Friendship Essays - , Term Papers, Research Papers

Friendship Small-minded administrators and authority figures like to speak in clich?s. All my life I heard the same trite line: You can tell a lot about a person by the friends they keep. The black sheep of the honors program, I hung out with the so-called losers. During my freshman year, not a day went by when a teacher or family member did not deride my closest friends and warn me that by hanging out with bad seeds I would fall into a downward spiral, never graduate college, and have a miserable life. They thought that they had me figured out. One day, while my ninth grade math teacher, Mr. Pedersen, was reviewing some math concepts with me, my friend Mariam ran by the classroom, stuck her head in the doorway, called out: Hi Yassee, and then ran away. Mr. Pedersen looked at me coldly and said with a scowl: How can you call yourself an Honors student? A real honors student doesnt associate with people like that! I wanted to ask him how he could call himself a teacher; after all, a real teacher is supposed to want to help everyone. Instead, I sat silent, stunned by his ignorance and cruelty. He wanted me to drop my childhood friends simply because they didnt place the same importance on schoolwork that I do. If he had thought before speaking, he would have realized that people like him, rather than people like my friends, are better able to turn good students into poor ones by discouraging them with ridiculous comments. I would never slight Mariam. One of my closest friends in freshman year, she was also a below average, non-college bound student. Many of the adults in my life, especially my parents and teachers, would look at those closest to me: Mariam, Alisa, Zena, Lianne, and Marvin, and ask how I could call these low-life losers my friends. But such questions show a lack of understanding of the nature of friendship. Friendship is unconditional and uncritical, based only on mutual respect and the ability to enjoy each other s company. These authority figures never saw the way one of us could do something outrageous, and the rest of us would joke about it for days. We could have fun doing absolutely nothing at all - because the company we provided each other with was enough. Rather than discussing operas, Lewinsky, or the weather, we enjoyed just hanging around each other without any one of us trying to outsmart the others. Still, I realize that these adults had a point to be concerned about the direction my friends were heading; I also was concerned for them, but I wasnt about to leave them. Many times I would advise my friends that some activity may be dangerous or to think things through before doing something, but I would never claim to hold the moral high ground and to condescend to them. When Marvin would begin rolling joints, when Alisa would tell me she skipped school because of a hangover, or when Mariam would tell me that her new boyfriend was in a street gang, I expressed my discomfort with their actions. However, I never blackmailed them with the threat of taking my friendship away. Contrary to the commercials on television, you can have friends who use drugs. In fact, probably everyone does without realizing it. In my junior year, AP U.S. History class, the teacher, Mr. Jacobsen, addressed the class saying: I bet none of you have ever seen a drug deal! With a look of absolute certainty and an odd smile on his face he scanned the room. Ive seen a drug deal before, I answered. Everyone in the room turned to look at me, either gasping or in disbelief. I realized that maybe my experiences thus far were a typical of most of my honor student friends. Despite our varying experiences, I still maintained many friends who were excellent students. Yogita, Nitin, Hans, Vishal, Saurabh, Anuj, Nick, and I have had almost every class together since eighth grade. Nitin and I both love to shop and eat. What is different about shopping with

Great second jobs for Baby Boomers

Great second jobs for Baby Boomers If you’re one of the huge wave of Baby Boomers reaching (or already past) retirement age, you may be thinking a lot about the next phase of your life. For many, continuing to work is a financial necessity. For others, it’s about staying professionally active without the same 9-to-5 grind. If you’re looking for ways to stay active and stay earning, here are some second-stage careers to consider. 5 great second jobs for Baby BoomersTeach what you knowOne of the perks of coming to the end of your first career is that you have lots of expertise and experience built up. What better to do than share that expertise and get paid for it? Many local community colleges, continuing education programs, or online schools can always use qualified teachers who have flexible schedules. Or you could consider substitute teaching. Check with your local school district to see what their requirements are, but many states don’t require substitute teachers to have a specific teac hing degree.Be a consultantIf you’ve got decades of experience in a particular field, consulting can be a way to transition from the full-time working world to one where you set your own schedule and salary. Many Baby Boomers find themselves in a position to do work for their former companies, and others expand their business to take on new clients. One of the biggest upsides of consulting is that it lets you take the skills and experience you have and use it to create a new business for yourself.Build a business out of a hobbyIf you find yourself with more time after retirement, you may find that what used to be a hobby can now be a profitable side hustle. Now more than ever, people are seeking out unique or artisan goods, so it may be time to ramp up that home woodworking shop or set up that Etsy store. Â  With a variety of ways to sell goods and services online, something you’ve always done for fun can make for a fulfilling and profitable next wave of your career.M ake the world a better placeAfter all, the Baby Boomers are the generation of Woodstock and ’60s social justice. Working for a nonprofit can be a way to keep that social idealism going, while staying professionally active. Nonprofits come in all shapes and sizes, so there’s likely one in your area that fits with your worldview and your priorities.Many Baby Boomers also find that volunteering and giving back to the community is a way to create a new wave of productivity. Like consulting, volunteering capitalizes on your skills, experience, and time to help others.Find a franchiseOwning a ready-made franchise can be a great way to build a business without building it from the ground up. Franchisees can often be as involved or hands-on as they want to be, directly managing the business or being the boss from a distance. It’s also a way to learn new sides of a business, whether it’s food service, a retail store, or other venture. The existing branding and mar ketplace can ease the transition into a new field, making it ideal for someone looking for a next stage instead of a start-over.Whatever your interests and strengths, there are plenty of options and opportunities for building a second income, developing skills, or filling the time after you’ve transitioned away from your first career.

Algebra Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Algebra Project - Essay Example Leonardo Fibonacci (1170-1250) had also shown that the ratio of neighboring Fibonacci Numbers tends to Golden Ratio. (Knott) The Ratio of neighboring Fibonacci Numbers tends to Golden Ratio. The Fibonacci Numbers are 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233... And their successive ratios (ignoring 0) are 2/1= 2, 3/2=1.5, 5/3=1.666..., 8/5=1.6, 13/8=1.625 and son on. (Freitag) Golden Rectangle (above figure) is geometrical figure that is commonly associated with Golden Ratio. The sides of Golden Rectangle are in proportion to the Golden Ratio and it is the most pleasing rectangle to the eye. It is said that and any geometrical shape that has the Golden Ratio in it is the most pleasing to look. Knott, Ron. â€Å"The Golden section ratio: Phi†. 4 November 2007. University of Surrey-Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. 24 November 2007 Freitag, Mark. â€Å"Phi: That Golden Number†. The University of Georgia-The Department of Mathematics and Science Education. 24 November 2007

Human Resourcse question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resourcse question - Essay Example Evaluation of training requires persistence, adherence towards industry’s best practices and compliance to follow the details. When such measures are undertaken, training will be imparted in a corrective fashion, where the objective will be to mentor rather than merely passing time. Hence the objective of training evaluation is to draw parallel with how things shall be constructed and where anomalies can be resolved in a quantifiable manner. The critique of training is established by understanding that the organizational strategy requires a proper cover towards measures and steps which shall go a long way in developing how matters will be taken care of within the business concerns. It is the responsibility of the management and management alone has to be accountable to all other departments within the realms of a business (Sims, 1998). This training should be comprehensive and must cover areas which are deemed as inappropriate today but might be taken as significant in the fut ure. Training can be evaluated by making use of different questionnaires and testimonials from people who would require training for improving their professional settings. Questions could be asked of them to solicit their replies so that training can be adjudged as being fairly significant from one context or the other (Brewster and Pickard, 1994). The need is to learn where training is making headway and how it is on the weaker side. Actions are taken to address the latter points at the earliest. The return on expected outcomes is fairly simple to estimate. If the training modules cannot bring any significant change, then there are ought to be several problems that one might find with training. However, if the training is comprehensive, then the expectations that people have of it are fulfilled. When training is being undertaken to achieve sound results, the key performance indicators or KPIs for short are realized easily. However, when the training regimes have some weaknesses or grey areas within them, then it becomes a Herculean task to resolve the difficulties which stand in the way of achieving these KPIs. If the business has invested a great amount on training alone, it must make sure that this return on its investment comes with the passage of time. A training undertaking which goes wrong would not suffice as far as investment viability issues are concerned. Hence it is always a good idea to have a very realistic figure of the return on investment as far as training within an organization is concerned (Schuler, 2004). As Bramley, 1996 suggests, the actual criteria for training evaluation should always be built upon the activities of training right from the very beginning. This would mean that the initial phase of training will be able to draw results; otherwise it would not be seen as a feasible option. Sadler – Smith et al (1999) raise another important consideration with regards to training. This research points out that training evaluation is for the larger part made use of within feedback towards individuals as well as to inform and educate the process of training and slightly lesser for the return on investment as discussed earlier. This could have a completely different scenario than what was delved upon in the above paragraphs. After all, return on investment has always been a much imperative disposition on the part of the training regi

