Fashion Industry Through H&M and GAP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Fashion Industry Through H&M and GAP - Essay Example This showed that the Gap is interested in these charities, too. Also, the Gap on their web page has emphasized their socially responsible projects. H&M also targets young people, and they also stress corporate responsibility, as this is part of their web page, telling about their activities in protecting the environment. Additionally, on their web page, H&M has a social media room, where people can post on the wall, tweet and read blogs about fashion.   H&M indicates that they get their fashion ideas from designer runways, then â€Å"rip them off’† and bring the ideas to their stores. For instance, H&M’s blog states that Prada might consider using them for reproducing their skirts and shirts, and their designer, Zara, goes to the fashion shows and copies the looks, trends and designs. So, basically, H&M’s claim to fame is that they get the ideas from the runway, then pares it down to affordable prices, so that designer looks can be had for less. The Gap is a bit different, as they do not emphasize couture, so they probably do not get their ideas from the runways. What they emphasize is classic – â€Å"modern, sexy, American, cool† is their motto. Therefore, the ideas that they emphasize are different, seasonal takes on classic designs, with less emphasis on runway looks and more emphasis on what has been popular for ages, then put different twists on these looks. Both GAP and H&M outsource all of their manufacturing, mostly to Asia. This means that the companies have to worry about getting the clothing into the distribution warehouses and out to individual stores. How do these companies control their transportation costs?   With H&M, they control transportation costs by concentrating their stores on the coasts, and virtually neglecting the Midwest. Their stores are concentrated into clusters, which means that there is less fuel to be spent going from store to store. Also, the stores that are not on the coasts are still by bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes, which is another way that merchandise may be transported.  Ã‚  

Social Work - Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Work - Family - Essay Example The acculturation process which we all have experienced, and probably continue to, introduces us to the rules and protocols particular to each of these systems. The fact that we learn them and are able to successfully negotiate our way from one system to the other, and form healthy relations in each, is evidenced by the fact that our home behaviour is markedly different from our school behaviour. Our socialisation into each of these systems and the process of acculturation we experienced therein have effectively taught us to change our behaviour and method of communication in accordance with the system within which we are operating at any point in time. The fact is, however, that systems are not stable but ever-evolving and changing. Accordingly, and as shall be illustrated through reference to the family system, it is often contingent upon each and every one of us to adjust ourselves to the changes within the system, so as to attain equilibrium once again. The family system is not only the first into which we are embraced as valued members but is the system which introduces us to all others. The implication here is that it is both the founding system and the most enduring one. It is enduring in that the greater majority of us remain members of the family system throughout our lives. This is not the case with the community system, for example, or even the religious system as affiliations change. The family system, however, is stable and only through dramatic circumstances does our membership terminate, as in through the deaths of the other members of the nuclear family. In other words, while the family system is both enduring and our membership in it stable, that does not mean to imply that it is static. As with all systems, it continually changes and evolves. In order to better explain the implications of the aforementioned, it is necessary to explore the meaning of system stability, change and equilibrium. The stability of a system can have a significant effect on how readily it engages in change. Systems are most stable when they experience being in equilibrium with their environments. In this context, equilibrium is defined as a system receiving the resources it needs from its environment in exchange for what is produced by the system. Prigogine and Stengers described this condition as "the stable, predictable behavior of systems tending toward the minimum level of activity compatible with the fluxes that feed them" (1984, p. 139). The exchange process flows smoothly and the system does not experience tension arising from the exchange. Occasional fluctuations in this exchange process are not assumed by the system to be a basic change in a stable relationship with the environment. More significant fluctuations may cause some concerns about the relationship. Prigogine and Stengers referred to this condition as near-equilibrium. The situation is still rather stable but, from this exchan ge process, a degree of tension is introduced into the system. The focus of the system is on maintaining stability rather than seeking change. The above stated can be related and applied to personal experiences within the family system. As a member of that system, I am fully aware of the way in which it functions and my relationship with each member within is determined by the status if that person within this system. For example, my relationship w

