Baseball – Hobbie

Relationships are something you can gain In many different ways, but for me It was baseball. From the mime I first started playing I began to make many friends which still to this day have been there for me In some of my hardest trials. The best thing about playing a sport Is having a different coach every summer. I've played baseball now for sixteen years of my young life, and in doing so I have met a lot of different people. My favorite coach of all time has to be Dale Anderson.Dale was able to show me so much in junior high, and some of which I still use today. My hobby of baseball has given me more than enough relationships in life. It has been hard for me over the years to build my character, but after all the practice I have gone through I'm sure I have come out a different person. Me being a pitcher takes a huge amount of character. I'm basically in control of the game at all times, and with character comes the composure.Composure and tempo are the two hardest things on the mo und you have to think about. You have to keep the right tempo when you have base runners on, so they will not steal off of you. Working out, getting faster and stronger are three of my favorite things about sports. It is plain and simple; if you're not physically fit you will not play to your fullest potential. Baseball has given me the opportunity to get faster and stronger than I ever thought I could be. Working out is not the only way a person gets fit.Practice is another way also, because when you practice baseball you are going at game speed. Anyone who plays sports can say, when they play/practice at game speed you will burn calories. Being fit is one of the best ways to excel In a sport. I'm glad to say that I have done the work, and It Is really starting to pay off for me. Baseball has given me so much over the years, from relationships, character, and to being physically fit. This hobby has given me the opportunity to reach for what I need In life.I thank God that he has ma de It possible for me to become a pitcher In college, and let me chase the dreams I have always wanted to come true. Who knows, maybe one day you will see me In the lights, and living my dream/hobby. Baseball – Hobbies By Brendan Baseball is a hobby and also a sport that many people love to play or Just watch. In my life. Baseball is something that has changed my life in many different ways omitting you can gain in many different ways, but for me it was baseball.From the been there for me in some of my hardest trials. The best thing about playing a sport is having a different coach every summer. Eve played baseball now for sixteen years speed you will burn calories. Being fit is one of the best ways to excel in a sport. I'm glad to say that I have done the work, and it is really starting to pay off for me. Need in life. I thank God that he has made it possible for me to become a pitcher in maybe one day you will see me in the lights, and living my dream/hobby.

An Analysis of the Australian Curriculum

Introduction With the introduction of the Australian National Curriculum into all education systems across the country, many questions and debates have occurred in reference to its effectiveness. From the often perceived conflicting curriculum definitions to the unfortunate failures of past attempts of curriculum implementation, every member of the community has an opinion on this significant shift in the way Australia thinks of its children’s education (Rudd, 2007).The Australian Curriculum however, has attempted to provide answers to these misgivings and societal concern, from an easy to use website interface, transparent developmental process and state/ territory inclusion of common educational individualities. The Australian Curriculums development has been that of promise and hopeful success (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).The Australian Curriculum should make it easier for teachers to incorporate community and student centred learning opportunities within the classroom, whilst a llowing for additional time and streamlining of assessment procedures, due to a short and precise teacher focused curriculum document. Therefore the current Australian Curriculum process is the best opportunity for the development and implementation of a world class curriculum that enables Australia’s future leaders to compete in a globalised world (MCEETYA, 2008; Shelly & Gunther & Gunther, 2012). Definition of curriculumDefinitions of curriculum are numerous and often believed to be conflicting. This can be especially so when delineated by the intended purpose of the curriculum as well as individual bias from specific stakeholders. Wiles (2005) lists varying definitions for four common curriculum purposes; curriculum as a plan, as subject matter, as an experience and as an outcome (appendix 1). Upon analysing these purpose related definitions it could be argued that each different definition ultimately alters the detail of what can be generally deciphered as a common intent , with individual stakeholder inclusions of specific content.Hutchins (as cited in Wiles, 2005) (appendix 1), when defining curriculum as a subject matter explains that curriculum should consist of grammar, logic, mathematics and the greatest books of the western world. In contrast Bestor (as cited in Wiles, 2005) includes the study of grammar, literature and writing, mathematics and the ‘mother tongue’ as the basis for his definition. As a result both academics can be seen to desire the same thing, extensive discipline based study; however have both included individualities perceived important to themselves.In order to define its intent, the Australian Curriculum has attempted to simplify the term curriculum through an explanation of purpose and intent. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012a) simply define the Australian Curriculum as â€Å"†¦ what all students should learn as they progress through school †¦ † [as a ] â€Å"†¦ foundation for their future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian Community† (para. 2). Through the defining of the curriculums purpose, the Australian Curriculum encompasses such academic inclusions of definition as noted by Wiles (2005) within its structure.As subject matter, the Australian Curriculum has included a discipline-based method of curriculum encompassing twelve learning areas with nationally significant individualities, through the incorporation of ‘Cross Curricular Priorities’. As a plan the Australian Curriculum has included ‘General Capabilities’ that ensure student future success with identified essential skills such as information and computer technology capability, ethics and intercultural understanding; amongst others (ACARA, 2012b) (appendix 2).Thus, the Australian Curriculum has defined itself as an individual curriculum idea through the incorporation of multiple intents within its structur e. Development of the Australian Curriculum and curriculum models related to this development Since as early as 1980, numerous attempts at the development of a National Curriculum with varying levels of support and enacted implementation have been made (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).The Australian political structure and the level of authority the federal government has over state/territory and independent organisations over educational policy, may have been a contributing factor for this lack of committed development and intended eventual nationwide implementation (Marsh, 2010). Learning from previous governments’ attempts implementing a national curriculum, the federal government from 2009, enacted a series of shaping reforms, with the aim of successfully gaining support and legal authority over the implementation of a national curriculum (Marsh, 2010).The request for state/territory appointed representatives, statements of open consultation in development, through to what Brady a nd Kennedy (2010) refer to as ‘hard policy’, including the establishment of ACARA as a statutory body over all manner of educational policy and the linking of funding repercussions to the implementation of the Australian Curriculum (Schools Assistance Bill, National Education Agreement) has led to all educational organisations agreeing to the use of the impending curriculum documents.Brady and Kennedy (2010) state that no single form of curriculum model is commonly used by developers, therefore using specific components of different models and designing a process that works for the organisation or individuals intent. As such the Australian Curriculum developers have appeared to take such an approach. With the foundation of a Naturalistic model of development, including the use of discussion, interaction and negotiation of developers and stakeholders, the Australian Curriculum developers have additionally used a fundamental aspect of an Objectives model of development (B rady & Kennedy, 2010).The use of defined standards or content descriptions (Objectives model) as depicted by the national curriculum has been incorporated both after initial targeted discussion between stakeholders and before final consultation prior to publication (ACARA, 2008). As a consequence the important developmental principles of curriculum development as described by Marsh (2010) that all decision making in the development of an Australian Curriculum is transparent whilst alleviating societies concern over a discipline-based curriculum was met by the initial and ongoing consultation being undertaken.Structure of the Australian Curriculum The Australian Curriculum has been published on the Internet in order to allow maximum flexibility in viewing and the organisation of content. As such the interface is user friendly and easy to understand. The Australian Curriculum is currently broken down to cover four subject areas with an additional eight areas to follow from 2013 (ACARA , 2012a; MCEETYA, 2008). Each subject area is broken down into year levels encompassing Foundation to year ten (with eventual inclusion of years eleven and twelve).In order to differentiate different subject sub topics; strands and sub strands have been developed to allow focus of content descriptions (statements of required student learning). English for example covers three interrelated strands; language, literacy and literature, with content descriptions grouped into sub strands, which enable the visual identification of development of knowledge, understanding and skills (ACARA, 2012f). Content descriptions are then listed, which describe the required learning that students must be exposed to within each subject, strand and sub strand.The content descriptions provide detailed information of learning opportunities, cross curriculum opportunities and a glossary of terms. Additionally digital resource information is also available that relates to each relevant content description. A wealth of information for educators, parents and the general community is available on the internet for the Australian Curriculum, including student work samples of content description attainment, which may negate any uncertainty surrounding student expected learning and eventual assessment practices the curriculum requires.Complimenting the subject areas and included content descriptions are cross curriculum priorities. ACARA (2012e) states that these priorities of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and sustainability, will enable student relevance and address the issues that the students will face throughout their lives. The opportunities for inclusion of cross curricular priorities are embedded within the subjects curriculum documents where appropriate, however with differing levels of relevance for individual subjects (ACARA, 2012e).The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008), incorporated a set of seven ge neral capabilities that were deemed important for student future success by acting as a foundation for current and future learning. Student capabilities include literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding (ACARA, 2012b).Again it is seen that these basic capabilities will enable student success in a globalised workforce by enabling competiveness through the inclusion of 21st century needs of today’s students. Australian Curriculum in relation to the needs of 21st Century learners In the Federal governments’ educational reform document, The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008), the diverse needs of 21st Century students were acknowledged and a series of objectives established. The world is becoming ever more globalised with international mobility and competitiveness at the forefront (MCEETYA, 2008; Shelly et al, 2012).Therefore t he Australian Curriculum set to include a series of â€Å"general capabilities† (ACARA, 2012b) that would enable student future success by acting as a foundation of current and future learning. In addition, the inclusion of Information and computer technology (ICT) as a cross-subject enhancement tool, in order to address the needs of students of a digital age has also been included. The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008) defines ICT as â€Å"essential in all 21st Century occupations† (p. 5).Within the realm of ICT as a learning tool, educators are able to create authentic and meaningful learning opportunities across all subjects, as well as allowing the successful inclusion of differing learning styles of students through the use of digital resources such as podcasts, speech to text applications and web resources, amongst many others (Shelly et al, 2012). The Australian Curriculum provides these opportunities throughout and are indicated were appropriate throughout the content descriptions.The Australian Curriculum has set to include all students regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status and language ability the opportunity to succeed with the Australian Curriculum and provide them the best chance to be successful contributors to society (ACARA, 2012d). Teachers are able to make professional judgements on how to teach and assess the knowledge required to be learnt (ACARA, 2012d). Teachers are provided the flexibility to adjust the delivery of content to the needs of individual students to allow for maximum learning successes.Comparison of Australian Curriculum to local (state) and international models Prior to the publication of the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, history and science, the Northern Territory was using a curriculum document titled Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF). The NTCF is vastly different in design to that produced by ACARA due to the NTCF being an outcome based curriculum model compared to the Australian Curriculums assessment of student achievement against explicit learning area achievement standards (NTCF, 2012).Similarities do exist between both the NTCF and Australian Curriculum incorporating a set of desired student personal attributes called EsseNTial Learnings in the NTCF document and General Capabilities within the Australian Curriculum documents. Both the NTCF and Australian Curriculums goals in the development of these personal development outcomes were to prepare students to be valuable members of the community and successfully contribute in a competitive globalised world (ACARA, 2012b; NTCF, 2012).The similarities in curriculum content continue through to the structure of subject content and related standards and outcomes of achievement. The Australian Curriculum content description for Mathematics – Foundation – Statistics and Probability, states that â€Å"[students] answer yes or no to questions to collect information† (ACARA, 20 12c). In contrast, the NTCF outcome for Mathematics – Chance and Data, Key Growth Point two for foundation, states â€Å"learners use everyday language to state opinions on the possibility of a given event occurring† (NTCF, 2012).Although the similarities in content within both the Australian Curriculum and Northern Territory Curriculum Framework are many, the difference in detail and length of the documents is significant. As noted by Kevin Rudd in the document titled New Directions for our schools (Rudd, 2007), state and territory curriculum organisations tend to develop curriculum documents that are far to detailed than necessary. This is especially evident when comparing the NTCF’s Australian Curriculum document implemented in semester two 2012.A quick glance clearly indicates the substantial difference as the original NTCF mathematics document consists of 130 pages compared to that of the NTCFs Australian Curriculum implemented document totalling six pages for transition to year ten levels (Appendix 3 – further comparison of current NTCF and NTCF Australian Curriculum documents). Thus the simplification of the documents may lead to teacher instructional enhancement and clearer levels of required attainment, enhancing student success working with the curriculum.Conclusion The Australian Curriculum is an extensive yet precise document detailing what is essential for student learning to enable success in the future. The Australian Curriculum has invented itself as a transparent holistic educational document with a clear purpose and intent. Additionally, the Australian Curriculum has learnt from the errors of past attempts at a national curriculum and incorporated soft and hard policy (Brady & Kennedy, 2010) that enforces the use and implementation of the document nationally.By incorporating an online presence with a thoughtful inclusion of student needs for success in the 21st century through the development of cross curricular pr iorities and general capabilities, the Australian Curriculum is enabling student success in a soon to be Asian dominated globalised world (MCEETYA, 2008). The Australian Curriculum has incorporated what is deemed significant throughout Australia’s diverse individual curriculums and indeed created a document that shares a common intent for education specifically with the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework.The Australian Curriculum is at the precipice of complete national implementation. Only time will tell if it is successful in its attempts at creating a world class curriculum for Australia’s leaders of tomorrow (MCEETYA, 2008). References Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2008, July 17). Professor Barry McGaw AO, welcome address, Queensland Consultation Forum [Streaming video]. Retrieved from http://www. acara. edu. au/news_media/vodcasts . html Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012a).Overview. Retr ieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/Curriculum/Overview Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012b). General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/File/85028d2c-d680-402b-84c7- 9fdd00ecac82. Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012c). Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum (Mathematics). Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum . edu. au/Mathematics/Curriculum/F-10Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012d). Diversity of learners. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/Mathematics/ Diversity-of-learners Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012e). Cross Curriculum priorities. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/CrossCurriculumPriorities Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012f). Content Structure (English). Retrieved fro m http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/English/ Content-structure Brady, L. & Kennedy, K. (2010). Curriculum Construction (4th ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. Marsh, C. (2010). Becoming a teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues (5th ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. McMillan, J. (2010). Classroom Assessment: Principles and Practise for Effective Standards- Based Instruction. Boston, USA: Pearson Education. Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Melbourne, Australia: MCEETYA. Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF). 2012). Retrieved from http://www. det. nt. gov. au/teachers-educators/curriculum-ntbos Rudd. , K, & Smith. , S. (2007). New Directions for our schools. Canberra, Australia: Australian Labour Party. Shelly, G. , & Gunther, G. , & Gunther, R. (2012). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology in a connected world (7th ed). Boston, U SA: Cengage. Wiles, J. (2005). Curriculum essentials: a resource for educators (2nd ed). Boston, USA: Pearson. Appendix 1 Wiles (2005) definitions of curriculum: Curriculum as Subject MatterThe Curriculum should consist of permanent studies-the rules of grammar, reading, rhetoric and logic, mathematics and, at the secondary level, the greatest books of the western World (Robert Hutchins) The Curriculum must consist essentially of disciplined study in five areas: command of the mother tongue and systematic study of grammar, literature and writing, mathematics, the sciences, history and foreign language. (Arthur Bestor) The Curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge that comes from the disciplines (Philip Phenix) A Curriculum is a written document. George Beauchamp) Curriculum as a Plan The Curriculum is a planned program of learning opportunities to achieve broad educational goals and related objectives. (William Alexander) The Curriculum is all the learning of students that is planned by and directed by the school to attain its educational goals. (Ralph Tyler) The Curriculum is (a set of) planned and guided learning experiences for the learners’ continuous and wilful growth†¦ (Daniel and Laura Tanner) A Curriculum is a plan for learning. (Hilda Taba)Curriculum as an Experience A Curriculum is those experiences set up by the school for the purpose of disciplining students and youth in group ways of thinking and acting. (B. O. Smith, William Stanley, and Harlan Shores) The Curriculum is generally considered to be all the experiences that learners have under the auspices of the school. (Ronald Doll) The Curriculum is that series of things students and youth must do and experience. (Franklin Bobbitt) The Curriculum is the life and program of the school†¦ n enterprise in guided living. (Harold Rugg) Curriculum as an Outcome The Curriculum is a planned learning outcome for which the school is responsible (James Popham and Henry Baker) The Curri culum is a structured set of learning outcomes (objectives) resulting from instruction. (k. Howell, S. Fox, and K. Morehead) Appendix 1 Curriculum is concerned not with what students will do in the learning situation, but with what they will learn as a consequence of what they do. Curriculum is concerned with results. (Maurice Johnson) Appendix 2General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2012b) Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/File/85028d2c-d680-402b-84c7-9fdd00ecac82 Appendix 3 Comparison of Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF) and NTCF Australian Curriculum document. Figure 1: Demonstrates the amount of additional detail the NTCF document includes, in comparison to the NTCFs new Australian Curriculum document implemented in July 2012 (Note: NTCF does not have an independent History Curriculum) (ACARA, 2012; NTCF, 2012)

