The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 17

Tiffany's Head Floating over the Waves When Ronnie picks me up in his minivan – which has three rows of seats – Tiffany is already buckled in next to Emily's car seat, so I climb into the very back, carrying the football and the bag my mother packed me, which contains a towel, a change of clothes, and a bagged lunch, even though I told Mom that Ronnie was bringing hoagies from the local deli. Of course my mother feels the need to stand on the front porch and wave, as if I were five years old. Veronica, who is riding in the front passenger's seat, leans over Ronnie and yells to my mother. â€Å"Thanks for the wine and flowers!† My mother takes this as an invitation to walk to the minivan and have a conversation. â€Å"How do you like the outfit I bought for Pat?† my mom says when she reaches Ronnie's window. She ducks down and takes a long look at Tiffany, but Tiffany has already turned her head away from my mother and is looking out the window at the house across the street. The outfit I am wearing is ridiculous: a bright orange polo shirt, bright green swimming shorts, and flip-flops. I did not want to wear any of this, but I knew Veronica was likely to make a fuss if I wore one of my cutoff T-shirts and a pair of workout shorts. Since Veronica and my mother have pretty much the same taste, I allowed my mother to dress me – plus, it makes Mom really happy. â€Å"He looks great, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says, and Ronnie nods in agreement. â€Å"Hello, Tiffany,† my mother says, sticking her head into the car a little more, but Tiffany ignores her. â€Å"Tiffany?† Veronica says, but Tiffany continues to stare out the window. â€Å"Have you met Emily yet?† Ronnie asks, and then he is out of the car and Emily is unbuckled from her car seat and placed in my mother's arms. Mom's voice gets all funny as she talks to Emily, and standing next to Mom, Veronica and Ronnie are all smiles. This goes on for a few minutes, until Tiffany turns her head and says, â€Å"I thought we were going to the beach today.† â€Å"Sorry, Mrs. Peoples,† Veronica says. â€Å"My sister can be a little blunt sometimes, but we probably should get going so we can have lunch on the beach.† My mother quickly nods and says, â€Å"Have a good time, Pat,† as Ronnie buckles Emily back into her car seat. Again I feel like I am five. On the way to the shore, Ronnie and Veronica talk to Tiffany and me the same way they talk to Emily – as if they are not really expecting a response, saying things that really don't need to be said at all. â€Å"Can't wait to get on the beach.† â€Å"We're going to have such a good time.† â€Å"What should we do first – swim, walk the beach, or throw the football?† â€Å"Such a nice day.† â€Å"Are you guys having fun?† â€Å"Can't wait to eat those hoagies!† After twenty minutes of non-talk, Tiffany says, â€Å"Can we please have some quiet time?† and we ride the rest of the way listening to the yelling noises Emily makes – what her parents claim is singing. We drive through Ocean City and over a bridge to a beach I do not know. â€Å"Little less crowded down here,† Ronnie explains. When we park, Emily is put into what looks like a cross between a stroller and a 4Ãâ€"4 vehicle, which Veronica pushes. Tiffany carries the umbrella. Ronnie and I carry the cooler, each of us grabbing a handle. We take a wooden walkway over a sand dune covered with sea oats and find that we have the beach all to ourselves. Not another person anywhere to be seen. After a brief discussion about whether the tide is coming in or out, Veronica picks a dry patch and tries to spread out the blanket while Ronnie begins digging the umbrella spike into the sand. But there is a breeze, and Veronica has some trouble, as the wind keeps folding the blanket over. If it were anyone but Veronica, I would grab a corner and help, but I do not want to get yelled at, so I wait for instructions before I do anything. Tiffany does the same, but Veronica fails to ask for help. Maybe some sand gets kicked up or something, because Emily starts screaming and rubbing her eyes. â€Å"Nice,† Tiffany says. Veronica immediately attends to Emily, telling her to blink, demonstrating what to do, but Emily only screams even louder. â€Å"I can't take a crying baby right now,† Tiffany adds. â€Å"Make her stop crying. Veronica, would you please make her – â€Å" â€Å"Remember what Dr. Lily said? What did we talk about this morning?† Veronica says over her shoulder, shooting Tiffany a serious look before turning her attention back to Emily. â€Å"So now we're talking about my therapist in front of Pat? You fucking bitch,† Tiffany says, shaking her head, and then she is walking away from us quickly. â€Å"Christ,† Veronica says. â€Å"Ronnie, can you handle Emily?† Ronnie nods solemnly, and then Veronica is running after Tiffany, saying, â€Å"Tiff? Come back. Come on. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.† Ronnie flushes Emily's eyes with bottled water, and after ten minutes or so, she stops crying. We get the blanket spread out under the shade of the umbrella, weighting the corners down with the cooler, our flip-flops and sandals, and Emily's super stroller – but Veronica and Tiffany do not come back. After every inch of Emily's skin is coated with sunscreen, Ronnie and I play with her down at the water's edge. She likes running after the waves as they recede. She likes digging in the sand, and we have to watch to make sure she does not eat the sand, which seems weird to me, because why would anyone want to eat sand? Ronnie carries Emily out into the ocean, and we all float over the waves for a time. I ask if we should be worried about Veronica and Tiffany, and Ronnie says, â€Å"No. They're just having a therapy session somewhere on the beach. They'll be back soon.† I don't like the way he emphasizes the word â€Å"therapy,† as if therapy were some sort of ridiculous idea, but I don't say anything. After we dry off, we all lie down on the blanket – Ronnie and Emily in the shade, and me in the sun. I doze off pretty quickly. When I open my eyes, Ronnie's face is next to mine; he's sleeping. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and when I roll over, I see that Emily has walked around the blanket. She smiles at me and says, â€Å"Pap.† â€Å"Let Daddy sleep,† I whisper, and then pick her up and carry her down to the water. For a while we sit and dig a small hole in the wet sand with our hands, but then Emily stands and chases the foam of a receding wave, laughing and pointing. â€Å"Want to go swimming?† I ask her, and she nods once, so I scoop her up into my arms and begin to wade out into the water. The surf has picked up some and the waves have a lot more height, so I quickly walk past the breakers to where the water is up to my chest. Emily and I begin to float over the swells. As the waves grow in size, I have to jump and kick really hard to keep both of our heads above water, but Emily loves it and begins squealing and laughing and clapping her hands every time we float up. This goes on for a good ten minutes, and I am so happy; I kiss her chubby cheeks over and over. Something about Emily makes me want to float over waves with her for the rest of my life, and I decide that when apart time is done, I will make a daughter with Nikki ASAP, because nothing has made me even close to this happy since apart time began. The swells get even bigger. I lift Emily up and put her on my shoulders so she will not have her face splashed by the waves, and her squeals seem to suggest that she likes being so high in the air. We float up. We float down. We are so happy. We are so, so happy. But then I hear someone screaming. â€Å"Pat! Pat! Paaaaaaat!† I turn and see that Veronica is running very quickly down the beach, with Tiffany trailing far behind. I worry that maybe something is wrong, so I start to make my way in. The waves are pretty big now, and I have to take Emily down from my shoulders and hold her against my chest to ensure her safety, but soon we are able to negotiate our way back to Veronica, who is now running into the surf. When I get closer, Veronica seems to be very upset. Emily starts to scream and reach for her mother. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† Veronica says to me when I hand Emily over to her. â€Å"I'm just swimming with Emily,† I say. Veronica's screaming must have woken up Ronnie, because he has run down to meet us. â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"You let Pat take Emily out into the ocean?† Veronica says, and by the way she says my name, it's obvious she does not want Emily to be left alone with me, because she thinks I am going to hurt Emily somehow, which is unfair – especially since Emily only started crying when she heard Veronica screaming, so really Veronica was the one who upset her own daughter. â€Å"What did you do to her?† Ronnie says to me. â€Å"Nothing,† I say. â€Å"We were only swimming.† â€Å"What were you doing?† Veronica says to Ronnie. â€Å"I must of fallen asleep, and – â€Å" â€Å"Jesus Christ, Ronnie. You left Emily alone with him?† The way Veronica says â€Å"him,† Emily crying, Ronnie accusing me of doing something awful to his daughter, the sun burning my bare chest and back, Tiffany watching now – suddenly I feel as though I might explode. I definitely feel an episode coming on, so before I blow up, I do the only thing I can think of: I start running down the beach away from Veronica and Ronnie and Emily and the crying and the accusations. I run as fast as I can, and suddenly I realize that now I am crying, probably because I was only swimming with Emily and it felt so right and I was trying to be good and thought I was being good and I let my best friend down and Veronica screamed at me and it's not fair because I have been trying so hard and how long can this fucking movie last and how much more do I need to improve myself and – Tiffany passes me. She runs by me like a blur. Suddenly, only one thing matters: I need to pass her. I start running faster and catch up to her, but she picks up her speed and we run side by side for a time until I find that gear women do not have, and I blow by her and maintain my man speed for a minute or so before I slow down and allow her to catch up with me. We jog side by side on the beach for a long time, neither of us saying a word. What feels like an hour passes before we turn around, and what feels like another hour passes before we see Ronnie and Veronica's umbrella, but before we reach them, Tiffany veers into the ocean. I follow her – running directly into the waves – and the salt water feels so cool on my skin after a long run. Soon we are in too deep to stand, and Tiffany's head is floating over the waves, which have calmed down considerably. Her face is a little tan and her hair hangs dark and wet and natural and I see freckles on her nose that were not there earlier that morning – so I swim over to her. A wave lifts me up, and when I come down over the other side, I am surprised that our faces are very close. For a second Tiffany reminds me so much of Nikki, I worry we might accidentally kiss, but Tiffany swims a few feet away from me before this happens, and I am thankful. Her toes come up out of the water, and she begins to float, facing the horizon. I lean back, stare at the line where sky meets water, allow my toes to rise, and float next to Tiffany for a long time, neither of us saying anything. When we walk back to the blanket, Emily is sleeping with a fist in her mouth, and Veronica and Ronnie are lying down, holding hands in the shade. When we stand over them, they squint and smile at us like nothing bad had happened earlier. â€Å"How was your run?† Ronnie asks. â€Å"We want to go home now,† Tiffany says. â€Å"Why?† Ronnie says, sitting up. â€Å"We haven't even eaten our lunch. Pat, you really want to go home?† Veronica says nothing. I look up at the sky. No clouds at all. Nothing but blue. â€Å"Yeah, I do,† I tell him, and then we are in the minivan driving back to Collingswood.

