A Lesson before Dying: What Makes an Educated Man? Essay

A Lesson before Dying is a memorable novel, set in Bayone, Louisiana in the 1940’s, about an uneducated, illiterate black man, Jefferson, who is falsely accused of murder and sentenced to death. While on trial, his defense attorney likened him to a hog, calling him nothing more than a fool and a cornered animal. Jefferson’s godmother wants him to become a man before he dies. She persuades two men, Grant Wiggins and Reverend Ambrose, to visit with Jefferson and teach him what it means to be a man. While both men desire the same outcome, they disagree about what it means to be an educated man. Grant believes that his college degree gives him all the knowledge he needs. However, Reverend Ambrose believes that being educated goes deeper that reading, writing, and arithmetic. Grant Wiggins, the son of plantation workers, returns to his hometown after attending college with an attitude that his education somehow sets him apart the other black men living in his community. He becomes a plantation teacher, completing the cycle of returning to his roots. While he is outraged with how other blacks are treated, he does not use his education to help the cause. Instead, he becomes angry and bitter. He does not believe he can help Jefferson and he does not want to get involved: â€Å"What do I say to him? Do I know what a man is? Do I know how a man is supposed to die? I’m still trying to find out how a man should live. Am I supposed to tell someone how to die who has never lived? † (Gaines 31) Reverend Ambrose is a black preacher, determined to preach the gospel and lead people to salvation and an afterlife with Christ. Reverend Ambrose wants the blacks in his community to live peacefully with the whites and to rise up from the ashes of slavery. He is kind and compassionate and lives a humble life. While he is not educated like Grant, he is very wise to the realities of life. He believes that his knowledge of people makes him more educated than Grant. Reverend Ambrose believes that Grant looks down on him, because he is uneducated. He is determined to put Grant in his place by calling him â€Å"boy† and telling him what he thinks of him, â€Å"When you act educated, I’ll call you Grant. I’ll even call you Mr. Grant, when you act like a man. † (Gaines 216) Reverend Ambrose is angry that Grant does not really see what Tante Lou has done for him. He is frustrated that with all of Grant’s education he still does not understand his people: â€Å"Cause reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic is not enough. You think that’s all they sent you to school for? They sent you to school to relieve pain, to relieve hurt–and if you have to lie to do it, then you lie. You lie and you lie and you lie†¦ You tell them that ’cause they have pain too, and you don’t want to add yours–and you lie. † (Gaines 218) Reverend Ambrose understands why Tante Lou made sacrifices to send Grant to college. She wanted Grant to return home and make a difference for his people. It makes Reverend Ambrose angry that someone as educated as Grant cannot really see how people really feel. Reverend Ambrose believes that it is better to lie in order to prevent others from hurting. He wants Grant to reassure Jefferson of the existence of Heaven. He wanted Grant to lie and say he believed in God and Heaven: â€Å"I won’t let you sent that boy’s soul to hell. † He did not want Grant to acknowledge to Jefferson his lack of faith in God. He wants a dying man to have the hope of an afterlife that was better than his life here. Reverend Ambrose could not understand how an educated man would take away the hope of a man that set to be executed. While it would be easy to argue that Reverend Ambrose not as educated as Grant, one cannot overlook the fact that his worldly knowledge goes far deeper than Grant’s. He understands the depths of people’s souls, and knows how to comfort and led them to knowledge and truth. Grant, on the other hand, is naive about other’s feelings. His education lacks real life knowledge, as well as the ability to interact with people. Reverend Ambrose sees where Grant is lacking and believes that until he opens his eyes and heart to those around him, he will never truly be educated. Works Cited Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson before Dying. New York: First Vintage Contemporaries, 1994. Print.

Ideal Behavior Between Daoism And Judaism Essay

Judaism and Daoism are two different religious each with its behaviors differentiating it from other. Both religions have complex philosophies and ways of conducting their worships. Daoism is based on Confucianism and it was founded in China in Han dynasty. It deals with learning of the past. Judaism is a religion that believes in one God who is omnipresent, almighty, omniscient, infinite and eternal. They have Old Testament and they believe in existence of heaven which is the eternal dwelling of the righteous and hell as the eternal dwelling of the wicked. Daoism and Judaism are two religions each with its beliefs and behaviors making them somehow similar and different. Judaism is different from Daoism because Daoism is a religion that started as a combination of simple philosophy and psychology but grew into a religious faith Daoism and Judaism are somehow similar for they originated from one and the same source who is God Almighty. They are closely interrelated and they have many common rituals, beliefs, worship, laws, rules, wisdom and morals. They are similar because God’s law is universal and the two religions are universal too. Daoism and Judaism have different ethical code. Daoism refers Laozi as their founders while Judaism believes that Hebrews were founders of the religion. The primary scripture of Daoism is Laozi’s Book of Dao and its virtue while for the Judaism it is the Holy Bible. Daoism has its Daoist philosophy with its main ideological source and took some concepts from Mohist, Yin-Yang and Confucianist. They follow Huang-Lao traditions. Daoism holds longevity and immortality as its highest object of faith. It advocates for Longevity and Immortality through Nourishing of life. They have practice of virtuous conducted to escape death and reach eternity. Judaism has temple sacrifices along with temple priesthood to function. Taoism has numerous deities under Tao while Judaism they believe in Reincarnation, Heaven or Garden of Eden or Hell. Judaism practice circumcision, they worship on Sabbath in the Synagogues and on the Holy Days like Bar Mitzvahs, marriages and funerals and during festivals like Passover. Their God is called Rabbi. During special feasts like marriages and funerals and during ancestral worships Taoism worships in the Temple. In Judaism, they believe that their leaders were Moses and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David with Rebbes being spiritual leaders of some Chassidic sects. Taoism believes that their leaders were Lao Tzu Some Taoist sects which have Pontiffs. Judaism believes that Israel is their God-given homeland thus having a strong belief in justice. For the Taoism, when society is compassionate, their government also tries to be generous. Judaism has a sacred writing known as Torah while that of Taoism is known as Tao Te Chig or The I Chig. Judaism believe that, the State of Israel is the Jewish homeland while Taoism belief that Chinese loves nature. Judaism is a religion based on Law while Taoism is a religion focused more on nature instead of society. Taoism has great concern on ethical thinking, speaking and doing. This is because when an individual behaves in an ethical manner the entire community benefits. Those who believe in Daoism have focused themselves on nature. Taoism has no commandment and they have no particular action or even thought. In conclusion, Daoism and Judaism are two different religions with some similarities. Judaism is based on religious way of life but Daoism focuses more on nature. Daoism was founded in China in Han dynasty and it is based on Confucianism dealing with learning of the past. Judaism is a religion that believes in one God who is omnipresent, almighty, omniscient, infinite and eternal.

Abusive child labor in China

News correspondent David Barbosa of the New York Times Magazine has published an article on May 1st 2008, entitled: ‘China Says Abusive Child Labor Ring Is Exposed’. In his news article, Barbosa uncovered more in-depth analysis surrounding the incident of child labor in China, in which according to him acknowledges child labor abuse at the heart of China’s export economy. This paper will discuss Barbosa’s finding on the plight of Chinese children amidst extensive economic production. Article Summary Who was involved? Based on Barbosa’s news article, child labor ranges from the age of 13 to 15 which have been deceived and possibly kidnapped by a child trafficking syndicate then sold to employment agencies. To cite, the series of crackdown by Chinese authorities has found rampant child labor employment from Western Sichuan Province of Liangshan that supplies the children to factories in Guangdong, wherein forced labor engages about 300 working hours monthly (Barbosa, 2008). Result of the crackdown The summary of result on crackdown of child labor rings has prompted the Chinese authorities to enacting more enforcement, which according to Barbosa has put China in significant scandal and embarrassment [aside from the political issue with Tibet who rejects China’s massive preparation to the forthcoming Olympic Games]. With the incoming Olympic event, Chinese authorities has doubled its efforts in enforcing the strictest possible campaign against child labor traffickers, wherein the April 30th 2008 crackdown to various legal and most specifically illegal employment agencies [or simply child traffickers] have been arrested and initially rescued about 100 children-laborers from Dongguan City where major electronic manufacturing firms are located. Behind child labor issue    According to Barbosa, child labor and abuses depicts China’s scarcity of laborers as a result of soaring inflationary rates and foreign currency devaluation that decreases profitability of both small and medium manufacturers that resorted to move quickly in the â€Å"edge† of competitive manufacturing and mass production; that involve cheap labor of children and adult laborers [of both men and women], wherein the Chinese labor law has even reduced the legal age requirement from the age of 16. Barbosa insinuated that may be the â€Å"political issue† involving Tibet’s [rejection and defiance to holding the Olympic Games in China] may have attributed to the seeming crackdown of human trafficking for cheap labor, in general. As cited, the earlier cases of child labor and human trafficking incidents could have been picking up â€Å"loose response† of enforcement, apparently becoming â€Å"stiff and tight† on the current dates. The critical issue behind the rampant child labor and human trafficking in China espouses the fact of looming poverty incidence in Southern and Western localities of China wherein continuing increase of   production and raw materials costs are insignificant to cost-cutting measures. To cite, even the renowned transnational Wal-Mart company have been charged with child labor, wherein similarly other foreign firms in China were illicitly engaging. In related child labor issue, Barbosa pointed out the observation of Professor Hu Xingdou from Beijing Institute of Technology who quoted that ‘China’s economy is developing at a fascinating speed, but often at the expense of laws, human rights and environmental protection’.   Further to cite, local government encourages incentives to grow their economy and thereby encouraging participation of cheap labor forces that includes children. Postscript in the report Journalists have jointly advocated pursuing the progress of Chinese authorities’ campaign against child labor and human trafficking.   According to Barbosa, the Southern Metropolis newspaper (in Beijing, China) conducts fact-finding mission in Liangshan Prefecture of Sichuan Province wherein indigenous families resides and being targeted by child labor recruiters. Barbosa stressed that journalist may access and could uncover the truth brought about by the scandal of child labor and abuse. As quoted by Barbosa; â€Å"journalists could discover the facts by secret interviews in a few days, since how could the labor departments show no interest in it and ignore it for such a long time?† Reference Barbosa, D. (2008). ‘China Says Abusive Child Labor Ring Is Exposed’. The New York Times (Asia Pacific) Electronic Magazine. Retrieved 08 May 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/world/asia/01china.html?pagewanted=1_r=1