Japanese Internment During World War 2 Essay

Over the span of nine months 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forced from their homes, stripped of their belongs and denied basic human rights (1). During World War 2, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Canadian government felt people of Japanese origin could be a threat to the Canadian war effort. Because of this, thousands of Japanese Canadian citizen’s were moved to internment camps in British Columbia. The internment of the Japanese Canadians was wrong because it was completely unjustified, most of the people put in the internment camps had a Canadian citizenship, were treated very poorly and there wasn’t any proof that they would do anything negatively effect Canada during the war. No human being should have ever been treated this way. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Canadian racism towards Japanese citizens intensified. Although the Canadian military didn’t feel that the Japanese were a threat to them, the public believed that the Japanese citizens showed too much sympathy for Japan and were a threat to the country’s security as they could be spies (2). This common belief led to the decision of the Japanese being moved to a â€Å"safety zone† in interior British Columbia. I feel that this was extremely wrong because the Japanese hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Many of the people who were interned had lived in Canada their whole lives and considered themselves to be loyal Canadian citizen. They felt just as afraid and threatened by the war as every other Canadian was. Shortly after the internment began, an RCMP officer wrote a secret letter to a government agent stating, â€Å"We have had no evidence of espionage or sabotage among the Japanese in British Columbia† (1). This helps to prove the Japanese were innocent and should not have been put in internment camps; they clearly hadn’t done anything wrong. After the Japanese were brutally ripped from their homes, humiliated, and had their belongings taken from them they were forced to live in internment camps. They were forced to do hard labor and their knew houses lacked the basic standards of living. This is another reason why what the Canadian government did was so terrible. People were crammed into small houses that may have had a stove (3). There was an enormous amount of people being shipped to the internment camps but there weren’t nearly enough houses, because of this people were forced to live in tents. When families did get to move from a house to a tent I wasn’t an upgrade; the houses were very poorly insulated and unsanitary. At times there were houses with ten families living in them. When the Japanese people left their homes their land was considered the government’s property and the original owners wouldn’t acquire anything when it was sold. The war had caused a large labor shortage for farmers so the Japanese were used to help fix this problem. Men were given the option to work on a farm and be with their families or work on the road as slaves. The Japanese had to live terrible lives because of a poor decisions made by the Canadian government. The Japanese had done nothing wrong, they were being punished for a crime that they did not commit (1). The only defense that Canada had for doing what they did was the Japanese weren’t white and they could potentially be spies. A main reason that the Canadians put the Japanese into internment camps was because of racism. The Japanese were discriminated against for the reason that they were new to the country and took jobs away from other Canadians. The Japanese were willing to work longer hours for less pay then the average Canadian worker, because of this Canadians feared they would lose their jobs to the knew immigrants (2). Canadians also began to blame things on the Japanese that couldn’t possibly be their fault. Things like a poor harvest or a flat tire would be blamed on the Japanese when they couldn’t possibly be at fault. The Canadian Government did what they did based on fear and racism, but not any facts and this I what made it so terrible. The choice the Canadian government made in interning the Japanese was without a doubt a terrible decision. It was so wrong because there weren’t any real reasons to intern the Japanese, they treated the Japanese terribly and Canadians didn’t have any evidence that the Japanese had done anything wrong. The fact that Canadians could do something so terrible to the Japanese or fellow humans in general based on fear is horrifying. Interning the Japanese was completely unnecessary and shouldn’t ever have happened.

