Success of Marriott in the Hospitality Research Paper

Success of Marriott in the Hospitality - Research Paper Example As a payback to the company, Marriott’s employees provide great service and satisfy Marriott’s customers; thereby providing a type of symbiotic relationship. Marriott’s mission thereby works to lead a company-wide approach to their vision. This is but one of the reasons why Marriott is able to provide effective progress to be the best hospitality company in the world and create a public perception that this company builds its corporation in positive ways. The success of Marriott in the hospitality world does not come only from the dedication of its employees, however. Besides showing a great deal of concern for these shareholders, Marriott is an innovative corporation. In this way, the film follows the trend of recent innovations and technological changes in the current world. By being flexible to transform their regulation and company regulation based on the recent global economic situation, hospitality trends, and behaviors of the employees, the firm has stayed fresh whereas others have faltered. The board of the directors of Marriott believes that the world is changing, thus Marriott has to follow suit if it intends on staying competitive. After doing research on final presentation in my ethics class, there was a lot of interesting facts concerning Marriott; however, for purposes of this paper, this author will be addressing but two of these major positive factors in detail. Additionally, a scandal will also be discussed. In addition, besides discussing those positive factors that have briefly been referenced above, my group research shows Marriott has committed into fraud scandal. First, with all, the very basic aspect of building a big company is encouraging their workers to put their best on doing jobs.  

Week 4 discussion questions Essay Example for Free

Week 4 discussion questions Essay Describe a time when your assumption about a situation was incorrect. What do you think led to your incorrect assumption? How did your assumption interfere with your ability to think critically about the situation? A: When I first became a student at the University of Phoenix I assumed that I would take class in the morning once a week. What lead me to believe this assumption was that I thought it would be like any other normal college. This assumption affected my ability to think because I originally set my mind to morning mode, when class was night. Use your favorite Internet search engine to locate three automobile commercials. Identify a fallacy used in each commercial. How are these fallacies used in the commercials? Why do you think they were included? A in the first commercial Toyota Camery, they focus more on the acting scene then promoting the Camary. They make it seem like those situations happen. The second commercial was a mustang commercial. the fallacy is that they make people believe that by having that care it makes you look cool that way people can go out and buy it. The third was a fiat commercial, they say that the interest and payments are low and no credit check, but once your in the dealer none of what the commercial promoted is applied. They do this type of advertisement to try an get the consumer to buy and to make the commercial interesting and so the audience is engaged. How might you use critical thinking to help someone who is struggling with low self-esteem and a low sense of self-worth to see beyond the media messages they receive on a daily basis? A: The best thing that I can do to help someone is by giving them my self knowledge and what I know about it. that no one is perfect and there is no need to follow what celebertys do because its all show. We can then discuss this particular topic, then research about it and show what the consequences and lead to. In his inaugural speech, President Kennedy used means of persuasion to win over his supporters and those who were possibly dissatisfied with his election. Suppose you opposed President Kennedy’s ideas and wanted to find  fault with his speech. What steps would you take to evaluate his arguments? A: I would carefully listen to what the speech is about and carefully go over it and find simple cons and consequences to a particular topic that he addresses or want s to make happen. Reading, re-reading, looking for main points, researching, questioning, and finding information that is opposed to what he thinks he can make happen. How do you think being open to criticism might help you solve problems in your daily life? Being open to criticsm can help in my daily life because I can simply take that criticsm and use it in a positive way to improve myself in any situation. What types of questions would you use as you talk with her to help her make a decision based on critical thinking rather than emotion? Why are questions such a valuable aspect of critical thinking? A: I would help her focus more on the facts and details rather than the emotional part on how she feels. After focusing on the facts she can develop feelings towards it that are positive. Asking questions are important because once they are answered they can change a persons perspective on a certain topic.

The Search for Truth in Anton Chekhovs The Cherry Orchard and Sophocle

The scholar is engaged in the interminable quest for truth. The knowledge that one can never understand everything makes a person wise. Ignorance is the assumption that one can understand all about the world around them. An ignorant person is so confident they comprehend the truth, that they are blind to the greater truth. Anton Chekhov and Sophocles deal with the idea of this sinful pride that leads to ignorance in their respective works, The Cherry Orchard and Oedipus Rex. In each drama, certain characters are slapped in the face with the truth; the light is revealed. However, these characters make the connection when it is too late. Their destruction is already destined to become a reality, a horrid fate that could have been prevented. Both Chekhov and Sophocles present the universal theme that an open mind, constantly in search for truth, is the mark of a worthy individual, and prideful stubbornness can only lead to demise. The question must then be asked, what truths are evident in these texts? Oedipus is the proud king of a county called Thebes. However, his country has fallen on hard times as a result of angry gods displaying their wrath. The oracle reveals to Oedipus that the curse shall be lifted when the murderer of the former king is put to justice. As the incriminating evidence piles up against Oedipus, he remains ignorant of the truth that he is the killer whom he seeks. He stubbornly refuses to believe that he cannot escape his fate. Sophocles presents this ironic truth in light and dark imagery. The chorus dramatically demands, â€Å"Artemis, Huntress, / Race with flaring lights upon our mountains / [†¦] Whirl upon Death, that all the Undying hate! / Come with blinding torches, come in joy!† (Sophocles l.198-204). The... ...hile she awaits the news of what happened to the cherry orchard, she is still kidding herself with false hope, ignorant hope. She did not want to see the truth, and now her fate is sealed. Had she opened her eyes, things might have ended up differently. Trofimov tells her to look the dreadful truth straight in the eye because she â€Å"served [her] own destruction† (Sophocles l.1468. 20). And yet, despite the wisdom of our predecessors, do we not still find our vision obscured by a prideful stubbornness, our eyes sealed against the light of truth? Works Cited Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard. Four Plays. Trans. David Magarshack. New York: Hill & Wang, 1969. Eekman, Thomas A. Critical Essays on Anton Chekhov. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1989. Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: Longman, 1997.

Archetypal Themes Present in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Essay

The origins of Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† are relatively unknown. It’s hard to believe, but this archetypal theme of ill-fated love predates Shakespeare by more than a thousand years. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines â€Å"archetype† as: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies. One of the first pieces of written work to include this common archetype of ill-fated love was Ovid’s â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe.† Written around A.D eight, and published in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, this poem recounts the story of two forbidden lovers who come to a tragic end, a theme recurring in literature. Shakespeare and Ovid both employ similar and different archetypal symbols within their work. One common archetypal symbol in both Ovid and Shakespeare’s work is the wall, symbolizing forbidden love. Ovid gives life to the wall by describing it as â€Å"hateful,† thus personifying the wall. Another example of how Ovid makes the wall more than just a inanimate barrier between the two lovers is when the lovers speak to wall. A most memorable line was when Pyramus and Thisbe declared, â€Å"But for you we could touch, kiss,† addressing the wall as a person. In comparison, in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† the â€Å"wall† was the Montagues and Capulets fierce hatred for one another. In â€Å"A Midsummer’s Night Dream†, Shakespeare further develops this symbol of forbidden love by casting the wall as a character played by a person. This transforms the wall into more than just an inanimate object, but as an actual living thing that is separating the two lovers. Shakespeare and Ovid employ different means of personifying the wall, but in both, the wall is represented as a symbol of forbidden love. Another powerful archetypal symbol in â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† is the mulberry tree. Ovid uses the mulberry tree as a symbol of death and the ill-fated love of Pyramus and Thisbe. Ovid’s poem starts out with a description of the mulberry tree, informing the reader that once upon a time the red berries of the mulberry tree were actually as white as snow. Like all of the other  tales in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, this poem is focused around change, in this particular case, the change in color of the berries of the mulberry tree. Ovid tells us that the berries were stained red by the blood of Pyramus as he committed suicide upon finding Thisbe’s blood-stained cloak. Another archetypal symbol of death, similar to the mulberry tree, is the lion used by Ovid, the harbinger of death. In fact one can view death itself as another â€Å"wall† that separates Pyramus from Thisbe, until she joins him in death. Archetypal symbols of death, such as the mulberry tree and the lion, appear in numerous works of literature, and can be identified in Shakespeare’s plays. Up until this point, I have been analyzing Ovid’s and Shakespeare’s use of archetypal symbols, but it is also important to point out some similarities and differences between both authors. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† and â€Å"A Midsummer’s Night Dream† both incorporate elements from â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe†. However, the parallels between†Romeo and Juliet† and â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† are more authentic, given that â€Å"A Midsummer’s Night Dream† is Shakespeare’s satire of â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†and â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe.† Both â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† have parallel plots, common symbols, and archetypal characters. On the other hand, the original â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† is somewhat similar to the amusing rendition that the characters of â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† that Bottom and his friends from â€Å"A Midsummer’s Night Dream† perform. However, there are some differences. In â€Å"A Midsummer’s Night Dream† Ovid’s work is performed crudely and absurdly, meaning that Shakespeare was well aware of these oft-repeated symbols and themes and wished to parody them. Next time I read a piece of literature, I will have my eyes open for some of the archetypal symbols the Ovid and Shakespeare use in their work. Being able to recognize archetypal themes and symbols gives the reader a profound and more meaningful understanding of the text. Both Ovid, in â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe†, and Shakespeare, in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† and â€Å"A Midsummer’s Night Dream,† employ common archetypal symbols as a way to enhance the story that they are telling. Works Consulted: Hosley, Richard (1965). Romeo and Juliet. New Haven: Yale University Press. Roberts, Arthur J. (1902). â€Å"The Sources of Romeo and Juliet†. Modern Language Notes

