Letters from the Ground Zero

â€Å"Letters from the Ground Zero† is an essay about the tragedy of September 11 in New York City which was unexpected and unbelievable but still happened in broad daylight and caught everyone all over the world unaware and for someone who lived six blocks away from the World Trade Center when the acts of terrorism happened in the American soil like Jonathan Schell, the author of this essay, it is one unforgettable moment in his life to witness such devastation in your country and your countrymen. Schell narrated and illustrated what he had heartrendingly encountered firsthand that day and according to him, â€Å"My specific neighborhood was violated and mutilated.   As I write these words, the acrid, dank, rancid stink—it is the smell of death—of the still smoking site is in my nostrils.† The occurrence of such an attack could have been prevented if every government’s vigilance was increased and complacency was not heightened.  Ã‚  Ã‚   It will always be a better option for all countries to be circumspect, to take extra precautions and do what they can to obliterate such demonic creations. In the time of development of such sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, it is never impossible anymore for a specific part of the globe to become the next ground zero. As Schell told, â€Å"We have known this intellectually, but now we know it viscerally, as a nausea in the pit of the stomach that is unlikely to go away.† The author was able to give a testimonial to the tragedy since he lived near the ground zero and who better to narrate it than someone like him.   What the essay tries to impart is for people to see that something has to be done to stop this from happening again to each one’s homeland and protect the countrymen. The author effectively narrated what can be seen on the television at the same time the streets of New York right after what happened like how people helped each other in any way they can and how so many heroic deeds emerged after such consecutive acts of terror occurred in the United States of America.   The author said â€Å"the surrounding buildings were smashed but still standing and looked down eyelessly on their pulverized brethren†. He was also able to witness how heroic men and women tried to slowly and patiently work in finding the people under the numerous piles of rubbles in ground zero which made it very difficult for the rescue operations to get as many people out of the site alive yet their persistence somehow gave him the reassurance. Despite all these the American people rose above the devastation and destruction even after so many lives of people, employees, firemen, policemen and rescuers were lost.   America has truly learned a huge lesson in a most traumatic, appalling and heartrending way. The essay gives the reader a glimpse of the atmosphere of the perimeter near ground zero, immediately after the World Trade Center was struck.   It makes the reader see what it took and how much courage and strength it took for people whose presence was literally there when it happened. Everyone should try to move and take action on how these attacks can be prevented in the country known to be most powerful in this world. Works Cited Schell, Jonathan. â€Å"Letters from the Ground Zero.† Connelly, Mark. The Sundance Reader, Fourth Edition. Boston, Massachussetts: Thomas Wadsworth, 2006. 119-120.      

Cooperative Bank A Case of Corporate Restructuring Essay

Cooperative Bank A Case of Corporate Restructuring - Essay Example The paper tells that troubles that may threaten the very existence of an organization can affect all types of organizations, irrespective of size, brand name or type of industry. Some companies that experience extreme difficulties usually seek to apply for insolvency. A larger percentage of companies in the world at the moment are facing strategic issues, liquidity issues and outcome issues. Before an organization applies for insolvency, it usually passes through the three crisis stages. The first is the strategy crisis in which the company is unable to meet its strategic goals or attain long-term success potential. The second stage is the decline of the company’s market share in its respective index. Finally, if the company fails to implement the required corrective actions, its profitability goals will not be met and the company sinks into an earning crisis. In an impending disaster is identified in a timely manner, corrective actions can be undertaken to ensure the company stays afloat. Corporate restricting can also take place due to a change in the ownership structure, demerger or a reaction to company troubles or major business changes such as a buyout. The main purpose of restructuring management is to ensure that a given company under crisis survives in the short term and to reclaim the company’s competitiveness. Corporate restructuring, mainly relies on the zero-sum game. The process of restructuring decreases financial losses and in the process lowering tensions between debt and equity holders in order to jump start a fast resolution of a troubled situation.

