Machiavelli Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Machiavelli - Essay Example For hundreds of years, guidebooks had been written for rulers about how to govern; these usually focused on the lives and practices of laudable rulers who lived moral lives and tried to teach other rulers how to follow their example. Machiavelli chooses to break strikingly with this long standing and honored tradition, and write a different kind of guidebook for rulers. His guidebook did not tell rulers how to lead in an enlightened, moral way, but rather how to hold on to power, regardless of morality. This mentality was enshrined in his famous â€Å"the ends justify the means† attitude. Machiavelli’s choice to preclude moral discussions from his political analysis was bold, and had many benefits and drawbacks. Removing moral and ethical judgments from political analysis allowed Machiavelli to give a clearer guide to how to retain leadership, and differentiate traits that are praiseworthy in an individual from traits that are praiseworthy in a prince, but simultaneousl y perverted discussions of what the role of the ruler should be, focusing on how a ruler can help himself retain power rather than how to do the best thing for his subjects, necessarily. The first major benefit of Machiavelli’s choice to remove moral and ethical considerations from his political analysis is that it allows him to ask questions previous thinkers had not really been able to; instead of asking â€Å"what makes a good ruler?† he was able to ask â€Å"what makes a successful ruler?† or, put another way â€Å"what allows a ruler to achieve and to hold onto power?† This kind of thinking pervades Machiavelli’s texts – he writes that he intends his book to be a â€Å"practical text† (chapter XV), which, rather than following a line of moral absolutes, attempts to write something of â€Å"practical use to the inquirer† based on what actually happened to rulers who acted in one way or another (chapter XV). He insists that every action will lead to either â€Å"self-preservation† or â€Å"self-destruction† and that the primary goal of any ruler most be for all of his actions to be consistent with the former rather than the latter. Machiavelli, by eschewing moral questions, is able to focus on a completely different aspect of rulership than previous thinkers were able to. Focusing solely on how to achieve and hold on to power sounds a bit – well, Machiavellian for lack of a better term, selfish and disinterested with other’s wellbeing. Machiavelli’s focus on the maintenance of power is not, however, solely beneficial to the prince that takes his advice, but can also be of great benefit to the entire population. A ruler who behaves in a â€Å"self-destructive† way will surely be weak to attacks, and eventually others will try to attack his position and gain his princedom for their own. Such weak rulers who constantly have to spend time and energy defending their position always have less resources to put towards the public good, and the population suffers. Furthermore, weak rulers often invite anarchy, which can be much more damaging to a society than a slightly tyrannical leader. So, depending on the situation, Machiavelli’s admittedly cold advice could benefit not only the prince but also his population. Being able to ask and answer very different types of questions than previous thinkers had been able to was only one of the many benefit of Machiavelli’s amoral political analysis. Another major one was the ability to differentiate between qualities that are admirable in an individual versus qualities that are admirable or desirable in a leader. One of the prime examples Machiavelli uses to demonstrate the differences is the quality of generosity versus miserliness. Though generosity is obviously an excellent and admirable quality to have as an individual, Machiavelli

My Values, Beliefs, Clinical Gestalt with Individuals and Systems Essay Example for Free

My Values, Beliefs, Clinical Gestalt with Individuals and Systems Essay Becoming a successful clinician is like a work in progress, a clinician should never consider it completed. There is always room to learn, to grow, and develop while working in the Human Services field. The knowledge that a clinician learns comes not only from education but also from experiences and time working in the field. Overtime, a clinician can expect to look at his or her own beliefs, values, and experiences as well as family, cultural dynamics, and background. The main reason a person continues to learn and obtain knowledge, is because of the array of clients a clinician sees. In the textbook, I had to complete exercises that discussed our values and beliefs and how they will affect and interact with our professional lives. The values that are in my life affect and make me whom I am. Several values that bounce between my professional and personal life and some that do not. There are also some values that I need to improve on which will help me in both my professional and personal lives My most important values and beliefs are: -Be respectful -Be open-minded -Be trustworthy -Always do my best -Have a big heart -Work hard -Enjoy life However, the most important thing is to make my values and beliefs flexible so that I can view the clients and better assist them. This is not always an easy task to do, but because of my experiences and my education, I continue to make progress. A clinician takes the ability to adapt and be flexible with your own personal beliefs and values. My experiences in life have always revolved around helping things, whether it was people or animals. My parents use to tell me, and showed by old family videos that I was the biggest tomboy and helper around our family farm. From a very young age, I was often found helping my parents on the farm rather than playing with Barbie Dolls. I would do all types of work on the farm such as feed animal, clean the barn, and milk the cows. These items helped either animals or people. Being raised on a dairy farm, encouraged me to work hard. Once I started high school my hard work did not stop at the farm, I got my first job away from working on the dairy farm. I am still employed at the job and once again because of my hard work I have had several promotional experiences within the company. I have always been a hard worker at everything I do and have learned many of my values and beliefs. Another textbook exercise that I completed discussed how my own family and my culture background will affect my ability to respond and connect with clients. I have learned that how I view others and makes me comfortable when working with clients has to do with how and where I was raised. My cultural background can include my education, social behaviors, ideas, and viewpoints. For example, in one of the exercises I was asked how I would feel working with a client who was African American or a client who was gay. All these items are affected by how I was raised, and my cultural background. Society also influences the lives we live and how we view other individuals. Textbook exercises were also completed concerning this. I have learned that society we live in shape, who we are, just like cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values. Society can be described as the world, and community we live in. One example of society affecting our beliefs is with same sex marriages. This is a very controversial topic of society. For a very long time, society said same sex marriages are not okay, and recently they are becoming accepted. Because society is saying that it is now acceptable, the people in the communities are affected by this and their viewpoints may be altered. While working with clients a clinician needs to keep their cultural backgrounds and society out of their mind. Clinicians will experience working with clients of all types. It is important to remember that each client seen is different even if diagnoses, traits, characteristics, or anything else is similar. No two cases are alike. Clinicians will work with individuals with physical, mental, psychological, emotional, and verbal, and many other types of individuals. My job as a clinician is important. I need to remember that everything that shapes whom I am is important but private and should not be â€Å"worn on my sleeve. † Everything I do in life affects how I am shaped and how I view others. My values, beliefs, experiences, and the society also affect me. Keeping an open mind, and be understanding toward my clients is an important role and I will continue to devolve this in my experiences.

The Decline of Chivalry Explored in Araby and A&P Essay -- Comparison

Romantic gestures have been seen as a useful motive to win hearts of women for centuries. However, as society constantly changes, the effectiveness of these chivalrous acts has diminished. In James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† and John Updike’s â€Å"A&P†, this theory is explored, both telling the story of a boy whose efforts to impress the girl of their desires fail. As said by Well’s in his critical analysis of these stories, â€Å"Both the protagonists have come to realize that romantic gestures—in fact, that the whole chivalric view [sic] --- are, in modern times, counterproductive†. These stories, despite the differences between the two characters, clearly show that the character’s world is changing, with chivalry becoming more obsolete. â€Å"Araby† tells the story of a young boy who romanticizes over his friend’s older sister. He spends a lot of time admiring the girl from a distance. When the girl finally talks to him, she reveals she cannot go to the bazaar taking place that weekend, he sees it as a chance to impress her. He tells her that he is going and will buy her something. The boy becomes overwhelmed by the opportunity to perform this chivalrous act for her, surely allowing him to win the affections of the girl. The night of the bazaar, he is forced to wait for his drunken uncle to return home to give him money to go. Unfortunately, this causes the boy to arrive at the bazaar as it is closing. Of the stalls that remained open, he visited one where the owner, and English woman, â€Å"seemed to have spoken to me out of a sense of duty† (Joyce 89) and he knows he will not be able to buy anything for her. He decides to just go home, realizing he is â€Å"a creature driven and derided with vanity† (Joyce 90). He is angry with himself and embarrassed as he... ... prove how romantic gestures become obsolete as time progresses. As shown above, Sammy and the boy went to great lengths to impress the girls. However, their quest failed simply because it did not matter to the girls. This goes to show that as society develops through time, these chivalrous gestures become more and more useless. Work Cited DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston: McGraw Hill. 2008. Print. Joyce, James. â€Å"Araby.† The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton. Updike, John. "A&P." The Bedford Introduction To Literature. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin, 2005. Wells, Walter. "John Updike's 'A&P': a return visit to 'Araby.'" Studies in Short Fiction 30, 2 (Spring 1993)