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter One

â€Å"Damon!† Icy wind whipped Elena's hair around her face, tearing at her light sweater. Oak leaves swirled among the rows of granite headstones, and the trees lashed their branches together in frenzy. Elena's hands were cold, her lips and cheeks were numb, but she stood facing the screaming wind directly, shouting into it. â€Å"Damon!† This weather was a show of his Power, meant to frighten her away. It wouldn't work. The thought of that same Power being turned against Stefan woke a hot fury inside her that burned against the wind. If Damon had done anything to Stefan, if Damon had hurt him†¦ â€Å"Damn you, answer me!† she shouted at the oak trees that bordered the graveyard. A dead oak leaf like a withered brown hand skittered up to her foot, but there was no answer. Above, She turned – and gasped. He was just behind her, so close that her clothes brushed his as she turned. At that distance, she should have sensed another human being standing there, should have felt his body warmth or heard him. But Damon, of course, wasn't human. She reeled back a couple of steps before she could stop herself. Every instinct that had lain quiet while she shouted into the violence of the wind was now begging her to run. She clenched her fists. â€Å"Where's Stefan?† A line appeared between Damon's dark eyebrows. â€Å"Stefan who?† Elena stepped forward and slapped him. She had no thought of doing it before she did it, and afterward she could scarcely believe what she had done. But it was a good hard slap, with the full force of her body behind it, and it snapped Damon's head to one side. Her hand stung. She stood, trying to calm her breath, and watched him. He was dressed as she had first seen him, in black. Soft black boots, black jeans, black sweater, and leather jacket. And he looked like Stefan. She didn't know how she could have missed that before. He had the same dark hair, the same pale skin, the same disturbing good looks. But his hair was straight, not wavy, and his eyes were black as midnight, and his mouth was cruel. He turned his head slowly back to look at her, and she saw blood rising in the cheek she'd slapped. â€Å"Don't lie to me,† she said, her voice shaking. â€Å"I know who you are. I knowwhat you are. You killed Mr. Tanner last night. And now Stefan's disappeared.† â€Å"Has he?† â€Å"You know he has!† Damon smiled and then turned it off instantly. â€Å"I'm warning you; if you've hurt him – â€Å" â€Å"Then, what?† he said. â€Å"What will you do, Elena? Whatcan you do, against me?† Elena fell silent. For the first time, she realized that the wind had died away. The day had gone deadly quiet around them, as if they stood motionless at the center of some great circle of power. It seemed as if everything, the leaden sky, the oaks and purple beeches, the ground itself, was connected to him, as if he drew Power from all of it. He stood with his head tilted back slightly, his eyes fathomless and full of strange lights. â€Å"I don't know,† she whispered, â€Å"but I'll find something. Believe me.† â€Å"I do believe you,† he said, relaxing, looking around the graveyard. Then he turned back and held out a hand to her. â€Å"You're too good for my brother,† he said casually. Elena thought of slapping the hand away, but she didn't want to touch him again. â€Å"Tell me where he is.† â€Å"Later, possibly – for a price.† He withdrew his hand, just as Elena realized that on it he wore a ring like Stefan's: silver and lapis lazuli. Remember that, she thought fiercely. It's important. â€Å"My brother,† he went on, â€Å"is a fool. He thinks that because you look like Katherine you're weak and easily led like her. But he's wrong. I could feel your anger from the other side of town. I can feel it now, a white light like the desert sun. You have strength, Elena, even as you are. But you could be so much stronger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stared at him, not understanding, not liking the change of subject. â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about. And what has it got to do with Stefan?† â€Å"I'm talking about Power, Elena.† Suddenly, he stepped close to her, his eyes fixed on hers, his voice soft and urgent. â€Å"You've tried everything else, and nothing has satisfied you. You're the girl who has everything, but there's always been something just out of your reach, something you need desperately and can't have. That's what I'm offering you. Power. Eternal life. And feelings you've never felt before.† Shedid understand then, and bile rose in her throat. She choked on horror and repudiation. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Why not?† he whispered. â€Å"Why not try it, Elena? Be honest. Isn't there a part of you that wants to?† His dark eyes were full of a heat and intensity that held her transfixed, unable to look away. â€Å"I can waken things inside you that have been sleeping all your life. You're strong enough to live in the dark, to glory in it. You can become a queen of the shadows. Why not take that Power, Elena? Let me help you take it.† â€Å"No,† she said, wrenching her eyes away from his. She wouldn't look at him, wouldn't let him do this to her. She wouldn't let him make her forget†¦ make her forget†¦ â€Å"It's the ultimate secret, Elena,† he said. His voice was as caressing as the fingertips that touched her throat. â€Å"You'll be happy as never before.† There was something terribly important she must remember. He was using Power to make her forget it, but she wouldn't let him make her forget†¦ â€Å"And we'll be together, you and I.† The cool fingertips stroked the side of her neck, slipping under the collar of her sweater. â€Å"Just the two of us, forever.† There was a sudden twinge of pain as his fingers brushed two tiny wounds in the flesh of her neck, and her mind cleared. Make her forget†¦Stefan. That was what he wanted to drive out of her mind. The memory of Stefan, of his green eyes and his smile that always had sadness lurking behind it. But nothing could force Stefan out of her thoughts now, â€Å"I've already found what I want,† she said brutally. â€Å"And who I want to be with forever.† Blackness welled up in his eyes, a cold rage that swept through the air between them. Looking into those eyes, Elena thought of a cobra about to strike. â€Å"Don't you be as stupid as my brother is,† he said. â€Å"Or I might have to treat you the same way.† She was frightened now. She couldn't help it, not with cold pouring into her, chilling her bones. The wind was picking up again, the branches tossing. â€Å"Tell me where he is, Damon.† â€Å"At this moment? I don't know. Can't you stop thinking about him for an instant?† â€Å"No!† She shuddered, hair lashing about her face again. â€Å"And that's your final answer, today? Be very sure you want to play this game with me, Elena. The consequences are nothing to laugh about.† â€Å"Iam sure.† She had to stop him before he got to her again. â€Å"And you can't intimidate me, Damon, or haven't you noticed? The moment Stefan told me what you were, what you'd done, you lost any power you might have had over me. Ihate you. You disgust me. And there's nothing you can do to me, not any more.† His face altered, the sensuousness twisting and freezing, becoming cruel and bitterly hard. He laughed, but this laugh went on and on. â€Å"Nothing?† he said. â€Å"I can doanything to you, and to the ones you love. You have no idea, Elena, of what I can do. But you'll learn.† He stepped back, and the wind cut through Elena like a knife. Her vision seemed to be blurring; it was as if flecks of brightness filled the air in front of her eyes. â€Å"Winter is coming, Elena,† he said, and his voice was clear and chilling even over the howl of the wind. â€Å"An unforgiving season. Before it comes, you'll have learned what I can and can't do. Before winter is here, you'll have joined me. You'll be mine.† The swirling whiteness was blinding her, and she could no longer see the dark bulk of his figure. Now even his voice was fading. She hugged herself with her arms, head bent down, her whole body shaking. She whispered, â€Å"Stefan – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, and one more thing,† Damon's voice came back. â€Å"You asked earlier about my brother. Don't bother looking for him, Elena. I killed him last night.† Her head jerked up, but there was nothing to see, only the dizzying whiteness, which burned her nose and cheeks and clogged her eyelashes. It was only then, as the fine grains settled on her skin, that she realized what they were: snowflakes. It was snowing on the first of November. Overhead, the sun was gone.

