Chinas one child policy

In the mid-twentieth century, the Chinese government believed that a large population would turn China into a strong nation. The people were encouraged to have large families. However, this resulted in a population increase of 55 million every three years. With the massive population increase, the state realised that it might lead to famine as the food demand would exceed supply. To avoid a Malthusian disaster, the government decided to control the population growth by introducing the one-child policy. The limits each couple to bear only one child (with the exception of identical twins). In addition, the marriageable age for men was raised to 22, and for women to 20. This meant couples would bear a child later than it used to be. Couples who conformed were allowed free education for their child, priority housing and other benefits. On the other hand, those who did not were fined heavily. Unfortunately after the policy was introduced, infanticide occurred. From tradition, male decedents were always preferred as they carry their family names from generation to generation. As couples were only allowed one child, girls were quite often abandoned, or even killed so they could have another chance of getting a boy. This occurred more often in rural areas, where there were less control from the government, and also where traditions held stronger. The preference of getting a male child also meant a higher male to female ratio. As a result the population growth rate would decrease. Although it can be seen as a good thing and is the whole point of the policy, the fertility rate might lower to a point where reproduction occurred very rarely. Another problem the Chinese government faced was that it was quite easy for couples to hide their child. Many people had more than one child without the government knowing. These children were not registered and could not receive any benefits which were available for all other children – not even medical care or education. Later in life, there would be difficulty in obtaining permission from the government to marry as they were not registered. Having only one child per couple, parents could easily indulge their child. As a result, â€Å"little emperors were emerged†. It was also speculated that it would result in poor communication and cooperative skills amongst the younger generation due to the lack of siblings. Lastly, many people from the Western society criticised the policy as an assault on human rights. Women were often forced to abort the child if she already had one. Many people saw this as murder and violation in human right. Despite all these problems, the one child policy did reduce the population and a â€Å"Malthusian disaster† was avoided. In 2007, China's population was roughly 1.3 billion; it was predicted to be 25% higher if not for the one-child policy. Population structure of China in 2000. The base of the pyramid is expected to be wider if the one-child policy was not in place. The decrease in population growth rate seems to have a positive effect on economic growth. There was less demand on natural resources to support the needs of the population, which in turn reduced the strains on the natural environment. There was less unemployment due to labour surplus. The individual saving rate was increased since the introduction of the policy. This was due to less money being spent on children, and in turn allows people more money to invest. It is also reported that women received better health care services. The number of women who died from pregnancy and the infant mortality rate had decreased. In conclusion, the one-child policy was not a perfect solution, but it was almost inevitable as China's population was growing so fast that famine was bound to occur if it was not controlled. However, perhaps a more relaxed policy could have achieved the same results. I personally think that a two-child policy might have been better. It would stabilise the population, as well giving the people more freedom and possibly solve the problem of imbalance sex ratio. Chinas one child policy In the mid-twentieth century, the Chinese government believed that a large population would turn China into a strong nation. The people were encouraged to have large families. However, this resulted in a population increase of 55 million every three years. With the massive population increase, the state realised that it might lead to famine as the food demand would exceed supply. To avoid a Malthusian disaster, the government decided to control the population growth by introducing the one-child policy. The limits each couple to bear only one child (with the exception of identical twins). In addition, the marriageable age for men was raised to 22, and for women to 20. This meant couples would bear a child later than it used to be. Couples who conformed were allowed free education for their child, priority housing and other benefits. On the other hand, those who did not were fined heavily. Unfortunately after the policy was introduced, infanticide occurred. From tradition, male decedents were always preferred as they carry their family names from generation to generation. As couples were only allowed one child, girls were quite often abandoned, or even killed so they could have another chance of getting a boy. This occurred more often in rural areas, where there were less control from the government, and also where traditions held stronger. The preference of getting a male child also meant a higher male to female ratio. As a result the population growth rate would decrease. Although it can be seen as a good thing and is the whole point of the policy, the fertility rate might lower to a point where reproduction occurred very rarely. Another problem the Chinese government faced was that it was quite easy for couples to hide their child. Many people had more than one child without the government knowing. These children were not registered and could not receive any benefits which were available for all other children – not even medical care or education. Later in life, there would be difficulty in obtaining permission from the government to marry as they were not registered. Having only one child per couple, parents could easily indulge their child. As a result, â€Å"little emperors were emerged†. It was also speculated that it would result in poor communication and cooperative skills amongst the younger generation due to the lack of siblings. Lastly, many people from the Western society criticised the policy as an assault on human rights. Women were often forced to abort the child if she already had one. Many people saw this as murder and violation in human right. Despite all these problems, the one child policy did reduce the population and a â€Å"Malthusian disaster† was avoided. In 2007, China's population was roughly 1.3 billion; it was predicted to be 25% higher if not for the one-child policy. Population structure of China in 2000. The base of the pyramid is expected to be wider if the one-child policy was not in place. The decrease in population growth rate seems to have a positive effect on economic growth. There was less demand on natural resources to support the needs of the population, which in turn reduced the strains on the natural environment. There was less unemployment due to labour surplus. The individual saving rate was increased since the introduction of the policy. This was due to less money being spent on children, and in turn allows people more money to invest. It is also reported that women received better health care services. The number of women who died from pregnancy and the infant mortality rate had decreased. In conclusion, the one-child policy was not a perfect solution, but it was almost inevitable as China's population was growing so fast that famine was bound to occur if it was not controlled. However, perhaps a more relaxed policy could have achieved the same results. I personally think that a two-child policy might have been better. It would stabilise the population, as well giving the people more freedom and possibly solve the problem of imbalance sex ratio.

Challenges/ Problems facing Air Cargo

I had the opportunity of talking to Mark Peterson an employee of National Air Cargo working in the Marketing and planning department and ask him some of the challenges the company is facing and what can be done to solve the problems.National air cargo is a worldwide air cargo service provider that is committed to delivering its clients goods in a fast, efficient and reliable way. As much as it is renowned for the good work it does, it is faced with several challenges that need to be addressed for it to be the very best in this field.The most critical problems/Challenges facing National Air cargoThe fluctuations in the oil prices especially the threats of increasing the global oil prices has seriously affected the air cargo business. National air cargo is feeling this impact as a lot of money is now being spent on fuel and this has led to cuts in various operations and the budget.The impact of this is a reduction in the number of flights so as to meet their budget requirements and mak e profits, some workers being laid off and less profit for the company.Another problem is the Air cargo security risks. National air Cargo is facing potential risks that come in the form of the ever increasing cases of theft and smuggling and the shipping undetected materials so as to meet strict deadlines.This poses a great danger in that one can never be sure of what is being transported and there are possibilities of carrying explosive devices that will not only destroy goods but endangering the lives of all those on board.The future of National air cargoThe future of National Air Cargo will be better and brighter because it aims at expanding its cargo facilities, improving baggage handling equipment as it embraces new technologies and making sure that it retains its employees and even recruit more qualified personnel.All this can and will be achieved if the current leaders take it upon themselves to make sure that they can forecast better on what lies in the future so that when plans are made, they can have allowances for uncertainties and this will ensure that the impact of the uncertainties will not be as harsh as we see now.More attention should also be placed on integrating technology into the system so that there is better advanced ways of tracking cargo as it departs from the ports to their arrival destinations and also to be used in cargo inspection. So that our clients receive the services they are supposed to in a more qualified, responsive and personalized smooth way.Comments or suggestions for members in an air cargo management classManagers and future managers in the air cargo business need to be sufficiently self aware, cognitive and morally developed in order to understand not only how to develop a shared vision within their organizations but also how to effectively communicate and implement the necessary skills, policies and plans that are of use to their businesses.The members attending the air cargo management class should be aware of air operations, be risk takers and listen to their fellow workmates so that they can get to know their views and opinions in certain issues as this will broaden their ways on thinking and even get solutions to the various problems that affect the company.In doing so, they will become better leaders and colleagues who have the best interest of their organization at heart.ReferencesInterview with Mark Peterson, National Air Cargo: Marketing and Planning Department

International Financial Reporting Standards Essay - 4

International Financial Reporting Standards - Essay Example As such, it does not outline an industry specific platform that guides and regulates its style of reporting. The existence of financial reporting standards acknowledged across the global platform, such as IFRS, is important especially to multinational corporations and global companies that operate in different countries across the world, with subsidiaries and interests in countries with different approaches to financial accounting and reporting. Therefore, the existence of such internationally acknowledged reporting standards enables these corporations to consolidate their financial statements, especially when returning the profits from subsidiaries to the parent company. A good example of such a multinational corporation that has overseas subsidiaries is the MacDonald’s Chain of Restaurants, whose mother company is in the united states but is has a global presence with its restaurants located in major markets across the world such as Asia and Europe. Despite the numerous benefits that come about to international corporations with their use and application of the IFRS guidelines, its application is not so efficient as an accounting practice because it acts merely as a guideline and not as a rule, or a principle, which accountants should follow and adhere to when preparing and reporting financial statements. This rule out the possibility of all companies applying these standards in their reporting and preparation of financial statements because there is no legal means of enforcing these standards. The lack of a strict enforcement mechanism makes it very difficult for international companies to apply IFRS principles in accounting. As such, these companies only follow these rules out of choice, especially because they want to achieve a global look, rather than following the formalities. However, if in the event these companies, especially the multinational