Dereks Social History Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dereks Social History - Case Study Example As the discussion outlines aside excessive drinking, moderate drinking causes short-term impairment as can be deduced from the effects of drunk driving. The extent of alcohol damage on the brain is dependent on the following factors: amount and frequency of drinking, age at which the individual began drinking and duration of drinking thereafter. Other factors include genetic background, alcoholism history in the family, prenatal alcohol exposure, and general health status. Alcohol causes impairments in the following brain regions. Impairment of the parietal lobe results to the loss of fine motor skills, shaking and abnormally slows reaction time. Impairment of the frontal lobe leads to loss of caution, inhibitions, reason and exacerbates intelligence, talkativeness and sociability. Impairment of the temporal lobe leads to slurred speech and impaired hearing. Impairment of the occipital lobe results in blurred vision hence poor judgment of distance. Impairment of the cerebellum and br ain stem results in poor muscle coordination and loss of vital functions respectively. This paper highlights that long-term excessive drinking causes the brain to shrink and deficiencies in the fibers of the white matter that relay information to the gray matter. This has been elucidated using techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Intoxicating levels of alcohol lead to vasodilation of blood vessels and at higher levels it leads to vasoconstriction thereby triggering blood pressure and migraine headaches. The effects of alcohol on a developing fetus are well documented. The babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and are highly predisposed to central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions that are manifested as impaired IQ and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Bark Extract Mediated Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis

Bark Extract Mediated Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis Bark extract mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antimicrobial efficacy: A low cost effective synthesis route Debasis Nayak, Sarbani Ashe, Pradipta Ranjan Rauta, Manisha Singh, Bismita Nayak Abstract In this current investigation we report the biosynthesis potential of the bark extracts of Ficus benghalensis and Azadirachta indica for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles without using any external reducing or capping agent. The occurrence of dark brown color indicated the complete synthesis of the silver nanoparticles which was validated by the absorbance peak in UV-Vis spectroscopy. The morphology of the synthesized particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns clearly illustrated the crystalline phase of the synthesized nanoparticles. Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was performed to identify the role of various functional groups in the nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesized sliver nanoparticles showed promising results against gram negative and gram positive pathogens which could have a broad therapeutic role against multiple drug resistan t bacteria. Keywords: Green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), antimicrobial Introduction Silver, a noble metal maintains its exceptional optical and electronic properties in quantum size [1-2] which paved its curiosity towards the nano regime. The interest in silver nanoparticles gained prominence owing to its excellent plasmonic activity, bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects compared with the other metal nanoparticles and its versatile use in dentistry, clothing, catalysis, mirrors, optics, photography, electronics, and in the food industry [3].Conventional physical and chemical methods for stable nanomaterial synthesis present the problem of nanoparticle aggregation, harsh reaction conditions and the toxicity of the reagents used. So for synthesis of monodispersed and stable nanoparticles with reduced toxicity concerns new synthetic routes based on green chemistry principles have been explored [4, 5]. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using green chemistry principles maximizes safety and efficiency, and minimises the environmental and societal impact of toxic raw ma terials. Green synthesis of nanoparticles focuses on three important aspects i.e. (i) use of green solvents, (ii) use of an eco-friendly benign reducing agent, and (iii) use of a nontoxic material as a stabilizer [6]. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using various plant extract has been reported [4, 7]. The extracts contains different enzymes/proteins, amino acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, poly phenols, etc., which act as both reducing and capping agents during the nanoparticle synthesis [8]. Ficus benghalensis commonly known as ‘banyan’ is an evergreen tree found all over India and belongs to the family Moraceae. Its various parts are used in ayurveda for the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, piles, rheumatism and as an astringent, haemostatic and antiseptic agent. The bark has been reported to contain leucopelargonidin-3-O-ÃŽ ±-L rhamnoside, leucocynidin-3-O-ÃŽ ±-D galactosyl cellobioside, glucoside, beta glucoside, pentatriacontan-5-one, beta sitostero-ÃŽ ± -D-glucose [9-13]. Azadirachta indica (family- Meliaceae) is commonly called as ‘village dispensary’ in traditional medicine as the tree has its efficacy in every disease. Different compounds have been isolated from the bark extract such as Nimbin, Nimbinin, Deacetyl nimbin, Nimbinene, 6-Deacetyl nimbinene, Nimbandiol, polysaccharides G1A, G1B, G2A, G3A, NB-2 peptidoglucan [14-17]. The neem bark has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti malarial, antioxidant and anticancer activity [18]. Various plants parts have been used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles but rarely the barks have been used. In the present study the barks of Ficus bengalensis and Azadirachta indica have been employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The leaves of Azadirachta were used as a reference sample as much work has been already been done on the ability of A. indica leaves for synthesis of Ag-NPs [19]. Experimental Section Silver nitrate, Mueller Hinton agar and Mueller Hinton broth of analytical grade were purchased from Hi-Media laboratories and deionised water was used throughout the experiment. Preparation of bark extract The barks of F. benghalensis and A. indica were collected from the campus of NIT, Rourkela. They were washed properly with deionised water to remove any traces of dust and impurities. The bark extract of F. benghalensis and A. indica was prepared by dissolving 5g of the bark powder with 50 ml of distilled water and boiled in a water bath at 50 ºC for 1 hour. The extracts were filtered using whatman filter paper and kept at 4 ºC until used. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles 90 ml of silver nitrate solution (1M) was mixed with 10 ml of bark extract and the reaction mixture was kept in a water bath at different temperature conditions (20, 40, 60 and 80 ºC) till the occurrence of the dark reddish color of the reaction mixture. After the color change inference the nanoparticle solutions were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 45 min (C24-BL centrifuge, REMI, India) thrice with successive washing with distilled water to remove any traces of un-utilized bark phyto-constituents. The resultant pellet was lyophilized and stored for further characterizations. Characterization To investigate the ideal temperature and time required for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles the reaction mixture was monitored periodically in a UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 ® (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MS, USA)) operated at a resolution of 1 nm at room temperature scanned in the wavelength range of 400-600 nm. The hydrodynamic (Z-Average) size, polydispersity index (PDI) and surface zeta potential (charge) of the synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed by Zeta sizer (Zs 90, Malvern Instruments Ltd, Malvern, UK) and the results were obtained by the Malvern ZS nano software. The morphology of the synthesised silver nanoparticles was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (Jeol 6480LV jsm microscope). The nanoparticles were fixed on adequate support and coated with platinum using platinum sputter module in a higher vacuum evaporator. Observations under different magnifications were performed at 20kv. Further morphological studies were done by atomic force microscopy (AFM, Dimension D3100, Veeco) in contact mode under normal atmospheric conditions. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of silver nanoparticles was obtained using X-ray diffractometer (PANalytical X’Pert, Almelo, The Netherlands) equipped with Ni filter and Cu KÃŽ ± (l = 1.54056 Ã…) radiation source. The diffraction angle was varied in the range of 20-80 degrees while the scanning rate was 0.05degree/s. The Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR- FTIR) spectroscopy analysis was conducted to corroborate the possible role of the various phytochemicals present in the bark extract on the surface modification of the synthesized nanoparticles. The ATR- FTIR was performed on a Bruker ALPHA spectrophotometer (Ettlinger, Germany) with a resolution of 4 cm-1. The samples were scanned in the spectral region between 4000 and 500 cm-1 by taking an average of 25 scans per sample. 1 drop of sample was kept of the sample holder and the samples were scanned and the result obtained was analyzed through OPUS software. Antimicrobial activity The antimicrobial activity of the green synthesized AgNPs against the nosocomial Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Vibrio cholerae were investigated by agar well diffusion method. Briefly, the pathogenic strains were grown on Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) (HI-MEDIA, Mumbai) at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The colony forming unit (CFU) was adjusted to 2.5 X 10-5 CFU by adjusting it with 0.5 McFarland constant and observing the OD at 600 nm in a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer [20]. Then, the stains were swabbed onto Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) plate (in triplicates) and wells were formed by using a cork borer. 100 µl of the synthesized AgNPs were added to each well having a concentration of 1000 µg/ml and the plates were incubated at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The mean surface area of the diameter of the inhibition zone was measured in mm. Results and discussion The optimal temperature and time required for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The UV-vis spectra results are an indirect and most efficient method for detecting the formation of the nanoparticle. The reaction process was followed by observing the color change as well as the absorbance maxima peak in the range of 420-460 nm. Fig. 1 shows the time taken for the total synthesis of the nanoparticles when the reaction mixture was incubated at 80  ºC. The absorption peaks were observed at 426 nm and 420 nm for the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively within 30 minutes of incubation suggesting a very rapid synthesis route. The occurrence of the absorption peak is due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) property of the metallic nanoparticles which occurs due to the oscillation of free electrons on the surface of the metal lic nanoparticles when they align in resonance to the wavelength of irradiated light [21]. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies were conducted to investigate the hydrodynamic size, poly dispersity index and surface zeta potential of the synthesised silver nanoparticles in a colloidal aqueous environment. When dispersed in a medium the particles move due to the Brownian motion which is measured by the fluctuations in the intensity of scattered light from which the translational diffusion co-efficient is calculated by applying the Stokes-Einstein equation which gives the hydrodynamic size of the particle [22]. Fig. 2 (a,b) shows the size of the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica which were 85.95 nm and 90.13 nm respectively. The poly dispersity index (PDI) is the measure of the width of the particle size distribution calculated from a cumulants analysis of the DLS measured intensity autocorrelation function where a single particle size is assumed and a single exponential fit is applied to the autocorrelation function [23]. Th e PDI value ‘0’ represents monodisperse distribution where as value ‘1’ represents polydisperse distribution. Fig. 2 (c, d) shows the surface zeta potential of the synthesized silver nanoparticles from the respective bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Zeta potential is a measure of the magnitude of the electrostatic or charge repulsion or attraction between particles in a liquid suspension. It is one of the essential parameters for characterization of stability of the nanoparticles in an aqueous environment. Particles with zeta potentials more positive than +30 mV and more negative than −30 mV are normally considered stable for colloidal dispersion in the absence of steric stabilization. [24]. Table.1 shows the hydrodynamic size, PDI and zeta potential of the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Fig. 3 shows the typical image of the surface morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The roughly spherical surface morphology of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was clearly illustrated by the SEM micrographs. Fig. 4 shows the pictographs of the 3D surface morphology and size analysis graphs obtained from atomic force microscopy (AFM). The size obtained from the AFM pictographs in the contact mode from the line analysis measurement by using the SPMLab programmed Veeco diInnova software were 68 nm and 7.38 nm for silver nanoparticles synthesized from bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a non-destructive technique to identify the crystalline phase, orientation and grain size of the synthesized nanoparticles. Fig. 5 shows a typical XRD diffractogram showing Bragg peaks (angle 2ÃŽ ¸) at 32.19 º, 38.15 º, 44.28 º, 64.46 º, 77.37 º and 32.11 º, 37.96 º, 44.18 º, 64.37 º, 77.23 º for the silver nanoparticles synthesised from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively which corresponds to (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) miller indices thus, confirming the formation of face centred cubic (FCC) crystalline elemental silver indexed with the JCPDS data 04-0783. Many unassigned peaks were seen which might be due to the crystallization of the bioorganic phases that occur on the surface of the synthesised nanoparticles [25-26]. The average grain size of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was determined by using Scherer’s eqn [d= KÃŽ »/ÃŽ ² cos ÃŽ ¸] where, ‘d’ is the mean diamet er of the particle; ‘K’ is the shape factor (0.9); ‘Î »Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is the X-ray radiation source (0.154 nm) ; ‘Î ²Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is (Ï€/180)* FWHM and ‘Î ¸Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is the Bragg angle [27] which was approx. 29 nm and 39 nm for the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. The ATR-FTIR measurements were carried out to identify the chemical transformation that occurred during the interaction between the functional groups present in bark extract and formation of the nanoparticles. Fig. 6 shows a typical ATR-FTIR spectrum of the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Nearly similar peaks were observed in both the synthesized silver nanoparticles some of which occurred at 3590 cm-1, 3340 cm-1, 2310 cm-1, 1693cm-1, 1519cm-1 and 615 cm-1 for silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extract of F. benghalensis and 3617cm-1, 3332cm-1, 2319cm-1, 1663 cm-1, 1523 cm-1, 1523 cm-1 and 635cm-1 absorption peaks occurred for silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of A. indica. The absorption peaks were assigned to the presence of the following functional groups: O-H stretching (presence of alcohols and phenols), N-H stretching (presence of primary and secondary amines), C ≠¡N stretching (presence of nitriles), C=C stretching (presence of aromatic rings) and C-H stretching (presence of alkynes). From fig 4 it can be clearly seen that the O-H and N-H functional group has a clear role in the fabrication of silver nanoparticles which are the main constitutional groups present in the flavonoids, terpenoids and phenols. Although the exact mechanism for the reduction of silver nanoparticles is not know Ajitha et al proposed that the flavonoids present in T. purpurea leaf extract may act as powerful reducing agent and the carboxylate group present in the proteins may act as surfactant to attach on the surface of the nanoparticles resulting in their stabilization during the synthesis reaction [28]. The results obtained from the mangrove leaf bud extract of R. mucronata [29] were quite similar to our ATR-FTIR results thus furnishing a coherent role of the bark extract as reducing and capping agents to prevent agglomeration of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The antibacterial potential of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by the agar well diffusion assay. Fig. 7 shows well defined zones of inhibition (diameter in mm) against gram positive strains of Bacillus subtilis and gram negative strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholera when 100 µl of 1000 µg/ml of the synthesized nanoparticles were supplied to the agar wells (9mm). In this experiment the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the leaves extract of A. indica was used as a standard as its antimicrobial potential has already been demonstrated by Nazeruddin et al [19]. Our results show slightly higher zone of inhibition against gram negative strains as compared to gram positive isolates. This may be attributed to differences in structure and composition of cell wall between gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The thin peptidoglycan layer enveloped by the lipopolysaccharide layer lacks strength and rigidity, facilitating easy penetrat ion of silver nanoparticles into the cells. While a gram positive bacterium possesses a thick and rigid peptidoglycan layer in the cell wall which makes the entry of silver nanoparticles into the cell difficult [30]. Though the antimicrobial activity is very prominent by the silver nanoparticles, its mode of action is still debatable. It has been proposed that silver nanoparticles has the ability to attach with the bacterial cell membrane causing structural changes in its membrane leading to the formation of ‘pits’ where they accumulate [31]. Feng et al and Matsumura et al proposed that silver nanoparticles release silver ions which interact with the thiol groups of many enzymes thus inactivating most of the respiratory chain enzymes leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes the self destruction of the bacterial cell [32-33]. According to Morones et al., silver acts as soft acid which acts upon the sulphur and phosphorus bases of DNA and ina ctivates its replication and thus inactivating the nuclear machinery of the cell [34]. Conclusion The present study on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles through the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica is a novel, cost-effective, environmental friendly route of synthesis having large scale production ability where no additional reducing agents or capping agents were employed for the reduction and stabilization of the nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were highly crystalline, roughly spherical in shape having mean grain size of 29 and 39 nm each. Thus with further modifications these synthesized nanoparticles can be used as suitable candidates for biomedical applications and as therapeutics for targeted drug delivery with minimal side effects. The synthesized silver nanoparticles showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against the gram negative and the gram positive bacterial strains which could boost them as antimicrobial agents with the day to day emerging cases of multiple drug resistant pathogens. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Archana Mallick, Dept of Metallurgical Materials Engineering for helping in AFM images and NIT, Rourkela for supporting and funding the current research work.

