Night :: essays research papers

In 1944, in the village of Sighet, Romania, twelve-year-old Elie Wiesel spends much time and emotion on the Talmud and on Jewish mysticism. His instructor, Moshe the Beadle, returns from a near-death experience and warns that Nazi aggressors will soon threaten the serenity of their lives. However, even when anti-Semitic measures force the Sighet Jews into supervised ghettos, Elie's family remains calm and compliant. In spring, authorities begin shipping trainloads of Jews to the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex. Elie's family is part of the final convoy. In a cattle car, eighty villagers can scarcely move and have to survive on minimal food and water. One of the deportees, Madame Schà ¤chter, becomes hysterical with visions of flames and furnaces. At midnight on the third day of their deportation, the group looks in horror at flames rising above huge ovens and gags at the stench of burning flesh. Guards wielding billy clubs force Elie's group through a selection of those fit to work and those who face a grim and improbable future. Elie and his father Chlomo lie about their ages and depart with other hardy men to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. Elie's mother and three sisters disappear into Birkenau, the death camp. After viewing infants being tossed in a burning pit, Elie rebels against God, who remains silent. Every day, Elie and Chiomo struggle to keep their health so they can remain in the work force. Sadistic guards and trustees exact capricious punishments. After three weeks, Elie and his father are forced to march to Buna, a factory in the Auschwitz complex, where they sort electrical parts in an electronics warehouse. The savagery reaches its height when the guards hang a childlike thirteen year old, who dies slowly before Elie's eyes. Despairing, Elie grows morose during Rosh Hashanah services. At the next selection, the doctor culls Chlomo from abler men. Chlomo, however, passes a second physical exam and is given another chance to live. Elie undergoes surgery on his foot. Because Russian liberation forces are moving ever closer to the Nazi camp, SS troops evacuate Buna in January 1945. The Wiesels and their fellow prisoners are forced to run through a snowy night in bitter cold over a forty-two mile route to Gleiwitz. Elie binds his bleeding foot in strips of blanket. Inmates who falter are shot. Elie prays for strength to save his father from death. At a makeshift barracks, survivors pile together.

