Santas Revenge - Free Essay Example

I graduated from a really small, rural high school in Idaho. 14 people in my graduating class. It was the sort of school where they didnt offer foreign language, math beyond Algebra 2, or science classes with labs. But, they did have sports. The history teacher was primarily there to coach junior high football and high school basketball. Every single day for history class, he would tell us bring something to do. We never cracked the textbook at all. We should have been learning US History Revolutionary War, Lincoln, World War II, Civil Rights Movement, Cold War we didnt cover a single thing all year. Best of all, when it came time for an end-of-semester exam that would be reviewed by the superintendent, he would pass out a test and then write the answers on the board. If youre an A student, go ahead and get everything right. If youre a B, miss a couple. If youre a C student, get about 5 wrong. (This is the part that makes professional teachers rise up out of their chairs and offer to contact the state board of education to have his credentials revoked.) All that time, all that pay, when he was supposed to be doing his job, he took a break hour at the cost of our educations. Professionally, this is like a major fail on t he job like a doctor treating patients with sugar pills, a contractor pouring concrete but refusing to use rebar, or a cop spending the day watching Netflix in the patrol car. For 180 days he showed up and refused to do his job, then created fake evidence to make it look like he was acting like a licensed professional. He taught history classes to all students in grades 7-12, and he was pulling similar stunts in every single class. All other teachers in the school would get periodic audits teachers from other school districts in the state would come review lessons plans and observe classroom behavior. For some reason, the coach was excused from these reviews. Complaints to the administration fell on deaf ears. About 2.5 months later, I was hired as a mall Santa about 20 miles away. It is a harder job than you might imagine frisky teenage girls, idiot boys, crying children, and pure greed. Most kids would come sit on my lap and tell me about the 15-39 items they wanted for Christmas. Id pull out my deepest voice and stroke my beard, then look them in the eye and say Well, I dont know. Ive been keeping my eye on you, and I have some concerns. Your room needs some attention, you could keep the complaining down when its time to eat your vegetables, and (if siblings were present) you have been fighting with your brothers and/or sisters entirely too much. Kids look shocked , like theyve been caught doing something naughty. Ill tell you what you work on those things, and help Mom when she needs it, and well see what we can do. Parents would stand there nodding, saying You tellem, Santa! Give the kid a mini candy cane and send them on their way. No promises made, maintain the magic, and try to g et some good behavior out of the kids. Well, one Saturday afternoon, this old history teacher comes and gets in line with his 6-year old boy. They eventually get to the front of the line and the kid takes a seat on my lap. I want Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a Nintendo, and a fire truck, and a bike, and, and, and, .. I looked at him and stroked the fake beard, then asked You really have been a good boy this year, havent you? Mmm-hmm. Tell me something do you have a pony? No! Well, I think Santa needs to bring you a pony. You can ride him to school and feed him apples and carrots. All your friends will want pony rides at recess. Tell me, what are you going to name him? Do you have a BB gun? Santa thinks you need a BB gun. How about a trampoline? The teacher/coach got wide-eyed and butted in Now, hold on a minute, Santa. You stay out of this, Tom. This is between me and your little boy here. Tom didnt recognize me with the beard, fake eyebrows, and padded jacket. I went back to the discussion with the little boy on my lap. Remote controlled car? Computer for your bedroom? Bow and arrows? Maybe a cart for your pony to pull? I promised the kid everything I could think of. Finished it up with You will see all of that under your Christmas tree on Christmas, okay? Just make sure your dad doesnt get up early and hide it all from you because he might get jealous of all your cool stuff. And figure out where you are going to build the stable, and where youre going to park your dirt bike. The little boy had the biggest grin on his face. I handed him five candy canes, told him to keep up the best behavior of all the kids in the world, and sent him on his way. The dad/coach/teacher kept looking at me, trying to figure out where he knew me from or what he could have ever done to incur my wrath. I waved with a friendly See you later, Tom! and took the next kids in line. I sometimes thought about stopping in at his summer job stocking shelves at K-Mart to explain why Id done what I did that it was payback for him screwing over the education of every student in the district, grades 7-12. But Id prefer to think of him just stumped for the rest of his life, wondering what hed done to earn Santas Revenge.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - 1764 Words

NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA) Brief Overview: NAFTA, The North American Free Trade Agreement, came into existence on January 1, 1994. NAFTA is essentially a free-trade agreement between the 3 North American nations of the Unites States, Canada, and Mexico. The major thought behind this treaty was to give the citizens and the companies of the North American nations many incentives to trade between themselves. The duties on U.S goods exported to Mexico were slashed by fifty percent, and other restrictions were to be detached from a lot of categories, such as motor vehicles, computers, automotive parts, and agricultural goods. NAFTA was also put into action so to safeguard the intellectual property rights of the companies, such†¦show more content†¦In 1993, Maquiladoras accounted to just 2143. But 6 yrs hence, the total count of maquiladoras had risen 73 percent to 3703†. This illustrates that NAFTA has had a net positive influence on Mexico, more than any other country. NAFTA: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: As mentioned earlier, NAFTA to date continues to be controversial, much before its origin. The main quarrel that quite a few politicians have had against NAFTA is that they dread it would turn nations of the likes of Canada into full time branch plant economies. The farmers in Mexico have been resisting NAFTA since they are of the opinion that all the subsidies that the United States’ farmers get has a detrimental effect on the Mexican agricultural prices, which in turn is forcing a lot of the Mexican farmers out of business. A lot of sectors in Mexico have displayed a solid