hazards of volcanos :: essays research papers

Volcanoe's Parts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flank   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dike   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resevoir   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Crater   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Base   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hazards   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Sulfur Dioxide gas creates air pollution  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that irritates skin, nose, throat, and eyes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Carbon Dioxide is so concentrated that it kills animals and humans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Acid rain that some times takes the form of Hydrochloric acid   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hot or cold mixture of water and rock fragments, often resembles a flow of concrete   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hundreds of meters wide, tens of meters deep   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - flows at several tens of meters a second (too fast to outrun)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Landslides   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - large rocks or debris falling rapidly downhill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - if the landslide contains enough water it will transform into a Lahar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava flows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - lava thats errupted during non explosive periods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can travel up to 10 km / hour   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can result in lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pyroclastic Flows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - high density mixtures of hot, dry rock fragments and hot gases that move at high speeds   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can result from non explosive or explosive periods of the volcano's history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can result in lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tephra   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - gas clouds that are carried several hundreds of kilometers from the vent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can disrupt machinery and lives very far away from the volcanoe Parts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flank   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dike   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resevoir   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Crater   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Base   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hazards   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Sulfur Dioxide gas creates air pollution  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that irritates skin, nose, throat, and eyes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Carbon Dioxide is so concentrated that it kills animals and humans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Acid rain that some times takes the form of Hydrochloric acid   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lahars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hot or cold mixture of water and rock fragments, often resembles a flow of concrete   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - hundreds of meters wide, tens of meters deep   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - flows at several tens of meters a second (too fast to outrun)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Landslides   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - large rocks or debris falling rapidly downhill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - if the landslide contains enough water it will transform into a Lahar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lava flows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - lava thats errupted during non explosive periods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - can travel up to 10 km / hour

“Is Reengineering and Strategy Implementation Just Another Management Fad or Does It Offer Something of Lasting Value?”