Case Study Analysis on an Organisation Essay

Organisational change is something that occurs throughout an organisation’s life cycle and effects the entire organisation rather than one part of it. Employing a new person is one example. Change is increasing due to a number of forces including globalisation led by rapidly advancing technologies, cultural diversity, environmental resources and the economy; therefore the ability to recognise the need for change as well as implement change strategies effectively, in a proactive response to internal and external pressures is essential to organisational performance. Internal changes can include organisational structure, process and HR requirements and external changes involve government legislation, competitor movements and customer demand (Wood et al, 2010). Change does not need to be a painful process, as it may seem when observing the amount of failed change management initiatives with reports as low as 10% of researched success rates (Oakland & Tanner, 2007), when successful change management strategies are utilised and planned, including effective communication strategies, operational alignment, readiness to change and implementation, which all lower and overcome resistance (Wood et al, 2010). There is a great amount of literature on the negative aspects and difficult management with employees resisting change, however Wood et al (2010) challenge this notion by questioning the change management process as people do not resist change itself but aspects of the change that affects them personally such as fear of the unknown, status, remuneration and comfort. Resistance to these changes is a healthy reaction and can be managed effectively in the beginning by ensuring communication and using one of the change initiatives described here. Background Information Truelocal is based in Sydney, with small sales branches in Brisbane and Melbourne. It employs over 150 staff, an increase of approximately 50% over the past two years. It was founded in 2005 by NDM as part of an expanding operation of online websites to provide across the board consumer services, including news and magazine websites; online sport and weather information; and shopping comparison search engine, web-based recruitment, and travel search engine solutions [http://www. ewsdigitalmedia. com. au, accessed 25/08/2010]. As the world shifted into what is often referred to as the ‘digital info age’, consumer demand for online media as a way to source information significantly increased and demand for printed media decreased putting pressure on newspaper companies to expand to producing news and information online in digital format. This included News Corporation which decreased its newspaper operations and increased its digital expansion. As an employee at Truelocal for over six years, I have acquired this information presented here through interviews with management, company information and my own observations internally within the organisation’s sales department working in the roles of sales executive, account manager and senior retention account manager. The Need for Change – Management & Structure Truelocal needed to align its culture, values and structure with the parent company in order to meet strategic growth goals not long after it was founded. Wood et al (2010) describe the work of an author, Noel Tichey on managing strategic change. Experts use three fundamental sets of change in their approach; technical design, political allocation and culture/ideological mix problems. It is one of these problems that become a pressing issue at any one time of which then initiates the change. In Truelocal’s case there were a number of changes evolving and at this time it was culture problems. NDM has been growing in size since its establishment in 2006 with a number of acquired website operations, each operating as a separate business unit with the support of HR, Finance, IT, Commercial Operations and other support services provided by the parent company (NDM). A decision was made to align the organisation in terms of operations, culture and strategy so it could concentrate on innovation and performance to achieve its goal of becoming the number one provider of online information in Australia. As a result NDM redesigned its organisational structure as Truelocal and most of the other business units merged together in one location. Not long after this relocation, Truelocal began flattening out the company structure lead by a new management team and CEO. It has since been under constant change to achieve it’s goal to continue growth (both in number of staff and performance) and excel as a high performing and innovative company with an agenda of being the second largest online directory service in Australia after it’s competitor Sensis (Yellow pages online). Wood et al (2010) explain the performance gap is a desire to move from one less desired state to another. This can be seen by the increased performance after the change occurred and culture change was implemented. What changed Fundamental changes that occurred were a shift from the existing vertical, bureaucratic structure to a horizontal structure and change in specialist functioning of divisions creating a professional, corporate environmental culture that was customer focused. The existing culture was a casual attitude towards dress requirements, starting and finishing times, breaks, informal communication expression and channels and many staff were employed as friends of existing staff rather than based on competency and job skills. Some managers had their partners working for them and a few were family members. There didn’t appear to be any dress code and people came and left work at varying times. Additionally management employed more skilled staff, retrained existing staff and created processes of which procedures were then put in place. One of the ways these objectives were achieved was by the reduction of management layers resulting in more direct reporting. Wood et al (2010) explain as organisational size increases, the more interconnections and less direct communication between people takes place (Wood et al, 2010). Change Process When management at Truelocal uplifted existing management and reporting structures, staffs were initially left without direction, reporting channels, processes and goals were not clearly communicated causing a lot of uncertainty. Consequently many staff resigned as they felt upset and confused about what was happening. Truelocal however, retained some of the more experienced staff with new career development propositions and new managers were encouraging and open about future improvements that were to take place within the organisation. One of the ways Truelocal could have managed this change is by using the Freeze/Unfreeze concept; Wood et al (2010) explains Kurt Lewin, a famous organisational Psychologist’s three-force phase, which is needed for any organisation to be motivated to bring about the change of which are; 1) Unfreezing focuses on preparing people for change. This is a critical part of the change phase prior to implementation by analysing and influencing resistance and need to change. A common tool that is used at this stage is called Force Field Analysis, this measures these forces. ) Changing of people; tasks; structure; technology. Ideally the organisation will be completely unfrozen, ready for change and its goals made clear. It is recommended that staff are not perceived to have a sense of high or low security at this stage in order to avoid resistance. 3) Refreezing is the evaluation and reinforcement of the changes that took place. The new managers were recruited by Truelocal for their exp erience in organisational transformation within the type of professional, high performing, corporate environment the organisation desired and who worked at their competitor company. These managers were expected to manage the entire change process themselves. Change agents are people or groups who take responsibility for the change of behaviours and existing patterns in a supportive manner (Wood et al, 2010). The perceived risks however, are the responsibility of the organisation’s leader who decides on the direction of the change (Oakland & Tanner, 2007). Planned changes that took place were; Structure – change in organisational design by reporting systems, operational processes and size of teams, while roles were redefined by definition, job title and remuneration. Tasks – Most jobs were redesigned including more responsibility for staff in management roles and multi functional tasks for other staff. One of these job designs is called job enrichment, which is the increase and deepening of motivating factors built into a job (Wood et al, 2010). Some of these enrichments used by new management were increased responsibility and accountability, less control and more freedom in the job and more recognition. People – improvement of recruitment and selection process by advertising formal job vacancies on the organization’s intranet and incentives for staff to nominate candidates who were then formally interviewed by a number of managers. Additionally training sessions for new staff, coaching and certification courses were made available. Carless (2005) describes her research on the compatibility of job-person-organisation-environment fit. She believes a person must assess their attributes and personality with the job and organisational characteristics, which is likely to improve job satisfaction and adjustment to the environment. Culture – organisational values and beliefs were communicated from the parent company of which staff was rewarded when their behaviour displayed these values. Recognition was given in addition at meetings and performance appraisals. This is the observable culture, however as Wood et al (2010) explain, shared meanings and stories are other powerful aspects of culture and this can be observed at Truelocal by the high turnover of staff by both stories and norms that communicate the need to work hard to perform in the job or leave. Cultural symbols include trophies for ‘employee of the month’ awarded to the highest performer. These symbols serve to transmit cultural meaning (Wood et al, 2010). In the sales department a large subculture can be observed. Wood et al (2010) explain strong subcultures are often found in high performance task forces where people share similar values and backgrounds. This subculture included men between the ages of 22-30 yrs that have no formal education, drink alcohol excessively, and are passionate about technology, highly materialistic and view women as sex objects, which can often be observed by their language and behaviour. Moreover this culture is likely to be influenced by the national culture of which the organisation is embedded (Wood et al, 2010). In fact this subculture existed in the old culture before the restructure of which the company held ‘diversity training’ focused on discrimination and fairness within the workplace resulting in terminations. According to The Economist (2008), in the economic downturn companies need ‘Generation Y’ as hungry 25-35 year olds without commitment, for marketing and product innovation with emerging technologies, able to put in the time and energy to help them deal with recession hazards, especially in sales. Strategy – operations and planning were clarified at monthly and quarterly meetings including product changes. These were addressed by department managers regularly and CEO meetings irregularly, to engage staff. Wood et al (2010) explain leadership has changed from the traditional trait and behaviour approaches to transformational, charismatic, visionary focus and is separate from management. The leadership team at Truelocal formally includes the CEO and parent company (NDM) leaders. Their leadership function can be observed by their language and behaviours they use a transformational and visionary change approach. Objectives – specific performance targets were set allowing staff to earn a higher commission by overachieving set targets, recognition and prizes to increase motivation consistently. Purpose – both the CEO and the parent company made organisational goals clearly communicated vision and clarified progress regularly. Recognition was given for the contribution of each department and each business unit to the overall success of the organisation. These changes were managed by senior staff using a combination of change strategy approaches as explained by Wood et al (2010) that include a forced approach of top down command, one way communication, coercive reward and punishment approach, rationalisation approach and shared decision making, empowered approach. Of these approaches no single approach was concluded best by researchers on organisational change and it is advised that more commonly a combination will occur, however guidelines are offered to change agents and managers (Wood et al, 2010); – consider use of expert consultants – communicate the need for change feedback from employees – avoid changing for the sake of change – study organisational change and structures From this perspective Truelocal management took the right approach by varying the way they managed the change. Change Results The facilitation of clearer and faster communication channels enabled staff to work more efficiently and g et things done faster, along with improved technology. Further benefits of this structure were people collaborating in teams, using initiative and increased spontaneous communication while rules, procedures and close supervision were reduced as described in (Tushman, Anderson & O’Reilly, 1997). Wood et al (2010) describe the matrix structure is common in large organisations wanting to improve customer responsiveness. Truelocal’s reporting structure utilised this organisational design as part of the change, for example the finance manager reports to the CEO of Truelocal and to the Commercial Director of NDM, however Wood et al (2010) note each organisation’s structure is unique and there is no single observed design. This change is described by Wood et al (2010) as radical. Radical changes are fundamental reorientations and transformational, often initiated by the arrival of a new CEO. Culture & Performance Change Since the change occurred, Truelocal’s sales department recorded a growth rate of 15% per full time employee (FTE). Some strategies used were; – Performance appraisal review (PAR) – staff are asked to grade themselves on their performance and their use of company values of which are discussed by their managers. For example one of the values is ‘Impact’ and an employee is asked how much impact they contributed to the organisation since the last performance review and they are required to give examples of this behaviour. These PARs are held quarterly and annually. Reward and remuneration – staff are given targets according to their job level and experience with incentives to over achieve. These targets are called Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The person’s job is broken into task components of which each component consists of a target behaviour that is rewarded. Remuneration is based on the overall percent age of KPI achievement. – Recognition – employee of the month award was created by encouraging staff to use an online submission for their preferred co-worker who had gone over and above their job requirement displaying one of the company values. In addition the company awards the sales department with the person with the highest dollar value in sales and yearly a larger reward of which one year was a new car. Similarly a newsletter recognises new sales people who achieve early in their job. All of these reinforcements are called extrinsic which are rewards given to someone by another person’s valued outcome and because they are environmentally impactful are valued in influencing behaviour through the law of effect (Wood et al, 2010). Cultural change can take years according to Wood et al (2010); however effective cultural change strategies can be used to shorten the timeframe. One of which is explained by Oakland & Tanner (2007), it is important to align the culture to support the desired change in behaviour. For example Truelocal needed a professional, customer focused culture which required staff to develop professional skills and behaviour. The result was all departments undertook a full training programme designed to increase awareness in communication, with a focus on questioning and empathy. Conclusion Truelocal is a young company and part of the larger and still relatively new parent organisation, NDM, operating under the global News Corporation. The industry it operates in, digital media is one of the fastest growing and changing environments globally. It changed from a structure and culture of casual, unprofessional work practices managed within a more bureaucratic structure that was under performing to a transformational, high performing, innovative and professional culture that is customer focused. Truelocal achieved its goal of growth, productivity and change in culture, however many staff were lost in the process and not much planning appeared to be in place. It is unclear as to the lack of planning, communication or use of external consultant in the case of radical change that occurred. One assumption might be due to budgetary restrictions as the company has been running at a loss since it started, reporting a loss this year of over one hundred million. Apart from the successful change management strategies that were used by the change agents, in particular the motivational strategies used by nominated change managers, numerous other approaches were identified that may benefit the organisation for managing future changes more effectively. Reference List Carless, S. A. (2005). Person-job fit versus person-organisation fit as predictors of organisational attraction and job acceptance intentions: a longitudinal study. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology. 78 (3), 411-429. Generation Y goes to work (2008, December 30). The Economist (US). Retrieved from http://www. economist. com/business/displaystory. cfm? story_id=12863573 Oakland, J. S. , & Tanner, S. (2007). Successful change management. Total Quality Management, 18 (1-2), 1-19. Tushman, M. L. , Anderson, P. C. & O’Reilly, C. (1997). Technology cycles, innovation streams and ambidextrous organisations: organisaiton renewal through innovation streams and strategic change. Managing strategic innovation and change. Oxford University Press, NY. 2-23. Wood, J, Zeffane, R. , Fromholtz M. , Wiesner R. , Creed A. , Schermerhorn J. , Hunt J. , & Osborn R. , (2010). Organisational Behaviour, Core concepts & applications. 2nd Ed. John Wiley & Sons, Australia, Ltd. Milton Qld.

