The Motherhood Penalty A Review Of Literature - 1406 Words

The motherhood penalty: A review of literature For over 150 years, women have been fighting back against patriarchy for the rights to our own bodies, careers and lives in general. The women’s movement has a accomplished great strides for humankind; however, women remain bound and suffocated by constructions patriarchy in both the private and public spheres. For many women, private and public spheres intersect and create a tension constructed by society that suggests that women must choose between family or career. Whichever choice a woman makes, she will likely be scrutinized, criticized and objectified for her decision. If a woman chooses to pursue her career, she risks being labeled as frigid and selfish. If a woman becomes a mother, she must devote her entire existence to raising her children, which existing literature refers to as ‘mothering,’ a verb, something that is done. Women in politics frequently experience this phenomenon commonly known as the motherhood trap, which can affect many different perspectives and identities. The motherhood trap will be explored in depth in the following review of literature. The motherhood trap unveils the deep, dark secrets of capitalism, in the way it relies so heavily on unpaid labor, often from women, in order to sustain itself. Women provide this unpaid labor at the cost of careers, and overall earning power. For example, if a woman exits the workforce for maternity leave, her wages will never bounce back from thisShow MoreRelatedLiterature Review : The United States Essay1505 Words   |  7 PagesChassidy Barnhardt Professor Redmond SOC 320 Section 1 September 29, 2016 Literature Review Literature Review The United States has quite a storied history in terms of discrimination towards women in the workplace. Such discrimination only increases when the events of childbirth are taken into account. When women give birth, they often opt to stay lengthy amounts of time with the members of the family as opposed to remaining in the workplace for the duration of their maternity leave. Thus, thereRead MoreEffects Of Gender Discrimination On The Workplace1229 Words   |  5 Pages Review of Literature The 1960s, is most commonly known for the concept of â€Å"free love† and the anti-war movement, but this era also gave rise to another feminist movement and women flocked to the workforce en masse. Over half a century has passed and there is no argument that this country, our country has made great strides in the area of gender equality in and out of the workplace. With that being said things are still not equal. Women still on average make less than men for the same jobs. EvenRead MoreWomen s Role For A Management Job2171 Words   |  9 Pageshave two jobs as opposed to one, in my opinion the option of opting out of maternity leave creates a problem as the issue arises when mothers take maternity leave and have to indirectly pay the price as discussed in the above paragraph, Much of the literature supports this working mother’s claim that maternity leave and the subsequent return to work decreases future advancement opportunities. Belkin (2003), taking maternity leav e is indeed the beginning of a career break or slow for mothers in paid occupationsRead MoreThe Standard Economic Theory ( Robbins )3306 Words   |  14 Pagesdata from the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women (NLSYW) of 2,133 women who have been surveyed from 1968 to 1988. Waldfogel finds that even when controlling for actual experience and education level, â€Å"the penalty associated with having one child is over 5 percent, and the penalty for two or more children is over 13 percent† (p. 212). This gap flies in the face of the typically cited human capital theory (Waldfogel 1997). Waldfogel then proceeds to evaluate the alternative hypotheses ofRead MoreLiterature Review On Teen Pregnancy1344 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction This Literature Review gives a deep insight of some of the available literature related to teen pregnancy, neighborhood effects on poverty, and socio-economic effects of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancy has become a significant issue in society. A large number of teen pregnancy and school dropouts have been recorded in the past and get associated with poverty. To understand teen pregnancy and its association with poverty; this literature review is going to examine some of the academicRead MoreGender Inequality Across All Professions1799 Words   |  8 Pagesin unequal pay, the second, which encompasses systemic problems of discrimination and gender â€Å"pay penalties,† contribute quite significantly to inequality in the workplace and to pay gaps in particular. This review of literature will help us to explore and further understand why gender inequality towards women in America still exists. Meritocracy and Structure in Gender Inequality Literature Review Gender inequality is broadly understood to be the unequal distribution of economic resources betweenRead MoreThe Differing Wage Levels And Income Inequality Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pagesconduct a study using regression analysis of cross sectional data to examine various different factors that affect wages considering education, marital and family status, gender, a number of control variables and how they are all connected. Review of Literature Education It is commonly accepted in theory and in empirical results, that in general, a higher level of education will yield a higher wage (Acemoglu and Autor 2011). In recent years there are studies to suggest that the importance of educationRead MoreThe Challenges Of Being a University Student and a Mom Essay1702 Words   |  7 Pagesidentities that are supported by a traditional college setting (Arnett, Ramos Jensen, 2001; Arnett, 2000) but instead already have an adult identity as a mother (Wilsey, 2013) with a different set of needs and because of the familial responsibility motherhood brings with it these women are no longer â€Å"traditional† students (Cross, 1981; Bean Metzer, 1985, 1987; Hazzard, 1993; Nora, Kraemer, Itzen, 1997; Sundberg, 1997). Further, existing research on postsecondary education indicates that, for manyRead MoreMeritocracy And Structure Of Gender Inequality1773 Words   |  8 Pagesdefined as meritocratic versus structural – shows that althoug h the first may play a role in unequal pay, the second, which encompasses systemic problems of discrimination and gender â€Å"pay penalties,† contribute quite significantly to inequality in the workplace and to pay gaps in particular. Literature Review Gender inequality is broadly understood to be the unequal distribution of economic resources between men and women. It is a nearly universal problem that women suffer from lower access toRead MoreGender Inequality1369 Words   |  6 Pagesjob position. Moreover, it may affect them at the workplace, like with their salary wages or any chance of growth in their career. For this research I gathered and compared other research studies that revolve around this research question. LITERATURE REVIEW Studies similar to this topic have showed that there are staggering discrepancies in income in the United States. Single mothers’ income was 21% lower that of single fathers in 2010. Moreover, studies have shown that single mothers are more likely