Wade and Tavris

Two of the renowned authors in the field of psychology Carole wade and Carol Tavris have been vocal in delivering psychology books which are famed for their critical thinking ideals. The topic of motivation has been high on their agenda and the two authors borrow heavily from Abraham Maslow who was a humanist psychologist. Most of Abrahams work involved ideals such as â€Å"self actualization and human potential†. Most of his work revolved around the concept of gaining fulfillment and attempting to get it by rising through various levels of needs. This as Abraham came to describe is the â€Å"hierarchy of needs† which is a pyramid. Abraham described it as one that provided â€Å"motivational strivings† for people to achieve its various stages. Maslow proposed a number of levels that make up the pyramid (Abraham, 1999). The bottom level contains basic needs; the second level contains security needs, with affection and belonging being in the third level. The fourth level contains self respect and self esteem needs while the last and fifth level is the self actualization (Wade and Tavris, 1998). Maslow emphasized the needs to fulfill the basic needs to some certain degrees before the other stages in the pyramid can be attained. Wade and Travis describe motivation as â€Å"an inferred process within a person or animal that causes movement either toward a goal or away from an unpleasant situation†. The authors argue that a competent animal will obviously have motives to achieve. Thus people will generally have the tendency of going through the various stages in the hierarchy of needs and thus possess goals and aspirations. The two individuals assert their positions that goals will have the effect of improving motivation but they have to be pegged on certain conditions. The two argue that in order for the goals to improve motivation then some of the characteristics that they have to posses is that they should be specific, challengeable but achievable and framed in such a way that what is being wanted supersedes what is unwanted. Wade and Tavris go further to describe types of goals which are performance and mastery (learning) goals. The two describe performance goals as those that are framed in such a way that an individual has enhanced performance in front of others and thus is judged favorably with little or no criticism being directed in his direction. Masterly (learning goals) on the other hand are framed in such a way that the individual works towards increasing his competence and skills. With these the two authors suggest that an individual’s main motivation will be to perform well in front of others or learning the skill for the satisfaction of it. The two renowned personalities tend to argue that praise may not be a motivation and they show this by giving an example of how a child may loose the pleasure or motivation of learning if the child is being praised for being smart. Motivation is regarded as one of the powerful tools that has the capability of enhancing performance and when the right form of motivation is found then the individual will achieve higher. Self efficacy which is an individuals belief that he they are capable of attaining goals, being efficient and learning new skills is one of the best motivations that an individual can have (Bandura, 1997). However the motivation will only work when the goals that are desired are achievable and thus the expectation that is pegged to the motivation should coincide with the attainability of the goal.

Swot Au Bon Pain in Malaysia

Strengths * Au Bon Pain has the most successful overseas franchisee at Malaysia’s geographic neighbor Thailand. The similarity between these two countries might smooth the expansion of the business in Malaysia. * Au Bon Pain customized its menu in every operating Asian countries, this can be adapted to Malaysian market as well. (e. g. , poultry-based meat is favored by majorities). Like in Thailand and South Korea, beginning Au Bon Pain’s business plan with cafes in prime office locations (targeting foreign and local businessmen) might work as Kuala Lumpur is one of the economic centers in Asia-Pacific area. * Au Bon Pain has a tradition to support charities. Meanwhile, Malaysia has one of the highest Gini coefficients in Asia, poverty rates also vary significantly from state to state. Weaknesses Au Bon Pain is a new brand while Malaysians term to put a | Opportunities * Increasing consumer awareness in nutrition value and food fortification for healthcare * Malaysia's Economic Transition Plan calls for real GDP growth of 5-6% per year over the next ten years. * The service sector makes 44. 9% of GDP, Malaysia's development plan has a target of 35 million tourists in 2020 * Malaysia is the third largest producer of poultry meat in the Asia Pacific region.Malaysia is self-sufficient in poultry, pork and eggs * More and more hectic and stressful lifestyle in urbanized Malaysia contributed to the growing demand for convenient fast food * Malaysian consumers take to eating out more frequently, which boosts foodservice volume sales in 2011 * Increasing consumer awareness in nutrition value and food fortification for healthcare has created the demand for functional/healthy minimally processed fresh and organic food * Most of the respondents prefer to dine at western fast food restaurants than local fast food| Threats * Malaysia has a Muslim population of 60%.Most retailers, foodservice operators and food manufacturers are inclined to ask for halal certi ficates for non-meat based food products and ingredients. * Malaysia’s rising inflation rate dampened consumer spending in  Malaysia  during 2011. | SWOT: Au Bon Pain in Malaysia

Voter Participation in Elections Research Paper

Voter Participation in Elections - Research Paper Example Age and Citizenship are usually among the criteria used in most of the countries where a bar is set as a limitation for ones right to vote. In the past few decades, voter’s turnout had been increasing but recently, the turnouts have gone down in most of the world’s conventional democracies (Franklin, 2004). Decline in the poll turnout is sometimes considered posing a problem in many countries. The problems range from economic to cultural, demographical to technological. Institutional factors are also part and parcel of a failed voter’s turnout (Milner, 2007). The political class has in most cases carried the blame on the topic of low turnout. This is because whenever they are elected to public office, they don’t do enough to ensure that they fulfill the will of the people. This is much time is as a result of matters of corruption due to the lack of transparency in their leadership. Repeated lack of transparency and accountability, and massive corruptions in the government elective office even after the change of leadership from time to time demoralizes the voters and them, therefore, don’t see the need of participating any more in the subsequent elections. Therefore, the voter’s turnout decreases with time. If some reforms concerning the holders of political institution are not taken to consideration, the voter’s turnout will continue to diminish year after year, from one election to another. Declining participation in elections results to some of the more common problems affecting the majority of the citizens of modern democratic federal Government. The shortage experienced can also be associated to a bigger problem on health of its democratic system which results from a deteriorating turnout in major decision making polls of a country. If the social and political forces that are driving turnout down are of a long term, the problem of low voter participation

Communication Struggles of Children with Autism Essay

Communication Struggles of Children with Autism - Essay Example â€Å"The Effects of Trainer-Implemented Enhanced Milieu Teaching on the Social Communication of Children with Autism† Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 22.1 (2002): 39+ This article presents three effective communication interventions for children with autism, namely, (1) early intervention; (2) focus on communication’s social use; and (3) adequate intervention to strengthen the attainment and broad use of new abilities. The authors discuss the negative implications of interrupted communication between parent and child, and that communication deficits can aggravate difficulty behaviors shown by some autistic children. The article is highly descriptive. (6) Keen, Deb, Gail Woodyatt & Jeff Sigafoos. â€Å"Verifying Teacher Perceptions of the Potential Communicative Acts of Children with Autism† Communication Disorders Quarterly 23.3 (2002): 133+ The article attempts to confirm the views of teachers of pre-linguistic pattern in autistic children. In order to acquire accurate results, the authors employ interviews based on the set of rules of the Inventory of Potential Communicative Acts. Structured and naturalistic analyses are afterward carried out to confirm whether the behaviors recognized by teachers did really appear to play a communicative role. The article concludes that interview procedure is an effective method to determine pre-linguistic patterns and communication needs of autistic children. (7) Mancil, G. Richmond, Maureen Conroy, Taketo Nakao, and Peter Alter. â€Å"Functional Communication Training in the Natural Environment: A Pilot Investigation with a Young Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder† Education & Treatment of Children 29.4 (2006): 615+ The main objective of the article is to discuss the usefulness and value of functional... Autism is widely recognized as a complicated developmental impairment. Autism is the outcome of a neurological problem that has an impact on the normal functioning of the brain, influencing development of the individual’s social interaction and communication abilities. Autistic individuals have problems with non-verbal communication, a broad array of social activities and interaction. A form of autism that Christopher Boone has is called Asperger Syndrome (AS), which is, according to Rogers and Myles, a developmental impairment that is identified by disabilities in nonverbal and verbal communication and social interactions and by limiting, recurring activities, interests, and behavior. People with AS are deficient of vital social abilities, have a restricted capacity to participate in give-and-take communication, and have difficulty understanding the traditional or implicit rules of behavior and communication. Asperger Syndrome may bring about the utmost impairment throughout one’s life span when social interaction is the way toward every accomplishment (Lathe 2006). Haddon’s creation of Christopher as a fairly unusual person has appealed considerably to parents who have children with AS and certainly with medical organizations and social workers with substantial involvement in the arena of disability in general.