Herman Case

Companies† list in both 2008 and 2010. The three high-technology organizations selected for these lists were Microsoft, Cisco, and Google. Unlike most firms, especially those in mature industries and most of its office furniture rivals, Herman Miller had pursued a path distinctively marked by reinvention and renewal. This path had served it well over the decades. It survived the Great Depression early in its history and multiple recessions in the 20th century In the early part of the 21st century, it recovered from the dot. Com bust.In 201 2, Herman Miller once again was facing turbulent and uncertain economic conditions. Would its propensity for using innovation to reinvent and renew its business once again allow the company to flourish and grow? How far and how fast might the company be able to push its annual revenues above the 201 1 level of $1. 6 billion? COMPANY BACKGROUND Herman Miller's roots went back to 1905 and the Star Furniture Company, a manufacturer of traditiona listic bedroom suites in Zealand, Michigan. In 1909, it was renamed Michigan Star Furniture Company and hired Dirk Jan De Pre as a clerk.De Pre, became president in 191 9 and four years later convinced his father-in-law, Herman Miller, to purchase the majority of hares; De Pre renamed the company Herman Miller Furniture Company in recognition of Millers support. In 1 927, De Pre committed himself to treating â€Å"all workers as individuals with special talents and potential. † This occurred after he visited the family of a millwright who had died unexpectedly. During the visit, the widow read some poetry Upon asking the widow who the poet was, De Pre was surprised to learn it was the millwright.This led him to wonder whether the millwright was a worker who wrote poetry or a poet who worked as a millwright. This story was part of Herman Miller's corporate culture, which intended to generate respect for all employees and fueled the quest to tap the diversity of gifts and skill s held by all. In 1 930, the United States was in the Great Depression and Herman Miller was in financial trouble. As De Pre was looking for a way to save the company, Gilbert Rhode, a designer from New York, approached him and told him about his design philosophy.Rhode then asked for an opportunity to design a bedroom suite for a fee of $1 ,OHO. When De Pre reacted negatively to such a fee, Rhode suggested an alternative payment plan-?a 3 percent royalty on the furniture sold-?to which De Pre agreed, figuring that there as nothing to lose. A few weeks later, De Pre received the-first designs from Rhode. Again, he reacted negatively. In response, Rhode wrote De Pre a letter explaining his design philosophy: â€Å"[Horst,] utter simplicity: no surface enrichment, no carvings, no molding, [and second,] furniture should be anonymous.People are Important, not furniture. Furniture should be useful† Rhodes designs were antithetical to traditional designs, but De Pre saw merit in th em and set Herman Miller on a course of designing and selling furniture that reflected a way of life. In 1 942, Herman Miller produced its first office furniture-?a Gilbert Rhode sign referred to as the Executive Office Group. Rhode died two years later, and De Pre began a search for a new design leader. After reading an article in Life magazine â€Å"about designer George Nelson, De Pre hired Nelson as Herman Miller's first design director.In 1 946, De Pre hired Charles and Ray Names, a husband-and-wife design team based in Los Angels. In the same year, Charles Earn sees designs were featured in the first one-man furniture exhibit at New Work's Museum of Modern Art. Some of his designs became part of the museum's permanent collection. Many sources were helpful in providing material for this case, m ¶SST articulacy employees at Herman Miller who generously shared their time and viewpoints about the company to help ensure that the case accurately reflected the company's practices and culture.They provided many resources, including internal documents and stories of their personal experiences. In 1 950, Herman Miller, under the guidance of Dry. Carl Frost, a professor at Michigan State University, became the first company in the state of Michigan to implement a Scansion Plan, a productivity incentive program devised by labor expert Joseph N. Scansion. Underlying the Scansion Plan were the principles of equity and justice for everyone in the company† Two major functional elements Of Scansion plans were the use of committees for sharing ideas on improvements and a structure for sharing increased profitability.The relationship between Frost and Herman Miller continued for at least four decades. During the asses, Herman Miller introduced a number of new furniture designs, including those by Alexander Gerard, Charles and Ray Names, and George Nelson. Specifically, the company introduced the first molded fiberglass chairs and the Names lounge chair and ottoman (see Exhibit 1). The Names designs were introduced on NBC Home Show with Arlene Francis, a precursor to the Today show. Also in the asses, Herman Miller began its first overseas foray, selling its products in the European market. In 1 962, D. J.De Pre became chairman of the board and his son, Hugh De Pre, became president and chief executive officer. D. J. De Pre had served for more than 40 years as the president of Herman Miller. EXHIBIT 1 Names Lounge Chair and Ottoman During the 1 sass, Herman Miller introduced many new designs for both home and office. The most notable design was the Action Office System, the rolls first open-plan modular office arrangement of movable; panels and attachments. By the end of the 1 sass, Herman Miller had formed a subsidiary in England with sales and marketing responsibility throughout England and the Scandinavian countries.The company also established dealers in South and Central America, Australia, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Near East, and Japa n. In 1 970, Herman Miller went public and made its first stock offering. The stock certificate was designed by the Names office staff. The company entered the health/science market in 1 971 and introduced the Oregon chair, its first design eased on scientific observation and ergonomic principles, in 1976. In 1 979, in conjunction with the University of Michigan, Herman Miller established the Facility Management Institute, which pioneered the profession of facility management.The company continued to expand overseas and introduce new designs throughout the asses. By 1 977, more than half of Herman Miller's 2,500 employees worked outside the production area. The Scansion Plan therefore needed to be overhauled, since it had been designed originally for a production workforce. In addition, employees worked at multiple U. S. And overseas locations. In 1 978, an ad hoc committee of 54 people from nearly every segment of the company was elected to examine the need for changes and to make recommendations.By January 1979, the committee had developed a final draft. The plan established a new organization structure based on work teams, caucuses, and councils. All employees were given an opportunity to discuss the new plan in small group settings. On January 26,1 979,96 percent of the employees voted to accept the new plan. After 18 years as president and CEO, Hugh De Pre stepped down; his younger brother, Max De pre, became chairman and chief executive officer n 1980. In 1981, Herman Miller took a major initiative to become more efficient and environmentally friendly.Its Energy Center generated both electrical and steam power to run its 1 -million-square-foot facility by burning waste. 2 In 1983, Herman Miller established a plan whereby all employees became shareholders. This initiative occurred approximately 10 years before congressional incentives fueled employee stock ownership plan (ESP.) growth. In 1 984, Herman Miller introduced the Aqua chair, a second chair base d on ergonomic principles; many other designs followed in the 1 9805. In 1987, the iris non-De Pre family member, Dickered, became chief executive officer.By the end of the decade, Time magazine had recognized the Aqua chair as a Design of the Decade. Also, in 1989, Herman Miller established its Environmental Quality Action Team, whose purpose was to â€Å"coordinate environmental programs worldwide and involve as many employees as possible. † In 1990, Herman Miller became a founding member of the Tropical Forest Foundation and was the only furniture manufacturer to belong. That same year, it discontinued using endangered rosewood in its redrawing Names lounge chair and ottoman, and substituted cherry and walnut from sustainable sources.It also became a founding member of the U. S. Green Building Council in 1994. Some of the buildings at Herman Miller were used to establish Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LED) standards. Because of its environmental efforts, He rman Miller received awards from Fortune magazine and the National Wildlife Federation in the 1 9905. Also in the 1 sass, Herman Miller again introduced some groundbreaking designs. In 1 994, it introduced the Aaron chair (see Exhibit 2), which almost immediately was added to the New York Museum of Modern Art's permanent sign collection.In 1999, the Aaron chair won the Design of the Decade Award from Businesslike and the Industrial Designers I Society of America. In 1 992, J. Kermit Campbell became Herman Miller's fifth CEO and president. He was the first person from outside the company to hold either position. In 1995, Campbell resigned and Mike Evolved was promoted to CEO. Evolved, just 39 years old, had been with a company called Meridian for seven years before Herman Miller acquired it in 1990, so when he became CEO he had been with either Herman Miller or its subsidiary for 12 years.At the time, the industry was in a slump and Herman Miller was being restructured. Sales were ap proximately $1 billion annually. EXHIBIT 2 The Herman Miller Aaron Chair In 1 994, the company launched a product line called Herman Miller for the Home to focus on the residential market. It reintroduced some Of its modern classic designs from the asses, asses, and asses as well as new designs. In 1998, it set up a specific website (www. Home. Com) to tap into this market. Attachments took additional marketing initiatives to focus on small and midsized businesses.It established a network of 1 80 retailers to focus on small genuineness and made a 3-D design computer program available to midsized customers. In addition, its order entries were digitally linked among the company and its suppliers, distributors, and customers to expedite orders and improve their accuracy 3 THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY The first decade of the 21 SST century started off spectacularly for Herman Miller, with record profits and sales in 2000 and 2001.The company offered: an employee stock option pla n (ESP.) in July 2000, and Time magazine selected the Names molded ply'. Judd chair a Design of the Century. Sales had ore than doubled in the six years that Mike Evolved had been CEO. Then the dot. Com bubble burst and the terrorist attacks of September 1 1 , 2001, shook the U. S. Economy. Herman Miller's sales dropped by 34 percent, from more than $22 billion in 2001 to less than $1. 5 billion in 2002. In the same two years, the company saw a decline in profits from a positive $144 million to a negative $56 million.In an interview for Fascinating magazine in 2007, Evolved said, â€Å"One night went to bed a genius and woke up the town idiot† Although sales continued to drop in 2003, Herman Miller returned to reparability in that year. To do so, Herman Miller had to drop its long-held tradition of lifelong employment; approximately 38 percent of the workforce was laid off, and an entire plant in Georgia was closed. Mike Evolved and Brian Walker, then president of Herman Mill er North America, met with all the workers to tell them what was happening and why it had to be done.One Of the workers being laid off was so moved by Evolved and Walkers presentation that she told them she felt sorry for them having to personally lay off workers. To replace the tradition of lifelong employment, Evolved, tit input from many others, developed what the company referred to as â€Å"the new social contract. † He explained it as follows: We are a commercial enterprise, and the customer has to be on center stage, so we have to first figure out whether your gifts and talents have a match with the needs and wants of this commercial enterprise.If they don't, then we want to wish you the best, but we do need to tell you that I don't have a job for you right now. As part of the implementation of the social contract, the company redesigned benefit plans such as educational reimbursement and 401 (k) plans to be more portable. This done to decrease the cost of changing job s for employees whose gifts and talents no longer matched customer needs. Herman Miller's sales and profits began to climb from 2003 to 2008. In 2008, even though sales were not at an all-time high, the company's profits had reached a record level.Walker became president in 2003 and CEO in 2004. Evolved became chairman of the board in 2004. Then Herman Miller was hit by the recession of 2009. Sales dropped by 1 9 percent, from approximately $2. 