downward trend in the salaries. Quite a few revolutions have been born in Mexico, e.g. the Zapatista revolutionaries, and this has led to plenty socio-political issues for the Mexicans. â€Å"Furthermore, NAFTA was accompanied by a striking decline of the power of trade unions in Mexicos city areas. NAFTA has been accompanied by a remarkable rise of illegal immigration from Mexico to the United States; apparently, a noteworthy fraction of this group are farmers forced off their land by bankruptcy. Resistance to NAFTA also arises from social justice, environmental and other advocacy organizations that are ofShow MoreRelatedThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)1345 Words   |  6 Pages The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), came into effect on January 1, 1994, creating the largest free trade region in the world, generating economic growth and helping to raise the standard of living for the people of all three countries participating. By strengthening the rules and procedures governing trade and investment, the NAFTA has shown to be a great base for adding to Canada’s prosperity and has set a valuable example of the benefits of t rade liberalization for the rest of theRead MoreNorth American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta)2362 Words   |  10 PagesNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) I. Brief overview of NAFTA (mainly for in-class presentation) a. NAFTA Introduction b. Original Expectations II. NAFTA over the last 12 years a. Impact on the U.S. economy i. Jobs (Employment Growth) ii. Labor iii. Income iv. Imports vs. Exports (Trade Deficit) 1. Agriculture v. Economic growth b. Impact on Canadian economy c. Impact on Mexican economy d. Global Impact i. International Business ii. 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Since its inception in 1994, it is difficult to see the great effect NAFTA has economically whether it is good or bad due to currency fluctuations, and economic growth (Villarreal Fergusson, 2014). This is why the paper will go into the advantages that NAFTA has brought to the countries mentioned above. The advantages that will be discussedRead MoreEssay about North American Free Trade Agreement: Nafta1764 Words   |  8 Pages North American Free Trade Agreement: NAFTA Introduction nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I believe that the North American Free Trade Agreement was an inevitable step in the evolution of the United States economic policy. The globilization of the world economy due to technological advances in computers and communications have shrunk the world to the point where no single country acting alone can effectively compete on the foreign market. 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The agreement was signed by US President Bill Clinton, Mexican President Carlos Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrà ©tien (Sergie, 2014). Its purpose was to do away with tariff barriers between the three nations on goods and services, remove international investment restrictions, and protect intellectualRead MoreNafta ( North American Free Trade Agreement1449 Words   |  6 PagesNAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was formed in 1994 and created one of the world’s largest free trade zones which includes Mexico, United States and Canada. NAFTA is an example of a multilateral approach to free trade. The multilateral approach states that a country will bargain with its trading partners to remove trade restrictions while the other countries do the same. Another multilatera l approach is GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) which regulates international tradeRead MoreEvaluating Naft Was It Worth It?1229 Words   |  5 PagesEvaluating NAFTA: Was it worth it? In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted between two industrial countries and a yet still developing nation. This was an agreement that was the first of its kind due to the relationship that the countries had and the investment opportunities that it presented. The United States, Canada, and developing Mexico decided to work towards eliminating most tariffs and non-tariff barriers between the three in order to increase the flow of trade in goodsRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1711 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper will discuss four components of the North American Free Trade Agreement: Background, events, pros and cons. Upon the research, you will discover four online articles to provide more detail and examples. This research will indicate how it was developed and the reasoning on why it would benefit the nation. Also, it will provide events that occur after the agreement was signed by congress and the recession the countries experience d uring the early 2000s. There will be a chart located

Essay Understanding Islamic Religion and Culture - 1221 Words

What is your view on the Islamic religion and culture? Did you know they are the fastest growing religion in the world today, with eighty-percent now developing outside the Arab world(Belt, Don) Today’s generation does not show much interest or knowledge of their own religion; let alone the Islamic people. Most people only expose themselves to information that matches their own opinions and beliefs. Instead of learning and exploring new things about the world they stick to what they know because it is easier and comfortable for them. The Islamic people live in different culture, have different beliefs, and live in a part of the globe that has turmoil in the world surrounding the Middle East and the Islamic faith; however it is†¦show more content†¦If each person took consideration for their life they were given, then maybe this world would be of less crime. There are five pillars of practice in that the Islam partakes in their religion. These practices must be assu med in order to be considered a true Muslim in the Islamic tradition. The first is Shahadah: declaration of faith in the oneness of God and that Muhammad is the last prophet of God. The second is: Formal prayer five times a day. The third is: Fasting during the daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. The next is the fourth: the Islamic people pay a tax of two and a half percent of one’s savings to be given to the needy at the end of each year. And the final pillar: Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, if physically and financially able (Burrell, David). Christianity is based off the Bible, while the Islamic study the Qur’an. The Qur’an is explained as a sacred text of Islam, divided into 114 chapters, or suras. It is seen as the word of God, dictated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel, and accepted as the foundation of Islamic law, religion, culture, and politics. So, the similarities do not different much from each other. 