What's Complicating Bernanke's Balancing Act by James Cooper Essay

What's Complicating Bernanke's Balancing Act by James Cooper - Essay Example The Federal Reserve was created to guide the nation towards a stable financial system. It's goal is to maintain stable prices, low inflation, and moderate long term-interest rates. Keeping inflation low though monetary policies is one of the ways to ensure a stable economic preformance. The article also talks about how proposed protectionist policies threaten to increases overall inflation. The author believes that present interest rates are too low, and that globalization makes it harder to determine the right interest rates to promote economic growth. Usually, high demand for goods and services would result in increased interest rates by the Federal Reserve to slow down demand and thus curb inflation. This is appropriate if the demand exceeds economic ability to produce those goods and services. However, a global market changes the dynamics of traditional economic systems, giving the Federal Reserve less control over the economy. Indeed, prices of goods and services are determined by overseas market factors aside from those in the United States. The issue of globalization, which is the expansion and growth of international economic activity, has always been a fiercely debated issue. It is a complex process operating in various levels which can lead to increased competition, government borrowing, trade, etc. These factors have variable effects depending on the government's policies and management. The author's conjecture is that globalization resulting into an "interdependency" among economies will help prevent an economic crisis in the United States from happening (although the dollar could weaken due to the economic success of other foreign currencies). I agree. Nations are turning into one global network where standards of living depend on the value added to that network. It brings about gains thorough consumption and exchange between the nations involved. A significant amount of economic growth seen in the late 20th century is owed much to globalization and the free trade. One of it's drawbacks however, is the imbalance in world trade. Article 2: "U.S.: The Double Whammy That Could Ignite Inflation" by James Cooper, March 20, 2006 in BusinessWeek Online The article talks about how the decrease in productivity together with the rise of labor costs could potentially hike up inflation at economically debilitating levels. Last year, productivity increased-a good performance, considering the economy was weak during the year's end. However, the growth rate has progressively declined over the past three years, which is not a good sign. The correlation between labor costs and productivity was also explored in the article: the increase in labor compensations has slowed productivity, and the trend is likely to continue. Typically, productivity helps offset labor costs. However, if productivity is low, companies will be forced to raise prices to compensate and keep profits healthy. As such, this will affect Federal Reserve decisions regarding interest rates. The Federal Reserve can help curb inflation levels by imposing higher interest rates to lessen demand and stabilize economic performance. Economists concur that an economy will be better off if inflation is low, thus economic policies should aspire for stability in prices. A fast growth without inflation could be possible with higher productivity, and the author postulates that this is could be done through companies' utilization of technological innovations. For the most part, I agree with this conjecture. The issue about technological and economic changes is not new. Innovations in the Industrial Revolution caused a huge leap

Organizational Culture, Employee Managemet Relationship and Motivation Essay

Organizational Culture, Employee Managemet Relationship and Motivation - Essay Example We also know that a substitute for public transportation can be something as simple as a car, taxi, and bike or even walking. Even so, how many firms are there in the industry? In Chicago area, there are only two. Their mission statement is to provide quality service but in reality, they are not. Even though transportation is a service with "peak" demand issues, CTA and Pace still can face inventory shortage.1 By this I mean that there might be not enough buses to carry passengers in peak hours, where on the contrary, many buses would be standing in the terminal in off-peak hours. Overall, public transit users become susceptible to many discomforts while coming from a point A to point B. It is a reality that most depend on the public bus service as a primary form of mobility. The amount of money spent on the trip, which is less than two dollars, almost compensates for the many discomforts. The ongoing issues and service problems are rising day to day which will jeopardize the relations between management and employees. Consequently, worker morale will impact productivity and overall competitiveness of the organization. Furthermore, it will lose its name in the community for not providing reliable service and not taking care of their employees. Everybody often thinks that government organizations are the best place to work; you may be right in terms of financial benefit and job security. However, in reality you may experience difficulties if you are looking for motivation and job satisfaction on account of poor management decisions, lack of training, organizational politics, organizational culture, and employee relationship.2 During last December employees of the pace went on strike due to failure to generously provide the labor contract to union employees. Union employees are working without a contract for last thirty months, the management never wants to negotiate in good

The Brady Act; A policy review Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The Brady Act; A policy review - Case Study Example The examination of this study will show where there is a specific set of implementations for the crimes as well as changes in the understanding of the act through political and social rejection of the Brady Act. To alter this, there is the need to further examine what the gaps in the act are as well as what can be done to further prevent crimes through types of weaponry. Policies and acts are defined to provide protection and safety among the nation while regulating different actions by citizens in the United States. A policy which has come into effect since 1993 is the Brady Act, which is based on regulating the hand guns that are supplied to individuals in different states. The act was developed specifically to have regulations on criminals who try to purchase hand guns by creating controls and stipulations that are a part of receiving a handgun. The Brady Act has shown several prospects that are helping to regulate the crimes from hand gun purchases; however, there are also several questions in the legitimacy of the act as well as to what extent the act can provide a complete lowering of criminal rates within different states while offering the correct types of restrictions among those who carry firearms. The concepts that are in the study are based on the Brady Act and how it has changed the regulations with firearms. The author shows that the regulations and policies have been implemented over a longer period of time; however, this has not stopped the purchases of handguns by criminals. The author shows how the policies, such as background checks, five day waiting periods and state and federal regulations haven’t been able to alter the purchase in different states. The reinforcement of the act is one which the author shows as limited, specifically which is shown through the statistics of the Brady Act and the amount

Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Quality - Research Paper Example The report discusses the quality of something related to business that has fitness for purpose. Quality can be conditional, perpetual or subjective with respect to different businesses and different people. The concept quality is seen differently by different people and different businesses. Quality is also judged differently by different departments within the businesses (Reeves & Bednar, 1994). Quality is judged differently by customers of the business so the business also has to look at the customer’s perspective of perceiving quality. Like we can say the quality for the producer of the products is differently perceived and is measured based on the conformance of quality or may also be judged based on the degree to which the service or product has been produced in a correct way (Lee, Strong, Kahn & Wang, 2002). The report further dwells on the analysis of the term quality within the context of five aspects and has a conclusion based on the overall analysis. In this competitive business world the term quality in terms of business can be defined as meeting the expectations and needs of the customers and consumers of the service and products. Quality in business is the relation between the business, its product and customer. Through continuous assessment, analysis and by meeting all needs of customer, process, business and its employees, this relation is maintained. Quality may include several aspects in business terms but there is no specific definition in which quality can be defined. The term business is dynamic and cannot be summarized in single area of working (Huxtable, 1994). Quality in business can be defined in various ways. One way is to define quality in terms of the relationship which business shares with its product and customers. The other way of defining quality in terms of business can be through customer’s perception of how they value the product. The human factor and process cannot