Performance improvement in Public Private Partnerships Essay

Performance improvement in Public Private Partnerships - Essay Example Public-private financing alters the type of knowledge yielded along with the collaborative conduct of partners, with those companies in partnership cooperating 3.2 times more regularly (Mansfield 2009). The unique type of funding within the public-private partnerships indeed assuages capital constraints that in turn not only upsurges the financial feasibility of a company by augmenting the prospect of its survival, as well as increasing the company’s headcount (Fleming & Sorenson 2007). These outcomes are experienced during the mid-term span of the company since financing is focused towards certain innovative projects, which take a number of years to cultivate and market (Mansfield 2009). Through employing such underwriting programs, governments are capable of motivating companies to undertake basic technological projects. This augments a company’s aptitude to oversee the technological landscape, but also generate basic research competences, which enable prompter and mo re efficient recognition of spill over opportunities into more applied activities (Kerr, Lerner & Schoar 2011). The conversion of basic technological research leads towards commercialized technology yields from companies with the affiliated benefits to economic growth and employment is an objective shared by numerous policy makers as well as business leaders (Kerr, Lerner & Schoar 2011). The efficiency of an outstandingly effective financing as well as intervention model is seen in the efficacy of the Public-private partnership policy making. By specifically requesting potential private and public sector, associates to emerge and go through an appliance screening procedure followed with a cooperation model, which puts a heavy prominence on cross-boundary operations (Murray 2002). The company under review is adept to reap remarkably higher earnings over a transitional span in job progression, innovative output, in addition to cross-boundary teamwork, which likely will add to a worthy cycle of improved future productions (Fleming & Sorenson 2007). On a policy perspective, by affording public-private partnership financing schemes, governments can motivate firms to undertake basic science projects (Kerr, Lerner & Schoar 2011). This potentially aids with the unrestricted-rider problem in suitability, the deficiency of economic inducements for private companies to embark on such projects because of the incapability to seize all the remunerations from such rudimentary research. As a technique to help firms to stay competitive, administrations can deem this tactic as a hypothetically powerful policy implement (Agrawal & Henderson 2002). Governance Structures Insufficient governance structures have been revealed as causative factor for unsuccessful companies. The grave governance links, which rise in companies where technical-shrewdness, is at jeopardy and suitable dispute resolve needs to ensue (Murray 2002). The one influence for risk transfer occurring is effective governance system. Public-private partnership intricate transactions requirements generate an intrinsic need for precision pertaining to decision-making as

Alternative Voting System in Parliamentary Elections Essay - 1

Alternative Voting System in Parliamentary Elections - Essay Example UK has seen in many such reforms that have made it a modern democracy with elected representatives, from being a monarchic state (Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, 2007, 9). My article will examine the current electoral changes that have been proposed, which signal the ushering in of the Alternative Voting system (AVs). This topic has been in debate in the UK parliament for quite some years, and is currently under review, in the House of Lords and the Parliament. My article will explore to find out whether the changes in the electoral processes that will bring in use of the Alternative Voting System or AVs in parliamentary elections, would actually work towards improving democracy in United Kingdom. What is AV: â€Å"AV represents a very simple change to our current First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) voting system. The principle behind AV is a no-brainer: the winner in an election should need the support of a majority of the people. AV makes this happen with ‘preference voting’. All that means for voters are swapping the ‘X’ on the ballot paper for numbers, so voters can rank the candidates in order of preference 1, 2, 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Electoral Reform Society, Introducing the Alternative Vote). Fig 1: (Source: Electoral Reform Society, Introducing the Alternative Vote). In this figure, we take an example of a voting centre, which has 4 candidates A, B, C and D, standing for an election, while the number of voters is taken to be 100. In the present electoral process that is known as the First-Past-the–Post or FPTP, Candidate ‘A’ has garnered the maximum number of votes, and is the clearly the winner, though he hasn’t received even 50% of the total vote share, that is, majority of the voters are not backing him.

Unit 3 Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Unit 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example Every product goes through a particular life cycle and the strategy that must be applied will differ in each instance. For instance, during the early stages, company strategy must focus upon achieving competitiveness through judicious pricing, heavy marketing and expenses on R&D. During the later declining stage of the product life cycle, the emphasis is on broadening the product line and avoiding price cuts.(Wasson, 1974). On the basis of a product’s market share and growth based upon its life cycle, the BCG places the product portfolio of a Company into four different quadrants of a matrix, with the relative market share of the product ranked along the X axis and product growth ranked along the Y axis. Businesses in each quadrant will have significantly different tendencies to consume or generate cash. The appliances division of my Company has been placed in the upper right quadrant of the matrix, which represents the wildcat or question mark. This suggests that the division has a negative cash flow, requiring â€Å"large cash inputs that it cannot generate itself.† (Henderson, 1979, p166). Wildcat ventures are often fledgling operations and offer the promise of future generation of revenue. The major aspect to be addressed in the case of the appliances division is thus market share. Since the products may typically have a low market share because they are not well known, the recommended strategy would be to introduce a competitive price for the product as compared to similar products already in the market. It is also recommended that an aggressive advertising and promotional campaign is implemented, in order to increase sales of the product and improve its market share. In the event the market share of the product does not improve, then it may turn into a â€Å"dog† or become unproductive, and before that happens it is better to sell off the products or close up the division. Woo and Cooper (1980) have points

Protection of research participants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Protection of research participants - Essay Example Research participants have several rights over the researchers, which include informed consent and voluntary participation. The participants should be informed about â€Å"the degree to which the information will be kept confidential†, according to Human Research Participation Program (2009, par.3). Rubin and Babbie (2009, p.263) mention important measures that the researchers should take to protect participants’ information. They state that sensitive information collected from participants should only be used for professional purposes, and should only be discussed with individuals who are concerned with the study professionally (p.263). They also state that participants should be guaranteed the anonymity and confidentiality of their information, and they should also be informed about the measures that the researchers would be taking to protect the data (p.263). Identifying information should be omitted as soon as possible or used only after participants’ consent . My research agenda is that I would only use sensitive information after taking participants’ consent, and will take proper measures to protect the data in every possible

Stats 2 wk1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stats 2 wk1 - Assignment Example 4. H4: Framing of coupon savings message interacts with consumer’s choice of brands. More well-known brands are chosen with a prevention focus framing while less known brands are chosen when coupons are framed as promotions. 5. H5: Expiration date restriction interacts with consumers’ choice of brands. Familiar brands are chose if expiration date is immediate while less known brands are chosen with a longer expiration timeframe. In the first laboratory experiment 116 undergraduate students of age 18-25 participated. A 2 x 2 x 2 mixed-factorial design was considered with two levels of regulatory focus, two levels of message frame and two levels of brand familiarity. Eight product categories were selected, each with two levels of brands. As expected, type of brand showed significance. Significant interaction was found between regulatory focus and message frame indicating support of H1. Significant interaction was also observed between regulatory focus and brand choice, supporting H3. Significant interaction was also found between message frame and brand preference, indicating support of H4. In the second laboratory experiment 95 undergraduate students participated. They were classifies according to their self-concepts as consumers. Again a 2 x 2 x 2 mixed factorial design was used and attitude towards advertisement was measured. It was observed that regulatory focus had an effect on overall shopping behavior. When shoppers were focused on their ideals, longer time horizon led to higher purchase of un-promoted brands (H2). The third experiment was performed in a grocery shop with 212 participants who were handed out a discount coupon each. The framing on the coupon was either gain oriented or no-loss oriented and the expiration date was either immediate or with a longer horizon. Interaction between regulatory message and coupon saving message was observed. Significant interaction was also observed between

The Effects of Price Fixing in the Industrial Thread Industry Research Paper

The Effects of Price Fixing in the Industrial Thread Industry - Research Paper Example Industrial thread is a very important product regarding its use in various other sectors. It is used to â€Å"sew or embroider various products such as clothes, home furnishings, automotive seats and seatbelts, leather goods, mattresses, footwear, ropes, etc.† (â€Å"Commission fines nine companies a total of â‚ ¬ 43.5 million for participating in industrial thread cartels†, 2006, p.1) The 6 billion Euro worth of market world wide even back in 2005 depicts its importance. The commission identified three cartels operating within the system; two of them belonging to industrial thread. The two industrial thread cartels were i) â€Å"a cartel on the market in thread for industrial customers in Benelux and the Nordic countries from January 1990 until September 2001†; ii) â€Å"a cartel on the market in thread for industrial customers in the United Kingdom from October 1990 until September 1996.† (â€Å"Competition: Commission fines producers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , 2005, p.1) The cartel in industrial thread that remained operative in Benelux and Nordic countries involved seven companies. All of them were identified and their names with their respective amount of fines are given below. The industrial thread cartel that was operative in United Kingdom had been spared from any fine since there was â€Å"no proof that the undertakings participated in a continuous cartel within the five years preceding the Commission’s inspections in November 2001.† (â€Å"Competition: Commission fines producers of industrial thread a total of â‚ ¬43.497 million for cartels†, 2005, p.1) The anger and hate that was involved in the words of Neelie Krores the Competition Commissioner might be of interest while realising the evil of cartel, â€Å"Cartel behaviour is illegal, unjustified and unjustifiable, and will be punished severely no matter how large or small the companies involved.