Harley-Davidson’s Motivational Programs Essay

History of Harley-Davidson:Today it is hard to imagine Harley-Davidson (Harley) as a low-quality motorcycle manufacturer in severe financial trouble. But that’s exactly what Harley was in the beginning of the 1980’s. Harley motorcycles were of such poor quality that over half of all the cycles produced were effectively inoperable because of missing parts or poor assembly. When Japanese motorcycle manufacturers entered the US market th reliable and well-built bikes, past and potential Harley customers switched over to the foreign brand. The only customers that remained with Harley were its most loyal, technologically savvy ones who were committed to the Harley brand name. As a result, between 1973 and the early 1980’s, Harley’s market share dropped from over 75% to under 25%. By 1984, sales had dropped to $294 million and profit was merely $2.9 million. The future of Harley was nothing but bleak. In order to change the company’s performance and improve the quality of the bikes produced, Harley implemented a series of programs and reorganization efforts to motivate its employees to help Harley turn around. Since Harley was financially squeezed, the bulk of the incentive programs were based on intrinsic motivation, including employee empowerment and increased challenge and excitement in the job. Harley also began offering financial incentives that were tied to specific performance factors. Due to the extraordinarily positive results from these programs, they are still in effect today. Intrinsic Motivational StrategiesEmployee EmpowermentIn order to motivate its employees to improve the manufacturing process, Harley implemented a program that empowered its employees at all levels to take more control of the operations and decision-making in the company. In order to get the best that each employee has to offer, Harley encourages every employee to suggest ideas, involves all employees in major company decisions, and allows its hourly workers to make more decisions than most companies. This not only improves employee morale by instilling a sense of worth in each employee, it also creates a sense of attachment to the company. In turn, this empowerment results in increased dedication to the company, hard work and improved employee performance because each employee is given the power to initiate change and make decisions that affect the company. Furthermore, Harley’s culture supports its strategy of employee empowerment. Harley is a flat organization with only two layers of management that fosters a friendly and collaborative environment. The atmosphere is casual and all employees interact with each other-there are no rigid lines between the management and the hourly workers. This generates a sense of camaraderie and feelings of mutual respect, which in turn facilitates open lines of communication and comfort with speaking up to identify problem areas and possible solutions. In addition, the company does not punish failed ideas or criticize out-of-the-box suggestions. Instead, the company always evaluates the new ideas and rewards employees for creative solutions that work. In fact, in 2001, more than 20% of Harley’s IT staff was internally promoted for creative thinking that resulted in better or faster production. Finally, Harley doesn’t force the added responsibility and power onto the employees and leave them to fend for themselves, adopting a survival of the fittest attitude. Rather, it provides them the tools and skills necessary to succeed in the more challenging and complex environment. Believing that all employees that are expected to take on the responsibility of increased employee power should be equipped with certain necessary competencies, Harley provides training in communication, conflict resolution, team skills, planning, problem solving, decision making, and performance management. For example, Harley-Davidson University, a training program required for all employees, â€Å"teaches employees how to do business stimulation and how to plan for ownership succession since they deal with a lot of goods and services† (How Companies are Managed). Harley even provides hourly workers the skills necessary to be able to market their new ideas to management and their peers. It trains employees on computers and teaches them how to give presentations on PowerPoint and how to use spreadsheets to manage the implemented changes. This commitment to training and education demonstrates Harley’s loyalty to and confidence in its employees and gives them the skills and abilities necessary to make employee empowerment a success for the company and a non-threatening, welcomed aspect of the job to the employees. An example of how employee empowerment motivated an employee to generate change in the production process and therefore financially benefit Harley is when an hourly worker suggested putting two tanks in the pain chamber where he worked. The suggestion was quickly implemented and ended up doubling the productivity in the paint shop! If not for the combination of employee empowerment, the necessary training, and a supportive culture, it is unlikely that this hourly worker would have even discovered the potential improvement in the painting process. Yet, even if he did, he probably would not have cared enough to felt comfortable enough to suggest his idea to his manager. Consequently, Harley would have missed out on the full potential of its employee and would have been less productive in the manufacturing process. Challenging & Enjoyable WorkHarley also motivates its employees by matching its employees with projects that are personally interesting and challenging to each employee. First, management makes the projects more meaningful to