European History World War I Essay Example for Free

European History World War I Essay The focal point of this essay is to evaluate and analyze the position of female nurses in World War I. The paper overall could be enumerated about the impact of World War I on the home front to the countries involving especially women. For the purpose references would be taken from predominantly four books. The first one is It’s a long way to Tipperary: British and Irish Nurses in the Great War by Yvonne McEwen and the second one used in this paper is Nurses at the Front: Writing the Wounds of the Great War by Margaret R. Â  Higonnet. The third and fourth book used for this paper would be The woman of Royaumount: A Scottish women’s hospital on the western front by Eileen Crofton and War and Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa by Joshua S. Goldstein. Apart from all these an article by Margaret H. Darrow would also be used that was published in the American Historical Review Vol. 101, No 1 in February 1996 titled French Volunteer Nursing and the Myth of War Experience in WWI. All these texts would be valuable resources for determining the true position of women during the First World War. Yvonne McEwen book deals with the characters that are often overlooked while dealing with the greater perspective of a vast incident like the First World War. These are the people who practically work behind the scene but make tremendous contribution to the cause but more often than not are not mentioned by academicians. Such characters are the female nurses of the First World War. The author presents a testimony to all those nurses of the First World War who proved to be people with astonishing courage and ability to bear hardship. It is not only the soldiers of the First World War who showed all these qualities but the author mentions that it is the female nurses who went unsung after proving themselves to be no less dedicated to their country and service than the soldiers. The sacrifices of these people are hardly written down and thus the author is instrumental in presenting to us the untold stories of the female nurses and their position in the First World War. At the same time the author mentions the other side of this profession and service where the female nurses is mobilized in a large number to compete among rival nursing service agencies. The net result often proved to be uncalled for. This is because though there was a huge demand of female nurses in the First World War it was desirable that the female nurses participating and volunteering to serve are trained adequately. It is almost a certainty that due to this mobilization in mass numbers the quality of the female nurses was diminishing. In the same context it should also be said that this lack of practicable knowledge was often covered up by the will to serve and work extremely hard. However, the author indicates several accounts that show the humane aspects of the First World War female nurses and their position in the social order as they were viewed by the soldiers as saviors though in most cases they were only comforters at the most. But in a time of mass destruction and agony this was more than sufficient for a dying young soldier. The author narrates this aspect of the female nurses with great affection and indulgence. (McEwen, 2006) The second text by Higonnet reveals more of personal account of the two most famous nurses from the United States, Mary Borden and Ellen N. La Motte. Their personal views of the First World War, as brought for forward by the author between the same covers, shows the inner world of the female nurses during the period of the war. These are women who saw the war extremely closely and thus narrates the extremely difficult practice of military medicine under ruthless conditions. Their accounts are often haunting and both reflects the dilemma of treatment where the patient for whom the nurses work so hard would ultimately return to the war zone either to be killed or to kill. At this point the text becomes very touching and humane but at the same time shows us the true position of the female nurses during the First World War. It appears that the female nurses were, in a sense, just comforting medium or toll provided by the government to heal their killing machines. It is true that this cost of war is often difficult to digest with its harsh realities of death and decay of the human mind where most of the humane principals are drained off under unbearable circumstances. But the nurses depict their accounts not only from the point of view of observers but from a point where it appears that they are actually cursing their need of healing the blood river. There is a certain point of motherhood or motherly feeling involved in their accounts. Their text not only becomes extremely important for determining the true position of the nurses during the First World War period but also presents us with humane narratives that are inspirational, thoughtful and moving. (Higonnet, 2001) Eileen Croftons The Women of Royaumont, A Scottish Women’s Hospital on the Western Front is a story of a hospital in Royaumont which was within few miles from the western front during the First World War. This story also tells the account of Miss Frances Ivens who works as a surgeon in this hospital. Miss Ivens was also responsible for the set up of this fully equipped hospital to serve the wounded soldiers from the front. This is a wonderful story about the personnel of this hospital where death and pain became a regular feature during the First World War period these were the people who never loosed any hope and lead life with hardship and service from 1915 to the end of the war in 1919. Here we find the daily life of the female nurses with their fear and hope and determination. It is a interesting notion to read the parts where they are seen celebrating Christmas or other such festive moods along with their heavy schedule where doctors were allowed on about three hours of sleep due to rush of patients. Here we find the whereabouts of the female nurses with details accounts such a number of patients during a specific period of time in the middle of the war and the total number of treatments along with details of maladies along with their race and religions. The writer makes us aware that these are personnel who worked amidst shells and gun fires and still maintained their high level of professional skills. Here we also find the aspects of humor, like the festivals or games, helped their moral to continue the harsh days of the First World War period. We also come across the diplomatic situation where the management handled the matter with well formulated strategies to survive. Thus this text reveals a huge amount of details that is needed to determine the position of nurses in the First World War period. We can easily understand the high position these women occupied in the minds of the patients but sadly the same was hardly true when it came to bureaucracy and government. If judged from Eileen Crofton’s point of view it was the outsiders who never shared the life of the nurses and failed to pay their due respect. But at the same time it is true that while evaluating the position of the female nurses during the period of the first World War it becomes certain that the elite of the society hardly paid any respects to these brave service providers even though some of the noted female nurse came from this class. However, the main concerns to the nurses were the well being of the soldiers and there they were highly respected and honored. Goldstein’s text presents a different angle to the entire discussion and along with it places a very interesting point of view too. Goldstein aims at the perspective that states that the impact of gender difference and the significance of gender differences are most visible during the period of war. Yet controversial arguments, and the dispersion of erudition across scholastic regulations, have covered understanding of the nature of war and its implementation on the aspects of gender. According to the writer the affect war cause on gender and the gender difference affect the nature of war is mutual and simultaneous. To venture this mode of circumstances the author explores the aspect of war in general throughout the history of human conflict and notes in a lively yet very authoritative manner that almost always women were excluded from direct combat situation. The write even indicates that this has been the general norm and it is applicable for all race and culture. However the author did mention and evaluated the incidents where the women fought in direct battlefield with much success. In the same context the author also mentions the nature of male complexity in the parameters of social behaviors cause mainly due to secretion of testosterone. This part is a very interesting topic as it looks upon the basic aspects of the concepts relating to the construction of femininity and masculinity under the parameters of war and particularly the First World War. To explain the issue the author illustrates the book into seven broad chapters that deals various aspects of war and the subsequent affects on women in general. The first chapter is A Puzzle: The Cross-Cultural Consistency of Gender Roles in War where the homogenous nature of women’s position is discussed in the light of war. The second chapter is named Women Warriors: The Historical Record of Female Combatants where the role of active participation is noted. The third chapter is Bodies: The Biology of Individual Gender where the author looks into the details of the differences between the sexes. The fourth chapter seeks the social position of women and it named Groups: Bonding, Hierarchy, and Social Identity. The fifth chapter deals with the representation of war as a means of construction of male identity and thus it is named Heroes: The Making of Militarized Masculinity. The sixth chapter is named Conquests: Sex, Rape, and Exploitation in Wartime and it looks into the brutal aspects of male dominance during war and thus reveals the detrimental affects that war causes in the ramification of the women. The last chapter concludes the entire scenario and tries to venture into the connection of women and war and thus it is named Reflections: The Mutuality of Gender and War. It should be mentioned that according to Goldstein the First World War included greater participation of women than before predominantly as nurses. However she points out that it is not natural for a human being to kill but during the First World War it was found that women along with men were forced to commit this act and according to the author this was a direct affect of the War. To prove the points the author presents a number of illustrations that includes drawings, graphics, photographs and related materials from numerous scholarly texts that include diverse academic disciplines. This book by Goldstein is a unique approach in the context of content and approach and it could well be stated that it is a fascinating book to read apart from being a book on a distinct issue that reflect much about the position of women during the WWI. (Goldstein, 2001) The article by Margaret H. Darrow titled French Volunteer Nursing and the Myth of War Experience in WWI is a true text to conclude this entire paper. This is because this article emphasizes on the aspects of the First World War and the involvement of women, particularly female nurses in it. Though it predominantly describes the details of women of France it is nevertheless reveals the position of women during the First World War and particularly about the nurses unlike Goldstein who presents the total perspective and the relation between woman and war. Darrow mentions that women were very much involved in the First World War than previous battles but it was mostly indirect in nature. She mentions that the women joined the jobs that were left behind by their men and even took active participation ministry of military affairs but maximum and direct involvement of the women in the First World War was as nurse. The author clearly mentions this and emphasize that the position of the women at this war was almost equivalent and important as that of the male doctors and it could be further stated that a huge amount of inspirations were drawn from the dedication to the service by the female nurse during the First World War. This is the most important point to be mentioned and this is what makes the involving of the female nurses relevant in the context of the First World War. (Darrow, 1996) In conclusion it should be stated that the being a part of a noble profession it was the opportunity for the female nurses of the First World War to gain importance to their community and help substantially to the ultimate cause of the purpose. It is true that they were often treated badly or were not given their dues for their hard works but if we take into consideration the basic position of women in the society or the importance that they enjoyed before the First World War it could be a well placed statement that the First World War provided a respected position for the female nurses in the cantonment and in the society as well.

