in a normal college. Where the student are suggested and have the obligation to attend because are the rules and when they leave the college they will have to trade the known for the unknown. Some examples of resistance in organizations is when the introduction of a new analysing system means that employees will have these new methods. Some employees who are accustomed to their work routines or who have inadequate math and statistics backgrounds may fear that they will be unable to meet the system demands. They may therefore, develop a negative attitude because dont know how to use it, and prefer to judge before accept any kind of change just for fear and inclusion of different process that makes changes crucial in the develop of a company. In some case the resistance is fear for the unknown but what happens when change comes with a new structure of elements that become inconvenience for the personal? What do we should do to minimize the impact of resistance? And keep the tolerance and the right balance between employees and employers. How to break that huge wall that separates fear and commitment in the companies?. Some techniques for reducing resistance to organizational change. When management sees resistance to change as a dysfunctional, what action as a manager should I take? Several strategies have been suggested for use by managers, but in some cases the change is so extreme that brings a lot of resistance and is not enough to divide and propose steps to come in with new ideas. Is better if including tactics that helps to understand the process of change and find mediation between managers and employees. According to Barbara Senior and Steve Wailes, the resistance of change evaluate the process how the company has been created and proves the management as vital tool for the right develop and creation of strategies that helps to affiance the resistance of change and mediate between many different elements. One important step to follow in management is the implementation of education and communication, facilitation and support, negotiation and manipulation, co-optation and coercion, these tactics help to summarized and helps us to have a better look of management and understanding in how this tactics help for mediation and confront of a such a wide open variable. That involves techniques and strategies, which help to have a better understanding in the managerial concept. Tactics and strategies to reduce the resistance in organizational change Education and Communication Can help to mediate the resistance of change by helping the employees to see the logic process of change. This technique of course helps to minimize the impact of misinformation or poor communication and give the chance to aport new ideas to the system for a better compression and implementation of this. For example the correct use of communication Between agent of change and personal showing elements to improve and the importance for the good of the company but demonstrating the right benefits for the process which normally interact in the productivity and effectiveness of a company. Participation This tactic involves those individuals directly affected by the purpose of change into the decision making process. This kind of method allows expressing their feelings, increasing the quality of the process and increase employee commitment for final decision. For example, create tools for the evaluation of the process that help to understand better the inclusion of strategies showing the important of evaluation for both sides of views. Facilitation and support Involve helping employees deal with the fear and anxiety, associated with the change effort, this help could be include employee counselling and new skills training for a better use of tactics and facilitation trough the process of change. Negotiation Involves a bargain between something value for an agreement to lessen this hard process of change that sometimes can be stressful by both sides. This resistance method can be very useful, when the confrontation comes from a powerful source and shows the importance of negotiation in the process. Additionally, there is the risk that, once a change agent negotiates with one party to avoid resistance, he or she is open to the possibility of being blackmailed by other individuals in positions of power. When misunderstanding and lack of communication, makes part of the process that commonly happens in different types of organization. Manipulation Refers to cover attempts to influence others about the process of change. Sometimes involves twisting and distortion of facts to make the change appear more attractive and comprehensive. One of the common tactics to use is this particular case is creating false rumours is an example of manipulation. According to the international journal of managements reviews the use of manipulation in a change process could be illegal and immoral, because use the misunderstanding as a tool for manipulate and distort the right compression of different factors that helps to use the correct develop of tactics. Minimizing the resistance of change. Co-optation In this kind of method it is form by both manipulation and cooptation and it seeks to buy the leaders of the resistance, giving them a key role in the change decision. The last two methods are relatively inexpensive for the organization and are the easy ways to gain the support of adversaries. In addition to this sometimes this method can demonstrate that if they note this, can be sing of tricked or used. Once discovered the agent creditability may drop to cero and in the future might be a sign of confrontation and retaliation. Coercion The coercion tactic can be used to deal with the resistance fact, involves the use of different threats or force against the resisters. According to Stephen Robbins,ÂÂ  Organizational Behaviour, different organizational methods as coercion sometimes involves the use of bad recommendations and negative perform evaluation. This method should only be used when speed is of the essence or when the other person themselves has taken to public and damaging actions. Those methods listed above show the importance of management and the correct use of it. In addition to this tactics, the resistance of change in organization has different approaches that show the incursion of several strategies can be completely illegal and may undetermined change agents credibility. Being this stops the improvements in the organization. Conclusions Organizations operate in multiple environments, as a temporal, external and internal. They key task for organizations is work through a series of process or steps for mediate the impact of different factor to evaluate. Achieving External adaptation and internal integration. In addition to this, they need to anticipate and give opportunities to eliminate any possible problem or unpredictable surprises. In conclusion to this change is a very important factor to keep in mind, because if the organization doesnt have the knowledge to achieving o good process. The company can be affected and damaging the develop of a company. For that reason the implementation of strategies that allow risk evaluation and possible changes must be planned before the execution of any kind of process. Finally the use of tactics to prevent the resistance of company, while is in changing process is vital for the correct use and future develop. Because, demonstrate that organizational changes are crucial factors that involve the moral as a key to be fair with the others and the correct use of managing for good of an organization. Resistance to Change in an Organisation Resistance to Change in an Organisation Develop a plan to address below the surface resistance to change. With the research you have done so far in the course, how would you, as a manager, facilitate and manage a major change in your organization? Our company has established procedures and policies created from both a technological perspective (how to do the task) to mutual agreements with the staff leading to policies on expected behaviour etc. For changes and improvements to be successfully implemented, there needs to be not only compliance, but buy-in from staff. In order to implement a major change, a project team would be created. In the NHS, it is often standard to employ the Prince2 project management framework and depending on the nature of the project, this approach would be the probable method. Assembling the optimum project team with the correct skill mix is paramount to the successful execution and implementation of the project. Bareil (2013), defined resistance to change as a change-specific behavioural response towards a change initiative normally identified by a leader and identified it as the primary reason for change failures. Maurer (1996) described resistance as an inevitable response to change as individuals felt compelled to maintain the status quo especially if they fail to understand the rationale behind the changes in question. Maurer focussed on the poor presentation of changes as being a more significant catalyst for resistance outlining that the assumption of the manager that their change is the only possible direction and the concept that the workforce must be forced to comply would promote resistance among organisation members. According to Kruger, (xxxx), the principle issue is the established personnel change barriers which require recognition in order to be dealt with effectively. These may be company wide i.e. endemic across the workforce especially in climates with strong culture. In order to demonstrate the issue, Kruger developed a pictorial representation-the Change Management Iceberg which displays the evident and more importantly, the unseen barriers to changes within a company. Kruger lists three management issues that must be addressed in order to achieve successful implementation- Issue Management, Management of Perceptions and Beliefs and Power and Politics Management. Issue Management: This represents the top of the iceberg. Key factors are time, cost and quality. Management of Perceptions and Beliefs: It is essential to have an empathy for both the evident and covert perceptions of the workforce. Power and Politics Management: These can play a pivotal role in the change process and can influence the perceptions and beliefs significantly. According to McPheat (2014), the optimum approach is to recognise that the change will impact on all personnel at every level within the company and that they will inevitably align into one of four types: Promoters-employees who will support the changes and buy-in. Potential promoters-probable recruits to the cause however may require further convincing. Opponents-those who visibly oppose the change Hidden opponents-those who verbally support the changes however secretly oppose it. This suggests that one of the primary focuses is to develop trust and promote an honest transparency by which to increase buy-in. Middaugh and Robertson (2005) wrote that in order to succeed politically, it is imperative to use expertise wisely, in order to persuade others to buy-in. To empathize with other individuals perceptions of the managers expertise. A manager may consider something to be obvious however understanding that others may not see it as so, facilitates dialogue and change. Involving staff in the implementation of change is paramount to success. Trust cannot be assumed and is developed over a period of time. Showing integrity, treating people fairly and keeping promises over a period of time will build a healthy culture based on trust. Half (2016) suggested that it was imperative to focus on the benefits of the team in the workplace in order to persuade the employees to buy in and outlined the key points to emphasize. There are tangible benefits that are unique to each team that can be bought to the table. If the goal of the team is clearly stated along with the means by which the individual members can contribute, buy-in is more probable. The assignment requires clarity and transparency. The importance and significance of the change needs to be emphasized along with the level of prioritisation against the existing workload. Exception reporting needs to be explained so if help is required, it can be sought. Prioritisation aside, knee-jerk reactions and decisions are to be avoided and reflection advised as there may be a cosmopolitan make-up in the teams construct and empathy and understanding must be the norm to avoid conflict within the team. References: Bareil, C., (2013). Two Paradigms about resistance to change. Organization Development Journal.31.3 (Fall 2013): 59-71. Half, R., (2016, April 29). How (and why) to get employee buy-in. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from https://www.roberthalf.com/employers/hiring-advice/employee-retention/teamwork/team-buy-in Maurer, R., (1996). Using resistance to build support for change. The Journal for Quality and Participation.19.3 (Jun 1996): 56. McPheat, S., (2014, July 03). The change management iceberg. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from http://www.mtdtraining.com/blog/change-management-iceberg.htm Middaugh, D., Robertson, R. (2005). Politics in the workplace. Medsurg Nursing.14.6 (Dec 2005): 393-4.