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Perhaps it is the image of a dirty, turban wearing, dark skinned man. Or a culture that is often described as psychopathic, radical, and only consisting of terrorists. This cruel image has affected the treatment of Arabic people and religion by forcing Muslims to endure stereotypes that cause discrimination and hostility. The main source that upholds the harsh view of Islamic culture is the strong media bias. However, the media would not hold such a strong influence over the generalRead MoreCulture Within The Islamic Religion1290 Words   |  6 Pages Culture within the Islamic Religion Culture is the common uniting factors that a community shares. It includes values, customs, habits, thoughts that guide members of the society. Culture can also be defined as practices and knowledge that is transmitted to the generation by social interactions between members of a social community (Pohlong 1). It differs from community to community. 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Downsizing And Organizational Culture Essay Example For Students

Downsizing And Organizational Culture Essay Downsizing and Organizational CultureBy Joe GonzalezSociology 100Dr. Mario RedaTable of ContentsChapter 11Chapter 22Organizational Culture Defined2Downsizing Defined..3Culture Change..4Connecting the Literature.7Organizational Level Analysis7Organizational/ Individual Level Analysis10Downsizings Impact on Culture12Chapter 3.13Downsizing And Organizational Culture IntroductionA noted scholar recently assessed downsizing as probably the most pervasive yet understudied phenomenon in the business world 1. While we have become numbed by the near daily accounts of new layoffs, a New York Times national survey finding is perhaps more telling: since 1980, a family member in one-third of all U.S. households has been laid off 2. By some measures, downsizing has failed abjectly as a tool to achieve the main raison detre, reduced costs. According to a Wyatt Company survey covering the period between 1985 and 1990, 89 percent of organizations which engaged in downsizing reported expense reduction as their primary goal, while only 42 percent actually reduced expenses. Downsizing for the sake of cost reduction alone has been castigated intellectually as short-sighted and neglectful of what resources will be needed to increase the revenue stream of the future 3. A truer and fuller understanding of the forces shaping and thrusting downsizing forward today comes from an appreciation of increased global competition; changing technologies, which in turn are profoundly impacting the nature of work; increasing availability of a contingent work force 4; and shifting balance of power among organizational constituents away from rank and file employees and in the direction of shareholders and the chief executives who serve as their proxy. When we conceptualize downsizing within these broader frameworks, it becomes clear that we are speaking of downsizing both as a response to and as a catalyst of organizational culture change. This article will later provide a formal definition of organizational culture. For the moment, it is suggested that culture is to an organization what personality is to an individual. As with personality, change takes time and may be hard to discern, especially for persons inside the organization. This article will argue that, ultimately, the most prominent effects of downsizing will be in relation to culture change, not in relation to saved costs or short-term productivity gains. Key drivers of organizational culture will tend to shape an organizations approach to downsizing. For whose benefit does the organization exist? What are the basic assumptions among people who work in the organization? What are the basic assumptions the organization and the employee make in relation to each other? Establishing a direct link between downsizing and organizational culture is not an easy matter, however, as the following example will demonstrate. The Chief Executive Officer of Apple Computer re cently bought himself more time with disgruntled shareholders by promising to take forceful action on a number of fronts, including downsizing. The executive cited five crises: lack of cash; declining quality; a failed operating system development project; Apples chaotic culture; and a fragmented strategy . How do you connect downsizing, which is one of a number of actions being taken, with corporate culture, which is only one of a number of crises being solved in a manner and to a level that establishes a positive relationship?Another reason that it is difficult to draw a specific link between downsizing and organizational culture is that there are many different variations and approaches to downsizing. A distinction has been made between proactive downsizing, which is planned in advance and usually integrated with a larger set of objectives, and reactive downsizing, which would be typified by cost-cutting as a last resort after a prolonged period of inattention to looming problems by management5. Work force reductions can range from forceful in nature, i.e., involuntary reductions, to the milder approaches, such as resignation incentives and job sharing 6. There are different ways of deciding who stays, who goes from the outwardly arbitrary to criterion-based 7. There are different modes of planning, ranging from secretive sessions to open discussions and solicitation of ideas from employees. There are different standards of notice of terminations, including relatively harsh same day terminations as well as more generous 90 day or longer notices. There are even differences in intentionality, i.e., reductions can be planned to present employees with as little a break as possible from what they have known in the past or they can be designed to be deliberately disruptive to the status quo 8. Organizational Culture DefinedIt has been observed with respect to the concept of power that its omnipresence makes it difficult to usefully apply in specific situations 9. The same may be said of culture. If it is everywhere, and pervades every aspect of our existence, then how can it be subject to analysis. Schein (1992) offers at least a partial solution. He divides organizational culture into three levels: 1) at the surface are artifacts, those aspects (such as dress) which can be easily discerned, yet are hard to understand; 2) beneath artifacts are espoused values which are conscious strategies, goals and philosophies; 3) the core, or essence, of culture is represented by the basic underlying assumptions and values, which are difficult to discern because they exist at a largely unconscious level, yet provide the key to understanding why things happen the way they do. These basic assumptions form around deeper dimensions of human existence such as the nature of humans; human rel ationships and activity; reality; and truth. Schein (1992) himself acknowledges that, even with rigorous study, we