General Motors Company Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

General Motors Company Management - Essay Example GM is regarded as one of the foremost leaders in the automobile industry which became much interested in implementing the technology of lean manufacturing for fulfilling its expected business targets. In the early 1980s, GM observed the execution of the Toyota Production System by several Japanese auto manufacturers. Thus, GM became much interested in the implementation of the same. In the year 1994, GM negotiated with Toyota and adopted the practice of lean manufacturing technology (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). The execution of the technique relating to lean manufacturing had marked a significant success within GM. The technology certainly enhanced the quality of the products that the company manufactured along with served to the customers and most significantly enhanced the profitability of the organization. Discussion The implementation of lean manufacturing technique has provided GM with numerous benefits. It supported the organization in terms of qua lity improvement, cost reduction, increased volume of sales and also control of production related aspects with the aim of meeting customers’ needs. ... It can be apparently observed that relating to the execution of lean manufacturing based technique at Lansing Grand River Assembly (LGRA) plant of GM, the technique supported the organization to control production and comply with varied customer demands by a greater degree. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the worldwide manufacturing tactics of GM focused on enhancing product quality along with plant productivity in manufacturing world-class vehicles. These tactics eventually supported GM towards controlling its different production techniques and most importantly meeting demands of its customers conveniently (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). Thus, after the implementation of all the above-discussed strategies that can be associated with lean manufacturing technology, it can be affirmed that the organization is quite able to satisfy the needs of the customers through controlling the material costs of the vehicles. It can be apparently obs erved that GM not only controlled the procedure of overproduction but also satisfied the demands of the customers through lessening costs and delivering products on time. After the invention of lean manufacturing techniques, most of the automotive-based organizations observed the rise of competition in their respective businesses. It has been viewed in this regard that the competitive position of the Japanese automotive organizations reduced due to the adoption of lean technology by the companies belonging to the US. This is owing to the reason that the average time taken in the production of vehicles in the US is quite lesser i.e.16.6 hours in comparison with that of Japan.  

Quantitative Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative Analysis - Assignment Example He also discovered that this relationship depended on the level of school, subgroup status, and the location of the school. He further conducted a repeat of this study using the White’s (1982) meta-analysis to assess whether the socioeconomic achievement relationship improved since the first publication of White’s (1982) meta-analysis. The findings of this analysis indicated a small decrease in the mean correlation. He further discussed the future implication of this research and future areas of research (Sirin, 2005). Literature review Literature review can be defined as an account of what other researchers have published on the topic under investigation (Keyton, 2011). It is a critical assessment of what other researchers have done in relation to the topic under investigation. It also discusses a topic in a given area of research (Keyton, 2011). At the beginning of this research, the research presented a background of what other researchers conducted in relation to me ta-analysis. Keyton (2011) mentions researchers such as Bornstein & Bradley, 2003; Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997; Coleman, 1988; McLoyd, 1998, who stated that the socioeconomic factor is a common variable in education research. Information presented in the review indicated that since the inception of White (1982), most of education researches have focused the relation between socioeconomic factors and students achievement. Other factors revealed from the review are different types of socioeconomic factors and students’ academic achievement. The literature review was well conducted in that the researcher was in a position to present relevant information in relation to knowledge gap describing what he intended to do differently from what others conducted (Sirin, 2005). The literature review presented covered enough scope in this area of investigation because the researcher presented what was conducted before, and what he intended to do with his study. Methodology In the research m ethodology, the researcher conducted the following procedures; he applied a measure of socioeconomic status and students’ academic achievement and made a report on quantitative information in satisfactory statistical information for computation of relationships between socioeconomic status and student academic achievement. The sample selected in the research study included students from kindergarten grades through students from grade 12. The sample also included other students’ participants from the United States (Sirin, 2005). The researcher used several computer explores and manual research to obtain the best conceivable reports to represent the big number of current research studies on socioeconomic status and student academic achievement. The Education Resources Information Center, Sociological Abstracts, and PsycINFO were used in this study as computerized search engines (Sirin, 2005). Search terms like socioeconomic status, social economic class, social status, i ncome disadvantages, and the level of poverty were used to search the socioeconomic status of the students. The researcher used terms such as success achievement, and students’ performance to search for students’ academic achievement (Sirin, 2005). The two Boolean operators were developed to describe the relationship between academic achievements. All information from the database was searched from

Flight Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Flight Center - Essay Example An agency seeks out rates from these suppliers which can be hotels, resorts, airline companies, car rentals and the like, then consolidates it into one package packed with some sight-seeing trips to tourist attractions then sells it to the possible consumers. The Federation of Tour Operators (2006) views the role of travel agents as giving advises and sells bookings. This has always been the way of Flight Centre, incorporating its aim to provide â€Å"value-for-money travel† and offer ‘unbeatable passion and experience, going the extra mile to ensure clients get the best trip at the best price’ (Superbrands 2010). As Flight Centre’s tag-line goes, â€Å"unbeatable†, if another travel provider would give a quotation of rates, Flight Centre will also give their own rate which would be hard to beat because of their price, quality, passion and extensive experience in the travel field. Just like any other business, Flight Centre started their venture eigh t years after Top-Deck, UK based bus company started its operation in 1973; they initially gained success because of providing cheap rates. In nine years time, Turner opened retail stores in United Kingdom, New Zealand and United States of America. Because of what was then a world-wide crisis, the Gulf War, the stores experienced temporary closure but was then reopened after a couple of years. The company also expanded its services to South Africa and Canada, which paved the way for it to conquer a world-wide market. The strength of business establishment outweighs the weaknesses and creates the reason why establishment weathers the changes in the needs and wants of the dynamic world of travel and tourism. As for Flight Centre, there are various aspects why they are experiencing the success envied by others. The company philosophy of volume of margin, the way they create their product with utmost passion and dedication, their well maintained reputation of having an inclination of lo w-cost travel with value-for-money, their credentials which have been given recognitions and citations by other entities, the continuous pledge for corporate social governance of giving something back to the people, their ingenuity in their marketing campaigns, the way management supports its employees and the work atmosphere are among the countless reasons why they managed to stay on top. There are a lot of sources for a travel agency’s income, from commissions, profit margins, incentives, and auxiliary services like documentations and visa processing. The first two are among the primary source of income. Flight Centre proved itself to be different than the rest; the traveller’s volumes were their driving force to stay on top of all the travel providers in the business. The importance of the number of people they give their services over the profit that they will be making indeed set foot a birth-mark for low-cost travel. They settle for more customers at a lower cost than few customers for a high cost. The success of Flight Centre can be credited to the way the company does its products. They maintained a sense of focus; doing what they do best without being too innovative. There are those who would like to set anew, and there are a few who would take advantage for what they know best, the exact philosophy evolving around this high-ranked company. Turner (2006) stated that, ‘