The Problem of Poverty - 1118 Words

In the world there are at least one billion children that are living in poverty. There is at least three billion people in the world that live on less than $2.50. (Shah, 2013) Poverty can be seen everywhere around the world. Carl and Belanger (2012) states that poverty happens when the distribution of wealth is not equally divided between all groups of people. Poverty in Canada is defined as poor quality of food, sleeping in poor quality housing, parks, or city streets, and on a daily basis it is difficult to make decisions on what is best for you and your family. Living in poverty will decrease your life span and health, and could lead to criminal offenses just to stay alive. Aboriginal people, immigrants from other countries, people†¦show more content†¦Being in a capitalist system means that people who own businesses control the economic system. (Carl/Belanger, 2012) Also according to Karl Marx, if wealth is not distributed evenly in society, the working class will never get out of poverty or get ahead in life. (Carl/ Belanger, 2012) Karl Marx also states that the reason why people are in poverty is because they don’t know their place in society. This is known as false consciousness. The rich people know their place in society, which is known as class consciousness. Poverty is not only based on not being paid for the work you are doing, but it can also be based on your race. Discrimination can also lead to poverty because some jobs will not give you a job based on your nationality. W.E.B. Du Bois was a sociologist and conflict theorist that agreed with some of the work of Karl Marx. He studied race in America and found that, â€Å"†¦Poverty among African Americans in the United States is the result of prejudice and discrimination.† (Carl/Belanger, 2012, pg. 15) Du Bois also believed that slavery and capitalism led to African American problems. In Canada, African Americans are immigrants from a different country, which makes them more vulnerable for being in poverty according to Du Bois and the groups more susceptible to poverty. These two conflict theorists views on poverty show that people are in poverty because of the unequal distribution of wealth and power, and that people from other races are looked downShow MoreRelatedPoverty Is A Problem Of Poverty1398 Words   |  6 PagesPoverty has been one problem that all societies have had to deal with in some form or another. Poverty is a complex issue that has many different aspects that affect the people involved. The complexity of it is why it has been a difficult problem for people to solve. The negative stigma associated with poverty is one of the most difficult aspects to change. With enough education and knowledge, poverty will one day be a problem of the past. Many people have different opinions on what poverty meansRead MoreThe Problem Of Poverty And Poverty1640 Words   |  7 PagesThe Problem: Looking at the myriad of problems our country faces, Poverty ranks as one of the largest; affecting nearly 14.5 percent of our national population and over 21% of the population in Norman. The existing communication found in poverty relief work is failing. With poverty happening all over the world communication gaps within service slow down and weaken the success and sustainability of the relief process. There is little to no collaboration taking place between the millions of organizationsRead MorePoverty Is A Problem Of Poverty1221 Words   |  5 PagesThe topic that I chose to write on is poverty. Poverty has been a problem in our country for a long time. Approximately 47 million of people that lived in the United States of America in the year of 2014 have been living in poverty. This basically means that the poverty rate for the year 2014 was approximately 15 percentage. Furthermore, the year 2014 poverty rate was 2.3 percentage points higher than in the year of 2007, the year be fore the 2008 recession. This is the amazingly fourth consecutiveRead MorePoverty Is A Problem Of Poverty1462 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Poverty is hunger. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom† (World Bank, 2009). People all over the world, from different backgrounds, races, ages, and genders experience the horrible conditions of poverty. Living day by day on little to nothing, food insecurity, and having almost no one to be their voice to strike change is just the minimum of what the impoverished experience. This issue continuesRead MorePoverty Is A Problem Of Poverty1257 Words   |  6 PagesPoverty does not have one clear definition. It is a complicated, multi-faceted concept. It is a common social issue that has troubled nations for thousands of years. Poverty is the condition of having an insufficient amount of resources or income. Poverty has haunted the social life of Brazil for a number of years. With a booming economy, Brazil has managed to skip over poverty, for now. However, how long can they hold this issue off ? The problem does not lie in their efforts but the way they haveRead MorePoverty Is The Problem Of Poverty1159 Words   |  5 PagesPoverty is the issue that many countries are facing and try to figure out a method for managing poverty in order to ensure the wellbeing of their citizens, Developed countries like Australia is also confronting a destitution issue in their citizen. Poverty can be characterized from various perspectives, which depend on each country’s standard. Here, poverty can be defined as an economic condition of lacking both money and basic necessities needed to successful in life, particularly for those whoRead MorePoverty Is A Problem Of Poverty Essay1958 Words   |  8 Pagesdecades, poverty has been exists to be one of the biggest problem of mankind. It profoundly influences every aspect of a person’s life, limits their chance accessing to the minimum needs such as, food, drink, and shelter. According to Investopedia, poverty is defined as †Å"a lack of something or when the quality of something is extremely low†. (Poverty Definition, n.d.) Vietnam, a South East Asia country which has recently integrated the world economic also has to deal with this problem This reportRead MorePoverty As A Social Problem1739 Words   |  7 Pages Poverty as a Social Problem Magdalena Brania Mrs. Kropf May 27, 2015 Poverty is inscribed in the history of the world, but it is not inherent fate of every human being. It is also not related to the human nature, which does not mean that it can not be due to its nature. All communities experience it, with a greater or lesser extent way causing psychological and sociological conflicts. Society who have to deal with poverty is not only from undeveloped countries, but also developedRead MorePoverty As A Social Problem796 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty Name: Institutional affiliation: â€Æ' Introduction Author Browning Cagney (2003), defines poverty as a state of inadequate resources and low living standards that cannot cater to basic human requirements. Poverty thus means lack of basic needs such as food, clothing, health institutes, and shelter. For most countries around the world, poverty is a prevalent social issue. It usually leads to multiple social ills like parental and domestic abuse, drug abuse, diseases, and corruption among manyRead MoreThe Social Problem Of Poverty1173 Words   |  5 PagesNowadays, one of the most important associated topic in people’s live is poverty. The definition of poverty is a social condition where individuals do not have financial means to meet the most fundamental standards of the life is a acceptable by the community. Individuals experiencing poverty do not have the means to pay for basic needs of daily life like food, clothes and shelter. According to Lansley, (365) â€Å"Poverty is humiliation, the sense of being dependent on them , and of being forced to accept

Pied Beauty Free Essays

The poem opens with an offering: â€Å"Glory be to God for dappled things. † In the next five lines, Hopkins elaborates with examples of what things he means to include under this rubric of â€Å"dappled. † He includes the mottled white and blue colors of the sky, the â€Å"brinded† (brindled or streaked) hide of a cow, and the patches of contrasting color on a trout. We will write a custom essay sample on Pied Beauty or any similar topic only for you Order Now The chestnuts offer a slightly more complex image: When they fall they open to reveal the meaty interior normally concealed by the hard shell; they are compared to the coals in a fire, black on the outside and glowing within. The wings of finches are multicolored, as is a patchwork of farmland in which sections look different according to whether they are planted and green, fallow, or freshly plowed. The final example is of the â€Å"trades† and activities of man, with their rich diversity of materials and equipment. Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings; And here come two more hyphenated words, along with two more examples of â€Å"dappled things. † The first example is â€Å"Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls. † This is probably the trickiest image in the poem, partly because we’re not nearly as familiar with chestnuts as 19th-century English people would have been. Chestnut-falls† is not too hard to imagine. It refers to chestnuts that have fallen off the chestnut tree. This hyphenated word points to the specific chestnuts that have fallen from the tree. But â€Å"Fresh-firecoal† requires some background on nuts, a field we at Shmoop like to call nut-o logy. When they are on a tree, chestnuts are covered by a spiky, light-green covering, but the nuts themselves are reddish-brown. When the nuts fall, they are â€Å"fresh† from the tree. Because of the contrast of red nuts with their outer covering, they look like the burning of coals inside a fire. To add another layer to this chestnut conundrum, people also like to cook these delectable nuts over fire. When the nuts get hot, they open up to reveal their â€Å"meat,† inside. These opened chestnuts also look like embers. We’re almost certain you now know more than you ever wanted to about chestnuts. Fortunately, the second example of a â€Å"dappled thing† in this line is much easier. Finches are small birds with streaks and spots. The speaker focuses only on the finches’ wings – a sign of his great attention to detail. How to cite Pied Beauty, Papers