The concept of the hybrid manager

The concept of the hybrid manager 1. Introduction In this paper, I carefully examine the concept of the hybrid manager by looking at various sources from reliable academic literature mainly books and partly journal article. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First I examine the concept of the hybrid manager as it was conceived and then evolved. Further, I see to what extent this concept is still relevant for the present business activities and how far in the future it can be taken. I conclude the paper by synthesising all the sources used and by evaluating the topic with my own analysis. 2. Literature Review The concept of hybrid manager seems to have evolved in the business management literature of the UK (Harrison, 1996). The concept caught the attention of the business academics and scholars in the late 1980s. There are a number of websites and links that talk about various directions of this concept today. However, when it comes to academic sources, the literature is quite extensive but does not equate with what is found in terms of websites and web links. Going through Skyrme (2001) is one best account given on the evolution of the hybrid profession. Skyrme devotes considerable portion of his book on taking the matter of hybrid manager at length. As such, the writer defines that the hybrid manager is a person who has the skills to manage the matters of information technology as well as the knowledge of managerial matters. The writer also provides the names of the two persons who, to his analysis, are responsible for the creation of this concept. These are, as noted by Skyrme (2001), Keen and Earl. Whereas Keen gave this term in 1988, Earl is the one who developed this concept to a great extent by highlighting important responsibilities and functions of the hybrid manager in the organisational structure of the times to come. Skyrme (2001) also notes that it was in the wake of the last decade of the 20th century that the need for the hybrid manager was felt by the business world. Therefore, to Earl (as noted by Skyrme), the hybrid manager is a find amalgamation of technical know-how of information technology matters and carries a sound knowledge of managerial matters. In what follows, Skyrme notes that there is generally a lack of complete understanding of this concept in the business organisation and so the relevant stakeholders (academics, teachers, business executives, and so on) should first realize what the term hybrid manager stands for, that is, what it actually entails. Only then should they move ahead in trying to see the possibilities of making use of such a person in business (pp. 430-451). Moving ahead to explore deeper meaning of our topic, we find some other useful sources that broaden this concept and critique it at length. For instance, the literature informs that it was in the 1990s the true need of a professional like the hybrid manager was felt in the business world. The key motives are reported to be intense global competition which was mainly fuelled by technological changes in the entire world. This caused a number of new technologies to play a decisive role for the market growth and the survival of a company anywhere in the world. A number of companies cut their human resource so as to save business cost. The cut in the job required new human resource who could do more in the previously laid out jobs. Another reason which is seen as the catalyst of hybrid managers concept is that the competition was triggered fast by a number of big business giant emerging from the Asian market (China and India, etc.) and they took the entire world by storm. Some other limit ations in the structure of the business organisation were also notably making demands for new careers and jobs. Therefore, all these needs, demands, and challenges paved the way for the corporate world to ask for professional who could provide sound assistance in matters of information technology while at the same time could deal with managerial issues. If one single person could do both the jobs, a number of companies saw it beneficial for them in the areas mentioned just above. Thus, the hybrid manager became the word of the day and it was this time around that this concept obtained more and more attention by business personnel, academics, and other stakeholders alike (Currie Glover, 1999, 420-432). Reviewing more literature is even more productive to understand the intricacies of the hybrid manager. Now when the background of the term and the business conditions of the world are now put across giving us a clear picture of the concept of the hybrid manager, it seems important to look at other sources that view this concept differently, that is, differently from the basic concept and relating it more to the present day context. It can be clearly seen that this set of literature falls under the heading of criticism of the original concept of the hybrid manager. Thus, in this regard, Tansey (2002) provides a very thorough critique of the earlier models of the hybrid manager. The author expands it into three broad areas that require there essential characteristics in the hybrid manager as it is needed today. These are one area of their competences, which is divided into four further branches: (i) hybrid managers business know-how; (ii) their knowledge specific to an organisation the yre working in; (iii) their knowledge of IT, and (iv) their managerial skills. The other concretises the competences, that is, the outcomes that would come from the required competences in the hybrid manager. For example, with sound business knowledge, the hybrid manager will know basics of business, and would function according to them by understanding the requirement of a specific firm. The last area is the critical ability of the hybrid manager, that is, when with a specific competence, what critical insight that hybrid manager has to have. This combination of the further developed concept has been illustrated in the table below (borrowed from Tansey, 2002). It is this model that now seems to occupy more of the business management literature. There are quite a few authors who have expanded even this model according to their own critical insight. There is also now a more realistic picture of the hybrid manager being realised in connection with the present world. For instance, Grembergen is one author that claims that as the 21st century grows old, the hybrid manager will become more of a need of the business world. The major reason to this author for this growth in the demand of the hybrid manager is the tendency to decentralise information systems of the business world; this decentralisation would certainly require a professional who can propel two oars together: one of the management and the other of the information technology. In the future, this will be a very critical expertise of the hybrid manager because management and IT would be walking hand in hand. Hence, it will be very difficult to align these areas if they are run separatel y by two departmental heads: i.e. one manager and the other is IT coordinator. The author emphasizes this observation by highlighting the fact that coming days are the ones in which the world will be more sophisticated knowledge management base. This base can be effectively handled by the people with more expertise and new skills. The key player in the knowledge management will be the further sophistication of technology and systems brought chiefly by the developments in the information technology sector. Hence, newer professions will certainly be required. And in our case the hybrid manager serves for this purpose (pp. 253-260). 2.1. Critical Evaluation of the Literature At this point, it is important to critically view the above literature to reach a plausible evaluation of the fact that if the hybrid manager is needed in the future or not. The above literature clearly relates that the hybrid manager is a concept that came into existence mainly because of the development in IT sector and its growing link with matters of management. This is clear evidence that in the future, the role and need of the hybrid manager will be more in demand than it is at present basically because of the fact that it is the 21st century that is seen a remarkable time for the growth of the IT sector and technological advances related to it. Moreover, the sources, almost all from the recent years, continue to show that there is more and more emphasis in the development of the concept of the hybrid manager. The recent sources attempt to criticise, evaluate, and expand the concept of the hybrid manager. This is further evidence that the concept is well into the process of dev elopment and that this process is more likely to mature as the present century enters its second decade. Hence, at this point in the paper, there is strong evidence that the hybrid manager is the need of the 21st century and so this concept will develop into more sophistication. In the following sections, I look at this concept in more detail by exploring other related area to find out if there is similar evidence available. 3. Hybrid Manager in the Knowledge Management It is important to note that the concept of the hybrid manager has been addressed differently by writers who belong to different disciplines of academia and research tradition. For instance, although the concept of the hybrid manager does exists in relation to the knowledge management, the concept is looked at differently by Grossman (2007). This author sees the hybrid profession being so attached to the concept of the Knowledge management that it is not possible to separate the two. The reason for this observation is presented by the author in that today knowledge management has not only survived but has also told us that it is going to stay here for quite a good deal of time. The author states that knowledge management is not about managing information systems and business issues related to it. Indeed it is a fluid that needs to be taken into consideration as a whole which incorporates factors like intense global competition, evolution of the market into knowledge economy, and cons equently, competitive advantage coming out of these factors to those who will be abreast with these challenges. Henceforth, to operate in the world of future, in the presence of the knowledge economy variables, it is important to produce workforce which is able to handle such challenges. The hybrid manager is one individual who is going to fill a major gap in the demands of the future. The authors notes that they hybrid manager to perform in the knowledge management and knowledge economy will have to have (i) skills to network and team up with people, (ii) higher analytical skills, (iii) managerial knowledge, (iv) organisational skills, (v) skills to process fast flowing information, (vi) skills to deal with information technology needs. This profession, according to the author can be regarded as the KM professional (p. 32). But the author further notes that this is a development of the previously held concept of the hybrid manager. The author notes that as the need to understand th e challenges of globalisation and other related forces has increased, the need to develop more and more such professionals as can deal with these matters has also increased. 4. Hybrid Manager in New Business Climate There are sources in the management literature which shed light on the challenges that we might confront in the changing climate of the global business environment. Barta at el (1999) expand the concept of the hybrid manager in this very context by relating it to major areas of business organisation. The writers note that although the CEOs of companies do have a key role to play in the functioning of their organisations, they cannot perform all the major actions. Hence, they need functional personnel who could take the business side by side with the CEOs. These functional managers are also in a better situation to work as hybrid manager because their position allows them to have hold of quality information; they can synthesise this information with their area-specific knowledge of management, for example in accountancy, production, and so on, and can make the most use of this synthesis by their developed skills in the information technology sector. They further inform us that tomorro ws time will require the hybrid managers to work in a number of areas where they will be mainly performing the functions of understanding the challenges and opportunities of information technology within that contexts; at the same time they will be required to analyse these challenges and opportunities in favour of their organisation; they will also be required to take initiatives to address the risks involved in the decisions they make. Henceforth, this is something that needs to be expanded by the time so that future challenges can be appropriately addressed (pp. 80-83). Barta at el (1999) also point out to the fact that if the role of the hybrid manager is seen in this scenario, the situation will be more benefiting for the organisations because this approach will have to ensure that the hybrid manager has sound information technology knowledge which they could employ with their managerial knowledge. These two factors will enable them to have better interpersonal skills; they will also be possibly able to better understand and deal with the strategic demands of the business company they are working for. Moreover, all these characteristics combined in one individual, they will ensure to carry with them a broad vision to ensure effective use is made of the information resource available from both internal sources and external business partners (p. 83). The hybrid manager of the future business world will also be someone who will have strong command over the conceptualization of IT related needs of the company; the individual will also be mapping out t hese needs and how these can be sufficiently realised to increase the profitability of the company along with other areas of development. Another important arena in which the hybrid manager is expected to play their role in the future business market is their ability to develop ways in which their organisations can move forward to learn new patterns of knowledge still based on the information technology factors. This professional will acquire this goal by closely monitoring the scene of developing technologies, how these relate to organisational and managerial matters, and how these can be learned in the best time for the best results (pp. 80-83). Eventually, looking at the role of the hybrid manager through the analytic lens provided by Barta at el. (1999), it is plausible to arrive at the consensus that the hybrid manager is someone to stay long in the days to come. The professional will not only have a major role to play in the business functions of the future economy; this perso n will also have their role expanded into various areas of business world. 5. The Current Perspective on the Hybrid Manager According to the very current sources, there is evidence that the concept of the hybrid manager is still in the process of development. It has been also interpreted different in different countries. The major essence of the concept is more or less similar. According to Chew and Gottschalk (2009), today it is important not only to understand what the hybrid manager does and also what this individual does not do, that is, it is important to clearly define the roles of the hybrid manager so that the professional productivity of this individual can be attained to the maximum. Elaborating further on this area of concern, Chew and Gottschalk note that at present the term hybrid is being with a number of management- and IT-based applications, functions, and concepts which may be confusing the student of management. They define this case by giving example of the hybrid manager as different from hybrid users. They state that this distinction is very important to understand otherwise the real essence of the hybrid manager can be even lost to great damage to the organisation. Therefore, whereas, according to the authors, hybrid users are the people who work in an environment which is fundamentally user-control computing; these people readily join together their technical skills and knowledge with the business literacy required to fulfil their primary role. One the other hand, the hybrid manager is someone who does need to have technical knowledge and skills, adequate business literacy, as well as a third important characteristic: that is, organisational astuteness that allows a manager to make business-appropriate IS use. This third dimensional feature of the hybrid manager also enables the individual to carve out new grounds on which the future of their company depends. Another very important distinction drawn by the writers is their analysis of the present day organisational patterns. They state that today it is easily noticeable that organisations can develop the hybri d users through a properly set criterion. However, they find it very difficult to point out any such criterion for the hybrid managers training and development. This in part also informs us that the hybrid manager is someone not found commonly and who is still needed in todays challenging business environment (pp. 330-337). 6. Conclusion and Discussion In this paper I have conducted an in-depth examination of the relevant scholarly sources to understand the concept of the hybrid manager. It was also demonstrated that the concept has evolved over time and the factors that have been present in the evolutionary process of the concept were also closely examined. It is revealed that though the concept of the hybrid manager was realized in the late 1980s and was considerably developed in the 1990s, the concept is still very much useful in the twenty-first century. The first part of the paper is thus linked to the second part of the paper which informs us how and through which stages the concept of the hybrid manager is still so effective in the 21st century. It is mainly because of the persistent growth in the IT-based development in the world, and the growing challenges of the international business climate that the need for the hybrid manager is still increasing. The very recent sources examined also demonstrate that there are still is sues present in educational, training, and practical domains for the hybrid manager. However, there is strong evidence that the concept does exist in the very present time and that it is very likely to continue to prosper in the longer run as long as the information technology is growing, and globalization remains forceful for the business world over. In conclusion, it can be stated that the future for the hybrid manager requires in-depth understanding of the roles of this professional, its core and functional capabilities, the issues for training and education, and how to benefit more from this post in the middle of newly felt changes in the world. Having said that, it is also important to understand that the concept of the hybrid manager is now not confined merely to the UK, US, and Europe or other technologically advanced countries like Japan; in fact, the developing world is also putting efforts to produce the home-grown hybrid manager (Spremic and Strugar, 2002). Additionally, it is important to note that major challenges for the development are also quite many, but more fall in the category of training and education of the hybrid manager of the future (Morrell, 2004). References Barta, B. Z., Tantall, A., Juliff, P. Place of information ethnology in management and business education. Padstow, Cornwall: Great Britain, 1999, pp. 75-84. Chew, E. K., Gottschalk, P. Information technology strategy and management: Best practices. New York: Information Science Reference, Ltd. 2009, pp. 335-350. Currie, W. L., Glover, I. A. Hybrid managers as an example of tunnel vision and regression in management research. In W. Currie and B. Galliers, eds. Rethinking management information systems: An interdisciplinary perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, 410-450. Grembergen, W. V. Strategies for information technology governance. New York: Idea Group Publishing, 2004, pp. 245-265. Grossman, M. 2007. The emerging academic discipline of knowledge management. Journal of Information Systems Education, 18 (1), pp. 31-38. Harrison, C. Academic support services. In D. Warner and D. Palfreyman, eds, Higher education management: The key elements. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1996, pp. 192-202. Morrell, K. Analysing professional work in the public sector: The case of NHS nurses. Research Series Paper, 1, 2004, 3-29. Skyrme, D.J., The hybrid manager. In M. J. Earl, ed. Informational management: The organizational dimension, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 430-460. Spremic, M., Strugar, I. Strategic IS planning practise in Croatia: Organizational and managerial challenges. International Journal of Accounting Information, 3, 2003, 183-200. Tansey, S. D. Business, information technology and society. New York: Routledge, 2002, pp. 170-185.