George Boole: The Genius Essay -- essays research papers

George Boole: The Genius   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Boole was a British mathematician, and he is known as the inventor of Boolean Algebra. His theories combined the concepts of logic and mathematics, and hence he is known as the father of mathematical logic. This combination of mathematics and logic came to be known as Boolean algebra, and is the basis of digital electronic design, which is used in fields ranging from telephone switching to computer engineering. Because of the utilization of the concepts of Boolean algebra in electronics and computers, George Boole is regarded by many as the father of computing also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George was born on 2nd November, 1815 in Lincoln, England. His father, John Boole was a shoemaker, and his mother a housewife. John Boole proved to be a great influence in George’s life due to his keen interest in science and mathematics. He shared his passion with his son, and started teaching George at an early age. By the time he was seven, George was deeply in love with mathematics, and used to be lost in the world of mathematics. He acquired a reputation as a child genius, and one day, he was found spelling difficult words for people’s amusement after going missing from school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George was from a poor family, and his parents could not afford to pay fees for grammar school, so the child genius ended up going to a small school called Mr. Bainbridge’s Academy. He made fast progress in studies, and was soon assisting teachers in teaching and grading. His exploits weren’t limited to just math and science either; he loved to read and learn, and was very well read in a lot of subjects. His father John also introduced him to literature and Latin, but George soon learned all his father had to offer. After that, John found George a tutor – bookseller William Brooke. Mr. Brooke turned out to be a great asset for George; he gave George access to all the books in his store, and also taught him. Mr. Brooke and George ended up being lifelong friends. However, just knowing Latin was not enough for George. He added Greek to his repertoire, and this was completely self-taught. He also went on to study French, German, and Italian. In Ma y 1930, the local paper published George’s translation of Greek poet Meleager’s work, and this got George his reputation as a boy genius.   Ã‚  &n... .... His wife Mary’s approach to trying to cure him was also one of the primary reasons of his death. She believed in the theory that the cause would also be the cure, so instead of keeping him warm, she regularly drenched him with water in bed, leading to severe complications. Ironically, Mary said she did it because it seemed ‘logical’ to her!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George’s works considered purely mathematical until the year 1937. In 1937, Claude Shannon, a graduate student at MIT, discovered the connection between electronic circuits and Boolean algebra. This connection is essential to the operation of computers and modern electronics circuits. Computers and circuits utilize Boolean algebra for all their decision making calculations, and without it they would be quite useless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Boole was well ahead of his time with his mathematical theories and the combination of mathematics and logic. His theories are in use today, a century after his time, and will be in use as the basis of one of the most important machines man has ever built. He was a true genius, and his work has gotten him the deserved title of the father of mathematical logic. George Boole: The Genius Essay -- essays research papers George Boole: The Genius   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Boole was a British mathematician, and he is known as the inventor of Boolean Algebra. His theories combined the concepts of logic and mathematics, and hence he is known as the father of mathematical logic. This combination of mathematics and logic came to be known as Boolean algebra, and is the basis of digital electronic design, which is used in fields ranging from telephone switching to computer engineering. Because of the utilization of the concepts of Boolean algebra in electronics and computers, George Boole is regarded by many as the father of computing also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George was born on 2nd November, 1815 in Lincoln, England. His father, John Boole was a shoemaker, and his mother a housewife. John Boole proved to be a great influence in George’s life due to his keen interest in science and mathematics. He shared his passion with his son, and started teaching George at an early age. By the time he was seven, George was deeply in love with mathematics, and used to be lost in the world of mathematics. He acquired a reputation as a child genius, and one day, he was found spelling difficult words for people’s amusement after going missing from school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George was from a poor family, and his parents could not afford to pay fees for grammar school, so the child genius ended up going to a small school called Mr. Bainbridge’s Academy. He made fast progress in studies, and was soon assisting teachers in teaching and grading. His exploits weren’t limited to just math and science either; he loved to read and learn, and was very well read in a lot of subjects. His father John also introduced him to literature and Latin, but George soon learned all his father had to offer. After that, John found George a tutor – bookseller William Brooke. Mr. Brooke turned out to be a great asset for George; he gave George access to all the books in his store, and also taught him. Mr. Brooke and George ended up being lifelong friends. However, just knowing Latin was not enough for George. He added Greek to his repertoire, and this was completely self-taught. He also went on to study French, German, and Italian. In Ma y 1930, the local paper published George’s translation of Greek poet Meleager’s work, and this got George his reputation as a boy genius.   Ã‚  &n... .... His wife Mary’s approach to trying to cure him was also one of the primary reasons of his death. She believed in the theory that the cause would also be the cure, so instead of keeping him warm, she regularly drenched him with water in bed, leading to severe complications. Ironically, Mary said she did it because it seemed ‘logical’ to her!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George’s works considered purely mathematical until the year 1937. In 1937, Claude Shannon, a graduate student at MIT, discovered the connection between electronic circuits and Boolean algebra. This connection is essential to the operation of computers and modern electronics circuits. Computers and circuits utilize Boolean algebra for all their decision making calculations, and without it they would be quite useless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Boole was well ahead of his time with his mathematical theories and the combination of mathematics and logic. His theories are in use today, a century after his time, and will be in use as the basis of one of the most important machines man has ever built. He was a true genius, and his work has gotten him the deserved title of the father of mathematical logic.

Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Midsummer Nights Dream

The Power of Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream Is love controlled by human beings who love one another or is love controlled by a higher power? There are many people who believe that a higher power has control over love. An example of a higher power would be a cupid, a flying angel-type creature who is supposed to shoot arrows at people to make them fall in love. There are other people who reject the idea that a higher power controls love and that the people who experience love can control it. In the novel, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", by William Shakespeare, several examples of love's association with a higher power are presented. With the use of examples from the above novel, this essay will discuss the evidence that love is associated with a higher power. Examples like: Thesius arranging a marriage between himself and Hippolyta, Egeus choosing who Hermia should marry and the fairies who have the ability to control love in the Enchanted Forest. In the story, the supreme ruler of Athens, Thesius ends up marrying Hippolyta, the Queen of the Jungle. However, during the whole story, Hippolyta never throughly discusses her feelings and ideas about the marriage. She acts as if she has no choice but to marry Thesius. This can be proven by examining Hippolyta's position in the relationship between herself and Thesius. Hippolyta was captured by Thesius during battle and Thesius intimidates Hippolyta into marrying him since he is a supreme ruler and she was defeated by him. Thesius reveals that he capture Hippolyta in battle in the following quote, "I wood thee by my sword/ And won thy love doing thee injuries" (Act I, Pg 7). The above quote and the fact that Hippolyta never discusses her feelings about the wedding leads the re... ...elings of love in people. This proves that a higher power can control the feelings of love in people. In conclusion, all of the above paragraphs dealt with examples proving that love can be associated to a higher power. A higher power in definition is any being or group of beings that have direct control over the actions of another being. Two of the examples showed how a higher power can control love and one of the examples showed how love can defy a higher power and prevail. In any case, it has been proven that a higher power does exist when dealing with love. Many people have wondered what love really is and how love develops between people. Even if love isn't associated with a higher power in life, it is a strange phenomenon and so far the association of love with a higher powers is a valid suggestion as it was proven in the story, "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Reducing Corporate Spending :: essays research papers

In today’s global market the appropriate use of resources is a must-do we heard that a lot, all the time administrators say so, accountants, all the people at the top of the pyramid agrees with this idea, yet companies usually have a double Standard position when it comes to define where the fine line of frugality ends and who should obey it. On one hand we have in the production area the idea that there’s always something there is to save money it goes from temporary-work-contract to really small inventories to name two. As a supervisor of a very important company once told me â€Å"We have been working effectively in the last couple of moths yet the profits of the company aren’t as they should be but, that ain’t our fault, it’s because administrators spend a lot of money when they meet with our clients, yes, I do understand that our clients’ satisfaction is really important but, they have to find a balance because it is fair to be accused of being inefficient while we produce so much.† On the other hand there’s this huge amount of money companies (marketing employees, sales employees, administrators) spend when they try to get a very profitable contract- in the best of the cases- from a very important customer and apply all the techniques there are to satisfy customer’s expectation. One of the most popular one is taking the customer out one night to â€Å"spoil† him in order to get the contract. As business magazine Newsweek March edition reported that most of the best contracts are not usually signed in the places one would suppose they are signed (such as offices, restaurants to name two), they are signed in nightclubs, bar, places that involve a very different environment from the places they met (customer-supplier). Corona’s supplier director explains, â€Å"Our customers are use to going out, to having fun, to being out of the work environment when they have to make an important decision that is just the way it is, there’s n o way we can change it, remember that â€Å"the client is always right† they expects us to entertain, amuse them, it’s hard work but, somebody has to do it† Both sides have very good points and the success of

Increasing Number of Out of School Youth Essay

Out of school youth are the helpless people who have needs. Nobody can deny that the facts of education are the most important thing or factor for some people to bring change in their lives. It has been recognized as the most prevailing gearing-up the socio-economic development of our government or our nation. The percentage of children enrolled in the 2006-2007 school year primary school was down to 83% from 90% seven years ago, according to National Coordination on Board by Agency France Pressed(AFP) And also this 2012 the numbers of out of school for secondary education getting worse. Education is the great equalizer that will give all Filipinos rich or poor, the chance to uplift their lives and face a secure future. One in six-school-age children in the Philippines are being deprived of education and the number is raising steadily a study by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed 4 years ago. And also the number of six-year-old children who are not in Grade I reached 1.207 million and have 3.8 million school-aged children who likely have not attended school. The 2003 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey or (FLEMMS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) every 5 years cited 11.6 million Filipinos aged 10-24 are not attending school. The NSCB said the number of Filipino children who did not have access to primary education worsened to 16.8 % of school-age population in the school year ending 2007 from 15.6 % the previous year because of the rising cost of living. And the latest number of children who did not have access to elementary education was even worse compared with the 9.7% recorded in school year 2003. Out of the 17 regions of the country Western Visa as was the worst performer. In the region 25% of children ages 6-11 years old were not going to elementary school. Most Filipinos read and write and young Filipinos are better educated than their parents and most of their Asian neighbours. But still the average Filipino has only a 5th grade education. Almost every child gets to see the inside of a school, but not nearly enough of them stay long enough to get the education needed in an advancing economy.