Management and Organisational Planning

Management and Organisational Planning Free Online Research Papers ‘Organisations that fail to plan are in essence planning to fail’. Discuss this statement. In your answer consider types of organisational plans, and the link between planning and the strategic management process. Support your answer with examples drawn from real organisations, using textbooks, journals, newspapers, business magazines, and periodicals. Managing companies in the 21st century has changed in many ways compared to the managing system used in the olden days. Starting from the structure of the organization itself, how they plan, how they make decision, up until how they doing things; but one thing that has not changed is that organizations which perform with an outstanding result never neglect their planning. Each organization competes with each other to perform better in accordance to others. These changes are made in order to form a better organization each day as well as better results at the end of all progress. This essay will examine why organizations that fail to plan are in essence planning to fail, as well the types of organizational plans; hence the link between planning and strategic management process. â€Å"Organizations that fail to plan are in essence planning to fail†. From this statement it is clearly understood that organizations which do not plan their future organizational goals are more likely to fail. Not only is this applicable in the context of management. Anything that is done without planning is very unlikely to succeed. A well defined plan in academic term means â€Å"a drawing or diagram showing the arrangement in horizontal section of a structure, piece of ground† (Webster’s New World College Dictionary 2001). In planning, the very first step is to set a goal which is defined as â€Å"statements of intended results that are general in nature and are measureable on a naming or ranking scale of measurement† (Kaufman 1988). It is crucial to plan every single step and thing that is needed to be done to avoid failure. Hence, the importance to understand the purposes to plan; which is providing a direction about what the organization does, and what and why it needs to be achieved so that the organisation, as a whole, knows exactly what they are required to do. Therefore when they know what to do, they can work together with other staff to accomplish the goals that been set. For instance when the plan is set, the staff can easily refer to the master plan and remind themselves what each of them are required to do. Planning reduces uncertainty and makes sure everybody is committed to the achieving the goal. It also forces the staff to anticipate any changes so they can construct an appropriate response. In simpler terms, planning makes it easier to deal with uncertainty. For example, where there is uncertainty or any problem in an organization, they know what to do and are faster to react. To minimize waste or redundancy is another one of the vital reasons to plan. This mean that the organisation makes sure that nothing is left out or wasted in order to reach an efficient result at the end of the day. These include time and financial resources. For example when dealing with the food industry where the stocks are bound to the expiry date, companies have to make sure of the amount needed in a certain period of time so it does not result in waste of stock, expired food stock. The last reason is to set a standard. This keeps things on track, or in the terms of a managerial role it is known as controlling, as well as being a reference in competing with other companies. This ensures us of what we are trying to achieve, and whether or not we achieved it yet. For example, companies keep track of the progress of their plan by determining their position in accordance to the plan daily, weekly, monthly or annually. Even though many cases show that performance organizations that plan are mostly do well, cannot be said that organizations that did not plan always fail. One of the real life examples for the organization that did well planning where lead to outstanding outcome is Sunrise Confectioners. In 1987 when Ken Klooger took over the confectionary after his father in law retired, the company had annual revenues of approximately $4 million which did not increase or decrease much in the last ten years. He then realized that he needed some planning in order to increase the revenues. After the changes that he made through new products and methods in producing the products themselves as well some ongoing research about the consumers’ preference and awareness, he did some appropriate response to it such as spending $300,000 on television advertising for two months due to consumers’ unawareness that their product contains no artificial colouring and flavouring which one of the way to a ttract most health conscious consumers. This resulted in the increase of revenues from $1.5 million to $15 million in 2000-2001 periods, as well as the market share that had risen from 2 per cent to 25 per cent. In this context, Sunrise Confectionary uses their organizational planning to give them direction as well as set standards in accordance to its competitors (Robbins et al 2003). In general terms, planning can be referred to in two ways: formal and informal. Formal planning means concentrating on the achievement of the goals. Simple thing such as setting a period of time to achieve that goal and writing down a list can be shared by throughout the organizational structure so everyone knows what they have to do, where they have to go also have something to refer back to while they are at it. Informal planning is the reverse of the formal planning which is usually present in a small business or organization. Informal planning is not as well organized because it is not written and there is limited sharing among individuals due to an abstract form of it. This shows that formal planning is addressed for a bigger organizational structure that want to achieve their future organizational purpose positively because it assists them in formalizing and systemizing all the processes being made. There are various types of organizational plans. However, this essay will only discuss the three major types of planning in an organization: budget planning, project planning, and strategic planning. The best way to categorise each of the organisational plans is via its breadth, time-frame, specificity and frequency of use. In specific terms, a budget is a plan of action matched by resources required to implement the plan (Hussey 1998). In other words, a budget is a plan. Budgets generally divide between two broad categories: the operating budget, sometimes known as the â€Å"expense† budget and the capital budget. Budget in simpler terms mean a sum of money allocated for a particular purpose (Webster’s New World College Dictionary 2001). Budget is in everyone’s life, be it a small or a big one. Budget is a tool which helps in controlling and planning the functions of an organization. It is a formalized statement of the goals of an organization stated in financial terms and accomplishes several important functions for managers. It states future projections of revenues, expenses and expected profits. Planning, evaluating performance, co-ordinating activities, implementing plans, communicating, motivating and authorising actions are the main functions of a budget. The budget period de pends upon the action plan; it might be for a short or long duration. A budget compels the managers to think ahead by formalizing their responsibilities for planning, and is best framework for judging subsequent performance and aids managers in coordinating their efforts, so that the plans of an organization meets the objectives of the organization as a whole (Hussey 1998). To plan a project a team should have a goal and should work as one unit to achieve certain objectives. In project planning, team members should implement inventive ideas that would serve their goal in a resourceful way. Each individual on a team should take part in the planning process, because the diversity of team members and their different perspectives can create more than one approach to initiate a project. Project planning can be explained as determining the goals and objectives of a project through a coordination of procedures and determination of courses of action before initiating a project. Project planning is a rational determination of how to initiate, sustain, and finalize a project. There are many steps to be taken when planning a project within a team. To have a successful plan when working with a team, set a role of conduct for the team members (Free Management Library 2007). Define what each individual’s responsibility is and what to be expected from them. Eac h project should be broken down into specific tasks; it is important to find ways to divide the work into manageable parts. All projects encounter problems and conflicts. In order to have an early resolution to those problems, team members should discuss each potential problem that they might face (Free Management Library 2007). Team members should have a logical approach to problem solving. All problems must be predefined. Also, a deadline for the project is essential. If time to get done with the project is not controlled then the project itself can not be controlled (Free Management Library). Team members have to prioritize and work on a certain pace. They might also have a set schedule on when each task within the project should be done. Another important point in project planning is communication. Team members should always give each other a feedback on the progress of their tasks or roles and what have they accomplished. The process of communication and its result helps dimini sh the conflict of change (Free Management Library 2007). Discussing ideas within team members is a process where each individual should contribute in. Having different ideas will make the project unique and will create more than one method to reach the project’s goal. Strategic plans are plans that apply to the entire organisation, establish the organisation’s overall goals, and seek to position the organisation in terms of its environment. Strategic plans tend to cover a longer time frame. Long-term plans can be defined as those with a time frame of more than three years (Robbins et al 2003). They also cover a broader view of the organisation. Strategic plans also include the formulation of goals (McNamara 2007). There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organizations leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organizations environment, size of the organization, expertise of planners and et cetera. For example, there are a variety of strategic planning models, including goals-based, issues-based, organic, scenario and so on. Goals-based planning is probably the most common and starts with focus on the organiz ations mission, goals to work toward the mission, strategies to achieve the goals, and action planning. Issues-based strategic planning often starts by examining issues facing the organization, strategies to address those issues, and action plans. Organic strategic planning might start by articulating the organizations vision and values and then action plans to achieve the vision while adhering to those values. Some planners prefer a particular approach to planning (McNamara 2007). There is a link between planning and strategic management process. Planning is one part, though small, of the strategic management process. This can be shown using the roles of corporate managers. One of the four major roles of a manager is to plan. This planning plays a crucial part in determining the success of an organisation as mentioned earlier. But first, we have to ask: What is â€Å"strategic management process?† and â€Å"What are the steps in the process†. There is not just one definition of the phrase â€Å"strategic management process†. The definition, though similar, differs in accordance with people’s personal opinions. For example, Johnson views it as a six-step process. On the other hand, Viljoen Dann see it as a five-step process. However, in my opinion, I agree most with Robbins’s view on the process. Robbins et al analyses strategic management process as an eight-step process that consists of strategic planning, implementation and evaluation. Although the first six steps describe the planning that must take place, implementation and evaluation are just as important. Even the finest strategies can fall short if management does not put into practice or assess them properly. The first step in strategic management process is identifying the organisation’s current mission, objective and strategies (Robbins et al 2003). Every organisation requires a statement of the purpose of the organisation, also called a mission. The mission verifies the reason for which the company is in the business. To do this, managers must vigilantly recognize the range of its products and services. It is also vital for managers to identify the goals and strategies currently being pursued in the company. Goals are a foundation of planning which provide the measurable performance targets that the organisation as a whole strives to reach. By being aware of current goals allows managers to decide whether or not these current goals need to be changed. This can also be applied to strategies currently in place. The second step is analysing the environment (Robbins et al 2003). Analysing the environment is a critical step in the strategy process. Robbins describes the external environment as a significant basis on a manager’s actions. To outline a successful strategy, it must be supported well by the environment. In this step, managers need to know what is going on outside the organisation. Information such as what the competitors are doing, what on-going laws might affect the organisation and what degree of labour supply is available around the area where the company is located. Aside from analysing the external environment, managers must also examine specific and general environments to observe and be conscious of the trends and changes which are occurring. This step of the process can be considered complete when the manager has an accurate understanding of what is occurring in the external environment and the developments which could possibly affect the organisation. Following this, managers need to evaluate the results they have achieved in step 2 and determine the opportunities which the company can utilize and threats it encounters. This is all part of the SWOT analysis. Robbins defines opportunities as a positive development in the external environment and threats as negative trends. After identifying threats and opportunities, managers must now look inside the organisation by analysing the organisation’s resources and capabilities (Robbins et al 2003). This includes employees’ skills, the organisation’s resources, success at innovating products, quality of products, the organisation’s financial status, and the way customers distinguish the organisation. All of these show that no matter how large or how small an organisation is, the organisation is bound to the availability of resources and capabilities. This analysis of the internal environment allows managers to recognize specific capabilities and resources. When these capabilities and resources are outstandingly unique, they can be used as competitive weapons. This key value-generating skill is referred to as core competencies (Robbins et al 2003). From the previous step, the organisation should now have a comprehensible appraisal of its internal resources as well as its capabilities in executing various practical activities. Strengths are any strong capabilities the organisation possesses or unique resource materials (Robbins et al 2003). Weaknesses are the activities which the organisation does not perform well or the lack of resources which they need. Robbins states that different strengths and drawbacks have different outcomes on the strategy being pursued. An organisation’s culture is its personality or characteristics. It is a sign of the organisation’s mutual beliefs and values. When an organisation has a strong culture, it becomes more straight-forward for managers to convey the organisation’s core competencies and strengths to new employees. However, strong cultures are difficult to change. It then becomes a barrier to acknowledging any alterations in the organisation’s strategies. â€Å"Su ccessful organisations with strong cultures may become prisoners of their own success† (Robbins et al 2003). Strategies need to be formulated in all levels of an organisation, be it a corporate, business or functional level. This follows a decision-making process. Strategic alternatives must first be assessed. Managers must select strategies which harmonize with each other and bring out the best of the organisation in terms of its strengths and environmental opportunities. A successful strategy would be one that puts the organisation at a relative advantage over its competitors and the most favourable aggressive edge (Robbins et al 2003). The organisation must try and maintain this advantage to call the strategy a victory. As mentioned earlier, the first six steps are the planning of strategies. After an organisation comes up with strategies, they must apply it. The same efforts put into planning the strategies must be put into implementing it. No matter how effective the strategies are, if the organisation fails to apply it properly, these strategies will be deemed useless (Robbins et al 2003). Implementing strategies efficiently often means that the organisation has to hire new people with different skills, relocating a portion of current employees to new positions, or in the worst case, make redundant some employees. Most organisations nowadays run their management using teams. Therefore, building and managing effective teams is ability in implementing strategies efficiently. Top-management leadership is equally as important. So is a motivated group of middle and lower-managers who perform the organisation’s specific strategy needs. The final step in the strategic management process is evaluating the results of the strategies in terms of effectiveness, and adjustments that need to be made to improve the success of strategies. As a real-life example, Anne Mulcahy who is the president of Xerox Corporation made strategic modifications to develop her company’s competitiveness in the information services industry. These strategic actions were made after assessing the results of previous strategies and coming to a conclusion that changed were needed (Robbins et al 2003). In conclusion, the four key factors for success when implementing change within an organisation are: pressure for change; a clear, shared vision; capacity for change; and action. The various types of organisational plans as well as the implementation of strategic management process play a significant role in planning and managing change. Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes. The four key factors for success when implementing change within an organisation are: pressure for change; a clear, shared vision; capacity for change; and action. REFERENCES Agnes, M Guralnik, DB (eds) 2001, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th edn, IDG Books Worldwide Inc., Foster City, California. Free Management Library 2007, Planning in Organisations, viewed 2 May 2007, . Hussey, D 1998, ‘The Making of Strategy’, Strategic Management: from theory to implementation, 4th edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, pp. 161-508. Kaufman, R 1988, ‘Where to go and why get there: goals, objectives, needs, and roles’, Planning for Organisational Success: a Practical Guide, 2nd edn, Social Impacts Publications, Australia, pp. 1-20. McNamara, C 2007, Strategic Planning: in non-profit or for-profit organisations, Free Management Library, viewed 3 May 2007, . Robbins, SP, Bergman, R, Stagg, I, Coulter, M 2003, ‘Planning’, Management, 3rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, New South Wales, pp. 171-270. Viljoen, J Dann, S 2000, ‘Process of Strategic Management’, Strategic Management: planning and implementing successful corporate strategies, 3rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, New South Wales, pp. 45-89. Research Papers on Management and Organisational PlanningThe Project Managment Office SystemLifes What IfsBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaResearch Process Part OneStandardized TestingOpen Architechture a white paperMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New Employees