can only make statements about elements of culture, not culture in its entirety. The approach which Schein recommends for inquiring about culture is an iterative, clinical approach, similar to a therapeutic relationship between a psychologist and a patient. Scheins disciplined approach to culture stands in contrast to the almost flippant way in which culture is referred to in some of the popular management literature. Downsizing DefinedLike culture, downsizing is problematic in its usefulness. Because it is popularly associated with giving people the axe in organizations, it is not a term that many management consultants go out of their way to use. On the other side of the spectrum, there are researchers who are concerned that downsizing has become too closely associated with the process of organizational decline and its naturally negative effects. Cameron, for example, defines downsizing as a positive and purposive strategy: a set of organizational activities undertaken on the part of management of an organization and designed to improve organizational efficiency, productivity, and/or competitiveness 10. Downsizing thus defined falls into the category of management tools for achieving desired change, much like rightsizing and reengineering. Clearly, the Cameron definition is overly expansive. Downsizing may and very likely will impact or impinge on systemic change efforts such as the introduction of total quality management, reengineering, or reinventing initiatives. They are not one and the same, however, as the Cameron definition would imply. This is significant, because Camerons connection of downsizing with a larger, purposive strategy allows him to conclude unabashedly that downsizing is a good and positive thing and that organizations should seek to do it on a regular and continuing basis . This cheery conclusion flies in the face of Camerons own four year study of thirty firms in the automotive industry, data from which revealed that very few of the organizations in the study implemented downsizing in a way that improved their effectiveness. Most deteriorated in terms of pre-downsizing levels of quality, productivity, effectiveness, and the dirty dozen, e.g., conflict, low morale, loss of trust, rigidity, scapego ating) 11. Downsizing is defined in this effort simply as a reduction in the size of the work force. This definition provides some analytical clarity, because it does not imply a value, either positive or negative, and encompasses a wide range of possible approaches. Thus defined, downsizing does not necessarily imply a reduction in the assets of the organization; for example, an organization may contract out a function that was previously done by permanent employees. The elimination of the jobs of the employees constitutes downsizing. Culture ChangeChanging an organization is messy, complicated business. A study by Kotter and Heskett (1992) indicated that culture change becomes tougher as organizations become more established and successful. The very bases for a companys earlier success can be hindrances to needed changes under new and different scenarios from those which existed previously. Prevailing models provide uncertain guideposts. For example, it is standard fare within the leadership literature12 to depict the need for a vision of a desired future state of the enterprise. What if elements of a vision clash with each other? What if a leader, for example, decides to embrace a total quality management culture built upon trust among all parties and, at the same time, embarks upon a series of layoffs which are likely to engender distrust among those same parties? The conventional wisdom in response is to acknowledge that there will be sadness and losses and a murky period which goes under the heading of the neutral zone; but, in the end, there will be new beginnings13. How long does the neutral zone last? Existing research provides no solid answers. How long will a leader with a vision wait for the culture to change in positive ways? Research supports the idea that culture change is a multi-year effort 14. If we broaden our conceptualization of culture change to include both intended consequences (planned change) and unintended consequences (unplanned change), then it is at least possible to be confident that downsizing is a catalyst for culture change. Organizational theorists from Lewin (1951) forward, including Argyris (1992) have insisted upon the need for a destabilizing element in any change process. The existing status quo is conceptualized as a dynamic in which forces resisting change and forces pushing for change have found a balance. In order to shift the balance (in the favor of change), the situation needs to be unfrozen. In other words, people have to be rocked out of their comfortable existence, so they will be alerted to the need for change. Downsizing qualifies as a destabilizer of status quo ante even under circumstances where departures are voluntary. Hickok (1995), for example, documented symptoms of survivor illness at an Air force installation that had, up to the point of the research, experienced only voluntary departures. The literature is replete with examples of burnout, depression, anger, and betrayal as common responses by survivors of layoffs. Not all responses are negative: there are reports of people getting charged up, finding new excitement in their work, being challenged by the prospect of doing more with less or saving the organization15 found that implementers of layoffs (i.e, those pulling the strings) had more positive reactions than did implementees (i.e., those who were having the layoffs done to them). In any event, it should be acknowledged that downsizing has altered the rule of the employment game. The way these changes have tended to be theoretically euphemized is by indicating that the psychological contract between employers and employees has been violated16. No longer can the employer offer job security. The new psychological contract being marketed is conditional employment, with the availability of training and development opportunities to help keep employees employable, even if not at this particular company17. Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It EssayBrockner and colleagues have studied the fairness of layoffs from a procedural justice perspective and have shown a link between perceived fairness of the layoffs and survivor commitment to the organization32. Among the fairness factors which Brockner examines is the connection with existing corporate culture. Organizations such as IBM and Digital Equipment which have traditionally had a policy of averting layoffs are likely to be perceived by employees as violating the psychological contract and therefore as more unfair when they do resort to layoffs. Noer (1993) sees letting go of the old employment contract as tough but necessary. His view is that implicit lifetime employment guarantees are unhealthy both for individuals and organizations. They result in a sort of organizational codependency in which individuals invest enormous energy in trying to control the system and at the same time have much of their self-worth tied up in trying to live up to the organizations, not their own, values. In a similar vein, Hecksher (1995) concludes that management loyalty to the organization is no longer needed; what is needed is more professionalism, evidenced by creative contributions to the organization. Bridges (1994) goes even further; he sees a secular trend away from the traditional job, with security, job description, etc. Like Noer, he sees greater possibility for individuals to achieve autonomy and satisfaction by taking responsibility for their own futures. Work relationships can become much more testy during periods of organizational decline. That can take the form of backstabbing, placing of blame, and overt failure to cooperate33. Hickok (1995) analyzed interview responses at two downsizing military bases and found that mentions of increased conflict in the workplace were significantly greater than the more positive mentions of pulling together. Downsizings Impact on CultureFor organizations, particularly the IBMs and Digital Equipments of the world which long resisted layoffs, it is hard to image that the organizations or their cultures have remained anything close to intact. Getting back to the questions posed earlier: For whose benefit does the organization exist? It seems clear that organizations exist less today for the well-being of rank-and file employees than they once did. With the Dow shattering all records, it seems clear that the shareholders have the upper hand in making critical corporate decisions. They are partnered with CEOs who received an average pay raise in 1995 of 23% 34. Just look at who is prospering and who is not. What are the basic assumptions among people about working relationships in the organization? The basic assumptions about working relationships have changed, in ways that can not yet be well assessed. It appears, at least, that relationships tend to be less familial and more competitive tha n in the past. What is the worth of what have traditionally been termed commitment and loyalty? We just do not know? What is the impact of the feeling that the organization is a community even a family with relatively stable long-term working relationships? And how will that play out in terms of cooperation given to others as opposed to backstabbing in the intense competition for scarce resources? We can only be sure that things have changed, not how. What are the basic assumptions the organization and the employee make in relation to each other? The basic assumptions by employees and organizations about their employment relationship have changed from long-term and stable, with organizations expected to make accommodations to avoid laying people off to more short-term and contingent. Researchers such as Bridges and Noer forecast a more happy future for those who adapt to the changing times in the new scenario, but that is a difficult forecast to test. Organizations usually have some degree of flexibility about how they reduce personnel expenses. Decisions to inflict pain upon employees as part of the process may very well reflect an effort to bust the existing culture. Decisions to minimize pain may reflect an effort to reinforce the existing culture. Table 1 sorts several downsizing practices by whether they tend to reinforce (or leave alone) existing culture or to intentionally destabilize the culture. For these purposes, methods which are less disruptive and/or give members more of a sense of control are labeled as reinforcing and those practices which are particularly likely to induce pain among members of the work force (particularly those who are asked to leave) are labeled as destabilizing:ConclusionIt is difficult to write with authority about the relationship of downsizing to organizational culture, in part because these are both subject areas in need of clarification and empirical research. It is intuitively evident, eve n definitional, that a leaders cultural mind set will have a great deal to do with whether and how downsizing is implemented in an organization. It also seems, beyond question, that downsizing acts as an organizational destabilizer and thus as a catalyst for culture change. Whether resultant cultural change is beneficial to the organization as a whole is open to speculation. Because downsizing is a relatively recent phenomenon at the white-collar level, time will have to differentiate between short-term effects and reactions and the longer-term consequences. Perhaps less bloated bureaucracies will free people to get more work done and to interact more positively. Perhaps a whole generation of management thinkers overstated the value of loyalty and commitment that accrues over a long and stable employment tenure. That, again, will be for time to judge. This article has noted three observations in relation to the impact of downsizing on organizational culture. First, it clearly appears that power has shifted away from rank-and-file employees in the direction of top management/ownership. Accompanying this change is a shift in emphasis away from the well-being of individuals in the direction of the pre-eminence and predominance of the organization as a whole. Second, it appears working relationships have changed away from being familial in the direction of being more competitive. Third, the employer-employee relationship has moved away from long-term and stable in the direction of short-term and contingent. It was argued in this article that decisions associated with a downsizing action may tend either to be culturally reinforcing (i.e., less disruptive, more individual control) or culturally destabilizing (i.e., likely to induce pain). Key downsizing practices were categorized by which of these they were more generally associated. Finally, the author suggested five simple question areas that organizational leaders who are interested in probing the moral and spiritual dimensions of downsizing might usefully consider. These include ensuring the fundamental decency of the approach being considered, engaging in appropriate dialogue, thinking through the consequences for those who may be adversely affected, having ready explanations for multiple constituencies, and offering a realistic opportunity for a better future for the organization and the organizations stakeholders. Works Cited1. American Management Association (1994). 1994 survey on downsizing. 2. Armstrong-Stassen, M. (1993). Survivors reactions to a workforce reduction: A comparison of blue-collar workers and their supervisors, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences 10 (4), pp. 334-343. 3. Argyris, C. (1992). Knowledge for action: A guide to overcoming barriers to organizational change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 4. Bennis, W. (1989). On becoming a leader. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. 5. Bridges, W. (1987). Managing transitions. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. 6. Bridges, W. (1988). Surviving the survivor syndrome. 7. William Bridges and Associates (pamphlet, 14 pages). (1994). Job shift: How to prosper in a world without jobs. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. 8. Brockner, J. (Winter,1992). Managing the effects of layoffs on others, California Management Review, pp. 9-27. 9. Brockner, J., Konovsky, M, Cooper-Schneider, R., Folger, R., Martin, C., and Bies, R. (1994). 10. Interactive effects of procedural justice and outcome negativity on victims and survivors of job loss, Academy of Management Journal 37(2), pp. 397-409. 11. 12. Cameron, K.S., Freeman, S.J., and Mishra, A.K. (1991). Best practices in white-collar downsizing: Managing contradictions, Academy of Management Executive 5(3), pp. 57-72. 13. Cascio, W. (1993). Downsizing: What do we know? What have we learned? Academy of Management Executive 7(1), pp. 95-104. 14. Downs, A. (1995). Corporate executions. NY: AMACOM (225 pages). 15. Fierman, J. (January 24 1994). The contingency work force, Fortune, pp. 30-36. 16. Greengard, S. (November 1993). Dont rush downsizing: Plan, plan, plan, Personnel Journal 72(11), 64-76. 17. Hamel, G., and Prahalad, C.K. (July-August 1994). Competing for the future, Harvard Business Review, pp. 122-128. 18. Handy, C. (December 5 1990). What is a company for? Michael Shanks Memorial Lecture reprint (13 pages). 19. Hecksher, C. (1995). White-collar blues: Managem ent loyalties in an age of restructuring. New York: Basic Books. 20. Hickok, T. (1995). The impact of work force reductions on those who remain: A study of civilian workers at two Department of Defense bases. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. 21. Kearns, D. and Nadler, D. (1992). Prophets in the dark: How Xerox reinvented itself and beat back the Japanese. New York: HarperCollins (334 pages). 22. Kotter, J. And Heskett, J. (1992). Corporate culture and performance. New York: The Free Press. 23. Kozlowski, S., Chao, G., Smith, E., and Hedlund, V. (1993). Organizational downsizing: Strategies, interventions, and research implications, International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 8, pp. 263-332. 24. Leana, C. and Feldman, D.C. (1992). Coping with job loss: How individuals, organizations, and communities respond to layoffs. New York: Lexington Books. 25. Lewin, K. (1951). General field theory. New York. 26. McGrego r, D. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill. 27. Mohrman, S.A., and Mohrman, A.M., Jr. (1983). Employee involvement in declining organizations, Human Resources Management 22(4), pp. 445-465. 28. New York Times (1996). The downsizing of America. New York: Times Books. 29. Noer, D. (1993). Healing the wounds: Overcoming the trauma of layoffs and revitalizing downsized organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 30. Pfeffer, J. (1981). Power in organizations. Marshfield, Mass: Pitman Publishing. 31. Petruno, T. (December 19 1996). Has greed supplanted shareholder value? Los Angeles Times. 32. Rousseau, D. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 33. Schein, E. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 34. Schumpeter, J. (1950). Capitalism, socialism, and democracy. New York: Harper and Row. 35. Sloan, Allan (February 26 1996). The hit men, Newsweek, pp . 44-48. 36. Sutton, R.I. and DAunno, T. (1989). Decreasing organizational size: Untangling the effects of money and people, Academy of Management Review 14(2), pp. 194-212. 37. Tichy, N. and Sherman, S. (1994). Control your destiny or someone else will. New York: HarperCollins. 38. Tomasko, R.M. (1990). Downsizing: Reshaping the corporation for the future. New York: AMACOM. 39. Washington Post (March 5 1996). CEOs at major corporations got 23 percent raise in 95, p. c1. 40. Washington Post (May 5 1997). DIGEST, p. c1. 41. Waterman, R., Waterman, J., and Collard, B. (July-August 1994). Toward a more career-resilient workforce Harvard Business Review, pp. 87-95. 42. The Wyatt Company (1993). Best practices in corporate restructuring: Wyatts 1993 survey of corporate restructuring. 43. Vroom, V. (1964). Work and motivation. New York: Wiley.

Puff Daddy free essay sample

In November, 1997, three of my cousins and I attended a Puff Daddy and the Family concert. It was held at Gund Arena in Downtown Cleveland. The Family tour has performed all over the United States in major cities. The show includes the majority of their current songs. To me Puff Daddy (Sean Combs) is the ultimate musician he composes, he dances, he raps, he produces, and he even has his own record label Bad Boy Entertainment. All this success for someone under thirty! Puff Daddy definitely wont stop. My main purpose in going was to see Mason Betha (Mase), one of the many members of the family. Throughout the entire concert there were a number of impressive tributes to the late Notorious B.I.G., former member of the Bad Boy family. The show also played one of Tupacs hit songs Hail Mary in tribute. The dancers, performers, audio and lighting effects in fact the whole concert was so complex it was nothing less than audiences have come to expect from this artist. We will write a custom essay sample on Puff Daddy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page .

Amazon Marketing Services 20 Creative Unique Ways to Use AMS Ads

Amazon Marketing Services 20 Creative Unique Ways to Use AMS Ads Amazon Marketing Services: 20 Creative Unique Ways to Use AMS Ads â€Å"AMS Ads are dead, said the not-so-savvy self-published author.Don’t believe this lie. AMS Ads, or Amazon Marketing Services ads, are stronger than ever, and whether we like it or not they are here to stay. As a matter of fact, Amazon just rolled out a brand-new, improved UI for AMS; they have added new features, and are constantly creating training material to help authors better understand the platform.Would they do that if AMS were on the way out? Not likely.Sure, not every book is a good fit for Amazon ads: that’s why many Amazon published authors grow bitter and blame the platform for not being able to sell a book that would not be marketable anyways.Don’t be discouraged. Now is the time to jump onto the AMS wagon if you want to actually get paid to write. Those who don’t read the Self-Publishing School Blog and believe that Amazon advertising is dying will gradually move away from it, making the space less crowded and much more profitable for all of us. Here are our tips for using Amazon marketing services effectively:Target famous authors with Amazon marketing servicesTarget Amazon published booksTarget books featured on BookBubTarget books that are recent moviesTarget paperback booksTarget audiobooks with Amazon Marketing