the employees by explaining the overall business objectives of the projects and helping them understand the business value of successfully achieving those objectives. For example, Harley doesn’t just promote new technology for technology’s sake, but rather markets the technology’s tangible importance to the customer and the bottom line. This gets the employees interested in the project and excited about achieving the stated goals. Harley also tries to motivate employees by making their work sufficiently challenging. While giving the employees the ability to and pressuring them to step up and initiate positive change in the organization is one strategy to make the workplace more exciting, Harley doesn’t stop there. It also offers all of its employees the chance to work on new technologies, innovative processes and highly-visible projects. Employees are assigned to these activities by â€Å"showing initiative, keeping up with current technologies [or process improvements] and learning soft skills such as how to work effectively on a team and how to talk with business customers† (Hamblen). This not only keeps employees interested in their work, it motivates them to improve their portfolio of skills so that they can participate in these challenging and exciting projects. Finally, Harley makes a concerted effort to match employees with projects and jobs in which they have specific interest. Managers are urged to stay in tune with the interests of their workers in order to best match them with the available job opportunities. For example, managers have quarterly review meetings with their subordinates to discuss upcoming projects in the company and determine which projects are of interest to the employee. Harley’s commitment to maintaining the employee’s interest in their work is paying off. In 2001, the IT department, which has over 200 employees, had a turnover rate of less than 3%. Such a low rate clearly illustrates the employees’ satisfaction with their jobs and commitment to Harley. Intrinsic Motivation: An exampleA prime example of Harley’s use of intrinsic motivation programs is its use of councils. Councils are groups of employees, with ten approximately members, who work to address specific issues that affect their day-to-day work. Fellow workers choose the members, and it is considered an honor to be selected to serve. The work done on the council is typically exciting and challenging, and produces tangible and noticeable results throughout the organization. Due to the prestige associated with being on the council, along with the skills developed by serving on one, â€Å"participating in a council is widely recognized as a career growth opportunity† (Vitiello). While these councils do increase decision-making time, the benefits are worth the lost time. First, they motivate employees to perform well in order to get on one of the councils and to get recognized while serving on one. Second, they create wider acceptance of the decisions by the employees because they were partly responsible for and involved in making the decisions rather than them being mandated by management. Financial MotivationHarley understands that while intrinsic rewards are important, employees are also significantly motivated by financial incentives. Therefore, Harley implemented three kinds of variable financial incentives, all of which that are linked to valued behavior. First, at least a portion of every employee’s compensation package depends on the achievement of the company’s annual goals; when the company meets or exceeds  its objectives, the employees meet or exceed their target salary. Second, Harley utilizes a stock program whereby a portion of the employees’ compensation is in stock options. This motivates employees to continually improve the overall performance of Harley because the better the company does, the higher the stock price a nd potential financial benefit to the employees. Finally, employee performance bonuses are given to individuals that provide exemplary work or suggest improvements that result in increased productivity or lower costs. All three of these programs motivate the employees to improve the productivity, efficiency, and financial performance of Harley. Harley-Davidson Today: The Results of Harley’s Motivational ProgramsThe programs implemented by Harley back in the middle of the 1980’s are still being used today. And for good reason-Harley’s performance has done nothing short of skyrocket since their implementation. In the first quarter of 2003, Harley reported net sales of $1.1 billion and a net income of $186.2 million. This is over 3.7 times the sales generated throughout the entire 1984 fiscal year. The Vice-President of the Kansas City office believes these motivation programs are the reason why Harley has had such a complete and long-lasting turn around:†[W]e’ve created an environment where all employees are valued and expected to make good decisions to benefit the enterprise, and people who feel they are making a contribution to the business are happier people, and they are committed to helping the company succeed. With 8,000 people showing up each day, determined to find ways to improve our business, I’m confident we will be able to continue our successful growth† (How Companies are Managed). Web Sites Used: 1.Why you can still buy a Harley; by Derek Parker; week of January 15, 2001: http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2001/01/15/editorial1.html2.Harley profit roars past estimates on slower U.S. sales; week of April 14, 2003: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/04/14/daily26.html?jst=s_cn_hl3.How Companies are Managed; by Brandon McNeal: http://academic.emporia.edu/smithwil/001fmg444pa/eja/mcneal.html4.Harley-Davi