Because It Is Running by

Because It Is Running By – 2. Delprove A. â€Å"This is Edie, Wil, said his mother. She’s going to be helping me out. [†¦] When was this decided? he said. † Edie meets Wil, opposites meet. In Because It Is Running By these two main characters, Wil and Edie, meet when Wil’s mother hires Edie to help out with some chores. As the first quote might allude to, Wil is not very happy with Edie coming into his life. Eventually Wil seems to accept Edie as they spend some time together and get to talk. One thing leads to another and one day Wil invites Edie out and buys her a drink. When Wil realizes that Edie is leaving soon, he accuses his mother of throwing Edie out of the house. Edie is heading for Marrakesh, Morocco and, as the text ends, Wil is with Edie and Wil suggests that he could go to Morocco. Wil is a young man who is not in his teenage years anymore. He lives with his mother and has probably done so most of his life. We know that he has never left Great Britain and, at this point, the only woman in his life is his mother. We don’t know much of Edie’s past. We only know of where she is now and where she’s going. These two main characters have completely different approaches to life. Edie is staying with his mother where everything is safe, while Edie dares to enter new areas unknowing of what will happen. â€Å"Never been abroad. Never been on an aeroplane. I’m just a fucking peasant. † â€Å"Don’t do that, she said. † â€Å"I seen you thinking it, he said. With your Pernod and your fancy accent† [†¦] â€Å"I think you are where you are. † I think this is a very interesting dialogue between Wil and Edie, which gives us some idea of who our main characters are, especially Wil. Wil is very much aware of his lifestyle, within the safety borders, and the dialogue might indicate that he is somewhat ashamed of it. When later, he says that â€Å"I could go to Morocco†, he is probably fascinated by Edie and her way of life. He wants to see what happens if you leave the comfort zone. All in all, the last sentence of the text basically sums up Wil’s way of life: â€Å"[†¦] things continuing in the same way. † While Edie is the opposite who has only been at their place during summer, until she is moving on to another distant location – which is fascinating to Wil. There are several themes in this text: relationship between a mother and her son, relationship between a boy and a girl. But in my opinion the main theme is breaking the comfort zone or, as the old Latin phrase goes, Carpe Diem – seize the day. Wil probably had his reasons for living with his mom, but if you’re too scared to go anywhere else, who knows, you might just end up dying as the same â€Å"fucking peasant† that you have been your entire life. The title of the text, Because It Is Running By, could refer to Wil who is just letting life run by, instead of getting the best out of it and becoming a part of it. Text 4, Making the decision to take a gap year, deals with this matter. There are many things to worry about when leaving the comfort zone, such as loneliness and language problems. But all these factors are just a part of the adventure that life is supposed to be. You can’t know what experiences you’re missing out if you’re well pleased with where you are. It’s our life and our responsibility to get the best out of it – seize the day or die regretting the time you lost. Picture 1, Desired Freedom, shows a man leaning, with his arms, against the window and a dove painted on the wall. Like Wil and Edie; the man and the dove are opposites. Since there are no bars on the window we can conclude that he is not in prison. But then again, this man has probably imprisoned himself, by not living life to the fullest. He has only spectated life from the sidelines, but he doesn’t dare to go to the other side of that window and experience what it’s like. The dove, on the other hand, is completely free. And the dove knows what to do to survive. Its mother might have fed it at first, but eventually it has to live life on its own. Even if that means going to dangerous territories to find food, the dove knows that it must be done in order to survive. It doesn’t wait in its own prison and end up dying in regret. Which way of life would you rather imitate? B. Because It Is Running By is a text which is basically built up of dialogues, with remarks from a narrator. Since there are many dialogues in the text, it is written in colloquial language. That means a large amount of very short sentences, which aren’t necessarily grammatically correct. An example of this is the above-mentioned dialogue: â€Å"Never been abroad. Never been on an aeroplane. I’m just a fucking peasant. † â€Å"Don’t do that, she said. † â€Å"I seen you thinking it, he said. † However, typical slang used in colloquial language, such as â€Å"gonna† and â€Å"wanna† is not used in the text. The text is not written with formal language and there are very few difficult words. The text can be rather annoying to read, due to the fact that there are many stops throughout the text, caused by small sentences. Also, Wil often jumps from one subject to another, which can be frustrating for the reader. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Song: Avenged Sevenfold – Seize The Day

The Scarlet Letter: Themes Alive Today

Mike Esposito Mrs. Forstrom American Literature – 1 7 November 2012 The Themes Are Still Alive Today Ah The Scarlet Letter, whether we like it or not, it is now a book we have all read and have most likely come to hate. Whether it be because of the old setting in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony in Boston that we cannot relate to or the old English language in which it is written, Nathaniel Hawthorne just failed to create a novel that most teenagers of the early twenty-first century can enjoy and appreciate.It must be pointed out that first, it’s doubtful he cares, and more importantly that this just simply should not be the case. We juniors should pay more attention to the novel, especially with the thought that the messages Hawthorne tries to convey are still relevant today. Think about it. With all of the experiences of Hester Prynne and other characters in the novel, we interpret concepts that are still correlated with those of today.In Hawthorne’s the Sc arlet Letter, two crucial themes of sin and what it can do to people and the different degrees of evil directly relate to today’s society and modern ideas. As it is known, Hester committed a sin in the novel with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale that the Puritans in her society thought to be one of the worst that could ever be committed: adultery. They conceived a child together, their daughter Pearl, which is a sin that takes a toll on both characters in many different ways.Beginning with Hester, the protagonist, the sin is something that identifies her, and she becomes one with it. At the beginning of the novel, you should recall that she has to take her first punishment of being humiliated on the scaffold and ridiculed by many people of the community while wearing the letter â€Å"A† on her chest to indicate that she committed adultery. But she does not just stick any regular printed letter on her.She goes beyond, as Hawthorne describes, â€Å"But the point which drew al l eyes and, as it were, transfigured the wearer—so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time—was that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself† (51-52). Hester makes the Scarlet Letter so beautiful because it is a part of who she is and it determines her identity.Also, throughout the book, Hester shows she accepts her sin, especially through the fact that she wants to stay in Boston instead of leave to go elsewhere. She does this because she does not want to pretend that the situation never happened and deny a part of who she is. This tremendously demonstrates the message that sin can give someone fortitude. In addition, forgiveness is something that can also result of sin. This is demonstrated very creative ly through the changing of the letter A on Hester’s shirt.It first symbolized the sin she committed, but later in the novel, changes to mean other positive things, such as â€Å"able† and â€Å"awe†. The change of what the letter means shows that her sin was made up for and that she is forgiven. However, in complete contrast to Hester is Dimmesdale, the father, who shows what can also result from sin. No one ever finds out that until late that he was on the other end of the affair with Hester, which was not a good thing for Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel, his psychological turmoil worsens as he unintentionally inflicts his own punishment of self hatred and guilt.He gets vitally ill and sicker as time progresses, which is reinforced with him always having his hand over his heart. One night his agony and remorse sleepwalks him to the scaffold that Hester was embarrassed on years earlier, as Hawthorne words it, â€Å"he had been driven hither by the impulse of t hat Remorse which dogged him everywhere† (144). This clearly portrays the message of hiding a sin can be too much to handle and can destroy a person. Now that the theme of the different things sin can lead to is discussed in The Scarlet Letter, let’s relate it to our life.As the Christian religion will preach, everyone in the entire world sins all the time. Whether the sins are small or really serious, they are a part of our life all the time, and mostly those that are seriously poor decisions can have a great affect on us. As is illustrated with Hester in the novel, those poor choices can be made up for and can give us strength in our later life. For example, steroid use in baseball is a very popular issue. Ryan Braun, outfielder in the MLB, was suspected to have used performance enhancing drugs after a failed urine test.Clearly, taking steroids was a bad choice for him to make, and although it is not commonly thought of as one, it is a sin. However, Braun came back th e next season after the scandal and had a career year. He recognized his mistake and came back stronger than ever, which is quite relatable to Hester and how her sin made her bold. Also, on the other side, sins can lead people today into having too much guilt to be able to handle, no matter how venial or mortal the sin may be. You may lie to your parents and just not be able to hold back a confession because you feel bad.Or, it may be as serious as a murderer who could not live with himself anymore and turned himself in. Whatever the case may be, what Hawthorne wrote about sin in the 1800’s in The Scarlet Letter still relates to aspects of life today. Roger Chillingworth, that doctor that we know and love, presents another major theme in the novel: there are many levels of evil. As we know, Chillingworth was the husband of Hester before she had the affair with Dimmesdale, which obviously is an evil to the Puritans of the colony.One of the details that you may have missed is t hat the marriage between Chillingworth and Hester was arranged, and that she had no say in it. On a side note, Chillingworth was about double Hester’s age, which makes the marriage worse, and kind of gross. But this plays a role in that Hester more likely committed the sin because she wasn’t really in love with Chillingworth, and was with Dimmesdale. This is the justification of her doing what she did. And in addition to the evils that Hester and Dimmesdale carried out, Chillingworth also does.You should remember that as Dimmesdale was sick, Chillingworth, the â€Å"brilliant acquisition†, was chosen to be his doctor and he had to try to save the colony’s well loved minister. As he did this, he suspected something interesting going on with Dimmesdale, and he figured out that he was involved with Hester and realizes his suspicions are correct. So instead of curing him, he begins to torture the minister. This act of malice is definitely more widely consider ed evil than the acts of Hester and Dimmesdale to us, which is exactly what Hawthorne wants us to think.He demonstrates the theme bluntly in Dimmesdale’s speech to Hester when he talks about Chillingworth’s evil, â€Å"There is one worse than even that polluted priest! That old man’s revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so! † (191). Hawthorne clearly wants you to realize that the evil found in Hester and Dimmesdale’s lovemaking is not nearly as bad as evil in its most poisonous form of the cruel revenge taken by Chillingworth.Evidently, the theme of different levels of evil is clearly presented in the novel, but it also occurs in real life. It is a very upsetting fact, but it is true: evil has not gone away. It existed in the eighteenth century, the time period where The Scarlet Letter takes place, the nineteenth century, when the novel was written, and ri ght now, where it is still around today. We know that evil can be something that is somber, such as a serial killer that just doesn’t have a conscience and will never grasp the concept that death is something so mind bogglingly terrible and should never be done to a person.That is one extreme. Evil can also be used to describe your teacher, even if the only reason why is because you didn’t like that she gave you a pop quiz that you failed. This may seem barely related to evil talked about in The Scarlet Letter, but it is not, however. This is because as the Puritans call the acts of love of Hester and Dimmesdale â€Å"evil†, we still don’t really think that they were necessarily evil for doing so, just like the hypothetical teacher probably does not have much of an evil soul.So, there are many different degrees of evil, and they exist in modern context as well as in the wonderful novel. As you now well educated pupils should realize, the novel written hun dreds of years ago, The Scarlet Letter, about a world that we can’t seem to be able to relate to, is still very useful in today’s modern society because of the relation between the novel’s major themes and their relation to today’s modern society.Sin and what it can do to people is a large concept that is a lot to grasp, and it is discussed thoroughly in the book and is clearly alive today. Additionally, the different degrees of evil in the world is definitely a focus of both the novel and our current lives. So no more calling the book bad and difficult and boring. Respect its greatness. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1988. Print.