Life Developed Only on Earth Essay Example for Free

Life Developed Only on Earth Essay Life developed only on this one small planet in this one small galaxy. There are several reasons to explain this and some of these are the following: First of all, water is sufficient on Earth making it fit for life to exist (BBC, n. d. ). Second, oxygen is available on Earth for a life to carry on living (BBC, n. d. ). Third, neither earth is too close nor too far from the Sun, thus neither it is not too warm nor is it too cold to live in (BBC, n. d. ). Fourth, the chemicals necessitated to create a living cell are more than enough (BBC, n. d. ). Fifth, a considerable amount of plant and animal species have already developed and adjusted to the environment (BBC, n. d. ). Sixth, the surface of the Earth is perfectly designed since it amazingly protects it from the rays of the Sun (BBC, n. d. ). This is the same reason why the Earth gets the right temperature while other planets are either extremely hot or excessively cold (BBC, n. d. ). Consequently, this also made it possible for water to be available in its liquid state (BBC, n. d. ). Seventh, even if it has been said that life exists in Mars, there are no evidences that support such yet (Fisher, 2005). Furthermore, telescopes are not that good enough to provide details as to whether life really exists there or not (Fisher, 2005). Moreover, to declare such a statement would entail a closer scrutiny of the aforementioned (Fisher, 2005). Eighth, unfortunately, nobody from Earth can leave for Mars (Fisher, 2005). In fact, even NASA say â€Å"no such mission will be attempted for several years† (Fisher, 2005). Last but not least, the Earth is the only planet which has a magnetic field that â€Å"turns away dangerous particles of space radiation† (Fisher, 2005). This means that other planets have a much lesser air and have a much colder temperature, thus living will be quite impossible (Fisher, 2005). References BBC. (n. d. ). Why is There Life on Earth? Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://www. open2. net/science/finalfrontier/life/why. htm Fisher, D. (2005). Is there Life on Mars. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://spaceplace. nasa. gov/en/kids/phonedrmarc/2002_june. shtml