Fully- round character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Fully- round character - Essay Example This is because, for a story or fiction to be fascinating, there is always a personality where the story revolves around. These characters’ fundamental attribute is that their story is told in sufficiency to allow people conclude that they are three-dimensional, genuine, rounded, innovative, outstanding, as well as true to life (â€Å"Character: The People of Fiction†, pp 9). This script will highlight the traits of a realistic, fully-round personality. It will also outline three examples of fully-round personage in different short stories. Fully round characters have many more aspects in their personalities as compared to flat or any other character in a play. They are usually the core of people’s focus in most of the fictions or short stories, and are portrayed by creativity as well as personality. These characters also have intrinsic traits, akin to every human being, which are brought about by the events of a story; therefore, their complete portrayal as characters is straightforwardly linked to the narratives relating to the lives they had lived (â€Å"Character: The People of Fiction†, pp 10). Hence, the fully-round character participates in the major part of a story, and they are the heroes in most of the times. However, some of these characters may not appear as heroic, but they are always the protagonists. They are essential to the accomplishment, progress in opposition to the antagonist, as well as display the capability to adjust to new circumstances. These characters are also most of the times dynamic since they identify and adapt to situations (â€Å"Character: The People of Fiction†, pp 11-14). There are so many examples of plays that portray fully-round characters, such as in the various plays written in the Seagull reader. For example, in the play â€Å"Fences†, by August Wilson, the fully round character, Troy Maxon, is an agitated garbage collector as well as ex-baseball participant. This character

Sources of Mali Crisis and Causes of Military Intervention Research Paper

Sources of Mali Crisis and Causes of Military Intervention - Research Paper Example Most of them were serving in the Gaddafi army and as such carried alongside with them an assortment of arms. Also, since they had just returned from a revolutionary war in Libya, these returnees were still motivated by their combative instincts to propagate the same war in Mali3. The Malian government, as well as the military, was caught unawares by the events. Their army was too weak and incapacitated to contain the insurgents. That aside, a large group of foreign Arab fighters, who are also linked to Al Qaeda, were infiltrating Mali at the same time. It is this unfolding that supposedly inspired United States and France to push for regional military intervention in Mali through the UN Security Council. The extremist groups in Mali operating in Mali are regarded as outright threats to the security of the entire world. There are three major armed Islamist groups operating in the northern Mali. They include AQIM, Ansar al Dine, and MUJAO. The origin of AQIM is traced back to the 1990s civil conflict in the nearby state of Algeria. As per now, this group has been in existence in the northern Mali for close to a decade. It is linked with the numerous and constant attacks and kidnapping of Westerners. They do this mainly in a bid to demand for ransom for their release. In 2007, AQIM is linked with the bombing that wrecked Algeria, which also included an attack on U.N. office in Algeria’s capital Algiers. The leader of AQIM, Abdelmalek Droukdel, remains widely at large although there are reports indicating that he could be cased somewhere in Timbuktu. This group has been among United States designated Foreign Terrorist Organization for close to a decade now4.... That aside, a large group of foreign Arab fighters, who are also linked to Al Qaeda, were infiltrating Mali at the same time. It is this unfolding that supposedly inspired the United States and France to push for regional military intervention in Mali through the UN Security Council. The extremist groups in Mali operating in Mali are regarded as outright threats to the security of the entire world. There are three major armed Islamist groups operating in the northern Mali. They include AQIM, Ansar al Dine, and MUJAO. The origin of AQIM is traced back to the 1990s civil conflict in the nearby state of Algeria. As per now, this group has been in existence in the northern Mali for close to a decade. It is linked with the numerous and constant attacks and kidnapping of Westerners. They do this mainly in a bid to demand ransom for their release. In 2007, AQIM is linked with the bombing that wrecked Algeria, which also included an attack on U.N. office in Algeria’s capital Algiers. The leader of AQIM, Abdelmalek Droukdel, remains widely at large although there are reports indicating that he could be cased somewhere in Timbuktu. This group has been among the United States designated Foreign Terrorist Organization for close to a decade now. The other group is the MUJWA whose emergence is traced to in the latter parts of 2011. It was born as a splinter faction of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and is also reported to be engaged in kidnappings and terrorist attacks in the region.

Good Management or Bargaining in Bad Faith Essay

Good Management or Bargaining in Bad Faith - Essay Example The city of Sunbelt has a council of five members in its management. The council’s aim is to reduce the budget of the city by bargaining with the unions hard over their salary and fringe benefits. The city management orders the union members i.e.; trash collectors and other public work employees to work for eight hours during the day and not go home even if they finish their work before hand. The department of public works follows a two-tier system in which it protects the salaries, benefits of the currently employed workers but for those who are newly employed, receive a low salary, and they have to pay a high proportion of their health benefit costs. The case does not reflect any problem in the relationship between the management and the union because the management will obviously want to reduce its costs and increase the benefits. For that, it will want to reduce their payment of salary. The already employed workers have an expertise and therefore it is the responsibility of the management to secure their salary and their needs. As for the newly employed workers, they should be given some incentives to work properly. If they are given a low income at the beginning then they will be boosted to work harder in order to get a higher pay. Such a kind of relationship does not differ from the normal relationships between the management and the union. (Klingner, Nalbandian and Llorens, 2010)Â  In the given case study, the collective bargaining was a combination of three options. They were: The effective in this process was that of hard bargaining with the PBA. Instead of hard bargaining the other two options of contracting with the country sheriff or with a private security firm could have been adopted by the management. Hard bargaining is considered the best strategy in this situation because it involves:Â   There are different challenges faced during this agreement. The decision was to undertake hard bargaining. It was also mentioned that if hard bargaining was unsuccessful then with the approval of the council, any of the other two options could be pursued.

Corporate Finance Stratergy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corporate Finance Stratergy - Assignment Example ASSIGNMENT COVERS SHEET Office use only INDICATIVE MARK All marks are subject to ratification at the appropriate Examining Board. ... †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Problem 1 1. Calculate the combined effect of the three off-balance-sheet items in Exhibit 3 on each of the following three financial ratios shown in Exhibit 2. Following is the given information of the ratios in the Exhibit 2. Exhibit 2 - Selected Ratios and Credit Yield Premium Data for Montrose EBITDA / interest expense 4.72 Long-term debt / equity 0.30 Current assets / Current liabilities 1.05 Credit yield premium over US Treasuries 55bps Following is the given information of the off balance sheet items in the Exhibit 3. Exhibit 3 – Hudson Chemical off-balance sheet items 1 Hudson Chemical has guaranteed the long-term debt (principal only) of an unconsolidated affiliate. This obligation has a present value of $995,000. 2 Hudson Chemical has sold $500,000 of accounts receivable with recourse at a yield of 8 percent. 3 Hudson Chemical is a lessee in a new non-cancellable operating leasing agreement to finance transmission equipment. The discounted present v alue of the lease payments is $6,144,000 using an interest rate of 10 percent. The annual payment will be $1,000,000. When we calculate the combined effect of the three off balance sheet items on the three ratios the following changes will take place. EBITDA / Interest Expense a. The guarantee of long term debt will not affect operating (EBITDA) or the interest expense. This ratio

Ebay and Market Entry Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ebay and Market Entry Challenges - Essay Example eBay maintains the seller platform much like the United States that is set on fixed auction philosophy, which limits real-time discussion with sellers. GMarket is also more innovative in setting up excitement with buyers and sellers, acting as a middleman for various lottery schemes that provide more incentives (Ihlwan, 2006). eBay attempted to simply export in its market entry strategy, using the same business model that had found success in the United States. In a market where GMarket was an innovator creating incentives-based packages, eBay was having a tough time being the dominant auction and selling site of choice. eBay’s fixed price selling concept was considered unfavorable by Chinese customers used to more direct sales tactics between buyer and seller. The use of mobile technology in China is also limited based on distribution of cellular technology and cultural adoption of this modernized selling format. Therefore, the ability to gain more market share through mobile technology sales was limited or eBay (Chan, 2007). Lack of ability to use mobile sales and marketing in this region limited the brand visibility of eBay with potential target markets and thus made it difficult to establish brand loyalty for eBay. The inability to use technology to improve the competitive position of eBay posed significant expansion problems. Pricing was another reason why eBay found difficulty in Asia, where the fixed price auction format made it appear to buyers and sellers that product listing costs were much higher than competition. The ability of sellers to contact customers and the flexibility of GMarket gives the buyer the ability to instantly reduce prices or add certain incentives, which makes eBay look rigid in pricing structures that is a turnoff to the price-sensitive Chinese buyers. Thus, it should be said that place, product, price and promotion were all negatively impacted by competition and the current sales platform being used by eBay. Simply export ing American talent and technology to this market was a poor market entry strategy since the Chinese online sales environment differed culturally than in the United States. It was a mistake to think that Chinese buyers would maintain the same market characteristics and therefore eBay entered this market without adaptable tools to better fit market conditions and buyer/seller attitudes and brand familiarity with other auction and sales competition. eBay simply did not have any quality tools to differentiate the business from competition other than mobile marketing which is not a common sales practice in the Asian markets. References Chan, Isabelle (2007) â€Å"EBay Has Its Eye on Southeast Asia â€Å", 29 Oct 2007, Business Week. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071029_295570.htm Ihlwan, Moon (2006) â€Å"Gmarket eclipses eBay in Asia†, 28 June 2006, Business Week. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from http://www.businessweek. com/globalbiz/content/jun2006 /gb20060628_910393.htm?chan=search RUNNING HEADER: Google and Asian Online Censorship Google and Asian Online Censorship BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE DATE HERE Google and Asian Online Censorship In Asia, Google faced many problems with establishing a market presence and gaining consumer revenues associated with its search engine business. In China, the government censors much of