A reasonable Doubt

My friend had been staying with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s best friend in one room for a period of one year when he got accused of rape and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. This has really affected me and the fact that after serving for 5 years the accuser came out and said it was a plot to get him since she had a crush on him!It was in a small town in the outskirts of the main city. Housing was expensive and as we were trying to achieve a few dreams of our lives, we didn’t consider renting a big house a priority since our income was not so much. I had grown up together with Ian and we knew each other so well. We shared most of our dreams.When Ian met Julie the love of his heart, he was so sure that she was the woman for her. They had dated for sometime and all along the dating period Julie was sharing a room with some other two friends of hers. One of which was her best friend while the other was a girl they had been together with in the university.They kne w that all along they would become financially stable and each would go their way as soon as their income could allow them to afford rent each one on her own.When Julie and Ian decided to come and live together, it was at first not difficult since the two girls shared the rent between themselves. Julie and Ian had stayed together for 3 months when a need arouse for Karen to move out of the town. (Karen is the other girl from the university who was now left living with Tina) Tina is Julie’s best friend.When the news reached Julie that Karen was planning to leave the town she was a bit worried about her best friend since she knew that Tina would not afford to live in there alone.However it was a tough thing to think about since the only left option was to ask Ian if he could allow Tina to come and stay with them even if for some days before she get someone to share a room with or perhaps until she could afford to stay alone.She knew that she had to prepare on the best approach to present this request to Ian. She was worried that may be it might turn out that Ian would refuse that kind of a thing.But she needed to ask him the soonest possible. A thought came into her that it would be necessary to first speak to Tina maybe she might have a different idea.She made her short journey and visited her best friend whom she found in tears. They talked after comforting her and Tina was more than happy to have realized that her friend thought about her in such ways. She knew that her problem was half solved since the only remaining part was now to approach Ian. They agreed that as soon as Ian gave a feedback Julie would let Tina know soonest possible.When Tina returned home that evening she was so restless yet she found it hard to start it to Ian. It was until Ian noticed that her concentration was divided and that she seemed a little bit disturbed. Ian walked to where Julie had sat and sat on the arm of the chair that she had occupied. He looked at her with concern and asked her ‘sweetheart is everything okay? How was your day?’Julie knew right inside her that this was the perfect moment; she knew that a chance had come and she was not going to waste any time about it. She replied to him ‘everything has been fine but I only worried about my best friend Tina, she is being left by Karen in that room we used to live the three of us. Karen needs to move out of this town as she has got a job elsewhere so she is only around here for a month.The problem here is that we had opted to stay the three of us since none could afford living alone. Just three months after I left Tina to stay with Karen now Karen is about to leave. Tina can not afford it alone’. As she spoke all these Ian just listened without interruption but when she posed Ian asked ‘so what is the problem?Are you suggesting that you want to go back there?’ she knew that this would worry Ian, he would do anything to have in his room and so she said to him ‘you see that is the only other option since it might not be ideal to you to have her here staying with us’ do you think Tina agree to come and stay with us? This was Ian asking. Julie told him that she was not sure about it but if Ian would not have a problem with it then she would ask Tina when they met next about it.Then Ian said; ‘ that is not something to worry about to the point of losing concentration, all is going to be okay for her, we can stay with her if she agrees if she refuses then it means she has a better option and therefore the problem will be solved.

Marketing Mix: Hand Sanitizer Essay

Through the marketing mix, businesses use the controllable variables of product, price, place, and promotion to define the firms marketing strategy (Berkowitz, 2011). The companies use these elements to contribute to the businesses marketing of the product, service, or good sold. While developing a product, determining the price, making the product convenient for customers to purchase or access, and promotion the product to advise the consumer of the product the business will have a solid marketing strategy in response to the marketplace around (Berkowitz, 2011). Background 1946 GOJO Industries created by Goldie and Jerry Lippman developed the first hand sanitizer and later introduced in 1988 Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer (GOJO Industries, 2012). GOJO created Purell to reduce the spread of germs for health care providers and restaurant operators without needing soap and water. Effective at killing 99. 99% of common germs in 1997 Purell Hand Sanitizer was no longer just available to the hospitals and restaurants, but consumers everywhere (GOJO Industries, 2012). Product  Gel hand sanitizer that just kills germs evolved into a global market of other products (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Removing dirt and killing germs with just one pump (U. S. Food and Drug Administration, 2003). Purell offers hand sanitizers in a variety of sizes, shapes, and forms. Developing personal pump bottles, hands free dispensers, jelly wrapped carriers, and personal hand wipes Purell offers more than just keeping hands free of germs. Convenience, personalized, dermatologist tested, doctor recommended, hypoallergenic, along with Vitamin A, E, and Aloe Purell can be used everywhere by everybody (CDC, 2012). Price With the rising cost of healthcare eliminating contributing factors which increase visits to the doctor at a reasonable price is not only what consumers look for but also employers (Berkowitz, 2011). When FedEx Custom Critical added Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer to its work environment, the company saw a 20% reduction in absenteeism (GOJO Industries, 2012). Purell has a variety of sizes offering a variety of prices. Purell Hand Sanitizer pricing range from size and dispensers wanted having a wide variety of products make it easier for every type of consumer to purchase (GOJO Industries, 2012). Compared to the leading hand soap, reaching an average price of $3. 04, Purell eight ounce standard bottle average at a price of $3. 79 factoring in the time and water used Purell proves convenience, accurate, and fast making the use of Purell a deal consumers are will to pay (GOJO Industries, 2012). Place Product accessibility and convenience can determine whether a consumer purchases the product or not. Purell is available in every drugstore chain in the United States ranging from Walgreens, to Rid- Aid and places like CVS. Even sold in department stores like Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart. GOJO keeps Purell accessible making it available in grocery stores and discount stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Big Lots etc. As technology expands, it opened a new market for business to offering product s to consumers everywhere, at any time of the day without leaving the comfort of home. Purell brand products can be found on thousands of website on the internet, and the Purell shop website (GOJO Industries, 2012). In as little as one click finding the hospital size dispensers, wipes, and hand sanitizers have become a quick find (GOJO Industries, 2012). Promotion Purell various ways to let consumers know a product like hand sanitizer is available. Having commercial advertisements targeting the main consumer â€Å"mother with kids† keeping up with technology and reaching people everywhere with Twitter and Facebook pages (Twitter, 2012). Although regularly keeping in touch with consumers while giving tips to stay germ free (Facebook, 2012). In 2006, Purell launched call to action campaigns for consumers disturbing yellow stickers on the cover of every magazine in physician offices and hospitals. Placing each sticker in the appropriate place exposing the dates so the stickers could read, â€Å"Thumbed through by people since May 2005† and â€Å"Exposing patients to more germs since June 2004† (Purell Ad Campaign, n. d. ). This campaign helped Purell transition to creating a Facebook page and Twitter account were consumers can interact and discuss the brand (Purell Ad Campaign, n. . ). Summary Purell Hand Sanitizer in the beginning in just one specific market, until innovators Jerry and Goldie looked beyond the horizon. Hospitals, restaurants, schools, work places, and home Purell can be used everywhere even when on the go killing 99. 99% of germs while keeping hands softs Purell market base reaches every consumer who needs it, or wants it. Covering the market mix, knowing the target market, the product, price, promotion, and distribution are all the steps to having a successful business and product.