How To Prove The ROI Of Getting Organized [Backed By Science]

How To Prove The ROI Of Getting Organized [Backed By Science] Here are three facts  I know to be 100% certain: Marketers who document their plan are 538% more successful than those who don’t. Marketers who document their processes are 466% more successful than those who don’t. Marketers who set goals are 429% more successful than those who don’t. ^^^ I don’t know what that sounds like to you. But to me†¦ it sounds like literal data proves that: Marketers who proactively organize  the ways in which they will be  successful are actually more successful  than marketers who don’t organize their plans, processes, and goals. So to answer the question the title of this article hints at, let me pose another†¦ is there value in being successful? Just saying. If that’s just not enough for you, let’s breakdown the symptoms the lack of solid organization cause and explore how you’ll solve those pains by getting organized. This information is handy when: You need to prove to your boss that it’s worth your time and investment to implement new tools and processes to get organized. Your team needs some reassurance that while change is difficult, that after implementing new organizational procedures that their lives will actually be way easier- proven by science. You need a kick in the pants to get organized now†¦ because every day you spend frustrated by disorganization is another wasted opportunity. You’ve got this! So let’s explore, shall we? ;) How To Prove The ROI Of Getting Organized (Backed By Science)You Literally  Don’t Have To Work As Hard When You’re Organized (This Is A Really  Good Thing) Disorganization in your marketing operations causes extreme frustration. Frustration  is a feeling of anger or annoyance caused by being unable to do something, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. I thought it was interesting to read the example sentence Merriam-Webster used to define frustration  because it applies all too well to the topic of disorganized marketing: These bureaucratic delays have been causing us a lot of frustration. Hm. ^^^ I’m sure you’ve been there. A study from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health aimed to understand how frustration impacted brain activity while participants executed tasks they knew really well. The result? It takes increased attentional effort  to complete well-learnt tasks when you’re frustrated. Therefore, if being disorganized causes you to feel frustrated, you’re likely to experience more stress and expend more mental energy to complete your work. In short, you have to work harder when you’re frustrated.  It slows you down, shatters productivity, and destroys your efficiency. Value of being organized: You spend less mental energy to complete your work. That means you save time. You can calculate the actual value with the following formula: (time spent completing task while frustrated Ãâ€" hourly wage) (time spent completing task normally Ãâ€" hourly wage) = # hours productivity and # money saved from being organized For example, if you’re writing a webinar script, your calculation may look something like this: (16 hours writing script while frustrated Ãâ€" $30 hourly wage) (10 hours writing script normally Ãâ€" $30 hourly wage) = 6 hours of productivity and $180 saved from being organized Use a tool like Toggl to track your time. Then log it in the spreadsheet that complements this article. ^^^ That’s nerd-ville. But if you need legit calculations to back up why you need to change now, knowing the numbers will help your case. Now†¦ how can you solve the frustration caused by disorganization? Since I picked on â€Å"bureaucratic delays† as a cause of frustration, next up is†¦ Recommended Reading: How to Effectively Measure Marketing ROI With Google Analytics and a Simple Formula Science Proves That Setting Deadlines Helps You Actually  Complete Tasks On Time Deadline  is a date or time before which something must be done, again, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Researchers at MIT conducted a study on procrastination, deadlines, and precommitment. Essentially, they wanted to know if incremental deadlines would help projects be completed on time rather than at the last minute (or not at all). That study found self-imposed deadlines aren’t as effective as externally-imposed, evenly-spaced deadlines. So. People are scientifically proven to be more effective when larger â€Å"projects† are broken down and assigned to them as deadlines over time. ^^^ Yep. People work better when they’re told what to do and when to have it done. So†¦ to summarize†¦ psychology suggests: Being organized enough to plan your workflows and delegate task deadlines will help you complete projects on time. Being organized enough to plan your workflows and delegate task deadlines will help you completeWhat are some best practices for assigning deadlines? ^^^ I thought you’d never ask. ;) Break down all of the work to be done for a piece of content in a chronological list.  For example, consider everything you need to do to plan, write, and publish a white paper from beginning to end. Eliminate all unnecessary tasks from the list.  Andrew S. Grove, former CEO at Intel, suggests targeting a specific number of tasks to remove from your workflow can help you reduce your workload by 30-50%. Remove tasks that fall into other workflows, exist for bureaucratic/approval purposes, and are outdated. Decide who will complete each of those tasks.  You’re thinking of one name per task here- because the moment you delegate one task to two people is the moment each points fingers at the other to complete the work (or†¦ push blame on the other when the work never gets completed). Figure out when the last task in the workflow needs to be done.  In marketing lingo, you can think of this as # of days before publish.  For example, if you need a blog post to be 100% complete two weeks before it publishes, the last task in the workflow needs to be done 14 days before the publish date. Now you know the second-to-last task needs to be completed 15 days before publish, the third-to-last task 16 days before publish, and all the way up the list to the very first task so you’ll know exactly when to begin the workflow. Through this process, you’ve organized: The workflow for a specific piece of content so no detail gets missed. Accountability for each task within the workflow so you can efficiently assign the work among your team. When every task needs to be completed so, as a collective project, the content is completed on time, thereby crushing your deadline. You can follow this simple process to organize realistic workflows for everything you do: white papers, blog posts, emails, courses, and beyond. And, in the grand scheme of things, you’ve used psychology to influence your team to complete their work on time so you, as a collective marketing team, nail every deadline for every piece and for every campaign. win-win-win Value of being organized: You will hit deadlines while removing 30-50% of your workload, thus giving you the ability to complete projects faster and more efficiently than ever before.You can calculate the value of organizing your workflows and deadlines with the following formulas: (total time spent completing tasks that were removed from the workflow) Ãâ€" hourly wage = # hours productivity and # money saved from being organized For example, if you’re writing a blog post, your calculation may look something like this: (1 hour approving idea + 30 minutes outline peer review + 30 minutes social media graphic review + 1 hour writing email) Ãâ€" $30 hourly wage = 3 hours of productivity and $90 saved from being organized Since you’ll also be able to work through projects faster and more efficiently, you may even want to communicate that value, too. While certain tasks may require less time than one day to be completed, typical waterfall workflows mean allocating a day per task to allow your team members flexibility in their daily schedules to complete the work: # days to complete workflow before task reduction (total # tasks removed from the workflow) = # days to complete the organized workflow For example, this is what that may look like for your blog post: 10 days to complete workflow before task reduction (1 +1 +1 +1 total tasks removed from the workflow) = 6 days to complete the organized workflow ^^^ This illustrates you’ll move faster to ship the same projects, which means you can take on more work all while hitting your deadlines. If You’re Persistent, You’ll Get It. If You’re Consistent, You’ll Keep It. Tony Robbins once said†¦ It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.Yeah, that’s a nice quip. But. ^^^ That quote holds water as far as science is concerned. Researchers wondered if commitment would be an effective way to promote proenvironmental behaviors. They discovered for early behavioral success that: [†¦] commitment alone [†¦] and commitment plus another treatment (e.g., feedback, incentives, persuasive messages, [†¦]) were significantly more effective than control groups. That means if you commit to something, you’re likely to be successful at it. Go figure. And, that means if you commit to something AND communicate during that commitment, you’re even more likely to be successful. Consider that when you make a behavioral change in your marketing team†¦ The study goes on to elaborate: [†¦] both commitment only and commitment plus another treatment yielded sustained behavior change. That means commitment leads to long-term behavior change, therefore, long-term success. So. If you’re persistent right away, you’ll get it. If you’re consistent with that commitment, you’ll keep it. As a marketer, you likely hear all too often that â€Å"Consistency is key to success!† Well, for you to get organized personally, science proves that’s true. And, as far as your marketing’s results go, consistency is a major driver of success, too. Consider this†¦ A website with zero pages will get zero visitors. That means zero page views, zero email subscribers, and†¦ zero customers. A website with a couple pages may get visitors. That means a few page views, a couple subscribers, and maybe some customers. A website with 10 thousand pages will get thousands of visitors, thousands of email subscribers, and hundreds of customers. ^^^ If that sounds bizarre†¦ or you don’t believe me†¦ I know those three bullets to be 100% true because they are precisely what happened here at . Back in 2013, this is what traffic looked like at because we started with just a few web pages and blog posts. No one knew who we were or the pains could solve for them: launched September 23, 2013. A big spike! Followed by actual days of zero page views. wah-wah This is ’s traffic recently: That didn’t happen over night. A commitment to publishing at least  two blog posts every single week since 2013  gave us: Opportunities to test  various topics and angles to understand what our audience would be interested in. The option of failure.  It’s not possible for every piece to be a winner. But that gave us so many ways to learn what not to do, so we could improve everything we should do  moving forward. Thousands of keywords to rank on.  When every blog post targets a keyword, every search brings new traffic. Organic search accounts for 69% of our traffic, which wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t consistently publish content strategically targeted at ranking for terms our audience uses. ^^^ That last one is crucial to our success as a marketing team here at . Imagine if only published one blog post per month targeting a keyword that would bring in 1,000 search results. Since September 2013, that would mean we’d have only published something like 55 blog posts resulting in 55,000 page views of monthly recurring traffic. ^^^ That would suck. And it wouldn’t be the more than 1.5 million page views the website pulls in every month today. Instead, consistently publishing at least two blog posts since 2013 (and frequently more now because we know publishing consistently works), gives us steady, long-term results that look something like this: It’s not easy. I fully remember late nights on Sundays and Tuesdays to make damn sure we published first thing Monday and Wednesday mornings. We were committed. It had to happen no matter what. But. We got better at it. Getting organized, creating workflows, and setting goals helped us commit to producing content that produces results. Value of being organized: Commitment and consistency make your goals reality.You can calculate how organizing your commitment to consistency impacts your marketing’s success with this formula: (total # of pieces to publish when committed to consistency) (total # of pieces published today without commitment to consistency) Ãâ€" (total anticipated # goal volume) = # of goal increase from being organized Since the example involves blog posts, this is what the formula may look like for us as an example: (9 blog posts to publish per month when committed to consistency) (1 blog post published per month without commitment to consistency) Ãâ€" (1,000 new search results per blog post) = 8,000 pageview increase each month from being organized. ^^^ Now, that formula is the most simplistic it can be. You’ll tweak it according to your own goals. The point here is that organizing your commitment to publishing consistently will dramatically boost your marketing’s results. What Is Being Organized Worth To You? Just by running through the frameworks with the examples in this article, being organized would: Give you 6 hours of productivity and save $180 on every white paper you’d produce moving forward. Free up 3 hours of productivity and save $90 on every blog post you’ll write in the future. Boost your recurring monthly pageviews by 8,000. Being organized eliminates frustration, reduces your overall workload, and boosts your results. If you’re ready to organize all of your marketing- including blog posts, email marketing, social media campaigns, and everything content- in one place, now’s the perfect time to check out . is the only marketing management platform that brings everything you’re working on in one visual calendar. It helps you see everything your team is working on at a glance. So go ahead and see what getting organized will do for you! Request your free, customized demo with a expert! Or†¦ Start your free 14-day trial right now. You’ve got this!