Air France SWOT Analysis and Organisational Culture

Air France SWOT Analysis and Organisational Culture Air France-KLM is an international airline company and a member of the Skyteam airline partnership. The company was formed on May 2004, following the merger of Air Frances and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), thus creating the worlds largest airline group by earnings and second largest worldwide cargo operator in terms of revenue-tonne kilometers. The company operates under two major networks hubs, Paris-CDG and Amsterdam-Schiphol. The Companys three main businesses are passenger transportation, cargo operations, engineering and maintenance. The company counts more than one hundred thousands employees all over the world. Passenger transports being the major business of the company with more than three hundred destinations worldwide. The majority of the employees are based in France and the Netherlands. Both Air France and KLM continue to operate flights under their distinct brand names as subsidiaries of Air France-KLM. LIST OF ACCRONYMS AF Air France NWA Northwest Airline CSR Corporate Social Response MRO Maintenance Repair and Overall CDG Charles de Gaulle IT Information Technology E M Engineering and Maintenance GDP Domestic Growth Product HR Human Resource CHAPTER 1 Introduction AIR FRANCE KLM AIR FRANCE KLM is the combination of two big airlines such as Air France and KLM. Since their merger in 2004, KLM works closely with Air France within the AIR FRANCE KLM holding company. In terms of financial turnover, AIR FRANCE KLM is the worlds largest airline partnership; it also transports the most passengers and is the worlds second-largest cargo transporter. Air France and KLM carry  more than 71 million passengers per year. They operate more than  594 aircraft enabling them to fly to  236 destinations worldwide with 2,500 daily flights. The two airlines world networks can be combined, forming a vast network organized around the two major hubs of Amsterdam-Schiphol and Paris-CDG. The head offices are located at Amstelveen and Paris. Alitalia AIR FRANCE KLM and Alitalia agreed to strengthen their partnership in January 2009 by AIR FRANCE KLM taking a minority stake in Alitalia. The agreement gave AIR FRANCE KLM greater access to the Italian market. SkyTeam Alliance SkyTeam is a global airline alliance which includes AirEuropa, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines,  , Delta Air Lines, Aeroflot, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air (including Northwest Airlines), CSA Czech Airlines, Tarom and Vietnam Airlines, Aeromà ©xico. Air France and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance. Income Over the fiscal year 2009-2010 the turnover of Air France-KLM was 20.9 billion euros. Together, the two airlines have over 107.000 employees. For more information on AIRFRANCE KLM Finance, please  go to www.airfranceklm-finance.com. Shares The Air France-KLM shares are listed in Amsterdam, Paris and New York. Aim Air France-KLM comprises a holding company which controls two airlines, Air France and KLM, each of which retains its own separate identity and brands. The group is the worlds largest air transport group in terms of revenue, second largest in terms of air traffic (in passenger-km) and cargo (ton freight-km), and third largest in terms of maintenance revenue. Both airlines run their own operations from their respective hubs Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Passengers Passenger transport is the largest of the groups three core businesses, generating around 80% of its revenues (as of 31 March 2008), with 74.8 million passengers carried. Cargo Cargo was the first fully-integrated commercial activity at Air France-KLM in 2005. Client companies now have a single point of entry, and a full, simplified offering with flights departing from both hubs and benefiting from both networks. Air France-KLM Cargo ranks first worldwide among air freight carriers (excluding integrators). Maintenance The combination of Air France Industries and KLM Engineering Maintenance allows the group to offer a comprehensive range of aircraft maintenance and overhaul services with complementary areas of specialization. Maintaining the two fleets accounts for two-thirds of the groups maintenance operations, further supplemented by maintenance repair and overall (MRO) operations for 150 third-party airlines. Mission and Vision The mission of Air France KLM is to provide its customers a high quality service adaptable to their changing needs. The overall vision is to become the worlds biggest and leading airline company. Company Background Air France Air France founded on 7 October 1933. The background of the company has been striking by a number of milestones, including investing the acquired capital of UTA in early January 1990 and the combination with Air Inter in 1997. Air France and Delta Air Lines joined forces with Aeromà ©xico and Korean Air to launch the Sky Team alliance in June 2000. Air Frances main hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle is Europes number one in terms of connecting opportunities. KLM Meanwhile KLM was first founded on 7 October 1919 being the oldest airline still operating under its original name. The recently background has been marked by the formation of a joint venture with Northwest Airlines (NWA) in 1989 and its achievement of the investment of Kenya Airways in 1996. KLM has Amsterdam Airport Schiphol as its home base. Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have become the largest European airline group Since May 2004 but each airline has retained its individual identity, trade name and brand which mean three businesses, two airlines, and one group SWOT Analysis of Air France Mullins (2007) explained that, in order to evaluate the nature of the business environment and its strategic capability an organization may undertake a SWOT analysis focuses on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats facing the organization. (S)TRENGTHS Strengths are those positive aspects or distinctive attributes or competencies which provide a significant market advantage or upon which the organization can build. Against a backdrop of increased Liberalization which serves to intensify competition, the profitable growth strategy plays to the groups strengths, the following are the air France KLM group strengths. A modern fleet the groups chief asset Guaranteeing energy and economic efficiency and greater safety levels, the groups aircraft fleet is its chief asset when it comes to meeting the challenges of sustainable development. The dual Roissy Schiphol hub and a balanced network The Air France and KLM route networks complement each other extremely well. The dual hub concept is central to group strategy and is designed to make the most of this. The benefit of dual brand strategy Air France and KLM took an original approach to the merger, choosing to retain the two brands while developing a unified strategy. Air France and KLM each enjoy strong brand identities and are extremely complementary. Enhanced competitiveness thanks to cost control To maintain its competitiveness, the group launched Challenge 10,designed to save 1.4 billion euros by 2009-10, through a 3% cut in unit costs. The plan is four-pronged: Process optimization and productivity gains; Fleet modernization, which will generate fuel and maintenance cost savings; Purchasing, and optimizing group synergies; External distribution costs. The development of high growth areas The groups ambition is to seize growth opportunities in countries driving global economic growth, mainly Brazil, Russia, India and China. In the years ahead, the Air France-KLM group plans to grow by 4.7% per year in terms of available seat-km on its long-haul network. (W)EAKNESSES Weaknesses are those negative aspects or deficiencies in the present competencies or resources of the organization, or its image or reputation, which limit its effectiveness and needed to be corrected to minimize their effect. International economic instability Faced with soaring oil prices, international economic instability, and signs of waning demand, air transport has entered a period of great uncertainty. Our Group can count on its strategic assets, the quality of its fuel hedging and its resolute policy of cost control to meet this challenging period of turbulence and low visibility (O)PPORTUNITIES Opportunities are favorable conditions and usually arise from the nature of changes in the external environment. The organization needs to be sensitive to the problems of business strategy and responsive to changes. Sustained demands In an increasingly global society, the demand for mobility is also increasing. Air transport is a key factor in a countrys economy. Over the last 20 years, air transport has grown twice as quickly as gross domestic product (GDP). In 2008, the rapid development of emerging countries is stimulating growth in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. This will compensate for the slowdown in the US economy. As for the future, IATA forecasts an increase in global capacity of around 5% per year by 2011. A key contribution to the economy Air transport carries over 2 billion passengers annually. Tons of cargo shipped by air each year represent 35% of the total value of export trade in manufactured goods. By connecting people, businesses and goods around the world, air transport makes an essential contribution to global economic activity. Both directly and as a promoter of growth in other industries. (T)HREATS Threats are the converse of opportunities and refer to unfavorable situations that arise from external developments likely to endanger the operations and effectiveness of the organization. Air France KLM like any other organizations is faced with a number of threats, these includes Increased pressure Growth in European low-cost carriers has been strong for some years and Middle Eastern carriers are planning considerable expansion: Gulf carriers plan 20% seat growth per year for the next three years. This represents stiff competition for European airlines on traffic between Europe and Asia or Australia. Development limited by infrastructures Europe is experiencing air traffic congestion, leading to significant delays, increased costs and CO2 emissions. This is partly a result of the fragmentation of airspace and of the air traffic control process. There is considerable room for improvement. For 10 million flights a year, it is estimated that the actual route flown is 5% longer than ideal. For some routes, such as Amsterdam-Zà ¼rich, it is even 20%. The annual cost of fragmented European skies is estimated at 3.4 billion euros. A sector subject to heavier taxation Air transport is subject to strict regulation, mainly regarding security, safety and infrastructure. The sector is also subject to high charges, among them airport or navigation charges, plus dedicated fees to finance security. Moreover, air transport is the only means of transport to finance soundproofing measures, as it does in numerous European countries. Climate change awareness General awareness of the reality of climate change continued to increase in 2007. This was coupled with local environmental constraints that have always affected air transport activities. Air transport accounts for between 2 and 3% of all man-made CO2 emissions. In Europe, its relative contribution will increase due to growth in traffic and the expected reduction of emissions in other industries. In the past 40 years, the sector has made considerable progress, reducing CO2 emissions per passenger by more than 70%. Summary In spite of its merger Air France KLM is still operating under its identity and brand name with their home bases located at Amsterdam airport Schiphol for KLM and Paris-Charles de Gaulle for Air France. The main core duties of the airline are to transport passengers, cargo and engineering and maintenance. As any other organization Air France KLM has the opportunities to grow much bigger and become the first largest airline company in the world. One group, two airlines, three businesses. Organisational structure The pattern of relationship between various positions in the organization and among members of the organization is referred as structure. Organization is essentially a group of people with a common objective or goal to archive. The structure can either be formal i.e. documented or informal i.e. unofficial. Mullins (2007) defined, Organization Structure as the division of work among members of the organization, and the co ordination of their activities so they are directed towards the goals and objectives of the organization. It is the relationships among positions in the organization and among members of the organization. It makes possible the application of process of management and creates a framework of order and command through which the activities of the organization can be planned, organized, directed, and controlled. It defines tasks and responsibilities, work role and relationships, and channels of communication. Essentially there are various types of organizational structures depending on the nature of organization, such as centralized, complex, stratified and formalized structures. An effective structure is the one that coordinates various parts of the organization and different work areas. Meanwhile the structure of the organization can either be tall i.e. with a long hierarchical chain of command where the freedom and responsibility of the subordinates is restricted or flat i.e. with a short chain of command, there is more effective between management and workers but employees may have more than one manager. However both of two structures above are highly affected by the number of employees who reports direct to a certain manager that is Span of Control. Hellriegel et al (1998) explained, that span of control refers to the number of employees reporting directly to one manager. When the span of control is broad, relatively few levels exists between the top and bottom of the organization. C onversely when the span of control is narrow, more levels are required for the same number of employees. Although there is no correct number of subordinates that a manager can supervise effectively, the competencies of both the manager and employees, the similarity of tasks being supervised and the extent of rules and operating standards all influence a managers span of control. Organisational culture According to Hellriegel et al (1998), the organization itself has an invisible quality a certain style, a character, a way of doing things that may be more powerful than the dictates of any one person or any formal system. Armstrong M (2006) defined, organizational culture as the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions that may not have circulated but shape the ways in which people behave and get things done. Values refer to what is believed to be important about how people and organizations behave; norms are the unwritten rules of behavior. To understand the soul of the organization requires that we travel below the charts, rule books, machines, and buildings into the underground world of corporate cultures. Indeed there are several ways in which organizational cultures are formed, maintained and changed. Meanwhile there is a very possible relationship between organizational culture and performance, the relationship between organizational culture and ethical b ehavior, the challenge of managing a culturally diverse work force and finally how organizations socialize individuals to their particular cultures. There are several types of organization cultures, these includes labels of baseball team, club, academy and fortress. Organizational culture represents a complex pattern of beliefs, expectations, ideas, values, attitudes and behaviors shared by the members of an organization. More specifically, organizational culture includes routine behaviors, norms, and dominant values held by organization. Essentially the issue of cultural differences and cultural compatibility in mergers between Air France and KLM has gained much attention among the two companies. Since the two companies operate under its brand name and culture, the effects of cultural clashes on the result of a merger and their employees are numerous. Cultural differences may result to poor or low productive behaviour among the employees, such as low level of commitment, trust and cooperation between the groups of employees from the two merging companies. Loss of productivity caused by luck of trust and cooperation is particularly frequent in case of top managers. This is because cultural clash is strongest when the contact between the opposing cultures is greatest; and executives is the people involved in the merger from its beginning till its end. This is a very bad sign for companies, since motivation and commitment of the top managers has a major influence on the motivation of other subordinates. Cultural differe nces mainly influence employees of the merging companies, but perceived cultural distance may also influence potential foreign investors and shareholders who may want to avoid direct ownership because of high information costs and the difficulty in transferring management techniques and values. Organization cultural aspects may be beautiful both for the investors, who find the business models of the foreign partner a considerable advantage and for the managers who expect more opportunities for themselves by working for the partner firm, which they perceive to be high prestige worldwide leader firm and which corporate culture better addresses their expectations. In this situation managers are willing to adopt new culture. Whether cultural differences hinder or facilitate the integration process, their meaning is undeniable. Only some of them notice the complexity of the international mergers where not only two different organisational cultures come together, but organisational cultur es which are deeply nested in national cultures. Common cultural differences embrace differences in communication styles, planning and decision making practices, negotiation strategies, and management or leadership styles. All of them are shaped by both national and organisational cultures, considering the role managers play in the merger and post-merger integration process, it is at the top management level that national cultural differences play the most important role in the life of merging organisations. That is why Air France KLM before making any decisions and signing any contracts should conduct an in depth cultural audit of the future partner. It is important to realise that cultural distance and cultural differences do not necessarily have to mean troubles. Cultures do not have to be the same; it is sufficient if they are complementary. Consequently, the major advantage of such a cultural due diligence is that it raises awareness of issues that should be managed during the integration process. Leadership and management As Hellriegel et al (1998), defines leadership as the process whereby a person influences others to achieve a goal, i.e. is a process of creating a vision for others and having the power to translate the vision into reality. The ways in which leaders attempt to influence others depend in part of the power available to them and in part on their competencies. Leaders draw on five sources of power to influence the actions of others: legitimate, reward, coercive, referent and expert. Vision, empowerment, meaning through communication and self understanding are the competencies that help leaders become more effective. Mullins (2007) defined; management is active, not theoretical. It is about changing behavior and making things happen. It is about developing people, working with them, reaching objectives and achieving results. Indeed, all the research into how managers spend their time reveals that they are creatures of the moment, perpetually immersed in the nitty gritty of making things happen. Teamworking and Mentoring As defined by Katzenbach and Smith (1993) cited in Armstrong M (2006), A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. For example, after KLM and Air France merged, management decided to create teams of people from both companies to exchange information about particular topics. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢The most valuable part is the intangible part, teaming up the guy from IT with the CRM guy from marketing, with the network planning guy, who normally dont speak together. Resourcing and Training According to Bratton Gold (2007), human resource planning is the process of systematically forecasting the future demand and supply for employees and the deployment of their skills within the strategic objectives of the organisation. Armstrong M (2006) said, people resourcing is concerned with ensuring that the organization obtains and retains the human capital it needs and employs them productively. It is also about those aspects of employment practice that are concerned with welcoming people to the organization and if there is no alternative, releasing them. It is a key part of human resource management. Mullins (2007) explained that, one of the major areas of human resource management function of particular relevance to the effective management and use of people is training and development. Few would argue against the importance of training as a major influence on the success of the organization. Staffs are crucial, but very expensive resource. In order to sustain economic and ef fective performance it is important to optimize the contribution of employees to the aims and goals of the organization. The purpose of training is to improve knowledge and skills and to change attitudes. It is one of the most important potential motivators which can lead to many possible benefits for both individuals and organization. Since the combination of Air France KLM, each company has kept its own set of policies, especially for Human Resources issues, while developing new common policies in some other areas. Air France-KLM rates as the sector leader on human resources issues and actively addresses all of the challenges relevant to its business Overall, Air France KLMs performance on human resources issues remains stable compared to the last rating. Alongside the environment of the recent merger, severe competition and tough boundaries, the major labour relations issues for the company are to develop employability and staff mobility, essentially through training and proactive social exchange of ideas. Other critical issues for the company entail promoting non discrimination, diversity, and equal opportunities, and safeguarding health and safety in the workplace. Communication skills Cook et al (1997) describes that, communication begins when one person sends a message to another with the intent of evoking a response. The effective communication occurs when the receiver interprets the message exactly as the sender intended. Effective communication is essential for the functioning of any organization. Managers need to transmit orders, and polices, build cooperation and team spirit, and identify problems and their solutions. Performance and Motivation Armstrong M (2006) defined; a motive is a reason for doing something. Motivation is concerned with the factors that influence people to behave in certain ways. All organizations are concerned with what should be done to achieve sustained high levels of performance through people. Giving close attention to the individuals can best be motivated through such means as incentives, rewards, leadership and importantly, the work they do and the organization context within which they carry out that work. Essentially motivation can take place in two ways; such as people can motivate themselves (intrinsic motivation) by seeking, finding and carrying out work that satisfies their needs and secondly people can be motivated by management (extrinsic motivation) through such methods as pay, praise, promotion and punishments such as disciplinary action. In terms of career management, AF-KLM has put increased emphasis on developing careers for older employees. Extensive means are put in place to deal with health and safety issues, although key performance indicators are not disclosed on a group-wide basis, but separately for Air France and KLM. Air France KLM is one of the few companies who show transparency on how to deal with atypical working hours. Air France-KLM has an above average performance compared to its sector peers on Business Behaviour issues. The Group scores very well on its product safety and security commitments and has thorough commitments and implementation measures on responsible contractual agreements, making its management of client issues among the best in the sector. The Groups performance in terms of passenger satisfaction has been stable over the past three years. Air France-KLMs approach to suppliers issues (embedded in its Procurement Charter for Sustainable Development) and anticompetitive practices is similarly comprehensive, although AF-KLM faced a minor allegation related to anti-competitive employment legislation. Overall, the Groups performance improved slightly compared to last rating, and remains far above the sector average. Management systems Earlier this year, Air France-KLM introduced a new combined executive management structure on a functional basis, replacing the separate management structures in Air France and KLM. In place of the Strategic Management Committee, which had supervised the development of Air France and KLM over 2004.2007, the business is being managed from 2007 through an Executive Committee whose members has a group level responsibility and can come from either Air France or KLM while retaining their responsibilities at a company level. Management of change Hellriegel et al (1998) explained, many sectors of the economy, organizations must have the capacity to adapt quickly and effectively in order to survive. To a certain extent all organizations exist in a changing environment and are themselves constantly changing. Increasingly organizations that emphasize bureaucratic or mechanistic system are ineffective. Organizations with rigid hierarchies, high degrees of functional specialization, narrow and limited job descriptions, inflexible rules and procedures, and impersonal management cant respond adequately to demands for change. Organizations need designs that are flexible and adaptive. They also need systems that both require and allow greater commitment and use of talent on the part of employees and managers. Organisational change can be difficult and costly. Despite the challenges, many organizations successfully make needed changes. Adaptive, flexible organizations have a competitive advantage over rigid ones. Thus managing change has become a central focus of effective organization worldwide. There are so many pressures for change, these includes global market, the spread of information technology and computer networks and changes in the nature of the workforce employed by organizations. Thereby, we conclude for the organization to exist there must be innovation process to constantly integrate with the new technologies worldwide. Air France KLM has managed to cop with those technological changes at various aspects so as to comply with customer needs, these includes the revolution of electronic ground services. Air France KLM satisfied the demand autonomy and transparency expressed by passengers. The company is extending the use of the current technologies, i.e. mainstreaming electronic ticketing, extending check in at self service kiosk. The spread of e service offers the company genuine opportunities to reduce the cost and improve quality of service and customer satisfaction. Combination of internet or self service check in is a key e service component replacing the paper ticket with the electronic ticket. This reduces the stress generated by loosing or forgetting ones airline ticket. Meanwhile the service is only accessible at the time of booking either on web, t elephone or at ticket office. As a part of change management the Air France KLM maintain development policy by cutting down on paper use. The self service kiosks can be used by customers without internet access to check in at a self service. Conclusion and Recommendations Air France-KLM is pursuing a strategy of customer-focused profitable growth, based on ongoing cost focus and the synergy between the two airlines. A prerequisite for profitable growth is operating on a level playing field. The complementarity of Air France and KLM in their three businesses (passenger, cargo and maintenance) is a source of significant synergies