Jim Morrison as the Byronic Hero

In this paper I’m going to describe in what way Jim Morrison projects the majority of the characteristics of the Byronic Hero. In the first hand, I need to make a clear and consistent statement concerning the most typical features of the conventional Byronic Hero. Thorsley, the influential researcher of the Romanticism, gives the following account of the Byronic Hero: â€Å"†¦the Byronic Hero is the one protagonist who in stature and in temperament best represents the [heroic] tradition in England. † The image of the Byronic Hero is surprisingly controversial. He is usually disapproved and disregarded by the larger part of the society.Thorsley notes that, â€Å"with the loss of his titanic passions, his pride, and his certainty of self-identity, he loses also his status as hero. † Now let me list the typical features of a typical Childe Harold successor and analyze to what extent a specific feature applies to the charismatic personality of James Douglas Morr ison. In order to do it, I’m going to analyze his biography and some characteristics of his personality and musical heritage. The Byronic Hero is an extraordinary and talented young man. The tremendous success of Jim Morrison leaves no doubt in his enormous talent and energy.I dare say he was a genius for the ample reason that if we speak about the overall history of contemporary music, we should remember only two names, the Beatles and the Doors, and the Doors in the first place. Secondly, the Byronic Hero is rebellious and opposes almost all social laws and norms. He deliberately distances himself from the social institutions. This feature was characteristic of Jim Morrison from the early childhood and youth. He used to question authority and for that he was dismissed from the scout club. At night, he used to leave home secretly and go to crowded and disreputable bars.His juvenile misbehaving soon evolved into a consistent social protest expressed trough music and show. Phi losophies of Protest was his favorite course in Florida State University. He rejected social institution, and we find evidence for it in the fact that he had never been married. Instead, he â€Å"married† Patricia Kennealy in a Celtic pagan ceremony. The Byronic Hero is never impressed by rank and privilege though he may possess it. Jim Morrison might have become a representative of the â€Å"golden youth† with good education, good job and stable social position. But his choice was in favour of the flamboyant bohemian lifestyle.Another feature worth mentioning is intelligence. The conventional Byronic Hero is well-red and possibly well-bread. Jim Morrison took a keen interest in self-education; he devoted time to reading Nietzsche, Jung, Ginsberg, Joyce and Balzac. He derived inspiration in the writing of French symbolists, especially Rimbaud. It’s very interesting to observe that Arthur Rimbaud himself was an exemplary Byronic Hero, with his dark passions and i mpressive talents. By the age of fifteen, Jim was a gifted poet and painter; some sources argue that Jim Morrison had an IQ of 149.He has got good education and seen the world. This again proves that Jim Morrison projects the predominant majority of the features of the Byronic Hero. Another indicator of the Byronic Hero is the exile, usually imposed by the young men himself. Paris exile is an essential part of Jim Morrison’s biography. Jim escaped to Paris with Pamela Courson. He did so because he disliked being treated as a celebrity. He was unsatisfied with the absence of seriousness with which he was treated as an American poet. Paris seemed to provide an asylum. The Byronic Hero is continually depressed and melancholy.It’s reported that in Paris Jim searched for a sense of life and a sense himself in the world as well as for inspiration to create impressive poetry. But even in the city of great poets Jim was constantly uninspired and severely depressed. The Byronic Hero is unusually handsome and inextricably attractive, often to both sexes. I dare label Jim Morrison as the most prominent male sex-symbol of the 20th century. The Childe Harold successor is isolated and self-reliant. Although Morrison was passionate with woman, he never sometimes rejected people at all.While studying at the university, Jim lived in a house with five other students. Soon, due to his same heckling shenanigans, his roommates asked him to move out. This scenario repeated several time during Morrison’s life career. Thorsley finds a great definition of the Byronic Hero, and Jim Morrison perfectly fits it. The researcher writes that the Hero is â€Å"larger than life,† in his feelings, talent, ambition and pride. The Byronic Hero is self-destructive in the longer run. That’s the most substantial argument in proving Jim Morrison connection with the discussed image.His addiction to alcohol and drugs that progressed during the course of his life was h is titanic passion. Finally, he is believed to have died from drug overdose. He abused large quantity of heroin without knowing what exact drug it was. The consequences were easy to foresee. The ingestion of such a large quantity of a drug he had never used before caused a shock and the heart attack. Another version suggests that he did it deliberately, and the case was a typical example of a suicide. Anyway, Morrison, as a typical Byronic Hero, is a master of his own life and death.Another quality of the Byronic Hero is the ability to stay forever young. Jim Morrison died at the age of 27. Those, whom Gods love, die young. The only counter-evidence I was able to discover, is the fact that the conventional Byronic Hero is distressed by a terrible thing he committed in the past; has a hidden curse or crime. This burden forces him into a voluntary exile. We can’t say that Morrison was constantly followed by the memories of his past. His only serious and continuous crime was con nected to drug abuse, but that was typical of him during all the lifetime.But I can minimize the importance of this evidence. When he escaped to Paris, he faced a tragic dilemma in his life. His two soul-mates, Pamela Courson and Patricia Kennealy, both demanded his love. Many say that his devotion to Patricia Kennealy was greater, but Pamela let him continue his experiments with alcohol and drugs. He may have always felt guilt and regret for leaving Patricia. I consider that this essay proves with essential argumentation and evidence that Jim Morrison projects almost all the features of the Byronic Hero.James Douglas Morrison was charismatic and talented, attractive and handsome, melancholy and drug-addicted, self-destructive and often isolated. He experienced exile, guilt and depression. So I strongly deem that there are substantial grounds to state that Jim Morrison projects almost all the characteristic of the conventional Byronic Hero. Sources: Stephen Davis, Jim Morrison: Life , Death, Legend, Gotham Books, 2004. James Riordan, Jerry Prochinichy, Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison, Perennial Currents, 1992. Peter L. Thorslev, Romantic Contraries: Freedom Versus Destiny, Yale Univ Pr. , 1984.