0 billion in 2008 to approximately $ 1. 6 billion in 2009. In the same years, profits dropped from $1 52 million to $68 million. In March 2009, Mark Churchman, director of external communications at Herman Miller, predicted that the changes made to recover from the 2001-2003 recession would help the company weather the recession that began in late 2007.HERMAN MILLER IN 2012 Herman Miller had codified its long-practiced organizational values and published them on its website on a page titled â€Å"What We Believe. † Those beliefs, liste d as follows, were intended as a basis for uniting all employees, building relationships, and contributing to communities: ; Curiosity & Exploration: These are two of our greatest strengths. They he behind our heritage of research- driven design. How do we keep our curiosity? By respecting and encouraging risk, and by practicing forgiveness. You can't be curious and infallible.In one sense, if you never make a mistake, you're not exploring new ideas often enough. Everybody makes mistakes: we ought to celebrate honest mistakes, learn from them, and move on. ; Engagement: For us, it is about being owners-? actively committed to the life of this community called Herman Miller, sharing in its success and risk. Stock ownership is an important ingredient, but it's not enough. The strength and the payoff really come when engaged people own problems, solutions, and behavior. Acknowledge responsibility, choose to step forward and be counted.Care about this community and make a difference in it. ; Performance: Performance is required for leadership. We want to be leaders, so we are committed to performing at the highest level possible. Performance isn't a choice. It's up to everybody at Herman Miller to perform at his or her best. Our own high performance-?however we measure it-?enriches our lives as employees, delights our customers, and creates real value for our shareholders ; Inclusiveness: To succeed as a company, we must include all the expressions of human talent and potential that society offers.We value the whole person and everything each of us has to offer, obvious or not so 4 obvious. We believe that every person should have the chance to realize his or her potential regardless of color, gender, age, sexual orientation, educational background, weight, height, family status, skill level-? the list goes on and on. When we are truly inclusive, we go beyond toleration to understanding all the qualities that make people who they are, that make us unique, and most important, that unite us. Design: Design for us is a way of looking at the world and how it works-?or doesn't.It is a method for getting something done, for solving a problem. To design a solution, rather than simply devising one, requires research, thought, sometimes starting over, listening, and humility. Sometimes design results in memorable occasions, timeless chairs, or really fun parties. Design isn't just the way something looks; it sinusitis the way something works, either. ; Foundations: The past can be a tricky thing-?an anchor or a sail, a tether or a launching pad. We value and respect our past without being ruled by it. The stories, people, and experiences in Herman Miller's past form a unique foundation.Our past teaches us about design, human compassion, leadership, risk taking, seeking out change and working together. From that foundation, we can move forward together with a common language, a set of owned beliefs and understandings. We value our rich legacy more for what it shows us we might become than as a picture of what we've been. ; A Better World: This is at the heart of Herman Miller and the real reason why many of us come to work every day. We contribute to a better world by pursuing sustainability and environmental wisdom.Environmental advocacy is part of our heritage and a responsibility we gladly bear for future generations. We reach for a better world by giving time and money to our communities and causes outside the company; through becoming a good corporate citizen worldwide; and even in the (not so) simple act of adding beauty to the world. By participating in the effort, we lift our spirits and the spirits of those around us. ; Transparency: Transparency begins with letting people see how decisions are made and owning the decisions we make. So when you make a decision, own it.Confidentiality has a place at Herman Miller, but if you can't tell anybody about a decision you've made, you've probably made a poor choice. Without tran sparency, it's impossible to have trust and integrity. Without trust and integrity, its impossible to be transparent All employees were expected to live these values. Management Mike Evolved remained chairman of the board in 2012, and Brian Walker was president and CEO. Walker's compensation was listed by Bloomberg Businesslike as $693,969 in 2011. The magazine listed compensation for Coos at four competitors as ranging from $778,000 to $973,000.Walker and our other top executives at Herman Miller took a 10 percent pay cut in January 2009 and, along with all salaried workers, another 10 percent cut in March 2009. The production workers were placed on a work schedule that consisted of nine days in two weeks, effectively cutting their pay by 10 percent as well. That the executives would take a pay cut before salaried workers, and one twice as much as that required by workers, was just one way human compassion was practiced at Herman Miller. However, most employees' pay cuts and furlou ghs were ended in June 201 0 when the company's financial performance began to improve.By U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, a publicly traded Company had to have a board of directors. By Herman Miller's corporate policy, the majority of the 14 members of the board had to be independent. To be judged independent, the individual as a minimum had to meet the NASDAQ National Market requirements for independent directors (NASDAQ Stock Market Rule 4200). In addition, the individual could not have any â€Å"other material relationship with the company or its affiliates or with any executive officer of the company or his or her affiliates. Moreover, according o company documents, any â€Å"transaction between the Company and any executive officer or director of the Company (including that persons spouse, children, stepchildren, parents, stepparents, siblings, parents-law, children- in-law, siblings-in-law and persons sharing the same residence) must be disclosed to the Board of Directors and is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors Or the Nominating and Governance Committee unless the proposed transaction is part of a general program available to all directors or employees equally under an existing policy or is a purchase of Company reduces consistent with the price and terms of other transactions of similar size with other purchasers. † Furthermore, â€Å"It is the policy of the Board that all directors, consistent with their responsibilities to the stockholders of the company as a whole, hold an equity interest in the company. Toward this end, the.Board requires that each director will have an equity interest after one year on the Board, and within five years the Board encourages the 5 directors to have shares of common stock of the company with a value of at least three times the amount of the annual retainer paid to each director. † In there words, board members were held to standards consistent with Herman Mill er's corporate beliefs and its ESP. program. Although Herman Miller had departments, the most frequently referenced work unit was the team. Paul Murray, director of environmental health and safety, explained the relationship between the team and the department as follows: At Herman Miller, team has just been the term that has been used since the Scansion Plan and the De Peres brought that into Herman Miller. And so I think that's why we use that almost exclusively.The department-? as a department, we help facilitate the other teams. And so they aren't just department driven. Teams were often cross-functional. Membership on a team was based on the employee's ability to contribute to that team. As Gave Wing lead chemical engineer for the company's Design for the Environment division, described it, You grab the appropriate representative who can best help your team achieve its goal. It doesn't seem to be driven based on title. It's based on who has the ability to help us drive our init iatives towards our goal. Teams were often based on product development. When the product had been developed, the members of that team were redistributed to new rejects.New projects could come from any level in the organization: One way in which leadership was shared at Herman Miller was through the concept of â€Å"talking up and down the ladder. † Workers at all levels were encouraged to put forth new ideas. Herman Miller environmental specialist Rudy Barrels said, If they try something they have folks there that will help them and be there for them.. That requires a presence of one of us or an e-mail or just to say, â€Å"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. † That's how a tot †¦ In the organization works. Because Herman Miller workers felt empowered, a new manager could run onto some startling behavior. Paul Murray recalled, can remember my first day on the job. I took my safety glasses 0 if . ND an employee stepped forward and said, â€Å"Get your safety glass es back on At [Company X, Company there was no way they would have ever talked to a supervisor like that, much less their supervisor's manager. It's been a fun journey when the workforce is that empowered. The company's beliefs were also reinforced through the Employee Gifts Committee and the Environmental Quality Action Team. True to Herman Millers practice of shared leadership, the Employee Gifts Committee distributed funds and other sources based on employee involvement. Jay Link, manager of corporate giving explained the program as follows: Our first priority is to honor organizations where our employees are involved.We believe that it's important that we engender kind of a giving spirit in our employees, so if we know they're involved in organizations, which is going to be where we have a manufacturing presence, then our giving kind of comes alongside organizations that the/re involved with. So that's our first priority. In addition, all Herman Miller employees could work 16 pa id hours a year with a charitable organization of their choice. The company set goals for the number of employee volunteer hours contributed annually to its communities. Progress toward meeting those goals was reported to the CEO. The Environmental Affairs Team, formed in 1 988 with the authorization of Max De pre, had responsibility for such activities as recycling solid waste and designing products from sustainable resources.One of the team's successes was in the reduction of solid waste taken to landfills. In 1 991, Herman Miller was sending 41 million pounds of solid waste to landfills. That figure was down to 24 million pounds by 1 994 and to 3. 6 million pounds by 2008. Such improvements were both environmentally friendly and costiveness. Herman Miller's beliefs carried over to the family and the community. Gave Wing related, â€Å"I've got the worst lawn in my neighborhood. That's because don't spread pesticides on it, and don't put fertilizer down. † He went on to say that he and his wife had to make a difficult decision in the summer of 2009 6 because Herman Miller had a policy â€Å"to avoid PVC [polyvinyl chloride] wherever possible. In restoring their home, they chose fiber cement board over PVC siding even though the fiber cement board was considerably more costly. Wing said, â€Å"Seven years ago, I didn't really think about it. † Rudy Barrels was involved in a youth soccer association that raised money to buy uniforms by collecting newspapers and aluminum cans. Barrels said, â€Å"When I'll speak they'll say, ‘Yeah, that's Rudy. He's Herman Miller. You should-?you know we're goanna have to do this. â€Å"‘ The company's beliefs carried over to all functional areas of the business. Some of them were obviously beneficial, and some were simply the way Herman Miller chose to conduct its business.