South African Apartheid: Political Defiance Campaigns Against the Gover

After the National Party won the elections of 1948 and introduced legislative measures for the promotion of apartheid, harsher political repression arose and led to increased organization among blacks. Before the 1940s, society was often overwhelmed by the numerous acts of rebellion that many blacks carried out in their daily lives; however, many black organizations refrained from visible remonstration of the National Party government. In the 1950s until the mid-1990s, the significant shift to new black political tactics that stressed open protest became a driving force in the fight against apartheid. This new defiance campaign was composed mainly of actions on a wide-scale level in which black political organizations and civic associations took a powerful role in staging protests and creating mounting unrest. The most significant were political activities; even activities that were originally non-political forms of defiance inadvertently became politicized, such as criminal behavio rs prominently displayed by youth, squatter movements, and pass-law violations. Activities of political defiance included the organization of anti-apartheid parties such as the African National Congress, Pan-Africanist Congress, and United Democratic Front, and the politicization of labor unions and civic associations; constant government efforts were unable to suppress these actions. Black South Africans' acts of resistance, whether political or seemingly non-political, eventually united them in a massive fight against racial oppression which ultimately destroyed apartheid. The National Party’s main goal when it came into power was to create programs to prevent the escalation of the â€Å"black peril† that the Smuts government failed to repress. Immediate... ... Bonner, P. L. "Family, Crime, and Political Consciousness." Journal of South African Studies 14.3 (1988): 393-420. Print. Bonner, Phillip L. "The Politics of Black Squatter Movements on the Rand, 1944-1952." Radical History Review 46.7 (1990): 89-115. Print. Lembede, A. M. "Some Basic Principles of African Nationalism." Inyaniso Document 51 (1945): 314-18. Print. Marks, Shula, and Stanley Trapido. "South Africa Since 1976: A Historical Perspective." South Africa: No Turning Back (1988): 1-45. Print. "Sharpeville Massacre -- The 21 March 1960 Sharpeville Massacre -- Build-up to the Massacre." African History -- Explore the History of Africa. Web. 07 April 2015. . South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid. Web. 07 April 2015. .

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry :: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Essays

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry In Mildred Taylor's enthralling novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the Logan family serves as an excellent model of family values and self worth. In the face of racial and economic adversities, Mama and Papa Logan provide their children with the important lessons they need to be successful in life. First, the Logan children; Stacey, Cassie, Little Man, and Christopher-John, learn to be persistent and determined. Next, the children acquire the knowledge of caring for each other. Last, they become able to stand up for what they believe in. An example when the Logans teach their children strong work ethnic occurs when Papa explains the importance of owning their land. Cassie considers her father's words as she thinks: For it he would work a long, hot summer pounding steel; Mama would teach and run the farm; Big Ma, in her sixties, would work like a woman of twenty in the fields and keep the house; and the boys and I would wear threadbare clothing washed to dishwasher color; but always, the taxes and mortgage would be paid.(4) Papa's explanation to the family about working hard makes Cassie think about the sacrifices the family will have to make to keep the land. These sacrifices might be hard to make but it will be necessary to keep the land and pay taxes. Another quality is that the Logans care for each other when Stacey stands up for Little Man when Miss Crocker hands out old, dirty, and torn books. Cassie exclaims, "Yes'm, he been reading since he was four. He can't read all them big words, but he can read the columns. See what's in the last row. Please look, Miz Crocker." (18) Cassie's courage to stand up for her little brother is phenomenal. She does so even though she knows she might get whipped. Her bravery shows that she supports the fact that blacks are treated inferior to whites. Miss Crocker at first refuses to look and then she say, "well that's what you are." Miss Crocker is in a state of denial in trying to convince herself that there is no problem with the school. Last, the Loga ns instruct their kids to stand up for what they believe in.