Strategic Management of Apple Inc-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Strategic management of global technological Organization Apple Inc. Answer: Introduction Strategic management is of paramount importance for an organization because when strategies are well-formulated by an organization, it can benefit the organization in several ways. The strategies formulated by an organization should be aligned with the components of the mission and long term vision statement of the organization (Hill, Jones Schilling, 2014). The future can be taken into account and strategies are formulated after analyzing the micro and macro environment of the organization. A proactive approach is adopted by the organization while formulating strategies which enables a business organization to leverage the opportunities of the external environment by utilizing its inner strength or core competence and to mitigate the threats of macro environment by focusing on strengths and minimizing the weakness of the organization (Griffin, 2013).The purpose of the report is to analyze the current strategies of the Apple Incorporation by analyzing its value chain activities and its long term vision statement. The problem or issue that is addressed is that few strategies of Apple Inc are not suitable. The scope of the report is to analyze the Porters Value Chain Activities of Apple Inc, Porters Generic strategy, future strategies are suggested and implementation of the future strategies for Apple Incorporation is analyzed. Recommendations are provided to address issues of strategies of Apple Incorporation (Eden Ackermann, 2013). Discussions Background Information of Apple Inc Apple Incorporation is an American Multinational Technological Company which is headquartered in California, Silicon Valley. iMac, iPod and iPhone are the main products of Apple Incorporation( Anzures Sabatelli, 2014). The organization was founded in the year 1976 and since then the organization has focused on innovation and creativity. The first personal computer was produced by Apple Inc and Apple Inc has shifted its focus from manufacturing computers to manufacturing and selling consumer electronics goods like Apple watches and iphones (Han Park, 2010). The core of the business strategy of Apple Inc is the core competency of the organization to design its own operating system, software and hardware application, the innovative product design of the Company delight customers of the organization year after year. Apple Incorporation has a huge customer base because of the organizations user friendly operating system which attracts customers and they are willing to pay premium price to own products of the Company (Kane, 2014). Identification and Evaluation of Suitability of the organizations Current Strategy Primary activities in the value chain of Apple Incorporation are as follows The Inbound Logistics of Apple Inc Corporation- There are hundreds of suppliers across the globe and used modern technology to manage its Supply Chain activities. Apple sources from countries like United States, Europe, and other countries of Asia and since Tim Cook was elected the CEO of Apple in 2011, he has applied the strategy of incorporating healthy competition among suppliers and number of suppliers has also been reduced. Strategic relationships are developed with suppliers and Economies of scale is achieved due to massive operational activities. The organization can leverage cost advantage by utilizing effective bargaining power with suppliers. Apple Incorporation outsources its manufacturing operations in countries of Asia where human resources are available at cheaper rate and thus this activity adds value to the operations of the Company. Only few models of Mac Computers are manufactured in the United States and Ireland. Apples outbound Logistics The warehousing facilities and distribution of the already manufactured iPhones, iPads and Mac computers are a part of the outbound Logistics of Apple Incorporation. The organization and e-commerce platform is used to sell the products of the Company more than Apple stores as this platform is more cost effective. Immediately after Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. the organization has secured third rank in terms of retail leaders. The outbound logistics of Apple Incorporation in Asia and China does not contribute much to the expense of the Company and thus cost advantage can be achieved by penetrating the Asian market (Hill, Jones Schilling, 2014). Apple Incs marketing and Sales The different sales channel of Apple Incorporation are Apple Online Stores, Apple retail Stores, Direct Sales Force of the organization, Third party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers and Value added resellers. The enterprise sales were the prime focus of the organization and after Tim Cook was selected the CEO of the organization, extensive tie-up with Channel Partners enhanced the volume of enterprise sales of Apple Incorporation. For instance, Apple entered into a partnership with Cisco in the year 2015 and networks of Cisco was optimized in iOS based devices of the organization and better business integration was developed between the iPhone and voice and video environments of Cisco via apps. In the year 2015, the budget for advertising of Apple Incorporation reached to USD 1.8 billion and this budget continuously kept on increasing since Tim Cook was appointed the CEO of the organization in the year 2011. Sales through direct distribution channel was 25 percent of the net sales of the Company in the year 2015 and sales through indirect distribution channel contributed to 75 percent of the net sales of the organization in the year 2015(Hittmr, Varmus Lendel , 2014). Service of Apple Inc The customer service delivered by Apple Incorporation is of superior quality during all stages of customer services the pre-purchase stage, the purchase stage and the post purchase stage. There are Apple stores and Apple Centers in major cities across the globe where customers can walk-in and touch and feel the products of the Apple Incorporation so that they can be well assured about the superior quality of the products of the Company. The male and female sales force of the organizations who assist the customers have great product knowledge and are well experienced and tech savvy, so they can demonstrate the features of the products of the Company efficiently to customers. The post-purchase services provided to customers also delight them as customers can easily upgrade to newer versions of iPhone launched every year by making additional payments. The strategy followed by Apple Incorporation is differentiation of products and investing in new product development which satisfies the needs, wants and requirements of a niche customer segment. Apple prices all the products in the premium range and the brand is considered a status symbol and customers are willing to pay premium price to own the products of the organization (Zott Amit, 2013). Support activities of the Value Chain Human Resource management is also a prime supporting activity in the value chain of the Apple Incorporation. Inclusion and diversity are the culture of the organization and Apple Incorporation has hired talented employees across the globe and paid them well and adopted innovative retention strategies to retain the human resource since the times of the founder Steve Jobs. The organization fosters creativity and innovation among its employees. Procurement- The suppliers of Apple provide good working conditions for workers and Apple is also a buyer from its suppliers and thus Apple has excellent relationship with suppliers across the globe. Firm Infrastructure- The organization structure, the culture of the organization, the structure of management all form a part of the organization structure of Apple Incorporation. The organization reengineers its business process and the innovative infrastructure of Apple Incorporation enables the Company to manage the business process efficiently (Bourletidis, 2014). Importance of Porters Value Chain Porters value chain activities are important for analyzing the strategic management of Apple Incorporation because the internal activities of Apple Inc can be analyzed using Porters Value Chain Activities. The primary and support activities of the value chain helps in analyzing which activities add value to the firm and enable it to achieve competitive advantage, the activities which require improvement can be analyzed using Porters Value Chain Model (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). Porters Generic strategies components The Porters generic strategies are used by a business organization to gain competitive advantage. In the cost leadership strategy, costs are eliminated from the activities of the value chain, organizations gain competitive advantage by achieving cost advantage. The sustainability of the organization is assured through lean times because of the low cost strategy of the organization (Teeratansirikool et al., 2013). The differentiation strategy focus on creating differentiated products to target different segments. Variety of products are branded, promoted and priced differently when organizations follow differentiation strategy (Yu et al., 2013). The focused strategy is used by an organization to cater to the needs, requirements and demands of narrow market segment also called niche market segment (Rees Karbing, 2015). Importance of the Porters Generic Strategy The Porters Generic Strategy can be applied to Apple Incorporation to analyze the current strategy for the organization. The current generic strategy that is adopted by Apple Incorporation is focused differentiation strategy. The Apple Incorporation focuses on Research and Development for innovation of the products and developing and upgrading products for existing and emerging markets. Apple Inc uses premium pricing to price the products for niche segments of the market and targets population with high disposable income who are willing to play premium price for products of Apple Inc (Johnson et al., 2013). The current strategies of Apple Incorporation are suitable for the organization. The use of focused differentiation strategy of Porters Generic Strategy is suitable because it helps the organization to develop a premium brand image, the strategy focuses on a niche market and the brand enjoys high Customer Perceived Value (CPV) and has a huge base of loyal customers. The user friendly operating system and the release of better version of product every year, like the launch of iPhone 7 in 2016 and iPhone 8 in 2017 clearly reveals the innovation and creativity adopted by the Company in upgrading features of products. Also premium pricing strategy is suitable for Apple because the highly differentiated products of the Company are only targeted to niche segments of society who are willing to pay premium price to own products of the Company. The current strategy of the organization to outsource manufacturing facilities of products like iphone in low-cost Asian countries to Companies like F oxconn is suitable for Apple Incorporation because it enables the organization to achieve cost advantage in manufacturing The strategies that can be recommended to Apple Inc are as follows Apple Incorporation should focus on developing new products for emerging and existing markets. The extension of product lines will enable the organization to sustain in the market for longer time. For instance, Apple Incorporations new product Apple watch was popular and widely accepted in the market. Similarly Apple Incorporation should develop more products especially technical products to satiate the changing needs of customers. Apple should focus more on horizontal integration Apple should focus on CSR activities. For instance, the firm has an online education store and support for learning through mobiles is provided through iTunes U( for University), however such initiatives should be extended to emerging economies like Brazil, China, India. Apple faces stiff competition from Samsung in emerging markets and CSR initiatives will enhance a good image about the organization in minds of consumers and profitability of the organization will increase indirectly. Evaluation of implementation of strategy The Hubbard Model for implementation of strategies suggests that business organizations should analyze its capabilities like core competency and the environmental factors for implementation of strategies. Also culture, people, systems, structure and leadership of an organization are of paramount importance for the implementation of strategies. The culture and structure of organization should be supportive for implementation of strategy. Employees should be motivated by leaders, budget preparation and utilizing information system are important for implementing strategies (Peppard Ward, 2016). Fig: Hubbard Model Source :( Porter Heppelmann, 2014) Importance of Hubbard Model The Hubbard Model can be applied to Apple Incorporation because the organization already provided innovative products to customers under visionary leadership of Steve Jobs and the organization culture of product differentiation , innovation and creativity should be carried forward in future for strategic implementation. Also current strategy of focused differentiation is achieved by leveraging the manufacturing cost advantage and outsourcing manufacturing facilities in Asian countries (Joo Bettencourt Gomes de Carvalho Simas, Francisco Bertinetti Lengler Jos Dos Santos Antnio, 2013). The organization should take leverage of its strong research and development team and strong balance sheet to bargain with suppliers and achieve cost advantage. This will enable the organization to develop new product line for emerging markets where the infrastructure does not support the products of Apple. Apple Incorporation can also drop the additional features of its products for emerging markets to reduce cost to make these new product lines affordable for the emerging markets (Markides, 2013). There is always excess inventory left with Apple Inc and these inventories should be distributed to the schools in emerging markets to support the cause of education. This will increase the brand awareness and visibility of Apple Incorporation in emerging markets (Porter Heppelmann, 2014). Change management Apple Incorporation manages changes by following its own release cycle, introducing new features slowly and making its operating system user friendly. The organization does not follow competitors and manages changes by clearly communicating the changes to its employees. Performance Measurement The performance of Apple Incorporation can be evaluated using Balance Scorecard Framework. Information should be collected well, business processes should be analyzed to identify waste and bottlenecks, customers perspective should be analyzed and financial performance should be analyzed by Apple Incorporation for evaluating its performance. Fig- Performance of Apple Inc Source: (Peppard Ward, 2016) Key Issues and Recommendation Key issues during strategic management analysis The key issues that are faced by Apple Incorporation are that the organization faces stiff competition from competitors like Samsung in emerging markets because these markets do not have infrastructure to support the devices of Apple, also high price is not affordable for customers in emerging markets. These key issues can be resolved if the brand develops some new product lines for the emerging markets , dropping out some additional features will enable the organization to reduce cost for products of emerging markets. Also, CSR initiatives will increase the brand awareness of the organization in emerging markets. Apple can take leverage of its strong balance sheet and strong bargaining power to achieve cost advantage from suppliers and then utilize this in developing new product lines. Also, extra inventory of Apple can be donated to schools in emerging economy to support education. The key issue of Apple Incorporation of focusing only on vertical integration can be resolved by focu sing on horizontal integration and adding extending the product line of the Company. Apple Incorporation can take leverage of its Research and Development team to focus on Horizontal integration which will enable the organization to sustain competition in the long run in emerging economies. Conclusions It can be concluded that Apple Incorporation has been successful in achieving customer loyalty by maintaining its strong brand image among customers. The organization has focused on innovation and creativity and releases new and upgraded versions of products every year. Apple Incorporation has high market share in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom but the organization should focus on developing new markets in emerging economies like Asian countries which huge opportunities for the organization by adopting horizontal integration, developing new product lines and focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility in developing countries. Reference Lists Anzures, F., Sabatelli, A. F. (2014).U.S. Patent No. D703,695. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Boons, F., Ldeke-Freund, F. (2013). Business models for sustainable innovation: state-of-the-art and steps towards a research agenda.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, 9-19. Bourletidis, D. (2014). The Strategic Model of Innovation Clusters: Implementation of Blue Ocean Strategy in a Typical Greek Region.Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,148, 645-652. Eden, C., Ackermann, F. (2013).Making strategy: The journey of strategic management. Sage. Griffin, R. W. (2013).Fundamentals of management. Cengage Learning. Han, W., Park, Y. (2010). Mapping the relations between technology, product, and service: Case of Apple inc.Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 2010 IEEE International Conference on,127-131. Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A. (2014).Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hittmr, Varmus, Lendel. (2014). Proposal of Model for Effective Implementation of Innovation Strategy to Business.Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,109, 1194-1198. Joo Bettencourt Gomes de Carvalho Simas, M., Francisco Bertinetti Lengler, J., Jos Dos Santos Antnio, N. (2013). Integration of sustainable development in the strategy implementation process: Proposal of a model.Corporate Governance,13(5), 511-526. Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., Regnr, P. (2013).Exploring strategy text cases(Vol. 10). Pearson. Kane, Y. (2014).Haunted empire : Apple after Steve Jobs(First ed., YBP Print DDA) Markides, C. C. (2013). Business model innovation: What can the ambidexterity literature teach us?.The Academy of Management Perspectives,27(4), 313-323. Peppard, J., Ward, J. (2016).The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy. John Wiley Sons. Porter, M. E., Heppelmann, J. E. (2014). How smart, connected products are transforming competition.Harvard Business Review,92(11), 64-88. Rees, S., Karbing, D. (2015). Model-based optimization of peep, a strategy and its implementation.Intensive Care Medicine Experimental,3(Supplement 1), 1-2. Teeratansirikool, L., Siengthai, S., Badir, Y., Charoenngam, C. (2013). Competitive strategies and firm performance: the mediating role of performance measurement.International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,62(2), 168-184. Yu, W., Jacobs, M. A., Salisbury, W. D., Enns, H. (2013). The effects of supply chain integration on customer satisfaction and financial performance: An organizational learning perspective.International Journal of Production Economics,146(1), 346-358. Zott, C., Amit, R. (2013). The business model: A theoretically anchored robust construct for strategic analysis.Strategic Organization,11(4), 403-411.

TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration Essay Example For Students

TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration Essay (2) Space exploration is our human response to curiosity about the earth, the moon, the planets, the sun and other stars, and the galaxies. Manned and unmanned space We will write a custom essay on TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now vehicles venture far beyond the boundaries of the earth to collect valuable information about the universe. Human beings have visited the moon and have lived in space stations for long periods. Space exploration helps us see the earth in its true relation with the rest of the universe. Such exploration could reveal how the sun, the planets, and the stars were formed and whether life exists beyond our own world. We do not know the boundaries of the universe or what advances can come out of these explorations so we must thrust our emotions into the unknown and have an open mind to the possibilities. So while the average person is wondering what space has to offer the person do not realize the many missions that have already went on in this field. The exploration of bodies in the solar system began within a few years of the first satellites. In 1926 American scientist Robert H. Goddard launched the worlds first liquid- propellant rocket. Then both U. S. and Soviet space engineers set their sights on the Moon. Early Soviet launches in 1958 all failed and were never announced. Several U.S. launches also failed, although two of them (Pioneers 1 and 3) reached nearly 100,000 km into space before falling back to Earth. In 1958 a great leap occured when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was formed. This program is what runs all the space ideas and puts them into action The first probe to escape Earths gravity was the Soviet LUNA 1, launch on (3) Jan. 2, 1959, which passed the Moon and continued into interplanetary space . The U.S. probe Pioneer 4, launched two months later, followed the same path. Later Soviet probes either hit the Moon or passed it and took photographs of the hidden far side, relaying them back to Earth. The space age began on Oct. 4, 1957. On that day, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The first manned space flight was made on April 12, 1961, when Yuri A. Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, orbited the earth in the spaceship Vostok 1. Space probes have vastly expanded our knowledge of outer space, the planets, and the stars. In 1959, one Soviet probe passed close to the moon and another hit the moon. A United States probe flew past Venus in 1962. In 1974 and 1976, the United States launched two German probes that passed inside the orbit of Mercury, close to the sun. Two other U.S. probes landed on Mars in 1976. In addition to studying every planet except Pluto, space probes have investigated comets and asteroids. The first manned voyage to the moon began on Dec. 21, 1968, when the United States launched the Apollo 8 spacecraft. It orbited the moon 10 times and returned to the earth. On July 20, 1969, U. S. astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., landed their Apollo 11 lunar module on the moon. Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. United States astronauts made five more landings on the moon before the Apollo lunar program ended in 1972. The early years of the space age, success in space became a measure of a countrys leadership in science, engineering, and national defense. The United States and the Soviet Union (4) were engaged in an intense rivalry called the Cold War. As a result, the two nations .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 , .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .postImageUrl , .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 , .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:hover , .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:visited , .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:active { border:0!important; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:active , .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513 .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4daf607e1ede22c9a62beba199e10513:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Flag Desecration Essaycompeted with each other in developing their space programs. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, this space race drove both nations to tremendous exploratory efforts. During the 1970s, astronauts and cosmonauts developed skills for living in space aboard the Skylab and Salyut space stations. In 1987 and 1988, two Soviet cosmonauts spent a record 366 days in orbit. In the mid-1960s three NASA programs pursued the lunar objective. Ranger probes crashed into the Moons surface but succeeded in sending high-resolution photographs prior to impact. SURVEYOR probes soft-landed on the Moon and analyzed its surface, while Lunar orbiters probes circled the Moon and sent back pictures both . TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration Essay Example For Students TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration Essay (2) Space exploration is our human response to curiosity about the earth, the moon, the planets, the sun and other stars, and the galaxies. Manned and unmanned space We will write a custom essay on TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now vehicles venture far beyond the boundaries of the earth to collect valuable information about the universe. Human beings have visited the moon and have lived in space stations for long periods. Space exploration helps us see the earth in its true relation with the rest of the universe. Such exploration could reveal how the sun, the planets, and the stars were formed and whether life exists beyond our own world. We do not know the boundaries of the universe or what advances can come out of these explorations so we must thrust our emotions into the unknown and have an open mind to the possibilities. So while the average person is wondering what space has to offer the person do not realize the many missions that have already went on in this field. The exploration of bodies in the solar system began within a few years of the first satellites. In 1926 American scientist Robert H. Goddard launched the worlds first liquid- propellant rocket. Then both U. S. and Soviet space engineers set their sights on the Moon. Early Soviet launches in 1958 all failed and were never announced. Several U.S. launches also failed, although two of them (Pioneers 1 and 3) reached nearly 100,000 km into space before falling back to Earth. In 1958 a great leap occured when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was formed. This program is what runs all the space ideas and puts them into action The first probe to escape Earths gravity was the Soviet LUNA 1, launch on (3) Jan. 2, 1959, which passed the Moon and continued into interplanetary space . The U.S. probe Pioneer 4, launched two months later, followed the same path. Later Soviet probes either hit the Moon or passed it and took photographs of the hidden far side, relaying them back to Earth. The space age began on Oct. 4, 1957. On that day, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The first manned space flight was made on April 12, 1961, when Yuri A. Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, orbited the earth in the spaceship Vostok 1. Space probes have vastly expanded our knowledge of outer space, the planets, and the stars. In 1959, one Soviet probe passed close to the moon and another hit the moon. A United States probe flew past Venus in 1962. In 1974 and 1976, the United States launched two German probes that passed inside the orbit of Mercury, close to the sun. Two other U.S. probes landed on Mars in 1976. In addition to studying every planet except Pluto, space probes have investigated comets and asteroids. The first manned voyage to the moon began on Dec. 21, 1968, when the United States launched the Apollo 8 spacecraft. It orbited the moon 10 times and returned to the earth. On July 20, 1969, U. S. astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., landed their Apollo 11 lunar module on the moon. Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. United States astronauts made five more landings on the moon before the Apollo lunar program ended in 1972. The early years of the space age, success in space became a measure of a countrys leadership in science, engineering, and national defense. The United States and the Soviet Union (4) were engaged in an intense rivalry called the Cold War. As a result, the two nations .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 , .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .postImageUrl , .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 , .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:hover , .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:visited , .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:active { border:0!important; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:active , .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440 .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u94aeec65c88412df7b8d07ed95709440:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Machiavelli perspective on globalization Essaycompeted with each other in developing their space programs. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, this ;space race; drove both nations to tremendous exploratory efforts. During the 1970s, astronauts and cosmonauts developed skills for living in space aboard the Skylab and Salyut space stations. In 1987 and 1988, two Soviet cosmonauts spent a record 366 days in orbit. In the mid-1960s three NASA programs pursued the lunar objective. Ranger probes crashed into the Moons surface but succeeded in sending high-resolution photographs prior to impact. SURVEYOR probes soft-landed on the Moon and analyzed its surface, while Lunar orbiters probes circled the Moon and sent back pictures both of potential landing sites for astronauts and . TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration Essay Example For Students TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration Essay (2) Space exploration is our human response to curiosity about the earth, the moon, the planets, the sun and other stars, and the galaxies. Manned and unmanned space We will write a custom essay on TheTechnological Advances in Space Exploration specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now vehicles venture far beyond the boundaries of the earth to collect valuable information about the universe. Human beings have visited the moon and have lived in space stations for long periods. Space exploration helps us see the earth in its true relation with the rest of the universe. Such exploration could reveal how the sun, the planets, and the stars were formed and whether life exists beyond our own world. We do not know the boundaries of the universe or what advances can come out of these explorations so we must thrust our emotions into the unknown and have an open mind to the possibilities. So while the average person is wondering what space has to offer the person do not realize the many missions that have already went on in this field. The exploration of bodies in the solar system began within a few years of the first satellites. In 1926 American scientist Robert H. Goddard launched the worlds first liquid- propellant rocket. Then both U. S. and Soviet space engineers set their sights on the Moon. Early Soviet launches in 1958 all failed and were never announced. Several U.S. launches also failed, although two of them (Pioneers 1 and 3) reached nearly 100,000 km into space before falling back to Earth. In 1958 a great leap occured when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was formed. This program is what runs all the space ideas and puts them into action The first probe to escape Earths gravity was the Soviet LUNA 1, launch on (3) Jan. 2, 1959, which passed the Moon and continued into interplanetary space . The U.S. probe Pioneer 4, launched two months later, followed the same path. Later Soviet probes either hit the Moon or passed it and took photographs of the hidden far side, relaying them back to Earth. The space age began on Oct. 4, 1957. On that day, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The first manned space flight was made on April 12, 1961, when Yuri A. Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, orbited the earth in the spaceship Vostok 1. Space probes have vastly expanded our knowledge of outer space, the planets, and the stars. In 1959, one Soviet probe passed close to the moon and another hit the moon. A United States probe flew past Venus in 1962. In 1974 and 1976, the United States launched two German probes that passed inside the orbit of Mercury, close to the sun. Two other U.S. probes landed on Mars in 1976. In addition to studying every planet except Pluto, space probes have investigated comets and asteroids. The first manned voyage to the moon began on Dec. 21, 1968, when the United States launched the Apollo 8 spacecraft. It orbited the moon 10 times and returned to the earth. On July 20, 1969, U. S. astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., landed their Apollo 11 lunar module on the moon. Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. United States astronauts made five more landings on the moon before the Apollo lunar program ended in 1972. The early years of the space age, success in space became a measure of a countrys leadership in science, engineering, and national defense. The United States and the Soviet Union (4) were engaged in an intense rivalry called the Cold War. As a result, the two nations .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 , .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .postImageUrl , .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 , .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:hover , .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:visited , .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:active { border:0!important; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:active , .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111 .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u343b49972dac1c5e547116c9ca1d7111:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Congenital Heart Defect Biology Essaycompeted with each other in developing their space programs. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, this space race drove both nations to tremendous exploratory efforts. During the 1970s, astronauts and cosmonauts developed skills for living in space aboard the Skylab and Salyut space stations. In 1987 and 1988, two Soviet cosmonauts spent a record 366 days in orbit. In the mid-1960s three NASA programs pursued the lunar objective. Ranger probes crashed into the Moons surface but succeeded in sending high-resolution photographs prior to impact. SURVEYOR probes soft-landed on the Moon and analyzed its surface, while Lunar orbiters probes circled the Moon and sent back pictures both .