Santeria and Lukumi Religions Practiced by Hispanic Caribbeans :: Religion Religious Caribbean Essays

Santeria and Lukumi Religions Practiced by Hispanic Carribeans Religious origins: The Yoruba religion was brought to the Hispanic Caribbean approximately four hundred years ago by African slaves during the period of conquest and colonization of the new world. The religion remained traditionally strong among the African community until the Spanish conquerors began to prohibit its practice. When the Spaniards reached the New lands they brought with them the religion of the reigning King. That is Queen Isabella's religion; Catholosism. The conquerors forced the slaves to accept the Catholic faith as their new religion. The African, stripped already of their dignity refuse to give up their religious beliefs, this belief being all they brought with them. Knowing of the negative ramnifications, punishment and sometimes even death if caught "devil worshipping" it meant that in order to continue to worship theri Gods the angry Africans had to find a way to practice thier religion. They astutely hide theri religion behind Catholic religious practices and saints. The religion is therefore called "Santeria" or the way of the saints. According to Migene Gonzalez-Wippler Santeria is neither a cult or a sect. "It is a monotheistic religion, where God is seen as the creator of the Universe and of humanity. The orishas, syncretized with catholic saints, are repositories of God’s powers and the mediators between humanity and the Supreme Being. During this same period the Lukumi religion was also developed. The Lukumi religion is very similar to that of Santeria, while Santeria utlizes the Catholic Saints and prayers for ritualistic purposes Lukumi does not. Lukumi tends to make African images to represent the Orisha and makes little or no use of Christian prayers. The Lukumi religion is a less diluted form of Orisha worship and was mostly concentrated in Cuba. In Santeria, Yorubas then continue to worship and honor the Orishas and to practice their strong religious beliefs. The Yoruba rituals are modified and made similar to that of the Catholic religion. As aforementioned , when the Africans where brought to Cuba and the other New Lands they saw themselves forced to disguise theri ancestral religion and to embrace the church of theri captors. This created a complex religious mixture of beliefs. Because of its roots in Africa the worship of the saints has been a misunderstood religion, sometimes reffered to as unciviliazed and almost always viewed as a dark religion or a devil worshipping religion.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN OUT ON THE RUNWAY, Christian stood near the entrance to the plane, along with a few of the other guardians. Lissa ran off to talk to him, leaving me and Dimitri alone. He hadn't said a word the entire way back from the spa. Strong and silent were typical behaviors for him, but something about his mood struck me as unusual this time. â€Å"Are you still thinking about what Rhonda said? That woman's a total scam.† â€Å"Why do you say that?† he asked, stopping not far from where the others stood. A sharp wind blasted us all in the face, and I hoped we could board soon. â€Å"Because she didn't tell us anything! You should have heard my future. It was, like, one sentence stating the obvious. Lissa had a better fortune,† I admitted, â€Å"but it wasn't really anything that profound. Rhonda said she'd be a great leader. I mean, seriously, how hard is that to figure out?† Dimitri smiled at me. â€Å"Would you be a believer if she'd given you a more interesting reading?† â€Å"Maybe if it was good.† When he just laughed, I asked, â€Å"But you're taking it seriously. Why? You really believe in that kind of stuff?† â€Å"It's not so much that I believe †¦ or that I don't believe.† He wore a black knit cap over his head today and tugged it down to better cover his ears. â€Å"I just respect people like her. They have access to knowledge other people don't.† â€Å"She's not a spirit user, though, so I'm not really sure where she's getting this knowledge. I still think she's a con artist.† â€Å"She's a vr?jitoare, actually.† â€Å"A†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I wasn't even going to touch that one. â€Å"A what? Is that Russian?† â€Å"Romanian. It means†¦well, there's no real translation. ‘Witch' is close, but that's not right. Their idea of a witch isn't the same as an American's.† I had never expected to have a conversation like this with him. I just didn't think of Dimitri as the superstitious type. For half a moment, I thought that if he could believe in something like witches and fortune-tellers, maybe he could handle me seeing ghosts. I considered saying something to him but promptly decided against it. I wouldn't have had a chance to say anything anyway because Dimitri kept talking. â€Å"My grandmother was like Rhonda,† he explained. â€Å"That is, she practiced the same kind of arts. Personality-wise, they're very different.† â€Å"Your grandmother was a †¦ v-whatever?† â€Å"It's called something else in Russian, but yes, same meaning. She used to read cards and give advice too. It was how she made her living.† I bit off any comments about frauds. â€Å"Was she right? In her predictions?† â€Å"Sometimes. Don't look at me like that.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"You've got this look on your face that says you think I'm delusional, but you're too nice to say anything.† â€Å"Delusional's kind of harsh. I'm just surprised, that's all. I never expected you to buy into this stuff.† â€Å"Well, I grew up with it, so it doesn't seem that strange to me. And like I said, I'm not sure I buy into it 100 percent.† Adrian had joined the group by the plane and was protesting loudly about us not being able to board yet. â€Å"I never thought of you as having a grandmother, either,† I told Dimitri. â€Å"I mean, obviously, you'd have to. But still†¦it's just weird to think about growing up with one.† Contact with my own mother was rare enough, and I'd never even met any of my other family members. â€Å"Was it weird having a witch grandma? Scary? Was she always, like, threatening to cast spells if you were bad?† â€Å"Most of the time she just threatened to send me to my room.† â€Å"That doesn't sound so scary to me.† â€Å"That's because you haven't met her.† I noted the wording. â€Å"Is she still alive?† He nodded. â€Å"Yeah. It'll take more than old age to kill her off. She's tough. She was actually a guardian for a while.† â€Å"Really?† Much like with Ambrose, my fixed ideas about dhampirs, guardians, and blood whores were getting muddied. â€Å"So she gave it up to become a – uh, to stay with her kids?† â€Å"She has very strong ideas about family – ideas that probably sound kind of sexist to you. She believes all dhampirs should train and put in time as guardians, but that the women should eventually return home to raise their children together.† â€Å"But not the men?† â€Å"No,† he said wryly. â€Å"She thinks men still need to stay out there and kill Strigoi.† â€Å"Wow.† I remembered Dimitri telling me a little about his family. His father had popped back every so often, but that was about it for the men in his life. All of his siblings were sisters. And honestly, the idea didn't sound so sexist. I had the same ideas about men going off to fight, which was why meeting Ambrose had been so weird. â€Å"You were the one who had to go. The women in your family kicked you out.† â€Å"Hardly,† he laughed. â€Å"My mother would take me back in a second if I wanted to come home.† He was smiling like it was a joke, but I saw something in his eyes that looked a lot like homesickness. It was gone in a flash, though, as Dimitri turned around when Adrian started whooping about how we could finally board. When we were settled on the plane, Lissa could hardly wait to tell our friends about the news. She started off with how I'd been called in to see the queen. That wasn't a topic I'd wanted discussed, but she pushed forward, excited that the queen had wanted to â€Å"praise† me. Everyone seemed impressed except Adrian. The look on his face told me that he was sure that she most definitely hadn't called me in for that. However, there was enough of a puzzled look in his eyes to make me think he had no clue about the real reason. It was about time I knew something he didn't. I had a feeling he would have been as shocked by the idea of him hooking up with Lissa as I'd been. Lissa then told them about the offer to live at Court and go to college at Lehigh. â€Å"I still can't believe it,† she mused. â€Å"It sounds too good to be true.† Adrian knocked back a glass of what looked like whiskey. How had he gotten a hold of that so soon? â€Å"Coming from my great-aunt? It is too good to be true.† â€Å"What do you mean?† I asked. After being accused of being engaged in a fictitious romance by Tatiana and finding out she had a dhampir lover/feeder, nothing about her would surprise me anymore. â€Å"Is Lissa in trouble?† â€Å"What, bodily? Nah. It's just, my great-aunt doesn't do things out of the kindness of her heart. Well,† Adrian amended, â€Å"sometimes she does. She's not a total bitch. And I think she means it about worrying about the Dragomirs. I've heard she liked your parents. But as to why she's doing this †¦ I don't know. You've got radical ideas. Maybe she does want to hear different opinions. Or maybe she wants to keep an eye on you, keep you from causing trouble.† Or maybe she wants to marry Lissa off to you, I silently added. Christian didn't like any of this. â€Å"He's right. They could be trying to rein you in. You should go live with Aunt Tasha. You don't have to go to a Moroi school.† â€Å"But she'll be safer if she does,† I admitted. I was all for fighting the system – and keeping Lissa away from royal plans – but if she went to a college that wasn't one the Moroi protected, she'd be in danger, and I certainly didn't want that either. I started to add more, but just then, the plane took off. As soon as it was up in the air, my headache from yesterday returned. It was like all the air around us pressing on my skull. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I groaned, putting my hand on my forehead. â€Å"You're sick again?† asked Lissa, worried. I nodded. â€Å"Have you always had trouble flying?† asked Adrian, gesturing for someone to refill his drink. â€Å"Never,† I said. â€Å"Damn it. I don't want to go through this again.† I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the pain, as well as those black shapes again. It took some effort, but if I focused hard enough, I actually got it all to lessen a little. Weird. Still, I didn't want to talk much after that, and everyone left me alone. The college conversation dropped off. Hours passed. It was almost time to arrive back at the Academy. One of the Moroi flight attendants walked down the aisle to our group, a frown on her face. Alberta instantly snapped to attention. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"An ice storm just blew through the area,† the flight attendant said. â€Å"We can't land at St. Vladimir's because the runway isn't accessible with the ice and the winds. We need fuel, however, so we're going to land at Martinville Regional. It's a small airport a few hours away by car, but they weren't as affected as much. Our plan is to land there, refuel, and then fly into the Academy once they've cleared the runway. It's less than an hour by air.† It was annoying news, but it didn't sound too bad. Besides, what could we do? At the very least, I'd get some relief soon. If my headache behaved like before, it'd go away when we were on the ground. We settled back into our seats and put on our belts, readying for the landing. The weather looked miserable outside, but the pilot was good and landed with no difficulties. And that's when it happened. As soon as we touched the ground, my world exploded. The headache didn't go away; it got worse. Much worse – and I hadn't thought that was possible. It felt like my entire skull was being ripped open. But that was just the beginning. Because suddenly, all around me, were faces. Ghostly, translucent faces and bodies – just like Mason's. And oh God, they were everywhere. I couldn't even see the seats or my friends. Just those faces – and their hands. Pale, shining hands reached out for me. Mouths opened like they would speak, and all of those faces looked as though they wanted something from me. And the more they came at me, the more of them I started to recognize. I saw Victor's guardians, the ones who had been killed when we'd rescued Lissa. Their eyes were wide and terrified – over what? Were they reliving their deaths? Mixed in with them were children I didn't recognize right away. Then – I knew. They were the ones Dimitri and I had found dead after a Strigoi massacre. These children had the same washed-out look Mason had, but their necks were covered in blood, just as they'd been at the house. Its scarlet hue stood out in stark contrast to their shadowy, luminescent bodies. Thicker and thicker the faces grew. While none of them actually spoke, there seemed to be a buzzing in my ears that grew louder as more and more of them came. Three new figures joined the crowd. They should have blended into the rest, but they stood out almost as sharply as the blood on the children's necks had. It was Lissa's family. Her mother, her father, and her brother Andre. They looked exactly as they had the last time I'd seen them, just before the car accident. Blond. Beautiful. Regal. Like Mason, they wore no marks of their deaths, even though I knew the crash had done horrible things to them. And like Mason, they just stared at me with sad eyes, not speaking but clearly wanting to say something. Only, unlike with Mason, I understood the message. There was a large patch of blackness behind Andre that was steadily growing bigger. He pointed at me, and then he pointed at it. I knew, without understanding how I knew, that it was the entrance to the world of death, the world I had come back from. Andre – who'd been my age when he died – pointed again. His parents joined him. They didn't have to speak for me to know what they were saying: You shouldn't have lived. You need to come back with us†¦. I started screaming. And screaming. I thought someone on the plane was talking to me, but I couldn't be sure, not when I couldn't see anything but those faces, hands, and the blackness behind Andre. Every so often, Mason's face materialized nearby, solemn and sad. I appealed to him for help. â€Å"Make them go away!† I yelled. â€Å"Make them go away!† But there was nothing he would – or could – do. Frantically, I undid my seat belt and tried to stand up. The ghosts didn't touch me, but they were all too close, still reaching and pointing with skeletal hands. I waved my arms to fend them off, screaming for someone to help me and make this all stop. There was no help for me, though. No help for all those hands and hollow eyes or the pain that consumed me. It grew so bad that glittering black spots began to dance across my field of vision. I had a feeling I was going to pass out, and I welcomed that. It would make the pain go away and save me from the faces. The spots grew bigger and bigger, and soon I could no longer see anything. The faces disappeared, and so did the pain as sweet black waters dragged me under.