Free Essays on Atmosphere

There are many environmental problems that are currently plaguing the earth. Many of them are caused by humans and some just occur naturally. Environmental pollution isn’t just an issue that has just been noticed now. Investigators in England during 1661 noticed that emissions coming from industrial plants were contributing to pollution. While working as a consultant for the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government, Michael E. Kowalok wrote the article â€Å"Common Threads† expressing the concern for the environmental problems that are happening in the world and some of the obstacles that stand in the way of improvement. Many of the problems that are currently hurting the environment are acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming. As early as 1661, investigators realized that the waste product being released from smoke stacks in England were releasing harmful emissions that had the ability to change the environment. The main problem that they were concerned with was that it had the ability to travel long distances across Europe. The problem they were dealing with would later be known as acid rain. Britain’s first Alkali inspector Robert Angus Smith, noticed that the acidic rain made metals corrode and textiles to fade faster. In the book he wrote, â€Å"Air and Rain: The Beginnings of Chemical Climatology,† he explains the main principles that make up acid rain and the chemistry that makes it up. Scientists also 100 years later used the foundation of his research and went to Sweden to study different types of rain and noted that rain coming from the sea contained more salt and the rain coming from industrial areas contained more sulfuric acid. Connections were being made that ecosystems were bei ng polluted with acidic rain coming from industrial areas. Scientists were using data from other fields of research to help study their main areas a focus and research. Svante Oden is a soil scientists who ... Free Essays on Atmosphere Free Essays on Atmosphere There are many environmental problems that are currently plaguing the earth. Many of them are caused by humans and some just occur naturally. Environmental pollution isn’t just an issue that has just been noticed now. Investigators in England during 1661 noticed that emissions coming from industrial plants were contributing to pollution. While working as a consultant for the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government, Michael E. Kowalok wrote the article â€Å"Common Threads† expressing the concern for the environmental problems that are happening in the world and some of the obstacles that stand in the way of improvement. Many of the problems that are currently hurting the environment are acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming. As early as 1661, investigators realized that the waste product being released from smoke stacks in England were releasing harmful emissions that had the ability to change the environment. The main problem that they were concerned with was that it had the ability to travel long distances across Europe. The problem they were dealing with would later be known as acid rain. Britain’s first Alkali inspector Robert Angus Smith, noticed that the acidic rain made metals corrode and textiles to fade faster. In the book he wrote, â€Å"Air and Rain: The Beginnings of Chemical Climatology,† he explains the main principles that make up acid rain and the chemistry that makes it up. Scientists also 100 years later used the foundation of his research and went to Sweden to study different types of rain and noted that rain coming from the sea contained more salt and the rain coming from industrial areas contained more sulfuric acid. Connections were being made that ecosystems were bei ng polluted with acidic rain coming from industrial areas. Scientists were using data from other fields of research to help study their main areas a focus and research. Svante Oden is a soil scientists who ...

The Pros and Cons of Fracking essays

The Pros and Cons of Fracking essays Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has become a widespread process with companies trying to benefit from the newly developed method for extracting oil and natural gas from wells that were once thought tapped. North America uses the technique more than any other country (85%) however the method of fracking is spreading quickly (CNN). The fracking process brings new life to old wells by using pressurized water mixed with a few chemicals (1%) and sand, which are forced down a well to create small fractures in the well (TTaF). Once the fissures are open the sand from the solution provides filler to keep the cracks open so the shale can be extracted. During the extraction process usually, about twenty percent of the used water is then recycled and reused at the next extraction site (Grottenthaler). There has been a lot of controversy over fracking with many people protesting against it. In the Marcellus Shale especially they say that the method of fracking causes drinking water to be contaminated. Pennsylvania residents say seventy-five percent of the sampled wells within one kilometer of the wells were highly contaminated with methane (Howarth). The main complaints are that of methane that seeps into the aquifers below the surface and coming out the tap. Researchers say that it is not the actual fracking process, but from wells that have been built incorrectly (TTaF). Another complaint is the amount of salt output of a typical well. A single well produces more salt per well then a common state would use for icy roads for over a decade. In turn, the massive cost that comes with the treatment and disposal of the tainted water and abundance of salt that has to be transported on trucks creating more and more emissions. Considering that there is an average of five hundred trucks that are needed per good completion, the disposal process is a highly intensive and expensive process (Glanville). Experts say that even though there have been many...