Genetic Screening: Types of Tests and Applications

Genetic Screening: Types of Tests and Applications GENETIC SCREENING AOUDUMBARI B.DESAI What is Genetic Screening? Genetic screening is a process in which DNA is tested to check if a person has any genetic indicators of diseases. It can also be defined as an experimental technique used for identification and selection of individual who possess phenotype of our interest in a mutangenized population. Thus genetic screening can also be called as phenotypic screening. It helps us to provide a better insight of functioning of gene in an individual. It has got applications in various genome project. The functioning of gene can be well determined by Forward genetic screen or Reverse genetic screen. Forward genetic screening first approaches towards the phenotype and then moves towards identifying genes i.e, genes responsible for a particular phenotype in an individual is identified. Whereas in reverse genetic screen it starts with gene or set of genes and moves towards analyzing the resultant phenotype by assaying its effect of disruption. A defined genetic background of organism being used and constant experimental procedure for identification of mutants of interest are the two key component of successful forward genetic screening. Define genetic background helps to identify and locate affected genes in mutant individual with greater efficiency (Herman .R.K, et al.,2005). Many a times genetic screening and genetic testing are considered to be a common terms, however there is difference between genetic screening and testing. Genetic screening is a technique in which set of diagnostics test are used on large number of individuals to test these individuals who are at high risk of genetic disorders and are the carriers of that specific genes, whereas genetic testing uses different laboratory test to identify the genetic status of individual. The individuals who are already suspected to be at a higher risks for a particular genetic disorder undergo the genetic testing. It is based on medical history of family or on screening tests. But the similarity between both the test is both of them undergo laboratory tests to identify the presence of specific genes which may cause genetic disorders. Genetic screening is a term that is also encountered in prenatal screening with pregnant women. Many researcher do screening on a broad spectrum in large number of people to find potential for genetic diseases. Nowadays genetic screening is also used by health insurance companies to screen the people for genetic disorders and avoid paying extra money. Genetic screening also include newborn genetic screening to identify new born who would benefit from early treatment. Reproductive genetic screening is also done to help reproductive decision making, and in this family history of the patient is checked to identify individuals who would get added benefit from additional prevention measure. Types of screening variation There are different screening variations which are used to identify genes that cause a mutants in phenotype of interest. Some of them are as follows : Enhancer Enhancer screening is used to screen an mutant individual with known genetic mutation. It can further be used to screen an individual with additional gene mutations that has its major role in biological and physiological processes. It is the mutation in one genes that causes the intensification of phenotype resulted due to mutation in another gene. The genetic enhancer screening identifies a mutations which enhance aphenotype of interest in already mutant individual. Source http://www.wormbook.org/chapters/www_geneticenhancers/geneticenhancers.html Synthetic interaction betweenmec-8andsym-3.(A) Themec-8; sym-3double mutant has a highly penetrant defect: the anterior tip (arrow) of the pharynx is not properly joined to the anterior tip of the body (arrowhead), and a functional mouth is not formedThe mutants also have a bulbous nose, an enlargement of the anterior-most part of the body, which is particularly evident in the example shown here. The junction of the pharynx and anterior end of the body is normal in thesym-3single mutant (B) and in themec-8single mutant (C). Suppresor It is used to identify the suppressor mutations. Suppressor mutations revert the original mutations. It can be defined as the one which suppresses the phenotype of original mutations and are the another mutations on the site of chromosome which are distinct from the mutation under study. It has an intragenic suppression and extragenic suppression. Intragenic suppression is the one in which mutation is in same gene as in original mutation.whereas if there is a mutation in different gene then it is called as extragenic suppression or intergenic suppression. Temperature sensitive It is a type of screening technique which involves performing temperature shifts to enhance a mutant shift. The organism grown at a lower temperature will have normal phenotype whereas at higher temperature the mutation in that particular gene will make it unstable. For example Lee Hartwell and Paul nurse independently carried out temperature sensitive screening to identify mutants defective in cell cycle S.cerevisiae and S.pombe. Types of Genetic Screening : Presymptomatic screening Carrier screening parental screening, newborn screening, carrier screening, forensic screening and susceptibility screening. Presymptomatic screening is used to screen the patients whose health is in danger. Carrier screening is used to carry out the analysis of individuals with a gene or a chromosome abnormality that may cause problems either for offspring or the person screened.it is carried out in healthy individuals where there can be a risk of genes harmful to offsprings or future generation. This can be done by testing of blood or tissue samples and can show the presence of a particular genetic trait, changes in chromosomes, or changes in DNA that are associated with inherited diseases in asymptomatic individuals. For example carrier screening is done for sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, duchenne muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Huntingtons disease, and neurofibromatosis. Prenatal screening is carried out in a fetus when it is at risk for various identifiable genetic diseases or traits. It began in 1966. Newborn screening is related with the analysis of blood or tissue samples taken in early infancy in order to detect genetic diseases for which early intervention can avert serious health problems or death. Newborn screening was started in 1960 with the ability to test newborns for a rare metabolic disease, phenylketonuria (PKU). Two other examples of newborn screening are the testing of African American infants for sickle cell anemia and Ashkenazic Jews for Tay-Sachs disease. Forensic screening is used in criminal investigations it is used to to discover a genetic linkage between suspects and evidence discovered in criminal investigations. As DNA of each and every person is unique, many people are reluctant to see such information become part of any national database, which might include information not only about identity but also about proclivity toward disease or behavior. Susceptibility screening is a technique which is used to screen a selected population for genetic susceptibility to environmental hazards. It helps in the identification of workers who may be susceptible to toxic substances that are found in their workplace and may cause future disabilities. Types and Uses of Genetic Tests Source :- Norrgard.K., 2008 http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/medical-careers-genetic-screening-and-diagnostics-639 Purpose of genetic screening Genetic screening acts as an important tool in modern preventive medicine. It is used to confirm the diagnosis in patients with symptoms. Genetic screening also helps to advise other family members of the diagnosed patient to detect whether they also have the disease or have genetic markers for the disease even if they dont have symptoms ,and also to check whether they are carriers or are neither. It also helps in detecting when one partner is a sufferer or carrier, to test the other partner in order to advise whether their child will have the disease, be a carrier or will not have the disease. If diseases observed in both the parents, the child must inherit the disease or the genetic markers for the disease. It may happen that one parent has the disease and the other partner also has the genetic markers for it but there are no symptoms for it, therefore the child may develop the disease or alternatively may not show any symptoms during its lifetime. If one parent has the disease and the other is a carrier, in each pregnancy there is a 50:50 chance of the child inheriting the disease. In the population, screening is carried out to discover undiagnosed sufferers or those with genetic markers for the disease, to discover carriers and to aid research into the prevalence and severity of the disease and the carrier ratio. Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) screening, enhanced MSAFP, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS),fetal biopsy and fetal cell sorting are some of the genetic screening tests which are currently available for pregnant women. MSAFP is a blood-screening test. It is performed at the 16-18 week gestation date and it tests for spina bifida. Enhanced MSAFP is also a similar type of blood-screening test that measures levels of certain biochemical markers to test for the presence of Downs syndrome. But the only thing is that this test only has an accuracy of 60-65%. Amniocentesis is performed at the 16-18 week of gestation. Amniocentesis uses amniotic fluid to test for chromosomal abnormalities. It is also used to find biochemical abnormalities at the genetic level, it helps in detecting up to 180 genetic disorders. CVS i.e, chorionic villus sampling screening is performed at 10-12 weeks into gestation and it uses chorion tissue f or chromosomal analysis in biochemical and DNA studies. It is not widely used because this test has a drawback of correlation to produce newborns with limb abnormalities. ).Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, PUBS is performed after week 18 . PUBS is used only as a confirmation test based on results from previous other tests. In fetal tissues are taken for DNA testing . Fetal cell sorting includes an experimental procedure in whcich blood is taken from mother and fetal cells are tested in mothers blood. Oberle,I. D. Camerino.G, 1985 carried out genetic screening for hemophilia A(classic hemophilia) with polymorphic DNA probe. They collected blood samples after informed consent from13 families and carried out coagulation and immunologic assay. In this experiment they develop a new technique to screen the patients for hemophiliaA in the families at risk for the disease. A DNA probe (St14) that detects a very polymorphic region on the human X chromosome has been shown to be closely linked to hemophilia A. They observed that there was no recombination between the St14 locus and hemophilia A in 12 families studied. The odds in favor of linkage are 4.4 x 109to 1 (lod score, 9.65). They found that there was 0 to 6.5% probability of the 95 per cent confidence interval of a recombination between St14 and hemophilia A. This informative DNA probe which causes families in risk of hemophilia A in more than 90 per cent, can be used in conjunction with classic biologic assays to identify carriers with an accuracy of 96 per cent or more. If a small risk of misclassification due to crossover between the test and the disease loci is accepted, this DNA marker should allow first-trimester prenatal diagnosis of hemophilia A. Segregation analysis with St14 may thus represent a major improvement in genetic counseling for hemophilia A. Social dilemmas of genetic screening Though genetic screening is beneficial to society it has a got lot of controversies because by using genetic marker to check for genetic disorders is definitely beneficial to society because due to early diagnosis a preventive symptom treatment can be given by early medical assisantnce but however many a times it is observed that if a genetic disorder is detected in fetus then fetus is readily aborted. So here a controversy comes because no one has got right to end anyones life. Also many a times it happens that individuals carrying a genetic disorder or diseases are being discriminated by society or by health insurers and employers. Hence this genetic screening has brought up a new legal, social and ethical dilemmas. References Karthikeyan. M.1999, Human Genetic Screening, http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students99/karthikeyan.htm Norrgard.K., 2008, Medical Careers: Genetic Screening and Diagnostics, Nature Education1(1): pg no- 92 http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/medical-careers-genetic-screening-and-diagnostics-639 Burke.W., et al., 2011, Genetic Screening , Epidemologic reviews Oxford journal 33(1): pg no- 148–164Â  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166195

Theatre as Philosophy :: essays research papers

-Theatre as Philosophy-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The evolution of theatre is a long and complex story. What once began as a ritual to the ancient gods has since developed into an elaborate examination of mankind. Theatre originated in Ancient Greece as a celebration to the god Dionysius, where amateur actors would dance and sing in order to imitate him. Consequently, as the Greek Empire developed, so did theatre. By the end of the Greek Empire, scripts were being written, theatres were being built, and professional actors were being used. The tradition of theatre continued to flourish with the rise of the Roman Empire. This age saw great playwrights such as Seneca, Terence, and Plautus become great cultural icons, performing their plays in extravagant arenas known as coliseums. Nevertheless, the Roman Empire fell giving way to the Medieval Period, where governments were weak allowing feudalism to become prevalent. This absence of power led to a period of time where theatre was also absent. As time progressed the atre rose again and became popular throughout the world. Each territory had its own way of showing these plays, which either dealt with mystery of morality. Eventually the Medieval Period gave way to the Renaissance, whereupon nations developed into their own powers, inciting different styles of theatre. All the aforementioned time periods and some others have formed theatre into what it is today. Whether a play, movie, or even televisions show, they all can be attributed to the ever-evolving entertainment we know as theatre. However, no matter the time or the form of theatre, all have one thing in common. This is that they present a philosophy of life. In other words, they present a life lesson that intends to question the current way of life. The true challenge is entertaining an audience while teaching them at the same time. Nonetheless, this mesh of thought and pleasure is a must. Any good theatre is thought-provoking and didactic, while still remaining interesting. Most of these great works, old or new, are presented as either comedies or tragedies, where great storylines outline the theatrical production’s life philosophy. Comedies usually portray a philosophical meaning through the use of satire, while tragic writers utilize a series of unfortunate events to deliver a message. Whether one or the other, it is undoubtedly necessary to add philosophical meaning into a work in order to incite thought within the audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some playwrights believe their moral lesson is best presented with a comedic coating.