Leyte Gulf

The Battle of Leyte gulf was known historically as one of the most decisive battles won by the U. S army in their attempt to regain control of the Philippine Islands during the second world war. This was the battle which made it possible for the renowned General Douglas MacArthur to make good on his promise to the Filipino people that â€Å"he is going to return† to free them from the cruelty of the Japanese.The four-day battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 marked the eclipse of Imperial Japanese naval power, the last sortie in force of the Imperial Navy, and the largest naval battle ever fought on the face of the earth.Obviously this armed confrontation between the U. S forces and the Japanese Imperial army was an offshoot of an even greater war; the second World War, which was undoubtedly the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind. It is still as of the present, the most destructive war that ever took place. The Carnage wrought on this war dwarfs a ny known casualties the world has ever known when it comes to wars that historically took place. This war utilized technology in all aspects of weaponry and battle tactics.Battles were fought on land, on sea, and in the air for a period of approximately six years. This great war still continues to rouse the interest of military scholars and historians, as well as bring fresh recollections of the devastation to both the victorious and vanquished forces who fought on that war. The intervention of the Americans in the second world war took place on the month of December 1941. The Japanese succeeded to demolish Pearl Harbor, which was then known as the greatest naval base in the Asia pacific region.The Japanese used stealth and treachery to succeed in this endeavor. Within hours of the destruction of the United States Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese forces began their assault on the Philippine islands. 5 months later on the month of April 1942, the Fil-American fortress in th e Bataan Peninsula fell, and with it the majority of the combined Fil-American forces were captured and incarcerated by the Japanese Imperial army. Two and a half years after the fall of Bataan Allied forces began the reconquest of the Philippines with major landings on Leyte.Four months prior to the Leyte landings – at the Battle of the Philippine Sea – the Japanese Imperial Navy made a desperate attempt to defeat the US fleet with carrier-borne aircraft. Needless to say, the Japanese army was dealt a major blow when they lost nearly 200 of their aircrafts in one afternoon and lost nearly 500 carriers and land-based aircrafts in two days. The Superiority of the equipment used by the American forces caused the massacre of the Japanese forces.As a result of the destruction of their aircrafts and carriers, which at the start of the Pacific war was the most feared of units, and usually at the frontlines of the Japanese offensive, the Japanese airforce amounted to nothing more but decoys in the Leyte campaign, and the task of making the real attacks on the Allied invasion fleet was of necessity left to the Japanese Imperial army's battleships and heavy cruiser forces, which were still largely intact, and to what land-based support the Japanese army could still muster.II. Strategies involved in The Battle of Leyte Gulf After the decisive battle of the Philippine sea, the U. S forces were contemplating as to what course of action should be taken. In the end two factions were opposing each other as to what strategy should be employed to regain control over the Philippine islands. One of these faction, was composed of the Navy, led by Admirals Nimitz and King, wanted to take Formosa by using the â€Å"island-hopping strategy†.They believe that in order to neutralize the Japanese Army garrison by air blockade, they must secure the island of Formosa, this island is located strategically along the seaways from the Dutch East Indies to Japan, and as s uch would serve as the perfect base for the â€Å"economic strangulation† of Japan. The said Island would also be ideal to serve as base for the impending final attack on Japanese Territory. On the opposing side was General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the South-west Pacific Forces. Surprisingly, He believed that military reasons alone should not control the pace of the action.It is of common knowledge that his stand was also based on political considerations. He wanted to regain control of the Philippines because of the following reasons: The first reason being given was that he wanted to fulfill his promise to the Filipino people that â€Å"he shall return† to liberate them from the cruelty of the Japanese. The second reason being given is because of his conviction that leaving the Philippines in Japanese hands would be an â€Å"irreversible loss† of American prestige in Asiatic eyes. In his plea to President Roosevelt, he reiterated that the U.S could not afford to ignore the political implications of its military planning. A return to the Philippines involved a compelling political dimension that did not apply to Formosa. The Philippine Islands had been a colony of the United States since 1898, and the inherent politico-military responsibilities arising from that relationship could not be taken lightly. It was on those grounds that General MacArthur and others insisted that the United States had a moral obligation to liberate the Republic from the cruelty of the Japanese as soon as possible. The faction led by General MacArthur eventually won out.The decision as to what course of action would be prioritized was made by President Roosevelt himself. He was convinced by General MacArthur that it is America’s moral obligation to liberate the Republic's 16 million citizens from harsh Japanese occupation as soon as possible (it is also probable that he did this because of political reasons). As a result, by the summer of 1944, the American forces succeeded in fighting their way across the Pacific on two lines of attack to reach a point 300 miles southeast of Mindanao, the southernmost island in the Philippines.In the Central Pacific, forces under Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commanding the Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean areas, had island-hopped through the Gilberts, the Marshalls, and the Carolines. More than 1,000 miles to the south, Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur, commanding the Southwest Pacific area, had blocked the Japanese thrust toward Australia, and then recaptured the Solomons and New Guinea and many of its outlying islands, isolating the huge Japanese base at Rabaul. The American invasion was concentrated mainly on Leyte Gulf, in the central Philippines.Earlier plans had called for an invasion of the southern island of Mindanao as the next stepping stone in the successful â€Å"island-hopping† campaign employed to date by the two fleets in the Pacific – the Third Fleet un der Admiral Nimitz, and the Seventh Fleet under General MacArthur. But, with the apparent collapse of the Japanese fleet and air power, the plan to invade the central Philippines was advanced two months from December to October of 1944. The Seventh Fleet, under MacArthur would conduct the actual invasion.It must be noted that there was no overall naval commander during the Leyte campaign, which almost inevitably led to great confusion in the forthcoming battle, and in the event nearly led to a strategic disaster for the Allies. Fortunately for them, it was destined that the allied forces triumph over their adversaries. The War between the United States and Japan was constantly shifting in momentum. It was noted that during the latter part of 1944, it was becoming apparent to Japan that highly desperate measures had to be imposed if they are to stem the massive onslaught of the U.S Forces. The strength of Japan's archenemy in the Pacific has been growing at a steadily alarming rate, different by far from the forces it had decisively routed during the treacherous bombing of Pearl Harbor and its successful conquest of the Philippine Islands. It is becoming frequent that nearly every time the Japanese Navy came to blows with the United States Navy in a fleet action, the Japanese Navy took a terrible beating. Most of the Japanese navy had been based at Brunei on the island of Borneo, close to its oil supply.Unfortunately for them the remnant of the fuel was all but exhausted, leaving them only unrefined oil, which could barely be utilized in their warship boilers. To make matters worse the Air Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy was all but obliterated, too. After the Battle of the Philippine Sea (a. k. a â€Å"The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot† by American pilots because of the apparent target shooting practice which ensued. The target being Japanese aircraft) Japan lost the majority of her Air force and had only as a remainder, a handful of planes, and even fewer pilots to fly them.Because of this, her carriers were largely useless for any practical duty. Except, perhaps, to serve as decoys to lure away the American forces in minor and major engagements. The Japanese Army knew in their hearts that if they lose or relinquish their hold on the Philippine islands there is a very huge possibility that they may also lose the war. This instinctive assessment of what might take place if they lose their foothold on the Philippines spurred them to conduct some desperate counter measures against their enemy.They therefore drew up a plan which risked their remaining surface forces, but offered them a slim chance of destroying the American invasion fleet and isolating the Allied ground forces on Leyte. Like many previous Japanese operational plans it depended on the use of a decoy force. The Japanese was ready to play its cards to the hilt with the full realization that the ensuing result could either be victory, or the destruction or incapacitati on of the Japanese Navy. Nothing was held back, as there was everything to gain and substantially nothing to lose (since they are losing anyway) .The Japanese knew that If this mission failed, the war would be lost. The plan that was conceptualized was nothing short of brilliant if things turned out as they have calculated. Unfortunately for their cause, an accident saved the day for the U. S forces. The plan was that Admiral Ozawa was to sail in from the North East with his â€Å"bait† of four aircraft carriers, and the two hybrid battleship-carriers Ise and Hyuga featuring four battleship turrets forward, and small flight decks aft. But, for this mission, they would carry no aircraft at all, as none were available.Even the large fleet carriers were not carrying a full complement of planes. At this stage of the war, the Japanese have already lost most of their trained pilots which forced them to depend on untrained aircrew to fill up the gaps. The said units were therefore s elected along with a dozen ships to play the role of decoy. The decoys were assigned to draw the main American force, with the intent of having two powerful battleships penetrate and then stealthily attack the American invasion forces in the Leyte Gulf.The southern and weaker of these battleship forces, commanded by Rear Admiral Nishimura, would penetrate through Surigao Strait just south of Leyte. The more powerful of the two battleship forces, the Central Force under the command of Vice Admiral Kurita, containing five battleships including the giant Yamato and Musashi ( the largest warships in the world ), 10 heavy and 2 light cruisers, and 15 destroyers, would penetrate through San Bernadino Strait, sail