1. 0 Introduction Implementation is the challenge that comes at the end of all new (and old) methods for improving organizations. Strategic planning, architecture development, change management, total quality management, new information systems technologies, and re-engineering, are some of the concepts that are being advocated to effect a radical improvement organizational performance. Advocates of each concept, however, struggle when questioned about successful implementation (Deshpande and Parasuraman, 1986). Strategic planning literature abounds on how to develop a plan, but there is comparatively little said about how to implement a strategic plan once it is developed. Reengineering is a radical rethinking of an organization and its cross-functional, end-to-end processes (Hammer, 1993). After it’s introduction reengineering had taken corporations by storm. In a survey of over 500 chief information officers (CIOs), the average CIO is involved in 4. 4 re-engineering projects (Moad, 1993). Walmart (example 1) is seen as one of the successful executers of reengineering. Despite the excitement over reengineering, however, the rate of failure for re-engineered projects is over 50 per cent (Stewart, 1993). Hammer and Champy (1993) estimate as much as a 70 per cent failure rate. Luthfansa AG (example 2) is one such company. Such is the position that reengineering is labelled as a â€Å"management fad†. This paper looks to explore the facets of strategy implementation, reegineering that and analyze the label of â€Å"fad† is a worthy one or does the two offer a lasting value. 2. 0 Literature Review 2. The evolution of reengineering The concept of reengineering was first presented in two articles published simultaneously by Hammer (1990) and Davenport and Short (1990). Reengineering is a totally new approach with regard to the ideas and models used for improving business Hammer and Champy (1993). The reengineering approach is a result of the combination of concepts from different schools, including strategic IT systems, quality, systems thin king, industrial engineering, and technological innovation. The increasing power of ustomers, competitors and today’s constantly changing business environment, forced many organisations to recognise the need to move away from focusing on individual tasks and functions to focusing on more communicated, integrated and co-ordinated ways of work by looking at operations in terms of business processes (Davenport, 1993). 2. 2 Defining reengineering Several researchers and practitioners have defined reengineering in different ways with different emphases. The following are some of those definitions: the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer and Champy, 1993, p. 32). †¦ a methodical process that uses information technology to radically overhaul business process and thereby attain major business goals (Alter, 1990, p. 32) . The fundamental rethinking and redesign of operating processes and organisational structure, focused on the organisation’s core competencies, to achieve dramatic improvements in organisational performance (Lowenthal, 1994, p. 2). During the last decade, many authors have produced ideas regarding what reengineering really is. And thus, to conclude that there is only a single theoretical proposition underpinning reengineering remains debatable. The following table shows that there are three recognisable perspectives to reengineering as suggested by Tinnila (1995), i. e. strategic, operational and organisational perspectives. [pic] Figure 1: Summary of definition of reengineering (Khong and Richardson, 2003) Despite the differences in definitions, and terminology, the emphasis in all hese definitions and in the reengineering -related literature, is on redesigning business processes using a radical IT-enabled approach to organisational change. 2. 3 The need for reengineering Re engineering is motivated by external drivers, internal drivers, or both. External drivers are related mainly to the increased level of competition, the changes in customers’ needs, IT changes, and changes in regulations (Grover etal. , 1993). Internal drivers are mainly related to changes in both organisational strategies and structures. External drivers The increasing level of competition in the global market has emphasised the need for organisational innovation to cope with global standards of products and services. reengineering is approached as a tool to improve dramatically business performance and provide competitive position (Schnitt, 1993). First National Bank of Chicago (example 3), reengineered in order to keep up with the stiff global competition Davenport (1993a), also believe that re-engineering is driven by the never-ending needs of customers to look for better services and products. IBM Credit Corp (example 4) reengineered primarily for satisfying the customer or providing superior customer service. Owing to the unsettled changes in the global business environment, social life, technological and organisational practices, and economical situations, new rules and regulations are introduced to reflect these changes (Plowman, 1995). Yellow Freight (example 5) decided to reengineer because of external factors related to governmental or political pressure. Internal drivers Many organisational strategic and structural changes are centred on IT-enabled reengineering (Venkatraman, 1993). Parcel Service (example 6), found that they had to improve their technology in order to survive in the competitive shipping business. Changes in organisational strategy may involve some reengineering efforts to bring about the new business desires (Keen, 1991). The desire to reduce cost was one major reason that led First National Bank of Chicago (example 7) to reengineer. Changes of capability in terms of processes, methods, skills competencies, attitudes and behaviours can also be considered as internal drivers (Plowman, 1995). Arco Chemical (example 8) is one such company who reengineered to achieve dramatic company-wide improvements, increase organizational efficiencies, and reduce throughput time. Plowman (1995) views business transformation as a journey driven by a strategy that links short-term changes to capability in terms of processes, skills and style, with long-term changes to position the business among its competitors and customers. Ryder System Inc (example 9). reengineering efforts began with a rethink of its view of the market and a readjustment of the company‘s strategic focus. The following is a figure showing the result of survey (example 10) on the factors that trigger reengineering in the UK [pic] Figure 2: Factors driving reengineering (Tennant and Yi-Chieh, 2005) The following is a figure showing the result of survey (example 11) on the goal and objectives meant to be achieved through reengineering in the UK [pic] Figure 3: Goals and objectives of reengineering (Tennant and Yi-Chieh, 2005) 2. 4 What characterises reengineering Focus on business processes Reengineering focuses on the core concept of business process rather than on function, product or service. As business processes are the manner in which work gets done within an organisation, they are a distinguishing characteristic among organisations (Venkatraman, 1994), and thus a significant factor leading to competitive edge (Hinterhuber, 1995). In addition, the elimination of functional bias can only be best done by adopting process orientation to gain substantial business improvement (Andreu etal. , 1997). By focusing on core activities, Singapore Airlines (example 12) reengineered efforts are expected to help Singapore grow 8-10 er cent per year until the end of the decade. Notion of radicalness Reengineering involves radical and fundamental changes, and it evolves from the need to recognise that long-established ways emphasising on control and cost cutting are being replaced by organisational focus towards improving quality, the customer, and innovation, rather than (Hammer, 1990). Honeywell Inc (example 13) in order to keep up with the global competition reenginerined their proc ess from being focused on efficiency to being focued on quality Use of IT Hammer (1990) considers IT as a major tool and a fundamental enabler of reengineering efforts and emphasises the need to use modern IT to support for its implementation. IT reshapes and creates new effective business processes in that it has the potential to facilitate the flow of information between globally-distributed processes, and ensures the availability of instantaneous and consistent information across the business (Tapscott and Caston, 1993). Western Provident (example 14) is a company which is spotted for extensive of technology. Need for organisational change Reengineering results in change, and successful reengineering implementation requires fundamental organisational change in terms of organisational structure, culture and management processes (Davenport, 1993a). CIGNA Technology (example 15) Services went through a cultural change, from a focus on technology to one on processes and business performance. Change management is a tool used to manage such a change. 2. 5 Reengineering approaches, methodologies, techniques and tools Reengineering approaches Reengineering approaches can be viewed based on the different focuses that reengineering efforts may emphasise: IT, strategy, quality management, operations, and human resources (Edwards and Peppard, 1994a). According to Klein (1994), Reengineering is contextual and believes that having a structured approach to it is impossible. Reengineering methodologies Caterpillar (example 16) tied much of its cost saving success to its reengineering methodology (Paper and Dickinson, 1997). Its methodology is systematic as it provides a disciplined problem-solving approach and acts as a rallying point for everyone involved along the process path. Many structure-based methodologies have been proposed for reengineering implementation. However, most have common elements and view reengineering efforts as a top-down implementation project (Earl and Khan, 1994). Figure 4 summarises the major stages of eight representative reengineering methodologies. Figure 4: Reengineering methodologies [pic] (Kettinger et al. , 1997) Despite the differences among these methodologies, they all confirm that some essential components must exist, such as: †¢ strategies and goals setting; feasibility analysis of a reengineering project; †¢ process analysis and visioning; †¢ top management commitment and sponsorship; †¢ understanding of customer requirements and performance measurement; †¢ integration with TQM and benchmarking; †¢ recognition of IT capabilities; †¢ cross-functional teams and communication; †¢ prototyping and process mapping techniques; and †¢ organisational change to re-engineer management s ystems and organisation. Reengineering techniques Kettinger etal. (1997) show that at least 72 techniques are used to carry out ctivities related to reengineering projects. These techniques were almost all developed in other contexts and imported to the reengineering field. Each technique is mapped to their associated stages in the reengineering framework. and describe some as representative of each stage in the framework. [pic] Figure 5: Framework for Reengineering (Kettinger et al. , 1997) Kettinger etal. (1997) also suggest an approach of selecting techniques for a specific reengineering project. This approach, however, presumes that a customised methodology has been developed in advance. Based on the objective of their application, he identify 11 groups under which a number of techniques are identified. [pic] Figure 6: Groups of reengineering technique (Kettinger et al. , 1997) 2. 