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Business Plan - Essay Example Such expansion will entail the setting up of a store location to offer the pretzels and its new selection not only during annual state fairs, but whole year round. Its customer will no longer have to wait during annual state fairs to avail of the pretzels and its new selection but can now go to a permanent location where they can avail of the product. Such expansion and setting up of store location however needs more capitalization. To this end, the present owner, son of the original owners Mr. and Mrs. Smith, will infuse a $ 50,000 capitalization to finance the expansion. The additional $50,000 loan with additional credit line will be used to cover the additional equipment to expand production and to cover additional overheads. To continue and expand the operation of Pretzels Galore and be able to cater to its unserved market by making Pretzels Galore available through a fixed store location creating and developing delicious, innovative, and a wider array of pretzels selection to the highest quality that will be appealing to different age groups and across different market segment and enhance the company’s market base and profitability. To become the leading provider of pretzel in the next two years through its distinct and delectable taste and by offering a wider array of Pretzels that is innovative and appealing while competitive in price. Pretzel is a unique knot like shape type of baked food made from dough and can be offered in a variety of soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors. It originated from Europe and has a distinct symmetrical looped form. Pretzels Galore was a creation of Mr. and Mrs. John Smith who after years of participation in annual state fair has created a market following owing to the distinct taste and flavor of its pretzels. This was enhanced by the second generation of the Smiths who after experimenting for new flavors of the original

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Book Review - Essay Example Context 1 Globalization as a Problem At the first, the author comes out argumentative towards globalization. The author describes globalization as a problem only because it is something, which is being mismanaged by institutions (Stiglitz). The author arguments that international institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank have made poor organizations poorer. It is because the benefit has been transferred to the developed nations and because the institutions have prioritized profits over environmental health, the peoples’ lives in the poor countries have been compromised. The author puts responsibility of mismanagement to the international institutions, which look for the size, the volume of an economy and the power in a respective nation to provide benefits and opportunities. The author actually tries to put a light on the context that globalization is a problem if it gets mismanaged or uncontrolled (Stiglitz). Leading the argument the author comes with an objection that United States, which is largest in economic volume, gets the veto power from the IMF. Similarly, the country being the largest in all economies appoints the head of the World Bank, the organization which deals with the sanctioning up of loans to world’s poor countries. ... Stiglitz settles the argument by describing the implications of Washington Consensus, which is a consensus build up just to weaken the already deprived countries. The author asserts the policies of the Consensus, which declare lending machinery, which is often counterproductive instead of out-bringing for the poor nations. The policies actually favor the bureaucracy, the capitalist regime and the high rise authorities which only fall in the idea of profit maximization (Lopez 10-14). The author explains that mismanagement of globalization is caused by four major practices; high privatization, low investment, low taxes reforms on imports, and high volatility of the foreign capital. The argument of the author extends on the consequences of these practices which have been adopted by the poor nations as proposed by the power block (The World Controlling Economic Machinery). All the countries have got from these practices and policies is that they have gone to more economic instability. It is deprivation of the countries, which they have received from these undermining practices and policies (Stiglitz 5-7). Context 2 Managing Globalization as a Solution The book has provided extensive knowledge on how globalization can become the benefit of the deprived (Lopez). It has explained the propositions of the author that how globalization can be turned to the benefit of the underprivileged world. Balancing out the trend of globalization and its affects is the second context/segment of the book, presenting globalization as a solution if it gets managed in accordance to the improvement of people’s lives (Putterman). Stiglitz proposes certain solutions in regards of globalization and the trend of it. The author talks about the changes and reforms in the globalization

Critical Evaluation of a Website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Evaluation of a Website - Essay Example Also, it is possible to contact WWW@sil.org. There is no any information about updates and creation of this web page. It is possible to say that this document is a current one because the organization indicates a current year on the site. The site provides viewers with a link to the home page. Also, the graphics of this site and information display is appealing to users. The purpose of the page web is indicated on the home page. Thus, there is a need for up-to-date information and the exact date of all changes. The information discussed in the article is useful for my purposes because it highlights SIL's philosophy and importance of endangered languages for general community. Unfortunately, the web page lacks objectivity because there is no a bibliography of print sources. The web page leads viewers to other Web resources but omits printed materials on this topic. Taking into account the pros and cons of the web page, it is evident that the key to any successful relationship program is detailed information and its design. Another feature, which is closely connected with this one, is that the better information that visitors have about the author, the more value they will potentially be able to provide. The main weaknesses of the web page are that it does not indicate the last date of changes and a bibliography.

-Issues with Chinesse Made goods (toys, food) Research Paper

-Issues with Chinesse Made goods (toys, food) - Research Paper Example orted recall of Stuffed Fun balls, during June 2006 to March 2007, from dollar and other discount stores; as these baby toys contained dangerous level of lead in the paint used by the Chinese maker. Similarly many ‘children’s turquoise rings’ were recalled by the Central Distributing Company of Maryland, during May 2007, as the same contained dangerous levels of lead.(Jefferson, 2007) The wheat gluten that was imported into America from China has been found responsible for the contamination of food products that killed huge number of pets and dogs, during 2007. However, media reports inform that the person responsible for allowing the export of such food product was arrested and executed by the Chinese government. The Chinese company exporting contaminated wheat gluten for human and animal consumption has been banned by the US government. Fortunately no large scale human tragedy was reported, due to such contamination.(Vujsa, 2007) In view of the ever increasing rejection of Chinese goods, due to above and other reasons, many Chinese business houses have incorporated corporate social responsibility and global law-abidance in their business models. The same include guarantee of high quality products and services by the business enterprises, among other issues.(Zhihai, 2007) Zhihai Zheng, â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility†, International Management Review, Vol. 3 No. 1 2007, accessed on 8th March 2011 at:

Controlling (Principles of Management Mod 5 SLP) Essay

Controlling (Principles of Management Mod 5 SLP) - Essay Example In controlling, equity bank applies action accountability that holds each employee accountable for their actions. Having trained employees on their responsibilities, each employee is left to act under minimal supervision keeping in mind that the outcome of his/her action has either a positive or negative implication on his/her performance record. Operating in a very competitive industry, Equity Bank’s management uses controlling as business strength so as to move ahead of its competitors (Alembi, 2009), who seem to have similar strategic plans. As a matter of fact, all financial organizations in the region have almost equal capacities to acquire employees, resources and mobilize their clients. However, through action accountability, equity bank has managed to rapidly grow relative to other financial institutions. In implementing this control effort, the management allows for both internal and external control of their employees. Through internal control, the management relies on employees, especially heads of various departments but not restricting the lower class employees, to exercise self-control. In fact, the employees who are preliminarily motivate by the fact that they will be rewarded for extra ordinarily good performance, are allowed to fulfill their job expectations by their own will and procedures. Moreover, equity bank provides their employees with sufficient resources and clear performance objectives that enable them deal with millions of clients to whom they have to attend to. In addition to self-control, each employee is answerable to an administrator who minimally supervises him, and is linked with performance appraisal system and employee discipline system that reward or punish extreme cases of performance respectively. However, although there are rewards and punishments, the firm capitalizes on always correcting its employees in efforts to improving individual performance in

International & Strategic Marketing (Degree Level) Essay

International & Strategic Marketing (Degree Level) - Essay Example ort suggests the formation of a joint venture as the preferred mode of entry into the Indian market however; the ratio of failure of joint ventures is relatively high and the firms to fail very quickly. There is also an element of creating a cultural cohesion and managing the diversity which Indian market can offer. In terms of sales activities, it is important that the firm must engage into B2B activity and manage its sales through creation of a dedicated sales force for personal selling mode of generating the sales. Exporting involves directly exporting the product of the firm into the market where firms wants to get entry. Exporting is desirable by those firms which tend to keep operational control of their products into their own hands besides launching and maintaining its own brand name in the international market. Exporting can also be done through piggybacking wherein the firm can actually utilize the available logistic and distribution networks of existing businesses to distribute and sell its products. It is important to note for successfully exporting a product, exporter requires the help and support of not only the importers but also that of the government as well as the transport. For successful completion of export targets, it is therefore critical that the exporter must strike a balance between the two. Further, the risk of high early failures is relatively high as business of this type often fail to materialize properly thus forcing exporters to look for some other alternative channels to continue to operate in the chosen market. Such high riskiness of the export will therefore may not be suitable for the firms engaged in B2B type of business. Forming joint ventures is another important mode of entry wherein the firm can participate through equity to formulate a new company. Joint ventures are especially helpful in gaining access to the technology as well as the core competencies of other firms besides utilizing the local knowledge of the firms