Management matters in retail Essay

Management matters in retail Management matters in retail Working paper 13, APRIL 2010 The Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity is an independent not-for-profit organization established in 2001 to serve as the research arm of Ontario’s Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress. The mandate of the Task Force, announced in the April 2001 Speech from the Throne, is to measure and monitor Ontario’s competitiveness, productivity, and economic progress compared to other provinces and US states and to report to the public on a regular basis. In the 2004 Budget, the Government asked the Task Force to incorporate innovation and commercialization issues in its mandate. Working papers published by the Institute are intended to inform the work of the Task Force and to raise public awareness and stimulate debate on a range of issues related to competitiveness and prosperity. The Task Force publishes annual reports to the people of Ontario each November. How to contact us Executive Director To learn more about the Institute and the Task Force please visit us at: www. ompeteprosper. ca James Milway 416 920 1921 x222 j. milway@competeprosper. ca Should you have any questions or comments, you may reach us through the web site or at the following address: The Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity 180 Bloor Street West, Suite 1000 Toronto, Ontario M5S 2V6 Telephone 416. 920. 1921 Fax 416. 920. 1922 It is the aspiration of the Task Force and the Institute to have a significant influence in increasing Ontario’s competitive ness, productivity, and capacity for innovation. We believe this will help ensure continued success in creating good jobs, increasing prosperity, and building a higher quality of life for all Ontarians. We seek breakthrough findings from our research and propose significant innovations in public policy to stimulate businesses, governments, and educational institutions to take action. Researchers Tamer Azer 416 920 1921 x228 t. azer@competeprosper. ca Katherine Chan 416 920 1921 x231 k. chan@competeprosper. ca Anam Kidwai 416 920 1921 x238 a. kidwai@competeprosper. ca Lloyd Martin 416 920 1921 x223 l. martin@competeprosper. ca Aaron Meyer 416 920 1921 x224 a. meyer@competeprosper. ca Comments on this working paper are welcome and should be directed to the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity. The Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity is funded by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. Adrienne Ross 416 920 1921 x230 a. ross@competeprosper. ca Ying (Sunny) Sun 416 920 1921 x227 s. sun@competeprosper. ca Copyright  © April 2010 The Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity ISBN 978-0-9809783-6-0 Project Team Design Hambly & Woolley Inc. www. hamblywoolley. om Illustration Blair Kelly Daniela Scur Project Manager Jack Bolland Supervisor Sean Brandreth Supervisor Blaise Bolland Joshua Booth Vadim Dorfman Raswinder Gill Alison McMeekin Nikolina Miljevik Alam Aguilar-Platas Scott Sameroff Management matters in retail Working paper 13, APRIL 2010 Exhibits Exhibit 1Pressure and support drive all three elements of the Innovation System13 Exhibit 2 Managers pl ay an important part in creating Pressure and Support in all elements of the Innovation System14 Exhibit 3 Canadian managers are less well educated than their US counterparts5 Exhibit 4New management techniques are associated with increases in productivity and prosperity16 Exhibit 5 Canada’s retail management matches US performance25 Exhibit 6 Most of Canada’s best managed retail operations are US-owned multinationals26 Exhibit 7 Canada trails the US in adoption and implementation of best practice operations processes26 Exhibit 8 Canada lags world’s best performers in most operations management questions27 Exhibit A Manufacturers are better managed than retailers in the three countries surveyed28 Exhibit B Manufacturers out perform retailers29 Exhibit 9 Canada is among the leaders in best practice for setting and managing goals30 Exhibit 10In performance management, Canada scores very well, but still has improvement opportunity30 Exhibit 11In people management, Canada is not statistically different from the US31 Exhibit 12In people management, Canada performs well32 Exhibit 13 Better managed firms have more educated managers32 Exhibit 14 Multinationals out perform non-multinationals in all countries33 Exhibit 15 Larger firms tend to be better managed4 Exhibit 16Publicly held firms are significantly better managed than privately held or family-owned firms everywhere35 Exhibit 17Ontario retailers trail US peer states, and match Western and Atlantic Canada38 Exhibit 18Ontario under performs counterparts in US peer states, particularly in operations management38 Exhibit 19In operations management, Ontario retailers lag peer state counterparts39 Exhibit 20In most areas of performa nce management, Ontario retailers are not statistically different from counterparts in peer states40 Exhibit 21In people management, Ontario retailers lead in retaining high performers41 Contents Foreword and acknowledgements4 Executive summary6 Strong management delivers prosperityManagement talent is important in the Innovation SystemCanada lacks sufficient sophisticated management capabilitiesManagement innovation delivers higher productivityManagement practices can be measured11 12 14 15 Lean Retailing is best practice operating strategy17 17 19 Canada’s retailers score well but have opportunities to improveWhere can Canadian retailers improve? Public policy and business strategies lead to strong management24 26 31 Ontario trails US peers and matches most other Canadian regions37 Opportunities to strengthen managementEnsure businesses aspire to excellence in management42 43 44 44 References46 Previous publications48 International research evaluates management practicesBroaden innovation policy to include management skillsEmbrace international competition in our economy policy4 institute for competitiveness & prosperity Foreword and acknowledgements I am pleased to present Working Paper 13 of the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity. In this Working Paper, we extend our study of the impact of management talent on our economic prosperity. Last year, we presented the results of the first-ever research on the quality of Canada’s and Ontario’s management in the manufacturing sector. This Working Paper focuses on management capabilities in the retail sector. Strong management is a critical element in the innovativeness of our economy, and hence its productivity and prosperity. Strong management drives the demand for innovation through well developed and ably executed business trategies; it affects the ongoing supply of high quality innovation by setting research priorities and orchestrating technical resources; and it is key to the financing of innovation by assembling resources and allocating them wisely to promising investments. Research in the United Kingdom indicates that better management leads to higher sales per employee. â€Å" Strong management is a critical element in the innovativeness of our economy, and hence its productivity and prosperity. † But government innovation strategies in Canada do not take adequate account of the importance of management. They still focus on increasing scientific and technical resources that drive new-to-the-world inventions; but they do not adequately consider innovations that create economic value in meeting societal needs by drawing on existing technologies and knowledge. Both are important for our prosperity, and we need public policies that attend to each. Our findings for the retail sector are consistent with the research on manufacturing management. Better educated managers produce better performance. For manufacturers and retailers, in Canada and internationally, the link between managers’ education and business performance is powerful. We also find that large-scale, multinational retailers are better managed than those focused only on their home market. This holds true in Canada and other countries. Firms that expand globally have dramatically better management, though identifying cause and effect is difficult. More than likely, there is a virtuous circle at work. Firms with global aspirations need effective management to expand, and expanding firms attract better managers.5 The research indicates that Canadian retail managers are as effective as their US counterparts whether they are working for a multinational or a domestic-only company. Yet, our overall retail productivity, as measured by sales per employee and our retail wages, trails the US retail sector significantly. So we have to acknowledge that the management of store level operations may not be the major challenge we face in improving our retail productivity. However, the quality of corporate management is an important factor; our Canadian retail sector has generated only one global leader – Couche-Tard – while we have twenty-three global leaders in our manufacturing sector. Other factors, such as population size and density as well as competitive intensity, are also likely at play. In public policy, we continue to recommend that our innovation strategies become more sophisticated and balanced. We need to recognize that supporting science for new inventions is not enough; we need to create an environment where business people draw on new science and many other disciplines to innovate products, services, and processes. We need to ensure that our markets are as open as they can be to foreign competition and foreign investment, because they improve the level of management and innovation in Canada. And we need to be investing adequately in post secondary education to develop world-class management talent. We gratefully acknowledge the ongoing funding support from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. We look forward to sharing and discussing our work and our findings. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Roger L. Martin, Chairman Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto 6 institute for competitiveness & prosperity Executive summary C ompetitive and prosperous countries in the world, as defined by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Ontario, in turn, is also one of the most prosperous jurisdictions in the world. Still, we are not realizing our full prosperity potential. For eight years, the Institute has been reporting on a persistent and growing prosperity gap with the United States, which stands at $8,700 for Canada and the United States, and $7,000 for Ontario and our US peer stat es. anada is one of the most Our major challenge is to raise our productivity and innovation performance. The two sources of higher prosperity are working more hours and producing more output per hour of work. On the former measure, hours worked per capita, we are near the top of developed economies – through a combination of high rates of participation in the labour force, low unemployment rates, and high hours worked per worker. But on the latter measure – that is, the value we add per hour worked – we trail many developed economies. management matters in retail 7 We have already identified some of the factors behind this poor productivity and innovation performance. While Ontario has a mix of industries that are by their nature productive and innovative, these industries do not operate as effectively as their counterparts in the US economy. Some of these factors relate to broad economic factors – we tend less to live in metropolitan areas, and we are less well educated than our counterparts in the United States. But some other factors relate to how our businesses compete. For example, compared with their US counterparts across the economy, Canadian managers invest less in productivity enhancing machinery nd equipment, particularly information and communication technology (ICT), and they produce fewer patents. Our past research and the work of others indicate that our senior and middle managers do not have fundamentally different attitudes from their US counterparts toward competition, risk taking, and innovation. But our innovation and productivity performance is inhibited by limited management capabilities – such as lower educatio nal attainment and less diffusion of best management practices – and by context – such as lower competitive intensity in the markets and fewer sophisticated customers. Effective management leads business innovation. Innovation is the result of the ongoing interaction of three elements – the supply of innovation, the demand for innovation, and the financing of innovation – in an Innovation System. These elements are driven by competitive pressure and broad support that activate the Innovation System. Effective management provides pressure and support across the Innovation System in strengthening demand for innovation, providing supply of innovation, and driving the quantity and quality of financing for innovation. It is safe to conclude, therefore, that management is an important factor in the prosperity of a jurisdiction. But hard evidence to support this conclusion has been limited. In one research initiative, University of Toronto professor Michelle Alexopoulos has developed a methodology for measuring the diffusion of innovative management techniques, going as far back as Taylor’s scientific management in 1911. Her measures track Library of Congress management book publication records, supplemented with counts of relevant academic journal articles, to determine the adoption of management techniques. Her research indicates that increased diffusion of new management techniques is correlated with growth in productivity, measured by Total Factor Productivity (TFP), and prosperity, measured through GDP. She concludes that economic growth results not only from increases in â€Å"tangible technology† (R&D, machinery & equipment) as most economists agree; but it also is the result of advances in â€Å"intangible technologies,† like management techniques and new processes disseminated in part through publications. 