Alcohol Abuse Essay -- Diseases, Disorders

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the United States. Although the consumption of alcohol by itself is not a social problem, the continuous and excessive use of alcohol can become problematic. There are four symptoms associated with alcohol dependence which are craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance. 17.6 million People, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence along with several million more who engage in risky, binge drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems. (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, n.d.) The United States has banned drugs such as heroin, LSD, and marijuana in the United States because they claim that these drugs dangerous and that these drugs have no medical purpose. Should the United States ban the sale of alcohol? Why would people put something poisonous inside their body that would cause bodily harm? Everyday people do that when they consume alcohol. Alcohol can have long lasting effects that can lead to serious health complications later in life. Studies have shown that long-term alcohol abuse produces serious, harmful effects on a variety of the body's organ systems. Parts of the human body most affected include the liver and the immune, cardiovascular, and skeletal systems. (Alcohol Research & Health Winter 2000) Heavy alcohol use is the leading cause of illness and death from liver disease in the United States. Deaths from chronic liver disease are among 4 times higher among Native Americans and Alaska Natives than among the rest of the U.S. population. Alcoholism is a not a curable disease but it can be treated. There are several different ways to treat Alcoholism. Relapse prevention uses methods for recognizing problem... ...nts. Those suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) were more likely to be associated with alcohol than those who do not appear to have any symptoms. Works Cited National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. (n.d.). Learn about alcohol. Retrieved from http://www.ncadd.org/index.php/learn-about-alcohol/faqsfacts "Medical Consequences of Alcohol Abuse." Alcohol Research & Health Winter 2000: 27. Academic OneFile. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. Edward M. Brecher, E. O. C. R. M. (n.d.). Should alcohol be prohibited?. Retrieved from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/cu/cu32.html Dryden-Edwards, R. (n.d.). Alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_abuse_and_alcoholism/page6.htm National center for ptsd. (2011, December 20). Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsd-alcohol-use.asp

Organic Food: Is It Really Better? Essay

Americans usually do not think about what they eat. We do not acknowledge whether it is locally grown, sustainably raised, grass-fed, and free-range or pesticide free. Americans fail to realize the negative effects from the harmful pesticides, hormones, dyes and preservatives that are in our food. Conventional foods are produce that is grown with the use of many harsh chemicals before it is put into a supermarket. (The food we eat conventionally was meant to help us lead healthier lives, but it actually harms us.) Many people believe that there is little nutritional difference between organic and conventional food but it is not about the nutritional value. It is a matter of what the conventional foods contain. Even though organic food is hard to find and more expensive than conventional food, it is also much safer and healthier. If everyone transitions and commits to eating organically, we can override and overcome conventional farming and its negative effects. Nearly forty percent of the world’s agricultural land has degraded. The amount of arable land is decreasing nationally and worldwide because toxic pesticides and herbicides are polluting our air, soil and groundwater. Soil productivity has decreased because of wind and water erosion of the topsoil. This causes loss of organic matter in the soil, a decrease in water holding capacity and biological activity. Fossil fuels play a huge role in producing food as well. Industrial farming has farming machinery and petroleum-based chemicals that require huge amounts of fossil fuels, which deplete the soil of its nutrients. The ratio for fossil fuel energy needed for beef production is 35 to 1 as well as 3 to 1 for all other agricultural products. Modern agricultural methods cause aquifers to dry out, pollinators such as bees are dying and the climate is getting hotter and drier (Schiffman, In Defense of Organic Farming). According to the EPA, the water runoff from conventional farms exceeds the legal limit for nitrate concentrations in drinking water compared with organic farms that do not use chemical pesticides. The excess nitrate exposure can cause respiratory conditions, thyroid disorders and cancer (Greenfield, The Organic Advantage). Princeton University states that only one percent of the pesticides actually targets the pests and that in fact, 99 percent affect the environment and contaminate our fresh groundwater that is used for drinking. The harmful chemicals in pesticides that enter our water system take many years for it to be eliminated from our drinking water. Organic farming practices use less energy and are designed to benefit the environment by reducing pollution and conserving water and soil quality and use methods to grow food that support sustainability. Pesticides and fertilizers are more harmful than helpful for the crops. The pesticides that conventional farms use also contribute to the resistance that insects and pests develop. They are constantly developing new tactics to invade the produce, which then leads to the conventional farmers’ use of stronger chemicals. Animal manure, compost and green manure are used as natural fertilizers. It nourishes the soil allowing crops to survive during drought periods. It also helps preserve our planet and farmland especially for the future generations to come. Farming organically generously promotes biodiversity. Biodiversity in organic food means that there is a greater quantity and variety. Generally, the more biodiversity there is on a farm encourages stability (Organic Agriculture). Research at the Rodale Institute has shown that organic methods can remove up to 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air yearly. As follows, Rodale estimates that if all 434 million acres of U. S. cropland were converted to organic practices, it would be the same as removing 217 million cars, which is nearly 88 percent of all cars in the country and more than one-third of all the automobiles in the world (LaSalle and Hepperly, Regenerative Organic Farming). Removing this great amount of carbon dioxide from our oxygen will increasingly benefit our environment. There are many significant differences between organic and conventional food products. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, fruits and vegetables are labeled organic if it has no pesticides, genetic modifications, growth hormones, artificial fertilizers or irradiation. Most conventional food products include a variety of these methods. Conventional food products are the exact opposite. All types of organic foods only represent three percent of the total American market and imply that we should support the production of organic foods (Kluger, What’s So Great About Organic Food). The prices of organic food products seem to be the main issue of why people prefer not to buy it. Organic fruits and vegetables cost from 13 to 34 cents more than ordinary conventional produce (Kluger, What’s So Great About Organic Food). Milk labeled hormone-free costs as well as antibiotic free is six dollars a gallon, whereas grocery store milk is 3. 50 dollars a gallon. The main reasons that organic foods are costly are because it requires abstaining from the use of chemicals; the demand overrides the supply, the producing methods and the necessity to obtain organic certification (Organic Agriculture). No chemicals means more labor. Without chemicals and the use of synthetic pesticides farmers have to hire more laborers to complete jobs such as hand weeding, cleaning polluted water and recovering from pesticide contaminations from former land owners. The USDA claims that Americans prefer organic over nonorganic, but there is only little farmland to fulfill these requests. Organic farmers use crop rotation as an alternative to chemical weed killers to keep the soil healthy and the prevention of weed growth. This method does not allow crops to be produced in larger quantities. Acquiring Organic certification can be very expensive. Organic farms are required to pay a mandatory inspection fee annually to be organically certified. Inspection costs usually range from 400 dollars to 2000 dollars every year (Organic Agriculture). The indicated costs would be easy to pay for if more people supported organic farming. One of the many reasons for our health issues is because of the way in which meat producers treat our animals. Organically farmed animals are raised without harmful chemicals, growth hormones or antibiotics. Cows, chicken and pigs are retaining most of the pesticides that they ingest. These animals eat produce that contains pesticides causing it to be stored in their tissues and fat. When we eat these animals, the pesticides are being transferred into our bodies. Inorganic meat, fish, dairy and eggs are the main source of environmental pollution. It contributes to almost 95 percent of toxic residues into our everyday diet. Battery caged hens live in small cages that only allow minimum movement. Few birds survive this because it compromises its immune systems, which also increases the uses of antibiotics and vaccines. Organic Farmers protect and provide homes for wildlife. Animals on organic farms are raised and treated in a much more humane environment than inorganic farmers. Most of these conventional animals are caged, grain-fed and are treated with cruelty. Grass-fed and free-range animals have less fat than grain-fed animals and have high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids as well as omega-6, which is believed to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and arthritis and increases cognitive function (Kluger, What’s So Great About Organic Food). These vitamins are essential in our daily American diet. Our diet is considered to be â€Å"killing† the planet and us Americans. In 2010, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released that nearly 27 percent of Americans are considered obese and the obesity rate tops 30 percent in nine states. Every American eats 220 pounds of meat a year and only 14 percent consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Most processed foods are saturated with salt and high fructose corn syrup, which are the two flavors that we know and love (Kluger, What’s So Great About Organic Food). The population should be very concern with the long-term health effects that conventional produce has on us. There are 450 percent more chemicals in conventional produce than organic produce. Many studies have shown that pesticides link to health issues including cancer, birth defects and nervous system damage which depend on factors such as pesticide toxicity, the level of exposure and the person’s age and genetic susceptibility (Kramer). A study from Dr. Langrin, a food observer, shows that people who ate conventional food, then switched to organic food showed an 85 to 90 percent decrease in pesticide levels in their bodies. When they began eating conventional food again, their pesticide levels increased greatly (Zerbe, Organic Foods). This study showed that there was a significant difference in the amount of pesticides in inorganic food than organic food. Children and infants benefit tremendously from organic food. It aids in their development and their overall health. By the time most children reach the age of two, they obtain the lethal limit for toxins in their bodies. Feeding children organic food will decrease this amount and they will only have one-sixth of the amount of carcinogens in their blood causing the risk of illnesses to decrease significantly. Children and fetuses with high levels of pesticide intake are more vulnerable to this chemical than adults because of their less-developed immune systems and their bodies and brains are still in the process of development (Paul, Kemp, Segal, Organic Foods). They are not able to metabolize and break down the chemicals from the pesticides, therefore causing their body to absorb the chemical and making them less able to filter it out of their bodies. They are twice as likely to have developmental delays behavioral disorders such as ADHD and motor dysfunction. Also, Women who do not consume organic food while they are pregnant, give birth to children that will subsequently have low IQ scores (Greenfield, The Organic Advantage). Adults are not the only people who suffer, but unborn children and infants as well. Choosing the organic lifestyle will increase your lifespan, allow you to live healthier and will benefit the environment and our planet overall. Organic food can be purchased at some local supermarkets and many farmers’ markets or private organic stores. By supporting organic farming, we will eliminate chemicals caused from conventional farming out of our air, soil, water, food and our bodies. We can take precautionary measures to protect and preserve the future generations to come by doing so. As most Americans eat conventionally, changing to an organic lifestyle can give you a sense of comfort knowing that your food is strictly nutritious and cannot harm you. If we Americans start eating organically now, we can be sure that in the future there will only be a few conventional farms left on our planet. Works Cited Greenfield, Paige. â€Å"The Organic Advantage. â€Å"(2013). Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Kluger, Jeffrey. â€Å"What’s So Great About Organic Food?. † (2010). Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Kramer, Leslie. â€Å"Worth Going Organic. † Positive Thinking (2008) Web. 14 Nov. 2013. LaSalle, Tim J., and Paul Hepperly. â€Å"Regenerative Organic Farming: A Solution to Global Warming. † 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious? † Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 07 Sept. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Organic Agriculture: What Are the Environmental Benefits of Organic Agriculture? N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. Paul, Maya W. , Gina Kemp, and Robert Segal. â€Å"Organic Foods. † Understanding Organic Food Labels, Benefits, and Claims. May 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Schiffman, Richard. â€Å"In Defense Of Organic Farming. † Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