Total Environments, Health, and Safety Management in Nestle Essay

Total Environments, Health, and Safety Management in Nestle - Essay Example Employees are important part of any firm, whether big or small. Their behavior, attitude and personal hygiene plays a significant role in making the organization’s environment clean and healthy.Nestle considers the knowledge and attitude of its employees about health and safety and always come up with certain program which enhance the knowledge of its employees. The personal hygiene of the employees is the top most thing because a person can make the surroundings clean if only he or she is clean.Considering major element, it also includes the standards in every aspect. Nestle takes it as an important task which comprises each and every input, whether policies or plans, from process to progress. The best way to implement the above elements for healthy and safe environment is continuous monitoring and Nestle is doing the job quite impressively. Nestle plans such workshops which helps the employees in the identification of the hazards and related risk assessment. It includes the recognition of the health and safety hazards, its listing and risk rating of each hazard and the counter act for it. It also includes decision making and steps that may be necessary to reduce, minimize or control the risks.Nestle is organizing events like â€Å"Safety Awareness Week† in its factories with devotion, commitment and understanding to endorse safe working conditions of its employees, visitors and contractors. Not only this days like Environment Day and Earth Day is also observed at Nestle worldwide.... the knowledge and attitude of its employees about health and safety and always come up with certain program which enhance the knowledge of its employees. The personal hygiene of the employees is the top most thing because a person can make the surroundings clean if only he or she is clean. Considering major element, it also includes the standards in every aspect. Nestle takes it as an important task which comprises each and every input, whether policies or plans, from process to progress. The best way to implement the above elements for healthy and safe environment is continuous monitoring and Nestle is doing the job quite impressively. Nestle plans such workshops which helps the employees in the identification of the hazards and related risk assessment. It includes the recognition of the health and safety hazards, its listing and risk rating of each hazard and the counter act for it. It also includes decision making and steps that may be necessary to reduce, minimize or control the risks. Nestle is organizing events like â€Å"Safety Awareness Week† in its factories with devotion, commitment and understanding to endorse safe working conditions of its employees, visitors and contractors. Not only this days like Environment Day and Earth Day is also observed at Nestle worldwide. Efforts like this and many others have been done in Nestle so that a healthy and safe environment is created in the factories and offices round the globe. Following the above steps, any organization can bring the higher standards in their product and can built trust among its costumers. By making a safe and healthy environment we can move towards a prosperous world and also towards greener tomorrow. Safety Visions, goals and Objectives Nestle is one the leading multinational companies. Being the

Consolidated Life Case-Business Ethics Essay Example for Free

Consolidated Life Case-Business Ethics Essay Consolidated life is a prestigious insurance company however, due to the nature of the establishment the duties required by the worker neither required minimal knowledge nor did you have to have a high level education in order to obtain a position at the company. Mr. Mike Wilson however, obtained a business degree in administration. He was hired by Consolidated Life as simply as you can put a clerical worker. He worked in the policy issue department which main duties included processing or in taking clients orders for insurance, customer service, and client services. One would say that working for them; your performance required little to no creativity. It was the same day-to-day work load. Because it required so little creativity, daily routines were repetitive and can be done basically, with your hands tied to you back. Mike Wilson demonstrated how an effective a leader can be in the workforce rather than just a manager by title. He portrayed in existence of â€Å"high fidelity† which is the best experience you can have in a workplace. In the book Trade Off, by Author Kevin Maney, the word fidelity deals with â€Å"the total experience of something† (Maney, 2009). The author also says that â€Å"aura† can also provides an advantage to fidelity. With that being said Mr. Wilson influenced his co-workers with providing them with incentives and rewards in which they can gain a reward at the end of the task but most importantly he provided the right tools and motivations in order for his employees to work in a positive mind frame. This created a system of mutual bipartisanship between supervisor and employee. Model: based on the Organizational Model Behavior Mikes drive and motivation can be comparable to a person with theory y attributes. The theory Y concept displays how an employees work is as natural as play. Also a person with this characteristic has a huge sense of self-direction and self-control. Mr. Wilson showed this by cultivating a modern management technique that motivated its workers rather than coerced them which a person who you can place in this. Whereas, a person with the characteristics of theory x† carries the opposite attractions. The individual is not seen as enthusiastic about their job. They are mainly threatened or told â€Å"do it or else† and as stated before, lack the ability and drive to overachieve. They usually follow the motto, overpromise-under deliver. Mikes performance ultimately won him a promotion working in the supervisory assignment area. He won this promotion just six weeks after promise. Mike brought a sense of modern culture although it was seen as unorthodox or non-traditional. When comparing the delegation of authority in the levels of management the organization structure clearly shows that the establishment followed an authority oriented program in which Presidents are first to make decisions for the overall â€Å"vision† for the company in which it then trickles down to the VP who implements the President’s strategy by orchestrating a staff of supervisors to oversee the execution. Situation: There seems to be a drastic change to the division in which Mike supervised some time ago. When Mike realized his unhappiness at his new division he sought a remedy for disaster by returning to his old division forcing him under new terms and most importantly, a new boss. The performance value of his once over exceeding staff was now dwindled and unmotivated. The new way in which they worked became stricter and more inflexible. It was stale and there was no aura of high fidelity being promoted. Problems: The problem of this case has to do with mis-delegation of roles and mis-clarification for all parties. Not only that, the fact is the company as a whole has not identified its mission statement for their employees. With that being said the transition from the time Mike left became a tragedy. As stated before, the culture of the environment was slated after Mike left. It became from being a collegial environment to an autocratic environment once new vice president Jack Greely took over. Not only did he change the environment of the company, he basically dismantled the structure and rebuilt it based on his power. Until Mike was promoted the managerial style approach was not identified and supervisors, at this early time wanted a change and that’s why Mike was chosen to become supervisor. However, when Jack took Mike’s former supervisor’s place, the organization became, autocratic. An autocratic person can be defined as an employee that is dependent tot tally on a supervisor. This person has no other desire than to do what is only required out of the task and only the minimum. Usually in an autocratic setting the boss expects pure obedience from their employees and rely straight on authority from higher ups with no regard to any self-drive for themselves and lacks the qualities and abilities to take on initiatives and providing an entrepreneurial attitude about themselves. This can be explained by using the Abraham Maslow’s Theory found in an essay article written by Janet Simmons, Donald Irvin, and Beverly Drinnien which it states he says accordingly â€Å"that the only reason that people would not move well in direction of self-actualization is because of hindrances placed in their way by society† (Janet A. Simons, 1987). Also saying â€Å"We must see that the persons basic needs are satisfied. This includes safety, belongingness, and esteem needs† (Janet A. Simons, 1987) A person in the Consolidated Life organization that can be also skewed towards the autocratic style is Mr. Rick Belkner. Mike’s former boss. This, for lack of a better term, lazy supervisor (whom he was Mikes supervisor initially) illustrated as a person who rather do crossword puzzles during his work shift then to lead by example, what a competent Vice President of their division; shy 40,000 of a six-figure salary. The point was clearly made by Mr. Greely when he assumed that Mikes management style would still be undermined no matter how good of his performance. He even went to the extent of assuring that Mr. Wilson will fail no matter how high you move up in the establishment. It is almost agreeable to say that Mr. Speelys choose of words were not only rude but shows a poor and ineffective leader. Mr. Greely does not seem to be results-driven but ego-driven as his defense for Mikes work style was inarguable and measured his own assumption to Mikes performance rather than just judging an employee on what he does best, his/her performance. Reading how Mike handled it; amazingly enough. In the chart featured on page-You can see simple comparing of the two different types of behavioral patterns by identifying the qualities, organizational and environmental forces that are represented by the 2 behavior patterns. You will see the differences between a workers operating in an autocratic setting versus a person who operates under the collegial or supportive setting(s). By identifying the contrast you are able to see what kind of modifications or structures that would have to be put in place based on a employees attitude. The attitude in which comes from probably stems from personal goal, motivations, or self desires a person may have in their work space. Some individuals dont possess the willingness to achieve and be a leader. Some individual are quite happy with just being an average worker and moving up in the corporate latter is something that does not motivate them. Autocratic Environment Vs. Collegial /System Environment Base Questions for Case 1. Describe ALL the factors that contributed to Mike’s lack of promotion at the end. Was his lack of promotion fair? When Mike left the division, he left the process in which he created, to be altered by the new president upon his departure. The flexible leadership that led to the team success came to a halt when divisional vice president, Jack Greely; who’s reputation was described as tough but fair. Mike accepted the position at the old division again without really investigating the provisions in which he was now to work under. He loss total control when he noticed that co-workers were actually more inclined to follow Mr. Greelys direction because the employees knew the order of hierarchy and knew the consequences of action should one follow anyones demands except for Mr. Greelys. 2. Using your knowledge of culture, explain in detail Consolidated Life’s culture when Mike was first hired and then when he returned. There was a transition in the organization which proved to have opportunities due to the position void. Such example shows that Mike (when he was first hired by Consolidated Life) he was promoted to his position because of the opportunities of change. Mike’s style was not really favored by his â€Å"higher-ups† but because he manages to increase workflow and reduce errors, which created more performance his flexible style was overlook which sends a sign of â€Å"inconsistency†. If you are going to allow a manager to take over the project then let them take over. As long as they don’t compromise the integrity of the company or do anything illegal. 3. What actions could Consolidated Life have taken to prevent Mike’s problems? There should have been more flexibility granted for Mike to effectively coordinate his team. Mr. Wilsons track record clearly shows that as a supervisor he is competent to make educated decisions and lead a staff with ease. An employee is always happy when they are not pressured nor stressed. Most important of all, when a leader shows reciprocity, more than likely there would be a win-win. For Example, Mikes strategy to reward his co-workers in exchange for hard work showed the worker was not working out of vain and in fact he/she was being acknowledged and rewarded for the hard efforts being put forth. 4. Who do you think was at fault for Mike’s problems, Mike or his supervisors (e. g. , Jack) or others? Completely justify your opinion. The fault of Mike problems was his free spirited style which usually offends conservatives. Jack implemented a â€Å"corporate† style setting upon Mike’s return.