down the coast of Samar, and fall on the American invasion fleet from the north-east.The forces which were supposed to counter the Japanese naval maneuvers were led by Admiral William Halsey. Admiral Halsey was a war veteran who hated the Japanese with an intensity almost akin to loathing. According to some of his subordinates Halsey was nothing sort of the extraordinary, and is definitely not known to be an intellectual. His leadership was often successful because he had the talent to choose good staff, who apparently analyzes and decides things that needs to be done, which was done quite often. It was noted that he seldom overruled their suggestions.It was also noted that while he always acts like a true professional and exacts professional performance from all subordinates, he had this charismatic effect on them which was like being touched by a magic wand. Anyone so touched was determined to excel. † This characteristic along with his inherent loathing of the Japanese forces made him a very controversial figure on this armed struggle. This personality of Admiral Halsey explains a lot concerning all of his decisions which could have caused the momentum to shift from the U. S forces to the Japanese forces.As a counter measure against the Japanese, A dmiral Halsey ordered 2 minor fleets to steam north at 25 knots. He ordered the dispatched units to join Sherman's Group and attack Ozawa. By midnight the dispatched units, including Admiral Lee in Washington and Admiral Halsey in New Jersey with all their battleships and cruisers, were tearing north. Halsey incorrectly assumed that Kurita's Center Force is not a serious menace. This proved to be costly error as may be gleaned from the engagement which later took place. He ordered Admiral Kinkaid to attack any major enemy naval force approaching from the north.Unknown to him, they are actually playing to the tune the Japanese forces are playing. Admiral Halsey regarded the Japanese carriers as the main threat which must be annihilated to secure victory for the U. S forces. His strategy was to focus his three available carrier groups, with all their accompanying vessels in destroying Admiral Ozawa’s ships. In his eagerness and haste to act on this supposed war strategy, Halsey took no steps to protect Seventh Fleet from the Centre Force. The third Fleet left San Bernadino Strait entirely unguarded. This was a major blunder which could have caused them to lose the battle.It was even said that â€Å"not so much as a picket destroyer was left†. It appears that he also did not take the necessary precautions to safeguard their forces if by chance a blunder was commited. This was evidenced by the fact that he neglected to even inform Kinkaid that the Strait was Not now being covered by the Third Fleet – instead the Seventh Fleet commander had to rely on an intercepted signal from Halsey to his task group commanders, which indicated that the Third Fleet commander was going north with the three carrier groups to strike the enemy’s Northern Forces.It was very fortunate indeed that the Seventh Fleet had intercepted an earlier radio signal from Halsey which outlined a plan to form Task Force 34 – a very powerful surface force built aroun d the Third Fleet's fast battleships, this was commanded by Vice Admiral Willis Lee. If this accident did not occur, the casualties on the American side would have been astronomical. When Halsey's 2022 message was received, Kinkaid and his staff, assumed that the â€Å"three groups† referred to were the carrier groups of Third Fleet, and that Task Force 34 had been left behind to guard San Bernadino Strait.The funny thing was that Task Force 34 had not yet been formed, and all the ships which it was expected to contain were heading northwards with the American carriers. Meanwhile the Seventh Fleet, unconcerned about any threat from its northern quarter, and feeling fully confident that the Centre Force would be dealt with by Halsey and the Third Fleet, continued with its preparations to meet the Japanese Southern Force in Surigao Strait.It was historically recounted that Admiral Ozawa steamed down from the north, presenting what was hoped to be the irresistible targets of Jap anese flat tops (including the Zuikaku – the last remaining veteran of the Pearl Harbor raid. ) Meanwhile, the surface units of the Japanese Navy would sneak in from the west under the command of Admiral Kurita, and attempt to spring a deadly trap on the Seventh Fleet.A small force consisting of the battleships Fuso and Yamashiro and supported by the heavy cruiser Mogami and four destroyers would sneak through the Surigao Strait, preceded by three more cruisers and four destroyers sailing in from Japanese home waters. But the main force of the attack was to come from another direction. The said units sailed from Brunei, all in all it was a substantial force composed of five battleships (including the aforementioned Yamato and Musashi) twelve cruisers and fifteen destroyers.It was supposed to sneak through San Bernardino Strait, loop around the island of Samar, and smash the Americans through it’s blind spot. The actual conflict as envisioned by the Japanese would have â€Å"the hammer and anvil† attack which would â€Å"sandwich† the American forces with attacks from both the Northern and Southern directions, the Seventh Fleet would have nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. The impending approach of the Japanese surface vessels was revealed subsequently when the American forces sank two enemy cruisers.The next day, Seventh Fleet units attempted to block the southern approaches to Leyte while Third Fleet aircraft began attacking the main surface task force. The Aircraft units saw the four enemy units which acted as decoys. Admiral Halsey took his Third Fleet carriers and battleships in hot pursuit of the decoys, which made it possible for the two Japanese surface task forces, to move towards the Leyte Gulf without being harassed by any Air force unit. As expected by the Japanese, the Seventh Fleet battleships sank or turned back units of the smaller Japanese attack force which acted as decoys.Unbeknownst to them, the second and large r task force, which included the super battleships Yamato and Musashi, successfully moved through the San Bernardino Strait, then south along the east coast of Samar Island, northeast of Leyte, to within range of the soft support shipping which was being handled by General MacArthur. This sudden attack by the Japanese forces was due to Admiral Halsey’s plan to dispose of the Japanese carriers, which he sees as the principal threat to the Leyte campaign.. His dash north, to get to Admiral Ozawa's carrier fleet, left the critical passage of San Bernadino uncovered.the battle unfortunately did not go as Halsey had planned. Althouugh his fleet sank the four carriers of Ozawa (which were decoys), it missed the two battleships, and a major part of the escort units. Admiral Kurita's Center Force has managed to slip by, and attacked Kinkaid's forces which were covering escort carrier force â€Å"Taffy 3†. If Kincaid did not accidentally intercept and misinterpreted Admiral Hal sey’s command by escorting General MacArthur’s carrier, things would have gone ill for the Philippine conquest and the American cause as a whole.To give credit to Admiral Halsey, he managed to turn his forces around to the aid of Admiral Kinkaid’s forces, Halsey has sunk four carriers, a super battleship, and several smaller ships. He had lost the Light Carrier Princeton, and jeopardized the invasion beaches. Halsey was responsible for destroying the Japanese fleet, which included carriers but was not restricted to them. Halsey failed to see which force was more dangerous, and paid the price. The casualties suffered by the American forces because of this blunder amounted to 898 dead soldiers and 913 wounded. In addition to the human casualties the U.S Navy lost six warships. The Japanese lost an estimated 80,000 combat ready troops in their failed defense of Leyte. Their losses at Leyte were heavy, with the army losing four divisions and several separate combat units, while the navy lost 26 major warships and 46 large transports and merchantmen in the campaign. On the morning of 25 October, after two and one half hours of desperate fighting by light U. S. Navy escorts, the Japanese battle fleet mysteriously broke off the engagement and withdrew from the gulf, thereby leaving unexploited the opportunity presented by the Third Fleet's departure.To the north, the Third Fleet caught up with the Japanese carriers and sank all four of them. These encounters, later known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, represented the largest naval battle in the Pacific. Americans and Japanese came away from the battle of Leyte Gulf with extremely divergent views of what had occurred. These different assessments provoked planning revisions which completely changed the character and duration of the battle for Leyte. The Americans believed they had dealt the IJN a severe blow; events later proved them correct.But in the immediate aftermath of the sea battle, Japanese commanders believed they had ruined the American carrier force. In fact, they had sunk only one light and two escort carriers and three destroyers. Nevertheless, convinced that they had won a major naval victory and bolstered by reports of air victories in the ten days before A-day, Southern Army resolved to fight the decisive battle on Leyte. III. Conclusion The Battle of Leyte Gulf was instrumental in the American conquest of the Philippine Islands. If the U.S forces proceeded to immediately invade the island of Luzon, the casualties might have been heavier considering that the Japanese forces in that region was estimated to number 250,000 troops. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was indeed a decisive battle considering that it was instrumental for the destruction of the once powerful Japanese Imperial Navy. As a result of devastating blow dealth to the Japanese Navy, it never ventured out again in force to challenge the superior and overwhelmingly powerful American Navy.This battle also introduced the terrifying method used by the Japanese pilots to the western mind, the kamikaze tactic, which undoubtedly revolutionized the concept of patriotism and sacrifice among soldiers. As a whole, the Japanese decision to stake everything on the battle for Leyte only hastened their final collapse as they lacked the ability to coordinate the mass of air, ground and naval forces that they committed to the struggle, which led to the emergence of the U. S as a power to reckon with up to the present times.IV. Bibliography Morrison, S. (1962). The Battle for Leyte Gulf http://www. angelfire. com/fm/odyssey/LEYTE_GULF_Summary_of_the_Battle_. htm James, D. Admiral Halsey's Decision http://www. odyssey. dircon. co. uk/Halsey_decision. htm Donovan, R. The Wartime Adventures of President John F. Kennedy http://www. odyssey. dircon. co. uk/Halsey. htm Lanzendorfer, T. Glorious Death: The Battle of Leyte Gulf http://www. microworks. net/pacific/battles/leyte_gulf. htm â€Å"Turkey Trots to Water† â€Å"http://www. battleship.org/html/Articles/History/Leyte0. htm The Beginning : The Battle of Leyte Gulf http://www. battle-of-leyte-gulf. com/blg_synopsis/blg_synopsis. shtml Morison, Samuel E. , History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Leyte, Volume XII (1984), Little, Brown and Company, Boston Potter, E. B. , Bull Halsey (1985), Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland Cox, J. , The Battle of Leyte Gulf Casualty list, Copyright Robert Jon Cox 1996-2001 http://www. bosamar. com/usforces/casualty. html