ServicesThink about Amazon ads for your book seriesGrow your email listAdvertise your backlistUse The Greatest Hits methodThe Amazon Ad puzzleThe Ad stackerPre-populate with pre-ordersUse AMS for reviewsUse Amazons Bid+ systemUse negative keywordsTarget your own bookStay put, don’t give up. When others zig, just zag 🙂What is Amazon Marketing Services?Amazon marketing services (AMS), now called Advertising Console is a collection of effective tools to help vendors drive traffic to their products and sell more.For authors, this means AMS is a hub for increasing low book sales and maintaining a steady income with their books.NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about how to build a platform and maintain consistent book sales in our Sell More Books Program. Learn more about it hereAmazon Marketing Services for Authors Made EasyI get it, click bids have gotten more expensive, finding profitable keywords is more difficult and winning is harder than ever. But this is only a byproduct of the space getting more crowded. However, let me assure you: those CPC prices are nowhere near what our friends in the physical product markets are paying. Strange as it may seem, AMS is still a happy place for authors. The key is to get more creative, thinking out of the box. Find new ways of using AMS, test and tweak, and you’ll be way ahead of the (still relatively small) competition. How? Here are 20 ways in which you can use Amazon Marketing Services Ads for your book marketing ventures. Each tactic is coupled with a brief explanation of how to implement it in a practical way. Enjoy the list and remember: now is the time for Amazon advertising!#1 Targe t a famous author in your genreYoull do this in order to try to get into his or her also-boughts. You know, the little section in this screenshot that shows you what other people who bought an item havealso bought↓It’s no secret that ‘also-boughts’ are the main source Amazon uses when they recommend new books to readers. And if your book is in one of your competitor’s ‘also-boughts’, then there’s a good chance it will get shown, recommended and ‘pushed’ to the exact audience you’re after. Happy days. Try bidding heavily on one of your competitors as a target so that your book shows up everywhere on their book’s page and ‘steals the show’ in your reader’s eyes.#2 Target books published by AmazonAmazon has various imprints through which it publishes books, the most famous being Thomas Mercer. Targeting authors and books by these subsidiary companies is a great idea. Amazon (and their algorithm) love when people buy their stuff, which they continuously promote left and right. Try to get your book next to one of Amazon’s own babies, and you’ll be a happy writer indeed. #3 Target books that are featured on BookBubOnce a book is featured in BookBub’s daily email (aka their ‘Featured Deals’), it’s likely to get thousands of downloads and a load of traffic on all the retailers. Which of course means more eyeballs on the said book. By keeping an eye on the books that appear daily on BookBub’s email blast and targeting them with your Amazon ads, you’ll be the first to place your book next to the day’s hottest title, thus piggybacking on its visibility and hopefully sales.#4 Target books that have recently been turned into moviesA hot new release (just as explained in point 3) is always going to garner bigger attention, at least for a few days. Keep an eye on new movie releases in your genre, especially b ig blockbuster films that have been inspired by bestselling books. Again, the trick here is to target those hot new titles so that your book shows next to them, thus collecting some love from all those hungry readers.#5 Use Product Display Ads to target paperbacksAmazons Product Display ads give you a unique chance to specifically target paperback versions of your competitor’s titles (unlike Sponsored Product ads). The first benefit of doing thisis that you’ll undoubtedly broaden the reach of your ads. But most important perk is that you’ll also likely increase the sales of your own paperback copies.As it were, ‘physical book lovers’ have a preference for physical books, which are more expensive and thus will likely result in higher royalties for you to pocket!#6 Use Product Display Amazon Ads to target audiobooksSee point 5 above, but this time use PD ads to target audiobooks! Don’t have an audiobook version of your title? You’re de finitely missing out on one of the hottest and fastest-growing trends in the indie publishing industry. You can find a step-by-step guide on creating an audiobook right here.#7 Lose money on the first book in your seriesYour first in series is likely to be free on Amazon(or at least it should be). But don’t fret, pure ROI seekers! Sure, by going a bit ‘heavier’ on Amazon ads pointing to that book, you’ll likely lose money. But you’ll make it back when readers go on to purchase book 2, 3, 4, etc. in your series. Make sure you have a good idea of how to calculate your audience’s ‘read-through rates’, and adjust your CPC bid and daily budget accordingly.#8 Lose money (again) to grow your email listBe sure to display an opt-in form in the free book you’re running ads on (pro tip: also place it in the first pages of the book, so that readers don’t have to ‘wait’ until they’ve read the whole thing be fore parting with their email address). This will inevitably result in more signups to your email list. Again, this isn’t stellar for pure ROI, and you might be losing money now, but in the long term, this will be super-beneficial.#9 Advertise Your BacklistDon’t put all your eggs in one basket (aka, don’t point all your ads and spend all your budget on one book). Running Amazon ads for other titles in your backlist is always beneficial in keeping the books ‘sticky’ in the rankings, often also providing a load of read-throughs to the other titles in the same series (see point 7).#10 The Greatest Hits methodStart your ads by bidding low-ish on keywords and competing authors/book-titles. Once you have a good idea of what is actually performing well, take those successful phrases and compile them in a ‘Greatest Hits’ ad, with higher CPC bids and daily budget.#11 The Amazon Ad PuzzleTry using your own book as a target keyword, but this ti me to advertise your higher-priced titles or box sets. The ‘Sponsored’ results on the latter’s book page will likely populate with all your other titles, just like the pieces of a puzzle. If a reader lands on your one book and sees your other stuff in the Amazon ads, they might buy a higher-priced title in your collection (and go on to become an aficionado fan of yours)!#12 The Ad StackerDon’t limit yourself to Amazon Marketing Services ads. Ad ‘stacking’ is often the best way to get a gazillion eyeballs on a new release (especially if you’re aiming at hitting bestsellers’ lists when running a hard launch). Try your hands at BookBub ads, Facebook Ads, and others. You don’t need to spend thousands on them: a small budget will be more than enough to Discover where your readers are hanging out, so that you can place your books right under their eyes.