Education & life Essay Example for Free

Education life Essay Education has always been an important part of my life. I have always believed that through hard work and dedication, I may be able to fulfill my dreams and aspirations. Furthermore, I am more inclined into becoming one of the most successful graduates our school has ever had. I want to be able to show the world how an individual like me can make a difference in life. My name is (insert your name here) in taking (NAME OF COURSE) at the (NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY). I consider myself to be a well rounded individual. As a student, I am proficient with subject relating to Math, History and Science (insert subjects where you’re good at). Unlike others, I never experienced any difficulty with Math, for I am able to easily interpret and solve mathematical equations. This great fascination also led to an inclination for Science. History, on the other hand, opens my knowledge to greater heights, for I am greatly interested in the circumstances that happened in the past. I believe that being knowledgeable about these things would help me grasp things that happen nowadays. Aside from my fascination for education, I am also active in my extra curricular activities. I am a well socialized person and loves dealing with everyone else. I believe that having many friends is one of my greatest achievements because I can relate to their ups and downs. Moreover, I also have passion in taking care animals more specifically marine animals. I was overwhelmed when I received my license in scuba diving and this boost my confidence even more. The said license gave me more opportunity to travel beneath the sea and meet my favorite mammals like dolphins and sharks. I am very proud of this achievement because the water world and animal kingdom are part of the society that is not yet congested by pollutions and negative activities as compared to the land. Receiving my license in scuba diving is not that easy. I undergo various exercises and lessons before I succeeded. This can be compare to life and education as well. If I will not work hard and follow the instructions I will end up drowning not only in water but in the pool of ignorance and misery. Education is best achieved when one works harder each day. Being admitted to your good university will serve as the path towards my dream of becoming (insert ambition here). I know that my skills and talents are not enough for me to be considered for a position in your school. All I know is that I am equipped with my determination to succeed and fulfill my dreams. From my experiences, excelling in both co-curricular and extra curricular activities is not easy. Success surpasses just the basics of passing all subjects in school and excelling in them. Success also requires much determination, dedication, hard work and prayers. Moreover, my dreams and aspirations do not end after graduation. I would use my experiences and knowledge to be of service to those in need. Furthermore, I would indulge myself in more programs that could help me become a better individual and a unique professional. I would apply everything that the (insert name of university here) imbibed in me and still yearn for more information and ideas that would help in the upheaval of our society. Being a graduate of this prestigious institution would also come to my advantage, for I may be able to inspire others to strive hard and become known in their chosen fields. My life is filled with numerous decisions, and choosing the (insert name of university here) is definitely the answer to my dreams.