John Cage Essay

John Cage was one of the artists who moved the furthest away from â€Å"tradition. † Cage himself says that he was trying to accomplish what Ives wanted many years before: to be able to sit on the back doorstep at sundown, listening to the music. In continuing and expanding the Ivesian tradition, Cage shattered the old notions of music as organized sound consisting of melody, harmony, and rhythm (Nicholls, 2007). He wondered why music had to be these things. His questioning led to new concepts of how musical elements could be freed from the restraints imposed on them by conventional thinking. Most music contains only a few of the available pitches. Melody in its most elementary sense draws attention to a single line, which is a rather primitive way of perceiving music. Rhythm in which eventsoccur â€Å"in time† is also limiting. Why, within a particular space of time, can an event not happen at any point, its rhythmic aspects thus being freed from time in the more traditional sense? As Cage puts it: â€Å"In a painting an image can go anywhere on the canvas. Why can’t a rhythm do the same thing within the framework of a piece of music? † Cage’s revolutionary ideas have led to many innovations. He is usually credited with having invented â€Å"chance music,† music created under conditions that leave certain of its parts to the vagaries of the moment (Nicholls, 2007). Virgil Thomson notes that chance in composition is rather like a kaleidoscope, and â€Å"what kaleidoscopes and arabesques lack is urgency† (Grant, 2001, p. 243). The music may not always have this quality, a condition that can ultimately hinder its expression in purely musical terms. But there is a new kind of musical awareness, a vitality of thought and of imagination. Cage has redefined the entire concept of direction in music, since he has not been particularly interested in where events are going. Rather, he is more intrigued with the moment and with the possibilities of what can happen during that moment. Cage has also thought about music’s purpose, deciding that actually there does not have to be any intent, that sounds alone can be the purpose. He says that â€Å"a sound accomplishes nothing; without it life would not last out the instant†( Pritchett, 1996). His aesthetic that everything is music is important, for it opens countless possibilities. Cage’s ideas have made a generation of composers rethink concepts that were taken too much for granted or were ruled out of musical consideration by previous generations. These concepts have, in fact, furthered music beyond its old boundaries. Many of Cage’s works are famous because of the revolutionary concepts that formed them. The composition for piano that consists of four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, 4? 3? , is a case in point. To dismiss the work as a gimmick or as insignificant because it really is not music is to miss the point. Composers have pondered the silences in music in previous ages, but it took Cage to realize that silence itself was an opportunity for a complete work and a complete experience. According to Cage, silence is deciding in favor of sounds that are not intended. And Cage feels that silence has philosophical overtones, for it strikes the foundations of the ego. 4? 33? is a difficult work, for there is so much to hear–nothing–and it is a memorable experience, for it shows a world of multiplicity, something that interests Cage far more than aspects of unity within a particular work (Pritchett, 1996). Because anything is possible in Cage’s compositional process, some works are highly organized, while others give an outward impression of random and unrelated orderings. Most of his early pieces, among them the 5 Songs for Contralto (1938) and the Quartet for Twelve Tom-Toms (1943), are carefully conceived and conventionally notated. Music of Changes (1951) was created with the aid of the Chinese book of changes, I Ching, one of Cage’s favorite aids in the evolution of a work (Pritchett, 1996). In addition to his novel approaches to the general aspects of composition, Cage utilizes fascinating â€Å"instruments† in some of hispieces. He has written compositions containing parts for brake drums. He has composed music for toy piano. Cage, in fact, has not rejected any possibility if that possibility has an intriguing sound. Thus, the amplified sound of water being swallowed, of a glass breaking or clinking, and of a balloon bursting are excellent sources, as good in their way as a piano or a trombone (Kostelanetz, 1991). Cage’s love of both conventional and unconventional sounds has made him reconsider the various traditional instruments and how they can be changed to produce a new result. One of these investigations resulted in the â€Å"prepared piano,† which consists of objects such as nails, bolts, pins, and other materials placed between the strings of a piano, creating a diversity of different timbres. Henry Cowell had experimented with various possibilities of piano sonorities earlier in the century, including playing on the inside of the instrument, and Cage was undoubtedly influenced by some of Cowell’s discoveries. But in most respects, Cage’s is an original concept. As a result of his pioneering efforts, the prepared piano is for all practical purposes a new instrument, reminiscent of a Balinese gamelan orchestra (Kostelanetz, 1991). Another unusual effect occurs in The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs, a song for voice and piano in which the pianist plays on the piano lid and on various other wooden parts of the instrument rather than on the keys. The piano, in other words, has many sound possibilities from which Cage has realized a diversity of new and unusual timbres (Pritchett, 1996). Cage has been accused of being narrow-minded, of only working with novelties and current avant-garde fashions. This is untrue. Cage actually is an important figure whose mind is an open one and whose â€Å"novelty-fashions† in their total implications are significant and even visionary. They are not fraudulent, nor are they aimed at the destruction of Western musical civilization, although Cage has been accused of that and of just about everything else by his critics. The problem is simply that to the casual observer Cage’s music is undisciplined. But this is also false. In some of his works chance itself is the discipline, a â€Å"method† that is used to bring about that which is not necessarily intended. The compositional premises behind one of Cage’s latest works, the Etudes Australes, is proof that there is a definite method behind chance procedures and that the results can present as unified a whole as if more conventional methods of organization had been employed (Patterson, 2001). Cage reports that the pieces created the impression of serial music to some listeners, and indeed the uncompromising aspects of the method of creation and the resulting combinations of pitches from that procedure would undoubtedly give an audience an impression of â€Å"twelve-tone† writing. Strictly speaking, of course, it is usually impossible to tell if a work is serial simply by listening to it (Cage, 1966). Yet this association proves a point, for to mistake the chance operations of Cage for serial procedures is to demonstrate that two different â€Å"methods† can produce similar aural results. For a serial composer, serial procedures provide the answers to most of the compositional questions and to the continuity within a particular piece. For Cage, chance operations answer the compositional questions, and from these procedures a continuity of musical expression develops. One of Cage’s literary methods is a further example of the logical use of chance operations. In trying to find a title for a book of writings that in a typical Cage manner contains a liberal sprinkling of absurdities. Cage subjected the twenty-six letters of the alphabet to a chance operation with the help of the I Ching. The letter â€Å"m† was the winner, and the book was subsequently entitled M. Although any letter would have worked as well, Cage noted that â€Å"m† was a good choice and particularly appropriate because it begins the names of many of his favorite people and things, among them music, mushrooms, Modern Music, and Mao Tse-tung. It was an absurd method for choosing an absurd title for a book of absurdities! Another aspect of Cage’s writing demonstrates more positive and visionary qualities of his music. Prelude for Meditation for Prepared Piano Solo (1944) is early Cage, and the preparation of the piano involves stove bolts and wood screws(Patterson, 2001). This piece, like 4? 33? , can be viewed initially and superficially as one event–a monolith. Within this monolithic experience is an inner world of relationships, of sounds and events that reach far beyond the two pitch classes that Cage employs. The philosophical concept behind a work such as this is simple: why should a piece of music begin, develop itself in intricate ways, and prove itself by an infinite variety that keeps an interest going in the work itself? Why should the variety not be of a different kind? A piece of music can simply suspend itself in time, although time itself is usually conceived as a terribly limiting artistic commodity. Pieces begin and pieces end. What about what is before the beginning and after the ending? Time, itself a measured fragment of eternity, is always there on either side of an experience of any kind, and, in effect, what happens within the time of a work need not always make the time pass but rather might make it exist within a vacuum, within a world of monolithic yet many-faceted events. Cage’s work is an early example of what has become a new aspect of musical experience. Other composers began thinking about the possibilities of the monolith, and numerous examples have been written in the last quarter of a century. La Monte Young Composition 1960 #7 is a case in point. The work consists of two pitch classes, a B and an F-sharp (the relationship to Cage Prelude for Meditation is obvious), which the composer says should be held â€Å"for a long time. † In 1961 the work was played in New York by a string trio, and the forty-five minute duration of that particular reading resulted in â€Å"a whole world of fluctuating overtones† for those who were willing to listen (Patterson, 2001). Experimental composers are not nearly as outrageous as their critics might think. Even a work that attempts by its chance procedures or other random methods of construction to be formless still achieves a form, which, in turn, expands our conception of â€Å"form. † For example, if a composer writes some musical fragments on notecards, shuffles the cards, and then plays the music in the order in which it appears, there will be many different orderings but always the same music, rearranged each time. If one writes a chance piece for ten players with ten instruments, there is a limitation in the fact that the performers are ten, that the instruments are ten, and that the efforts are taking place within an inescapable time span. A composer cannot, in other words, achieve complete freedom, complete formlessness, for that is an impossibility. What a composer can do is achieve a new musical result. References Cage, John. (1966). Silence: Lectures and Writings. The MIT Press; New Ed edition. Grant, Mark N. (2001). Maestros of the Pen: A History of Classical Music Criticism in America. Northeastern University Press. Kostelanetz, Richard. (1991). John Cage: An Anthology. Da Capo Press. Nicholls, David. (2007). John Cage (American Composers). University of Illinois Press. Patterson, David W. (2001). John Cage: Music, Philosophy, and Intention, 1933-1950 (Studies in Contemporary Music Andculture). Routledge; 1 edition. Pritchett, James. (1996). The Music of John Cage (Music in the Twentieth Century). Cambridge University Press.