Amazon Publishing What is it Like to Get Signed By Them

Amazon Publishing What is it Like to Get Signed By Them Amazon Publishing: What is it Like to Get Signed By Them? Most book sales happen on Amazon these days, so there’s something incredibly appealing about having the same company publish your book. Luckily, while Amazon’s algorithms can seem mysterious, the workings of Amazon Publishing (one of the biggest publishers today) are less vague - thanks to feedback from authors who have worked with them.This post will dive into the workings of Amazon Publishing (or APub), giving you a sneak peek of what it’s like to work with them from Natalie Barelli (whose crime novel Until I Met Her was picked up by APub’s thriller imprint), and Eliot Peper, (whose Analog series was signed by their sci-fi and fantasy imprint).And on that note, let’s learn a little more about APub and it's various imprints. Get a sneak peak into what it's like to score an #AmazonPublishing book deal. What is Amazon Publishing?Amazon Publishing is Amazon’s book publishing unit. Established in 2009, it comprises 16 imprints that publish trade fiction, non-fiction, and children’s fiction around the world.Learn more about how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.Amazon Publishing seems to be highly regarded by the authors who are signed by their imprints. Scoring a contract with them will not guarantee sales of your book, and some authors do report a flatline in purchases of their titles.Eliot Peper puts it very well when he says: â€Å"No matter what publication path you choose or who you publish with, you are in charge of your career. Always put your readers' interests before anyone else's. Start from first principles and never accept ‘this is just how things are done’ when something doesn't make sense. Build your own audience on your own terms. Be kind. Be generous. Be patient. Every artist is an entrepreneur, so embrace, understand, and grow the business of your creativity.†Have you been published by an Amazon Publishing imprint? Share your experiences with us! Or feel free to leave any questions, thoughts, or remarks in the comments below.

Maus by Spiegelman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Maus by Spiegelman - Essay Example In Spiegelman’s novel, Vladek is an attractive and resourceful young man living in Poland. He is a successful businessman married to the rich and talented Anja. According to Wood, Vladek and Anja had a brief courtship and were married in 1937, on Valentines Day (82) and had a son named Richieu. With the help of Anja’s father, Vladek is successful in his business pursuits until the German invasion of Poland changes the fate of Vladek and his family. As a reservist, Vladek is determined to fight for Poland against the German intrusion, albeit it is against his father’s wishes. As an inexperienced soldier, Vladek is captured in 1939 and taken to a Prisoners Of War (POW) camp together with other fighters. Spiegelman writes that the Germans claimed that the Jews are responsible for the wars in the camp (33). It is for this reason that they are separated from otherS and made to do more work. I think this is just an act of religious persecution, considering there were o ther people fighting for Poland and not just the Jews. When an opportunity comes up for any volunteers to replace German workers, Vladek takes up the chance. Through hard work and perseverance, Vladek is released to reunite with his family. Vladek is living with his in-laws in an extended family; nevertheless, life is no longer the same. Weine states that soon after, in 1943, Poland is divided into two sections and Jews are taken to Auschwitz and killed (29). Seeing the gravity of the situation, Vladek and Anja give Richieu to Anja’s sister so that she stay with him and her children at Zawierci. However, fearing that she and the children will be taken to Auschwitz, Anja’s sister kills herself and the children, including Richieu. One could understand that everyone in Poland was worried about their future and safety of their loved ones. However, the decision by Anja’s sister to kill herself and the children is not a solution for me. She could have at least waited and maybe she and the children could have survived the war. Vladek and Anja are hiding in a ghetto waiting for the situation to calm down. According to Spiegelman, one of Vladek’s and Anja’s friends escapes to Hungary and writes them a letter telling them that Hungary is safe (125). Together, Vladek and Anja are on their way to safety in Hungary but are both captured and taken to Auschwitz where they are separated. Weine writes that at Auschwitz, Vladek works very hard as a tinsmith, a shoemaker, and a â€Å"black worker† earning enough to feed himself (27). As the war comes to an end, Vladek is set free and he goes back to his home place in Sosnowiec, where he reunites with Anja who had been released earlier. It is a happy and miraculous reunion for Vladek and Anja, considering that everyone they knew had been killed in the war. To me, it sounds sort of fictional for the two to be the only ones to survive the war in their family. In the novel, it is apparent th at Vladek and Spiegelman do not have a good relationship. According to Wood, Spiegelman feels guilty of living a better life than his parents (79). The relationship between Vladek and Spiegelman has deteriorated since Anja took her own life. Anja committed suicide after the war, primarily because she had lost Richieu. Spiegelman is furious with his father for burning Anja’s dairies about the war, after her suicide. In my opinion, Vladek is not to blame for burning the diaries; maybe he just needed closure and did not want anything that reminded him of how Anja had given up on them. At the time