6 Strategy implementation Bartlett and Ghoshal (1987, p. 12) noted that in all the companies they studied â€Å"the issue was not a poor understanding of environmental forces or inappropriate strategic intent. Without exception, they knew what they had to do; their difficulties lay in how to achieve the necessary changes†. Supporting this, Miller (2002) reports that organizations fail to implement more than 70 percent of their new strategic initiatives. Given the significance of this area, the focus in the field of strategic management has now shifted from the formulation of strategy to its implementation (Hussey, 1998). There is no agreed-upon and dominant framework in strategy implementation. Concerning this, Alexander (1991, p. 74) has stated that: One key reason why implementation fails is that practicing executives, managers and supervisors do not have practical, yet theoretically sound, models to guide their actions during implementation. Without adequate models, they try to implement strategies without a good understanding of the multiple factors that must be addressed, often simultaneously, to make implementation work. Warid Telecom (example 17) precisely fail to their process for this reason when they started operation in Bangladesh According to Alexander (1985), the ten most frequently occurring strategy implementation problems include underestimating the time needed for implementation and major problems surfacing that had not been anticipated, in addition uncontrollable factors in the external environment had an adverse impact. Beer and Eisenstat, (2000) states that top-down/laissez-faire senior management style; unclear strategic intentions and conflicting priorities; an ineffective senior management team; poor vertical communication; weak co-ordination across functions, businesses or borders; and inadequate down-the-line leadership skills development are also important reasons for implementation failure . It is recognised that such change requires a shared vision and consensus and â€Å"failures of strategy implementation are inevitable† if competence, coordination and commitment are lacking (Eisenstat, 1993). Biman Bangladesh Airlines (example 18) has been in totters for the last decade due to its poor strategy implementation which can be credited to the above reasons. Noble (1999b, p. 132) has further noted that: There is a significant need for detailed and comprehensive conceptual models related to strategy implementation. To date, implementation research has been fairly fragmented due to a lack of clear models on which to build. There are important similarities between the previous frameworks in terms of the key factors forwarded and the assumptions made. Similarities between frameworks that previous researchers have grouped the implementation factors into a number of categories as follows: †¢ context, process and outcomes (Bryson and Bromiley, 1993); †¢ planning and design (Hrebiniak and Joyce, 1984); †¢ realizers and enablers (Miller, 1997); †¢ content, context and operation (Dawson, 1994); †¢ content, context, process and outcome (Pettigrew, 1987; Okumus, 2001); †¢ framework and process components (Skivington and Daft, 1991); †¢ context and process (Schmelzer and Olsen, 1994); †¢ contextual, system and action levers (Miller and Dess, 1996). Four areas of groupings emerge from an analysis of the above categories. Considering the role and characteristics of each implementation factor, those 11 implementation factors identified earlier can further be grouped into four categories: strategic content, strategic context, process and outcome. †¢ Strategic content includes the development of strategy. †¢ Strategic context is further divided into external and internal context. The former includes environmental uncertainty and the internal context includes organizational structure, culture and leadership. Operational process includes operational planning, resource allocation, people, communication and control. †¢ Outcome includes results of the implementation process. [pic] Figure 7: Framework for strategy implementation (Okumus, 2001) 2. 7 Factors related to implementing reengineering The following analyses the reengineering implementation process by reviewing the relevant literature on reengineering efforts. They are categorised into a number of subgroups representing various dimensions of change related to reengineering implementation. These dimensions are: Factors relating to change management systems and culture Change management, which involves all human- and social-related changes and cultural adjustment techniques needed by management to facilitate the insertion of newly-designed processes and structures into working practice and to deal effectively with resistance, is considered by many researchers to be a crucial component of any reengineering efforts (Carr, 1993). Effective communication throughout the change process at all levels and for all audiences, is considered a major key to successful reengineering -related change efforts (Davenport, 1993). Discontinues in leadership, and lack of communication contributed the reengineering failure at Teleco (Example 19) As reengineering results in decisions being pushed down to lower levels, empowerment of staff and teams to establish a culture in which staff at all levels feel more responsible and accountable and it promotes a self-management and collaborative teamwork culture is critical for successful reengineering (Mumford, 1995). Empowerment was at the heart of reengineering Honeywell (example 20) when they reengineered. Training and education in reengineering -related concept, skills, and techniques as well as interpersonal and IT skills, are an important component of successful reengineering implementation (Zairi and Sinclair, 1995). FixCo (example 21) carried out a number of workshops for training the staff about their reengineering process. Factors relating to management competence Sound management processes ensure that reengineering efforts will be implemented in the most effective manner (Bashein et al. , 1994). The most oticeable managerial practices that directly influence the success of reengineering implementation are top management support and commitment, championship and sponsorship, and effective management of risks. Organisational culture influences the organisation’s ability to adapt to change (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It helps in understanding and conforming to the new values, management processes, and the communication styles (Bruss and Roos, 1993).. Corporation ABC (example 22) needed to create an organizational culture ready to change as they had to redesign their quality systems. Commitment and leadership in the upper echelons of management are often cited as the most important factors of a successful reengineering project (Rastogi, 1994). Sufficient authority and knowledge, and proper communication with all parts in the change process, are important in dealing with organisational resistance during reengineering implementation (Hammer and Champy, 1993). Top level commitment was the key for successful implementation of reengineering in Blue Shield California (example 23) Factors relating to organisational structure As reengineering creates new processes that define jobs and responsibilities across the existing organisational functions (Davenport and Short, 1990), there is a clear need to create a new organisational structure which determines how reengineering teams are going to look, how human resources are integrated, and how the new jobs and responsibilities are going to be formalised. Mobil Oil (example 24) had a rethink of there organizational structure in their reengineering. Cross-functional reengineering teams are a critical component of successful reengineering implementation (Johansson et al. , 1993). Teams should be adequately composed (Hagel, 1993). Team members should be experienced in variety of techniques (Carr and Johansson, 1995). Teams should be made up of people from both inside and outside the organisation (Hammer and Champy, 1993). Liberty Mutual (Example 25) used cross-functional teams and loss prevention expert to implement the reengineering process Factors related to reengineering project management Successful reengineering implementation is highly dependent on an effective reengineering programme management which includes adequate strategic alignment, effective planning and project management techniques, identification of performance measures, adequate resources, appropriate use of methodology, external orientation and learning, effective use of consultants, building process vision, effective process redesign, integrating reengineering with other improvement techniques (Zairi and Sinclair, 1995), and adequate identification of the reengineering value (Guha et al. 1993). Honeywell (example 26) would be a prime example in their execution of redesigning their quality measures. As corporate strategy determines objectives and guidance on how organisational capabilities can be best utilised to gain competitive position, reengineering strategy (Hammer, 1990). Therefore, a consideration of the strategic context of growth and expansion (Bashein et al. 1994), creating a top-level strateg y to guide change (Carr, 1993), and careful alignment of corporate strategy with reengineering strategy (Jackson, 1997) are crucial to the success of reengineering efforts. Mitsibushi Electric Corp (example 27) took immense heed in this factor. Factors related to IT infrastructure Factors related to IT infrastructure have been increasingly considered by many researchers and practitioners as a vital component of successful reengineering efforts (Brancheau et al. 1996). Effective alignment of IT infrastructure and reengineering strategy, building an effective IT infrastructure, adequate IT infrastructure investment decision, adequate measurement of IT infrastructure effectiveness, proper IS integration, effective re-engineering of legacy IS, increasing IT function competency, and effective use of software tools are the most important factors that contribute to the success of reengineering projects. Connecticut Mutual Life (example 28), reengineered their complete IT infrastructure in order to increase productivity. Figure 8: Factors related to the implementation of reengineering (Al-Mashari and Mohamed, 1999) 2. 8 Definition of fad Management fads are defined as â€Å"managerial interventions which appear to be innovative, rational, and functional and are aimed at encouraging better organizational performance. † 2. 9 Characteristics of fads Cost/benefit analysis: One moderator of fad evolution is the cost/benefit of the intervention, although these two variables may significantly differ depending upon whether the organization adopts a short-term or a long-term perspective (Laverty, 1996) as with a long-term perspective may be more likely to sustain and give a fad sufficient time to reap positive benefits, propelling it to trend or collective wisdom status. But short-term gains should also be evident to encourage the resilience needed for long-term rewards to be realized (Chaudron, 1996). Degree of difficulty in implementation: Differences between expected ease of implementation and actual ease of implementation will contribute to an organization’s desire to persist in the courses of action required by the fad. If a fad’s implementation process is no more difficult than expected, it is more likely to evolve into a trend. Effectiveness of the fad: Effectiveness is measured in terms of realized improvement in operational performance. Following adoption of a fad, firms may find themselves â€Å"incapable†, â€Å"effective†, â€Å"efficient†, â€Å"best-in-class†, or â€Å"world class†. Fads which assist organizations in moving upward on this continuum will likely become institutionalized and mature into a trend or collective wisdom. 2. 10 Life cycle of a fad A significant predictor of whether firms will likely adopt fads is the stage at which the intervention is located in the life-cycle of fads. Fads typically progress through an established life-cycle (Ettorre, 1997), although the length of time required for progression to each of these stages varies (Crainer, 1996). offers significant benefits, in terms of both number and strength; †¢ is adaptable to the specific needs of an organization; †¢ addresses the underlying cause of a problem rather than a symptom; †¢ fits with other common interventions and programs in place (for example 29, TQM and MBO programs are antithetical in that their basic tenets are contradictory); and †¢ is supported by key users and proponents, as well as by objective assessments of effectiveness 3. 0 Strategy implementa tion and reengineering in practice The case of Honeywell’s TotalPlantTM paradigm† 3. 1 TotalPlantTM at Honeywell The Honeywell industrial automation and control (IAC) plant designs world-class systems that enable process-control capability. In 1999, senior management decided to implement a solid ISO 9000-certified quality program in order to unify business and control information to enable global customer satisfaction. This program was named TotalPlantTM. Four critical principles The TotalPlantTM paradigm is based on four critical principles of success: (1) Process mapping. Process mapping is crucial for employees to see the â€Å"big picture† as opposed to focusing solely on their role within the procedure. It also creates a common language for dealing with changes to business processes. (2) Fail-safing. While process mapping diagrams the entire flow of a business process, fail-safing is done to diagnose a defect within the process. (3) Teamwork. Teamwork does not occur naturally. Honeywell encouraged teaming through special workshops, by creating a manufacturing vision that fostered teamwork and by endorsing cross-training. 4) Effective communication skills. Communication of the TotalPlantTM vision is paramount to success. Honeywell provided conflict resolution training to teams to help them deal with conflict in a positive way. (Paper et. al, 2001) 3. 2 Application of literature Honeywell learned a number of lessons as a result of their TotalPlantTM program, all of which have implications for any future initiatives. They discovered that: †¢ people are the key enablers of change; †¢ you must question everything; †¢ people need a systematic methodology to map processes; †¢ creating eam ownership and a culture of dissatisfaction ensures more employee involvement; †¢ management attitude and behavior can squash projects; †¢ bottom-up or empowered implementation is most effective; †¢ reengineering must be business-driven and continuous; †¢ setting stretch goals can facilitate greater employee effort; †¢ implementation is the real difference between success and failure. Change is a fundamental aspect of reengineering. Top management needs to communicate to its people why the change is necessary and how it will impact everyone’s current job and future with the company. Sufficient time and resources is dedicated to ensuring that the organization as a whole understood, wanted and supported change. 