Discovering The Kingdom Of God

Discovering The Kingdom Of God INTRODUCTION Do we really know what the Kingdom of God is, or are we only speculating? Is it that personal hope that one day after our death we will enter into the Kingdom of God and have eternal life? Or is it something else that we as human beings cannot grasp with our limited mindset. Whatever the outcome, let us explore this magnificent topic to get the best possible answer. As Christians we must be able to have Biblical answers to theological questions. 1. Write an essay presenting a biblical view of the nature of the Kingdom of God and exploring the implications of your understanding of the kingdom for ministry today: We must start off by asking ourselves the question: What does the Kingdom of God mean to us as Christians. To many this is maybe another irrelevant religious term used to describe the unrealistic visions of Christians. Some may even see the existence of the Kingdom of God altogether as part of the Church (Ladd 1981:2-3). One theologian by the name of Adolf von Harnack, when confronted over the issue, wrote the following: The Kingdom of God comes by coming to the individual, by entering into his soul and laying hold of it. For Adolf von Harnack, the Kingdom of God meant that the Spirit of life was to come and fill people personally. This hope was a universal hope for the whole creation. People had to interact with one another and the whole of creation to receive this eternal life (Moltmann 1996:131). Even Albert Schweitzer (Ladd 1981:3) says the Kingdom of God is supernatural and part of the future. Should we take the above mentioned as the only answers for the Kingdom of God or shoul d we go to the Word of God and find what it has to say about the Kingdom of God. Yes, we should definitely find the Scriptural truths in the Word of God that explains the Kingdom of God to us. First of all, the Kingdom of God is where God rules. In Jeremiah 31:33-34, LASB God writes the rights of His kingdom in our hearts and He wants us to obey Him in glory and honour (Ladd 1981:6). We see His kingdom exist in the spiritual realm which is not presently visible to our eyes, but we can persevere in faith that someday the Kingdom of God will come in all its fullness. Psalm 103:19, LASB The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all (Ladd 1981:6-7). The Kingdom of God is both in the present and in the future. We read that many times Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God in the future tense Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God (Mark 14:25, LASB). Other times He indicated that the Kingdom of God was already present. Then sometimes He preached that the Kingdom of God was nearby (you could almost touch the kingdom). So we can see that the Kingdom of God progr ess through us (by spreading the Gospel) on the earth here and now (Ladd 1981:8-9). The Kingdom of God is unavailable to people that practice acts of sin. We read in the Bible the following: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, LASB). So if you are practicing some of the above and you die, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God, but if you are cleansed and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ, and sin no more and then die, the Kingdom of God is at hand. With the resurrection comes the Kingdom of God (Ladd 1981:11-13). In the Old Testament we also find the Kingdom of God spoken of for the first time, although the term itself is not directly used. Israel did not really care about the term Kingdom of God; they only worried about themselves and their rebellious ways. This was very sad because God actually wanted to prepare Israel to find hope in the coming of the King. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6, LASB). This King was to deliver all people from their slavery to sin (Williams 1992:15-16). We see in the New Testament the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ was born to be the Ruler for us. When Jesus stood on trial for His life, before Pilate, Pilate asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews? He answered him and said, It is as you say (Luke 23:3, LASB). So we see that Jesus did tell him that He was a King, but Jes us also indicated to him that His Kingdom was not of this world. This scripture says it all, God was the Supreme Ruler and Jesus Christ was going to rule all nations of the earth (Williams 1992:17-18). Matthew records Jesus using the phrase Kingdom of heaven while Mark and Luke uses the phrase Kingdom of God. When the two are measured against one another, they are almost identical (Ridderbos 1996:39). In the above paragraphs I have tried to capture a biblical view of the nature of the Kingdom of God and know that with this discovery comes a profound responsibility for us as part of a ministry. So in closing I realised the following: Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and Gods righteousness, and if we do, everything will fall into place. God has got one desire for us and that is to please Him and follow Him. God must be glorified here on earth because by doing so has both current and eternal implications. Our time, talents, treasures, attitudes and actions must be to serve God. We must avail ourselves to help others come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, so that they may be saved from their sins as well, so that they can start to seek the Kingdom of God now and in the future. Conclusion Morphew (1991:52) said the following: There is every reason to be filled with hope the confident expectation that we move from the victory Christ has already obtained, to the victory of Christ still to be obtained. What a great priviledge to know that the Kingdom of God is coming and everything will change. To know that we have some insight into the Kingdom of God, but for now, change begins in us. Let us produce the Kingdom on earth through the will of God. Bibliography Barton B B, Beers R A and Galvin J C (eds) 1996. Life Application Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Ladd G D 1981. The Gospel of the Kingdom. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Moltmann J 1996. The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology. St Albans Place, London: SCM Press. Morphew D J 1991. Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom. Cape Town: Struik Christian Books. Ridderbos H N 1996. In DRW Wood (ed.), New Bible Dictionary, 647-650. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Williams J R 1992. Renewal Theology, vol. 3. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. INTRODUCTION It is said that warfare is not only a physical reality, but it is also a spiritual reality. The enemy is around us and within us. Satan and his demonic forces are constantly prepared for an attack on Gods children. The great weapon that Satan employs in his attacks is the sinful nature of every human being. The question we must then ask ourselves is the following: First of all, is Satan really the ruler of the earth and are we under his rule. Secondly, did Jesus Christ then lost authority over us. Thirdly, can we really believe The Ransom Theory as the ultimate truth? Let us investigate the outcome so as to understand the enemys weaknesses and strengths without being afraid of him. ASSIGNMENT 2 Write an essay disputing the claim that Satan has the right and title deed to the earth. Be sure to address each of the implications listed below: The Ransom Theory of the Atonement cannot be dismissed as summarily as it usually is if indeed Satan had a right to the souls of men. The Ransom Theory personally for me creates the picture of God and Satan sitting at a table playing a deck of cards. Satan has just won and now rules the world. In an attempt to save the world and its people, God tries to negotiate or bribe Satan to give Him back the world. So God with His back against the wall gives His Son, Jesus Christ as ransom. When Origen formulated the doctrine, he said the following: It was Satan rather than God who demanded Christs blood, thus initiating this aspect of the transaction. So the ransom was determined by, paid to, and accepted by Satan. This mitigates to some extent the charge that the ransom theory makes God somewhat of a dishonest dealer (Erickson 1996:53-56). Really, we cannot believe this, for God is an honest and truthful Ruler. In Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, Satan tried to tempt everyone away from God, but he couldnt do it. Although Adam and Eve were disobedient, God was still in control. I think the idea that made some to think the title deed of the earth was passed over to Satan was the fact that God gave us our own will and some people want to believe in Satan ruling the earth. Yes, Satan is powerful, but Jesus is more powerful. Jesuss resurrection shattered Satans power and showed Gods unconditional love for us. To overcome Satan we need faithful allegiance to Gods Word and stay away from sin (Gross 1990:114-115). Jesus said: Now is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out (John 12:31, LASB). Postmillennialism too becomes far more attractive and reasonable when viewed in the light of inter-kingdom conflict: If the purpose of God is to win back territory from the enemy then truimphalism and kingdom now theology is tenable. To think that Jesus Christ will return after Christians (Not Jesus Christ Himself) have established the Kingdom on this earth sounds very attractive and promising. All of us wants to believe that this world will become better and better. We want to be heroes and save this world before Jesus Christ comes. However, this is not the Biblical view of the world in the end times. Triumphalism and kingdom now theology are acceptable, but only for people that believe in Postmillenialism (Erickson 1996:160-161). We as Christians must find balance between winning back the Kingdom of God and awaiting eternal life. We should spread the Gospel until Jesus Christ comes to save us. To think that there is nothing to fear or that we are Superman is insane. Paul explains that there are difficult times for Christian service. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5, LASB). Morphew (1991) says that A triumphalist approach will produce unreal people who live in a spiritual bubble, or worse, arrogance and fanaticism that brings the name of Jesus into disrepute. Similarly, spiritual warfare concepts such as taking our cities for God, so much in vogue nowadays, would need to be aggressively practiced. I disagree with this concept of running around chasing the enemy. Who do we serve, Jesus Christ or Satan? As being part of the military I have realized one thing, warfare in this instance should be defensive and not offensive. We have victory in our spiritual warfare by standing in prayer and not running around trying to rebuke Satan every time something goes wrong. It is by knowing the truth and submitting to God in obedience that the devil runs (Moriarty 1992:150-151). 2 Corinthians 10:4-6, LASB For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. When Jesus Christ arose and ascended, He revealed His victory over Satan, taking with Him those whom the devil had captured. The victory of Jesus Christ is the victory of all who are saved by faith in Him. Satan has no legitimate authority over Christians. The only influence he enjoys in our lives is when we yield to him (Moriarty 1992:153-154). It is true what Moriarty (1992:150) says The Devil does not need to be outshouted; he needs to be outtruthed. The implications for Church life also need to be considered: If the primary function of the church is to conduct a war then a hierarchical form of government would be appropriate and mega churches more effective than small family congregations. First of all we must remember that the main purpose of the church is for the praise of Gods glory and His wonderful grace. The church need not to change to really conduct war against Satan and remember that a church is not confined to four walls, the church of Jesus Christ is people. For me a small family congregation has got the same power as a mega church. Many churches and especially the new charismatics believe that the church needs a special army of Christian believers to worship with force to wipe out the devil and his demons. The people sing songs to chase away the demons and the devils and forget what the main purpose of spiritual warfare is all about. People forget that Jesus Christ is now head of the church, the ultimate authority over the world and we are the body. If we work, serve or worship together in holiness, we are one body in unity. Satan will not be able to stand when we worship together against him (Moriarty 1992:149-151). For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12, LASB). Conclusion You have read all the above arguments that were made and must make a decision. Do you serve Jesus Christ or Satan? Just remember, Christians will always be in battle, being a soldier for Jesus Christ is not an option, it is a command. Do not get excited about Satan; rather get excited about Gods Kingdom and eternal life. Bibliography Barton B B, Beers R A and Galvin J C (eds) 1996. Life Application Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Erickson M J 1996. Christian Theology (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Erickson M J 1996. Contemporary Options in Eschatology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. Gross E N 1990. Miracles, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. Moriarty M G 1992. The New Charismatics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Morphew D J 1991. Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom. Cape Town: Struik Christian Books. INTRODUCTION Jesus handed down all His power and authority to us, but do we really appreciate this enormous opportunity to continue the legacy of Jesus Christ. Some people say that they do not experience the amazing works of God displayed in their lives. Did Jesus Christ loose His power and authority? Or is something wrong in us; we who proclaim that we belong to Jesus Christ. Let us find the answers and rekindle the flame of boldness, obedience, courage and power through Jesus Christ. ASSIGNMENT 3 3.1. The task of extending the kingdom. I agree with both these statements for the following reasons: Jesus did give authority and power to His disciples. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:6-8, LASB). The disciples had tremendous results as they ministered with authority in Jesus name. In Luke 4:18-20, LASB Jesus told Peter and Andrew to leave their fishing business and become fishers of men, to help others find God. They had to practise Christs teachings and share the gospel with others (Grudem 1994:83). Jesus also went and designated seventy messengers. These disciples were not fully qualified, but their willingness and their awareness of Jesus power made them excellent candidates to reach all people. We read that when the seventy returned, they were delighted and full of victory. Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name (Luk e 10:17, LASB) (Grudem 1994:92). Yes I agree, we the men and women of this world needs to preach the gospel based on the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross and through His resurrection. Yes, we can still make use of Satan through our selfishness and sin, but do we really what to hamper our relationship with God. If we do not preach the gospel, teach the principles of the kingdom of God, heal the sick and deliver the demonised, who will. John 14:12, LASB Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. Jesus Christ gave the bible to teach and direct, the Church to support and the Holy Spirit to annoint. 3.2. The role of deliverance in extending the kingdom. Are demons described in the Scriptures as malignant entities with identity and personality? Give reasoning and references. Yes I would say that demons are distinct persons with indentities and personalities. Each has a name, though we only know the names of a few, for example the serpent (snake) in the Garden of Eden. Demons possess supernatural intelligence. They demonstrated insight into the identify of Jesus when He healed all the sick and demon-possessed. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him (Mark 1:34, LASB). They definitely know their future. The two demon-possessed men when they saw Jesus thought He was only going to torment them at the end of the world. And suddenly they cried out, saying, What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:29, LASB). How did the Lord Jesus deal with demons by counselling or medicating the victim, or by delivering him/her with a word of command? Give reasoning and references. Jesus made use of practical examples in His dealings with demons and there were always people to witness this events. And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons (Mark 1:39, LASB). Jesus used His name to cast out demons. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; (Mark 16:17, LASB). Jesus cast demons not only out of people with evil spirits, but also out of people who were not affected by demons. Some of the people never even realised their sickness were caused by demons. When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, You are the Chri st, the Son of God! (Luke 4:40-41, LASB). Is it the Lords expectation that we should deal with demonic conditions in the same way as He did? Give reasons and references. Firstly, Jesus wants us to use the spiritual armour He gave us. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:13, LASB). Without the armour people will be vulnerable to Satans attack. We must walk in honesty, righteousness, faith, love, hope, peace, readiness, speaking the Word of God and praying in the Spirit. We need all this to be successful against Satan and his demons. Jesus expects us to stand against Satan. We need wisdom and power from God to overcome them. We should walk in love, though this will definitely frustrate the demons. Jesus prayed for people and so should we. We should also know the truth, and the truth will make us free. 3.3. The role of prayer in extending the kingdom. Below are three statements about the role prayer plays in extending the kingdom of God. Which one do you support and why? I want to agree with the first two statements. The second statement more than the first. Prayer is the foundation of every Christian person (Wegerle 1997:3). We should by now realise the value of prayer otherwise we will never be moved to do things. Day and night we must pray. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it (Joshua 1:8, LASB). Prayer produces a strength (a spiritual strength) that can get things done. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11, 11-12, LASB) (Wegerle 1997:4). To pray you do not have to prepare any special formulas. God knows our hearts, if our hearts are pure and good, we can tell God anything (Grudem 1994:61). Prayer definitely releases the power and authority of God. In Matthew 16:19, LASB Jesus made an enormously big statement. Jesus gave us the keys to His kingdom. With this keys we can open the heavenly treasure-house hear on earth. We have the authority to bind Satan and his demons and change the behaviour (sins) of people (Wegerle 1997:16-18). Prayer is not an acknowledgement of need. God knows what we want and we must keep on praying in faith (Grudem 1994:57). 3.4. The role of the Spirit in extending the kingdom. Evaluate the contentions made in the quotation below and support your views with Scripture. We have entered into the time where great treasures of knowledge are revealed and teached to men and women by the Holy Spirit (Grudem 1994:112). We the annointed messengers should walk in the Spirit and deliver this knowledge. I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians 5:16-18, LASB). The Holy Spirit is Jesus Christs representative in the church. Jesus took His seat in heaven and the Holy Spirit came down to begin the work of building up the body of Christ (Grudem 1994:113-114). For by one Spirit we were all baptised into the body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13, LASB). We must get accustomed to proclaiming the Gospel with the Holy Spirit sent down to us with power. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7, LASB). No pastor can preach the Word of God without consulting the Holy Spirit for annointing. The Holy Spirit can manifest Himself in a Church service and create an atmosphere of love. Usually then people submit their lives and wills to Jesus Christ (Grudem 1994:111-112). Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5, LASB). 3.5. The role of sign gifts in extending the kingdom. Comment on the logic in the following quotations by John MacArthur. Contrast MacArthurs views with those of teachers from the Charismatic movement. Finally, indicate your views on the meaning of Hebrews 2:3-4. The first quotation for me personally gives the idea that God is not truly present and that God did not leave us anything. It feels as if the line Once the Word was complete, it was all over really means that Jesus do not exist for us today and God will never be glorified. Then the Messiah is not authentic and true anymore (MacArthur 1992:127). I might agree with him on some issues for instance, we read in the Bible that Jesus and the disciples did wonderful miracles and healings. They raised the dead, healed cut-off ears and restored the crippled. The miracles of healing today is not so intense and frequent as in Jesus time. I want to agree in what Edward Gross (1990:36-37) believes. God does work miracles today. He says that God will never oppose His Word. He honors His Word even in greater ways than He honors His own name (Psalm 138:2, LASB). Miracles and healings will keep on happening. Jesus ministry has given to us His teachings. Although we did not see these miracles and signs , we base our believe on the people in the Bible that were eyewitnesses. This must be encouragement for us to go on and perservere because I do believe in a miracle working God. In the second quotation I agree that miracles, wonders and sign gifts were given to the first generation apostles. And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease (Matthew 10:1, LASB). Let us face it, even during the apostolic age Christians could not do signs and miracles. Those qualities were unique to the apostels (MacArthur 1992:126). But, what I do believe is that God intervenes supernaturally in human beings today. God can heal people inspite of what medicine say. All things are possible with God. But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26, LASB). Conclusion Most of the time we are limiting our own power, but it is Gods will to release the power in me and you. Let us not deprive ourselves the opportunity to be in the spirit, but be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God is extending everyday more and more because it is the mind of God. In the Kingdom of God are peace, love and perfect joy.