Converting Cubic Inches to Cubic Feet

Converting Cubic Inches to Cubic Feet Converting cubic inches to cubic feet is a common problem. Here is the conversion factor and a worked example. Conversion Factor 1728 cubic inches 1 cubic foot 0.000578704 cubic feet 1 cubic inch Simple Example Convert 54.9 cubic inches into cubic feet. You can multiply by the conversion factor: 54.9 cubic inches x 0.000578704 cubic feet per cubic inch 0.0318 cubic feet or you could simply divide  the value in cubic feet by 1728: 54.9 cubic inches / 1728 cubic feet per cubic inch 0.0318 cubic feet Worked Example You measure a box and find it is 12 inches long, 5 inches high, and 3 inches deep. The volume of the box is length x width x height so the volume of the box is: 12 x 5 x 3 volume in cubic inches 180 cubic inches Now, to convert this to cubic feet, you know there are 1728 cubic inches in 1 cubic foot: 180 cubic inches x (1 cubic foot / 1728 cubic inches) volume in cubic feet 180 cubic inches x 0.000578704 cubic feet/cubic inch volume in cubic feet 0.1042 cubic feet

Islamic architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Islamic architecture - Essay Example The early Islamic architecture was inspired by and reflected both secular and religious and secular styles. However, with the increase in the industrial development, and the increase in population, the contemporary Islamic architecture has transformed and has forgotten its traditional / cultural roots. The objective of this research is to identify and study the islamic architecture from the past to the present. With the help of examples from the post-islamization era and the contemporary urbanized Islamic world, the research will compare the transformation of the Islamic architecture. What are the major features of the contemporary Islamic architecture? Are they in alliance with the features of the past era? Does the present features reflect the tradtion and culture of Islam and traditional Islamic architecture? In order to conduct this research, the study will primararily be based upon online data banks, books, and online Islamic Architectural archives. It will also utilize help from past researches and studies on the subject. However, it is not feasible to travel to the mentioned Islamic architectures for the purpose of this research. Architecture is considered as an important element of an culture, society, or religion. From the foundation of Islam to present day, the Islamic architecture has witnessed huge transformations and serious changes in its design and features. These transformations are increasing day by day and the the traditional Islamic architecture is losing its charm and may become obsolete. Keeping this situation in mind, there is an avid need of study / research that can assess and evaluate the reasons behind the changes and transformations of the new concepts and designs being introduced in the Islamic architectural world. In order to conduct this study, the qualitative research methodology willbe utilized.

Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Toyota - Essay Example To be specific about the operational aspects of Toyota, major focus areas involve its ‘supply chain management’: outsourcing to externalize its direct costs and lowering down the market risks to least. Effectively established Just-in-time (JIT) set-up to minimize inventory costs and reducing wastes, further, keeping a look at the suppliers’ channel to avoid any risks and errors. Adding to this, Toyota preferred delegating its tasks singly to the concerned specialist workers rather than giving multiple tasks to single worker. This helped in reducing errors as each task was handled by its specialist. Toyota constantly kept on identifying its errors and designing the related handling processes. Reducing process timing and increase in inventory turnover through kanban was also well-practiced by Toyota. Toyota ensures safety, environmental concern, quality performance of products and other essential attractions on affordable prices, by collecting the needs and expectat ions directly from the customers. Hence, the primary contact with the users bring the ‘customer involvement policy’ of Toyota which entitles ‘Customer First’ as its focus-line of working, clarifying that it leads to ‘Quality’ which is a distinguishing characteristic of Toyota products.

Functions of Management in Different Spheres Assignment

Functions of Management in Different Spheres - Assignment Example Therefore, movie-on-demand is a competitive substitute for the blockbuster movies. The major stakeholders of the university include; foundation members, the board of trustees, business and industry. The students are the major stakeholders in the university because they influence the long and short-term goals of the university. Managing diversity in the organization can be done by developing an organizational culture, which synchronizes the diverse cultures into the organizational policy and operation. In addition, cultural integration practices can be used to develop the necessary group cohesion. The manager can employ cultural acceptance to avoid conflict between individuals. Lack of accountability is the major barrier to goal setting. However, as a manager, the development of step plans to achieve the set goals. However, the accountability is the vital aspect of goal setting. Start the business from scratch offer the opportunity to understand the business effectively thereby reducing the chances of collapse. Proper planning of a new business venture is easy compared to a takeover business. However, take over business has an advantage of having already set capital and infrastructure outlay. Business engineering is the process of redesigning the business operations in order to improve performance and develop success in the whole process. Re-engineering can be integrated as a product of competition or the introduction of new products by the company which is intended to improve the business performance The internal recruitment process is simple and easy to be employed. The staff does not need to be oriented to the company as such they can assume the new roles with ease. However, it reduces the pool of choice while also limiting injection of new ideas. External recruitment offers the opportunity to inject new blood into the system thus  allowing for new ideas to be developed. External recruitment offers the company the opportunity to add new employees with better skills. However, the major problem with external recruitment is time constraints and the need for further training of the new stuff on the company details and system of operation.

Favorite ad of yours Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Favorite ad of yours - Essay Example Finally, the husband drops out of the car and fetches the family their favorite, delicious, warm and tender Kentucky Fried Chicken. Then the characters of the family are shown eating drumsticks as they drive the rest of their way out of the jungle. The objective of the ad was to tell that Kentucky Fried Chicken is something that can be enjoyed on a long drive. The theme was perfectly consistent with the editorial environment. The narrator covered the whole story in the song and the verses were quite poetic and meaningful. As said before, the ad was based on cartoons, so there was no real personality. The cartoons suited best to the melody of the ad. I particularly noticed that the luminosity in the ad was quite inconsistent with the night shown in the ad. Overall, the deliciousness of Kentucky Fried Chicken was advertised very beautifully. I often eat Kentucky Fried Chicken. In fact, it is my favorite fast food restaurant. Besides, the ad did a good job persuading me to immediately g o to Kentucky Fried Chicken the very first time I saw it.