4. 0 Conclusion and recommendation Implying the term â€Å"fad† with reengineering is apparently a disputable issue. If taken into context of the definition and characteristics a fad has, reengineering does hold a number of features that creates an aura which surrounds a fad. Its pledge of being strategy which improves performance by improving productivity and efficiency and its disguised nature of the ease of implementation does engender staggering semblance to that of a fad. Moreover, there are issues where reengineering would probably fall short when it comes to its exploitation as a trend. Reengineering normally wouldn’t fit into an organization culture, in contrary the management is forced to create new culture where in order to adopt reengineering. Conversely, reengineering does also contain features that are a requisite for being a trend or wisdom. If implemented aptly, reengineering does provide significant benefits that simply can’t be ignored. Its association with improvement in efficiency, productivity, and quality of product or service, is an asset that any company would desire to attain. Furthermore, reengineering does address the underlying cause of the problem and with the support and commitment of top management in its implementation process it can provide a lasting value to a business. Hallmarks, Hewlett-Packard (example 30) are to name a couple of companies who have benefited from reengineering. What really made the difference is proper implementation. As far as strategy implementation, then it has to be said that without strategy implementation a company wouldn’t be moving forward. What is pivotal is a framework that allows proper execution. Unilever Bangladesh (example 31) would be a ideal illustration of successful strategy implementation as for almost half a decade in an unstable economy where constant changes are required. Bibliography 1. Ackere, A. , Larsen, E. , Morecroft, J. (1993), â€Å"Systems thinking and business process redesign: an application to the beer game†, European Management Journal, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 412-23 2. Alter, A. (1990), â€Å"The corporate make-over†, CIO, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 32-42. 3. Al-Mashari, Majed and Zairi, Mohamed (1999). BPR implementation process: an analysis of key success and failure factors†, Business Process Management Journal; Volume: 5 Issue: 1. 4. Andreu, R. , Ricart, J. , Valor, J. (1997), â€Å"Process innovation: changing boxes or revolutionizing organizations? â€Å", Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 114-25. 5. Arendt, C. , Landis, R. , Meister, T. (1995), â€Å"The human side of change – part 4†, IIE Solutions, pp. 2 2-7. 6. Alexander, L. D. (1985), â€Å"Successfully implementing strategic decisions†, Long Range Planning, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 91-7 7. Alexander, L. D. 1991), â€Å"Strategy implementation: nature of the problem†, in Hussey, D. (Eds),International Review of Strategic Management, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester/New York, NY, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 73-96. 8. Bartlett, C. A. , Ghoshal, S. (1987), â€Å"Managing across borders: new strategic requirements†, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 7-17. 9. Barrett, J. (1994), â€Å"Process visulization: getting the vision right is key†, Information Systems Management, pp. 14-23. 10. Bashein, B. , Markus, M. , Riley, P. (1994), â€Å"Precondition for BPR success and how to prevent failures†, Information Systems Management, pp. 7-13.. 11. Bhattacharya, A. , Gibbons, A. (1996), â€Å"Strategy formulation: focusing on core competencies and processes†, Business Change & Re-engineering, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 47-55. 12. Bruss, L. , Roos, H. (1993), â€Å"Operations, readiness and culture: don’t reengineer without considering them†, Inform, pp. 57-64 13. Bryson, J. , Bromiley, P. (1993), â€Å"Critical factors affecting the planning and implementation of major projects†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 319-37. 14. Carr, D. , Johansson (1995), Best Practices in Re-engineering: What Works and What Doesn’t in the Re-engineering Process, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 15. Chaudron, D. (1996), â€Å"The battle of buzzwords†, HRFocus, pp. 13-14. 16. Chu, W. , Lin, W. , Le, V. , Weicher, M. , Yu, D. (1996), â€Å"Business process re-engineering analysis and recommendations†, Business Researcher’s Interests (BRINT), BPR Papers, [http://www. netlib. com/bpr1. htm#isit] 17. Crainer, S. (1996), â€Å"The rise of guru skepticism†, Management Today, pp. 48-53. 18. Davenport, T. (1993), Process Innovation: Re-engineering Work through Information Technology, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA 19. Davenport, T. (1993), â€Å"Need radical innovation and continuous improvement? Integrated process re-engineering and TQM†, Planning Review, pp. 6-12 20. Davenport, T. (1994), â€Å"The business change and re-engineering interview†, Business Change & Re-engineering, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 2-6 21. Davenport, T. (1995), â€Å"Business process reengineeering: where it’s been, where it’s going†, in Grover, V, Kettinger, W. (Eds),Business Process Change: Re-engineering Concepts, Methods and Technologies, Idea Group Publishing, London, pp. 1-13 22. Davenport, T. , Short, J. (1990), â€Å"The new industrial engineering: information technology and business process redesign†, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 11-27 23. Dawson, P. (1994), Organizational Change, A Processual Approach, Sage Publications, London 24. Deshpande, R. , Parasuraman, A. (1986), â€Å"Linking Corporate Culture to Strategic Planning†, Business Horizons, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 28-37 25. Dickinson, B. (1997), â€Å"Knowing that the project clothes have no emperor†, Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 261-7 26. Earl, M. , Khan, B. (1994), â€Å"How new is business process redesign? â€Å", European Management Journal, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 20-30.. 27. Edwards, C. , Peppard, J. (1994), â€Å"Business process redesign: hype, ope or hypocrisy? â€Å", Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 9 pp. 251-66 28. Edwards, C. , Peppard, J. (1994), â€Å"Forging a link between business strategy and business re-engineering†, European Management Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 407 16 29. Ettorre, B. (1997), â€Å"What’s the next business buzzword? â€Å", Management Review, pp. 33-5 30. Grover, V. , Teng, J. , Fiedler, K. (1993), â€Å"Information technology enabled business process redesign: an integrated planning framework†, Omega: The International Journal of Management Science, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 433-47. 31. Guha, S. , Kettinger, W. , Teng, T. 1993), â€Å"Business process re-engineering: building a comprehensive methodology†, Information Systems Management, pp. 13-22 32. Hagel, J. (1993), â€Å"Core process redesign: keeping CPR on track†, The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 1, pp. 59-72 33. Hall, J. , Rosenthal, J. , Wade, J. (1993), â€Å"How to make re-engineering really work†, Harvard Business Review, pp. 119-31. 34. Hammer, M. (1990), â€Å"Re-engineering work: Don’t automate, obliterate†, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 68 No. 4, pp. 104-12. 35. Hammer, M. , Champy, J. (1993), Re-engineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, Harper Business, New York, NY 36. Hammer, M. (1993), â€Å"Re-engineering†, Retail Business Review, Vol. 61 No. 3, pp. 10-19. 37. Hammer, M. , Stanton, S. (1995), The Re-engineering Revolution, Harper Collins, New York, NY 38. Harrington, H. (1991), Business Process Improvement, McGraw-Hill, London 39. Harrison, D. , Pratt, M. (1993), â€Å"A methodology for re-engineering businesses†, Planning Review, pp. 6-11 40. Harvey, D. (1995), Re-engineering: The Critical Success Factors, Management Today/Business Intelligence, London 41. Hinterhuber, H. (1995), â€Å"Business process management: the European approach†, Business Change & Re-engineering, Vol. No. 4, pp. 63-73 42. Hrebiniak, L. , Joyce, W. (1984), Implementing Strategy, Macmillan, New York, NY, . 43. Hussey, D. (1998), â€Å"Strategic management: past experiences and future directions†, in Hussey, D. (Eds),The Strategic Decision Challenge, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester/New York, NY, pp. 1-28 44. Jackson, N. (1997)), â€Å"Business pr ocess re-engineering ’96†, Management Services, pp. 34-6 45. Johansson, H. , McHugh, P. , Pendlebury, J. , Wheeler, W. (1993), Business Process Re-engineering: Break Point Strategies for Market Dominance, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester 46. Laverty, K. J. (1996), â€Å"Economic ‘short-termism’: the debate, the unresolved issues, and the implications for management practice and research†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 825-60. 47. Khong, Kok Wei and Richardson, Stanley (2003). â€Å"Business peocess reengineering in Malaysian banks and finance companies. † Managing Service Quality. Volume. 13, Number. 1, pp. 54 – 71. 48. Keen, P. (1991), Shaping the Future: Business Design through Information Technology, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. 49. Kettinger, W. , Teng, J. , Guha, S. 1997), â€Å"Business process change: a study of methodologies, techniques, and tools†, MIS Quarterly, pp. 55-80. 50. Klein, M. (1994), â€Å"Re-engineering methodologies and tools: a prescription for enhancing success†, Information Systems Management, pp. 30-5 51. Letscher, M. G. (1994), â€Å"How to tell fads from trends†, American Demographics, Vol. 16 No. 12, pp. 38-45 52. Miller, A. , Dess, G. (1996), Strategic Management, International ed. , McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 53. Miller, D. (2002), â€Å"Successful change leaders: what makes them? What do they do that is different? â€Å", Journal of Change Management, Vol. No. 4, pp. 359-68 54. Moad, J. (1993), â€Å"Does Re-engineering Really Work? â€Å", Datamation, Vol. 39 No. 15, pp. 22-8. 55. Mumford, E. (1995), â€Å"Creative chaos or constructive change: business process re-engineering versus socio-technical design†, in Burke, G. , Peppard, J. (Eds),Examining Business Process Re-engineering: Current Perspectives and Research Directions, Kogan Page, New York, NY, pp. 192-216.. 56. Okumus, F. (2001), â€Å"Towards a strategy implementation framework†, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 13 No. 7, pp. 327-38 57. Paper, David J. , Rodger, James A. and Pendharkar, Parag C. (2001). â€Å"A BPR case study at Honeywell† Business Process Mana gement Journal. Volume: 7 Number: 2, pp: 85-99. 58. Pettigrew, A. M. (1987), â€Å"Context and action in the transformation of the firm†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 649-70. 59. Plowman, B. (1995), â€Å"Corporate transformation means re-engineering plus†, The Strategic Planning Society NEWS, pp. 8-10. 60. Rastogi, P (1994), â€Å"Nature, significance and rationale of business process reengineering†, Productivity, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 467-76 61. Schnitt, D. (1993), â€Å"Re-engineering the organisation using information echnology†, Journal of Systems Management, pp. 14-20, 41-2 62. Schmelzer, C. , Olsen, M. (1994), â€Å"A data-based strategy-implementing framework for companies in the restaurant industry†, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 347-59 63. Stewart, T. A. (1993), â€Å"Reengineering: The Hot New Managing Tool†, Fortune, Vol. 128 No. 4, pp. 32-7. 64. Skivington, E. J. , Daft, L. R. (1991), â€Å"A study of organizational framework and process modalities for the implementation of business level strategic decisions†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 45-68 65. Tennant, Charles and Wu, Yi-Chieh (2005), â€Å"RESEARCH AND CONCEPTS :The application of business process reengineering in the UK†. The TQM Magazine. Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 537-545 66. Venkatraman, N. (1993), â€Å"IT-induced business reconfiguration†, in Scott-Morton, M. (Eds),The Corporation of the 1990s: Information Technology and Organisational Transformation, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, pp. 122-58. 67. Venkatraman, N. (1994), â€Å"IT-enabled business transformation: from automation to business scope redefinition†, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 73-87. 68. Wendel, C. B. , Svensson, E. (1995), Business Buzzwords, Amacom, New York, NY. , . 69. Zairi, M. (1992), Competitive Benchmarking: An Executive Guide, Technical Communications (Publi shing), 70. Zairi, M. , â€Å"1995†, Business Process Re-engineering & Management Journal, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 3-9. 71. Zairi, M. , Sinclair, D. (1995), â€Å"Business process re-engineering and process management: a survey of current practice and future trends in integrated management†, Management Decision, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 3-16.