The Stranger by Albert Camus - Man or Monster? :: The Stranger The Outsider

Man or Monster in Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider) In Albert Camus’ absurdist novel, The Stranger, Meursault’s detachment from society and his killing of the Arab reveal moral and ethical implications for him and his society. As is common in many absurdist novels, Camus discusses the estrangement - and later development - of an individual in a benign and indifferent universe, one in which conformity prevails. Camus not only satirizes the conformity of society, but religion and the legal system as well. By writing in the first person (from the standpoint of Meursault), he draws in the reader, making the evils of society more prevalent. The conflict is established at the end of Part I, when Meursault kills an Arab; an action not uncommon in Algiers during this period of social unrest (the 1930’s). He does not do it intentionally, but rather because of the intensity of the moment and the blinding sunlight reflecting off of the Arab’s blade.   The fact that Meursault kills an Arab is of little importance in this novel. The jury and the general population despise him because he is different, not because of the murder. Even Meursault’s lawyer predicts that the punishment will be minimal. Throughout the entire trial, the prosecution stresses Meursault’s lifestyle and his indifference to everything. They bring up his mother’s funeral and say that he showed no signs of emotion. To make things worse, he went to a Fernandel comedy and had sex with Marie on the very next day. The prosecutor once states, â€Å"...all I see is a monster.† It is true that Meursault was different from the rest of society. However, he changes throughout the trial and eventually becomes an existentialist hero. This is because he finds meaning in life. It is ironic, though, that he learns to appreciate life after his is effectively over. His apathetic approach to life is made clear from the first page: â€Å"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.† This foreshadows his approach to everything else in the book. His indifference to Maman’s death contrast’s significantly to Salamano’s distress at losing his dog. Many of the characters in this book also function to highlight his qualities through contrast. At the end of the book, after coming to a realization, Meursault does not want to die and for the first time, he shows emotion. He shakes and screams at the chaplain and says, â€Å"It was the first time in my life I wanted to kiss a man,† when Celeste speaks up for him at the trial.

Discovering the Things that Make Us Human: Evolution of the Brain :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Discovering the Things that Make Us Human: Evolution of the Brain There is a powerful sentiment among many people that human beings are the most intelligent and complex animals on earth. Our ability to use language is matched by no other species. It makes sense to assume that whichever characteristics of the human brain arent possessed by other animals, specifically primates, our closest evolutionary relatives, are the ones responsible for the acquisition, production, and comprehension of language. As the relatively new field of neuroscience develops, scientists are beginning to study the evolutionary relationships of brain organization and function in an effort to understand the regions of the brain responsible for language, abstract thought, and self-expression. This discipline, known as Paleoneurology, examines the development of the hominid brain (1). Paleoneurology has its roots in the fields of neurology, paleoanthropology, and primatology. There are two methods used by Paleoneurologists to study brain evolution: the examination of fossil sku lls and endocasts, and comparative primate neuroanatomy (2). The study of the evolution of the brain is useful, because it allows for an understanding of the origins of the structural differences between humans and other animals--in effect, what makes us human. According to the fossil record, the first brain structure appeared in reptiles around 500 million years ago. The functions of this hindbrain included breathing, heart beat regulation, balance, basic motor movements, and foraging skills (1). An interesting trend in brain evolution is that more evolved species tend to preserve the structures responsible for basic behaviors. In other words, evolution is the process of acquiring more and more sophisticated structures, not simply the addition of different structures. Therefore, the modern human brain contains the primitive hindbrain region, often called the protereptilin brain (1), and it is the seat of fundamental homeostatic functions. The major structures found in this region of the brain are the Pons and Medulla. About 250 million years after the appearance of the hindbrain, a new region known as the paleomammalian brain arose. This region consists of the hippocampus and cerebellum and is often referred to as the limbic system. As mig ht be expected, this region is associated with more complex functions such as emotional, sexual, and fighting behaviors (1). The newest and most intricate area of the brain, the cerebrum, was first developed around 200 million years ago. The highly convoluted surface of the cerebrum is called the neocortex.

Codeswitching from English Essay example -- Language

The use of codeswitching between English and other languages is examined from a sociolinguistic perspective. It will be shown that codeswitching is instinctive and achieves overarching objectives such as serving the outcome of speech, defining identity and indirectly delineating aspects of the relationship between the participants, it 'lubricates' the conversation by making it more 'fluid', and when English is used, brings clarity and precision, particularly to formal arrangements. Finally codeswitching from English as a component of 'metrolinguistics' will be considered in relation to the data provided. The extracts are between G. D. Jayalakshmi, known as Jaya, who normally speaks English (but also Kannada, a south Indian language, Bengali, some Punjabi and Tamil), Nitin and Prathibha, who are work colleagues, and her brother Jagadish, known as Jaggu. The script of the conversations can be found in the U214 Assignments document pages 3 and 4, and the line numbering references are as used there. In the first conversation between Jaya and Nitin, Jaya points out in her commentary, that in 1.1 Nitin begins in English 'because the conversation is about work', in 1.2 she replies in Kannada, to demonstrate her friendliness toward him whilst observing that Nitin's use of English is due, not only to the work context, but also his knowledge that she has lived in England for many years and he too, wishes to show her friendliness by using English. Jaya concludes that they have used two languages to get closer, but they finish the conversation, 1.6 to 1.11 in English, which, talking to Pratibha in dialogue 2 she describes as the language of 'definiteness', or again in 4, with Jaggu, 'of arrangements'. The few words at the start of this ... ...OM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. English in the World, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. McCormick, K. (2012), 'English and Other Languages' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 245-290. Meyerhoff, M. and Strycharz, A. (2012), 'Variation and Change in English' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 291-329. North, S. (2012), 'English a Linguistic Toolkit' (U214, Worlds of English), Milton Keynes, The Open University. Transcript, 'Clip 1.6.3 Codeswitching between English, Kannada and Hindi' printed from English: a Linguistic Tool Kit, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Apple Inc