Definition and Examples of Accent Prejudice or Accentism

Definition and Examples of Accent Prejudice or Accentism Accent prejudice is the perception that certain accents are inferior to others. Also called accentism. In the book Language and Region (2006), Joan Beal notes that there are quite a few linguists who favour legislation along the lines of banning discrimination against what they call accentism. However, it is not something that employers appear to take seriously. Examples and Observations What causes a particular way of speaking to be perceived as superior is the fact that it is used by the powerful.(Suzanne Romaine,  Language in Society: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2000) Just as errors, both of grammar and of word choice, are condemned as simply wrong by those who wish to uphold standards, so some accents of English (e.g. Birmingham, Broad Australian) are stigmatised as ugly and uneducated. There are, of course, no intrinsic grounds for such stigmatising, any more than there are for racial prejudice. Those who see accent prejudice as solely a language problem are inclined to wax indignant, to maintain that all accents are equal (forgetting perhaps the continuation of the Animal Farm motto: but some are more equal than others). For them, therefore, there is no problem: society has the duty to behave differently and overcome its prejudices. The applied linguist, however, is likely to recognise that it is indeed a problem and that it extends beyond language, reflecting social and political (and possibly ethnic) values.(Alan Davies, An Introduction to Applied Linguistics: From Practice to Theory, 2nd ed. Edinburgh University Press, 2007) Only very rarely are foreigners or first-generation immigrants allowed to be nice people in American films. Those with an accent are bad guys.(Max von Sydow) Accentism in the American South I used to say that whenever people heard my Southern accent, they always wanted to deduct 100 IQ points.(Jeff Foxworthy)The federal Department of Energy has dropped plans to give employees at a Tennessee laboratory Southern Accent Reduction lessons after complaints that the class was offensive. The lessons would have taught workers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory how to speak with a more neutral American accent so they could be remembered for what you say and not how you say it.(The Week, August 8, 2014) Accentism in Contemporary Britain Do accents still matter? Last week Dr Alexander Baratta from the University of Manchester spoke of accentism, where people are discriminated against because of how they speak, and likened it to racism. In a study, he asked people why they changed their accents and how it made them feel. A third of those questioned said they were ashamed about flattening out their accents. But what was the alternative? We all want to get ahead; for the most part, the best way to do that is to fit in. Still, there is a price, the professor says. Facing the world with a voice that is not your own can undermine your sense of being.(Hugh Muir, Do Accents Matter in Modern Britain? The Guardian, July 14, 2014)Received Pronunciation (RP: traditionally the highest-status variety in England) is sometimes stigmatized. Its speakers may be perceived as posh or snobbish . . . and their accents as reflective of an elitist discoursal stance. Young people in particular, it is suggested, are now likely to repudiate at titudes that sustained accent prejudice.(John Edwards, Language Diversity in the Classroom. Multilingual Matters, 2010)The English are the most famously accent-conscious. Do what you willgo to three different posh schools, have a duchess for a mother, get yourself educated at Cambridge, move to Londonan expert will still be able to place you within a five-mile radius (the northern side of Cricklade, Id say) after a couple of sentences. Southerners still think Mancunians sound aggressive, Scotsmen disapproving, Liverpudlians thick, and the Welsh, Welsh.But it is changing. Just as languages are dying away at one a fortnight, so accents are smoothing, eliding, moving slowly towards the norm.(Michael Bywater, Lost Worlds. Granta Books, 2004) BBC Radio PresenterWilfred Pickles in Praise of Accent Diversity (1949) While I have the greatest respect for the many achievements of the B.B.C., I believe they are guilty of trying to teach Great Britain to talk standard English. How terrible it is to think that we may some day lose that lovely soft Devonshire accent or the bluff and very wonderful Scots brogue or the amusing flatness and forthrightness of the North-countrymans speech, or the music of the Welsh voice. May it be forbidden that we should ever speak like B.B.C. announcers, for our rich contrast of voices is a vocal tapestry of great beauty and incalculable value.  Our dialects are reminders of the permanence  of things in these islands of ours, where folks talk differently in places only five miles apart, a phenomenon that has its roots in the times when it took many days to ride from London to York by stage coach.(Wilfred Pickles in  Between You And Me. The Autobiography Of Wilfred Pickles, quoted by David Crystal in You Say Potato: A Book About Accents. Macmillan, 2014)

How to Use Market Growth And Market Share to Develop Strategy Assignment

How to Use Market Growth And Market Share to Develop Strategy - Assignment Example Knowing the market share of a business organization, will most definitely help in assessing the impact of changes in staff, products, services, prices, distribution channels, and even advertisement campaigns. Having knowledge on the growth of the organizations market will help in identifying the better strategies that the organization needs to enact in order to increase its customer base. This paper examines the strategies an organization can use to increase their market growth, and share. These strategies are vertical integration, and diversification strategies. In explaining these strategies, this paper focuses on an airline company, for example, the Emirates air line company. Strategies: Vertical Integration: One of the strategies that an organization can develop because of possessing knowledge on its growth and share is the vertical integration policy. Vertical integration refers to the expansion of a business organization into other areas that are related to its area of operatio n (Thorson and Duffy, 2012). Take for instance the emirates air line. The air line company might decide to buy a jet fueling company. This strategy is important to the organization because it will help it to refuel a large percentage of its refueling needs. Vertical integration is important because it helps a company to improve efficiency, and reduce the costs of its operation. For example, the transportation costs of the emirates airline will be reduced because it is the main supplier of its fuel. This in turn will increase the profitability of the organization, leading to a growth in its market share and its operations. The company might also aim at gaining control of its main competitors. For example, the competitors of the emirates airline company can be the British Airways, the... This report stresses that most companies intend to achieve growth in its market, and also increase its market share. There are several methods that these organizations can use to achieve this objective. However, this paper has focused on two main methods, that is vertical integration strategies, and diversification strategies. Vertical integration strategies mainly concern itself with the expansion of the organization into other areas that are related to its production and supply. This paper manages to effectively identify the various methods of vertical integration strategies, and how they are useful to an organization. The author declares that diversification strategies on the other hand involves the sale of part of the organizations ventures, for purposes of using the money gained to restructure the business organization so as it may compete effectively in its other markets. This paper makes a cocnlusion that a company can also decide to sale some of its business ventures because of higher operational costs in a given market, and hence the need of cutting costs. It is important to denote that an organization that manages to reduce its costs, will most definitely achieve some aspects of profitability. Finally, the greatest joy of a business organization is to manage capturing a given segment of a market. Capturing these new markets by introducing new products and influencing consumption habits will create a vibrant growth for the company, and an increase in its market share.

The body shop relationship marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The body shop relationship marketing - Essay Example The network of relationships whether with the supplier, customer, distributor, employees, partners or with the regulators is the playground for practicing relationship marketing techniques. The traditional marketing that has helped businesses to grow for decades can now be rendered as outdated with its narrow scope and inflexible approach. However, despite of these huge changes in the market dynamics, the fundamentals of marketing still remain the same. In recent times a lot many companies and organizations have tried adhering to the best practices of relationship marketing, but at the same time there have been examples where they have lost their grounds in this blind run. To ensure the better understanding of the subject matter, it becomes essential to discuss the same in the context of a company that has been practicing relationship marketing aggressively. Body shop in its more than 30 years old history (The Body Shop n.d) has launched many initiatives that focus on building relationships with all the stakeholders throughout the business network. This essay will attempt to address all the benefits of relationship marketing and simultaneously the flaws related with it will be discussed The body shop that was launched in UK in the year 1976 deals in beauty products which are made of naturally occurring ingredients and focusing on the philosophy of ‘Green Business’. Its network comprises of more than 2500 stores around the world through which The Body Shop operates in a global environment. Apart from that these stores located in almost 61 countries, the Body Shop also has strong online presence as well. There are various initiatives launched by the organization which help the organization to develop as a socially aware and responsible brand. This initiatives communicate strongly about the ethics of the organization that it not only cares for the people who are directly associated with it, but is also

Current Congress Legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Congress Legislation - Essay Example Taxing small businesses fairly is a very important step in promoting them. American is strong due to the important role played by small businesses. Statistics indicate that more than 90 percent of all employers are small businesses. Therefore, if small businesses are not healthy, reducing unemployment in America is easy. Economists estimate that value of output from small businesses is 50% of non-farm GDP. With such a huge amount of output for the country, promoting small businesses is good for the American economy. The same companies are responsible for producing much of the knowledge that gives America competitive advantage over competitors. Small firms produce more patent per employee than large companies do. This suggests that without small firms, knowledge creation would take a beating. Small businesses in America are found everywhere. The numbers of small businesses are estimated at more than 22 million. A law that is beneficial to this huge number of small businesses will be felt in virtually every neighborhood in America. By virtue of their spread, they employ as much as 50% of all employees in private sector. Another important contribution of small businesses is exporting ("Office of Advocacy - Press Releases - Small Businesses Are Important Players in U.S. Business and Job Growth†). Currently, American is facing trade deficit because Americans import too much consumption goods more than export. By exporting, small business help, prevent the present trade imbalance from getting worse. Approximately 97% of American exporters are small businesses who export goods and services values as 27%of total export. Small businesses in America are started at a rate of half a million per year. This explains their capacity for creating jobs for Americans. If they are supported, more of these small businesses would succeed. Lastly, even the big Americans corporations that pay billions in tax every

Allegory of good and bad government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Allegory of good and bad government - Essay Example While depicting scenes from everyday life, Lorenzetti skillfully uses allegory to depict government and the effect it has on life of its people. Lorenzetti illustrates Justice, in  Allegory of Good Government, sitting under the presence of wisdom. She is represented by a woman who holds scales of balance to give out rewards or mete out punishments. The figure of Justice bares resemblance of Mary, a patron saint of Siena, also dresses in Siena’s black and white colors to also represent the Common Good and God. The Common Good figure is surrounded with different virtues, by which Lorenzetti clearly highlights the necessity for all society to believe and act for justice and impartiality to rule a city well. The three figures in  Good Government  symbolize the key virtues of faith, hope, and charity. They soar over the head of the sovereign of good government, a man dressed like a king and sitting on a throne. This royal figure is the way Lorenzetti physically creates a hear t of good government—a heart of common good. In this wisdom, he makes an unspoken equivocation between an authoritative yet kind central sovereign and the accomplishment of the common good.