Xia Qinggao Hsieh Ch'ing Kao Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Xia Qinggao Hsieh Ch'ing Kao - Essay Example He was very aware of English naval tradition, and sounded admiring of the rescue processes involved in helping those in need on the high seas, and the possibility of punishment for failing to carry out this duty. The tone, while factual, hinted that in China, similar rules for duty to others applied. He perceived that the English were great maritime traders, and by his own travels, we assume that China too was involved in this trade. That is confirmed by the writer's geographical knowledge (not always accurate) and the flags he observed flying from ships at sea; he must have been part of that trading tradition. His comments regarding smallpox quarantine in Portugal, and its purpose in disease prevention, are stated in a tone that allows us to infer that this would happen too in Chinese ports. With regard to the products and manufactured goods for all the countries mentioned, his awareness was based on knowledge, and such goods were more than likely available in China. He sounded impressed by the "fine system of waterworks" in London, and how easily families could access clean water, with a fair method of payment described. Such a facility might not have been freely available to all in China, judging by his tone and interest. He mentioned good routes by land and water in Portugal, good land routes in the Scandinavian countries, and the steamboat in America impressed him. Because he was so knowledgeable about transportation, we can assume that good mechanisms existed in China, though it was unlikely that they had steam driven boats, as his description was rather inaccurate. In comparing climate, he mentioned only Portugal as being colder than "Fukien and Kwangtung", though England and Sweden would have been even colder. This tells us that parts of China were very hot. From his comment on "dwelling houses of more than one story" we can surmise that this was not the norm in China, where traditionally, one-story family dwellings were set around a courtyard with one main entrance gate. The detailed descriptions of clothing, and how it determined social class, suggested that it was very different in style from Chinese clothing, while drawing attention to the differences between what was worn by the rich and poor, similar to such class divisions in China. The European clothes were "tight fitting" at the top, so Chinese clothes must be less so. His comment on the English "Men and women all wear white ordinarily; for mourning, however, black is used." and this links to the idea of white being the mourning color in China. On pointing out that in Portugal, both genders wore leather shoes, he established that this was not the case in China. The loose skirts were different to Chinese female dress, we can surmise by his interest, but the custom of rich young noblewomen learning to sing and dance from an early age seemed to be a familiar practice, by his tone, and was part of Chinese culture. When describing Portugal's royal family structure and succession issues, "the king does not take a new reign title, but follows the

Analysis of Cash Flow for a Small Business Assignment

Analysis of Cash Flow for a Small Business - Assignment Example Wallick (2009) on the other had states that in bigger businesses, there is a clear difference between EBIT and cash flow. The standard formula for EBIT that is applicable here is EBIT = Revenue – Operating Expenses (Investopedia). In the case of Charles, the various expenses, depreciation, and income had been given for the two years he was in business. Secondly Charles’ concern is his not generating enough income after investing two years in the business and he is contemplating to take a job that would pay him $40,000. Since he was in business for only two years and the second year was better than the first, the first area to look at will be the yearly percentage increase on Charles’ income and the following calculation will show that. The above calculation shows he had attained an increase of 160% commission growth in one year, because his client list has been growing. When that is the case, the likelihood is he will be getting more clients for the following year or at least he can retain a good portion of the existing client base, as long as he is in business. This will create three possible future scenarios where he might lose more or less than 10% of his commission if things start to go bad; he could earn the same amount of commission if the client list does not grow, or he could repeat the previous feat of 160% growth rate or even better. If he accepts the offer at the investment company that pays him $40000 before tax and other deductions, by simply deducting the applicable expenses assuming that they will remain the same, at least for the first year considering that there is only one more year to go for the deprecation, the outcome will be the following. The $18500 is better than the $16000 he will get if his commission income had decreased by only 10% and as the percentage of loss increases, it will end up making the $40000 a better offer. However, if his commission remained the

Xia Qinggao Hsieh Ch'ing Kao Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Xia Qinggao Hsieh Ch'ing Kao - Essay Example He was very aware of English naval tradition, and sounded admiring of the rescue processes involved in helping those in need on the high seas, and the possibility of punishment for failing to carry out this duty. The tone, while factual, hinted that in China, similar rules for duty to others applied. He perceived that the English were great maritime traders, and by his own travels, we assume that China too was involved in this trade. That is confirmed by the writer's geographical knowledge (not always accurate) and the flags he observed flying from ships at sea; he must have been part of that trading tradition. His comments regarding smallpox quarantine in Portugal, and its purpose in disease prevention, are stated in a tone that allows us to infer that this would happen too in Chinese ports. With regard to the products and manufactured goods for all the countries mentioned, his awareness was based on knowledge, and such goods were more than likely available in China. He sounded impressed by the "fine system of waterworks" in London, and how easily families could access clean water, with a fair method of payment described. Such a facility might not have been freely available to all in China, judging by his tone and interest. He mentioned good routes by land and water in Portugal, good land routes in the Scandinavian countries, and the steamboat in America impressed him. Because he was so knowledgeable about transportation, we can assume that good mechanisms existed in China, though it was unlikely that they had steam driven boats, as his description was rather inaccurate. In comparing climate, he mentioned only Portugal as being colder than "Fukien and Kwangtung", though England and Sweden would have been even colder. This tells us that parts of China were very hot. From his comment on "dwelling houses of more than one story" we can surmise that this was not the norm in China, where traditionally, one-story family dwellings were set around a courtyard with one main entrance gate. The detailed descriptions of clothing, and how it determined social class, suggested that it was very different in style from Chinese clothing, while drawing attention to the differences between what was worn by the rich and poor, similar to such class divisions in China. The European clothes were "tight fitting" at the top, so Chinese clothes must be less so. His comment on the English "Men and women all wear white ordinarily; for mourning, however, black is used." and this links to the idea of white being the mourning color in China. On pointing out that in Portugal, both genders wore leather shoes, he established that this was not the case in China. The loose skirts were different to Chinese female dress, we can surmise by his interest, but the custom of rich young noblewomen learning to sing and dance from an early age seemed to be a familiar practice, by his tone, and was part of Chinese culture. When describing Portugal's royal family structure and succession issues, "the king does not take a new reign title, but follows the

Architecture and the Environment Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architecture and the Environment Paper - Essay Example In particular, it describes how physical structure affects human behavior, analyzes architecture as a means of controlling human behavior, describes the environmental psychological implications of commercial and residential design, including purpose and consideration, and analyzes the importance of architectural development supporting sustainability. Effects of Physical Structure on Human Behavior The behavioral effects of physical structure on humans are believed to be due to a number of factors such as surroundings, layout, light, color, texture, and so on. There are immediate feelings when one enters new places and this affects people’s moods. In environmental psychology, it is understood that our surroundings also affect our intellectual development. The effect can be either positive or negative but there is a relationship between environment and behavior regardless. Christopher Day (2004) explored the theme of how architectural design affects people and places in his book ‘Places of the Soul’. Close associations are shown between architecture and our consciousness, health and various other aspects of human life. Frumkin (2003) explored the evidence for the existence of healthy places, i.e. buildings, public spaces, etc. that could have a positive impact in terms of human health. It was found through various studies that the quality of a place, beyond its mere physical features, has important implications for public health. Architecture therefore has the potential to be used positively such as for promoting public health, as long as it is designed appropriately. Use of Architecture for Controlling Human Behavior Supermarkets make effective use of environmental architecture in subtle ways in order to persuade shoppers to buy its products. In this case, architecture is used to control purchasing behavior. Examples of environmental factors that contribute to influencing consumer behavior in the retailing context include store layout, interi or design, focused in-store lighting, color effects using bright and warm colors, and background music. A study by Richardson et al. (1996) showed that the store atmosphere does affect consumers in the case of perceptions of store brand quality. Background music also helps to create the right ambient conditions to influence consumer behavior in service environments (Oakes, 2000). In the field of education, architecture plays a key role in Waldorf or Steiner schools and color is an important tool used for influencing student behavior. Rudolph Steiner described color as â€Å"the soul of nature†. Thus, in a Waldorf school classroom, colors are used to support specific stages of child development. For example, pink is used in the nursery and kindergarten because of its innocent and loving feminine quality. The rest of the colors of the rainbow are used for the remaining classes in order, which are believed to suit the child’s development. In Steiner’s philosophy, à ¢â‚¬Å"the best architectural and utilitarian design does not arise only from considerations of structural and physical functions, but rather should be ‘living forms’ that also speak to the emotional, psychological, mental, moral, and spiritual natures of human users† (Adams, N.d.). These extra qualities of architecture are what grant it the power to control behavior. The control of human behavior is more pronounced in the practice of what is known as ‘