Describe the main features of virture project management techniques in Essay

Describe the main features of virture project management techniques in the digital age and provide a critieal reflection on their use in managing projects - Essay Example The study has been conducted in several stages. The first stage was a review of relevant literature, followed by a discussion on specific topics. Leading textbooks on PM and publications in various journals have been referred to. The study has been laid out in several sections. Sections include principal characteristics of virtual and global projects; attributes of virtual teams and communication channels; motivating teams and PM environment; agile PM; change management for agile PM; and conclusion. Throughout the study, the focus has been on the agile aspect of PM. Ideas, human resources, products, services, and skills move freely regardless of boundaries in global economies. The flow of knowledge, products and services, and capital reflects the economic interdependence between organizations and countries. In globalized economies, resources could be obtained in one market and used for business in another. For example, it is possible to purchase manufacturing equipment from Germany, make products in Greece, and sell products all over Europe. In summary, a firm’s competitive environment is shaped by the global economy. A significant change in the practice of PM has been information management. Burke (2008) observed that the availability of powerful software has seen a shift in data processing from a separate department to the professional’s desk. Project planning software helps the project manager plan and control projects. However, it can be effective only when planning and control techniques are clearly understood. Projects are generally subdivided into different phases for ease of management. These phases are collectively termed as the project lifecycle. According to Burke (2008) techniques for PM include critical path method; work breakdown structure; earned value; resource smoothing; and configuration control. According to Cadle and Yeates (2004) characteristics of projects include finite and transitory nature; uniqueness;

Virginia Tech Essay Example for Free

Virginia Tech Essay With the most resent massacre at Virginia Tech the issue of media ethics has once again been brought into question. This, I believe, is because of the need to understanding why or how this could happen. Perhaps this understanding could prevent another violent incident from happening to our children and to our society and allow a certain type of closure in our grief. In researching the topic of journalistic ethics and its effects on behavior, I found three distinct concerns that related to the Virginia Tech massacre does the media influence or encourage behavior? And if so, what steps is the media taking to understand this issue? Is the media industry trying to create a plan to regulate how incidents of this nature are portrayed, or how they will be reported and in what context? It should also be noted that in all the information on violent behavior everyone agrees that there is not one single indicator that will predict human behavior and that all avenues must be explored to fully understand human behavior which is very complex. But there is evidence available that does show a correlation between media and adolescent violence. In the United States children and young adults are among the highest at risk for experiencing violent crimes and violence. We can also claim that a large portion of our time is spent interacting in the world of media. Some forms of media used by American adolescents have been found to be very violent and this is where the question of media’s effect on behavior comes in. Shortly after the Virginia Tech incident a USA Today article told of a popular game called â€Å"Assassin†. This game is played on both college and high school campuses across America. Police officers have been urging students, â€Å"to halt the games, which involve ambushing other players with sometimes realistic looking toy gun or other objects, after the Virginia Tech shooting last week that left 33 people dead†. The local authorities did this as a preventive measurement for the safety of the kids playing as well as others by mistaken intent (Welch). The Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Student Press joined together to discuss how school violence is to be covered. The discussion was to try to see how to balance reporting the news with minimizing harm to students across the country. If shooters get their fifteen minutes of fame†, especially is they are dubbed as the heroic outlaw, then this opens the possible problems of increasingly more disenfranchised nobodies who may view violence as a way to become noticed. Reporters pressured to get the story and make it central on the nightly news may not be sensitive to the effects of their coverage in the larger scheme of things (Fitzgerald and Mitchell). Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is important to justice and the foundation of democracy. The organization also believes that the duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. They believe that all journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. They go on to say that professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalists credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Societys principles and standards of practice (www. spj. org). In more resent weeks NBC news has been under fire for the way it handled the pictures and writings of the student who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech. NBC announced that it would limit its use of images to â€Å"no more than 10 percent of airtime†. Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, strongly defended the network’s decision to broadcast the material. Families of some of the victims, some law enforcement officials and executives from competing television news organizations have accused NBC of being insensitive or exploitative in the way it presented the materials on the air. (Carter). Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance. Journalist must recognize that private citizens have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy. Journalist must show good taste, avoid pandering to lurid curiosity, be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes, be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges and balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed. Works Cited Fitzgerald, Mark, and Mitchell, Grey. , Eds. Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved May 3, 2007. http://www. spj. org/pressnotes Greene, Kathern. â€Å"Predicting Exposure to and Linking of Media Violence: A uses and Gratification Approach†. Communication Studies, March 2005. V. 56, Issue 1, p. 71-93. 23p.