Features of Apple Industry:2 Evaluation of Steve Jobs as a strategic leader4 Strategic Innovation5 Recommendation7 Conclusion8 Reflection of our group work9 References12 Introduction As the first of the World’s Most Innovative Companies (Business week, 2010) and the 17th of the Best Global Brands (Interbrand, 2010), Apple has succeeded in strategic leadership and innovation, which has drawn attention from the world recently. This essay focuses on some key issues of Apple’s innovation. It begins with analyzing the key features of Apple Inc by Porter’s five forces and Kay’s distinctive capabilities.Then, the evaluations of the CEO Steve Jobs as the strategic leader and explanations of Apple’s strategic innovation are involved. The final section is our recommendations to Apple. Features of Apple Industry: In the stage of analyzing the key features of Apple industry, the first method is the Porter’s five forces model. It divides into five parts, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and competitive rivalry within an industry (Assen, Berg and Pietersma,2009). Firstly, for Apple, there are some new entrants have disruptive power.For example, some online services which are similar to iTunes. However, there are numbers of high requirement for new entrants to get in the market, for instance, time and cost of entry. In the part of substitutes, nowadays, large amount of substitutes have good performance, they cost lower, are easy to switch, but only few of them have same quality as Apple’s products in the same price. In terms of bargaining power of buyers, it is an influential trouble for Apple. Although Apple has vast and loyal customers, every buyer and retailer all want better stuff in lower price.Moreover, they may reduce spending on Apple’s products if their economy downturn. Furthermore, Apple can ignore bargaining power of its professional supp liers, such as Inter, and strategic alliance, like Microsoft. The last part is the existing rivalry; Apple has a lot of powerful competitors, for example, HP and Lenovo. They pressure into Apple in every technological area and attract buyers by different products. Nevertheless, to be the most innovation company of the world, Apple industry is competitive all the time.Another method used in analysing key features of Apple industry is Kay's distinctive capabilities. This model consists of Architecture, Reputation and Innovation. Architecture: in the internal part between firm and employees, Apple industry has owns special corporate culture and a spiritual leadership. Apple corporate culture is featured in intense works and being pursuit of perfect works under a casual atmosphere and with sharing spirit. For a spiritual leadership, Steve Jobs' role in Apple is motivating employees to bring employees' creative talent into full play and not involving in the employees' work.In the externa l part and net works of architecture, Apple only choose strong suppliers having professional advantages to cooperate, such as Intel, it always cooperate other firms with its own purpose. For instance, the apple chose the Google to take advantage of its maps and video features for phone. Reputation: Apple has a great reputation that is built up on the basis of the quality signals and consumers' own experiences. Apple pays attention to quality of products. Apple keeps a trial and error on every product to prevent any quality problems from happening in future.Moreover, Apple's production is always based on consumers' experience. For example, Apple offers a free trial for consumers to feel their products. Innovation: Apple is famous for its innovation that can be demonstrated by technological innovation, product innovation and management innovation. Technological innovation means a perfect integration between hardware and software and Apple also keep updating them. Referring to product innovation, from first imac to recent-product i phone, Apple products, combining different functions, all go through the innovation.Speaking of management innovation, after Steve job's employment, Apple's management style is successfully transformed from relaxed style to controlled one. Evaluation of Steve Jobs as a strategic leader Steve Jobs is known to be eccentric when it comes to strategy and business because he strives to become a market leader by dominating the competitors in customer loyalty, distribution and coverage, perceived value, price, profit and promotional spending. This is evident when we compare Apple and Microsoft because when Microsoft shows profit by sheer quantity, Apple competes strongly with the quality of its products and services.As an innovative leader, Steve Jobs is legendary which is reflected on his company motto â€Å"Think different! † Rethinking, reinventing and revitalizing are the three main ways of doing business according to Steve Jobs. S implicity and innovation in terms of the product range gave Steve Jobs the edge over other competitors. A well-known example for this is the annual launch of new and updated versions of the iPod with a simple change in colour, form-factor and memory capacity. His risk-taking approach to business is believed to be unique making him an epitome of courage.His idea of self-belief and a vision enabled him to lead a great career life. He believes in investing in new innovative products and services that are built on existing technologies to create a â€Å"customer and market-based business†. His ability to get over failures and try again makes him a suitable comparison with Thomas Edison who had his share of failures along with mighty successes. Apple is a multi-billion company and yet they have just fewer than 30 different products. This is because of Steve Jobs’ immense drive for focus on a specific and well-identified section of the consumer electronics market.This shows the stringent and perseverant character of Steve Jobs as he would have told â€Å"No† to many potential ideas related both to the products and in recruitment. When Steve Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985 and came back in 1996, he implemented what we now believe as a CEO-centric model of strategic leadership that involves not just generation of ideas but also to hold the rudder of a massive ship that is Apple. Hence Steve Jobs will always be remembered as one of the most visionary, creative and high-impact leaders of his generation or any generation.Strategic Innovation Apple has successfully engaged in strategic innovation and has awarded the most innovative firm for triple years continuously. At the same time, it is the top one most admired firm in American (McGregor, 2008). Due to apple’s history, it belongs to established company. Therefore, overcoming the inertia of success and making a change is a big challenge. Combing Palmer and Kaplan’s theory of seven d imensions of strategic innovation with apple’s experience, this paper analyzes strategic innovation in Apple.In terms of Markides (1998), strategic innovation is basic principles build up new business modules and creates new markets and increase benefits for both company and consumer. In other words, strategic innovation refers to company needs to market positioning and was good at founding vacant space in market and filled up. Palmer and Kaplan’s theory of seven dimensions of strategic innovation are explained as follow: A Managed Innovation Process -Assembling conventional and unconventional ways to business strategy (Palmer, D. and Kaplan, S. , 2007).It is said that apple’s products develop in simultaneous stages and Apple always sticks with a proprietary ecosystem. Though it has some drawbacks, the benefits outweigh drawbacks. Core Technologies and Competencies- Main skills (ibid). Due to the face that Apple is high-tech Company, it requires consecutive high technologies innovation. Apple was dedicated to study innovative industrial design; such as apple has the world’s most advanced operating system and intuitive UI and so on. Industry Foresight –Forecasting the complex forces driving change (ibid. Steve Jobs quoted the words from Wayne Gretzky-â€Å"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been† (Jobs, 2008, cited in Yates, 2010). And he said they always tried to do that at Apple since the very beginning. Strategic Alignment – Establishing Support (ibid). In Apple, when it comes to a strong strategic vision for the business, the powerful leader is capable to align the people in the organization with the direction inherent in this vision. Therefore, the enthusiastic internal support could be achieved. Consumer/Customer Insight – Deep perceiving of target (ibid).On one hand, Apple possesses wide audience ranging from amateurs to professionals. On the other hand, Apple satisfies custo mers’ requirements. All products are characterized by human interface design and ease of use, combing aesthetics and simplicity, showing a perfect balance of form and function. Organizational Readiness – The ability to implement strategy (ibid. ) The board of directors had been re-structured since Jobs took over in 1997. Apple gets an excellent leadership and team spirit. At the same time, Apple masters core technologies and competencies.Sufficient preparation leads to success. Disciplined Implementation –Putting the strategy into effect (ibid. ) Apple’s process of implementation follows the module: culture- product-user-brand. All the products that meet user’s needs abide by their culture, which causes consumer loyalty; they get good reputation, therefore, the brand is established. Certainly, effective marketing strategy is an essential part of successful implementation. Recommendation Based on analysis above, here follows some recommendations to Apple. Maintain design spirit.As most customers are attracted by peculiar aesthetic design of products, Apple should continue paying attention to it. Keep innovation. Innovation is the soul of Apple Inc, Keeping innovation will bring Apple a bright future. Improve product compatibility. Improving compatibility is able to increase the opportunities of choosing Apple products. At the same time, the product market share will be improved. Search for the promising leader and create positive crises. It is essential to find another brilliant leader after Jobs. Apple should keep unsatisfied with current success and pursue change.Find hi-tech partners. Consumer electronics and entertainment industry are high competitive industries which update technology frequently. Thus, finding partner is crucial for an enterprise in the industry, especially, a hi-tech partner. Conclusion According to studied about Apple, it can be reached that there is an excellent management team in Apple Inc. , especial ly the CEO Steve Jobs, a strategic, spiritual leader with strong personality. In terms of strategy of the corporation, it is sticking to core competencies and innovation strategy, making the perfect products to consumer.With reference to organization, Apple is a mix-mechanic and organic style. Staffs in Apple are always with passion and love their own company as well. Performance of Apple in the consumer electronic and entrainment market which is a hyper competition market with technology updating speedily is excellent. There are a large number of loyal customers, great strategies, beautiful products and influential leadership which are all produced by Apple, an innovation corporation. Reflection of our group work Our group work focuses on a topic- Strategic Leadership and Innovation at Apple Inc. y Apple case studies, several key questions are asked to answer, including the key features of Apple industry, the evaluations of the CEO Steve Jobs as the strategic leader, explanations o f Apple’s strategic innovation and our recommendations to Apple. Our group activities was proceed according to a routine of making assignment for each people; then searching for materials individually; next, sharing ideas and of discussing issues together. In the following part, we will introduce a procedure of our group activity in detail.The object of our first group meeting was getting main idea to carry out our project after we read the apple case material. In this meeting, our group discussed and got general ideas and several key words from this case: what is management and innovation in Apple. But it didn't work very well due to insufficient preparation. Therefore, when we made a second meeting, we changed our idea to go on our tasks according to orders of questions. Each two members of our group took responsible for one question, and a member took charge of introduction, recommendation and conclusion.In this time, everyone got a clear task. In the following group meeti ng, we discussed what we found from collected materials and gave advices of every question and pick the best ones to the questions. Everyone is asked to complete their own speeches of their own presentation. If we had problems of our project in the period of not being together, we still kept in touch online. In the last two group meeting, we all gave a brief presentation of our own part to group members and made them understand every piece of our works, and we all achieved agreement to our project without any doubt.One of team member combined all pieces of Power Point into the whole and decorated it. We all prepared for the presentation and kept practice with a time controlling together. For a group work, we evaluate that it is fairly good with advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, we learned a lot from this group work. Firstly, we learned how to analyzer a case with models. Furthermore, we also learned that by a combination of case studies and models, it strengthens the kn owledge we learned in the class. Secondly, this activity also improved our skills of doing presentation and reports.We got a clear understanding of requirements of good presentation and reports. Last but not least, our team members shared ideas and made up for each others' disadvantages. From this experience we got the team work spirit and learn how to corporate with others, how to solve the conflicts. On the other hand, some problems existed in the period of meeting. Frankly speaking, some meetings are ineffective, because we didn't prepared well what supposed to do about case studies. Moreover, on the account of some member’s absence and lack of team spirit, the progress of our group work was affected.Here are some suggestions to the future team work we learn from our experience: firstly, a clear schedule should be made in the beginning as a guide of future works. Secondly, team members need to improve group awareness and join in a group activity positively. Everyone of a g roup should review handouts or materials in advance of one’s own responsibility of a group. Lastly, the efficiency is critical to group work.References Assen. M. V. , Berg. G. V. D. , Pietersma. P. (2009) Key Management Models, Prentice Hall Best Global Brands, Retrieved Nov 4th, 2010, form http://www. interbrand. om/en/best-global-brands/Best-Global-Brands-2010. aspx Brian. C. Steve Jobs Killer Instintcts. Retrieved Oct 27th, 2010, form http://www. forbes. com/2009/04/06/apple-microsoft-advertising-technology-enterprise-tech-apple. html Harvard Business review blog, Retrieved Oct 27th , 2010, from http://blogs. hbr. org/taylor/2009/06/decoding_steve_jobs_trust_the. html Markides. C. (1998). Strategic Innovation in Established Companies, Sloan Management Review, pp31-42. McGregor. J. (2008). The world’s most innovative companies. Business week, April 17. Retrieved Oct 27th, 2010, from http://www. usinessweek. com/magazine/content/08_17/b4081061866744. htm Palmer, D. an d Kaplan, S. (2007). A Framework for Strategic Innovation, Innovation Point LLC, PP. 1-24. Practice of leadership website, Retrieved Oct 28th, 2010, from http://www. thepracticeofleadership. net/2008/03/30/steve-jobs-and-his-leadership/ Roberts, J (2004). The Modern Firm, Oxford University Press. Saswati. 2010. The seven dimensions of strategic innovation. Retrieved Oct, 26th, 2010, form http://www. improvementandinnovation. com/features/articles/seven-dimensions-strategic-innovation? age=1 Strategy leader blog, Retrieved Oct 26th, 2010, from http://strategyleader. blogspot. com/2010/01/steve-jobs-risktaking-innovative. html The 25 Most Innovation Companies 2010. Retrieved Nov. 1st, 2010, form http://images. businessweek. com/ss/10/04/0415_most_innovative_companies/26. htm , Yates, V. |(2010). Steve Jobs. Retrieved Oct 26th, 2010, from http://www. leadevalues. com/Content/detail. asp? ContentDetailID=1369 1000 ventures website, Retrieved Oct 27th, 2010, from http://www. 1000ventures . com/business_guide/market_leader. html