Mark Zuckerberg

Running head: THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD1 The Man Connecting the World Rachel Ritchey West Virginia Wesleyan College THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD2 My definition of success is achieving a desirable outcome or goal in life and to achieve success one must illustrate the qualities Coplin states. Throughout his life Mark Zuckerberg has developed the skills Coplin says in his list of ten things and Mark has efficiently demonstrated these qualities. Through his success Mark Zuckerberg has connected more than half a billion people with the company Facebook. Even though there are many different definitions of success, it should be obvious that successful people share common qualities such as those found in Bill Coplin’s list of 10 Things Employers Want Students to Learn in College. Reaching success was not easy but, Zuckerberg took the necessary steps to get there. These steps include influencing people, solving problems, and using quantitative skills. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984 in Dobbs Ferry, New York. His father ran a dental practice, and his mother was a psychiatrist up until the birth of Randi, his oldest sister. At a very early age Mark started to become interested in computers. He developed his first software at age 12. He created Zucknet, a messaging system from an Atari BASIC, and his father actually put it to use in his dental office. His parents soon hired a tutor to keep up with his budding interest in computers. Mark first attended high school at Ardsley High School, and around the same time started taking some graduate courses at nearby Mercy College (Grossman, 2010). Soon, Zuckerberg transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy, a private school in New Hampshire. There he excelled in academics, THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD3 but also discovered another talent of which was, fencing. He was captain of the fencing team but also, excelled more with computers as he developed a name for himself as a â€Å"Programming Prodigy. † His next step in developing software was described as an early version of Pandora, named Synapse. Companies like Microsoft and AOL actually offered to buy it off of him, and hire him before he had even graduated high school. He declined both offers and decided to continue his quest for knowledge. (bio. 2011) Zuckerberg enrolled at Harvard in 2002 after graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy. By the time he began his sophomore year he already had a reputation as the go-to software developer on campus. It was around this time he developed something called CourseMatch, a way for students to choose their classes based on what courses were popular with other users. Next he invented Facemash, a way to compare two studentâ⠂¬â„¢s pictures and vote on who is more attractive. Immediately Facemash became extremely popular, but was shut down because administration deemed it inappropriate. With the popularity of Mark’s other projects, three of his fellow students Divya Narendra, Camron Winklevoss, and Tyler Winklevoss, approached him one day about an idea called Harvard connection. They wanted to use Harvard’s student networks to create a dating site. Mark agreed to help, but soon moved on with his own ideas. (bio. , 2011) Zuckerberg’s new idea was to create his own network with various features for users. So, along with another three friends Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD4 nd Eduardo Saverin they worked together to create their own social network. They developed a site users could create their own profiles, upload photos, and talk to other users. They called this site, The Facebook, and ran it out of their Harvard dorm room from February 2004 to June 2004. Mark then took a huge risk, dropped out of Harvard, and moved to Palo Alto, California to devote his time solely on â€Å"The Facebook. † At this time users were strictly students at Harvard, but the site then opened to Ivy League schools only. The Facebook was shortened to just Facebook, and by the end of 2004 the site had one million users. (bio. , 2011) This brings me to an inevitable quality Mark shares with Coplin’s ten things, Using Quantitative Skills. He has been creating software since he was about twelve years old, which had brought him to where he is today, as a software programmer and developer. He attended one of the most accredited schools of all-time, Harvard University. This serves as an example of how well educated he is just in all areas of academics. Another thing Coplin states is, â€Å"Performance will be measured in numbers just as the performance of your company or agency is measured in the number of sales, the amount of income, or number of people served. † (Coplin, 2003) Zuckerberg is well aware of applying this to his company as CEO and founder of Facebook. He must constantly pay attention to these parts of business because of the number of people he is serving. THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD5 Facebook’s next boost came from the venture capital firm Accel Partners, with an investment of $12. 7 million dollars in their network (Kirkpatrick, 2010). This led to the expansion of Facebook, which then opened to other colleges, high schools, and international schools. By December 2005 they reached 5. 5 million members. With Facebook’s popularity, other companies wanted to advertise on the site, but Zuckerberg turned down their offers. (bio. , 2010) Common with all big companies, at some point they face problems. Unfortunately in 2006 the three students that Mark helped make Harvard connection with forced him into a lawsuit. They claimed that he stole their idea and after lawyers found incriminating messages from Zuckerberg, they came to a settlement. Although it was a $65 million dollar settlement, the dispute still continues today. (bio. , 2011) The next controversy Zuckerberg faced took more of a toll on his reputation. In 2009, Ben Mezrich wrote a book called The Accidental Billionaires. Mezrich retold the story of Zuckerberg’s life, but heavily fabricated it. He included invented scenes, imagined dialogue and fictional characters. Not only did he manage to cause controversy with his book, but also he actually sold the rights of the story to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin’s portrayal of Mark’s life was called The Social Network, which went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards, and take home an Oscar for best picture. Mark strongly opposed the film’s storyline and went on to say, â€Å"It's interesting what stuff they focused on THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD 6 getting right; like, every single shirt and fleece that I had in that movie is actually a shirt or fleece that I own, so there's all this stuff that they got wrong and a bunch of random details that they got right. † (bio. , 2011) Developing such an influential company makes him somewhat of a target. He is constantly facing problems, and coming up with new solutions. Therefore another skill he possesses is Solving Problems. He has always under the pressure of creating something pleasing for Facebook users. The web page regularly changes formats, and introduces new features. One thing Coplin directly says is, â€Å"Problem solvers are into continuous improvement. † (Coplin, 2003) Mark’s problem solving skills were also useful when it came to problems in his personal life. He has encountered lawsuits and found a way to settle and move past. Along with lawsuits, the public criticism he’s faced was handled maturely and with integrity. In spite of all the criticism, and negative publicity he still received recognition for his accomplishments. In 2010, Time Magazine named him Person of the year. (Grossman, 2010) Vanity Fair placed him at the top of their New Establishment list and named him number one on its 2010 list of the Top 100 â€Å"most influential people of the Information Age. † Forbes ranked Zuckerberg at No. 35—beating out Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the Forbes 400 list. Mark’s net worth was is an estimated $6. billion dollars. (bio. , 2011) Mark’s wealth has made him a billionaire six times over (Grossman, 2010). THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD 7 With the money he’s earned through his hard work, he’s decided to involve himself in philanthropic causes. He donated 100 million dollars to save the failing Newark Public Schools system in New Jersey. On December 9, 2010, Zucke rberg, Bill Gates, and investor Warren Buffett signed the â€Å"Giving Pledge†, promising to donate at least 50 percent of their wealth to charity over the course of their lifetimes. bio. , 2011) He not only wants to help people connect with the social network he’s created but he wants to help charitable causes with the money he worked so hard for. With the company make has created, he has wired about a twelfth of humanity into a single network (Grossman, 2010). When relating Zuckerberg to Coplin’s list of ten things, virtually any of them can be applied but the most obvious one in my opinion is Influencing People. He not only influences people through charities but clearly through the social network he has created. Nearly half of all Americans have a Facebook account, and 70% of Facebook users live outside the U. S. (Grossman, 2010). This just goes to show the number of people he reaches and has an impact on. Facebook has 800 million active users and is currently growing at a rate of about 700,000 people a day (Duff, 2010). Like Coplin says find the basic need, or the main point of interest and stick to it (Coplin, 2003). Mark undoubtedly found a point of interest for the world. Mark Zuckerberg is someone that has the qualities Coplin says that employer’s value and he has demonstrated them throughout his life. Bill Coplin’s THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD 8 list of 10 Things Employers Want Students to Learn in College serves as an example of the qualities of successful people. When applying the ten things to a successful person Zuckerberg’s life serves as the perfect example. His success story shows the way to develop yourself to reach success by using the same things Coplin states in his list of ten things. He has basically created the social network that has taken over the world. The accomplishments he has made are something that we witness, and we are impacted by his success in our own lives everyday. THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD9 References Coplin, B. (2003). 10 things employers want you to learn in college. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. Cooper, C. (2011). The future according to Zuckerberg: All Facebook, all the time. Retrieved September 23, 2011, from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2011/09/22/scitech/main20110419. shtml Kirkpatrick, D. (2010). The Facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed. ed. ). New York: Simon & Schuster. Grossman L. (2010). Person of the year. Retrieved Dec/15, 2010, from http://www. time. com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037183,00. html Mark Zuckerberg. (2011). Biography. com. Retrieved 07:45, Nov 13, 2011 from http://www. biography. com/people/mark-zuckerberg-507402 Duff, C. (Producer), &. (2010). One minute on Facebook. [Video/DVD] Retrieved from THE MAN CONNECTING THE WORLD10 http://www. time. com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037109_2037113,00. html