Youth and Juvenile Justice Draft Submission Research Paper

Youth and Juvenile Justice Draft Submission - Research Paper Example Literary Analysis Essay on Short Fiction Selections The authors through the short stories portray how characters use love and a sense of belonging to experience the imaginary world and escape everyday harsh realities. For example, in The Last Speaker of the Language, Darlyn comments, â€Å"It’s just about—even for a day—being this purely happy. Like, happy to be a carbon-based life form† (Anshaw 7). In another short story, Pilgrim Life, one quote that relates to this topic says, â€Å"Pilgrim Life† starts with that calming view, that apartment, my millionaire roommate, my wine magazine job. The rest of it I entirely made up (I swear) over a three-month stretch in the midst of the worst financial crisis I’ve ever lived through† (Atrim 67). These quotes clearly illustrate how the characters create their own imagination in order to avoid real world. For instance, Darlyn expresses how she values happiness, and acknowledge that it may be for a short time, but is so important. This happiness h elps her to escape from the problems with her alcoholic mum as well as job related problems. Similarly, in Pilgrim Life quote, the character acknowledges that not all the good things that he mentions are real, which shows that he sometimes seek imaginary experiences in order to escape from the problems that he has with his-girlfriend among other problems. Dreams and illusions is another strategy used by the authors to demonstrate how the characters uses imagine space to forget their problems. ... t contribute to juvenile delinquency is critical in coming up with ways to address the problem and to reduce the eminent ethical issues and economic losses. Juvenile Delinquency in its context To get a clear understanding of the contribution of all stakeholders involved in Juvenile delinquency to identify the main divisions in which it occur. These include individual delinquency, situational delinquency, organized delinquency and group supported delinquency. Individual delinquency occurs when a single person commits a criminal act on his or her own. Group supported delinquency results from both personal attributes and the neighborhood of an individual usually out of close companionship of a young person with other delinquents. Organized delinquency refers to the commitment of crime by organized groups, in situations where juveniles happen to be members of a criminal gang. Situational delinquency occurs when young people engage in crime without a strong sense of commitment. One of the key factors contributing to juvenile delinquency is the social setting juveniles are placed especially at family level (Iravani, 2012). The kind of guidance that youths are given, the love and care they are shown and openness in the family setting go a long way in good citizens molding such that delinquency is less likely. Where love and discussion are not stressed on in the family and youths are neglected they are become at risk of being easily lured into crime. Most researchers suggest that most young people engage in crime in an effort to seek solutions for their family problems (Rosenheim. et al, 2002). Iravani (2012) also found out that where both parents are available at home and engage their children in discussion and guidance delinquency is less unlikely. The risk to delinquency