Taoism Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Taoism Religion - Essay Example It does not matter whatever religion exists as long as the person becomes a good being to himself and to others. Basically, religions do not only teach morals but also focus on way of life. Rituals are being conducted to help the faithful improve themselves fully as a religious leader assists the religious members in their struggle to be good. The main focus of the paper is the religion Taoism. Taoism came from China as the country had a long history of formation. Taoism became an important part of the history of China though the origin of Taoism is hard to distinguish as it came from complicated roots and Chinese religions mixed as interactions happened. Other religions in China are Confucianism, Buddhism and popular religion. These religions flourished and interact with one another and cultural and traditional mixtures occur resulting to the Chinese religion. Taoism in particular cannot be distinguished easily as it encompasses almost everything about life. Its existence can be com pared to water that composes all bodies of water and even clouds and rain. The discovery of the ultimate purpose is not the same for everybody as pathways are different in that religion as the prominent quality is compared to water that never flows in the same way again. ... Taoism can also be analyzed based on its etymology. The religion comes from the word tao which means road or path as the same term was also used by non-Taoist people. Tao became prominent in Chinese philosophy as their beliefs tend to shape a method or technique and norms of conduct. The term tao first appeared as a philosophical word in the book Analects of the Confucians. They consider tao as the method of behavior for both individual and nation as they pertain to the term as a principle. For the Taoists, the term is not just a principle, it is substance in actuality. Chuang Tzu gave an explanation on the tao and belief of Taoists. According to him, tao is not a substance or a thing only but tao is the sum total of all existence including wastes as a questioner clarified his claim. The main concern of Taoism is the balance of forces which is constant and inseparable that the human mind cannot comprehend its existence. The belief states that humans are indivisible and parts of the o neness as the age of humanity is the same as the age of the sky and earth. As tao is considered as both method and entity, the question arose regarding the purpose of the method. The positive action has no basis in tao. In terms of morals, tao advocates relativity as right and wrong can pertain to the same object depending on the point-of-view. The advice for Taoist practitioners tends to be selfless and let the natural course maneuver the lives of the faithful. They follow the rhythms of nature and environment. Such characteristic of Taoism is called contemplative Taoism which is complemented by the so-called purposive Taoism. As the contemplative Taoism allows calmness for the practitioner, the purposive

Aspergers Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Essay

Aspergers Syndrome and High Functioning Autism - Essay Example 3, Wilson, 2005, par. 4). In fact, the similarities between these disorders are so extensive that many experts maintain there is no substantive diagnostic distinction between them. "The frequently posed question is whether these disorders should be conceptualised (sic) as part of a single continuum or whether they are distinct diagnostic entities" (Dissanayake, 2004, par. 2). The differences between AS and HFA are thought by some experts to be merely quantitative, not qualitative, such that they are limited to varying degrees of the same symptoms. Nevertheless, a careful review of current literature on the subject reveals that there are some very real, qualitative differences between Asperger's and HFA. In fact, it can be argued that the core symptoms of these disorders are diametrically opposed - that the main indicators of the disorders are mutually exclusive. Should someone with AS be wrongly diagnosed with HFA, or vice versa, the repercussions for sufferers of these conditions could be significant. The appropriate treatment for HFA will not be exactly the same as that for AS. To treat the conditions as one and the same would risk putting AS sufferers at a severe disadvantage in their development, as AS requires unique learning supports and social coaching that differs from the treatment required for HFA. According to Lyons and Fitzgerald (2004), "autism and Asperger syndrome are both recognized neuro-developmental disorders that are defined primarily in behavioral terms. Autistic disorder and Asperger's are both marked by "qualitative impairment in social interaction" (Tucker, 2006, par. 11). Symptoms of such impairment include difficulty with non-verbal social cues such as facial expression, body language, and gestures; difficulty developing appropriate peer relationships; failure to spontaneously seek others to share interests or achievements; and/or "lack of social or emotional reciprocity" (par. 11). Both disorders are also marked by "restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities," including abnormally intense preoccupation with stereotyped or restricted patterns of interest; obsessive adherence to nonfunctional routines or rituals; "stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms;" or "persistent preoccupation with parts of objects" (par. 1 2). Those with two of the social interaction impairment symptoms and one of behavioral symptoms listed above may be clinically diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, "characterized by autistic social dysfunction and idiosyncratic interests, in the presence of normal intelligence" (Ghaziuddin & Mountain-Kimchi, 2004). Dissanayake (2004) maintains that HFA and AS are qualitatively very similar disorders. She states that "the findings from the comparative literature are either marked by an absence of differences or by only quantitative differences between the two groups, such that most symptoms, associated features and biological indices are either shared or overlapping to some degree" (par. 3). Furthermore, any differences between the two disorders become less apparent with age. "Specifically, it has been found that children with these disorders show greater differences in the manifestation of impairments in social interaction, communication, motor skills and repetitive behaviours (sic) during the early childhood years than during middle childhood and adolescence. The main direction of difference during the preschool years is that those with autism