General Electric Change Management

General Electric Change Management The process by which organizations move from their present state to some desired future state to increase their effectiveness. The Goal is to find improved ways of using resources and capabilities in order to increase an organizations ability to create value. The change process includes improving organizational effectiveness at the four levels shown in the figure below. Major Types of Organizational Change Typically, the phrase organizational change is about a significant change in the organization, such as reorganization or adding a major new product or service. It can compass the following : Organization-wide Versus Subsystem Change Examples of organization-wide change might be a major restructuring, collaboration or rightsizing. Usually, organizations must undertake organization-wide change to evolve to a different level in their life cycle, for example, going from a highly reactive, entrepreneurial organization to one that has a more stable and planned development. Experts assert that successful organizational change requires a change in culture cultural change is another example of organization-wide change. Examples of a change in a subsystem might include addition or removal of a product or service, reorganization of a certain department, or implementation of a new process to deliver products or services Transformational Versus Incremental Change An example of transformational (or radical, fundamental) change might be changing an organizations structure and culture from the traditional top-down, hierarchical structure to a large amount of self-directing teams. Another example might be Business Process Re-engineering, which tries to take apart (at least on paper, at first) the major parts and processes of the organization and then put them back together in a more optimal fashion. Transformational change is sometimes referred to as quantum change. Examples of incremental change might include continuous improvement as a quality management process or implementation of new computer system to increase efficiencies. Many times, organizations experience incremental change and its leaders do not recognize the change as such. Remedial Versus Developmental Change Change can be intended to remedy current situations, for example, to improve the poor performance of a product or the entire organization, reduce burnout in the workplace, help the organization to become much more proactive and less reactive, or address large budget deficits. Remedial projects often seem more focused and urgent because they are addressing a current, major problem. It is often easier to determine the success of these projects because the problem is solved or not. Change can also be developmental to make a successful situation even more successful, for example, expand the amount of customers served, or duplicate successful products or services. Unplanned Versus Planned Change Unplanned change usually occurs because of a major, sudden surprise to the organization, which causes its members to respond in a highly reactive and disorganized fashion. Unplanned change might occur when the Chief Executive Officer suddenly leaves the organization, significant public relations problems occur, poor product performance quickly results in loss of customers, or other disruptive situations arise. Planned change occurs when leaders in the organization recognize the need for a major change and proactively organize a plan to accomplish the change. Planned change occurs with successful implementation of a Strategic Plan, plan for reorganization, or other implementation of a change of this magnitude. Drivers of Organizational Change : The most common vehicles for this sustainable change, in ascending order of magnitude of change, are Data Analysis, Process analysis, System Assessment and Customer Feedback. ÂÂ  Data AnalysisÂÂ  focuses on specific outcomes; product quality and process measurements. The data is analyzed using trend charts, histograms, scatter diagrams, Pareto analysis, etc.ÂÂ   Process AnalysisÂÂ  examines the whole process. Starting with high level flow diagram, detailed process steps are documented and analyzed. Some organizations analyze these detailed process steps further using task and wait times or cost of quality data.ÂÂ   System AssessmentÂÂ  audits the whole organization using a recognized award model (Malcolm-Baldrige,ÂÂ  CanadaÂÂ  Award for Excellence), an international standard ( ISO 9000 ), a business specific model ( CMM model for software development ) or an internal award criteria ( corporations President Award ).ÂÂ   Customer feedbackÂÂ  scrutinizes the organization from standpoint of its most important constituent, the Customer. Customer feedback may be voluntary ( complaints ), solicited ( satisfaction surveys ) or based on analysis of customer behaviour. Organization Change Management Process: Change managementÂÂ  is a structured approach to shifting or transitioningÂÂ  individuals,ÂÂ  teams, andÂÂ  organizationsÂÂ  from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. The elements that comprise an organization are shown in the four quadrants: structure, work processes, people and tools. These are four key interdependent components. StructureÂÂ  is the traditional view of an organization. It is the faces and spaces diagram that is shown as an organization chart. It defines the boundaries of authority and decision-making and identifies the key personnel responsible for the business. Work processesÂÂ  describe how work gets done in an organization. They range from a few high-level cross-functional integrated core processes that drive the business down to detailed departmental processes and procedures. PeopleÂÂ  identifies the skill sets needed for the company and the numbers of people with various skills. The essence of this category is about getting the right people doing the right job in the right place. ToolsÂÂ  represents physical facilities and capital equipment hardware and software systems, management and reporting systems, written documents such as policies, procedures and manuals, and compensation tools. An organization undergoing major change should examine all of these quadrants and assess their alignment to its vision, its customers and each other. This will enable senior management to identify the leverage points that will create sustainable breakthrough change. COMPANY ANALYSIS GENERAL ELECTRIC The General Electric Company, commonly abbreviated simply to GE, is a major technologyÂÂ  conglomerate based in the United States. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, founded General Electric in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1878. It has gone on to become one of the most powerful and dynamic corporationsÂÂ  in the world, and as of 2008 was the tenth-largest company on Earth in terms of market capitalization. It is viewed by many as being the single most successful conglomerate, and was a conglomerate long before the practice became commonplace in the 1960s. In 1890, Edison started a company to bring together his various businesses all under one roof, and called it the Edison General Electric Company. Two years later Edison merged with his primary competitor, the Thomas-Houston Company, and they called the new company the General Electric Company. The move was largely a bid to combine their various patents, to allow for more profitabilityÂÂ  on both of their parts, as it allowed them to freely use the many smaller inventions each inventor had created in their larger projects. Over the years, General Electric continued to grow and produce different products for a wide range of applications. Many of Edisons early inventions formed the backbone of various General Electric lines through the 19th century, the 20th century, and down to the present day. Electric lighting, power transmission, medical equipment, and transportation were all areas in which Edison held patents and had formed small companies, and are all areas in which General Electric today has large holdings. Over the course of its 110-plus years of innovation, General Electric has amassed more than 67,500 patents, and the firms scientists have been awarded two Nobel Prizes and numerous other honours. Also during the same time, the organization has had transformational changes which can be characterized into three different eras namely : Late 19th Century: The Edison Era In 1878, Edison established, with the help of his friend Grosvenor Lowry, the Edison Electric Light Company with a capitalization of $300,000. Edison received half of the new companys shares on the agreement that he work on developing an incandescent lighting system. The major problem Edison and his team of specialists faced was developing an electrical lighting system for a whole community. The organization was flexible and as part of the evolutionary stage was in the growth due to creativity stage. The core focus areas were the power generation, household appliances, and lighting. Early 20th Century: By the turn of the century General Electric was manufacturing everything involved in the electrification of the United States: generators to produce electricity, transmission equipment to carry power, industrial electric motors, electric light bulbs, and electric locomotives. It is important to any understanding of the evolution of GE to realize that though it was diverse from the beginning, all of its enterprises centered on the electrification program. It is also worth noting that it operated in the virtual absence of competition. During the early decades of the 20th century General Electric made further progress in its established fields and also made its first major diversification. In 1903 General Electric bought the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a manufacturer of transformers. During this time it was a highly centralized corporate firm. Postwar Growth and Difficulties During the post war era GE focussed on diversification both related and unrelated and ventured into new sectors such as nuclear energy. During the 1960s and 1970s GE grew in all fields. In 1961 it opened a research centre for aerospace projects, and by the end of the decade had more than 6,000 employees involved in 37 projects related to the moon landing. In the 1950s General Electric entered the computer business. This venture, however, proved to be such a drain on the companys profits that GE sold its computer business to Honeywell in 1971. By the late 1960s, GEs management began to feel that the company had become too large for its existing structures to accommodate. Accordingly, the company instituted a massive organizational restructuring. Under this restructuring program, the number of distinct operating units within the company was cut from more than 200 to 43. Each new section operated in a particular market and was headed by a manager who reported to management just beneath the corporate policy board. The sections were classified into one of three categoriesgrowth, stability, or no-growthto facilitate divestment of unprofitable units. 1981-2001: The Jack Welch Era GEs economic problems were mirrored by its managerial reshuffling. When John F. (Jack) Welch, Jr., became chairman and CEO in 1981, General Electric entered a period of radical change. Over the next several years, GE bought 338 businesses and product lines for $11.1 billion and sold 232 for $5.9 billion. But Welchs first order of business was to return much of the control of the company to the periphery. Although he decentralized management, he retained the system of classifying divisions according to their performance. His goal was to make GE number one or two in every field of operation. GEs Restructuring American economy was in a recession during the early 1980s when GE appointed Jack Welch, the new CEO of the company. Economy was plagued with high interest rate and strong dollar which resulted in highest level of unemployment rates since Depression. To leverage the performance of diverse portfolio of GE, the new CEO sent in new resolution to be better than the best and set in place a series of radical changes to restructure the company over the coming 5 years. The changes in GE came in three phases, commonly known as the first, second and third waves. The first wave Welch after taking charge, set the standard to be competent enough to stay at #1 or #2 position in the industry or disengage. According to Welch, this general #1 or #2 objective is a three circle concept of his vision for GE. Businesses were categorized as: Core (with the priority of reinvesting in productivity and quality) High-technology (challenged to stay on the leading edge by investing in RD) Services (required to add outstanding people and make contiguous acquisitions) In a span of 10 years, he wanted GE to be perceived as a unique, high-spirited, entrepreneurial enterprise, the most profitable, highly diversified company on earth, with world quality leadership in every one of its product lines. Managers at GE struggled to build #1 or #2 positions given the pain of the recessionary economy and level playing field provided by globalization. Welchs admonition to fix, sell, or close uncompetitive business most of the times led to the latter options. Between 1981 and 1990, GE generated $11 billion of capital by selling off more than 200 businesses and investing that money to make about 370 acquisitions in diverse fields. Inside the organization, Welch insisted GE to become more lean and agile. It resulted in cutting number of employees working in the organization at all the headquarters group, in the name of removing non-value add, non-effective and non-competitive work force. Welch eliminated the sector level, previously the powerhouse for the strategic control. By reducing the number of hierarchy from presently 9 to 4, took control of activities at the helm and all the business directly reported to him. The chain of command followed prior to this decision was CEO to sectors to groups to businesses. Now it is direct CEO to business. By undergoing delayering, destaffing and downsizing, GE eliminated thousands of workers. Though there was marginal increase in the revenues but the profits surged by two folds from $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion. For carrying out this drastic restructuring, Welch got a nickname of Neutron Jack, most prominently used by managers during the time when the CEO replaced 12 of his 14 business heads. Welch kept pushing for more changes, more he got into restructuring the more convinced he became for a bolder action. The second wave The second phase of change in GE came in three forms : |Cultural change | Globalization | Leadership development | Cultural change : The initial phase of change at GE was focused on organisational structure downsizing, restructuring and removing bureaucracy. However, it was the opinion of Jack Welch that sustainable high productivity requires the corresponding cultural change. Jack Welch desired a management style that was based on openness, candor