Navy NCDU Teams Essay -- essays papers

Navy NCDU Teams On the beach invasions of Normandy, one of the marines commented, â€Å"Jesus, we don’t even have control of the beach yet and already the tourist are here!†. This is the normal response that the men of UDT get, during WWII in the pacific campaign. They would paint themselves with steaks of blue and white. They were the first ones on the beach and the last ones to leave. They carried no weapons except for a combat knife used for cutting, and crimping the fuses of their explosives. Some say that you would have to be â€Å"half nuts and half fish† to join the UDT. But, besides being courageous and saving the lives of many a thankful marine(although they will not admit it) the UDT did something historical that NO HISTORY BOOK for that matter has cared to mention. They launched the United States into a whole new type of warfare, consisting of underwater commando’s who could rise up out of the water and devastate an enemy, and disappear just as fast, or slip onto an enemy held beach, undetected, and bring back almost any type of information you needed. The latter probably saved hundred’s upon thousand’s of marines lives alone. My report will show you the mysterious, and secret world of the UDT. The first Naval Combat Demolition Unit started with thirteen volunteers who were near the end of their basic training in the Dynamiting and Demolition School at Camp Perry, Virginia. They were sent to the Naval Amphibious Training Base at Solomon Island, Maryland, in Chesapeake Bay where they were joined by other enlisted demolition men and eight officers. Lieutenant Fred Wise from the Sea Bees (Construction Battalions) was designated Officer in Charge. They were given a quick, intensive course in blowing channels through sandbars with explosive hose, and in working from rubber boats to place explosive charges on underwater obstacles which had been modeled by Army engineers. Then they sailed for the assault on Sicily. Twenty-one men under LT Wise debarked from three attack cargo ships off Scoglitti, Sicily, on the morning of July 10, 1943 and waited patiently for orders that never came. The landing waves either found enough water over the sandbars or used alternative beaches. For the next two days the demolition units did useful work salvaging stranded boats, buoying channels through the sandbars, and surveying the be... ...tion units received the only Navy Unit Commendation awarded for the Normandy landing. Navy Crosses were awarded to Ens. William R. Freeman, Gunner's Mate Robert W. Bass, Gunner's Mate John H. Line, Chief Jerry N. Markham, Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Loran E. Barbour, LTJG William M. Jenkins, and Ens. Lawrence S. Karnowski. There were also a number of Silver Stars and Bronze Stars to others who were especially outstanding in a day of widespread heroism. The NCDU regrouped and Lieutenant Commander Herbert Peterson, in charge of Naval Combat Demolition Force "U", with ten veteran UTAH units, embarked in a Mediterranean-bound convoy for Salerno. Here they trained for the upcoming invasion of Southern France. As these combat demolitioneers proved once again the need for and the success of underwater demolition, the newly organized Underwater Demolition Teams, UDT, were proving their worth in Saipan. Many NCDU men stayed in demolition and got to the Pacific in time for the occupation of Japan, but the end of World War II brought the end of Naval Combat Demolition Units. Many NCDU men brought their experience and expertise to the Underwater Demolition Teams.

Technical Report The Construction of Alloy Wheels :: Design and Technology

Technical Report The Construction of Alloy Wheels Introduction Aluminium alloy wheels are now used in all branches of Motor Racing, ranging from Touring cars and Rally cars to Formula One cars. The Alloy wheels offer far superior mechanical properties than the conventional steel wheels formerly used. These benefits include reduced un-sprung weight, i.e. not held by the suspension, providing more precise steering input and improved responsiveness. Alloy wheels also improve acceleration and braking due to the reduction of weight. The added strength of a quality alloy wheel can significantly reduce wheel/tire deflection in cornering. This is particularly critical with a vehicle equipped with high performance tires where lateral forces may approach 1.0g. The metals in alloy wheels are excellent conductors of heat - improving heat dissipation from the brakes - reducing risk of brake fade under demanding conditions. Additionally, alloy wheels can be designed to allow more air to flow over the brakes, this can help cooling. The alloy used in the finest road wheels today is a blend of aluminium and other elements. The term "mag wheel" is sometimes incorrectly used to describe alloy wheels. Magnesium is generally considered to be an unsuitable alloy for road usage due to its brittle nature and susceptibility to corrosion. Nowadays, there are basically three ways in which alloy automotive wheels are constructed. The three types can be referred to simply by cast, billet and forged. Casting is a relatively inexpensive way to produce a high-quality, fairly strong alloy wheel; many aftermarket alloy wheels designed for street use are made this way. Billet wheels are machined from a solid chunk of material and forging uses intense heat and pressure to transform a slug of alloy material into the final shape of a wheel. This report will focus mainly on the casting processes used. Casting Processes The most common process of constructing alloy wheels is One-Piece Casting, there are a number of methods to do this, and the most basic is Die Casting, this process is used world wide throughout the casting industry and is not exclusive to alloy wheels. The Die Casting process uses a permanent mould usually made of metal, which generally means that there is high tooling costs compared to other methods of casting, but this high tooling cost is combined with low production costs. This means that die casting is suitable for products with a large production number. There are four main processes in the die casting family, these are: Gravity Die Casting Pressure Die Casting Low Pressure Die Casting Squeeze Casting Gravity Die Casting This process is the most simple of the four, the mould or die, which is generally made in two halves, is filled with molten metal, in the