Anti-war essays

Anti-war essays With the nation in a ruckus over war, a new group of war protestors emerged and they took the shapes of many different forms. Their goal was clear: to stop the war. Their motives however, in an ongoing effort to reach In the popular novel Johnny Got His Gun, Americans were exposed to an emotional side of the war. This novel, which many had a copy of, told the story of a young man named Johnny, who now laid in a hospital bed as a useless, miserable being. Being unable to do anything, except simply think, he tells his side of the story. He shows the effects of the war, and explains that it is not worth fighting for a life of freedom, if you are dead. While this approach worked fine for the Oprah Winfrey crowd of the war era, there were many other hardcore business, political and military leaders that still needed to be convinced that the war should stop! To oblige, the anti-war activists put on a new face. ...

Free Essays on Great Depression

The Great Depression and the New Deal. In 1932 almost 1500 banks failed, 32,00 businesses closed their doors and one-fourth of the labor force in the United States was unemployed. In that same year Franklin Delanore Roosevelt was elected president. He took office in 1933 with the economy and the nation in a severe depression. For the first three years of the Great Depression the government did very little to help the economy to recover. This all changed when FDR and his democratic administration took control. This administration initiated the "New Deal." This program brought together the federal and the state governments. The states received federal grants, which provided funding for such programs as public works projects, housing assistance, aid to families with dependent children, unemployment compensation and many other programs. These programs helped to eventually pull the economy and the nation out of the Great Depression. The main question is why the democratic administration and FDR felt these programs would work, and why they felt such a dramatic change in the role of the government was needed. For the answer we must turn to an economist by the name of John Maynard Keynes. He developed an economic theory that said that the forces of supply and demand operated to slowly in a serious recession, and the federal government should step in and help stimulate the economy. This theory became known as Keynesian Economics. In terms of the Great Depression the economy was at a serious imbalance because the public sector was saving more than usual and the business sector was not investing at a typical level. Therefore the government needed to step on and stimulate the economy. This stimulation was seen in the actions of the government in the "New Deal." Slowly but surely the steps taken by the government pulled the nation's economy out of the recession it faced for so many years. Fran... Free Essays on Great Depression Free Essays on Great Depression Great Depression was during 1929 through 1939. It was one of the hardest time people had gone through. There wasn’t money like there is now or transportation. I interviewed six different people on the day of 1-13-00. I learned many things; such as how there wasn’t food, money, clothing, transportation, and many other things during the time of the depression. I’m going to tell you stories I heard also my feeling on things. On the day of January 1st of 2000, I had gone to a nursing home by the name of Millers Mary Manor located on route 6 in Lake Station. There I had interviewed many different people: The fist one I’m going to tell you about was a man who went by the name Nicholas Georgeif. His age wasn’t spoken of. He was a teenager during the depression. His father worked on the farm as he attended school during the day. After school him and his sisters and brothers had helped on the farm. Back then money was tight you worked for a dollar a day or seventy-five cents to round up a heard of cattle. He served in the military for four years and two months. He didn’t talk much of how it was or had effected him during the time. He then became interested in photography and bought his first camera for a dollar. He told us how he remembered Franklin Roosevelt had put together a WPA it was a workers writers project. Roosevelt had gave those who didn’t have jobs a job on the WPA, they worked on highways and roads for around a dollar a day. Also Nicholas stated how he (Roosevelt) put together CC camps. Which is civilian conversational corps, for children to st ay of the streets and out of trouble. After Nicholas had been out of the military he became a photographer for a living. He also had taken pictures of Albert Einstein. To make a long story short†¦ He wasn’t shy back then. He walked up to Einstein’s door and stated who he was and wanted to take a picture of him. It went from there†¦ He had taken the picture met his wi... Free Essays on Great Depression The Great Depression and the New Deal. In 1932 almost 1500 banks failed, 32,00 businesses closed their doors and one-fourth of the labor force in the United States was unemployed. In that same year Franklin Delanore Roosevelt was elected president. He took office in 1933 with the economy and the nation in a severe depression. For the first three years of the Great Depression the government did very little to help the economy to recover. This all changed when FDR and his democratic administration took control. This administration initiated the "New Deal." This program brought together the federal and the state governments. The states received federal grants, which provided funding for such programs as public works projects, housing assistance, aid to families with dependent children, unemployment compensation and many other programs. These programs helped to eventually pull the economy and the nation out of the Great Depression. The main question is why the democratic administration and FDR felt these programs would work, and why they felt such a dramatic change in the role of the government was needed. For the answer we must turn to an economist by the name of John Maynard Keynes. He developed an economic theory that said that the forces of supply and demand operated to slowly in a serious recession, and the federal government should step in and help stimulate the economy. This theory became known as Keynesian Economics. In terms of the Great Depression the economy was at a serious imbalance because the public sector was saving more than usual and the business sector was not investing at a typical level. Therefore the government needed to step on and stimulate the economy. This stimulation was seen in the actions of the government in the "New Deal." Slowly but surely the steps taken by the government pulled the nation's economy out of the recession it faced for so many years. Fran... Free Essays on Great Depression Could the Great Depression of the mid 1920’s to late 1930’s have been prevented? Could we have prevented laying off 1/3 of the labor force and make people beg for minimum wage jobs during the 1930’s? Could we have prevented people panic selling their stalks in October of 1929 when the stalk market crashed? Could it be blamed on economic problems brought to us by WW1? I believe that the Great Depression could have been prevented and I have the answers to these questions and more in the following paragraphs. Many people prospered in the 1920’s but many did not. Prosperity was unequally shared the wealthy got wealthier and the poor got poorer. If you were rich you were rich that’s it, but if you were poor you were either a laborer or a farmer. However it wasn’t going to stay that way forever, on October 24,1929 people suddenly started selling there stalks. Over 12 million in stalks were lost on one day but New York bankers held the market. Five days later October 29, 1929 the market crashed again this time for good loosing over $30 billion was lost people named the day black Tuesday. The solution to this problem would have been very simple if the government at the time had any common sense at. All they would have to do is what the government following up the September 11, 2001 event did when everyone started to panic sell their stocks the president rallied all the head honchos of the country and made them make some sort of public message telling the people its ok we d on’t need to panic sell our stocks there is nothing bad going to happen you don’t need to sell your stalks.... Free Essays on Great Depression Great Depression in the United States, worst and longest economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world, lasting from the end of 1929 until the early 1940s. Beginning in the United States, the depression spread to most of the world’s industrial countries, which in the 20th century had become economically dependent on one another. The Great Depression saw rapid declines in the production and sale of goods and a sudden, severe rise in unemployment. Businesses and banks closed their doors, people lost their jobs, homes, and savings, and many depended on charity to survive. In 1933, at the worst point in the depression, more than 15 million Americans- one-quarter of the nation’s workforce- were unemployed. The depression was caused by a number of serious weaknesses in the economy. Although the 1920s appeared on the surface to be a prosperous time, income was unevenly distributed. The wealthy made large profits, but more and more Americans spent more than they earned, and farmers faced low prices and heavy debt. The lingering effects of World War I (1914-1918) caused economic problems in many countries, as Europe struggled to pay war debts and reparations. These problems contributed to the crisis that began the Great Depression: the disastrous U.S. stock market crash of 1929, which ruined thousands of investors and destroyed confidence in the economy. Continuing throughout the 1930s, the depression ended in the United States only when massive spending for World War II began. The depression produced lasting effects on the United States that are still apparent more than half a century after it ended. It led to the election of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the programs known as the New Deal to overcome the effects of the Great Depression. These programs expanded government intervention into new areas of social and economic concerns and created social-assistance measures on the national level. The Grea... Free Essays on Great Depression In U.S. history, the severe economic crisis supposedly precipitated by the U.S. stock-market crash of 1929. Although it shared the basic characteristics of other such crises. The Great Depression was unprecedented in its length and in the wholesale poverty and tragedy it inflicted on society. Economists have disagreed over its causes, but certain causative factors are generally accepted. The prosperity of the 1920s was unevenly distributed among the various parts of the American economy farmers and unskilled workers were notably excluded with the result that the nation's productive capacity was greater than its capacity to consume. In addition, the tariff and war-debt policies of the Republican administrations of the 1920s had cut down the foreign market for American goods. Finally, easy-money policies led to an inordinate expansion of credit and installment buying and fantastic speculation in the stock market. The American depression produced severe effects abroad, especially in Europe, where many countries had not fully recovered from the aftermath of World War I; in Germany, the economic disaster and resulting social dislocation contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler. In the United States, at the depth (1932-33) of the depression, there were 16 million unemployed about one third of the available labor force. The gross national product declined from the 1929 figure of $103,828,000,000 to $55,760,000,000 in 1933. The economic, agricultural, and relief policies of the New Deal administration under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did a great deal to mitigate the effects of the depression and, most importantly, to restore a sense of confidence to the American people. Yet it is generally agreed that complete business recovery was not achieved and unemployment ended until the government began to spend heavily for defense in the early 1940s.... Free Essays on Great Depression The Great Depression was the worst economic decline ever in U.S. history. It began in late 1929 and lasted about a decade. Throughout the 1920’s, many factors played a role in bringing about the depression; the main causes were the unequal distribution of wealth and extensive stock market speculation. Money was distributed unequally between the rich and the middle-class, between industry and agriculture within the United States, and between the U.S. and Europe. This disproportion of wealth created an unstable economy. Before the Great Depression, the "roaring twenties" was an era during which the United States prospered tremendously. The nation's total income rose from $74.3 billion in 1923 to $89 billion in 1929. However, the rewards of the "Coolidge Prosperity" of the 1920's were not shared evenly among all Americans. In 1929, the top 0.1 percentage of Americans had a combined income equal to the bottom 42%. That same top 0.1 percentage of Americans in 1929 controlled 34% of all savings, while 80% of Americans had no savings at all. Automotive industry tycoon Henry Ford provides an example of the unequal distribution of wealth between the rich and the middle-class. Henry Ford reported a personal income of $14 million in the same year that the average personal income was $750. This poor distribution of income between the rich and the middle class grew throughout the 1920's. While the disposable income per capita rose 9% from 1920 to 1929, those with income within the top 1-percentage enjoyed an extraordinary 75% increase in per capita disposable income. These market crashes, combined with the poor distribution of wealth, caused the American economy to overturn. Increased manufacturing output throughout this period created this large and growing gap between the rich and the working class. From 1923-1929, the average output per worker increased 32% in manufacturing. During that same period of time average wages for manu...