Economic Development of Kenya and Singapore Case Study

Economic Development of Kenya and Singapore - Case Study Example Chapter one examines Kenya's shortcomings in its bid for development and economic growth while chapter two analyses what earmarks Singapore's success. It is said that time and chance is the same for all men. It is then left up to man what he does with the opportunities that are presented him and the time allocated him. Even nations have to adhere to this. Fifty years ago, both Kenya and Singapore were newly established sovereign states, both having gained independence from their colonizer - Britain. Both young nations faced the same problems: new economies unrecognized in the world market, poverty and illiteracy, poor infrastructure and the foreign concept of self governance (Findlay, Wellitsz & World Bank, 1993) . The colonial masters who had never had any real interest in improving the state of the native, had left gaping holes in several sectors when they left their colonies, the political, social and economic structures wee weak, having been cut out to suit the needs of the masters, not the natives (Findlay, Wellitsz & World Bank, 1993). These young nations were thus called upon to formulate their own policies, governments and social structures. What is intriguing is that while they were both faced with the same dilemma, with almost equal opportunities, one country built itself up successfully while the other did not. Leading to the question, what made Singapore -which is now, termed an industrializing nation - work, that Kenya -still labeled as a developing country- did not do The statistics that are available for the measures in development are the clearest indication of just how far apart these two nations are in terms of economic growth. According to the data provided by the World Bank, in 2007, Singapore had a GDP of 161.3 billion US$ and a GNI per capita of 32,470 US$ while the GDP for Kenya in the same year was 29.5 billion US$ and the GNI per capita was 680US$. The life expectancy at the time of birth for the two countries was recorded to be 80years and 53years respectively (WB, 2009). It could not be any more apparent that Kenya and Singapore are now on two very different spectrums. Tracing Kenya's economic growth and her development from the time of independence It is interesting to observe that Kenya's economic growth in the first two decades after independence was quick and steady but took a downward destabilized turn after that. This stands out so clearly that as Legovini (2002) points out, her economic history can be classified under two time periods: the first running from 1963 at the time of independence through to the early 1980s, and the second from the early eighties to the present day. The major difference between the two defined time periods is that while the first was one of prosperity, with notable advancements made in both the economic and social sectors, Legovini explains that the second time period was one where the country experienced growing imbalances in the macro economy, a falling life expectancy, increased poverty and the degradation of the social welfare system. Legovini surmises that what brought about these negative trends were a combination of poor policy formation as well as the focus that was put on politics instead of on

Inventory management ratio analysis of Ford and GM Essay

Inventory management ratio analysis of Ford and GM - Essay Example The inventory turnover ratio determines the management’s efficiency in converting the available inventory into sales. A low inventory turnover is a bad sign to a company’s performance since it indicates that the company’s products risk deteriorating. The company’s product will diminish in value due to overstaying in the stores. Due to this phenomenon, companies dealing with perishable goods usually have very high inventory turnover (Bull, 78). The average days to sell inventory is a financial measure that gives the willing investors an idea of the duration it takes for converting the available inventory into revenue. Therefore, a company’s performance ratio determines management efficiency in converting the stock into sales. In most scenarios a low average days to sell ratio is desirable. This ratio varies between industries. The average days to sell ratio is calculated as the total cost of inventory divided by cost of sales and the result got from the computation multiplied by 365 days. An average day to sell ratio forms one part of the cash conversion cycle. It represents the conversion raw material into cash. The day’s sales outstanding and the day’s payable outstanding are the other two stages in the cash conversion cycle. By determining how long a company holds on inventory before selling measures the company’s efficiency ratio. The ratio gives the average time it takes for a company’s cash to be tied up. The inventory turnover ratio of Ford is 15.9 times while that of GM is 10.0 times.