February Action - creative writing Essay Example for Free

February Action creative writing Essay So, after my great holidays, back to reality. In this case, it meant moving flats. I moved out of my friends flat and in with two Mexican siblings, girl (spoilt acting student) and boy (pain in the ass lawyer student). (The statements in this part are highly influenced by later experiences with the two people, I got along with them and their family fine. ) And when I moved I found the flat under water. So the first thing I did was spend hours soaking towels. Apart from that the two were always nice to me, the guy was almost never there and the girl went home on weekends, so I had the place to myself a lot, which was great. The flat was on the ground floor, so despite great sunny weather outside, I lived in freezing conditions. But it was well-located for work and social life. My room consisted of a bed and a built in cupboard (already provided) and a very useful box (which I found on the street and stayed with me until I moved out). I started working too giving English classes in the Bank of Mexico, some 20 hours a week, all 1-1 classes with mostly enjoyable students. As I had already found a football team, it meant I had found friends who took me out, to the cinema and every sunday the PUMAS (one of the local teams) game was a must. I was introduced to the stadium, the anthem (!!!! ) and the during match entertainment (beer and crisps) and the after match entertainment (more beer, discussion of game, and strange activities like having electric shocks outside of the stadium). Although not completely my description of a great time, it was good fun nevertheless. I otherwise spent quite lazy weekends, enjoying the company of my friend Itziar and playing football. At the end of February, the football girls had a huge party, which was great great fun, a lovely, welcoming group of girls who know how to party. There I became better friends with a lot of them, which was very nice. The party was full of good food, dancing, dancing and dancing and when it ended, we decided to go to a friends house to continue the party, but we all ended up falling asleep there. So some good weekend action. I was invited by the family of my flatmates to Cuernavaca, which is the getaway for inhabitants of the big City. (btw, if New York City is the Big Apple, Mexico City must be something like the Big Papaya) I went out on the Saturday morning by bus and then spent quite a relaxed time in the house, which is quite a bit outside of the city center. We had a lovely meal and then they took me into the city center, where they, interestingly enough, put me on the tourist bus and I went around on that. Pity really, because the main square had some really interesting and fun dancing and singing going on, surrounded by people selling handcrafts and other oddities. So the bus ride was quite amusing, lots of historically interesting information that I forget while the guide is finishing the sentence. Cuernavaca is a nice city and the bus also took us on a walk through some park/ravine, which was also umm nice. Then in the evening I met the family to have supper at a very good Italian restaurant before we headed back to their house, where I fell right to sleep (tired from the party, obviously). Sunday just meant a long sleep, another nice meal and then the return journey back to the city. So I got a look at what Cuernavaca was like, which was enjoyable. Next time, Ill just go by myself to see more of the place instead of seeing it wizzing by from the Touribus.

Life And Career Of James Cameron Film Studies Essay

Life And Career Of James Cameron Film Studies Essay Ever heard of some really good movies called Titanic, Terminator, and Avatar? Iconic director James Cameron is the brains behind making these and other great films that were, and still are very popular throughout the world. In his life, he has been extremely successful. Titanic went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time. You can give the credit to Camerons genius special effects and amazing story lines. His movies are all very interesting and really capture the imagination of the viewer. Camerons contributions to the movie world make him a big time Hollywood director. James comes from a working class family, where his parents worked very hard to support him. Oscars and numerous other awards can be found all over his house. He is a really good director and his movies are very loved around the world. James was born in the year of 1954 Phillip and Shirley Cameron. He was delivered in Kapuskasing, Ontario Canada. Camerons Dad was an electrical engineer at a power plant. His mom, Shirley was a creative type. Shirley played a large and significant role in stimulating the artistic prowess inside of her son. She enlisted him in numerous acting lessons, painting instruction, and even hired him a personal piano teacher. She did this to encourage James to be as artistic and in touch with his creative side. At school, Cameron was a pretty good student. He didnt like math because of one reason. There was only one answer to every problem. He was never able to fully be creative in his work.. James really liked reading and writing, but really liked in science fiction and space/futuristic novels. His all time favorite book as a student was 2001 A Space Odyssey. The amazing futuristic and descriptive writings of the novel really stuck with Cameron and shaped him into the creative director he is today. After reading the book Cameron had a revelation. He wanted to be in the business of art. The form he chose was directing. He felt like he would be really good at it. But he knew his dream of stardom was one of a Hollywood fairytale. So instead of pursuing a career as a director, James finished high school and went on to college. After receiving his high school diploma, Cameron transitioned into college. He chose to pursue a physics at Cal State Fullerton. He really liked studying physics there, but in the back of his head, a feeling of incompleteness still stuck in the back of his head. Cameron still wanted to test the waters as a film maker. After this sudden change of heart, he switched his major to English and went on to continue his studies for one more year. As the year past, Cameron came to the decision that college was not where he wanted to be anymore. James dropped out and moved into a small apartment in Los Angeles. There, he worked odd jobs here and there. In the mean time, he was always writing scripts and coming up with ideas for his films. At this point in his life, Cameron was at ease with his decision. His parents continued to support him from across the country. A changing point came though when Cameron first watched original Star Wars. This was in 1977. Just like the books he used to read as a child, watching Star Wars really resonated with him. It was exactly the kind of thing he was into. So, after he saw it, he really decided to pursue his dream as a director. He quit his current job and proceeded to focus all of his time and energy into film making. Camerons close knit friends in LA got together as he told them about the dream he wanted to purse. They all agreed they were interested and wanted to be a part of it. The group got together and created a movie. The movie was small and very low budget. However, it caught the attention of writers in Hollywood and got Camerons name out there as a legitimize director. They hustled enough money and eventually were able to get all the equipment necessary to create movies. Camerons first movie as a big time director was awful and terrible. The producer of the film told him that he was a terrible director and would never make it in the business. The negative comments only encouraged him to pursue his dream. He wanted to prove everyone wrong. He wanted to show Hollywood that a kid from Canada could become one of the best film makers in the history of movies. James swore to himself from that point that everyone of his next projects would be top quality and extremely well done. The movie he came up with was Terminator. Futuristic and sci-fi effects were the backbone behind this movie. People had never seen a story like this. They were consumed by the awesome explosions and amazing gun fights. The future governor of California, Arnold Shawrtzanegier got his first big break in this movie. After this, he blew up and went on to become a big time action movie star. Terminator was extremely successful, and James proceeded to create great picture after great picture. James Cameron then unveiled his greatest movie. In this film, he went away from his big explosions and fights scenes like we had seen in his previous movies. Instead, he created a movie that tugged and pulled at the emotional sensors of the human brain. This movie was Titanic. Titanic made Cameron a very rich man. It would go on to become the highest grossing film ever. It made billions and billions of dollars. The movie is very cool because it is so detailed. In one scene he replicated the exact china that was used on the real Titanic. Also, on the scene where Jack and Rose are floating in the ocean, if one is to look into the sky, the consolation of stars is exactly that of the night the real ship sank. After Titanic, Camerons reputation grew as a film maker and he continued on his quest for stardom. Cameron has been a part of many projects, not only the movies he has directed. He assisted fellow directors and also helped produce some of his friends movies. He also has an interest in acting, and sometimes fulfills roles in his own, and others movies. One of Camerons most recent movies is one about a blue alien species. Avatar is a very cool and intriguing movie. It has awesome special effects and if you see it in 3-d it will enhance the experience greatly. Avatar went on to surpass Titanic as the highest grossing movie of all time. His ingenious is really shown in this movie. His creation of a whole other race, with there own language, customs, and culture is a extremely amazing feat. It truly shows the brain power and imagination that he truly possesses. This skill is what makes him so successful in his directing. In all of his movies, Cameron usually has some reoccurring things that usually always take place. Some of these themes are apocalyptic, mans dependency on machines, and more then usual, a woman will have a very prominent role in saving the day. Most of Camerons movie have one or more of these elements in them. Cameron has married many women in his life. In his years, he has had 5 wives. First he was married to Sharon Williams in 1978. In 1984, he married Gale Hurd, the producer who bough Terminator. After Gale, he married Kathryn Bigelow in 1989. After Biglow, Cameron married Linda Hamilton, whom he has one daughter with. Finally, he married his current wife, Suzy Amis in 2000. When it comes to religion, Cameron does not really have any beliefs. He considers himself an atheist. Meaning he believes that after death, a persons body just becomes part of the earth, and that is it. director James Cameron is the brains behind making these and other great films that were, and still are very popular throughout the world. In his life, he has been extremely successful. Titanic went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time. You can give the credit to Camerons genius special effects and amazing story lines. His movies are all very interesting and really capture the imagination of the viewer. Camerons contributions to the movie world make him a big time Hollywood director. James comes from a working class family, where his parents worked very hard to support him. Oscars and numerous other awards can be found all over his house. He is a really good director and his movies are very loved around the world.

Lord of the flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies from a Psychology Viewpoint In the book, â€Å"Lord of the Flies† by William Golding, there were many things that happened that relate well to what we have been doing in Psychology 181. There were several times when I found myself relating what we learned in class to the situation that the group of boys in the book found themselves in. The knowledge that I have learned has helped me understand and try to figure out why some of the characters acted the way they did. I found the whole thing very interesting. In this report I will demonstrate what I have found to be some of the most interesting points of psychology that were incorporated in â€Å"Lord of the Flies†. This will prove to be a difficult, but inspiring task. The first thing I noticed was we stereotype people as soon as we meet them. Another, interesting psychological finding that was in the book was that the boys had to fill the basic need. This relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. Finally, in doing this report I get to incorporate another interesting point of psychology. That is that I am doing a report from secondary source in perspective of the boys on the island. That is with the assumption that the book is a true story that happened to this group of kids. Stereotyping played a big part in the book. From the first setting, well the first page, there was stereotyping going on. This played a big part in the book as it does in our everyday lives. The story line of the book is that there is a plane full of young boys flying over an ocean. When the plane goes down hitting an island and some of the boys make it, none of the adults do. This leaves the boy on an island to survive while they wait to be rescued. In the opening act of the book the stereotyping begins. There is a kid (Ralph) who is walking on the island when he meets up with another kid (Johnny better known as Piggy). Piggy makes an assumption about Ralph before they hardly meet. Piggy puts trust in Ralph by telling him a nickname that he had in school and hated. Piggy did all these things before he knew Ralph based on a stereotype than he could trust Ralph.