and facing reality. The culture he wanted to create was characterized by speed, simplicity and self confidence. These were done using two mechanisms : WORK OUT BEST PRACTICES Work out: Work out was a result of a discussion between Jack Welch and a group of managers at the companys Management Development Institute. In an effort to recreate the forum of honest, energetic interaction, Jack Welch initiated Work out a forum in which superiors and subordinates could openly discuss ideas, proposals and get immediate feedback on the same. Implementation : The implementation team consisted of a small in-house team along with 24 outside consultants. Each consultant was in charge of a series of off site meeting based on the open forum. Groups ranging from 40-100 employees were incited to discuss their business and ways of improving it. The sessions lasted for three days. It began with a talk by the unit boss who left immediately after. The employees were then free to discuss their issues, guided by a facilitator. On the final day, the boss returned and was required to make instant decisions on the proposals and give approval to atleast 80% of them. By 1992, over 200,000 (two-thirds) of the employees had participated in work force, but the sessions were never documented in order to maintain its informality. However, the company clocked in annual growth rate of 4% in 88-92. (up from 2%) Best Practices: The objective of best practices was to learn from organizations that were having higher productivity than GE. Implementation : Nine firms were selected (including Ford, HP, Xerox and Toshiba) with different best practices. In addition to company specific tools and practices, the implementation team also identified common characteristics among the companies; a focus on effective process development rather than individual activities, customer satisfaction, treating suppliers as partners and the emphasis on high quality. These practices were thoroughly studied and training was given to all managers by integrating it into the work out teams. Globalisation The first phase of the strategic change in GE focused on building domestic capabilities. The second phase had a thrust on globalization. However, the impetus for globalization was given to the business head and there was no corporate globalization strategy that was imposed on them. However, Jack Welch ensured that the top management remained involved in the globalization plans. In 1987, the performance evaluation metric was modified to consider world market position. In 1989, the position of Head International operations was created in the corporate office. Along with a team of four, he was responsible for identifying and initiating new globalization plans in emerging markets. GEs globalization pattern was unique in the sense that all acquisitions and investments were made in regions immediately post a major economic downturn. GE followed an aggressive policy of inorganic growth in Europe, Mexico and East Asia By 1998, international revenues were at $42.8 billion dollars a 100% growth in five years. Global revenues were growing at three times domestic revenues and GE was forecasted to do 50 % of its business outside the USA by 2000. leadership development The third part of transformation focused on identifying and grooming future leaders of the organization. Identification : From April to May each year, Welch and three senior executives visited each business to review the progress of the companys top 3000 executives. Among these were an elite club the upper 500 who had been appointed with the personal approval of Welch. Welch asked business heads to identify all star performers and operated with the mindset that the executives were his resources and that the business heads merely rented them. Implementation : Welch radically transformed the compensation package for executives. The new package had stock options as a primary component in management compensation and the number of option recipients was increased from 300 to 30000. All professional level employees were given feedback about future positions they could hold and the specific skill required for that post. These were used in training and development of staff. GEs management development facility was given a shot in the arm with $45 million in funds and the hiring of top-class academics. The goal was to convert it into a holistic training centre from the current situation where it was considered a consolation prize for those who missed a promotion. Welch himself travelled to the facility twice a month to interact and teach GE employees. However, the most controversial of Welchs actions were those regarding a type of managers that he considered Type 4s. These are managers who consistently met performance targets, but were not aligned with the values of the organization. Typically, they were the autocratic bosses who forced performance rather than inspired it. Although they met their required targets, Welch removed these people for having the wrong values. A few years later, GE began evaluating their managers on a 360 degree feedback system for identifying training requirements, opportunities for coaching and career planning. Into the 1990s: the third wave Even at the times of slowdown towards the start of the decade in the industrial sector, Jack was committed to the task of building the company. Various initiatives he took: Boundaryless Behaviour Take a step further from initiatives aimed at strengthening GEs individual businesses, Welch created a focus on integrated diversity. He articulated his dream for GE in the 1990s as a boundaryless company, one standing for an open, anti-parochial environment, friendly toward the seeking and sharing of new ideas, regardless of their origins. Welch envisioned a boundaryless company to remove all barriers among engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and customer services; no distinction between foreign and domestic operations. A boundaryless organization to ignore or erase group labels such as salaried, management or hourly, which poses a problem for people working together in an organization. Welch was fond of telling stories of how best practices could be leveraged by boundaryless behaviour. The ones where managers from Canadian GE identified a small New Zealand appliance maker, Fisher Paykel, generating products very efficiently in its small, low-volume plant. Welch was very clear of the culture he wants to bring to the organization. In his words, We take people who arent boundaryless out of job. If youre turf-oriented, self-centred, dont share with people and arent searching for ideas, you dont belong here. To enforce this, bonuses and options awards were linked to idea-seeking and sharing, not only limited to idea generation. One of the most remarkable examples the way expertise and ideas spread throughout GE was the companys integration model, which was developed after learning from post-acquisition review. The model guided the actions of managers in any part of the company responsible for integrating a newly acquired operation: starting from control of the operations to realigning the organization, and from identifying and removing blockers to implementing GE tools and programs. Stretch: Achieving the Impossible Welch reinforced his managerial expectation by making change to the GEs cultural norms. By introducing the notional behaviour of stretch to set performance targets, it vaguely defined the business targets, with no idea how to pursuit those. The objective behind this change was to change the way targets were set and performance was measured by creating an environment where everyone is searching for answers, and it is here one can prove his mettle. Though stretch targets brought in change but the traditional forecasting and objective-setting processes were not replaced. Managers still tried basic targets, adjusted to current situation in the industry differentiating it from the rigid plan implemented last year. The main catch was setting higher stretch goals for their businesses during the budget cycle. Those who are not able to achieve these higher goals are not punished but the ones who achieved were rewarded heavily with bonuses and stock options. Within a year of introducing this concept of stretch, Welch acknowledged progress. Prior to it, the goals were very miserly set like increase in the inventory turnover ratio from 4.73 to 4.91 or like maintaining the operating margin from 8.53% to 8.91%. Now its a different story altogether, where one aim at 10 inventory turns or an operating margin at 15%. Welch acknowledged that GE did not meet its two of its four-year corporate stretch targets: to increase operating margins from their 1991 level of 10% to 15% by 1995 and inventory turns from 5 to 10 times. However, after decades of single-digit operating margins and inventory turns of 4 or 5, GE did achieve an operating ,margin of 14.4% and inventory turns of almost 7 in 1995. He said we learned things faster than we would have going after doable goals, and we have enough confidence now to set new stretch targets of at least 16% operating margin and more than 10 turns by 1998. Service Businesses In 1994, Welch introduced a new strategic initiative to reinforce his one of the earliest goals of reducing GEs dependence on its traditional industrial products. Towards early 1980s he started moving towards services businesses through the acquisition of financial service companies such as Employers Reinsurance and Kidder, Peabody. As an estimate in year 1995, near about 60% revenue was generated by services division which Welch to grow to 80% later. In pursuit of this goal, he took second step by focusing on product services. In his annual strategic meeting he pushed his managers to participate more in food chain business. It was well informed decision in terms of customers always need of new high-quality hardware products but in future the slow demand of GEs product should be offset by supplementing it with added-value services. By 1996, GE had built an $8 billion equipment services business, which grew faster than the underlying product business. It was also the change of the view, changing the internal mindsets from selling products to serving the customers the best possible way. With this mindset company made 20 acquisitions and joint ventures in the service area which includes a $1.5 billion acquisition of a jet engine service business and the $600 million purchase of a global power generation equipment service company. Evaluation of GEs Strategy over two decades: GE has undergone over two decades of strategic change from profitless growth to an organization to reckon with. Strategy is always incomplete without its evaluation. The process followed at GE included both strategic leadership and entrepreneurship, that lead to host of changes at GE. Most of these changes centered on initiatives by Jack Welch. These initiatives involved Internal Corporate Behavior (bottom up approach) and Induced Strategic behavior (top down approach) for entrepreneurship. Strategic Leadership It is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, and empower others to create strategic changes as necessary. Multifunctional in nature, strategic leadership involves managing through others, maintaining an entire enterprise rather than a functional subunit; and coping with change that continues to increase in global economy. Because of global economys complexity, strategic leaders must learn how to effectively influence human behavior, often in uncertain environment. Strategic leaders must be considerate of entire enterprise, rather than just a sub unit and this should be enforced with a managerial perspective. The changes that followed immediately after instating of Jack Welch followed this Strategic Leadership and Strategic Change Management Process. Jack Welch had a vision for GE to number 1 or 2 in every domain that it operates. He wanted GE to operate leaner. He initiated people development process by work-outs along with inculcation of best practices across industries. He believed in increasing productivity through restructuring, removing bureaucracy and downsizing. The figure below details the steps that are required in maintaining effective strategic leadership. Effective Strategic Leadership Vision Mission Successful Strategic Actions Implementation of Strategies Formulation of Strategies Strategic Competitive Advantage Above-average Returns He corroborated his vision with successful strategic actions of formulation and implementation of strategies successfully. These strategic actions included Total Quality management, implementation of Best practices across industry, downsizing, work outs. He initiated the process of GEs going global. It opened GE to discover profitable uncharted territories across the globe. This helped him leverage on strategic competitiveness and resulting in above average returns. This can be assessed by the successful mergers and acquisitions that GE undertook under his leadership. It led to a strategic change in business portfolio of GE. Jack Welch not only undertook acquisitions, but it was coupled with divestitures. These successful implementation of strategies resulted in sustained competitive advantage for GE in accordance with the vision that Jack Welch had developed for GE. Strategic Vision TECHNOLOGY Industrial Electronics, Medical Systems, Materials, Aerospace, Aircraft Engines SERVICES GECC Information, Construction and Engineering, Nuclear Services The Three-Circle Vision for GE, 1982 CORE Lighting, Major Appliances, Motor, Transportation, Turbines, Construction Equipment Strategic Action: Jack Welch believed in being the leaders in the segment GE operate. This resulted in a radical change in business portfolio of GE. Following table depicts most of the acquisitions and divestitures of GE across two decades. This was done in line with Jack Welchs vision of making GE the best organisation across the globe. Major Acquisitions $21 billion Major Divestitures $11 billion Calma CAD/CAM Equipments Central Air Conditioning Intersil (semiconductors) Pathfinder mines Employers Reinsurance group Broadcasting properties Decimus (computer leasing) Utah International Kidder Peaboy (IB) Housewares (small appliances) Polaris (aircraft leasing) Family financial services Genstar RCA Records Thomson/CGR Nacolah Life Insurance Borg Warner Chemical Consumer Electronics Credit Cards Carboloy Roper NBC Radio Truck Leasing Lawn Equipment Financial Guarantee Insurance GE Solid State Financial News Network Ladd Petro Chemicals Thorn Lightning RCA Columbia Home Video Itel Containers Chase Manhattan Leasing House of Fraser Credit Cards Source: The Business Engine General Electric Financial Performance in the three Era : Borch Jones Welch 1961 1970 1971 1980 1981 1990 Sales 4666 8726 9557 24950 27240 52619 Operating profit 432 549 737 2243 2447 6616 Net Earnings 238 328 510 1514 1652 4303 RoS 5.1% 3.8% 5.3% 6.1% 6.1% 8.2% RoE 14.% 12.6% 17.2% 19.5% 18.1% 19.8% Stock MarketCap 6283 7026 10870 12173 13073 50344 SP Index 65.7 83 <