Case: Walter Hundhausen Gmbh

Size up Germany’s foundry Industry? Is WH well positioned in it now and in the future?The beginning of the new millennium has presented Walter Hundhausen (WH) with a big hurdle to jump. The German economy is experiencing economic stagnation, an aging population and a German labour market that is filled with many intrusive government regulations. The German economy has been growing at an average rate of 0.6 percent per year for the last 4 years; making it one of the slowest growing economies in the Euro Zone.However, study’s suggests in 2004, the domestic economy is expected to grow above 2 percent. Moreover, one-third of Germany’s economy is comprised of exports. In performing a Pest Analysis (see Diagram 1 below), there are many macro factors affecting the German Foundry Industry.MACRO FORCESThe acronym stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological concerns that could affect the strategic development of the casting foundry industry in Germany. By iden tifying PEST influences it helps gage the external environment in which the casting foundry industry operates. PoliticalStrict Layoff Regulations: Government regulations had strict policies in place on how organizations could layoff employees. Before employees were laid-off, management had to advise the Works Council and they had to agree to the nature and timing of the plan. In addition, the management team had to develop a social plan for each employee on how the layoff would affect them and what remedies the organization would put in place for them. If a  social plan was not presented, employees could claim for compensation through the courts. This could prove to be costly in time, money and reputation.National Bargaining on Wages: The current German industrial relations policy was based on a duel model. One part dealt with the collective bargaining, while the other dealt with codetermination. The collective bargaining agreement dealt with minimums and maximums, with respect to wages and salaries and working hours. Codetermination was an actual Act or Law that provided labourers in Germany with three levels of representation; Supervisory Board, Works Council and Labour Director. However, in the end, all collective bargaining agreements could be adjusted and then ratified through this process.Social Market Economy: The political climate in the country is based on the social market economy, where employers and unions worked as partners to better the organization as a whole. However, in reality, the balance of power lay in the hands of the union. Unions negotiated national and regional wages and hours of operations; in addition, they also negotiated paid time-off. In 2004, the average individual worked 1,542 hours. The standard legislated work week was set at 60 hours with a minimum paid leave of 24 days. That translates to 2,832 hours per year. Despite the legislation, the average individual worked 54 percent less than was legislated in 2004.Ordnung Princip al: This is Germany’s version of the Triple Bottom Line, where economy, society and the government all participate in the mechanism for workers democracy. New Environmental Legislation: The government imposed a new ecological tax in 2000 that focused on waste reduction as opposed to waste recycling. This added costs in the form of time and money to the WH casting process. From an economic perspective, the government wanted the industry to focus on the externalities and reduce them or remove them totally.EconomicalDomestic Growth: The last three years (2001 to 2004), the German economy was growing at an average rate of 0.6 percent per year. Germany had been experiencing the slowest growth in the Euro zone. This affected many organizations in Germany, particularly mid-sized companies that were not big enough to fully utilize economies of scale. Future Growth: The economy in Germany has been slated to grow around 2 percent for the year 2004.This represent an increase of 1.4 perc ent over the previous year and that may not  seem big, but relatively speaking that is a 233% increases from year over year. Increase in Value of the Euro: Another concern at the macro level is the appreciation of the Euro against other currencies, most notably the American dollar. As the Euro increased, the cost of WH’s products also increased. However, the opportunity to purchase at a lower price scrap iron and steel from non-European countries has also increased. As the Euro appreciates in value, it can now purchase raw materials at a lower cost.SocialAging Population: The current labour shortage in Germany is creating a nightmare in the casting industry. In order to attract and retain employees, organizations were paying a premium over scheduled tariffs. These costs were substantial, as many companies were running multiple shifts in order to keep up with demand. Reduction in Full-Time Employment: The current macro environment suggests a reduction in the number of full-t ime resources, because of the high labour costs. However, because of the aging population, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified workers.Sounds counter intuitive; a reduction of full-time staff to cut costs, but many companies in the industry are paying premiums over scheduled tariffs in order to keep their current workforce. Strong Social Employment Contracts: The Germany foundry industry has a strong employment contract system, where employers are responsible for the well being of their workers. The contract is enforced by the Works Council and the Labour Director who is part of the origination. Their main objective is to resolve disputes through intensive informal contacts.Strong Union Presence: The dual model in the industry consists of a collective bargaining agreement and codetermination. This dual system gives the unions a strong position within the foundry industry. Their presence has lead to numerous bouts of conflict with management when negotiating collective agreements and in some cases these disagreements lead to long and bitter strikes.TechnicalAbove Average R&D Investment: R&D is a major competent in the casting foundry industry. R&D creates better products and above all reduces costs through the automation of the casting process. Moreover, by being a Tier 1 supplier, customers are expecting better products and lower costs year over  year. Frequent Technology Changes: In the casting process, technology changes occur frequently, in order to maintain lower sand-to-metal ratios and scrap ratios. Largest European Foundry: Being the largest casting foundry in Europe, economies of scale can have significant cost savings, as the organization can purchase large amounts of scrap iron and steel.Close Proximity to Clients: By being close to customers, shipping costs and delivery times are reduced substantially; giving the local casting foundry a cost advantage over their long distance competitors. Efficient Sand Casting Process: T he casting process is highly integrated and labour intensive. By having a disjointed process, the cost of the process will be high and the products produced would be of an inferior quality. A process that is tightly controlled and automated will reduce unnecessary waste and cut costs in the form of wages and raw material.MICRO FORCESBelow are the specific micro forces that will influence how WH reacts to the environmental issues assessed above.SupplyThe cost of raw materials was increasing 23 percent year over year (see Diagram 2 below). Raw materials have been the single most expensive cost to WH. Diagram 3 below, illustrates the cost of raw materials to revenues and the cost of wages and salaries to revenues. As for wages and salaries, they have been holding steady. Moreover, the trend seems to be downward sloping (see Diagram 3, below).Total revenues have been increasing steadily since 2001; with a significant increase occurring in 2004 (see Diagram 4, below).Year over Year Incre ase in Revenues 2001 2002 2003 2004Total Revenues 97 99 103 117 2.06% 4.04% 13.59%However, in 2004, the index price of scrap iron and steel has been averaging around 191.00, that is a 43 percent increase, year over year. The trend seems to be heading higher, potentially breaking the 250.00 barrier (see Diagram 5, below).Average 81.25 99.91667 99.91667 111.5 133.75 191.25CompetitionCompetition from non-OEM organizations was growing. However, customers today are more sophisticated and understand that quality plays an important role in the decision to purchase a product versus purchasing a product on price alone. The real threat will come from organizations in the casting industry from Eastern European that will eventually become tier 1 suppliers. One of the challenges facing WH is the current workforce in Germany. WH has been experiencing a high degree of absence due to leaves and sick days.The above graph (see Diagram 6) illustrates by department where the greatest number of absences are occurring. The stars indicate the average per department and in 2004, there was an increase in the number of absences in Core Marketing, Finishing and Heat Treatment. Finishing can be explained because of the nature of the work itself. It is one of the most difficult  parts of the casting process. Some of the other notable information to mention, is when the automated casting process is operating efficiently, sick days and leaves are kept to a minimum.For example, pouring and melting in 2003 experienced numerous mechanical problems, thus the department experienced a higher level of absences as opposed to 2004, when the process was operating with little interruptions, sick days and leaves decreased substantially. Moreover, for the first 6 months of 2004, the average cost of the total days off work amounted to 3.39 million, which represents 8.7 percent of the overall company’s revenues (see Diagram 7, below).DemandThe biggest threat facing WH is their ability to reduce costs. Their customers are demanding lower prices and the organiza tion has been responding, by investing heavily in R&D to improve the casting process. However, if they do not get the costs of the casting process under control, they will not be able to meet the increasing demand from the motor vehicle industry. The motor vehicle industry in 2004 purchased a total of 68% of the total industry’s output. Diagram 8, below illustrates the percentage increase or decrease year over year by industry and the tonnage sold by industry. Clearly, the industry that has been adding value to WH has been the motor vehicle industry. On average, over the last three years, the motor vehicle industry has increased 13 percent.If the motor vehicle industry continues on their current growth path, by the end of 2005, WH will have reached plant capacity of 95,000 tonnes per year (see Diagram 9, below). The forecast includes a 13 percent increase in motor vehicle tonnage per year and holds the other two industries with no growth or decline in tonnes required.PEST Con clusionThe rising cost of scrap iron and steel, a stagnate Germany economy, the German labour market and its regulations are proving extremely difficult for WH to deal with. In addition, WH is reaching plant capacity and they have not been able to control rising costs to date. For the last three years, wages and raw material purchases have been well over budget. SWOT ANALYSISA SWOT analysis was completed for WH to evaluate their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (see Diagram 10, below). The analysis identifies the key internal and external factors that will hinder or help WH achieve their stated goals and objectives.One of the key factors to WH success was their ability to understand their customer’s business needs and create new products for them. This was one area in the casting foundry industry that separated WH from their competitors; WH was and still is â€Å"Best in Class†, when it comes to product innovation. One area of improvement would be to e liminate or reduce the number of products that have low margins.By producing these low margin products, WH is tying up valuable resources both in time, money and material. One of the greatest threats WH will encounter is the surging casting foundries from Eastern European countries, such as Spain, Turkey and Poland. Currently, many of the Eastern European organizations either small or big are not OEM rated. However, with time and additional investment dollars, these organizations will be able to compete against WH on price.PORTERS FIVE FORCESOne final assessment was completed to determine the profitability or attractiveness of the casting foundry industry in Germany. By utilizing Porters Five Force model, a more realistic assessment of the competitive rivalry that exists in the market can be determined. This will give WH insight as to the attractiveness of the industry and determine what course of action (if any) is required.The analysis clearly demonstrated that the industry is hig hly profitable (see Diagram 11, above). The Barriers to Entry are high, making it difficult for organizations to enter. Entry requires a high initial capital investment and ongoing R&D dollars. Moreover, the bargaining power of the Buyer is Low, because switching costs are high. Substitutes products are available, but in the motor vehicle industry highly unlikely to be used.The  bargaining power of Suppliers is strong, because there is strong union presence and the raw material is based on world supply and demand prices. In short, the competitive rivalry within the Casting Foundry Industry is high, suggesting that the industry is profitable. Furthermore, with high exist barriers, because of the high fixed costs, it makes it extremely difficult to exit the industry, and thus remaining organizations will continue to suffer and lose more market share.Question 1A:  Is WH well positioned in it now and in the future?Not with their current casting process. Clearly, WH’s core com petency lies in their ability to produce exactly what the customer needs and then takes that knowledge one step further by producing new products that customers ends up wanting; WH creates demand for their new more profitable products. Moreover, WH links their internal logistical and informational systems with their customers. Basically, WH becomes an extension of their customers. The future for WH would be to outsource some non core activities of their value chain to 3rd parties in the casting foundry industry; perhaps in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, where wages are less and employment is more bountiful.In conclusion, with the current trends in the casting foundry industry, where growth is expected to increase 2% per year in tonnage and 3% per year in value, WH does not have the current structure to capitalize on this growth opportunity. Pricing has also become an issue and they are trying to go head to head with their customers and asking them to pick up the additional surcharg es on the price of scrap steel and iron. Moreover, with the additional investment in R&D, costs have not decreased. Revenues have been steadily rising, but so have costs and costs have outpaced revenues. This is evident, as WH is expected to lose 6 million in 2004, making it the worst loss in the company’s 4 year history.Question 2:  Is the alternative that WH’s management called â€Å"strategic change† really strategic? Justify you answer.In order to justify the answer, one must first define what strategic change is. According to Joseph N. Fry, one of the authors of Strategic Analysis  and Action he suggests that it is a tool for building, communicating and maintain the direction of the business. As for Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, he suggests that strategic change is all about execution. In his book, Making Strategy Work, he suggested that without a careful, planned approach to execution, strategic goals cannot be attained.Albeit, in both examples above, little reference is made to the actual strategy, but in reality both authors agree that the strategy is important, but the execution of the strategy is key to success. An analogy that can be used to illustrate their point of view would be a golfer that needs to fade a shot around a tree. The strategy has been set, the trajectory of ball flight has been visualized; wind and all other factors have been taken into consideration. What’s left is the actual striking of the ball. However, if the golfers’ core competency is to hit a draw, rather than a fade, the strategy has little to do with the result of the execution.One of WH alternative is to shut down Line 2, reduce employment by 114 workers and increase sales through a radical marketing campaign that started in 2003. However, the radical marketing campaign emphasizes a differentiation strategy as opposed to a price strategy as indicated by Klaas. The key to their current success is WH’s ability to understand their custo mer’s business needs and create specific casting moulds for them. In addition, WH has been able to develop new products with higher margins for their customers and then sell those products back to their customers; push marketing.By adopting a low cost strategy, rivals in the industry will eventually out price WH and take market share away from them. One of the reasons why WH can be out priced in the market is that their main competitors from Eastern Europe, such as Poland, have a much lower wage structures. To conclude, WH’s alternative does not fit the traditional definition of a strategic change. After reviewing the data and the definition, the answer remains a resolute no. The reason for the decision is that strategic change must take into consideration other aspects of the organization.The changes suggested by Klaas will not delivery the strategy in a controlled manner that is efficient and effective to implement. Strategic management is not about delivering one si ngle project or addressing one particular issue, but a process that governs the entire organization and how the entire  organization is affected by the strategic change (see Diagram 12, above). The so called alternative â€Å"strategic change† in the end will not deliver any real value to the organization, thus further suggesting that this is not a strategic change. Strategic change at the end of the day must deliver real value, not perceived value.In Germany that value takes on the form of a stakeholder, rather than a shareholder. Thus, by simply focusing on profits and ignoring the human costs of the layoffs, WH will not execute this strategy with any conviction or success. Both Fry and Hrebiniak realize that the process is complicated and contains many moving parts. In short, there is no magic bullet. Simply cutting workers and installing automated processes does not guarantee costs reductions and increased revenues.Question 3:  How much â€Å"flexibility† did t he company have in dealing with its problem?The reality of the situation is that WH only had perceived flexibility. With economic stagnation, an aging population, tight employment regulations and a shortage of workers, WH has limited flexibility in being able to deal with the problem. Moreover, with the increase in tariffs, raw materials and energy, WH has even less flexibility in addressing their current problem. WH was able to negotiate concessions with the Works Council; however, the concessions came with a hefty price. The Works Council’s goal was to save jobs in the short term for the promise of better pay in the long term. Thus, WH was able to negotiate special agreements to break the current collective agreement.WH negotiated for more free hours, less pay and forgone holidays and vacation pay, but had no control over dismissal’s and working exemptions; the Works Council held the balance of power in these two categories. For example, if employment dropped below 5 70 permanent employees, the regional tariff rates would come into effect and they did. The Works Council’s position for long term better pay may present a problem with a few of the alternatives being suggested by WH.The Works Council may not approve any of the alternatives that involve significant layoffs and pay reductions. These alternatives are in direct conflict with their own goals and objectives. In conclusion, perceived flexibility is much different than actual flexibility. WH may think they can suggest an alternative that  makes sense for them, but the reality is that without buy in from the Works Council, the strategy will surely fail to execute.Question 4:  What could management do to address the problem?WH management must develop a Strategic Management Process. The new strategic management process is to be undertaken by the executives at WH and GMH. The executives will review and interpret the Germany foundry industry and determine the direction for WH. At this point in the process the executives will set the Corporate Strategy (strategic direction) and priorities, while understanding and taking into consideration resources and budget constraints (see diagram 13, below).The seconds step is to create the â€Å"right† Corporate Structure with the proper incentives and controls to ensure that the Corporate Strategy can be achieved. The final step is to ensure that the Business Units understand the objectives set forth and have the necessary resources in place to achieve their goals and objectives. It is the business unit who is responsible for ensuring that they have the correct skills and capabilities in place in order to achieve the Corporate Strategy. Once the strategic management process has been developed, the next critical step in the process is to formulate a well defined plan that has clear and focused goals and objectives. These goals and objectives must be measurable, attainable and realistic.Moreover, the plan must address how these achievements will affect the overall organization, but more importantly, if the goals and objectives are not meet, what are consequences to the organization. This process must be open and transparent that will ensure that buy in will occur quickly. In conclusion, the execution of these key activities is the heart of any successful strategic management process. In addition, WH must ensure that the Works Council understands that the long term success of WH is in everyone’s best interest. The Works Council’s long term goal is for better pay for its workers, without WH, their goals and objectives will never be realized.Question 5:  What had management done so far?Management has accomplished a lot to date. They sold WH to GMH who had experience in purchasing distressed companies and providing them with fresh equity and motivating their work force. In addition, in 2003, WH implemented a radical marketing plan that increased revenues by approximately 13.6 % in 200 4. WH invested heavily in operations, by trying to automate the sand casting process. WH believed that they could further reduce the operating costs by automating a lot of the high touch processes.WH has also outsourced the finishing process, as this is one of the most costly processes in the sand casting process. WH hired a consultant by the name of Knight Wendling who was hired to improve productivity and reduce costs. His first mandate was to get customer to pay a scrap surcharge and eliminate unprofitable products. By the middle of 2004, 91 percent of customers were paying the surcharge and he eliminated 5,000 tonnes of products that were generating low contributions. Finally, in 2004 WH made some major changes to their current management structure and sent out a new message to their workers, that management was looking for fresh ideas that would make a difference.Question 6:  What actions were left open to WH’s management and would they make sense?One action that was l eft open was continuing with the Radical Marketing Plan that WH started in 2003. The marketing plan would continue to increase sales by 8.2 million and contribution by 5.2 million in 2005. However, one of the major issues with this action was that costs were also increasing and the increase in revenues and contributions was being offset by the rising cost of scrap iron and steel and wages. The rising costs, coupled with WH’s increase in prices were opening the doors to some of their direct competitors in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.This plan would only make sense if they could get the Works Council to increase the number of hours that employee’s could work and reduce the minimum number of workers required, before tariffs are enforced. Moreover, this approach would make sense, if WH could convince the Works Council that their short term objective to keep as many employees as  possible is actually going to hurt their long term goal of better pay for their workers. If WH and the Works Council could overlook their short term objectives and focus on their long term objectives, everyone would be better off.Question 7:  How could it pursue the remaining actions?WH could simply divest the entire operations and payout the 15.3 million owed to the workers ( 25,000 * 612 workers). However, this may not be in the best interest of the entire organization as an environmental assessment must be completed before the land gets rezoned. Worst case scenario, if the land is contaminated the purchaser may request that the seller clean the land before title change and this could cost GMH considerable money.The opportunity cost of closing down the plant would be the 15.3 million, thus the company could take that money and reinvest it into WH. Currently, WH is losing 6.2 million per year, if they continue losing this amount of money, that would buy them 3 additional years and then WH could simply sell the business. WH would have to create a strategic plan that takes into consideration all the options associated with investing additional capital. More so, they will need buy in from the Works Council. Without their buy in strategic plans will prove useless.