Free Essays on The Little Black Bloy, By William Blake

Experience through Innocence in â€Å"The Little Black Boy† William Blake’s â€Å"A Little Black Boy† was written at a time in English history when the slave trade was important to the countries economic strengths and anti-slavery sentiment was growing. The poem expresses innocence lost and the impact of life’s experience on a young black boy. The poem begins with the black boy lamenting the fact that he sees himself as being without light and sees the white boy as an angel. The black boy questions his mother as to why his skin is not white. Her reply in a form of protection transforms the black boy’s thoughts and he begins to see himself as being superior to the white boy. This is in direct contrast with the image of the white English child. The poem continues with the child’s mother assuring the child that he falls under God’s light as all God’s creatures do. Due to slavery the little black boy notices a difference in skin tone. He doesn’t see whites and blacks as equals; he knows that there is clearly an inequality among the races. In the first stanza, the difference is shown were the white boy is thought to be an angel. He is white because he is pure. On the other hand, the black boy sees himself as being mourned of light. The fact that he recognizes that he is different detracts from his innocence and weaves in the way life impacts his perception of himself. The black boy then questions his mother as to why his skin is different. In the mother’s teaching she is trying to protect the little black boy. In doing this she says that his black skin is a form of protection. And that he will shade the white boy as a cloud from the sun. The sun being an image of God is good and provides heat, light, and comfort allowing things to grow but also at the same time the sun can burn you. The mother also tells the black boy that his skin color also shows that he is closer to God because God chose him to bear ... Free Essays on The Little Black Bloy, By William Blake Free Essays on The Little Black Bloy, By William Blake Experience through Innocence in â€Å"The Little Black Boy† William Blake’s â€Å"A Little Black Boy† was written at a time in English history when the slave trade was important to the countries economic strengths and anti-slavery sentiment was growing. The poem expresses innocence lost and the impact of life’s experience on a young black boy. The poem begins with the black boy lamenting the fact that he sees himself as being without light and sees the white boy as an angel. The black boy questions his mother as to why his skin is not white. Her reply in a form of protection transforms the black boy’s thoughts and he begins to see himself as being superior to the white boy. This is in direct contrast with the image of the white English child. The poem continues with the child’s mother assuring the child that he falls under God’s light as all God’s creatures do. Due to slavery the little black boy notices a difference in skin tone. He doesn’t see whites and blacks as equals; he knows that there is clearly an inequality among the races. In the first stanza, the difference is shown were the white boy is thought to be an angel. He is white because he is pure. On the other hand, the black boy sees himself as being mourned of light. The fact that he recognizes that he is different detracts from his innocence and weaves in the way life impacts his perception of himself. The black boy then questions his mother as to why his skin is different. In the mother’s teaching she is trying to protect the little black boy. In doing this she says that his black skin is a form of protection. And that he will shade the white boy as a cloud from the sun. The sun being an image of God is good and provides heat, light, and comfort allowing things to grow but also at the same time the sun can burn you. The mother also tells the black boy that his skin color also shows that he is closer to God because God chose him to bear ...