St. Francis Of Assisi Essay -- essays research papers

St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering. Francis joined the military at the age of 20. Prior to this date (1202), the favoured son showed his parents that he would like to follow his own life, not in the footsteps of his father. After his enlistment, he struggled heroically in one bloody battle, but his troop experienced defeat. Taken prisoner of war, he was held captive for several months, then released and sent home. His parents were joyful and made up to him for the long months of suffering by showering him with affection. Francis probably enjoyed receiving extra money the most from this. Being a prisoner of war did take a toll on Francis. His body became so sick that he almost died and it took over a year to recover. It was during this year that for the first time in his young life, he did some serious pondering. He explored the age old problems, "What am I?", "Where do I come from?", "Where am I going", "What is this world?" and "What is love?". St. Francis was an Italian Catholic and a talented poet. As an Italian, his heart moved naturally to deep affection, love and enjoyment. As a poet, he could see right through the outcome of those answers. One night during a dream, he saw his house turned into a palace. The walls of this palace were hung with glorious armory, banners, shields, and swords – all instruments of war. Suddenly he heard a voice, it explained that this was to be his palace, the gathering place for all his knights. The arms were theirs, the banners, and tokens of their countless conquests. To complete this wonderful dream, a gorgeous bride awaited him. St. Francis awoke charmed. A few days after that, he left Assisi to go to Southern Italy to enlist. He reached Spoleto, wh... ...Gospel with the greatest amount of individual liberty and the minimum of regulation. Cardinal Hugolino, the late Gregory IX, assisted Francis in the completion of the Rule of in 1223. All this effort took its tool on the health of Francis, he started realizing that he was nearing the end of his life. Since he believed he had lived like Christ, he pleaded to die like Christ. In 1224, accompanied by a few followers, he marched up the Alvernia Mountain, near Assisi to pray. At this time, Francis and Christ shared words with each other. Extreme exchanges were made between both sides. Francis told Christ about his request, to his wonder, the crucified figure of Christ surfaced to him. When Francis stepped back, he discovered that his body had wounds located in the same five areas that Jesus suffered on the cross. During the last two years of Francis’ life, his health was destroyed. He felt tremendous pain in his eyes, spleen, and liver, stomach and have contracted malaria. Francis knew his last days were nearing. He asked his attendants to sing to him, for Francis enjoyed the sound of music. St. Francis died on October 3rd, 1226, while singing his nature song, Canticle of the Sun.

Women’s friend: The Popularity of Shapewear Essay -- Fashion, The Cors

From ancient time through now, people always want to be a fashionable person; especially for women, because they want their bodies have a curve and they also want their bodies more fit and more shape. Each person has their view of fashion, and each country also has their types of fashion. In the western country, people think that wearing a corset is very fashionable. Between the middle of the 16th century to 18th century, women always to wear corset between a rigid quasi-cylindrical torso above their waist and heavy full skirts below to let their bodies look more gorgeous. In the ancient China, Chinese’s women think foot-binding is fashion. From the 10th century to early 20th century, most ancient Chinese women think small feet looks beautiful and fashionable. They used a strip of cloth to tightly tie their ankle when they were four or five years old, and they were kept it for life time. No matter what method people use to express the fashion, people’s primary goal is to make them look beautiful, make their bodies has a curve and become more fashionable. By today, wearing shapewear can modify people’s bodies; can influence people to believe fantasy thinner is normal; can let people have more self-confidence and it also encourage people to pursue high social status. Although shapewear may pose some health risk, it benefits many people physically and psychologically. The corset is one of the most controversial garments in the entire history of fashion. It has been about 400 year history of fashion; it has been creating to fit of clothing and appearance of figure. People choose to wear corset to make their bodies look more beautiful and slim. In fact, the earliest man to wear it is to treat back pain, and then the women found that ... ... invisible and affordable, and some would even feel comfortable. Shapewear is becoming popular. The manufacture kept changing the outlook to make it "fashion". Corset has been about 400 years history of fashion, although it may pose some health risk, but it benefit for many people physically. Wearing shapewear can mould the beautiful curve of breast enhancement, to receive an abdomen, waist, minus, carry buttock, leg effect, and it’s obvious to accentuated women’s sexy. There are many type of shapewear can make people have a great figure, such as waist & tight slimming, back slimming, shaping panties, and body slimming. As the era progress, people’s concept of shapewear change a lot and the shapewear will become more popular in today’s society; people wear shapewear to modify their bodies and many women think the feeling of slim can give them more self-confidence.

Concealed Guns on Campus :: texas law, shootings

On May, 2011, a bill that allows college students to have concealed guns on campus has been approved by the Texas State Senate according to The Daily Texan news article. Even other states are also trying to pass the law about concealed weapons on campus. Although some might argue that students need to defend themselves by carrying a gun, the law should be abolished because carrying a gun by immature students may increase violence and tragic accidents whether or not it is intentional. Surprisingly, according to some research based on interviews for students, â€Å"a study of 119 four-year colleges found that 4% of college students reported having a firearm at college, approximately 700,000 firearms based on the size of the current college population.† (Fennell, 99) This report indicates that not a few students carry a gun without realizing that the weapon may kill numerous innocent people. College students, even if they are eligible for drinking alcohol or driving a car, are not mature enough to control themselves or react appropriately in a situation. A tragic shooting on Virginia Technological University did happen, which is called ‘Virginia Tech massacre’ among people. According to the New York Times, more than 30 students including a shooter, Seunghui Choi from South Korea, were shot and killed in a classroom. Dr. Fennell, a professor of health education in the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, maintains that students can not handle the stressful college life and might have a chance to express their stress by using their weapons because they are not mature no matter how old they are (100). Therefore, each state needs to reconsider passing the bill of carrying concealed weapons on campus in order not to result in unfortunate tragic stories. A great deal of drugs which might cause critical damage to ordinary people has currently been traded in the United States. Concerning illegal drug use, Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, mentioned the phrase â€Å"War on Drugs† during speech. This slogan has been used as main drug policy in the U.S. However, the drug policy is not currently operating well in reality. What does â€Å"War on Drugs† exactly mean? â€Å"The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade.† (Bullington and Alan) In other words, to eliminate the illegal drug trade in the U.

English Paper One Example Essay

Furthermore the actions and emotions of the protagonist and his sister demonstrates the immense fright and thankfulness experienced throughout the text. In this passage, the description of characters plays and extremely important role since it throws light upon the evil character of the attackers and the kind and helpful nature of Mr. Bapu the millionaire who rescues the protagonist and his sister Deepa. Since this story is told from a first person perspective the other characters are experienced through the mind of the protagonist. By giving a very precise description of these characters, the author has conjured up a very believable understanding of the way that these characters are perceived by the protagonist, which in term, makes the fear felt by these characters much more real to the reader. An example of this is the â€Å"terrifying, unearthly squeal† (6) that is heard by the siblings as the attackers surround them. This description of sound gives a very wild and primitive idea of the attackers. Furthermore, the â€Å"howling of wild dogs† (8) also adds on this terrifying image of the aggressors. This in term makes the terror undergone by the protagonists very understandable and real to the reader. On the other hand, the character of Mr. Bapu is described in a completely different manner which highlights his benign personality. He is described as a millionaire who does not mind talking to his staff (28), but also â€Å"cut for Deepa a red rose. †(29), an act which induces the feeling of adoration for Mr. Bapu by both the reader and the protagonists. It is the contrast in description of Mr. Bapu and the muggers that invokes the idea of friends and enemies which is later addressed at the end of the passage. The setting in this extract plays a primary role setting up the mood. This in term greatly aids the reader’s understanding of the protagonists fear and relieve. The passage starts off with the description of a â€Å"mosque stood towering in all its grandeur† with â€Å"a brilliant series of decorative lights† (3). This setting brings forward an uneasy mood since the building was â€Å"towering† over the two siblings. With this comes the feeling of vulnerability which is later demonstrated when they are attacked. The setting further attributes to the feeling of confusion and being surrounded when Deepa and her brother try to run â€Å"backwards, sideways, forwards again† (12) like running through a maze without an exit. Which is described as a â€Å"horrifying checkmate† (13), also adding onto the feeling of being trapped, making is very understandable that the protagonists are panicking. Later in the passage, the setting is again used to give a clear understanding of the character Mr. Bapu. The morning after the siblings were rescued by him they wake up in the house of the millionaire and walk through his garden. This is described as being â€Å"quite wonderful† (27) and seems to have red roses, these both clearly oppose the nocturnal setting of the night before. This deepens the contrast between the attackers and Mr. Bapu since both settings bring up completely different moods. The nightly setting of the streets add of the wild like persona of the muggers, while the rose garden emphasizes the kindhearted nature of Mr. Bapu. This again adds onto the idea of the difference between friends and enemies and the way that these are shaped in the mind. Lastly, another aspect that greatly enhances the experience of the reader is the behavior and emotions expressed by the protagonist and his sister. The text starts off with â€Å"a tremor in my sister’s arm. † (1). This sentence is emphasized by its shortness and it being on a separate line. This immediately conjures up a tense mood and grabs the attention of the reader. When the two siblings first face their attackers they â€Å"froze in our tracks† (7), this betrays their shock and fear to the reader. The two then run for their lives like a prey trying to escape its hunter. This episode both adds tension and excitement to the story. The protagonists are then relieved and surprised by the arrival of the â€Å"white Mercedes† (14) of Mr. Bapu. The whiteness Mercedes being a stark contrast to the nocturnal nature of the attackers. After the actual attack, the story very much relies on the thoughts of the protagonists. He describes the attack as a â€Å"terror-filled eternity† (32). This clarifies the contempt of the protagonists towards the attackers. He then later describes Mr. Bapu as â€Å"preserved in amber†, giving the reader an understanding of the protagonist’s kind image of the millionaire. These are examples of the emotions and thoughts of the protagonist, helping the reader understand other characters in the text. This is also done by giving a bit of background on the protagonists giving an understanding of the attackers’ reasons. This also adds a theme of discrimination between social groups. Since the muggers seem to attack due to the protagonists background. In conclusion, with the use of the setting, character description and the thoughts of the protagonists a very clear contrast between the attackers and Mr. Bapu has been established. One being seen as the the personification of evil and the other as pure kindness. This contrast is very important to understand when reading the last part of the passage in which the central theme is explained. Here the protagonist’s uncle explains how enemies and friends are shaped in the mind. Here, the reader can understand that the protagonists was looking back at a past event throughout the passage and it becomes very clear why the attackers have been described in a very evil fashion as opposed to Mr. Bapu. This story is therefore an excellent example of how the mind can form its own image of enemies and friends only including the negative or positive instead of both.