8 nstitute for competitiveness & prosperity In another initiative, in 2008, the Institute partnered with Stanford professor Nick Bloom to extend his pioneering global research in measuring management practices to Canada. His research started as a detailed approach to evaluating how well manufacturing operations have implemented advanced management techniques. It encompassed the level of managers’ knowledge of these techniques, the company-wide commitment to setting targets, measuring and monitoring results, and managing people well. In the manufacturing sector, the research had already been conducted in advanced economies, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and developing economies like China, India, and Brazil. The quality of management, as captured by this study, correlates well with firm and industry productivity. The results of our research were published in the Institute’s Working Paper 12, Management Matters. We found that the Canadian manufacturing sector is among the best managed in the world. Our production management teams are leaders in implementing specific techniques in the area of Lean Manufacturing. They are solid performers in effecting good performance management, though with room for improvement. But, while they match management teams in other leading economies in people management, Canadian firms trail US practices significantly. Our results also indicated that some of the key variables that drive – or at least are correlated with – better management are education, ownership, and winning global strategies. In Ontario, our results indicated that the quality of manufacturing management is higher here than in the other regions of Canada, and that the province’s results are within statistical range of US results overall. Nevertheless, against the fourteen US peer states we have identified, Ontario under performs, especially in the area of people management – the willingness of managers to keep and promote high performers and to deal promptly with poor performers. In this Working Paper, we further extend this management research into another important industry in our economy: our retail businesses. In the summer of 2009, a team of analysts at the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity interviewed senior managers at 661 retail outlets in total – 409 in Canada, 152 in the United States, and 100 in the United Kingdom. The research was slightly adapted to fit the retail sector, but still remains largely comparable to that in manufacturing in approaches to measuring and monitoring operations performance, setting and achieving performance targets, and managing people. management matters in retail The results for Canada are encouraging. The overall results indicate that we are among the leaders in retail management, scoring statistically no differently than the United States. Results vary across the three sub-indexes that make up the overall measure. In operations management, we stand statistically behind the United States, but ahead of the United Kingdom. In performance management, we tie with the United States for the top spot and stay statistically ahead of the United Kingdom. In people management, though our score is lower than the US result, it is not statistically different, and we stand statistically ahead of the UK score here as well. Some of the key variables that are correlated with better management in manufacturing are also important in retail, such as education and global reach. More highly educated management teams out perform other retail managers. Retailers who have successfully expanded beyond their borders are much better managed than those who are still domestic competitors only. We also found that firm size and scale are important in explaining better management – larger retail firms are better managed. Our results indicate that quality of retail management in Ontario is not statistically different from that in the rest of Canada. Ontario scores statistically worse than our fourteen peer states group; however, unlike our manufacturers, the retailers’ disadvantage is strongest in store operations and not statistically significant in performance and people management. In summary, this Working Paper reinforces our conclusion that management capabilities are important contributors to provincial and national prosperity. And our Canadian retail management is among the best. Ontario, however, while being no different than the rest of Canada, trails the US peers significantly. Overall, our retail businesses have significant opportunities to improve. 9 10 institute for competitiveness & prosperity The implications for Ontario and Canada are clear: If we want an economy built on innovation, we have to include managerial education in our policy development. Developing our cientific and technical skills is important to our prosperity – but not building the capabilities of our managers is an oversight that holds back our prosperity.  ¦ Consistent with the recommendations of the Competition Policy Review Panel, chaired by Red Wilson in 2008, and our own research, we need to encourage an openness to foreign investment in our industries. This Working P aper shows how such investments attract best management practices and performance in our economy.  ¦ At the same time, we need to encourage the global aspirations of our successful companies. In turn, global expansion will drive he development of stronger management in Ontario and Canadian firms.  ¦ management matters in retail 11 Strong management delivers prosperity C its full prosperity potential. Relative to the United States, the economy most similar to ours and our largest trading partner, we have a growing prosperity gap. Canada’s lag in GDP per capita grew from $2,600 in 1981 to $8,700 in 2008. 1 This growing gap reflects a failure to reach our full economic potential. It means that our generation has not created as much economic value as possible from the human, natural, and physical resources endowed to us. nada is not achieving A key component of closing our prosperity gap is for Canada to broaden its approach to innovation. Strong management practices are a cr itical contributor to more innovation. So we need stronger commitment to strengthening the capabilities of our business managers to implement best practices. Following on our work in manufacturing, in this Working Paper, we extend our exploration of management capabilities in Canada and Ontario to the retail sector. 1 2007 Canadian dollars; US dollars converted at 2007 Purchasing Power Parity. 12 The retail sector is full of innovation. One classic example lies in the success of Walmart and its pioneering introduction of â€Å"cross-docking† at its distribution centres. This revolutionary system enabled Walmart to achieve excellent productivity and customer responsiveness without the usual inventory and handling costs attached. By enabling its goods to be continuously delivered to its warehouses, then immediately selected, repackaged and transferred to their stores, Walmart has been able to streamline its inventory pipeline by crossing its goods from one loading dock to another without its goods ever spending valuable time and space in the arehouse. 2 Through effective management and innovation, Walmart was able to transform itself from a small niche retailer to the largest and most profitable retailer in the world today. Other examples of innovation in retail include big box retailers with a focused, but very expansive product selection, and Carrefour, which ushered in the concept of combining supermarket an d department store into one roof, known today as a â€Å"hypermarket. † It should be noted that these examples and other specific ones in this Working Paper are from business literature and in no way indicate that they were mong the companies we interviewed in our research. Such information is confidential. The benefits of improved management practices also apply in many other sectors. For example, a Washington Post article describes a study conducted in hospitals in the United States, where they implemented a simple management tool, a â€Å"surgical checklist† in surgical procedures. The â€Å"low-cost, low tech invention† led to a decrease of in-patient deaths by more 2G. institute for competitiveness & prosperity than 40 percent and a fall in the rate of serious complications of 36 percent. The article captures the essence of this ool very well: â€Å"The human brain can’t remember everything, so it’s best to focus on the complicated challenges and leave the simple reminders to a cheat sheet. †3 Management tools such as the surgical checklist, the equivalent of the retail store’s â€Å"daily to-do list,† are small changes that can substantially decrease the rate of waste in a business – be it of time, resources, or lost revenue because of product shortages. In this Working Paper, we focus on management capabilities in the retail sector. We define â€Å"retail† as those firms engaged in the selling of consumer goods to the public, ranging from utomotive and furniture stores to pharmacies, clothing, and grocery stores. We first briefly review the importance of management talent for innovation and prosperity. 4 We then set out key findings from research we have recently conducted into the current state of management capabilities in Canada’s and Ontario’s retail sector, and how retail fares against the manufacturing sector in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Ma nagement talent is important in the Innovation System As we have discussed in previous reports,5 innovation is a result of the ongoing interaction of three elements supply, demand, and financing of innovation – in an Innovation System. These elements are driven by competitive pressure and broad support (Exhibit  1). Each of the elements is critical for success, but all three need to work together in balance. The supply of innovation includes the factors dedicated to increasing the stock of innovation, including highly qualified personnel, businesses’ facilities, resources, and activities. The demand for innovation is the combination of customer insistence on new products and process breakthroughs and corporate demand for innovation within a firm. The financing of innovation is an important bridge between demand and supply since, even if these two factors are in balance, significant funding is typically required to commercialize new ideas and scientific breakthroughs. Innovation requires pressure and support in each of these areas. Strong management is important in each element of the Innovation System. The management function includes goal setting, organization building, resource allocation, and monitoring of results. It also includes actions in enterprise finance, sales and promotion, production and delivery, and people evelopment (Exhibit  2). Hence, in building an innovative firm or an innovative economy, management talent matters. Senior managers in successful companies develop strategies where innovation is a critical component. Innovation strategies typically follow one of two paths: †¢ Innovation to reduce costs. Cost reductions can be realized in two ways. – First, improved management and operating proce sses can reduce the producer’s costs. For example, Harlequin determined that producing romance novels consistently with the number of pages that coincided with one sheet on the printing press would educe its printing costs, standardize shipping requirements, and simplify display for the retailer. Harlequin also determined that mail order distribution would cut costs and build Stalk, P. Evans, and L. Shulman, 1992, â€Å"Competing on capabilities: The new rules of corporate strategy,† Harvard Business Review, Mar/Apr, 1992, p. 58, available online: http://my. execpc. com/~jpurtell/HBR-CompetingonCapabilities. pdf Washington Post, January 15, 2009, â€Å"Surgery checklist lowers death rate†, available online: http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011402831. tml 4 For a more extensive discussion see Roger Martin and James Milway, Strengthening management for prosperity, Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity, 2007, available on line: http://www. competeprosper. ca/images/uploads/ManagementPaper_May07. pdf 5Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity, Working Paper 12, Management matters, March 2009. 3 13 management matters in retail repeat purchase behaviour among loyal customers. The lower operating costs could be passed on as lower prices for consumers. But true innovation means that the producer captures some of the value added by not reducing prices at the same rate s costs. –Second, innovation can reduce costs for retailers or other parts of the distribution channel. McCain’s became one of Canada’s global leaders by eliminating the need for restaurants and food service operations to buy whole potatoes and peel them. Instead, they could buy fully prepared frozen fries from McCain’s and simply finish the frying. †¢ Innovation to enhance customer experience. Four Seasons, the world’s leading luxury hotel chain, has succeeded by relentlessly studying what its guests wanted and by improving the customer experience. Cirque de Soleil, the world’s leading ircus company, recognized the customers’ experience of circuses left much to be desired and reinvented the circus world to delight them. Such innovations draw as much on management capabilities – competitive analysis, customer research and segmentations, cost analysis – as they do on technological capabilities. Indeed, our research into high technology firms in Canada shows that, as these firms succeed and mature, the importance of technical skills at the top of the organization is matched by the importance of other skills, including management capability. 6 And below the CEO level, evidence is mounting hat the economy is requiring greater numbers of sophisticated conceptual thinkers and those with the strong analytic and people skills required to lead innovation and upgrading. 7 Exhibit 1 Innovation system has three components Exhibit 1Pressure and Support drive all th ree elements of the Innovation System The Innovation System PRESSURE PRESSURE Strong Management Source: Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity. 6 7 Demand for Innovation SUPPORT Financing of Innovation SUPPORT Supply of Innovation The Strategic Counsel, â€Å"Assessing the Experience of Successful Innovative Firms in Ontario,† 2004, p. 1, available online: http://www. competeprosper. ca/images/uploads/InnovationInterviewStudyRep. pdf Ibid, p. 41 14 institute for competitiveness & prosperity Canada lacks sufficient sophisticated management capabilities An important opportunity for improving Canada’s innovation and productivity performance is to strengthen management talent in our economy. In our research over the years, we have consistently found that our managers generally have lower educational attainment than their US counterparts, and CEOs of our largest corporations are less likely to have formal business education at the graduate level. Half of US managers hav e a bachelor’s degree or above compared to just over a third of Canadian managers (Exhibit 3). Further, innovative, hightech firms report disadvantages in access to management talent as a key constraint. 