Differences Between Concrete and Virtual Manipulatives in Preparing Thesis - 1

Differences Between Concrete and Virtual Manipulatives in Preparing 10th Grade Math Students for Standardized Tests - Thesis Example Presentation and Interpretation of Data Qualitative Analysis 1. Advantages of using Concrete Manipulative in Teaching Data was collected to ascertain the advantages that the use of concrete manipulative have on the learning of mathematics at the 10th grade. To do this, respondents were made to undertake various tests that involved the use of concrete or physical manipulative. It must be emphasized that, for a comparative study like this, it was necessary to get a yardstick to measure the performance of the students with. This is to say that it was necessary to create a platform that would make it possible to measure the impact of the concrete manipulative on learning separately. To this end, students were first made to undertake a class lesson on various mathematical topics including number sense, geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics. The first lesson did not involve the use of any concrete manipulative or any other form of learning manipulative. The lesson was therefore done in abstraction. After this, a second lesson was undertaken. This lesson on the other hand involved the use of concrete manipulative. As the leader of the class in the lesson, some major advantages of the concrete manipulative that were recorded include the fact that: i. ... 2. Limitations to the use of concrete manipulative The same group of lessons that were taught in the class as a means of ascertaining the impact of the use of concrete manipulative in teaching also brought out a number of weaknesses or limitations that are associated with the use of concrete manipulative in teaching. After the first lesson (pre-test), which did not involve the use of concrete manipulative was completed and the second lesson (post-test), which involved the use of concrete manipulative was underway, the researcher observed that it took more time to finish teaching the same topic when no concrete manipulative was used. That is, the use of concrete manipulative is time consuming. Again, it was noticed that class control became a little difficult when the teacher introduce the concrete manipulative to the class. Even more, there was clear indication and evidence that the continuous use of concrete manipulative for teaching was going to come with some extra expenditure to the class. Finally, it was observed that the use of concrete manipulative demands so much skill and experience. 3. Advantages of using virtual manipulative Great amount of data were also collected to ascertain the importance or advantages of using virtual manipulative in teaching mathematics at the 10th grade. Most of these data were secondary data from the literature review that was conducted. According to some of the major researchers whose works were reviewed, it was established that using the virtual manipulative in teaching and learning mathematics offers almost the same relevance and importance as the use of concrete manipulative (quote). This is because the academic idea of using virtual manipulative is to give a digital

Allegory of good and bad government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Allegory of good and bad government - Essay Example While depicting scenes from everyday life, Lorenzetti skillfully uses allegory to depict government and the effect it has on life of its people. Lorenzetti illustrates Justice, in  Allegory of Good Government, sitting under the presence of wisdom. She is represented by a woman who holds scales of balance to give out rewards or mete out punishments. The figure of Justice bares resemblance of Mary, a patron saint of Siena, also dresses in Siena’s black and white colors to also represent the Common Good and God. The Common Good figure is surrounded with different virtues, by which Lorenzetti clearly highlights the necessity for all society to believe and act for justice and impartiality to rule a city well. The three figures in  Good Government  symbolize the key virtues of faith, hope, and charity. They soar over the head of the sovereign of good government, a man dressed like a king and sitting on a throne. This royal figure is the way Lorenzetti physically creates a hear t of good government—a heart of common good. In this wisdom, he makes an unspoken equivocation between an authoritative yet kind central sovereign and the accomplishment of the common good.

Does NY stop and frisk reduce crime Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Does NY stop and frisk reduce crime - Term Paper Example believe that the policy on â€Å"stop and frisk† has been quite effective in terms of reducing crime (Mac Donald, 2012). New York is not the only city that has tried to implement the â€Å"stop and frisk† policy. To make the criminals feel apprehended at the time of government election in 2008, the police department of Philadelphia also implemented the same policy. A couple of years after the Mayor’s election, the incidence of murder was significantly reduced by up to 22% (Lamberth, 2012). Answering the question â€Å"Does NY stop and frisk reduce crime?† is not easy to answer due to the fact that the real factor that could increase or decrease in the crime rate is very complex. Although Philadelphia mentioned that there was a 22% reduction in the number of reported murder, this figure does not necessarily mean that the process of implementing the â€Å"stop and frisk† policy was the root cause behind the decreasing trend in murder cases. In fact, Lamberth (2012) mentioned that the state of Philadelphia was already experiencing a decrease in the number of murder cases since 2006. Up to the present time, there is no scientific evidence that can prove that the process of implementing â€Å"stop and frisk† policy is effective in terms of reducing crime. The fact that the "black pedestrians were stopped at a rate that is 50 percent greater than their representation in the residential census" makes this policy develop racism and prejudism in New York (Neumeister, Hays, & Gross, 2012). Gardiner, S., & Saul, M. (2012, June 20). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2012, from New Panel Examines Police Tactics : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303703004577476980483677206.html Lamberth, J. (2012). Retrieved July 22, 2012, from The Effectiveness of Stop and Frisk in the United States:

E †Marketing of the Music Products Essay Example for Free

E – Marketing of the Music Products Essay The success of music marketing traditionally has been determined by the power of the musicians artists and the consumers. However there had been a quantum change in the power recently thanks to the increased use of information and communication technology. The music industry had long held the power to control the development of the marketing, but the advent of the internet and the technological advancement in the information and communication technology has allowed the artistes and consumers to take power of their own. There were initial apprehensions about the impact of the internet on the marketing of the music industry due to the presence of file-sharing and peer-to-peer networks that might hinder the growth of sales of the music products. However it so happened that the internet has opened up a sea of chances for the growth of the marketing of the music products through the development of new retail channels for consumers as well as for the artistes to take advantage of the increased customer net work. This marketing channel has made much more music available to a much wider and larger set of audience and consumers. Punjabi music and songs have been estimated to originate between the 14th and 15th century, as folklore with the farmers composing songs in their own dialects and tunes. There are different varieties of Punjabi music that enthrall the music lovers. The Punjabi music market had grown with the time by selling the products through recorded cassette tapes and then through the medium of compact discs. With the passage of time the internet marketing has taken over the reins and the industry developed with newer and improved technological means of marketing the ancient cultural treasure. The internet marketing has proved to be an effective platform for the Punjabi music to gain popularity not only in India but throughout the world. There is a huge difference in the marketing strategy and approaches of the Punjabi music industry before and after the introduction of internet as a marketing medium. Internet marketing has made the industry to constantly work on finding new strategies to develop the marketing efforts. While originally it was apprehended that features like file sharing and peer-to-peer networks will hamper the growth of the sale of Punjabi music products, there were no such hindrances in reality and the industry is growing day by day with the introduction of new and improved music themes. With the help of internet marketing the purchasing of music products has improved considerably and this has increased the customer needs and preferences. In this context this study looks at the contribution of internet marketing to the growth of sale of Punjabi music products and how internet has helped the music industry to introduce new and improved methods of marketing. The scope of the study is to review the development of the Punjabi music industry over the period of time along with the development of the internet marketing concept. The study also analyses the problems in the music industry associated with the development of the internet market. 1. 1 Research Objectives While looking at the overall development of the internet marketing of the Indian Punjabi music the study has other objectives like 1. Comparing the differences in the marketing approaches prior to the introduction and development of the internet marketing and the present day approaches backed by internet marketing. 2. Exploring the available present and future technologies that can help the music industry grow 3. Analysing the impact of these technologies on the conduct of business and development of marketing for the music industry in general 4. Reviewing the response of the music industry to the technological developments 5. Assessing the impact the internet marketing had on the consumer preferences and tastes in the context of the music industry in general and Punjabi music in particular 6. Assessing the impact of file sharing and peer-to-peer networks on the internet marketing of the music products. 7. Assessing the possibility of turning the illegitimate music routes to legitimate saleable propositions. 1. 2 Research Scope The study intends to review the development of the marketing concept of the music industry in general and the Punjabi music in particular over the period of time till the introduction of the concept of internet marketing and how the marketing concepts have changed over time. This can be seen from the changes in consumer preferences over the time in them asking new and more improved ways of listening to the music without losing the quality of the music. Examples in this connection are the I-pods and MP3 concepts. The findings of this study will greatly interest the music lovers as well as the music industry because some interesting information on the E-marketing strategies would be evolved which can help them to adapt to the latest developments in the technology. The study will also extend to the analysis of the reasons and extent of piracy prevalent in the music industry and the scope for converting such piracies to saleable propositions. Overall the study aims at reviewing the growth of the music industry over the period of technological improvements. 1. 3 Research Questions This study attempts to answer the following research questions among other things: 1. What is the impact of technological developments in the marketing growth of the music industry in general and Indian Punjabi music in particular? 2. What are the changes in the consumer preferences in respect of the music products with the development of internet marketing in the music industry? 3. What are the chances that piracy in the E-marketing can be contained with respect to the music products? 1. 4 Structure of the Dissertation In order to make a cohesive presentation this dissertation has been divided in to different chapters. Chapter 1 makes a brief introduction to the readers about the background of the Punjabi music and the internet marketing being the subject the thesis is going to deal. This chapter also outlines the objectives of the research and sets the questions that the research intends to find answers. Chapter 2 makes a detailed review of the available literature on the internet marketing of the music products and the associated issues with a view to familiarize the readers to the discussions on the core subject of the paper ‘Impact of Internet on Indian Punjabi Music Industry: An overview on the Internet Marketing of the Music Products’ . Chapter 3 presents an account of the research methodology that was adopted to gather the information and data needed for the completion of the research along with a justification for the chosen method of research. The findings of the research and an analysis there of constitutes Chapter 4. Some concluding remarks recapitulating the issues discussed forming the content of the text is presented in the final chapter 5. There were certain limitations of this research which are mentioned in the concluding chapter. Chapter 2 Literature Review The scope of this chapter extends to the presentation of a review of the available literature on the subject of the impact of the internet marketing on the Indian Punjabi music industry. While reviewing the literature on this particular subject the study also extends to an analysis of the impact of E-marketing on the music industry and its products. 2. 1 Indian Punjabi Music – a Background As observed earlier the origin of the Indian Punjabi music dates back to the 14th or 15 the century. Developed as folklore the music had the exquisite character of instilling energy and rhythm in to the lives of those who sing these songs. There are a number of varieties of Punjabi songs like â€Å"bhangara, jhumar, luddi, giddha, julli† and so on. The music had a vibrant style which made it popular in the world and with the migration of the people the music also travelled westwards. With the fascination for this kind of music the Punjabi music and songs have acquired a greater significance in the international world of music. Music charts are being prepared with the flavor of this Asian culture. The Punjabi music has developed to such an extent that it is compared with other popular music like rock and reggae. Even European songs are infused with the mixture of the Punjabi music and songs and have attracted music lovers all over the world. (Indian Child) 2. 1. 1 Development of Indian Punjabi Music ‘Bhangra’ one of the traditional forms of Indian Punjabi music has become increasingly popular in the Western music cultures over the period. With a tradition of more than 500 years old ‘bhangra’ which was performed during harvest festivals was increasingly being performed in weddings and other joyous occasions like New Year celebrations. According to Asia Today though the Indian Punjabi music ‘bhangra’ is still performed in its traditional form, in recent years the music has taken new versions in the form of ‘remixes, film songs, hip-hop, reggae and house music’ and through these new forms has developed a growing Western audience in the regions of Europe and North America. The music has seen its developments in the UK during the 1970s when it started influencing the British club scenes. The development of the music has been accelerated due to the presence of a large section of South Asian Diaspora especially belonging to the second generation youngsters in the whole of Europe and more specifically in the UK. In the recent past ‘bhangra’ has reverted back to its original drum beats and it is sure that this music will enthrall more audience world wide in the years to come (Asia Today)