A Study Of Carnivorous Plants Essay Research

A Study Of Carnivorous Plants Essay, Research Paper A Study of Carnivorous Plants What precisely are carnivorous workss? They have made visual aspects in infinite films, books, and scientific discipline carnivals, but what defines a carnivorous works is that an indispensable portion of its diet is meat or insects. This includes Venus flytraps ( Dionaea muscipula ) , Pitcher Plants ( Sarrecenia, Nepenthes, and Darlingtonia ) , and Sundews ( Drosera ) . Why must these workss # 8220 ; eat # 8221 ; meat? As workss and animate beings evolve, they change to boom in their environments more efficaciously. These workss evolved in countries with highly hapless, acidic dirt. To do up for this deficiency of foods, these workss developed ways to pin down insects which would supply the foods required ( Meyers, Rice B.A. , www.sarrecenia.com/faq.html, 1998, Carnivorous Plant FAQ v6.0, Oct. 19, 1998 ) . The best known of these workss is the Venus flytrap, which uses a instead ghastly method of entraping its nutrient ; it has little # 8220 ; mouths # 8221 ; , which are really foliages adapted to work as traps, that near over the insect and so fade out it over a period of a few yearss. This is peculiarly absorbing as one can really see the oral cavities near over the insect. But how does the oral cavity near? Plants lack musculus ; it must utilize a somewhat more circuitous manner of capturing its nutrient. The Venus flytrap uses H2O motion to its advantage ; when something springs the trap, endocrines are rapidly released by the detector cells which cause H2O to travel out of the joint ; this makes the leaf prostration over the insect, pin downing it for digestion ( Meyers, Rice B.A. , www.sarrecenia.com/faq.html, 1998, Carnivorous Plant FAQ v6.0, Oct. 19, 1998 ) . The Sundew besides moves, although it uses a different technique ; when an insect is captured, the endocrines that are triggered slow the growing of cells on one side of the foliage, while rushing up the growing of those on the other. This causes the foliage to curve up around the insect. A Sundew traps the insects on gluey spinal columns, so it can take its clip in digestion ( Meyers, Rice B.A. , www.sarrecenia.com/faq.html, 1998, Carnivorous Plant FAQ v6.0, Oct. 19, 1998 ) . The hurler workss use a tubular root filled with a weak digestive enzyme to capture its quarry. When the insect falls into the # 8220 ; pitcher # 8221 ; , it becomes trapped in the enzyme and is digested. The hurler works besides has a foliage that shields the enzyme from rain, which would thin the solution. ( FEIS Biological Archive, www.fs.fed.us/database/feis, Oct. 19, 1998 ) So, what impact do these workss have on the human race? Well, aside from their economical value to babys rooms and hobbyists, they are of import index species. In a scientific diary by Mary-Jo Godt, she observed that in countries of Florida, endangered species of Sarrecenia were deceasing out due to over-development ; these workss will demo when we are forcing the bounds on our ecological systems before we cause any serious, lasting harm. ( Godt, Mary-Jo ( 1998 ) . The American diary of Botany, Allozyme diverseness in the endangered Pitcher Plant Sarracenia, New York: Hamwick ) Besides being index species, these workss besides play an of import function in many marsh ecosystems. Drosera are used for eatage by elk in the Kenai peninsula, are of import to the continued being of the fens in which migratory water bird, among other animals, unrecorded and mate, organize a primary home ground for an endangered species of rattler in Massachusetts, the eastern massassauga rattlesnake, and are of import beginnings of nutrient for emmets, which will opportunistically feed on the insects trapped on its foliages ( www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~trigg/ , Oct. 19, 1998 ) . They can besides be used to renew bogs, swamps, and wetlands that have been destroyed or damaged by industrial usage or peat excavation due to the fact that they are much more resilient than other carnivorous workss ; one illustration of this is an Ontario bog that had been stripped two metres in peat excavation. It is presumed that they help rhythm foods back into the damaged, alimentary deficient dirt by change overing insects straight into utile substances. They can besides be put to this usage in countries damaged by firing or route building. The foliages of Drosera can be used in the production of cheese as they have the natural ability to clabber milk ; this technique is put to utilize in Sweden even today. The fresh foliages contain an antibiotic that has proven effectual in the combat of several bacteriums ( i.e. , Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Pneumococcus ) and has been used to handle respiratory diseases and warts ( FEIS Biological Archive, www.fs.fed.us/database/feis, Oc t. 19, 1998 ) . Unfortunately, Drosera rotundifolia, the round-leafed Sundew ( the most utile of the species ) is endangered due to drainage, which destroys insects that it will feed upon while they are still in the larval phase. They are besides threatened by fertilisers and weedkillers, which stunt the plant’s growing, and by the devastation of wetlands to increase belongings values. However, this works has proven rather immune to heavy graze. This works is found all around the temperate parts of the Earth, so entire obliteration is non an immediate menace if saving attempts are taken. It is found in Wisconsin ( FEIS Biological Archive, www.fs.fed.us/database/feis, Oct. 19, 1998 ) . The following works that influences the universe we live in is the Pitcher Plant, or any Sarrecenia, Nepenthes, or Darlingtonia. Darlingtonia californica, or the California Pitcher Plant, emits a putrid odor when damaged or cut, and is hence an unwanted beginning of nutrient. It is, nevertheless threatened by aggregators, who will poach this works from the natural state and so sell it as a wonder. It is an priceless index species of the ecosystems in Oregon and California. It can turn up to 39 inches tall, which makes it an unbelievable spectacle, although most workss will merely turn to be 8 to 24 inches tall. ( www.waikato.ac.nz/~trigg/ , Oct. 19,1998 ) This peculiar works produces its ain H2O, screening outside H2O with a # 8220 ; goon # 8221 ; . Many of the insects that visit the works will imbibe its nectar and flight uneaten, which creates a good relationship between the works and the insects, an built-in portion of the map of an ecosystem. The insects that do acquire trapped are decomposed by bacteriums, as this peculiar species produces no enzymes for digestion. Some insects will really populate insi de the hurler, feeding off of the victims that fall in or come excessively near. This works is considered an index of hapless, serpentine-rich dirt. Sarrecenia Minor, or the Hooded Pitcher Plant, is found in the South-East corner of the United States and ranges through Georgia and Florida. It has a helmet-shaped goon to maintain H2O out. Its chief manner of extension is through seed ; nevertheless, it will renew if atomization of the rootstocks should happen. Bare land is a necessity for the development of seeds. This species is threatened by aggregators every bit good, and local extinction can happen. These workss besides have a symbiotic relationship with many insects, supplying the insects with nectar and eating the occasional careless feeder. ( www.flytrap.demon.cc.uk/plant.html, Oct. 19, 1998 ) Yet another hurler works, the Sarrecenia purpurea is somewhat more widespread than its relations. It is found in 36 provinces including this one. Its goon is positioned vertically, leting rainwater to fall in. Its colour can be anything from xanthous to purple. It is a typical Pitcher Plant, able to propagate through rhizome atomization, but utilizing seed as the chief method. Bees are the chief bearers of the pollen. They thrive in hapless dirt missing minerals such as Molybdenum, and are a good index of where non to turn maize, oranges, or anything else that can non populate in driveway crushed rock. They portion the same symbiotic relationship with insects that the other species enjoy with one noteworthy add-on ; a little, non-biting species of mosquito ballads eggs which grow into larvae entirely in the liquid contained in the hurler of this works. Its diet contains a few interesting add-ons as good, including but non limited to snails, crickets, and grasshoppers. These workss he lp forestall cat tail overpopulation ; in countries where this species of hurler workss was damaged by salt overflow from the route, cat dress suits infested and choked the wetlands. They are desirable houseplants, every bit good. Several species of moth larvae eat entirely from this works, depending on it for their endurance ( FEIS Biological Archive, www.fs.fed.us/database/feis, Oct. 19, 1998 ) . The concluding carnivorous works is the Dionaea muscipalia, or, as it is normally known, the Venus Flytrap ( www.flytrap.demon.cc.uk/plant.html ) . This works is used as a family works non merely for its expressions, but besides for its gruesomely effectual manner of diminishing the fly population in one # 8217 ; s place. This works, contrary to rumours, does non eat worlds ; in fact, the largest being reported eaten by these animals are toads and mice, and these are normally deathlike ailment or wounded at the clip of consumption. This works lives in North and South Carolina. It is non comestible, but plays a function in the environment, as all workss and animate beings do ( Watson, L. , and Dallwitz, M.J. ( 1992 ) . The Families of Blooming Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. New York: Del Ray ) . So, in decision, carnivorous workss are built-in to their ecosystems, and these ecosystems in bend are necessary for the wellness of the planet and world. Without carnivorous workss, these systems could non properly map and life would non be as it is today.