9 A key part of Canada’s prosperity under performance is attributable to its lack of management talent. Management skills are a critical complement to science and engineering skills in creating a high quality supply of innovation, driving sophisticated demand for innovation, and putting in place the required quantity and quality of financing to make the Innovation System work effectively. Exhibit 2 Managers play an important part in creating Pressure and Support in all elements of the Innovation System The Innovation System PRESSURE PRESSURE Strong Management Source: Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity. 8Institute 9R. Demand for Innovation SUPPORT Financing of Innovation SUPPORT Supply of Innovation for Competitiveness & Prosperity, Working Paper 6, Reinventing innovation and commercialization policy in Ontario, October 2004, p. 40 Martin and J. Milway, Strengthening management for prosperity, p. 11 15 management matters in retail Management innovation delivers higher productivity Contemporary research often focuses n two measures of productivity: †¢ output per unit of labour input, such as hours worked or employment; and †¢ total factor productivity (TFP), which measures the extent to which actual economic output is higher than capital and labour employment data would suggest. Many researchers and policy makers believe that productivity changes are i ntimately linked to changes in technology in the traditional sense; that is, productivity growth results from improvements in machinery, equipment, or techniques of production. Thus, the key to higher productivity is technological advances, as evidenced in higher R&D expenditures or more patents. Professor Michelle Alexopoulos of the University of Toronto presents an alternative, though less intuitive, view. 10 She argues that anything that improves producers’ ability to transform inputs into final goods and services deserves the title â€Å"technology. † For her, productivity is indeed influenced by the traditionally understood types of technology – such as machinery and new products – that she calls â€Å"tangible. † But productivity is also influenced by â€Å"intangible† technology – such as management techniques and production processes. She posits that it is important to distinguish between these wo types of technologies, since they affect the types of policies governments may want to put in place. It is generally agreed among management experts that changes in intangibles – such as corporate work rules, team structures, communication channels, morale, or managerial leadership – raise productivity and workfo rce efficiency. While this is not a controversial statement, quantifying the effect of improvement in management techniques at the aggregate level is extremely difficult because of measurement issues. Professor Alexopoulos’ measure tracks the development and diffusion f management techniques through a count of Library of Congress management book titles, supplemented with counts of relevant academic journal articles. She has demonstrated that changes in management techniques are an important factor in US productivity growth. 11 With the index of management book publications serving as a proxy for diffusion, her regression analyses reveal that available management books are positively associated with growth in an economy’s TFP and GDP. In particular, following the introduction of a new management technique that causes a 10 percent increase in new management books, GDP and TFP Exhibit 3 Canadian managers are less well educated than their US counterparts Managers’ educational attainment, average 2005–2007 12% 18% Advanced degree 35% Bachelor’s degree 26% Some post secondary 18% High school 23% 39% 19% 7% Canada 3% United States Less than high school Source: Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity analysis based on Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, and U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey 10M. Alexopoulos and T. Tombe, â€Å"Management Matters,† forthcoming working paper, University of Toronto. 11Ibid. 16 institute for competitiveness & prosperity row at statistically significantly higher rates than average for approximately six years. In fact, the impulse response estimates suggest that by year five, GDP would be 2. 1 percent higher and TFP would be 1. 4 percent higher in an economy with innovation in management techniques (Exhibit 4). A 2 percent increase in our GDP per capita would increase avera ge disposable income per family by $1,500 in Canada and Ontario. 12 Alexopoulos does not assert that the research definitively leads to this direct impact – but it does suggest that improved management has a significant effect on a region’s or nation’s prosperity. She concludes that Canadian managers, have access to the same resources as our American neighbours, but many lack the expertise to employ the most productive management innovations. Increasing the number of graduates from economics, business, or management programs and raising funding for research in business management and related fields may help alleviate this deficiency. This kind of â€Å"business R&D† is to management what science is to engineering, and deserves more attention from the government. It is intuitively likely that stronger management capabilities lead to more innovation and higher rosperity. But the impact of management capabilities on regional prosperity has not been well studied. Our research and that of others indicate that management matters. The development of improved management techniques, their diffusion, and their implementation by capable managers lead to higher prosperity. Exhibit 4 New management techniques are associated with increases in product ivity and prosperity Effect on Gross Domestic Product and Total Factor Productivity Response to a 10% increase in management publications Percentage increase 2. 5 % Gross Domestic Product 2. 0 1. 5 Total Factor Productivity . 0 0. 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 Years following unanticipated increase in management publications Source: M. Alexopoulos and T. Tombe, â€Å"Management Matters,† forthcoming working paper, University of Toronto. 12Calculation based on a 2 percent increase in the Canadian 2008 income per capita, personal disposable income as a percentage of GDP, and average household size. 6 management matters in retail 17 Management practices can be measured C learly, good management is an important factor in firm innovation and productivity and, to the extent that a region’s firms are well managed, overall prosperity will be higher. But economists and management researchers have paid little attention to measuring effective management practices and their impact on firm productivity. A major stumbling block has been the lack of useful, consistent measurements of the quality of management across firms and countries. While researchers recognize the importance of effective management, they typically refer to it as an empirically unobservable variable in their research to account for the differences in productivity across firms within the same country and industry. International research evaluates management practices To fill this research gap, professors Nick Bloom, John Van Reenen, and Raffaela Sadun developed a methodology to measure management practices first within a manufacturing operation,13 and now have expanded this methodology to include 13 See, for example, N. Bloom and J. Van Reenen, â€Å"Measuring and Explaining Management Practices Across Firms and Countries,† NBER Working Paper No. 12216 and N. Bloom, J. Van Reenen, â€Å"Why do Management Practices Differ across Firms and Countries? † Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 203–244. 18 institute for competitiveness & prosperity the retail sector as well as forthcoming esearch on management of schools and hospitals. They have applied this methodology since 2004 and have interviewed over 7,000 firms in eighteen countries,14 including developed economies, such as the United States, Germany, and Japan, and developing economies like China, India, and Brazil. The Institute collaborated closely with Pro fessor Bloom to interview Canadian manufacturing firms through the summer of 2008. In 2009, the Institute further collaborated to extend the methodology to the retail sector, for the first time in a large-scale project, including Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Bloom, Van Reenen, and Sadun’s ethod to measure management practices in the firm is based on an interview evaluation tool that scores firms on a scale of 1 to 5, indicating from worst practice to best practice across eighteen management practices, developed originally by McKinsey & Company, a leading international management consulting firm. The management practices cover three distinct, but related areas of management: †¢ Adopting effective operations management approaches. How well have firms implemented retailing management systems that are generally regarded by academics and consultants as best practice? â€Å"Lean Retailing† is a fairly recent concept erived from the original â€Å" Lean Manufacturing,† which is generally regarded as the most effective management system. Based on the production methods developed by Toyota, but applicable beyond the automotive (and manufacturing) industry, Lean achieves highly efficient operations through a relentless drive to reduce waste of time and resources. It is characterized by an ethos of 14For continuous improvement, backed by close tracking of the operation to identify problems and improvement opportunities. †¢ †¢ Managing targets effectively. Do firms’ management teams set stretch yet realistic targets, monitor performance against these targets, and ake corrective action when necessary? Effective management in this area means that companies are finding the right balance of targets to aspire to for maximum achievable performance. Setting targets too low means under performance; setting them too high will discourage improvements by workers and managers. Effective management also means determining how to measure performance and to follow through with actions when targets are not met. Managing people well. Are companies promoting and rewarding employees based on performance, and systematically trying to hire and keep their best employees? The cliche that people are a firm’s most mportant asset is true. Skilled workers and effective people management together are an important element of productivity in firms and across the economy. Well managed firms are able to attract and retain their top talent through effective reward and incentive programs. They also deal effectively with problem performers. Professor Bloom and his team designed the research process according to rigorous academic research standards. Our analysts, who were business and economics students, were trained to conduct the interviews consistent with analysts in other countries. We randomly selected retail locations for elephone interviews from a comprehensive industry list of firms categorized by Standard I ndustrial Classification (SIC) retail codes. 15 The analysts conducted telephone interviews that lasted an average of fifty-seven minutes with the most senior store managers available and occasionally district managers. Through a series of structured, but open-ended questions, the analysts scored each company on a scale of 1 to 5, across eighteen factors. These results generated scores on each of the three factors described above, which in turn generated an overall score for the quality of management at the operation. The structure of the retail interview followed the manufacturing one, in which sixteen out of the eighteen topics were comparable between the two sectors. Analysts also â€Å"double scored† fourfifths of the interviews. That is, while one analyst conducted the interview, another, who was not taking part in the interview, listened and independently scored the company. Subsequent comparisons of the scores showed a high degree of consistency between analysts. We conducted interviews from June to August 2009 from a central location in Toronto. To ensure the comparability of the retail scores with the previous year’s anufacturing scores, our analysts were trained using the same methodology, and two analysts from the previous year’s manufacturing project returned to supervise and double-score the interviews. Thus we conclude that, as much as possible, the retail interviews were scored in the same way as those in the manufacturing sector, and therefore are comparable to the rest of the management sample. Further, the distribution of completed interviews across Canada and the United States matches the distribution of actual retail locations. more information on the research methodology, see Professor Nick Bloom’s website: http://www. tanford. edu/~nbloom/index_files/Page371. htm on the Dun & Bradstreet database, using SIC codes 50–57 and 59. For more information, see http://www. dnb. ca/ 15Based 19 management matters in retail Lean Retailing is best practice operating strategy Lean Retailing is an example of a best practice operating strategy that management needs to adopt to maximize the efficiency of the retail operation process. including those in insurance companies, hospitals, airline maintenance organizations, government agencies, retail industries, and many others. 16 In the retail sector, the same Lean approach as now developed to improve operations flows; these principles are known as Lean Retailing. What is Lean Retailing? H ow does Lean Retailing work? Business success lies in effective management. This is especially critical today, as retailers continue to face the increasing challenge of competing against falling prices alongside rising operating and labour costs. Now, more than ever, retailers are turning toward adopting a more Lean approach in their management operations to improve profitability. At the core of Lean Retailing is a dedication to the elimination of waste. Similar to the manufacturing sector, the ajor types of waste targeted by the Lean approach include excess inventory, product defects, unnecessary motion, under used employees, and wait times. Managers can now apply similar tools and principles to identify these forms of waste to improve their operations efficiency. These Lean techniques include: But what is Lean Retailing? Lean Retailing refers to the operating strategy that seeks to maximize efficiency by identifying and eliminating waste. It focuses on simplifying the work process to eliminate wasted effort, time, materials, and motion. By adopting a Lean approach, managers who employ these tools and principles are able to educe non-value adding activities, detect and prevent problems early, and improve overall operating flow. †¢ †¢ Using â€Å"pull† to drive replenishment. Ensuring that the supply of goods is pulled by actual demand of customers as opposed to forecast or estimated demand so that inventory levels are kept low and space is conserved †¢ Removing bottlenecks through the supply chain. Eliminating inefficiencies to shorten delivery times, lower transportation costs and defects, and improve product flow and operational performance †¢ Today, the Lean approach has evolved from the manufacturing industry to apply to operations of all kinds, 16S. To win in this increasingly competitive environment, retailers need to adopt a relentless focus on delivering value cost effectively. For, despite steadily falling prices, store operating costs are trending upwards because of more expensive operating overheads and labour costs as well as higher investments in shop fittings to match increasing trends to improve the customer experience. 