The Corporate Rundown Tesla Motors

Tests gains competitive advantage over auto industry competitors because of their direct-to- nonuser sales, stores and service centers, innovative consumer financing options, and technological innovations. Tests faces multiple risks in its ongoing operations and strategic plans for future growth. Teasel's 201 2 annual report cites 63 risks related to Teasel's business and industry and an additional 6 risks related to the ownership of their common stock. In an attempt to identify gaps and propose recommendations for future implementation an analysis of the principal forces of supply and demand on the industry / company is required.Tests Motors-?objective and Strategy Chant Nell Tests Motors eschews the traditional auto industry â€Å"dealership† model and bypasses dealers and reaches customers directly through company-owned showrooms and online retail channels Value-added services are included, such as supercharger stations being installed in major markets throughout the US. St rategy Tests aims to become a mass producer of electric vehicles. In 2008, it launched the Tests Roadster model-?a paradigm shift/keystone in the EVE market. Tests has positioned itself as a key competitor in the EVE market.Market Positioning Tests covers key EVE market segments and dominates the EVE segment Of the argue automotive industry. The 201 2 Model S targeted at the middle- and upper-middle-class customer. The 2014 Model X to take advantage of the booming SUB crossover segment. The 201 6 Gene Ill is positioned to compete with mass market Eves. Alliances To facilitate growth, Tests has cultivated X types of partnerships, including supplier alliances, R&D alliances, and MEMO alliances with other automobile manufacturers. Additional revenue is generated from the sale of electric power train components and development services.Tests Motors-?Financial Performance and Future Guidance Tests Motors held its initial public offering (PIP) on January 29th of 2010. According to a break even analysis the firm became cash flow positive for the first time in its history in Q of PAYOFF. Tests has unique business structure. Its competitors in its industry are highly mature as opposed to Teasel's newly developed business model, thus finding comparable companies can be difficult. Given Teasel's uniqueness, two comparable analyses were required. One comparable analysis captures Teasel's industry competitors and one comparable analysis will capture Teasel's high growth rate.For the industry memorable analysis, seven companies are utilized to derive the industry average EVE/Revenue and EVE/Gross Profit levels. Using a weighted EVE/Revenue and EVE/Gross Profit for both set at 50%, the top line and the gross profit of the industry will sustain Teasel's future target levels. When screening for comparable for the growth rates in order to calculate the companies that have relative high revenue growth rate for 201 3 and 2014 a weighted EVE/ Revenue of 70% and EVE/Gross Profit of 30% is the best achievable outcome and is the most important measurement to consider for the high growth company.Existing Tests Market Dynamics- Lifestyle / Supply Chain Management: Tests created its life cycle and supply train strategy with the full understanding it wouldn't be the only producer of all-electric vehicles for long. Teasel's value proposition or â€Å"uniqueness† had to come from a commitment to being â€Å"at least two generations ahead† of its rivals. But how could it achieve that goal, when its battery packs came from a company in Taiwan that had previously manufactured only barbeques?Teasel's own engineers would have to spend months in Asia working out the design and engineering kinks. And the extra costs wound up wiping out the savings from cheap labor. To combat this Tests employed the following policies. It brought the power train manufacturing back in-house. Final assembly was relocated to California from the United Kingdom. Contract manufacturi ng was limited to the non-power elements of the vehicle. Its supplier base, more than 85 percent of which consisted of vendors producing a single part, was slashed.The company is now producing the Model S, a sedan with a base price of $57,000 greatly widening market of potential buyers. Through several iterations of its Roadster; each representing an improvement in quality and a reduction in production costs, as well as the initial production year for the Model S, Tests has pushed forward with its strategy although some issues do present themselves such as the recently announcement on Fox Business that â€Å"Tests provided some disappointing news in its recent third-quarter earnings report.The maker of electric cars lowered expectations for 2014 deliveries and delayed the launch of its Model X, a high-end electric crossover, until next fall. † This could point to some supply and demand issue and warrants further investigation. Controls: Teasel's strategy centers around mainta ining high quality controls as they transition to a higher level of in-house manufacturing process; and that the information technology systems that we are currently expanding and improving upon will be effective to manage a higher volume production.Operations: Tests sells its cars to customers through its stores which it fully owns and operates. Tests stores and galleries â€Å"are highly visible, premium outlets in major metropolitan markets some of which combine retail sales and service†. Teasel's stores change the entire car buying experience and take way the incentive of both the buyer and seller to compete on price. Furthermore, Teasel's stores allow the firm to achieve operating efficiencies as well as capture sales and services revenues that typical automobile manufacturers do not.Technology: Earlier this year Teasel's CEO, Leon Musk, announced to the world to permit competitors to, â€Å"in good faith,† make use of the automaker's patent portfolio for free. Th e goal, he wrote on Teasel's weapon, was to lure automakers into entering the electric vehicle (â€Å"EVE†) market. This patent policy shift was put forth in an effort to quicken the argental growth of Eves in the automotive market currently dominated by internal combustion engine vehicles. Additionally, Tests announced has an agreement with Panasonic to build a new, United States based battery plant.According to Deanne De Freesias of IV News, â€Å"Dubbed the Cofactors, the facility will be able to produce batteries for as many as 500,000 Eves per year by the year 2020. The scale of the production is projected to be so large, in fact, that by 2020 the Cofactors alone would produce as much battery capacity as the entire world produced in 2013. † Freesias goes on the say, â€Å"To be ere, the impact of the Cofactors will positively affect electric auto sales. The Cofactors scale and capacity may be felt across the technology and energy sectors as well. Financial: Tests announced a new financing option for customers that aim to bring down the monthly cost of owning a Model S. The finance option allows customers to enter into a 5. 5 year loan for around $500-$600 per month. Essentially, the customer does not have to put down any money up front because all Tests customers receive a federal tax credit. The federal tax credit is an incentive from the government for consumers to arches electric vehicles. The finance option combines the best features of a lease and a loan and makes the car affordable to more consumers. Lattice: Teasel's direct-to-consumer car sales are a strong strategic position and advantage they hold over typical automobile manufacturers in North America. Most automobile manufacturers are required by state law to sell their vehicles their franchised car dealerships. Tests is able to sell their cars directly to consumers because it has no franchised dealers Automotive Industry Business Cycle According to Douche, â€Å"Many factors af fect the performance of an industry and s each industry makes up a portion of real GAP, they in turn can impact the cycle of the economy.The automotive industry is clearly impacted by macroeconomic policy and auto production and sales rates in relation to interest rates, real GAP, inflation and unemployment make this evident.. † Tests has the deliberate yet novel approach of phasing in their product offerings gradually starting with the very high end / high performance model and then through its entrants in the performance sedan and crossover SUB markets, concluding with an what is typically an auto companies first offering, its mass market vehicle.Tests reversed the roll so they could generate a lot of hype in the media on a very limited production run. The most interesting thing about Tests is the role of marketing in selling electric cars that cost $100,000 or more. Many business leaders have attempted to change the automotive industry over the last couple generations and n one have succeeded. The process Of buying a car is essentially the same as it was generations ago. And the process has remained unpopular for decades.Tests is creatively using marketing to upend the auto industry business model: There are no Tests dealers There are no commissioned sales people Tests cars are marketed and not aggressively sold Tests transactions are conducted online The price is the price: no negotiation There is no inventory: the Tests Model S is built to order You can't test drive a Tests unless you put down a $5,000 deposit In many parts of the country, you can't see or drive the car before you buy even if you place a deposit.You have to wait in line for months or years to get a car And the marketing challenges are incredibly difficult: They are building a new luxury brand from scratch They are evangelize a new type of vehicle: an electric car They are selling a 60,000 – $100,000+ car that can't go on a road trip They must sell an entirely new model of buyi ng and owning a car While Tests is starting with expensive vehicles, they clearly have mainstream ambitions. They are investing to build a big car company. How hard is it to build and sell cars in the USA?Look at it this way: Tests is the second oldest publicly traded auto company in the united States behind Ford. GM went bankrupt and went public four months after Tests. Chrysler remains private following its own reorganization. While Tests has a long way to go to be profitable, producing cars in volume, and vying towards the mainstream, their first home-built product -? the Model S -? is a SUCCeSS. They have 10,000 – 20,000 orders and have swept the auto industry awards, winning the most recent round of Motor Trend, Automobile, and Yahoo Autos awards for car of the year.Tests is the first startup car company, and the Model S is the first electric car, to win these awards. Risk Management Recommendations and Strategies- Based on the research conducted a few of the lessons lea rned would be prudent for Tests to internalize and incorporate going forward. Make sure that supply-chain, corporate and product strategies are tightly aligned. Teasel's us apply-chain managers should work closely with the engineers to jointly evaluate costs, working with only a targeted few trusted suppliers.Complete and in-depth evaluation of the multiple external drivers, including global economic trends, customer preferences, proximity to markets, labor costs, supplier quality, regulatory requirements, environmental sustainability, community responsibility and geopolitical shifts. Don't offshore manufacturing until your product has matured and stabilized. With the opening of the Gaga factory this issue is well on its way to being solved but it bears remembering.While there is no history of or mention of derivatives for Tests in either Its annual report or the media it is considered as a perfect hedge according to Seeking Alpha or Tests can capitalize on this to counter the first three risks related to the ownership Of our common stock identified in the 2012 annual report. 1. Concentration of ownership among our existing executive officers, directors and their affiliates may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions. 2.The trading price of our common stock is likely to continue to be volatile. 3. A majority of our total outstanding shares are held by insiders and may be sold in the near future. The large number of shares eligible for public sale or subject to rights requiring us to register them for public sale could depress the market price of our common stock. Hedging will enable a more diversified ownership, reduce the volatility in stock pricing and if staggered effectively reduce the impact of insiders selling large allotments of shares.Conclusion Tests developed a specific strategy for life cycle and supply train management with the goal of being â€Å"at least two generations ahead† of its rivals. As a intros strat egy to improve on supply and demand management Tests will transition to increased levels of â€Å"in-house† manufacturing processes. In an integrated approach linking operations and political strategies Tests sells its cars to customers through its stores which it fully owns and operates bypassing state regulated dealerships entirely.Its technology strategy is a patent policy shift, put forth in an effort to quicken the percentage growth of electronic vehicles in the automotive market currently dominated by internal combustion engine vehicles. For a financial strategy Tests created a new enhancing option for customers that aim to bring down the monthly cost of owning a Model S. Tests has identified 69 different risks in its 2012 annual report and has formulated risk mitigation strategies for each.