#13 Pre-populate with pre-orders!Start running AMS ads well in advance, eve n when your book is still in the pre-order phase. If you get your targeting right, this will help add your book to the ‘also-boughts’ of other books in your genre, thus igniting the sacred ‘recommendation loop’ from Amazon.You can do this one week to a few months in advance. The bigger your author platform is, the longer you can get away with putting your book up for pre-order before the actual publication date.Plus, people will be exposed to your book, will pre-order it, and when the book is live, the instant truckload of downloads will shoot it into the stratosphere!#14 Use AMS for reviewsSpend a bit more on AMS during a free promo you have scheduled. This might sound counterintuitive when it comes to pure ROI, but you’ll be amazed at the number of downloads you’ll get. Be sure to add a ‘call for reviews’ to the end of your book. Some readers won’t, but many will actually leave an honest (and verified) review.#15 Bid+Wi th their recent ‘upgrade’ of the Amazon Marketing Services platform, Amazon has given authors the chance to use their ‘Bid+’ system (an old acquaintance of those using Vendor’s Accounts). This new feature basically lets Amazon know you’re willing to spend up to 50% more on CPC for the terms that are performing well.Its really simple to use, as you can see in the example below so dont be afraid to use this! Think about it: if Amazon has given us this new tool, why not take advantage of it? You definitely won’t go broke (the daily budget still being the highest cap on spend): rather, you’ll likely outbid all of your competitors on your most prized keywords and phrases!#16 Use negative keywordsAs you surely know by now, hyper-relevant laser-focused targeting is the name of the game with AMS, but sometimes, this is much easier said than done. Have an epic fantasy novel that appeals to teens, but that YA readers would absolutely hate ? Don’t risk getting one-star reviews by unsatisfied vampire-hungry audiences. Another new feature that Amazon has just implemented into their new AMS platform is the ‘negative keywords’ field. Use it wisely to list all of the keywords you absolutely DO NOT want to associate your ads to through Amazon Marketing Services. The sniper approach has never been easier.#17 Target your own bookWhy on earth would you want to spend money targeting your own book? After all, it already shows up ‘organically’ in the search results for your key terms, no? Well, not exactly. Amazon is putting a lot of emphasis on advertising (another reason why you should use AMS ads), so it sometimes favors paid results over organic something other platforms (e.g. Facebook) have been doing for a while now. Crazy, right? Try punching one of your keywords in the search box and see if your book appears. It doesn’t?Then you might want to give it a nice little push with a coup le super-targeted ads. Bonus: 3 more advanced Amazon Marketing Services tacticsIf yourereally ready to make some money, you can try to tackle some of these more advanced Amazon Marketing Services methods to increase your book sales.These might be tricky for you at first, butwith enough practice, theyll prove to be more than effective.#18 Use a Vendors Account (part 1)An Amazon Vendor’s Express account will let you advertise your ebooks, but also audiobooks or paperbacks. Use this incredibly powerful tool to advertise your physical or audio copies on relevant pages by your target authors. As seen above (point 5), this will often result in sales of your own audios and paperbacks, yielding a lot more royalties!#19 Use a Vendor’s Account (part 2)A Vendor’s Express account through Amazon Marketing Services will also let you advertise titles that you didn’t publish yourself. Why would you want to do that, you say? For multi-author box sets you’re a par t of, for example! This will bring more eyeballs to your stuff and†¦ don’t forget to include an email-optin in your portion of the text!#20 Use a Vendor’s Account (part 3)As seen above, why not use a Vendor’s Account to also promote a traditionally-published book you wrote before going indie? Your publisher will likely not be using AMS, so show them who the savvy author is and get some sales rolling!Hope you enjoyed some of these tactics for Amazon Marketing Services ads. As I mentioned in the introduction to this post, don’t listen to those who want to attract you to the ‘next best thing’.Think out of the box, test, test, and test again. And you will succeed!Ready to Sell More Books?Your books sales can mean the difference between helping a few and helping the many.We have exactly what you need to sell more books- and change more lives.

Is Intelligent design a scientific theory Essay

Is Intelligent design a scientific theory - Essay Example However, some individuals say that intelligence action is related with the origin of different characteristics of biological life. It is evident that intelligent design begins with forms of information, which are commonly observed to produce agents of intelligence in the real world. Atheist such as zoologist Dawkins argues that if biology is a study of complicated things, then the complications are as a result of appearance and purpose. Dawkins also argues that natural selection is what led to the intelligent design; this is as a result of the challenges met in meeting the demands in the environment. To add on this, theorists such as Stephen Meyer notes that intelligent design plays a substantial role in casual activities. From theories of the above philosophers, we can conclude that intelligent design is a scientific theory, which has a basis on empirical studies on the natural environment. Structures created through the promulgation of a Discovery Institute are intelligent designs products. The institute explains that structures occur from human intelligence and not natural processes. An ideal example is the existence of God, which is a teleological argument from the traditional contemporary adaptation. It defines the origin of life as a scientific theory other than an idea based on religion. Most arguments relate to the intelligent design which refers to God as the designer. The Discovery Institute is conservatively a political institution. The intelligent design uses the view point of theistic science, whose objective is to explain science e in a different way invoking supernatural structures. In supporting its belief, ID has put forward two arguments: the specified and the irreducible complexity. Scientific community prefers the methodological naturalism to the scientific extension in explaining the supernatural structures. The scientific community has further opposed the specified and the