Aztec Culture

Research Paper: Aztec Culture The Aztec culture dates all the way back to the 13th century. Some say that a few Aztec people still survive, although they are not exactly â€Å"pure. † Their culture was derived from South America. In this research paper the plan is to inform and explain to the teacher that the Aztec were an impressive group of people for their time period because they were so advanced in science, agriculture and were far more civilized than people from other regions had assumed during that time period. What caused the collapse of such a refined empire?Moving on to government and political systems, the Aztec people’s started off with what is called the Calpulli – the basic unit of government. Each group is made up of multiple families and these families own land together. Whoever is made the leader of the Calpulli group is in charge and responsible for all the needs of everyone in the group. They set up what is called telpochalli – school fo r the common citizens. Leaders of these groups collect taxes as well. Although in cities the Calpulli leader is less family based and more about the region and surroundings (Cotrill).The next section of their government goes on to the nobility and councils. People in the nobility and council held a lot of power in society but they were not automatically put in government positions. Every city had a Calpulli and each Calpulli has a leader. All of the leaders from each group made up a council, these held a lot of the power in their government system. In the early to middle 1400s there were 3 main city-states that held the most power. The 3 city-states together were called the â€Å"Triple Alliance,† which was located in Mexico Valley. Each of these had a name; there was, Tenochtitlan, Texaco, and Tlacopan.Tenochtitlan came to dominate the whole empire itself. For each council an executive council is formed within it. Four members are chosen to lead; one of these chosen members is the tlatcani – leader of the city. Finally we come to the Huey Tlatcani which means â€Å"great speaker. † This person led the city, and was worshipped as a god and also considered the emperor (Cotrill). The emperor was supported by judges, governors, hosts of other officials, and priests. Even though the emperor was given â€Å"absolute power† in some sort of form, sometimes people also had a say. Emperors were chosen in a partially democratic system, meaning they ould be removed from power at any time. Archaeologists and historians are unsure of how any certain Aztec person was chosen to get the position of Huey Tlatcani. It was not hereditary but it did have something to do with family lines. The control of the Aztec empire did not go everywhere in Mexico. Lands that the Aztec people conquered and claimed as their own did have to pay a price of tribute to them, but still had a certain amount of freedom. The gain of land was accomplished by warriors making attacks on surrounding areas, where they also took sacrificial prisoners.Most of the time, when villages, towns or cities were captured by the Aztec, it was an incentive bringing more trade and better goods to be traded along with infrastructure. So where in history did the Aztec contribute to us? Well to start, they didn’t have twenty different ones, they had about 5. The first one of these is onions and horses and this is not technically an invention or contribution but it was introduced to them by the Spaniards. Education was not seen as a â€Å"must† or a â€Å"need† by most countries during their time, yet the Aztec people made it mandatory.Unlike in countries today there are rules and regulations to education. In some countries you can’t go to school if you are a girl, yet in others it doesn’t matter what sex you are. Black, white, poor, rich, middle class, low class, it didn’t matter to the Aztec. School was for everyone (Cotrill). An other thing introduced was popcorn, yes, popcorn. It was first used by the Aztec people for head dresses and for honoring the God of Maize and Fertility; this god is also named Tlaloc. This item was not eaten until years later and was mainly popular for Aztec use only.Foods are important in understanding cultures a second from the Aztec was chocolate. Where would you be today without it? This item was exceedingly valued by them and was used as a currency. They also demanded cacao beans which played a part in the tributes they made to their gods. A drink was made from the chocolate that the Aztec called â€Å"xocoatl† – meaning bitter water, this word was actually invented by the Aztec people themselves (Cotrill). The Aztec culture brought about chewing gum and instead of calling it gum or something of the sort they called it â€Å"chicle† which is what some Mexican vendors still all it today. Although, when the Spaniards showed up they destroyed their trading ro utes and the gum or â€Å"chicle† disappeared with it. The item didn’t show back up for another 350 years. Aztec people were actually good with medicine and knew some things about it. For the time period they were living in they were considered to be advanced. One of the main things they had used for medicine was called â€Å"antispasmodic medicine† this helped to prevent muscle spasms. It could be useful during surgeries and was made from what is still growing today and that is a passion flower.The passion flower is still used as an herbal remedy which is believed to help insomnia, high blood pressure, and epilepsy. The Aztec culture was not a poor one. The Aztec were simple in clothing, but not in economy. They were very rich as a country and would have been considered a first world country. Though their culture seemed simple since they wore little and lived simple lives they were very smart, Aztec people knew of value, and of money. Cocoa beans were the main form of money, which was used the most. A single rabbit would cost 30 cocoa beans.Something common in their trading system was to trade a child, most likely a daughter, for 600 cocoa beans. This should not come as a surprise since they also made human sacrifices to honor their gods. There was another type of money used, though not as often. It was treasured by the Aztec people and was highly valued. This form of money was called â€Å"quachtli†. Quachtli is a type of cloth used to make clothes. Legends say that during the time of the Aztec 10 pieces of this cloth was enough to support an Aztec for 6 months in the big city of Tenochtitlan (Cotrill).Trade was a major source of the Aztec’s income. The biggest trading market was located in Tlatelco. The Tlatelco had a large variety of goods which made it the most accommodating for people, over 60,000 came per day to visit. Whatever you wanted or needed was found here, cloth, corn, seeds, spices, pottery, etc. Not all villa gers grew crops which led to other Aztec people being able to specialize in other trades. Some of the trades included were feather workers, stone workers, lapidary, and metallurgy workers. The economy of this culture came to a slow halt as soon as the Spaniards arrived.They destroyed trading routes, cities, took control, and made rules. Fighting with the Spaniards caused the Aztec people no time to grow crops and this was the start of the downturn for their economy. A somewhat discussed subject that we’re moving forward on is the social system of the Aztec people. They did not have very complex social system, just two main groups. The first group is the higher ranked of the two. Nobles, which were called pipiltin and pilli for singular usage made up the higher status people of the Aztec culture.The people in this group received a more extent education than other people in the culture. Also, these people were allowed to decorate their houses to their choosing and wear superior clothes compared to that of the average people of the town, village, or community they were living in. Nobles mostly held places in the office of government, but not all, some were craftsmen of different sorts, and a few were even the palace servants. Even if they were given a lower ranked area of work it was possible to move up to a new or more suited position just by doing a good job at what was presently assigned.Second to the Nobles were the Commoners or what were called by the Aztec; macehualli, which these were the people who worked the land of the area. Not all people worked the land, albeit some were stuck working land forever you could also move up a bit in this class with some hard work. The poor of this class could sell themselves and become a slave, eventually working off their debt. Slaves were not treated badly at all, they even had laws that firmly protected them. Commoners also included craftsmen and merchants.The merchants were given more opportunity and could trav el, sell, trade, and were given more respect than most in this class. Soldiers can be included in both classes because even if they started out at a low rank they could work their way up to being a noble, and become a pilli. The classification of the Aztec culture is fairly simple. They were rich. Aztec people possessed many, many, manyimportant goods that you could not easily get around the world. Being a first world country was not exactly and easy task.Unbeknownst to them though, was that they had predators lurking in the shadows (Spaniards) that wanted their gold, cocoa beans, and much more. Their society and area was highly valued. Plus, the land they lived on was not known by many people and had not been explored. Aztec people were civilized, eminent, smart, cunning, and ethical, but their empire did fall. Not all things last forever as history shows us. Spaniards eventually came in search of new land and treasures such as gold, upon which they found the Aztec people. Invaded on November of 1519 the Aztec people welcomed the Spaniards.Cortes was a Spanish conquistador looking to conquer them. At first, the outcome looked to be in the favor of the Aztec people, but because their religion called for sacrificing hundreds to thousands of people they lost many of their own that could have been used in battle. The Spaniards brought the smallpox disease with them, which was not purposely but did favor Cortes’ side when the time came for battle. Twenty-five percent of the Aztec people died from smallpox. By 1520 the Aztec people were low on food, and still dying of the smallpox disease, eventually it claimed their emperor’s life.In 1521 Cortes finally conquered them and they surrendered. In conclusion, even though the pure Aztec race was ruined by a change in their culture from the Spaniards’ invasion there are descendants left, but with little Aztec blood in them. The legends told, pottery, huts, temples, and much more still remain in Mexic o. Life in their society was very well planned and put together, yet when the Spaniards arrived that all changed. Disease, death, famine, and much more caused them to lose hold of their culture. They went from being the richest in their country to being slaves and commoners to the Spaniard conquistadores.A lot of their culture was destroyed with the invasion so most researchers have little to go on. The possibilities of how different their society would have been if the Spaniards were defeated, or had never come into contact with the Aztec people are infinite. References â€Å"Aztec Economy. † edublogs. edublog, 9 Mar. 2011. google. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. . (Aztec Economy edublog) â€Å"Aztec: Economic and Trade System. † PLU. Pacific Lutheran University, n. d. google. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. . (Pacific Lutheran University) Baquedano, Elizabeth. Aztec, Inca, and Maya. : Eyewitness Books, 1993. Baquedano) Cottrill, Jaime. Aztec-History. Ed. Jaime Cottrill. , 2006. Google. Web. 1 0 Oct. 2011. . (Cotrill) Outline I. Intro a. Aztec Culture b. In this research paper the plan is to inform and explain to the teacher that the Aztec were an impressive group of people for their time period because they were so advanced in science, agriculture and were far more civilized than people from other regions had assumed during that time period. II. Political System III. Major Contributions to Human History IV. Economy V. Social System VI. Classification VII. Reasons for Success/Destruction VIII. Conclusion