17 Retailers must pursue a Lean perspective in their core operations, including best practices in operations management, performance management, and people management. (See A guide to best practices in Lean Retailing. ) Doing so will produce a more fficient cost structure, more productive workers, less waste, lower effort, and shorter wait times – all of which generate significant improvements in store profitability and customer satisfaction. Today, more and more businesses are focusing on streamlining their key operations to reduce unnecessary processes and waste and to improve customer experien ce. Lean Retailing is a best practice that, once implemented, can improve productivity and contribute to higher overall economic performance. Our research allows us to measure the quality of retail management through the lens of Lean Retailing – and to provide guidance for retailers in dentifying and implementing Lean Retailing best practices. Eliminating wasted effort, time, materials, and motion. Identifying the core value of operations by eliminating excess motion, time, and materials used in the process flow to reduce and prevent extra work, problems and wait times Where did Lean Retailing originate? Pioneered by Toyota Motor Corporation, the concept of Lean was conceived as a set of tools and methods to eradicate waste and inefficiency in their manufacturing system, famously known now as the Toyota Production System (TPS). This revolutionizing manufacturing strategy fuelled Toyota’s rise from a ash-strapped company to becoming one of the most successful automobile manufacturers in the world. Simplifying work design. Organizing individual work processes to be more feasible and manageable so that these efforts have clear start and finish points Why is Lean Retailing important? Corbett, â€Å"Beyond Manufacturing: The evolution of Lean production,† McKinsey Quarterly, 2007, 3, pp. 94-96. Voisin, â€Å"The ‘Industrial revolution’ of European retailers in underway,† McKinsey Quarterly, 2004, available online at: http://www. mckinsey. com/practices/retail/knowledge/index_full. asp? startval=20&sort=title 17Jean-Baptiste 0 institute for competitiveness & prosperity A guide to best practices in Lean Retailing For each topic in the study, we define the best practice and provide an example drawn from the 661 retail interviews conducted across North America and Europe Operations management Rationale for Lean retailing techniques Adoption of Lean practices store operations Has the store implemented all the major Lean store ope rations practices? For example, does the manager have a standard to-do list to follow daily? Is there an automated inventory control system determined by the pull of demand? Is the backroom organized systematically? Example of best practice: A Canadian bookstore has a point-of-sale system that automatically orders an item as soon as it is sold. The managers and employees check off every item on their set to-do list every morning. The manager has a â€Å"store clock,† where she plans for what is happening in the store every hour of the day. Some inventory is kept, and what is on hand in the backroom is organized by aisle with bin codes, keeping the backroom clutter-free. scheduling Has the store implemented all major Lean scheduling practices? Is the scheduling done automatically, based on store traffic and transactions data? Are there defined roles within the staff? Example of best practice: Scheduling at a US supermarket is based on a computer system that is linked to its sales results system. The computer system bases the schedule on transactions per hour and allocates more labour to peak hours. Roles in the store are clearly defined, and employees rarely have to respond to unexpected traffic increases. What was the reasoning behind the adoption of any or all Lean Retailing techniques? Were managers implementing changes because all their competitors were doing it? Did managers believe it would merely reduce costs and thus ecided to make the switch? Or did Lean fit the businesses’ goals, which often include increasing quality, reducing waste, and reducing injuries while increasing profits? Example of best practice: A UK specialty apparel store introduced techniques to improve customer service, raise product availability, decrease waste, and increase efficiency and productivity. Process problem do cumentation If an operational/procedural problem in the store occurs, what happens? Do managers wait for problems to happen to address them or do they search for ways of improving processes and avoiding potentially costly product shortages or mistakes? Is there a specific way that shop floor workers, who are executing most of the tasks, can suggest process improvements? Example of best practice: A UK supermarket uses a checklist system for checking the store every hour. Managers document all issues and have weekly business strategy meetings to discuss them and identify solutions. Action plans encompass targeted completion dates and everything is reported to corporate headquarters. There is a standard system whereby employees can suggest improvements, and managers review them weekly with potential rewards for the employee whose suggestion gets implemented. management matters in retail atters Operations performance tracking What types of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the managers tracking? For example, do managers only track sales per day or does the set of KPIs include a comprehensive list of all productivity factors, such as average transaction value and conversion rates? And are these KPIs available for all to see, or is i t only the senior managers who are privy to this information? Example of best practice: A Canadian bookstore manager tracks all major performance indicators daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Sales are tracked by shift, and if targets are not being met, the manager follows up mmediately with the sales staff to improve performance. All information is posted for employees to see and updated as new data become available. Operations performance review Does a manager review KPIs with other managers and staff? Is there a meeting to review them? Who is involved in these meetings? Who gets to see the results of this review? What are the typical next steps after a meeting? Example of best practice: A hardware store in Canada has weekly management meetings to review the basic KPIs, and routinely invites floor staff to attend as well. Every meeting, they create a follow up plan with five to six main oints they have to focus on in the coming week with specific timelines and accountability. Res ults are tracked daily and shared with employees in small team huddles and storewide meetings twice a week. The managers keep a scorecard to help track how they are doing. a 21 Operations performance dialogue Here managers are asked to describe a KPI meeting. Is there a set structure to the meeting; for example, a set agenda used every week? If KPI data are needed to discuss specific issues, are the data always available? Do discussions lead to the root cause of problems? Example of best practice: The manager at an American eneral merchandise store has a set agenda for the meetings (part of it from corporate, part of it open to managers’ discretion), which is distributed ahead of time. All involved are expected to have reviewed it and to come prepared for discussion. Problems are identified and conversations are only finished when the root cause is found. The manager often uses root cause analysis tools such as fishbone diagrams and the 5Ys. a All items are documented and fol lowed up on. Consequence management How do managers deal with a business unit that is under performing? What are the consequences for the under performing unit? Are there parts of the business that seem to fail repeatedly to carry out agreed actions? Example of best practice: A general merchandise store in Canada has a computerized system where follow-up plans are logged. Outstanding items are flagged (red, yellow, or green). In-store issues have a â€Å"sundown rule,† where problems need to be fixed by sundown. External issues require progress reports, and status is frequently reviewed until the item is no longer red-flagged. 5Ys is a management technique used to solve problems by asking â€Å"why† five times. By the time the fifth why is asked, the root cause of the problem has already been found. 2 institute for competitiveness & prosperity Performance management Types of goals What types of goals are set for the company? Are there specific goals for the store? Are there any non-financial goals? Example of best practice: A hardware store in Canada has a range of financial and operational goals in place, and also has specific non-financial goals for community involvement (charitable donations/fundraising) and environmental targets. The manager was concerned with â€Å"making money† but felt that supporting their community was just as important. Interconnection of goals Is there a clear motivation behind the goals? For instance, oes the company clearly communicate goals, such as â€Å"we want to be the leader in the industry† or â€Å"we want to grow by 4 percent in the next two years†? How are the goals cascaded down to the individual workers? For example, are workers aware of how their work fits within the larger framework of the company? Example of best practice: The motivation behind a US general merchandise store’s goals is to create shareholder value and deliver customer satisfaction. Corporate headquarters divides goals by region, division, and store. The manager then further divides those goals by department and individual associates, so that all ave personal targets l inked to the store’s overall goal. Company goals are communicated through storewide meetings and newsletters. Time horizon What is the time scale of the targets? Do managers focus more on short-term or long-term goals? Do the short-term goals form a â€Å"staircase† to the long-term goals? Example of best practice: A Canadian department store has daily, weekly, quarterly, annual, three- and five-year goals and ten-year strategic goals. The goals are all linked in a staircase; if the store meets all the short-term goals, they will inevitably meet the long-term goals. Setting stretch goals How tough are the goals? Do managers feel pushed by them? Are any goals obviously too easy or too hard? In other words, are there goals that are always met and some that are never met? Do all departments have the same level of difficulty in the targets or do some get off easy? Example of best practice: A UK clothing store has rigorous goals for all departments, based on a specific store growth plan. The manager feels the targets are very tough, but attainable. She meets them between 75 to 80 percent of the time. Clarity of goals Do all employees in the store know what their personal targets are? Does anyone complain that the targets are too omplex – that is, not that they are too stretching, but that they are difficult to understand? Is performance between teams or shifts openly compared to others? Example of best practice: A Canadian bookstore manager sets clear individual targets for her employees and keeps them accountable to them during weekly huddles. She posts performance in the break room and e mployees are encouraged to compare individual performance, as the manager believes this leads to friendly competition. Instilling a talent mindset Do senior managers discuss attracting and developing talented people? Do managers get any rewards for the talent ool they create? Are managers held accountable for creating a talent pool? Example of best practice: Managers at an American department store participate in university/college job fairs, and actively seek talented people to join the company. The company has a â€Å"human capital report,† and the number and quality of the people a manager hired are important in his appraisal and affect (positively or negatively) his bonus at the end of the year. management matters in retail 23 People management Promoting high performers If a worker is exceptionally good, can he or she be promoted on a fast track? Are top performers routinely identified and developed? Is length of service unduly important in promotions? Rewarding top performers How does the appraisal system work? How does the bonus system work? Are there non-financial rewards? How do these systems compare to the competitors’ systems? Example of best practice: An American hardware store holds appraisal meetings every six months – one full appraisal meeting and one update meeting. There is a bonus for both shop floor employees and managers, based on a review of personal performance. For the shop floor employees, there is a reward system where employees et â€Å"stars† in a staircase structure for outstanding performance. For each set number of â€Å"stars,† there is a financial reward. When employees reach the highest level, they get a gift. There are also gift cards/movie tickets and other financial rewards for good customer service performance. Addressing poor performance If a worker is continuously under performing, what is the course of action? Is there a set procedure that is followed? How long would under performance be tolerated? Example of best practice: A US department store has a performance improvement plan, whereby managers meet with poor performers, identify their improvement pportunities, develop a plan, and give them tools to make them work more effectively. Once under performance is identified, weekly meetings are set up to update the status. The manager tries to retrain and/ or move the employee to other departments, but under performance is only tolerated for a maximum of three months. Example of best practice: An American grocery store has a formal career path plan for all employees and a succession plan for managers. Promotions are based solely on performance, and tenure does not play a role. The manager uses regular performance appraisals to identify op performers and look for â€Å"diamonds in the rough. † The company has a mentoring program that tra ins the best to be future managers, and encourages workers to take courses outside the store. Attracting high performers Does the company offer a distinctive work environment that is attractive to top talent? Example of best practice: An American hardware store offers competitive wages, strong performance incentives, and clear career paths. The managers believe it is important to get employees involved in the decision-making process to make them feel like a valued part of the company. Retaining high performers What special practices are in place to retain top performers who want to leave the company? Example of best practice: A hardware store manager in Canada keeps an eye on the top employees and, if they seem unhappy or are thinking about leaving, senior management will meet with them to discuss their career. For a top performer, the manager would adjust hours, increase pay, and offer more responsibility. The manager mentioned an example where he helped the employee’s mother move to their town so they could live closer together and the employee would stay with the company. 24 institute for competitiveness & prosperity