Pacs Essay

Groups and Teams at Kluster 1. What are the challenges of working together as a team? How have members of the Illuminator project overcome these challenges? What are the benefits of a team-based approach? Teamwork is a huge factor of the success for many companies around the world. The performance of teamwork in the workplace will bring the sense of trust, loyalty and security among every worker. The morale and productivity will be higher as a result of that. However, working on a team has its own challenges. Working with people that have different personalities, ideas, cultures, backgrounds, ages, needs and values is one of the most challenges that teamwork faces during its performance. Conflict, mistrust, poor performance can be created as result of these differences. Finding a way to overcome these obstacles is the foundation of a strong and successful teamwork. Illuminator project has overcome these challenges by respecting and using every skill and idea that each team member delivers. That makes every team member feel important and productive. Also communication among each member is very critical for the success of the Illuminator project. Today, teamwork has been found to be as a better way on using every employee’s talent and skill toward a more effective and efficient organization. † Management has found that teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events than are traditional departments. Teams have the capability to quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband. † Robbins and Judge, pg 323. 2. What type of individual would fit in well on the Illuminator team? What characteristics are important? According to the engineer of the Illuminator project, each team member should have self-disciplined and self-leadership. Individuals that are careful, reliable, organized, hardworking, persistent, and honest are those that are more likely to give a higher performance than those that lack any of these characteristics. Conscientious personality which describes someone that is responsible, persistent and organized would fit in well on the Illuminator team. Also, someone who is emotionally stable meaning a confidence, calmness and secure personality would fit in well on this team. . How has technology changed the way we do business? Identify how Kluster has embraced technology in its operations. Advanced technology such as computers and computer networks have changed and helped businesses on being more efficient and effective. Downsizing, outsourcing and empowerment are some of the substantial gains of the organizations due to the technology. New ways of communicating among members, stor ing information and researching for ideas and ways to achieve and succeed are result of the advanced technology. Kluster has taken advantage of the technology by using the telecommuting as a way of communication among team members. Since members of Kluster project live in different areas and some of them travel to different cities, it’s very important to communicate with each other at all the time. Therefore telecommuting through Web based program has made it possible. â€Å"Telecommuting refers to employees who do their work at home on a computer that is linked to their office. † Robbins and Judge, pg 223. 4. Describe the different parts of the Illuminator team. Why is it necessary to have each of these parts represented? The illuminator team is created by combining different ideas and skills of different individuals. Each team member has to be self- disciplined and committed to their job. As every organization, Illuminator team has the founder, the project designer, the engineer of the team and the project manager. The importance of this system is to keep the work in place and run effectively and naturally. Each member has different responsibilities that need to be established and require different skills. Illuminator project runs under job enlargement design which increases the degree of each member to control, plan and evaluate the work done. â€Å" An enriched job organizes tasks so as to allow the worker to do a complete activity, increases the employee’s freedom and independence, increases responsibility, and provides feedback so individuals will be assess and correct their own performance†. Robbins and Judge, pg 220. 5. Ben Kaufman, founder of Illuminator, says it is important to recognize that sometimes people need a break from the team. Explain what he means by this. Sometimes, personal life issues can cause stress, pressure, disorientation and weak performance. Therefore, it’s very important that every team member to have the right and be able to work sometimes on their own away from the team as long as they work on their job responsibilities. Depending on the personality, some individuals can perform better while under stress when they work alone. Being able to accept that break from the rest of the team, the organization is helping their member to establish his/her responsibilities required for the organization’s success. . What two or three suggestions would you provide to address ways that virtual teams could celebrate successes? How would you implement them? I would give two suggestions that could help virtual team succeed. The first one is to set a time of the day every week for all the team members to participate in a meeting via internet. In this way, everyone will be able to get the same feedbacks, ask questions and receiv e answers at the same time and share their ideas with the rest of the team. So every week the meeting will provide each member with the result of their work, how much has been achieved and where they need improvement. The second suggestion would be for the virtual team to have a leader where the team members can address all their questions and concern. The team leader should be reached at anytime of the day and be able to address these concerns in the best way possible. 7. As a manager, what two or three suggestions would you implement to ensure that individual members were recognized for their contribution? Obviously, financial incentives will help motivate every employee to perform better. A pay raise would be one of the suggestions that would ensure that the good work of a member has been recognized. Also, bonuses such as a paid day off or a gift card would be another suggestion. Employee of the month nomination can be a third suggestion. This way the competition to get any of these recognitions among employees will provide a better performance and more productive workers. Therefore, I as a manager will be able to lead a successful organization.