Othello – Iago Character Analysis

Iago, in Shakespeare's Othello, is a deceiving character because he tells lies in order to get what he wants. He interacts with people only to manipulate them, but most importantly he never reveals his true feelings or motives. Iago might say things that suggest what his motive is, but he soon contradicts himself with another suggestion making it extremely difficult to understand him. Although Iago's true motives cannot be determined, some motives could be jealousy, the enjoyment of seeing people suffer, or power.Iago's jealous of Othello and Cassio because he thinks that both of them slept with his wife, Emilia. In Iago's first soliloquy at the end of act 1, Iago says that Othello might have slept with his wife and even though this is a rumor, he says that he will believe it. Then in his second soliloquy at the end of act 2, scene 1, Iago reiterates and once again says that Othello slept with his wife, the only difference is that now he thinks Cassio has slept with his wife too beca use he believes that Cassio is a â€Å"proper man† and a playboy.So, this seems to be a driving force for Iago to ruin Othello and Cassio. Iago's jealousy towards Othello quickly turns into a jealousy toward Cassio too because Othello appointed Cassio as lieutenant instead of Iago. Iago believes that he should be lieutenant because he has fought by Othello's side in battles and because he has actual war experience, whereas Cassio learned all of his tactics from books. So, he is jealous because he didn't get the job, but he is angry because he thinks that Othello made Cassio his lieutenant because Cassio helped Othello marry Desdemona.Iago doesn't know anything about proportion, meaning that if he has been wronged he will bring justice to himself by giving the culprit a punishment that doesn't match the crime. In this case, Iago wasn't appointed as lieutenant; therefore, he wants to torture Othello and Cassio mentally and then kill them. This could be the result of his hatred and jealousy. Another motive that might cause Iago's behavior is that he is a sadist; he just likes to enjoy watching other people suffer.Iago is a very clever person and he enjoys seeing how idiots make fools of themselves. One of these idiots is Iago's â€Å"buddy,† Roderigo. Roderigo is a typical wealthy, Venetian aristocrat who is madly in love with Desdemona and he has given Iago the task of helping him woo her. Iago uses this to his advantage, even though Iago uses Roderigo to ruin Cassio and Othello, he gets some amusement by watching Roderigo prance around and go nuts over Desdemona. Iago also finds it funny when Roderigo wants to go kill himself after he finds out that Desdemona married Othello.There are multiple times throughout the play where Roderigo should have known that Iago was just using him for money and some laughs and since Roderigo doesn't pick up on this, Iago can use Roderigo to his advantage. Power is probably the most important motive. Iago is very co nniving and clever and he can use this to manipulate people. It is clearly seen that Iago thrives for power because he loves manipulating people so that they doe exactly what he says. He does this to Roderigo many times, like when Iago tells Roderigo to give him all of his money and when he convinces Roderigo to kill Cassio.He even controls Othello to the point that Othello suspects his wife and decides to kill her. Iago's thirst for power is also seen when Cassio is appointed to be Othello's lieutenant because this was, supposedly, the basis for his revenge. He really wanted to be lieutenant because it is a very high position and with it comes a lot of power and Iago proves that he would do anything to get that sort of power. Therefore, one of Iago's motives could be that he has a tremendous thirst for power.In conclusion, many believe that Iago is just a psychopath, which is true to some extent; however, he is also very smart and clever. If he wasn't clever he would not be able to carry out his revenge because he wouldn't be able to manipulate anyone. The probable motives – power, sadism, jealousy and anger are some reasons for why Iago is psychotic, but it is nearly impossible to figure out his true motives from the text. Even though this may be true, Iago does suggest these motives and all of them are supported by the text, but even this could be one of Iago's ploys because nobody can truly understand Iago. Othello – Iago Character Analysis Iago, in Shakespeare's Othello, is a deceiving character because he tells lies in order to get what he wants. He interacts with people only to manipulate them, but most importantly he never reveals his true feelings or motives. Iago might say things that suggest what his motive is, but he soon contradicts himself with another suggestion making it extremely difficult to understand him. Although Iago's true motives cannot be determined, some motives could be jealousy, the enjoyment of seeing people suffer, or power.Iago's jealous of Othello and Cassio because he thinks that both of them slept with his wife, Emilia. In Iago's first soliloquy at the end of act 1, Iago says that Othello might have slept with his wife and even though this is a rumor, he says that he will believe it. Then in his second soliloquy at the end of act 2, scene 1, Iago reiterates and once again says that Othello slept with his wife, the only difference is that now he thinks Cassio has slept with his wife too beca use he believes that Cassio is a â€Å"proper man† and a playboy.So, this seems to be a driving force for Iago to ruin Othello and Cassio. Iago's jealousy towards Othello quickly turns into a jealousy toward Cassio too because Othello appointed Cassio as lieutenant instead of Iago. Iago believes that he should be lieutenant because he has fought by Othello's side in battles and because he has actual war experience, whereas Cassio learned all of his tactics from books. So, he is jealous because he didn't get the job, but he is angry because he thinks that Othello made Cassio his lieutenant because Cassio helped Othello marry Desdemona.Iago doesn't know anything about proportion, meaning that if he has been wronged he will bring justice to himself by giving the culprit a punishment that doesn't match the crime. In this case, Iago wasn't appointed as lieutenant; therefore, he wants to torture Othello and Cassio mentally and then kill them. This could be the result of his hatred and jealousy. Another motive that might cause Iago's behavior is that he is a sadist; he just likes to enjoy watching other people suffer.Iago is a very clever person and he enjoys seeing how idiots make fools of themselves. One of these idiots is Iago's â€Å"buddy,† Roderigo. Roderigo is a typical wealthy, Venetian aristocrat who is madly in love with Desdemona and he has given Iago the task of helping him woo her. Iago uses this to his advantage, even though Iago uses Roderigo to ruin Cassio and Othello, he gets some amusement by watching Roderigo prance around and go nuts over Desdemona. Iago also finds it funny when Roderigo wants to go kill himself after he finds out that Desdemona married Othello.There are multiple times throughout the play where Roderigo should have known that Iago was just using him for money and some laughs and since Roderigo doesn't pick up on this, Iago can use Roderigo to his advantage. Power is probably the most important motive. Iago is very co nniving and clever and he can use this to manipulate people. It is clearly seen that Iago thrives for power because he loves manipulating people so that they doe exactly what he says. He does this to Roderigo many times, like when Iago tells Roderigo to give him all of his money and when he convinces Roderigo to kill Cassio.He even controls Othello to the point that Othello suspects his wife and decides to kill her. Iago's thirst for power is also seen when Cassio is appointed to be Othello's lieutenant because this was, supposedly, the basis for his revenge. He really wanted to be lieutenant because it is a very high position and with it comes a lot of power and Iago proves that he would do anything to get that sort of power. Therefore, one of Iago's motives could be that he has a tremendous thirst for power.In conclusion, many believe that Iago is just a psychopath, which is true to some extent; however, he is also very smart and clever. If he wasn't clever he would not be able to carry out his revenge because he wouldn't be able to manipulate anyone. The probable motives – power, sadism, jealousy and anger are some reasons for why Iago is psychotic, but it is nearly impossible to figure out his true motives from the text. Even though this may be true, Iago does suggest these motives and all of them are supported by the text, but even this could be one of Iago's ploys because nobody can truly understand Iago.