SocialBookShelves.com Offers Literary Reviews Based on Page Count

SocialBookShelves.com Offers Literary Reviews Based on Page Count When published author and freelance writer Dane Cobain of High Wycombe, UK, decided to start a book blog, he wanted to take an approach that was unique (and maybe a bit time saving). Since then, his book blog SocialBookshelves.com, has become an award-winning site ranked #3 in Vuelios Top Ten Literature blogs in the UK, and his different approach is writing book reviews that have the same number of words as pages in the reviewed book. For example, if a book has 300 pages, it would be reviewed on SocialBookShelves.com with 300 words.History of the siteCobain founded SocialBookshelves.com in April 2013 and officially launched the site on May 1st of that same year. Through the site, he met the former VP of Community Management at Booktrope Publishing and on June 11, 2015, released his first novella, No Rest for the Wicked with Booktropes Forsaken imprint.Since that time, SocialBookshelves.com has published over 1,000 book reviews and interviewed dozens of authors, providing readers a us eful resource full of well-written reviews. As a labour of love, the website reflects its owners own personal reading list and now has a number of reviews organized by authors last name and genre.Navigating the siteThe home page of SocialBookshelves.com shows the most recent blog post or review left by Cobain. Since the most recent book he reviewed was Three Japanese Short Stories by Akutagawa and others (containing 58 pages), the review was a brief 58 words, which to some, could be too little information.In the right-hand menu bar, there are navigable links organized as follows:Authors A-E (By Surname) (374)Authors F-J (By Surname) (289)Authors K-O (By Surname) (249)Authors P-T (By Surname) (329)Authors U-Z (By Surname) (106)Fiction (776)Magazine (3)Non-Fiction (363)Poetry (145)As you can see from the numbers to the side, the website contains over a thousand book reviews, searchable by the authors last name and the works genre. Below the main menu, there are links to the Cobains ow n books, along with reviews from Goodreads. Finally, youll find icons of various awards that SocialBookshelves.com or Cobain has won.Since one of my favorite contemporary writers is Gillian Flynn, I clicked on the Authors F-J (By Surname) (289) link to see if the site had any reviews of her books. The first review that showed on the screen was one for Flynns Sharp Objects, a book that I hadnt enjoyed nearly as much as her bestseller Gone Girl. Since Cobain had both of these books reviewed on his site, I read both and (for the most part) agreed with his take on both novels. I was particularly impressed to read his disappointment with the end of the novel, stating that it was unbelievable and could have ended better. Most reviewers praise that ending for its gotcha! effectiveness and let the suspension of disbelief take over.Review policyAny author or author representative who wishes to submit a book for review to SocialBookshelves.com should note that the website only accepts paperba ck or hardback books for submission. This means that no e-books or Kindle versions will be considered, and the website notes that no books will be returned to the sender after submission.Cobain also suggests that if anyone wishes to submit a book for his review, they should look on his Goodreads page to consider his overall tastes in reading. If he chooses to review the book, the review will be cross-posted across his author pages on Goodreads and Amazon, along with a link to purchase the book. He suggests to consider his in-house style when submitting shorter works or novellas, and note that an 80-page book will have an 80-word review.Additionally, while most reviews are written within 2-3 weeks of receipt of a book, it can take longer in some instances. Cobain also notes that reviews are his honest opinion based on his preferences in literature and writing, so if he rates it negatively, it isnt something he will change. He mentions several authors attempting to contact him to conv ince him to change his rating but he insists on maintaining the integrity of the reviews for his readers and fans.So why the page count/word count connection?Cobain states that the reason he decided to create a unique connection between page count of the book and word count of the review is because he wanted to challenge himself in writing, succinct reviews. In doing so, he saves time (since running the website is not his fulltime job) and offers readers a different approach to reviewing books- hopefully one that keeps his readers coming back for more.How to contact the siteIf youd like more information about the site and wish to contact the administrator of SocialBookshelves.com, you can email danecobain@hotmail.com. If youre interested in sending in a book for a potential review, send a brief synopsis of and links (if available) containing further information about it.Final takeawayI found the content of SocialBookshelves.com to contain well written, thoughtful reviews of a variet y of books across a wide range of topics and genres. I liked the fact that the reviews tended to be concise, without a lot of fluff.

Westernization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Westernization - Essay Example The internet facilitates sharing resources and has brought about excellent technology that have brought about an immense change in the entire way that different societies live. All countries in the world are faced with an immense number of challenges, and with the advent of the internet they are all able to face their problems because all individuals strive for a better tomorrow which can be brought about with the help of the internet since it helps a great deal in helping people carry out most of their activities. Westernization is the process by which a person, group of individuals or a country is able to advance its thought process in various fields and matters, and try and bring about growth and progression within its economy. In the recent past, all this has been easier with the help of the internet. However, there still are a large number of underdeveloped and third world countries which do not fall under the category of westernized nations. The internet however has brought abo ut a vast number of changes in such areas too as is discussed within the scope of this paper. (Bruce, Richard) A number of western nations had first adopted the use of the internet into their daily framework, however, today, this has spread apart and become a global phenomenon and is helping more and more developing and third world countries to grow and nurture themselves into becoming ready for a powerful future. There are a number of different aspects that every country needs to look into the matters of; they range from culture and politics to business and science and technology. These form the main outlook of what every country needs in order to be at par with each other and the internet has helped in bringing these aspects closer and has made them stronger as well. Internet has been a huge revelation for non-westernised countries to promote their culture. Intermingling of these aspects has been tremendous. Internet has been influential on bringing non westernized countries toget her. It has been a great medium of communication and marketing. Let us take two non-westernized countries for reference. The countries chosen are India and China. Indian culture has been heavily influenced by the coming of the Internet in the country. More and more people are getting glued to the internet every day, and it’s a growing phenomenon in the country. The rock culture has come up leaps and bounds in the country after the evolution of the internet. This has culminated into a faster way of communication between the audience and the bands themselves, thus helping them serve their crowd in a better way. As far as the diversity in the country is concerned, it is pertinent to note that people from different parts of the country have intermingled with each other through the means of internet, which has thus promoted unity in the country on the aspect of cultural diversity. Islam and Hinduism are the two most important religions in the country. Internet has allowed people f rom different religions to learn something new about the other religion in a very effective manner. It is such a huge portal of information that knowledge is never limited. Even though in India politics is fought outside on the roads, it is of no surprise that Internet has made a foray into this stream as well. The number of educated people in India has increased, and this has amounted to more people having the understanding to use the technology. Not only this, but the per capita income in India also increased and which has thus allowed more and more people gaining access to internet, apart from the fact that the expense of obtaining and maintaining the connection has reduced. The Government is aware of such developments happening in the country and has therefore

The Bush Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Bush Foreign Policy - Essay Example Diplomacy may be given a goal of reaching an agreement with a nation that will not agree to the terms set forth by our policy. This is the position that America finds itself in today. The Bush administration has drawn some very clear lines against some very real enemies. Diplomacy has been ineffective due to the conflicting nature of negotiation and the Bush administration's policy of standing pat in a rapidly changing world. Bush's foreign policy has been based on, and in response to, the events of 9/11. That terrorist action changed the way America viewed the rest of the world as well as its own vulnerabilities. It required a reshaping of policy to fulfill the requirement that foreign policy has of keeping the population safe and secure. It called for a swift and immediate overhaul of government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to minimize the possibility of future attacks. It called for a rapid response against the perpetrators to assure the public that everything was being done that could. These first few steps, however admirable, were more designed for national public politics than affecting foreign policy. In the ensuing months, almost every foreign policy decision made has been to support the war on terrorism or to promote the policy on an internal political basis. In the September 17In the September 17, 2002 National Security Strategy paper George Bush stated that the United States would, "... exercise our right of self-defense by acting preemptively against such terrorists, to prevent them from doing harm against our people and our country; and denying further sponsorship, support, and sanctuary to terrorists by convincing or compelling states to accept their sovereign responsibilities" (Bush, 2). This declaration, initiated in a Strategic Planning Paper authored by Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz 10 years earlier, signaled a dramatic shift in policy. The policy had shifted from national defense to national offense. It authorized the pre-emptive attack on any nation that may be harboring terrorists or aiding them in any fashion. Though the motivation may have been honorable, the strategy was at best untenable in today's world of elusive terrorists that are able to cross borders and manage funds by concealed accounts. He closed the document by saying, "Today, the distinction between domestic and foreign affairs is diminishing. The characteristics we most cherish-our freedom, our cities, our systems of movement, and modern life-are vulnerable to terrorism" (Bush, 5). Clearly he was crafting a policy that called for war on anyone, anywhere, that threatened his perception of our modern way of life. Much of his foreign policy has been geared toward the enemies that threaten to end the American way of life. He has promoted and advocated for liberalized trade around the globe in an effort to de-politicize the economic systems of the world. He has pushed for free markets and privatization as a means to place democracy in the market place. At stake is our American concept of freedom and the right to human dignity for all men.