Survival of the Fittest Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Survival of the Fittest - Article Example This will help the employees in saving his/her jobs because health care administrators are already looking to retain only those employees who can work in more than one area. Secondly managers have to motivate employees by participating in two way communication with them. Thirdly employees can continuously get involved in the process of improving the quality of the service by providing clean and safe environment to patients and other officials of the health care system. Lastly, administrators of health care system should try to reduce their cost by negotiating with suppliers and it is the right time to do so as suppliers they are ready to negotiate due to bad economic conditions. Mark S. Learner states that an individual who is responsible for carrying out activities should try to take the credit for what he has done otherwise his activities and importance will be undermined. Lerner states that an individual has to show his technical abilities in order to save his/her job. In my opinion this is not completely true because an individual can not perform all kinds of jobs related to a field and if he/she will try to do so, he will feel over burdened and employees of health care settings are already over burdened because organizations are practicing

What's up with the American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What's up with the American Dream - Essay Example Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. It was incorporated in 1969 and began to publicly trade in the New York Stock Exchange in the year 1972. Currently, Wal-Mart runs 8,416 stores situated in 15 different countries. However, despite the success story of Wal-Mart Company, it has been faced with criticisms on how it treats its employees. For instance, from the essay of Karen Olsson, it is evident that many workers leave the company within their first days of work because of poor working environment and low wages. In addition, the health plan of Wal-Mart Company is very poor or worse. For instance, Karen Olsson points out that the company deducts huge sum of money from each worker in order to compensate for their health insurance (Olsson 603). The pay of Wal-Mart is low and its demands are very high. Rather than assisting its employees, it encourages them to get Medicaid, public housing and public assistance in order to compensate for low wages or salaries. Wal-Mart employees str uggle to live with these low salaries. This treatment is against the American dream which is driven by the desire to see every American succeed in life without struggle. It is true that Wal-Mart provides health insurance but at higher cost of over $ 70 out of each paycheck. Due to its rapid expansion and growth, Wal-Mart sets the pace for benefits and salaries in the United State’s economy (Olsson 606). The standards that Wal-Mart sets are unacceptable. The pay is too low and it could adversely affect the U.S economy. For instance, average hourly pay is $ 7 which translates to $ 18,000 a year at a Corporation that makes a profit of over $ 6 billion annually. Most of the workers at the company opt to ignore the health coverage of the company since it costs up to $ 2,500 per year. Further, it is hard for employees to get insurance cover for their children because of the increasing disparity between profits and wages. Wal-Mart has the moral responsibility to offer better working conditions and pay to its workers because they are the reason the company make profits. Sebastian in his essay argues that Wal-Mart is not progressive as its critics think. For instance, he states that most critics of Wal-Mart assert that Wal-Mart acts as a parasite in the sense that the company has five percent of its workers on Medicaid. According to Mallaby (622), it is a typical level for large company, and most firms offer its employees four percent of health insurance. Because of the increasing income inequality, Wal-Mart should provide discounts on its food in order to boost the welfare of American shoppers. In addition, Wal-Mart should fight to offer the lowest prices on goods by maintaining the greatest quality o its products. Wal-Mart sets its prices quite lower than the average industry prices in order to win greater market share. The firm makes all efforts to improve process efficiencies. However, it is important to note that Wal-Mart is the center of the globalised, te chnology drive company that has raised the level of income inequality as discussed in Robert Frank’s article. Customers expect organizations to operate in a moral way. Wal-Mart has to work with customers to produce quality products that are in line with the customer’s desires and expectations. Further, Wal-Mart Company has the moral responsibility to offer customers free access to data concerning their operation. Social responsibility and code of conduct are created with the recognition that every activity that a company do is connected with their work. The Company should ensure that whatever activity they do, does not contravene the interest of the society. According to Mallaby (620), Wal-Mart might be assisting Americans fight health care inflation but at the same