Embedding Total Quality Management In Private Universities Management Essay

Embedding Total Quality Management In Private Universities Management Essay The previous chapter consisted of a literature review about TQM, the management approach that started in manufacturing and business and then extended over the service sector and particularly in higher education. Research shows that by adapting aspects of the TQM to fit their own needs, higher education organizations experienced a better ability to manage the process of quality, and maintain and enhance development. Vazzana.et al (2000), in their study about TQM in business colleges found that most PUs benefit from their attempt at using TQM to improve the quality of their universities. Similarly, Weller (2000) in his study of using the TQM tools to identify root causes of higher education attendance problems concluded that the application of TQMs tools and techniques to solve higher education problems as highly promising as it is in PUs areas. The purpose of chapter five was to give a general understanding of the subject. The present chapter is about how TQM has, and can be, adopted in the PUs, what benefits PUs can get from implementing TQM, concerns about, and case studies of some PUs which have implemented TQM and what problems and benefits have been encountered in this context. The chapter concludes with a proposed model for TQM in the PUs in Egypt. 5.2 TQM in Private Universities Context Ever more, the implementation of TQM has extended over industrial organizations and has turned deteriorating companies into world leaders. Although the origins of TQM are grounded in statistical analysis of performance, with statistical quality control being the principal tool for verifying the success of TQM measures, TQM lays importance on the human element of an organization (Deming, 1986; Juran, 1988). This makes TQM suitable for service sectors in general and particularly education. Although educational organizations have been slower to see the value of TQM, many of them are now using TQM to improve their administration and to face internal and external challenges. As Mangan (1992) notes: Faced with soaring operating costs and persistent public demands for accountability, a growing number of colleges and universities are turning to TQM and its principles of customer satisfaction, teamwork, and employee empowerment as a tool to improve how institutions are managed. There are three generic approaches to TQM in higher education (Harris 1994), Firstly there is a customer focus where the idea of service to students is fostered through staff training and development, which promotes students choice and autonomy. The second approach has a staff focus and is concerned to value and enhance the contribution of all members of staff to the effectiveness of an institutions operation, to the setting of policies and priorities. This entails a flatter management structure and the acceptance of responsibility for action by defined working groups. The third approach focuses on service agreements stance and seeks to ensure conformity to specification at certain key measurable points of the educational processes. Evaluation of assignments by faculty within a specified timeframe is an example. Lawrence and Mc.Collough (2001) propose a system of guarantees designed to accommodate multiple stakeholders and the various and changing roles of students in the educational process. Durlabhji and Fusilier (1999) states that customer empowerment in education requires greater input from students as well as from business community that will eventually employ them and this in term will streamline education and eliminate any rest of the esoteric academic that exist in business coursework. In his model of distributed leadership for managing change in higher educational institutions, Gregory (1996) suggests four dimensions of institutional leadership symbolic, political, managerial and academic. In managing educational change there has been general criticism (Iven, 1995) that government initiatives are being pushed by a narrow, employer-driven strategy. Policy makers do have an obligation to set policy, establish standards and monitor performance. They must articulate important educational goals (Fullan, 1993). Roffe (1998) considers that due to open competition, students are becoming more customers as well as consumers and expected to pay a growing share of the costs of education. TQM implementation in PUs, Osseo-Asare and Long bottom (2002) proposes enabler criteria, which affect performance and help organizations achieve organizational excellence. These criteria are leadership, policy and strategy, people management, resources and partnerships and processes. The literature contains infinite cases of Total Quality Management principles incorporation in education. The application ranges from school stage (Weller and Hartley, 1994 and Schmoker and Wilson, 1993) to higher education stage (Sahney et.al, n2004 and Wiklund et.al, 2003). Some studies focus on the feasibility of implementing TQM in educational. Anderson (1995) reported the results of a case study to evaluate the effectiveness of a TQM programme at the University of Houston, College of Business Administration. He found that the implementation of TQM had some positive results such as increasing the student perceptions of service quality. Moreover, some studies show that TQM is also used to solve some specific issues. Weller (2000) reported that TQM principles can be used to identify root problem causes for absenteeism. It also can help in identifying realistic solutions which yield positive results in academic and non-academic areas. The TQM pedagogical concept applied to higher education embraces all fields and levels of education and has an effect on the following: Physical facilities (buildings, sport complexes, open field etc.), Academic infrastructure (laboratories, library, documentation, communication, information infrastructure etc.), Curriculums, Examinations and evaluation systems, Supplying academic and administrative personal and their improvement systems, Research and publication, Institutional development plans (strategic planning), University industry society relations, Deming claimed his production system can be applied to service organizations as well as to manufacturing organizations (Evans and Lindsay, 1999). Figure 4.3 with reference to TQM applies Demings production model to higher education. This system depends on the answers to these main questions. Who are the stakeholders (customers and suppliers)? What are the inputs and outputs? What are the key processes? Stockholders Suppliers Stockholders Customers Families High Schools Business Sector Vocational Institutes Input Government Business Families Students Outputs Design Redesign Teaching Program Customer research Where are we now and where do we want to be? Process Figure 5.1 TQM in Higher Education System In figure 5.1 the stakeholders are the customers and suppliers. The stakeholder groups can easily be extended beyond the members shown in the groups as customers and suppliers. Suppliers include families, high school, Vocational institutes, and business. The customers include the business community, graduate school, society, student, and families. Universities have a large number of different customers as shown in the figure 5.1. University management should consider the relative importance of each customer group and balance and reconcile the interests of these diverse groups. Students as consumers of knowledge and services are considered to be the main customer. Accepting students as an important group of customers can be taken as a revolutionary change in the management of quality in higher education. That group of students, as the consumers of education, should include potential students, existing students and graduate students. The university has different priorities and services for each group of students who make up the main customer group and attempts to satisfy their different needs. For example, introductory courses for potential students, student counselling for existing students and alumni associations for graduate students. Processes include all facets of teaching, student counselling, and scientific research. The first process is to assess the educational needs of students in terms of their existing knowledge, future career opportunities, and the needs of the community and its future development. Other processes to be followed are planning curriculum for courses, including allocating resources, arranging facilities, administration and support, and finally teaching and learning. The quality of all these processes must be effectively and visibly assured. Like manufacturing systems, educational systems can include a means by which costumer research can be conducted to evaluate and improve supply. For example, by observing students, analyzing test results, and using other resources from student feedback, instructors can assess their own effectiveness and develop strategies for improvement. Some colleges and universities survey their graduates and their graduates employers to assess consumer satisfaction wi th their product. Feedback such as that mentioned, helps colleges, departments, and individual faculty members to redesign curriculum, improve course content, and improve services such as academic advising. While industry usually has a product or service, educational institutions do not have perceived products in the generally accepted sense. Education has many outputs and inputs but the results from the process stage are often difficult to quantify in the short term. The inputs to the educational system are students, faculty, support staff, buildings and equipment and other facilities. Outputs include people with new knowledge and abilities and research findings as seen from the figure 5.1. 5. 3 Quality Control of Higher Education Vevere (2009) referred quality control to verification procedures (both formal and informal) used by institutions in order to monitor commitment level to quality standards. Vevere schemed quality control of higher education as interconnected system as shown below in figure (5.2). Figure 5.2 system of external and internal control of higher education. Source :Vevere , Nina (2009) According to figure (5.2) above, external control institutions verify the commitment to standards that higher education institutions claim. It is a fundamental principle of TQM to integrate TQM internally within the institution of higher education and externally with international organizations of education (Tang Zairi, 1998). The International Accreditation Organization (IAO, 2010) is an independent and private education accrediting seeks to the finest global educational standards. IAO is a member of the International Education Accreditation Commission (IEAC), which is concerned with establishment, maintenance and improvement of standards of accreditation agencies across the globe. In each country, there is a local bodybodies coordinate and cooperate with international bodies concerned with higher education quality. In England, as an example, the Department of Employment is concerned whether graduates can satisfy the needs of employers (Harvey et al., 1992). In Egypt, few universit ies got educational ISO and highly satisfied standards of National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation (NAQAA) for some specializations. 5.4 Benefits of TQM for Private Higher Education As the world is currently undergoing a dramatic change and education is considered the leading competitive change tool, so TQM as concluded in chapter four and explained in chapter five could be a reasonable approach for developing. The literature review of TQM is showing that many writers have encouraged the use of TQM in education. Sallis (1993) argues that an educational organization could benefit from applying the TQM approach both in human and financial terms. Sallis points out that some concepts of TQM like right first time cannot be directly implemented in educational organizations but educational organizations can still benefit from such a notion. He indicates that if an education organization applied TQM, mistakes will be minimized with clear systems and procedures, and good team work through careful and thoughtful planning. In this point, one can notice that although TQM originally started in manufacturing and it has somehow acquired business language, but it is still flexible enough to be adapted by PUs. Murgatroyd and Morgan (1993) highlight the benefit of holistic organization in applying TQM. They mention that TQM is not concerned just with the outcome of education, but with the whole nature of education as a process for all stakeholders. Howard (1996) states the following ways in which PUs can benefit from implementing TQM: 1. Stakeholder value through customer focus. 2. Employee commitment and development through involvement. 3. Goal achievement through strategic planning. 4. Services improvement through continuous process improvement. 5. Cost reduction through elimination of unnecessary tasks. Howard highlights the benefits of TQM for PUs from three different dimensions: human dimension, financial dimension and planning dimension. In the human dimension, the stakeholders are satisfied and employees are committed; in the financial dimension, money and other resources are saved; and in the planning dimension strategic planning leads to goal achievement. Therefore, the literature on TQM argues that implementing TQM in PUs would save time, money and efforts through doing things right first time. TQM will also help PUs to demonstrate values for all stakeholders, provide better quality provision and communication and continue seeking innovation and improvement. 5.5 Obstacles about TQM in Private Universities According to Srivanci (2004) and critical issues in implementing TQM in PUs includes leadership, customer identification, cultural and organizational transformation. Deans and head of departments cannot eliminate unethical employment practices of lecturers like what is applied in public universities where rigid rules is deployed. Hence they do not enjoy ultimate authority in hiring and firing of personnel and allocating resources. Owlia and Aspinwall (1997) conclude that customer orientation is a more problematic principle of TQM when applied to PUs because of special nature of many academics whose motivation to work is often independent of market issues. Education consider as a provider of services. Its services include advice, tuition, assessment and guidance to pupils and students, their parents and sponsors. The customers and the stakeholders of the service are a very diverse group and need identifying. If quality is about meeting and exceeding customer needs and wants, it is important to be clear whose needs and wants we should be satisfying. The diversity of customers makes it all the more important for educational institutions to focus on customer wants and to develop mechanisms for responding to them. In PUs where the education process depends totally on the customers fees to run, a funding cut may lead to a reduction in service that may not accord with what customers are feeding back. This is not much important in public universities where it is supported from government. This is a very difficult issue to resolve and TQM does not provide ready answers to it in private universities. Cultural and organizational transformation in PUs main issue is under the frustrates the introduction of conventional TQM procedures is the principle of academic freedom as it plays out in individual professorial classrooms and their professional lives. Another important issues is that faculty members tend to work alone more often the together in projects since they gain more managerial and financial advantage at the opposite in public universities. The obstacles that cause unsuccessful adopting and implementing TQM in PUs academia are (but not limited to): The nature of the academia world, which makes the change process slow. The resistance of academicians to change, so to learn about the new method of doing things. The nature of some institutions as non-profit organization, which reduce the motivation to adopt new management methodology. The concentration of the academicians (in their readings and researches) on their narrow specializations. The TQM methodology and tools are relatively new especially in the developing countries. High turnover rate of staff, which prevents accumulation of experience and sustain the momentum of change. The absence of employees (units) who are specialized in TQM. The common administration problem, is putting a high rank and qualified personnel in the leading position depending on their previous experience not on their specialization i.e. the leaders of the institution could be specialized in art, physics, anatomy or any other field but not in management and specifically in higher education management. 