History of the Inca Religion

History of the Inca Religion Perhaps one of the most fascinating and awe inspiring religions in human history is that of the Incas.  Countless people have been captivated by this religion over many generations.  Many books have been written and movies made to capture the essence of this religion.  After reading about this paper, it will be clear how incredible these people and their religion was. To first understand the religion of the Incas, you must first know the history of the people.  The Incan civilization originated from a tribe in the Cuzco area of Peru.  The Incas were one of the largest, richest and most powerful empires before pre-Columbian America as their territory covered a massive area at its peak.  The Inca Empire crossed many boundaries as it conquered many countries and areas through a variety of means:  from conquest to peaceful assimilation.  This lead to the Inca Empire gaining a large part of South America. By its height in the 1520s, the Inca Empire stretched 3,500 miles from present day Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador to the area in which the Incas originated, Peru.  It was the largest empire on earth at the time.  After each area had been conquered, the Incas would take control of the area by imposing their language and organizational skills on the people.  This would be followed by building improvements to the area such a s creating roads for the people to travel on, irrigation canals, stone buildings and fortresses.  The Incas had astonishing and technologically advanced masonry techniques for their time.  The estimated population of the Inca Empire at its peak was around twenty million people with the official language being Quechua. To control such a huge area, the Incas built roads, including both mountainous and coastal routes.  The Inca Empire was ruled with efficiency in part because of a superb highway system that included intermittently paved roads up to 24 feet wide, tunnels, bridges, and stepped pathways cut into living rock. The principal highland road atop the spine of the Andes, ran 3,450 miles from the Colombia-Ecuador border to central Chile. Lateral roads linked it to the coastal highway. Ironically, the very roadways that made it possible for the Inca to control their vast empire, rapidly moving an army to quell a rebellion, were also the avenue of the empires downfall, giving the Spanish conquistadors under Pizarro direct access to the heart of the kingdom.  One existing part of the road between Cusco and the palace of Machu Picchu is called the Inca Trail.  The amount of control exercised by Cusco over the rest of the empire varied from place to place.  Tribute paid to the Inca rulers ca me from farmers of cotton, potatoes, and maize, herders of alpacas and llamas, and craft specialists who made polychrome pottery, brewed beer from maize, wove fine wool tapestries, and made wooden, stone, and gold, silver and copper objects.  Inca cities were as large as those of Europe, but more orderly and by all accounts much cleaner and more pleasant places in which to live (McEwan, 56). The Inca were organized along a complex hierarchical and hereditary lineage system called the Ayllu system. Ayllus ranged in size from a few hundred to tens of thousands of people, and they governed access to such things as land, political roles, marriage, and ritual ceremonies. Among other important duties, Ayllus took maintenance and ceremonial roles involving the preservation and care of honored mummies of the ancestors of their communities.  In Inca social structure, the ruler Sapa Inca, and his wives, the Coyas, had supreme control over the empire. The High Priest and the Army Commander in Chief were next. Then came the Four Apus, the regional army commanders. Next, were temple priests, architects, administrators and army generals.  After them, were artisans, musicians, army captains and the quipucamayoc, the Incan accountants. At the bottom were sorcerers, farmers, herding families and conscripts. The only written records about the Inca that we can read today are documents from the Spanish conquistadors of Francisco Pizarro.  Records were kept by the Inca in the form of knotted strings called quipu.  The Spanish reported that historical records, particularly the deeds of the rulers, were sung, chanted, and painted on wooden tablets as well. In the Inca Empirec several polytheistic religions were practiced by its different people. Most religions had common traits such as the existence of a Pachamama and Viracocha. The Incas controlled religion to give the empire cohesion by having conquered peoples add the Inca deities to their pantheon.  Inca deities occupied the three realms:  Hanan Pacha, the celestial realm in the sky, Uku Pacha, the inner earth, and Cay Pacha, the outer earth where humans live.  The most important deities of Hanan Pacha were Inti, the sun god, and Mama Quilla, the moon goddess. Inti Raymi was the festival of the sun god, the largest and most important Inca festival. The lightning deity also resided in Hanan Pacha.  Uku Pacha was the domain of Pachamama, the Earth mother, who is universal to Andean mythologies. Kanopa was the God of Pregnancy.  Con-Tici Viracocha Pachayachachic, The first god, creator of the three realms and their inhabitants, was also the father of Inti. Many ancient Andean peoples traced their origins to ancestral deities. Multiple Ayllus could share similar ancestral origins. The Inca claimed descent from the Sun and the Moon, their Father and Mother. Many Ayllus claimed descent from early proto-humans that emerged from local sites in nature, called Pacarinas.  The earliest ancestors of the Inca were known as Ayar, the first of which was Manco Capac or Ayar Manco. Inca mythology tells of his travels, in which he and the Ayar shaped and marked the land and introduced the cultivation of maize. A prominent theme in Inca mythology is the duality of the Cosmos. The realms were separated into the upper and lower realms, the Hanan Pacha and the Ukhu Pacha and Hurin Pacha. Hanan Pacha, the upper world, consisted of the deities of the sun, moon, stars, rainbow, and lightning.  Ukhu Pacha and Hurin Pacha were the realms of Pachamama, the earth mother, and the ancestors and heroes of the Inca or other Ayllus. Kay Pacha, the realm of the outer earth where humans resided, was viewed as an intermediary realm between Hanan Pacha and Ukhu Pacha. The realms were represented by the condor (upper world), puma (outer earth) and snake (inner earth). Huacas were widespread around the Inca Empire. Huacas were deific entities that resided in natural objects such as mountains, boulders, streams, battle fields, other meeting places, and any type of place that was connected with past Incan rulers. Huacas could also be inanimate objects such as pottery that were believed to be vessels carrying deities. Spiritual leaders in a community would use prayer and offerings to communicate with a Huaca for advice or assistance. Human sacrifice was a part of Incan rituals.  Priests presided over sacrifices, an essential part of many rituals and ceremonies.  The majority of the sacrifices involved animals, such as llamas or guinea pigs.  However, in times of disaster or at very sacred ceremonies, a woman or a child might be sacrificed to the gods.  These people would be given Chicha, a thick beer made from fermented corn to drink in golden goblets while the priest sang songs of their virtue before they were strangled.  The bodies of the sacrificed were then buried in a cocoon of fine textiles and surrounded by gold and silver statues, bags of corn and other offerings. The ancient Inca chose children as young as 6, but also as old as 15, fattened them up for a year and sent them on a sacrifice pilgrimage (Inca Human Sacrifices).  The Incan people thought it was an honor to die for an offering.  The Incas also used divination. They used it to inform people in the city of social events, predict battle outcomes, and ask for intervention. The Inca were a deeply religious people. They feared that evil would come at any time. Sorcerors held positions in society as protectors from the spirits. They also believed in reincarnation, saving their nail clippings, hair cuttings and teeth in case the returning spirit needed them.  The religious and societal center of Inca life was contained in the middle of the sprawling fortress known as Sacsahuaman. Here was located Cuzco, The Naval of the World the home of the Inca Lord and site of the sacred Temple of the Sun. At such a place the immense wealth of the Inca was clear with gold and silver decorating every edifice. The secret of Inca wealth was the Mita. This was a labor program imposed upon every Inca by the Inca ruler. Since it only took about 65 days a year for a family to farm for its own needs, the rest of the time was devoted to working on Temple-owned fields, building bridges, roads, temples, and terraces, or extracting gold and silver from the mines. The work was con trolled through chiefs of thousands, hundreds and tens. Ancestor worship was a central part of Incan theology.  The souls of the dead played a protective role in the lives of their descendants.  The bodies of ancestors were mummified and entombed.  Often they were buried with their most prized possessions, women, servants, weapons, and ornaments in addition to an abundance of food and Chicha. Some groups of Incas placed the deceased on a large carved stone where they were mourned before burial. In some areas, the dead were sewn into fresh llama-hide and kept at their familys home.  Descendants of the deceased would regularly visit the tombs of their loved ones in order to bring them food and precious goods.  Mummies of dead rulers were the holiest Huacas in the empire.  They were treated as if they were still alive: continuing to own the property they had when alive, eating with their descendants and each other, and enjoying important ceremonies.  They were also considered to be oracles and were therefore consulted on a regu lar basis. This information listed in this paper is just but a taste of the rich history of these people and their religion. After reading this, it is clear why they are such a fascinating people and why they have been studied for so many years Works Cited/Bibliography Cobo, BernabeÃÅ' , and Roland Hamilton. Inca Religion and Customs. Austin: U of Texas, 1990. Print. Conrad, Geoffrey W., and Arthur Andrew. Demarest. Religion and Empire: The Dynamics of Aztec and Inca Expansionism. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1984. Print. McEwan, Gordon Francis. The Incas: New Perspectives. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006. Print. Anitei, Stefan. Inca Human Sacrifices. Softpedia. N.p., 20 Feb. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.