Human Resource Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resource Technology - Essay Example To become a multinational company the management has to expand its units across the country. As company and its other units are slowly expanding so does the problems are increasing day by day. If HR division is not up to its task then it may be possible that XYZ Inc. may consistent drop in its financial structure that result in heavy losses in the business. The important factors were found to be the hiccups facing by the staff in delivering the goods on time, baggage handling and in customer care. On the manufacturing side XYZ Inc. was unable to meet the supply demand. They have been successful in manufacturing and supplying of small privately owned airplanes. Since the public interest shifted towards the branded name and the feel of first class look the company has to meet the requirements. But XYZ Inc. was slow in its production rate. To meet the market demand on the manufacturing side and to improve customer care service the management introduced some strategies. One of the important factors that should be concentrated is on customer care service. The staff should be trained and should be at best when dealing with customers. The quality of the service should be of high degree. With the help of modern technology the staff could be easily trained.

Key Technology Trends That Raise Ethical Issues Research Paper

Key Technology Trends That Raise Ethical Issues - Research Paper Example This paper presents an overview of ethical concerns that are caused by the information technology. The information technology brings about a number of ethical, social, and political issues. Additionally, ethical issues consist of both political and social issues. For instance, at present, customer service has turned out to be one of the most important organizational tasks or services which engender a large number of ethical challenges and issues. In many cases, the lack of education and training in the subject of internet use has made a large number of individuals to take part in activities that question their ethics. This paper will present an overview of key technology trends that raise various ethical issues. Basically, ethics is a set of rules and principles that tell the individual whether they are wrong or right, acting as free of charge ethical agents, from which people draw guidance while making decisions to direct their actions and behaviors. Without a doubt, the information technology (IT) has brought wonderful advantages and opportunities to business organizations as well as individuals. It has modernized and revolutionized all the fields of life. However, at the same time it has caused a wide variety of ethical issues for individuals, business organizations and cultures for the reason that they open new horizons for strong societal change, and as a result intimidate offered distributions of authority, capital, privileges, and responsibilities. In addition, similar to any other technologies, for instance, electricity, steam engines, the telephone, fax machine and the radio, information technology can be utilized to accomplish social development; on the other hand, it can also be used by the bad people to carry out illegal activities. For instance, they can use it to threaten cherished social values and commit crimes. In this scenario, the advancements in information technology will create advantages and opportunities for a large number of businesses and individuals as well as expenses for others. In addition, information technology has given a great deal more pressure to ethical issues through the developments in the Internet, electronic commerce (e-Commerce) and electronic business (e-Business). It is an admitted fact that the Internet and other similar digital technologies make it easier for the bad people to bring together, integrate, and dispense their criminal activities. Some of the cases that can cause various ethical issues and concerns can include misuse of data and information, giving a free rein to new concerns regarding the suitable utilization of customers’ information, the security of individual privacy, and the protection of intellectual property and rights. Sometimes, the staff members of an organization having extraordinary skills and knowledge can deceive IT resources and business systems by using fake information and records and redirecting money at a level unbelievable in the pre-computer age. Some of the other well-known and vital ethical concerns caused by the increasing use of information technology comprise setting up responsibility for the costs of information technology and business management systems, establishing standards and measures to ensure the security of systems’ quality that ensures the security and privacy of society and individuals, and maintaining values and foundations believed to be critical to the quality of life in an information culture.

Emotional inteligence and the Cognitive resource theory of The Home Research Paper

Emotional inteligence and the Cognitive resource theory of The Home Depot - Research Paper Example Moreover, some examples from the book of Daniel Goleman â€Å"Emotional Intelligence† have been presented. Moreover, all the forms of intelligence have been defined to clarify the exact base of emotional intelligence. Previous researchers claim that there are two types of intelligence, verbal intelligence and the academic intelligence. The significance of intelligence is obvious as it decides the position of people in hierarchy ladder. Only very intelligent people secure the place of a leader because they have the ability to solve intricate problems with ease. The traditional intelligence has a clear association with verbal intelligence both are evaluated by IQ tests. According to a meta-analysis conducted by Timothy Judge, Amy Colbert, and Remus Ilies (2004) leadership and verbal intelligence has .21 and .27 range association that is not equally greater than common shrewdness. However, past examination also exhibited negative attachment between leadership and intelligence as well as the competency of leadership was not found commendable (Lord, DeVader, & Alliger, 1986). Obviously, there have been some issues; therefore, leadership and intelligence could not build powerful association. If the intelligence of a leader is far superior to his/her followers the followers would definitely not recognize it and consequently do not backup the leader. According to the social theory of Hogg (2001), the tendency of followers is not psychologically different from other selection approaches; the followers always select a person who is perfect among them; the followers always reject a leader who is far superior in intelligence than the followers. The intelligence and leadership association can be modified through factors of situation. The hindrance in enhancement of leadership competency is a test of stressful situations and crisis as the leader tries to resolve the issue through planning whereas the problem requires swift action (Fred Fiedler, 2002). On the contrary, in crisis and strenuous circumstances, Fred Fiedler (2002) explains in his cognitive resources theory, the experienced leader is usually found more effective because he/she has acquired training and experience to implement behavioral actions; these experienced leaders are just like fire fighting or military leaders who take fast actions during strenuous situations. However, when there is no direct crisis and intelligent leaders have time to analyze problem to find the solution, in accordance with cognitive resources theory, intelligent leaders can beat experienced leaders. Thus, intelligent leader can only enjoy success sometime. Moreover, efficient leadership can be successful with particular knowledge of the related trade, for instance, a sport team leader can successful, if he/she has skills and athletic information rather than verbal intelligence. For leadership emergence and competency, the other shapes of intelligence are more highly involved as compare to verbal intelligence and the fact must be kept in perception, importantly. The other shapes of intelligence such as social intelligence, or understanding of people through social interaction. These forms of intelligence are more significant for leadership in contrast to IQ. Furthermore, the new form of

Summary of the law of accelerating returns Essay

Summary of the law of accelerating returns - Essay Example According to the article, ‘Law of Accelerating Returns’ evolution relates to constructive feedbacks relating to a phase of evolutionary progress is used to form the next phase. Therefore, the rate of advancement in an evolutionary process escalates exponentially over a period, which highly influences the ‘Law of Accelerating Returns’ that involves rapidity, cost-effectiveness and complete "power" of a procedure. The second phase of exponential development occurs when higher resources are organized in the direction of further advancement. ‘Biological and technological evolution’ can be referred as evolutionary processes. For an instance, transistors are incorporated within a circuit to create powerful computers, which in turn provides a prospect for exponential growth until the computers become powerful. This induces a paradigm shift, which ensures that the process of exponential growth keeps persisting at a rate, which doubles in each decade (Ku rzweil, â€Å"The Law of Accelerating Returns†). The Singularity is the technical revolution, which is so prompt as well as intense that the rate of exponential growth has become infinite and technology seems to be mounting at limitless speed. Therefore, it can be considered that the Singularity will transmute different facets of our lives socially, sensually and economically. Advanced technologies in the present day context, has been subjected to law of accelerating returns. ‘Moores Law of Integrated Circuits’ came into existence, which was highly recognized in the public as a paradigm for exponential progression in computers. The overall speed of computers has doubled each year, which has given rise to flat chips used in computers. Moores Law has extended to such a level in terms of computational power due to which exponential progression has not been viable. Thus, ‘Moores Law’ can be considered as S curve. In agreement with the