5.6 Case Studies of TQM Implementation in Private Universities To review the experiences of some educational organizations with TQM, in order to gain appreciation from their experiences in proposing the TQM model for PUs in Egypt and in developing the implementation framework. As with benchmarking, it is better to learn from the experiences of others than starting from scratch. The literature covers PUs which have adopted TQM. For this study the case studies will be examined from the perspective of US and UK experiences where the two countries are well reputable in higher education. 5.6.1 US experience The first attempt to implement TQM in US higher education began in 1985. The movement spread quickly and in 1990, 78 higher education institutions were reported to be exploring or attempting to implement TQM. The common factor in US higher education is that it is being driven toward commercial competition imposed by economic forces. Competition is the result of the development of the global education market on the one hand, and the reduction of governmental funding that forces public organizations to seek other financial sources, on the other hand. For example, at Oregon State University the government cut funds by 35 percent. Some universities, such as Virginia Commonwealth University responded by decreasing staff salaries and increasing tuition fees. North Dakota University responded to such cuts by increasing the number of students without increasing quality. Competitive factors between universities did not allow for lower quality, so many institutions are looking to industry for ideas. Considering the similarities between experiences met in the commercial world and those faced in higher education, the TQM approach can be a solution for the do more with less. Today more than 200 private institutions of higher education are involved in TQM throughout the USA. There are many success stories in the US. The experiences of some US higher educational institutions prove that the effect of using TQM in private higher education is positive. 5.6.1.1 Oregon State University One of the most publicized success stories is that of Oregon State University (OSU). For a number of reasons the first pilot study was conducted at OSU. First, quality was considered a high-priority issue. Second, it has high probability of success. Third, management agreed that it was important. Fourth, no one else was working on it. Fifth, it was also important to the customers of the organizations. OSU, as leader of TQM in higher education movement, has had a real success; time has been saved, costs have been reduced, people have been empowered at all levels, and morale has skyrocketed. Oregon State University followed the following steps as a planning stage to implement TQM: Exploring Total Quality Management through visiting companies with TQM programs, inviting Deming to visit and explain TQM, reading key resources and attending TQM classes. Forming a pilot study team which was seen as a learning experience for the OSUs staff and a model for future teams. It consisted of 10 managers and front-line workers, a team leader, and a training officer/ facilitator. After the first pilot team experience, they began implementing TQM by focusing top management on strategic planning, including the following steps: defining the mission, understanding customers, identifying the critical processes of the president, developing the vision and identifying breakthrough items. Developing a training program, a quality manual and a recognition system. Establishing daily management system. Establishing standing cross-functional teams. 5.6.1.2 Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University is another leader in TQM in higher education. It defines its success as: enrolment is now at capacity: the budget is balanced; faculty salaries are higher than average; and about 10% of budget has been shifted from administration to instructions. The implementation of TQM followed the following steps (Waller, L. D., 2000): Senior management began to learn about quality management. Developing internal expertise that was required rather than obtain some ready improvement methodology and rely on outsiders to provide the expertise. The management of the transformation became a full-time enterprise for those school district employees who were involved. The introduction of leadership training and development for principals-to-be. This was to provide this critical group with continuous improvement skills needed in the schools. A decision making process at the school level was introduced. Classroom Learning System was introduced based on Demings problem solving Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. 5.6.1.3 The University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania is committed to TQM in the Wharton School MBA; curriculum has been developed using TQM principles. Moreover this University has improved the method of recouping corporate research changes and reduced charges from $ 18 to $ 13 million. The university proposed an eleven-step model for implementing TQM The president adopts quality as the core of institutional value system and communicates this value, and works to develop commitment to it throughout the institution. The president promotes the value through frequent symbolic and substantive actions. Educate administrators and academic deans in TQM and customer orientation, in team/participative management. Identify customers needs and set performance objectives. Train and designate internal resource persons who provide technical assistance to the rest of the institution. Train faculty, staff, and employees in appropriate statistical techniques, process analysis, decision making, and customer orientation. Form quality teams to seek continual improvement in the process and identify individual quality champions. Define/delegate authority throughout the institution. Develop performance measurement systems to continuously monitor the progress of the institution; the measurement should focus on the stakeholders needs satisfaction. Institute incentives and reward systems and relate them to TQM objectives. Work continuously to reduce the resistance to change. 5.6.2 UK Experience The first TQM initiatives in UK higher education were later than in the USA; the first attempts were in the early 1990. 5.6.2.1 De Monfort University De Monfort University (DMU) has some successful results in implementing TQM. The Faculty of Design and Manufacture at DMU completely reviewed and revised traditional teaching menthols and courses, which were no longer appropriate for the end of twentieth century. Teaching staff became 30 percent more efficient with double the number of student, and effectiveness of the revised course content was widely reorganized by industry, student and other design faculties. In Leicester Business School at DMU, with the application of TQM, higher participation rates and increase in staff productivity achieved. The strategic plan for the implementation was rooted with the concepts of identifying the customers, understanding their needs and serving them well. The plan focused on the following steps: The establishment of a quality council comprising the universitys most senior academic and non-academic managers. The purpose of the council is to review the universitys processes and critical success factors in order to identify key issues for improvement. Raising quality awareness through a series of awareness courses. These courses provide early education and training for actual and potential council members. In addition to the awareness courses, there is specific training in quality management tools and techniques. Using quality function deployment to ensure the customer satisfaction. This method was applied in the Department of Vision Sciences. There were eight essential areas to consider: students wants and needs, skills necessary to meet the wants and needs, programme and course content to deliver the skills, organization and assessment of the programme, resources, implementation of the programme, monitoring discrepancies between goals and outcomes, and control of the system in changing circumstances. However, the experience of quality function deployment showed it to be a complex tool. De Monfort University did not use a particular TQM model but instead only used the TQM principles, tools and techniques whenever appropriate and possible, because was difficult to provide an objective assessment to its success or of its cost over the years. 5.6.2.2 South Bank University Total quality management initiative was launched in 1992 at South Bank University. This has involved a thorough and ongoing review both of the quality of service it provides for its students and the wider community and of its academic quality, particularly in the area of teaching and learning. South Bank University, decided at an early stage that it should reflect more accurately the principle that real quality issues involved the ongoing commitment of all staff, support and academic, at all levels. Students are rightly encouraged to be involved more actively in the learning process, to be critical and imaginative about their own learning. Within five years, linking TQM into the strategic planning process, South Bank started to establish a competitive advantage by achieving differentiation (of its courses) through the quality of the learning experience, if a way can be found of advertising this to potential customers. It is expected that up to ten significant quality improvement measures (for example in academic staff time saved by increased efficiency in validation procedures or in improved feedback from student course board representatives) will have been achieved at the cross-university level in response to common problems identified through the quality service agreements. Most importantly, there will have been a change in the culture of the institution where all staff accepts their personal responsibility for quality improvement as a natural part of their job. The quality management plan can be summarized as follows The vice-chancellor and senior executive take direct responsibility for leadership of the universitys quality plan. Quality commitment to all university elements. Continuous improvement is everyones responsibility. Deployment of resources to support quality management. Quality management responsibility is best handed by operational levels. Encouragement of the diversification of quality management forms. Development of staff. From the quality principles and mission statement, critical factors of strategic importance are identified: teaching and learning, research, community service, institutional management, priority resource allocation, enhancing technical and information support, and quality advancement procedures. These factors formed a framework for further actions in the quality plan. In implementing TQM, each faculty formed its own quality committee to provide leadership and to increase quality improvement at faculty level. Responsible officers (e.g. deans) are charged with ensuring that performance targets are achieved within the specified time. As a part of staff development, brainstorming is used to identify strengths and weaknesses. South Bank University learned that the commitment of the staff to the quality initiatives and staff development, in addition to the stakeholders involvement and empowerment are essential to the strengthening of a quality culture. The purpose of presenting case studies is to learn how they applied TQM and propose a model that suits the PUs in Egypt. All of the five educational organizations began to apply TQM as a means to respond to the great demand for change and improvement. Some used TQM to face the reduction of funding or the challenge of competitiveness. This is the case in the PUs; it faces challenges and needs to encourage improvement, as discussed in chapter four. In Implementing TQM, universities get used different TQM models according to their needs. TQM requires creativity, responsibility and participation from managers and staffing in an environment of collaboration and open communication. It requires commitment at the top level. It needs strong visionary leadership that will facilitate the cultural change toward continuous development. TQM also demands the establishment of an environment of teamwork. Another important issue about implementing TQM is that the top management play a major role in planning the organizations processes. The PUs as an educational organization should aim at satisfying stakeholders needs. Nevertheless, TQM demands time, effort and a willingness to change. It creates a learning organization where education, training and re-education are essential for TQM success. TQM requires staff at all levels to be motivated to do not only what is better but what is best by the involvement and empowerment of all staff. TQM is about believing that there is always a better way of doing the services of the organization. So, involvement and empowerment, training and education, and continuous improvement are characters of the TQM organization. The implementation of TQM seems to be more effective if it is steady and well-planned. It also needs appraisal using quality tools and techniques. This is a very difficult task but not impossible. It just needs time and patience and a view point. From the previously discussed case studies, it seems that TQM approach succeeded in educational settings and this success can be translated into the following results: Saving time. Saving effort in the long term. Saving money and resources. Establishing a quality culture. Identification of strong and weak points. Stakeholder empowerment and involvement. Communication empowerment. Better understanding of stakeholders and their needs. Building a positive teamwork environment. Raising authority delegation.